[thinpossible]

In addition to losing weight, I'm trying to take better care of myself all the way round. I had my first mammogram on Friday, my annual pap smear today, which I haven't had in a couple of years. Going to the dermatologist next month, need to have my teeth cleaned. But there's still a lot of areas I need to take care of myself better. I don't really spend any time fixing myself up, I need to keep my house cleaner, I need to find some outside interests, I need to put some savings away instead of spending every check. At least I have no debt.

So how are you doing when it comes to taking care of yourself?

[beerab]

I think I'm doing much better- I take the time to do my hair in the mornings and my makeup- I try to get in to bed earlier on nights there is nothing I watch on TV. I also went to the dentist a few months ago (ug $1500 later!), and I've also gotten rid of/stopped wearing clothes that are ridiculously huge on me, and so on

[Delphi]

You know, I've always taken pride in the way I look and always made sure, regardless of my size, that I appeared very well put-together and at least beautiful in my eyes. But keeping regular doctor visits, is something I definitely need to do. Ya know, think I'll go make an appointment right now. Thanks!

[scarletmeshell]

This is wonderful to hear, that you Ladies are taking better care of yourselves. I am trying to get more sleep, keep my house cleaner, taking better care of my hair, nails, and skin, and like beerab, I have stopped wearing the ridiculously huge clothes. If you put your keys in your pants pocket, and your pants fall down, it is time for new pants!!

[dragonwoman64]

yes, I recently had a gp and gyn check up after too many years, as well as a mammogram. I got new glasses (put that off too long, those things can get expensive). I really let things go in that vein for too long. Still need to do the teeth, but I've always been good about brushing and flossing. those things can slip by too easily, I do think they're important.

I see it as an overall package of me taking better care of myself too. it's led to me being better able to eat well and start losing weight again.

[Alana in Canada]

Ouch.

I'm not quite ready to face the doctor's office and the dentist, yet.

It's been years.

[Smiling_Sara]

I need to work on a lot of areas. I've gotten the eating better and excersizing. But I haven't seen my girly doc in 2 years, I need to clean and keep my area where i live clean. I need to not spend as much money i as do so I can save for a home. ( something I really want, but is hard on just my income, and I'm about as single as they come ) I also need some outside interests so I can meet more ppl my age.

[Tracy]

I don't take care of myself.Especially when I am not on a plan. I just have no motivation.Thankfully,I do shower& brush my teeth every day. But that is about it.

[kaw]

Thanks for reminding me that I need to make appointments for annual physical, pap smear, and mammogram!

[1/2 hour later].

Done. Thanks, gals!

Fortunately, I'm up to date on dentist and eye appointments.

Be strong,
Kim

[YogaGal08]

Dentist=Check
Eyes = Check
OBGYN = Check
Regular doctor = FAIL - I have not ever had a primary care doctor in my adult life. It's on the list of things to do but unfortunately the waiting list in MA for a primary is pretty long. I'm looking at around 6 months until I could get in to see someone for the first time. I'll get there.

Things I'm doing otherwise..I WILL PAY OFF MY CREDIT CARDS THIS YEAR! I've been successfully paying down my balance and hope to be rid of it by the end of the year...which will then allow me to focus on paying more towards my car and student loans. I also want to get to a place where I can build up some savings.

Today is day 10 no smoking and no drinking. There have been a couple of bumpy spots but those are my absolute worst habits when it comes to my health outside of my weight. I will count days as long as it's necessary. My goal is to never smoke again and keep the alcohol at the occasional level. There is just so much money and calories that I pour into social drinking. It's been hard this past week drinking seltzer but no one really bugged me about it so that's a good thing!

As far as my appearance... I am generally pretty put together...my clothes are getting a bit tattered but I refuse to buy anything new at this size. I need to get better about washing my face before bed...I'm totally a 'makup to bed' offender!

[Hyacinth]

I've been pretty good about doctor and dentist visits over the years.

I work from home so I don't wear a lot of makeup, but I do try to dress somewhat cute (albeit casual) even if I'm home alone all day. I brush my teeth and eat vegetables regularly, but I could stand to take better care of my nails, and I need to do some exercise and stretching regularly. Going to bed at a good time is another problem for me ... I like to stay up pretty late.

My areas of care that I have been addressing lately are clutter. Sorting through old boxes of junk, finding new homes for a lot of it. I'm pretty good about keeping my place tidy, but I could stand to give it a thorough scrubbing.

Oh yeah, I have credit paid off (except student loans), I save pretty regularly, and I keep pretty good grips on spending.

[cfmama]

I'm doing well in all areas except my teeth. I have three root canals that need crowns but I'm kinda waiting until I can afford it They've had the ROOT CANAL part done, they just need to be finished.

[Buttercup]

This is interesting. Before I started this journey I did not keep up with my health or dental appointments. Now I do and am thrilled to finally be taking the bull by the horns. It feels good to have a doctor notice you have lost weight by looking at your face first! I didn't feel I was worth it before I guess. Now I am taking control of all aspects of my health care and life. It's heart warming to know that others have dealt with these feelings too! We are worth the extra effort!

[KimikoD]

Let's see...for me, I've done the doctor check ups (just had a baby in February, so I couldn't avoid those!) and unfortunately they found some precancerous cells on my cervix wall. Have another appointment in a few weeks to discuss my options. Since it's precancerous though, I'm not letting this get me down.

Other than that, I too have been a "wear make up to bed" offender, and that's one of the goals I gave myself, so for the last month I've washed my face every night! (there's this great product by Origins, called Modern Friction and I LOVE it....it makes your face feel so soft and supple after using it for just a week).

I've also set a goal for my family, to pay off all of our debt (with the exception of the mortgage) in the next 2 years. One thing I've done to supplement my income to pay stuff off is to set up an EBay account and sell off junk (one person's junk is another's treasure). So far, in the 2 weeks since I've started, I've made about $95.00 (it was a bit more, but minus their fees). It's not a ton, but every little bit counts, and that's $95 more I can pay towards a credit card and less interest I'll owe!!

The last thing I've tried to start focusing on is my skin. I'm completely worried that when I lose the weight I want to, my skin is going to have lost it's elasticity and I'll have loose skin and stretch marks everywhere. So if anyone has any suggestions....I'll take them! I want to get any kind of jump start on this I possibly can!!

[HVEECK]

Before I started losing weight, I totally neglected my dr. appts. I never went to the OBGYN (unless I was pregnant), rarely had my teeth cleaned, didn't take care of my skin or nails. What is that about? I wonder why it is that a lot of us feel that just because we are heavy, we dont feel like we should take care of other aspects of our health either. Now, I have regular teeth cleaning, just went to the dermatologist, apply lotion every day, have beautiful nails, and I am going to the OBGYN next week it really feels good to take care of myself for a change