Wow...I think it's actually been a few months since I've been in here, and certainly since I've posted on 3FC with any sort of consistency. But I NEED to come back, and I know this group is always one to welcome with open arms!
I'm not going to beat myself up or harp on the negative--I'm up to the highest weight I've ever been in my life. I'm 25 years young and about 320 pounds. I'm feeling and acting more and more like a stereotypical "fat person," and that scares the bejezus out of me! I've always prided myself on standing tall and living "normally" despite my weight, but that's becoming less and less true, so time to change!
A bit of positives to catch up on--Jeff and I have moved into our own 3-level townhouse. We've also purchased a new couch since we have more rooms (our first major furniture purchase together) and a projector for the entertainment room in the basement--AWESOME to pretty much have a movie theater in your home!
We have also added 2 puppies to our family, both from the same litter of Corgi-Chihuahua-Jack Russell mixes born August 1, so they are 4 months old today. One is a female now weighing about 4 pounds named Bean, and the other is a male weighing about 11 pounds named Bowser (with the difference in size and build, even the vet has a hard time believing they're from the same litter, but Bean looks all Chihuahua while Bowser looks almost all Corgi). They keep us insanely busy, but we love them!
My job has been a roller coaster lately, as I was handed a job with another group within the company, but it was then ripped out from under me...long story. But now I'm staying with my current group and will hopefully be seeing some changes for the better now that my VP knows I was thinking of leaving.
Jeff and I have yet to start any sort of wedding plans. We don't know when, where, or how we'll tie the knot. Part of the reason for lack of planning is that my parents are trying to sell their house in CT to move closer to my sister now that she's given them grandchildren. They jumped the gun a bit and bought a house near my sister back in the early summer, but now their house in CT has been on the market since March, so they've been paying 2 mortgages each month--ouch! I don't want to get into something as major as planning a wedding until my parents are settled and their house has sold. It's a tough situation for the family both financially and mentally.
So, there's been (and still is) a lot going on in my life--lots of changes, lots of stresses, lots of everything! And more to come! But in addition to all the changes in my life, I need to get back to a healthier way of living. And being here at 3FC is definitely a part of that
Johnnie-- That is a wonderful NSVs! Keep a list of them (I keep mine in my computer after I post them!) so you can reread them later. You ARE getting your life back!
Jill -- BIG !!! I am SO glad to see you back. Not glad about all the circumstances, but we missed you around here! I'm glad to hear you still have a full life (2 puppies!). Post regularly!
Hi y'all!! I'm checking in. I haven't posted in a few days but it isn't for lack of want to. Hubby was home from Texas and is now back at work in North Carolina so I didn't spend a lot of time on the computer while he was here. Also, my finals start next week so I've been studying some... but need to study wayyy more than what I have been.
I need to read & catch up on all the posts but just thought I'd check in & say I didn't drop off the wagon!
Carol, Yep, it's just that funky time of year and I think the hardest time to stay OP. With going out Christmas shopping and eating out more, it makes it tuff to stay within our better ways of eating. All we can do is try and stay committed.
I'm going to call on Monday to see if they got my results back. If they are, I'm just going to ask if the doctor can give me a prescription if needed, and then I won't have to even go in to see him.
Nancy, right now I'm so unemotionally into my weight loss. It's sort of a let down to myself, but it's the only way I feel right now. Hopefully I can get back to where I was after the new year. I just don't feel I can deal with it right now. But I won't give up.
I'm so glad you are enjoying the dance classes. It just sounds like a really fun time and you're toning and losing all at the same time.
Annie, we got some snow, about an inch I think but tonight it will probably melt. Then they say it's suppose to warm up and the flooding starts....o boy.
I'm so happy that you are enjoying your job. There's nothing better than loving the job you have. So you're very fortunate my friend.
Lindsay, how was Avenue Q? I'm so glad that Jed's parents really liked you. It makes things so much easier.
Deb, who knows if anyone will go on Oprah but my guess is that she will probably pick some people to go on her show. That way she has proof that there were people out there losing. It would really be fun if one of us could go on there.
Conehead...uh....I mean Catherine....you just crack me up with your posts. I really look forward to reading them. Thanks for the laugh. Yay on getting the paper done!!
Johnnie, sounds like you are well on your way to losing that weight too...45 lbs gone already. That's a great start. I'm sure as you lose, you will start to feel better and less pain. Just take care of yourself along the way. Welcome!!! That's wondeful news that you were able to get the groceries put away!!! Keep up the good work!!
Sandy, thanks and I hope taxe time will really help both of us!!
Jill, welcome back and hopefully things will improve for you and your family. The new furbabies sound adorable. They will bring you great joy as only animals know how to do.
Today was the town Christmas parade. It was short but sweet. Right after it started snowing so now the ground is all covered in snow. We are suppose to get warmer weather though and there is already a flood watch in effect until Wednesday. Weird weather!! We met up with some people we knew that we haven't seen in a few months so it was fun....cold...but fun. Now it's just getting ready for Christmas and planning on what to have for the big dinner on Christmas Eve. Supposedly my hubby is going to do the cooking so this should be interesting.
Hello to all who I didn't leave a personal for..just know I'm thinking of you all
Debbie
Xena: Oh man, I would love to go see Billy Joel. Way more my speed and style. lol. I hope you have a blast!
Nancy: thanks. So glad that you are enjoying your Saturday routine.
Catherine: Yippee to getting the paper done. I bet you did wayyyy better than you think you did.
Johnnie: excellent job putting the groceries away. I sure know how you feel. It would zonk me before to put groceries away and take me forever. I am proud of you and so happy for you. Great NSV and thanks for sharing it with us.
Sandy: So glad that you had such a nice day with Abbey! That is going to be such great memories for her. Hugs.
Jillybean: Hugs to you. I am so glad to see you back. I have been wondering how you are and hoping you are well. Sorry about the weight gain but, you can do it Jilly. Congrats on your new house and for your new furbabies too. Again, so glad you are back.
Debbie: Hope you are not flooding. We are really getting the snow. (Nothing like yours Catherine) lots of snow for here though and I am enjoying it.
Had a very productive day. I went to Fashion Bug and got a fancy blouse and velour or velvet, I'm clueless on materials, skirt for my DH Christmas party Friday night. Got my nails done. Birthday gifts cards for my mom and my niece and filled my gas tank up for the next two weeks for work. I did clean most of my house. The harder parts anyway. Both bathrooms are sparkling clean, the living room and dining room are dusted, vacuumed and mopped (hard wood flours), the Christmas decorations are up. Only have the two spare bedrooms left to dust and vacuum and finish the laundry. Kitchen is done too. Whew. Hopefully working together my DH and I can keep it nice and clean so that I can just do touch ups throughout the week and do my deep cleaning every other week now.
Hope you are all doing wonderfully well and enjoying your familes and friends.
Blessings and stay safe, warm and op,
Annie
Annie - wow - you got a lot done. Working does make you really utilize the weekends for cleaning doesn't it. What a great plan for you and Joel to work together and get it done lickety split. It seems that this job was indeed a perfect fit for you. Your clients are so lucky to have such a wonderful person working with them. Post some pics of you all dolled up in your new outfit. Hugs to you.
Debbie - I think that's great to get your results and hopefully some relief sooner. Just stay strong with them and remind them you came because of a problem and don't want to deal with it for two more weeks. Yes, it is very hard to stay committed right now - we seem to be eating our more and the choices are not the best. All I keep thinking is about the first of the year BUT I will not throw this all out the window until then. I could put on every ounce I have taken off so far.
Catherine - congrats on the completion of the paper. How long until you know the grade? What's next on your busy agenda?
Xena - Billy Joel - that's fantastic. There must be a Dallas/KC concert schedule connection.
Johnnie - way to go with the groceries. Everyone here celebrates with you on the awesome NSV. You've done so well and I hope your pain lessens as your weight loss journey progresses.
Jill and Steph - Hi and Hugs
Nancy - when I grow up I wanna be like you and your exercise regime. When did you start exercising in the weight loss journey and with what type of program? I love the thought of the dance classes you are doing. I have the Just My Size Yoga - which is really easy but does feel great and I love doing but not sure I get much from it - plus no yoga until the ortho says OK - which I'm hoping is Friday.
Sandy - missed you. What warm and fuzzies I got reading about your day with Abbey. Years to come you will be remember this day. I was thinking about making a pot of soup the other day and wondered what Sandy would make today. Your soups always sound so tasty. Hope DH is feeling better. Enjoy your Sunday.
Time to do some cruise paperwork now that we are less than two weeks away. Book shores excursions, get passports ready, leave emergency numbers and of course play with the dogs.
I'm going to have a better day today than yesterday food wise. I will eat my vegetables. My body is screaming at me for veggies. Fortunately the water routine is a habit now - something that is part of me. That one came relatively easy, if only the food part would. Have a great day all.
Jed and I had a really great time at Avenue Q last night. It's humor is derived from material that might offend those who offend easily (with songs like Everyone's A Little Bit Racist), but if you're not one of those people I would highly recommend it if it comes into your area. The puppeteers are amazing at portraying the emotions of the puppets.
Before that we had a really nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Rock Creek (the one in Bethesda, MD. There's another one with a different menu I haven't tried yet). We like this place because it prides itself on "mindful dining", so on the last menu page they include the nutritional information and everything is very low calorie without tasting like it. For example, last night I got the sweet potato gnocchi that comes with wild mushrooms, dried cranberries, broccolini, pistachio, and a vegetable demi-glace with truffle oil that came in at 276 calories, and wasn't a dinky portion either. So if you live in or ever visit the area, I'd highly recommend them for a nice meal out if you don't want to break the calorie bank.
Last night after we got in we had an incident with the people across the hall. He was apparently having another of his parties, which happen quite frequently and stinks up the entire hall with the smell of marijuana, but we usually just ignore it because he isn't bothering us enough with noise or anything to call the police. However, last night as one of his friends was leaving me made a comment to Jed and I with something to the effect of "Aw yeah, man! I ---- fat chicks all the time!" (pardon my French, I hope I didn't offend anyone) and then proceeded to try and give Jed a high five. Jed, shocked, just quickly tried to get in the door. I wasn't sure who to be mad at, quite frankly. I was mad at the idiot, for sure... but idiots are plentiful and I've dealt with them before. However, I was also ticked at Jed for not reacting at all or asking the guy to apologize to me or anything. I'm not saying he should have slugged the guy, no reason to get arrested or anything, but the fact that he retreated made me feel like the guy was getting away with it. I managed to give the guy the finger as he was walking away and honestly wanted to chase after him and give him a piece of my mind, but I was really upset. Jed apologized and said that he was in shock and had never come across anything like that so he didn't know what to do. I forgave him, but I still felt the need to do SOMETHING so we slipped a note under the people's door from across the hall saying that if his friends were rude to me again that we might be forced to stop ignoring what goes on at his parties and call the police. Am I overreacting here or was this the straw that broke the camels back? I usually don't do anything when someone's rude to me... so why now?
It sucks that one jerk had to ruin the evening. *sigh*
However, today I'm doing great because when I stepped on the scale this morning it read 280.6 which officially means I'm past the 100 lb mark!
Enough babbling from me, let's get on to all of you!
Catherine, I think I'd be okay with not eating Tootsie Pops and Tootsie Rolls (except for the fruit flavored ones)... they've just never appealed to me for some reason. I hope no one would egg my door for giving that away... haha. Congrats on finishing that paper.
Johnnie, WELCOME!!! That's great about putting away the groceries yourself.
Battle, that friend of yours definitely sounds like she's in denial. I had a friend that was still squeezing into size 18 and 20 stuff in the regular stores and she looked like a sausage. She was shocked that when we went dress shopping for her to go to the prom (at a department store, so it wasn't strange dress sizes) that she actually needed a 24. I think accepting the fact that they need to shop in plus sizes is really hard for some people. For me, before I started losing weight, it was having to move into the extended plus sizes and accepting that the stuff at Lane Bryant didn't fit.
Colleen, you CAN do this! From what I hear, Weight Watchers is a great program with lots of support and paired with 3FC, you'll be unstoppable I'm sure!
Xena, that Billy Joel concert sounds fun. That reminds me of the rerun of Frasier last night where Niles got tickets to see him for Daphne and Daphne got tickets for some mongolian throat singing concert for Niles and it turned out they were on the same night... haha.
Nancy, oh boy do I know what you mean about the water. With me I wake up needing to go potty, but I usually ignore it and try to go back to sleep and I can... for a little while. But it has been preventing me from sleeping in on the weekends which is probably for the best anyway! Haha
Sandy, wow! Sounds like you had a really busy day! I'm glad you had a great time with your daughter. Be good with that fudge...
Jill, glad to have you back! Sounds like you've really been busy... I think my head would be spinning. You should definitely post some pictures of the puppies! I'm so jealous! Haha.
Debbie, there was weird weather in Boston last week as well. Most days the high was around 35, but on Thanksgiving it was actually up to 66! Good luck with planning the big dinner on Christmas Eve. I know my family usually isn't too bad about that. They'll be ordering a turkey breast from somewhere and since I'll be home they're usually very supportive about letting me have free reign to plan the rest of the meal.
Annie, sounds like a productive day indeed! When you get your nails done do you just get a manicure or do you get acrylics put on?
Carol, lately I've been having problems getting in enough veggies and fruits. It helps me when I buy those steam in the bag frozen veggies, as the fresh produce at my grocery store has just been yuck lately.
Rabidstoat, Jeanne, Steph, Heather, and anyone else I missed, a big hello!
I'll see everyone later! Have a great OP day!
Last edited by LindseyLouWho; 12-02-2007 at 11:35 AM.
Jilly Welcome home!! I've missed you. I totally understand stress and the idea of more to come. But you're home now and things will get better.
Annie Hugs to you. You did an amazing job on your house. I still have one more load of laundry to do and to clean the master bath.
Carol, You say such kind things. I'm so glad you got the warm and fuzzies about my day with Abby, That makes me so happy cuz that's how I feel thinking and telling about it.
This week, we're having split pea soup when the batch of chili I made yesterday gets gone. Last week I made home turkey alphabet soup. The fam loved it! I can't wait to hear about your cruise. I think that's my dream vacation with DH. Who knows if it'll ever happen.
Lindsey Congrats on being past the 100 pound mark. That's a great victory!
Ammi If you're reading, I just want to say I really miss you.
Sharon, Where are ya? Miss you too.
Today I finally got the living room cleaned and even moved around the furniture.
DH won't like it, but I do and it's staying this way til spring.(but of course, if he really hates it, it'll get moved back)
The fudge turned out pretty good. Now to pack it up to give as gifts.
Hope all of you have a wonderful afternoon and evening. I'm finally gonna hit the shower after I clean the bath. Andy is still feeling puny and taking a nap.
Til later.
Colneen-Glad you’re going to WW. When something works, Just keep trying it.
Xena-Gosh, I’m sorry you’re cold. We only got down to -22 last night.
Nancy-I get the pass as soon as I can walk far enough to get to the bus stop. I actually asked him last night if he is going to the pool just to make sure none of the other guys mess with me, and he admitted that was the reason. OMG, I know love is blind, but Please. He was serious, and I tried hard not to laugh. Whatever gets him in the pool.
Johnnie-The problem I had with most of the chair aerobics tapes is that they seemed more for helping the elderly stay flexible, than for helping the obese burn some calories. Maybe I just never got the right tape. I started with scissor kicks while lying down. Sometimes only 10 seconds at a time. I’d roll over and do flutter kicks. I did sit ups more than anything. One I was able to get my core muscles in shape, it made learning to walk again easier. I have done some regular aerobics tapes while lying down. I’d just follow through the movements while on my back. Now that’s low impact. Doing small things a little at a time, is all it takes. When I started walking again, I just walked across the street to read the headlines on the paper in the paper box. I did that for a couple of weeks before I walked past the box and went half way down the block and back. Baby steps, and just try to build your stamina.
Sandy-I guess it is fudge making time of year. I always made fudge and divinity every year to give away as Christmas presents, and last year they completely flopped. The divinity came out like that marshmallow in the jar stuff. I guess that it was the altitude difference between here and sea level I was used to. This year, I’m sewing stuff instead. I got a whole stock of used hospital cubicle curtains (and yes I washed and sterilized them first), and am making grocery bags out of them to give as presents. At least left over fabric scraps don’t add to my hips.
Jill-If I had saved all the dust I had to sweep off myself everytime I’ve had to get back up and start again, I could have my own dust bowl. Welcome back.
Debbie-We are expecting a flood on Tuesday, except up here we call it a blizzard. He’s flying a small plane to go visit his folks that day, and I’m kind of scared about it. I’m not going, and wouldn’t be even if I was on my feet, but I don’t like the idea of him taking a plane anywhere in this weather.
Annie-I wouldn’t take much for me to get a better grade on my paper than I expect, because I expect so little. Have you got blinds for you office door yet? You could be Tom Cruise sliding around in your underwear.
Carol-I’m not sure when grades come out. Sometime before Christmas I hope. What’s next is some Christmas sewing, Christmas cards, and getting ready for our Christmas Eve Party. I’m just making turkey and chilli, but I’d like to be able to get everything cleaned. The next trip shouldn’t be before March, but it is supposed to be London this time, and not the London in Ontario, the one across the pond. I’ve got to be able to walk by then. He asked about which museums I wanted to go see. I want to see the War museum, the British museum where the Archaeopteryx is, and Harrods, and platform 9 ¾. I guess I should go visit the graves of some of my ancestors. That would make my mom happy. I guess I could go to the Tower where they lost their heads for backing the wrong king. Good lesson.
Lindsey-Butting up against neighbors who are doing illegal stuff is always hard. It’s a gamble, just make sure you protect yourself.
I’m doing some more cutting out today. I’m not ready to sew yet, but at least I can cut things out while sitting down.
Rabidstoat – I have heard good things about Cooking Light. Let us know how the recipes come out.
Johnnie – Congratulations on your shopping NSV! It is amazing how much easier day to day activities get when you get fitter.
Sandy – I lost my mother when I was pretty young and I know from talking to other people that it is just one of those things that nothing can fix. I felt like there was a giant hole in my chest – like a piece of me had been ripped out and I was so desperate to find something to fill it with. Food was definitely one of the things that helped to numb the pain and make me feel better in the moment. It sounds like you need to be really gentle with yourself right now to help deal with your grief.
Jill – HI!!!! I had been wondering where you had gotten to and figured that you were entrenched in house stuff. It sounds like things are starting to calm down again and it is great to have you back.
Steph – Good luck with the studying! I always found it so hard not to want to snack while I was studying.
Debbie – It makes total sense to me to give yourself time to deal with your issues and go back to losing when you are ready. There is no point putting extra stress on yourself. Don’t feel let down – you are doing what you need to do to keep yourself sane. That is #1!
Annie – You sound so industrious! I hope you are enjoying your sparkling home.
Carol – See the answer to your fitness question below. I ended up writing so much that I figured I would take it out of the personals. With the yoga, it really depends what you are looking to get out of it. I really like the Just My Size DVD as a gentle body meditation, but you are right that it isn’t too taxing. I find the classes are a lot more intense. For example, one of the things I am getting able to do is a half moon pose - http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/784 . With that one and others that really use your balance they can be quite a core workout. Yoga is something that is great to supplement your routine with but it won’t necessarily help you with the weight loss. I find it has more to do with trying to connect with and really love my body.
Lindsey – I can’t believe how rude that guy was! In Jed’s defense some people are just not very good at quick comebacks. I am one of them. I can think of lots of things I should have said after the fact, but in the moment I am very often a deer in headlights.
When I started I was REALLY out of shape. I could barely make it up the stairs. I had to sit down in front of the fridge to put away the groceries and I could not make it through a trip to the mall without taking a rest. I knew that my #1 problem with exercise was that I would continually put it off until tomorrow. Knowing that about myself I set myself a rule that I had to do a minimum of 10 minutes per day, every day, not matter what. There were a number of days that I ended up just marching in front of the TV for 10 minutes, but I stuck with it. The other thing I knew about myself was that I would often push myself to do too much too soon and I would overtax myself to such a point that I was too tired or sore the next day. Having that 10 minute rule helped me not feel like I had to do more than I was ready for and I never pushed myself so hard that I was totally miserable.
I put aside my fears and joined a gym at around 340 pounds. My office building has a gym that has the basics – older cardio machines (mostly treadmills and elliptical) and weights. It was pretty hard when I started. My feet would hurt really badly the next day if I used the treadmill for too long and when I started on the elliptical I could barely do 5 minutes. I slowly added more minutes on the elliptical and that became my machine of choice because it was so much kinder on my knees and feet. I slowly increased the intensity by doing the hill or random programs at increasing settings. I managed to get myself to a point where I could do an hour on and elliptical at about a hill level 7. Most recently I started doing intervals where I would do sprints – pushing as hard as I could for a minute and then going back to a slower pace for a few minutes and then repeat. The other part of the equation is that I worked out with a trainer once a week. He helped me build a lot of core strength through different balance exercises. I also started lifting weights to help keep as much muscle as possible.
So at this point, for my size I think I am in pretty darn good shape. I still have a long way to go, but I can keep up in the classes because of having spent so long doing cardio and getting my endurance up. One thing I would recommend if you can afford it is to get a heart rate monitor. I have found it invaluable in determining whether or not I was working out at a good level – both to work harder but also to know when I reign it in and not push myself too far.
In the last month or so I started to abhor the thought of getting on the elliptical and I really had to push myself to do it. In a way that was one of the best things that could happen because I now think a large part of why I was stuck was that my body had really adjusted to my routine. It made me search out something new and from there I found the dance classes. From what I have been reading recently it is vital to keep mixing up your routines. I know it sounds so cliché, but if you can find something that you love to do (or at least don’t hate) then it is so much easier. When I started, I loved the elliptical but got burned out on it. I am sure I will go back at some point.
It has been a pretty quiet weekend. It snowed for the first time this season today. I went out and shoveled the walkways both to be a good neighbor and to get some exercise. Somehow the snow always makes it feel kind of cozy – as long as you don’t have anywhere you absolutely have to be. I am taking tomorrow as a personal day to celebrate my victory and I am actually thinking of trying to hit two dance classes. . .we’ll see.
Catherine, I only thought about any possible danger AFTER leaving the note, of course. However, the note was anonymous and the person who made the comment was not the actual renter of the apartment... just a random friend, so it wasn't anyone that recognized us. We also emailed and sent a hard copy of a letter to the manager of the apartments about their behavior (the rude comment and their parties). It does make me nervous but at the same time I think I let people get away with way too much as it is.
Nancy, I'm the same way. Total deer in the headlights. After re-examining it, I think I was just mad in general that neither of us reacted in any meaningful way... probably mostly at myself.
Carol: Thanks. I'd love to post some pictures and some progress pictures but I can't seem to remember how I did it before. LOL. If anyone has mercy on me please let me know how to do it. lol. Are you excited that your cruise is nearing? I hope you have so much fun.
Lindsey: Huge hugs. Sorry that your neighbor's friend was an arse! You are a doll and I'm sure that Jed was just so surprised. Congrats on loosing 100 pounds! You are doing so fantastic. I usually just get manicures but I went all out and got a silk wrap. Kind of like acrylics but not so thick. I feel very girly with my nails a bit longer and stronger. lol.
Sandy: DId you manage to get your house done and your fudge wrapped up? i hope so. I finished my house this morning. We didn't go to church. I over slept wayyyyy too long. lol.
Catherine: My office is so tiny. There is no way I could pull a Tom cruise even if I wanted to. lol.
Nancy: Hugs and hi.
We are getting a huge snowfall. I like it so much. It is so pretty. DH has spent the day snow shoveling and now watching football. I finished my housework and am finishing up laundry. I think I will go and write a few Christmas cards.
If anyone can give me directions on posting pictures I'd really appreciate it. I would love to post some progress pics. I take them on the 1st or there about of each month along with my measurements. I'd love to share them with you all.
Well, hope everyone is doing well, staying warm and enjoying the season,
Blessings,
Annie
Welcome back Jill. Your new puppies are so cute. It's amazing how one is so much more chihuahua-y and the other one is more corgi-y.
Lindsey - Sorry that neighbor was such a jerk. If they were doing drugs it's probably best Jed didn't say anything anyway. You never know how people under the influence are going to react to confrontation. That being said, I would have been frustrated too and probably would have spent all evening conjuring up the perfect comeback even though I never got to use it!
!!! I am SO glad to see you back. Not glad about all the circumstances, but we missed you around here! I'm glad to hear you still have a full life (2 puppies!). Post regularly!
on finishing your paper!
