300+ Weekly Thread #1136
 

WELCOME!!!!!

We are a group of individuals who weigh or have weighed 300+, or near there. This group was formed to provide a place for others like us to find support and hope. We are aware of the distinct problems that come with weighing over 300 lbs.

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Hello everyone,

I hope you're all having a great Monday. I woke up super early this morning after only getting 3.5 hours of sleep so that I could write my paper for my final for my literature class... that was due this morning at 10:45. I'm the worst procrastinator, but I always finish on time! And I produce quality work! Haha.

Right as I was about to leave this morning Muffin had another partial seizure... I tried giving her food at the vet's request to see if that would temporarily stop it, which would mean it was a voluntary tick like some dogs get (no big deal), but unfortunately she ate the treats but her head kept twitching the entire time. Poor thing.

There's not much else going on with me other than that. I'll try and check in later, but I make no promises as I have two finals tomorrow.

EDIT: Update - Muffin's been having another seizure for about an hour so far (starting at around 12:20), this time with worse head ticking that's causing her head to crane over to her left side. :( I'm taking her to the vet at 3:10. Wish Muffin and me luck.

Hugs and prayers for you and Muffin!!

Luv,
Ratkitten

Greetings Peeps!

Checking in to let you know I'm amongst the living. I am in San Antonio for a conference. It started late, so I could sleep in a bit this morning. I was exhausted from a full day of traveling yesterday.

I have good news and bad news.... The good news is that the seat belt on the airplane fit with 8 inches in the belt to spare! w00h00! The bad news is that my hips still take up the entire seat and encroach on the seat beside me.

I am OP so far, but flying didn't give me many decent food choices for my caloric intake. No veggies yesterday.

I must get back to the meeting! Will do fly-bys later!~~~~

Luv,
Rat

Hi everyone,

I'm in the midst of my long-awaited whoosh. Down 2 this morning, and my whoosh is still continuing today, so we will see where the scale lands tomorrow. I hope it's under 270, but I have no control over the number. All I know is that I have been working harder than ever to get results. I guess the real work starts now.

It appears that the plumbing problem in the kitchen is not my fault, although my latke party may have hastened the inevitable. Crews have been in since Saturday to try and fix it, and have had no success. The landlord told me yesterday that they are probably going to have to tear out walls and replace the pipes. Great. not. In the meantime, I can't use the kitchen sink, which throws a wrench into my routine. There's only the small bathroom sink and tub for washing dishes, so cooking a lot and dirtying a lot of dishes is too much work. I went to Trader Joes and got some prepared foods (expensive) but what's a girl to do. Must stay on plan.

Lindsey, sorry to hear about Muffin. Hugs to you.

Ratkity, great job staying on plan under adverse conditions. Traveling is hard. Congrats on having 8" of leftover seatbelt. If you're still spilling over into the other seat, you're probably not spilling over as much as you used to. All steps in the right direction.

Lindsay: So sorry your poor Muffin is seizing again. Good Luck at the vet & I hope they can find the problem and get it fixed. This is for you and muffin :hug:

Ratkitten: The 8" of seat belt shows great progress. Before you know it you won't have "spillage" at all. I love San Antonio, hope you get to enjoy some of the city while you are there.

Battle: So glad your long awaited whoosh is happening. You have been doing really well and confirmation on the scale is always a big boost. Too bad about the state of your kitchen, especially now at the holidays. Sounds like you are making the best of it and staying OP without excuses, I am impressed. I am also impressed by your photos. You look beautiful and I can see why everyone is starting to notice your weight loss, it is very apparent.

I'm feeling better today. The temps have dropped back down into the 50s, but tomorrow will be in the 70s again and then 50s again Wednesday. This crazy weather, got to be global warming. Most people with RA are more affected by cold and damp, but I'm just the opposite. Me I've got to march to the beat of a different drummer and be more affected when it's warm and damp, so I will be glad when it stays in the 60 and below range.

Going to see the doctor tomorrow for my monthly WI and hope to be able to lower my ticker when I get home. Wish me luck.

One of my biggest thrills was getting into an airplane and finally having leftover seat belt!!!! I travelled a lot near my high weight and hated the "seatbelt moment". When I was losing I didn't travel again until I was under 200 pounds and oh the glorious moment when I could snap the belt in and pull pull pull cause of the extra!!

The other thing I now love about flying is that I can put the tray table down! My belly used to get in the way. Sometimes it wouldn't go all the way down at all. When I flew finally as a smaller person I just kept putting the tray down and up and down and up -- because I could!!

Oh! And I can actually FIT in the aisle of a plane "head on", without having to kind of turn myself sideways....

Lindsey So sorry about your kitty
Rat :woohoo: on the seat belt fitting with lots of room to spare. So what about your hips. You just had a major nsv with the seat belt.

Heather Totally cool nsv for you on planes!!! I'm sure I will play with the lap table too when I get to fly when I'm thinner.

Story Nice to see you!! Glad you're doing well on you plan. I sure hope that ear and throat infection heal up quickly for you. I know how worn out you can feel cuz of it.

Nothing new to report here. Not exactly op today, but not horrible. Tomorrow is make carmel corn night for our bake sale to support the local humane society. We've already done the fund raisers for local food pantries and the Toys for Tots collection too.

Tomorrow will be a better day. I'm starting out the day with a protein shake thanks to the idea of a wonderful and dear friend and soup & orange for lunch. Probably spaghetti or taco salads for dinner tomorrow. Gotta run, I'll try to check in later before bed.

Lindsey, I'm still thinking of you and your kitty. :hug:

Ahhh - the seat belt dilemma - I'm sure it will be an issue on Friday but I can deal with it - perhaps it will be a great motivator. I purposely have not flown due to seat belt and seat size issues. It's just not practical to drive to San Diego right now. I never knew there were extenders until 3FC - maybe it's a good thing.

I too am looking forward to the scale tomorrow - perhaps its whooshing season.

Hi All,
Carol

Hello all. I have a terrible sinus headache and plan to hit the hay soon. Just a couple of quick personals:

Carol - I did see Billy Joel last week. He was really awesome. So fun and such a great entertainer. If anyone gets the chance to see him live, they should. He sure is showing his age though (in looks only...he had TONS of energy). He was so funny about his aging. When he first came on stage he said, "Hi, I am Billy's dad. Billy couldn't make it tonight." He had the crowd roaring.

Lindsey - I am so sorry about your kitty. I really hope she is alright. Keep us posted. :hug:

For everyone else, take care and stay warm if it is cold where you are.

Lindsey: I hope Muffin is okay. Hugs.

Rat: Woohoo on the seat belt. It is only a matter of time before the seat fits just right too!

Battle: Congrats on -2. Sorry about the plumbing problem. I hope they fix it quicker than you think.

Johnnie: Good luck at your weigh in tomorrow.

Storey: Get better soon. Congrats on -6.

Carol: Hope the scale is your friend tommorrow.

Well, things are okay here. I got my braces adjusted and like always my mouth is sore. I am going to take some Tylenol and go nite nite soon. I have a meeting literaly ALL DAY long tomorrow at work. UGH. Then Group therapy tomorrow night. It will be a long sit on my butt kind of day. Work is going okay. I am totally PMSing so that can't be so great. lol.

Hope you are all doing well and blessings to you all,
annie

Hello everyone. I am new on here. Thought I would stop just reading and jump in. I've had a much better day and night so far than yesterday. I think I spent more than half of the day crying yesterday and a couple hours last night also. Depression is so horrible. When I'm depressed now I cry so much.

Anyway today I tried to stay positive. I got to order something this morning. The husband said it was my Christmas presents. I ordered a treadmill and a strength trainer. I can't wait until they get here. I haven't been able to get out and walk much with all this rain lately. I have to get a walk in daily or else my legs hurt so bad. I have bad vein problems in my right leg and arm, so I am determined to get this weight gone this time. I've been working on it for the past few years, but have recently slacked off until this problem with my leg and arm.

I did get a walk in this afternoon when the kids came home. We just did miss the rain, it had just stopped and then started just after.

I have another doctor appointment on Wednesday, but I'm tempted to put it off until next week. I just don't feel up to going right now. Or maybe I need to go and get back on some meds for the depression right away.

Eating was good today also. Healthy and on the light side. I'm having a hard time finding the time to count the calories exactly again. Hoping to get back to it very soon.

KarenJ

Hi everyone! I’m feeling so much better!!!!
Lindsey I’m so sorry about your cat, :hug:it’s awful when they’re ill, they can’t tell you how bad they feel & you always fear the worst. I hope the vet can help her get better.xxxxxxx ps Good luck with the essay, I majored in Enlish Lit BUT hated it, preferred writing my own stuff.
Ratkitty :carrot:CONGRATS:carrot:!!!!! It must have felt fantastic to fasten that belt!! Ok so you had a bit of ‘spillage’ but it will be getting less & less. WELL DONE!!!!xxxxxxx
Battle, GREAT on staying OP :carrot:even though you can’t wash any pots, a lot of people would use that as an excuse! So glad the scales are falling, I don’t know how you keep going when they don’t move,:hug: I would go CRAZY!!!!xxxxxxx
Storey I didn’t know you had heart problems too, I hope it’s not serious :hug:& you get sorted out soon. Sorry about the allergies, I hope the meds clear them up. xxxxxxxx
Sandy I hope your daughter is safe,:hug: I’ve just been reading about the ice storms (don’t know what they are, might be called something else here, unless we don’t get them) in Oklahoma, 17 people died, it’s awful. I hope her power stays on, there’s 600,000 WITHOUT power!!!! What is it with the utilities???? It’s the same here, we get rain; nothing unusual there; but then people lose power & heat, WHY don’t the companies SORT themselves out???? It’s profit BEFORE everything else, grrrr … Anyway, I hope you are getting better and SAVE ME SOME POPCORN!!!!! ;)lol How do you resist it?xxxxxxx
Xena, hope you feel better soon, :hug:headaches & migaines are VILE, they make you feel so horrible and thinking or concentrating on anything is harder.xxxxxxx
Annie I hope your teeth are getting better:hug:, you will look SO HOT soon, losing weight, getting your teeth fixed, is Joel worried???;)lolxxxxxxx
Karenj, WELCOME. Depression is something a lot of us suffer from, I think a good cry really helps.:hug:xxxxxx
Well having been ill for what seem ages I got on the scales & I’m DOWN 5 POUNDS!!! Not a good way to lose but at least I got something out of it!!!;)lol
xxxxx
xxxxsharon

Karen J :welcome3: If you've been reading you know this is a great site.
I want you to know that I too suffer from depression. I hope you keep your dr appointment and get new meds or have them adjusted. I know of the crying all day and half the night. I know the lack of concentration. All that. There are meds out there that really do work. I also understand about bad veins. In September of 2006, I was in the hospital for 4 days for a blood clot in my leg. It was one of the most painful things I've ever endured. If it's hard to take a longer walk, then take a couple shorter walks durning the day. I've been trying to walk more at work during break and lunch. (I have a desk job)
Just remember, it all helps. If you have time check out fitday.com
It's a great site to count calories, exercise etc. :hug:

Lindsey How's your kitty?? :hug::hug:

Xena Hope your sinuses feel better today!

Annie Abby used to hate getting her braces adjusted cuz her mouth would be so sore. I'd always plan on making soup for dinner that night.
You're gonna be a busy girl for today and tomorrow, aren't ya. Your poor bum, it'll be numb. I'm pmsing too and it's not fun.

I hopped on the scale this morning. I was scared, but I did it. I was down 4 pounds WHILE pmsing. I'm so excited. I just finished my protein shake. I'd forgotten how good they are.
Well, I want to change my ticker before I go to work. Hope all have a good day.

Lindsey, I'm thinking about you!!
:hug:


Carol Hello!! Hope you see a good scale this morning :crossed:

Well hiya ladieS!

Long time no write for me - but my excuse is the job is keeping me soooo busy! The new avatar is a pic my daughter took on graduation day which was about a month ago!

My weight is still very slowly coming down, feeling better for it and would like to get a little more off a little more quickly!!

Well so many doing so well, its great to see :)

Battle - you are winning the battle!!

Annie - OMG you are so amazing!! You will be thinner than me and soon!!! Well done hun. Hope you are managing ok with no major effects of the OP? I thought about that surgery a lot, but was worried about the long term effects so am interested to hear how it goes for you, weight loss wise you are an example to be reckoned with!

Nancy - WOW! YOu rock hun!! You are doing so great too, am so pleased for you to get to 100 off what an amazing acheivement!!!

Rat - oh the seat belt thing must have been a joy! I will cry when I get on a plane with room in my belt. I think asking for extenders is soo embarrasing I have done it a number of times.....I now just avoid holidaying abroad to not face that in front of my husband...its very sad how being big limits us!

Sharon - Hi and well done on your weight, you are looking very foxy!!

Ammi - Huge hugs with your recent skin problem, must have been a nightmare I really hope things are improving for you hun....hugs xx

Well those of you that don't know me I've been off and on here whilst completing my nurse training...have now been a qualified staff nurse for 3.5 months working full time on an oncology/haematology ward. Its great :) and I can definitely vouch for not letting a big weight around your middle stop you living your dreams. I used to wait to do my training until I was slimmer and then I just thought sod it I'm doing it anyway!! 12 hour shifts were very hard and still are, but I am pleased I got on with it and now am doing the job I do love..

I wish you all fun and happiness in the run up to Christmas. I am going to be around more if I can possibly find the time because I love reading about how everyone is doing. Will sign up for exercise for January too, want to get swimming again...

Love to all - Em xxx

Morning Ladies...

Rat WTG on the seatbelt thing!!! I have not flown since high school and I can not imagine trying it. Sucks cause I miss out on all sorts of trips! I am scared I won't fit. So we drive everywhere.

Monday was my first day for writing down everything I ate. I have not counted the calories yet...but I think i did okay. I will have to see when I get the calories in. Thanks to all for inspiring me to WRITE STUFF DOWN!!

Karenj: Welcome! I hope you love it here as much as I do. Everyone is so great. Sorry sweetie that you suffer from depression. I used to be in your shoes. I suffered from depression, agoraphobia and panic disorder so badly that I was put on Disability by CA state Dr. and ID state Dr.'s but, I am better now. So there is hope and hang in there. It was a long hard battle but with the proper meds, diet, exercise and good sleep I no longer have to take any meds and I haven't had any of the former symptoms in months. I also am working full time now which is something I haven't done since 2000 in November. So, again, hang in there and be patient and caring to yourself. Don't beat yourself up. How exciting about your new exercise equiptment. I hope it gets to you soon and you enjoy it.

Sharon: woo hoo on -5 and on feeling better. Sorry that you had to loose it while sick but hugs to you.

Sandy: YESSSSSS! I'm so happy that you lost 4 more pounds. You are doing so well. Keep on sweetie. You can do this thang!

Emily: Love your new avatar pic. So happy to see you back. I just love it when people come back and at least check in periodically. You were missed. Congrats on graduating and your new job. You look lovely.

Cyn: Good job writing everything down. Hope it all adds up great.

Well, It is almost 7 and I have a ton of paper work on my desk that I'd like to get to before work starts at 8 so I am going to head on out the door to work now. It is so chilly here. Not quite like where our Canadian sisters live but chilly none the less. Snow likey tonight which will actually warm things up a bit. I have an all day long meeting today and hopefully it won't bore me to death. lol. Drink enough water, stay op and move your booties.
Blessings,
Annie

Hello My Peeps,

I'm still in San Antonio at the conference. Today is a slow day at the conference for me, so I'm chilling and catching up on emails.

Battle, hope that plumbing thing is fixed soon and they don't have to mess with the walls. At least you don't own the place... phew. I'm glad the scale wh00sh finally happened! Our bodies act so similar. I'm glad mine isn't the only one that holds on and on and on and then finally lets go of fat.

Hiya Johnnie, I hope the scale is nice to you at the docs! This crazy texas weather is something I don't miss. I have no idea how to dress for the day.. hehe.

Heather, I had to travel a lot at my high weight too. I did the same thing on the plane this trip... put the tray table up and down cuz I could!! It went down with room to spare.. w00h00! When I was traveling at my highest weight, I actually bought seatbelt extenders. There's a place on the web to buy them. I have 3 that will fit most airplane types out there.

Story, I hope your infection goes away soon! You could be tired and drained from the infection. Your weight loss is doing great!! Keep up the great work.

Wow sandy, you are busy doing stuff for some good causes. You make me tired reading all about it! Wow about your blood clot in your leg!! I'm glad that's over with for you. Those are scary things. Yay on down 4 lbs!!

GGG good luck on the scale wh00shing! I'll be traveling back to DC on Thursday. It's the hurry up and wait thing that drives me nuts.

Xena, I hope your sinus headache left. I am sooooo jealous you saw Billy Joel! I've loved his stuff since he was barely known.

Annie, ugh, braces. I had those as a kid. I can't imagine having them as an adult. I still remember how sore my teeth were after an adjustment. Hang in there! You are doing so fabulous!!! At least during my traveling, I didn't have to deal with PMS. Phew.

Karenj, welcome!!! I also suffer from depression issues. I hope you didn't cancel your Dr's appt. Good deal getting a walk in! Post often here, these are a great bunch of peeps. :)

Hiya Sharon, congratz on your loss!!! I'm so glad you are feeling better. It's hard enough to be sick, and then not get support from your family. Ice storms are really bad because most of the power lines are above ground. The ice gets so heavy, it just snaps the big lines. I have a generator, two alternate heat sources and gas water heater for times like that. We haven't had an ice storm in Wash DC yet this year.

hello Emilymay! Congrats on your dream job! I know it's hard, but rewarding. The nursing industry needs more people as passionate as you.

Cyn, Keep up the good work on writing things down! You can do it!

Hugs and luv to all!
Ratkitten

Just checked with my family in Oklahoma, and they are all okay, and only one is without power. I remember many ice storms, and there were always power outages growing up. It seemed like we got more ice than we ever did snow. I remember them discussing burying powerlines, and it was always too expensive. Went through the same thing in Florida after hurricanes. They always discussed burying the lines, but it never got done because of money to do it, and more money to repair them if something went wrong. If the electricity went out here, at least we would still have heat. In Oklahoma, a lot of people have all electric homes.

Battle – You are looking great! I can’t imagine there would be a single person who doesn’t notice now.

Megawatt – I love the corset!

I have been really busy and I will continue to be for the next two weeks. We are having our annual audit early (starting Monday) at work and I am not ready at all. I will probably have to work all weekend to get everything done. Then I am driving down to visit with my parents for the Saturday and Sunday before Christmas to see my step-mother’s relatives. Then on Sunday night we are all driving back and my parents will be staying at my place for Christmas! As of yet I have no decorations up and the house is not guest ready, so there is lots to do there.

I have been battling some bad body image issues the last week or so. It is so strange how for so long I can feel so confident and then I get down lower than I have been in a long time and all of a sudden I am feeling the need to wear long sleeves in the gym to cover up my arms (skin sag issues). I didn’t end up doing that, but I did go buy some new t-shirts to work out in that are plain black and have longer arms (had to buy men’s – why is it that all the women’s’ shirts have such short arms?). I wonder if part of it is that I am now back to a weight where I was historically very unhappy with myself. On the way up, it was at about 300 that I discovered size acceptance and stopped hating myself for my size. I definitely have some body image work to do. I refuse to be negative about how my body parts look – especially in an exercise class!

Anyway, I can’t type and eat lunch at the same time so I better go.

Story: WTG on the -6 Hope the antibiotics and Claritin have kicked in and you are feeling better.

Annie: I hope your mouth feels better today and that your butt is not sore now from sitting all day today.

Karen: :welcome: This is a great place to be with lots of support. Please don't put your doctor visit off, not feeling up to going is exactly why you should go.

Sharon: Glad you are feeling better & congrats on the 5 pounds gone.

Sandy: Congrats on your 4 pound loss also, especially while PMSing

Emily: Nice to meet you, I look forward to seeing you more often.

Cyn: Keep up the good work writing everything down, next step is counting calories. I find it makes a big difference for me.

Nancy: Keep positive about those body parts, yours are looking great girl!!

WI at the doc today was 340 :goodscale;) That's 20 pounds gone since I last saw him 6 weeks ago and 50 pounds gone total. I'm celebrating by drinking water & staying OP :celebrate:

Johnnie :wave:

Hi everyone,

I'm feeling a little tired, but not too bad. I needed another couple of hours sleep. Maybe tonight.

Today I met with a new professional contact, and there was a subtle difference in the way I was looked at and treated. Today's contact saw that I was a woman, and he really looked at me. It's been many years, and I had forgotten how this feels. At some point I became a blob, both to myself and other people. I was a head floating above a body that was choking on its own fat. It was harder to be taken seriously. It happened incrementally, so I didn't realize on most days that I'd become the boiled frog. I'm sure it's just as much me as them. When I felt like a blob, I gave out blob vibes. Now that I'm happier, healthier, and more confident, I hold myself in a different way. People smile more at me, they are more courteous, they listen with different ears to what I am saying. I'm still very large, but must have stepped over some invisible threshold recently.

I dunno.
-------
EmilyMay, I love the new avatar. You are beaming. You have achieved a wonderful thing by finishing your studies and finding a new position. You are an inspiration.

Cyn, good job on writing down what you ate. Soon it will become habit.

Sharon, congratulations on losing 5 lbs. That's a big loss! Sorry you were sick, but now you're feeling better, and a loss is a loss.

Annie, have a great OP day today at work.

Rat, hi to you in San Antonio.

Catherine, glad your family in OK is ok.

Nancy: It is amazing how quickly it goes from feeling confident and attractive to feeling like a gross pig. I wish I had the antidote, but if I did I'd take some myself. FWIW, you look great.

Johnnie, congrats on the weight loss! You must be walking on air. Great job.

Hi Peeps

Much packing to get done tonight but the scale didn't whoosh - it gave up a quarter of a pound but it all is good.

Obviously at this point I have power - we lost power last night for about 10 hours in the ice storm. Fortunatley the temps warmed up a bit today while we got quite a bit of rain. Now the sun is going down and we are in for it they say since it is still raining. Making Mexico look even better.

Gotta run - need to pack while I can see what color things are. BTW - big NSV when I tried on some formal clothes I haven't had on in about a year - fit very nicely - not tight anywhere - I remember last time the sleeves were so tight - and they are sheer - I was so self-conscious. Not this time.

Hugs,
Carol

Hiya, folks! Well, the sinus headache is no more. We've been having such weird weather...85 one day, cold and rainy the next, back up to 75, then cold and rainy again...and that wreaks havoc with my sinuses.

Ratkitty - You would have loved the Billy Joel concert. He did quite a few from his earliest albums. My favorite moment of the night was when he did "Piano Man" and he stopped singing and let the whole crowd sing to him..."sing us a song, you're the piano man...sing us a song tonight....etc" That has to be an incredible moment for an artist hearing an entire arena full of people singing your song back at you.

Sharon - WTG on those 5 pounds down. :carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot:

Battle - I do think as we lose weight and become more confident we exude a different vibe that people react to more positively. There is no question that overweight women are marginalized because of our appearance but I do believe at least part of it transcends just the appearance and has to do with our own feelings about ourselves. Anyway, I am glad you are feeling so good about yourself. :)


Nancy - I hear you on the body image issues. In past attempts at losing weight I would make progress and start feeling really good and confident and then somehow I would go right back to feeling fat and horrible. As always, I admire your ability and willingness to tune into what you are feeling and delve into it. I am sure that had gobs to do with the success you have had thus far.

Hello again Peeps!

Oh my Xena.. I would have LOVED that at the BJ concert. *dr00ls in jealousy*

Yay GGG! You have a safe trip, ok??

Battle and Nancy - Mentally, I swing between feeling blobbish to confident. When I am confident, I notice people treat me very differently. Then there that invisible physical size threshold that Battle talked about... I see it too! Everytime there is a noticable change in my appearance, I see how people treat me different. The first time that happened to me, I got angry. I'm not different inside! That was a long time ago and I wasn't prepared for that reaciton. Now I'm not so concerned with those reactions. As stated a bit in the sexuality thread, I'm going to have to face that I am female and not an "it" anymore when I lose more weight.

Hugs and Luv,
Ratkity

Rat: Have fun at the conference and don't work too hard.

Nancy and Battle: Hugs to you both. I have been there so many times and know it will come again. Just keep on plugging away and know that you are both so beautiful no matter what size, shape etc.

Johnnie: Yipeee to you on loosing 50 pounds. You are rockin it. Congrats

Carol: Oh, have so much fun on your trip. How exciting that the clothes are going to be fitting nicer allowing you to not be self conscience. Hugs.

Well, my butt survived the day. lol. My mouth is better now too. The meeting all day was..... not necessary in my opinion but oh well I'm the new guy so I just have to roll with it. lol. They served rolls and deli meats and cheeses for lunch with tons of potato chips and some tomato soup with cheese. I had brought some tuna and string cheese for lunch but I didn't eat that. I saved it for tomorrow. I ate a slice of the roast beaf and muenster cheese. no bread and a tiny bit of the tomato soup. It is funny that everyone notices if you don't eat like everyone else. No body said anything to anyone else about their huge sandwhiches and plates piled high with chips and cookies etc. but one person not eating draws attention and invitations to partake in the "good stuff". I was so proud of myself. We were surrounded all day with home baked cookies and I had people asking me to pass them to them. I didn't touch one nor was I tempted. I just have worked too hard to back track now for a taste of a cookie. Any way, it was a great day and I did lots of things that I feel proud of myself for. I like days like this. I never used to have them so I try to cherish them as they come.

Blessings to you all my friends,
annie

Annie So glad you had such a great day. I wasn't terrible, but I wasn't perfect either. BUT, much better than usual.
I got all my fudge made and half pertioned out, the carmel corn all made and packaged up too. Just maybe one more batch of fudge to make and a batch of chocolate covered pretzels.
I'm very sorry I don't have more time for personals. but I have to get out the door. My ride comes in about 5 minutes.
Hope all have a good day.

Annie -- WTG on passing up all that food. It helps so much to know we CAN do that!!!!! :hug:

Sandy: Great job making all that stuff. I have to bake a couple doz. cookies tonight for a church bake sale. UGH. lol. I am just so wiped out when I come home from work but I will get the strength someplace. Have a good day.

Heather: It sure is nice to be in charge and not have something else in charge of me. Have a great day.

Blessings to you all,
off to work now.
Annie

How do you guys who bake do it??? I don't think I could bake a lot of food for others and not eat it! I haven't tried, so I don't know. All my cooking and baking has been stuff I can eat regularly...

Heather, I thought I could bake last year, and found out how wrong I was. I just am not there yet. I may never be. At least this year I have an excuse.

I'm starting to feel like Jimmy Stewart in "rear window." It should warm up to 1 today, so I'm going to have him open the patio door for a little while just so I can get some fresh air. I walked to the mailbox yesterday. That's still inside the building, but it was like taking a walk around the block. I haven't seen or spoken to another human being except my husband in almost 3 weeks. I hate to ask friends to come over to visit because it is the busy time of year, and the roads have been horrible. I'd hate if someone got in a wreck just to come visit. All our neighbors in the building work except the grandmother across the hall, and she doesn't speak any English, and my Mandarin is damn rusty. I've been able to do a little sewing everyday, but had a major malfunction yesterday. I sewed the wrong sides of something together, and just didn't want to get the seam ripper out, so I just shelved it until later. Today I'm pimping out my bomber hat. I would wear it around the property, but not when I'd go somewhere because it is black, and I like for people to see me in the crosswalks, so I got some orange reflective sew-on tape and am going to put a strip on. I'm also installing headphones in it. I saw a Bula bomber hat (that's high fashion if you're a snowboarder) that had built in headphones, and copied it. I had a clip over the ears Sony set that I took apart to sew inside. We'll see how that turns out. If I mess that up, the sewing machine is getting put up until after the holidays.

Annie - that is awesome that you didn't have any goodies. Goody for you! It's that first bite that would be the killer for me. One is too many.

Heather/Catherine - I am forgoing my baking this year - I know after the Thanksgiving experience I am not able to handle it - this year - and maybe never.

Catherine - opening the door at 1 - even for fresh air that seems pretty darned chilly.

More later,
Carol

Carol-1 degree here is 33 degrees in American. He ran out without a coat on this morning.

Well, the sewing is done for the year. Not that I don't have anything to sew, but rather my machine decided this would be a good time to have the motor go out. It's a 30+ year old Bernina that they can separate from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. They might as well bury it with me. It does have to have it's motor rewound every 3-4 years. It thought now would be a good time. It was the one thing I could actually do while stuck in the house. To cheer me up, he brought me fresh baked bread from the Portuguese bakery around the corner. He had coffee with a friend there, and the owner asked him where I was, and when she found out that I had been hurt, she sent a sack of sourdough buns fresh out of the oven home for me. They were so warm when he brought them in, they were steaming. She said to help keep my strength up. The lady kneads bread all day, and has forearms like a body builder on a 4'8" frame. I believe in supporting neighborhood businesses and mom and pop places, and sometimes it pays off. It is nice to be missed. I will enjoy every 90 calorie roll with a clear conscience.

Hi Everyone!

Well, today should be ‘interesting’ to say the least. It is the kids’ last day at school (staff go back tomorrow morning for farewells and last-minute organisation) and I don’t have a voice! I’m not sure exactly what the cause is, but I have a feeling that I boasted a little too much about not getting a cold when everyone else had one, so my body decided to give me a cold when NOBODY has one. It is officially our summer now (started December 1st) and I lasted ALL year up until now without a cold. I actually feel that maybe I have just been fighting something off for a while and now that most of the stressful things are over - two whole-school assemblies that my class helped run (and which went beautifully, even if I do say so myself), report writing, moving ALL of my gear out of my current classroom and generally lots of other normal end-of-year ‘stuff – my body has just told me that it needs a rest. I just wish it had waited a few more days before deciding this. I’m not sure what my ‘crowd control’ is going to be like today without a voice. I think my whiteboard is going to get a LOT of use. I have wonderful students, but I am not expecting them to be ‘perfect’ on the last day of school. At least we had the class party yesterday, so I don’t have to get through that. I am sure I will also have the help of some great staff, so that should help. I just think it is going to be interesting, and maybe a little funny.

I really am going to miss this group of students. After having most of them for two years I have become quite attached to them and their families. Hopefully some of them will join the choir next year, so I should see them a bit through that. I have told them all that they HAVE to come and visit me. Mind you, at the moment I don’t actually have a ‘home’ at school for 2008. I am doing the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) role for half the week and Junior Music and choir for the rest of the week, but I don’t have a room for these things. The ICT role is working with the teachers, so I don’t need a classroom for that, but I would like some kind of office or at least a ‘base’ to put all of my gear. I am hoping to share the music room with the current Performing Arts teacher and I will sort something out today hopefully (through sign language!) for that. He has told me that there is cupboard space there and hopefully I’ll be able to put a teacher’s desk in there as well, as long as it doesn’t make it too crowded. I could end up having to do some music lessons in the regular classrooms, which may be a pain, but could be bearable. My current classroom may be removed over the holidays (it is a transportable classroom) as our numbers have gone down. We are not sure whether they will take my room, or the one next door, or BOTH, so both of them have to be totally emptied. That is going to happen today, and a couple of teachers are going to help, which is wonderful. I am hoping to at least keep my desk until tomorrow. It is fine for the kids to work on the floor, as they see that as a bit of an ‘adventure’, but I don’t think that I can do my work for the day on the floor. I may be able to get DOWN, but I would either fall asleep on the floor, or I would need the kids to help me up, as I don’t feel as though I have a lot of energy at the moment.

We had the Chorus Christmas party last night and Neil came, which was lovely. There weren’t many husbands there, but I am glad he got to meet some of the wonderful people I sing with. We are singing around the city next week, which will be a great learning experience for me. It is called Roving Carols, and that is basically what we do. We sing at one location then move on to another and so on. I am REALLY looking forward to it. I didn’t pass the songs for the concert this Friday (my recorder kept messing up and I couldn’t get the tapes in to the person who passes them, and I also learnt most of the songs that were cut out of the concert as the organisers cut the time down by about half... oh well) but Neil and I are going in to watch the ladies and the men’s chorus. Hopefully Neil may be able to get some good photos of the groups while we are there.

Oh well, just a catch-up. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but have hardly had time to scratch myself. I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

Take care,

Zelma

EmilyMay So so glad to see you back. You look wonderful on your avatar! So glad you have a job you love!

Sharon WTG on you 5 pound loss!!!!

Annie Glad your dreadful meetings are done. You did wonderful resisting that salty and fatty food!! have fun baking cookies!!!

Carol, I'm glad you have power and are safe. We are "suppose" to get SIGNIFICANT
snow this weekend. Personally. I'm hoping for a blizzard!!

Heather, I eat some, walk a little and drink much more water when I bake. I can never make it without eating some of it.

Zelma, So good to see you. Feel better soon and enjoy the warm weather of your summer.

I only have a few minutes as Abby has basket ball practice tonight. I do partly ok baking and making candies. I get in trouble with all the cookies our clients are sending to say thank you for customer service. One was a graham covered with coffee chocolate icing. OMG it was wonderful NOTE, I said IT ... only 1!!!
Emotionally, things are tough. I'm so pmsing and my sd has been in a snit since before she left for her mom's last weekend. I've really about had it with her snotty stuck up attitude. It's so bad, I literally can't stand talking to her. She never answers a direct question directly so you have to spend 30 minutes trying to figure out what she really said. There's more, but it would probably bore all of you. All I can say is it's so dreadful to be around her.
Tomorrow is the big test day! The bake sale for the humane society. But, I can do it. I'll leave my money at home. :lol:
Gotta go, hope all or you are well.

KarenJ – I am sorry to hear that things are so tough right now. If you are finding your depression debilitating than I strongly urge you to seek help with it – either a counselor, medication or both. You don’t have to feel that way – there are many ways that by reaching out people can help. What great Christmas presents!

Sharon – Congrats on the 5 pounds down! Absolutely if you have to put up with being sick you should get something good out of it. I am so glad to hear you are feeling better.

EmilyMay – You are looking great in your new avatar! Thanks for stopping in and letting us know how things are going with you. It is so inspiring that you have followed your dreams and not let your weight stop you from accomplishing your goals. You rock!

Cyn – Way to go on writing everything down! It is such a simple thing and yet so powerful.

Johnie - :cheer2: Congratulations on hitting the 50 pound mark. That is a huge milestone!!! Are you giving yourself any kind of reward for getting there?

Battle – If we could find and antidote to not feeling badly about how we look we could become the richest women in the world (either that or targets for assassination of every make-up company/ plastic surgeon/ etc.). I love the boiled frog analogy. That is exactly how I feel about how I ended up where I did.

Carol - :woohoo: on finding old clothes fitting nicely! A quarter of a pound is still things going in the right direction. I am so jealous of your cruise!

Deb – Yeah, I think that facing these issues when they crop up rather than ignoring them is so important. Wow – 85 degree weather? That sounds lovely. I have still not adjusted to the fact that I need to wear a coat everyday.

Ratkity – I have spent so many years tuning out when people treat me badly that I don’t think I am registering any change yet. I know that it is mostly in my head and I need to cut it out!

Annie – You are my hero passing up all that food at the office! I am sure once you sink into your routine you will find you have more energy in the evenings. It just takes some adjustment time.

Heather – I am with you on the baking . . . I don’t think I could do it.

Catherine – That is so sweet that the bakery lady sent rolls home for you. How much longer is it going to be before you are mobile again? I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to be stuck at home like that.

Zelma – It is so good to hear from you! I guess it is a good thing that you didn’t have to sing in the concert if you don’t have a voice. I hope you enjoy your time off and have the opportunity to give your body all the rest it needs.

Sandy – I am sorry that sd is being such a pain. I too marvel at people who can bake. Batter rarely gets into an oven when I have anything to do with it.

I am feeling a bit better about myself today. I do admit that the new t-shirts are helping, but I also need to come to terms with the fact that I have done damage to my body and some of it will heal and some will not. Perhaps I will post a picture, but I am not sure. Maybe at the very least I can make someone else feel better about themselves.

I am so inspired by the dance class that I have ordered myself a pair of dance sneakers. They have split soles and smooth toes to help with turns. I spent a long time looking and found ONE pair that comes in wide. I am really hoping they will fit me since my feet are so wide. I guess that dance shoe makers don’t think that people with wide feet dance. Huh?

On a follow up, I did end up getting my Welburtrin prescription approved by my insurance company. I do feel like it is helping with stabilizing my moods a bit more and not feeling like I want to turn to food. I normally almost always crave something sweet at night and recently I haven’t been.

My timer just went off (I can’t believe I am eating dinner at 10:30!) so I better run. Ciao!

Hi everyone,

I feel an illness of some kind is brewing, and I hope I am wrong. I've been tired the past few days, and have fever sores in my mouth. I only get them when I'm coming down with something.

To Nancy's comment about flip-flopping perspectives on how we look and where we are, I have been cycling back and forth between proud and happy and feeling great about the smaller body, to feeling huge, ugly, and very impatient and sad about the enormity of the work ahead. It is never a good idea to focus on how much more work there is to do to get out of obesity, I have learned.

I had a meeting today with a new business contact, a lawyer, and I was digging on him. Yum, he was nice, very personable and down to earth, and I could see myself on a date with him. Then I think about how at this size, in this area of the country, I am just not even on the radar screen as a potential date for most available men. THis is not a good path to go down, I can assure you.

Must exercise and get out of the negative thinking.

Just to throw my thoughts in... I'm at my low adult weight and wearing size 12 clothes and I swear I can see both how far I have come (which boggles my mind sometimes) AND how fat I still am in some ways (I am just shy of obese, really). I see all my jiggly bits and cringe. I love how my body looks in clothes, in many ways, and yet see I'm not thin by a long-shot.

I think this feeling will never go away. I think many women experience it, even some who are thin by society's standards.

I have to remind myself, sometimes daily, that no matter how I feel about how I look that I have reclaimed my life, and that is the most important part!!

Hi all,

Okay First I have to say I agree with you all on the body image things. Especially Heather. Maybe because I truly am a "glass half ful type of gal". I see how far I have come and then I flip to how farrrrr I still have to go and it makes all the how far I've come thoughts almost cower down. It's like that part of me that is soooo happy that I can zip up all 3 of my brand new winter jackets that I bought when I moved to Idaho and could never ever wear because they wouldn't come near to zipping up and now they are huge on me, like room enough for a small child to join me at least, that part of me that is thrilled gets squashed. That is not something we should be doing to ourselves! WE need to celebrate our accomplishments. Lord knows that this world won't. This world will look at how ya, you maybe have lost some weight but you sure aint close honey. Don't do that to yourselves too! When you feel proud of yourself for your accomplishments GOOD! You all have worked so, so hard to get to where you are right now Don't let the ugly monster that likes to steal joy come in. Especially don't let that ugly monster steal your joy because once it does..... it will continue until you feel defeated. Okay. Climbing down from the soap box now. lol. I am just so very proud of all of you. Being in this battle to gain health in our lives is so hard fought. It is something that we deal with EVERY Single day! Don't give up! On to personals.

Heather: I wish I knew what snapped in me so that I could bake, cook be around food etc. and not think twice about it. I don't have any feelings of "poor me" Nothing. I feel so lucky and blessed to be alive and living life after so many years of being an IT, Blob, not that I was an it or blob but I lived like I was and acted like I was, so, I was. Maybe that is what allows me to bake for my DH and others with joy and enjoy what I'm doing without wanting to taste and sample every thing. There truly is so much more to me now than cookies and milk. lol. I wish I knew what it was so I could give it to all of you. Hugs.

Catherine: Every time I think about your sewing and creating beautiful things with your magical sewing machine I get inspired to think about sewing. lol. That's about as far as it goes for me though. I'm glad that you were able to make it to the mail box today. The rolls sound yummy. I hope you enjoy them! It does pay to be as sweet and kind as you are and I know I've never met you in person but when you were "missing" from here for a while I sure did miss you.

Carol: ARe you getting excited yet? I can't wait to hear how it goes on your trip. Please take pics for us to see.

Zelma: Sounds like you are going to be one busy lady for a bit more. Hugs to you on missing the kids you've shaped and molded for the past two years.

Sandy: Hang tough at home and at the sale.

Nancy: I'm so happy that you are feeling so much better. You always make me think that I want to take a dance class. I think I will bring it up to my hubby about a couples dance lessons or something in the new year.

Battle: Hugs and don't under estimate your ability to catch a sweetie pie that your heart desires. I did and well, just look at me. So, go for it.

Blessings to you all,
Annie