I made it through Day 1 back OP just fine. It was not without its challenges. We had a sad night last night in that we had to let our 13 YO 4 legged friend go. He has been battling cancer for two months, but yesterday he let us know he was tired of fighting and we let him go. Such a sweetie. It is comforting to know that he is out of pain and of course he led a cushy life. Anyway, I came home from the vet last night wanting to eat anything and everything! Instead, I had a good cry and hugged the other dogs and went to bed. Old habits die hard!!
Today is a new day. I had an egg white, zucchini and onion omelette with chunky salsa for bfast. I have my lunch and snacks packed for work. I feel like I am back on track. I will feel better when I have a week of good work under my belt.
Annie and Sharon - Thank you for the compliments about my new hairdo. I had it coloured, with lighter highlights, a few weeks ago, ready for carols in the city. I am actually a combination of still being VERY insecure and extremely vain. Some days I just feel as though I look really good, and I come home and have to take photos to confirm that I actually look as good as I thought I did. I still look at some of the worse photos and think "Yep, that is probably the TRUE image that people see of me." But I also print of some of the better ones and sit and smile at them, which is SO vain! It is amazing to have such mixed feelings about how I look. I never used to worry about that sort of thing before. I just got dressed, did a minimal job on making my face and hair respectable, then went out. Now I pay extra attention to SO many things. Lucky I have a patient husband!
Donna - I am glad that you already have a plan to get back on the wagon and rid yourself of those pesky pounds that have found their way to you.
It sounds as though your whole family is getting pretty excited about DDR. You may have to compete for time on it soon.
Sharon – I bought the South Beach book a while ago and enjoyed reading it, but didn’t actually follow the program. I like just learning as much as possible and taking little bits and pieces of information from here and there.
I can’t imagine puddles freezing over! Ouch... that has got to be cold!! I am not very tolerant of the cold any more. I am not really thrilled about these temps of over 100F, but I do like it to be around 80F.
Judojediworm – I think your goals for 2008 are very realistic and you have been very sensible in what you have planned. There is nothing worse than planning for something so far out of reach that you just set yourself up for failure. Good luck with achieving your goals!
Peggy – Great to see you back! Isn’t it wonderful that even though we think we have not been too good, we realise that our ‘bad’ moments are actually better than most people would be doing at their best times. Sometimes we forget just how much we have improved our everyday lifestyles and how ingrained these things are. I find myself ‘binging’ on fruit and wholegrain bread with natural peanut butter. While it still isn’t good to eat too much of ANY food, these foods are not too bad considering the options.
It’s great to be able to look back on the past year and know that your life is improved. Here’s hoping that the next year will continue to show improvements.
Catherine – I can’t imagine what it would be like to eat alligator. I am pathetic when it comes to eating unusual foods. I tried kangaroo a while ago because someone told me it was very low fat. Well... I think I will just have to accept a bit of extra fat in my food. It was VERY strong and ‘gamy’. Not to my liking at all.
I am glad that Himself is out of the dog house now. My hubby is much the same. He drives me nuts for a little while then does something sweet and has me all mushy again.
Things will be cooling a little for the next few days, by the looks of the forecast, but then it is up to 40C/104F on Monday. I think I am slowly adjusting and will hopefully cope. How does it work that it gets too cold to snow. Sorry, but I have no idea about weather and how it all works.
Brenda – Do you want to post some of your cooking over here? I really don’t enjoy cooking and think I would work perfectly with a personal chef. I envy those of you who can produce amazing things in the kitchen... well, even BASIC things in the kitchen would be good. Luckily I LOVE salads and basic proteins. Those don’t take much to prepare.
I’m glad your hubby is feeling better. I hope you managed to find something you enjoy doing while you are trapped in your home.
Valerie – Well done on walking during your lunch hour! I have often thought of doing that at school, or even starting up a little walking group with some kids, but by the time we have eaten lunch, we only have about 20 minutes left. I suppose that would still be better than nothing. That would be plenty of time to get down to the lake nearby and back again. Hey! I may actually start that up when school goes back again. You have motivated me!
Jeanne – I don’t know what a raspberry meltaway is, but it sounds delicious! I am sorry that you had a minor meltdown with them. I think your idea of having a bigger breakfast is great. I know I always feel better with something more substantial to start my day. Don’t forget that it is still OK to have a mid-morning snack though. Just make it something small, but filling. I have to admit that if I have something sugary, such as cake or cookies, I am tempted to have SO much more afterwards.
Debbie – Thanks for the sympathy about the heat. I really enjoy walking along the beach, or by the river. We just have to set off MUCH earlier at this time of the year. Almost before the sun has come up would be the best thing, but I like to have breakfast first if I plan a long walk.
Well done on sticking with your plan for two days now. Each day is a bonus and it makes us feel stronger. I found it took me a while to get into the exercise ‘routine’, but I still made myself do it every day, because I knew it wasn’t an option. Now I actually feel weird if I have a break from exercise for more than a day or two.
Battleax – It was interesting to read your comments about clutter affecting, or being related to, other parts of your life. I have felt more in control of things lately and seem to have a very positive outlook and I have just been wondering if that is directly related to me clearing out SO much stuff from school lately and organising home a little more to fit in what school stuff I have left. That is definitely something to ponder. Thank you (and Catherine) for your insight into this.
Kayley – I am sure that shovelling snow is a GREAT form of exercise. It is funny but I have often wished we had snow, just so I could get the exercise in shovelling. Hubby finds it amusing at times that I demand to do the vacuuming, because it will be more of a workout for me. I am not sure I EVER thought I would want to do housework for that reason. LOL
Lindsey – Great to see you back and to hear that you had a lovely time away. I used to have the same problem when I want to visit family until I decided that I would take my own food and they would just have to work around that. Thankfully they are all used to it now and just prepare food for themselves if I can’t fit in with them. It makes me feel SO much better that I have some control over things.
It is lovely to see you so excited about picking Jed up. I remember when you first met him and I thought then that you two had something special going on.
Nancy – Congratulations on fitting into those smaller sizes! It is such a wonderful feeling isn’t it? I still have the first size 12 (US – 8/10) label that I got off a piece of clothing. I never wore that size before, as I went from kids sizes to an adult size 16. It was so wonderful that I cried!
It seems as though, even though you are a little down about the loose skin issue, you still have a positive attitude and you know that it is something you will have to deal with, but you won’t let it stop you from losing weight. Good for you!
Kimmie – It sounds as though you have had a look around my site and you have probably seen my ‘after’ photos. Many people ask me what I did about the excess skin and they are surprised to hear that I still have a LOT of excess skin, but I manage to hide it under gorgeous, flattering clothes. There is no way of knowing how much skin you will have at the end of your journey, because there are a number of things to take into consideration, such as your age (younger people have more elasticity in their skin), how long you have been carrying the weight and how quickly you lose the weight. My doctor told me that just over two years was actually very quick to lose the amount of weight I lost. I also didn’t start until I was almost 42 and I had been obese for a LONG time. Still, I never actually considered the excess skin during the whole time I was losing weight. I NOTICED it of course, but I didn’t really worry about it. I just knew it was an indication of how well I was doing, and I considered it to be my ‘Badge of Honour’. At the moment I have no intentions of getting it removed, as I don’t like pain, can’t afford the surgery, can’t take the time off work for the recovery and I am happy with how I can cover it up. If it ever became a medical issue I may think about it, but for the moment it isn’t in my plans. I understand that if you are younger, and looking to find/impress a partner, then you may want to do something about the excess skin, but I am lucky enough to be happily married to someone who loved me at my heaviest and says I am still beautiful now, with my loose skin, so that makes a BIG difference I would imagine.
Good luck with your weight loss, and PLEASE don’t worry about the loose/excess skin until you are at the end of your journey. You will have a much better idea of what you are dealing with then and how you are feeling about it.
Lesley – Congratulations on the new library job. I know that it is something you have been wanting for a LONG time. I look forward to hearing how your first few days go. I would imagine things are going to be very hectic for a while. How long will it be before you are open for business?
Good for you for throwing out the chocolate and other stuff. I had to remove temptation from my presence for a LONG time when I started my journey.
Carol – I look forward to hearing how your cardio workout went. At least you know that the instructor knows where you are coming from and how you will be feeling.
Well, that's about it for me (after writing another 'book'). I had a pretty good day at the tennis (US won all of the matches, but the women's and men's games were VERY evenly matched). I didn't manage to stay for the doubles game because I was getting VERY tired. Met Neil in the city and grabbed a lovely cold drink before coming home.
I am heading off to bed now to read in the air conditioning.
Brandnewme: Hi and hope you have a super great day.
Sandy: Hope your day is better today. Come on Sandy. You can do this. The first few days are the hardest. Just take this one day and make it amazing!
Peggy: So so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine loosing one of my furbabies. Hugs and more hugs to you. Great job being on track with eating though!
Zelma: It shows that you take time to make yourself the best you that you can be! You look amazing and I I looked like you I may like to look at photos of myself too. Hugs.
Well, I am off to work EARLY today. I have a ton of things to do and would like to do them before the phones start ringing and clients start coming in. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Today is my weigh in day and I stayed the same! I seem to lose weight every other week or so. I know I am retaining water too though cause one of my rings is a bit more snug.
It was a good OP day for me yesterday. It's funny how much more I feel in control of my life when I am OP. Although the increase in H2O has had me peeing every 2 hours all night long, I am a good kind of tired this morning . It seems that the temp drop here (it's 14/F) has frozen the cold water line to my fridge, and the filtered water is not comming out more than a trickle. Luckily we have stocked up on bottled water for work, but I try not to use more than 1 a day and take a travel mug full of water and ice to start with. It is kinda pissing me off, since we spent all the money to have the kitchen remodeled and all the siding and insulation done, I would think I wouldn't have to worry about all that anymore. Oh well, it's always something, isn't it!!!
This board is flying so fast now, I will try to keep up!!
Peggy: I am so sorry to hear about your furbaby! Big to you.
Zelma: I actually did try the DDR by myself yesterday because Sammi pulled a muscle in her back somehow and was hurting. I did 15 mins and then my darn foot started hurting so I had to stop. I think the bad part is that you can't wear shoes on the mat, so if I do it with someone else, I can stand behind and keep my sneakers on.
Battle: I am the queen of clutter!! I never realized it could have anything to do with weight loss. I am always worried that if I throw something out, I may need it later on. I think it may have something to do with the fact that when I was growing up, my mom was a cleaning freak (and still is) and anything that I put on my desk always seemed to dissappear. She used to vacuum @6am, and didn't care if we were sleeping or not. My laundry never had a chance to hit the bottom of the hamper!! That is definately why I HATE housework. Luckily, we got Doug a Dyson vacuum and he was so thrilled, he has taken over cleaning up!!
Kayley: Glad to see you posting again!
Lesley: I always sing the song from your avatar when you post!! on your dream job!!
Brandnewme: Good job yesterday...just remember babysteps!!
Annie:
Nancy: I always thought that if I ever got to the point where my skin was sagging, it had to be better than the fact that it used to be full of fat and flopping around!!
Xena: I am always impressed by people who work full-time and go to school. As for numbers...we don't get along. I can do the basics...as long as I can use my fingers , but when you throw in letters like x and y...forget it!!!!
Carol: Have fun doing cardio! It will make your happy!
Peggy – I am so sorry to hear about your fur baby.
I put this on the recently started scale thread, but if you are a Costco member they are having a sale starting Monday for a 400-pound capacity digital Weight Watchers scale for $18 with a coupon (which I got in the mail yesterday). If you are in the market for a scale and you are either a member or know someone who is, you might want to check it out. It starts Monday and lasts a week or so. I am thinking of picking one up since it is so cheap and it would be great to have a backup.
Thanks for all your comments on the skin thing. I have been thinking a lot about it and I have figured out why it is so nagging for me. What’s tough for me isn’t that the skin bothers me, but that I am bothered by the fact that I am bothered (if that makes any sense). I always thought I would be able to look at it like a badge of honor or war scars and it is not as easy as I thought it would be. I don’t want to harp on about the issue because 1000% it better to lose the weight. I just want to make sure that I don’t start falling into a trap of not doing things, like say going to the beach, because I have issues with the way my body LOOKS. I am doing this to be able and capable of leading as full a life as possible and I don’t want to limit myself for a second based on vanity.
Today was my weigh in day and I also stayed the same, which is pretty good considering the holidays and lack of exercise over my time off.
Thanks for all your comments on the skin thing. I have been thinking a lot about it and I have figured out why it is so nagging for me. What’s tough for me isn’t that the skin bothers me, but that I am bothered by the fact that I am bothered (if that makes any sense). I always thought I would be able to look at it like a badge of honor or war scars and it is not as easy as I thought it would be. I don’t want to harp on about the issue because 1000% it better to lose the weight. I just want to make sure that I don’t start falling into a trap of not doing things, like say going to the beach, because I have issues with the way my body LOOKS. I am doing this to be able and capable of leading as full a life as possible and I don’t want to limit myself for a second based on vanity.
I think it is completely normal the way you are thinking about the skin thing. I have already told my DH that if I have a lot of excess tummyskin when I *finally* reach my goal that I want the surgery to remove it. I have pics of me at my current weight that I think... "look at those saggy arms!" rather than..."look how much better you look!" Screwy huh?
This is my first trip to these boards, and to this forum. I'm currently on Day 2 of my "Cleansing Phase" for Medical Weight Loss Clinic. I'm going crazy, craving my bread and potatoes, but I'm stuck with meat and salad until Saturday (blah). I go for my next weigh-in today so hopefully I dropped a pound or so since yesterday at least.
A little about me - I'm 28 years old and I just got engaged over Christmas That pretty ring on my finger gave me the motivation to take this weight off, and my family chipped in some money to help pay for a year's worth of weight loss clinic. I'm really hoping this works, as I'm frustrated with every other diet I've tried and failed, so I don't want to disappoint my family (or myself) on this one. It's great to see such a nice group of supportive people. I've been heavy since I was 7 years old and never got to see myself at a "normal" weight or "thin", so the thought of losing 150 pounds is crazy to me, since this body (type) is the one I've known for 20 years. I see so many of you dropping the pounds and getting close to your goal and I hope I can become one of the happy "losers"!
Torister - My stomach hit the floor reading your post. I am soooo sorry about your dog! We are absolutely in love with our abbigale! She is our pound puppy. Abused and underweight (she actually looked disgusting when we first saw her at the pound) 5 years ago, she was aprox. 2 then! Everyone was passing her by. My then 10 year old begged and begged to get her out and play with her. She was too weak to play and just leaned up against my daughter with those big brown eyes and boney ribs. 2 hours later she was in my car and headed for her new home - our home. She is now that love of our lives, super healthy and plenty of meat on those ribs now! Anyways.............I am sorry for your loss!
Hi everyone! At work, will post more later! Thanks for the nice words of encouragement. I'm still loving that ddr!
KIMMIE – I don’t get the cookies-in-the-pantry-without-eating-them thing, either. If it’s within reach…. I don’t bring any junk into the house because I just can’t leave it alone, but there’s plenty available at work, and everywhere else. Your Sis is lucky!
LESLEY – Congrats and good luck with that new job!
CAROL – I’m excited to hear how that cardio class goes. Kudos to the trainer who lost that 170 pounds!
ANNIE – That lunch time walk will be a good stress reliever, too. I hope it will help you come back fresh and ready to face the afternoon!
HI there, BRAND NEW!! Always good to see you on the board!!! Good for you on the journaling. I REALLY need to get back to doing that myself, but I haven’t so far.
PEGGY, I’m so sorry you lost your fur-baby. It’s a sad truth about loving them, that they usually leave us. I’m glad his life was a cushy one, and I’m glad that you are handling it without doing yourself harm. <<hugs>>
NICOLE – I TOTALLY hear you on craving bread. Hopefully MWLC will help you get a jump start, and give you a chance to develop new and healthier habits. I’m sure you’ll be beautiful for your wedding, but I hope that you’re able to be healthier going into it as well! CONGRATS on your ENGAGEMENT!!
KAYLEY - At least what you were shoveling smelled better than what I was shoveling! On the other hand, I wasn't out in the wind most of the time. Keep up the great work!
I’m having another OP day so far. I did a ton of extra barn work yesterday. Normally I strip out just my three stalls, but I’ve already started a cleaning job at the barn I’m moving the boys to on the 20th. There are 14 stalls there, and to be honest, stripping them would be easier than all the sawdust sifting to pick them. I was there until 9:30 last night… although that did include two chat sessions. It took maximum muscle to get the wheelbarrow to the TOP of the pile to dump. The exercise is great, but I was beat, mostly from the cold, by the time I got home. It was GREAT to go to sleep last night, and get up this morning, knowing that yesterday I definitely burned more than I took in! Feeling how good that success feels makes me stronger today. I just wish I could run home and get on the tread mill right this second. Of course, we all know that if it was in front of me this very second, I’d be feeling a little less ambitious.
Well, another day, another load of manure. Have a great day folks!
Peggy - I hugged my pups after reading your post. I'm so sorry for your loss - you are a good pet owner. I know how hard and yet how easy the decision is but your heart hurts.
Hugs from the mom of a furbaby angel (our 17 yr old lab)
Carol
Battle, you take on clutter having something to do with being over weight is right on. I know I feel so much better, so much more organized when all the clutter is cleared. I feel I can dedicate more energy and time to being OP because I'm not sitting here thinking about all the clutter I've accumulated. We are even going so far as to start recycling more stuff too. Part of getting more organized.
Lindsay, so glad to hear that Muffin is doing so much better. Hopefully she will continue to improve and live a long happy life.
Nancy, glad to have you back and on track. We won't let you get down on yourself too much. Look how much you've accomplished already! Good for you on buying all those clothes on clearance. I just love clothes shopping now that I can get some clothes that are stylish and not just ones that I can fit into.
LitChick, a new job for the new year!! Good for you!!
Annie, I hope that your supervisors are working with you better today. It's so hard to start a new job and then not get the help you need to help others. You're probably a natural at what you do and they don't think you need that much help. Keep up the good work
Brandnewme, Yes you can!!! And don't you forget it! Thats great that you're journaling everything you eat. I gotta say, it's what helps me stay accountable for what I eat. I also write down my exercise time and water intake.
Peggy, so sorry to hear about your furbaby. It's hard to let go.
Welcome Nicole!
Another day OP me for me. Hopefully when I weigh in next Wednesday, I will have a good loss. We usually go out for lunch on paydays, and I've gone thru my calorie book for each fast food place we have around here to figure out what would be the healthiest, least calorie foods that they offer. So I feel I can handle going out now. We might go to the Olive Garden though to finish off the gift card and I plan on getting the soup and salad thingie again. But now I know which soup to pick and to limit myself to one breadstick.
The skin issues concern me tremendously. Right now my batwings hang so much. What are they going to be like when I lose all my weight? It's scary just to think of it. And my stomach...o My goodness...it's bad now with that apron thing hangin. Everytime I get in the shower I hold it up just to see what it would look like to not have it all and have long legs. I guess it's something we will all have to deal with at one point or another.
Have a great OP, DDR dancing day!
Debbie
Peggy ~ I too am sorry to hear about your furbaby. I know what it is like to have to let a longtime friend go. My had to put my 11 yr old poodle down a few years ago after she was hit by a car on Thanksgiving Day. I almost didn't make it home to tell my mother what I had to make such a decision on.
NoLifeWithoutHorses, Xena, gggirls & anyone else I may have missed ~I called this morning and talked to the back office supervisor (I just randomly dialed an extention number and happened to get her :/ ) and told her about what I had been dealing with for the past two months. She apologized and promptly got my test results for me.
BattleAx ~Thanks much. I think it was mostly water, least that is what I keep telling myself. It was water retention and not the cookies I ate.
Okay, so, the test results from bloodwork I had done on December 20th came back as they have for the last almost two years, low. So, as has happened the last year and a half, my synthroid will be adjusted up yet again. To what, I have no clue yet though.
I adjusted my morning walk minutes have been upped as well. I have been gaining and losing the same two pounds for a few days, so I thought that until I got the results back, I could try to compensate by walking longer. I am hoping that by next month I will be up to a mile and a half for the walking. I have also asked my boyfriend to get me DDR for our 360 (I have seen all you ladies talking about it, so I thought I would give it a try )when he gets his tax refund later this month.
As always, I hope you all are doing well and if not, you are in my prayers.
Hugs.
Although the increase in H2O has had me peeing every 2 hours all night long, 
I am a good kind of tired this morning 
. It seems that the temp drop here (it's 14/F) has frozen the cold water line to my fridge, and the filtered water is not comming out more than a trickle. Luckily we have stocked up on bottled water for work, but I try not to use more than 1 a day and take a travel mug full of water and ice to start with. It is kinda pissing me off, since we spent all the money to have the kitchen remodeled and all the siding and insulation done, I would think I wouldn't have to worry about all that anymore. Oh well, it's always something, isn't it!!! 
to you.
I always sing the song from your avatar when you post!! 
on your dream job!!
happy!
Hopefully MWLC will help you get a jump start, and give you a chance to develop new and healthier habits. I’m sure you’ll be beautiful for your wedding, but I hope that you’re able to be healthier going into it as well! CONGRATS on your ENGAGEMENT!!
~I called this morning and talked to the back office supervisor (I just randomly dialed an extention number and happened to get her :/ ) and told her about what I had been dealing with for the past two months. She apologized and promptly got my test results for me.