Another quickie..
Debbie so sorry about your feetxxxxxxx Hope it helps you stay OP, even though it's an awful way to have to do it.xxxxx
Luan, if we had the money I'd have lap-band surgery, sometimes we 'need' something to stop us eating so much. I'm sure you will find the right path & if it's surgery then, as far as I'm concerned, go for it! I know you will do the research to get the best surgeon & aftercare. HUGSXXXX Sorry about the guy, it can stay with you a long time, before my hubby I had a 'thing' & the guy thought I was great...except for the fact of my size.... it still hurts now after 13 years with my hubby & 15-16 since this guy told me why he couldn't 'see me properly'. I love my hubby so much and wouldn't swap hm for the guy but it hurts when I think I let myself be treated like that ( I still spent week-ends with him afterwards!!! How stupid id that???!!)xxxxxx
Julee glad u enjoyed the shopping trip I'm sure she really appreciates you.xxxxx
Annie, hope something 'right' comes along soon on the job-front.xxxxx
Anne, your 'rest' sounds like HARD WORK to me!!!lolxxxxxx
Carol glad you are getting focussed again, can I 'borrow' some? lol hugsxxxxx
Well I've been OP since Monday, no formal exercise but lots of walking & gardening. I feel better for it but still very tired as Steve is ill & tossing & turning & very hot in bed which is stopping me sleeping.
Gotta take the boys to school...sorry to miss some of you...no time...
xxxxxxsharon

Greetings my chickies!

Realist, omgosh, your week sounds like mine! Only someone else wrote this horrid 374 page document that went out for public comment and it got ripped apart (as it should have been). Now it has to be re-written in 1 week.. wha?? Craziness, right? Your week sounds just as insane.. hang in there! Oh, and TOM is starting today.. UGH. There's not enuff room to hide all the bodies hehe.

DMPLS, please feel better soon. Glad you are going to see more family. I know how much family is important to you!

ProfHeather.. when are you leaving for vacation?? It's gotta be soon.

GGG, w00h00 on going 45 min in the water. I have fun with the FEAR acronym. There's a healthy version and my version. Face Everything and Recover or F**k everything and RUN. hehe.. couldn't resist. I used to play this game online called acromania. You'd be given an acronym and you'd write the best meaning within 20 sec. It was fun and hysterical. People can be so creative :)

w00h00 Annie!! 8 miles at once on the bike! I feel the same way when I ride as you do. It's freeing and I love seeing the stuff people are doing to their yards in my neighborhood and I like being out in the fresh air after being cooped up in cube world all day at work.

WELCOME Bumblebee!!! *hugs* I'm glad you are jumping right in. Don't worry about personals, just tell us about yourself.

Penny, an hour of bball and going to the pool is fabbo! I wish I had a pool too. I still have an advertisement out for a poolboy (hehe).

Julee, bra shopping with your young charge sounds like it was a very very positive experience. I'm glad you were there for her. What a wonderful thing you did!!

Luan, your request for gastric surgery info did not come across as flippant or as a rash decision. I would suspect NO ONE in this group does anything rashly. We are a group of highly intelligent women who have a tendency to overthink and over analyze things. More random hugs to you.

Sharon, I understand why you spent time with that jerk even after he said those things! I've been there as well. Sorry DH is sick and hope he gets better fast so you can sleep!

Hugs to all my peeps!! I hope I didn't miss anyone. If I did, it's cuz my brain is mush from work. Special hugs to all my lurkers.

Luv,
Ratkitten

Luan...ahhhh the Gazelle. I'd be curious to know your experience with it...or anyone else for that matter. I didn't interpret your comments as hasty either. I know that I have ben in that moment before where nothing works and I want a fix right there and then. I was watching Intervention the other night and I was watching a horribly sad one about a young woman (about 30) who was horribly anorexic. As sad and terrible as it was, I had a momentary flash of "Wow...if only I had a fraction of her willpower."

I have a kajillion errands to run today and tomorrow and then we leave for Buffalo tomorrow night. Happy Hump Day.

Julia-You can use anything I say, anyway you want to. That’s what we’re here to do, help each other.

Carol- I like Ultimate for the U. I rarely have immediate successes, but I try to keep my mind on my ultimate goal. And for the C, how about carving? I always think of myself like Michelangelo looked at a block of marble. He said the masterpiece was always there, he just carved away the rock to reveal it. That’s what I’m trying to do.

Debbie-When himself came back from Antarctica, they told him he’d lose his feet by the age of 40 because of nerve damage from frost bite. He’s still stomping around on them. He uses one of those pedicure buffers to keep the dead skin off them, and it massages them too. Losing your feet is good incentive to keep moving.

Angie-gee that’s a lot of writing. It took me 6 weeks just to do the revisions on my 200 page book. I don’t even James Michener could write that much that quick. I want you doing my term papers.

Heather-This is the first time we’ve been separated for more than a single night. It’s been like living in a ghost house. It’s just kind of empty. I’m going to vacuum today to keep myself busy.

Carol-I wish I was in the pool there too. My classes have been bumped for the summer for the kids’ swim lessons. I know that’s important, and I was certainly there at that age. I could go to the 7am class, if I could get my back moving that early in the morning, or the 9pm class if I didn’t mind coming back on the bus that late at night. Who’d mug someone my size, I don’t know. They’d have to be desperate. I’d give them my money, but not my bag. I’ve got my swimsuit adjusted just the way I like it. so they can’t have it. Besides the evening class is full of those go-getter kind of women who have worked all day, got the kids to bed, and then go off to exercise. I might be tempted to drown one of them.

Annie-I hope you find something you like soon. I’m sure there is some cosmic reason you’ve gone through all this, and later you will add it to the stories of your journey.

M’Chelle-Welcome. Don’t mind us gabbing away. You can catch on quick enough. I guess it’s pretty hot right now in North Texas. I grew up in Oklahoma. I’ve got a brother in Carrolton. I am somewhat farther north now. It’s 53 degrees here right now. I hope it warms up some because our version of the state fair is next week.

Julee-My mom gets her bras at a place like that. She’s a 38 EEE. At least she is on one side. She asked the doctor if he would just take both when he was taking the right one. They give you prosthetic ones to fill your bra up with, so you will be balanced weight wise, and hers was so heavy she couldn’t lift it to put it in her bra. I had to make her a foam rubber falsie by sewing several together. That was weird. They don’t make my size either, 46B, B for barely.

Rat-I wish I could ride a bike again. I miss my Motobecane. I’m trying to talk himself into a Gary Fisher City Bike, but he’s afraid I’ll fall off and hit my head and forget who I am or something. I’m going to buy some new walking shoes instead.

4 days down, and 4 days until he comes home. I still have lots of cleaning to do. I think I have touched or moved everything in this condo at least once this week. Mostly to move it to the middle of the room. It will seem strange to not have an audience while folding clothes.

Hi everyone,

I have been OP for 6 days now. I also updated my ticker to my true weight. Sigh. I know I can get it back down again and keep going. My daily routine is starting to take shape so I feel more optimistic.

Hugs to all of you.

julee - i liked the gazelle. its easy enough, i just never have time. i have to force myself into the gym. i know ammi had real success with it.

annie - i formatted my computer and lost most everything email related. send me your email address again, please?

rat, catherine, sharon, and everyone else who commented on my boy issue. thanks. its not easy. but i think the best thing for right now is to just let it go. we're still friends. we always have been, but i dont think i want to be right now. i cant go hang out and have coffee and know that in a few hours hes gonna go spend the night with someone else. i just cant deal with it.

oh well. off to the dr's to see if i lost any weight at all.

:wave:Battle:woohoo:

Catherine - I like carving and ultimate too!

Rat - you crack me up.

Hiya Battle - nice to see you! Six days - nice job.

Bumblebee: Huge welcome to you! Jump in whenever you feel like it. Most important is don't let being overwhelmed by all of our chatter keep you away! No pressure to comment on anything or everything. Glad you are here.

Debbie: I love your focus!

Penny: Hi

Julee: I hope you enjoy the concert. I love the gazelle. I got one and stupidly let my dh talk me into getting rid of it because, 1. I was too heavy for it at the time and 2. not much room for it. I am kicking myself now and wish I never got rid of it.

Sharon: Hope Steve feels better very soon. I think that there is probably someone in each of our lives that we allowed to treat us like crap because of self esteem or body issues. I myself have one that sounds similar to what you were saying.

Catherine: I didn't realize that "Himself" would be gone so long!!! Yikes I would be going nuts without my dh that long. lol. Hugs to you on that.

Battle: wooo hoo on your 6 days back op. Way to go.

Carol: Smile and drink and move. lol. Hugs.

I finally am having TOM and my back is killing me. I just feel all bloaty and blah. I think I will not have the get up to exercise. I am debating a bike ride before it gets too hot. Maybe I'll feel like it more this evening.

I am going to a gourmet party tonight. I don't know the name of the company but it is a cooking type party that sells spices and dips etc. She said there will be lots of tasting going on. Hopefully not for me. lol. I have had a protein shake so far this morning and am planning on getting a 32 oz. glass of decaff iced tea to drink in a minute. I am having a don't feel like eating day today and nothing sounds/ looks good except soup. I may go buy some at the deli later. If I am going to have soup I want the kind I want. I can't eat a whole bowl of it or even a cup at once but I can eat a tiny bit here and there throughout the day.

I straightened my hair yesterday for my job interview and then went and saw a friend in Coeur d alene that is right above my old work and so I stopped in there to say hi and I got sooo many compliments on my "look". I went to group therapy last night and had much more of the same. Everyone thought I had gotten a cool new hair cut. Nope, just straightened it out and that is it. Maybe because I am getting tan or something. I was amazing how many people said I look pretty. It makes me a bit uncomfortable because I don't feel pretty and I always feel like they are just saying that to try to make me feel good. I'm sure you guys can relate. I had one lady whisper in my ear, "You really don't know how beautiful you are do you". I just kind of said thanks and giggled. What does one say to that and, how do you handle it. I am so struggling with this whole "attention" on my looks thing. Help if you can.

I thank you guys so much for all the support and help over the past 3 years that I have been here. I don't know what I would do without you all.

Blessings,
Annie

Hi All,

Just got back from camping ...going back tomorrow.......Love the scale today down another 4/1/2 lbs. I am down 39 lbs so far.....

Battle - Wonderful to see you again. WTG on your 6 days OP and being on track again.

Luann - I think you are right to remove yourself for a while and give yourself time to heal. Wish there was something I could do or say to make the pain better :hug:. Hope your doctor visit goes well.

Annie - Like someone said the other day... Have you looked in a mirror lately?? You are not just pretty, but beautiful, blooming and glowing. Watching you since I joined this sight has been like watching the cocoon become the beautiful butterfly. Graciously accept all compliments and enjoy them, you deserve every one and I believe they are all sincere.

I was at the doctor today too. A few weeks ago I was having stomach pains that just wouldn't go away. Since much of the medication I take can cause stomach and liver problems I thought I'd better go see the doc, who ordered blood tests, ultrasound, etc. Got the results of the tests today and thankfully the news is not as bad as I feared it might be. I have gastritis, which is what was causing the stomach pain. After several weeks now on Prevacid, the symptoms have mostly gone away, but he wants me to keep taking the Prevacid for 3 months to make sure the stomach lining is completely healed. Cholesterol is perfect and sugar and all other blood tests were normal so that was good news. The not so good news is that I have gall stones, but with no thickening of the wall or elevation of white blood cells, it is not an acute problem. Therefore, we decided not to consider removal until either I have released more weight or it becomes acute. I see him every 3 months anyway so he's just going to monitor it for now. He said as long as I didn't eat a lot of fatty or fried foods (which of course I don't anymore) it may not act up at all or at least may be delayed for a long time before it does.

A nice NSV for this doctor visit was my blood pressure. It has been averaging 130 over 85 for the last year. Today it was 117 over 78 :carrot: He is very happy about that and my weight loss.

Rat - Props to you for the term "release" as opposed to lost. The doctor thought that was an original and great idea.

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

Luan...can we talk more about the Gazelle when I get back into town next week? How big is it? Would it fit into my car if the trunk was empty and the seats were all the way down? I am intrigued and tempted...I like the idea of being able to exercise while watching TV in the living room.

smooches to all...

Angels: Congrats on loosing 39 pounds. You are doing so wonderful.

Johnnie: I just realized that your ticker shows a release of almost 100! One more my friend. Excellent job. Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it and will do my best to learn to be gracious and not suspicious of compliments. Sorry you have gall stones but, wonderful news about your blood pressure and other tests! Hugs.

Blessings all,
Annie

Battle-Don't feel bad. I've fallen so many times, and had to dust myself off that my knees are permanently stained.

Annie-I so understand how you are feeling. When people tell me I'm beautiful, I just think they are nuts.

Wow I'm exchausted! Spent 2hrs int the pool with the kids then we did the 20 minute challenge sponsored by the Running/Walking Room. Got free hats and the kids did awesome!

Just a flyby...

Julia, your kiddo in your avatar looks like she's wearing the dog food bag!! hehehehe I had to look closely.

More to come tomorrow!

Luv,
Rat

I'm flying by too - another great water workout tonight - my sister was even invited and I was nice - hehehe.

Johnnie - glad you got good news - you're doing great! One more pound - did you buy your Hermes scarf yet?

Hugs,
Carol

Nah! She was thrilled that she could carry it. Then I explained that it weighed 16.5 lbs and that is how much mommy "released" in TBL challenge. And I am only 3.5 lbs from making two bags in total released since March.

Thank all of you for the warm welcome, hugs, and good wishes. This is such an amazing group - I've been looking at some of your weight loss totals, and I am blown away! All of you are such an inspiration.

I had to go to a funeral today for the mother of a coworker of mine. She passed away suddenly over the weekend. So what else do you do but get in a mood and contemplate life, huh? So I've been filling my husband Roy's ear full of all the things I want in life...wanna lose weight, wanna have a baby (I'll be 35 in Sept, so the biological clock is clanking off the rafters), want my own house, wanna quit corporate America and go paint pictures by the seashore, blah blah blah. Roy patiently listened to me for about and hour, but I think the deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face told me he was done after that. Lol

I thought I would give a shot at a reply to some of these. If I miss anybody, please forgive me. I promise to do better next time. :^:

Penny - thanks for the welcome! I look forward to getting to know you.

JulieCeeS - Hi! Nice to meet you!

Luan - Hello there! I just wanted to say that I can relate to the whole guy thing, as I'm sure most of us here can (remind me to tell you sometime about the guy who tricked me into getting on a big scale in the middle of a steak house. Oh what a good time THAT was not!!). I know it hurts like h***. Remember that the person that comes along for you is going to know you're beatiful, all of you, inside and out. Hang in there.

voodoo1 - Hi! I hope that your significant other is feeling better so that you can get some sleep, bless your heart!

Ratkitten - Thanks so much for the welcome and the hugs! I'll take all of those I can get because let's face it, you can never have too many hugs.

CatherineM - Thanks for the welcome! Yeah, it's a little warm down here. 95 degrees...after the cold front came thru. I think you did move just a little bit north, didn't you? lol Tell you what...I'll send you some of the warm air if you send me some of the cool! lol

BattleAx - Way to go for six days OP!!

Annie - wow, what an inspiration you are!! I know how it feels to not be able to take a compliment. My hubby tells me I'm pretty all the time (God bless him), but I just giggle and shrug him off. Makes him nuts. Maybe people aren't just seeing the new outside of you though, maybe they are seeing more of the inside too. You obviously have a warm heart, and that beauty shines thru no matter what. And judging by your picture, I'd say the outside ain't bad either! Thanks for the welcome!

texarkgal - I'm glad the news wasn't as bad as you expected, and I hope you feel better soon. Congrats on the blood pressure, and your weight loss!

JuliaHood - Kids and the pool will wear you out. Hope you had fun!

Carol - Hi! Nice to meet you!

Well, time for me to sign off. I hope all of you have a wonderful night, and an even better tomorrow!!

Hugs,

M'Chelle aka Bumblebee

Hello ladies!

Just quickly popping on husbands work laptop while he is on the phone.

Im not getting on here much as my laptop is completely broken! Some hardwear needs replacing.

Im still keeping up the diet and feeling very happy to see the scales go down! Im near my first goal of 300lbs too! :carrot:

Keep up the good work ladies! You''re all fantastic! :D

M'Chelle...welcome aboard. You and I are very much in the same boat. I am almost 35 1/2 and the baby clock is starting to tick overtime...I'm also very much wanting to get out of our apartment and get into something more permenent...so I hear you my sistah! Keep your eyes on the prize and know the behind the glazed look, he does hear you...it's just information overload.

The concert tonight was AMAZING!!!! I am pooped now but we are all checked in for our flight and tomorrow night (morning?) at this time we will be on an airplane en route to ATL and then Buffalo.

Sleep tight...

Julee, Ammi has a gazelle & when I visited I saw it, hers folded up quite small & flat. But unless you have an estate car OR your seats go down OR you have a biggish car (it might fit in the back seats) you might struggle, though I'm sure Luan can tell you more.xxxxxx
Anni, yep, you are gorgeous!!!! Even at 500lbs but now we can see your cheekbones too!!!xxxxxx
M'chelle, hubby is still moaning & twitching all night, the thought of 'putting him (me) out of his misery' with a pillow crossed my mind several times!!!lol What plan are you doing? WELCOME to our lovely groupxxxxx
Battle WTG & great to 'see' you.xxxxxx
I have to go & take the boys to school, I feel like a zombie from lack of sleep, stupid hubby got me up at 4.30 this morning to find something he'd lost!! Grrrrr He gets a nap when he comes home in the afternoon, shame I don't!! Pillows keep crossing my mind..lol ..not really.... so sorry it's a short one. It's raining & horrid, but I'm still OP!!yippee, lol
xxxxxxsharon

Morning Peeps - how's everyone this nice summer Thursday morning?

Yesterday wasn't as "perfect" as I would have liked with a luncheon at the office but I didn't throw in the rest of the day - which is a huge win for me right now. The choices were not the best but not the worst either. I'll be glad when I'm with Battle and say I have 6 days OP behind me and then 7. Right now I'm wondering how I put 120 together but I know it was one day, one meal, maybe one hour at a time. For some reason it's just not clicking with me - the reason for my FOCUS. Posting, even though difficult at these times, seems to be the best thing for me. I don't journal much so this is where it ends up. I must admit having gained the past couple of weeks has completely messed me up and I have visions of gaining it all back - I am terrified. It seems to be summer and all the social activities that throw me out of my comfort zone. I've found myself almost wishing for Labor Day to come. I'm also struggling with exercise and have told myself if I work out in the pool at home I don't have to go to the hospital for this week for my normal workouts - I hope I can get back to that next week, but if not I will continue the water workouts.

I'm rambling but looking for something I've misplaced for now. Thanks for listening and being here.

Move your bodies, drink your water and SMILE.

Hugs,
Carol

I hear ya gggirls it is a struggle in the summer at times when friends and family are piging out on ice cream, chips etc at functions..... I look it at this way their are 21 meals in a week ......And occassionally I will have a bad choice .....but that still leaves me 20 meals :carrot: to be good... ( Be strong you are so worth it) Hugs to you gggirl .....Keep that swimming! Best exercise in the world..Angels
He he voodooo girl you are so funny!!
Leaving now to go to the trailer I think I will be Awol for a week unless I can find someone to lend me their lap top.......Stay strong all .......Lets get thinner together!! I just love this support group!! You are all the best!!Better then any weight loss center....Angels:carrot:

Greetings all,

I'm still waking up, a bit grumpy cuz of TOM, but I'm going to take my time getting into work because of the OT I've been doing on this document... soooo decided to touch base with my peeps :)

Luan, oops about having to reformat the hd! I always forget my favorites in IE. My email is ratkity at ratkat dot net if you feel da need to email me. That goes for anyone else here.

Battle, yes!!!!!! 6 days! Even if it was 1 day I'd be just as excited. I hope work/family/life stuffs are going smoother these days. *hugs*

Annie, how was the gourmet party? I like the spice and dips ones. I can taste without eating. When I'm feeling icky, soup is the only thing I can eat as well. It's a comfort thing, I know, but it's not like using chocolate! Hang in there with the compliments!!! This phase doesn't last very long.

Yay Angels!!! You are doing so great!! Do you camp all summer? You might have told us, but I probably missed that.

Hiya Johnnie, great to see you! Sorry about the tummy issues and stones, but cholesterol and sugar numbers are fabbo news!! Oh, so is the BP :) It's cool your doc liked the "release" notion over losing. The fact that he said he liked it means to me that he listens to you and is trying to learn about weight loss issues.

Julee, um, I'm not sure a gazelle would it in a little car.. hehe. I'd love to have an ellipical, but don't have anywhere to put it in my house except the basement. Safe travels!

Julia, too cute about telling little one about your release and that she could barely pick it up! I get jealous hearing about pools between you, GGG and Catherine (although she is jonsing for hers now).

Bumble, sorry about having to go to a funeral. You are funny about your DH and his glazed look. He was sweet to listen for so long!

Suomi, keep up the great work! I hope you get your laptop back soon. I'm lost without it and I have access to my work desktop and a home desktop. I have worn out the letters on my laptop keyboard from overuse.

Sharon, I wonder if a feather pillow would do a better job than a full foam pillow? hehe.. jk. This is the first week without rain in a while. I might be able to skip mowing on Saturday!

GGG, posting here does keep me accountable as well. Ramble away! I get more out of people's rambling than my rambling posts. I have the same fear.. gaining it all back. I hear from stats and from my own experience that it happens more often than not. Unfortunately, even that horrid fear won't keep me from eating poorly when I isolate during stressful times. I think posting here is not just a "tool", but part of my foundation for a healthy lifestyle. Not sure if any of that made sense!!

Hugs and Luv,
Ratkity

angel_ I like your way of thinking on the 21 meals!! that might really help us focus on the rest of the meals if we mess up one or two!!!

carol_ HUGS!! I miss our pm.

battle _ glad to see your OP and back with us!

sara- way to go on being close to your 1st goal.! Keep it up!!

bumblebee_I had to laugh at the deer in the headlight statement...i know that look!!

julia- great job on the workout in the pool! Wish we had a pool nearby!!

luan- how did the dr visit go?

johnnie_ sorry about having gallstones...been there done that..NO FUN!! I was able to control mine for 12 yrs before having a very diseased gallbladder removed. If you have pain get it checked out!! Way to go on the 99lbs. YOU have done AWESOME!!!

annie- sorry tom is not playing nice this month!! Tom is visiting me also. I wish Tom would go away and never come back. I never thought i would welcome menapause!! lol You are beautiful!!

rat-hugs
anne- come out come out wherever you are!!
dmpls- hope your having a wonderful time on your trip!

Yesterday hubby had a dr visit and I went with him. WE went shopping to get a gift for grandbaby shower. Men just dont get registries...I kinda agree its more fun to pick what you want to get them rather than what they pick. Hubby had a playpen picked out for $90 and it was gray and pink. Well the one they had picked was $170, all the same features...but in neutral colors..hubby just doesnt understand why they dont want anything girlie. We ended up getting them a bassinet even though they didnt register for one...hubby was determine and i finally gave up.LOL gotta explain to son that he has to keep it even though they didnt pick one. maybe they can use the playpen in the living room and the bassinet in their bedroom at first.

more later


catherine_ glad your ok with himself gone...with hubby being disabled and home alot I would give anything for him to be gone a few days and have some time to myself.

sharon_ sorry your hubby is sick and your missing out on sleep. Not getting enough sleep can really drag someone down fast!!


julee- how is hubbys glucose doing? my hubby had to increase his glucose med again. SO he is back to where he was a few months back before she decreased it. Its like we just cant get it level for long.It doesnt help that he has been snacking at night!!

Good Morning!

I feel blah today. Yep, TOM. I sure don't feel like doing laundry and picking up rooms, cleaning etc. . . I slept in a little since we stayed up and watched a movie late and young daughter had a friend spend the night. Older daughter didn't get home until 11:30 and then had to tell me all her adventures of work then going to a friends house to swim and movie. The dog is even still asleep! The house is nice and quiet. I really feel like going to the kitchen and getting pots and pans and clanging them together! HA! HA! But then I would have a headache and family screaming with drama on having to wake up, who needs that! lol I was going to go on a walk, but slept in and it is already too hot outside. I know excuses. This is the time of the month when I need to figure out something to get motivated. I will wait and do it on the treadmill when all wake up. Yep, I am rambling too, but need to get some water in and breakfast. Stepped on scale this morning and I really hated to as this time of month always makes it go up. We need to come up with something that doesn't make it do that! Someone please work on that. Thanks! Well, sister told me last night to check email as she was sending me some pictures of self. She has begun losing weight so we talk about every other day. She is dong Weight Watchers (points). I don't know how she can afford the weekly meetings! But not my business. She is a new grandma (1st) and loving sending me pictures. So I better check and yak on personals later. Penny

Hey girls there is a new thread in fitness area for Cycling groupies. Looks promising as a good way to find some new inspiration.

Debi-Part of what’s worrying me is himself being away from home that long because he’s disabled too.

There seems to be a lot of funerals going on this summer, so I’d like to take this opportunity for one of my favorite rants. The greatest gift you can give the people in your life that you love and care about, is to have you affairs in order. By that I mean all you final wishes written down. When was the last time you updated or even looked at your will? If you don’t have one, and can’t afford an attorney, go down to Office Depot or Staples, and buy a blank will form, and fill in the blanks. That’s better than nothing. That goes for durable powers of attorney so that if you become incapacitated, someone can make legal and financial decisions for you without going through the courts. Ditto for medical powers of attorney for medical decisions. Make a living will, let people know what kind of final care you want. Leave burial instructions. Do you want to be cremated, or buried, in the ground or a mausoleum?

When my dad died unexpectedly, my family was so busy fighting about money, or falling apart, that I had to plan his funeral, buy his casket, and even write his obituary. I was in my early 20’s. I never wanted to place that burden on anyone else. I have all my paperwork in order, and check it once a year on my birthday for updating. I have all my burial instructions, down to copies of sheet music for things I want sung at my funeral. I have a written obituary along with the addresses to the newspapers back home where I want it sent. I have a list of people I want notified with their addresses. Remember that pre-arranged funerals, even if you don’t pay up front, are about 50% of the cost of walk in arrangements. My dad already had his plot purchased, and the cement liner, the headstone was paid for by the VA, and his funeral was still over $10,000, 22 years ago. Think about your family getting slammed making all these decisions and a big bill while trying to grieve. And yes, I am more than willing to help anyone who wants to go through this stuff, just PM me.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Hi ladies,

Sorry for the drive-by again, but it's all I've got. I will be back when I can for more personal interaction. The body let go of a couple of pounds so I'm back over a decade threshold in weight. Now I'm only 11 lbs. over my lowest. I plan to have another good day today.

Hugs and love to all of you.

Catherine - Thanks for the rant. I need that kick in the butt. I've never thought about doing durable powers of attorney for legal, financial and medical decisions. Reading your post made me aware that with my physical condition, I really need to do that so I can designate my roommate/best friend/caregiver for all those decisions. She knows better than any of my family what decisions I would make. She is also a stickler for having all things in order so I'm surprised she hasn't been after me to do it yet.

catherine_ i needed that rant. I need to get busy with that maybe this weekend when daughter is home and discuss things with her. Show her where important papers are kept and such.
hugs on worrying about himself..you take wonderful care of him!!Im sure he is missing you !

penny_ is it just me noticing it or is TOM around for alot of us at the same time> I had always heard that it happened when you spent time with other women.

Well things are getting WILD in this little one stop light town!!! Its RAlly weekend. THiS town is filled with bikers..25000 in a town of 2200 people.
you can literally feel the town vibrate from all the bikes roaring!! I am going to the store in a bit and then i will pretty much stay home till its over.Sunday by noon all bikers are gone. All money raised goes to charity. WOnderful cause and over all nothing bad has ever happened. I worked it one year and I saw plenty but its pretty much kept out there.
Well hope everyone is having a great day.
debi

Carol, I think it's this time of year that makes it so hard for all of us. More activity, more food, more everything. Just the pressure of trying to make the right choices can get us down. All we can do is hang in there, try our hardest, and hopefully we'll get that drive back that got us this far. I'm struggling right now too, but I found that by telling myself to maintain, I'm actually losing weight, I guess because I'm not feeling the pressure to lose weight. I dunno, sounds sorta wierd, but for the moment, it's working. I seem to put too much pressure on myself when I am trying to lose weight, and I just can't do that anymore. Usually I'm a person who loves the last minute pressure to get something done, but it's totally different when it comes to losing weight.
I really do hope you get your motivation back, but if not, I hope you can maintain. I completely know what you mean about being terrified to gain it all back. :hug:

Debi, sometimes those registries help, sometimes not so much. I think the bassinet was a really good idea. Hubby done good!! I hope he can get his sugar levels leveled out.

Debi, Annie, Penny, geeze, we're all in the same boat with a crappy TOM this month, aren't we? Mine has been so bad, it hurt to wear pants without elastic. I hurt from my waist to my knees. I almost barfed yesterday. I seem to get one bad one like once every 6 months. I'm doing lots better today and I hope you are all feeling better too.

Catherine, thank you for all the points made about the will. I don't even have one. I guess I just don't think about dying a this age, but I probably should. I know I have it written in a journal about some things I want to go to who, but that's about it. I guess I'm thinking it's like animals. Just find a box, and say a few words and put me in the ground.

Battleax, YaY!!!! You're doing great!

My green beans are getting blooms finally. The lettuce is balling up, the green pepper plant is starting to grow as well as the radishes and carrots. The cabbage is still a mystery though. It doesn't look like the cabbage you see in stores so I don't know whats going on with that.
Today I'm going shopping with my Mom. She wants some new clothes for when my brother gets here. She always buys them too baggy, so I'm going with her to help out. I would love to get some new clothes too, but just can't afford it right now, so I'll dream thru her. :lol:
Hope everyone is having a good OP day,
Debbie

Ok I already forgot who said what...so I'll just go on topics.

Gazelle in the car...I have a decent szed car (Saturn Aura) and with the seats down there is a lot of room in there.

Paperwork and important stuff...AMEN to that. DH and I have had the talk several times and have been discussing it more these days because we are seeing some friedn grappling with othe family members about similar issues. We just need to get it all in writing. My grandmother had her living will/DNR tacked to the wall in the kitchen by the phone and everyone knew what it was.

DH's glucose...there has still been some fluctuation...can't quite figure out what the triggers are because there have ben nights where his dinner has been bread and potato free and he has had no snacks at night that his sugar was still higher than we think it should have been the next morning....who knows.

I have a Dr. appt of my own next month and it should be a doozie. I want to talk to her about getting off the pill and trying to get pregnant. I know she wants me off the pill anyways so we'll see what she says about this one.

I am packing and cleaning today so we can leave tonight which should be fun. Packing for a short trip can be just as much of a pain as packing for a longer one...plus this time we have extra things with us that have to be packed and I have to remember where I put everything. ARGH.

Happy weekend to all...

Julee

Well, daughter off to work and hubby left to go and work out! Good thing as they were both very grumpy!!! Daughter because she misplaced her $45 check from work a couple of days ago and still hasn't been able to find it, and hubby because he got a nasty email from his boss last night and today had a yearly review call and it was just neutral. So now that younger daughter is upset because she can't find her tap shoes and has practice tonight. She has a performance this weekend and needs them. She decided she wanted to use the dance bag one day and took the shoes out. Who knows where they are! So now it is quiet as I sent her back to her room to look! The room is scary! Of course it is my fault for all of it.
Julee-Have a great trip and enjoy your time together. I hope DH sugar levels do well over trip.
Debbie-I don't have the pain, but feel like I am flooding. I hope your pain goes away soon. That's too bad you felt like barfing. Make sure there is nothing else going on. I have never felt that bad. It sounds like your veggies are doing well! I am not one to grow cabbage so I can't help you out there. Have fun shopping with mom. I too need clothes but everyone else comes first.
dgramie- That is weird huh! I have heard that same thing. It is funny you call your town one-light. We have one stop! But if we had that many bikes in our town it would be a world record!! Our town consists of 393 people and I think that includes cats and dogs! lol
Catherine-good idea about going to office max/depot or staples, that is better than nothing. I told hubby to cremate me and put me in a shoebox. Take the shoebox and place it in the back of the car. (We live in midwest) Then when he gets stuck in the snow, he can put a little of me at the tire and I will continue to help him out for a little while or years depending on the amount of snow we get or times he gets stuck! lol Of course, my daughter says that is not going to happen.
Battle-good to see you pop in!
Julia-I will have to look at that thread, thanks!

Hi everyone,

Having an okay day still feeling icky. This is a bad TOM for some reason. Oh well, it should be better in a day or so. I am planning on going to the water park on Sunday so it better be better by then. lol. Did some light house cleaning today and baked 3 doz. oatmeal/molasses/raisin cookies for DH cookie jar. Whew. That was a chore but it is done now and he will be thrilled. I sent a resume to a Part time office manager position for a Catholic School. I am not Catholic anymore but I am a Christian and that is all the ad said you need to be is: available for Christian leadership. I think I can do it. lol. While I was out mailing my resume because I missed the mail that comes to my house, I bought myself a sugar free, non fat Mocha Big Train with sugar free carmel in it. I brought it home and put in a scoop of protein powder to make it worth something to me besides feeding my tasted buds. Still not feeling like eating much and haven't actually eaten anything today except a.m. protein shake and now this treat with protein in it. Hopefully by dinner something healthy will sound appealing. I do have a bar b q chicken breast in the frig I can eat. Dh is working late tonight until like 10:30 so he won't be home until around 11:00 p.m.

Catherine: Thank you for the understanding. I am going to make you think I'm crazy because you are beautiful inside and out!!! Thank you for the information on the will also.

Julia: Wow, you did great at the pool! I'm impressed.

Bumble: I just want to tell you hun, I am 42 and was waiting and waiting to try to get pregnant and couldn't because I was too obese at 510 pounds and now my DH of 23 years is not wanting a child and actually I'm not so sure I want any either so, if you think that you are wanting to be a mamma, don't wait like I did! Time goes by quicker than you think hun.

Sara: Great job on getting to your first goal!

Sharon: Thanks sweetie. I hope you got to take a nap today.

Carol: I'm sorry that you are having such a hard time right now. I wish I could give you some prodding and urgency that you seem to want and need to get you back to the pool and to your normal routine. Nothing scares us worse in our personal battle with this weight loss/health thing than how easy it is to put the hard fought pounds back on. Hugs to you and know that we are all feeling the same way.

Rat: The Gourmet Tasting party was fun. I am very glad I went even though I was feeling icky. I tasted a lot of dips just a tiny bit and I didn't taste anything sweet except the keylime cream cheese ball. It was very good. I ordered some cheese dip mix and a almond pound cake mix. I think I am too much of a tight wad to pay those high prices for much else. I feel like I am a good enough cook and I know spices well enough to incorp. them together to make some of those combinations for a fraction of the cost they are charging. One little pound cake mix was $6.00. and the cheese dip mix for 2 cups worth of dip was $6.00. I just ordered to be nice to the hostess. lol. I did enjoy my time out though with other people instead of me staying home talking to my fur babies. They try to talk back but... I just can't seem to get what they are saying some times. lol.

Debi: I think it is so sweet that your DH wanted to purchase a gift from his heart. I would be thrilled if my Dad picked out something for me that he chose himself. My dad often buys we jewelry just from him usually earrings and I treasure them so much. Have fun with all the bikers. I have been on tons of motorcycle runs when we were in the motorcycle ministry "Reborn Riders". It was fun and growing up on horses (4 legged kind) it was a trip to be around all the motorcycle guys.

Penny: Feel better soon

Battle: Hi there. We will be here when every you are ready to come back. Hugs.

Debbie: Dogone geography! I wish we lived closer so much so we could hang out. Can't you move to Coer d Alene? My DH won't move anywhere else so I'm stuck here but you could talk your DH into moving here can't you? Your mom and dad too! I have lots of clothes I could share with you back and forth. I think we are around the same size and I am only 1/2" taller than you so that will work too. You could come to the water park with me, bike riding, walking, swimming, fishing..... Okay you get the point I think. Hugs.

Julee: Have fun on your trip. I hope your Dr. is supportive of your decision when you see her next month.

Walrus if you are lurking I would love to know how you are doing. We would love to have you back hun. Brandnewme, Nancy, Sandy, Val, All of our missing chickies, come on back. I miss you much.

Well, I have flapped my lips or uh fingers long enough now. lol. Hope you are all doing well, drinking water, staying op and moving your bodies.

Blessings all,
Annie

:carrot:I DID IT!:carrot:

A total 30 lbs RELEASED!:cool:

Next mini goal is the extra 2 lbs that will make my first 10% gone! :D

Thank you everyone you are all inspirational and have helped me thus far! :hug:

Ratkitten -- Oh no, don't post your email!!! Internet bots scour the 'net and scoop up email addresses! This is why we recommend people not post their email addresses online in their entirety. I altered it (wrote out at and dot) but it's been there almost 12 hours and I'm afraid it's too late. I hope you don't get spammed!

But a gentle reminder to everyone -- don't post your full email! If you feel you must, disguise it. Type out the @ as "at" for instance, so you don't get spammed to death!

Julia :woohoo: on your 30 lb release!!

Carol for you - :hug: :dust: :hug:

Sympathy to all of you ladies having a rough TOM....seems to be rampant around the board....hope you all are better soon.

Wishing everyone a good evening.

Hi ladies,

Well, today seemed to be a binge day. I got hit by TOM (an evil version it seems) and a sinus infection. That, plus my boss saying "I know you are busy, but I think I am going to have to load you down a bit more". So, I ate. I ate a whole container of Pepperidge Farm cookies, and THEN a bag of mini-Reese's peanut butter cups. I have totaled about 3500 calories today....ugh. I did it knowingly, shame on me. But, I am back on the wagon now.

Carol - you will get yourself back into this. Maybe you need a mini-break, take a breather. :hug:

Annie - just want to say again, you are goregous. I hope you get the job you want.

Julia - good job on the 30 pounds

Catherine - THanks for the kick in the pants to start planning for the inevitable. Also, reading the amount of writing, yes, it's crazy. But, there are figures within the documents (chromatograms, electropherograms, regression plots, etc). So, that helps. But, the documents are extremely important, as they are all going to the agency. I will be working on polishing them some this weekend, and then on to more.

Debbie/Rat - hi guys

That's it for me now.

Angie