Thanks for the many 'welcomes'. It's great to have found such a solid support system in place here. Truly, you folks are an inspiration, no matter where you are in your journey whether just starting, or almost at goal.

One of the themes that I seem to see today is that so many of us do all we can to look after others in our lives, yet don't do enough to help ourselves. Even in our journey to better ourselves, time and time again I read how people struggle to be all that we can be, and heal ourselves. It just seems to be a priority overlooked.

So that's my goal for today - I'm going to take the time to assess how I can best look after me going forward. Doesn't mean we can't still look after others, but we need to move ourselves up that priority list, as well.

Cheers!

Good Morning all,

CAtherine: Hugs and try to take it easy hon.

Carol: I love your goals. Fantastic.

Rat: Blues, my hubby would love that. He love the blues. I bet you are great.

Angie: I will be hoping and praying that you get to your next range goal and also that 100 pounds lost soon. Hugs.

Lauren: Have fun with DN

Kootch: It's funny that we were talking about this exact thing last night in my group. I have decided to give it a try as well.

Well, I have an eye Dr. appt. today. It has been over 2 years since my last time. I did make an appointment for therapy last night. My first appointment will be on Wed. the 10th. I am afraid but know that it is necessary for me to move on.

I am thinking about riding my bike to my Dr. appt. it is about 4 or 5 miles one way. Should be a nice ride there and back.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Blessings all,
Annie

Annie-Your doctor isn't going to know who the heck you are.

I'm supposed to be working on an article for the Calgary paper, but I'd rather listen to a ball game on the radio. I got my walking in today but didn't overdo it like I did Monday.

my goals for june- to lose to the 100lb mark. Get 1800 min of exercise this month, 60 min a day!Try to really watch my bad carbs. Get hubby eating healthier again. He goes to the dr on friday and I know his md isnt going to be happy with his weight or glucose. I also want to hit the weights again and try to jump on the minitramp every other day.

Well....I went shoppin'....bought a few things. You know I still see myself as 340+ pounds? I gotta work on that...

Needless to say I can almost fit into a size 22/24 shirt. Everything fits me on top, but getting crap over my hips and tummy is **** lol. So, I often get a size bigger and hope for shrinkage in the wash haha. Pear shape.

Pills are dragging me down a bit. I haven't been very active yet, but I'm changing that this weekend. I have a family visit, overnight stay, and plan on making the best of it. I haven't started my juice feast yet as with the illness from the pills and my varied excuses, which I find I am hanging onto a bit too much for my personal comfort, I'm going to start after I get back. I always eat really well while visiting, for some reason, and will use that as a jumpstart. You know, weight loss journey part two (The Flabby Sequel), with some awesome trailer that makes you go "oohhhhhHHHHhhhhhh....I want to see that!"

I'm thinking of this as a new beginning. I want to work on my emotional coping and eating, I want to work on self sabotage tendencies, and I want to loose a lot of weight this summer. I mean I want to fit into that skirt and jeans I have! :D I can do it! We can do it!

*deep breath* :D

I hope everyone is well. :D *hugs*

Lots of wonderful goals being put out there - can't wait to hear about reaching them! Stay focused on these goals and we will be reporting them soon! Focus is a key for me. I have a short meeting this morning and then am off the rest of the day - I need to get organized at home - that is such a wonderful tool - cleaning/organizing keeps your mind clear and focused. I've spent so much time in the gardens I've neglected inside - not any longer. Then a walk with the pups and a workout tonight.

Good Morning all,

I was sleeping so still and sound Joel started to touch my face and tummy to see if I was breathing. lol. He said he still isn't used to not sleeping with the bear type noises I used to make when I was heavier and had sleep apnea so badly. He always gets nervous now because I'm so quiet. lol.

Catherine: You are right, the eye Dr. didn't remember me. lol. I loved and enjoyed sooooo much fitting into the eye exam chairs with tons of room to spare on the sides. It was an amazing feeling. Please don't work too hard on your paper. You are supposed to be RELAXING!

Debi: I think with all of your goals working together you can reach the 100 pounds lost mark for sure this month. Good luck hon.

Jacquie: I am glad that you are feeling refocused and like you can do this. Come on sequel.

Carol: I hope you have a wonderful day sweetie.

Blessings all,
Annie

Howdy all,

Went to my 2nd counceling session today. I cried a little less. She has be doing some exercises to help me live in the now instead of the past. That will be very hard for me.

TOM came..I still am crying but not as bad..me thinking alot of it is hormonal! The staph is going away slooowly but I tend to focus on the what if it comes back. I gotta work on that alot.

I am taking my oldest son to the community college today to talk to a councelor about classes...my baby is growing up so fast. ;)

I was pretty skeptical at first about going back on anti-depressants. I'm not depressed, well any more that normal, but these are supposed to help with PTSD symptoms. I was afraid they would lead to weight gain like they did last time. So far though, if anything, I'm less hungry. It's possible that without the symptoms, I'm just less likely to try to sedate with food. I do seem much calmer and my sleep is drastically better. I know that it usually takes at least 2 weeks for the meds to stabilize, but I have a history of it only taking a few days.

Oh my, I feel so stupid. I've read in so many threads that TOM has visited. For the life of me, I couldn't figure it out. Then it kinda hit... I feel so enlightened now ;)

A good friend of mine got laid off a few weeks ago. I know money is tight, and when he called this morning and wanted to get together at lunch, I (trying to be a good supportive friend) said yes. We headed out and his suggestion was an all-you-can-eat sushi place. I went, and pigged out. And the whole way back to the office, I felt terrible about how much I had. Funny thing, when I punched it into FITDAY.com, it's really not bad at all! Sushi is fine, laden with carbs maybe, but seems to be an overall decent choice. Who knew!

Greetings All,

I had a binge last night so I am concentrating on getting back on the wagon ASAP. I realized that I will keep bingeing until I learn to deal with stress in a healthier way.

:mad:Do y'all ever feel that you have vast pools on anger inside that you eat to subdue? I am enraged at myself for putting on this weight first of all and I don't always treat myself too well. Then I have anger towards society for its cruelty towards fat people plus all the daily stress that we all have to deal with. I think that alot of my depression is just anger turned to sadness and a feeling of inertia. That is why my antidepressants don't do much in terms of improving my mental attitude. I am not sad. I just want to kick some righteous butt.:devil:
CatherineM My psych doc put me on Abilify for intrusive images from past trauma. It has been effective. I am taking it along with Lexapro and Clonopin for anxiety and sleep.

Hugs to all:hug: Hope that everyone is having a decent day.
Pennie

Kootch - be sure to get some extra water in you tonight to help flush the sodium - great job!

I had no idea there was that much sodium in sushi. Bizarre enough, mid-evening tonight I was telling my wife that I really felt bloated this evening. I betcha anything I'm retaining some water now.

I'm downing as much water as I can now to flush - thanks!

Pennie, YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!! I've been struggling a lot lately with weight gain & depression/mood swings, you hit the nail on the head for me! WTG on analyising yourself (& me too!!!lol) It's a great start, knowlege is power!xxxxxxxx
Catherine, so glad the meds are helping.xxxxxxxx
Carol, hmmmm, gardening or housework? I'm with you, outside!!!;)lol I'm sure it's better exercise too. Though I do agree how fast the house can look messy if you neglct it for a few days, with two small boys, older son, his gf, me & hubby an afternoon in the garden makes the house look like dump!!!!xxxxxxx
Kootch, good for you on the Sushi, did you have any fish ones or just vegetable ones? I've never tried sushi, but might give it a go next time we're in the city (I live in a small town in the UK, not even a Mc D's or Kf... neither which I like anyway,;) lol)xxxxxxx
Zelma, thanks!!!! But the nurse wanted m to rest a bit til the pain went in case the joint or nerve was inflamed & I made it worse. I'm SO GLAD that you 'match' your brother,:hug: be brave, (though I know you are!!!!) & I hope to hear from you soon how you & he are doing.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Annie, WOW, you think you are struggling, but just look how far you've come, be kind to yourself, it will come off til you've reached the right weight for you.:hug: I know you worry about the skin, just see how GORGEOUS you look dressed, only you & hubby see the skin, though I know it is uncomfortable for you sometimes.xxxxxxxxx
Well I'm SO fed up, :(my weight is going UP, I'm hungry all the time.......BLAH.....I REALLY need to get on a PROPER diet with RULES, I don't do well on 'sensible' eating. Moan over.....
xxxxxxxsharon

Sharon - you're a doll! I love your posts - you touch each of us in such a personal way. Hang in there my friend - it will "click". Right now I have such a peace about eating - I don't know how else to describe it. I set a goal to reach by a family wedding in September - afraid as always that I won't reach it - but have talked to myself enough to know reach it or not I will be healthier come September than I am now. I feel strong and healthy for the first time in my life even though I still am carrying far too many pounds. I hope you find the same - hugs.

not well at all here...

Yesterday around 3pm I started feeling dizzy and nautious again. Seems to be comming and going. I tried laying on the couch a while and still felt dizzy. How does that happen. Finally around 10 pm..I went to bed. I cried a little then feel alssp. I woke up this morning feeling the same way. I have no idea what is going on unless I am having anxiety attacks and don't even know it??

All I know is I am miserable and no one seems to know how to "fix" me.

Hey voodoo1 - I'm a meat and potatoes guy and never thought I'd like sushi. Blew me away at how much I do like it. The crab and salmon ones are good, and the vegetable ones aren't bad.

I was up a good part of the night with kidney pain. I have a kidney stone - another one - and although it's not at it's worst for pain, it's enough to not sleep. Ughh!

I truly hate getting adjusted to new meds. My digestive system just doesn't like them at first. I was headed to the pool this morning, but now can't leave my bathroom. I know it will pass in a day or so, but it could have waited to hit until after water aerobics. At least it didn't hit while I was in the pool. That's a worse case scenario. Guess I'll stay home and sew.

Hey everyone I hope your week has gone good, yay the weekend. I have one last graduation party and then the celebrations and major temptations stop until 4th of July. Also my stalled weight has come to an end. I weighed today and I was down two pounds. I think the exercising is helping, now if I can stick with it.

I hope all of you are doing well and keep going strong over the weekend!!

Happy Friday everyone. I hope you all have a great weekend. Weigh in day for me tomorrow - no idea how I did but I have said my goal is only 1 pound a week so it doesn't seem so daunting.

Smiles - 2 pounds - great job! Keep it going...

Catherine - sorry to hear about your troubles. I understand. I suffer from IBS and sometimes no matter how well I eat, I suffer for several days. At least knowing that once that adjustment to the meds is through, you'll be feeling better and hitting that pool. Best wishes.

Kootch - I hope your kidney stone problem gets fixed soon. I can't imagine what that's like though I did have two gall bladder attacks last summer - yikes!

Cyn...boy that sounds bad and worse that they don't know what's wrong with you. I hope it passes soon.

Annie, you've lost so much weight - wow...congrats. If I go back and read all your previous posts will I get an idea of HOW you did it?

Have a great day everyone!

Dani

Hi all,

Not too much going on here. We are having a garage sale tomorrow. Blah. And next week will be a rough week at work. It is a critical week for our company, so I sure hope it goes well. I will basically be stuck in one room each day all week. No fridge. Can you guys give me snacky/lunchy ideas for something I can throw into my back pack and eat throughout the day? I hate to admit, but I don't feel perfectly on game with eating lately. I have been soooo hungry lately. I have no idea why, but it is very annoying. I am trying to be good, but my stomach is grumbling. I am getting enough calories (1800 - 1900), possibly not the best though. Getting about 64 oz of water. Could be more I suppose. Any hunger advice? My days will be at least 12 hours each day next week, and I worry I may eat one of my limbs.

That's about it from here. Congrats to everyone with your goals. I hope we all hit them.

Angie

Angie - sounds like you are addressing your stress beforehand - great job. As for suggesstions - no fridge? - cherry tomatoes, grapes, cheerios is what comes to mind first.

When I have an all day meeting, I sometimes will grab the 100 calorie packs of almonds/walnuts to keep me peppy, along with holding back hunger pains from eating just baby carrots, cut up celery bits, cherry tomatoes etc.

I wish I better ideas for your for actual lunch items but I hope these might be some good snack suggestions for you.

Good luck.

Dani

One suggestion that helps if I'm not really hungry but just think I am: gum.

I bring an insulated bag with a freezer pack to work everyday, so I can pack sandwiches, yogurt, veggies, fruit...

Good luck!

Hiya girls, I'm fed up!!! I had gotten down to 29 pounds down, been doing really well all year with gradually losing weight, anyway, just recently have been eating loads, feeling really hungry and my cals have shot up from around 1,700 to more like 2,700!! And I've put on a few pounds and just feel like this weight loss stuff is going to go on for ever. I wish I had the money to have weight loss surgery as I am doubting my ability to ever consistently lose weight and also keep it off.....not sure where to go from here, I just wish I could get more of this weight off, but I find it impossible to eat less sometimes, just struggle so much with restraining the calories as I work long hard hours as a nurse and when I get to eat seem to want to shovel it in................................................ ........................

anyway, my plans include getting on my cycle again to burn off more cals, tomorrow I am off work so am planning on having a really good calorie day and eat really good food. Just wish this was easier of that I was better at it!!!!!!!

Argh!!!!!

Any input gratefully received!! x

Hey ladies, a quick flyby post for me..

On my family trip in New York state, having a good time. I've been super active and even managed a slight sun burn on our outing yesterday. Since getting here I've been walking, walking, walking. Chasing kids, chasing the dog, cleaning, cooking...etc. :D Awesome!

I love being this active. It makes me so happy that I can do this now. Before at 340+ pounds I would wear out and actually suffer physically to just prepare dinner or lunch for people. Now I can stand all day! lol I did get tired and a bit worn out in the evening, but I kept on! :D

Going home today...hoping my cat is okay. We left her home alone with extra food and water as it was just a weekend away.

Hope everyone is good! *HUGS*

Hi Everyone,

Another bad sinus headache yesterday all day kept me pretty still. Today the headache is starting up but I am trying so hard not to let it get me down. We went to church at a different time today. Instead of the 10:40 a.m. service we went to the 8:40 a.m. service. Joel is trying to help bring me out of my shell so after church we went into the multi purpose room for coffee and cookies, I did eat a cookie I confess. It made me feel quite ill so no more of that. We got to know the base player a bit better. Very nice man.

Sharon: I guess struggling for me isn't that different than struggling for you. I do struggle to exercise daily and to not eat things my body doesn't need. I do have a plan starting tomorrow to write every single thing down that I put into my mouth again. Mostly to be sure I am gettnig thre right amounts of protein and water. I have been feeling pretty weak lately and light headed so I think I am lacking nutrients. So sorry that your weight is up a bit hon. Hang in there.

Catherine: I hope the meds regulate themselves to your body soon and you are feeling better.

Catwuv: I think for me instead of anger that makes me want to eat it is panic and fear. I am so afraid to fail which just sucks. I wish you all the best and hope that you are doing better. Hugs.

Cyn: How are you feeling sweetie?

Dani: You can look on the top of the 300 club postings where there is a thread that says biggest losers and my story is in there. If you have any questions or want to know more, just ask. :)

Angie: I think the ladies gave you some great advice. String cheese is another favorite for me. I also, like Heather take an insulated cool lunch box with cottge cheese and blueberries, laughing cow cheese and one serving of rice cakes or soy cakes, grapes, jerky, almonds, etc. Good luck hon.

Emily: sweet em, So sorry that you are struggling right now. I wish that you could find a program that fits what you need to help you achieve your goals. You have done so many wonderful things; gotten your nursing career going, helping other people daily. I wish I cold help you to see how wonderful you are and how you can help yourself. Hugs sweetie.

Well, Joel and I are going to go for a bike ride. I'm looking so forward to it I have to say. It is a beautiful day here and there is a Post Falls Days program going on in one of the parks. Lots of arts and crafts and also some carnival type rides. We may go there or we may go up by lake Coeur d' Alene for a bike ride. The whole thing is that we need to get out and ride while it is nice weather.

Blessings all,
Annie

Sucks. I spent 3 hrs at the office yesterday, and likely 8 today. Unscheduled, unpaid, just catching up. Sucks to be on salary sometimes. But since there's so much unemployment out there, I feel obliged.

Ughhh.

Emily - if you're on your feet all day maybe your body is trying to tell you that 1700 isn't enough. I tend to eat 2000 cals a day, and 2300 on days I lift weights. However, if I was back at the job where I was on my feet all day I'd probably be trying more calories. Maybe try a controlled increase of calories for a week and see how you do. When I'm doing well (ie. sticking to the plan) I also usually take a week off every 12 weeks, and eat a little more. The theory is to let hormone levels reset. Although sometimes I think it's more of a mental break than anything else.

To everyone else, just a big :wave: I think I've been pretty quiet the last week or so, mainly because I don't have much to say. The end of school was followed by lots of garden work, and now... it's kind of quiet. It's not even warm enough to need daily watering, and not much is growing fast, so little trimming. So I think I'm just keeping myself busy doing little things here and there, which mainly keeps me off the computer. Although really, I sometimes just don't have anything to add. :)

Hope that everyone is having a good Sunday. I tried to talk myself out of working out (we had company for lunch but they left early enough). So now I'm trying to convince myself not to have a nap!

Hi ladies,

It's a beautiful day here but I have been inside doing personal grooming and beautification activities such as coloring my hair. :D I have to spend the next few hours getting ready for my interviews next week. One hiring manager requested samples of some of my work.

Eating has been up and down. I am losing and gaining the same 5 pounds but at least I am not still piling on additional pounds. I met my exercise goal last week so that is something.

Angie: protein helps to keep me full. Also the Kashi bars do an amazing job as a snack, as they are full of fiber. They'd be great for your upcoming week.

Jacquie: It is great to feel the stamina increase. I love it.

Emily: Try increasing the calories and see how it works for you.

Cyn: Hope you are feeling better today

Carol: I love the strength and confidence in your new attitude. You are doing such a great job.

Annie: I know when I start pulling into my shell, forcing myself into situations where I have to interact with people really helps.