300+ Weekly Thread #1219
 

Thanks for starting the new thread, Ratkitten!

I hope you're all enjoying your summer = don't forget to help us out in the exercise thread if you're exercising. Just have to count and record your minutes!

Having gained back 30 pounds in the last year and a half or so, I recommitted to weight loss last week. Generally, I had a very good week. Some room for improvement, but I felt more in control than I have in a long time!

WTG Heather, getting back in the swing of weight loss.xxxxxxx
Ratkitty, MY WORST NIGHTMARE!!!! You poor thing! HUGS Why couldn't Mother Nature let us know when TOM is coming, so we can be prepared? So glad the guy was okay with it.xxxxxxx
Day 2 of Atkins, well I slipped big time last night...found 1/2 packet of Bombay mix next to the bed....BUT I'm TOTALLY OP now, feeling ok & not hungry. Why can't I stay on low carb? I feel better, my tummy isn't constantly churning/spasming and I have more energy. DOH!!!
Keeperofthehome, SO sorry your hubby lost his job, it doesn't help to eat rubbish but at the time....well...it SEEMS to. I could write a book on what makes me fall of the waggon, stress, upset, anger, bad day...losing your income is a biggie so WTG for getting back into losing weight.xxxxxx
Beth, where are you? Hope you're all well & you & your Mum are both losing & feeling well & happy.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (some of those are for your Mum, lol!!!)
Well gotta fetch my boys home from schol in a few minutes so I'd better get changed into 'smarter' clothes; I'm in dirty, raggy joggers (track pants?)& slippers at the moment.
xxxxxsharon

Annie - how was the first day on the new job?

So far this week has been a good one. My sister is visiting from China, and thank goodness she is one of those health nuts lol. It helps me stay on track with eating out. Tonight we went to the dog park and had a mini boot camp. It was so much fun! My pugs are super tuckered out. Tonight we went for ice cream (I made sure I saved some flex points for that), and a BIG behaviour change...I got a SMALL vanilla cone instead of a large, dipped in chocolate with nuts! I was so happy with myself. Woo Hoo! Tomorrow is weigh in-so I'm hoping the "iron maiden" will be good to me.

Hope everyone had a great week so far ;)

Hellooooo ladies.

Well my weight loss is back going south instead of north. YAY! So, I've lost those pesky 8 pounds I've been loosing over and over again the past few months. We'll see how it goes...hoping and staying strong!

My body is flaring up in all sorts of ways...I think it is the stress and increase in activity. It happens...so I'm hoping I don't look too much like a freak. My issues are hidden due to the areas affected, but they still bother me. They don't hurt, but it just bothers me and I get really itchy, which I think is like mostly my panic mode to be honest. I get itchy when I'm upset or stressed.

Making changes, doing things, loosing...*HUGS*

sorry I have been MIA..

I was in the ER on Friday..felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest..as usual..they found nothing wrong..sat samething went to another hospital. Again nothing wrong..but he wants me to go to a cardiologist. They put my on a beta blocker to help with the palpitations and something for GERD.

I went to the endocrinologist yesterday..she said my thyroid is fine. meaning no tumors or nodules. Since I started synthroid 3 weeks ago I have to wait 3 more weeks get my blood done and see if the dose is correct. She said that she doesnt think that the "hot" waves I am having are from the hyperthyroidism. She said that it is probably hormonal :(

Today I go to the gasterologist for my hemorroid that I have had since Christmas atleast. I am going to ask him about my GERD and have an Endosscopy done. Maybe he will have some answers.

If I am perimeno ay 36, this is really going to suck! Since I have started the GERD meds and the betablockers, the waves are not as bad.

Hugs to all of us!

Cyn - HUGS HUGS HUGS. Hang in there. I know how frustrating and scary this stuff can be. You'll get there, step by step, and you'll start healing! *HUGS* Thinking of you...

I mowed half the lawn today. It is so big that I mow it in halves now so that I don't overdo it. Still it felt good to get sweaty. Since it is only 50F here, getting sweaty takes some effort. At least it pays for my new medicine. We can afford it, but I feel bad about needing a med that isn't on the formulary, and it makes me fell better to do something I can say pays for it.

thank you for all the warm welcomes in the last weekly thread! :D I am glad to be here! Everyone seems so nice and supportive.
I am ok about losing my job, I am ready for something new, found out today I will get a nice severance, so that helps ;) I have been lacking on my walking, this weekend, TOM was visiting...ugh and I never feel like doing anything when that is going on, but I am feeling better now and ready to get back on track!
Cyn-I hope everything turns out ok :)
and WTG Catherine, you are doing what you need to do to get healthy, that is the best reward you can give yourself.

Hi dolls,
I have been gone for a while and just wanted to stop in to say hello. I will check back in tomorrow.

Ags

Hey where is everyone?????
I'm on day 3 of Atkins, loving it but the bread cravings are getting to me, lol! I weigh in on Friday so I will see if it's been worth cutting carbs radically!
xxxxxsharon

Hey everybody! Like I said before I am in MD at my BIL & SIL's watching my nephew for the week and it is HARD to just step into a two year old's world. Living 2k miles away means that he has only met me three times before this week and he was NOT happy at first. But I think we are making progress (and by the time he is used to me, I'm going back to NM and his other aunt will be here!) and right now he's napping so I have a minute to myself (and I just had my first shower since Saturday!)

I swear, you guys. Your heads would SPIN if I told you some of the things that went down this week. I am thinking about anonymously mailing them some Emily Post books.

Hope everybody is still kicking copious amounts of butt :D

It's Wednesday and we are still on the first page. Everyone must be on vacation. I've got my feet up getting ready for another football game tomorrow. It's only BC this time, so I don't think as big a crowd. I'm actually still cold. It's only going to be 65-70F today.

Here its been a rainy couple of days. My boys (the pugs) are itching to go to the park...mind you so am I lol.

I had a great weigh in last night at WW. I lost 4 more pounds!!!! I love the class I attend. My leader is amazing!

Tonight my family and I are going out for supper (for the Canadians its Earls Restaurant). I thought I would check the menu online so I could check out the food and try to figure out the points. To my amazement they had the nutritional info on there so I was able to make the right food choices! I decided on the New York strip loin steak 10oz (11 points), the garlic mashed potatoes (11 points), and veggies (2 points). They didn't have a baked potato and the menu but I think I may ask just incase. But either way I still have points leftover!!! Here's the heart stopper, for fun I checked the Penne Alfredo...39 points!!!! 1521 cal, 107.60g FAT and 4 fibre (actually its 8.50g but we can only count up to 4). Thank goodness I have the electronic points calculator. Our paper sliders dont go up that far!

Hope you chickies are enjoying the day! Keep up the amazing work!

I'm around, but kind of quiet this week. I've been walking in the morning, but yesterday started into the canning (which just about wore me out). Of course, I hadn't planned to start yesterday otherwise I might have taken a shorter walk. I ended up with 21 quart jars of sour cherries (done in juice) and 42 pint jars of sweet cherries (done in juice, mainly from the sour cherries). The rest of the cherries are in the dehydrator. The sad thing is that I'll probably go back for more cherries (the sour ones) as I want another 21 quarts. I did 26 quarts/pints last year and we ran out of them. So this is probably overkill but they'll keep longer than a year.

So, this morning I couldn't possibly drag myself out of bed to go walking at 7:30. I felt kind of badly about it so I managed almost an hour of walking before dinner. The only thing I found about walking in the PM instead of the AM is.... I had to pee about halfway through! Okay, I made it home, but it definitely cramped my style a bit. :D

Hope everyone is doing well on this mid-week day. Now I'm off to do laundry so I have clean clothes for tomorrow.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry that I have been mia for so long. I am hopefully back now. I feel too overwhelmed to go back and read all of the posts I missed. I hope there wasn't anything huge for any of you but if there was. Hugs if you need it.

My job is going well. I am in training right now. The training is 3 weeks long and then I will be working on opening cases for a few weeks then back to training for another 3 weeks or so. Today we met with the hr lady and learned about our benefits etc.

That is about it for me for now.

blessings all,
Annie

Annie, I must of missed it but what kind of job did you get? I hope it's something that you'll really enjoy!

Anne, ok..what do you do with all those sour cherries? They sure sound delicious though.

betty grrl, that penne alfredo sure has alot of calories for one meal..wowow!

nooch, I bet the little guy is keeping you on your toes. Have fun with him!

Sharon, YAY for day 3! Keep up the good work..its going to show a whoosh loss.

Im still doing well on my eating so its like day 10 for me and the scale is still moving down. I'm able to control my eating at night pretty well now which in of itself is a major feat for me. Just got done working in a garden I let get overgrown and have it almost cleaned out again. Looks so much better. The little froggies are really late coming this year because of the wacky weather but they're perched in my flowers again.
I don't know if I told you all but my son and dil moved down to California. We're going to go visit them the end of October and hopefully will be going to Disneyland and Knotts Scary Farm so I really want to get below the 300 mark again. Then I won't feel like I cant fit on the rides. I'm really looking forward to it. Also my son might be going into the Navy if he can get 40 more lbs off and will go in in February so thats another reason we want to go down there.
Ok, didnt mean to write a book here....lol...hope all is well with everyone.
have a great night!
Debbie

Hiya my peeps,

Just when I thought it was safe to get out of bed....

I make an extra effort to get to work on time and am stopped short at my locked car because someone shattered the passenger window, rifled through the locked glovebox and took $3 from my work ID pouch and my ipod. The car was parked in my driveway and was 20-30 ft from my bedroom window. I didn't hear a thing and neither did the dogs. The person didn't take the radio.

I never made it into work. Of course, the auto deductible was $200 and the window cost $190. Ipod wasn't covered and homeowners deductible was more than the ipod.

Vacuumed the glass out, got the window fixed, found a car alarm place and now have a spanking new high decible alarm that better wake me up if this happens again.

I didn't get home until 9pm and found the cleaning lady moved the floor AC and the drain tube pulled out of the bucket and flooded the bedroom floor.

I'm still wound up a bit at it's past 11pm.

Hugs to everyone. Gratz to the peeps who are doing well with WI. Hug to all of us who are coping with food.

Luv,
Ratkity

Ratkitten -- :hug: I hope today is better!!

Tanx for the hugs!

Sometimes I feel like there is a big KICK ME sign on my back, but then I read about other people who are struggling with stuff out of their control and knowing that I'm not alone gives me hope. Like my poor Cyn and her infection (hugs) and many others who are dealing with family and life issues that are anything but minor (more hugs)!

I know I have a tendency to shut off my feelings when things around me are out of control. Mind you, these are things that were never in my control in the first place. Because I tend to be an "all or nothing" person, I even abandon things in my control - things like how much and what I'm eating or even getting to work on time. Shoving my feelings into little boxes (they leak, btw) might help me cope temporarily, but in the long run lead to other physical issues (weight gain, lack of energy, depression, those stupid back spasms... oh.. and that eye twitching thing.. ugh! I hate that).

What do normal people do to deal with life on life's terms? I know that opens a lot of questions about who is normal, but for now, how about people who cope with life without food, sedation, addictions or other self-destructive behavior... how do they cope?

Hugs to all who find themselves floating around in the same leaky boxes,
Ratkity

Ratkity, sorry to hear you had such a rough day. Hopefully things will be better today. Those little crooks can be so quiet! I thought I was the only one with that eye twitch!

Sure has been quiet in here lately.
toodles

Hey everybody, sorry I've been MIA. I do read the threads and keep up that way. voodoo1, it can take several days to detox your system from carbs which is why Atkins induction is really hard for some people. Best of luck to you! :)

We just make fruit salad with them during the winter. We use a mixture of sour cherries, sweet cherries and peaches. There's usually just a container of it in the fridge at all times. My mother takes it at lunch and I usually take a serving of it before bedtime.

Awww, sorry you're having such a time. I'm not sure how others deal with it, I suspect they turn to some other behaviour (good or bad). All I know is that food isn't the answer. At least for me, since it just leads to more problems. Take care, and hopefully things will be better in a day or two.

Rat-I don't know how ordinary people deal with stuff. Something bad happens, and I want chocolate, and lots of it. I suppose for some, they do the same thing, they just don't have the same consequences.

I got woke up at 1:30am this morning by shouting in the alley. We usually have a window fan on so we don't hear anything, but it was too cold last night, and the guy next door has a fire pit in the back, and they were burning green wood, so lots of smoke. Didn't want to draw anymore of that in to breath than necessary. So I hear a woman scream something about his clothes being on the ground because she found out about the wh@@@ he was sleeping with, and I heard him scream something else that I couldn't understand. About 15 minutes later, sirens. Two 18 year old kids had been stabbed. They are still alive. The paper said it was a fight over a bike. I guess there may have been two fights going on at the same time. Fortunately the thugs in our neighborhood are too poor to afford guns. They just stab.

Ewwwww sorry to hear of the mayhem in your neighborhood alley. I hope it calms down around there for you. Maybe you can tell your therapist that you already had your violence visualization this week and will be able skip the next session? Despite being all wound up last night, I did manage to sleep for 5 hrs nearly straight through. Getting the alarm on the car helped.

I love the white noise of my fan. I find it very soothing. I have to have a white noise generator in the winter cuz it's so quiet in the house (I have radiant heat). I'd rather not hear my dog chasing rabbits in his sleep while he sleeps under my bed.

If I don't have something making a steady noise, I just hear darth vader sounds from my cpap machine (if I decide to wear it). I've been good and have worn it 6 out of 7 nights this week. CPAP is a Continuous Positive Air Pressure machine for people with sleep apnea (shallow or periods of no breathing while sleeping). I really hate that machine, but know I sleep better because of it.

Hugs to all!
Ratkity

Hi Everyone,

Just letting you all know that I am still reading every day, and am on holidays, so have plenty of time to post, just don't 'feel' like it.

In short...

Emotions - Yuck! (not sure if it's hormones, but have had enough)
Weight - Yuck! (scale is going in the wrong direction)
Work - Yuck! (new principal is a moron)

Married life - Wonderful! (only thing holding me together, as long as Neil can keep putting up with me as I cope with the above points)

I truly do think of you all as you face your own challenges, and I TRY to be happy for those of you who are losing weight, but that tinge of jealousy comes in at times.

I am heading in to the hospital today for a medical and talk about the Bone Marrow Stem Cell transplant that will take place on August 18th. As far as I know, I give myself injections (Oh dear!) for four days, then I go in to the hospital to be plugged into a large machine for four hours that will take out my blood, separate the stem cells and give me back what's left. Not exactly sure about it all, but should fine out everything today. Daryl (brother) is home for a few weeks before the transplant, which is wonderful for him. We saw him earlier in the week and he is looking much better and just looking forward to this next stage to get it all sorted out.

I know that this is on my mind constantly, which certainly isn't helping matters. It is wonderful to be able to help my brother, but I wish people would stop telling me that I am "saving his life" and "he will owe me BIG time". Stuff like that is NOT helping, as it just adds more stress to me. What if something goes wrong, and I DON'T save his life??? I know I shouldn't think like that, but it all just swarms around in my head at times.

Well... so much for not wanting to post about my troubles. Sorry...

Take care,

Zelma

Debbie: I am working for the state of Idaho in Child support division. Right now I am in training so, so far so good. lol. Woo hoo to day 10 on plan. Way to go. I didn't know your son actually moved to CA. What part? My sister in law just moved here from Sacramento CA.

Rat: Hugs to you sweet girl. Hang in there.

Catherine: Yikes!!! Stay safe.

Zelma: Hugs to you. About the people who are saying that to you, they just don't understand.

Well, I hope everyone else is well and op.

Blessings all,
Annie

Hugs Zelma! Hang in there. You are doing a wonderful thing. People are just trying to help you be brave and don't mean to cause you extra stress. I was told once that courage is fear that's said it's prayers. I'll help with healing prayers too.

Luv,
Ratkity

Zelma, I just think people don't know what else to tell you about donating to your brother. Just take it for what it is and don't let it pressure you. Sure does sound like your going thru alot. I'll include you and your brother in my prayers.Thank goodness for Neil !

Catherine, gee nothing like a little drama at night huh? Happy to hear you weren't hurt, just kept awake.

Ratkity, my hubby has to sleep with a cpap too. He just got a new chin strap and over the nose mask. He looks all squished up every night. But it helps in so many ways!

Annie, sounds like a wonderful job with great benefits!! David moved to Long Beach. Waaaaaaaaaaay south of Sacramento!

Was bored so decided to get on here instead of looking thru the fridge. Sometimes I sit here at night just waiting for it to be time to go to bed so I dont eat...but I'm working thru it. Day 11 of OP!
G'night

Zelma - Good to hear from you. It sounds like you are going through a rough time, just remember we all are thinking of you and your family. I'm glad your brother is a bit better, I hope he continues to gather strength and heal. *HUGS*

Annie - Awesome on the job training. :D

Ratkitten - My boyfriend used to use a machine, but he stopped. He SHOULD use it, but he is stubborn and doesn't want to go back in for a sleep study. I did love the sound of the machine though...it was much better than the extremely loud snoring that would keep my cat and I awake. Poor thing would sometimes scream at him, then I would have to cuddle her on the couch of our old apartment lol. Of course he was always exhausted and he slept well because of the machine. He just needs a new study so he can get a new machine (the old one broke) and get it readjusted for him.

****

Well my weight is up two pounds today, but I've been eating a bit of carbs, bread, the past three days. I'm wondering if that has something to do with it. I never know if it is real weight or not, but today is the first day in over a week my weight went the wrong way. So, I'm going to focus on my diet changes, which I'm making a few for this week. Going to go for 100% raw food, got a fab book to help guide me with a meal plan, explanations, really...what I need.

Getting there...

I haven't been doing my exercise that well this week, but making myself do it through the weekend. My goal for next week is to do every single day with exercise on a routine. I was really lacking energy the past two days...sometimes I think the carbs make me feel tired and I haven't been sleeping that well lately. Just stress I think...got things on my mind. I dunno...

Anyhow, *HUGS*...:)

Zelma, hugsxxxx You're doing what you can & no one can do more than that. Don't be so hard on yourself.xxxxxx
Annie I hope you continue to enjoy work.xxxxxxx
Gg/Carol, how is Johnnie doing? Well actually how are you?xxxxxxxx
Anne I love the sound of those cherries, wish I could pop over & try some!xxxxx
Ratkitty, what have you done to deserve the embarassment & now a car break-in & the subsequent cr*p sorting it out? Were you very naughty in a previous life? (lol) I'm sure you're due for some good luck, overdue in fact! I hope something SUPER GREAT happens to you soon, it isn't fair is it?xxxxxxxxx
Well day 5 of Atkins & down 5lbs!!!!! I'm weighing in on Fridays so next time I'll have had a full 7days to lose. I feel so well today, the last three days I've been worried I had Swine Flu as I felt so ill, sweats, dizzy, tired, weak So relieved it isn't serious!!!lol
xxxxxsharon

Sharon, you probably had what Atkins' calls the induction flu. That is when the body is going through carb withdrawal and getting ready for it to burn fat.

Stick to the 14 days of induction and you will be happy you did. You will most likely be in ketosis at that point and you will have a natural appetite suppressent wirking for you.

If you can follow the plan, you can be pretty successful. Good Luck!

Torrister (Peggy?) thanks, I'd heard of that but had no idea it was so awful! I've been on South Beach with no real problems & other low-carb diets but this time I really felt terrible. I might be in Ketosis now, I'm not hungry & feel a bit 'high'.
xxxxxsharon

It can be bad...depending on what type of food you had been eating up until you started induction. I had it for a couple of days and then boom, the appetite was gone and my energy was UP. Enjoy it........ :hug:

I'm okay. The neighborhood is actually quite safe for us. We don't use the services of prostitutes, carry large sums of drug money, or hang out in the alley at 2am. The bad guys sleep while we are awake, and visa versa. Our building has good security, and since we put in disposable tokens for the laundry machines, no one even tries to break in to steal coins out of them. It's been two years since anyone tried to mess with the laundry.

I did the football game last night. We made around $16,000. The church's cut is 12%, so just under 2 grand. We make about a third of our church's entire operating budget every year working at the stadium. For a poor inner city parish, that's a big help. Next week it isn't football, it's a soccer match between Everton from Liverpool, England and River Plate from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Soccer games are crazy in entirely different ways. Every little league soccer team comes with their coaches. It will be a hotdog, corndog and popcorn kind of day.

Jacquie, I can't believe the impact of eating bread has had on my weight. I haven't had bread since I started trying to lose again and I'm seeing my weight go down instead of staying the same or going the wrong way. I guess carbs just really mess me up. Before I was doing the same thing I am now except I was having a sandwich every day. Now I have cut the sandwich out and it seems I'm doing so much better.

Sharon, YAY on the 5lbs gone!! Isnt it amazing how food effects how we feel? I had the headaches really bad for a few days after I started eating clean again. Keep up the good work and thankfully you dont have the swine flu!

Hi Beth, good to see you here!

Catherine, good to hear that your pretty safe where your at. Good idea that the owner does the tokens for the laundry. Have fun at the soccer game!

Doing well still....even sorta proud of myself! :carrot: Tonight we are going to go out to dinner (scared) and then playing bingo and slots for a bit. I'm sorta nervous/scared about ordering out but I'll deal with it and make the best choice I can.
Have a nice night!

Thank you all for your lovely, supportive comments. I just wanted to post before heading out for our Saturday morning shop. I am feeling a little better today. I was emotional all day yesterday, and my weight was up a couple of pounds from the day before, so I am pretty sure hormones were having a party just to remind me they were there.

I mentioned my thoughts to the haemotologist (sp?) yesterday and he said that there was NO way I can control what happens with the transplant. He said that it was a gift and what happens after it is given is up to the recipient, his doctors and I suppose a little bit of luck. I feel better after that. I truly know that the people who have been making these comments are making them with the absolute best of intentions. My SIL (Daryl's wife) and her mother have said things to me because they are simply SO thrilled that he has this chance. It was possible that NONE of the siblings would be a match, so this was just the miracle they were hoping for. Daryl just mentioned the "I'll owe you a LOT more than you'll ever owe me" comment because I don't think he knew at the time just how to express his gratitude and relief at having a donor. He has since told me how much he appreciated what I am doing - without mentioning that he'll 'owe' me. People at work have mentioned saving his life because they really just know how thrilled I am that we have a match and that it will probably be the cure that we were hoping for. All of these people have not tried to upset me in any way, but the pressure came from inside once it struck me just how important this was. I had to have tests to make sure I didn't have HIV, HepC etc. I had to laugh after a while because I realised that it wasn't concerning me that I could have these diseases and it could affect ME, but that it would stop me from donating for Daryl. I suppose I knew deep down that I couldn't have these things, but when you see those diseases written on a piece of paper it sets your mind wandering.

Anyway... once again, I want to thank you for your never ending support. I knew that it was 'safe' to mention my feelings here as you would all just know what to say to make me feel better. You truly are a wonderful group of people.

Take care,

Zelma

I am here..reading..not posting much

ZELMA: HUGS sweetie!!!

As for me: I don't remember if I posted this or not so if I did..sorry for the repeat. I went to the gasterologist on Tuesday. HE WAS SO IMPERSONAL AND NOT COMPASSIONATE!!! He didnt even look at me while he typed away at the keyboard. He said that the waves I am having are not from GERD! Strike 2! I told him about the hemmerroid I have had for atleast a year..he asked me 3 times how it was affecting my everyday life. Like it was no big deal. He did order a sigmoidoscopy and an endoscopy! This outta be fun. NOT! I get this all done next tuesday.

After leaving his office I sat in my car and cried. Everytime I would answer his questions he would huff and puff almost like I was bothering him.

Hopefully everything will go fine..and I won't have to go back to him!