Hi everyone and WELCOME Teresa!:wave:

Just checking in... sounds like so many of you have been sick lately..SOOOO sorry to hear that. I'm sending out good vibes to you all ---- for jobs, for health, for confidence, for great weigh ins and lots of victories...:goodvibes

Thanks for the thoughts, understanding and encouragement about my nervousness about Disney. I just hate to have this self doubt color my ability to relax and have a great trip... but I am going to try to just put it in perspective. I found a great web site about this exact issue--- reports and reviews of rides FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BIG... so that also helped. I still am a bit nervous, but I am determined to have fun, darn it all lol. Maybe the thought of a week away from structure is also making me nervous.. I mean.. c'mon --- Epcot Center with food from around the world... oh greeeeat. not so encouraging. lol

ANyone else fixated on the Olympics? I always am, and this time no exception. Ladies skating on right now.... but I've liked almost everything -- and Iwant to try curling! :) or the luge! how fun would THAT be??

Anyway--- have a great night! Stay strong!!:bubbles:

2losinit - are you going to orlando or anaheim? i used to work at disneyland in anaheim. i worked at disneyland for 5 years and i never had any trouble getting on rides. in fact the only time i ever had a problem was at knotts, but i just walked off. no big deal. also, you can stop by city hall and let them know if you have any disabilities like knee problems. they will give you a special assistance card to give you easier (not necessarily quicker) access to rides. they usually require some sort of medical documentation, but its worth it :)

if you have any other questions, let me know, i can probabally help :)

Shelly- I tend to notice my weight goes up a little before a big loss. It use to bother me, but I'm use to it now...I just get worried if it doesn't come back down within a few days :D

Heather- You & I must just have gotten defective iron pills ;) I hope my numbers are up the next time- I did see my GI today, and he's not too worried about it at this point...though in my case, there are a lot of other things that are more pressing.

Tasha- Have they talked about doing an ultrasound? I know a lot of times they do those if the mamo comes back with something or even if its just not clear. Sometimes you have to push to have it though, especially if your doctor is 'old school'...you know the type who think penicillion is the only antibiotic... Good luck with whatever test they do!


Someone else was mentioning how to figure out the calories in a recipe- you can use Fitday.com & just enter the ingrediants for the entire recipe then divide the 'days' total by the number of servings- that's a free way that gives you lots of info, calories, fat, fiber, protein, etc. I have to admitt I'm hooked on my Accuchef recipe software- it helps me keep all my recipes organized and it gives me all the nutrional info I could ever want...and I can customize which things it tells me, depending on what things your diet forcuses on. I think its $20, but they all you 60 uses to try it out, which means you can really test how it works for you and get feel for it (sometime I don't get a chance to really try everything out in a 15 or 30 day trial). I like being able to play around with recipes to see if substituting an ingrediant will make that much of a difference in the end- if its only saves a couple calories, I usually don't :D

I can't remember who else was talking about apple sauce & baking- I love it. Anyone who is watching calories & fat who likes to bake needs "Secrets of Fat-Free Baking" (Sandra Woodruff, RD). Every time I go through it, I joke that it would be easier to mark the recipes I don't want to try instead of the ones I want to try. They use lots of different ways to replace the fat and a lot of times they have similiar recipes for different types of fat substitutes so you can see what you tend to like the best. I have to admitt that I have started adding a little fat back into some of the recipes- usually using atleast one whole egg or adding a couple teaspoons of canola oil, because we do need a little fat in our diet...besides, they tend to taste better.

I survived my doctors appointment today (GI)- now I have to wait until he gets some of the test results to see what we do next. In the mean time, I'll be seeing a dietician about changing the feeding tube formula...hopefully it won't take to long to get it arrange. I have lost some more weight- I've lost a total of 34 pounds...and WOW!, I just realized it, I've now official lost my first 10% of my original body weight :dance:

I found the recipe that Brenda was talking about...the fudge brownies, and I had the ingredients, so I made them. They were alright, but I think they'd be better if I had some low fat cool whip or something to go with it. They seemed just a bit spongy to me...and a LOT of butter in them! Next time, I think I'll add a little cinnamon.

::edit:: I take this back! LOL...I had another bite, and they are HORRIBLE. Brenda, don't make your family suffer! LOL!!! I WOULD NOT RECCOMMEND THESE TO ANYONE! Even Andrew didn't like them, and he'll eat just about anything. NOT making again!

Hi everyone--:wave:

I think I missed a thread somewhere :^: because I don't know what some of you are talking about. ;)

Tasha--you decided to go see another doctor and you made a complaint against the first one? Good for you :bravo: Good luck with everything.

Valerie--I am also a dachshund fan--in fact I'm the loyal and willing slave to 3 of the little beasties. :D Maxwell, Brandon and Simone. Max is my "big" boy at 17 lbs., Brandon is 14-15 lbs. and my baby Simi is 10 lbs. Max used to be my brother's dog, but they had to move so I became his Mommy. He's 6 years old. Simone is 10 years old and we adopted her from the Almost Home Dachshund Rescue Society when she was 8. I know I shouldn't have a favorite--but she is my peanut--I absolutely adore her. Brandon was also adopted from Almost Home and he's almost 5. Good luck with little Simon and try to post pictures if you can. :D

Keep up the good work as far as your diet goes. You do so well by getting your exercise in on the road and making healthier food choices. I know it gets frustrating sometimes, but I too believe that you can look as good as Zelma does. That's one of my goals too, by the way. And good luck with getting the hubby in line--LOL. I love them--but I've decided that men are just plain weird. ;)

Catherine--you cracked me up with your story about almost chasing the hubby with the rolling pin. :lol: You go girl! I'm glad his friends are adapting to the food that you lay out for them. :) You'll have all of Canada healthier if you keep it up.

Zelma--how was the sleeping late? Did you get to do it or did your body wake itself up at the "normal" time? Unfortunately that's what usually happens to me when I plan on sleeping late.

I have to go. My bf just called for me to go to bed. I'll try to come back to post more tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Vicki

Luan-- it's Orlando that I'm going to. Doing the whole thing--Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom AND MGM... (and I'll have three days of pool time too while my friend is at her conference). Thanks for the thoughts -- what a good tip about the city hall .. I never would have even thought of such a thing. I don't have any real knee problems so I doubt I could get any documentation... but what a great tip to know! It's nice to know from people who've been there that I can relax a little. I know I'll have that moment just before each ride where I'll freak out just a little down inside... but I will get on, and have a great time. If the worst happens, I will, like you and a couple other said.. just get off and try to put it behind me.
The web site I found had men who are well over 6'4" and over ahundred pounds more than I am saying they went on rides and had a great time. So, logic tells me...... but hey... when is this fat journey ever logical? :crazy:

I'm sorry to go on about a silly issue like this when so many people are dealing with much deeper things... Thanks to all of you who reply and who support everyone else. I'm glad this is a site where we can talk about ANYthing----even things that might seem small in the grand scope of things. Small?? did I say SMALL? no pun intended... :D there is nothing small about me!!!! ;)

ok... Kimmie M did really well in skating, as did Emily and Irina.... Sasha to go.... I know there is a little skater deep down in my (maybe two or three, judging by the scales HA!) ... I used to skate for hours on end when I was a kid. We'd shovel a big square on the ice and paths all over the whole lake and play tag and chase each other. I'm sure I couldn't even stand up in skates anymore.... lol ....

OK.. I'm rambling now... time to stop taking up room in this forum with my :blah:

Have a great night / day all!!! Be good to yourselves!!:hug:

Oh wow, finally made it to the end after DAYS behind! some quick comments:

Dogpal -- I'm glad you stayed!

Ammi -- Daren's poor thumb! Glad he is better, tho don't like hearing you have a cold

Tashabella -- Good for you for filing a complaint!

I'm watching the ladies skating too... missed all the ice dancing tho.

My stability ball POPPED tonight!! :o Well, it didn't pop really, but got a big ole tear in it right by where the pin goes it. It's too big to fix. I guess I will have to get another. I'm glad it didn't happen 50 pounds ago, when I felt even more like a :sumo: I'm pretty certain I am now within weight limits at 230 pounds... So, it happens.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement, once again. I don’t know if you all realize what a fantastic group of people you truly are. Many of you have troubles of your own, but are still there offering a helping hand, or simply ‘being there’ for the rest of us. I know I may sound corny, but I feel so comfortable in here with you guys and I know that you understand how I feel and that you are with me every step of the way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.:hug:

Catherine – THANK YOU! For the recipe suggestions and for telling me about pumpkin! I LOVE pumpkin, but don’t have it nearly as often as I’d like because hubby doesn’t like it. We don’t mind eating different things, but it is often just something I don’t add to my groceries. I think I am a lost cause with the loose skin because I may have left it too late, but I’m willing to try anything, so I’m going to pick up some pumpkin today. I have no idea if we can buy canned pumpkin, as I’ve only ever bought fresh, but I’ll look, as that would certainly be easier. We don’t tend to make pumpkin pies over here, but canned pumpkin will probably be somewhere.

Tasha – I will most definitely keep up the positive thoughts for you. I wish you could find things out sooner, but I hope that you stay strong while you are waiting. Hopefully it is nothing, but if not, it is great that you had the mammogram and they can catch it early. I wish I was there to give you a real hug, but in the meantime…:hug:
I hope you have some luck in the new job search. It sounds as though you really need to get away from where you are at the moment. They don't deserve you!
Also - CONGRATULATIONS - on making the move to report that 'doctor'. I hope that you get some feedback on the results of your complaint.

Brenda – I really hope you are feeling better soon. But, please, don’t go back to work until you are ready. I know from experience that I have played the ‘martyr’ (you know… nobody can replace me in the classroom) and gone in to work when I’ve been sick and then I’ve needed to have even longer off to recuperate. Put your feet up, relax and get better.

Ammi – I can understand about poor Daren still feeling the incision, even after the numbing… well, supposed numbing. When Neil had his abscess lanced, they pretty much started cutting right after they put the numbing injections in. I wasn’t sure how quickly they figured it would take to numb, but I thought it would be longer than a few seconds! That was not one of my favourite experiences. I would have preferred to not be there, but Neil HATES injections, and wanted me to be there.

Lilion – I most certainly don’t mind you giving people the address to my page. I try to show it off to anyone who is interested in looking. We have the Australian version of Biggest Loser on TV at the moment and I teach with the mother of one of the contestants. I showed her my page on Monday and she couldn’t believe it was the same person in the ‘before’ pics. She only came to our school last year when I had already lost quite a bit of weight, so hadn’t seen me at my heaviest. When her daughter comes back from shooting the show we are going to get together to swap stories. It should be fun. Oh… and thank you for the compliment. That particular photo just always makes me smile when I look at it.
I hope you do find time on the eliptical. I would love to hear what it is like. Not that I need another piece of equipment at the moment, (I’m causing enough trouble with what I have already) but I’ve heard such different stories about them, mostly really positive, that I may be interested in getting one in the future.

Shelly – Please don’t worry about the 4lb increase. I know that is easier said than done, as I always worry about my weight going up. I am sure it is just fluid for some reason, if you have been doing every other thing right. I find that around my TOM I gain weight, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I still eat well and exercise, my weight just still goes up. I am just coming to grips with it now and I know that after my period, the weight will come down again. I just have to be patient around that time. So, keep doing everything right and things will work out fine.

Heather – Good luck on hubby getting the new job! That would be wonderful. I’ll be listening for good news. Sorry about the iron levels being low. My last blood work showed I was low in Vitamin D and B12, which I am taking supplements for now. I wasn’t happy to find that out though, as I have been eating SO well, that I thought I would be getting everything I needed. I know that I have to get more sun for the Vit D, but I burn so easily that I don’t spend much time in the sun.

Teresa – My 44th birthday is April 5th, so we’re pretty close in age. I started my weight loss journey just over 2 years ago and I’ve come from 353lbs to 165. My target is also 150. I will certainly be happy to support you as you work your way towards your target weight.
You asked about what aim you should have for your holiday. Well, I agree with someone else that you may want to see how much you lose over the next month, but that could also be difficult because you may lose a lot more in the first couple of weeks, so you want to work it out on the 3rd or 4th week perhaps to get a more realistic view. I managed to lose 1kg (2.2lbs) a week for most of last year, by eating REALLY well and exercising a lot. I actually ended up exercising too much though and I think I sabotaged my efforts for a while there. Just a reasonable amount of exercise will be just fine.
So… if you eat really well, and start some regular exercise on most if not all days of the week, you could possibly lose 2lbs a week. That could vary lots though. If you have a regular menstrual cycle, there may be weeks where you don’t lose, which I have recently found out. There are a number of variables, so don’t set your goal too high, or you could be disappointed.
Good luck!

Nancy – I’m glad you had a good weekend with your family. Well done on making your choices as good as possible, even though you were a little ‘relaxed’. And an enormous WELL DONE on keeping up with the exercise while you were away. That is a wonderful accomplishment! I’m impressed.

MsCrocket – I hope your father is feeling better soon. I can’t even imagine the pain that kidney stones must cause. OUCH!!! I’m glad you are having fun with your new computer. I love computers! I love playing with new bits and pieces that come with computers! Have fun!

Garnetfairy – Thank you for being so supportive and not thinking I’m silly. I need people like you around at the moment to make me stop kicking myself. I know that I didn’t purposefully do anything wrong, I’m just disappointed that I didn’t realize what I was doing. I’m learning something new almost every day on this journey of mine.
Well done on being back to the 20lb loss! Also well done on getting the workout in. It sounds as though going back to your old antidepressants is a good move. You obviously know your own body and what works well with it. It is great to hear you so happy now.

Luan – It sounds as though you had a wonderful time away. Other than the drive. Why did it take so long this time? I certainly hope you get better before you start school. I am looking forward to hearing how your first day went, so you can’t be too sick that you miss it.

2LosinIt – I am SO glad that you are more positive about your trip now. It would have been sad it your worries ruined the trip for you. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back! I simply LOVED Disneyland and will definitely want to go to Disney World if I get the chance. I had my photo taken with Winnie the Pooh (only adult waiting in line without a kid!) and Mickey. I had a ball!! I know you will too. And please don’t worry about posting your worries here. As someone REALLY smart told me recently, none of our problems are ‘silly’. I needed to hear that and I think it is sinking in.

Christine – What a buzz to read your post! 10%!! Wow! Well done! Even better that it ‘snuck’ up on you. It is also great to hear that you are on the road to hopefully getting the right formula for your feeding tube. What a relief that will be.

Dolfingirl – I have managed to sleep in the last two mornings. I normally get up at around 5:15am and yesterday it was 6:45 and today was 6:25. I feel so good! I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to sleep in, but obviously my body needed the rest. Thank you for asking. It is great to know people care.

Wyllen – Sorry to hear about the ball. I always worry mine will pop, and I hardly do anything strenuous on it at all. I really must do some reading to see just what I can do on it. I worry about some of the exercises as I have had trouble with my back in the past and don’t want to put it out again. Perhaps I will ask my chiropractor next visit if he can give me some ideas. I’d love to know some of the things you do on it that you enjoy.

Well, I think I have come to the end of all the posts. Every time I think I’m finished, someone else posts a message. Things seem really busy today.

Take care all,:hug:

Zelma

2losingit - the knee thing was just an analogy - if you have any medical problems at all that might make standing in line a health issue, and you can have it documented by a physician, they will try to accomidate you. standing in lines, heat, stairs, anything... they really do try to be accomidating. most attractions have a pull down lap bar that adjusts to you, or a seatbelt thats pretty long. im arround 300lbs and ive never had a problem at disneyland.

zed - thanks for the thoughts. this weekend was a holiday and a lot of people in california go to vegas because it really is a short trip. it is a 2 lane highway most of the way, so when accidents happen it ties up the traffic. also it rained and snowed a bit which doesnt happen a lot and people here just dont know how to deal with it. also - sick or not, im going to school. i just cant wait. i talked to the admissions people today because i havent payed my tuition yet, and with my car in the shop i was afraid they would think i was still not coming. i was really excited when i was on the phone with them. i just cant wait to go!! (sidenote - you are not the only adult in the world with thier picture with the characters, people do it all the time, and the characters love it - less stress :)

ammi - it was so lovely chatting with you today. im glad you are well!

tasha - google the site "healthgrades" hopefully you will be able to find a doctor that wont be a jerk. i had a problem with a dr before too... i have torn cartlidge in both my knees from when i was a teenager (god i sound old) and i went to get a note for work about doing stairs repeatedly he was like "you know if you lose some weight you wouldnt have a problem" i was just like... yeah im working on it. meanwhile, this is an old injury and i just need the note. thanks. lol

Good Morning Chickies,

Hope everyone is well and ready for there day, I am drinking my coffee, Another cold and snowy morning here,, One of our gas stoves, a wall unit is acting up,, so I had to turn it off first thing this morning,,, then crank up the other one to make up for lost heat brrrrr,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Good day yesterday, Heres to another on, I gotta go shopping today.

Take Care All

Zelma -- The funny part about the stability ball is I wasn't even doing much with it at the time, other than sitting on it! I got a lot of exercises from my physical therapist last fall, and this ball came with a dvd, so I got some more ideas there. You certainly can do a lot with them, but the basics are to try to stabilize yourself when doing some movements to help strengthen your back. You can also do upper and lower body exercises with them (not only sitting on them). I thought someone recently posted a website with some info...

Hey, I was just wondering, where did all the Andreas go? Or are some of you still here?? I know I haven't seen andreas around for a while.

Wyellen: Here's the thread we had going here in 300+, and one of the posters lists a reference to elsewhere. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72739 Hope this is what you were looking for.