Bopeep - so sorry about the cat scratches - ouch!
Beemer - love the new photo!
Jacque - I forgot to thank you for the workout details earliler - no wonder you look so buff!
Marie - were you serious when you said you were scheduling arm, tummy and neck surgery? I wasn't sure since joking can be hard to pick up on in print. If so, that's major stuff! And, yeah - six pounds in six weeks is amazing - way to go!!
Part of what I like about this group is seeing other women my age that are making positive changes and proving that it is possible. The age piece is strangely important since part of my past excuses involved 'well, you're older now and you can't lose weight/stay thin like you could years ago' and generally lowering the bar instead of raising it. You ladies have raised my bar a whole bunch and are giving me something to live up to! And support is great but something close to tough love (the get back on the horse right away-type comments) is even better from my perspective since it doesn't let me wimp out. I'm lucky, I guess, that I don't get a lot of negativity from the people around me but they don't exactly understand either, if that makes sense.
As Dancer wrote :" I don't get a lot of negativity from the people around me but they don't exactly understand either."
I feel the same - only 3 of my many friends know and understand what I mean when we talk about weight issue , because they are also overweight and fighting their own battles. It takes one to know one .
It's past 11 p.m. in good old Europe so I'm off to bed
I am new to this forum and have found it a great place to see others in the same boat and sharing their stories
I started my lifestyle change on Jan 11th and have lost 59lbs so far. I didn't eat much sugar to begin with, just snacked and ate lots of red meat, cheese etc.
I started taking all my vitamins again. Multi, C, D, B12, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Oil, L-Carnitine, Tonalin. These have always helped me lose and makes me feel better daily.
I use to have short hair and have let it grow to my shoulders in the past year but what I have noticed in the past 3 months, I am losing a lot of hair daily. When I wash, brush or just run my hands through it......5 to 10 strands are falling out. I do have an Ob-gyn/Physical appt in July. But it does have me a bit concerned. I am peri-meno also.
I work out 5 to 6 days a week, treadmill (running 2 miles now between 5.2-5.6 mph)....Leslie Sansone dvd's and of course by beloved Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii....I love EA Active & Golds Gym Cardio Boxing!!!!
Just wondered if anyone else experienced hair loss as much as I am without it being thyroid. I've been tested every year for this and it always comes back great (but the PA..not MD) that I am no longer going to has misdiagnosed 4 of my other friends in the past 2 years. (brain tumor, breast cancer, staph infection, blood pressure meds) so it has me a bit nervous that she might've not done the best paps or everything else.
And I look SO MUCH OLDER THINNER! Everything on your face droops, but I am going on 45. My arms are muscular but I do have that area just above the armpit thing going on (wiggle, jiggle).
Today it's TOM! But for some strange reason I lost 2.3 pounds this past week and it put me FINALLY UNDER 200! I am now 199.3. And I haven't put on a size 14 in over 15 years. Today even being bloated, slipped em on and zipped em up and I CAN BREATH. This site is the first to ever see me post my weight. Everyone I know thinks I weight about 165. I am 5'9". Must've been my 3 hours of working out yesterday. We'll see how it goes next Monday.
I think I'm finished yacking. I'll post my before/now pictures....some time!
I still think I look better heavier (at least younger). Thanks for listening and any advice on the hair loss.
BoPeep - I hear you re: the cat scratches. I once had them on my neck, arm, and leg... Sorry your cat got so freaked out! We adopted a cat a year ago, who had been rescued from some sort of neglect situation. Well, I learned something new about his past today. He must have been around a lot of heavy machinery because today we had guys working with power saws and nail guns in the kitchen and he didn't even bat an eye. I would have expected him to be hiding in the basement!
YzGals - welcome! I lose a *ton* of hair every day. The one thing that I have noticed is that the longer I let it grow, the more noticeable the loss is to me when I wash it (ie, I am more aware of it coming out in my fingers). So maybe the loss hasn't increased for you, but since your hair is longer you are noticing it more? I don't have any medical issues (that I know of); I've always just chalked it up to normal loss. I've noticed my hair a little thinner at the temples, but otherwise there is no noticeable difference to me.
DancerInDenver - thanks for the tip in finding Jacque's photos. I did try that the other day, but will have to try again today!
Thank you and love your new avatar!!! I like having a face with the name too!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by presmaggie
Jacque9999 - your workouts sound great!
Thanks so much!!! I have been doing alot in the last few months...more then I have done in last few YEARS!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CruiseCAT
I just wanted to say thank you all for being such a positive motivating force in my life right now. You each are so proactive in your pursuit of a life style change, it's impossible for it not to be infectious.
It's amazing that a group of virtual strangers can have such a huge impact on ones life. Again, I thank each of you for being here and sharing your experience. I truly believe that 3FC and more importantly each of you have made the difference between success and failure for me this time around.
I couldn't agree more!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bopeep
On another note... Grrr... I'm royally ticked at one of my kitties today. She was sitting on my lap when a neighbour started of a weed trimmer, and the cat went balistic and scratched the he** out of me trying to get away from the noise. For some stupid reason, she thought the shortest path to safety was over the *top* of my head. So my legs are scratched, my shoulders are scratched, and my face is scratched. Fortunately, nothing is so bad that it will scar (I trim her claws regularly), but for a couple of days, I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do whenever I leave the house. And the cat is in the doghouse (so to speak).
OUCH!!!!! I am not a cat person...used to have them, but now I am allergic...hope your boo boos heal soon
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancerindenver
Jacque - I forgot to thank you for the workout details earliler - no wonder you look so buff!
Your welcome....AND thank you!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by YzGals
I am new to this forum and have found it a great place to see others in the same boat and sharing their stories
I started my lifestyle change on Jan 11th and have lost 59lbs so far. I didn't eat much sugar to begin with, just snacked and ate lots of red meat, cheese etc.
and on the AWESOME weightloss!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by newleaf123
Jacque - YAY!!! I got to see your pics!! You look awesome!! WTG!!!
Link to Jacque's photos, if you haven't seen them yet...
NewLeaf - Thanks for posting the link, I couldn't find the pics without a little help.
Jacque - YOU LOOK AWESOME
That is one heck of a program you are working!!!
BoPeep - Hope the scratches heal soon. I know how it feels/looks to go out in public looking like a battered woman. Having five dogs that think nothing about bull dozing me I frequently have bruises.
Dancer the age thing is one of those excuses I find the most difficult to accept. People who complain that there body doesn't move the way it once did... well duh when you are carrying an extra 30, 60, 100 lbs. it's not going to. I also find the "I don't have time" coming from someone that watches more that ten regular TV shows a week laughable.
I don't have people in my life that are negative about my weight, I have enablers. Just about everyone I know is overweight and can be excellent binge buddies.
ICU - Did you take a cruise? I will be doing Alaska in August and one of the tours I am interested in is a hike to Mendenhall Glacier. Would love to hear about your trip.
I was up 4 lbs. for my official weigh in yesterday but considering I was mid cycle last week, my eating wasn't great and I was given IV fluids I guess I'm OK with it, I know it's not "real" weight.
Welcome, YZ! You're doing an awesome job with your weight loss! Regarding the hair loss, the lady who does my hair says that there are normal cyclical growth times (summer is one) where things both grow faster and fall out more. Maybe that's what you're seeing?
CAT - I'm going to post my Alaska pictures in an album on Facebook. I'll organize them by where we went. Mendenhall is ... breathtaking. My spouse shot almost 200 pictures there. I highly recommend the "Bike and Brew" tour - you bike out to the glacier, and then out to the Alaskan Brewing Company (fortunately, they pile you into a bus for the ride back). If you're a dark beer fan like me, the Smoked Porter is DIVINE. We ended up smuggling some back on the boat! My mom and my son went on a whale watching trip while we biked, and they got to see 2 pods doing the bubble net feeding, and a full body breach ... they were both awestruck. One of the things I want to do when I'm back in shape is to go back to Denali on a backwoods permit. Alaska just ... totally ... wow. You can take all the pictures in the world, but nothing does the vistas justice. Let your mind be your camera!
bopeep - may you heal up quickly!
dancer - agree with you, visiting here and the other threads makes me realize that there are NO excuses left no matter what our age or obstacles. Living healthier is within reach of ALL of us. It's comforting, but it's also smack-in-the-face, no hiding places, personal responsibility.
beemer and marie - I know you both know this, but running muscles are significantly different from swimming ... I went downstairs to watch TV last night, and when I tried to go upstairs - OUCH!!! LOL - I'm laughing at the soreness - and it did get worse on day 2 (today). Doesn't matter - I swim tonight, and I run again Wednesday.
Greetings from the beach! You girls have been very busy while I am relaxing!
Weather here has been beautiful. Spending time walking and swimming as well as plenty of sitting and reading. We stopped at a country produce stand on the way here and bought some of the best blueberries we have ever had. The clerk said they are grown at the prison in Mississippi. YUMMY!
Went out for dinner last night and ordered grilled shrimp. Splurged on some delicious fresh slaw but for the most part felt I had made a good choice. I'm really hoping to see a little downward movement on my scale at home when I return. We will see!
I'm loving my new Lands end tankini tops with underwire. Great support and very comfy. Don't feel like I'm sagging all over the place!
I echo Cat's points about the support from this group. You guys are my lifeline. I love hearing how well you are doing and have really taken any advice to heart. You have all played a huge role in my success and I am very grateful to all of you!
ICU, you are so right, there are no excuses when it comes to getting healthy. We all have it in us to do something to improve our health. I think it's taking that first step that's so hard for many. It's sometimes easier to not do than take the risk and try.
Welcome yzGals. You've found a great group!
Hi to all my other friends. Keep up the great work!
ICUWishing - Alaska sounds wonderful!! We are going in July 2010, but we're going with my inlaws so I'm not sure we'll get to do all the age-appropriate outdoorsy stuff. I sure hope so, though!! If we can't, I'm considering extending the trip by a few extra days (it's at 11 already, not including flights) so the boys and I can do what *we* want...
Thanks all for the scratch healing vibes! A lot of them have already faded to the point that I can cover them with some make-up, and the rest of them will just have to hurry up and heal. I will slather on some sunblock and spend the day out in the garden. I find that the sun does amazing things for healing up the skin.
CruiseCat - LOL about the bruises! I bruise easily, and I have really pale skin, so even the slightest bruise stands out like beacon. I once had a new doctor ask me 'how well I got along with my DH'.
YZ - Welcome! You have done amazingly well already! Great for you!!! I have read that hair can thin a bit when you enter perimenopause. Did they check your hormone levels when they checked all the other stuff?
Well that darned kitty is just too cute to stay mad at for long. She is a super friendly and affectionate cat and looooves attention - when she isn't getting it, she has a whole bag of cute attention getters. She is a really small cat (only 5 pounds), and she is handicapped (can't walk very well), so she is already the spoiled 'baby' of the house. She has me wrapped around her paw.
Today is supposed to be a beautiful sunny day with the temp going up to 27C (dunno what that is in F - darned nice anyway). I'll do some gardening, try to tackle the dreaded hall closet and see if I can find that stash of smaller clothing that were from my younger days and I couldn't part with (all my clothes are now too big), and then I will go to a dance class. Perfect!
I didn't even realize they were doing this until I spent some time here in this place where it's about support, not criticism.
It's an important thing to get those people to back off when you're strong. My co-workers were a lot like that, not criticizing, just sabotaging. After being on this journey for roughly 3 years, no one pushes at me to join KFC high fat stuff, DQ, or the rest. Last week a co-worker offered a small truffle to another and I yelled I'd like one. both nearly fell over in shock. I logged the 70 calories and enjoyed the bite. The point I'm making is if you are consistently strong, they get the hint after a while and stop sabotaging you. If you don't, at some weak point, they can do damage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ICUwishing
but figured that if y'all get used to seeing that ... it can only get better, yes? lol!
My avatar is from about 13 pounds ago too. But as I'm the photographer in our family, I don't have others (other than the one my 3 yo DGS took on the train and is so blurry I could be anyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bopeep
Grrr... I'm royally ticked at one of my kitties today. For some stupid reason, she thought the shortest path to safety was over the *top* of my head.
BP, I got to work and said to my friend, I was ready to strangle Kai (my youngest husky) this morning. After reading your post, I realized your kitty wins the irritation award, not my dog. I was glad to read a later post that kitty is out of the doghouse because she's cute and adorable. So is my Kai and she'll be out of the doghouse (literally in the kennel) in about 7 hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancerindenver
were you serious when you said you were scheduling arm, tummy and neck surgery? I wasn't sure since joking can be hard to pick up on in print.
I was being serious. I have really thin skin and losing the weight has made it look odd. Mostly my arms are my self-conscious spot as the skin is wrinkling/folding where fat used to be. I can relate to yzgals comment about looking younger with the fat. I wouldn't go that far as my clothes hid a lot, but I decided to go for the arm surgery with a hope for the neck one. Then as I was getting the quote, I tossed in a tummy tuck (that one certainly isn't necessary but as long as I'm at it...). The quote was $10500 in Cancun. DD had reconstructive surgery not covered by insurance this past spring through medical tourism and it was a good experience (I'd gone with her to Thailand) So next February the falling skin goes away. I figure if I were really doing it out of vanity as opposed to embarrassment, I'd have my thighs, boobs and wrinkles done as well. I have no problem looking my age. I have a problem with something that I'd notice on someone else. Most of the time I never notice imperfections, but my arms are scary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nell68
It takes one to know one .
Nell, I've always found my acquaintances/friends that are overweight are the biggest sabateurs (sp???). I've never gotten that. When a person is trying to lose, I'm like a flipping cheerleader waving my pom-poms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YzGals
have lost 59lbs so far. I am losing a lot of hair daily. When I wash, brush or just run my hands through it......5 to 10 strands are falling out. Leslie Sansone dvd's
Yzgals,Welcome and ditto on the hair thing. I loses a bunch everyday and wonder how I still have so much on my head. When mine was short, I never noticed any hair loss, but now that it's long, it's always tangled in my fingers when washing or styling. So I see it all. BUT, I do know that when I was on a really restrictive lo-cal diet in my late 20's of 650 cals, I lost tons of hair and it thinned out on the back right side soe much that when I'd french braid my hair, the sections were definitely different. That one can be attributed to the ridiculously low, unhealthy, metabolism killer amount of calories. My metabolism took about 10 years to recover, the hair not as long. BTW, the stupid diet was overseen by a DOCTOR!!!
Also, I started my exercise passion with Leslie Sansone too. Now it's too mild but she gets a good chunk of credit getting me to be an exercise fanatic. I also took her DVDs to Thailand because I was away from my exercise equipment. She kept me in the realm of fitness for three weeks - I lost a bit of aerobic capacity, but not a lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CruiseCAT
Having five dogs that think nothing about bull dozing me I frequently have bruises.
Just always have your iPhone stacked with your doggies' pics and use it as an explanation. My 3 doggies like to bulldoze their way around my feet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ICUwishing
Living healthier is within reach of ALL of us. It's comforting, but it's also smack-in-the-face, no hiding places, personal responsibility. beemer and marie - I know you both know this, but running muscles are significantly different from swimming ... I went downstairs to watch TV last night, and when I tried to go upstairs - OUCH!!! LOL - I'm laughing at the soreness - and it did get worse on day 2 (today). Doesn't matter - I swim tonight, and I run again Wednesday.
ICU, alternating the exercises is the best way according to all sources I've ever read. You are doing so GREAT!!!! I love swimming but I really don't get as good aerobic workout as my elliptical. OK, I love them both. Running, though, for some reason really kills my lungs asthmatically. Then everytime I work up to some distance and can almost breath, my bad knee flips out. Physical Therapy for the last time was when I discovered my love affair with my elliptical. It pushes the lungs (about 85% of what the jogging/running did) but doesn't hurt my knee. So I believe I've surrendered to the running gods as I just can't do it. I will live vicariously through the rest of you runners.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Onmyway
We stopped at a country produce stand on the way here and bought some of the best blueberries we have ever had.I'm loving my new Lands end tankini tops with underwire. Great support and very comfy. Don't feel like I'm sagging all over the place!
OMW, I love fresh fruit stands. They have the best and tastiest. Probably because the fruit is ripened on the vine. How fun for you. I'm going to browse to Lands End and look at the tankin tops. I need another one or two. I have this weird way of exercising after work - I put on my tankini and running shoes, do the elliptical workout in it, then jump in the pool. Change only once. so your idea of support sounds really good. I'll look into the underwire ones.
Marie - strangely enough, when I was feeling kind of down, that's when I received the critical looks and comments. Anyway, I like your information about the elliptical. I inherited problem knees and I'd like to run, but I don't want to risk injury, so it sounds like the elliptical could be the answer.
newleaf123 - we adopted a cat last year from the pound. He was about 6 years old at the time. Unfortunately, he has some digestive inflammation that is causing a lot of problems. I'm waiting for a call back from the vet, but I'm not feeling too hopeful about him making it through this round. They only gave him a 20% chance of survival last month, so we'll see.
Onmyway - hi! Hope you're having a great time at the beach.
ICUwishing - I'd love to see your pictures of Alaska, too. We took a cruise there for our honeymoon and we'd really like to go back someday.
Jacque - you look great in your before and after pictures.
YzGals - Welcome! I'm already 45 and I'm not looking forward to the face drooping as I lose weight. Oh well, at least it will look thinner.
CruiseCAT - you have a good point on the age excuse. I've looked around this site and there are people significantly older than me who have lost a lot of weight. They are inspiring.
DancerinDenver - it's good that you don't have negative people around you regarding your weight. These two people I'm thinking of are fairly recent acquaintances and I guess it was a vulnerable time for me when I met them because I don't think that I would have been so friendly with them otherwise.
Just enjoying getting on some smaller clothes today that had been gathering dust in my closet. It's like a whole new wardrobe without the cost.
Chinese eggplant and baby bok choy from our trip to the Asian grocery store in the city today.
Kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas (!!), radishes, strawberries, wildflower honey from the local farm.
I *love* this time of year!! But I can't decide which veggies to make with dinner tonight... I'll probably make the baby bok choy, along with salad with most of the other stuff. The baby bok choy is such a treat...
.
She was sitting on my lap when a neighbour started of a weed trimmer, and the cat went balistic and scratched the he** out of me trying to get away from the noise. For some stupid reason, she thought the shortest path to safety was over the *top* of my head. 
So my legs are scratched, my shoulders are scratched, and my face is scratched. Fortunately, nothing is so bad that it will scar (I trim her claws regularly), but for a couple of days, I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do whenever I leave the house. And the cat is in the doghouse (so to speak).
and 
on the AWESOME weightloss!!!
for the compliment and reposting the link!!
A lot of them have already faded to the point that I can cover them with some make-up, and the rest of them will just have to hurry up and heal. I will slather on some sunblock and spend the day out in the garden. I find that the sun does amazing things for healing up the skin.
I have read that hair can thin a bit when you enter perimenopause. Did they check your hormone levels when they checked all the other stuff?
