Hey Alan! :wave:

Thanks for wanting to lend your support! It is appreciated. Sorry that you had to give up running, though. I went and read about iliotibial band syndrome--yeah, running is out, and some other things as well. :(

Some people become so desperate to lose weight, and are so obese, they will try surgery. There are many different kinds--and some work better than others. Some are also more dangerous than others. It's not a choice I care to make, but I've never been in the "super obese" category.

Jude, your trip sounds like it will be a lot of fun. The main thing is to have backup, as Laurie suggested, and to remember the basics. You know--those basics? Staying aware of what you are eating, exercising portion control, saving 1/2 for later, and drinking plenty of water! Just for starters--but those would probably get you through! And like Laurie suggested, log what you eat. That way you don't "forget" what you ate in the morning by the time afternoon rolls around. But, have a great time!

I got the general results from my X-rays and bone scan. Seems I have arthritis, and also moderate to severe osteoporosis, in my lumbar spine. :chin: Haven't had the blood tests yet--those come on Monday. This thread isn't for medical procedures, generally--but I had mentioned I was going to the doctor for some tests, so this is just a follow up on that.

Raining here again, what a surprise.

See ya!
Jay

Hi all, we are back and now comes the fun of unpacking, laundry and "catch-up".

The weekend was great, we got in about 20 miles of walking/hiking in all. About 5 miles of hiking in the pouring rain. Thankfully, we had our rain gear with us.

I did a little shopping in Birch Run, but I didn't find near the sales I did last year at this time, which surprised me.

Thankfully, I've built most of a wardrobe in this size, so I just needed a few tops and some work pants, which I did find at Petite Sophisticate and Liz Claiborne (75% - 85%off) :)

DH bought a small extension electric chain saw for trimming the tree branches in the yard.

Alan, I'm with you on young folk that are very obese. Our youngest falls in that category. It is very difficult to watch.

Jay - we asked you to post your results (at least I did). Let us know what happens tomorrow, too.

OK, I'm off to get some work done.

Laurie

A day of ridiculous things. I had an appointment for blood to be drawn. Everything was set up just fine. Got to the facility, and the power was out in the entire building, with no idea when it would come back on. So, scratch that. Had to reschedule when I got home, since they couldn't reschedule at the office--computers were dead!

Got in the car to drive home--having been fasting for 12 hours, no coffee, splitting headache--and went the wrong way on the main road. Finally realized this when I noticed I was driving toward the sun rather than away from it...

Then when I got home, went into the bathroom and sat down, and the toilet seat broke. The two flanges where it screws onto the bowl just cracked right through! I think it must have been cracked already and just finally let go. Well, that entailed a search for a new toilet seat... in the right color... extended, not round... and installing it.

Not the best Monday I've had. :faint:

Jay

Jay :hug:

I hope tomorrow is better! Some days are just like that!

While we had a lot of wet hiking this weekend, Saturday afternoon was awesome. Here is one of the pictures from the trail :)
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2646/fawn.jpg

The best way to support
 

Hi Jay,
Support is a word that means different things to different people, and sometimes a different meaning with each different occasion.

In the contex here in this forum, I guess it is more about making people think well of themselves (if that is possible in a forum, - I hope so).

I have asked myself many times why people put on weight.
I know it is nothing to do with intelligence, but I do suspect it is to do wth "feelings" - or "happiness" or Stress.
Once again I suppose it's different for each individual.
Has anyone any thoughts on this?
Keep smiling
Alan:^:

CD, I loooove that deer photo! :love: Thanks for posting it! How neat that you saw it!

Today is a better day... at least I have no headache...

Well, Alan, yes, support means different things for different people. All overweight people are not alike, any more than all people with brown hair are. ;) Just as one distinction, some folks have been overweight all their lives, while others became overweight in adulthood. These two types tend to think differently about themselves and about their weight. Also, those with less than 20 pounds to lose have a different challenge from those with 50 to 100 pounds to lose, or 100 to 200 pounds. The numbers are somewhat arbitrary, but I think you see what I mean.

Also, metabolism does play a role. This isn't an excuse, and my own opinion is that someone who is very obese has been eating too much--even if it's true that they also have low metabolism.

So, my point is, what would be supportive for one person may not be for another. I would say, though, that one has to be very careful about telling other people how to lose weight--especially if one has never been truly overweight or obese. Most overweight/obese people have a long history of struggle, and it's not as though they have never heard of weight loss... One size definitely does not fit all, when it comes to how to lose weight.

OK, stepping down now. :soap: And back to work.

Jay

Jay, I share your :soap: and you plucked the words from my brain.


MANY things led to my obesity. Those that know me, know that I am a confident, intelligent, successful chickie. In fact, my weight is the only area of my life where I have really struggled - long term.

Why?
It is a complicated equation.
1. heredity (physiological and lifestyle)
2. physiological reaction to eating food - food makes me happy. It releases chemicals in my body that make me feel good. Particularly carbs. Thus, eating became a way to reward myself at the end of a long day.
3. Mindless eating - eating was a hobby. I ate socially. I ate when I was bored. I ate when it was time to eat. I ate for many reasons beyond hunger and fuel.
4. Portion control and clean plate syndrome. I am a vegetarian and have been one for 27 years. I ate very high quality, healthy foods. Just way too much of them.
5. Disdain for exercise - really - I never met a form of exercise that I really enjoyed.
6. Time - did you know that an extra 100 calories a day can add up to 10+ lbs per year? Just that extra nibble here and there - the extra muffin in the break room, the extra Halloween candy, the extra butter on the popcorn can make all the difference!!!
7. Complacency and fat acceptance - honestly, until I began to realize that my health might be in danger in the relatively near future, and that my quality of life WAS being impacted by my weight - I really didn't care that I was a few (OK - 75) lbs. overweight. I was happy, healthy, and totally unconcerned about my weight.

Until I was ready, absolutely no one could have convinced me that I needed to lose weight. Weight loss is a very individual thing. The journey is unique for each of us. As Meg often says, "we are laboratories of one".

Each of us must travel this road by ourselves. While it is great to share our joys and sorrows and struggles with others, no one can travel with us. There is no right path or plan or answer to this problem. Every single one of us will discover what works for us. There will be some common elements, but no two chickies/roosters will travel the same road.

Hi all - a quick flyby tonight. Today is DH's b-day. We went to a favorite restaurant for dessert and beverages (free raspberry cheesecake which we split) and then had a fire on the patio.

I did get in 4 miles of walking today, but work has been so crazy that I haven't done much else, exercisewise.

Hope you are having a great week!

Laurie

Thank you for thoughtful replies
 

I have read all your posts with interest, and you have all put great thought into what is happening with your weight, and I sense that is the key to winning the war!

You have inspired me to write an article on what is behind "weight gain" in general terms of course - I am sure you are 100% correct in saying, that in specific terms, everyone is a different case.

Thank you for your inspiration.:carrot:

Alan

Hi all - hope you are having a good day! Same old here - too much work. DH is working tonight, so I used the time to get bills paid and catching up on some chores (since I was gone last weekend).

My new WATERPROOF hiking jacket came today. It is AWESOME! I almost want to go stand out in the sprinkler to try it out ;)

Seriously, after last weekend - DH was completely dry in his Gore-tex coat. My "raincoat" kept me dry for about 30 minutes, and finally soaked through. I was a drowned rat by the time we were done hiking. So, an early birthday present to me was a new coat jacket for inclement weather. I love the deals at Sierra Trading Post - 80% off and a beautiful sky blue color. I need to scout out a fleece shell for it now, so it can truly be an "all weather" jacket.

I'm all set for our next hiking trip in October :D

Have fun all!

Laurie

CD, I'm sure you will LOVE the Gore-tex. Yay!

I finally got my blood drawn this morning, second time around. The tech had to draw NINE tubes! :fr: She explained it was a lot of tubes but not that much blood... but still... However, she was an excellent tech! I have no bruising at all.

OK, Come on over to the new thread! :kickcan:

Jay