Ups & Downs Support Group: March 2014
 

Hello and :welcome3: to the Ups & Downs Support Group: March 2014 thread! Anyone is welcome to join the group if you are interested in receiving and giving support in your weight loss journey. We chose the title Ups & Downs for our support group to reflect the ups and downs of weight loss, life on medication, and life in general. Feel free to post and join in! For the regulars in the group, PLEASE POST and let us know you found the new thread!

Waving hello :wave: to everyone and wishing you the best in your weight loss journey!

Plugging along!
 

I am continuing to follow the eating guidelines of the DASH diet. I have strayed a little in the past few days with my eating, but I am not weighing myself until Thursday, so hopefully any damage will be undone before then. I did not get a workout in today, but I did get workouts in every day this past week! :carrot: That is a HUGE accomplishment for me! I really need to keep it up. We went to one of our favorite Italian restaurants tonight, which serves very delicious bread with olive oil for dipping. :T Our waitress brought 2 loaves to our table of 3 (hubby, daughter, and me), and I didn't have a bite! :D I ate a huge salad instead. YAY me! :broc: I am really making significant progress for the first time in years!!! So this past week was a definite UP week for me! I know some other regulars in the group have been struggling lately and I wrote to you personally last evening. My heart and my prayers go out to all of you. Hang in there and please continue to post and keep us updated, even if it is to just say "still struggling." Sending out big hugs to all of my regulars! :hug: Thanks for being here! ;)

Hello Kathleen and thanks for setting up the March thread :) congrats to you for doing well on your program! I have NOT :( Had 4 good days, then one bad, then one not-so-good..today will be day 6 and I will try yet again :rolleyes:

Just another white/grey/snowy/cold day and just another day of work for my Rat B@st@rd of a boss, lol. But I am on the countdown, about 6 more weeks then I am OUT OF THERE :D

Holly
 

Hello Holly! So happy that you posted. I just came home from a meal out with my parents at another Italian restaurant ~ where I was tempted with cheesy garlic bread, yummy pizza, and dessert, but all I had was a cup of wedding soup and a large spinach salad. I am so proud of myself! :D When I saw the pizza, I thought "I HAVE to have ONE piece of that!" but I thought it through and talked myself out of it. I am glad that I did. I am comfortably satisfied right now and I'd have felt stuffed and guilty if I had given in to the pizza monster! :devil: Happy to hear that you only have 6 more weeks at your job with your nasty boss. (I like your description better!) :lol: Hey, 4 good days on your plan is great! Remember that it's about PROGRESS and NOT perfection. Climb right back on board! ;) WE CAN DO THIS!!!

I'm doing good! Last night we had my niece Margaret and her 7-yr-old son over to our house for dinner: that's the first time we've had people over in a very long time, because of Bob's long, severe depression. The three of them had pizza, while I had Greek salad. We had several prints, most of them framed, that we were happy to give to our niece to help her decorate her new place. And I was pleased that she really liked one of my collages, so I'm going to have it framed for her as a housewarming present.

Fi!!!
 

Fi: Glad to see you made it to the new thread! Thanks for posting. Sounds like things are going well with your niece and her son. That is great that Bob was willing to have people over. Sounds like a big step for him! Maybe taking care of the 7-year-old has been a blessing in disguise for both of you!?! Hope all is well. Good for you for eating salad while the others had pizza! :D

Hello all, Found it!
Kathleen! Way to GO! Finally seeing the results you deserve is so gratifying, and I am so happy for you.

Fi, I am so glad to hear that the relationship with your niece seems to be a positive thing for both you and Bob. I agree about taking it slow with Robine, but snail mail should facilitate that. I am glad to hear you doing so well :)

Holly, You can do it!! I am also having trouble staying with my program right now. Thinking about you and sending strong thoughts!

I am doing ok now, I still feel physically depressed though my state of mind is doing better. Diet and exercise have been off since we got back from the hospital(2 weeks, ridiculous!), and I am just starting to feel any type of motivation to exercise or stop eating cookies and fancy cheese.

Sorry to vent but I work with a girl who is dumb. She lacks critical thinking skills!!! She is sweet and has a beautiful heart and I love her outside of work but she drives me crazy. It's not that I am being too hard on her, I have heard the same complaints from others. I feel bad and at the same time so irritated! I can't even leave the office for a day without her having some kind of emergency that should just not be a big deal. It puts a lot of pressure on me that doesn't really need to be there, as if my own brain isn't doing enough to me already ;p

Anywho, on a nice note I added a chicken and a beautiful young rooster to my family today, and they are so cute! Can't wait for duckies, and for goslings! I have been thinking about starting a blog, but generally am not motivated to write much. I guess a lot of it could be pictures? Anybody here blog who has thoughts on how to make it work?

Thanks to everyone,
Chelsea

Chelsea!
 

Chelsea: Congrats on your new additions to your family ~ a chicken and a rooster! :) Happy to hear that your state of mind is better. Now to get you out of your physical depression! Be patient with yourself. Could you get back in the swing of things by exercising just a short time...... and then gradually increase your time each day (or even each week)? Just try to take ONE small step today (or tomorrow) toward getting back on track with diet and exercise. One meal and one day at a time. You will get there! ;) Thanks for posting! Sending you a big hug! :hug:

Thanks for the new thread. =)

I gained weight during the month of February but I haven't checked how much. I can just feel the difference, it's terrible. During this time, I was on Escitalopram for depression and anxiety and while it helped, I found that I was no longer able to sleep peacefully. I would toss and turn at night and then wake up exhausted. I began to care less and less about cleaning, eating right, working out, etc. and slowly worked my way back around to feeling sad and now angry. So two days ago I decided to stop taking it.

I'm still feeling a bit more tired than normal but I'm doing a lot better. My sleep isn't quite as restful yet, I still have vivid dreams that wake me up, but at least I'm not in pain.

I went to the gym yesterday for the first time in a month or more.

Dollfaise
 

Dollfaise: :welcome3: to the group! Good for you for going to the gym yesterday! You are on your way toward getting that weight off! Be careful about stopping your med cold turkey. Usually, a psychiatrist should wean you off gradually to avoid side effects. Are you under the care of a doctor? I would recommend keeping him/her in the loop. Glad you posted! Good luck to you! :)

Where is everyone?
 

I am continuing to do well (not perfect, which is OKAY) on the DASH way of eating. I am really using it to provide guidelines for healthy eating, so I am trying to avoid calling it a "diet." I really had a bad morning yesterday and was SOOOOOO tempted to skip my workout with trainer, but I went anyway....... and I was GLAD I did afterward!!! So that is PROGRESS! :D Other than the weight training I do with my trainer twice a week, I have only been able to ride the stationary bike due to lingering foot pain (plantar fasciitis?). I hope it is helping. Tomorrow's weigh-in will help me know where I stand. Since my foot pain is no longer improving, I made an appointment with my podiatrist for this Friday. Hope he can provide some relief of some kind. I am dying to get back on the treadmill!

Tonight, we are going to the Eagles concert with some really good friends who we haven't seen in awhile. I am self-conscious because of my weight, but you know what..... it is what it is and I am working to make things better, so the heck with it! We are meeting for dinner out before the concert, so I think I will look up the menu online and decide ahead of time what to order..... to keep me on track. I am trying hard to make good choices. I hope it pays off with weight loss!

Where is everyone else?!?!? Please post..... if only to say "Hi!" Hope everyone is doing okay! Sending hugs for those that need them! :hug: :hug: :hug:

Hi you all,

I would love to join this group if I may! After yet another weekend of terrible eating and very little exercise, I woke up on Monday realizing I need to find some sort of support group. I came across this group and have been very inspired by you all!

I am a late-20s woman, and I feel like I have been living in a fog for the past 4 years or so. I work from home in a very stressful job, and my partner - who is incredibly lovely and kind - is a very naturally thin woman who never really struggles with eating urges. All this is to say, I have spiraled a bit and feel like I am hidden away with eating issues, and I have gained ~40 pounds over the last few years.

That said, I feel like I am just starting to see beyond the fog, I am trying to work my way out of it in a sustainable way! I am a former athlete, so the all-or-nothing mentality has kicked me down in the past. Now, I am trying to set realistic, attainable goals to achieve daily. For example, I am trying to walk 10,000 steps every day (I have a FitBit) and avoid all soda. It's a long, sometimes sad road.

I am so happy to see there is a community to connect with and gain support from! I look forward to connecting with you all, and I hope you all have a wonderful day today! :)

idgie_marie
 

idgie_marie: :welcome: to our group! So happy you posted! Of course, you are welcome to join us!!! It is good news that you feel as though the fog is finally lifting for you and that you are taking realistic steps to meet your goals. I hope you will be able to receive the support that you are looking for here. It is difficult when our significant other doesn't have a weight issue when we do. Right now, my hubby is trying to lose weight, too, which helps. You can do this!!! I wish you the best in your weight loss journey! :)

Hi I'm new to this but I need some support. I tried OEA but it just didn't work for me 7 years ago I started on a journey and in 3 years lost 92 pounds then I quit smoking and started gaining weight I currently have gained all but 35 pounds back:mad: I am binge eating and it's killing me I have been diagnosed with depression and take meds for it but I still can't find any motivation :?: don't mean to be a Debbie downer but needed to get involved in something to at least try

I haven't seen or spoken to my doctor in a month+ and don't particularly like her. She doesn't listen when I talk, it goes in one ear and out the other. My last appointment with her was meh and I don't have a desire to go back. I'm thinking I'll try finding someone else, and closer, now that I've moved.

I'm still low on energy and motivation. That trip to the gym was my last as I hurt my knee and it's been too sore after standing all day at work. I'm not sure how to get enough energy to move, work is wearing me out so bad, I don't know how to keep going like this. I work until 7pm multiple nights a week so by that time, it's hard to make myself do anything. If I go before work, it'll be alone when I'd rather go with my boyfriend but he can't go that early.

I'm thinking a change of jobs is in order, this one is costing me my mental and physical health.

Hi!
 

Desper8lyseekinskiny: :welcome3: to the group! I am glad that you posted! I, too, know the frustration of losing weight and then gaining (in my case) all and more of it back. Congratulations on quitting smoking!!! That is wonderful! Sorry you have gained a lot of weight back, though. You did it once, so you KNOW you are capable of doing it..... again! Maybe you need to try a different medicine for your depression. Often, it takes more than one med to make a difference, too. Just be sure to talk to your doctor about it and let him/her know that you still struggle with motivation. Some research shows that exercise is as effective as antidepressants, so let that be motivation for you, too ~ for weight loss AND your depression! YOU CAN DO IT!!! I hope you will find support here in the group! Keep on posting and let us know how we can best help you. Take care! Hugs to you! :hug:

Dollfaise: Awww, too bad you don't like your doctor. That is such an important relationship. Keep looking until you find someone you click with. Sorry to hear that you hurt your knee! :( If this job is truly costing you your mental and physical health, I definitely recommend looking for new employment. You deserve to be happy and healthy! :)

:welcome: to doll faise, desper8, and idgie marie! (sorry for my abbreviations) really great to have new people here to talk to and commiserate with :)

Kathleen, you are doing so well! Yay!! :carrot:

CDubs, congrats on the additions to your family :D and wow your partner was in the hospital for 2 weeks?? yikes.

Fi, I bet your niece was thrilled to get that artwork!

I had to go to our family doctor yesterday because Cananda Drugs called in my Wellbutrin prescription to be renewed, and my doctor wanted to see me because I hadn't been in for 2 years (sinus infection). I was afraid he was going to tell me to wean off the Wellbutrin but that was not the case..he said if things are going well then we don't have to mess with them. He is also a motorcyclist so he said 'we have to keep our President healthy' :D so a mini checkup, he listened to my heart ("that's a good sounding heart") and my bp is good 135/80; and I did have to step on the scale :( and I am 160 but he didnt lecture me about weight. I did ask about my knee and the first thing to do is get an X ray. but I don't know how much our insurance will pay for so I have to investigate that.

sorry for the huge paragraph all about me. I also got a cold from my miserable Rat B@st@rd of a boss, from him spraying his disgusting germs all over the place for days. Actually the germs could have come from hundreds of people but I just like to blame him :p

I spiraled back into bad eating habits and its like I never even tried :( it is just so hard .

Sorry I haven't been around, y'all. I am reading your postings & thinking about you. I'm just really busy, because I'm fired up for writing in French to all my new French correspondents, some in Canada and some in France. Plus it's time for me to work up the gumption to write my first long handwritten letter to my Belgian friend, Robine: I really want to make sure I protect myself, and say the things that would be most helpful to her as well. I think I'll be ready to tackle that tomorrow. Sunday we're having our niece and her son over again—probably gonna make that a weekly thing. I've been "cheating" a bit by eating some sugar-free muesli, and I occasionally miss a day of doing my leg exercises, but other than that, it's the same old stuff in my weight loss efforts. My moods have been so stable lately—it's marvelous!

Best wishes to all for a weekend of what you want to do, for your health, not what you feel like doing, which may be wrong for your longterm plans. Want can win out over feel!

I haven't been here in forever. I stopped dieting, and now I've gained all the weight back that I lost last year. In January, I tried a new antipsychotic, Fanapt, and gained 10 lbs in a week. The Latuda just stopped working. Now I'm back on Geodon, but I'm still gaining weight, b/c of all the crap I've been eating. Why does bad food need to taste so good? Not sure which diet to go on now. Maybe I should try WW again. grrrrr.

Bad couple of days.....
 

Holly: I WAS doing so well, but my wheels fell off Wednesday night at our pre-concert dinner where I indulged in a bottle of wine with an old friend. Then, out went the inhibitions and in came the bread and other no no's late that evening (after Eagles concert). :o :( Thursday was our son's 18th birthday and I ate fries AFTER my sensible meal out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Friday, I just ate many extras that I shouldn't have. Today, except for a small handful of sweet tart bites, I am back on board. WHEW!!! I did weigh in this morning, despite my "bad" Weds-Fri, just to see where I stand, and I had lost .4 of a pound. (I had probably lost a few pounds before my poor choices at the end of the week.) I will just call this past week a "maintain" and go for weight loss in the week ahead. (It could have been much worse!!!) I am disappointed in myself, but I am still a work-in-progress, so I am trying not to beat myself up too badly about my slip-ups and just hop right back on board. You are right, it is just so hard! :( I can do this, though!!! WE can do this! That is so funny that your doctor said, "We have to keep our President healthy!" :lol: So "kewl" that he is a fellow biker! I hope you will be able to get an x-ray of your knee covered by insurance. Great that he didn't mess with your Wellbutrin! Sounds like a good doc! ;) Sorry to hear that you caught a cold from your nasty boss. :p Hope you feel better soon! :hug:

Fi: Great to hear from you! Glad to hear that your moods have been very stable lately! That is wonderful! :D Good luck with all of your French correspondence and especially with your letter to Robine! I feel badly that it seems like you must "walk on eggshells" with her. Do you know what I mean?!? Eating sugar-free muesli doesn't sound like too bad of a "cheat" to me! ;)

Moreta: First of all, :welcome: to our group!!! Sorry to hear that you gained back all of the weight that you lost last year. :( That is SO frustrating!!! :( Weight gain from antipsychotic meds is very frustrating, too, since you need the meds but NOT the extra weight! I gained 60 pounds (years ago) during a year-long trial of Zyprexa. In addition to making me gain weight, it gave me an insatiable appetite which contributed to weight gain, too. I hated it! :( I am still trying to lose that weight (and more) to this day. :( I am not familiar with Fanapt or Latuda. I've hear of Geodon, but don't know much about it either. Good luck deciding which eating plan to follow. I thought about doing WW, too, but went instead with the DASH diet for weight loss. It has helped me to make the ONLY progress at all that I've been able to make in years! I've only been on it for two weeks, but so far, so good. I think I am going to continue the more restrictive Phase One this week again since I screwed things up at the end of this past week. Need to get a decent weight loss in to keep my motivation up! Best of luck to you on your weight loss journey! :)

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and just wanted to say hi and share a little about me. I have anxiety and depression, and have loads of weight to lose due to trying heaps of different antidepressant meds and doses, plus chronic fatigue. Have a major fear of exercise but am determined to grit my teeth and make 2014 a healthier year. :wave:

Hi!
 

justagirlinthecity: Hello and :welcome3: to our group! Sorry that you have lots of weight to lose due to meds, anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue. I can certainly relate! My trials with meds are in the past, and currently I am aiming to get off (or as low as possible) on my meds. But the weight remains. I am extremely weight loss resistant due to the meds I am on, but ~ like you said ~ I am determined to make 2014 a much healthier year! I have accepted that exercise needs to be part of the equation, but getting started is always a challenge for me. I have become much better at getting it done in the past several months, since I began working out with a trainer. Even at home, I am doing more than I used to. I almost ALWAYS feel better AFTER a workout, so I try to use that knowledge as motivation for the next workout. Why do you think you have a "major fear" of exercise? Maybe answering that question honestly (for yourself) is the best place to start. The biggest challenge for me right now is to keep my eating in check, which ~ for me ~ requires constant vigilance. When I stray much AT ALL, I pay for it on the scale. But if I deprive myself too much, I tend to set myself up for a binge. So I am constantly working on finding a healthy BALANCE. Best of luck to you on your weight loss journey! Keep on posting and we will cheer you on toward your goals! :cheer2: YOU CAN DO IT!!! :D

Trish???
 

lilturtle/Trish: Are you here??? I hope you are doing okay. Please post and let us know that you found the new thread! Haven't heard from you in too long! :(

I like reading these posts because it shows I'm normal lol I had a horrible night the other night. I ate dinner then chowed down on some ice cream I stopped when my stomach started hurting. For the next 4 hours I wanted to eat even though my stomach still hurt I finally gave in and had an orange making my stomach ache worse:( the torture stop when I feel asleep. I don't know if it's just my stress causing me to go crazy or I'm just out of control

Hope everyone has a good spring break

IBelieveInMe2: thank you! you are so sweet! It's nice to find somewhere to be myself and not feel judged. It's nice to know that somewhere, someone else understands and is going through something similar. :)
My fear of exercise is because my father had a major heart attack when I was 4. I was the one that had to call the ambulance, while mum put him in the recovery position. He wasn't overweight, was incredibly fit and for his job he had to carry a 60kg pack over mountains. It was a shock. The doctors couldn't explain it, but he came to believe that exercise could kill you & always pointed out to me the soccer players that collapsed on the field during a game etc. I grew up thinking exercise was bad, which was never a problem as I ate really healthily, until my chronic fatigue/meds. Now I have to undo it all. I've had therapy and logically I understand it isn't true, but as soon as I start feeling dizzy or out of breath, I remember dad having the same feelings during his heart attack. :(
Sorry for the long post.

Hi everyone I'm new here but i hope to get to know you. Just to share a bit about me I started out at 255 and have lost 63 pounds and still counting. The problem is everybody tells me you look great, but i feel as big as ever. Is this a normal feeling or have i let my weight get to my head?

Hi irisv62. I deal with the same feeling every day. I am "normal" but I still feel uncomfortable and fat all of the time as if I was still at my highest weight. You can feel big at any weight. Even "skinny-minis" feel huge and uncomfortable from time to time. Just don't lose sight of how much you have gained (or lost rather). When I need a reminder, I look at my German Shepherd, Eleanor. She represents about 60 pounds. It may not make me feel less physically uncomfortable but it does eliminate my reason for caring about feeling big in the first place.
Everything in perspective, I guess.

Hi!
 

I seem to be back on board (for the most part) with healthy eating. I have felt hungrier than usual this afternoon, but I am surviving. Dinner is near and I will choose wisely. I walked all three dogs yesterday and reinjured/reaggravated my plantar fasciitis. Podiatrist confirmed last Friday that I have a "good case" of it. :( I probably shouldn't have walked the dogs, but I really wanted to. At least I know now that I need to stay on the bike and wait longer to walk the dogs, and doc says I need to be 7 days pain-free before walking on treadmill again. :( I miss both the treadmill and walking my pups!!! But I will survive! At least I can do the bike. I just get bored with it. Feels like I am not getting as good of a workout. Doc gave me a shot of steroid in my ankle/heel for the plantar fasciitis. It helped, but I still have pain when I am on my feet. I swear, there is always something to interfere with my progress. But I am determined and I will NOT give up!!! :ebike:

irisv62 and Earthling: :welcome: to the group! iris, congrats on your 63 pound weight loss!!! That's great! Keep it rollin'!!! Just try to go with the compliments and let them give you incentive to continue. Not sure if still feeling big is "normal" or not. It just IS what it is. Try to be proud of yourself and acknowledge your efforts. Losing 63 pounds is not an easy thing to do!!! Earthling gave you good advice.

Desper8: Sorry you had a horrible night. I'm sure all of us here can relate to overeating and eating when not even hungry. You are not alone. Try not to beat yourself up over it. Just start again and do your best!

justagirl: That is too bad that you had that unfortunate and apparently traumatic experience at the age of 4 that still makes you fear exercise. I can see how that would be very difficult to let go of. I deal with so many messages I received growing up (spoken and unspoken) that feel impossible to overcome to this day. I try to "parent" myself with more positive messages. Tell yourself that exercise is good for your body and reassure yourself when you are feeling out of breath due to exertion that you are okay. I know that is easier said than done, but YOU CAN DO IT!!! :) Big hugs to you and your little 4-year-old self! :hug: :hug:

Waving HELLO :wave: to everyone else! Please post and let us know how you are doing.

Hi earthling thanks for replying to my post. I feel much better knowing this is a normal feeling because i was beginning to think that it was wrong for me to think like that. I really like your idea using your German Shepard for comparison of the weight. Too bad i only have a 25 pound poodle, but i could use that comparison. Do you still dress the same because you feel the same or what do you do?

Thanks for welcoming me to the group!! Glad to be here!! Thanks at times i feel the same as before but other days i try to acknowledge it and dress differently or more fancy. I think it just depends on the mood and those downs you have when you are losing weight.

Hi everyone,

I am so happy to have joined this group. You all are so inspiring and helpful. I really enjoy hearing how you are doing, and it is so reassuring to hear that I am not the only one who has day-to-day struggles.

On that note, I was hoping to get some advice. I tend to do very well during the week - disciplined eating, lots of walking, cooking, etc. When the weekend comes around, that kind of goes out the window. I really hate this cycle.

Do you have any advice here? I know I should just force myself to stay in, continue to cook, etc, but eventually that becomes so uninspiring.

One other question: what do you guys do when you get a major craving for not great food? Yesterday, I got the biggest craving for fast food, and I am wondering what strategies you have for avoiding these temptations, especially when in the early stages of building up discipline and good habits.

Thanks believe in me you are very nice for taking the time to resPond to all of us
it's been a little better so far

Hey folks. I haven't posted in a few days because I've been so angry at something Bob did Sunday night I haven't been able to get my brain to function. But I think I can talk about it now.

Sundays are turning into our regular night for having our niece and her 7-yr-old son over, and somehow the conversation around the dinner table turned to the subject of sweets. =sigh= I didn't join in, of course, but there the three of them were, chatting away about chocolate and cake and banana bread and so on, going on about what sweets they like, which ones they don't like. If I were to repeat all the things they said about foods that are mostly sugar, I know it would drive you guys batty.

But I actually felt pretty well-defended and was handling it OK, until my husband brought up this stupid Internet game that's all about...you guessed it: cookies. My nemesis. And of course since Bob was stressed by the social contact, he got sticky-obsessional and compulsive about describing absolutely everything about this cookie game, which apparently entails all different kinds of them, grandmas who bake them, factories that make them, planets that are covered with them, and so on and so on. Except that he wasn't saying "them" the way I did just now, he was repeating the word "cookies" over and over and over again, to the point where my brain got completely fried. So I asked him politely if he would stop talking about the game and stop saying the word "cookies." He looked at me, registered what I'd said, and then proceeded to keep going, describing more and more levels of the game, repeating the word "cookies" so many times, finally I blurted out, "Bob!! If there were someone at the dinner table who had just quit smoking, you wouldn't start going cigarette-cigarette-cigarette-cigarette, would you?" Which made everyone stare at me of course, and I got really embarrassed, so on top of being freaked out, I felt like a total fool.

I only quit binging on cookies at the end of November. It hasn't been that long, not to break a habit that lasted for decades. Thanks to what Bob did, I spent the rest of Sunday night, until 4 in the morning, in a painful state of cookie craving. Arrrrgggh! And he didn't really apologize, either. He acted as though I was unreasonable to be so mad at him.

Ever since that happened, I've had a really hard time getting food into myself. They say that restricting is the flipside of binging, that if you have Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which I'm in recovery from, that you run a risk of going to the other extreme, and restricting your food intake in a way that's self-destructive. It's all part of the anorexia-bulimia-BED spectrum of eating disorders.

Every time I take like a couple bites of salad or turkey, my stomach clamps down hard and starts hurting, like I'm not supposed to eat. I know it may sound like a great way to lose weight, but believe me, it's really miserable-making. Already, before this cookie game thing, I've been having trouble getting enough calories into myself. I rarely eat as much as 1000 calories a day, and I can tell that it's slowing my weight loss down, because I've been colder than usual and really lethargic and my stomach hurts a lot. That's been going on ever since my friend Robine cut off communication with me on January 29th.

The last two days...I've hardly been able to eat anything at all. I kind of tricked myself into eating some cheese sticks in the car on the way to the post office and back. But salad and sliced turkey, with some kind of fish about once a week, are the mainstays of my diet, and I'm having a heck of a time getting my stomach to accept them. This has never happened to me before, so I don't know how to deal with it. I've always been a binge-after-binge-after-binge kind of person. I've never had problems with restricting. I guess I need to find a book about it or something, but my brain is very fuzzy from being in semi-starvation mode.

Sorry to go on so much about myself, but I needed to talk about it and bring it out into the open, so it would be less scary. I'll let y'all know how things go. Tomorrow is another day. Maybe tomorrow I can talk Bob into making an omelet for me: I'm sure I could eat an omelet.

Hello (again.............................)!
 

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrated!!! :( I just wrote out a LONG post which included major personals to idgie_marie and Fi.............. and I LOST the post!!! :mad: And now I have to go work out and do errands. Don't know when I'll be able to take the time to answer you two (and others) again. :( I will make it as soon as possible!

Basically, idgie_marie, I try to find a healthier alternative to what I am craving (e.g., craving a chocolate milkshake.....eat one chocolate kiss) when an intense craving comes on. I find that if I restrict myself too much, the "forbidden" item becomes even more attractive to me and I end up pigging out on it eventually. If I absolutely HAVE to have something, I try to just have one or two bites. That is PROGRESS, especially in the beginning!!! Remember that it is about PROGRESS and NOT perfection! It doesn't have to be all or nothing! Oh, and on the weekends, try to have some sort of PLAN. They say that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I personally HATE planning ahead, but it really does help. I also like to really focus on the good things I did during the week (and how good I feel about myself when making healthy choices) and ask myself (before eating bad stuff or eating too much), "Is this really worth ruining all of the progress I made during the week?" I think about stepping on that scale and which action will take me to the desired result, and TRYING with all my might to choose wisely. It is so much easier said than done, but those are a few tips. I had written a bunch more, but oh well, it's lost in cyberspace!

Fi: I am so sorry that happened with Bob. Seems very insensitive to me, too. For me, communication is not a strong suit with hubby and I, so I just eventually need to LET GO of my anger and resentment in these situations. Not the healthiest option, I know, but the only way I can function again after such an incident. I try to talk about it if possible, but if he is being unreasonable, it is easier to deal with it on my own. It would be nice to have an apology or acknowledgement of some sort, wouldn't it?!? I hope you two will be able to discuss the situation and you can get some resolution. If not, just try to do your best to let the situation go and not beat yourself up about your "outburst" and don't keep replaying the situation in your mind. It is done with and YOU SURVIVED!!! That is the main thing. Life goes on. Use your "brain over binge" technique to fight off those cravings! You can do it, Fi! You are so strong!!! Sending you a big hug!!! :hug:

Okay, now I have to scoot! Doing pretty well on eating and exercise, but no more pounds lost.............. YET!!! I will NOT give up, darn it!!!!!

Hi Everyone, I am following along.

Holly, He wasn't in the hospital for 2 weeks thankfully, but he was for a week and then we stayed in town another week while his parents were here. It was exhausting! It kind of broke down all of my food resolve and exercise resolve and then I started crying again and hiding in my bed... Sigh!

Fi, I am thinking strong thoughts for you. I spent many years of my life unable to eat/without being sick and it is not easy. I didn't find a solution until I started treating my anxiety(and it took another year or two for it to help!), so maybe talking things out with Bob would help to relieve those negative feelings and open up your stomach again. Or like Kathleen said, maybe taking some personal time to come to terms with the situation(internally not just interactively with hubby) would provide some relief for you. Just keep trying, some days are going to have time when you feel like eating, or when it is easier. I hope that soon it will clear up for you and I will be sending happy stomach thoughts your way.

I am struggling. Food wise, mood wise. It is always nice to come here, it helps to keep my head out of the black hole. I hate it when I feel so down and out of my own control, even though life is going well and the sun is back even. idk.

Hugs to everyone!
Chelsea

I definitely dress differently. Are you kidding me? Now when I put on clothes or buy clothes (even though I am not at goal weight) if is not enough for them to "look good" as they did when I was larger. (Because it looking good would have been as good as it gets). Now they have to look spectacular for me to buy them. :)
But I do dress differently on days that I feel huuuuuuge. Oddly though, sometimes simply going to the gym for a little bit, or coming back from a Spin class, is enough to go from feeling huuuuuuuge to suddenly feeling fit.
I think feeling "fat" sometimes has more to do with endorphins. And whether or not you've got them running the gamut of the body at that moment. :)
But don't worry, with Downs always comes Ups.
Keep trusting yourself and sooner or later you'll just get more Ups than Downs.

Thanks so much, Kathleen and Chelsea, for the supportive comments. It helped me a lot to make that long posting about what happened on Sunday night and how it was affecting my appetite & eating. I think I just went through a few days of being really angry at food in general for making me so miserable. Today I've been able to eat my turkey & salad & cheese sticks on schedule, so I'm not having those semi-starvation stomach aches anymore. =whew=

Where is everybody? Where's Trish? I wrote her a private message, but she hasn't replied to it. I'm worried about her.

Hello sweeties,

I apologize for not checking in more. I started back to school and have been trying to adjust. The first 7 days was sooooooooo hard. My daughter was home from college and I could not get a schedule down and my anxiety went up. It was awful. I started to think I couldn't do school and having major doubts. I got some grades back and they were pretty good so I think I might be alright.


I have really missed posting here. My weight has not improved. I need for spring to get here so I can get outside. I need the sun.


My birthday will be here next month, I will be 47.


I promise to be here more often. I won't disappear again.

Hello!
 

Sorry I haven't posted the past couple of days. Things are the same here. I have had some slips in my eating lately, but still staying healthy for the most part. I skipped exercise the last few days. Need to get back on board with that ASAP!!! A bit frustrated with the constant vigilance required to lose any weight at all. :( But I will NOT give up!!! I can do it!!! :carrot:

ohiofreespirit: It's so great to hear from you! Sorry you had a rough week starting school, but good to hear that you are hanging in there and doing well with grades. You can do it!!! :)

Chelsea: Sorry to hear that you are struggling. :( Hang in there! Sending you a big hug! :hug:

Earthling: Good for you for waiting for the things that look spectacular on you! I like your advice for iris. :)

Fi: Happy to hear that you are able to eat on schedule again. I am glad that it helped you to post about that Sunday on here. Always feel free to vent here and share whatever helps you! We are here for you and we care! :hug:

I've got the flu, guys. I got the shot last fall, so I'm hoping my immune system will be able to knock it out of the park pretty quickly. I've completely lost my appetite, but I'm trying to keep shoving around 1000 calories a day into myself—can't seem to handle any more than that.