Welcome to the Ups & Downs Support Group! This is our June 2015 thread. Anyone is welcome to join in the conversation as long as you are willing to give and receive support in your weight loss journey. This group is especially for people who suffer from depression and ~ for many ~ are on medication, which makes weight loss more difficult. But it CAN be done! Best of luck to all of you on your weight loss journey!

Oh darn, I'm crying. And I don't even know why: the tears are just falling and falling. Yesterday was the day Bob buried the ashes of his eldest sister Laura in a forest she'd picked out, near San Francisco. A lot of people found out about Laura's death off Bob's Facebook page, people going all the way back to people she marched (and was jailed) with in civil rights marches in the 1960s.

But I've already cried about Laura. And I'm SO angry with the evil tobacco companies that made their product into such an appealing form that Laura could not stop smoking. Maybe that's it. Usually anger provokes tears in me much more quickly than sadness. Are any of y'all like that?

My great niece Grace is coming over today to do a few things around the house. I've been cooped up for so long I'm dying to drive my car, so that's the first thing I'm going to ask her to do: to stand next to the driver-side door while I attempt to leave the house, go down a couple of steps, grab my car, and walk, using my car for support, to that door, and open it & get in the car..But I can't walk upright, so it may not work. I just want to go for a spin. This (since late February) is the longest I've gone without driving since college days.
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Still crying.... feeling sorry for myself... apologies....

Greetings!

Fi, sometimes I cry out of anger, sometimes frustration. I believe we all need a good cry. I have a sign - The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears or the sea. Please be careful going outside - do you think you should wait until Bob comes home? Grace would be in a panic if you fell.

My family issues are going on and on as is my eating. I was down to 147, went up to 153, and now I am at 150. Thank goodness I am exercising 5 or 6 days a week as my sweet tooth is out of control. I should buy stock in Russell Stover chocolates and Turkey Hill ice cream.

Take care everyone.

I'm having a really hard day. I really wish that I wasn't a sponge for other people's stress and emotions. I had lunch with my best friend and even though it was great to see her she also needed to vent and I just absorbed it. Then my mom came home from work stressed out and released it on me and I took it way too personally. She was angry about the large mess in the kitchen and asked me to clean up after myself. I explained to her that it was my mess but from my dad, I had cleaned the kitchen Monday and was barely home yesterday. And of course she excused him because we both know he'll never clean up after himself so I have to bear the brunt of her frustration. And all of this I just absorb and internalize.

It doesn't help either that I am exhausted. I've only been home from college for 1 week. We got a new puppy, my boyfriend wants to spend every moment with me since being in a long distance relationship is hard, and any free time I've had has been spent at appointments or with my family. All of this on top of an extremely stressful semester where my depression was so bad failed every class. I just need some "me-time" to unwind a bit but I haven't been able to get it. My bedroom is where I go for some solace but right now it's piled high with clothes and boxes that I don't have energy to deal with but they are making me feel worse.

I just need to vent and get some of this pent up stress off me.

Leah, you've come to the right place to vent. *hug* Vent away. We are here for you.


Today was my pay day and it is always stressful, trying to figure out how to make my paycheck stretch to pay everything.

Good Evening to everyone

Leah: I'm so sorry that you had a stressful day, just no that tomorrow will be better. You should take your cute puppy for a walk, I'm sure that will make you feel better. That's what I use to do to deal with stress before my dog died.

Lisa: My pay day is Friday and I understand trying to figure it out from pay to pay. I try to figure it out for the whole month, that's how tight the budget has been lately. But it always seems to work out as it will for you

I had a bad day today. I can't open up. Let's just leave it at a bad day.


I hope you all are well though.

Hi everyone,
New to this thread. How is everyone? Great thread so everyone can release tension. I've been struggling a bit with depression this month so far. Can't stand my unhealthy lifestyle which is hindering my progression in life - In basically all aspects, personal, social, career. SOOOO OVER IT. Just can't stand the situation I'm in and a huge part of it is this obesity I'm dealing with. Can't fit in to any of my clothes, don't want to be seen by anyone, just a really shitty time. Sick of being single and NEVER ASKED OUT on a date. I could go on and on, feel pretty self absorbed right now but just had to let it out. Thanks guys xxxxx

Like the idea behind this thread, hope it's OK to join in!

I can sympathise with the whole up and down mentality.

Today has been good so far, we went swimming, which is always good for feel goods. The weather has finally picked up a bit too, which also helps. I'm hoping it will last through the week...

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Hello friends!!! I am so sorry I've drifted from our great group here. to the new chicks!! yes you need to come here to vent and for support when you don't feel you can get it anywhere else

best wishes to Kathleen!! you said you don't need chemo? that is FANTASTIC

Fi, I had hoped to read that your leg problems would be better by now

EasySpirit it is always good to hear from you and congrats on that 150 number!!

and a special note to Lisa first, so sorry to read about your burned hand!! i hope it is healing appropriately. and that you had a down day recently. BUT i have to tell you, Lisa, that what you wrote to me last month (highlighted below) it really resonated to me..I have tried so hard since then, to try to not compare myself to others, to try to accept myself and my accomplishments and try to feel a little proud of myself.


especially the part "you need to shine". I just try to keep repeating that beautiful 4 word reinforcement

will try to comment later to the new chicks

Howdy folks! I'm in a good mood because the first of three days in a row with medical app'ts went really well. Bob got back, and he's pleased to be able to sit down at the computer and socialize with his manga friends, instead of having to be "on" for his family all the time. His sister (he had two; now one is dead) apparently joked, "Bob's spent so much time with us—now it'll be five years before we see him again." (He does have a strong tendency to withdraw when under stress.)

But anyway, this week on Tuesday I saw Mike (Qi-gong instructor—pronounced "chee-GUNG," a branch of Chinese medicine) then tomorrow is Michael (psychiatrist), and Thursday the long-awaited app't with the neurologist. The improvement in my symptoms after dropping two of the serotonin-pathway drugs is so marked, Bob and I are basically waiting for the neurologist to tell me (I hope!) that there's nothing else wrong with me.

The session with Mike was amazing. I'm stlll in a wheelchair, of course, but in his presence I was able to stand up several times. He said my chi (Qi, whatever) was "high"—surprisingly so for someone who's gone through months of not being able to stand, walk, or climb the stairs. I feel so relieved that Mike could see how all my hard work of moving around (leg exercises!) as much as possible, is really making a difference. I don't think I'm going to need physical therapy to do my rehab: I can do it myself with Mike's loving help. (Mike and Michael are very close friends, so I gave them permission to collaborate on my treatment.)

As for my art, I came up with a technique for climbing the stairs using the banister with my left arm and Bob's arm (where he's about 2 steps ahead of me) for another balance point. I feel SO psyched about being able to get to my studio: probably that's what's got me jazzed, chi-wise. I hope Grace (my great niece and mentee) will be able to come over Friday without any glitches and work side-by-side with me on making new collages—yay!

Anyway, I think Michael's going to be tickled pink that I was able to stop taking Effexor (venlafaxine) and Cymbalta (duloxetine) without any withdrawal problems. I haven't seen him in two months, because we usually meet once a month, but he was out of town last month. I've tried to get off some of these nasty meds I take before, but it didn't work. When the time is right.... actuallly I think the Qii-gong is playing a key role.

Anyway, here I am babbling away about my stuff and not responding to y'all's postings. Please be assured that I'm reading every word you write, am thinking good thoughts in your directions, and once I get caught up in my collage work, I'll be doing personals. May you all have peace and grace and weight loss! =big grin=