I have been awake since just before 7am and could not go off to sleep. Mind you not such a bad thing as tomorrow I have to be up early so at least I will want to go to bed early tonight. Dare I say it we have some sun today and it looks as though we have it for the next couple of days so best make the most of it.
Yesterday I was watching a programme that I had taped oh there was a dog called diesel he was a spaniel not sure whether it was a cocker,spring or king Charles can never tell the difference. Well anyhow diesel looked such a cutie I could take him home. He was a trained police dog trained to look for legal substances and money. His reward for finding anything was his tennis ball. Talk about crafty as a barrow load of monkeys he knew how to get his ball for free so to speak. He would lead the handler to a cash machine (ATM or hole in the wall) knowing full well he would get his ball as he had found money trouble was it was legal money It shows me how bright dogs are even the working ones knows the tricks of the trade.
I remember reading in my motobility book about a lady who had a golden Labrador retriever who was trained to assist here with here every day needs like picking up her purse (wallet) and putting washing in the machine. Well this beautiful dog had quickly worked out that in a shop she was not going to pass the money and the store reward card at the same time but do it separately so she got 2 treats as opposed to one. I can remember that made me laugh and thinking they are so much smarter than we give them credit for sometimes.
ROSEBUD:~ I see that your cabin is coming on in leaps and bounds. The trouble is when you can afford to do a project like this we are well into middle age and along with that comes more aches and pains. So the project take longer as we need to take days off to let our body recover. When we were more able to do it late teens and early 20's we would not have the funds.
I see how therapeutic it is for you DH with doing this project of building the cabin to help with the grief of losing your beloved babies. Lets hope he remembers he is not superman there is something about men when they get doing work they switch their common sense off The trouble is we still love them dearly despite them switching off any ounce of common sense they were born with
You said your landlords ex-wife complained about the spend when you did the work on the revamp of the home. The trouble is some people just do not seem to be happy unless they are complaining about something ! Life in my opinion is too short and precious to go around like that. I am not saying that I don't every complain as I am no angel but overall I am a jolly person and love to laugh.
We have a programme here in the UK which is good if you like to see how your house can be done. It is called homes under the hammer this is because properties are bought at auction. They have such a variety from listed building (building that has strict regulations on it as it is of historical value), to two up and two down terraced homes, even buildings such as telephone exchanges have come up for auction. You then see what they have done to the place and how much they will get for it if they sold it and if they rented it. I have seen that so often just simple ideas can create a beautiful room and if you are prepared to shop around the cost can be reduced again. The internet has been great for many in their search for the best prices on different items such as bathroom suites or kitchens.
Going shopping today for the weekly shop. I have just got up and put the shopping list in my pocket this time rather than leave it at home and have to the shopping from memory I do not need a huge amount but more the staples fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, milk and yoghurt's. So time for me to get ready to go and remember my shopping bags as well Bye ladies and take care
Rosebud my full name is Valdine :P I have been working on a 'long post' for this thread athome.. but I couldnt help and say. It's Valdine, not Valida.. but they both sound odd so Val works better in most situations. hopefully I'll get a chance to post tonight.
DEAREST VAL ~ I'm am very sorry about that 'faux pas'' ... I must say that you had me too, when I saw your post, I couldn't stop laughing for five minutes. I said, 'Oh no, I did it again!' You see, I have mis-spelled your name before; and would notice PURPLE's way of spelling your name and change it as quickly as I could!
Then invariably, I would forget again; and call you VALILDA again. I honestly don't know where I got that name from. As I warned you earlier: this is what happens to your memory when you get older; our brains just seem to turn to mush! I tell DH all the time that we'd better hurry up and build that cottage before we forget how to do it ~ LOL!
HEY PURPLE ~ yes, I like stories about houses and design and decorating and such. I don't really watch a lot of TV anymore; the PC has taken over the time I had reserved for that pastime, I'm afraid. Believe me, I am constantly having to tell DH to slow down and take breaks, esp from the sun. We didn't get home til 7pm the other night and I was so tired. I insisted that we stay home today and do stuff around here, so he tinkered around in the back yard with a hobby.
DH wants to go out to the lot one more day this week; maybe tomorrow if it doesn't rain. It has been hard to make plans, as they keep forecasting rain for every day. So we have to wait til the morning to see what we've got. Then I have to pack a quick lunch and then we set off for the day. We really love it out there; it is so quiet and peaceful.
Anyways, not much to report today; just did stuff around the house. Worked on editing my poems and songs and copying backup files and such today. Mostly indoor work; but I did do a small walk this morning. I figure a small walk every day will add up, esp when I add those to longer ones, once or twice a week.
We had a lovely dinner; one of my favorites of lean steak (DH had a boneless pork chop) with mushrooms and onions plus new potato and coleslaw. We switched our Monday and Friday menu plans; sometimes, it just works out that way. I had a jello dessert for my snack this evening.
HELLO MEOWEE ~ hope you are having a good day, with no power outages out there.
Take good care ladies; gonna hit the hay earlier tonight, just in case ~ your friend ROSEBUD
It is early this morning as it is 7.30am, even though it is early I did sleep very well and feel quite rested. I am up this early as I am going to my oxygen therapy and we have to leave early as we just get the tail end of the rush hour traffic.
VALDINE:~ Hi glad you dropped by. I hope that you are well and look forward to reading your post that you are working on.
ROSEBUD:~ I am like you I do not watch no where as much television as I once did as I am now on my PC a great deal. I am also in a phase of not being able to read very much either due to my concentration being poor. I hate it as I love reading as alway have since being a small child. Since having MS I do have weeks like this where reading is virtually impossible as I have to read the same page over and over for anything to go in.
Your DH reminds me so much of my father he was constantly busy right up until his mid 60's when unfortunately his heart conditioned worsened. But dad did not stop and was constantly on the go. One thing comes to mind that brings a smile to my face. I was working on night duty and was sleeping at my parents house during the day of course. I asked him could he do quiet things in the house whilst I was a sleep. Some hours later he was knocking plaster yes thats right knocking plaster off the wall Thats was dads interpretation of a quiet job What made it ironic really when we were children he worked nights himself so we had to be quiet as kids. It was woe betide us if we woke him he was like a bear with a sore head. I reminded him of this when he was knocking this plaster from the walls and he gave me the biggest smile so I knew that the penny had dropped how he used to feel. With the beautiful smile I could not be angry with him and I knew it was in his nature to be on the go all the time.
Time for me go and get dressed I'm afraid but not before I say hello to MEOWEE . Bye ladies and take care
Well, we finally got rain, lots of rain and that's mostly why I was never around here yesterday. Our rain (still continuing) is part of the tail end of a major tropical storm and is replete with much wind and thunderstorms.
Just wanted to drop in to say HI while it is relatively quiet out there. Hopefully, I see you all again later . . .
HOWDY CHICKIES ~ we had a lovely day out at our lot today; it was sunny and breezy with just enuff clouds to give us some relief here and there. DH did well today; did a little grooming (cutting grass and weedwacking); and got some more foundation bricks in too. Yes, it's coming along well; DH and I agree that is much simpler than we imagined. Sometimes, big projects like this seem daunting; but half the task is JUST GETTING STARTED!!! LOL!
Overall, we had a good day; and I was able to get some walking in too. I think that I might be able to do a 5K each week there no problem, as long as I feel well. I had to push myself a bit today, but I did it! Tomorrow is gonna be a rest day; we will go into town to pick up a few things for our lunches, as we are all out of DH's faves.
It's funny how NIKO is quite excited to go on the car ride out there, but about late afternoon, he is itching to come home; it's like a built-in clock with him. It's like he's saying to us, 'OK folks ... I've had enuff of this ... it's time to go home now'. And when we get home, he goes rangy; running around like a goofball! Just so glad to be back home! LOL!
HEY PURPLE ~ I have always liked to read too; right now, I am reading BILL COSBY'S book about Love and Marriage. I started it today; it's a story about his comedic experiences in that area of his life. DH has some of his records and tapes about 'RAISING CHILDREN' that is funny too.
Plus I have another double-volume book with two stories by women; again, both comedies that I'll tell you about when I read them. I picked these up at a second-hand place that sells books among many other things. I picked up a a bag full, so I'll have lots to read well into the fall and maybe even over the winter (hopefully).
Yes, VALDINE ~ it was very nice to hear from you, and we do look forward to reading your post about all your trips and such.
HELLO MEOWEE ~ I was wondering when we didn't see you around if you'd had some bad weather out there. We were lucky not to lose our power during that last big storm, but we did lose a modem; but thankfully, we had another one here.
WELL, we've had a busy day and are just plain bushed, so we'll be hitting the hay right early tonight for sure. Hope you all have a pleasant day tomorrow as well. Take good care, your friend ROSEBUD
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 07-22-2008 at 10:19 PM.
Although it is raining a little off and on, the worst of the storm is definitely over and the remains of Cristobal has left the building. We didn't get hit nearly as badly as some parts of our little Province, but my grass, bushes -- and weeds -- are looking so lush and green this morning, they are practically glowing. We really needed that rain and the best part is that our forest fire indicators are all sitting at very low now.
I actually slept in until after 7am this morning and, unfortunately, I have a very high BGL to show for it. At least the weight took a nice downward direction to 211, so I hope that part of the pattern continues. All the dampness, of course, has been playing havoc with the arthritic knees and it took my a bit to get moving this morning.
Other than that, nothing big in my plans for today . . . hope everybody else has a great day . . .
Just dropping by swiftly before I go out, do not know where the time has gone to today and don't have nothing to show for it. It is all the chores like washing up, cooking and such like have seemed to take me ages today it is very humid here. So DH kindly dragged out our portable air con unit which was wonderful and I seemed to gain some much needed energy back.
ROSEBUD:~ Like you I have always got a book on the go. Well in actual fact I have two, which is something I never used to do but since my MS has progressed I have found sometimes my DH goes and does some tasks whilst I sit in the car if I have flaked out. I was finding that time boring so I came up with the idea of getting a book to read in the car. It takes months to read but I have something alway to occupy me.
I am reading a very gritty book at the moment which is very sad, not normally the type of book I read. Yes they may have a sad event but not a girls struggle to get from very uncaring and none protective mother. I know this thing goes on in life as I have nursed people whom this was a reality. The book has now got lighter which makes it easier reading. The next book I have lined up is a midwives account of training in midwifery in the 1950's in the East End of London which was a very poor area and slums were all to common. (true story of Jennifer Worth) I am itching to read this as I have read the reviews and they are all very positive.
Funny how dogs seem to have this sense when it is time and they of course do not read clocks! or do they
Yes huge tasks can seem very daunting and that makes starting all the more difficult. Though often the reality is not so bad and as you said it is just making a start. Good luck with doing you 5KM that will be great exercise and it will get easier. Not all the time is it easy as there are some days our bodies just won't let us but I except that and go when I can. Some days it has been hard but oh boy I have felt so good mentally afterwards.
MEOWEE:~ Sorry that you had a high blood sugar level this am. But great news about the weight loss good for you. I wish you more success in that direction. I am static at the minute but I am pleased on how far I have come I was realistic that I may not get to my goal weight so if this is what nature has in store for me I will not be to unhappy.
Got DH to take my picture tonight just after I have got ready to go out and used it as my profile picture. I am pleased with how it has turned out. I never though I would ever be pleased about a photograph and asking for one to taken How much difference has 8 stone loss done for my confidence. I have barely any at my highest weight I found every excuse in the book.
Alright. Its really slow in the office and my manager just left for the day. And I owe you ladies a visit! Yesterday was my one year anniversary since I starting focusing on my lifestyle... and the dieting with obstacles forum has been a huge support for me thank you for being there. Here's to another year!
I had tried two seperate times... meaning I started a 'long reply' on my home computer. But in my brilliance... restarted my laptop twice... so much for that. Was forgettfullness I was supposed to take notes on now :P I've got it covered.. hee hee
Rosebud No worries about my name I did spend more than a couple minutes one night skimming the thread for a newbie named Valida though. lol... took me some time for it to click.
I try to unplug my laptop when it storms... but I didnt realize surge protectors werent good enough. Right now it's just plugged into a regular outlet... :|
Your lot sounds great. You're right half the work is getting started. So the weather has cooperated with the work you and DH want to do out there this week? Niko sounds adorable. None of my cats can handle car rides.
Purple
My Dad worked nights like yours.. and my brother and I had to be sooo quiet. It really IS ironic because when they owned the house and I would sleep during the day he would really have no concept of quiet. I just had to get used to sleeping with the crashing and banging.
I really liked the story you mentioned about the police dog getting treats for finding money too. That was cute.
As for me... July has been a rough month. All along I thought the abdominal pain was IBS.. because I was very bloated and the pain followed mealtime (when I was also drinking diet coke- oy). It was very frustrating because I already follow a pretty IBS friendly diet. high fibre, low fat... lots of de stressing exercise. I really didnt know why it was suddenly SO MUCH worse.
Well, drum roll. it turned out to be a bladder infection. I had NO SYMPTOMS of a bladder infection.. just abdominal pain. So nobody even tested me for it.. and I didnt think of it. I finally went to the ER last weekend -- got through in 40 MINUTES! By that point I needed painkillers with codeine and twice the regular strength of antibiotics. *rolls eyes*
Tomorrow I leave for a wedding in Vancouver. Taking the night bus which is a 9 hour ride south to Winnipeg.. and then I'm flying from there. It will be a great weekend
I am considering letting go of my casual job. One of my friends works at the same store. Her SO got a better job, so she'll have to work fewer hours to stay home with her young son. But all the weekend/casual positions are full.. so I may give her mine....
hi meowee Are you taking any sort of summer trips?
thanks again ladies the support here has made all the difference with keeping me on track. I knew back when I started July 07 that I would fail if I went it alone.. so I joined in August and havent looked back
HELLO CHICKIES ~ well, we just went into town this morning to pick up a few things and came home with a carload ... LOL!!! We found a countertop that looked just like new for our cottage for only $5.00; probably worth $100's. We had a small lunch out (just a burger each) but fun to sit on picnic table downtown watching everybody go by.
We also got 75 % off some perennial flower bushes for our place; only $3.25 each one. They are called Bridal Spiria: one is Neon flash pink, and maybe two are white (there was some mix-up becuz we wanted two pink and one white, but the tags say otherwise and we didn't notice it until we got home). We got home by around 2 pm and my feet were throbbing; put all the stuff away, checked on my birdies, watered all my flowers, then started on dinner.
I also found a mini-chopper (non-electric processor) for chopping things like onions and mushrooms. I tried it for our dinner and it worked great! We had a pasta dish: corkscrew pasta with a tomato sauce with a little lean minced chuck, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini.
WOW -- PURPLE ~ thanks for posting your picture; you look quite trim and pretty in your outfit. It is so nice to be able to put a face with your name. I understand about your being shy; that's why my profile is of my face and not my body yet. I still have so far to go but my body does have some battle scars. I started a bit higher than you ladies and it shows.
But I am not giving up by any means; I know my body is fighting me a bit becuz I have already lost a fair amount, but I think it will slowly come off if I keep going and tweak things here and there. I feel this way about it ..."This isn't a temporary sprint, it's a marathon for life!""
If I had known this all before, I probably wouldn't have gotten into the predicament I was in. You know, I'm am pretty good at making and sticking to fairly healthy meals all the time. I have discovered some things about myself through this journey here that is important ~ 1) I am a muncher and 2) I need to get more regular daily exercise. These are the things that I need to work on.
So I was telling another thread that I am trying to do a short walk every morning just around here and 2-3 times a week, I am trying to do a longer walk as the opportunity comes (ie walking around the stores and walking around the loop at the cottage lot). I purposely walk around the outside to get in more walking while shopping and I don't notice my feet so much as I am distracted by my list. But I have to alternate days or my legs and feet hurt too much; eventually, I may be able to up that to 3-4 days.
For the munching ~ I am trying new kinds of fruits and buying more than I used to in the past like strawberries, black cherries, raspberries, pears, apples, oranges, and peaches, etc. I have found some sugar-free puddings that I like too made by JELLO. I am constantly on the look-out for low-cal, low-fat, sugar-free snacks.
HIYA VAL ~ glad that you popped back in; we missed you for a while there, and now you are off to a wedding. Hope you have a wonderful weekend! That's too funny about you skimming the thread for our mysterious 'vanishing visitor'.
Yes, I have surgers on both my machines; we switched and put the best one on this PC now, but if a storm is looming, we will now pull the power cords and the phone jack out as well. That last storm was one of the worst I've seen in my whole life; except for one we had last year that blew windows out of DH's shop. We had one pretty electrical storm that didn't do much damage, but lit up the skys all over the place. We've seen some really amazing stuff the last couple of years for sure.
DH and I have both been having trouble with 'CHARLIE HORSES' ... don't know what you call them, but they are muscle spasms. DH gets them in the back of his thighs and I usually get them in my calves, but tonight I got one in the back of my right thigh and do they smart for a few minutes. I wonder if our in-resident nurse PURPLE, would have any idea what causes them and how to prevent them.
Maybe this is just another surprise for us as we age, although I did get the ones in my calves in my teens. I sure hope they go away soon though. My DAD says that he felt like crap in his forties and early fifties, but after that, started to feel better again; I sure hope that's true for me too.
HI MEOWEE ~ Glad you made it through that storm OK without any big damage. My trees loved all the rain we got too; the ones on our lot are all growing really well.
WELL, I think that I've rambled on long enough; time to get ready for bed. Take good care, ladies ~ your friend ROSEBUD
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 07-23-2008 at 10:55 PM.
Wow you ladies have been busy posting whilst I was in bed Right to get on with the daily news and gossip Today feels like it is going to be another humid sticky day time for the air con unit again. Popped into our bedroom about an hour before we went to bed and it worked wonders in there did not take me long to fall off to sleep.
VALDINE :~ So lovely to hear from you and your news so far. Sorry to hear that your rough stint continued with your health. Glad you found out eventually that it was a urine infection. You must have had nearly asymptomatic ( posh medical word for no symptoms) urine infection you only had the severe abdominal pain. I know for us with MS they can really knock you for six and bring on a relapse. When I had my relapses just recently that is something that they asked me whether I had a urine infection. Wishing you a speedy recovery back to health.
on your years anniversary here at 3fc like yourself I wouldn't have had the success was it not for the support here at 3fc. I before had given up after a short period of time and also cheated constantly. I figured out this time the only person I was cheating was myself. So even if no one sees me eat it yes it does count on your calorie intake for this next year and more success.
ROSEBUD :~ Thanks for the kind comments about my photograph. ( I also had several wonderful comment from people last night at cards as well so I am on ) I have some battle scars also from losing the weight my inner thighs and upper arms ( and tummy is starting to show the same ) have saggy skin due to the amount of weight I was carrying. I understand that your scars as you say are marked due to the starting weight. Though now you are more healthier and more active that you where back then and that is more important I think. You will get there just that the marthon is not a race as you said. Slowly does it that what I say. You have had some great practice for maintenance as well so will be armed for that when your turn comes. Fortunately most of my scars can be covered up with clothing only DH sees the worst of it and he still loves me no matter what I have numerous scars on my body from eczema when it went bonkers and was scratching morning, noon and night like a dog with fleas. Fortunately they have gone silvery in colour so are not so visible. The biggest scar I have is on my left arm when stupidly last year I leaned over the kettle and i have reduced feeling in all my body so did not feel it till the damage was done. So I had burnt my arm 2 inches by 1 inch in size. Due to the depth of burn I have now been left with a scar there. I first I hated it and then I got to thinking well if my DH had go out and bare his arms ( he has been burn extensively on his arms and different areas of his body) and not be bothered I certainly have nothing to complain about.
I think Charlie horse as you describe Rosebud are one of two things. The first which I think is the more likely is called "cramp" which happens in especially in the calf and to people past their 40's normally. You can be prescribed quinine to help or you can drink soda water that has it in. Baked Potatoes, raisins, Lima beans, beets, avocados, apricots, bananas, milk, orange juice, canned tomato sauce (on a pizza), winter squash, prunes, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe have been known to reduce the amount of attacks due to the potassium in them. Vitamin E is also helpful to many people. I know they are painful as Dad had them. I get occasionally muscle spasms with having MS and they are so painful and the muscle hurts for days afterwards as though it is bruised. The second thing that I thought it maybe is something we know as "restless leg syndrome" You have pains in your legs and can not seem to keep them still as they gives the most amount of comfort. I wish that you DH finds some comfort soon and is pain free or has less attacks if it is something that will not go away.
PS I have just checked up on the INTERNET and what you call Charlie horses is the same as I call cramp. Same thing just a different name in another part of the world.
MEOWEE :~ A big hello and hope you are well
well I best get a move on I am going out for lunch shortly with my DH brother will be nice to catch up with him. Cheerio ladies till next time
HELLO CHICKIES ~ we had nice cool weather, cloudy with no rain for the day; perfect for going to the lot. If it is too hot, it's too hard on DH and not comfortable for me and NIKO either. We had a great day; and DH said the cool weather helped him a lot. He has the foundation about half done now; and we got a bit more grass cut as well.
We are making a laneway that goes from one end of the lot to the other; and then around to my Dad's place so that I have a nice large loop to walk when we are there. It looks a bit like a large track; of course, you have to have a vivid imagination like me. We had a great day and I got some reading in as well.
HEY PURPLE ~ isn't it wonderful to get those compliments. Yes, my DH is really good about my battle wounds as well; I just wish other people were the same, but I choose to ignore those who don't care about other people's feelings. I've learned a valuable lesson through this: THAT MY HEALTH MUST BE A PRIORITY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!
I have both restless leg syndrome and the muscle spasms (or cramps) as you call them. I will take note to try and get more potassium from my food to see if that helps.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY VALDINE ~ you have done really well over the last year. The pic in your Avatar really shows how different you look from when you started; doesn't seem like the same person really!
HI MEOWEE ~ yah, the memory lets us all down once we reach a certain age. DH gets upset about it, but I tell him that between us, we'll remember enuff to get by: LOL!
Well, I'm cutting it short tonight as I am really tired and my right ankle is giving me some grief right now (a rash where some skin got scaped off by my running shoes which I threw in the trash). If you believe in prayer, send some up for me, please and thanks, your friend ROSEBUD
Decided to make this my first stop this morning in the hopes I could actually get this posted. I know I typed up a post yesterday because it was about the Leg Cramps and RLS stuff -- just don't know what button I pushed that sent off to never-never-land instead of posting it.
So . . . I'll try again . . . to embarrass myself.
A little background -- by education and experience (before I retired) I am a mathematical nerd. I went to school for somewhat longer than most lawyers, to learn Actuarial Science so I could sound intelligent while making semi-educated guesses about stuff. Basically, this has made me mostly unwilling to accept anything that I cannot prove mathematically or scienctifically. Why am I telling you this, you may ask -- just so you'll realize how weird the content of the next paragraph makes me feel.
I, too have long suffered from really debilitating muscle cramps in my feet and legs especially after a little too much walking or other exercise (BTW, this is not unusual for a type II Diabetic). However for the past six months or so, I've had hardly any cramping because . . . drum roll please . . . I discovered soap. Put a bar of soap (ordinary, everyday face soap) under the bottom sheet on your bed, down near the foot, where you can reach out and touch it once in a while. It's absolutely amazing and the really embarrasing part is that I have no explanation for why it works; but it does -- actually you can search the internet for something along the lines of 'soap relieves muscle cramps and RLS' and you'll find lots of references. Hey -- what have you got to lose -- not like it costs anything to try it.
Anyway . . . back to the more concrete stuff . . . all the rain we've been having has done nothing to drive away the humidity, unfortunately. We have sunny today and more rain for the weekend but still no sign of the humidity levels going away.
Hope everybody has great stuff planned for the day . . . see you all soon . . . hope I can hit the right button this time . . .
today and it looks as though we have it for the next couple of days so best make the most of it.
It shows me how bright dogs are even the working ones knows the tricks of the trade. 
The trouble is we still love them dearly despite them switching off any ounce of common sense they were born with 
I do not need a huge amount but more the staples fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, milk and yoghurt's. So time for me to get ready to go and remember my shopping bags as well 
Rosebud my full name is Valdine :P I have been working on a 'long post' for this thread athome.. but I couldnt help and say. It's Valdine, not Valida.. but they both sound odd so Val works better in most situations. 
Thats was dads interpretation of a quiet job 
. Bye ladies and take care 
-- are looking so lush and green this morning, they are practically glowing. We really needed that rain and the best part is that our forest fire indicators are all sitting at very low now.
on your years anniversary here at 3fc 
constantly. I figured out this time the only person I was cheating was myself. So even if no one sees me eat it yes it does count on your calorie intake 
for this next year and more success.
) I have some battle scars also from losing the weight my inner thighs and upper arms ( and tummy is starting to show the same ) have saggy skin due to the amount of weight I was carrying. I understand that your scars as you say are marked due to the starting weight. Though now you are more healthier and more active that you where back then and that is more important I think. You will get there just that the marthon is not a race as you said. Slowly does it that what I say. You have had some great practice for maintenance as well so will be armed for that when your turn comes. Fortunately most of my scars can be covered up with clothing only DH sees the worst of it and he still loves me no matter what 
I went to school for somewhat longer than most lawyers, to learn Actuarial Science so I could sound intelligent while making semi-educated guesses about stuff. Basically, this has made me mostly unwilling to accept anything that I cannot prove mathematically or scienctifically. Why am I telling you this, you may ask -- just so you'll realize how weird the content of the next paragraph makes me feel. 
