[Jello]

How do you guys do it!?! How do you find time to post here so often!?!? I read about all the things you're doing and how full your lives are and all I can think is either you never sleep or you type really really fast.

I'm just checking in quick. Have to get that home computer up and running again. It's too tough to catch up on Mondays. I'm here alone on the phones again so no bathroom breaks or lunch for me today unless I sneak out and hope it doesn't ring. Good news is my boss had to leave for the day so I can spend a little time doing important things like this.

Off the topic of weight loss, I have to ask a personal question of you guys. Feel free to answer or not if you choose. Do any of you have really really bad periods? Mine are bad and seem to be getting worse. It came on Saturday morning and by the end of Saturday I'd downed almost an entire bottle of Pamprin plus a couple Midol and Excedrins. The cramps were horrible combined with back ache, headache, nausea, etc. I used to feel pretty bad on the first day of my period but I also felt lousy all day Sunday and am still achy and nauseaus today. I won't go into really gorey details but I think I should buy stock in the tampax company one week of each month. It's ridiculous!

Last time I was at my gyn. I told him about it but he said there wasn't much I could do about it. But that was before it started getting so bad. I hate spending an entire weekend curled up in a little ball. I guess I got spoiled when I used to take birth control pills but that was over 10 years ago. I wanna be spoiled again!!!

OK, I'll change the subject. At least I didn't spend the weekend eating like I usually do. Unfortunately, I didn't get in any exercise either. I did go to a picnic on Saturday but it was just as well that I didn't take a bathing suit. I really just felt too bad to do much of anything.

Oops. Sorry. Promised to change the subject. How about this? Hello to all you guys! Welcome to Brighterdays. Thanks again to all of you who offered advice and support. I'm shaking off this funk and daydreaming of a nice crisp blouse TUCKED INTO smaller size jeans...

I love coming in here!

[Tiffany123]

Jello. I just have no life. That is why I post here so often. LOL...

I'm still laughing about the "caveman" diet. I'm thinking I would like this. Eat a big ole chunk of animal flesh and drag my boyfriend around by his hair.

Well. It is MONDAY. This is the beginning of a new week. Another chance to have a great week. Last week wasn't too hot for me. Ever since vacation, I have been 1/2 way doing this. Getting lazy and I know from experience that for me, that is the beginning of the end. So, strict rules for me. Back to logging in all foods and getting in that exercise.

Stripped wallpaper from the basement walls last night. It was straight from the 70's and I am not in a big hurry to fix it up, since the kids use it for Barbie Land. My goal is to turn it into a rec room type thing when the girls are a little older. Then I will worry about paint and paper.

Jo, to anser your question...my periods are getting worse and worse. As a matter of fact, I am pretty much wearing a pad all the time, cause it never seems to completely stop.

I am seriously thinking about going on the pill to try to regulate things, but I worry about the weight gain that I had in the past while on the pill. (ever vain)

Tig, good for you with that exercise. You are really getting me motivated. I want to be able to post my successes here too instead of just cheering everyone else on.

As a matter of fact, I am off to the store to get some more chicken and baked chips and fat free snacks. I have been slacking about keeping healthy foods in the house, and that causes me to grab something unhealthy, like Chili Cheese Corn Chips or pizza that I ordered for the kids, cause I was too lazy to cook.

I am also getting out all my fat free cookbooks and low fat recipes and I will see what I can come up with. So, as an added service to my friends..I will be periodically adding a recipe that we can use in our busy lives.

Taco Salad Shell

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof glass bowl upside down on a baking sheet and lightly spray with non-fat cooking spray.

Take a large fat free flour tortilla and quickly dip it in water then spray it lightly with non fat spray. Drape it over the bowl and bake in a preheated oven for 5 minutes, until lightly browned and firm.

Carefully lift tortilla off bowl; turn shell rightside up and place on the baking sheet. Return to oven and bake until crisp about 2-3 minutes. Cool to room temperature and fill with favorite salad. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Calories: 165
Fat: 0 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Weight Watcher Points: 3


Enjoy!
Talk to you later!
Tiff

[Cafe976]

That sounds miserable, jo! I was actually like that for about a morning's worth this time around - but is unusual for me.

From a holistic standpoint there are certain herbs that can help - you may be able to buy raspberry leaf tea in the health food section of your grocery store. That's raspberry LEAF not raspberry flavored. That's just one I can think of off the top of my head, but there are others... If you have a local health food coop with a nice section of herbs, etc. usually they have at least one person on staff who knows their stuff. Can be a good resource for you.

Several essential oils are anti-spasmodic and help regulate the menses - I like Clary Sage for this! I'll simply put 3 drops on my palm with some lotion or oil and rub it on my belly and/or back. For essential oils, it doesn't take much 3 drops is considered a treatment. Often an extra drop falls out of the bottle - don't worry about it but don't overdo it because more is not necessarily better.

An idea you might think about if your cycles continue to be extreme like that is Chinese medicine! Their system is totally different than ours and works, albeit in a way that seems wacky to us westerners. It's got a few thousand years more history behind it than ours, and is pretty finely tuned.

I say this because when I have crampy things, HEAT works for me in a big way. (and naproxyn! I love that stuff!) This is a very chinese thing, but also instinctive. Heating pad on my back for an hour or so in front of the computer works wonders. And while you can't walk around with that, you can eat more garlic, warm cooked food and spices - and less ice cream and salads and cold things - to generate more internal heat around that time. Now, your symptoms might not come from the same "imbalance" but if heat seems to work for you, work it.

I'm glad you're feeling better!


Edited to say that taco salad shell sounds AWESOME!

[Tigerlily]

Hello!
I'm with Tiff, no life! Since I stay at home with the hellions, I can check in several times a day for a few minutes at a time. Sometimes I have to fight the kids off the pc with a stick!
Jo, I've always thought my TOM was bad. Assumed maybe it was heavy 'cause I'm such a strapping gal. Even w/o extra weight, I'm tall and big boned. Same for me w/the pill...made it a lot better. I may be trying the tea Cafe mentioned myself.
I've been hanging new do-dads on the walls today. I went to a place called Toto, like Toto in Oz. Deals Galore. Having new things for the house is as fun as new clothes for me.
I'm so glad I got up and exercised this morning. I sure hope I can remember this feeling tomorrow, and the next day...
Hey, it might rain in my little corner of the world today. Woo-who! I saw a grass fire yesterday, some dope probably threw a cigarette out their car window.
Off to finish painting a wooden fish hooky thing.

[huntress]

Gosh, I feel like such a cow I had 2 skinny cow ice cream sandwiches this afternoon. Thank goodness they only have 130 cals and 2 fat grams each. Must be all the craziness today! I'm stressed over my wireless bill, they have totally screwed up my account and sent me a bill for over $600 that should have been around $150. I have spent all day on the phone with customer service, finally gave up on that since they are the ones that screwed it up in the first place, and went to have a face-to-face with the manager at the store where I got my phone.

Wow this has been a crazy month!

Darn, gotta go..........catch you all later.

LJ

[huntress]

caveman diet - I have heard it called many different things, that was just the one I could remember at the time. Just couldn't do it, besides I'm pretty sure it's illegal to shoot at wild game inside the city limits.

LJ

[Tiffany123]

OMG, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little guy.

*Giggle, Snort*

[Cafe976]

Tiffany! LMAO! Why does your little banana remind me of Richard Simmons?

Yeah, no life. Sitting at work - checking in a few times a day is easy.

[Tigerlily]

Tiff, I thought of you when I saw the little dude.

I think I'm gonna avoid the kitchen this evening and pick up a couple frozen pizzas while I'm out play'n mom's taxi. I'll go easy and only eat 2 pieces. It isn't so much the pizza that I want, it's the NOT COOKING that I want.

Ya know, I've said I was feel'n good about getting my exercise in this morning....but on top of it, I've had a very productive day. I wonder if it's related?! Bet it is.

[huntress]

HEY! I LIKE HIM TOO! I wanna play.........

LJ

[Tiffany123]

That reminds me:

Why did the banana go out with the prune?
Because he couldn't find a date.

Hardee Har Har

[Jello]

Look at all these bananas...

Get the blender!!!!

So today I'm finally feeling better. Had a horrible day yesterday unable to leave my desk long enough to go to the bathroom during my TOM. Yuck. This is inhumane and MUST change.

Sorry to start my post with that stuff. I shall stop now. I've been behaving myself but not doing really well. That is, I've cut back on the eating but am still not exercising or drinking all my water, etc. But the scale was a bit kinder this morning now that PMS is past and I'm not still retaining more water than the Hoover Dam. I'm going back to the gym tonight and plan to get in a good workout. Haven't been since last Thursday so I need to jump back in. Still haven't checked out the weight loss program my gym has but maybe I can get some info. tonight.

On the home front, with every trash day that rolls around, I feel a little better. I start carrying stuff to the curb and only stop when there's not room for more. I've also been filling up the kitchen cabinets we've finally got up on the walls so the piles and boxes of "stuff" are clearing out. Actually finding room to walk now. Found some plans for building a china hutch and it was really cute so I ordered the plans. Once they come, it'll be a matter of buying the wood and other stuff and actually building the thing. Uh, oh. Jo with power tools! Better get 911 into speed dial and learn how to dial it with my nose in case I have no other digits left.

Have to get to work now. Today's one of my early days - 8 to 4:30 instead of 8:30 to 5 - so I can get to the gym. So I guess I'd better be doing actual work when the boss rolls in.

BTW, Cafe, thanks for the info. I didn't like the idea of downing that entire bottle of Pamprin and would prefer the holistic and/or herbal approach. You seem to know a lot about that stuff. I have to find a store in this area for that.

Huntress, gotta love those skinny cows! I like the coffee ones myself. But plain ol' vanilla runs a close second.

Tiff, the weight thing is one of the reasons I wanted to get off the pill in the first place. Yes, ever vain. Me too.

Now....

Give Me All Your Bananas!!!!!!!!!! Bwahahahahahaha!!!!

[Tiffany123]

Oh boy. Jo with the power tools. Now I know I will be having nightmares. Dialing with your nose sounds like a great plan though!!!

Well, my crisis has passed. I was only able to eat about 960 calories yesterday. YES, I know that isn't good. My range is 1450-1700 and I have been probably anywhere from 2500-3500 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday wasn't so bad, and yesterday when I woke up, I could feel that full feeling that comes right after that "can't eat enough food" phase. So, now I should be on track again for a few weeks. I hope. So, anyway, I tried to eat some breakfast yesterday and felt like I would get sick if I ate...so I waited for lunch. I had a Flame Broiled Garden Burger on my light bread and some baked Sour Cream and Cheddar chips. I was really full...and about 7 p.m realized that I needed to eat again. So, I had the same thing again for dinner. I did have an apple and some fat-free caramel dip in the afternoon.

I also got to the grocery store and stocked up on Lean Cuisines, baked chips, fruits and veggies, light bread, fat-free lunch meats, fat-free hot dogs, vegetarian chili and fat free crackers, Kashi cereal, and the best little orange jello cups with mandarin oranges in them. 70 calories a cup, 0 fat, and it's a pretty good size cup.

Did not get my Skinny Cows though. They are like $4.50 for a package of 6. Haven't seen the coffee flavored. They do have Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla and Mint at my store. But they are great when you need "something".

Well, I think I will have an egg beater omelet this morning with some fat-free ham in it and some veggies.

Maybe I will try a menu today, and see if I can follow it. That might help ensure I get in my calories. (although I would be lying if I said I didn't like the fact that I ate less than 1000 calories.) I know I can't do that every day, but after my food fest...maybe it didn't hurt too much.

Which brings me to the question of the day....

Does it hurt to fast? Does fasting do any good? I mean, like one day a week or one day a month. I'm only asking out of curiosity. Like I could spend a whole day not eating. DREAM ON!!!


Well, Jo, glad to hear your back on track. Me too, and I feel good again. So, glad I didn't give up.

I think I may walk this morning. Woah, watch out. **** is freezing over.
Tiff

[Cafe976]

Cafe here, still on plan and liking it.

Left achilles has been inflamed so I'm wearing open-back shoes. No gym today :-\ More stretching needed, I think. I have more productive days when I go to the gym, too! And I feel GREAT all day. Going tomorrow is a necessity!

I think I had too much coffee this morning, I'm all jumpy, LOL. Don't drop any books behind me.

Guys, I went to school for massage therapy and holistic healing so don't think I'm a nut I've just dabbled in all of it and have a retentive memory. LMK if you don't want to hear it and I'll drop the rhetoric - but I do like to give people information that may help them. I'm not out to plug anything, I just don't think people realize how easy it can be to boost your well-being a little bit in this way. Western medicine is great but some problems tend to be too small for it - like bad menses.

I think there is a place for fasting for detoxification purposes, I just think it's really hard to do and risks lowering your metabolic rate. If you feel like you need to, do it. Be sure to drink a ton of water and maybe allow fruit for energy.

Or, why not try for a day or two of squeaky-clean eating instead? Eliminate alcohol, caffiene, chemicals like artificial sweetners, processed foods (esp. flour and sugar), trans fats and dairy products. Eat as much fruit, veggies and whole grains as you can stomach with a meal or two containing some lean protein that also isn't raised with hormones (like ocean fish or organic free-range chicken). During this time you can add fresh lemons to (lots of) water to encourage your liver to process and flush out toxins or perhaps drink an herbal de-tox tea.

Another, different idea is to eliminate a tricky food type from your diet for a while. Staying away from refined flours, sugars or dairy products is a huge challenge, but if you give it a shot for a week or so or even a month, when you add it back you will probably consume less and may realize that this is or is not a "downer" food for you. If you don't notice a difference - that's good. You still gave your body a little break. If your sinuses empty when you're off dairy and fill back up again immediately...... well...

Or you could just try to make better decisions every day and still stick with a plan. I personally need a lot of crutch foods right now that aren't good for me but don't break my diet. Let's face it, the first few days I think I was all about crutch foods just because that was where I was at mentally with making a tough change. When you feel strong - eat veggies and fruits as snacks. When you're not as strong, a glass of crystal lite and some kind of snack can help you stay on track with your goal.

[Tiffany123]

Cafe, GREAT idea about the sqeaky clean eating for the day. I would love to do the "caveman diet" for a day and simply eat all natural. I know I eat too much processed foods. Plus, I think one day a week would be a great way to start. Or...even doing vegetarian for one day a week. That would be a great introduction to a new style of eating. I will be honest and say, I couldn't do a vegan diet for any length of time, but one day a week might be the ticket. We could adapt that to any number of things...one day a week we could drink nothing but water. The possibilities are endless.

And I hope I speak for the rest of us when I say, bring it on with the holistic information. I LOVE it.

Ok, no one in the entire world should be as motivated as I am today. Woo Hoo!!!

I haven't walked for almost 2 weeks, but I went a little while ago. I decided to just walk a mile today and get myself slowly back into it. (good plan too, cause my skin was just itching like crazy from the increased blood) ANYWAY, as I was walking along the trail that I walk...I discovered blackberry bushes. Can you imagine my excitement? I was just in the store yesterday looking at a tiny container of them and couldn't believe how expensive they were. I guess this was God's way of saying, if you take care of yourself better, I will throw a little reward your way once in a while. (Well, that's what I imagine him saying. Like he REALLY cares whether I walk a mile! )

So, that started my day out nicely. Plus, I forgot to mention last night. My boyfriend's ex-wife is a witch with a capital B. The first time she ever saw me, she told her boyfriend and the kids, "God, he picked a fat one this time!" (never mind that she outweighed me by a good 40 pounds)

Anyway, I had to take the kids and drop them off at her house yesterday cause my boyfriend was at work. I pulled up just as she came out and OH MY GOD. That woman has packed it on. She has very delicate wrists and from the knee down, she has very thin legs, she carrys all her weight in the middle, but always wears tight leggings and big sweatshirts. Today she had on one that wasn't so big and I was stunned. (pleased, but stunned)

All the messages that she leaves on my boyfriend's cell phone talking about his "fat girlfriend" really ate away at me. I was dying inside. I hate people making fun of me. (well, does anyone actually really like it?)

So, I sat in the van, secretly dancing up and down on the seat hollering "Yippeeee!" And my motivation tripled in that one little moment.

I remembered that I have several things coming up next year that mean a lot to me and I want to be thin for them. Or at least thinner.

1. My father is hosting our family reunion in Gulf Shores next June. Everyone is there and we stay in a condo on the beach and who wants to look like the blob when you are on a beach?

2. I had my 10 year reunion a few years ago...and we all had so much fun that we decided to not wait for the 20 year. So, we are getting together next year for a 15 year. I was fat at my 10 year and I want to be thin for the 15 year. There were some HOTTIES there. LOL...PLUS, I swear to God, I went there and me and my girlfriend were the only two females who gained weight. If anything, all the girls were thinner than high school. (maybe that was my perception, but I swear it was true.)

3. Well, I can only think of two right now, but that is enough.

Ok, off to fix lunch. I am craving chicken with whole wheat rice and salsa. I mix it all together and it kind of tastes like Spanish Rice with chicken in it. Super Filling.

LaLaLaLaLa....
Happy Day, Happy Day,
Tiffany