Hi. I'm back from one long weekend trip, and at work for 3 days before I have another 4 day weekend. THis one is a Quilt Camp which will be lots more fun than last week's which was a statewide chuch assembly meeting. Not that it wasn't good - it was - just not truly a vacation, more a different kind of work.
I'm reading, but not much time for more. Trying to squeeze 5 days of work in 3, two weeks in a row is exhausting.
I'm far behind the times on this thread... it's been (and will continue to be) a busy week for me. Busy is actually quite an understatement.
My upcoming birthday and PMS are NOT helping me through the stress of a busy week! I feel super bloated even though I ate OP so far today. Last night a few of my friends surprised me and showed up at my door w/ a birthday cake for me! You can't gracefully bow out of eating a slice... so I enjoyed it and will have to get some extra time in at the gym this weekend when things are a little calmer in my life. Only problem is I have half of a very tasty cake still sitting in my kitchen! I'd take it to work but I take the bus and I'm already usually loaded down with a ton of stuff.... I don't know how I'd carry it!
I went to a big birthday party this weekend. Much Food ! I didn't indulge too bad but did eat two pieces of cake! Why would I do such a dumb thing ? Fortunately I went home and left the cake there, so no permanent damage is done. The scale did move up a little but I find if I don't keep on eating those calorie laden foods I soon go back to my desired weight. The biggest problem is that eating sweets might bring on a binge, something I have to be alert for.
I made it to the park after work today and did 6.25 miles. When I got home I discovered DH in the garage on the treadmill - second day in a row he's exercised. Proud of us today!
I've stopped by to read a couple of times, but just haven't been able to post the past few days. Obviously, this week has been tragic and sad beyond belief. The adult kids, DH, and I went to Ryan's apartment and packed his things on Saturday. It was so hard. Addison and Makenna (7 yr old twins) wanted to keep couple of his hats, a couple shirts that still smell of his cologne, his pillows, and a big soft blanket that was his favorite. The other children, Ryan's best friend Holly, and I each chose a few things that were special to us. The girls went back to school Monday and today and managed to get through the days. Tomorrow morning is the memorial. It's going to be huge - and we hope to make it a real celebration of Ryan's life - there will be a lot of funny stories - he was a very funny young man. Ten tomorrow afternoon or evening we may go spread his ashes in the ocean. That, I think, will be the hardest of all. I just can't believe my "baby" is gone.
In response to some comments about depression, I've dealt with anxiety and depression too, so have many people in the family. Finding the right medication, if needed, can be challenging, but it's important if it gets bad to find something that works and stick to it. I also think Rabbit's suggestions are fabulous - it's hard and feels funny to do stuff like that, but it helps.
I'm sorry I can't respond to everyone else right now, but I am reading, and thinking of you all. Take Care!
Shanna, thanks for checking in and letting us know how you're doing. We've all been thinking about you and your family at this difficult time.
Bargoo, I'm exactly the same about sweets and kick myself every time I give in. Not only do I feel lousy for going off-plan, I feel physically crappy. And it's always a struggle to get back on track. Wish I didn't have to keep learning that lesson over and over again!
Shannon, finding pants that fit just right is the worst! I have the same phenomenon of trying them on in the store, thinking they look great, then I hem them and think -- huh? What was I thinking? My problem is that waists are usually about two inches too big and they start to slide down over my hips, so I'm forever yanking up my pants. And these are 4s so I don't have an option to size down in a lot of brands. I need to take some time this weekend and try to alter the waists on a bunch of my pants. Or I could just gain weight?
Shane and Kim, so good to see you both again!!
Today is going to be insanely busy and I didn't get much sleep last night, so it's is my typical recipe for eating disaster. Got to be super vigilant about eating choices!
Shanna, thanks for checking in. It sounds like the memorial will be really special.
Pat, welcome back!
Iris, happy early birthday!
Shannon, great job on the workouts for you and DH!
Meg - I've found that often the "curvy" cuts have a smaller waist. I usually buy them because I have more of an hourglass figure, so a lot of times if I buy pants to fit my butt/hips the waist is way too big. With the curvy cuts it's not so much of a problem. Or, you could always invest in some cute belts!
OP again yesterday for me! I picked back up NRLW and did my first workout yesterday. It's been almost two months since my last lifting workout, and my legs are SORE today. Ouch! Weight was up a little this morning but I'm attributing it to the sore muscles, since I know for a fact my calories were in control yesterday.
Rabbit - I've done the 'three good things' each day thing before, and it worked really well.
Pat - welcome back! You are a busy woman this month!
Iris - happy almost your birthday!
Bargoo - I tend to slip back down pretty quickly to where I want to be when I stop the high calorie foods, and have also found that excess sugar causes me to overeat. I'm not good at identifying the signs yet, I usually don't realize what happened until after I've eaten way too much of something and feel terrible... I can always look back and see what triggered it. Now I just need to stop pulling the trigger to begin with...
Meg - I'd say alter the pants over gaining the weight! Or, the cute belt idea is good, too!
Jessica - good job on the OP yesterday! And, on the NRLW workout!
I'm having a much better pants day today than yesterday. I'm down another pound of the water weight, so only one to go... I could tell I had too much sodium in my system after my run yesterday - I actually had patches of fine, dried salt on several parts of my face when I got home. I have been active outside in the heat before, and have never had that happen. I really didn't feel like I was overly exerting myself yesterday, and wasn't all that sweaty. It was kind of weird. I feel great today, though - I was beginning to forget how much I enjoyed the running.
Good day everyone!
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 05-11-2009 at 09:42 PM.
I hope things improve after the course is over. I don't know that I can continue to live with someone who is so negative all the time. It's contagious.
I know that I can only change myself. I have to find the energy to do that somewhere. I appreciate all the support I get at 3FC but it's not quite the same as having someone to talk to face to face or on the phone.
Dagmar
I have a similar situation at home. A few years ago, after several very long talks, my dh started antidepressant meds and it has helped him and us. He still holes up into himself when depressed or anxious and I recently had another discussion with him about it. I know he is trying so I really cannot look for too much more.
But, Dagmar, YES, it can be contagious and it is nice to remember his issues are not my issues. Are there local friends you can have a coffee or a girl playdate with?
Shanna, I have been following the maintainers chat and I want you to know, some of my prayers for you and your family are going up.
Last edited by kittycat40; 04-29-2009 at 10:52 AM.
Shanna~continued well wishes for you and your family at this most difficult time.
Two days of my diet "experiment" seems to be working and the extra benefit is that I'm sleeping better.
Happy Birthday, Iris!!
Nothing much else to add. I brought my new cookbook to work with me to plan meals for this weekend and next week. I miss cooking, so this experiment won't last past the next couple of days. But the book is Cooking Light so I'll be okay with it (the book is Fresh Food Fast).
Shanna,
Thank you for checking in. I am continuing to pray for you and your family. My heart goes out to you all.
Shannon-- that is so weird about seeing salt on your face! You must have really overdone the sodium!!!!!
I am probably going to overdo the sodium today.... dh leaves tomorrow to drive to Spokane to get dd from college. He was talking about all of us celebrating Cinco de Mayo next week at a mexican restaurant and I persuaded him against it. We are really trying to help dd make some good choices in the one month she has home before going away to work the rest of the summer. So, we are going to grill at home for Cinco de Mayo, but dh, other dd, and I are going to go out tonight for Mexican. I already know I will get chicken tortilla soup and a dinner salad with salsa for my dressing, but I know that is laden with sodium. My scale is up this week for no apparent reason, but I know I am eating right, exercising, and my clothes are still falling off so I really don't want to go any lower.
I decided to take Friday off and I feel so much less anxious already about my school work and projects due this week and next. I hope I can have a very productive day! It is very hard for me to take a day off as I am a librarian and the district won't pay for a sub, therefore the library is closed if I am not here. But, I rearranged my classes and they had one day due to me that I would lose if I didn't take it, so I will try not to feel guilty!
I was poking through an old online journal of mine and I found an entry that I think would be appropriate to share. It's sort of like a Dear John letter, but to my scale, so it's called Dear Scale instead.
Dear Scale,
Sometimes, I wish I could take you, break you, then make you say what I want you to say. How can I possibly fluctuate eight pounds in one day? You can never get your story straight, can you? You tell me one thing then show me another, and frankly, I'm very unhappy with you. I don't know how I can continue our relationship without trust and I'm quite positive that I no longer love you.
We're not right for each other, and the fluttery feeling you once elicited from the pit of my stomach is no longer present. It may just be me and not you, but I'm going to blame you anyway. We should break up.
-Aidyn
-------------------------
Have any of you ever had a moment where something just *clicked* and the thoughts you had afterward were so liberating and beautiful? I had one last night: I was eating an apple with peanut butter and got the inclination to start eating the peanut butter straight out of the jar. Then, I thought, "Wait... what will this really do for me? I might enjoy eating it, but after that, I'll be beating myself up for doing it, guilt tripping myself all night long, feeling the effects in my gut most of the night and probably in the morning, too, knocking my whole system out of whack, feeling like I need to eat ABSOLUTELY NOTHING tomorrow to compensate for my grave mistake, and I'll be, as the old saying goes, taking two steps forward and three steps back. Seriously, what is the POINT?!"
I didn't touch that jar of peanut butter. And I went to bed happy.
Shanna - here is a big for you. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, you're in my prayers To echo what the others said, I wish that you and your family will be blessed with strength and hope during this time.
Dagmar - negative energy is VERY contageous and it is quite difficult to not let it get to you when you're immersed in it. Does your DH have any inclination to change? Maybe he could use a therapist or antidepressants? Antidepressants aren't just for the depressed person, either; they're also a big aid in helping othersdeal with depressed people
Has he always been negative, or is this just a recent behavioral change?
Michele - there's always the THIRTY year high school reunion where you can show 'em how FIT and THIN you've become! And just imagine... the rest of your graduating class will be looking even worse by that point. I hope your head feels better today!
Megan - I read last week's thread and you go, strong lady you! How did you place? Our lifting stats are pretty similar: I can bench 125 (I benched 130 at my strongest but I've been slackin' -- 130 was impressive when I was 125, but now I'm 135 and still can only bench 125, sometimes not even), and deadlift 205. My most impressive is squatting, though, being 325 I did that for my parents and my mother just about had a heart attack.
I considered entering a powerlifting competition but thought I probably wouldn't be that impressive since, well, I'd be competing against people who had been doing it for YEARS and were a lot bigger than me.
Shannon - @ your husband not wanting to become a stereotype... hey... whatever gets him motivated is awesome, right?! The two of you can support each other in staying fit
Re: the pants... finding pants that fit is an art. And like Meg said, for some reason, everything seems to look good when you try it on in the fitting room! I believe the mirrors are angled and distorted as an evil ploy created by department stores to coax you into buying their products (Just kidding, but it is a fun mystery.)
Rabbit - yup, 200 calories less a day for a year could undo it, but who wants to bother moving at such a SLOW pace? Isn't it funny... the weight will creep up on us, yet once we realize what has happened, we suddenly want it off NOW? I'm trying to create a 1,000 calorie deficit every day (as long as I don't go under 1,200) in hopes to get most of these stupid pounds off in a month. YUP, I'm impatient! Plus, I have a vacation I'm going on in June and I don't just want to rock the bikini without shame like I did recently (I mean, yeah, I'm bigger than I want to be BUT I still look better than 75% of the people on the beach ), but rock it with PRIDE for my CHISELED @$$ SELF! hah!
I know you can get those pounds off, too. If you did it once, you can do it again, and this time, you know EXACTLY what you need to do to keep it off and not re-gain
Meg - oh man, sleep deprivation gets me every time, too! When I'm tired, I'm hungrier. If I'm excessively tired, I go into "I don't give a crap!" mode and tend to binge in my delerious state. Plus, I think our bodies just go into "binge mode" once we go off plan and it's hard to break that cycle when we're constantly craving off plan goodies. I'll cross my fingers for your staying on plan today despite exhaustion!
Morning. Today is my Friday this week, so it's looking busy. Plus I have to go to the dentist at 11 and get a permanent crown put on. The temporary one is so comfortable, I hope the permanent one is too.
Shanna - thanks for checking in. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
My DH also has some depression issues. He suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) for which he takes medication and uses a light. But he also tends to be obsessive when he tapers off the meds (mostly in the summer) and I have to remind him he needs to not go too low. He truly doesn't recognize this in himself until it gets really bad, whereas I see it much earlier. The other fun thing is he'll see someone being a real jerk and tells me "you'll let me know if I ever act like that, right?" Um, sure honey - just not when you're actually doing it unless I feel like having my head taken off.
Michele - good idea to take a day off, you'll feel much better about things. Interesting that the school won't give you a sub. Our school librarians at least get an aide to keep the library open for the day. I share one of my PT employees with a HS library aide. She's great, and I'm hoping that she'll apply the next time I have a FT job open.
Shane - good job on putting the PB away. It's one of my big triggers too.
Okay gotta run. to everyone! It's a gorgeous sunny day here - and I'd love to be outside.
I'm back from one long weekend trip, and at work for 3 days before I have another 4 day weekend. THis one is a Quilt Camp which will be lots more fun than last week's which was a statewide chuch assembly meeting. Not that it wasn't good - it was - just not truly a vacation, more a different kind of work. 
And these are 4s so I don't have an option to size down in a lot of brands. I need to take some time this weekend and try to alter the waists on a bunch of my pants. Or I could just gain weight? 
It sounds like the memorial will be really special.
I'm down another pound of the water weight, so only one to go... I could tell I had too much sodium in my system after my run yesterday - I actually had patches of fine, dried salt on several parts of my face when I got home. I have been active outside in the heat before, and have never had that happen. I really didn't feel like I was overly exerting myself yesterday, and wasn't all that sweaty. It was kind of weird. I feel great today, though - I was beginning to forget how much I enjoyed the running.
To echo what the others said, I wish that you and your family will be blessed with strength and hope during this time.
@ your husband not wanting to become a stereotype... hey... whatever gets him motivated is awesome, right?! The two of you can support each other in staying fit 
(Just kidding, but it is a fun mystery.)