Becky - I hope you hear today. We are on tenterhooks.

Tuesday

Sleep. Working on it but 6.75 hours is not enough. Had to get up in the night but that's unusual so I think tonight will be better.

W. No change

E. Nil. Ridiculously busy and non-negotiable day.

F. I got very cold in the am (need warmer trousers), made a poor choice at lunch and didn't regain my equilibrium. Tea but no supper: good.

Other. Despite using this format, I'm going to carry on posting here for a bit rather than the accountability thread. I'm not looking for accountability at this point, just the odd comment.

Becky, I am hoping for the best for you, and thanks for the compliment on my being a writer. It is how I make my living, but it's also how I make sense of the world. If I try to put into words what I am experiencing and feeling, it helps me. I describe things; I tell myself stories. To preserve my sanity: If I am writing a story, it has a sensible narrative arc, anything introduced in the beginning becomes handy at some point before the end, efforts are rewarded, and the ending can be happy.

I'm back in this thread though I'm not sure I belong here, as I know I've lost weight over the past week. (Though not in a desirable way. Be careful of what you ask for, as you just might get it.) I can see it in the mirror, and someone at my apartment building remarked on it.

One of my goals is to get a new scale, since mine drowned. My mother is content to coexist with a cantankerous scale, the kind that can't be trusted to tell the truth as it will give you three different readings if you step on it three times. My mother's not fixated on a number as a description of herself & a marker of her identity. (She's also really obese, and unhappy about it.) But I want to get that number every Friday morning, as I have for a couple years now. I need my paper graded. I need to confirm whether what I do is working or not. So I'm planning to head out to Target or Bed Bath & Beyond this weekend to pick up a new scale.

Hi all!

Well after a summer of too many ice creams & dinners out, I find myself up about 10lbs since May despite my rigorous exercise routine. I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in months and did not like the number that I saw. But instead of dwelling on it, I'm here, hoping that the scale will keep me accountable and on my way back down to my happy weight. Lately I've been struggling with night time eating, and closing down the kitchen. Since I run about 40 miles a week my stomach seems to be always hungry, but I think it's my brain over my actual stomach.... I'm going to start counting calories again to gauge calories in vs. calories out.

I'm not necessarily happy to be back at this point, but I know this forum has helped me out incredibly in the past, so I hope to immerse myself again and get these pesky pounds off! Thanks for reading! :)

The beauty of this thread is that it can be whatever kind of thread you need it to be whenever you need it to be it. (I'm not as good of a writer as Saef!)

Welcome, LB!!

I'll post more later!

:welcome3:, LB!

Originally Posted by midwife:
I'll post more later!

Please do, midwife!

I'll be back around my bedtime.

Becky - fingers still crossed here.

Saef - I find the scales are a useful tool for collecting information. I've started to post my daily fluctuations here just to show how they are normal and almost boring if you look at them objectively.

Short note - I passed one of the final milestones, and am at "approved to make offer"! I also will be back later. My boss is on vacation. I am fantasizing about texting "Duuuuude, I quit" to his Blackberry. I won't, but it sure is fun to think about! :evil:

Becky - sending that text to your boss would be fantastic. :)

Originally Posted by ICUwishing:
Short note - I passed one of the final milestones, and am at "approved to make offer"! I also will be back later. My boss is on vacation. I am fantasizing about texting "Duuuuude, I quit" to his Blackberry. I won't, but it sure is fun to think about! :evil:

I like your saucy attitude! Hope you'll be able to fantasize that as you're submitting your resignation!

Oh my gosh, I have just caught up with Saef's story over the last weeks and you have my greatest sympathy. I was staying with my mom in the midwest, and every time I saw the Irene reports on the news, couldn't help thinking what if it happened to my place? (Didn't help that I was 12 time zones away from my apartment, though excess water is not often a problem in Abu Dhabi, there were several violent thunderstorm/windstorms this summer and I wasn't sure what to expect when I came home. Fortunately nothing broken, only a quarter inch of sand piled up like a snowdrift in the vicinity of every window and door, and no roof leaks.)

Clippy, the doc said I had peroneal tendinitis, which is not as common apparently as achilles or plantar fasciitis, at least as far as I can find info on it. Since March I have had pain on and off on the outside of my right foot, between my small toe and ankle, and sometimes extending under the arch. I couldn't pin down the cause since my exercise routine stays pretty much the same, although I played with a C25k program (very slowly) it did not seem linked to running at all. It seemed more connected with shoes -- I quickly found the old flipflops I pulled out for spring were a bad idea.

I had intended to be in the US only for a month this summer, but my mom got a Lyme infection and was down and out for two weeks, so I extended my stay another month. And since the pain was still there although I had tried to cut back on weight-bearing exercises, but it was the fact that my last two toes and part of my foot were numb(!) that made me ask my mom's GP for a referral. He sent me to a physio doctor who said it was peroneal tendonitis, possibly linked to a general weakness/imbalance on that side of my body. It seemed to make sense since I had a history of ankle sprains on that side, and also what my family calls "sciatica" -- shooting pains in the upper buttock- back area. Also a bit of scoliosis which makes my right shoulder a bit lower than my left. He sent me to a physical therapist, but since I only had two weeks left by then, we squeezed in 4 sessions in a hurry.

I had never been to a PT before and didn't know what to expect. He didn't actually give me any exercises for my foot except for general leg stretching, and instead gave me leg and pelvis exercises, because he said the problem was instabililty in my hips. The exercises seem to be designed to strengthen the adductors in my right hip (to reduce excessive mobility there) and the abductors in my left hip. He gave me an arch wedge for my right shoe but took it away the last week, I don't know if it was on purpose (because he said I should not get dependent on it, but rather retrain my muscles) or by accident when he was testing my gait with and without it. Also he said shoes that control motion in my ankle, so all the sandals and mules I usually wear teaching (even the Clarks!) are out.

He was also interested in a clicking noise I've always had in my right hip in certain positions, and when I asked said it was hip impingement. I'm almost sorry I asked because all the web pages explaining impingement also have the words "arthroscopic surgery" somewhere farther down. Oh, and "active middle-aged women" :). I'm only 43! I guess the "active" is a good thing, right ?....

Things were generally getting better -- less pain in my foot and the numbness was gone fairly often; my back had on and off days but usually better. Oh, and the doc also told me to take naproxen day and night for at least 2 weeks so that probably had something to do with it. But I think the last days before I left, the hip exercises are starting to catch up with me, and sitting in a cramped plane seat 17 hours over Sunday-Monday didn't help either. And today my foot is back to square 1 and my right groin is killing me, not just in a sore muscle way but edging into "sprained something" territory. I am kind of cranky that these expensive exercises might be doing damage. (Treatment in the US is "out of network" for my employer, so I had to pay cash and hope to get reimbursed.) I did buy some gel arch inserts which seemed to help me when I walked around the Minnesota State Fair last week, so I'm going to dig them out of the luggage for tomorrow. For work I bought a pair of Merrell pumps, because I wear Merrells for hiking, and a pair of Anne Klein shoes that are shaped like Danskos but are fabric instead of leather. Right now my running shoes make me feel the best, but I can't wear those to teach because people dress fairly formally here, and I have two classes of male students this semester, and I'm going to have to put on my Respect My Authoritay! pose to the max.

Becky, is it safe to throw a party yet?

The way you phrased it sounds like my place of employment, with its tortuous etiquette for the courtship of potential new hires. (It's fresh on my mind because I have to help interview someone on Friday.)

Becky! Cautiously confident? Hurray? Please keep us in the picture.



Wednesday

Sleep. 7 hours + 1.25 this afternoon. I'm getting there.

W. -0.5lb

E. Nil. Rest took priority.

F. Slightly desperate eating once or twice which I link to the sleep question. Otherwise, pretty good. I had a bath whilst the DB had his supper, kept company at the table by his DF. This enabled me to avoid any further desperate eating, linked to my Occasional Reluctant Mother Syndrome. This manifests itself in, for example, extreme reluctance or refusal to make food for other people, or engage in conversations about what girls or boys are thought to be like.

Other. The DB has told me I show promise as a mother. I am pleased and think it is because of my Syndrome rather than despite it.

I turned in my polite, 2-line resignation letter to the HR rep this morning, and sent an email to my manager. Technically, I am jumping the gun just a bit, since I don't have an official offer yet, just the "approved to make an offer". My very risk-averse self is writhing somewhat! However, I slept better last night than I have in months, which tells me that I'm okay with the decision. I'm happy to be taking a strong step in the right direction, toward something I want to do instead of what everybody else wants. :) So ... party on! Interestingly, despite being nervous last night, I did not nervously eat. ;) Another good sign!

SB, I am certain that you are exactly the kind of mother your bright, spirited DB needs and he is exactly the DB you were always meant to mother.

As a professional observer of mothers, I have come to the conclusion that kids need food, shelter and education. They also need love, patience and a parent with a sense of humor. All that other crapola that the world sends out about the way things "should be" or "ought to be" is just that---crap.

Oooh, Becky! I am excited for you and I like the relief and satisfaction I hear in your post.

As for me, my belly is feeling flatter. I was going to veer off my OP food for the week and pick up some fish tacos but my window wouldn't roll down. Hahaha! And of course I couldn't possibly PARK and go in!!! So I came home and am eating better stuff.

Yay Becky! How fast before they make the offer that they are approved for?

Midwife - good job on the food this week! I'm so glad that you didn't go through the drive thru and open your car door when the window wouldn't roll down. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that...

Birchie - I'm glad to hear that you show promise as a mother. :) I hope I can be as good a one as I'm sure that you are.

Bronze - I'm sorry to read about all of your foot and hip trouble. Did you find your insoles for work?

I'm back to 134 today after being up to 138 on Tuesday. I'm definitely getting weary of the bouncing around. Last night I steamed brussel sprouts for an evening snack instead of the carby, peanut butter bagel I wanted. I was pretty proud of myself.

Midwife - :rofl: about your drive-thru experience.

Becky, congrats!

Bronze, sorry about your hip & foot issues. I have been having problems with plantar fasciitis and tendinitis in my wrists, forearms, and somewhat in other areas for a long time. For me at least they think I have some variety of autoimmune connective tissue disease but they haven't managed to figure it out yet. What sort of work do you do in Abu Dhabi?

SB, how was your sleep today?

I'm still 139. No more, no less, so no harm done but I'm not making progress. TOM just appeared though so it may be related, but probably not. DH and I are going out for my birthday this weekend but after that I think I need to go back to good old fashioned calorie counting. Sigh. I am so sick of it, but I know what needs to be done and I know it works. The extra exercise I've been doing and the gluten free diet appear to have absolutely no effect on my weight. Although to be fair I've gotten to the point where I'm getting about 150 extra cals/day in supplements between the fiber and the gelatin so that may be part of it.

Benefit of gluten-free diet: I was hungry, I went past the break room, I saw a delicious looking baguette sitting there, and I did not eat it. If I wasn't on the gluten-free diet, I would absolutely have taken a piece. It's also a good motivator for avoiding cookies and such, although the chocolate in my coworker's candy dish is gluten-free so it's not 100%.

I've been sort of thinking lately that maybe DH and I should consider trying to have a baby next year. The biggest challenge would be that I think DH needs to get his depression treated for real before we do since I'm afraid he'd have a meltdown. That and my various physical ailments. And the fear that our dog may not be so amenable to it, in addition to the fear that DH and I would pass on all the bad genes in our families, of which there are plenty (both physical and mental problems).

Excellent work on flat bellies, Brussels sprouts and risk-taking, team! Let's try to keep it going.

Bronzeager, I've always loved your name. It was a good period. I do sympathise with you about shoes. We have a mail order brand called Hotter in the UK which might have something comfortable yet authoritative. Look for 'cushioning' in the blurb. They might ship to Abu D. ETA: they are in UK sizes but Lands End UK has a conversion chart.

Jessica, my sleep needs more work. I like to think 8 hours is the gold standard.

My Thursday report follows.

Sleep. 7 hours

W. +1lb

E. Very carefully, as per my physio's instruction. TM 7.5 minutes. X-trainer just over 6 minutes and then came a little, high-pitched ping in my back. So I stopped. A few physio exercises and I called it a day.

F. OK. I had a bowl of porage just now (supper time) because tea was pretty poor (bowl of soup).

Other. I want to buy a car but they are very dull. I don't want a middle-of-the-road vehicle (ha!). My current Renault Scenic was the first MPV and the designers were given their heads a bit, as were the designers of the Fiat Multipla. Those models are very different now as the manufacturers jostle for market share. (NB I think North America has quite different vehicles from those available in Europe so I'm just venting here, as today has been quite miserable in the car department.)

silverbirch Do you watch "Top Gear" - the British one? Maybe they have a web site with recommendations for European cars? I know they have a (print) magazine. They tend to like "fun" and more unusual cars, although most of their choices are pretty pricey.

Dagmar :bike:

Thanks, Dagmar, good idea. I am spending the morning (and possibly day) on this project. You've just been down this road, haven't you?

Top Gear hates MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles, known in North America as minivans, I think). This is possibly because they are so dull. There is a page about future possibilities which is interesting but not much good for people looking for a car.

There is such a lot of drivel in the car world. And so many twerps.

I stood on my mother's scale for the first time today. I know everyone's weight varies between scales. If hers is accurate, I lost five pounds last week -- which doesn't surprise me, based on the fit of my clothes -- and a little over 10 pounds since the alarming high weight that brought me into this thread.

I would not recommend my methods to anyone, though.

Birchie, good luck with your hunt. I'll be looking for another car in a year or two. Did I mention that mine broke down while I was traveling Upstate, loaded with salvaged stuff from my apartment? It's a five-hour drive. About a half-hour from my mother's house, when I was starting to feel relief at the familiar landmarks, the car bucked hard when I accelerated to climb a hill. The "check engine" light started flashing and when I pulled off at the next exit and waited at a light, the car surged. At any rate, I sat in my car at a gas station, in the rain, for about two hours, feeling aggrieved & victimized till the tow truck arrived. But the car is fixed now and I have my autonomy back.

We women need our autonomy.

Yes, Saef!! Autonomy....through having the knowledge, skills, funding to live our own lives. I am stunned that it is 2011 and I still see women/girls abdicating their abilities to be independent by refusing to take steps to become educated. Blows my mind. All of my kids, boys and girls, will have the education they need so they can be autonomous. Haha! OT much?

Jessica, glad my story amused you!! Shannon, oh, no, opening the door at the drive through would have been WAY too embarrassing. :lol:

SB, I have a van with a broken window I'll sell to you cheap. You need to come get it and the steering wheel is on the L side.:lol:

Jessica, I admit all I saw in your paragraph was *baby*!!!!! Sometimes you just gotta roll the dice (has anyone else seen the movie "Paul"). Like I told SB, the baby you have will be exactly the kiddo you were always meant to have. :hug: I know that is way oversimplifying, but try not to worry too much. Your kid will be more fabulous and extraordinary than anything you can imagine right now.

Oops, I didn't mean to make that so long, sorry. I am only just now getting in a proper sleep schedule, so I'm not sure what time zone my brain was in when I wrote that.

Thank you all for the sympathies about my tendonitis. I am really still getting used to it being "tendonitis" and not just a stupid sore foot, because to me tendonitis was alway something that athletic people got, the ones that post their mileage in ultrarunner forums and appear in the sports section of the newspaper. (My mother helpfully reminded me that old people get it also.) I was very sore and cranky the first couple of days getting back, because sitting in a plane seat aggravates everything, but it is getting much better now. Have been back at the gym two days now and moving helps a lot, I think. And naproxen. I have also dumped a couple of kilos of water weight with the stiffness so I might be brave enough to try my work pants on tomorrow.

Clippy, I have been teaching at a university in the United Arab Emirates for three years now, I am originally from the midwest US. Most of the teaching faculty at the university are foreigners (about evenly divided between expats from Arab and Anglophone countries) because the country is too young to have many local people doing university teaching yet. Our university has just started the first PhD programs in the country in the last year. My real name is Susanne but I tend to use aliases on the web to throw off curious students and nosy academic administrators.

Shannon, have you tried roasted brussel sprouts? I was a major sprouts hater until my neighbor made them for me, and now I love them. Roasting also does great things for broccoli and zucchini and pretty much any other veggie you can think of.

Birch, thanks for the shoe recommendation, I will look them up. They might even have them here, in Dubai, there are a lot of British brands imported here. I'm glad you like the Bronze Age too! Have you got any interesting sites in your area?

Did the "big" grocery shopping today and got lots of nice fruit and stuff for packed lunches next week. Have to decide which one of my snazzy new insulated lunch bags from Marshalls I'm going to bring the first day of school. Almost as good as a new Trapper Keeper...

I've been suffering from a fairly mild case of plantar fasciitis in my left foot for many months, perhaps even a year. At first I wore a brace at night to keep the tendons pulled taught. All that did was make me sleep worse than I normally do. Now I find that if I wake up at night (which is often) all I need to do is stretch it and the pain is less pronounced when I wake up.

Yesterday I went to get a pedicure. I don't know if the guy noticed that that foot was different, but he really did an extra job massaging that foot. It was a bit painful if not slightly excruciating. But you know what? I haven't had any pain at all today. Granted it's been getting better and better as the months have worn on, but this guy's massage was wonderful! I may have to request him, or make an appointment with him next time (normally I just drop in and get whoever).

My eating has been off. I didn't feel like making a salad last night and we had pasta. Weight up a pound, which I knew it would be. I feel really bad that I didn't try harder to make some goals for my trip. But I did it to myself so I have no one to blame but me. (sigh)

BronzeAger, it's heaving with sites here: cairns, "ritual complexes" and copper mines. Good luck with the shoes. I've realised I need new ones too.

Allison, that massage sounds good. My podiatrist told me to massage my feet morning & evening and to be sure to pull on my toes to straighten them out.

Saef, you have my sympathy. It sounds pretty hard at your mother's.

Friday

Sleep. 7-ish hours

W. -0.5lb which takes me to the same weight as last Friday.

E. Nil. I hurt my shoulder & my back yesterday so I obviously wasn't careful enough. Perhaps I'll do just a little walking tomorrow. Oh, I forgot that I sawed up two pieces of wood - it's that time of year again!

F. Good. The SO made tea (salmon, our own potatoes and peas which I love) but I still had a bowl of porage for supper.

:wave:

Saturday

Sleep. 9.5 hours. Yes, I was able to sleep in! How far will this replenish my sleep bank is a moot point.

W. -0.75lb. This may be connected with all that sleep. I weighed myself later so I was more dehydrated after the night.

E. Just a very few physio exercises. This minor flare-up is a drag.

F. Pretty good. The SO has made most food so I haven't nibbled out of annoyance at having to do it.

The weather is wet and windy, the tail end of a hurricane apparently. Early equinoctial gales. September is often lovely and warm but this feels, well, autumnal.

Too much celebratory eating and drinking Thurs-Sat, but back on track today. Cleaning out garage for sale next weekend, running up and down stairs with stuff ... Staying busy!

I think busy is good, Becky, though sometimes I don't agree with myself.

Sunday

Sleep. 8.5 hours.

W. No change.

E. Short autumnal stroll. Ridiculous amount of ironing.

F. All right. Lamb casserole was a bit too fatty so I had some porage later to soak it up and help my digestion. Porage (this is made from rolled oats currently) seems important at present so I'm eating it.

bronzeager - hi and welcome! I dealt with shoulder tendonitis for many years - so I can sympathize a bit. In the foot ... owwwww. I also agree with your statement about roasting improving vegetables. Mushrooms, zucchini, green beans, scallions ... :drool:

Allison - glad you found a bit of bliss in the massage. Sometimes it's true that sore spots need to be aggravated a little before they remember how to be loose. I have spots in my shoulders like that. :)

Silverbirch - sounds like you are keeping on with moving forward. I hear you about the agreeing part. I find that a body at rest tends to want to remain at rest - once I kick myself off stationary, it's not too bad. I just have to remind myself not to think about it.

The formal offer letter came at 7pm Sunday night, oddly. The money is satisfactory, and there are many likable things (401k right from day one). As long as we've seen eye-to-eye on the vacation time, which wasn't mentioned explicitly in the letter, all is well. They've given me until Friday to respond. I think October 3 is a good day to start. :)

I'm going back to calorie counting and daily weighing. I'm just too uncomfortably close to the Overweight category again. TOM started with a roar last night, so I will revisit, update, and be honest with my ticker on Wednesday when the hormonal bloat recedes. :p

Well done, Becky. I hope all the angles can be covered. Actually, I meant that sometimes I think I'm too busy for my own good and I should just stop and stare. So I do.

"What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?"

(W H Davies)

Monday

Sleep. 7.5 hours.

W. -1lb.

E. Nil. You may laugh but I hurt my shoulder with all that ironing yesterday. I was resting the back and the L shoulder. Now I'm resting the R shoulder as well.

F. Not all right. I ate biscuits and chocolate for my afternoon snack. It's that vicious circle of no exercise = no energy = eat too much food to get through.

My weight went up a pound and stalled with the hospital visit a bit over a week ago, and has only now gotten back to where it was before. Whew!

But I got my blood test results from the hospital stay. My cholesterol is lower now than it was two years ago, when I weighed about the same as I do now--down to 175 from 192. Triglyceride is a little higher, from 62 to 77, but that's not significant. HDL a little lower, but still above 40. Blood glucose is about the same at around 85.

When I was at my lowest weight in 2007, my cholesterol was at 209. That was after 8 months of exercising 5 days a week. Also, I probably eat more animal protein now than I did then! But the other part of the story is, it was a stressful time--we were in the process of moving to a different town.

The biggest change from my high weight to now is in my blood glucose. Before I lost weight initially, my BG was at 109, which is borderline diabetic. Now it has been around 85 or lower for four years. My mom was diabetic (type 2), so that's the number I'm most concerned with.

Jay

Jay - Good numbers!!! Congrats! I am really looking forward to seeing what a reduction in stress does for my cholesterol. I'll have the benefit of bi-annual checks at my new employer. Mine typically hovers around 220-260, much like everyone on my mom's side of the family, but I've been in the low 200's (210-225) since I lost the extra weight.

SB - my issue is getting paralyzed by thinking about all that I should be doing, and then doing nothing. The less I think, the more I do. :crazy: If I learned to meditate, I'd probably slip into a coma. :D

Yesterday was a good start. I was below 1700 calories. I'm not sure by exactly how much, since most of dinner was an unthickened, non-creamy tomato-basil soup that I didn't see being made. I do know that it was chock full of homegrown fresh stuff, and was beyond delightful.

I'm having a garage sale this weekend. I expect that I should do well on food; my mom is coming to help and she is in the middle of the 17-Day Diet. She lost 7 1/2 pounds in the first 7 days, so she is unusually motivated to eat well and not drink. I shall not tempt her to stray! :)

Flying by quickly . . .

Jay, great numbers!

Becky, congrats on the job!

Silver, keep on keeping on!

Today is day 1 of cutting calories for me. I'm switching it up by trying to go for three large meals a day instead of more smaller ones. We'll see how it is. Goal is to have cals for the three be approximately 450, 450, 450. Today I'm at 478 for breakfast and 409 for lunch so far.

Early morning quick post.

Jay, I'm pleased for you about blood glucose level as that's the one you're interested in the most. Can't comment on the others as we measure cholesterol differently and I have little experience of all these tests!

Becky, I just do a little and see where it takes me.

Jessica, hurray for Day 1.

For me, Tuesday was like this.

Sleep. 8.25 hours. Switching light off before 10 is the key for me. I'm starting to feel better.

W. +0.75lb.

E. Some urban strolling. I bought a pair of trousers which I don't really like and which don't flatter me but I only have one warm pair. Those of you who plough through (Jessica, that's "plow thru"! :)) my posts will recognise the twice-yearly bleat: no trousers, can't find, don't fit, oh oh oh. It's the same again.

F. Not all right. Bread and jam. No exercise = no energy = eat too much food to get through. I've spent a lot of my little energy on the so-far fruitless car search.


I'm pleased that I seem to be sorting out my sleep. I'll move on to exercise next week when I hope my flare-up has died down.

I'd better get going. Another day on the car project beckons.

I have around 35-40 lbs towards by ultimate goal weight, but for now Im really striving for 5-10 lbs within the next two weeks. Being accountable for my weightloss is a huge motivational boost for me :)

Sophieeex3 :welcome3:

I have finally slipped to the nice round number of 20 pounds down, and I hope to slip right past it very quickly! :D

silverbirch, in UK units my cholesterol would be 4.525. :)

Jay

Thanks, Jay, for taking up the millimoles per litre (mmol/L) challenge. Much appreciated.

And that is a very good result, btw! Also very interesting to hear the apparent effect which stress had on your test results.

Quick fly by for me, too. Still fighting off the last edges of my cold today. I've been doing well with food even while sick, so that's good.

Birchie - I don't even want to think about winter pants right now.

Congrats on the test results, Jay!!
SB, thanks for your updates. You are changing how I view all of this---it really is very interconnected--sleep, movement, nutrition, and (as Jay experienced) stress/not stressed.
Shannon, yeah, don't want to think about winter pants, either!!

SB - right there with you on the pants! I'll be all set by cold weather WHEN I stay on track and get at least 5 pounds off - there are at least 6 pairs of very serviceable, decent pants in my closet that need just an inch off my rear to be presentable.

sophieeex3 - welcome aboard!

shannon - beat that cold into submission. :)

Another pound, and as promised, tickers are accurate again. Day 2 under 1700. Not the most nutritionally sound day yesterday, since dinner was at my son's school picnic, but I chose pretty well and the scale seems to support.

Sophieeex3 :welcome3:

Midwife, I'm so glad my updates are of use. I'm using them to think aloud about (a) in what way I'm off the rails and (b) where to exert effort with the crowbar first to get me back on. If you see what I mean. Sleep definitely comes first for me. I'll add exercise into the mix in the next few days, I hope. And then it will be gently, gently.


Wednesday

Sleep. 8-ish hours. Lovely.

W. +0.5lb.

E. Some stretching and physio exercises. Good!

F. Mediocre so that's an improvement. Well done!

I'll add the stress-o-meter for completeness as Jay's cholesterol numbers were so starkly illustrative of the part stress can play in our health.

I think all of these low-grade personal worries are affecting my health. They are about:
# money (my work has dried up in this depression)
# older long-distance members of the family who could need me at any moment, one way or another
# this recurring back and knee thing
# finding enough clothes to wear - you know, which fit me
# plus the usual stuff about keeping a house warm enough and weatherproof, homework, national and international politics and inequalities and injustice. Etc.

I'll tell you what: those unflattering trousers I didn't like are going back. When the reactions of the SO and the DB separately are a pause, followed by 'ah', then it's clear the trousers really are horrible. Becky, six pairs? You are laughing! Just lose an inch! What is the problem? (joke) Shannon, I don't want to think about this subject at all either! I don't want to but it's no good to take a head in the sand approach or you will get frostbite.

LOL, girls, I had a little talk with myself -just recently, about the fact that summer/fall is ending soon and I need to fit *comfortably* into my trousers!