Not a lot of time to write here. This week will be busy -- we leave for Shipshewana on Friday morning, and I've got a ton to get done before then. Then next week the parents and brother arrive. I'll keep trying to check in, though.

The densitizing thing with taking my BP is working, slowly but surely. (Don't know if I mentioned this -- my psychiatrist friend told me to start taking it prior to going to the doctor's to see if I could desensitize mself.) I'm taking it once a day in each arm. The first time I took it I shook so hard I didn't think I'd be able to write down the numbers (which were awful -- and my pulse was at 136! Wow, aerobics while sitting down!), but it has gotten progressively better. I actually had a couple of normal readings to show the doctor tomorrow, which is great. I WILL get past this.

One funny note -- that first day, I lost 4 pounds, I was so tense!! Naturally it didn't stay off. But it was a nice silver lining while it lasted.

Judy, sounds like you're recognizing ahead of time where you'll be vulnerable with eating and planning accordingly. Good for you.

Swania, you're such an inspiration. Thanks!

Lin, nice shrinking waistline there! As they say, always a silver lining. I hope things settle down for you soon and you'll be able to write.

Bandit, congrats on the 1# down! You're really doing great.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/205/down

Hi Turtles,
Bandit, another pound down! Weigh to go! You're pulling together the exercise and
the better eating plans and doing so well. Yay!

Sonia,
Good to hear you're taking care of yourself by getting to bed early so that you can exercise next day. They say this planning works! LOL I'm so glad you started the challenge because your chiming in so often keeps me on track. Thanks!
Glad you liked the icons--I'll keep them up.

Lauren,
I'm so proud of you for working on desensitizing the BP measurements. My dh has a similar difficulty and I know it's scary and exasperating. You're doing the right thing.
Way to go! Have a great weekend with the Dottis.

Lin, here's the best to you on your healthy eating plan and your writing. :ggodvibes:

All goes well here. Had a good day yesterday and a good day today.
I WI tomorrow and will post to let you know how I did.
Love,
Judy

Hi - just tried to post & got kicked out. Anyway, good luck Judy on your w/i (think skinny thoughts).

I have had a good week so far even though someone left an uneaten piece of brownie in fridge at trailer (had it with my tea after supper & was still within my points) and then went for a long walk.

Thanks everyone for all your encouragement & keep up the good work & talk to you soon.

I received this via e-mail. I thought that someone else might like it. Hope the religious overtones don't offend anyone. If so. sorry and please let me know.

Daily Message from Norris Chumley
7/8/04


Stop and think before you overeat – and ask yourself “Why am I hurting myself?”

It may seem like pleasure… but in the long run, it’s causing you great pain and suffering.

Stop and think before avoiding exercise… It may seem easier and less tiring, but in the long run you are letting your body go fallow, your joints get stiff, and your heart and lungs and bloodstream suffer.

Do now what you know is right. If you cannot get motivated, ask yourself “Why am I hurting myself?” Know that you are loved by your Creator, so return that love and do what’s right.

Oooh, Swania, good one. Thanks; I'm going to put that one up.

I took a very brisk walk yesterday, which felt amazing. I really feel so much better when I exercise, especially briskly. So why don't I do it more often?

Well, I probably will be doing it more often. No, make that I WILL be doing it more often. I went to the doctor yesterday and of course had some high BP readings and acute stress. My readings are borderline enough, though, that I'd much rather bring them down with stress control, exercise, and weight control rather than with medication. So that's what I'm going to aim for.

I had some readings at home in the 130s over the 80s, which seemed great to me, especially considering how stressed out I am about taking it. But he wants me to take medication if I can't get the top number lower than 130. That seems excessive to me, since I have no heart problems or diabetes. I'll keep trying to relax enough to get it under 130, but I think I'll suggest to him that I skip medication in favor of exercise, etc. We'll see what he says.

Bandit, glad to hear you had a good week. Good for you counting the brownie points.

Judy, glad you've had some good days under your belt. Weigh to go. So what does your DH do with his BP phobia? Does he take meds, or what?

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/203.5/down

Hi Turtles,
Gotta make this fast, but I was up at WI by .4#. I know that was a false reading because this morning I was down again. My meds are making me nuts, but with poison oak gone, my body should come back to its normal self soon.

Swan,
loved the message and it's really good to keep it in mind.

Lauren,
I think doctors are getting nuts but the insurance companies are on their backs. 130/80 sounds fine to me. Now I am older than you, but my doc will be satisfied with 140/80 for me (and I'm on meds to get it there). The exercising is the way to go and I will be increasing that as well. So glad you don't have diabetes and your BP was phenonomenal considering you get nervous when it's taken. Good for you. You've been good with exercise in the past and I know you can do it! (As far as my dh, he is on meds and he keeps a running total of his BP which he can show his doc so that when he *white coats* in the office, the doctor can see that without stress he's fine.) NOw guys, remember my dh and I are quite a bit older than the rest of you. I am trying to get my meds reduced by exercising and losing weight but I certainly have interruptions.

Bandit, you're doing great and I want you to know your e-mails help me a lot, so keep up the good work!

Everybody do well. I'll be seeing my little grandkids this weekend after the wedding and they keep me busy so I won't be able to post as often, but my thoughts are with you and what we need to do to improve our lives.
Love,
Judy
234/214.4/thinner

Lauren - I was so glad to hear that you followed through with your doctor's appointment. And I think that given your phobia, that BP reading really wasn't bad at all. Plenty of people without the 'white coat' condition have much higher readings. Let this be motivation for you. Even with the added stress, you are doing well. I applaud you for trying to control things without medicine.

No time for a longer reply. Sounds like everyone is on track and doing well and I'm proud of you all!

I am thinking of extending my challenge a little longer. I think I got slightly off track after my bday ie. a little less exercise and a little less attention to what I am eating. So I exercised today and will rededicate myself to putting forth maximum effort at least until Labor Day.

Judy, what does the rash for poisonous oak look like? I replanted two plants in my garden last Wednesday. Since then, I have had bouts of fenzied itching and mosquito bite like patches of welts in various spots of my body. I have used an ointment, but it only helps slightly. If it continues, I will have to visit my doctor. Darn!

Hope all is well with all of you!

Hi, everyone.

Well, the weekend in Shipshewana, Indiana, with folks from Dotti's was lots of fun. I really enjoyed it. We added together how much we'd all lost, and it came to more than 1550 pounds!! Some of these folks are *very* impressive.

I've been sticking with the exercise, which has felt really good. Can't imagine why I stayed away from it for so long.

Thanks for the kind words about my BP phobia. The 140/76 was the lowest reading in the doctor's office (when the nurse took it). The highest was more like 186/108 (when the doctor took it!). He looked at me and said, "You look tense." Well, DUH! Even my chest and neck turned red!

I've been taking it a few times each day as per his suggestion, and while I have a few readings in the 130s/80s, most of them are a bit higher. But the pulse readings are still in the 90s and 100s, so I'm still not getting true readings. I have decided that regardless, I'm not going to go on the BP meds at this point.

Oh, forgot to mention -- my cholesterol has gone down about 20 points (I take red yeast rice supplements), and my HDL is in the mid 70s!! So even though my total is something like 256, my ratio is so good that I don't need to be on meds. That was a big surprise. The only reason I can think of for the HDL to have gone up is ... believe it or not ... scotch! I know a number of people that had this result when they started drinking scotch regularly. Maybe wine or beer would have the same effect, I don't know.

And that's no doubt more than you wanted to know.

Anyway, one very good result of all this health obsession and phobia stuff is that I'm back to recording what I eat, staying within points, and exercising regularly.

Judy, hope your weekend and wedding went well. What kind of exercise are you doing these days? The treadmill? Thanks for the info about your DH. Isn't it funny how many of us have this silly reaction to that cuff??

Swania, oh, I hope you don't have poison ivy! Yikes! Good for you extending your challenge to Labor Day. I think that's a fantastic idea. Who knows; you may just keep extending it!

Lin and Bandit, hope you're doing well.

Onward and downward,

Lauren

Hi everyone:

Had my w/i last night & was down 1.6# so I was happy with that. Still keeping on track and even though I missed some of my curves nights I got in some long walks at my trailer & last night got a card from curves so I can go to the one close to trailer. That will be handier on some nights. Everyone sounds like they are doing well, so keep up the good work & remember to drink lots of water. Lately, since bf doesn't like veggies I have been nuking some veggies then melting cheese on top (cauliflower is really good like this) also corn without cheese then having some kind of grilled meat for my suppers. This is very quick, easy & filling. I also bought some of those skinny cow desserts & was amazed at how big & good they are (even picky daughter likes them).

Anyway, it is lunch time & I am hungry (today I am having salad with light dressing and a tiny can of tuna w/dill) and some melba toast.

Keep up the good work, everyone & talk to you all soon.

Bandit - You've had such steady progess. Good for you! How much have you lost so far? Keep up the good work.

Lauren - Hurray that you are exercising again and your cholesterol is down! You are moving in the right direction. Soon, you'll conquer your phobia too! I thought about you as I had my BP taken yesterday.

Incidentally, it was my highest BP reading ever, but still fine. For some reason, I always tend to be low so I was surprised to hear 122/70. My last before that was 108/68. My phobia is needles so I don't have blood tests.

I was at the doctor for that rash I mentioned. It turned out that I have hives. I have not been sick or on any meds so the cause is unknown. The doctor gave me a prescription and it helped immediately. I was about to rip my skin off with all the itching. If I still have hives in 8 weeks, I'll have to have a return trip for blood tests to check my kidney and thyroid functions. Since my mom had a thyroid condition in her 30's, it can be a concern for me. But since the medicine helped (one dosage and I haven't itched since), I am hopeful that I am still healthy. Life can take such strange turns.

I plan to be at the health club tomorrow for a 6:15 a.m. class so I'd better log off.

BTW, I love the name 'Swania' Lauren. It's so cute!

Hi everyone:

N-2-a-swan: Since first starting ww I am currently down 18# - but my all time low was 33, but I regained some back over the last 2 years. I find it very frustrating sometimes - I seem to have a few good weeks then have a few with increases. So it has been up & down for awhile. We have alot of social functions & company at trailer that are my biggest challenges. But if I plan ahead I usually do OK. The weeks that I have had large increases have been having way too many "over indulgences" and out of control snacking. But I know my triggers & try to be careful. For me, I have been really good lately & am trying to stay on track. Last week at w/i I was 199.8 and it was great to be under 200 again! My goal for the summer is to lose another 10#.
How about everyone else? Any summer goals? Bye for now.

Time for a new thread. No sign of Lin, so I'll start it. Lin, hope you're OK.

See you all over there ...

-- Lauren

This will be short, hi Turtles,
I'm not sure where I'm posting, so I hope this gets where I want it to be. My computer crashed and luckily I can access my dh's. Wedding was fine and visit with grandkids better than fine. Only thing is somehow I gained 5 pounds in 5 days. Ugh. Here we go again. Today I mowed the lawn and weeded and worked up a sweat. I'm also recording foods and watching everything carefully. However, dh wants to go out to eat with dd and dsil so that's another challenge. I'll havea to count it in.

Swania, I'm so glad you have hives and not poison ivy. Glad the medicine is working well. Extending your deadline through Labor Day is a great idea. Birthdays can wreak havoc on us but I hear your rededication, so good for you.

Bandit, thanks for giving us information about your weight loss journey. I was curious and you must be so happy being so close to onederland. Good for you. I understand those social occasions. They really are tricky, especially when they occur so often.

Lauren,
Wow! That cholesterol is amazing. I've gotta get to a doc soon and have my readings taken again. Last time my triglycerides were high and my doc
said it was probably due to higher amts. of carbs than I was used to.

Lin,
I hope you've figured out a way to do well at your mom's and you and your dh are in my prayers for job hunting and all. How are your boys doing?

Guys--I've gotta run. Treadmill is my exercise right now, but I'm not doing it often enough. Too busy to do the most important things for myself. Not a good idea.

Love you all,
take care,
judy