I'm in a weird phase these days, y'all. I'm getting an exhaustive workup for my persistent and very painful arm and leg cramps, which are so disabling I can't walk, can barely even stand up, and have to get around in a wheelchair. At this point three different doctors are collaborating in the effort to figure out what is wrong.with me. It will be at least a week, I'm guessing, before they all agree on a diagnosis. I don't want to make any of y'all uncomfortable by my descriptions of the pain and frustration I'm going through, so I may be posting less often for awhile.

Fi: Stick around. We are all here to support each other, through good and bad.

Hi everyone. I hope you all had a good day.

Rabidstoat, I don't have kids either. My DH has adult children that already had children of their own when we met. I think my unwillingness to be accommodated comes more from my shyness. I don't like being the center of attention and have always tried to blend into the scenery. I am more open and out-going than I used to be, but apparently still have self-esteem issues.

Tootsie, so glad you went to the doctor when you did. Please take care of yourself and be good to yourself as you heal.

Ubee, glad your SIL is going to be ok. Good luck getting serious with healthy eating.

Magpie, it's always a good feeling when you can eat some of your favorite things and not overeat them. I didn't realize you would shed so much water when you cut out carbohydrates. I guess that would explain how I lost so much weight initially when I stopped eating them altogether.

Fiona, I hope your doctors figure out what's going on and can offer you relief from those horrible pains you're having.

I hope you all have a good day tomorrow.

Magpie--I usually only walk 4-4.5 miles in about 1 hour 10 minutes. I wanted to try and do 6 miles but my back started hurting so I couldn't get past my 4.5 miles.

Ubee--Yes!! Girl I'm ready we got this!! I think that's more than plenty of time to reach some goals!!

Fi--I'm so sorry you are in so much pain. I hope the doctors figure out what's going on with you. Get well soon my dear but please don't leave the group!

Betsy--I was on pinterest last night and I've been pinning a lot of pretty places that I'd like to visit one day. I came across a list of 29 most incredible places to visit in the US before you die and on that list was the bug tulip fields where you live!!! The photos were just gorgeous!! That definitely is a place I want to visit someday.

Hello to everyone else!!

I am laying in bed posting from my phone so I'm sorry if there are tons of gramatical errors. Had a good day. Decided to take a rest day today since I had to meet my client after work. I made a healthy version of a korean bbq using pork tenderloin. It was pretty good but needed just a tad more honey and I should have used a lite soy sauce but all I had on hand was a naturally brewed one and it did make it taste just slightly bitter. I had it with a side of cauliflower rice. I had bought some kimchi from this new asian market but it had gone bad already....it tasted like straight up beer which was a huge disappointment because it's been awhile since I've had kimchi. I don't think I'll go to that market again and just stick with the one I go to that is closer to my house.

Other than that I had a relaxing evening at home. DH and I watched that old 80's movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger called The Running Man. Its nice to have my best friend with me every day to enjoy time together like that.

Tomorrow I'll be back to working out...since I walked yesterday I'll probably lift some weights at home and do a Chalene Johnson video. It's Friday!! Can't wait for the weekend...Have a great night everyone!

Sorry y'all, i didn't mean to imply that I was leaving the group (!), just that I might be posting less often. Actually, if I can get a handle on this weird phase in my life, if I can summon a sense of humor about the whole thing, I will post about it. I just don't want to drag down the positive energy of this thread by posting often about my pain and frustration—about things that have nothing to do with weight loss or with being in this weight category. Does that make sense?

Good morning everyone. Slept late this morning -- felt so good! Yesterday was colonoscopy day for Bill (for new chicks, Bill is my BIL, but Ubee thought I was posting about a guy named Bill so I now just refer to him as Bill.....yes, more nutiness from Betsy and Ubee!) so not much got done around here including posting.

Ubee Yes, we will do this. No matter how many times we've said it before, we can and will do this. Just coming back here every day signifies that we want to. My car is a 10 year old Highlander -- nothing special. The special part was he got to ride with Aunt Betsy all by himself without sharing me with his brother. Like I said, when you're 4, it doesn't take much to feel special. Laughed at your hair description. I referred to my growing out process as the skunk stripe. It was definitely less than attractive. But I speeded up the process by cutting off a whole lot of hair and have a much shorter do now. Sorry about your sister's heart attack, but glad she will be ok. And, yes, it is a wake up call!
Terra Totally understand your mom wanting you to stay home as there were some bad storms roaring across the plains and through the Midwest. Hope everyone in that part of the country is OK.
Sam You are definitely rockin' it right now. I think your goal is reasonable plus Ubee and I need you to inspire us to get over these constant yo-yo episodes. I don't know when you find time in your day to walk almost 5 miles, but with the time you quoted, you must be close to a jog. So nice of you to help your client that way! And, yes, you really must come see the tulip fields some day because then you can visit me and I'll show you all the other beautiful things where I live. It is truly a gorgeous state.
Rabidstoat Yes, the workaholic approach definitely leads to bad eating habits -- or at least it did for me. Add in Cindy's comments about always putting everyone else first, and it's a recipe for......well, how we got to this point. They're hard habits to break. But, just being aware of the fact that there's an inclination to think in terms of deserving a treat is a big step to learning how to deal with it.
Cindy One of the hardest things in the world to do is to learn to say "I'm important, too." Others feel that way about us because they rely upon us to help them in various ways. And we encourage that behavior because a) we want to help and b) we are the type of people who put others ahead of ourselves. That's ok as long as the generosity doesn't result in us making bad choices.
Tootsie You've been through the wringer! Take care of yourself. Even with the laproscopic surgery, it was still surgery. Hope you're feeling better soon!
Magpie Sounds like the slow increase to carb intake is working. I love the low carb diets because of the faster weight loss, but I have a bad habit of increasing the carbs too fast and immediately gaining most of it back. But, it can be done and sounds like you're doing it correctly. Most of the food tracking sites have both calorie and carb counting and that definitely helps with planning meals.
Fi All of us are worried about you and I certainly don't find your posts to be a drag on the positive energy. First, we care and this is a major part of your life right now. In fact, for you I imagine it feels as though it is the entire focus of your life right now. Second, part of the energy of this group is being able to care about other people so that our lives aren't consumed with wondering how many calories are in that carrot stick (or Cadbury egg on a bad day!). We just want you to get a diagnosis from the doctors and hopefully get this thing beaten.

Time to go drink a pot of coffee and hit the gym. It's supposed to start raining today and rain for the next four days. I was going to pack up the RV and take a little trip over the mountains, but a big storm is coming in off the ocean and is expected to drop lots of snow in the mountains including the passes. So that's out. Then I decided to just go to the beach.......duh! That's where the storm will hit first. So, I've got a bunch of baseboards and trim that need some touch up painting, and I'm going to get that done. I figure Toby will only rub up against about half of them!

Foodwise, I'm working on getting it back into something resembling normalcy. I'm using your questioning techniques, Fi, and hope that the day arrives where I don't always want something off plan and don't have to use tricks to keep me from eating them.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Hi everyone.
265 days to go! Stepped on the scale today and said "I can do this!"
Betsy "duh" seems to be a common word in your vocabulary. Ditto here. Just remember we may have 265 days left before 2016 but today we only have to focus on today.
Fi I am glad you are not taking a break from us. Post as you see fit but you are not dragging this chick down. I care about you and worry more when I don't hear from you. Do what works for you, just pop in once in a while. To the newbies, I am the official worry wart on this thread.
Sam I love your posts! I think you deserve a cheer leading uniform!
Cindy carbs/sugar are my downfall. One bite and I am left being a MORE monster.
tootsie you sure bring a lot of support to our group. Thank you!
magpie you hit the nail on the head about this group. Everyone is always in the back of my mind and helps keep me on track as much as possible.
Gotta run my nephew... is staying at Hotel Ubee and will be arriving soon.
Have a peaceful day.

Fi You are a part of this group and very important to us. We are here to help each other through the bad times and get excited for each other through the good...To me it doesn't matter if every post is weight loss related. That helps break up the monotony. I want to hear what's going on with you and be there for you when you need it. I can't imagine the pain you are going through right now but we all know right now your main focus is getting better...and you can't lose weight if you can't get better so that is much more important right now..We love you!

Betsy Visiting you would be a dream come true! Those photos were so beautiful it made me want to have my own Wizard of Oz moment and lay down in the fields and pass out lol...I don't know where I get the time to do most of what I do...Sometimes I feel like there isn't enough time in the day but most of the time I get what I need done. I work 8-4 Monday-Friday then on the weekends I can really exercise any time I want. I usually try to get off work then immediately go exercise so I don't get home and comfy and decide to say screw it. I'm really starting to feel back on track and am excited to see if I've lost any weight when I weigh in on Sunday.

Ubee I hope your sister is ok...Heart attacks are scary and I hope to never have to go through one myself, or see DH go through one. I know you're in a rough place right now dealing with that but don't forget us here!! We need you as much as you need us!

Today was an ok day for the most part until right before the end of the work day. I did meet a really nice girl who got a car insurance policy with me. She just moved here a couple of months ago from NJ. She's a trust fund baby and has no idea about the real world it seemed but she was super sweet...I think I made a new friend lol...She said she was going to find me on facebook...We'll see if that actually happens. I had one of my client's call me and yell at me because I am charging too much for his insurance premiums like it's my choice how much he pays. His policy for 4 cars is $14,000 a year....That is the biggest insurance policy for auto I've ever seen. It's him his wife and two kids and some really expensive cars but he also has one of the worst driving records I've ever seen which explains why he is paying so much. Apparently he and his wife a divorced now and he wants me to separate the insurance up but because his record is so bad I can't even put him in a standard company anymore. He made me so mad I had to basically call it a day after working with him and told him I'd call him with everything on monday. The ignorance of people sometimes gets to me. Sometimes these "high profile" type clients expect so much from you like you can control the ocean or something like that lol...Other than that today was a good day.

I came home and did a Chalene Johnson video...It's called Turbo Sclupt. It's a weight training video that's 45 minutes. I was sweating bullets by the time I was done and it was slow paced. My arms and legs feel like jello and I was only using 3 pound weights!!

I also have some good news....DH called me before I got off work and said he wanted a salad for dinner...I kinda didn't want a salad because that's what I've been eating for lunch all week but when he says salad I jump on it lol...He said his chest has been bothering him a little today (he has high blood pressure) but took some aspirin and it helped. He does not react well to caffeine at all and he thinks some soda that was not caffeine free he drank made him jittery and his chest start to hurt. But it scared him enough for him to say he wants to stop eating so bad an get in shape with me....I knew he would come around once he saw me eating right again...I didn't think it would be this soon but it made me so happy!!!! He also mentioned something about getting back on a better sleeping pattern!!

Tonight and tomorrow is really the only time DH will be able to spend with me because he's going to the recording studio tomorrow. I have a little extra money so maybe I can talk him into going to Brookgreen Gardens. It is a beautiful place that has all kinds of flowers and statues and also has different wildlife animal exhibits. They've had this really cool otter exhibit for a few years now where you can walk down some stairs and see the otters playing under water...I haven't been able to get him to go in the past but maybe tomorrow I can talk him into it. It would get us some great exercise as it is all outdoors and HUGE....and we can take in some of the beautiful nature around there.

Well guys I will try to be here tomorrow...if not I will most definitely post on Sunday but I am doing my best to post here every day as I do need it. I hope everyone enjoys their evening...I'm off to make an awesome salad

Thank you Betsy, Ubee & Sam for your kind words.

I can't stand up. I can't walk. I can't drive. I'm not making collages because my studio is upstairs, and it's very hard & very painful to climb the stairs.

Bob and I are still rooting for this to be serotonin toxicity, but my psychiatrist now thinks that's unlikely. The neurologist wants a full set of head and neck MRIs, but we couldn't get on the schedule for those until Tuesday. I don't yet have an app't scheduled for my first-time visit with the neurologist. So this process may drag on for a couple weeks more.

I'm starting to get a little bit scared about the possible disorders I may have, but mostly I distract myself by reading art criticism. The kitties are very sweet and spend almost all their time either on me or around me in my perch on the green futon couch. Yesterday Grace came over, and we spent the whole time looking at a book on René Magritte and talking about art. Already she seems more mature, more balanced and centered, than she did last summer. =smile=

Betsy ~ Yeah I always say its better to be safe then sorry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woke up at 8 a.m. and then I went back to bed at 10:00 a.m. until noon but I've been awake since noon. I went back to sleep cause I've been having really bad cramps. I've been in a runt. I havent worked out in a week...Eeek...I need to get back at it.

Good morning!
264 days to go. We can do this!
Keeping it short. Having a table full for lunch today. More are coming then planned so I won't have to worry about leftovers.
Have a peaceful day.

Good morning all. The wild weather that the rest of the US experienced all winter has finally hit out here. Definitely a stay inside day.......which means I have no excuse for not tackling the baseboards. Ugh!

Ubee I actually stayed on plan for the entire day yesterday......and gained .6 of a pound as of this morning. I'll substitute Ugh for Duh. Resisting the food cravings is harder than trying to remember Trigonometry from almost 50 years ago to help the next door neighbor kid with his math. Question: Is your address and a statement about free room and board posted on a billboard as people come into your town? So long as you enjoy it.
Sam Clients who feel that everything is someone else's fault -- and responsibility to fix -- are a royal pain. Glad he was offset with the new client who may end up being a new friend. But great news on DH getting back on the wagon with you! I remember Brookgreen Gardens from when I lived in NC and would go to the beach -- wonderful place!
Fi So glad you are continuing to post. I'm with Ubee -- I worry more when people go missing. Hope the tests can help pinpoint what's going on. I'm so glad that Grace came over and you got to spend some time together.
Terra Hope the cramps are better. The exercise will come back -- lots of bad weather and not feeling too hot make for a challenging time to exercise.

Since the fix up everything in the house mood seems to be lingering, I'm going to start working on the baseboards and trim today. When the house was built almost 10 years ago, the builder used some "special" paint that supposedly primed and painted at the same time. Well, there are so many places where they need to be touched up, recaulked, etc. So, I'm going to start with just washing them all down today, will do the caulking tomorrow, and they should be ready for touch up painting on Monday and Tuesday. I have a few spots on the walls that need some filler and touch up painting as well. Fortunately I have left over paint downstairs -- probably thick as sludge, but don't need much.

On the diet front, the meals are all planned out. I actually had oatmeal this morning -- plain instant organic -- with some added cinnamon and diced apple. It was yummy! My usual salad for lunch and then baked tilapia with green beans for supper. If I have a snack craving, I'll have a couple of Tillamoos as they seem to abate the cravings without having a lot of calories or carbs (they're slices of hard cheddar cheese).

Time for my Saturday morning phone call with my girlfriend and then on to the baseboards. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Good Afternoon Everyone!!

Well today didn't go as planned...They have been calling for rain here and the clouds seem to be coming in and out...I couldn't talk DH to go to Brookgreen Gardens because he's still not feeling 100% so we had to skip it. I guess if I can't get him to go I'll have to go by myself one day. It's not as fun as having someone to go with you but it's something I haven't done in years and really want to go.

For breakfast I had an egg bowl with onion, mushroom, little bit of cheese, jalapenos, salsa and sour cream. I haven't had lunch yet but might do a protein shake because I'm not very hungry. I just got done doing a Turbo Jam video since Brookgreen was out and I didn't want to chance going on a walk and getting stuck in the rain. Today was work out #5 for the week. That's my goal each week to get at least 5 workouts in so I made it! Tomorrow I'll be all by myself as DH will be in the recording studio...I might go on a nice walk in the park and/or do some yoga. Nothing too labor intensive, just something to be relaxing and enjoyable. I wouldn't really even count it as a workout.

I'm still pouring sweat from the workout and trying to cool off. Has anyone else tried Turbo Jam or any other Chalene Johnson videos? I'm telling you guys it has really helped me with my weight loss...It is an expensive video series something like $100 or more....It's worth the money but I would be lying to you if I told you I paid for it lol...I'm one of the bad kids that downloads stuff so that's how I got my copy because I just don't have that kind of extra money to spend on a workout DVD. I need to start incorporating weights back into my routine so I don't lose what muscle mass I've gained so far. I'm thinking about maybe going back to the gym 2 days a week just to do weights but I might not do that for a couple weeks. I've been really put off by the gym and got to where I was dreading going. I just don't like the atmosphere much anymore. With the weather getting nicer I'd much rather be outside and doing something I enjoy to keep changing things up and getting good hikes and walks in. I do have some weights at home and some resistance bands and a balance ball which will help some but I'm up to leg pressing about 140 pounds which I don't exactly have around the house. So maybe I'll just do a leg day at the gym and maybe an arm day. That balance ball I have is great for abs and Chalene Johnson's videos do a lot of ab work that I don't necessarily need weights to feel like I'm building muscle...Sorry that this is so long I'm thinking out loud haha!!!

Not sure what to make for dinner tonight....I have a whole chicken thawing out right now that I plan to cook tomorrow. Have no idea of the veggies to make with it. I had a great idea of doing some raw zoodles and making a cheap pesto with spinach and sunflower seeds and roasting some garlic and cherry tomatoes for a lunch tomorrow. I know there's a few things I need from the store for my lunches next week too so I guess there will be a trip for that tomorrow while DH is away.

Betsy I know what you mean about putting off the things in the house that need to be done...My whole apartment could use a repaint. We've been here 5 years and I've done what I can to keep the walls as clean as possible but I'm pretty sure after awhile it needs to be touched up. There's all kinds of finger prints on the hallway and areas of my bedroom that I just can't get clean without rubbing the paint off. I doubt that's something I could get the rental company do to since we aren't moving out and heck I couldn't even get them to ever fix my dish washer and had to replace my garbage disposal myself because I didn't want to get irritated again after the dish washer incident. But if I am going to buy my own paint and paint these walls I'm doing it a color I want...I hate being in an apartment and having to keep the walls white...They can paint them back when I leave, I'm not doing it after the bad service we've had. If I could afford a better place I'd move in a heartbeat. I've been dreaming about a spanish/mexican themed kitchen for some time now and I just recently bought a spanish style spoon rest last weekend so I think it's slowly going to come together without my knowing haha.

Fi Thanks for the clarification...We love you I really hope they get you fixed up dear...Hugs to you!

Ubee Thanks for checking in...looks like we cross posted last night lol...I hope you enjoy the time with friends and family today

I think I'm off to take a shower and get somewhat presentable. I did manage to talk DH into getting out the house later this afternoon and go look for a used microwave. I bought a brand new one but he got mad at me for spending the money so it's still in the box waiting to be returned lol...I can't believe how frugal he is sometimes because he was not frugal at all when I first met him...Looks like some of my qualities rubbed off on him ....

Have a great rest of the day everyone!

Hello, I'm Mandy and I'm pretty new here. I re-started my Weight Loss Journey on 2/28/2015 using WW, and so far I'm down 10.8lbs. I'd be lying if I said it has been easy! Right now my biggest struggle is fitting in exercise. I work full time and I'm in a 5 credit hour Anatomy and Physiology class, and when I have a test coming up, I pretty much work/study/sleep nonstop for a week straight. I did get some decent exercise in today. Did a random 30 minute Zumba video this morning and walked my dogs for about a half an hour tonight. I feel so much better when I'm able to be active!

Welcome, MaeCrochet!