hi Lily,

That sounds good! Good luck with the foot. I'll be out for 1 week from now & I hope to read all about it when I get back. i hope you'll be able to get the new foot thing soon. Do they have to make it to measure ?

rabbit

4rabbit, thanks. Yes, they have to make it to measure. I am being measured tomorrow afternoon. I hope it helps my mobility. This luna boot is heavy and very uncomfortable to wear all the time.

Hi:
Good luck tomorrow with the new "shoe" Lily. Hope things start to look up for you. Did you get your exercise bike. I hope so.

Rabbit enjoy your trip.

Nice day here so I am planning to enjoy it. Its nice to live near the ocean when the weather is nice and take a walk. Its one of my favorite things to do. Food is good exercise could be better but I'll take it for now.

Enjoy the weekend.

It's been pouring down here and I haven't gotten the exercise bike. My weight is back up to my goal level (145) today. The only thing I have changed in my eating was having some of the LC breakfast bars from South Beach. They do have a lot of sugar alcohols and I decided quickly to give these up. I now have a chart on my fridge to post my water to insure that I will try to drink it. I know my body was very used to regular exercise and this down time is affecting my muscles and my spirit. I had also bought some of the Atkins shakes. No problem with these, one taste and I poured it out. It was completely nasty.

Oh Lily, try to keep your spirits up. You're a survivor and you're going to make it through this trial too. I know it doesn't seem fair to have this piled on top of everything else, especially just when you get to goal, but we all know that life isn't fair.

I'm just so impressed that you're still at your goal weight! Hang in there and maybe the sun will come out tomorrow and you'll get the bike.

Thanks Meg, I appreciate the support. I did injure this ankle only about 5 days after making goal. I am trying my best to eat according to my plan. I journal every bite at home. I think increasing my water intake should help some. It sure doesn't take long to fall into the habit of drinking diet soda and coffee and forgoing the water. I am stepping this up. Seeing that goal weight again on the scale, put the fear in me. I am actually thankful that I weighed this morning and didn't wait til I had gained more. I was 142 last week and now 145. Maybe I should weigh more often (daily) or something to catch these big fluctuations. TMI, I know, but since I hadn't been having enough water and no BM for 4 days, could this be part of the reason for the sudden gain. My belly definitely feels rounder and harder. I have now taken some MOM to try to resolve this problem. With my history of multple abdominal surgeries and bowel adhesions and a bowel obstruction last summer, I have been warned by my Dr. to never let constipation go for very long. I have looked for the psyllium husks that others recommend and haven't found it in my area.

I'm sure that's where those pounds came from!

Isn't Metamucil made from psyllium husks? Let me go take a look ... be right back.

Yep, Metamucil is just psyllium husks (plus sugar, in the regular version). Fortunately they make a sugar free version too. Maybe that would help?

Thanks, I could try the Metamucil. I was told to try Benefiber and haven't yet tried it.Today, I just used what I already had available and it worked. Isn't it strange to already be obsessing over bowel habits. I feel like a little old nursing home patient. Lol.

Lily ... I use psyllium that I buy in a bulk food store. No extra's just psyillium. It tastes like blugh! but it works. I should say that when I'm eating properly, I use psyllium.

And yes, I know it's 2:25 in the morning. My mom went to hospital with chest pain earlier and I just heard back that she's home and fine. Now I'm hanging around on the internet trying to unwind enough to go to sleep.

SusanB, glad to hear that your mom is fine.
I am happy this morning to see that the scale is back down the 3 lbs. that had showed up yesterday. I am sure now that it must have been the constipation and fluid retention. I am trying so hard to be careful of what I eat and it really frustrated me to see that big gain. I'm glad it's gone. Maybe all the water I drank yesterday helped flush me back out. Gosh, maintenance is definitely just as difficult as losing the weight.
My DD that is 14 is trying to lose about 15 lbs. She is staying on-program with me. She has a lot heartier appetite than I do. I'm trying to make sure that I have a lot of healthy foods available for her that she likes to eat. She's much pickier on her fruits and veggies than I am. I like just about all of them. She is 5'4 and weighs the same as I do. Her extra weight is all in the tummy and a boy teased her at school and asked if she was pregnant. She came home crying and wanting badly to take off a little weight. I am encouraging her to get some exercise, we have a treadmill, a very nice home gym/weight-lifting set-up and I'm buying an exercise bike. I think it's fun when we both work out together.

Lilybelle - kids are so darn cruel - your poor DD. I was rather a chubby kid til my late teens so I can fully relate to her story. Sound like you are a good role model to help her lose a few lbs.
Best to do it properly the first time and not yo-yo for years.

I seem to be holding steady around 144. I only seem to stay on track for two days in a row max. and then I stray
I would like to exhibit some self - disipline and shed these last 9lbs...sigh.

Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday.

-S

Hi everyone,

Happy new week! I am in an excellent "health" mood b/c I've been totally OP food, exercise, sleep, and drinking-wise (social drinks are a big problem for me lately - but I haven't had any in this whole week, despite many weekend offers) for a week now, including the weekend. Not even any "weekend treats", except for grilling (lean) steak for dinner Saturday. Yesterday BF took me fishing and I caught a big grouper for dinner. We baked it with some spices, onions, garlic, red peppers, and just a tiny bit of butter - yum! I spent last night laughing that it's only taken me a year+ of dating BF to train him to: 1) use less than 1 tbsp. of butter on a big fish fillet instead of 4 tbsp., 2) buy me "naked" veggies and not even try to suggest we skip veggies at a meal, 3) feed me somewhat promptly when I tell him I'm hungry, 4) back off immediately if I've told him I'm not eating out or drinking alcohol for a while. I wonder if he's laughing about "training" me to do anything?

Lily, I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I hope you find a bike. Perhaps if you can't find one new, you may be able to find one on eBay? I think you mentioned you live in the boonies, but do any cities near you have any kind of newspaper ads, trade exchange kinda thing you could check next time you visit there? Never apologize for venting - you are in a tough, frustrating situation and it is perfectly understandable! That's what the forum is here for.

I've seen a commercial for a new fiber powder that you just add into whatever you're cooking, and it adds fiber without any taste. Has anyone tried it? Of course I like to get my fiber from 'natural' sources but it couldn't hurt to have addition sources...

Have a great week everyone.

Kids are cruel sometimes. I want my DD to have a healthy self-esteem. It is definitely rough. I can remember being about 8th grade and having a little extra weight, but in HS I got taller and it wasn't a problem anymore. My DD has not got any real curves yet of hips and breasts, maybe she'll grow taller and into her weight a little with time. For now, she is trying to lose some weight.
I leave in 1 hr. to get fitted for my new foot brace. I'll be glad to wear 2 shoes again.

I'm back from getting the brace fitted. My left calf is 1 1/2 inches smaller than the right. They casted my leg to the knee and then cut the cast off after it dried. It will be 10 days before my new appliance is ready. It is being made with joints at the ankle to allow some flexion of the ankle. I hope it helps me get around better. The man at the orthotics place said my leg looks like "someone that's had a stroke". I never had a stroke as far as I know.. I used to have enormously high blood pressures, but it is normal now. I will mention this to my Neurologist, but for now I'm not going to worry about it.