Howdy MaeCrochet! We're a cozy little group here, very supportive of each other. You may be surprised by how much we know about each other's lives—not just weight loss issues. But don't feel you have to talk as much as we do. =laugh= We love newcomers, so step right into the circle and start posting. We have found that posting every day, or nearly every day, is a big help in the weight loss journey.

My news continues to be downbeat. I really appreciate what people said about my continung to post even when it's mostly about this strange syndrome/illness I have. Yesterday morning was awful: I fell four times in the bathroom, and finally had to get out of there on my hands and knees. I call it my "alligator technique," because I feel like a big ol' fat Texas alligator, trundling along. =grin= The falls do take their toll: I got a whole new set of bruises yesterday, and my right leg is really sore.

But today I managed to make it in and out of the bathroom without falling, so I feel more copacetic. It's a beautiful day here in central Maryland, sunny and cloud-free. The cats are sitting in their perch in front of the big window on the front of the house, watching squirrels and birds, and making those funny little clicking sounds that cats make when they want to go on the hunt. Can you believe tomorrow will be their birthday? They will be one year old. Not yet adult cats, but strapping adolescents!

Haven't posted in a few days as I've been sick and in bed for about four days now. So much sleeping, reading, and watching videos! I'm starting to feel better now, and I even went on a (slow) one-mile walk yesterday, inside on the treadmill. Today I got out and grocery shopped. Figures I'll be recovered by Monday, just long enough to recover my extended weekend! Oh well, if I can get over constant headachy and chills and such, I'll be happy!

I've also been hovering in the same two pound range for two weeks now. Phooey, scale. I know I'm eating well, so I assume my body is just adjusting. Despite not losing I've moved into a smaller pair of jeans! So okay, they're a tad tight, but definitely doable. Think I'll wear them to work tomorrow. (Since we can wear jeans every day.)

Fiona: Hope you get some progress on your medical mystery. As much as I love shows like Mystery Diagnosis and the earlier years of House, I can't imagine it's fun to star in them!

Sam: Wow, that's a lot of walking and FAST! I vary from 2.8 to 3.0 mph, but I normally just walk a mile, sometimes 2. Then, I just started two weeks ago.

Betsy: Oh, you're in a fix-the-house mood? I will send you my address and a list of things to work on, if you'd like!

Mae/Mandy: I spent 4 years working on my master one class at a time, and working full time (which often involved overtime and business trips). It was hard! I remember one quarter I tried to take two classes, because I was a course behind due to a medical withdrawal when I had surgery. That was a disaster. Both classes ended up being a ton of work, so that I would wake up in the morning, do homework, go to work, come home, do homework, go to bed. And weekends were... homework! Is there some exercise you can do while reading stuff for school? If nothing else, it will feel like you have so much free time when you are finally done, I didn't know what to do with myself the first few months.

Welcome [BMandy[/B]!!!

Fi Can't believe the kitties are a year old already! Time goes by so fast...My turtle's birthday was earlier this week..she's 1 now...I don't know when she actually hatched since we found her so we use her find date as her birthday

I have some good news and some bad news...Bad news is last week I weighed myself after my friend left and I was up to 253....But the good news is being 100% on plan has helped and working out too...I'm now down to 247 so I actually lost 6 pounds this week! I'm only 3 pounds away to what I was before Christmas. So I'm just gonna keep truckin along and get this weight off!

We got a call yesterday from DH's dad....DH's granny is back in the hospital..She has not been doing well since before Christmas and has been in and out of the hospital. The last time she went in she had to have a stint put in one of her arteries and now it has collapsed. They are not sure what is going to happen because the doctors were saying she may not make it through a surgery to fix it so they are figuring out what is best for Granny. Her other arteries are blocked too and they didn't unblock those at the last surgery because they thought putting the stint in the one would be enough for her. His granny is so tiny, probably her normal weight is 100 pound sopping wet...She was about 80 pounds when we saw her at Christmas so it just goes to show you being small doesn't always mean your healthy. She is probably going to die, and DH had already prepared himself at Christmas that that was probably going to be the last time he sees her. I've already had to alert my boss that I will need to take a couple days off for the funeral to go up to VA when she does pass...I'm not sure how soon or how drawn out this is going to be but we are prepared for the worst. She's lived a long life..she's nearly 90 so I don't feel too terrible because of the life she's lived...I hope to live as long as she has. I will miss her and be sad of her being gone but I look at how much she's lived through and that makes me happy.

On the home front I've been a busy bee today!! Dropped DH off at the studio, went to the grocery store, cleaned my turtle's tank out, brought DH some lunch and now I'm just getting to where I can prep my lunch for next week and make lunch today. I've also cleaned up my room and tidied up the rest of the house. I need some vacuum cleaner bags for my old vacuum since my bagless one is pretty much dead. Last time I went to the store they didn't have the ones I needed. May have to order them online as most vacuums don't come with bags anymore.

Anyway guys I'm off...I'm starving so I'm gonna make something to eat. Planning on having zoodles with roasted tomato and mushroom and a spinach pesto sauce for lunch. Dinner I'm having roasted rosemary chicken with cauliflower mash and steamed broccoli.

Enjoy your day!

Good morning all. I'm slowly easing into the day, but will eventually get my act together and get something done. Nothing got done at home yesterday as I found the Cadbury eggs, card, and money that I had given to my nephew for Easter last week and decided that he couldn't live without them. Bill and I drove in, had lunch with him, and then I managed to take the very long way home through intermittent showers and hail so that it was too late to start on a new project by the time we got back. If any of you are having trouble with finding ways to procrastinate, just let me know -- I can always find an excuse to wait until tomorrow.

Sam As usual what you're fixing sounds so much more interesting than what I have planned! Are there any weight training videos on youtube if the gym atmosphere isn't conducive to feeling good about going there? Hope you're able to find a good used microwave and can get out there and enjoy a walk around the neighborhood (do you feel as though I'm channeling Mr. Rogers?).
Mandy Welcome to our group. As Fi said, we're a supportive group and share a lot besides dieting support. Keep up the good work!
Fi You poor thing -- that falling sounds awful, although I have to admit that I did chuckle at your description of the alligator technique. If the docs are backing off of the seratonin syndrome, I went back to wondering if you did something (how do you like that highly technical term....something!) to your nerves/spine when you had that bad fall trying to catch one of the kitties. Speaking of the babies -- no, they can't be ready for their first birthday already. Where did that year go?
Tootsie How's the recovery coming along?
rabidstoat To you and Mandy and every other female who has ever tried to do it all, my hat's off to you. When I put my ex through grad school, all he had to do was go to class and study. I even typed all of his papers. When I went, I still had all the housework, cooking, cleaning, work, and school. Definitely a challenge to go to school while working and doing every thing else. Hope you're feeling better soon -- sounds like a bad case of the flu.

Donna, Bllondy, Pam, Ubee, Terra, and anyone I've forgotten......hope you all are doing ok.

Interesting observation yesterday when we went out to lunch. My nephew wanted to go to a barbeque place. I ordered a chopped pork plate with a side salad and potato salad. What hit me when the meal came was thaat I thought the portions were so small. When I got to looking at it, there was at least 3 ounces of pork and 1/2 cup of potato salad. The side salad was nice sized -- probably about 1.5 cups of greens. And I was full when I finished. Not stuffed, but full. It dawned on me that I've gotten so used to gargantuan portions being served that when regular sized portions are given, I feel like I'm not getting what I paid for. Since I had breakfast yesterday, I just had a container of yogurt last night and showed a loss this morning. I've really got to do more with getting on the portion control band wagon!

It looks like the next storm is about to roll in. I need to dust, do the daily vacuuming (Toby must be a total dirt magnet!), and pretend to start on the baseboard/trim clean/touch up project. Or I'll have lunch and take a nap. Retirement is filled with these challenging decisions to be made!

Hope everyone has a great day.

Hey, everybody!

Betsy, your procrastination story made me laugh. It hit pretty close to home for me.

Stoat, I hope you feel better soon!

Fiona, I really hope the doctors figure this out. I hate that you're having such a hard time. Yay for little victories. And know we're all rooting for you!

Mae, Welcome! I like Zumba, too, though I can really only keep up with the warm-ups. Even if you can't fit in serious bouts of exercise every day, studies still show that little things like parking further away and taking the stairs (if you have a body that can take the stairs -- mine can't) make a real difference. You can do it!

Sam, you eat zucchini noodles (right, that's what zoodles are?) raw? Are they... edible, that way? I cooked mine a little in a skillet and still thought they were too crunchy. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong.

~~~

So...

Could you all please please please, cross your fingers, tuck your thumbs, light a candle, or pray -- whatever you do to send your hopes and good thoughts out into the universe -- because I am applying to an AMAZING job. If I get it I'll be working with a lot of people who are smarter than me, lol, but how else will I get smarter, right? I imagine I'll have a lot of competition for this one, but I also really feel like I have a shot at it. I've been agonizing over the cover letter for two days, trying to get it perfect. (I work in one of those weird fields where cover letters matter.)

On the food front, I have not really stuck to plan the way I'd hoped. I thought I could trust myself with ice cream in the house. I cannot. Lesson learned, not too much damage done; time to forgive myself, re-evaluate, and get back on the horse.

For now, nothing sugary will be in the house. I'll continue to work on ordered/intuitive/mindful eating, but I'm going to take it more slowly, not tempt myself too badly. If I want ice cream, there are several good places for that in walking distance. No need to have it at home.

I'll also go back to tracking in MyFitnessPal until I get a sense of what a normal day should look like for me; I think I was getting too few calories, and that, combined with the sugar from the ice cream, drove me to eat too much. I told MFP that I only want to lose 0.5 pounds a week. So it's giving me a LOT of calories. That should help keep my anxiety down. (Calorie-tracking makes me anxious. I'm always worried I will "run out" of calories by the end of the day.)

Anyway, I'm really hoping this job comes through--quickly!--and my husband and I can start living in the same place again very soon. He is good support, and not having him here makes me a lot more likely to do EVERYTHING in a disordered way, including eating.

I hope you're all having a beautiful Sunday!

Hi everyone,

Mandy, welcome to our chatty little group. I hope you will like it here as much as I do.

Fiona, I'm so sorry you are still falling. I really hope and pray the doctors figure this out AND find a way to fix it.

Rabidstoat, I'm glad to hear you are on the mend.

Sam, congrats on the weight loss. Your meals always sound so much more interesting than mine.

Betsy, you made me chuckle with your ability to procrastinate. That is one area where I really don't need any help at all. I can find plenty of ways to do that on my own.

Magpie, I will pray, cross my fingers and toes that you get this job you want. Please keep us posted on that front.

Tootsie, I hope you are healing from your surgery last week and feeling better.

Pam and Donna, where are you? I hope you are doing ok.

I have been losing and gaining the same pound all this week and I can't figure out why I can't keep it off. I know, it's only a pound and it will go eventually. It's not really a big deal but a little bit frustrating because I seem to be doing everything right.

Time to go make my salad for lunch tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

You know what, I didn't slow down enough to actually think about exercising while I'm studying! For lecture exams, I'm studying actual paper notes, and lab exams it's usually images and slides on my iPad. I'm thinking I need to actually get my treadmill cleared off! I don't trust myself to walk outdoors and study at the same time and not get hit by a car

I'm still in a bit of pain. The doc gave me 30 pain pills. That's supposed to last up to every four hours for 1-2 weeks. No refills. I can take 2 per dose. Obviously that doesn't work out. I have 3 pills left. I'm waiting until bedtime to take my next dose. Tylenol won't help with this sort of pain, and I can't take aspirin because they gave me an anticoagulant in the hospital. NSAIDs could react with some of my normal prescriptions, so I'm not supposed to take them. I feel miserable. One of my usual coping methods-a bath-is out because I can't submerge the incisions yet. So I've eaten stuff that I shouldn't have, which makes me feel worse because I feel weak-willed. (It's odd because I don't say that others are weak-willed in the same situation, but I'm hard on myself.) I tried to do my Walk At Home vids three times since returning home, even though the doc said to wait at least a week, and not only paid for it in pain, but got scolded by my spouse. I just fear gaining. I'm back up to 181, which I really don't get because I have kept track, and have not eaten THAT much. I haven't really had the desire to post because my issues are temporary and minor compared to others. I want to get back to cheery online me.

Tootsie— Please don't feel that you have to wear a smiley-face mask every time, or even just the majority of times, you post to this thread. I've been down that path myself, here and in other online communities, and it just doesn't work. For one thing, you don't get support for your struggles, however "temporary and minor" you may judge them to be.. For another thing, it's false. I can't speak for everyone else on this thread, but personally, I have a radar detector for falseness. I much prefer the reality of whatever you're going through, to the falseness of the smiley face. Be real with us, please!

Hello again...

I am back.... again...

Should be sticking around this time.... as I'm done with this size... completely done with it. I will update as things happen.

In other news - got back from my trip to London yesterday, I did have a great time. Saw the Globe Theatre (unfortunately their season doesn't start until April 23) so no shows, also went to the aquarium, British Museum, the Film museum with the Bond In Motion exhibit (James Bond vehicles).

I am also in the process of applying for a Masters Program (Professional Masters in Education specialising in Teaching Abroad). It is a fully online program which means I will be staying in Egypt for the time being.

Another beautiful day I must watch through the 44 panes of the large mullioned window at the front of our house... the cats watching, too...

This morning I fell again in the bathroom—three times. Some aspects of this syndrome I have are indeed mysterious, but the falling down is not. It's a matter of balance: the medication I take for muscle relaxation—to combat the dreadful and very painful cramps I've had—and the tendency that medication has to make my muscles weak. I can't count on my usually strong quadriceps, I can't count on any of my muscles, and so I fall. And it's a challenging enterprise, getting my body back over my feet, in the small powder room where these adventures take place. Today I managed at last to hoist myself up and get to my wheelchair (parked at the door of the room, because it's too wide to go in there) without having to resort to the alligator crawl, so I have that at least to feel good about. My ankles and calves and thighs and knees are so sore from the repeated falls, though! And I have one toe that seems to be badly sprained, if not broken.

But I'm hanging in here—reading books, writing letters, petting cats, and taking naps. And trying to stay on my diet, although I did have a cookie binge about a week ago. I'm back to my policy of no sweets in the house, and I'm hoping I can lose some of the cookie pounds before my weigh-in on April 22.

Good morning everyone. Really dreary day out here, but if you don't like 3 seasons of cloudy/rainy weather, don't live in the Pacific NW. I did manage to procrastinate to the point of not starting the baseboard/trim project, but did some bookkeeping, dusting, and a light vacuuming. I'm in the mood to work on them today, so I'll get started this afternoon after gym time and lunch.

Magpie Fingers, toes, legs......they're all crossed. I so hope that you get this job both so you and DH can be located together again, but also because you just sound so excited about it. Do you find that when you're happier/satisfied/calmer.....whatever word you want to use......that it's so much easier to stay on plan? Sorry about hitting the ice cream. It's so hard to avoid when it's in the house because it's ever so much better than brussel sprouts. Good plan on forgiving yourself and moving on.
Cindy Have you named your renegade pound yet? It is frustrating, but is just your body going through trying to find a set point. It will go away and then it wil try to find a set point at a lower weight.
Tootsie If you're still in pain and are running low on pain pills, call the doctor and ask for some more. Or at least ask for something else. And I'm going to go into over advising mode -- stop doing things that they've told you not to do. Your body has gone through a lot with have the attack followed by surgery. It's going to hang onto everything it can to make sure that you're ok. So stop weighing yourself, stop exercising until you've been told it's ok, and just continue with trying to eat on plan. Now, with all of those very masculine declarative sentences, Fi's right -- don't ever worry about having to be cheerful all the time on here. We're rooting for you, and just want you to heal from having emergency surgery done.
Time4Me Oooohhhh. Your trip to London sounds wonderful -- that green hue in the sky to the west of you is my envy shining through. Glad you're back posting with us and getting back on the diet wagon. Your master's program sounds interesting.
Fi Oops. I forgot they put you on the muscle relaxers to relief the cramping. You are really handling this very well. I'd be a candidate for b***** of the year by now if I were going through this. This is kind of an odd idea (but it's coming from me, so that's expected!), but is the powder room big enough to put down those interlocking squares of foam like they use at playgrounds and gyms to soften the floors? They can go down without being permanent and don't cost a whole lot. Just thought it might help with softening some of the falls. Hang in there.

Well, I'm back on the losing side of my too long yo-yo dieting efforts. Of course, this means that I'm just getting back to the point where I was at the end of last month, and still have 20 pounds to lose to get to where I was last summer and then another 9 to get to my 2013 low point. Obviously, while I know how to lose weight, I still have a long way to go on maintaining that weight loss and eating healthy in a consistent manner. Sigh.

Off to the gym, then lunch and finally the dreaded baseboards. Hope that everyone has a good day.

Betsy There are a few training videos that I've found on youtube that I like...DH said something about that too. I think I'm just going to take a spring/summer break from that place and focus on workouts from home and outside. I only started that gym because I wanted a place to go walking and the added benefit of having extra weights to use in the winter. Part of me would cancel the membership but I know as soon as I cancel it I'll want it back again so there ya go. No microwave as of yet. We're going to check some yard sales this weekend. Sunday was so busy I didn't get to take a walk or get any type of light exercise in but that's ok .

Magpie LOL....Yes, sometimes I eat zucchini noodles raw...It all depends on how I'm making the rest of the meal. I tend to quick steam them when I'm having spaghetti with meat sauce which is how I usually tend to eat them. I've had them years ago when I was vegan raw in a thai peanut sauce type thing with other veggies and pineapple and it was really good. The pesto was great with it too...however, I made a boo boo and ate one zucchini that was on the verge of going and I got a little sick to my stomach. That I'm sure will put me off from eating raw zucchini for awhile. I haven't tried cooking them in a skillet yet but if you want them a little softer and still want to do the skillet cooking method had the slightest bit of water to the bottom of the pan. It will help "water sautee" them, a term I got from a holistic nutritionist. It will keep them from being mushy but help release some of it's own water and still be soft. Let me know how that way goes for you Fingers X'd you get this job!!

Cindy Thanks love...I'm slowly getting back into my groove and it feels great. I am a big creature of habit so when I find foods that are considered "diet food" that I actually like I tend to make them a lot...But Pinterest has been my BFF when it comes to keeping things interesting in my weight loss journey. I'm always trying different recipes to help keep things interesting. I am not a very good cook, but I do great when it comes to cooking healthy food...don't ask me why lol...If you ever want some recipes let me know I'll be happy to share ...

tootsie STAHP!!!! I don't want to see you prolong your recovery because you felt like you HAD to work out...Honey it isn't worth it trust me on that one. You need your rest and your doctor is telling you these things because it's important. Right now all you can do is work on watching what you're eating and getting your rest. There is plenty of time to get back in the swing of exercising. The more you rest, the sooner you'll recover I agree with what Fi said, don't ever feel like you have to be your cheery self...I tried doing that here once and everyone saw through it. Be true to yourself and if you're having a $hitty day then let us know! We're here for support!!! I hope you feel better soon darling!

Time Hey girly! Glad to see you back! Your trip to London sounds amazing! Oh how I wish to go there one day...I guess I need to get the courage to fly in a plane first though lol...Keep posting!

Fi Thanks for checking in with us ...I'm sorry you keep falling (((HUGS)))...Betsy did have a good idea with the foam pads you can put down...maybe that will help in the event you have another fall...oh I hope your toe isn't broken ...Stay strong...I know you are <3

Ubee Are we cross posting again today? lol

Well guys today was not too bad...I was honestly dreading going back to work today...That client that was a total jerk on Friday left me in a mood that I just did not want to have to deal with him today. Luckily I didn't have to talk to him. He asked me to e-mail him the information. I'm honestly hoping he just takes his business somewhere else...maybe to an agent that is closer to him. He lives almost 2 hours away. I prepped up some chicken, onions and peppers to put on salads this week with the cilantro lime dressing. It's really good...made me want to have it for lunch all week again this week lol...Told you guys I'm a creature of habit!!

Tonight for dinner I made a garlic & rosemary roasted chicken with steamed broccoli and creamy cauliflower mash. I made DH red skinned mashed potatoes as I know he will NEVER eat cauliflower mash lol...I can't say I blame him it's been a lot of trial and error with me on finding a way to make it that tastes good.

Got my cardio in tonight...I was hoping to go on a walk sometime this week and bring DH along but the weather forecast is calling for rain ALL week and even into next week. Hopefully one of those days we can fit a walk in and they'll actually be wrong on the weather. I just did a Chalene Johnson video again. Tomorrow if I can't get out to walking I'm going to do some ab workouts with my balance ball.

Update on DH's Granny...They are planning to wait another week before they do the surgery on her arteries. As I mentioned in my last post her stint in the one they did a few weeks ago collapsed. She hasn't been able to eat in two weeks and DH's dad said she is starting to eat a little bit but she is in so much pain when it's digesting that it makes her not want to eat. I feel so bad for her. I know she's going to go at some point but hope that they could do something to comfort her a little easier. I kind of wonder if she is in such poor health now will she even make it for the surgery next week? I really don't have the money to go up there for a funeral but luckily have a credit card I can use for gas money, and we can stay with family while we're there. I worry for DH, but he has made peace with this for awhile now...Sometimes he has a hard time opening up but I know when the time comes I'll be right there for him.

Nothing else new or exciting going on here...I'm feeling great though, getting back on my vitamin regime. Getting my water intake in....I feel 100% honestly...except for last night I had a hard time sleeping my back was in so much pain I don't know why. It hasn't felt like that in over a year when I was heavier. I think I need to do yoga more often. Maybe that will help with any tenses muscles.

Anyway, I'm off to get a shower..Hope everyone enjoys their night!

Betsy ~ Yeah I havent had cramps since I lasted posted so thats good but I am back to working out every day.

MaeCrochet ~ Welcome to the forum and the thread

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

I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and I was out of the house by 7:25 a.m. I didnt get home until 11:30 a.m. I had an appt. with my therapist. Tomorrow I'm going to school to work on the DA4A Agenda for Wed's meeting as I cant be there on Wed but at least it will be ready to print on Wed. On Wed. I have to do some testing to find out which computer classes are best for me and then I have cooking class on Thursday and then on Saturday I think Scott and I are going to the mall for awhile. I hope everyone has an awesome day today.

Hi everyone.
Betsy no more yo yo for us. It should be all down down from here on out!
Fi one year already! My previous cat used to make that hunting noise. I had forgotten... miss him so much.
Welcome back Melissa!
Tootsie feel free to be who you really are.
Welcome Mae!
Hi magpie, Cindy, rabid!
Sam you made it to below 250!!! So proud of you!
Hi Terra! looks like I cross posted with you and Sam. Yes, I type slow.
I'm not sure what is going on in my world but we have been having an extreme social life. One guest leaves and another shows up. I enjoy them but am also a recluse at times.
On the weight loss front I seem to start out with the best of intentions but then fall into "I'll start tomorrow" lies.
My weight is really starting to creep back up, my stomach is really growing and I am feeling sad, afraid, disappointed, disgusted, and defeated.
I will check in tomorrow.