Good morning and happy new week! We had high winds last night but fortunately didn't lose power. I feel for the poor folks in TX and LA who may have to wait weeks for power and water.

Knee rehab is going well and I'm up to 25 minutes on the bike every day. My PT doesn't want me on the elliptical quite yet because of strain on the knees but she's a huge fan of the bike both for strengthening and range of motion. I have my daily leg exercise routine that takes about an hour, then ice for 15 - 20 minutes. Add that to upper body exercises and it keeps me busy!

The frustrating part about recovery is that I'm not all better NOW. My mind keeps thinking that it's been a month, so it's time for life to get back to normal but I guess it just doesn't work that way. What used to be so easy is now so hard and it just gets tiresome. But there's progress every day and I know I'll get there eventually.

So my limited exercise is going well, but I've still been ridiculously hungry. I guess it might be due to healing? My weight is a steady three pounds over what I weighed when I went to the hospital and it's hard to say how much is swelling, titanium knees, and how much is fat from not being able to exercise as much as usual. I'm logging everything in Fitday and weighing, measuring, planning, and doing all the usual things to get back to my happy weight.

I've had a few off-plan deviations over the past month but funny, food just doesn't make my knees feel any better. Huh -- who would have thunk it? Too bad I have to learn that lesson over and over again!

OK, here's a shout out to all maintainers -- lapsed, relapsed, collapsed, or cruising along just fine -- check in, tell us how you're doing, and let's all commit to a great week!

I am cruising along just fine . And it's exactly one week to my holiday.



I am up one lb. but I ate a lot of salt yesterday (corn on the cob with salt and lime only) so I think it's just water being retained.

I will diet this week to make sure I am at my happy weight for NYC.

Have a great week everyone

Dagmar

Good morning! Monday already? I was on plan all week-end so I am feeling good. We are going on vacation in a couple of weeks, and I'd like to drop a couple pounds so I'll have some wiggle room to gain a couple (HA!) while we're gone.

Meg, I am sorry you're frustrated, but it sounds like your recovery is going great!

Mudpie, every time you mention NYC now I think of peanut butter donuts.

Hope you have a great day.

Good morning all,

I'm tired but very happy that I moved into my own place! Friday afternoon and Saturday I moved, Sunday I cleaned the old house. If I ever tell any of you that I don't have enough a) shoes, b) clothes, c) potted plants, please remind me otherwise. Another lesson learned - try to avoid moving when there's a heat index of 97. Since both the old house & the new one are up on pilings, my legs (and arms!) were soooo sore yesterday. But I thank all of my workouts for the stamina to keep going! I still have tons of boxes to unpack but it will get there. I'm very proud of myself for having brushed teeth, clean clothes on, and a (healthy) lunch packed today given the state of my house.

Meg, it sounds like you are doing great with your physical therapy, as well as keeping up your UB workouts and eating OP! I'm sure the hunger is due to all the energy your body is spending healing. I just googled "titanium knee replacement" and according to this site each knee replacements weighs 15-20 ounces. No luck finding out how much the bone they took out weighs. Maybe you could ask your dr? But don't worry too much about that right now, keep focusing on healing!

Dagmar, mmm, pb donuts. Still thinking they'd be delicious.

Wardhog, I think we all try to give ourselves that "wiggle room" - leads to less stress on vacation, at least for me. I can certainly enjoy myself and relax more if I know my pants have a little give, you know!

Tammy (are you still out there), I saw your post from the end of last week. I think everyone who responded already hit the nail on the head. Maintenance has lots of ups and downs. It's catching the ups before they get too out of hand. What's been going on with you lately health-wise (and lifewise!)?

I get today in the office and then several days on the boat. I'm going to catch up on my paperwork. Have a great day everyone!

Today is my first day back to work. I didn't sleep especially well last night, and neither did the kids. DD had a nightmare, and DS got hungry about 1:30. It'll be interesting to see how functional I am this afternoon.

Back later.

Anne

Good Morning all, It's wet and windy out, but we just got the tail-end of the storm. Lots of flooded basements around here. I was lucky, mine is ok. I was worried about my sons, his has flooded a few times in the past. He has 2 sump-pumps and he was ok too. Had DH go over there to check. A tornado touched down a few miles from here. No deaths, but it did a lot of damage to some apartment builddings. I have the Grands all week. DS and DDIL had to fly to Waco Texas for a training sesson. Any of you know how far that is from the storm?

Pat, I'm so glad to hear that Kitty found the way home.

Meg, it takes awhile for a knee replacement to totally heal, so TRY to be patient. so easy to say. Sounds like you're doing fine though, healing well and getting your ROM back. I'm not the only one who tries to medicate with food?

Dagmar, Just keep in mind those skinney jeans and how great you're going to look. Should keep you right on tract!!

Wardhog, I like to have some "wiggle room" for vacations too. Good to be able to indulge in a "few" treats while you're away, without worrying.

Megan, You're in your new place, you will have lots of time to get things straight. Don't try to do it all at once! Enjoy the freedom of being on your own!

Annie, good luck on the first day back.

Make it a good day, Freda

Hi everyone! I'm in and out quick too since work is so busy. I had a great weekend fun-wise but a terrible one eating-wise. I'm still just as far above my red line as I was in February. The good news is that my exercise is far better now than it has been in months.

I am officially re-dedicating myself as of today to my weight maintenance/loss plan! No more being lazy about cooking dinner and eating crap instead! No more "It's the weekend so I can have half a loaf of bread" or "It's the weekend so I can have an entire cake"!

Hi everyone!

Speaking of bad sleep, Anne, I had about an hour and 20 minutes last night, and that wasn't even in one solid block. Nice, huh? I slept until about midnight while my husband watched the baby, and then he ate and he would only sleep on me until 7:30 this morning. He was just not having his bassinet at ALL. He slept for about 20 minutes in it at one point. This morning I put him in his swing and ended up getting about a 45-minute nap. I seriously think I might just fall over dead at some point today. There's no way on earth I'm going to be worrying about calories any time soon, that's for sure.

Good morning everyone.

Glad your rehab is going so well, Meg! I'm sure that at the rate you're going you'll be able to get back on the elliptical in no time. You're an inspiration.

Anne~good luck on your first day back.

Freda~I don't know just where Waco is, but if it is in the western part of the state, they're probably okay. My sister is in the DFW area and she said everything ended up east of them and they didn't get much of anything there.

Megan~I knew you'd find a way to get a workout without a gym! Now, how many times do you plan on moving! haha!

I thought that I was finally over this weird cold of mine. Sunday I felt wonderful and totally back to normal. That all came to an end when I went to bed. I couldn't breathe (chest felt congested) and then my nose got all stopped up and to top it all off I felt both feverish and nauseous. All of that led to a horrible night's (non)rest and of course due to the lack of sleep I woke up famished. I ended up eating twice what I normally would have and I'm still hungry, but I won't eat more. Weight-wise I'm still okay (actually was down a pound on Sunday but it returned this morning). I hope to get back to the gym today (I'm sure I'll get an earful from my trainer for missing half of last week).

On another note--my DH got the results of his recent lab tests and he's really high in cholesterol (as I was a few weeks ago). My doctor recommended a very thorough (and VERY expensive) lab test that looks at all the markers for cholesterol and I go tomorrow to get those test results. Meanwhile, I've been thinking.....For years I've been VERY conscientious about eating low fat. We eat red meat only about 3 times a month. We do vegetarian from time to time. I've completely given up sour cream (that was a huge hurdle for me). All my dairy (except cheese) is non-fat or low fat. I admit cheese is hard for me, but I don't feel that I eat that much of it (perhaps 4-6 ounces a week). With all of this, shouldn't our cholesterol be lower? I'm hoping my results tomorrow will be better than the other test was, but with all of this and my pretty darn clean eating, I'm fearful that he'll put me on cholesterol lowering meds. I don't really want to do that, but I don't know what else I can do with my diet. If he decides to send me to a specialist, I bet it will be Dr. Gundry (who wrote the book this doctor recommended that I read--it's the one that suggests NO grains at all). Aargh. No grains? I don't eat that many anyway, but I do love my grains! Does anyone have any suggestions that might help lower cholesterol?

I have high cholesteral, too and take medication for it. I eat very
little red meat. only non fat milk and non fat yogurt. It is still high, doctor says it is hereditary.

Good monday morning everyone!

So my weekend was okay except for my participation in the usual University weekend activity of drinking... I should probably feel more guilty about it than I do, but what can I say? I enjoy a good party here and there...

My eating is going pretty well other than that. I'm finding I eat really different these days than I used to. I tend to just eat smaller, more snack like meals more often throughout the day. And I don't really want to go back to old eating patterns at all. I don't think I've had a true binge in over 5 months... wholy crap! Sorry, just realized that. And the weirdest part? I don't really feel like binging at all...

Does anyone else find that they had a major change in their eating patterns when they hit their goal or close to? What was the biggest struggle eating wise for people on maintenance?

Thanks bargoo. I know my Mom has always had high cholesterol, but I never have had bad readings until this year. I'll have to investigate with DH's family (but I don't think anyone there has a problem with it).

Lisa - I hope you can get some more sleep tonight!

Allison - eating more soluble fiber or taking fiber supplements can help lower your cholesterol. Soluble fiber, as far as I know, is the reason oatmeal can help lower your cholesterol. Most fiber supplements are a blend of soluble and insoluble. The insoluble kind is the kind that you can't digest, so it helps with regularity. Exercise can also help lower cholesterol!

Happy Monday everyone!

LisaMarie-- oh, I remember those sleepless days and nights, feeling like a zombie and that you just can't make it another day. They will improve-- I promise.

Freda-- Waco is in far West Texas so it was plenty far from Ike.

Anne-- hope you had a good first day back. I'm sure it was hard for all of you.

Megan-- glad you got moved. Sounds like you got plenty of exercise in doing it as well!

Mudpie-- I bet you are getting excited for you trip! I have a trip in 3 weeks and I am already counting down the days....

Meg-- sounds like your rehab is going great. I know that it is so hard to be patient, but your weight sounds great!

My weekend was a big mix of good and bad....guess life is like that most of the time!
First, on Friday night I was trying to eat healthy for my weigh in Saturday. Dh brought home rum and chips and encouraged me to drink (I rarely drink). I abstained from both but was a little ticked that he brought those things home. But, I can't dictate what the rest of my family does.

Then, on Saturday we had to take our Great Dane, Jozi, to the vet. She had had a fall a few days prior and had seemed ok, but then she started screaming anytime the other dog approached her. She wouldn't eat, just sat there and shook, and would scream if she got up or down. So......$350 later, many hours at the vet holding a shaking Great Dane down while attempting to get x-rays (got a workout there!), she was diagnosed with mild back problems that will probably flare up and worsen as she ages (she is 4). She is on 2 pain meds plus a muscle relaxer and is feeling great now!

Dh and I then went on our planned date to a comedy club with dinner. I ate fairly wisely but had a drink. Once I did that, dh kept them coming. I had three, but that is three more than I've had in about 6 months! I had a hangover Sunday-- yuck! Glad I ordered wisely because the alcohol had me wanting dessert. I kept telling dh to get the waiter to order dessert and he told me they just had chocolate cake and cheesecake and neither looked too appealing. He promised me dessert later, but I ended up being smart and having one of my low cal fudge pops at home.

Today was a true Monday. Started off by my alarm going off (my cell phone). My cat had knocked it off my bedstand and it had fallen behind the bed. I tried to reach to get it and my arm got stuck in between the slats of the headboard! Dh was half asleep and he tried to move the bed which didn't help at all. I finally got it out and went down to feed the dogs. Jozi stepped in something yucky outside and dragged it in, prompting an immediate bath, cleaning of the floors, and cleaning of the doggy beds.

Work was not great for many reasons. Some Mondays are just like that. I'm hoping to get to the gym to get out some of my angst and frustrations later!!

Hope everyone has an awesome week!

Thanks everyone for your comments in the last thread. They truly helped me calm down a bit and realize that I could get back on track. The past 2 weeks have been crazy at work. During that time, we’ve moved one library into their addition, which included having to find shelving pieces from our storage facility, load it, install it, and then move the collection into the addition and onto the new shelving. Immediately after that, without ever having a day at the office, we started doing an inventory of materials at a second location. I had one day back at the office (Friday) and then today we started weeding at a third location. Between all of the extra tasks at work, we’ve also had several football games where I help manage the concession stand for our band boosters. DH is still recuperating from knee replacement surgery, and I'm doing more of the tasks that he normally does around the house and yard as well. I really needed a calm and quiet weekend. Saturday was fairly low-key, although I had a couple of commitments on Sunday.

Since a vacation to New Orleans the first of August, I've been slowly eating more and more and it was starting to show on the scale. Saturday morning, after a particularly bad Friday, I weighed 207! And I had sworn I would never see 200 again. As of this morning, I was back down to 197, but I've got to get back down to 186, and I will. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.... I've been telling myself this ever since I read everyone's comments earlier.

Meg, I read Thin for Life about a year ago, but I'm requesting it from my library again so that I can re-read it. At the time, I wasn't reading it from a "it pertains to me RIGHT now" perspective. I hear you on wanting to be better right away. DH has really made a lot of improvement in the last week. He's at five 1/2 weeks out. Maybe this will be the week that you see a big improvement.

Wardhog and Dagmar, Nice to "meet" you two. I haven't posted a lot in here since you've started posting, but I intend on changing that. I hope you can both get a little wiggle room for vacation.

Megan, I hope you are enjoying your new place. No more roommates!

Anne and LisaMarie, to you both. Life with babies can be challenging, but oh so worth it! Anne, I hope your first day back at work went well. LisaMarie, With that little sleep, my last thought would be calorie counting. I always felt lucky if I had time to brush my teeth, much less the time or energy to work on my food. I hope he sleeps through the night very soon for you, or at least several hours straight.

Allison, Good luck with your cholesterol results. We seem to hear that more and more cardiologists are recommending lower carb diets to lower cholesterol, but I know it isn't a one size fits all. Like you, I don't eat a lot of grains, but I certainly do enjoy the ones that I eat. I would really miss them if I were told I had to give them up.

Michele, That's a nice way to start Monday morning. Maybe Tuesday will be calmer.

Jessica, I'm right there with you, re-dedicating to my plan.

My food was pretty good yesterday. It was spot on today. I need a couple of more days like that, then I've got to get exercise back together. I've messed up there too, but I know that for me, when I've been off track for several weeks, I have to get one thing corrected at a time.

Have a great week, everyone.