Good morning and happy February! I’m hoping that stupid rodent doesn’t see his shadow tomorrow because I, for one, am heartily sick of winter. I need sunshine!

This is starting Week 5 of recovery from my shoulder surgery, which means just two more weeks of the 24/7 sling and left-handed typing (and left-handed everything else). What I’m most looking forward to is being able to DRIVE! I’m doing physical therapy three days a week now, but it’s just passive range of motion exercises (still hurts though). They tell me that I’ll really start to hate them in two weeks when we start the active range of motion (‘when we really start to crank on you’ ) Of course, my ‘good’ shoulder felt left out and decided to get in on the fun a week ago and started hurting, so I’m doing PT, ice, and anti-inflammatories for it too. It’s so sad to watch your body fall apart!

Thankfully I can still do cardio on the bike, limited legs, and just got the OK to do curls and kickbacks (good side only) – with 5# DBs!! Hey, it’s better than nothing and honestly, I’m shockingly weak. Muscle atrophy happens so fast – my right (operated on) shoulder has all the bones sticking out because the muscle is just gone. They tell me it will come back – over the next year.

My weight shot up like a rocket after surgery, probably due to swelling. It’s finally down to a few pounds below where I was pre-surgery - whew. My goal for the month is to lose five pounds and due to limited exercise, that means v-e-r-y careful and controlled eating. Fortunately I can’t GO anywhere due to not driving, so only have to fight off the temptation of what’s in the house (PB, ice cream etc). Of course, as I’ve often proved, it’s entirely possible to eat twice as much of the healthy stuff and not lose an ounce!

Enough blathering about me … how’s everyone else surviving winter? What’s going on in your world? Anyone else have goals for February? C’mon and say hi and let us know how you’re doing!

Poor Meg! Glad you got the ok to start moving again!

Well I'm "Maintaining" very well... Unfortunately I want the scales to go DOWN! But I'll get there in the end! If I have to take a little maintenance break for my body to realise I'm trying to whoop it into shape, then so be it!

Going to try doing 5K run at lunch. I'm all stoked up with cottage cheese and pita bread so I should have plenty of energy, just as long as it doesn't make a bid for freedom! Ooooh and I get to try out my new Navman GPS tracker thingy - gives you pace and time and distance and speed and calories and EVERYTHING!

Hi Meg,

I am also tired of winter!! They can bring on the spring for me right now!

Goals for february???
1. Not gain
2. increase working hours to 20 hours/week
3. Keep up the excercise
4. Not go nuts ???
5. Arrange new job ?

I feel like I am doing a balancing act here. lets put in my main goal:
Hang in there. Stick around, not go under. Keep breathing.
I can handle that, I did before! Anfd hopefully the rest will take care of itself.
You only have to do one day at the time, one hour at the time.

Have a great day,
rabbit

It can't possibly be February already. DD and I are sick. Snot everywhere!! Ack.

Hi Meg, 2F, & rabbit. Hi everybody.

Hi, Everybody,

Meg, hope you will be able to exercise more when you need it. Anne, hope DD will be better.

Well, I am happy it is February - in january here in Vancouver we broke record of all days - 29 rainy days in January - that is out of 31! Today rain is back again - I hope February will at least have more sunny days (it can not have 29 rainy days anyways as it is February and has only 28 days to start with, I guess it is a black humor)!

I figured I am having real problems to live with non-stopping rain. I tried to exercise and watch what I eat and I had a REALLy bad January. I am up probably 6 pounds and I feel bloated all the time. We went skiing over the weekend and guess what - forecast was great but in reality there was no sun - that is no sun in place where it is usually sunny.

So my goals for February:
1. Back to planning and controlling and organizing
2. Clean eats
3. 3xweek exercise (i want to be realistic)

Cheers, and wish you sunny days!
Sandy.

Hi everyone! Well, we're having a very mild winter here (so far, at least), so for once I'm not dying for spring (though it would be nice!).

I'm maintaining just fine, though I think my eating is getting sloppy. I have been craving chocolate like nobody's business! I found a recipe for a chocolate cake that isn't as unhealthy as normal chocolate cake (only 1/4 C butter ) so I'm thinking I might cave and make it this weekend. We're having a mini superbowl party so there will be friends over to help eat it. Last week I had a diet disaster! I was craving sweets again so I made cookies from a recipe on my 5-grain cereal (as cookies go, not too bad for you, but still). It made about 16 cookies. I also had a cup of heavy cream that I had needed for a recipe (the recipe only used 2 Tbsp), so I whipped it up and made whipped cream and chocolate pudding to put the whipped cream on top of. Then my fiance and I split the cookies in half, and I spent the evening dipping cookies into whipped cream! The worst part is I just wanted more cookies the next day, instead of being gorged!

My fiance and I are both working from home right now which makes the temptations worse. He's going to be working from home until he quits his job and we move (probably in June), and since I am on a limited work schedule to allow my wrists to recover from tendonitis (I'm at 4 hours/day this week), it's not worth it for me to deal with trying to find parking at school (I get more done at home anyway). I think I'll go back to my office when either I get up to 6 hours a day (so my fiance can drop me off and pick me up without interrupting a lot of his work) or the weather gets warmer (so I can walk and don't have to deal with parking).

Anyway, enough rambling, my point was that being at home all day = more food availability! I've been doing pretty well the past couple days though, the scale was even down a pound this morning (to 126, how did that happen??). We've been hitting the gym on our regular 3x/week schedule and trying to do active stuff on the weekend. Soon I'm going to be signing up for classes at the gym -- I'm thinking belly dance and yoga! That way in addition to my regular workouts I can get something fun and different in, and force myself to be active a couple more times a week.

Next week I am getting flown out to Indianapolis for a job interview! I am really hoping I get it, they seemed to be really happy with my phone interview and they sound like a nice company.

Sandy - that rain sounds awful! I start to go crazy if it rains three days in a row.

Anne - I hope you and DD feel better soon!

Meg - Hopefully you will be able to build that muscle back up quickly! I haven't been doing upper-body work much since my wrists got screwed up, and I can really tell my muscles are shrinking.

hi maintainers,

Sandy - how awfull to have so little sun! We usually have very little sun around here in winter, but actually did quite well last month. But it is much colder than usual. The forecast is the cold will last another 2 weeks, and then they can open the can of spring as far as I'm conceerned!

Anne - Horrible about you & daughter being ill. You mention snot, I presume you both have got a cold? My kids benefited from moist air when their noses were congested, it makes the snot runny, so they perked up when they had been in a warm shower with me.

Paperclippy - too bad about the tendonitis! I hope you heal soon!

Meg - How is the recovery going?

Have a great day all,
Wendy

Good Morning Everyone!

I have not been posting as much as I want -- no time lately. But I am happy to say I've been eating fairly well and exercising as much as my knee will allow, I've had tendonitis of the knee. Swimming in the pool has been wonderful.

Rabbit, I've been lurking in the LWL forum and noticed you are trying to decide which new job offer you should accept. My free advice is to go for the new position - away from XH! For your own health and independence, it sounds like being away from him and having your own fresh start would be very liberating right now, and would help remove some of the daily stress you are experiencing. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best!


Anne, I hope you & your DD are feeling better.

Meg, Keep us posted on your recovery! You are doing so well, keeping your eating in check will keep you where you want to be even without the exercise.

Hello to everyone - have a great Monday!

Hi everyone! I'm almost here!

Hi Everyone!

Haven't had much opportunity to post lately, but I sure have been reading and it's been invaluable. I found myself beginning to slide into a somewhat typical post-holiday gaining cycle, but was able to put an abrupt halt to it just by reading your collective wisdom, gritting my teeth, and working out. I'm especially glad I joined the Y last summer because it just got myself up, dusted myself off, and went back to the gym. It wasn't even all that hard!

Was it here, in Maintainers, that I read about Champion Protein Powder, or over on Ladies Who Life? In any event, let me thank whoever recommended it. It's a wonderful product! (Note, I have no interest in the company and I don't benefit from it in any way.) It's the first protein powder that I've found that actually disolves in liquid without a blender. I was able to take it to a conference and mix it up in a shaker. I like everything about it: the flavors, the consistency, the ease. I usually have a shake a day.

Could be a tough day today ... we're taking one of our dogs to the vet for routine care, but with this mutt, routine is anything but ... we have to anestheticize him to cut his nails. So, I'm off. Have a great day everyone!

I can't believe it is halfway into February already. We've been so sick here. DD had an ear infection, but is now much better, but I'm still sick. I also picked up pink eye in one of my many many visits to various after-hours pediatric offices--that is at least cleared up. My own practitioner gave me antibiotics too since I've been down for so long, but I'm not sure they are working--probably just a virus I can't lick. And of course with an infant in the house, any sort of reasonable rest is out of the question. Plus I've used up so much time off from work, I really can't afford to take any more, unless I'm checking into the hospital. I'm kind of rooting for the hospital.

So no exercise for more than 2 weeks now, and my eating has really been sucking. I've gained back some of that hard fought baby weight I got off. To top things off, now my DH is out of town for almost a week on a business trip and I'm so tired I just don't know how I'm going to get through it. I have to take care of the baby, the dogs, the house, work, and then myself. And well, the house and work are getting just enough maintenance to get by for now.

I'm posting tonight because I'm fighting off a craving for macaroni and cheese. There is some in the freezer, but I've had way more than enough to eat tonight already, and most of that not very healthful either. I've decided not to have some tonight, but I REALLY want to, so I'm publically committing so I don't lose my nerve and cave. Just for tonight I'm going to do the right thing, and let tomorrow sort itself out.

So I'm going to sit and try to relax for a bit, then I'll do my evening routine and go to sleep, hopefully by 8 p.m.

Anne

Hi Anne,

Just a note to cheer you up. I hope you'll be feeling better soon. Let the house slide by all means, and spend the time on rest and relaxation for yourself.
I don't think there is any mom out there that will not concede to you that at these times it takes everything you have to just keep on hanging in there. So, fight to survive, let the house slide, and enjoy the company of your daughter.

lots of luck,
rabbit

PS. Spring is in the air, and that will also clean up a lot of infections.

Anne -- You were so smart to come here last night instead of diving into the mac and cheese. How did the rest of the night go for you?

Being a mom can be the toughest job in the world! It sounds like it's just been a wretched winter for you. Please don't sweat an extra few pounds ... once life settles down and you get some sleep and it's warm enough to RUN outside, they'll come right off. When the time is right, you know exactly what to do and I know you'll do it. You're one tough cookie, Anne!

In the meantime, please just focus on taking care of yourself and the baby, getting as much sleep as you can, and eating healthy.

Thanks so much for the support! I got some much needed sleep, just over 8 hrs, if not all in a row, it was still helpful. I avoided the mac & cheese and it is safely in the freezer awaiting my dinner tonight, properly portioned with a big salad of course.

I had a run-in with a giant plate of cookies at work, but the day isn't totally lost just yet! It is such a reminder that this whole thing is just one decision at a time, and the trick is to make enough good ones, and not necessarily to be perfect.

I think this stupid cold is starting to lift. I'm still tired and feel pretty awful but it is improving. I'll walk my doggies today before I pick up DD from day care and then settle in for a nice evening. Here's hoping those are her plans as well!

Anne

Hi Anne,

Keep up the good work, and keep posting. If it is hard, remember you only have to take it 5 minutes at a time. Look at the present 5 minutes, If you can handle that, you are OK. Then, in the next 5 minutes, you do the same. It turns out to be that the vast majority of the day, you are perfectly OK. On rare occassions when you find out you're not OK, what helps me is to think "this will be over all by itself in ... minutes", and NOT delve into the coockies, icecream or whatever food "support".

Just keep on hanging in there, and remember to have fun with your daughter,
rabbit