to the Ups & Downs Support Group! Here is our October 2014 thread. Everyone is welcome to join the group, as long as you are willing to give and receive support in your weight loss journey. We named the group Ups & Downs to reflect the many ups and downs in our weight loss journeys, in our life with depression and (for some) on meds, and in life in general. If you are a regular, please post to let us know you found the new thread. If you are new to the group, please tell us a little (or a lot) about yourself. This is OUR forum, so post away!!!

Hello Support Buddies! Sorry I was a bit late getting the October thread started. I have been feeling really miserable the past several days with a cold/flu. I did manage to walk on the treadmill Monday night and plan to walk again today, but I had to cancel both days with my trainer this week. Food is always more difficult when I am not feeling well because healthy stuff doesn't always sound good when I am sick. But I am doing the best I can. The Abilify taper is going great so far! If anything, I have a bit more energy, but it is difficult to tell since I am under the weather.

Trish (lilturtle): So happy to hear that you are feeling much better!!! I take a small dose of Klonopin (.25 mg) very rarely, for extreme anxiety, and it really helps to take the edge off. Glad it is helping you, too! Yes, anti-psychotic drugs that cause weight gain are awful, especially since sometimes you have no choice but to go on them for a period of time for mood stabilization. Then you are left ~ STUCK ~ with the weight gain afterward.

Fi: Sorry that you experienced bouts of mania after the Qigong the other day. Hope you get a chance to talk to the instructor about it. Love to hear that, otherwise, you have a string of 0s going!!!

Lisa (ohiofreespirit): It is so good to see a post from you!!! Sorry to hear that you are wiped out, but I am glad you took the time to say hello! Sometimes, that's all we can manage..... and that's okay! Sending you a BIG HUG!

Waving hello to everyone else! It's was pretty quiet around here in September. Let's aim to get the support flowing daily again in October! It really helps when each person checks in regularly, if only to say hello. So please post whenever possible. Remember that the group is called Ups & Downs, so you can feel free to post about both. You don't have to avoid the group when things are not going well. Post and let us know and we will give you some encouragement! It takes effort from all of us to keep the group active and productive! Group hug!

Hello friends,


I am tired again today but then again, I had another headache, not as bad today though. I also feel sometimes I like I am having hot flashes, like right now. yuck
Will have to mention that to my Dr.

Not sure about my weight, I might not have lost any. I just don't know. Will let you all know though, good or bad.

Here in a little while, I need to go check on someone and make sure they got moved, a client from my work.

I hope you all are well.
Lots of love.

hello! thank you for the new monthly thread Kathleen you are our rock! But I'm so sorry to hear you are miserable with cold/flu thing it's amazing that 'the common cold' can make us feel like a truck hit us! I HOPE it runs it's course quickly and you feel better SOON.

Hi Lisa sorry about your headache, and ugh to hot flashes! always good to hear from you, you are so sweet.

HI to everyone else!

today is my one day to cook breakfast at work, so I really should be getting ready. Takes me longer to get ready when I am going to ride the m'cycle, as I have to put on layers and try to remember to pack whatever I need. It is cold and dark and kinda foggy out there but it will be nice on the way home

I worked out 2 days in the past four, that's better than my whole summer :rolleyes and I am doing almost very well with eating

VermonMom *hugs* How are you sweetie? Getting in some ride time I hope.

Kathleen, Dear, I hope you are feeling better when you read this. Thank you for the thread. I am so sorry you are ill. I have been so lucky this year with getting sick. I haven't had any major illnesses yet. Give me time though.

Not much going on here, just work and looking for a second job. My "other second job" is not bringing in any income at all, none so I am looking for another one.

Much love to all.

Feeling a little better today. I am hoping that yesterday was the worst of it and I am on the mend! Thank you Holly and Lisa for the well wishes! I walked all 3 dogs (2 of them and then the puppy alone) yesterday, so I was able to get out and enjoy the day a bit despite feeling LOUSY. I plan to get out with them again today!

Holly: HOORAY for you for working out 2 of the past 4 days!!! Hmmmmm......... did that perhaps coincide with coming back to the group and POSTING?!?!?! I think you need to STAY right here where you belong!!! I am just teasing you a bit, but I do really think it helps to keep us somewhat accountable when we want to give the group a good report. At least it does for me. Having said that, it is also a good place to come when we are struggling and need encouragement! (Hint! Hint!)

Lisa: Thank you for checking in each day lately! It makes me smile when I come to the group and see new posts! Then I know I am not alone in this journey toward health and wellness, with all of its Ups & Downs. I hope you will find a new 2nd job soon that brings in the income you need! I will keep that intention in my prayers for you! Were you able to get some help for your headaches and migraines? I know you were planning on it.

Hope all is well with everyone in the group! Sending out some sunshine and well wishes to all of you! Please check in when you can and let us know how things are with you!

Lisa -yes I have gotten alot of ride time in this summer! Maybe some places were not happy with lower amounts of rain, but I was Hope your day was good and best wishes on securing another second job, one that brings you some moola!

Kathleen I will take your good-natured ribbing and it is DEFINITELY helpful to me to 'be' here! It's when I know I haven't been doing well that I stray because I am ashamed of myself.

but as someone who does have friendly encounters with acquaintences daily, I really don't have 'friends' that I hang out with, after work or in the evening, so it is SO nice to feel that there are people out there who really care about me and I feel that here!!

My ride to work this morning started out dark and foggy! Someone came up behind me (car) I could tell they wanted to go faster than i was going; they carefully passed me, then I piggybacked them so they were my guide through the fog At work I made some rather nice desserts, then did prep work (boring veggie prep but it's gotta be done) and then had a beautiful, warm, sunshiny ride home.

Hi everyone! I am preparing for my knee surgery. I had bloodwork and an ekg done today. I go for a physical tomorrow. I am kind of sad. The pln was for me to go to my brother's to do the first part of my rehab but my sister in law just broke her leg and I feel like I would be too much of a burden. So I am going to go to a rehab. It makes me sad because no one will visit me. My brother lives two hours away. I have family here in Harrisburg but they are too busy to have anything to do with me. Oh well, such is life.

lil'turtle we will 'visit' you from here every day! but I'm sorry you won't have physical visitors. Hope you have a good day today

Hi everyone ! One more nice day, then rain tomorrow. So I'll layer up and ride to work soon

Hope everyone has a great day

Trish: I am sorry that your plan to rehab at your brother's house won't work out now. Will you get PT and other help at the rehab center, though? That could be very beneficial for your recovery. I hope all goes well with the physical. Keep us posted on the date of surgery, so that we can send prayers and well wishes your way. I hate to hear that you won't have any visitors at the rehab center. But, as Holly said, we can "visit" you every day from the group! We care about you! Sending BIG HUGS your way!!!

Well, as of tonight I can announce that I've had three 0/0/0 days in a row: no depression pain, no jittery mania. It may seem like a small accomplishment, but I feel like I'm sailing the ship of my fragile psyche through waters with hidden rocks all around me, so just making it through safely is something to feel good about.

Oh! and I made a collage today. I haven't uploaded it to Ipernity yet (that's the site with no annoying ads), but when I do, tomorrow, I'll give y'all the link.

My Qigong instructor was very helpful when I told him about my recent experiences of +1 and +2 states. I was in +1 when I came for my app't, actually, and pretty miserable about it: he sat down in front of me and showed me some very simple things to do to bring myself down, doing the movements himself so I could learn by copying him. In a matter of minutes I was firmly in zero, with a smile on my face.

That's all I have the energy to say. I just wanted to report in. Weight loss is the last thing on my mind these days.

As promised, I'm back with the link to my new collage, titled "falling yes I am falling". Enjoy the Beatles song, too! =smile=

Fi: Happy to hear about your three 0/0/0 days in a row!!! Hope today chalked up a fourth 0 day! It sounds like the Qigong instructor was helpful in controlling the manic states. I so hope your good or at least better days continue. I really like your collage. So happy the branch was there to catch the FALLing cat!

I walked on the treadmill twice this past week, despite having a bad cold that left me feeling miserable most days. I will not beat myself up about not working out with my trainer last week. I was just too sick. I am supposed to go this Tuesday and I think I will feel good enough to do it. Still have the cold in my chest, but I am feeling more energy with each passing day. The Abilify taper continues to go well, thank God! That is such a huge relief to me. If anything, I feel better and more alert. It has been difficult to judge with the cold, but I hope things only get better as my cold goes away. My food was not great today, but I hope to get back to healthier eating as I feel better, too. My main focus needs to be PORTION CONTROL with whatever I am eating!

Where is everyone else?!? It is pretty quiet around here.......

Any newbies who are lurking, please post so that we can exchange support along this difficult journey of Ups & Downs!

Hope all is well with everyone! Here's to a wonderful week ahead!

I'm here, ladies.


How is everyone? I had quite a busy day working and volunteering. The day just flew by. Tomorrow I will do it all over again. I hope I have some clean clothes in the back room. I had better go check.

It is pretty quiet in here.

Fall is definitely here in Ohio. It is downright chilly outside. I turned my furnace on just to warm the house.

Like I said before, I have no idea what my weight is. I don't own a scale. I am just happy with the person I am but know that I do need to trim down somehow.

I hope this post finds you all well.

Hey everyone, I saw the nudge for lurking newbies to post so I decided to jump in.

My name is AmyLynne and I am a recent college grad living in Bowling Green, KY. I'm going to grad school for social work and I work in the mental health field as well. I have depression and I think that's why I want to be a social worker so much. "Wounded healers", as my professor calls us...

Anyway, I am also trying to lose weight and I really struggle with it. At my heaviest I was 282 and I am close to that now (I don't own a scale right now because my last one broke. But after work today I'm going to get one!) I lost about 30 pounds but have put most of it back on in the course of two years. I know I can lose the weight if I put my mind to it... but I am an emotional eater, a bored eater, a driving eater, I just eat all the time. So I really need to figure that out because I think that's the big key to me losing weight.

I'm glad to be here and looking forward to getting (and giving) support. It all feels like a vicious cycle... I don't lose weight, so I eat to console myself, which makes me more depressed, which makes me eat more...

Thanks yall. Looking forward to getting to know you all.