Hey guys! Thanksgiving is over, so I thought I would start a new thread. Day 2 in the zone went well. Got a party on both Friday and Saturday nights (little concerned about both).

Work is busy, which is nice for a change. And my husband is dieting to, so we are all on the bandwagon!

Here's to everyone reaching their goal - and staying OP for a minute, an hour, a day, a week...we can do it!

Talk to you soon!

Meg

Hi ladies,
Just checking in to report.. they changed son's surgery from today to yesterday, so it is all over now... but the pain and healing for him.... the operation lasted 7 hours, he is now in intensive care for several days.. I just called the hospital, as it is 2 hrs away, and he is still in lots of pain and being given massive dosages of pain relief,, I believe its morphine.. which is making him nauses.. poor guy... I tell you I held out well yesterday through all the waiting, but after the doctor came out to tell us he did well thru it all, and showed us the before and after pictures, I broke down... happy tears I guess, relief it was over and sadness to see what he has to live with the rest of his life.. his spine looked like an ess curve before, now he has a metal rod up his spine from the 4th vertebrae at the pelvic to between his shoulder blades... they had to build up his back on top cause it was caved in... they had to take bone out of his hip,*(of course they take it from the side that was giving him the most pain before) to fuse around the rod along with metal pins, which are in reality real metal screws...and they also had to use cadaver bone to help shore it up... to see all that in the xrays was horrible.. BUT the good news is he has full movement of all his extremities and the feeling is normal also..

He has not yet been out of bed,, still to much pain.. and he has to wait till they get his brace ready.. but that should happen later today... I still feel very concerned, I cannot stand to see a loved one looking so pale and in such pain and not be able to do anything about it.. as I am sure you all know what I mean...

I am sorry to lay all this on you guys.. but my husband (who by the way is getting along well now since his surgery 2 weeks ago.. he can now walk on his leg again... whooooopppeeee... but still cannot drive, can't bend it to well yet.) is very squeamish about such things and will not let me talk about it.... so I am using you guys again as my sounding board.

My sil went with me yesterday to help sit out the long wait, she is an angel from heaven...

My eating has been sporadic... but hopefully once I get my son home and settled in, things will get back to normal and I can do better.

Hope everyone is having a good op day.. and thank you all for listening.

Dahlia

Dear Dahlia,

I just wanted to tell you that my thoughts and prayers will be with you and your son all day. Thank goodness that everything went well. Stay strong and try and get some rest. We are here for you!

Meg

Dahlia, hugs to you! What a time you've been through the past few days. We're here to be your sounding board anytime and prayers to your son and of course you!

Take care,
Pam

Dalhia,

I just had to write and let you know I am praying for your son, I personally know the kind of pain he is going through, because I had simular surgery 18 years ago. I fell off a horse and shattered a vertibra near the waist. They operated and took out all the bone chips, then using bone from my right hip, they fused three vertibra and put in 2 stainless steel rods. That is why I know he will do just fine - They will have him up very soon and he will begin the recovery. Every day will be a little better. Just tell him to hang in there and do what the doctors tell him. He may have some limitations, like finding it difficult bending and twisting but otherwise he should be able to do everything he wants and after healing the pain goes away completely. At least it did in my case. I feel so fortunate to be able to walk and be pain free! I am glad your son's surgery is over and went well. I know his surgery is'nt exactly the same, but I pray that he too will have a complete recovery and eventually be pain free.

Also I am glad to hear your husband is doing well too. I know husband's aren't always the best patients, but just hang in there and vent whenever you need to. We are all here for you anytime.

Well I am finally getting back on program after the thanksgiving holiday. I didn't do very well for a few days, but I have my motivation back and am eating right and have started working on the treadmill, so I hope to see that scale moving again soon.

Come on everyone, lets all get going, WE CAN DO THIS - EXERCISE, EAT ON PROGRAM = LOSE WEIGHT=REACH OUR GOALS

Hi to everyone I missed, may we all have an op day.

Happy Friday Girl!!

Just had to pop in and say hi and wish you all a good weekend.

Went to my weigh in last night and was down another 1.4 bringing me to.....drum roll please.....152.8!!!! I'm almost there!

Well I better get back to work. We're babysitting tomorrow for the boys (4 and 2) so it'll prove to be a fun night as I'm going to try baking cookies with their help. Should be an adventure LOL.

Have a good one.

Pam

CONGRATULATIONS PAM! what a fantastic achievement 54lbs!!! of fat..gone forever..YAAAAYYYY!!
I have very little or no motivation at the moment that is the reason i'm not posting very much these days..but..i'm working on it..think i'll find it easier once all the christmas festivities are over!
Have a great time with the boys and take it easy on those cookies

Ladies,

I am tired so going to make this quick. Spent entire day with son in hospital and going back tomorrow and staying over, its a 2 hr. drive so I can spend Sunday also.. hope by then he will be stablized enough to be alone a day or two... they still have him in intensive care, they did get him to sit on bed and to stand by it today... they were going to get him to take a few steps but his heart rate is way to high, he is asleep and his heartrate is pumping around 150,, not good.....and he is anemic... he gave his own blood so he got that back plus his brothers... so far so good.

In the bed next to him was a lady, *whom the nurses told me used to weigh aroudn 450 pounds...* she was now quite thin.. so I asked her about it. She told me she lost 380 pounds in 18 and a half months simply by watching what she ate and drinking gallons of water.. she ate mostly poultry and fish, lots of veggies and she used mayo on her tuna and real sour cream when she ate it.. but she cut back on everything, but didn't give anything up entirely. And she said you have to expect to cheat. She didn't say what kind of exercise she did,, if any.. just emphasized drinking water... She was in for brain surgery, and she had had
a stomach blockage surgery a few months ago... oh she lost the weight back in 1982 and she has only gained back 20 pounds she said,, which she lost with her last surgery..

Well, that gave me incentive and encouragement...it can be done... and we are all here to prove it. So I'll check back in Sunday evening when I return home.. please keep my son in your prayers, we appreciate them.

take care and have an op weekend

Dahlia

PS Congratulations Pam.. you are an inspiration to all of us..

Dahlia, Sweetheart, hugs to you and a prayer sent for things to settle down for you and your darling son. He is so lucky to have you for a Mom. Please take care of you too!

Cathy, thanks for the celebration! You are my cheerleader! I know you will find your motivation and when you do, we'll be celebrating! Please don't give up on you!

Hope the rest of you gals are having a good time...the board is sure getting quiet again.

Take care and I'll let you know how babysitting went

Pam

Good morning everyone!

Dahlia, what a time for you and your family. I am glad that the support and care from this board help make things just a little bit easier.

Pam, thank god for you, hanging in there and proving to the rest of us that it can be done. You are so close. It really can be done! That is the motivation I need to keep hearing as I ride through this up and down place.

Cat, I hear you. I hope to at least maintain as we head into the Christmas season. I have such good intentions every day but for some reason my motivation is not what it was last year.

Grandma, I went to my bead class yesterday and am very pumped about getting back to the torch. I made an agreement with the studio to be able to go there and use their equipment for $10.00/hr rather than try to get organized to set up my own bead equipment before Christmas. I am cooking and at least it is not in the kitchen. I will post pics when I get the first bracelets done.

Meigg, Great to hear that hubby is serious about dieting too! It is so much easier when a partner is working with you. Good luck.

Will try to pop in here more regularly.
Have a good OP day everyone.

Karie

Hey everyone! Well, I lost the 5 pounds that I gained in Florida! I have been eating very little this week - but unfortunatley no exercise.

We thru a FABULOUS party last night for 40 people. Really got me in the spirit.

Now I am printing out our holiday cards on the computer - a picture of Dan with his cat "Sneak". I am sure all of our friends will think we are total freaks, but what can I do - the cats keep him sane!

Dan has lost 10 pounds this week. He is doing his own version of atkins/eat nothing/don't believe me when I tell him it is all water weight diet.

Anyway, apparently by us just cutting all carbs that can't be found in nature from our diets, and limiting those that do, we both seem to be doing well!

Talk to you soon!

Meg

Hello ladies,

Well, I am home tonight... and feeling much better about son.
They have removed all his wires, he was put in a regular room yesterday afternoon, and he is progressing well. They are weaning him from the narcotics unto pain pills, and he is walking, with assistance, but that is the first step. We will probably get to bring him home middle of the week if he continues to progress..... and I don't see any reason he shouldn't.. he is responding to the medication and his heart rate is still higher than it should be, but it within safe perimeters and going down....
So all prayers and positive thoughts are truly appreciated and
I thank all of you who offered them....

As for me.. I don't have a clue,,, I will wait a few days before I weigh myself.... haven't eaten normal most of week... to stressed out... just grabbed what I could to sustain my energy....

Hope all are doing well, take care,
Dahlia

Hi Ladies,

Dahlia, I was so happy to hear about your son, it sounds like he has really started on the recovery process. Just take it one day at a time. The worst is over now, it is all a matter of time. I hope your dh continues to get better too. I will keep them both in my prayers. REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. If only for their sake. And never forget we are here for you!

Pam, it is wonderful that you have lost 54 lbs. What a great achievement. You are such an inspiration! And boy right now I need inspiration. All these Christmas parties and banquets have been very bad on my diet. Yesterday we had a family Christmas party and my sister in law always brings lots of homemade candies. I can resist most of it but the peanut butter fudge gets me every time. I HAD 4 PIECES - where has my selfcontrol gone - WHERE- WHERE. It seems to have disappeared completely!
Also, I seem to be taking larger portions when eating. I am not doing so good. I still make many good choices but too many other bad ones too. Plus, I am not exercising like I should. My motivation is in big trouble. - If I can't get back on program quickly, I fear, not only will I not lose the last 21 lbs needed to get to my goal, but I will start gaining back what I have already lost!

HELP - I am not going to stop posting - Cat, I don't think that is the answer - We need to keep posting and keep inspiring each other. This board helped us get this far, and I know working with everyone is the only way to get us motivated and inspired to get back on plan. Believe me - I have not given up, I will never give up. Hearing about others successes, makes me know I can do it. I just have to push myself more. It can be done!

Karie, I feel your excitement about your project and I know your are ready to create. I get that same feeling when I am into a painting. And yes it does make you too busy to think about food, so maybe that is where I should start motivating myself. I have a painting in progress, but haven't been working on it lately. I will get it out and see if that helps. When you post the pics don't forget to tell me how I can view them, I am anxiously waiting. Remember I am a novice at this computer thing!

Meg it sounds like you and your husband are doing just great! Good luck to both of you. It does help to have two working at it. I wish I could motivate my husband to get started. He is under doctor's orders to lose, but just can't seem to start. Eating out and going to so many christmas parties isn't helping much either.


Hi to every one I missed. Good luck to all of us!!

Grandma G, please take a deep breath and center yourself. Remind yourself why you started on this journey and what you have to gain by staying the course and maintaining your new healthier lifestyle. You have done an amazing job and I for one am quite proud of you. We all struggle with our motivation and determination...it's just part of the journey. What counts is that no matter what kind of day you had remember that your next meal is ALWAYS A FRESH START. Think about the choices you made and move on. Dwelling on a past choice can often times make us think more negative thoughts. Don't feed the guilt anymore, just get right back on track with your next meal. I promise you we will all get through this holiday season.

Karie, your project sounds great and I'm so happy you were able to work out a deal for the studio time. Awesome..

Dahlia, I'm relieved to hear your son is doing better and I'm willing to bet his Mom is to Take care of you!

Meigg, you and Dan are doing so well. It's great to find something that works for you. Keep up the good work.

Cat, where are you? Please don't stop posting.

Well the boys were an absolute riot on Saturday but I did have a few too many cookies so now they have gone to a far away place where I can't get at them....(my husbands offide) I figure let his co-workers deal with their own demons...I don't want 'em in my house anymore. The boys weren't interested in helping Auntie Pam bake but Devon very graciously offered to eat them while he watched his movie Kids, you just gotta love their take on things.

Have a great day and wish me luck on my mid term tomorrow.

Pam

Morning Ladies Pam..GOOD LUCK !!!! you'll do great I'm not going to quit posting i just meant i have'nt much to tell you well..at least on the dieting front
I've been very busy around the house this week..organising stuff and throwing things out that i no longer need..i threw out my old treadmill the other day..hubby said "leave it at the bottom of the drive with a 'free' sign on it" we did and it was gone within the hour..i'm wondering if someone has put a bow on it and given it to their spouse for a christmas present My closet is a dream..
everything in it's place..the kitchen too! I changed everything around in my Gym (dusted it off too ) and arranged everything in front of a huge mirror so i can watch my form when i exercise like they do in some fitness clubs..i figure if i see everything giggling it might inspire me to do more
I'm just about to get my jigsaw out and cut some wood up to make some corner shelves to store all my gardening bits and pieces..then i'm going to put some christmas decorations up..i said i was going to do it a couple of days ago but never got around to it..but i will today.