Hi Gals,
I'm trying to play catch up. I'm sorry to not be able to answer all individual posts.

Thank you to everyone who gave me advice about the job thing yesterday. I'm thinking it over carefully and I'll have my answer tomorrow. Being able to go into the new job and observe what goes on is going to be really helpful. Right now, I'm scared to leave my old job, but also excited about it and it has nothing to do with the money. My old job offered me the same amount of money to stay.

I have my weigh-in tonight. I hope I'm down.

Holly: I'm so excited that you were down at the scales! I'm thinking good thoughts about your husband and what he's being offered. I'm glad you are going to the doctor and not putting it off. Last time you waited and you it took so long to get well.

Jodi: I know that exercise is hard for you, but don't think of it as something you have to do, think about how good it makes you feel later. And don't push yourself to do much. Just go for a walk, enjoy how it feels to have your body move, things like that. I'm one who likes to exercise so I'm lucky, but even I have days when I think "I don't want to do this" so I tell myself to do it for 10 min and if I want to do any more then I can quit for that day. I usually go ahead and finish the workout.

Welcome to the new people. This is an exciting board and great support!

I'll check in tomorrow.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been pretty depressed lately. I can't seem to budge the scale so now I'm going to try upping the calories for a few days to see if I can break this plateau. We'll see. I'm not counting on anything here.

I haven't been in the mood to exercise either lately. Mostly because I don't feel very good about where I'm at or where I'm headed. But, at least I haven't gained any weight, so that part is better.

I'll check in tomorrow. Got alot of studying to do tonight. This is the last week so finals are next Wednesday. Cram Cram Cram is all I've been doing lately.

Nan

hello everyone!!
doing just fine here today, i hope you all are also. i am still hanging in at 225 the scale did not budge but that is alot better than a gain so i'll take it! food was good all week, today wasn't thought out very well but i haven't blown it. i am goingto give it my all this weekend to stay focused and drink water, watch fats etc. the weekends are very difficult for me no real schedule or structure at our house. i exercised last night again that makes 3 x this week i am going to do a tape in a little bit as soon as i get off here so then i will have the 4x i promised myself this week.

labchick- you have done such a great job so far!! keep at it!! i have a constant battle with how many calories to go with a friend sent me a very interesting article i think it finally convinced me about how many i need. here is the link ('http://www.countcarbs.com/tools/basal_metabolism.htm');. i was shocked when i put in my stats and saw how many cals my body actually needed just to live. good luck leaping over the plateau! good luck with the studying too.

mychoice thank you for the pep talk it really helped! keep up the great work yourself! how did the weigh in go?

holly congrats on the loss!! seems like the positive changes you are making are working well. keep up the great work!! hope you get feeling better soon!

debby wow 5lbs that is great!! stick with it you can do this!!

hope you all have a great weekend!!

Hi chicks,
I had a startling visit at the new Doc. He says the way I am feeling is mild anxiety/depression. He recommended a low dose antidepressant for a 3-6 month period. I had asked the former doc about this more than once. She actually told me that I was a Mom and caregiver, get used to it.He felt that my eating(binging) habits were related.I am not sure about the meds. I like to think i can handle it on my own.Maybe I cant.
I am open to feedback.

Take care dear friends.

Well, the inevitable happened last night. I binged all night long. Thankfully I hadn't gained any this morning but now I feel so bad that I got disgusted with myself. It's ok though. I'm turning this anger into motivation. I just need to get back on track with my Atkins plan. It's honestly the only plan I've ever been on and felt satisfied on. That doesn't mean that I'm not tempted by all the goodies in our home though. My kids love Little Debbie snacks and it's not a big deal for them. They are very fit and trim. However, for me it has been spelling disaster lately. So today I had my son hide them from me. I figure out of sight, out of mind. Or at least that's what I'm hoping for anyway.

Jodi - thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I appreciate it alot. I've been pretty down lately but I think I've started turning the corner. It is just really important to me to be below 230 by the end of the month. I'm not sure if I'll get there, but I'm going to give it my all.

Holly - I have been on antidepressants more than once in my life and they can be a wonderful thing. The key is to not drink any alcohol on them. Drinking causes the reverse action of the drug and can actually make you more depressed/anxious. It's funny that you would say that a female doctor was so callous about it when you asked her in the past. I find that alot of women doctors are harder on their female patients than their male patients and I'm not really sure why. It's kind of weird. Honestly, I would try them for the 3-6 months and see if you feel any better than you do now. Write in a journal what you are feeling now including your energy level and emotions and keep doing it for the entire time you are trying the new drug out. This way you'll have something to measure your results with.

Debbie - I use FitDay.com too. I love how easy it is to log everything in so you can have all the information at your fingertips. Congratulations on the 5lbs! That's awesome.

Susie - I hope you are able to decide about the job in a way that brings you complete peace.

Gotta get going on the studying. I can't wait until this class is over for my two week break.

Nan

good morning everyone,
i hope you are all having a nice weekend. i wasn't able to sleep in this morning but that is ok too much on my mind getting ready for thanksgiving. today i have to get this house in order and get all the shopping done, next thursday will be here before i know it. we went to the high school palyoff game last night dd's school won and are now going to play for the state semi finals, very exciting for them. i did great yesterday as far as my food goes, i made healthy choices despite the fact i had no real plan for the day. so i am proud of that, i'm going to try and do the same today and tomorrow. i am getting through this weekend with out a gain!!!! next week will be tough with all the yummy thanksgiving food as long as i cook it i usually don't over do it so keeping my fingers crossed!

labchick- sorry my link didn't show up. i'm no puter wizzard. the site was countcarbs.com if you are interested. sounds like your attitude is good. hope you meet your goal by the end of the month! do your best to stay focused, good job hiding the goodies. i have to do the same periodically. hang in there girl we are going to do this!!!

holly- i also have taken antidepressants a few times over the years. do what you think is best for yourself. do a little research and make your decision. depression has many symptoms and it isn't always so easy to get yourself back on track, meds can be very helpful. i have to say though recently you seem to be soul searching alot and that is always a good thing, getting to the bottom of what is on our minds is very healthy IMHO. whatever you decide good luck!!!

mychoice- how did the job observation go? good luck making the big decision!

well i hope everyone else is doing well. have a great weekend!!

Thanks Labchick and Jodi~ Someone described the meds as a tool to help along with everything else. I was in way worse shape a couple of month ago and have worked through it. The chest pain really freaked me out.I feel relieved to be acknowledged by the doc. He said it was a stress reaction.I dont see the content of my life changing.
Jodi, I have been soul searching all my life,lol.Every time I think I have reached a new place something else pops up. Maybe that is what this journey through life is all about.

Food yesterday was good.No exercise lately.Lots of water.
Interupted sleep last night. DS had a friend overnight. They were up at 3 am ready to go ofr the day .They had cars out etc. It took some convincing to get them back into bed and to sleep.
We are prepping the back hall/mud room for painting. It is filthy and ugly. it is the first thing I see when I come into the house.I will use up odds and ends of paint and do a technique on the walls.It will disguise the dirt. Maybe.

Jodi~ good job on the eating well with no real plan!! That's a NSV for sure.Have fun with the Thanksgiving prep!!

Labchick~Hope you got back on track after the binge.I love your attitude.

Susie~ how was the weigh in and work day at the other job?

Hello,
I'm glad it's the weekend. I have so much to think about. I've got to decide if I want this new job or not. Part of me is excited about the change, part of me really likes what I do at my old job, but I'm not that thrilled with the managment's attitude at my old job. The people I work directly with are great at my old job. We have a lot of fun and we help each other out a lot. But the management is not one to advance people. However they do pay well and they did agree to increase my salary to what the new job is offering me. Part of me wants to be able to advance, part of me likes being so good at what I do now. I'm just really confused. The new job seems very positive and I'm sure that I could do it. I don't know! My DH says to do what makes me happy. I wish I could figure that all out! I've got to by Monday morning.

My TOPS weigh-in went well. I stayed the same. That's two weeks in a row. I'm ok with it but I need to get moving on it also. Can't stay stagnet...I want to be under 200 in 2005.

Holly: I've been on meds once for depression. It was a few months after my dad died. I thought I was doing ok (for the situation) but I just couldn't be happy. I was functioning and things, but I always had this sense of dread. I tried to do the things that I knew would make me feel better, but I just couldn't get through that "fog". The meds helped me do that and it wasn't long before I was back to what I felt was ok for me. I was still very sad of my fathers passing (or course) but I was able to smile again too. I now take a antidepressent for my IC. It helps with the IC refered pain. I only take 10 mg, so it's a very low dose. I think not only has it helped with the IC symptoms, but it has helped me deal with having a chronic disease.

LabChick: When I had my "melt down" just over a week ago, it was with Little Debbie snack cakes! I'm sure you will find a way through, around, or over this! I know this takes time, but you are doing great...don't give up now. Don't forget you are dealing with finals; I know how that is. My final is coming up next week as well. I just want a break!

Jodi: I'm glad you didn't show a gain. How about you and me (and anyone else) work really hard this week and show that scale who is boss! Let's go for at least a pound loss!

Well ladies, I must get up and going today. We have a birthday party to attend to. I have homework and I have to figure this job thing out.

Stay OP...I'll be checking in off and on.

Susie

Good Morning!

Thank you so much for sharing your stories.It has helped me have some clarity with this.
Yesterday was nice. Just puttered.DD went to a bday party.DS and I went to visit friends. Got my hair trimmed. DH went to visit some buddies.
Need to get some housework done today.
All is well.

Susie~ hope the decision making is going well.

Take care.

Hello Everyone,
Well, I think I'm going to take it. I'm going to stop in at the new job in the morning and get everything in writing. I also need to be sure that my pre-existing health problems will be covered. I'm pretty sure they will be because of the new HIPA rules. I've met the pre-existing conditions of my current coverage and I'm not going to have any break in coverage so I think that covers me. Also, the new company is going to a new health care provider in Jan. and I'll be going with them as a group. I know that usually when that happens any pre-existing conditions are waived. But I'm going to ask to make sure.

I'm really scared! but I'm somewhat excited.

I didn't go to the Y today. I am just worn out emotionally, so I took a nap. I haven't been overeating due to the stress though and I'm really surprized about that.

Well, I'll let you know what I really decided tomorrow. I'm so afraid that I'm thinking one thing and that when I open my mouth something else is going to come out!

Thank you for all your inputing and for listening.

Well, I finally dropped one pound. I was in shock. I took Jodi's advice and checked out the BMR calculator and found that I had been eating 500 calories less than what my body was requiring. I stepped up to just 20-25 over what I was requiring and now the scale is starting to move again. Maybe the binging was what I needed, who knows? OK OK, it probably wasn't the healthiest stuff to have binged on, but HEY a girl can dream! THANK YOU JODI!

Susie - I hope this new job is everything you want it to be and more! You deserve it and they had better appreciate you!

Holly - regardless of your decision about the meds, just know that we care about you.

I'm heading to bed. I finally finished a paper that I thought was going to be the death of me.

Nan

Hi all! Had a busy weekend, but it's all good. Very busy at church yesterday. We have several people come to our church from a local homeless shelter, and my eyes were really opened yesterday to just how miserable that life is. They have to leave by 7am, be back in by 4:30pm (or they don't get to come in at all that night), no phone to use...I had a real wake-up call this morning as to how blessed I really am.

Labchick - Glad to hear you saw some scale movement! I've always been scared about the amount of calories our bodies actually need. My number is always so high because of my weight; I can't imagine trying to eat that much. But that may be the reason why I find myself being tired alot. When I was in TOPS, they often said if you reach a plateau that you should add a carb to your day to help bring up your metabolism. Sounds like that worked!

Susie - Please be encouraged about this new job! It is definitely scary to move into something new when you're comfortable where you are and know how to do your job. I speak from experience, having left a job after 12 years to move to a new city for a new job with a big company. I went from Smalltown, America to Corporate City, USA. Sounds like there are some exciting opportunities there. Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and take a chance!

Holly - I agree with all that's been said here about the mild anxiety. I know many people who have taken antidepressants and it brought them right out of their slump. You may find you'll be able to sleep better, as well as have a better outlook on things.

Jodi - I also have trouble on the weekends. I do much better with a schedule!

Debbie - I love fitday.com. I'm sorry to say I don't log stuff in as diligently as I should, but it is a great tool (if only I'd use it!).

Have a great holiday, everyone. I'm sure I'll check back in a few times before "T-Day", but wanted to wish you all well before I forget. Let's make a goal for ourselves that we won't overdo it on Thursday!!


(OK, why isn't any of the text formatting working right today??? ARRRGG.)

Mornin'

Time for a quickie.I have a new family starting for babysitting. Which will be fulltime again. I have been parttime since the end of Aug. Much needed.
My son i shome sick with a fever so I will have 6 kids here. Haven't done that for a while.I am hoping it will all be okay.
I may get back here at nap time.
Have a wonderful day.

Should we start a new thread?? This one is getting a lot of pages.

Yesterday went quite well. DS still has a fever so he is home. The new kids are doing okay. The babe is fussy but that should shift in a couple of days.It was very busy here between 8-9 this morning but settled right down so I squeezed in a 1 mile WATP. It felt great!!

How is everyone doing??

Hi everyone. I'm recovering well from surgery and back to work.

I threw up everything I ate on Friday...the Vicodin...too strong, so I quit taking it. So...why when I weighed on Sunday, I gained three pounds? What's up with that? I can't seem to make it below 230. It used to seem a lot easier for me to drop the pounds. I took it for granted and gained it all back and now it is so hard. Maybe it could have to do with retention. This week I haven't exercised at all yet...don't quite want to do my cardio until my mouth is healed and I can suck in air and breathe hard again.

Also, I started a PT job at night at a grocery store. Hey, scanning and bagging will help with my arm muscles, don't you think? I was a bit sore this morning. All the 12-packs and turkeys people are buying!

I hope all of you are doing well. It's a very rough time of year, November and December. We must all make a decision to post here regularly as we can no matter how things are going. Thanksgiving day and Christmas day are usually decent days for me...one large well balanced meal, with maybe a little leftovers later. I love thanksgiving. The problem for me is all the desserts, cookies and things like that.

WE can do it!

Everyone check in...

And Debbie...I noticed a new name...welcome

girlie