I hope you all had a good weekend. I don't have a gain/loss to report because although I went to my meeting on Saturday, I opted to not weigh in. I just didn't want to see it. I did however, get a good boost of motivation to start over. I'm tired of having made so little progress since last November. I know that I've been sloppy about staying OP at times and at others have celebrated progress by going totally OP. I'm not beating myself up - I'm just saying that I decided it's time to really do it the way it's supposed to be done; that doesn't mean I won't ever slip but it does mean that I won't give myself a license every Saturday evening to go nuts.
I got myself a new journal book (they sell a nice spiral bound journal book that is for 12 weeks) only 1 week early to help me turn over a new leaf and I'm happy to say that I was totally OP yesterday). I even banked 2 food points. I gave myself a rest day from exercise but plan on doing some kind of cardio today. I guess I'm most pleased about yesterday because we watched the prayer service at Yankee Stadium and were both very affected. Even so, I didn't eat for comfort.
HI Judy - Congratulations on your new motivation and good day yesterday. WOOHOO! I haven't started with the journal yet, but now you hve motivated me to get busy with it.
Big Mama - Welcome! I know you'll find the support you need here, these gals have been so helpful to me.
Weigh in this morning - I lost the 2.5 pounds I had gained last week plus another pound. Must have been temporary water weight, who knows. Emotionally I'm doing better but still have some bad times. This week I'm going to try to do more exercise and to get started on a journal. Hope everyone has a great week
Congratulations Karen - what a great result! Actually the journal I was talking about this morning was my WW journal but thanks for the reminder on the "other" journal. I think my challenge will be to pick up that journal when I find myself engaging in emotional eating.
Big Mama - welcome! I'm sure you'll find a whole ton of support and motivation here. This is great group.
Yvonne - Welcome to the group. Just keep with the program and that weight will come off.
Judy - I know what you mean about being sloppy about the program. I get frustrated that I'm not losing, but I know I've gotten sloppy about staying OP. I'm with you on a fresh start today. Way to go not giving in to emotional eating. I'll be thinking of you at work tomorrow.
Karen - Congratulations on the great loss. I'm glad to hear you are feeling some better. I'm sure the exercising and journaling will help too.
I had another maintain this morning. I planned on getting out to exercise this morning, but didn't sleep well last night and just couldn't get up. (Did you make it Carla?) I will get up and out tomorrow. I just have to get back to following the program. I know it works, but have been falling back into old habits.
John and I both took the day off yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to check in.
Karen - I'm sorry to hear that the Dr. wasn't more helpful to you, but am glad to hear that the St. John's Wort has been working. Congratulations on a wonderful loss, both last week and in total. I'm definitely going to give that abdominal muscle trick a try.
Jennifa - I'm glad to hear that getting on the pink bike made you feel better. I too am torn between my rage and desire to get back at those who harmed our nation so and my total abhorance at the thought of any more innocent lives lost, regardless of where they are. I'm glad that our leaders are taking it slowly.
Pat - Well, so far no progress on the exercise challenge. Ana woke up at 3:30 am on Monday and it took me quite awhile to get her back to sleep, so I ended up sleeping in. This morning I just couldn't get up. However, I think I'll walk home from the train station tonight and to the train station tomorrow morning. Congrats on your maintain. Here's to getting rid of old habits once and for all.
Judy - I've been thinking of you. I hope that your trip into the city wasn't horribly traumatic. I'm glad to hear you've got your motivation back. I too have been sloppy with being on program. You'd think after 3 years I'd be at goal, not back at my starting point. Oh well, all we can do is soldier on. I'll join you in upping my diligence.
Yvonne - Welcome to the group. I too have over 100 pounds to lose.
I dread getting on the scale tomorrow. I've done ok, but I feel terribly bloated and this morning's sneak peek was not kind. I'll just keep chugging my water and see what happens. I really have to re-focus on a healthy, balanced diet. Staying within points but spending them all on junk isn't going to cut it. Part of that will be weaning myself from so much snacking. I also really have to start exercising again, if for no other reason than I really, really need the energy boost.
Carla, we are in the same waterlogged boat! Good luck, I know you will do well. I am so proud of you for sticking with it all - you are amazing! You already lost the hardest part, keep going!
Everyone, it is BANNED BOOK time of year, so eveybody grab your fav copy of Huck Finn or Harry Potter and give it a read.
Pat, watch for when your mood turns around and really hop on it and take advantage of the exercise time. good luck to you too,
and welcome Big Mama! We are a bunch of losers here.
Just for fun, my latest numbers ( I think - this is going off of how clothes are fitting)
Carla - I don't blame you for sleeping in after being up with Ana. I enjoyed the kids when they were little, but I'm glad those days are over. Of course, now I'm waiting up for kids to come home so they are still keeping me up at night. Hope you were able to get in a walk home tonight.
Jennifa - Sounds like you are losing. Way to go.
I did get out for a walk this morning. I planned on started back with the jogging, but couldn't get up as early as I wanted. I convinced myself to sleep in and take a walk after I took Laura and her friends to school. Of course, I got stuck in all sorts of traffic problems (light stuck on red, road closed for construction, train) that I didn't have as much time as I thought I would. I did force myself out the door for a short walk anyway. Foodwise I did okay. Like Carla, I need to pay more attention to the types of food I am eating and limit those snacks! I did go to open house at Laura's school tonight and ignored the cookies and punch.
Jennifa - You are making great progress! I hope that your boat becomes less waterlogged and that today is truely a Wednesday for you and not another Monday.
Pat - Good for you for getting yourself out the door this morning, even if the walk was shorter than you planned, and for ignoring the cookies and punch at the open house. That's terrific!
Holly - Haven't heard from you in awhile. How are you doing?
to all you lurkers. Come join us.
While the scale was not as kind as I would have wished, but kinder than I expected. I was up a pound. But given the way I was feeling, I was sure it was going to be more than that. So my goal for next weigh-in is to say goodbye again to that pound and one of its friends as well. I'm not going to fret about it - won't do me any good. I felt a "what the heck" attitude coming on this morning, so I made sure to grab a frozen dinner and some fruit and plan my day. So far I'm batting zero on the exercise front. John picked me up at the train station so we could go retrieve our other car from the repair shop. This morning I was on the 5:07 am train into the city, so no workout this morning. We'll see how I feel tonight.
Pat - Congratulations on the maintain. Not sleeping well is pretty common these days. I hope you got a good night's sleep last night. Way to go on getting in that walk. Running? It seems like ages since I did that.
Carla - Sorry to hear about the lack of sleep (gee, it seems to be going around!). Did you walk home from the train station? I know what you mean about 3 yrs and soldiering on. Good luck on the scale this morning. Yes, I agree about the healthy diet; for me the snacking is what I have to work on the most.
Jennifa - sounds like you are doing well. Do you mean that Huck Finn and Harry Potter books were banned??
Yesterday - where to begin? The commute was all screwed up because they've had to change how the subways run in lower Manhattan. It was long, hot and gross - no one complained though. The overall impression of people is that there are plenty downtown now but everyone seems muted, no animation on faces. There are army personnel and a ton of police on Broadway - weird but reassuring. It was rainy and so dreary in the morning - the good part of that was that it kept down the dust and the smell (I didn't need the mask I came prepared with). I had a meeting uptown in the morning so I went up by subway and got off at Grand Central Terminal. There was a display in Grand Central terminal (on my way to the meeting uptown) of pictures of the lost that had been posted by their loved ones. There were also tributes, candles, flowers...I posted a copy of a tribute I'll post below.
On the way back, I walked a couple of blocks north - and beyond the barricades could see where the towers used to be. I saw pieces of the facade - not the "standing" piece you've seen in the pictures but large pieces, charred black and piled onto a huge heap of black. At lunchtime the rain stopped and I decided to take a walk around. What I saw really shook me. Like you all I'm sure, I've seen countless scenes of ground zero, but it's nothing compared to the horror of what I saw today. Once the rain stopped, you could smell the air - burnt. The dust was starting to kick up a bit & I was sorry I didn't take my mask this time. The ruins are beyond horrific even from the distance I was at (the barricades are 2 avenue blocks away). The "piles" of charred rubble are massive. The standing facade (that they dismanted yesterday late afternoon) is like a huge obscene skeleton - on tv it looks like the color it used to be; in person in doesn't. The World Financial Center building, directly west of the WTC are visible now - they never used to be. Lots of broken windows & that layer of dust that is everywhere. The damage done to stores on Broadway is incredible - Mount St. Helens comes to NY.
I came back to work & went to one of the "town meetings" they are having about safety etc. It was good to go. When I was back at my desk I did what I had to; there was an announcement over the PA that there was going to be some low level blasts at ground zero and not to be alarmed if we heard the noise. While we've all known for a number of days that the chances of finding someone alive in that horrific wreckage were so slim, hearing that they were starting to blast was like a punch in the stomach and I left work a little early. I was so numb for the rest of the evening.
I'm working from home today because I need to go to PT and since Yom Kippur starts tonight, I would have had to leave really early. I'll be back in the office on Friday. I think Friday afternoon I'll make it a point to go to one of the "debriefing" sessions Employee Assistance is having.
I guess the good news is that I didn't totally snack away the evening - only 2 points over max and I had them in the food bank. The sneak peek this morning was awful but I'll be drinking a lot of water today so hopefully things will be OK by Sat.
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the
burning building
We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope
We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought
their way into the inferno
We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength,
We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of
encouragement,
We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,
We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss
We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss
We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of
heroes
We become one people.
We are...
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people
We are The Power of One. One Nation, Under God,
Indivisible.
We are United.
We are America.
Judy - We were posting at the same time. That is a beautiful tribute. I will print it and keep it. Thank you for posting it. I can only imagine the emotions that you had to deal with seeing the destruction "in person". I know it must have been hard to hear the blast and to know that all hopes of rescue are now gone.
I'm proud of you for not completely snacking the night away. Blessings to you and your family at Yom Kippur. May this holy day help you find comfort and peace.
Carla - I'm sorry to hear about the pound but I'm sure it's water and will be gone with a friend or two next week. Way to go on dealing with the "what the heck" feeling by arming yourself with healthy low point foods! It's important, especially under these trying circumstances, that we continue to take care of ourselves. Maybe you can get a walk in tonight.
Thanks so much for your kind words and wishes. I could feel the hug as I was reading them - thanks, I needed that! Yom Kippur is a "tough" (emotional) holy day under "normal" circumstances. This year is going to be very "tough" but hopefully cathartic as well.
Let's hope this finds all of you and your loved ones safe and sound.
Jennifa-Thank you so much for your challenge!! A couple of years ago, I purchased a copy of The Catcher in the Rye, and had not read it yet. But thanks to your suggestions, I am finally reading it!! Last night I was bored, wanting to go to the fridge, but instead, picked up the book and read, and what do you know, by then it was time to go to bed and I had forgotten to go and look in the fridge, so thank you so much, you just might help lose an extra pound this week!!!!
Weighed in tonight and lost another pound, although this to me was disappointing, because I thought I had actually had an awsome week, oh well, there is always next Tuesday.
On Sunday our town had a memorial for the victims, fire fighters, police, and emergency personnel. I work at our local RCMP detachment as a secretary, so it was important to me. They had a short precession to the park where the service was held and draped American flags over the fire trucks, and police officers, fire men, EMT's and local residents marched , it was a truly moving experience.
Anyway guys, all of you take care and will talk soon!
Weigh in at home 9/24 - 9/30
and that today is truely a Wednesday for you and not another Monday.
to all you lurkers. Come join us.
Thanks Jennifa!!
