coops

It would seem the dreaded flu is all over... we too have had a house of it - a couple of weeks ago, both my children were off school with it, which is most unusual as they never have time off. My son, in particular was really poorly as his glands were up again - 2 years ago he had really bad glandular fever that took a long time for him to recover and was back and forth the hospital with... so we had to be extra vigilant with him. I've got a cough and sinus problems but it isn't too bad at the moment. Just can't seem to shake it off.
Well, my week off has gone so fast... but the good thing is that I have redecorated my living room and it is all ready for a wood/multi burner and a new sofa! Can't wait to get it finished!
On the weight front, I'm down 2 lbs this month so far - so now 2 lbs above my highest bounce range... I have tried to stick to the 5:2 but not been strict and I've done more low cal days that true fast days.
In work we have been doing a 'step challenge' where we have to walk 10,000 steps each day... I started it late in, so I've only been doing it for one week. I haven't really made a huge effort this past week as I wanted to see what my 'normal' step would be... I have only made the 10,000 mark once! And there was me thinking I was active! Granted whilst painting and decorating I wasn't really moving my legs much... but still the steps I did do were a lot lower than I would of guessed... It will be interesting to see how many steps I do in work and compare the two weeks.
I am guessing that the reason my weight loss is soooo slow, is the fact that I am a lot more inactive that I thought... which means I really need to get my head back in the exercise mode again. I know I keep saying it but I really do need to get on with it... feel free to kick my ar*e if I start making excuses!
Hugs to you all...

If you live long enough, you are bound to see a loved one pass away... I still think about my mom every day, and talk to here now and then. I lost the person I thought of as Mom first to a sudden blader infection that went to her brain... she did recover from that... then had a series of mini-strokes, and then the slow onset of dementia.... ending with a larger stroke... I do believe she was still there at the end, to some degree... you know how they say that people become clear right before they pass away? My mom couldn't talk, but came around and held my hands, and looked deeply into my eyes and really made a connection with me the day before she passed. It was really lovely to have that. I talked to her a lot, and the whole family did as well, and lavished love and compliments and the promise that we would all be ok and she could leave and not feel sad or afraid. I told her a story about how all the love she gave us throughout our lives would come back to her and fill her with light, and she would be able to feel and give that love again. My mom was religious, and my dad not at all... but he kept telling her that she was going to be an angel and she need to keep an eye on him because she was his angel. It was really sweet and rich, and of course so sad... but saying goodby was sweet none the less.
I hope Im not bumming you guys out by talking about this... its just we do understand... it is a big and difficult part of life caring for and watching our loved ones suffer, change, fade away from who they were.. but also so important to engage in as well as we can. Caring and generosity are only really gained from practice.

As toxic as their disbelief is, I have compassion for the FiL and BiL, they simply cannot handle the truth of her deterioration, she anchors their world and they are not equipped to face the loss. That's a lot of anguish and I hope all of you have access to support, respite and mental health. hugs from the PNW.

We probably don't get flexisec in the States :/
Update: yes we do!!
http://www.amazon.com/Flexiseq-Gel-50g/dp/B00ECZBXHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423846719&sr=8-1&keywords=flexiseq

Denise, sorry to hear that you are still suffering... this has been such a long hard time for you;no wonder you are depressed about it all. Sending you cwtches across the pond.
Sheryl, I am also sorting out my home... I wanted to move but unfortunately we can't afford it at the moment, or for a few years to be exact, so I am stuck here... it is a lovely place to live, but too far away from my parents and friends for my liking. Anyway, I have just decorated my daughter's room and it is looking lovely... just gotta gloss the woodwork. We are off school for a week next week, so I will be concentrating on our living room - got a guy coming Sat to give us an idea how much a multi burner will cost and I've ordered a new sofa.
I love painting and decorating.
On the 5:2 front, no movement on the scales for me... but I had a really hard week last week, so let's hope I feel stronger this week. Things are still tough here but I am trying to stay positive.

Bah just lost my post - trying again
 
I am up post - Superbowl which is no surprise. As my father in law would say I have "Plumpinosis". I am working my way back down towards those lower calorie days which make me feel better in every area, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. 
The cookie monster showed up at our house for the big game bearing football shaped Cookies and green and blue frosted cupcakes - these little gems has had myself and my family pooing fluorescent colors ever since, which leads me to beleive that they are not something I should ever eat again lol.
 
We will have to deal with this madness for the rest of our lives - Florinda, please don't be too hard on yourself, I can absolutely relate to how you are feeling and reacting right now. It is so easy to get into the mode of beating ourselves up when we feel that we have somehow failed - but you haven't! 
 
If you can make a little list of 3 things that make you feel good about yourself and try and do those things each day - I find it can go a long way towards helping self-esteem. Writing down our food, Water, Vitamins for the day, crossing some simple chores of the list, doing a load of laundry, etc. When it gets bad just take it a minute at a time. It is just fine that we aren't perfect - we should never expect that from ourselves. We just need to do the best we can on any given day - and often times, being kind to ourselves is both the hardest thing to learn, as well as the most challenging - I know it has been and continues to be for me.
 
Hang in there guys - love ya and today is another chance for us to feel better about ourselves!

offical weigh in yesterday - another pound off - that means it has been a total of 3lbs for the month of Jan. At least it is going down eh?

What is transoral suturing?
It is horrible to be gaining - the struggle will be with us forever I think. And I don't think you're alone in this battle either!
x

Another day of good fasting intentions has been dashed... God, I wish I could get my head out of the shed and into the fast zone - but this week has just been a total mess... three times I 'tried' to fast and three times I couldn't manage it!
I think it is time for me to be kind to 'me' and not beat myself up over this week... put it down to experience and the fact that life goes on regardless of what the scales says!

Hi Stacy,
I am just over half way there and I use my before and after pics to keep me motivated, especially when I am in a stall ... I am real slow loser but I am losing...
Here goes, hopes this helps...
[
this was the day I went in to hospital 2nd July 2010

this was the end of June 10

last week

side view!!

this is this week at 32 weeks post op, my most recent pic
Like I said, I still have a fair bit to go, but when I look back and am pleased with the progress so far... I look forward to sharing goal pics!!

Hey! Sorry I haven't been updating regularly... tried to catch up on this fast moving thread... well done to all those of you who are rocking the 5:2 - regardless of weightloss... just remember the health benefits too!
Just a wuick update from me... I have had a tough month - lots of personal issues going on and stress with work...
I have managed to see a loss of 3lb for the month, had some really food fast days and some not so good feast days. So I have to be happy with the loss. To get back to my bounce range I am 3lbs away from the top end and 8lbs away from my lowest. I think this is going to be along haul, and I am trying to get prepared for it mentally but I still get frustrated!
So, as ever ... I am gonna keep on keeping on. Notch up the good times and learn from the bad times.

offical weigh in yesterday - another pound off - that means it has been a total of 3lbs for the month of Jan. At least it is going down eh?

Hey! Sorry I haven't been updating regularly... tried to catch up on this fast moving thread... well done to all those of you who are rocking the 5:2 - regardless of weightloss... just remember the health benefits too!
Just a wuick update from me... I have had a tough month - lots of personal issues going on and stress with work...
I have managed to see a loss of 3lb for the month, had some really food fast days and some not so good feast days. So I have to be happy with the loss. To get back to my bounce range I am 3lbs away from the top end and 8lbs away from my lowest. I think this is going to be along haul, and I am trying to get prepared for it mentally but I still get frustrated!
So, as ever ... I am gonna keep on keeping on. Notch up the good times and learn from the bad times.

Fast yesterday up around 640... not TOO bad... but lunged at a treat at work without ANY little voice telling me to stop now!
At week three+ of fasts.... with feast days at my 1200 baseline... a little more with exercise. So at a little over three weeks, I have TADA!!!! Stayed the same! (Not to the oz, but with little bounces...). I just started using my fitbit again and hope that helps me stay on track with exercise too. Here is my 30 day weight record. You can see pretty clearly at the beginning a loss.. this was when I started getting a handle on my uncontrolled eating.. about a week after that I was in the swing of things again. I will not give up! 179.9 is still better than 183.4, and only 7-10 pound to my goal range.

Another day of good fasting intentions has been dashed... God, I wish I could get my head out of the shed and into the fast zone - but this week has just been a total mess... three times I 'tried' to fast and three times I couldn't manage it!
I think it is time for me to be kind to 'me' and not beat myself up over this week... put it down to experience and the fact that life goes on regardless of what the scales says!

Another day of good fasting intentions has been dashed... God, I wish I could get my head out of the shed and into the fast zone - but this week has just been a total mess... three times I 'tried' to fast and three times I couldn't manage it!
I think it is time for me to be kind to 'me' and not beat myself up over this week... put it down to experience and the fact that life goes on regardless of what the scales says!

coops, I hear you... I fell all the way off the wagon yesterday. I fasted about 2 hours then bam! We have a cooking class at my school, and usually I can say no, but house made pesto pizza, brownies, home made bread..... down the hatch! Man, it was so easy to eat. And good I might add.

Another day of good fasting intentions has been dashed... God, I wish I could get my head out of the shed and into the fast zone - but this week has just been a total mess... three times I 'tried' to fast and three times I couldn't manage it!
I think it is time for me to be kind to 'me' and not beat myself up over this week... put it down to experience and the fact that life goes on regardless of what the scales says!

So in over 3 weeks I have managed to lose a grand total of 2 lbs... *sigh* but it's all good eh?
I totally caved on my fast day today - over the cal limit but I felt I needed good food, so that is what I had. I went to see Mam and had a cuppa with biscuits and that let me down, but it ain't like I ate the packet. Right?
So I will endeavour to fast tomo....
I was listening to BBC Radio 2 on the way home from work the other day, and there was a dietician on there talking about hunger... she said that when we are hungry it normally means that we need nutrition... so if we feed our bodies good food; lean Protein, fruit, veg, etc then that satisifies the hunger... the physical hunger. So does that mean, when we eat junk food we remain hungry cos we aren't getting the nutrition that our bodies need? It kinda made sense to me.
Defo something to think about... especially as I 'feel' hungry more just lately.
Mam isn't doing so good... and I have to say I am worried, really worried about her now... we are still waiting to see a specialist to get a diagnosis... our GP is really concerned about her symptoms, especially the pains in her stomach, so that isn't good. He has put her on the emergency list and we are hoping she will be seen in the next couple of weeks.
The wait is tough though.
It is Benny's funeral Monday, and that has been playing on my mind too... it is going to be so emotional for all concerned. The last week or so I have been putting together a photo montage of his life along to his fav songs... I have to say it is really beautiful and a fitting tribute to an amazing man. We will play it at the wake. However, the process has been emotionally challenging for me and his family - so many beautiful memories in such sad times.
Sorry I am on a downer... but like I said I am feeling low and stressed... perhaps I should get back on my vit D?
Hugs from across the pond x

Two weird things... I have been exercising, active, working hard and eating healthy. My weight has actually gone up a few pounds. i think i am retaining Water ... and I just need to stay the course! It isn't very motivating except I am feeling so good working out hard.
I loved kickboxing, but did zumba last night. Zumba was easy, but my knee started bothering me, too much lateral... crud. i need to get a knee brace.
Second... I am having laser hair removal by someone who works out of my surgical practice. She did not know me as obese. I mentioned that i am a solid 15 (or more) pounds over my lightest. Her reaction was "you must have been too thin". I said, i weighed 160 this morning (that water gain pushed me back up) and she was shocked. She said i look like I weigh a lot less.
I went on to Zumba where I spent an hour watching myself and others in the big ass huge mirror. I wasn't the thinnest for sure, i wasn't the most voluptous for sure, but i was surely the thinnest woman with a shape (boobs and defined waist). It really hit me that I didn't actually look like I need to lose those 15 pounds except for my inner thighs - where I still have excess skin so losing weight won't help.
It was an eye opener. I still prefer to weigh more like 145 - but, it was interesting.

Hi Stacy,
I am just over half way there and I use my before and after pics to keep me motivated, especially when I am in a stall ... I am real slow loser but I am losing...
Here goes, hopes this helps...
[
this was the day I went in to hospital 2nd July 2010

this was the end of June 10

last week

side view!!

this is this week at 32 weeks post op, my most recent pic
Like I said, I still have a fair bit to go, but when I look back and am pleased with the progress so far... I look forward to sharing goal pics!!

Hey all...sorry I have not posted for ages... been reading but not really in the mood to sit and type.
 
Tough times here in not-so-sunny Wales...
my friends' father, who was seriously ill over Christmas, died nearly two weeks ago and it has it us all hard.  He was a wonderful man - honoured by many and a local legend (in the true sense of the word, not the 'street' sense!).  What has been hard is staying strong for my friends (they are my second family) whilst their hearts and souls are breaking and I can do nothing to help.  Just awful for all.
 
On top of that my mother is really unwell, she is down to 91lbs and is soooo frail.  She doesn't want to eat and pretty much refuses to do so, even though she has been told by the doc to up her calories.  I have said for many, many years that she has an eating disorder and as I reflect over my childhood years, there are definate signs of that and I stand by my statement.  However, no one is listening to me and as she is at the age of 80, I am not sure that the doc will take me seriously, although I plan to have the conversation with him.  She has also started to repeat herself a lot so I am also worried about the on set of dementia.   My dad has gone into hyper worry and anxiety over her health - this doesn't help as Mam digs her heals in.. The problem is that he loves her too much and doesn't know how to deal with it... he is pretty much old school, at 71, and his nagging isn't good.  He has also been really poorly and is recovering after a knee operation - he will probably need a knee replacement op in the very near future.  Then there is my brother, who is living at home after his marriage broke down, and he basically doesn't give a sh*t.  
I have been to the docs wiht her several times over the last three weeks and there is no improvement in her health... this all started Christmas Day.  She sleeps a lot through the day and out of 24 hours, she is probably stationary or asleep for 19-20 of those hours.  Very worring.
 
On the food front... I have not moved into the 'excuse' eating and have done four good fasts over the last two weeks... however, on my 'feast' days, there is often grab and go food - some of it bad but most of it good to ok!  On the scale I have lost a pound so not happy but not giving up either. If I only had a few pounds to lose, then I wouldn't complain... but dear me!  I could probably shed 28lbs if my body would behave and let go!!
I have 3 nasty warts on my feet that are now giving me a lot of burning pain, to the extent of a limp some days, so my jogging idea has been dashed until I get them burnt off... which is in two weeks.
I think that some form of exercise will help me get through the stress I am currently feeling (it has really helped in the past)... and hopefully pick me up a little.  I am not giving myself a schedule but when the warts have gone I will go on the treadmill and do zumba in work when I feel my energy levels allow.
I have also been really suffering with constapation - and I am talking two weeks with no movement that ended in the need for laxatives, something I haven't had to do for a very long time.  So I am keeping an eye on the movements!
 
Also, I am in the middle of a 'proper' period... something I haven't had for nearly two years... I have a bit of spotting, probably 2-3 times a year over the last 4 years... but not a proper period.  Around the Christmas period, just after Christmas Day, I said to my husband that if I didn't  know better I would be seeing my friend visit - all the symptoms of the old days!  The three weeks later, she arrives.  I have to be honest, my body is a total mystery to me.
 
So basically, I am feeling very stressed and a little low at the moment... trying to work out a timeline in my head for when things may improve... but the uncertainty of my parents' health really causes me problems.
Luckily I have an amazing husband who is really looking after me (even though he has his own issues that he is dealing with at the moment - and making good progress, so kudos to him!) and two wonderful teenagers who also look after me!  From all this stress, I am really trying to find some light in my life.
 
Hope everyone else is good - and well done to those who are seeing movement on the scales!
Hugs from across the pond - and the border for Cathy... x

can you believe it? I'm actually taking the Bariatric Support certification all day webinar today! I've been trying for a year ! Last chance for free so made it work. Hopefully, at some point can use what I learn somewhere.

Gotta add my experience... I was in a stall for nearly two years; no matter what I ate, how I moved or any diet I could not shift a pound. Disheartened and fed up didn't come close to how I felt. I wasn't at goal and I really felt that my eight loss journey had ended.
The Georgia told us about the 5:2 and how it was working for her. I decided to try it, well, I hay tried everything else!
That was June... I have broken that stall and lost 10lb. Now, that might seem slow to some reading this, but for me it was amazing. I am now 3lb away from my surgeon's goal and when that day comes I will think about going for my personal goal, which will be an extra 14lb or so extra.
This, albeit slow, has worked for me... And even though I don't lose on a weekly basis, I am seeing results in measurements.
Sorry for the long post

Here are the YaYas and I. Dear, lifelong friends at Keeter Lodge in Hollister, MO. Fabulous place. I'm the far right. ????