Hi My Name Is ...

tenaj

Good Morning my friends!! Just wanted to say a quick hello & wish everyone a wonderful healthy day!! ((hugs))) Janet

Kindergarten

Good morning to all!!! Hi, Tenaj, took your advice and drinking lots of water to flush out water weight gain, I think it is working, thanks so much. Spent 35 minutes in the gym yesterday and walked. Today is a bike ride. Have a wonderful day, everyone

tenaj

This weather has been so unusual!!! Today it was 82 here, that is summer weather!!! We've actually been on fire alert, had a bad wildfire last week. I went to transplant some of my hosta plants and I could hardly get the shovel in the ground. I don't remember that happening, it's kind of scary. My joints are not as strong as the use to be, but really???

On my new craze of trying to get in shape I bought a new wii game, Zumba 2.... WOW... It was the first time I saw Zumba, I picked an intermediate song(cause I really didn't know what I was doing..lol)and tried that.....didnt do it right but had fun trying. Then I found a beginner one, it was better, but not much. burned some calories!!!

Kathy, you are doing great with the gym & water... Keep it up!

Kindergarten

Tenaj, I have taken a Zumba class, it is a great workout and alot of fun. We don't have a wii, but maybe now is the time to get one!!! You are all having such warm weather out east,warmer than here for sure. Be careful with that yardwork, but have fun with Zumba.

CookieMonster

I've heard about Zumba, but never tried it.

I did walk extra long today (just a little bit longer than usual). Have been eating some sweets, but staying within my WW points too, so it's OK. We'll see what the scale says on Thursday morning.

Good to hear from everyone! I wish I felt better, but I'm not feeling so great today - I have sutures that will hopefully come out on Friday and they're uncomfortable. I'm also just feeling kind of down and sad today - no particular reason. I was more productive at work today - probably because I was less inclined to go find people to chat with. One good thing about wanting to be more quiet, I suppose. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, but I do also have a BC networking/support group tomorrow night, so that will hopefully give me an outlet to talk with people who get it, actually in person.

Ok, I'm rambling, sorry 'bout that. I hope you're all having a better day/evening than I am. Hopefully I can join you in happy land tomorrow.

Kindergarten

Dear CookieMonster, please remember this, you have every right to rant and be sad, go with it and then remember that tomorrow is another day and things will get better. You are still new at this and you have been through so much. I promise better days will come.Everything you are are feeling right now is normal. You will have good days and then bad days, and then the good days will outnumber the bad days. Support groups are wonderful, good for you that you are going. There is nothing better than chatting and being with other women that have gone through the same things. It sounds like you are really on track with exercise and nutrition. Do you belong to Weight Watchers??? You are a survivor and you deserve to be in Happy Land always. Hugs, Kathy

CookieMonster

Thanks Kathy,

I try to be gentle with myself when these feeling hit. I carry on and don't stop what I'm doing, I can't, nobody will take my classes etc (well they would if I REALLY needed it, but my students need me right now too). Sometimes I just want to be held and be taken care of, and that's not usual for me. It's OK though, I'll get through it. I'm definitely still adjusting and I know that soon this will be a blip in my life and I can move on, right now it consumes a lot of my thought and focus.

I started on Weight Watchers about a year before my diagnosis, I think it is. I pretty much stopped during major treatment, but went back to it about 6 weeks after my MX. I'm plugging away at it. It's slow but that's the healthy way to lose weight anyway.

Thanks for the positive thoughts and hugs. Now it's bedtime for me.

tenaj

Good morning all!

CookieMonster, hang in there....I know I have felt & still feel the way you do.  I definetly have more better days now.  I haven't seen a MD in 2 weeks!!! There was some days I saw 3 in 1 day.  You still have sutures!!!! Kathy gave some lovely words of support & I can do no better. Just know we are here for you as best as we can be....who knows, someday we may all meet in person!!!

I am loving this part time work as I am done with work (or should I say paying work) for the week.  I am going to do some strectching & then take a bike ride this morning.  I will do my best to eat healthy. I am out of my delicous dark chocolate blueberries & if I go to Costco today I will skip that aisle...at least for this trip. LOL..

Have a great day & thinking of you all.

(((hugs)) Janet 

Kindergarten

Dear CookieMonster, just checking in and wishing you the best day ever. You are such a strong woman and you are my hero!!! Tenaj, Wouldn't it be great if we could all get together in person sometime. I would love that!!!! Oh, my gosh those darn acai dark chocolate covered blueberries, I am going to follow your example and skip that aisle as well. Have fun on your bike ride!!!! You always have lovely words as well. Hi to all you wonderful ladies here. We took a long bike ride yesterday. Today we are going to walk and stay on track with eating. Hug, Kathy

ATeamNana

Hi ladies. I am in Wisconsin with hubby. He has a one day recertification and I tagged along. Took off 3days from. Work. It was a long drive but fun. I am now relaxing in hotel room while he is in session all day:). I'm gonna take a walk soon. They have a lovely main street with shops to check out and a coffee shop. I wil try my best to be good:). Take care all.

tenaj

ATeamNana, enjoy your little get away.  I look forward to one of those, even it's business.  This past year has been soooo many MD appointments. But the good news is I haven't seen a MD in 2 weeks, which breaks this past years record!!  Enjoy your walking & shopping 

Kathy, Judy & CookieMonster & everyone else: Enjoy your day, Stay strong & positive!!! Let's keep those calories burning!!! 

Kindergarten

ATeamNana, What a nice get away for you and hubby. Have fun walking and shopping!!!! Tenaj, hoping for you that by this time next year, less doctor's appt. and more fun doing the the things you enjoy. Yes, let's keep those calories burning, hoping for a bike ride today, but I do have a little head cold, it is probably allergies. Hugs to you all!!!!

Kindergarten

Well, I did lose 2 of the pounds I gained last week, so I am going to keep drinking lots of water. I am going to follow the 17 day diet plan for a week to see if it really works. I hope all you wonderful ladies have a great weekend. Hugs, Kathy

tenaj

Hi Kathy, glad to hear your weight is back down!!! I knew the water would work. What is the 17 day diet? Did you start it yet? Took a day off from exercising, busy doing some errands.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Kindergarten

Hi,Tenaj!!! Thank you for the advice on the water. I just got the book The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno. I bought a used one on Amazon.com. There are four cycles that last 17 days each and on the first cycle, you  can lose anywhere from 10 to 20lbs if you follow it to the letter. Lots of yogurt, lean proteins, eggs, lots of veggies, some fruits(especially apples), whole grain bread,  but no white bread, potatoes or beans or brown rice on the first cycle. With the succeeding cycles you will add some potatoes, beans and brown rice. I will certainly let you know how it goes before you invest in the book. It seems like a healthy diet, low carb and no sweets. He says no sugar at all, stick to Truvia or stevia. The first cycle accelerates your metabolism. But this is the wierd thing, he only recommends 17 minutes each day of exercise during the first cycle. I don't know if I can adhere to that, everything I do is at least 30 minutes.  Well, we will see  what happens!!!! Have a great Sunday, Tenaj and to all the ladies here!!!!

CookieMonster

Hey ladies - my motivation is severely lacking right now. Stress and nerves and stuff, hopefully it'll improve soon. Happy weekend - I should get lots of exercise walking around tomorrow at DS' soccer tournament.

Sorry I've been absent, I've been pretty busy.

Kindergarten

Dear CookieMonster, I am wishing you a stress free and happy weekend, but I know you  have alot on your plate, so do whatever it takes to make yourself feel better,(but easy on the wine,he,he,he!!). A little humor to make you chuckle. Walking should help and also just knowing that many care about you and want you to feel good as well. I hope you always come here for support and comfort. I hope you can feel this hug!!!!  I wish everyone here a wonderful weekend, be easy on yourself and just have fun.

tenaj

Good day ladies, CookieMonster I hope you are resting & enjoying your weekend. Sometimes deep breathing exercises can help you relax from stress. Put on some relaxing music & spend 5-10 minutes doing breathing & light stretching & that can help with stress & feeling better.

Haven't done much for aerobics this weekend. I've been doing lots of spring chores & cleaning my mom's house, we just put it up for sale. My mom passed 3 years ago next month & our children don't look like they will be around here for a while, so it doesn't make sense to keep paying for the upkeep & I don't want to rent it. Anyway....been busy with that.

Kathy, the diet sounds good, keep me posted on how you like it & if it works. Enjoy your Sunday.

Jaytee & ATeamNana: thinking about you & hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Jaytee

Hello everybody.........hoping you are all having a nice Sunday.  I've been busy at work and having too many nights again where I just can't keep my eyes open when I sit down.   Been coming down with a cold too.........did so good all through the winter and stayed healthy when everyone else had colds!  I missed a couple days walking early in the week when I had to get to work early but did take my walks the rest of the week.   Have to go in to work for a little while today, but hope to get back later to catch up with everyone.......just wanted to say hi!             judy

rachelvk

Mind if I join in? I posted a few times on the 'Let's post our daily exercises' thread, but that only works if you're exercising....

I'm pretty petite but and always had a few pounds I could afford to shed. Until about 5 years ago I had been fencing pretty regularly, and that's amazing exercise, so that helped so much. In 2004-2005 I managed to lost about 10 pounds by going low-carb (I think it worked because if I was reducing my bread and rice intake, I couldn't justify candy bars or ice cream at all!). Little by little it came back, but when I injured my knee, that killed the fencing and I couldn't go to the gym regularly enough to make up for it.

So here I am 3 weeks pfc and about 8 pounds higher than I was a year ago (and was struggling to maintain). It sounds like this is a great place to come to talk about good eating and exercises successes - and challenges. I might try Weight Watchers, as I have little self-motivation in that department. I'd be open to other suggestions. I think now that I'm not going all "Monk" on my germ fears, I'll feel better about getting to the gym a little more often. 

Kindergarten

Hi,Tenaj, I will definitely keep you posted on the 17 Day Diet, I am sure you are having bittersweet memories on selling your dear mom's house and getting it ready, I will be thinking of you! Jaytee, so good to see you, and colds must be going around this time of year, hubby and I both have one and I just made chicken noodle soup in the crockpot, wish I could send you some, feel better soon!!!!!! HI and Welcome Rachelvk!!!!!! PlantLover started this great thread. Wonderful Ladies here!!!!! I am so glad that you are joining, wow you are fencer, that is such a beautiful and athletic sport. Amazing exercise. Good for you. I am carb sensitive as well, and I am finding the 17 Day Diet to be working, I think!!!! I am going to do the first Cycle and see. Weight Watcher is definitely a tried and true diet. I may go back to that after my son's wedding in May. I am just trying to lose weight quickly. Again,Welcome and so glad that you are here!!!!I did my 17 minutes of walking today. Hugs to all of you. Kathy

Blessings2011

Hellooooo, Ladies!

I'm 1/4 of the way through Optifast. I've lost 14 pounds so far on the program, but am down 30 pounds from my original high of 204. Three more months (and 40 more pounds) to go.

The first week of the fast we were told to not exercise at all until we got used to the diet. (Low BP, etc,) THEN they gave us all pedometers, and if that weren't enough, assigned us to teams (I'm captain of the Red Team) and each week we report how many steps the four of us on each team have taken.

We are taking a virtual walk to NYC (We're in Cali) and I have to say we're doing pretty good! At first we sucked, because the first week I was in bed most days with TE pain, but later on, that little plastic box glued to my side (pedometer) developed a voice. I SWEAR I hear it whispering "Get in more steps!" "Go for a walk" "Get your butt in gear!" There is also a guy on our team who always has the most steps because he walks on his treadmill while watching TV. I think he balances me out.....

Next week I meet with my trainer at the gym - at the Rehab Hospital - for a reevaluation. This diet won't work unless we exercise. So at least DH and I are walking. And I SO want to do Zumba! Is there a "Slow Motion Zumba for Seniors?"

And yesterday, we went to the bike shop and ordered me a new bike! An adult trike - wooHOO!

I have a balance disorder, and a few years ago, had a bad fall off my mountain bike. Haven't been back on since. The bike should be here in a week - can't wait!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend....supposed to be 95 degrees here today!!!!

rachelvk

Tenaj and Kindergarten - The 17-day diet sounds interesting. My BF gets frustrated with all the prepared and processed foods I eat. I'm getting better at dinner, particularly with fresh vegetables instead of frozen, or frozen TV dinners, but there are many nights when I don't get home until after 9 pm, and starting from scratch means dinner at 10 (which in turn is not good with GERD since I'll be laying down less than 3 hours after a big meal). I am trying to cook more on the weekends, which means usable leftovers.

Kindergarten

Congratulations, Blessings 20!!!! Your weight loss is awesome. Good for you and I know that it is not easy. I hope that you will enjoy bike riding as much as my hubby and I do. Good luck with finding the right bike and keep going, you are doing great. Rachel, I cook on the weekends, so that I can have better leftovers, too. I will let you know how the 17 day diet works. I weigh myself every Friday. Have a great week and just keep on doing what is best for you!!!!!!! We will all help each other on this great thread, that PlantLover started. Hi, PlantLover!!!!

ATeamNana

Hi everyone...welcome newcomers...I have had quite a week so I have not been on for awhile and am trying to go back and catch up on what everyone has been up to.

Went to Wisconsin for a few days and am still trying to get rested up.  I did not do too badly eating and did get some walking in.  Just wanted to pop in to say HI now I'm gonna go back and read all the posts to see what I missed:)   Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

Blessings2011

rachelvk - One of the smartest investments we ever made was purchasing the Food Sucker. I believe its' proper name is FoodSaver.

It's a machine that vacuum-seals food into freezable, boilable, microwaveable bags.

For example - DH will barbecue two dozen chicken thighs. We put two cooked thighs into a bag, seal it, label it, and throw it in the freezer.

When it's time for dinner, the bag goes into some warm water to thaw for maybe 30 minutes, then into boiling water for ten minutes. Tastes wonderful and fresh!

I've also made big casseroles (WW recipes) and divided them up into individual servings and frozen them that way. Once frozen, we take them out of their containers, and repeat the steps above.

You can even poke holes in the frozen bags and microwave them.

This allows us to have fresh, home-cooked meals whenever we want.

DH once took some of my Mexican Lasagna on a camping trip. While the rest of the guys were busy trying to set up their stoves or get the campfire lit, DH had his pot of water boiling, and ten minutes later was enjoying a delicious casserole!

We got ours at Costco, but they also sell them at WalMart.

Blessings2011

Hi, Kindergarten!

Thanks for your kind words. Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating...that my diet really isn't that hard compared to others trying to count calories or watch carbs, etc. Now THAT takes work!

I have all my products divided up into 7 small containers, so I know exactly what I have to eat (and have already eaten) that day.

When I start transition (back into regular meals) I may have to do something similar, so I can stay on target.

I am SO looking forward to getting my trike - I ordered it in RASPBERRY!  So good that you and your DH like to ride together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, ATeamNana! Welcome home!

CookieMonster

Hi Rachel - <waves>  Good to see you here. Lost of friendly support here and gentle encouragement!

Re: fresh vs. frozen veggies - as I understand it, there is little difference health wise between them so if it's easier to do them on late nights, I say frozen is find and definitely better than skipping the veggies altogether.

Weekend cooking is good, then you can freeze leftovers and dole them out for lunches and/or dinners throughout the week.

Hope you can manage to get to the gym or at least get walking for some exercise. I try, but some days are tougher than others.

Blessings - congrats on the success so far, I hope that it continues for you! I'm sure that it will.

Kindergarten

ATEAMNANA, Welcome Home and good for you that your eating habits were good while on vacation!!!!! Blessings, a rasberry trike, you go girl, I would love to ride with you. Hubby and I have head colds today, but maybe a bike ride tomorrow. Hi,CookieMonster, hope your weekend was great and keep on walking. You are doing great. I hope everyone has a great week. Hugs,Kathy

tenaj

Welcome Rachel, you will get lots of encouragement here, these ladies are awesome!!!

Kathy, sorry to hear about your cold, this time of year is tuff. Lots of warm tea, and some vit C always help.

ATeamNana sounds like you did great with the eatting while on vacation. I don't have much wil power when I go away. I get right into spoiling myself!! lol ......maybe now that I admitted it, I'll be better next time.

Blessings, congratulations on your weight loss!!!! Whoooo whooooo!!!! Keep up the good work!

Hi CookieMonster & Jaytee !!!! Hope your day is going well.

I've been doing the Zumba on wii......not great technique but I am moving a lot & having fun. It's been good to do something different besides the bike & treadmill. I am moving different muscles which is good to mix it up. I can't help but think that if I had eaten like I do now 10 years ago, I wouldn't have to try & loose the weight now because I would have been thin. I guess my age, being put into menopause & taking femera are slowing everything down. BUT....I'm not giving up!