It's Week Seventeen and I've given up...

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
thinking of things to rhyme with "teen". I'll try and go back to rhyming the weekly post when we get to week 20!!

Hope this post finds you enjoying the spring weather, thinking of summer, and making progress in your healthful living committments.

I have cause to really celebrate this morning. I actually got called up at the WW meeting last night for three things. I got my gold clapping hands for sticking with it for 16 weeks, I got another star for loosing another five pounds, and I got my bronze key chain for, are you ready, loosing 10% of my body weight :crazy1:!!!!!!!!! I lost 5.2 pounds this week which brings me to a grand total of 32 pounds in 16 weeks. It was a little embarssing to walk up in front of everyone, but I was proud of the accomplishment and the fact that I have stuck with it for this long.

easy child didn't gain after her Atlanta trip!! She was scared to get on the scale but lost .2!!! At least it wasn't up! She then left WW, didn't stay for the meeting, and went next door to the gym to do the hip hop exercise class!

Congrats to everyone who has been working hard the last seventeen weeks, and to those who have recently joined in. If you have been struggling this week, come and talk about it. We are here to support each other. This cr@p is not easy.

It is so easy to eat that extra dessert, not exercise, just lay down that junk instead of putting it away, lighting up that cig, or giving in to your trigger feelings or trigger foods. Why is it easier to do than to not do? I guess if I had that answer I would be a millionaire and that really would be healthful living :jumping:!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharon
 
Sharon, I'm so proud of you!!! Losing 32 lbs.and 10% of your body weight is such a MAJOR accomplishment!!:yourock::happyguy::jumphappy::beautifulthing:
You are a shining example of how great it feels to live a healthy lifestyle!!!

As for me, I'm doing a bit better physically. I'm now allowed to walk daily and to increase my speed a bit. My ankle and the bottom part of my leg is still swollen but feels much better anyway. It is much easier to walk up and down stairs now. However, I'm still limited to walking on flat surfaces and still have to wear the "boot" at night. I'm faithfully doing the exercises the physical therapist has given to me.

I've found a creative way to release some of the stress caused by my difficult children. I bought an inexpensive picture frame yesterday while doing some errands. Last night I took a bit of time and made a collage of vacation pictures centered around a water theme. Putting together family vacation pictures of us swimming in pools, in the ocean, walking on the beach, etc., helped me to remember that life with difficult children isn't always horrible... Of course I'm now behind in doing things that need to be done, lol... Anyway, putting together this collage definitely had a calming effect on me.

I'm still working on finding myself again - The "me" that I was prior to having difficult children. I'm finding that there are so many things I want to do!!! And, I'm going to do them even though I have difficult children!!!

I hope all of you are doing well no matter what your goals are. I hope everyone has a healthy kind of day!!! WFEN
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Congratulations, Sharon!

I hadn't thought of things in terms of % weight loss - I started at 97 Kg, I'm now down to 88 Kg. Last week's block seems to have unblocked at last. I've taken to weighing myself three times at least, and seeing how close I get each time. And for the last few days, the scales have been consistent at 88 Kg.

I"m almost finished my second packet of pills, which means I've been on this diet for about 60 days. Seven weeks. And I've lost 9 Kg. I think the weight loss has slowed a little, but I'm still averaging just over a kilo a week. As I shrink I'm working my way through my clothes, rummaging to find smaller items. My large jeans - washed and put away. I'm about to put them in storage, I hope I never need to fit into them again. My smaller jeans - I can now slide them off over my hips without undoing the button. I'm wearing them with thick leggings underneath (for warmth) so they're staying up fairly well.

But I've a long way to go yet. My smallest jeans, which date from the mid 80s, I probably won't get into ever again. However, I got them down from storage to see.

My BMI has dropped from 36 to 33, which has lowered my disease risk from extremely high to high. Mind you, I think BMI is not a good guide with me, because I have always weighed heavy for my size. When the speech therapist was here yesterday I asked her to guess my weight. She reckoned I look like I'm about 75 Kg, and was gobsmacked when I told her 88. She said SHE's 78 Kg and reckoned I look a little slimmer than she does. I think she might be right - I suspect I'd easily fit into her clothes with room to spare. And yet she weighs 10 Kg less. For the non-metric - 6.5 Kg is about a stone in weight.

So 10% of my original weight is 9.7 Kg. I've only got 0.7 Kg to go, to qualify for having lost 10%!

Sharon, you've lost 32 pounds in 16 weeks, which gives you an average of slightly under a kilogram a week. So you've been going longer, plus you've been doing it without diet pills (unlike me). So kudos to you, you inspire me.

Marg
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone,

Sharon--Congratulations on achieving that milestone. Way to go!:congrats::musicdance:
WFEN--It's great that you're able to start walking and moving around a bit more. Be sure to take it slowly, even though it's frustrating. When you're nearly better, that's the easiest time to re-injure yourself.:treadmill:

This has been a pretty good week for me. I'm still making progress emotionally as I explore the junk in my head. It's hard, but I'm less afraid of it and feeling more settled overall.

Physically, the Trinity family is sticking with a healthy lifestyle.

I have increased my dance lessons to twice per week, in preparation for the competition (which starts this Friday). :cutie_pie:Overall, I feel fitter and trimmer, and just more comfortable in my skin. I don't think my weight has changed drastically, but my clothes fit better and I feel more confident when I walk around.

husband is following his diet faithfully, and the results are stunning. I've been noticing little things. He is able to fit through the turnstile at the supermarket, he fits comfortably in chairs that he couldn't sit in before, I can walk past him in the narrow spot between our bed and dresser without squeezing.:thumbsup:

Little easy child is still creating "workouts" for us. His latest is, Lets lie on the ground at one end of the yard, and roll all the way to the other side, Mummy. It'll be fun!:water_happy:

Even difficult child is getting in on it. His Residential Treatment Center (RTC) staff have been taking him out on walks and bike rides, and having him do calisthenics at the centre. He has put on about 30 lbs (he was severely underweight at 6 ft 3, 120 lbs). With the new medications and the exercising, he seems much healthier and much more rational and he looks so much better. I guess if exercise makes us feel better mentally and emotionally, why shouldn't it do the same for our difficult children?

Keep up the good work everyone. You're doing great!

Trinity
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Marg, you and I must have posted at the same time. Sorry I missed you.

It sounds like you're making great progress, and I'm glad to hear that you've gotten past the plateau. I agree with you that BMI is not always a reliable indicator. If you have large or dense bones, or are more muscular than most people your size, or just typically weigh more for whatever reason, then the charts will be very misleading.

I think like everything else, they are a good way to track changes in your size and weight, but not so good at establishing whether you are healthy or unhealthy at any given point. (I tend to prefer the tape measure to the scales for that reason.)

Trinity
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
WFEN, it's great that you are able to do a little more - be carefull and go slowly!! What a wonderful idea about the "water" theme picture! I may have to go and find some pics and do the same - the kids and I love the water! It's great to remember the positives!

Marg, you are doing great! With the challenges you have diet-wise, you definately have a harder time eating healthy. Sounds like you and I are on about the same track. If I remember correctly, there is a little less than two kilos to a pound. My average is about 2 pounds per week. Great about the clothes. I've bought nothing new yet but bras. I figure I am going to be at this for awhile and don't want to be buying new stuff every two months! I did have a dress on yesterday that I purchased in Feb for the summer but it was too small. I kept it as incentive. I wore it yesterday! I'm thinking I will wait until June/July to purchase a few new things.

Trinity, it's all about how you feel isn't it - both physically and mentally. Fabulous news on husband. I know that one thing I just noticed this week that was a change for me. I used to always try and hunt down the closest parking place. Not only would my heel bother me, but it was just easier for me. Monday, when I went to the greenhouse, I just pulled up in the parking lot and parked. It wasn't until I went back out to load the vehicle that I realized I had subconsiously not even thought about it!

It's great to hear how everyone is doing. When I went to the gym this morning I got measured (I lost 11 inches over my body!!!!! - however, the girl that measured me this time was different from the one last time and she pulled the tape tighter - so realistically I'm thinking more like 8). I was given a totally new routine. Higher weights, off some machines and a lot of free weight stuff. So it's shaking up a bit. But it keeps it interesting and that's so important.

Listen ladies, I have to say thank you for your positive words. You are keeping me accountable. Coming here and reporting in weekly is like being accountable to each and every one of you. I have a long way to go and it's wonderful knowing you are here egging me on, cheering my good news and giving support when it's tough. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart. I need to succeed.

Sharon
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Sharon-Congrats on all three accounts!! Very exciting, you are doing so well! Way To Go for easy child too-not gaining while traveling is huge!

WFEN-Glad you are able to do more! Your collage sounds great!

Marg-Good for you! Fitting into smaller clothes is a great feeling and so is losing almost 10% of your weight!

Trinity-Sounds like you and husband are doing well! It's great you will be doing the dance competition-maybe we'll see you on Dancing With the Stars!

As for me I'm kind of up and down. I didn't weigh in this week because I didn't work at ww and I am feeling rather on the heavy side. However, I've been working out a lot. Eating is the part I'm still struggling on but I feel like I've done somewhat better this week.

My brag is that this morning our school participated in Shape Up Wisconsin. I jogged a full mile with my students (I can power walk faster than I can jog) before school and then at lunch I went for a 35 minutes fast walk so I got my workout in before I left work today!
 

Loving Abbey 2

Not really a Newbie
Sharon--what a mile stone!

WFEN-I'm impress by completing the collage (I always try to do things like that and they never get finished)!!

Marg-Congrats on breaking though!!

Trinity-It's great that you are doing this as a family! Perhaps it will help your kids not need to make this adjustment later in life like we are doing.

Wiped out-The most imprtant part is that you are staying active--it will keep your metabolism going.

I've lost one pound, after last week's gain, I am just so grateful to not have gained anymore. I haven't been able to get as much exercise as I'd like, but I am fitting it in when I can. I am drinking even more water than ever (with sugar and calorie free flavor), which makes me not feel so hungry all the time. The one big thing I noticed this week is my endurance is getting better. I work on the 3rd floor. When I have my rolling case of files I used to take the elevator (as it is very heavy) and some times when I didn't have it. Since starting this I have been using the stairs--even with the case.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER I got up the stairs yesterday with the case and I was not out of breath!!

Two months ago, when I went up the stairs to the office, without the case, I was visibly out of breath. I used to always blame my asthma, but really it appears that it was simply a lack of fitness.

This experience made me almost cry and I'm not an emotional person usually. It felt really, really good and I just felt for the first time in I don't know how long, that there is hope. Everything doesn't have to be bad forever. Change is possible.

Oh, and this friday, I found a sitter for difficult child (let's hope she can handle it) and I am going to a group--Adult Children of Alcoholics and other dysfunctional families. My therapist has suggested I try this for years, and someone I know mentioned it to me and so I'm going to go. And I qualify a million times over. But it really focuses on how your childhood has shaped who you are and how to overcome. It's a 12 step program that moves you through the process of letting go and moving on. I'll have to find someone who can committ to watching difficult child if I find I fit in with this group.

Tonight is a good night, what more can I ask for.
 

Marg's Man

Member
Marg used the weight stone. We used to use that in here in Australia before we went metric. I believe the older generations still use stone as well.
We are metric now, although we were imperial when Marg and I grew up. The change over happened in our teens so we are 'bi-lingual'. These days we tend to think in metric terms because the maths is so much easier.
So here's a couple of conversions
1 stone = 14 pounds
1 kilogramme = 2.2 US pounds
So when Marg says she has lost 9kg, think nearly 20 pounds. I've never said anything critical about her weight but I know it is unhealthy and I know the problems she has getting it off. I REALLY glad this eems to be working.

Like her, I am hoping that when she can ease back from a near starvation weight loss diet to something that will allow her eat healthier and NOT gain the weight will continue to stay off.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
My mother grew up in wartime England. Her green grocer (fruit and veggie shop) told her a funny story.

There was an American missionary couple who had just moved to England from the US. The wife went to the greengrocers to order some stuff for the house (in those days you could ring up or drop by the shop and they would send a "lad" by to deliver it later the same or the next day.

Well, they had a good sized family, and apparently the wife figured a stone was the British equivalent of a POUND.

So...the woman ordered 20 stone of potatoes. The greengrocer gave her a very strangle look but took down the order.

He said she was rather startled when a wagon carrying 280 pounds of potatoes showed up the next day.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
About "stone" as a weight measurement - at Highland games they have a competition called "putting the stones". The men each lift a large boulder and 'put' it (more correctly, heave it) onto a barrel. They have a series of stones, each one heavier. It's a form of weightlifting contest.

I think the term "stone" in terms of weight measurement came about because a large rock was used as a measure for buying food, etc. in farming communities.

I remember as a kid (pre-metric) our minister told us a joke in church. The congregation was filing out after church one Sunday, the preacher shaking hands with each parishioner, when a little old lady came up to him and began beating him up with her umbrella.
"Mrs Allen, what's the matter?" asked the bewildered preacher.
"I was here a month ago and in your sermon you said, 'constant dripping wears away a stone.' Well, I've been eating bread and dripping every day for the last month, and I've not only not lost weight, I've gained! You should be ashamed of yourself, peddling false information like that!"

husband mentioned that he and I grew up with Imperial and had to learn to convert to metric. All through our schooling we were given maths problems in both Imperial and metric, and often had to convert from one to another. While we're now very quick at doing it, I can assure you that especially in science (physics in particular) I LOVE metric. We did a few problems from old textbooks which required us to work with Imperial units (remember, this was in the days before calculators - all we had to play with were slide rules, and a lot of paper). Metric is far and away better.

However - we still have manufacturers who produce tinned food in non-metric sizes. Initially they said it was too difficult to re-size their tinned goods. Fair enough. But we've been metric since 1972, it's about time they stopped producing tinned goods in sizes such as 135 g, 182 g, 225 g, 325 g, 425 g, 447 g and so on. Frankly, I think it's a ploy to hide the actual cost per 100 g. husband & I, because of our 'bilingual' education in pre-calculator days, are very good at fast mental arithmetic and even we find trying to work out the best value tinned food to be really taxing. Anybody ten years younger or more (or ten years older and hence not bilingual) just can't do it. I make an effort to calculate it though, ever since I discovered that my favourite brand of frozen peas is cheaper if I buy 2 x 500 g, than if I buy 1 x 1 Kg. And that's really easy to calculate!

I think I feel a letter to the consumer magazine coming on...

Marg
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Signing in a bit late -

I am so proud of ALL OF YOU - Sharon that loss is amazing.

I have not lost anything in 17 weeks and it's getting depressing.

I belive I am hypothyroidic - and going to find a dr. but I don't know if knowing will do anything. I need weight loss.

I am having severe problems retaining water - my right leg looks like an elephants leg, and my foot looks like it could blow off. The left is same but not as bad and my entire body - is puffy - and I'm loosing hair, my voice is gargly - I'm so tired it's pathetic and I'm just sick of WW lunch.

on a good note (lol) I did get insurance - now I just have to find a dr. in our whatchamacallit and make an appointment.

I have pitting edema that lasts for hours - I'm wearing slippers in the office. (groan) I hate getting older.

Trinity - which dances are you doing ? I love Latin!
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Star,

First of all, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}.
It does sound like something is going on with your thyroid. I hope that you can get it straightened out soon. In the meantime, it's great that you're keeping up with the healthy eating.

For the competition, my teacher has enrolled me in the Salsa and Cha Cha competitions. Salsa is my absolute favourite. Cha Cha is still my nemesis, but I'm getting more comfortable, especially now that I'm learning how to do more turns.

The other dances I've been working on are the Bachata and the Merengue. I've just started learning Rumba (which apparently is a Ballroom dance, not a Latin dance...go figure).

And, I accidentally started learning the Tango.
How do you accidentally learn the tango, you ask? When you're at the dance studio party, hiding in the corner because you don't know the tango, and someone comes and sweeps you out onto the dance floor and starts dancing you 'round the room. That's how. (I bet he rues the day. His toes will never be the same)

Trinity
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Side together, step step.

My favorite is the Salsa - you should see my 71 year old Mom do it - honey - her hips could churn butter.

As far as other dances - her Favorite is the Argentine Tango. She actually went to Argentina and danced with some latin film stars...they told her she was a feather.

One, two, cha cha cha.......

Ask about learning the forbidden dance - the Lambada - Mom did a demonstration last year in a mall and drew a huge crowd with her partner. You see a thin, older woman come to the stage in a beaded dress and think - oh ballroom - and then the music starts and this 71 year old is doing the lambad and moves like no ones business - AMAZING.

I am not bitten with the dancing bug, but can't figure out how resisting brownies is an exercise. No no I can't - it has to burn up SOME calories.

Hugs
 

'Chelle

Active Member
Hi all, hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. I've stuck to it pretty well, and I lost 2 lbs this week, which is pretty good. If I keep at that steady it will be a good rate to lose the weight I don't need. The medicines I started were playing havoc with internal functions to put it nicely, but the last 2 days seems to be better. I guess I no longer have any excuse for not starting the exercise part of getting healthier, just to find the time. Tonight is get home from work, throw easy child in her gi and off to Karate until 7:00. Home about 7:30. husband doesn't feed her except for a snack, so have to have supper and then it's bath and bed by 9:00. At which point husband has gone to work, I have some mess to pick up, have to make difficult child do his homework :faint: and I don't feel like doing any exercise. Change Karate to other activity and that's my Mon.- Thurs. Hoping to start fitting in a walk for 8:30-9:00pm. I HAVE to do this, for me, it's the getting started that's hard. Need a swift kick to the behind :hammer: :treadmill: LOL.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Star, have you tried gentle massage? For fluid build-up like that, if you can massage in long strokes towards the heart, you can help the lymphatic drainage some, at least. To stop your skin from grabbing as you massage you can use either talc or oil. I use either olive oil from the kitchen or coconut oil, I get various grades of scented coconut oil from Fiji (really cheap). It can also make you feel a bit pampered, which can make you feel better about yourself.

If you've not lost any weight but you think you have fluid build-up, you MAY have lost some fat and just not be able to measure it. If/when you can get the fluid problem sorted, you may find that you're doing better than you think.

Hugs, hon.

Marg
 
Top