WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY

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  • chicletgirl
    chicletgirl Posts: 113
    Before I begin I want to apologize for complaining, but I just want to put my thoughts down so I can let them go. I do not understand why I always must sabotage myself. I am my own worst enemy. I am so trying to understand this about myself, so I can stop. The moment my life starts to get stressful and I have no time to regroup it seems I let every area spiral out of control. I know I am not being clear, I am just frustrated and upset with myself. I have never realized how I do this except now that I have been on here I am aware of my slipping away. If I do not make a large goal that I set up, I cannot accept less and instead almost see how bad I can make it. I see it with my weight loss, because I lose so slow and am not seeing the numbers go down. (my sisters called to let me know they are losing a a fantastic rate) I just stop exercising, watching what I eat and drinking water. I see in our family where there was just so much crazziness that we somehow thought it was normal. I see how each of us learned to cope differently, me I am a runner. If things get tough I run. My goal for my entire life has to feel safe. I do not want this to happen this time. I find even as I write this, I feel the panic in me. The urge to not come on here again. The fear of having people really know my weaknesses. And why is losing weight so tied up in all of this.

    Linda, its good that you HAVE a place to be able to vent. It sounds like you don't feel comfortable venting or as you put it "letting people know your weaknesses" anywhere else but here. So take advantage of it. Like Barbie says, "They're are a lot of ladies here to help you". Don't apologize for anything. It's good to vent, it's healthy to release those bad feelings rather than eat them away.(Which in case you haven't noticed doesn't work)

    I know what it means when you say you had a crazy family or life with them, that you assumed was normal, what everyone went through. Mine was hell, but I survived and out of everyone in my family I think I am the healthiest both physically and mentally by far! That my dear is the way you need to put things in perspective. You survived and look at what you have accomplished so far.

    As for the setting a big goal and being disappointed when you do not complete it or reach it, consider making your goals more attainable. Baby steps, not leaps! You will feel like you accomplished much more that way and feel better about yourself. Make smaller, more attainable goals.

    As for your sisters, I really don't know how well you get along with them, but it sounds like their telling you how fast they are losing or how much, frustrates you. Are they doing this on purpose, like its a competition, or subconsiously to sabotage you, is this the way you all have handled things like this, competing to see who is the best? I don't know if it is any of those. All I do know is that if after you look at it, and you see a pattern of destructive behavior, maybe you need to not discuss this subject with them or draw a line on what to discuss. Tell them how it makes you feel. However if this makes you feel like you are being weak then don't discuss it with them at all. My brother is extremely pessimistic, and when he would talk about anything it was so negative and always had me feeling crappy and bring me down. I had to eliminate him from my life. We just aren't good for each other. Family issues. You may not have to be this drastic, but you want to surround yourself with positive people, not negative. It would make me feel poopy too if I heard them estatically telling me of the thousands of pounds they are losing!!!:noway: What happened to courtesy and feelings? They are your sisters for pete's sake, shoudn't they be able to pick up on what makes you feel bad or recognize the triggers? Are they good for you?

    I was a runner too. It is extremely important to feel safe. There is a reason that you need this. And only you know why you do. I know why I did. You have to protect yourself. Maybe you never felt safe when you were small. Whatever the reason, being around positive, supportive people is essential! Make your house your home, and in that home have an area you can go to that is yours only. A safe haven. Start a gratitude journal, listing the things you are grateful for, Even if you can't think of a single thing that day to be grateful for, then write that you were thankful for getting out of bed today. I think you are supposed to write 4 or 5 things you are thankful for the day. I thought I saw on this site someone talk about this before. It is very helpful. The book that accompanies it and guides you to feel better about yourself or as they put it "Become your authentic self" is called, "Simple Abundance A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" written by Sarah Ban Breathnach. This helped me tremendously. And I felt so good about myself while doing the daily excerpts.Check it out.

    Okay I am off my soap box now. sorry about putting the quote on first. I accidentally hit the reply post button and sent it before I wrote anything.

    Hang in there.
    Chiclet
    ]
  • chicletgirl
    chicletgirl Posts: 113
    :embarassed:
    Linda I goofed again on posting my reply to you. It is under the quote. I don;t know how to separate them. Sorry:blushing:
    Chiclet
  • jam0525
    jam0525 Posts: 1,681 Member
    Barb - I had to laugh. I use to be a productivity expert for a major corporation. I'm very good at figuring out the best and fastest way to do things, but I always believed in doing the right way the first time. Which is why I don't do that any more. lol

    Since many of you ladies liked my put things on a stick and grill them method to cooking, my other favorite thing to do is to stir fry everything in one big frying pan. That is what we had tonight beef chow mein stir fry. I buy the veggies and cut them up on the weekend putting them all in the fridge. During the week I pull them out, put something liquid in the mix. I found that I can feed the family on 1/2 of the normal amount of meat this way and force them to eat fresh veggies. If there is sauce on it, they will try it.

    Michele, glad to know my kids are normal. I must have been an exceptional child as I have always been neat.

    I admit I did not really read all the posts. Hopefully everyone is doing well and ready for the weekend. May we all eat well and stay within our calories over the next two day.

    Jeannie
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    I like all this talk about the M&M's. Vince retired from Mars, so every bag of M&M's helps (even a little bit) to pay his pension.....lol

    Michelle,
    So at last I figure out the meaning of that book title "Men (who retire) are from Mars and (their spouses) women are from Venus!! It is a good thing I didn't work there, or they would be out of business due to "shrinkage." I would be easily identifiable as the culprit--the only person who came to work and stayed because they couldn't fit through the door to leave:noway: --also, their breathe smelled of chocolate!!:laugh: :laugh:

    Chiclet--
    If your quote trouble happens again, you can choose the edit button that is available on the bottom right side of your post for about 15-20 minutes after it is submitted. It will bring up another posting window that shows everything in your post. In order to have a quote, at the beginning of the quoted material, you will see [ quote ] (NOT with the spaces, I had to add them or my post would have a quote in the middle of it and you wouldn't be able to see the coding I am trying to show you.) When you get to the point where you want the quote to STOP, the code to do that --again, without the spaces I am showing--is [ /quote ] In order for things to work properly, you have to make sure there is no quote coding at the end of your post. In your case, I can see what happened. When you began to type your response, you inadvertently started BEFORE the second ] in the coding at the end of what Linda had written, so your words were included with those actually in the quote.

    I hope that made sense. I am a bit tired tonight. Ran all over the place today and I am planning on crashing tonight earlier than I have been.:yawn: :yawn: I hope Mai Li decides to sleep through the night as I am NOT in the mood to be awakened at 3 am!!!:grumble:

    Have a good evening, all.

    Barb
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 698 Member
    Today was a real emotional roller coaster ride for me. First I read about a major accomplishment in my son's life on facebook. This was such a slap in the face! Before he married , I would have heard this news via a very excited phone call from my son. It hurts so much to just be shut out of his life. When I called to congratulate him I had to talk to his voice mail as he rarely accepts my calls anymore. But I am determined to continue to love him from afar. Prayers would be be greatly appreciated.

    If that weren't upsetting enough, when I went to wrap my FiL's birthday present (a gardening hat hubby picked out) I found MY Daddy's old gardening hat and favorite sweater that I saved, while searching for a gift bag. I had to wonder what Daddy would have done or said about my son's behavior and what words of wisdom he might have for me. I put on his sweater and puttered around in it while I wrapped the gift.

    Good news is I was still so upset that I wasn't even hungry at the family birthday supper, so I didn't overeat. Perhaps not the best way to prevent overeating, but it worked fin my favor tonight .

    Hubby is pulling an all-nighter so I'm about to take some melatonin and see if I can sleep a bit. Things usually look brighter in the morning.
  • Sorry to hear you had such a rough day, but sounds like you handled it in a very positive way. That takes a lot of strength and grace to pull off and still stay on track. Congratulations on your progress so far and hang in there. We went through some rough spots with our kids as they were learning to mature - spouses and all and eventually things are turning around. Keep the faith and lots of prayers....CM
  • ainslieglen
    ainslieglen Posts: 110
    Hi all!

    First I want to say that I think I read all(or most) of the posts and was happy to see that despite day to day schedules and some set backs, for the most part our "gang" is doing well:smile: with a couple of exceptions.

    tcac(Linda): I can see that you're having a tough time right now. My heart goes out to you, and I'm so glad you can come here to your MFP sisters and get the support and understanding you deserve. I have found you like a ray of sunshine in your encouragement of others. You WILL get through this rough patch' Just please don't sabotage yourself. Keep logging and posting, and remember that you belong here. You are valued here. And there are lots of "sisters" who totally understand how hard it is to stay on course when you get discouraged. We GET it, we've all been there. Hang tough, Linda:heart:

    Suezzzque: Even so-called adult kids can wreak havoc with our feelings. Maybe it's more painful because they ARE adults and should know better. It's pretty mean for you to find out via facebook something that you would expect your son to have shared with you. It would be an emotional discovery for me, too. I don't mean to sound intrusive, but what is his wife like? Could she be a behind the scenes manipulator? It doesn't excuse his behavior, but may offer a reason for it. I hope you know that his rudeness and thoughtlesness will come back to bite him someday. I know you don't wish this for him, but I believe firmly that what goes around eventually comes around. I'll be thinking about you...positive thoughts!:heart:

    I was going to go on and on about myself for a while, but think I'll save it for tomorrow. Have a happy Friday evening:smile:

    Elizabeth(ainslieglen):flowerforyou: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
  • mimi7grands
    mimi7grands Posts: 616
    I’m visiting my folks in the Bay Area (east of San Francisco) this week so won’t be able to spend as much time hanging out with my friends as usual. I’ll check in as much as I can though.

    No babysitting for me this week. Yay! I do miss them though.

    Got a tuneup of my haircut today. It’s a little more contemporary looking. My daughter-in-law-to-be called the old haircut a “snob bob.” (That was not directed at me BTW, but was said well before I got my haircut.) A large percentage of the women in Lafayette and Moraga (both kind of upscale places) wear that sort of a bob. I did NOT want to join the flock!

    I’ll get a pic up this week if I can persuade someone to take it. I’ll go for higher resolution this time than last, although I do like the way the lower resolution fuzzed out my wrinkles!

    I don’t have time at the mo’ to say more than a quick Hi, but I did want to say…

    CONGRATS Robin on an awesome weight loss. Woo hoo, outrageous, you rock, etc., etc., etc. I know you’ve been on the verge for a while. When you lose it, you lose it big!

    Amanda, when I opened the pic of your shoes, Olivia (almost 6), said, “Oh, I like those shoes. I want those shoes.” She continued to enthuse for several minutes. Pink is her favorite color. The red heart on the toe made them the absolute ultimate! Good for you for wearing something so out-of-the-box!

    Linda, stay with it. We are all here for you. There is no safer place. This might sound way too simple but, seriously, try loading up on veggies (and/or fruit) at the beginning of a meal and, when you need it, between meals. I call it my willpower for a reason. They’re low-cal and filling at the same time.

    When you are feeling stressed out, you might have to make a deliberate effort to eat them. Sometimes I have to put myself on automatic pilot and just do it, even though I don’t feel like it. But it works every time. I get my sanity back and am able to be much more in control of what I eat. It’s like the difference between going grocery shopping when you’re hungry vs. when you’ve just had a big meal.

    Susan, hugs to you. That is a tough deal.

    Yikes. Here I am still. I’m obsessed with MFP and, more specifically, with talking to all of you. However…as much as I treasure each of you…it’s time for bed! Please know that I’m thinking of you but I’m going to MAKE myself stop and pick up again tomorrow when I can find a few minutes (or more!).

    :flowerforyou:
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 698 Member
    Suezzzque: Even so-called adult kids can wreak havoc with our feelings. Maybe it's more painful because they ARE adults and should know better. It's pretty mean for you to find out via facebook something that you would expect your son to have shared with you. It would be an emotional discovery for me, too. I don't mean to sound intrusive, but what is his wife like? Could she be a behind the scenes manipulator? It doesn't excuse his behavior, but may offer a reason for it. I hope you know that his rudeness and thoughtlesness will come back to bite him someday. I know you don't wish this for him, but I believe firmly that what goes around eventually comes around. I'll be thinking about you...positive thoughts!:heart:

    Elizabeth(ainslieglen):flowerforyou: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    Honestly I really don't know what his wife is like because he met and married K after he left home and we've only been around her a grand total of 10 days in 3 years (at my parents funerals before they became engaged and the Thanksgiving after they got engaged) All 3 times we thought she was a great girl and so happy that she made him happy. He will be 29 next month and she is 26. We taught him all his life that a good husband prefers his wife and that if he ever had to choose between pleasing his wife or us, she should always be his first priority. Never dreamed that piece of advice would come back to bite us so hard! He has always been an easy going kind of person and we suspect he is just doing what he needs to do to keep the peace in his own home. Since they have married, we have planned 2 trips to visit but both times were asked to cancel by our son because she" just didn't feel comfortable with us yet." He has fully embraced her family, but has pretty much broken all ties with ours. Our daughter says she feels like she doesn't even have a brother anymore. K's family loves our son to pieces and thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread. We thought we were gaining a daughter ~ not losing a son!
  • mynyddisamrs
    mynyddisamrs Posts: 387
    :flowerforyou: A late Good morning everyone ...from a coldish and rainy N.Wales. Methinks we have had our summer!!

    :heart: Linda ....hang on in here. Life's troubles no matter what they are do affect us but on this thread we have a good punch bag ...take it all out on the keyboard!! no one will judge and remember a little loss or even a maintain is good. !!

    :flowerforyou: Suezq ....It's taken us quite a few years to get to know #1DIL ... Treading on egg shells comes to mind. I do hope you'll find away to "regain" your son and perhaps find the daughter in law you wanted. On a rare heart to heart with mine she said she had thought I was a bit posh and unapproachable and that she was scared she wasn't good enough. Sooo. hang in there too!

    :happy: As for me ...scales still said 153.5lb ....I had a nice few hours out last night and....duly backtracked and logged my food and drink. Not too bad ...and squeaked in with the calories. I did have some dancing calories to add ...#1son played some music especially for the "Oldies".:frown: It was tiring enough to see all the kids dashing around ...great to see them ...boys included all dancing with such confidence.... mind you I hadn't a clue what you could call the dances they were doing! Boy... does that make me feel OLD! Look out the local disco in 5 or 6 years time ...pity the parents worrying at home too!!

    :ohwell: There's not much planned for this rainy weekend ...same old , same old. I do hope you all have a good weekend whatever you have planned.
    :smokin: Stay focused, post and log.

    So ...BFN
    :heart: Jackie
  • kackie
    kackie Posts: 676 Member
    Linda: We are here for you. Hang in there and everyone else has given you great advice. Thinking of you!

    SuzzyQ: I am sorry to hear your heartache too. Our oldest son is married and we found the same to be true the first couple of years, especially, until DDIL got used to us and then things have warmed up a lot. I am now very close to her and with the grand baby it is wonderful. I just kept trying to get to know her and let her see that I was interested in her. Maybe you could do this via email or something like that. It is not easy but worth it. Sounds like you gave your son good advice and I think, in the end, it will pay off. It is difficult often, to be a parent of grown children because we have lost our control and influence in a major way. Good luck and good for you for not letting your emotions turn to food.

    Barbie: what kind of scale do you have? It sounds like a great tool and thanks for the advice on how to maintain...you have done it beautifully!

    MacMadame: So good to hear from you. Take care!

    Robin: WOW! Great loss! How exciting!

    Take care, ladies. Kackie:heart:
  • smelliott
    smelliott Posts: 120
    Hi everyone,

    Just thought I'd pop in before I go and pack for my flight back to England this afternoon. I've had agreat time in Canada but haven't been too good on the eating and drinking in the second half of the week. Never mind, I'll be back on track when I get home. I'll probably have a couple of nights at my sister's in Hampshire to get over the jet lag before I tackle the drive home. I'll get back to filling in my food diary and posting properly then.
    Have a good weekend everyone.
    :heart: :heart: :heart:
  • tcac
    tcac Posts: 211 Member
    Barbie, I hope your knee feels better soon. Keeping yourself down is going to be a challenge!

    Viv, I spritz the veggies with some olive oil then put them in a hot oven - usually around 475 f. Asparagus (my favorite) takes only 8-10 minutes. You have to be careful not to overcook or it turns stringy.

    I roast most other veggies for around 15 minutes. Potatoes (which I cut into wedges) take longer - half an hours of so depending on size.

    What's your method? I've wondered how they'd be roasted at a lower temp for longer but haven't tried it yet. How were the sprouts? That's a new one to me.

    I went from a non-veggie eater to loving them. It's all in the cooking. :happy:

    I never, ever eat veggies out of the freezer or a can, although I imagine they've been improved. I grew up on the then-new-fangled frozen veggies and detest them. My mom often mixed peas into a tuna casserole. :noway: Or we got them plain. I still cringe to think of it. :sick:
    Mimi, here is how I roast my veggies: I make a combination of extra virgin oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic. I put a little in a bowl then add my veggies and toss until coated. I put them on a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or alum. foil and put in 325 degrees for 20-30 mins. I turn them once during process. This is a little time intensive but the veggies come out amazing. I make a veggie roasted lasagna this way and it our family fav. and is our holiday meal ie thansgiving, Christmass etc. Since we are vegetarians I was looking for a special treat that would make holiday meal a treat to look forward to.
    linda
  • ainslieglen
    ainslieglen Posts: 110
    Hello!

    I just got off the skype program after the sweetest visit with my daughter-in-law and 2 yr. ol grandson. OMG! He is so adorable! Still doesn't quite get it that we can't touch each other, so he still offers to let me hold his toys. Today he tried to hand me his Buzz Lightyear backpack:bigsmile: He counted for me, and blew me kisses ( after planting one on his computer screen):love: I'll be seeing him in September when they come up to Canada for month long holiday. Mason will be getting his 2 year shots, and they're all going for check-ups, and dentist appointments in Vancouver. I just can't wait to hold him and kiss that sweet little face!:heart: I love being a Gramma. It'll be spring 2011 before I get back to spend time with them in Cabo, so this visit is especially welcome.:smile:

    Younger daughter, Toni, sil and grandkids left NC for Rome this morning. They'll spend tonight in Rome, then take the overnight train to Paris tomorrow. They've rented an apartment in Paris and while they're there, my granddaughter will turn 17:smile: How exciting is that:bigsmile: Hannah just wants to shop! I figure there is not a more memorable adventure than being 17, in Paris, and SHOPPING!!! Pretty cool:glasses: After they leave there, they're off to Lake Como for some hiking and more laid back time. My sil and grandson ( Evan is !0) want some outdoor adventure. Toni and Hannah will also enjoy that part of the trip:happy: They've rented an apartment is Rome for the last week of the trip, and are planning to visit some of the historic sites , a museum or two and whatever else sounds interesting (all of it, they say). Hard to choose when time is limited:ohwell:

    My other two kids are planning trips in the fall. Ainslie and Scott are going back to Cuba in Sept., and Ken has to decide on Hawaii or going to Cabo to visit with Mason, Jenn and baby Mason. Ainslie and Scott spent 2 weeks in Cuba just this past May, and loved it, so they're looking forward to a return visit. If it sounds like we all spend a lot of time in the air, it's because we do. We all have the travel bug and, time and seat sales permitting, take off whenever we can.:bigsmile: In my case, I want to go while I still have the energy and inclination to travel alone :smokin:

    I've become a lot healthier since joining all of you at MFP. Feel like I've added years to my life:happy: Just the daily contact with the wonderful people here has made a big difference in my outlook on things. I feel a lot more positive:bigsmile:

    Thanks for giving me the opportunity to go on and on about myself and my family. I appreciate every one of you:flowerforyou:

    Elizabeth:smokin:
  • heartrw
    heartrw Posts: 187 Member
    Greeting all and wishing you a peace-filled Saturday.

    Linda and Suzy-Q--hugs to and prayers for both of you! Hope the rough patches pass quickly for both of you. I am a confirmed emotional eater, Linda, so I feel I may know somewhat how you are feeling...As Barbie says...never give up, the pendulum swings back very quickly and the gratitude journal someone mentioned makes it happen much quicker then just riding out the storm. Suzy-Q, I survived my oldest son sneaking away and getting married in a Reno wedding chapel...without us even knowing about it, survived their "fighting years" (marriage lasted less than 5 years), have survived their nasty divorce and separation by some 6,000 miles from my grandson (which believe it or not is actually better than it was having him live a mile and a half away from us but not being allowed to see him--she truly felt that since her family couldn't see them--they were in England--that we shouldn't be allowed to see him either). My eldest son lives in Germany so getting to see him and talk to him are now rare occurrences. This ex-DIL and my son did a wonderful job of subjecting us to a lot of pain, tears and heartache. But, we are survivors...and I know I still have SO much to be grateful for, so life goes on and I do feel at peace. The only thing I can change is myself, everything and everyone else, I can't...so I spend a lot of time praying that God helps me accept the things and people I cannot change.

    I went to a long overdue meeting (OA) this morning. Been away for three weeks whilst I had all my company. Felt really good to get back to it, as getting back on here felt really good. So Linda, don't give up on MFP...it really does feel better than being away from it...and don't give up on yourself!

    Not much else to say...been being fairly good considering the week I've had...2 dinners and 2 lunches out in restaurants, 1 lunch and 1 dinner out at sibling's houses, left-overs from restaurants, tubs of homemade cookies being hand-delivered, and 2 days of emotional eating after grandson left last Sunday. Hoping for a weigh-in on Monday that isn't a TOTAL disaster and looking forward to a much better week next week!
  • mimi7grands
    mimi7grands Posts: 616
    Hi. I’ve got a few minutes while mom is in the shower getting ready to go shopping. I may just approximate my food this week but feel like I’ve got a good handle on it. Now that my mom realizes it’s okay to eat LOTS of good stuff, I’m finding it easy to eat the way I want to when I’m visiting. (Before, she preached “portion size” – that didn’t work for me. Now she realizes the portions can be large as long as the calories are low.)

    I just ate 10 peanut butter M&M’s. Unfortunately, I ate them before checking the calories. 88 calories!! Aagh. I can think of so many better ways to consume calories, including eating better chocolate!

    Jackie, your dress sounds exquisite. We want pictures!

    MacMadame, I think about you often and brag to my friends about how you’ve gone from overweight to a triathlete.

    Barbie, Birdie, and MacMadame, I’m grateful you continue to participate in the thread and provide support even though you’ve met your goals. It means a lot to me and, I’m sure, to the rest of us. You’re great role models.

    Chiclet, you’ve offered good advice to Linda. Reminding myself of all my blessings .

    Oops…Mom’s ready to go. Gotta wind it up. Before I do, I wanted to say thank you for some GREAT sounding veggie recipes. Linda, I’ll try yours tonight!

    Elizabeth (it’s hard to think of you as Elizabeth, not Ainslieglen!) I loved your post. It sounds as thought you and your family go to so many wonderful places.

    Susan, it sounds as though your son made a poor choice of wives. Sorry to sound so harsh, but my son did too. I tried (and tried and tried) to make friends of his wife. She preferred to keep her family to herself.

    We have a big, happy extended family. Fortunately, after the first couple of years, Mark insisted on participating in family get-togethers. They got divorced a couple of years ago. My daughter says now she has everything she wants (little contact with our family) except Mark! They both seem happier and now Mark’s engaged to marry a very nice woman who’s NICE and who likes our family!

    Divorce can be rotten for the kids but this is one I’m glad of. I hope your son will be able to work it out with his wife and be part of the whole big family too. She sounds like a difficult one though. I’m sending more hugs to you. Thank goodness your daughter is such a gem and your hubby sounds like a sweetie too!

    :flowerforyou:
  • BarbieCat1
    BarbieCat1 Posts: 82
    Hi... I've been among the missing for the past week... but I have excuses !! It's been a family lollapalooza... birthdays, anniversaries, visits from our son and his son, other far away family, 2 rambunctious 5 year olds to chase and contain [hopeless, really LOL], 7 people staying under our roof part of the time, plus going back and forth between Kissimmee and the Palm Beach area... hauling and fetching... cooking and cleaning.

    I've had plenty of opportunities to over eat but other than the odd off the chart bite here and there, and yes, a small piece of birthday cake and some M&M's from Orlando's M&M world [Michele, consider my small indulgence a contribution to your retirement fund] .. I've eaten lightly and when I stepped on Mr. Scale this morning for the first time in 8 days, I was exactly the same. Whew... Company is gone... I'm on my own for a few days while hubby tends to business out of town, and frankly, it feels like a vacation!

    I think I've learned something, ie, being careful to keep portions small and avoid the obvious dietary traps, I can keep things under control. It's actually been very liberating. If I'd been able to get some real exercise on a regular basis instead of hit or miss, I'm sure I'd have seen a loss.

    My most difficult moments this past week have been my efforts to NOT chastise my beautiful daughter for gaining quite a bit of weight this year. Seeing how badly and how much she eats nearly breaks my heart as it's harming her. But anything I might say about it would not be welcome. I guess the only thing I can do is be a slient example and try to focus on her many fine qualities.

    SuzyQ... my heart aches for what you're going through. Question.... can you call your son at work or send him a personal email? If, as seems the case, he feels uncomfortable talking to you around his wife [who I suspect must have some issues that he's reluctant to talk about] perhaps you could set up a time for a heart to heart.

    linda, your roasted veggies sound terrific. It's one of my favorite ways to eat veggies. Have you tried roasting asparagus? After rolling them in a bit of olive oil, I sprinkle them with some fresh grated parm and seasonings, then roast. Fantastic!!

    I'm going for a nice long walk this evening... when, hopefully, it cools off a bit. It's 93 outside right now.
  • pmjsmom
    pmjsmom Posts: 1,926 Member
    Hi everyone. It's been really busy at work. My coworker was laid off and so I get to do the bulk of the work though I get some help from the store employees when they can. Some idiot on the East coast seems to think that the whole country has the same growing season so we had too much help earlier in the season and now don't have enough! Oh well, I just do the best I can.

    My thoughts and prayers for Linda and Susique--family can be so hard to deal with! I admit that there are a few members of MY family that live on the other coast and that's just fine with me. Some people are just easier to love at a distance!

    Elizabeth--your families' travels sound so interesting!

    We went to the Olympia Farmer's Market this morning and got loads of fresh fruits and veggies. My dd bought some of them with her Farmers Market WIC checks. Boy, things have sure changed, even from a few years ago when my other dd was on WIC! Now you get checks for whole grain products, produce (separate from the Farmer's Market ones) and you can get better items like all-natural peanut butter. It just makes so much more sense that we make sure our pregnant and nursing mothers get quality foods!

    There have been SO many posts that I just can't seem to keep up! I love reading all you have to say and get lots of good ideas and motivation from all of you!

    Have a wonderful weekend and let's keep making the choice to be healthy!
  • doobiedoo
    doobiedoo Posts: 194 Member
    :flowerforyou: Susan, with 10 of my 14 children being adults now, I'm finding that several of them are more high-maintenance than they were when they were children! I've come to the conclusion that no matter how many letters I write or phone calls I make, they still do their own thing. My only option is to pray for them and then really trust the Lord to do His work in them. He knows :flowerforyou: what they need much more than I do. I will be praying for you and your son.
  • LaurelFisher
    LaurelFisher Posts: 407 Member
    :flowerforyou: Good evening everyone, I just stopped by to say hello, I am alive and I MISS YOU ALL. My life has been a LITTLE complicated since the beginning of June. I keep trying to gey back on track but am not having much success. Thank you Barbie for being you and I am going to try to catch up on posts and start logging in on Monday. Love to all, Rose
    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
  • Wishful
    Wishful Posts: 618 Member
    I've been working around the house putting odds and ends into the mission store box. It's amazing how much of a packrat I am!

    It hasn't been my best day calorie wise, but I've had worse. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.:ohwell:
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,269 Member
    :flowerforyou: Kackie, my scale is "Health-O-Meter" and I bought it at Wal Mart and it cost about $40.00----there were several models but we liked the one that remembered weights for up to four people----you can just weigh yourself or select the memory function
    I have two settings for me ( so I can weigh morning and evening)......after you weigh yourself it tells you how much you are up or down from one day ago, one week ago, four weeks ago, eight weeks ago, and twelve weeks ago.

    :flowerforyou: hubby reads to me out of a spiritual/inspirational book every morning and today he read "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"

    :flowerforyou: I went back to the lavender festival today because two of my friends were performing with the Olympic Mountain Cloggers........the performance was great and I was able to walk past the place with the great lemon lavender ice cream without going in and getting more:bigsmile:

    :flowerforyou: Rose, I'm so glad to hear from you again......I've missed you...thanks for the reminder to drink more water :bigsmile: :drinker:
    :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
  • Erica_q
    Erica_q Posts: 41
    Good evening, everyone,

    I haven't been on for a couple of days. I've been in kind of a funk. My eating was a little off Thursday and yesterday, but I feel like I've done okay today. I'm falling asleep on the sofa, again, and not getting a proper nights sleep, so that hasn't helped any. This is my goal for the remainder of the month - actually sleeping in my bed. Wish me luck.

    Linda - I totally relate to what you're feeling. I used to do a lot of negative self-talk, telling myself how bad I was or that I was a failure (try accomplishing something when telling yourself something like that!). I went through some couseling a few years back and learned how to counteract it, but I still struggle with it. I also suffer from depression, and even though I'm a lot better now than I was a few years ago, I still deal with that as well. Then when you add stress and everyday life into the equation, it makes it difficult. I believe journaling of any kind, whether it's a gratitude journal or just writing about how you feel at the moment, is the greatest tool in fighting back. Sometimes in writing things down, it's easier to get a better perspective on them, because you can look at it and realize that it might not have been as bad as you thought, or if it was really that bad, you did survive, and that's something to celebrate. Don't give up hope; just take it one day at a time. I apologize if this doesn't make sense, but I just wanted to say that I understand what you're going through, and I will keep you in my prayers.

    I tried to read most of the posts from the last couple days, but it's too much to respond to. I'm really sorry to hear that some of you are having trouble with your adult children. None of my kids are married or in relationships right now, so that isn't an issue, but I made it through the teen years without any rebellion, so I must count my blessings. I will admit that I am already praying for their future spouses. It can't hurt, right?

    I thought I'd have more to say, but nothing is coming to mind right now, so I think I'll do my dishes and head off to bed. Really, I will. :ohwell: I'll check in tomorrow.

    Goodnight all!

    Erica
  • wizzywig
    wizzywig Posts: 1,246 Member
    :flowerforyou: Good morning ladies

    :heart: Sending my best wishes to those of you who are having family problems :heart: At least you know you can 'vent' on here. I like what someone said, that we are all sisters, and are here to help each other.

    :smile: My family are all pretty close (on my side) both my mum and dad come from large families. Dad is one of 6 and mum is one 9 so can't understand why they stopped at just me :huh: :smile: I grew up with lots of cousins but although I still see my aunts and uncles, don't see my cousins and their families so much now. DHs family on the other hand are not so close and there's been lots of fall-outs, not speaking etc. I try to keep the lines of communication open to all parties and not take sides. I think it's sad, but as someone mentioned (sorry can't remember who) some members of the family are easier to love when they live far away! :smile:

    :frown: I fell off the waggon a bit yesterday, extra annoying because when I weighed in first thing in the morning I had lost one pound! Don't think I've put all back on, but I'm still annoyed with myself. I'll get back on it today, I'll make extra veggies with our Sunday Dinner :laugh: and keep away from the empty calories.

    :flowerforyou: Mimi maybe yesterday I should have started the day with some veggies, I felt out of sorts with myself on Friday and Saturday and wonder if that's why I ended up eating empty calories yesterday. I'm sure you've mentioned that eating veggies improves your mood. I'll have to remember that the next time. :smile:

    :smile: Jackie I think you are right, in that we've had our summer, we've had rain here the last few days too. In fact it's raining now, looks like I'll have to use the tumble drier. Keep up the good work, and don't forget to make time for yourself too.:smile:

    Well better go, DH is wanting to get on the computer.

    Take care everyone :heart:

    :heart: Viv :heart:
  • mynyddisamrs
    mynyddisamrs Posts: 387
    :flowerforyou: Morning all ..I hope you're having a good Sunday, where ever you are.

    :sad: It's ...RAINING...cats and dogs here! So much for me not using the tumble drier. Extra washing daily with mum and I was trying to economise! Still we have found we can "Cap" our water /sewage bill from Welsh Water with the help of a doctors signature . They even gave us a refund back to April ...can't be bad.

    :ohwell: Not much planned for today ...definitely not out in the garden. I think I'll tackle tidying the end of my wardrobe where I have all those clothes i've forgotten about!

    :smile: The scales still showed 1/2lb lost so i've logged it down. Food is simple today so I must watch I don't nibble.

    :happy: Good news on the Dad front ...he's out of hospital. And ..my SM had a good break while he was in hospital and feels refreshed again.Looks like it wasn't a stroke but a general weakness re - ocurring from a few years ago. He is walking a little with a frame but hopes this will improve.:noway: I declined the suggestion of him coming up to me while SM had another break !!!:laugh: She too declined my suggestion of taking mum down to them when we go away!! Can you picure that!!

    So ....off to do some tidying.
    Enjoy your day folks ...be good .....be wise...be happy! ...sounds like a song? Can't pinpoint it!!:laugh:

    BFN
    :heart: Jackie
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    ....:happy: Good news on the Dad front ...he's out of hospital. And ..my SM had a good break while he was in hospital and feels refreshed again.Looks like it wasn't a stroke but a general weakness re - ocurring from a few years ago. He is walking a little with a frame but hopes this will improve.:noway: I declined the suggestion of him coming up to me while SM had another break !!!:laugh: She too declined my suggestion of taking mum down to them when we go away!! Can you picure that!!

    So ....off to do some tidying.
    Enjoy your day folks ...be good .....be wise...be happy! ...sounds like a song? Can't pinpoint it!!:laugh:

    BFN
    :heart: Jackie

    I think the song you are thinking of is "Don't Worry--Be Happy" originally sung by Bobby McFeron. Not positive about the spelling of that last name.

    Glad your dad is doing better.

    I am up about 3 am Pacific time and due to my own stupidity, I am wide awake. I didn't specify decaf when I ordered a coffee about 2p and am paying for it now!!:noway: :ohwell: What is going to be fun is being awake when I am supposed to meet a friend for lunch at 10 am. We will see if that happens.:wink::laugh: :laugh:

    Going to try to hit the feathers now, I hope.:yawn: :yawn:

    Barb
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 698 Member
    Jackie, so glad to hear your good news about your dad.:flowerforyou:

    All I can say is prayer really does work! Can you imagine my surprise and delight yesterday afternoon late when I was helping hubby finish rebuilding our front porch and my son called? :happy: This is the first time he's called ME since my birthday in February. How wonderful to hear his voice!

    On the weight loss front, hubby lost another 4 pounds and I still weigh the same. II rarely ever lose the week hubby is on nights. Amazing how sleep effects my success. Thank goodness hubby works off tonight! This last 15 pounds just REFUSES to come off. We have 3 family birthday parties to attend in the next 7 days, so I'll have to really plan ahead and stay focused this week.
  • BarbieCat1
    BarbieCat1 Posts: 82
    SuzyQ, ... reading that your son called brought a smile to my face.

    I wish I could sleep longer... .the wicked cat woke me up again. I can't let her sleep in our room as she tries to wake me during the night by walking on me and tickling me with her whiskers, so I must close her out, but she's rattling our door at dawn every day, wanting company, breakfast and to go out onto the screened Florida room so she can watch the squirrels and birds. Of course, I could go to bed earlier, but I find I don't fall asleep until the usual time, which is around midnight. If I go to bed early, I read, try to clear my mind and relax, but sleep comes when it comes and not a minute earlier. I will not take sleep drugs.

    I keep reading some "experts" say that sleep affects weight loss... do any of you have any personal insights to share?

    There's a new book that was reviewed in the NY Times Book Review last week called Wide Awake, by Patricia Morrisroe, which got me thinking on the topic. Basically, it says little is known, factually, about sleep and most of what we [and the so called experts] think we know about it is conjecture, inadequate science, marketing and culturally biased. Also exposed is the role of profit driven pharmaceutical companies selling questionable sleep aid drugs, as they promote the idea that everyone needs 8 hours of sleep... a totally unproven notion which disregards individual circumstances such as age, health and cultural differences.
  • laniv
    laniv Posts: 106 Member
    Good Morning from steamy New York City.
    I'm vacationing this week, so I haven't weighed in - no scale where we are. I'm pretty sure that I have, at least, maintained my weight. I'm watching what I eat, logging my food to the best of my ability (I'm not sure how the restaurants cook the food), and exercising as much as possible. We're walking all over the place, enjoying the sights, and I'm exercising in the gym downstairs. Today I hope to go kayaking in the Hudson River.

    :flowerforyou: Linda, I can definitely identify with you. I also succumb to emotional overeating. I've been trying to lose the same 15 pounds for the past 2 years. I fall off the wagon when the stress builds up, I regain the weight, feel lousy, and start berating myself. So I sat down, the other day, and I wrote two lists - What works, and what doesn't work. Putting it down on paper helped me to see that I feel worse when I overeat, stop exercising, and sleep poorly. So my stress worsens. What works is maintaining some self-control, watching what I eat, sleeping 7-8 hours, and exercising. I try to remind myself that I need to care for myself so I can help those I love.

    :glasses: Another book suggestion - Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person, by Judith Beck. I read this a few years ago and lost my initial 17 pounds using Dr. Beck's advice. You basically go through various exercises and checklists, and develop thinking patterns that optimize your chances to lose and maintain weight. I think I'll go back and reread it! Maybe I'll finally lose those last 15 pounds.!:wink:
  • anotheryearolder
    anotheryearolder Posts: 385 Member
    I give up. Had typed a message on my phone and it disappeared. Will post. When I can get my hands on aa real computer.

    Faye
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