Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

@anna--I've never heard of Qysmia. I know a lot of people are judgmental about pills or supplements. Personally, I don't see a big problem with them as long as they are part of an overall healthy approach. If you are continuing to work on good nutrition, portion control, and exercise, then you don't run as much risk of having the dreaded "gain back" when you stop taking the pills. The real problem with some of those weight-loss aids is when people either use them in conjunction with very low calorie diets, or continue to eat too many calories and don't learn to change their over all lifestyles. Do what's right for you--if you think this medication will help you jump-start the weight-loss, then use them and don't worry about what other people think.

@mel--rest days are just as important for overall fitness as exercising. It's also smart to ease into a routine so you don't injure yourself, thus preventing yourself from working out at all.

@tracy--I've considered doing some sort of co-op like bountiful baskets, but with just me and the DH, I worry a lot of it would spoil. I have a hard time even using up the fruits and vegetables I buy at the grocery store. :ohwell: Have fun at the movies and the fair!

@gorilla--that does sound like a busy weekend! I forget--what lifting program are you following? Is it NROL? I'm thinking of buying NROLFW--I've heard good things about it.

@robin--that volunteer position sounds interesting! I hope the parking doesn't cost too much and it leads to a paying position.

@charlotte-- I can sort of see why they might want medical professionals to use common language; however, I imagine you all have the skills to explain if the patients don't understand. Sheesh, it's not like you are all a bunch of robots! We also have those types of professional development workshops. They want every teacher in the school to use the same language and terminology for skills with the students. The problem with that is then students don't learn the synonyms for those terms. For example, if every teacher in the school uses the term "thesis statement" for a paper's main argument, the students never learn that it could also be called a "contention." Then when they go off to college what will they do when a professor asks them to formulate a "contention" for their papers? I just don't understand why we would willfully limit our students' vocabulary that way. It's double-plus ungood.

@kelley & kaye--I also have difficulty sleeping, but I'm afraid to take any type of sleep aid b/c they can sometimes trigger my sleep paralysis, so I just deal with some tired days and try to make up for missed sleep on the weekends. In general, I've found I sleep much better now that I work out regularly, so that's a bonus.

@nicole--glad you have gotten to the gym and are overcoming that fear. I think a big part of this process is learning to overcome those fears--it's very liberating! :drinker:

@kris--My mom always has lots of treats at her house and she offers them the minute I walk in the door. I try not to get annoyed, but it really takes me back to childhood when she would list everything there was to eat in the house the moment I opened the fridge or pantry. I'm not trying to place blame, but I can definitely see how her attitudes toward food and feeding her children as a sign of her love contributed to 3 overweight children. Ironically, my mother is a pretty healthy weight and only really struggled with extra weight after pregnancy. My father also always maintained a pretty good weight b/c he was in the military his whole life. I'm glad it's not an issue for them and my older sister and I have both finally managed to develop healthier relationships with food, but my younger sister is still obese. I know she would like to lose weight, but until she asks for my help I try to just be supportive and set a good example.

Friday Fitness:
With the busy week, I only managed to make it to the gym on Monday. I took gunner for an extra long walk today but needed to come home and get all of my stuff together for the wedding and our weekend downtown. Tomorrow we will be up early to drop gunner at the vet for boarding, pick up our friends, and head to Chicago. At least I know we will get in some walking during the day--we are going to Frontera Grill (Rick Bayless' restaurant) which is a short walk from our hotel. Then there will surely be lots of dancing at the reception. On Sunday, we are eating brunch at the hotel before heading back home. At least I should have time for a good, long workout Sunday afternoon. :happy:

I probably won't check in tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a great weekend! :flowerforyou:

Skinnyjeanz- WOW! You are a busy woman- I think I burned some calories just reading about your planned activities! (just not sure how I can log that....) :bigsmile:

Anna- I agree with Skinnyjeanz... if you are not relying on the pill to do all of the work, you could have a positive result, I think. I personally can't take supplements or prescriptions for weightloss any more. That doesn't mean it won't work great for someone else. Just remember to make sure the calories you get are quality calories- fill your plate with nutrient rich foods. I've made the mistake of taking things in the past that curbed my appetite, so I hardly ate.... when I ate, it was junk. Needless to say, I was miserable. You will do great! We are cheering you on! :drinker:

Melwillbe- I hear ya! It was in the 80s and 90s most of the week here, and suddenly it is 50 or 60 degrees.. it's snuggle in with soup weather!

Tlh0407- You are sooo lucky! We have so many critters, we can't tell them apart!

Gorilla- Thanks! I hope to someday hit that 81 lb mark and look back, laughing at my wimpy nature haha. I miss being a parent to a football kiddo! Bundling up for the games and practices, hot coffee, and pep talks.. My son is skipping football this year (double concussion last year), but is going to try his hand at basketball. I hope it is just as fun.

RobinsEgg- I am in Western Washington State... near Seattle. Nutria shouldn't be in this neck of the woods... but there are rumors (maybe urban legends) of them being sighted as far North from their natural habitat (S. America I think)... in New York. I'm sticking with beavers.... they MUST be beavers. Someone else said river otters... could be. An art gallery would be SO cool to work at- even volunteering... so many interesting people. No parking would be troublesome... but is it too late in the evening to enjoy walking to and from your car? Can you log it? :happy:

Friday fitness- Well, I did not go to the gym today, but plan on going on a nice walk tomorrow - might even hit the gym... but if I don't make the gym tomorrow, I will go on Sunday. I did something wrong, I think, because my shoulder has a "twinge" of pain. I may have to bite the bullet and join the gym AND hire a trainer.... that way I can be sure I am doing things right.

Well, its been an interesting week for me. I have eaten back some or all of my exercise credit nearly everyday. I expect my weight loss to go slower as I get closer to goal. Maybe my eating is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I certainly am not going to lose very fast if I keep eating all of my execise credits.
I don't take any meds for sleep. My dr. won't prescribe anything. Whenever I go to him, he just congratulates me for using my CPAP every day, and tells me that if I lived in OR he would have to take my driver's license because I am sleep deprived. I don't feel like he has really done anything to get to the bottom of the problem. I am going to try very diligently to avoid any screen time for 1 hour before bedtime for awhile and see if that helps. It didn't last night, but I am willing to give it some time. We don't have a TV in the bedroom, but I am a news junkie and always feel like I need to watch the news before I go to bed.
We have quite a lightning show going on here this evening. I hope we get some rain out of it.
Have a good night. Onward and downward. Kaye

Well, its been an interesting week for me. I have eaten back some or all of my exercise credit nearly everyday. I expect my weight loss to go slower as I get closer to goal. Maybe my eating is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I certainly am not going to lose very fast if I keep eating all of my execise credits.
I don't take any meds for sleep. My dr. won't prescribe anything. Whenever I go to him, he just congratulates me for using my CPAP every day, and tells me that if I lived in OR he would have to take my driver's license because I am sleep deprived. I don't feel like he has really done anything to get to the bottom of the problem. I am going to try very diligently to avoid any screen time for 1 hour before bedtime for awhile and see if that helps. It didn't last night, but I am willing to give it some time. We don't have a TV in the bedroom, but I am a news junkie and always feel like I need to watch the news before I go to bed.
We have quite a lightning show going on here this evening. I hope we get some rain out of it.
Have a good night. Onward and downward. Kaye

Kaye - I take melatonin as well like Kelly mentioned. It's over the counter so you don't need a prescription. It's basically a natural sleep aid, which is why I prefer it. I was taking things like Advil PM, but stepped away to lean more towards a natural ingredient. I sleep pretty soundly every night (for the most part). I normally find it in the health section of my grocery store. You might give that a try and see what you think.

Sat. Success: well, it's been exactly one week since I've been back. I've had challenges and successes, and need to weigh myself. the scale scares me. Going to get on my bike and ride over to the park to meet my daughter, who'se there for a local event. It's within walking distance, but want to improve my biking skills. Busy day today, but planned my food early and going to try to get to the gym late this afternoon. Hubby is draining our outdoor hot tub for the winter as the weather has changed.

Question for those who may have taken up jogging/running at some point - I know it's different for everyone, but is there a prescribed BMI or ballpark # for starting up? Although I've never stopped biking, zumba, dancing and walking, I haven't done any running in a VERY long time which became ultra evident after making a base hit yesterday while playing at the park with my 9 year old. I ran 10 feet and I thought I was going to die (in a way that sounds funnier than it felt - not good). I don't want to injure my knees, but I do want to be able to run - fast-ish at some point. Advice? Thank you!

seriously trying to stop procrastinating and get outside and do something.....anything......

I got my Fitbit! Yay!!! Happy Saturday to all. Today could be a challenge, as there is a birthday party/ bbq for a friend's son. I am not going to arrive hungry, and I am going to watch my portions. Wish me luck!

Saturday Success: Where do I begin? I've posted it earlier, but this was a huge win for me. Business trip Monday thru Friday. Lunch/dinner out all week. Worked out 4 days in the fitness center. Worked my way up to 30 minutes on the elliptical. The scale finally moved again and I lost 2 lbs. I would say this week was a success. Pushing hard for another win next week.

@ Robin - Thanks for the link. She has quite a story and it truly shows that battle even with every bite we take. She's truly an inspiration. Nice walk today. Even though it was a small path you learned so much. Plus, congrats on the gallery job and free parking to boot. Good for you!

@ Alice - I try to set short and long term goals, but always keep them fluid because so much can happen in life. A short term is focusing on losing 5-8 lbs in September. Long term is getting into Onederland by mid-April. If I make my monthly goals, I should hit the long term goal. My son and I are going on a cruise for Spring Break. They are some excursions I want to do with him, but I did to be under a certain weight. Baby steps.

@ Nicole - Let me know how you like your FitBit. I'm wearing one now, but not quite using it like I should. It is very interesting to see my steps, miles and calories though. You think you walk a lot, but to see the real number is an eye opener. Keep us posted!

@ Elaina - I did five 5K's last year, but I did the walk/run thing. I would run 30 seconds then walk. Eventually I would increase my running.with each race. I'm still pretty slow and if I walk then I walk. With a nice pace, you can get a good workout and it's much easier on our knees too.

@ Laurie - Enjoy the ride tomorrow.

@ Kaye - Congrats on the new clothes!! It sounds like a fun day with your daughter.

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Hi All, Happy Saturday! Hope you're all having a great w/e. My success is a small one, but I'm happy. I put on a uniform top tonight that I haven't been comfortable wearing for months cause it was just too tight. Even though I haven't lost a lot of weight yet, it seems to be enough as the top went on much easier. Its amazing how a few pounds can make such a difference.

Robin - Congrats on getting the volunteer position. Sounds like it will be a lot of fun and really, a great way to meet people. Hope you enjoy the change. Also, thank you for posting that womans story. It was amazing to see the difference. She looks like a new woman.

Susan - You made traveling look so easy. Congrats on such a successful trip and week.

Lauriek - Ok, I'm tired just reading about everything you're going to fit into one day. Good for you to be able to do so much. Also, thanks for the kind words about my job. I'm proud of the fact that after almost 40 years I still love being a nurse. Its in the blood.

GrandmaKaye -Congrats on the successful shopping spree. I can't wait to be able to go through my closet and get rid of some things and replace them with much smaller ones.I've got a long way to go, but I'm going to enjoy it when it happens.

Have a wonderful Sunday all and don't forget to take some water with you when you're out walking, running or biking. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Charlotte

Thank you - that is very helpful. Having a 5 k as a goal is a good idea even if I have to walk some of it. I walk quite a bit, but never to to point of a good sweat. I'll try the 30 second run from time to time.

actually managed to get outside yesterday and get lots of work done.......more of the same today before the rain starts