MyOwnSunshine Member

I thought I was going to have to fight my way out of there -- but I was scared that some of those moisturizer-wielding old ladies might be able to take me.

You should feel proud that you survived that Mary Kay Mauling! I like makeup and wear it most of the time (I do go out without it, but prefer it most days), and even I was terrified at the one Mary Kay cult meeting that I was tricked into attending. Brutal! Absolutely brutal! As for your pics and the whole makeup issue --…

My intuition tells me to eat cookies... lots and lots of cookies. It's not really conducive to my goals.

I would recommend that you buy a food scale and measuring cups and take a few weeks to weigh, measure and accurately record every single thing that you put in your mouth. I am a highly compulsive eater, and logging is key for me to accurately know how many calories I'm consuming. If I don't log, I somehow "forget" about…

Thanks!

My favorite is steak cooked over the open fire, with fried potatoes and onions cooked in a cast iron skillet on the campfire. My husband's favorite is chili burgers, and my daughter's is the classic hot dogs roasted on sticks. Lunch is usually sandwiches, and watermelon is always good when you're camping. I'm going to make…

We're heading to Knoll Lake next weekend. I'd like to try Lynx Lake by Prescott. Haven't even started exploring the southeast section of AZ.

Buy a heart rate monitor with a chest strap (I like my Polar FT7, but there are others out there).

New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great book to get you going with weights. I've been doing various NROL programs for several years and really like my strength and fitness results. Brene Brown is a great author and researcher who examines shame and it's impact on our lives. I would highly recommend any of her books in…

Maybe you can turn your obsessive attitude towards eating and food into a healthy thing. I know that lifting weights has helped me to consider food as fuel and realize that I am doing a good thing for my body when I am eating to meet my macros and calorie range. Lifting heavy has helped me realize that my body's energy…

I found the book "The Power of Habit" very helpful in understanding why I keep doing the things I do and how to work on making permanent changes in my life. I would highly recommend it to anyone who struggles with making changes in any aspect of their lives (you can also get the Audiobook version and listen while you're…

I use MFP for support, encouragement, inspiration and feedback and reserve Facebook posts for the other fun stuff going on in my life. While I agree that other people, especially family members, SHOULD be happy for you and proud of your efforts, often they're not. People have a lot of shame, guilt, judgment, insecurity and…

She is likely taking Coumadin/warfarin for her mechanical valve and will need to take it for the rest of her life. The most important thing with Coumadin is not AVOIDING leafy greens or foods high in Vitamin K. The most important thing is eating a CONSISTENT AMOUNT of leafy greens or foods high in Vitamin K. She will…

I love my adjustable dumbbells -- Bowflex Select-Tech that adjust from 5 to 52.5 pounds. Although I can't do barbell squats or traditional deadlifts, I can do a lot of squat and DL variations, as well as lunges, split squats and arm isolation exercises. They would be great for someone starting out with weights who doesn't…

Agreed. You definitely need to call your surgeon and explain exactly what you've eaten and when you've eaten it. Your surgeon needs to make an informed decision on whether it is wise to proceed with surgery. There are just as many excuses waiting for you on the other side of surgery. I would recommend counseling regardless…

My experience is that people will eventually get used to what you do and stop making comments or asking you to eat things you'd rather not. At the beginning of my weight loss/fitness efforts, people would offer, and offer and offer... Now, if there's a potluck or lunch order in the works, they offer and let it go. Most…

I honestly don't even notice mine once I put it on. It is strange at first, but you made it through most of the night. How did you feel?

If you know you're going to eat at night, and know what you eat every night, save some calories for it. If you're not able to stop eating at night, you have to cut calories elsewhere to make room for your night eating.

I bought a leash for running on Amazon. It is called a "Stunt Puppy" leash, and it is an adjustable belt that goes around your waist and attaches to a bungee leash. The bungee leash is helpful if your dog suddenly speeds up or changes direction -- it absorbs the shock a bit so it doesn't interrupt your running. My dog…

I started C25K and made it through about 6 weeks. I quit when I started lifting and doing more HIIT/metabolic training. I definitely did not love it the first time around. Then, I bought a puppy, who grew into an overly energetic year-old dog, who required regular exercise and I started running again. This time around, I…

There is a group called VSGers. The main forums are not particularly WLS-friendly.

This is where I'm at right now, too. I believe that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to do, but you can't do EVERYTHING all at one time. I am happy that I halted my re-gain and figured out how to balance maintenance with the other things I have going on right now. Unfortunately, I do not always have the energy or the…

This. As the quantity of food that I eat has decreased, the importance of quality food has increased. Most fast food tastes like crap. I like to cook, although I don't particularly think that cooking is fun. But then again, I don't think that showering, brushing my teeth or doing laundry is fun, either, but I like the…

Being diagnosed with sleep apnea and wearing a CPAP has changed my world! You could not pay me to sleep without my CPAP. I did not know what it felt like to get a good night's sleep and wake up well-rested until I used a CPAP at age 42. I have so much more drive, discipline and energy now. I know that some people are able…

Yep! Right there with you. I re-gained 15 during my first full-time semester of grad school combined with working full-time. I'm working on losing it now. Mostly, I'm happy that I figured out how to not gain while going to school and working. The losing seems harder this time around, but that is probably because I'm so…

I have an 8-year-old daughter and feel the same as you and other posters. Unless I know the parent(s), I would need to have a few playdates before I felt comfortable sending my child to their house for an overnight. In your situation, I would let the mom know that this weekend doesn't work, but arrange a playdate in the…

Yes. It's okay to take it at any time of day, as long as you're consistent. I would maybe consider late afternoons as you're getting off work, so you aren't up all night in the bathroom.

I mean this in a helpful way, so please don't take it as an attack... What I inferred from reading your paragraph of failings and excuses is: "I JUST DON'T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT TO PUT FORTH THE EFFORT." Really, that's what all your excuses say. If you cared enough about losing weight, you would get rid of the…

Listen to music. Catch my breath. Watch all the really strong guys pick up heavy stuff and put it down. Really, it does help to watch other people lift. I look at others' form, or get ideas for different accessory lifts. There are lots of regulars at my gym and no one seems to be creeped out by it. On rare occasions I'll…

I am 2-1/2 years out and I could eat a LOT if I needed to. :-) I think that you would need to deliberately plan high calorie, frequent meals to do something like that, but it should be fairly realistic. Edited to add: I can also down water very quickly. I don't particularly need to sip... I can definitely chug a bottle of…