h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You are so right about needing the rest of the family to cooperate, Broe. I have no luck at all dieting if I have to cook fattening meals for everyone else. Fortunately, Lord C. is willing to eat healthy with me. He's lost about 10 pounds too. I, on the other hand, am stuck on 13. I guess I should be glad I haven't gained it all back.

I have been struggling with that myself lately. I don't want Peanut to grow up with the same food issues and body image issues I've had so I try to encourage her to eat right and I limit her sweets, chips, etc. Then I have to remember that if she sees mommy eating M&Ms she's going to want M&Ms too. It doesn't help that Mr. Emee is a bit of an enabler and brings into the house and that he has had sympathy cravings for banana splits.

I had the opportunity to listen to Ghandi's grandson speak a few years ago. He told a story about a family whose son had to go off of sugar for some reason and how the family had a hard time enforcing the no sugar policy so they asked Ghandi what to do. Ghandi told them that he and everyone else in the village should go off sugar too. What's good for the least among us is good for the greatest. It makes it a lot easier to eat healthy when everyone is eating healthy.

"I've had occasions when I put something in my mouth and have no idea what it was or why I put it there. Scary."

I'm just going to walk away from that one and not look back.

I'm doing much better lately. I don't put anything in my mouth without weighing the consequences. I have been watching my fat and carb intake. I feel better whether or not I am losing actual pounds.

SUCCESS!!

Went to the group weigh in this morning, I'm down 8 pounds!!

Don't think that's going to keep me from my taco salad for lunch though. I'll just ask them to put less meat and beans on it.

Who'd have thought 8 little pounds could be so motivating?
Talking with someone else in the group this morning I mentioned that my appetite has gone down, I'm eating better things (I'm still eating bad things too, just way, way less of them), I'm excercising regularly -- but I haven't noticed any change in the way my clothes fit. Yes, I know, 8 pounds is but a drop in the ocean (a bucket isn't big enough )

I have noticed that my speed has increased - from 1.5 on the treadmill to about 2.3 and from 10.5 on the bike to about 12.5. I've also noticed I have more longevity, where I used to set the programs for 15 or 20 minutes, I usually go for 30 now and it doesn't seem to last as long.

Celebrate?
(don't worry, it's fat-free, sugar-free, calorie-free virtual cheesecake, and it tastes delicious. )

Congratulations!

Good job, broe. I am still losing a little along. Still have a lot to go. But I'll get there and so will you!

Way to go, broe!!

Still trudging on. One more week to go in the group. The last two weeks I've managed not to gain any, but I haven't lost any, either.

I did make a sweet discovery at the grocery store yesterday:
Slow churned frozen yogurt. In blackberry swirl (I didn't try the blackberry, my need for chocolate won out - but the chocolate is great, too). And Edy's no sugar added fruit bars were on sale!

Last several months survived with moderate degrees of success and failure.

Pounds lost - 15 (but that was three weeks ago after a bout of the flu).

Visits to the gym - 1, so far this week. I had been doing pretty well, then got sick, then went on vacation away from the gym, then lost my momentum.... etc. Planning to go tomorrow, possibly Thursday and probably Friday.

Battles to overcome chocolate cravings lost - ?? Eventually I gave in and bought a big bag of minis at Costco, thinking a small bite here and there would be better than going overboard when the opportunity presents itself. That probably would be a sound philosophy if I hadn't also bought a box of chocolate chip cookies from the bakery.

I'm thinking I should take advantage of the steam bath weather we've been having lately, all I have to do is think about walking to the gym to break a sweat. That should count for something, right?

It's sooooooooo hard. Anyone who says otherwise has never been there. 15 pounds may not sound like much consicdering how long you've been working at it, but it's better than being 15 pounds heavier right now.

I have started and fell off more diets than I care to admit. Now it's a matter of having to take off some weight so that my knees will support me. I can't exercise much because they are so bad.

15 pounds is a very good start. Keep working at it. We're all pulling for you.

Lately I've been doing excercises for my knees in addition to using the bike and the treadmill. I'll usually do 20 or 30 minutes on the bike (or treadmill), then two or three sets of 10 reps on a leg machine that targets my knees, set on the lowest weight, which is either 10 or 20 pounds. It was uncomfortable starting out, but I noticed a difference almost immediately going up stairs.

I've been trying to convince my mother to try some light excercises for her knees as well, because she makes excuses to avoid almost any physical activity. I keep telling her that if she tries excercising - even a little - her mobility will improve. I'm scared to death she's going to end up like her stepfather, who never left the house and needed help to get from the chair in the living room to the bedroom in the hall. Mom retired last month and has no plans to do anything at all with her time now.

Fell off the diet wagon awhile back so am starting again at 7 pounds less than before. That's ok though. I'm counting calories and watching fats and carbs. That oughta do it, don't cha think???

Shall I drag this out again and have another go?

I'm not prepared to go near a scale, so I'll just start with my last weigh in for last year, which ended in a 2, I think. 2 or 4, but I like 2 better.

I don't have any immediate plans to start visiting the gym, partially because I'm still trying to finish up one Christmas present that didn't get done, also because I've spent most of the last few weeks sick.

I've been off my thyroid medicine for about a month because of budgetary issues and insurance changes. I also need to schedule some physical therapy for my foot, and change my PCP. That's all on hold until the insurance thing gets straigtened out.

So, we're off to a slow start.

Not sure what you're on for thyroid, but the big W has my thyroid meds on their $4 formulary. No insurance plan required. I'm not going to the gym either. I don't want to go until I weigh less and look better. Hope you get to feeling better.

I started some antibiotics the end of last week so I'm feeling better now, just getting the last of the muck out of my chest.

The thyroid stuff is the name brand. I was on the generics for probably close to 8 years, and my levels seemed to fluctuate out of range quite regularly. I've been with an endocrinologist for about a year now (recommended by my rheumatologist, not my PCP, one reason I'm looking to switch) and he insists that, in general, levels are much more consistent with the name brand. I have to say he's been right so far. I need to get back into his office.

The down side is that the generics were about $10 a month when I was on them. The name brand is priced by dosage, so the higher dosages cost more than the lower ones. My dosage exceeds the maximum per pill, so I have to take two prescriptions together to add up to my daily dose. At the local I think it's about $40 a month, by mail it's around $90 for 3 months.

Sorry you've been ill, Broe. There seems to be a lot of the respiratory gunk going around again.

I hate that the meds we need cost so much. It really shouldn't be that way. And I really don't like that to get a cheaper price you have to fill out a bunch of forms, get two copies of your script and mail a bunch of stuff off and wait by the post box. They've moved us to that plan at my w*rk.

I think just about everyone's on that plan now. Most local pharmacies will fill 90-day scrips, but most insurance companies won't give you the same rate as the mail service.

To a certain degree the mail service is easier. Once everything is set up you can just go online to order refills. It's just such a hassle to set up, and some of the websites are difficult to navigate.