Posts by lonestarpenny

creamy vaseline( walmart has a generic form), udder cream- which I love as it doesn't have a nasty perfume. (can be purchased at the feed store) the smell is pleasant to me. also palmers cocoa butter with vitamin e.(walmart has this) the palmers would be the first one I would try. I have all on hand and use one or the other often. I also use gloves whenever I wash dishes. getting hands wet real often will exaserbate the problem and also bring it on. my hands are very sensitive. I also can not use the pink antibacterial soap that is found in all rest. shopping malls, groc. stores etc.( this could be what is causing her problem. tell her to  stop using the soap there...  for a good while( I carry my own dishwashing liquid in a small bottle in my purse..... the antibacterial alcohol stuff in a bottle is ok to use occasionally... but is also very drying too if you use it more than say once a day. if her hands are already dry I wouldn't suggest she use the alcohol stuff at all.  this is the reason I have to carry my own soap to wash my hands.  also keep some kind of lotion in her purse to put on through the day.  I seem to keep mine under control but as I get older it seems to get worse.. I am 42.  my grandpa had a terrible time with his. his hands would crack open and somtimes bleed. he was a dairyman and had his hands wet alot and all. I don't know what he ever used. I figure maybe some of the utter cream since he had it one hand, but being a man he probably didn't do anything.  my sister also had this problem. she had her hands in water alot too at most of her jobs.  I think keeping them dry is important ifyou have this problem, and putting the right type of lotion on very often.   the palmers has done wonders for my husbands knee surgery scar( it will help fade them over time)  but it also did wonders on my cracked heels which are completely better now and are nice and pink... hope some of this works for her...

well everyone. I see no one has been on here since I last posted. I miss you all so much. just to let you all know I will be out of pocket for about 2 weeks. we are going back to tombstone,az.  I am so excited and hubby is too. we are taking our 1880's clothing etc. they will be having a shin dig on the weekend of 14th adn 15th so we will be dressing up then. I look forward to doing some ghost towning this time( looking for the old ghost towns hidden out in the desert etc). there are alot of things we haven't explored yet eventhough this will be our 5th time. It is great that we have our own 4 wheel drive.... we love road trips anyway.     talk to you all when I get back.. jodi I am still hanging in at 210.. about to get on treadmill to walk a little and do my pilates.   we are a little worried about that hurricane about to head into carribean, hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the booty. they say if it gets into the gulf that it will most likely go fla. way, and will not be a great big deal.. I am always scared of what"they say" though.  if we hang around we won't really know anything for 4 days or so and alot of our vac. will be over. I guess we are just going to go for it and hope for the best. if not for having to worry about mother in law and her sitter then we wouldn't even think about it.  damn this hurricane in nov. crap anyway.... everybody send good energy that the thing will break up over cuba, or if it gets into the gulf that it will remain small and the winds won't get too high. hopeully it will just play out Sssssssoooon..!!!!!!!!!!  hugs to everyone

Guess we have all kind of been busy lately. see there hasn't been much traffic on here. We are busy getting ready to take another trip to tombstone. hoping to leave next sat. night about midnight, that will put us there ( after about 15 stops or so) 8pm or after on sunday.- we drive straight through). luckily we have already lined out our room and will be staying at our favorite place very centrally located to walking to everything.  had a nice halloween. dressed up as a voodoo witch ( there is pic on my gallery) hubby didn't dress up, but he did go to the party with me where we own property. they had an all day party starting at 1pm, we didn't get there until after 6pm. they had two bands, a dj, games for the kids, hayrides, haunted forest, sold food for fundraiser. it was pretty nice.  the band we heard was good, that is always a plus.  we didn't stay but about two hours, as hubbies knees were beginning to ache. I am wondering if he will ever get over the surgery.( of course all of us know that have had surgeries on backs, knees etc, arthritis is always going to hurt when the weather changes. fact of life. Iam still hanging in at 210. beginning to wonder if I will ever break through that 200 mark. maintaining though and that is a big feat in itself. I guess no one ever realizes how hard they are going to have to work " just to maintain."  I am doing my journaling regularly but am sorry I just haven't been able to keep up with everyone on this thread. I miss you all. would post on vac, but the place where we are staying doesn't have internet and there isn't any wifi. could go to their little local library and get on line,have done that before.  Jody, I am glad you are still with us and hanging in. guess we will have to get together after I get back( in about 3 weeks) and crank this up.  my support has been cc and this thread, and my journal buddies. NEVER THINK THAT  I DON'T THINK OF YOU ALL OFTEN, I DO...   I guess bonnie got off to france, after the passport debaucle.. bless her  heart, she has my luck sometimes.  hope you all had a happy halloween... hugs to all     penny

I wash hands after every bathroom stop, I am allergic to anti bacterial soap. If I use it my hands wind up looking like they have first degree burn.  I only use ivory soap at home( usually bar kind, but have some in dispenser if company comes by sink. In my purse I carry dishwashing soap in small plastic bottle. I have found out that I can use the gel stuff in some brands, some brands break me out too. all in all I don't believe it healhty to use anti bacterial agents for anyone. I believe that the fact that we overuse them has led to resistance etc.  plain old soap will get rid of just about everything that needs to be washed off, the amt. of time that you wash them does however, make a difference. you should wash you hands thoroughly for a minute or so after going to bathroom and pay attention to between fingers and under fingernails. ( all bathrooms in public places now have the antibacterial now so I have to cart my own soap in my purse.... ugh

sorry I have not been a very good calorie count buddy lately. things have been so hectic and nerve wracking. I have managed to keep journaling, which if anyone wants to add me as buddy that hasn't feel free so we can keep in touch through journals. I want to get to know all of you that have joined since I have been sporidical lately about my posts. things are still hectic right now. guess they are for everyone.  I am still hanging in.  I am 210 or so still.  My dr. took me off tryiglyceride med. last month, because the b/w level trigly. were so good the last time( 3 months ago) she wanted to see if I could do without it.  one month off and they went from 120 to 220 so back on the med. now my thyroid is off too, all of the sudden. ( ugh) so that may have something to do with why I am not losing weight anymore. ( also need to drop a few calories which I haven't been able to do).   she wanted me to come back in 3 weeks, but hopefully we will be on a 3 week vac. then, so I toldher it would be 6 weeks.  mother in law has been a real pill lately. had to stay over there a week and sit with her. got home fri.  she fell twice while I was there. she works herself up into a nervous tizzy over nothing, then winds up falling. It is a vicious cycle. she is 89.  most of my time is spent seeing after her doing her meds, taking her to dr. getting groceries etc. if not for her sitter I would not have a life at all. so thank the good Lord for her.  I love my mother in law alot, but she can really push my buttons, and I am the only one for her to do it to. enough about that. hope you all are doing good and having success.  I have been swimming  up until now. did go wed. and thurs of last week. good burn both days.  we had our first real cold snap this weekend and it has been down near 50 at night and up about  75 days.  may be the end of swimming for the summer, we will see. if it warms up, may go back again. the water was already real cold, bet it is frigid now.  ( bonnie says to get a wet suit).   I may try to look into that, but since I have tread mill and we will be gone most of nov. that leaves only 3  months or so without swimming so I can probably muddle through the winter w/o the swimming.( it just burns so much more calories than walking 3 miles an hour ( twice as much as a matter of fact).  hope you all are doing well.... will try to post more.      hubby is slowly  getting better I think. we will see in a couple of months( 6 mos. post surgery) how he is doing.   this road trip we have planned ( about 5000 miles should tell the tale)

sorry I haven't been very active on the post. finally got the dear hubby back to work this week after recup from knee surgery. well he is still repcuperating, and having quite a bit of pain.  he doesn't seem either to get the fact that you have to keep doing the exercises, that the exercise is from now on. I keep reminding him of that.  I wonder if he will ever get over this,  oct. 13 will be 3 months. the dr. said it may take up to 6 months to fully feel "better." some I talk to still have pain. most I talked to before the surgery were very glad they did it and wished they had done it sooner. time will tell.  I am still circling... on a plateau of 210 ish. went and ate chinese today..  I know better... but I love it so. I always retain for days after and they scale will show and extra 5 lbs for a week.  things have been pretty stressful with the mother in law the last week. she po'd  hubby one day and I had to mediate. we try to look over her because she is 89 but sometimes elderly know they can get away with crap because they are elderly. she knows how to push our buttons.  It is hard. very hard.    sept 30th was  my mom's birthday.   I lost her 15 yrs ago. I guess that is  why I have had such a time the past few days. hadn't even thought about it, but she loved chinese food also, maybe subconsiously I had to have it because it was one of her faves.  must pull myself out of this funk and get on with the bussiness of life.   something to look forward to..... hopefully... hubby has put down 20 days of vac. coming up in a month or so.  wants to head back to az. and maybe utah.  it always helps to have something to look forward to.   miss you all

oops

miss cas congrats on  the 100 lbs.I working toward 100 lbs. I am now at 210 down from 280. the thrifting mentioned earlier sounds like a great idea, shopping is always fun, but I prefer to go to thrift stores, yard sales  etc. the amusement park sounds wonderful. wish I could go with you next year.  my cousin and I closed out Astroworld, the final weekend, in houston. we had the time of our lives. I was lucky 3 yrs ago I was able to fit in the rides, then I gained even more weight and wasn't.... it was marginal when went at astroworld closing. I love amusement park and scary rides, hubby doesn't. would love to run away with cousin and go to dallas to six flags. hmmmm. maybe an  idea. back to you though. If there are any touristy things to do in your area,( things that are fun but you don't normally think of doing) such as local museums, zoo, historic places of interest etc. sometimes we overlook the things right in our own neck of the woods.   I hope that however you decide to celebrate that you have a wonderful time. what an amazing milestone. you should be very proud of yourself.  I had back surgery last year, a fusion, and that was the catalyst for my finally beginging to lose the weight.  Now I am exercising everyday, keeping my calories in check. and hey I swam 70 laps the past few times I have been swimming.  No one including me would have ever believed that 2 yrs ago.     Keep up the good work... celebrate everyday when you look in the mirror say... "look at that phenomenal woman looking back at me...  congrats again      &nbs p;    penny

whatever you cook, drice, double  or triple .the recipe. I do this with meatloaf, stuffed bell peppers, pinto beans,( I quadruple the recipe for us- there are two of us and I can only cook for 8-10-- eventhough there has never been more to cook for than 2  my whole life). I also do it for gumbo, chili,  black eyed dried peas,( or any other beans or peas) spaghetti sauce, I save the juice from roast cooked in crock pot for soup base( put it in plastic bowl, freeze, then remove to a ziplock bag to free up bowl. I also cook ahead turkey mexican casserole( made with mushroom soup and chicken soup, broccolli and rice casserole, and other casserole. If we are having one  I make another or two more. I buy the frozen vegatables in the huge bags, 5lb or so brocolli, mixed veg. for stir fry, etc. I buy the  ground turkey instead of ground chuck. our store has it for 1.38.lb. about 1/3 or less calories than ground chuck. and 1.00 or 1.50 cheaper. I never buy meat or anything ( except the turkey burger) unless it is on sale. I stock up on rice or pasta when on sale.( also any other items usually used.) remember walmart will match any competitors ad on anything( you will have to show the ad though) I make my list by grocery ads so it goes easier when I get to the register. I buy whatever fruit is on sale for the week.(   making the extra dishes up ahead will save electricity as well as money and time.  ( and you wont have to go out to eat so often if you have things you can lay out of the freezer to thaw out before you leave for the day. we only eat out about twice a month. if that.  everyones idea above are great too, alot of those are some I use to, but I tried not to repeat. I am sure there are other things I have forgotten.  If you have stores that double or triple coupons they are worth looking into. ours don't give a double or triple anymore ( don't think). plus I have found on the things I use the store brand is usually cheaper than label brand with coupon. I stock up on toilet paper etc when it is on sale also. I don't use Sams or anything because we live 40 miles from the nearest one, and I wouldn't save the 35.00 or whatever it cost a year using one, since I only buy things on sale anyway. hope I helped in some way.......

I have lost 70 lbs. as jane, candy and corellia have said, it is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. embrace it. diets, mean not eating this or that. I have nothing off limits, whatever I eat or ingest is in moderation( as long as I stay within my daily calories..  I started out at 280, I am now at 210.  My weight loss did plateau for about a year, and I am still working on that, but I did find out that I can maintain a weight and am now ready to keep it moving to the next level. Ideally I would like to be about 160. I am 5'4 1/2" and a full figured girl anyway. I am in  a size 18.  I do exercise alot,  I walk on treadmill 3 miles a day and do pilates, for about 40 mins. then swim 3 days a week 50-6o laps. embrace exercise it is very important( when you get over your injury).  as mentioned above portion sizes are very important, measure at first to really realize what real portions are . most rest. portions are 2-3 servings(at least in the south anyway).  realize to that your are 5'6", not a short person. all charts do not take into consideration everything about you to suggest a weight. they do usually have frame size, but If you are person with natural curviness like me,  with DDD bra or whatever, the weight they suggest is not really " real" for me. take baby steps, look at the first five lbs, then the next five. sometimes the big picture is to overwhelming.  Set realistic goals too. This is not a race..... that is what I had to learn,  have patience and do  the changes, and get a realistic calorie intake, burn and the weight loss will come....... hope you get over the injury soon, and much luck!!!

13 lbs is awesome. my initial goal was to lose 100 lbs,something I am still working towards.  I have lost about 70 so far, and about 10 dress sizes or jean sizes or more.  I am down to 210ish from 280. my goal is about 160, but I did hit plateau last sept. I have kept up with my exercise, 3 miles walking a day at varied speeds, on treadmill from 2.5to 3.5 also doing 40 mins pilates everyday and swimming 2 or 3 days a week. even though the weight loss came to a halt in sept 08 I have lost many many inches, and i assume have gained muscles since things are firming up. I realize that I have to drop my calories and have been working on that for the past month to get me online to get the weight to coming off again. I feel so much better, I have so much more stamina. and the best of all, all my numbers on blood work were excellent the last time I went to dr.( many people on both sides of my family have died with heart attacks, including my 47 yr old sister(  who by the way, was skinny as a rail-- she smoked though like a chimney). slow and steady wins the race. take each day, plan your meals ahead, do not leave things to chance. make a grocery list and stick to it, plan your meals around it. it isn't that hard really.  we all have to make a choice to be healthy and do this.. If I can anyone can. also support is essential I have made some wonderful friends on cc that are very supportive. my hubby is also very supportive and doesn't complain about eating what I eat, because it is good food, just healthier. you don't have to be a fanatic to eat healthier and keep calories in check. as you go along you will remember the counts on things and finally won't have to look them up all the time. exericse is very important too. I started out slowly after back surgery, a major fusion, walking in thehouse the progressed up to walking 3 miles over a period of a year. just take baby steps,and a little more each week. you will be surprised what you really can do.  I can swim 50 laps now. 2 yrs ago I might have been lucky to do 2 and be out of breath for 20 mins.     good luck

Get rid of them. I am getting rid of mine as I lose. highest was 26/28 to 30/32 women's sizes, now I am in 18-20 (XL or so). best thing to do is get rid of them. It can be very hard though. you keep thinking about how much money you spent on them, how they are still so good, and what if's... don't keep what iffing... get rid of then. you will feel very liberated. think about all those people out there that are bigger and can't afford to buy new. THEY NEED THEM... THINK OF IT THAT WAY.  I had consignment pile, yard sale pile and friend pile. since I had two huge closets in 2 different rooms full it took a while.  one day I had hadit with the huge pile of clothes taking up the space, called my cousin adn told her I had enough clothes to fill her suburban up and if she would come get them that she could get what she wanted and give the rest to her friends and teachers at the school where she worked and church people.  she said that 5 people in addn. to her were able to have total new wardrobes from that. I was so overwhelmed.  after I lost about 50 lbs I started buying clothes to fit, not longer wearing the oversized stuff. andas I lost more I would buy more that fit. it helps you to see that you are making headway.  most of the clothes I bought were new for the most part, some still with tags, but bought very cheaply.  I now need to have another yard sale or load up and take some more clothes to donate........ I will not keep them around because I am not going to yoyo anymore. of course I didn't yo-yo for the last 15 years... I just YO'D..... UP.  I FEEL TOO GOOD NOW TO GIVE THIS UP. CHANGING EATING HABITS IS KEY, GETTING REAL... SENSIBLE LIFE PLANS THAT IS WHERE IT IS AT. GOOD LUCK, AND BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL DO IT THIS TIME AND YOU  WILL...

maybe we should all start a thread or  keep in touch through this one so we can share how things are going  with us. I too have had the same problem.  after losing 70 lbs though, last year( 50 of that within a 5 month period, due to calorie counting and exercise) I plateaued in sept. and have not lost any more weight since. I have however lost quite a few more inches since.  I have basically maintained, maybe gained a few here and there, off and on, maybe 5-7lbs up from my lowest now give or take.  don't completely get away from the plan whatever you do.  I do exercise daily 2-3 miles, and pilates for 30 mins.  you do not want to have go down the road that you have already went down again. remember this is a life change, a way of life that we have to adapt to, we have to do what fits us and is healthy.  Just try to maintain for a while, but don't get off course, it is very easy to do.  I realize when I am only off for a week or so how quickly you can lose so much ground. you certainly do not want to give up all that you have gained.  I am determined not to give up and to find  my new plan to get  me going down again. I am at210-215 down from high of at least 280. I am in size 16-18 5'4"-5'5" Not sure exactly need hubby to measure my height.  I think it is closer to 5'4" now.  I have lost 2 inches due to back injuries and surgery. the back going out on me was my catalyst to lose the weight, my numbers ( blood work) were perfect the last visit to dr. he was very impressed.  I am sure that your health has improved with your weight loss. so that is huge plus.   just hang in there. take a rest... keep doing some exercise if you can.  when we lose a large amt of weight, we are bound to plateau at some point, then we have to reconfigure our calories  based on how much exercise we do or do not get and go from there. I know what I " need to do" but have trouble following through getting to the next level. I seem to be stuck at about 2300 calories with 400 or so burn, with one free day a week ( maybe a few too many free days lately too)...  maybe we can all help each other........ It does feel like starting over at this point, Just dropping 300 or so calories now, seems like a daunting task, but I know it is doable.If I can walk 3 miles why can't I cut a stinking 300 calories.... ugh...  I still need to lose about 50 more lbs also.... would be ecstatic to see 160 again,  will be happy with 180 though.

jealousy is what it is all about. this person has such a bad self image that she has to make you feel bad to make herself feel better. you don't need people like this around you.  you shouldn't put up with it. confront her and her ask her why she feels the constant need to bring up weight and belittle you. real friends don't do this. I worry about the young folks nowadays, not that I am that old, but I see so many young people that are so focused on looks, money popularity being the "it" person. these people are always chasing the dream, never enjoying life because it is never enough.  they feel they have to pick apart other people to make themselves look better.  confront her, see what she says. Maybe she will say she didn't realize what she was doing. If she keeps it up, then lose her. life is too short.  I am glad I realized that a long time ago.  made my life alot happier......... good luck to you.

I am proud that I can swim 50 laps, when in past years I would get winded doing maybe 5 or 10. I am also proud that eventhough we are having a major heatwave here in texas that I am not having a meltdown. I am still hot, mind you very hot, but have not come close to passing out as I would have at my heaviest. I am proud, like someone else on this thread already mentioned, that I can exercise and do things to lose weight on my own and do not need someone with a whip and chair making me do it.   I am proud that I am eating healthier and that when I do eat foods that are not as healthy I do it in serving sizes and not" bags full".  I am happy that I now crave vegtables, and salad has always been  my favorite even when I was much heavier.  I am also proud that my blood test numbers actually show how hard I have worked, and that the dr. recognizes this and actually says he is proud of me too.   I am happy that I am doing things that are within in my power to make my life and my hubbies better and healthier.  I am proud that I found cc. and that I have other people to talk to about weight issues, food, exercise etc. I am proud I took that first step... the hardest one and that one step turned into another and another.