Any new members out there 47ish?

Morning all,

Ro, I agree totally with you about the Walk Away the Pounds dvds.  They rock!  Becky, I bet you will love it too.

I am trying something a little different this week.  What I have been doing is working just fine.  I am loosing weight steadily but this week I am not counting the calories.  I am being mindful of what goes in my mouth and whether or not I am actually hungry or eating "just because".  I don't expect a 2 lb loss on Saturday, but will be happy to hold steady.   This past month has been unbelievably stressful with the terrible scare with my daughter and my oldest son's growing list of job rejections for teaching positions not to mention all  the family and social commentments I am trying to juggle too.  I am so far behind, I feel like I'm swimming in mud.  Counting calories is just one more thing to have to deal with, so I am taking a break.  (OK...I'm through whining now).  We will see how that pans out. 

Have a great week, everyong.    Cheryl

Got this in an email from my niece-I thought it was VERY funny.  Hopefully you will too:

The Art of Waxing...



My night began as any other normal weeknight.


Come home, fix dinner,
play with the kids.
   
But then I had the thought that would ring painfully in
my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out
of the medicine cabinet.

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.



It was one of those
'cold wax' kits.



No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips
together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press
them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.



No muss, no fuss.


How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I
am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out.



(YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out.


Its two strips facing each other
stuck together.



Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so
I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees.



('Cold wax,'
yeah...right!)


I lay the strip across my thigh.



Hold the skin around it tight and pull.



It works!


OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad.


I can do this!


Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward
body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.


With my next wax strip I move north.


After checking on the kids, I
sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting
championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.


Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side
of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching
down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip)



I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!



I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!


Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the
strip.


CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and
spotted.



I think I may pass out.....must stay conscious...must stay conscious.



Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal.



I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused
me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it.



I want to revel in
the glory that is my triumph over body hair.



I hold up the strip!



There's no hair on it.



Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX???



Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet.



I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not!



I touch. I am touching wax.



I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now
covered in cold wax and matted hair.



Then I make the next BIG
mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I
need to do something. So I put my foot down.


Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut.



Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and
think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop.


My head may pop off!'What can I do to melt the wax?



Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can
stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the
wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???



*WRONG!!!!!!!*



I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to
torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.




Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued
together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of
the tub...in scalding hot water.



Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold
wax.



So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented
myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few
months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!



I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some
secret of how to get me undone.



It's a very good conversation starter
'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'
There is a slight pause.



She doesn't know any secret tricks for
removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.


She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'



She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her.



I give her the rundown
and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.



YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night.



While we go through various solutions, I resort to trying to scrape the wax
off with a razor .


Nothing feels better than to have your girlie
goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot
water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!



By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm
pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this
event.


My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving
grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.


What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and .... OH
MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens
out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care.




'IT WORKS!! It works !!' I get a hearty congratulation from my
friend and she hangs up.



I successfully remove the remainder of the wax
and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL
THERE.......ALL OF IT!



So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.



I could have amputated my own leg at this point.



Next week I'm going to try hair color......

Della,  This is a scream!!!  Thanks for sharing.   Cheryl

OMgosh... that is probably the funniest thing I have ever read!  I needed a good laugh today LOL!!!

I laughed myself silly with it.  LOLOLOL

Hey Ladies!!

Worked in the Garden today!!  No Snow!!  No winds so strong that they blew my eyelashes off!!!  I was stoked!  So I bought Begonias, Petunias, a Hibiscus Bush and some others... planted all them and mowed the lawn to boot!!  It's lookin' pretty nice.  Can't wait until we get our sprinkler system installed next month!  That will be so much nicer!

Then... it was like MY birthday today.  I went to order my bars and B12 Lipotropics and there was a thing on the website that it was Dr. Gates birthday tomorrow, so for 30 hours EVERYTHING was going to be 20% off!!  I ordered LOL!!!!  That was a nice surprise... I'm a major "Blue Light Special" kind of gal LOL!!

Will be weighing in tomorrow... hope I do OK.  I struggle with sodium intake soooo much!  I think that's where my problem is... because my exercise has been really good and my water has been fairly decent as well... hope I do good!  Will check in tomorrow!

Ro

Good Morning All,

Well, my week off the program was a total bust.  I weighed in this morning with a 4 lb gain.  I expected a 2 lbs gain because it is TTOM and I always bloat up that much, but the other 2 lbs.....  I ate anything I pleased all week, though I tried to be mindful of portion size (except for Wednesday night when I had spaghetti with my daughter.  My plate was heaped up like it was the last meal I was ever going to have and I totally cleaned it).  I did lots of errand running and housework this week, but no workout.  Long story short, I asked for it.  I did make an interesting discovery though.  I didn't feel good all week long; sluggish from being too sedentary and uncomfortable with too much food.  Also, I wasn't in a very healthy frame of mind because I knew I wasn't being true to myself.  I am actually looking very much forward to getting back on the program.  Imagine that, looking forward to counting calories and sweating.  Amazing!!

We are having weddings galore around here, which is causing some major time conflicts.  My husband and I have two obligations today that overlap.  We have decided to go the the wedding ceremony of one couple and the reception of the other.  That is the only way we can work it out.  Thankfully, none of the newlyweds are offspring of mine, so once there, I can sit back and enjoy.

Have a terrific weekend all.  Enjoy the spring.    Cheryl

Well, poo!!!

I decided to change a couple of things this week and one of them was probably good, but the other I'm not so sure about. 

I've been eating a protein bar for my breakfast and have been doing good as far as weightloss.  Well, I decided instead of my coffee I'd do a SlimFast Cappucino in the mornings for my breakfast and kill two birds with one stone (bar and coffee substitution).  Wrong-O!!  I was hungry ALL THE TIME with it, and it supposedly has a 4 hour hunger curber.  What I didn't do was read the label and see that the first three ingredients were milk, water, and SUGAR!!!  How stupid can I possibly be??!!!  So I took advantage of the sale at MDS and got my protein bars and it's back to the original game plan starting today!  Jeepers!!

I also added 2 pound weights to my 3 mile Walk Away the Pounds, so I may have added some muscle on my body.  But I still feel that the SlimFast is NOT the way for me to go.  People with Thyroid Diseases have to be really careful about additives and such and obviously my body doesn't like the SlimFast.  I can't believe how hungry I was!!

On a good note, I got boo-koo's of gardening done!  It looks like springtime around our house... wooooooo hooooooo!!!!!!!!      ;       &n bsp;       ~Ro~

Good Morning All,

Wow!  None of us has made a post since the 19th.  I have checked in everyday just encase someone had made a post, but I didn't add anything because I really didn't have anything important to say.  Everyone must be making the most of all of this wonderful spring weather.  I am not a gardener.  Any plant entrusted to my care, is guaranteed a short life span.  I do love spring.  Everything is so new and fresh, all the colors and smells.

Last week I had gained 4 lbs, partly due to my TTOM and partly overindulgence and laziness.  This week I am back on the program, feeling great and down 2.5 lbs.  Still haven't started my period and feeling as bloated as the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man, but otherwise everything is golden.  I have worked out every evening this week except one, varying between my two Walk Away the Pounds dvds.  The time just flies by.  A big "Thank You"  to all of you who talked about these dvds because I never would have tried them otherwise.

My daughter had an appointment this week with both her ob and her vascular surgeon.  The vascular doctor wants her to have a c-section because he doesn't think the blood clot is stable enough to withstand the pressure of natural childbirth and may break loose and cause her to have a stroke during labor.  The ob wants her to have natural cb because of the danger of hemorrhage from the incision and the likelihood of more clots after surgery.  What to do?!?  As for myself, I am just putting it in God's hands.  He has seen us through so far when the odds were against us and I trust Him to continue to bless us.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Take care of yourselves.    Cheryl

Cheryl

I'm in the same boat as you, checking in every day but not posting.  Just nothing to say. . . so sad. .I have such a boring life . lol

My youngest daughter's volley ball team are the regional champs as of today! They won against 4 other teams and against last years reigning champs.

Today I am wearing a size 16 pant!! WooHoo.  From a 22 to a 16

Cheryl,  Please know your daughter and unborn grand child are in my prayers and Please keep us posted as to her condition.

Take care everyone!!

Della

Hello everyone, I'm back... got in this morning soooooooo tired the 6 hour time change is going to make this a tough week.  The vacation was WONDERFUL... the kids had a great time, my daughter is on cloud nine, and our second week was very relaxing.  Ate lots of good food, walked a lot everyday and drank lots of water and other stuff too lol... Read all your posts... I will write more about the trip tomorrow or the next day, when I have more energy.  I have a doctors appointment and closing tomorrow.  Have a wonderful night everyone.  Betty

Hi everyone!

Have had a bit of a setback this past week.  Looks like my Thyroid is finally going out.  My doctor had me get right to the hospital when I couldn't get rid of a headache I had for going on 3 weeks.  It got so bad on Monday that I couldn't hardly open my eyes, and when I did everything was blurry.  Well, it ends up my Thyroid levels had dropped (they used to be high, then normal).  So he put me on Synthroid, but the two side effects that I don't think kindly of are hairloss (no biggie I guess, it was already doing that) and the other is WEIGHT GAIN!!!  I was like You've GOT TO be KIDDING me!!!  I just lost 30 pounds and now you're telling me it's going to come back?!  But then he said that it would also be a GOOD IDEA to stay on the B12 Lipotropics for 2 reasons... (1) the B12 would keep my energy and my metabolism up and (2) the Lipotropics will push all the nasty by-products of the drug on through my liver and if the by products aren't there, chances are the nasty side-effects won't be there either!!

So after 1 week of the Synthroid and also taking my B12/Lipotropics... I stayed the same on my weight.  My hair loss has.... SLOWED DOWN!  And my energy level is... AMAZING!!!  I am feeling so GOOD!!!  I am amazed!!! 

I guess you don't realize how back you actually feel until you are feeling BETTER... then it's like "Wow... I sure was feeling bad before this!!"

So.. prayer has been working and has really strengthened me through it all.  I know I haven't told y'all much about it (if any) but if you would, please keep me in your thoughts/prayers.    &nbs p;       & nbsp;   Ro

Good Evening Everyone,

Della, congratulations on the size 16s!   That is a major accomplishment and you have worked so hard for it.  I am so very happy for you.  Hurray for your daughter's volley ball team, too.

Betty, it is great to have you back.  I think I can safely say we have all missed you.  Can't wait to hear about your trip and your daughter.

Ro, I am so sorry to hear about your health troubles.  I am not very well educated on thyroid problems.  I know they can be hyper or hypo, but little beyond that.  I am glad that all the medicines are helping and you are feeling better.  No one can call you a whiner, you didn't even complain to us or let on the seriousness of your condition.  I will keep you in my prayers.  Prayers can do amazing things.

Have a great evening and a great week.     Cheryl

Good Morning everyone, 

What a great vacation.  The first 9 days we spent with our grown kids and it was so much fun.  We had two condos side by side that we stayed in so we had plenty of room, kitchen and washer and dryer which was great.  Looked out at waikiki beach every morning ahhhhhhhh...  We had our family portraits taken on the beach and in front of a waterfall, can't wait to get the pictures should get them in a couple weeks.  We went to a laui one night, for hike up diamond head which was tough but boy great views.  Went to pearl harbor, and took a quad ride in the "jungle" so to speak where they filmed Jurassic park and lost and other shows that was really fun and got real dirty hahaha.  Also went storkleing at hanuma bay, sorry I know I am spelling things wrong...  It was just fantastic spending all that time with our kids.  My daughter is now officially engaged, she is on cloud nine...my future son in law proposed at a nice restaurant on the beach.

Second week just my husband and I went to Maui, that was relaxing and beautiful much quieter than Ohau but I knew that.  Picked Ohau for the kids so they would never be bored...and they weren't.   In Maui we stayed at a Westin with this HUGE pool it was so cool had waterfalls, and tunnels to swim in. Spend most of the time there or just walking the beach.  We went into town one day to shop and that was it.  We just relaxed the rest of the time it was soooooo great. 

Ate tons of food ughhhhh and drink, great restaurants, lots of fish and mangos and macadamium nuts on EVERYTHING...  I am surprised how many places do not put veggies with their dishes though it is amazing.  I was very good about drinking my water (the hotel provided two each day in the room) and we walked alot.  I gained 4 pounds while I was away "it was worth it".  I need to get back in the routine of working out again.  Came back to rain and cold yuck...  have a busy busy week catching up with everything but it is nice to be home. 

I will post pictures when I get a chance.  Have a wonderful day everyone.  Betty

Cheryl... the Thyroid is a booger-boo.  It's no fun and extremely hard to lose weight.  But I'm just going back to my original game-plan of calories, water, and exercise like I have been and I'll be fine.  I DID find out that SlimFast is a no-no for Thyroid Peeps.  Too many additives in it.  Our immune system is already compromised and some of the chemicals in the SlimFast just add to the problems because we're having to work even harder to process them out.

Betty...  Hawaii... oh wow!!  That's where we want to go as a family some day.  Hopefully we'll get to!  I LOVE flowers and fruits, so I'd be very happy there... also because it's so WARM.  My joints would LOVE it!!

Well, I am kinda cruising through this whole Thyroid thing and found that my daily habits are fairly well set, so even though I'm a bit more hungry I'm reaching for good snacks.  One thing I DID do was stock up on my bars from mydietsolutions.  I added a few more flavors so no instead of the Caramel Nut being my favorite, they have one that's Coconut Almond... wow!  Taste like a cross between a Mounds and an Almond Joy only it has a touch of gooey chocolate on the top... yeowzers!!  Who knew weightloss could be so much fun LOL!!!  At least I'm doing good on my choices.  I'm doing MY part, now God just has to do HIS part in all of this... which He has been.  I'm very blessed.

Well, better get off to the shower.  Hugs, Ro

Hi y'all!  Thought I'd post my updates measurements and stuff.  I have my full details on my profile page on here... this is just too cool!  Goes to show that the almighty scale isn't the ONLY way to measure success!!!!    ~Ro~

Notes:
4/1/08 Started taking ONLY the B12 Lipotropic pills, discontinued injectable form.
4/23/08 Doctor starts me on Synthroid since the bloodwork panel that he did showed Thyroid failure. Among other side effects of the Synthroid are hairloss and weight gain, but I'm not settling for that. Through the proper diet and exercise I feel I CAN OVERCOME the side effects and have the body I desire to have. I don't have to be a slave to the drug.

5/1/08 (7 months on program)
WEIGHT: 159.2 (have lost 29.8 so far)
% BODY FAT: 28.6 (a decrease of 5.4% total)
LEAN BODY MASS: 113.7 (an increase of 5.70 lbs total)
WEIGHT GOAL: 152 lbs.
WAIST MEASUREMENT: 32" (a loss of a KNOWN 9.0")
HIPS: 42" (a loss of a KNOWN 6")
LEFT THIGH: 23" (a loss of 3")
RIGHT THIGH: 24" (a loss of 3")
CHEST: 37" (a loss of 1", and more toned)
KNOWN OVERALL MEASURED INCHES LOST: 22 INCHES!!

Ro, that is wonderful!  You are truly an inspiration.  I like your attitude too.  You have a good reason to take an easy out, but you don't.  I'm proud of you.

I now have three different Walk Away the Pounds dvds: Walk Away the Waistline, 5 Mile Walk and Walk and Jog.  I love them all.  And....drum roll please....I just completed the 5 mile walk in it's entirety without stopping.  It wasn't easy but I made up my mind to do it and I did.  This is a giant step forward considering that, as recently as last December, my idea of a workout was walking to the kitchen to refill my coffee cup and grab a handful (or two) of animal crackers.  I feel soooo much better than I have in years.    Cheryl

Hi Ladies!  Sorry to have skipped out the last week or so.  I've been feeling a little out of sorts and a little lost.  Too many anniveraries hitting all at once and feeling very melancholy about it all.

Betty: Welcome back!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip-and now we can hear the upcoming plans for a wedding??

Ro: Wow! I'm speechless! You should be VERY proud of youself.  I know I'm proud of ya-just shows you Texans never know when to quit LOL! *joke* By the way I was looking at the website you mentioned about the B12 Lipotropics.  I'm a little confused about the benefits of these pills or shots?? Can you clue me in a little-you know us Okies! Gotta be splained to us..LOL

Cheryl: THANK YOU. Your a good person! Tell me more about the 5 mile walk.  I've been thinking about purchasing it to increase the intensity of my workout but been chicken to purchase without someone's opinion.

Update on me: I'm still working out 5-6 days a week.  My weight is still fluctuating.  But instead of staying around the 202-206 mark it's now hoovering between 198 and 202.  So that's a good thing.  My waistline, hips, thighs and upper arms are still decreasing.  And I'm maintaining my calorie count.

We are going to Oklahoma this coming August.  I cannot wait to see all my family members. Especially my oldest daughter, her husband and my Grandson Alex.  I can't wait to hold him for the first time.

My youngest daughter was in a volleyball tournament last weekend and her division won Digger's Classic Championship 2007-2008.  It was quite exciting watching them play.

Take care everyone.  I'll be checking in and updating more faithfully! I need your support-but I need to give support even more.  It really helps.

Good afternoon everyone, wow what a great bunch of gals here it is such an inspiration to read your posts. 

Ro, as aways you inspire me, Cheryl is right with what you face it would be easier to just give up but you don't.  Congrats on the losses!

Della, you sound so busy, family visits are wonderful, I love spending time with my family as you could have guessed since we all went on vacation together. How old is your grandson now?

Cheryl, congrats to you for the 5 miles.  I get through the 2 mile but I couldn't even imagine going through 5 ughhhhh...  Is there a difference between lets say a one mile walk away the pounds and one mile walk and jog? I was looking at the different ones yesterday and didn't get another because I didn't know if there was a difference, they do have different names!  I also picked up 2 lbs weights for my wrist and legs to help when I do those DVDs or just walking.

I didn't do any "organized" exercise for the two weeks I was away, and of course lots of eating but even though I ate more while I was away I ate lots of salads and fish, However... I had bread with every meal which is something I NEVER do so I know that added the calories on each day and well the drinks... 

This week I have been so busy I have done very little to get back in the routine of exercise.  I had a biopsy yesterday (for the TOM thing) and it whipped my but, no energy at all so that is not helping.  But I am getting "slowly" back into the exercise routine and should be completely back on track by next week.  You all are my inspiration...

Have a wonderful rest of your day.  Betty

Wow, y'all... you're better than the whole Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Squad LOL!!  I've had that little voice inside me say "You COULD just quit because it's honestly pretty hopeless, but you're not... you "just keep swimming" like Dory sings on Finding Nemo".  Thought it was just my head decluttering, but now I know it was more than that.  God uses friends to lift you up, and you guys have just re-enforced those thoughts (well, maybe not the Dory one but you probably don't watch as many children's videos as we do ROFLOL!!)

I went to Wally World to find some more Capris.  I had bought 14's last time (after being in tight 18's in September) and so that's what I reached for.  Hubby was like "Those are going to fall off of you, are you crazy?".  I said "Well, that's what my last ones were" and went to try them on.  He was right.... buttoned them up and pulled them right down ROFLOL!  So I grab a 12... and there's this ugly gap in the back.  I'm like No way!  So I couldn't find anything.  Finally yesterday I found the size 14's that I had bought last time and tried them on and they were a bit too big.  But I went ahead and got them, brought them home and washed them in hot water and dried them... they shrunk just the right amount.... and fit great LOL!!  I LOVED the way they looked, so I really wanted the same kind... so I improvised LOL!

Betty and Cheryl... Thank you.  I really appreciate your support.

nanamoss... I never realized you were an Okie!  LOL!  Boomer Sooner???  We're going on vacation Monday to Lake Texhoma for a few days, and will be fishing and visiting on the OKLAHOMA side of that Lake LOL!!  As for the B12/Lipotropics, pretty much the B12 helps build your red blood cells up to prevent anemia, increases your energy, brain functions like memory, learning ability and balance, helps maintain your nervous system, and during the "cycle time" is helps to stabilize the flow.  The Lipotropics part of it all is 3 amino acids and they help support the liver and assist in breaking down the fat and moving it out through the liver.  When you add the B6 in there, it sustains the energy production of the B12 plus some additional benefits are help with histamine production (allergy) and helps prevent hardening of the arteries.  All these things are different for every person, so like supposedly if your energy level is already OK then you'll notice more when it comes to your memory and brain functions.  Sometimes, people that I know don't notice the energy right away and that's usually because the vitamins are addressing more critical issues first (such as blood production, brain functions, muscle repair) and the energy will come later.  I was very, very skeptical at first until I used it.  When the nutritionist said to use it I was like "Yeah, right..." but when my Endo and Primary both said it would be fine to use it and probably beneficial... I rethought that Yeah-right part LOL.  I still watch what I eat, do my exercise and TRY to remember to drink water, water, water to keep everything flushing out.  It's definitely Only a Tool for me, I'm not just sitting back expecting it to do all the work.  In fact, some days I forget or simply just don't want to, take the one tablet a day (that's what I'm down to now) and I'm fine.  It's not a drug, so no problem.  Hope this makes sense and isn't too "nursey sounding" LOL.  Even after being out of that field for years and years, I still love learning about how my body works.

Hugs to all.... Ro