Posts by mullino28

Hi Memri - I have been a member here for a while, but have not used it much since last year.  I also have an online membership to Weight Watchers, and did use that a lot last spring.  My weight loss endevours are basically stagnant.  I don't go up or down more then about 7 lbs.  But...7 years ago I went from 178 to 136 in about 5 months.  I am writing to you because it seems we have about the same amount of weight to lose.  I am now 175 (was 181 on the first!)  and my ultimate goal is to get to 129 (a doctor once told me I'd never see anything below 130 again, so I want to prove her wrong).  Also, would just love to be that weight.  Anyway, I really admire you for even thinking about losing weight with all of your health issues.  I guess you have to do it, even more than most of us!  But, reading your story really makes me see that my hypoglycemia is a small hurdle, really.  So, congrats on being here and I hope it goes well.  I am here is you want someone to be accountable to.  Or, just to complain to!  See ya!

I think April will be two years for me having the Paraguard.  I went with this because I had a very bad reaction to the birth control pills about 10 years ago.  I had been taking them for about 5 years with absolutely no problems, and then developed huge hard knots on my shins.  About 10-15 knots per leg and it hurt so bad (pins and needles)that I could not walk.  They said there was nothing they could do about it and it went away after a few days.  But it was very scary.  I also have a cousin who got the horomone sticks in the arm type of BC and went from happy wife and mom to almost killing herself.  I would not mess with those hormones ever again.

The Paraguard was pure torture getting it in, and I hurt badly (crampy) for many days.  After that, I had really bad, sharp cramps about a week and a half BEFORE each period.  They were much more painful and acute than my normal cramps.  My flow was SUPER heavy for 3 days and then gradually lighter the next 2 days, then would suddenly stop.  All this lasted for about a year and a half.  Over the last several months, all of this has been subsiding, and I am now on my period.  I almost thought I was pregnant because the early cramps did not come.  Flow did start but was heavy for only 2 days, and then done by day 4 1/2.  I definitely feel like the trial is over, and I am VERY glad I didn't give up and get it removed.

It has been so liberating not having to worry about condoms all this time.  Yes, it took a while and the pain subsided gradually, but it was not that bad after the first 3 months.  Still bad, but not AS bad.  I really thought I was going to have to get it out.  I stuck it out, and after one year, the pain was very bearable.  Now, this is pain for a few minutes several times a day, 2-3 days a month.  Worth it in my opinion. 

I know this doesnt directly address the original question.  But I thought I'd put it out there in case anyone can use the info.  I was quite in the dark when I was going thru all of this, and spent a lot of time not really knowing what to do or where to turn.

As Lexabear pointed out, too much soy can negatively affect a woman's hormones.  (don't know about men)  I was drinking about 2.5 cups of soy milk a day for cereal and coffee.  (I find rice milk to be too thin for my coffee, would be OK I guess for cereal)  But, to make it so I only have to buy one product, I started using Almond milk.  I need to go to the plain, though, because the vanilla is too high in sugar.  A close friend had breast cancer last summer, and when whe heard how much soy I eat, she warned me to get off of it.  Now I think that, if I just don't have the daily milk consumption, whatever else I might eat with soy should be OK. 

I do like the Rice Dream rice milk, and would highly recommend it for cereal and stuff.  Will be looking into that oat milk.  Sounds good! 

A word of warning, some people cannot tolerate a lot of wheat (seitan).  While I LOVE seitan, I have tried to not buy it much as I have done a lot of research which says that more people have a mild intolerance than you would think.  This can cause weight gain!!!  You might not feel sick when you eat it, but it could be doing bad things to you.  I have a close friend who lost about 70 lbs by just cutting out wheat!!  Just try and stay away from processed foods.  If you like bread, look for that dense German bread.  No wheat and it's very good.  I was thinking last night that I might create a recipe for a spread to put on top of this bread.  Maybe something like finely diced bell peppers, onion, cilantro, and tomatoes mixed with a teaspoon of flax oil.  I will post again to let you all know how it comes out.

This is my first post to this site, so I hope it goes right. 

I just saw this post and had to comment.  I am 36 yrs. 5' 4.5" and weigh 181.  5 Years ago I started at 178 and was down to 136 in 3 months.  A big part of that success was the elipitical workouts.  By the last of those 3 months I was doing 45 min. on level one but had my heart rate up to about 165 the whole time.

Now, 5 yrs later, I have done a lot of little things in which I have let my weight advance back on me.  25 lbs in the last two years have been the quickest and most irritating.  I have been back on the eliptical and here is my comment to momof2kid - my first time back, I could only do 5 min on level one.  After 5 DAYS, I easily get up to 30 min, heart rate 145 -155.   Usually I stick to level one, but have found that even level 5 is OK if I go slow.  I do that when I am just back after a lapse and want to go slow but still have the heart rate up to AT LEAST 145.  I never go below that.  When I am at it for at least a week or two, I really get into a mode of heart rate at around 155 - 165.  That seems to be about the limit for me now at my age and fitness level. 

I have a very sporadic schedule and have really been struggling to get into a routine of any kind.  So, this is info on my workouts from last spring till now.  I have not made any progress at all, have even gained another 5 lbs, but now I am in the right position to get it together.  My goal is 125!  YIKES! 

But, I just wanted to say that the eliptical can feel hard at first, yet it gets easier quickly.  NOTE:  It took me at least a good month to get up to 45 minutes at a time, don't push it and STOP if you feel dizzy.  A goos cool down of 5 min or so is really good, too, because, when you are on it for a long time, you get the equivolent of "sea legs".  I fell down a few times because your legs need time to adjust.