TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY RALLY CHECK-IN

Well, after a solid week of committing to good eating choices, logging my food intake, regular, hard exercise, doing all the right things -- I weighed in this morning to discover I have gained another pound. There is no rhyme or reason to this. I am also going through extreme turbulance in my personal life and it is all simply so overwhelming. I lay awake all night long thinking, thinking, thinking. I cannot turn off my extremely agitated and restless mind. Can anyone please advise me on what I can safely take to help me get some sleep? I am out of my mind with sleep deprivation. Please help. How are others doing with their goals for our two-year anniversary marks? Take care, all. Love, Maureen

You should be able to take Benadryl easily enough. It is one of those wonder drugs that does a little bit of everything. It is the main ingredient in most OTC mild sleeping aids.

Thanks Crystal - I just don't want to get dependant on sleep aids but will keep this in mind. M.

There are some great relaxation techiques other there which can teach you to empty your mind. Go to amazon.com and search for some relaxation books and CD's. I know the woman who wrote "Preparing for Surgery, Healing Faster" has a CD out was well. The other thing to keep in mind is that muscle does weight more then fat. While I haven't hit my goal weight, I have surpassed the expectations of my Doctor and I have actually gained mass in my legs, butt, arms and chest. You need to look more at you quality of life and quit looking for success in the scale.

Hey, Ken - thanks for the good advice. As for your last statement (with tongue in cheek) -- when a woman tells another woman to stop getting on the scale, that's one thing; coming from a man to a woman, well ... that's war! (Just kidding, truly...) M.

Hey Maureen; Listen to Ken and listen well.........He's speaking nothing but good sense!!! Drugging yourself to sleep is not the long term solution. You also need to take a look at how you feel and not what the $*&^%# scale says. I have taken to using the scale as a general indicator, but not the final word. I knew that I needed to clean up my act when I noticed that I was feeling more sluggish and some of my clothes started feeling a bit tight in the middle. I'm still struggling, but it's getting better every day. Mike

You know me well enough to know that this is how I try to behave -- rely on strength and fitness and overall feelings of well being rather than numbers. But I fall short of my own ideals, more often than I care to admit. It was frustrating to work so hard and see that result. I am trying to get as much weight off as possible because this pending surgery (LBL, arms and thighs) will be the last of my reconstructive surgery. So this is my last opportunity to maximize my potential for excellent results - I figure the more skin left hanging for him to remove (resulting from the most weight loss possible), the more taught and tight I will be a year from now, post all this trimming away of excess skin. Make sense? I was at 141 -- I want to be there for my surgery, if at all possible. The problem is I'm trying to beat a system that I don't understand - and that makes me nuts! Thanks, my friend. M.

tylenol pm helps me at times. Most of the time, I have found if I move from the bed to the recliner and cannot toss and tumble, this will help me get back to sleep. Although I too do not think "drugs" are the right answer all the times, you might be going through a period of depression and sometimes, we just need to extra help that will get us through the time we think the world is closing in on us. I know you have had some counseling, have you gone for just "you"? I did when I thought the world was caving in on me and 3 sessions helped tremendously.

Martha, we have to be careful on the Tylenol - I think Connie recently posted regarding the dangers to the liver too much of this drug can cause. I'm thinkin' I like the recliner idea, though! Might have to check into getting one of those. M.

Maureen, I know this may sound a little "new age" but I recommend finding some where in your area that offers yoga classes. Now don't get me wrong may live near Boulder,CO but I am far from being a tree hugger ( although I do love trees) but I have found that it is both soothing and envigerating at the same time. It's a great way to disconnect from your mind and concentrate on what your body is saying. The movements are sometimes challenging but not impossible as they all can be modified to your skill level. The best part it at the end of the session there is always a "quiet" time where you lay down and just concentrate on breathing and your body. A lot of times in class people will fall asleep durring it. I recommend attending a class because a good live instructor cannot be compared to a DVD or VHS tape. But if you don't have a class in the area or just want to give it a try at home I would recommend "AM and PM Yoga for beginers" by Gaiam. The instructor Rodney Yee is one of the best around. You can find more stuff at the Gaiam website. 3w's and gaiam.com. Good luck finding what works for you hopefuly this will help. Leslie