Friday January 6

Working in a hospital I often wondered who filled the dietary menus.  All of my cardiac patients got eggs and bacon.  Real eggs and real bacon.  I'm sorry you have so many health related issues in your family right now.  "Looking on the bright side" is hard to do.  Don't forget to take care of you.

Happy Friday, Friends!

Down .6

Yup, still feeling positive. I had a 'hungry' night last night. It was interesting to notice. As luck would have it, in my evening reading I read several passages on "LOW CARB FLU" which outlines the side effects during the first week(s) of going low carb. Among the list of the MANY side effects (shocking really) was hunger. Seeing that made the hunger more reasonable and placed it in perspective. 

Liz, sorry you are feeling so tight for time. Believe me, I understand. Considering my little personal meltdown prior to Christmas, I empathize. At 52 I am finally really understanding the importance of having "me" time. Whatever you can do to afford that necessary time before retirement will be well worth it. 

Leap, food use/abuse/dependency/compulsions/etc... are all very complex issues.  There is never one right answer for everyone. I think the more we read and understand in general about food issues the better able we are to cope with our own issues. At the very least, the plethora of information arms our arsenal of strategies and gives us choices of strategies when we need to grasp at something to help us through a crisis. 

I am faced with a teacher appreciation lunch today. My room mom came armed with a black coffee from Peet's. Bless her for respecting my wishes! I packed my own lunch today despite the "catered" lunch. I'm just not ready to release control of my food. I think it's best for me right now to stick to my guns and not "go with the flow". 

We ate at the table again last night. It is making a noticeable difference in how long it takes us to eat - about 20+ minutes as opposed to 10 in front of the TV. This is good! 

We are expecting a solid 48 hours of rain with no let up beginning tonight. I am hoping to go to the movies tomorrow night - rain is a good excuse, right? However, I have to figure out a plan to negotiate the popcorn. For Ron, popcorn is a must do. Since I am not his food police I will not advise him one way or the other on popcorn. I will simply have to come up with a powerful strategy and thinking system to get past the popcorn habit. 

I took unclothed pics of myself Wednesday night. Lord, the truth of photographs. BUT I am happy that I was able to look at the pics without judgement or shame. I was able to look at myself with the extra weight as information and as a reality check. If I'm not making great strides in the weight loss department, I do believe I've made tremendous progress in the self acceptance department! 

When I choose to avoid the popcorn, I bring a couple packs of sugar-free fun flavored gums and chew through the packs.  Just a bullet for the arsenal if you need it.

Did you have a successful strategy for movie popcorn during your initial weight loss phase?   

If you skip movie snack altogether, does that trigger some sort of deprivation response?

You know, I tried to think back about strategy for movies and realized that I had none. I was terrified to eat popcorn because of the staple line. I don't think I ate popcorn until at least a year after WLS. 

No, skipping the snack is not a trigger. Ron munching down popcorn right next to me is the trigger! If he doesn't have popcorn, he wants a hotdog. That is my movie food trigger. I have already decided that I am going to ask him to skip the snacks if we go to a movie. If he will, awesome. If he hems and haws (which he may) I will get my own Coke Zero and read my card to remind myself of how capable I am to choose to not have popcorn and be okay about it. 

I figure if I at least have a strategy plan in place, I have a fighting chance! 

Weight the same - 134.2.

Have another stitch abscessing - Lord, when will I be done with this? Had to run to the clinic this am (during work hours) to have them pull as much as they could but some slipped back in, so I can expect more problems whenever it decides it want sot come out again!

Bitter cold here (-30 with windchill - yuck!) Hating this weather. Just want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and the puppies and do nothing!

Happy weekend!

Paula

I thought all would be healed by now (obviously not)!

Greetings Stolid Maintainers

We really are hard core aren't we?  I think thats what it takes to do this. I am grateful every day for all your posts and support. Ain't the internet great?

131.5 today. Worked a couple of gallery hours today for a friend who had a last minute doctors appointment. Glad to help him out as he is very much a giving person. Our gallery is a very supportive compatible group which is part of why we are successful. Slow sales time though. I am busy trying to build inventory for spring. And Valentines day is looming.

Joey so sorry your daughter is so ill but glad there is a solution ahead. We will be thinking of you as it won't be easy but worth it. 

Actually got rid of a few things from studio but it hardly made a dent. Made me feel better to take some action. Have been a little down in the dumps lately and taking some kind of action usually makes me feel better. 

We had some frost today but nothing like you folks in the deep freeze. Bundle up.

And don't forget the "Me Time" mantra. Its possible to do without being selfish or self absorbed. 

Got some tart cherry juice. I find that just a little splash of it in cold water tastes good. Could probably do it with hot tea. Its a substitute for wine. 

Well take care all and have good weekend. Diane S