Thursday November 2

Weight still ? (New scale coming today and I'm going to try and calibrate the old one accordingly). Calories 736.

As Ann said, Cecily is lovely both online and in person! I was lucky to meet her the second day of the OH conference and I enjoyed her company very much!

On the maintenance question, I was very fearful of adding calories too fast, partially because I am pretty small (5'3"). Cecily is lucky to be tall, so she may be able to move up in calories faster. I added about 100 calories a wee****il I stopped losing. I started this when I hit 125 which I felt was my goal weight. I didn't stop losing until I was 115. Now I range between 115-118 on an average of 1250 calories a day. I vary my calories a lot so they are often much higher on a weekend and lower on a weekday (yesterday was low and the day before was high). At first I felt like I was too skinny at 115 but eventually I got used to being at this weight. I track everything, drink lots of water, don't drink for 30 minutes after eating, take all my vitamins/calcium, and get on OH for support daily (especially this group and the menu threads).

I tend to eat high protein, relatively low carb, with those being the "good"carbs from vegetables. Ann is intentionally eating a minimum number of serving of vegetables and fruits a day and was losing weight on the same calories as her previous diet. An interesting phenomenon which we are all watching.

I was thinking that I need to add more exercise to my walking routine once I'm retired (7 work days!). There are daily water aerobics and exercise classes at the clubhouse in Florida, plus an exercise room. I'd like to use some weights on my arms to see if larger muscles will fill then up a bit more so they aren't wrinkled. They aren't bad enough for PS, but they do bug me.

Today and tomorrow are short workdays (4 out of the remaining work days end at 11 am). I think we may go further down Cape Cod to the National Seashore and take a hike around there. There are quite a few trails plus we can walk on the beach. It is supposed to be 68 today, so it should be a good day to do that.

Have a thunderingly good Thursday!

Good morning!

I felt terrible Halloween night --- heart racing and then I threw up. (Sorry Cecily, TMI for you. Nice to meet you, tho and Welcome!) DH is home today with a sore gut so maybe not sugar/food related after all.

Liz, thought of you yesterday when a patient told me she wanted to "correct the record." At the first appt, her DH attended, he called her a "beast" with clear adoration because she works out at the gym two hours most days. Yesterday she was by herself so she could clarify she works out for 30-45 minutes and then sips coffee with her friends. "It is the only time I can get away from him now that he is retired." I know you are a planner/scheduler. Plan some of that into your routine!

Speaking of gym workout, my socks aren't going to put themselves on so I gotta run.

Ceccily, again, thank you for joining. Chime in! I find a lot of value in all of you!

Shel

Weight: 171.8

Woohoo. I feel much more normal. I think just feeling puffy from (what I'm assuming was water) was making me feel icky. I know I'll be reaching higher soon enough, but it didn't feel right yet.

I will say I"ve been suffering from headaches recently. Not sure if it's pregnancy or dehydration or something else.

Nearly-80 here today. I want some fall weather!!!

As far as weight maintenance goes, I guess I never really thought about it. I guess I would just say go as low as you can/want to. Because it will stop. And it's hard to start it again. Tbh, I think I had managed expectations for where I'd land. My doctor told me my weight loss would slow/stall/stop around 200!! Thankfully it did not. People around me just kind of assumed that I'd never be very thin or "skinny." Do you remember those days? When I was early out, people (who were much thinner than I) would say with alarm in their face "you're going to melt away." Or something. As though it was just inconceivable to them that I could be thin like them--no, I needed to be "thin for a formerly obese person." Whatever method you choose, I assure you, you will stop losing weight! My biggest issue was deciding how to get in the calories. My sister and I both had surgery (same day) and we have different approaches. She now eats I'd say more than I do (in volume), but eats very clean--she'll be eating egg beaters and skinny cow cheese and cottage cheese and salsa, and veggies,a dn fruits, etc. etc. I, on the other hand, decided the most important thing for me was to keep my restriction really tight. Also, (before pregnancy) I tried to limit snacks somewhat (sometimes unsuccessfully) because it's a real slippery slope for me. Well, if you're truly eating small portions and not snacking, your mealtime calories go a lot further. Which means I have more calories to spend on smaller portions of rich foods.

148.4. Did do an exercise DVD yesterday which felt mostly good (still having some right knee pain).

Rainy and cold here today, good day to sleep in which I did. Almost 8:00 before I rolled out from the covers! The puppies came in to tell me it was time to get a move on for the day!

We should hear if the PET/CT is approved by late morning. Hoping it is so I don't have to go into fight mode again. We will actually just pay for it if we have to, but that will cost around $13,000 so hoping not to have to do that. I will be happy to end our relationship with this company at the end of the year. They will be happy too, we have been expensive clients for them the last several years - VSG, Gallbladder out, Defibrillator surgery, cancer scans, radiation, chemo and surgery.....I would hate to add up the price tag for it all.

DS#2 is in a play starting tonight through Saturday night. I love watching him perform so it will be a nice little distraction from our life for a few days! DS#1 is doing poorly at his 2 year college and will drop some classes and probably not enroll again next semester. Not a surprise to me at all. I didn't expect him to be successful......remember that he almost didn't graduate High School? He needs to get his mental health issues under control before he is going to be successful at school. He is taking his Dad's recurrence of cancer kind of hard too, so there's that!

Glad you got moving! (I trust that you wouldn't push that knee farther than it should be pushed)

Ah, DS1. I have wondered what he is up to. I'm sorry he didn't beat expectations, but sounds like the path he must travel to understand what has to happen to move on successfully. You must feel like you are watching it all in slow motion.

Speaking of slow motion, hoping that you hear something soon.....maybe even by now since it is 11 your time? Fingers crossed.

Enjoy the play! Just what you and Ben need.

The peer to peer didn't happen. Surgeon was called away to the OR when insurance doc called and as far as I know they have reconnected.

Pox isn't enough (referring to DianeS comment).

Pox and locusts

did I ever mention that my PS required peer to peer? That is the situation for peer to peer. Not this.

Greeting Fine People;

Well phooey, up tp141. Not good. I didn't move much yesterday as I felt achey enough to take advil and didn't get much done. I am also suffering from PPP (poor potty performance). Yeah, TMI but there it is. I need to get back to silver sneakers class and get busy. Plus I did find a Reeses and ate that plus a couple of twix. Dinner was scrambled eggs and cheese and veggies.

Lately I have had a moderate amount of hip and leg pain. Even was in my dreams last night. Not sure what it is besides being an old sloth. It seems to be worst in the am so it might have to do with our bed or how I sleep. I know I need to move more. Oh well, its always something.

Liz your planned hike sounds great. Reminds me there is a beautiful seaside trail just a mile from our house. Note to self: get on it.

And Shel, like your patient, I go to the studio every day in part because DH hangs around the house and I need to get out. Too much eating in the house plus endless political rantings.

Paula here is hoping you have some good news by now. A pox on that insurance company. Enjoy the play. DS#2 will find his path but it must be hard.

Can it really be November? Summer is definitely over here and the leaves are out there to prove it. DH has cataract surgery in 12 days. Lots of our friends have had it so it shows we are in the senior crowd. DH is off the chart nearsighted and with them doing one eye at a time, he may have driving issues for a bit.

Well time to get going. Everyone is napping except me. Take care all. Diane S

Oh thank you, Liz! That made my day! And Shel, no worries about the TMI - my 85 pound golden retriever had the runs all night so your TMI hardly registers for me today .

I have no idea what I really weigh today as my trusted scale has gone on to its great reward in the garbage. I got 12 different weights today from up 2 pounds to meeting my goal weight and everywhere in between even with a very recent battery change. The new one arrives from Amazon Saturday.

I added 100 calories to my MyFitnessPal goal. It's now 900, but I usually overshoot my goal by about 100 calories give or take everyday. Why I don't just set it 100 calories higher and plan to not exceed that is a mystery even to me. I must like the rebellion aspect of it. I'll start upping it a little bit, maybe every week to see how things go.

Grrr. My housecleaners just showed up and the main guy asked if I was sick because I've "gotten so thin". I don't think I look sick, but this isn't the first time I've been asked!

In the flurry of picking up for the cleaning people I've realized what a disaster my closet has become as I've bought new things, need to get rid of old clothes, and begin to shift seasons. In addition to my disorganization, it is highlighting what a poor design my closet is - no design really. I may have to break down and have a closet designer come in and build me something. But first I need to purge and organize this week.

I'm also thinking about getting a trainer, but I think I'll wait until I have my hiatal hernia surgery in December since I'll have a 6 weeks no lift ban after that. (I had a hiatal hernia repair with my VSG, but it didn't hold and my post-VSG GERD makes PPIs a daily necessity. The surgeon hopes fixing it means I can stop taking those.) I guess I'll end up starting with all the other New Years Resolutioners. In the meantime I'll stick with walking and hiking.

It's been nice "meeting" you all and I look forward to learning more about everyone!

Did you get an EatSmart one? I just got one yesterday via Amazon because though I thought I'd fixed my balance beam scale I wanted another one to cross check with and also to keep in another room (the balance beam one is in the guest bedroom). They do match exactly now (at 118.2, arghhh...). I think you were the one who had recommended it in another thread at some point!