Saturday April 28, 2018

Weigh 116, calories 680. If I can keep my calories down for about another week, I think I'll be bouncing around well in my preferred range rather than at the top/above it.

Yesterday's conference was helpful but sobering. It was a wide audience so it covered the gamut of what to deal with/expect with Alzheimer's patients. Talking about the future with incontinence, not bathing, not able to feed themselves, etc. was rather depressing. She is a good speaker and we started out in a good mood, but I think at least some of us were kind of down by the end (but with some ideas on how to cope when we our significant others need more help). I saw several members of our support group plus our leader which was good. Since we only meet once a month, I'm going to ask if it is okay to join a second group. The one in our town (sponsored by the same organization) meets twice a month.

SIL told me that apparently along with DH's stubbornness and anger, he has gotten paranoid again, so I need to talk to his PCP about increasing the lexapro (he is on the lowest dosage which worked well a year ago when he went in it). DH has a physical in a week, so we can talk about it then.

Devon, cutting back on your dog grooming sounds like a healthy idea. Not only are you a super dedicated teacher and breed/show dogs, but you were grooming more than 40 dogs! That kind of schedule would stress out Superman!

Have a super Saturday if you can!

Quote from hypertension talk "if you aren't sleeping, your body is wondering why you aren't feeding it"

made me laugh

poor sleep increases blood pressure and weight and risk of bad cardiovascular outcomes

Weight 170.8 argh. I have started over today. My eating has been crazy lately.

The closet guy comes to start installing in a little bit. So glad! My closet has exploded all over the house. Can't wait to get it all back inside but in an organized way. I took before pictures (empty, not stuffed!) and I'll share before and afters. While they're working on that, I'm going to keep working on getting stuff together for Salvation Army who's coming in a week.

Yesterday's hike was beautiful. It was so nice to share a new hiking area with my friends.

Liz, it's great that you are seeking out support for yourself as you care for your DH and that your SIL went with you. Is the idea that she will help you with him as time goes on?

Devon, 40 dogs?! I don't work and struggle to get up the gumption to tackle brushing and bathing one dog! Good for you for thinning your herd and keeping the owners who show their appreciation for your hard work.

Take care all and have a great Saturday!

I bet getting your closet back together (and highly organized) will help with the eating too. For those of us who need organization, the opposite breeds stress (IMO).

It sure hasn't helped!

Greetings Faithful Ones

Still at 148 which I know is about 10 pounds more than a year ago. I am being an ostrich and need to get my head out of you know where. I mostly eat right but a bit of candy here and an extra glass of wine there makes all the difference. Not to mention my slothful habits.

Well thats pretty negative. Guess its because its a rainy day and I woke up from a bad dream that I was back at my old law firm rushing around in an unpleasant way.

Liz I am glad the conference was useful. And glad to hear you are reaching out in several directions for help. Additional meds may indeed be helpful and its good you and SIL could talk.

Yep Shel, I bet research shows that many MO people have sleep problems. What else is there to do in the middle of the night but get up and eat?

Hey Paula, wishing you some good family time.

Cecily I hear you on the chaos of having the closet all over the house. I am not an organization freak by any means but excessive clutter reaches a point of gridlock. I had asked DH to bring in the plastic tubs from the garage that have my artwork in them so I could sort them. Well he brought in most every plastic tub and box there was including many that had nothing but his tools, bubble wrap, plaster of paris, lawn products and all manner of non art things. Now much of it is still in the living room. Oy Vey.

Old dog Chip seems a bit stiff and sore lately so he skipped the big walk yesterday. There will be none today due to rain so Tesla will be in full power mode.

Can some one please explain to me why, at the age of 66, I still get zits!!???

Take care all. Coffee all around. Diane S

Oh boy, plastic tubs get me in trouble too! I like my house to look nice for visitors, so the public areas are artfully arranged. But my drawers, cupboards, closets and garage are a chaotic mess as that's where things get shoved to keep the public areas tidy. And when I could no longer hide things in the chaotic hidey holes, I sacrificed an extra bedroom to it, thinking I'd get to it soon. Nope. Then another bedroom fell to the mess. Now my closet detritus is everywhere that was tidy. I suppse there is a point where everything gets worse before it gets better. That's where I'm living now! Once the closet is reassembled and reloaded and the donations are hauled away, I may not be back to square one, but I will be back to maybe square 2 or 3 instead of 5. Or is it the DefCon scale I should be using?

And I too have a zit on the end of my nose today at 46. Grrr.

138 this morning..officially my weight is creeping up. Yes, I?m still swollen from my plastics, but I know I?ve been snacking more than normal. Handful of peanuts here and there adds up.

Resolved to go back to tracking today...and guess what I?ve noticed...though I?m hungry now and would normally have a couple of bites of something...I?m delaying, till my official snack time and drinking water instead.

So, so far tracking is already working on the accountability front...as much as it is a pain and I hate doing it.

Liz,

sorry sorry for what you are dealing with with your husband . My grandfather had Alzheimer's. It it hard to Watch, let alone live with.

DH and I talked about his paranoias yesterday (specifically what he thought was going on vs. truth) and he is happier, but I know based on past experience that it won't last (hence seeking an increase on lexapro).

680 calories, Liz???? Geeeeeze! No way I would be happy doing that these days. I'm sure I could force it, but I don't think it would be easy.

Interesting about sleep. I have read that lack of sleep can negatively effect weight, appetite, cortisol levels, and some other things. Did not know about the BP, though. My non-vyvanse sleep is much better than it was while taking it. My mood seems a bit lighter, too. Not sure if that is simply coincidence because I am getting better sleep or if perhaps the Vyvanse was also impacting my mood in a not so good way. Stimulants are weird drugs. I think that once the body adjusts to the dosage, they don't produce the same happy hormone reaction in the body, but they continue to do some of the negative things to the system. Shel, is that right????

I stayed up late last night, but was still in bed before midnight (which on the weekend is EARLY for me). Glad to be back on a somewhat normal sleep schedule.

Contacted one of my harder clients today. Will be interesting to find out his reaction. I offered to clipper the dog instead of hand stripping him. I figure that's better than firing him, right? (wicked grin....)

Saw a picture of a very fit gay couple - sort of a May-September bromance thing. My first reaction was, "I think I hate them." Lord, it's going to take time to change that thinking, isn't it? At least I caught it, labeled it, and moved beyond it. But yes, I think I still hate them because they make me FEEL inferior. Isn't that an interesting thought process. Trim, fit, built guys make me feel "less than". Gotta work on that, don't I?

Hugs to all.