Friday, June 7th

Hi Everyone....... have a great day! .

Good morning Em and everyone else,

Just time for a quick post. Won't be able to check in until later this evening after my dr's appt. Thanks for everyone's good wishes on finding out what those results mean--I'll let you know. I've done my yoga and plan to be OP today. s to all. Have a wonderful Friday.

Shirley

Good morning everyone.

I am doing great lost another pound and feeling wonderful. I have lost 5 in total. Another 3 to 5 and I will be back to where I was then I would love to lose another 15. I am going to lose the the small amount and then try to maintain it over the summer. Then in the fall the rest of it must come off. Summer is hard for me so just maintaining is going to be hard. I am so OP during the week that, that is really going to help me. I tend to begin to eat poorly 7 days a week in the summer. So if 5 to 6 days are OP and 1 is not I should be able to maintain. So far though I am doing better than I thought and that is a great feeling. I did the low carb thing for so long and felt awful. I love Weight Watchers. It is so great. I can actually eat some carbs and sugar which I was missing desperatley.

Traci I sure hope you do not get laid off . Take care and let us know how it goes. Good for you for not food stressing. That is wonderful. Everything is going to turn out okay you watch.

Shirley let us know what happens at the Dr as soon as you find out.

Okay everyone have a super OP day I know I am going to.

Take care

Hi

Michelle~~ Glad to hear you are feeling better!! Thanks so such for the encouragaing words, you're right I'll get it together and be right back at it (hopefully *today*)!!

Denise~~ Hope you and your DD had a nice day in town!! I love Subway's turkey subs!!!!

Dany~~ Glad to hear you had a great OP day!! Brandon and I saw Harry Potter last fall and loved it too!!! We-ve bought the tape so I bet we'll be watching it a few more times.... LOL!!! Good for you walking home and getting a bike ride too, thats is good exercise!!!!

Laura~~ Glad to hear your Dad is showing some improvement, thats really great news!!!

Katie~~ Congtratulations on another pound gone!!! You are doing wonderful, keep up the great work!!!! I haven't had a tootsie pop in ages, I like the brown ones


Sue~~ Thanks for the flylady reminder. I tried her ideas a while back but sad to say I didin't stick with it too long. Maybe I'll give that another shot this summer.

{{{Traci}}}~~ I am soo sorry to hear things are shaky at your office, I'll be praying for a good outcome for you!! I am soo happy for you that your emotions aren't effecting your food choices!! That is wonderful, how are you doing that??? (I sure could use some help in that area, esp. lately <sigh>)

Shirley~~Good for you getting up and doing your Yoga!!! That is really great!!! You have a great attitude also and it is very motivating to hear it, gets me excited too!! Thank You!!!!!



I didn't have such a great day yesterday, ended up having pizza for lunch and pop-corn & milk duds at the movies last night!! I WILL do better today!!!! I have a busy day ahead of me so no time to off program today...yay!! Have to work at the Moon tonight and may prove to be an interesting evening as my boss is upset with me b/c she asked me to work on Sundays for a few weeks and I told her I wouldn't do it. I am real proud that I had the courage to say *no*(something I usually have trouble with). I don't think she is used to being told no too often so she wasn't too happy about that, but I can't and won't make that *my* problem, thats *her* problem not mine!!! (whew, feels good to say that, now if I could just do that more often...)

Hope you all have the BESTEST OP Day Ever!!!

~~TOGETHER, WE CAN DO IT~~


Take Care, Dawn


TAH/BSO 6-29-01

203/177/135 ~~ 26 lbs gone forever ~~

Good Morning
Just a quick hello from me this morning. Had a soso day yesterday not totally op but not off the deep end, but i got lots of work to make up for the couple of days before that were totally op. Today is starting out pretty good, its cool here and looks like more rain,, but we need it, for the farms and forest fires.

Tomorrow will be a challenge for me, we are going to visit my cousin in British Columbia, (we live very near the Alberta/ BC border ) and we are celebrating their dd birthday. oh no, but we are going bowling so hopefully I will get some exercise in there.

Have a great day I will check in later.


Hugs
Denise

Good Morning Everyone! Ahhhhhhhhhh! Today I am reaping the benefits of my extended work day. The sad thing is I am going to get so used to this every other friday off gig that I won't want to go back to regular 5 day work weeks. Oh well. I did post wednesday nite but I guess I didn't actually hit the post button. I may jump around a bit in this post as a result.

I've been completely OP all this week. Today is starting OP, and may or may not end that way. All depends on the choices I make when we go out tonight. Exercise is done, water's started, have done some housecleaning... wow I feel so productive already. Have a little gift buying to do so I'll walk on over to the train station in just a bit and head downtown. (suddenly I feel like I should be wearing a dress and cotton gloves).

Supposed to be another melter in GA, so we'll see how much of this energy I have once I leave the AC comfort of home.

Dawn: Are we gonna have to have a pitty party for ya???? Today IS the day you WILL be OP!! I know you can do it, time to reaffirm your committment to yourself!!

Outstanding job in saying no to your boss! Congrats on putting yourself first above the job!!

Cath: YAY! Another pound gone! You seem to be on the home stretch!

Denise: I had posted to your question about eating and the weather. I definitely eat lighter when the weather is warm, and graze when I am stuck indoors all day. I am reading a nutrion book and also read this comfirmation as well. In the winter cause it's cold your body wants heavier foods with higher calorie contents so it can burn the calories for heat. Hence we want stewes and roasts and such in the winter, but lighter things in warmer months/climates. My own eating habits agree with that one.

Traci: Hopefully things will work out. I certainly know the stress you are feeling now. When I was but a wee bsq outta college the company I signed on prompty "reorganized" after I was there 6 weeks. In 8 years they "reorganized" or "right-sized" 4 times. each time was stressful for everyone. It is an awesome accomplishemnt that you are not emotion eating! I am not sure I'd have the same strength. Wow.

Alrighty then, that's about all I can remember ... so time to get going! Catch ya all later in the day, and may you have the BEST day ever!

BSQ

Hey everyone,
I am doing good today and did awesome yesterday. I have been cleaning this morning. I felt jittery so I ate some fruit and felt better. ITonight is the ice cream social at church. I really don't want any we will see how I feel. I may eat a small bowl. Ice cream is my weakness. I use to eat it every night. Oh my, that seems strange to me now.

BSQ I feel the same way about being off all summer. It is hard to return in the fall.

Dawn have a good op day.

Tracie I am praying for you concerning your job. Hang in there and good for you for not emotionally eating.

Cathlaur you are doing terrific in your progress.

Everyone have a good op day.

Michelle

Well I had a few minutes break so I thought I would pop in and let you all know that I am still OP today so far......Yay me!!!

I have to go in to work in about an hr. but have had a very busy day so far. Tomorrow is my town's Community Day (huge yard sale day!) I have been hauling stuff from the garage and basement and pricing things all mornings. And prying stuff away from Bob (DH) and Brandon(DS) who don't want me sell their stuff... Trust me it's going in the sale anyway!!!! Those two do not like to get rid of anything!!!! (afterall they might need that someday...LOL)

This afternoon I went up to our property and trimmed some bushes and ran the weed wacker for about an hr, but had to come back home and get ready for work tonight.

So, can I count all this activity as exercise???


Denise~~ Remember *moderation* is the key at the b-day party tomorrow, But most importantly though, Have Fun!!!!

BSQ~~ *NO* Pitty parties for me!!!!! You're sooo right I Can Do It.....Thanks!!!!

Michelle~~ Ice Cream is a big weakness for me!! Just gotta keep my freezer stocked with Skinny Cows and I'll be fine!!!!

Well I better run and finish up a few things before I head off to the Moon.

Hope you all are having a Really Great OP Day!!!


Take Care, Dawn


TAH/BSO 6-29-01

203/177/135 ~~ 26 lbs gone forever ~~

Well, for the second week in a row I was up .4 lb. at WW. I think it was you, Shirley, that suggested I ask for the pamphlet "Breaking Through", which I got today. In all honesty, I have not been as "good" about tracking points as I was in the beginning. I have the calculator and I think I have reached a point of boredom with it, plus I have been just plain hungry the last couple of days!
But, this is a new week and I am recommitting myself - more water, more careful with points and exercise! I just talked to my doc at the sleep center - I was still not sleeping well with the breathing machine (for those who don't remember I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea, which has been a real kick in the pants!) They adjusted the pressure today and gave me a humidifier to use with it as it was drying me out. Hopefully, I will start sleeping better and feeling more energetic.
My big challenge this week - Riverbend, a 9 day music (and food, of course) festival starts tonight in Chattanooga. My DH and I are huge music fans and will probably go almost every night - which means meals on the fly and wanting to eat the stuff there. Anyone know if Dippin Dots are high points - ha!ha! - my girls and I love those! We have to walk quite a bit, so I don't want to carry a lot. Any suggestions? On the plus side, we have front row passes to the Gap Band tomorrow night (probably no one else remembers them, but my DH first danced together to a Gap Band song and that was the moment we both fell in love!) There's my goofy story for the day! I'll let you all know tomorrow how it went and catch up with you all individually!

Hi everyone,

Well, I went to the doctor. DH went with me. This doctor is just so wonderful. This is only the second time I've seen him, but he's just the best. He doesn't overbook. You never feel rushed with him. He speaks in understandable language. He's very warm and compassionate. (He even left the office for a few minutes to check on insurance billing for me and to call the pharmacist upstairs to see if she had something on hand for me.) My saliva results indicate that I have way too much estrogen even after being off hormones for 2 months, so possible my fat is causing it, my adrenal glands or making it via a conversion process, and/or the black cohosh I've been taking has also converted to estrogen. I have high levels also of testosterone and progesterone. Cholesterol can also convert to those two. My DHEA, the "mother" of all hormones, is way low. Low DHEA over long periods of time can contribute to tons of bad stuff: obesity (hmmm, who knows how long I've had this, maybe I have an excuse LOL), reduced immunity, rheumatologic diseases, cancer, etc. Stress can be a major cause of low DHEA.

So the doctor has advised me to start taking DHEA (I just picked some up OTC at the drugstore--even though it's OTC, you shouldn't take it without having your levels tested and being under a doctor's care), wean myself off the black cohosh, and continue losing weight. He plans to test me again in about 3 months, and of course I'm supposed to keep him posted. He thinks that my estrogen levels will go down to midrange and the DHEA will come back up and all will be more balanced creating a far healthier me.

As far as my UTIs, he said to try the Detrol (which acts as an antispasmodic) that the urologist gave me. If that doesn't work, he said that the urologist might have to look inside with a scope to make sure a stitch is not out of place with the bladder. (The urologist had already suggested this possibility.)

When I think of how the other doctors just kept giving me different versions of estrogen and progesterone, it makes me crazy. They just overloaded me. No wonder I've actually felt a lot better on the whole without HRT. It's just bizarre that most doctors won't test to see where your levels really are. I'm sorry this is so long and really more suitable for the Hormone Jungle, but you guys said you wanted to know. Thanks for listening! I am certain I am on the road to success! DH feels the same way. We both have a lot of confidence in my doctor and his knowledge.

Tamara--Hope the info in Breaking Through and your breathing machine adjustments, etc. make a big difference for you. I have mixed feelings on the journaling, sometimes I think it actually makes me overeat. It's like I see how many points I've already eaten and feel like I'll never survive with the remaining points. I'm doing it, but I'm not being super obsessive about it and I feel like I'm being more successful as a result. (If I'm constantly doing it, I feel like I'm living to eat instead of eating to live.) Riverbend sounds wonderful--thanks for sharing your romantic story! Enjoy reliving the past!

Dawn--Of course, all that counts as exercise! Good job on refusing Sundays! (Speaking of Skinny Cows, I have a confession, I bought the one box, but I could not eat just one at a time. So I decided I won't buy any more for a while.)

Michelle--Love that you say you did awesome. Self-talk is what it's all about. What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve (or something like that)! Hope you enjoy the social part of the ice cream social even if you don't eat any ice cream!

BSQ--I can picture you in a cream-colored dress with gloves up to your elbows and a big hat heading to the train station! Love your posts--keep up the good work!

Denise--Hope you had a great time at the birthday celebration and did okay! I always love hearing you and the other folks from Canada talk about your travels within your country. We've only been to Canada once (to Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, etc.), but loved it and want to visit some more.

Cath--Congrats on your weight loss! I agree with you on WW having everything so you don't feel deprived. It's the deprivation diets that lead to big trouble. With WW, you're still eating those things, but learning to eat them in moderation, so you really are making a lifestyle change. BTW, my WW instructor encouraged folks to eat a tootsie pop when they have a sweet tooth, they are only one point.

Traci--So sorry you're having those work stresses, but it's wonderful how well you are dealing with them. You're in my thoughts and prayers!

Dany--Fudgesicles really aren't bad. They are low in points and if they fill the craving--great!

I've been so long winded. I guess I'm just excited that I am going to start feeling better with my new hormone routine and do even better with BEST!

Love you guys,

Shirley