harpegcanuck

Good afternoon friends,

Ovations to all for your BIDIA’s, way to go!

Pixie hang in there, and don't let anyone discourage you - even you. I’ve been fighting a plateau around the 25 # mark myself and I feel your pain. Have you taken measurements and pictures? Some of the lovely ladies here suggested it to me and it has helped when the scale hasn’t moved. I hope you aren’t beating yourself up any more – you’ve accomplished so much. I find the biggest thing that sets me back is if my water intake drops or if I short change myself on sleep.

NRU and Almeeker and all who may need reduced stress – warm wishes for good things to come your way now and whenever you may need it most.

I've been getting more sleep - at least 7 hours and upping the water. The scale dropped by 2.5 this week - YEAH!!! My mother always said something about small things and small minds but I'm enjoying my small thing anyways.

Welcome to all newcomers and returning friends, have a wonderful healthy and stress reduced weekend!

All the Best!

WeightlossBoo

Just wanted to add a little positivity to an already wonderful Friday.

This morning I spent about 10 minutes striking poses in the mirror and checking out my slimmer figure. Might seem odd to some, but I was really happy in my little world checking myself out. I'm very pleased with my progress, and even with slower weekly loses the changes I'm seeing in my body and my mental health is amazing. So proud of myself as this is something I never thought I could achieve.

Weigh day and fortnightly measurements due tomorrow. Fingers crossed for some good results!!

almeeker

Thanks honey. Stress level is better now, DH is looking better and better. Hopefully today they send him home from the hospital.

My mother always used to say "don't sweat the small stuff, and most of it is small stuff". I've learned that my "small stuff" was making me a "big stuff" and that sweat was a really good way to get rid of a lot of my stuff.

Congrats on your 2.5 pounds, that's FANTASTIC!!! Way to show that plateau who's boss eh?

almeeker

Truthfully this does not seem strange to me. When I had lost about 40-50 pounds I was doing exactly the same thing, only I was belly dancing in front of the bathroom mirror. When all of a sudden I was like "huh? what are those bumps?". So I went in for grab and feel test, duh, it was the bottom edge of my rib cage. LOL, how long had it been since I'd seen that? Decades. I swear I'm very blond sometimes.

BTW, I'm very proud of you too.

GameGal

Almeeker~ somewhere I missed something or some post that your DH was in the hospital I just wanted to send my best wishes to him and you and my prayers are with you.

WeightlossBoo

Thank you!
I'm yet to see or be able to grab the bottom of my rib cage yet. There's still a good acre of fat in the way, but maybe after another 50lbs?

I see that you're coming up on the 150lb mark! That's bloody awesome, and I'm sat here bristling with jealousy. How tall are you if you don't mind me asking? x

GameGal

8 healthy snacks that can live in your desk drawer


1) Clementines
If you can keep them in a bowl on your kitchen table, why not drop a few in a desk drawer? Or keep them in plain sight as a thrifty substitute for fresh flowers and a reminder to eat them instead of the vending machine Cheetos

.
2) Almonds and dark chocolate
A few almonds and a half-ounce of deep, dark chocolate can go a long way towards satisfying a sweet tooth. Or, if you're feeling slightly more ambitious, you could whip up these dark chocolate nut clusters.


3)Peanut butter and crackers
Here's a sweet treat with enough fuel to power you to the moon. Or through that late afternoon conference call


4)Chips and dip
True, it's not the healthiest snack in the world. But when you're in the mood for chips and dip, nothing else will do. Grab a single-serving can of bean dip and scoop them up with baked chips.

(On this one, they showed a picture of something called "guiltless Gormet" all natural chili lime tortilla chips. I have never seen them in a store but maybe your area has them?)


5)Dried fruit and nut packs

Bite-sized nuts and dried fruits are eminently snackable, perhaps too much so. Keep your portion under control by throwing them in individual-sized bags.


6) Energy gel
For non-foodie types only: if you wish you could take a pill in the afternoon that would banish hunger, this is that in gel form. Welcome to the Future.


7) Your favorite cereal
Choose one that's high in protein to stave off hunger and give you an afternoon boost that's more than a sugar high. Bonus if you can keep milk in the office fridge.


8)Jerky
Choose a classic beef or turkey version, or try one of the vegetarian varieties in wake-you-up flavors like wasabi. And you don't need the late night infomercial splurge of a food dehydrator to make your own.


And a comment made in this article said something that made a lot of sense:

If I had every dollar back that I fed into the vending machine when I heard its four o'clock snack siren song, my Roth IRA would be significantly more flush, and I'd likely have a firmer midsection. But from now on, what those cute vending machine stocking guys put in those wire racks is going to stay there. We've got desk drawers filled with the sort of tempting treats that won't do as much damage to our wallet or our waistline.

almeeker

I'm short, very nearly 5'-2" when I round up, and I've always been quite quite good at rounding. Yep, the 150 mark is getting within striking distance. My B-day is Monday, and I was kinda hoping to gift myself with that decade mark, but I was a naughty dieter today. I spent most of the day in the car, got zero exercise and ate too many cookies (DH got piles of contraband at the hospital). How's that for self sabotage? Anyway I'm hoping that tomorrow and Sunday are better, but I will be happy if I can hit 150 by the end of next week, that would be a perfectly acceptable gift.

The really weird part about this dieting business is that my body was completely different the last time I weighed 150. I never had much tummy before the kids, I was all muscle across my chest and abdomen, but had fanny, hips and thighs to spare. I've also always had plenty of cheeks, think Princess Leah here and you're in the right neighborhood. This time around the muscles across my chest are less bulky, my ribs don't show but I can definitely feel them. My shoulder and back muscles are crazy big, my belly is really really flabby and my butt has been whittled down to almost nothing. I still have some extra on my hips and thighs, but it's minimal (especially compared to what I used to have). And my face looks different, I don't have chubby cheeks anymore at all, I'm almost worried that I'm getting that "hard bitten, fighting 40 a little too hard" look. I actually had a friend ask if I'd "had some work done" . I just never guessed that I would look so different, seriously I figured that I would melt down to what I looked like in my 20's (with more wrinkles and spots), but that's just not the case. If I had a dollar for every time someone has said to me, "oh, it's you, I didn't recognize you from the back", I could pay off the mortgage.

almeeker

Thank you, I brought him home this afternoon. He has (or had fingers crossed) atro fib. On Wednesday they did a TEE, which came back normal, so yesterday he went in for ablasion. I don't know how to spell any of that stuff, sorry. The cardiologist said that aside from the area with the fib issues that his heart looks really healthy and strong. Hopefully this will work for a long long time, although we've been warned that it can come back. He's sore today, and sleep deprived, but on the mend. We've had a little trouble with his incision, he's on blood thinners and the wound keeps oozing, but at the moment it's dry and he's trying to keep still.

GameGal

You got most of the spelling right.. its A-fib. I have it Atrial fibrillation.
He's lucky he had the ablation.. I had to have a pacemaker.

I wish him well! Sounds like your cardiologist knows his stuff. I will continue to keep the both of you in prayers.