Helping Melissa out...

Are you looking for support on your health and fitness journey? If you are, then this thread is for you.

There are no expectations in this forum. Post as often as you like. Post anything that you feel is relevant to your own personal health and fitness goal. Here are some ideas:

• Monthly health and fitness goal
• Daily health and fitness goal
• Progress (or setbacks) in reaching your goal
• Personal stories about why you are joining this topic
• Healthy recipes that you feel others will enjoy
• Links to articles or books that you feel others would find helpful
• Food Choices (healthy or unhealthy)

Remember, your health and fitness journey is your own. There is no one program, method, or philosophy that is right for everyone. This thread is for support only.

Happy October 1st. Thought I'd get this month started and Melissa can take back over when she's able to.

With a lot of yo-yo-ing, I'm starting out October 2.8 lbs. less than I started out Sept. Would have liked to see more of a loss, but at least it was a loss. Some days I do really well and some days, not so much. So it's something I'll be working more on this month. It's not that I'm eating a lot of junk because I don't but I'm still eating larger portions than I should and some days I'mm constantly grazing. Not good. So I'll be working on that.

Hope everyone reaches their Oct. goals.

One goal: get through all the medical stuff!

Appontments in October:

• 10 pre-op visits at hospital, PT, AND surgeon
• 11 pre-op physical at PCP
• 18 colonoscopy
• 27 knee replacement

needed prep:

Get flexible, so do Stretch Zone appointments

Get stronger, so do PT exercises

get fitter, so visit Planet Fitness

Don't gain weight, ideally lose some, so do Intermittent fasting and watch hydration. 

Keep BP controlled, so do RespErate and eat oatmeal

Vicki, thanks for starting this thread!

Daily Goals for today: 

• Eat low carb today, so skip oatmeal. Finish leftover unwich from Jimmy John's on Sunday and some hb eggs and leftover scrambled eggs from Cafe yesterday. Fry eggs that are getting old to make patties for sandwiches to have in freezer. Eat on schedule: 12-8 (shifted... 2-10)
• do RespErate
• set up pill boxes for the week
• do PT exercises
• set up Stretch Zone appointments, and did one today!
• go to Planet Fitness. NO, because I did a Stretch Zone appointment, and both is too much, move to Thursday

It's going to be a very busy month for you, Margaret.

Me, I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere. Just do the best I can daily and hope it's enough.

Having gotten through all my doctor visits I indulged myself which resulted in a 2-lb gain. It won't last because I'm back to being careful. My trip is in 12 days so I'm starting to shift my focus to getting ready. Clothes must be chosen, altered if necessary.  I'm taking Meggie to Daycare tomorrow to get her refamiliarized wirh the kennel.

Got few goals accomplished today because I had over scheduled, so here are goals for tomorrow:

Daily Goals for 10/5:

• Fry eggs that are getting old to make patties for sandwiches to have in freezer.
• Eat on schedule: 12-8
• do RespErate
• set up pill boxes for the week
• do PT exercises
• go to Planet Fitness. 

Margaret, I never thought of putting fried eggs in the freezer. Do you make sandwiches then freeze or do you put the fried eggs in the freezer just in a freezer container or baggie?  Eggs don't usually get old in my frig but it has happened.

I make the eggs into "patties" and put freezer paper between them and just freeze the eggs in a freezer baggie. Then when I want to make a sandwich I just microwave the egg pattie, add meat or cheese or even just the bread and eat.

I'm getting a lot of eggs given to me recently and so I don't always get them used up. And my daughter moved in with me and she brought more from her place! (As hard boiled eggs)

That's a good idea for doing eggs so they don't go bad.

I'm 253.6 today so up 0.6 from last Sunday. I just can't get out of the 250's and stay out. But I'm going to keep trying.

I gave up yesterday. I took my blood pressure for the first time in days and it was the highest it has ever been at home. So for a few hours there  I gave up. After all, I've lost several pounds, and I thought that was supposed to help! So I ate all kinds of stuff, even outside the IF window, and played app games instead of cleaning. This really didn't help! But, I realized that I had not taken my beet pills for days, nor done the breathing exercises. So I took the beet pills last night and today I am determined to do the breathing with RespErate. Also I'll go back to doing the BP pills 10 mg two times a day instead of 20 mg once a day, as they are supposed to be more effective that way, but I tend to forget. I'm setting alarms!

Also, in the process of moving stuff around for my daughter to move in, I dismantled the station I had set up for taking BP. So I used a very different position, and that could be a culprit too. Today I will set up the station the way it was and see whether that works better.

BP was way better today, so I'm feeling better.

Weight stayed constant, 231.6.

I'm glad your BP is back down. I'm 253.3 today so only up 0.3 from last Sunday. Yesterday was an eat everything not nailed down day for me as well. I do fairly well during the week but my eating gets out of control on weekends. That's something I'm going to have to work on. I know why it happens, just have to figure out what to do to stop it.

I donated blood for the Red Cross on Friday.  I was shocked that my hemoglobin was just over the cutoff at 12.  Usually I'm over 14.  I remembered that this summer I had cut back on red meat and spinach.  The nurse suggested kale, to which I replied that kale does not pass these lips.  However, I did go shopping for some meat and spinach.

Vicki, why are the weekends worse for you?

Margaret, good job on the blood pressure.  My cardiologist is keeping my meds where they are but if I lose 15 more pounds, he will decrease them.  My BP always measures higher in the office. Lower BP is better for the kidneys but not too low!

It was up again this morning but not as high as two days ago. I have an appointment on Wednesday anyway, but if the doctor decides on new meds I will not start them till after the colonoscopy.

Teri, weekends are bad for me because it was on the weekend that Bob passed, here in the apt. He laid in the bed here in the family room for hours before the funeral home came for his body, and then it was the Monday after before home care came after the hospital bed. So I tend to have PTSD and relive that time on weekends still. I get in kind of a funk and tend to eat more than I should during the weekend. Some weekends don't bother me, but other times it hits hard. Of course the PTSD hit's other times as well, and it's never fun. The last 10 days before Bob passed were absolute hell and it hurts so much that he went thru all he did and there was nothing I could do to help him. He was seeing things and people/animals not there and had become very combative. My sweet, gentle man was lost in a world he no longer recognized and he thought I was out to hurt him. It broke my heart. Most days I'm fine now but once in awhile, it'll hit me without warning, and the memories will make me extremely sad and it's then that I tend to feed my emotions. This weekend wasn't a good one for me in that respect, but I'm ok today and plan to stick to my food plan as well as I can. Todays weight is 253.9.

Vicki, Wow! I had no idea what you went through! Now I understand why weekends are so difficult for you. That was such a bad experience, for both of you, and I'm really sorry it happened. 

It was a very difficult time but most times I'm past it. It has been a little over 2 years now. But once in awhile something will trigger it and then I just do the best I can to get thru it. Bob & I were together 25 years, and were rarely apart. So it's been an adjustment for me being alone now.

I'm starting to pack for my trip to see Dad in Tucson next week. I looked back in my records and I was 14 pounds heavier at this time last year so Dad will see a difference.  I will lay my suitcases out on the spare bed. Start trying on pants to see which ones need a tuck in the waist.  

I'm up a pound, but I know why. So I'll eat better today. Part of the problem is that I didn't think about the fact that it is allergy season, so i didn't take those meds.

Vicki, I'm so sorry to hear about your PTSD. I'm glad you are able to be understanding with yourself about weekend eating. I had similar trouble after my husband left me, but nothing as bad as yours. Mine was only twice a year, on what should have been our anniversary and on Valentines Day. Those weeks were bad every year for almost twenty years, but recently they are better. I hope it doesn't take twenty years for you! And I cant imagine having trouble every weekend. I'm so impressed with the way you are managing to get through it.

Teri, hope you have fun on your trip and WTG on the weight loss since your last visit.

Margaret, I'm sorry you had to deal with the PTSD as well. It's no fun to be sure.

Weighed today and I'm 251.1, so it's slowly coming down once again. Just let it keep going in the right direction.

Another dr visit done! One more this week.

Yesterday I went to the hospital to do the pre op registration. I didn't know it would take 2 hours and include a blood draw and a nasal swab!

Then I had a visit with the PT to go over surgery and recovery details and expectations. Boring, but one more step toward surgery.

Today was the PCP for her to say I was healthy enough for surgery. Risk factors are my BMI and slightly elevated cholesterol, but I really can't address those effectively till the knee works again. Cleared for surgery!

Friday I have to cut out most fiber as the start of colonscopy prep. Joy.

On the bright side, no need for me to take blood pressure readings at home when it happens at these visits!

Hope everything goes well for you.

I'm 251.2 today. Hope to be under 250 by Sunday.