Play-doh's Journal

[happymo4]

Hi Play-doh! I was so glad to see you back! I know how you feel when you can't get your workouts in...that is awful. My workouts save me mentally. I sure hope things calm down enough so that you can squeeze something in to make you feel good. Your eating sounds great! I hear you on the menopause/aging subject. It is emotional, and I also think that exercise is the best thing to do to get through it. Maybe you should do some yoga stretches or something if you don't have time for a full workout. I know that cardio is your first choice but stretching is so good to and it always makes me feel a little slimmer, especially when I am feeling "thick" like you say. I am feeling thick right now after I had a good week last week but too many carb later are responsible for it, not hormones. Hopefully I can get it under control these next few days. I sure hope you have a good week and get a good run in!!
Maureen

[play-doh]

It's been a while since I've been here! Yikes!

Not much has changed - I'm still struggling to get exercise in regularly and I'm averaging three 3.5 mile runs every week. If I could just squeeze in one more day making it four times a week, I'd be happy.

Eating a serving or two of vegetables at every meal is effortless. I can't imagine going without them. I'm staying away from sweets pretty easily, although we had homemade ice cream sandwiches a few nights ago. Other than that, I'm not into sweets. I've also been making a great effort to stay away from all processed foods and flours. It takes more thought on my part to prepare in advance for my lunches, but it's worth it. I like to have a 2% yogurt for my mid-morning snack and then a big green salad with a variety of veggies and a sprinkling of nuts or seeds. My dressings are just a drizzle of evoo and vinegar. Sometimes I'll have lf cottage cheese and a fruit. I've been making lots of soups and stews too.

This morning I watched the film Forks Over Knives. It was very informative and didn't go into the horrors of how we're killing the planet and what frightening things we do to animals. It touched on those issues enough to make us aware but the film stayed focused on the solution: eat a plant-based diet. I was a vegetarian for about 15 years and ten years ago we started eating meat again. For now, I'd like to commit to cutting meat back to just one serving a week, and mostly eat vegetarian whole foods. I do like my yogurt and eggs and I'm not ready to cut them out yet. Maybe later.

In my post in mid-August I sadly announced that I'm officially in menopause, but, well, I guess I'm not exactly. Maybe I'm just going to menstruate every other month. I don't fully understand what's perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. How are these stages defined? I guess I'll ask at my next dr. appointment. Anyway, not that anyone could be interested in my monthly cycle, I just wanted to say that I have NO IDEA how much I weigh but I will be getting on the scale on Saturday when my cycle is over and my body feels normal again.

[Beaching It]

Hey, nice to see you posting!! I'm still a bit away from menopause and NOT looking forward to it. I do find that since I hit 40 things have SLOWED down and I have to work that much harder... sucks to be us. Hope you have a great weekend.

Lisa

[play-doh]

I've decided I'm going to join the Christmas challenge thread that Lisa mentioned. I'd like to lose 10 pounds by Christmas.
So, I'm going to step on the scale for the first time in months on Sunday and whatever I weigh on that day, I want to weigh 10 less by mid-December. I've been doing really well for a couple months and it's been pretty effortless. I'm feeling very optimistic.

[Beaching It]

Yay!! So glad you're joining us. Good luck with your weigh in tomorrow. I have 10 1bs too by Christmas, so we will support each other.
Lisa

[play-doh]

As soon as my scale told me I hadn't lost any weight since the beginning of summer, I felt my heart sink. My first thought was, Why do I bother? But I quickly pulled myself together and said to myself, "okay, 146. I thought I was losing but I was wrong and here's where I am now. Onward and upward!" or, rather, onward and downward.

My goal is to lose 10 pounds by Christmas. I will do it!

So far today:
I have worked out - 30 minutes of interval training on the treadmill
B - 2 sardines, oil rinsed off, with two light rye crackers (I usually have some kind of veggie w/ b'fast, but not today)
L - 4 or 5 cups fresh spinach salad with 1/4C. tofu crumbled on top, dressing made from greek yogurt, 2t. tahini, squirt of fresh lemon, squirt of Braggs Aminos
1 baked falafel patty

I think for dinner I'm going to have roasted broccoli with green salad, feta cheese, garbanzo beans and toasted tempeh cubes with a dressing of olive oil and vinegar.
I don't know what I'll have for snacks yet. I'm too full from my spinach salad to even think about it.

[Beaching It]

I think that even if you don't lose, the good news is you're not gaining and you're aware of what you're doing. Much better than gaining crazily and finding yourself 20 1bs heavier!! I think any day checking in here and keeping in touch is a successful day for sure.

[happymo4]

Hi Playdoh! I just joined the Christmas challenge too! We can do it! Soooo glad that you pulled yourself together to get on track, that's what I am finally doing. I lost it for awhile and am back on today! 10 lbs by Christmas sounds good! Have a great week!
Maureen

[play-doh]

Well, I received some bad news from the doctor but I don't want to dwell on it too much until we know for sure what's going on. My spine, right between my shoulders, has been bothering me off and on for months and I've just been thinking it's stress or something. I changed my pillow, started exercising more, etc, and nothing really helped. It's just a dull ache, kind of like sore muscles or a bruise, so I just ignored it. Finally, last week, we noticed that there's swelling. The doctor thinks it's osteoarthritis but I find that hard to believe. I'm only 48 and my health (and weight) have always been good. Anyway, we did an x-ray and I'll find out in a few days.

Meanwhile, I've been told not to run until further notice . I'm trying to be optimistic - if it is arthritis, maybe I can do core stengthening exercises, like Pilates, to gain muscle to support my back (which would probably be a good idea anyway) and then I can ease into running again. Or maybe I'll discover a new sport all together.

No matter what's going on, I'm not going to let it get me down.

In spite of little exercise, I did lose half a pound this week.

[play-doh]

I'm hoping to start physical therapy next week for my back. I'm not worried about my back at all and I'm ready to learn some new exercises that will help.

I lost a pound this week! I'm somewhere between 143 and 144.

Eating whole foods and almost no meat (I made chicken chilli one night) hasn't been hard at all. I was afraid eating beans for protein wasn't going to be enough and that it might even ignite some cravings, but it isn't. I do get hungry more often, but it's not that ugly, desperate hunger. It's very manageable.

[happymo4]

Hi Play-doh! That is awesome that your eating is going so well! I have been stressed and struggling. Going on no sleep from last week but I am still trying and motivated again today. It is crazy because I have similar pains to you and I did go to therapy last spring and it really helped a lot. Lots of Core and leg strengthening is the key. They said that I should not run either but I have to say that I do here and there but never on the hard street. I only run on the sand or the dirt trail and I don't run as much as I used to. I just love it so much and it gives me a high so I let myself do a 3 to 6 mile run but never more then 6. An hour is plenty. I just made some black bean, brown rice, green pepper, onion, and broccoli mixture and topped it with salsa. It is so yummy and my kids all ate it for dinner last night. I am really trying to keep my meat intake down. I am planning on salmon for dinner with salad and fruit. I sure hope we have a good week! Good luck with your back and neck. That chronic pain is not fun at all. Yoga is awesome for it and massage. It is amazing how much the massage helped to loosen up my back, especially my neck. Have a great week!
Maureen

[play-doh]

Hi Maureen! I read your journal and I can totally see why you were having a hard time sleeping! I'm so glad your son is doing well now. I can see how worry leads to no-sleep which would lead to diet sabotage, but you must have hung in there well enough. This week will be even better.

My back and neck aren't in a great deal of pain, it's just a dull ache through my neck and shoulders and sometimes a headache. I'm pretty much always aware of it but it's not excruciating. Still, I'm excited for PT. A friend recommended a place that offers Pilates as part of the PT. I can't believe I'm going to get this on my insurance! I've always wanted to take Pilates but could never afford it, so now's my chance. What a luxury!

[happymo4]

That is so awesome that you can take pilates with your insurance! You are going to feel so good! I have the same ache that you are talking about....I think it is a combination of things like stress, age, genetics, and overuse. Most of my PT was covered with insurance and the best was the massage part, Soooooo nice. I am going to schedule a massage if I ever get under 140. I think that they are so healthy for everyone. Good luck and I hope your PT starts soon!
Maureen

[Beaching It]

I hope your test results are good Play-doh. I have a dull ache in my shoulders/neck a lot of the time and I know how you feel. Mine is related to stress and muscle tension I think. I've seen everyone about it, and now I just live with it and sometimes it's bad, but most of the time it's just there and doesn't really bug me. Congrats on your weight loss. That's awesome!!! YOu have a great attitude.

[play-doh]

Hi Lisa! I'm so glad to see you! You've been "absent" this week and I've been wondering how you're doing.

Oh, Maureen, I wonder if I can get a massage on my insurance! What a luxury! I've only had one in my whole life and it was amazing!

I wonder if my back is stress related too, but the doctor seems to think it's arthritis from scoliosis. I should probably get a second opinion but for now I'm going to try the PT and see what happens. What alarmed me and my husband the most about my back is that there is clearly inflammation right at the base of my neck. One of the vertebrae in my spine is enlarged and feels sore, like a bruise, to touch.

Tomorrow's my official weigh-in day, but I got a sneak peak this morning and it looks like I'm down another pound or so. The scale said 142.2.