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KCTinter · #1 08-01-2005, 07:35 AM

I've copied Peg's intro to July tracking. Hey! It's 4:30 AM. My brain is not functioning yet.

Here it is August, you guys! This thread was started some time ago for some of us who wanted to keep track of our carbs by tracking them in Fitday or Diet Power. We did so for several months, and then found that factors other than what we put in our mouths influenced our new way of life. Slowly, the thread became a way to track what is going on in our lives much more than what we put in our mouths. If you find yourself needing friends and support in this way of life you are welcome to join. We are in the Vets Forum because most of us have been doing this way of life for a year or more. Some of us are at goal, and some of us are near it but find it rather elusive. Some of us are still working the way of eating and some of us are experimenting with what we eat (nice way of saying that we "stray" sometimes).

KCTinter · #2 08-01-2005, 08:15 AM

A new month, a new week. Gratefully accepting prayers for a better one than last week!

What a difference a day makes! As much as I was dragging on Saturday, I was full of energy on Sunday.

Donna, I don't know how you do it, girl. Baking in 90+ degrees with no A/C! You have my admiration. I would die, I think. And the ice cream episode? Bren's right. You just made choice. I wish someone would discover the magic answer as to why we do indulge in bad choices every now and then. It's usually for emotional comfort. But then the guilt will totally erase any comfort received. I think we have to look for a substitute . . . something that is readily available . . . that soothes our soul without wreaking havoc with our brain and our low carb lifestyle. Any suggestions???

Brenda, back to hair. First, I give you credit for doing it yourself! Perhaps you would feel better if you went to your hairdresser for the highlights? I know if I did mine I would muck it up. But Kim sure does make it sound easy, doesn't she?

And Kim, you were a hairdresser in an earlier life? No wonder yours look so GOOD!

Terry, I agree about the Koi. Once they know you are the person with the food, and especially if you feed them at a certain time every day, they will come up and greet you! And I went through the same thing with birds years ago. It was fun trying to identify all the beautiful birds in my yard. Badminton? Wow. Your energy level must be getting back to normal!

Ilse, you haven't posted in a while. Is your house sold? What's happening?

Barb, how is your Mom doing? You know she is in my prayers.

Peg, Judy, Shelley:

Have a good week everyone!

bkloots · #3 08-01-2005, 08:17 AM

I see that the larks are up :jump: I've done my half-hour on the rebounder, and I'm sitting here in the kitchen sipping a nice cuppa and listening to the buzz of the insects.

I had to go back and revisit the entire hair color saga. How's it going, Bren? I'm a haircolor veteran. Became a redhead at the age of 17, and never looked back. I use L'Oreal Excellence, and have experimented through the years with various shades--including a rather startling auburn that I could hardly wait to grow out. Really, to remove or change a color once you put it in, you need a professional. Right now, I'm using Reddish Blonde, which takes advantage of the grayness of my hair (I guess!) to create highlights. A lot depends on the type of hair you have, but I hope you find products for highlighting and sparkle. Makes a difference. I just use a gel styling product, which adds a lot of shine.

The siblings converged on KC yesterday, and all have had a chance to visit Mom, who is still on the ventilator. My brother and my dad got in a rather loud discussion--the medical opinion vs. the emotional one. But we were all much too tired to make a decision yesterday. I hope today. Yes, this is very, very hard. You don't want to "kill" your mother, yet it's clear to those of us closest to her from day to day that the life she had before is NOT the life to which she'd wish to return (except possibly worse). Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

I haven't been eating badly, but have knocked back a few too many glasses of wine. I did find in Walgreen's a small sugar-free dark chocolate bar that breaks into four pieces. Gosh--wish I hadn't thrown away the wrapper. A square of that takes forever to eat, and the whole thing can last four days. For a bit of chocolate comfort, I'm going back to Walgreen's.

P. S. I just saw a small notice in the morning paper that Atkins Nutritionals has declared bankruptcy. And good riddance, I say. Trying to foist off all those frankenfoods in the name of Dr. Atkins was a blot on his legacy.

BC · #4 08-01-2005, 01:56 PM

Morning everyone.....start of a new day and a new month. Welcome to any lurkers--feel free to join us.

Alida, indeed I hope this week goes better for you and that the energy continues.

Barb, I am so sorry your family is in such a difficult position. My heart goes out to you, and I hope that everyone in your family will be able to find some peace with whatever decision is made. I find words to be very inadequate, but I hope you will know how much I care.

Hmmm. Well, I didn't try too many Atkins products, but those I did try were pretty nasty, so in that regard I'm not surprised. I have noticed other LC products that I really liked disappearing from the shelves, though. I searched high and low for LC hamburger or hot dog buns a few weeks ago and came up empty. Not something I keep around a lot, but I do miss having that option.

It's going to be another hot one here in the MW, isn't it? I need to run to town for errands, then make some pretties (hoping the muse will sit on my shoulder a while). And I think I'll have to call my stylist and confess my sins so that she can be prepared for me Friday. She's not thrilled with me anyway, since I haven't brought her any new jewelry since Mother's Day. No, LOL, I just read what I wrote--I don't mean as a gift to her, although I do that, too--she sells my jewelry in her shop and to her friends and does a better job of it than I ever would. You know, you NEVAH want to upset your hairdresser!!!

Check back with you all later..

teelbee · #5 08-01-2005, 08:38 PM

BC, Kim - ooooooh... my hairdresser was ~quite~ displeased when I showed up with self-inflicted streaks from a drugstore highlighting kit, LOL! We were on vacation and it was just one of those wild moments, yah know?

Boy, I won't do that again!

Yet, ugh!, my hair is just crying out for highlights! My hair is short this summer and the last of my "pro" highlights were cut off during the last haircut. Instead of being honey blond, it's sort of mousy, drab. I have a natural white streak that grew in when I was about 12, but that's back at the crown of my head where I can't see it. Still, I don't want to spend the money now on a highlight job - I seem to be spending all my ready money (such as it is), on little stuff for the new place.

Man, am I sore today after playing badminton yesterday! Still I very much enjoyed my afternoon with Hannah. Although very British in speech and mannerisms, she has Chinese ancestry and and spoke of visiting relatives in Hong Kong. After badminton we came back here for lunch on the patio and swam in the community pool. I think she ejoyed seeing another American home. Anyway, was it a great afternoon and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend some time with her. She goes back to Manchester next week and then on to Cambridge in the fall.

Barb, I'm so sorry about the situation with your mother. It can't be an easy thing. I hope your family reaches common understanding, and send wishes for peace and serenity to you all at a difficult time.

Donna, I was semi-inspired by your efforts yesterday... I meant to get up this morning and bake some of Maggie's Italian Biscotti. My resolve didn't hold, though. Somehow the morning slipped away with no baking accomplished (I was on the phone with various insurance and property management people).

AAA (CSAA in California) is still charging a premium for the home owners policy on our old house - even though we cancelled that coverage back in June. I also needed to straighten out some stuff with the road service membership and car insurance. Then, there's going to be some work done on our condo building in September, so I was trying to get squared away on what I need to do before vacating. They will be tenting (for termites) and replacing the fences. There are arbors attached to the fences and garage wall, so I figured I'd have to remove them before tenting. Property manager told me not to worry - the crew will handle that (not sure if that's good or bad).

Judi, soon, I hope to hear about the wedding and your impressions of Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone. I wouldn't mind seeing a few pics, either (hint, hint).

Shelley, congrats on the 3-lbs! That's a pretty terrific week you had, eh? Even if your body "dinks around" with it a bit, it now knows its way to a new weight. Whatever you've been doing, keep doing it (and don't for get to share your methods with us)!

pegster · #6 08-01-2005, 09:59 PM

Hi Gang!

I'm BAAAACK!!

Just stopping in to let you know that I just read all the back posts! You guys seem to get along just fine without me!! (Wah! Sob!)

Barb: Two years ago last May my brother and I made the decision to take my Mom off a respirator so she could die peacefully. It was the right decision. I have felt at peace with it since then. We had one day in which we regained consciousness and was able to relate to us with love and us to her. This so often happens at the end. She was in the hospital at the time after a traumatic and unexpected surgery. I pray that your next few weeks with your Mom can be meaningful and loving. How wonderful that you have a family.

Bren: Wow do I know about hair disasters. this is why I have my own hair done by a pro. I have red in the back with blond highlights. No idea what my own hair color is! I use Paul Mitchell's "gloss drops" for shine. a dollop the size of a dime in your palm, rubbed into your hands and then into your hair can add a wonderful shine.

Judy: Well, the wedding is over now, and I'm wondering how it went? I'm dying to hear about your trip. I will scroll back and look at the pics now that I am home on my own computer.

I slept most of the way home today on the plane. I had to get up at 3:30 am this morning and to the airport for a 6:30 flight. Arrived at Boston at 3:30 pm. Now it's evening and I'm going to go downstairs to watch a little TV. I had a FABULOUS time. The beach over the weekend, and our very expensive hotel room was absolutely the dream of a lifetime. We were both "Oohing and Aahing" at what things cost, but ate and drank and sat at the BIG table with the stars and rich people. It was fun! The reunion was interesting. Much to tell you. 17 women there. 15 were fat. All my age or older. I visited DD and her SO and 3 kids and walked in on a terrible mess. Oldest gdd (12) is having some real growing pains. I felt so sad for all of them (including her). Much to tell there too. BUT, Nan and I had a ball. I didn't spend much on clothes or shoes! (Really!) Overall, it was a great week, begun with the birth of Sarah Frances. Mom (DD2) is doing really well, and Sarah is nursing really well and sleeping really well. DD2 was actually kind to me on the phone yesterday. THAT felt good!

I'll write more tomorrow when I am conscious!

Peace, Peg

tiashanty · #7 08-01-2005, 11:25 PM

Happy August everybody. It's a holiday here, so I'm just vegging today. Well, sort of. I don't think I really know how to sit down and relax. But, I finally sat down and read for a little while. It's still very hot here. One of the fires has now spread to 2,000 hectares while the other one is now contained at 150 hectares. It's really hard to fight fires here with the steep terrain. I opened up the back door this morning and found the porch covered with ash. Nice mess!

Teel: Thank you for at least thinking about baking. You guys must think I'm nuts baking in this temp., but like I said, I love muffins for breakfast. And, they are fast and perfect for this "not a morning person". As for the cookies, they are my "treat", if I've been good all day.

Barb: Not much else I can add to the posts that everyone else has written. Just thinking about you and you have my prayers.

Peg: Silly girl, of course we missed you. I bet every one of us is envious of you speeding down the highway in a convertible and lunching with the stars. Is it going to be hard to come down to earth now? Glad you are back. I laughed so hard at your post that 15 of the women were fat. That is my fantasy....to go back to highschool and find all of the "in" girls are fat and frumpy and the rest of us that were the nobodys have blossomed into gorgeous women that all the rest of envious of. Hmmm, like I said, it's just a fantasy. lol

Time to move the sprinklers, again, and walk the furkids. Then bath and TV for this girl. Dh is working again tonight, so I'm sure I can find something to watch that he wouldn't like. Talk to you all soon.

RQP · #8 08-02-2005, 04:36 AM

Hi all... even though I still have some 20 pounds to go - I have been doing this for so long, I feel like a vet (I'm just not maintaining like you all are, though). I was down to 136 before the holidays last year but then.... 3 weeks in Spain (that was 8 pounds), two weeks back in Tbilisi, 3 weeks in Ghana (Low carb and Africa are just not used in the same sentence), the 2 weeks in Uganda, then 2 weeks in Tbilisi, then 4 weeks in the US (little sister had #2 son, I spent a month as chief cook and bottle washer and played mommy to my darling 2.5 year old nephew), then 3 week back in Tbilisi, then 5+ weeks home leave in the US (5 weeks, no more than 3 nights in any one place, some places only one night), then 3 weeks in Tbilisi, then a week in Kas (Mediterranean Turkey), 2 weeks in Tbilisi, then 2 weeks in Armenia, now have been back a week. Exhausing - wonderful, lots of work, lots of play, lots of eating at the catch as catch can level...

Needless to say that although I have managed to keep walking (I average 14-18 miles a week) I am floating around at 149 pounds and very unhappy about it.

I figure that if I am here and tracking for a while now in August (started yesterday!), that should help. I expect to go back to Armenia for 4-5 days in later August but that shouldn't be too bad. And Roger and I have a conference in Prague in mid-late September. So I am shooting for under 140 before we leave for Prague. The Czech Republic is NOT low carb - I will be able to exercise every day though, so I will try to control portions and try to burn it off.

Ok, I have babbled on enough about me... I will have to go back through July's posts to see what's up with everyone.

2 Aug: 149 lbs 4 miles in just under 59 mins

KCTinter · #9 08-02-2005, 09:26 AM

Barb, my heart goes out to you. Today may be one of the hardest of your life. Whatever the decision, perhaps with the help of her doctor's advice, I hope you and your family will be at peace. The one thought that kept going through my mind after I said goodbye to my Mom, was "she is now at peace with God." That helped me accept life without her, knowing we did the best thing for HER.

Greetings, Rachel. Whew! All that travel! I know you are a vet and several other people on this thread are old friends . . . but would you mind terribly telling the rest of us about yourself? By your travels, your life sounds fascinating! LOL! Haec trutina errat!! I have to remember that one.

Welcome back Peg! And yes, you were MISSED. I can't wait to read all the details. Lunch with Stars? Which ones? And ROFLMAO . . . "15 were FAT." Didn't it feel GRAND that you were NOT one of them?

Donna, oh, I do hope those fires are put out SOON. I had to laugh about watching what you want to watch on TV when DH is not around. In our house, that's when I get to watch HGTV!

Brenda, good idea about confessing to your stylist! Perhaps bring a few treasures as a peace offering?

Terry, still being charged for insurance even though it was cancelled and you no longer live there? Ack!! It's those little glitches that become major time-consumers. And sometimes they treat you like it's your fault. Perhaps you didn't sign on line X in quadruplicate on page 1,045.

Barb, when you get another one of those chocolate bars, clue us in on the name. As for Atkins Nutritionals, I could not agree more. Have you all ever seen one of their catalogs? It's amazing the foods they offered for waayy too much money. I did read they are going to continue the bars and shakes.

Judy, are you back in the land of the internet yet? We are all dying for a Wedding Report with the requisite pictures!

As for the start of my week. What can I say. The hex continues. Showed up, started to put up film, one thing leads to another and I find out what they really wanted was tinted security film instead of the clear. They say DH told them there was NO such animal as tinted security. Come to find out connections were crossed and DH told them there was no such thing as a "one way" film. Sigh. One hour of labor lost, have to order a partial roll at a premium because I was 50 inches short on the roll I have in stock, yadda yadda yadda. At least I accomplished a lot of office busy work.

Today is a new day. Can you say "Hope Springs Eternal?"

Have a Good One!

bkloots · #10 08-02-2005, 10:40 AM

Just a quick note to let you know that my mother died last night, with my sisters at her bedside. I was with my dad at his home, while he caught some sleep. We, and my brother, got to the hospital quickly, and we all shared a peaceful, prayerful family time.

With the four of us kids, and other family members who live in town, to take care of all the arrangements, everything will go smoothly. Thanks for all your encouraging thoughts. All is truly well, and we feel blessed, for the life of our wonderful mother, for the loving accord of our whole family, and for the providence of God who so clearly arranged our rendezvous in KC before we knew the "real" reason.

Welcome, Rachel. Don't feel you need to catch up on everything! That would be tough. Just jump in midstream, and we'll find out more about each other in bits and pieces as we go. Sounds like you have some exotic locales to tell us about--much more intriguing, I must admit, than the idea of weight tracking. You'll see.

laffingbead · #11 08-02-2005, 10:42 AM

Barb,

So sorry to hear about the death of your mom. My prayers are with you and your family.

laffingbead · #12 08-02-2005, 10:54 AM

Hi all,

We got our closing date on our new house. It is Aug 29th. It's so stupid. I start work again on 8-24. I requested 8-25 off (the final walk-through), and the 29th and 30th. That's one reason I am staying at this job, since it's less weird to ask for time off at the beginning of the school year when they know me. No news about the other school I had interviewed at. I am checking my school email with the thought they will tell me the job has been filled by another.

Yesterday, I spent the morning notifying utilities about the changes. It took SBC 28 minutes to get us hooked up with a new phone number. I guess, because we are new construction, the address isn't coming up yet. I haven't told the utilites when to disconnect service at our current house as the house is not sold yet. We have gotten several very similar offers, but they have been too low. Two of the offers had contingencies, where they wanted to sell their current house first. We cannot do that. I stopped the bioidenticals. At $69 a month for two hormones to little effect seems useless to me. And, the pharmacist didn't have enough of one prescription at the time he was filling it, so I have been out of 1/2 of the mix for at least a week now. My computer died for a few days, but I got it working again. My DH wants me to buy another hard drive. I don't want to do that right now, as most of our software is in storage. We'll have the storage locker cleared out by the end of the month.

Eating is not good. Weight is up and my skin is weeping near the stomach and leg line (under the folds). I am wondering if that is related to candida.

I hope all of you are well.

pegster · #13 08-02-2005, 01:09 PM

Our dear Barb: Deepest prayers and blessings to you on the death of your dear Mom. So glad that you and your family can be there at this time. I pray that you will all be able to celebrate her life and know that she is celebrating YOU right now in Heaven with God (and all who went before her!). RELIGIOUS FOR ANY WHO WANT TO SKIP THIS PART:
We say in the Book of Worship for the UCC: "We thank you that for (your Mom's name) all sickness and sorrow are ended, and death itself is past and that she has entered the home where all your people gather in peace."
I just love that sentence! This belief has kept me comforted for many many years through many family deaths, and allowed me to comfort dozens of families over the years of my ministry.
We also say, "Blessed are the dead who die in Christ. 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!'" (Revelation)
It is your faith that will comfort you at this time, I know. For me, it is SO good to know that while God is welcoming my loved one, S/he is wrapping loving arms around me, feeling my loss and my pain.
Peace to you and to your family, Love Peg

pegster · #14 08-02-2005, 02:11 PM

Hi All!

Good to be back, though I have to admit that I'm only half here. I don't know where the other half is, but I suspect it is still somewhere above the clouds over Kansas! I'm at work, ironically, planning a funeral for a Mom of adult kids who died on Friday.

I was actually moved quite profoundly to see those fat women at my reunion. These were real movers and shakers in the community when we belonged to the Jr. Women's Club in our twenties and thirties. They have gone on to be business owners and women who run large corporations in other places in CA, or other states. My musings (so far) have led me to think about what it is that kept them (and me, too, actually) working so hard that they neglected themselves. They are all in their sixties now and look old and tired and unhealthy. Their skin looks sallow, they have tummies that not only pooch, but overlap other tummies. Their teeth were yellowed and old looking. My primary feeling was sadness. (Both for them and for me) Yes. I don't look fat. But, I'm only a few pounds away. I know it's not a profound thought to you, but for me I've been thinking, "what is more important than my health at this time in my life?" I know that I make terrible food choices in my life. Why do I do that? (I'm asking myself) I'm really not hurting anyone else in my life BUT ME!!!! I want to live to see my grandkids grow up! And, I KNOW how to do that. I'm VERY interested in the "whys" of my not doing that. PROFOUND THINKING for this Tuesday morning. :ivyhead:

I'm not SURE whether we saw any stars or not. I just know that there were a lot of really rich people wearing big hats and sunglasses!

My DD3 and her kids: Gd1, who is 12, scared off the babysitter last Thursday. I was due there in the afternoon. DD3 called in a panic to tell me the story. She (gd) swore and threw things. Evidently in a rage. Now, this is a perfectly reasonable, lovely, polite, dear, very smart girl. I spent and hour and a half after I got there talking to her. The stories that I heard were only a tad off what the babysitter told my DD3. In gd's stories, her anger was triggered by teasing and "put downs" that made the babysitter sound about 12 (she was 19) too. Gd has a HUGE feeling of responsibility for her brother (10) and sister (5). Babysitter wasn't taking good care of them (5 yr old, who is a brat) jumped in the pool with her clothes on because she "wanted to go swimming and babysitter wouldn't let her." Babysitter wasn't watching and ended saving her just barely. This happened the day before. Gd was in a tizzy about that. She and her brother had been gone that day. Anyway, she was a mess. Cried and cried. Then that night, while I was there, babysitter called and said she wouldn't come again if the 12 year old was there! Can you imagine?? So, DD3 stayed home from work on Friday and had long talks and cuddles with all three kids. 12yo had her first therapy appointment last night to talk about her rage. (I would be surprised if she doesn't have a lot of rage. She's been through a hell of a lot in the past two years; including moving across the country and saying goodbye to her friends, her parents divorcing, a new man in her Mother's life and living with them, shared custody that requires her spending every other week with her father who is a super controlling kind of guy, I could go on and on) Anyway, the babysitting situation got straightened out for now. They got someone else for the rest of the summer, and are hoping that things will straighten out for the school year. Sheesh! I'm glad I was there. I absolutely love 12-14 yo girls. Everyone hates them because they are hard to be with at that age. I love them and cuddle them and tell them how wonderful they are; let them play house (as they can't do at home) and play with makeup and dress up in my clothes and heels. I've always taken them home with me from church and "played" with them for an afternoon or whatever. Sometimes I take them to have their portrait done (at one of those cheap picture places in the mall) with hair, makeup, and fancy "older" dresses. It's a hoot. Most of all it gives them the trust that there is someone "older" that they can call when the going gets rough. I've been doing this for 30 or more years. It's one of the reasons I want to be in SoCa. I've been doing this for other people's girls. I want to be able to do it with my own granddaughter!

Well, this is becoming a tome! I'll write more later about your adventures. It's good to be home.

Peace, Peg

pegster · #15 08-02-2005, 02:14 PM

RACHEL!!!!!!!!! SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!!!! WRITE AGAIN!!!! What wonderful adventures you have had! How well I know about low carbing it in Eastern Europe. We came to Hungary and the Czech Republic two summers ago, and were in Japan last summer. Japan was not a problem. I didn't like ANY of the food. Too raw!! I got sick and lost about 15 pounds. But, don't worry, I put them back on when I got home. Blah!
Peg

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