Omega's journey

I don't paricularly like yoga either!! I think it is a bit slow... but then I am no meditation-person all I do while they "meditate" is sing songs in my head.

A question: do you not get bored eating the same over and over again? It is not meant like in an evil matter I was just wondering, because your food seems to be very similar every day! I can't do that!! But this way you know that what you are eating is not exceeding your needs, because you have been constantly losing weight eating that!

And hey, little party here for going under 200 pounds! That is a HUGE milestone!!! Well done!!! In no time you will be at 150 you will see!!!
Love, Cat
 
Hi Cat

Sneak preview - am under 200 again today - I was really delighted to keep it under. This is one happy bunny.

I have a huge milestone in three pounds time. If I get there I will have lost a third of my weight in February.

The reason that I dont vary my food too much is that if I find something that works I tend to try to stick with it until it stops working. I dont know why - whether it is the PCOS thing or something else really weird but some food items seem to act really strangely with me and I cannot see why. It is opposite to everything that you ever read regarding calories or anything.

I used to enjoy an occasional cheese sandwich. Several times I have been absolutely saintly for the entire rest of the day - high mileage walked (and lets face it I have the step count of an athlete) fruit, undressed salad very little else and although I have not counted the calories I know that it is so modest it is silly - but have had a slice of bread, no butter or margarine and a dairylea cheese slice (which is a small measured portion). Anyway each time (for no other reason - e.g. period) my weight went up two pounds that day. If you weigh it - it doesnt weight two pounds, if you add up the calories it doesnt come close - there really is no explanation. It certainly was enough to stop me having it. I havent had bread or cheese in ages.

It also is enough to convince me that whatever some people say about not weighing yourself every day - I should really weigh myself every day for the rest of my life. How else would I know what was happening with my body. Now - if I visit my parents - I take my scales with me.

Weetabix is another weird thing.

On 28th August my weight hit a plateau. I was good with my food and walked over 10 miles (sometimes over 12 miles) every day but two days when I did over nine miles - but my weight was still the same on the tenth of September. I was quite disheartened. I checked through and the only thing that I had introduced during this period was weetabix (which I had had most days having taken something else out). Anyway, I chopped out the weetabix and my weight dropped. I swore that I would not touch weetabix again in ages.

I lost five pounds in the next five days - then my weight plateaued again. It didnt move down for the next ten days. I was less than happy and trawled the internet looking for what to do next.

In desperation I put the weetabix back in and it has been moving in an acceptable way since. I dont mind if it stays fairly still for a few days or only drops by a fifth of a pound - but it is nice to think that things have not ground to a halt.

I do vary my evening meal a bit - but for the rest of it - all I really look for is fuel. If something is working - I am more than happy to stick to it.

Take care

Love
Margaret
 
Morning Margaret, or should I say "afternoon"?? I'm not sure what time it is in your neck of the woods. :) Thank you so much for breaking down and explaining to me what that fruit is, all I can say is it sounds lovely. MMMMM good! I take a class at my gym called Group Centergy, it's part Tia-Chi, part Pilate's and part yoga, I LOVE IT!! I will never forget the first two days I took the class, my body was hurting in places I never even knew I had muscles, I wanted to cry. But I stuck with it, and now 6 months later, my upper body is stronger and I'm more flexible. It helped me out and my back. You said you slipped down stairs in your 20's I did the exact same thing, as it was 25 degrees outside and the railing was all ice and well so were the steps and I lost my footing and down I went of course I had nothing to grab onto as the rail was slicker than the steps and by the time I reached the bottom I felt like I had been beaten with a branch, I ached for weeks and my back has felt it for years after, so I know what you mean about that. There is no doubt you have people checking you out now, with all the weight loss and all the walking you do, you are sure to be noticed. I would certainly take it as a "BIG sign of accomplishment" and be so happy for what you have done. Maybe it's time to come out of that reclusive stage and begin a new life so to speak. I can only speak for myself, but to me I don't care about the size of a person, if I feel you are approachable I"m going to strike conversation. Life is to short, enjoy what time you have here, and be happy with the new you!! Share it and your experiences, people crave a good life story, and I think you have one. Have a wonderful day today. I'll check back by later!
Hugs
Kim
 
Hi Kim

Thanks for dropping by and the nice things that you say.

I must admit that I am really happy with the way things are working out this time around. I would never have believed that steady (but not really speedy) distance walking would make such a difference.

You were really brave sticking at a class that gave you so much pain. I am a real wimp and do not like pain. I am pleased that it worked out well when you stuck at it. I will probably stick with the yoga until christmas - I have paid for the lessons so I might as well get the benefit from it.

I am trying to be more outgoing. I dont know about how interesting my conversation is though - at the minute I am so focused on my diet and walking project that I suspect that I am becoming a bit boring on the subject. It tends to be just about all that I think about. I seem to tell my current stepcount to everyone I ever speak to...... nearly forgot 28298 at 4:55pm!!!

Hugs to you too - and take care.
Margaret
 
Hi ya sweetie..:hug2:

Doesn't it feel great when someone notices yer workin' yer tail off and changing? ;) I bet that did make ya feel great! :D

You gave us Texans some rain..{lol} :jump:

A nice break for us.. I want to go walkin' soooo bad bc it cooled us off..

I don't want to push my leg though..?

I can't afford a dr. visit right now so I'm stuck not knowing what to do..

The swelling went down but I still have the big/hard knot.
~~~

Keep up the great job and have a goal reachin' day! *waves*
 
Hi Stacey

Just thought about your leg - if it is a knot there may be an exercise that may help - I wonder if any of the experts on the harsh truth area might have an idea.

It costs nothing to post a message.

Take care

Margaret
 
Wednesday 03/10/07

The weather was quite pleasant so I had an extra long walk – and I was able to set out earlier. I did my normal route, added a bit in the middle and then went to Tescos on the way home.

I had a chat with someone that I met a week ago when out walking. He wants to lose weight and to encourage his son to do so – but when I said about Charlie Walduck he said that he didn’t have a computer and would have to get his daughter to find it for him. Later I had a bright idea and printed off the relevant pages and dropped it round on a later walk.

At weigh in I was still the good side of the 200 pounds barrier.

Whilst Tuesday seems to give me a comparatively low step count – Wednesday normally gives me a pretty good one. I actually think that this is because my husband spends ages on the phone to his mother getting her shopping order for the week – and I seem to often spend the time doing my silly exercises and / or dancing around to music on the headphones. I was very pleased with this stepcount.

General Data:

Morning walk = 7.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on one lap my husband came too)
Extra exercises = my little silly routine
Weight = 14st 3.0lbs (i.e. 199.0 pounds)
Steps = 37634
Distance = 13.95 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – but forgot one of my bio-oil massages yet again!!!!


Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
1 glass (200ml) orange juice – 92 calories
Main meal: 1/5 of a large trout fillet, 2 small knobs of olive spread, 1 slice of lemon, 3 new potatoes, 130g sweetcorn
1 handful of sultanas
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola
 
Great exercise yesterday Margaret. Is the fruit in your grocery store expensive?? I thought about that when I noticed you were eating bananas. I stopped by my sisters yesterday after the gym and she just got back from the grocery and said she bought two huge bunches of bananas for less than 18 cents a pound, I was like WOW!!! I love those so to me that's a excellent deal. I'm always looking for a good bargain. :):jump: Margaret, I'm just wondering, before you retired, did you run your own business?? You mentioned earlier that you did fairly well in work, so I just had to ask. I think women who are successful are a huge inspiration. WOMEN POWER!! hehehhee well, I hope your walk today is gorgeous and that you get to visit with more nice people out there. Have a wonderful day!
Kim
 
Hi Kim

Thanks for popping by.

You ask about my working life.....

I have a degree in Applied Computing and I went to work in the world of computing / IT - call it what you like.

I worked firstly as a programmer and I started my first programming job back in 1980. Back then there werent that many ladies that worked with computers.

After a few years I headed down to London - and I spent a lot of time working in central London. I spent many years working as an IT contractor or consultant as they are called in USA.

I generally worked for some big blue-chip clients - working through my own little company.

I find in that kind of environment you work very hard and very long hours. The temptation is there to define yourself by factors such as where you are currently working, how much you are earning and what you can afford to buy. These are actually all fairly superficial in the context of the bigger picture of life.

In addition the world of computing is constantly changing - and you keep having to keep reinventing yourself in order to remain marketable. If I had never reinvented myself - I would have started to look stale after about 5 years. People that for instance go in for teaching history can use the same skills (and probably the same lesson plans) at age 60 that they used at 23.

Many people in these companies would probably not think of me immediately linked to the "reclusive" person that I describe myself as. This is because in order to survive in that world you have to put on a facade of confidence. But that is just what it was - I am actually shy inside. I am trying to be open here and remove such facades.

I tended to acquire acquaintances rather than friends - and swiftly lost contact with people. I also did very little outside the office environment associated with these people.

In the end - the world of work no longer "did it for me".

I had difficulty coming up with a figure in my head that would make me want to treck into London and work like a slave. I decided that I could live without the world of work - and the world of work could live without me.

Luckily I had always been sensible with the money that I had earned. Part of me had always hoped to be able to have children despite the obvious problems - and I had put money aside to cover that eventuality.

Once the house is paid for and you can cover the basic bills - it is worth seeing whether you are getting as much out of life as you would like - and whether changes would enhance things.

I find spending time in Greece more appealing than working like a slave - eccentric I know. If I was working there is no way that I could spend as much time walking as I do - and without that I am sure that I would still be 21 stones or heavier again.

As for the price of bananas - your sister got a truly excellent deal. Yesterday I paid 37 pence for 2 bananas - the price was £0.85 for a kg which is 2.2 pounds.

The best deal I got at Tescos this week was I paid £3.36 for a large trout fillet weighing 0.675kg which I cut into 5 portions. We had 2 of them Wednesday (last night) for our main meal - and the other 3 went into the freezer. Tesco advertise that they have two fish items at half price every week - but they often only have one in stock when I go in. I always check it out though!

By the way todays walk has been really nice - more in diary later at the end of the day. The weather was so nice that for this afternoons spell round the blocks I didnt need my cardigan.

It was so nice this morning down by the river. There was a chill in the air - but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. I sat at the river bank for 5 minutes and there were a few anglers down there. Two of them nearly caught the same fish (both rods rang bells) and then the fish got away. They told me that happens all the time. I told them that if they land it they should share it and both have photos with it.

I find walking outdoors so much more appealing than walking on a treadmill in a gym could ever be.

I hope that you are having a wonderful day too.

Take care
Margaret
 
:hug2:

You are gonna be in onederland before ya know it!

:cool:

***
Thanks for bein' so supportive as well.. ;)

Have A Goal Reachin' Day! :jump:
 
Omega said:
I appreciate all your support too.

I absolutely love diet cola. For years I was addicted to diet coke and weaned myself off that to Tescos cheaper equivalent. Less money - but all the same dietary problems.

Now I am trying to wean myself off diet cola and onto water. I hate water too. You are not alone there.

Every night I fill a 2 litre bottle with tap water and put it in the fridge. Then next day I don't pour myself out a glass of diet cola until I have finished the water. If I take water out with me - I decant some of the water into a smaller bottle to carry so I am working through my 2 litres.

I find it so difficult. Every so often I have to get a glass of diet cola for my husband - so I have a sneaky mouthful then.

I have to admit I am having problems with all this.

I seem to spend all evening running to the toilet to get rid of it.

Then when I finally finish (if I finish it) I have my only cola just before bedtime. This is not brilliant planning too.

All in all - I just wanted you to know - you are not alone. Its a nightmare and I bet most people struggle.

Take care
Margaret
Click to expand...

Same here! I'm a diet DP junkie..lol :rotflmao:

I can't wait till I'm off them 100%..

I've had 4 C. water so far and still going..

Goodness me I'm tryin'! :D
 
Thanks for popping into my diary!
I just read your diary almost into entirety...

Anyway
Congrats on the weight loss! I too have pcos as you know and no children in the future, but thats ok for me. I am saving for my wedding. And for grad school. I do enjoy school, but find it very difficult, but I make time for me too ..for my walk. I admire you so much for the mileage you walk outside. I want to walk up to seven to eight miles outside at some point. I walk about four miles now. Thats what I put in fitday.com ..and I had a deficit today or almost 500 calories. I find counting calories is starting to help me..

BUT I agree with the cheese factor. I only had three slices today, which I usually have anywere from four to five. And I had some yogurts, but not as many as yesterday and only one cup of milk and one cup of cereal, cheerios ..

I am pre diabetic.. so I have cut sugar out... thats mainly what is working with me

But I would love any advice you can give me as you have a similar problem and you have lost all the weight you have and was at my size some time ago ..
thanks for stopping in again!
and thanks for the advice on the cheese!

always
natalie jo:hug2:
 
Thursday 04/10/07

The weather was very nice so the walks were very enjoyable (always tiring though – I keep going until I get tired).

I had to bandage my right heel before setting out because it feels that there is a blister getting ready there. I feel it on a right step. Still with a bandage to cushion it I was ready to go.

I had a chat with a lady I met while walking a month ago. She was really nice. She lost about 60 pounds 5 years ago and has managed to keep it off. She offered all sorts of bits of advice. She thinks that I would be better with Shreddies than weetabix. I might try that when I change things on my next plateau. She also thinks that I should bring our 8 p.m. curfew on meals forward to 7 p.m. I know that my husband is not keen on that. It sounds rude – but I also made a mental note that I really must keep on with and get better at my creaming routine. She has so many wrinkles. She must be at least 20 years younger than my mother and she so many more wrinkles. I wondered whether her diet had taken too much fat from her skin. I cannot say because you cannot really say “did you have many wrinkles before you lost weight”…..

Weigh in and step count all went well. Everything is holding under the 200 pounds nicely and I am looking forward to my type 1 obesity milestone at 14st 1 lb (197 pounds) – it might come soon if I do not plateau. I had two plateaus in September. When I was surfing the internet looking for ideas on sorting out my second plateau – I found this website. Type 1 obesity may not sound great – but it is a lot better than type 2 (or morbid come to that).

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on one lap my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 14st 2.2lbs (i.e. 198.2 pounds)
Steps = 32119
Distance = 11.91 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – and unbelievably forgot one of my bio-oil massages yet again!!!!


Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
40 grapes
1 glass (200ml) orange juice – 92 calories
pork loin steak (approx 0.2 kg raw weight), tin baked beans, desert spoon of apple sauce
1 large handful of sultanas
about a teaspoon full of egg and bacon sandwich filler as I was making husband’s sandwiches
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola
 
Omega said:
Have a great day.

Just thought I should mention - since we are both going through the same water struggle - I find it slightly easier to get the water down if I have a handful of raisins or sultanas. You might want to give it a try sometime - obviously it depends on how it fits into your menu plan.

I only found out by accident. I had suffered from pains which look like they were probably constipation - and ended up monitoring my toilet habits. I couldnt believe it because it seemed like I was eating half the fruit on the planet at the time. Anyway the doctor told me to take laxitives - but I saw that as being a bit dodgy - I dont want to get bulimia or anything - so decided to start on the dry fruit occasionally.

Take care
Margaret
Click to expand...

Thanks!

All natural granola helps to!

I hope to improve today..

Yesterday I only got 7 c. in..

Better than before which was 0! :rotflmao:

I guess we can't count iced tea/coffee/crystal light as water?

You had a great Thursday! ;) Good job!

Have A Goal Reachin' Friday! :hug2:
 
Friday 05/10/07

Another nice day – the weight came down and the standard walks were all done and were enjoyable (although tiring).

I ate quite a bit more than normal today. I think that it was due to getting phoned a number of times about whether I would go to a school reunion. It is 30 years since I left school – and there has only ever been one reunion. This is pretty certain to be the last official one as the school is about to be pulled down – so it is now or never (next weekend to be exact). Most of the people have not seen me since I weighed about 8 stones (i.e. 112 pounds) – as I moved away from the area in my twenties.

I tried to keep the food healthy – but know that I ate more and expect to be punished for it.

My total steps were down – even compared to Tuesday (normally my lowest day). Lowest steps since 25/9/07.


General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on one lap my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 14st 1.8lbs (i.e. 197.8 pounds)
Steps = 29,671
Distance = 11.00 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – and yet again only did one bio-oil. I am getting the first one done too late.


Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
120g Cooked ham
1 glass (200ml) orange juice – 92 calories
2.5 handfulls dry pasta, 25 cals sauce, sprinkle chopped garlic, 1/4 onion, 1/2 courgette, 1/4 red pepper, 1/4 green pepper, cooked in fry light
130g drained tuna (had been in brine), half a cucumber, 4 home grown tomatoes
2 large handful of sultanas
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola
1 wine gum
 
-Keep up the great job!

I'm about ready to float away w/all this water! LOL :rotflmao:

How are you doing?

Man, it has really helped me cut down the diet dp!!

***

Have A Goal Reachin' Weekend! :hug2:
 
Hey Margaret,

You sound like you are on target!
Why do you do the bio massages and what not? Do they help keep the wrinkles away? Just curious. I can't use any oil on my skin .. I already have oily skin ..when I use a facial cleanser .. I have to make sure it dries my face out a little, or else I get more pimples that I did before. The only part of me that is dry is my elbows ..which need heavy creaming ..which I don't do ..Eucracin probably would be the best one to use ..it has been getting worse. I use Neutrogena usually on my face ..but now use a ant bacterial soap .. and I have absolutely no pimples ((knock on wood!)) lol

Anyway I hope you have a good day..
and if you decide to go to your reunion ...hope you enjoy the evening!

always
natalie jo :jump:
 
Hi Stacy

The water is a nightmare. I try not to allow myself any diet cola (apart from the odd sneaky mouthfull when I am at the fridge) until my two litre bottle filled up with water is emptied.

It is not helped by my husband continuing to be addicted and keeping asking me to refill his half litre glass with diet cola. He drinks tons of it and is forever asking me to fill up his glass - like I can resist a mouthfull when the open bottle is in my hands.

Most days - if I get through my water it is about 11p.m. before I get there. It is just turned 9 p.m. now and the bottle is over half full (have had a very busy day).

I suppose it is meaning that I cut down on the diet cola - but I could oh so happily throw out the rule and drink diet cola all day tomorrow.

Still all the times I go upstairs to the toilet has to be boosting my step count these days....

Hope your weekend goes well in every way too.

Take care
Margaret
 
Hi Natalie Jo

Thanks for dropping by and for the good wishes.

Bio-oil is supposed to help your skin cope with gaining and losing weight. It is the same stuff that pregnant women use to try to avoid stretch marks.

I am sure that you will appreciate that in many ways stretch marks are the least of my problems. I am covered in the things. Extra stretch marks would never be noticed really. And at 48 - I really do not aspire to wearing a bikini. But there is a claim that existing stretch marks are made less noticeable.

I have been watching quite a few plastic surgery programs - and lose skin seems to sometimes be an understatement - and some people lose all the weight and find that their skin just lies there without shrinking much. These people seem to often end up having a tummy tuck or a body lift which goes all the way around them.

An example:



Now I am starting to be optimistic that I might actually get there - now that I am half way to goal. I had thought for decades that it was impossible for me.

Sometimes I have difficulty in identifying with people who have plastic surgery - I think that some people go in for it when the true problem is more psychological than physical. I think that they would be better with psychological medical treatment instead. But sometimes I watch a program and think - she has gone to all that effort to lose weight - I can understand why she wants a different result - she was right to have that operation.

Now I am a true coward at heart. I really do not want severe pain if I can sort it out another way. Bio-oil claims to help the skin shrink down. You have to remember that the skin loses it's elasticity often as you get older and I am quite a bit older than you.

They say:
Bio-Oil is highly effective in helping to improve the appearance of existing stretch marks and also helps to increase the elasticity of the skin, thereby helping to reduce the possibility of new stretch marks forming.

As for the other massaging - I am hoping that helps to nourish the skin in those areas and of course - I hope that the act of massaging will help break down the fat under the surface of the skin.

My mother is pretty good wrinkle-wise for her age (85) - and she swears in regular moisturising and creaming. Up until now I have had this layer of fat to keep me free of wrinkles - but I do not fancy dieting to look old before my time with wrinkles.

Check out some of the other people on that plastic surgery show website. It certainly is a warning on not looking after your skin. e.g. Julie Davis.

Take care
Love
Margaret
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top