Omega's journey

You commented on my first thread, so I thought I'd take a look at what you'd done. You're really quite an inspiration, and I'm actually feeling a little silly at the moment about how I'm worried about losing 13 or so pounds when you've accomplished so much more. Keep it up!
 
LastLittleBit said:
You commented on my first thread, so I thought I'd take a look at what you'd done. You're really quite an inspiration, and I'm actually feeling a little silly at the moment about how I'm worried about losing 13 or so pounds when you've accomplished so much more. Keep it up!
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Thanks for saying so - but whatever we have to lose is important to ourselves. I wish that I had managed to call a halt to my problems when I was just 13 pounds overweight. There was a time when that was the situation believe it or not when I was in my twenties. The task can feel too hard (we may not be feeling well or may be stressed) but the fact is that I know that it can feel too hard at that stage too.

I really do wish you the best of luck with your project. I have so many friends on the forum that I really cannot get around to visiting diaries the way that I used to. I tend to do what I can to set new people off in the right direction and pop into the challenges. Feel free to ask me questions if you encounter any problems along the way. I will help if I can.
 
Hi Margaret, I'm with you about the walking. I think anyone & everyone would benefit from walking every day. It doesn't matter too much if it's brisk or slow. It's movement. Walking in the fresh air is so good for your body, brain & mood. I am absolutely loving exercise these days. If I haven't been for a walk, even just a short walk I don't feel quite right. Cheers Cate
 
cate said:
Hi Margaret, I'm with you about the walking. I think anyone & everyone would benefit from walking every day. It doesn't matter too much if it's brisk or slow. It's movement. Walking in the fresh air is so good for your body, brain & mood. I am absolutely loving exercise these days. If I haven't been for a walk, even just a short walk I don't feel quite right. Cheers Cate
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We are the lucky ones. Our projects have become a way of life and the burden that was our weight situation is lifted. Our weight concerns are limited to maintenance (not always easy) and finishing touches. We really can enjoy having bodies that are fit and move so easily. We appreciate it too in a way that the "always fit" never could...

I have signed up for some more keep fit lessons starting next week and am toying with learning to do nordic walking. If only I could have felt like this 10 or 20 years ago.
 
When I started my quest in April, I did a lot of nordic walking. Made my own poles and everything. I really enjoyed it, but stopped for no particular reason. Perhaps I was feeling too self-conscious back then, I don't know.

But it was fun, and it gave me a little extra calorie burn and a little bit of upper-body workout. II do recommend it.
 
Someone has started teaching nordic walking in my local area - and she is one of many people who have seen me out walking as I have lost weight and congratulated me on my weight loss. I have been disappearing in front of my community's eyes over the past 2.5 years....

I have got to know quite a lot of people that way....

Anyway she was telling me all about it and I thought that it sounded quite a good new kind of exercise and worth trying. I will have to juggle things around to make the lessons - but am quite tempted to give it a go...

The 46% extra calorie burn sounded tempting.
 
Omega said:
Someone has started teaching nordic walking in my local area - and she is one of many people who have seen me out walking as I have lost weight and congratulated me on my weight loss. I have been disappearing in front of my community's eyes over the past 2.5 years....

I have got to know quite a lot of people that way....

Anyway she was telling me all about it and I thought that it sounded quite a good new kind of exercise and worth trying. I will have to juggle things around to make the lessons - but am quite tempted to give it a go...

The 46% extra calorie burn sounded tempting.
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It's more like 20%, from what I have been able to determine. 46% is a pretty big exaggeration, in my opinion.
But 20% is still pretty good.
 
Just wanted to let you know that I think your Maintenance Club is an excellent idea & I will join you as soon as I shed 4kgs. I didn't lose them obviously as they found their way back! Great idea Omega. I have often wished there was a section for maintainers! I haven't found my pedometer yet but just typing that gave me the thought of where it may be. I walked for 45 minutes today & did 2 sets of weights & an hour of gardening but I like the idea of tracking every step we take in our days. Cheers for now, Cate.
 
Thanks for visiting.

Cord
20% is indeed pretty good. I have found one or two websites that say "up to 46%" but the term "up to" can gloss over a lot. I am sure that you are right and a normal person would probably be nearer 20%. I think that I will check and see if there are any places left on the new beginners course that starts this week.... If not - I would have to wait a little while.

Cate
I'm pleased that you like the idea. Thanks for the rep. You will drop the 4kg in no time and it will be great having you with me. It is so easy to drift up out of zone. Feel free to join early since you were in maintenance. It is not like people would leave if they drifted out the top and I would imagine that you have less than that to lose to get back into your zone. How big a zone do your people recommend? We would all like to be at goal itself but we all experience day to day fluctuations.

I have often thought that the forum was lacking a section on maintenance. That indeed was what prompted me into joining both Weight Watchers and Slimming World (their main competitor in the UK) as I hit half my start weight... I didnt want to have all my eggs in one basket and I wanted to know what each had to say about maintenance. You get free membership at goal too - so the idea of free support for life, ongoing accountability, the opportunity to talk endlessly about weight losing and hearing new low calorie recipes - all at no cost seemed too good to be true. Fortunately my food and exercise plan that had lost me 147 pounds at that time (which I will admit was fairly restrictive and I had researched to hone for good health) was able to overlay both their food plans. I will say that people could have eaten a whole lot less healthily than me and still stayed within their foodplan but I had no intention of changing anyway. I wasnt joining them for their foodplan - I was happy with my own...

It only struck me this morning that we could create our own section if we had a club. It is so easy to feel isolated and I truly think that maintenance is harder than losing weight.

Well done on the exercise levels. I will be out walking soon - and then I have a keep fit class at my local adult education centre later on. I really enjoy it - it is all women of our age and the teacher is over 40 herself. No-one is self conscious about not being in the first flush of youth and we do aerobics, some resistance work and a bit of pilates.
 
Tuesday was a really good day in every way that counts for me...

My treadmill has been fixed and is back in my living room where it belongs... I did my walk on it to celebrate - a joy since it rained heavily for most of the day...

The mammogram that I had a couple of weeks ago raised some queries that were logged as being likely to be benign calcifications. I had a surprise / shock a few days ago as I got an appointment for a follow up ultrasound which I hadnt been expecting. When I phoned to query it I was told about how the people who read the mammogram had raised it to check on their logging. Anyway I had the ultrasound and was told by the doctor that she was perfectly happy with the results of her test and that there was nothing to worry about. This was quite a relief... She went on to be really positive about my weight loss and she was very confident that the breast consultant will want to help me have my breast reduction on the NHS... She said that it will be down to his budgets at the end of the day - but she thinks that he will be really nice... That is good as I have an appointment to see him in a couple of weeks time. She confirmed what Camy told me on the forum in April last year - that it is very hard to read a mammogram on breasts with as much loose skin as I carry.

I ended up having to miss both my slimming clubs because of the treadmill and hospital - but my weight was inside my 3 pound zone so I would have happily gone and not paid had I been free at the time.

I had my first nordic walking lesson. This would have been better had I not got drenched in the absolutely torrential rain walking the mile each way to the class. The teacher swiftly relocated the class to an indoor hall and we were playing with the pole with the little paws in place to stop spiking the floor. All in all - I was glad to have gone though. She confirmed that (as Cord said) the calorie burn enhancement is nearer 22% for a lot of people - but she was obviously going to use the "up to 46%" official line for her advertising.
 
Margaret, that's awesome about the scan results. So you'll know for sure in a few weeks if you can be scheduled? I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you that they'll approve everything and you can get the reduction/tuck done!

The nordic walking sounds fun. Some of the women at my office are thinking about taking a belly dance class and I have to admit, it sounds interesting. I think I might sign up for the first 6 week session just to see how I like it.

Glad to hear you're having a good week. I love hearing good news - it helps brighten my day! :)
 
Thanks Kara. You can imagine - I started the day thinking "I know that these breasts are no picture book and I want them changed - but I dont want cancer" and inside a few minutes she was saying that not only were they ok but in her opinion (and she is a doctor at the same hospital) the consultant will be on my side in this... I am quite looking forward to seeing the consultant now.

I would definitely do the belly dancing if I were you. It sounds like loads of fun. After decades of not trying to do anything active - I now believe in trying anything and everything that comes along just to see if I like it...

Rod has been known to enjoy watching belly dancing too when we have been on holiday so I can envisage an added bonus of a happy husband if I were to take up such a pursuit... I think that he would prefer that I was belly dancing now compared to nordic walking. :)
 
LOL! I'm sure Rod would love it if you took up belly dancing. ;)

Glad to hear you got your treadmill fixed. Now the drowned rat impressions can come to an end. :biggrinjester:

I sure hope that doctor decides to give you a breast reduction. I'm sure that will make your life easier--especially with the bra shopping. Just imagine how nice it will be if you can go into a regular store (maybe even Tescos..lol) and buy a bra that fits. :hurray:
 
Hello my lovely lady friend from across the pond. I too am glad to hear of the clean bill of health and wish you the best in you quest for the surgery.

Although why anyone would want to decrease the size of perfectly good breasts :confused:

J/K :biggrinjester:
 
Thanks for visiting.

Kimberly
I asked Rod and he says that fully wrapped up women walking with poles never did much for him - and belly dancing would definitely get his vote.

LOL - all that I would need is the tummy tuck as I doubt that any belly dancing teacher has ever seen a tummy like mine. I wouldnt let that stop me though...

It would be wonderful to be able to buy a bra anywhere. You have no idea how hard it is to get them when you wear 30HH. Basically at my size you have to buy bathing costumes by bra size too as you need to have a bra built in... There is no choice in the matter. It is like Henry Ford's attitude to car colour. There is one colour / style of bathing costume, one strapless bra, and one normal bra. You go in - get measured and they bring the one thing that will fit you. You then decide whether you want to buy it.

Karl
Thanks. It was a great relief - and very optimistic.
As far as the breasts go - there are times in life when "less is more"... I have decided to be maganimous and let someone else have the biggest boobs in the south of England...
 
Omega said:
It would be wonderful to be able to buy a bra anywhere. You have no idea how hard it is to get them when you wear 30HH. Basically at my size you have to buy bathing costumes by bra size too as you need to have a bra built in... There is no choice in the matter. It is like Henry Ford's attitude to car colour. There is one colour / style of bathing costume, one strapless bra, and one normal bra. You go in - get measured and they bring the one thing that will fit you. You then decide whether you want to buy it.
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I'm actually amused by this because I have a similar problem with shoes. Okay, not really the same thing and all, but... When you walk into a store looking for shoes in size 15 (EU size 50), it comes down to which shoes do you have in that size (if any) and then do I actually want to buy them.

Omega said:
As far as the breasts go - there are times in life when "less is more"... I have decided to be maganimous and let someone else have the biggest boobs in the south of England...
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If there is any truth to any of the stereotype of the buxom British woman, then those would be big boobs indeed...

On a sort of related note, while I never actually considered it before. It has become a thought more recently and it is entirely possible when I am done with the weight loss portion of my journey, that I may also end up looking into something also. Alas, the flexibility of my skin is not so good at age 44, and carrying around well over 100 lbs of extra weight has done permanent damage. We'll see. This is still a very long way off.
 
Well, I'm sure you have heard this a million times but I just wanted to pop in and say you are amazing! Total inspiration & congrats on your loss! :)
 
Thanks for visiting.

Karl
It is probably harder for me to find a bra than for you to find shoes because I might not have mentioned that this is in a speciality store that only sells that kind of thing geared towards the more curvacious figure... The smallest cup size that they do is "D"...

It is a nuisance when you have no choice in what you buy - just whether to buy.

You are losing you reputation for risque comments here. Many men would not be able to resist the opportunity for innuendo regarding men with big feet...

I know how focused on your project you are - and am confident that you will be there very soon. Our hard work really does continue to bring results and make those impossible dreams come true.

Loose skin is funny. We start out by firmly making the decision that weight loss via surgery is not for us and slave away down the nutrition and exercise route alone living and breathing the project. Somewhere in the middle it can hit home that at the end of the day the skin is never going to look right and surgery suddenly gets more appealing (despite the distinct aversion to pain that you started with).

Nik
Thanks for your kind comment. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your own project.
 
Interestingly enough, it was not an aversion to pain that led me away from weight loss surgery. It was an inherent feeling that it would be "cheating" to do it that way, and that I felt as though I was failing by not being able to take care of this myself. Additionally, I felt that surgery would take away my ability to consume enough to support the lengthy cycling trips I take. I'd be concerned that I would dehydrate or "bonk" (run out of fuel).

My attitude has changed somewhat with my wife going through the surgery. Regardless of how you lose weight, there is still work involved! She now has to pay as much attention to her diet as I do, but for different reasons. She needs to look into all the micro and macronutrients and pay very careful attention to calcium, protein etc. She even goes in for monthly B-12 shots now.

No matter how you lose it, losing it is the important part.
 
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