http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php This is a discussion forum powered by vBulletin. To find out about vBulletin, go to http://www.vbulletin.com/ . en Sun, 20 May 2012 21:51:55 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.makeupchatter.com/boards/images/misc/rss.jpg http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=113 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:54:18 GMT After getting the grim prognosis from the radiology oncologist we met with our medical oncologist, a wonderful and caring woman named Dr. Geetha... After getting the grim prognosis from the radiology oncologist we met with our medical oncologist, a wonderful and caring woman named Dr. Geetha Joseph. Dr. Joseph suggested we go to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Cancer Clinic at Duke University, arguably the best brain cancer clinic in the country, if not the world. Their motto is "At Duke there is Hope." She said she had spoken to Dr. Henry Friedman, the renown neuro-oncologist, and he was willing to consult with us. We agreed, and Dr. Joseph made the necessary arrangements.

Traveling to Durham was something of an ordeal for John. He was so tired and weak, but he did really well, and never complained about anything (well, other than the bad musak they play in the airport). We met with two neuro-oncologists at Duke. They did a series of neurological exams and reviewed his latest MRI.

One of the tests they did was for short-term memory. The doctor told John he was going to give him three words to remember, and would ask him later what the words were. He gave him the words, red, car and hope. About ten minutes later he asked John to repeat the words. John struggled to come up with the first word, and the doctor prompted him by telling him it was a color. "Red" said John. Again when John couldn't find the second word, the doctor gave him a hint, telling him it is a mode of transportation. "Car" John replied. As John struggled to remember the third word, the doctor said "It's kind of a tough one, but it's really big here at Duke." "Hoops?" asked John. We all laughed, and I thought his answer was perfectly appropriate, even though it was wrong. I told the doctor that if he could cure John's brain tumor I might consider forgiving Christian Laetner - maybe.

On the second day of our visit, the doctors told us that they really couldn't tell from the MRI if the tumor had progressed or not. There was a lot of swelling in the area, which could be the result of the radiation treatment, and might not indicate tumor progression at all. They sent us home to do another round of chemo and scheduled an appointment to come back in six weeks.

Again, John tolerated the chemo very well, but in the days following the second round of chemo he started sleeping more and more. He didn't seem to be able to keep his eyes open. One evening I noticed that his right pupil was larger than his left. That worried me, so I called the oncologist. They increased the steroid dose to 6 mg a day. Decadron, the steroid usually given to brain tumor patients, reduces swelling in the brain. Since the extreme sleepiness and uneven pupils could be signs of swelling, they increased the dose.

After a week on the higher dose of Decadron, there was no change. In fact, John was sleeping even more - 18-20 hours a day. We made an appointment to see the oncogolist, and again she increased the steroid dose - now to 8 mg a day.

Over the next week, there was still no improvement in John's alertness. He was still sleeping all the time, and now was complaining of mild headaches, blurry vision, and was having trouble finding words. One morning while eating breakfast he pointed to a corner of the kitchen floor and said "There's......crunchies". "What?" I asked. "It's those things....I can't think of the word....you put them on salad and they're bread." "Oh, croutons", I said. "Yes, there's one crunched on the floor."

At our next oncologist appointment, Dr. Joseph increased the Decadron to 12 mg a day, and suggested we move the MRI appointment up a week. So that's where we are today - waiting for the next MRI.

Tonight John and I sat and talked in the living room after dinner. He told me wanted to call his family more, but he had nothing good to tell them, so he put it off. I said that I know they would love to hear from him, even if he can't give them good news. "It's brain cancer", he said. "It's not going to get better. It's a fast train."

Then he told me a story about when he was in high school living in New York. It was during the Viet Nam war, and there was a protest in the city that he and his friends attended. He said he went because it was the cool thing to do at the time, but he never had a problem with the idea of going to Viet Nam. He signed up for the draft the day he turned 18. He said he was scared, of course, and hoped he didn't have to go, but he considered it his patriotic duty, even as a teenager.

That's the kind of man John is. He's a good man, who is funny, brave and strong. He's a patriot. He's far from perfect, and we have certainly had our ups and downs as every married couple does, but at his heart he is loyal and true to his beliefs. I admire his strength now more than ever. ]]> JuliaL http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=113 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=112 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:44:41 GMT Part 2 – The Lost Summer I met John, the man who would become my husband, on May 25, 1986 on a camping trip at Dale Hollow Lake, Kentucky. Shortly... Part 2 – The Lost Summer

I met John, the man who would become my husband, on May 25, 1986 on a camping trip at Dale Hollow Lake, Kentucky. Shortly after, we started dating and began our life together. On May 25, 2011, exactly 25 years to the day from that first meeting, we began the fight to keep our life together.

After having a grand mal seizure, John was diagnosed with a malignant glioma in the left occipital lobe. We didn’t yet know the grade or the prognosis. A biopsy was done, and the tissue samples were analyzed in our home town, but also sent to Johns Hopkins for a second opinion. The neurosurgeon who performed the biopsy came to John’s room to tell us what he thought it would reveal. He said the tumor had the appearance of a grade 3 or grade 4 glioma, which is a very aggressive cancer. He explained how brain cancer invades all of the brain, and even if you can remove the tumor you can never get all of the cancer cells. “The goal of treatment is to give you as much quality time as possible” he said.

As I listened to this brilliant, articulate and very compassionate man explain the reality of the situation, I felt myself getting angrier and angrier at him. How could he be saying this to us? He went on to explain that because of the location of the tumor, surgery would leave John with no right field of vision in either eye, and because of the proximity to the corpus collosum it could very likely leave him without the ability to read. I was thinking “I don’t care if he can’t see. I don’t care if he can’t read – I want him to live!”, but I knew that this was John’s decision to make. He is the one who would have to live with the impact of surgery on his life if he decided to have it. The doctor went on to say that if he was in my husband’s situation he would not have the surgery, because it would not cure him, and would significantly reduce his quality of life. John said he did not want to have the surgery, but I wondered if he realized what he was actually saying.

Our son, who had just graduated from college and was living in Washington, DC had returned to Kentucky to be with us. He had done a lot of research, and showed me some of the things he read online. Everything we read was very discouraging, and John didn’t know any of this. No one told him how long he would have to live, and he didn’t ask. The Oncologist said they would only tell him if he asks. She said it was not important for him to know, it was important for him to have hope. “You need to know, so that you can be prepared, but unless he wants to know, we won’t tell him.” She said.

The results of the biopsy came back as inconclusive. The neurosurgeon explained that the tumor was very small, and he didn’t think he really got a good sample. He said the biopsy would have to be repeated. A few days later the biopsy was repeated, and again the results were analyzed here and sent to John’s Hopkins for a second opinion. This time it was conclusive – glioblastoma multiforme, a grade 4 tumor.

A few days after John was released from the hospital we met with the Radiology Oncologist to discuss radiation treatment. The doctor explained everything to us, and once he finished John asked “With all of this treatment, what are my chances of beating this thing?” Dr. Eckman replied “Brain tumors like this are very hard to beat. This one is a very bad actor, and you have a 10% chance of living 5 years.” So now he knew. Now he had asked, and the grim prognosis was out in the open. On the way home John told me he thought he could continue to live in denial or he could get all the cards on the table, and he decided he wanted to get all the cards on the table.

The days and weeks passed as John went through radiation and chemo, and soon our daily routine felt like the new normal. John tolerated the treatment very well. He had fatigue, of course, but no other side effects to speak of – no headaches or nausea.

Having been very active before all of this happened, he was feeling depressed. Every Summer John and I would go cycling after dinner. We rode for about an hour a day, and we loved it. The Saturday before his seizure had been our last bike ride together. One day in early September, the weather suddenly changed from hot and dry to cool and rainy. I think we both had the feeling that Summer was over and we had missed it. John asked me to go to the grocery store to pick up some things for him. Before I left I gave him a hug and told him I loved him. He started to cry, and said “I feel like I’m getting sicker.” That scared me – a lot. But I told him I thought it was just the effects of the radiation. In all the years I have known John I have only seen him cry once before, when his mother died. Of course it is perfectly normal to cry in a situation like this, but it still worried me. I didn’t want to leave to go to the grocery, but he insisted.

As I drove to the store, I thought about taking a detour and going to my parents’ house. I wanted to collapse in my mother’s arms like a child and cry my heart out. But I was too worried about John, so I went straight home. By the time I got back he was feeling better, and we spent the evening watching TV – our new normal routine.

As John was tapering off the steroids, I started to notice some subtle changes. He had periods of confusion, but I attributed it to the steroid tapering. One day we went to meet with a physical therapist to arrange for John to get therapy to try to build up his muscles, which were depleted by the steroids. We checked in, and were asked to sit in a waiting area. John said “What are we waiting for?” I told him we were waiting for the physical therapist. Two minutes later he said “What are we waiting for?” I explained again, and he said “I just want to go home.”

One morning he was making his usual breakfast of oatmeal with apple juice, and I smelled something burning. I went into the kitchen and found he had put oil in his oatmeal instead of apple juice, and it was frying in the microwave. We kind of laughed it off, but the next morning he did the exact same thing. I was hoping and praying that all of this was just due to withdrawal from steroids and maybe residual effects of the radiation.

On September 30th John had his first post-treatment MRI. It was a Friday, and we were scheduled to see the doctor to get the results on the following Monday. The hospital asked if we wanted a disc of the pictures from the MRI, and John said yes. I wish we had not gotten that disc. I spent the entire weekend looking at those pictures over and over. Of course I’m not qualified to interpret what I was seeing, but even I could see that the thing in his head was bigger than 2 cm. I Googled pictures of MRI’s and tried to find other information on how to interpret the white, gray and black areas of the images. My son said “Mom, stop driving yourself nuts – you don’t know what the hell you’re looking at.” And of course he was right, but I couldn’t help myself.

On Monday, we went to see the Radiology Oncologist to get the news. He told us it was not good. He said the tumor had doubled in size during treatment. I asked what options we had, and he said that our Medical Oncologist would discuss further treatment options with us. John really didn’t have any questions, but I wanted to know what this meant – how long did he have? I didn’t ask because John didn’t ask, but I was able to get John out of the room and talk to the doctor alone. He told me John had “three months, tops.”

I asked my son to drive us home because I was too upset to drive. I tried to keep it together as I got into the car with John. He asked me what I talked to the doctor about, and I just brushed off his question – “Oh, nothing we don’t already know.” I said. Then he said “I wish I had asked him how long I have. Is it three weeks? Three months?” I said “Do you want to know?” He said he did, so I told him. His only response was “Well, that sucks.” ]]> JuliaL http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=112 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=111 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:43:14 GMT Part 1 – The Omen: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 was not a typical day for many reasons. First of all, I work from home, but every three years or so my... Part 1 – The Omen:

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 was not a typical day for many reasons. First of all, I work from home, but every three years or so my company “refreshes” my laptop – meaning I needed to get a new one, and have all my data transferred to it, so I had to go into the office for the day.

It was unusually hot for May, and very windy. Right after lunch, there was a fire drill and everyone had to file out into the parking lot. I thought ‘Of all days for a fire drill, it has to be the day I am here’. While I was in the parking lot waiting, I called John and we talked about our plans for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. We were going to rearrange some rooms in the house, making our third bedroom into my office. I was excited about getting my office out of the den, and putting it in a room where I could shut the door and really leave work behind.

I arrived home around 4:30 p.m., and John was sitting in the living room watching TV. I thought he looked tired, but he told me he had worked in the yard all day, mowing, trimming and planting some flowers and tomatoes. I took care of a few emails and work tasks, and then made dinner. After we ate, John and I went out onto the deck to look at the work he had done in the yard that day. It had gotten even windier, and the weather man was calling for severe storms that night. Just beyond the deck in the yard was a tree branch that was embedded perpendicularly – it looked very odd sticking up from the ground. John said “That’s an omen”. We laughed about it, and then talked about what we would do if there was a tornado warning – where we would go in the house, etc.

About 7:00 we went back in the house. I went to my office to work for a little while longer, and John sat down in the living room to watch the news. A few minutes later I heard him yell out. At first I thought he was just reacting to something outrageous he saw on the news, and I said “What?!”. No answer. I said “John?” No answer. I looked into the living room and saw his feet moving up and down in the recliner, and I knew something was terribly wrong. I ran to him and found him having a grand mal seizure. I’ve watched enough episodes of ER to know he was having a seizure, but I didn’t know what to do. I just kept telling him “It’s going to be ok, it’s going to be ok” and grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911.

The 911 operator told me to just keep him from falling out of the chair and keep him from getting up. While I was on the phone with her, the seizure stopped, but John was not totally conscious. He tried to get up and I told him “No, you have to stay here”, so he sat back down. He was drenched in sweat, and kept reaching with his right arm toward his ankle. I have never been so frightened in my life.

The EMT’s arrived and asked me how long the seizure lasted. Of course it seemed like hours, but I told them I thought it was about 2 or 3 minutes. I asked one of the EMT’s if she thought this was a stroke, and she said “We’ve had a lot of seizures today.” I thought ‘What the hell does that mean?’

They loaded John into the ambulance. I was so shaken up I didn’t think I could drive, so I called my brother, who lives a few minutes away. He came and took me to the emergency room.

By the time we arrived, John was fully conscious and knew where he was. He complained about his shoulder hurting, but nothing else. X-Rays showed that he had badly dislocated his right shoulder during the seizure. Everyone kept asking me if he fell, but he didn’t. It was the sheer force of the muscle contractions that caused the dislocation.

I called John’s sister and asked her to come to the hospital, and told my brother he could go home – I knew it would be better to have my sister-in-law wait with me than my brother. He is a wonderful guy who would do anything for me, but I needed another woman there, and especially the one other woman who loves John as much as I do.

As we waited in the ER for all the tests to be done, the weather got worse and worse. We had the TV on in the examination room and could see the strong storms and possible tornadoes moving straight toward us. Of course this only added to the anxiety of the evening, and when we heard on the PA system “Dr. Weather, Dr. Weather”, we knew the hospital was going into tornado mode. They shut the doors to all of the exam rooms and told us we couldn’t leave until the tornado warning passed. The tornado warning expired, and fortunately the storm brought nothing but heavy rain and wind.

The ER doctor came into the room and told us they still didn’t know what had caused the seizure. He said they usually look for brain tumors, but did a CT scan and it was clear. He said sometimes an arrhythmia of the heart can occur that deprives the brain of oxygen just long enough to cause a seizure. I was sure this was what had happened, and felt fortunate that all it caused was a seizure, and not a full-blown heart attack.

He told us they were going to sedate John to try to put his shoulder back in the socket, and that he would probably sleep through the night. They said he would be admitted after the procedure, so we might as well go home and rest. My sister-in-law, Beth, drove me home in the driving rain, and about 12:30 a.m. I fell into bed, but I couldn’t sleep.

I got up the next morning after only a few hours of rest and headed to the hospital. I found John in a room, and he told me that he was going to have to have surgery on his shoulder because they couldn’t get it back in the socket. A couple of hours later they took him down to pre-op, and one of the nurses suggested I go back to his room and lie down in his bed and get some rest. She told me to give the surgery desk my cell phone number, and they would call me when John was in recovery.

I had no more than shut my eyes when my cell phone rang. It was the surgery desk telling me to come down to talk to one of the doctors. I thought something had gone wrong with the surgery, and I rushed down there, my heart pounding.

They ushered me into a small room, and a doctor who I had never met walked in. She introduced herself and told me they had done an MRI last night, and found a tumor in John’s brain. She said it was most likely cancer, but would require a biopsy to confirm. She said it had the appearance of cancer. I asked if she was sure, and she said “Yes, I’m sorry”. I thought – ‘you’re sorry?’ I really knew nothing about brain cancer, and I honestly didn’t believe what she was saying. She continued to speak, but I have no idea what she said after that. As the information began to sink in, I started to cry, and she offered me a tissue. She asked if she could call anyone for me, and I said no. She said that John didn’t know, and that she would tell him once he had recovered from the anesthesia. She said I could stay in the room as long as I needed to, and she left. I sat there staring at the wall for I don’t know how long. Then I called my mother. After I told my mother, I called my sister-in-law.

When my sister-in-law arrived, we cried together for quite a while before going back down to the surgery floor to wait for the orthopedic surgeon to tell us we could go to the recovery room to see John. Finally, we were called into the very same conference room where I heard the news about the tumor, and the surgeon told us that the shoulder surgery had not gone well. He said the shoulder was broken in several places, and John would need a complete shoulder replacement. The shoulder replacement surgery was scheduled for later that afternoon.

John was taken back to his room sometime after 5:00 that evening, and I knew he still had no idea he had a brain tumor. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him – news like that needs to come from a doctor. I thought he would have lots of questions that only a doctor could answer. Since it was after 5:00 I was worried that the doctor would not tell him until the next day, and I didn’t know how I was going to spend the evening at the hospital with him, acting like all that was wrong with him was a broken shoulder. Finally at about 7:00, my sister-in-law, father-in-law and I went to get some dinner. I didn’t want to leave John, but I simply couldn’t be around him and not tell him the truth. While we were at dinner, the doctor called my cell phone. She said she had just told John about the tumor. As it turns out, the way it happened was really for the best. He was able to hear the news with just the doctor in the room, and could ask his questions without having to worry about everyone else’s reactions and feelings.

As soon as I heard he knew about the tumor I wanted to be with him. I rushed back to the hospital and walked into his room and said “Hi, how are you?” He said “Not good, I have a brain tumor.” I said “I know”, and kissed his cheek. ]]> JuliaL http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=111 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=110 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:50:29 GMT Machine work - lat rows, shoulder presses, chest presses Lap around - 2m 20s wind sprints 1 - 27.10s 2 - 25.12s Machine work - lat rows, shoulder presses, chest presses

Lap around - 2m 20s

wind sprints
1 - 27.10s
2 - 25.12s ]]> AuntRoni http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=110 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=109 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:51:06 GMT 06.16 - to the bridge - 2.47 06.23 - to the sp bump - 1.15 06.23 - across room dash - 0.32 06.16 - to the bridge - 2.47

06.23 - to the sp bump - 1.15
06.23 - across room dash - 0.32 ]]> AuntRoni http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=109 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=101 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:17:28 GMT Breakfast 1/2 wheat bagel 1 sl american chz veggie chicken patty ww cream cheese (1/2 Tbsp) sn Danactive cottage chz 1 c tropical fruit Breakfast
1/2 wheat bagel
1 sl american chz
veggie chicken patty
ww cream cheese (1/2 Tbsp)

sn
Danactive cottage chz
1 c tropical fruit

Lunch
tortilla
3 sl ham
1 sl american chz
1/2 cup raw slaw mix
1 Tbsp lite thousand island dressing

sn
mini carrots (approx 5)
20 almonds

Dinner
1 fajita burritto (tortilla, chicken, refried beans (1/4 cup), 1 tsp sour cream, 1 tsp salsa, 1/4 cup cheese)
1/2 cup spanish rice
1/2 cup refried beans ]]> AuntRoni http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=101 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=100 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:01:41 GMT Breakfast 1/2 wheat bagel 1 sl american chz veggie chicken patty mustard sn Danactive cottage chz 1 c tropical fruit Breakfast
1/2 wheat bagel
1 sl american chz
veggie chicken patty
mustard

sn
Danactive cottage chz
1 c tropical fruit

Lunch
salad {lettuce, carribean jerk chicken, tomatoes, 1T bacon bits, 1T olive oil}
1/2 c rice - broccoli augratin

sn
mini carrots (approx 5)
20 almonds

Dinner
pot roast
1 sm potato
3 carrots

late night munchies
2 reeces cups (160 cals!)
2 twizzler sticks ]]> AuntRoni http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=100 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=99 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:06:21 GMT Official start to the 4 month challenge! Menu Plan for the day: B - spicy veggie chicken patty, 1/2 wheat bagel, 1 sl american chz, mustard, coffee... Official start to the 4 month challenge!

Menu Plan for the day:

B - spicy veggie chicken patty, 1/2 wheat bagel, 1 sl american chz, mustard, coffee w/creamer

sn - Danactive cottage chz w/tropical fruit

L - salad [butter, red, and green lettuce, chicken (6-8 oz), 1 Tbsp bacon bits, 1Tbsp olive oil, carrots (4 mini carrots)], broccoli augratin rice (1/4 cup), peas & corn (1/4 cup), 1 sm plum

sn - snap peas & mini carrots, 1 Tbsp ranch dressing (for dipping), DETOX TEA!!!

D - pot roast w/beef, potatoes, carrots, onion ]]> AuntRoni http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=99 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=84 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:03:15 GMT *May 1 - 165* May 12 - 154.5 May 19 - 149.5 May 26 - 148 June 1 – 146 June 10 - 146.5 July 1 - 151 (after vacation) July 7 - 146.5 July 14 -... May 1 - 165
May 12 - 154.5
May 19 - 149.5
May 26 - 148
June 1 – 146
June 10 - 146.5
July 1 - 151 (after vacation)
July 7 - 146.5
July 14 - 142.5
July 21 – 141



My goal is GOAL of 130 by Sept 13th.

I was watching Oprah today (I think it was a rerun) with Dr. Oz. It was about aging and taking care of yourself, your true age type stuff based on your lifestyle. He asked the question - is what you do, your diet and exercise program - something that you force yourself into doing and fight with yourself constantly with, stuggle to accomplish?

He polled 100 people in the audience and in that 100, one was living below their true age, which was created by their lifestyle habits. She had lost 50 pounds, exercised daily doing something that she loved (walking for her) and ate a whole food style diet.

He said that until you answer no that you will always struggle with your health.

My answer was no too. I don't struggle anymore. Its not an internal fight to eat this way (exercise is starting to not be that way too but not quite there yet). I think this is a first in my life with food. Until I started eating whole foods and only those without labels I never found my nitch, my fortay so to speak. My instinct. I never found peace and what comes natural.

I feared "goal" because it was something that I knew in my heart that I could never maintain. I could lose the weight eating the way I was but I knew that I could not do that for the rest of my life and therefore keep it off. Iknew it was going to be a struggle the rest of my life.

That has totally changed now. I know that if I keep doing what feels so natural to me, eating food that God created, that I will not only make goal but I will be able to maintain it for a long long time.

I found peace with food - finally - after 7 years of dieting and trying to lose the same 35 pounds over and over. ]]> tenabodena http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=84 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=76 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:06:45 GMT This is just to firmly and publically post my goal -

I want to be in the 70's by my 30th bday (Nov)

To do this I MUST:
1 - EXERCISE!!
2 - Make good food choices
3 - Remember that it's about health

Here I Go!!!!! ]]> AuntRoni http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=76 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=73 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:55:49 GMT I've adapted this from a 30 minute workout I got in a link from a sparkpeople email. I'll let you know how it goes:

Warmup/Stretch on my own for about 4 min

Circuit (hopefully I can repeat this twice):
	Rebound 100 jumps
	Push-ups with Swiss ball 12 reps
	Elbow to knee crunch 12 each side
	Body weight squats 25x
	Step-ups 30 seconds
	Plank hold 30 seconds
	Hamstring flexion with Swiss ball 12 reps
	Triceps kick back 12 reps
	Prone row external rotation 12 reps
	Wall sit with biceps curl 12 reps
	Abductors with resistance band 45 degrees 12 reps
	Rebound 100 jumps

Stretch for 5 minutes or so


Well, I just did it for the first time. Great one!! I did some health bouncing and light jogging on the rebounder, then stretched a bit to warm up. Then I did the circuit through twice. Some changes I made: I added in a second set of hamstring flexion with each circuit, right after the first, but lifting butt off of floor. Also, the rowing was too awkward for me, so I switched to regular double bent over row. After the last circuit (I did the last rebounding lighter to cool down), I did some yoga-y stretches...took me about 36 minutes altogether. Will do again soon! ]]> AdminMeg http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=73 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=39 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:52:41 GMT May 12 - 154.5 June 10 - 146.5 Grand total lost to date: 18.5 Bouncey bounce bounce as usual. May 12 - 154.5
June 10 - 146.5

Grand total lost to date: 18.5

Bouncey bounce bounce as usual. ]]> tenabodena http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=39 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=34 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:45:01 GMT

Its hard to believe that its been 28 days since I had a margarita. LOL!

I've learned a few things....reflecting on the last 28 days. Its been 2-3 years since I've had a good run. I have realized....

~ Food does have an emotional attachment for me, it doesn't have too, but I run to carbs when I want to feel better, for whatever reason. I'd like to say that I have broken this habit, and maybe I have to some extent, but the urge is still there and at times, I still white knuckle it to get past reaching for them. And so far, to date, that urge has not left me. Not sure if it ever will if I am honest with myself.
~ Whole all natural foods make me feel physically and mentally better. More clear headed, less moody, less "swings".
~ Consistancy matters. No one said life is easy. Like my BIL battles his demons with drinking, I battle mine with sugar. And "just one" does matter. It will set off a disasterous chain of events in the same manner for me, that it will for any addict.
~ Wine, while "dieting" will not kill my food goals. I am such a all or nothing person and in the past dieting/getting back on plan meant no alcohol. I decided this time to do "moderate" and it worked. Go figure. I even upped my daily allowance/rules/restrictions for carbs too. Moderate levels. Who knew that I could handle moderate. I can happily lose weight with my pendalum swinging in the middle, not stuck on either side.
~ My weight bounces like one of those super high bouncing jelly balls we all used to play with when we were kids. I go down and up 2-3 pounds for no reason. I have learned to accept that and not let the swings send me into a tailspin of eating crap. A "rise" on the scale does not make it ok to eat crap.
~ Speaking of, excuses. I have realized that I have a ton of them in my head. From trajic events in my life to day to day stress and plain old life. I can justify almost anything. I think the mental carity that I posted earlier has given me this acknowledgement.
~ I, in no way whatsoever, have "arrived in easy land." This has not become something that is easy because I have some time under my belt. I battle, I fight, I struggle, lots and lots of time big time. I am positive that this will continue to be the way it is.
~ I admitted to myself and others that I am super lazy when it comes to food. Ridiculously lazy! Planning ahead and having foods prepared has been a great secret to my success. "I don't feel like cooking" was a huge excuse for me. "I didn't bring my lunch" was #2 on the list. "I am too tired" was #3. I now have lots of choices in my frig and freezer for those times. I can grab something at any time, no matter how I feel.

I think that is all of my reflections.

Onward and downward for the next 28 days. I was talking with my bf, the yoga teacher, the other day about going out of town next weekend and staying on plan. She said that I should eat instinctively and not put so much pressure on what could happen or might happen or whatever. Eat the way that I want, that makes me feel best, and stop making a big deal out of it.

Simple huh......yeah right! Like I said, I have not arrived on the boat. :D I am still standing on the gangplank.




Tomorrow I'll weigh-in officially for 4 weeks....bouncey bounce bounce. ]]> tenabodena http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=34 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=23 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:47:19 GMT May 12 - 154.5 May 19 - 149.5 May 26 - 148 June 2 - 146.5 May 12 - 154.5
May 19 - 149.5
May 26 - 148
June 2 - 146.5 ]]> tenabodena http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=23 http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=20 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:30:19 GMT Just thought I'd set this up for my record keeping....

May 1st 2007 - All time high - 165 pounds
May 12 weighed 154.5
Ate 30 carbs and under. Total lost was 8.5 pounds.
June 1st weighed 146 for a grand total of 19 pounds down.
June 1st - July 1st, the plan is to shoot for 40 carbs and under. Upping my carbs and walking up the carb ladder.



]]> tenabodena http://makeupchatter.com/boards/blog.php?b=20