Shannon's Wish Journal-I'll Never Give Up!

[DisnyMama]

Last week my DS (14) and I joined WW again for the 3rd time in 4 years. We know the program well. Ten years ago I lost a great deal of weight but I was not able to maintain that weight due to life disturbances such as divorce and moving from one place to another. Hey, at least I still have the same job (knock on wood). :thumbsup2 So here I am 42 years old and desperately needing to loose a good majority of this weight. It's interesting how different your body handles weight as you get older. I am on "2" different medications for high blood pressure and I take a medication daily for acid reflux, all due to my weight issues. I also take Hypothyroid medication but that has never been the reason for me being so overweight. It's the food. Thank goodness I quit smoking a few years back because I would feel absolutely awful now. It's hard enough to catch my breath sometimes walking upstairs. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I still smoked. For me personally at least 20 pounds that I gained in the last 3 years can be atributed from when I quit. However, I do agree with my doctor that in the long run health wise I am better to have gained 20 pounds that I can loose than to have continued to smoke. My other big problem has been that we are fast food junkies. I am not much of a cook, trust me, I try, but my meals just aren't that great. I am a better baker. The next best thing for us is Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones. I am cooking simple low cal, low fat, Point Wise meals on the weekends for some variety ( I can handle that) :cheer2: but with the distance that I travel for work we need to be able to get dinner on the table in a short amount of time. The other big problem though is I have more points per day to eat than my DS. Poor kid! Today was tough but he also realized how much junk he has been eating just out of boredom. He had his breakfast and his lunch and we were watching movies this afternoon and he started complaining that he was hungry which normally he would be munching during the movie. He new he only had enough points for dinner and his desert later and he did not want to mess that up. Here is the sucky part. I had enough points for dinner and desert and I had enough points to have a snack during the movie. I didn't dare!!! :furious: That would have been too mean to do that to him. I wish I could have given him my points but I couldn't. In fact, do to this same problem, some nights I end up going to bed without using all of my points for the day because it's not fair to him. I know, I know what you are probably going to say and that I need to use more of my points earlier in the day or spread them out more so he won't notice. This is true and I'll figure it out and he knows this is only temporary because as I loose my point allowance will lessen. My goals for needing and wanting to loose weight are so that I can fit into an airline seat and not have to have the arm raised between me and DS to accomodate my big ol hips and thighs. The same situation just so I can fit into chairs wherever I go. Right now I can't take DS to his favorite baseball teams games, Angels, for fear that I will not fit into the seats (how sad and we used to go all the time). I want to be able to get through the turnstyles (I have trouble even going through sideways) at Disneyland & WDW. Also, fitting my bottom half on some of the rides at Disneyland & WDW. September is Disneylands Inaugural 1/2 marathon. While it will not be possible for me to be ready for a 1/2 marathon they are going to have a 5K the day before on Saturday which DS and I are looking to participate in. I have been a regular visitor hear to the W.I.S.H. for a few years and have enjoyed reading so many of your journals. It is finally time for me to join in and start one for my self. I hope with all your encouregement and support together we can achieve success. All comments and suggestions are welcome. :woohoo: :wave:

[disneydude91]

I am not much of a cook, trust me, I try, but my meals just aren't that great. I am a better baker. The next best thing for us is Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones.

Dear mom,
Good luck with your goal. I know you will achieve it and I will be behind you all the way. I love you more than you could possibly understand.

P.S.
Your cooking is great don't change a thing about it. Except stop putting pepper on my meat! Thx!

[AmyBeth68]

:grouphug: GOOD LUCK Shannon!!!! We'll be here to support you 100%. I know you can reach your goals and feel better which is what this is all about.

And please keep in mind one thing....you are quite obviously a GREAT GREAT mom and you clearly raised a great kid!! I'm so ready to cheer you guys on!!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Have you looked into any training plans for the 5K? If not, I'd like to suggest either the "couch to 5K program" which I believe is on coolrunning.com or the program I've been using by Jeffgalloway.com. Both programs start off slow and steady and have you walk a lot to get your legs used to the distance.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! :woohoo:

[DisnyMama]

To my crazy DS, Disneydude91- thanks honey! I love you!! :love: I will try to remember about the pepper. We've done really well this week. I am very proud of you. :cheer2:
Love mom

[DisnyMama]

Hi AmyBeth68! Thank you for your kind words and encouregement. I am looking forward to chatting with some of my fellow Dis'rs. The 5K training sounds like a great idea and I plan to look into it. Thank you. :thanks:


I hope everyones having a great Sunday!
Today was a good day. We didn't do to much as Sunday's I don;t usually get out of my pajamas. I like to lounge all day but tomorrow is DS's 15th Birthday and my DSIS and family is coming over for dinner after work and school so we had to get the house cleaned up and I cooked baby back ribs for everyone and will just reheat them when we get home. Oh my gosh, they are the best ribs I have ever made!!! :woohoo: (DS and I tasted just one rib to test) and yes we took into account points value. 9:30 p.m. and everythings done and working on my journal and checking out the DIS board like I do nightly before I go to bed while I watch the rest of Desparate Housewives and Greys Anatomy. Todays food:

2 mini bagels w/ cream cheese 5 pts
LC Pizza 7 pts
applesauce 1 pt
chicken w/scalloped potatoes 9 pts
LC chocolate cake 3 pts
Go Tart 3 pts Total : 28 (4 remaining)

I have already figured out the points value for the ribs for tomorrow night. We will be having mashed potatoes and corn along with it. Luckily for me but not for DS as he is having a Baskin Robins ice cream cake for his Birthday. I am not a fan of ice cream or ice cream cakes. I realize I am in the minority here but at least I will not have to worry about eating much of it.
Have a great night,
Shannon

[keenercam]

Hey, Shannon! So great to see you here. And congrats to your awesome DS for undertaking this healthy eating plan. WW really is the best. We will have to compare notes as we go along. I got DD17 to join WW with me 2 weeks ago tomorrow and she saw great progress the first week. It is really important for teens to learn good eating habits before they go off to college, so kudos to you and disneydude91!

Oh, and disneydude91 -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! :cake:

[eeyore25]

Hi There Shannon!!! Welcome to WISH!!!

Congrats to both you and your DS for taking this journey together....that is great!!!

You plan for today with the ribs sounds good....you both can do this!! Keep up the good work.

Happy Birthday Disneydude91 !!! :bday:

[DisnyMama]

Thanks Cam for coming to visit me. I am so exited to be here-finally! :thumbsup2 I totally agree about WW. Tonight when my DSIS came over she was showing me a weight loss plan for some place that she just started going to that a bunch of ladies from her kids school have had alot of success with. I looked at the plan and it basically has no flour or sugar type products and very low in carbs. It works some how with the glycemic index?? :confused3 She was telling me that if you eat one type of food you have to eat another with it for the plan to work. All I saw was deprivation, deprivation, deprivation. :sad2: Not for me. I need my chocolate and my carbs from time to time but in moderation. I need to teach myself to control my eating habits and choose healthier options and know when to stop. That plan will not teach me that but WW will. DS is doing great. I am really proud of him. He had an ice cream cake tonight for his B-Day saved most of his points all day for dinner tonight. He had a few ribs and corn but that was it. He had a slice of cake and then after the family left there was about 2 slices left and he didn't want it left in the house after today so the decision was made that he could have another slice since he has not touched any of his FP's all week and he works out hard at school with weight lifting class 1st period, track team (shot putt/discus) and walks home from school everyday(uphill) so he he could afford this one indulgence then the rest we threw away. I did well, just had a couple strawberry bars at work today at 3 pts each so I could have 3 ribs, 1 spoonful of garlic mashed potatoes, 1 talespoon of leftover scalloped potatoes, 1 spoonful of corn. I then had 1 small slice of ice cream cake that I did not finish. Oh, earlier, I had 2 chips dipped in french onion dip and 3 medium shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce. I have no idea how many points I consumed total but I think that I am ok. Tomorrow is our first weigh in. Everyone have a great night and a wonderful Tuesday.
Shannon

P.S. To Cam and Eeyore25- DS (DisneyDude91 wanted me to tell you both thank you very much for wishing him a happy birthday) pirate:

[eeyore25]

Hi there Shannon,

so glad that your DS birthday went well. And you both did great with the eating!!!! That is awesome!!!

Keep up the good work...both of you. You two are doing a great job!!!

Happy Tuesday :)

[keenercam]

Shannon -- so glad you guys had fun last night. It sounds like you were both very conscious and conscientious about what you were eating, and I think that is the HUGEST accomplishment. And I agree with you on why WW is the right choice -- it teaches us how to eat in real-life situations: how to make good choices and portion control. It also teaches us that if we want a treat, we have to cut back on other foods that day.

I hope your weigh in goes great tonight. Sounds like we will be on the same schedule, so I am really looking forward to providing encouragement to each other and sharing notes.

Have a great day and evening! :grouphug:

[goldcupmom]

Welcome Shannon & Disneydude! My DD is a 1991 kid, too!

I'm also a WW person, struggling, but it works if I do! :thumbsup2

Glad you two can do this together!

Have a great week!

[DisnyMama]

Thanks Cam and Eeyore! I really appreciate you guys very much. :cheer2:


Well, no WW meeting tonight for our WI. We both forgot that DS had a big district Track Meet at the local community college with all of the district high schools so we are going to tomorrow nights meeting but will be back on our Tuesday night schedule next week. DS didn't get home till almost 9:00 p.m. tonight so we had a late dinner. Luckily LC's heat up really quick. Here is todays food for me:

Banana nut muffin 3 pts
Go TArt 3 pts
Applesauce 1 pt
Shrimp cocktail 4 pts
1 lowfat choc. chip cookie 1 pt
LC Pannini 6 pts
FF bbq potato chips 1 pt
1 smart ones key lime pie 4 points
3 low fat choc. chip cookies 3 pts total points used=26 (remaining 6)

It just got to late to use all my points and I was too busy earlier in the day to eat more than the muffin, go tart and applesauce. I had the shrimp cocktail when I got home from work because I was really hungry and to hold me over till dinner not knowing when DS would be getting home so we could eat together and talk about the day-this is our little family time since he would need to work on homework after dinner. I really need to get my behind in gear and get moving. My brain wants to excercise but my body doesn't want to and yet I know that once I get started it will become a habit that I will have to do every day.

Happy Hump Day to All!!
Shannon

[DisnyMama]

Thanks Goldcupmom for stopping by. I totally agree that if you work the program it will work for you. This is my third go round with WW and from past experiences I found this to be true.

I think the more support we have the better chance we will have at success.

Take care,
Shannon :thumbsup2

[eeyore25]

Hi there,

Just wanted to stop in and WISH you and your DS a great day!!! You both are doing a great job! The exercise will come.....

Keep up the good work! Have a great day!!!

[DisnyMama]

Today was WI day and we both did really well. DS lost 5.8 and I lost 4.6 our first week. What a great motivator. Being here on the W.I.S.H. is also a great help also.

Thank you Eeyore! :thumbsup2 Taking the time to visit means alot.

I'm not goint to journal todays food because I am absolutely exhausted and I want to visit a few journals before I go to bed but I will say I went over by 1 point today. I get 32 points and I hit 33 but I will just use a FP. Besides, all last week I never even used all my points so I am not even going to feel guilty about it. Well, that's it for today. I hope everyone has a great Thursday.

Shannon :cool1:

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon!
:welcome: to WISH! We are so glad that you and your DS are joining us here. party: You will find a lot of encouragement and support here. ::yes::

You and your DS are doing a great job! Keep up the good work! :cheer2:

Have a great Thursday! :sunny:

[eeyore25]

Congrats to both you and your DS for the loss!!!!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: (not sure why, but this guy's my favorite!)

You both are doing such an amazing job!!!! Keep it up!!!!

Happy Thursday :)

[keenercam]

Shannon -- Congrats to you and DS for doing so well at WI! :banana: Keep up the awesome work.

Now, I don't know whether you want advice or not, but if you don't just skip the rest of my entry and enjoy the :goodvibes: and :grouphug: I am sending on your WI.

IF you want advice -- It looks like your food on Tuesday might not have had enough nutritional value or "fuel" value for you and you may find that you are hungry more often. I'd suggest adding some protein to all meals and some good carbs, as well as more fruits and veggies.

Keep up the great work!

[eeyore25]

Hi there,

Just wanted to pop in and say hi :wave: to both you and your DS.

Hope you both are having a great day!

Keep up the great work!!!
Hapy Friday!

[DisnyMama]

Welcome toystoryduo for stopping by my journal. Thank you for your support for DS and I. Great to here from you Eeyore25 and hope you had a great day! Cam, I appreciate any advice I get. I know that I don't eat the way I should even though I am within my points range. DS is doing better with veggies than I am. It's something I have to work on forcing my self to do. I tend to want foods that only taste good to me and that are not going to give me more bang for my buck. I know I need to change this so I will get more protein and better carbs to keep me going through the day. Unfortunately this is not going to happen overnight. Until then my journal remains similar to the days before. Oh, DS is spending the weekend at a friends house and we talked about choices and portion sizes and....... He has been so strict with himself about staying within his daily points and not wanting to use any of the FP. Well, he called me this evening and asked me to mark off all of his FP's because they had pizza and he just went ahead and enjoyed himself and knows he blew it today and must have used the whole lot. I know when he gets home Sunday afternoon he is going to be upset with himself but there is nothing I can do about it. This will just have to be one of those life lessons that he will have to live and learn and do better on Monday.

Todays food for me:
2 mini bagels w/cream cheese 5 pts
1 tuna sandwich w/ff bbq chips 9 pts
3 lf choc chip cookies 3 pts
LC Pizza 7 pts
Smart Ones Key Lime pie 4 pts
Total 28

The tough part is on Friday and Saturday nights I like to stay up really late on the DIS board and the later I am up the munchies kick in during the night. What I will do is have a Cafe D'Vita 1pt mocha cappuchino if this happens. I love this stuff that I found at Costco. I am a huge Starbucks cafe latte lover (nonfat of course) but due to time and cost I hardly ever indulge but when I found the mocha cappuchino mix at costco I was in love and it's decaf which I had to give up a couple of years ago due to heart palps. Ok, well I'm off to visit the boards. Have a great Saturday everyone!!!

Shannon :banana:

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon,

Stopping by to WISH you a wonderful weekend ahead. :goodvibes Keep up the good work and remember.... baby steps are the key! :cheer2:

[CACruisin']

Hi Shannon. I just read your journal and I wanted to say that I think it is awesome that you and your son are doing this together! Congrats on an excellent first week WI also! Keep up the good work. :banana:

One of my best friends from college grew up in Canyon Country. Beautiful area!

[AmyBeth68]

Hi Shannon,

Stopping by to wish you a Great week!! :sunny: I hope your DS had a fun weekend! And remind him that this is a process.....not to give up because of one slip-up! He should celebrate the victories and move past the mistakes quickly!!!

Good luck to you both this week. :grouphug:

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon

Hope you and DS had a good weekend! You have a good plan for the munchies while DISing!!!

Be sure to tell your son if he was upset over the pizza that it's all good....today is a new day and he can start over. You both are doing a great job!!!

Keep up the great work you two!

Happy Monday :)

[DisnyMama]

Hi Eeyore25-Hope you had a great weekend! I did pretty good except for Sunday but I'm back on plan today. One big progression for me is to be able to get back on the wagon after falling off and not letting it get me down and blow my program all together. I feel really good today after my Sunday slip but I am ok about it. I am really proud of DS too.. after his weekend he got right back into it today also. :thumbsup2 Thank you for your support. It gets me through each day knowing that people like you are here to back us up.

Hi CACruisin'-Thank you so much for stopping in to visit my journal and offer your support. I love Canyon Country and just finally moved here from Chatsworth a year ago. I went from a "1" minute to a "60" minute commute to work but it was worth it.

Hi Amybeth68-Thank you for stopping by and for your support. That is why I came to the W.I.S.H. because I knew that there were really wonderful people like you folks here and that we all know what this process is about.

Even though I did not post over the weekend I did add a little more in the way of fruits and vegetables to my meals. Also, a little bit of protein here and there. I still have a huge, huge issue with my sweet tooth and carbs and I tend to use more points for these foods but I am working on this. It is going to take me some time as I can't change everything overnight. I know I can do this because I quit smoking just a few years ago and that was really tough. I thought I would never get past that hurdle but with the help of my doctor and Welbutrin I made it. However, in my case I think this is more difficult than quitting smoking. But, like my Journal reads-I'll never Give Up! :thumbsup2 I can't because my health and well being depend on it. I need to get off some of this medication. Ok, for todays food:

2 mini bagels w/ff cream cheese 4 pts
Turkey sandwich w/ ff bbq chips 5 pts
Skinnycow icecream sandwich 2 pts
applesauce 1 pt
LC Panini w/ BBQ ff chips 7 pts
Smart Ones Cheesecake 3 pts

I know I have pts left over but I am going to give them up due to Sunday and because tomorrow is WI. It may not make a difference and there may not be any loss or I hope no gain as I never know with my body but all I can do is hope for the best. I'll write back tomorrow night.

Have a great Tuesday!
Shannon :wave2:

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon~

You are doing a great job! :cheer2: Hope weigh-in goes well for you tomorrow. :goodvibes

Have a great Tuesday! :sunny:

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon!!!

You are doing a great job! I think there was something in the air on Sunday!!!!

Hope your WI goes well tomorrow!!!
Keep it up!

Happy Tuesday :)

[CACruisin']

Hi Shannon,

Great job getting back on track! There was definitely something in the air on Sunday for me too :rolleyes2 The fact that I know I have WISH here for me has been great though.

You have been really doing well. :cheer2: Good Luck with your WI tomorrow and have a great Tuesday!

[keenercam]

Hi, Shannon!
Your food journal looks so great for the past few entries. So many more "real food" points that will give you fuel. Hopefully you are feeling so great and proud of what you are accomplishing.
I hope your DS was able to get right back on track after treating himself to pizza. That is always a hard skill to incorporate and we all go through that struggle.
I hope weigh in goes well for both of you.
Have a great night!
:hug:

[DisnyMama]

Hi there Toystoryduo, Eeyore25 and CACruisin'!! Glad to here from you all today. I'm glad it wasn't just me on Sunday even though I would never wish "misery loves company" on anyone else-if ya no what I mean. We want to go to the Tuesday evening WW meetings because we like the meeting leader so much better than Wed. night but last week and this week we have to go Wed. due to schedule conflicts but next week we plan to go back to Tues. night WI's. Thanks you guys for being here with me. Take care and have a great day tomorrow.

Hi Cam! I hope to read all about the "Minnie" on your journal soon-I look forward to it. DS is doing GREAT after his weekend of indulgence at his friends house. Social situations can be really tough. I have been watching how you deal with them for quite a while and I truly believe that you have to plan ahead as much as possible. I tried to do that with him before he left - help him with options if they went out to eat (which they always do), discuss the portion sizes....... But, for a teenage boy I understand how difficult that must have been. I am very proud of him though for getting right back into his program the moment he came back home. I hope your WI was positive. Have a great Wednesday.

Another Good day today except I am going on day 5 of a recurring Migraine that is really messing with me. Food journal for today:

Cereal w/ skim milk 4 pts
banana nut muffin 3 pts
turkey sandwich w/ff bbq chips 5 pts
go tart 3 pts
applesauce 1 pts
SmartOnes meatloaf 5 pts
Corn 2 pts
smart ones keylime pie 4 pts

I have to be honest here, I still haven't began any excercise yet. Need to get my lazy &%#@ off the couch and out the door!!! :rotfl: I know that my weight loss will really kick in if I get moving because it always has in the past. My body responds well to excercise but it's just getting me to do it that's the challenge. My initital plan when I started was to just get my eating under control for the 1st two weeks then add the excercise. Ok, now I'm at two weeks. Time to get moving!!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!! :cheer2:
Shannon

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon,

It sounds like you are doing a great job! I do hope that your migraine goes away. I've had a few of those in my lifetime and they are not fun. :sad2: Hope you are feeling better soon! :goodvibes

The exercise will come.... Just remember, baby steps are the key.Maybe set a goal for yourself that you will take a 15 minute walk after dinner. You can even have your DS join you and talk about the day! That will make time go by even faster! :thumbsup2

You are doing a great job, Shannon! Keep up the good work! :cheer2:

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon,

Tracy is right, baby steps are the key...the exercise will come. That is a great idea to get out after dinner with DS and walk and talk about the day!!!

Keep up the good work! You are doing great!

Happy Wednesday!

[DisnyMama]

Hey Tracy and Jamie! :wave: Happy to hear from you guys. You are right about the baby steps. Taking a walk with DS after dinner is exactly what I have in mind (just as soon as my mind gets up off the couch) :rotfl2: I can't believe I just laughed about something since I am having a pretty tough night tonight. I lost my job today after 10 1/2 years. I'm still in shock.
I tear up just typing about it so here's my food journal for today:

Toast with just a scrape of margerine and jelly 6 pts
1/ cup of pears 1 pt
turkey sandwich w/ BBQ ff chips 5 pts
Go Tart 3 pts
1/2 LC Panini w/BBQ ff chips 4 pts
Mickey cookie 4 pts

Not much of an appetite today. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you about our WI tonight. It went really well for both DS and I. DS lost 1.6 and I lost 4.2. :cheer2: Yeah, something to get excited about.

I'll talk to ya all tomorrow night. Have a Happy Thursday!
Shannon :yay:

[disneydude91]

Good job mama! I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiis much!

[toystoryduo]

Oh Shannon,

First of all, I want to give you a gentle :hug: . I am so sorry to hear about your job. :( Did they give you a reason why? I am so very sorry. :hug:

Congratulations to you and your DS on your respective weight losses! :cheer2: Keep up the good work!

Please be sure and take extra special, good care of you this weekend. :hug:

[CACruisin']

Shannon, I am so sorry about your job :grouphug: Here's prayers and pixie dust :wizard: that opportunity will "open a window" for you.

Congrats on your WI loss!! Way to go!!! :cheer2: :banana: :cheer2: :banana: :cheer2:

Thank you so much for stopping by my journal. I really appreciate it. :goodvibes

Take care of yourself this weekend!

[DisnyMama]

Hi Anna and Tracy. Thanks for the hugs and support. The company I worked for was family owned and I had been there since 9/95. I had always gotten along really, really well with the owner and he treated me pretty well. Over the past 5 years his son and daughter graduated college and came to work at the company. I have/had been the manager of the consumer support/retail division since 1997. He is real big on loyalty and as long as you are 100% loyal and I mean to the point of being a kiss &@* you are well liked by him. Two years ago his daugter took my department and separated it from the company and made it a company on it's own. Gave it a different name, tried to change everything to the new name. There are six of us that work in the department that got screwed. We had to go with a lesser medical and dental plan because we were no longer part of a company with alot of employees, and no longer had a 401K. However they still looked at us as still part of the big company when it came to rules and everything else. The change was just done for bookeeping purposes but we got screwed. The daughter keeps telling me we are no longer "A company" and that we are "B company"....but, our orders, checks, bills, even the checking account is listed as dba of the original company. Ok this is just the back story. They new we were not happy and her and I have never really hit it off and I have always had the feeling that she has wanted me out of there so she can move someone else in that she can pay less because she is very, very cheap. She has already done this in other areas of the other company. Now move forward to last October, we had a flood in our bathroom which flooded the entire office area. The carpet remained soaking wet for over a month. I reported it to the owner and they just rented a carpet cleaner 3 different times over the course of a month to try to get rid of the smell and dampness and nothing worked. The carpet was growing mildew under some of the desks and under the plastic chair pads at all the desks. I took pictures of all the white meldew spots that were all over the place. Anyway, In November the Operations manager at "A company" who was my immediate supervisor calls me and says that they got a call from CAL OSHA that someone in my department reported wet, smelly, moldy carpet for over a month and the company was doing nothing about it and that it was causing this person to have headaches. She tells me that the owner thinks I reported it because of my problem with migraines. I tell her that it wasn't me and she is just letting me know that know matter what he (owner) thinks it is me and I tell her again, I swear I did not contact them but she is letting me know in a round about way that even though she believes me that he will still think I did it and see me as disloyal. And, she was right. He began treating me differently and I knew I was sunk. Also, I knew that she would never admit to anyone to telling me what she knew to protect her job. Now we move to March 17. I missed a couple days of work a few days prior due to a migraine which they have in my file a doctors note stating that I am under a doctors care for the treatment of migraines. The daughter wrote me up stating that I had hardly worked at all since the 1st of the year (she says how many days, I have to get a copy) but I was off work from 12/26 through 1/9 due to Hypertension (I had to see a doctor while we were at WDW on 12/16 who told me to see my doctor when I returned home in which I did on 1/9. My doctor then put me on disability til 2/26 for Hypertension, stress and anxiety. He has been telling me for a couple of years that I need to find a new job. So basically the write up is repremanding me for all the time I missed while I was on disability. I faxed them doctors notes while I was gone and I know they got them. The write up stated that I was to not have any incidences of abscences for the next 30 days and then basically this would be a closed matter. Now you must know that this is the 1st time I have ever been issued anykind of write up. I have never been verbally warned, talked to or anything prior to this-ever. Ok, Thurs. 5/4 I begin the 1st day of a really bad migraine and I call in to both locations at 6:00 am just like I have always done for 10 years, again on Friday. I don't here anything from work. The problem with these headaches is they are the worse during the night and morning and they ease up in the late evening. I went through this all weekend with the nausea also. Monday and Tuesday the same then on Wednesday I recieve my termination by overnight courier. I have just realized that I possibly should have been offered FMLA leave but they probably would have tried to argue that we only have 6 employees but I feel that there are too many ties to the "A company" that has over 100 employees that should qualify us. The daughter stated that I was being terminated for failure to perform my work at an acceptable level. This is so untrue. My work has always been topnotch and exceptional. I have excellent customer service skills and as of that last Thursday all my work was up to date. My annual reviews have always been very, very positive. She doesn't even work in the same building or know what I do. She has never seen any of my work. She also states that I did not attempt to contact her to report my absences which demonstrates a lack of concern for my job. 1st. I have never been told that I had to contact her when I was going to be out-EVER. The procedure has always been for the last 10 years was to call in to Sherrie and then call your own department which I did. This entails me calling two different phone numbers. I have called the phone company and although they are not long distance they are zone 3 which is local toll but I have that zone included in my phone plan so we do not have to pay extra for those calls due to DS calling his friend. They are trying to get me a record of those dates but they can't promise that they can do this for me. I sure hope so because I definately want to be able to prove to that woman that I did indeed call and do have concern for my job. I feel that she needed to make up more substance than just absences to terminate me. Considering that I had never been written up before and that was my 1st write up was basically due to being on disability and considering how long I have been with the company I just can't believe that they let me go so quickly and yet I do believe it because I think they have wanted me gone for a while. What gets me is I have written up one of the ladies in my department at least 4 times due to substandard work and attitude. She was also issued a written warning directly from HR for opening someone elses personal mail. I wanted her gone years ago and they would not let me because they said we have to see if she does something again and if she does then we write her up again and if she does it again then we can let her go. Then I just don't get it- how could they just let me go like this? I'm sorry, I am just rambling. I have been really, really upset. This kind of feels like a divorce and it is devastating. I know I will get through and thank goodness I have someplace to vent.
Regardless, I am doing well food wise-if you call having a lack of appetite for most of the day doing well. Here is todays food journal:

No breakfast-not hungry.
Grilled cheese w/ff bbq chips 6 pts
Go Tart 3 pts
LC Chicken Carbonara 6 pts
3 Mustateers bar 6 pts
1/2 Mounds bar 3 pts

I have 7 pts left.

Thanks for listening to my rambling and have a Nice Saturday. If I don't speak to any of you till next week, Please have a very Happy Mothers Day!
Shannon

[CACruisin']

Ramble away. It is definitely ok. :grouphug: Sounds like a bad deal all around at work. It might be worth it to talk to an employment attorney...

Great job on the food side too, especially with all you are going through! :cheer2:

Have a wonderful Mother's Day with your wonderful son! ::yes::

[DisnyMama]

Hi Anna, Thanks for your support and well wishes. I have a bunch of notes written all over the place as I think about things that have happened since October. A few months ago when I got a bad feeling about things I started making photo copies of stuff that showed how company "B" was still tied to company "A" along with the pictures of the mildew, etc. However, I have always kept a very low profile at work. I have never made complaints to my superiors about anything except when something breaks or needs to be replaced. I just came to work and did my job and seeing as my department was the only one off sight, down the street from the main bldg. we were able to work without any other supervision other than myself in which I always did a really good job keeping everything in check. However, the owners daugher all of a sudden after the 1st of the year started making major changes that wood take our business in a whole new direction but was not telling me. I would find things out from customers by accident. I am now getting the feeling that she has been planning on making a complete change all along without me in the picture which includes new computers that they have been stalling to put in. They purchased months ago the most update mail order version of our mail order software but have not installed it. How I found this out is when I called tech support to help me with a problem and they thought I was using 5.4 and we were still using 4.3. Oh well, anyway-I have been thinking of contacting an employment attorney. Here's the funny thing, the last 3 people they terminated all sued the company for wrongful termination and received pretty good settlements. These people have a history of doing this kind of crap. I have never, ever been the law-suit happy type but this was almost 11 years that I worked for them and I just don't feel I was treated fairly. Ok, enough therapy for today.

To what's really important-my food journal for today....

Mini bagels with cream cheese 5 pts
steakw/noodles & green beans 12 pts
mocha cappuchino 1 pt

Thats it for today. Just not really hungry. My DS wanted to take me to Applebees for Mother's Day but I don't want him spending all his money. What I really, really want is a Carls Jr. Western bacon cheeseburger which I will alot for point wise tomorrow and won't be so hard on his wallet.

Happy Mother's Day to All!!
Shannon

[CACruisin']

Thanks for the Mother's Day wishes in my journal. :teeth: I hope you had a great day with your son. Love the Western Bacon, but my favorite is In & Out cheeseburger & fries! When I was pregnant with my first DD, I had salt restrictions for the last 2 months (blood pressure issues). All I wanted after she was born was that burger and fries! :rotfl2:

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon,

First off I am so sorry to hear about your job..... :grouphug: Does not really seem like they can fire you for being out on disabilty.....Keep your head up and I hope that the phone company can pull the records.

Second, congrats to both you and DS for the WI - loss!!! :banana: :banana: :banana: :cheer2:

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day :)

Happy Monday

[DisnyMama]

Jamie and Anna, Thanks for the Mother's day wishes and support. I had a really nice Mother's Day. DS got me two very pretty roses and Faith Hill's "FireFlies" Cd that I have been wanting. I really love that song. I'm a very luck mom to have such a great son. The Western Bacon Cheeseburger was out of this world but I had other stuff throughout the day. Not really offensive, just not good. However, one of the best lessons that I have learned is forgiveness by just moving on the next day and also by taking each day one day at a time. I can't look at my wait loss in the future because it would just be too daunting. I am looking at it as 10 pounds at a time. Today I did well point wise but my choices were awful. You know what it's like when your head is not with it.

Today:
2 mini bagels w/ cream cheese 5 pts.
ice cream sandwich 3 pts
l/c pizza 7 pts
smart ones key lime pie 4 pts
3 low fat choc. chip cookies 3 pts

See ya back here tomorrow night and have a Happy Tuesday!! :bounce:
Shannon

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon,

I'm glad to hear that you had a good Mother's Day! :goodvibes

You are doing a great job! :cheer2: I think it's a great idea to focus on your mini-weight loss goals! Be sure and plan rewards for yourself for each goal that you accomplish.

Have a great day, Shannon! :sunny: Keep on keeping on! :cheer2:

[DisnyMama]

Tracy, thanks for your encouregment and support. I have to be careful as my appetite got a little out of control today. But not like I used to and tomorrow will be better.

Thanks to you all and have a Great Wednesday!
Shannon :banana:

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon,

Stopping by to WISH you a wonderful Wednesday! :sunny: Keep on keeping on! :cheer2:

[CACruisin']

So glad you had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Don't worry about your slip up yesterday. It sounds like you were able to control it and today is a new day. You have been doing so great, you'll get right back on track, I'm sure!

Have a great Wednesday!

[DisnyMama]

Hi all!! :wave: I miss spending as much time as I was before on the DIS but I find myself having to do a lot of work on Monster and other places. One thing that I have always thought about is that if I ever did in fact loose my job I might move out of the state of California. It is just way too expensive to live here, especially Southern CA. but my situation is that I was making pretty good $$ for someone without a degree due to the fact that I had been there so long. I have always known that I would probably end up taking a huge cut in pay if I ever left either on my own or if they let me go. Well, most of which I am seeing out there is about 1/3rd less than what I was making and also I moved about 20 to 25 miles further away from where the jobs are just a year ago and since the hike in gas prices this adds an extra $100.00 amonth at least to the budget. I just don't see how I can make it work here anymore. Now I understand why my ex-husband and his family moved to Plano, Texas a few years ago. I didn't get it at the time but now I do. But I have to say that for me, as a single mom, home ownership, even a condo just isn't for me because when something goes wrong it's my worry and my expense. I know that renting doesn't get you anywhere financially but I have been watching Suzie Ormand for years and she has said that buying vs. renting depends on the person. I was always happier when I was renting because all I had to do was pay my rent. No property taxes, home owners insurance, gardener issues, things to fix that I can't fix and then trying to find someone to fix them and finding someone to fix them that I could trust and not rip me off. A year and a half ago when I lived in my townhouse I paid $145.00 just to have the toilet tank parts replaced that I know only cost less than $20 and I'm sure I was ripped off on the labor but what was I to do. I don't want to have to worry about that stuff. I dread explaining all this to my DSIS and DBIL (my only family) which we moved out here to be close to but they just never understand. They don't have $$ issues to worry about.

Ok, for what's really important and that is today was a good food day. :Pinkbounc Today's food journal:

1 mini bagel w/ cream cheese 3 pts
grilled cheese sandwich 5 pts
3 low fat choc. chip cookies 3 pts.
sloppy jo's 8 pts.
go tart 3 pts.

Tomorrow is Friday and I hope everyone has a great day!!
Shannon :yay:

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon,

Here's some :wizard: that everything will work out for you and DS. I am sure that it will....even if moving out of CA is what you have to do. Right now you have to think of yourself and DS and if moving is the right choice than your DSis should understand.

You are doing a great job...keep up the great work!

Have a great weekend :)

[CACruisin']

Shannon, I am so proud of you for sticking with your healthy eating with all of the stress you are going through! :cheer2: :cheer2:

We have had a number of friends leave Southern CA in the last couple of years. We have even considered it ourselves. One of my closest DF's moved to WA a year ago. Her kids are at great schools with lots of programs and the cost of living is so much less. We went to visit last fall and will go back again this summer. You just need to make the decision that is best for you and DS. DSIS will just have to understand. Here's P &PD :wizard: for you.

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon~

I am sending some :wizard: your way..... I know that the move is a tough decision to make and yes, your family may become upset, but the one thing I have learned (am still learning ;) ) is that you have to do what's best for your immediate family. Parents and siblings may not understand, but we have to do what is best for our families. Whatever you decide, we are here to support you, Shannon! :grouphug:

Have a great Wednesday! :sunny:

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon,

How are you today? Hope all is well.... :grouphug:

Have a great day....

[CACruisin']

Hi Shannon. How is your decision process going? I know you will figure out what is best for you and your DS. :wizard:

I hope you are having a good weekend. :sunny:

[toystoryduo]

Hi Shannon,

Hope you are having a great weekend.... How is your decision coming regarding the move? I hope you are doing well. :goodvibes

[eeyore25]

Hi SHannon,

How are you and DS doing? Have you decided on what you want to do as far as the move?

Hope all is well!

Keep up the good work!

Have a great Tuesday :)

[goldcupmom]

HI, Shannon! I'm just checking in to see how you & DS are doing.

Hope you had a good weekend and that the week ahead will be a good one!

[eeyore25]

Hi Shannon,

Just wanted to pop in and say hi :wave: Hope all is well with you and DS

Happy Monday!

[keenercam]

Hi, Shannon! Just wanted to pop in to say I am thinking of you. How is everything going for you and DS with your healthier lifestyle? Are you still job searching? I know it is very stressful, but don't let it affect how you take care of yourself. Take care and come visit soon. We miss you! :hug: