I went to the neurologist appointment this morning. I truly believe that I had my first anxiety attack before I went. What an awful feeling, I would have paid millions for a xanax this morning. So the Dr. did a few little things in the office and took a look at the last MRI from a year ago and according to that everything looks normal. So on for more testing. My next test will be an EEG to check my brain waves. Of course you could imagine the little snickering in the corner from my husband trying to make me laugh. I truly to do love him. Then on to a neuro psyche test which can take up to 4 hours to complete. Tomorrow I will call to see exactly what that's all about. Hopefully in a few weeks I will have the answers that I want, nothing is wrong. But its better to be safe than sorry, too much family history. I want to be here a long time for my children and my husband. With all this going on today I stayed on program, didn't make it to the gym because of the appointment but that's okay my muscles need a little break every so often.
Thank you all so much for your well wishes. I haven't really told many people in my life what's been going on because I don't want to worry anyone unless I have to and it has been a comfort to come here and let my feelings go.
I will be saying a prayer for your health. I hope all of the test results come back just perfect.
I came home from work yesterday to discover DBF all smiles, holding a package for me... a fitbit! We live in Canada, so he had to go through some friends in Washington and a HUGE waiting list, but I loved the surprise and I love it! I am just wondering if anyone else has one and what you think about it...
!
What the heck is a "fitbit"?
pjlla,[/B] glad you were able to get in a workout yesterday. I know how much you needed that!
Thanks. It felt great to be back in a "normal" routine. Right now I am fighting a spring cold/sore throat, so I really needed my extra hour of sleep this morning, so I skipped the morning workout. But I got it in tonight. I was walking incline and can definitely feel it in my hamstring now (about an hour later), so I will continue to exercise cautiously.
Which brings me to my QOTD, What is your secret for staying consistent?
Have a great day all!
Well.. I guess I would say having a ROUTINE, might be the first thing that comes to mind. I ALWAYS pack my lunch for work... no excuses, no complaints. Same goes for water and snacks. Pretty much the same for exercise, although the time of day and type of exercise change up frequently. But it is VERY RARE that I let my head hit the pillow for the night unless I have done at least a full 45 minutes of SOMETHING considered exercise.
My second thing would .... make the healthy choices READILY AVAILABLE (and the junk food nonaccessible!). I make it a priority to always have healthy choices available at home. Even if that means buying overpriced produce at the local Mom and Pop place (we live about 35 minutes from the nearest chain grocery store and about 45 minutes from the nearest
Walmart/Target). I stock my pantry/freezer with stuff that makes it easier to make a healthy meal/snack.... canned tomatoes, beans, Fiberone cereals, lowfat microwave popcorn, salmon patties, frozen veggies for "produce emergencies", whole wheat pasta, brown rice. THere is NEVER an excuse to eat junk if there healthier stuff is there.
I try to stay on track and if I find I am really wanting to stray, I will get a dole fruit bar and it hits the spot just perfect. My biggest problem recently is trying to not eat pasta. I've read about having spagetti squash in place of pasta, so think I'm going to try that this week sometime. Has anyone else tried it? What did you think?
Well... I tried the spaghetti squash again a few years ago and considered it "icky".... and this is coming from someone who loves virtually EVERY vegetable I've tried. Instead of pasta I put my sauce on steamed cauliflower. It might sound weird/gross, but I think it is delicious. Of course, when I am craving pasta I have a portion of the whole wheat... but a serving size is pretty small and I have to mix it with veggies anyhow to fill up... so I just started eliminating the pasta most of the time! I have also put my pasta sauce on steamed zucchini and summer squash (although they are very wet sometimes).
BTW, I was thinking about what Carrie was saying about recovering after a binge. I decided a long time ago that I had to find a way to get right back on track, not "after all the bad stuff in the house is eaten" and not "I'll start fresh tomorrow" or "I'll start fresh Monday, after I shop and cook this weekend." If I gave myself all that flexibility or those excuses or permission to continue to "behave badly" for even one more hour, it was a downward spiral for me. So, I came up with a personal motto --
"The very next bite is a chance to do it right."
It helped me not to put off doing it right.
I LOVE this quote!! Wish I had thought of it!! You are right about there always being an excuse to put off the "new start" or whatever. So many of us wait until that magical "Monday" or "January 1" or "after my__________" (fill in the blank with your holiday or birthday or whatever eating excuse you have). No excuses!
What is your secret for staying consistent?
I am anxious to hear everyone else's answers to this QOTD because consistency is actually my biggest problem. I know what to do, how to eat, etc. and I'm fine as long as I can get to bed at the same time each night, get up at the same time each morning, and get home at (roughly) the same time each day. I'm big on routines and schedules. Unfortunately, my son has a bevy of activities that constantly wreck my schedule and routines. There isn't anyone to help me cart him around to activities and I don't feel comfortable just dropping him off and leaving him places. I end up with all this idle time while he's practicing or playing baseball that I could be using to wash and prep our veggies, cook a decent meal, do laundry, clean house, or anything else that's actually productive. By the time we get home from these things it's almost bedtime so I have to rush and get some food in him and make sure homework is done and get him to bed and get myself to bed so I can get up for my 6 am workout. It's a struggle almost every day, especially these next few weeks with all the end of school year stuff going on. This week alone we have baseball three times, a dentist appointment, a doctor appointment, chorus/band concert, chorus performance at the local minor league baseball game, and the end of year picnic at school. Then next week are baseball playoffs, the baseball parade at another minor league game, and the field trip on Monday (which I have to pack a lunch for, drop him off early at school, and then worry all day if he stayed with his group
). That's not including anything I have to do at home - cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. - or at work.
I might actually be more excited for school to end this year than my son, just so I can have my life back. I think (hope) summer will be easier because I can control our schedule - until baseball starts again in August anyways.
Sorry to be so long, but lisah0711 really hit the nail on the head with this question for me today. I haven't figured out how to cope with this part of my life yet and I know that's my biggest downfall - as far as losing this weight, increasing my stress levels, having to decide what's not going to get done today, it all just makes me miserable. I don't want to keep my son from playing sports, because he really enjoys it and is good at them (he plays baseball spring and fall and basketball in the winter). It helps keep him healthy and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that scholarships are in his future... But on the other hand, if I can't get this under control, it's definitely detrimental to my health. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
.
Bree
Wish I had some words of advise for you. I have been driving DD to swim practice/meets 30 minutes each way for YEARS now.... and of course, when she was younger, I spent LOTS of that time just sitting and WAITING for her. I learned to bring along whatever I could to get stuff done.... I SWEAR, at one point in time I was considering filling my trunk with clean unfolded laundry and standing in the parking lot folding while she practiced!! I was so sick and tired of having LOADS of stuff to do at home.... but I was spending all of my time at the POOL (or soccer field or robotics.... depending on the child and the season!
)
I brought along my shopping lists and coupons.... I brought along paper work and bills to pay..... I brought along a few small hand crafts (cross-stitch and such).... whatever I could to get it done when I had the time.
About two years ago I upgraded DD's Y membership to a family membership and started using the fitness room and it finally feels like I am making decent use of my time! Plus, now that she is older I don't feel the need to be right there at the Y the whole time, so I can also run errands like grocery shopping. It doesn't feel like such a large wasted part of my day any longer.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
I think it was pjlla in one of our previous challenges who said some days it is one day at a time, one minute at a time, one bite at a time!
It was me.... thanks for remembering!!
Evening all! I FINALLY have an evening when I don't have to drive to the Y!! DH was home and offered to drive both ways!! WOOHOO! But instead of getting "important stuff" done.... I've been sitting here on THIS THREAD for 81 minutes!!
I realized I haven't mentioned how I am doing with the COW. I decided to try it again for the summer. I don't do it during the "regular" season because I find it to difficult to have just one more thing to try to track. But I thought summer might be easier....plus there are PRIZES!
Anyhow... I don't drink my water from anything particularly exciting. Most of my water comes in the form of plain seltzer.... and I drink it directly from the 1 lt. bottle. I drink at least two and sometimes three a day. Plus I have regular water during/after exercise, and usually a few cups of tea in the winter or a decaf iced coffee in the summer.
I have NO problems getting my veggies. I LOVE veggies and eat a lot of them. Sometimes I will have two servings for breakfast alone! If I am having scrambled egg whites I will sautee a few mushrooms/onions/peppers/zucchini... whatever is around and then add the egg whites and scramble it all up. Plus I will sometimes have a bowl of steamed broccoli or cauliflower (this is all assuming I'm home for the day... tougher to do on work days). My lunch is very often a HUGE spinach/romaine salad with cuke, tomato, carrots. If I am having a sandwich it is usually a wrap that I add lettuce, tomato and avocado to. And for dinner with the family I usually cook one veggie side dish for everyone and cook another smaller veggie side dish for myself... I rarely eat starch with dinner any more.
My "grab and go" snack to bring along on work days is baby carrots. At one point in time I thought my palms and the soles of my feet were looking a bit orange and I had to pull back on the carrots... seems better now!
(It wouldn't be unusual for me to eat a pound of baby carrots over the course of the day.)
Anyhow. I'm going to run. I've got a few things to get done to get ready for tomorrow and then I am going to indulge in a few "me" minutes and sit and read (since this is all BONUS TIME when I would otherwise be doing the swim practice driving).........TTYL..................P
I spent 30 minutes on my stationary bike, broke one heck of a sweat. then i did some crunches and other exercises really focusing on my belly.
I haven't been consistent lately, but I'm going to read that article and adopt some of those ideas. I want this so bad. I want to run the princess. I want to feel better physically. The exercise, running is definitely a big part of making me feel better emotionally, and I am going to keep that up. I guess I have been coming here consistently, and I am determined to never give up.
I think I would try some of the pasta alternatives before I went that route but that is just MHO. 
Thanks for joining our challenge! 
