Yes I was talking about the Chicago trip. Somehow I'm just not that excited about the September cruise yet. I think it's because everyone is going somewhere else first and we were supposed to also, but had to cancel. So I'm still a little bummed right now about that. Once June hits I'm sure I'll get excited. I really have nothing to plan for though. I just have to pack and leave. So it's not as fun prepping for it as the PC cruise was.
I do know one thing, it's been a full year and I'm so ready to go on another cruise. I'm going through withdrawals.
Today we're staying home and getting some things done. John is doing his laundry (he does his and I do mine....makes it easy that way) and installing an outside light.
I don't have any plans for the day. Just kind of winging it.
The legs are better sort of.....the swelling or edema is down, the infection is subsiding and they have not leaked for about 4 weeks. However, they are starting to leak a little yesterday and today. I think it's a pattern. It comes and lasts for a few weeks then goes away for a few weeks. I'm not sure why. I still can't swim in a pool, but I can do the ocean.
I've been really thinking about how I'm going to get my weight issues under control. It's not easy. Yet it has to be done. Kudos to Monica, Shannon, and Gydell for really making some progress in that direction. I just have not found the right tools to use to make it fit into my lifestyle....which is basically inactive. It hurts to even walk. I'm not giving up though. So we'll see if I can make some progress by September.
Ian, what would you suggest WW wise for a person who does not shop and cook and hardly ever leaves the house. If I walk from the living room into the kitchen, I'm cringing in pain....lower back arthritis and edema and wounds in lower extremities....legs. I have limitations. I have to work within them. I have been thinking about the stomach surgery where they but a band on to make your stomach smaller. But knowing how I feel about any medical procedures, that's a last resort. I'm a work in progress I suppose.
Wow, this is getting long winded. Guess I'm making up for not posting all week. hahaha!
Deb - we can talk about it on the phone if you want.
First of all, you don't have to cook with WW. As a side question, and doesn't John do a lot of the cooking?
When you say, no cooking, what do you mean by that? Do you mean no cooking at all and only using prepared and frozen foods? Or, do you mean simple preparation?
It is possible to do it with prepared foods and frozen meals. The main thing is to make smart choices that will stretch out points and use filling foods (which are low in points) to round out such entrees and make them, well, more filling.
If John or you do cook, there are a wealth of easy and quick WW recipes. Right now we have a cookbook that I think is great, it's called the "Now and Later" cookbook or something like that (I should know my products). The recipes are "two in one," you prepare something now, where the leftovers turn into another meal later.
Not everything has to be complicated.
If you have difficulty walking, I would not focus on the exercise and activity part. Sometimes, we have to just do the best we can, and activity can be added later when you are out of pain and able to manage it.
It sounds to me like a first focus might be on eating smarter and healthier. I wish losing weight were easier. It is such a hard thing to do.
I would ask the other WW members on this thread to chime in with their experience and their advice about cooking and eating.
I have to keep reminding people that I lost 90 pounds and the majority of it was with WW and the meetings were really a key to success.
I'm not sure if I ever told "my story."
It was 6 months before my 50th birthday, and I have a 2-block walk to the L in the morning. It was February and I exhausted after my 2-block walk. I found myself thinking that I felt like I was going to be 150 years old and not 50. It felt it was just wrong to feel that bad, and not be so old.
I was REALLY upset and REALLY depressed. I decided standing on the train platform that I would go back to WW. I was REALLY desperate.
"Go back," is the operative part of the sentence. I had tried and not been successful MANY times.
I told myself that I was going to do 2 things differently:
1) I was "pretend" the program worked and follow it faithfully. I was going to be honest. I was not going to make up my own rule and my own program. I needed to accept reality and fool myself into believing that portions were smaller, or eating in front of the open refrigerator made it not count.
2) I was going to attend meetings. I was not going to run in and just weigh-in and leave. I told myself that I was going to force myself and "pretend" I liked people.
Soon I stopped pretending because it worked. I also found that I really liked the meetings. I liked the people. I liked being accountable. I liked that no matter how bad the week might have been that I felt like I had a fresh start.
I still struggle with my weight. I am currently getting myself back to my goal weight, because it will make me happier and I owe it to my members.
I'm not sure I have ever showed my "before" and "after" photos, well, here they are, I went from a 44 inch waist to 34:
Before (the 3 that exist, and when I was going through a "thin" period. There are almost no photos of me, because I typically did not allow myself to be photographed)
After, about 80 or 90 pounds later (and very happy to be staying at the Boardwalk)
I hope this has come across as a lecture. I am just very passionate about smart eating, because I know that for me, my life was literally transformed by it.
Lisa,
The really great drug the doctor at the migraine clinic prescribed me was over $300 for just my co-pay, but now that I have new insurance through work, I just called the doctor and asked him to write a new prescription for me because my co-pay should be no more than $50.
I desperately need it because I'm killing my liver with too much Excedrine. I have to take lots just to get through the work day because I definitely can't afford to miss 2 or 3 days (which is how long each migraine has been lasting). So I need the good stuff to get through this misery.
right now - dryer just bussed so I guess I should go out there & get that taken care of.
