Susan's Quest for Good Health After a Celiac Diagnosis (comments greatly appreciated)

[postesf]

Good Job on sticking w/ your eating plan! THat is great!!!

Keep it up!!! You can do it! Good luck on your weigh in tomorrow!!!! Hope you are physically feeling better tomorrow too!

Thanks for the encouraging posts in my journal! I always look forward to those!!!

 

[postesf]

Hey there!!! Just checking in to see how things were going!!! Today is weigh-in day for e-diets right??? Wishing you luck!!!

Hope you guys have a good weekend!!!
Stacie

 

[larry's girl]

Thanks for the encouragement, BigMama and Stacie. Yes, today is weigh-in day. I did really well - I lost 6 pounds!!! I am very proud of myself. Last night, I did not feel well enough to cook, so we went out for dinner - my first dinner out since I started this eating plan. We went to Fuddrucker's and I got a grilled chicken salad with fat-free Italian dressing. It was huge and I planned to only eat half of it, but I was really hungry and ended up eating the whole thing. I think the only thing I probably got too much of was the chicken (I am sure it was a whole chicken breast and I am only supposed to eat about half, so I know that was too much). But at least it was salad I ate too much of and not something that would do great damage to my regimen.

I got up this morning and came in early to walk - ended up only getting in 30 minutes because we didn't have any towels and I had to go on a hunt for some which took up part of my time (eventually discovered there weren't any to be had and had to dry off with washcloths, but that's another story). Anyway, I was glad to get in 30 minutes, at least, and know I got some exercise today.

I am going to try to walk a bit tomorrow, even if it's just around my neighborhood. Hope next week goes smoother for me, but all in all I think I handled things this week okay. Thanks to all of you for your encouragement. I am planning to spend some time this weekend reading other people's journals and posting to them, if at all possible - we all need every bit of encouragement we can get. Hope everyone has a great weekend - and thanks for reading (and posting)!

 

[postesf]

YIPPEEE!!!!! That is fantastic!!! I am so proud of you! You overcame some obsticals this week and lost 6lbs!!!

Keep it up there sis! You can do it!!!

You guys have a great weekend!!!
Stacie

 

[BigMama]

I WILL POST AGAIN, AND TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM OF YOU KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SENDING OUT TO YOU A CYBER HUG GREAT JOB!!!! PLEASE KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR ME THAT I CAN GET THROUGH THIS WEEKEND, THEY ARE SO HARD FOR ME! I CALL IT MY DEMONS THAT TEND TO HAUNT ME FROM FRIDAY PM TO SUNDAY LATE AFTERNOON BUT I AM GOING TO KEEP MYSELF BUSY AROUND THE HOUSE AND MAYBE A WALK ON THE BEACH (DRESSED IN ALL BLACK SWEATS HEHE!!)once again congrats!!!HAVE A GOOD DAY MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES! (YEAH FOR HAVING THE SALAD!! )

 

[AmyBeth68]

Susan!!! Susan!!! Susan!!!

You are doing so great! SOOOOOO great!!! I am super impressed with your resolve. You made healthy choices with your eating...despite the temptations and struggles of the week. You continued to exercise despite suffering injuries this week!!

AND.....CONGRATULATIONS on the amazing weight loss.

I didn't want to get out there and run the other day feeling as lousy as I did....but I thought about you and your commitment to your health and realized I wasn't going to let feeling bad get in my way. See that girl...you ARE an inspiration. You inspired me to get some miles in this week when I didn't want to . Thank you!!!!!!

Have a fantastic weekend and keep making those healthy choices!

 

[larry's girl]

I can't tell you how much it encourages me to keep going when I would really rather not have to think about what I'm eating or whether I exercised that day. I appreciate the support SO MUCH!!

So yesterday I think I did okay. We were out and about most of the day and I ended up eating out TWICE yesterday. But I never ate my third meal, and I had mostly protein and vegetables - the only carb I ate all day was hash browns - and I got all my water in, so I think I did okay. Most of the errands I did yesterday involved walking, and then I walked at Discover Mills mall on top of that, so I got a lot of walking done yesterday. In fact, I think I may have overdone it - I don't feel well today and I think that's why. I am going to have to force myself to cook my lunches and a couple of dinners ahead - if I don't do that on Sunday, I am afraid I will get caught later in the week when I need to have some food already done because I don't have time to cook and I won't have it available - so I have to make myself get in there to cook and clean up. I am going to remember all of you who have supported me and how hard you work to get healthy, and make myself do it. Tomorrow it is back up at 4:30 a.m. to get in to lift some small hand weights. Maybe if I rest a little extra today, I can make that happen tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the support - I GREATLY appreciate it. Have a great day - I'm going to try to make the most of mine!

 

[larry's girl]

I managed to get all the cooking that I needed to do done yesterday, but it was a real struggle. I am glad I did it, but it takes so long to get everything done. Still, if I don't do it on the weekend, I will for sure get caught with nothing suitable prepared and get derailed, so I just have to get used to doing so much kitchen work at once! I got all my water in this weekend, which is more difficult for me than it is through the week. At work, I can drink what I need and the restroom is really close by - on the weekend, if I am out running errands or whatever, that is not the case and I find that I still have lots left to drink and its 6:00 or 7:00 at night. But I got it all in anyway, and I think that is helping me with the weight loss and not being SO starved in between meals.

My DH wanted rice pasta last night, and even though that isn't on my eating plan, I made it for him. I measured out the portion I should have based on the serving size for pasta and how many portions from the carbohydrate group I am supposed to have in a day (subtracting what I had already eaten from carbs that day), so I think I stayed on plan for that. I guess we will see when I weigh in this week!

I was up at 4:30 this morning and got in to lift some small hand weights. I only lasted about 15 minutes before my muscles got really tired. I was afraid I would be too sore if I kept going, so I stopped lifting and just walked for 15 minutes before hitting the shower. Here's hoping I can tone longer as I go along.

Feeling pretty good about this lifestyle change thing. Had a long conversation with my dad this weekend and he reminded me of something - we are all a pretty determined bunch in our family. If we determine that we are committed to getting something done, it gets done. He went on to say that he believes I can accomplish this if I really want to - but only I can control how much I really want to. I told him that one thing that makes this different for me is riding the bus to work every day. It hits me in the face EVERY DAY that I am bigger than the "average" person who rides the bus - and I have to be concerned about whether I will be able to get a seat at the front of the bus because that's the only place I can fit, or whether I will have to wait for the next one. This morning when I transferred to the bus that takes me within a block of my office, it was terribly crowded but there was a seat at the front. The only problem was it was between two people and there was no way I was going to try to fit between them because I knew I couldn't and we would be squashed together so tightly we would all be uncomfortable. It was no problem for me to stand because I wasn't going that far, but I am looking forward to the day when I won't have to worry about stuff like that - when I can sit anywhere there is an available seat and know I will fit into it without crowding others, when I can go to a movie or other social occasion and not be concerned about whether I can fit in the chairs or whether there will be bench seating available. This is the first time I have had to face this EVERY DAY, and I think that's what makes this weight loss attempt different.

So - here's to a new week. Let the weight loss roll!!

 

[postesf]

Hey there!!! Sounds like you had a pretty successful weekend!!! Glad you were able to get all your cooking in!

Good job on working out this morning! Hopefully we'll get our walk in tonight.

Keep it up!!! You're doing great!
Stacie

 

[AmyBeth68]

Great job getting weights AND cardio in today Susan!!!! I love how determined you are. I also REALLY REALLY love what your dad said!!! It's so great that you have such a wonderful sis!!! (hey there Stacie )....and your dad sounds just as wonderful!!!!

You did super and you're really making good choices with your food! Still so proud of you girl!!!

Keep up the great work. And don't forget to stretch your arms tonight before you go to sleep...it will help with the muscles soreness .

 

[BigMama]

JUST DROPPING IN TO SAY HI!! HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GOOD DAY! I AM ANXIOUSLY WAITING TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THE BBL TEAM RESULTS I THINK WE DID GOOD AGAIN. I WAS LURKING IN ON THE OTHER TEAMS AND I THINK WE DID GOOD HEHE!

 

[larry's girl]

Thanks for the encouragement - you guys are REALLY helping me through this adjustment phase.

I weighed in this morning for the BL challenge and I lost 5.6 pounds since last Tuesday. That makes 9 pounds altogether since I started posting on WISH. 1 more pound and I can get my 10 pound clippie!! I am SO PROUD of myself, I can't stand it!! And it is thanks in large part to all of you who post here and on other threads and give me the GREAT support I so desperately need. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I love ALL of you for giving of your time and energy so freely.

Now - let me tell you about my challenges yesterday and today. Last night, I got home and just didn't feel well - at all. Didn't feel like cooking or even putting a meal together, so heated up the food I prepared this weekend. One of the snacks I get this week is a cheese-walnut dip with vegetables. It consists of 1 oz. of low-fat cheddar cheese mixed with 4 tsp. low-fat cream cheese and 2/3 tbsp. walnuts. I (stupidly) made four portions so that there would be some available for myself and my daughter through the week to have with celery or carrots. I ate one portion the afternoon that I made it, so there were still three portions left. So I ate my dinner, stayed on plan, everything's cool. I've already had my snack for the day - I eat it about 4:30 at work so that I am not starved when I get home. So now that I've had dinner, I have had all my food for the day - except that I really want the cheese-walnut dip. And not just a little bit of it - ALL of it - right now!! So I go to the kitchen, get the container out of the refrigerator, take the lid off and look at it. And I ask myself - do you really want to eat this when you know you don't need it, you're not hungry, you just know it's good and you love how it tastes? Do you really want to mess up what you've worked so hard to set in place for the last couple of weeks? Do you REALLY want this enough to handle the set-back it will cause you? And I put the lid back on the container and put it back in the refrigerator, got a glass of water and went to bed. This is such a victory for me - I can't begin to tell you how hard that was to do. And knowing that I CAN do it means that the next time I am tempted, I CAN DO IT AGAIN!! Very empowering stuff.

So this morning, I wake up at 4:30 and think - why am I doing this again? It's WAY too early to get up out of bed and go walk - surely I can take a day off since I lost so well last week? And then I talked myself into getting up - if I don't stick to my exercise schedule, I won't continue to lose and I won't get any healthier. So I got my butt up and came in on the early bus, walked 45 minutes on the treadmill and worked up a sweat. Second victory for me - and every day I have to keep making those decisions and talking myself into doing this because I WANT TO DO IT. I REALLY want to lose this weight, badly enough to give up extra portions of food I don't need and make myself move when I'd rather sleep. Badly enough to keep doing that for as long as it takes (with the support I get here, plus I will REALLY catch it from my sister if I quit again).

So that's where I am today. Meant to post earlier this morning, but got busy and didn't get a chance. I am making it happen today, folks. 9 POUNDS in less than two weeks - now I know that weight loss won't continue to happen at that rate, nor should it, but I am sure lovin' it now!!

Thanks again to all of you - I truly could not do this without you. Hope everybody has a super day!

 

[ScoJo15]

Hi Susan

After reading through your journal, I just had to stop in and say "great job!" :

Your last post was such a reflection on your desire and wilingness to see this through...to overcome two HUGE mental obstacles like that...it's a great accomplishment and something to be very proud of. Congratulations!

Keep up the great job...it's certainly inspiring

 

[postesf]

Hey there!!! GREAT JOB!!! I am so proud of you!!! Those small successes/victories are great! I can just see you looking at that dip too! hehehe

Keep it up!!! 9lbs is fantastic!!! I am so jealous!!! (In a good way!)

Next time those biscuits tempt me...I will be thinking of you and your dip!!!

Keep it up chick!!!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Susan,

Welcome to WISH Journaling! I'm sorry I'm a little late with the welcome...I was in WDW last week!

You are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the good work and you will make your goals.

Hope you have a great Wednesday!

 

[larry's girl]

Thanks to everyone for the posts. Hi, Scott - I think we are neighbors (at least during the working day). I work in Midtown Atlanta - don't you work in downtown? If so, do you do this bus thing, too? Driving stinks, but riding the bus takes up lots of time - at least from Gwinnett County. Have to do it for now (saves me money), but sometimes I resent the commuting time. Oh, well - can't afford a house in Atlanta, so you do what you have to do. Thanks for the encouragement - I really need it!

Hi, Toy - lucky you to be in WDW last week! Hope you had a fabulous trip. We will be there two weeks from Saturday - I can't wait!

Hi, Stacie. Thanks for the encouragement - love seeing your posts in my journal!

On to my journal entry for today:

I feel lousy today - really lousy. I woke up this morning feeling nauseous and achy. My DH feels the same way, so I think we may have a virus of some kind. Since I don't have any sick time left for the year and would have to call in dead, here I am at work when I would rather be home in bed. I did not try to get in and exercise this morning because it was all I could do to get in to work. Am trying to eat on my plan, but all I really want is a bowl of chicken noodle soup (which I can't have because of the gluten) with saltine crackers (which I can't have because of the gluten) and a big glass of Coke with ice (which I can't have on general principle - too much sugar). Most days I am okay with having celiac and fighting this weight problem, but today is a WIM day (WIM = woe is me for those who don't know Susan-speak). Why do I have to be the one to deal with this every day? Isn't it enough that I have celiac and can't eat half of the normal stuff everybody else in this country eats without having to deal with being the size of the Goodyear blimp on top of it? It's just not fair - life is JUST not fair.

I am in a bad mood and I DON'T FEEL WELL. I am going to get some herbal tea (with Splenda instead of the honey I would rather have) to try to settle my stomach. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day and I can get back to focusing on my journey to better health. Right now I just want to get through the day without keeling over.

Thanks for listening. Later, folks.

 

[postesf]

Poor, Poor Susan... Sorry you are feeling bad! I hope you guys are feeling better tomorrow!!! I know it gets frustrating sometimes not being able to eat what you want (within reason) because of the gluten (which is one reason I have not gotten up the courage to get tested--1 thing at at time...). I know it must be difficult.

You'll make it through!!! You've been doing soooooo good!!! Try not to let this virus, or whatever it is, get you down! You've not almost lost 10lbs for no reason!!!

You can do this!!!!

Hope you and your DH feel better tomorrow!!! Here, Have a virtual coke on me... Maybe that will help!

Love you!

 

[Suzy Mouse]

I'm glad I found your journal Susan! I read every word you wrote as every person who writes to you here has done. They've cheered for you on your good days and pulled for you on the bad ones. It's so beautiful to see the support that they give you and not only how you appreciate those words but how you cheer them in return.

Today is a bad one...but hopefully the one you'll be facing tomorrow will be better. Sometimes those waves come and pull us down...just fight hard and you'll be a stronger person. Hope you're in a better mood soon!!

 

[larry's girl]

Well, today is a better day than yesterday. I still don't feel great, but not as bad as yesterday. I did not get up and exercise this morning because I did not sleep well and felt I needed the extra rest, but I am planning on getting up early tomorrow morning and getting in here to walk. Dinner last night consisted of low-fat cheese and popcorn, because that was all that was in the house that I felt I could stomach. It really helps not to have "bad" stuff in the house - you can't eat it if it isn't there! Since I felt sick, my DH suggested going to the store to get food I have been trying to avoid since I started this weight loss journey, but I gave him the look of death and he quickly figured out that was not a good idea! Anyway, my second weigh-in for ediets is tomorrow and I am hoping for a good one. Would love to see myself at the 10 pounds lost mark, but if not that's okay.

Stacie - thanks for the sympathy. I really needed it yesterday - I was really in a WIM mood, but I am over that now!

Suzy - Yes, it helps me SO MUCH to read the encouraging and supportive posts from everyone here. I try to support others as much as I can, but my time to read others' journals is limited. I like to go back and read from the beginning to get "the whole story," so that takes some doing. But I plan to be around for a long time, so I will get to everyone eventually! Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to read my LONG journal entries.

Well, have to get to work - hope everybody has a good one!

 

[ScoJo15]

Hi, Scott - I think we are neighbors (at least during the working day). I work in Midtown Atlanta - don't you work in downtown? If so, do you do this bus thing, too? Driving stinks, but riding the bus takes up lots of time - at least from Gwinnett County. Have to do it for now (saves me money), but sometimes I resent the commuting time. Oh, well - can't afford a house in Atlanta, so you do what you have to do. Thanks for the encouragement - I really need it!

Hi Susan

Yeah...I'm in downtown Atlanta alright, over by the fishtank and relocated Coke museum. I don't do the bus thing because I commute from Cherokee County and there is just no good way to get into town via public trans from my neck of the woods...so I tend to sit in 1.5 hours of traffic each way, each day. I think the commute time is horrendous regardless of the transportation taken...I guess if you live in or around Atlanta, it's just a given.

Sorry to hear you've had a rough time...just hang in there and first take care of your sick feeling, then worry about the rest. A LOT of people are battling colds and stuff around here this time of year, and the allergies aren't helping either. Glad to see that today is better for you : Try to remember to hydrate, drink lots of fluids....always a must after not feeling well.

Hope today is a good one