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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 16 September 2007 04:43 am |
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| Thank you so much DeterminedGal! You're such a sweetie. It means a lot to me that you stopped by my diary and offered your words of comfort. It will be a relief when it is over with that's for sure. But in the meanwhile I am trying to tell myself that everything is going to work out ok, and such good, kindhearted people like yourself are helping me so much!
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 17 September 2007 03:14 am |
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I just spent a good while reading newstarts diary and it has really inspired me to write more and keep better track of my weight, exercise and food! And I love reading about all the extras she includes in her diary, the real life stuff. It makes reading it similar to reading a good book.
Breakfast was: a banana, and a nectarine
then I didn't have anything until after 1:00 pm. My mother in law came over and we had been doing some repairs on the house. My husband cleaned the chimney, mowed the lawn and I paid bills. Then my mother-in-law came over and we threw together some lunch.
Lunch was: bean burritos with canned stokes green chili, fresh cut tomatoes, lettuce, onions and olives with some shredded chedder cheese sprinkled over the top.
Snack: a handful of olives
Dinner: A healthy choice tV dinner - 330 calories of steak pieces, mashed potatoes, broccoli and carrots and a fruit crisp - what a great deal for 330 calories!
Normally I don't care much for calorie counting. I just aim to eat plenty of raw fruits and salad with beans or eat lots of cooked veggies and keep my portions of meat and other stuff small. As long as I have a slow weight loss, that's what's important.
My extra weight doesn't bother me very much. I think this is because most of the people I know are a lot more overweight than I am, so people are constantly telling me that I look great and that I am thin, but I know I am not thin. And I know that my weight is not healthy. Looking in the mirror, undressed, the truth is obvious, I am carrying around plenty that I don't need.
Honestly, I have not put much effort into losing any of the weight I have lost. The first couple of pounds I counted calories and added deliberate exercise, but then after I read ETL all I did was make an effort to eat fruit, salad and beans when I could and in doing so, the scale showed a slow drop over time. I look at food differently too. I now know the most important things I put in my grocery cart are the fresh produce.
Note: I am still having a hormone imbalance. Grrrr. I should have never messed with the hormones in the first place. I feel tired and want to eat bad food!!!!
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
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| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 17 September 2007 06:32 pm |
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Hey Sassykat!!!
Thank you for dropping in on my journal.
I looked you up on the search bar and then got to read your posts from the beginning.
I can empathize with you about not being able to refinance your mortgage.
In 1983 we purchased a house with a 6% fixed rate 30 year mortgage.
In 1999 we had to sell that house in order to purchase another house, this time with an 81/2% fixed rate 30 year mortgage.
In the ensuing years, we watched the interest rates get as low as 3%, and we wanted to refinance our home, both to lower our interest payments and to pay outstanding bills but we were not allowed to because we have too much debt!!
We don't have credit cards...never have had...so that wasn't the problem. What we do have are Sallie Mae and Vermont Student Assistance Corporation Loans that we took out to help our kids get through school. Those same kids are paying their own school loans and ended up in debt before they could even start their careers. When you graduate from college (even summa cum laude) with school loans nipping at your heels, you don't have the money nor the time to spend going to lots of interviews for the job you'd really like to have. You take the one that was after you while you were still a student or the one that pays you enough to allow you to maintain an apartment and still pay off your school loans. So we can't expect them to help pay for the portion of their bills that we underwrote. That's our job.
I don't know if this would help you. I find it helps me.
I have a big white board on my kitchen wall that lists ALL our monthly expenses , and all school bills, mortgage, car payments, utilities, medical bills, everything and the total owed for each. I dove into my checkbook register for the entire previous year's records. (I pay for everything by check, so I have records) and wrote down the totals of all my groceries each month, all my gas and oil for the car, car repairs, again, everything. I was able to make monthly projections on what I expected to have to pay each month for all of these expenses. On the months in which the expense didn't meet what I had planned for it, I simply set that money aside for the month when the expense would exceed what I have planned.
I found that we don't have enough income to meet our monthly expenses and bills. So I had to go to the school lenders and ask for forbearances for a while so that we could pay down some of our shorter term debts, like medical bills (and we had plenty of those from my cancer treatments) and I went to the hospitals and physicians to ask for any patient assistant plans they may have, showing them a copy of what was on the white board. It turned out that we received much assistance from the hospital and some physicians forgave our bills outright.
Then I organized all the bills and expenses that remained and wrote them all down on my white board. I also wrote on the board our monthly income, which doesn't fluctuate very much at all. At the beginning of each month I write out checks for every bill and and leave the balance available for that month to apply to expenses like food, oil for the furnace (all my laundry gets done in cold water and June - September we take cold showers because the tap water isn't any colder than the pool or the pond in which we swim. I've told my kids that when the water is cold enough that they don't need ice cubes to drink it, then it's cold enough for me to turn on the furnace. Am I a mean mama? I hope not.), telephone, etc.
I check off each item paid that month with a green check and each item that has not yet been paid as we enter the new month with a red check. When we enter a new month all the green checks get erased and only the red checks, if any, remain. I pay the items with red checks first and then start again on that month's bills. Some bills (like mortgage and car payments, which have higher interest rates than the school loans) I try to pay a little more than the monthly payment and apply that to the principal each month, but only if I don't have any red checked items on my board.
The value of the board is neither my husband nor I nor our kids can claim innocent ignorance when demanding things to do or have that we just can't afford. Everyone in the family knows where every penny gets spent and every one knows where we must sacrifice if we agree to give one or another member of the family something that isn't in the budget.
And we all do make those sacrifices so each of the kids does get to go to a movie now and then, and to camp at least once each summer, and to go bowling or skiing with friends, etc. I buy all our clothes at consignment shops and sell them there, as well. I don't buy junk. The clothes I buy look new and would be quite expensive if I bought them new. My kids dress better than many of the other kids in school, whose parents spend much more than I just to buy them new.
We live just on what my husband brings home and there are no savings, despite the fact that we are both 60 years old. We must trust God, and we do. We hope that my husband will not ever get too sick to go to work, and, if he ever does, we must trust God even more.
Boy! That was long....and I still haven't mentioned that I think it's great that you made your own soap. I never did that. I do think, though that it's the soap and water, not the bubbles or foam, that gets the clothes and dishes clean. I think the suds are just for show, and I do admit I like them, but I don't believe they affect cleaning in the least. Otherwise, why would we want to eliminate them in our dishwashers (I don't have one, by the way) and washing machines? (I do have one of those).
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 17 September 2007 11:44 pm |
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Thank you so much newstart for everything you shared with me! I do appreciate all of it and it does help.
We have an artesian well so our water is too cold for showers burrrrr! But I am trying to be more frugal. It is definately a learning process and changing of habits. I agree, it's nice to have things to splerge on occasionaly. You are right about having faith. I had a very comforting visit from a friend last week. She seems like a mother to me, which is so nice and comforting beings I feel I don't have one. She is always giving me golden advice. She told me that God only expects me to worry about today and I shouldn't be worrying so much. Another piece of golden advice she has given me that I will never forget is the most important thing to remember when raising kids is to just "love em" I don't know how many times I have worried over this and that with the kids and when I remember her advice I feel so much better and things just seem to smooth out.
Thank you for telling me that about the soap. There I go again worrying about the soap being good enough. Well for us it is good enough. And since I enjoy making it, I might as well make our own soap! That is at least one area I can save some $
The bad thing is our income is not something we can count on. It's construction work, so if the housing market and lending market is bad, our income is bad too. We shall continue with it as long as we can and when the work runs out, then we'll be looking for jobs. It will be God's will though. God will see us through, though it may be one day at a time, He will get us through these days.
Thank you newstart! And I think you are a great Mom, it's obvious you love your children.
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
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| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 18 September 2007 05:33 pm |
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Ha! Ha! Tell them that.
I think I need to write some kind of solace for them for when I'm dead and gone and they start to remember that they really do love me, and I them, but they were just too stupidly young and blind to recognize it while I was alive, but I did, and I don't want them to be sad thinking they should have done this or that, because I know they are no different now than I had been at their age.
Hey! I think that's the longest sentence I've ever written! I was going to break it up, but I think I'll just let it stand as it is...
Last edited on 18 September 2007 05:34 pm by newstart
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 20 September 2007 03:01 am |
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Sometimes it's hard when we think our children just think we are abusing them, but they know we care, it shows in our body language and our efforts to take care of them and keep them on track. My older kids tell me they love me all the time and vice versa, but my younger boys don't say it. I tell them anyway, hoping it will sink in eventually.
Finally our house was appraised today, for the 2nd time! No more appraisals please! I've had enough! Maybe I wouldn't have stressed so much about it if I hadn't raised 5 kids in this house! Then I wouldn't be desperately trying to clean, paint and worry over the state of the carpet. I am sure glad it's over. Next week I should get a copy of the report and find out the results.
Maybe now life will settle down a bit and I can focus on my weight loss goals again.
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gauloises
New Member
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Posted: 20 September 2007 12:28 pm |
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Just butting in to say that I don't know what age your kids are - but I had really strained relationships with my parents all the time I was growing up. We didn't fight (we're all too British to fight in my family, we just have very pointed silences) but we weren't close at all and in a lot of ways I never really trusted them or let them in.
In the last few years, since moving out and going from being a student to being a self-sufficient working gal (more or less), my relationship with both my parents, especially my mother, has been completely transformed. Weirdly, my parents getting divorced when I was 21 has actually made me much closer to them both (although they don't speak to each other!). Anyway, in addition to mutual love and support, we've actually got to know each other and are able now to really enjoy hanging around together ... we have FUN, which is something I would have thought unimaginable when I was a teenager. I've also come to appreciate what an amazing, strong, loving woman my mother is, which I just didn't see at all before. She's like my hero and one of my closest friends now.
The point of all that was just to say that children don't really see their parents as people until they grow up ... they don't understand the sacrifices or the love or the complexity of their parents when they're younger, they're just not able to ... But if they're anything like me, they'll get it eventually!
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
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| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 20 September 2007 04:45 pm |
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Thanks! That was really comforting to read. I know my kids love me; they're just too full of themselves to realize it yet.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 20 September 2007 05:56 pm |
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Thank you gauloises! I've often wondered about that myself. If children gain better perspective once they are older. I do see and know some children who have always had good relationships with their parents, even when they are younger. My two youngest boys aged 7 and 11 are quiet, and shy and not as demonstrative with love and affection. And life is so very busy. I do worry about this at times. Being a good mother is the most important thing in my life. I use to feel unwanted by my mother and I went through periods of feeling suicidal in my life so it is unbearable for me to think my own children would experience any of those feelings that I had. But I also take the responsibities of teaching them values very seriously and so I'm not often their favorite person. It is a hard combination to balance - Love and Dicipline.
I am so glad and touched that you have such a nice relationship with your parents now gauloises. I am a bit envious!
I weighed in this morning at 141.4 Sigh! I should never have tried to balance my hormones. It very effectively unbalanced them and the excess estrogen is sabotaging my weight loss!!! Now I have to go and report the gain on the Halloween challenge! Ick!
I will get in the 130's I will.
It's also been cloudy for the last couple of days and rainy- unusual weather for here, but it feels and smells like Autumn.
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
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| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 20 September 2007 06:12 pm |
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I found this on Sep 15 and posted it in another part of this website. I like it, and you guys may also.
I'M INVISIBLE
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going ... she's going ... she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled back in a ponytail and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it.
I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To My Friend, with Admiration for the Greatness of what you are Building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
*No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake
you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just
want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Amy Jones
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DeterminedGal
Senior Member
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Posted: 21 September 2007 12:42 am |
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Newstart,
WOW. I love the essay!!!! Thanks for posting it.
DG
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 21 September 2007 03:56 am |
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That was wonderful and a very wise thing to keep in mind. I think a lot of arguements arise from a person not feeling appreciated. When we feel we do more than "our share", or when we feel that people are taking advantage of us. There are so many situations when we feel we are not appreciated and when we feel we have nothing to show for our work. If we could keep in mind that God sees and appreciates every small thing then we would probably be a lot happier. I think this applies to everything in life, not just parenting. Although I do have to say that there are some priceless rewards for parenting. Just seeing my kids laugh, smile and enjoying life is a reward to me, and seeing what interesting human beings they are with their unique personalities brings me joy.
Thank you for reminding me of that! It was a priceless lesson I so very much needed to hear right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you! In fact, I am going to print out that essay and tape it onto my refrigerator. I think it is key in helping me to achieve that peace of mind I have so desperately been looking for.
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
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| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 21 September 2007 07:47 am |
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Thanks, gals, for your response to that. I identified with it, but I was a little afraid others might think it a bit too schmaltzy.
I have no doubt at all that my children love me, but I sometimes am frustrated that they don't recognize that I sometimes feel the need to have them show me that they know they love me...that I'm not just a lackey (and often a poorly performing lackey) to them. It's at those times that I need to remember that their very ability to take me for granted is what I want for them. I don't ever want them to question whether I would be willing to happily even give my very life for them. I guess that's why God gives our children two parents...so we parents, husband and wife, can give one another the recognition in our roles as parents that our children can not give us if we want them to take us for granted, as they should, in that we have been granted to them by God.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 21 September 2007 05:35 pm |
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I weighed 141.0 this morning. I decided to try using some progesterone cream to help with my hormones for a while, see if I can counter the excess estrogen. My hubby has the day off today, so we will go grocery shopping, but we will probably end up getting something to eat for lunch somewhere. This is a tough one for me...Either I try a nicer place that serves big salads or go the cheaper route and get something low calorie. Such a dilemma....
I do plan on getting lots of salad fixings, fruit, beans...These are my secret tools for weight loss. Maybe some more protein powder to help with energy. Hopefully next week I will have a loss to report! I was so happy when I was losing weight, it might have been slow, but it was working.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 26 September 2007 07:47 pm |
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These hormone isssues I have been having are getting to be really annoying. I am experiencing hair loss, moodiness and just about all the others that are listed for estrogen dominance. I am going to keep using the progesterone cream for a couple more weeks and starting today I am adding in vitex which is suppose to do wonderfully at balancing out the hormones. We shall see!
I weighed in this morning at 139.8 lbs. I would really like to have some time to focus on this weight loss goal of mine, but life keeps getting in the way! I just don't have the time and then I feel out of sorts, my body is not well.
Must persevere. I ate a whole monkey load of salad yesterday and have plans to do so again, however we are running low on salad fixings and my car is in the shop.
Last night I watched "The Biggest Loser" I know there is a lot of controversy on this tv show, but it still inspires me. Because when I watch these people busting their rear ends to get in shape and eat right, I see that it truly is possible, it can be done. The people look so great months later after all their hard work. It's wonderful. It inspires me to make my goals and believe that it is possible. I even went for a walk again today with that show on my mind. If I hadn't watched it last night, I would not have went for a walk today.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 September 2007 06:00 pm |
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Weight is 139.4 lbs today.
I feel like life is overwhelming and I feel discouraged for some reason. I do want to be thin, but I am tired of worrying about it all the time. I am tired of trying to be deligent, I guess. It just seems like a battle. Everyday there are a hundred and one crisis it seems, with my kids, husband and business. One day just blurs into the next.
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voodoodoll
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 September 2007 06:05 pm |
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hey sass, try and hang in their. you are still losing weight slowly and thats the main thing. it sounds like you are having a tough time in your life lately. i hope things all work out for you. and remember if life was good to you all the time that the good times wouldnt be as special. Take care
Luv B x
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 September 2007 06:58 pm |
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Thank you voodoodoll, you are certainly a sweetie. I just want life to be simple again, which doesn't have anything necessarily to do with weight loss, just the worrying over all the problems and it makes me feel as though I just don't have the extra bit of time it takes to do the shopping to keep fresh fruits and salads around. They don't last long around here so I can't buy more than a four days worth it seems, and then the exercise...yeah, that just never happens because I've always either got something to do, or something comes up.
But I really appreciate you cheering me up and urging me to hang in there. Too bad you didn't live near by, I could use some friends in my neighborhood!
Thank you dear.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 October 2007 06:56 pm |
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Weighed in this morning at 138.8
Due to fruits and vegetables.
Life is getting much better for me. I have lots more peace in my life now, due to working on my faith and other things are going well also.
Husband has gotten more work, kids are great, marriage is great, my state of mind is great. I honestly don't have one thing I can complain about today.
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 October 2007 08:19 pm |
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Then give praise where it is due! Yeah! I am so glad to hear that..........prayer  is powerful stuff  Most of us really do have so much to be thankful for. We have our needs covered, and many of our wants, too. We just continue to want more and more. 
*smiling broadly* because I am sooooo happy for you!
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voodoodoll
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 October 2007 09:16 pm |
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yeah, i'll second that pat! im so glad things are going well for you at last
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 October 2007 09:59 pm |
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Thank you so much my dears!!!
You have been so loyal, coming and checking on me! You've both brought me to tears, of happiness though, this time!
What I really needed was some peace in my life and I've finally found it. I just want to tell the world!
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 November 2007 12:55 am |
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Hey! What happened? Somebody went and gave CPH a makeover! Wow! It looks so different! That's what I get for being away!
My hormones are still bothering me and life has been crazy busy. I have gained a couple of pounds again. I think I should really try and refocus and lose a little more. I am doubtfull because of the holidays and winter time and with my hormones...I have a feeling it will be hard, but I've been eating a lot of junk and haven't been feeling well, partly due to the junk.
I would like to try something different than last time. I was just trying to follow a diet of mostly fruit, salad and veggies, but this time I think I'll try a couple of different things and see how it goes.
My husband has done so well with his weight loss. I am really proud of him. I am going to have to take him clothes shopping before too much longer.
Today I tried moving some furniture around and ended up hurting my back. I really should try and get into better shape, my body deserves better. I don't know why it's so hard to find the motivation and time to exercise! I've always got this tremendously long mental list of everything that needs doing and I feel very guilty if I take time out to exercise. I should at least try and strengthen my back though!
This morning's weight was 140.8
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 November 2007 03:25 pm |
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Weight fluctuations! 141.4 lbs this morning.
It's going to be a crazy busy weekend also, how can a person eat right running around like a crazy person? At the very least I can do portion control. I can run up and down the aisles of Wal*Mart with bags of sugar in hand as Peter suggests. Somehow I don't feel this will be a good model for my boys who are 7 and 11.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 6 November 2007 07:38 pm |
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I need to stop buying food that I truly have a weakness for...Such as pizza. At the very least I can buy it less often! And danishes! And sugar Christmas cookies! I have been buying some goodies for the kids to have snacks because we all have such busy schedules, but I end up caving in and eating the danishes and cookies!
I need to strategize better. I am rethinking those 100 calorie packs... I need to have some snacks for me that I can eat without the danger of consuming too many calories. I've been making the mistake of telling myself that I just need better will power. I need more motivation and yes, motivation does help, but it takes an aweful lot of energy on my part to be that motivated that I can watch others eating danishes and pizza without getting some for myself. So maybe it would be a good idea to have some treats I can eat without piling on so many calories.
Right now I have regular fudge bars in the freezer- they're 100 calories. I use to get the sugar free ones that were only 30-40 calories. I need to get some of those again. And I should get some of those 100 cal pack cookies that I can have when other people are eating danishes. There is no substitution for pizza, so that will just have to be an occasional treat and I can take one slice and cut it into two smaller ones.
I need to make some gosh darn vegetables!
A big part of the problem is that I grew up eating badly and I do not know how to prepare healthy meals with loads of vegetables and no meat!
We are still eating meat, but I am trying to cut down the amount of red meat we eat. Especially after they had yet another study on cancer and were talking about it on the news. Foods that increase cancer risks, lunch meat, hot dogs (I love hot dogs!), red meat more than twice a week...There were some others but I can't remember them.
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 6 November 2007 11:01 pm |
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Hi Sassykat
I've been thinking about you, and wondering how things were going! I'm so glad that life is getting better. I find it always does, when you turn it over to God
Thanks for the post in my diary.........I've been busy and stressed, as you can see from my ramblings. I too NEED to de-stress my life  SOON!
We've been having some very good Sunday morning Bible Classes, and a wonderful Women's Bible Study on Thursday's. They really help..........but, I do need to let go of some of my "duties" that I've accumulated. I am looking forward to next year......if I can get the courage to "let go". I think one of my co-workers referred to it as "giving someone else the opportunity to serve"............I like that!
I just had to smile ........your last 3 posts sound so "me"  I sure have been struggling for months on end..........and it's stress, hormones and lack of exercise, which have ultimately lead to lack of control and weight gain.
However, I do have a tip on the pizza thing..........I feel so deprived if I can't have it! Which usually leads to overeating some other food, if it's not pizza. Do you have a Papa Murphy's near you? Or maybe you can find another alternative? Friday is the night.......I am tired after a long week of work and extra activities.........and I don't feel like going out..........and I don't feel like cooking..........so it's turned into "pizza night".
I've come up with 2 solutions.........one is to make my own pizza, using 1/2 whole grain pita as the crust, using tomato sauce and seasonings, and my own favorite veggies. I top it with either low fat cheese or veggie cheese. Solution #2 (which is what we do most often, as it's easier) is to stop at Papa Murphy's and pick up a De-Lite pizza..........my half is veggies or sometimes I have a Hawaiian w/mushrooms. I can eat 1/2 the pizza, for about 750-800 calories! As long as it's no more than once a week, and I watch my calorie intake for the rest of the day, I do it and don't feel guilty about it. Other pizza chains might have other solutions.........check out their websites for nutritional information.
I know what you mean about having the food in the house.......and trying to leave your hands off of it! It's so much easier if it's not there! I am lucky to have my kids grown and out of the house, so I don't have to keep anything on hand for them, however, the hubs likes his "treats". I usually do OK, as long as I think of them as "his". I keep mini bags of low-fat microwave popcorn in the house. They are only about 100 calories, and at least they don't have the processed content that those cookie packs do.........and I get to do a lot of chewing and chomping  for 100 calories. And it satisfies my salt cravings when the hormones are going crazy!
I certainly waffle back and forth between eating plans..........right now I am back to the very low animal products, and lots of fruits and veggies, with whole grains. But, I am not recording or tracking right now. I'm trying to stick with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.........it keeps me satisfied throughout the day, so I'm not tempted to "cheat".
Thanks so much for your prayers ...........I'm so glad that some of mine for you, seem to have been answered! I will continue to keep you in my prayers too.
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 7 November 2007 01:08 am |
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Hey Hisgal!
It was a nice surprise finding you here! We are very rural here so we don't have a Papa John's. The nearest pizza joint is a 25 min drive one way. Sigh!
Our family is just so busy right now, it really makes it hard to eat healthy. This last weekend I tried to eat healthy, but it didn't work.  We went to Mc Donald's and I ordered a ceaser salad, scraped all the chicken to the side (I did not eat the chicken) and only put a few drops of dressing on top. Then we went shopping. Well half way through Wal*Mart I was a starving savage and I ended up eating all kinds of bad foods before the day was over. I almost thought I would have been better off getting a hamburger.
As far as the rest of life, things are good. I have been taking some bible classes and some classes to get baptised. I feel so much more peace after these classes. One time, I was very grouchy, steamed actually. My son had brought home a progress report with some negative comments on it. He is only 7 and just shy and I get tired of them (teachers and nosey people that work at the school) telling me he should be talking more at school. So I was down right steamed! I grudgingly went to my church class and I became so absorbed in the class and the prayers, by the time the hour was up I had changed my mood 100%. It was truly a mirracle. By the time I did talk with his teacher I was able to be sweet and calmly discuss my son's progress at school.
For the time being my husband has work. I am afraid if he runs out of work it could be the end of our construction business. There are not really any jobs around here so I don't know how things would work out in that regards, but I have faith that God will get us through whatever comes. The weather has been warm and beautiful and I try and enjoy each day at least a few minutes. Whatever task I have to do I try and enjoy it. It has to be done either way, so I might as well relax and think pleasant thoughts while doing it, whether it's book keeping and bill paying or housework or errands or fixing something. If I keep in mind that whatever it is I am doing, it blesses my family, it helps me feel a lot better. It is better than always thinking of what I didn't do. Instead, I think that every little bit of good I manage to get done blesses my family.
Instead of worrying about accomplishing great things, I now think about accomplishing little things with great love. I believe Mother Theresa said something similar to that. It sure helps with stress!
Sure wish you could come over some time and we could visit.
I have eaten some bad food today, but I have also had two large bowls of salad and 3 pieces of fruit so at least I'm getting some vitamins and ...What are they called? Phytonutrients? Yeah, some of those good things they haven't learned to copy yet.
God bless you Hisgal!
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 20 November 2007 05:47 pm |
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Weight loss has not been good.
In fact it has been weight gain. We went out of town for a few days, stayed at a hotel that had a pool and I got a good look at myself in the mirror in my swim suit. I have to be honest with myself and say that I have not been able to look objectively at myself for a very long time. I have been living years in denial of how I look and the extra weight that I have. Part of it is because I tell myself that looks don't matter and I have lots of friends who are also over weight. In fact...I don't have any skinny friends. So everyone is always telling me that I do not need to lose any weight. This is affecting me. Those people's views along with a crazy busy life, are making me complacent about my health. Maybe worrying about how I look isn't a bad thing if it gets me to lose some weight, exercise and be healthier. Nobody lives forever, but I would have a better quality of life if I could be more active and do more things. I would feel better about myself also.
Getting motivated seems like it is half the battle though. Or perhaps it is even a higher % of the battle, maybe it's 60-70 %. It seems huge at the moment. By now, I know how to count calories, I know logically I need to burn more than I take in. I know fruits and vegetables can be a huge aid. I just have this major mental battle and busy cicumstances going on in life right now.
Maybe I should start a thread on motivation in the general section....
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hoofprints
Senior Member
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Posted: 21 November 2007 12:49 am |
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I am going to look for your motivation thread. Maybe it's time for some real soul searcing. You know what makes you tick ... what would it take to get you to make the changes 6 days at a time?
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 November 2007 12:23 am |
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" My life is mostly filled with doing things for my family. I am never able to accomplish all that I am suppose to do in a day, so losing weight doesn't seem that important most days. I seem to easily develope bad health though and so I think I should try and be healthy. When I weighed 175 lbs I could hardly walk down our road. My chest hurt and my legs hurt very badly. There are a lot of obese people on my mom's side of the family. I gain weight easily it seems, and the extra weight apparently affects my health significantly. So I would like to refocus on this goal of mine to get healthier. For me that would mean losing about 20-25 pounds and getting in some serious exercise and using these muscles that only seem to know how to type on a key board. And also eating mostly fruits and vegetables that were never really a part of my life before. Sigh!
What helps me is reading books, articles etc on health, diet and weight loss. Also watching these types of programs on TV is also highly motivating for me. I bought two exercise videos at Wal-Mart (they don't have a very good selection by the way) and I have been watching the educational channels when they have programs on diet, exercise, health and weight loss.
I do better if things become a habit, like some of you have mentioned, but sometimes getting the ball rolling can seem extremely hard.
I have also bought two books, more to educate myself and to help motivate me than anything. I bought "The Zone Diet", just to see what it was about, after watching a documentary on someone who lost 400 lbs on it. And "The Biggest Loser" because I enjoy watching the show, it motivates me to exercise.
So here's hoping I can begin my journey to better health now in the midst of the eating holidays. "
I wrote the above in my motivation thread and I copied it to here, to help me remember.
I tried out one of my new exercise videos. I "walked 2 miles" with it. It was a good work out for me (I am extremely sedentary and out of shape) so it was more of a work out for me than walking down our dirt road for 2 miles. And I ate a whole monkey load of salad for both lunch and dinner. However, I must confess two small chocolate chip cookies and a slice of sharp chedder cheese.
Intestinal problems seem to slowly be getting better. Since I have been having tummy problems I have noticed my weight fluctuating quite a bit, which it never did before. My weight use to be fairly consistant. My husband and I noticed this because his weight fluctuates a lot more than mine does. I'm trying to word this in a way so as not to disgust anyone who might happen to read my journal.
Last edited on 27 November 2007 12:30 am by Sassykat
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 November 2007 06:34 pm |
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Well it's ttom. I did my exercises and ate a huge salad for a late breakfast. Dinner is going to be baked chicken breasts and lots and lots of cooked veggies and salad. Things are going well.
My goals are to get going with my exercise earlier in the day.
And be more active through out the day.
Keep doing well with large intake on vegetables and fruits with low calories consumed by days end.
Hope to notice a difference in 2 weeks.
Need to record weight and tape measurements tomorrow. Don't forget!
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 November 2007 08:15 pm |
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Another Goal.
I have got to figure a better way to organize my time! Today has gone horribly.
How will I ever manage to get my stuff done this way? Today I exercised first and now I don't feel well and the rest of the things I needed to get done are...Not going to get done obviously. Frustrating! I'm going to try and make a schedule that fits my life.
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 November 2007 02:36 pm |
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Hi Sassykat!
Thanks for checking up on me and for the post in my diary
Actually, things are not going real well.......I'm not sure what it is, but have been really down.....to the point where others are asking if I'm OK. Have been very tired, lack of appetite (which is OK, I guess), withdrawn, not singing along to Christmas music, sobbing/crying at the drop of a hat for no reason. It's scary! It is TTOM for me too, but I never react to that extreme. Maybe more peri-menopause symptoms? Surely hoping not the big "D" word.......I watched my MIL going through that, and it's not good.
Thanks for caring and checking up on me...........keep warm!
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DeterminedGal
Senior Member
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Posted: 28 November 2007 03:54 pm |
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sobbing/crying at the drop of a hat for no reason. Maybe more peri-menopause symptoms?
Hisgal,
I can so relate. How old are you? There are certain times during the month when I cry at anything....sappy commercials...you name it! Hang in there.
DG
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 November 2007 05:17 pm |
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Hisgal, if you read this, I posted in your journal with some thoughts on your feeling down. I hope you feel better soon. I am praying for you.
Ok! I promised myself I would take my measurements and post them on here.
Weight this morning 142.6 lbs
tummy 35"3/4 (just an inch or so under belly button)
right calf 15" (taken at fattest part)
right thigh 23" (taken at fattest part)
right arm 12" 3 milimeters (taken at fattest point)
That about covers it...Unless I measure my head....Which I don't think would be a good idea, could be an indicator of my mental state and we don't want to be sharing that.
So today is the 3rd day in a row I've done my exercises whoo hooo! I feel sore, but I am feeling a little more energetic. Exercise actually works better than caffeine. Who knew?
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voodoodoll
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 November 2007 09:24 pm |
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hey sas, so glad to see you getting back into exercising again! its amazing how doing more exercise actually makes us feel less tired- who would have thought it?
i've had a bit of time off from calorie counting/exercise myself but i'm getting back into it again tomorrow. i think sometimes a bit of a break can actually be a good thing to prepare us mentally for the challenges we are about to face and to stop us gettign tired of doing the same thing over and over again.
good luck with everything
Bev x
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 29 November 2007 12:49 am |
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| Hi there Voodoodoll! I seem to be having trouble with the food department. My mouth just wants to eat everything. Despite that, I shall keep focusing on my goals and keep exercising. Good to hear from you!
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hoofprints
Senior Member
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Posted: 29 November 2007 07:51 pm |
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I pm'd you about your picture. I would love to see everyone's faces. I was trying to work up the nerve to do the in progress shots. It's hard to scan those "big" pictures though
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 30 November 2007 04:50 pm |
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Hey Sassykat and Hoofprints,
It is nice to have a face to associate with the name! I haven't gotten brave enough to do that yet. I don't mind you guys knowing what I look like, but there are a lot of people out there who visit this site, and I'm not sure I want my face out there for all to see............some people are a little strange.
Hah! Not that I haven't been strange this week myself So glad to report that now, 1 week after TTOM started, my hormones seemed to have leveled out. I am singing along with my music again.........I am hungry again...........and all the sleeping I seemed to be unable to stop myself from doing, has caught up with me, as I laid awake last night with my kitties curled up to me, and the hubs snoring very loudly beside me! Then I was up at 4:00 a.m.............so I did last night's dishes, filled the furnace with wood, and curled back up with my kitties in my long-lost recliner, and slept until 6:00!
Sassykat, could you steer that low pressure system, coming out of CO and the Rockies, so we don't get the 10" of snow dumped on us tomorrow??? I want to go to my grand-daughter's first birthday  party tomorrow!
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Sassykat
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 2 December 2007 09:59 pm |
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Hi Hisgal! So glad you are feeling better. It made me sad to think that you were feeling sad. I do think hormones are an integral part of all systems in our body.
Yeah, we have had some weird weather from that storm this weekend. I was very worried about getting hammered with snow and my teens driving to work, one had a 5 hr one way drive to Denver and then back again the next day so the devil had me up worrying about them. The weird thing is though, we, ourselves got mostly rain and wind with finally a coating of snow last night. Today when we went out to church it smelled unbelievably like spring! Crazy!
Well I have received the books I ordered and I have been |
