Here you will find my online diary, updated at least a couple of
times a month (at least most of the time!), with reports of my successes
and what I've learned. I also have a chart showing my progress in
Weight Watchers. You can check it out here:
My Progress
Should you want to see pictures (they're very painful!), you can
find them here: My Progress
in Pictures
March 10, 2001
January 27, 2001
January
14, 2001
December
28, 2000
December
8, 2000
October 21, 2000
October
15, 2000
September 3, 2000
August 26, 2000
August
25, 2000
August 19, 2000
August 18, 2000
Pre-August
18, 2000 (before I rejoined Weight Watchers
After March 10, 2001, the journal moved here:
My Journey
to Health and Fitness, Part III.
March 10, 2001
I'm sorry that this page hasn't been updated recently. I'm still really
having trouble with my thumb, and since I haven't been following Weight
Watchers the way I should, there wasn't exactly a lot of good news
to talk about! I'm back on program now, though, and doing pretty well
again. I lost 2.5 pounds this week, so I hope that means that the
very serious struggling I've been doing trying to stay on program
has eased up some. You can view my progress chart here: I've almost
completely recovered from having the stiches removed from the surgery
on my thighs. Unfortunately, they left a suture in, and about a week
after they removed the other sutures, this one got really imflamed.
I couldnt' see that part of my leg myself, so I had my husband look
at it. He thought there might be a stitch in it that they neglected
to remove, but he wasn't sure. So, he took a picture of it with our
digital cameral, and I came downstairs and looked at it with Paint
Shop Pro and sure enough, there it was! So, we went to the local doc-in-a-box
and had it removed. After that it started healing again, and now I'm
virutally pain free in that area. Certainly took long enough though!
And having my husband take a picture of it was hilarious!
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January
27, 2001
Well, this has been a very frustrating,
but very fulfilling day. I've found that I have some very wise, very
fine friends. I also found out that I had gained 2 and a half pounds.
I know that part of it is due to the steroids I had to take, and maybe
even due to the corticosteroid injection I had to have last week.
Part of it is due to the fact that I've completely quit exercising,
and yet more of the gain is due to the fact that I'm not being as
careful as I need to about the food choices I've been making. I can't
exercise right now (with the exception of some Yoga poses) because
of my DeQuervain's and the pain in my thumb, and the other is that
I have to have some minor surgery on to remove 2 cysts from my inner
thighs. They're quite painful, and they're going to be even more painful
on Monday when I have them removed. If it isn't one thing, it seems
to be another! I've been pretty discouraged the last couple of weeks.
I finally wrote to two of my friends, and what they said really helped!
I'm so grateful to have people like them in my life. I know that I
have never considered quitting Weight Watchers this time, and I know
that I won't, but it really was a struggle this time to stay on program
and keep some enthusiasm for what I'm doing. I've ordered the DietPower
software program advertised at the top of this page. I tried a trial
version, and it looked like it might help. Several of my online friends
have had great things to say about it, so I'm hoping it will help
me get my food choices more in line with what I need to be eating.
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January 14, 2001
I can't believe I haven't written anything since December! How can
that be? I guess I was so busy adding new pages that I didn't realize
that I hadn't updated things here.
I had to be on steroids for a couple of weeks due to the DeQuervain's
in my thumb and wrist. It helped for a while, but now it's starting
to hurt again. While I was on the steroids, I still lost weight just
fine, but after the taper ended, I had gained 6.5 pounds when I got
on my scales at home (and they're VERY accurate!). I was devastated,
to say the least. Gradually, though, over the next week and a half,
I lost the weight and managed to lose a half pound yesterday at my
official weigh in. I didn't actually ever show a gain at Weight Watchers,
because I weighed in early last week on Tuesday. I wanted to get the
new program materials as soon as they were available, and I did! So,
the gain happened in between, and hopefully is gone forever. I've
officially lost 30.5 pounds.
I've also been exercising about every other day or so. I've been
walking on the treadmill, and using the Total
Gym. I also have been using 3 video tapes to do yoga, and I just
love it! My favorites are Yoga
for Round Bodies, Vol. 1 and Yoga
for Round Bodies Vol. 2. They also available as a set.
They're so positive and accepting. The adapt the positions for those
of us who are large and larger, and it's a very meditative style of
yoga. You've got to try them! The other yoga tape I got (all thanks
to my husband) is Yoga
for Weight Loss. It's harder than the Round Bodies tapes, and
I'm sure does more for weight loss. I don't enjoy it as well, but
it's probably better for me.
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December 28, 2000
I went to weigh in on a different day today, as I don't think I'll
be able to go on my usual time on Saturday. I lost 3 pounds! Actually,
I think that I really only lost 2.5 pounds, as the woman who weighed
me didn't seem to really have the scale balance centered. Oh, well!
I've been on steroids for over a week, and it always plays havoc with
my weight. I usually lose like crazy for a little while, and then
the loss stops and I start to gain. I'll just have to wait it out
and see.
I've been having a real problem with a condition called DeQuervain's
Tenosynovitis. Translated, that means I have a really, really painful
thumb and wrist. Thankfully, it's my left hand, so I can still mouse
OK, but typing is really painful. That's why I've been on the steroids.
I don't think they're helping much, so a trip to the orthopaedist
is in my future, I'm sure.
I've also been a little slouchy in the food department, not really
going off of program, but I haven't been paying close enough attention
to what I eat, either. That's changing starting today. And I'm so
excited about getting the new program at Weight Watchers next week.
We don't get it here in TN until then (we're always last for everything!
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December 8, 2000
Well, first I must apologize for not keeping this updated! I've been
so busy, and having computer problems. That's the bad news. The good
news is that I've lost 25 and a half pounds, so I made my 10% goal
in Weight Watchers. When you reach your 10% goal, you get a lovely
keyring. Since I had to lose 25 pounds to get to the 10% goal, I also
got my 25 pound magnet. No, the magnet doesn't weigh 25 pounds, it
means I lost 25 pounds! Tee hee! My motivation hasn't been as strong
lately, but I think that's about to change. I guess I've just settled
into a routine, and doing all the right things has lost some of its
initial excitement! I've got to get back to planning more in advance,
and not making my food decisions at the last minute. Most of all,
though, I've got to start getting some exercise! That's my newest
goal, and I'm going to do it. Hopefully, committing to that here will
help make it stick!
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October 21, 2000
I went to weigh in this morning and finally, I've lost more weight!
Yay! I lost 4 pounds. That makes a total of 20. I can't believe how
wonderful my attitude is this time. It's so totally different. I don't
waste time feeling sorry for myself, or feeling deprived. I chose
what I want to eat, I track it in my journal, and I follow program
every minute. I haven't gone off program even once. When there are
tempting goodies in the kitchen at work, I just don't eat them. I'd
rather use my points for food that doesn't count so much, and that
will keep me from being hungry later. If I blow it all on a donut,
then I won't get to enjoy my salad with real dressing (no fat-free
dressing for me!) The salad is better for me, and will keep me full
longer than the donut. It's been so freeing for me not to have to
deliberate on whether I should eat something or not. If I haven't
planned to eat it, then I don't. It's made life so much easier!
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October 15, 2000
I'm so behind in this journal! First my computer crashed,
and then I had to have surgery! I'm sorry I haven't been keeping it
up! I have, however, stayed on program with Weight Watchers through
it all. Even through the pre-op prep and the post-op recovery. I had
to have a hemorrhoidectomy, and fissure repair and some other work
done on my backside. Not fun, and extremely painful. I've missed a
week of work, and haven't been able to be at the computer for a week
as well. I've really missed my online friends.
I haven't been to weigh-in in the last 2 weeks. My surgery was the
6th, and I hadn't left the house until last evening for just a little
trip. Things really have been hard, and PAINFUL!! According to my
home scales, after surgery I gained about 5 pounds, but those are
finally gone, thank goodness. I attribute those to the swelling after
surgery. I'm still taking laxatives and pain meds, so I really don't
know what I weigh! The laxatives make me lose weight, and the pain
meds cause me to retain fluid, so it's anyone's guess I suppose! At
any rate, this morning my scales showed that I was down a half pound.
If that holds true at my official weigh-in next Saturday, that will
be 16.5. I'm ready for my weight loss to pick back up! I've added
a chart to this web site showing my progress. You can see it here:
My Progress
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September 3, 2000
I lost 3 pounds when I weighed in at WW yesterday, and hubby lost
a pound and a half. I got my 10 pound ribbon, since I've lost a total
of 11.5 pounds. My next big goal is losing 25 pounds. That will be
10% of my starting body weight, and that's what WW focuses on in the
beginning of the program. I'm not looking at the huge amount of weight
I need to lose to get to goal. That doesn't really matter, since I
will be eating this way forever, I'll get there when I get there.
It won't really change how I'm living my life now. I've had a whole
change in attitude that's just amazing to me, and I'm so much happier
with myself for making good food choices. Knowing that my knees may
eventually not hurt is really exciting to me--the fear that my knees
would eventually completely fail if I didn't do something was quite
frightening. Even though I have only lost 11.5 pounds, I am already
able to go up and down the stairs more easily. Coincidence? Maybe,
but I'm still thrilled!
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August 26, 2000
I lost 8.5 pounds at this morning's Weight Watchers weigh-in!! I'm
so thrilled! In Weight Watchers (WW), you "journal" everything
you eat. I have done that using a program for the Palm (Weight
Watchers 123 Success Journal for Palm Pilot) that has made that
really simple. I've committed to journaling everything that I eat
for the rest of my life. Really, I mean it this time! It makes all
the difference in keeping track and being accountable. This change
in my life has been MY choice, and that has made a big difference
this time, too. I don't look at the way I'm eating as punishment,
and I don't feel deprived. You can eat what you want in WW, but you
have to count the points for everything you do choose to eat. My husband
was so impressed with the program that he even joined WW too!
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August 25, 2000
I go for my first weigh-in tomorrow morning, and I'm really excited!
I've been 100% on program this week, and I'm pretty sure the results
will be good, even though I haven't been able to exercise this week.
Next week will be better for exercise, I hope. I will be having an
appointment with a surgeon soon to arrange for minor surgery. Well,
heck, you know everything else about me, so I might as well share
this too - I'm having horrible problems with hemorrhoids right now,
and hope to have them taken care of as soon as possible! I haven't
even been able to sit at the computer until tonight, and have missed
three days of work. I've been in bed in horrible pain most of the
week.
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August 19, 2000
I went to Weight Watchers this morning, as promised. My starting weight
was 257.5 (argh!) I have the same lecturer that we had at my company's
At Work WW program, and she was much better than she was when she
came to our company. I actually got some motivation from her, and
am looking forward to making this change in my life. I'm not dreading
being on program, like I always have before, and I'm not worried about
staying on this way of life forever. It's like it's finally clicked
in my head that this is the way it's going to be from now on. It's
actually kind of a thrilling feeling, to know that I've made this
decision for good. My husband is being very supportive, and is looking
forward to getting his Type I diabetes under better control. He wants
to lose the 25 or so pounds that he's gained since we got married.
Maybe he'll even join WW with me? That would be great!
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August
18, 2000
Well, here we go again! I'm going to
go back to Weight Watchers tomorrow. I've spent the day and
evening looking at motivational sites done by Weight Watchers members.
Two of the best are:
A Weight
Watchers Support Network, and
Getting
2 Goal: How I've Lost over 160 Pounds.
I promise to get the links page for Weight Watchers up and running
soon, especially since it's my new program of choice for lifestyle
change (again)! I've made a list of reasons that I want to lose weight,
and I'm starting a list of motivational quotes. One day, maybe I'll
add them to the web site too! In the meantime, look for more frequent
updates of my progress. My husband is even thinking of joining Weight
Watchers with me to lose a little weight and get better control of
his diabetes.
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