Hooray, the right direction FINALLY

1.5 drop. YES. Today is another low carb day (though not enough water - I'll work on that - busy showing homes). I'm still 5.5 - 6 pounds higher than I should be and a full 8 or so higher than I want to be. I'm just really hoping some of this weight is flukey. Good news, after having had 55 pounds to lose, 5.5 doesn't sound so intimidating!

You asked about the Apple and Cheese day. Here it is:

Theory

Eating apples and cheese should do the same thing as a Steak Day or a Steak and Cheese Day, but without the cost of the steak. 

Test Parameters

Eat three meals.  Each meal consists of 2 apples and 2 ounces of cheese.  Drink lots of water.

Results

3.2# loss for myself.  Weight release ranges between 2 to 4 pounds, for each of the people testing with me. 

Conclusions

Eating apples and cheese consistently produces results better than a Steak Day or a Steak and Cheese Day, but without the cost of the steak.

Tomorrow I'll take off on my trip. I'll report in but not as often.

I hope you're all great and I'll try to stay caught up!

Hearts to you!

Up another half pound.

Nothing to do but keep on keeping on.

I haven't been weighing on "suck up" so I decided to check to see if maybe there was a problem with the scale (though I knew there wasn't as my 4s are tight ). On the way to that scale which is in my kids' bathroom, I tripped over our German Shepherd and hit my head on the wall. GAH! Nice big fat goose egg above my right eye. Niiiice! Suck up had me a half pound less, which is typical.

I got a call this morning that my brother's memorial is Sunday. I've rescheduled a class I had and will be taking off after the kids are out of school.

Not much to say. I'm perplexed by the weight. I'm off to exercise!

Day 1 of exercise

Thank you guys so much for all the support from my last post.

I think a large part of the frustration is that my husband and I used to make a lot of time for one another before the kids were born. We never really got into a routine of that again. We'll adjust.

So, I ate cleaaaaaaaaaaaan yesterday. Went from 125 to 125.3. What. The. Hell. Are my thyroid meds placebos?? Drank water and tea... I don't know what the problem is, but I will not let it get to me, nor will I throw my hands up and give up. I am going to follow Lavenderdiva's lead and will try a protein edema day. I have a steak for my lunch and rather than eggs as I am out, will have chicken breast. I'll keep pounding the water. Wish I could find more of that Slim Green Yogi Tea. I've been looking but can't find it anywhere.

I'm going to start yoga again today, albeit slowly. Yesterday marked 2 months post op. I feel great. I am SO glad I had the surgery done. Having a flat tummy is incredible! I love how my clothes are fitting (though I'm up in my 6s again but will get back to my 4s tout de suite).

Speaking of working out... I should be doing that now so... off I go.

Good luck to all of you doing steak/protein days today!

Edited to add...


Just got through the 15 minute workout on the Shape Up DVD - wow!!! That felt GREAT! I'll do this the rest of the week and then try the 30 minute one. Less stress than the yoga was on my body!

Out of control

Ugh. My eating/drinking has just gotten out of control! I suspect it's a combination of stress and candida. I have 1 more day of antibiotics. I am now taking pro-biotics and a supplement that is supposed to help combat yeast overgrowth. I hope that I can kill those little buggers off.

125 this morning. Yes, some of that is implant weight but even so, that would still have me right around LDW for round 2. Round 3 LDW is a good 5.5 pounds away.

Sorry to bitch about this but it just bugs me.

I realized this morning that the surgery center will be taking "after" pictures on the 17th of next month. 30 days from now. Perhaps if I could really do what I said I was going to do (eat clean and start yoga tomorrow), maaaaybe I can get close to within 2 pounds of my LDW of round 3. It will mean me getting a grip.

Our night away was not stress free. My husband bitched the entire time about how miserable he was. How he hated hotels. How it was a stupid idea. I made it really clear to him he could leave anytime and that I didn't appreciate him calling my idea stupid. It was awful. The kids had a great time, but I drowned my sorrows in nachos and wine. I didn't even bother weighing in the next 2 days.

The good news is the next day he took the kids aside and apologized to them, and then did the same to me. Totally sincere. He really got that his behavior was childish and hideous. I thanked him for saying so. I'm really not sure what inspired his behavior that night. Regardless, it upset me deeply. I need adventure - even if that means driving 20 minutes to stay at a hotel and watch my kids swim. I need spontaneity. We used to have that. I'm confident we can have that again, but it will take both of us to make that happen.

 "For a relationship to stay alive, love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped imagining. - James Hillman

I've mentioned before that for the longest time it's felt like I've been sleepwalking through my life. I've come out of a coma. Awake, I see that my husband has fallen into that same deep sleep. I see him stirring, but I don't think he's fully aware of how stagnant his life has become as well. I so want to shake him awake and start a wonderful new adventure with him.

I've never experienced another relationship with the depth of love that I have for him.  It is immeasurable. Our connection is so solid. That is a wonderful comfort.

In other news, my parents turned down the position that was 3 hours from here, and quite frankly, part of me is very relieved. It would have them living in a 600 square foot fully furnished home. No room for their offices, their bird, or the cat box, and totally remote. The same day, they were contacted by another person about a position in Seaside, OR - about an hour out of Portland. The position they described sounds absolutely IDEAL. I am so hoping they get it. Either way, I'll be throwing the kids in the car soon and going out to visit, stopping in Portland to help my sister learn how to mix and dose with HCG. I am so excited for her!

Okay, well this has just gone on long enough, eh? I'll close it for now. Virtual hugs and smiles your way!

Happy Valentine's Weekend, Lovies!

I wish you all a very lovey dovey weekend full of sweet treats - even the sugar free kind and especially the huggy snuggle kind!

My weight is a mystery. After my little "episode" with the tea, I was down .6 pounds. Less than I'd expected, actually! I mean really... anyway. Yesterday the opposite effect afflicted me. I swung totally in the other direction. I didn't eat that much (was sucked into a game), drank plenty of water and am up 1.2 pounds today. I weighed in at 123.3 (.1 under LDW from round 2, however I have to take into account a couple pounds for the new additions, so more like 121ish). I think I have PMS. I went shopping with a girlfriend last night for V-day treats for the family and pretty much grabbed anything with dark chocolate in it. I'm totally craving it right now. I haven't opened any of it, but definitely want to!


I go back and forth about what I should do. Do I try to get back to my LDW (not the LLW, but true LDW) from R3 of 117.6 (119.6 give or take with the implants), or do I relax, eat clean and at least maintain until I do a 4th round? I'll tell you what, I hate being obsessed with it. Old habits die hard. I'd love to relax. 


I need reminding too that I am STILL healing. It will be another 4 months before my body will be totally mended. I've got to do what it takes to support it while it does. Crazy dieting is not what it needs now. 


I had planned on starting yoga (again) on Monday. That will mark 2 months post op, however I think I may postpone it until I'm done with the antibiotics and am sure the infection is gone. It's looking so much better. The side where the stitch came out now is hardly visible - the incision is razor thin. The other side is still puckered looking but now I know that's the stitch making it look like that and when it either dissolves or comes out, that scar too will smooth. So much nicer than my c-section/hysterectomy scars. 

Tonight the family and I are going to the Embassy Suites. Our kids will play while we watch and sip on a cocktail. A little mini-vacation. Tomorrow we're having lunch with one of my best friends and her husband (one of my husband's best friends - they met at our wedding) who are in from Switzerland. I'm so looking forward to that!

Wow, I've babbled. Thanks for listening, if you made it this far (and wouldn't blame you if you didn't!)!

Many diet teas, including Super Dieter's Tea, contain Senna, which works as a mild laxative, inducing abdominal cramping and frequent bowel movements.

Lovies. I had great success with a tea called Slim Green which was a green tea plus a mild diuretic. Given I knew most of the excess weight was water, I bought Super Dieter's Tea thinking it would have the same effect.

I've been in the bathroom 5 times in the last hour and it had NOTHING to do with water release. Oh. MY. GOD. Senna! The same stuff in Smooth Move tea! Holy hell, ladies! I had NO idea. I didn't read the ingredients; I simply assumed. 4 cups later...

The steak day did release 1.1 pound. I am between R2 and R3 weight. Fortunately, that's a healthy weight so no complaints.

Speaking of complaints, my husband wants to see me in more V-necks since the operation. I didn't own any so off to TJ-MAXX I went...

Thanks again for all the support! I cherish your kind words!!

Petite update

The steak day was ruined when I found chocolate covered espresso beans. What was I thinking? I have enough steak left over to try again today. Sheesh.

The boy's fever broke but I have him home one more day to make sure his immune system is as strong as possible before going back to school.

I met with the physician's assistant this morning to look at my infected incision. She said I was "throwing a stitch" and she'd have to pull it out. What a weird sensation that was! About 7 inches of stitch came out. She said I should heal a lot more smoothly on my tummy now that it was out, and that it accounted for the swelling I had (hoping that also accounts for some of the extra weight - I know it can't be THAT much, but still). She sent me away with a prescription for antibiotics. I need to pick up more pro-biotics. My poor tummy. Anyway, hopefully this will be the last of the surgery drama (please oh please)!

I got a call from my mom this morning. She and my father applied for a position about 3 hours from here. There were apparently 75 applicants. They got the job! They'll be moving this way in a month. I can hardly believe it!

You guys really are the best. I love the support you give me and appreciate each and every one of you!

**HUGS **