Hello, world!
Stuck home today with a sick kid, but hope she's feeling well enough tomorrow to go out in her costume. I guess I'll just go out and work 4 hrs this evening instead of today. I worked yesterday for the first time since getting shingles, and a 4 hr shift was about all I could take. It felt good to get out, and I really do LOVE my work, so that is a bonus.

I started writing down my food again yesterday, as I hate the thought of regaining some of my 6 pound loss. I do think it's likely to regain a couple of those pounds, as they only came off by being too sick to eat. But I can deal with it. I am aiming to lose another 10 pounds or so by Christmas, though. I'd be happy with 8. I hope to reach my goal (another 24 lbs) by late Spring, which I think is reasonable. I still can't exercise just yet, but am getting up and around more. I am improving a little every day

When I started Weight Watchers I was 211 pounds and now I am at 180. It feels good, but I know there is still a ways to go. I am looking at it in 5 lb increments, basically. I still don't have clothing sizes sorted out: At first I was in a 16/18. Now I can wear a 10 in some skirts, but still have trouble squeezing into a 14 pant! It drives me crazy how pants used to do up at your waist - as in, the most narrow part of me - and now they do up at my hips - my very W I D E S T part???!!! Frustrating as all get out.

Anyway, I hope you're all having a great week so far.

cheers!

Hi Janice

I hope that your kid is feeling better soon and recovers in time to join in the fun.

I am pleased that you are now well enough to be back at work.

Even if a couple of pounds goes back on - it will be like weight put on in a celebration - a couple of days of sticking to the plan (sensible eating and exercise all in a controlled fashion) seems to take it straight back off again.

I think that your weight loss plans sound perfectly reasonable.

My clothes are naturally in UK sizes - which are different numbers from yours.
At the start of the year I was size 30 to 32. I know that I was wearing size 30 fourteen to fifteen years ago - I have been going through old clothes and have checked the sizes of things that I wore to weddings and events that can be date-checked.
We have moved house twice this century - and since I had been size 30 for a long time - I decided that it was nearly impossible for me to ever get below size 20 and I sent tons of clothes to the charity shops.
I have now got down to size 18, and am looking for odd clothes that escaped the journey to the charity shops. Luckily I have located a basic wardrobe - all bought in the 1980s. I want to save my money for where I want to be size-wise.

It is all good fun.

I hope that the rest of the week goes well for you.

Take care
Love
Margaret

24lbs by late spring?? You've totally got that Yeah, I'm with you- I think clothing sucks. Makes me mad sometimes cuz certain brands you actually go UP in sizes. Psh. Rediculous!
Anyways, have a great day tomorrow, keep goin, and hope the kiddo feels better!

Hey abbagirl, hope your little one is feeling well enough to go out tomorrow night. i know my little one is sick too and it sucks cause when he is sick then i usually get sick. and getting sick just insist an option for me right now. I got too many thing sI wanna do between now and when my hubby gets home for good. I can't wait. Although my luck when he gets home i'll end up getting knocked up again and won't be able to continue on the weightloss journey for a little while. He keeps joking that all its gonna take this time is him looking at me.. haha i sure hope that isn't true.. although i would love another baby just wanna be down closer to a healthier weight before that happens.. but its all good if it does. alex wants a baby brother or sister anyways.. and i don't want my kids too far apart in age alex would be 4.5 by the time the baby was born if i did get preggo anyways. so we will see.. haha good luck on getting down to your goal weight by late spring. i had hoped to be closer to my goal weight by late spring early summer too but i am now shooting for the end of august of next year to get to my goal weight. perfect time for wearing the hot biniki to the beach and having everyone check me out while dh stands next to me and alex plays in the sand.. nice dream huh.. lol ok well enough about me.. hope you and the little one are back in tiptop shape really soon.

heather

Wow, it must feel AMAZING to be below a size 20 after so many years, Margaret! You really must feel thrilled. I LOVE going through my closet & drawers and trying on things that haven't fit in ages...only to find that I am swimming in them now! What a treat. I have made many trips to the thrift store with donations. I really am pleasantly surprised how easy it has been to tweak my eating following the Weight Watchers guidelines. I don't feel that I am even slightly deprived, nor on a diet at all. I just make better choices, limit my portion sizes, and make my calories count, instead of shoveling in junk.

Of course, Hallowe'en here is notoriously wicked for any Mother watching her weight...the littles go begging for candy from house to house, and bring it all back home, where it beckons from the cupboard... However, my desire for good health helps tremendously. My kids are limited to 2 treats per day from their bag, which makes it last longer and helps their teeth not to fall out!

I will get weighed tomorrow and find out if I've managed to keep up my 6 lb loss. I am really struggling at the moment with the state my hair is in. It is thinning quickly (I have always had long, thick, lustrous hair) and has become extremely dry and brittle due to the PCOS. I have made up a list of my symptoms and will return to my dr shortly, as I think I really do have lupus. Too many things.

Anyway, all for now, have a great week

Hey there friend!! It sounds like your feeling better, or at least getting there slowly, I'm glad!! You've done so well on your weight loss this far, I have no doubt you did not put on 6lbs, you probably kept them off and then some!! Don't worry about your hair either, just remember they have a lot of new items on the market to help people with thinning hair, OR hair extensions and fillers too. Heck, I've seen some really sweet looking wigs or partial wigs out there also, I was tempted myself to buy one and wear it for awhile just to give myself a new look, without cutting what I have. I know it's got to be hard for you, but just remember your not alone, and I'm sure your family and friends love you just the way you are!! Which I have no doubt is very beautiful! I'm in shock over how you went down to a size 10 already, DANG that's fantastic!!! weight watchers is awesome, as I said before my sis used it to and it worked so good for her. Well, I hope you keep feeling better an better each passing day, and i hope your next weigh in shows great results!! Keep up the fight, you'll make it, YOU WILL!!!!
Hugs!
Kim

Thanks for the encouragement, Kim. I go for my weigh in at noon today. My daughter just came home from school, still not quite well enough I guess, so she'll be coming along for the weigh-in!

Today is a crazy busy day for me. My eldest is having a big slumber party tonight for her 11th b-day, and our house is ...er...not exactly spiffy just yet. In addition to cleaning the upstairs and doing a mountain of laundry and dishes, the basement (party HQ) still requires vacuuming and final touches. However, as the party is hers, I believe I will let her handle that! I spent a ridiculous amount of $ yesterday buying snack food for the 10 'tweens who will be here overnight! Good thing b-days come but once a year...

At any rate, I will post how my weigh-in goes. If I have managed to hold even, or even just gain a pound or so, I'll be okay with it.

Hi Janice

Fingers crossed that the weigh-in goes just right. Let us know

Take care
Love
Margaret

Hey Janice, hope your weigh in went well and that you and your kids getting back to feeling good soon. I know how hard it is when our kids are sick. When my son is sick things always get put on the back burner till he's better. I am getting back into college though. I just signed the paperwork today. so i'm super excited about that. hope things are well with you.

heather

Heather
Congrats on your return to College! I loved post secondary. Though I am currently content in my career as a Medical Transcriptionist, I may finish off the last 2 yrs of my arts degree at some point. I hate leaving things undone (which sadly seems to be the lot of all mothers! LOL). You are sure going to be busy...remind me again what degree/diploma/certificate you are pursuing?

Anyhoo, as for weightier matters (get it), I did not end up getting to go for my weigh in, as my kid was just too sick to go. That's okay, I'll be going this Friday. My eldest daughter's slumber party went swimmingly, but I am glad it's over. Too much stress and I am still not fully recovered from the shingles.

After spending far too much time on the 'puter researching health related issues (PCOS, autoimmune disorders, etc.) I have decided to try drinking a tonic 2 x daily of 2 tsp apple cider vinegar mixed with 2 tsp raw honey in a cup of water. Apparently ACV is supposed to shrink cellular inflammation, which (according to health nuts) is the root of all things evil in our bodies. Honey is also very healthy for you. In addition, I am going to take Kelp daily to get in some extra B vits (at least I think that's what it is). My nerves are shot to heck these days.

I am pleased to say that I do look slimmer when I look in the mirror. It is a treat to fit smaller sizes. I am desperate to get healthy, stop my hair loss, get rid of my facial rash & acne, kiss PCOS goodbye, and cure my arthritis!

Hi Janice

I am sorry that your kid is still ill. Weighing can wait.

We all want to kiss PCOS goodbye. What part of your new supplements are designed to do that - because I will try them too.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Margaret, I don't know about the things ABBA is taking, but I take chromium and gymnema sylvestre supplements for my PCOS. It may be coincidental, but I regained natural bleeds (not provera induced) about 2 months after I started my supplement regimen. My sugar levels have balanced and my liver enzymes were decreased. Some of this is probably the weight loss, but I contribute a lot to the supplements also, as I had only lost 10 lbs or so when the bleeds started back up. (They aren't true menses, as I don't ovulate, but at least the lining is shedding without help.)

hi ABBAgirl...

just thought I'd stop by. I like reading your posts...they are all upbeat and funny!

congratulations on the 30+ pounds loss!

Thanks for stopping by, Kristi! Gee, you look so pretty already...you will be just GORGEOUS at your goal weight, I'm sure!

So, after being housebound for 2 weeks with shingles, then all of last week with a sick kid at home, guess what happened with my OTHER kid in the middle of the night? Yup, that about sums it up. So I will not be leaving the house at all until DH comes home from work. *sigh* And it is such a lovely Fall day outside! Aah, the joys of motherhood...

I am very curious as to what the WW scale will say when I go in to get weighed this week. I didn't get to go last week due to sick kid #1, but I am bound and determined to go this week!

I am finding that it is pretty easy to drink the apple cider vinegar if I mix it with an equal (or less) amount of honey in my warm water. It's kind of like a cross between tea and apple cider if I do it that way. I am expecting to reap all kinds of health benefits from it. Plus I continue to drink my protein shakes, and try to get in at least 2 L of water. Yeesh! It's a wonder I have any room in my tummy for FOOD!

Hi Janice

Good luck at the scales. I am sure that you will not need it though.

Let us know how it goes.

Take care
Love
Margaret