ShAiLohSays

With my surgery date finally in sight, I have a renewed optimism. I have been doing well on the weight loss front and I am looking forward to a speedy recovery from my surgery. My main focus is recovery and getting back to some reasonable facsimile of my former life. I am speaking in terms of my activity level. The inability to do any sort of real exercise has taken its toll on my mind and body. I have felt lazy, fat, you name it.

I know there are things that are out of our control, but that fact doesn’t make me feel ANY better as I feel my clothes get tighter! I look in the mirror and all I can see is my mother. I have always looked JUST like her, but I prefer to look like her when she was healthy. Not overweight and sick. I am NOT sick, but is it really that far off if i do not stop the cycle? I think not.

So, I sit here at my keyboard after having done a two mile walk and drank 1/2 of the daily amount of water that I have set as a goal. I am diligently journaling my food/drink intake; something that I hate doing. I find it tedious. I also recognize that, for me, it is necessary. 

No excuses. Just action!

~Shailoh

I have a migraine. They come more often than ever since my injury. Medication doesn’t help very much. I feel nauseas and lazy. If I had a bag of chocolate, I would eat the whole thing. Thankfully, I have been good about not keeping that stuff in the house. I may have to have a few Fiber One bars. At only 2pts each, I won’t feel very guilty if I eat two or three. (9g of fiber in each…yeah!)

So, I am off to hide in my room. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful evening. I pray that you are ringing in this new year with the ones you love…and that love YOU! Be safe. Be in control. Be blessed.

Happy New Year!

~Shailoh

Well, my first day back in the groove of healthy eating went pretty well. I stayed within my calories and only had one moment of weakness. I really do believe that these pain killers cause me to crave chocolate! So, at about nine o’clock last night, I ate about 1/3 c of ‘reindeer munch’. My daughter gave it to me for Christmas. It is this mixture of golden graham-type cereal, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. I was proud of myself for only having a little bit (as opposed to half the tin).

Today I have my pre-op physical as required by my surgeon. I am not sure what to expect. I probably should have asked, but it didn’t occur to me. It doesn’t matter. They can do what they need to with exception to any ‘down south’ exam. (thank you TOM) I can not imagine that they need to examine that area to give me a green light for neck surgery. We shall see.

So, my goal today is to drink water, lots of it. I am a water slacker, especially in the winter. I try to mix it up by keeping plenty of Crystal Light on hand. But seriously, there is only so much water I can drink! Along with the water thing, I will be diligent with regard to staying on my eating plan. It took me more than three years to put this weight on, but it will NOT take me that long to get it off.

Hubz and I never got to go on our honeymoon and we are planning to do so in March. My goal is to take off 1/2 of my total weight loss by then, which is 30 pounds or so. I am very hopeful that after my surgery in January I will be able to get back into the game as far as exerise goes. Hubz is cleaning off the elliptical machine for me today. It is zero impact, so I am going to give it a go. Even if I can only do 10 minutes at a time, it is better than nothing!

Have a successful day everyone!

~Shailoh

Well, it has been quite some time since I have been here. I certainly does show on the scale. I haven’t gained anything back, but I haven’t lost either.

My injury is getting progressively worse. What little bit of exercise that I was able to do is a thing of the past. Thankfully my surgery has been scheduled and I am hopeful that it will help. My nerve has been compressed for so long now that my surgeon says that there is a good chance that the surgery will not be 100% successful. I have to tell you, ANT improvement over what I am feeling now will be a blessing.

So, my activity level has been nil, and I have found myself in a bit of a depressed state. I seem to have no will to stick to a sensible diet, and I really do believe the pain meds have a bit to do with that. You know how we tend to over do it at parties once we have a drink or two? Seems to be the same with the meds. I try not to take them until just before bed but some days that just is not an option. /sigh

I am hopeful, though. I woke up this morning with a good attitude, despite what my stupid scale said. Man, I hate that thing…lol. It is my only accountibility at the moment, however, so I can not bring myself to toss it!

I am going to peak at the forums and see if I can find a team to join or a challenge to take part in. Perhaps that will help me.

Have a blessed day everyone :o)

~Shailoh

The title of this post is not intended to incite a riot!!  The word skinny does not represent my goal.  So, please, relax!

The title, here,  is really more reflective of the unhealthy attitudes many, including myself, have taken with regard to weight loss.  Society has put such an unrealistic image of what women should look like, that we beat ourselves up for YEARS without realizing it isn’t US…it is THEM!!  That is not to say that being over weight is ok.  It isn’t.  There are definite guidelines that one should look at when trying to get to and maintain a healthy weight.  When one’s body is carrying too much excess weight, its vital organs are not able to function properly.  It may be YEARS before one realizes the damage one has done to their body by carrying all that extra weight.  So, just so we understand each other…I am not here to promote being ’skinny’.  I am here to promote being HEALTHY!

I have been on many a diet over the years.  I have lost weight, just to gain it back and then some.  I have found that I am a stress eater.  My emotions dictate whether, or not, I will be successful.  I am trying very hard to break that cycle.

What has worked best for me over the years is that plan that has you count your ‘points’.  I really do like the concept of being able to eat what you want so long as you stay within your ‘points allowance’.  This works well for me because I am held accountable, on paper, to fess up to what I have eaten.  The problem I run into, though, is that if I am not ready to lose the weight  I tend to play with my points.  You know…eat too many today, make up for it tomorrow.  Seems that when tomorrow comes, the points that I have are not enough and then it becomes a situation where I have ‘blown it’ and may as well begin again the next week.  This is very common with this eating plan.  I have seen it many times.

What I need to do is stay accountable by checking off my points.  This is key for me.  Also, I am trying to look not only at my points, but what I am actually eating.  Many of the foods that  I have chosen in the past to fit into this eating plan are highly processed.  When I was a bit younger, this may have been ok.  As I get older, though, I am finding that I feel much better if I eat foods that are not processed.  I am sure this would have been the case all along, but when you are in your twenties your body is a LOT more forgiving of the things that you put it through.  At least that is the case for me.

So, for me, ‘the road to skinny’ has  been fraught with potholes, blockades, and plenty of stupidity to go around.  I am trying to be much smarter this time around.  I have a pretty good handle on what my ‘triggers’ are, so that will be helpful. I am also reading labels and looking into what exactly is being put into my food.  The more knowledgable about this area that I become, the healthier I will be.  As an added bonus, my family will be healthier as well!

Follow along with me as I learn and grow in this area of my life.  Who knows, maybe you will learn something along with me!

Well, after much soul searching, along with blog site searching, I have come to realize that this site is just what I need to help me along. So, without any further ado…

I am back to give it another shot!

~ShAiLoH

Well, the doctors appointment did not yield any surprises for me. I have two herniated discs in my neck. The treatments for this condition are anything BUT appealing. We are beginning with a conservative approach, ie; medication. I will go back in three week to see how well this course has worked, if at all. The next suggested treatment will be epidurals in my neck. OUCH!! I do not look forward to that. This whole thing has me very depressed. I have maintained a pretty good eating plan though. I haven’t tried to eat my weight in chocolate! (an accomplishment for me when I am depressed) I think that I need to join a team. I need some motivation to stay positive. So, off to the forums I go. Maybe there is a team that will have me. I know in the competitive arena, I may not be the best choice. I am losing weight by food plan alone at the moment. No big numbers here.

 I hope you all have a great weekend, stay focused, and most of all…LIVE!!!

~ShAiLoh~

Good morning Buddy Slimmers! It is a beautiful day here in New England! I hope it is nice where you are as well. I had my MRI yesterday. Uhhg! I still have a lingering headache from the process. If you have had one, you will understand what I am talking about. It is not fun, for sure. Looks like exactly what the docs thought. Not one, but TWO herniated discs! I do not know what the next step is, except to wait for my doc to get the results and have me come in to discuss treatment options. I am trying to stay positive, because when I let myself get “blue”, the emotional eating begins. Can’t allow it. Not when the scale is being so very kind to me. I weighed in this morning and had a loss of one pound. I will take it!

My goals for this week are to drink 64oz of water every day, to take my MVs every day, and to delegate more around the house. I can not stand to see things not getting done. If you are a mom (or dad) you know that sometimes it just isn’t worth the hassel of getting everyone to tow the line. I would rather just get up and do it myself, but I am not doing my healing process any favors that way. So, I am going to try to get these kids to do their chores more quickly and efficiently. Ya, I know…Good luck, right? Usually they are very good, but with me being in bed a lot they have been slacking off. 

I hope you all have had a good week! Let’s set at least one new goal for this next week! We gain results by pushing ourselves. It doesn’t have to be anything huge. Maybe just one little change in behavior to get you going.

~ShAiLoh~

Sounds like a holiday, doesn’t it? Maybe it just sounds that way when my husband says it! Such enthusiasm, ya know? /wink Lol. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good week. I have been doing well so far. Sticking to my points, which is key for me. Especially with no exercise permitted at this time.

 As an update, the insurance company finally went through with their “Rectalcraniectomy” and scheduled my MRI. I will go this Friday at the butt-crack of dawn. Finally we will see just exactly what is going on with my cervical spine. They are thinking herniated disc. This would explain all the pain and tingling that I am experiencing. Man, I can not stand it. 

Oh, I almost forgot! One thing that I have been really trying to stick with is taking my vitamins every day. I am a vitamin/water slacker of the highest order!! Truly, all you vit/H2O slackers??? I am your queen! All hail my dehydrated, vitamin deficient azz!!  I am trying to be good here, and I am happy to report that I have not missed one day! That includes the 64oz of water!

~ShAiLoh~

Well, gentle readers, another weekend gone. On the diet front I feel I did ok. I stayed within my points and I had plenty of bonus points to use…which I did! Coconut cake…Yummy No worries. I had points left over so I feel good about that.

 The part of this process that is really getting me down is my inability to exercise at this time. You see, I injured myself at work and am in the process of working with Worker’s Comp to rehab and get back to some sort of normal. If anyone has had a work injury before, then I am sure that you are familiar with this process. Talk about your “red tape”!! Every little decision with regard to my injury and subsequent medical care must be approved by these so-called experts. It is very frustrating. My doctor says one thing and the “experts” mull it over and decide what the next course of action is. Amazingly, sometimes their decision has NOTHING to do with what the doctor’s recommendation is. UHHGGG!!!

 Aside from that noise, the injury itself is not getting any better. My doctor suspects that I have a herniated disc. I am waiting for the “experts” at the insurance company to let me know when I can have an MRI. With the pain that I am in, it seems to me that I should have the MRI as soon as possible. I have tingling down my back and arm which suggests nerve compression…at the very least. But, alas, I wait.  I will write about the initial incident when I have a little more time.  It is a frikkin’ doozy!

I lost a pound this week, even with TOM in town. I am very pleased with that! I hope you all had a nice weekend and I wish you all the best as you start off this new week!

~ShAiLoh