Messages By: brenbiel

Hi Deb, it's so good to see you back here again! I've been thinking of you, and I'm glad that you found your way back after the boards were down.

 

I'm sorry to hear that Christian's got more surgery ahead of him. He's sure had a rough time of it! And yes, I'll certainly continue to pray for you and your family in all these challenges.

 

I hope you're able to get your bike fixed so you can get in some exercise that way.  Another suggestion would be Pilates. Have you done that?  I love it on the days when I'm just feeling too tired to jump around.  It's probably not the biggest calorie burner, but it's good for toning and strengthening those core muscles. And how about swimming? Would your Dr. approve water aerobics as long as you leave your shoes close to the pool, and tip-toe the rest of the way? Just a couple suggestions.

 

I can really relate to the pain and frustration you're experiencing with the Plantar Fasciitis. Be sure to follow all their instructions very carefully as to stretching exercises, foot ware etc. I wrecked both my feet when I decided several years ago to take up a vigorous walking program but just used old running shoes that offered little support. Before long both feet were effected and it was so painful for a long time. I even needed crutches at night. (That's when the fascia tries to re-attach to the heel bone, but then you get up and walk and it just tears away again.) I have a friend dealing with it now, and she's been having her foot taped (by a physiotherapist, I believe) which has been helpful. Be sure that you always wear good supportive shoes, inside and out (with orthotics, if possible).

 

I'm so thankful that my feet are basically pain-free now (I'm sure the loss of weight has helped there a lot too). However, if I forget to bring along my indoor shoes when we're visiting somewhere, it doesn't take long before I can feel slight pulling in my heels, so I just sit as much as possible. 

 

All the best to you, Deb. It's great to have you back with us. Take care and God bless.

 

Brenda.

Hi everyone.  

  

We just returned from our family vacation in "cottage country", about 5 hrs. north of where we live. (Near Huntsville, if that means anything to anyone.) We rented 3 cottages together on a lovely lake for the week. We had already reserved a second one for our son's family, and then at the last minute, booked a third for my in-laws, including my s-i-l and her baby. Talk about the sandwich generation -- my s-i-l has not only the baby, but her parents who aren't very mobile either. f-i-l requires oxygen and tube feedings, and m-i-l along with heart disease, is having a lot of arthritis pain, so it was a major event just to get them all down to the beach for an hour or so every day or two. They seemed to quite enjoy it, especially just all being together, dropping in on one another throughout the day. My poor m-i-l though is terrified of any critters, large or small. Unfortunately, we seemed to share the cottages with a family of chipmunks that could come and go through multiple entry points throughout the cottages, and so she didn't seem to sleep very soundly, always afraid that there'd be a little animal there to greet her. Anyway, it was a wonderful week for making memories, and we had a great time. 

  

As for my program, I went into town one day to Curves for a work-out, and most other days did 20 - 25 min. of interval walking/running. (Usually 4 min. walking to 1 min. running -- one day I did 3 to 2, the day that hubby didn't join me. I didn't want to push him too hard. LOL)  Seriously though, for all of our married life, he could always out-run me, but now I can keep up with him no problem, and I definitely can outlast him for the long haul. I find that quite amazing!  Now, as for food, it's probably a good thing that we were only gone one week because the longer the vacation stretched, the more permission I gave myself for treats.  I made some good choices, but I also over-indulged other times. All in all I survived, and I'm up one pound. Hubby's up 3, so I guess it could have been worse. (The IE definitely helped.) 

  

I picked up a new book that I was reading through the week, "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano. Has anyone else read it? I heard her interviewed on TV a while ago, and I thought she was quite interesting. Born in France, she spent her senior highschool year in the US on an exchange program, and returned something like 15 or 20 lbs. heavier. With the help of some re-training in the French approach to food, she returned to her former weight and now living in the US, loves to pass on helpful tips to other women. So much is about portion control, and quality vs. quantity. But they have a whole mind-set that looks at food in an almost reverend way -- to be enjoyed and savoured, not devoured in the mindless way that often gets us into trouble. They're not afraid of a little butter and sugar because it's used minimally. They don't seem to have the "all or nothing" problems that deprivation dieting often brings on. I'm not sure how realistic this is in our society of super-sized grocery stores, but she talks about chosing the freshest of seasonal produce from the local market, and building your menus around the best of the season. It seems a bit of a fantacy, but it's got me thinking about the quality of food that I buy.  An interesting read, for sure. 

  

Well, back to my unpacking. I'll try to respond to other posts next time I get on. Take care everyone. 

  

Brenda. 

Hey Jen, way to go! You're doing great. Congrats on the lost lbs. & inches. Those lost inches are the greatest, aren't they. I suspect that either your clothes are fitting you much better by now, or you'll soon be ready for a smaller size. Woo hoooo! 

  

Brenda. 

So, how did Christian's appointment go with his new Doctor? I hope you're soon able to get the help you're hoping for. 

  

And how did the camping and caving go? Was that just one day of cave exploration while you were camping, or do you do more of it? Wow, you're brave! (And my mil was frightened by the chipmunks! LOL) 

  

I guess you're settling back into school routine by now, but then your summer also starts earlier than ours. My dd is starting to grumble about school, but she's got 3 more full weeks left.  

  

It's good to hear from you again, Deb. Keep us posted. 

  

Brenda. 

I'm sorry to hear about your back. It's been a week now -- did you get to the Dr.? I hope it's improving.  Don't rush the IE until you're good and ready, but hopefully it won't be much longer. We've all seen how important the IE is! 

  

I like your approach of setting little goals. Good for you for maintaining. Hopefully you'll see a little more progress soon.  

  

By all means, continue posting your weights. Every little bit of accountability helps!  I'm afraid mine sounds a bit monotonous, but maybe it would help me also to post it weekly. As of yesterday it is: 209/148/135  

  

Brenda. 

Yes, I'm also hoping that Dr. Phil has more shows this season on weight issues. Like he says, weight isn't cured, it's managed. Sure hope he continues helping us with that management!  

  

So, is it back to school time for your boys now, too? Are they excited? They're still young enough that it's probably an exciting time for them. 

  

My son is more than ready to get back to classes. Nothing like a summer of monotonous, tiring manual labour with lots of overtime to make higher education look pretty good. (And, oh yeh, his girlfriend's back at school too. LOL) Things continue to grow pretty serious between those two. In fact, her parents are coming all the way from Japan this week to meet Jeff (and us -- they'll be staying here with us next weekend.) I'll be plenty busy this week -- nothing like the threat of company to get your house clean! LOL  

  

Our oldest had a scare with their little guy yesterday. Big brother was rough with him and he fell into the edge of the couch, bending his neck way back, and bleeding from his mouth. He tore that little piece of skin above his upper middle teeth and bit into his lower lip leaving him with a loose tooth. Fortunately however, everything checked out fine with his neck and spine.  He's supposed to get his tooth checked out by a dentist. We're just thankful that it wasn't worse.   

  

Well, it's time to get moving. Have a good day, everyone. 

  

Brenda. 

Way to go, Jen! 10 lbs. gone for good! I'm so happy for you. Congratulation, you're doing great! 

  

How's everyone doing with key work? Anything to share? 

  

Brenda. 

  Good morning, my friends.  I'm in a rush -- again, but wanted to pop in quickly before heading to the office for the afternoon.   Things have been crazy/busy lately. Our youngest grandson turned 2 on Sat., and we had agreed to hold his party here because there were going to be too many people to fit reasonably in our son's house. At the same time, we were preparing for our middle son's girlfriend's parents to visit all the way from Japan. They have spoken with Jeff by phone a few times, but felt it was time to come meet him and his family. Yes, things are getting very serious -- as a matter of fact, our son chose an engagement ring yesterday! They have agreed that the wedding won't take place until after Jeff completes school (spring of 2007), but she has some concerns about her mother's health, and Jeff is eager to demonstrate his committment to her. One more little detail -- she'll be 27 in October, and he just turned 20!  He is quite mature for his age, and she really is a wonderful young woman, and we've all come to love her, so we trust that won't be a big issue. It's just that she's ready for marriage and he's just coming into his own as a young adult. Isn't life interesting.   The visit with her parents went very well. She's from a lovely family, and although there are certainly cultural differences, they speak English and have lived a couple years in Canada and the US because of his work, so they have at least been introduced to western culture.   The other thing I want to mention is that I'm struggling with my program. I've missed my IE again several days recently in all the busyness, and my eating has been terribly sloppy for several weeks now. Yesterday, for example, I took my gym bag with me while I took my sil to the hospital for her day surgery (she did fine), hoping to get to Curves while I was waiting for her, but I wasn't able to get there (long story), and it was almost midnight by the time I left her place, picked my dd up from an evening event, took her to her Aunt's place to help her with her baby, and finally got home.   Another big part of the problem is lack of sleep. There just seems to be no end to the details that I need to take care of, and either I'm busy until it's gotten really late, or I finally get a chance to relax, and then I don't have the discipline to get to bed -- often until after 1 or 2 a.m., recently! It's no wonder then that I have trouble working up the energy in the morning to work out.   So, although today I AM tired again, but I did get in my IE -- 50 min. of "The Firm" (cardio and weights.) I'm frightened that lately I'm so easily eating things that I wouldn't dream of eating over the past year and a half. I don't ever want to go back to where I was before that, but I know how easily it could happen. I'm so thankful for my circle of support. Just knowing that I have you to be accountable to is so important! Thank you everyone, and have a great day.   Brenda.

Good morning my friends, and thanks so much for your support, Melissa and Linda.  

  

I'm feeling a little better today. Yesterday the food went a lot better, I did a killer work-out (can hardly walk today! lol), and got a much better sleep. It was pretty stressful, just trying to get things accomplished, but it worked out. You should have seen me in the afternoon -- hubby needed a letter typed a.s.a.p., but he didn't finish his editing soon enough, so I had to leave it, drive to my in-laws house to pick up my dd to take her to her first day of her new pizza job. She was to start at 4:30, the driving all together took about 35 min., and I got her there at 4:30 on the dot!  

  

Jeff made the remainder of the payment yesterday, and so brought home the ring! Dh had to work late, so Jeff and I went out for dinner (had a nice "Key West" salad). It seemed rather surreal, but we had a memorable evening together, and then a good chat together, the three of us, once Phil got home. 

  

Once I finish here, I'll be out and about again for most of the day, so the food shouldn't be a big temptation for much of the day. Oh yes, one thing I think I've identified is how important it seems to be for me to signal the beginning and ending of my eating for the day. I was out of my Go Lean cereal and fresh fruit that I put on it for a few days, but having it again this morning just feels right again. (There's protein in the cereal, and I'm not  fussy over cooking a seperate protein for breakfast, and I use cottage cheese later in the day, so don't want it twice.) Then by just "closing the kitchen" in the evening, I was able to shut down that annoying voice in my head that's been convincing me lately to have just a little bit of this or that in the evening because I was hungry. Last night it felt good again to welcome that little growl, and then head to bed. Whew, I don't want to speak too soon, but I think I'm getting back to the right frame of mind.  

  

Brenda. 

Oh Linda -- how frustrating! Next time you write a significant amount, you might want to try writing it in a word document, and then cutting and pasting. Your time is too valuable! Actually, the same thing just happened with this post, (I lost it, but strange things are happening since I did an update with my server yesterday) but it was originally only one line long, so nothing like yours. 

  

Hugs, my friend. 

  

Brenda.