thrive

HA HA HA!

So, I feel so much better today and really as of last night. Lots more tears yesterday, a trip to my midwife, some good referrals and some new hope! Also, the stomach thing is gone and I have a new theory on that- post-nasal drip from allergies. Allergies are the other thing I haven’t really addressed, so I’m working on that.

I guess those hormones bumped me over the edge into a big few days of despair, but I’m back out of it and now see how crazed I was. I tend to flirt with depression, melancholy, sadness, pessimism, whatever you want to call it, anyway, but then this really topped me off.!

Am happy to report that my midwife took me seriously and i have appts today with a therapist and shrink. It feels kind of funny, since now I’m fine, but I figure the more help the better!!!  I also have added allergy symptoms to my daily log and have already noticed how prevalent they are! I am going to start reading holistic treatments as well as look into seeing a holistic healer. Thanks, too, Jennifer for the book suggestions!

My midwife gave me a referral to a new primary doc as well! So things are moving!!! I am sure to be shaken again, but it’s nice to feel back to my normal state of crazy - this i can manage. It is also so nice to feel physically okay!

And, to all of my dear buddies here, THANK YOU so much for the continual support, suggestions, and inspiration. It really is just amazing how many ways this site can help. Even the blogs and the forums are so incredibly helpful for me to reflect, see my patterns, and track things. It is just so stunning. Thank you all!!!!!

I really have just been off lately - the eats, the feelings, the physical stuff, staying connected with all of my friends here and else where, being a patient mom, just everything. I finally just melted down yesterday and actually feel so much better today. I was walking the dog last night and just kept sobbing and sobbing and then when i got home, my husband and I had a great talk.  We talked about how we’re both struggling right now under the weight of the potential move and all the life changes a brewing. It’s all good stuff and we decided that any choice is actually a great one. I also am really going to try and focus on my health and these random things like the recurring stomach bug and allergies that just knock my energy and mood down. Of course there are hormones, too, and the bad sleep lately.

Part of the downturn yesterday was that I went to my doctor to try an address the stomach thing - I’ve been getting this stomach bug every 4-6 weeks. They are just IDIOTS there. Sorry to be so rough, but it’s true. They lost my file again. The nurse practioner stepped out to google “giardia” because he knew so little. We knew more than him. I went to get tested for that (worried the pool is getting me sick) and i walked out of there with NOTHING done. He gave me a hard time for not taking Flonase for allergies even though no one has ever discussed it with me. There was little concern for meds during pregnancy and I’m one who really doesn’t like to take meds if I don’t need them. I try to go au natural if I can…

Needless to say, I’m switching practices. It’s awful there, they have all these adds for botox and other cosmetic stuff, the parking is horrible - and this is a quiet suburb - and they are just so lame! I’m going to call my OB office and start there - they rock!

My eats feel back on track, too!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know what was up. I’ve been missing buddy’s blogs lately - I am so sorry! I love to hear about all of you and try and support - I’m catching up

Okay, for anyone who is interested, the forum is up to write your food down - get some support and accountability.  It’s in the Weight Loss Challenge section, because for me it is a self challenge to write this down everyday til the end of March - then we can start again in April. In addition to chronicling my food intake, I’m going to write a bit about how I feel physically and mentally, too. I feel that’s so linked into the eating. Oh, I should say, too, that I’m not a calorie or carb or anything counter - so I think anyone can do this in whatever way works for you!
Thanks to all that are interested and to all the support from those that already have it going on!

See ya in the forums!

Hey Buddies!

First, I am sorry to be kind of MIA lately - my computer time has been a bit more scarce with no naps, me napping, and hubby working late all week. I hope to keep catching up on blogs and in the fourms. Please send me an email if you ever need anything!

Second, the help. I think I really need to start journaling my food and I was hoping I could find someone or a bunch of someones to help me with this. An accountability group - maybe in the forums? I do this for daily exercise and it’s great, but I still  can’t get in the habit of writing my food down. I am having another round of a stomach bug or something to that effect and I feel that tracking my food may help me track down this recurrent problem (not pregnancy related). Also, I got busted by the doc yesterday for eating 4 peanut butter sandwiches in one day. She’s like, “All you really need extra each day is about the amount of an egg or a banana” which i knew, but have been slipping. It really is only 100-300 calories extra that pregnant folks need, especially early on. My gain is appropriate so far but I just want to keep my healthy eating habits forming even in the midst of gaining. Writing things down may help me with that.

So anyone game for it? I can start a forum or if there’s just one person we could send our meals to each other…

Thanks so much!!!

Thought you all should be on the look out:

Chatroom Scams

The Scam: Russian cyber-crooks have developed a software robot that poses as a human in chatrooms. These bots can chat with up to 10 people simultaneously, and easily persuade them to hand over phone numbers, photographs, birthday, address, and other personal information. The site claims “Not a single girl has yet realized that she was communicating with a program!” Information harvested by these bots can be used by fraudsters to carry out various forms of fraud. Unsuspecting victims may also be tricked into visiting a ‘personal site’ that could load malware onto their computers. Sergei Shevchenko, Senior Malware Analyst at PC Tools said CyberLover, “employs highly intelligent and customized dialogue to target users of social networking systems. It can monitor Internet browser activity, automatically recognize and fill in the fields in the web pages, generate keystrokes and mouse clicks, and post messages, URLs, files and photos.”

The Dont’s: Common sense says never, ever give out personal information to anyone you just met online.

From this article about 5 little known scams http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/hughes/24616

And, yes, they are really skinny, maybe too skinny, so i am taking what i like and what seems healthy and throwing out the overdoing part. Just like with overeating, undereating is so incredibly dangerous. These women are pretty healthy, but can be excessive at times, just like us and worry about weight just like us.

1. it really is all about balance. that seems so vague - here’s what i’ve noticed. “i ate a really heavy breakfast and lunch, so I’m having salad for dinner.” “i partied too hard this weekend and ate crap so I’m detoxing this week with no drinking and some meals of just steamed veggies and fruit.” “i gained like 5 pounds on vacation, so I’m hitting the gym extra hard this week” or the reverse, “i’m leaving for vacation so I’m hitting the gym extra and eating those fruit/veggie meals now to give my system a break.”

stuff like that. NOT TO EXCESS, NOT ABOUT STARVING, really about balance. These girls eat the junk, too, just not as much, and then there is a balancing effort in lighter eating later and/or more exercise.

2. Not finishing things. Buy that croissant and nibble a bit, then leave the rest. Have a cookie at the snack table and then move on to the carrots.

3. Try and really listen to the body. Are you eating sweets because you want to feel better physically? Will that really help? If it’s not going to help, don’t do it.  Have what will really help you feel better, if anything.

4. Everything is about confidence. If you are skinny you can be anxious, depressed, feel bad about yourself, the whole works, too. We all need to find ways to see what we do and how we are valuable and capable.

5. Keep less “snack” food in the house. Just less food in general.

6. Don’t do deprivation. Just figure out how you can get yourself to stop and then also add the balance of exercise and light eating.

7. Drink water! This one is huge. None of these friends drink more than one diet soda a day. Coffee and tea possibly more.

8. Most of my friends don’t eat too much true junk food or fast food…

9. hang out with people with similar eating patterns. i notice that i tend to eat less with them than with other friends.

10. walk to as many places as you can. if you live in a city have only one car in your family. take public transportation.

I dunno, seemed like more, but it is helpful just to be around and see what people do…

i went to the gym this morning and just walking up the 4 flights of stairs to get to the gym was totally winding me and killing my legs. i think that’s leftover from my almost mile swim two days ago! Did some time on the elliptical - just 30 minutes and 25 min of strength, but, man, am I tired today. Not been sleeping too well lately, so guess it’s catching up. Well, just wanted to say hello and say keep moving even if you feel like a turtle walking through molasses like me. Then come home and rest - i’m a lucky woman with a napping two year old right now!

oh, in other exciting news - LOL - i am hosting playgroup today so I’m going to put out what’s left of those darn girl scout cookies! Getting those out of here will be good for me!!!!

okay, so that may not seem like such an exciting, blog-worthy announcement, but i was sitting here thinking that it actually is for me.

See, some of the hallmarks of me slipping, is eating out, frozen meal making, letting the dishes wait until morning, not getting to the stretches, just general procrastination and laziness. The last couple of days, I’ve been cooking more again, doing the dishes right away, tidying up more often - all that stuff. And, what do you know, I went swimming yesterday, have been eating pretty well - still battling night time over-snacking - i need something now that i’m preggers, but i was getting a little carried away!

anyway, mainly i just feel energized and feel like doing versus waiting, watching, putting off, etc. And even when I don’t feel like doing the dishes, like now, i know that it will feel good once i do them. You know, all that stuff we know that will make us feel better but is hard to make yourself do.

So, I will do the dishes. It’s nice to be here for however long it lasts i would hope to keep it forever, but if i’ve learned anything it’s that nothing is forever and i will have another time when i feel tired, lousy, like not doing anything and in those moments, i have to remember to just do the dishes. it feels good.

What the heck is that number, right?

It’s my conversion from laps to meters to miles! I swam almost a mile today even after walking 3 miles and doing the elliptical for another mile!

I am just so incredibly excited I had to post it!!!

It was great, too, because although I love to swim and I joined an extra gym only to use it’s pool, i hardly ever go. When I do, I’m lucky to swim 20 minutes. Today, I swam for 35 minutes - straight!!! I was counting my laps, so that I could convert later to see how far I went. It was a great strategy that I’ve never done. It helped me focus and keep me moving and engage me in what I was doing NOW. Swimming can be almost meditative and sometimes I can get lost in thought. Today, i stayed really present to the sensations in my body, the use of ALL of my muscles, and the number of laps I was doing. I kept such an incredibly steady pace as well. It was just fabulous! The only bummer was knowing that my bathing suit is so old that it is basically see through and sags much more than i do. And the fact that there were all men at the pool today and in the hot tub. Good thing they were my Dad’s age, but still… LOL Went out after swimming a got a new suit!

Here’s to finding a way to stick with what you actually do LOVE doing.

Now, if I can just lay off the snacks at night again…

Oh my goodness - I am so in love with sunshiney days. I couldn’t bring myself to go the gym this morning beacuse the blue sky and the beaming sun were just begging me to stay with them outside. We (kid, dog and I) walked and wandered and played and dug and ran and sat and stood all in the SUN. Then we met friends and we walked and wandered and stood and played in the SUN. It is just so great to be outside. I think more rain in coming tomorrow, and it was still kind if cold today, but I don’t care - the sun is the most beautiful thing ever!!!! Well, next to my kid who is sleeping beautifully now. He really is gorgeous, too

If you have sunshine, get OUTSIDE and enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BREATHE deeply of the fresh air and take a moment to see if the sky is blue. I am so grateful for the sun and the ability to be out enjoying it!