"Good-bye, my fat friend, " is what I've been saying to the mirror since May 2007.

I've actually lost 12 pounds since our vacation to Europe.

My 84-year-old aunt has challenged me to get back to my high school weight as she did, years ago.

We'll be visiting her in early August in San Francisco.

Maybe I'll have to try that!

#2 -- Start moving. Most anything will do -- walking, hiking, swimming, something at the gym. Do it for 30 minutes five days a week. 2.5 hours a week devoted to getting off the couch, out of the chair, away from the computer. (Sedentary kills!)

Of course, you must stop smoking and drink alcohol only moderately.

You'll be doing something like this for the rest of your life.

We're worth it. The time to start is now.

Warm regards,

Radio Lady Ellen in Oregon

Did you enjoy Berlin? What else did you see?

Paris, Brussels, London, and Edinburgh, Scotland.

Picture links have been posted. Did you see them, Zywiec?

Thanks for your comments.

Through experience and observation I've seen that people who hate their bodies (or themselves) when they're fat don't magically stop hating their bodies (or themselves) when they lose weight.

That's the other half of the mantra.

I won't ever look like this again, but I believe I can get back to that weight again. Thanks for your comments.

From the teenaged years:

the effects of gravity. I'm 49, and I cannot believe what gravity has done to my body! :rofl:

to her original weight...5 pounds, six ounces."

Born Jacob Cohen...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Dangerfield

Unfortunately, in just the last 3 weeks I've gained 7 back. :(

Take it from me... don't feel like you can treat yourself, or cheat on your diet, just when you're doing well. And, I think the yo-yo dieting raised my BP... since it has never been so high.

Good luck!

You need to look at the reasons you are eating unwisely.

I've had to get back to preparing the meals in this house. Took control of the menus and the purchasing of better food. Husband has his own shelf in the refrigerator and the freezer. I put a big sign that says "NO" on these shelves.

Another thing: I've gotten imaginative again about recipes and food combining. My doctor told me years ago, "You know what to do. Now just do it."

Less food. Better food chosen and prepared wisely. Be inventive! It's really fun!

More exercise -- no, more movement. I've been housecleaning and reorganizing a couple of rooms in our home. You'd be surprised how much I've done. I've been on a complete emotional high about getting our house and our possessions (and ourselves!) in better shape.

Good luck to YOU!

very little help doing so. ;-)

Every once in awhile I gain a few back, but I'm on top of it now. The trick, I think, is to keep track. Sometimes eating bad food can be almost unconscious.

And bad habits, as everyone knows, are very hard to break. Thanks. :-)

Thanks. :hi:

www.oprah.com

On the right side of the page, go to:

http://www2.oprah.com/health/bob/bestlife/bestlife_main.jhtml

Bob Greene, Oprah's physical trainer, is working with a group of overweight and obese people for the next several months.

I found some solace that I was very much affected by their stories. I reassessed my eating habits and put out a big effort to get the shopping and cooking in this home under better control.

Going to the cardiologist last month also helped. I have a mild "soft" heart murmur and my blood pressure is slightly elevated. He held my hand, and stroked my arm -- I almost started to cry as I told him I've shunted this discussion aside for about twenty years! Then, he said, "If you just put a minor effort into weight loss and exercise or just START MOVING, you will improve dramatically."

He is certainly right. Just three weeks later, I am fitting into clothes I haven't worn for years. How nice!

I started to wear a couple of size 12 Hawaiian dresses at first, and now can get into some size 10 outfits.

It's a good feeling.

Sincerely,

Radio Lady in Oregon

You could safely lose it again in a month or so. ;-)

I'm starting tomorrow... again! Really! My husband just grilled onion rings with the chicken tonight... did I pass them up? NOOooooo... Do I know why I did this? Yes. Does it make me feel any better knowing why I ate them? No. These are the kind of conversations I have with myself on a weekly basis. It's a constant battle with me.

(sighing)

;-)

You know what I did? I got some great local BBQ sauce at the grower's market yesterday, and I didn't want to risk grilling outside since it was raining on and off (now it's clear, but I digress). So I rushed to the store and bought A PACK OF LITTLE SMOKIES, and I drowned them in the sauce on the stove and ate almost all of them!

But...tomorrow's another week, and it's also gym day. :rofl:

While it's great to have a couple who decide to diet together, it is unrealistic to try and control the other person with whom you live. I have no expectations of his diet. I provide good fruits, vegetables and grains to him every day. I make sure I am on the right track for myself. He's on a different track. I did ask him to put away the chocolate he loves so I would not be tempted too much.

These first weeks, I did put a couple of signs on the refrigerator and freezer shelves reminding me that I have good foods to choose if I feel like binging. (I also washed my "fat" towels -- they had a logo on them of a swimmer with fat thighs -- and put them in a closet. They are not appealing to me now.

I have decided there is no excuse to be dragged into someone else's eating habits if I am serious about losing weight. A few weeks ago, I weighed more than he does. That's been corrected as of this week, and I'm proud of it.

My husband and I are a couple, but I do things differently. I don't stand up while urinating at the toilet even though we have been together for thirty five years. Likewise, I don't eat the foods I think are causing me problems. All in all, he does have better genetics working for him. His mother and father both lived into their 80s. He also has low blood pressure (no drugs required), and cholesterol under control with the smallest dose of statin drugs I've ever heard of (10 mg.), with no muscle pain. His prostate numbers are perfect, too.

He gloats, I diet. When he knew I was serious, he stopped trying to make me eat the desserts he prepares for himself. That's it.

:applause:

I can't have anything to eat or drink after 10 PM.

Going in for a routine gastric endoscopic exam at 10:30 AM tomorrow.

The G/I doctor agreed to do this procedure at my request.

I am having swallowing difficulties and just want to set my mind at ease that it's NOT this condition:

Schatski's Ring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schatzki_ring

epiglottis...but, i will hold off to you post info.

our soft palette in our mouths gets harder and makes swallowing more difficult. the epiglottis is in the back of the throat and directs air into the lungs and food into the digestive tract.

it may be called dysphogia...(sp)

sounds like you may be having something more going on, however.

Thanks for the information.

One look will show this G/I doctor what is going on. He's a pretty no-nonsense guy who also did our colonoscopies. I told him I'm probably getting to be an old hypochondriac, but what am I to do?

My husband has had Schatzi's Ring corrected by this Kaiser Permanente doctor. My son-in-law has had Schatzi's Ring corrected by the same guy.

Maybe I don't have the condition, but I just want to know.

See you after regaining consciousness tomorrow!

:hi:


Schatzi's Ring

:hug:

I am a fat person and under all that fat.....IS A FAT PERSON WHO IS WICKED PISSED!
Everyone's different, though. All I ask is PLEASE do NOT berate yourself life is more than how much you weigh.

the point where weight DID matter.

Remember, I have been living with the philosophy you espouse. Somehow, it doesn't fit me anymore at age 68.

I am making no judgements on anyone else here or their decision to weigh more or less. Nothing negative here.

Thank you for the blessing, ElShiva. I extend you my best wishes for a wonderful week.

Just putting in my two cents. I don't like being judgemental either.

Have a lovely week!