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JSchaaf
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| Posted: Nov 29 2005 at 12:32pm | IP Logged
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I have gained 20 lbs since Katrina. (and I wasn't all that skinny before, either!). Since we are now somewhat settled (still don't have dh, but only a matter of weeks until he's here for good) I think I need to start taking better care of myself. I'm out of breath just walking up stairs and feel like my heart is pounding out of my chest chasing my 3 yr old. My eating habits are atrocious, and I drink 3-4 cans of Coke each day and minimal water. I don't sleep well, I can't usually fall asleep until after midnight then the 3 yr old comes to my bed around 2 and bed hogs until she's up at 6...the last two mornings I've turned on the TV for the girls and asked them to keep quiet for a couple of hours so I could go back to bed. I hate myself for doing that.
Every place we've lived we've been members at the YMCA-very affordable and family friendly and with child care! The Y's here in San Antonio don't have child care and there isn't one close to my house. I found something called Lifetime Fitness but it is $200 a month! Way out of our range! Walking at a pace above a stroll doesn't happen either-when I want to go out to take a walk it's with three little girls and two big dogs. Easier just to stay in. We used to have a treadmill, but lost it in the storm and probably won't be able to replace it.
So, any suggestions? Or just some wisdom that will kick me off the couch? After Allyson was born ( 3 yrs ago) I developed PPD and was on anti-depressants. I finally weaned off them in June of this year (just in time for a life crisis). I wonder if I'm depressed and should see the MD. The meds certainly helped but I don't really want to take them if I don't have to. Plus the weaning from them was horrible! Gotta run-the natives are restless and hungry.
Jennifer
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amiefriedl
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Jennifer,
The soda pops will play a HUGE roll in your mood. Not to mention the weight gain. At about 13 teaspoons of sugar per can plus the caffeine it is not a wonder you are on an emotional roller coaster.
Remember to fail to plan is to plan to fail.
First, go out and get several (4 works well) of the huge water cups (320z I think) like the kind you get at the hospital after a birth, and EVERY morning fill up at least two of those with fresh water. Stick one in the fidge and keep the other with you until it is finished, then get out the next. Replace those deadly sodas with water! If the water taste puts you off, add some drops of lemon juice to it. Heck, add lemon juice and sugar and you are still better off than you are with the sodas.
I can't fall asleep until after midnight when I have just a simple 1/2 c of coffee after the noon hour. You will rest better and get to bed on time w/o those sodas! You can do it if you are prepared with ready-water!
Start there! With all your recent stress just start with something simple and say lots of prayers for help. I'll remember to pray for you too.
__________________
In Christ the King through Mary our Mother,
Amie
Blessed with an awesome hubby and Mom of ds10, dd7, dd3 and dd 10months.
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Rachel May
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If your coke is caffeinated, don't forget to get a little caffeine to prevent headaches! Weight Watchers always said 2 cups of a non-water (and I believe this now includes caffeinated drinks) and the rest should be water.
I drink 2 cups of caffeinated tea in the morning, and then switch to water which I don't love, I don't keep anything else to drink in the house to help resist temptation. I don't have the headache problem, and I mostly stay hydrated.
You can absolutely make the changes you want! Start with water. Then maybe invest in a pedometer and work up to a goal of 10,000 steps a day. And don't be shy about asking for help!
Good luck,
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Natalia
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| Posted: Nov 29 2005 at 3:45pm | IP Logged
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Back before the summer when I was doing exercise (remember those exercise posts?) I was using Leslie Samsone's Walkaerobics tapes. The Miracle Mile only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. My library has them so I could try them before buying.
HTH,
Natalia
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Erica Sanchez
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Hi Jennifer!
I just wanted to second Amie's advice about the soda and let you know that I will be praying for you. Do you have a decent stroller for your littlest? Could the older girls ride a bike while you walk and push the little(s)? (I'm thinking you have three youngish girls - forgive me if I'm wrong!) Even a "stroll" in fresh air and sun will help - I'd try to do it every day - maybe even once in the morning and again late afternoon before dinner. Also, increase your fruit and vegetable intake. The fruit will replace a little of the sugar you'll be missing from the soda and it's just been my experience that the more fruit and vegetables I eat the better (and slimmer) I feel. One more thing....I started taking some extra vitamin B awhile back when things were very stressful at church with Youth Ministry stuff and I don't know if it was directly from the vitamin B, but I felt a lot less stressed! Someone more knowledgeable about vitamins can jump in here. All that soda/sugar has more than likely depleted your vitamins and minerals so really try to get some extra in the next week.
Water, water, water!!
You can do it! I'll be thinking of you and praying for you. Let us know how you're doing in a few days.
__________________
Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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Leonie
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I use workout videos/DVDs. I can get up early and workout or workout when the kids are in bed. Very convenient.The music and the instructors are motivating.
There is a whole range of workouts on VHS/DVD - try Collage Video and Video Fitness Forum.
I am really  into Taebo
right now.
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Leonie
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Oh and here is a very inspiring Christian site about weight loss and health and fitness ( and Taebo!  )
Fit by Faith
__________________
Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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JSchaaf
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| Posted: Nov 30 2005 at 7:39am | IP Logged
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Thanks, everyone. I have 3 simple goals for today:
No pop after 4 pm
At least 48 oz of water today
Some sort of physical activity.
Is there a weight loss/exercise accountability thread anywhere? If not, I'll start one if no one minds reading about how much water I drink or how many times I walk around the block...
Jennifer
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Tina P.
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One neighbor of my parents simply gave up soda and lost 50 pounds (he was enormously overweight and still a little overweight after he lost the 50). Imagine how much more you could do with a little exercise!
God bless,
__________________
Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
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Willa
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Jennifer, I think a weight loss accountability thread's a great idea. We had one for a short time during the summer, I think... it dropped but I'd love to see it start up again.
I have trouble getting enough exercise and my eating habits really slide when I'm not paying attention (then I start getting a bit depressed!), so I really sympathize with your situation.
Please let us know how you do.
__________________
AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Marybeth
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Jennifer,
I have been trying to workout more and have been really loving getting back into yoga. It really is easy to do with kids present in the room, and my ds sometimes likes to participate too.
Of course, I write this reply while chugging a huge Coke and just ate McDonalds. 
I am thinking of getting for myself the Flylady book Body Clutter b/c I need to take my eating habits babysteps at a time.
Marybeth
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teachingmom
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Hi Jennifer,
My heart goes out to you. You've been through so much that it makes a lot of sense that the stress has wreaked havoc on diet and exercise.
I completely sympathize with you about the soda. I love sugared Coke. In fact, I would say that I used to be addicted to it. (And I used to drink the caffeine free variety, so the addiction was to the sugar and not the caffeine!) A few years ago, I simply gave up soda and desserts and lost 10 pounds in a month, without any other effort. When I plateaued, I started Weight Watchers, which is a great program.
One of the best things about how WW has changed my lifestyle is that I drink only water now in general. I can't drink diet soda made with Nutrasweet because it gives me headaches. I don't trust Splenda enough to have it on a regular basis. I'll have fat free milk at times, or if I really want to waste points, I'll splurge on a sugared soda once in a great while. But for the most part I drink water all day every day. At meals, I'll squeeze some lemon into it for a treat. The taste really does grow on you.
One other thing I do that helps a lot is that I always carry a large Baja Fresh cup filled with water(you know the big refill cups they have?) with me every time I leave the house. Now I have no excuse to buy a soda when I get thirsty while out running errands.
I STILL need to get active, so I can't offer advice there. But if you start an accountability thread, it just might guilt me into breaking out my own Leslie Sansone walking tapes that are collecting dust here!
__________________
~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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JSchaaf
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| Posted: Nov 30 2005 at 9:16pm | IP Logged
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Well, I did it! Baby steps, right? It's now 9:15 and I'm exhausted-20 min walk with the kids and no pop since 3pm. I think I'll go to bed and try to do as well (or better!) tomorrow!
I think I'll post on Monday mornings for weigh-in, progress reports on exercise, etc. Please join me!!
Jennifer
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theNetSmith
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| Posted: Nov 30 2005 at 9:35pm | IP Logged
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count me in.
after pigging out at my parents' house over Thanksgiving, i am creeping up again on the heaviest i've ever been. altho i don't see how i could look healthy if i lost 30 lbs, that is where my wife believes my target weight to be.
i'll try to remember to check in. somebody PM me if you devote a new thread to this.
-T
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Elizabeth
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My dh gave up corn syrup (which was my way of geting him to give up soda and refined garbage ). He lost nine pounds in three weeks.
Jen--please feel free to get the accountability thread going--sounds like there are plenty of people to jump on the bandwagon.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Courtney
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Boy, do I need this! I've become ever so addicted to coffee again. I usually make a 6 C pot each morning (it's 1/2 decaf 1/2 regular) and drink the whole thing. When I do that, I don't eat breakfast then i'm shaky and starving by 12pm. Not good, I know. I'm also entirely too addicted to sugar. I've always wondered what my life would be like without it. Scary to think about! I haven't really changed sizes over the years, but I do know I'd feel better if I got in shape by exercise and cutting out the sugar a bit.
I'm impressed, Jenn with what you accomplished today. Hang in there! Your an encouragement to me!
__________________
Courtney in Texas
Wife to Mike since 3/94 
Mom to Candace 10/97 ,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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momwise
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Erica Sanchez wrote:
| One more thing....I started taking some extra vitamin B awhile back when things were very stressful at church with Youth Ministry stuff and I don't know if it was directly from the vitamin B, but I felt a lot less stressed |
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I second this idea. A couple of pregnancies ago my midwife suggested SAM-E for postpartum blues. Also, I started a weekly adoration hour a few weeks ago and it's the best stress-buster there is. If you can't do this weekly with the kids maybe you can drop in with them for as long as they can manage. I'll be checking in the weight-loss thread as well, to try to maintain some sort of healthy habits over Christmas and New Years. I've added you to my morning prayer list.
__________________
Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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ladybugs
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I was going to pop in here and mention the B vitamin thing but I see some dear ladies have done that already!
I'm taking a Stress B & C combo and I have found that it has helped me tremendously.
Praying for you Jennifer. How are you liking San Antonio?
I have some news...we're looking to possibly relocate there...due to housing prices and freeway systems since dh is finishing up truck driving school...
What are some pros that you have found?
Hang in there, little mama! We're all praying for you and rooting for you!
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Love and God Bless,
Maria P
My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: I need some advice/encouragement
