My Head - An Update
Author: Cheryl
•12:19 PM

Since we last talked there has been some progress with my headaches. Once I got my new glasses they have started going down, but are not gone. They don't come with as much intensity anymore, and the sides of my head and eyes don't burn anymore. But I still get tightness in my scalp and the back of my head and my ears hurt alot when I get them. I also have had almost 3/4's of a day or two without any pain. So having the decrease has really helped in me dealing with them every day and has really helped with being at work. So maybe its getting better on its on, but its still awfully slow. Its been over a month.

I go today for an MRI. Its just a precautionary thing my neurologist wants to start off with. Oh yes I went to a neurologist. So we will see what he thinks.

The medications my general practice doctor gave me two weeks ago for the headaches so messed up my system. I will never take that stuff again.

My husband swears I am going to fall asleep in the MRI machine. I can sleep pretty easily. But I don't think that will be happening with all of the banging noises and technician talking to me.

Keep you updated.
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Whats Going On...
Author: Cheryl
•11:27 AM

Well my ulcer is back. They originally found it when I was 19. And something I must have done recently has irritated it. So a call to the doctor tomorrow will be in order. I keep eating to keep my stomach full, which does make it feel better, but my pants are getting tight. That's not me above, of course. Just imagine longer hair and much more annoyed face.

I'm in my impatient stage again with the debt. Have to wait until I get paid on Friday before I can send more money to my debt. Not a race, remember, not a race. I am just so determined to get rid of it, that it can't happen fast enough. Emergency fund still chugging away. I couldn't decide to do the EF or the debt, so I keep doing both at the same time.

I switched to a new bank this week. None of those annoying fees for strange things anymore. So yahoo!!

Finally set up a little office for me in our extra bedroom. I was living out of a tiny corner in my husband's home office, with just an old metal file cabinet and Rubbermaid file box. I never felt like organizing it and doing the stuff I wanted to with our papers as I felt like I bothering my other half being in there. Now that I have my own space with a desk and cabinet, I am really getting things together. Making up new files, gathering info in correct spots. Have a calendar on the wall of all my bills due dates. I've shredded things I have kept for way too long. I'm a big girl now. I should have taken a picture of it.

Mr. Freeze is getting surprisingly full thanks to all the Eggo's I got at SuperFresh and the turkey I earned a few weeks ago that was taking residence at my parent's neighbor's house until I had a place to put it.


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My Richard Simmons Moment
Author: Cheryl
•11:53 AM

When I lost my weight, I must have gotten asked at work a hundred times "What is your secret?" This would annoy me to no end. I know they were looking for me to give them some pill or shake that would just knock off all of their weight. So when I told them I lost it the "good old fashioned way", by diet and exercise, they would give me a look of disappointment and then half heartily say "Well good for you".

Alot of people just don't want to do the work to lose and keep off the weight. Well here is my secret "THERE IS NO OTHER WAY, GET OVER IT". Sorry, had to get that off my chest. But I do have some tips that may seem simple but really have been the key to me losing and keeping off the weight and I really feel would help others.

Exercise - You must and I repeat, you must find a form of exercise that you like or can very much tolerate. If you despise running on a treadmill with a passion, don't make that your exercise. If you love to play basketball, play it, and play it several days a week. The only way you are going to keep the interest is if you do some form of exercise that at least slightly entertains you. I don't like playing sports for exercise. I actually like jogging and going on machines to work out. However if I go out jogging I must have my Ipod on and if I go on a machine I must have a TV to watch. Having a DVD player with your TV and a nice collection of your favorite shows and movies makes that 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 45 minutes of exercise fly by. Staring at a wall while you are on a treadmill will make it feel like days.

Diet - Finding foods that are good for you and low in crap but fill you up. Most people as soon as they go on a diet, and I hate that word, cut out everything they normally eat and just eat salads and yogurts. Then they are hungry 10 minutes later. This isn't going to work and isn't going to last. I know now from doing this for a long time what fills me and satisfies me and what doesn't. I will not bring a salad to work for lunch, cause my 3pm I will be gnawing on my desk. So you are going to have to try some things until you find a nice repertoire that works for you.

Some of my foods that really fill me up.

Breakfasts - I love to have Carnation Instant Breakfast, frozen bananas and skim milk in the blender to make a frosty and creamy shake.

Snacks - my mid-morning snack is usually a yogurt (that does work for me), or a cereal bar. Curves makes a great strawberries and cream bar that really satisfies me.

Lunch - A Boca Burger (see picture) with fat free cheese, lettuce, tomato on a wheat hamburger bun.
Big bowl of brown rice, with low fat butter and soy sauce
Egg whites with cheese and tomatoes
Italian Wedding soup with toast

Mid Afternoon Snack - a ziplock bag of dry cereal
Banana and granola bar

Dinner - Dinner, I actually have whatever we are just making that day. But I only have one dish of it, no seconds. I work out 6 days a week so I have my metabolism up enough to not have to deprive myself of what I want for dinner.

Dessert - I am the Queen Of Sugar. I'm serious. I don't do drugs and I rarely drink anymore, so sugar is my vice and one of the loves of my life. I have to have a dessert at the end of the day or I will slowly lose my mind before going to bed. My favorite dessert is ice cream. Breyers, Edy's, Turkey Hill (the local ice creams in my are) all make Slow Churned Light ice creams now. And take it from someone who has tried her fair share of light ice creams and hated them, these new ones are fantastic. They have half the fat and calories of regular ice cream and taste great. They key with light ice creams is to not overindulge on them or you are just doing the same damage as eating the regular stuff. So to combat this I always eat my ice cream on a cone instead of a bowl. It keeps your portions down and the cone fills you up too.

And drinks lots of water.
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Time To Sweat, Girlfriend
Author: Cheryl
•11:27 AM

2 1/2 years ago I had a light go off in my head, and I decided to finally shed some weight I had been carrying around. I still can't completely remember why it, but I just snapped one day. It took me a around 9 months to lose 35 lbs the good old fashioned way, exercising and eating better. At the end I was able to fit into size 8 jeans and felt great and had tons of energy.

I had, and I say had managed to keep it off for most of the time. In the last 3-4 months I have been slipping on the exercising. I think I actually started to get bored with my routine and got so busy with other things that I let it slip. I believe I gained back about 10 of those pounds. I don't know for sure as I stopped weighing myself a few months ago, when I was getting too obsessive at trying to stay at the same number. Thankfully my healthy eating didn't change that much, so that kept it only at around 10 lbs of gained weight.

I have worked so hard lately at getting our finances under control, working on our debt, cutting coupons, making meals, hanging up laundry and working full time of course I let the exercising lapse. When I first started, I would exercise at night, but I found that it was easier to do in the morning, get it out of the way and have the evening to myself after work. I even got into jogging on the weekends and thought about one day running a marathon.

This past week I started back at exercising in the morning. I can't say its fun to do it at 5am, but I still think it is better than 7:30pm. However, I started running in place in our living room so I could watch TV while doing it. I don't think it is enough. Its not generating enough sweat out of me, nor getting my heartbeat up. So I must give in and go back to the routine that got me in tip top shape. I will go back down my basement on my elliptical machine for 30 minutes and sweat, and watch The Girls Next Door on DVD. I swear I know every episode by heart.

I don't plan to weigh myself at all. But I do have a pair of pants that got a little snug after the 10lbs. So I know when they fit better again I am back at my peak. So I will be back to give updates and some information on what I do and eat to stay healthy.
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