Angie j

The Black Dog is something hard to combat. Just getting up out of bed can be hard when it is sleeping lovingly on our chest. Baby steps.... keep coming here... Read, just 'watch' a video, anything to 'start' the task of pushing off the Black dog and commanding him to 'follow' rather than guide. chin up You have made it before. You will overcome again.

Thom..... The Black dog will come and 'take us' Don't be down on yourself for being held hostage by forces that have overtaken you. It's great that you are back where you found an escape, and a release and support in the past. What has proven successful to free us once has good success of doing so again. Nothing like routine to keep our feet moving when our minds and bodies have lost the way. God speed Thom back to your 'self'.

"Jesus Christ!!! Forgotten about him???? I'm kinda lost for words. I don't even know how to begin to explain what is wrong with that statement. :(" I think you need to sit them down and be completely honest about how this statement makes you feel. I fully understand they have said it based solely on their own emotions but it should not be a lable you allow them to place on your chest. Tell them you miss him every day and always will, but you can't and shouldn't 'have to' reject the love of others because a memory stands in the way. You remember him in the right way, with love and appreciation. You have not need reject the love and kindness from another himan being 'now' out of loyalty to someone who has, had to be absent from your life. What 'is' the "right time" to mourn? What is the 'right time' to have an open heart again? I say. "as soon as possible" not meaning 'rush it', but when you are able 'open up' and be free to enjoy life again..... because, as you have realized, it has the tendancy to be fleeting.

lol....Faulty Towers.

Funny.... Why is it that we all want what we don't have? I have small calves and I hate my "chicken legs"; My daughter has muscular calves and would trade me any day. She has curly hair and wants to use her next "goal incentive" to get her hair straightened. I'd love to have hips like JayLo, but instead my hip and waist are of the type that I fit better in boys pants than most girls styles....sigh. Where is MY perfect body?! Its right where its always been. Carrying me around from place to place and all it requires of me to accept me as its 'PERFECT' head space, is that I love it and treat it right: good food, sufficient exercise, enough play and down time. Someone told me the other day "You're thin enough dont lose any more weight" but they are wrong. How can I be SURE of that? I can see myself naked and I see I could lose more BF. But that's not why they are wrong. I could also use to add a weighs routine to my health schedule. What will I look like then? What will I weigh then? I don't know and that's why she is wrong. Its not about outward appearances, its about giving your body what it needs to function at its best. The scale can't tell me that. And the size of my chicken calves won't make any difference either. Girl.....you need to learn to love yourself.

Ophelia....don't take this in a creepy way, but I love you! and after my shock, awe and repulsion subsided I noticed you are a lovely girly :-D

Haku, I have questions about what you have said. Please don't see it as a criticism, rather than an attempt to clarify and understand your goal on my part. I count carbs for a specific reason. Mostly I have seen by monitoring diet in the past that the abundance of Carbs in mine, and the average persons diet, is excessive. The only reason I don't eat Palio entirely is that I like sushi and some other foods that require pasta. So when we do partake I'm not exactly 'counting' anymore. The lack of carbs is really just an unspoken given, AND as you say, educating my daughter is a key factor. So my question to you is 2 part. If you are writing down your foods what will you do with those findings? Isn't the idea behind that to adjust either carbs/calories/ or sugars (which is carbs essentially). I'm not trying to be critical. You couldn't pay me to count calories. That's why I've chosen Paleo as a dietary path. Its relatively uncomplicated to follow.

A big part of successful weight loss IS about reading content information. I dont count calories or 'track' food per say, but if I've been eating Paleo 3 days out of a week and I eat rice sushi one day (2 carbs) and I get to the weekend and see that I've eaten a grand total of 30 carbs in a 5 day span, and I'm purposely choosing Pizza that is thin crust and only another 30 carbs PER HALF, I dont feel anything but happy, because I have educated myself on how to create a working rating plan that allows me flexibility and sustainable weight management. Now there are times I dont 'count'. Like we were at a family dinner the other night and my diet partner wanted a piece of Cheesecake. So I also partook, but at a half portion. I want her to understand its ok to eat "socially", and enjoy what the world has to offer, in moderation.

You can do yoga in sweats. When I began our weight loss journey I told myself when I hit a certain goal id go to LouLouLemon and get a pair as a 'reward' to self (I dont give myself many expensive gifts). But the day I was to go I stopped by Value village to drop off some old clothes on route to the mall and found a perfectly flattering pair of Danskins yoga pants for $10. LOVE them and 2 great tops: one roots and another 'name brand' (I think I actually got a LueLuLemon but it's not my favorite...too binding. Either way. Wear what is comfortable, I just find yoga pants MADE to feel like you are wearing nothing....i like that!

And when I get pizza I get a store bought, thin crust with spinach or something of the like. You can have half the pizza and only use 30 carbs. Its a fair trade off calorie speaking.

I dont pay for yoga. I did purchase a good mat, some yoga pants and top for about $10 each at a second hand store and got a second hand video for $5 second hand. There are numerous videos you can rent/ borrow through the library. Yoga it truly cost effective and a great way to improve posture and internal balance. I nearly always start the warm up with an amazing herbal tea, and end in the same fashion.

If I was you I'd try some Yoga. If done with heart it will place your focus on your inner core to balance your outer self. It makes you think about balance and being straight and grounded and gives you time to think about 'yourself'.

I drink again now. At that time in my life I was exploring 'myself' and drugs interfered. I still like to chillax with a Tequial Sunrise. But the 'reasons' for my drinking are resolved. I do it now because I want to. Not because it's a social expectation or a way to take the edge off. But it took a lot of wondering exactly 'what kind' of a jerk "I" was when I drank to get me to look at the 'why's' and "what have yous'.... "Life..don't talk to me about life"...

When I quit drinking it was a chore. Your real challenge will be in social situations, as, you will likely find you don't find you drinking friends as 'fun' as you did when you were also impared. It was a wake up call for me. I came to see the 'falseness' in my joy.

Just make your goals realistic. And don't think of it as a 'win' or 'lose' kind of event. Just like any competition, 'where you place' isn't the motivator. It's just that you enter and do your best, associate with those who can encourage as well as those you can help. From what I've seen of you thus far you are already full on 'in the program'. Looking forward to seeing what your challenge consists of. Why have you waited so long to participate?