Sunday Weigh in July 2, 2023

[Barb135]

Good morning everyone.  Yep - I'm actually getting my post done when it's still morning!!   :-)    I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July.  

How has your week been?  Mine wasn't bad.  I'm finally feeling more like being on my feet after the past few weeks of being ill, having been bitten  by a dog and my overall tiredness.  I'm still very tired, but at least, I can get up and do a few things before i need to sit down and sleep...

I actually got some things done this week, so I don't feel quite so useless!!  I spent one morning mowing the yard (well, the part I normally do and didn't feel like doing when husband mowed), spraying some weeds, getting laundry and other housework down.  Yesterday, I even pulled a bunch of clothes from my closet that I don't wear and got them boxed up to be taken to the Hospice Thrift Store where I take my donations.  After I got that done, I even tackled that bottom dresser drawer that gets all the "stuff" shoved in when I'm not sure what else to do with it - things like shorts I only wear for mowing/yard work, Cuddlduds (sp) that I only wear in winter, the knee braces I used years ago - you get the idea - things that go in and never see the light of day again!!  

I finally got results back from the chest CT I had.  I haven't heard from my doctor (and probably won't), but as far as I can see from the report, there's nothing to get excited about.  It notes a few things that we've known for a while that are going on with my heart, but my lungs seem to be okay, which is a good thing!!  

I did see my cardiologist and because of my fatigue and periodic shortness of breath, he wants to do a PET CT because the echocardiogram didn't produce good pictures of parts of my heart.   I'll see if that's still needed once they get the results from the chest CT.  

So - that's my life, in a nutshell.  In spite of being up and about more, I've lost ground with my weight.  It's really hard to know exactly what my weight is because it fluctuates so wildly and a day to day basis, but as near as I can tell, I'm up by about 2 pounds this week.   I seem to keep losing/gaining the same 5 pounds or so and can't seem to get beyond that.   For most people, watching what they eat is key to weight loss and although that does make a difference for me, I also have to have adequate exercise in order for eating fewer calories to "count".  Hopefully, I'll feel more like exercising in the coming week, though our temps are so high (95°+ with "feels like" temps in the range of 105 - 110°), it's next to impossible to do much outside during the day.  

So - that's my saga.  How did you do this week?  I hope you were able to meet/exceed whatever goal(s) you set for yourself.  

~~Wishing everyone a wonderful, successful week and a safe 4th of July~~

[Athena_M]

Hi Barb and Annie. Barb sorry to hear about the dog bite. I am  scared of dogs. I have been attacked twice. I have a scar on my lip from a dog bite.
Annie my son just graduated from highschool and he's been sleeping a lot too. We were staying up late but I was getting to tired and cranky  toward the end of the night. I have to establish our previous sleep schedule to keep the peace and so everyone is well rested.
Well I am finally liking my scale.
I had a health scare. I was eating so much junky sugar and my triglycerides went so high. Also I started developing fatty liver. So now I have been eating less junk. I also drink green tea instead of coffee. I feel a million times better.

[Barb135]

Hi Athena

I've never been afraid of dogs but have always had a healthy respect for what they can do.   The dog that bit me was supposed to have been in a pen, but communications got crossed and --- well, the dog won!!Now, I'm much more wary than I've ever been.   I'm sorry about the scar on your leg - I guess we'll match as I'll have 2 on my arm!!  :-)

Congratulations on your son's recent graduation.   It's hard to deal with someone whose sleep schedule is all messed up.   It tends to disrupt the entire house.  

I'm glad to hear you're liking what the scale has to say these days.  It's always encouraging when it starts going the right direction.

I'm sorry to hear about your health scare.  That can have a big effect on us.  My triglycerides are high, as well but no fatty liver disease, as yet.  I tend to not eat a lot of sugary foods, but I do eat a lot of carbs (chips, crackers, etc).  I'm so happy to hear that eliminating some of the junk food and switching to tea instead of coffee is helping.  It's awesome that you're feeling so much better.  I hope it continues.  

Have a good week.

[AnnieBrooke]

I weighed this morning and am the same as last week to the tenth of a pound. It isn't the worst news, since last week I was down, but I could stand it to go down a little bit every week. Last week we gardened frenetically, this week was more restful. Less frantic weeding obviously means less weight loss. We do enjoy the gardening since my husband, son and I do it together, so probably we'll be back at it when we figure out what we want to do about the steep slope with all the Bishop's Weed. Even if we don't pull it all, we might pull the part that has clustered at the bottom of the slope.

I think we're all still recovering from the school year -- school has been over for two weeks and a few days, and my son's sleep is still wacko. He slept all day yesterday and then was up all night last night, and now is asleep at noon. We can't let the pattern slide, since obviously he can't have this problem in his junior year of high school. Too much rides on what one does then -- all the tests, all the grades, etc. He did get a 4-point, but it cost a lot of effort on all three of our parts, us trying to get him to go to bed (and then get up), and him trying to study at times of day when he couldn't focus. Having a decent sleep pattern will make a big difference.

I've got a lot of household work waiting. Contributing clothing to the local charity sounds like a great idea, Barb! I have a lot of nice stuff stacked up that although it fits, I just don't wear. I'm pretty constant in my outfits and haven't worn some things since my son was in second grade. Mostly that reflects life changes and what I do day to day. I simply don't need good gabardine suits any more.

Hope everyone has a great week!

[Barb135]

Yay for you - staying the same is much better than gaining 2 pounds like I did!!   The exercise from gardening is actually very good, but then any exercise is good.  Gardening is more fun when you have someone to do it with.  I do all my own yard work (other than the parts that Ray mows), so it's more of a chore than working at it with someone.   Of course, it's so hot right now, I couldn't do gardening if I wanted to (97°) last time I looked at the thermometer.  Hate to think what the heat index might be.

I don't doubt it will take time for all of you to "get over" the school year.  It's unfortunate your son's sleeping habits are backwards.  Have you considered having cortisol levels tested?  Cortisol should be high in the morning to get us going for the day, then drop off at night for sleep.  Of course, there are other medical reasons for inverted circadian rhythm, as well.   I agree that going into junior year of high school, not sleeping at night wouldn't be good, though it's awesome he got the 4.o grade.   I know the whole family paid a price for it, though.  I hope it gets worked out over the summer so when school starts, your son will be on a schedule that will be good for the family.

When my Auntie was ill, the local Hospice organization was so good to all of us, that I've been donating clothing, household items, etc to their thrift store ever since.  The money goes to help in situations such as found ourselves in, so it's well worth it.   Most of the things I've packed up are things I could wear if I lost 20 lbs (or even 10), but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon, so might as well get rid of them instead of having them clutter my closet and make me feel badly for not losing the weight so I can wear them!!  

There are organizations that take good used clothes and give them to people who can't afford proper clothing for job interviews, new jobs, etc - you might consider something like that to donate your no longer worn suits, shoes, etc.    

Enjoy your week.  :-)