The Continuing Saga of CherylB's Weight Loss Journey (part 2)

[DebbyL]

Good for the lb. down. How much chia seed were you eating? I bought some, but haven't received the order yet. Better be educated about this stuff before I start eating it.

[CherylB]

What did you think of my new Avi, Debby? The bag of Chia seeds says to take 1 tablespoon per day in 8 oz of juice. I don't know how it would be in water, so I used 4-C fruit punch (only powdered drink I had with no calories) which has Splenda in it instead of Crystal Light, which has Aspertame. I took it for 3 days in a row. Weight kept going up.

[CindyCRNA]

Originally Posted by CherylB

My memory card was full after taking only two pics. I'm in the process of uploading all my pics to my computer (done, actually) and then I'll wipe out the memory card. Anyway, this is today. Winds are still swirling around and filling in places that we've shoveled or paths my nice upstairs neighbor made with snow shoes, to help the dogs get around the yard. That will be gone by 1 or 2 this afternoon.

I have one more video that I took at the same time as these pics. Once I post these, I'll go to Youtube and upload that video. I don't even know where to begin. No ordinary plow will be able to make a dent in the snow at the street end of my driveway. The snow is higher than the hood of my car.

If anyone is actually out there reading this stuff, let me know if you saw the videos so I know someone is benefiting from all my labor. PS: Those little things in the second shot are the mailboxes.

OMG, those 2 pics!! It looks like a flat spot till you dig a little and see you have a car parked there!!! And I saw your video on FB. Your little car is waving the white flag and want s to go back to Arizona!!! But what a georgous area you live in! I would take a bit of snow for that!!

I take mag daily. I always take it with a calcium supplement as calcium is constipating! I take Nature's Way Mag Blend which is a blend of mag citrate . Mine are 250mg each. I always take one with anything fortified with a lot of calcium like Almond Breeze.

[CherylB]

Hey, Cindy! I'm glad you saw the videos. It's nuts, isn't it? My poor car and dog. Poor me! I haven't heard the actual decree but the general consensus is that this storm was the worst in CT history.

Thanks for adding to the Mag/Cal discussion. I will have to look for those Mag Citrate tabs. I don't understand the difference in all these magnesiums. Mine is Mag Oxide.

The sun is shining again, the birdies are chirping again and I can see that this storm is finally leaving our region for good. Soon the winds will settle down and we can all get busy digging out. Then I can get back to talking about horses and other better things!

Have a nice day, ladies. I'll be around.

[verbqueen]

Holy SMOKES, Cheryl! That's CUH-razy! We had a lot of weird alternating hail and sunshine yesterday; very, very odd for SoCal. But comparatively, a walk in the park!

So, I've got your dry-rubbed pork tenderloin in the oven and it smells like what I imagine HEAVEN will smell like (that is, if it doesn't smell like freshly brewing coffee or bacon....haha). I already made the sauce, and added a half teaspoon each of tarragon and thyme, just for some pretty green flecks and a bit of flavor. Also, used half yellow mustard, half dijon. Good glory, but that sauce is good.

While I had the oven so hot, also threw in a bag of fresh skinny green beans that I'd tossed in oil and garlic salt and laid out on a cookie sheet. Already took them out, and have been dipping them in the sauce like french fries. SO GOOD!

(And yes, I had to open the oven to get them out, but I think it's fine. My convection roasting cycle cooks hot, so I'm not worried about underdone pork.)

Will report on the eating test later!

[CindyCRNA]

Here's a little mag primer: The Differences Between Magnesium & Magnesium Citrate | LIVESTRONG.COM

[shipoo]

OMG Cheryl, I watched your utube video - we didn't get near that snow drop here in Southern Ontario, I would say about 18 to 20 inches. We closed our office at noon as the plow could not keep up with the roads and they wanted everyone to get home safe! What a nice area you live in and what a sweet house. No wonder you always talk about how much you love it.
We had to go buy a snowblower as we haven't seen this type of blizzard since 2008 and my hubbies back is not up to all that shovelling.
So glad you didn't lose power. At least you are warm and have heat! Take your time shovelling out. You don't want to hurt yourself.
Thinking of you in your white wilderness!

Cheryl

[verbqueen]

Originally Posted by verbqueen

Holy SMOKES, Cheryl! That's CUH-razy! We had a lot of weird alternating hail and sunshine yesterday; very, very odd for SoCal. But comparatively, a walk in the park!

So, I've got your dry-rubbed pork tenderloin in the oven and it smells like what I imagine HEAVEN will smell like (that is, if it doesn't smell like freshly brewing coffee or bacon....haha). I already made the sauce, and added a half teaspoon each of tarragon and thyme, just for some pretty green flecks and a bit of flavor. Also, used half yellow mustard, half dijon. Good glory, but that sauce is good.

While I had the oven so hot, also threw in a bag of fresh skinny green beans that I'd tossed in oil and garlic salt and laid out on a cookie sheet. Already took them out, and have been dipping them in the sauce like french fries. SO GOOD!

(And yes, I had to open the oven to get them out, but I think it's fine. My convection roasting cycle cooks hot, so I'm not worried about underdone pork.)

Will report on the eating test later!

Ta da:



And:

[DebbyL]

Hi Cheryl,
Good avi... I showed my dh the pics you posted & we liked that one best. Big storm!
Hope the clean-up is happening. Watched the news & your state was the star of the weather news.

[tay65]

Hope you're alright up there! Take your time shovelling. Its no race! We didn't get the freezing rain like they said, or snow. We had some high winds though.
I'm sick as a dog, so I'll be back tomorrow. good night....

[CherylB]

Wow, ladies! It's a veritable "love fest" going on here today! Sorry I just now saw it. I did indeed get plowed out but not entirely. I will explain tomorrow cause it's after 1 am and I need to get to bed. Big day of farm rescue ahead, IYKWIM.

Tammy, I can't believe you're sick! Is this a cold or lingering affects from the shot? GET BETTER SOON!

Jessica, I can't wait to hear how it tasted. Thanks for those pictures. It really is divine, isn't it!

Debby, glad you enjoyed the pics.

And Cheryl, so glad you didn't get the worst of the storm. We'll never forget this one, EVER. Wish I had a snowblower, myself.

I'll be back tomorrow and catch up with all of you. Thanks for posting all this great stuff!!!

[tay65]

Good morning!
TTOM is kicking my a$$ ! Headache, cramps like you can't imagine and they're in my back too! Now add in the increased appetite from the steroids and I'm extremely miserable. My heating pad stopped working through the night. Now I have to send my husband to buy another one. I haven't told him yet! Every month its 2 days of this. I just lay in bed and not move. Ibuprofen and Midol only take the edge off a little. It stinks. I'll be soooo happy when this stops! Some women get depressed over menopause, NOT ME. I CAN'T WAIT !!!!

[CherylB]

Is there any way you can just have a hysterectomy or is your insurance not good enough to cover the vast majority of the costs? They leave the ovaries but take the uterus. They can even do it vaginally. I've seen it done, during nursing school. Leaves no scars and is very fast. It might make the rest of your life that much more pleasant. I hate to see you suffering. I really do HATE IT.

I finally got plowed out! He came early last night. He did one half of the driveway and then went to work on my upstairs neighbor's side. Jess (the lady) came over to my driveway with her car, to give him room to plow their side. That's when I noticed he was even out there doing it. I didn't hear a thing. Maybe because there's so much snow that the plow doesn't actually scrape the pavement.

Anyway, I ran out there and started trying to dig out my car. Jess helped me and finally I was able to get the car out of that snow bank. It was so hard! The tires could get no traction and so I had to keep inching back and forth while turning the wheel this way and that. Finally it broke free. I pulled into the plowed half and then got out to clean the rest of the snow off. She then said I could park in front of her car in their driveway until he came back to finish my side (he left cause he said he had so many others to do. He didn't return until 0800!)

So all's well that ends well. I won't even bother cleaning a path to the side door or clearing off that porch where the drifts go half way up the house. I am content having the one entrance for now. Spring will come, eventually. Let it melt.

I'm betting the huge piles of snow that have been plowed won't disappear entirely until May. I kid you not! We'll have to see if I can remember to keep track of when they are finally history.

The scale is driving me batty. I have been chewing sugarless gum at night sometimes and I've decided that is a large part of the problem, so today I woke up and threw every pack of gum I had away. I never used to be sensitive to it when doing LC but maybe things have changed. Things always DO change, as we do. So, no more gum.

I have to go to the farm but I never heard back from M.E. (tired of using their job titles. Time for names.) I don't know what they need me to do. Should I just bring a shovel and a back brace and go? I'd really like to be prepared. I know she's drowning in things to do, between the farm and her full-time job but I do so much better with just a little heads-up.

I think my mailbox is wasted. It's the only one on the pole that is sideways. I will take some more pics today. Somehow, we made it through that god-awful storm intact and without losing power for even a few seconds. My little town ain't much, but I love it here. It's all I need!

I really should get dressed and get going. It's almost 1 pm (I just woke at noon.) I won't be able to do much once the sun goes down so I need to hustle. BBL

[DebbyL]

Good morning Cheryl!
Glad you got dug out & can go rescue the horsies
Have a wonderful work-out & beautiful Sunday!

[tay65]

The "h" word was mentioned by my dr years ago when I had the lining of my uterus removed. That helped with one problem, but now I have this extreme pain for 2 days a month that just stops me in my path. I can't do anything, or go anywhere! Its like labor pains.....every month!
Glad you got plowed out and didn't lose your electric. You have alot of snow up there. I bet it does take a long time to completely melt.
I have a story to tell. My dd and her bf helped chapperone a sweet 16 party last night for her friend at a club from 4-8 pm. While they were there, her friend's wallet came up missing. NOW....noone knows my dd's bf. She texted my dd saying "people" told her he was seen with her wallet !!!! And she wanted it back. UNBELIEVABLE!!!! He would never steal anything. He has no reason to steal from anyone. My dd is so hurt that she's accusing him of this.
One of those kids took her wallet. She should've paid attention to that wallet instead of dancing with the kids. For being 30 yo, she has alot of growing up to do. So my dd isn't having anything more to do with her.
Well, thats my story for today! Oh, still no internet yet. Had to reschedule for Thursday.
ttys!

[shelby'snana]

Cheryl, glad you got shoveled out..... Hope you are able to get to the farm ok, they will be so glad to see you ! Be careful .

Tay, I 2nd the hysterectomy !! Best thing I ever did, was only off for about 1 week or so, no big deal.

[verbqueen]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Jessica, I can't wait to hear how it tasted. Thanks for those pictures. It really is divine, isn't it!

I just finished some leftovers for lunch! Put the sauce over my roasted green beans, too. Pork was even moist and tender after microwaving. Just RIDICULOUSLY good. That sauce would make an old piece of shoe leather delectable!

As you said, this dish would be a great company dinner. I will serve it at my next dinner party (if that happens in this lifetime, haha.)

Glad you're ok up there in the land of ice and snow.

[CherylB]

Oh, hello ladies. When I got to the farm, there had already been a lot of plowing and shoveling done. The first person I encountered said, "Everything's been done. We just finished." Now, that's not a phrase one hears on a farm all that much because everything is never done. So I went inside and talked to the director and she told me what she wanted me to do.

So I got to groom and massage the horses. I looked like I rolled around on the ground with them when I had finished. Covered with white hairs from top to bottom. And they aren't in any way "done" because the paddocks are only minimally plowed. The arena and the run-ins, too. The minis had a small area plowed but since I was so wasted from massaging and brushing the horses, I decided I didn't care to make their area bigger. If it's good enough for those who plowed and the lady who owns them, then it's good enough for me.

OMG. The roads are really tough to navigate on still. Secondary roads that have one lane for traffic going in either direction now have one wide lane big enough for one car or truck to pass at a time. If someone is coming from the other direction, one of you has to duck into someones driveway (and hope it's plowed out well, or get stuck in the thick slush.) I seriously need new tires. My car has always been fine in snow but this time, I just can't get any traction. Will put that on my list of goals for this year. I replaced one tire last year and they wanted to sell me four but I just couldn't afford that.

Tammy, I'm sorry that happened to your daughter and her BF at that party. What a shame! Reminds me of something that happened to me once, eons ago. I won't go into it, but I am sorry they had to go through that.

You stopped half way in your "H" word story. So why don't you want to just get it over with and get rid of it? It has served its purpose and now it's time you did whatever you can do to lighten your "pain load." Don't you agree? Yank that puppy!

Jessica, I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much. Sometimes something tastes awesome to you and then someone else makes it and they aren't as jazzed about it as you were. If it ever becomes necessary to eat "shoe leather", we know how to make it palatable.

I watched the entire 13 episodes of "House of Cards" with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright on Netflix. It was so good but at times a little too gritty for me. I highly recommend it but you may (in places) find yourself cringing. It's necessary I guess because the character Kevin plays is completely devoid of morals. Very good political drama. After a while, I may even watch it again. Knowing how it all ends, things might "add up" better along the way.

Getting back to the farm, you may be asking, "how do you massage a horse?" Well, I just found that out myself! Mainly the director wanted their legs massaged, and she wanted me to start with the horses who have medical issues and then move to the others if I still had time and energy. But I bought these "knuckles" things for the horses as part of my Christmas gift for them. No one had tried them out on the horses yet, so today I did just that.

These are cheap versions of the more expensive kind, but I think they are just as good. I'll see if I can find a picture online that I can post. I'll continue in another post so the pic will be placed here, where it belongs.

[CherylB]

That isn't the exact thing I used but it is close. These things feel amazing! If you have someone else do your back, you will be on cloud 9. So I bought 2 of them (Only a buck at the dollar store), mainly because Red has a sore back. But I used it on 6 of the 7 horses today and I think it made them feel pretty dog gone good. One of the 6 was restless and wouldn't stay in one place long enough for me to give him the full treatment, so I just let him be.

But the balls on the ends of each arm are spaced apart just the right amount to be able to run it down their spine. It massages on both sides of their spine but doesn't hurt them in the least. It was great to see how perfectly they worked on them.

So I did their necks, chest and backs, upper sides, hind legs and butt, but didn't go to the lower legs or abdomen. I didn't want to push it when it was their first experience with the sensation. Then for their legs, I used my hands. I squeezed and stroked from top to bottom, all the way down to their hooves. I'm tired, y'all!

They are beginning to shed profusely, so I take that as a sign of Spring that is far more reliable than any ground hog could be. What a mess!

It was so sunny and calm today, that even though it was 35 degrees, it felt like 60 or more. I had no coat on. The horses were just hanging out in the sun, soaking up the rays. A sign of things that are soon to come. But before that happens, ....

Freezing rain turning over to rain later in the afternoon tomorrow; my barn day. Will do my best, as always. It's amazing how much you can put your body and your mind through and still come up smiling. We are very hardy. God created us in His own image! We can do great things.

I see tornado warnings in the Midwest. Oy! God bless and protect anyone in the path of one of those horrible things.

It's 7 pm now and I'm going to kick back and be happy with how my day turned out. Sweet dreams to all you lovely ladies and I'll ttyt.

[DebbyL]

Thanks for sharing your day Cheryl, its very interesting, and I can picture it all, the way you write. Feels like we get to share lives.
Thanks for the prayers too!

[CherylB]

I'm happy to share my life with you, Debby. You keep sharing yours with me and posting those amazing pictures of your home and I'll be feeding you from my end.

[verbqueen]

Oh, thanks for the review of House of Cards. I just got Netflix for Christmas (got one of those Roku devices which enables me to have the on demand downloads.) Been wondering what to watch with it.

I did watch this Awesome BBC series called Sherlock. There are only six episodes, but each is basically a movie, 90 minutes long. It's the Sherlock Holmes stories, tweaked to modern times and set in current day London. REALLY well done.

I'm with you all the way on the not weighing. I still haven't weighed, and don't know when I will. For me, the appropriate eating behaviors and the physical comfort, as in freedom from cravings and blood sugar swings are what I am after. I'll worry about pounds somewhere down the line.

[CherylB]

Just be prepared to see some shocking stuff. It's really good but as a Christian, it's tough at times.

I'm in a different place weight-wise than you are. I want the lbs off me. NOW. AGAIN. I know that my first week was really good but it's so frustrating to see the scale skid to a total halt and all the up/down stuff. It always makes me wonder if it's because of something I'm doing that I shouldn't be doing. It's so crazy. And then it takes the fun out of the food options because if I can't lose weight by eating that stuff, then what am I doing?

I have "The Horse's Ball" on March 9th. I'm just under 200 lbs. I'm up 3 lbs from my lowest weight of the first week, before I started taking the Chia seeds. I expected to get right back to that low weight and be even lower by now, since I stopped taking the Chias 4 days ago. I'm even thinking about hhcg. My pellets are so old but I really would like to be down 20 lbs by that Ball.

Then again, I work my @$$ off at the farm and I need calories to sustain that kind of workout. I can't afford to be weak. So I guess I just talked myself out of that idea.

It was drizzling all day here and it kept up the entire time I was at the farm. It's so strange, living in an area like CT. There are mountains of plowed snow all around, then the areas that have been plowed are either very slushy or there is a slick solid layer of ice underneath several inches of water. (Rain or snow melt; a mixture of both.) It really slowed me down cause as the afternoon wore on, I almost wiped-out a couple of times. I had to take smaller steps and slipping was at the forefront of my mind as I went about my chores.

Then there was a woman who was brought out to me and introduced by the director. The lady had experience as a side-walker during program sessions but now she wanted to do more with the horses; namely grooming. So I stopped what I was doing to coach her in grooming, but that also streamed into how to take off the horse's sheet (cause the horse was wearing one) and then how to put it back on. It ended up being about 30 minutes of orientation and that was fine, but then suddenly I felt like I was very behind. I got it all done but I ran over my time by 30 minutes. I was able to justify it though, due to weather conditions and the woman I oriented.

When I left, there was nobody left in the house. The plow guy was still out there working after dark so I had to get his attention to see if he was going back in the house or if I should lock the door behind me. He wasn't going back in, so it's a good thing I didn't assume he was. Then back into my car to carefully drive back home on slick streets.

Now I'm watching The Biggest Loser and warming up. I have no farm stuff to do tomorrow, but I'm working Wednesday and I also picked up Friday to help fill in where there was a need. THEN, there is an orientation on Saturday that I've been asked to participate in (I'm assuming as a volunteer.) Busy week coming up! Hope the weather cooperates a little bit.

Night, ladies. Hugs and love to all! Tammy, I hope you're feeling much better. I just found out my sister has a cold. She thought it was a sore throat secondary to post nasal drip at night. At some point, she realized it was a cold. But I'm so wrapped up in the farm and all things horses that I've fallen out of touch with my family. I need to find a balance. This week won't be the least bit balanced.

[DebbyL]

Sorry you've hit a frustrating place, Cheryl. The big water whoosh the first week really was great. But now it sounds like your body is trying to hold at the old strong-hold. Hang in there! Be sure to take measurements. I measure once a week when I'm dieting. It really helps, because sometimes the scale says nothing & the tape shows you've lost. Its a sign that your body is flushing toxins & adjusting. Its hard, but so much better then going up!
I stay away from salt (& processed meat), for that reason too... can't handle the fake "ups" & downs that it causes.
Hope you have an encouraging day tomorrow. Sounds like you worked hard again!

[CherylB]

Thanks, Debby. I will soldier on. I don't take my measurements, though. Sometimes they seem to go UP rather than down, which only means that I'm not measuring in the exact place that I did before. I have little use for tape measures. I guess I could just measure one spot like my upper arm and track losses that way. I hate my arms. Bad genes, people! Bad, bad genes.

I really have to start going back to the gym! It rarely ever crosses my mind anymore and I should at least be going and swimming. They have the hot tub and sauna, too. I told myself how great it was going to be to do those things in the dead of winter, and here it is. I just can't believe how busy this little part time job is keeping me.

I did the volunteer time on Sunday, thinking I was going to help them dig out from the storm. I ended up just grooming and massaging. Then yesterday was my regular shift. Wednesday is my other regular shift. Friday afternoon is a shift I picked up cause a girl is away for a week or so and we all need to fill in the gaps. I have an orientation for new volunteers on Saturday and I've been assigned to assist. No idea if that will be paid or volunteer but I'm guessing volunteer. Then Sunday is another extra shift that I picked up to cover for the girl who's gone, and I'm back to Monday; my usual shift. I'm going to be wasted and poor Cissy's going to feel completely abandoned.

I've been so tempted to cheat on my eating plan the past few days. I mean really cheat, like McDonald's or a breakfast sandwich at Dunkin Donuts. I know that it won't get me closer to fitting inside my clothes so I can't go there. I just have to do what will get me where I want and need to be. Caving to temptation is never the answer. So instead, it's coffee with cream for breakfast. Later on, I will make some yummy scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms and onions with cheese.

I'll probably make a tossed salad for my dinner and add some HB eggs chopped up. I love those in salads. Throw some real bacon bits in there, maybe a couple more mushrooms and some more onion and I'll be good to go. Buttermilk Ranch dressing.

Have a nice day, everyone. I plan to do absolutely nothing and stay in my PJ's all day. It's cloudy and grey this morning but it is brightening up a little bit. I woke before the sun rose so I will take a nap a little later on. I so rarely ever take naps and they are so lovely, don't you agree?

[tay65]

good morning! today is my early day watching chloe....ugh! I hate getting up early! thats why I always worked afternoon shifts. when my dd took this shift on tuesdays I cringed at the thought of waking up at 7 am.
I'm feeling much, much better today. finally! my injection site is sore, but thats ok.
I'm writing in my journal again. when I get my internet I'll be able to put a link to it in my signature. I cant do that using my NON smart phone, aka my dumb phone! hehehe
Have a good, relaxing day! I'm not getting dressed either today! Or chloe!

[CherylB]

I thought you had your internet installed days ago? I feel your pain about mornings. We have that in common! I always worked 12-hr night shifts. I found an 8-hr shift that began in the middle of the day was the pits. I was able to sleep late but spend all my hours before working watching the clock.

I got a little nap! Woke up at my usual time, so back on track. It's nice and sunny and above freezing so lots of melting going on outside. Drip drip drip! It's all good. I went to check what was in my mailbox yesterday and discovered it was completely unattached to the pole. It's just sitting there on the board. Will wait a while before alerting the landlady.

Got my favorite HGTV show on now: The Property Brothers. So, ttyl.

[DebbyL]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Thanks, Debby. I will soldier on. I don't take my measurements, though. Sometimes they seem to go UP rather than down, which only means that I'm not measuring in the exact place that I did before. I have little use for tape measures. I guess I could just measure one spot like my upper arm and track losses that way. I hate my arms. Bad genes, people! Bad, bad genes.
I really have to start going back to the gym! It rarely ever crosses my mind anymore and I should at least be going and swimming. They have the hot tub and sauna, too. I told myself how great it was going to be to do those things in the dead of winter, and here it is. I just can't believe how busy this little part time job is keeping me.

Ah, arms aren't the best place to measure; they're the last to lose. Maybe try the waist? upper thigh, or neck?
I missed biggest loser last night! Watching in now! Yay for PVR!

[verbqueen]

Originally Posted by CherylB

I've been so tempted to cheat on my eating plan the past few days. I mean really cheat, like McDonald's or a breakfast sandwich at Dunkin Donuts. I know that it won't get me closer to fitting inside my clothes so I can't go there. I just have to do what will get me where I want and need to be. Caving to temptation is never the answer. So instead, it's coffee with cream for breakfast. Later on, I will make some yummy scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms and onions with cheese.

I'll probably make a tossed salad for my dinner and add some HB eggs chopped up. I love those in salads. Throw some real bacon bits in there, maybe a couple more mushrooms and some more onion and I'll be good to go. Buttermilk Ranch dressing.

Have a nice day, everyone. I plan to do absolutely nothing and stay in my PJ's all day. It's cloudy and grey this morning but it is brightening up a little bit. I woke before the sun rose so I will take a nap a little later on. I so rarely ever take naps and they are so lovely, don't you agree?

Atta girl, Cheryl! FEED that hunger, but feed it with the right things!

[shelby'snana]

Cheeeeerrrrryyyyylllllll !!! Where are you ? Hope everything is ok, just checking in to see how your day went