<p>Yeah but the mayo…</p>
<p>I’m ok with fat. I’ve cut back on carbs. (But I don’t use mayo at home, unless I make my own. I tend to eat tuna packed in olive oil, and add onions, celery, etc. for interest.)</p>
<p>Starting in April of 2010, I went on a low carb diet plus exercise regimen necessitated by T2, and lost about 25-30 lbs. All was well for a while, but then I sprained my ankle while hiking, shortly thereafter developed a rotator cuff problem, and an enforced hiatus combined with two stressful jobs, my busiest candy season, my natural indolence, depression, and self-medicating with too much red wine turned into a year-long downward spiral. Not to mention gaining back all of the weight I had lost, plus a few more lbs. 
I was completely miserable.</p>
<p>In November, I managed to sign myself up with a service offered by my health insurance company where a nurse calls you periodically to give support. (I only managed to do this because they robocalled me a few times, and all I had to do was push a button.) After a few calls with her over Dec/Jan, I finally contacted my medical practice, and made an appointment with my new doctor. (My previous one had finished her residency and left, also part of the problem.) The new doctor put me on an antidepressant, and referred me to the social worker who works with their practice. I put myself on the wagon, since it seemed best to just cleanly break the habit of drinking wine in the evening. I cut back the hours of one of my jobs, so that I am working 10 days per month, rather than having to be available every day (including weekends and evenings). I went to visit my mother, who runs a virtual boot camp 
: regular balanced meals, strenuous walks with lots of hills twice a day. (Boy, was I out of shape!) I decided to buy a treadmill, since although I enjoy using it, the inconvenience of going to the gym was part of my problem. I put myself on the wagon as of Feb 11. I’ve already lost about 7 lbs. (Not absolutely certain because our home scale isn’t the most accurate: it might actually be more.) My next task is to work in some strength training and stretching, but right now I’ve been concentrating on getting in at least 50 min of strenuous cardio per day. I actually plan to up it to 90 min (2 sessions per day) this week.)</p>
<p>I feel like I’ve been reborn.</p>
<p>Consolation, I am giving you a round of applause. </p>
<p>Your last sentence says it all.</p>
<p>Consolation, my hat goes off to you! :)</p>
<p>you go girl!</p>
<p>Thanks for that honest post Consolation. And congratulations for facing your issues and addressing them. And halellujah for gettting the results for your hard work!</p>
<p>I have been avoiding this thread. Totally off my wagon. I am up probably 8 lbs. I know I am eating way to many white carbs. The buns and tortillas that I had given up have reappeared on my plate. I love them but my waistline does not. I also have not been exercising.
I am going to read through the last several pages of this thread to get back some of my motivation. You all inspire me.</p>
<p>mom60–you can do it!</p>
<p>I was avoiding exercise for a couple of weeks there…I think it was just being sick and tired of winter and not feeling like moving or exerting myself. Just wanted to crawl in a hole. Ok, crawl in a hole and eat chocolate. Is there such a thing as passive-aggressive resistance to winter? LOL The only person I was hurting was myself. </p>
<p>Everyone has setbacks. The point is to pick yourself up again!</p>
<p>I am having what I hope is a mini setback. Lost a couple of pounds last week, now starting to eat a little more the past few days, starting to creep back. Gee, I’d really like to keep them off! Why is it so easy sometimes to cut back on eating, and other times, it is an enormous effort? I was really getting into the exercise too, now I just feel tired. Still exercising, but it is more of a chore than it was just last week. Maybe the long winter is getting to me . . . It is an interesting process, to be sure. Every day is different.</p>
<p>I am enjoying reading the book by the Weight Watchers CEO. He took 9 years to reach his goal. I find that comforting.</p>
<p>I think a big part of it is this darn weather pattern… It’s mid march and I’m still wearing winter scarves and mittens. I want to feel energized but I just want to hibernate. Ugh.</p>
<p>I wish I could blame it on snowy winter weather. I live in Ca and my cold days are in the 60’s.</p>
<p>Oh man…Mom60. I’m trying to rationalize here! Help a girl out and lie about your whereabouts! :)</p>
<p>Consolation, congratulations!</p>
<p>mom60, I think it’s very hard to give up completely something you love. Is there a food rule you can institute? Mine is I can have a half English muffin or half a mini bagel for breakfast. If I do that, I don’t miss bread the rest of the day. I also can eat bread at restaurants and parties, though I try not to pig out. When I gave up bread all together, I lost weight faster, but put it back on when I put it back in my diet. This time I’m losing slowly, but I figured out more or less what I can manage without gaining weight.</p>
<p>Mathmom- I had a food rule that was working well for over two years. I skipped the pasta, rice, bread and tortillas Sunday through Thursday. That worked great for a slow but steady weight loss. I know what I need to do. Just need to do it.
EPTR- I appreciate the rationale.</p>
<p>How many of us on this WLFD forum have all their kids in college or beyond? I find myself in a funk when I don’t have specific plans that distract me from the fact that my life has to shift away from my kids to my own life. Sometimes I wish I could just get a grip and take charge of my life, as my pride in myself is partly to do with what a tough woman I am, but darn it, I am not adjusting like I should be. </p>
<p>Anyway, my Nordic skiing is going to get one last surge, and then I have to come up with a Spring exercise plan. Mud season hikes after work, or do I give myself a kick and get on a treadmill in the early morning? Go snowflake go.</p>
<p>Snowflake–very perceptive. I have an empty nest and now is my time for ME! </p>
<p>OK, enough of that. When does the grandchild visit again? :D</p>
<p>No grand-monsters here yet, but when they show up in life I will spoil them! Hopefully that is 8-10 years or more from now.</p>
<p>I have to accept that is okay to do stuff for me for a bit. Even the dog doesn’t need much from me, darn it, so I will have to learn how to spoil myself instead of others. </p>
<p>I kind of think of myself in this empty nest situation as a Border Collie without sheep to herd.</p>
<p>“Border Collie without sheep to herd”–I love it!</p>
<p>Love the Border Collie idea!</p>
<p>I am celebrating small victories. At the ER tonight with one of my senior citizens. I DID not hit the vending machine, I did not have a coke (they were in plastic bottles, if there had been cans of coke it might have been an entirely different story), and when I got home I only had one glass - well another half glass - of wine.</p>