Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Weight Watchers Weighin 4-16-2012


Yesterday was weigh-in day at Weight Watchers. The lecture was about produce power and adding color to my meal plans. Judy (the leader) showed us examples of food dishes that looked really bland and unappetizing, ie: baked potato with a steak, nothing on either or a piece of toast and a scrambled egg. The group addressed the issue of what could make the food tastier and have more eye appeal. I am a visual person and even though I would eat the food as is if it was dressed up a bit it would not only look better in my opinion it would taste better. I put red and yellow peppers and onions on my steak, salsa on my potato. Doctoring up the eggs and toast was easy too...everyone eats salsa on everything around here...;-)

I was pleased with the lecture and the interaction with the others in the group. One man has lost 71# over the past year and he was so exuberant sharing his tips that got him into what he calls the "winner circle." Oh yeah! I got rid of -2.8# last week by just watching what I ate and following the plan. Not a single hungry day but did have a couple days where chocolate was calling to me to come hither! I had some leftover Cadbury Easter candies (hard shell chocolate eggs) and I ate a couple and was fine afterwards.

They say it takes 21 days to detoxify your body and get rid of old habits and build new...do you believe that? Maybe the detoxification but my brain will always cling to the old ways so I am taking this one day at a time. This week wasn't so bad so I am looking forward to the next week knowing that the more I do it the easier it will become.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Cognition & CFS: What Do We Know?

I attended a webinar on April 11 called Cognition & CFS: What Do We Know?
The Research 1st group sponsored this webinar and if you had a headset and audio you could actually talk with the presenters. I don't but used the chat function when I wanted to ask a question.

Seems like CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia are getting more air time on TV and the web and I am really learning a lot from the freebies that are available from various universities and research groups. I have paid $100 and better for professional conferences that were half as good as what was presented in this webinar! I know you are saying why tell me now? Weellll....you too can participate by going the the Research 1st page and sign in to hear it. It was a little technical but it was fun learning what causes issues I have.

There is another webinar coming up on May 9 calle
Sorry the link with the picture doesn't work so to go to the page click here.
I have already signed up cause I like to hear about how people with this disorder cope and this sounds like something right up my alley. Check it out!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Weight Watchers Day #1 4-10-12

Okay today is the day I start Weight Watchers again...I went to the meeting with my sister last night and weighed in at 224.6# or 16 stone or 101kg. OMG! I am happy that I hadn't gained back up to the 248# of a couple years ago but I was definitely on my way back up!

This picture is of me when Heather and I went on a cruise November 13, 2010. I had booked the cruise in February 2010 as a celebration for Heather and I because we both graduated from college with our bachelor's degrees...mine in nursing and hers in art. The year then went to hell in a hand basket and I ended up sick all summer and was finally diagnosed in October with Chronic Fatigue/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia. It had all started a lot earlier (about 20 years before in 1990) but that was the flare up that showed me that I was not normal and probably better sit up and take notice of what was going on in my body...
In this picture I weighed in at 248# Chunky chica to say the least. I was having troubles getting around and thought it was the weight so I joined WW then so I could get to feeling better again. I got down to 219.6# in January of this year but I didn't notice a difference in the way I felt day to day.

I tell people I can tell FM pain and ME issues cause they are different then my normal day to day aging issues. I have knee, joint, and back problems just like any other 59-60 year old person and I take Ibuprofen or even a Lortab once in awhile when they get to bothering me. I think the WW weight loss will help with those issues. The FM and CFS issues aren't helped by the drugs unless the pain is so bad that I am so tensed up and the drugs help the nonFM pain and that relaxes me enough that the FM eases up. I have been really watching and following what my body is telling me and I suggest that everyone keep a log so that they can get a handle on what their body is telling them. What I learned from my log is to listen to your body and don't push it or you pay for it. What you used to do before FM CFS/ME is a lot different then what you can do now so live with it or not but if you don't you will pay for your inattentiveness. I do everything I used to do but not all at the same time or same day. I can cook 3 meals, do a load of laundry, make the bed and vacuum the living room in one day and be down in bed for the next 3 days. If I make the bed and fix a couple meals I am okay. I vacuum another day, keep a load of laundry going just about everyday. Wash today, dry tomorrow, fold the next day. Works for me and that is what my log did for me.

I still have a lot of cognitive dysfunction an it will take me 3 hours and sometime longer to get my brain awake after I get out of bed in the morning...usually after noon. The fibro-fog drives me nuts. I describe it best for me as a morning after hangover where I probably drank a gallon on sangria the night before and my brain is mush. I am slow on the uptake and the output. Getting an idea formulated in my brain is not a pretty sight. Confused and disoriented sometimes to the point I just pour a cup of coffee and sit down at the computer or TV (and hope I remember how to make them work) and surf till my brain wakes up. Some days I don't make it to 90% and I don't push anymore. I do what I can do. This is one of my qualifiers for SSDI is the cognitive issues cause who would want me taking care of time if I can't remember what I am suppose to do. Was really a downer to me till I figured out what what going on. I am a take control person so that didn't set well with me.

Okay that's all I am going to rant on today. I have a ton of stuff to do to day so I guess I had better get busy getting it done. I need to make a couple tags for a swap, get ready for a meeting tonight, cook some supper. THATS my idea of a ton of stuff now. Before I would have wallpapered a wall, cleaned house etc etc etc. Live and learn.

Webinar tomorrow!

WEBINAR SERIES RESUMES

Impaired cognition in CFS is one of the most disabling and frustrating symptoms patients experience. Deficits in short-term memory, information processing and processing speed have been documented by several research groups. How closely does the medical literature reflect patients' experiences and how can cognitive testing help support self-reported measures? Please join us on April 11 for a web program provided free-of-charge to all.

Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Free registration & resources on cognition:
http://bit.ly/cognition-intro

To see the whole posting about the webinar go to Research1st
http://www.research1st.com/2012/03/15/webinar-cognition/

Monday, April 9, 2012

I think I might rename this blog...or should I start another...or just leave the name alone and blog what I want to blog cause most of it has to do with health issues?

Helluva a lot of title for no more then what this post is going to be! I have a lot I would like to blog but it doesn't relate to FM or CFS/ME but is health related issues or related for me. It doesn't fit on my crafting blog although Okienurse Paper and Ink Therapy is a health, and mental health, related for my well being. I don't even know if I could change the name...I will check it out and decide.

Anyway, I digress, I would like to talk about a health related issue today that I am sure some of your other folks have also...WEIGHT! I am grossly obese...not my definition but that of the medical people that are doing all the research out there. I am not silly enough to think I was skinny but darn it labeling me grossly obese hurts my feelings a little bit. Health care professionals like to have everything in little groups and they try to sterotype everything so that it is easier to help us...NOT! Being from the healthcare field I would look at someone my size and immediately could tell you that all her issues would be alleviated if she lost a few pounds or MORE! I don't have the energy to hate that person I used to be but I really don't like who I was or what I did much right now.

I joined Weight Watchers today online and will go to my first meeting of 2012 tonight. I decided to rejoin WW (oops...I have been a WW member numerous times)today because of a different mental/mind set I have now that I haven't had in past joinings! I am a compulsive gambler, 90 days with GA, and I feel I have learned so much from that program and how to live one day at a time I think that I can use what I learn there to help me with WW cause I used to be so impatient to lose weight that I would binge cause I would get frustrated. Same as my gambling issues...I would get frustrated, happy, mad, sad, WHATEVER and take off to the casino. I think that my eating is a compulsive disorder too so I am going to play with it using my 12 Steps to Recovery I consider myself a non-diest Humanist so having a GOD is not in my 12 Step Program. Here is what I believe...Addiction and the...
I don't consider myself an atheist but don't believe in a God like my Christian friends do so this works for me.

Anyway gotta get dressed and go to a meeting right now so I will let you know what I learned when I come back. More later.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Wellness Authors Show

Today and tomorrow The Wellness Authors Show is highlighting an interview by Kevin White author of "Breaking Through the Fibro Fog". I really enjoyed hearing his explanation as to what Fibromyalgia is and how he diagnoses it and how he treats. I bought his book and will read it and let you know what I think about it.

Wellness Authors Show

Today and tomorrow The Wellness Authors Show is highlighting an interview by Kevin White author of "Breaking Through the Fibro Fog". I really enjoyed hearing his explanation as to what Fibromyalgia is and how he diagnoses it and how he treats. I bought his book and will read it and let you know what I think about it.