I lost 2.2 pounds last week, a lot better than the previous week, so I am content. I told myself that I won't stress, because I know that in the end stress will only exacerbate the issue. I took a small LOA from the gym for about 5 days and tried to focus on at home activity and eating healthily and that seemed to help a little. I want to try to make an effort to go earlier in the day and have adequate time to rest in the evenings before bed. I'm hoping that switching my schedule up a bit will help get things moving again. My washer and dryer finally came Sunday and I'm happy to report 90% of my laundry is done and I only have a few things left to put away. I am going to work on cleaning out my closets sometime this summer, but I'd really like to lose another 20lbs before I decide what stays and what goes. I am at that point where everything kind of fits, but not much looks perfect yet, so I don't want to give anything up that I really like until I'm sure it's too big.
I have not really been reading blogs this week, so I apologize for lack of commenting. I am experimenting with using the laptop less and working on more projects to keep my energy levels up. I started taking some new supplements as well to see if I get any benefit from them. I am doing sub lingual B-12 daily and a "weight loss" supplement- which is basically glorified vitamins. I also scheduled an appointment with my doctor for next Thursday for a weight loss consultation. I have never actually went to a DR for this purpose in the past, but I figure why not? If they run some tests and figure out that I have a deficiency or thyroid issue, etc. then at least I'll know why things aren't going as smoothly this time around. I figure I'll just get the standard lecture about getting older or some BS, but if I ignore the apathy I'll be able to handle it. I just HATE when DR's act like they KNOW your body. Yeah, you might have a medical degree, but you aren't living inside of me and you don't know how I feel.
I also made an appointment that I have been thinking about for a very long time. I scheduled a consult with a cosmetic dentists about my "misaligned tooth" or lovingly called my "alligator tooth". It might me hard to see in my pictures, but one of my my maxillary lateral incisors protrudes and is farther up in my gum than the rest of my teeth. I should have gotten braces as a child, but by the time my parents could afford it (and they really couldn't anyway) I was in high school and scoffed at having a mouth full of metal. It was bad enough being 270lbs without dental hardware. It's hard to see in pictures dead center, but from the side it's ugly. I hate seeing myself in profile or a camera angle from underneath. I don't really want to get braces, invisalign or standard because I think they would be a bullshit hassle and still too expensive as my insurance only covers $1800 lifetime for them. I want to find out all my options, remove it and replace it with a porcelain tooth? A bridge, a crown, a veneer? I have not idea what can be done, but I know I want whats best for my health and my wallet. Anyway, that's on the 30th, so I will let you all know how it goes. Gotta run for now, good luck everyone!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Weekly Weigh In 4
This week has been rather disappointing... I only lost .6 pounds and I'm still doing everything right. I know we've all been there and my bitching and moaning isn't going to make it any better. I just don't understand! Now I am 4 whole pounds behind my goal weight for the duration, 4 pounds is quite a hefty bit to make up! I calculated things out and if from here on out I manage to lose 2 pounds a week I can make my ultimate goal before Halloween, but I really wanted to make it about 3 or 4 weeks sooner in time for DH's homecoming. I am thinking about making some changes, but I really don't know what to do. I feel like I'm doing everything right and am doing exactly what I have done in the past that has been so successful. I did take my new measurements (available on Weight Stats page) and have lost some inches, but I still don't feel much smaller. Maybe I should explore other diets? I just don't want to waste any time acclimating my body to a new set of rules and losing precious time to "lose".
As of this morning the carpet guys have came back a second time and all there is left is to clean it. They laid a new layer of cement where the sub-floor was crumbling and replaced the tack strip and re stretched the carpet. I have started running the air conditioner now, so we'll see in a few weeks if any mold has started growing again.
It's about 3 in the afternoon now and I do have a lot of errands I need to run, including heading to the gym. I need to go to the bank and deposit/transfer some money, go to the post office and mail a care package, go to the store an buy some goodies for the next care package, meet my friend to drop off my car at the shop, *clean my car out before then, and then go work out. I feel like my days are either filled to the brim or completely empty. Today is definitely a full day and I should really get moving.
As of this morning the carpet guys have came back a second time and all there is left is to clean it. They laid a new layer of cement where the sub-floor was crumbling and replaced the tack strip and re stretched the carpet. I have started running the air conditioner now, so we'll see in a few weeks if any mold has started growing again.
It's about 3 in the afternoon now and I do have a lot of errands I need to run, including heading to the gym. I need to go to the bank and deposit/transfer some money, go to the post office and mail a care package, go to the store an buy some goodies for the next care package, meet my friend to drop off my car at the shop, *clean my car out before then, and then go work out. I feel like my days are either filled to the brim or completely empty. Today is definitely a full day and I should really get moving.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Frustration & Mold!
Extreme frustration is my new name! I am so irritated right now and I don't know what to do! To start my biggest frustration is between myself and my housing community. Basically our entire area military housing system (which is privatized) has been under scrutiny for poor handling when it comes to maintenance practices, including many reports of mold that is going untreated. All the stories reminded me of when we first moved in here and my back door wouldn't secure properly. It is a double door that has a blot lock between them, well in a big storm the doors would blow open due to them not being secured into the frame well. I woke up one morning to the doors wide open and the curtains and carpet soaked with rain. I called maintenance to come fix the door (which took them 2 days) and the guy said, "Well there's really not much we can do about this..." and then banged the top locks into the frame with a screwdriver. REALLY? Could you not have installed a cross lock on the inside or something? The door still gets jiggly now and then so I still have to go back in and fix it myself. They never asked me about the water damage or seemed to care and after we fan dried it, I didn't think much else about it.
In light of the new mold accusations, I decided to do some investigating around my home to see if there was anything apparent. I found a big moldy stain in my HVAC closet on the aluminum backed paper and a water stain around it, but it appeared dry. I also pulled up the carpet near the patio doors and found the carpet discolored underneath and the wooden tack strips blackened (moldy) with water damage. I took pictures and went to my local housing office to request a mold test and have the problem taken care of. The lady was nice, but explained I could treat it, then test or test it, then treat. It made more sense to treat, then test, that way I'd know that the problem was taken care of. A maintenance worker came over within half an hour to look at the damage. He used a moisture probe in the HVAC (while I watched) and said that it came back at 1% which is normal for all walls. The thing is, and I don't know how these things work, when he first put the probe into the area it jumped around 30-40% and then as he moved it, it went to 1%. I thought that was odd, but figured he knows what he's doing. He tells me it must be an old leak and isn't leaking now, so when I start using the air conditioner regularly I should keep and eye on it. He sprays over it with white paint called "Killz" which is supposed to kill mold and then looks at the carpet. Same song and dance, then tells me it's not wet now, so... and basically seems like the blackened wood isn't a big deal. I ask if he's gonna replace it and he's like, we can. He tells me he'll be back tomorrow to pull it up and leave it for a carpet guy to come in and replace. I ask if the carpet can be assessed or cleaned since it's discolored and he says he'll let them know I'd like that. He leaves and I feel kind of ignored in a way. HE was TOTALLY nice, but I just didn't feel like the "treatment" was effective. IMHO, I think that a leak doesn't just cure itself and that some investigative work should have been done in the HVAC to see where it came from. Maybe it rotted a hole somewhere else and how now rerouted to an unknown location? Maybe there is an overgrowth of mold inside the duct that the handy dandy "white cover up" killz spray could not reach? The carpeting, I think should at least be completely removed from that section (about 3sq feet) and replaced, I mean there is a line of black shit on the underside where the boards met the carpet... FRUSTRATION!
SO, the next day comes and I had to work, as it seems I always do when maintenance needs to come by, and when I get home I see that nothing has been done. WTF? Guess they got too busy and I figure they'll show Monday. Monday morning I get a phone call from the maintenance office to do a satisfaction survey on my recent call, I tell the lady, "No, the work isn't done and I already asked to not be contacted by phone because they call too damn early and to only contact me by email. I try to go back to sleep, but my peaceful dreamings have been interrupted and it's no use. That evening a guy comes at about 5:15 (they close up shop by 5:30-6) and says he is there to check the HVAC to see if anything new has occurred. Well of course not, because you painted over it and mold doesn't grow overnight like that. I ask about the carpet, he has no idea and says he will talk to someone. I am still frustrated, but it's late and there is no one to talk to about it, so whatever. Tuesday (today) I had a lot to do and ended up staying awake until nearly 6AM doing a last minute favor for a friend. I crawl into bed praying for a good nights sleep, they last few nights when I did actually get enough sleep my weight dropped and dropped and I was getting giddy with the realization that as long as I got 8 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, my body rewarded me! At 9AM I get another call from maintenance asking how my service was on my water intrusion problem, I tell the girl that I just told them yesterday to NOT call, only email and that it was a bad time. She apologized and said they would try again later. (NOTE: IF they call again I'm removing my number and then they call dial the wall for all I care) About 20 minutes later as I am just about to be asleep again, the doorbell rings. FUCK! I am sleeping on the couch and I yell "JUST A MINUTE", check the peephole and it's obviously someone with maintenance. I run to the room to put on clothes (yes, I sleep semi-nude) and by time I get back they are gone, completely gone. I am pissed, they HAD HAD HAD to have heard me. I call the resident office trying to figure out who it was and what they wanted. To make a really long story a little shorter, after a few calls they figure out it was the carpet contractor come to look at my carpet and assess what needed to be done. I tell her to tell them to come back, that I'll be waiting. They show about 10 minutes later and decide they need to put in some concrete filler, then replace the tack and re stretch the carpet. Then they'll have it cleaned. I say great, when? We decide on Thursday, because I said I had to work Friday and they leave. Not five minutes later, I realize that it's actually Thursday I work and not Friday. I call the resident office yet again and tell them to contact these guys and let them know that I actually need them come Friday. By this time I am wide awake and pissed. I checked my weight and it was up a pound and a half from yesterday!
I am SO SICK and TIRED of having people do this! They call at all hours, work their own schedules, and have little to no consideration for their residents. And worst of all, my weight is suffering for it. I was too tired for the gym yesterday and I am too tired today. I actually fell asleep from 1:30pm to about 5pm, so now I 'll probably be up all night again. I don't know what to do. I can't turn my phone off at night with DH overseas, what if it's an emergency? I also called the store about my washer and dryer delivery, I was told it could be up to 3 weeks and today was 3 weeks with no word. The guy I talk to says he doesn't see anything about it coming in and tells me they should have told me 6 to 8 weeks. WTF? 6 to 8 weeks to have a washer and dryer sent in? How in the hell, why in the hell, would it take that long? I was told a special order clerk would call me back about it today, but no one has, so I guess I'll be calling to bitch again tomorrow. I might just go up there and God almighty if the ones I ordered are in stock, I gonna MAKE them give whatever they have and when mine comes in it's theirs.
It' like 6pm now and I know that I need to go to them gym, I really have to. I need to be home by 8pm to catch the biggest loser (it's about the only show that I'm looking forward to these days and I HATE that they made it an hour shorter to have the stoooopid The Voice results show) until 9pm, then I should should go to the other gym, but I don't know if I have the strength today. I should try to be asleep by 12 or 1 tops too. I felt good to get that all out, but I feel like it's not going to solve any of my problems. Thanks for letting my rant! Dios Mio!
In light of the new mold accusations, I decided to do some investigating around my home to see if there was anything apparent. I found a big moldy stain in my HVAC closet on the aluminum backed paper and a water stain around it, but it appeared dry. I also pulled up the carpet near the patio doors and found the carpet discolored underneath and the wooden tack strips blackened (moldy) with water damage. I took pictures and went to my local housing office to request a mold test and have the problem taken care of. The lady was nice, but explained I could treat it, then test or test it, then treat. It made more sense to treat, then test, that way I'd know that the problem was taken care of. A maintenance worker came over within half an hour to look at the damage. He used a moisture probe in the HVAC (while I watched) and said that it came back at 1% which is normal for all walls. The thing is, and I don't know how these things work, when he first put the probe into the area it jumped around 30-40% and then as he moved it, it went to 1%. I thought that was odd, but figured he knows what he's doing. He tells me it must be an old leak and isn't leaking now, so when I start using the air conditioner regularly I should keep and eye on it. He sprays over it with white paint called "Killz" which is supposed to kill mold and then looks at the carpet. Same song and dance, then tells me it's not wet now, so... and basically seems like the blackened wood isn't a big deal. I ask if he's gonna replace it and he's like, we can. He tells me he'll be back tomorrow to pull it up and leave it for a carpet guy to come in and replace. I ask if the carpet can be assessed or cleaned since it's discolored and he says he'll let them know I'd like that. He leaves and I feel kind of ignored in a way. HE was TOTALLY nice, but I just didn't feel like the "treatment" was effective. IMHO, I think that a leak doesn't just cure itself and that some investigative work should have been done in the HVAC to see where it came from. Maybe it rotted a hole somewhere else and how now rerouted to an unknown location? Maybe there is an overgrowth of mold inside the duct that the handy dandy "white cover up" killz spray could not reach? The carpeting, I think should at least be completely removed from that section (about 3sq feet) and replaced, I mean there is a line of black shit on the underside where the boards met the carpet... FRUSTRATION!
SO, the next day comes and I had to work, as it seems I always do when maintenance needs to come by, and when I get home I see that nothing has been done. WTF? Guess they got too busy and I figure they'll show Monday. Monday morning I get a phone call from the maintenance office to do a satisfaction survey on my recent call, I tell the lady, "No, the work isn't done and I already asked to not be contacted by phone because they call too damn early and to only contact me by email. I try to go back to sleep, but my peaceful dreamings have been interrupted and it's no use. That evening a guy comes at about 5:15 (they close up shop by 5:30-6) and says he is there to check the HVAC to see if anything new has occurred. Well of course not, because you painted over it and mold doesn't grow overnight like that. I ask about the carpet, he has no idea and says he will talk to someone. I am still frustrated, but it's late and there is no one to talk to about it, so whatever. Tuesday (today) I had a lot to do and ended up staying awake until nearly 6AM doing a last minute favor for a friend. I crawl into bed praying for a good nights sleep, they last few nights when I did actually get enough sleep my weight dropped and dropped and I was getting giddy with the realization that as long as I got 8 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, my body rewarded me! At 9AM I get another call from maintenance asking how my service was on my water intrusion problem, I tell the girl that I just told them yesterday to NOT call, only email and that it was a bad time. She apologized and said they would try again later. (NOTE: IF they call again I'm removing my number and then they call dial the wall for all I care) About 20 minutes later as I am just about to be asleep again, the doorbell rings. FUCK! I am sleeping on the couch and I yell "JUST A MINUTE", check the peephole and it's obviously someone with maintenance. I run to the room to put on clothes (yes, I sleep semi-nude) and by time I get back they are gone, completely gone. I am pissed, they HAD HAD HAD to have heard me. I call the resident office trying to figure out who it was and what they wanted. To make a really long story a little shorter, after a few calls they figure out it was the carpet contractor come to look at my carpet and assess what needed to be done. I tell her to tell them to come back, that I'll be waiting. They show about 10 minutes later and decide they need to put in some concrete filler, then replace the tack and re stretch the carpet. Then they'll have it cleaned. I say great, when? We decide on Thursday, because I said I had to work Friday and they leave. Not five minutes later, I realize that it's actually Thursday I work and not Friday. I call the resident office yet again and tell them to contact these guys and let them know that I actually need them come Friday. By this time I am wide awake and pissed. I checked my weight and it was up a pound and a half from yesterday!
I am SO SICK and TIRED of having people do this! They call at all hours, work their own schedules, and have little to no consideration for their residents. And worst of all, my weight is suffering for it. I was too tired for the gym yesterday and I am too tired today. I actually fell asleep from 1:30pm to about 5pm, so now I 'll probably be up all night again. I don't know what to do. I can't turn my phone off at night with DH overseas, what if it's an emergency? I also called the store about my washer and dryer delivery, I was told it could be up to 3 weeks and today was 3 weeks with no word. The guy I talk to says he doesn't see anything about it coming in and tells me they should have told me 6 to 8 weeks. WTF? 6 to 8 weeks to have a washer and dryer sent in? How in the hell, why in the hell, would it take that long? I was told a special order clerk would call me back about it today, but no one has, so I guess I'll be calling to bitch again tomorrow. I might just go up there and God almighty if the ones I ordered are in stock, I gonna MAKE them give whatever they have and when mine comes in it's theirs.
It' like 6pm now and I know that I need to go to them gym, I really have to. I need to be home by 8pm to catch the biggest loser (it's about the only show that I'm looking forward to these days and I HATE that they made it an hour shorter to have the stoooopid The Voice results show) until 9pm, then I should should go to the other gym, but I don't know if I have the strength today. I should try to be asleep by 12 or 1 tops too. I felt good to get that all out, but I feel like it's not going to solve any of my problems. Thanks for letting my rant! Dios Mio!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Weekly Weigh In 3
TOM is here this week and I finally had a small whoosh Sunday morning. I hope that the downward trend continues for the rest of the week, I was starting to go a little batty! I lost exactly 2 pounds last week making my 3 week total 7.6 pounds. Only 21 more pounds until my first mini goal! I am determined to get to that point as fast as possible, past experiences tell me that once I get there the going gets really tough. I don't have my book handy at the moment to say how many days I went to the gym last week, but I am guessing 5 out of 7. I did an hour and a half last night and netted a 600 calorie burn according to my body media. I LOVE this thing! It was a great investment and it is really confirming how hard I am working and keeps me on track with my burn totals.
I am scheduled for my first set of measurements on the 15th and I'm curious to see if things are any different. My clothes don't feel much different, so I'm not expecting much, but any nudge down will be appreciated! I think I'm going to do pictures again at some point, but I think I'll do them based on pounds this time instead of months. Maybe one every 20 pounds or so?
Other than that I really haven't been up to much... I basically go to the gym, watch tv, blog, and do it all over again. I'm kinda getting stir crazy, but until DH gets his finances back on track there really isn't any fun money. It's ok though, I think it's kept me more focused on the weight loss. I have been MIA from the bestie for the last week and even though I feel kinda bad for not being around, it is keeping me from over indulging. I know I have to learn at some point how to control my eating and know when to say it's time to leave and hit the gym, but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet.
I have developed a rather annoying tooth problem though and wonder if any of you have experienced the same thing... Apparently as far as I can tell, my back molar has migrated backward and created a small gap between it and the second to last molar. I noticed that I was getting a lot of food stuck back there and being afraid of cavities and rot and all, I started flossing it constantly and picking at it to get all the food unstuck. Well now it hurts and I'm not sure if it's because I injured the gum tissue picking at it or if I possibly made it worse and forced food up under the gum? I called my dentist office to inquire about an appointment and they are booked until the 19th, but I have a cleaning appointment on the 23rd, so I decided to wait the extra 4 days and have them look at it then. I hope it's not a serious issue. I've never had an abscess or any gum disease, just cavities, so I'm kinda spazzing about it. To stand on my soapbox for a minute, I am disgusted by the fact that I have had so many cavities in recent years. I went from birth to age 16 with perfect dental health and then all of a sudden every two years or so I need a filling! What gives? I brush twice a day, floss most days (yeah I'm guilty of not always doing that, but I NEVER flossed as a kid and I was golden), and genuinely take good care of my teeth. Are some people bound for dental trouble no matter what they do? Anyway, I pray that it's just irritated from me picking at it and that there is some easy fix for the problem.
I am scheduled for my first set of measurements on the 15th and I'm curious to see if things are any different. My clothes don't feel much different, so I'm not expecting much, but any nudge down will be appreciated! I think I'm going to do pictures again at some point, but I think I'll do them based on pounds this time instead of months. Maybe one every 20 pounds or so?
Other than that I really haven't been up to much... I basically go to the gym, watch tv, blog, and do it all over again. I'm kinda getting stir crazy, but until DH gets his finances back on track there really isn't any fun money. It's ok though, I think it's kept me more focused on the weight loss. I have been MIA from the bestie for the last week and even though I feel kinda bad for not being around, it is keeping me from over indulging. I know I have to learn at some point how to control my eating and know when to say it's time to leave and hit the gym, but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet.
I have developed a rather annoying tooth problem though and wonder if any of you have experienced the same thing... Apparently as far as I can tell, my back molar has migrated backward and created a small gap between it and the second to last molar. I noticed that I was getting a lot of food stuck back there and being afraid of cavities and rot and all, I started flossing it constantly and picking at it to get all the food unstuck. Well now it hurts and I'm not sure if it's because I injured the gum tissue picking at it or if I possibly made it worse and forced food up under the gum? I called my dentist office to inquire about an appointment and they are booked until the 19th, but I have a cleaning appointment on the 23rd, so I decided to wait the extra 4 days and have them look at it then. I hope it's not a serious issue. I've never had an abscess or any gum disease, just cavities, so I'm kinda spazzing about it. To stand on my soapbox for a minute, I am disgusted by the fact that I have had so many cavities in recent years. I went from birth to age 16 with perfect dental health and then all of a sudden every two years or so I need a filling! What gives? I brush twice a day, floss most days (yeah I'm guilty of not always doing that, but I NEVER flossed as a kid and I was golden), and genuinely take good care of my teeth. Are some people bound for dental trouble no matter what they do? Anyway, I pray that it's just irritated from me picking at it and that there is some easy fix for the problem.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Mumble Grumble
I've been really good this week, I've been to the gym 3 days (twice one day) and have been staying on target with my calories. I feel like slamming my head into the wall though because I am not losing any weight, in fact I am up about half a pound since Sunday. I've hit plateau's before so that's nothing new, but never this soon! I am usually pretty consistent at about 3ish pounds a week until I get down in the 150s. It's kind of sad that I've been there and done that enough times to know... anyway though, I am sooo frustrated! I still believe that sleep is my issue. I'm averaging around 80% sleep efficiency at a pitiable 5 hours a session. I am one of those people that simply cannot take naps and yesterday I was so exhausted upon waking that only 2 hours later I was out on the couch for 5 hours! What do you know though, those whole 5 hours I got 100% efficiency... It's a little after 9pm now and I am determined to be in bed my midnight, I don't care if I have to throw myself into a wall to pass out. Well, maybe not that extreme, but you get where I'm headed with this.
I know that eventually with all the hard work I'm doing there has to be a whoosh somewhere along the line, but I having a really hard time getting over the fact this is happening so soon. I also worry that my efforts are wasted, I know they aren't but it's hard to overcome that thinking. Do the pounds that we lose due to lack of sleep catch back up with us eventually? Or are they gone forever in the fact that our bodies missed out on having that all important healing time? I actually tried looking for answers on the subject, but the Internet is diluted with so much weight loss fodder it's impossible to navigate. Here's to hoping I'll have a whoosh soon and reclaim my motivation.
I know that eventually with all the hard work I'm doing there has to be a whoosh somewhere along the line, but I having a really hard time getting over the fact this is happening so soon. I also worry that my efforts are wasted, I know they aren't but it's hard to overcome that thinking. Do the pounds that we lose due to lack of sleep catch back up with us eventually? Or are they gone forever in the fact that our bodies missed out on having that all important healing time? I actually tried looking for answers on the subject, but the Internet is diluted with so much weight loss fodder it's impossible to navigate. Here's to hoping I'll have a whoosh soon and reclaim my motivation.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Weekly Weigh In 2
Well this week I only lost 1.8 pounds, I am not happy with that, but I am content considering I had a big loss last week. I also know that I haven't given my all yet, so anything downward is good. This puts me a pound behind for the week so I really have to get my shit together this week. Now that my house is entirely clean (aside from the mountain of clothes I'll be washing when the new appliances arrive) I will definitely have more of a decluttered brain! The next big project will be getting my sleep schedule down, I really don't know how to approach this. How do you reset yourself to wake up at 9am, when you struggle to go to sleep before 4am? I know from using my body monitor that I am already not getting enough "restful sleep" with my average sleep efficiency at 82% for the last 2 weeks and I know it's effecting my loss. I'll figure something out I suppose... That's all for now, I have to get to the gym soon!
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