The Imperfect Community

[Rebecca_R]

I really did not have that much coffee this week. I'm proud of myself. Although I can definetly tell I'm coming off the caffeine because the past 3 or 4 days I've felt *so* sluggish. Not tired or drowsy, but just slow and it's so hard to wake up in the morning. Today I had 1/4th of a cup mid afternoon while the boys played at the playground and I read the paper. It was so relaxing that I had to drink it. I swear it is like crack to me!

I didn't do so good on the water intake though. Water tastes so nasty to me lately. Is it just me, or does water out of a water bottle taste better than out of a glass? And I have no reusable water bottles right now so all I been drinking out of are glasses. This doesn't cut it! Is anyone else like this or just me?

I didn't do the treadmill at all this week. Don't think I will get to do it tomorrow either since family is coming into town. Oh and tomorrow is a big cheat day because my friends from school and I are going down to the ghetto to eat at Rosco's chicken and waffles.

[Scout]

I have fallen off the Taco Bell wagon again, and the aversion to sweet tea has, sadly, gone away. I'm still trying to eat at least some fresh produce every day. That's the sucky part about being pregnant in the winter. It's harder to get good produce without breaking the bank.

[DietCokeHead]

I didnt even weigh myself today, too scared! We had a family Xmas party last night and I ate like a pig. I have been working out so at least that's something.

Becky- you hadnt posted in a few days, I was starting to wonder where you were! How's school?

[prescott]

[Scout]

Lol, my BIL is always talking about that chicken and waffles place! I had never heard of it before.

[Rebecca_R]

Chicken and waffles, yep good old southern food! I had never eaten it before but I've gotten really close with about 3 girls from school. One is this straight up black girl, from the south, funny as hell and takes us to these food places we'd never even heard of before! Anyway, it was really good but I got a headache afterwards because I'm really not used to eating like that. The syrup was heaven.

We are a really funny bunch. The other one is puerto rican, she taught us how to make this really good spanish rice and beans dish. Jackie is full mexican, she taught us how to make tamales, and I am the half-korean/Jew girl so we are an odd mix. It makes for a lot of laughing and racial humor we can only do amongst ourselves. I love it.

Becky- you hadnt posted in a few days, I was starting to wonder where you were! How's school?

If I haven't posted it was purely by accident because I been reading! School is going really well, thanks for asking! I am on a 2 week break right now for the holidays. I got an A and a B on my last two tests, the class average was only 2 points above passing on one of those so I was really happy with the B. I have been doing my peds rotation at this pediatric hospital downtown. Took care of an 11 lb 2 year old on Friday whose bones will never grow. I see the most insane stuff, but I am loving it so much. I will be an LPN in march!

[becky2005]

Ug...remember last week's goals?

1) workout 5 times this week...I did 4--not too bad

2) drink at least 48 oz of water a day...don't think I drank 48 oz of water last week! In fact there were days I had NO water!

3) journal my food intake. Didn't happen

So I didn't lose but I didn't gain either. I think I'm with Scott on just maintaining through the holidays.

goal for this week:

1) stop eating before my zipper bursts

I think I can handle that one

[DietCokeHead]

Took care of an 11 lb 2 year old on Friday whose bones will never grow.

OMG! What is the life expectancy for this child? How sad!

1) stop eating before my zipper bursts

I think I can handle that one

Yes, maybe this is the only kind of goal I should set for myself until the holidays are over!! My parents are coming this weekend armed with tins of cookies and candy. And most likely, a 2 lb bag of M&Ms. Ugh. I cant escape the sweets!

[MedeaNJ]

I lost only a pound. But that is really all that I am aiming for, really...just a pound a week.

I cut back on the coffee by 1/3, the headaches are a killer! I try to use skim when available...yuck. Still can't get myself to drink enough water, even with a taste of apple juice, but I will trying, if only a glass a day, better than nothing at least.

I have been bringing lunch from home almost daily now.

For today it is a slice of vegetarian/feta lasagne, swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and garlic (lots of it!), a luna bar for the afternoon and 2 pieces of fruit. I try to drink the water or herbal tea then.

If I do not have time to make lunch there are cans of soup in my office drawer, I just go to the canteen to pick up a salad and load up on the garbanzo beans for protein, no salad dressing with a very light sprinkle of finely grated parmesean.

Any other suggestions for a high protein lunch?

[Rebecca_R]

[quote="DietCokeHead"]Took care of an 11 lb 2 year old on Friday whose bones will never grow.

OMG! What is the life expectancy for this child? How sad!
quote]

They thought he was going to die last year, but he is holding on. Sad in a way, since he's suffering. The kid had a trach on a ventilator, colostomy, and a gastric tube. So it's like you feed him through one tube, and it comes out through another. And he just lays there.
The saddest thing is that you really don't see many parents. Even the week I was in the neonate room, there were no parents! What is wrong with people?!

RE: dieting through the holidays. I think the main goal for us all should just be to try and drink lots of water, not eat till our zippers burst, and get some exercize 2-4 times a week. Because weightloss is not a serious goal through the holidays, we all know that it's pretty impossible!

My mom and I are off to a korean restarant to pig out!

[MainstreamMom]

We had parties all weekend and then today I had another one for Jack's class so I've been eating like a pig!

I drink plenty of water but I didn't make it to the gym Monday. I'm supposed to go tomorrow but I have so much to do. I think I'll try to go and Friday too. We'll see though.

[Petulant Pixie]

OK, I gotta get serious. I'm having this surgery the beginning of February. Turns out I have THREE hernias. The big one is what they thought was the incisional hernia, about an inch below my belly button. Then I have an umblical hernia (coming from my belly button) and then a small one about two inches above my belly button. These are from Liz. Three pregnancies with three large babies stretched out my fascia. And Liz, being transverse and large just stretched it too far and now there are the holes in it.

Good news--operation is going to be like a tummy tuck. He's going in and just "closing up" the whole area, meaning just taking out the connective tissue and securing the abdominal muscles together. Then he's going to remove the excess skin and give me a new belly button. Unlike a cosmetic tummy tuck, I will have a vertical incision not a hip-to-hip horizontal incision. But, the results will be the same.

It is in my best interest to lose weight before the surgery. The more weight I lose, the more loose skin he can get rid of during the operation. I have 10 lbs to get down to pre-preg weight. 20 to get down to where I'd like to be (but haven't actually been in 5+ years, so maybe that's not a realistic goal anyway). I'd sure like to have that 10 lbs off before the surgery though. Funny how the cookies just aren't as appealing today as yesterday

[honeybee]

Youch, PP! Do the hernias cause you pain?

Is this a common thing with having big babies? I've never heard of it, but I certainly have had my share of gigantic children.

[Petulant Pixie]

I don't know it it's really common, Melissa. Liz was not common at all in my womb! She was transverse--head on one side of my belly and butt on the other, and she changed position daily. She'd be face up one time, face down the other, legs up one time, legs down the other. I was having the weekly and then twice-weekly ultrasounds because of the gestational diabtetes and the every time, the tech said she'd NEVER seen a baby make those big movements so much that late in the pregnancy. But, Liz never moved out of being transverse. I really think that's what tore my abdomen up! I think it was already stretched out after Alex and Katie, who were both 8lbs (and Katie was breech), and then that business with Liz was just more than I could handle!

So, the surgery's scheduled for Feb 8th.

[honeybee]

Well, good luck with the surgery, PP!

Owen definitely stretched me out more than Ethan did and Owen was also doing somersaults in there up til the last minute. Sometimes the movements would be so much that it would knock the wind out of me. I still have a lot of tenderness in my lower abdomen too. When I lift something heavy, or especially when I try to push something with my legs, it feels like my belly is going to rip open. We probably want one more baby and it would sure be nice to get a free tummy tuck out of the deal.