The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Sojourner]

Biki, Deb, Nickie, and DeDe!

Y'all are most certainly welcome.
I sincerely hope this helps, though
it sounds as though some of you were
already doing something similar. Good Job!

Oh, and DeDe...
please don't glue your eyelids together!
How're you gonna' drive your electric blue car
with your eyelids glued shut? And how did I know
that you had an electric blue car even before you said so?!

[Sojourner]

Just putting the finishing touches on my holiday preparations, and getting a lot of reading done. Recreational reading, not for studying. It's great and something that I really miss during school. I'm taking an English Lit class during this winter term, so maybe I'll have the opportunity to finally combine the two!

Well.
I now know the true meaning of the adage "careful what you wish for, you may just get it." I mean, I've always known what that meant, but I am SO living it right now! Uh, yeah...that Lit class I was talking about? There are NINE required books for this four week class!! And that's an improvement - there had been 11 books required, but the campus bookstore couldn't get enough copies of two of the books, so the professor dropped them from the list. It's a good thing I'm a fast reader! Some of these books are thin or plays, some are mainly poetry and we're just skimming through them, but others are full-length and even long (like Arabian Nights!!) The actual class title is Survey of World Literature, if that gives you a better idea of the type of books these are - The Romance of Tristan, The Celestina, Sophocles - The Three Theban Plays, etc. Entertaining, but definitely not light reading! Still and all...not a bad class, just very time-consuming. Add a couple of papers and exams to the mix, and I have one very full month on my hands! Oh well - it should keep me out of trouble, right? Riiiiiight.

My niece is getting married this Saturday. I had posted previously about the dress I had for the wedding and how I had optimistically ordered a small size. Even though my weight loss has pretty much stalled for quite a while now, the dress fits!! It's a little tight at the waist, but not too tight to wear! Yahoooooooo!

The funny thing is, after all that...I don't think I'm gonna' wear it to the wedding! It's really not appropriate for the weather we've been having - I guess I didn't think of that when I ordered it during our hotter-than-Hades summer when it was 112 degrees. It also doesn't help that we're having a really cold snap here - it's been in the low 20s the past several mornings. Brrrr! So I think I'll be going with a red velvet number and black wrap that is more suitable for winter (red is a really good color on me, and the wedding colors are black and red, too). I dunno. I have a few days to decide.

Speaking of stalled weight loss...I don't care. I feel good, the previously-too-tight dress fits, my rings require resizing, I receive kudos all the time - I've even worn those junior size 7 Levi's once or twice. But what's going on with the weight?

I think it's a combo of my continued sleep deprivation (although that has greatly improved), adding and then subtracting a supplement to my schedule, not maintaining a set feeding schedule, etc. Plus...I've been walking on the treadmill and doing some resistance band work. I'm liking the workout A LOT. Jock that I was, it's been really difficult for me to go easy on this. For instance, the first day I used the treadmill, it was for 45 minutes. I know, I know - it just felt SO good. However, I have had no adverse effects so far. I haven't felt weak, dizzy, or anything like that at all. I haven't even been sore, to speak of. What minor achiness there has been has felt really good. A good hurt, y'know? Even calf raises didn't cause too much soreness. It's more like my muscles are screaming, "Finally!!"

Through all of this, my back has been really good. I was more than a little concerned with what any kind of physical exertion would do to it, but it appears to be helping, if anything! Of course, I'm very careful, but it seems the more I do, the better my back feels. I know that the weight I have lost has helped with this. Of course it has. Merely existing at this lower weight takes volumes of pressure from my back. It's all good! My body will eventually sort itself out and the numbers on the scale will go down. The point is...I feel great, I look great, and doggone it, people like me!!!

Happy MLK Day to you all!

[DogMa]

That's great, Sojo!! And wearing the dress isn't the point; being ABLE to wear it is what counts. If you choose to go with something else, it doesn't matter, as long as you had the choice. And I'm sure you'll look fabulous in whatever you decide to wear.

[DonicaB]

The point is...I feel great, I look great, and doggone it, people like me!!!

What a wonder outlook! I loved the good ole days of SNL. This really brought a smile to my face.

I agree with Dogma, you are going to look stunning in whatever you decide to wear.

DonicaB

[Sojourner]

...being ABLE to wear it is what counts.

Ya' got that right, sista!
So I decided to go with the red velvet April Cornell dress. It's a "medium" so I don't know what that really means size-wise, but it fits really well and looks pretty damn good, if I do say so myself! Maybe I'll even have a good photo to share with y'all.

Thanks Robin and Donica for the "fabulous" and "stunning" support!

[bikipatra]

...being ABLE to wear it is what counts.

Ya' got that right, sista!
So I decided to go with the red velvet April Cornell dress. It's a "medium" so I don't know what that really means size-wise, but it fits really well and looks pretty damn good, if I do say so myself! Maybe I'll even have a good photo to share with y'all.

Thanks Robin and Donica for the "fabulous" and "stunning" support!

WE defininitely need a pic!!!

[Serendipity]

Sojo, my dear Sojo! I just ran across your Jan. 7th post and I just want to say: Everyone, please go back and read this post! You hit on so many important points that I can't even process them all right now. I find myself wanting to comment on one of the simplest points. You said:

“The human brain and nervous system can’t distinguish between an experience that is real and one that is vividly imagined. When you vividly imagine yourself the way you want to be, doing the things you want to do, these mental pictures are not only accepted by your subconscious as real, they are accepted as commands or instructions."

While I was on the 5&1 and still today, one of my tools was to really visualize the food item I was missing at the time. This was usually while my coworkers were eating chocolate truffles or pizza. First I would smell the food and instead of feeling sorry for myself, I would just enjoy the smell. As you smell food, you can remember the taste. I would get the picture of me eating it in my head.....the bite, slowly savoring the aroma and flavor, the chewing and swallowing....... We all know what pizza tastes like. I just enjoyed imagining the taste. I know it sounds really kooky, but it always worked for me. You would swear I just had a piece of pumpkin pie, or cheese cake, or whatever it was at the moment. The amazing thing was that it satisfied me! Each and every time I did that, it satisfied my yearning and I just didn't need to physically perform the chewing and swallowing. There were times I even said as people were saying they felt guilty for eating in front of me, "I don't need a taste, I remember what it tastes like."

Ok, you can commit me now, but I'm telling you.......the mind is truly amazing. It can be fooled quite easily. So you act "as if" and attitudes become reality......it's magic!

[Taangrl21]

Being able to fit into a small is great news! I agree, we need to see a pic of that dress.
I thin you will do fine with the school situation.You are smart.Those books will breeze on by.And if not, do cliffnotes count??? JK
I dont think you will be a stall for long.Is there anything you can mix up? Exercise? Increase in shakes? I dont know maybe your body just needs to be put in shock.Just a suggestion.I know it will happen for you and then that dress wont be snug it will fit PERFECT!!!

[Sojourner]

Hey Jo! I'm glad you enjoyed my manifesto! Whenever DH has a candy bar (especially Reese's PB Cups!), I do the smell and visualization thing too! It's amazing how satisfying it is. Now, when he unwraps whatever his snack is, he usually offers it to me for a quick sniff!! He thought it was nuts at first, but he still went along - I'm gonna' show your post to him, if for no other reason than to let him know that I'm not the only one that does this!

Hey Debra! The dress is a medium - I'm not quite into a small -- YET. It's funny that you should ask if I can shake up my plan with exercise or an extra supp...both good suggestions, normally. I say that it's funny because in my case, I think I need to stop shaking it up so much! My school and sleeping schedule has been ALL wonky, and I really think that's my problem. It was much better when I had more of a structured schedule. Adding and subtracting supps hasn't helped either, and now I'm exercising, too. Like I said, though, I'm really not too worried about it. It would be unacceptable if I were to gain weight or increase inches, but that's not happening, so it's all good. I'll get there. Thanks!

[Lucy]

Just checked out the long winded post..very well said! I enjoyed it, and think you got it right...

[Sojourner]

Thanks, Lucy! I'm glad you enjoyed...

[Sojourner]

Well, as promised, here is a pic of the red velvet dress I'll be wearing to my niece's wedding tomorrow. I'll add a black wrap and small black evening bag. Good, huh? I like it. It's biased-cut and the bottom has red satin wedges inset into it, so it flares really nicely - should be fun for dancing! Plus, it's great exercise!

Hasta!

[bikipatra]

Damn! You KNOW you look sizzling hot so don't even pretend you don't! And what a great color on you! Don't you know it's rude to upstage the bride?

[DonicaB]

Sojo~ you're husband will be singing..... ."The lady in red .............is dancing with me.............cheek to cheek......(interlude)...and I'll never forget.........the way you look...........tonight." Wow, he is so romantic!

You look fantastic, darling!!!!!!! (Estas muy bonita!) (I hope I just said, you are very pretty!) Have fun!

DonicaB

[Sojourner]

Don't you know it's rude to upstage the bride?

Hahaha, as if! The bride was absolutely, gorgeously, beautiful and radiant.

(Estas muy bonita!) (I hope I just said, you are very pretty!)

You did! Thank you so much!

~*~*~*~*~*
Wow, that was a fun party! I danced myself silly! My legs are really sore today, but it feels great! Because of where my back is injured, I can't dance like I used to. There is no hip-swinging involved, 'cause that motion hurts like mmmm. Instead, I keep my lower back straight, bend my knees, and use my legs for the gyrating, frenzied movements that are so much fun! The workout on my quads and calves is amazing! Try it, you'll see...

So, you know how it is...we only get together for funerals and weddings...I saw lots of folks I hadn't seen in a while, and received lots of compliments on both the dress and the less of me in it! The catering service was great - my L&G was easily compliant: BBQ'd tri-tip and a wonderful baby greens/spring mix salad (which I dressed with my own MF Red Bell Pepper Italian dressing). Yummy! All in all, a very good time!