encouragement
 

I think we are all pretty supportive of one another but I decided to start this anyway.Sometimes you just need a little extra word of encouragement.Whether you are having a major life issue or you have just had a crappy day at work,you are worried about an upcoming event i.e. exam,job interview,meeting future in laws,whatever, you just need a kind word.So whether you need some encouragement or you have some to offer,feel free to join in.


To be a good sport,I'll start.

I have decided that I need to make a change to a healthier lifestyle. I need to lose a substantial amount of weight (40 lbs) and just do what I can to have and promote a healthier lifestyle.It isn't for vanity but for health reasons.Heart disease runs in my family.My mother died at 43 of a stroke and her mother at nearly the same age .I am within 10 years of that target age and I need to do something. I am not looking for a fad diet.I am not interested in anything in remotely Atkins related either. I know that it will be slow going and I am prepared for that. Addy got a trampoline for her birthday and I plan on making good use of that.I also love to walk so I plan on doing lots of that as well.Eventually I would like to work up to maybe do a 5 or 10 k run but I know that is a long way off.Any suggestions or tips are all welcome as are any good low fat recipes.
So wish me luck everyone,here I go.:)

Lord knows i need to loose some wt and i can definitely say i feel your situation in such a tremendous way.

I actually just started the South beach diet and my dad is diabetic and he is on it. let me tell you how wonderful this diet is he has been on insulin for a good 15 yrs since starting this diet he has been insulin free since December. If that isn't the best incentive for a healthier lifestyle than i dont know what is!


PM and let me know how yoru doing i want to know. I am with you believe in in spirit!

I have lost 15 pounds lately. The best thing for me was getting up in the morning and walking my dogs.

The American Heart Association has a lot of great ideas and recipes.

Your such an a good Heart Concious Alpha Phi. The first two weeks will be the hardest, but after that, you won't miss the fried foods or sugar as much.

Feel free to drop me a line to vent about any cravings or anything.

Rach, two words:

WEIGHT WATCHERS.

Four more words:
One hundred sixty pounds. (That's how much I've lost with them)

One more word:
EXERCISE.

There's no magic bullet, but you have to really want to do it. It sounds like you have great motivation from your family - and that's reason enough to get healthy and strong. We're here for you!! You're an amazing woman already, and I know you can conquer anything that you put your mind to!

(((hugs)))

Dayumn Sistermadly!

A few thangs I need advice on

How do I keep up the motivation? I got attention deficit when it comes to that aspect!

Do you work on positive self talk? (I need that too) How do you stop beating yourself up

Did you drop all your bad habits at once or little by little?



I am sure I will have more questions

Thanks everybody,I do appreciate it. I have two coworkers helping me along too.

I didn't just mean this to be a thread all about me though.I want anybody who needs a kind word to let us know so we can all help and offer some kindness and support.

Also anyone who is able to come up with a snappier thread title,please feel free to let me know and I will be happy to change it.

Jill,personally speaking,I think one of the single most important things is to know exactly what your expectations and limitations are from the very first. You have to know what you want and how to get it.If you expect too much,you will become your own worst enemy.I think that goes for many different situations. I also think that positive self talk is great too.If you have worked hard to achieve something,whatever it is,you should be damn proud of yourself.

The last sentence I quoted is the problem! I am from the G-d gimme patience and I want it NOW school

You know what? I had to find patience in another area before I found patience in the weight loss area.

I have dreadlocks. Started them almost 3 years ago now. For those of you who don't know, when you start dreads from scratch, you go through a serious WILD CHILD phase with your hair. It never behaves, it never looks right no matter what you do, and it definitely has a mind of its own. When I developed the patience to wait that out, I knew I could develop patience in other areas.

I didn't give up any of my bad habits, it's just that I never really felt like I was on a diet (until recently, which is why I think I'm going to quit just short of my goal). I cut back on things - I didn't get rid of anything completely. And I'm a freak in that I actually enjoy exercise.

So my suggestion is to find something else, some other area of your life where you have to be patient and focus on that. Make it something that might not be as fraught with emotions as losing weight. Once you're victorious in that area, you know you can do anything.

Riding the Encouragement train
 

I'm graduating in May (although I finish my classes in about four weeks). When I applied to this degree program, I chose it because -- no offense -- I didn't think the world needed another attorney. I also listened to all of the hype about the shortage of knowledge managers/information managers/information architects and let that sway me.

Well, come to find out that there's not really that much of a shortage, and of the people who are retiring, most of them are upper level managers. They're not being replaced by entry level employees.

I'm scared that I screwed up when I decided to go into this program. I'm scared that I won't be able to find a job in this area -- not just a job, but something that has a definite career path and opportunities for advancement. I'm scared that I'm going to end up doing part-time on call library work, or that I'll have to pack up my life and move clear across the country or back to the US in order to find work.

I haven't been sleeping. I've been so scared that I'm on the verge of panic attacks. I either eat too much or not enough, or I work myself to a frazzle in the gym to try to take care of the stress, but nothing helps. I need to know that there's a place out there for me, that I didn't make a mistake, and that I'll be able to begin my new life once and for all without any more delays.

*sigh*

Creative thinking for Sistermadly...
 

Nonprofits?
Historical Society-types?
Medical organizations? (anything healthcare is red-hot)
Law offices? (yeah, that one was a joke but just think of the records management opportunity!)
City government?

I'll keep thinking of other avenues for you.

(Would I even recognize you if I saw you????)

What is yoru degree program? Document and file control in a law office....endless!

Re: Creative thinking for Sistermadly...
 

Yup, 'cause I was stressed out and crazy at last year's regionals too (remember, I was the one who kept having to leave events so that I could go study).

I'm still that chick, only somewhat smaller. Heh. ;)

YogiPhi suggested that I hire myself out as a consultant to do records management for sports organizations. I don't know anything about sports, but I do know a little bit about creating organizational policies and procedures, and I love to shop (can't start an organizational policy without buying new stuff!) so maybe I'll do that.

But to be honest, my heart really isn't into that. I'm an information architecture nerd. I love doing web site optimization, talking about metadata, improving navigational systems and web site usability. It's in my blood. I dream about this stuff... but there just aren't very many jobs in this neck of the woods, and we're not in a position to relocate.

I'm giving myself a year to find something in the knowledge management arena with career building potential. If nothing moves in a year after graduation, I'm going to re-assess and maybe give some thought to higher education adminstration, because I've also seen myself as a university VP (or president).

Well I'm surprised that YogiPhi didn't suggest you be her goat-tender, but that is another story! :D

Well, I can see where the historical/nonprofit avenue may not be your thing but maybe there is something to be uncovered with city/local government, tourism societies, chamber of commerce...and maybe freelance consulting to all using everything we've been talking about so far. Especially if you have some web development skills to boot. I'll PM you a URL which is a little too boring for here, but will help with what I'm talking about.

Another thought is to start looking around your community for technology advisory boards to which you can volunteer your time. I've always said, pro bono work can often lead to your next career move.

CA, you rock. I'm so glad you're my sister. Your sense of humor and love always shine through in your posts.

(*big ol' goopy hugs and kisses*)