Introduction

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/18/2000 3:50:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

rivkint@... writes:

<< He's been doing really good wearing his

aids, but we still haven't been able to get him to

wear them all day. Any ideas? I think he thinks that

this is the way things can be despite the fact that I

keep telling him that he really needs to start wearing

them all day every day. Does it take time for their

ears to get used to them, and how long should that

take? >>

Welcome to the list Terri. Everything you are feeling is absolutely normal.

It takes time for children to get used to wearing aids. All of them are

different. So just let him wear them as long as he will for now, when he

wants them off, take them off for a while then try to put them back on for as

long as he'll stand it. Eventually, you'll see that he'll be wearing them all

day without any trouble. Good luck with all your doctor visits and

evaluations. I wish you the best.

Suzette

Titusville, FL

mom to , (hoh), and Allie

[Guest guest]

Terri, i and lots of others know what you are going thru. Like you, we

think my son WAS NOT born with it. He speaks as well as any " normal "

hearing person even thou he has moderate-severe hearing loss and all the

other things you mentioned (no infections,etc.) apply to us as well.

Anyway, he was aided in 4th grade. It was a good SEVERAL months before he

wore his hearing aids every day. Now he wears them almost 24/7...lol. I

think its normal for them to not want to wear them, its hard getting used to

them im sure. Since Toby was older, his ear molds actually fit into my ear

and i put them in to see what it sounded like. Its not like hearing regular

and i know he had to have time to get used to that. Right now the

audiologist is TRYING to get him to use an FM....he is bucking it big time.

We are hoping to get him to try it for a month, hoping that he will realize

what a benefit it is. Btw...my son is now 14 in 9th grade, he is aided in

both ears and losing his hearing very steadily. Everyone anticipates him

eventually going deaf. We dont know for sure, but..... I dont know when

the grieving stops...im still going thru it. I guess cause in our case his

hearing is progressively getting worse and he hasnt accepted it yet or gone

thru his grieving process yet. We did all the tests and NOTHING showed, so

they say its genetic. We will NEVER know what caused his hearing loss and

yeah, it bugs me, but what can i do? Join lists like this and learn all i

can, thats what...lol.

Well, that turned into a " vent " session didnt it? Sorry, its been on my

mind constantly lately. All i really meant to do was let you know that i

understand what you are going thru!!

Betty

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/18/00 11:37:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

listenup@... writes:

This reminds me one time of an incident with my son. He has been implanted

for just over a year and in about the first 3 months, he would occasionally

request that I turn down his speech processor. It was mostly at bedtime

during story time. Anyway, one time, I asked him " Why did he want it turned

down then? " and he replied " I can hear myself breathing, it is too loud! "

A year later, he doesn't so this anymore but does think that Dad's snores are

hilarious and first time he heard them he nearly laughed himself off the bed

and wanted to know if Daddy does that ALL the time he is sleeping.

Thankfully, I was able to answer, NO!

Orla

> Biological sounds are also heard at the primitive level. Sounds

> like breathing, swallowing, chewing, heart beat, and pulse furnish proof

> that we are indeed alive and functioning. People who suddenly lose their

> hearing have been known to experience acute psychosis due to feelings of

> disconnectedness with the environment, time and their own bodies.

> Less dramatically, a new hearing aid or assistive listening

> device alters the wearer's auditory background by amplifying sounds

> previously not heard. This change in auditory background may make a wearer

> nervous and anxious without understanding why. Certainly, a baby or young

> child cannot explain that an altered auditory background may be a factor

> causing him or her to resist amplification.

[Guest guest]

> I dont know when

> the grieving stops...im still going thru it.

Having been there myself, each time you realize your child has lost more

hearing, it's like starting all over emotionally. You would think it gets

easier, especially when you expect more loss, but it doesn't.

Hugs,

Kay

[Guest guest]

> we still haven't been able to get him to

> wear them all day. Any ideas?

You'll find a bunch of them on this page:

http://www.listen-up.org/aids-out.htm

One thing that may be helpful to understand is explained this way by Carol

Flexer wrote in Facilitating Hearing and Listening in Young Children:

" The most unconscious function of hearing is the primitive level which

carries the auditory background, sounds that serve to identify a location. A

hospital sounds different than a school. Typically, we do not think about

these sounds; however, if a location does not sound as expected, we become

uneasy. If you have ever entered an empty hospital or school, you have

probably felt a bit anxious.

Biological sounds are also heard at the primitive level. Sounds

like breathing, swallowing, chewing, heart beat, and pulse furnish proof

that we are indeed alive and functioning. People who suddenly lose their

hearing have been known to experience acute psychosis due to feelings of

disconnectedness with the environment, time and their own bodies.

Less dramatically, a new hearing aid or assistive listening

device alters the wearer's auditory background by amplifying sounds

previously not heard. This change in auditory background may make a wearer

nervous and anxious without understanding why. Certainly, a baby or young

child cannot explain that an altered auditory background may be a factor

causing him or her to resist amplification. Yet, as professionals, we should

be sensitive to the fact that there is often an adjustment period to

amplification (typically, at least 1 month), due in part to the user's

altered auditory background.(p.11) "

Kay

[Guest guest]

Terri,

Welcome to the list, you are in a very good place. I'm the mom of

Ben, 2, with a severe bilateral sensorineural loss, caused by a

genetic mutation; he's been aided since 3 months. Reading your post

made me think of when we first confirmed Ben's loss at 1 month of

age; I cried every night for a month. You are really mourning the

loss of the " hearing child " you knew. It's a really tough time, but

you WILL get through it. BTW, when we found out about Ben, we had

his 3.5 year-old sister tested (early talker, extremely verbal,

articulate, etc.) and discovered she has a mild loss in the lower

frequencies. We would never have known.

He'll get used to the aids, and if they give him something he wants

(better access to sound), he'll learn to keep them in. My 2-year-old

does, even asks for them every morning.

Take care,

Stefanie, mom to Ben (2) and Isabella (5)

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome, and I enjoyed your long post! My son (age 5-1/2) has LVA, as

well as Mondini malformations of his cochlea. His loss seems to be slowly

progressing, plus within the last year he has had two sudden drops in

hearing to levels where he did not respond at all. Fortunately, in both of

these cases, over a few weeks his hearing did come back to the pre-drop

levels. When he was diagnosed with the LVAs three years ago, it was very

difficult to find information about it. It seems like there is much greater

awareness now and more information available--that's great!

Dixie in Hawaii

Introduction

> Hello-

>

> I've posted a couple of times and realized that I never " officially "

> introduced myself. My name is and my husband and I have two

> daughters- Delaney, age 4 (as of October), and 8 months come

> November 6th. Delaney is hearing impaired/HOH/deaf- whichever you

> prefer. I'll try to keep this short, so as not to put you all to

> sleep- ha ha.

>

> When Delaney was a baby she was very advanced (as all parents think)

> w/ motor skills- crawled early, walked at 10 months, etc. She babbled

> at the typical time (dadadada, mamamama) but didn't really ever

> progress to words. We at one point (around a year) thought about

> hearing loss, because she also was NEVER interested in movies,

> videos. We would clap behind her and bang pots and pans, and she

> usually turned around- we reassured ourselves that she could hear.

> When she was 18 months old though we brought it up with our

> pediatrician, and he referred us to the state dept of health (to do a

> hearing test). They did a tympanogram, and there was no impedence,

> and then put her in the booth. He felt like he got responses within

> the normal range, and said there was no problem. At age 2 we were

> even more concerned, because she would turn the radio on incredibly

> loud. We were referred to an ENT, because our new pediatrician

> diagnosed her with " Glue ear " . She did in fact need tubes, and our

> ENT told us this was why she couldn't hear. We saw no improvement, so

> he sent us to a speech therapist- never indicated doing additional

> hearing tests. When we saw the speech therapist (after having to wait

> three months to get in), she said that Delaney tested at about a 1.5

> yr level for reception, and a one year level for expressive language.

> We mentioned our concern that we felt like maybe she couldn't hear-

> the speech therapist said that she would pull in an audiologist and

> test hearing for us as well- again, this was only because we were

> persistent. The audiologist did a tympanogram- was perfect because of

> the tubes, and then did an OAE. She had a weird look on her face- she

> then put Delaney in a booth, and afterwards set us down and told us

> she suspected hearing loss and wanted to follow up with an ABR. We

> said How soon??? Of course we had to wait another month. A different

> audiologist did the ABR, and she called us in afterwards and told us

> it appeared that Delaney had a severe hearing loss. Moderate in the

> lowest frequencies, severe in the mid-high. We were devastated-

> quickly started researching hearing loss. We got a new ENT, and he

> recommended an MRI. We then learned that Delaney had LVA and that it

> could be hereditary. I was 8 months pregnant at this time.

>

> So along comes - she failed her newborn screening on the left

> ear, passed on the right. We went immediately back to our much loved

> audiologist who did another OAE. Same result- he recommended an ABR.

> The ABR showed the same results. They kept telling us- at least its

> only the one ear. So we just went back in for a follow-up OAE- and

> this time, no response on the right ear. Went in for a second- again

> no response (this was after seeing our Pediatric ENT who told us

> there was no fluid to account for the lack of response). Anyway- we

> now go in for another sedated ABR- not until November 14th. I HATE

> THIS WAITING!!!

>

> Sorry this was so long, but I wanted you to know a little bit about

> me and my children! If you actually made it through this post, I

> applaud you! I was so excited to find out about this list, because

> I'm always actively looking for information on hearing loss, LVA, and

> what other parents are going through. I've learned quite a bit on my

> own, but find that it's nice to share information with other people

> going through similar issues.

>

> Anyway- sorry so long (and " rambly " )

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post

is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

copyright restrictions.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dixie-

That's interesting about your son's completel drop in hearing (and I'm glad it

came back to pre-drop levels). We took Delaney back in last month and she seemed

to have dropped 5-10 db in both ears in all frequencies. We just went in again

two days ago, and she was back up in most frequencies. I know with LVA you can

sometimes get both small and large fluctuations. This most recent test was done

with headphones whereas all of her previous tests were done with an FM system. I

wonder if this is why we're seeing the " improvement " . Maybe she is able to tune

in better with the headphones?

Anyway- I'm glad you didn't find my post to be too long

Thanks for sharing!

>>> accounts@... 10/25/00 05:06PM >>>

Hi ,

Welcome, and I enjoyed your long post! My son (age 5-1/2) has LVA, as

well as Mondini malformations of his cochlea. His loss seems to be slowly

progressing, plus within the last year he has had two sudden drops in

hearing to levels where he did not respond at all. Fortunately, in both of

these cases, over a few weeks his hearing did come back to the pre-drop

levels. When he was diagnosed with the LVAs three years ago, it was very

difficult to find information about it. It seems like there is much greater

awareness now and more information available--that's great!

Dixie in Hawaii

Introduction

> Hello-

>

> I've posted a couple of times and realized that I never " officially "

> introduced myself. My name is and my husband and I have two

> daughters- Delaney, age 4 (as of October), and 8 months come

> November 6th. Delaney is hearing impaired/HOH/deaf- whichever you

> prefer. I'll try to keep this short, so as not to put you all to

> sleep- ha ha.

>

> When Delaney was a baby she was very advanced (as all parents think)

> w/ motor skills- crawled early, walked at 10 months, etc. She babbled

> at the typical time (dadadada, mamamama) but didn't really ever

> progress to words. We at one point (around a year) thought about

> hearing loss, because she also was NEVER interested in movies,

> videos. We would clap behind her and bang pots and pans, and she

> usually turned around- we reassured ourselves that she could hear.

> When she was 18 months old though we brought it up with our

> pediatrician, and he referred us to the state dept of health (to do a

> hearing test). They did a tympanogram, and there was no impedence,

> and then put her in the booth. He felt like he got responses within

> the normal range, and said there was no problem. At age 2 we were

> even more concerned, because she would turn the radio on incredibly

> loud. We were referred to an ENT, because our new pediatrician

> diagnosed her with " Glue ear " . She did in fact need tubes, and our

> ENT told us this was why she couldn't hear. We saw no improvement, so

> he sent us to a speech therapist- never indicated doing additional

> hearing tests. When we saw the speech therapist (after having to wait

> three months to get in), she said that Delaney tested at about a 1.5

> yr level for reception, and a one year level for expressive language.

> We mentioned our concern that we felt like maybe she couldn't hear-

> the speech therapist said that she would pull in an audiologist and

> test hearing for us as well- again, this was only because we were

> persistent. The audiologist did a tympanogram- was perfect because of

> the tubes, and then did an OAE. She had a weird look on her face- she

> then put Delaney in a booth, and afterwards set us down and told us

> she suspected hearing loss and wanted to follow up with an ABR. We

> said How soon??? Of course we had to wait another month. A different

> audiologist did the ABR, and she called us in afterwards and told us

> it appeared that Delaney had a severe hearing loss. Moderate in the

> lowest frequencies, severe in the mid-high. We were devastated-

> quickly started researching hearing loss. We got a new ENT, and he

> recommended an MRI. We then learned that Delaney had LVA and that it

> could be hereditary. I was 8 months pregnant at this time.

>

> So along comes - she failed her newborn screening on the left

> ear, passed on the right. We went immediately back to our much loved

> audiologist who did another OAE. Same result- he recommended an ABR.

> The ABR showed the same results. They kept telling us- at least its

> only the one ear. So we just went back in for a follow-up OAE- and

> this time, no response on the right ear. Went in for a second- again

> no response (this was after seeing our Pediatric ENT who told us

> there was no fluid to account for the lack of response). Anyway- we

> now go in for another sedated ABR- not until November 14th. I HATE

> THIS WAITING!!!

>

> Sorry this was so long, but I wanted you to know a little bit about

> me and my children! If you actually made it through this post, I

> applaud you! I was so excited to find out about this list, because

> I'm always actively looking for information on hearing loss, LVA, and

> what other parents are going through. I've learned quite a bit on my

> own, but find that it's nice to share information with other people

> going through similar issues.

>

> Anyway- sorry so long (and " rambly " )

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post

is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

copyright restrictions.

>

>

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the

intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

[Guest guest]

Hi Trish,

Welcome to the site. Can you tell me what a AVR Impact

is?

--- Trish Freeman wrote:

> Hello Everyone,

>

> My name is Trish Freeman. I am the mother of three

> children, two boys (,age 7, and , age

> 4) that are hearing-impaired and one girl (, age

> 6) that is hearing. was diagnosed at age 3

> with mild-moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing

> impairment that has now progressed to

> severe-profound. He currently wears AVR ImpaCt

> frequence compression aids and is scheduled for a CI

> in May. was diagnosed at age 2 (we were

> following him closely after our experience with

> ) and he is currently moderate-profound and

> just got AVR aids last month.

>

> I have been a frequent visitor to the Listen-up

> Website and can't thank Kay enough for all her hard

> work! I look forward to getting to know you all!

>

> Trish

> Mother to ( 7, severe-profound) and (

> 4, moderate-severe) and (6)

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone. I have been reading posts for a few days now, but haven't

had time to introduce myself. My husband actually posted an intro here a

while ago, but then I decided to join myself since I'm the one at home

dealing with our son's hearing loss all day. Anyway, my name is Rhonda. My

son Neal (20 months) was recently found to be deaf. He had no response on the

BAER test, which went up to 95 db. Another audiologist did a sound field

test and thought she got responses at 70 and 90 db in the low fequencies, but

I'm not sure about that. Neal is so inquizative and alert that it's really

hard to tell if he's resonding to sounds or other cues, which is one reason

we didn't realize he wasn't hearing until he was 18 months old. Neal also

has congenital nystagmus, which in him means his eyes have a slight

horizontal movement much of the time. We have been having him tested for

various things including mito chondrial disorders lately. I saw a metobolic

specialist in San Diego last week and after looking at Neal's most recent MRI

and checking Neal and his history out thoroughly, he doesn't feel it's likely

that Neal has any metabolic problems. Neal's MRI though shows that he has

delayed myelination. The doctor said that means that Neal's white matter

hasn't formed properly for his age. He said that that could be linked to the

nystagmus and deafness, as well as developmental delays (Neal didn't start

walking full time until 19 months), but that he doubted it would lead to

anything further. At this point, that was welcome news. I just don't want

there to be anything else wrong with him! I can deal with what has surfaced

so far, but I don't know if I could take anything more. So that is where we

are now medically. We had an IFSP meeting already. Neal is in the county's

program which incudes a Mommy and Me type class with kids of varying

disabilities (where they sign as part of everything they do), and a home

teacher who comes once a week to work on developmental issues, sign language,

and anything else that comes up. I have also been taking Neal to CCHAT, an

oral school in the San Diego area. I asked that it be included in his IFSP

and so far no one seems to have a problem with that. We go to CCHAT once a

week for individual therapy and then I attend a parent meeting afterward.

The director at CCHAT also fit Neal with loaner hearing aids until we find

out if we can get any financial help to buy his. Right now he's using IMPAct

aids. The ones that were suggested for us to buy are Senso P 38's ($3900).

Neal doesn't like to wear the aids though, so it's been really hard to tell

if they are helping him at all or not. I think he will more than likely be a

CI candidate eventually. I'm pretty happy with the services we have set up

for Neal though. I just wish there were a program out there that

incorporated both sign language and auditory training. I don't agree

personally that a kid can't learn both at once, but since there isn't such a

program, I just don't use sign while we're at CCHAT.

I should mention that we also have a 4 year old daughter, Audrey with no

hearing or other medical problems thus far. We are very lucky that she is

who she is. She and Neal play together and love each other, and she doesn't

mind at all that he can't hear her. She's learning signs very quickly and

loves going to his classes with us. She likes to sneak into the class with

the older kids at CCHAT when we go there and hang out with them :-) I could

enroll her there as a reverse mainstream student, but she goes to a parent

participation preschool close to our home right now that she loves and I

wouldn't want to take that way from her.

~Rhonda

[Guest guest]

Alia,

Welcome! I'm Gena and here is a bit of my story. As a teen I was

anorexic, got pregnant at 18 at 128 (5'3 " ). my thyroid went inactive

during the pregnancy and even though I was throwing up the whole time

gained 10 lbs a month. Wound up at 210. Got my thyroid diagnosed when

my daughter was 1 1/2 but the weight didn't come off like the doc said.

Also have dealt with heal spurs, bad knees, back, asthma arthritis and

shoulder surgery. The lowest I have been since Niki was born is 168 and

the highest (3 times) was 284. Since Oct 2000 I have gotten to 200.

After dealing with this weight loss issue for over 18 years I can tell

you one thing, do not diet. As you said the starvation dieting has

ruined your metabolism. But all is not lost! You can rebuild it! Cardio

is great. Also do not skip meals, do not go below 1200 cals a day. If

you don't drink much water that can lower it too. A good way to break a

plateau is to do interval training. This can be done by doing a tread

for 10-20 min then some resistance for 10-20 min then 10-20 of cardio.

Or you can just alternate your speed and intensity on the cardio.

Incorporating some weights is the best.

As you said though, you may be gaining muscle. Don't just go by the

scale. Go by how your clothes are fitting and measure too.

Take care,

Gena

On Sunday, December 8, 2002, at 07:14 PM, alia robinson wrote:

> Hi,

>

> My name is Alia, and I've had weight problems since I was 9. I went on

> a

> starvation diet around age 12, and stayed on it for 8 years. I then

> gained a

> bit after my first marriage, nothing too major, and went on a

> healthful,

> low-fat diet and lost it all, but then came pregnancy number 1. I

> gained a

> lot of weight due to toxemia, and after Caleb was born I gained up to

> 175. I

> went back on a diet, lost down to 145 or so, got a divorce, and

> stressed out

> losing down to 136 which I was thrilled with, but then I re-married,

> had

> another baby, Trace,  and again gained a lot. I breast fed for a

> while, and

> lost down to 145 which was okay, but after I stopped breastfeeding I

> went up

> to 161. I have managed to lose a few pounds, but keep going back and

> forth

> between 155, and 158. I can't seem to get past this plateau. I used to

> exercise 4 times per week at about 30 to 45 mins each day, but decided

> I

> wanted to try for everyday for a while just to shake things up. I'm at

> about

> 25 mins 6 times per week now, and hope to do something everyday this

> week. I

> also use resistance  tubes three times a week, and love them. I seem

> to be

> wearing smaller clothes, so hope I am gaining muscle. I have been

> eating a

> lot lately, and hope to bring that down a bit. I know I should count

> calories, but I just don't have the patience to do it. I do stick to

> mostly

> healthy things. I just think I eat to much of everything. My upper

> body is

> pretty firm, but my abs, hips and upper thighs are pretty fatty. My

> thighs

> are getting smaller, but my hips and lower abs aren't budging. I use an

> elliptical trainer, btw.

>

> I feel like I'm doing all the right things, but that my constant

> dieting

> over the years coupled with my prolonged starvation diet as a teenager

> has

> really destroyed my metabolism.

>

> I'm sorry to be so long-winded, but I really want to give you all an

> idea of

> what I'm doing. I'm 5'4 btw. Any advice of how to make this weight

> come off

> a little easier would be wonderful.

>

> Alia

>

>

>

<image.tiff>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Alia

You seem to now be doing everything right, just don't overdo it.

Take it slowly and it will come off.

My name is Arlene, 36, married, no children and an avid quilter.

Arlene

198/172/150

> Hi,

>

> My name is Alia, and I've had weight problems since I was 9. I went

on a

> starvation diet around age 12, and stayed on it for 8 years. I then

gained a

> bit after my first marriage, nothing too major, and went on a

healthful,

> low-fat diet and lost it all, but then came pregnancy number 1. I

gained a

> lot of weight due to toxemia, and after Caleb was born I gained up

to 175. I

> went back on a diet, lost down to 145 or so, got a divorce, and

stressed out

> losing down to 136 which I was thrilled with, but then I re-

married, had

> another baby, Trace, and again gained a lot. I breast fed for a

while, and

> lost down to 145 which was okay, but after I stopped breastfeeding

I went up

> to 161. I have managed to lose a few pounds, but keep going back

and forth

> between 155, and 158. I can't seem to get past this plateau. I used

to

> exercise 4 times per week at about 30 to 45 mins each day, but

decided I

> wanted to try for everyday for a while just to shake things up. I'm

at about

> 25 mins 6 times per week now, and hope to do something everyday

this week. I

> also use resistance tubes three times a week, and love them. I

seem to be

> wearing smaller clothes, so hope I am gaining muscle. I have been

eating a

> lot lately, and hope to bring that down a bit. I know I should count

> calories, but I just don't have the patience to do it. I do stick

to mostly

> healthy things. I just think I eat to much of everything. My upper

body is

> pretty firm, but my abs, hips and upper thighs are pretty fatty. My

thighs

> are getting smaller, but my hips and lower abs aren't budging. I

use an

> elliptical trainer, btw.

>

> I feel like I'm doing all the right things, but that my constant

dieting

> over the years coupled with my prolonged starvation diet as a

teenager has

> really destroyed my metabolism.

>

> I'm sorry to be so long-winded, but I really want to give you all

an idea of

> what I'm doing. I'm 5'4 btw. Any advice of how to make this weight

come off

> a little easier would be wonderful.

>

> Alia

[Guest guest]

Beth,

Welcome to the group! Congratulations on your weight loss so far!

You obviously know what it takes to lose weight! What have you done

so far? It sounds like you are at a mega-plateau! YUCK! Here are

some ideas I have heard, and some I have tried:

1. If you are exercising, change your routine. You body will get

used to it, and it will become less effective. For instance, if you

go to a gym and do cardio, change what kind you do. If you are doing

the bike, do the treadmill instead. Try out new machines you haven't

used. If you are doing weights, do cardio first or vice versa. Just

a change in your routine may kick your weight loss in the butt and

will leave your body wondering " what the heck is going on here?? "

2. Do what I call " interval " training. Meaning if you are biking,

sprint for two minutes, then decrease your speed down to your normal

speed for 5 minutes. You can do the same with walking too.

3. Change your eating habits. If you aren't already eating small

frequent meals, try that. Also, this may sound weird, but it has

worked for me. Increase your calorie consumption. This especially

worked for me because I weigh myself everyday. I was not totally

counting my calories, but more like just watching what I ate. I

usually stuck to about the same amount everyday, then I got stuck.

So, I ate a little more. They weren't " bad " foods, but rather extra

fruit. But it is still calories. I did that for a few weeks, and

then I started losing again. Then when I quit losing, I cut out the

extra calories and kept losing. Something else that also worked was

eating more some days, and less on others. Usually everyother day.

Hopefully some of those help. Let us know what you are already doing,

how are you tracking your weight loss, how often are you weighing

yourself, are you measuring? That kind of stuff may help us help you

more.

> Hi everyone! My name is Beth, and I just joined. Early this year I

> weighed 238 pounds. I am now at 196, but I have been here since

> October. I am really stuck and looking for support. My goal is to be

> at 140 by Christmas of next year. I've got plenty of time to do

that,

> but I am just looking for something to carry me through. I have a

> weight loss list of my own, and that is what has gotten me through

> the past year. Does this group do anything special? Like weekly

weigh-

> ins or contests or anything? Just wanted to know ahead of time.

Well,

> going to go. Hope to get a chance to talk with you all soon.

> Beth

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth,

I'm Gena. Congrads on the weight loss so far, that is wonderful! I know

what you mean being stuck. I have been too for awhile. I started at 284

Oct 2000, did real good for about the first year and a half but really

haven't the last several months. It started with an ankle problem, then

just got off of my routine, then got sick, ect.... Just seems like

other things keep getting in the way. I was actually down to 195 for

about a week but now have been going between 200-205. I'm just trying

to maintain until New Years then going to get back to normal routine. I

have my daughter home from the Army right now so everything is off

track with lots of running around and visitors.

Anyway, weigh ins are optional. Whatever day is good for you really.

Some like to on the first of the month or every sunday or Monday. I

don't really unless I lose then I report it. This is a great group.

Just jump in and post and read old posts. Hope to hear more from you.

Gena

On Sunday, December 22, 2002, at 08:47 PM, Beth

wrote:

> Hi everyone! My name is Beth, and I just joined. Early this year I

> weighed 238 pounds. I am now at 196, but I have been here since

> October. I am really stuck and looking for support. My goal is to be

> at 140 by Christmas of next year. I've got plenty of time to do that,

> but I am just looking for something to carry me through. I have a

> weight loss list of my own, and that is what has gotten me through

> the past year. Does this group do anything special? Like weekly weigh-

> ins or contests or anything? Just wanted to know ahead of time. Well,

> going to go. Hope to get a chance to talk with you all soon.

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Gena and for the welcomes. I am doing terrible this week, but it

is holiday time. The best thing that has helped me lose the weight is

stopping the sugar drinks. However, I really need to change what I eat. I am

finding that hard. Exercising is easier for me. How many of you go to a gym?

I want to start going back to a gym, but I really don't have the money right

now. Well, going to go. Thanks again.

Beth

[Guest guest]

Beth

Welcome to the group and congradulations on your loss. What is it

that you are doing for it. Are you exercising? If yes, how often?

What are you eating, or not eating? ARe you eating often enough?

These are questions that are good to ask yourself. They can help.

There is usually if you like, a weigh in on Monday's and Friday's.

Arlene

> Hi everyone! My name is Beth, and I just joined. Early this year I

> weighed 238 pounds. I am now at 196, but I have been here since

> October. I am really stuck and looking for support. My goal is to

be

> at 140 by Christmas of next year. I've got plenty of time to do

that,

> but I am just looking for something to carry me through. I have a

> weight loss list of my own, and that is what has gotten me through

> the past year. Does this group do anything special? Like weekly

weigh-

> ins or contests or anything? Just wanted to know ahead of time.

Well,

> going to go. Hope to get a chance to talk with you all soon.

> Beth

[Guest guest]

Beth

If you are unable to make it to the gym, bring the gym to you. I

have found some of the best exercise tapes out there happen to be The

Firm video tapes. They are the most effective.

Arlene

> Thanks Gena and for the welcomes. I am doing terrible this

week, but it

> is holiday time. The best thing that has helped me lose the weight

is

> stopping the sugar drinks. However, I really need to change what I

eat. I am

> finding that hard. Exercising is easier for me. How many of you go

to a gym?

> I want to start going back to a gym, but I really don't have the

money right

> now. Well, going to go. Thanks again.

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Beth,

You sound a lot like me. I love my sweets. I do the treadmill more so I

can eat more! LOL Although, like you I have been doing terrible this

last week or so. I'm not even going to worry about it. Things will

return to normal in a week. Then I will get serious again. You have

live and have fun! :-) I would love to go to a gym but they are all way

to far away for me. The nearest one is 25 miles. so I invested in a

good tread and weight bench and weights and workout at home.

Have a good day,

Gena

On Wednesday, December 25, 2002, at 01:47 PM, TuscaloosaAL@...

wrote:

> Thanks Gena and for the welcomes. I am doing terrible this week,

> but it

> is holiday time. The best thing that has helped me lose the weight is

> stopping the sugar drinks. However, I really need to change what I

> eat. I am

> finding that hard. Exercising is easier for me. How many of you go to

> a gym?

> I want to start going back to a gym, but I really don't have the money

> right

> now. Well, going to go. Thanks again.

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth,

Welcome.

I belong to a gym, have actually for over 10 years. There was one

time I did not use it as frequently but I am starting to revisit it.

It does cost me $22.00/mo. but it is a very good gym. It is 24 Hour

Nautilus so it is open 24 hours a day so you can go anytime you feel

is good for you. I use to attend aerobic classses they would have

but now I just use the machines like the bicycle and tread mill.

Also machines for the abdomen and arms. I enjoy my gym time alot.

Of course I have those days where I will totally dread going

sometimes but it seems lately I seem to enjoy it more. I have been

shooting for at least 3 times a week. I feel this is when I have

seen the wieght fall, after excersizing regularly.

Dianne

-- In weightlossbuddies2 , TuscaloosaAL@a... wrote:

> Thanks Gena and for the welcomes. I am doing terrible this

week, but it

> is holiday time. The best thing that has helped me lose the weight

is

> stopping the sugar drinks. However, I really need to change what I

eat. I am

> finding that hard. Exercising is easier for me. How many of you go

to a gym?

> I want to start going back to a gym, but I really don't have the

money right

> now. Well, going to go. Thanks again.

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Beth,

You said you " really " don't have the money to go to a gym. I'm not

trying to sound mean, but I bet you can find it if you really wanted

to go. I say this because you said you could improve your eating.

Are you eating out? If you are, you could have the money for the gym

if you cut back on that. Or if you are buying a lot of treats, you

could cut back on them and use the extra money towards a gym. That

way, you can improve your eating at the same time! I have been a

paying non-going person. LOL! I pay about $40 a month for nothing

right now. But I am changing that starting...tomorrow! LOL!

> Thanks Gena and for the welcomes. I am doing terrible this

week, but it

> is holiday time. The best thing that has helped me lose the weight

is

> stopping the sugar drinks. However, I really need to change what I

eat. I am

> finding that hard. Exercising is easier for me. How many of you go

to a gym?

> I want to start going back to a gym, but I really don't have the

money right

> now. Well, going to go. Thanks again.

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Gena sweets are very bad things...ha ha...but I love them. Arlene thanks for

the advice on The Firm tapes. I will have to try them. I'm being bad now, but

I hope once I get home to Tuscaloosa I can straighten up again. I am in

Virginia right now visiting with family. Lots of candy. Lots of sugar drinks.

Oh well.

Beth

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/25/2002 8:58:26 PM Central Standard Time,

no_reply writes:

> I have been a

> paying non-going person. LOL! I pay about $40 a month for nothing

> right now. But I am changing that starting...tomorrow! LOL!

I hope you do . How's it going now? I eat out every day while I am at

home. That's my big problem. I will try to cut that out and save for the gym.

Beth

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth.

You've already had some great results and some great repleis, so I'd

just like second the suggestion you give us more info.

What have you been doing so far? What does your eating look like?

Your exercise? How often do you change up your exercises? Do you

track you exercises and progress? The more you can tell us, the more

specific the suggestions can be.

And no, there is no one plan used here... and I think it's partially

because everyone is at a different place, different age, different

family situation, different histories, and there are a lot of

effective ways to get healthy... like some otehrs here, I follow a

plan of eating multiple small meals, drink water, and hit the gym...

but there is room for variance even in similar plans.

So what are you doing now so that we can throw out some ideas for

what to try next.

Good Luck.

> Hi everyone! My name is Beth, and I just joined. Early this year I

> weighed 238 pounds. I am now at 196, but I have been here since

> October. I am really stuck and looking for support. My goal is to

be

> at 140 by Christmas of next year. I've got plenty of time to do

that,

> but I am just looking for something to carry me through. I have a

> weight loss list of my own, and that is what has gotten me through

> the past year. Does this group do anything special? Like weekly

weigh-

> ins or contests or anything? Just wanted to know ahead of time.

Well,

> going to go. Hope to get a chance to talk with you all soon.

> Beth

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth.

I'm a gym person... but only about 45-60 minutes 2-3 times a week.

All weights, no aerbobics... cardio comes from my weight work.

If you really can't find the money to join up, you can work it out

at home... if space is a consideration, check out Powerblocks.

http://www.powerblocks.com/frame.html

and good review of them:

http://www.powerblocks.com/frame.html

Dumbells and a bench are enough to make it work, but the powerblocks

use less space and are safe and convenient. If you want to go the db

route, check Costco for some deals on sets. Between home weights and

bodyweight exercises (push ups, dips) you can get a pretty good

workout.

And some people prefer working out at home because of time or kids

or whatever... not me... I can't do any good working out at home...

but anywhere you will lift regularly will work. And keep your

workouts short... long workouts are not better... after an hour they

are counter-productive...

BTW... just had to laugh... I am another person with an old

membership who went YEARS without using it. But mine is so old I am

only paying $6 a month for unlimited useage.... it's so cheap I

didn't mind the years of paying for it just so I had the freedom to

get back to it when I ws ready. Wonder what percent of the gym's

money come from us payer/non-goers?

> Thanks Gena and for the welcomes. I am doing terrible this

week, but it

> is holiday time. The best thing that has helped me lose the weight

is

> stopping the sugar drinks. However, I really need to change what I

eat. I am

> finding that hard. Exercising is easier for me. How many of you go

to a gym?

> I want to start going back to a gym, but I really don't have the

money right

> now. Well, going to go. Thanks again.

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/27/2002 1:24:44 AM Central Standard Time,

beriteri33@... writes:

> Hi Beth, welcome to the group. I am sure you will find this a very

> supportive and friendly place. Congratulations on your loss so far, that

> is great!

>

>

Thanks Teri! This week has been terrible. I am out of town right now so maybe

when I get home on the 30th I can straighten up some. Here's hoping at least.

Beth