Comments on Escape from Obesity: My Plan B

I am exhausted listening to all you do in a day! ...

2012-01-18T10:54:21.684-08:00

I am exhausted listening to all you do in a day! I imagine working out on top of all of that might tax an already stressed immune system. I don't know how you do it! I hope you find someone to share the burden soon.
FYI-there are natural helpers for sleep issues, like melatonin. Also, blood sugars affect ability to sleep well, are you keeping yourself full enough?

Carolyn~ Drop me an email if you wouldn't min...

2012-01-17T09:48:39.207-08:00

Carolyn~

Drop me an email if you wouldn't mind :)

escapefromobesity at gmail d0t com

I greatly enjoy reading your blog. You put yourse...

2012-01-14T11:30:47.005-08:00

I greatly enjoy reading your blog. You put yourself out there honestly. We all have struggles some of us just choose to not be honest about them. I too am on a restrictive plan a with my dr, but have set up a plan b. it feeds the need in me for something a little bit different from plan a, but keeps me within some guidelines so I don't go crazy.

Keep up your chin and keep moving forward. We all get handed some more stressful times than others. To handle the stress of a more difficult time a plan b may help to elevate that additional stress of staying on such a restrictive plan. I know it is working for me.

I wish you well and continued growth with yourself and family.

Anonymous~ Thank you for stating your question mo...

2012-01-14T10:12:07.147-08:00

Anonymous~

Thank you for stating your question more respectfully.

The Medifast rep who I usually correspond with has been very supportive. Back some months ago, they set me up with a dietician who helped me formulate a different "plan B" of sorts, which included Medifast food but also some other things not on the 5 & 1 Plan. Medifast has several plans available which you can choose depending on your activity level, your health issues, and other factors, so the 5 & 1 Plan I am doing (as my Plan A) is not the only thing they recommend. They have always been supportive as I try to tweak things and they want me to succeed in my weight loss.

I like Medifast, but as I have said, Plan B is for times when I prefer to do something different without gaining weight. If you go back and read about my Christmas dinner plan and our family traditions, I explained there why I chose to eat differently on that day. I think I explained it in this post as well; there are times when a different plan can be helpful.

I don't understand why you deleted my comment,...

2012-01-14T10:05:05.488-08:00

I don't understand why you deleted my comment, I've never been downright nasty to you AT ALL.I just HONESTLY WONDER how the Medifast people that give you tons of free food feel about this plan b? It's an honest question, and it's not sugar coated. If you like Medifast, then why a plan b? If plan b is more sustainable for you, why Medifast? I am a person that wants to know and I'm not being "horrible, mean, abusive" etc.

Jes~ I've always appreciated advice, even uns...

2012-01-14T09:09:59.805-08:00

Jes~

I've always appreciated advice, even unsolicited, and have thanked people here for it. Much of it has been useful. I took Courtney's post as helpful too. It was a previous post about "making excuses" that I did not appreciate.

I wanted to clarify that dog sports is not a stressor for me at all. It is my big stress *relief* and helps me keep my sanity, even if it is a drain on my time. I choose to keep it for that reason. I did take a few months off from classes and am just starting back (I really missed it!). The thing about a dog like mine, who was bred for a very active lifestyle (which is why I chose her) is that she needs someone who can and will work her several times a week. She is not the kind of dog who can get by without it. If I could not provide a high level of activity for her, I would rehome her because that would only be fair for her.

I thought Cortney's advice was sensible and ki...

2012-01-14T09:00:31.748-08:00

I thought Cortney's advice was sensible and kindly expressed.

I didn't read her comment as suggesting you give up your dog. I believe she was referring to the classes, since you listed them as one of your complications/stressors. Certainly, pausing on the classes during a difficult week or month doesn't mean quitting dog sports or giving away the dog.

Perhaps the main issue here is that when you write posts like these, most people reading it will want to "help" by giving you advice. Drop one dog class. Join a carpool for dance etc. etc.

While the unsolicited advice clearly annoys you very much, it's not wholly unreasonable for readers to assume that you are asking for help with these posts. Especially in light of the fact that many of us are having success with weight loss *due to* advice and support we received. People want to "pay it forward" and help you the way they were helped.

Whenever I see a distressing post of yours, even my immediate reaction is to pass along some piece of information or advice that helped me. And I know better, by now, that that's the last thing you want!

I'm also a mom of very young children facing many challenging circumstances. I have to remind myself that just because *I* wanted help and advice doesn't mean other people do. Everyone has to find their own way.

Even when I read that you're struggling, I know you will be ok because you have been so clear that you are living precisely the life you want and are 100% certain in all of your choices. You have more clarity in that area than any "blogger" I've encountered, and certainly more than I!

Good luck on your journey!

Jes

Courtney~ I surely could get rid of my puppy, I c...

2012-01-14T07:45:17.896-08:00

Courtney~

I surely could get rid of my puppy, I could put my old dog to sleep. I could tell my daughter she cannot go to dance class because Mommy needs ten minutes on the bike. Dog sports IS part of my health plan, as it is the ONLY outlet I have for stress and the only social activity I have for building that critical support system that has been so lacking in the past. I do have my priorities, and the gym or the bike does NOT, and never will, come ahead of living people or creatures. But that's just me, and we all have to decide what's most important to us.

Priorities does not equal excuses.

Cortney~ sometimes, there is a history with a par...

2012-01-14T07:32:24.573-08:00

Cortney~

sometimes, there is a history with a particular commenter that you don't see in one comment. Sometimes, there have been attacks and abusive comments that almost nobody saw because they were deleted. I almost never delete comments but when anyone, even an "Anonymous" poster, repeatedly leaves comments that are not respectful or attack myself or other people, I just start deleting every comment they make. Even the nice ones. I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes a history of conflict and abuse is enough.

Cindy~ Thanks for the suggestion. I may try that....

2012-01-14T07:27:56.500-08:00

Cindy~

Thanks for the suggestion. I may try that. I have not been one to take any kinds of sleep aids, because I worry whether I would be impaired if, say, one of the kids was sick or if something bad happened in the night that I needed to deal with. I don't want to sleep through anything that is urgent. But I bet an Advil PM or similar would not be impairing. I will try it. I was awake before 5 again today when I really could have slept in. Wish I could stay asleep longer!

Deb Willbefree- I think Pretty Woman's comment...

2012-01-14T07:26:51.013-08:00

Deb Willbefree- I think Pretty Woman's comment was just the truth- dog sports and kids' troubles and volunteering in the classroom and taking her daughter to dance and her diapered dog up and down the stairs are higher priority than exercise, because that is what she is choosing to be doing. I didn't read it as an attack, but rather a statement of fact. Perhaps it was meant to get Lynn to ponder if, maybe, she should pull back on dog sports to make time for exercise, I don't know Pretty Woman's intent, so I'm just going to take it as face value. But it's true that we all have a limited amount of time, and thus we prioritize what we want to do with it- it isn't "good" or "bad", it just *is*. I know people for whom exercise is such a non-negotiable and they deem it so necessary to their health that even in the midst of all of this they would still be going to the gym every day, because it is a top priority. That doesn't make them saints, it just means they have given exercise top priority. We all have to make our own priorities.

Personally, I try never to say "I don't have time" for something because I know that what I really mean is that I've chosen to do something else with that time. If I have an hour and I decided to spend it cleaning my home, when my friend calls and asks to go to lunch I don't say "I don't have time"- because that feels powerless, and I'm not, I made a choice. I say "I can't because I want to clean my house". It's the truth, and reminds me I made a choice in the matter. There are times in life- sickness, etc.- when we feel like we have less choices, but dog sports and dance and maintaining the mobility of an elderly dog are all definitely choices. I do agree that no one should have to justify their choices, but it isn't attacking to point out that we all have priorities, whether we are conscious of how we are letting them affect our choices or not.

And although I feel like a robot on repeat, I want to say one last time just to be very clear- none of the above is a judgment on anyone's choices or priorities. But I do believe it is just a fact that if something is important to you, you will do it. There is no "right" or "wrong" categories into which to place important things, but we all do it and make choices accordingly. That's the entire basis of the Franklin Covey time management philosophy, among others- that we need to identify what is important to us, and then look at our lives and see if we're spending time on it. If we say reading is important to us, but we never read, reading is either a) not very important to us (which is fine!) or b) we're letting things that aren't important to us eat up our reading time.

Deb (whether you're here or not)~ I am sick o...

2012-01-14T07:24:20.307-08:00

Deb (whether you're here or not)~

I am sick of them too, which is why I have been deleting them. The vast majority of the comments have been so helpful and supportive to me, and I am thankful for that. When it gets too much, I occasionally turn on comment moderation.

Thank you and others for your kindness. The energy you send out, positive or negative, will come back to you. I believe it.

I totally agree with Deb! Some of the comments he...

2012-01-14T07:16:32.937-08:00

I totally agree with Deb! Some of the comments here are so demeaning and self-righteous.

You rock, Lyn!!! I can only imagine what you are going through now. Prayers.

Lyn, I don't see anywhere on here, or in past...

2012-01-14T06:24:20.587-08:00

Lyn, I don't see anywhere on here, or in past posts for that matter, where you made excuses.

I see you describing circumstances & emotions, reviewing choices made and the outcomes of those choices, and, then, working to develop a strategy for success that considers all of the above.

And you, also, use this blog for what most use their blog for--to bounce ideas off of people, to clarify things for yourself in the process, to receive some support in the journey...well, and more. The list of things for which people use blogs is pretty long.

(Some abnormal people use blogs for perverted or unhealthy things, of course, but I definitely don't see you doing that. I'm talking normal pruposes here for my list.)

At any rate, I don't hear you making excuses. I hear you working it out.

Lyn, I have considered unfollowing your blog several timies because of some of the comments you receive, they trouble me so.

Granted, that is probably because I'm a counselor who has worked primarily in the field of women's issues for a couplel of decades and may, therefore, be a little more sensitive to demeaning and abusive intent than others, but some of these comments are simply mean-spirited, at best. Some are, quite frankly, indicative of an underlying mental health issue.

I'd rather not stop reading your blog, but I don't read blogs to be irritated, either--so, what I've decided to do is to stop reading your comments. So, if you have a response to something I say, I want you to realize that I won't see it. Sorry.

Deb

Lyn, Rather it be plan A or B you have a plan...

2012-01-14T05:51:49.630-08:00

Lyn,
Rather it be plan *A* or *B* you have a plan.. Look sometimes just having a plan is good if you have to pull plan * C* out. Do it. Even if you have to creat it as you go do what works for you.... Its your body you kno it best.. Best of luck with everything else and please try to get some rest.

having a plan b is a good idea that way there'...

2012-01-14T02:56:52.847-08:00

having a plan b is a good idea that way there's accountability and you keep in control. good luck sweetie. xoxoxoxoxo

I'm on Plan B. Wishing you the best of luck. R...

2012-01-13T15:27:27.774-08:00

I'm on Plan B. Wishing you the best of luck. Remember that plan B is actually high fat and moderate protein. But you probably already know that. Just an FYI: Atkins is giving away starter kits. You don't even have to pay shipping. It's at their web site.

Hope you're able to rest soon. Hang in there!

can you take something to sleep? like maybe 1 adv...

2012-01-13T15:23:54.849-08:00

can you take something to sleep? like maybe 1 advil PM? I usually fall asleep normally with it, but i stay asleep... 1 pill is perfect. I've tried the other regular sleeping pills but for some reason the advil or tylenol ones work the best with no side effects.

I know I couldn't function with the lack of sleep you are getting. :(

I really like the idea of a Plan A and Plan B. I ...

2012-01-13T15:11:38.902-08:00

I really like the idea of a Plan A and Plan B. I hope it works well for you! Keep us posted. I might want to try something similar.

I think your plan B is excellent. The best way to...

2012-01-13T15:04:44.467-08:00

I think your plan B is excellent. The best way to get over a sugar/carb craving is to eat fat. And no, contrary to popular misinformation, eatting fat isn't what makes someone fat.

The Plan A and Plan B switch off sounds great. As...

2012-01-13T13:56:23.606-08:00

The Plan A and Plan B switch off sounds great.

As for the rest, just reading this left me exhausted! I hope you can get some good sleep.

Deb

It is great plan, i actually follow such plan on m...

2012-01-13T13:36:56.573-08:00

It is great plan, i actually follow such plan on my "open days" which is basically once every week.
and i am losing weight also, so go for it, by now you know your body more than any one else.

regards being busy: you know i envy you, i love to be so busy instead of the opposite!!!

good luck

I'm so sorry you're going through this dif...

2012-01-13T13:36:01.602-08:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this difficult time. Praying for you. :)