It's Sunday evening.  Almost bed time.  I haven't weighed myself for a few days because Bob and I have been in Minnesota.  We came for several reasons: Ginger and Gerald gave themselves a baby shower Saturday/yesterday in honor of Alexa Rachel Tiah, who will be born by c-section 2 days before Thanksgiving; Bob blessed Dan and Jenny's baby, Nora Faith Anderson, in the Elk River Ward today; Nolan received his Eagle Scout Award at a Court of Honor held this evening at the Elk River Ward.  I weighed 294 last week.  I've eaten a lot of calories this trip, I think.  I've been eating sugar things, like syrup on a waffle, cake, a cookie, an Icee.  And I've been eating some wheat products, like pasta and that waffle.   Oh, and a few of Bob's deep fried clam strips.  But then, I've been more active than if I were at home in Watertown.  I FEEL I shed a pound or two.  So I'm thinking that maybe the calories were not so many since I wasn't eating really frequently.

At any rate, I'm anxious to weigh myself Tuesday morning after the lasix pill has done its job and before I take a shower.  (That means I'll be at my lowest weight since I'll be free of water retention and free of any clothing!)

I'm using the blog to keep my thoughts and progress as I lose weight.  I'll keep clearer notes about relationships in my journal.

About time I wrote here!  I haven't been writing, but I have been keeping true to my eating plan for the most part.  I took a couple of detours, but then DASH allows up to 5 servings per week of out-of-plan food items.  I've had a couple of cookies and a bar with caramel for a bakery on the way to MN the other day.  I also had a SUBWAY sandwich made with their new bread, which is garlic bread.  I also had a 20-oz sugar Coke on the trip here.

BUT before I left, I did weigh on Tuesday and finally saw the plateau ended.  Down to 303.  I don't know any other person who could feel as good about weighing that much.  I LIVE for the day I will be in the 290s, which I sincerely hope will be next week.  But I know I need more than hope!  I need action, which I am doing.

Yesterday the kids and I went to an apple orchard in Delano and I was able to walk comfortably, albeit slowly, around the farm.  It is more than an orchard; it is a farm with animals penned for children to visit and feed.  There are some baby animals to hold, a giant pumpkin maze, a corn bin, and lots of other things to keep you engaged in playing or (in my case) watching what is going on.  I bought some honey crisp apples and caramels, one for each of us.  So I felt I got in a bit of exercise.  Then last night Abby and I went to JoAnn to buy her Halloween costume pattern and fabrics.

Got plans sewing today.  We went to the orchard yesterday because the forecast was for rain today.  However, the sun is shining brightly!  It was overcast yesterday and rained after we left the orchard/farm.  It was awful driving last night as it was raining the whole trip to JoAnn.  Gotta go sew with the kids.  Gonna put Abby or Nolan (who enjoys doing "grunt work") to work pressing the fabrics for the costume.  Gonna get Janie and/or Abby (Nolan too?) sewing on an apron for Andrea's birthday.

I can't write down my present weight because my body seems confused.  Last Saturday I was in the car for 8 hours, traveling with friends from the branch to attend the Winter Quarters Temple.   My feet and ankles held a LOT of water in my system.  I had taken all of my lasix, but something about being in the car with my feet down riding always makes my ankles and lower legs swell.

Last Sunday, we had potluck after church.  We had lots of our bean casserole left over, so I ate some of that Sunday and Monday.  It had sugar in it, and I was feeling head achey.

Then I was sewing on a quilt for Dan and Jenny's baby, due October 21.  I sat long hours at the sewing machine and the ironing board.  My feet and ankles stayed swollen all week.

Today I finally weighed, and YIKES!!!  Even after  my morning lasix, and urinating a good amount, my feet and ankles were still swollen, though less than before the lasix, and my weight was up to 308.  Naked!  (I took a shower.  I never take my clothes off, weigh, and then put the clothes back on.)

The kicker is that I have eaten very little all week.  Less than I should have.  And I could tell as I showered, that my body was smaller.  So I figure, I'm retaining more fluid now and that it is probably because of the lack of getting my feet up this past week.

My feet and ankles hurt a lot.  I also itch, which I think is nervousness over my weight.  Oh, and I took an extra lasix tab on Thursday.  My internist in Anoka said I could take a second lasix in one day if I thought I needed it.  I thought the additional lasix might take the swelling away.  But no.

I'm thinking I might go to the FP doc here in Watertown next week if the pain and swelling don't subside over the weekend.  I plan to do things with my feet up, which means not working on the second quilt.  In the future, I'll have to limit my sewing time so I don't get to the point of painful swelling.

Growing old is not pretty!

Didn't take my lasix until just now, 6 PM.  Kastels were still here this morning, and I wanted to leave all possibilities open, like going shopping or going out to eat.  Then after they left, I did some embroidery with the TV on and fell asleep.  After waking, I plain old forgot to take lasix.  Until now.

So I stepped on the scale and it told me 305.  So that means I didn't gain anything because it included some water weight, which is at least 2 lbs.  I was 304 a few days ago, so I at least stayed the same and at best lost another 1.  I am eating leftovers from Guadalajara and drinking Cherry Limeade.  Bob went out on some errands.  I'll be cutting fabric for the baby quilts while watching TV.  Bob can trade TVs with me.  I plan to also do a few 9-patch squares.  I only have  8 more of the 34 embroidered squares left to finish.  It will cost me about $45 to have Dakota Quilt Shop topstitch each baby quilt.  Becky and I went there and decided they are THE place in Watertown to have quilts finished.

Tomorrow morning we are going on a branch temple trip to the Winter Quarters Temple in Omaha.  Stan Lamb will ride with us.  We'll eat at a buffet afterward, so that will be easy to pick legal foods.  I still expect to weigh 299 by next Wednesday, September 25.

304!!  I'm sure this is the lowest I will weigh today.  Hooray!  Only 5 til I get to my goal for September 25.   9 days away.  I can hardly wait to see the first numeral of my weight be a 2!

Gotta go eat and then help Bob with the dinner for the missionaries.  That will be 5:00.  It's almost 2:00, so we only have 3 hours to get it done.  Meatloaf and potatoes in the oven.  Green beans from a can.  Jell-O brand instant cheesecake from a package.  Bob adds cream cheese.  Then we put canned pie filling on top of the individual pieces.  I'm the meatloaf expert!  I also am the potato baker.

305!  Wearing underwear.  Lasix taken 2 hours ago.  I expect the weight to go down more.  But I just HAD to record this right away.  Every 5 is a goal marker.  Only 6 more to lose in 9 days.  I can do this!
I'll probably make another entry today since I will probably record a lower rate after a few more trips to the bathroom.  Yes, I seem to be getting a bit obsessive.

It's 7 am on a Sunday.  I've been eating fairly decently and have not gained.  I have been the same weight for a long time.  Just now I weighed 308.  After a couple of hours I will weigh less because I took my lasix about 6 am and have urinated once so far.  I suppose that later I will go down to 305 without clothes.  I'll take a shower before going to church.

I'm starting to sound like this character from Law and Order, a young model (?) who weighed everything she ate and everything she excreted.  I think she even saved some of the waste products in plastic bags.  But she kept exact track of all of that in a notebook with dates and times.  Except she was very, very thin.  In fact, painfully skinny by anyone's standards.  While I don't weigh what I excrete, I do sometimes weigh myself after each trip to the bathroom after having taken my lasix.

Bob and I can see we are having difficulty living on our fixed income of his annuity and my Social Security.  I applied to the local hospital for "clerking" at the cardiology clinic.  That is where I see Dr Jones.  They are looking for full time, but I only want part time.  So maybe there will be other openings in the future.  One of the admitting clerks I talked with when I was registering for my monthly blood test said they are always looking for help.  I should also look into teaching freshman English at the local junior and technical colleges in town.  The main problem there is that my English experience is 20 years old!  And it would be more work for less money, probably.

A HUGE problem with Bob and me working is that we would not be free to return to visit family in Minnesota much.  But then, it really is more important that we be able to afford to live.  We could do okay on what we have coming in, though.  We have to decide.  That is something we have been putting off or avoiding even talking with one another.

So he wanted pizza yesterday.  We got a Papa Murphy chicken with white sauce.  I ate 2 pieces for dinner.  It is allowed on my eating DASH, but it is on the list of things to have once a week.  I had eaten some from that list earlier in the week.  So I was not true to DASH.  I shouldn't keep calling it DASH, but can't think of a better term right now.

"Legal?"  No.  I don't want to make myself a criminal!

I'll think about it another time.  Gotta go to the bathroom.  Again.  I seem to spend most of my mornings going back and forth to the bathroom!