Jurnal Debbie Cousins, 24 Agu 23

Debbie this is said with much affection - throw those nasty no way to move your health journey forward peanut butter filled pretzels away. 280-420 calories that are useless translates into an easy 25-40 grams of protein that you actually NEED ESPECIALLY if you are now battling cellulitis. Your body is trying to repair and sugar and sodium is not the way to do it. Think of it like this—-10 days x 280 = 2800. 10 days x 420 = 4200. Either way you gained almost a pound or more than a pound at 3500 calories a pound. Does that seem worth it after the hard work you’ve been putting in? I love peanut butter filled pretzels but they dont serve my improving health. They will still be there when you can better afford them. I see you are also having danish butter cookies. You are like me. Sugar has a hold of you. I had to break that sugar addiction myself much the way an alcoholic or drug addict has to get help for those addictions. It is very real and very damaging. None of this is said as a criticism it is more because I KNOW how hard you’ve worked and you are currently sabotaging yourself. Sugar makes you lethargic. No wonder you aren’t feeling like walking. Even with docs orders. Make sense to you? 

Lastly, by your journal, looks like you need someone to give you a spanking. Just re-read. Not drinking water? You need water! 

Yup. Toss that crap. 

So you can continue on this self-destructive path, prolong your recovery, regain all the weight you've worked to lose and wallow in self-pity. That's definitely one option. Or, you can sit up straight, dump the junk food and the damn diet coke, eat to heal, follow your doctor's orders and be a grown-up. Nobody can make that decision but you. But we are all pulling for you and hoping you will make the right choices, because WE CARE! 💚💜💛 

And if the Diet Coke is your biggest vice, just let that slide for a bit as it’s doing the least amount of physical harm. It’s not great, but it’s not the worst thing ever.  

Well said Shir. 

Have you tried talking to GOD about it? I have struggled with weight since puberty. I've never eaten to match the weight that I carried. and every time I went on a diet I would just stop losing. I'd work on trying to find a way to lose again I'd start losing again and it would just completely stop. after menopause it got worse. I ended up with lipedema on my inner thigh it started in 2007. and I asked doctor after doctor for help as it grew in grew. finally Dr found me a lipedema clinic in 2010 and they were wrapping the lipedema to try to get it under control but it just wasn't working. after months they gave up on me and I got left owing them for $2,000 because my insurance had stopped paying weeks ago and they didn't know and I didn't know...... fast forward to 2018 I need it double knee replacement and it became very hard to walk. and the walking is what helped me lose any weight at all. 2018 I got cellulitis but I had the flu so waited a few days and then I finally went into the hospital because I was getting weaker and weaker. I was in there for 6 days and then went to rehab for 6 weeks. I did every type of exercise 2 hours a day a physical therapy and I really thought I'd be able to leave there walking.... but my knees were just as bad. when I got home it took me many months almost a year to get my strength back..... and then I was in the same boat so I started weight watchers I lost a little bit and then stopped but I stayed on it because I didn't want to gain weight so I thought maybe at least it'll keep my weight down. fast forward to 2023 after praying and begging GOD to help me find help. make a long story short I decided to find a Doctor who made house calls because of covid etc Harding for me to get a ride anywhere cuz I was in a wheelchair because of my knees and the ever-growing lipedema.... making that choice I found Dr stansberry he took one look at massive lipedema they've been growing for 16 years. and he said that's got to come off. the only surgeons that did that that I knew did not accept Medicare Dr Stansberry found out his best friend Dr Mintz being a vascular doctor also specialized in lymphedema and lipedema.... he said I will find you a surgeon....... Dr Coit a cancer surgeon who saw the pictures of my lipedema which is the size of a watermelon. he decided he felt he could do it even though he had never done a lymphedema or lipedema do it and he's willing to do it for Medicare money. I was operated on Tuesday and that watermelon size mass on my inner thigh is gone. my journey is not over because I have a smaller one that started to grow. so now I have to get that taken care of it's one that would never be able to be operated on. but I decided to not give up and I'm 70 years old. and finally I started losing weight after I had gotten another cellulitis a bad one I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. something strange happened to my system I started losing weight like a normal person. and even though I'm going through pain right now because the little life edema started to swell up very quickly because the big one was gone and I have a mild infection and I'm in pain I'm going to trust the Lord because I hung in there and he led me to who I need it when I was ready and willing to do whatever it took. went off weight watchers because I had found I had gained weight and February and I just decided to use this fat secret to just clock my food. an experiment to see if I could start losing again my own diet design. and I've lost 38 lb since April. don't know why it's like something got kicked into normal I still have a lot of weight to lose before attempting knee replacement surgery it might be a year or a half I don't care if it's 2 years I'm not giving up I want the last years of my life to be the best years of my life sorry for such a long story but I got to tell you when you cry out to the LORD. and never give up even though I had periods of time I half gave up I would always pray through try again. I'm not going to say things like don't feel sorry for yourself etc. anxiety is extremely difficult thing. God has a better plan for you than this dear we could do it together I'll be glad to be your let's change our life buddy. what do you say we could do it together I still have about another hundred pounds to lose and I'm 70 years old and I need double knee replacement and the second lymphedema which is much smaller than the first one I'm going to have to deal with that but I believe I'm going to come out of this walking nice slimmer figure I'm finding out what GOD has for me in the next chapter. I want to get a really good church service coming into my building I live in senior housing. I have a prayer meeting going and I'll be able to stick with it and be more consistent after I heal from this so what would you like to do with the rest of your life let's do this together what do you say? GOD LOVES you sweetie and so do I. HE has a plan for your life 

Linda your post made me smile and cry at the same time. I LOVE your spirit. Debbie is a Christian. Her husband is a pastor. She’s an amazing girl who struggles with food issues like pretty much all of us on here. Your sweet heart and vulnerable story i hope hit home with her. Debbie, read and reread Linda’s post. Don’t let this happen to you. Kick yourself back in gear. You can do this. You have been so encouraging and kind to me during my journey and i needed it. Look at the love you are getting here from myself and Linda and shirfleur and katsolo and Linda.🥰 

Amén Linda!! That's a great reminder! Praise God. You got this Debbie!! 

You went from making daily wise food choices to eating "crap" that only feeds the snacky sweet part of your brain. By that I mean all those protein shakes, protein bars and chips. Get back to making and eating real food in your kitchen. Even the restaurant meals you split into two meals was working for you. It is easy to get protein well above 100+ on your rdi and still have your occasional small slice of pie and cake. That "crap"sold under the marketing of protein was the thing that has gone wrong. The diet coke and water you have always struggled with on your posts. ❤️ 

When you added that "crap" it flipped a switch in your brain from off to on. ❤️ 

You aren't eating much of that "crap" anymore but what happens is you replace them with the same sweet or salty taste. Sorry if I came across strong but I don't want to see you go off the cliff. ❤️ 

Good morning Debbie, cellulitis really sucks. I’m so sorry that you’re going through that but it really does get better. Trust me I know dealing with physical therapy is a bitch, but if you don’t do it you’ll never get better. Take it from somebody who’s been doing physical therapy for the past five months now finally it’s getting better. Please hang in there and keep moving forward. You could do this Debbie I know you you’re strong and your motivation is there such reach out and grab it it’s there for you waiting on you you could do this Debbie🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️ 

I don't blame you one bit for complaining about that, pretty sure I would be too. Praying you are all healed very soon 🙏💙🙏 

I decided yesterday that I would do better today. So far (9:15am) I’ve walked 1-1/2 miles, done all but two of my 18 PT exercises and downed two bottles of water. It’s progress, but not perfection. I’m “rewarding” myself with a serving of peanut butter pretzels and a can of Diet Coke. Oh well, SOME progress is better than none. I’m hoping to get in three miles of walking today. GOT to get back up to six miles a day! 

One step at a time. It's good to hear that your taking some positive steps forward. You've worked so hard and achieved so much this last year, and we're all so proud of you. Hoping you feel a little better every day. 

Better job friend but honestly dump those pretzels. They dont love you.