14 Weeks Gone By

[Guest NatashaJade]

Greeting, dear ones!

So this week I discovered yoga really does work to clear the mind. It's about balance. And what, if anything, is transitioning about than finding balance. So yoga is perfectly suited for transitioning (plus, yoga pants, as I have said before, rock the party).

Physically, I can't say much more about what is happening than I did last week. It wasn't really remarkable for me except that at my weigh-in this morning, I lost 4.8 pounds from last week. This makes me very happy indeed. My 40th birthday is a little more than a month away and I want to be under 250 pounds by then. I ultimately would like to get down to about 190, but hitting this goal would mitigate turning 40 a little. I'm probably going to be mentioning 40 a lot over the next few weeks, so please bear with me. I have always been somewhat depressed around birthdays, but I am not really depressed about 40. I'm just mildly melancholy (of course, I live in a melancholy state of being, so this is not that much different than any other time).

Was I talking about physical stuff and veered into emotional? Well, right now they are tied together a bit. I have been more prone to giggle-fits than ever before. This is new. My wife has this weird little laugh she does and when I hear it, I started giggling and cannot stop (mainly because when I start to stop, she does the laugh again and gets me going again). The only time I can ever remember laughing like this was when I was 15 on a student exchange to France. My group had just finished a tour of Versailles and it was a very cold day. So we go to this restaurant where the heater has apparently broken, so we are all shivering like crazy and asking our chaperon if we can go to the cafe on the corner and eat croque-monsieur (best ham sandwich ever!). He refused, saying our meal at this restaurant was paid for, so we were going to eat there. They bring out our salads and there are ice crystals on them (it was that cold). One of the girls on the trip who I was really close to says, "What am I, a rabbit?" and this sends me into a laughing fit. Because it was so cold, my chest was constricted and I just couldn't stop laughing, which made everyone else laugh...except our chaperon. The more he insisted we stop, the more we laughed. It went on for about ten minutes. Finally, we got our way, left the restaurant and ate those wonderful croque-monsieurs. But I digress. I've been so weepy that the laughing is a wonderful change. A nice break from my melancholy state.

Right now would be a weird time for me without transitioning. It's actually kind of sad that, aside from my beautiful children and wife, this is the only thing keeping me sane and, along with the yoga, centered.

The best to you all this week. May it bring the weather you like, the people you like and a nice pair of shoes.

luv

Gin

[Guest]

Hello Gin,

Well you've brought the weather - now gotta find those shoes!

It's so good to hear your weekly updates - it's always heartwarming to hear from you.

I'm glad to hear that yoga is helping. I'm giving it some thought myself - lately I've been too scatterbrained to do Zen meditation, so perhaps a different approach would be better.

Love, Kat

[Guest Donna Jean]

Gin, Honey......

I'm happy that you're maintaining your sanity...

We Transsexual tend to be all over the place anyway and the HRT just adds fuel to the fires...

Now....When I started to read your post, I didn't see the point (.) in 4.8 and I thought at first you had said that you had lost 48 lbs last week.

I was about to PM you and tell you to get to the doctor NOW! *whew*

And I'll not say much about you turning 40, because it happened to me 20 years ago....

So, I'll just wish you a Happy Birthday when it gets here!

HUGGS!

Donna Jean

[Carolyn Marie]

Gin, I don't know much about yoga (he was the little Star Wars guy, right?), but I do know about the value of laughter. It works wonders,

as I can see its done for you. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling a little better.

Transition is certainly no easy ride for anyone, and probably a bit harder for us mature folks with family complications. So you are in good company.

I'm glad to hear about your weight loss. Don't worry too much about how fast it comes. Even a little is an accomplishment, as I know first hand how

hard it is. You're doing great, trust me.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest sarah f]

Gin, I am happy for you that you are in a good place right now. You will get to 190, it will just take time and more yoga. Keep up 4 or more pounds a week and you will be there in no time. Good Luck

Love,

Sarah F

[Guest NatashaJade]

I'm glad to hear that yoga is helping. I'm giving it some thought myself - lately I've been too scatterbrained to do Zen meditation, so perhaps a different approach would be better.

Zen is lovely, but it requires pure mental focus. Yoga is balance and breathing (and the odd contortion). When you're trying to keep from falling down, it's hard to think about anything else.

luv

Gin

[Guest NatashaJade]

Now....When I started to read your post, I didn't see the point (.) in 4.8 and I thought at first you had said that you had lost 48 lbs last week.

I was about to PM you and tell you to get to the doctor NOW! *whew*

Oh, I wish!!! Sure, it would probably not be the best thing health wise...for now I'll lose what I've lost, though. I'm a little over half way there!

luv

Gin

[Guest NatashaJade]

Gin, I don't know much about yoga (he was the little Star Wars guy, right?), but I do know about the value of laughter. It works wonders,

as I can see its done for you. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling a little better.

A little. Let's see if it can hold over tomorrow when I have to go back to work. I'd like to be in good spirits for my students. They've been very perceptive about my moods recently.

And I do believe Yoda was a master of yoga as well as the force

luv

Gin

[Guest NatashaJade]

Gin, I am happy for you that you are in a good place right now. You will get to 190, it will just take time and more yoga. Keep up 4 or more pounds a week and you will be there in no time. Good Luck

4 pounds a week would be incredible. However, if I get one or two, I'll be happy. 2-3 is the goal right now until late March. Getting to 190 is just about will power and persistence. I haven't weighed that much since somewhere around the 8th or 9th grade. So I don't have the best track record. But I'm running on a different track now, so who is to say what I am now capable of. Girl power!!!

luv

Gin