Wow Amarantha! Your post gave me potassium overload!!!
Eydie - I'm so sorry for your loss. 16 years is both a very long time and not nearly long enough.
I was one of those "I'm never gonna get another pet" people too. When I lost my dogs in my divorce I SWORE I was never going to feel like that again. Well, I ended up with cats, telling myself I'll never love them like I did my dogs - so I'm safe. Yeah, right... I know I'll be heartbroken many years from now when they eventually pass on - but the silly old saying is true - it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.
I hope someday your cat comes back to you - I believe my Mom's old Howlie cat, who was 19 when she passed, has come back to her in her new kitty Sadie - who has so many of Howlie's strange charicteristics that it really makes you think...
Babette - Amen to that!!! I may grow old, but I'm going to refuse to grow UP!!! I believe you are as old as you act - my late Grandmother could run rings around most of the people her age. When she got sick she refused to go to the Dr. because she knew he was going to restrict her in some way (with what she had, she would've had to totally change her life). She passed a few days after my Mom drug her into the hospital - I think it was her way of making sure she still had the final word!
Big hugs to you all!
Terri
Oh, weigh in dinner was NOT a binge and it didn't involve chocolate!!!
Terri, I find it so interesting that you say you think your mom's cat has come back to her. When our cat died, I found myself thinking, "He will come back." I don't know in what format, because I'm resisting getting another cat - we live on a busy street, and I couldn't bear to have another one hit by a car. But maybe one day, another creature will appear with The Kitten's spirit shining out of his eyes...
Re: our little Dickens - he does have the usual urinary tract infection, so he's on antibiotics and special diet for 10 days. Hope he feels better soon.
Yes, I do believe animals come back to us. I can't see how their souls or their energy can be any different than our own. We have some family friends that have named 3 different dogs "Cinder". They too are convinced that it's just their ol' Cinder - AGAIN.
It may or may not be true, but honestly, I believe in anything that makes you feel better, makes your heart happy and helps you make some sense out things that can sometimes be senseless.
Terri
Last edited by Punkinseed; 09-10-2002 at 03:58 PM.
I posted for a brief while on the buddy board back in May. Needless to say, I've ballooned about 10 pounds since then. I want to join this 21 day challenge. I have to get back on track, and I love 3FC. Is it too late to join the challenge?
Thanks to everyone for their sympathy about Sabbat's passing. We've never had so few animals--1 dog and 3 cats now. I can remember when we had a houseful. Yes, I believe that it's possible that the'll 'recycle' back to us. We particularly miss our 2 dogs that we lost in 2001--we just hope we'll be wise enough to recognize them if they do make another appearance!
Babette, hope Dickens is feeling better. Is he easy to "pill" or is it a 2-person job? Cats can get really slippery!
Amarantha, loved your poptart conspiracy theory! You may be onto something--I saw the box and the 'crackers' do look suspiciously like poptarts!
Kaylets, did you get a bread machine? I have a Breadman and I love it. I always use the dough cycle; that way I get to shape it myself since I don't like that awkward bread machine loafpan. Great for making whole grain pizza dough and [low-fat, low-sugar!] cinnamon rolls, etc.
Hi Punkinseed!
Mmkaa--welcome. Never too late--post away! I think we're all at different stages of the challenge--we just jump in anytime!
Well, I did it -- I actually steeled myself and went to TOPS last night . It was in the evening, after dinner and I was fully clothed. And their scale has me 6 pounds over my recorded weight. However, I think my home scale has me some amount over that too, so maybe I'll just record the official weight. Else how can I record my official loss next week? Hate to put the number up, but since I am truly going to do it now, I will be able to put it down next week , and most weeks thereafter, n'est-ce pas?
Yesterday, I walked 4.5 miles, did 2 circuits at the gym, and went to tai chi class. It was somewhat of a hungry day, but I adhered to my rules, so I declare the day a success!
Eydie, Dickens is not so slippery as he might be if it weren't for the claws, which dig in nicely. I've got marks on my thigh from where he tried to get enough purchase to escape. But I don't mind so much. He's on liquid stuff, which is a little trickier than tossing the pill down his throat, but I shall persevere.
This morning he's still straining, but no blood, so that's good.
Mmkaa--Welcome to the challenge! You can start any time -- take it from me - I've started any number of times
Punkinseed, a big congrats to you, foregoing the post-WI free-for-all! I was a little confused yesterday and had a heavy dinner (weight-wise) BEFORE weigh-in. Maybe next week I'll try something lighter...should be good for a pound or so, anyway!
Amarantha, I loved the image of your imperial self striding around the lake! Good for you, getting in that extra bit, too! My little extra challenge yesterday was parking the car when I got home from tai chi and walking to TOPS and thence to an art opening, thus getting in an extra mile and a half or so. And thanks for all those bananas, enough for all to share!
mmkaa - You're more than welcome to start any ol' time. You'll find we're a fun bunch ifIdosaysomyself!
Babette - Congrats on rejoining TOPS! I was with them for a few weeks, but the group was not quite "me" - mostly older women whom I had nothing in common with. We also spent more time singing than talking... Glad to hear Dickens is getting better - funny how cats can seem to become boneless when they want to get away from you!
Mmkaa: As the foregoing s hath said, "WELCOME!!!" We are indeed a fun bunch of s and have very good potassium levels!!!
Punkinseed: I am picturing you in a group of singing TOPS ladies ... hmmm ... maybe I should try singing to break through this plateau!!
Babette/Arabella: Good for you for making it to the meeting and for completing your exercise!!! Don't worry about those pesky 6 pounds ... THEY WILL BE GONE IN NO TIME!!! BTW, should I make any updates in the 5-pound challenge list? You are on it for September 15? I just keep on extending mine because I AM going to lose the FIVE ! Glad Dickens is getting sorted out.
Eydie: I love your cat's name, again, so sorry that she has passed but I do think her spirit will join you again. The feeling that loved ones stay with us is often very strong. When my brother died and I brought his cat home, I became convinced (not intellectually, but emotionally) that a part of his spirit had joined forces with the kitty's spirit ... especially the mischevious parts of both of them! Literally I would wake up in the middle of the night and feel terribly sad and the cat would be staring in my face and patting my shoulder ... of course, she'd do that anyway because that's what cats are like, but ...
My 21 day challenge is to snack on veggies everytime I think i'm hungry, but i'm really not. It is also to get on my recumbent (sp?) bike every day for 40 minutes.
Had a weird food day---didn't lose my mind so I can say I'm still on program but just barely! Anyway, no looking back!
I'm reading Appetites by Geneen Roth and there's a quote I'd like to share. It jumped off the page at me!
"There are 2 kinds of deprivation, the deprivation of not eating foods you want and the deprivation of not feeling well. If you eat foods you want but don't feel well afterward, you deprive yorself of good health. You get to choose what you deprive yourself of--certain foods or well-being."
Wow....next time I'm tempted, I think I'll chew on that!
Thanks for the quote, Eydie! That is really something to consider ... goes back to treating ourselves as well as we treat others. Kind of like being our own parent, too. Would we give our child a whole lot of unhealthy junk to eat and deprive her of vegetables? Would we let her lie on the couch all day and not get any exercise and watch her arteries clog as she ages? Would we deprive her of health just to give her what she thinks she wants and to keep her quiet? No, we wouldn't. So why would we do this to ourselves?
Well, I didn't make it through the day without crying - I guess it was a joke to think I would...
I actually held it together pretty well until the dj for the radio station I listen to read something on the air... today is his birthday and he wrote down his feelings about his "special day" being now forever marred by the events and how he feels that he couldn't celebrate when so many others are so sad and lost so much. He got through about 75% of it just fine, but when he started talking about how he can't say on the air what he'd like to do to the people who did this and how he hoped no family ever had to experience anything like what the families that lost someone had, well, he lost it on air. A grown man crying will bring me to tears every - single - time.
10 minutes later, I'm weeping, people are calling the radio station weeping - giving him "bravo's" for saying out loud what everyone else has been feeling in their hearts and telling him to celebrate his birthday because he's alive. Now that I've started crying I'll probably be weepy until my head hits the pillow....
Anyyyyway.... on to lighter subjects....
Monica! mmkaa has a new name! Welcome again! I think your challenge is a great one!
Eydie - awsome quote! Yes, I could chew on that one too - I wonder if my library would have that book... sounds good!
Amarantha - Actually, you've got something there with the singing! I saw an interview with Sheryl Crow and she said her best ab work is singing - so yes, when I'm in the car, or cleaning house I'm beltin' them out, paying attention to my breathing and holding in those muscles!!!! My cats think I'm nuts, but who cares!!!
Time to go home and light my candles.... big hugs all!
Day 8, I believe. Yup. Day 8. It's still new enough that I almost forget sometimes, and do something like pick at leftovers while i'm cleaning up, but the longer I stay OP the less I will have those impulses. Yesterday, between walking, doing an interview, and meeting friends for dinner I got in an hour and a half walking. I get double brownie points because it was raining but I took the umbrella rather than the car Plus I did yoga and a set of tai chi.
I'm really finding the idea of weigh-in next week motivating - it helps me decide what to eat when I'm hungry and helps me decide whether a little extra exercise would be a good thing.
Punkin, maybe it's the same group of TOPS ladies wherever you go, they just travel from one meeting to another. Sure sounds like the ones here, too. Mostly 60-70 years old, and "church ladies" - you know, you could be sure that they'd served on the Ladies' Auxilliary, did the altars, taught Sunday School, and so on. (hope no one takes offence at that, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them, just that we have a number of areas in which there's potential conflict. I hate to offend people and also hate to pretend to be other than the way I am).
But I'm staying anyway. That weigh-in is what helped me lose weight before, and I need the boost. And I tell myself that people are often a lot more interesting after you get to know them. I just hope that they don't want to sing dorky songs, because dorky songs have bugged me ever since we had to sing them in music class at school.
Eydie, I love that quote too. And Amarantha's further interpretation. This whole trip is so much like self-parenting in many ways. I remember Dr. Phil talking about how people were often really immature, and didn't want to deny themselves any immediate gratification. Sure true of me.
But I have to invoke the wiser Parent-self to say," Yes, I know you want that double chocolate doughnut. But you know what , Honey -- that's the kind of food that doesn't do anything good for you. Look at your body -- double chocolate doughnuts are only really good at making more fat. And they don't even make you feel good. So - no, I don't think you should have one. Or five. If you're hungry, eat something that will do you good. If you're not, go for a walk - breathe the air, look at the sky and the water and the leaves. You'll feel better for it, I promise."
Monica, I really like your plan to eat more fruits and veggies in the place of other things you might be snacking on. I have a perfectly slender sister who makes it a priority to eat a certain number of servings of fruits and veggies and then, after she's had all of them, if she wants something else for a snack she has it. But she says that she most often doesn't want the junk. I find I feel SO much better when I get my quota of the good stuff.
Amarantha, I don't know why it is that I feel I must go to the deadline and fail to meet it, but I guess I do. There's no way for me to meet it, but I'm not sure where I am exactly, because there's a scale discrepancy. I think I may have to work out the difference between the two scales and try to see exactly where I am in terms of the challenge. And then after next Monday's WI I'll be SO ready to enter the next challenge phase. Thanks for keeping the list going!
K. I should be productive. Let's make this a great day, Blockettes!
Good-morning, Royal Banana Blockettes!!! I am using up old frozen blueberries and low carb protein shakes this a.m. and it makes a terrific shake. I hate the word smoothie for some reason! Saturday is my Day 21 (of course, I cheat a bit because I give myself EXEMPTIONS), which will mark the end of my Blue Moon part of my Moon Initiative. I will stop being Artemis the Hunter, hunting down and eradicating (nonviolently, always) the things that are bothering me and stopping me from success. For the Green Moon portion of my two-block initiative, I think I will be some kind of lowly earth spirit, dedicated selfishly to my own existence and to enjoying the life I have left on earth ... and prolonging it by dancing joyfully under the green moon (cardiovascular), working hard to make my environment safe and healthy (resistance) and being flexible in all things. My "rules" for that block (stating 'em now because Sunday I'll be up to my neck in deadline stuff) are going to be the same: WORK TOWARDS a weekly calorie total somewhere in the 1700s but stay on the block if I don't make that (I think I will this week) and burn at least 1700 in exercise calories using my system of counting exercise minutes at 4 calories burned (conservative, probably more).
I will continue on with the Five-Pound Challenge, intending to keep however many pounds lost by my deadline and EXTENDING my deadline.
Babette: Ok, I'll leave you on the list for the 15th; that's my deadline, too, but as you can guess from the above, I don't expect to get there. BUT, THERE IS NO FAILURE!!! We are the Power o' Five, not to mention ROYALTY, WOOD NYMPHS and other creatures of power. We make our own rules on this journey, so how can it be called failure. The ONLY failure is to GIVE UP!!! And, of course, we will NEVER do that! These s are HISTORY!!!
Got to go clean house, take bath, write ... which is the only thing I get paid for!
Woo-hoo and hooray to all here!! We are all winners!! Onward and downward!!! Here's a last banana:
A quickie
Day 7. Yup.
Hate to put the number up, but since I am truly going to do it now, I will be able to put it down next week 
Punkinseed, a big congrats to you, foregoing the post-WI free-for-all! I was a little confused yesterday and had a heavy dinner (weight-wise) BEFORE weigh-in. Maybe next week I'll try something lighter...should be good for a pound or so, anyway!
Glad to hear Dickens is getting better - funny how cats can seem to become boneless when they want to get away from you!
*snort*
plateau!!
Don't worry about those pesky 6 pounds ... THEY WILL BE GONE IN NO TIME!!! BTW, should I make any updates in the 5-pound challenge list? You are on it for September 15? I just keep on extending mine because I AM going to lose the FIVE 
Plus I did yoga and a set of tai chi.
Sure sounds like the ones here, too. Mostly 60-70 years old, and "church ladies" - you know, you could be sure that they'd served on the Ladies' Auxilliary, did the altars, taught Sunday School, and so on. (hope no one takes offence at that, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them, just that we have a number of areas in which there's potential conflict. I hate to offend people and also hate to pretend to be other than the way I am).
We are the Power o' Five, not to mention ROYALTY, WOOD NYMPHS and other creatures of power. We make our own rules on this journey, so how can it be called failure. The ONLY failure is to GIVE UP!!! 
And, of course, we will NEVER do that! These 
