I graduated from Valdosta State University--BFA in Theatre and Communication Arts, and I work in Albany Georgia where there are 4 colleges...Albany only has a population of about 100,000. LOL BTW, you did good on your vacation! I think that you will like living in Georgia--well, I like where I live--guess it depends on where you are, but most places in Georgia are nice, and currently Georgia is growing by leaps and bounds. The area around St. Marys is probably one of the best kept secrets around...I'll probably move there when I retire.

Sorry for the loss of your Professor, Oolong. My old band Director died a couple of months ago and it was devastating to me. I marched (I was a percussionist) in his band and played in his orchestra for 6 years (6th grade-12th), my oldest son was also in his band/orchestra, and I also played in his private orchestra for a while. He was highly respected and loved in the community and won many awards for his abilities and so did his bands and orchestras...we were a small town but known all over the state for the quality of our band/orchestra.

I was so sorry this weekend! I found out on Friday that someone had obviously made a copy of my bank debit card and had charged over a thousand dollars worth of wireless services to Verizon ($474.00!), I-wireless, GeorgiaTelePay, and Alltell Pinless! It really bothered me how much time was bought and one phone was "auto billed" over $106.00 in one day--so someone was doing a LOT of talking! The only debit they made that wasn't wireless related was for a Pizza at a Pizza Hut in Indiana! And the scary thing is that the Indian "town" where that was made is near a predominantly Muslim population. :( Makes me very nervous.

Anyway, the bank says all of my money (including the two insufficient funds check charges on two of MY checks that bounced because of these twerps) would be reimbursed. Because I hadn't had a check bounce in a long time, the bank did go ahead and pay for the checks, so at least they weren't returned! So I've had a pretty stressful weekend...and sorry, I'm not strong, I "self-medicated"... but I'm back on track today!!


Theycallmemom, I have a 14 year old cat name Bastet who is the center of my universe. I know that any time her health could fail and I could lose her, so I know how you feel. I hope that whatever is wrong with Teddy that they'll be able to fix it, and that he'll have many more years with you. It could be arthritis or some sort of swelling, and if so, steroids should help. I'm praying for you and Teddy!

Woo hoo! A fun, easy way to exercise! On my cat board, a woman in Australia told us she had this and LOVED it. It was just released in the USA today!!
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006976.html

Hey just thought I would stop in and say I survived the weekend. I volunteered at a after grad party! OMG I was there until 3:30am! Had to be at work at 8, but came in at 10 instead! But I am SO tired...DH woke me up at 7, I could have KILLED him, I planned on sleeping till 9, and he knew it!
So I am suffering through the day and will be going to bed early tonight!

Theycallmemom ~ Congrats on the new Grandbaby on the way. They really are fun. I think I enjoy my grandsons more than my own kids. I am more settled

Welcome Bumblebee! Look forward to getting to know you.

Oolong ~ Wow, you really had a run of hard times. Glad your back.

Oolong ~ Sorry about your loss, sometimes things just don't make sense.

Theycallmemom ~ My pets are part of my family and when I had to put my horse down last month back, I was devastated. He was part of our family for 14 years, it was really hard but it was the right decision.

Has anyone ever seen the commercial about depression where the rain cloud is following the person raining on them. I am not depressed but I think I have a rain cloud following me. Seems as everything is falling apart around me and I can't put it back together. I won't go into details but GEEZ it could all stop.

DIET is a four letter word right now because the other four letter word FOOD is over powering it. LOL! I am ashamed of how I ate this weekend so I am not going into details. Between things going bad and TOM yep I ate. DH hasn't seem me eat like that in so long he was joking about it. It was a free for all. I FEEL ICKY!

Anyway, I better get going. It has been a crazy day around here and I need to go water my supervisors plants before I go. Gotta stay on his good side. HAHAHA!

Tinky
I think a food scale is a very valuable piece of equipment. I love these seasoned fries. I would never eat them because who on earth knew what 3oz serving was lol. I can weigh 3 oz and let myself have them once a week if I want them. I was surprised how many were in a 3 oz serving.

Grammy
I have days that there is nothing I want and yet I want everything. Those days really drive me crazy.

Still
Please make sure you get some rest. You aren't going to feel well at all if you don't sleep enough and you know it :)

gaia
I have been reading about that. It sounds like great fun.

theycallme
I do know how you feel. I feel so bad for you. My wonderful Pepper, a beautiful lab, is now 14 years old. She wasn't able to walk on her back legs. I was very lucky that the vet was able to give her some steroids and she is now able to walk much better. We have to keep her from walking as much as we can for a week or two so her body will heel ( she bolted after a rabbit and did something to a nerve in her back and she already has developed arthritis in the last 6 months ). I am afraid the time is coming very soon that her time with us is going to be over. I know there comes a time we have to think what is best for our pet and not for our selfs but that time is going to be very hard indeed.

Ailey
I love counting calories, fat and carbs. I don't do without a thing. I eat about 6 times a day and really am able to keep control of how much I eat. I think this is a much better way to lose weight than to be told I can't have something.

Rock
Glad you are doing well and calorie counting is working for you.

My 12 year old Cocker/Lab mix has limited time left also. She has cancer (or growths, I didn't biopsy them) everywhere. Kidney, liver, lungs...They don't think it will be long but she's still running around, asymptematic, just like a puppy. They told me as soon as she stops eating, it's time to put her down. She's still eating a ton. It's good to have this time to prepare my kids....I will miss her but in a way, my life will be easier (is that bad to say?). When she was born she had ectopic ureter and I had to pay $3k to fix it. But it was never quite fixed and she had breakthru leaking (urine) sporadically through her whole life. So...lots of laundry, diapers, pads, carpets cleaned, some days she couldn't leave the bathroom. She could never cuddle on the bed with us because we would find wet spots....2 medications twice a day to help.....it's been a lot. I love her and I'm sure if other people had her, they wouldn't have dealt with it for as long. Anyway... When she goes...I'm sure I'll feel differently.

Calorie counting is going good. This is day 6 of week 2 for me. I'm eating what I want when I want ...just staying in my calories. I do eat healthy anyway but I'm so done with "it's 12..time for my...."insert diet food here".....or anything like that. If I feel like a sandwich, I eat it...if I feel like yogurt, I eat that. It's working very well. I haven't binged in 2 weeks nor have I felt like it. Even when I took 2 days off (one was my niece's First Communion the other was Mother's Day breakfast at my house)...I ate what I wanted without over doing it and went back to normal eating when it was over...that has never happened. I have not gotten on the scale...I'm going to weigh in monthly only. This also is a first for me. I used to weigh in daily and my moods would be what happened on the scale. No more. If next month, I haven't lost anything (which I'm sure won't happen), that's okay...I can stay here, eating healthy , working out, at this weight forever if it means no more bingeing and dieting....no more obsessiveness, no more bad feelings about myself and my ability to do this. Anyway....it's nice reading all of your posts......Off to clean 2 houses today (not even counting my own)!!!

Well my day yesterday was officially CRAPPY! I honestly think it couldnt have gone any worse! I could have gotten FIRED from my job the minute I walked in and had a better day! I MEAN IT WAS BAD! But I didnt OVER EAT! I didnt EAT JUNK! I was ON PLAN ALL DAY!!!!!

I have been doing good with that. I weighed today and I am down 2lbs!!!!!! I am so happy.

Shy-you were right I needed to sleep! I went to bed at 7pm last night and got up at 6:45am today. I feel better physically today than yesterday. Emotionally that is still, well, questionable. But I think today will be a little better!

Kristen ~ I am having the some of the same feelings about my horse I put down and my rat terrier dog that has a bad back. He is the tinkle king but because he is just naughty. My horse kept the everything in an uproar in the pasture and was sometimes dangerous when I went in because he was chasing everyone, ate like a hog (about $1000 worth of just hay a year), did allow anyone in the leanto, was naughty when I rode him, pushed me around and was an all around butt head but I loved him just the same. Now that he is gone there is peace in the pasture and nothing but a couple very loving little guys that never push me around and can even eat out of the same dish. I feel bad because I miss him but don't at the same time and it will be the same way with my little dog that I love. The tinkling is really irritating but I don't have the heart to lock him up either. If he would just use the puppy pads I put down I would be satisfied. He does sometimes.

Stilltryin ~ Congrats on taking everything in stride. I don't have the strength right now. I did lose 3 of the lbs I gained over the weekend. Just 3 more to go.

Tinky ~ Your probably speeding up your metabolism. I decided to start adding some more on plan foods each day to see if that helps keep the cravings and hunger under control. I think because I am so active that I am not getting enough carbs which is leading to strong cravings for sugary stuff. I am upping carb/protein equally like they say.

Well two of the bad news things yesterday I will share now that I am more level headed today and definite answers were given. DH has to have surgery on his knee but its a workers comp and we have Aflac so we should be fine. He also has to have his thyroid killed because they are sick of messing with his Graves disease. They have been messing with it for 6 or 7 years trying to get things straight and they now say its just easier to kill the thyroid because some days it works and some day sit doesn't. I said you wanted this done a while ago and now your getting your wish so whats the problem. That ticked him off and he said why me all depressed. I said bad genetics. I said get the surgeries done and lets get on with life. I feel so cold but fretting over it will not change what has to be done.

Here is why I am so cold about it, he will survive. I just got the final verdict today about my best friend who I consider a Sis. We have been through life together, vacations, raised our kids together, shared ups and downs and were each others crutch. She has terminal cancer and only has a few weeks at the most to live. She had breast cancer a few years ago and survived. Then they discovered she had lung cancer on the outside of her lungs and was attaching to her heart in December. She did one chemo treatment and decided she wasn't doing anymore because she was so sick. Now she has 4 brain tumors, one attached to the brain stem, that are 4 cm in diameter. They were not there in December when they did her full body scan so it is rapid growing cancer. I went out and spent some time with her on Saturday and she was so bad that I knew then that there was nothing they were going to do for her. She was bed ridden and I even had to help her to the bathroom. She is a CNA so I told her she has to train me on how to help her and she laughed. She told me her wishes I think to make sure that they were carried out and so I could back her husband up with her family. We sat and talked for a long time and I did my best to give her a few laughs and hope until she was able to be seen by the cancer doctors. Yesterday they handed down the news to her husband, daughter and herself. They are calling all her family in so they can hear what the doctors have to say and so she can tell them her wishes herself because they are giving her husband a hard time about the decisions that are being made.

Then my DD was turned in to child protective agency by her ex-BF family and friends. Not once but twice. So she is upset to say the least. I talked with the case worker and I didn't make her out to be an angel by any means but told her that I can gaurantee one thing and that is she loves her boys and makes sure they are taken care of. If they get a sniffle she takes them to the doctor or even when he gets banged up. I told her I get in trouble by DD because I let GS be a boy and he gets all banged up at my house and she worries she will get them taken away for all the owies he gets at my house. She laughed and said she would be kind of concerned it a boy his age didn't have some skinned knees and bruises and she said they can tell the difference between an abuse wound and a playing owie. I told her I don't agree with her lifestyle of bouncing from place to place to live, I don't like the people she hangs around with and I hate Ryan (ex-BF) with a passion and at one point she had postpardum depression and I took the oldest GS and my Mom the baby until she was over it. I told her Ryan was part of that problem because he didn't allow DD to hold the baby for the sake of holding him and loving him. She was allowed to hold the baby to feed him, change his diaper and then she had to put him back. I explained that many of their fights were over that. They already know he is in jail and I told her I hope they throw away the key so that he can't be around the baby or have any rights to him.

Life is tough and that is why I feel like a black cloud is following me around.
First my horse, then DH, now my friend and child protective agency. Oh and my pony's feet are bothering him. I am dealing with everything but losing my Sis (girlfriend) and my horse are the real devastating part. DH can be fixed I know he thinks it is the end of the world but he can be fixed. DD isn't going to get her kids taken away she is a good Mom. My pony will get better soon, just takes time. What I don't deal well with is death, it can't be fixed, reversed or made better but they are in my heart forever and some day I will get to see them again.

OK, so on with life. I have all my meals packed for the day. I am a little slow on the water and need to get my butt in gear on that. I changed my ticker to where I am actually at because of my feasty weekend. OK, lift your chin off the desk it will come back off. HAHAHAHAHA! Did my upper body sculpting and went for a mile walk. In about an hour I am taking another 20 minute walk. So I will have my exercise in but still have to mow the lawn and clean house tonight. I wonder why I need extra carbs. LOL!

Well I better go and I will talk to you all later.

Grammy,

I am so sorry about your friend. I am sure that is HARD on you...best of luck to you and her family...I will pray she goes with little pain, or a miracle happens!

Sounds like you have had a lot of bad things lately! Chin up! ((HUGS))

Shy - my vet said we could try some steroids, and it would take a couple days before we would know if they would work or not, but he would have had to stay at the vets office. His nurse said there was no real way to tell if it would work or not but she had only seen it work on younger dogs. Maybe I should have tried !!!!!! Teddy was put to sleep! Maybe I should have tried!:(:?:

theycallmemom
You probably did what was right. Steroids do help but the vet tends to know pretty much before they even try them if it is going to work or not. In our case the vet knew they would work because she knew what the problem was. If the vet hadn't known for sure I would have made the same choice you did. I love Pepper dearly and don't want to lose her but I do not want her to be in pain. Please take comfort in the fact that you had wonderful years with your pet and you did what was best.

Hey Shy...guess what...?

I think Tammy is going to join us over here in Calorie Counters...I AM SO EXCITED! So be on the look out for her...

TAMMY, GET YOUR BOTTOM OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!

LOL I'm reading Still's message and I read that Tammy is going to be joining you here, and I'm thinking that there is another Tammy here. I am so dense sometimes!!!

I just sat and read through all of the posts from Page 1. I feel like a know a little bit about you all, but I have no idea what information goes with which person. I do remember this, Shy! I didn't know your name was Dawn! How long have we been chatting and I didn't know that. I also didn't know that Still was in North Dakota (South Dakota?). See, I forgot already!

I did read where someone mentioned St. Marys, GA. We spent some time there in February of this year. We stayed on Jekyll Island, GA, for that month. We'll be back down there Jan., Feb. and March of next year as long as my husband's health is ok.

Tomorrow I have my chisel class (step aerobics and other things) at the Y at 8:00 AM, and then tomorrow night I have water aerobics. It is the last class for the water aerobics until I do it again in the fall. The chisel class runs till the end of June, and then they might continue it until mid-August.

I haven't lost any more weight, but my clothes are fitting better. I am also getting stronger.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you! Thanks for letting me join you!

Tammy
Hello hello hello lol didn't you know that was my name. Heck I thought you did. I sent you a message about how I came about the nick name Rennie lol.

Theycallmemom ~ Try not to second guess yourself. I did the same thing for two weeks after I put my horse down but now that the grief and pain has subsided some I know what I did was right. HUGS!

Tammy ~ Welcome and I look forward to getting to know you.

Went for a walk this morning and I had to where gloves and a winter coat. Something is just wrong with this picture. LOL! Its been almost an hour since I went and my cheeks are still cold but it was still a beautiful walk. I really enjoy my morning walks. I also worked my corr this morning. ARG! I sure do hate doing that. I don't mind upper and lower body but hate doing corr but I do it anyway.

I am down again this morning and only 2 more pounds to lose from my weekend feast. I was to ashamed to change my ticker and show how much I really gained over the weekend.

Tinky ~ When you said you saw cheese, that is why you thought about me. I am just a cheese hound. I love the stuff and that is the one thing that I miss when following the program. I am taking a little help from the store right now because I don't feel like cooking. I found some canned chicken that is low in sodium, but I still rinse it, for my snacks. I also have a packet of tuna today for my other snack. Upping my food intake seems to be working. I am not hungry, I have energy and I am losing. What I am doing right now I know I can do on the weekend so I am going to stick with it. Maybe I will actually lose over the weekend for a change. It would be a first in a long time.

Well I better get going because I have to finish our year end report. My supervisor is suppose to be back today and he needs to give me some information so I know for sure what I have is correct.

Talk to you all later.

Tammy-YOU MADE IT!!! WOOHOOO. I am so glad you are over here with us.

I am doing good, I guess...Walked to daycare then work the last 2 days. I figure as long as I can put little one in the stroller and she wont freeze during the walk I will leave my car parked! Plus get a little exercise. I havent made it to the gym in what seems like forever! I need to get in gear and do it.

I am going to have surgery later this summer (July 24th) to have a previous problem with my ankle fixed. They are also going to fix the bunyons on my left foot while I am under, I figure I will be on crutches anyways may as well do it all. So I am hoping to be at goal or a little under by then since I know I will gain a little while I am on crutches. They figure 1 night in the hospital, then 8 weeks on crutches with a cast, then 4-6 weeks in a walking cast. So basically my late summer/early fall is all shot! But I do not want to be on crutches when it gets cold and icy here. So I planned it this way, I will go on vacation to California July 14-21, we are doing Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World, and seeing family and friends, then I will have 2 or 2 1/2 days at work then I will have surgery on the 24th. I will be off work for about 7-10 days then come back on crutches. I dont think I will be able to walk to work then..lol

SO, that being said, should I aim to lose 5lbs past my goal? Since I will be laid up and also taking a vacation right before that??? What do you all think?!

Grammy, it has been a bit cool here too. The walks have been a bit brisk! Where in Michigan are you? We go up to Mackinaw City about every summer.

Shy, I'm glad to know your name!

Still, I'm glad to be here with you and Shy and all of the others that I'll get to know. Good for you for walking and parking the car! Gas prices are crazy! Not walking to work on crutches? No sense of adventure!! lol I think losing a few pounds past goal would be ok, but if by chance you don't make it, don't worry about it.

I had my aerobics class this morning. almost everyone in the class has heart rate monitors, so I splurged and bought one. I was feeling a bit dizzy during class, and my heart rate was 180! I talked to the instructor after class and told her. She said that is high for her, so I know it is way too high for me. When I did see it was that high, I slowed it down a bit. Don't need to have a heart attack or anything. We have a weigh in next Wed. The last time I weighed there, I had gained, so I'm hoping for a loss. I know that I am building muscle, but I sure wish the scales would move in the right direction!!

Found out this morning that they are going to continue the chisel class in July and 1/2 of August! Hooray! It ends at 9:00, and I saw on the program schedule that there is a water aerobics class that starts at 9:40 beginning in June. I think I'll go ahead and sign up for it since I'm already there.

We just had burritos for lunch. I tried to make them as healthy as possible so I wouldn't feel too guilty. I still have plenty of calories left for a nice dinner and possibly a snack tonight after class.

Still ~ The trip sounds like great fun but the the surgery. I don't blame you on the timing with the crutches. One of our faculty broke her foot and was on crutches in the winter and she had a heck of a time getting around.

Tammy ~ I live in Shepherd Michigan but the closest place that is bigger than an ink spot is Mount Pleasant where the Soaring Eagle Casino and Central Michigan University are located. I live it here in the middle of the mitt as they say. I complain about the weather but I can't image living anywhere else. I would say you were working a little to hard in your chisel class.

Well I have accomplished a lot so far today but much more to do. I can't figure out where all this work is coming from but as soon as I do I will make sure to nip it in the butt. LOL! Just kidding.

Talk to you all later.

Grammy
Thought the same thing when I walked outside today. I went back in and got a jacket. Gosh it was nippy out there.

Still
Darn, I missed your message lol. Good thing I saw her lol. Glad to have you both here with me. I am always glad to have you with me and I missed Tammy. I never could find the other thread we chatted in :). Good idea to have all the work done at once. If you are going to be on crutches might as well have it all done while the weather is nice out. It is no fun on crutches in the snow. Been there, done that, didn't buy the tee shirt because I didn't want the memories lol. Might be a good idea to lower your in take of fat and carbs while all this is going on. You aren't going to be getting around much. Not sure it is necessary to worry about going past your goal just keep an eye on what you are eating.

Tammy
Glad to see they are going to continue your classes. I know you enjoy them so much. Nice that the other classes will be starting while you are still there. I love beef burritos. I have found since I started using 96% beef they are very healthy so I can have them again. They don't cost any more to make even with the better beef because we are eating so much less meat. I really have found it doesn't cost anymore to eat healthy as it did to eat unhealthy. We eat so much less than we use to.

Grammy, the son of friends of ours goes to CMU, so I know about where you are. I definitely agree that I was overdoing it in the class this morning.

Shy, I used lean beef, ff cheese, tomatoes, black beans, rice in the burritos. I ended up eating one for dinner too. We eat much less than we used to also. Well, our son is home from college for the summer, so that might make a change in the grocery bill!!

I just returned from water aerobics. It was fun, and the water was reasonably warm tonight. sometimes it is really cold. I think I have a couple of the women convinced to sign up for the same class that I'll be taking starting mid-June. It will be fun. One of the instructors is a woman that I used to teach with, and we are in a retired teachers organization together.

I am meeting a couple friends for lunch tomorrow. We're meeting at Mcdonalds. I plan to have the Asian salad. I love that!

Grammy, so sorry to hear about your situation. I can understand your frustration with your husband. There is always someone worse and if he has a treatable condition...then...take care of it and move on. My husband has a heart condition (quite severe, actually) ....sometimes it's little things wrong and he'll get so down....I try to be supportive but I'm just like...it could be worse...so let's not tempt fate and be more upset than we should be. But people handle things differently and I'm still struggling with that. Keep praying for your daughter!!

Oh, wow, Grammy, you've been having a bad year, haven't you? On my cat board, one of the Admins has had her mom die, her hubby ask for a divorce (she had no idea they were even having problems!), her son suddenly start cutting himself and so depressed he was on suicide watch, sick animals, bad things happen at work, etc...it seems like every other day something not just bad, but horrible happens to that poor woman...I truly do believe that when it rains it pours!

I know what you mean. My mom died of Lung cancer. We found out October of 2001 and buried her the first week of December 2001--that's how fast she went. I really feel bad for Atheists...I mean, they have comfort, no hope do they? I may not know exactly which religion is the "right" one, but I do know there is a God, that as the Universe is ordered, as physics follow the laws God has set, that there is a just the same time of plan and order in our lives and afterlives, and that since He thought it was important that they were here in our "flesh" lives, I'm sure they'll be there in our "spiritual" lives as well--and that includes animals! I'm sure you'll see your sweet horse and your wonder "sister" again. :hug:

Tammy, I love tacos and stuff, so what I do to have less fat and calories is add fat free canned refried beans to the extra lean hamburger...plus low fat cheese and wraps, of course! :smug: And that was me talking about St. Marys--wonderful place!!

Guess what everyone!? I've gone from the 300 into Deuceland!! :carrot: Onderland is calling!!

Gaia-that is WONDERFUL! CONGRATS! KEEP IT UP!

Thanks TINKY- I am trying to get at least a couple pounds lower than goal. 153 or something would be nice! I just hope I dont hit this wall like last year. I was at 160 for months, could not sneak past that at all! THen I fell apart and bounced to 181!!!! But I am back and almost there (to 160) again. I have more motivation this time.

My big thing is (with my weight) I have a bad ankle. For years. I have had 10+ surgeries already, looking at the next one in July. And obviously the heavier you are the more stress you put on your joints and the ankle is a bad one for this. So, I am really motivated to stay at a good weight for that. The DR's had initially told my family I would never walk again, most likely, and they should be ready for that if it happens. Well I overcame that and I have been battling ever since. So I am hoping that this surgery will be the trick!

hello, ladies :hug:

Grammy - I hope everything will be ok with your husband, and I'm so sorry about your friend :( it's not fair when good people are taken from us, but I believe we'll see them someday. you still have time left with her and you can say goodbye. I believe it's a bit easier to cope with death if you have the chance to express your feelings to your loved ones. I hope you'll get through all of this . I'm sending you the warmest virtual hug there is :hug:


as for me, today I came home ( I'm on university in another city and I come home 4-5 times a year) and first thing my father told me was that I've lost a fair bit of weight :D I haven't told my parents that I'm calorie counting yet, but they said that it's noticeable... first thing that they comment on is my weight and I find it annoying:^: but they are my parents and I love them. But if they told me I gained weight (after losing 13lbs) I think I would start screaming :D

I decided I won't count calories here because I don't have my fitday and my mother cooks. I want to relax and I'm happy to be home. bad thing is, I started to behave like I'm home which means that no chocolate is safe when I'm around :D
My official weigh-in is sunday so will see what will scale say:D

another thing, next week I'll be away from internet, because I have a field work/trip in botany and vertebrates (two of my faculty classes) so I'll be wondering around with my professors and collect plants and vertebrates :D
It'll make a great cardio , if only I could find something low-cal to eat :D bad thing is, I think I'll be left with pizzas as the only choice :( I'm still trying to figure this one out :dizzy:

Oolong-If I were you I would be VERY careful of your PORTION size while you are at home, since you will not be formally calorie counting. I am sure you have a fair idea of what things add up to. So just be super cautious of portions and you may be ok. As for the pizza...yeah a tough call. Can you take some granola/cereal bars along and have 1 before digging into the pizza, maybe that will make you full enough to only have 1 slice?

Good luck and congrats on the parents noticing! That is great!

Thanks you all! I'm trying! woo hoo!!

Tinky, I had a collie/shepherd named "Shep" (real original huh? LOL) and he died of heartworms back around 1969--there was no cure or prevention back then-- I STILL have dreams of him and I know he's waiting for me. I can hardly wait to grab a handful of that lush, thick, long fur of his, bury my face into his neck and cry for joy!!! As I get older, dead doesn't bother me so much. I'm beginning to eagerly await finding out what's next and seeing my loved ones--human and otherwise. :hug:

Granola and cereal bars are probably healthier to a certain degree, but they have a LOT of nuts and sugars, and depending on the type (I like the 140 calorie bars from Nature's Valley) they can have up to 275--as much as a slice of pizza. I think I'd go with the pizza. The fat will be more "filling" and you'll really enjoy it. The "average" pizza slice is only 250 calories, anyway! You could have TWO pieces if you don't drink a regular cola and just have water....just count the calories! BTW--I had Hunt Brother's Sausage and Peperoni Pizza today--370 cals for a good sized slice. I've still got 800 + calories left for dinner tonight and a snack later! (Probably FF buttermilk. I'm addicted to it and it is soooo satisfying--almost as much as a potato! LOL)

Remember, "calorie counters don't deny, we just simply satisfy. We count what goes into our bellies, doesn't matter if it's salad or jellies. But when our calorie count is hollow, we eat nothing else until tomorrow--so carefully we must spend each calorie that we take in--!"

gaia, congrats on getting to deuceland! It's a good feeling to hit a milestone, isn't it?

Tinky, my Asian salad was as delicious as usual! One of the other women ordered it too, and she agreed with us.

Still, I think my body is weird. My knees hurt more now that I've lost weight than when I was heavier. My rheumatologist even thinks I'm strange! lol

Oolong, pizza is still doable, just don't eat as much as you would have at one time. Good luck on sticking with your plan while you are at home. I can relate on the chocolate!

Talking about all of the pets we've lost. Our dachsund died in January. He had just turned 14, he had seizures and was on medication for several years. We knew he was slowing down. He was at the "doggy hotel" one weekend while we went to visit our son at college. We got a call on Monday morning that he didn't make it through the night. The owner's husband is the one who called, and he and our dog were buddies. He was crying when he called me. We don't plan to get another one because we are retired and want to travel. It wouldn't be fair for the dog to be at the doggy hotel all of the time.

I've done great today with the calories. I have plenty left for a nice dinner and a snack later. Aerobics again in the morning. I will make sure that I am paying closer attention to the heart rate monitor before I start getting dizzy this time!!

Since I feel like I am starting fresh, I changed my tracker to show the 2 pounds that I was up from the last time I created it. One of these days it will go in the right direction!!!!

Tink - Im hanging in here, feeling better all the time about Teddy, and remembering what its like to have a puppy!!! LOL (not sure yet if thats good or bad)

As for dieting ,,, well its going ok - have had a couple slip ups, but have not let it get me down, in the past I would just say oh forget it and totally pig out - but havent dont that this time - just said ok, tomorrow is another day - and its been ok!!!! I think maybe becasue I have given myspef permission to mess up this time, its better - if that makes sense! here comes the hotdog! :carrot:

I'm new and thought I'd check in. I've hit my first plateau. It was very expected. I need to dig into my sewing box and get my measuring tape. The change in measurements always get me through plateaus.

Tinky
As we are running out of things I am feeding everyone what I eat. Thinks lower in carbs, lower in sodium, lower in fat. Hey, this stuff is good for everyone right lol. They still have their junk foods but I figure by the end of next month all my stores of the foods I am no longer eating but they are will be gone. Everyone will be eating healthy in the house.