Hey gang! Just a QUICK drop in to say hello and report that I'm still POP for the week. We've got major projects going on at work so not a lot of time to chat. Hopefully I'll be able to check back in and catch up on posts a little later!
Joni, I think that last time I was on here, I completely missed a page before I posted..... because I just read about Charlie. I am so sorry. I hope you are doing OK. I know how attached we get to these pets. I have been there. My thoughts are with you.
On a happier note, KimS love the pictures. The pics of your boys is adorable.
And Emily, your dogs are to cute. I also have a ****zu/Maltese cross - named Chloe. She looks very similar to your girls.
Jill - hope you have a great vacation, you deserve a nice rest.
Nothing new happening in my world. I am off work today - so just doing some catching up around home, and this aft going to get some shopping done. Trying to get ahead on the Christmas thing, and I am about 1/2 done. Yeah me!!!
Have been doing pretty good pop this past week, with the exception of last night when I went to an Epicure party a friend of mine hosted, and they had all these different samples of dips and stuff for fruits and veggies, and crackers. I tried to not have to many crackers and mostly fruits and veggies to sample the dips, but still .... the dips!!! Oh well, I will try and burn off that sour cream and mayo today.
Does anybody think its odd that we usually plateu about 10 lbs above our goal weight? I'm mean what if our goal weight was lower for example, would we plateu 10 lbs above that weight too? I just don't get it. It's like the carrot you tie in front of the Donkey and he just keeps walking and walking to get it but he never does.
If I move my Goal weight down to 115 then maybe I can reach 125-130.
Hey, guys. My meeting with the dad of my behavior challenge went so well. Dad is a very nice man. I found out that the little boy only moved in with his dad on Sunday. He has been living with his mother in a very unstable environment. Mom curses every other word, has a new guy in the house every week, never picked the kids up from daycare before 8 or 9 every night, didn't make this little boy go to bed until midnight or later. She also has a 1 year old that my student was responsible for getting up and changing and feeding during the night! Dad said that now that mom has basically given the little boy to him, he can now pursue custody without much of a fight. He said that with this little boy, he is basically "fighting someone else's monster." And that's true. He did tell me to call him any time I had trouble and that he would be here within 30 minutes to take care of things. He even came and had lunch with his son yesterday so that he knows that Dad can pop in anytime and check on him. Yesterday was a much better day - almost as if I had a different child in my room! Hopefully that will continue and will get better as his dad seeks to make big changes in his life for the better.
Lettie - I'm behind about 4 pages of posts, but just got a big smile when I looked at your profile picture of the pug wedding photo. Cutest dang thing in the world!
Karen - thanks for the shout out...Can you post a picture of Chloe...she sounds adorable.
Laurie - this could certainly be the ideal weight for you but there are a lot of factors to be considered. Most important of all is how you feel; how your clothes feel, etc. If you've been POP for three months and the scale has not budged, I'd say you have arrived.
Katie - 4 lbs....I'm so jealous! Hope all your limbs are still attached!
Lettie/Nicole - I'm Chicago born and raised; lived there 33 years so all the cities you two mention are familiar to me. I was a true Northside city girl...you were suburbanites.
Dixie Amy - your scan will be good...your scan will be good!
Lynn - I think you need to talk to Suzanne (3FC) and offer to moderate this group. You seem to have a lot of this program down pat. I don't go to a COD anymore, so I'm not very qualified.
Stacy - hope all turns out for your DD - she looks like the picture of health in your avatar!
Hi Jillian - oh...have fun with the kids. I'm still loving your new "do."
Hi Liza - I haven't been around much either...my new job is busy, company is still at my house, and the obvious lack of interest in anything since losing Charlie. Yep...time to face the music. You can do this! Sounds like you may be in a bit of a funk...plan something special for yourself. You deserve it.
Emily - I'm on my way to 'Bama to pick up Libby and Sophie. Emma dog needs some company :-)
Val - I, too, love that poem. When I get a little less emotional about all this I want to make up a scrapbook of some sort and I have collected lots of encouraging words and thoughts from folks. I love your new avatar...you look like your daughter...is that your daughter???
KimS - wow...great picture of you and DH and of your boys. Thanks for sharing. You look super!
Also, thanks for thoughts on Charlie Dog...
So, those of you having kid problems, the D no longer stands for Darling???
Lawyer to be Amy - thanks for asking about me. I'm holding steady...but far from being in my ultimate happy place. The "faucet" turns out when I least expect it. And, then, as quickly as it turned on, it shuts off. Your other post about you and dbf getting your dog in the beginning of your relationship is exactly how it started for Tim and I. Charlie was my first pet and since we have no kids, he and Emma are well trained, but extremely spoiled and personified in many ways. When Charlie was little we would get teary eyed thinking about the fact that dogs usually go before their owners. The thought of losing him was devastating, but somehow, we make it through these tough times; I guess they call it living life.
I see from your post, though, that I'm not the only one crying in the middle of the night. I give you so much credit pulling off the schedule you do. Take a deep breath; you'll get through all this before you know it. Should we call you "judging Amy?"
Dan - hope you are feeling better. I guess there is truth to the saying "can't keep a good man down!" I know you, too, lost a pet not too long ago. Sucks, doesn't it?
Katy66, Alannah, Carrie, Felicia, BarbB, Laurie, Jillian, Nicole, Tina, Dawn, Kimphin NY, Linda, Beacon in Boston - thanks for the hugs and wishes!
Felicia - you must tell us how the meeting went. This sounds horrible and you are too special of a teacher to leave the system. Don't let this one incident bring you down. The thought that a 2nd grader can be so horrible truly amazes me. There is obviously something behind all his behavior problems, isn't there? (thanks for the update....we were posting at the same time)
Okay Stephanie - just what did Edgar do on Day 4???
Tuesday - Thank you for the beautiful post. I don't recognize the name, but that doesn't matter. You touched me and sounds like Leon and Charlie may become good buds before too long! Thank goodness for all the wonderful vet techs that have been there for Charlie and me this past year. At my vet's office every single tech came out from behind the counter to hug me and Charlie...he had a knack with the ladies!! We have not decided exactly what to do with Charlie's cremains...no rush....something will guide us.
Okay - I still have more to read...but gotta work. I'm way behind.
Joni - i posted a picture of my Chloe on my profile - as asked.
I just received this email, and had to share. I thought of you immediately. On the email there was a picture of the dog, but thats okay, I am sure you get the jist of it.
Dog passing - Some people are truly angels on earth
Someone in the US Postal service has a heart - this will really warm your heart
This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. �I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.
�
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. � She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
�
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. �I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. �I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. �I really miss her.
Love, Meredith.
�
�
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven �We put our return address on it. �Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. �
�
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. � Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, "When a Pet Dies." Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:�
�
�
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. � Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. �Abbey loved being your dog. �Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
�
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. �By the way, I am wherever there is love.
Love, God
Last edited by slim n trim; 11-09-2007 at 01:46 PM.
Hi ladies! I haven't been here in a while. Sorta jumped off the wagon and have been disgusted with it all. I'm trying to re-commit and this is a great place to start. In May my weight stalled and I juggled the same 4 lbs up and down until around August. I fought and fought with the counselors till I finally just gave up. Well all the old counselors are gone, my COD moved and is now right up the road from my house so I really don't have much excuse anymore! Blast! I also have an appointment scheduled tonight at the gym to re-do my body assessment and then get the tour of the gym and instructions on the equipment that I didn't get a year ago when we joined. I'm hoping all this will be the kick in the pants I need. I know it has to come from within but I'm really not sure where it went or why.
I have tried to skim some of the posts. I see some old timers and lots of new people. I need to scan back further but have I missed anything terribly exciting? Anyone hit the ever illusive onederland?
Good to see familiar faces again and I hope everyone is doing well and losing steadily!
Joni,
OK, I know this will sound weird, but here is goes. The 4th night after his passing, I dreamt that Edgar hadn't passed, that I went back to the vets and he was ready to come home, so happy to see me - acting like his normal dorky self! I guess in my mind, he was happy where he was, pain free and was letting me know that he was fine! I know, sounds weird, but I guess it worked for me, because I did feel better. It was then that I finally was able to start eating again, etc. So make sure you take care of yourself.
Stephanie - not wierd at all. Rather cool if you ask me. My appetite is slowly returning and I'm taking my vitamins!
Hi Shannon - welcome back! Let's see -- the biggest change is that Cassi (Biz Law Chik) is MIA. She started culinary school, was working part-time at a "dinners to go" type place, lost/left her paralegal job and we haven't heard from her in ages.
Oh Karen - that is so sweet. Wonder if I should write a letter :-). Now where are those darn kleenex?? Oh, I just remembered to check out Chloe....I would love to get kisses from that little thing!!
Katie- Consider yourself lucky that you have a good COD.. and congrats on your loss!!!
Stacy- You're right.. I think we do need to stand up for ourselves!
Karen- Chloe is so cute! You can definately tell she has some Maltese in her..
Felicia- I'm glad to know the father of you're student will be working with you to make sure things go well.
Joni- I'm sure my girls would play right along with Emma.. they think they're big girls!
Shannon- Welcome Back!
So, I went to the COD today and for the third week in a row am the same weight to the ounce. I know I complain all the time about my dreaded counselor and that she is completely clueless, but let me just justify that right quick I went in today and met with one of the many counselors that float thru on occasion. She looked at my book and asked me why I was not eating the right amounts of my foods. [which I have been eating the whole time and my counselor has never mentioned.] I do not really eat veggies so they have changed my plan up per the dietician to make it as suitable as possible. Well.. this whole time I was supposed to be getting an extra fruit and 1/2 dairy to substitute for my veggies that i don't get.. and instead my counselor has had me eating an extra 1/2 dairy and an extra starch! This is posted plainly that the top of my chart, and the new girl noticed it right off. My regular counselor has been checking my chart and my book for probably 2 months since we changed to the numbered plans and never even noticed.. not to mention that she is the one that told me wrong to begin with.. I am, needless to say, very irritated. I am hoping, now that she has changed that around, that maybe I will see the scale move a little!
Karen - What a beautiful story, but now everybody at work is wondering why I'm sitting here crying.
Joni - Yes that's my DD.
Felicia - glad the meeting with the father went well. I tell you, some people don't deserve to be mothers, but thank heavens it sounds like he has a good dad.
Emily - how frustrating, but good to see somebody else picked up on it.
Hope everyone has a good weekend, and to my Canadian friends, hope you have a good long weekend.
Shannon - Welcome back.. Now that you're back in the saddle, it's time to gallop!!
Amy - I had the same problem and I think it's a mental thing... I mean, yes, our bodies have now grown accustomed to the whole "new lifestyle" thing and there's more resistance.. BUT.. I think it's more that our brains have grown more comfortable with where we are and as such, subconciously, we're not as focused.. Conciously we're stressing about getting to that final destination, but inwardly, we're telling ourselves that "Hey! I look and feel great, so I can start chilling out with this diet thing."
So naturally, the two trains of thought are colliding and as such, it causes even more stress which then slows the process down...
My last 10 pounds were awful.. But once I reached goal, I KEPT LOOSING, and couldn't figure out how to stop.. So I really focused on stabilization and now maintenance.. I bottomed out at about 187 and have hovered around 190 since then... Which leads me to Laurie's comments....
Laurie.. I think your counselors thought that "Your body may just be where it needs to be" is her way of saying "Well, I can't think of anything else for you to try, so we'll just call it good right there."... If you're comfortable with it, fine, but I don't believe you've stopped losing weight because you're body is comfortable with where it's at.. Of course, I may be full of crap (and after my 4 days at a resort this week, that may be more true than I know), so you should get a second medical opinion.. I'd schedule a trip to the doctor and see what he/she says about your stall-out.. See if there's a medical reason..
They always say we should consult a doctor before getting into a weight loss plan, and this is the reason!! I've been trying to get Liz to go see our doctor to see if he has any suggestions as to why she's stalled out.. She hasn't yet, but that's another story..
Dan - it is time for me to go to the dr. to have them recheck my thyroid and see if my meds need adjusting. Maybe that has something to do with it. Gives me the motivation to go now. And I thought the same thing when she made the comment that maybe she's exhausted all her little tricks and sayings to no avail so maybe I should just be glad at where I'm at. Don't get me wrong I am happy that I'm 34 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of the year. I'm thrilled actually. I just think I have anothre 10 pounds or so that I could stand to lose. I'll try the dr. route and see what she says. Gives me something to do when I'm off the week of Thanksgiving.
Emily - I hope things start moving in the right direction now that the COD has figured out that things weren't working in your favor.
Felicia - I'm so glad the boy's father is so responsible and concerned with his son's well being. Explains a lot about his actions and outbursts. Poor little fella.
Karen - What a heartwarming story. I'm sniffling and my coworker is looking at me like I have 3 heads.
Well it's almost time for me to leave work for the weekend. Going to DD's in St. Louis for the weekend. I'll check in when I can otherwise I'll be back on here on Tuesday. Everyone have a good weekend.
