.

As you know from my post last week one of the dogs I walked regularly died last Wed. In addition to that a cat (who I was supposed to cat sit starting this week) that I have been caring for for 12 years died on Thursday.

I also did a sleep over this past weekend with the very elderly dog at the same household where the younger dog died.

Normally the stress and sadness of all those events would have set off a week-long eating binge and a gain of at least 5 lbs.

I opted to not do that and am holding steady at 135.

I've been thinking of giving in and posting 135 as my goal weight. But I know I can get down to 130 without a whole lot of pain. And probably 125 with a lot of pain.

It's still a question of motivation. How much do I want this? Is it worth being hungry almost all the time for the short term? I haven't quite decided what to do.

Have a good Monday all!

Dagmar

Good morning. It's raining like mad here again. sigh.

Meg, my husband has a Navman and it works really well.

Dagmar, I am sorry about the dog and cat. Good job staying on plan through the sadness.

Hi everyone,

I had a productive and mostly on plan weekend. Both Fri & Sat night I was supposed to go out to social events. BF & I figured dinner might be served late both nights, so we ate totally OP food at home and avoided the caloric fare served around 9:30 both nights. I didn't even have to argue with anyone about what I was eating, or not eating.

Sat. I bombed the house for bugs. I left a bunch of my kitchen things out on the porch, set the bombs off, and left for the gym without a single cloud in the sky. I got out of the gym 2 hours later and the sky was menacingly dark. I rushed home freaking out - things got wet but I dried it all and the appliances are ok. It made me realize the unnatural attachment I have to my KitchenAid mixer & food processor. Does anyone else feel this way, lol? I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house up after the bombs. Sunday BF and I went fishing, and I took the day as a rest day from exercise. It will be a busy week for me at work so I've got food and workouts prepped & planned.

Jay, I know, no hurricanes (knock on wood) but all this rain. I suppose if it's not one thing it's something else...

Dagmar, the only advice that I can offer is that a goal weight should ideally be truly sustainable. How stressful will it be for you to get to 125? Will you really be able to stay there and be happy? Just something to think about while you're contemplating where you want to go... So sorry about all the animal upsets.

Meg, I'm sorry to hear about your MIL. Two of my grandparents have (grandmother had) dimensia, but though difficult the situation was somewhat easier b/c my aunt already lived with them. My granddad now also has a nurse come for part of the day while she's at work. All I know about the GPS's are that in the nautical GPS industry, Garmin is the best by far. Maybe read some of the product reviews on Amazon.com for the ones you're considering.

Lily, I'm sorry to hear that you've been diagnosed as diabetic but think how much worse it would be if you hadn't taken so many steps to improve your overall health already! about Shane.

Hi everybody else! Let's have a great week!

Meg, sorry to hear about your MIL's dementia. I would highly recommend getting her moved into an assisted living center as soon as possible. My grandma was left living on her own for too long after she started showing signs of dementia, and we didn't know how bad it had gotten until she started calling my dad in the middle of the night with concerns about things that had happened 40 years ago. It turned out she hadn't even been able to prepare food for herself and was not able to remember to take her medications on schedule for quite some time before then - she ended up in the hospital before we finally got her into assisted living. This is all with her living 15 minutes away from us and us seeing her three times a week -- I imagine with being 2 hours away it would be worse. Dementia can go downhill extremely quickly.

As for the GPS, my parents have a Garmin and they are pretty happy with it. I would say make sure you get one of the ones that tells you the name of the street you're supposed to turn on, not just how far away it is. Personally I think GPS's still have a long way to go before they match up to having someone sitting next to you with a map, but they've come a long way in the past 5-10 years. One of my favorite features is the "tell me how to get to the nearest gas station" feature -- a lifesaver if you're low on gas in an area you don't know.

The most important thing to know when driving with a GPS: they aren't always right. They don't account for roads closed for construction, and sometimes the coordinates are a bit off. So if your GPS is telling you to turn right now and there isn't a road to turn onto, trust your own judgement! I've heard horror stories about people driving their cars into lakes because "the GPS told me to turn!"

Dagmar, I'm sorry to hear about the cat. Great job not turning to food for comfort, though! As for the goal weight, you could try officially making 135 your goal for a while, then reevaluate in a few months.

Ward, send some of that rain our way! DH's is getting grouchy because he hates having to water the lawn and it hasn't rained much. I've heard about the torrential rains in Atlanta though, DH has some cousins who live there.

Lily, glad to hear from you. I'm sorry to hear about the diabetes. Is it related to your liver disease? I hope that once you get your medications sorted out you'll have the energy to exercise again. When is Shane getting deployed? I will be thinking of you and your family and hoping for his safe return.

My new focus on weight loss is working! I was down half a pound last week, and today's weight was another half pound below that so I'm hopeful for a 1-lb loss this week. I WILL get back to 130! I have so much more confidence now that the scale is moving in the right direction.

Megan, we posted at the same time! I am pretty attached to my kitchen equipment too. Great job with the OP dinners!

Lily, sorry to hear about Shane being deployed to Afghanistan. I will be praying for protection for him.
I was sorry to hear about your diabetes diagnosis, let me tell you about my son. Like you he was sick a lot and finally went to the doctor and found out he is diabetic. I am afraid I reacted badly as I was scared, but I begged him to take care of himself, He promised me he would. Well, he has, in spades . He has lost over 200 pounds, through diet and exercise and his doctor has taken him off his diabetes medication. Diabetes is not a diagnosis we want to hear but it can be handled . Try and not stress over the family's different situations, I know you are the strong one. taking care of everybody. Now is the time to take care of yourself. I wish you the best.

Hi everyone and thanks for the support.

Meg, sorry to hear about your MIL's dementia. I've also thought of getting a GPS. Although I don't venture far from home except to go to my doctors appointments.

Dagmar, I'm sorry to hear about the death of the animals.

Jessica, my doctors think the diabetes is mostly related to my long-term history of steroids usage. Of course my mom, 1 sister, 1 brother and maternal grandfather all had full-blown diabetes too. The weird thing is I kept thinking my "hot flashes" were all just due to menopause. Turns out a lot of what was happening was massive fluctuations in my blood sugar.

I know this isn't a good thing, but right now I'm scared of food. It makes me sick to eat. Hopefully this will end soon and my body will adjust to eating a diabetic diet.

Yesterday afternoon I did mow the yard. It took every bit of effort that I had, but it needed it badly. We've had so much rain lately that my yard was really overgrown. I'm hoping the weather will clear up soon. I haven't got to swing a golf club in over 2 weeks now and I miss it.

I'm getting no help around here at all. Both girls now have school and part-time jobs. DH has been working lots of overtime.

Jessica, my son is currently training in New Jersey. He gets a 1 week leave at Christmas time and then deploys to Afghanistan on Jan 2nd. He had been slated to deploy to Iraq. They changed his unit's orders due to the new "troop surge" being sent to Afghanistan. I am going to try to have a really big Christmas this year and make it as festive as possible. I know he will be gone for 13 months on the deployment.

Lilybelle, if you are taking insulin, you MUST eat on schedule. I'm sure you know that--just want to encourage you!

Jay

Meg~my in-laws have a Garmin (we gave it to them for Christmas a year or two ago) and they love it. I used it once and was a bit annoyed because as we were on the freeway, it would say something like you'll need to turn right ahead--when that "ahead" was 10 or more miles away. It was nice, however, if you missed your intended turn, it would recalibrate and get you back on course.

And sandwich generation? It is so hard being the filling on that sandwich. Thankfully my SIL is doing more than her fair share for my parents since she lives so much closer than I do. We're trying to figure out how best to get them down here for a visit, but it is so hard with all the arrangements (Mom & her wheelchair, Dad and his need for nighttime oxygen or an APAP machine). They live alone in Utah and thankfully neighbors help out with snow shoveling in the winter, but I really wish they'd move into a place with fewer outdoor chores.

Lily~my sister has had diabetes for 46 years and it is a manageable disease. Good luck to you. And my neighbor just got back from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan and all is well. Prayers for the same for Shane.

Meg:Sorry to hear about your MIL. On the GPS: I have a Tomtom and you should absolutely look at that before you decide. My sisters & myself, who are all severely orientation challenged, all can manage the tomtom in 3D mode, but NOT the other ones. Especially in heavy traffic I personally need it that the tomtom says to me in several different ways where to go so I can make the proper decision in a split second.

lily - glad you checked in. I have been wondering how you were. The diabetes diagnosis definitely sucks, but OTOH you now will probabely be feeling better once you manage the insulin & eating on time right. It must be a big plus also that you already have the skill & discipline to eat certain foods at in certain times and adhere to a diet.

hi to all the other maintainers,
have a great day all,
Rabbit

Just saw in the news that there's flooding in the southern US, particularly in the Atlanta area. Shannon are you ok?

Howdy. How did it get to be 3:15 in the afternoon already..... I've been really busy all day....

Lily - Good to see you. I, too, have been wondering where you were. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but I know that long steriod use can cause diabetes (DH was on them quite awhile). I know you'll have the eating straightened out in no time. Your plan for a big Christmas for Shane sounds like a good one.

Meg - we dealt with dementia in both my mother and MIL, and it's a hard thing. My MIL especially was alert enough at times to resist going into assisted living, and yet she needed full-time care and my poor 90+ FIL was getting worn out providing it. She did finally go to a nursing home very close to their home and my FIL did much better when he was able to sleep at night. He visited her every day the year or so she was there. I hope you and your DH can find a workable solution.

Dagmar - sorry to hear about the dog and cat dying.

The only input I have on GPS is that DH has a Garmin, but it's not a car one, rather one he uses for hiking, canoeing, etc. He likes it, but I've never tried it.

It's FALL here, and today it's raining hard, which will take down many more of the leaves. And I'm sure when it stops and the clouds lift there will be lots of fresh snow on the surrounding mountains. Sigh.

Raising my hand Meg! I also saw a 3 pound gain overnight! We went to Sonoma for a pasta feed. I never drink alcohol but decided to have wine. Wine with pasta and garlic bread......not a good combo for me. I didn't feel well the rest of the day-- headachy and heart pounding and exhausted. I couldn't make it to the gym and I still don't feel great but I am going tonight. And three pounds overnight on the scale. Just not worth it..... dh had just come back from Europe and I didn't want to be a wet noodle though......

I am also praying for you Lily-- both for your health and your son.

I have a GPS built into my car. I am severely directionally challenged and need my GPS! I use it all the time! I haven't had one of the other brands though.

Meg-- I'll also be thinking of you and your MIL. Definitely in the sandwich generation here. We've already dealt with both of my parents, assisted living, dementia, cancer.... they are deceased now and now dh's parents are starting to decline. It is so difficult.

Hi to the rest of you! Another crazy busy week here. I'll check back in when things calm down a bit.

Good morning everyone. Survived the rain and the floods so far - I have power & water, only minor leaking in the house, lots of roads closed around me but can still get most places I need to go, the worst part for me right now is my phone/internet/cable being out. I think there is a sinkhole or a railroad trestle washed out just past my subdivision - they have police tape up at the traffic light for my subdivision and won't let people go any further down the road... My MIL has had no water for two days and is stuck at her house, the road closures limit her greatly. We had some damage at one of our restaurants, several customer injuries where they fell down in the rain. I went home yesterday morning to wait for a freight delivery and couldn't get back to work with the road closures and heavy rain. We thought DH was going to get trapped at work, he made it home but it took two hours and he was rerouted by the police a number of times... Crazy. I started looking for gopherwood. Of course, I ate horribly on top of it. I had ice cream on Friday (DH was under stress at work and stopped for some minor items on the way home, got ice cream with) then pizza on Saturday, both of which I could have managed, but then added in more ice cream yesterday. DH & I both are apparently stress ice cream eaters. I did exercise on Friday & again yesterday, and think I'm finally over my sick though. Still a little congested, but nothing serious. Got to get back on track this week. Again. I seem to run in two week cycles of stress the last month - hope it isn't an indicator of the coming holidays...

My staff accountant's house is flooded - the finished basement is completely flooded and it is halfway up the first floor now.

Meg - I had a Garmin Nuvi 680 before my Accord, which has built in GPS. Loved it - it has bluetooth, speaks the street names and is widescreen. This is the current version of pretty much the same thing, just with MSN Direct added. Garmin Nuvi 780 I didn't get the MSN Direct because it was an extra $100 at the time - I think I paid $350 for mine when I got it. It does have some limitations, like Allison mentioned - construction, new roads, etc. I think this one has traffic available, if so that is a good feature to subscribe to. It will warn you when you are approaching congested areas. You have to buy a seperate receiver for it on the 780 I think, or subscribe to it through the MSN Direct. I'm in the sandwich generation, too. Hard. Last year when my MIL was having her cancer treatments we had issues with my stepson at the same time. Hard to care for both sides of the sandwich! My parents are in pretty good health so far, but they are two hours away and I worry about what will happen when their health status changes. MIL is 45 minutes away and that was hard enough.

Dagmar - I'm so sorry about the kitty. This has been a rough two weeks for you. It is so hard with pets - I visited my parents this weekend, and it is the first time I've seen their dog since Christmas. She is a 17 year old miniature dachshund and she looks terrible. Deaf, mostly blind, losing her hair, doesn't walk well, some kind of rash on her back. She can still smell though - mom heated some ham in the microwave and she came wandering out of the back bedroom for a treat. It made me cry just watching her. Good job to you on controlling the eating during all of that! On the goal weight, I second the sustainable. I realize that I would love to be 120, but it is obvious that I am not going to be able to sustain less than an average of 125, sometimes a little lower. Would 125-130 be something you could maintain without making yourself crazy?

Ward - any damage where you are?

Megan - Glad you recovered your kitchen equipment! I would be stressed out if something happened to mine as well.

Jessica - on the weight loss! Seeing the scale move down is a great motivator!

Lily - My grandmother was diabetic, and lived with it and managed it just fine for the last 38 years of her life. I'm sorry about the diagnosis, but glad that you finally know what it going on! Sorry about the deployment info on Shane. Definitely have a fabulous Christmas before he goes.

Michele - what is a pasta feed?

to anyone I missed! Have a great day today!