I like your site Dagmar. I wish we had someone local to us that provided such a service. We live way out in the boonies. The privacy and natural beauty are hard to beat, but it's mighty isolated. It's difficult to find anyone we trust to care for our animals when we have to be away.

It just so happens that our eldest, a 13 yr old GSD, is named Dagmar.

"Dagmar" is a very common name in Germany (and Denmark) so your GSD is well-named. And 13 years old - that's awesome for that breed.

I am kinda tired and fraught with anxiety so when I first read your post my brain did one of those weird things. I thought you were referring to a 13-year old child - couldn't figure out what GSD meant in terms of that. Then it dawned on me that you were referring to a pet - - and German Sheperd Dog.

Dagmar

Allison, you gotta do what you gotta do! Me, it's the kiss of death to try to hit an "x pounds by x date" goal, so I'm going to continue to muddle slowwwwwly downward. I will for you!

I am looking forward to a new week. Last week was kind of a bust with the shoulder/back mess. Pain is a relatively rare thing in my life, thank goodness, so I'm not good at working around it.

I updated my ticker to look at 7 day weight averages-- I'm going to see how that works for me. I've been 122.8 the past two mornings so I'm hoping not to mess that up which is what I usually do! Dh returned from Europe last night so I need to try not to celebrate with food!

6 days until my tough mudder. Oy.

grumble, grumble. My gym has some sort of electrical problem that's causing half of the building not to have power. Yesterday the spin instructor pulled her car around back and hooked her iPod up to the speakers so we could have class, but today and tomorrow the classes are cancelled. Most of the cardio machines are working and they had the back doors open for light so theoretically I could work out on the floor, but there is also no A/C in the gym. So, bottom line, I bailed on my weights workout today with no plan for tomorrow and I feel like I will turn into a blob soon if this keeps up. I DO NOT like having my routines disrupted!

Good job on the website, Dagmar! and hello to everyone else!

I hope your situation improves soon. Dealing with family issues like that is beyond stressful.

Yes, Daggy is getting up there. She's really slowed down in these last couple years. Having some trouble getting up and down but still seems to be enjoying herself. Our other two, Kazak and Branca run rings around her. Those two often hike with us. Dagmar wants to, but can't do the distances these days.

michele - I'm sure you can find a non-food way to celebrate DH coming home. Maybe even burn a few calories!

ward, I hope they get you up and running again shortly! My issue is having a routine in the other direction - the "body at rest remains at rest". I need a big kick in the fanny!

It was a good weekend to inspire me to get back on a tighter track. It's not that I'm doing damage - but my forward/downward progress has lately been imperceptible. I'm not ready to stay at this level. It *seems* like 147-148 could be a future red-line, but to know that, I have to get below it!

to all!

Up .3 pounds from Friday morning, so the weekend wasn't so damaging after all. I was wondering what meal from the Whole Foods salad bar might do, as I took a decent amount of tofu. (Speaking of which, why can't I get my tofu cooked at home to the same toothsome, chewy texture as theirs?)

I find myself especially ravenous this morning and am trying not to give into the urge to get another handful of dry-roasted almonds. Raw plain almonds are fine, but something about the texture and crunch of the dry-roasted ones makes me want to eat one after another.

Up slightly from the weekend. I'm certain most of it was from extra carbs. I made calzones for dinner on Saturday and we had burgers last night. I should have had mine without the bun, but it was so good. Homemade is so much better than anything you can buy (for the most part).

On track though, for a good week.

I am down , I hate to give a figure because it seems when I do I jinx myself and regain it and wait a long time for a whoosh.I did go to a tea on Saturday and I did eat a little of everything including creampuffs , they were bite size so I guess that helped, I did eat more than one, though. I will wait a few days to see if this loss is going to last.

My downward trend is up slightly this morning so I'm hoping to put a halt on it before it goes back up again. I was going to change my ticker but I think I'll wait and look at the seven day average and use that for my ticker.

Saef - I've asked that question about tofu dozens of times. A friend and I have both tried to cook it and ours always come out wet and squishy. I have no idea what they do at places like Whole Foods. Maybe they pat it and drain it?

Michele - welcome home to DH!

High five on the down today, Bargoo! Woo!

I did well this weekend, better than I have on a weekend in a while. I ran a 15k yesterday and feel pretty good. My clothes fit well today, though my fingers and feet are still bloated. Meh.

As for the tofu--what are you starting with? I almost always get the firmest available (don't know if it's called firm or what) and I never have a problem with it being soft and squishy.

I go through a whole multistep process with tofu. I buy extra firm, packed in water, and I freeze it. I then thaw it and press it to drain it. When it's well drained, I marinate it and then bake it. And it's not like Whole Foods' tofu.

Recently, at the end of the draining process, I tried frying it in a dry pan with not a hint or a lick of oil. That tanned it lightly. It gave it a good texture. Still, it wasn't like Whole Foods' tofu. That stuff has a dense, substantial mouth feel. After eating, I really feel like I've had something to eat. It felt energy-dense. I think I could control portions at home better if I were able to duplicate that texture because it's more satisfying.

Hi, everyone! I've been reading your forum for months now, and finally decided to join. I'm scared of failing, so I had planned to just gain inspiration from everyone anonymously. I'm finding that as I get closer to my goal weight I fizzle out and throw in the towel, though. It's almost as if it's too good to be true, and I do not think I'm capable of actually reaching my goal weight. I self sabotage after working for weeks to lose a half pound, so I know this is where I need to be to stay focused and remain accountable.