Chickadeee and Carol Sue, y'all have the most precious dogs!

Chickadeee, I hope it's not the meds that caused you to having cravings. I'm hoping it was just "one of those days" so you won't have to have an ongoing battle! Have fun at Trader Joe's! Your dog looks like two different dogs, both as cute as can be!

Carol Sue, I agree Rusty does have that look of a Lhaso Apso. I love that last pic of him. He reminds me of a gentleman from the 1800's with mutton chops, lol! So dignified! Yes, I suppose if I were a groomer and an aggressive dog bit me, I'd be reluctant to handle dogs too, especially upon first returning!

Rennie, I don't like that I have to take it, but I don't mind the taste of Smooth Move tea at all. Yay on resisting the potatoes! I don't know what it is about the 170's but they seem to be a difficult decade for lots of people!

Mars, how fun and interesting! What made you decide to go to Cuba?

PrairieQueen, I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better! And yay on the weight loss!

SeeMyFeet, yikes! Meds in shot form, not my favorite! You should feel good about your weight loss, despite seeing your co-worker from years ago! You've come a long way from your high weight, so flaunt it, sister!

Week 18: High 190.5, Low 186.5
8/30--190.5
8/31--189.5
9/1--188
9/2--187
9/3--188
9/4--187
9/5--186.5 Carb Day

Week 19: High 186; Low 183.5
9/6--186
9/7--186
9/8--185
9/9--184
9/10--184
9/11--184.5
9/12--183.5 Carb Day

Week 20: High 184, Low 180.5
9/13--184
9/14--184
9/15--182.5
9/16--181
9/17--181.5
9/18--181
9/19--180.5 Carb Day

Week 21: High 181.5, Low 179
9/20--181
9/21--181.5
9/22--DNW
9/23--180
9/24--179.5
9/25--179
9/26--179.5 Carb Day

Week 22:
9/27--179.5
9/28--180.5
9/29--179
9/30--179
10/1--178
10/2--178
10/3--

Today's Meals
Breakfast
2 fried eggs
A slice of ham
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Green tea with Splenda
Mio water

Lunch:
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Snack:

Dinner: @ local sports grill with friends
Large salad with grilled chicken, craisins, and ranch dressing
Water with lemon

Today's Exercise:
2.4 miles at the walk park ( It 's getting too cold for this!)

Morning everyone! Yay for the weekend
Cute doggies!

SMFInteresting dream...The first part about being toned & fit sounds vivid. If you can dream it, you can be it My carb sweet spot is ~75-100 net.

Rennie Bummer that Smooth Moves didn't help. I didn't mind the mint flavor, and it worked fine if I drank a cup every day. Now I drink a liter of water before work along with super strong Tasters Choice coffee, and I don't have any need for the tea or anything else. But I have to get up extra early for all that water to run through me so that I can get through my commute without any emergency stops, lol. I'm glad the B-up bars are working out. I like them too.

Jacqui You did great eating out! When I read your words that it's getting to cold for the track, it hit me that summer really is over! Re Cuba, the trip is offered by a birding organization. The wild lands there are relatively unspoiled by development. I love to travel but can get into quite a dither worrying about what I will eat. Not so much the tempting treats as much as whether I can find healthy things like salads & veggies. It will be out of my control so I will do my best & try not to worry about it. Cuba's chief export is sugar .

Yesterday I just wanted to eat protein for some reason. By the end of the day I felt ragged. I can feel myself becoming more sensitive to light as I age, like I'm morphing into a chicken! In the summer I had trouble sleeping, but not so much now, with shorter daylight.

B mushroom/onion/sauerkraut omelet, whey shake & coffee
L salad, chicken, beans, WF dressing
D turkey chili, quinoa, roasted cabbage, cauliflower
S more turkey chili, steamed broccoli

WI this am 169

Yesterday......
Breakfast - McD's sausage burrito w/hot sauce, Stevia iced tea
Lunch - leftover harvest salad (lettuce, pears, dried cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese, balsamic vinaigrette)
Dinner - leftover lemon/mushroom chicken w/angel hair pasta, 2 light beers

No snacks and no cooking!

Who left the freezer door open? Yikes, I'm not ready for winter...dry skin, shivering....althooooough....I do relish the thought of hiding beneath more clothing. Hopefully, I will have a metamorphosis next spring and emerge as a thin, new butterfly.

...well, I survived my 1st self-injection, ha. I was left to my own devices to figure out how to do the injection, how much to inject, and how to dispose of the needles. I'm more than capable of handling all that, but it angers me to think how frequently folks are simply shuffled out the door after their medical appointments, and not given the helpful advice and information they need.

I don't feel that I've come a long way, Jaq....I was only at my highest weight for a nanosecond, thankfully. It was shocking moment that caused me to set up a force field. Unfortunately, I have not always moved the force field down with me as I lost, so I keep having to lose the same ## over and over. Classic definition of insanity, and I'm not proud of myself.

On the good news front, I've lost 5lb since my new birthday. Or I think I have. My weights are not the same immediately after waking versus 20 min later, after showering. Sometimes up, sometime down. I go with the lower number .

Sticking with the Purina Human Chow experiment.
B: 1/2C oats+1/4Tbutter+1T br sugar+2T2% &coffee
L/S: Simple salad, incl 2 boiled eggs, and fresh fruit
D: protein+maybe sauteed veggies and herbs
up to 150cal juice, if energy runs low

SeeMyFeet I'm glad you were able to figure out the injection--good on you. But it's negligent that they did not teach you that at your appt--yikes. Congrats on the 5 lbs! (that's 5 lbs more than I've moved my scale since June).

I had a good Carb Day. I toyed with skipping it but...nahhhh! I had Indian-seasoned potatoes from WholeFoods hot bar, a little nut & raisin trail mix, a cheese/cracker sample, spoonful of coconut oil. Otherwise not much different than usual. This a good thing compared to recent Carb Days. For once, I remembered that being stuffed doesn't feel that great, nor does eating a lot of sweets----I'm feeling pleased with myself.

I did try adding quinoa to my breakfast to increase the carb count, but it made me hungry shortly after. I have to stick to protein in the am or I am ravenous all day long.

The stores today were really crowded compared to last week. Reminded me of the holiday madness that's right around the corner.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

SeeMyFeet I can't believe they didn't show you. Hubs had to do his anticoagulant after his two surgeries last winter. They showed me as well. I prepped, he jabbed, I squeezed/pulled it out of his belly/disposed of it. Congrats on the loss and figuring out the injection details.....crazy.

SeeMyFeet, on your 5-lb loss! You know better than I do but your ticker looks awfully good to me! What doctor's office/hospital lets you leave without showing you how to give yourself a needed injection? That's outrageous!

PrairieQueen, good menu! I hope things are still going smoothly for you!

Mars, thanks! I've been thinking about you as it's been getting darker and colder. I hope your spectrum light works really well for you. I really should invest in one. I've had multiple doctors suggest them and one even wrote me a prescription for one. I just kept putting it off because I wasn't sure what kind to get. And having a foggy winter brain makes decision-making so easy, lol! Your trip to Cuba sounds wonderful but yes I see the dilemma in food choices. Hopefully, they'll have wonderfully amazing choices!

I have been so busy today! (Well considering it's after midnight, I guess my "today" is officially yesterday, Saturday.) I leave for TN tomorrow (um, today, Sunday) to spend 10-11 days with my Dad while my step-mother goes to visit her family in WV. My word, the preparation it takes! And I am worried to death about my pets. My DH will do his best I'm sure, but I'm still going to worry.

Today was Carb Day and Ohio State game day, so although I dropped a lb this morning, I'm fully expecting to gain 2-3 lbs of water weight. The Ritz crackers I had with my chili are going to be the thing to get me I'm afraid. By the time I was done, I had eaten almost a whole sleeve by myself! Plus I had cookies and candy! Incredibly, I didn't have anything pumpkin today. I do love Carb Day!

Week 18: High 190.5, Low 186.5
8/30--190.5
8/31--189.5
9/1--188
9/2--187
9/3--188
9/4--187
9/5--186.5 Carb Day

Week 19: High 186; Low 183.5
9/6--186
9/7--186
9/8--185
9/9--184
9/10--184
9/11--184.5
9/12--183.5 Carb Day

Week 20: High 184, Low 180.5
9/13--184
9/14--184
9/15--182.5
9/16--181
9/17--181.5
9/18--181
9/19--180.5 Carb Day

Week 21: High 181.5, Low 179
9/20--181
9/21--181.5
9/22--DNW
9/23--180
9/24--179.5
9/25--179
9/26--179.5 Carb Day

Week 22: High 180.5, Low 177
9/27--179.5
9/28--180.5
9/29--179
9/30--179
10/1--178
10/2--178
10/3--177 Carb Day

Today's Meals
Breakfast
2 homemade oatmeal raisin cookies
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Snack
Mint chocolate Klondike bar

Lunch:
Chili with Ritz crackers
Frosted sugar cookie
Mio water

Snack:
Mint chocolate candy

Dinner:
Chili and Ritz crackers
Frosted sugar cookie
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
20 minutes on the Weslo CardioGlide at home

Well, we all survived the night with Rusty and DGS. There was barking and growling, but it became less as the evening went on. We put up a baby gate at the door to DGS's room. I guess if Rusty really tried he could have knocked it down, but since John was sleeping and not moving, he lost interest and was happy to be in our room with us for the night. Same issue this morning, but John is going home around 11.

I was sent home from the hospital with a glucose meter but not shown how to test. They did the testing while I was in the hospital and probably figured I could see what they did, but when the visiting nurse came the first day she showed me how to test. Since I was diagnosed while I was in the hospital recovering from heart surgery, the nurses were more concerned about my heart, and I don't think they realized that I wasn't diabetic when I came, just when I left. Also, they told me to write down my blood glucose reading in a little book, but didn't tell me what to do with the little book, or what to do if the readings were high or low. I had to read books and research online to find out all that stuff. LOL

You guys do so well losing in spite of carb day. I've been reading Dr Hyman, so I guess I'm going to head back to low carb.

Yesterday....

Breakfast - a piece of chicken bbq pizza, can of Coke Life
Lunch - last bit of hubs' beef stroganoff from Wednesday
Snack - Skinny popcorn
Dinner - Sirloin steak sandwich w/onions/banana peppers/provolone/mustard/mayo (it was soooooo good, I could've had another) light beers

Carol thanks for info on the pears. I still have to once again remember to buy them. Sorry you're taking Immodium.

Jacqui, yeah I am revisiting the 170's yet again . One day I'll learn. I feel like I am back to the need to wire my mouth shut for a few days I resisted the potatoes until yesterday then I caved and ate some and two biscuits. Oh so good now I don't want anymore. I surprised myself with the potatoes. I typically eat a lot but this time I had maybe 2/3 cup and I was done.

Skinny Pop I love, but thanks to you all and your popcorn kernels I bought some Now I have to pop it lazy me

SeeMyFeet, I think I missed something so I'll just say hello,

I've decided to get myself the Ninja IQ for Christmas (I'm excited) and today I bought the Quick Whisk. I love this thing and so does my son. Now I want to drink frothie things

SeeMyFeet, lol! I don't know why I have kept it all these years because I don't really like it, but like you I wanted a piece of exercise equipment at home and it seems to reach a lot of muscle groups. I try to pretend I'm having fun, like a kid on a piece of playground equipment. Interesting articles. I'm afraid I don't have faith in the research however. It reminds me of the food-related research which vilified fat for decades based on faulty cause-effect.

Rennie, I wonder if you should give Carb Day a try again, but not an "anything goes" Carb Day, just an "I'll have a special treat today" Carb Day. That way you'll still be able to indulge in some things you like without guilt, but you'll be limiting those things to only once a week. It's worth considering!

Carol Sue, I'm glad Rusty and your DGS were able to co-exist well together, albeit separately, and everybody's safe and sound! I haven't read Dr. Hyman, but I think low carb is a smart choice! How low are you going?

PrairieQueen, your sirloin sandwich does look yummy!

I arrived safely in TN today. It's always so wonderful seeing my Dad! Whew, I barely stayed in the 170's after Carb Day! I'll have to use my Dad's scale while I'm here and it weighs me less than mine weighs me by 3 or 4 lbs. And he's moved it. I can't find it, hmmmm.

Week 23:
10/4--179.5
10/5--
10/6--
10/7--
10/8--
10/9--
10/10--

Today's Meals
Breakfast
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Atkins protein bar
Mio water

Snack

Lunch:
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Atkins protein bar
Mio water

Snack:
A handful of walnuts

Dinner: @ Wendy's
10 spicy chicken nuggets
Water

Today's Exercise:
20 minutes on the Weslo CardioGlide at home this morning. I brought some exercise straps with me to my Dad's, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to give those a go.

It's getting late, but wanted to say hi, I enjoyed reading everyone's posts, just got too busy to add my 2cents!

Jacqui Glad you arrived safe n sound in TN. It sounds lovely to be there & I'll bet your Dad is thrilled to see you. Was there nice scenery on the way? Trees changing color? Btw, maybe your Dad's scale gives the true weight.

Re light therapy, I love the one I have--it looks like a desk lamp, from Sunbox.com ~200.00. My friend suffers from major depression & her doctor recommended one that was much cheaper, that is popular. The url is way long but you can search Amazon for Lightphoria by Sphere Gadget Technologies. 10,000 lumens,~ $69.00

I tried the cheaper one and it did nothing for me. So I ended up with the Sunbox desk lamp & it really helps. If you just want some good info, the people at Sunbox were knowledgeable & helpful when I called to get some basics about light therapy.

SeeMyFeet It sounds like you've been through a lot the past 2 yrs. I hope the next 2 are smooth sailing.
Cuba is going to get easier to go to soon, once the US lifts travel restrictions. But you can also go with a humanitarian project. Some folks go via Mexico or Canada (not legally, for US citizens). I'm old enough to remember the nuclear missile crisis of 1962, so visiting seems a bit surreal. But Canadians & Europeans have been going for years.

Rennie Enquiring minds would like to know what are NinjaIQ & Quick Whisk please? Are they edible & if so are there carbs & calories?

Tomorrow is first post-carb weigh in. Today was not too bad.
B mushroom/sauerkraut omelet, whey shake/coffee
L turkey chili, roasted cabbage, butternut squash w coconut oil & black mole powder
D salad, beans, chicken, WF sugar free dressing made with palm oil--can't wait to get back to evoo
S B-up protein bar, broccoli, 1/2 whey shake

SeeMyFee and Jacqui, I have a generic Cardioglide called a Bodyglide. DH wants me to get rid of it but here's why I won't. When you push up on it with your legs, put your hands on your thighs right above your knees and feel those muscles flex. Have you seen the older people who have trouble getting up out of a chair? The reason for that is because those thigh muscles are weak. Using the Cardioglide works those muscles, keeps them toned and strong. My goal is to keep using mine until I can get up out of a chair without holding onto anything, or pushing up with my arms. You don't have to use it fast, trying to burn calories, or even use it for a long time. Just use it every day.

SeeMyFeet, I looked on Quackwatch and the DR Hyman book that's listed is one I haven't read. I have only read 10 Day Detox and UltraMetabolism. I understand why some people consider him a quack, because he recommends a lot of supplements, and actually sells them himself. Medical doctors don't like him (and others) because people who follow this type of doctor are usually tired of going to MDs who just seem to push pharmaceuticals. I tend to stay away from supplements because I am on so many meds that I don't want to take any more pills, plus, I don't know how they will interact with my meds. But I do agree with Dr Hyman that I should stay away from wheat and other starchy carbs, and eat more vegetables. I don't think anyone who recommends that is a quack.

Jacqui, hope you have a nice visit with your Dad. Love his scale! LOL The scale at my gynecologist used to weigh me a few pounds less. I loved that scale, but the girls there didn't want to hear it...they didn't want to think that maybe they weighed more than that scale said.

Rennie, it only takes a couple minutes to pop that popcorn. Maybe you could get your son to do it. LOL

Mars, hope you enjoy your upcomiing trip to Cuba. Don't worry about the food, you'll do fine.

I saw a Cardioglide online and now I don't think my Bodyglide is the same. The leg and arm movements are all one movement. When you push down on the pedals the arm handles come toward you all at once. From what I saw online, the leg and arm movements on the Cardioglide are 2 separate movements. Is that correct?

Here is my Bodyglide.