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?!