Still holding at goal weight. Not complaining .
Jessica, I look at calorie counting as a necessary evil, don't like it but it keeps me on track. I compare it to ironing, I hate it but if I don't want to look like a wrinkled mess, I must do it.

What's everyone's experience with waking up hungry at odd hours during the night time? Do you try to fall back asleep or get up and eat?

I had a light dinner last night, basically from picking at a chicken carcass while stripping it for soup, with some whole wheat Trader Joe's couscous and vegetables on the side. I woke up at 1 AM really hungry. I didn't sleep well. I had dreams of a zombie apocalypse. (I know, I know, don't laugh, and don't tell me it's from watching "The Walking Dead" and "Shaun of the Dead" and that movie with Jessie Eisenberg and Bill Murray.) I was driving my car and there were zombies banging on the windows & doors, but also civilians on foot who wanted to be saved from the hordes. I was afraid to take any of them into the car as fellow refugees: What if they were infected, though it wasn't visible yet, and what if they "turned" while riding in the car with me? I am sure this relates somehow (in a really sick way) to my being hungry last night.

I have never experienced that, but I find that if I eat soon before bed, I have vivid nightmares. Did you wake up with a voracious appetite for flesh, saef?

128.5 this morning on my scale. Inching into "here to stay" territory. I have to remember that life is not a contest to weigh less than everyone else. I'm starting to fantasize about chicken wings and garbage plates.

Krampus, no, I was fine with a big honking bowl of oatmeal with protein powder added, and strawberries and yogurt. But now I suspect stripping that chicken carcass must have seemed animalistic to me.

A zombie would be someone with a really, really bad binge eating disorder. I mean, that would be the complete opposite of being an anorexic.

I've heard that zombies may be a modern metaphor for anxiety over competition, made popular due to widespread fear of immigrants and of jobs going overseas, and closer to home, anxiety over competition for increasingly scarce jobs and places at colleges: We fear other people may eat us.

But hey, I may personally have taken it to a new level of literalness: Fear of one's appetite and how out-of-hand it can get, turning one into a monster who'll eat pretty much anything, and quite messily too.

Saef, I am cracking up about your zombie dream.

FWIW, only on one occasion have I ever woken up at night so hungry that I got up and ate a slice of bread. I don't typically go to sleep hungry though.

Counting is indeed a necessary evil for me to lose weight. I don't have to count to maintain. The problem is that the last three or four times I carefully tracked and counted and got down near my 133 sort-of-goal, as soon as I laid off I popped back up to 135/136. I'm not really unhappy with 135/136. I like 133 better, but it's not that big of a deal to me. I guess that's why counting seems like too much trouble -- I feel like evidence is showing me I can't maintain 133 without counting and I don't want to live my life like that, so I may as well just accept a couple extra pounds. My weight settled back down to 135.6 this morning so I think rather than focusing on the scale I will focus more on exercising and not eating as much junk.

I survived my first Bikram yoga. Barely. I managed the first several poses and then became extremely light-headed and laid down for the rest of the standing poses. I did all of the laying down poses. I've truly never sweated so much in my entire life. Really. Then home, shower, and report to work with just enough time to catch up on stuff before lunch.

So far no news on Chico which means they have not yet started the surgery.

Sounds like you did great then! Make sure you continue to drink plenty of water afterwards. Next time it will be easier (somewhat).

saef I tend to wake up starving in the middle of the night if I have a fairly light vegetarian meal for dinner. I usually have a banana or something equally simple to get past it and back to sleep. No human flesh required!

Allison Any news of Chico? I would think, from the magnitude of the surgery, that he will probably be spending several days as an in-patient. If we picture any of us having a leg and hip removed I think it would be about the same. Never dealt with an amputation.

Jessica You sound just like me. I am happier at 133 but it's taking a whole lot of effort to stay there. Unfortunately if I let things totally slide I go up waaay past 134-36 which is where my body wants to park. I have to kinda on/off count cals. Not as bad as having to count all the time but still a PITA.

krampus Garbage plates?

I have to go back to work briefly now - all this week and next I'm taking the fluffy blonde boys out for dinner walk and feeding them. Last night I "walked" with two very nice women who look after dogs and who are both extremely overweight - one is probably classed "obese". I felt like I was crawling along. The obese one had to stop and catch her breath several times.

I commend them for what they are doing. It must be so much harder for them than it is for me. Would I have them exercise my dog? Depends on the age and physical condition of the dog I guess.

Dagmar

They called at 1:30 PM to say that he was under anesthesia and the surgeon was scrubbing for surgery. She said it would be 3 to 4 hours and they won't call until he's waking up--so after dinner time here on the west coast. They indicated most stays are 1 to 2 days, but that since he's in such good physical shape his stay should be 1 day, barring complications. I asked that if he couldn't come home tomorrow if he could come home before noon Friday because I want to spend a little time making sure he's comfortable before heading to Fullerton (DS will watch him while we're away). I'm not going to work on Friday.

Allison, keep us posted on how Chico's surgery goes. I bet he will be up and about in no time once all the side effects of the anesthesia wear off. Dogs are amazingly resilient creatures!

Google "Nick Tahou's" in Rochester, NY, Dagmar. I've never had one, but men of my acquaintance who were undergrads in the Rochester area speak with great nostalgia of eating garbage plates at 2 AM after a night out. One must have the appetite and aesthetic standards of a college football player to really relish this dish. Krampus is longing for late-night bar food with toxic levels of fat and spice which she knows is not good for her, as a sort of reaction against the healthy regimen she has been following.

Krampus, be strong. Stay away from extremes, like trying to weigh less than anyone you've seen during the course of 24 hours --- or like eating like a beer-saturated frat boy. But you know this already, deep down. I, too, try to turn it into an achievement rather than a manifestation of taking care of myself. Therein lies the shoals of the latent eating disorder.

I'm thinking of Chico with some astonishment that an amputation doesn't require a longer stay at the veterinary hospital. Wow, it's like with us humans. They want you OUT of there as soon as possible, even if one-quarter of your body has been removed. Still I am sure Chico will be psychologically eased by being at home and with his loved ones attending to him. I also believe in his resilience. He is probably a very game little guy.

Garbage plates sound a lot like what we (ok, I never HAD one but I SAW them) had in college--also at a place called Nick's. He called it a round house. I'm thinking the round house is a lot healthier. Basically pancakes, sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, hash browns, etc. etc. etc. with lots of hot sauce. They said it'd cure a hangover, but if I had a hangover, eggs were the LAST thing I could stomach.

The vet claims that dogs don't ruminate about the missing limb. They wake up, determine things are different and carry on accordingly. My friends who have had dogs go through similar surgery say that going from a coffee table to a tripod takes only a short time to master. Of course, he'll be on pain killers for a while.

saef, I saw your picture on the Moving in May thread ....gorgeous !!! You look great and the area where you are running is beautiful, too.

Chico came through surgery fine, he's just waking up (2 hours later than I expected). But his lymph node was inflamed. Have to wait to see what the biopsy says on that.

Allison, Chico knows that he is loved and I am sure he returns that love to you.