Freezing? Yes. All the time. DH looks at me like I'm crazy (after all, it isn't all that cold here). For example, last night we went for our walk, it was 58 degrees. I had on a sleeveless turtleneck, a sweater and a sweatshirt as well as gloves, long pants and a baseball cap (to hold my headlight). I came home, took off the sweatshirt and then bundled in an afghan to read my book. I was still cold. Trying to fall asleep (under a blanket AND a down comforter in a bedroom at 70 degrees) while cold isn't easy.

Yeah, I'm cold all the time. Even over the summer, there were very few days where I really felt warm. I always have on several layers and sometimes even long underwear. Last night I had the heat turned up to 70 and was wearing several layers and I was still cold. I do have a down throw that is very toasty. I've taken to drinking beverages (water, crystal light, etc.) at room temperature because drinking them cold just makes me that much colder.

I drink room temp water too. I have been a hot natured person all my life, and I still get revved up and hot every day (I hope I'm burning calories!), but when I sit around just from a few minutes, I get freezing. Even now, as I type, my fingers are sooo cold.

Jane - what kind of scale did you get? Let me know how you like it. I think my WW scale (which I really like) is on the fritz.

Tam- sorry to hear about that one cyst... good thing the others are gone. Do I remember that you are on fertility treatment? Is that causing you to have cysts? Whatever the cause, I hope you don't have to suffer much longer with them! I just had an endometrial polyp removed. Had my post op visit today, and my doc said that could've been what's keep me from getting pregnant, so we are going to try now. I'm excited and scared about the prospect of it all... more excited than scared, but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if I am crazy to want to start a family (by that I most likely mean one child) at age 39.

Food has been ok today... I'm looking forward to working my way back to some level of fitness. I've been a slug for too long!

Stay warm, ladies!

Claire - I have a Tanita that I really like; it seems pretty accurate and not temperamental. I actually got it for about $20 at Bed Bath and Beyond: it was on clearance because it was missing the box. I didn't care!

I get very cold very easily as well, but the good thing is, when I get home from work (after having to walk from the subway to my apartment in the cold), it makes me want to go work out to get warm! It also curbs my ice cream cravings. Two benefits in one!

Since I'm outside all day and layered up for it I don't feel cold in the house until the evening, after I take off my "doggie" clothes.

In my case it has a lot to do with fatigue. After I eat dinner I get a boost/warm for a bit and then have to grab a throw. Usually by bedtime I'm cold but I warm up very quickly under just the one quilt we have. Down makes DH wheeze and snore so that's not an option (experiential knowledge).

I'm looking forward to being with the dogs today. Have emails from many owners saying how depressed my doggie pals are at not having me come for them.

Have a great day everyone!

Dagmar

Dagmar, how many dogs do you walk (not necessarily at one time, but how many do you get to know)? I am SO jealous... I've had a dog all my life, and my apartment actually allows dogs, but it would be really unfair for me to have one because of the long hours I work and all the business trips I take. I'd barely get to see the dog, let alone take it to the park very often! It's almost harder that my building does allow dogs, because so many people have them and it makes me really envious. I think it's so neat that your job lets you be with animals AND stay in shape!

Ohhh Dagmar!! I could use your help! I have two 4 month old Great Danes - they're littermates and well over 60 lbs each already! I started walking them as soon as we got them at 7 1/2 weeks, trying to train them so they don't think they are taking ME for a walk They do great by themselves, but forget trying to walk both of them at the same time right now!! They think it's play, wrestle, see-if-we-can-split-mommy-in-two time! LOL Any doggie walking tips you wanna pass along... feel free!!

Claire - are you feeling back to normal after your surgery yet? I've heard that polyps can keep you from getting pg - so that's great you had it removed! I had a bad tube and a couple of icky cysts removed this past summer and it was about 10 days before I felt completely back to normal. Can you start working out again yet?

And yes, you remembered right - I've been under going some sort of fertility treatment since April of 2007. The cysts I have now came from my 1st IVF attempt back in early December. It was canceled because I ovulated early (before then can take the eggs out) and these cysts are leftovers from that. I started my 2nd attempt at IVF late December but the cysts grew and started producing estrogen, which is bad for IVF. After 2 weeks of giving myself daily shots, I was canceled again! I'm on birth control pills (how ironic huh?!) to get them to dissolve so I can start attempt #3, hopefully, early Feb.

I live in SW Florida. I get cold easy probably because my blood is so thin. Anything under 70 - 75 is too cold for me. Once I get under some covers though, I sweat like crazy. It drives my husband nuts cuz we can't snuggle at night - I put off too much heat LOL!

I'm getting cold again now that my hot flashes have subsided a bit... I take a hot bath every single night before bed and this is what starts me off warm in bed when I lay down to sleep, otherwise I am cold too when I go to bed...

Today is a weird day I spent all morning correcting a French paper for DD... I'm exhausted now and it's only noon ... Correcting French fries my brain ...

jaxnthbx -- Keep up YOUR good work, eventually somethings gotta give ...

Laura I have 20 "regulars" that get either daily walks or 3-4 walks per week. I also have 3 "occasional" guys and I sometimes help out other dog walkers by taking one or two of their guys when they go on vacation. I would also have 2 extra walks every day when I do a sleep-over with a dog.

Tamsie I walk a set of litter mates - chocolate lab brother and sister - so I do have some understanding of your situation.

I would recommend 6 ft. long, 1/2 inch wide leather training leashes, 4 ft. long, 1/2 inch wide leather walking leashes, training collars aka "choke" chains, and head Halti's for both dogs.

I would take them out separately for 10-15 minute walking-on-lead training sessions using the 6 ft. leashes, collars, and Halti's. Basically keep them close to your knee and lure them into place with treats while walking them briskly around. Also switch direction and have them turn with you using the treat lures.

When together I would use the 4 ft. long leashes. Basically try to keep one on either side of you and make them both sit for a count of 5 if they start to wrestle, jump, etc. Have them spayed or neutered at about 8 months of age so the pheremones don't add to the fun. Most breeders advocate waiting until the dogs are two years old with the giant breeds but that can be impossible, particularly for males.

My male lab is not neutered as he is a show dog but he's had lots of additional training.

Just FYI I usually walk 4-5 labs together and they all average around 75 lbs. That's around 300-375 lbs of dog.
It can be done but you have to get them in hand early and you have to establish that you are the boss. Dogs do not negotiate - either you're the alpha or you're not.

Good luck!

Dagmar

Walking: My hands are always cold too. I wish someone would come out with a keyboard and mouse that are also handwarmers--that would be awesome. Have you seen those hand and wrist warmers from Thermacare? I keep meaning to pick some up.

And my feet are like ice! The other night, I had to get up and put socks on, they were so cold (this was in the middle of the night--my feet were so cold I had trouble sleeping). I guess I need Thermacare to come up with a foot warmer.

Got so frustrated last night trying to report my stolen stuff to the people who are supposed to prevent identity theft and who issue credit reports.

Spent 20 minutes on hold with one company and then gave up. Navigated through 10 minutes worth of menus with another, only to be told I had to provide a credit card # to pay the $5 fee for something before I could proceed. Well all of my cards were STOLEN - that's why I'm calling you dorks in the first place.

Called DH to vent and he started moaning about his "crisis" at work. Same crisis going on 3 years now.

So I headed for my old friend the grocery store. Bought the most disgusting-looking cake (on sale - only $4) and brought it home.

Trouble is my body won't co-operate with the binge any more. Had about 5 forkfuls of mostly icing and felt so nauseated that I had to throw the rest out.

Have the meeting with the lawyer this morning re my dad and then just back to the stress with the car I hope. I will begin OP again today. That's the great thing about dieting - there's a second, third, fourth, etc. chance!

Dagmar

Dagmar It seems like just one thing after the other. I hope it all subsides soon. Great to get back on plan today! At least then you can feel good about that. You have the power to eat mindfully.

Things are ok with me. I'm definitely addicted to sugar. I can't stop craving it. I am considering cutting sugar completely out of my diet and see how that works. I have to mull over that for a bit before I decide. I am still finding ways to eat sugar at night and it's throwing my weight loss completely off. If I could only get my diet under control I would lose this weight a lot more easily. It's funny. I write the same thing over and over but then refuse to change my behaviour. I'm sure that must get old. It's even annoying to me.

My friend is coming for the weekend tonight! I'm excited to see her but she's pretty overweight although she used to be on weight watchers. I'm not sure if she still is. I find she usually tries to get me to join her in eating badly. I have already spent some time to decide that I will not throw off my diet completely just because she's here. So that hopefully will get me through the weekend. I just have to say no.

I have another friend who is overweight and she is always telling me I go to the gym too much or getting treats and offering them to me. I know that I dont exercise too much and my diet is not perfect either. I just get derailed by other people's comments sometimes. I have to just keep reminding myself that I want to stick to my plan because this is what will get me to my goal. I've realized that people seem to be uncomfortable with change. I think there are people who sort of prefer me the way I am. THey say "you dont need to lose weight" etc. but I just have to forget about it. I want to lose this weight and I know they will just accept me as I am when I do. I just need to do it and see what happens. I'm not sure what makes me sabotage my weight loss but something does. I wish I could figure that out. I think it is probably fear. But I am also excited about how I will feel when I've reached my goal. I just have to remind myself over and over.

That was quite the ramble. I guess I just needed to think some things out. I'm so good in the morning and then night really makes me struggle.

Have a good day everyone.

I agree with Dagmar on training one dog at a time until they understand what they are supposed to do on a leash. You really have to give them your undivided attention at that age.

I'm down another pound!! It may only be temporary, though--I had an extra light day yesterday.

Good morning everyone! I was supposed to work 9 hours of overtime today but I got out of it! I hope I have a fairly relaxing but productive day!
I have a lot of things I need/want to get done since I have a "bonus" day. I told myself if I didn't have to work I would do laundry all day. Haha! I haven't even put one load in but I'm going to get up right after I type this and go do that.

I'm definitely going to exercise though. I think I will go to Curves and then spend 30 mins. at 24 hour fitness. Then I'm going to the book store and Trader Joe's. I also said I was going to make a big pot of the vegetable cheese soup I love so hopefully I'll leave myself time for that. My husband and I are going out to eat early (4:30 pm) because I want to go to sleep by 6 pm to get some rest before work at midnight. We are going to Roadhouse Grill where I will just have a plain sweet potato (they are sooooo good plain I don't even miss the butter, brown sugar, etc. at all) and a salad. Nothing too heavy before sleeping.

I did my weekly weigh-in this morning and I'm down another 1/2 lb.! I love my new scale!!!

Claire-my new scale is the WW one. It's just their very basic model (I think they have a super duper one that practically flies the space shuttle!). I love it.

Dagmar-WOW! You must get so much exercise walking all those dogs all the time. That is great.
Hope you get all your credit cards, etc. closed. Identity theft is so scary. I worry about it all the time. I just don't understand how people do it though since when I go in to purchase anything or on line or open an account I practically have to sign over my first born so how can these people use other's identities so (seemingly) easily?
But good for you at stopping your cake eating. That is something you have control over & I can't say I'd have stopped, no matter how it tasted or made me feel

Bikini-I also think I'm addicted to sugar. I just CRAVE it all the time. I guess I manage to "manage" it but it's always there like an albatross around my neck! I hate other people trying to make me eat more food or food that's bad for me or that just doesn't fit in with my plan. It kind of makes me mad though and I tend to dig my heels in and won't give in to them.

Allison-Way to go on being down another pound. You set your mind to it and you are on a roll

Ok, I'm getting off of here now and I'm heading straight to put a load of laundry in! Have a great day everyone. Jane