Coffee's hot and it's Hump Day!

Donna and I are off to the gym again today. It really helps to have another person so you don't wimp out. Today would be a day I wimped out as I feel sort of rickety. Coffee will help.

Things are still going well with Jazz. When the snow melts and the ground thaws, he may figure out another escape route but for now he's a happy dog. The darned long rope kept getting tangled on things and he frequently needed rescue.

Glenn the Surly Plumber showed up at my door at 5:30, went downstairs and fixed the leak in less than a minute! No charge but I'll buy him breakfast next time I see him at the Diner. Maybe he'll smile.

So today will be Gym, coffee with Donna after with NO muffin and pet therapy after lunch. I may even make more headway on paperwork control. (I found one of the missing cheques.)

How does your Hump Day look? Huge hill or gentle slope?

Good morning One more unseasonable day here then it looks like a snow/ice storm coming tonight I hate ice

Ruth - Hooray for finding the escape hatch. Hope there isn't another one, I know it makes everyone's life easier without the leash.
congratulations on sticking to the gym routine

Very busy day here today. They are releasing DW from the hospital, ready or not. It will be good to have her home but intimidating. She is coming home with a stomach tube for feeding & meds, a walker because she is so weak, oxygen and suction as needed. We will have visiting nurses, PT, OT and speech. She still can't speak or swallow. I am banking on being home, getting sleep and regular nutrition to get her stronger soon. It's all a bit overwhelming but it is where we are. Life has a habit of throwing curve balls and we just have to figure out how to roll with them. I just hope this time she stays home.

Time to make more lists. Happy hump day Chicks

Good morning.

Ruth, I'm counting on just a gentle slope for my Hump Day. Enjoy your morning with Donna, and I hope you're feeling stronger as the day progresses.

Cyndi, hooray for Julie coming home today, but it sounds like you're going to have your hands full. Being in her own home and being cared for by people who love her will surely help her recover faster.

My day is looking pretty calm. Audrey is back in school, so I'll spend the morning with Susie & Ramsay, then try to find something to keep me busy until it's time to pick up the girls. I'll drop them off at the riding stables for their lessons, and I can head home early.

Good morning Ruth and Cyndi. Cyndi, I did not know that Julie was having such a rough time (knew things were not great, but I did not realize the scope of what you both are having to deal with). Because I seem to have missed the regular updates I am not sure if this is par for the course with MG or whether there were other complications. In any case, my thoughts and prayers are with you both.

Last night at Centering Prayer was great. During Lent, there is talk of combining our Tuesday night group with a Taeze group for the five weeks. I am enthusiastic about doing this and it seems that my church (which is Episcopalian) is really ramping up the activities for the Lenten period. In various ways, this Epiphany period has really resonated with me and I'm thinking about how I will observe Lent this year. I have never given anything up for Lent and am considering doing it this year, but I am not sure what to give up.

Today I just have work and then I need to start taking care of some things that I won't be able to do this weekend as we'll be away. A quiet day, but that's fine. Hope everyone has a great one.

Cottage - hooray for heading home early. Is the ice storm heading your way too or just rain?

Matilda - Myasthenics often refer to themselves as Flakes because not only is the disease rare but everyone has a slightly different variation. Crises aren't unusual and it seems most people experience them occasionally. Anesthesia and pain meds probably precipitated this crisis. We are very lucky that Julie's breathing hasn't been impacted and her symptoms seem to be staying in her eyes and neck area. Happily long remissions are also very common.
Fun or family this weekend (or a combination)?

Good morning, Matilda!

Cyndi, they are calling for just rain for us with the temps rising overnight, thank goodness. I'm relieved that you won't have to go out in that ice storm in the morning!

Happy Wednesday!

Ruth, If I had to deal with people's poo like Glen does, I might be surly, too. He sounds like a good guy.

Cyndi, With a feeding tube, can Julie eat what you make, or does she have to have Ensure type meals?

Cottage, Hooray for short days! When is your family moving in?

Mathilda, I have several friends who are giving up Facebook. That would be a real sacrifice for me!

We had an awful thunderstorm last night. Auston ended up in our bed at 2:30 a.m. I only slept briefly after that. It's amazing to me how much he wiggles when he's completely asleep! No wonder he burns so many calories!

It's supposed to rain here today and a cold front is moving it out. Behind it is very cold weather, but clear skies. No snow or ice predicted for us! Yay!

Good morning... I scale peeped again today. I am kind of surprised that the scale isn't moving! Maybe I should put it away. Today is Wednesday and Sunday is the end of phase I for me! I am kind of freaked out. I am totally content eating this way, no cravings at all. Should I try phase 1.5?

Chelby, the big move is supposed to happen this weekend. My son, DIL and their 2 children will be temporarily living with us. I'm glad you didn't suffer any damage from those storms last night!

Lees, hang in there, that weight WILL come off. Are you noticing a difference in how your clothes fit? That's why I refuse to use a scale, all the ups and downs would make or break my day, so I tossed it out and only get weighed at the doctor's office. There are so many variables to consider when weighing yourself, and I personally think seeing how your clothes fit is a better judge. I would go ahead and complete your Phase 1, then move on to Phase 1.5 with the addition of a piece of fruit, or 1 starchy grain a day, and see how that goes.

Best of mornings, all.

163 today, so here's to a continued SLIIIIIDE down.

Cyndi - thoughts and prayers are with you and Julie. Reminds me to be everlastingly grateful for health every day!

Ruth - you made me actually laugh with the surly plumber line - thank you for a great start to the day. Chuckle.

Matilda - Lent always gets to me with giving things up. I have in the past given up gum, caffeine, chocolate, eating in the car . . . but the best years were the ones where I gave up things like "making excuses for not doing things" or the year I gave up "saying critical things for no good reason" - although it was less about giving up things that I liked (which is usually the point), those years made me really focus on what I was doing and saying - great learning experiences.

Be well, everyone!

Good morning! When I woke up I thought it was the weekend! I had to cancel my dentist appointment (cleaning) for today because I have the first canker sore in years. Ouch. I really need to work on scrapbooking. I haven't put in any photos from 2011 yet. I guess it's a good thing we don't take many pictures! So, that might be today's project. I've got refried beans in the crockpot for the first time since my spa trip. I'd gotten away from eating them for breakfast and maybe that's been contributing to my struggles.

Cyndi - I love your attitude about life right now. Hope all goes as smoothly as possible for you and DW.

lees3rwe - I agree with what Linda said and if you do some searching, you'll find lots of helpful info on here about making the transition to PH2 (or 1.5). Also, have you been measuring? Sometimes you can see quantifiable progress there and not on the scale.

lees3rwe - that is why I weigh in daily now. You could have lost more weight but be temporarily retaining water. Weighing each day gives you a better sense of what your body is doing. For instance, yesterday I weighed 160.8, today I weight 161.6. My fingers are like sausages today so I know I'm retaining water and that it was not a real gain. Hang in there. Also, as easy as you say Phase 1 has been it's important to move onto Phase 2 or Phase 1.5. That is where the real weight loss, and learning this way of eating, begins.

Morning everyone!

I always do shoutouts at night, but no one sees them Ah well...

I'm pretty frustrated because I'm 10 days into p1 and the 3 pounds I thought had been lost have been back on for four or five days now.

The only thing I have thought of that I have broken the rules on is full fat salami at work a few times when I have been in a bind, and two instances of eating full fat sausage.

I, of course, will not do that again. But, is that alone enough to leave me without a single pound lost? I'd love some veterans help here!

A sample menu:

1: smoothie with ricotta, protein powder, 1% milk, agave and greek yogurt
2: ff refried beans w/ lowfat cheese, 2 eggs and ham steak, v8
3: soup I made with chx stock, spinach, zucchini, roasted tomatoes, real sausage (no more than 3 ounces sausage)
4: large mixed green salad (3 cups) with vinagrette and some aged provolone and salami (2.5 ounces)
5. sugar free candies, less than 100 calories worth

Thanks...off to sulk I'll pop back in later.

Angie - how much water are you drinking? Looks like a lot of sodium on your menu, so maybe it's water?

ETA - I am always much less successful on P1 than I was the first time. Now it just helps with cravings but I don't get that nice weight loss I got the first time.

Good to know about not losing as much on redoing p1.

I would say 7 out of 10 days I got more than 8 glasses of water, other days less. I'm great when I'm at work, not so much when I'm off and at home.

It is a lot of sodium, now that you point that out. I also looked up the nutritional info on the salami and sausage and found approximately 25 grams of fat each time! Although that may not be the end of the world, it's probably something I won't be frequenting any time soon.