I had been doing great on phase 1 of south beach all week, down 3 lbs already as of this morning.

Then my grandpa came over to help install a water heater for us... started acting kind of weird and we ended up calling 911.

He had a major stroke and will not recover. Basically, we are right now just... waiting for his heart to stop, I guess. It's really hard for me right now.

Point is, I totally fell "off the beach" today. I just did not care. I ate when I can, although honestly I had little appetite, but when my legs were getting like jello and I was dizzy from no food, I broke down and ate some vending machine food. Then a Subway tuna sub (what my husband picked). Way off plan!

And, I know the next few days, even week or two, are going to be rough. I'm going to keep trying to be aware... but not planning my meals like I have all week.

I thought, some things are more important than dieting.

But, at the same time, some things can be prevented by having a healthy body too... so, I am determined, more so than ever, once things settle down a little, to get healthy!

I guess these setbacks are to be expected.

Heather, I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandpa. That's really tough for you and your family, I bet. Has there been any change in the prognosis?

I lost my beloved grandfather many years ago to heart disease. I still miss him sometimes and wish he were around to talk to and laugh with. I think of him often as I make choices for myself and my family, because he was someone I looked up to very much. I think to myself, "What would Grandad think?". Your story has reminded me that he would definitely want me to stay as physically fit as possible--he always encouraged me that way, taking me hiking and instilling in me a great love of the outdoors. (His heart disease was, ironically, not at all related to physical fitness, as he was very trim and very active his whole life. I do think that he ate too much ice cream and animal fat, because of the way my grandmother cooked, but mostly his heart problems stemmed from genetics, according his doctors. He lived till he was 84, despite a couple of open-heart surgeries, and he stayed active until almost the end.)

Surely it must be harder to focus on your eating program when you are distracted by grief. I can understand that. Still, life goes on and you must go back to making healthy choices. Surely your Grandpa would want that for you. Honor him by taking care of your health! I don't know you or your granpa, but I want to offer up the idea that instead of letting this family tragedy derail your attempts at losing weight and becoming healthier, you can find further motivation to become a fitter more healthier you. Take time each morning before you get up to think of how long you want to live and how well you want to live. Think of your grandpa and what was good about him and then promise him to live well. Move on with your love for him reminding you of his love for you--and how he would want the best for you and the rest of your family. Try not to let this tragedy change the course of your life negatively--turn it around! You can do it. You and your family are in my prayers.

Big Hugs to you, Heather.

sorry to hear about your grandfather. i know it's hard to concentrat on dieting when you problems, but do your grandfather a favour and start losing again so you don't end up in the same boat. i think he'll want you to get healthy. glen

I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a few days off from watching your food during a crisis. Once you're feeling like you can handle it again, you can go back to watching your intake.

Thanks you guys for taking time to reply.

You are right, I need to lose weight to be healthy, and I have to be healthy to stay alive... it all makes sense. It's the day to day, minute to minute living it that gets tough.

He passed away sometime on Sunday morning. He was technically alive, but artificially, all day Sunday as they did tests to verify he was in fact brain dead. This was so they could call the organ transplant team from Indianapolis. They flew down Sunday evening and then after talking with grandma, they took him in for the harvesting. They will let us know in a few weeks what organs and tissues they were able to use, and the sex/age/biographical info (no names) of the people who received them. It's a great comfort to know he is helping people, even now.

Well, the visitation is tomorrow and the funeral is Thursday. I'm going to keep exercising, and Friday get back on plan.

Thanks for the support!!!

I agree with Paperclippy that there is nothing wrong with taking a few days off of watching everything you eat when you are in a crisis. I just wanted to try and help you find a way to avoid letting this family tragedy completely derail you.

I'm sorry to hear that your grandfather has passed on. How beautiful that you can find something positive to think on, because of his choice to be an organ donor. That's such a great thing. I'm sorry that you have lost someone you love, though. My condolences to you and your family.

how are you doing heather. glen