*~* Jazzed Up July with MWL *~*

[SonoRoo]

Thanks Erin & Lea, I appreciate it. He's such a sweet guy. Really loveable dog who just got a bad break initially. He's been wonderful since being with us and I will miss him dearly when the time comes.

[mommy2princesses]

Oh Shelley - so sorry to hear about your dog. Our boxer is now 7 years old (we rescued him when he was 5 months), and he is a huge part of our life. It breaks my heart when we think about how average life span for those dogs is 8-10 yrs...I already worry how we'll deal with that as a family when his time comes. I pray that your dog is able to pass away in his sleep surrounded by the family that loves him. I think I would have done exactly as you are doing, your dog should be in the place that he was loved as his time draws close. We'll be thinking about you!

Ortal - I agree with Erin...not vain at all! (I'd have to think most of us if we were to be single....would want to be HOT and single!).

Debbie - though of you today at Target when I bought Pure Protein bars. I got peanut butter and the chocolate chip ones...have you ever tried that flavor? Or S'mores? Just wondering!

Time to cook dinner...not really motivated tonight!
-Keri

[SonoRoo]

Thanks Mommy. We're going to pick him up from the vet now. We'll see how it goes.

[suzanna1]

Big, big hugs, Shelley! My pets are family. Watching them suffer or losing one of them, even when they are old and have lived long full lives, has been as hard and traumatic for me as losing any other family member.

[SonoRoo]

Well, we're back. They showed me the xrays which really broke my heart. I work in the radiology dept. doing sonos at my hospital so I understood what I was looking at. Very large mass displacing his colon and small bowel. Surgery at this point would be too hard on him. We'll just let him do his thing till he can't. She thinks he has less than a month. I think we are looking at just over a week at the most. We have meds for pain and iron for the anemia. Other than that we can just lavish him with love till it's his time. Thanks for the kind words everyone. It's nice to have a place to talk. I tend to be extremely private in person, but most radiology people are. Have a great day everyone!

[RACM]

I just have to say that so far, I love this WOE. I have my second weigh in on Wednesday and I just cannot wait! What I am most impressed about so far, is my amount of energy. Since starting the second week, I have so much more energy than I used to.

[mommy2princesses]

RACM - just wait, it only gets better!

Just used the Panera Bread website (going there with my cousin for lunch tomorrow - figuring out my meal ahead of time!) - I wish every restaurant had a nutrition calculator like that! You could add/subtract from all the meals. I believe I will be doing a You Pick 2 combo - turkey sandwich with side salad (that way I can add some protein to my salad!). 150 calories, 7 g carbs...best part is, I don't have to make it!

-Keri

[Nance7]

Gosh, it's so hard to catch up after being at work all day! I had to take notes!

Shelley--My heart is aching for you and your precious dog. What a lucky guy that he has had such a loving family who will see him through to the next life with such love. They really do become members of the family and capture our hearts, don't they?

Lea--I read in Prevention magazine that if you add a tsp. of baking soda to water, it will help the bladder to be more alkaline, which should curb infection. Hope maybe this will help with your infection.

Ortal--You wear that bathing suit and be proud of your new body! As for your relationship: Trust your gut--it will always tell you what you need to do. You deserve to have somebody to cherish and treasure your heart. I hope your guy can live up to that for you.

Lins--Size 8? Woohoo!

Sunflower--You asked if I started MEDI thinking that I would go back to my old habits after I reach goal. I pretty much knew that I would have to commit to low carb living forever, to keep the weight off. Because I am a sugar addict, I know that if I go back to sugar, I won't be able to stop. I wrestle with thinking that I won't be able to have sugary treats again, but the cravings are just psychological ones. I posted this in the June thread, and this may help you: "Feeling deprived? When you were eating everything in sight, OD’ing on sugar and carbs of every kind, you were deprived of:
FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF
LOOKING GOOD
PRETTY CLOTHES
RECEIVING ADMIRING LOOKS
GOOD HEALTH
Which type of deprived do you prefer?"

I'll echo the thanks of everyone else. I know I could not be doing this without the support of all of you.

[Charlene4]

Originally Posted by SonoRoo

Well, we're back. They showed me the xrays which really broke my heart. I work in the radiology dept. doing sonos at my hospital so I understood what I was looking at. Very large mass displacing his colon and small bowel. Surgery at this point would be too hard on him. We'll just let him do his thing till he can't. She thinks he has less than a month. I think we are looking at just over a week at the most. We have meds for pain and iron for the anemia. Other than that we can just lavish him with love till it's his time. Thanks for the kind words everyone. It's nice to have a place to talk. I tend to be extremely private in person, but most radiology people are. Have a great day everyone!

I'm really sorry about your pup.

Sounds like you gave him a really nice life. I am a vet tech (but currently working in animal welfare) and I know how hard it is to break news to people who love their pets. It sounds like you are an awesome pet mom! Totally off the subject of this board but personally it gives me faith in people again when I hear people treating their pets as family.

[Fit2010]

Shelley ~ I'm a pet person too....my "boys" are 16 years old now (cats). I've had Cockers in the past too and loved a friend's Great Pyrenese for years and years. They are such a part of family and comfort us, and allow us to comfort them, get relaxed with them. I'm so glad your dog has had you and your family! It's still sad, but what a blessing....

[tydreamer]

Shelley, how was your nite? How's your baby?

[lins]

Shelley--I am so sorry to hear about your dog. My hubby had a dog for 17 yrs and he died several years ago and it was really hard on him. I didn't have a dog growing up, but we have a 5 yr old black lab and I already can't imagine losing him.

Sunflower-- Yes I started this program thinking that I would to back to "normal" eatting but smaller portions when this "diet" was over, but my thinking as totally changed. 13 weeks into the program I now know that I will eat this way for the rest of my life. I feel better physically, and I am just in shock about all the junk I was putting into my body. I have also changed how I am feeing my children. We no longer have pizza and movies, now we paint our nails and watch movies. We rarely go out for ice cream (although we still do). Our fun times no longer work around food. We are move active, and my kids are much healthier right along with me, which is the best thing I can do for them. And I am totally at peace with my new WOE.

Thanks for all the encouragment about the size 8's. It's funny because I was on top of the world when the 8's fit, but then I went swimmsuit shopping..... Not fun! It really just made me feel worse about myself so I stopped shopping. I still can't wear shorts becasue of my flabby thighs, and swimsuits are even worse. I still have a long way to go. So I am having a bit of a hard time staying positive today.

[Ortal]

is anyone on livestrong? Ive been tracking my food there very consistently , syncing with my phone so i dont have to carry my book around, and i really like it.

Can I post my profile from the site here? Not sure if thats allowed but I want some friends

[eptexy]

LOVE livestrong. I use it daily.

[Jeffrey]

I bought some new clothes yesterday since my old clothes were baggy. Its crazy how much weight I have lost these past 6 weeks. And wearing clothes that actually fit, people are now noticing the weight loss.

It certainly feels good that people are noticing, and it is giving me encouragement to keep going.

Looking forward to my 7th weigh in this evening, though my home scale says I have gained weight. I have been working out a lot this week so I am hoping to see the fat number go down even if my overall weight number goes up or doesn't go down by much.

[eptexy]

Good attitude, Jeffrey! Best of luck at the weigh in! All of you weighing in in the evenings are brave souls. I always made sure my appointments were in the morning. lol About a 5 lb difference for me...

[Ortal]

Originally Posted by eptexy

LOVE livestrong. I use it daily.

my profile name is losingortal if you can find me that way

[lins]

Buying new clothes is getting expensive. I have gone down 4 pants sizes. I've had to buy new underwear, I need new bras, I need a new swimsuit, I need new running pants, and I need new pajamas. I can't afford to keep buying clothtes like this. Bras are $$$, but I only have 2 that fit me right now, and I don't have any PJ pants that fit, and we are going on vacation next week so I really need to get some that I can wear around other people. The running pants that I wore the other day started falling off of my half way through my run. UGH! I know it's a good problem to have but we live debt free only using cash, so I can only get so much each week.

[Fit2010]

Lins - What a great problem to have! I love that you are living debt free, that takes a lot of discipline. Ever since I was a new mom 25 years ago I began checking out 2nd hand stores, though I'm super selective of which ones to even spend time in, and selective of what I walk away with. That worked til my daughters were in about 6th grade and then they wanted the new things....can't blame them. They were getting new on Christmas, birthdays, and special occasions anyway, but from then on they got new more regularly. We moved about 5 years ago to our current location and I changed out my "style" in decorating my house (went from Victorian/antiques to outdoors coming indoors in my own Tuscany/mix it up with antiques way) and started shopping at antique stores, then DAV for accessories....found a DAV nearby where there are ALOT of wonderful donations for exceptional prices because of the wealth of the neighborhood. As I'm losing weight, I'm also going through smaller size clothes at fractions of the price I'd pay new....$2.99 for a stainless, nearly new Liz Claiborne, Danskin, or Gap top and $3.99 for great Dockers pants! Once I get at my goal weight I'll be glad to buy myself some new things full price, but meanwhile while paying for private grad school for myself, summer break from my student nurse teaching job, fully supporting youngest DD in her private grad school this is great! And I look good too! No one would know at all....cuz I'm picky about what I select and it's a great store. Have fun!

Jeffrey - Congratulations on your compliments and new size! You've been doing great on MWL!

Ortal - You may want to read the LCF terms of agreement prior to trying to move info over here....they are strict about what they think could be advertising for another site.

[Azurro]

Hi all -
went in for my 10th weigh in today---down 1.6 for a total of 36.4..yeah.. My dilemma is I am going down the shore and wont be able to weigh in for three weeks (Being down the shore is not the dilemma )...but I am worried about not getting the shots and getting sucked in to what we usually do down the shore...drink.kettle corn.....snacks...boardwalk food...
we have a dessert competition and a wine tasting and a pasta night...and Im starting to get bummed because I dont know how to deal with this whole thing..
yikes!!!

[Fit2010]

Azurro - Sounds like a wonderful, fun time! Re: not getting your shots, you can go to Walgreens and buy sublingual Vit B 12 and take one of those daily.....that may help replace the one injection. Also, drink LOTS of water. The rest is your limitations....what are your goals? Did triggers like that make you at your high weight? What do you really, really want? Do you know how to pack what you need?

[lins]

Vacations are tough. If I were you I would take pleanty of medi approved snacks with me and make sure to always have lots of water. Take the AS if you are taking it, and get a vit B from the store. Then I would sit down before I left and journal/make a list of why I am making these changes in my life. Be totally honest. I want to be healthier, I want to look better, I want to wear smaller sizes..... Dig deep. Then think about the downside of eatting the old way...weight gain, less energy, upset tummy (which would happen now that you aren't use to all the heavy foods)..... Hopefully you will see that it's worth it to say no to the junk. Then when you are there stay positive. Try not to dwell on what you can't eat, and instead focus on how you fell, what you look like, how much fun you are having with your family..... Good luck!

[lins]

I have been shopping consignement sales, and a friend has given me some of her old clothes (she joined a gym and has toned up a lot and is in a size 6). I also found a killer sale at Old Navy a few weeks ago. So I am doing fine on clothes. But underwear, bras, PJ's, swimsuit...I don't really want to buy those things used. I did buy some underwear at walmart the other day, and I am going to an outlet store tonight to see what I can find. It is a nice problem, and I don't want to complain, but it's a bit stressful. We are going on vacation next week to see family I haven't seen in years, and I really want to look my best, in clothes that fit me properly.

[Fit2010]

Lins - I agree...I wouldn't want to buy used undies either! Because of my mastectomies/reconstruction I've been wearing sports bras all along and haven't had the same issue so much, though I did go down a from a 40 to 36.

[lins]

I went from a 36, to a 34. The cup size went down too, but that's not as big of an issue. I wear a lot of strapless bras (I wear tank tops everyday in the summer...it's hot), so they slide down/up and it's annoying.

[Desert-Rose7]

Take a look at the new bandeau type bras to replace that strapless. I can do a 5K in one and it never slides around at all. Very comfy too.

I shop the sales where things are 30-60% off. At the stores like The Gap, Ann Taylor, J Jill, plus our Buffalo Exchange has a lot of good stuff as well. You may not have Buffalo Exchange where you are but I will bet that there are some good consignment shops that carry the better brands.

Vacations and travel....be sure and visit the travel support thread for ideas and tips:

Travel Support


Jo

[lins]

I live in a pretty small town so I don't have many choices as where to shop. Jo-I don't have any of the stores that you have listed near me. I would have to drive over an hour to get to any of those, and it's not worth it with 3 small kids in tow.

[Desert-Rose7]

Have you tried shopping the sales online? They exist there as well. I get emails about the sales and check out the online sales first before ever heading to the stores - which by the way - are a good distance (as is everything in Phoenix) from me as well. And you can research a lot of sales that way.

Just a thought.

Jo

[tydreamer]

Originally Posted by eptexy

Good attitude, Jeffrey! Best of luck at the weigh in! All of you weighing in in the evenings are brave souls. I always made sure my appointments were in the morning. lol About a 5 lb difference for me...

My weight fluctuates about 5 lbs a day too. I prefer to go to the clinic in the mornings for that very reason, but can't always!

[tamtam]

When I read this post I go curious about Livestrong and checked it out. Of course I wanted it. I never could get registered either online or on my iphone. Did you have any problems getting set up? Can you shed any light on the registration process. Thanks in advance for any assistance.