30 lbs to New Years!!

[*Sass*]

Hi everyone...I'm still around and I'm still on track, but this site is so SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW that I can't take waiting for it. Once this mess clears up I'll be back. I know you're all doing fine so I won't worry!

 

Talk to you all soon!

 

-Sass

[NanaOfBKM]

Hi everyone...I'm still around and I'm still on track, but this site is so SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW that I can't take waiting for it. Once this mess clears up I'll be back. I know you're all doing fine so I won't worry!

 

Talk to you all soon!

 

-Sass

Yeah - you're back! We were getting worried about you. Look forward to chatting with you later.

 

Marlene

[nana&poppy2526]

Welcome back, Sass! You must have LOTS to update us on; it's been a long time since we've heard from you. I hope the first house buy is going well.

 

Nana#1, take those protein bullets out of the refrigerator! I guess I should've told you that before; sorry, I didn't think about it. I hope refrigerating them doesn't make them permanently thicker!

 

You really think you will gain 10 pounds in one week on a cruise? (I'm assuming it's a one-week cruise.) Oh, I hope not. I don't want to feel deprived while I'm on the cruise, but I'm really hoping I can stay away from the french fries, ice cream, etc. and try to eat sensibly. Maybe I'll get something I really want, but only eat part of it. I really like having lost 50 pounds; I'd be upset if I had to go back to saying "40 pounds" again. I think the very latest I can get an appointment with the clinic before the cruise would be on Thursday, 12/11 because they're closed on Fridays. I just don't know if they're open on Thursdays late enough for me to make it from downtown Charlotte to Huntersville....in I-77 traffic.

 

Boy, it's nice to "talk" to someone who actually knows what I'm talking about when I talk about Charlotte.

 

I was nine years old when my baby brother was born, BUT I had a six year old sister when he was born. Since my Daddy was the only boy in his family (with six sisters) and my baby brother was the only boy in our family, he became a very special child, thinking he'd carry on the family name. He has one child -- a girl! :)

 

My son had a vasectomy 9.5 years ago when their daughter was 6 months old. They had a 20-month old son at the time, too. Perfect family, right? Apparently, God had a different plan. His wife is pregnant again!!! And, yes, it is his. His vasectomy reconnected itself after 9.5 years! He's the only person I know personally who has now had two vasectomies! Zachery will be 12 at the end of the year, Anna is 10, and the new baby is due April 19th. We find out on November 18th if it's a girl or a boy. I think we're all ALMOST over the shock now.

 

Guess I ought to get back to work. :(

 

Later,

B

[NanaOfBKM]

Bonnie - keep in mind that my weight jumped up 4 lbs after the 4 day camping trip for Halloween. AND I will not deprive myself of ice cream and alcohol on this trip. It's going to be my reward for all of the dieting. This is my vacation and my 35th wedding anniversary. I don't plan to deprive myself of anything!! I'll just have to come back and work very very hard.

 

Zumba - I'm taking it really slow but I'm actually learning the steps - as long as I can stay slow (not like the latin dancers) and I do NOT swing my hips like them. LOL It's only my 2nd day so maybe by the time I'm another 30 lbs lighter I can sway them hips too.

 

Yes, I understand the I-77 traffic. That would be tough. By the way, my sister works for the big mail center for the post office at I-85 and Billy Graham. So she also understands the traffic.

 

M

[angelkisses]

Nana #2 - Congratulations about the Baby! God does have special plans for each of us. As far as I77 nightmare ummmm I mean traffic. I try to avoid it at all cost. Fortunatly working night shift does relieve us of most traffic problems. You, Marlene and I should plan on meeting sometime for dinner since we live so close to each other.

 

I'm not sure if I would want to go to the doctor before or after the cruise. Do you have enough med to last thru your trip? If so, it might be good to go to the clinic as soon as you get back to get you back on the right track especially with it being right before the holidays. Thats a tuff call. Of course, if you go the week before and see how good you have done perhaps that will carry over on your trip. I do have one final suggestiona and probably the advice that would work out best for you: Just keep your regular appointment and let me and Marlene go to Haiti for you!!!

 

Okay, now to share with you my first 4 week follow up appointment today at Totally Fit 4 Life.

 

I had a total of 14.5 inches weight loss! I was complaining that I always loose in the hips before the bust but this time it was more balanced: I lost 1.5" in both the arm and thighs, 3" in the Bust, 4" in the Ribs, 2" in the Waist, and 2.5" in the Hips. My math shows that as 17.5 inches but apparently they are only counting one leg and one arm. They recording me as loosing 16lbs. I tried to talk them into letting me weigh nude but they wouldn't let me. My bp and pulse were also down today.

 

I asked the Nurse/Nutritionist about the Protein Bullets and took one with me. I just couldn't handle the ones they sell at the clinic. After reading over what it contained she asked where I got them and how much they cost. She also said she would be stopping at Wal-Mart this evening to pick some up for herself. So I guess thats a pretty good 2 thumbs up on the bullets.

 

Below is what was written in this weeks newsletter:

 

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching I just wanted to remind everyone that one day is not going to make or break your weight loss efforts. We easily use the holiday as an exuse, and it is only when one day turns into two, two into seven, and so on and so on that the problem evolves. Holiday meals are certainly part of the tradition, but they are not the REASON for the holiday. Remembering what we have to be thankful for is. Use the holiday to enjoy family togetherness, remember your weight loss is something to be thankful for as well, and an opportunity to incorporate better eating habits into your family's lifestyle. Just a few small changes can make all the difference.

 

With that said I would also like to share with each of you an easy dessert you can prepare for your Thanksgiving Holiday. If your family enjoys banana pudding as much as our family does it should be a hit with not only the dieters in the crowd but with everyone. This was also taken out of our weekly newsletter.

 

Banana Pudding Squares

 

Ingredients

 

35 Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers, finely crushed

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, softened

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia low fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

3 Bananas

2 pkg. (1.5 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding

3 cups cold fat-free milk

1/2 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, grated

 

Directions

 

Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

 

Mix cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups COOL WHIP, spread carefully onto crust. Set aside. Cut bananas crosswise in half, then cut each piece lengthwise in half. Arrange over cream cheese mixture.

 

Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. Spoon over bananas. SPread with remaining COOL WHIP, sprinkle with chocolate. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

 

You can substitute chocolate pudding for the vanilla.

 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION AND HOW IT COMPARES WITH TRADITIONAL BANANA PUDDING

 

Old Recipe / New Recipe

Calories 447 / Calories 130

Fat 19g / Fat 6g

Carbs 64g / Carbs 17g

Protein 5g /Protein 2g

 

 

 

OKAY, and just one more little tidbit to Nana #1 and all of you other first time cruisers. You may not gain as much weight as you think you will on your cruise. Keep in mind that although the drinks and food will be plentiful you will also be more active than you probably are during a regular week. There's alot of walking you can do on the ship. Also, the gym areas are really cool because you can look out over the sea while you are working on the treadmills or other weight equipment and it doesn't seem like work at all. I didn't think I would want to go on a cruise ship to work out but I found I loved the gym area. The saunas are there too. Also, the fitness instructors will offer several special fitness classes and aerobics during the week ... all of which are fun to join. In the evenings, you can find a place to dance away those calories. On land, you are going to be walking alot. It want be as bad as you think. Relax and have a great time.

 

OK, that's it for my mini-novel. Hope I didn't bore everyone to tears.

[NanaOfBKM]

Thanks for the information on the Protein Shots! Also, are you going to make that dessert for our Thanksgiving?? Congratulations on the inches lost! That's totally awesome - in four weeks no doubt.....

 

Marlene

T.I.T.

[angelkisses]

Sure I will give the recipe a try. They gave me some other low-cal Thanksgiving recipes but they just didn't seem very appealing to me. Like using collaflower to make imitation potato salad and squash for sweet potato casserole .... NO THANK YOU!

 

I was a little shocked at the inches since I had not been exercising that much. Seems my biggest weight loss was around the ribs just beneath the bra line. The injections are suppose to concentrate on the stomach but perhaps since I am so short/high waisted it shows there more than anywhere else.

[angelkisses]

Sure I will give the recipe a try. They gave me some other low-cal Thanksgiving recipes but they just didn't seem very appealing to me. Like using collaflower to make imitation potato salad and squash for sweet potato casserole .... NO THANK YOU!

 

I was a little shocked at the inches since I had not been exercising that much. Seems my biggest weight loss was around the ribs just beneath the bra line. The injections are suppose to concentrate on the stomach but perhaps since I am so short/high waisted it shows there more than anywhere else.

[NanaOfBKM]

Actually around my rib area is one place I can tell I've lost. It's like I can actually see I have a waist, then edge down an inch and there's by big stomach area. UGH! As for cauliflower, there's a South Beach recipe that's really good that has cauliflower steamed then run through a food process and add that butter spray you can get and low fat half & half. It's really good. It's suppose to be "surprise mash potato". It doesn't seem like mash potatoes to me, but we still like it. You will have to email me the potato salad using cauliflower recipe. Squash for sweet potatoes - that I have a problem with.

[nana&poppy2526]

Hi Friends.

 

I just got home from my appointment with our vet (whom I absolutely LOVE) to discuss Cushings and its treatment for our dog....and I'm more lost than I was before. I wish I knew what the right thing to do is.

 

To sum up the visit, treatment is very expensive. It would cost ~$300 for the first month's medication. He would be on a certain dose for 10 days to two weeks, then that expensive ($250) blood test would have to be run again. If the level of cortisol is too low, I'll have to up the dose for another 10 days to two weeks and then have ANOTHER blood test done ($250). If it's too low, I'll have to add prednisone to his medicine, which always makes him eat, drink, and use the bathroom too much. If it's just right, I'm still looking at a minimum of two more blood tests in the next 12 months because if the treatment goes unmonitored, the medicine itself could kill the dog. If gone untreated, he will probably last another 12 months. If treated, he'll live out his life expectancy. He's 14 years old, for Pete's sake; hasn't he already lived his life expectancy? Plus, Punkin has several other ailments, so Dr. Sarah doesn't really know which one will "get him". Gone untreated, he'll eventually start resembling a pot-bellied pig with no hair on a black, bloated stomach. The absolute best news I heard today is that Cushings is not a painful disease; it's an obsessive disease. He is obsessed with water, food, urinates way too much and may eventually start letting loose in the house, wants out, wants in, wants out, etc. etc. etc. She explained it best that it's like he has an overdose of prednisone in his system (cortisol) that is also making him extra hyper,panting obsessively, has to find a cool place to lay, the story goes on and on. The question is not whether he has a poor quality of life; his quality of life is fine. It's MY quality of life I worry about, having to care for a lunatic dog.

 

And, once you start the Cushings treatment, you can't stop. He'll be on it for the rest of his life....however long that is (he's FOURTEEN). Also, it is possible that none of the treatments will work and we'll end up with the same lunatic dog after spending a lot of money. It's possible that the medicine will cause severe diarrhea/vomiting, too.

 

I did not get the medicine today. I am hopeful that now that I know there is truly a reason for his behavior, MAYBE I can handle it better and we'll just see how it goes untreated. I need to talk to his "Daddy" about this, but he's so very crazy about his dog that we may end up paying thousands of dollars for another six months of dog ownership.

 

I'll keep you posted. It's not going to be a good night at our house tonight; I've done nothing but cry since Dr. Sarah started talking. I just don't ever want to feel guilty for making the wrong (selfish?) decision.

 

Later,

B

[NanaOfBKM]

Wow - so sorry about your dog. That has to be a hard decision. I don't know if placed in the same situation that I could pay out that kind of money especially with other medical conditions in the mix and I do love my dog. Good luck on your decision. I will be thinking about you.

 

I did try posting this morning but the site was so slow and was "timing out". This is the first day that I've had this problem although I've seen a lot of posts about similar problems. I did hit 25 lb loss this morning (since 9/6/08), but leaving tomorrow for a 4 day trip. No way I'll be at 25 lbs on Monday - so wanted to officially post the weight loss now while I can.

 

Robin - looking forward to the desert on Thanksgiving!

 

Marlene

T.I.T.

[angelkisses]

Nana #2,

 

My heart aches knowing how much you are hurting right now. You should never think of yourself as being selfish, you are being one of the most unselfish pet owners I know. You have given your time and love unselfishly for all these years. Please DO NOT fill guilty even if the decision is to let it go untreated. Considering the disease, the age and history of your pet it would be very understandable. I'm very glad he is not suffering with any pain and is in a loving home. By the way, what is your dogs name?

[mangotangopls]

Bonnie - so sorry to hear that you got such unwanted news about your little buddy Punkin. My heart goes out to you and your husband. We dearly love our dogs too and really sympathize with your situation (hub was reading over my shoulder and I filled him in on whats going on). Ouch! Tough situation each and every way.

 

Thinking of you & wishing things were better,

Marie

[angelkisses]

Nana #2, please let us know how you are doing today. I know you said last night was going to be very hard.

[NanaOfBKM]

Nana #2 - I'm on my trip now but have been thinking about you. I've looked at my dog today and then wonder how you are coping. You are definitely in my thoughts and prayers today. Dogs can be such an important part of your family.

 

Marlene

[nana&poppy2526]

Gary & I both agree that we'll leave Cushing's untreated until the situation gets to the point that we have to make a decision, one way or the other. Punkin wasn't feeling well this morning, though, and threw up in the kitchen floor. He's had good days and bad for a while now and today was definitely not one of the good ones. Who knows? He may be running circles around me when I get home. I think that it will be easier for me to handle the way he's acting now that I know he really can't help it. For a while there, I thought he was itentionally driving me crazy! And, for a while, Gary was telling me that there was nothing wrong with the dog, that it was me, not him! :mad:

 

Regarding weigh in -- I hit a new number this morning -- 165 -- but I know (like Nana#1) that that won't stick for long. It never does. I'd love for it to, though, since my next weigh in is this coming Tuesday.

 

Have fun camping, Nana #1.

 

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I will keep you posted, but I'll probably try to forget about it until it HAS to be mentioned again. I just hope he makes it until the first of the year. This is not the right time of year to try to deal with any devastating news -- not to mention that our cruise begins one month from tomorrow.

 

Have a great day!

B

[NanaOfBKM]

Nana #2: Glad you were able to come to an agreement that will at least get you through your cruise and through the holidays.

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend and not a weakend.

 

Marlene

[angelkisses]

Stay away from the Smores!

 

My scales show a 4lb weight loss since Monday ... hope I can maintain this weekend.

[Litewait]

Hope everyone has a good weekend not a "bad weakend".

We don't have anything great planned. Just baseball on Sunday. Maybe do the recycling tomorrow. Boy, what an exciting life I have! LOL!!:rolleyes:

 

Only 45 days til I cruise!! I have a 45 day letter from Carnival I'll call in and collect on now. Maybe a few free foo foo drinks...:p

 

Nothing new here. It's warm today. I'm going to walk and hopefully report a loss on Mon. Wouldn't that be nice!!!:cool:

 

Happy Cruising & Losing

Donna

[NanaOfBKM]

Hi all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! We just got back from our trip and had a great, relaxing time. We do go hiking in the mountains (about 2 miles or so - but a lot of it was uphill so I consider it more than 2miles based on the level area I walk at home). I don't know how much my weight will be up tomorrow morning but it doesn't look like it will be the 4 lbs I saw after my last trip. Even that i was able to lose within 4 days. I really retain fluid when I go off for the weekend! I've done a lot of analyzing my goals and know I must start back with daily exercising/walking. I've been losing without the exercise and know by exercising daily, I should be able to lose a lot quicker!! I'm going to be very serious about my dieting and exercising this week. Well, I do have a birthday on Thursday......but that's ok. I don't have big plans except going to see my grandson play indoor soccer that night.

 

Robin - great job on your 4 lbs so far this week. That's awsome. Keep that up and I won't be able to give you any of my clothes to wear.

 

Marlene

T.I.T.

[Litewait]

The scales were nice to me this morning!! I came in with a 2 lb loss to 151! For a total of 20 lbb. I am so excited. I saw the 151 on Sat, then went to 152 on Sun and now back again. I'm sure hoping it "sticks".:p

 

My knee was hurting the last couple of days so I cut back on my walking to half yesterday. It feels better this morning but don't know how much I'll push today. I've been averaging about 5 miles a day. Yesterday I did 2, I think today I'll do 3 and add a mile aday unless it starts hurting again.

 

My goal by Thanksgiving was 151 so now that I've hit that I am going to readjust to 150 and hope it sticks thru Thanksgiving.

 

Goal This week: Walking and eating right! No events to lead me astray this week..

 

SW: 171 (9/1/08)

LW: 153 (as of 11/10/08)

CW: 151 :D 11/17/08

 

Total Loss in 11 weeks: 20 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GW: 150 by Thanksgiving

GW: 145 lbs 12/29 Cruise (total 26 lbs.)

GW: 135 lbs by 4/05/09 cruise (total 36 lbs) We will see when I get there, this may be to low for my height)

 

Happy Cruising & Losing!

Donna

[nana&poppy2526]

Sounds like everyone is doing well. Congrats, Litewait. 20 pounds in 11 weeks is excellent. Four pounds in one week for Robin is great, too. Nana#1, how'd you fare this morning? Welcome home, and happy birthday Thursday (in case I forget Thursday).

 

Different from Litewait, I weighed 163.5 (brand new number) both Saturday and Sunday morning.....and 164 (still a new number, just 1/2 pound more) this morning. I am thrilled. I think I weighed 168 last Monday, so that's four pounds gone. Just wish I knew why; I'd do it again! But, like Litewait, I hope it "sticks".

 

My weigh-in at the clinic is tomorrow afternoon. Before I go to that, I get to go with my son and daughter-in-law to the ultrasound that will reveal their baby's sex. I've never been there for THAT ultrasound, so I'm really excited about it. I've already told the clinic that I could be a little late for my appointment with them. First things first!

 

It's probably my imagination (or at the very least, my compassion is greater now), but Punkin seems to be doing very well. As predicted, he was running circles (feeling better after a bad morning) around me when I got home Friday, and he seemed much calmer over the weekend. He probably heard (and understood) every word the vet and I discussed last week! :)

 

Our cruise begins four weeks from yesterday. I don't think it's gotten really REAL yet, but that's probably because of the 2,000 things that have to be done before we leave. I think it's better for it not to be real yet because once it becomes real, the time will go by at a snail's pace.

 

I hope y'all have a wonderful Monday and week ahead.

 

B

[angelkisses]

Unfortunatly, it's not a full 4lb loss like I thought .... but I'm happy with 3.8. Next week ... new decade for me I hope. I found a new weight loss clinic that will offer me the same treatment as I'm receiving now for alot less money. I will go try them out in December. :D

 

I switched over from taking the Green Tea supplements to drinking two cups of hot Lipton Green Tea w/ Mandarin flavoring. Its probably not getting as much green tea in me as the supplements but I really enjoy it. It's my ten minutes of relaxation each day in more ways than one.

 

Everyone stay on your diet this week ... next week will be the battle! Congratulations to you bunch of LOSERS! ;)

 

SW 241.5

Last Week 224.8

CW 221.0 (Week 5)

Total lbs loss: 21.5

GW by 1/17 - 210

GW by 10/31 -170

[nana&poppy2526]

I guess we'll let you slide on that little "white lie" -- 3.8 instead of 4 pounds! :)

 

Keep me posted on the new clinic. I keep thinking that mine is WAY too expensive, but I can't afford to quit at this point, either. I've cut out all my other "luxuries" i.e. manicures, pedicures, etc. so that I won't feel too terribly guilty about spending the $$'s each month. I figure when it gets to the point where I'm only losing a pound a month for all that money, it'll probably be time to quit and try to do it on my own (gulp).

[NanaOfBKM]

Congratulations to all - seems everyone reporting in did lose weight this week. I did weigh this morning expecting an increase of 4 lbs like the last time. It was actually only up .2 lb (as in 1/5 lb increase) from my 25 lb loss that I hit last Wednesday. I'm actually the same as I was a week ago - so maintaining during a week with a 4 day trip, not bad. I'm hoping that I will do as I have for the last two trips - lose weight/fluid for the first 3 or 4 days back. Maybe I'll have a good week! Either way, I'm back and I'm focused. My sister is probably going to pass me by this week and she just got started!!! She thinks I'm bringing her some "hand me down" clothes for her to wear but she may be getting too small to wear them. Maybe she's going to have to give me some clothes to wear. Like Litewait, I've re-evaluated my "small goals" between now and the end of the year to make me work a little harder. My official goal is still 30 lbs by Christmas but I hope to lose more than that. 5 lbs in one month wasn't very challenging, then again not gaining over the holidays means a lot too! We will see how that goes. Right now I'm aiming for that next decade!

 

Nana #2 - thanks for the birthday greetings. As of Thursday, I am officially eligible for Senior Discounts with Carnival. So glad Punkin is doing better. Dogs can pick up on stress and he knew something wasn't right, having to go to the vet for tests, etc. He's probably calmed now that you've let him go back to "normal life". Hope he continues to do good for a long time to come.

 

SW: 197.6 (9/6/08)

LW: 173.0

CW: 172.8 (after 4 day camping trip)

Goal: 167.6 by New Years! Would love to make that 162.6!