Hi Yellowhair, I've been missing also. Don't even wanna mention the computer problems *sigh*. Both the telephone co. and the cable co. have been digging up the streets around here and I'm lucky to have hone service. My "high-speed" dialup is so slow it can take MINUTES to just change pages on this site when I have a connection at all.

So sorry to read of your loss of your mom. It's hard I know.

I am currently maintaining my 35LB. loss. Life has handed me a series of blows so the ability to maintain my weight is truly a positive right now. My DH put his foot thru our ceiling while up in the attic. He had surgery to repair some small bones. Two weeks later his foot became infected and after 2 surgeries to get the infection out he is now in a skilled nursing facility for a month recieving atibiotics through a PIC and intensive oversight to prevent more infection from lodging.

Within days of the drywall incident, my son was t-boned (broadsided) while riding his motorcycle. He is ambulatory but has deep tissue damage and hairline fractures at his knee and lower femur. This femur is already plated and pinned from a previous accident. He will be having reconstructive surgery on his knee using cadaver parts on the 18th of October.

All this happened the first week of Sept. In the last week my daughter discovered a tumor in her pet rat.

Saddest of all is the fact that my 7 1/2 year old Bullmastiff/Lab mix collapsed last Sat. A night at Animal Emergency and much testing later, we have learned she has a tumor on her heart and nodules in her liver. Hemangiosarcoma of this kind is not curable and generally is not diagnosed before it has matastasized. It is a very fast spreading cancer.

I lost my Black Lab, Max, to this same type of cancer a year ago March. After seeing the pain he went through after surgery, and watching him develope pnuemonia later that night I made the promise that part of his legacy would be that no dog of mine would ever suffer that fate again. So I have allowed a procedure to drain away the blood from around her heart ( the tumor had bled, causing the collapse) and now we wait. She is full of all the energy (that a Bullie can muster) for now and I intend to love her and spoil her for her remaining days. She could have an hour, weeks or months before another bleed or rupture. At that time she will be allowed to go to her final rest. It is what I owe her and I am crying as I type this.

She was always Max's dog, not ours until his passing. If there truly is something after they will be together again. Not a day goes by that I don't mourn him.

We have a Black Lab puppy of 16 months that is another part of Max's legacy....a love of hard-headed, hyperactive long-legged Black Lab boys :). Belle will have left her own memories and the things she taught us about gentle loving affection and a fierce protection of all she loved may one day have it's own legacy in a new life of a Bullmastiff puppy for our little black lab boy to play with.

So I do lurk here and I am cheering all on their weight loss journeys. Welcome to anyone who is new. I sure miss McPeg and hope she is doing well and will be back on these boards soon.

Hello!
Glad to see you back again. Hugs about your mom - give yourself time (and permission) to grieve.

Diet Pepsi here! Getting ready to go on a 4 day working "vacation" and no trips to the Dollar Store for chocolate covered raisins this time. I packed my Diet Pepsi too! For some reason it is hard to find there.

We have had a light frost already so I dug up some cherry sage plants that are not hardy here and they are going to Chincoteague Va where they should winter well. I hated to dig them up though - they were so pretty.
The "big machines" were cutting the corn fields that surround us the past 3 days and I won't miss the feeling of the green walls all around and the dogs will go crazy running in the fields.

My diet has been OK but I am not starving so I am not losing.

Bye, Kathy

Hi, Lost a pound this week. Doing the Protein Power Plan--minimum 27 gms protein a meal--maximum 10 gms carb a meal. Drinking lots of water and getting some exercise (not enough) in. I don't drink as much soda as I used to but my choice is Dite Rite--no caffeine or sodium and sweetened with Splenda.

Hope things start looking up for you all and Kathy, enjoy your "vacation".

Susy

Kathy, have a good vacation! Wildchild, so sorry about all of your medical emergencies---hope your DH is doing better tonight and your son's surgery goes well. I really feel for you with your dog---we've had to put 2 down and it's tough. My prayers are with you and your family.

Susy, I bought some more diet-rite and drinking more water. I've been lifting weights while watching the debates tonights. One day at a time. One day at a time.

Still losing here. Down a total of 37 pounds now. Have been dealing with my husband's health issues. He has congestive heart failure, diabetes, and is about 150 pounds overweight. In spite of removing all "bad" foods from the house and keeping fresh fruits and veggies on hand at all times, he still hasn't lost any weight. Denial is not a river in Egypt. My good example hasn't spurred him into eating less.

Walking an hour 5 days/week, light weights 3-4 days, and cutting portion size as well as avoiding high calorie, low volume foods. I don't avoid carbs, I just eat much smaller amounts. Trying to remember to drink more water. I forget!

Hi everybody! I met my weightloss goal, but I have had a bad case of bronchitis for 2 weeks now, so I am still losing. I don't have much appetite. I was just put on a new batch of medications (for the bronchitis), and they seem to be helping.

Plus, our kitchen was completely dismantled this week for the remodel. We held onto our stove and sink for as long as possible, but now they are waiting for the new kitchen to go back into. And we have been so busy, we have not been eating right.

Yellowhair--Glad to hear your getting some exercise. Walking is so good for you. I'm still trying to get back on track, but between my toe problem and the bronchitis, it's not going too well for me.

Wildchild--Good grief, can your list of woes get any longer? Please don't answer that. How traumatic to have so many things hitting your family all at once. I hope things start going more your way real soon. Peace and hugs to you and your family.

BarnMom--Congrats on the weightloss! You're doing great! I hear ya about hubby not following your good example. Mine has a ton to lose too. He's been asking me a lot of questions, but I don't see him changing his eating habits.

Eat healthy and have a good week!