Quinn, glad you checked in; you seem to be keeping your head above water. I hope your mom is recuperating and that you can get quickly into the new routine, and back on clean eating. Tuesday was my crash-and-burn day; I'm right there with you.

The teenage girl stories are, indeed, amusing; maybe there needs to be a dedicated support thread for that? I can't tell you how often my husband and I look at each other and say, "I don't know how we would be handling it if we had a girl!" My hat's off to all of you who are raising (or have raised) them through the teen years.

Hope, I'm sure hoping that you are feeling better today. I know that getting hit by the fibro train is frustrating on a lot of levels.

Rose, your goals are amazing this week! Keep up the great work! I'm glad you had such a rewarding active day yesterday. I'm going to try to keep that in mind today to motivate me.

Mike, counting the days till the epidural? I may have mentioned, a co-worker had amazing results with his; I hope yours brings you some relief.

Managed to pull it back in yesterday, thank goodness. It feels so much better to be in control than out of control...so why do I keep doing that?? I'll need to get back to journaling to try to figure it out.

1. Balance calories in & out. Yes, Epic fail, Much better
2. Exercise 6 times. Ran today, None, Double-cardio tennis & weights
3. Drink 64 oz. of water or more. Yes, Nope, Yes
4. Sleep at least 7 hours a night. 6.5, 6.5, 6.5

5. Don't buy new clothes, no matter how good the sales! Yes, Yes, Yes
6. Work a little on organizing photos for scrapbooks every day. Yes, Yes, No
7. Make final decision on bathing suit before Saturday; return others. Started
8. Gotta do it...smile more, bitch less! Yes-EVEN at the cell phone store, which took Herculean effort, I only bitched when necessary ;), Pretty much

"Do you have a really good bottle of wine, some nice dark chocolate or something to get you through? Are you like me, a total neurotic worrywart, or like my DH, a trusting reasonably well adjusted person?"

Hope,

I'm probably more like your DH. My oldest, now 28, almost killed me. (Seriously, BP in the 225 range.) My youngest is a really good kid. Her group is very academic, top 10 students of their class. They lovingly call themselves "The Nerd Herd". If you've ever watched "Bones" on TV, the lead character is exactly like my daughter.

After ending a 1 1/2 year steady relationship, she went back to her lifelong friends (guys and girls, no real steady dating) and it has been WONDERFUL!!! No boys with their noses pressed up against my front door for the past year. :)

She is, most likely, going to a college for engineering with a student ratio of about 6 boys to every 1 girl, which her father is a little concerned about. ;)

Time to start my day. Today, I WILL control my eating and get back on track. I'm seriously still sick this morning from yesterday's binge. Ugh.

Have a great day, all!

quinn

Good morning! I'm struggling with my goals this week, not really sure why since things are going pretty smooth, oh well! I haven't worked out all week, been doing stuff in the house every evening, and just pretty much lazy after that. Gotta get motivated tho, I need a new workout!!

Fitness goals:
>1300 cals/day Y,N,Y
1 gal water/day Y,N,Y
eat clean/low carb lunches Y,N,Y
workout 3 times N,N,N

Lifestyle goals:
get blinds upstairs N,N,N
1 load laundry/day Y,Y,Y
Do weekly menu book N,N,N
Trust more, nag/complain/question less N,Y,Y
1 room cleaned/day - Mon-den N
Tues-DS room N
Wed- DD room sorta
Thurs-my room
Sat/Sun-mop kitchen and dining room

Going to eat lunch with a friend today, so I'm gonna try to make good choices! I decided not to plan meals and do menu book until after we get back from the beach, since kids are eating at bible school all week and we are leaving Wednesday! Gonna start fresh when we get home!

Have a great week, fitdayers!

Had a good week exercise and food wise. Plan to be down for weight in tomorrow. I have to get stricter if I want to meet my August 14th goal. Mary

Mary: You're making me want to buy a bike! And eat chocolate-dipped strawberries, mmmm. Perfect.

Hope: I hope that you're feeling better today - that sounds like an awful bout of your fibro :(

quinn: Good to hear from you! I think treating yourself is a little bit warranted at least - glad to hear you seemed to have a good time with the Committee, and I hope that your Mom is comfortably recuperating and everything in your family life is settling down a little bit....except your daughter with those Germans! ;)

Wednesday Report Card

Food, Exercise, Lifestyle Goals
1) Achieve a 3,500 calorie deficit by food alone M: -744 T: -429 W: -326 (Week Total = -1499)
2) Achieve a total 7,500 calorie deficit by a combination of food and exercise M: - 972 T: -429 W: -461 (Week Total = -1912)
3) 30 Day Shred six days of the week M: yes T: Day off W: No
4) Two days of "extra cardio" exercise M: No T: No W: No
5) At least 96 oz. of water daily M: yes T: I think so W: yes
6) Do not weigh until Friday M: yes T: yes W: yes
7) Achieve between a 40/30/30 and 50/30/20 (C/P/F) ratio for the week (I'm flexible on this - really I want the protein to be at 30!) M: 37/28/35 T: 48/20/32 W: 44/20/36 (Week Pie Chart: 43/22.6/34.4)

Other Life Goals
1) Get my head back in research!! M: Yes T: Big yes W: yes
2) Make an effort on my appearance every day M: yes T: yes W: yes
3) Clean something every day M: yes (kitchen) T: No W: yes (vaccuumed)
4) Work on my sewing at least 5 hours this week M: No T: No W: No

Failure on exercise yesterday - got home late again from work and needed to go grocery shopping fairly desperately - so at least I was walking and pushing a cart around. I didn't sleep well at all Tuesday night, so I was dead on my feet the whole day yesterday. I also had fried chicken pieces with dinner yesterday (:o - BF made them) so I absolutely am going to hit the gym today. I refuse to stay late at work for a third day in a row, so that means really focusing. I'm also planning on a fairly light food day - I had a yogurt with fruit for breakfast, lunch is a salad with some leftover chicken from the fridge, and dinner is likely going to be meatless (black bean quesadillas), though BF may demand chicken on his.

I think I'll feel less guilty if I do an "extra cardio" day today along with the Shred. Hopefully I'm up to it! Still feeling really tired, and this weekend probably isn't going to be a catch-up-on-sleep sort of weekend. I think the only thing I dislike about vacations is how everything seems to pile up after even a few days off -- I wonder if life was this way 50 years ago? I blame computers and the internet, and the I-need-everything-right-now culture that seems to be going on. I'm sick of getting 20 follow-up e-mails every hour asking me if something is done yet. No, it's not done. I'll let you know when it is done. I'm working on it and replying to you is taking my time away from working on it, grrrrrr!!

I know I'm just bitching right now, but I needed to vent a little :)

Happy Thursday!

~Terri

Thanks Cassie, you did mention it before. It makes me feel better knowing that this is probably the right decision.

Well today was sort of a planned cheat and OMG (did I just say OMG?? Now I'm starting to sound like a teen:eek:) I feel like crap with my carb binge. I'm at just over 200g which is NOTHING for a cheat day for me and I think I need to pull back the reins on that.

Me too! First 3 mile walk in 3 weeks!!! Woohoo!!! :D

Mike,

I see you're scheduled for an epidural. How is the back doing since I've been away?

Hello everyone,

I have been back from the vacation since Monday, but haven't had the chance to get here. Coming back from vacation is hard! I did good with my food and drinks I think, since I did not put on any weight (I have been on a plateau anyway). I didn't manage any goals this week, just get the body and mind back to real life. But I wanted to check in with all of you.

Almeeker, hope you have a good trip! NYC! How exciting! If its any consolation my beach trip was with my nieces and nephew, 10, 6 and 1. Granted they are not mine, but I tried to help out as much, specially with the one year old, who is a handful. Still its wonderful to be able to share those moments and give your kids such wonderful memories.

Cassie, great news on the hydrostatic test! You are an athetle! And you have been having a great week even with the epic fail and all :)

Hope, oh teenagers! Just have to wait and see what the rest fo the summer brings, maybe it won't be too bumpy. In the mean time don't forget to take care of yourself, hope your aches have gone now.

Quinn, nice to read from you, hope your life gets to a new normal soon. Your daughter sounds like a lot of fun if she is like the Bones character :)

Mike, great you have your epi scheduled now and being able to go back to the gym.

jjeand, that strawberry creamcheese bread sounds delicious! How sweet of your daughter and your plan sounds like it went well. Congrats on the workout today!

Rose, I felt like going to NYC just from all your descriptions! You have done great with your goals. Happy Canada Day!

Terri, looks like you have had a crazy week but have managed to stick around! Waiting for the pink dress pictures when you get them, I have been asking for some pictures for almost a year now... no success, I hope that is not the case with your sister :)

Mary, congrats on your exercise and food this week!

Ashlie, congrats on the no nail biting! Keep working at your goals, I also have a hard time with the workouts... ugh :)

Ginger, welcome! Hope you are doing great with your goals.

Welcome back, Main 80! It is so hard to come back from vacation, isn't it? But you did great; not gaining is a plus! And it's amazing how you took time to address us personally. I admire that.

Fitness
1) 1600 calories maximum (maybe more realistic): 1180, 1480,1298,1780 (so hungry lately)
2) walk or gym 4x this week- Yes at 10pm no less, no, no, walk
]3) 64 oz water minimum"] 72, 64,36?, 64
4) stretch"] yuuuuuuuup, no, tried to fibro prevented movement, yes
5) cut sugar: yes, yes, yes, yes
6) reduce carbs-yes, yes, no, no had pizza
Other
1) write 1 hour daily- yes, had writing workshop, wrote all day, yes
2) meditate-yes, no, no, no
3) don't fight with DD- NO, Yes got along great, yes, NO fought yet again, how do we get into this?
4) find vet for other cats and bring em-researching, made appointment, left message for old vet for records, vet on Friday
5) make vacation plans- trying, trying, TRYING, YES booked a trip
6) make plans to visit colleges-No, NO,NO, NO
7) listen-No, NO, yes, eh
8) fix blocked ear (odd I know)yes

I'm so glad its Friday, my last day of work for NINE WHOLE DAYS!! I'm soooo excited.

Just a quick check in. I need to reply to everyone but I'm on my phone now. Hey has anyone heard from Mern?

1) avg 65g carbs for the week: 28.3, 47.9, 37.6, 267.4
2) 3000 calories deficient for the week: -770, -355, -764, +273
3) gallon of water per day: yes, yes, yes, yes
4) workout 3 times: no, yes, no,yes

My first Saturday post in a long time! Can I make it through the weeking without bailing out??

1) avg 65g carbs for the week: 28.3, 47.9, 37.6, 267.4, 44.7
2) 3000 calories deficient for the week: -770, -355, -764, +273, -797
3) gallon of water per day: yes, yes, yes, yes, I think so
4) workout 3 times: no, yes, no ,yes, no

I just did some number crunching and to hit my average of 65g carb goal for the week I have to average 14.5g for the next 2 days. :eek:

I was thinking of Mern, myself, Mike. I couldn't remember if she had a vacay planned, but she's been MIA and I hope all is well.

I haven't been checking in either..bad, bad...Thursday was crash and burn, Friday was right on target. We're heading to my in-laws at the lake for a couple days; I think they have a wireless connections so hopefully I can continue to check in and log stuff.

Mike, I thought you were always here. Cassie, I noticed you weren't around as much so welcome back! I usually never make Saturday but here I am.

Where is Mern?

Fitness
1) 1600 calories maximum (maybe more realistic): 1180, 1480,1298,1780 (so hungry lately), 2500 (gulp)
2) walk or gym 4x this week- Yes at 10pm no less, no, no, walk, no
]3) 64 oz water minimum"] 72, 64,36?, 64,72
4) stretch"] yuuuuuuuup, no, tried to fibro prevented movement, yes, yes
5) cut sugar: yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
6) reduce carbs-yes, yes, no, no had pizza, no had big pretzel
Other
1) write 1 hour daily- yes, had writing workshop, wrote all day, yes, yes
2) meditate-yes, no, no, no, yes
3) don't fight with DD- NO, Yes got along great, yes, NO fought yet again, how do we get into this?, yes but I was a bit nasty
4) find vet for other cats and bring em-researching, made appointment, left message for old vet for records, vet on Friday, went to vet, very depressing
5) make vacation plans- trying, trying, TRYING, YES booked a trip
6) make plans to visit colleges-No, NO,NO, NO, ish
7) listen-No, NO, yes, eh, yes
8) fix blocked ear (odd I know)yes

Does this mean that we have private message abilities on the forum now? I can't seem to send or receive any. I think it would be a great feature. That way when someone goes MIA, they will be alerted via email that they have a private message waiting for them on the forum. Wouldn't that be cool? (hint hint) ;)

I've been a delinquent but I'm staying accountable!
 

Hello Everyone!

Well I was on a total roll with my goals this week and feeling really good about it. Then yesterday evening I went out with a bunch of friends to celebrate a birthday and totally lost my grip! In the words of our favorite teen psychologist, Cassie, it was an EPIC FAIL. I went over my calorie limit by about 1000! YIKES!!!! :eek:

Today I was determined to undo some of the damage so I am going to try and limit myself to 1100 calories PLUS I went to the gym this morning and did spinning class - which is a real calorie blaster - as well as some stair master and some running on the treadmill. I figure I burned at least 1000 calories so maybe just maybe yesterday's epic fail won't show up on the scale? I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

GOALS:

1. Eat between 1100-1400 calories per day: YES 1214/ YES 1337/YES 1252/YES 1254/NOT EVEN CLOSE 2492
2. Exercise 4 hours: YES 40 min/ YES 45 min/YES 95 min
3. Drink 10-12 glasses of water: DONE!/ DONE!/ DONE!/ DONE!/DONE!
4. Take my multi-vitamin: YES/ YES/ YES/ YES/YES
5. Eat over 30% protein: YES 34%/ YES 38%/ YES 44%/YES 40%/ YES 30%
6. NO SUGAR! YES/ YES/YES/YES/YES/NO!
Other goals:

1. Hem curtains: 1 panel done/Another one done!
2. Water flowers: YES YES/YES/YES
3. Deposit check: YES
4. make pear salsa:

Main80, welcome back from vacation. I had a really hard time getting my head back into reality after returning from my holiday too. But it feels great to be back and thank you for the encouragement! :)

Terri, I totally hear what you are saying about this internet generation. I am so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails that come in and like you said, it takes time away from the actual work which lengthens the work day. It's a vicious cycle!

Not yet. That would be cool though.

Cassie, yeah me too, I hope all is well with her. Maybe she just needed a little break or things just got hectic.

Hope, For the past month I'm usually here m-f then I vanish on Sat & Sun.

I'm here! Sorry 'bout going MIA without notice. I see I haven't logged on since 6/24! :eek:

Fell off the wagon big time on food and exercise last week but didn't gain--didn't lose an ounce, either. I wasn't hiding from our group--just got busy doing other things and didn't take time to log on here. This week have been very good about food, but didn't enter stuff into my nutrition tracker.

Joined the Y yesterday--membership fee paid by my health insurance under the Silver Sneakers Program for senior citizens. Supposed to make an appointment with a senior advisor for a tour and orientation to the equipment. I'll do that the week of July 11th when my grandkids will be visiting their Dad out of state for a week. For now I'm just using a treadmill and exercise bike and will join some group exercise classes beginning Monday. It's only 2 1/2 miles from my house to the Y so I can afford to go at my convenience and let DH babysit the grandkids instead of us both going together in the evening. :)

Wishing y'all a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Hey Mern! Good to hear from you! Obviously, you can see you were missed.

Glad to hear you didn't gain and also that you joined the Y. Let us know how it goes.

Mike, yeah I tend to go AWOL on weekend too. But I am trying to stick with it! Plus it's good to touch base with you guys. Especially since stress (some of which looks a lot like my DD) is driving me to eat.

Hey Everyone,

My eating has been pretty bad the past few days. Promising myself to get my act together tomorrow. I live in a very recreational, tourist driven area with lots of boating, water skiing, whitewater river rafting, etc. So the 4th of July weekend is one of our busiest of the entire year. Tons of water related parties, etc. with LOTS of food and drink. Tomorrow will be no exception.

On a more positive note, I've gotten in LOTS of hiking and walking during the past week now that the rain has cleared. (June was terribly cold and rainy for us.) Close to 20 miles logged in the last 5 days. :) Haven't gotten on the scale in a week or so, but I can tell I've gained a little from the 2-3 weeks that I had no time to exercise.

Well, if we can't lose weight over the holiday, let's try to at least keep the damage to a minimum... lol.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth!

quinn

1) avg 65g carbs for the week: 28.3, 47.9, 37.6, 267.4, 44.7,13.0
2) 3000 calories deficient for the week: -770, -355, -764, +273, -797, -687
3) gallon of water per day: yes, yes, yes, yes, I think so, yes
4) workout 3 times: no, yes, no ,yes, no, no

Saturday check-in
 

GOALS:

1. Eat between 1100-1400 calories per day: YES 1214/ YES 1337/YES 1252/YES 1254/NOT EVEN CLOSE 2492/ YES 1106
2. Exercise 4 hours: 40 min/45 min/95 min/30 min = 3.5 hours so far
3. Drink 10-12 glasses of water: DONE!/ DONE!/ DONE!/ DONE!/DONE!/DONE!
4. Take my multi-vitamin: YES/ YES/ YES/ YES/YES/YES
5. Eat over 30% protein: YES 34%/ YES 38%/ YES 44%/YES 40%/ YES 30%/YES 43%
6. NO SUGAR! YES/ YES/YES/YES/YES/NO!/YES
Other goals:

1. Hem curtains: 1 panel done/Another one done!
2. Water flowers: YES/ YES/YES/YES
3. Deposit check: YES
4. make pear salsa:

I was extremely active on Saturday. Worked out for over an hour and a half at the gym, rode a bike to the park, walked 3km home, and played with my friend's kid at the park. It was a beautiful summer day! :)

Hope, let us know what happened at the vet. I am hoping that you didn't get any more bad news and it was just depressing because of what happened last time you were there. Sending a (((hug)))

Hi Hope and all...yeah, haven't been around, partly because of totally gacking a couple days and embarrassed, partly because of other diversions. We're at my in-law's now on the lake, had a nice homegrown fireworks display last night and going out for swims and See-Doos today. I ate well yesterday and hubby and I went for a jog last night, so so far, so good.

Hope, was the vet depressing because of what happened with your other baby, or did you get more bad news? ((hugs)).

Cassie, don't be embarrassed; we all fall off the wagon. Your time at yur in-laws sounds like it was fun. Rose, you're doing withthe execise.

I want to thank both of you for asking about my babies. The vet, who may or may not be an alarmist, made it sound like my other two cats are at death's door. Jake, she says. has a terrible heart murmur and she recommended an EKG at nearly $700. Ginger, she says, is way too thin for her age and she supsects her of having kidney disease and recommends a CBC at nearly $300. I'm not sure what's going on with my babies so I'm gonna take them to another vet; I'm going to try to get em in this week. If they need tests or whatever, of course I'm gonna find a way to do it. Meanwhile I'm worried sick about them because I feel they are not well. What is going on with my cats?

My biological baby, my DD, has also been a great cause for concern and also stress between DH and myself. Health has not be 100% and many of my close friends are out of town for the holiday and/or vacay. But enough bitching! :( Time to smile more!!!!:) So sorry to be Debby Downer here!!!

We will being having a small barbeque with some other friends we really like. Then we're doing the whole corny watching the town parade, watching the town fireworks thing. Will even probably help collect money in town to fund it. Personally I could hole up in my bed with a book and a bag of chocolate.

Fitness
1) 1600 calories maximum (maybe more realistic): 1180, 1480,1298,1780 (so hungry lately), 2500 (gulp), 1185
2) walk or gym 4x this week- Yes at 10pm no less, no, no, walk, no,no
]3) 64 oz water minimum"] 72, 64,36?, 64,72, 72
4) stretch"] yuuuuuuuup, no, tried to fibro prevented movement, yes, yes, yes
5) cut sugar: yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
6) reduce carbs-yes, yes, no, no had pizza, no had big pretzel, yes
Other
1) write 1 hour daily- yes, had writing workshop, wrote all day, yes, yes, no just a bit of journaling
2) meditate-yes, no, no, no, yes, no
3) don't fight with DD- NO, Yes got along great, yes, NO fought yet again, how do we get into this?, yes but I was a bit nasty, yes tho I had good reason to lose it, I kept it together
4) find vet for other cats and bring em-researching, made appointment, left message for old vet for records, vet on Friday, went to vet, very depressing, vet after holiday
5) make vacation plans- trying, trying, TRYING, YES booked a trip
6) make plans to visit colleges-No, NO,NO, NO, ish, DD must take the incentive
7) listen-No, NO, yes, eh, yes, uhhhhhhhhh no
8) fix blocked ear (odd I know)yes

Have a great 4th everyone! Enjoy!!!!

Hope, it's good to be back. I was surprised to be missed--really hadn't realized it had been that long since I had logged in. Aw, best wishes with your babies. Good to get a second opinion. Diagnostic tests for pets cost almost as much as for humans. My DD and I were always at each other's throats when she was younger. Now that she's grown with four kids of her own, we're great friends. It'll pass--eventually, but I know it's stressful for you right now. Big hug to ya. Congrats on your food, fitness and other successes this week. The long weekend makes it harder, I think. So where ya goin' on vacation and when?

Cassie, holy cow, no need to be embarrassed with falling off the wagon--we all do it from time to time. Like my doc says, we don't need to be perfect, just better than we used to be, competing only against our past record. Sounds like you're having a good time at your in-laws. Enjoy!

Rose, you are having one super week on your goals. Super congrats to ya! Wonderful that you're also getting in extra physical activity!

Mike, you're also doing a good job this week! You're really getting the hang of low carb! Are you enjoying your food? And I see you just need one more workout to meet this week's goal. :)

Quinn, I'm so glad you are getting in some much needed recreation and partying. You'll be fine --I have no doubt you can keep "damage" to a minimum and quickly get back on track on food.

My report for today is like yesterday--didn't log my food but know from experience I did just fine. I don't plan to make a habit of not logging--just took a break from it this week--maybe will tomorrow as well. Enjoyed a 36 minute treadmill walk at the Y today--slower pace of 2.5MPH gave me a total of 1.5 miles which was fine with me as I'm taking baby steps to work back up to 2 miles again. Walking on the treadmill is so much easier on my back and hips than walking at the park on blacktop! Plus my new gym shoes may be helping--gel insoles to help with shock absorption. Found $65 Asics on clearance sale for $30. :) Tomorrow I may try the seniors (Silver Sneakers) group Cardio Circuit and Tuesday the 30 minute group cycling and/or Muscular Strength & Range of Motion class.

Mern, glad you are back and have been doing okay. Nice job on the exercise, the bargain hunting, and the success even with no logging!

Hope, here's to the new vet coming up with some fresh ideas. And I hope your human baby is doing okay, too!

Rose, your goals look awesome!! Congrats on a wonderful week :).

Still at the in-laws; did some swimming today and satisfied the need for speed on the jetski. We had fireworks round two off the beach tonight after a long walk with the hubby. Eating has been on track other than sneaking a couple big oatmeal cookies...my favorite. DS is watching Man vs. Food and it's making me hungry! Gonna go stick my nose in a book for a little while. Hope all enjoyed their day and have a good long weekend tomorrow, for those of you who have it off :).

Mike, I am always amazed by your carb intake! Really 13g is Wow for me.

Rose, it is hard being back! I have been off all this week, looking forward to start fresh tomorrow.

Hope, I wish you the best for this new week with your DD and your cats.

Mern, happy to read you and that you are doing well. The Y sounds like a great idea!

Quinn, congrats on the walking and hiking these days! Hope you are enjoying the holiday.

Cassie, the lake sounds like fun! I love Man vs. Food, makes me very hungry too!

Best wishes for this upcoming week!

1) avg 65g carbs for the week: 28.3, 47.9, 37.6, 267.4, 44.7,13.0, 17.0
2) 3000 calories deficient for the week: -770, -355, -764, +273, -797, -687, -1153 (-4253 :eek:)
3) gallon of water per day: yes, yes, yes, yes, I think so, yes, nope
4) workout 3 times: no, yes, no ,yes, no, no, no

I fell short this week by 1 workout, some water and just BARELY missed my carb goal!

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...1gt46/651g.jpg
I tried my very best but couldn't pull it off. :(

I beat my calorie goal by a long shot.

Tomorrow (well today since it's 12:30am will be a cheat day/ carb loading day for me. :))

Hope, sorry to hear about your babies not doing well. :(

Mern, of course you were missed. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to run off... ;)

Cassie, don't beat yourself up.

Enjoy your 4th everyone.

Hope, I can totally sympathize with you about your kitties. I have had a hell of a difficult Spring with my dog. He was brutally attacked by another dog in late March, spent 5 days in intensive care, then suffered a bladder infection and a month later I found out he had cancer. He had to have surgery and I have spent about $4000.00 in total on him. Luckily the old guy pulled through everything and aside from his impaired eyesight and hearing (he's 14) he is a happy little pooch who still has a spring in his step believe it or not! All I can say, is definitely get a second opinion! Vets are people and unfortunately some of them just see dollar signs, and want to convince you to run every test under the sun on your pets so you have to watch out for those. And please don't worry about being a Debby Downer! If you can't vent on this forum, we might as well shut it all down. May I say, that I think you are doing amazing! Naturally you feel like holing yourself up in your bed with a bag of chocolate, but you didn't do that! I certainly wasn't strong enough to resist which is why I was away from the forum for about 2 months. My greatest goal is learning to deal with my emotions, without numbing myself with food. I think it's great that you can express yourself here because I am sure that it helps you resist that bag of chocolate.

Mern, yay! Nice to have you back and hope you enjoy your new Asics! I am definitely and Asics girl all the way! My Y is just a short walk away too. :)

Cassie, thank you! I did have a good week except for that big hunk of birthday cake on Saturday night. ;) I am so jealous of your jetskiing this weekend! Glad you had a good time at the in-laws!

Main80, wishing you a great week!

Mike, Happy 4th to you too!

Thank you everyone! Rose, what an intense story! It sounds like you went through so much but I am so glad your doggie pulled through. It also gives me hope for my guys. Meanwhile, DD is volunteering at the animal shelter (she is a good kid) and is trying to convince us to come look at the kitties. She thinks we should adopt Harry an adult and a baby (or three) she has her eye on, not to replace just to enhance and cheer DH up.

Fitness
1) 1600 calories maximum (maybe more realistic): 1180, 1480,1298,1780 (so hungry lately), 2500 (gulp), 1185,1345
2) walk or gym 4x this week- Yes at 10pm no less, no, no, walk, no,no, no fibro bad
]3) 64 oz water minimum"] 72, 64,36?, 64,72, 72, 80
4) stretch"] yuuuuuuuup, no, tried to fibro prevented movement, yes, yes, yes, yes
5) cut sugar: yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes ate sugar free chocolate tho
6) reduce carbs-yes, yes, no, no had pizza, no had big pretzel, yes, yes
Other
1) write 1 hour daily- yes, had writing workshop, wrote all day, yes, yes, no just a bit of journaling, 3 or more hours
2) meditate-yes, no, no, no, yes, no, yes
3) don't fight with DD- NO, Yes got along great, yes, NO fought yet again, how do we get into this?, yes but I was a bit nasty, yes tho I had good reason to lose it, I kept it together, was fabulosu we watched tv in my bed together and talked and laughed
4) find vet for other cats and bring em-researching, made appointment, left message for old vet for records, vet on Friday, went to vet, very depressing, vet after holiday, same
5) make vacation plans- trying, trying, TRYING, YES booked a trip, Virgiina Beach
6) make plans to visit colleges-No, NO,NO, NO, ish, DD must take the incentive, same
7) listen-No, NO, yes, eh, yes, uhhhhhhhhh no, yesyesyes
8) fix blocked ear (odd I know)yes, fixed ear again

Happy 4th everyone!!!!!