HELLO & WOW MOMENTS & "ONE"DERLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!

LADY D *
on 5/19/06 3:21 am - SUMMERVILLE, SC

THANKS EVERYONE WHO POSTED, E-MAILED OR CALLED ME; Y'ALL ARE THE BEST!! JUST BEEN THROUGH SOME REALLY STRESSFUL TIMES ESPECIALLY WITH MY PARENTS' ISSUES, SO HAVE HAD TO BACK IT DOWN A BIT TO RECHARGE MY BATTERIES. I GOT SO TIRED OF HEARING MYSELF REPEATEDLY SAY HOW EXHAUSTED I WAS THAT I FINALLY DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ... HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY GETTING ABOUT 8 HOURS SLEEP & TOOK SOME TIME TO RELAX & VEG OUT & I'M NOW FEELING SOOOOOO MUCH BETTER. NICK'S BEEN SHOWING THE STRAIN AS WELL ... REALLY, REALLY TIRED SO ... CONSIDERING THAT WE GO, GO, GO FROM ABOUT 4:45am TILL WHO KNOWS WHEN & ONLY GET ABOUT 5 (MAYBE 6) HOURS SLEEP A NIGHT, IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE COURSE A BIT ... I'VE REALLY BEEN ENCOURAGING HIM TO SLOW DOWN A BIT AS WELL ... JUST A FEW NAPS HERE & THERE TO GIVE HIM A BOOST ... A LITTLE SLOWER PACE ... &, HE SEEMS TO BE RECHARGING AS WELL. SOMETIMES WE ALLLLL GET ROPED INTO THIS IDEA THAT WE MUST KEEP UP THIS HORRENDOUS PACE OF LIFE ... RUSH, RUSH, RUSH ... NEVER STOP ... SO MUCH TO DO ... & WE JUST FLAT BURN OUT ... NOT TO MENTION THAT WE MISS SO MUCH OF THE BEAUTY & ENJOYMENT OF LIFE DASHING FROM PLACE TO PLACE IN A BLUR. SOMETIMES, WE REALLY NEED TO STOP & REPRIORITIZE ... TAKE A BREAK ... RECHARGE & THEN GET BACK INTO LIFE USING A LITTLE MORE COMMON SENSE ON OUR SCHEDULES. I'VE FOUND THAT "LESS" IS ACTUALLY "MORE" SO MANY TIMES. WE ADOPTED A DOG/PUPPY FROM THE SPCA. NICK'S WANTED ONE EVER SINCE WE HAD TO GIVE LITTLE BIT TO MY FOLKS WHEN WE WERE DRIVING CROSS COUNTRY SEVERAL YEARS AGO. "NATASHA" APPEARS TO BE A JACK RUSSEL/GERMAN SHEPARD MIX WITH THE "PUPPY" ENERGY OF A JR & THE COLORING O**** SHE'S A SWEETHEART. WHEN YOU ADOPT FROM THE SPCA NOW, THEY FIX EVERY ANIMAL & PUT A CHIP IN THEIR NECK, PLUS YOUR FIRST VET VISIT, DHPP & RABIES SHOTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE COST OF THE ADOPTION. SHE HAD KENNEL COUGH (DOGGIE COLD) SO WE DID HAVE TO PUT HER ON ANTIBIOTICS BEFORE WE COULD DO THE SHOTS. WHEN WE GOT HER HOME, WE FOUND SOME OF HER REACTIONS TO NICK INDICATED THAT SHE HAD BEEN ABUSED SO WE TOOK HER TO THE VET & SURE ENOUGH, SHE SAID THESE WERE TYPICAL OF AN ABUSED DOG. BUT, NICK HAS WON HER OVER ALTHOUGH SHE IS MORE CAUTIOUS WITH HIM THAN WITH ME. HE'S DEFINITELY THE "ALPHA DOG" IN THIS PACK. SHE WAS ALREADY CRATE & LEASH TRAINED SO WE ARE NOW TRAINING HER WITH HAND SIGNALS & SHE'S RESPONDING WELL. WE WATCH CESAR MILAN, "THE DOG WHISPERER" ON THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL ALL THE TIME & ARE USING HIS TECHNIQUES WHICH ARE WORKING FABULOUSLY. NOW, IF WE COULD FIND A WAY TO STOP THE SHEDDING, I'D BE THRILLED! A FEW DAYS AFTER WE GOT HER, SHE BROKE HER COLLAR & TOOK OFF. I'M BAWLING & NICKY COMES HOME EARLY & HUNTS THE NEIGHBORHOOD & FINDS HER BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I CALLED THE VET, DOG CATCHER & 2 COUNTY SPCAs. BECAUSE SHE HAD A MICROCHIP PLACED IN HER NECK, THEY SAID HER CHANCES OF BEING RETURNED WERE VERY, VERY GOOD IF WE HADN'T FOUND HER. THEY ARE VERY INEXPENSIVE SO DOG LOVERS ... NEXT TIME YOU GO TO THE VET, GET ONE OF THESE PLACED IN YOUR DOG ... WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THE 2 DOGS MEET YET DUE TO NATASHA'S KENNEL COUGH, BUT WE'RE HOPING FOR THIS WEEKEND. THEY ARE BOTH VERY SUBMISSIVE LADIES, SO WE HOPE THAT THEIR MEETING WILL BE A SUCCESS. LITTLE BIT IS GOING IN FOR SURGERY 6/6 FOR A 2nd JOINT SURGERY TO RELIEVE PAIN & ALLOW HER FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AGAIN. POOR THING IS REALLY IN PAIN. AS FOR MY WLS JOURNEY ... I REALLY HAVEN'T HAD MUCH OF AN APPETITE LATELY ... POWER CRUNCH PROTEIN BARS, CRYSTAL LIGHT PEACH TEA, SF POPCICLES & CRAB LEGS (FROM GOLDEN CHOPSTICKS ON DORCHESTER) HAS BEEN MY TASTE LATELY. I'VE BEEN DUMPING REALLY BAD ON ANY

PASTA OR

RICE DISH SO NOT DOING THAT FOR A LONG WHILE. I DIDN'T

GET TO SEE DR BYRNE FOR MY 6 MONTH CHECK UP/BLOOD WORK AS MY REFERRAL GOT MESSED UP, WHICH I'M STILL TRYING TO GET CORRECTED. WEEKS 1-12 WERE GREAT

WEIGHT LOSS-WISE. WEEKS 13-26 WERE SO FRUSTRATING

THAT I DIDN'T KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN OR WHAT TO DO, BUT IT SEEMS THAT ALL IT WAS, WAS MY BODY READJUSTING (AN AVERAGE OF 1 # A WEEK LOSS FOR 14 WEEKS). NOW, WEEKS 27-29 HAVE BEEN BETTER

LOSING 5 #s, 1.60 #s & 3 #s FOR A TOTAL OF 80.20 #s LOST IN 203 DAYS (THE FIRST 50 #s WERE LOST IN JUST 69 DAYS). WHEN I MET NICK IN EARLY 2000, I WEIGHED 202. WELL, LAST SUNDAY, I HIT 201.20, MY LOWEST

WEIGHT IN OVER 6 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!! &, TODAY, I ENTERED "ONE"DERLAND

& NOW WEIGH

199.60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ONEDERLAND = 199.60

I'M DOIN' THE "HAPPY DANCE"

I'M CHASIN'

NICK DOWN ... I'M ONLY LIKE 1.20 #s HEAVIER THAN HE IS RIGHT NOW ... I'VE NEVER BEEN LIGHTER THAN HE IS IN OUR ENTIRE 6+ YEARS TOGETHER SO WE HAVE REALLY BEEN HAVING FUN WITH THIS. HE KEEPS TRYING TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT & I KEEP CHASING HIM!! WHEN I PASS HIM, I'M GONNA GET A PIC OF ME IN HIS PANTS!!!!!!!!!

SO, I'M OUT OF THE "200s" F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY NEXT BIG GOAL IS TO BE 171, WHICH IS THE LIGHTEST I HAVE BEEN IN 10 YEARS SO 171, HERE I COMEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! OH YEAH, MY BMI HAS DECREASED 14.7 POINTS FROM 51.2 = SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE, DOWN TO EXTREMELY OBESE & NOW INTO "JUST" OBESE ABOUT HALF WAY TO "JUST" OVERWEIGHT ... WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!

I'LL REALLY TRY TO UPDATE MY PROFILE. I HAVE WEIGHT COMPARISON PICS & NICK'S BEST FRIEND (NATASHA) PICS AS WELL. GOD BLESS Y'ALL ... DAWN & NICK SW = 279.80 CW = 199.60 LOST = 80.20 DR BYRNE'S GOAL = 140 = 59.60 #s TO GO MY GOAL = 125 = 74.60 #s TO GO WELL, ON THAT NOTE, I'M GONNA TAKE NATASHA FOR A WALK & GET A LITTLE SUN & EXERCISE!