Hi Everybody! MJ, have a wonderful weekend and congrats on hitting your pre-wedding goal!! Diane, prayers for good results!! Paula and Shari, I hope things are going well!!
After an entire day of rain, we finally started getting snow around 6pm yesterday and it's been snowing ever since. There doesn't seem to be that much on the ground except where its drifted. I am happy to stay home!!
Salt intake is so frustrating! Even though I know why the scale jumps up a couple of pounds, it is still hard to see and hard to be patient while the extra water gets out of my system! I hope you are all doing well!!

Welcome Buster!! I am so happy for you and John!!

Shari, You are doing so well following your plan….so frustrating that your weight has stalled a bit. I am hoping that you will be pleasantly surprised by a weigh in very soon. It sometimes happens that way.

MJ, Congrats on making your goal!! Looking forward to hearing all about the wedding. Best wishes for a blessed marriage for the bride and groom!!

Diane, So glad you got good news from your colonoscopy…..good for another 5 to 10 years????

DW, Ugh on the sodium in food! I have complained about this for years. I try to buy low sodium/no salt added/etc. items whenever possible, but some foods are just chock full of sodium and alternatives are not typically available. It is so not good for us in so many ways.

Thank you everyone for saying such nice things about Buster. He was named Buster in the shelter…not sure if they named him or if that was his name when he was relinquished by his owner. It seems to fit him so we kept the name….and he knows his name and comes when called. John and I are on top of the world with him. He is one of the reasons I haven’t posted more here lately. I seem to be spending as much time with him as possible. He is so full of love and is quite entertaining too. I am convinced he lived in a good home before being given to a shelter (reasons aren’t known). Our meal schedules and choices are a little off as we adjust to Buster’s schedule but nothing major. So far he goes outside to do his business (as opposed to Jambo who I paper trained from the time we got him at 10 or 12 weeks old). I contemplated trying to switch Buster over to paper training simply because of my and John’s limited mobility, but I am not optimistic that I can succeed at that. I have been managing to take him to our unfenced back yard on his leash, and so far I am able to handle that. I will see how things go.

Hi Everybody! Shari, I hope you are feeling better! Paula, I haven't heard of a Chi-gi but Buster's ears look very Corgi-like! He is so cute!! I hope you will continue to mention him in your posts!! Is his tail also Corgi-like? I know that one type of Corgi has a tail and one type doesn't but I don't recall about a Chihuahua's tail. Diane and MJ, I hope you are both doing well!
The new Dr Mike book arrived around 8:00pm tonight and I started it but am only into the introduction. So far it is an interesting read but I haven't found "the plan" yet, I'm trying not to skip ahead so that I can get the background and philosophy.....we'll see if I can remain that patient-LOL!! I'm back to the book. Have a great evening!!

I have tried to catch up on everyone's news this am. Shari, glad you are feeling better. Paula, enjoy hearing about Buster. Will be hard to keep our resolve not to get another dog after reading your posts! Traveling plans does not allow us but boy, do I miss having a dog. DW, anxious to hear what you learn from his new book.
The wedding was beyond great! It was so good to be with family a whole weekend. Having stayed to ourselves pretty much so since the start of the pandemic, what a wonderful time. We did so much walking up and down hills, steps, that I actually came home down one pound. So now the work is getting back on the diet and staying there. Next goal is 5 lbs. Also adding in more activity, stretching. I have shorts I need to fit into comfortable before our warmer weather hits. My body is definitely enjoying the stretching and the lighter weight to carry.

HI Everybody! MJ, so happy that the wedding weekend was wonderful!! Shari, I'm glad you are feeling better!! Diane, and Paula, I hope things are going well!! Here is my "book report". Some chapters I read, others I skimmed over (like the chapter with exercises). I plan to back track at some point to read the portions that I quickly looked at. The book is "The 17 Day Kick Start Diet" by Mike Moreno, MD. This plan is somewhat similar to his first one but also somewhat different. It is based on 3 phases and "plant forward" eating. The 1st phase is the most restrictive food-wise. It lasts three days and is called "Scrub". The purpose is to detox your body and break sugar addiction. The food is plant based although specific fish and a specific type of chicken are permitted. The second phase lasts four days and is called "Soak Up". The purpose is for your detoxed body to soak up good nutrition. The foods are similar to "scrub" but some additional options are added to the list, including eggs. The final phase, "Stabilize", lasts ten days and has even more foods added to the list. Once the three phases, equaling 17 days, have been completed, he makes suggestions based on how much one still needs to lose. Options are to do the 17 days again (Phase 1,2,3), go back to Phase 2 and then do Phase 3, or stay with Phase 3 forever or as long as you want/need. There are chapters regarding exercise, supplements, CBD, sleep, stress, goals, and recipes. I'm going to start it on Monday because I am working at an Obedience trial all weekend so won't have as much control over my food as usual. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to try to answer them. Have a great evening!!

DW, Thank you for the info on Dr. Mike’s new book. It sounds quite interesting. I think I will purchase it eventually. I am interested in the plant based aspects you mentioned. A while back I incorporated some plant based choices after seeing an inspirational episode of the Dr. Oz TV show. I had considerable success on that, though at the moment I cannot recall the name of that diet. Buster doesn’t have a Corgi tail. John sees it as a Beagle-like tail, so perhaps Buster is part Beagle too.

Shari, I am glad you are feeling better. Congrats on dropping more than a pound….not exactly a preferred way to drop pounds, but now that it happened….woo hoo! How is your dad doing?

MJ, Wow a wonderful wedding, great family times, and losing weight…..all in one weekend! Super!

Thanks Diane for your kind comments about Buster. John and I agree that it was “meant to be” for Buster to have us and vice versa. We all love each other so much!

I had an excellent WW and IF day today….after a marginal day yesterday. Today I feel much more in control and satisfied. For the past 2 days prior to today I was very tired and not very motivated (probably a minor flare). Thank goodness, today I feel well rested and back on track. I am typing this using John’s laptop because mine is with our “computer guy” who does maintenance on all of our computers every 6 months or so. This time he found a problem that requires more than the usual amount of time. I will pick up the computer tomorrow and will be very glad to have it back.

Hi Everybody! Today is Day 1 after totally indulging at the Obedience Trials all weekend. I got up, weighed in and drank my lemon water. I’m glad that this “scrub” phase is only 3 days!! I’m off to a rough start because my husband borrowed my van and hit the old well head when he pulled back into the driveway. He said he didn’t realize he hit it and kept going so there is damage all down the side of the van. Tomorrow I’ll go out in the daylight and try to better assess the damage. It is drivable as far as I can tell but this is going to be a costly and time- consuming incident. Thanks for letting me vent!!
I will report back tomorrow - I need to go to bed before I start eating 😂. Have a good evening!!

Hi Everyone!! I’ve had a busy and productive day. Thankfully insurance will cover my van damage. I had it checked over at a body shop that the insurance works with, which is also part of the dealership that my van is from and the man said that they have all of the parts and materials needed . That is a lucky break! He will call to schedule the repairs. I also had a hair appointment which is always a treat! The scale was not down today but I’m sticking with it for the 17 days. If that doesn’t produce results, I will go back to the original 17dd.
Paula, I’m happy to hear that Buster had a good checkup and made friends at the vet office! MJ, Diane, and Shari, I hope and pray that you are all doing well!! Have a good evening!!

DW, Good news that insurance is covering your van. And how nice to have a hair appointment. I am way over due for a hair cut but haven't attempted to make an appointment since I cancelled my January appointment because of Covid concerns. Yesterday I did, however, go for my 1st manicure since Christmas. And this is the first time since the pandemic that I didn't wear a mask for the manicure. There were only a total of 3 other people in the salon (the owner and her daughter who does my nails) and one client with the owner. I felt pretty safe, and my nails look great again. It gave me a boost!

Shari, You have a good attitude about returning to work in person. It will be an adjustment for sure. Knowing that you can look forward to retirement in a couple of years will make the transition easier I hope.

I had a classmates Zoom meeting tonight. It was our first zoom meeting of 2022. We had a great time as usual. I was surprised to see myself on the zoom because my face looked much thinner than in the past. I haven't weighed in in quite a while, but I have been feeling thinner so I should step on a scale soon. But I was really pleased to see my face looking thinner. Well, maybe it was the camera on my laptop. I've had a few "iffy" days again, not completely on track and not completely off track. Tomorrow my friend Kellie and her DH are coming for pizza and wine. I can plan ahead for my WW points to include the pizza and wine, but the big question is "will I." I will keep a good attitude and try to focus on how good I felt with my face looking thinner!!!

We had more weird weather here. We had high winds a few days ago and again today. In addition to the high winds (which did considerable damage around our area), we had a very bad snow squall this afternoon. So glad I was at home with no plans to go anywhere.

I enjoyed our visit from Kellie and her DH. Of course Buster was the entertainment for the evening. I enjoyed 2 pieces of pizza and just a half glass of wine....to busy talking most of the time. As Kellie and her DH were pulling out of our driveway to go home, Buster watched from the window inside. Kellie snapped the picture posted here....not bad for a cell phone picture taken through a car window at night. I had an ok day today for eating...but I did cave (and log) some sweets this afternoon. I am at the high end of my WW points but on track for IF hours. I am looking forward to a relaxing Sunday and maybe even will take a "holiday" for myself on President's Day Monday.

Here's the photo of Buster looking out from our window.

Finn keeping his eye out for parents return.

Diane, Besides being the 17DD group, I think we could be a dog loving group. Finn is precious! His eyes are so sweet!

Shari, I smiled as I read your post about the mirror frame going from gold to black and looking less 70s. My mother loved gold things around the house. Even in those days when it was somewhat fashionable, it was not my taste.

I had a good day yesterday and am on track today so far. I have an appointment with my family doctor in 2 weeks. I was hoping to have a more significant weight loss for this appointment when I made it months ago. I am debating whether or not to keep the appointment. It is just a regular check up. I will decide by the end of next week and will watch the weather forecasts too. Knowing that the appointment is looming ahead could be motivating for me to stay the course. Time will tell I guess.