Never Felt Better...

Dear Diane,

What a good way to put it! ..."something instead of everything"...

That is exactly what I am experiencing. Even when I think I want everything these days post, my body just will not let me.

How cool that you and your DH have been walking together all those years and your pup, too! What kind of puppy-doggie is he/she?

Wish I could walk with mine, but even though my DH and I took them to obedience school, they wouldn't be trained--especially my female, Noel; or maybe it was me who couldn't be trained! They are about 5 years old; they are flat-coated retrievers and have been with me and comforted me right along with my DH.

How is the weather in NC? I love NC. Growing up, we always took vacations at Nags Head, and I went for treatment for an ED to the Rader Institute in Hickory. It was so beautiful there! My brother lives in Raleigh.

We have to get up early in the A.M. to walk here; yesterday it got to 107. I like the early walks, though, it is very serene!

You are a great B.E.S.T. friend! Thank you for being here.



Suzi (Giggles)

Hi Suzi,
Today I ate more than I needed, but at least I noticed it...

We started walking together with our 2 dogs when dh's ds moved in with us and we needed some time to ourselves. It was great. Then we got a third dog and time takes it's toll so one died and now we have another third dog - one brown fluffy mix (almost 14 y.o.) of maybe schnauzer and poodle and chow, one that looks like a smooth coated border collie (2 y.o.) but with more hound tendencies than herding tendencies, and one 8 y.o. Australian Shepherd. Every day is an adventure with them, and they keep us walking. The cats even used to walk with us, but they are getting old and we try to make them stay at home.

You might try using a "Gentle Leader" or "Halti" head collar to get your dogs under control if they pull a lot. We have had great success with them - they work like a horse's halter, and when the dogs pull, their heads are pulled down. So they don't pull. Very humane and very easy. And I always carry a muzzle just in case I run into someone who is afraid of my dogs or something. You can also use pulling dogs for extra exercise. We have a Flat Coated Retriever in one of our agility classes, and one day he left the course he was competing in and jumped into a lake. It was very funny. He didn't get any points though.

We really love this area, we are in the Asheville/Hendersonville area. Raleigh is 250 miles away, Hickory is 70 miles from Asheville. It has a great ice cream shop now - uh oh, I wasn't supposed to mention ice cream. Nope I am trying to give it up.

And yes, it is hot here, but it cools down as soon as the sun gets low, and the nights are delightful. We are usually 5 or 8 degrees cooler than the lower elevations (like Hickory and Greenville, SC).

Sorry to drift off topic, this is a hyster sister site - I think I overdid my exercise today because I seem to have a cramp deep on the right side. Maybe it's because I ate too much today

Oh well, tomorrow is another day, and I will be back on track.

Diane/Desk

Hey Diane/Desk!

Thank you for the suggestions about the Halti head collars. I will try those with my kids.

What a funny & cute story!
Our Ebony, male, loves to swim and I could see him jumping in like that, also!
Aren't pets fantastic--they're so loyal and loving.

You are still a wonderful person; it is okay if you ate too much. That's right--you were aware of your eating and that is a big plus!

I journalize as much as possible & it is helping me be more aware; I still eat too much sometimes, but I don't beat myself up for it as much anymore. I'm enjoying the baby steps.

&

Suzi (Giggles)

Suzi,
Thanks for continuing to remind me about the journaling. I know that will be a help and I don't know why I don't do it right now. I have in the past and it has been very helpful. Right now I am concentrating on not eating between meals, and making sure that I do eat something every 4-5 hours. Okay, every 4 hours or so.

Have fun with your painting. That must be very rewarding. My hobby has always been baking and now I have to quit that and find something else.

Baby steps, yep, yep, another thing I have to remember! Just keep going!

I am only signing both Diane and Desk because there is another Diana on the B.E.S.T. daily chat. I don't care but thought if it might be easier for people to identify us with different names, I'd just go with Desk. You can call me anything you want. If you are a big laugher, we would have fun together. I used to want to become a professional laugher but I never followed that path. Oh well, who needs fame and fortune?

See you tomorrow,

Desk

Dear Desk,

That is cool--a professional laugher. Well, I say, if you giggle and laugh and enjoy it, then you are already professional!

I like to belly laugh (and I finally can again without it hurting too much!!!) until the good ole endorphins release--what a blast! My DH, Noel & Ebony (my two doggies) are real goofs and are always making me laugh, too!

Well, I'm just in the thinking-about-it stage of oil painting; it is fun and for me everything comes out abstract--yeh, that's it--it's abstract! My sister in GA just sent me an art box full of supplies--I've really got no excuses.

Let's see, what could you get into to take the place of baking? Since you love baking, why not turn some (or all) of your favorites into low-fat, low-sugar recipes--unless they already are, of course, and recording them and getting them published. You could start by journalizing your thoughts on this, or any other hobby you might like to begin. "The Artist's Way" book and journal really got me tapping into my creative spirit.

I was reading an article in Prevention that suggested digging out old photos and scrapbooking or arranging them in creative ways.

Another hobby I really enjoy is photographing wildlife and geological formations, like just even clouds, shadows, or the backs of people or animals. My two pups are real 'hams'!

I'm sure you'll come up with something fun to do. As long as my hands are busy, I eat less.

My mom and sis got me into reading 'trash' novels, like Patricia Cornwell (although I don't think Kay Scarpetta is trash!). I like Dean Koontz, too!

Take care, Desk! LOL!

Suzi (Giggles) I think I'm having a hotflash!