Losing the weight for the 3rd time!

Those of you who have ready my story know that I had been injured before and gained back 130 lbs after losing a little over 200 lbs when I was on bed rest for 6 months. It took a few years to recover and get the weight back off and then I lost even more and got to 249 lbs lost. I had maintained that and built some more muscle and was sitting in a comfortable range for a few years. Then I got injured again last year... well it was a combination of several injuries starting from the summer before that and each one made it progressively worse. 

I gained back 65 lbs within about 5 months time.  Aside from being injured I had some very stressful issues going on in my life at that time and I just couldn't get the weight back off. I wasn't sleeping well, wasn't drinking enough water and slowly let some less than desirable food choices sneak in. I was still on low carb, but not as low as I should have been. 

So the last 17 weeks I've now lost 52.6 lbs and I'm feeling a lot better. Still injured but the weight loss is helping. I'm in the process of moving, planning a yard sale, selling a house and job hunting. Luckily most of the moving is done... but there's about 80 boxes of stuff for my yard sale, or possibly a bon fire after the yard sale? Haha. I've found that for me it makes a big difference when I get enough sleep. That's something that's often hard to do. 

Here's my weight report chart from FitDay, it says 51.4 lost because I made it yesterday but didn't get time to take a new pic and post until today. As you can see I stalled twice along the way and that's ok, your body needs time to adjust. I had been losing 15 to 20 lbs over the winter time and then I would get sick and have to take medicine and the medicine and chicken soup would make me gain it back. This went on from October until the end of February. It was most annoying, so I was so glad to get over all of the colds that went around my workplace and get back to losing the weight!

Watch out for added Carbs/Calories in Frozen Drinks!

With summer sometimes comes more temptation with summer time parties and celebrations and everyone drinking slushies, milk shakes and frozen alcoholic beverages in various colors and flavors. It's important to remember how much sugar those drinks contain and avoid them.

 

Alcohol also has sugar in it and can lower your inhibitions and let your judgement slip on just how much food you should eat. It can also cause you to need more food to offset the effects of it as well. Also those who are Low Carb will get intoxicated a lot faster than someone that consumes more carbs due to not having anything to absorb the alcohol. If you feel that you must have some kind of drink then maybe opt for something mixed with Crystal Light instead of a sugary mixer.

Summer Time can also bring discouragement when it's time for an event that involves bathing suits... that's when you need to step back and take a look at your progress and be happy with how far you've come so far and with the fact that you're taking steps to improve your health. Then look for a style of bathing suit that covers your problem areas the best and opt for a cover up or swimming skirt or swimming shorts to go over it if you don't like your thighs etc.

Maxi dresses that gather under the chest are often good choices, knee length summer dresses are good if you like your legs, mesh tops help with those who don't like their arms and the swim skirts and shorts help with those who don't like their thighs. There's a lot of cute coverups out there.

Having a melt down or a panic attack or getting mad at people for inviting you to an event won't help the situation and will only take longer in the fitting room...

I've had a few friends experience this in the past few weeks so I thought a reminder would be helpful in case anyone else was also feeling that way. It also does not help to get frustrated and fall off the wagon either.

Hang in there and focus on the good parts and enjoy your summer. You can't go back and relive the summer and you could be missing out on some fun memories if you avoid pool side gatherings. 

Long Term Sucess/Life Time Maintenance and Rewarding Yourself!

This topic came up in my reply to Melody who's lost 45 lbs in her first 5 weeks on Low Carb and I decided it might be helpful to others as well so I'm going to share it. Congrats Melody! You're off to a great start!!!

As we all know this is a long process and a life time change to improve your health and way of life. To change the way you think about food and not to comfort or reward yourself with food. But it's also important to make sure to reward yourself along the way when you can.

Try get a new pair of workout pants, or a new flattering wrap top that helps you start to see your progress more. Maybe a new yoga mat for doing Palates if you need something low impact and you aren't up for the gym yet. Even go see a movie, but skip the snack counter... eat lunch or dinner before the movie. Get a mani/pedi, have a spa day at home with a friend. Maybe get some new pj's or new undies. Make sure that you at least have one properly fitting outfit so you feel good going places.

I went from a size 56 dress, 8x/9x men's shirt with a 91" waist to a size 18/20 dress, 1x/2x tops so I've had to replace my entire wardrobe several times along the way. It sucked spending the money on clothes, but it felt so good to wear an outfit that fit me correctly. It's also important to get rid of your clothes when they become way too big, or get out the sewing machine and alter them. Because if you keep the bigger baggy clothes around and you start gaining weight you won't realize it in your clothes if everything you have is baggy or stretchy.

I've been wearing nothing but dresses with leggings and boots to work all winter (stretchy clothes). My office was passing around germs and I was busy, never home, not sleeping enough, not drinking enough water and I got a sinus infection that was upsetting my tummy for 3 weeks and then I had the flu that lingered for 4 weeks and lots of extra stress from work. I've still been doing low carb, but not as low as I normally do and I started drinking more Sprite Zero and Fresca trying to settle my tummy and I think it made me feel worse and upset my tummy more from the added sweeteners in the long run.

The scale gradually went up a bit... but I wasn't too worried because I still looked the same and my clothes still fit me.  Then Friday night I went to go put on my "Skinny" jeans that used to fit comfortably and they wouldn't button out of the dryer. I realized that I had not worn them in two months. I sighed and put on my relaxed fit jeans and they fit me snugly... That's my sign that I have to go back to induction level carbs (20 or less per day) instead of having off days of 30-40 carbs per day like I have been doing a lot the past couple of months.

The gradual increases can sure add up in time if you gain 10 lbs one month and 10 lbs another month, you have to catch it before it gets out of hand. I know it's not added muscle weight because I haven't been training hard lately, it's from eating too many carbs for my system. With my PCOS I have to stay at 20 or less per day to maintain my weight and to feel my best. I haven't been working out because the numbness has gotten worse due to excess skin cutting off circulation and pinching my nerve. I'll post more about that later though.

I had increased portions because I was working over time and I would often be at work until 6:30 or 7pm so I started getting bigger salads for lunch to compensate for a later dinner. My salads had a lot of turkey, ham or chicken on them from the work salad bar so I know there was hidden carbs there even though I brought my own dressing. I'd eat half the salad at 1pm, the other half at 4/5pm and then dinner around 8/9pm. But it ended up adding an extra meal to my day instead of it just being a snack. Then some days I'd say screw it, my tummy was already upset so I'd grab a piece of pizza with my salad too. I normally avoided the carbs because they upset my tummy, but it was easier to give in to them when my tummy was already upset.

I'm sharing this with you guys to let you know that even someone like me who's maintained the loss for over 2 years still has to watch it and that we can all have little setbacks, we all have to be careful. We just have to get back on it and watch the carbs and portion sizes to keep yourself in check. Also make sure to drink enough water too and try to get enough sleep... I struggle with the sleep part because I'm always busy with something or my mind is wanting to go go go instead of resting.

Remember the important part is to never give up on yourself, ever! You can do it, because you are worth it!

-CJ

5k for Cancer Research

I really enjoy having my life back again and one of those activities I was unable to participate in before losing weight was 5k's for cancer research. Please join me in raising funds to help Dana-Farber Cancer Institute conquer all forms of cancer. I'm walking in honor of 21 people (16 of them family and 5 of them friends) sadly only 7 of them are still with us today.

Any donations are appreciated and also tax deductible, all amounts are welcome even $5 can help out.
http://www.jimmyfundwalk.org/2011/cj

When I signed up to participate they have a minimum requirement that I have to raise $250 in donations. I had to agree that if I didn't raise enough funds that the remainder would come out of my own pocket. I'm not rich but I agreed to do so because this is a worth while cause and one out of every three people will have to face cancer in their lifetime. If I was the one fighting I'd sure hope that people were willing to help me out too.


I've lost 249 lbs, lowered my body fat by 36% and lowered my resting heart rate from 110 to 65 beats per minute. I was told that I'd never be able to go to the gym again after an auto accident in 2005. I've been back at the gym since Sept. 2009 and completed my first official 5k on 9/25/10.

One of my favorite qoutes is:
"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell." - Lance Armstrong

Please donate if you can,
Thanks!

I got a Harley, Happy Birthday to Me!

This is my birthday present to myself, from myself. I've always liked bikes and my Dad, Uncle and Brothers ride so I've been around bikes my whole life but had never ridden one myself. I wanted a bike for a few years and took safety classes and got my license in the spring. It was such a nice feeling to be able to ride a bike and not have the tires pop or the frame bend underneath me. I never thought I'd be able to do anything like this before I lost weight, it's such a nice feeling! :)

My Mom has lost 100 lbs on Low Carb!

I'm so proud of my Mom for changing her way of eating and getting healthier! She feels better, has more energy and she's now reached her goal weight with the 100 lb weight loss.

Of all the people who have emailed, messaged me or posted thanking me for inspiring them..... this is one of the ones that has touched me the most, because well...... she's my Mommy. :)

These before pictures are about 40 lbs lighter than she was at her biggest, but I can't find any pictures of her from that time that show enough of her to compare. I never thought she was "THAT" big.... but then again I was also way bigger than she was too.

And I've posted this one before, but I'm going to post it again! I just don't get tired of seeing this one of her and I together. :)

PodCast with Jimmy Moore and Friends

Hi Peoples,
Here's the the link to the PodCast that I participated in with Jimmy Moore.
There's links at the bottom to listen to it on itunes or download it.
(It's 30 mins long, so go pee first! LOL)

Podcast, LowCarb Cruise and My Mom is 95 lbs lighter!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the benefits of being low carb. I'm good but busy. I had to stop and share this though.... I got asked to be a guest on a low carb podcast with some great low carb people and it will be on at the end of the month, I believe he said April 29th. (I talked way too much though! LOL) I'll post the details of it later. It was for Jimmy Moore's blog.

I also found out about a low carb cruise!!!!! I can't believe I hadn't heard of this before! This is their 4th year and they are already planning the one for next year. I'm going to go next year and hopefully my Mom will be able to go with me too. She has lost 95 lbs now. I'm super proud of her. She's about 5 lbs away from her goal.

Here's a before and after of my Mom and I together. I posted it on my Facebook, but I don't think I ever posted it here. She's looking great and fitting into a size 10 again. I'm so proud of my Mommy!!!

This is 2000 compared to 2011:

 Oh and here's the link to the cruise too.

Stalled???

What to do in a stall?
I get asked this a lot........

First of all sorry to just sort of abandon my blog, I've been super busy and try to keep up with questions and pm's on Facebook and the forum and my blog has been neglected lately. This post is something that I posted a few weeks ago about stalls. I've re-typed this same thing a few times to different people and figured I might as well add it here for reference too.

The most important thing is not to give up!!!

Sure, I've had stalls..... you can't lose 249 lbs and not have some stalls along the way..... and lately I've been stalled for like 3/4 months, (or wait has it been longer then 3/4 months??? I don't remember now LOL) except I lost an inch or two around my middle. Stalls suck but it happens the more you lose and get closer to goal. I have 16 lbs left that are annoying me. But I can live with that.

Everyone is going to stall along the way, but you can't give up, just keep going. You body needs time to adjust to the changes, even losing 20 to 30 pounds can make a big difference. Sometimes you need to just maintain for a bit and then you'll start losing again. So be patient and let your body catch up. Also your skin shouldn't get as saggy if you lose slower too, so don't be in a huge rush and get discouraged if you stall, this is a long term change for your health not just a diet.

Take a look at your water consumption. Often times thirst can be mistaken for hunger. You feel hungry, but you're really thirsty. So when I feel hungry I get a drink and see if I'm still hungry or not. I've also heard that by the time you feel thirsty that you should have already gotten a drink. I got bad about not drinking enough at work. I'd go to work, start working and not go get any water until the afternoon. I was really thirsty but like I dummy I sat there still working instead of stopping to get a drink. Then my co-worker was doing the same thing, so I sent her a calendar invite with "Drink Water" on it twice a day at 11am and 3pm. It's harder to ignore when both of our calendars pop up a reminder message and we both go get water. We've even added a 3rd co-worker to the calendar invite now. :)

The next thing to look at is your added "low carb products" make sure you are counting all those extra carbs, check your breath mints and gum, check for lots of added sodium it could be water weight. You need to keep drinking plenty of water or else your body will try to store it too.... it sounds counter productive but drinking water can help with water retention. You do need some sodium, but it's in a lot of foods so just make sure that you're not getting a ton of it.

Lunch meats are quick and easy and taste good but can often be loaded with sodium. If you're eating a package of lunch meat a day and stopped losing then maybe re-evaluate that..... same with hot dogs and some sausages and bacon can do it for some people. If you're mostly eating those types of foods maybe swap out for some grilled chicken, tuna, beef or something that you cook at home that isn't processed. I like my bacon a lot, ok fine.... I love bacon!!!!!! It's one of those things I just have to have so I try to find one that isn't as salty and then try not to have a bunch of lunch meat, sausage or hot dogs on the same day. But if I do, I don't flip out about it because I expect to retain water due to the extra sodium.

Take a look back to the basics, read the posts about how to do induction right, read the food lists again, make sure you're not getting too much caffeine, lack of sleep, missing meals, sometimes you can be eating too much food for example if you were 525 lbs and use to eating 5 or 6 cups of food at once.... then suddenly you're 350 lbs and still eating 5 or 6 cups of food, not because you are hungry, but because you're programmed to do it.... you think that's a normal portion size.... umm no..... don't starve yourself but make sure that you're really hungry before you eat more.

As time goes on and you lose weight then re-evaluate your portion sizes as you go. Eat slowly, drink water before your meal or with your meal. Ask yourself are you really hungry or are you just thirsty? We can often feel hungry when we are really thirsty. Lots of times when on low carb we won't be hungry and then we need to remind ourselves to snack on a boiled egg here and there or a piece of string cheese just so we don't end up going all day without eating. Part of the healthy lifestyle change is learning how to eat properly. You don't have to transition over night, but as you progress in your weight loss just look back on everything and see if something else needs to change.

This was posted on the Atkins Facebook page:
"Guess what the #1 Atkins question on this page is? "I'm stalled! What am I doing wrong?" You really need to read the latest Atkins blog post: Plateaus: Once More With Feeling." Required reading for people who expect daily miracles on their scales! "
Plateaus, Once More with Feeling

So ummm..... apparently it's a pretty common problem. So don't feel all alone.

Here's a couple other links too:
How to Do Induction Right

What You Can Eat in Phase 1 (Induction)

If you're bored of eating the same things I have some food suggestions on my blog too, they are not all totally induction friendly so just make modifications if needed.
A few of CJ's tips for success and a food list.

CJ's List of meal ideas.

More Before Pics

I was going to post these but then I was posting my dinners each night and didn't want two posts in the same day, but if I wait until I am done with the 90 day challenge then it would be February, so going to go ahead and post these now.Some of them are repeats with some current pics next to them and some are ones I have never posted before.

The purple shirt on the bed is a shirt, not a blanket. That is a full sized bed just for reference.

 There was a time when I outgrew this dress, by about 90 lbs. So I got even bigger then this picture here.

 The red jacket was an unlined windbreaker, the Boston jacket is a fully lined winter coat.

I was holding the extra slack in the jacket behind me.

*Warning..... CJ Rant Mode On!

First of all I am disappointed in a few people who were doing very well, fighting the cravings, losing weight, feeling better, having more energy, being happy with themselves again for the first time in a long time and then they quit..... they ran away and ate stuff they shouldn't and drank stuff they shouldn't and then never came back. It's one thing to have an "off" meal, even an "off" day or an "off" week if you are traveling, special event, feel you just need a short break to reset your system and then go back to low carb the next day. But it is another thing to just give up and quit altogether.

These two ladies that I am thinking of, I am very disappointed in, I had gotten to know them, took extra time helping them and they were so excited and motivated and then they let life get in their way and wondered off. They know they need to do this for their health, being in the upper 300's and lower 400's is NOT healthy for them..... Both of them were in a weight loss support group for ladies who need to lose 100+ lbs and both of them are missed in the group. I don't know if someone said something that offended them and made them leave or if they just got ashamed of not being on low carb and not losing more weight or if they gained back the weight that they had already lost. But I do know that both of them read my blog and I want them to know that I'm still here to help them and I know how badly they both want to help themselves. I know what it's like being that big and how awful I felt. I'm here ladies..... both of you have my email address if you don't feel like posting on the group anymore.


I'm still stuck bouncing around between in the same 5 lbs range. I have gone down a pants size while being stuck the past couple months but still right at the same weight. Yeah sure my body needs time to adjust, blah blah blah, whatever, I wanna see the scale move down already! RIGHT NOW!!!!! LOL

You guys aren't the only ones who get frustrated with the scale hovering in one spot for awhile. Now just imagine if you were exercising a lot and being real strict on the carbs and the scale still wasn't moving. It happens to everyone, even me who has lost 247 lbs...... I still get frustrated, irritated and impatient too. But low carb is my way of life and I won't change from that because I feel awful when I eat very many carbs. So if I'm still here and I'm not giving up then none of you are allowed to either!!!!!

Another thing that irritates me is when I hear people saying that low carb is too expensive to do. Excuse me????? Since when????? You DO NOT have to buy a bunch of low carb products in order to do low carb. You DO NOT need low carb bread, low carb tortillas or even low carb candy. Since when were eggs, cheese, tuna, mayo, lettuce, hamburger meat, cheap crock pot roasts, green beans and chicken expensive??? Add in some bacon, sausage, bagged salad mix, ranch dressing, a little bell pepper and onion once in awhile, ketchup, mustard, occasional baby carrots or steamed carrots, broccoli, pork roast, lunch meat and a lower sugar bbq sauce (that was Kraft Light and not any more expensive then normal bbq sauce) and that was pretty much what I lived on for over a year doing induction level (under 20) carbs per day. So unless you are so broke that you are seriously living on ramen noodles for 3 meals a day, then you can afford to buy a can of tuna and mix it in with some mayo and lettuce. Also don't forget chorizo and eggs, it is cheap, good and tasty and I ate it a lot, but I could also eat it twice a day and not get tired of it. Low carb does NOT have to be expensive!

The other excuse I hear is that people have to cook two separate meals because family members eat differently then they do. So what??? I usually cook for someone else too and they certainly don't eat low carb. I just cook the same meat and then I have a veggie or side salad, usually give them a salad or veggie too and then I will make them mac n cheese, baked beans or sometimes some stove top or a bowl of canned peaches, pears or fruit cocktail. Sometimes I even fry them up chicken strips and french fries in the deep fryer while I eat tuna and lettuce, or a hamburger patty with ketchup. They have full sugar ice cream and plenty of carb loaded snacks that they can eat on their own. I just provide a basic dinner for them and if they want more carbs then they are on their own. But over time I started cutting out the carby sides and just giving them the meat and veggies and they don't ask for the carby sides very often, except the french fries. They have lost about 15 lbs since I started doing that too, but dinner is pretty much their only lower carb meal of the day. Their other meals are still carb loaded. They are also a very picky eater too and won't eat leftovers very often.

Anyway, my feet might not be a size 10 anymore but I still have 8.5 feet and I can kick higher and harder now, so don't make me come put a boot in your butt to keep you going!  *CJ rant mode off.

-CJ
Sent from my Droid2, please excuse any typos.

Fall in Massachusetts

 It's nice to walk outside before it gets too cold and see all the pretty leaves.

 

My Mommy and I

In looking at the pictures with my Mom I noticed that I am not that much bigger then she is anymore. I also noticed that my posture has gotten better and I stand up straighter. I am almost 3 inches taller then her but for a long time I was standing slouched over and we looked closer to the same height.

This is me with my Mom in December of 2000. She has lost about 50/60 lbs since then too.

This is me with my Mom in December of 2009. She has lost 30 lbs since then.

 This was my Mom and I last week.

 She is still smaller, but I am not that much bigger then her anymore. :)

 I posted this pic before, but I am going to post it again because I <3 it!

 Her puppy still likes my feet, but didn't bite them this time.

My Flights

The Boston Logan International Airport has one of those full body scanners..... I'm not too sure how I feel about them. But I didn't have a choice if I wanted to get on the plane.

 One of my flights left at 6am.

 I already posted this picture of my seat belt on the plane and there wasn't that much room on the next two planes, I still had extra room just not this much. So this first plane must have just had bigger seat belts. But it was a good feeling and I know that even the smaller seat's seat belts will fit me and have some extra room now too and I don't spill over into the seat next to me anymore either.

 In addition to the seat belt fitting me, I was also able to put my tray table down in front of me. This is the first time I have ever been able to do this! I had never flown until I was 19 and I had already gained weight by then.

I booked my flights with Midwest Airlines, who is now merged with Frontier Airlines, which is owned by Republic Airlines. I have been a Midwest Airlines customer for the past 11 or so years and I was always very happy with their service. I wasn't sure what to expect on my recent flights with them merging with Frontier and Republic Airlines, but there was no change in the quality of service at all. Everyone was very nice, friendly yet professional and I didn't have any complaints. All three of my flights were on time and great. There was one slight delay where we had to wait 10/15 minutes on a fuel truck.

I will continue to be a Midwest/Frontier/Republic Airlines customer as long as they keep flying where I need to go. Also one of their Pilots was very nice and they should give him a raise! :)

Flying is definitely easier for me now that I am smaller. I use to dread it, I was afraid of being charged for two seats, which luckily never happened to me. I also use to be worn out and tired walking from one terminal to the next and feel exhausted just walking from the car to the terminal doors. Even airports where you can drive real close to the gate like Kansas City International and Boston Logan International would have worn me out. I didn't realize this so much until I saw a rather large lady huffing and puffing walking from the rental car drop off inside to the rental car counters. It was maybe a 200 feet walk if that and she was complaining to the lady next to her (it looked like her Mom) about the walk. Then she made her way to the shuttle bus and told the driver what a long walk it was and was all out of breath and barely able to get up the buss steps on her own.

I sat there wishing there was some way I could delicately bring up the topic of weight loss, but there wasn't. Had she mentioned something about being out of shape or needing to lose weight then I would have mentioned it, but she didn't say anything like that. I know if that were me I wouldn't have liked some stranger mentioning that I was fat and needed to lose weight. Large people already know that they are large and they don't need people to be mean and point out that fact like that. It's different if someone approaches you for help or asks about your weight loss. But it is rude to walk up to an over weight stranger and just bring up the topic.

My next trip will probably be to see my Dad, cousins and friends in California. My Dad asked me why I don't smile very much in my pictures. I told him, "Because you don't come see me", so he told me to get on a plane and go see him! This was the picture that got to him, I don't pull the pouty card very often because if I had done that growing up I would have gotten in trouble. But when he saw this pic he had to call me and ask what was wrong. This sad face wasn't as a result of him not visiting, that just came to mind when I was talking to him. I have been trying to get him to come visit me and he won't get on a plane. So he told me to get on one and go see him. Flying is so much easier now that I am smaller and have more energy. Definitely one of those little things that most people take for granted and you don't realize just how hard it can be until you are bigger.

Air Plane Seatbelt

Hello from Kansas!
I had two flights yesterday, so I scheduled my connecting flight in the town where my Mom lives so I got to see her for about 4 hours yesterday. On my first flight I got on the airplane, pulled the seat belt out as far as it went, buckled it and this is what I saw.

I was totally shocked. I have never had extra room in an airplane seat belt before. I use to have to ask for a seat belt extension and when I flew at Christmas time the seat belt fit me snuggly with no extra room. The seat belt on the second plane was a bit smaller, but I still had extra room. After so long of being huge, it feels good to be getting close to "average size". The people that I am seeing in KS have not seen me for 2, 3, 5 and 7 years. I have not seen all of them yet, but the ones I have seen just kept saying how great I looked and that was on 3 hours of sleep within the past 48 hours and being on planes all day and everything. I did nap for 20 minutes on the first flight and I was debating napping on the 2nd flight but, I ended up talking to the person next to me and they were fun to talk to. So then I was awake and not tired at all cause I was enjoying talking. Talked the whole flight and was surprised how quickly the time went by. lol

Here is a pic of my Mommy and I:

I <3 my Mommy!

Boston Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research

 I participated in the 5th Annual Boston Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research on last Sunday, October 3 at Castle Island. I lost my Grandma to pancreatic cancer in 1992. I was very close to my Grandmother and watched her fight pancreatic cancer for a year and a half. Not only was she my Grandma but she was my second Mom, my babysitter, shopping buddy, walking buddy and always there to tell me a story and make me smile. I miss her so much!


In memory of my Grandma Nellie.

 Pancreatic cancer is the nation’s fourth leading cause of cancer deaths and the low survival rate for pancreatic cancer has not improved in the last 25 years..... Only 2% of all federal cancer research funds goes to pancreatic cancer. The Lustgarten Foundation is the nation's largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research. They have a commitment from Cablevision to underwrite the foundations administrative expenses, so 100% of the donations will go directly to pancreatic cancer research. I lost my Grandma, but with more research someone else might not have to lose theirs.

 I put this shirt in my bag and it got a bit wrinkled.

I was making bandannas for my dogs and my iron on hem tape wasn't working, so I ended up sewing at 1am the night before the walk.

 Dogs were allowed at this walk and while it would have been easier to leave them at home, I decided to take them with me. My Grandma loved dogs and always went walking with her dogs and since I was doing this for her, it just seemed right to take them along. I had to stop and get gas and my youngest beagle was in my lap. There was a time when he would just sit or lay on my belly because my belly was touching the steering wheel. But now there is enough room for him and he can stand, sit or lay on my lap.

 The iron on transfer that I used wasn't that great, but it worked for the day.

 My boys.

 The water.

 Airplane.

 My boys were pretty well behaved.

They got lots of, "Oh how cute!!!", "Beagles!!!" and one lady had lost her 15 yr old beagle to old age a few weeks ago and she enjoyed petting the boys.

 Some rocks on the edge of the island.

 There were a lot of dogs there.

 CANCER SUCKS!!!!!

 The boys met a beagle puppy.

 Along the way I saw a lady sitting on a bench and she was calling the boys over to her. I stopped and let her pet them and started talking to her. Come to find out she lost her husband to another kind of cancer and 3 days after she buried him, her son walked in the door and told her that he had pancreatic cancer..... he lived for about 3.5 years and was really aggressive on his treatment. He is survived by a wife and a 10 yr old daughter. This family came all the way from Long Island to participate in the walk. Her story was touching and I enjoyed visiting with her and the dogs enjoyed getting petted and giving her kisses.

 The end.

My oldest beagle was very glad to be back in the car. He has back problems and odd lumps that form and burst and are connected under the body wall to each other. He has had surgeries and been seen by all of the specialist at the University and none of them can figure out what is wrong with him. His surgeries and vet bills ended up costing more then what I need for my surgery..... he is stable for now, he just has to take it easy and if he over does it then he will be sore for a few days. He is on a daily pain med, but his pain level usually stays pretty tolerable and only needs one pill a day, but he can have up to three if he isn't doing well. So he just gets spoiled a bit more now and gets away with more when he isn't feeling well. He had a lot of fun, but this walk was the furthest he has ever gone with me at once and he was glad to have a comfy place to rest on the way home. 

 My youngest beagle was also tired but not too tired to bark at people walking by. He is very protective of his home, the car and me. But in public he did very well and didn't bark at the people. But he did sneak up on some seagulls and scared them away and he was very proud of himself!

 At home and ready for a nap.

We ended up walking 7.78k (4.83 miles) with all of the walking from the car to the registration tents and walking around the area and to the starting point, then the walk it's self and then back to the car. That is the furthest the boys have ever walked at once before.