Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Day Three: Fire Sauce
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Baby Octopus Salad
Day Two: Biometrics
Monday, August 29, 2011
Day One: Stuck
The Start of Week 6
Morning weight: 146.8 lbs
THANK YOU!
Whew! After all that worry because of the foods that I ate on the road, I'm happy to say that I actually lost some weight from last week.
I'm feeling pretty optimistic. I think I will break into the 130s by the time the wedding arrives. My only concern now is the fact that my dress fitting is this Thursday. And really, I shouldn't lose any more weight...
Decisions, decisions...
THANK YOU!
Whew! After all that worry because of the foods that I ate on the road, I'm happy to say that I actually lost some weight from last week.
I'm feeling pretty optimistic. I think I will break into the 130s by the time the wedding arrives. My only concern now is the fact that my dress fitting is this Thursday. And really, I shouldn't lose any more weight...
Decisions, decisions...
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Road Trip
Why does the will become weak in long car rides? I'm not even the one driving. I just read and slept the whole way through. And yet, I found myself saying yes to potato salad, rolls, fruits, fries, and riblets.
*sighs*
The result? Some gas and constipation.
I'm not looking forward to weighing myself on Monday. Hopefully, the damage wasn't too bad.
*sighs*
The result? Some gas and constipation.
I'm not looking forward to weighing myself on Monday. Hopefully, the damage wasn't too bad.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Pumba's been lickin'
And here is a video of him doing exactly that:
*sighs* At least it's his way of interacting with the other two dogs. Here's him with Connor...
And Bella...
Since he's not chowing down on his brother or sister, I'm pretty happy.
A milestone
Posted retroactively
22 Aug 2011.
Morning weight: 148.4 lbs
Woo hoo ! Broke through the 150's and am now in the 140's. Next goal...to be in the 130's. Hoping to get there by the wedding date :)
The challenge: my schedule at work. Working in the plant entails that there are blocks of hours that I can't eat since I'm in my space suit in the middle of a process. And sometimes, even when I get out I forget to eat!! Now you might ask, how can anyone forget, right? But honestly, in this Medifast program...I'm past four weeks and I have to be honest...I don't really feel hungry any more. Sure, I have cravings from time to time...but I don't feel hunger...ergo, I forget to eat.
I hope this doesn't detrimentally effect my weight loss.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
22 Aug 2011.
Morning weight: 148.4 lbs
Woo hoo ! Broke through the 150's and am now in the 140's. Next goal...to be in the 130's. Hoping to get there by the wedding date :)
The challenge: my schedule at work. Working in the plant entails that there are blocks of hours that I can't eat since I'm in my space suit in the middle of a process. And sometimes, even when I get out I forget to eat!! Now you might ask, how can anyone forget, right? But honestly, in this Medifast program...I'm past four weeks and I have to be honest...I don't really feel hungry any more. Sure, I have cravings from time to time...but I don't feel hunger...ergo, I forget to eat.
I hope this doesn't detrimentally effect my weight loss.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Elk Antler Treats
Amazing. I finally found a treat that takes ALL three of my dogs awhile to go through. Last month, I was at Unleashed's anniversary party when we stumbled upon some elk antler treats. I'm attaching a picture of what they look like from a website that I might start ordering them from:
Based on the size description, I think what we bought two medium ones--they were quite pricey at the Unleashed store, hence my search online for them. Anyway...as I said, it's been about a month now and the only thing left of these treats are these two stubs, barely a couple of inches long:
And it's been a month! I can't believe I even have some of it left after a month. All three dogs have had a go at them at one point and they all like it. I will be buying more of these soon, as soon as I determine where I can get them the cheapest :)
Based on the size description, I think what we bought two medium ones--they were quite pricey at the Unleashed store, hence my search online for them. Anyway...as I said, it's been about a month now and the only thing left of these treats are these two stubs, barely a couple of inches long:
And it's been a month! I can't believe I even have some of it left after a month. All three dogs have had a go at them at one point and they all like it. I will be buying more of these soon, as soon as I determine where I can get them the cheapest :)
The Natives are Restless
Posted retroactively.
04 August 2011
Because of the heat and the forecasted cooler weather tomorrow and on Friday, I've decided not to take the dogs to daycare until tomorrow. And, since I haven't been taking them for long walks or even the dog park, they've been especially restless.
In particular, Connor, the seven month old puppy. He's been extra specially obnoxious to everyone; he's whinier to me and James and he's more "jumpy" to Bella. Our morning begins with his usual soft whine, indicating that he heard our alarm clock go off and that he knows we're awake and that we better get up and let him out. Once we let him out into the backyard with all the other dogs, he begins his version of morning play and rough housing. He likes to jump all over Bella and initiate a chase if he can.
Unfortunately for him, Bella is not a morning dog and she grumbles all throughout his antics. I need to post a video of it one of these days. Bella reminds me a lot of myself in the morning.
04 August 2011
Because of the heat and the forecasted cooler weather tomorrow and on Friday, I've decided not to take the dogs to daycare until tomorrow. And, since I haven't been taking them for long walks or even the dog park, they've been especially restless.
In particular, Connor, the seven month old puppy. He's been extra specially obnoxious to everyone; he's whinier to me and James and he's more "jumpy" to Bella. Our morning begins with his usual soft whine, indicating that he heard our alarm clock go off and that he knows we're awake and that we better get up and let him out. Once we let him out into the backyard with all the other dogs, he begins his version of morning play and rough housing. He likes to jump all over Bella and initiate a chase if he can.
Unfortunately for him, Bella is not a morning dog and she grumbles all throughout his antics. I need to post a video of it one of these days. Bella reminds me a lot of myself in the morning.
Work Gets in the Way
Posted retroactively
04 August 2011
The Medifast program prefers that we eat every two to three hours so that our body doesn't go on some sort of fat-saving mode, thinking that it has to save fat to prepare for a long winter. At least, that's my layman's interpretation of it. Sadly, I think work gets in the way a lot of times when it comes to time-regimented eating habits. I wonder what this week will bring?
04 August 2011
The Medifast program prefers that we eat every two to three hours so that our body doesn't go on some sort of fat-saving mode, thinking that it has to save fat to prepare for a long winter. At least, that's my layman's interpretation of it. Sadly, I think work gets in the way a lot of times when it comes to time-regimented eating habits. I wonder what this week will bring?
My Cheating Heart
16 Aug 2011
Morning weight: 151.2 lbs
It's not all the scale's fault. I've been bad.
It started with the usual Friday slump. My equipment was on the fritz so I had time...and when I have time I start thinking about food, I REALLY start thinking about food. I hadn't planned on going out for lunch on Friday, but with free time on my hands, I couldn't resist when my co worker invited me to eat. And where did we end up going? A buffet. Granted, it was a Mongolian grill buffet. I've been going to Crazy Fire Mongolian grill since I started working in RTP, but I have to admit I haven't gone in awhile. Still it's a mongolian grill. If I had control, everything would be okay, right? Except, control and I are really really very distant cousins. And while I was able to turn down the rice and the noodles, I certainly had no control when it came to the meat. I think I ate twice the required "lean" amount. Plus, I'm not even sure how lean all those beef and seafood I picked. Having said that, at least I believe that I ate the required amount of veggies. Too bad I think the sauces I picked had a lot of salt :(
Then there was Saturday. My future mother in law has invited me and my bridesmaids over for afternoon tea. Which doesn't sound so dangerous, right? I even brought some Medifast snacks with me to have with the tea. But I knew it was just for show. I mean...who refuses food that is prepared for them just because they are in a diet? It's the height of rudeness! And so I ate the food. The thing is, not only did I eat the food, but I totally gorged myself on the cucumber sandwiches and the salmon sandwiches and the cupcakes and some of the chips. I also put sugar in my first cup of tea. And honey on the next. And sugar again on the third cup. But that's not all...I topped everything off with a glass of wine--yes, all that empty calories :(
*sighs* I felt guilty about it. It didn't help that James had kept asking me all week if we could cheat on Sunday. And I was actually holding fast. But after this cheat, I felt that I had to give James some leeway. So I told him he could cheat on Sunday. Which would have been fine for him...except, I, of course, had to go with him. And where did we end up? At Buffalo Brothers. Where I ordered the fresh jalapeno poppers and the hot and sweet wings with ranch. Oh heaven. Oh yum...
Hence, I could totally see why on Monday, I gained some weight :(
Morning weight: 151.2 lbs
It's not all the scale's fault. I've been bad.
It started with the usual Friday slump. My equipment was on the fritz so I had time...and when I have time I start thinking about food, I REALLY start thinking about food. I hadn't planned on going out for lunch on Friday, but with free time on my hands, I couldn't resist when my co worker invited me to eat. And where did we end up going? A buffet. Granted, it was a Mongolian grill buffet. I've been going to Crazy Fire Mongolian grill since I started working in RTP, but I have to admit I haven't gone in awhile. Still it's a mongolian grill. If I had control, everything would be okay, right? Except, control and I are really really very distant cousins. And while I was able to turn down the rice and the noodles, I certainly had no control when it came to the meat. I think I ate twice the required "lean" amount. Plus, I'm not even sure how lean all those beef and seafood I picked. Having said that, at least I believe that I ate the required amount of veggies. Too bad I think the sauces I picked had a lot of salt :(
Then there was Saturday. My future mother in law has invited me and my bridesmaids over for afternoon tea. Which doesn't sound so dangerous, right? I even brought some Medifast snacks with me to have with the tea. But I knew it was just for show. I mean...who refuses food that is prepared for them just because they are in a diet? It's the height of rudeness! And so I ate the food. The thing is, not only did I eat the food, but I totally gorged myself on the cucumber sandwiches and the salmon sandwiches and the cupcakes and some of the chips. I also put sugar in my first cup of tea. And honey on the next. And sugar again on the third cup. But that's not all...I topped everything off with a glass of wine--yes, all that empty calories :(
*sighs* I felt guilty about it. It didn't help that James had kept asking me all week if we could cheat on Sunday. And I was actually holding fast. But after this cheat, I felt that I had to give James some leeway. So I told him he could cheat on Sunday. Which would have been fine for him...except, I, of course, had to go with him. And where did we end up? At Buffalo Brothers. Where I ordered the fresh jalapeno poppers and the hot and sweet wings with ranch. Oh heaven. Oh yum...
Hence, I could totally see why on Monday, I gained some weight :(
Thursday, August 11, 2011
More New Stuff
Yep, the eating schedule is definitely messed up when I'm working in lab. I sometimes eat half the meal if I know that I have to eat a bit earlier than the two hours or end up not eating for the next four hours. It's all I can do to keep track of the fact that I really did eat five meals.
At least I've got more choices now. Next month's supply arrived today so more cheesy puffs and crunch bars. I ordered a couple of new stuff which I will review once I've tried them out.
Lean and green meal was for dinner. I marinated some tilapia fillets with equal servings of low sodium soy sauce and some calamansi brought to me by my aunt and uncle when they went to FL. Broiled it for a little over ten minutes and voila! I made some sauce to dip it in (again, calamansi with some patis). YUM. As usual, our salad consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers with a serving of dressing.
At least I've got more choices now. Next month's supply arrived today so more cheesy puffs and crunch bars. I ordered a couple of new stuff which I will review once I've tried them out.
Lean and green meal was for dinner. I marinated some tilapia fillets with equal servings of low sodium soy sauce and some calamansi brought to me by my aunt and uncle when they went to FL. Broiled it for a little over ten minutes and voila! I made some sauce to dip it in (again, calamansi with some patis). YUM. As usual, our salad consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers with a serving of dressing.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
New Stuff!
Woo hoo!
Replacement meals arrived today. What a coincidence that it arrived the day my next month's meals shipped. Oh well. At least I've got cheese puffs for now. I may trade some of them for James's S'mores crunch bars. Those were pretty good.
Oh and new review for today. I traded James for some of his BBQ bites meal. They got the taste down right. My only complaint again is the dryness of the meal. It sucks the moisture out of your mouth. Not as bad as the pretzels, so definitely do-able.
At least I didn't forget to eat today. But then again with lab work, it became a bit difficult to eat at the designated 2 - 3 hours. My lean and green meal was eaten a little later than what I would have wanted. My lunch dates were late due to getting lost or having meetings. To top it off, the designated restaurant (Manchester's Grill off Alexander( has apparently closed and replaced by a Mexican restaurant--La Cocina. I had the Paco salad. Yes, Paco Salad, not Taco Salad. Pretty much, it was grilled shrimp and chicken on top of romaine and sliced cucumber. They had put some shredded cheese on top, but I took those off.
Stats
Medifast BBQ Bites - 3.5 stars
Replacement meals arrived today. What a coincidence that it arrived the day my next month's meals shipped. Oh well. At least I've got cheese puffs for now. I may trade some of them for James's S'mores crunch bars. Those were pretty good.
Oh and new review for today. I traded James for some of his BBQ bites meal. They got the taste down right. My only complaint again is the dryness of the meal. It sucks the moisture out of your mouth. Not as bad as the pretzels, so definitely do-able.
At least I didn't forget to eat today. But then again with lab work, it became a bit difficult to eat at the designated 2 - 3 hours. My lean and green meal was eaten a little later than what I would have wanted. My lunch dates were late due to getting lost or having meetings. To top it off, the designated restaurant (Manchester's Grill off Alexander( has apparently closed and replaced by a Mexican restaurant--La Cocina. I had the Paco salad. Yes, Paco Salad, not Taco Salad. Pretty much, it was grilled shrimp and chicken on top of romaine and sliced cucumber. They had put some shredded cheese on top, but I took those off.
Stats
Medifast BBQ Bites - 3.5 stars
Gastronomic ratings.
5 stars - I can see replacing potato chips with this
4 stars - It can be a steady part of my diet
3 stars - I can eat it.
2 stars - I'd rather skip a meal
1 star - I'd rather eat men's dirty socks.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Forgetting To Eat
It's a bad idea. Work's been busy and I've been distracted. Today, I've forgotten to eat my mid-morning snack before lunch, and then after lunch, I forgot to eat again until almost four hours after my meal.
The result?
A raging headache.
I had to wait until I get home before I could take some Advil. In the past, I've always had a pharmacy in my purse. I had a couple of allergy meds and pain meds such as Advil. These days, my Veramyst made it so I really don't need my Allegra and my back hasn't been giving me much pain so no Advil. Once I did get home, three Advils took care of the headache. And, I'm on my way to eating three snacks in the next four hours in order to get all my nutrients of the day.
So, my advice? Don't forget to eat. The eat every two to three hour guideline really should be followed.
Which I'm actually a bit worried about. I'll be starting to work in the Plant again tomorrow, and will do so for the rest of the month. Sometimes I'm in there five hours at a time. Let's hope I can stick with this program's guidelines.
On a happier note, my lean and green meal was scrumptious. Sashimi lunch at Sansui was yummy. My friend, Denise, introduced me to the place. She said it was one of her favorites when it comes to straight sushi, but she's had better when it comes to the specialty rolls. But since yummy rolls are out of the question for now in this program, I was happy with sashimi. I ate everything but the rice :)
The result?
A raging headache.
I had to wait until I get home before I could take some Advil. In the past, I've always had a pharmacy in my purse. I had a couple of allergy meds and pain meds such as Advil. These days, my Veramyst made it so I really don't need my Allegra and my back hasn't been giving me much pain so no Advil. Once I did get home, three Advils took care of the headache. And, I'm on my way to eating three snacks in the next four hours in order to get all my nutrients of the day.
So, my advice? Don't forget to eat. The eat every two to three hour guideline really should be followed.
Which I'm actually a bit worried about. I'll be starting to work in the Plant again tomorrow, and will do so for the rest of the month. Sometimes I'm in there five hours at a time. Let's hope I can stick with this program's guidelines.
On a happier note, my lean and green meal was scrumptious. Sashimi lunch at Sansui was yummy. My friend, Denise, introduced me to the place. She said it was one of her favorites when it comes to straight sushi, but she's had better when it comes to the specialty rolls. But since yummy rolls are out of the question for now in this program, I was happy with sashimi. I ate everything but the rice :)
Monday, August 8, 2011
Feeling Pretty Good
Morning weight: 151.0 lbs.
Oh yeah.
A couple of more pounds and I'm gonna be in the 140's. I'm feeling pretty psyched and motivated. I woke up today and didn't feel any of the usual sleepiness or grogginess that I used to have before the Medifast program. I mean...I woke up and I was up. Maybe I should have started my "Couch to 5k" training today. And I think I would have it it wasn't so HOT. I mean, come on, NC...another triple digit day? I just feel damn lucky that my AC hasn't fritzed yet--knock on wood.
I'm going to be ordering next month's batch of Medifast meals today. I know, I've only gone through a couple of week's worth. But, I'm almost out of the crunch bars--which are super convenient by the way--and I'm down to my last cheesy puff. What's left are hot drinks and hot soups. Not only are they inconvenient, but it's already hot outside, so a hot snack isn't always what I'm jonesing for. In addition, the five boxes I've traded for are not here yet. And from what I understand, it takes about a couple of weeks to process. So no new cheesy puffs or brownies are coming in time.
Lean and Green meal today is my mom's salmon recipe--without the bar of butter used to as oil to cook it. Instead, I will be broiling it.
The only bad thing that happened today was that James told me he cheated. The call of Randy's Pizza was too hard to resist and he gave in. I may be lording this over him for several days. Of course, after he did it, he gave me leave to cheat too and get myself a bag of chips.
HA!
I'm gonna check out how long I can hold out. This weight loss is giving me momentum and actually encouraging me not to cheat. I admit, there were a couple or so days last week where I was really tempted because I didn't think I was losing weight, but now...Heheheh...
Oh yeah.
A couple of more pounds and I'm gonna be in the 140's. I'm feeling pretty psyched and motivated. I woke up today and didn't feel any of the usual sleepiness or grogginess that I used to have before the Medifast program. I mean...I woke up and I was up. Maybe I should have started my "Couch to 5k" training today. And I think I would have it it wasn't so HOT. I mean, come on, NC...another triple digit day? I just feel damn lucky that my AC hasn't fritzed yet--knock on wood.
I'm going to be ordering next month's batch of Medifast meals today. I know, I've only gone through a couple of week's worth. But, I'm almost out of the crunch bars--which are super convenient by the way--and I'm down to my last cheesy puff. What's left are hot drinks and hot soups. Not only are they inconvenient, but it's already hot outside, so a hot snack isn't always what I'm jonesing for. In addition, the five boxes I've traded for are not here yet. And from what I understand, it takes about a couple of weeks to process. So no new cheesy puffs or brownies are coming in time.
Lean and Green meal today is my mom's salmon recipe--without the bar of butter used to as oil to cook it. Instead, I will be broiling it.
The only bad thing that happened today was that James told me he cheated. The call of Randy's Pizza was too hard to resist and he gave in. I may be lording this over him for several days. Of course, after he did it, he gave me leave to cheat too and get myself a bag of chips.
HA!
I'm gonna check out how long I can hold out. This weight loss is giving me momentum and actually encouraging me not to cheat. I admit, there were a couple or so days last week where I was really tempted because I didn't think I was losing weight, but now...Heheheh...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Dog Profiles: Choosing Connor
James wants a FLUFFY dog. He has always been fascinated by huskies, malamutes, and Australian shepherds. It has to be a medium to big sized dog, of course, as he didn't want some fru fru dog that could be mistaken for a hairy rat. Nope. He wanted a dog that looks like a wolf...or a fox--he'd go down in weight as far as a shiba inu. But yeah, he wants a fluffy dog...and the two dogs I have so far have been...seriously lacking in the fluffiness department.
So he looked and he looked, trolling the internet for wolfy looking dogs like huskies and malamutes. Because I had mentioned that we barely have room for another big dog, he also looked at shiba inus. While looking at shiba inus, however, he stumbled upon a new breed with a somewhat controversial origins. Controversial in terms of the fact that the breeders for it seem to be in conflict with each other, splitting the breed into three separate groups. For now, however, we'll just call this breed the Tamaskan dog. There's a lot of bad mouthing in the internet from one of the breeders, directed mostly at the US breeder, and I have to admit that turned me of a little.
But James insisted that he wanted his wolf looking dog, and I insisted that it was okay as long as there's no wolf at all in that dog. And damn if he didn't find one.
Meet Connor--the newest addition to our family.
Yes, he was that small when we got him. He was about the size of a guinea pig, but way cuter. Boy did he have some lungs in him, though. We had put him in a small crate at the back after picking him up from the breeder, but we eventually took him to my lap because we were suckers and felt really bad about his whining. I mean...he just got separated from his siblings! We super understood.
Poor Pumba and Bella. I'm not sure they knew what to make of Connor when we brought him home. Bella liked to pretend he didn't exist for the first couple of weeks.
But Pumba took a liking to him. Well, I'm not sure if it's a liking per se. He tolerated Connor and licked him a lot. Is that like?
I mean Bella eventually started playing with him.
I think she may have thought he was a chew toy. After all, he was smaller than her head. Connor would come out of their play being drenched in her slobber.
Which was super cute.
Eventually, however, he did start to grow...
He started holding his own during their romps. These days, I barely recognize him from the small little gerbil that he looked like when we first got him. He's starting to get big...and yes, look more like a wolf.
He's a beautiful and playful dog. Sometimes, he can be an @$$hole :D
But we love him too anyway...
So he looked and he looked, trolling the internet for wolfy looking dogs like huskies and malamutes. Because I had mentioned that we barely have room for another big dog, he also looked at shiba inus. While looking at shiba inus, however, he stumbled upon a new breed with a somewhat controversial origins. Controversial in terms of the fact that the breeders for it seem to be in conflict with each other, splitting the breed into three separate groups. For now, however, we'll just call this breed the Tamaskan dog. There's a lot of bad mouthing in the internet from one of the breeders, directed mostly at the US breeder, and I have to admit that turned me of a little.
But James insisted that he wanted his wolf looking dog, and I insisted that it was okay as long as there's no wolf at all in that dog. And damn if he didn't find one.
Meet Connor--the newest addition to our family.
Poor Pumba and Bella. I'm not sure they knew what to make of Connor when we brought him home. Bella liked to pretend he didn't exist for the first couple of weeks.
But Pumba took a liking to him. Well, I'm not sure if it's a liking per se. He tolerated Connor and licked him a lot. Is that like?
I mean Bella eventually started playing with him.
Which was super cute.
Eventually, however, he did start to grow...
He's a beautiful and playful dog. Sometimes, he can be an @$$hole :D
But we love him too anyway...
Dog Profiles: Bella--My New Pony
Bella, my harlequin Great Dane, came to us as a three-month old puppy from a family who was adopting her out in Craigslist. My trainer's wife, Sandra, knew that I was looking for a big dog to adopt now that Pumba was more socialized and she happened to see their ad. Sandra quickly referred me to the family and I emailed them about taking a look at their dog then named Gracie. I emailed to ask them some questions (and to get pics!) of course, but I mostly did it as a courtesy to Sandra. I big dog of preference was an English mastiff and that was what I was looking around for. Why, you might ask? Well, I think it has mostly to do with the expected life span. Great danes, out of all the big dogs that I know of, have the shortest average life span. So, despite my wanting a great dane back in my high school and college days, I just wasn't ready to commit to a relationship which I knew may last only seven years.
Of course, that all changed when I got a glimpse of then Gracie. Tom, her previous owner sent me several pictures, but this is the one that captured my heart:
After seeing that picture, I was determined to see her in real life. I called Tom and arranged a meeting. I remember having family over that weekend, but I didn't care. They can come with me to meet this cute dog. But of course...there was the matter of my boyfriend. He's been heavily involved in the training and care of my dog, Pumba. I would surely need to consult with him about adopting another dog. Right?
So I did. I asked if it's okay if I see the dog in the above picture, whose owners were trying to adopt her out. She was growing a little too fast for their little girl, her vet bills are a little too high, and with the Mom losing her job, Gracie just became a bit too much for them to handle. So they were looking for someone who would adopt her. I told this all to James and his response was:
"You know that if you go over there and look at this dog, chances are you're gonna want to do more than look."
Of course, I insisted that we're just looking and he and I will both decide in the end. But deep down in my heart, I knew he was right. I'm such a sucker. Of course, it helped that in my conversations with Tom he described "Gracie" as a dog who "never knew a stranger." So, I thought to myself, she's gotta be super nice as well as cute, right?
My mom and her two brothers were visiting me at the time when I had made the appointment to see my possibly new dog. And they, along with James drove about an hour with me to go see her. We met her family and played with her for an hour. James and I did talk (for less than a minute) outside the family's home. And we both agreed. We loved that dog. Here's a picture of my mom in the car as we were taking her home with us:
See those huge paws? She was around thirty pounds in that picture. And yes, she was the sweetie that I expected her to be. I think in the end, she helped Pumba out a lot and showing him how to just be a dog. She's been a good influence to both him and me.
It's been such a joy to be able to take both of them to doggie events.
In the end, I feel so lucky to have known people like Sandra and Mike, who knew what I needed.
Bella + Pumba = Love
Of course, that all changed when I got a glimpse of then Gracie. Tom, her previous owner sent me several pictures, but this is the one that captured my heart:
So I did. I asked if it's okay if I see the dog in the above picture, whose owners were trying to adopt her out. She was growing a little too fast for their little girl, her vet bills are a little too high, and with the Mom losing her job, Gracie just became a bit too much for them to handle. So they were looking for someone who would adopt her. I told this all to James and his response was:
"You know that if you go over there and look at this dog, chances are you're gonna want to do more than look."
Of course, I insisted that we're just looking and he and I will both decide in the end. But deep down in my heart, I knew he was right. I'm such a sucker. Of course, it helped that in my conversations with Tom he described "Gracie" as a dog who "never knew a stranger." So, I thought to myself, she's gotta be super nice as well as cute, right?
My mom and her two brothers were visiting me at the time when I had made the appointment to see my possibly new dog. And they, along with James drove about an hour with me to go see her. We met her family and played with her for an hour. James and I did talk (for less than a minute) outside the family's home. And we both agreed. We loved that dog. Here's a picture of my mom in the car as we were taking her home with us:
Bella + Pumba = Love
Dog Profiles: Getting Old Sucks
This year, after we got back from California for the holidays, Pumba surprised me by throwing a curve on my budget--apparently, he's getting old.
Michael, who kept both Pumba and Bella while we traveled, said that for some reason, Pumba stopped eating his usual share the last five days. He had lost weight and it really showed. James thinks that my two week absence from Pumba may have had a detrimental effect on his health, because Pumba is very energetic when we got home. He didn't act sick except for the diarrhea. His appetite was back as soon as we got him home. He still loves the treadmill and waits for me to turn it on.
So what did I do? Well the first thing I did was try and put some weight back on Pumba by cooking some rice for him. I made some recipes from Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats that are specialized for dogs with allergies. I didn't feel good about the whole raw meat thing, so the only thing I changed was cooking the meat. I tried both brown rice and oatmeal. And Pumba did seem to be eating more...but the diarrhea remained. In one occasion, he had both vomit and diarrhea. At this point, I've decided to take him to the vet.
Vet visits are never really fun with Pumba--even after training. Don't get me wrong, the vet visits were WAY better after Pumba's rehabilitation with Michael and when I say way better, I mean the following:
Luckily, we've broken in a couple of vets. The current one I take him is the North Wake Animal Hospital and Dr. Church is the guy who drew the short straw (most of the time) when it came to having to deal with Pumba. Anyway, in this vet visit, I guess there wasn't much fight left in Pumba that it was actually one of our easiest vet visits. The result? More meds, a steroid shot, and a prescription dog food :(
In the months later, we would realize that Pumba is at the point where he may need to keep getting steroid shots once a month because of his allergies. None of his blood work show anything wrong with his systems so for that we are thankful. I think this just may be a bad year for allergies, and it didn't help that Pumba's ten--an age most shar-peis I know do not even make to.
Still, monthly vet visits with Pumba--not cheap :(
Michael, who kept both Pumba and Bella while we traveled, said that for some reason, Pumba stopped eating his usual share the last five days. He had lost weight and it really showed. James thinks that my two week absence from Pumba may have had a detrimental effect on his health, because Pumba is very energetic when we got home. He didn't act sick except for the diarrhea. His appetite was back as soon as we got him home. He still loves the treadmill and waits for me to turn it on.
So what did I do? Well the first thing I did was try and put some weight back on Pumba by cooking some rice for him. I made some recipes from Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats that are specialized for dogs with allergies. I didn't feel good about the whole raw meat thing, so the only thing I changed was cooking the meat. I tried both brown rice and oatmeal. And Pumba did seem to be eating more...but the diarrhea remained. In one occasion, he had both vomit and diarrhea. At this point, I've decided to take him to the vet.
Vet visits are never really fun with Pumba--even after training. Don't get me wrong, the vet visits were WAY better after Pumba's rehabilitation with Michael and when I say way better, I mean the following:
- No sedatives needed
- Cheaper bills
- No need for back door entrances to avoid the other dogs
- We actually see the vet annually for all shots, not just the rabies
- A more thorough exam of Pumba is possible
Luckily, we've broken in a couple of vets. The current one I take him is the North Wake Animal Hospital and Dr. Church is the guy who drew the short straw (most of the time) when it came to having to deal with Pumba. Anyway, in this vet visit, I guess there wasn't much fight left in Pumba that it was actually one of our easiest vet visits. The result? More meds, a steroid shot, and a prescription dog food :(
In the months later, we would realize that Pumba is at the point where he may need to keep getting steroid shots once a month because of his allergies. None of his blood work show anything wrong with his systems so for that we are thankful. I think this just may be a bad year for allergies, and it didn't help that Pumba's ten--an age most shar-peis I know do not even make to.
Still, monthly vet visits with Pumba--not cheap :(
It Gets Tough
They said I would experience intense carb cravings on that first week. But really, I experience them more now. I miss the crunch of Lays Jalapeno kettle cooked chips. I'd really like to have some Ruffles potato chips used as a delivery system for some French onion dip. I have dreams about Cheez-Its--the Hot and Spicy flavor. I think about pasta all the time, like the Shrimp Carbonara at Brixx's in Brier Creek--I know, an odd place to have a pasta craving at. But most of all, I think I've made a decision not to go to the movies anymore. It's just too tough to go and not have any butter-drenched popcorn or ICEE.
This weekend, James didn't exactly make it easy by doing the two following things: a) craving pizza (which I'm not even too fond of but am strangely attracted to these days) and being vocal about it; and b) watching food shows at the Travel channel. I think the one we got stuck on was a review on several diners throughout the country. That just made me miss those homemade chips at East Coast Wings in Greensboro. Those were the best Saratoga chips I've ever encountered--and dipped in ranch dressing of course. They used to have one over in Cary, but it closed a couple of years ago, and I haven't found a wings place since then that can ever top those homemade chips.
Okay, enough whining for now. I think on my next order of Medifast, I may need to order more of those crunch bars. I ordered four different boxes, thinking I'd eat one a day, but due to their convenience, I've been eating more...and now I'm down to my last three bars. Crap. Down to my last two cheesy poofs too. Super annoying. I wonder how long before those replacements come? Mike said it might take a couple weeks :(
On the upside, I marinated some salmon with kalamansi and low sodium soy sauce today. Looking forward to having that tomorrow, since James is making steak tonight. Hrm...steak....
This weekend, James didn't exactly make it easy by doing the two following things: a) craving pizza (which I'm not even too fond of but am strangely attracted to these days) and being vocal about it; and b) watching food shows at the Travel channel. I think the one we got stuck on was a review on several diners throughout the country. That just made me miss those homemade chips at East Coast Wings in Greensboro. Those were the best Saratoga chips I've ever encountered--and dipped in ranch dressing of course. They used to have one over in Cary, but it closed a couple of years ago, and I haven't found a wings place since then that can ever top those homemade chips.
Okay, enough whining for now. I think on my next order of Medifast, I may need to order more of those crunch bars. I ordered four different boxes, thinking I'd eat one a day, but due to their convenience, I've been eating more...and now I'm down to my last three bars. Crap. Down to my last two cheesy poofs too. Super annoying. I wonder how long before those replacements come? Mike said it might take a couple weeks :(
On the upside, I marinated some salmon with kalamansi and low sodium soy sauce today. Looking forward to having that tomorrow, since James is making steak tonight. Hrm...steak....
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Week of Cheats--Sorta
The first cheat...
It stands to reason that after a bunch of cheap, free, and imminently untempting foods that work offers us so often, they just happen to suddenly give us yummy, slightly more expensive free lunch on the second week I start the Medifast program. The had yummy hot pastas (the tempting one) in addition to the usual cold cuts of meat on salad. They also had...CHIPS. Not just bag o' chips chips, they had homemade fried sorta chips. And dessert. Not just the usual run of the mill dessert from the cafeteria. No, all the cakes and pies were from the baker of Nantucket grill.
Really? I mean, REALLY?!? They pull this out now, just when I'm doing so well in this program.
Ugh. I couldn't resist. I ate three big pieces of those yummy chips along with the grilled chicken and salad (my lean and green) and called it a day. Damn...thinking about it now, I really wished I had dipped those chips into a dollop of ranch dressing.
The second cheat was on Friday. Instead of a five and one lean and green...I had a four and one lean and green followed by another lean. I had good intentions starting the day. I knew I had to eat my lean and green at lunch because we were going straight out after James gets off work. We were off to watch a couple of bad horror movies (Creepshow and Ticked Off Trannies with Knives) to one of our friends' house and we knew we most likely couldn't eat anything on that usually chip-infested home. So, we took a couple of snacks with us for our last snack of the day and off we went.
At first we resisted. But the grilled burgers smelled soo good. And after a couple of hours (when everyone else had already eaten), instead of going for our snack, we went for a burger patty. With mustard and cheese!
*sighs*...
It stands to reason that after a bunch of cheap, free, and imminently untempting foods that work offers us so often, they just happen to suddenly give us yummy, slightly more expensive free lunch on the second week I start the Medifast program. The had yummy hot pastas (the tempting one) in addition to the usual cold cuts of meat on salad. They also had...CHIPS. Not just bag o' chips chips, they had homemade fried sorta chips. And dessert. Not just the usual run of the mill dessert from the cafeteria. No, all the cakes and pies were from the baker of Nantucket grill.
Really? I mean, REALLY?!? They pull this out now, just when I'm doing so well in this program.
Ugh. I couldn't resist. I ate three big pieces of those yummy chips along with the grilled chicken and salad (my lean and green) and called it a day. Damn...thinking about it now, I really wished I had dipped those chips into a dollop of ranch dressing.
The second cheat was on Friday. Instead of a five and one lean and green...I had a four and one lean and green followed by another lean. I had good intentions starting the day. I knew I had to eat my lean and green at lunch because we were going straight out after James gets off work. We were off to watch a couple of bad horror movies (Creepshow and Ticked Off Trannies with Knives) to one of our friends' house and we knew we most likely couldn't eat anything on that usually chip-infested home. So, we took a couple of snacks with us for our last snack of the day and off we went.
At first we resisted. But the grilled burgers smelled soo good. And after a couple of hours (when everyone else had already eaten), instead of going for our snack, we went for a burger patty. With mustard and cheese!
*sighs*...
Friday, August 5, 2011
It's Goes Round and Round...
Our new pup Connor has developed what I would call can only be an inordinate fascination with the ceiling fan. Whenever he gets bored and happens to notice that something above his bed seems to be moving, he takes a stance and gives it a look. And another look. And another look...
It makes me wonder whether I should discourage this. Because one of the ladies at the dog park told me about her Great Dane...who had the same fascination towards the ceiling fan when he was a puppy. And she told me about how when that not so small puppy grew up, he finally decided it was time. He took a flying dive and made a grab for the fan...and took it down with him. Now, I'm pretty sure Connor's not going to be big enough to take a flying leap, but...we do have sofas...
It makes me wonder whether I should discourage this. Because one of the ladies at the dog park told me about her Great Dane...who had the same fascination towards the ceiling fan when he was a puppy. And she told me about how when that not so small puppy grew up, he finally decided it was time. He took a flying dive and made a grab for the fan...and took it down with him. Now, I'm pretty sure Connor's not going to be big enough to take a flying leap, but...we do have sofas...
Dog Profiles: Pumba's Plight
Meet PUMBA. In this post, I will be focusing on him and our first seven years together prior to his rehabilitation.
Pumba came to me from CA. My mom, who was working for the public library in Orange County at that time, found him in one of the book drops. Someone had dropped off what looked like a shar-pei puppy along with the books. Knowing that I was in search for a dog to adopt here in NC, my mom decided to send this puppy to me since their search for his owner proved futile. So, named by my brothers after the warthog from The Lion King, Pumba traveled across the country and into my humble apartment in NC.
Sadly, despite all my experience with dogs growing up, I was not equipped to handle a dog with dominant and aggressive tendencies. Little did I know that I nurtured those unwanted behaviors myself by babying him too much and not providing him with a strong pack leader--yes, I've been watching the Dog Whisperer and I'm adopting Cesar's vocabulary. That man is my idol.
In the seven years I had lived with Pumba prior to meeting Michael, my dog trainer, I had gone through group classes and private training sessions with various people. The Puppy Kindergarten instructor had told me at the end of the class sessions that I was more suited for private training sessions due to Pumba’s disruptive influence on the other dogs. He mentioned that Pumba and I would probably not do too well in the group Beginners Obedience class that was offered to Puppy Kindergarten graduates. It was sad to hear, but I understood. I didn't spend as much time as I should have reinforcing some of the lessons we learned in class. For the most part, Pumba would actually do well when we're home training with me, but when he was working with my then boyfriend (now ex), he was stubborn and preferred not to. I guess he knew something I didn't ;)
So we hired a private trainer. And that was a luxury I really couldn't afford. I was a graduate student making slave wages in UNC. My live-in boyfriend at that time was making a little above minimum wage. A lot of things were going on the credit card, but I thought Pumba's training would be worth it. I'd like to have a dog that wasn't jumpy or barking at my friends. I'd like to have a dog that I could have other dogs come and play with. After all, eventually, I wanted more than one dog.
The private trainer referred to us (I'd forgotten her name it feels like it was so long ago) was nice. We did a lot of treat oriented training and reinforcing of the commands like "sit" and "down." But in the end, we didn't really get to deal with what I wanted dealt with--Pumba's aggression towards new people and other dogs. The trainer kept saying that eventually she may bring a couple of her dogs to see how it goes, but it seemed like a long way aways...and I'm getting poorer and poorer.
It was just too expensive. And I gave up.
A couple of years passed before I attempted another training class with Pumba. This time, I did some research and found a class that specialized in dominant / aggressive behavior. I was actually feeling pretty optimistic about it. The behaviors they described fit Pumba to a T. The first class was just with me and not Pumba. I was there with about five other people and we were all discussing our experiences with our dogs. In the second class, I was able to bring Pumba for a one on one session with the trainer. I held Pumba's lead throughout this session and the trainer seemed...okay. Rather, he said it was going to be okay and that to bring Pumba to the next class--the one that has all the other dogs going to. That third class was the heartbreaker. Pumba and I were sent out to be isolated in another room, because he kept trying to lunge and bark at all the other dogs. Finally, the instructors just asked us to leave. On my way to the car, the assistant told me that it might be a good idea if I saw a dog psychologist who can prescribe some medication to my dog. And also...to consider maybe the best for him would be putting him down because of his aggression :( I have to admit that this soured my outlook of attempting to train my dog any further with the help of outsiders.
So for a few more years, I had resigned myself to my life with Pumba.
It was a life where I rarely invite people to my house due to my dog’s somewhat frightening behavior with new people. In fact, there was an incident when Pumba had chewed the trimming on my front door in his attempt to attack whoever it was in the other side.
I had accepted the fact that owning nice things may not be an option because Pumba would eventually get to it and find some way of destroying it.
But I loved my dog, so yes…I had resigned myself to this life.
It was a life where I rarely, if ever, went home to my family in California for Christmas because boarding Pumba was not an option. I was advised even by my vet that boarding him may be detrimental to his mental health due to his highly aggressive nature towards other dogs. He would literally attempt to eat through the crate or the kennel in his attempt to attack the other dogs he sees around him. In-home pet visits were not an option because I had gotten to the point where I only trusted my dog-loving friends and myself to take care of Pumba as he was also people-aggressive. I’d declined work-related travel because I can’t trust others to take care of Pumba. But more importantly, I couldn’t trust Pumba to behave himself well.
I have to admit, it was quite an isolated life that was ruled by my dog’s behavior. I rarely took him out for walks farther than my backyard because I’d gotten to the point where I was both scared and embarrassed whenever we encounter other people and dogs in our walk. He would tug and lunge and growl menacingly while I ineffectually yanked him to another direction.
Vet visits were a nightmare. We had a routine where I call my vet whenever I arrive at the parking lot for our appointment. I enter the facilities with Pumba through the backdoor so as to limit any encounters Pumba might have with other dogs. I had to muzzle Pumba in order for the vet to be able to properly examine him. But even then, we had also agreed to give him an injectible sedative as none of the previous oral sedatives (including Valium!) had had any effect. Pumba looked so pathetic and the vet visits so expensive, that I had finally limited them to once every three years (for the rabies shots).
It wasn’t until a show called The Dog Whisperer aired on TV that I began to have a faint glimmer of hope. I told myself that if only I could find myself someone like Cesar Millan, then maybe Pumba and I could have a somewhat normal life. And so early this year, I once again began the search for a dog trainer here in North Carolina. Before finding Michael, I’ve talked to a few…and most of them had basically told me to just continue what I was doing. Due to the nature of Pumba’s breed, they had told me that I was lucky not to have been sued and that I should just wait it out…After all, Pumba was already seven years old. At most, he may just have another seven years to go.
Rationally, I understood where they were coming from. Their advice seemed the safest and most practical way to go. It was disheartening, however, especially after having seen some of the rehabilitated aggressive dogs in The Dog Whisperer, but part of me expected it.
Despite all this, I kept watching the show and once in awhile, an episode will inspire me to keep looking for other trainers out there. It helped that I had a new and very supportive boyfriend. He was very hands on in helping me with Pumba and he encouraged me to look and never give up hope.
And that’s when I found an ad for the Dog Academy of NC.
When I first contacted Michael, he had suggested that I bring Pumba over for a free evaluation. I was hesitant to do so, as I try to never bring my dog into situations or places that I am unfamiliar with. Michael, however, convinced me that it would be a great way for him to evaluate my dog by seeing him react to his other dogs (over ten of them!) for the first time. I finally—reluctantly—agreed. So, I packed Pumba into his gear: a double leash attached to a collar and a harness and off we went to the Dog Academy of NC.
As we entered the driveway, I can see all the dogs with Michael in the yard. He had powerful breeds like German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, and Boxers surrounding him like a pack. I slowly got out of the car and glanced at Pumba in the backseat. He had already started huffing and growling. With great trepidation, I wrapped both his leashes around my wrist and let him out of the car. My arm felt like it was being pulled out of it socket as Pumba tugged in his attempt to lunge at the dogs from behind the chain linked fence. I could barely hear anything Michael was saying from behind the fence because of all the barking.
Finally, Michael issued a command to his dogs and all of them (but one) went into their shelter. Michael came back and walked outside the fence to greet me. The first thing that impressed me upon meeting him was how calm he was given how Pumba was growling and lunging towards the one dog left on the other side of the fence. Michael asked me a few questions regarding Pumba which I attempted to answer while ineffectively trying to control my dog.
Then surprise of surprises, Michael asked if he could walk my dog for me.
Really?! I mean, REALLY?! I've gone through other private trainers, and I think the last one to get even a foot close to Pumba was back before he even turned a year old. And here was this trainer, asking if he could walk my dog. I remember looking at Pumba and then back at Michael, and wondering what's the likeliness of my getting sued if Pumba decided to bite him. Lucky for me, Michael convinced me to let him take Pumba and, after he helped me untangle myself from the three leads I had, he proceeded to walk Pumba around his property.
And that was my next shock. Pumba was actually walking beside Michael instead of yanking him the way he did me. He wasn't biting Michael or growling at him. He was being...extremely well-behaved. My then boyfriend (now fiance) and I hugged each other upon seeing that. We were so overwhelmed.
I was sold. I signed up for a three week training with Michael and I haven't looked back.
Pumba came to me from CA. My mom, who was working for the public library in Orange County at that time, found him in one of the book drops. Someone had dropped off what looked like a shar-pei puppy along with the books. Knowing that I was in search for a dog to adopt here in NC, my mom decided to send this puppy to me since their search for his owner proved futile. So, named by my brothers after the warthog from The Lion King, Pumba traveled across the country and into my humble apartment in NC.
Sadly, despite all my experience with dogs growing up, I was not equipped to handle a dog with dominant and aggressive tendencies. Little did I know that I nurtured those unwanted behaviors myself by babying him too much and not providing him with a strong pack leader--yes, I've been watching the Dog Whisperer and I'm adopting Cesar's vocabulary. That man is my idol.
In the seven years I had lived with Pumba prior to meeting Michael, my dog trainer, I had gone through group classes and private training sessions with various people. The Puppy Kindergarten instructor had told me at the end of the class sessions that I was more suited for private training sessions due to Pumba’s disruptive influence on the other dogs. He mentioned that Pumba and I would probably not do too well in the group Beginners Obedience class that was offered to Puppy Kindergarten graduates. It was sad to hear, but I understood. I didn't spend as much time as I should have reinforcing some of the lessons we learned in class. For the most part, Pumba would actually do well when we're home training with me, but when he was working with my then boyfriend (now ex), he was stubborn and preferred not to. I guess he knew something I didn't ;)
So we hired a private trainer. And that was a luxury I really couldn't afford. I was a graduate student making slave wages in UNC. My live-in boyfriend at that time was making a little above minimum wage. A lot of things were going on the credit card, but I thought Pumba's training would be worth it. I'd like to have a dog that wasn't jumpy or barking at my friends. I'd like to have a dog that I could have other dogs come and play with. After all, eventually, I wanted more than one dog.
The private trainer referred to us (I'd forgotten her name it feels like it was so long ago) was nice. We did a lot of treat oriented training and reinforcing of the commands like "sit" and "down." But in the end, we didn't really get to deal with what I wanted dealt with--Pumba's aggression towards new people and other dogs. The trainer kept saying that eventually she may bring a couple of her dogs to see how it goes, but it seemed like a long way aways...and I'm getting poorer and poorer.
It was just too expensive. And I gave up.
A couple of years passed before I attempted another training class with Pumba. This time, I did some research and found a class that specialized in dominant / aggressive behavior. I was actually feeling pretty optimistic about it. The behaviors they described fit Pumba to a T. The first class was just with me and not Pumba. I was there with about five other people and we were all discussing our experiences with our dogs. In the second class, I was able to bring Pumba for a one on one session with the trainer. I held Pumba's lead throughout this session and the trainer seemed...okay. Rather, he said it was going to be okay and that to bring Pumba to the next class--the one that has all the other dogs going to. That third class was the heartbreaker. Pumba and I were sent out to be isolated in another room, because he kept trying to lunge and bark at all the other dogs. Finally, the instructors just asked us to leave. On my way to the car, the assistant told me that it might be a good idea if I saw a dog psychologist who can prescribe some medication to my dog. And also...to consider maybe the best for him would be putting him down because of his aggression :( I have to admit that this soured my outlook of attempting to train my dog any further with the help of outsiders.
So for a few more years, I had resigned myself to my life with Pumba.
It was a life where I rarely invite people to my house due to my dog’s somewhat frightening behavior with new people. In fact, there was an incident when Pumba had chewed the trimming on my front door in his attempt to attack whoever it was in the other side.
I had accepted the fact that owning nice things may not be an option because Pumba would eventually get to it and find some way of destroying it.
But I loved my dog, so yes…I had resigned myself to this life.
It was a life where I rarely, if ever, went home to my family in California for Christmas because boarding Pumba was not an option. I was advised even by my vet that boarding him may be detrimental to his mental health due to his highly aggressive nature towards other dogs. He would literally attempt to eat through the crate or the kennel in his attempt to attack the other dogs he sees around him. In-home pet visits were not an option because I had gotten to the point where I only trusted my dog-loving friends and myself to take care of Pumba as he was also people-aggressive. I’d declined work-related travel because I can’t trust others to take care of Pumba. But more importantly, I couldn’t trust Pumba to behave himself well.
I have to admit, it was quite an isolated life that was ruled by my dog’s behavior. I rarely took him out for walks farther than my backyard because I’d gotten to the point where I was both scared and embarrassed whenever we encounter other people and dogs in our walk. He would tug and lunge and growl menacingly while I ineffectually yanked him to another direction.
Vet visits were a nightmare. We had a routine where I call my vet whenever I arrive at the parking lot for our appointment. I enter the facilities with Pumba through the backdoor so as to limit any encounters Pumba might have with other dogs. I had to muzzle Pumba in order for the vet to be able to properly examine him. But even then, we had also agreed to give him an injectible sedative as none of the previous oral sedatives (including Valium!) had had any effect. Pumba looked so pathetic and the vet visits so expensive, that I had finally limited them to once every three years (for the rabies shots).
It wasn’t until a show called The Dog Whisperer aired on TV that I began to have a faint glimmer of hope. I told myself that if only I could find myself someone like Cesar Millan, then maybe Pumba and I could have a somewhat normal life. And so early this year, I once again began the search for a dog trainer here in North Carolina. Before finding Michael, I’ve talked to a few…and most of them had basically told me to just continue what I was doing. Due to the nature of Pumba’s breed, they had told me that I was lucky not to have been sued and that I should just wait it out…After all, Pumba was already seven years old. At most, he may just have another seven years to go.
Rationally, I understood where they were coming from. Their advice seemed the safest and most practical way to go. It was disheartening, however, especially after having seen some of the rehabilitated aggressive dogs in The Dog Whisperer, but part of me expected it.
Despite all this, I kept watching the show and once in awhile, an episode will inspire me to keep looking for other trainers out there. It helped that I had a new and very supportive boyfriend. He was very hands on in helping me with Pumba and he encouraged me to look and never give up hope.
And that’s when I found an ad for the Dog Academy of NC.
When I first contacted Michael, he had suggested that I bring Pumba over for a free evaluation. I was hesitant to do so, as I try to never bring my dog into situations or places that I am unfamiliar with. Michael, however, convinced me that it would be a great way for him to evaluate my dog by seeing him react to his other dogs (over ten of them!) for the first time. I finally—reluctantly—agreed. So, I packed Pumba into his gear: a double leash attached to a collar and a harness and off we went to the Dog Academy of NC.
As we entered the driveway, I can see all the dogs with Michael in the yard. He had powerful breeds like German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, and Boxers surrounding him like a pack. I slowly got out of the car and glanced at Pumba in the backseat. He had already started huffing and growling. With great trepidation, I wrapped both his leashes around my wrist and let him out of the car. My arm felt like it was being pulled out of it socket as Pumba tugged in his attempt to lunge at the dogs from behind the chain linked fence. I could barely hear anything Michael was saying from behind the fence because of all the barking.
Finally, Michael issued a command to his dogs and all of them (but one) went into their shelter. Michael came back and walked outside the fence to greet me. The first thing that impressed me upon meeting him was how calm he was given how Pumba was growling and lunging towards the one dog left on the other side of the fence. Michael asked me a few questions regarding Pumba which I attempted to answer while ineffectively trying to control my dog.
Then surprise of surprises, Michael asked if he could walk my dog for me.
Really?! I mean, REALLY?! I've gone through other private trainers, and I think the last one to get even a foot close to Pumba was back before he even turned a year old. And here was this trainer, asking if he could walk my dog. I remember looking at Pumba and then back at Michael, and wondering what's the likeliness of my getting sued if Pumba decided to bite him. Lucky for me, Michael convinced me to let him take Pumba and, after he helped me untangle myself from the three leads I had, he proceeded to walk Pumba around his property.
And that was my next shock. Pumba was actually walking beside Michael instead of yanking him the way he did me. He wasn't biting Michael or growling at him. He was being...extremely well-behaved. My then boyfriend (now fiance) and I hugged each other upon seeing that. We were so overwhelmed.
I was sold. I signed up for a three week training with Michael and I haven't looked back.
The Benefits of Doggy Daycare
Ahhh...sometimes, after a long day at work and the knowledge that I've got plans tonight, it is so nice to know that I can go out guilt-free !
I love doggy daycare. I love knowing that my dogs had a great time during the day romping around with all the other dogs that the only thing they wanna do when we all get home is eat and SLEEP.
I love doggy daycare. I love knowing that my dogs had a great time during the day romping around with all the other dogs that the only thing they wanna do when we all get home is eat and SLEEP.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Burgundy Wine Steak Tips
So James and I have had these frozen marinated steak tips in the freezer for about a month now and we've always been meaning to eat it. We found out about a butcher in Cary and decided to give them a shot. But you know how it goes when the convenience of eating out is an easy option. We just never got around to it. But now that we're on this Medifast program, eating out can be depressing. You all those foods that you love that you can't have for now, and it's just sad. So, lately, we've just been eating in. And after perusing through my freezer, lo and behold, I found the Burgundy Wine Steak Tips.
James decided to grill it yesterday and lemme just say...it's sooo delicious. It's so delicious that I'm wondering if it's okay to be even eating while in this program. The meat was so tender and flavorful (even though it's been sitting in our freezer for how long?). We ate the allowed serving over a bed of romaine salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. Unfortunately, there was only enough for three servings, and James had the extra serving for his lean and green lunch today.
James decided to grill it yesterday and lemme just say...it's sooo delicious. It's so delicious that I'm wondering if it's okay to be even eating while in this program. The meat was so tender and flavorful (even though it's been sitting in our freezer for how long?). We ate the allowed serving over a bed of romaine salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. Unfortunately, there was only enough for three servings, and James had the extra serving for his lean and green lunch today.
Tire Shopping
After the fourth time this year of having a nail hone into one of my rear tires, my luck has finally run out. The positioning of the nail makes it irreparable and the shitty condition of my tires in general (close to being bald without actually being bald) make it so that I have to get four new tires. I guess it didn't help that I had AWD.
Yeah, I'm a girl. What do I know about tires except for what I see in the commercials? Treads? What treads? I should have just let my fiance pick a tire and a store and get it done for me. I figured, however, that if I'm going to be spending close to 1k in purchasing and having four new tires installed in my 2010 Nissan Murano, then the least I could do is do some research.
First up...the internet. I wanna know what the difference are between these tires. In other words, I wanna know if I'm paying for a brand name or an actually better spec. Because while I do splurge on getting brand name meds (And why not? The insurance makes it so that I pay the same copay as brand name or generic), I'm not about to fork out extra $$ out of pocket just because I recognize the name. In terms of the internet, the most helpful website I found when it comes to comparing reviews and specs was: Tirerack.com. There were too many tires in there, however, so I had to find a way of narrowing it down. And that's where having loved ones you trust help.
The second source I used for my research was my dad and my fiance. Giving them my price range, they both recommended brands they had heard of or had some experience with. Between the two of them, there was a couple of brands that came up.
Third up the co-workers. Hehe...I must be a cheapskate. But I guess my co-workers have a point. A lot of them recommended wholesale stores like Costco, BJs, and Sam's Club. In fact, my dad also recommended it. However, upon perusing the selection at BJs (the one I have the membership for), I noticed that they all have very popular brands. Which is fine...unless you're watching you're dime. Some of those tires they recommend had good customer ratings...and some were...meh. Why pay extra for "meh"? But as my co-workers said, there's only a bit of the tire that is touching the road while you're driving your SUV...you're gonna want a good one. They recommended that if I splurge anywhere, I should splurge on tires for my safety.
Which makes sense. But, if I splurge, I wanna make sure I'm splurging for a reason, and not just the name.
Still, after all the reviews I've read and recommendations, I settled on getting Kumho Solus KR21. It's a known brand (according to friends, family and fiance), but still pretty reasonably priced. It had way better ratings than the tires that came with my car. It also had a reasonably similar ratings as the expensive Michelin brand that I was eyeing.
And after calling around, the place that will get it and install it for the cheapest price was the Atlantic Tire in Durham, close to my work and home. Hopefully, I'll have a review of it in the far future. I'll be happy if it lasts longer that these Bridgestone Duelers that came with the Murano.
Yeah, I'm a girl. What do I know about tires except for what I see in the commercials? Treads? What treads? I should have just let my fiance pick a tire and a store and get it done for me. I figured, however, that if I'm going to be spending close to 1k in purchasing and having four new tires installed in my 2010 Nissan Murano, then the least I could do is do some research.
First up...the internet. I wanna know what the difference are between these tires. In other words, I wanna know if I'm paying for a brand name or an actually better spec. Because while I do splurge on getting brand name meds (And why not? The insurance makes it so that I pay the same copay as brand name or generic), I'm not about to fork out extra $$ out of pocket just because I recognize the name. In terms of the internet, the most helpful website I found when it comes to comparing reviews and specs was: Tirerack.com. There were too many tires in there, however, so I had to find a way of narrowing it down. And that's where having loved ones you trust help.
The second source I used for my research was my dad and my fiance. Giving them my price range, they both recommended brands they had heard of or had some experience with. Between the two of them, there was a couple of brands that came up.
Third up the co-workers. Hehe...I must be a cheapskate. But I guess my co-workers have a point. A lot of them recommended wholesale stores like Costco, BJs, and Sam's Club. In fact, my dad also recommended it. However, upon perusing the selection at BJs (the one I have the membership for), I noticed that they all have very popular brands. Which is fine...unless you're watching you're dime. Some of those tires they recommend had good customer ratings...and some were...meh. Why pay extra for "meh"? But as my co-workers said, there's only a bit of the tire that is touching the road while you're driving your SUV...you're gonna want a good one. They recommended that if I splurge anywhere, I should splurge on tires for my safety.
Which makes sense. But, if I splurge, I wanna make sure I'm splurging for a reason, and not just the name.
Still, after all the reviews I've read and recommendations, I settled on getting Kumho Solus KR21. It's a known brand (according to friends, family and fiance), but still pretty reasonably priced. It had way better ratings than the tires that came with my car. It also had a reasonably similar ratings as the expensive Michelin brand that I was eyeing.
And after calling around, the place that will get it and install it for the cheapest price was the Atlantic Tire in Durham, close to my work and home. Hopefully, I'll have a review of it in the far future. I'll be happy if it lasts longer that these Bridgestone Duelers that came with the Murano.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Because I Like To Write
Yeah, I figured...why not three blogs to manage? Something that has nothing to do with my dogs or food...Ie, any other business. This will be my blog/journal about life in general...and what I think about it.
It's Official--the Beginning of the Second Week
Morning weight: 153.8 lbs.
Yes, I took the weight four times, and three out of four was the weight I had transcribed above. The other weight was about two lbs. over. I dunno what to say about that. Anyway, from now on, I will not be reporting my weight everyday. It will hopefully be a weekly thing.
No new Medifast meals were tried today so no official reviews. All I have to report is that I didn't cheat and that my Lean and Green meal was a salad and grilled chicken from Worth It Cafe in Durham.
Yes, I took the weight four times, and three out of four was the weight I had transcribed above. The other weight was about two lbs. over. I dunno what to say about that. Anyway, from now on, I will not be reporting my weight everyday. It will hopefully be a weekly thing.
No new Medifast meals were tried today so no official reviews. All I have to report is that I didn't cheat and that my Lean and Green meal was a salad and grilled chicken from Worth It Cafe in Durham.
It's a Conspiracy!
Posted Retroactively.
July 31, 2011.
Morning weight: 153.8 - 155.8 lbs
My scale is fucking with me. If I place my left foot on first, then I weigh over 155 lbs.--a reasonable amount of weight loss, I think from my starting weight. When I step with my right foot first, however, it gives me 2 lbs left. I toggled back and forth to see that it's pretty predictable between those two weights. I'm beginning to think that that 154.5 lbs weight I previously recorded may have be a result of the scale fluctuation, not my weight fluctuation. Hrm...from here on out, I'm going to have to take my weights more than once...and the majority wins :)
Oh well. Off to my morning routine. James and I woke up a bit late today because we decided to finish watching all of the Dexter season 5 we had remaining. As a result, we woke up a little too late to take the dogs to their Pooch Plunge Meetup. Damn. I was looking forward to that and finally start posting something in my dog blog.
Instead, here I am, preparing the Medifast scramble eggs--something I didn't order but traded James for for one of my meals. H warned me that the eggs were ultra bland, so I added some pepper and Tabasco sauce without even trying them out first. Anyway, these scrambled eggs were pretty decent--with pepper and hot sauce. It's no worse or better than the Nutri System scrambled eggs. Something weird, though. It's super hard to wash it off your dishes. I like to use those shaker cups they send with the food for anything that says "stir" in the directions (except for Brownies) because I think shaking vigorously seems to reduce that chalkiness I keep harping about. So I did it for the scrambled eggs. After doing so, I attempted to rinse the shaker jar the way I usually rinse them and damn...those eggs want to really stick to the plastic. What's more, the bowl where I nuked the eggs...forget washing them in the dishwasher. It's gonna need some elbow grease to get those eggs off!
Today, James and I decided to see the movie, "Cowboys and Aliens." We ate a snack (one of the crunch bars already reviewed for me) before going and also snuck our next snack of the day in the movies with us. Remember when I said I was getting used to this diet?
Wrong!!
Perhaps I was overconfident. Going to the movies is one of my favorite past times, but I should have remembered how much I love chowing down on some butter-drenched popcorn while I watch the movie. It doesn't help that the theater bombards you with images of popcorn and snacks. This is the time when it really helped to have my fiance be in the same diet as me. He was the one who helped me through the intense popcorn craving. I think I would have definitely given in had he not been there to encourage me to be strong about this diet. Especially given the fact that we've only been in it for a week!
I had another crunch bar when we got home and put together a small steak and salad for dinner. For my last meal of the day...I realized I felt hungry. So, instead of having what I considered to be one of the more "snack"-y meals. Instead, I had the Medifast Chicken noodle soup. I have to say...I think it's my favorite soup of all the ones that I've had. Having said that, please note that I did add about a teaspoon of hot sauce and a quarter of a teaspoon of fish sauce. Because, by itself, it's super bland. HOWEVER, I think this is the first time I didn't notice that chalky stuff I hate so much.
Stats
Medifast Scrambled Eggs - 3 stars
Medifast Chicken Noodle - 4 stars--as long as you add some hot sauce and fish sauce. 3 stars by itself.
July 31, 2011.
Morning weight: 153.8 - 155.8 lbs
My scale is fucking with me. If I place my left foot on first, then I weigh over 155 lbs.--a reasonable amount of weight loss, I think from my starting weight. When I step with my right foot first, however, it gives me 2 lbs left. I toggled back and forth to see that it's pretty predictable between those two weights. I'm beginning to think that that 154.5 lbs weight I previously recorded may have be a result of the scale fluctuation, not my weight fluctuation. Hrm...from here on out, I'm going to have to take my weights more than once...and the majority wins :)
Oh well. Off to my morning routine. James and I woke up a bit late today because we decided to finish watching all of the Dexter season 5 we had remaining. As a result, we woke up a little too late to take the dogs to their Pooch Plunge Meetup. Damn. I was looking forward to that and finally start posting something in my dog blog.
Instead, here I am, preparing the Medifast scramble eggs--something I didn't order but traded James for for one of my meals. H warned me that the eggs were ultra bland, so I added some pepper and Tabasco sauce without even trying them out first. Anyway, these scrambled eggs were pretty decent--with pepper and hot sauce. It's no worse or better than the Nutri System scrambled eggs. Something weird, though. It's super hard to wash it off your dishes. I like to use those shaker cups they send with the food for anything that says "stir" in the directions (except for Brownies) because I think shaking vigorously seems to reduce that chalkiness I keep harping about. So I did it for the scrambled eggs. After doing so, I attempted to rinse the shaker jar the way I usually rinse them and damn...those eggs want to really stick to the plastic. What's more, the bowl where I nuked the eggs...forget washing them in the dishwasher. It's gonna need some elbow grease to get those eggs off!
Today, James and I decided to see the movie, "Cowboys and Aliens." We ate a snack (one of the crunch bars already reviewed for me) before going and also snuck our next snack of the day in the movies with us. Remember when I said I was getting used to this diet?
Wrong!!
Perhaps I was overconfident. Going to the movies is one of my favorite past times, but I should have remembered how much I love chowing down on some butter-drenched popcorn while I watch the movie. It doesn't help that the theater bombards you with images of popcorn and snacks. This is the time when it really helped to have my fiance be in the same diet as me. He was the one who helped me through the intense popcorn craving. I think I would have definitely given in had he not been there to encourage me to be strong about this diet. Especially given the fact that we've only been in it for a week!
I had another crunch bar when we got home and put together a small steak and salad for dinner. For my last meal of the day...I realized I felt hungry. So, instead of having what I considered to be one of the more "snack"-y meals. Instead, I had the Medifast Chicken noodle soup. I have to say...I think it's my favorite soup of all the ones that I've had. Having said that, please note that I did add about a teaspoon of hot sauce and a quarter of a teaspoon of fish sauce. Because, by itself, it's super bland. HOWEVER, I think this is the first time I didn't notice that chalky stuff I hate so much.
Stats
Medifast Scrambled Eggs - 3 stars
Medifast Chicken Noodle - 4 stars--as long as you add some hot sauce and fish sauce. 3 stars by itself.
Gastronomic ratings.
5 stars - I can see replacing potato chips with this
4 stars - It can be a steady part of my diet
3 stars - I can eat it.
2 stars - I'd rather skip a meal
1 star - I'd rather eat men's dirty socks.
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