8 Week Challenge

Hey all! I'm doing an 8 week weight loss challenge!

I found out there is a big paranormal convention happening in September. There are big named paranormal authors, and even one of the stars from a favorite paranormal reality show of mine (on the Syfy channel) is going to be there. There is going to be a paranormal investigation, a mixer with the guests of honor, and other stuff. So I figured it would be fun to go. I am big into the paranormal. I do paranormal research, I've been writing a book about the paranormal, I've done paranormal investigations, so I figure it would be fun to go to. And since it's on the way home... why not?

Low and behold, I have to be out of town in September, and the convention starts the day I'm headed home... and it's actually along the way. So I bought tickets and am going to make a stop over at the convention. I figured that gave me a good opportunity to challenge myself to get over this plateau I've hit. I really want to lose some weight before the convention cause I would like to buy a new outfit for the guest of honor mixer.

My goal is to lose at least 2 lbs a week in 8 weeks which would be 16lbs. I'd love to lose more than that... but I figured with the ups and downs I've had in the last few months... 2 lbs a week would be a realistic goal, and if I do better one week, great.

I started off strong. I walked 1.3 miles today (would have been more but for the heat) and the rest of the day I did a lot of walking around the house, stopping only to practice my guitar lesson for the week. So I'm off to a strong start. If you are looking to kick start your diet... join me on the 8 week challenge. Post your updates here or on my youtube channel and let me know how you're doing!

Anyway... I've been getting a lot of private messages about doing another Walking Dead video. I have a lot of the same questions from fellow fans, especially those who only watch the series and have questions about the comic... so, since I'm sitting here watching a Walking Dead Marathon... I've decided I'll go ahead and do another video. The next video will be discussing the Characters. similarities and differences between the comic and TV series.

Around the 14th of July I'll be uploading an update for the first week of my 8 week challenge.

Mackinac Island Trip

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Hey Guys! Wow I had a great time on Mackinac Island! It's so beautiful there. This was the second time I've been there and I still haven't seen it all. There is just so much to see. It really has something for everyone.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life... then this is the place to go. No motorized vehicles of any kind except snow mobiles in winter, and emergency vehicles like ambulances. The main mode of transportation is bicycle, foot or horse. Imagine waking up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping, and the clip clop of horses hooves. No honking, no revving of engines, no squealing of tires, no car alarms accidentally going off. the loudest sound is the tink tink of  bicycle bells.

If you love nature, you would love the island. Flowers of every kind and color decorate the Victorian style homes along the boardwalk, lilacs in bloom between May and June... the lilac festival held the 2nd week of June. Bunnies come out early morning and allow you to get close enough to watch them play in the dew sparkling grass. There are so many places to sit and view the crystal clear blue Lake Huron, a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the Mackinac Bridge, the moon shimmering in the water on a clear night.

If you love visiting places of history, this is also the place for you. Mackinac Island was originally sacred land to the Native American people indigenous to the area. When their loved ones would pass away, they would be sent to the island for burial. It is where the "Great Spirit" lived. As the island was built up by explorers who settled there... many remains were unearthed during construction, and reburied in a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Even in modern times, most recently, this last winter - remains were unearthed during renovations. Even today the people of Mackinac, with a great respect for the island's history, will bury the remains in an undisturbed place, send the remains to Native American Elders for proper burial, or to the state of Michigan's government for them to properly handle the precious remains.

The island was home to a missionary who built Mission House to house and teach Native American children. He also founded Mission church, and thus the southeast end of the island became known as Mission Point. It was next home to a well known evangelist. He used the area as a religious retreat center, which only lasted 2 years. It next became a college, which only lasted 4 years. Not long enough for most people get get a degree.

Eventually it became a resort. It's important to note, the main lodge is made of tresses that weigh 9 tons each... in the shape of a giant tepee. The reason this is notable, legend has it that there was a Native American prophecy that said "Some day, a great tepee will be erected in the east, under which all nations will come together to learn about peace."

And they do. While there, I've met people from Jamaica, Cuba, England, Japan, China, Korea, Finland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and one said he and his wife were from Italy. When on the island, everyone are friends. They talk, they smile, they laugh together. I've never heard an unkind word while there. Everyone is ready to greet you with a smile. The people who work there are amazingly nice and helpful.

If you're into movies... Visit Mackinac Island, take a horse by the Grand Hotel, visit the Mission Point Resort Theater... walk by the Orpheum theater, get some fudge from Murdick's Fudge shop... then watch "A Moment in Time"... the 1980 movie with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

Speaking of Fudge... there are so many shops downtown where you can buy clothes, gifts, souvenirs, rent bikes, and of course fudge. I bought a shoe, completely made of chocolate. All handmade from the chocolate itself to the shape of the shoe. It was solid chocolate. I cracked a few corners off the night I bought it and it just melted in your mouth. it was the most delicious, pure chocolate I've ever eaten. When leaving the island, my mom was in charge of the shoe and suitcases. I was in charge of the dogs and stroller. My mom put the suitcase on the sidewalk, the shoe in a small box tied to the top... it was top heavy because of that and fell... right in horse pee. Shoe had to go bye bye. *sniff* I was going to share that with my brother and his family who were coming to visit when we got home. saved me calories I guess. lol

and of course, for those who like a thrill, there are many haunts. From the scary Orpheum theater which is now a haunted house... to real life haunts. go to Mission Point Resort and visit "Haunts of Mackinac". get tickets for the various tours. One tour takes you on a tour of the whole downtown telling you about all the ghosts that still roam the various taverns and bed and breakfasts, and what they do to scare and tease guests. One tour takes you just around the Mission Point resort where the ghost history flourishes. Mission house, where many children died from illnesses they didn't have the medical advancements to cure, can still be heard the sound of children's feet running through the halls despite no children living there. The straights lodge is haunted by a heart broken man dubbed "Harvey" who committed suicide after being rejected by his girlfriend, on the cliff behind what was once his college dorm. he still haunts the lodge as well as the theater. The theater has many ghosts, Harvey and a little girl named Lucy being the most famous.

You can also buy tickets to investigate the theater. A paranormal investigation. because I'm doing research for the book, the owner of Haunts of Mackinac set me up with a free investigation. So many things happened that night. being touched, being told to get out, the light stick incident that no matter what theories I tried, I could not replicate or explain the incident... If you do not believe in ghosts, you will leave an investigation believing.

So definitely visit Mackinac Island. It is a great time! I got a lot of exercise, lost a little weight, the dogs were quite famous (which I explain in the video so watch the video.) you won't regret going. It is quite expensive... I have to save up an entire year to go... but it's worth it in the end. (Click on images to enlarge)

Got in the Paper 2x.

So, I'm thinking the local paper should start paying me as a freelance photographer. a few years ago I got a picture of an ultra rare weather phenomenon called a Roll Cloud. Not only did it make the paper, with the write up I did of it, they even interviewed a meteorologist about it. It was 2 pages long. I got a photo of a tree fire caused by the tree falling on a live wire that made front page news... I put a photo of my Catholicism class in the paper for the food drive they collected.... I wrote an article about wildlife and put it in the "letters to the editor" section.

Now, about 2 weeks ago, I was leaving my house to catch a video of a momma Doe and her newborn fawn sleeping in tall grass, when a big black flash caught my eye. A black bear! AH KAWAII! Such a chubby bubby rolly polly cutie pie. I followed him for a while taking video. My mom drove while I recorded it. He even stood up and looked at me on his hind legs

(Black Bears don't stand on their hind legs to look larger like Grizzlies... they do it to get a better smell of what's going on around them and see better.) It was really cool. When he realized we weren't a threat, he carried on his way. The 2nd photo made it in to the local paper with a write up I did.

Then, on Tuesday a rare event called the Venus Transit occurred. That's when Venus passes between the Sun and Earth (or another planet) becoming visible for a brief window of time. You would view the transit as you would a solar eclipse. With special eclipse glasses, with a pinhole projector, from a camera attached to a telescope, or the way I did it, with lvl 10 - 14 shade welder's glass.

It was really amazing. The most amazing thing... for those, like me, who missed it (or didn't know about it) when it happened in 2004... this was the last time we'd see this transit until 2117. so it won't happen again for over 100 years, and it felt good to be able to see it happen live. I used my welders glass as a filter for my camera and got a few pics of the transit, which made front page of the paper along with a small write up.

That itty bitty black speck is Venus. Makes you think huh? Think of how large the sun must be for Venus to look that small. Think about it this way... Earth is only a smidge bigger than Venus... So yeah... puts things into perspective.

anyhoo. That was cool I thought. Made it into the paper 2x in less than 2 weeks. lol! Like I said, soon they should start paying me for my submissions. ha ha.

SUNBURN! WAAA

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I've been really busy.

Dojo is doing really well on his medication and new diet. (Knock on wood). He hasn't had any bile vomiting, his poops have never been normal. this is the first time he's had normal poops... he's feisty and energetic, his eyes are crystal clear... God willing, he'll continue to improve. so far so good. My other dog is doing great too. She's a total momma dog. She was so sad and stressed when he was sick, so when he's healthy, she's a happy baby girl. She loves her little brother.

Things are good here too. I am taking guitar lessons, just learned my first 6 notes, and my first song that implements 5 of the first 6 notes I learned. I got a really nice guitar from Japan. Pretty guitar, great sound. I'm really enjoying the guitar.

I lost the weight I gained during those 2 weeks I had to leave town to take care of my pup, plus I lost an extra pound. So I'm not where I expected to be had I not gained that weight back... but at least I'm back on the right track.

I had a rummage sale to make a few extra bucks. got rid of a lot of stuff I really didn't need, and made some $$ for my vacation which is really cool. but I got REALLY sunburned.

I had close to a 3rd degree burn on my shoulders, and eventually I needed to get a prescription medicated salve from my doctor which has seemed to help.

But talk about pain. Wow. It was overcast the first day of the rummage so I didn't expect to get burned so I didn't use SPF... and got burned. The next day I wised up and used SPF I found in my bathroom... but it turns out SPF does have an expiration, and it was basically useless. So I got burned worse. (Word to the wise, change your SPF every year.)

I'm finally starting to go from purple to red to tan. I think in the next day or two the burn should finally be completely gone (fingers crossed).

Anyhoo

Things are good and God willing, they'll keep going that way. thanks for all your prayers and messages of well wishes. I really do appreciate it. I'll talk to ya'all soon.

Anxiety Level Extreme

Hey guys.

So, I've been under a lot of stress the last few weeks.

1. There was psycho vet who wouldn't treat my dog because she "didn't like my attitude". (Heard from more than one person lately, that this vet acted unprofessionally, and one said unethically with their pets as well.)

2. Then I traveled 3 hrs away to a 24 hr vet... traveled 3hrs back the next morning, only to travel 6hrs to his old vet the same day.

3. my pup's hematocrits would not go down. (Should be 37 to 55%, he was in the 60's.) finally got them down to 56/57 which seems to be his norm... which led to worries of something wrong with his bone marrow.

4. X-rays showed irritation of the stomach and intestines and a black mass in his stomach which could have been a tumor, or a pocket of inflammation... so he had to have an endoscopic biopsy to see if it was cancer, or irritable bowel disease. The one thing that relaxed me was that the vet was seriously leaning towards IBD.

5. Spent $400 on the hotel one week, $400 on a hotel the next week, $440 on his X-rays, $250 on his biopsy, plus all the extras like food, a change of clothes I had to buy since I was there longer than expected, etc. Plus the $140 I owed the vet back home when I got my vet to do what psycho vet wouldn't... plus all of my normal bills. ($200, $104, $75 and $75.) So I'm as broke as one can get right now.

6. Biopsy results come in, and its what I was worried about. Thankfully there is no cancer... there is no long term effects of his bout of illness he gets as all of his cells and organs are functioning perfectly... BUT... (and this is one thing I was concerned about.) They don't have a definitive diagnosis. At the time of the biopsy he had been on the mend... so while there was some inflammation, there wasn't enough to diagnose IBD. There was still enough inflammation and symptoms of IBD to still LEAN that way. But the only way to definitively say for sure is to get a biopsy of his intestines, which they were not able to do during the endoscopic biopsy. It would have to be a more invasive surgical biopsy.

In the mean time, the vet is putting him on a medication for IBD called 'Flagyl"... and a special prescription hypoallergenic food. So if it is IBD and its caused by stress (and he is a high anxiety dog)... the Flagyl will keep everything inside working smoothly. If it's food related, the special diet should remove any of the allergens that can cause IBD. Only way to know is to be on it for a while and do another barium x-ray to see if the inflammation has gone down, or, wait to see if he has another bout of this illness. (which, can be 12 months from now as it seems to only happen 1x a year.)

So yeah, the biopsy results aren't what I wanted to hear. I was hoping for a more definitive, "this is IBD and here's the treatment." but at least it's not cancer, and in general, he's a healthy dog. What ever is causing this (Hopefully IBD) is not doing long term damage. (mostly because I get it treated right away. And perhaps it is IBD and this treatment will work. At least we have a game plan to try.

7. I gained 3 pounds in the 3weeks this has been going on. I've tried to stay on my diet as best I could despite being unprepared for a long out of town emergency... but I still gained. I didn't gain as bad as I thought I was going to.. but 3 pounds up still does not make me happy. I've been working hard today. I only had 1 big meal... and I did a lot of walking around today. Did some cleaning, walked or jogged around during commercial breaks, walked around when talking on the phone, tried to keep moving as much as I could. So we'll see if I can get this back on track.

8. My mom wants to cancel our June island vacation because she's worried about my dog. Which I don't blame her. Yeah it's a year between bouts usually, and yeah he's healthy otherwise, and yeah if it's IBD the meds and food should help... but what if we're on the island and he has a bout of his illness? there are no emergency vets on the island as far as I know, and we'd be stuck till morning to get a ferry back to the mainland. But then, what if he doesn't have another bout of it and we miss going on vacation... which would suck because I have an interview and investigation planned for a haunted theater on the island for the book I'm writing. But my dog's health does come first. So we don't know WHAT to do there.

9. Everything else in my life seems to be at a stand still. I joined Eharmony, Match, Speeddate, Christian Mingle and Catholic match... and have not found one man. Those who message me are over a decade too old, or are just not close to being on the radar of my type... and those who more what I'm looking for in a guy, who I wink at, are obviously not interested cause I never hear back. So I don't know. I feel like, 'what's wrong with me?' that I can't find ONE mutual match on 5 different dating sites. *Sigh* I even lowered my standards to include guys I wouldn't normally consider. It seems every guy is looking for a super model. Not one wants to consider someone whose on the heavier side. Even those who say they do, really don't. When they think of "curvy" and "a few extra pounds" they think of Tyra Banks whose curvy, and is a little thicker than the typical supermodel, but still has an amazing body.

10. My nail tech up and quit on me. (Grr Janet). She took a higher paying job, leaving me with really long acrylic nails in desperate need of filling or being taken off. The hair stylist's daughter is going to apprentice at her salon and take over for the nail girl... but... I'm cautious because her daughter is new, I don't know if she has any experience because I don't think she's college age... so I don't know. I'm willing to try anything once.

But yeah... as you can see, I'm just a mass of stress. Every muscle in my body is so tense, it physically hurts to walk. I'm absolutely miserable right now. Unfortunately, I don't want to say "It's got to get better from here cause it can't get any worse", cause I said that this afternoon, and shortly after some ancient guy almost backs into my car, before going on to almost cause another accident.

Anyway... sorry for venting ya'all. I promise I will get back on track with my diet stuff soon.

<3 Dee

Update on my pup

So, Dojo is back at the hotel with me and my mom and Yoshi. We finally got some good news. his Hematocrits are finally down. They are not where they should be (which is between 37 and 55) but they are much more acceptable than before. (yesterday they were 62... today they are 58.)

After a few days of staying around 61 and 62... he's finally down a few points, so that's good. When I got him home I gave him Pedialyte to drink which he accepted. it took a lot to keep him from guzzling it down. And I gave him a small amount of extra lean hamburger that I boiled in rice water with the pills the vet gave. (Nausea, antacid and antibiotic). He not only chowed it down willingly, he was angry that I wouldn't give him more. And so far, almost an hour later, he's still holding it all down.

So fingers crossed, it looks like he's on the mend. I'm not going to 100% say "Yay he's better!" but I'm cautiously optimistic.

The vet thinks this last bout may have stemmed with his teeth. he's needed a dental for a while, but I was always afraid to do it when push came to shove because he's not great under anesthetic, and I also worried about the stress of the procedure bringing his HGE on. however, it turns out... one of the POSSIBLE triggers may be the teeth. Bacteria built up causing it, or perhaps his teeth are bugging him and causing him stress... he has been playing with a hard toy and maybe it's hurting his teeth. So when he's over this, it's time for a dental and after the dental he gets his teeth brushed 2x a day whether he likes it or not. lol.

Again, since no one knows what triggers HGE, this is only a theory, but it's one I'm willing to try. Besides, dental issues can also cause heart disease, so it's a good thing to get done all the way around.

Lets just hope he is finally on the mend.

As for my diet... I've been under a lot of stress, so I hope I haven't gained any stress weight. I've tried to stick to my diet, but there's a few times I had to go off my diet because of traveling. I stayed within my points, but I didn't eat healthy foods. So I guess we'll see when I get home and weigh myself. Tomorrow, now that Dojo seems to be healing up... I may try to get a workout in. That's it for now.

Long few Days

So, late Saturday/Early Sunday, Dojo started having about of his HGE and I went through Hell trying to get him treated. (You can read about in my last blog post HERE.)

So when I finally think I have everything settled, it turned out it wasn't settled. Dojo vomited again yesterday afternoon and was acting really sick. Since doctor "human being" was on call still (again,m read the previous blog), my mom and I took a 3 hr drive to a 24 hr vet e.r. where we found his Hematocrits had not gone down. They hadn't gone up... but they were about the same as last time. So the vet gave him more fluids, a nausea medication and pain meds for discomfort.

He slept really good that night at the hotel, best night sleep he had in a long time. Drove home this morning, and took him to his vet this afternoon to do a recheck. His Hematocrits STILL haven't gone down. in fact, it was a point higher give or take... but the weird thing is, his proteins did go down. The vet thinks the proteins went down because he has so much fluids in his system... but she wasn't sure why the Hematocrits didn't go down as the fluids always work.

So I packed a suitcase and drove 6hrs to Milwaukee, where I am now. (feels like my mom and I have been on the road for 24hrs. First we drove around from 3 to 5am trying to get a vet to help him Sunday morning, then we drove to the ER 3 hrs away that afternoon,  drove 3 hrs back this morning, and immediately headed to Milwaukee this afternoon. Been up all Saturday, Sunday and now Monday with him.) I'm physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted.

Tomorrow, he is going to see his old vet who he use to have before we moved. And there is a 24hr clinic nearby if necessary. His vet at home thinks he'll probably need to be on an IV drip because flooding him sub-q isn't working. Hopefully we'll get this under control and maybe find out what caused it to act out in this manner so that the sub-q fluids didn't work.

One good sign is he is ravenous. When I was feeding Yoshi he was crying for some. So I called the E.R. vet and he said if it's been over 8hrs since he last vomited, he should have a small amount of food introduced. So I went to Walmart and bought him puppy food which I figured would be easy on this tummy, and he accepted it. Its a single serving container and I fed him less than half of a single serving as to not tax his tummy. I want to see if he can hold it down. 1 hr in and so far so good.

He really should be on a bland diet, so I'm not going to feed him any more till after he's done with the vet tomorrow. While he's at the vet, I'm going to go to my brother's house and boil some extra lean hamburger in rice water and when he gets home from the vet I'll feed him a small amount. If he can hold it down I'll feed him a little more later that night.

So this has been a really trying week. And I still blame psycho on call vet. If she had not been a *#@!& and treated him from the get-go instead of making him wait nearly 2 hrs to be treated (by a vet who wasn't even the one on call)... he probably wouldn't have gotten as bad as he did. Maybe he would have, but since she was a *#@!& and didn't do what she should have done as a professional, no way to prove it wasn't her fault.

anyway, I'm rambling. Sorry. Just under a lot of stress. My puppies are my babies. I want them both to be happy and healthy. It just breaks my heart when they get sick. It's a helpless feeling when you don't know what causes HGE to rear it's ugly head, so you can't prevent it. Anyway. I'm going to say a few prayers that they get him on the right road tomorrow.

Worst Night of my Life

Okay, so... I was planning on making an update video about how my surgeon re-check went and all the fun stuff that happened while I was out of town... but I figured I need a rant blog first.

 Everyone who has been following my blog knows I have two gosh darn adorable puppies.

The White one is my girl, Yoshi... the black and white one is my boy Dojo. They are my little puddin' bears. I love those dogs. They're my fur kids.

So, Dojo has this disease called HGE (Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis). No one really knows the cause of this illness. Most experts believe it's a genetic disorder they are born with that may or may not ever manifest. If it manifests, it's usually triggered by an outside stimulus like stress, diet, no one really knows for sure.

The one thing they do know is, it manifests itself like a stomach flu. There's vomiting, the inability to keep food down, diarrhea, followed USUALLY by bloody diarrhea. It actually follows the symptoms of the Parvo virus. It is easy to treat, but if left untreated, it can cause death in 24hrs or less. Most of the dogs who have died from HGE were dogs whose owners decided to "wait it out" and "See in the morning", which many people tend to do. Dogs eat all sorts of things not necessarily good for them that causes stomach upset, so whose to know? (My theory is if he's not acting right, vomiting, has diarrhea or blood in either, don't wait no matter what... but that's me.)

The telltale signs of HGE is in the blood work. If everything else is normal except for an elevated Hematocrit, that's HGE. A normal Hematocrit for dogs should be 37 to 55%. Any higher, if all other tests come back negative, you probably are dealing with a case of Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis. HGE is more often seen in dogs ages 2-6, (Yorkies, miniature poodles, Dachshunds, Schnauzers, etc) however, it can effect any breed, age or size of dog, both sexes equally.

It is highly treatable with Sub-q IV fluids if you get it in time. For serious cases, potassium may be added to the fluids, and antibiotics may be needed.

For more information on this disease if you have a dog read this article.

So anyway.

Dojo has HGE. The first time he was diagnosed was in 2010. shortly after dinner, he threw up all his food, which is unusual for him. Dojo has a sensitive tummy, but usually he just throws up a little yellow bile, never undigested food. So that was concerning. Then he kept vomiting until all the was throwing up was mucus. I called the on call emergency vet who is now my regular vet and she said to just see if he stops now that his stomach is empty.

instead of stopping, he started vomiting every 5 minutes. He was so uncomfortable. He kept getting up and sitting down, getting up and sitting down. Yoshi was even concerned, because everywhere he went, she would lay down next to him and clean his face. Finally he started vomiting blood, and the vet had me take him in... where he was diagnosed with HGE. Everything was normal except for his hematocrits which was at 66. (It should be 37 to 55). 300ml of fluids and an over night stay later, he was back to normal.

He had 2 more bouts of HGE, so I became very familiar with the symptoms. See, now, bloody diarrhea like Parvo is a known symptom... but my dog never got bloody diarrhea, he got bloody mucus like vomit. So it manifests itself in more than one way, which some people may not realize. Anyway.

Once again, I knew he was about to have a bout of HGE when he vomited up his food last night. I waited to see if he'd vomit more because it was 3 in the morning and I didn't want to have to wake up the on call vet. (We don't have an emergency hospital, the vets in the area take turns being on call for emergencies.) He vomited again and 5 minutes later one more time. That's when I knew what I was dealing with and I paged the on call vet.

The on call vet called me back and asked how long he had been vomiting. I stated in 15 minutes he had vomited 3 times. She said he could probably wait till 8am and then she could see him if he were still sick. I explained he has HGE and she asked if he had bloody diarrhea and I explained he never does, it's always vomit that turns to bloody vomit. She replied that it didn't sound like HGE to her (like I haven't gone through this 3 times already), and that unless I REALLY felt this HAD to be seen NOW, she'd like to be home in the morning to hug and kiss her kids good morning.

I didn't know what to say, it was a complete kiss off. UNLESS I REALLY felt it HAD to be now... She'd rather be home to hug and kiss her kids in the morning..

IT'S SUNDAY. Her kids don't go to school and minus emergencies she doesn't work. She can't hug and kiss her kids when she gets home? And had she not made such a fuss about it, it takes MAYBE an hour to run the blood work to verify HGE and give the 300ml of fluid needed to treat it. She'd have been home no later than 6am, which I'm sure, her kids would still be sleeping.

Flabbergasted I hung up on her. I honestly didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to even approach such a blow off. She called back 3 times and I finally answered because I needed my dog seen. She got all high and mighty with me about hanging up on her and that "I said I was willing to come out if needed" and blah blah. I tried to calmly explain why I hung up, that (and maybe I was wrong, maybe it was just communicated badly) but I felt she was blowing me off with the whole "Kiss the kids good morning" thing... but she started yelling over me and not letting me make my point. Her favorite saying was "That's not what I said. That's not what I said". Soooo, if you DIDN'T say it... how did I even know you HAD kids lady?

So I hung up on her again. I tried calling around to other vet clinics in driving distance and I only found one on call who was like, "HG what?" as she yawned sleepily. So finally I had to suck it up and call the on call vet back who once again immediately started chastising me for hanging up on her, and how she was "willing" to see my dog and was trying to explain that (though the words "I will see your dog" never made it passed her lips as she was too busy yelling at me for hanging up on her the first time.) Finally because the bitch wouldn't shut up I started screaming into the phone... "MY DOG IS DYING! YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR KIDS IN THE MORNING, I WANT TO SEE MY DOG ALIVE IN THE MORNING! HE IS MY KID! WILL YOU SEE HIM OR NOT?!" she starts yelling back that she always intended too... then the blah blah blah again. so I screamed over her, "WILL YOU SEE MY DOG OR NOT?! I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE WHILE HE'S DYING!"

finally she shut up and agreed to meet me at the clinic. I brought my mom with me as a buffer cause I new someone was going to get punched, and it wasn't going to be me. Dojo threw up on the way there so I had my mom bring him in while I cleaned up.

My mom walked in and the first thing she did was apologize for the situation and the way it was handled... but the dog is the most important thing right now. The vet looked at her and to my mom's astonishment she said... "That's not satisfactory. Your daughter needs to come in an apologize before we do anything."

So my dog is dying and she is being petty wanting an apology from ME when she was the one who started everything by (what I felt was) blowing me off, and then not letting me explain why I was upset and hung up. So I get in there and she stands in front of me all superior like and says, "I deserve an apology." I'm like "Look My dog is sick," "No, no, that's not how this is going to work. You need to apologize to me."

I looked at my mom desperately and apologized begrudgingly. That wasn't good enough for her. She started lecturing me about how she deserved to be treated like a human being and crap. Finally I lost it. I had enough with this psycho. I'm like, "Are you going to help my dog or not? My dog is dying and you want to lecture me?" finally I said, "look, you and my mom don't have any negative feelings towards each other. So just help my dog, I'll sit in the car with my other dog." She once again said, "No, that's now how this is going to work." like she held all the cards. She actually wanted to lecture me on how she deserved to be treated like a human being and get a "heartfelt" apology (because my apology wasn't good enough) before she'd help my dog.

Treat HER like a human being? What about me? First she blows me off and tells me to wait till her precious kids can be kissed good morning, while my dog is puking his guts out every 5 minutes, unless I "really feel I have to come in now". Then when I try to explain how that sounded to me, she's yelling at me for hanging up on her instead of hearing me out... all the while I'm panicking because I know how deadly HGE can be if untreated, I'm stressed out, I'm crying, which is stressing out my dog who is already sick... and she wants ME to treat HER like a human being?

That was the last straw. I pulled my dog out of there and told her point blank, "If my dog dies, it's on your head."

She kept screaming at us to come back and I said, "why the hell would I? You basically said you won't help my dog." She once again started the "That's not what I said" crap. My mom was like, "then we must be having the same hallucination cause I heard the same thing." My mom and I got in the car and took off. Even my mom couldn't believe how petty that woman was. She basically tells my mom who offered her an olive branch with her apology, that she would not even look at Dojo till I came into the building and gave her the apology she wanted.

Desperate, I called my regular vet at home. I didn't know what else to do. I felt really guilty calling her when she wasn't on call... but psycho bitch wasn't going to help unless I got on my hands and knees and kissed her feet. So my vet came out and treated him. My vet did a blood test and saw his Hematocrits were at 61%... so they were high, everything else normal which is HGE like I tried explaining to psycho vet.

Even after all of that, were were still home before 7am. So had psycho vet just came in and treated him without this high and mighty "I'm a human being" crap, she'd have been home long before her kids woke up.

I owe my vet a gift certificate to a restaurant or a bouquet of flowers or something. Haven't decided yet. But she came out when she wasn't even on call, without complaining, or worrying about being home to kiss her kids in the morning, or asking me if it was "really an emergency" that couldn't wait. I'm sure she wasn't happy... I'm sure she was cussing under her breath when she went home, I wouldn't blame her... but at least she did it instead of letting the dog suffer over pettiness.

This is why I miss where I use to live. I love where I live now. I have always felt this is home... but at least where I use to live, there was a 24 hr Emergency vet hospital and none of this "on call" shit. Sad thing is... I need to find an alternative to this psycho for if there is ever an emergency and she's on call again. Much like doctors, we lack vets around here.

anyway... that was my horrible night. Dojo seems to be better with the treatment. He's not as comfortable as I'd like to see him, but at least he's sleeping and he hasn't vomited since about 5am. that's about 8 hours. No food tonight at all, but I may introduce a little sips of water to him later this afternoon to help keep him hydrated. He will be seen again Monday morning at 8:15am. if his hematocrits are normal, I can start re-introducing food along with a Zantac, if it's still a little high, he'll get more fluids and we'll go from there.

But so far, everything seems like it's getting better now. (knock on wood with a few prayers.)

One More Progress Photo... This one is cool

So, today I accidentally wore the same outfit I wore in my "before" photo. I was getting ready to go to Church, and this was the outfit I ended up wearing, and I didn't really think about it till I looked in the mirror and was like, "This is cute, why haven't I worn this more often?" That's when I realized, this was the "before" outfit, and I haven't worn it in a long time because when I saw the before photo, I noticed how it extenuated my "bigness".

Now it fits a lot nicer. I can pull it down passed my tush and my stomach, it's looser in the tummy, and the sleeves aren't tight around my bicep anymore. It's not a huge difference, but there is a noticeable difference. Here it is...

 

So what do you think? Notice a difference? (Click the photo to see it full size)

New Progress photo

So, it's that time again, to take a progress photo to show ya'all how I'm doing.

As of this photo, I am 21 pounds down! yay!

I am starting to see a difference. for one, I'm starting to get an actual figure instead of just being one round blob. LOL

I've kind of plateaued again... however that is mostly because I've started walking. 45 to 60 minutes a day, with my dogs, on an uneven terrain. (uphill, downhill, with a stroller), so it's not just walking. It's controlling the dogs and a stroller while walking up and down hill. (Why a stroller?)

 

It's just easier than carrying them when they get tired. LOL

Anyway... so I've been getting a little bit of muscle going on. I think this is going to be one of those situations where I'm going to see a little plateau as I develop muscle, then I'm going to drop a lot of weight in a very short amount of time once my body starts to get use to this new way of getting some exercise.

So things are going really good for me. I just bought myself a sundress and a new shirt (A SIZE SMALLER THAN I NORMALLY WEAR...) and get this... THEY ARE STILL A BIT BIG ON ME! WOO!

My ankle has been bugging me pretty bad... but considering I have a tear in my ankle, I don't expect that to go away without surgery. I can tell with the swelling and pinching that the cast isn't helping. But I'm not letting that get in the way of getting healthy. I have to keep pushing on, stick to my diet, and get whatever kind of exercise I can. 

Anyway, that's the update. I will be doing a vlog soon. Just haven't had the time yet. been busy with my brother and his family visiting, doctor appointments, dealing with a sinus infection, volunteering at church, getting my nails done all perty like, my mom's birthday, shopping for my oldest brother's up coming birthday, going to the casino (where I won $300), going on walks every day... so busy busy busy.

What a week.

So if everyone watched my previous vlog, ya'all know I ended up going to see my surgeon and found out I have torn tendons in my ankle that is the source of my pain. So my doctor opted to try a fiberglass cast for 6 weeks to see if that would help me heal up without having to have surgery. If it doesn't heal with the cast, I'll end up having surgery. Which would suck. I don't do surgery very well. The first time I had surgery I panicked when it was time to get the anesthetic... the second surgery I panicked because while watching TV in the prep room, I was watching a Dr. Phil or some talk show about people who had surgery that were seemingly under, but were really awake and felt everything being done to them and couldn't let the doctor know.

So I want to avoid surgery. lol

Things were going good. I got home, rested up, then the next day weighed myself with the cast on. Didn't know how much extra weight the cast put on me... 1 pound, 2.5 pounds, a few ounces... so I just went with whatever weight it said at that moment and went from there.

I kept to my diet. Haven't fallen off it yet. Still eating my lean cuisines and fruits and veggies and such. Despite the cast I was trying to get out and walk on occasion. It's been in the 70's here, sunny, the snow is almost all melted away and the green grass is starting to peek through, so I like to take my dogs on short walks through out the day to get some fresh air and exercise. They're slower walks obviously, but at least I get out there and am moving around every so often.

Weighed myself and in 1.5 wks since getting the cast on, lost 3.5 pounds. Not bad. So things were going good, until yesterday. (Friday)

I went to church... being a good little Catholic girl I go stations of the cross every Friday in Lent with my mom, then my mom and I go out for a fish fry. Everything was normal until half way through the stations. My cast was starting to feel kind of tight. It was an odd, all of a sudden feeling. When I was walking out of church to the car... it was REALLY tight. Weird. So when my mom and I got to the restaurant I noticed my toes were getting numb and turning kind of white. So after we were done eating, it was off to the emergency room.

I had to have the cast cut off.

When it was loosened, after a while, the feeling and color came back to my toes. Turns out, my ankle was pretty swollen. Obviously, with little room in the cast, it had no room to swell. So there were issues. Since my doctor is in another state, and the E.R. doc wasn't sure what he wanted to do, he was going to put the cast back on, and hold it together with an ace bandage (or as I like to call it, Doctor's duct tape) and give me crutches until I can see my surgeon.

That would have sucked. For one thing, crutches aren't easy, and for another thing... you either have to get up a LOT of steps or a few steps, but the only way to get into my house involves steps. Not fun when you have crutches. So the E.R. doc called the after hour doctor who works with my ortho surgeon, and he recommended this boot cast. Thankfully the E.R. had a few available.

I actually like this better than the cast.

1. It's more comfortable. This boot cast is padded and soft, and has inflatable/deflatable "airbags" for more comfort and security. With the cast I had two toes hanging over the cast, and the other three squished inside the cast, my foot was always cold because my toes were exposed. (Before it warmed up).

2. The airbags are nice. It makes my ankle feel snug and less wiggly. In the cast there was enough room in the ankle that it moved around quite a bit when I walked, which is why I think I had such an issue with swelling.

3. It's adjustable and removable. This is HUGE. If my ankle starts to swell, I can loosen it... I can remove it to take proper showers without worrying about getting the cast wet, I can wear a sock so my foot doesn't get sweaty and stinky, and I can take a proper weight without the cast on. Best of all, if I have an itch I just can't get at, I can take the cast off and scratch instead of trying to use a ruler. lol

So comfort and convenience wise, it's definitely better. that being said, minus taking showers (and maybe weighing myself in the morning) I have to act like this cast is not removable and wear it all day, all night, really at all times except for showers. Because I don't want to have surgery and I want this to work, I'm going to be a good little patient...

And do as the doctor tells me. I'm going to keep this cast on. At least I know the next 5 weeks will be more tolerable than if I were still in a fiberglass cast.

So anyway. that's the update. things are going good, weight is going the right way, and minus a little E.R. visit... I'm doing good. Talk to you all later. Will continue to let you know how things go! (PS, Happy St. Patty's day!)

Dee on the Road

Quick Update

Hey all. Just a quick update. I'm currently 252lbs which means I'm just a hop, skip and a jump from 250 which is -20lbs!! I'm actually hoping with all the work I've been doing yesterday and today, I'll make that milestone tomorrow or be pretty darn close to it.

The picture above is me at my starting weight, and 15 pounds later. It's not a huge difference, but you can see the difference starting. when I hit my -20 pound mark, I will post another comparison photo.

I've been really busy... so I didn't have time to post a good video. Both of my big brothers and their families were visiting, so I had both of my 2 year old nephews and both of my 6mo old nieces visiting. (its funny... both of my brothers and their wives had sons first a few months apart, and daughters second, one month apart.) they're soooo cute and I had so much fun playing with them. So it was nice to have them here.

I'm going to be working on a new video, but it will probably be a few days before I can edit it and post it. Hopefully by then I can let you all know I've exceeded - 20 lbs and am on my way to -25. Really excited about my progress!

I did a LOT of working out today. There was a massive snowstorm, and I had to do a lot of shoveling. My mom shoveled last snow and she was in a lot of pain afterwards, so I took the initiative and decided to shovel the deck off today. I didn't realize the snow was knee deep... so I'm in a LOT of pain... my ankle is swollen to the size of a basketball and I almost had an asthma attack, but I worked up a really good sweat despite how cold it was outside so it was a good workout. I got myself 10 exercise points from weight watchers for shoveling snow by hand for just under an hour. (I feel It should have been more, but I'll take the 10pts.) lol

I've also been following Dr. Oz's advice. (I've been watching his show and have learned some good tips.) He has some butt fat burning exercises I've been trying, and he says to drink a cup of 2% milk at night. 2% milk helps you build muscle and fight fat while you sleep. I'm also going to be buying some Pu-erh tea as he recommends. 2 cups in the morning helps burn fat. And Tava tea (a green tea that is a mix of Pu-erh, Oolong and Sencha). I plan on drinking two or three cups a day.

So all in all, things are pretty good. I'm looking forward to getting passed the -20 lbs mark and get the new video up and running.

Anyhoo... check out my previous blogs... I'm going to try to blog about the biggest loser again when I have a chance. And... okay. yeah. talk to ya'all later.

Loyal Dog Hachiko - For dog lovers

Hachiko was an Akita who lived with his owner, a professor named Hidesaburo Ueno, and his wife. Professor Ueno loved Hachiko. He was more than a pet, he was family to Professor Ueno, and in turn, Hachiko gave him all of his love an loyalty. Hachiko followed his master to the train station in Japan every day to see him off to work and would return at the same time every day to wait for him to come off the train, and would happily follow him home.

On one day in May, 1925, Professor Ueno did get off the train. He had died at work from a cerebral hemorrhage. Still, Hachiko waited. Over the next year or so, he would change hands from owner to owner, however, no one was able to contain him. He'd always escape to return to the train station to wait for his master. Eventually he became a stray choosing to stay at the station.

Some say Hachiko returning to the station was habit... however, specialists (whose area of expertise is animal behavior) state that many dogs are able to adapt to new situations very easily. Many times owners pass away, are unable to keep their pet or even simply abandon them, and once adopted into a new home, after a time they tend to adjust and even enjoy their new family. And after all, Hachi was with the Ueno family for only 1 of his 11 years. He was a very intelligent and friendly dog. A dog that could easily have adapted to a new situation.

It was very obvious Hachi was driven by love and loyalty... not by routine. His master's love, a love Hachi returned in full, drove Hachi to wait ever on for his master's return.

The people who had seen Hachiko with his master before his master's death, adopted him. The Train station controller made him a place to sleep, those who frequented the station would bring him food and water. This went on for 9 years. All 9 years Hachiko would wait at the gates at the exact time he always did when Professor Ueno's train was pulling into the station.

Hachiko died on March 8th, 1935. The two movies made of his story, "Hachiko Monogatari" from Japan, and more recently "Hachi, A Dog's Tale" Starring Richard Gere, both imagine the spirit of Hachi's beloved master returning for him the day Hachiko passes away.

A statue dedicated to the memory of the Loyal dog was erected on the very spot where Hachiko waited. Every 8th of April, there is a solemn ceremony honoring Hachiko's unwavering loyalty.

So just remember the story of Hachiko, and other loyal dogs like him. Especially if you have a pet. Remember how their love and loyalty is unconditional, and give your pets an extra hug tonight to show them the feeling is mutual.

Biggest Loser Petition Page To Vote Off Conda

Petition to Vote Conda Off the show

if you guys have facebook, like this page. According to another site called "Vote Conda Off" - Bob contacted the site and stated if the page can get 1,000 likes... America may have their chance to have their say before shows end.

Even if not... (as I'm not sure how it can be done when I think every episode but the live finale has been taped) It will send a strong message to NBC and Biggest Loser execs that we want our show back. For 12 of 13 seasons the show as inspiring, motivational, it was about positive life changes, saving lives by teaching people to be healthier, yes it is a game... yet when push came to shove, everyone pulled together to help those struggling.

This season (in part thanks to Conda) The focus of the show has been on bullying, pettiness, rudeness, drama and meanness. And Conda's bad attitude infected her team, and spread like a virus turning others into mean girls, bullies and drama makers.

in 7 episodes, they've single handedly ruined what the show tried to create in 12 of 13 seasons. So if you have facebook... Like the page linked above. Tell NBC that we could turn on Survivor on CBS or American Idol on Fox if we wanted drama and backstabbing and pettiness. We turn to NBC and the biggest loser for inspiration and motivation.

The Biggest Loser is...

I LOVE the Biggest Loser. Been a fan since day 1.

I have a HUGE crush on Bob Harper - Biggest Loser trainer.

I've also been getting to know Dolvett Quince 

 

Who joined the show last season as a replacement trainer for Jillian Michaels who left the show to pursue other ventures. I missed last season, so I'm just getting to know him this season, and he's pretty cool so far.

Then of course Alison Sweeney is the host of the show, and I am a big Days of our Lives fan. Sami Rocks! lol

I am a big "Biggest Loser fan". I've loved the show for a long time. It's very motivational and inspirational for people who are on a weight loss journey like I am. You see these people who are in the same position you are, who need to do something to change their lives for the better, you see these trainers who are personally invested in these contestants, and believe in them and want sincerely to see them succeed. It makes you want to root for them too.

One of my favorite seasons was season 9 because it embodied what I felt the show was about. There was this guy, Mike Ventrella, started at over 500 lbs to be the biggest contestant up to that point. He had a lot of ups and downs and sometimes it seemed like his heart wasn't really in there, especially when his mother was voted off the show... but instead of saying "Okay we can get him out next week", all the contestants rallied behind him and helped turn him around. They knew he needed to be there to save his life. He went on to win the biggest loser and even today he is fighting the good fight and helping motivate others.

In another season there was a competition where the contestants had a chance to win a car. Everyone wanted a new car, I mean, it's a new freakin car. But when two of the frontrunners got close to winning, the both looked at each other and were like, "We want this car... but he needs this car" (talking about another contestant) So the both gave up the chance to win the car and walked the other contestant to the finish line and let him win since he needed the car more than they wanted it.

It is a competition, but there is a sense of comradery, a common bond they all shared, and they looked out for one another. they had their spats, and PMS moments, but in the end, they were there for each other.

At least until Season 13, the current season. 

This season was suppose to be "the season of no excuses" at least so said the producers. Well, they should have screened their contestants better, cause I've heard nothing BUT.

The first week, during elimination, this one guy simply stated he wanted to be the one voted out. He just basically gave up and didn't fight for his right to stay on the show. Then another guy walks out. He claims he "missed his family". Well waa waa waa. Part of the reason you're there is BECAUSE of your family. You're obese, you are at risk for diabetes and heart disease. The other contestants miss their families too, but they don't use that as an excuse to quit, they use that as a motivation to get better and be healthier. 

Yeah you miss them now, but in the long run, isn't what you learn on the ranch to get healthy so you can be a part of your kids' lives much more valuable than missing a few weeks with them? (one kid is like, 2... How many of us remember when we were 2? The kid won't remember the few weeks he was gone, but he'll remember dad being healthy and in his life as he grows up.) Plus I keep thinking of all the people who fought to be on the show that didn't make it. And he just walks away.

Then a few episodes later another contestant had to be talked down from leaving. I have never seen a group of such uninspired, unmotivated whiners on the Biggest Loser before.

And then there's Conda. Or as she has been dubbed by Fans of the show, "Anaconda the snake". This girl has an attitude that is so toxic, she is single handedly taken the show from inspiring to Jersey Shore.

She had an issue with Mike who was on her team. The issue wasn't a real issue, she just made it into one. So she had words with him and eventually voted him out after blowing things out of proportion. (I think she wanted more camera time, cause girl was crying... yet there were no tears. Eyes as dry as the desert.) When Conda cries, her voice goes up ten octaves, yet her eyes are dry, there are no tears, her face doesn't get all red like most people's do when they cry, her bottom lip doesn't tremble she shows no signs of actually crying except for her voice.

Then she had an issue with Cassandra from the other team. Cassandra picked Conda to go up against in the weigh in, and Conda thought Cassandra was beneath her. So Dolvett offered the two to have a friendly competition. Cassandra agreed and kicked Conda's ass. Instead of congratulating her, Conda called Cassandra a cheater. Talk about a sore loser, she lost fair and square, but threw out there that Cassandra was a cheater. So Dolvett set up a rematch, loser buy subway sub lunch for winner. Cassandra kicked her ass again. Conda's response? A lot of eye rolling, and "At least she won fair and square THIS TIME, but it's the scale that really matters." (Cassandra goes on to beat her on the scale as well, BIG TIME...and is once again met with eye rolling and attitude.)

After her spat with Cassandra, she has it out with her trainer Dolvett. She rolls her eyes at him, she back talks him, she doesn't give it 110%, and whines and bitches and moans and complains about EVERYTHING.

After her issue with Dolvett, the aqua team wins a chance to be back on the ranch and Adrian is put on her team. Suddenly she has an issue with Adrian. (See a pattern here?)

Her toxic attitude is so poisonous, it turned everyone on the red team into a bunch of asses. I mean, they started to even talk like Conda. They didn't give Adrian a chance from day 1. He didn't say 1 word to them and they were already out for his blood. Yeah Adrian had a hard time controlling what he was saying... but I'd be defensive too if I knew I wasn't wanted before I even stepped foot on the team.

Kim was on his case for something he said which was in reply to a question he was asked, and the twisted it into an insult it was never meant to be... Mike was on his case today because he "only lost 9 pounds" um.. 'scuse me moron, but that's all you lost too. Then he talks about how Adrian only lost 2 pounds the week before... well when you're stressed out and being attacked, yeah, your weight loss may be small that week due to stress. And um... Miss Conda only lost 2lbs herself... I mean seriously here? 

The only one left on that red team worth a Damn is Santa (Roy) who was the only one to try to embrace Adrian as a new team mate. Conda started it all. She complained that Adrian never accepted her offers for help or advice, but like Adrian pointed out, why would he accept when in one breath she'd offer help, and in the next demean him behind his back?

Conda had issues with Mike, Cassandra, Dolvett, Adrian, oh and next week it looks like she has it out with Adrian's sister... yet it's never her that has the issue. Really? In this episode Dolvett was watching his team train without him and had a list of 13 times Conda complained during the workout, several of those times were about Adrian behind his back, when she should have been focusing on herself. She smirked like she was proud of it. That says it all.

She may claim after the show "Editing made me look bad" but sweetie, they can only use what you give them. There is no amount of editing in the world that can make someone look that bad without having something to use. The eye rolling, the back talking, the butting into other people's business, basically, she's acting like a mean girl in middle school. Sad thing is, she's a mother. Is this really the way she wants to represent herself on a show her daughter may see, or how she wants people talking about her in a way her daughter may hear? Is this the example she wants to set for her daughter? Be mean to people, don't try to include people, be rude to people trying to help you, give attitude, be negative and immature? I mean, come on. You're an adult and a mother. Grow up a little. The bad thing is, like I said, her attitude has started to rub off on the rest of her team and they're turning into middle school bullies too.

This is the first season I've seen so many come out against a contestant.  

----------------------------

This is from Conda's own Facebook fan site:

Conda is just a two faced who sooner or later is going to fight with her ''familly'' she couldnt choose over for adrienne and just try to protect her selfish little skin. Honestly i feel sorry for her she doesnt just have health issue problems she has a lot of problems that she first needs to start with her immaturity!

 Hopefully the twist is that you get a better attitude. I feel sorry for people who are as miserable as you are! Go Adrian!

Another week of that horrible, hateful, immature, "person".

I can't believe there are actually people on here defending her actions. I would be embarassed to admit that I even know her. It's a shame that such a horrible negative person was given such a great opportunity like this and all she is doing with it is taking it away from people who truly want to be there to put in the work and lose weight. I really hope she sees how America feels about her and changes her ways.

 Conda is such a horrible person. I can't wait until she is voted off.

 My blood pressure has gone up just from watching this show... I was so upset from watching this evil girl bullying Adrian while he was working out minding his own business! I am 24 just like Conda is now and can't stand the way she acts like a spoiled brat! If she has no shame to act that way in front of millions of viewers then I would hate to know how she acts in real life! She deserves to be called a bitch!

Here's from Twitter

 Conda should be ashamed of herself. She created strife then blamed it on someone else.

 Shut up Conda! What a whiny spoiled brat! Poor Adrian! He never even had a chance!

 I'm truly disgusted by so many of the red team members! SHAME ON YOU!! Conda's negativity is poisonous!!

 Conda. SHUT YOUR FLAPPING FACE-HOLE

From The Biggest Loser Facebook

Producers, are you listening?? We your viewers don't appreciate this season and the direction the show has taken. It's moved from motivational to drama, back stabbing and hatred. Contestants like Conda are poison. No one is inspired by them. It has ruined the show. Until she is voted off, I will be fast forwarding through the episodes. Please clean up the show and bring back The Biggest Loser that we love! PLEASE!!

 I truely hate Conda and Kim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are backstabbing b**ches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a weight loss show, I truely hope they leave the show next week. Really leave forever, they are not inspiriational and they are putting the show down. I will stop watching the show if they do not leave the show. This isn't Survivor girlies.

 Red Team Bites....no one seems to have a spine of their own. Everyone is siding with Conda and Kim. I think I'm done with this show for this season. I couldn't care less what happens now. These people have shown themselves to be too petty to be inspiring or anything else. I think they just don't get it!

  I can't believe no one sees Conda's hate pattern. I'm starting to think this season should be renamed..."Who will Conda hate this week." 

 WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE SHOW THIS SEASON? Other seasons have always been so inspirational, people helping each other, encouragement, team work, and friends for life. What a contrast from last season, all the drama and contention.

-------------------------------

I could go on, but you get the point. There are THOUSANDS of comments like this. 

Since writing this blog, several anti-conda pages have popped up on Facebook. Vote Conda Off, and the Petition to get Conda off biggest Loser - based on the anti-bullying movement. There is also an I dislike Conda fan site that has over 1,000 likes.

She has a handful of supporters, mostly family and friends... but if you did a pie chart of supporters vs. people who want to see her off the show... it would be 99.9% anti-conda to .1% pro Conda.

Basically, the red team took a show that was inspirational and a motivation to others, and turned it into the "Real Housewives of Biggest Loser" with all the cattiness and fighting and backstabbing and attitude. In 5 episodes they destroyed the image Biggest Loser took 13 seasons to build.

Many people have stopped watching, have threatened to stop watching, or DVR the show and fast forward to the end. That's not a good sign for a show that is ratings oriented. 

Someone needs to sit down with the red team and tell them to stop acting like middle school brats and start acting like adults who are their to change their lives for the better. They need an attitude adjustment because these kinds of attitudes are setting them up for a relapse after the show is over. They spend so much time being negative and worrying about other people that they are missing the lessons they are suppose to be learning and absorbing. 

It's a very frustrating season. The Black Team has their stuff in order at least. They've been working hard, they've been pulling together, they've been focusing on the training and not complaining or whining or back talking Bob or getting into petty fights between each other. 

That's one thing I can say for Bob, he keeps his team in line. When he sees trouble brewing, he lays it on the line, where Dolvett hasn't had that heart to heart with the team as a whole yet. He told Adrian privately to bring it... and he's come out to Conda's face and said, 'you're a whiner'... but he hasn't had that, "Okay take your own advice and shut up and listen" moment. Although, he'd only be met with eye rolling and resistance if he tried, so...

But all in all, the main consensus it seems is that this is the WORST season of Biggest Loser EVER... and instead of being called "Season of No Excuses" it should be renamed "Season of Bullies and whining".

the Biggest Loser this season is, The biggest loser (and not in the good way.) I truly hope the producers see what fans are saying this season, and make an effort to correct it before next season to get the show back to the inspirational show it use to be, and cut back on the drama and bullying we've seen this season. If we want drama, we have lots of shows like Housewives, Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, Dr. Phil, and Judge Judy. Biggest Loser is about lives changing for the better... not drama.

There. My Rant is over. Tell me what YOU think of this season by leaving a comment.

By the way, Bob is hot. LOL