Let’s share our journey for those of us that want to pursue a healthier lifestyle to lose weight.

[rickandcindy23]

Wow, congratulations on your weight loss. That is incredible. I would be thrilled to lose that much weight in 7 weeks. I am going to look into this program. Thanks for the information.

There are some nutritional sheets that anyone can find with a Google search. Look for the Optavia conversion charts, too. Those show how many oz. of vegetables is 1/2 Cup. I think weighing is much better than measuring. More accurate.

The books are wonderful, and I honestly believe you can lose the weight by eating the fuelings that you make yourself from page 278 [or so] of the book. I listed some in a previous post. The book is Dr. A's Habits of Health. You can buy the book anywhere and just read it.

The thing that I needed was something I wouldn't feel like I had to make little snacks all day long. I liked the idea of eating six times a day and the program really helped me get into that habit. I eat a brownie before bed every night without fail. That is one of the fuelings, but it tastes more like a little dab of chocolate cake. I really like the Rustic Penne. Had that today for lunch. I am expecting my final order of food in a few days. I hope to lose another 8 or so pounds and then just stop the Optavia fuelings. I can do what I need to do myself. I think.

Jorge Cruise wrote a book a while back about eating six times a day, and the science of that makes good sense, but Cruise doesn't have anything to do with Optavia. Makes great sense, right? Keep your body fueled by eating smaller meals. The 5-7 ounces of protein + 1.5 cups of green vegetables is really quite easy to do for me for dinner. I sleep like a baby on the program. I have lost that 70 pounds in 10 months, and the last 10 is just slowly coming off, and that is not good because then I get discouraged. But I know it will happen, if I stick to the plan.

I have a plan to move to food I make myself. Protein pancakes made with protein powder. I found a few recipes by low-carb cooks. That will be an easy breakfast. Keto cereal is becoming a thing, so what a great mid-morning snack that will be. I can do Built Bars (that is the brand) in place of my bars now. I can make protein powder brownies, too. I can also do Pure Protein brand shakes for a fueling every day. I eat yogurt already for one fueling. I buy the Dannon LIght and Fit yogurt. I have been eating 2 cups of Skinny Pop (on sale right now at Costco for $3.99 a bag) and that has been a fun snack. That is about 75 calories for the 2 cups.

I just am finally in a good place with eating. I eat to live and don't live to eat. I used to skip meals all of the time. I would eat breakfast and then go all the way to dinner. That is a far cry from this program. I used to set Alexa to remind me to eat. Now I just have my brain trained to eat on time.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Christie Brinkley is 66? Who would have guessed. She still looks fabulous.

 

[Sandi Bo]

Would an expert calorie counter please guess how many calories in my day today? I don’t count anything.

coffee, 2 tbsp 1/2 and 1/2, tbsp collagen, tsp MCT oil

2 boiled eggs with >tsp each mustard and mayo. 1/3 peach

1-1/2 c chicken soup (full fat with lots veggies), sharp cheddar, 1/2 apple, 10ish crackers

3/4 c whipped cream (sweetened with stevia) cup sweet cherries

Here's your calories, some guessing but should be close. I use myfitness pal, the free version, and it's super simple to search for your foods (or on your cell phone use the bar code reader - I love it). I customized this for 6 meals a day (I often only eat 5), target 1200 calories (although I don't worry if I go over 1400-1600), 40% carbs, 30%fat, 30% protein). All customizable in the app. I've been pretty successful eating 5-6 meals a day, and figure a target carb and protein for each meal so I hit at least 1200 calories per day. Tracking helps me a ton, when I loose my focus, I get back to tracking.

 

[Quilter]

Here's your calories, some guessing but should be close. I use myfitness pal, the free version, and it's super simple to search for your foods (or on your cell phone use the bar code reader - I love it). I customized this for 6 meals a day (I often only eat 5), target 1200 calories (although I don't worry if I go over 1400-1600), 40% carbs, 30%fat, 30% protein). All customizable in the app. I've been pretty successful eating 5-6 meals a day, and figure a target carb and protein for each meal so I hit at least 1200 calories per day. Tracking helps me a ton, when I loose my focus, I get back to tracking.

View attachment 23402

Thank you so very much. When others were talking about calories I mentally went through the day and thought it was low but with fat in each meal I wasn't sure. It's been a busy week and my weight went down a couple more lbs. I was comfortable where I was at so the loss made me wonder if I was getting enough.

Most of the time when I have my chicken soup it will have the leftover chicken with it which would bring the calories up by about 200. This day it was just the stock and veggies.

The busy-ness is continuing. I'm teaching a young woman and her mother how to sew/quilt. We are powering through the piecing of couple quilts for her twin brothers to take to college. I need to have easy meals/snacks at the ready so we can keep plugging along. Today I'm going to make up a batch of nuts. It's a Dr. Hyman recipe we all love. 1/4 cup of those is great to poke in midday.

For anyone interested, here's the nut recipe:

Preheat oven 200.

A mixture of raw nuts. I have Brazil, macadamia, walnut, almond. A couple Brazil nuts a day provide selenium but don't eat more than a couple.

In a pan on medium-low add 1 Tbsp coconut oil and warm the nuts.
Add spices to your liking. These can be savory like smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder or what I call Christmas flavor with clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamon (you can even add some of the savory with this). Make sure to be generous with the mineral salt. When throughly warmed through drizzle a bit of pure maple syrup or honey over the mixture and stir to coat evenly.

Pour this mixture on parchment paper lined baking tray and roast for 7 mins. Add a sprinkling of no sugar shredded coconut and roast another 3 minutes. Cool and store in jar in fridge.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Those nuts sound amazing. I am trying to not make my Christmas pecans for a while because I binge on those things. I skipped them this past Christmas, and my son was so disappointed because he eats them with me. He is the only one that really likes pecans.

I am down a couple more pounds and pretty surprised by the scale this morning. But I am working hard on the little yard at our townhouse (formerly our rental property), and Rick and I are retiling the bathrooms, which is a lot of work for both of us. I am exercising more than usual with my activity level right now. I added an extra serving of vegetables this past 3 days, and today is day 4 of an added veggie and a few additional ounces of protein, too. Chicken meatballs tonight.

Optavia has been the best program for me, but everyone is different. I love it. I am 8 pounds from goal. I truly feel I have blessed with a miracle cure for my obesity. Truly, this is such a blessing in my life.

 

[10spro]

@rickandcindy23 and @Panina What plan are you on? I need to drop some weight. This weekend, I started walking again. It is hilly in my community so the walk is hard and gets my heart rate up. I have dropped a few pounds since starting to walk but would like to jumpstart my weight loss plan. About 6 years ago, I lost 70 pounds but have regained about 20 pounds in the last 2 years. I got down to a 20-21 BMI when I first lost weight. Technically I am still in the healthy weight range but in the high end of my BMI range. I’d like to get down to at least a 22-23 BMI. It was hard to maintain a 20-21 BMI for me. I would like to nip this weight gain in the bud before it is too late.

I somehow finally found myself to this thread. I decided to do a reset this year during our COVID lockdown. Instead of eating whatever I want and continue to gain weight, I went back to Nutrisystem which is a program that has worked for me in the past. Last time I lost 40 pounds and vowed to keep it off. Then life happened and that 40 pounds found their way back to me, so here I am putting in the hard work, again. So far I've lost 15 pounds in 5 weeks, which includes a liquid diet the first 4 days for a quick jump start. The difference this time is I'm mixing in a few normal basic dinners so that not every meal is out of a box. I've also cut out a lot of bad foods and hardly ever to never go out to eat anymore. I don't exercise strenuously at this weight because my sport of choice, which is tennis, would put too much stress on my joints. So that's my goal, to lose another 20 pounds so I can play competitive tennis again, and then another 20-30 pounds after that. I do walk 30-60 min every day but I live on a hill and that last leg coming home always gets my heart rate going too fast. Glad to have found all of you and hope to participate in the support, good ideas, healthy lifestyle, etc.

 

[TravelTime]

Those nuts sound amazing. I am trying to not make my Christmas pecans for a while because I binge on those things. I skipped them this past Christmas, and my son was so disappointed because he eats them with me. He is the only one that really likes pecans.

I am down a couple more pounds and pretty surprised by the scale this morning. But I am working hard on the little yard at our townhouse (formerly our rental property), and Rick and I are retiling the bathrooms, which is a lot of work for both of us. I am exercising more than usual with my activity level right now. I added an extra serving of vegetables this past 3 days, and today is day 4 of an added veggie and a few additional ounces of protein, too. Chicken meatballs tonight.

Optavia has been the best program for me, but everyone is different. I love it. I am 8 pounds from goal. I truly feel I have blessed with a miracle cure for my obesity. Truly, this is such a blessing in my life.

I looked at the Optavia program online. It sounds like you mainly eat bars and shakes plus your own dinner. Is that correct?

 

[Panina]

I looked at the Optavia program online. It sounds like you mainly eat bars and shakes plus your own dinner. Is that correct?

It Can be like that but can be totally different.
Example how I can eat In a day
Breakfast Optavia Biscuit with an egg
mid morning optavia bbq crunch bag
Lunch Optavia garlic potato that I make into pancakes
mid afternoon I make pizelles out of optavia cookie dough
snack pickle with laughing cow cheese wedge
Dinner shrimp with zucchini noodles and sauce
evening snack optavia chocolate Cherry bar

 

[joestein]

I have always struggled with my weight. I had topped out at 380lbs 4 or 5 years ago. I had surgery and got down to 250lbs. I was pretty happy at that weight.

I back some weight over the next few years - getting up to around 290lbs. I lost 25lbs this January and was trying to get down further. However, I have added it all back during the Pandemic.

I just dont get enough exercise. I miss the 1.5 miles I walked each day to/from the office. Also - less snacking at the office than at home.

Joe

 

[rickandcindy23]

I looked at the Optavia program online. It sounds like you mainly eat bars and shakes plus your own dinner. Is that correct?

I have the Optavia pancake every single morning without fail. When I start maintenance, I found a protein pancake recipe I can do for breakfast.
Mid-morning I have dry cereal (Optavia Crunchy O's). There are now keto cereals that I can use to replace that meal on maintenance.
Early lunch I have part of my lean and green, usually leftovers from the night before. I like this particularly well, eating about 1/2 of my lean and green, which is what I will also do on maintenance. But I will add a little fruit for lunch on maintenance.
About two hours after lunch, I have a Light and Fit Yogurt.
Mid-afternoon I have a bar or Optavia Rustic Penne or a shake. I will replace that snack with a Built Bar on maintenance.
Dinner, 1/2 of my lean and green. I will be able to add a potato to my dinner on maintenance.
Bedtime snack is an Optavia brownie. I love those. I need to find a replacement protein brownie recipe.

I sometimes eat 2 cups of Skinny Pop for my snack, which is about 100 calories. It depends on how much daylight time I have.

 

[nomoretslt]

I’m at the lowest I’ve been in a very long time. I would like to get out of the 130’s...I think it is doable as long as I keep up the activity and keep the wine drinking to a minimum. I still more or less follow Weight Watchers and still do the virtual meetings (since our meeting is still not allowed to be in person). I have enough credits for being within goal that will last me for at least 14 months...as long as I stay within 2lbs. of my goal each month and attend one meeting a month, I will get two additional free months.

Packing up this house and doing all the purging is keeping my activity points really high. I really wish we had a solid closing date....no later than the end of the month but a date would be helpful.

Those are some awesome results @rickandcindy23. You too @Panina .

 

[rickandcindy23]

I’m at the lowest I’ve been in a very long time. I would like to get out of the 130’s...I think it is doable as long as I keep up the activity and keep the wine drinking to a minimum. I still more or less follow Weight Watchers and still do the virtual meetings (since our meeting is still not allowed to be in person). I have enough credits for being within goal that will last me for at least 14 months...as long as I stay within 2lbs. of my goal each month and attend one meeting a month, I will get two additional free months.

Packing up this house and doing all the purging is keeping my activity points really high. I really wish we had a solid closing date....no later than the end of the month but a date would be helpful.

Those are some awesome results @rickandcindy23. You too @Panina .

Thank you, you are very kind. You are obviously not dealing with weight problems! Good for you, and I want to say how much I admire those who have lost and have kept it off. I am hoping to be maintaining my weight loss soon. I want to be off of the prescribed foods as soon as humanly possible. It's important for me to eat regular food all day instead of fuelings that have an exorbitant cost. I don't mind paying for the food, not when my weight loss was quickly falling off, I was happy to pay for the food. Now I think I can do it without the expense, since weight loss is so slow. I plan to manage my weight myself, without those fuelings, this will be after that last 9 pounds are gone. It's important to me.

I have enjoyed eating at home these past 3 months of Covid, and it's one good thing I can say about the virus (the only thing), Eating at home is always going to be a regular thing for us. It saves money and keeps me honest. I need that. Rick is losing weight just eating the lean and green with me at night. He loses weight very easily. While I am eating my Optavia brownie, he is eating his Ghirardelli brownie, yet he has lost 15 pounds in about 2 months. Go figure. PBJ a couple of times a day, bacon and eggs for breakfast every day, and he also just grabs a flour tortilla for a snack and even adds a bit of cheese to it sometimes, microwaves it for a minute, and it's a quesadilla that he dips in green chili. I wish I could do that. Looks so good.

I love my cauliflower pizza, homemade crust. I love my stuffed pepper skillet, also a cauliflower rice recipe. I am just enjoying the healthy food. Never in my life have I enjoyed healthy meals like this.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I have always struggled with my weight. I had topped out at 380lbs 4 or 5 years ago. I had surgery and got down to 250lbs. I was pretty happy at that weight.

I back some weight over the next few years - getting up to around 290lbs. I lost 25lbs this January and was trying to get down further. However, I have added it all back during the Pandemic.

I just dont get enough exercise. I miss the 1.5 miles I walked each day to/from the office. Also - less snacking at the office than at home.

Joe

This program could really work for you. There are many fuelings that are satisfying. And the results are phenomenal. Consider that I take thyroid replacement every day, and I am 65 years old. So 10.5 months on this program, and I am 71 pounds down. That is just something I never expected. I was willing to try it, after seeing my neighbor bouncing around her yard after a long winter and a 70 pounds weight loss. She started on Keto and the loss just stopped (same with me), then she found this program and lost another 50 pounds. She is young, so of course I assumed her age would give her an advantage over me, but that was not a factor in my weight loss. I lost despite my age and my thyroid issue. I am proof positive that this program can teach habits of healthy eating, even to an old lady like me. I can keep up with my grandkids, and I am full of energy. It's such a huge change for me. I am grateful.

 

[nomoretslt]

Thank you, you are very kind. You are obviously not dealing with weight problems! Good for you, and I want to say how much I admire those who have lost and have kept it off. I am hoping to be maintaining my weight loss soon. I want to be off of the prescribed foods as soon as humanly possible. It's important for me to eat regular food all day instead of fuelings that have an exorbitant cost. I don't mind paying for the food, not when my weight loss was quickly falling off, I was happy to pay for the food. Now I think I can do it without the expense, since weight loss is so slow. I plan to manage my weight myself, without those fuelings, this will be after that last 9 pounds are gone. It's important to me.

I have enjoyed eating at home these past 3 months of Covid, and it's one good thing I can say about the virus (the only thing), Eating at home is always going to be a regular thing for us. It saves money and keeps me honest. I need that. Rick is losing weight just eating the lean and green with me at night. He loses weight very easily. While I am eating my Optavia brownie, he is eating his Ghirardelli brownie, yet he has lost 15 pounds in about 2 months. Go figure. PBJ a couple of times a day, bacon and eggs for breakfast every day, and he also just grabs a flour tortilla for a snack and even adds a bit of cheese to it sometimes, microwaves it for a minute, and it's a quesadilla that he dips in green chili. I wish I could do that. Looks so good.

I love my cauliflower pizza, homemade crust. I love my stuffed pepper skillet, also a cauliflower rice recipe. I am just enjoying the healthy food. Never in my life have I enjoyed healthy meals like this.

I really did struggle with my weight in my mid-40’s. I had always been too thin and could eat whatever I wanted, then metabolism screeched to a halt along with issues from menopause. I was 100 lbs when I got married and kind of settled in at 115/120 before and after having kids. I ended up at a high weight of 163. Too much for my short body. I did get down to 125 with a combination on the older Weight Watchers plan and going to Curves 3 or four times a week. Then the weight started creeping up again. Got serious again when I was over 155 and it’s taken a while with yo yo weight. This time I’m determined to not go thru this again. We are making a huge change in our lives with this move and I’m so looking forward to warmer temps, a nice beach and wonderful community anemites. It’s just too uncomfortable to carry around that extra weight.

I think you will do great on maintenance. You’ve learned to eat differently and can feel the benefits of a lighter you!

 

[TravelTime]

I researched Optavia but I decided to do the Jenny Craig program. Jenny Craig has delicious food and you can add fruit and vegetable to the meals. I started today and I am so full. I have not eaten all the food on today’s menu. I hope I lose weight without being hungry. The daily calorie count is 1200. I should lose weight on that calorie count. I only need to lose about 20 pounds so I hope it goes fast. When I lost 70 pounds about 7-8 years ago, I was eating below 1000 calories a day but that is not sustainable.

 

[Panina]

I researched Optavia but I decided to do the Jenny Craig program. Jenny Craig has delicious food and you can add fruit and vegetable to the meals. I started today and I am no full. I have not eaten all the food on today’s menu. I hope I lose weight without being hungry. The daily calorie count is 1200. I should lose weight on that calorie count. I only need to lose about 20 pounds so I hope it goes fast. When I lost 70 pounds about 7-8 years ago, I was eating below 1000 calories a day but that is not sustainable.

Jenny was a program I could not consider because there is no certified gluten free option. Good luck and keep us informed on how it goes.

 

[DavidnRobin]

My update is that I am doing very well in my venture to use an electric Mountain Bike( eMTB) to improve my physicality and psyche in these days of SAH, social distancing and mask wearing. We have relatively good compliance to what I have seen from other areas. So I know we can stay safe, hope you all can as well.

We are fortunate to have beauty so close by while still living in the Belly of the Beast (Silicon Valley). I am at 700 miles on the eMTB in mostly 10 mile (hilly) increments. The bike allows me to get out beyond most people can easily hike. The weather has been perfect.

I hope everyone is healthier in these times. Cheers!

Today’s ride in Monte Bello Open Space - about 1000ft elevation change. I could not do this w/o the eMTB.

One of the bridges crossing the creeks in the canyon that is in the Stevens Creek watershed.

Looking south down Stevens Canyon from area of Page Mill /Skyline {35} — Monte Bello Open Space


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[VacationForever]

I am happy that you are all posting success with your weight loss programs!

I am still a pound above pre-COVID weight and 10 lbs more than where I want to be. My doctor said to not worry about weight loss as I am in a "comfortable" zone where my body wants to be. I find that when I lose a pound or two, I immediately reach out for those sugary snacks. I am just glad that we are back out golfing again as it keeps my heart pumping. I guess I have to really "want" to lose weight otherwise I just don't impose enough self-discipline.

 

[Panina]

As of today I have lost a total of 38 pounds since late February, 25lbs on Optavia and prior 13 lbs on WW. I am now losing between 1 1/2 to 2 lbs per week.

I finally recognize the girl in the mirror. My tight clothing I started with are now way too big and I have gone down a few sizes.

More importantly the clarity of my mind is allowing me to make good necessary decisions for myself. I am no longer ”drugged” with the foods I use to eat.

 

[bjones9942]

As of today I have lost a total of 38 pounds since late February, 25lbs on Optavia and prior 13 lbs on WW. I am now losing between 1 1/2 to 2 lbs per week.

I finally recognize the girl in the mirror. My tight clothing I started with are now way too big and I have gone down a few sizes.

More importantly the clarity of my mind is allowing me to make good necessary decisions for myself. I am no longer ”drugged” with the foods I use to eat.

Congratulations!

Ten years ago I saw a picture of myself and had a little panic attack! I hadn't been on a scale in a few years, and it was evident that I wasn't LOOKING when I used a mirror. When I hopped on the scale it said I was almost 200 lbs. I'm 5' 4". That's not a pretty picture. Plus, I have a herniated, degenerated disc in my lower back, and my back was going out every 6 months.

So I went on the secret diet and a year later I'd dropped 50+ lbs down to 140. Since then I've swung from 140 to 165 and back a few times. 165 is the point where my back starts complaining, and I DON'T want to go there ever again. For the first 45 years of my life I never weighed more than 135, so I figured 140 was a good compromise. I decided recently however, that I really want the little fat pad on my belly gone. So, I'm back on the secret diet until I'm at 135 - or maybe 130. Recent studies in the UK show that even being slightly overweight seems to drastically increase the effects of Covid-19, yet another reason to lose the weight.

What's the secret diet you may be asking? Well, it's been known for thousands of years and has been proven to be highly effective. Some know it as the, "Eat fewer calories than you burn" diet. It is the only diet that works 100% of the time for 100% of the people who follow it. No, it doesn't give you the support that fellow dieters give you at Weight Watchers (or 'WW' as they're calling themselves now), but you can eat ANYTHING you want. As long as you stay under your maximum calories you will lose weight. And I'm not even suggesting that you increase your exercise level! Eat fewer calories than you burn! Start there! When you're close to your goal weight, or if you cheat with a double portion of lasagna - THEN you can visit having a little jog around the block!

The first step is to google search for 'resting metabolic rate'. Find a calculator online and figure out what yours is. Subtract 500 from the daily number to get the amount of calories you should eat in a day to lose a pound of fat in a week. Buy a kitchen scale. Then count your calories accurately and follow the diet. At the end of four weeks, take a look and adjust your daily number accordingly - the resting metabolic rate calculators are generic and you may not be! Counting your calories is key to this so be sure to carry a notepad so you can jot down what you ate while you were out and about! Every 4 to 6 weeks, revisit your maximum daily calorie number and adjust as needed to maintain the 1 lb. / week loss.

By setting your goal of one pound a week, you won't have to change your diet all that much, and you'll modify your eating behavior too. And remember, there are NO healthy fats if you're eating too much of them. One food group is not better than another. It's not that you're eating cheese (or bread, or dairy, or bbq, or ....) that's making you gain weight - it's the number of calories you're consuming when you eat them. Diets that tell you otherwise are never going to work.

Good luck! And remember, broccoli is less than 10 calories an ounce!

 

[TravelTime]

As of today I have lost a total of 38 pounds since late February, 25lbs on Optavia and prior 13 lbs on WW. I am now losing between 1 1/2 to 2 lbs per week.

I finally recognize the girl in the mirror. My tight clothing I started with are now way too big and I have gone down a few sizes.

More importantly the clarity of my mind is allowing me to make good necessary decisions for myself. I am no longer ”drugged” with the foods I use to eat.

Congratulations @Panina! This is terrific! I can only imagine how much better you feel. The weight loss and accompanying increase in mental clarity is perfect as you start the new chapter of your life in Florida. Keep up the good work!

 

[TravelTime]

I did Jenny Craig for 2 weeks and I did not lose weight. I suspect it is too high in carbs for me. I have only done well on high protein diets in the past. When I eat high protein, the pounds fall off. I was supposed to have week 3 of Jenny Craig food delivered last Thursday and it has not arrived. I contacted customer support and they said they are having delivery delays. This is unacceptable because now I am two days without food. As can be expected, I did not eat well yesterday without my food. I did not weigh myself today because I am scared of what the scale will say. I think I am up 2-3 pounds.

Customer support did not apologize or offer any help. They just told me the tracking number and told me to follow up myself. Also my Jenny Craig consultant has not been helpful at all. The calls with her last less than 5 minutes. When I told her I did not lose any weight, she said she haS never heard of that but did not offer any coaching or tips. The JC program is very expensive so I would expect better service and support.

Due to the lack of food delivery this week, I have started contemplating trying something else like Optavia. My hesitation with Octavia is I don’t think I will like the fuelings very much. I did like JC food but like I said it felt too high in carbs and I did feel bloated on their food. I am inspired my others on this thread who have lost a lot of weight with Optavia so I might bite the bullet and try it.

 

[TravelTime]

I decided to start Optavia. I found a very committed Optavia health coach on Facebook and spoke to her for about 30+ minutes today. She seems very enthusiastic about helping her clients and that is inspiring. So I made my first month‘s order with her. She said the food should arrive in about a week. I will pick a specific day to start when I am very committed so I have the best chance of success. I am hoping I will lose 20-30 pounds with Optavia.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am 72 pounds down on Optavia, but I honestly have not weighed myself for well over two weeks, really probably 3 weeks. I am staying on program, so I should be down another pound or two from my last weigh in. I feel thinner, actually, so I assume I am thinner. My scale is not here it is at our townhouse because we had to use it to weigh thin-set mortar to lay tiles in our bathrooms.

We drove to Myrtle Beach to stay at Sheraton Broadway Plantation on 7/26. We spent two nights at SBP and then got calls from Life Alert and from Rick's brother that Helen, Rick's stepmom went into the hospital after a pretty serious stroke. She fell down in her bathroom in the middle of the night, about 2:30 AM on Tuesday. With Rick her medical power of attorney, we had to be there. The one time we don't fly!!! We chose to stay safe with Covid. We left the resort, packed our car and drove back home to Denver, 1,700+ miles, in two days.

There was hope that Helen would rally, but alas, she had a second devastating stroke on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. When the doctor did his rounds on Wednesday, he called Rick right away and said she was much worse and wouldn't make it. "How far are you away?" Rick told him we were at least 13 hours of driving ahead of us. They kept her blood pressure elevated until we got there, and she was on a ventilantor. We arrived to see her barely alive and not conscious or moving at all. She was basically gone. They pulled her off of the ventilator. I couldn't watch but Rick was so good about it. Keep in mind that he was a firefighter and EMT for 40 years, so he has seen many people die or dead. I have never seen anyone dead until this night. I talked to the nurse that was in the room with us, while she was being pulled off the ventilator.

So we left our three-year-old granddaughter in Myrtle Beach (they are still there at the Marriott) just to come back and plan a funeral. This is not a good summer. I miss my mother-in-law. We talked to her every day. She was such a sweetheart. She went to Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island with us. Oahu once, Big Island once, but Maui and Kauai multiple times. We think 16 trips to the islands with us over the years, always two weeks at a time. She also went to Disneyland with us one week and loved it. She had never been to any Disney park, so it was very fun for her and for us to show her everything Disney.

 

[Luanne]

@rickandcindy23 I am sorry for your loss.