Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

berri

In Chicago, the hot dog of choice seems to be Vienna Beef, although I think Portillo's stopped using them, but has a pretty good copy if they did. I like Nathan's, but want it prepared the Chicago way - boiled with steamed bun, not cooked on those indoor metal grill things as I think is popular on the east coast. Never been able to figure what the west coast preference is - probably a combination given all the transplants.

driver100

abacomike said:

I've been on the phone talking with my son's SO.  She is at a Honda dealer in the desert trying to buy a Honda Pilot.  I have been dealing with the sales manager who wants $500 over invoice.  I offered $750 under invoice because of available factory trunk money.  Wish me luck!  I have never negotiated a car deal 2700 miles away.

If she buys the car I want to know the details. Maybe you should have an app that lets you buy cars for people any where in America!

driver100

tjc78 said:

@stickguy
i thought my wife was the only person to hate ketchup.  I love the stuff, but lately we don't eat much food that it is good on (wife and I have been dieting and have lost 100 lbs each. Her since October after the baby and me since January).

  I will put it on a cheap hot dog.  If I'm eating a Nathan's or Sabrett I go plain.  

How do you lose 100 pounds in less than a year? That is phenomenal!

As I understand it, you have to be extra careful, because most people who lose a lot of weight put it back on. It has to do with your metabolism changes, it slows down, and the calories don't get burned up.

I lost 25 pounds but it took me about 2 years.

All this talk about food isn't helping. I think this topic has received the most posts for a Friday.

stickguy

wife and I need to get on some sort of diet too. I probably have an extra 20 at this point, but I could live with 10-15!

stever

Let's see, long weekend, got the dogs, the buns, the mustard, a cane sugar Mexican Coke and the Frisbee. Yep, ready to go....

abacomike

stever said:

Let's see, long weekend, got the dogs, the buns, the mustard, a cane sugar Mexican Coke and the Frisbee. Yep, ready to go....

Definitely ready for guests.  I am still salivating - but where's the potato salad and macaroni salad?

stever

I'm on a diet too so the salads are off the table. This meal is ~530 calories and usually I'd skip the 200 in the Coke but I'm saving half of it to dump in with my nightcap in a bit.

abacomike

stever said:

I'm on a diet too so the salads are off the table. This meal is ~530 calories and usually I'd skip the 200 in the Coke but I'm saving half of it to dump in with my nightcap in a bit.

Picturing you in a "nightcap" brings to mind a very scary image - Scroogelike to be more descriptive!  Please - don't post any selfies with your nightcap on - please! 

stever

Edmunds hasn't passed out any nightcap swag. Have to suggest that.

abacomike

stever said:

Edmunds hasn't passed out any nightcap swag. Have to suggest that.

You guys always want freebies.  I get nothing for my annual dues! 

snakeweasel

jmonroe said:

snakeweasel said:

jmonroe said:

Of course Chicago had one but I can't remember the name of the place but maybe you do. The thing about this place that I will NEVER forget is that when they talked to the owners (an older couple well into their 70's if not more) they said they will NOT serve ketchup on their dogs because a hot dog was not intended to be served like that. But, because some of their customers want ketchup, they serve to them with a packet of ketchup because as they said, "we will not ruin them ourselves".

Aside from being owned by an older couple well into their 70's that describes just about every hotdog place in the Chicago area.Chicago style hot dogs have a lot of things on them but never ketchup. But if I were to take a wild guess I would say it was Superdawg.

Thanks 'snake', you guessed right. That is definitely the place I was talking about. I recognize the dogs on the top of the shop.

Now let me do a little guessing. I'll bet this shop is a landmark of sorts in the Chicago area.

jmonroe

You too guessed right, it is a local landmark. Haven't been there in the longest time though, haven't found myself near it since I can't remember.

snakeweasel

berri said:

In Chicago, the hot dog of choice seems to be Vienna Beef, although I think Portillo's stopped using them, but has a pretty good copy if they did. I like Nathan's, but want it prepared the Chicago way - boiled with steamed bun, not cooked on those indoor metal grill things as I think is popular on the east coast. Never been able to figure what the west coast preference is - probably a combination given all the transplants.

Unless they recently stopped Portillo's still uses Vienna Beef. I usually get Italian Beef from Potillo's and my hot dogs from another place. Why? I don't know, just how it works out.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

tjc78 said:

@stickguy
i thought my wife was the only person to hate ketchup.  I love the stuff, but lately we don't eat much food that it is good on (wife and I have been dieting and have lost 100 lbs each. Her since October after the baby and me since January).

  I will put it on a cheap hot dog.  If I'm eating a Nathan's or Sabrett I go plain.  

How do you lose 100 pounds in less than a year? That is phenomenal!

As I understand it, you have to be extra careful, because most people who lose a lot of weight put it back on. It has to do with your metabolism changes, it slows down, and the calories don't get burned up.

I lost 25 pounds but it took me about 2 years.

All this talk about food isn't helping. I think this topic has received the most posts for a Friday.

Most people gain the weight they lose simply because they go on a diet and after they lose the weight they go off the diet and back to the lifestyle that led then to becoming overweight.

tjc78

@driver100
It has been a huge lifestyle change.  We used to eat almost all our lunches out, two or three dinners out and ate a lot of heavy, rich food and alcohol.   No more of that smaller portions, healthy snacks and no processed stuff.   We followed the guidelines of "21 Day Fix" with some of our own stuff.  Wife does workout videos, I use the elliptical machine and we both try and walk at least a mile or two a day. 

We don't plan on ever eating the way we have in the past as we don't want to put it back on.  I have gone from a size 52 waist to a 42 and a 4x shirt to 2XL and feel great.   I haven't been this size since high school.  

My goal is about another 30-40 lbs which if I continue on there 2-3 lbs a week I've settled into should be Christmas. 

One note about dieting.  You must still have a cheat meal every now and then to keep going.  Throughout this process we still go out to dinner about once every two weeks and eat what we want.  Last night was one of those nights. I had tortellini with hot sausage and blush sauce.  At this restaurant which serves enormous portions and salad soup and bread I used to be able to finish everything.   Now I was stuff half way through the entree and took it home. 

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

I've been on the phone talking with my son's SO.  She is at a Honda dealer in the desert trying to buy a Honda Pilot.  I have been dealing with the sales manager who wants $500 over invoice.  I offered $750 under invoice because of available factory trunk money.  Wish me luck!  I have never negotiated a car deal 2700 miles away.

So what happens if they refuse? Do you walk out of your condo?

driver100

stickguy said:

wife and I need to get on some sort of diet too. I probably have an extra 20 at this point, but I could live with 10-15!

Figure out how many calories you use in a day....average male about 2500.
Eat food that keeps you below that amount.....it won't be a lot of food....make sure what you eat has nutritional value.
You have to burn 3500 calories to lose one pound....it you didn't eat for one day you should lose about .6 of one pound.
Diet accounts for 90% of weight loss, exercise about 10%.
One of those corned beef sandwiches would probably equal running for about 3 or 4 hours to burn off the calories, french fries about 5 hours!

driver100

stever said:

I'm on a diet too so the salads are off the table. This meal is ~530 calories and usually I'd skip the 200 in the Coke but I'm saving half of it to dump in with my nightcap in a bit.

What about Diet Coke?
And, 200 calories is about 10% of what you burn in a day....choose the rest of what you eat carefully.

driver100

tjc78

TJC, you deserve a lot of credit, what you have done is incredible.

I like the fact you do go out and enjoy a good meal - a reward is good, and you really appreciate it and makes it all worthwhile.

Eating out is a killer.....I try to eat out maximum only twice a week, and if we do we choose very carefully.

It is a major lifestyle change if you want to keep weight off....but, feeling good makes it worthwhile.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

I've been on the phone talking with my son's SO.  She is at a Honda dealer in the desert trying to buy a Honda Pilot.  I have been dealing with the sales manager who wants $500 over invoice.  I offered $750 under invoice because of available factory trunk money.  Wish me luck!  I have never negotiated a car deal 2700 miles away.

So what happens if they refuse? Do you walk out of your condo?

Good one 'farmer'.

When I bought my '15 Genny last May I did it via the phone with a store in Fairfax VA. I don't know how many times the internet manager had to go to the tower to get info and a better price for me. He did all the walking, I just sat by the phone and waited for a call back.

It's really pretty easy to sell me a car, all you have to do is hit MY number.

To get back on topic, I didn't lose a single calorie with that negotiation.

jmonroe

driver100

tjc....one other thought!

100 pounds is like walking around with a bag full of bricks, that weigh 100 pounds. It is like walking up stairs carrying that load, and it is like lugging it around all day.

You have to feel better if you aren't doing that any more! That must make it all worthwhile.

driver100

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

I've been on the phone talking with my son's SO.  She is at a Honda dealer in the desert trying to buy a Honda Pilot.  I have been dealing with the sales manager who wants $500 over invoice.  I offered $750 under invoice because of available factory trunk money.  Wish me luck!  I have never negotiated a car deal 2700 miles away.

So what happens if they refuse? Do you walk out of your condo?

Good one 'farmer'.

When I bought my '15 Genny last May I did it via the phone with a store in Fairfax VA. I don't know how many times the internet manager had to go to the tower to get info and a better price for me. He did all the walking, I just sat by the phone and waited for a call back.

It's really pretty easy to sell me a car, all you have to do is hit MY number.

To get back on topic, I didn't lose a single calorie with that negotiation.

jmonroe

The salesman should have brought you a nice thick corned beef sandwich....then he would have got his number!

houdini1

jmonroe said:

houdini1 said:

jmonroe said:

stickguy said:

I absolutely love good pastrami. Provolone and deli mustard on rye, perfect.

No Reubens though. I dislike corned beef (really dislike!), russian and Slaw. Other than that, the rye bread is fine!

I know you have issues but C'mon man, nobody doesn't like good corned beef.

You gotta get that fixed someday.

jmonroe

Some day if you are in the area, go to Oaklawn Racetrack in Hot Springs, AR. It is only open in early Spring, and they have the best corned beef in the civilized world !!

Thanks for the tip 'houdini'. I will probably never go there but if I do, I'll try it.

Who would have ever guessed that a racetrack would have great food?

Hey RB, does your track have good food too? If so, it's a whole lot closer to me than AR.

jmonroe

I don't know how they do it, but they cut slabs of that corned beef about 1 inch thick, slap it on a bun with mustard and/or saurkrat sp? and that inch thick corned beef just melts in your mouth it is so tender. I want some NOW!

tjc78

Thanks Driver.  Yes I can feel a huge difference.  Less tired and generally able to do more.  I was lucky even being the weight I was at I was able to do a lot but I knew as I got older that wouldn't last.  With a two year old and a 7 month old. I need all the energy I can get.  

stever

driver100 said:

What about Diet Coke?
And, 200 calories is about 10% of what you burn in a day....choose the rest of what you eat carefully.

Diet Coke is my beverage of choice eating out. I like the "bite". The sugared Mexican Cokes have that same bite that "regular" Cokes don't seem to have. The Mexican Cokes are a once a week (or less) treat. 99% of the time I'm drinking sun tea made in the frig. We go through almost a gallon a day of that stuff, using fake sugar or nothing.

I have a tracker at MedHelp.org. When I'm feeling flush, I'll track calories for a week or two. If I'm maintaining it'll sit idle for months.

Our recent test drive of a Tucson was given by a nice salesguy who weighed around 320. Big guy anyway but still. Turns out he was down 200 pounds just from cutting back on calories, and his aim is a pound a week. Hospitalization was a big motivator in his case.

murphydog

Well darn it - we had a local guy inquire about the Ghia, seemed pretty interested at first. Was going to come today to look at it, but we had to move that out to Monday. Sent a note this morning that he found another vehicle...Sigh...

stever

Bummer. No bites at the car show either?

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

I've been on the phone talking with my son's SO.  She is at a Honda dealer in the desert trying to buy a Honda Pilot.  I have been dealing with the sales manager who wants $500 over invoice.  I offered $750 under invoice because of available factory trunk money.  Wish me luck!  I have never negotiated a car deal 2700 miles away.

So what happens if they refuse? Do you walk out of your condo?

Good one 'farmer'.

When I bought my '15 Genny last May I did it via the phone with a store in Fairfax VA. I don't know how many times the internet manager had to go to the tower to get info and a better price for me. He did all the walking, I just sat by the phone and waited for a call back.

It's really pretty easy to sell me a car, all you have to do is hit MY number.

To get back on topic, I didn't lose a single calorie with that negotiation.

jmonroe

The salesman should have brought you a nice thick corned beef sandwich....then he would have got his number!

Trying to fatten me up won't work. But hitting MY price works every time.

This being the Memorial Day weekend this is supposed to be the biggest car sale time of year. I see lots of adds about tent sales with food. With that being the case, this may also be the highest choleric intake time of the year to purchase new wheels.

Come to think of it, nobody ever said buying a car was good for your health.

jmonroe

abacomike

Just walked in the door from my daily walk up at the mall. That tropical depression off the coast is sending in wave after wave of horrendous downpours - the streets are all flooded - I could not drive faster than 20 mph. The lightning and thunder is continuous. I had to make a run for it to get into cover of my building - soaking wet. Then I realized I left my cell phone in the car. I'll have to wait until this rain stops before I stick my head out the door again.

According to the weather channel, we've already had 3 inches of rain in the last hour. That's outrageous. I guess we are finally in rainy season.

abacomike

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

I've been on the phone talking with my son's SO.  She is at a Honda dealer in the desert trying to buy a Honda Pilot.  I have been dealing with the sales manager who wants $500 over invoice.  I offered $750 under invoice because of available factory trunk money.  Wish me luck!  I have never negotiated a car deal 2700 miles away.

So what happens if they refuse? Do you walk out of your condo?

Good one 'farmer'.

When I bought my '15 Genny last May I did it via the phone with a store in Fairfax VA. I don't know how many times the internet manager had to go to the tower to get info and a better price for me. He did all the walking, I just sat by the phone and waited for a call back.

It's really pretty easy to sell me a car, all you have to do is hit MY number.

To get back on topic, I didn't lose a single calorie with that negotiation.

jmonroe

The salesman should have brought you a nice thick corned beef sandwich....then he would have got his number!

Trying to fatten me up won't work. But hitting MY price works every time.

This being the Memorial Day weekend this is supposed to be the biggest car sale time of year. I see lots of adds about tent sales with food. With that being the case, this may also be the highest choleric intake time of the year to purchase new wheels.

Come to think of it, nobody ever said buying a car was good for your health.

jmonroe

There's a large dealer network in the western part of our county along I`75 (they sell Mazzarati, Honda, VW, Hyundai, Acura, Nissan, etc. At each of the dealerships, they have BBQ's going on - ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwursts, etc. All complimentary, including drinks. With all this rain, I wonder how they are going to handle their Memorial Day Weekend sales events with all that food. Should be interesting. According to what I heard, you don't even have to test drive a car at one of their dealerships to get free food. Nice touch.

jmonroe

abacomike said:

Just walked in the door from my daily walk up at the mall. That tropical depression off the coast is sending in wave after wave of horrendous downpours - the streets are all flooded - I could not drive faster than 20 mph. The lightning and thunder is continuous. I had to make a run for it to get into cover of my building - soaking wet. Then I realized I left my cell phone in the car. I'll have to wait until this rain stops before I stick my head out the door again.

According to the weather channel, we've already had 3 inches of rain in the last hour. That's outrageous. I guess we are finally in rainy season.

Mike, I think you better go get that cell phone. I 'm pretty sure I heard it ringing...sounds like a salesman in CA is calling.

jmonroe

sda

jmonroe said:

abacomike said:

Just walked in the door from my daily walk up at the mall. That tropical depression off the coast is sending in wave after wave of horrendous downpours - the streets are all flooded - I could not drive faster than 20 mph. The lightning and thunder is continuous. I had to make a run for it to get into cover of my building - soaking wet. Then I realized I left my cell phone in the car. I'll have to wait until this rain stops before I stick my head out the door again.

According to the weather channel, we've already had 3 inches of rain in the last hour. That's outrageous. I guess we are finally in rainy season.

Mike, I think you better go get that cell phone. I 'm pretty sure I heard it ringing...sounds like a salesman in CA is calling.

jmonroe

Tough crowd!

sda

Mike, sorry to learn the weather is horrible where you live. We are currently visiting my SIL in Jacksonville and the weather is holding out, still nice. Here is a picture from the 14th floor of her apartment at the Strand looking across the river.

stickguy

side benefit to cutting out all the eating out. save a bunch of money that way!

abacomike

sda said:

Just walked in the door from my daily walk up at the mall. That tropical depression off the coast is sending in wave after wave of horrendous downpours - the streets are all flooded - I could not drive faster than 20 mph. The lightning and thunder is continuous. I had to make a run for it to get into cover of my building - soaking wet. Then I realized I left my cell phone in the car. I'll have to wait until this rain stops before I stick my head out the door again. According to the weather channel, we've already had 3 inches of rain in the last hour. That's outrageous. I guess we are finally in rainy season.

Mike, I think you better go get that cell phone. I 'm pretty sure I heard it ringing...sounds like a salesman in CA is calling. jmonroe

Tough crowd!

What else is new? 

abacomike

jmonroe said:

Just walked in the door from my daily walk up at the mall. That tropical depression off the coast is sending in wave after wave of horrendous downpours - the streets are all flooded - I could not drive faster than 20 mph. The lightning and thunder is continuous. I had to make a run for it to get into cover of my building - soaking wet. Then I realized I left my cell phone in the car. I'll have to wait until this rain stops before I stick my head out the door again. According to the weather channel, we've already had 3 inches of rain in the last hour. That's outrageous. I guess we are finally in rainy season.

Mike, I think you better go get that cell phone. I 'm pretty sure I heard it ringing...sounds like a salesman in CA is calling. jmonroe

Just went down and got my phone.  No messages.  I don't know if she got the car or not.  They will probably call me later this afternoon.

tjc78

@stickguy
Just from not eating lunch out, we are saving close to $400 a month.

imidazol97

I like watching the various cars go through the drive through at ChickFilA. Saw a car with a Genesis badge but it was an SUV or van. I didn't think Hyundai was making a Genesis SUV.

Looked at it closer and realized that was probably a Chrysler marque on the front. When I see the Chrysler 200, the badge is similar to a Genesis. Car Looked nice in all white, just white, no opalescent, no diamond white, just white. Finally saw the back corner and it looked like it said "Pacifica." Showed heritage from Town and Country but without the huge van look. Nice lines.

stever

tjc78 said:

@stickguy
Just from not eating lunch out, we are saving close to $400 a month.

That's a car payment right there.

@imidazol97, not in the market but am curious to see the new Pacifica.

stickguy

I work from home. save a lot of $ that way. Leftovers for lunch. No clothes bill or commuting expenses. It all adds up.

berri

I usually get Italian Beef from Potillo's and my hot dogs from another place.

Personally, I prefer Portillo's Beef to Al's, but they are both good. Not into Buena Beef much though. Although I was raised a Chicagoan, I'll make a confession on hot dogs Snake; when I buy them at the grocery store, I prefer Nathan's to Vienna, BUT I boil them the Chicago way. When I'm back in Chicago, if I make a Portillo's stop, I often order the combo now - Italian sausage surrounded by Italian beef. If my wife is with me, then we'll split one of those and split a jumbo hot dog, plus we both get a hankering sometimes for one of their chocolate malts.

So Snake - how about pizza? I actually prefer thin crust and lean toward Auerillio's out in the western (and southwestern) suburbs. My favorite thin crust though is in Rockford, IL at Lino's. Sometimes I'll go for a deep dish instead like Due's. But there are just a whole bunch of good pizzeria's both in the city and in the suburbs.

Mr_Shiftright

2000 calories a day is still a lot if you want to lose weight, unless you are very active or pretty young.

berri

Well, you can always get a spoon and go into the bathroom - just kidding! Sometimes you just gotta splurge Shifty! Besides, have you been in a nursing home? I'm not sure that living into the latter 80's or beyond is always such a good idea. Too often medicine seems to outpace the body at that stage.

Mr_Shiftright

True that, but you have fewer health problems if you aren't overweight. Oh I splurge (does beer and bar fries count--I submit that they do!) but I'm pretty active for my age. If I just sat around all day and ate 2000 calories a day, I'd be a blimp. Of course, everyone metabolism is different. But as you age, you should be eating less (and better) food.

bwia

tjc78 said:

100 

It has been a huge lifestyle change.  We used to eat almost all our lunches out, two or three dinners out and ate a lot of heavy, rich food and alcohol.   No more of that smaller portions, healthy snacks and no processed stuff.   We followed the guidelines of "21 Day Fix" with some of our own stuff.  Wife does workout videos, I use the elliptical machine and we both try and walk at least a mile or two a day. 

We don't plan on ever eating the way we have in the past as we don't want to put it back on.  I have gone from a size 52 waist to a 42 and a 4x shirt to 2XL and feel great.   I haven't been this size since high school.  

My goal is about another 30-40 lbs which if I continue on there 2-3 lbs a week I've settled into should be Christmas. 

One note about dieting.  You must still have a cheat meal every now and then to keep going.  Throughout this process we still go out to dinner about once every two weeks and eat what we want.  Last night was one of those nights. I had tortellini with hot sausage and blush sauce.  At this restaurant which serves enormous portions and salad soup and bread I used to be able to finish everything.   Now I was stuff half way through the entree and took it home. 

That's phenomenonal weight loss in such a short time. Did you at any time consider gastric bypass surgery?  It is the closest thing to permanent weight loss and besides it is a permanent cure for diabetes.

Good luck on your quest to your ideal body weight. 

henryn

bwia said:

tjc78 said:

100 

It has been a huge lifestyle change.  We used to eat almost all our lunches out, two or three dinners out and ate a lot of heavy, rich food and alcohol.   No more of that smaller portions, healthy snacks and no processed stuff.   We followed the guidelines of "21 Day Fix" with some of our own stuff.  Wife does workout videos, I use the elliptical machine and we both try and walk at least a mile or two a day. 

We don't plan on ever eating the way we have in the past as we don't want to put it back on.  I have gone from a size 52 waist to a 42 and a 4x shirt to 2XL and feel great.   I haven't been this size since high school.  

My goal is about another 30-40 lbs which if I continue on there 2-3 lbs a week I've settled into should be Christmas. 

One note about dieting.  You must still have a cheat meal every now and then to keep going.  Throughout this process we still go out to dinner about once every two weeks and eat what we want.  Last night was one of those nights. I had tortellini with hot sausage and blush sauce.  At this restaurant which serves enormous portions and salad soup and bread I used to be able to finish everything.   Now I was stuff half way through the entree and took it home. 

That's phenomenonal weight loss in such a short time. Did you at any time consider gastric bypass surgery?  It is the closest thing to permanent weight loss and besides it is a permanent cure for diabetes.

Good luck on your quest to your ideal body weight. 


----end of quote (above) ----

"Permanent cure for diabetes" is not really true. Yes, it will probably help, but it is not a guaranteed cure.

I'm going to encounter one of my many weaknesses this evening. My Meetup group will be at Big John's Ice House, listening to live music, drinking, dancing and carousing. I always limit my drinking, as I have to drive home, but they put out big bowls of salted in the shell peanuts. If I don't watch out, I can easily consume 2,000 calories in peanuts over the course of the evening!

berri

If you travel a lot then you are eating out a lot which can make diet and food choices tough sometimes.

28firefighter

berri said:

If you travel a lot then you are eating out a lot which can make diet and food choices tough sometimes.

This is very very true. My wife is a dietitian and I have relied on her heavily to help me make good eating decisions while I'm on the road.  I also counteract some of the bad eating by working out for an extra 30 minutes each day when I'm on the road. 

tjc78

@bwia
No surgery for us, like I said we will not ever be going back to how we used to eat.  We needed a change!

I used to travel extensively for work and yes, it is extremely difficult to eat healthy on the road. 

bwia

henryn said:

tjc78 said:

100 

It has been a huge lifestyle change.  We used to eat almost all our lunches out, two or three dinners out and ate a lot of heavy, rich food and alcohol.   No more of that smaller portions, healthy snacks and no processed stuff.   We followed the guidelines of "21 Day Fix" with some of our own stuff.  Wife does workout videos, I use the elliptical machine and we both try and walk at least a mile or two a day. 

We don't plan on ever eating the way we have in the past as we don't want to put it back on.  I have gone from a size 52 waist to a 42 and a 4x shirt to 2XL and feel great.   I haven't been this size since high school.  

My goal is about another 30-40 lbs which if I continue on there 2-3 lbs a week I've settled into should be Christmas. 

One note about dieting.  You must still have a cheat meal every now and then to keep going.  Throughout this process we still go out to dinner about once every two weeks and eat what we want.  Last night was one of those nights. I had tortellini with hot sausage and blush sauce.  At this restaurant which serves enormous portions and salad soup and bread I used to be able to finish everything.   Now I was stuff half way through the entree and took it home. 

That's phenomenonal weight loss in such a short time. Did you at any time consider gastric bypass surgery?  It is the closest thing to permanent weight loss and besides it is a permanent cure for diabetes.

Good luck on your quest to your ideal body weight. 

----end of quote (above) ---- "Permanent cure for diabetes" is not really true. Yes, it will probably help, but it is not a guaranteed cure. 

Perhaps, but according to CBS evening news, the AMA, or some other medical association is recommending to physicians that gastric bypass be considered part of the treatment protocol for diabetes. Permanent solution or money grab?

sda

I had to chuckle when I saw all these bags lined up to go in the back of the Pilot for our quick weekend trip to visit family in Jacksonville. It seems we have lost the knack of packing lightly. Good thing the Pilot is roomy.