Maui :)

I voted "Other" b/c I have one, and do not want another. I do like the one I have, however it is not normally visible. Most people do not know that I even have one, and in all honesty I forget that I even have one most of the time!

I assume that it is only my GP. We live in Germany, and although my husband is a GS employee we do not have access to the medical services on the base. The issue I have is dealing with doctors who may or may not speak English well. Doctors here also are very different from the US, although I am not saying it is any better or worse. Just very different. It seems that they do not like to be questioned and also do not believe in using pain medications in most cases. To top that off, we have to pay 100% out of pocket and then file for reimbursement, which always makes me second-guess a trip to the doctor! Of course all of this is not as important as my health, but it does make me pause (and ask questions elsewhere!) before making an app't.

TY for the suggestion! I might even need another???

Yes, and even though I felt many palpitations during the 24-hours, they said it was normal...

I have had a stress test - do you mean to request another? Also had extensive blood-work done (incl. thyroid) and all was completely normal. The Dr. (cardiologist?) who did the ultrasound on my heart also checked my thyroid and saw nothing wrong. I am glad that you were able to get your palpitation problem solved. I'm sure it was a relief!

I use Bare Minerals with the Prime Time primer. It's not too hot/humid here in Germany, but last summer when we were in the US (NC/SC/VA) it worked beautifully!

I have a question & hope someone with a medical background or personal knowledge can help. Back in late Jan. I began to have heart palpitations. I had the feeling that my heart was stopping, and if I felt my pulse, it would beat...beat...stop, then BEAT forcefully. This went on for a few days, most of the day, before I went to my GP. He performed - over the course of the next week - an EKG, stress test, Holter monitor test, and an ultrasound of my heart. Save Mitral Valve Prolapse, which I knew that I had, the doctors saw nothing wrong with any of my results. The "skipped beat" that I was feeling was explained to me as an extra beat. Last week, the palpitations started again. Not for hours and hours on end, but for several shorter periods each day. About 3 days ago, I woke with a very dull pain in the left side of my upper back that traveled down my left arm about to my elbow. This morning I noticed that from the elbow down I also had the tiniest bit of numbness... While out running errands today, I became a bit lightheaded and also had the slightest tightness just to the left of center in my upper chest. I wasn't feeling badly, but obviously not 100% either, so I decided to continue with the shopping errands. I made it through one shop before I suddenly became very light headed and had to sit down. I felt like I was seconds from "seeing black". I called my husband, who left work to come and get us. When he got there he went straight to the drugstore and bought aspirin. He told me to take one JIC and after about 15 more minutes, I was no longer dizzy and only had the pain down my arm. I came home and took an hour nap. I woke with the same slight pressure in my chest, which went away within a minute. Also noticed that my fingers had swollen a bit & took my rings off. I am still barely light headed and my heart is still "flipping" on occasion. I give all of this detailed info, b/c I wonder if this could be signs of anything other than a heart issue. If all of the tests (plus extensive bloodwork) came back completely normal 4 mos. ago what could this be? If anyone can help with this, or if it could still be a heart problem even with all of the normal tests, please LMK.

I have used both Toodledo and RTM. They are both nice, but by far my favorite app for both to-dos and notes is Awesome Note. You should check it out before you make up your mind :)

Yes, this. :iagree:

Totally agree on this! We have been in Germany for almost three years now. When we went home last summer, I was quick to point out how fresh the food is here. How clean and orderly everything is here. How great the (fill in the blank) is here. I wasn't trying to convince anyone that Germany is better or that America was worse, but a few people took it that way and I quickly shut up about it all! In retrospect, I can see how my comments were perceived. The neat part was that I quickly started noticing the things that I loved and missed about the US - and voiced those as well! I literally walked around in amazement at the first grocery store that we went to last summer. It seemed so silly - we had only been away two years - but it really did overwhelm me. It took awhile to get over the vast amount of choices, and aisles of nothing but soft drinks! Again, I quickly rebounded, and by the end of our three-month visit I wasn't panicking in Wal-Mart :tongue_smilie: Another issue for me in the US was safety. Here in Germany, the girls walk to the butcher and bakery by themselves. They walk down to the little creek that runs through the center of our village to play in the water. I can let them out of my sight in stores and never worry about a thing. But in the US I felt like I had to watch them like a hawk. They were not prepared for that, even though I discussed it a bit with them beforehand, and it was quite difficult for them at times. We all had issues with the food upon returning home. My youngest (7 at the time) had trouble for several days. It probably didn't help that our very first stop was Chick fil-A, however! We, too, were so excited to return to Germany while in the US last summer. We longed for the scenery, the food, the culture... We had an amazing time in the US, to be sure, but were so ready to get back home. I remember getting off the plane here and thinking, "This is home - we are home!" on the ride back to our village. However, this has been an extremely difficult year for us. My daughters and I are all terribly homesick after our summer filled with family fun (DH not so much, as he has been away from home/family his entire adult life). We were supposed to return to the US this summer, but have extended at least two more years. Sometimes that makes us even more homesick. On the flip side, however, I often say that I could live here in Germany forever. I love it here... So strange that just three years away could change all of us so much.

Again, ty for all of the advice! Just to be clear (or as much as I think I understand), I don't believe that WW is actually pushing "low carb". But they do emphasize higher fiber foods. Fruits and veggies are "free", and the more processed an item is, the more Points it seems to have. I think WW is encouraging healthier eating over simply trying to get in the most food possible within one's Points allowance.

Thanks! I am with you on holding off on the high-impact stuff! After the Boot Camp class, I realized quickly that I am not 25 any more! I also agree with you on the carb counting. Fortunately WW now puts an emphasis on fiber and protein. Like for breakfast almost each morning I sauté green pepper and red onion in a little olive oil. I then add in 1-2 eggs and 1 oz. feta cheese. Sooooo delicious, and keeps me full until lunch. Lunch is usually a spinach salad with garbanzo beans and tuna. And dinner is usually a protein, veggie, and 1/2 of the starch I used to eat. So far it seems to be working, as I have lost 7 lbs!!! And speaking of food, it's dinner time and I am off to make whole wheat crust mini-pizzas!

TY all so much! When I worked out before I really enjoyed free weights, so I will make time to do that as well if that is what it takes. I was never overweight / out of shape until after I had children and I want that feeling back. I don't know what hit me last week and inspired me to jump on the exercise/healthy eating bandwagon, but this time I know that it is for real. I am going to do this! I am definitely interested in being as healthy and fit as possible. Numbers on the scale never meant a thing to me when I used to work out. Only my body fat percentage. However, until I at least get into the high end of normal for me (which is about -60 lbs - yikes), I will probably focus heavily on what I weigh. Last week I tried two Boot Camp classes and really, really hurt my quads. Four days later I was still going up and down stairs two feet on each step! I am simply not ready for that level of exercise right now, and am just going to walk on the treadmill for now. I am walking 3 miles in 50 minutes and would like to get to 4 in 60 minutes in the next two weeks. I hope that once I lose about 25 lbs. I will give the Boot Camp class a go again - it was really fun! I would also love to do a Couch to 5K, but will need to wait a bit for that as well. Thanks again for the help & responses!

What says the Hive? I just started working out last week (1st time in 8 yrs), and joined WW this week. Honestly, I have about 80 lbs. to lose and need advice about my workout routine. I have Googled it and read many articles, but they all seem to contradict each other... My question is: should I concentrate on cardio only (currently walking 3 mi/day, 5 days/wk - working up to 4 mi) until I am at a better BMI (currently 34, I believe), or should I add in weights now? Personally, I'd love to really concentrate on cardio until my BMI is at least 30, but am willing to do whatever it takes. Thanks!

Have you looked into the Rick Steves books? He is huge with the Americans over here and we use his books and guides every time we travel. Go to the Books section and it will help you pick the correct guidebook. I get almost all of them on my iPad so that I have them available as we travel.

You could "do a 'cheap, ethical kid'"??? Do you hear what you just said??? I so don't want to fight or argue with anyone. I truly don't want to. But that was flat-out wrong... Thank God for my parents, who didn't adopt me because I was cheap - or ethical - or foreign - or US-born - or any of that. Children should not be picked-over like produce... They are, after all, human beings first and foremost.

Please note that my reply was in response to another post in this thread (my bold), and I was trying to convey that I agreed.

I think that's what I don't get - why there is a credit? I need to start Googling ;)

Thank you for the explanation. The huge problem I have is with the people who make quite a bit of money off adoption, and those who adopt from them. They are, in effect, selling and buying human beings. I'm not sure how one reconciles that.

Heather - ty so much for that. It certainly helps me better understand international adoption costs. And maybe that's what the person who posted on my friend's FB page was referring to.

I just don't get that...

I'm back in the game!

Nope - not interested at all in adoption, however I am an adult adoptee. Someone posted on a friend's FB Wall something about about a tax credit and that adoptions cost around $35k, and I thought that it was insane. I understand paying legal and home study fees - after that it starts to really bug me.

I responded, "I rarely text or read texts/e-mail while driving (car is moving)" because in all honesty I have done that in the past. Rarely, but I still did it. Where we live now it is completely illegal to use a cell while driving at all - and we don't text here, as it is cost-prohibitive. I can say, however, that when we move back to the US I will never, ever text again while driving. And if I use my phone at all, it will be hands-free. It is way to dangerous.