February Challenge - Day 2, Monday

[gitfiddle]

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
Jimmy Dean

I think the message here is, if what we did in January didn't push us in the direction we expected, we can add a new factor that will straighten our course. Don't get frustrated, don't despair, just keep working at it.

Good morning! Okay, so its morning somewhere. :D I'm posting a bit early for EST but the sun rises earlier in other parts of the world.

My breakfast will be a strawberry shake, lunch will be cauli/meat bake, and dinner looks like a pot roast. Still haven't got the green chilies so the Mexican crock pot thing is on hold.

How does your Monday look?

[Mitra]

It was morning here, but only 4:30 so I wasn't around. My morning's looking cold and lightly dusted with snow. Luckily I brought back lots of goodies from the farmers market on Saturday, so I can stay inside in the warmth today. I think I'll be on something with yoghurt for breakfast and something with chicken for dinner. I don't know about lunch yet.

[Jackie]

Happy Ground Hog Day, lets all pray for spring!!!
We had such a tease of warm weather and this morning I am waking up to -27 again. I am so sick of winter it is not funny.

I have a busy day planned, planning and prepping for the new semester and a professional development session tonight and all day tomorrow.

breakfast will be a pumpkin shake
Lunch will be at a resturant: chicken caesar salad
dinner will also be at a resturant, hopefully somewhere different than at lunch and that is so I will have eggs something and if not I will have the chicken salad again.

I have not touched the scale since Saturday, very liberating!!!!!!:D

[Puddin]

Monday with wind in my sails because we've got a storm blowing in from the mountains which gives us a pretty nifty wind chill factor. Adjusting my sails would be impossible today;) But I did get that new recipe to write down and am really happy it turned out good: peanutbutter almond meal scones (couldn't resist:p) Will post it in the recipe section.

Meals today:
breakfast peanutbutter scone (what else) and bacon
Lunch roast beef and salad
Dinner roast beef and cabbage
Snack turkey roast and stewed vegetables

Water 1.5liters
Exercise - walked 1km (been pouring all day so far)


Destination this month another few pounds off (hope). Groundhog day? If the poor beastly put his little head out of his den this morning he sure wouldn't have seen a shadow, he would have gotten drenched.:D

[BeccainSC]

Morning all.... My Monday isn't getting off to a good start. Had a lens pop out of my glasses, so now I have to make a stop on the way to work. I always keep my previous pair for situations such as this, but it adds a wrinkle to an already busy day.

Problem # 2, since I didn't make it to Sam's yesterday I don't have what I need to make what I had planned for lunch, or for dinner. Making do with leftover pot roast for lunch (which was to be for tomorrow when dinner was lighter in carbs) and we'll go out after the school meeting for dinner. Potenial for a comfort food binge there, especially if the day keeps going like this. :(

And on top of all that, I have one of my headaches... course it could be BECAUSE of all that.

Hope everyone's Monday goes better than mine!


'becca

[Puddin]

Becca, potentially dangerous munchies are pretty common when we're having a stressful beginning of the day. Lighten up the thoughts about meals cus you can always eat just HALF of the carbs you were planning...and when you go out you can definitely do salad and meat. Comfort food is not necessarily bad for you if you eat something like a nice meatloaf (no potatoes or bread inside). Maybe in that restaurant they have a really steaming stew (non potatoes or bread inside, nor cornstarch) I find that having a beautiful colorful salad with a really good steak is a great way to stave off strange desires. Maybe you could even get berries with cream! When you get to that restaurant think about me...I would love to be able to get to a restaurant which serves barbque and salad. In my part of Italy they don't exist.:p Maybe you could eat some ribs for me if they have them:D

[e*nice]

Good morning friends,
I am just joining the challenge and I posted a little intro to myself on the Feb Challenge thread.

Here's my plan:
Breakfast - cottage cheese pancakes with bacon
Lunch - Rotisserie chicken with salad
Dinner - Pot roast with brussel sprouts

Will go for a walk.
Will drink lots of water.
Will go grocery shopping to lay in lots of nice food for the week.
Will enjoy my darling children (5 and 2).
Will be creative and write new comedy bits for play I'm working on.
Will be thankful for being alive.
Will take L-Glutamine when I feel like eating sugar.

best to all,
Emmy

[maxlharris]

How does your Monday look?
Is that the Jimmy Dean of Sausage fame?

Monday looks good from a diet point of view, grim from a work point of view.

On Friday, I kind of discovered that our travel card contractor has kind of not set up EVERY card in the THREE regions that I oversee correctly. That's, uhm, well, about 1700 cards just for Chicago. Kansas city will be another 600 and Philly will be another 1500-2000. I have to root out all the information and make a fairly mind numbing change on each card on the website. This is going to occupy me for weeks. Upside, I will be occupied for weeks. Downside, it will be with a very depressing maintenance task.

On the upside, it's only work and everything else is going well.

Back to the millstone. :D

[Karole]

Great Quote Carol, we can all change what doesn't work for us once we realize we need to change tack. It's good to be flexible and willing to make a change so we can reach our "port".

What doesn't work for me is not posting to fitday. I just can't seem to do it without knowing the total each day. I tended to drift away if I don't have some stop check around. So, it has been good for me to adjust my sails and get back to the tedious grind of posting each morsel consumed . Nov. and Dec. I just wasn't into doing it and I'm glad to be back in charge of myself again !!

[Karole]

I forgot to post my results for Jan. which was one half pound. Not much, but I'm headed the right way again !!

[Ammy]

Monday is looking good...but I'm already fretting about Friday.
It's our company holiday party, which I planned. The good thing about that is I KNOW what the food will be...however, it's not all (or very) carb friendly...and I think I'm going to eat most of it anyway!
I have not had a honey tree day since September, and I'm concerned that I'll enjoy Friday night, then struggle to get right back on the wagon!
But thank goodness for you guys! You will help keep me accountable, right??

7am 2almond scones (want to get back to only eating 1 a day)
8:30am caul-saus casserole
11:30am 6oz pork chop with cream of asparagus soup, 1/2 box frozen veggies
2pm 3oz turkey on lc bread
6pm 6oz cooked fish (either tilapia or salmon), green veggies

Pro: 164
Ecc: 43.5
Fat: 153.1
Cal: 1957

That is really high protein for me, so I may reduce something today...we'll see how the hunger is throughout the day.

[Puddin]

That's a perfect thing - a honey tree on Friday! I guess that our ancestors ran into few of those! In order not to eat tons you could put all the trays of carbage on the upper branches and CLIMB;)

Wanted to check something with you all: if I want to make an omelette with artichokes can I proceed like this? Use 6 whole eggs, 4 whites, 1 package of creamcheese and then count 6 artichokes for 6 portions and sautee them. I then beat the eggs with creamcheese added salt and pepper. At this point in oven till cooked.

QUESTION: so I cut the omelette into 6 pieces. The total P and C then get divided by 6 and I've got the portions calculated for meals right?:confused:

Hope so, cus I've been cooking like this with everything I make. Great practice for my maths.:D

[LBJ]

Good morning everyone i hope everyone had a good weekend. I have all my meat cooked for the week i made a deer meatloaf some pork chops. chicken wings. and some turkey burgers so all i have to make are the veggies to go with them. My 2 sons and daughter in law were over for the game wow what a game pretty exciting stuff. Well off to the gym today and back to work tonight. Hope everyone has a nice day.

[maxlharris]

It's our company holiday party, which I planned. The good thing about that is I KNOW what the food will be...however, it's not all (or very) carb friendly...and I think I'm going to eat most of it anyway!
I have not had a honey tree day since September, and I'm concerned that I'll enjoy Friday night, then struggle to get right back on the wagon!
But thank goodness for you guys! You will help keep me accountable, right??


Uhm, the Holidays were like a month and a half ago. Weird.

At any rate, just cause you planned it doesn't mean you have to eat all that junk.

You haven't had a honey tree day since September and you've had generally pretty good results since then. I don't mean to get into your head and question what you're up to, but if things are working, why mess with it?

That's a perfect thing - a honey tree on Friday! I guess that our ancestors ran into few of those!

QUESTION: so I cut the omelette into 6 pieces. The total P and C then get divided by 6 and I've got the portions calculated for meals right?:confused:

I'm pretty sure my caveman ancestors didn't really have weekends of leisure or care whether it was Friday or Tuesday (if they even had such concepts) when they found the beehive.

On the omelet. Generally speaking, yes. You add up everything in the recipe and divide by servings. Easy to do in Fitday. Call the whole dish 1 serving, then put in the appropriate decimal when you add it to your daily total. In the real universe of completely objective truth, an omelet is not 100% homogeneous. Over the long haul of the six pieces, any margin for error is rubbed out.

[Puddin]

Max, I hate to tell you this but Fitday and I have some serious working problems. It works really well but I can't figure out how. It is just too much stuff all in one place. Since I do really well with my pencil and paper I'm gonna stick with that. I really need a basic 101 computer calculator which allows me to do it simply. I even tried dailyplate and got lost...:o

[lisanurse81]

Have you tried sparkpeople, puddin? I found it pretty user friendly, but I use fitday still cause all my custom foods were already there.


My monday is looking better, had a HORRIBLE headache this am, not sure if it's due to TOM or stress or what. I don't really feel stressed, but my dreams would say otherwise. Drempt I was kidnapped by police officers (off duty) and no one would believe me. I kept calling the police, and they were like, "I'm sorry, but thats just not enough information for us to waste an officer on!" I was like, WHAT!!!, and started beating one of my kidnappers with the phone! Yeah, crazy, crazy dreams!

On the upside, volleyball was really fun! I'm the only girl that plays with the other 7 guys, my hubbie one of them. I've played with these guys since I was 15 or so, so we're like a family. It's all for fun, no serious winning or losing. Anyhow, I went to serve the ball, and I hit it WAY to hard. But I didn't think I hit it hard, I just thought because it was a new ball, that is was just sensitive. (They can be like that) But no one else thought that, and throughout the game, I just kept hitting it way too hard! I was like, either that ball is messed up, or I'm stronger than I used to be! Well, DUH! I've been eating protien, my arms had gone down in size, then back up .25 inches, so this must be increased muscle mass, b/c I have no fat on my forearms. (it's in "other" places!)

So that is cool!

I've got a question about tachycardia, but I'll post it in another thread.

Gonna go make a sausage/cauliflower casserole. Dinner is something with chicken, and breakfast was coffee. Gonna try and get some sun before it rains today.

[gitfiddle]

It was morning here, but only 4:30 so I wasn't around.But you were surprised when you did get here, eh?

I have not touched the scale since Saturday, very liberating!!!!!!:DYes indeed, Jackie!

Monday with wind in my sails because we've got a storm blowing in from the mountains which gives us a pretty nifty wind chill factor. Adjusting my sails would be impossible today;) But I did get that new recipe to write down and am really happy it turned out good: peanutbutter almond meal scones (couldn't resist:p) Will post it in the recipe section.Brrrr! I'll go find the recipe. I just bought some almond flour a couple of weeks ago.

And on top of all that, I have one of my headaches... course it could be BECAUSE of all that.

Hope everyone's Monday goes better than mine!
I could handle everything but the headache, Becca. I hope yours clears up.
Will go for a walk.
Will drink lots of water.
Will go grocery shopping to lay in lots of nice food for the week.
Will enjoy my darling children (5 and 2).
Will be creative and write new comedy bits for play I'm working on.
Will be thankful for being alive.
Will take L-Glutamine when I feel like eating sugar.
[/QUOTE=e*nice]Emmy, welcome in! I haven't looked around yet today. You did notice that you only need one extra this month? :) You've made yourself quite a list! You're going to be multitasking!
[QUOTE=maxlharris]
Is that the Jimmy Dean of Sausage fame?
Max, I go back far enough to think of him as a country singer. :D I never knew he was a philosopher.

What doesn't work for me is not posting to fitday. I just can't seem to do it without knowing the total each day. I tended to drift away if I don't have some stop check around. So, it has been good for me to adjust my sails and get back to the tedious grind of posting each morsel consumed . Nov. and Dec. I just wasn't into doing it and I'm glad to be back in charge of myself again !!
Good on ya!

We will now pause for a budget meeting......I'll be back! :paranoid:

[Ammy]

My company doesn't believe in squeezing in another party right before the crazy busy holidays, so it's always the beginning of February. AFTER all the other parties, and after people have come down a bit from the holiday craze. It's REALLY nice to have it delayed. AND our turnout is very high cause people aren't at other parties!

I hear what you're saying Max, and I won't really have a choice of something else to eat if I decide not to eat what they serve (well, NOT eating is a choice, but I worked hard on this party!).
My plan is to be choosy, but still not go home hungry.
This is the party menu...

First Course: Tray Passed during Reception
Spicy Tuna Tartare Cones
Pork Potstickers/Black Vinegar Sauce
Indonesian Steak Tartare/Sesame Crisps

2nd Course
Baby Beet Salad/Humboldt Fog
Pork Hot Pot.Pork Meatballs
Tandoori Salmon/Golden Beets
Wine Pairing: Duck Pond/Williamette Valley
Main Course
Shanghai Lobster/Crisp Spinach
Szechuan Beef Tenderloin/Armagnac Sauce
Cantonese Duck/Lomein Noodles
Wine Pairing: Sangiovese-Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon/2005
Ferrari-Carano "Siena"/Sonoma
Dessert
Curry, Chocolate and Pineapple
Cranberry Mascarpone Cheesecake
Wine Pairing: Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/2005
Dry Creek "Soleil"/Sonoma


The first course is appetizers, which means I won't have the potstickers, but will partake in the tuna cones. I'll have to review the sesame chips to see just what they are to decide if I will eat the steak item.

Each coarse after that will come family style with enough for each person at the table to take one of each item (with the wine pairing). Since GF doesn't eat mammals, I will take two of the mammal things and give her some of my non-mammal items. Also, if possible to eat the duck without eating the lo mein, then that is what I will do. Choosy like that.

For dessert...we'll see. I don't eat any chocolate, so the only option would be the cheesecake. If I'm full, I'll say no. If I'm not, I'll "splurge".
Also, if the wine is too sweet (like the dessert wine will probably be), I will skip that as well.

Mind you, this is catering through Wolfgang Puck, so the items will be small, three bite affairs. So "splurging" is not like when a chain restaurant that serves you a dessert that is big enough to feed 6 people but you eat it all yourself. Wonder if I can get some pictures of the food! That would be a beautiful food diary! Hmmmmmm

[TiF1974]

Okay, here is my first CHALLENGE post...

no BREAKFAST today; just green tea
LUNCH :green salad with raw broccoli and 2 baby carrots sliced into paper-thin medallions (gotta have some color!) with 4 oz. pork and olive oil and lemon juice

I may or may not have DINNER depending on whether I am hungry; I ate about two thirds of my salad for lunch so I still have a third to eat after school, plus I like to have two hard boiled eggs when I get home to prevent after-school munchies

If it does turn out that I'm hungry I'll have some cooked chicken and some buttered brussels sprouts.

I did walk my dogs this AM so I got a little exercise, but I would like to start resistance Tuesday-Thursday-Saturdays...which means I have to get to the library for SLOW BURN tonight!

[Ammy]

Hey TiF...WELCOME to the challenge thread!!!

Does that menu give you your protein minimum?
Sounds kind of low??? What is your minimum?

[maxlharris]

Generally speaking, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is highly correlated with weight control and loss and it creates a positive cycle for the day. I used to be a non-breakfast eater but I am now a convert into the importance of breakfast, particularly protein at breakfast.

It also makes the whole keep your blood sugar stable thing work better.

[TiF1974]

The short answer is, no.

The long answer is, when I did PP the first time, my protein minimums were around 100g...BUT that was YEARS ago, before I developed PCOS. Calorie restriction has helped me control some of the not-fun symptoms of PCOS, and it's easier for me to do CR through intermittent fasting than through three or four small meals a day. Additionally, I have struggled with compulsive eating almost as long as I can remember, and I have found that IF has helped me in that area as well. Not every day is this "low", however; hence the "intermittent" part of the fasting...basically I try to eat when I am actually, really, truly hungry, and if I am not actually, really, truly hungry, then I don't eat. While IF has helped me manage some of my PCOS symptoms and my compulsive eating patterns, it did not result in any real weight loss...that is what I am hoping that the LC component will do. Experiment of one; if it doesn't seem to be working after a few weeks, I will start upping the protein.

[TiF1974]

BTW my short answer/long answer was in response to Amy's question about protein minimums. :-)

[alex57]

The day is going well for me. It is chilly out BUT the sun is shining. Nothing like good old sunshine to lift your spirits! :)

Enjoyed yesterday, even tho' the Cardinals lost, and kept well to my planned menu. Did fall in the exercise category however. This will be my big struggle.

Got a late start on the day. Woke up too early.... hate to wake up 2 hours before the sun decides to appear. Rolled over and finally fell back to sleep. The advantage of being a senior citizen and not working. Bad idea, for then I awoke feeling sluggish. Hoping in time my sleeping habits improve. Five hours at a time usually seems to be my limit. Probably getting exercise in will help.;) I know... I know.

Todays menu
B - hb eggs, 1/2c yogurt w/1/2 oz. chopped walnuts
L - Salad of romaine, 5oz. steak strips, 2oz. avocado and vinaigrette
D - 5oz. steak, 2oz. avocado, cukes

yogurt and walnut snack later if needed.

Feeling good right now and guess what...... I'm gonna go get my exercise in! Have a nice evening everyone.

Jean

[gitfiddle]

It's our company holiday party, which I planned. The good thing about that is I KNOW what the food will be...however, it's not all (or very) carb friendly...and I think I'm going to eat most of it anyway!
I have not had a honey tree day since September, and I'm concerned that I'll enjoy Friday night, then struggle to get right back on the wagon!
But thank goodness for you guys! You will help keep me accountable, right??You're gonna play with your program when it's working? You know what my advice would be, Ames. :rolleyes:

While IF has helped me manage some of my PCOS symptoms and my compulsive eating patterns, it did not result in any real weight loss...that is what I am hoping that the LC component will do. Experiment of one; if it doesn't seem to be working after a few weeks, I will start upping the protein.TiF, I've had PCOS since I hit puberty and a compulsive overeating before that. Protein Power has improved both of them. I can, and have, lost weight on three generous meals a day with a snack or two thrown in. You can skip the carbs, but protein is what makes the whole thing work. I understand the part about not eating if not hungry. Max has put it in a nutshell about the balance and stability of blood sugar that comes naturally. Good luck in your quest! Today is all about adjusting the sails, after all. :)


Feeling good right now and guess what...... I'm gonna go get my exercise in! Have a nice evening everyone.

JeanAh, Jean! I've been calling you Alex! Nice to know. Did you get your exercise in? Are you going to join us in the Movers & Shakers thread?

I've had my exercise and my dinner and my feet up. Now I'm ready to make dinner for the boys. It's hard to cook when I'm not hungry! Second-shifter comes home for dinner at 9. :p I can't eat that late, but the Geezer can. :rolleyes:

[alto]

Hello everyone! I'm posting late, because today was hectic, and I fear all days will be this hectic. I haven't worked in six weeks (I went into the hospital right after Christmas break) and I'd forgotten how much work I have!

Breakfast: 1=1/2 sausage/egg/cheese breakfast squares -- GOOD NEWS! I brought 2 of these to work and could not finish the second. They are very rich, as my grandmother would say, and definitely kept away hunger for hours.
Lunch: sliced chicken, salad, ranch dressing, carrots, mushrooms
Snack: apple and peanut butter
Dinner: salmon and asparagus with butter (again, and happily so)

Exercise. Well..... I rushed around a lot, but I don't think it really added up to anything.
Water: still working on it, but will be 64 ounces.
Vegetables: yes!
Supplements: whoops! Doing it now.

[lisanurse81]

So here is the final count... didn't get the vit d intended... rain came too early... sigh, well, maybe tomorrow. Gonna go read a bit, all lit on low-carbing.. may glean some new info from that. So I guess my +1 will be either sunshine or new info/research if no sun is available...

Calories 1,991
Fat 148.3
Carbohydrate 42.0 (ecc 26.9)
Dietary Fiber 15.1
Protein 97.8

[Belfrybat]

Hello, all. It's so good to see new folks joining us! :) I'm very late posting, but the day got away from me. Had a large Prayer Bead order to complete, then an appt. to get my A1c done--a test that shows the average blood sugar over 3-4 months. Then a very disappointing visit with the nurse practitioner. Turns out I've done too good a job managing the diabetes and she's taking me off Lantus insulin which is what has enabled the good numbers and helps protect my pancreas from burning out. I came home and cried for hours -- just as I feel I'm getting some control on handling the diabetes, the rug is pulled out from under me. I really don't know what I'm going to do. I guess adjusting my sails means trying to find a doctor in the area who doesn't charge an arm and a leg and is willing to assist me in managing the diabetes.

I haven't had much appetite since the medical visit, so my numbers are really low today:
865 calories, 53 protein, 27 ECC. No sunshine -- it was shining, but I wasn't.

[gitfiddle]

Exercise. Well..... I rushed around a lot, but I don't think it really added up to anything.
Right! I think Shadow would call that "activity". ;)

Gonna go read a bit, all lit on low-carbing.. may glean some new info from that. So I guess my +1 will be either sunshine or new info/research if no sun is available... That's good that you have a B plan, Lisa.

Turns out I've done too good a job managing the diabetes and she's taking me off Lantus insulin which is what has enabled the good numbers and helps protect my pancreas from burning out.Bummer, BC! There was no dialog or input allowed? Yep, I'd start shopping around... That's just crazy!

[BeccainSC]

We'll I'll report in, even though it's a bad one.... just gave in to the day. I've been an emotional wreck since I got home from work and never managed to pull it together.

Protein: yes
Carbs: no - over - WAY OVER
Water: no (got my 64 in, but not my goal due to other liquids instead)
Supplements: no
Reading: 2 more chapters last night in bed and I'll do at least 2 more tonight

So now I'm 7 for 8 on my adjusted month, since my goal is 21/28 or better I'm still okay. Will be back on the wagon tomorrow for sure. I have trouble recovering from a slip for the day, but usually no problems picking myself up the next day.

'becca

[gitfiddle]

So now I'm 7 for 8 on my adjusted month, since my goal is 21/28 or better I'm still okay. Will be back on the wagon tomorrow for sure. I have trouble recovering from a slip for the day, but usually no problems picking myself up the next day. Becca, tomorrow will be a better day.

[blueriversam]

Just checking in. Today was exhausting, but good.

Breakfast: cottage cheese
Snack: pepperoni and cheese
Lunch: crab cakes
snack: 3 sugar free chocolates
dinner: chicken fajitas without the tortilla
snack: cheese, sugar free chocolates

[Puddin]

Amy, just read that menu and must admit that it will be an excellent culinary experience. Don't think that you should have any problems eating within bounds! What is GF's thing with not eating mammals? I never heard of that kind of decision. Obviously GF eats everything else except mammals. I've heard of non carnivorous but never on those terms.

Enjoy that party!!! And the photos would be super!

[Belfrybat]

Thanks for your kind words, Carol. Puddin, I have several friends who don't eat mammals since they are too much like us. They will eat seafood and birds, but no mammals. It's a form of vegetarianism. When I was a vegetarian, I would occasionally eat fish, then realised that really didn't make sense -- fish are living creatures. Over a period of 3 - 4 years I came to the conclusion that God had put all things on the earth for our good. I'm now a died-in-the-wool carnivore, but am mindful of the gift that plants and animals give us and so give thanks for their sacrifice.

[Ammy]

Amy, just read that menu and must admit that it will be an excellent culinary experience. Don't think that you should have any problems eating within bounds!


Thank you for the vote of confidence! I feel comfortable that I will make smart choices, but also being realistic that my carbs will/may be a bit higher than normal. It will not kill me though...I have worked too hard to get to where I am now! I won't let this destroy my "rhythm".

GF can't stand the idea of eating an animal that gives live birth...??
She wasn't eating meat at all, but one day she was so hungry and her mother had made a turkey breast, so she decided she try it...and LOVED it. Her body (she thinks) was crying out for protein.
So she eats chicken, turkey, or fish for every meal. (my three LEAST favorite proteins...:rolleyes::p).

[maxlharris]

Report:
Protein: 160
Carbs: ~10
cals: ok
water: done

[Puddin]

Thanks to both of you Amy and BC. More or less I had reasoned out that it had something to do with warm blood and some sort of thing like that. Actually everything we eat is, was alive: plants, vegetables, animals etc. I no longer have eating fixations (except that I like to do it regularly) but I can understand other people's thoughts. One factor, however, has become very important to me and that is the treatment of animals which go on our table. Since we have raised animals to eat like sheep and goats ; still have rabbits, we are very careful about their diet and their living areas. Goats and sheep were free ranging, rabbits have really big cages. Their lives were stress free and their deaths also. Living in the country has made me extremely aware of the importance of understanding, as BC says, the 'gift' (I say sacrifice) these creatures give us.

The American Indians and other indigenous tribes always thank the spirit of the animal they kill so that when it goes back to the Great Spirit it is at peace and can tell HIM/HER that the humans were thankful. I sort of feel the same way...