A lot of that flab is just excess skin that you no longer need. Time will take care of some of it, otherwise, surgery is the only way to go. It is not like muscle tissue in that exercise will help. You don't say how long it has been since you lost all that weight, but be patient and keep exercising so that the muscles beneath all that skin will be in great shape. Then when the skin shrinks as much as possible, you will look even better.

First of all, thank you all for your thoughtful comments. Not much to report, really. First an almost-funny but not really aspect of the visit... earlier in the afternoon DS said to me, "They're not going to stick that q-tip thing down my throat are they?" I said of course not, that's for strep. Again, he is the best kid, never a drama queen (older DS has that job), but he has this vomiting phobia which includes a huge fear of that strep test because of the gagging issue. He has had strep once, and has had the test maybe twice, but it was so traumatic! And PS the last time he had it done was at least 5 years ago and it was a huge ordeal. So, we went to the doctor -- who was not our usual doc, but one we haven't seen before -- and explained the situation. By then DS was beside himself, could not get comfortable in the exam room, kept going back and forth to the bathroom, etc., while we waited in the exam room for the doc to show up. Doc examined him, noted that he has gained something like 15-20 lbs. since Oct. (he has also grown about 4-5 inches since then), and sees that he has a low temp of 99-point-something. So he says, "It could possibly be strep -- sometimes the only symptom is stomach upset. We need to do a test." And DS loses his mind. It was almost comical but not really. It took a good 20 minutes to get him to cooperate. It was ridiculous, really. And again, this is my kid who gives us NO trouble, ever, so it's just weird to see him act like this (tears, refusing to open his mouth, acting like he's going to leave the room). Anyway... after all that, the quick test was negative. (I was actually hoping it was strep so we could show him that the test was worth doing! Not to mention an easy fix w/ antibiotics. So, basically the doc said there is a stomach bug going around (as well as strep), and that is likely what he has. He said to call if it gets worse, of course, but he thinks it will resolve itself. He didn't seem overly concerned about the on-and-off minor stomach issues that I mentioned, but I also didn't press the issue because frankly, after the Huge Drama over the strep test, I just wanted to get out of there. My plan now is to see what happens over the next few weeks, especially as school gets closer. He's going to high school in Sept., so I'm thinking a new school may mean some anxiety and we'll see if stomach issues come up again. If so, we will make an appt. to see his regular doc and talk about what to do. What I think, knowing DS and observing him all this time, is that he gets nervous about things sometimes. Older DS has major anxiety issues and is very vocal. Younger DS probably has some minor anxiety issues but he is not vocal about them at all, so he stuffs it inside and it affects his stomach. Then he has this vomiting phobia which compounds the original problem, because then he's afraid of vomiting, which makes him more nervous and thereby makes his stomach feel worse. I could totally see it yesterday. When he was home, he seemed OK -- not eating much, still going into the bathroom occasionally when he thought he might vomit, but basically OK. When we got to the doc's office, I think he became even more worried about vomiting in public, so he was antsy and going back and forth to the bathroom every 5 minutes. While I was watching him, I realized he was acting the same exact way in the airport in June when he was feeling sick. We were in the security line and he was convinced he was going to vomit and his whole demeanor was exactly the same as in the doc's office... and he never did throw up. And he was totally fine by the next day. DS is sooo much like DH in almost every way -- they look alike, they act alike, and I suspect DS has inherited the adolescent stress issues that DH had at the same age. DH confirmed last night that he was the same exact age when he started getting really bad migraines. They stopped after a year or two. Maybe it's growth/puberty related? He has been growing like crazy -- as I said, about 4-5" since last fall. Anyway, I will definitely keep an eye on him and by the way, he slept through the night last night without getting up, and is still sound asleep, so I suspect he might be feeling better today. I still can't be sure if this particular stomach issue is really just a little stomach bug, or if it's anxiety about camp, but either way, hopefully the 'bug' will pass within the next 1-2 days, or the anxiety will pass once he gets to camp and gets into the routine there. (Camp is only an hour from home, so worst case scenario, we can run up and get him at any time.) Then I'd like to visit his own doc at a time when DS is actually feeling okay, so he's not emotional or just feeling ill, so we can talk about the whole situation. He actually has a physical coming up in Sept/Oct so that may be the perfect opportunity, unless things get worse before then.

I won't go so far as to say you are abusing your dog - but surely if you work from home, your dog could be tethered to you? If she is a chewer, it will NEVER go away if she is locked up a good chunk of the day. Dogs destroy because they are bored and under stimulated. Also, how can you correct the problem, if you're unable to correct her in the act? Your dog won't just snap out of it and become a well mannered doggy citizen without the opportunities to mess up and learn from you. My beagle was a chewer - I was home with her all day, too. If she couldn't be beside me, she was in her crate, but never for more than a half hour, unless we were out. Your dog should be with you as often as possible, inside and out, all day every day. I am saying this from experience, not to criticize. The more time she spent in the crate, the more destructive she would be once she was let out and we turned around. Dogs need tons of social interactions inside and out. The less social they're allowed to be, particularly if they're locked up - the more likely they are to become shy and agressive. You WILL end up with an agressive, destructive dog if this dog isn't given more time with it's family. Are you outside with the dogs when you put them out for an hour, or inside? IF you're not with them, then the only time GSD is getting social interaction with the family for any length of time, is when your sons take her, correct? Also, I'm glad you're getting her checked out, something is obviously wrong. You might have work ahead of you, even if the problem is solved, because your dog may have learned popping in the crate, gets her let out.

Sounds like this is just a phase you have to live with for a while, not forever. Agree with the active (live) yogurt and the pro-biotic pills, and plenty of water. Mild exercise is also good -- even just a short walk around in the house. Foods that I could tolerate included plain white rice, and cooked carrots. Add some fiber to your diet as soon as you can -- I ate a bowl of fiber cereal with milk every morning. Avoid anything with too much sugar, cut way down on caffeine and chocolate. Keep a food diary so you can identify and track your own "safe" and "danger" foods. Also pay attention to time of day that you eat. If you have problems after eating late in the evening, you may be developing acid reflux. No idea if this applies to you, but for me the enforced diet was an opportunity to lose a few pounds and develop a some "good" eating habits. Hopefully you will only need to take such precautions for a few weeks. Good luck for a quick recovery :-)