donali

I can't believe it's been a year already!! Whoo hooo!! CONGRATS!!! :banana

Sue - Fabulous post, and thanks for taking the time to share. From one whose journey with the band ended without choice, to one who is choosing to start on a different path - I know how disappointing this bump in the road must be. I admire you for persevering, and for taking a step back, evaluating your options, and then moving forward for what is best for you. No matter what you do, though, we will always be banded sisters! I hope we can meet up again someday, and please stick around and share your progress with the DS. I know you will be more than welcome here, as am I - these people are so AWESOME! Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and that all goes smoothly, and that you get the results you want. xxoo

OMG - Paula, there are simply no words... So glad you are safe. (((hugs)))

Okay, I have to do this to participate in the Slow Losers Unite! thread. These are TRUE NSVs (NON-scale Victories), since IF I were using a scale it would be going up. Ready for some true creativity?? Here goes: I am on a journey towards health - physical and mental. Although I DO hope a by-product of that journey is a smaller physical me, my challenge to myself is to accept where I am, embrace where I am going, and to be kind to myself along the way. I want my life/thoughts to stop revolving around my WEIGHT, and to continue to LIVE as I was learning to do while I was banded. I am also learning to take care of myself and my needs. My challenge to myself is that all of my NSVs will be written without "qualification" - i.e. "I looked great!" as opposed to my natural impulse - "I looked great! (for a huge person - )" 1. My scale was retired to live under my sink as of about September 2004. I never weigh myself. (HUGE victory!) 2. I bought five outfits last week because everything I own is now too small. I was suffering and uncomfortable, and feeling unhappy about growing bigger. Finally I realized that I was in some small way punishing myself by refusing to buy clothes that fit NOW. I would never do that to someone I loved - so, new clothes - that fit! 3. I wore a new outfit each day this week, and did my hair and makeup. I felt and looked great. 4. I will be attending group hypnotherapy 2 hours a week for 4 Wednesdays starting next week. 5. I made my appointment with the surgeon to fix my right foot, and am now just waiting to get my surgery date (congenital birth defect, similar to a club foot but not exactly the same.) 6. I am recommiting myself to drinking my 4 quarts of Water each day. I am almost 100% on getting in 2 of them - I just need to add in two more. 7. I recolored my hair red last week. 8. I wear perfume each day. 9. My negative self-talk has not re-established itself - I continue to feel positive about myself and where my life is going. (Yay me! ) :banana :banana :banana

I got all teary-eyed when I first read your responses... Have I told you lately I LOVE you guys?!?! Truly, this is the BEST group of people EVER! I am so excited for my group hypnotherapy sessions that start tomorrow. I don't know what her program entails, but these are the top three things I want help with: 1. Motivation to exercise 2. Ignoring free food 3. Adding more veggies and lean meats to my daily fare I will keep you posted! xxoo

Thanks, Rene! I didn't really expect for the nominations to be reopened, but I was CERTAIN NO ONE would mind looking at those take-your-breath-away hot pics of Connery and Brolin - am I right, Ladies?!?! And I agree - WAAAAAY too many hotties to choose from. As far as your list goes, I guess I'd have to vote for Mel... <3 <3 <3 :D Oh, YUM!!!

Congratulations!! You look fantastic!! Healing thoughts and white light being sent to your little one - please keep us posted!

WOW! Chris, I love those! Do you use anything to hold the glass together on the box besides the metal solder (?). Where do you buy your stained glass? When I was a kid I helped make stained glass windows for our church - it was a fabulous project, and I always thought I'd like to work with glass. Have always been fascinated with glass blowing, and those glass balls/pendants for loved ones ashes are beautiful - it seems like it would be a fun thing to do.

ROFLMAO!! Poor thing - but really, what ARE the chances?!?! Hope you're feeling better now!

Loved him in Hotel...

I know, I know - I'm way late, and I don't live in NM. BUT!! What about Sean Connery???

John, You are such an inspiration to me. I am SO glad you stuck around and shared your journey with us!! I love your posts, and am SO PROUD OF YOU!!! Here are your pics!! xxoo

Okay, here are a few things I've done. I haven't had the time to play around with art since about 1985, but I've always enjoyed it, even though I will never be a great artist. Top left - a painting I did with my grandfather. We did the same scene side by side, and this is how mine turned out. He was a commercial artist, and mountain scenes like this were a trademark of his. We used left over house paint to do these paintings. Top middle: Watercolor of a wagon wheel. Watercolors are my preferred medium. Top right: Mixed media - acrylic, barbed wire, and flour/salt clay (for the bird legs). Got the idea from a gift shop at a KOA campground. Everything under the "Melismas" logo are notecards I've made - all with a musical theme.

OW OW OW, OMG, I think I just HURT myself laughing!!! ROTFLMAO!! :dead 1. Any useful organs are to be donated right away. 2. The rest of my body is to be donated to science. Let them be amazed. lol And no, we don't want anything back. When they're done with me it's up to them to get rid of the remains, if any. 3. Ouija board party. I promise, if able, I will come and spell out amazing and insightful messages. If nothing happens, make up your own amazing, insightful messages. Have a lot to drink. :bandit 4. Anyone just dying to spend money please donate to a no-kill animal shelter in my name. 5. Keep doing the Ouija board thing, at least once a month. I'm sure I'll show up eventually!! 6. Hopefully I'll leave some loved ones behind, and that they'll miss me a little, but smile a lot and laugh at all the goofy remembrances I'll leave behind. 7. Torch my place - please, I don't want anyone to have to go through all that garbage! 8. See you on the other side!! <3 <3 <3

So, what CAN we say that would make you feel better???

I love all this stuff - you guys are SO talented!! Besides building the porch (which STILL isn't finished, by the way! ), I have been known to occasionaly dabble in artsy-fartsy things. Pics to come later. Nothing like what you all do, but I really used to enjoy it.

Bwahaha haha!!! ROFLMAO!! If that's taken, how about "Thin as Sin"? :)

Casper and I are here!! 0 ccs in my ghost band... Anyone know where I can get a fill for a ghost band?!?! lol

:bow: :bow: No, I don't drink at all (alcohol, that is), but I LOVE gadgets, etc. Anything that comes in a set of 4-6 had to be for some sort of food/drink related thing. If they weren't drink markers I was going with some sort of origami napkin ring type thing... lol Bring on the puzzles!! P.S. PnP - I got to your puzzle thread late - don't stop!! I can't decipher the Eminem license plate (stuck on LR), but I'm ready for the next one!!

Try this: http://www.joygraffix.com/me/sarahdress.gif

Could someone PM/email me the email address for Dr. Martinez from Obesity Control Center? Greatly appreciated!

Hi Chris! Yes, I'm still around, and flying solo is, well... the same as not being banded, I'm sorry to say... But, I continue to have hope that everything I know will eventually save me from myself! I don't believe my erosion had anything to do with the quantity of foods I could eat, because I maintained good restriction - I never felt a loss of restriction "all the time" - just the normal tight in the mornings, loosening up at night. I never had much success with evening out my restriction, although I did try the advice above. I was always pretty tight in the mornings, but not so tight that I couldn't eat yoghurt for Breakfast.

That's called "negative reinforcement"...

Nykee, I am trying to hear what you are saying. 1. You are NOT hungry - hunger is not the problem for you. You have NOT been hungry since surgery. 2. Your sole purpose in getting the band was so that you would not be able to eat - ANYTHING, period. Because if you can eat, you will - hunger or not. 3. Whether you can eat or not, there is absolutely no hope whatsoever that you will make healthier, more nutritious choices. IF you can eat, you will eat more cheetos, more Cookies, more chicken nuggets, more milk, more juice, more Soup. If you CAN'T eat, you will subsist on less milk, less juice, less soup, less cheetos, and less cookies. 4. You have already had so much therapy regarding your head issues with food that you "have a degree" in it. 5. Prior to banding, you lost 48 pounds. 6. You want more consistent/stable restriction so that you can have liquids/cheetos/cookies throughout the day, not just at night. Just out of curisosity, how did you lose the 48 pounds? Do you really have absolutely no intention of migrating yourself to a more healthful way of eating? Do you really intend on subsisting on milk, juice, cheetos, soup, cookies and chicken nuggets for the rest of your life? I believe once upon a time you said you were a nurse - am I remembering that correctly? Are you supplementing your daily intake with a good Multivitamin like Alex hopes? I do understand about eating when you are not hungry. I do understand about eating as much as possible, as often as possible, stopping only because I am out of food or because there is literally not room for even one more bite. I do understand getting the band to help stop mindless eating, eating that is not hunger induced. What I don't understand is your inability/unwillingness to include more healthful/nutritious choices in your menu. I'm not talking about cutting out any of your current choices altogether - I'm talking about choosing to eat lean Proteins and veggies first, and then (if it's physically possible), indulging in the less nutritious stuff. Perhaps in your mind any thought of consuming healthy stuff automatically slams the door on your preferred, non-health promoting choices. You are right - if you REFUSE to add any kind of healthful choices to your menu's line up, you WILL only consume more liquid calories and less healthful foods if you have less restriction. Because that's the only type of foods you have available. I honestly don't know what to tell you - everything I know about banding success hinges on people being able to modify their habits at least somewhat. This is something you wouldn't have to do all at once - make the changes one at a time, in a gradual way. If you are able to be successful going about this "your" way then I am happy for you. But it doesn't seem to be working for you too much at the moment. If you had nothing but healthfood foods in the house, you wouldn't eat them? Even if there wasn't anything else? It is not your children's responsibility to resist your pleas to bring home junk food - I cannot lay the blame at their feet. Throughout my life I have often wished I could be locked in a room for a year or so where the exact amount/quality of food I needed to be my perfect weight was slid under the door - nothing more, nothing less. That I didn't even get to see or interact with people - the sole purpose was to have my diet managed for me. It sounds like you might benefit from that kind of fantasy situation. Unfortunately, I am unaware of any place like that (I still wish there was one for me!). I have only myself to rely on for my choices. When I choose well my life swings towards health - when I don't, my life swings towards sickness. Sometimes I'm healthy, sometimes I'm not. But I try and make it easier on myself by limiting what I have available at home, so that my choices are a little easier, at least in that one place in my life. Hoping you can make a place in your life where making more nutritious choices is a little easier, and that once you make that place, that it grows throughout your life until you come out on the other side a more healthy, nourished soul - inside and out. ((hugs))

Does that mean your nose will be brown, too?