donali

The weight has been creeping back up the past few weeks in the "honeymoon" period with BF due to eating out a lot and eating more in general. Ghost band has been missing for the most part, but showed up again gently tonight at dinner. I'm keeping a close eye on things. I'm concerned, but not yet panicked. I am not following my plan for success too closely, but am cutting myself a little slack in respect for my recent life altering event. I started cooking last week, so am hoping things start returning back to some semblancy of normal, and that BF and I will start getting more exercise soon... Thanks for asking...

Every once in a while I get overwhelmed by smoke smell - in places where there is NO smoke. Like in my car. Or in my house. I can barely breathe it is at times so intense. I always attributed it to a ghostly visit from my Dad, who was a heavy smoker. He passed 12/00. However, I'm sure there is a more scientific explanation...

Whoo hooo!!! Bongo has a boa! So glad it found a good home, and can be out in the light to be seen and adored. It gave me great joy to be able to pass along something that I held so dear for so long - a relief to not have to give it up to a stranger. Thanks, Penni, for adopting my boa and giving it a good home.

Love and healing thoughts to you and your family, Penni... My condolences. Love,

He was in Mannheim. I like this new format, for the most part, but I'm missing a bizillion threads, I'm afraid... It's like the new posts are being automatically marked read before I get to them, and I miss the "Get New Posts" buttons that linked to recent posts whether they'd been read or not... Learning curves - I hate 'em... I had to do a search to find this one.

My first NSV posting!!! Not that I haven't had them, but THIS one is something I have been waiting for for a long time... This morning I PUT ON MY BF'S BRAND NEW JEANS AND THEY FIT!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I SO wanted to be able to do that when I went to visit him a couple months ago, but I was at least an inch away from them buttoning. Okay, they are skin tight, but STILL!!! They're Rustlers 40x30 REGULAR CUT straight leg jeans. And I had them ON. OMG OMG OMG!! Here's the weird thing, too... I could have sworn I tried them on a month or so ago, and still couldn't get them buttoned. My weight has basically stablized since April 12th - it ranges from 201-213 between then and now.... My low is posted as 201, but I was 207.5 this morning. I was 211.5 the day I flew off to Europe in April - when the pants were at LEAST an inch too small at the waist. So for those of you for whom the scale is not moving, I'M TELLING YOU - the body does secret compacting stuff, even when the scale doesn't move. A gal who's only worked here a month and a half caught me in the bathroom yesterday and said, "You've been losing a LOT of weight, haven't you?!" I laughed, because when she started 6/21 I was 204.5. Yesterday I was 208. But I AM smaller - I can feel it in my clothes. This comment from her was based on her observations over the past month and a-half only - NOT on previous knowledge of my weightloss history. I'm not working out, so it can't be muscle shrinking my body but replacing the weight... So I don't know why, I don't know how, and I don't really care... I'm still shrinking, no matter what the scale says. So there, scale!

Leatha - This is still making me laugh, and I've read it several times over the last couple of days... lol

Gina - So sorry... I personally don't think it matters whether you cut your hair or leave it long, as far as the shedding is concerned, unless you're just trying to minimize the length of hairs being shed... I have read many posts on this subject, and the general concensus seems to be that there is nothing to be done for it but to wait it out. So might as well leave your locks long, even if it seems messier. You won't go bald, honest - it will just seem like it. **hugs**

Thanks, guys... **sniff** You're the best. As TallGuy so aptly reminds us, this site is ADDICTIVE... :knockedou

I replied to this message yesterday, but don't see my post showing up... Bright, you're ALWAYS missed when you're gone!! I hope your fill went well, and that you are tightened up/battened down... lol Gotta write you soon. Life's been great but hectic... **hugs**

Just remember, everyone, when you get one of those urges to "live on the edge", it may come back and haunt you at any time!!! lol DeLarla made me do it!! Sorry to be so incommunicado - life with BF has been a dream come true, and we've been traveling every weekend and running around during the week once I get home from work, and it seems I barely have time to turn around these days. My eating has not been so mindful these past few weeks, and I had not been in the habit of eating three full meals a day any longer, particularly not mostly in restaurants where there is always bread and potatos offered/included, so I have crept out of my 10lb "safety zone" as of Monday - +14.5 pounds from my low of 200.5. I know that once we stop eating out and I get back into my walking routine all will return to normal, but being tired anyway, I confess I'm feeling a little down. Nothing like before, of course. But I need to start asking those hard questions again before I choose what I eat, and why... Lisa G., it all makes sense now, knowing that you're just now seeing the bra pics... lol On a regular day, no, I wouldn't post the saggy boob collage. But you never know what I might do on one of those "wild hair" days!! :laugh

Congrats, Joanne, and welcome back!!

Congrats, Betty!!! Welcome to bandland, and I'm glad everything went well!

Estrogen is stored in fat, so it is very common for this type of thing to happen with weightloss.

Michelle - Keeping you and your in my loving thoughts and prayers. ((((hugs))))

Megan - I love, love, love your post. You are one of those beautiful spirits that shines like a homing beacon to others. I'm so glad to have met you - even though we only had a brief chance to talk, it truly was like I recognized you as an old friend. I am so very proud of you and how you have conducted your journey. Wishing you continued success, peace, love, and joy in your precious life.

Think of this as your chrysalis stage, dear butterfly. You will be emerging from your cocoon, gingerly testing your new body, and finding it takes you places you never dreamed of... :cool:

OUCH OUCH OUCH!!! Poor baby... After all you've been through, you deserve to take all that time off! My surgery was on a Thursday and I went back to work on a Monday (same kind of challenges you have... That pen is SO heavy!! lol). I made it through, but I would have MUCH rather been laying on the couch the first two weeks. I think you've made a smart decision, and you SHOULD take the time off. Ignore dear Patty - smile indulgently, say, "I know, but I'm NOT gonna..." lol

YAY!! She's back!! :cool: Your murals are BEAUTIFUL!!!

Lisa G - No apron pictures... I think Greg was hoping he could lure us into posting saggy boob pictures... lol Remember those games where baby pictures would be displayed of people you knew, and you had to guess who was who? We could have that same kind of game, only with anonymous saggy boobs... lol

Congrats, congrats, congrats!!!!

Hi Pam - Yes, I did indeed tear one of my port sutures while reaching too hard for something in the back of the car. The pain was unbelieveable for two weeks, and then just very uncomfortable. I could see the port bulging under the skin. What had happened is my surgeon only puts in two of the four available anchor stitches. These stitches are to the fascia of the muscle, so you know that is a very thin and delicate piece of tissue, and easily torn. Only one of the stitches pulled loose, and the port turned upside down. I believe that when it was the most painful it was actually on its side. I showed it to Dr. Lopez and he said it was fine, but I said "No it's NOT!! It HURTS!" So I had it flipped back into place and restitched. They fixed it through the orginial incision, and the recovery was much less painful than the original placement. I believe it is common for the European surgeons to NOT suture the port at all, so if you are not in any pain I would not worry about it. Your tissues should encapsulate the port and hold it in place. The only thing is if the port is encapsulated upside down, they may have to fix that if they cannot manually turn it back upside right at the time of your fill.

If you are already having PB issues, getting a fill will only make it worse. You need to learn to work with your current fill. Also, if you are losing at your current intake, there is no reason to further suppress your metabolism by dropping your intake even further. I know how tempting it is to try and go faster, but this isn't a race, and it isn't a diet - and as Michelle so aptly points out, tighter does not necessarily = faster. Better to go sanely and healthily - this is the rest of your life. Make changes gradually, and you are more likely to do better emotionally and physically.

Sending you best wishes that this can finally be taken care of. I can't help but think of you in that pool, with an open wound... Hopefully the chlorination killed anything that might have been living in the Water...

WOW - wish I looked like t-Boz as J Baker!! Avatar instructions - right click on the pic and save to your hard dirve. Go to "user cp" on the LBT menu, click "edit options" and scroll all the way down to the bottom. Click on "change avatar". Scroll down to where it says "You can upload an avatar from your computer:" and click on the Browse button. Locate your avatar, click on it and "save" (or whatever the prompt is) and voila! Avatar uploaded!