mdrai

Hey -- Did any of you watch Oprah yesterday? It was on Big Losers... it was pretty amazing... one gal lost more than 500 lbs! I'm usually not an Oprah watcher, but the commercial caught my eye & I dvr'd it & watched it last night... inspirational!

Ha ha! Tracy, I didn't realize that our tickers were so similar!! Great minds!

Good Tuesday Morn, Vi's~~ Today is my 6-month band-iversary! This time 6 months ago I was on the table... beginning the journey! Wow! Weigh-in today = 251.8, so -65.2 in 6 months. I'll take it! Although this month I lost only 1.6 NEW lbs! Grrr. But I have to remember that my fill was screwy and I gained 6 lbs for some unknown reason (hey, if I'm going to gain 6 lbs, then at least let me have a fun binge or something to earn it!!) and had to really fight that back off. Weird month. Here's hoping December is better, weight-loss wise!! Welcome Cindy! Jump right in! Love the pic, Suzie! Great to see your smiling face! Regular day today... errands, work, laundry, housework... Make it a great one, Vi's!

Check this out! It is TOO Funny & EASY to do! It is my dd, me, ds, & dh! http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9629152704

Yay, Laura! Judy... I've said it before, but I love, love, love the elliptical! Maybe my SS got me one for xmas?? (I'm obviously still giddy & delusional from all my WDW happiness this morning! LOL!) TracyKS... Let us know how the chick goes down this eve... I'm still hanging on 'til the 18th for a fill, but for some reason feel tighter than I have in about a month, for no apparent reason. Hmmm. Was at the school today making copies of the PTA newsletter (just a few -- 400!), and one of the gal custodians saw me and she flipped out (guess she hasn't seen me in awhile!) about my wt loss. Her mouth was literally hanging open & she kept saying "Oh my gosh! Look at you! Oh my gosh!" & I looked kinda crappy, too, basically in sweats. Oh well... made me happy! & I got to say "-65!" for the first time out loud to someone! Two new mantras: "249!" and "I'm going to Disney!" (I have to say that one to myself a lot because I can't say it out loud!!) My "old" mantras: "I am healthy; I am fit; I am thinner; I have energy! Healthy! Fit! Thinner! Energtic!" Oh, and WWJD... patience... & trust! It must take me all day to say all those! LOL! A constant internal dialogue in my head!! Hee hee!

Good question, Chica! I don't have an answer, tho... anyone else??

Whoops -- I must've missed this page of posts or something... sorry!! Here I am all giddy & happy & everyone else is contemplative. Sorry!! Here's my .02 on the topic du jour... Everybody has a life. Everybody has a story. Everybody has SOMEthing that happened to them or whatever. Yours might seem "worse" than mine, or vice versa, but whatever our "stuff" is, it's ours, & that's just life. I don't believe in "blaming" my parents... I could definitely blame my Dad, trust me, but I decided to learn what NOT to do from him, rather than blame him. As a parent, I know how hard it is & while I'm doing my absolute best, I'm sure I've let my kids down somehow that I don't even realize & as we often joke in our family: "That'll come up in therapy!" meaning... in the future, one of the kids will complain/blame us (parents) for something: never eating fast food/always eating it; having to go to bed @ 8:30; whatever!! There's always something. It's a no-win job. We just do our best. So having "issues" or whatever is just part of life. We all have them. So the difference becomes what we do with them. Everyone has the choice to be positive or negative. Take a bad situation & make it better or wallow in it. Be the victim or the victor. It's all a choice. Now, life is a process, so maybe we're in a moment in our lives where we're not making good choices... if it bugs you, then change it! Like we all did w/our weight & the band!! I'm definitely an over-the-top optimist most of the time... grateful for this amazing world & life & wanting to live it to the fullest... I think that love & personal relationships are the most important things in life... I look for (& usually find) joy in the most simple, daily activities and moments... why not? That's what life is mostly made of. (That's why I really hate it when I'm in a pissy mood, I feel like I'm wasting my time!) My .02...

I do, too! Great news! (well, for me, anyway...) We're going to Disney!! I've been planning to go in January, but for many reasons that did not work out... so then the other option was next October, but for many reasons that won't work, either... so I was in a real funk, because I need my Disney fix -- it's been more than a year now since we were last there... so... I thought & I thought (no, it didn't hurt! ) ... and came up w/a solution! While DH is in Mexico on his photojournalism expedition in February, the kids & I are going to the World for a long weekend! They have a day off school, so will miss just 1 day... so 4 days of fun in Fla in Feb! And THE BEST part is that I'm going to (try to) keep it a secret! (I'm not known for being able to do that very well, however...) I'm not going to tell the kids that we're going... they'll come home from school that Fri & I'll have everything packed & hiding in the back of the car & I'll say we have to run errands or something & I'll drive us to the airport & we'll go! I think that would be so cool if I can pull that off, so I'm motivated not to spill the beans! Just knowing that I have this secret plan is making me absurdly happy! Having a bad day? -- I'll think about the trip & get happy! That's why I love that place! All the cares of the world disappear and it's just family fun & togetherness. I'm such a sap for it!! But I love it! Besides that (my I'm chatty today!)... the scale was FINALLY down today!! New low: 251.8! -65 FINALLY! Phew! Tomorrow is my 6 mo. band-iversary so I'll update my ticker then... worked out HARD today at class... my mantra was "249! 249!"... that'll keep me "good" for awhile!! (Then it'll be 247... then the ultimate: 242 (-75) by 12/31/07. It's good to have goals!) After this month of actually GAINING... it's good to be back to the LOSING side of things... even if it's just a lb or 2 for the month. I'm sitting here in my wet bathing suit & wet sweatsuit from the Y & it's freezing... time to hit a hot shower! Make it a great day, Vi's!

"funny" odd or "funny" ha ha?? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???

Maybe it's for YOU!

<In a sing-song voice:> I just ordered my SS gift! I just ordered my SS gift!

The evenings are the worst for me, too! When the kids get home (4pm), I have a healthy snack, then I just try to keep busy! After dinner is the worst, if I'm sitting watching tv & all those food commercials!! What's up w/that?? So I'm trying to keep my hands busy... knitting, reading, writing out Xmas cards, wrapping, making lists... whatever! I also like to DVR shows now so that I can fast-forward thru the annoying commercials... it's getting to the point where I don't like watching "regular" tv because of that! Hang in there!! You said it yourself: "I'm working on a good day." Keep it going!! You can do it! 1 day! Just 1 measly day! Just focus on today. That's it. TODAY. There is NO reason you can't make good choices AND walk the dog for 20 mins today! I'm so excited for you! I can't wait 'til tomorrow when you tell us all how great you did today!! So... if you can't do it for YOU... then do it for ME, K?? Make me happy!

:yell: Laura... I know you know this but.... just because you CAN eat 4 kudos in one sitting (or lots of whatever else), you know you SHOULDN'T, right?? Banded or RnY or not... you still know that doing that will get/keep you fat. Period. Even w/RnY you can get around it... gosh, I know folks who've had that who lost & now have gained it all back! So ultimately, it's your BRAIN that has to do the work! I KNOW you can do it!! You DEFINITELY need a fill... the 5th is only 1.5 weeks away... I have to hang on 'til the 18th!! Just do what's right @ each meal... then before you know it, you'll have a "good" day... then days... then week... You also KNOW that positive results make for positive moods & more positive results... you've just got to get that mindset going, girl! It's NOT ok to eat like that! Hear me?? No way do I want to think that you're going to eat like that all the way 'til your New Year buzz kicks in!! Yikes!! Do it now!! Oh, and exercise, too!! :whip: Anyone else need an attitude adjustment??

Thank you, Judy! Your secret family recipe is safe with me!

Ha ha! See how long it's been since I've used my ticker (because I REFUSE to update it UP!)... it's still Halloween!! LOL!

Good Monday Morn, Vi's!~~ LOL Kat... keep my "chins" up! That cracked me up! Yes, I think I'm feeling better... I think it helps that everyone is back to work & school today, leaving me in the nice quiet house so I can think & get stuff done! I hesitate to type this, but... scale was FINALLY down this a.m. to where it was 4 weeks ago. Man this past month was ugly (as far as wt loss goes)! Maybe now I can start losing again! Hope springs eternal! I'm already having Secret Santa fun, by the way. I keep wondering "Who has my name??" & it makes me feel happy & excited inside. As I pretty much purchase all the gifts for everyone (friends, family, + myself), I don't get to experience that feeling much... so thanks Laura AND my SS -- whoever you are!! I'm on shakes w/you today, Jen!! + I may make a "Judy Delight" -- slushie Crystal Light (altho mine are more icy than slushie... it figures that I can't even freeze flavored water properly!!). Terri, TracyKS, Laura -- where are you? Did you get the Wii, Tracy?? It's "Cyber-Monday" today -- much nicer to enjoy than that wacky "Black Friday" hoopla, IMHO. When you see the reports about it on the news tonight, you'll know that I helped! Make it a great day, everyone!

Oh yeah... I'm a laugh riot tonight, Pam! "Some" chocolate... yep... been there, done that! Glad I can check SOMEthing off my list for today, besides "Be a B-itch". Here's to hoping that I'm back to my normal, easy-going self tomorrow!! (I know the family hopes that!!)

The 1st?? Huh?? Well, hope my SS doesn't mind waiting a bit longer...

Oh, and not helping my mood at all is the fact that I'm STILL UP for the month!!! So it was a wasted month!! & I ate properly and exercised!! WTF?? So that makes me maddER! Grrrrrrr.

I am in the grumpiest mood today! Ack! It's one of those "I'm sick of doing every ding-danged thing around here!" moods, much to my kids' dismay! I keep telling them to clean their rooms, they say they're done, I go check & tell them to try again... driving me crazy! Then my 13yo ds had an argument w/me over what "pick up" vs. "clean" means! Like he has a chance to win THAT one! As I've been doing BOTH of those activities for 20+ years now... yeah, that's why I went to college -- NOT! Wow, am I ever cranky!!

Back from the 2nd Thanksgiving @ my mom's! It was crazy crowded... a little split level from the '40s w/18 adults & 7 kids... I ate sitting on the steps! It was a bit wild but ok all in all... I washed up tons of dishes & generally tried to keep things wrangled into their basic areas... I think Mom appreciated it and also my cousins, whom I freed up to socialize together + w/their 90-year-old grandmother... they live all up & down the East coast, from Vt to Va, & don't get the chance to be together too often. So that was nice. Oh! & my one cousin raised the turkey!! He was 35 lbs! I'd never seen such a big bird! Wowza. That's it from here. Tomorrow I have to work, work, work... I have a proofreading job that I HAVE to send out on Monday & I'm only 30 pages in!! Yikes! G'night!

Good Saturday Morn, Vi's!~~ "Home again, home again, jiggity jig!" We're home! A nice easy drive last night for dh... made it in record time. Had a lovely, RELAXING time at the in-laws'... the only place on earth where I can ENTIRELY relax... I have no "must do's" or responsibilities there... I slept in... read magazines... took naps... enjoyed lovely meals that I didn't have to prepare... watched tv... napped... ahhhhh. But about 2 days of that & I'm climbing the walls, so now it's back to active reality! DD & I are going to my mom's today because my aunt & uncle and ALL their children (my cousins) and THEIR children and my aunt's family + other cousins, etc. & so forth will be @ her house for "Thanksgiving". I'm going mostly so I can help my mom... as they sort of just descend on her & I think she enjoys it but it also makes her crazy, so I'm going to run interference, do dishes, keep things picked up, etc... & maybe take mom out for a Starbucks' just to get her out for awhile. She's the kindest, most welcoming person in the world, and I think this branch of the family tree takes a bit of advantage of that... grrrrr. Not w/me there, they won't! Make it a great day, Vi's!

Happy Turkey Day, Vi's!~~ A nice quiet day topped off w/a yummy turkey dinner w/all the trimmings. Ate less than I used to but more than I should, but it's ok. Tomorrow is back to "normal". I just want to say that one of the things that I am most thankful for this year is each of Y-O-U! I can't believe that I didn't know you -- or even about the band, for that matter -- at this time last year! I am so thankful that I found the band, found this site (thank you TracyKS), found this thread (again, thank you TracyKS), and found each of you!! My life is improved immensely this year, in no small part to your support, encouragement, motivation, inspiration, and friendship. Heartfelt thank yous to each of you! Blessings on a great start to a wonderful holiday season! ((Violets))

Hi from NJ, Vi's!~~ We arrived safe & sound, but not 'til about 1am! & I drove the whole way! Phew! Slept in 'til 10a tho... ahhhhhhh. Spent a couple hours in the kitchen doing my part. I made 3 loaves of pumpkin bread, a pumpkin roll w/cream cheese filling, and monkey bread for Breakfast & watching the parade tomorrow. Tomorrow I just need to make the sweet potato casserole w/coconut & nuts on top... mmm. Other than that, pretty much just lazed around, which is why I like coming here! Oh, I played my son's "Guitar Hero" game for the first time... too funny!! Enjoy your evenings, Vi's!

Hey Vi's~~ Whew! Busy day getting ready to head up to NJ tonight... we were going to leave as soon as the kids got out of school, but now ds has a special soccer training because he is going to be trying out for the Olympic Development Team next month! So the earliest we'll hit the road is about 8:30pm or so... & get there about midnight. Will check in from there tomorrow!