DynamoMini

Shelbi - you're a good mom and doing the best you can. Your son will realize it on some level. I have had a long journey with the mental health system and my son. It is frustrating and gut wrenching between the treatment that doesn't work, the diagnosis that is hard to make and the drugs they tried out on him. My heart goes to you and your family. The only thing that helped me was knowing that my son didn't remember much of his stuff after an episode. Our mental health system is really nonexistant. I wonder if the politicos will fix it? On a positive note, My son is drug free, smoking cigs instead and chosen a quiet job of security at night, where he isn't over stimulated. He wants to go to cop school, but we will see. I don't really think that that would be good for him, but I trust the universe will guide him. Mal - hope your son did well, I missed you. Woofay - I hate getting tickets. I got a 200 dollar ticket driving very slowly by a school zone, I was going 33, but didn't realize the school zone was in affect because they didn't have lights flashing, like they do where I live. The cops were lined up with radar, pulling over people. It sucked! But I just sucked it up and paid it. Dee - I would help you if I could posting the picture. I am not good at it. Woofay and Mal are stars at it. Hugs. Hugs to all - BTW I lost another pound. Now I am at my lowest weight. I upped my protein and lowered my carbs. It seems to be working. Michelle

Hi Back from Red Robin. We had a small group tonight - John, Dee and myself. Woofay thanks for letting us know. We had them save a large table and enjoyed it for the three of us. John has almost lost 100 pounds since last August. I am flabbergasted (I think that is how you spell it) - just amazed. Dee is well on the way to recovery and doing really well in the weight loss department. Way to go Banditos! We all took a box home with us, man, times have changed. The three of us sign a Dr. K card that I brought, then Dee is going to include our picture from tonight in it. Thanks Dee! That's it from Red Robin. I love the NSV's and want to add - Looking good in a belted outfit Having plenty of seat room in an airplane Feel confident being me when I enter a room and instead of wanting to hide I think there are lots more, but those come to mind. Hugs all, hope more of you can make it to RR next month. Michelle

VA -It's for his 65th birthday. Remember - Red Robin Thursday, 3/6 at 7pm (please copy and paste) Dynamo (michelle) Woofay (anita) Mal (maalani) Tied2Bfit (dee) Anyone else?????? Brandy *As long as DD is doing ok...* Hi all, I am going to a more protein based diet, to see if I cqan get off the plateau I've been on. Some of it has been caused by eating too many treats, then being really on it, so I haven't gained. My body continues to change and resculpt itself, so things are happening. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

Remember - Red Robin Thursday, 3/6 at 7pm (please copy and paste) Dynamo (michelle) Woofay (anita) Mal (maalani) Tied2Bfit (dee) Anyone else?????? Brandy *As long as DD is doing ok...* Hi all - Brandy - best wishes to DD and what the heck did you do to your foot? Lap - you are wise to pursue all the input before you make a surgical decision for your husband. It always amazes me how much life can ask of us. I wish you strength and enlightenment. Huigs. Living - you have done really well with your band. Coingratulations. Dee - I hope the moon I gave you was pretty. JK. I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday. Someone bring a camera, because mine is in the shop. Either Best Buy will fix it or replace it. Hugs, Michelle

Tina - that is fabulous. You must be really psyched. I still want to lose 70 pounds more and I was banded way before you. Dee - you passed your one month. How are you feeling? Doesn't the weight loss make it easier to deal with the gas, etc.? Woofay and Mal - see you this week. Remember - Red Robin Thursday, 3/6 at 7pm (please copy and paste) Dynamo (michelle) Woofay (anita) Mal (maalani) Tied2Bfit (dee) Anyone else?????? About my fill - it didn't happen. Dr. K is happy with my progress. He didn't want to overfill me, and said that if I wasn't hungery for three to four hours in between meals, so he was satisfied with it. I was unhappy because I showed a 3 pound gain since last month. He said it was muscle weight, and to wait a month again, before we filled my band more. He also said that since I am forgoing my BP med there will be some adjustment. MY BP med had a diuretic component to it. So I am in limbo. Making better food choices is my new mantra as I scarfed 5 vanilla wafers down at religious school this am. They didn't taste good and I wasn't hungry, I don't know why I ate them. Hope all of you are out and about. It is gorgeous today. I have this weird rash that I get periodically, so I can't be in the sun much. Guess I'll paint and sew and wonder around in a mumu or al fresco if I stay away from windows. Hugs, Michelle

Hi all - I'm almost out the door to see our dear doctor, however, I'm not sure if I get Dr. K or Tom. It sounds good either way. I'm glad he has help, so we don't get stuck at appts. I'll be back here later. Bye, Michelle

Drews - I go on Friday, so I hope your unfill worked today. Are you dropping weight and then need to get an unfill to accommodate it? I am going to get a little more. I am still PB'ing some, but a lot less than before, so I think this is a good time. Hugs all, Should I get a great big card that we all can sign at Red Robin? or is that tacky? I love the picture idea. Michelle

Maybe we can do a RR card from the gang.

GC - Sorry - I didn't mean to step on any toes, this is your journey and I respect it. I still keep my family several arm lengths away from my journey. I don't want to hear positive or negative from them about what I am doing. I told them they were part of the problem for me. I didn't even have my mom come see me after surgery for two days. She was angry, but I had to do it. We seem to have come to a place of peace. I don't allow any weight loss, diet ad' nauseum, health issues discussions. It has been a very important boundary for me to set with them, and I guess they love me enough to abide by my wishes. Altho' everyone slips, including me. Then I have to shear up the boundary lines again. Good luck with your band. I wish you the best. I am having my fill tomorrow. I was mixed up on the days. Hugs all, Michelle

:wub: Announcing ............ Anita, Miss Onederland!!! Wow! You make me want to be a better bandster. Hugs to you. You go girl! Amazing. I'll bet you, honey and the jeep are on cloud 9. Dee - I think I really need the therapy to get through the changes. I appreciate the support. Green(Viri)Chrysalis??? - we gotta get a nickname for you. Don't worry about the family. This is your journey. Well, I can't imagine being down 79 pounds like our Anita, but she does spur me on to greater losses instead of the status quo. Bless you .:blushing: Michelle

I agree Dee. There is a lot of poor medicine being practiced out there. But Dr. K is a star and is really the best in the land. He gets it and is there to support us all. I am going for a fill tomorrow. I need and want it, if I can eat half a bag of popcorn without a problem. It is really hard to get the right balance. But I believe that I am on a journey and I have all you bandsters and Doctor K to support me. I am changing my self-concept which I find is especially challenging. Especially as I have held the extra weight for a long time. I appreciate my therapy appointments too. Once again, the trick there is to find a really good therapist who has your mental health foremost in her mind, not to feel powerful and tell you are lazy when you are trying really hard. I have obviously had this happen. This is a life changing process. I didn't understand that when I started, I just wanted to get the "monkey off my back." and quickly. But the slow loss gives me time to adjust to each new stage. It is working for me. I don't miss the weight I have lost. Sorry to ramble. Hugs and see you all on the 6th. Michelle

Marcy and viri - Congratulations on your weight loss! I know we aren't a number, but it sure is wonderful incentive and true contrast to what I've been feeling. I have figured out how to stabalize my weight and I am loathe to give up the 300 - 500 cal/day that I need to do to lose weight. My body does look much thinner, firmer and fit which is a plus. I keep thinking I am adding muscle weight, but the scale isn't moving. I have a fill schedules on Thursday. I think I am going for tighter, I need help here. Anita - are you feeling better. Those darn kiddos at school carry all kinds of bugs. I developed a stronger immune system working in the schools, but now I am as susceptible as anyone else. The flu shot didn't work this year for so many people. I keep washing my hands in hopes that that will help. I do wipe down the machines where I work out, as another anti-viral exercise. Mal - you sound good when I read your postings! How goes it with the exercise? I know you are always so happy when you work out. Hugs to all, I think we have RR next Thursday???? Am I right, Dee? Marcy and Lap - you are our honorary absent RR banditos. Michelle

smsmithart - interesting name! Welcome for soon to be bandland. Yah, giving up the food is a process. Sometimes easier than other time. I am so excited for you to be going on this trip. Best wishes. I am still grieving cigarettes and it's been 30 years, so why would food be any different??? March 6th - Red Robin Hope lots of you can come!!!

Hi Everyone, I guess I haven't posted in a couple of days. I took a Zyrtex for a rash that I have and it totally knocked me out. I did finally go back to the gym and have a nice 45 min aerobic workout. It felt so good after being inactive for two days. I fell asleep on my recliner under a quilt for two hours yesterday. That is so unusual. Welcome new bandsters. I know some of you are getting banded, but I've lost the list. Thanks Mal and Lap for those foods that help us and make us look young. I really try to have something on the list every day. But where are the cookies, that I seem to keep eating? Woofay - congrats on your weight loss. What is your secret? How many calories are you consuming a day. I am jealous, and so proud of you! Wow!!!!! Best wishes all, Michelle

Tina - your son is gorgeous, and what a wonderful life he'll have with you. Both my sons are adopted and we couldn't be any closer than if we were blood. I do believe in destiny, and the stings of the universe pulling us together. Smiling on your happiness! Brandy - let us know about the chiro. It is good that you don't have to worry about throwing up, it isn't pleasant; but not hurting the band is so important. Good for you. Happy day all, I am off to the gym for a 45 minute workout. Hugs, Michelle

brandy - I just asked for verification for the surgery. That it was a medical necessity and not cosmetic. He listed my co-morbid obesity issues, which will support the IRS medical need thing. I also took some IRA out to pay and it didn't have a penalty if the surgery was a medical necessity. Who knows, I had an audit last year. You probably have lots of medical related expenses because of your daughter. My medical deduction was almost half of my income. Boy, that tells it like it is. Between acupuncture, surgery, therapy - I didn't even take off health club membership or personal training, as the IRS is fussy about that. Good luck. I just emailed my return this morning. About the chiro reaction, I wonder if he pinched a neck nerve or something, to have a reaction to that seems extreme. I don't think he could have hurt your band, while focused on your neck, but I am not a medical person. Tied? What do you think? Well, hope all is going great for you newbies and newbies to be. It is a wonderful roller coaster ride - never perfect, sometimes jolting, but always toward the goal of better health. Michelle

tied - it is so unfair when good people die like that. Her girls are going to miss her. Your memories are a wonderful tribute to her life. It is good you will share them with the family, now and later. Viri - funny about the exploding - nuclear oatmeal - Wow, what a concept! I'm glad you had a back up protein shake with you. Good thinking! Tiny - welcome. Are you local? You'll have to join us at Red Robin if you are. We are a great group of supportive, positive people. We all struggle, and share our pain, growth, and personal challenges here. Bahot - you are doing whatever you can. I agree the hand washing seems to help too. Just get enough sleep, vit. C is good and eat healthy. It's all we can do. There is a bug that is getting a lot of people now, even with flu shots, people seem to be coming down with it. Well, I have been doing my taxes on Turbo Tax. I can't believe it is always this complicated. You almost need a degree in accounting to get through it. I wanted to take the cost of my home flooding off, but couldn't figure it out. I also did put in the lap surgery, then realized the money I took out of my tax shelter to pay for the surgery hasn't sent the form I need. And for sure, if it is a printed form, the IRS computer will find it. Sooooooooooooooooooooo, I did enough and now for more fun endeavors. Hugs all, Michelle

So sorry Mal and Tied. Grief is an all consuming process. It comes and goes in intensity, but take a long, long time to accept the loss, if ever. Mal - I am concerned with teenage suicide. I think that the schools, because of the political climate, aren't able to counsel kids like they used to. The schools are the front line when it comes to teens and depression. When I first started teaching there were all sorts of workshops for teachers about depression, suicide and warning signs. Now the schools are so pushed for "achievement" that the kids feel that pressure in addition to the peer stuff which can be awful. I told one of my friends, who is a high school counselor, that our politicians won't realize what they are doing with this "no child left behind" pressure, that the increase of suicide is predicable. So sorry your children are in this cycle right now. Parents need to scream, then something will happen to better support the kids' needs. Enough soapbox. Tied - Yes, the BP thing was extremely scary. They took me to SkyRidge (nice hospital), but I knew what it was, because it had happened before. I encouraged them to release me and two days later my BP popped up again. I am hoping I can manage it without the chemical that seems to put me into a BP tailspin. I am 145/85, which is a little high. I was hoping - ie: dreaming that I could be completely off the medication, but the reality is such that I will probably need something. I am logging the pressures I take for two weeks and then I will have a phone conference. Marcy - I too want to see the pictures from your frozen ocean. Good luck with your fill. I have one scheduled for leap day, the 29th. Bahot - been there, done that. The supervisor thing with middle and high school kids can be rewarding, when everyone emerges from the long weekend alive. That irritates me so much that a mom wouldn't come and get her sick daughter. I think that is so lousy. Good for you taking away the phones, so those cuties would go to sleep. Overtired teens are not a pretty picture. I do like the texting thing, as a teacher of writing, this is precisely what is meant by getting kids to "write with a purpose." hee..hee Hugs, Michelle

Viri - let us know again, sooner to when you'll be here, and perhaps we can meet an additional time to greet you. Mal and Mare and John and Dee (tied) all live very locally, others I am sure I forgot to name live close too. So we can do this. Our support get togethers have been really important for me, so we'd love to include you. I am doing ok without BP meds, but my BP is creeping up without the diuretic and medication. This morning it was 154/94, which is higher than it has been. One more week of this, then I will be talking with my doc. It makes me nervous to have a chronic thing to monitor. Hugs all - you newbies seem to be really doing well. Hurray! Michelle

hi all - Just back from Breckenridge. You couldn't pay me to live 24/7 in the mountains, damn it was cold and windy. But the views - OMG! When the sky is clear, the blue is the bluest and the mountain peaks are so white against that blue - well there is nothing like it. So just kidding about being paid, I'd love it. Mikey, my nephew's 3 year old BD party was fun, it was at the Children't Museum there, which made it an easy type of party. Lots of running kiddos and sibs, everyone eating. Many parents chatting and eating too. I am doing well. I survived the trip to the ER, Valentine's Day without a honey, and life without totally undoing myself. I am definitely ready for a fill, the "fullness" I used to feel is gone, gone, gone. So I am ready to tighten it up again. I have been knitting purses, then felting them. What fun! Hugs all, Michelle

Amieru - I second what Woofay says, she's a trained dietician and knows her stuff. I also think that you can wash away a bad eating day by super hydration with water and eating really lean stuff. The thing about the band isn't that you blow it one day and that is the end of the diet; it is a lifestyle change. I have found myself much more aware of the food I put in my mouth. I am more honest about it and unhappy though I may be, I try to accept a transgression as part of the process. It isn't a race, but it sure feels good to drop those extra pounds. Woo Hoo! 9 days and counting. My next fill is on the 29th and I can feel the need. I find that I am not as full after eating as I was before. It doesn't stay with me, and yesterday I didn't eat lunch so I ate a piece of reduced fat coffee cake and ate a half bag of popcorn at the movies (old behaviors), which is something my band wouldn't have allowed if it was tight enough. So, there you have my guilt Ameiru. I did log the calories and the guilt on my calorie king site. I worked out both yesterday and today, so I will have to go from here. I need to say to myself, this isn't a good or bad thing, just part of the process. We are trying to decide whether we can drive into the mountains for my nephew's third birthday. My mom is a white knuckle passenger, if it was just me, I'd go. I am checking with CDOT. I don't want whiteout conditions like Woofay had on her ride home Mal, Dee, Mare, John, Lap and everbody else - how are you doing? Hugs all, Michelle

bahotmama - thanks for the support. I feel fine, it was the episode of the very low BP that was horrible. Now I am more regular. The meds are going out of my system. I hope I can be off them permanently. Woofay - I don't know if I told you, but you looked completely different last time. Your body is now fitting your little face and neck. Hoorah!!! Mal - we won't talk to you if you don't come to RR next time. Just kidding. How is the stop smoking thing going? Is it any easier? I subbed all day at the high school and really enjoyed it. I think that would be a fun thing to do again, at least part time. Hugs to all, Michelle

fatwidow - good for you. Some of us, me in particular, would use the setback as another reason to eat. The water is a great way to start exercise. It is gentle on the body parts, and I think psychologically it is good to get into a suit, and be honest about the bod. Lap - I hope you are recovering. The schools are such a hotbed of virus and flu, I have started subbing again, and I wash my hands with purell all day long. I cringe when I hear a bronchial cough, sneezing, etc. Everyone - Well - i had a red banner day Tuesday. I worked out and my blood pressure dropped so radically I fainted. Good thing I was with my trainer and she caught me as I fainted from sitting on a weight bench. Whew! That is the worst feeling. The EMT's took me to the hospital. My first thought was I wondered if the guys were cute. They had trouble getting my radial pulse. My pressure was 90/54. I am sure it was my BP medication that Kaiser changed because they didn't like my old medication. I was in the ER for two hours, the healthiest patient around. They felt I was stable and dismissed me after bloodwork and a chest X-ray. Anyway, long story short, my pressure was low for 48 hours. Now, I am trying it without meds and monitoring my BP at home. So far the highest it has gone is 142/84, and mostly it is in the 130s over 80. I may not need meds, we'll see. Hugs all, Michelle

lifesaver - Some people are given a card with the type and size of band. I think he puts in the type of band that best fits your body. At RR we were talking about it and people have all different sizes, and it wasn't based on their size, so you have me there. I have a 4cc band, each little bit of fill has the potential to overfill, Dr. K mentioned that this style band has some design flaws that he has sent to the company, but the band, flaws and all is still in me. It is working, so what the heck? But no idea how you can get the info at this late time. Woofay - so glad you are doing well. I support what you said to Artsy. marcy - ok, so glad you are in love with your husband, it is the best. I envy you. My honey died 7 1/2 years ago. I hope to find someone to cuddle with as soon as I find the right guy. Hugs to all, Michelle

smsmithart - welcome! Don't let negative talk discourage you. This is a place for gripes and cheers. We are on the hardest journey of our lives, total lifestyle overhaul, so there are some glitches, ya think??? Anyway, I'm one who has griped, PB'ed, overeaten, PB'ed, complained - but bottom line, would I do it all over again? YES! in a minute. The band has been the only way I can confront my stuff without giving me the chance to regain the weight I've already lost, while I'm working on my stuff. The band has put my psychological and eating issues in my face. It isn't easy, but very worth it! brandy - I think the benefit of going to the gym twice a day is that the residual metabolic boost will apply to both workouts, so your body is more revved all day. I would worry about burnout, but the gym is a wonderful place to be. No one is stuffing their face, and the bods are fun to look at. Have a great day everyone, Michelle