Lioness81970

I have since long given up on MCD's shakes!! Best investment I EVER made was in a smoothie maker and nothing that MCD's or any of them other places can compare to what I can make!! Thanks for the recipie. I am DEDFINATELY going to try it out. I suppose I can use Splenda in place of Stevia right? I have never heard of it and don't even know where to buy it......

lol - I am so glad to have read this thread. I have others to feel my misery!! I LOVED McD's fries - especially with a strawberry shake on the side. I haven't had them in about a year. I can only eat mashed potatos in moderation but any other type of potato and I will be crying or running to the porcilan God!! Same problem with bread, rice and tortillas - which was just as hard for me since I grew up on tortillas (I am 1/2 mexican!!)

not in a million. Like Alexandra I too was "healthy" being fat. I have seen too many people at work that have had bypass surgery 3 of which are in my own department and all of them have said to me that they wished they would have known about the band instead of going the route they have gone. Each one of them has had complications or can't stop loosing weight or just can't eat. I have 4 kids and they are my priority. So if I ever had to loose my band I would just have to be fat and accept it. I couldn't jeopardize my children loosing me just to be skinny.

I have some clothes that I can't fit anymore - ranging from sizes 22 - 26. In very good condition. There isn't a lot but if someone on here can use them please let me know otherwise I am going to donate the things to the Salvation Army for Hurricane Katrina victims.

because of your weight? I was just wondering because there is something that I have always wanted to do but never did because my weight was a big factor in it. Now that I have lost the majority of my weight I have decided that I was going to do this and people are telling me that I am crazy. I decided to come to all of you to get your opinion since we are all going through the same thing and maybe get some different advice. I have decided to join the military......leaning towards the Naval Reserves. Ever since high school I wanted to go to the military. Had taken the ASVAB and was all primed to go to the Air Force.....then I got pregnant. Then I got fat and I just kind of gave up on ever joining. Just within the last 3 months has it really started to bother me that I never did it and decided to just go to the websites on a whim and see what the age requirements were. To my suprise they were between 38 and 40 - I'm only 35. So I have decided that for the next 6 months I am going to work my ass off (literally) so that I can pass the physical and get through basic training and just go for it. I haven't gotten a lot of support aboutdoing this from family and friends...and given the current circumstances of the world I can't say that I blame them for feeling the way they do....but shouldn't this be about how I feel and what my desires are? My kids are excited and really supportive and I think I may have inspired my 16 year old to look into joining as well. So what do you all think?

Best advice that someone on this board ever gave was - get rid of the scale!! Had I not done that I would have obessed about my weight on a daily basis. Now I don't weigh myself until I go to the doctor and cmpare what my weight was prior and what it is now. Weight can fluctuate from day to day. The best way to tell is by the way your clothes are fitting you. You may not be loosing pounds but you may be loosing inches which is a good thing!! Try not to pay attention to what the scale says but by what your clothes say. It's easier said than done but you may be pleasantly suprised!!!

Seperated mother of 4 children - 2 boys and 2 girls between 5 and 15. I will be 35yo on Aug 19th. I have a pitbull names Scooby who I guess you could sayis my 5th child. I am a Days of Our Lives JUNKIE!!!!

Mixed drink!! Fiction or non-fiction?

It was under local. I did ask the doc for something to help calm my nerves (cause I was really scared too) and he was happy to gve me something. There was absoutely no pain involved - even after the pain meds wore off and I was back to work the next day.

Vanilla! Beer or mixed drink?

Flower - I sent u a PM a couple of days ago.....did u get it?

Well mine is sexual in nature........what can I say? I'm 34 and in the prime of my life. Loosing all this weight ain't helped matters either. I think I'm turning into a nympho.........Don't want to offend anyone so I won't post it here BUT I can assure you once it happens u will all be the first to know!!

Well I think that's about the only exercise I'm getting right now.........but it seems to be working!! My friend says I'm draining what little youth he has left. I told him to shut up and take it like a man!!

covered mine too in Wisconsin

Ok - so I am down 100 pounds and loving it but here is the problem. I do the treadmill, the eliptical and swimm BUT my hips will NOT BUDGE!!!! With everything I do I am loosing all the weight in my upper body and my legs but my hips just won't go anywhere. Does anyone know of any good exercises that I can do to trim them down? To give you all an indication of what I mean I started wearing a 26/28 tops and bottoms but I am now a 16 top and anywhere from a 18 to 22 bottom. I am FRUSTRATED!!!!! :ermm

It could also be too that these are people that you see everyday so they really aren't trying to be mean or anything but just don't really see it. WHen I first started loosing weight I still wore all of the same clothes I wore before. I coulnd't afford (still can't) to go out and buy new clothes but when I finally got some extra money and did get some stuff that fit me - the very first day I went to work everone came out of the wood work and was like "Wow - you have lost a lot of weight. We didn't even notice cause you were wearing all your old stuff." People I didn't even know but had just seen in passing were saying the same thing to me. Talk about a ego boost. I thought people just weren't saying anything cause they were jealous too. So now every chance I get I wear something that shows off my figure. A year ago I never would have thought abuot wearing a tank top and now I will wear something off the shoulder!! Don't worry - when you least expect it - that's when you will get it!! Keep up the GREAT WORK!!!

I'm with you DeLarla - I could eat the house if it wasn't bolted down. I am struggling with it right now!! Why couldn't I have been like this on the 4th? Made all this food and all I could eat was 1/2 a brat and a few spoonfuls of baked beans!! What luck I have!!!

well I'm biased cause I work for Time Warner but I love my cable connection. Never have a problem and it's quick!! My aunt switched from cable to DSL and wishes she hadn't - and is stuck with it right now for the next year cause she is in the contract.

Well since there were no Leos posting to the post I feel obligated to represent us!!

Actually - this is something that I have struggled with over the last 3 months....and it took ME awhile to realize why I was doing what I was doing to myself. Do you know what I finally realized? I was doing it cause I was scared. Believe it or not that was the reason. I don't know if I can exxlain it but I will try. When I was fat - things were comfortable. I blended in or was barely noticed. I had a husband but no friends and everyone accepted me the way that I was - but me. That was the reason that I chose to have the surgery. I may have seemed happy but deep down I wasn't. I couldn't get in and out of bed without my knees hurting and I couldn't go into was what perceived as a "normal" person's store to go buy clothes and my social life was nonexsistant! Then after I had the surgery and I started loosing weight people started noticing me. I wasn't the wallflower that I used to be. I started getting asked to go places and all of a sudden people wanted to be my friend. I developed newfound confidence that I guess I always had but was buried under all the layers of fat that I had. I was getting everything that I wanted........and it scared me!!! I started eating and grazing and snacking and I was doing it subconciously and it wasn't until one of my kids pointed it out to me that I had realized I was changing back to the old me, the comfortable me. I've lost 98 pounds and still have between 40 and 50 to be at goal but loosing 100 pounds is like loosing a person and I got scared that I would loose myself. I know that all of this may sound crazy - especially to someone who hasn't had surgery or ever had a weight problem but I'm hoping I explained myself to all of you that you all understand. I am finally back on track and I know it my heart that I WANT to loose the rest of the weight. I just had to get past that roadbump to realize it!!

OHHHHH............I love this thread!!! I read every chance I get. Everyone at work call me the book lady cause I ALWAYS have a book with me. As of yesterday I just finished the 5th installment in the Harry Potter series. I know - I am 34 years old but let me tell ya I love Harry Potter!!! I can't WAIT for the 6th one to come out - already have it on pre-order. But prior to that I read a book called "The 5 People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. It was a beautiful book and I would suggest reading it to anyone. It will touch your heart and make you think!!! Now I am getting ready to start "The 3rd Life of Grange Copeland" by Alice Walker. Alex - I remember being in school in about the 4th grade and reading "are you there God? It's me, Margarite" by Judy Blume and I fell in love with reading. THen I read THE OUTSIDERS and was REALLY HOOKED and man oh man I drove everyone crazy with wanting to have a new book. I didn't want a toy - I wanted a book!!! Ever since I have read atleast 4 books a month. Now keep in mind there are times when I do have to take a break cause real world responsibilities take over. My children love to read. Believe it or not my 8 year old read the 4th book of Harry Potter - all 700 and something pages of it. I actually couldn't believe it. When I asked her what happened in the book and what were her favorite parts I was actually astonished that she comprehended what she read. I have always read to my kids and I guess that's what made them love reading now. My 8 year old touched my heart when she said she reads casue she wants to be smart like mommy.

I was Fearless Dreamer.....does that mean I'm not scared to dream??

that's a weird question. I've lost about 98 pounds and used to wear a 28. I have lost the majority of the weight on the top portion and am wearing about a 16/18 but on the bottom I wear 22/24. I guess it all depends on the person and where it is lost.

The major thing that really has people take notice is I wear heels. At 308 that was not an option. I would have broken an ankle or leg or the heel itself. But now I can do that and my feet don't hurt. I also wear makeup and wear more form fitting clothes. My confidence has soared through the roof and I always have a smile on my face now. The band is the best thing that could have ever happened to me!!

wow - it's weird to read that....I remember feeling like that too!! The weirdest thing about it is that I was so scared that the band wasn't going to work for me and reading all the posts from the vets. What a difference a year can make. I'm like you Meghan - I feel like I've been banded my whole lie. But it's not that - it's just we have a whole NEW life!!! By the way - does anyone know whatever happened to Leo??