Penni60

Supper night before last was Outback steakhouse with chicken breast and broccoli. Supper last night was left over from lunch: Deli turkey slices from my favorite New York style Deli in Northridge called "Brent's". Cup of split pea soup with roast meat. Supper tonight ??????

That is wonderful. I am so happy for you and your niece. Make sure you get some before pics and your measurements. I did that and it has really pulled me out of a slump when I didn't "SEE" any changes. I compared my measurements and was shocked to see how much inches I have lost. Good luck and welcome aboard.

Awww darnit it and I wanted to join that challenge. JUST KIDDING Michelle. I think the humor was lost somewhere. LOL!!! Let's get back to it. Come on everyone LAUGH a really big LAUGH with me OK. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

Rhonda, several of us here have been banded by Dr. Lopez. Some have had good experiences and others like myself and Lisa have had not so good experiences. In the end it all worked out but just make sure you have a band surgeon that will do your aftercare that is close to home. Good luck and best wishes for an uneventful recovery period.

Venti Cafe Mocha -- Addicted I tell you. Hey have any of you tried STarbuck's new Liquor? I have some and it is divine. Over rocks and with a little milk it is to die for. YUM YUM!!!

What what?? Did I miss something while I was out walking? Aww Zoe, I hate seeing you go on steroids but if the back issue will be helped by them then I guess you gotta. Steroids bad food bad the Two together EVIL!!!!

240 lbs for me DOWN 2 lbs WHOO HOO!!

240 this morning DOWN 2 lbs. WHOO HOO!!

Hey, Jamie (jammin and losin) is getting banded this Friday the 18th as well. Good luck and come back and fill us in on how you are doing. Welcome aboard!!

OK I give which is Lisa and which is the Ass? LOLOL!!!

Babs: I am with you on the Amazing Race challenge. I would do that in a heart beat. Swan - of course hello!!! Chance to get complete body makeover and not have to pay for a dime of it. What is to think about? What not to wear - New York City shopping. ENOUGH SAID!! Trading Spaces - Love love love Paige. Carter, YUM YUM!! Faber YUM YUM!! But the all time fav carpenter is Ty. I love that man. Survivor - I would like to do it just for the experience. I wouldn't care if I won or not. LOL!! Biggest Loser - Trainers and chefs. OH YEAH!! Any makeover series is cool with me. For those that wouldn't wanna be filmed every waking moment. Been there done that. No biggie. My boyfriend, JOHN, is a singer songwriter. In 2000 we did a cross country tour. From Weare, NH and back to Los Angeles doing House COncerts. We took a Los Angeles based film crew with us and they filmed every single moment. I mean EVERY moment. Well within reason of course. There is a hot tub scene au naturale shot. You can't really see anything but the whole crew was in the bathroom with us while we were in the tub. LOL!!! Kinda fun actually. You get to the point you forget they are there. John is not in the finishing stages of editing the film for release later this year hopefully. Anyway, I am up for any and all reality shows. If there are swimming issues then someone has to do that cause I can't swim. LOL!!

Crystal: HUGE white light of healing being sent your way. Lots of prayers for a speedy recovery. I am so excited for you.

Hey Kim, hope you don't mind I resized the pic for you. What a lovely family. Isn't it great that we have all this energy now just from losing the weight. HOORAY!!!

Never heard of a protein formula. My doc told me to take in from 50 - 60g of protein a day.

Nichole: I noticed that as well. HMMM? Wonder what happened?

I have pulled my port site I don't know how many times. LOL!! Too many ab crunches, coughing too hard, laughing too hard, etc. Anything that uses your abs alot can aggravate the port. It is actually stitched to your ab muscle area and anytime you over exert your abs it can become aggravated. I use a heating pad and take Tylenol for the pain. If it becomes hot to touch and doesn't go away in a few days then certainly tell you doc about it. It usually clears up in a few days. Just rest the abs as much as you can. When you have to cough then brace your abdomen with a pillow or with your hands. That can help.

awww I am so sorry for your trials right now. Thank God it could have been so much worse.

6 days and counting. WHOO HOO!!

Just some more funnies to read. This was sent to me by a friend of mine. TOO FUNNY!! I can relate to about oh, say ALL of them. LOL!! 25 SIGNS YOU HAVE GROWN UP 1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them. 2. Having sex not in bed is out of the question. 3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge. 4. 6:00AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed. 5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator. 6. You watch the Weather Channel. 7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of "hook up" and "break up." 8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14. 9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up." 10. You're the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won't turn down the stereo. 11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you. 12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore. 13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up. 14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers. 15. sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt. 16. You take naps from noon to 6 PM 17. dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one. 18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach. 19. If you're a gal, you go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests. 20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff." 21. You actually eat Breakfast food at breakfast time. 22. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never going to drink that much again." 23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work. 24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar. 25. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you and can't find one to save your sorry old butt. Then you forward it to a bunch of old pals & friends 'cause you know they'll enjoy it & do the same.

About a month. Maybe 6 weeks. Best investment I ever did other than the band of course.

Welcome on board Michelle: Lots of great advice and support here. Peruse the archives and use the search tool. Oh, and don't be shy about asking questions. We all love to talk here. LOL!!

{{{{{{{{{{{{MELANIE}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} I think that at some point most of us second guess our decision. And yes I can see where you would think you had made the wrong choice when you see your friends losing so much faster than you. I am a slow loser as well. And yes it is frustrating, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have been on programs where you lose the weight fast and believe me I did not feel as good losing it fast as I do now losing it slow. The bypass works for some people but they do have a "window" of opportunity for losing. And they can gain most if not all of the weight back at some point. THink about this, in the next year or so you will at or near goal and your friends could be gaining. Then who would have made the right decision? I don't want to sound like I am demeaning the choice they made. It was their choice and it is working for them. But Melanie this band is working for you too. You just hit a wall like most of us have and now we really have to work WITH the band. I have been on a long plateau right now. I know I am not following the rules and I am not eating the right foods. I am not thinking it was a bad choice to get the band. I know I have to get back on track and work it again. Losing weight is hard work. That part sucks. Gaining weight is easy. That part sucks. Support is a must in this weight loss process. We are here for you. We support you and feel your frustration. This too shall pass. WORK WITH THE BAND!!

I'm there for ya Christina. And just as a side note, I walk in my neighborhood park every morning and the winner from the first Loser show, RYAN, happens to run there as well. I stopped him one morning and congratulated him on his loss and his win. LOL!! He laughed. He still looks like he did when he won the money. Others on the show have stated they hired a personal trainer to maintain that level of exercise and push they got from the ranch. I told Christina last night on the phone that I would not maintain the rigor and structure that you are exposed to while at the ranch of losers. I know me too well. While in that type of structured environment and have access to personal trainers and various other things anyone could lose weight. But the key is and the one thing I found lacking in this show is a counselor of sorts to get to the core of why we are obese. That show dealt with the physicality of weight loss and not the mental aspect of it. CHristina I'll support whatever decision you make. Just remember us lowly people when you win the loser money. WINK WINK!! I accept bills in $20 increments.

Teresa Ok I read the SWINGING OBJECT part cause it was in all caps and I got all excited. LOL!!! I will stop there. WHOO HOO!! Way to go T. Isn't it great when you accomplish something that you would never have thought you could do. When I walk now I incorporate a "wog" into my routine. What is a wog you ask? (WOG = Walk and Jog combo). LOL!! faster than a walk but slower than a jog. It isn't race walking either. That is just too weird looking to me. LOL!!! Heel toe Heel toe LOL!! KUDOS Teresa! YES change your avatar soon.

HOLD THE PHONE!! News flash!! AIN'T gonna happen!!! SORRY had to yell it. LOL!!!