Suzzzie.

Joeygirl - I'm one of those people who've lost 90 pounds... but LOOK at how much I have to lose! THat is a HUGE factor! I still have 141 to go!! Most people don't START with needing to lose that much! Lol. So yeah, when you see that someone has lost 60,70,80,90, etc pounds oin the same time it took you to lose 50, DON'T FEEL BAD! You've done GREAT!

J - I can't drink water before bed... it likes to slide back up when I lay down. This is hard for me because for as long as I have been alive I've had to have a glass of water before bed!! Mom used to tell us that it cleaned our kidneys while we slept, haha, and while I know this isn't so much true, it's now a habit I miss. I normally don't eat anything beyond about 8 or 9pm though, but I'm sure it would try to snake up too. As far as sleep being for wimps - then I'm the biggest wimp of all!! I seriously HAVE to have at least 8-10 hours of UNinterrupted sleep. My cats try to wake me up and they get the spray bottle cause I ain't dealing with it! God forbid I ever reproduce!! If I have nights where I get less than 8 hours, I will easily sleep 10-12 the following night! Even if that means going to bed at 8pm!!

lol. maybe a 'shot' of an adult beverage would be better??

Woot! No worries. Just got a call back from the Gas company and got that $42 paid. So I will have HEAT! Yayness. I know I'm such a goober. My mom has lectured me for years and years about this problem. Unless the mail is "shiney" (like a magazine or something) I don't mess with it. I have a huge pile of bills. Lol. The only bills I have to actually write out checks for are Gas, Water, and rent. My water has been nearly shut off a few times too! I get the WARNING envelope which is usually a different color (therefore "shiney") and it gets my attention. Ha! I need a better system!

THat was a GREAT post Big Baby!! I totally agree. I was watching Big Medicine last night and they were doing a lap band and DrDavis explained that when a banded Patient eats the blood vessels engorge and send our brains the "I'm Full" feeling much much sooner than pre-band. It's not so much that food is staying in the 'little stomach' as that as it is passing through it puts a bit of pressure against the walls, therefor signalling the blood stream and then activating hormones and signals in our brains. People always mention about food staying in the 'pouch', it's not supposed to. For me, I think that is when I'm stuck. Anything that hangs out above the band is a stuck thing! (and for me is very painful.) It all just goes through slower now... So cold here... and I'm BAD about paying bills (I just forget!) so I think my Gas service will be shut off today unless I pay like $42 more dollars! OMG! I paid $100 last night over the phone by credit card, but it only lets you make one phone payment every 24 hours! I had to split the payment between 2 credit cards. I'm such a retard. I only remember to pay rent cause the landlords come to the door to collect it, or else I"d probably be homeless! Most of my other bills are paid by automatic debit.

bang ... bang

Like - OMG - Did you know that there is a TV show called "Cycling"? Its on cable channel "VS" as in 'versus'... tonight is the 2008 Tour of California. Very very fun!

Rhonda, I understand the frustration with staying the same weight (been toying with the same 10 pounds for a couple months!) But if you look at ppl who are full on 2-3 bites... what kind of nutrition are their bodies getting? SURE I get FULL on about 2 bites of salad (3-4 bites get me stuck and then I PB) but does that mean I should eat a couple bites of salad everyday and call it done? That is NOT enough food or the proper nutrition for me (or anyone!) I really don't see how 1/2 cup food 3 or 4 times a day is enough either? Of course... if you are eating 1/2 cup of fresh raw fruits/veggies you'll lose weight like crazy, whereas if you eat 1/2 cup ice cream (but who can stop there?!) you'll likey lose some weight - but not like we should. Sigh. I don't think I'm making my point. I just don't want ANYONE to get frustrated with their bands!! I can promise that it isn't the bands' fault that we aren't losing like we want - but that we are defeating ourselves. It's like... back in high school or college and you have a test coming up... you had to study or you'd fail. If owning the books and pens and note cards were enough to pass the test thats all we would have done. But nope, you actually have to put in the work... MUCH TO MY DISMAY! (I use this example cause I'm 'working' on my RN and have the books but haven't cracked one in weeeeeeeeeeks, maybe months!) HANG IN THERE!

I can eat bread. As I've whined about before, I can eat bread fine and cannot eat more than 2 bites of salad! Ugh!! I am limited on bread though, can't eat a whole sandwich, but I can get about 1/2 of it without getting stuck. Oh joy. Sitting here now eating Kashi crackers and Hummus. Lol. 4 or 5 of the crackers and I"m done! Stef, send one of those spare bikes up to KC for me?!?! I'm so poor... thinking about tinkering around the thrift stores for a 'starter' bike. Ugh!! Beckie - Stefs little local bike ride got me thinking... you live nearish me! We should like walk or jog or bike or go eat ice cream together. Haha. Seriously though. What days/times would be good? Even if we could meet once a week or so just to walk a few miles?! Insub - I'd say to stay on the anti-depressants for a few months, and then talk to your doc about weening off of them. I know that you know this, but you should never just 'quit' taking them because that would cause major mood swings and can cause suicidal ideation. So, ween slowly. Glad you got what you needed to get you through your rough patch!!

Oh drats! I still live in Kansas City!

I'll snag a bunch of Lube from the hospital for Stefs party! Woot! Burnt chickens and nasty lubed bananas - what more could we ask for?!?!

BigBaby - For now I'm still thrilled with being in the 200's!! Lol. Though I've been toying in the 290's for a month now... maybe longer. I'm really struggling with the 'soft' foods... you know, chocolate and that frozen creamy stuff that Stef doesn't like me to talk about. Haha. TODAY is the day that I will eat solid foods all day. Lol. I have GREAT restriction, so, like yesterday, I got totally satisfied (near full) off of ONE meatball from a pasta dish. I didn't eat anything else for about 2 hours when all of a sudden M&Ms sounded good. Lol. So yeah. I WILL break out of the 290's by the end of next week!!

ha! See Stef!!! It's a SIGN!!!!

All nurses are underpaid and underappreciated. THe responsibilty is HUGE and we're constanly having to pick up after the doctors errors, or WE get blamed! Lol. (I work in a teaching hospital, so we have to be VERY careful and always second guess the docs!) Also, Turler, you said you need Union- we ARE union at my hospital! Doesn't help much though. LPNs and CNAs are in a different union than RNs and Docs. We're "nonprofessional" ha! Oh well. I'll have my RN by the end of this year - come hell or high water!

I don't get attatched. I think that helps with the job really. Maybe you'd want a nurse that gets more emotionally involved... but I just feel like I am here to do a job. Get in, get out. I feel like if you name the puppy then you'll love the puppy then you'll miss the puppy... I never name the puppy. All of my patients are either Mr or Mrs so and so, or I love to use the term "Kid" or "Kiddo" which they love cause you know I'm 30 and they are usually 40s-90s. Lol. I do admit to getting attatched a few times, but I'm very accepting as death as part of the circle of life. Death isn't really that sad for me, more like I'm happy for them that they've moved on and gone 'home'. In my personal life though, when someone I love dies I get sad but I mostly greive cause I'm selfish and want my loved ones with me forever. Lol. BG - RNs make the big money. LPNs get shit on. The CNAs in my hospital make about the same as I make - some make more.

It's like a love fest in here! I LOVE Onc... I'm an LPN now, once I get my RN (hopefully by the end of this year!) I want to get back into Hospice. It's my first love.

Stef should really be a personal trainer! SHe's great!

THIS made me laugh sooooooooo hard!! You're a nurse? How cool. I'm all nursey too... But I work Onc... not nearly as much fun as ER or OR. Lol. Ya'll are a hoot. I love yous and all of your lack of PCness. (that kinda sounds like penis)

I have it here somewhere... haven't read it yet though. See, I'm too lazy to even READ about exercise!! Winter can bite my ass. We've had more snow this year than we're supposed to. I'm done with it. And it's going to be in the 40s here today, drop into single digits overnight and then only be in the upper teens or low 20s tomorrow! Ugh!!!!!!!!

My hair falls out DAILY. So annoying. My hair is still thick, but much less thick than it was. Keep the ends trimmed up - not sure WHY but it does help it to fall out less if your ends are healthy. Weirdness.

Daily!!! Lol. I still sleep in mine.

Aww Stef! We love you!!!

You look geat!

I'm 5'10" and wearing my SPANX for the first time today. I love them.... but they DO come down in the back. As soon as I sat down the back rides down, and my butt isn't THAT big. Lol. The only thing on my thats not fat is my butt! Ha! So yeah, I do notice a difference in my pants with the SPANX on though... but I'd like more suckerinner power in the belly region.

Beckie, Thats awesome that he is trying to lose weight with you! Ya'll will rock and feel so much better cause you've done it togethr!