beckiet

ja9va, great to hear from you!! I know what you mean about winter...while I don't have seasonal depression, I completely understand it. We've had so much snow here and ice and it just makes me long for spring and early summer when I can walk outside with ease.

Thanks, Suzzzie! I hope this really sticks with him. I love him dearly and I worry about his heart etc. Hopefully his doc has gotten through to him enough.

Hi, everyone! Yeah, Suzzzie and I were blessed with snow, snow, snow and most melted the same day. I live on the north side, so I got about 5 inches or so. Captain Dan: I agree with everyone here...your pictures look amazing! Lunch is a great way to break the ice and see how things go. Good luck and have fun!!! Hubby and I are now doing a Biggest Loser type challenge with weigh-ins on Sunday mornings. Week before last his doc told him he was borderline diabetic and would be diabetic fully if he kept going the same path...and we found he needs to lose like 12 inches from his gut. It was a definite wake up call to him for his doctor to be so forthright with him...I've told him over and over again, but God bless his doc for laying it out for him. Last week: I won. I only lost 1.2 lbs, he "lost" 0.5 lbs. (he tried to tell me he rounded his initial weigh-in because it would have been a gain..so I let him count what he thought he weighed last Sunday as his starting weight.)

Suzzzie, so glad that Asher is doing better and the doc thinks its non-cancerous. Keep us posted! Rhonda, just another note to let you know we're all thinking of you. bigbaby, I don't know about a slipped band, but call your doctor if in doubt...from my experience (flipped port), they are the first source of info and a even just a phone call can make you feel more relaxed and relieved...it could be something little and they can provide you with lots of information.

Hi, Rhonda! Well, I ended up getting 1/2cc so that puts me at 3.5 cc in a 4 cc band. We'll see how it goes. Today, of course, I'm on clear liquids and since it's been so long since my last fill (end of Sept.) I was horrified thinking I'd be hungrier than I am...I'm amazed! So far everything is going down okay. I've only had 6 oz. of pineapple juice and 3 cups water/crystal light today. All, I read a neat article today on sparkpeople and I had to share it: 12 Tips to Drink 8 Cups a Day If you're having trouble getting in your water, this is a good article. I had already bought myself a half gallon water jug that I keep by my side nearly 24/7. But the second tip mentioned stickers on the bottle...and I thought...why not? So now my little clear plastic half-gallon jug also has some beautiful stickers and some rhinestones on it...a little Bling to Drink.

Suzzzie, any word on Asher? I'm thinking of you. I know it's not tough. I had to put my angel pomeranian "Wendy" down while in a high-risk pregnancy and try not to get upset...that didn't quite happen - nearly 3 years ago. Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you. O2B, I am so sorry to hear about your grandfather. My prayers go out to you and your family. I go to the doc today. Going to see if I can get a tiny fill. I think I'm about to the sweet point, but not quite. I'm scared of getting over-filled, but I know that at the rate I'm going, maintaining basically, I'm not going to get anywhere.

Any word on Missy yet? I know her appointment was today.

Thanks, Everyone! Those two are my angels and a huge inspiration to me to get healthy. They love to dance with me so much that I'm even working on teaching them a few of my Zumba steps. Jewels loves it and Robbie says "shake, shake, shake" so now when I am exercising with my group I can't help but hear his little voice saying that.

Missy! I am thinking of you and will put you in prayers. Hopefully taking out some fluid will help.

Thanks, Suzzzie! I'm enjoying the new clothes and the "old but new" clothes. This was one of my favorites at one time. Thanks, Wombat...those two are my angels. They are a huge, huge reason for me to get healthy. I'm in-between styles right now...I'm at the point I just want to cut it and go back with the Lisa-Rinna style but hubby wants me to grow it out.

Wombat, you look amazing! Everyone does! Way to go, gang! Well, I finally got my pictures developed...now to figure out how to do this thing. I can't find any scanned pre-surgery...sorry. Please ignore hair...this was after a long day at work...but I hadn't worn that skirt in years

BB, I looked up Dallas on zumba.com and there are several places that offer it. Sorry to hear your gym doesn't. Maybe some of these are close to you: North Lake College Lady of America Studio 3 Dance Park Cities YMCA Larry North Southlake Ladies Workout Express YMCA Lake Highlands Express Fitness Coppell YMCA It Figures John Haley Elementary and more

Rhonda, BB is right...it's latin dancing aerobics. I absolutely love it! I used to do Richard Simmon's Sweatin' to the Oldies back in High School...and I never really thought that I could do the moves to Zumba...but I can. There are several in my class who are large like me. www.zumba.com even offers a DVD set for workouts. BB, where are you from? The group that teaches us here at work (in KC) is called Casa De Fitness and the girls are just wonderful. One of them through diet as well lost over 80 pounds with diet and Zumba...she is an inspiration to me. I want to go tonight, but we got 4 inches of snow at my farm last night and unfortunately in the mad rush to carry my 2 toddlers to the car without getting their little feetsies wet (lol) etc. I didn't pack my gym bag. While my slacks would be okay...my snow boots would probably be a hindrance. Who knows...I might try it anyways.

I've added Wombat, Suzzzie and Steph to my SparkPeople page. I'm doing good tracking so far, but this is only day 2. I zumba'd last night...might have been a little early after my surgery but they didn't tell me not to. I want to get back on that exercise wagon. It felt so good! Some of the moves are a good challenge. Tomorrow is Zumba again and then Saturday one of my friends and I are getting together to do an exercise video and then maybe hit a thrift clothing store that has their winter merchandise 50% Sat. only. Hopefully they count slacks/pants in that "winter merchandise"...even some light sweaters wouldn't hurt. karla, we've all been there...or many of us have. I'm just now getting out of that situation, losing 1/2 pound, gaining 1/2 pound...losing 1 total pound a month. I'd been doing that since mid-October. Best advice I can offer, keep positive and keep track of what you're doing. I think before there were days I wasn't eating enough. Good luck!

Had trouble with this site this morning. Did anyone else? Was really weird. My gen. practitioner mentioned Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople and I know Steph has mentioned it. I checked it out while I was waiting for this site to get going. It's very neat! BLTYRONE's SparkPage - I KNOW I CAN! I just started today so it's quite bare.

Okay...just an idea. Some of us are mentioning how we are not losing as much as we'd like or eating stuff we shouldn't....how about starting a thread for your meal plans? I'll be happy to start, I'll edit this tomorrow because I my dinner plans on the refrigerator at home. Thurs. 1/10 - B: 1 NF Yogurt, 1 Fiber granola bar, maybe 1 sm. banana, water; L: 1 ham wrap w/ww tortilla, hummus, tomato, lettuce, ff cheese, chicken broth; Fri. 1/11 - B: 1 c. cream of wheat w/apple pie spice and cinnamon and splenda, 1 slice ww toast w/pb, 1 c. ff milk; L: chinese chicken salad, 1 sm. apple w/ff caramel dip Sat. 1/12 - B: 1 scrambled egg with salsa and ff cheese, 1 sausage patty, fruit, 1 c. ff milk Sun. 1/13 - B: homemade fruit & yogurt parfait, cream of wheat with splenda Mon. 1/14 - B: 1 slc. ww toast w/sliced tomato and ff cheese broiled; 2-4 slices turkey bacon, 1 c. ff milk; L: Hummus & Pita, 1/2 c. tabbouleh salad, chicken broth Tues.. 1/15 - B: 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 md. banana w/pb & granola, 1 c. ff milk; L: 1 Hormel dinner, SF Jello Wed. 1/16 - B: 1 packet oatmeal made w/skim milk, 1/2 grapefruit; L: Tuna salad on multigrain crackers, 2 kiwifruit Whatcha think??

YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! I am so happy for you, Suzzzie!!!! You are doing amazing! Welcome to Two-derville!!

Suzzzie, I think we misspell Oreos...I think it's really a 4-letter word, not 5... :smile: I understand...it's those things, especially chocolate this week...that get me slightly off track. All, I think my getting back to meal planning and the port revision surgery have helped! I'm down 2.6 pounds since the 3rd and I'm now at 39+ gone!! The scales are moving well again...now maybe I can see the weight loss I should have seen during my infection time. My goal by July is to be 80 total gone, another 40. Keep posting those plans! We can look back on them and see how we're doing. Lap-Dancer, I also love hummus! There's this great authentic Mediterranean Cafe on my way back to work from my surgeon's office and they have the most amazing Hummus Plate. I stopped today and grabbed it and a little bit of tabbouleh.

BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER THURSDAY 1/10 1 NF Yogurt (90 cal.) Hormel dinner (230 cal) Citrus 5-Spice Chicken Tenders 1 large banana (120 cal) beef or chicken broth Corn on the cobb 1 Fiber granola bar (140 cal) Wonton soup FRIDAY 1/11 Wendy’s (will be fasting from midnight until dr. appt for chol.check) Chinese Chicken Salad ½ c. beef & ww noodles 1 sm. Apple ½ c. green beans 1 ff caramel apple dip sf/ff chocolate pudding w/ free whipped cream SATURDAY 1/12 – NEW DAY: Exercise, meal plan with buddy 1 Scrambled egg w/salsa ½ c. tomato soup Lemon-pepper baked tilapia 1 sausage patty Grilled cheese sand. With ww/bread and lf cheese and ham Salad w/ff dressing ¼ c. fruit salad with splenda ½ c. ff cottage cheese w/pineapple 1 c. ff skim milk SUNDAY 1/13 NF Cherry Vanilla yogurt w/quarter-cup berries 1/2. c. black bean chilaquilles ½ c. cream of wheat w/splenda 1 corn patty SF/FF pudding MONDAY 1/14 1 slice ww toast w/sliced tomato and ff cheese, broiled Hummus & WW Pita Leftover chicken ½ c. tabbouleh ½ c.“fried” brown rice w/peas & carrots 2-4 slices turkey bacon chicken broth egg drop soup TUESDAY 1/15 1 hard-boiled egg Hormel dinner (230 cal) Leftover beef & noodles 1 md. Banana w/pb and granola Beef broth ½ c. nf cottage cheese 1 c. ff skim milk SF Jello cup 1 slc. Ww bread w/lite butter WEDNESDAY 1/16 1 pkg. Oatmeal Tuna salad on multigrain crackers Cheesy Broiled Turkeyburger (no bun) ½ grapefruit w/splenda 2 kiwifruit ½ c. dilled potatoes 1 c. ff skim milk ½ c. steamed carrots

I do allow for Protein or Calcium Snacks also. Right now, I'm trying to get back on track, long story but it has to do with infections and finally getting healthy again. I have 3 cc's in a 4cc band...so I think I'm about there...I am feeling restriction once again, so that's good. I've been told 1 c. or a little over is what we should be eating. I think part of my problem is there were days that I wasn't eating enough...so I may be adding to this. Also, keep in mind that this didn't include my dinner plans (I'm editing that thread after this post to include those). Good luck to you on your journey!!!

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!! Yikes! I hear you though. I bought some back then. My bad spots are the Thin Mints. I had ordered from 2 girl scouts and got caught at the store last weekend with my 3 1/2 year old daughter when they had a booth set up. So, let's see...that's 1 box Thin Mints, 1 box Peanut Butter Sandwich, 1 box Lemonades, 4 boxes Cinna-Whirls (those are packaged in 100 calorie packets, so not so bad on those and the kids love 'em). So I sat down last night to watch one of my inspirations, "Biggest Loser" and what did I do...I grabbed two Thin Mints....then two more and two more...then I stopped. Which for me is good because before I would have scarfed down the entire box at a time. Now, said Thin Mints will be somewhere else tomorrow and not in my house. The others I can walk away from easier...hopefully. Biggest Loser's wall of truth was neat last night. I think it actually opened my hubby's eyes to the amount of calories and tons of sugar he consumes. (He used to drink 3 32 oz. Dr. Pepper's a day at one point...he's down to 1 of those now but calls it "one pop" instead of "3 servings"...trying to get him to look at serving sizes more.) -- btw, there are approx. 26 g. of sugar in an 8 oz. serving of Dr. Pepper, 226 g. equals one cup, and it takes 2 c. of sugar to equal a pound. So at the old rate of drinking (say 12 servings of Dr. Pepper)...in one day he'd have consumed 312 g. of sugar, in one week 2,194 g. for a grand total of...drumroll.....9.6 c of sugar IN ONE WEEK! Agh!!!! Over a year, that's 502.5 c. of sugar. I don't even want to think of calories. BTW....Better Homes & Gardens published a Special Interest Publication called Diet 2008 and I grabbed it at my local store. It has some great tips. Did you know there is a company in colorado who prepares and packages boxes of fruit in donut cartons for you to buy and take to work like you would those little sugar-filled -horrible-tasting-calorie-hordes? Pretty neat, I thought. (Could you tell that I used to be a donut-a-holic?)

Way to go, Wombat! (couch to 5k) Suzzzie...congrats on the jeans!!! You are doing amazing! Like ToniTech I find that I don't post as much when I'm doing bad. I had my Port Revision surgery on the 28th and did it with a local and stayed awake throughout. Pain hit me that night but I've managed that...it's the bleeding at my incision site that I've not handled well. Seeping I could handle, but this, pardon me for the people with week stomachs, was like a fountain for a while. Today it seems to have stopped (started it on New Years Eve night). I pray it has. This is what it did after my Band surgery and then the infections. I'm doing all I can to prevent the infections again. Hopefully this revision will help me to get back on track. I had hoped to be well past the 45 lb gone mark by now. But slow and steady is okay by me. I'm still averaging 1.4 a week.

I had my port revision surgery Friday, local anesthetic and was awake during it all...wasn't bad. I'm in a little pain but am taking my meds. Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Suzzzie, 303 is amazing!!! Congratulations!!!! I know what you mean about the chocolate going down so nice and easy. I just had a small cup of hot and sour soup and 1/2 a crab rangoon and 2 bites of general's chicken and that's it. Hoping to hear about a surgery date today for the flip.

Okay....I'm beginning to think I upset a leprechaun sometime along. First the regular infection, then a large bout with MRSA staph infection 4 months out at the main incision site...now I go in today for my first fill since September...couldn't have one because of the MRSA.....and the fluro showed that my port had completely flipped! My port had been angled before for the last two fills. It looked fine at first on fluro...I thought, "great! my zumba has really helped to get it in place" until Judy had trouble. She thought it was scar tissue until she tapped the needle and you could hear metal. So, now I have to have another procedure to fix the port. Since I'm more than 3 months out, they have to go through the entire insurance approval process again. Mind you, I switch insurances on Jan. 1 to a provider that doesn't cover this doctor and all would be out of pocket expenses. Plus, I'm taking over billing for my employer when a co-worker goes on medical leave on Dec. 12th for a month...would be nice to have this done before then, but I know my insurance better. Please, pray for me and happy thoughts my way....