luluc

well B, i'll start with ya. i was thinking of doing a day or 2 of liquids prior to the pouch test. i didn't go "wild" over the holidays - i just had a bit more of foods i don't eat on a regular basis; most normal weight individuals do the same while enjoying the holiday season. it is once a yr; and i plan on taking indulgences here / there. i know where my gym is and how to get back on track...with a few friends:)

so, while shopping for crabs - i get a text that my hubby's sister is ill and she & her partner will not be coming to our place for dinner. fine - i put back the crab legs. then i think - in the 8yrs of marriage, the 2 of them are not allowed to visit us "alone" w/out DH's parents tagging along (they were not invited) when in town. my guess - MIL fell ill and they are in the hospital .... better them than me; and i'm sure all she has is GAS. the drama in that family is SO thick; makes my head hurt. anyway i got all i need to start the pouch test - bought a LOT of protein (:hurray:).... i am taking a nice saturday evening not entertaining - which is perfect for how i feel now...

i want to start monday - like every other diet i've done, always started on monday...LOL ....think i can throw the cookie bouquet we got in the trash w/out dh complaining?? it was meant i'm sure for a family of 6 - not 2 who are both banded.

i AM.....:thumbup: just cut up some kiwis/strawberries/mango/papaya & hubby said , what no cookies? nothing sweet? if i see another linzer tart i will fight someone for it - not so much a cookie person but those raspberry thingys are driving me crazy this wk....

i think i need to do the pouch test myself - just book marked it. i went CRAZY lazy night with cookies & chocolate, that my tummy is so swollen this morning. 1 party tonight (at our house) and 1 more nyrs eve....i am SO over it all, i just want my little normal band life back. DH said that he's sending me to band school "how to eat in front of others" class. apparently i eat 3/4 bites then push the plate away with disgust - i have no idea i do this. BUT i can graze all damn day w/NO problem (social setting - dinners only). with DH also banded and a LOT of business travel, he had to learn to eat in front of others....me not so much. so off to central market to get some crab legs...trying to be good today - doing a crab boil tonight & hope noboby brings dessert; i'll have fresh fruit salad..i HOPE!!!!

i'm claiming tennis elbow from wii tennis:tongue: played a LOT of wii over the last 2 days with family...was nice to get out w/the dogs and get an hr walk in today.

don't worry, i didnt' make the best food choices either this wk, but i won't bring my scale out till after january so i won't upset myself too much:tongue: i never had fills under fluoro, my dr also didn't have a "set" cc amt for each patient. he kinda goes off the information i provided regarding food / exercise, and we "slowly" worked towards restriction. restriction for me was a tappering off of my head hunger, satisfied longer w/less, fixation of the next meal gone. took longer than i expected , but it's slowly kicking in. on a side note, my dr told me after the first few fills that i would likely need to go over 8.5ccs before i felt the band working...he just wasn't in a rush to do it all at once; however i was able to go every 2-4 wks for a fill...i avg'd every 3.

not the best for the holidays - christmas eve - b- cream cheese & lox on wasa cracker s/l- appetizers: some brie, grapes, 1mini spring roll d- 2 slices of ham, 1 spoonful of potato salad, steamed brussel sprouts s- 3 cookies christmas - b- 1 scrambled egg & 1 slice ham steak s/l- appetizers: couple bites of salmon spread w/veggies, hummus with peppers, few mixed nuts d- 1 small piece of lasagna, 1 italian sausage link, wine s - 2 truffels, 1 cookie today - b- egg,cheese,sauasge muffin l- 1 meatball & slice of garlic bread s- linzer tart d- have a pork loin & cabbage & noodles planned **back to eating less Heavy* tomorrow**

morning all!! sneaking lbt time while family is STILL sleeping & before i go back and crash myself! beth your grand baby is beautiful!!! gorgeous eyes! wii - best invention EVER made to distract family; specific MIL's from complaining about their son..HA! rockstar - no need for one; DH built a music studio - i'll take pics & post. it's pretty obnoxious and he's not that good of a muscian ; only after a few martinins it he tolerable. to MY ears. turtles - cute, we have these big ones in our pond fish recp - i have a good whitefish salad recp if anyone wants:wink_smile: i mix my jewish & italian heritage together as christmas - sorta like what my parents did in having their kids..:tongue2: ljm - are you making that roast today? bbk - chinese on xmas reminds me of christmas story; LOVE that movie! ok - off to make breakfast; and get some coffee w/baileys:tongue: still in vaca mode while others are napping...... have a good one!

YES - been 22, snowy & sleeting for about 2 wks now. a NICE 68 for my run today - makes it a lot easier...can't run in cold/rain/snow.

i am very reliant on the gym. to me the gym is an escape from my world for and hr or 2 - i have way too many distractions at home, though i will try to get a quick run outside at least once a wk. i run a ranch, so activity is always there. horses/dogs/long horns to tend to - i actually can enjoy them not being so overweight & my horse loves i've taken 75lbs off that he no longer needs to carry around. this time last yr - i was so focused on diet & exercise i didn't come up for the holidays. this yr, i'm giving myself a bit of a break, though i did meet my trainer for weight training yesterday and did a 3mile run plus horseback riding this AM. that extra glass of wine tonight won't be too hard on the hips. i've had a bit more of "snacks" the last 2 wks, with party after party - my consumption of Snacks is no where near previous yrs. i'm not going to be too hard on myself; and my scale is hidden till the 2nd wk of january. no need upsetting myself - when i feel the best i have in yrs..

i was self pay and it was $15k (dallas, tx). i checked in at 9am, was home by 3pm. i have no idea what insurance companies bill these days - that bill however does seem excessive....again have no idea. my appendix burst back in 06' and cause complications resulting in my gall bladder being removed 2 days later and that bill was less than 75k for a wk stay in the hospital....(insurance covered). for someone who had to go self pay because i did not meet my insurance criteria - it's frustrating to see what the billing rates are. this is the highest i've read yet.

today - *very pretty in DFW* went for a 3 mile run & rode my horse for about an hr. no plans for exercise tomorrow - have inlaws tonight & dinner w/my family tomorrow....happy, happy all!!

i really struggled early on getting restriction & relying on will power. my dr suggested that i carry some raw nuts (walnuts/almonds) or Jerky (i like ostrich) with me. most often i did not need anything while out & about - but those little Snacks helped me when i was very hungry & was likely to make a poor food choice. good luck - ! -

CONGRATS BRANDY!!!!!!!:thumbup:

very touching stories ceradad & susan - got teary reading this thread over coffee. appreciate you both sharing! cc - that's a gorgeous quilt.!. the family should love it. wish i had that creativity. bbk - i'll be thinking of ya, while i head to my inlaws this afternoon - was hoping a flu bug would have hit by now:glare: pjtp - **i just may never use my dutch oven again** happy holidays all!

yesterday - b- half kashi oatmeal packet s - 1/4c wasabi peas l - ham/cheese on crescent roll d- 1c chicken/veggie stir fry s- hot chocolate & lemon biscotti

i get a monthly shot by my OB each month, have since pre-band as well. i look forward to my "happy shot".:thumbup:

taps - that's great news!!! shelly - doggie pics are my FAV, cute pup posting - my favorite contractor sent me a fruit basket. his deadline was before turkey day - but got all his tools & staff out last friday.....it's been SO nice to have my house back; and i'll really like these pears in january.......NOT one fattening item in the mix:sneaky:

i'm hungry every 3-5hrs - a LOT depends on what i ate at my previous meal & how hard did i work out. for the last 6+ months i have eaten 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks a day.

wow that's very unfortunate. i eat it regularly - mostly sashimi, as the sticky rice can be an issues sometimes.... there are rolls that can be made w/seaweed-cucumber. hubby has had our sushi place make a spicy tuna roll wrapped in a thin slice of cucumber...very tasty!!!

a BIG reason i don't post in the evening is we (hubby/self) self imposed a laptop freeze (unless he has work issues) after 7pm. if he is traveling or has con calls - i of course will pop on. he's big on shutting the world out for a few hrs, and nobody interfering w/our time. we have no kids, so it's not a stretch - we always get US time...:thumbup: reason i like MY downtime on occassion:wink:

your situation is almost identical to mine. 5+months out i was only 25lbs down & at 7.7cc's. i went in for my 8th fill in march (8.5cc's) and that's what did it. in the next 5 months i lost 50lbs & had 3 small unfills taking me to 7.2cc's; which is where i am presently. this seems to be my maintenance fill #, since i haven't touched it since aug. i had a low bmi, knew it was going to be slow & just tried to do my best to make better food choices while in that "limbo" period. that plus exercise made the 50lb feel like it went speed fast...

*i would have needed 2+ wks if i worked outside the home. i had a lot of port pain - was very fatigued. *i felt weak the first 4 wks - basically till i was able to go to solid foods did i start to feel like myself. *i had a lot of port pain. since i didn't carry much belly fat, my port was stitched into muscle; and that required a bit more TLC. *in DFW, i went thru True Results, Richardson TX. my dr is no longer affiliated, but i had a fine experience. good luck to you!

i can't keep up - that's just missing a few hrs, can't imagine days... dutch oven - use for roasts mostly wine - like a oaky/buttery chardonay for white & a bold red zin or cab for reds milfs - not one of them; no kids :thumbup: life insurance - men, never hurts to up the coin bbk - i could never handle that cold; certainly never leave home onions/peppers - a must, hot peppers too! ebony - congrats on the dropping of pants sizes!!! almost as good as the scale dropping :eek: french onion soup - lots of cheese & croutons! she - happy holiday, as you will see Xmas first!!!