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Julie........hurry go get on the treadmill....I HEAR JANET COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Long....happy that you feel your fill did it's thing. Now I want you to be happy that your scale is moving. Also, thanks for the basket suggestions. I think I will just take the three suggestions and make three smaller baskets. This kid that has luekemia is pretty special to us and DH and I talked about it last night and going to throw in a couple of extra baskets. He has been a friend of my DS since grade school...has two babies of his own and a wife that is frantic about his health (as we all are). Cold and windy day here again. Making a big pot of chili and cleaning some closets (my obssesion). You can tell it's pretty boring around here when I got all excited about going to town and buying three new shoes racks and cannot wait to get them assembled!

OK you guys...I was really in need of some positive reinforcements yesterday and, boy, DID I EVER GET IT FROM YOU!!! Just a big THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Phyll...aren't you just the sweetest thing????? Thanks for being there for all of us.

Thanks for the kind words and advice, Janet. BTW...forgot to add in my list of foods that I do eat brown rice, yams, potatoes and I test my goodies that I back also. I am getting some starches...at least two a day. I snack on low fat wheat thins and eat at least 1/4 cut almonds or walnuts a day also...but thanks for the great advice. I am feeling so much better...I thought something was really wrong with me and I looked terrible since everyone was making the negative "skinny" comments. I think you are right, Janet...if they never knew me fat...they wouldn't even comment. And, what gives people the right? Didn't their mother teach them it was wrong to make comments about people's weight? Where were they to tell me I was too fat when my A$$ was 249#'s? I'm all done with it....I feel so much better. I usually wake up to pee at 3am and take advantage of the awake time to fit a couple hundred cals in. I don't think I have ever in my lifetime gotten out of bed to eat but until I gain a few pounds back I'm gonna. Thanks for the basket idea, Janet. I hit my first Ross store while in Ocala, FL during our vacation. Had never been in one and liked it just as well at TJ...In fact, I think they had better deals on the name brand things. Found adorable 7 for all mankind jeans with rhinestones on the butt pockets. Just want to thank everyone for listening when I came unglued today...I feel back to normal (whatever that it) and am ready to take on the world and leave people in my tracks when I hear something negative. I feel good...I look good and I am going to Celebrate my health every day from here on out.

AWWW....thanks LJV....I feel better already just from the comments you guys have made plus a good talk with DH today about how I was feeling. Like I said this morning...my head is just going to go a little higher in the air and I'll just keep on truckin'! I don't make a point of getting up to eat at 3am. My bladder does that for me! May as well eat as long as I'm up.

Hope your fill helps turn things around for you, Long. I know you have been frustrated with the scale not moving. Also, keeping fingers crossed that you don't have any more episodes with reflux. The only time I came close an icky tummy was when I ate some popcorn that was butter flavored. I am so used to the 100 cal packs now that the other just tastes off. Good luck on this last fill!:thumbup:

Woohoo...congrats on the weight loss!!!!!!!!! Also, good luck on all of your wedding plans. Sounds like a beautiful dress. You will have to post some wedding photos when all is said and done. As far as the body image issues. It takes awhile for the head to catch up with the body when it comes to weight loss. I am now at/below goal and I am now feeling fine with myself. Just an example: I would automatically head for the "large" woman's section of a dept store and then realize I did not have to shop there anymore. I would go to the "normal" section and feel like I didn't belong there. I actually imagined that people were staring at me and thinking that I didn't belong there. Just try to concentrate on getting rid of those feelings. When you look in the mirror, pick out your good physical qualities. I am 53 yrs old and decided at the beginning of this journey that I would accept my body once I got to goal. I have done that. I have accepted it and not obsessing over a little imperfection here or there. Not imperfect enough for plastic surgery (and don't want to go thru the pain of it all and the expense) so I have no other plan than to just accept me. I noticed that physical changes don't stop with weight loss. My body has changed even after I stopped losing. A little less flab...has tightened up some. Be patient and accepting with yourself...it WILL all come together!

Thanks Long...you are always so kind. Yep...doc thinks the same as you do. My body is just going to be what it is. I feel really good about where I am...just the comments that are bugging me. DH likes to take really good care of me and HE knows how much I eat and knows I have more energy than the Energizer Bunny. If he felt there was a problem he would be the first to say it. The way I feel about comments from casual aquaintences is: Not THEIR business to comment anyway. DH says not to bother with getting worked up. He says that most people mean well. I just wish some people would THINK b/4 they speak. I have gotten to the point where I say "I have worked really hard for more than a year and am proud of where I am at. I don't feel too skinny, my doctor doesn't feel I'm too skinny and I take being called skinny as an insult". Now, I say this very nicely and try not to offend but it seems to work. Congrats on your 9 month anniversary! You have so little left to lose. Remember my story of working on those last 2lbs for a couple of months? I hit the plateau from hell. What finally broke it was me bumping my cals up for an entire week. (I added at least 300 cals to my daily intake). All good food choices though. I went out and got the non FF greek yogart and at that in the evening with honey. Try to bump cals up just a little more for a few days and see if it works. I know that's difficult to do when you've consistently watched everything you've eaten for months. See how your body responds. Take care.

Thanks Cher...pretty sure I can convince a number of people from my subscribed threads to join in.

Hey Cher....quick question...I notice that there is a tentative LB conference in Vegas in October, 2009. Anything set in stone yet???? I plan on attending.

Thanks for the suggestion, Holly.

Welcome, Anne...first off...how are you getting all those grandchildren????????? My two are just not producing. I am looking forward to the day. Have two grand puppies so will make that work for now. Dog Grandma spoils them rotten. Guess it will all happen in due time. Don't want to push if they are not ready. You will get to where you need to be, Anne. You will eventually know when you have the right amount of fills and it will all be a bit easier. You will still need to keep your food choices in check. Keep junk out of the house and quick snack foods ready to grab. I.E.: 100 cal popcorn, beef jerky, cut up and ready to eat veggies, low cal dip, etc. One of my fav dips for veggies is: 1 cup fat free mayo 2 Tbls minced onion 1 Tbls minced garlic 1/2 cup fat free sour cream 1 Tbls dill weed I keep this on hand. Keeps in frig for over a week. If you have healthy choices on hand, you are less likely to "cheat". SF jello is always a good thing to grab. Reach for a glass of water when you are hungry and wait 15 minutes. Hunger usually passes. I always tried things like this when hunger hit and I knew it was not time to eat: Go for a walk, take a bath, brush your teeth, call a friend. Good luck to you. Keep on posting and asking questions. None of us here got through this alone. I am in the maintenance stage and still get on every day just to check in.

Just noticed this post, Long. I know with me the reflux started when I had started having gallbladder problems 15 yrs ago. Never did get rid of it until hernia was repaired at the time of LB surgery. I know I want to be as careful as can be to never get it back. Yours does sound like reflux...backing up in the esophagas. (sp?). I know mine was usually triggered by something fatty. Hope you don't have any more bouts and if you do, talk to your doc. Nothing to mess with and problems only get worse if unchecked. Take care, my friend.

Great news, Janet!!!!!!! Happy to hear you got those 3#'s off. Surprising how a couple extra pounds can make a person feel. I love the new "skimmers". They hit just below the knee cap (a little longer and bermudas). I found some on Amazon.com for $7 each b/4 we left on vacation. I was lucky and found capris on Amazon also....got good deals on 3/4 length t's also. Have a few wedding this summer so have been shopping for deals. Found a Kenneth Cole dress, a Jones NY "little black dress" and a beautiful floral skirt and aqua crocheted sweater for really good prices. I should be set. My fav store (besides the Amazon deals) is TJ MAXX. A little more organized and neater than Marshalls. But, the closest Marshalls we have is 4 hours away so have never given the store much of a chance. TJ is 2 hours away and love to get there when I can. Love their decorating items. I think most of my house is TJ Maxx when it comes to that type of thing. Great bedding and towels also. I love a good bargin. We hit a Columbia Outlet when we were traveling to see son in Atlanta. I have a difficult time finding slacks that are long enough. (I have a 34-35" inseam). Found Columbia, low rise slacks in five colors and they were even in talls. Something that never goes out of style and love the quality of Columbia. All alone on this cold and windy day. DH is out and about traveling to find tires for a trailer and a snow blower for DS birthday which is Sunday. DS bought a home last Jan and needs that snow blower. Takes him forever in that cold to get things plowed out. I was thinking of running to town but will have to force myself because of the cold. Want to get a silent auction gift basket together for a benefit we have this weekend. Any ideas, girls????? $50 is about what I will spend and I am not coming up with ideas. DS's 27 yr old friend has lukemia and putting on a benefit for Sat night. Will be a nice one with two different bands, dinner, karoke, etc. Hope everyone had a good weekend and are back in the routine and having a good day. Love you guys!

Good Morning! We had a great weekend with lots to do and had some friends of ours from our lake resort here overnight. Took our friends to a surprise 50th bday party for another resort friend. Yesterday was COLD and windy so just hung out at home. Don't mind days like that at the beginning of winter but this is getting OLD! Felt like a prisoner in my own home yesterday. We talked of going out to do something but what do you do on a cold and windy day? Really looking forward to spring. Only five weeks until we can get back up to our resort. You just don't know how much I look forward to that. Janet....you asked what we farm. We have about 2500 acres of corn and soybeans and a seasonal (May-Dec.) drain tile business. I owned two insurance agencies for years but sold to make our life here less stressful. DH and DS farm and tile together and I am the gofer and bookkeeper along with chief cook and bottle washer. We do have some seasonal employees. It's a good life but I really miss getting out every day and going to work. (Thus the volunteer work...and it feels good to give back). We are 15 miles from town and there are days that I feel stiffled. But, I know I made the right decision to come home to work. My days are wonderful with not a lot of pressure. You were asking what I baked this weekend. I made homemade caramel rolls, banana bars with cream cheese frosting (All made with splenda) and can not tell the difference. I don't eat too many sweets but I did treat myself to a bar. Also made seafood lasagna (scallops, shrimp and homemade alfredo sauce). Served steel cut oatmeal with diced apples, plumped gold raisins and chopped dates with the rolls for Breakfast. As you know, baking and cooking is a PASSION with me. I am able to leave it all alone and make good healthy choices though. I have been able to revamp my recipes with less fat, etc. for the guys I cook for. DH and DS are a "normal" BMI and want to keep them healthy. Have not heard results from kidney stone CAT scan yet. Hoping to hear today. We had a storm the day I went in the radiologist did not make it in to read results. Discussed with my doc what the plan would be if scan shows stones in kidneys or ureters. If they are high in the kidneys, nothing can be done because kidneys are dense and laser will not break them up. I had this procedure done a few years ago and was able to be without stones for 2.5 years. A nice reprieve. I am getting really tired of dealing with them every month or so. I had three bouts in the last five weeks. Trying to maintain my weight and not easy to eat for about 3-4 days after dealing with them. I weighed 121# when I went to the doc. He wans't concerned and said I looked like a "skinny healthy". I am a little over 5"6' and I feel that 121# is too low of a weight for me. It's been a struggle and I don't post much about it cuz don't want people who are trying to lose think that it is "bragging". I am an extremely active person (even when I was heavy I was constantly on the move). Doc wants me to continue with the amount of exercise I do but think I need to bump up my calories even more. So, now I am doing at least 2500 cals. This is how I feel about all of this: My doc and I set a goal of 132#. It took me two month to lose the last 2# to hit goal. Hit this plateau and could not break it. Celebrated when I hit goal, bumped my cals up to about 1800 but continued to lose. Bumped cals up to 2000, 2300 and now at 2500, I am maintaining my weight of 121#. I am worried constantly about dropping ANY more pounds. Funny how life is. Who would have guessed? I feel very healthy and all my blood work is very, very good. I guess the worst part for me is how friends and aquaitences view my extra weight loss. DH and DS and doc all think I look great. But I get the "too skinny" comments from people. People that are just casual aquaitences. It pisses (sorry) me off!!!! I should be celebrating not worried about it all. So, I do know that eventually I will gain some back and then it will be difficult to cut back but I can do it. What is so difficult is that it takes a lot of planning to eat every couple of hours and still get my fluids in. This has been a typical day for me for the last three months or so: Breakfast at 6am: 2 egg omelette with ham and cheese or 3/4 cup steel cut oatmeal with fruit, brown sugar and milk. 9am: 1 cup Fiber One Cereal (I like it dry), or Pure Protien bar or 2 Fiber One bars. 12pm: 4oz fish, chicken, beef or seafood and some veggies or yams. 3pm: Greek yogart with 2TBLS jam, 3 oz beef Jerky 6pm: Same as lunch 9pm: popcorn or greek yogart with jam or beef jerky 3am: I actually get up and eat another cup of Fiber One cereal or heat up some oatmeal. This is what I have been struggling with and afraid to share with the rest of you. But all of you are so understanding...don't know why I felt I couldn't talk to you about all of this. At least I know I have my head straight. No body image issues. I seemed to fit right into my new body once I got to goal (and a little less). I was lucky to come away from this with not a lot of loose skin....nothing abnormal for a 53yr old woman. I feel REALLY good about myself but also feel that this extra weight loss and my worrying about what people think has been a cloud hanging over my head. I guess I just need to "buck up", put my head up high and be proud of how much work I have done with weight loss and the struggles after with maintenence. We all have different struggles but are all shooting for the same goal...to reclaim our health. Isn't that what it's all about? That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!!!!!

JoAnne...don't get discouraged. We all hit plateaus. As long as you know you are making good food choices... We also have a surprise bday party tonight. Meeting a big group of friends at our local bar and grill first for some dinner and then off to the party. I love to have a few Snacks at parties. The cake I can leave alone. Not really into sweets. My weakness is things like Chex mix and peanuts. I just make sure I have some and then STEP AWAY FROM THE TABLE. (that's me yelling at myself!) We had our share of snow this week...about 11inches on Thursday and yesterday woke up to -30 windchill. Today is nice with the nice shining. Have company coming home with us from the party so better get back to "primping" the house. Almost done. Everyone have a good evening.

Long...certain foods can trigger reflux (especially fatty foods). As long as you're asking for opinions...I would hold off on the fill for a bit. I believe that ANY reflux should set off a red flag. I lived with reflux for 15 years b/4 surgery. I never want it back and it's one of the reasons I have only had two fills. I don't think my doc could even talk me into one. I have stated b/4 that I get hungry every 3 hours, if not sooner after a meal some days. I would rather be on this side of hungry than EVER have reflux again. You should definitely talk to your doc about this episode. I treat myself to the 100 cal mini popcorn bag each evening. One evening while on vacation, I grabbed DH's butter popcorn by mistake. I didn't get reflux but my guts churned for an entire day. Must have been something with the extra fat in that popcorn. My system is just not used to it anymore. Hope you don't have anymore episodes. Oregondaisy is the one we should all listen to. She went through the night time reflux issues and is still dealing with getting back her fills. Nothing to mess with.

Orea........congrats on Onderland!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go

Was owner of two insurance agencies for years...sold a few years ago to come home and help manage farm and side business DH and I own. I also volunteer three days a week at local hospital.

Hey Sharons....sounds like you had a pretty good day. I guess I would leave that port stitch for the doc also. Things like that creep me out. I can handle pain but I cannot look at a stitch coming out of an incision! I admire anyone that does ANY # of sit-ups. Keep goin' girl!!!

VZ...congrats on the scale moving...fingers are crossed for you that it stays on the move! Lucy...WHOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good job and Happy Anniversary! Nope won't wash away. Snow storm warnings were moved up till 9pm. DS lives 15 miles from us and is taking off (done working for the day) to go home. 27 and won't stay the night. (I'm just the mom).

OOPS...Happy Birthday to you, too, Cathy!!!!!!!!!!!! No way to you look 60!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR ALLIE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!! Hey Girls....how's it goin' Nice to hear from you, Cathy. Yep...my life is interesting and I feel very fortunate to be me. Good goin' on the new kitchen. I did mine a few years ago and am thankful every day for it. Hopefully things will fall into place and you'll be done with the remodel in no time! Long...have fun...sounds like a fun place to go eat. I haven't done a buffet since banding but yours sounds great if you can get the meat you want. I'm so picky about my meat. Storming here today. Supposed to get 10-11 inches by 6pm. Being stormed in allowed me to do some baking and get ready for the company we will have this weekend. Now I'd better hit the bookwork so I can have tomorrow off. Bye for now!

Diva and Army...sounds like you are both not quite at your sweet spot yet. My doc is very conservative with fills and only allows .5 at a time. Just don't get discouraged...you will know when you are there and be able to have better control. Hang in there and keep in touch.