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Hey Linda...great letter you wrote to the Dr. Oz camp. OMG...quite a difference between the 5 baby spoons of yogurt and the 60-70 oz of protein. LOL. BTW...green yogurt is my fav! (Pistachio and key lime pie). Laura...heartwarming story on the 20 something yr old you coached into taking the steps to better health. Such a positive thing for him and hopefully he has the determination to follow through. Hopefully, you got the ball rolling for him to go down the road to a healthier lifestyle. It's gotta make you feel so great about a situation that seemed hopeless. Arlene...count yourself as very fortunate to be able to go and get fresh fruits and veggies. We won't see a farmers market around here until late July. One thing I loved about being in Tucson was that fruits/veggies were always available....no can opener or soggy produce. Eva...how did you do on your last story you turned in? I had the honor of getting to read two short stories of Eva's. Beautiful day here. Sun is shining and snow is melting...no wind. Here on the prairie, that makes for a good day. Accomplished an enormous amount of work around here today in the house. Now it's time to go take my dog for a walk and enjoy the day. Melissa...hope you are having a better day today.

Sorry, Melissa....forgot to add my HUG for you in my post. Big hugs...so sorry you are struggling. "They" always say things will be better in the morning. Hope tomorrow is a better day. Sending you some love.

Sandy...OMG...what a beautiful photo of you and your daughter. Thank you for sharing. I really miss the photos on here. I need to buckle down and share photos again. Your DD looks so much like you. Meredith...have a great vacation...you deserve it. Been missing for a day or two...booking it on the computer. Setting up new insurance for new employees, helping DS with bids and layouts for the tiling business, helping DS and DH get ready for planting season. It's usually pretty overwhelming but always look forward to being this busy again. Gets the blood pumping again. No time to really think about anything but farming and tiling but love that part of our lives. Lori...sorry about your uncle passing. Hope you have time to reconnect with relatives and are able to visit and reminisce. Safe travels. Had a lot of unexpected "drop-ins" today that upset the "Apple cart" today...(DH"s friends that are retired and nothing to do". Soooooooooo, it pulled him away for many hours and just catching up now with questions on insurance crap that I had for him.....will start over with it all tomorrow and maybe will be able to submit my completed ins. applications. Why do guys just flit through life???? Because they have us to flit after them. Nuf said. Not complaining but after 33 yrs am still amazed by it. OK...time for bed. Another big day tomorrow. Love to all.

Melissa...I had a long post written and I went back and deleted...usually would not do that. I felt I was being too harsh....maybe not. I feel for what you are going through and the stress in your life right now. You need to find someone that can help you through this. If you and your hubby are having friction over issues...try to find someone to help you through this. You asked "What now?". The only advice I have is to go back and think about the reason you got banded to begin with. Go back to your initial instructions and menus from your LB doc. Do a start-over. There's gotta be something that you can pull out of yourself that urged you to do the LB to begin with. Think back and start again...

Hey to Everyone.... Linda...your bro's health problems break my heart. I cannot imagine how you are feeling. When you posted about jumping when the phone rings....Hang in there. You are always so positive and upbeat. I know you are processing everything and doing what you can at this time. I just with you would be able to go see him. Not saying that to put the pressure on you...saying that because that's what I wish for you. Jessica...what wonderful photos. That little Jake is such a cutie...you are so beautiful and hubby also is quite photogenic. What a pretty family. So sorry you are feeling the pressure. Love your idea of sending DS to GM so you can have a weekend to concentrate on your studies. Maybe some time alone with DH would give you the opportunity to talk to your DH about needing a little extra from him. Speaking from experience here......I had a plate FULL for many years, expressed my feelings to DH and you know what he says now? Why didn't you put your foot down and make me see what I was doing with being a workaholic?...I thought I was trying to get through to him. We made it work but I now know I should have done the ultimatum. LISTEN NOW....not 25 yrs later. A lot of stress on me and contribute most of my weight gain to that stress. I can't go back to live it all over again....just advice from an old lady. Just try to take some time for you and DH that you can try to meet half way on responsibilities. Julie...so happy you have come to the realization (and your doc too) that your pain was most likely caused by your band. You did it, you hung in there during the tough times and now you just have to figure out a plan that will work for you. You need some kind of support system. First, try to see if you can get some kind of support or someone to talk to that will be covered by your insurance. Even if it means going to your LB support group...it's someone to talk to.

No shame, Hummingbird.....look at your numbers post-LB surgery. Cool. You beat the odds, as far as the numbers go. A big High Five!

We could start a whole new debate here (which I really don't want to get into cuz right now/this week, I have enough stress in my life), but I do agree on the 30/50lb rule. Guidelines should fall on the shoulders of the experts and the medical history/co-morbidities, etc.

Actually, Melody, it was nice to see that Oz did not make this show one sided. I happened across one of Oprah's shows about a year ago regarding WLS and was embarrassed for her. She lured WLS guests to her stage and literally abased them. Easy way out, etc. Was not impressed. Oz's presentation was short and simple (a little too simple...he could have expanded on real life experience a bit more... but it was deemed fair by me.

Thank you, MouseK...the few years prior to LB surgery, I felt I had one foot in the grave. Now I have endless energy.

Way funny comment, Dave. I watched the show and thought that Dr. Oz did a fair job of putting forward the works of the band and band surgery and interviewing the two guests that are contemplating LB surgery. What I did think was not a realistic portrayal of the "norm" was the amount of food eaten by the two guests that have had LB surgery. Not saying what they laid out on the tray is not what they eat on a daily basis...just saying I doubt it is the norm. The one showed that she ate maybe 4 small teaspoons of yogurt for BF, 1 cup of broth for lunch and what looked like 4 small teaspoons of pudding for dinner. By far.... way less than I eat on a daily basis almost 3 yrs out.

Linda..just going to post this quick and then I'll get back on the thread later. Bro's illness sounds so much like MIL's did 9 yrs ago. Aortic anerysm (sp?). They were able to do surgery and she lived 8 yrs after. The symptoms sound so much like hers. Hugs. Just a stab in the dark but brought back our ordeal with her.

Done...prayers said....thinking of you, Linda. Try to get ahold of someone to find out what is going on. You need to know. Sending the love. Take care

Way funny, Cheri. I'll think of these every time I type a code. Wish your vacation could have been more exciting for you. Do something for yourself and start planning one for next year with a friend or family member. Enjoy your last day off.

Good Morning..... Jodi...got a warm and fuzzy feeling with your story about talking to the Rabbi and everything has has offered to do to help you in your situation. Anxious to hear how your date goes tonight. Sounds like you really have a good feeling about this guy. Keep us informed...cuz...we just gotta know! Janet. Yuck...vertigo. Those bouts like you have been having can put your life on hold for a bit. It's OK that your friend was concerned enough to get you to the ER. I am one also that does not like to run to the doc for things when I am pretty sure I know what it is. But, about 4 yrs ago, DH forced me into doing a CAT scan because I was having so many bouts of vertigo. It's just something out of my control. Exercises will work once in a great while. I sometimes think that with me it is more caused by sinus problems. Like I stated the other day, when everyone around me as a cold, I have vertigo. No cold symptoms. Hugs on your issues. Kristi...hope you find a good deal on your Coach. Good to treat yourself when reaching certain goals. I did permanent makeup (eyeliner) and eyelash extensions. Well, I found there was too much upkeep with extensions....I did them for about a year and quite. Very spendy and time consuming. The eyeliner was nice but notice now after 2.5 yrs, it is fading fast. Was nice to treat myself to those things though. DH bought me a couple of pieces of jewelry when I got to goal...sweet man. Hope you don't have to work all weekend and can fit some fun in there. Linda....such a difference a few hundred miles makes. Buds on the trees. Yep, think you are getting the first signs of spring. I was sitting out in our three season room (one season room here in MN) yesterday and I could barely see over the 4foot banks of snow while sitting in the chair pretending it was warm. Took DH some cookies and coffee this morning out by the bin site. Deep snow all around. Soon it will be melted. Not unusual for us to have banks of snow in our grove of trees clear till the end of May. Depends how much rain we get. Not whining. Got that all out of me...just patiently waiting to ride the bike with the dog and go for walks outside. I run my steps to work off excess energy. Have fun with Aylah. Haven't heard of the movie. Thanks all who asked about FIL. He had a pretty long day yesterday. On the plane at 4:30 and did not get settled in his new home till late in the day. He called me this morning and sounded a bit confused. He's pretty sharp usually so think it's the meds. He stated he was really stiff and sore and terribly tired. Some of the family are going to visit him today so we decided to not overwhelm him and go tomorrow. He needs some things from his house and we are compiling a list when others notice what he needs. Have a nice batch of diabetic friendly cookies ready to take to him. I had a couple and they really are good. Cherry/almond/oats cookies. Will freeze most of them and just take a few each time we visit. Julie..hope you are feeling better each day. Gotta go hold some drain pipe for DH....this should be fun....still in my flannel jammie pants. Gonna give the neighbors something to talk about when they drive by.

Eva...just couldn't believe that not one of us did the April Fools thing earlier today. I just couldn't think of anything and that popped into my head. I want to do an above ground garden at the lake and have another at home for squash, pumpkin, etc. Flower beds and garden this year depend on if I have surgery. Too much for DH to keep up with. Lori...FIL will be 70 miles from us. As Eva stated a few days ago, he'll be able to make new friends where he is at. And, 70 miles a few times a week to visit is not anything to worry about. He landed in MN at noon and heading to his destination with his DD and SIL. He's in good hands but has another 3 hour trip ahead of him. Poor little guy. He'll be happy to finally land in his swing bed. Arlene...congrats on the good numbers and good to hear you are going to live a long life cuz don't know what we'd do without you. Love.

April Fools, Eva!!!! Hell, I was so excited about a month ago prior to going to see my LB doc. My scale said I had gained a little over 6lbs...doc's scale said I lost 2.9lbs. Go figure. ....his was correct.

Lori....where are you traveling to this time???? Congrats on the new "tool".

BTW....just thought I would let you guys know that I have gained 18lbs from being cooped up in this house.

Good Morning All... Linda...your story of Merry and the bone melted my heart. Poor little thing. What a good momma to hold her bone for her. Thoughts and prayers going out to your brother and you and your family. Wish they could find out what is going on with him. You had stated awhile ago that he is really thin and does not have much to go on. Hopefully, they can build him up some while he is hospitalized. I know his illness is very stressful for you and you would love to be with him at this time. Hugs. Meredith...have a GREAT trip. I know where you are coming from on your food issues and wanting spring. I have been cooped up in this house waaaaay too much since coming home from AZ. I eat when I'm not even hungry....just for something to do. If I was worried about gaining or trying to maintain, all this would drive me nuts. DH has some equipment he wants to put on a consignment auction coming up on April 13 and is pretty sure he will not be able to dig it out of the snowbanks. It's been a sucky winter for many in the Northern states. Just have a great time....cut your calories when you can while on vacation but treat yourself when you feel like it and get back. Hopefully the weather has turned around and you can get outside and be more active by the time you get home. Melissa...hugs on all the issues you are having with insurance, DH, etc. Men pull away when they are stressed. My DH gets quite and will work for very long hours when he is troubled by something. I always find it best to let him work through things on his own. My even trying to talk it out at times will just drive him further away. Hugs. Linda is right on the PB2....so much better for you. See if you can find some in your area. If not, email me and I will send you a jar. I have a couple of extras. Great...I think you stated you heading to Denver on Monday? I bet you cannot wait to hold that baby again. Linda is right again....having an external hard drive is so much easier. Worth the $$$. Have a great trip. Cheri....hope you had a great vacation and got your grandchildren "fix" and that your DH is out of his snit. Eva...happy birthday for Glimmer (belated) from Tanker, DH and myself. Sweet puppa. You and your DH are so good about doing your date night. DH and I used to when the kids were home. Once a week and one of us would have to be sick our something if we broke our date. Then life kind of got in the way. You talking about your date night kind of kicked us into doing it again. Ours will be Sat night after we go and visit FIL. The home he will be in is in a city that has lots of nice restaurants. We are just going to plan our date nights around our visits. As you know, our area does not offer much except bar and grill type food. Really tough to get a good steak unless I make it at home. Arlene....I really do get why you do the different diets. When you stated that the guidelines from some of these diets/books provide nuggets of truth...I get that. We are all different and need different things to help us along. I just hope you know where I was coming from with my last post to you. I don't want you to be beating yourself up if you cannot stick to the strict guidelines some of these books/diets put out there. Hugs. And, you are always so good with the prayers. Thanks for the ones said yesterday for FIL. Hope you have good results from your tests today. Your question on being low on D. I have lucked out and have not been low on anything throughout this process. Phyll...have a GREAT trip to Cabo. Your Crystal Lite mix sounds good. I make a sugar free one for DH made with fresh lime and diet sprite. He loves it but the Crystal Like sounds a bit easier. Will have to look for it on Amazon. Sandy...I too and interested on when your TT is scheduled. I have not heard anything back yet on ins. I suppose I should email my doc's office manager today to see if she's heard anything. Hi to all I've missed. Hope everyone has a great weekend. FIL was loaded on a plane from Phoenix at 4:30am this morning. He needed to have a first class seat and BIL was able to help him to his seat. Nominated BIL into sainthood last night. All family members voted and agreed. He's a sweet guy to do all he has. It's been tough on him. His partner and two little children are vacationing alone in Palm Springs. He will get in on one day only of vacation. He told my DH on the phone the other night (after seeing FIL's wrecked truck) that we should have been planning a funeral instead of seeing him go through surgery. We all feel fortunate. And, Eva, you are right in what you said about the family taking care of him. I might have sounded selfish but the point I was trying to make is that DH and I would like for him to at least have some say in where he lives. OK...have company coming for dinner (lunch). Have a big pot of stew on the stove and need to get busy and make some beer bread to go with it. Will check back later. OH....I got out yesterday. Was going to just drive the 70 miles to Walmart but ending up staying on the freeway and traveled an hour more to my favorite TJMAXX. Found the cutest bridal shower gift. A big/sturdy lime green watering can, a kneeling pad to match, lime green garden gloves and all the tools a person would need for their flower beds in lime green. This little bride is just like her mother. Has a green thumb. Also found everything I need to do all the kid's Easter baskets. I have 7 that I do for. Got them fun gums and candies and books to read while they get sugared up.

Tear in my eye and a heavy heart...I miss Glimmer, Eva and DH...all three just such cool people.

Eva...good going on doing the "cleanse" to curb your carb cravings. I noticed such a huge difference once I did that (back in the weigh loss stage). My cravings were always for anything starchy and salty. Never sweets so much. Pasta, potatoes, cracker, chips and bread were a huge part of my diet. It felt so good when I got rid of the carb cravings. About a week into it, it took everything I had to stay away from those things. I was praying for a straight jacket with the hands tied up so I couldn't reach of them.

Janet....Capris and sandals????? ^%@#%&^*(())(*^%$#$##$%$. So happy for you..LOL. Regarding my question on normal BMI/sleeve and insurance. I am a curious person and have spent time in the sleeve threads and understand that and option if to go to Mexico. Guess I was unclear and kind of just wondering if ins companies will cover someone that has made it go goal or almost with the band. Someone that loses their band or are really struggling with reflux, etc. Revision is the word I am looking for. I hope your DIL does well with it. I know from reading on the sleeve thread, some suffer with nausea the first couple of months but after they get over that bump, they love their sleeve. Besides curiosity, another reason I spent time on that thread was I wanted to educate myself on the sleeve just in case anything would go wrong with my band. That was during and right after my weight loss stage. Happy to hear your head is better today. I tend to notice my worse bouts with vertigo when everyone around me has a head cold. It's like that's my version of their cold. Weird, huh? Arlene....the way I see the "trying this diet and then trying that diet" thing is this: It's like yo-yo dieting. What I get from your posts is that if you go off the plan and have something that is not allowed, you feel like you "cheated". If you just concentrate on eat day and plan, plan, plan as Janet said and not allow certain carbs, you will not feel so defeated. It's gotta feel like a continuous challenge when the only challenge you should really have is keeping the hunger monster at bay and making good/healthy food choices when the hunger hits. If it is meal time and you are really not very hungry at that time, don't eat at that time or just eat a few bites. That would be a way to bank your calories. I think that you trying to be so structured with your "diet" actually is making you feel defeated because it is sooooooooooo tough for you to stick to. Cheri's idea of having some dense protein (like her moist chicken) on hand to just grab a bite in between meals. Having raw veggies with some FF dip on hand when those times hit. I do believe that you are extremely carb sensitive and should try to limit. Heck, if you are carb sensitive, a piece of cake could throw you off for an entire week. Not saying that you should not eat any carbs....just all the good ones. If it is not made completely by mother nature, don't eat. (fruits and veggies). Hugs Julie....nice to see posts from you where you are feeling back to your old self. Try to get out and walk to build up your strength after that surgery you had. A good way to build up little by little. Your story about your friend's calves makes me feel lucky we are not tied down with livestock. One big baby dog is enough. Hey, Phyll, nice to see your post. I swear I have forgotten more about techie stuff than you learn in a day. I used to be so good at it when I worked every day. Now I just have DS to do things for me. Now I wish I would have just forced myself to do certain things. Enjoy the rest of your time down south and also enjoy your trip. Linda...Merry's running around this morning was just her way of saying "Mommy, spring is coming, spring is coming!". Sounds adorable. Cute photo of GD peeling carrots for GM. She is so beautiful. Do you share???? Kristi....patience....we all hit those little plateaus. I noticed that even if the scale did not move, my clothes got bigger. Make sure to journal and keep track of what you are eating/drinking. Push to drink more water and if you feel you are cutting back on calories, bump them a bit. Sorry about your stuck episode. A learning experience, hopefully. My first was on a deviled egg and deli turkey. I swore that in my lifetime, I would never eat them again. Now they are a staple in my frig. I think I was about 3 months out when that happened. When I told my doc about it he said "Well, don't you know, you can't swallow eggs whole anymore". True. Just keep at it... Hope your schedule slows down. A good night sleep is so important when it comes to weight loss. Was going to head out today but cloudy, windy and cold. Will just get some things done in the house. Will be getting together with my friend and her DD from CO for coffee later today. Have a nice chicken bake ready to go into the oven for dinner (lunch) and going to make a corn bread to go with it. Comfort food for a crappy day. Now, I'm going to go turn that crappy into a nice day and do some things I enjoy. I can see a couple of closets getting torn apart and being put back together. Am I sick????? It's one of my favorite things to do. I lead an exciting life here on this farm. You all have a nice day. Will visit later.

Janet...surprised that DIL ins covers the sleeve. Guess I have not heard of too many ins companys covering it. Good for her. I know there are quite a few happy sleeve peeps out there. Good for her. Hopefully, she will learn to have a healthy pantry for the entire family and change the eating habits of all under one roof. I know that you have state b/4 that if the band failed you, you would go with the sleeve. I wonder what the guidelines are for a person that is a normal BMI and wanting coverage for the sleeve. Bet there's a huge grey area. Did not ask and not sure of when I will hear back on my panni procedure. My doc's office is pretty efficient so just going to let them do their work and not "bug" them. Fingers and toes still crossed that this will fly. I am so annul.....have the need to see the future, get this lined up so it does not interrupt spring planting. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....families. An 87 yr old should be able to say where he wants to recoup.....siblings competing for and lining up three different assisted living facilities in three different parts of the state just to be near them so they do not have to travel. Just think of what this man wants and being able to be visited by friends so important. Enough of that. Thanks for listening to my "whine of the day".

Cheri...I'm right with you on the stress thing...we've had pure hell stress around here the last couple of weeks and are doing everything possible to not make it our lives. Little trips to the therapist are helping. I cannot live it anymore. You've had your share with concern for your DD and your DH needs to accept what it takes for you. I am sure that taking your grandchildren when you can makes you feel you are doing what you can for your DD. I can tell you that I would have some words for my DH if he reacted to me stepping in and helping in a situation like that. Hang in there. As far as the cooking/feeding goes....it is something I truly enjoy. I have always just loved to cook and bake. Even right after this huge life change (WLS), cooking for others did not bother me. But, I revamped most recipes and decided that most meals that were served in this house would be healthy versions of what I used to cook. DH and DS are very active and have always watched the scale. We still have our treats and 90% of the meals I put on the table are low fat but tasty. Since day 1 I have known I do better without depriving myself of certain foods. In the past, deprivation drove me right off track. I feel very fortunate that I can eat when hungry and feel like I am "normal" even with having had WLS. My guys are somewhat spoiled but it give me great pleasure to spoil them. Have fun with the grandkids....fill us in on DD's test results if you care to share.

Happy you are back and had a good time, LauraK...you were missed