Apples2

Welcome and congrats on your decision to make life a healthier one for yourself and your children. I wish you the best as you go through this process. I was banded June, 2008 and am in the maintenance stage. I can tell you that EVERYTHING is easier with the weigh not hanging on me. I will be 55 yrs old in a couple of weeks and I have the energy of a 19yr old. Any questions?

Great photos, Julie...those little girls are just so cute. Thanks for sharing

Columbia and Champion have great workout clothes. Target carries Champion. I went online about a year ago and found 1/2 doz pants and 1/2 doz capris at around $7/pr. Check out the clearance on Target.com.

Maybe you actually do have the flu, Arlene. I attributed my trouble the last couple of days to grain dust but later last night and today have a fever. Thinking that maybe I have the crud. Christmas dinner already????

Janet....was just saying to DH last night as the cold was setting into the house and we needed to turn the heat up....was wishing I was in a southern state and not dealing with the cold. Nice you got part of the day of anyway. Sorry your delay was upsetting. Some things just can't be helped. Hope you don't pay for it today with backed up work.

Good Morning... DH went right from harvest into helping DS with tiling. They really book it this time of year to get jobs done b/4 the ground freezes. They have a huge job that they are hoping they will be able to complete but need to hire more help. Do you know how tough it is to find help around here??? I am hoping to be at home today. I am sure there will be a bit of running to the field for things but I want to be home some to catch up a bit. Want to do a little baking to take along to my dental appt tomorrow. The ppl in the office are the BEST. They have made this whole process easy. They must have been trained well. Gentle and kind. I have my very last (I think) grinding of teeth tomorrow morning early and then 1 or 2 visits and I"M DONE! It's weird...the more I have done the more I dread what the appt will bring. I walked in the first time and said "Just do it". Now I'm a bit of a whiner. Oh well, I guess I paid enough, I can whine. Gotta go pack lunches. You all have a great day.

Sounds good to me, Great!

Great...that would be DS's father who will turn 87 on Wed,,,not dd

I've been at goal for 2yrs and my metabolism is way different then when I started this game. I believe the foods you are referring to are what I call "treating" not "cheating". I look forward to throwing special treats into my plan. I could not go through life with any forbidden foods. Just have to allow for them and enjoy. Pecan pie is in my sites for Thanksgiving.

Rest up and get better, LauraK.

Quite on the thread today. TX...sounds like you had quite the bout with pain in your shoulder. Hope it has tamed down and that you are able to be up and about. Take care. Janet...happy you were able to spend time with your sis. Not much rest on your weekend though. Hey Eva....cannot wait to spend time in AZ...we'll have to think of a couple of day trips when DH is off with his DD and friends. Julie...???? What are you up to. Melissa...how's it going? Job OK? Jodi...hope you were able to get in for an unfill. I have never been too tight so really don't know what you went through but not good. Hey Cheri....hope your new schedule is easing the pressure. But, sounds like the new students might add to your day. I love reading how passionate you are about teaching. Arlene...good going on the weight loss and doing the pouch test. Sounds like you are on the fence about getting a fill and have been for awhile. Easy does it....just a little might make the difference. Hey Phyll...gosh I wish I had a DH that would cook....even if just once a month. He panics in the kitchen...even just looking for a plate. He can clean a toilet though. Great...sounds like you had a good time with DS. Did you have leftover candy to send home with him? Hey Linda....how was your weekend? Had a very productive day. Spent most of it on the road for the farm. Just got home a bit ago and left early this morning. The dizziness was gone by the middle of the night, thank goodness. It certainly ruined most of yesterday but slept quite a bit. All due to grain dust. Silly me didn't wear my mask part of the time when unloading trucks. That won't happen again. We had some cute TT's last night. Had some adults that stopped in late and scared the crap out of me with their weird masks. THEY thought it was pretty funny. I took one look and headed back up the stairs. DS and GF brought her two cuties out and visited for a couple of hours. 5yr old son and 8yr old daughter. I just want to love them up. Judy...if you are reading....HAPPY BIRTHDAY a day late! Hope it was a good one. Well, better get dinner in the oven. Beef stroganoff casserole. Made a big one this morning b/4 hitting the road. Our neighbor from the lake lost his father over the weekend so took a big roaster over to their house and saved some to feed my two guys. Will talk later.

Bob...if you go to the home page and scroll down, you will find a food and nutritian forum with many different threads and recipes.

Cool photo, Eva....love the jacket

Eva...I hope you realize that it was a mask I was wearing....It came with cig in the mouth and everything. DH and I wore those outfits 15 yrs ago and revived them this year. We had a great time last night. Hit three different contests and danced a lot. We both just loved it and were able to pull it off where no one knew who we were and kept them guessing. Ditto what Eva said about Cheri...I agree. I'm sick, sick, sick today. Been in too much grain dust and it's affected me. Vertigo set in big time. Feel like I have to have one foot on the floor at all times just to keep from spinning. Will be off to the doc tomorrow if it doesn't let up. Not good for the stomach either. Having a time getting the cals in today. Did not get up till 3pm when our first T&T arrived. Sooooooooooooo, back to the couch.

One our way out the door...Biker Babe and Biker Dude.

Not to worry. I have had two fills and with both of them felt sort of a pop when going into the port and out. I was careful to do liquids the first couple of days after my fills and felt no restriction until a month later. I have not had a fill since. I get hungry every couple of hours but not an intense hunger. I actually appreciate the mild hunger as my biggest fear was always that I would be too tight and fall into the soft food syndrome or have a killing pain with eating hard protiens. Be patient for a couple of weeks and then see how things feel. The uncomfortable feeling of the port is (I think) pretty common. Some are restricted from laying on a certain side or the other. I know that the more weight I lost, the more it bothered me. But it did tame down and now I just feel a little pulling once in awhile if I lay on my left side.

Wren...nothing wrong with being selfish when it comes to others helping you out as you learn control. Hate to tell you this but there are days where the unexplained hunger just hits. I know I could have three weeks of perfect restriction and all of a sudden a couple of days of being famished. They just hit every once in awhile even when you think you have PERFECT restriction. Ugh.

As always, Betsy...sound advice.

Hey, Pledwith...welcome. Pre-surgery is a time of great anticipation, isn't it? I remember it well. As you prepare for your surgery, follow what your doc requires to a T. Educate yourself as to what is to come. Read, read, read all the forums on LBT and ask as many questions as you have. There is never a "silly" or "stupid" question. Wishing you luck as you begin this exciting journey!:thumbup:

When I married 31 yrs ago I weighed 119lbs and would never wear a sleeveless top. For some reason, even though I have skinny little arms and not much flab at all, I just cannot bring myself to go without sleeves. I have many lady friends that feel as I do. I would rather bare my midriff at the age of 55 rather than show the upper arm.

Jullian...I remember it well...that creeping skin feeling. It does get better. I couldn't stand to have the elastic of my waistband anywhere close to my port (which is also very high). It took me about 6 months to even want to wear jeans. But, after about 17 months, I even forget I have a port and all is well. Good luck to you!

Ditto what she said! Cheri..you are so good at putting it all into words. And, if all were not trying to hang onto losing, maintaining, etc., they wouldn't be showing up on this thread on a daily basis. Coming here for support and getting it is a real blessing.

Phyll....hope you Umph comes back soon. I have read where products like pain meds and even Tylenol PM can impede weightloss. I think you guys that take meds on a daily basis need 2 gold stars for every pound lost. Yes, done Christmas shopping and I am spending my afternoon wrapping. I do this most years....didn't last year and I was a mess. It really does de-stress our holidays for me to do it early. DH thinks I'm nuts to do it all so early but I always tell him....it beats swearing during the holidays. Not a good thing...like he has to worry about buying gifts or preparing. He shows up on Christmas morning in his robe with a hungry tummy and ready to rip open the gifts!

Sandy...I think it was you that was looking for recipes for you PB2. The one I made last weekend (and posted recipe on this thread last Sat.) is WONDERFUL. It's a chicken dish that I cannot get enough of. It has kind of a sweet/peanuty flavor and low in cals. If you go back to last Sat. you can pull up the recipe. Also, the Bell Plantation site has great recipes using the PB2...if you find they are higher in cals, you can revamp them using subs.