*susan*

Goodness, look at all of the soon to be sleever's come Monday, good luck to all of you! Something I found really soothing was a heating pad. I used it on my tummy and it just felt so good.

Glad to hear things went well, now on to becoming a big ol' loser, lol!

We will monitor the situation. Thanks.

Folks, I tried to nicely put a stop to the arguing and name calling, We try not to "rule with an Iron fist" here, but if the arguing doesn't stop, this thread will be closed and possible warnings, etc. will be issued. Please, treat each other with respect. No more name calling, we are all adults here, let's be respectful of one another. Thank you.

Okay, now that we have all of that out of the way, and we are all being polite and respectful while posting our thoughts and opinions, I would like to add me .02 worth. I got the sleeve to be a normal person. I do not plan to be on a diet for the rest of my life. There is not a single food that I have eliminated from eating just because it may not be the healthiest choice. I try to eat healthy the majority of the time. But, if there is something I want, I will eat it and enjoy it without guilt. Everything in moderation. The difference now is, instead of stuffing my face until I am uncomfortable, I eat a sensible portion, then push it away and remind myself, I am done eating this right now. It doesn't mean I can't enjoy it again in the future, so there is no need for me to overdo it right now. I love food. Normal, skinny people love food. They are just better at eating eat in reasonable portions than I was.

I see we have several new members posting in this thread, and I would like to welcome each of you. I would also like to direct you to our forum rules: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules Please remember, everyone has the right to express their opinion and we ask that you always be polite and respectful to each other. Please remember rule number five: 5. Members will treat each other with courtesy and respect, especially when they disagree. We understand that bright, intelligent and educated people may not always agree, but personal attacks in the form of insults, abusive language or other means of obvious harassment will not be tolerated. - Do not attack, mock, or otherwise insult others. You can respectfully disagree with the message or topic, but you cannot attack the messenger. This includes attacks against the user’s spelling or command of written English, or belittling a user for posting a duplicate topic. - If you are attacked by another user, and you reciprocate, you will also be subject to the same consequences. Defending yourself or a friend is not an excuse! Do not take matters into your own hands – instead, use the Report Post link to report an attack and we will be happy to handle the situation for you. Thank you everyone for remembering these rules and treating each other with respect from here on out.

As many of you know, due to major emotional issues with family, and major back problems resulting in my not being able to exercise since August, I have packed quite a few pounds back on. Well, I had an outpatient surgery procedure on my back yesterday, am already starting to feel better, and am free to begin exercising again starting Friday. I am so pumped, I feel like today really is the first day of the rest of my life. I have recommitted to my sleeve and am ready to go. I know this time I really need to watch every bite I put in my mouth. I looked at several of the free sites online, but I really have a firm grasp on Weight Watchers, understand the program and have had great success with it pre-sleeve. So, even though I have to pay for it, I have decided to do Weight Watchers Online. I officially weighed in and started tracking today. I was just wondering if anyone else is doing WW. If so, feel free to add me as a friend there, my profile name is in my signature.

I am with the, "any jeans from a trendy store in the mall" gang, lol. They will be just one of many rewards to myself when I reach goal.

Welcome back! Like you, I got off track as well. I haven't been able to exercise since August due to major back problems and between that and family issues, I packed a few pounds back on. But, I had an outpatient surgery procedure done on my back yesterday and am approved to start exercising again starting Friday. I recommited today to getting the rest of my weight off. With the support of our friends on this site, you, me and everyone else can do this!

Rhonda, I will have to check that out. I never see them at home, then end up in the car going somewhere and that is always where those little buggers show up, never fails.

Shalon, thanks for sharing. We don't have Rite Aid here, hoping CVS or Walgreens carry it.

Yikes, that is pricey, but if it works, probably worth it too. I am going to check out the website. Thanks for the quick reply!

Awesome, that is so exciting!

iegal, isn't it amazing the sense of freedom you get once the kids are grown and moved out? Mine are off to college, and while I love them and miss them terribly, at the same time, I am enjoying living life for me now.

Is this something you can buy at the drug store, or is it by prescription?

I tried Vaniqua years ago, and found it to be pretty ineffective. I had thought about trying it again, to see if it has improved any over the years.

I understand what you are saying about sweets, during that special time of month, I do love my chocolate. But not too long ago, a coworker made some delicious, yummy looking homemade chocolate chip cookies that everyone in the building was raving about. I had to try one, but I guess it was the wrong time of the month, lol, after only one bite, I had enough, it was too sickenly sweet for me. I guess that isn't a bad thing. If only my body felt that way during pms, I would be in good shape, lol.

Thanks, guys. Irene, not being able to exercise is part of my problem. My back problems reached the point of where I have been pretty much unable to do anything since August. As long as I was able to do my Tae Kwon Do and Jiu Jitsu, I could eat just about anything and lose weight. But, when you are in constant pain and can hardly move, exercise becomes physically impossible. Between the issues I had with my family last year, and the back problems, I got really depressed and that led to my falling back into the zone of turning to crunchy, salty food as a comfort mechanism. I have a procedure on back scheduled Tuesday morning, and if all goes well, it should eliminate my pain, at least for a while. I am hoping and praying it works. I think finally being pain free and able to move again will be a huge motivator. But, I recognize that I am going to need lots of support from my friends here and on facebook, and I am going to need to follow an online program to get myself back to where I need to be.

I am sorry to hear you went through so much pain, but happy to hear you are on the road to recovery and have your sleeve to look forward to now. If only those of us who were banded had known about the sleeve first, what a difference it would have made!

Mine have actually changed quite a bit. Like many, I am a bit lactose intolerant now. I also despise fried, greasy foods. How I ever ate even one McDonald's french fry is beyond me, totally grosses me out now. I have also found that whereas before, anything healthy tasting disgusted me, I am now more open to trying healthier foods and when I am behaving, I actually enjoy them.

Ahhh, doesn't sound good. I guess I should have done that, lol. Thanks for checking. I am just so tired of the daily battle with facial hair. Man, getting older is great in some ways, and not so much in others.

Halfway to go is awesome, Lissa! And, I love Vero Beach, when I was in high school, I remember spending my summers there with my parents in a nice travel park, have some great memories there!

Good luck to those having surgery tomorrow. As soon as you are feeling up to it, please let us know how you are doing!

Hi Jay, and welcome! By the way folks, I live in Palatka, and work in Jacksonville.

Welcome to the fabulous forties! I am finding this to be the absolute best decade of my life!