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Thank you Candice & Linda, I needed some movement on the scale, well I could also use a different type of movement, but hopefully some coffee will get the old digestive track moving. I know TMI, but I must have shy bowels, doesn't like anything but it's own thrown. Linda, I agree, I know we need something to change with our health care system, but I don't want anything rushed and I don't want to have us spend too much time debating it. My daughter who is the PA watched the program mentioned and found it to be very interesting. So that's my last word on the state of our health care.

Finally am up, can't say I'm moving much. ran DD#5 to go to Creation in Spokane, it is a christian version of Woodstock. She goes with her churches youth group and won't be home until Sunday. My new fill doc wants me to bring a food journal, so that makes me feel better. At least he is interested in how I'm doing. So, is there a way to print off from My Plate? Never did eat dinner last night or even have snacks. I just drank. I think I got dehydrated at my meetings, they only had soda. Even though I tried to find water, the hotel machines didn't even have it. So after drinking about 40 oz of water I started to feel better, but the migraine was still there. Not hungry yet this morning. I am going to try a poached egg and low cal waffle with SF syrup. Check out the new ticker. I lost another 3 pounds, so I'm down to 196. A total of 11 pounds for the July challenge.

Still can't face food, maybe a little fasting will help me put food into the right perspective. Janet, is it really possible to look at food as something we need to survive instead of it being obsession? I'm tired of constantly thinking about food. Maybe I'm just tired.

My 2 bits on insurance. My district pays for 'part' of my personal coverage, about $285 of the $400, which does not include dental, vision, or prescription coverage, AND it is only for 'basic' coverage, $2000 deductable per person per family, and only pays 50% after that. I have to pay an addition $650 per month to purchase 'basic' coverage for my children. I'd vote for universal coverage.

Back from Helena, spent the day choosing CRT test questions for this years achievement tests for science. Unfortunately I didn't drink enough water and it was hot as hell. Now I have a migraine, st least i don't have to worry about what to eat, don't feel like anything. Janet, you look 15 years younger in your new avatar, so is there anything you're not telling us? Yes Janet, I need you to take me shopping. I hate grocery shopping, so it is in and out and don't browse. I guess I need to browse. I came home to such a treat, my girls painted and hung pictures. I've lived in my house for 4 years now and still haven't hung pictures. There were people at the meeting in Helena that hadn't seen me since before band. Their comments sure inspired me to keep working. They raved about what a glow I had. I also think I may have to alter some clothes, my shirts are starting to get baggy. Another inspiration to keep working. I can't get into the new fill doc for 2 weeks because...get this...they ran out of fill needles and just ordered them today. The needles won't be in for 7 to 10 days. I am not going to worry about this. I will remind myself that the doc is 2 hours closer, cost $65 less, and he takes the time to answer my emails. Phyl, congrats.. You all have fun together. If I had the $$ and a passport I'd be bailing on my quilting week and be joining you. Steph, can't wait to hear from you. Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement.

Candice here is the quilting website. I didn't subscribe, you don't have to. Free Quilt Patterns calories today...320, still haven't heard from the doc, maybe my doc is on vacation with Candice's doc.

Janet, I didn't even know that there were such things as a low cal waffle. I use the SF syrup all the time on my sweet potatoes. Now I am excited!!!! I can live with that. Candice, I'm with your frustration. I called the fill doc and am still waiting for a reply, so now I'm going to email him. Well ladies, in cleaning the kitchen I found my espresso machine. So I am sitting here drinking a Skinny, SF Hazelnut capaccino, yum.

Ate the damn eggs this morning for breakfast. This is definitely the new breakfast for me, it was gross. Eggs, except for poached gag me. Managed to eat one scrambled egg with 1/2 tble of cheese & a tble of salsa. So next time I will try a poached. The problem with poached is that I prefer it to be nestled on a buttered waffle with syrup. Not exactly what I can eat. I still have the shivers, bleckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

Linda, even though I smoke, I hate the smell of smoke. Strange huh? I NEVER smoke in my house, and don't let anyone else. I go outside, even when it is 30 degrees BELOW zero. I rarely smoke in a public space, if I do I find a back alley where there is no one else around. Actually, I don't smoke much, about 6 per day, the doc says I am self medicating. Actually, the weird thing is when I have managed to quit, my blood pressure goes sky high. People can be inconsiderate. Have a call into the fill doc and should hear from him later today. Stepped on the scale today, I FINALLY broke 200, not by much, but I will take it. I'm down to 199. So my weight loss for the July challenge is 9 pounds, hope to make it to 10 for the final count. Did you notice that we are almost over 1000 pages?

Steph, congratulations on the sale, you made it!!! You are going on your 3-day!!!!!! How exciting. Of course I will be with you in spirit. Linda, have 'fun' at work. I could send you some of our hot weather, I'm sick of it. I hate hot.

Good morning ladies. Hope you all had a good night. I plan on making an appointment with the fill doc today, hopefully will get in this week. Back to finishing deep cleaning the kitchen. I need to finish the house this week since I will be gone quilting all next week. The cool thing about the fill doc being in Kalispell....several quilt shops. oooh like I need to spend $$$.

Well, quiet day on LBT. This has been a long day. Work in the heat, came home cooked dinner, and DD#4 is babysitting a 12 month old who is teething. Man I don't miss those days. The baby is spending the night so it will be a very interrupted one since our house is small. Oh well, he is quite the cutie, and this is his parent's anniversary. He is a twin, but fortunately, we only have one. See you all in the morning. Oh Candice, I'm with Phyl, are you CRAZY!! Get thee to a doctor!

Janet, where my problems are right now is portion control. I'm still hungry. I haven't lost anything in over 2 weeks, I'm still stuck on the darn 200. I'm going to rework breakfast and lunch. Tomorrow breakfast is going to be an egg with a little cheese and salsa. Lunch, I will make a piece of chicken. I'm hoping they will stick with me longer. Tomorrow night I have to drive to Helena and then be in meetings all day on Tuesday and drive home Tuesday night. Calories so far are 900, with snack it will be about 1000. For the most part I stick at around 1000 to 1100. But even keeping it at this level, I'm still not loosing. Protein today is about 60 g. Steph, make sure you give us an update. Don't throw away any left over jars or crocks. I'd make a deal for them.

Denise, hang in there, let's hope the drug test results are negative. There are just some of our children who have to make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. However, it is so hard to watch it happen. If the drug tests are positive, maybe you can use it as an excuse for him to get some therapy? I know it isn't a solution, but maybe it would help him find a solution. My prayers are with you and DS. I'm jealous, I know I've said it before, but man I would love to meet you all!!! Have fun, I will be thinking of you all. Well off to work, once I get my butt in gear & get dressed. I will call for a fill appointment on Monday. Hopefully should be able to get in this week. Monday night and Tuesday I am in Helena working on CRT questions for science. Should be interesting. Then back home to make biscotti and shortbread for my quilting week. Hope to get the rest of the deep cleaning done when I get back. I do want to 'play' a little before school starts, only a little over 4 weeks. What happened to summer, I want a redo. Janet, I'm not upset, just frustrated. Steph, hope you made some big bucks!!!

Yep, the doc I will go to is a lap band doctor. I have chatted with him via email and he seems knowledgeble & nice. He can't give me any advise until I officially become his patient, meaning having an appointment.

Janet, the only things I know about my band is the general information and the stuff I got from LBT & Steph. I never knew about straws, heck I didn't know about ibuprophen. So I'm an idiot. That's why I ask so many questions.

Oh Candice, Kettle Korn in the food of the Gods. It is a salty Sweet popcorn, to die for. I love the stuff, I was so glad Steph didn't get her equipment while I was there, I couldn't have resisted. Steph will make a killing, the stuff sells for about $4 a bag. Linda, THANK YOU for the info, I just couldn't figure out what was going on. So I WILL make a fill appointment. I figure I will take a food journal since it will be the first time I have gone to a real doctor since my banding. I should be able to get in this week. I am going to work on changing my meals. Meat has never been my favorite food, that is why I like the chicken salad. But even though I have healthified it with only 1 tble of light miracle whip per serving, if it is a slider food, it isn't the best choice. I am going to try some eggs, with a little cheese and salsa. Regular eggs gag me. Lunch I will aim to cook extra meat at night for the next day. I have no problem keeping dinner nonslider. More veggies I guess. It was 100 today at work. After sitting in the shade for 2 hours dead heading petunias, my least favorite job. I finally asked the boss if I could go home since it was so slow. NO ONE is interested in plants when it is that hot. So was able to leave at 4 instead of 5. Came home and took a shower and then a nap. My girls are in charge of dinner, they are getting subs, I will eliminate a good portion of the bread and eat the meat and veggies. Steph, I hope today's sales were as productive as yesterday. How did the Kettle Korn go? Damn I love that stuff.

Steph, I'm so sorry about the boohoo's. I was hoping that IF it happened I'd be there. But it is the grieving process AND you are tired. Naturally you are going to cry when you sell your dad's stuff. I am glad that I was able to buy some stuff. I know that each of the items I bought were special. Janet, Restriction, what the hell is that? I can eat non stop. What is full? Can't figure that out either. So the reality is that I either stretched my pouch or my band has a leak. Yesterday for lunch we stopped at a restraunt. I chose what I thought was the best food selection, a 1/2 of sandwich with loads of pistrami, lettuce, tomatoe, onion. I ate the whole damn thing. This was no whimpy sandwich. It was on a slice of whole wheat bread, not a bun and no dressing. But did I feel any restriction. NO. Right now, I don't feel like I even have a band. I don't even have trouble with things sticking. I know the band is a tool, but I don't feel any different than when I was pre-band. The amount of food that I 'can' eat is huge. So the question is: How can I need a fill, when 1 1/2 months ago I was tight. Last night I was trying to find some food ideas on the internet and ran across a booklet that a lapband doc gives his patients. It said no straws. I always use a straw. But it said that using straws will stretch out the pouch. Do any of you know about using straws? I guess I will need to go get a fill. DD#4 does help out with the household budget as much as she can. She pays the cell phone bill and buys part of the groceries. But she has some medical bills that she has to pay. My house payment takes 1/2 my salary and then I have medical bills that take up about 1/4 of my salary. in 2004, I had to go to Duke Medical Center to have reconstructive surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. It was my 3rd surgery in as many years. So I am still paying on that. My confusion about sliders vs non sliders is...what makes a slider. If it is based upon texture, I would think that eggs, any casserole, lunch meat would be sliders. If salad is a slider then shouldn't most veggies be sliders? So now I am one of those needy patients.

Okay, so what do you all eat for lunch. Since I seem to be eating sliders, That's why I am no losing like I should this last month. So TELL ME WHAT TO EAT, please answer ASAP so I can plan food. Yes Janet, I age the bun, I know!!! slap, slap. Just got home from a quilt show sale about 2 hours away. Was okay, I really didn't have fun. Strange. I feel like I am starting to 'out-grow' some of my quilting ladies. I just don't seem to enjoy listening to their petty problems. They have problems? Try being a single parent and your house-hold budget just dropped by $1000 a month. Maybe i just am on people overload?

Janet, yep the feeding frenzie was carbs. I will try the high/low calorie thing. Popcorn satisfies my chewing crazing, but really doesn't fill me up. I can eat and entire LARGE bag (I eat only the 100 cal paks) and be looking for more. It actually acts like a slider to me. Right now, nothing keeps me full. I don't think I am eating slider food. Lunch is chicken salad with lots of chopped celery or 1/2 c cottage cheese with blueberries, craisins & almonds. Dinner is hard protein, veggies, & watermelon. The only meal that I have trouble eating after is dinner, so I know that is habit. But you would think popcorn would fill me and keep me satisfied. For lunch yesterday at Stephs, I had a hamburger (I know not the best) loaded with lettuse, onion, pickles, tomatoe...I stopped, not because I was full, but because the hamburger was gone. So let me know what you think. I am trying to stay way from carbs. I get into a rut, food wise, because I get to tired to think of anything new, alright, I'm just down right lazy! I wish I was coming, oohhh, temps in the 70's AND the beach. I dream of living on the beach. Saturday we are suppose to be in the hundreds, I HATE hot weather. Comes from having all this insulation. Had a good time helping Step get ready for the sale, man did her dad have stuff. I took some stuff up to contribute to the cause, craft stuff and garage sale stuff. Came home with a car load. I thought I was down sizing, but couldn't help myself. I DO love old stuff. Steph looked good, and has the 2 CUTEST little munchkins. I forgot how much I love those little creatures. Ah someday, grandchildren. Oh, I get home last night, and discussing hair issues with DD#4, and she informs me that my hairdo is the mid-80's and time for it to go. Boy, now I regret teaching her how to speak up. So she is going to give me a 'hair' lesson today before I leave. Hopefully, my shop hop day goes well. I know I will be depressed not being able to shop. Oh well.

Just a quick drop in, need to get on the road to Steph's moms. Anyway, just wanted to share some frustration. I can't seem to make the scale move. Calories are no different, other than the Feeding Frenzie on Monday which has about 600 extra calories. I'm right around 1000 cals, give or take. I'm working non-stop, deep cleaning, yard work and nothing. I know you all are probably tired of hearing me whine, but I don't know what else to do. I'm watching calories, protein is excellent, fluids are excellent, what the heck is wrong? Is it just because this is my 2nd landmark goal, to break 200? I don't think I can live without much less food? This sucks.

Steph, only because I love you!!! and worry. OHHHHHHHHHH, I can't wait to see all the stuff, I think I will be shopping!! I love a good bargin. Up for grabs, a 6 month old female purebred miniature doxy, who just had an 'accident' on my clean carpet. Had to spend the last 1/2 hour spot cleaning and rinsing the carpet. NOT HAPPY Spent the entire day cleaning the kitchen and still not done!!!! I wonder why I have 3 bottles of the same spice (x4) and all of them are open. What it the story about the costco container of garlic that I have had for over 10 years... Well, 6 cupboards and the dishwasher cleaned. The dishwasher took 2 hours all by itself. I'd like the hang the man who designed it so the part of the door can get gook on it but isn't exposed to the cleaning cycle. So off to Steph's tomorrow and then to Seeley on Friday with my quilting ladies. We are heading to Holter Lake on the 27th for our week of quilting. I'll need to get the house deep cleaned before I go. Oh, you won't believe what I just saw on TV, a commercial for back to school, how dare it. I haven't even had time to play yet!!

Phyl, they can't charge you for your cpap machine on the airplane, you are allowed to have a 2nd carry-on without charge. Linda, I was suppose to have an empty house this year, but my DD#4 who is 23 couldn't get into the ultrasound program she wanted because they are full until 2011, so it will be her and I. She will be taking classes, but most of them will be online. DD#5 will be living in the dorms. Dinner was chicken, veggies, and watermelon. My head still says it is hungry. I'm going to Lincoln tomorrow to help Steph get ready for her big garage sale at her moms. Bringing her some protein powder, she didn't bring any and now she can't get anything down. I will do her a forhead slap for not getting an unfill.

Phyl, I sound like a hermit compared to you. I guess after dealing with students for most of the year I like to hibernate. Well, stepped on the scale today, was hoping for it to be below 200, but I am holding for a week. I seem to do that, hold for a week, then lose. I will have to be a bit more careful. Other than the feeding frenzy on Monday, I have been within calories. Maybe a bike ride later today. It is suppose to be 100 degrees on Saturday and I have to work. With it being that hot, all we do is try to keep everything watered. Planting season is winding down, so we are usually slow from now until September. I hate that, 1-we don't get bonuses, 2-finding ways to tidy up sad spent baskets and flowers. The boss did let me try some propagation with some of my water plants, so if that goes well, we will have 2 species that we can grow ourselves and not have to order. Suppose I should get busy in the kitchen, the goal today, the deep clean, blek, I hate kitchens, expecially mine. Very small and NO storage space.

Steph, I don't know if you will get this, but I am planning on coming up to Lincoln on Thursday. Friday, my quilting ladies are going to Seeley to a quilt shop. Alas, no shopping for me. Janet, congratulations on your child's birth. My eldest is 32, it never seems that long ago. It sometimes is a killer to have that time pass by. I loved every minute, okay almost every minute of their infancy. Okay, I'm a baby nut. Now the adolescent years, gives me shivers up my spine.