OH Juli

Talking about Ptown. We were going to take a boat from Boston across the cape but we are actually flying into NH, an hour north of Boston because there are CHEAP flights on Skybus So we've allowed for some time in the rental car too. Cheri we'd love to see the pictures. Eddie-Thanks for the note to Chris61, on the board. Well done. Mark- Pissed? cute! Of course I had to think, "why is he angry...oh wait, he's drunk!" Pamela-On the "strategic plan for Juli's life 2010-2014" is learn Spainish, learn to golf, write a book. I'm living the SP 2005-2009 right now and just don't have time for more interests until I get done with school. I'm working on BS now and will start my MBA in January 08. I love to learn! dezbus- You have fun with that tile. I'm going to Chicago to be with my honey! We are having dinner with her mom who I have only met once, more than a year ago. The GF and I got into a huge fight after that. I'm a little scared actually. But we've learned a lot about each other since then...wish me luck. If it goes poorly it will be a long ass weekend.

Fantastic! If you go before me you'll have to report back to the best places you find. I'll do the same if I go before you. We are leaving in 6 weeks. I've got two six week classes to get through then off to vacation!!!! I love being in school, the learning is great. The new opportunities it will open for me will be great as well, but god I love it when I'm between classes! Even this weekend I'm finishing one class tomorrow and the other two start on Monday, so no homework! Oh to be 39 and feeling that way is weird. Juli

Rosi, You are outta control! Have a great time!

YEAH The girls are back in town! So glad both of you Denise and TammyJ had a good time! You were missed!

I was wondering about the "OH" bit meant too. I had no idea when I tagged myself with OH Juli. However mine is due to the fact I live in Ohio. And in American Sign Language, I'm always, signing "OH" instead of "I get it." I work with Deaf folk. OH Juli

Provincetown Chamber of Commerce If you are thinking about Boston, Provincetown is a an hour south. It's where my partner and I are going on vacation this summer. The link above is the goings on calendar. Juli

Lauralynn Please eat something healthy. From what you had above all I see is some cottage cheese. I'm not saying stop the chips and candy, but where is the protein, the vegetable, the fruit? You are probably tired because your body doesn't have the right fuel to keep you standing up right. You might find that if you are eating well, the chips and candy are less tempting too. Juli

JC That is so cool! Who knew? And I've become a pickle fanatic since having surgery. Maybe my body was craving what it needed. Travelgirl- I was going to suggest Water. Also, don't eat a an hour before you bike. Let the body digest what's in your tummy so your muscle and stomach aren't competing for blood flow. I like JC's ideas too.

Eva, You are at the stage where you just need to do it. I know it sounds so nike. But the thing is you are! So try to notice the small things that feel better. Walking with laundry up and down stairs is my thing. Before it would be a trudge. One day I was going up the stairs and it just wasn't like it had been. Now I notice it all the time! We're sending good exercise Ju Ju right now!

I am in total agreement with you all. It's fantastic that you get so much in return for the time you invest in it. I mean, you burn calories, you look better, you're taking care of your body but even hours later YOU FEEL SO GOOD! Yee Haw!

Sunta- I'm so jealous! I've been a fan of hers for years. I've read nearly every thing she's put out! You'll be fine no doubt. Juli

There's much to be said about all the concepts above. Some people get the mind set when they get the surgery or before even, that this is it. Certainly there is restriction with an unfilled band. Trust me, mine's unfilled and I've PBed a few times. This is so much more than how we put food into our mouths. It's about our brain; our behaviors and our experiences play into this. I think it's a three pronged approach: 1. You have the physical change the band does to your stomach. 2. You have behavioral modification about how you eat, e.g., following the rules, learning how to fuel the body for best weight loss. 3. You have congniative modification about food's role in your life. Also reframing success, ones future, etc. Some people need the band to start the process of dealing with the mental stuff. Some people start with the mental and go, yeah, a tool would be helpful. Certainly there is plenty to talk about with this monumental change. Juli

Family, I really wasn't going to post this here, but Chris61, the straight man sent me an inappropriate email off line. He wasn't so much crass, as he was icky with a, "lesbians are hot" tone. This is for everyone's FYI. I did send him a note saying not interested and for him to go away. Okay, so maybe it was worded a little more snidely than that. But you get the idea. Thanks

Laralynn Oh girl, stop beating yourself up. Stop being mad at yourself. Don't worry about how you were "high and mighty". Think about what you can do RIGHT NOW to get back in the game. Get up walk in a circle, drink some water and say, "I've got control, I know the rules, and I will follow them." When the next piece of candy calls your name, say it in your head. What you can learn from this experience, eating candy bars and cooking for small kids is that you need to be vigilant. Be kind to yourself. We all have bad days/weeks. It's not what we do during the bad times that define us. It's what we do to pull ourselves up out of the bad times that does. HTH

Woot Woot PRIDE I'm flying into Chicago on Friday for PRIDE with my honey and her pals. She lives in MI, but is from Chicago. They've got the weekend planned! Stuff to do all day Saturday, breakfast on Sunday and then on to watch the parade. I'm so STOKED!!!! I had to go and buy new clothes for the weekend, you know, because a girl needs to look her best and everything I had was too big!

Again to give the guy some slack, if I may. If he had said, "Looks like your t!ts and as$ are getting smaller/firmer/tighter." you could sue him considering you work together. Also, talking about your body below your chin just isn't comfortable for some fellas. And, I too get, "wow, I can really see it in your face!" Which is where I see it the most too. I feel like I'm melting from the top down. HTH

Chris I'm assuming you're talking to me--the Columbus mention and all. If not, oops. I didn't get any PMs lately. They must be messing with this site. So many things change on here. Like now I've constantly need to log on, it's no longer automatic. All is groovey in Columbus. Juli

I don't know how we fall to the 3rd page. I'm on here all the time! I know you all have got to be sick of me. Denise is riding drunk in wine country this week. And TammyJ went on a trip too. Yenken is MIA. They tend to add a lot to the conversation. We miss you! I know I'm missing some of the other regulars who must be having too much fun getting skinny to be bothered with this board. :biggrin1: Just to chitty chat about myself for a minute, I did do my 20 mile ride yesterday on the new bike. It feels pretty unusual, but great to be getting fit and meeting my personal goals. The weight dropping off is a bonus too! A new NSV, I'm a solid size 24 now, which though is still a plus size, it's a size you can find in a department store, not just at LB or AVE. Yesterday I got some new clothes at Kohls! Not much, but it was great to try on things and go, yuck, bad look. Not yuck, but I guess I'll buy it cuz it fits! Lord help me when I see 14! Juli

Well, berries and cole slaw are good for moving you. But maybe it's the Protein powder. It does have a way of backing things up. I'd get some prune juice/plum juice. (I think it's funny, they are calling it plum juice now. It's the same fruit!) Also, I'd try putting more whole fruit in your diet. Nectarines and peaches are in season. Also, if it were me, I'd drink half or full caffeine, it does something to stimulate the bowels. HTH.

I think it's interesting and great how we all make our families. My partner at the time, and I looked at using a known doner, but the men we asked had different expectations than us. So we went to the bank. The first time worked but we miscarried. Try #19, at $500 a try, finally took! Zoe was born in 2001! My ex and I raise her 50/50. She stays at one house M/T/F/S/S the other W/Th one week then we rotate. We talk everything through, she has the same style bed at both houses. It's really quite nice. Next year we are all taking her to Disney. We being both moms and our girlfriends. I think we need to borrow a kid to keep Zoe company too. She starts Kindergarten in the fall, so I should be regaling you all with those tales. Happy Tuesday my banded buddies. ConSafo-Welcome. You'll do great!

areellady- Maybe you need two bikes. One for off road, the one you have now, and one for the road for specifically. If you're wanting something new already, it would make sense to get something rather different, than yet another hybrid. (I don't know exactly what your schwinn is, but I'm assuming.) Good luck. And about recumbants, I understand they are FUN and great, but they are hard to shift when going up hill, you just don't have the same strength in your quads in that position as you do on an upright. And sounds like you want more ability to shift... just a thought.

Well Hi There! In which state are you having the banding done? Is your honey here in Columbus still? If you are getting it done here, then the question is where? I'll wait to hear your answer to the many questions above before I start with opinions about the different places... So nice to meet you, Chris!

I swear Starbucks puts crack in their espresso. I've been getting half decaf doubles over ice. Pour in the skim milk and the sweetener. OMG, I love those! I'm going to Target in 15 minutes and they've got a Starbucks in the store...Gonna get me one, again....

This one makes me laugh more than anything. I was driving my 75 year old step-father's mother back from a family event. She's been 250+ for 40 years. I'm a lesbian. She asks me if I'm a lesbian because I'm fat and can't get a man? I asked where she's been hiding her female lover all these years? Oi.

I was thinking some suburban moms where going to be offended. I was a party with some citified, dressy women, they were talking about "mom jeans" and I was like, "what's that?" and they said, "you know when a woman just gives up and leaves the house wearing old, tired jeans." I was wearing old, tired jeans.:embarassed: Hopefully soon gone will be the days when "clean and not stained" are not the only concern I have for how I dress. I hear people try on different pairs of the same kind of clothes, like black pants, to see which one they prefer. I'm used to buying whatever I could get to fit! As an aside, I was wearing some new shorts, in a new size. After I left the potty, I had to double check that I had them fastened. Why? They felt like they were going to slide off me, but they were buttoned and zipped! I'm a bit scared to buy the next size down, but I need to get a few pair for vacation in August. I worry that if I wait until then there won't be any in the stores! Also, I want to pick up a few things a week between now and then instead of going hog wild... Oh the problems of having to buy clothes! I'm so happy to have such problems.