OH Juli

The weight loss slows down the closer you get to your goal, but you adjust. The expectation that I had for a steady 10 pounds a month were pretty silly with a little hind sight. Good luck to you though. You're doing great. As for support for LBGT, I'd check www.stonewall.org or www.outinamerica.com

I heart you.

Do we want to agree not to talk politics and candidates on this board? And it's coming at me from all areas, I'd like to have a safe non-political place. Thoughts?

It's a pain in the butt isn't it? But you are not alone. Caring about how you look makes you more aware of how you look. Being more aware makes you pick at your parts and say, ugh. But if you are honest with yourself and turn off the negative self talk that women all seem to have and really look at the differences from before you'll see them. Check out the slope of your shoulder or the smallness of your wrist or pick the piece of you you like most...do your toes look smaller? It's so so hard to see the positive when we only want to focus on the negative. You are in beautiful company. My GF who is tall and regular sized and I were playing around with cheap rings at a festival, you know try this one on kind of thing...it was there we realized my fingers are smaller than hers we both were shocked. Even now I look at my fingers typing and I see sausages on the key board, but they are small. <--that was hard to type. But they are.

From a 9 to an 8. Wide to regular. Yeah, I love the band.

Taking a page from BG I'm back to hitting the gym, hard. I was dreading the run, the big 10-K and it had me making excuses not to work out. Like I'd rather be fat than run kind of excuses. yeah, I want to be a runner and I'm going to be a runner, but not right now. No time to work through the metal barriers. No energy to pick it apart and examine it. Therefore, I've been weight training like I've not done in a few months. Yeah, the guns are burning, the quads are hurting, but I don't need the HC bar in the restroom to help get up from the toilet so maybe I'm not doing it right. Any way the lesson learned is when it gets tough do what you love to keep you motivated. Which means my butt should get on a bicycle soon. And never, ever give up. Can I get an AMEN?

No and it was classic, she had her MP-3 player stuck in her ears too. She crawled under a blanket until I put the camera away. What a brat, I know.

Gwen, In the fascinating world we live in there's always something to learn, a place to explore, things to do. Certificate, diploma, whatever, just the doing and the learning and the growing is what's important. Please make sure you share with us what you learn that may help us on our path. J

Yeah FREAKING HAW! Please keep us posted! I got nothing other than general don't eat it if it feels bad or will make you fat instructions. XO J

Zoe refused to have her picture taken. I got your emails. Sorry, it took a minute to write back.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f90/marchies-07-18-months-later-74728/#post982091 The September thread... Keep talking!

Hi Marchies! Bring the party to the new monthly thread! Juli

Virginia First of all sorry to hear about your chaotic life. Ick. Second, your weight loss is amazing. You are doing very, very well. Third, I share some of what you are talking about, with your head not caught up with your body. I don't get the big deal people make of the differences they see in me. Oh, I get that I'm smaller and I do tend to buy clothing that fits, though my work clothes (uniform) is too big, my reaction is a tempered, yeah, yeah I've lost some weight, let's talk about something else. I spent a period of time waiting for the huge epiphany, like okay god, show me the amazing difference between before and after...I'd wake up and look at the walls of my bed room and go, yep they're the same...I'm the same. And there's some odd balance one needs to strike between being different and that being good, because it IS good. We are healthier and stronger and able to live life more fully. But at the same time there's a need to honor the people we were before, because they are who we are and they are good and worthy. My life didn't just start when I lost the weight. I had a good and productive albeit fat existance. I struggle with these things. And I talk to my therapist about these and other issues once a month. Keeps me sane.

So how do you pack cookie dough? Raw or do you actually bake the cookies?

When people ask how much I've lost I typically say, "I don't share that information." When they really want to know, I say, "How much do you think I've lost?" That makes any sane person uncomfortable. I've yet to be called skinny, but I do get the "are you going to lose more?" question. I answer "I hope so." Often when people gush, like horribly, uncomfortably, can they just shut the heck up gush, I say, "I'm the same woman I was before, same eyes, same heart. Just healthier and how are you?"

We are all beautiful and it's so hard to let the other stuff get in the way of seeing it. Good Hubby, and good you for saying, "yeah, I am beautiful." Awe......this makes my day.

OMG, they are so cute! The glasses are adorable. They both look like their faces are going to split they are smiling so hard!!! I'll take her picture tonight, but she'll look a sloppy mess. Maybe again tomorrow morning. I feel I'll be buying a million knee socks. She loved to take my socks when she was little and wear them like thigh highs or my short socks and wear them like knee socks. I knew they'd be a winner. She's a dress wearer, I thought she'd be able to wear the dresses longer if she had the socks... BTW, I've issued a "MINUS 20" challege at work to my co workers. To see if we could encourage each other to drop 20 between now and the New Year. That's something isn't it? Perhaps just more talk...

Jared is so ready for school. He's a big boy and he wants to learn. He's got his smart big sister he's following too. BTW, BG, since you are not at work, taking little dude to school I'm a post here, I sent Zoe to school today dressed ala Stacy. I wish I'd taken a picture. I bought her knee socks this weekend that she is in love with. Last night when we picked out clothes for today, she picked shorts and a tank. This morning she was dressed and I thought, shorty socks and tie shoes, but no, she insisted on the knee socks and crocks to go with the tank and shorts but it was cold so out came a hoodie. Oh, and the hair which is long and no bangs now, had the front pulled back in a barrette. Really. My kid looked cute but way to grown up. I was freaked a little...each piece was okay alone, but pulled together it was an "outfit". The last person I've seen dressed like that was you. Yeah, my kid dresses like a 28 year old. We'll her shorts and tank aren't as tight as yours and they are pink. And the shirt had "Marie" from the Aristocats on it. Lord help me. They grow up fast.

Go you indeed. I love how your joy comes through your post even while you are dealing with storms and selfish people and smoke free no less. Rock on.

Pataskala, There are a few here I think that have had Dr. Choban....Give them a minute and they'll respond. Good luck. Juli

Heather and Susan Thanks so much for the kind words. :smile: Are we meeting in September?

Just for the record, Jo Jo I've reported you for inciting a fight. And to answer you idiotic question is that lapband is a tool one integrates into the life. Being lesbian isn't about how I have sex. It's about how I fit into the world. The point being if I never had sex again, I'd still be a lesbian. Please go to the forums where people discuss their differences, the people of color, the biker people, the christians etc and ask them to shut up because they are talking about life that indirectly relates to their success. I don't care where you go, but please just go far far away.

Niki and Kathy- You two are with in a pound of each other on the loss, I love seeing the challenge between you. Very cool. I'll be keeping my eye on your tickers!!! Way to go!

D, I'm afraid of you! That's amazing on the run. I know the lack of exercise is annoying with school. I hit the gym for only about 30 minutes a day. I just am struggling to find the time. I look up and the clock says time to do something else, like pick up the kid or make dinner. Damn details of the life getting in the way! You're a runner. Hey everyone, D is a runner!!!!

For what ever reason I've missed all the fun over here. How did that happen? Oh wait, I'm in school full time, work full time, raising a first grader as a single mom (Zoe has two mommies, but we aren't together, it's been 6 years), I'm in a LDR with someone 285 miles away and I workout like a maniac. I don't read these boards like I used to. But I've been a big ol' lesbian. Now I'm more of a normal sized one. Hope you are all well. Juli