OH Juli

Well then bitch it's time to whore yourself out and make the money! Oh, if it were only that easy. Isn't that horrible, my intial reaction? Anyway, that's not a choice, you need a bike. It will get you to your goal. It's not a toy (well not entirely) but it's a strategic investment to help you attain what you have been working toward for the last year and how ever many months it took you to get surgery. I know we are still talking $600-$700 just to get started with an entry level bike, but that's all you need. I'll give you support and encouragement or I'll shut the hell up now. Tell me what you need me to do. :biggrin:

Morning Marchies! My restriction is tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. But it's good. I'm able to get all my nutrition without having to blend my food. I can't eat early in the morning and I won't eat after 6pm which is annoying but beneficial. I used to pack in a third of my daily calories with after dinner snacking. Mind you I was still mostly not eating too many calories, but I'd go from having a great day to having a marginal day because of what I ate between 7 PM and 10 PM. At least now I eat dinner and stop putting food in my mouth. That's been such a struggle, I feel like I'm hungry, but I know that I am not. I'm just breaking a long ingrained habit. And what's good is that when I don't eat after 6 I don't have sleep issues, like no acid reflux. I was worried that I'd have to get an unfill. My fills are tricky and unfun so I really don't like playing with the levels. Enough about me... Jeni, girl, keep your eye on the prize. You are doing fantastically well. Even if you don't make that goal, look how far you have come, baby! Gwen, I love when the clothing shifts, I believe our bodies change shape a bit even if we aren't losing weight. My scale hasn't moved much but I'm ready for the next size down pants. Also, I love your name, White Pants. Is that a goal of yours? Or do you sport white pants all the time? To me that's a goal. I'd love to wear light pants or even khakis, but don't, yet. XO Juli

There's a giant probability that your bike will need to be ordered and assembled for you, so it's not going to be a situation where you walk in and walk out with your bike. Get your ass to the shop this weekend and look at bikes so you have a really good idea which one you want to buy. Also, all the deals are happening right now. And, it will shake your funk. Not that I'm tell you what to do.

ZZ, You won't get fitted exactly to a bike until you purchase it. But what you do do is go to the LBS and say I'm in the market, what do you have that would fit me? They show you, you ask what size it is and then you go from there. Giant has XS, S, M, L, XL. Like a T-shirt. And yes, they do coorispond to real frame measurements. What is also somewhat new in the road biking world are Woman Specific Designed bikes. We tend to be longer in the leg and shorter in the torso then men. Find a 5'10" tall man and you probably have a longer inseam then he does. They do have the crotch bar, and you need that for strength of the bike, but the have narrower handlebars and other slight differences. Guide to Women Specific Bikes This tells it all. Good luck with shopping.

BG What's the status of your new bike? Are you shopping around or holding out until you have your check in your hand? Garlic salt is yummy. Garlic anything is yummy.

Jeni All I've got to say is hang in there. Sorry I'm not much help. J

You are not a freak. I had this same concern and some kind soul put it to me like this: If you need a knee replacement so you could walk would say no because it is man-made? If you needed a new heart valve so live would you turn that down? Having this thing inside of you is what you need to have to be healthy, and it's made of a better quality material than Tupperware. You’re freaking because of nerves. Organic and all natural is fantastic. I was a vegetarian for years and certainly understand your point of view. But the flip side is we live in the 21st century and there is something to be said about better living through technology. (Bless tech's ability to get this message to you.) No one can question your commitment to environmental or sustainability concerns, or kick their asses if they do, because you have a lapband. No one is allowed to question your integrity aside from yourself, and it seems like you've weighed all the pros and cons and have determined lapbanding is the best option for you to gain control of your life. If anyone calls you a hypocrite let me know, I’ll kick their ass. You got people.

ZZ I love a nice lecture, you know giving one, but I'm guessing I can't add one iota that you haven't heard in the 7 years of relating to this man. You must get something out of it or you'd not be doing what you do. Rock on chica, bitch all you want about the fella. It's cyber space and we can handle it. (Now if I worked next to you and it was constant drama I'd be singing a different tune.) ~~~~~~~~~~~ We talked TOSRV for hours last night. That's the 2 centuries back to back in May. I'm stoked and excited and going to send my registration this weekend. Do I buy the Jersey or just get a t-shirt? My size is going to change from where I am so $50 for a jersey is high...This is a 3000 people ride...How freaking cool is that?! I can't wait to start riding and training! Woo Hoo.

Sarah, Absolutely anyone can show up! Please come on down 71 and meet the gang. There are quite a few of us in central Ohio and the more the merrier! You'll find us in the food Court by the Great Indoors. Wow, you're just banded! Like not even a week ago! How are you feeling? Are you moving around well? How's your hunger? It's so nice to meet you! Juli

I’m coming up on my one year anniversary and I have to say I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference a year has made in how I feel about my life. It hasn’t all been up, up and more up. I’m mostly proud and happy. I’m healthier and able to run up stairs with baskets of laundry. I ride my bike and run after my kid. I’ve felt sexy, I’ve strutted, oh it’s true. But I’ve also thought about the years I’ve lost, the damage I’ve done to my skin and how some of my most precious relationships have taken a hit because I won’t go to the buffet and eat gobs of food with old friends. But most recently I feel very grateful. I feel so overjoyed with the fact that I’ve been given my life back. And weight loss is only a third of the changes I’ve been going through; I’ve returned to school; I’ve gotten divorced...in opposite order. I don’t know who to thank: my therapist, my doctors, myself or God? I’m not that spiritual so the last one is interesting. But gratitude is an amazing thing. I’ve cried and I’ll cry again just to be able to do things I’ve always dreamed of doing, but thought that the ability was beyond me, that my time had passed. This was pretty poignant this past Sunday when I ran my first 5K which I had wanted to do for as long as I remember. I feel like I’m setting up pins, goals, just to see if I’ve got what it takes to knock ‘em down. That’s such an amazing feeling. I’m so thankful. :biggrin2: I thought I’d share.

Ethics huh? I just did a freakin' paper on it...how to make decisions etc. Kill me now. Off to the gym. Yeah, W, (Sorry can't call you Daddy) it's amazing how many hours of the day we give up to the TV, Games and computers. Happy evening ya'll.

I'm a Franklin Covey planner addict. I just need to tell you people I put "S*L*E*E*P" in it on my to do list. Come on 9pm! Actually I'm going to work out at 3, which is 1.25 hours from now. I should feel like a million $$ afterward. Then it's dinner at Whole Foods and cycling convo with the ol' biking mentor. We are setting up the details and training schedule for the double century in May. Oh, some shopping too. I need to buy some new jeans but want to hold out a bit longer....we'll see the siren song of Old Navy and Kohls is calling me...and they are right near WF.

I love it! Thanks for sharing. What a good kid. Tape that to the refrigerator door!

Well then. I want to make some duche comment but that would be a new low. As for smelling like ass, didn't you say you liked it a few pages back? I know you're being supportive, I appreciate it. I drank herb mint tea and my tummy felt better.

I'm tired and cranky. My house is a mess and I've got too much to do. I can't eat for the first 3 hours of my day nor the last 3 or 4. I'm toying with the idea of not drinking caffiene and that makes me even more grouchy. I love losing weight but I want to crawl into a big bowl of something warm and fattening and then take a long ass nap. Can I get skinny afterward? Pleeeeeeeease?????? This is going to be a busy week and I'm lacking motivation. This is not the week to give up coffee. And giving I'm thinking about giving it up because I know deep in my heart my band is too tight (I go on the 3rd for my anniversary check up and will probably ask for a slight unfill) and I feel it constantly. I think the caffiene is only adding to the irritation...oh and someone sent me a note about ulcers it can cause. I'm envisioning my stomach just deterorating beneath my band. -A little too dramatic? Someone share some joy and happiness.

yeah and for the record I went to Vegas and not one other person met me there aside from a fantastic woman who actually lives there. She was great, and I was happy to be traveling with a friend. I was a little let down by all the hype and no follow through, to be honest.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f56/central-ohio-get-together-march-8-2008-a-51861/index3.html If you can make it to Columbus' Polaris Shopping Place please do. We all met here on LBT.

Mrs H. Overall how are your calories? Is soup the best choice because it flows right through. Is there something more solid you can be eating at lunch? Is there sugar in the tea? Are you exercising? Aside from looking at how many calories you eat and you burn I don't know what to say. You sound plenty restricted. HTH, J

Pamela, Hey girl! You've got to be excited out of your skin to have S move in. She has to be happy to be retiring. Does she have plans for a sencond career or wait and see? Don't you work enough for her and a few other people? I'm excited for summer too just because I'm tired of the COLD! What kind of vacations do you have planned? Going anywhere queer? A and I are doing fantastically well. XO

Jachut, You are so correct about the attitude of a doctor being able to handle such information. I think there is an expectation of doctors than there is of the general population, and I love the phrase "unwashed masses". And I agree that fat phobia is so ingrained that people who are otherwise sensitive aren't even aware they are being anti-fat. There are internalized fat-phobic obese people full of self loathing to be sure. There are gay people who struggle with internalized homophobia as well. Fat people are discriminated against in hiring or shopping etc. It happens and I’m not denying it’s huge and hurtful. But rare is actual physical violence waged against someone for carrying around 100 extra pounds. Just recently a 15 year old boy was shot in California for being gay. Hate crimes for obesity haven't made headlines. There's also an entire discussion about one not being able to hide fat like one can disguise their homosexuality, so there isn't the layer of ‘should I share or not’. People see you and make judgments when you are fat. When you are gay you actually have to make the decision to share or not share that information which adds complexity to the equation. I really enjoy you engaging in this conversation. Thanks for the dialogue. Juli

Jewels, I don't know how far Columbus is to where you live, but check us out. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f56/central-ohio-get-together-march-8-2008-a-51861/index3.html We are meeting monthly at Polaris Shopping Place. January there were 3, February there were 14-ish people. I didn't actually count but there were so many of us I didn't have a chance to chat with all the people. If you can make it March 8th, you'll find lots of support and like minded people. Three of the gals have March surgery dates, and one is scheduled for April. We all met here on LBT!

Funny! Our tickers are opposites, exactly! We have the same amount to lose and you are doing fantastically well! Thanks, and I'm sure you'll do every bit as well as I have, if not better. You're rocking!

Talking of a slight un-fill, I'm monitering myself closely to see if I might need to do that. If I eat after 7pm I have reflux overnight. I've even woke up with the taste of vomit in my mouth. Ick. My goal now is to drink a pot of herb tea between an hour after dinner and bed time to wash out anything that might be in my pouch. I've not had reflux or vomit ever since being banded. I've PBed enough to know the difference too, and this is real live stomach acid coming up. Weird huh? Anyway, yesterday was a week since my last fill and yes, the band has been tempermental, but I am able to eat solid Protein if I chew well and take small bites. I have an appointment the first week of March to do my 1 year follow up. If I'm not completely comfortable by then I'll have them take out some. They put in .5cc. I suppose I'd ask them to remove .2 or .3. I hope not to have to that though. Sigh...yes, this is harder at times. But overall it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. XO, Marchies.

Kathy, If you need some caring after let me know. I can run and get you scripts or drive you home from the hospital. Please don't hesitate. Juli

Kell, I so don't want to say anything mean and in text stuff can come across differently. I'm sure you're beautiful and you'll get attention you are not used to, but honey you are 20 years older. And there are some smokin' hot 40 year old women out there but the fellas give most the attention to the 20 somethings. I say this because I'm seeing my face less fat for the first time in 20 years and I'm like "where the hell did these wrinkles come from?!" I hope you take what I'm saying with a smile. :biggrin2: And like Mama said, tell your man what you want from him.