FemmeOne

Thanks for that recipe, Karen. Sounds good. I've been using my crock pot a lot more lately. Makes meat tender enough for me to eat. Just got a new book called Not Your Mother's Crock Pot Recipes, and it looks like they're some pretty good recipes.

Apples, you amaze me. You're feeling bad and you still keep us laughing. I love your idea of all of us tethered together by a rope at the kareoke! I did OK on the food yesterday and today. PB'ed again tonight, yuck. chicken again. I guess I'd better rethink what I can eat. Also took a good walk yesterday after I got home from work. It's been so beautiful out the past few days. It was in the 70s yesterday!

Well, Apples, I'm going to do like you said and post every day. Actually, today is a MUCH better day than I've had for a while. I didn't snack myself into oblivion last night (!) and today I've been on target with food. (Except I ate too fast at lunch and pb'ed---chicken breast, which I often have trouble with.) Did exercise at noon, and tonight at home I'll do some time on the elliptical. I have gained 2 lbs or so from my few days of bingeing. Hope to get those off soon. I've become aware that my "bad" food days are very much connected to my emotions. I've been worrying way too much about my son and I think that has made me reach for the food. Not that I'm blaming him or anything else...just trying to see the connections. Thanks, everyone, for all the encouragement!

I thinking of Jodi and hoping she is doing well today. Well, like a good little Catholic girl, I have to make my "confession" to you all. Went on a little binge for the past 2 days...ice cream, other slider foods. I feel so bad mentally about it that it's just not worth it to me to do it again. So I'm getting back on the wagon. Also I've been laying off the exercise...just all around being a little "bad." I think the exercise is what really makes me feel better, so I need to get back into it again. Really it's been only a few days, so I'm not beating myself up TOO awful bad, but I'm trying to get my head right about it. By the way, I absolutely love Greek yogurt, but if you're not a yogurt fan to begin with, I doubt it you'd like it. It's a major treat for me. I buy Fage 0%, so there's no fat, and add Polaner sugar-free raspberry jam to flavor it. I usually have some for an afternoon snack. Right now it's the time that the sandhill cranes fly over on their way back north, so on sunday my DH and I drove over to some wetlands to see if we could see any. No luck, but it was a nice outing. It's just getting to be spring here in Indiana, and for us, the 50 degree weather has been wonderful. All the students here at the Univ where I work were out in shorts and playing Frisbee.

Hi ladies! Thought it was about time for me to check in. Thanks for thinking of me, Janet. I'm sitting at home alone tonight. DH has been playing guitar with a couple of different bands and seems to be gone a lot lately. I'm not complaining, but I think I need to GET A LIFE! For the past couple of years, I've gotten so used to staying home all the time. And I go to bed at 9 or so every night. So I end up staying at home and feeling pretty lonely a lot of the time. I do have several groups of friends that I get together with at times, but not enough, I think. I've never been a party girl, but I'm turning into a recluse! Jewel, sounds like you're doing great.Congrats on the weight loss. I need to get back on the bandwagon and stop snacking after dinner. I am scheduled for another fill next week, so maybe that will help. I hope so. sorry for this disjointed post, but it's past my bedtime! Have to get up early tomorrow and drive to Indianapolis with my son, so he can get his drivers license reinstated. He lost it for a few months for a DUI. Bad story, but I'm glad he's getting it back now. Adios, muchachas...I'm going to try to post more often.:smile2:

Dewberry, thanks for that chewing technique. I need to do something because either I eat too fast, or I have first-bite syndrome (not sure). I get stuck a lot, especially at the evening meal when I'm particularly hungry. Sounds like you're doing just great on the weight loss! Congrats.

Hi, everyone! It's been a while since I posted anything, but I have been reading along and keeping up with you all. Man, are you guys busy!! I've been doing fine. Well, maybe not so fine. Have fallen down on the food a bit and also the exercise. But I'm back on the wagon today and so far, so good. Still losing some weight, but probably not as fast if I had been sticking to the program. I had some problems with getting stuck a lot...still eating too fast, I think. It is SO hard to break that habit, even with all the negative reinforcement. Have gotten back into doing some sewing and almost finished a really cool handbag. I'll have to post some photos when I'm done. I also need my hubby to take some pics of the new me, in my new pants, and wearing some tops I haven't been able to get into in quite a while. HurraY! Jodi, I know you'll do great with the surgery. Sounds like you're getting your pantry ready! Since I have CRS, I can't comment on everyone's posts---I can't keep up with you all!

Happy Birthday, Laura! And Happy Anniversary, Cheri!! It's been a few days since I've posted; work has been super busy and so I don't have time to read and post during the day. Things are going well---lost another pound!

Hi everyone. More snow here in Indiana...about 7 inches. I got to work this morning, but hardly anyone is here. It's nice, I hope to get a lot done today. I took a mental health day off Friday. Yum, Laura...Syrian lamb stew...you've got my mouth watering. Sounds like you have such a nice and thoughtful husband. My latest fill is really working. I've been eating less at meals and not getting hungry for about 4 or 5 hours. I love it when the band is working! Oh, I had a non scale victory of sorts yesterday. Went shopping at TJ Maxx (looking for smartwool socks) and instead found a pair of size 14 pants that fit! Let me tell you, it's been a WHILE since I fit into 14s. Also got a great red sweater with a deep vee-neck (showing off that cleavage!) for $3. It's good to have all of you back on the board!

Sandy, wow!! Onederland! Congratulations! I still have a way to go to get there. For a while I thought I'd make a mini goal to reach onederland by my birthday (May 9), but I don't do very well with mini goals. I know they really motivate some people, but I get too disappointed if I don't reach it, and then have trouble with eating too much. So I'll just keep up the slow and steady loss. Hopefully this latest fill will help. Sounds like a good time down there in Florida...

I'm so glad you all made it! What a lovely bunch of ladies you are, too. I'm sad that I couldn't be there, but happy that you are all there safe and sound. I can just imagine Nels wondering what all the gabbing is about. I just got back from my fill appointment, got another .4 ccs. Also, good news! I lost 6 lbs in the last month, and here I thought I had gained! Hopefully, this fill will help me stop the binge I've been on. Granted, it's not the sort of bingeing I used to do, but it's definitely not what I want to be doing. I'm also think that maybe eating more calories might not be such a bad thing; earlier I may have been too low in my calories and therefore not losing as quickly. Anyway, I came out of my doctor's feeling pretty good. OK, guys, keep having fun down there in chilly Florida!!

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem, but I'm curious...what made your doctor realize the slippage? Were you having symptoms? Or do they always do the fills with a fluoroscope?

I used to say that I had "reverse anorexia"---I look in the mirror and think I'm thin. Photos are a different matter...for some reason the mirror lets me stay in denial. but when I'd see a photo I'd cringe at how fat I was. Same thing with catching your reflection in a store window. Weird.

Hi all...thanks, Janet, for thinking of me. We had to postpone our trip east to Pittsburgh to visit family because of the huge snowstorm across Ohio and the east. Just didn't want to take any unncessary chances, and we can do it another time. One reason I haven't been posting much is that I'm still in addiction hell; can't seem to stop myself. Today I already went off plan and it's only noon! So I'm just getting ready to get on the elliptical and do more time on it than I have before...I'm going to try for an hour, if possible. Then I have to go out and brave the snow and do some errands, run to the grocery store, etc. I'm in a funk and not very pleasant to be around and I just don't want to subject you all to my bad mood!! :thumbup: I need to start fresh, before this gets even more out of hand. I appreciate your encouragement. I know I need to do some of the OA things I've learned. I'm terrified I'm going to be a failure at this. I think I need to start planning my food and writing it down beforehand, not just logging it afterwards to MyPlate.com. That way it'll give me more responsibility to stick to it. I'm even thinking of trying the 5-day pouch test to get back on track. I envy you guys going to Florida!! It would be nice to just sit in the sun and warmth for a while. And visit with all of you, of course! I hope you have a great time there. Apples, it sounds like you are enjoying yourself. You deserve it to get away from the farm for a while. Janet, I'm glad you enjoyed the visit with your sister. I have a step-sister that I'd to spend more time with, but she lives far away. Peas, I hope your dad will start to feel better...and I hope you don't take it to much to heart that your parents seem a little miffed that you weren't there for the surgery. It's hard to figure out a way to do what you need to do AND try to be there for everyone. It's something I have to deal with about my mom's Parkinson's with her living far away. Hang in there.

I think I need some lashes with the wet noodle too. I feel SO dumb. Went to my support group meeting on Monday and weighed myself on my doctor's scale. Looks like I've gained back almost 4 lbs. WHAT?! So instead of getting inspired and paying more attention to what I"m eating, I went home in a funk and had a mini-binge...which continued last night too. I don't think it's going to add a bunch of weight, but I feel so out of control! The really dumb thing is, I don't know whether that 4 lbs is really a weight gain; it could be just that my home scale is off. (And I know my scale always weighs less than the doctor's.) So it could just be that I haven't lost any since my last fill a few weeks ago. Jeesh. The hard part for me now is getting back on the bandwagon. I'm ok during the day, when I have a structured schedule, but at home at night, I just want to keep eating. I know my portion sizes have crept up (need to start measuring). I did call to get another fill in about a week; I'm still refilling from an unfill. Janet, all this just makes me realize what you've always said about yourself...I'm a food addict and really have to be vigilant about it. One cookie will start off a binge. Tonight when I get home, I'm packing up all the trigger foods and getting them out of there. Thanks for letting me vent...

Hey, Janet...happy belated birthday! I'm so glad you're here! Sounds like some fun celebrations eating out. Yum...seafood! You ever have one of those days when you look in the mirror and see something you haven't noticed before?? (Your comment about your face made me think about this.) Yesterday I was putting on some makeup and noticed my saggy neck. Yikes! Since I've lost some weight, it's much more chicken-like (or maybe turkey-like) than I've noticed before. But all in all, I'd much rather have lost the weight! Julie, when I first read that you washed your phone, I didn't realize you hadn't intended to. I just thought, "Wow, that woman must be a clean freak! I've never thought about washing the schmutz off of it!" LOL Took me a minute, but I finally caught on. Hee. I'm getting a late start today, but I really need to clean house. Also want to get my elliptical time in. I haven't been doing too good with the food yesterday. Been snacking on some bad stuff. I bought a gourmet dark chocolate bar yesterday thinking I would just have a square every few days, but no...I've eaten half of it already. Major cravings. Ate some cookies too. I've got to stop now before it gets out of hand. The Beck book has some great stuff about how to think about those hungry moments, and I'm trying to put some of them into practice. Like, it's only an hour til lunch and I can wait to eat until then. Eva, sounds like so much fun to see Prairie Home Companion in person! And your name will be on the air. I'll make sure to listen. I love that show and have for years. I listen to a lot of radio.

Hi, I was banded 9/18/09 and have lost 55lbs so far. I was a little tight around Christmastime and had to get some Fluid taken out of the band. So I'm not sure just how much I have in there now. It's not very much. I've been losing more slowly now and it's getting a little frustrating. But I'm very happy with my loss so far. I'm upping my exercise: I do Pilates and ball exercises for an hour about 3 or 4 times a week, plus I do 40 mins on the elliptical about 5 x a week. I walk outside when it's nice enough, too.

Lisa, welcome! I'm one of those horsey girls that never got to be around horses. All my childhood I begged my parents for a horse, I read every horse book imaginable, and I collected those model horses and played with them all the time. Seriously, one of the reasons I want to lose weight is so I can take horseback riding lessons. So I'm envious of your job! You know the real ins and outs of horses, while I just romanticize them! But I'm volunteering this spring with a charity stable that teaches developmentally disabled kids to ride, so I can go something good and learn about horses at the same time. Eva, you cracked me up with your stuffed rocks comment! LOL Glad you're feeling the restriction. I think I need to go in and get a small fill...I'm eating waaaay too much at one time. Cheri, I hope you get over that cold soon. Janet, thanks for the shout out...you and your shopping talk! I'm a novice shopper (haven't been in a mall in a long long time)...but put me in a thrift shop or a Goodwill and you'll see me in action. I'm the thrift queen. People are amazed at the cool stuff I find there. Hmm...I wonder if Orlando has cool thrift shops??! Hope everyone has a good day today. I have a haircut appointment this morning and am crossing my fingers she gets it right this time. Sometimes she's great and other times...well, the last time she cut it, it was horrible. My hair is a problem! Well, I better look online for a picture to show her. See y'all later.

I haven't been on much because my internet connection at home has been down. Apples, have a safe trip! And no stopping at all the Ann Taylor outlet stores on the way! I'm at work and need to go help put together rock kits for kids...we have a big production of them once a year and all the employees of the geological Survey are in a big room stuffing rocks into plastic bags and into boxes. Fun. (Except the chert (flint) cuts your hands!) Talk to y'all later.

Nope, not a lick of sewing was done yesterday! Early in the afternoon, I got on the elliptical for my 40 mins, then got interested in a movie and watched that with my DH. By then it was practically time to start dinner. So it ended up being a lazy weekend. But that's ok; I do get a good bit accomplished usually. Someone asked if sewing is my profession. No, it isn't, but it's my way of being creative. I sew most of my own clothes, and used to sew for my daughter a lot too. Even did some work on the side for people, like hemming and taking things in. Did a couple wedding dresses too. I stopped taking work in though, because you just don't get paid for the time you put in. I've always loved the needle arts. Used to do a lot of embroidery and quilting. ABout 10 years ago I learned how to do silk painting, and I really got into that. Even started a little business, selling handpainted silk scarves. I'd go around to local craft and art fairs and had a little booth. But it became too stressful just trying to keep up with the business and I had to quit. I'll upload a few pics of my scarves.

Apples, I'm curious. Were you hyperthyroid when you lost that extra weight? I'm sure your doctors have tested you for that, but it could be an explanation for sudden weight loss.

Julie, unfortunately, I won't be able to do Florida with you guys :cursing: Thanks for thinking of me...I'd love to meet all of you, and hope there will be another get-together next year. Laura, as an adult my daughter had a lot of trouble with strep, turned out she was a strep "carrier." Finally had to get her tonsils out at 25. I hope you don't have to go through that. Those airplane pics were cute of Nels...what a cutie he is! Linda, my mom lives east of Pittsburgh, near DuBois...so it's in the other direction. Beautiful Allengheny mountains there, but so cold and snowy! I'm thinking I might have to just take a day and run there without my husband so I can see her just for a bit. Janet, I don't envy you cleaning out that place! I once moved into a place where the people had a parrot that they let fly around the house. Talk about poop and seeds everywhere! I'm lazing around this morning, watching Project Runway...it's one of the faves, since I'm a seamstress. I like it because people actually make the clothes they design. Speaking of sewing, I might have to head down to the sewing room and do some work today.

Oh, I forgot to add that a small addition of Cytomel can help if you don't feel good when your TSH is at the "normal" levels. It's another component of thryoid, T3, and can really make a difference.

I've been hypo for a long time, and my TSH level NEVER reflected how I felt. Mine is very very low, and I still have many hypo symptoms. Depression and lethargy are at their worst right now. My PCP finally upped mine a bit just this week, even though I had to beg her...so I hope it helps. When she checked my reflexes I had NONE, so that convinced her. Sometimes you have to shop around for a doctor who will treat you instead of the numbers.

I picked up the "Complete Beck Diet for Life" at the library and skimmed it a bit last night. A big part of it is to plan meals and then make sure you stick to the plan. That has always been very difficult for me to do, because I'm one of those cooks who takes whatever I have in the fridge and makes something out of it. I don't plan menus and have a hard time at the grocery store figuring out what to buy for a week's meals. Usually have to end up sending hubby out to pick up stuff that I forgot. Luckily I have one of those DH's that loves to grocery shop (that way he gets to pick up all his treats). So maybe I'll have to change my ways (if I can). I like all the charts and affirmations that are in the book. I think I'll copy some of those charts and use them. I do need some kind of help, because I feel like I'm stalled. I think I'm eating too much at night. For the past few weeks, I've just been so "snacky" after I eat dinner. I've limited myself to SF fudgesicles and 100-calories packs of popcorn, but I still want to keep eating. I know I'm not really hungry...just want to stuff my face! And today when I got on the scale, it hadn't moved. Bummer. It almost seems like when I made the -50 lb mark, everything quit. Probably psychological, and I have been eating more. The closer it gets, the more I wish I were going to Florida with y'all. Dern! We are leaving to go to Pittsburgh the weekend after next to visit my husband's family. I love his sister, so it'll be a fun trip for me, too. Since my mom has declined, we haven't gone anywhere for the past year except to visit and take care of her. My DH misses his family and this time, even though we'll only be a few hours from my mom's, we'll just stay in P-burgh. I'll have to keep this trip a secret from her though. She'd be hurt if I didn't come to see her. I hope everyone has a good weekend. It is SO gloomy and gray here. Just rain and gloom. I have one of those full-spectrum lights that I use, but it's in my office. I almost feel like going in to the office this weekend, just to get my hit of sunlight!