FemmeOne

Rae, your doctor will tell you when you can start exercising. Everyone's doctor seems to be a little different in what they recommend, too, so just ask if they don't tell you. About the extra skin, I bet at your age you won't have a problem. I'm 56, and have lost 69 lbs so far and my arms are a'flapping! I'm not terribly concerned about it though, and would probably never have plastic surgery. That's always an option though for people who do have a lot of extra skin.

Jodi! I'm so sorry we didn't get together. I never did see your e-mail, and I posted mine (but you must have not seen it)! We were very busy doing things, and I hadn't been to NYC in 2 years (all my vacation time has been spent with my mom since she's been ill). But it would have been great to meet you! Let's try for next time. Fences was wonderful, and Denzel is an amazing actor. The rest of the cast were great too. Just a sad family story, but lots of laughs too. AND we did make it to the Town Shop; I got fitted for a very good bra and am so happy with it! On the rest of my trip, my daughter kept looking over at me and saying, "Gee, Mom, your boobs look great!" Hah!! It does make a huge difference having a well-fitting bra. I've already looked on E-Bay and can get the same model for a lot cheaper, so I'll be able to get more. We also tried on tons of bathing suits, but I wasn't prepared to spend the big bucks on them, and I really didn't find anything I fell in love with. Other things we did: A klezmer music brunch at the City Winery on Mothers Day. I love klezmer, and it was great (it's Eastern European Jewish music...I call it laughing clarinets cause that's how it sounds). We went to the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of American Folk Art. Also did some shopping, but no big purchases for me, although DD found some good stuff. I saw some interesting jackets I want to try to knock off and make myself. We went to the movies to see Please Give, and after the movie, they had a Q&A with the producer and Amanda Peet, one of the stars of the movie. Then, as we were walking out, we saw Michael J. Fox coming out of the men's bathroom! Lots of celebrity sightings this trip!! We saw Whoopie Goldberg at Fences, too. I'm doing well on the exercise and the food. Before I left for me trip, I was doing zumba every day! I'm still going every day or every other day now. It's addictive, I think. I just feel so good from the sweating and dancing, and it's so much fun. It's doing amazing things for my depression, and I don't feel depressed at all since I've been doing it. ONe of the instructors I like doesn't do too much jumping and knee stuff, so my knees are doing ok. I"m fitting into clothes I haven't been able to wear for 3 years or so. Also got rid of a ton of too big stuff. I made a bunch of new knits tops before I left, so I do have some new stuff to wear. Jodi, I'm sorry to hear about your asthma attack. My DD's partner has bad allergies and she was really suffering last week with all the pollen. Even my eyes were running, and I don't have that bad of allergies. Apparently it's a really bad year for them.

Hi all. I haven't been posting for a while, but I've kept up reading the posts. Was in New York for 5 days, visiting my daughter for my birthday and Mothers Day. I had a great time; we were so busy. She took me to see Fences, a play on Broadway starring Denzel Washington. It was very good. We ate out a lot, but I had no problems with food. Even lost a pound with all the walking we did! Also got a body scrub at the Korean spa castle; I've never felt so clean in my life! I think the lady took off the top five layers of skin! Hope everyone had a nice Mothers Day. Karen, I'm hoping the dental work goes smoothly. I"ll talk more soon!

Thanks for the lamb recipes, Janet and Laura! I think I'm going to try some chops on the grill this weekend. That is if it ever stops raining! (Shari Lewis and Lambchop just popped into my head---You young ones won't remember this, but it was a kid's show on TV when many of us here were kids.) Please get out the wet noodle. I deserve it. Yesterday was a pretty good food day until I got home. Tried eating chicken thighs and artichokes and pb'ed about 4 times. Then ate ice cream to "soothe" my stomach (what a great excuse, right?) I know I ate too fast again. When will I ever learn? There's a guy at my support group who says he still eats too fast and he's over 2 years out! My poor husband said he feels terrible when I have a bad episode like that. I tell him it's not a problem, and he doesn't need to worry but he still feels bad. He's a good guy. Jessica, you look SO pretty in those pics. How great to see your progress like that!

Hi LBers! I'm having a lazy afternoon here watching The History Detectives. The rainy day seems to have made me less motivated! Today is Little 500 day (bicycle race) here in Bloomington, and it's probably been rained out. Ever see the movie "Breaking Away"? That's my town. (great movie, by the way) Great, I hope one of those lookers decides to buy. Eva, work work work! I hope your purse party went well. Wish I was closer to you gals in the desert, cause I'd love to hang out with you. And get to know your tortoises! Cheri, wow on the weight loss! You're an inspiration that I can actually get to goal. Janet, how do you cook your lamb chops? I've never been a big fan of lamb (mostly because I never had it while growing up), but lately I've been liking it. I'm going to have to try some on the grill. Jessica, sounds like you have the right idea on where to be with the cleaning. I'm glad you're liking your new living situation too. You're doing great with all the stress in your life lately---moving AND school AND kid, etc. Linda, sorry to hear you have fibromyalgia. I have a friend at work who really suffers with it at times. Healing thoughts are coming your way. Apples, hope this weekend at the lake is a good one. We miss you though! Ms bubba, hope this next treatment helps. You've been through so much; I'm sending healing thoughts your way, too. Jodi, let's exchange info so maybe we can meet up in NYC. I'm only going to be there from May 6-10. I know my daughter has a lot planned for us but I hope there'll be a little time for us to meet. Welcome, Battle Cat, let us know how you're doing. These ladies here have really helped keep me on track. (or get back on track!) I'm terrible about remembering (CRS) so I apologize for leaving anyone out. Had a fill appointment this week, but didn't get one. I just am still pb'ing too often, and want to see if me eating more slowly and carefully will stop this! I'm afraid of being too tight (heard too many bad stories). Saw my surgeon in the office, and he was SO complimentary... a total of 65 lbs lost in 7 months. it made me blush! He's a really nice man. I'm frustrated because I wanted to upload some photos today (before & after). BUT my software is gone, and I can't download it from the Canon site! They want $25 for a new software CD, and I've been looking for my old one all day. Argh...I have no idea where I might have put it. So much for being disorganized!

I'll definitely take a 1 lb a week loss; it's just that I think I could be doing better. I've been exercising a lot, but have been eating too much too. Still a problem with the sweets. Cheri, I'm an INFP in the Meyers-Briggs system. Just like you, only an introvert instead of an extrovert! When my husband and I took the test, it really helped me to understand a lot of our differences. It also said that less than 1% of the population has my INFP designation, so that explained why I always felt like such an oddball all my life!! I was sorry to read about your experience in choir. Hang in there. Most people do understand. Both my husband and son are ADD, and I know that saying things that "sound" wrong is something they do a lot. I've learned that no malice is intended. Have a great day everyone!:smile:

Sounds like everyone is really busy. Apples, I always knew it was hard work running a farm, but now I feel like I really get it when I read your posts. I'm glad you have the free time now to get some time at the lake. Had my LB support group meeting tonight and it was good. We have a good group and I really like the support people that work in the office. I weighed myself and have lost another 2 lbs. I'll take it; I'm losing about a pound a week now. Happy anniversaries!

Hi ladies! All talk about concerts is making me jealous! Janet, I absolutely love Earth, Wind, and Fire! Lucky you to get to go. I happen to be sitting in my living room listening to Aretha Franklin right now, and someone mentioned getting to see her. My daughter took me to Radio City Music Hall in NYC a few year's ago for my birthday to see her. It was great. We get a lot of good music coming to town here, but anymore I just hate the crowds. The last concert I went to I left because the college crowd was just so rude. They all had their cell phones out texting or taking photos. Just getting too old and grouchy, I guess! Went to zumba today...didn't get to go so much last week. Been off on my food and need to get back on track. Staying still on the scale, and I'm determined to get the rest of this weight off! One really good non-scale victory I've had lately is not having to wear my orthopedic shoes with the orthotics all the time. I actually have been able to wear some of my old "pretty" shoes instead of the clunky ones. Makes me feel good!

A really good test of those Charco Caps, Apples, would be for me to try em here at the fart-o-rama fest. Except I'd have to be taking them all the time. :thumbup:

Happy Birthday, Eva!!! Hope you have a great day. Apples, I followed your advice yesterday and didn't have a problem with getting stuck or pb'ing at all. Just goes to show that you really have to work on changing those habits of eating fast.

Jodi, that would be really cool if we could meet. My daughter lives waaaay up there in Washington Heights, and teaches elem. school there. We end up doing a bunch of stuff downtown though, which usually includes a trip to the garment district for me to buy fabric! I think we're going to the Town Shop for the bras...I should look for a bathing suit while I'm there too! My e-mail is deborah.dechurch@gmail.com, so you can contact me there about the details.

Apples, I will do that (eat slowly this week with eraser-sized bites) and see if I'm just too tight. Good advice! I definitely don't want to risk anything bad happening. I sort of always have erosion and slippage in the back of my mind. I forgot to tell you all that I had a funny sewing day yesterday. I decided to make a scarf and ended up sewing through my finger twice! Just the tip, so it wasn't anything terrible, but the worst part was having to cut the threads that went through my finger so I could detach myself from the scarf!! Yikes. I also started making a cool wrap top from a pretty lilac knit. It's the sort of thing that'll be good for cool spring and summer nights. I don't know if I told you already, but I'm going to see my daughter in NYC for my birthday in early May. I'm very excited about going---we're going to go to this cool Korean spa and take in the Met (my favorite museum), and go specialty bra shopping in this little store that has expert bra ladies to fit you. How exciting is that?! hee I always love going to see her, and NYC is a lot of fun. Mucho walking, so I'm glad that I'm in better shape than the last time I was there. One of the reasons I'm making some clothes is for this trip. I don't want to buy a lot of new stuff, and I have the fabric already, so I just need to sew it up. I'll have to post a pic of the scarf.

Hi ladies! It's a beautiful Sunday morning (well, afternoon, now) here. I lazed around a bit and listened to This American Life on the radio (we listen to a lot of radio), had my steel cut oats with strawberries cooked in it (yum!), and then put on my cleaning clothes and have begun to spring clean. Vacuumed all the draperies and shades (I have wooden wide slat blinds too, in the natural wood color). Scrubbed all the floors upstairs. Wiped down the steps. Now am getting ready to either A) tackle the huge mess in the sewing room, or :confused: get outdoors and weed and clean up the yard. We're going to Menards to pick up a new patio set I saw yesterday. We like to eat outside on the deck and because our deck isn't very big, it's hard to find the right-sized set for it. Peas, I hope I don't have to get an unfill. Yesterday was a very bad pb day. I really do think it's becuase I finally have a good restriction and I'm still not used to it. I eat so fast...and big bites. I'm frustrated with myself for not "getting" this yet. Anyway, today so far is good (but I just had oatmeal). Tonight is our potluck book club, so I hope I can eat slowly. It's harder when I'm around people. Janet, I never said how great you looked in your pics. And you too, Linda...you are inspirations! I just have to get some new pics taken of me and put them on here. There's a horrible "fat" one of me on FB that someone posted. I should use that as my before pic. Eva, sounds like you put in a good day's work yesterday!! Mixing concrete ain't easy! Jodi, you are doing fantastic! It's nice, isn't it, when you get a surprise like that much weight loss? Mmmm...my house is smelling so good from the Murphy's oil soap...I love the smell of clean!

Hi ladies, Glad to see someone from Scotland here! My grandmother was Scots, and her parents came from Ayrshire. I've always wanted to go and see the sites. But I'm always cold, cold, COLD! Got an early start (for me) this morning, attended my 12 Step meeting, then fabric shopping. I bought some beautiful blue and green chiffon to make some bias-cut scarves, because I saw a cute idea online to make one. If I get the house cleaned now, I'm going to reward myself with sewing time. Actually should be outside in the yard picking up limbs and cleaning up from winter! Maybe tomorrow. The never-ending clean up!! I've been having some problems with pb'ing a lot lately. I think I'm so much more restricted from my last fill, and that I still haven't slowed down enough on my eating. I've always been able to wolf my breakfast oatmeal down, but no more! And when you guys talk about having to eat so slow, I just couldn't relate. But now I know what you mean. It's terrible to take so long to actually learn how to eat slowly, but I guess 50-some years of eating fast is hard to change. At least at my LB support group, people are saying the same thing. Hope y'all are having a beautiful day!

Hi everyone! Geez, I just read through about 8 pages of posts...got back from our trip to Pittsburgh and Cleveland, but have been busy for the past few days. It takes a while to catch up, doesn't it?! Had a nice visit with hubby's relatives and saw my mom. It was a whirlwind tour. I'm a lover of good perfumes, have a ton of them (started collecting them a few years ago), so my favorites change. I love the old heavy perfumes, Estee Lauder's Youth Dew, Shalimar, and Opium, but I also love Feminite du Bois, Calandre, Dune, and Tommy Girl. I try not to put too much on, as I know Youth Dew especially can be WAAAY too strong. Lost a few more pounds, even though I thought I ate way too much on my trip. Then last night I succumbed to eating chocolate. I'm back on the wagon again today though. And no beating myself up. Right now it's almost quitting time and I'm so hungry...I have some good fresh cod that I'm baking tonight. I'm glad to hear Mimi is fine and Apple's son is doing OK too.

Eva, those invitations are wonderful! They've inspired me to get back into some of my projects. Lately I can't seem to land on any one thing and get creative with it. Haven't sewed much in a while, and I do need some summer clothes, so maybe I'll get crackin'. I feel like I'm back on track. The cake is (almost) gone. (Throw away food??! Are you kidding!! That goes against every thing I ever learned from my Depression-Era mother!!) I baked it for our Sunday family dinner, then we ended up not eating it because everyone was too full. Here's my excuse (beware of upcoming rationalizations): I've just started having my son and his gf over again for Sunday dinner---he has lots of problems and I get so frustrated with him, that for a while I just wanted to detach a little from him. Now I realize that I can detach from his problems, but still have a decent relationship with him. So I started having them come over more often. And me being Italian and all...food is VERY important, tantamount to LOVE. So I cooked a big meal, with dessert (which I hardly ever do). And bought ice cream to go with the cake. And ate a bunch of it myself! So there's my big excuse (ha ha) I did it because I love my kid! (just kidding) I've been drinking a bottle of Muscle Milk instead of lunch for the past two days. Mostly because I was having trouble pb'ing at lunch and wanted my swollen stoma to get back to normal. A friend of ours starting selling Muscle Milk and gave me a bunch of free samples. Got on the scale today and lost about 4 lbs since last week...I guess the zumba and all the other exercise I've been doing has finally paid off! I really believe that changing something up (a new kind of exercise, or eating something different than usual) can really kickstart some weightloss. Has anyone here used Mederma on their scars? It's a little pricey, so I'd like to know if it actually works before I buy it. I have the type of skin that gets keloid scars (all bumped up and very dark in color), and my surgery scars look sort of like red earthworms on my stomach (ick!). I had my surgery back in Sept. so it may be too late to do anything about them.

Hey everyone. Hope you're having the same gorgeous weather we're having in the midwest. All the daffodils are out and my magnolia is just getting ready to pop out in bloom. I was SO ready for spring this year! Lori, those wedding pics were great. Your daughter is beautiful and so are you! Laura, happy to hear that you have gotten over your stomach problems. I felt so bad for you when I was reading those posts! Jodi, you asked about crafty night...It's just a little get-together I have at my house every 2nd Wednesday of the month---a group of about 7 women come over and we work on our own craft projects (knitting, sewing, embroidery, whatever...) and sit around and talk and drink some wine and eat some goodies. We have a good time and actually get some work done on our little projects. Eva, you are one busy lady! I'd love to see an example of your stamping on those cards. You are a very creative person. Janet, I'm still having some problems staying away from the "bad" foods (ice cream, cake, etc.). It's all the head hunger issues. I'm also having some major pb'ing problems; yesterday I barfed up my lunch, then couldn't get anything else down, so I had a bottle of Muscle Milk for dinner. Brought another one for lunch today. I need to get back on the bandwagon and stop sabotaging myself. Apples, I'm so happy that spring has arrived in your part of the world, too (although you could probably get a snowstorm at any time!). Sounds like fun riding your bike out there on the farm with your doggie. Still doing zumba and loving it. I went to the grand opening of the new zumba studio in our town and won a basket of Aveda products. Yippee! I never win anything! We're leaving Thursday for our trip to Penna. that got postponed in Feb. We'll see my husband's family in Pittsburgh, then to my mom's for a day visit, then to Cleveland to my SIL's for Easter dinner. Should be a nice time. I'll write when I get back! Happy Passover and Easter, everyone.

Linda, Hi! And thanks for the encouragement...I'm still doing zumba. Going to a class this afternoon, as a matter of fact. Haven't lost a pound though, cause I'm still in my eating frenzy. I can't seem to stop snacking at night! I have noticed that I'm losing some inches though, probably from the zumba. I took off the day to do our taxes (I use TurboTax) and it's nice that it's so sunny, but cold, out. I'll probably want to procrastinate on the taxes and get out there and work in the garden. Here in Indiana the daffodils are already out and my magnolia is getting ready to burst into bloom. You never know if it's going to get nipped by frost though. The damnable deer (and I live right in town) have already been through the garden eating the daylily foliage and some other things. I'm going to invest in some deer repellent this year and spray it everywhere! Great, have a wonderful time at the wedding! When I read the thing about the puppy, I couldn't help rolling my eyes! Seems like your family is just TRYING to get your goat on purpose...how clueless they are! Apples, for as far out in the country that you are, you have a pretty active social life! Your "not so busy" weekend sounds full to me! But then again, I'm a stay at home, not too much socializing person. I did have my little crafty group over this week and we had lots of fun. They brought some projects for "show 'n tell"---It's amazing how creative people are!

Gee, Apples, I've never heard of stoma spasms---can you describe what you felt? To answer Apple's query about food--I pretty much eat the same things, only less. I did discover Greek yogurt, which I love. Never liked cantalope much before, but now I do. I've always had a "nervous" stomach, meaning that when I'm stressed or upset, my stomach really reacts. As a teenager, I had terrible cramps that would practically bend me over. Now I realize (although I've never been diagnosed) that I probably have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Okay, now I'm going to get gross. Even before my wl surgery, I had an awful lot of gas. MAJOR farting. Actually, my mother even noted it in my Baby book! But now, after surgery...let me tell you, I didn't think it could get worse. But it did. I am a farting machine!! Does anyone else have this problem? (Now that I've told you more about myself than you wanted to know!)

Good ole' Jiminy Cricket (isn't he the one that sang "Zippedy Doo Dah")? Haven't watched Disney movies in a long long time, so I'm probably confused on that one. I'm glad to hear that the stone episode is over, Karen, and that you're back feeling chipper. Sounds like a fun time shopping for an MOB dress with your friend, but I know what she feels like about shopping when you feel fat. I had a good productive weekend---cleaned my closet and got rid of all clothes that didn't fit (many I've grown out of). Tried on every pair of pants I have and then ironed everything and put back in closet. It looks so nice and organized now. Ended up with two huge garbage bags of clothes for Goodwill. Then I got rid of old shoes that were plain worn out. I've been able to start wearing some shoes now without my orthotics, so I can fit into some more stylish ones. Yippee! No more clunky granny shoes. On Sunday I went to zumba class---more fun and sweating, then cooked a huge dinner and had my son and his GF over. We had a nice time and DS fixed some problems on our computers. It's nice to have your own tech support person in the family! I think the zumba has really helped to change my frame of mind. Last week, I called my daughter right after the class and left a msg. When I talked to her yesterday, she said how much better my voice sounded in that msg. Like I was really coming out of the depression. And I do feel that way. I've always heard that physical exercise can make a difference, and now I really believe it. That coupled with spring coming is making me feel so much better. I did hear on the news about the terrible storm and all the flooding in the upper midwest. Hope our people out there on LBT are doing ok.

Hi, Aleah. Welcome to this thread! Well, I think you've had an experience that most of us lap-banders have---finding out what you just CAN'T eat. I know there are others who CAN eat pasta, but I can't seem to be able to eat any kind of it. Things like pasta and bread sort of glom together in the pouch and block the opening into the rest of the stomach. Then the pouch reacts by tossing everything up. You're just in the beginning stages, and you'll be learning what you can eat and what you can't. Mostly what you want to be eating is protein, not carbs...eat your proteins first, then your veggies, and then maybe a bit of carbs. I find that I can eat potatoes (slowly) and rice, but no pasta for this one. Hope that helps. Keep coming back here if you want to join in or if you have any other questions!

Hi everyone! Jeez, I don't check in for a few days and there's 5 pages! I did some quick skimming...Janet, I hope your work situation gets better soon. I know how frustrating that can be. I'm not looking forward to my tax stuff...yikes, I hope I don't turn to the Hagen-Daz. Just got back from my second Zumba class. I love it, but it's really a workout! Talk about sweating! It's so much fun though, and the people where I go are so nice. I was very sore afterwards though. My knees were aching, but I think it's ok to work through it. I'm going to go 3 to 4 times a week. I'm hoping it'll jumpstart some continued weight loss. And I also noticed it really improves my mood. What with spring coming and me feeling feisty, things are looking up! Also got a fill yesterday and it seems to be helping with the pigging-out I've been doing. And on the doctor's scale I'm officially down 60 lbs! Whoopee! Only lost 4 lbs in a month, though...that's not bad (I won't sneer at 4 lbs!), but I know my bingeing didn't help.

On the vertigo...I'm not a doctor, or a nurse, but I have had severe vertigo several times. Decongestants help me when the vertigo is due to allergies or a cold. The fluid gets in my ears and messes up my balance. So the decong. dry up the fluid and the vertigo gets better. Hope that helps, Apples!

Hey everyone. Yes, I am feeling better, Eva. When I get into a funk, I try to do things that I know will make me feel better, like socializing more with people. This weekend, unlike usual, we went out both Friday and Saturday nights. My husband's band was great on Friday; I was so proud of him. And the folks in the bar really appreciated the music. We had a fun night. (The reason I said I'd have to eat chili, Janet, is because everything else on the menu is sandwiches or burgers) But I ended up eating fried clams---not the best choice calorie-wise, but I used to love them and haven't had them in years. Last night, we went out to another place to hear a friend's band. We danced a little too. So it was a good night. I did get a little upset, because a friend who was there sort of snubbed us. I let these kind of things get to me, but what are you going to do? Usually, I think that there's something wrong with ME...but I tried not to do that. This new crock pot recipe book got me all enthused about cooking again; yesterday I even went out and bought a new larger crock pot that can be programmed. I'm cooking a pot roast for dinner in it right now. Yum. Tomorrow at work is Pi Day (3/14---the number Pi), so everyone brings either sweet or savory pies. I'm making a beef tamale pie that is really a casserole. AND making it in the crock pot (I'm obsessed now).

I'm glad you're feeling better, Apples. Don't worry about your projects; they'll get done eventually! Jodi, I'm sorry to hear you had a tough time with surgery. Hope you're on the mend now. I had a good food day today. Tonight I'm going to hear my husband's band play in a local bar. I'll probably eat their chili for dinner...about the only thing they have that I can eat.