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Evening to all of you. Welcome Gwendolyn Smythe! You are jumping right in...that's great. And we can always use a travel agent. This is going to be a fly by post. MIL & SIL we be here in the morning and I have to get a guest room ready for them. I'm converting my room into the guest room since we really don't have a guest room. I'm a little stressed about this, but it will be just fine. They will only be here a week. I have to work and I'm hoping they don't expect me to wait on them because it just isn't going to happen. Apples, sounds like you are going to be very busy the next few days. Jody, so sorry about your dog, but it had a better life with you. You should tell your daughter. She knows it was going to happen and it's something she should know. I really didn't like it when my parents didn't tell me stuff like this. DH is going to set up my laptop in "our" bedroom so I can have internet access so I should be able to at least check in. No telling what they will have planned, but I suspect it will be sitting around watching TV a lot. I bought them 6 movies at $5 a piece (gonga deal). That should keep them busy for a while. Later ladies, have a good evening. Eva

It's still so new for you so right now you should still be following your doctors advise and eating small amounts. In time you might push the limits of your band and it will let you know. There is no way any of us can tell you what full feels like to you. For me, I feel it in my chest and I know I have to stop. It definitely isn't the same as it was before banding. Give yourself some time and just keep asking questions.

I'm probably not the one to answer you shopgirl, but you are too tight and you can damage yourself if you are PBing that much. Are you eating very small bites and chewing thoroughly? What types of food are you eating. I find if I eat too fast or don't chew, that is the out come, but if you are chewing enough and taking small bites and eating slowly and still PBing, you need an unfill.

You will know when you are full. It will take a while and it feels different, but you'll know. You just need to take the time to listen to your body. Congratulations!!

Janet, glad the new puppy is working out. When I retire, I probably won't be able to afford my housekeeper so I'll be getting exercise cleaning house again. Still trying for the page 800. LOL

I wonder how many posts I'd have to do to make it to page 800?

Evening ladies.... Julie, glad to hear there is some movement on the Mayo appointment. That's funny but not fun with the potty training comment. I don't want a puppy just for that reason and the chewing. As cute as they are, they are a lot of work. Charlene, dogs are a part of the family...or at least they should be and yes, they give lots of joy. Ours is very spoiled. You have been really doing good with the walking, wish I could say the same. Keep it up and it will work. Lori, I really enjoy travelling too but I don't get to fly standby...too bad. I go every chance I get, by car, plane, or train. How's your grass doing? You have been doing really well with going to the gym. I'm proud of you. Peaches, I use Isopure whey Protein Powder. It has 50 grams of Protein in 2 scoops and around 225 calories. I've been drinking it a little more often for breakfast because I've been short on my protein too. Phyl, glad you have found such a good companion with that puppy. They certainly can enhance your life. Train travel is really nice especially if you have time. Laura, great pictures and glad to hear you are having a good time. Enjoy yourself!! I finally went to my friends pool for a little exercise today. It's too hot to walk so the pool is great right now. I did really well last year until it got cold, so let's see if I can keep this us, especially with company. My DH's Mom and sister are coming Wednesday and will be here for a week. So I might be scarce which has become a little more frequent lately. I had a very bad food day yesterday, so today I've been really working hard at watching what I put in my mouth. So far so good. I think I will be okay today. I'm going to have to do the "one day at a time" thing for right now. Hope you all have a really good night. Eva

Julie, CONGRATS ON YOUR TWO YEAR BANIDVERSARY!! I'm so glad you will be coming to Vegas...this is going to be a lot of fun. Charlene, wow, that's not very many calories. You can't live on shakes the rest of your life, maybe Janet's menu plan will help. JANET, CONGRATS ON YOUR THREE YEAR BANIDVERSARY!! OMG the puppy is so cute...but you know they chew too! Maybe you can train it to a crate when you aren't there? I saw some very cute puppies the other day, but as long as I'm working and Glimmer is still alive, I have to resist. I just don't want to deal with house training and cat training now. Jodi, welcome back!! Wow, your diet certainly has changed and congrats on the 50 pounds...that is very cool. Interesting stuff on the guy too. Yep best just to see how it goes. Cheri...so sorry to hear about your co-worker. What a horrible story and how people get so screwed up on such weird stuff. We went to Bisbee for the night last night and it was nice and fun...after I relaxed. The boys really had fun and were up to around 2:30 this morning, so DH is now napping. On our way out of town (Bisbee) we stopped at a farmer's market and I got a bunch of locally grown fresh veggies and fruit, plums and peaches. Can't wait to dig into them. Now it's chill out time and maybe a nap is calling. Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day. Amazing ladies I'll talk to you later Eva

Cheri, part of the retirement thing is because of the future merger, the other part is I've been at it for 34 years and need to do something different. I'll be broke, but I still will have money coming in. Then I'll do something else. The question is still the date. If the house sells in Colorado, then I can go this year...if it doesn't I'll be there until just before the merger...March or April. I'm really needing to do something else. Date night...gotta go. Eva

Morning....off to work....maybe only 4 more months of this and then.... we'll see Eva

Sorry I missed you Joyce...sorry to hear about DH's ex too. That's tough even if it is an EX.

Janet, I'm so sorry to hear about Ryder, but if he went to a new home, he may be happier and in the long run you will be too. It's very hard to let go of a pet, no matter what the reason. Wow, that stuff you said from Oprah...about it being okay to be stressed and not let food be our comfort...deal with the stress instead....very cool advise. Not sure how to do that, but good advise. Laura, you wouldn't be able to go to Paris so easily if you had a puppy because someone would have to watch it and you know how puppies are...peeing and pooping everywhere. I hope you have a fabulous time and don't go too manic getting ready (like I do). That sweet pea picture of Nelson was too cute....what a great blackmail picture when he grows up. LOL What is it with cats and suitcases....mine does the same thing. Lori, great words on the WL journey and maintenance. It's not easy for anyone and everyone has their demons to deal with...I certainly haven't conquered mine yet, don't even have them caged. Very interesting sister story. So it's the girlfriend that got everything she wanted, kids, husband, etc. She shouldn't be taking it out on you. We all have our own paths. Neither one of my sisters have held a job like I have, but that is their choice and they have to deal with their own decisions. It's a very interesting world. Cheri, sorry about your Dad. Funny thing about parents, mine wouldn't listen to me either because I was a girl. My brother was the only one with influence (professor of mathematics) until he had a heart attach and stroke and his thinking wasn't quite right. Towards the end of their lives, my father finally started trusting me, but my Mom turned on me (she was failing mentally too). There just wasn't anything I could tell them...they wouldn't listen. So the fact they listen to your brother is par for the course. I really understand how frustrating that is. Linda, those are quite touching stories...really homes in the point about the grass is greener. I'm very glad you found the right guy and yes I believe everything happens for a reason. I also understand about the worrying. It's valid, but it's another one of those fears we need to learn to deal with. Life is short and we need to be good with ourselves. Apples, Hi and bye! I like your side of the fence too!! Just kidding, you are so balanced and strong. You deserve all the happiness you have and the good life you have. I know it hasn't always been easy for you, but you deal with what ever life has thrown you. Enjoy your visit with your boys!! Charlene, glad the eye surgery worked and you are doing well with it. The slow metabolism is a bugger...I have that problem too and I'm not dealing with it very well. Julie, I'll vouch for your height...you are tall. Despite all the stuff you have gone through and what you are still going through, you hang in there and keep posting and checking in. It does help to be accountable and to have support here. So do you have an appointment yet? Phyl, how's the baby? Good for you and the gym. Glad to hear your DH is so taken with Zoey. What's the cat think of her? I like the medical bracelet that has the thumb drive...that's pretty clever. So in case you haven't guessed, no TV tonight. DH isn't here and so no Tru Blood tonight. I was going to go to my friends pool and start those workouts again, but forgot and left work late. So I'm putting my bathing suit and towel out tonight and I'm going tomorrow night no matter what. I had salmon for dinner (COSTCO) fresh wild salmon and strawberries. It's fresh fruit season...I love it. I never eat enough fruit except during "the season" Now if I can just remember to chew it enough. Hope you all have a great night. Eva

Morning ladies...fly by again. We got the 2nd season of TruBlood so I might be missing again for a while. It's a rather addictive series. Welcome back Apples...enjoy your time with your son...I know you will. Need to run...have a good day! Eva

Morning...interesting conversation. Let's just home none of us discover we only have 24 hours left....if I do, then I don't want to know. We need to resume this conversation for Las Vegas. Laura, I found a "duffle on wheels" type suitcase at the Samsonite outlet store in Phoenix. I love it. It isn't particularly lightweight, but I can sure pack a lot of stuff in it and it has a lot of handles so I can grab it many different ways. I took it to Costa Rica and DH and I use it when we need to check a bag and we just need one extra bag that we share. Cheri....getting plastered is fun at the moment, but the after affects aren't really worth it to me. Ug! But I guess you really need to do it at least once to know what it's all about. I have an automatic shut off valve, I drink too much, I throw up. It's sort of like PBing with alcohol. LOL. Off to work again this morning. I know I'm wishing my life away, but geez, I'm not going to miss the weekly grind of getting up, going to work, not having enough time to do what I want to do. Okay, talk to you all later. Eva

No judgement...just preferences. There was a time in my past where I dreaded not being able to eat everything and as much as I wanted. I still have twinges of that, but I believe that it's not as important to me anymore and it's an accomplishment for myself (myself only). It's part of my emotional and mental growth. Since banding, I realize I can eat everything, but it just isn't as important as it was. There isn't a food out there that I miss right now because if I want it I eat it. I also am not losing weight either because for me to lose weight I have to restrict what I'm eating and I don't do that so well. So now I have different issues and many of them. No judgment intended, we just all have different priorities and issues.

Judy...I wouldn't get an unfill either because I eat anything I want now....just not as much of it. There are other things to do if you only have 24 hours. Talking to friends and family would be more important. Janet you rock...literally, your muscles must be like rock. I use biodegradable soap in my laundry and have for a while now. I'm only watering ornamental plants (verbena, bougainvillea, mesquite, canna, etc. so a little extra soap may actually keep the bugs away. I also don't use a whole lot of soap either or softeners. I just let the dryer do the softening. Now if I was really green, I'd hang my clothes out on a line...I used to do that and it works ok in the summer, but it really takes a long time to do laundry and clothes are a lot more wrinkled. Maybe when I'm retired..... I'm chopping my oleanders down...actually just trimming them to a manageable height. Bulky trash pickup is this week and it is very nice to have some one else haul away the yard trash. It's more than 95 degrees out and hot so I'm only working on it a little at a time. This is giving me my exercise. Okay...off to more projects. CBL ee

I just fixed halibut and my it came out nice. Moist and not over cooked. I put onions, black olives, and green salsa on it....yum. I'm going to have to remember this recipe. Yep, dogs and cats are worth it even with accidents. My dog is leaking and we took her to the vet on Thursday. They are running a bunch of tests and we'll find out if it's just old age or if there is something else going on. We'll deal with whatever it is because we love her and having her around is better than not having her. Off to finish my fish. ee

I am so thrilled with my water recycling project. Having the washer outside is sort of a pain, but I can live with it for a while until I get the shed built or purchased. Then we can work on getting the washer moved to it's future home. I was able to water plants in the front yard today just by siphoning from the tank. It's a lot of water going down the drain and city water rates just went up, so if I can wash my clothes and water the ornamental plants, seems like a good deal to me and worth having the washer outside for a while. It's under the eaves of the house so it isn't totally exposed. We have been on the go for days again. I'm so burned out today, I haven't been able to really get anything done. All I want to do is sleep. But I'm on the last load of laundry (all in one day, I'm not used to that) and I've been able to catch up with you all. I guess that is good. Okay, maybe a nap is a good thing. CBL Eva

That looks very nice Lori...grass really does make a yard pleasant. I bet the dogs are thrilled or are they allowed on it yet.

Finally a few minutes to read and respond. Probably haven't read all the posts that I've missed, but I'll give it a shot. Janet, your pics are great. It looks like you guys had a lot of fun even if it was cold. How nice to bundle up in front of a fire...I'd be dying now if there was fire....it too hot!! Linda, when you get ready to go to Italy, I'll go with you. I've been wanting to see Italy for a while now and it just hasn't happened. "if you stay on the path you will succeed, no matter how long it takes you as long as you don't step off the path you will eventually finish." I love this saying...I just cut and pasted it to a document to print and look at periodically. LauraK, glad to hear DD is doing alright. I'm also impressed the moving company is willing to give her money back for not having her furniture. I wonder where they put it in the mean time or if they sent it to New York or something. So now I just read your DD is getting her stuff YEAH! Cheri, Vegas is still going to be hot in October (more than likely) They have the same weather we do in Tucson. You can wear anything you want in Vegas...doesn't matter there. As far as driving away with your purse on your car instead of in your car......uh.....I don't know about the rest of you, but I've done that before plus a lot of other stuff. I'm pretty smart too, but my mind isn't always on what I'm doing....it's hard to be focused on the present moment all the time. We project, rehash, dwell and many other things on the events that occurred and on things that need to be done. It's life, don't sweat it. Charlene, it is tough when you try and cut back to that 900-1100 calorie level, even though we aren't eating as much as we did before banding, it's really easy to eat just enough calories to maintain...not loose. Ugh, I really understand the struggles. Joyce, I don't think you should be PBing that much...but then again, I've done it, but I know it's because I'm not chewing enough and eating too fast. My fill works just fine when I do. But if you are too tight, you can damage your stomach and should have that looked at. So now I've read you had a bit of an unfill...good luck. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Julie, sounds like you had a nice day at the zoo with your girls. That's cool. Glad to hear you're getting closer to that referral. It sure would be nice for you to enjoy life without the drugs...they can be really rough on you and they tweak your thinking after a while. I agree with you about opening up the house...I love being able to do that, but it was 95 degrees at 6:30 this morning...a/c running as I type. Lori...congratulations to your DD, how exciting! I wish the best to her and her DH. How exciting about Paris too!! Wow, you must really like to fly to endure all that time for such a little time in Paris, but I bet I would do it too given the opportunity. Lori, you keep coloring your hair until you don't want too. It's not based on age or grandma status, it's something you do for you. I think you are still young and your hair reflects that. Linda, wow $15 for a pedicure, not here, at least not any of the places I've gone. And you being blond is an advantage as far as hair color. Blonds go grey much more easily, it just sort of blends in and looks good and if you stay blond, it looks great too. I'm with Lori and the single digit humidity...I can tell the difference when it hits 10%. Laura, Wow a trip to Europe...of course you know what a travel pig I am...I'm envious. You are going to have so much fun! How long will you be there? Nels is going to love it too. Melissa, sorry about the UTI, those are no fun. Hope the "infection" thing clears up. Those antibiotics can make you feel as bad as the problem. As far as your boss goes, at least with email, you don't have to look her in the face and you can ignore the email-at least for a while. Phyl, sounds like therapy is giving you a real workout. I love to be able to sleep soundly because I'm tired. So Zoey is an "it" now. Such an important thing. I love my animals, but don't want multiples. Too bad I can't spay the tortoises. If I can keep them separated, then I shouldn't have to worry about little ones in a couple of years. Hello to anyone I've missed. I'm not lost, just busy...will post again sometime this weekend. Eva

Just a quickie again to say hi...I'm not lost...just too busy watching TV. You know I never do books or TV 1/2 way...it's all or nothing. All is well and I'll try and check in later. Eva

Morning everyone...hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend. It's off to work for me again. I didn't win the lottery....darn. We watched 7 episodes of Tru Bloood yesterday....1st season. Stayed up too late too, so my back side is dragging today. Hope you have a good Tuesday. Eva

Everyone loses differently and what most find, even if it is fast now, it will slow down at some point later. Don't let that get you down because it's normal, just be prepared for it. Follow your doctor's advise to the T...if he/she says stay on full liquids, then don't mix it with anything. If you can't get through the week of liquids, you might ended up struggling later...it's only a week. Hang in there, you can do it.

Annybear...welcome. Don't push the mushies....although the liquids do get boring, you need time to heal and the liquids facilitate that. Also, my doc let me swim as soon as the incisions were closed...as long as it wasn't too strenuous. You need to follow your doctors advise..it's one of the most important tips anyone on this thread will give you. Good luck on your journey. Wow, yesterday ended up being a larger party than I expected. I expected 10-12 people and ended up with 20 not counting DH and myself. It was lots of fun, but I'm really tired today. Didn't get to bed until midnight and DH got up early to go bike riding (the peddle type) and of course that woke me up. Robbie (step-son) is asleep on the couch still. Ah the ability of a 17 year old to sleep through anything. Of course he says he was awake...yeah..right. I got the washing machine going this morning and it works great. We will have to move the water retention tank to a higher spot to get the gravity feed going a little better, but so far so good. I won't be able to to do 2 full loads without draining it...scary how much water I've been dumping down the drain. When this washer craps out, I'll be looking for one of the HE ones. Sounds like most everyone had a good 4th. Have a wonderful day off and I'll check back later. Eva

It's really nice here...it's been getting humid the last few days, but last night the humidity dropped and it cooled off. So this morning we got out early (6am) and did some yard work. I moved rocks and picked up dog doo (and many rocks with that too) and got a place ready for a new Water tank that we bought yesterday. I live in the desert and it just kills me to throw lots of water down the drain. I use biodegradable soap in the laundry so we want to harvest that water. We moved the washing machine outside yesterday and bought a 140 gallon culvert set in concrete and plumbed for water recycling. Now we just ave to get the tank out of the truck and set and I should be able to do laundry. We experimented and pumped out about 1/3 of the washer to see how much water it actually was and it's too much for a 33 gallon trash can, hence the culvert. Eventually we'll move the washer to it's new location in the "cave" but that can't happen until I get a storage shed. Wow, I've been working on this post for more than an hour....forgot I didn't hit the enter key. Okay off to more projects. Eva