ocotillo

Want_so, wouldn't that be the pits, gain the weight back (I know you are not serious about that) and then have it go to your butt instead....or some other worse place. You are young and I suspect if you give it time and keep on toning, that extra skin will eventually disappear. If it doesn't, it just takes money to fix it or longer sleeves. At my age, I doubt anything will shrink back especially since it's all been stretched out for so long. I'm going to do what I can and when I reach goal or retire, which ever comes first, I'll spend my savings and have that extra skin cut off. I have a very ugly lower belly...aka...the apron. Good luck!!

Sorry this has to be a fly by post. I'm hosting FNSC tomorrow and I started cooking tonight after work. I do this to myself because I really enjoy the cooking--creating, but it's late and I still have to work tomorrow. I'll catch up with everyone this weekend. Have a great day tomorrow!! Eva

Meredith, you must have been posting the same time I was. Yes, it is pretty cool to have someone that was banded around the same time. When I was on the July 09 date thread, there were very few people banded on July 2nd. I think a lot of the doctors were already on vacation. There are ton's of people that were banded on the 7th. My doc told me to start eating solid food on Tuesday....actually they really believe that once you are off liquids, it's right on to solids. He didn't allow for mushies and doesn't like blender foods. So Tuesday, I ate my normal food. Felt like I had no restriction, but after the turkey episode yesterday, I'm thinking there is probably more restriction than I think. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do, chewing well and eating smaller bites slowly. Hey we are at about the same weight too only you've lost a lot more total than I have. Good for you!!! Laura, with the roller coaster you've been on lately, no wonder your weight loss is taking a break....and you've lost an amazing amount of weight. 74lbs is great since February. Nelson is just being a kid and might be pushing your buttons a little. I'm sure once he's at school, he'll be fine and hopefully his momma will be too. I think Meredith and I are the only ones without kids. They just didn't happen for me and now I'm okay with that. When DH and I first got back together, I was 40 and was very willing to have kids with him then, but I wasn't willing to jump through all the fertility hoops to get there. DH has a "son" which isn't biologically his, but it's a child from his heart and DH's name is on the birth certificate, so we have Robbie. He's 16 and learning to drive. His mom is a nut case so that always makes life interesting. Okay, I have to go to work....yuck. I need to do field work again and it's hot!!!! Have a great day everyone. Eva

Julie, I sure agree with you on the support this group gives. It is friendly but can be tough when needed. It's a very good group. Sorry about your back...I hope you find some relief soon. Ocotillo is a desert plant. The flower is my avatar. It's my favorite plant in the desert. You can do a google images search for it and they have some pretty good examples. My cat has to stay inside...although I live in a city of 500,000 or so, we have a lot of wild life here. There are coyotes, bobcats, snakes, owls, and other stuff. My last cat became part of the food chain and I just don't want to lose another one that way. Annabelle (the cat) is a spoiled and pampered house cat. Linda, CONGRATULATIONS!! Isn't it amazing how much positive reinforcement 2 little pounds can do for you!!! Seven months is great for losing as much as you have. Janet, the $$ thing is such a problem within families sometimes. I've actually seen people doing awful things to each other because of it. It happend with my parents (adoptive) and the neighbors...sick stuff. I'm so sorry you have to deal with the stupid sister....all she sees is money and feels entitlement for who knows what reason. I understand about you not being able to let go....I'm still that way about my Mom, but I figure in time, that too will heal. You are allowed to resent her attitude and expectations. You are taking the moral high ground and doing the right thing, no matter what others think. I'm very glad there are people here that can support you. Thanks for sharing, I appreciate it. All this experience even the negative stuff helps in the wisdom catagory. Laura, Nelson's pictures are great...thanks for sharing. I bet that was tough on you. Yeah, I like the technology too but we don't have a lot in the way of television. However, my DH is a programmer and we have computers everywhere. I have one, but DH has 5 or 6 working in the house. He is a geek. I do pay bills on line...it's so easy. I just got my sister doing it too....wow, you don't have to find a stamp. Gitr.......there are a lot of posts in two days. So why were you hiding the last 4 years? You opened the door.....so fess up. Apples, glad you DH noticed your new do.........mine always does. It one of the only things he ever notices. You know what they say...you can't pick your family, well that's not exactly true. You can choose wether or not to associate with them. We have one brother that chooses not to associate with us. Oh well, it's his choice. You sound like a very smart woman and made the right choices for you. I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did to get to this point. Your menu sounds great. We had chicken with garlic and a side of broccoli. Lori, you are truly a wonderful person to put up with "stuff" for the sake of your grandmother. Doesn't it feel good to finally be the thin sister? If your sisters can't deal with that, then that is their problem. I'm not there yet, still the fattest, but I can't wait for that to happen. I wonder how my two sisters will react then. That should be interesting. Cheri, your name for PB is funny....I like it. That's cool about the restriction, I think I actually might have some too!! I had a friend that I had a co-dependent relationship with. When I finally let that go, I find I run in the other direction (or I'm mean to the people) that try to draw me into those relationships. They scare the H&*% out of me. Good for you for letting go of them. You are a very talented writer and I'm glad you blog and post. I think you have friends here...even if we don't go out for lunch. Hello to anyone I've missed. I think I finally felt what it means to get stuck. I ate some turkey too fast and too much and ooopsss it kind of hurt, then I tried to wash it down with a sip of Water and that didn't work. It did go down, but I can see where it could have easily come back up if I had put anything else on top of it. I really needed this experience, because I was pretty sure there wasn't any restriction. Now I know better. I chewed my chicken and broccoli really well and slowly tonight. I'm off to bed....I'm tired after the pool today. Take care everyone. Eva

Meredith, wow being technology free is pretty amazing in this day and age. I do have credit cards, but I'm down to 2. We travel a lot and it's helpful for car rentals and stuff. I have a cell phone for work and a personal one. I am not on the cell all the time, but I do enjoy texting because I can relay info without actually having to talk to someone. Bad isn't it? As for TV, we do have cable because we can't anything else here really and our internet is on it, but we have basic services and still have my 15 year old SONY. We hardly ever watch TV. Lori, sorry about the family stuff. I started out with just my parents, an older brother (18 years older) so I never saw him, and me (I'm adopted and always knew it). At 31 my biological mother contacted me and now I have 6 more siblings (all half). Yes, it gets really messy with a big family. As for the fill, yes, I can probably get filled sooner, but I have to travel to Tijuana to get the fill. I can probably find someone in Phoenix to do it, but I like my doctors in Mexico and they do the fills with the fluoroscope. I'm going to be in San Diego next month, so it will save me a bunch of money to do it then. I'll have to exercise some control. I have lost another 1/2 pound, so that is encouraging. Janet, glad to hear you are feeling better. Sorry you and your sister don't get along. I just had to have a talk with the sister that moved here in April. We needed to clear a few things up on both our parts. It's better now. Before I knew I had a huge family, I had wonderful friends (still do) and they really became family. I feel very lucky in my life. Okay, have to go clean the cat box as it's trash day. Hope everyone has a great day!!

Apples, I think you did a great job of catching up...it took me three posts to get there. Linda, yeah, how did we live without the cell phones...are truly are we better off being that connected? Sometimes I wonder. Of course I love my computer, but I don't want my email on my cell phone either. Charlene, it's great to hear your DH is doing well too. And I too am interested in if it's any easier with both of you doing the WLS thing? Janet, I'm so sorry you had such a crappy day. Isn't it weird that all the stuff seems to pile up on one day and we end up losing it...especially after a short night. I'm not going to tell you food isn't the answer, because you already know that. I also don't know if I can say anything that will help. Going to the gym will help you burn off some of the negative energy that is building up....maybe try a completely different exercise will get your mind off of it for a while. This too shall pass. Lori, sorry to hear you are having a bad day too. Yeah, that trying to do the right thing and being squashed really pisses me off too. I hope that everything works out for you. Fritos are a good fire starter, but not one for you. Anybody you need to have us knock off for you? Hey, that's really cool that you get to talk about your weight loss. It's not easy to do and you excelled at it. Cheri, glad your second fill is going alright. You may be right about the hotel....there may be a small hotel that we can book a bunch of rooms. I usually don't want to share a sleeping chamber because I snore. I really don't want to torture everyone else. Laura, no we didn't get the extra insurance on the Volvo...but we did the following week on the HHR. Go figure. Really happy to hear your Dad is doing better and may get to go home soon. I bet your Mom is ecstatic. Cracker Barrel is one of my MIL's favorite restaurants. I always cringe when we go there for anything but Breakfast. Last breakfast I ate there (in Arkansas with the dented Volvo) I actually was able to order 1 egg and toast. My DH ate the rest of the toast. That worked out well. Julie, I hope you are feeling better. So sorry everything feels bad. Well, today was a full day on solid foods again, and I don't have much restriction. I will be making another appointment for next month when I'm in San Diego again. I will have to do this on will power....yuck, I'm just not very good at that for extended periods of time. Tomorrow is the last day of house sitting for a while. All I have to do tomorrow is put the trash out for pickup and my friend will be home tomorrow night. My friend went to Spain for two weeks and sounds like she's had a great time. She's emailed a couple of times. We have a bi-monthly Friday night gathering and I'm hosting Friday. I'm thinking of taking the day off and going to Willcox to pick some fresh veggies at a u-pick-it place. We'll see if that actually happens. I have a recipe for an eggplant dip from Andrew Weil that I think I'll try. I might also do a stuffed poblano chili...stuffed with zucchini and mushrooms with wild rice (this is for my vegetarian friends). We'll just have to see how far I get and how busy I am at work. I hope everyone has a good evening (although most of you are already asleep) and a better tomorrow. Eva

Yippeeee the scale is going in the right direction. Gee all those liquids are paying off. Now to continue with this trend. Julie, we had a backing accident in a rented Volvo in Wal-Mart when were in Arkansas. Same thing, we just didn't see each other. We rented the Volvo as a lark (usually don't do the high end cars) and see what happens. It's back to the Chevy's and Fords.

Had my first fill on Saturday and my doc said not to worry about the calories, but to eat slowly, chew carefully, eat small bites, and don't drink afterwards for a while. He said the weight will come off, just might not be on our time schedule. I've stalled in my weight loss too and I always stall at this point every time I've tried to lose weight. I'm not going to let this stall depress me and I'm going to practice the small bites, eating slow and all that. I feel very little restriction and I think I'll have to be very careful for the next month. Don't get too discouraged, it's too soon in the journey. Don't resort to old eating habits either, we have to take responsibility for that and change it.

So how long between surgery and your 2nd fill....when the light bulb went on?

Susan, glad the surgery is over. Wow, that was interesting about the port tubing. Nice that the doctor addressed that too. Take it easy and didn't the doc say anything about exercising or walking or anything? I forget to ask because I'm usually in lala land when I have any thing done, but then I remember later after it's all over. Cheri, I like the DNR clothes. I have a pile that needs to be moved out of the house, just haven't got there yet. Welcome all you new over 50's. I'm new too and just had my first fill. Interesting experience and I already know I'll be back for more next month. Have a great night everyone. Eva

To continue with my posting.......................... Linda, wise words about the "lifestyle" change. You are right a few croutons aren't going to ruin the diet, especially if you account for them in your daily intake. I think it's funny that some men can't seem to get the aesthetics in putting a room together. My DH installed the side shelves to my kitchen cabinets upside down.....uuuggggg. Good thing I got there before they permanently attached them. It's nice you cooked for your friend. I'm sure they appreciated it. Cheri, I can appreciate your idea about getting the shame out of obesity and doing whatever it takes to make yourself healthy. Your blog is interesting. Lori, glad you had a great time camping. We are supposed to go this coming up weekend, but I'm weaseling out of it. Need a weekend at home. And it's still hot here. It would be much nicer in the mountains, but I still need some down time. Very cool the M and size 8's....actually, what is a size 8? Just kidding...... Janet, as for the shopping....when I can finally buy off the rack and they fit and I like the style, watch out!!!! No point in shopping now. Also, I want to have time to do that and it seems the only time I do real shopping is when I'm on vacation, then I love to shop. Charlene, you are brave to turn down the fill and deal with the behavioral issues. It's really the hardest part of this I'm finding out. As for Florida....I have relatives in Ft. Meyers and might be able to find something reasonable there if anyone would like me to check. I too would prefer the ocean since I'm a land locked desert dweller too. I've been so hungry today. I don't think it's head hungry either, at least not today. Tomorrow I'm packing little healthy Snacks so I don't get so darn hungry. It's distracting. I'm feeling a little restriction from my fill, but I don't think I'm there yet. I will probably go back on the 19th and have another one. I am hoping that this will start the weight loss again. I'm also having trouble feeling full. I really don't feel full until I'm really full and know I can't eat another bite. I'm afraid if I eat to that point, I'll be damaging something. The pool is getting a little cool now. I don't think we will be able to work out there much longer. I have my DVD ready to go and I'm bugging my sister to find something she can do so we can work out together. She can't walk far because she has foot issues. Okay, I think I've caught up and hopefully will stay caught up. Hope everyone has a great night. Eva

Week 6 of weekly weigh in for me 7-20-09 239.5 7-28-09 238 gained 1 lb since my last ticker update. 8-3-09 238.5 was up to 241.5 now going down again. 8-10-09 236.5 8-17-09 238 again....just got back from another vacation. 8-24-09 237.5...had my first fill on Saturday, hope to see this number go down now.

Continuing with my last post..... Meredith, congrats on the end of a semester. Hope your friend is doing better. I like your posts...they are interesting to read and fun. Keep posting just like you are. I also like turtles or I should say tortoises. I have three Mojave desert tortoises. Mom, Dad, and Junior. I will probably have more come September or October....time will tell. Mom (Delila) lays the eggs in her burrow and I can't really see in there, so I never know if there will be babies or not. Hey, don't beat yourself up over the extra food. No, it's not the best choice, but you aren't going to do it every day. You will eat properly the next day and the following day. You learn from your mistakes and guilt doesn't help. You have been doing great and will continue to do so. Janet, congrats on the kitties. I bet they are so cute. I love cats and dogs, but really limit myself to one of each. Since we travel a bit, it's hard to have someone come watch all the critters (cat, dog, torotises, fish, and I feed the wild birds). So will the babies sleep in your room? Hope they don't keep you up all night again. As for the cleaning....I pay someone to do that for me...twice a month. I'm really going to miss that if i retire. Gitrdone, welcome. Funny thing, I just had a fill Saturday and the doctor told me not to worry about calories, just about eating slowly, small bites, chewing well, and not drinking afterwards. He said the weight will come off because you are eating so much less. I'm not sure I can let go of the calorie thing....I know it has everything to do with the weight loss. Laura, this roller coaster your Dad is on and you and your family is so frustrating. I'm really sorry you all are going through this. I'm not very religious either, but I am praying for you and your family. Julie, Congrats on your one year bandiversary! 101 pounds is amazing especially with all the other stuff you've gone through. I think you've done amazing. I hope you are able to join us in February. I think it will be a wonderful time. Hi Linda....you have probably been here before and I missed your posts. It's nice getting to know you. Doodlebug....we flew into Little Rock, but my SIL lives in Clarksville so that's where we spent the majority of the time. I stayed too long at my sister's tonight and now it's 11:30 and I have to work tomorrow. So I'll continue with the catch up tomorrow. Have a great night everyone. Eva

Okay, I'm going to try and catch up here. I'm really behind, sorry. No more traveling until mid-September and DH is not going so he can take care of the household. Meredith, I had my fill this weekend and the needle thing wasn't bad at all. The doctor found the port with the x-ray...it has 4 little metal clips besides the stitches holding it in place and you could see those clearly on the x-ray. He stuck the needle in and besides when I was sitting up for the fill, it really didn't hurt. You'll do just fine. Julie, good thing getting rid of the old clothes. I've already done a little of that too. I had some stretchy pants and they are in the charity box. I am not going back there anymore. Not sure you won't be ordering from a catalogue anymore because of your height. One of my girl friends is 5'11" and has a very hard time finding long enough pants. She actually goes to Phoenix to find them or orders them. Apples, thanks for the info. The farming sounds like very hard work, but fulfilling......especially "feeling" the 6-8 men. That could be very interesting. LOL. The snack ideas are great too. I keep worrying that I'm not eating "solid" foods. I know it will work out in time but it's not easy now. Glad to hear you eat beef Jerky. I love that stuff and it's a great way to satisfy my hunger. I just have to make my own because I do not like the commerical stuff. OH...and a get together in Florida in Feburary would be great. I would love to do that. I'm not big on Orlando either, I've done that, but I'll go with the flow. As far as the cooking goes, I can go either way with that. I love to cook and it's always a challenge to meet other people's dietary needs. I love doing that. I also like to go out to eat, so once again, I'll go either way. Okay....I'm house sitting and need to check in on the kitties and my sister. I will continue with the rest of your posts when I get back. Eva

Susan, hope everything goes well for you and your recovery is quick. I bet you will feel so much better afterwards. Joann, it's good to hear from you and that you have having such a great visit with your DD. It's really exciting and encouraging to hear how well you are feeling after all the exercise. It really gives me hope. Lynn, So how are you feeling 3 weeks after surgery? Has the swelling gone down? Are the incisions closed? How do you sleeps with you have an incision all the way around you? I'm asking because I see this surgery in my future. Cheri, you are looking great. Congrats on the 1/2 way mark. I just got back from Tijuana and had my first fill. It was very interesting because I got to see my port and the band in action. I really could see the stuff going down and feel the restriction when he closed the port, then backed it off. The only thing that was weird was after he put the needle in the port I was put in a sitting position and seeing that needle in my stomach was pretty weird. So far all is well and I'm on liquids until Tuesday. I'm really hoping this will give me enough restriction so I don't eat so much. I wasn't losing and I know I was eating too much. I also know I'm still adapting and this is going to take time. I also have HUGE head hunger issues. Today at lunch, I'm working on my soup and my stomach is telling me to stop and I did, but my head is telling me to take another bite, another bite will taste so good. I stopped but realized I'm going to be fighting my head for a long time. My DH went with me to Tijuana and it was an eye opener for him too. I took my sister with me for surgery. He now understands how it works and where it's located. He got to watch the procedure too. We are done with vacationing for a while. My next weekend away will be in September and DH will be staying home. We've been gone 2 out of 3 weekends for a couple of months now. I need to stay home for a while. I have been very irregular in posting and for me, I need to post to keep focused. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Take care. Eva

I still get a little incision pain from time to time....not too much of the burning pain anymore. I had a fill yesterday and got to see my port and the band in action....my port is not only stitched in place on the muscle, but has metal clips holding it in place. I suspect it takes quite a while for those to totally heal. The doctor also said the tubing is stitched to the muscle so there are a lot of things going on there. My ribs hurt to the left of my port too once in a while. I really didn't ask about that, but after he told me where all the stuff was, I chalking it up to all the stuff in there now. Can you sleep on your other side? I couldn't sleep on my left side for quite a while either and it's still tender once in a while. Talk to your doctor...they probably have heard it all and would have an idea about what's going on.

We will and I hope your recover is quick and painless. Lynn, glad to hear the PS is going well. Are you in much pain? I'm such a baby, I know I will get PS when I lose this weight, but yuck on the pain. I will have to self pay and will probably go back to Mexico too. Guess I'll cross that bridge next year. Take care all. Eva

MOM (Milk of Magnesia) helped me a lot and I take it regularly now. Not every day but 4 or 5 days a week. I never want to be as "backed up" as I was a couple of weeks after surgery. Good luck!

I think you will get a variety of answers on the Protein thing. I get around 60 grams. I try to follow the "Zone" idea and get a 1/3 of my calories from protein, 1/3 from carbs, and 1/3 from fats. But once again, you'll get a variety of answers. Hope you find something that works for you.

Cheri & Janet, I think I would like to go back to school until I actually do it. I've taken a class here and there, but with working all day, then class at night and homework, I just can't seem to commit to more than one semester once in a great while. I got my degree while working full time. It took me 11 years and I attended at least one class every semester during that time. My last year, I took 3 upper division classes, wrote 9 papers and and I can't remember how many tests. I used up a whole lot of vacation time that semester. I graduated in '93 and I still wonder about what I want to do when I grow up. I think I was so committed to the process and getting that BA that now I really don't want to commit to anything. I didn't get married (for the first and only time) until I was 50. On the flip side, I do enjoy learning, I'm just not motivated enough to apply myself to learning on my own with out school. Oh well, maybe when I retire. Apples, can I ask what crops you grow? Harvesting in October through November is late for a lot of the country. So you take a little ice chest with you with Snacks? If you eat every couple of hours or so that would mean several very small snacks all day. Mrs B. Good for you in making that appointment for the fill. My first one is coming up this weekend. I'm hoping it will take me back to where I was at banding at least for a while. Those Cookies can get you every time. I really don't care for peanuts but oatmeal raisin, yum............ Meredith, hope you are getting through this last class. I do admire you for working and going to school. Hope you get a bit of a break here soon. Are you on quarters? Our fall semester is just beginning right now. You are still doing great with your food. I'm not so hot about watching what I'm eating (especially with 3 vacations since I was banded) but trying to listen to my band and not eat too much. Hi Dee, welcome. Great....I'm getting my hair done tomorrow. Getting up at 4am would be torture for me. I don't think you will have to worry about the insurance thing. A lot of stuff is being thrown out there and people are working at misinformation just to scare people. Sorry your knee is bothering you that much. I have a couple of friends that have already had knee surgery and think it's the best thing they could have done. Laura, I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. I'm sure he is frustrated and after being down for so long, he's letting it get to him. I hope he can pull through and get out of the hospital. Once he is on his feet and moving again, maybe he'll be able to go back to his old routines and that certainly will help. I'm glad to hear your party went so well and they noticed how much weight you've lost. That is such positive reinforcement. I'm not sure the chips and salsa would be by-passed here, but it's cool that all the healthy stuff was eaten and appreciated. The deli meat can be frozen can't it? Phyll, are you getting excited about the knee surgery or are you anxious? I really hope all goes well for you and I bet you will breeze through it. Did they answer all your questions? Sorry if I missed anyone, I'll catch you next time. I have to sleep, need to get to work early tomorrow because I have to leave early for the hair appointment. Have a great evening everyone. Eva

I'm 53 and was banded in July. I'm going for my first fill this weekend. There is a thread for over 50's if you would like to check that out. Lots of very nice people chatting and there is some good info and some not so good info. The weight loss before banding is important, it really helps with the hunger issues afterwards and helps with the healing process. Good luck and hope to see you around.

So sorry to hear about your DH. It's a tough market out there and I hope your DH finds another job soon. I've watched my company force out people with the skill and ability and willingness to do a good job for a younger/cheaper person. I think in the long run, service will suffer from it. Hang in there until your fill, you know you can do it. ee

You know when you are gone for a few days, it's difficult to read and catch up on everything. We got back from Arkansas late last night and I had to work today. I did not do great with food while I was gone, it's hard when I'm traveling. I'm also able to eat more now so things are slipping down very easily. My DH's family doesn't eat healthy either and that doesn't help. I did have the opportunity to cook for them Saturday night and fixed a relatively healthy meal. We had chicken fajitas with salsa fresca, guacamole, corn and black bean salad and minimal amounts of fat. I made everything from scratch. The guac was the highest fat item I made. I'm back on track today, but I still can eat too much. I get my first fill on Saturday, so I'm really hoping it will help. I got this band to help the portion control and I full expect it to do what it said it would. Meredith, good luck with your test. I can't remember much else so I'll have to catch up with everyone tomorrow. Have a great night. Eva

Week 5 of weekly weigh in for me 7-20-09 239.5 7-28-09 238 gained 1 lb since my last ticker update. 8-3-09 238.5 was up to 241.5 now going down again. 8-10-09 236.5 8-17-09 238 again....just got back from another vacation.

Corliss, your story is amazing! I have a friend that is 53 and is gong to finish her RN degree this year. Your weight loss is amazing. This is the stuff I need to hear to keep myself focused. Are you happy with the PS?