ifyourstomachoffendsyou

Julie, If you were taking the anti-depressant fairly regularly for the first two weeks and started slacking off, they would still be in your system for a while. I've never been on Cymabalta, but I have to say that the time I was on Prozac and the time I was on Wellbutrin it only took a few days for me to notice the difference. Some of your pain relief may actually be due to the Cymbalta raising your pain threshold. However, if you can remember to take them, large doses of vitamin D have been shown to also make a huge difference, particularly for women in northern climates who don't get nearly enough natural vitamin D from the sun. I take 4000 IU/day and I notice myself coping so much better and having so much more energy. I think it actually helped me with my weight loss because I didn't turn to food to medicate my down feelings or my physical pain. By the way, although I still can hurt, I am in a lot less pain and I can exercise so much more and move so much more freely without the weight. Even my neck is much better. My inversion table has also really helped with my neck and back, hip and shoulder problems. I get decompression without any manipulation, twisting or over stretching of tendons and ligaments, which therapists and chiropracters are wont to do. I've cut my anti-inflammatory pills in half. I've been on maximum doses for years and years. Could be the vitamin D has helped with that, too. Glad you're doing better. Keep on getting to the bottom of your pain. You need to learn which movements trigger the nerve compression and what you can do to relieve the compression without making it worse. You've been sounding so much better and the Cymbalta may be playing a bigger part in that than you know. Cheri

My favorite movie is "A Christmas Story". The tongue stuck to the flag pole always makes me roll. Here's a recipe I more than sampled at my work Christmas party. It's evil and I would never make it because no one else would get any. 1 pkg oreo cookies. crush. Soften cream cheese a little(LF is fine). Mix together and scoop into large balls and dip in melted Bakers semi-sweet chocolate and place on wax paper in tray and cool. Don't know if you put in fridge. These are to-die-for. Invite me over. When you only have two left. I am waiting to hear from mine and DH's kids whether they want to come here for turkey dinner (since I didn't do Thanksgiving) and open presents from us and to us on the 20th or the 27th. It's really hard because of my ex-DH and my kids in-laws get-togethers to come up with a date for me. I try to be as accommodating as possible and wait till everyone else is set. Even then my kids give me a hard time because they also want to get together with my parents and my sister's family for Christmas and they'd prefer to open presents from me and DH then. Unfortunately, that's not fair to my parents and to my sister's husband and kids to sit through all that. Plus, my DH's kids wouldn't attend that one and I refuse to have two Christmas parties at my house, one for my 3 married kids and six grandkids and one for Ken's two married and semi-married kids and one grandchild. So I gave everyone the dates and told them to hash out the details. I cook the stuffing and turkey and they bring everything else. Our kids were all pretty much grown when we got married and have no real bond with each other except for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas get-together per year. Didn't do Thanksgiving this year so its got to be Christmas. I think last year I just had the mother's all come with their kids for a brunch and opened Christmas presents to kids. But since we didn't do Thanksgiving this year and everyone wants my turkey I'm hoping they'll all come without giving me a problem. Don't know if you followed any of that, but just pray for an attitude of cooperation on the part of my kids. DH's kids have no living mother and are pretty cooperative.

Hey all, Man, I didn't check in for a day and I'm so behind I can't remember what you all said much less respond to it all. Just a few highlights. Apples, your farmer/food scenario was hair-raising. Great-I love my new knees. If and when I need hips I'll do those too in a heartbeat. The better shape you're in going in the surgeries the better shape you'll be going out. I'm over my cold. Babysat last night my two grandsons. Babysat my grand-daughter all day today. One more week of teaching before break. I've added private tutoring one more kid at the end of the day at school. Parent was desperate and wanted to pay, so I agreed. So I'm at school from 7:30 to 4:45. I've been walking at school for half an hour before kids come to my classroom. I go up and down 47 steps and across halls and around the gym. Weather has improved and I'm hoping to get back outside some, too. Love to walk outdoors. Weight at 175. Goal 167. Food mostly good. Make up for occasional bad choices by cutting back a couple days. Really sorry about the February get-together. I just couldn't get off on time Thursday to catch a plane. Wouldn't arrive till Friday aft at the condos and then leaving Sunday aft. Logistics and $ just didn't work out. Starting to get Christmas cards. Hope to send out this next week. Cheri

Hi guys. I will not be able to go to Florida after all. The flights available and $ would cut my time to such a small amount for more money than I can really swing. I feel really bad but I know the rest of you will have a good time. It's freezing in Chicago, too. Was very windy. I've been fighting a head cold. I need to go back in to work now for a Christmas concert the kids are in. I can't sing at my own choir practice tonight with this cold anyway. The kids have been asking me for several days if I'm going to come hear them. The bands will be painful to listen to. The choir will be pretty good. But at least they'll see me there and know I care about them. Cheri

Hi Julie, I don't know if you remember but I thought when I first heard about your issues that it was coming from your neck. At that time it seemed like everytime the chiropracter worked on your neck you had these pain episodes. It sounded so much like what I went through. I had a bad shoulder too, and I had referred pain going back and forth between my shoulder and neck. Horrible. Totally debilitating. At least I knew where my pain was coming from. Document your full history, including chiropratic, and keep going after your insurance co. You need that MRI.

Count me in for Florida. I'll have to try to book a flight. Have never done it. My daughter is really good at finding deals so I may have her help me. Haven't flown in years. I understand its a real hassle. Welcome newbies. I do the eyeballing thing. After all these years I know what a healthy portion is. I just couldn't ever stick with it. I can never remember what I've eaten at the end of a day and I never could remember to write it down throughout the day because of my ADHD. The band helps me with portions and with stopping because it lets me know. That's why keeping up with fills is so important. When I get to maintenance I want a good tight fill and not have to rely on willpower because I have none. ADHD people are usually the least successful on any diet because things like Daily Plate or keeping a notebook are not something we can keep up with. I had a free Franklin-Covey planner and had training in using it. I read Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Efffective People at least twice and went through training on it. I couldn't remember to put things in the planner much less check it to know what was in it. And even if I did check it I could still forget. Then I lost the planner. I think. I find checking in each day with LBT on this thread helps me be accountable, though. I admit when I've had a bad day or days with my food and talk about my food issues which helps me get back on track, and I let people know how my weight loss is going. I also started a blog because although I can't keep track of little facts, I am a writer and I use the blog to work through life and all the things that can impact my food. My blog is on LBT and on blogspot: IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF I started my journey with the pre-op diet on June 10, had surgery on June 18 and am at a 61 lb weight loss. Nine lbs from goal. Sometimes it helps you to deal with your own food issues if you read about other's struggles. My early posts really get into the initial stages of this journey. Right now I'm looking at body image and approaching maintenance as well as all the complications of dealing with my life. Cheri

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 As A Woman Thinks, So She Is I got a shock when my husband took my picture today. I wanted a new picture for Facebook and for Lapbandtalk. I thought I'd look pretty good because I'm 10 lbs from goal and I'm exercising like a demon. I forgot the power of age and the fact that photos add 10 lbs as does camera angle and lighting. I looked top heavy. With all my excercise my waist still does not curve in significantly and my upper tummy still is rounded. I can hide the sagging but flatter lower tummy but not the upper tummy. My hips seemed narrow, my thighs skinny, but my boobs, on the other hand, seemed huge. When I was younger I always wanted big boobs. Well, be careful what you wish for. I have been this weight before, but I have never been this shape. I used to be pear shaped. Now I think I'm what they used to call pigeon-breasted. So now I have to adjust my attitude. I was, I admit, somewhat dismayed. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. I really do look a lot better and I feel fantastic compared to before. I'll never be young and svelte again. And that's OK. Every time I lost weight in the past it was never good enough and I never felt perfect. Bad body image can sabotage weight loss and maintenance so quickly. You'd think that by the ripe old age of 58 (the 30th of this month) I'd be past the whole body image and beauty thing. My husband certainly doesn't seem to notice or care. Part of the confidence with which women carry themselves is based on their sense of body image and the way men look at them and treat them. Even more important, I think sometimes, is the way other women look at them. Most heterosexual males don't really care about the details as long as the main parts are present and available. Look at Prince Charles and Camilla vs. Diana. Look at today's headlines about Tiger Woods and check out the skanky looking mistress he had. We think if we're physically perfect our mates will remain attracted to us and will adore us. Doesn't happen. And we learn not to rely on the opinions of our mates. We look to other women and their comments on how we dress and ornament ourselves and to compliment us as we lose weight. Sometimes we get more of our confidence or lack thereof from the other women in our lives. Why can't I get my confidence from being a great teacher, a loving grandparent, a caring person, a beloved child of God? In fact, why do I focus on myself so much or even at all? The fact is, I'm always going to see the world from my own perspective and experience. That's also how I'll express it to others. I am important to myself. I don't think I'll ever not care about how I look or think that my opinions aren't valuable. So, I'll have to keep working on attitude and on changing my thinking. I'm a positive thinker most of the time. I have to look at the reality of my age and of what fat has done to my body and accept and love my body the way it is. I'll never knock Hugh Jackson off his feet but I do sense men looking my way. The trick is to love myself yet in humility to consider others better than myself and to keep a servant's heart. I had a little lesson in humility when I saw my pictures today. I'm finding that to keep the focus off myself it helps to keep myself open to all the incredible beauty around me. I'm still basking in the beauty of the Tennessee mountains. Last night my husband was flipping channels between Celtic Women-Songs from the Heart and So You Think You Can Dance. Some of the voices and some of the dances were so overwhelmingly lovely, they gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. I stay away from people who are ranters. I never listen to the political pundits for example. I listen to candidates, but never those whose ranting, hating voices fill the air waves as they pour out vitriol and hazardous waste. I don't care what side they're on. They create ugliness as they twist facts to suit their purposes and try to prove themselves superior through insults and smears. I don't need that kind of ugliness in my life or the anger it raises in me. I notice, but do not dwell on the horrors that occur in our world. Yes, four police officers were shot. Yes, 30,000 more troops are being sent to Afghanistan. Yes, there was a massacre at Fort Hood by a crazy man. And yes, children and young people are slaughtering each other on the streets of Chicago. But I thank God for the beauty in this world; for laughter and children's smiles and beautiful voices and haunting performances and incredible scenery and a Father's perfect love. Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Gonna work on Christmas decorating today since we were gone last weekend. But first I've got to dust all surfaces. Wet wipe them really, because my husband finally sprayed the basement walls and rafters for mold, but first he took the leaf blower and blew the rafters and walls to get all the spider webs and previous dust from when he took a wire brush to the walls to get off all loose plastering. I told him to suck it up instead because of the mold he'd be spreading but he didn't believe me. Even more chunks of plaster came off the foundation (because of water damage from years of seepage) and mortar from the bricks on top of the foundation. They must have used too much sand in the mix, or seepage leeched out a lot of the ingredients and only the sand is left. So he didn't just blow normal dust off everything, he blew mold saturated plaster and mortar dust that despite plastic sheeting went all over the house. He cleaned all the floors yesterday and cleaned all the bedding at my insistance, but left the dusting for me. He is retired because he couldn't get a decent job so took social security at 62. That's why he's the one doing these chores. The basement has been a disaster since the two floods a year ago finished off what years of seepage had started. We had to do a complete teardown of the formerly finished basement and have Permaseal come in and put in draintile. DH is a very nice man and very thoughtful but knows nothing about buildings and projects. He has two left hands when it comes to implementing projects so constantly hurts himself or wrecks something, but I can't afford to hire anyone for this teardown stage and for treating the basement for mold. I need the money for a new roof and for putting the basement back together. So I think I've been breathing mold and plaster dust the past couple of days and it helped me come down with a mild cold that normally I'd have fought off. I've made sure to get extra sleep the past few nights, cut out the major exercise (my joints hurt), and I think I've prevented this cold from turning into something major. I use the saline solution to control the sinuses during the day (and remove any mold) and zicam, which seems to help lessen the symptoms. Generic nyquil (without the pseudophedrine which keeps me awake) at night last night gave me a very good night's sleep. I'm just a little draggy today. DH went to a gun show today to get a holster. He's going for security guard training all next week. There's a guy who's already offered to hire him, and he'll make between $12-15/hr., which sure beats most of the other jobs for men his age that are available. I've been pressuring him to find something because I don't know what my job situation will be next year. Our windows are running with moisture from the basement. It's very cold outside. I think I saw our dehumidifier on its side in the former bathroom downstairs and I'll try to set that up. DH wasn't thinking yesterday. I'd told him we needed to switch the dryer vent to outdoors (we had it putting moisture and heat into the house for the winter.) Instead he cleaned all the rags and towels he was using to clean up and ran the dryer all day, making our window water problems even worse and preventing the basement from drying out after being sprayed. I told him the mold was going to come back unless he vented the dryer outside and set up fans in the basement. I forgot we had a dehumidifier. My first husband was an a$$ but he never would have made the mistakes DH makes and I would not have had to be the one thinking of these things and directing him to do them since I'm not available because of work and arthritis to do them myself. So I'm venting a little here so you'll all know I don't lead a trouble-free life. He doesn't read lapband talk but he does read my blog so I can't talk about this situation much on there. I think part of the reason he's finally doing something about getting at least decent part-time work to supplement his social security is because he'd rather hire someone to do these projects than have me handing them to him and telling him how to do them. If I left it up to him he'd just let the house fall down around our ears. Nobody is able to picture him as a security guard. He's built very slightly. Only his tummy sticks out. He's kind of a loner who's never exercised and is not at all intimidating. My son made the comment to me that DH is going to look and act like Barney Fife in his security guard uniform, and if his ears stuck out more he really would. Now I can't get that image out of my head, but it does make me smile. I've got someone lined up to refinish the basement next summer but now at least I can go down there and not smell the mold. I'll be able to go on my treadmill to exercise this winter and maybe even have people over since the mold is gone. My grandkids can play on the concrete floors with things like trucks and tops and small bikes. I've done no entertaining since the floods. Well, enough of that. I'm going to slowly start tackling the remaining dust and get the Christmas decorations up. We have my work Christmas party tonight. I don't want to overdo. Cheri

I could use my remaining personal day on Friday. I could fly up on THurs nite or during the day Fri. (I'd have to check out flights and dollars. It might be cheaper to fly out Thurs. nite.) I could fly back Monday aft. or eve. since I am off work. I'd definitely want to share with as many people as possible to keep costs down, especially with that many nights. What's Feb. weather usually like in Orlando area? My kids are there with their kids right now and I'm hearing lot's of rain. Cheri

Don't know at this point if I can go. Used up one of my personal days going to my sister's for Thanksgiving. Hope to go back to school next semester. $ are also an issue.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 As A Woman Thinks, So She Is I got a shock when my husband took my picture today. I wanted a new picture for Facebook and for Lapbandtalk. I thought I'd look pretty good because I'm 10 lbs from goal and I'm exercising like a demon. I forgot the power of age and the fact that photos add 10 lbs as does camera angle and lighting. I looked top heavy. With all my excercise my waist still does not curve in significantly and my upper tummy still is rounded. I can hide the sagging but flatter lower tummy but not the upper tummy. My hips seemed narrow, my thighs skinny, but my boobs, on the other hand, seemed huge. When I was younger I always wanted big boobs. Well, be careful what you wish for. I have been this weight before, but I have never been this shape. I used to be pear shaped. Now I think I'm what they used to call pigeon-breasted. So now I have to adjust my attitude. I was, I admit, somewhat dismayed. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. I really do look a lot better and I feel fantastic compared to before. I'll never be young and svelte again. And that's OK. Every time I lost weight in the past it was never good enough and I never felt perfect. Bad body image can sabotage weight loss and maintenance so quickly. You'd think that by the ripe old age of 58 (the 30th of this month) I'd be past the whole body image and beauty thing. My husband certainly doesn't seem to notice or care. Part of the confidence with which women carry themselves is based on their sense of body image and the way men look at them and treat them. Even more important, I think sometimes, is the way other women look at them. Most heterosexual males don't really care about the details as long as the main parts are present and available. Look at Prince Charles and Camilla vs. Diana. Look at today's headlines about Tiger Woods and check out the skanky looking mistress he had. We think if we're physically perfect our mates will remain attracted to us and will adore us. Doesn't happen. And we learn not to rely on the opinions of our mates. We look to other women and their comments on how we dress and ornament ourselves and to compliment us as we lose weight. Sometimes we get more of our confidence or lack thereof from the other women in our lives. Why can't I get my confidence from being a great teacher, a loving grandparent, a caring person, a beloved child of God? In fact, why do I focus on myself so much or even at all? The fact is, I'm always going to see the world from my own perspective and experience. That's also how I'll express it to others. I am important to myself. I don't think I'll ever not care about how I look or think that my opinions aren't valuable. So, I'll have to keep working on attitude and on changing my thinking. I'm a positive thinker most of the time. I have to look at the reality of my age and of what fat has done to my body and accept and love my body the way it is. I'll never knock Hugh Jackson off his feet but I do sense men looking my way. The trick is to love myself yet in humility to consider others better than myself and to keep a servant's heart. I had a little lesson in humility when I saw my pictures today. I'm finding that to keep the focus off myself it helps to keep myself open to all the incredible beauty around me. I'm still basking in the beauty of the Tennessee mountains. Last night my husband was flipping channels between Celtic Women-Songs from the Heart and So You Think You Can Dance. Some of the voices and some of the dances were so overwhelmingly lovely, they gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. I stay away from people who are ranters. I never listen to the political pundits for example. I listen to candidates, but never those whose ranting, hating voices fill the air waves as they pour out vitriol and hazardous waste. I don't care what side they're on. They create ugliness as they twist facts to suit their purposes and try to prove themselves superior through insults and smears. I don't need that kind of ugliness in my life or the anger it raises in me. I notice, but do not dwell on the horrors that occur in our world. Yes, four police officers were shot. Yes, 30,000 more troops are being sent to Afghanistan. Yes, there was a massacre at Fort Hood by a crazy man. And yes, children and young people are slaughtering each other on the streets of Chicago. But I thank God for the beauty in this world; for laughter and children's smiles and beautiful voices and haunting performances and incredible scenery and a Father's perfect love. Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Wow, it's taken a while to catch up with all of you. Sorry you're sick Laura. Good thing you're not with your dad. I'm watching Celtic Women-Songs from the Heart for the second night in a row. Absolute beauty in any form of art knocks me out. Chills and tears and thanks to God who filled us with his own creative spirit. You may or may not know that the pronoun used to refer to the Holy Spirit in the original language is feminine. One of the gifts of ADHD is frequently high creativity and an appreciation for and participation in the arts. I see the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Ghost) in these things that so move me. Bagpipers playing Amazing Grace right now followed by and joining with some of the most beautiful female harmonies I've ever heard. Ethereal voices. French horns,violins timpani and back to bagpipers. And words of such incredible meaning. Continuing now with Pie Jesu. A voice so pure and high and ethereal joined by tight high harmony. Dear God such beauty. Watch it if you can. I'm seeing it from the recording my husgand made from public TV but its on youtube. Got to go now to choir. Won't be the same but I'll still love singing. They're singing Danny Boy now. A Cappela harmonies so tight and in tune I can hardly stand it. Gotta go. Gotta sing. Oh no, now they're singing You Raise Me Up. Can't go. Gotta go.

We love you! I have a tight band in the morning and I'm often very loose at night. I like protein shakes in the morning. I've never liked cereal and I've no time to make an egg. Protein shakes are perfect for me with the tight band. My sister who's always been thin eats only a handful of nuts and seeds and dried cherries and raisins in the morning. Her daughter started calling it Pocohontas mix. She may snack on that during the day and eats her big meal at night. So its actually a very normal pattern for thin people to eat only a little in the morning and throughout the day then eat a nice meal at night. I actually used to eat like that in the days when I was relatively and really thin. Eating a big breakfast always made me ravenously hungry all day long. It's like it stretched out my stomach and started my cravings, so I'm quite able to live with a tight band in the morning. I wish it were tighter at night. It is if I eat the denser proteins and stay away from slider food. You'll figure out how to live with it.

cherifl@comcast.net. Once you write me I'll have your e-mail address. I'm terrible at copying and pasting so please write me. Got new glasses today. Think I like them. I need to post a new picture soon. I've been going to school early the past two days and climbing up and down the stairs and walking around the gym to simulate the hills of Tennessee. I still walk when I get home and I do 100 crunches on the ab cruncher my husband picked up at a garage sale. Hopefully, I'll start seeing the scale move soon. DH has been flashing between So You Think You Can Dance and Celtic Women. So much incredible beauty in this world. Tears.

I bought mostly fun stuff like harmonicas, painted recorders (flutes) and old-fashioned tops (remember the ones you wound up by pushing the top up and down and then they hummed while they spun all over the kitchen floor?). I got winter hats for each grandchild and Christmas socks. I got a birdhouse as a thank you gift for my sis and her husband. He is quite confined but watches the birds on the feeders and birdhouses he can see out their windows on their beautiful balconies. He can also go out on the balcony in decent weather. Their balconies look down over the tree tops to the TVA lake inlet way below which you can barely see in the summer. You can look out over the bigger part of the lake and see the sunrise and the mists rising off the lake in the morning. Gorgeous. In the summer if you're adventurous you can climb down the trail to their dock and go swimming or take out the kayaks. Even in Nov. its beautiful there. I may go online to Mast because I didn't even have time to look at all the clothes. Cheri

Monday, November 30, 2009 Thanksgiving, Tennessee, Teaching Thanksgiving was wonderful. Went ahead and ate some extra but walked the hills of Tennessee and came out even. I love Tennessee. Even in November. Saw snow up close on the mountaintops, came down to pleasant weather. Walking was a workout but what a way to go. Gorgeous stars at night, mist on the lake in the morning, sunset glow behind Bay's Mountain. That's what I'm talkin' about. Saw my sister and her husband. He's very ill and I wanted to spend time with him. Got to talk to my sister. I'm not a phone person so that was great. We also went to Ashville and got to see a lot of arts and crafts, but did most of my shopping at Mast General Store where they have everything. Got almost all my Christmas shopping done there. This was a major holiday, normally an absolute stuffed to the gills holiday. I did eat stuffing (my favorite) but I was not stuffed. I enjoyed my food and all the leftovers over the weekend. The band definitely helped me walk away. I had to watch the quantities of slider food. But taking lots of walks and not just sitting around my sister's house helped a lot. I really became aware once more of how much I need to move and be busy. With the weather going to be getting worse around here I know I won't be able to walk outside as frequently and some weeks (months?) not at all. Plus the walking doesn't work the same muscles as climbing all those hills in Tennessee and that definitely upped my workout. So I'm going to get to school early most mornings and do the stairs there for half an hour. Did that this morning. Didn't even break a sweat. Sixty lbs ago I'd have been covered in sweat after one or two rounds. I'm also doing a hundred ab crunches on our ab cruncher my husband picked up at a garage sale. Don't really feel that either. My cardiovascular system has to be vastly improved. I am having such a good year at work. My groups are all manageable, and remarkably well-behaved. They're making great strides in learning that I can almost touch. I have fewer kids whom I see more often in many cases allowing me to really tackle remediating their weak areas while strengthening their strengths. I'm better at using Love & Logic to manage classroom behavior. I'm getting better and better at teaching, period. I love teaching. I feel so good when I'm teaching. I can't wait to get to my job in the morning. Seeing these kids faces when the light of comprehension dawns, watching them decide to take learning seriously, the enthusiasm for the novels they read and the new math techniques they learn just inspire me. The kids can't wait to get to my classroom. Even the 6th-8th graders are buckling down in ways that are amazing me. I think there's been a sea change at the school. We lost many students when we cracked down on those not paying tuition, but the kids we're left with are coming from families determined to make the most of the dollars they're spending. I think its making a difference. Now we need to attract more of those families and students. With the Lord's help, I think we will.

Monday, November 30, 2009 Thanksgiving, Tennessee, Teaching Thanksgiving was wonderful. Went ahead and ate some extra but walked the hills of Tennessee and came out even. I love Tennessee. Even in November. Saw snow up close on the mountaintops, came down to pleasant weather. Walking was a workout but what a way to go. Gorgeous stars at night, mist on the lake in the morning, sunset glow behind Bay's Mountain. That's what I'm talkin' about. Saw my sister and her husband. He's very ill and I wanted to spend time with him. Got to talk to my sister. I'm not a phone person so that was great. We also went to Ashville and got to see a lot of arts and crafts, but did most of my shopping at Mast General Store where they have everything. Got almost all my Christmas shopping done there. This was a major holiday, normally an absolute stuffed to the gills holiday. I did eat stuffing (my favorite) but I was not stuffed. I enjoyed my food and all the leftovers over the weekend. The band definitely helped me walk away. I had to watch the quantities of slider food. But taking lots of walks and not just sitting around my sister's house helped a lot. I really became aware once more of how much I need to move and be busy. With the weather going to be getting worse around here I know I won't be able to walk outside as frequently and some weeks (months?) not at all. Plus the walking doesn't work the same muscles as climbing all those hills in Tennessee and that definitely upped my workout. So I'm going to get to school early most mornings and do the stairs there for half an hour. Did that this morning. Didn't even break a sweat. Sixty lbs ago I'd have been covered in sweat after one or two rounds. I'm also doing a hundred ab crunches on our ab cruncher my husband picked up at a garage sale. Don't really feel that either. My cardiovascular system has to be vastly improved. I am having such a good year at work. My groups are all manageable, and remarkably well-behaved. They're making great strides in learning that I can almost touch. I have fewer kids whom I see more often in many cases allowing me to really tackle remediating their weak areas while strengthening their strengths. I'm better at using Love & Logic to manage classroom behavior. I'm getting better and better at teaching, period. I love teaching. I feel so good when I'm teaching. I can't wait to get to my job in the morning. Seeing these kids faces when the light of comprehension dawns, watching them decide to take learning seriously, the enthusiasm for the novels they read and the new math techniques they learn just inspire me. The kids can't wait to get to my classroom. Even the 6th-8th graders are buckling down in ways that are amazing me. I think there's been a sea change at the school. We lost many students when we cracked down on those not paying tuition, but the kids we're left with are coming from families determined to make the most of the dollars they're spending. I think its making a difference. Now we need to attract more of those families and students. With the Lord's help, I think we will.

Ate extra over Thanksgiving but walked like crazy and came out even. Back to work today. Love working.

Laura, Nels looks like he fits right in with the family. You looked gorgeous. Great and Apples--great pics, sorry the food sucked. Apples, good looking dog. I did notice. I had a great time in Tennesse. Beautiful weather. Walked all over the hills by my sister's. I was in such great shape I couldn't believe how I handled those very steep slopes. I didn't gain at all. Walked it all off. Shopped in Ashville NC. Lots of neat stuff but I loved Mast General Store where I bought almost everything I needed to give for Christmas. Loved seeing my sister and her husband. Cheri

Lot of new and returning people to this thread. I love the support I get on this and other threads, but I also have found blogging to be very effective in taking a good look at myself and why I eat, and how to deal with the disease. I started my blog pre-surgery. If you're interested you can check it out at IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF I recommend starting with the early posts. I was banded on June 18 and have lost 68lbs. I am 12 lbs from goal. If you're not a writer, reading about someone else's journey can be an inspiration and make you look more deeply into yourself and your own journey. Cheri

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 I Am Not Lazy I think about my motivation to work. ADHD makes a lot of things difficult for me. Organization and focusing issues, procrastination, needing the pressure of urgency, a deadline, a self-imposed goal and time-line to get things done. I've been accused of being lazy. Maybe I am. But its more a matter of there being a great need for something to be done to keep me focused and on task. One of the reasons I'm afraid of reaching my weight goal is that the urgency that keeps me on task with my food will be gone. Whenever, I have trouble getting at things that overwhelm me (like cleaning and organizing closets and getting rid of old clothes), I remind myself that I am not lazy. I am ADHD. I work very hard at Roseland Christian School, going well beyond what I'm paid or expected to do. I love my job. I love teaching. I love the school I teach at. I put in very full hours teaching. On Tuesdays, I have no breaks. My assistant is there and that helps, but its a long day. I have kids in my room before and after school. They love to be in my room. They love to learn. They're safe at our school and they are loved and they know it. Three blocks from our school a young man was beaten to death with a 2 by 4. Footage made it to TV sets around the world. I always feel a sense of urgency to reach these kids and give them the tools to not be seduced by the street culture that destroys so many of these young lives. Pray that Roseland Christian School will make it. Finances are precarious. Most people with money just don't see the importance of our work. I'd love to see us expand and keep tuition cheap enough that more children could come here. Places like this are the hope for these urban areas. We make a difference where it counts, one child at a time. Thank God for what you've got. In some ways this is like a war zone. A third world country. Inside the USA. Pray that I'll be able to keep working here. I've built relationships with these kids over the years I've had them. The relationships are a huge part of why I'm so effective. For them, I will work my a$$ off. Not just for myself, not just for my grandchildren, but for this job and this school, I want to keep the weight off. I have so much more energy for the children. I think I actually have more patience because I'm not so wiped out. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 I Am Not Lazy I think about my motivation to work. ADHD makes a lot of things difficult for me. Organization and focusing issues, procrastination, needing the pressure of urgency, a deadline, a self-imposed goal and time-line to get things done. I've been accused of being lazy. Maybe I am. But its more a matter of there being a great need for something to be done to keep me focused and on task. One of the reasons I'm afraid of reaching my weight goal is that the urgency that keeps me on task with my food will be gone. Whenever, I have trouble getting at things that overwhelm me (like cleaning and organizing closets and getting rid of old clothes), I remind myself that I am not lazy. I am ADHD. I work very hard at Roseland Christian School, going well beyond what I'm paid or expected to do. I love my job. I love teaching. I love the school I teach at. I put in very full hours teaching. On Tuesdays, I have no breaks. My assistant is there and that helps, but its a long day. I have kids in my room before and after school. They love to be in my room. They love to learn. They're safe at our school and they are loved and they know it. Three blocks from our school a young man was beaten to death with a 2 by 4. Footage made it to TV sets around the world. I always feel a sense of urgency to reach these kids and give them the tools to not be seduced by the street culture that destroys so many of these young lives. Pray that Roseland Christian School will make it. Finances are precarious. Most people with money just don't see the importance of our work. I'd love to see us expand and keep tuition cheap enough that more children could come here. Places like this are the hope for these urban areas. We make a difference where it counts, one child at a time. Thank God for what you've got. In some ways this is like a war zone. A third world country. Inside the USA. Pray that I'll be able to keep working here. I've built relationships with these kids over the years I've had them. The relationships are a huge part of why I'm so effective. For them, I will work my a$$ off. Not just for myself, not just for my grandchildren, but for this job and this school, I want to keep the weight off. I have so much more energy for the children. I think I actually have more patience because I'm not so wiped out. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Apples you never cease to amaze me. I wanna be you when I grow up. I don't think I could ever work as hard as you, I'm too lazy. However, I do love my job. I love teaching. I love the school I teach at. I put in very full hours teaching. On Tuesdays, I have no breaks. My assistant is there and that helps, but its a long day. I have kids in my room before and after school. They love to be in my room. They love to learn. They're safe at our school and they are loved and they know it. Three blocks from our school a young man was beaten to death with a 2 by 4. Footage made it on TV sets around the world. I always feel a sense of urgency to reach these kids and give them the tools to not be seduced by the street culture that destroys so many of these young lives. Pray that Roseland Christian School will make it. Finances are precarious. Most people with money just don't see the importance of our work. I'd love to see us expand and keep tuition cheap enough that more children could come here. Places like this are the hope for these urban areas. We make a difference where it counts, one child at a time. Thank God for what you've got. In some ways this is like a war zone. A third world country. Inside the USA. Pray that I'll be able to keep working here. I've built relationships with these kids over the years I've had them. The relationships are a huge part of why I'm so effective. For them, I will work my a$$ off. Cheri

Happy Birthdays Phyll & Apples. Had a long day. I had to run all my turkey paraphanalia over to my daughters after school and babysat there for a couple of hours. Last night I wrote out all instructions for cooking the turkey to her. This is her first turkey--she's subbing in my absence. I don't think she even likes turkey that much. I gave my sister the directions to my turkey a couple of years ago so will probably still be helping make it in Tennessee and eat it. Julie you're sounding better. Love Thanksgiving. Made sure I saw all my grandchildren the past couple weeks since I won't see them at Thanksgiving. One more day of teaching. I love my job but I need the break. CBL Cheri

Don't have time for much of a post. I have to write up my directions for my daughter to follow to make the turkey in my absence. She stepped up to the plate to provide the turkey and have everyone over. Everyone loves my turkey so she's putting herself under pressure to make it as close to mine as possible. I've never written down all the little things I do to make it so good, so this is going to take awhile. I am so grateful for beautiful weather today. I took my long exercise walk this morning and then I took another long walk this afternoon with my DH and my 1 yr. old granddaughter. Love you guys!