libra

Oh yeah...hubby and I just had our 10 anniversary and I was looking at our wedding album. My butt was huge! I wish I could re-do my wedding as now I'd have so many more choices in gowns and would feel so much more beautiful. I asked my hubby if we could get married again...naturally he laughed and said he couldn't afford another wedding! Darn it!

Yeah 21 bars is really extreme. I'd be puking my guts out after maybe 5 or 6...and I mean pre-band! I really don't think a lapband is gonna help someone like that. Wonder if she told her doctor that she downed that many....

Oh we had a guy at work that always took other peoples lunches. Actually,he usually took my best friend's. (Her father was a chef and she had some Yummy lunches) We decided to get some revenge. She brought in some Pasta dish her father made and we crushed about 10 Exlax into it and mixed it in. She put it in the fridge and we went to out to lunch. When we got back we were in hysterics watching this man RUN from his cubicle to the bathroom over and over and over. He learned his lesson. LOL!

First...yay! Glad to hear you're on the right track Susan! Don't get me started on ex-wives!!! Grrrr, I seriously think I gained most of my weight dealing with her crap! As for those who think it's so easy to save and prepare for emergencies when you have children...it's not that simple. There's always something new coming up, medical bills, paying for little league, whatever. It's not easy. It's also not EASY to decide to pick up and move when you start feeling a financial crunch. First of all, the real estate market had tanked over the last few years. Chances are, you won't get back what you paid for your home anyway. And on the emotional level, no one wants to tear their children away from their homes and friends and possibly have to change schools if it can be avoided. You know, the world has changed and not for the better. There is no longer job security. My dad worked 35 years at the same job. That's pretty much unheard of for my generation. Most jobs do not include pension plans and let's face it...social security doesn't cut it. All the time and money that's being thrown into this war should be redirected to correct the issues at home. We need help here.

I'm like you...I think about all the bills I could be paying. Anyway, it doe feel good to be spoiled once in a while. Enjoy it! Although I'd have to say the brazilian wax experience may not classify as "enjoyable" OUCH!

Good for you! It's interesting how you can find an NSV in a hospital stay.

Been looking for a good french onion soup. My son loves it. I'll give it a try, thanks!

Well, it helps with weight loss to stick with lower fat foods. I use light mayo and low fat cheese but just can't do it with salad dressing. I can't stand the taste of light dressing.

Between stress and an obvious need for a fill, I've been snacking a lot too. I'm trying to keep them as healthy as possible, like a low fat cheese or something. I also try to drink some water first and hope the "feeling" goes away.

Technically, the band isn't tighter. Your body has some excess swelling during the times when the bands feels tighter. Not sure what causes it though. I would have to agree that the bad is fickle though. Hey, maybe someone else is experiencing this. I can't eat scrambled eggs as they get stuck every time I've tried them. I've been trying to eat eggs over easy which seems to go down fine. Lately though, they make me sick to my stomach. This isn't "band sick" this is really down in my stomach. It's weird. Anyone else have foods that now make them feel like that? I aways ate them pre-band without a problem.

I can never eat reheated foods. I think they dry out or something. My poor husband ends up eating my leftovers...LOL!

Sorry to hear that you've been going through this. I know it isn't easy but I hope you find the strength to get through it. Try and remember that your choices end up being lessons for your child.

I certainly don't live beyond my means. Well, at least I didn't until I had to quit work. We don't have credit cards and pay everything with cash. We have two fairly new cars because we both do a great deal of driving and need the warranty for repairs, etc. My husband works very long hours at with his own business which doesn't always guarantee a steady income. He'll fix up and sell cars for extra money when he can. I have a masters degree in teaching but can't work yet until my son's health starts improving. We have a big house, admittedly but our plan, when I was working, was that this house would be the investment to put our son through college. Although it's huge, it was left empty for over a year and needed a lot of work to fix up. We don't have "savings" and saw this house as our only means of giving our son a future. We'll do what it takes for him, although it's a struggle. I don't think anyone really understood the effects this economic situation would have on all of us personally. For the most part, none of us have really seen such a weak economy. I grew up in the 80's and 90's when America was going strong and seemed indestructible. I think we're all in a bit of shock about the state of our country right now. BTW, Susan....keep fighting. You should try and contact someone in the US government regarding your "deadline" That's absurd!

I'll refer the request to Alex. He's the only one that can modify the board.

I was always regular. I've been on the pill and always maintained a regular cycle. Oddly, I've unfortunately started getting my period twice a month since losing a significant amount of weight. My OBGYN said my body just needs to readjust and then I should be back on track. I can't wait..twice a month is just toooooooo much.

I haven't had any problems. Obviously, you'll need healing time after surgery.

GDC, I understand your concerns as I feel similarly. Vanity, although not my only reason, was certainly a part of my decision. I didn't ever want to hear "She has such a pretty face. If she only lost some weight..." Uggh, I wish thin people knew how horrible that makes overweight people feel! I am a bit concerned for you however. Please don't think that just by losing weight you're going to solve your body image issues. It won't. That's a psychological problem and if you're not overweight, you'll find something else that you're uncomfortable with. (saggy skin, droopy boobs, whatever) I say this because you're already at a point where you won't even wear a bathing suit. Even at my heaviest, I would go in the pool with my son. I couldn't stand the way I looked but wouldn't let it interfere with playing with my son. Just make sure you take care of the psychological issues as well as the physical ones.

For some reason I was just hit with the fact that I won't be able to teach my son to ride a bike. There was no way I would be able to run along next to him as he was pedaling. Then I started thinking of all of the things I wouldn't be able to do with him; play baseball, go on the swings at the park, etc. I thought about him getting older and going to his school. I know kids can be cruel and I didn't want him to have to defend his "fat" mother. I couldn't stand the thought of me being a reason for him to be teased in school. I want him to be proud that I'm his mommy.

This was in the news this morning. Just to show how bad the foreclosure situation really is. It's truly frightening to see how many people are in trouble.

Susan, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I was exactly where you are six months ago. For the record....mortgage companies suck! We bought a house and I had gotten a job to help with the bills. Unfortunately, I have a sick child and his immune system couldn't handle daycare. I had to quit my job to stay with him. My husband has his own business and some months are tough. We need to pay the staff before we can pay ourselves. It's been a struggle every month. We've come close to having our car repossessed and been late on mortage payments. We've always paid our bills on time and are not the type to live beyond our means either. It's sadly a sign of the times and basically falling on hard times. It's not right for anyone to lose their homes, especially when you think of children, who may not necessarily understand, being forced to leave their homes. It's just so sad. I came close to selling my engagement and wedding rings to pay the mortgage. I can't bear the thought of my son being taken from the place he calls his home. It's such a hard place to be and I sympathize with anyone that has to go through it.

2 years... so far, so good.

Our social culture is based around eating. Whenever people get together, it includes food. I've learned to just put a few little things on a my plate at a time. Then go back and get a few other little things. That way it looks like I went up for seconds even though I still ate less than everyone else. Deceptive, isn't it? LOL!

Hey, this is kinda fun. I'm 36 years old and for some reason, still can't accept that. I still feel like I'm in my 20's. I'm 5' 7" with shoulder length dark brown hair and green eyes. I have a very curvy shape and I think pretty proportionate although I still have 30 something pounds to lose. I'm fair-skinned and in the summer, I get freckles on my face. I'm obsessed with my eyebrows and I must say, they are perfect! Ha, ha! Okay, next!!

Spanx are a gift from god!!! LOL! You'll love 'em.

Patriciann, Please keep us informed! There are doctors south of us and north of us, but for some reason, none in our area. Weird.... This has been the most difficult 31 pounds to get off of me...grrrr. I need a fill desperately but my insurance is changing in August and I'm waiting because Nusbaum will be back in my network in August. In the meantime, I think I'll need to lock the fridge and throw away the key. LOL!