conniesueb

Hey--I am in Pueblo, too! You are he first person on here from Pueblo besides me. I had my surgery done here, from Dr. Smith. He's awesome, but I know some people go to Springs bacause he makes you pay up front and doesn't bill insurance. SO, what part of town are you in? I live on the southside. Where do you work? I work for Dr. Jagger--a dentist over on Colorado Ave. I'm so excited to have someone else from Pueblo here!

I know what you mean--my husband is constantly telling me how hot I am, or calling me skinny--which I'm not, by any means, and it's really hard for me to just say thank you. He gets mad because he says I can't take a compliment, and in a way he's right. I was fat for so long, and in my mind I still am. Even though I've lost 63 pounds, I still see myself as that fat person I was for so long. I'm glad you are seeing a therapist, I think that will really help you. You just have to have faith that people who are telling you that you are pretty really think you are. You have to love yourself above all else. There are always going to be things about our bodies we hate--for me right now it's my arms--I was really looking forward to wearing some cute tank tops this summer, so I have been working like crazy on my arms, but I still have that stuff hanging down and flapping in the breeze! But i am not giving up--I still think that I can make them better before summer gets here, so I will continue to work, work, work on them. I don't care as much about my legs because I won't wear shorts because I have scars all over my legs from having 4 knee surgeries, so I will get some capris instead. But I am slowly learning to accept compliments and learn to like my new, ever-changing body. So, please take whatever help you can get, and make the m,ost of what you have--find something about yourself that you like, and play that up to the fullest. I wish you would post a picture of yourself, cuz I'm sure youa re beautiful!

You know, before I was banded I was drinking pretty much every day--a twelve pack of beer at a time, so I do have an addictive personality too. I haven't had a beer since being banded, but I do drink wine occasionally. The thing is, when I do, I drink until I'm drunk--so there's that addictive behavior coming out again. It was the same thing with food, too--I would eat until I was stuffed--I would eat when I was bored, or just for the sake of eating. This band has truly been a blessing in that area. But fighting those addictive tendancies is soooo hard. But I think admitting you have a problem , and wanting to get help for it is the first step. So, if you truly want to quit drinking, please get some help. And you know ypou can come here for support any time--no one will judge you here because we have all been there in one way or another. I will keep you in my prayers.

Wow, Alexra, congratulations! I know it must be hard to see the weight coming back, but you know it's what's best for the babies, and at least you know it will be easier for you to get it off after the babies are born. Will you have to have the band removed, or can it stay in through the pregnancy? I've always been confused about that. But still, it's such a blessing to have those babies growing inside you. And the weight you lost before--amazing!! What an inspiration to all of us. Take care of yourself and those babies!

Misty--I'm glad you are feeling better--how scary! I am going in for a fill on Monday--I just feel like I am able to eat way too much, and I am getting hungry a lot. This will be my 4th fill, so maybe this will be the one that gets me to that sweet spot. Well, our expected blizzard didn't amount to much--the storm tracked much further south than expected, so my husband made it home just fine. He is only home every other weekend because of his job, so he really notices my weight loss when he comes home. He is constantly complimenting me, but for some reason, I am still uncomfortable with it. I guess eventually I will get used to it, but it's still a little weird for me now. Is that totally strange?

Oh my God--I know what you mean. I paid up front for everything and am now trying to get reimbursed from United HealthCare--what a nightmare! They have screwed everything up--I have had to send one check back 2 times because they keep using the wrong tax ID number when they process it, and they are sending payments to the providers instead of me, and lots of other crap. I had my surgery in November and have not gotten any money back yet. It is sooooo frustrating!

BetsyJane--that is an interesting article--it seems more for gastric bypass patients, but I would think a lot of it would apply to us as well. And, cngrats on the new clothing size! That is where I am at, too. I have shopped in the plus sizes for as long as I can remember, but can now shop in the misses--even if it is an XL-I am very happy about that. Well, we have a blizzard warning out here for tonight and tomorrow, so I am not too happy about that! My husband is supposed to fly home tomorrow from Oregon to Denver, then drive home to Pueblo, which is about 2 hours away, but I am worried now that he will not make it. This sucks! It is really snowing hard already, so I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Hey Trina--I am in Pueblo, Co and was banded Nov. 30. Trust me, you will start feling better soon. Your body needs time to recover, and when you are on nothing but liquids, it is hard to get enough nutrients in you to have much energy. Go ahead and nap as much as you can while you can! It will get better, I promise. I have lost 63 pounds and have been exercising almost every day, and I have never felt better. I have so much more energy now! You will not regret your decision in the long run!

Well, I voted dieting tool too, but I don't actually count calories. I have just decided to make healthier choices in what I am eating, and to exercise regularly. But, if I want a piece of pizza, or some popcorn at the movies, I will have it--I obviously can't eat as much as I used to of it, so I don't think I am hurting myself. So I guess it is a lifestyle change more than a dieting tool, because I think I will continue to eat like this forever.

Vikki--I think that you will feel better after you get a fill. I am getting another fill next Monday because I am getting hungry now too. I will have a small snack in between meals if I get really hungry though. I don't see anything wrong with that. Also, maybe try eating more high fiber foods--they will keep you full much longer. One of my favorite things is a small Wendy's chili--that will keep me full for hours and is only $1.28! But I do think a fill will help you. Well, I decided to change my son's grounding to a month, but he still does not get to go to prom. He is still pretty pissed about that, but oh well. I told him that if he started giving me crap about not going to prom, or anything else, we would go right back to being grounded till his birthday. I have a feeling he will be back there before long--he seems to have a hard time controlling his mouth!

Vikki--I am so sorry for your friend. That is awful. Here I am complaining about my son, and she lost her baby. I feel terrible. I will definately say a prayer for her.

Hi guys--I haven't been able to get on for a couple days, but thanks again for all your support and comments. My son is begging me to reconsider and let him go to prom. I told him that he needs to just leave me alone for a while and let me calm down. He is very good at the guilt trips--he actually had me considering it, but after hearing from all of you, and talking to lots of other people, I don't think I can back down on this. Tom , as far as the porn goes--you are right, it is more about the fact that he was using my computer after being told specifically not to use it for anything other than school stuff. It just scares the hell out of me that something could have popped up while my daughter was on, even though we do have parental controls on it for her. I have changed my password so that he cannot acess the internet at all on my computer anymore, and his laptop is working now, so it shouldn't be an issue. I tried explaining to him that this is about respect--or lack of it I guess. He doesn't respect us or our things, or our rules apparently. Then Monday, I told him to pick up something that he had left in the front yard--told him to be sure and do it that night when he got home. Well, guess What? He didn't do it. I told him the next morning that if he was trying to get on my good side, he was off to a crappy start. Nothing is a big deal to him--he keeps saying "it was just eggs!" He just doesn't get it--but maybe after being grounded for over 2 months and missing prom he will. Anyway, I really do appreciate all the support. Now, for some good news--I bought some shirts the other day from the misses dept, not the plus dept! That has not happened for a long, long, time. I am so happy!

Thanks guys! I knew this was the right place to get some perspective. Tom, the only real problem I have with him looking at the porn is that he was using our computer to do it, and not his own. He knows my daughter uses that computer, and he had been told explicitly before, that he was not allowed to use it for anything but school stuff. I know that teenage boys have urges, and curiosity, but the fact that he used my computer to do it is what really pissed me off. His excuse is that he was bored--sorry that doesn't fly with me. That's the same excuse he gave for egging cars. I know it could be worse--he could have been drinking or doing drugs, but this is still a big deal to me. Like I said, it's an mixture of everything that has been going on for the last month. And he is going to have to work lpong and hard to gain my trust back. But thanks again guys, for all the encouragement and support. November bandsters ROCK!! I am going to watch American Idol now, and vote for everyone but Sanjaya!!!!!!! Love you guys!!

Thanks for all the responses. As far as prom goes--he is only a junior this year, so he could go next year. I just don't know. He is not even the prom-going type, and I am surprised he even wants to go. I just don't trust him anymore--at all. He had pretty free reign before--I always told him I would trust him until he gave me a reason not to, and as far as I'm concrened, this is a reason not to. Of course, now he is trying to make me feel guilty and telling me that even his friends parents think I'm overreacting, but it's easy to say that when it is not your kid. I'm just afraid that if I back down now, he will think I am a pushover, and try to walk all over me. I'm just so disappointed in him--I never in a million years expected anything like this from him.

Ok guys, I need your opinion on something. My DH and I were out of town Sat. night, and my 17 year old son was home with a friend spending the night. He called at midnight to let me know he was home like he usually does. The next day, while we were on our way home, he sent me a text message telling me that they had snuck out of the house after he called me, and got caught egging cars and got tickets for disordrly conduct, and has to go to court. Needless to say, I was more than a little upset, and grounded him until his 18th birthday, which is June 8. This comes on top of finding out a couple weeks ago that he has been smoking for the last 7 months and lying to me about it. Then, after we got home, we found out that he had been surfing porn sites on our computer(he has his own lap-top, but has been having problems getting internet service at our house). I had told him he could use my computer for school work only, and now find out that he has been looking at porn! My 8 year old daughter also uses that computer! So, my question is, does anyone think I am overreacting by grounding him for that long? He is going to miss prom now, and is furious, but I figure he did this to himself. I am second-guessing myself now, and would just like some other opinions. Thanks for listening.

Hey Vikki--good luck in Vegas--have fun!! As for American Idol--the fact that Howard Stern and the website votefortheworst.com are telling people to vote for him does not help, does it? It kind of ruins it for the rest of it who really want to see the best singer win. It's just all a big joke now, and Sanjaya is eating it up--why else would he wear his hair like that? But, I am going to keep watching and voting till my fingers are numb, so that maybe the best singer(Melinda, Lakisha, Jordin) will actually win. I hope too many people don't give up, or he may actually win this thing, and that would really be a shame. Simon has said that he will quit the show if that happens, but I guess we'll see. I say VOTE, VOTE, VOTE people!

Jachut, I don't think there is anything wrong with adding a couple of snacks in there. A lot of people (me included) have snacks in between their meals, and still lose consistently. It also helps keep your metabolism going if you are eating several small meals throughout the day. I say go for it. And Julie, maybe that would help you as well--if you are eating very small amounts at your meals, a snack in between isn't going to hurt. I like to have a piece of string cheese, or a South Beach Diet 100 calorie snack bar, and it really does satisfy my hunger till the next meal.

Tom, I think you should wear some capris and post a picture so we can all see! I hope you start feeling better soon--I have the OA, not the RA, and I know yours is much harder to deal with. Keep plugging away, though, it will get better soon, I hope. If your nausea doesn't go away soon, I would definately see your doctor, just to make sure it isn't something else. Now, totally off topic--are any of you watching American Idol? I was just wondering if everyone else is as annoyed with the fact that Sanjaya is still on the show as I am. He sucks, and really needs to go. Did you see that hair last night? What a freak!!

Vikki--I am with you girl!! I would love to be able to wear some cute summer clothes! If only I could get my arms in shape! I have all that stuff hanging under my arm-yuk! I am working on it though. Maybe by summer it will be a little firmer! As for wearing shorts, my legs are full of scars from having 4 knee surgeries, so maybe capris would be better for me! And now that I am finally in onederland, it is a real possibility!

Well, I'm not sure how to find your group by searching on myspace, either. I'm not sure why yoiur link is not working, but I've tried it twice and nothing.

I tried to get there using your link, but I couldn't--maybe I'll try the regular way.

Well, I guess maybe I will stop taking the Viactive! We don't have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes here, but maybe I'll see what they have at Vitamin Cottage. So, Angela, tell us more about the sub-lingual supplements for hair loss, please.

Why is it that people can't just compliment you, without asking "how did you do it?" There are some people I will tell, but others I prefer not to, and it's a little uncomfortable. I'd just be happy with-"You look great!" Is that really too much to ask? I agree that you should have really answered her that way--it would have been hysterical, and maybe taught her a lesson in tact!

I actually used my card for the first time a couple of weeks ago at IHOP. They have a jr cod dinner that is just a seared piece of cod and steamed broccoli, so I asked the waitress if I could order off the kids menu, and showed her my card. She looked at me kind of funny, but she let me do it. Then at Denny's the other day, they let me order off the senior menu. I am not really comfortable doing it though.

I had a Slim-Fast for breakfast, a chicken enchilada with green chili for lunch, and a piece of baked fish and some green beans for dinner. Oh, yeah, I also had a few bite-size fig newtons earlier. Not too bad, I guess!