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I waited about 5 months. I’m nearly 9 months out and have drank about 4 times. For me, if my stomach is empty, alcohol will hit me really quickly and a little goes a long way. Now granted, it’s been a few years since I was a regular drinker, so my tolerance hasn’t been high for awhile... but yeah, strongly recommend pacing yourself to get a handle on what your tolerance is. I never drank and drove before- out of an abundance of safety- but I can 100% say that post-surgery, I do not/should not drive even after just one drink. So please be careful!

I have worked as a psychologist, providing psychological evaluations prior to bariatric weight loss surgery for the past eight years. For the most part, people need a power tool to help them lose and keep off the weight they have lost over and over again in their lives. The gastric sleeve, bypass, and now balloon are those tools. However, every once in a while, I will encounter someone who believes these procedures are the magic bullet. I can pick this up in five seconds when I learn that: this person has no exercise plan to maintain their weight loss a barrage of excuses as to why they can't exercise anymore zero insight into why they are overweight ("I don't know why I am overweight, I just eat steamed vegetables and grilled chicken mostly.") a lack of motivation or understanding for why they also have to engage in behavioral modification in addition to the surgery "Why would you reveal all of this?" you ask. Aren't I giving away the keys to the kingdom to anyone who reads this and wants to pass a psychological evaluation? Perhaps- but who are you really cheating if you don't go within and face the real demons that got you here in the first place? When I ask people about their eating styles, I tend to group them into four categories: 1) emotional eater- someone who uses food when they are bored, stressed, tired, lonely, sad, or even happy in addition to eating when they are hungry 2) skip and binger- someone who fails to think about food until it is too late, and when they are ravenous end up going for whatever is available which is usually some type of carb and calorie laden fast food 3) miscellaneous- someone who just recognizes that they eat too large of portion sizes and/or the wrong types of food 4) food addict- usually someone with a history of other addictions, trauma, and a significant amount of weight to lose. They usually have comorbid psychological diagnoses that have been unaddressed or ill-addressed. Out of the four categories, the 4th is the most troubling for a psychologist. This particular person is most correlated with the patient who fails to address their core issues, eats "around the sleeve," or bypass, experiences dumping syndrome, comes back a year later and asks for the bypass, or a different procedure. This is the person who, ironically, is usually the most resistant to my recommendation that they seek therapeutic support prior to the surgery. They want it done YESTERDAY. They want it NOW. It is this type of thinking that got them into trouble in the first place. The impulsivity and lack of emotional regulation. I've witnessed people fail to address their maladaptive eating patterns and never quite get to their goal weight. I had a male that would buy a bag of pepperonis at the grocery store and snack on them all day and couldn't understand why he wasn't losing weight. This daily "snack," which was a mental security blanket, served as a veritable IV drip of fat and calories throughout the day. I've had a woman who figured out how to ground up her favorite foods into a liquid form because she never quite let go of her attachment to "comfort foods." One of her most notable liquid concoctions consisted of chicken and Cheetos. I'll just leave that for you to chew...er swallow. They say with drug and alcohol recovery- you "slay the dragon," but with food addiction recovery, you have to take it for a walk three times a day. If you don't fundamentally shift your relationship with this dragon, you're going to get burnt when you are walking it. My number one tip for transforming your relationship with food is to start looking at eating the same way you do as brushing and flossing: You don't necessarily salivate at the idea of what type of toothpaste you will use, where you will do it, who you will do it with, right? You just do it twice a day because you don't want to lose your teeth and you want to maintain healthy gums. Food has to be thought of in the same way. You fuel up. You don't use food as a place to define your quality of life. You don't use food to celebrate. You don't use food to demarcate the end of a long day. You don't use food to help you feel less alone. You figure out healthier coping alternatives to meet these needs. Loneliness-call a friend for support Celebrate- get a massage Demarcate the end of a long day- start a tea ritual and use essential oils Another reason you must say goodbye to comfort food is that it triggers the pleasure center of the brain, which ignites our dopamine, which perpetuates the addiction. Many people think we are just telling them to get rid of the comfort food because of the carbs or calories, but there are unique and harmful chemical consequences to ingesting these types of food we know are bad for us. If you are ready to take a modern approach to weight loss and stop dieting for good- check out my wls/vsg psychological support course here for free.

Why am I fat? I ask myself all the time WHY ME? Why can't I have that wonderful metabolism of others that can eat all day and not gain a pound? IT STINKS! My band had helped me tremendously with maintaining my current weight. I have lost 100 pounds, and have stayed the same for about a year now. I need to lose at least fourty more, but my mind won't let me do it. i still obsess about food daily, and it seems the foods that agree with me the most are the ones that are not so great for me. I can relate to many of the other posts about being depressed. I have been depressed for years, and have also had severe anxiety issues. FOOD was always my friend. One way I sum it up is food is my addiction, just like alcohol, or drugs for someone else. I just take it each day as it comes.

Haydee no problem at all. Will book in the morning, and make it for the early flight. I promised Rick I would wait and talk to him about the flight part. We are having a disagreement about me driving to ABQ. The direct flight from ABQ to Houston is over $300.00 cheaper! So I drive! I can spend that 300 bones there!! At any rate, it will not change anything, if it comes down to it, I will fly from Farmington to ABQ and hop that flight. Nothing to stress over for anyone but him! Laura might remember the issues of night time driving on the reservations. They are not allowed to sell alcohol on the reservation, so they come into the towns and cities, and buy it and then proceed to drink it on the way home. How the different law entities handle the problem is vastly different as well---depending whether it is reservation police or not! Makes driving on Friday- Tuesday pretty dangerous out there some times----BUT this is an off weekend. Not a government check weekend, and it is late Monday night, most of them will be home and passed out! I will be careful, I will have a phone, and likely have my gun, and be good to go! Yep girls-----------a Violet packing heat!! Not in TX though---although I am licensed and could! But shhhhh it is a secret! None of the family knows I went through the classes! Snow has melted like crazy today once it quit snowing! It is slushy & nasty out there right now, but better than snow packed! Road opened up and my DD made it back to get Kinsey. Laura, so glad you decided to go with us--it will be so much fun! Wish some of our others were able....Denise (I understand), Suzanne---didn't you have previous plans??, Gina---now what was your reason Gina??? Ms. Jen???? Cindy???? Y'all are going to miss a good time!!! And yes the itenerary sounds awesome!! I am game for it! And I know it will be sad to say good-bye when the time comes, but it will be so nice to come back here, and be able to put faces to each of you----I have a family reunion this summer, and I am no where near as psyched for it!!! LOL TTYL~~ Kat

Wow! I knew unhealthy - but my kids will never have chkn nuggets or anything from McDonald's again! The liver enzyme stuff scares me too knowing I have non alcoholic fatty liver disease - I'm sure bc I enjoyed too much McDonald's over the years! Surgery can't come soon enough!

I usually intake a lot of Protein in my daily food journals. I realize this becomes more difficult after your portion sides decrease. I also do not smoke, drink soda, or drink alcohol. For the past month I have been trying to lower my carbs and making my protein choices more of the lean variety. I also switched from lactose milk to almond milk. I am very busy and my schedule is chaotic so the biggest challenge is trying to change my eating slower, chewing better, and actually sitting for a meal. I have noticed I have a tendency to stand and eat when I have a busy day! Like I said...I haven't met with my nut yet and that appointment isn't until next month but I have managed to loose 10lbs worth the changes I have made so I guess that's something.

The main purpose of losing weight before surgery is to shrink the liver. When you are overweight, the liver is overweight and we lift the liver to put the band in. If the liver is large it makes the surgery more difficult, harder to see high up on the stomach where we're working. The first weight you lose comes right out of the liver. It is easier for the body to mobilize liver fat than the kind that makes our clothes tight. You wouldn't believe the difference it makes in the ease of surgery when patients lose even 10 pounds before surgery. The biggest livers are in men, diabetics and BMI>50. I tell patients to lose 10 pounds for each of these. So for example, a female, non-diabetic, BMI<50 is an easier case as far as the liver is concerned. There have been instances of surgeons not being able to put the band in due to the size of the liver. Leaving a "fatty liver" for many years can actually cause cirrhosis - the same liver disease that alcoholics get. Fatty liver can cause elevations in liver enzymes on blood tests. Losing weight is amazingly great for your health for many reasons. It also is great for your liver.

I. too, get hungrier before and the first few days at TOM. When is your next lap band follow up? I didn't have hardly any restriction until my 3rd fill. When is your next follow up appt? Are you drinking any calories like alcohol, smoothies, juices, shakes...? Follow up care is crucial to success. Hang in there! Before I reached the correct restriction I wasn't losing much at all. Now I am losing 2-3 pounds per week. I have "BIG" news! I have reached ONEDERLAND! I weighed in at 198.2 this AM! Joan

Reach my goal weight and maintain (within a 5 lb. window either side) throughout the year. Continue my exercise program. Do not succumb to alcohol addiction now that I can't eat as much. Lynda

Hey y'all! It's good to see how much progress everyone has made. I can't say that I've lost as much as some of y'all, but I didn't have as much to lose as some. My Type II diabetes has been in remission since two days after my surgery, and that was my whole motivation. I haven't been able to stop my high blood pressure meds, but the diabetes meds are a thing of the past. Cold. It was a cold winter. I'm hoping I'll find summer more tolerable, though. (And in my part of Oklahoma, it is most of the year!) I don't get hungry unless I go without eating for six hours or so...which I try not to do. I became sensitive to protein shakes, so now I use a flavorless protein powder in my coffee or food, as I would never get enough protein otherwise. I can't drink cold things very well, as they cause my stomach to spasm somewhat. I drink coffee now. I didn't before surgery. I've had dumping syndrome once. I have had an upset tummy on several occasions, mostly if I tried to drink something cold at a meal. Veggie and fruit skins are hard on me for some reason. No al dente veggies. Everything has to be cooked to death or I can't seem to chew them enough. I don't exercise any more than I did before...I walk with the dog a mile or two three or four times a week, but I'm naturally more active I think. I have more endurance--although the first two or three months left me really tired. I am down to a size 34 jean from a 42. This means I'll have to buy some new clothes, as I'm wearing my son's jeans now. In a medium to large T-shirt. In women's I'm at about a 14 as opposed to the 22 from a year ago. Lots of vitamins/minerals here. I can do some things I couldn't earlier, such as capsules, but not softgels. I bite the softgels and just tolerate the taste of fish oil and the like. As for medicines with alcohol content? Yeah. I'm a lightweight. Geritol makes me tipsy. And, while Nyquil doesn't have the alcohol, I'm much more sensitive to it than I once was. Two ounces of wine put me under the table. And that's it in a nutshell!

Good morning Sugarbear! I was glad to read Dr.H's advice on how to get better control over the sugar cravings. I'm going to make more of an effort to take in more protein. Dr.Paolucci, Dr.Sorenson & Dr. Hillis all saw my hubby and I really couldn't tell you which one did the surgery! We've got bills coming in from every Dr. in Texarkana I think!! I think Paolucci did it though. Yes, they did wrap his esophagus with a portion of his upper stomach and stitched it in place, pretty tightly to stop the reflux he has been having for several years, which in turn also caused an aggravating non stop cough that he's had for years. He is doing better, but has lost 20 lbs he really didn't need to lose. He's so tight he can barely drink water. He used to drink lot's of water, 2 or 3 glasses during a meal, now it's all he can do to drink 1/2 cup. Talk about restriction!! Back to the cravings.....Chocolate is all I crave and sometimes I binge on it until I feel sick. Somewhere I read that children of alcoholics are often sugarholics/chocoholics as adults. I have a sister that could be an alcoholic, but she watches it closley, and she doesn't give a hoot about chocolate. I don't give a hoot about alcohol, but I do love my chocolate. I eat it EVERYDAY!! I'm going to get back on the chocolate slim fast and see if that will suffice for me........boy, I thought this lapband thing was going to be a breeze, guess it is for some people. I tried to update my ticker but can't get a slider put in there! I have lost 25lbs since Oct.17th I think and have 90 to go. That's another whole person! Is there a meeting tonight in T town?

Neither my surgeon nor dietician gave me calorie goals to follow while losing. They did recommend 1/4 cup of food from purée stage slowly increasing as I was able to eat more as long as it was low fat, low sugar, low carb. I wasn’t eating 300 calories in that first month. I remember my surgeon drawing a picture of a side plate, then drawing a circle of protein & a circle of vegetables & saying that’s about how much I’d be eating at goal. He also outlined the size in my palm. He was pretty right. I was told a daily goal 60g of protein & then slowly add vegetables & fruit to my eating as I progressed. I saw my dietician every two weeks for almost a year (COVID ended it) where we discussed what I had added to my diet & what I thought I’d try next. I can go back to her at anytime. It took me about a year to find the sweet spot in maintenance & to stop losing. I’m really not active so I maintain my weight through calorie control though I don’t religiously measure & count calories except when I add new foods or do random checks to ensure I’m not slipping. I keep to about 1200 calories give or take. Awareness of portion size & nutritional value of what I eat are my key considerations. I prepare most of my food so I have control over the ingredients & how it’s cooked. I eat protein (average 60g from meat, seafood & dairy), vegetables, fruit & whole/multi grains (some crackers as a snack & rolled oats). No processed carbs & I avoid as much sugar, sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners as I possibly can. No fast food in my life & I’ve had takeaway three times since surgery (braised chicken & cashews & skinned steamed gyoza). No carbonated drinks except for tonic, soda or sparkling water. I don’t allow high sugar or high fat food in my house - if it’s not there I can’t eat it. If I have people over, they take home the leftovers of foods I don’t eat now for the same reason. It may sound restrictive but it’s working for me & I really don’t miss anything. There are some things I can’t eat or don’t enjoy anymore because my tummy doesn’t tolerate them. I used to eat a lot of avocado but now it tastes off & the texture is strange. Mashed potatoes & pasta (including plant ones) sit heavily in my tummy & I don’t enjoy alcohol as much. My hunger only came back earlier this year but I still have days I’m not really hungry (like yesterday & today) so I try to eat to routine so I don’t miss meals. If I’m going out for dinner, I’ll drop a snack to allow for what I might eat at the restaurant. In the past, I wouldn’t weigh myself if I thought I’d put on weight - if I couldn’t see an actual number on the scales I could convince myself I hadn’t gained. So I weigh myself almost every day. I have a fluctuation window of about 1kg (2.2lbs). If it sits on or close to the max for a couple of days in a row, I review my diet & make slight adjustments: drop a snack, reduce a portion size. Sometimes it’s just fluid or constipation but I find I know my body a lot better now & I make allowances for that. My medical team would like me to put on a couple of kilos but I’m happy where I am. But who knows what the future will bring. I certainly eat way more frequently than I ever did before surgery and also more than I used to eat: 3 meals & 3-4 snacks. I think I have a metabolism that is finally working again. There are so many different eating plans you can follow to lose or maintain. You’ve just got to find what works for you & how you want to live & enjoy your life. Finding a good dietician & therapist who are experienced with bariatric patients is a good place to start. Good luck finding your path. Sorry it’s so long.

Hang on to it Tracy, I'll call you from the rally to discuss your options!!! Off to lunch...wish me luck. nice lady, but I don't handle alcoholics and their drama too well.....

Re diet soda, I had a bad diet Dr Pepper habit pre-op. I gave it up about 3 weeks prior to surgery and then the last week (on my liquid diet), I drank a couple thinking it would be my last chance. (My soda funeral) It didn't taste quite the same. I will tell you that post-op, I probably miss carbonation more than anything BUT honestly, what I miss is the "habit" and the "choice". I am almost 4 months post-op and what I crave is that part of my old lifestyle and haven't quite found a good substitute. I drink a lot of unsweet tea. BUT it does get easier. The first month as I drove past my favorite Breakfast stop, I really had to focus to keep driving. The last few weeks, I don't even see it anymore. Years and years ago when I first started considering WLS, I said I would never do it because I couldn't have soda or alcohol. Soda will never be a good choice and alcohol can be done in moderation after the weight loss phase. I wish I hadn't let those things keep me away this long though. All the benefits make it more than worth it and the "cravings" get better. Don't let this part hold you back. Re Cookies, I have not tried this yet, but I have read lots of folks cutting up Quest Protein bars into pieces (like maybe 8 pieces) and put them in the toaster oven, and they come out like cookies. A treat and you get your protein. If it is a trigger food for you that might lead to more not so healthy cookies, then don't do it, but if you can find a substitute for that craving that fits in to your food budget (and even better helps with protein needs), then all the better.

Diane, I totally understand that "great big hole that needs to be filled." It's exactly why I eat, drink, spend, gamble, take pain pills, eat some more, then drink. It's why I have a credit card to my favorite Jeweler (hubby doesn't even know about my Jewelry Express card!) And it's up to me to find out what that "something" is but I've been searching for 30 years. I don't have babies, which sucks. I don't have parents, which sucks. I don't have a best-friend-sister, which sucks. I'm very lonely, but it's not the kind of lonely that can be cured - it's just who I am. I have a beautiful, wonderful husband (that pokes me and drives me nuts, but I'm still madly in love with him.) But his favorite hobby is sleeping. Every night I watch him sleep, and then I eat myself into oblivion. I've got tons of friends & companions, but what I need is a damn Siamese twin. I know they can surgically be separated these days, but I'd like one attached. I know that being lonely is probably my #1 problem. And lightening just struck me like a wild force because I remember my alcoholic father saying, "The reason I drink is because I'm lonely." Even though he vanished and I didn't meet him till I was an adult, I still got the "lonely" gene. Daddy never sent me a birthday card, but he gave me his F-d up genes. Thanks, Dad.

Was a really strange night for me. I told Jenn about this, but will try to condense it.... I had a friend from grade school all through the years, she was without question one of my very best friends, we went through all kinds of things together. We went to court with one another trying to get child support from our ex's, she even lived with me at one point when we were young and she had nowhere to go. We talkd 2-3 times a week, and emailed daily---we were very close. We had DD's the same age, and our DD's had their kids 1 day apart! A few years ago, she was a single parent hitting rough times, we loaned her money, helped her move, bought her son some boots for work, just helped her again try to get on her feet. She has fought with alcohol abuse for years. So after helping her move, and settle in, I had gathered some things for the kids I thought she needed, and showed up to give them to her, and lo and behold, her live in boyfriend answered the door----MY EX HUSBAND!! Now I have no real issue with her being with him, other that she knew he was an a$$---but it caused serious problems with my DD and I. Once when Rick was out of town, he called me, the ex I mean, and he knew all this crap, and I jumped my DD over it, and when she said she didn't tell him I all but called her a liar! She was not the liar, my former friend was. And she knew---that was the kicker---I told her how my DD was sharing things with her Dad about me I didn't like, and she never fessed up, still hid it. I give her money--money she used to feed his worthless a$$, a man who never paid his CS to feed his child, and I fed HIM??? Nuh uh! I wrote it off, with friends like that, who would throw my child under the wheels of the bus to save their butts,who needs enemies??? So for years we have had no contact. I still see her family and all is well with them etc. Well she and my ex have been split for some time, he did the use and abuse and leave with her too--but he was not what ended the friendship---she did. Now.....finally the point. Her Dad died. I went to visit him in the hospital, and managed to avoid her, but tonight was the visitation, and I knew I would see her. We put off our trip to ABQ for it, we are leaving about 3 AM. So I saw her. OMG it was wierd! There was a mutual friend there with her when I saw her, which helped, and it was all good, there was no problem, but my goodness girls, the alcohol has destoyed her. Her clothes, and her hair were dirty, the veins in her face and eyes were broken. It was heart breaking. I thought to myself earlier today how glad I was for my band---I knew most of these people when I was very thin, then they all knew me at my fattest, so I was glad to feel comfortable in my skin again facing all of them with this "past" between us now. But weight was not the issue----it was so bizarre. I keep thinking, and hoping, it was shock, and sorrow, and all that had her so unkempt----I cannot convey how wierd it was that she was that way. You could smell booze.....so sad. Rick said it won't be long we will go to her services. I think he might be right. Sad. Suzanne-----I will surprise you with a call one of these days too!!! I interupted Tracy in LA, and interupted Jenn getting dinner for her kids.....I will catch you unsuspecting too!!! I called Jenn, because I felt bad, she spoke in the other room to people we thought of as friends, and was totally ignored. I recognized it, because it happened to me too. Was so much fun talking to her tho!!! Irene----girl you do what you need to do, to be happy and healthy, and if that is another, different surgery, then go for it! There is not a one size fits all cure for us.....so whatever it takes to find yours!! Rick took my wedding rings and had them sized as a surprise for our anniversary next month. They come back today and he could not wait!!! I love it! I love them, as much as I did back then!!! They were a size 9.5 according to the invoice, and now are a size 6! YAY!!!! I love them, I love him!!! Gotta go, or I will never make it up in the morning to go and will sleep all the way with the kids, and that isn't fair to Rick! LOL See y'all when I get back!

Oh yeah... when I first got banded I added the protein powder to that soup and my butternut squash soup too. I just finished making the sweet potato soup... DH & my favourite! Easy and yummy! Renewed, I think you should start with the dance lessons... get him to do the thing he doesn't want to do, then go for the trip... afterall, he'll want to do that, and you can put the dancing lessons to good use then! Ok, I have to admit... my lessons are not going to be for anything so cool as salsa dancing... mine is for ballroom dancing! LOL, right now all my DH knows how to do on a dance floor is to hold me and turn in circles. If I want a fancy move... I have to lead! To get him to dance to anything with rhythm would require copius amounts of alcohol and maybe a brain transplant!!!! But at least we get to ballroom dance! Hey... did I mention this was his idea! So I think I'll have to live my Zumba through you guys!

If they die it's because they did not obey the laws of the land? Well what if they don't die? Does that mean that the laws of the land are wrong? Your fumbling attempt at any logic is totally confounding. You say one thing and then contradict yourself in your next post or even sometimes in the very next sentence. You are one confused individual. You have one train of thought and that's about all you seem to be able to handle. Don't confuse you with any facts or real logic or you start claiming you didn't say it or you didn't mean it that way or that's not what you meant or everyone's picking on you. "I say that if you don't want a baby, get sterilized, or use birth control." brilliant quote by patty... Are you truly that supid? Because it wouldn't surprise me if you are but you're an adult woman and it doesn't seem possible that you're that stupid. You should know as most people do that no birth control is 100% effective - not even sterilzation. So that is certainly not an intelligent or reliable remedy for the problem of unplanned, unwanted pregnancies. You speak of the babies but there are no babies until there are actually babies. A fertilized egg is not a baby. It takes a lot of the right kind of biophysical nurturing for cells to grow into a baby. And God does not implant sperm in eggs. People do. So God doesn't have a hand in the intentions of man. You're quick to tell us all about free will. Rape, incest, coercion, drugs, alcohol and miriad other conditions can exist when a sperm fertilizes an egg. There is no cut and dried condition whereby women become pregnant. And there is no cut and dried situation that tells us that every woman or young girl should have a baby, no matter what. And that's what changing the legislation to make abortion illegal tries to do. It tries to treat everyone the same and force womena and girls to have babies that they cannot provide for and cannot physically or mentally deal with. There are a million reasons why that kind of legislation will not work. We had a period of time when society tried it your way and it did not work. Real people must deal with this issue the best way they know how and that does not include having someone like you tell them that they have no choice in the matter. And of course people are prolife, duh. What you don't seem to understand is that most people are also prochoice. They're interested in ALL life - not just the ones you have decided you want to protect.

I went to a crab feed 2 weeks out from surgery and had vodka cranberry, no issues at all. It was mostly cranberry and I sipped it for a long time. I think if you just have one small glass and sip it over a period of time you will be ok. We are not in a prison, we are talking real life here, we are going to be in situations where we are around alcohol and need to learn how to handle it in our own way. Best of luck on your decision.

I am now two months post-op and it has been quite a learning experience dealing with my binge eating disorder. I have found a few things to be true: Drinking alcohol is not good for my eating. It lowers my inhibitions and I'm more likely to go get food I don't need. I still eat foods I don't need but I can't eat very much of them so it's an improvement. Still, it slows my weight loss and so I try very hard to keep those things to a minimum. I will always have an eating disorder and the surgery did not "cure" my desire for food. I am doing well (48 pounds down so far) but every day is a challenge to eat on plan (healthy, Protein, fiber). I'm so happy I did this surgery. It is nice to have a full feeling after just 5-6 ounces of food. I love food but I'm learning to be happy with just a taste or two and then move on to some other thing that brings me joy. Don't beat yourself up. You will have many opportunities to do well as you go along.

I get ya. Addiction has many faces. I probably have lots of addictions. I think if I squinted real hard, I could become an alcoholic. But thankfully God stopped me up short of that one. LOL, I would like to become addicted to yoga or something...like, um, eating sprouted microgreens perhaps? Yeah. Sigh, sometimes it gets old. Sometimes we slip. Sometimes there's a bus. But I do think that for me at least, when I'm my most defensive is when the subject is the MOST IMPORTANT for me. And warning bells go off in my head that hey, here's a very painful opportunity to change my thoughts/behaviors/feelings/emotions. I'm a big believer in "I think therefore I feel."

I love this thread too. I've connected so well with all of you, and you have motivated me to accomplish such a huge goal. I really don't post anywhere else. I've visited a few threads, but don't have the connection elsewhere, nor do I really want too. So if this does dwindle... then I'll be the sad person out there in cyber space twiddling my thumbs! LOL. This is now so much more that a running thread for me. When I have good news... after my DH, you guys are where I go to share... same with bad news! Let's keep it up! We have such a great knack for motivating each other!!! Bea... sounds so challenging... way to go! Georgia... thanks for finding out acronym... I was going to say I knew Lyn came up with it, but couldn't remember... LITE!!!! Renewed... you are kicking his butt!!! My advice... log a whole bunch of miles and then claim the challenge over so you win! LOL! No I never cheated on board games!!!! Lyn... glad to hear the interview on Friday went well. I'm crossing my fingers that its yours! I hate not knowing! I haven't heard anything else from today's interview. But did hear from my contact that the people last week really really liked me. So I'm hoping and praying this is the one. I really liked the woman who I met with today, and by the sounds of things, its a great place to work. I took today off from running. I had a Psychometrist here today to test my DD... IQ/EQ testing to find out where she's at developmentally. She's almost finished the testing and its been going so well. Sarah has fetal alcohol syndrome (thanks to her birth mom :eek:), which will cause her a lifetime of issues. So to help her get the services she needs at school, we've been having her tested for all sorts of things... sensory, behavioural, IQ/EQ, motor and speech. The bad news is she doesn't have the basics (no clue on #, letters or colours) the good news is she's almost age appropriate on concepts. So teaching her the basics will be difficult, but not impossible and that will help her continue to progress. I've always believed she's a very bright little girl, and this just proves it. She's learning challenged, not learning disabled! My little miracle girl!

Oh and as a recovering alcoholic for 90% of my adult life 28/ 32 years. One four year relapse six years ago, I know all bout the denial and justification. And in I’m ready to hear people say listen to yourself. I just much prefer when the do it with some kindness as you have done. Enough people in life who’ll tell me what a hames I’ve made of it and how defective I am as a human being. It’s never made me anything but angry and more self self destructive.. and tough love generally requires a preexisting relationship and trust. But anyway, thank you, you’ve got me thinking about it in a positive way [emoji41]

I'm not much of a drinker of any kind of alcohol. When I did drink, it was only to get a buzz. Did you get a buzz? I hear we get buzzed really fast.

You can drink all that alcohol? I’m only 2.5 months out & only thing I will miss down the road is alcohol. My surgeon told me not to have for at least year & then minimal.