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Hi friends...quiet here today! COME BACK FRIENDS!!!!!! :thumbup: Suz-get well soon girlie! Jen-My doc visit was eye opening...gained 10 pounds since I was there a month ago. :smile2: Everyone...I am not going to post about my weight gain anymore....I will only report losses from now on. So, If you see me really quiet for a long period of time...kick my butt Michelle...Cari...Irene...Cindy...Kat...Laura...Shalee...and other friends .... HI THERE!!!

Hi Pam...welcome to our group! We have a wonderful group of people here. Most of us have been banded a while, so if you have any questions let us know! It looks like you are doing great so far! :smile2: Way to GO! I love this group of ladies. We talk about everything under the sun here as well as cheer each other along as far as our goals go. Hope you stick around...we would love to have you! No, I did not get a complete unfill when I got close to goal...I just started to eat instead of smoke. Eating the wrong things to make myself feel better and then I just got depressed over the weight gain and then I started to have ALOT of stress in my life over this past summer and it was so stressful that it caused my band to practically close up. So, I started to eat ice cream since nothing else would go down. Not just a little ice cream...ALOT. Then when I realized what was happening I got an unfill and some antidepressants and now here I am. In alot better place emotionally and ready to start over. Oh well, at least I didn't gain ALL of it back. Sorry for the longgg answer to your question! I would LOVE for you to take this ride with us! Hi ladies! so what does everyone have planned for this weekend? So far for me it has been COFFEE :wink2: After that it is a laundry day, then cleaning bathtubs...you know, fun stuff. DH started back to work today so it is just me & the girls. It is supposed to be pretty today. We actually had some sunshine yesterday and it is here again today. I am gonna try to enjoy it while I can. Have a great day everyone! I will check back in!

Hi ladies. Just a quick check in. Everyone yell!!!! STEPH GOTTA FILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bad news was the weight gain since November but PA wasn't too harsh since I've been unfilled since beginning of November. This winter has been super harsh. I'm going to get it off though. Not too stressed. It is going to happen. Liquids for 2 days. today and tomorrow I'm traveling cross state so it will be fine to be on liquids. Okay...very tired and back is very sore. Yes, Janet, I know you need to lecture me about the snowmobile incident...but I did ask doc if it was okay and he said it was alright. Okay...gotta get to bed. I will try to answer the other things tomorrow. Pills are getting me dopey! Hugs to everyone.

Nina, You've had a rough time. I'll bet it is the stress that put the extra weight on. I was thin (a bit anorexic thin) before and after surgery. Years later did some minor yo yo dieting. 8 years ago I filed for divorce from an abusive man, married 37 yrs before divorce became final. It was surely the divorce from hell. It's lasted 8 years and still lingers on. It cost me $100,000.00 and left me so poor that I'm on Medicaid. He wanted to hurt me anyway he could as a way of punishing me for divorce. That was all major stress. I began at 125 pounds and began gaining in 2001. I got up to 198 but am now 179.5 and a long way to go. It was the stress that caused the weight gain. I've been reading about it and this type of stress (kind I have and kind you have) causes weight gain especially in the abdomen.

Hope your day goes well. I've got water weight issues too. Just not wanting to drink enough to get what I need right now. Wish we'd get some rain. We need it! I'm glad I'm not the only one that gains when sick. And 3lbs isn't much. You'll take care of that in no time. Actually I think it might still be water weight gain from going of the BP med. I never got rid of that before I got sick. I sleep better when DH is home too. Not as much pressure I guess. I wake up a lot when he's gone. No wonder I'm tired all the time! My rings are tight too. New jeans tho, are a little loose. Go figure! Have fun at lunch. The cleaning can wait. Mine always does! LOL! ~~~~~ Well, 1PM west coast time, tomorrow, I'm getting my hair all cut off! He called me this AM and he had an opening so I took it! Was starting to feel a little better yesterday but woke up this AM feeling horrid again! UGH! I'm supposed to go to the city Thursday for an ultrasound and a fill but I'm thinking of rescheduling everything for the following week, if I can. I'll wait and see how I fell tomorrow. I AM getting my hair cut tho, no matter how bad I feel! LOL!! I haven't told anyone I'm doing it. Oh DH and DD know but that's it! I'm going to have DH take a couple of before pics and then after pics when I get home! If I'm brave enough (I've been leery about posting pics here) and can figure out how to do it, I'll maybe post a couple so you can see too. Need to go. DD needs a snack! BBL.

Betsy: Whoa...just read the posts on Mark. Lots of prayers and good wishes winging your way. Jen: Congrats on no 'camel toe' and yes, you did say that. I'm going to giggle all morning over that one. IllumLady: 14"! Woot! You go, girl. That is an incredible difference! You must feel mah-velous! Lizzy: Frighteningly, according to the rising number of drivers getting in accidents as a result of talking on cell phones, these moments do not stop when they start driving. Leigha: Sorry your husband's tired of hearing about your weight loss. Next time he says so, ask him if this isn't better than hearing about your weight *gain*. Besides...you have us and we love to hear about your weight loss! Ok...page 10...back to reading... Cocoa: Ok, I am laughing about your stuck episode and husband's response but only because I've 'been there, done that'. It's getting to the point where I just don't want to eat out anymore because I'm never sure what's going to do it next. Congrats on being so close to goal! Wow...how did I miss that?! As for heading your way for the cleaning...my method of organizing involves getting rid of anything I haven't used in the last year. I stick it in a box and put it in the garage...and if nobody misses it for the 2nd year, out it goes...and I don't even open the box up first cuz you know how that will go...back in the house. BT: LOL on creating blender masterpieces. One of my band books has a bunch of recipes that are quite...ummm...creative. If you get a craving for a cheeseburger, try this one. Take one Wendy's single with cheese and remove the top bun only. Tear/cut the rest up and put in blender. Add beef broth and run until you have a slurry of whatever thickness you like. Voila! Cheeseburger shake! GACK!! These people must honestly think fat people will eat *anything*. Good luck on your 'create-a-shake'. HB: I used to love bowling, but found at some point that I just couldn't bend enough to get that ball off right because I did worry about splitting my crotch. Guess I just didn't have my priorities right, eh? :thumbup: All the rest, forgive me if I missed commenting. Soooo many posts! Ok...off to make my shake and I will be back...

I was reading my medicine I've been taking for my eyes - Most people only have to take it for 1 or 2 weeks, I've been having to take it for a month now. Anyhow, one of the side effects is WEIGHT GAIN! I noticed my face is very round this morning, and so I started reading the side effects and come to find out, I'm taking steroids. I didn't realize it was steroids, I thought I was just taking antiobotics. My eyes are healing, however, I am not at a crisp clear 20/20, and I'm just one of those slow healers, not sure if its because of my diabetes or what, but I always seem to take longer to heal. Anyhow, that helps to explain my dramatic weight gain I think. I am hoping to be off the steroids at the end of this week. I go see my eye doc on March 3rd, so I'm hoping she will take me off of them. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Good Morning! I slept in, now we are deciding what to do with our day. Not sure if it will involve wood cutting afterall, Rick's neck is hurting. He has degenerative bone disease, in his neck, from an old whiplash injury. Not sure the chainsaw would be the ideal for him! Terry---we will be here to hear you vent your fears, angers and concerns, and to help you be strong against the cigarettes! Heck if nothing else, it will be good---you can tell the judge, you even quit smoking in the possibility the children would be living full time with you again!!! My friend Becky who we ride with and go out with all the time, she quit a month ago, and for some reason this weekend was hard on her. Maybe because so many at rallies smoke? She was a bit on the grumpy side (which is a joke, she is never a bit of anything---it is balls to the wall!!!), and really wanted to smoke, but made it through without! You will too!!! You made it through the worst of it---and the lack of weight gain is TOTALLY impressive!!!! I could not say that!!! Laura, good luck on your trip. Does your DH agree to the fact that his drinking too much is an issue? I suggest a well placed video camera should he ever do it again, and counceling to follow. It isn't a good sign, of the anger inside his head in my thinking---maybe the video games allow him to be the bad guy???? Just grasping at ideas here!!!! TracyK---think there is a baby boy in your future? One without the tears? Dreams ironically really wake us up sometimes! Pamela, I responded to another thread, that some of our Violets also responded on, in which I went into detail of my disasterous 2nd marriage. Usually I avoid the subject of him, and the horrors he brought into my life. I will say he has made me aappreciate the lull in real life. I can look around on a lazy stay at home day, and appreciate the calm...even all these years later. I can honestly say my biggest fear in life is his release from prison, but I try not to dwell on that thought often. So far my understanding is that he is far from a perfect prisoner, and has cost himself more time, and a loss of parole option at least once in the past, and I have never been notified since. He has outstanding warrants in my town. So local law enforcement will again be notified of his possible release date so he can clear them up, and serve any local time. Our former police chief assured me he would never bring him back here, he would drop the charges first, as opposed to bringing him right into my backyard, which he had "decorated" leading to some of the local warrants, others though include battery on a Police officer, and our new COP, is not willing to discuss it with me. So.....life goes on with me a a little in the dark. Parole board has to notify me....they say.....we hope! Well, I am going to get my house picked up a bit while we decide what we are doing. Will check in later girlies----and Pamela, you and Susanne can come to my house any old time!!! Cannot guarantee dream quality service....but will do my BEST!!! And Terry---want to live in CO huh? Any where particular? I am only 11 miles from the Durango area border----feel free to use my place to check out your dream locale!!! TTYL! Kat

AHHHHHHH!!! I was reading an article in O magazine today and it was on medications and do they cause you to gain weight? I am currently on six medications ( two more for the back ) and guess how many of my six cause weight gain????? Of all the medications I take, half of them cause weight gain. Four of them cause sleep disturbance. My band is definately doing it's job. As I whittle away and rehab and recovery on the back I find more and more things popping up. Needless to say, I'm stopping two of the medications and switching to Tylenol. I have an appt. with the doctor to review the other four. I am going to begin going off of one of them. The one for panic disorder. I'm changing the Effexor I take for depression because there is a viable option with lesser side effects. Something tells me once the meds are squared away I will give Dee a run for her weight loss money!!! (grins)

Good morning ladies- I am cramping so bad :thumbup:. Still have not seen tom though. My cycle has been so screwy lately. Maybe the weight gain then the losing is throwing my body out of whack. I can not wait to hear about the concert Pamela went to. I'll bet it was so much fun! TracyinKS-how is the unfill so far? Terry-did you make an appt to get a fill before the holidays? Michelle-a closet alcoholic? :w00t: Have a fantastic day everyone :smile2: I will be moving around as little as possible. Maybe a heating pad will help.

I hope you do get some answers as it sounds awful. Cushings is something that causes lots or weight gain so if this is the issue it’s a pity they didn’t test and rule it out prior to surgery as then you may not have required the WLS as well. Are you still bleeding or has that resolved?

CC, I'm just wondering if you're getting close to "Aunt Flo" visiting too, because that could be part of your weight gain. I put on 8 pounds last month, and really freaked out about it, but the nurse said we need to allow ourselves at least 10 pounds each month that we could potentially put on. Another thing to remember (and this is from my Doc) is that even though we got that band, the pouch hasn't really been created yet and the initial restriction we all felt was from the swelling in our stomach's. My dr's don't even count the weight loss from the time of my pre-op until the first fill. They look at the pre-op weight, then the first fill weight. They even say that the liquid and post-op diets are ways to diet that anyone would lose weight on. I hope that helps, but don't feel down on yourself. Things will get better, it just takes a lot of patience to get to that first fill. I just had mine on Friday and am loving it. ~Nichole

update: I HAVE JOINED OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS. I GOT TO THE HOME PAGE FOR MY ZONE AND READ THIS: (DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR OR WHAT!!) Knowing and Connecting Here is a story worth repeating! When I went to my first OA meeting in February 1989, I was a broken man - emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I knew I had a problem with food, but I was unable (or unwilling?) to make the connection between my problems with food and the unmanageability of my life. What I knew then was that I gained and lost huge amounts of weight through binge eating that would last weeks and months, followed by weeks and months of exercising to exhaustion and controlled starvation regimens (sometimes under medical supervision). A 50 pound weight gain for me was easy and frequent, as was the 50 pound weight loss, albeit a little less easy. Over time, the gains got bigger and the losses got smaller and I settled into a 240 pound level on my small frame (I had been as low as 130 pounds!). So I was fat and desperate. I had heard about OA from a therapist who I did not like (probably because he was telling me the truth, truth I was an addict). I went to a meeting, eventually recognized that although my addiction was to food and the physical manifestation of this was rapid weight gain and weight loss, there were many more serious consequences than weight gain and weight loss. I was an addict and an addicts life is always out of control and unmanageable. This was the beginning of a profound awareness and with abstinence has come many years of physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery. -- Anonymous

Denver - I too have "body dismorphic disorder" (well, that's what I call it)where I would see myself in a mirror and think "ah, not so bad, maybe even darn good", but then see a picture and think "holy crap, am I really that fat?" Well, it was the day that I actually SAW myself in the mirror that I decided to have the surgery. I have continued to see myself differently than pictures, but now the pictures are starting to match what I see....something to look forward for! You'll enjoy it! About afterwards...everyone is different with what they can and can't eat. I suck at being able to eat any kind of bread (even toasted) or any kind of pasta (although I managed some moose lasagna a few weeks ago). I AM able to drink soda though and that can be bad...it's expensive here so I don't partake as much as I want (which is a good thing). Lap Dancer sometimes posts things about Overeaters Anonomous (sp?) and it's helpful for me - even though I don't tell her all the time. Weight gain/loss can be from different issues for all of us and the Band isn't going to make the issues go away so you still have to be comitted to changing how/what you eat. That's awesome that you're doing so well with the pre-op diet. Just remember, if you can stick out this two weeks then you'll be just fine post-op! We are all here for you! Ador - I had my gallbladder out years ago and it was killer! I've had three c-sections since and those (and the Band) were cake compared. I have to say that I'm grateful for all those who complain about the surgery because I thought I might've just been a total wus back then...but now I know I wasn't, that surgery really is a killer! Take it easy and enjoy the Vicodin! :wink2: OK FOLKS - I'm back on and that makes 2 for 2...it's like it's the LapBandTalk Olympics for me! Too funny! I'm trying to get inspired by the athletes, but really, I'm enjoying sitting on the couch a little too much. My arms are killing me today from all the wood chopping...I'll hit the axe again tomorrow though...we still have quite a bit to split so it'll dry up before it starts snowing!! When we're all done I'll have to take a picture of our "stack" so you'll all be impressed.

Ruby - LOVE IT !!!! :thumbup: ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT !!! HAND ON HIPS :Dancing_sorry: OK I WILL drink all my water today - I promise :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2: Cuz I have to have my snacks - last night strawberries - and I am going to jinks this cuz I am talking about it - but my little angel has not woken me at all during the middle of the night to go potty for the last 2 nights that means I have slept 2 nights straight thru - you gotta know even without the dogs I rarely sleep all night - usually up once or twice during the night.. Not always to eat but just wake up. Karri - Yep Ruby put me in my place - but even us Food Cops need some policing too :Dancing_angry: Congrats on the Exercise - You are doing so good. I am proud of you... Your bday is the same day as my Mom's :thumbup: I am not worried about you being unfilled at all - I have read the PS thread too and heck those women are as dedicated as you and some of that weight gain is from the surgery - water retention swelling - so you can not get on the scale after the TT for 2 weeks .. I gotta say I might splurge before surgery - not so much junk - cuz that goes down OK now - but I would love to eat a big juice bloody steak (I am a cannibal ladies ) I can eat steak but not a lot... So something like that - not the sweets. well maybe a little:redface: the sweets..:thumbup: -------------------------------------------------------------- Steph That's FANTASTIC !!! That 12 lbs a month - GOOD JOB!!! ------------------------------------------------------------- Peaches You might not really feel the restriction until you get to real food. Hold on - I know it's hard - but we are cheering you on... ----------------------------------------------------------- Jackie - GF what's up ??? ----------------------------------------------------------- I made this great dinner last night - a new one pot wonder ground white turkey meat (about 8 oz) onion - bell pepper- 1/2 c corn - 1/4 c rice - 1 can of tomato bisque soup. it makes enough for 3 or 4 nights - I had one full cup - guesstimate the calories to be about 210 - 250 max - It was really good. -------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I am drinking my water - and will report in when I have this 16.9 ozs done - I have to drink 4 of them for 67.60 oz of water - I think I need it cuz I have been having tmi stopped up issues :thumbup: Ok off to work (well I am at work) but you know what I mean TTYL

Good morning 7's!!! I had a great day yesterday. Rode over 200 miles! That was my first big ride and I guess I did it up big. Before that 15 miles was my max. My tailbone hurt by the end though. Holey Hannah I almost cried trying to sit through graduation. Last year when I bought my bike the seat was nice and cushy. Yesterday I realized that it wasn't the seat that was cushy, it was my butt! It's not so cushy anymore. We're talking about getting me a better (read bigger) bike. I don't know, I like mine, it just doesn't have a lot of power. The zoloft must really be working because I didn't even cry through the graduation. I usually sit there and bawl. It really is sad though. I'll miss my pipsqueaks. Can I have a bit of a meltdown here though? This is going to sound very irrational but I need to get it out and my DH just isn't going to get it. My mom was here, as you know for a few weeks. She has always been small. When she had her restaurant we actually worried about her getting too small. At one point she was shopping in the children's section (she is also very short). Well so she was all hung up on my weight loss. But also very hung up on her weight gain. Now for my mom, at 4' 11" and 130 pounds, I just rolled my eyes. I told her about tracking her meals and seeing that she is eating well and balancing out her nutrition. I thought that was important because she can eat one meal of eggs and toast a day. anyway.... Last night she calls and asks about daily plate and I gave her the address again and she says she walked a mile and how excited she was and now she's looking into joining a gym. Great for her, I'm really excited about it, but a little concerned that she thinks a size 8 is fat. But then I talked to my BIL and he says "I hear your getting really skinny." uhhh....no???? What has my mom told them? What are they expecting? I'm proud of me but what if they think I'm going to be skinny when I get out there at the end of the week. I have this crazy fear that they are going to look at me and think, "So what's the big deal? She's still fat!" I wanted to go out next week and everyone be proud of me and now I think they are expecting something I'm not. Now how are they going to be happy? I know that there is no way they won't be excited to see me down almost 60 pounds, but I really think they are expecting something I'm not. See....completely irrational. grrrrr. I hate it when I'm irrational. And as irrational as it is, I can't get it out of my head. I dreamed about it last night. How stupid is that? Okay....semester tests today so I'll be online quite a bit today. I have to sit very quiet and still. So I'll correct tests but other than that, surf the net. Have a great day 7's. See you in a bit.

I was always bigger than the girls my age. As a kid growing up I was taller than all the other girls. I was also a tomboy growing up and was always aware that I was bigger than girls my age. Growing up I was a little chubby as a kid, but lost the chubbyness as I continued to grow, but I can remember eating a lot as a kid, 2-3 bowls of Cereal, getting large portions at meal time but athletics helped me keep the weight off in high school. Yet as a child growing up, I can still remember my Aunt Irene telling my mom that I was fat. Also in High school I remember my doctor always telling me I was fat, but looking back I can honestly say I wasn't. I was 5'7 in middle school and high school and because of basketball, softball and bike riding I had a lot of muscle. I was in great shape in high school, playing ball and running track, yet I always felt bigger. I remember the girls on the track team getting "small" shorts and I'd get the large or xlarge shorts, and that made me feel big and fat when I compared myself to them. Yet I know looking at the pictures I wasn't. I started to gain weight in college and I was aware of it. Walking to classes, I'd see my shadow on the sidewalk and it was bigger than my friends and I was always embarrassed yet all through college I still wasn't "fat" I got chubby. I stopped playing sports due to a knee injury and the doctor told me if I continued to play, then my knee would be ruined and I'd seriously in jury it. After I quite playing sports I really gained weight. I didn't realize it then but that is the time my PCOS kicked in and the weight gain began to rapidly increase. In 1997 I weight 275 and I took a job on the road as a stage tech for a company. It was physical work and I lost a lot of weight. I got down to 220 and I remember going into a bar, being carded and the guy at the door taking a double take at my drivers license. I told him "I've lost a lot of weight" and he said "Yeah, you have." and he smiled. It made me feel so good. After the job and the physical labor, I gained the weight back. I took an office job at a company who had a cafe in the building and I was sitting at my desk all day, not eating healthy and not exercising. It wasn't until a year ago that I went over the 300# mark. It was after I stopped taking topomax and i got depressed over the weight gain. I've been hovering around 335 for a while now. I've wanted the lap band for about 4 years. I tried through insurance at that time but they said no. I switched jobs 2 years ago but didn't think my new insurance covered the surgery. I discovered a lump on my thyroid last year and went to a doctor at Centennial. While looking at the website for Centennial I noticed a link to their womans hospital and the the lap band program they have. I read the insurance page and saw that others who had my insurance had the operation and it was covered. I kept thinking about it but never looked into it. It wasn't until March of this year when a co-worker had a heart attack that I took a good look at my life. It scared me. I'm 35 and I want to live a healthy life not just for me but for my husband. I'm lucky because he loves me for me and the weight doesn't bother him. I went to the seminar in April and filled out the paperwork and sent it in, but they called me the day after they received the paperwork and said my insurance didn't cover it. I started to get depressed and I could tell my husband was disapointed for me. I remember calling my mom crying because I couldn't afford to do a self pay. The next day my mom called me and said my dad and her talked and they were going to give me the money. It would come out of the money I'd receive when they pass away. I said I'd only agree to accept the money if my brother was OK with the idea. They talked to him and he agreed. He said a lady he worked with had the surgery and he saw the difference it made. Plus he has always been worried about my weight and knew this was something I needed to do. So, the next day I contacted the office and set up an appointment to see the doctor. The rest is history. My surgery is scheduled for July 18. Am I scared, yes but I'm more scared of not having the surgery. This is something I need to help me live a healthy life. Oh, I almost forgot, I know being overweight affects me and how I'm viewed. 5 years ago I was passed over for a promotion because of my weight. I almost sued for discrimination and became depressed and gained more weight because of it. My husband loves amusement parks and I'm looking forward to going to a park and being able to ride the rides with him. I know my weight affects him too in the things we can't do together but he's so understanding and has never said a bad word about my weight. I know he supports me no matter what and I love him so much. I want to do this not just for me but for him as well. Plus as an added bonus, he's agreed to stop smoking once I have the surgery. I told him if I'm doing this to become healthy so we can live a long life together he needs to do something too and he agreed. We will both be working toward living healthy for each other and support each other through both our changes.

Thanks Cindy, that may be it. The ones I saw had no face paint or anything, just tails. Years ago there was a strip joint just out of town called Foxtails---and all the strippers wore fox tails----and this was like that---just tails. And on the Walmart site, I have seen them, and I was just feeling old and out of it! Guess I am!!! My friend I have lunch with...it was her son recently hurt in the motorcycle wreck---he is in rehab now, and improving quickly! Anyway he has a DD and my friends husband had always been Papa to all his grandkids---and for some reason they began referring to him as Papa Bear. The son had a good laugh and told them they didn't want to call him that, because he is a big guy (325-350 lbs) and he told them that "bears" are hairy gay men, usually of big stature. They have big Bear gatherings. They have "cubs"---young newbies......all kinds of things! We (she and I) looked it up, and now we just refer to Mike as Papa---skip the bear!!! Who knew? I guess it was the same with my parents having problems associating "gay" with anything except being happy.....times change.....whether I want to or not! Rick just left for work again. I need to go water before it gets hot again. We have broke 100 for several days now. It tried to rain last night---you could smell it, but it was so hot it evaporated before it ever made it to the ground---so it was muggy, which is really unusual for us. Tracy, I had heard it was usually a taper down from meds like that, so it makes sense to me! Terri should be home......hope she is doing well! She is a bandster now! I feel so incredibly lazy! I have begun taking my allergy meds. Uggghhh! Oh yeah----hives. I know lots about hives! I broke out several years ago---make that many years ago. Kept diaries of products used, changed them. Kept diaries of food---changed diet. NOTHING helped! Did massive amounts of blood work---checking for all sorts of connective tissue disorders. still nothing. They were finally diagnosed as idiopathic uticaria. Hives with unknown cause. At the time Zyrtec was RX, not OTC. But it worked. I could take a pill and within an hour the hives would abate. I took it faithfully everynight for months---but it turns me into a zombie! Eventually I got to where I broke them in half---and it still kept the hives at bay. Then I began every other night....and finally every few days...til the hives quit. Stress seemed to be the trigger. My Grandma was dying---and I had teenagers! I ended up with hives again a couple of years ago, and the Dr. put me on steroids! OMG weight gain city! I remembered then, the Zyrtec, so tapered the steroids off, used the Syrtec and it worked. It also works for my itcy eyes---which is why I am taking it now---half a pill at night---but it depresses my system. Not my mood, just my body---I am tired and slow! But I am not sneezing, and digging at my eyes!!! Gonna make myself go water!

Yes, I have Kaiser and they require/suggest you loose 10%. I have actually lost 22%. My doctors are a little lenient on the 10%, they just absolutely do not want to see any weight gain.

We have 3 acres at Crooked River Ranch which is between Madras and Redmond. Have views of 10 mountains: from Jefferson to Bachelor. Love it there! A whole year, wow! Keep your eye on the prize, so to speak Glad to hear it wasn't slippage. Don't even worry about weight gain or loss right now. You and hubby are the focus...mental and physical health. Well, I can't seem to get anything going in the right direction, Mini; am up 1.2 pounds this week. :crying::thumbdown:

((Tracy)) keep us posted!! Hopefully it's just cysts or something! Haydee you looked super cute. I never did find my pirate costume, and about 15 minutes after handing out candy I changed into jeans & pumpkin t-shirt. Just got back from the gyno, took them a while to find the heartbeat, so I was getting nervous.. guess the nurse could tell cause she was going 'it's a little heart, it can be hard to find sometimes, don't worry!'. When she finds it, she always gives me this big sly smile that makes me feel akward--like I'm suppose to cry tears of joy, and my smile isn't adequate enough.. anyway. Normally it's been 150-160 bmp, which according to an old wives tale means it's a girl. Today it was 140 bmp, which according to old wives tale is a boy. My next appt (Dec. 8) they do the anatomy thing, and tell me if it's a boy or girl!! So excited. I told them DH doesn't want to know the sex, but he wants to be there for that ultrasound, so she was saying there's a slight chance he would be able to tell from the picture.. but I've looked up pictures of how they tell and it took me a lot of effort to figure out what I was looking at. Even little girls have 3 ball looking area, so I am fairly confident Russell will have no idea what he is seeing. Regardless, I will just tell the technician when to tell him to look away. Their parking is so bad, it's 2 small parking lots, that always fill up. I drove around 15m with no luck, so I finally illegally parked on a curb. I crossed my fingers I didn't get towed.. luckily I started a trend, a lot of people were parked on the curb when I came out, whew. They also looked at the rash on my back, she didn't want to touch it, she thinks it's ringworm. My GP thought it was ringworm and put me on meds, I did it for 2 weeks with no change so I stopped. She told me to try another cream.. Lotrimin I think. Doesn't both me though! She made a comment about my weight gain that made me want to melt into a puddle and hide. I know I'm gaining too much, I told her how I feel and I'm so hungry all the time. She said it's the progesterone, and asked if I should see a nutritionist.. no not really, it's not like I don't know how to eat.. she asked if the banding folks told me how to eat well-- yes, yes they did. It's not ignorance, it's.. will power. So whatever. Today Russ goes back on Atkins, I'm going to make a point to cut out sugars that aren't naturla (re: fruit). No more candy, cookies.. blah blah. Brought all my leftover halloween candy to work today, they betta eat it! Ok have a good one ya'll!

I was having such a good day so I should have known that my Doc appointment was going to suck. And suck it did. Well, not that bad. except for the weight gain. Everything else went good. It was suggested that I join the Reboot Group. :tongue2: So I left there and went to a friends that moved over by there. We had a great afternoon and enjoyed a little walk around the neighborhood. I pointed out the sumac for her so that she could keep the kids away form it. Very poisionous. Got hom around 7 and am getting dinner done. Jane, Why a ticket????

Judy big hugs for what you are going through!! Purple power and hugs to you, Ethan, and the Bobster!!! I too am way up in weight, but slowly but surely will take it off. Reading the books, thinking about weight loss and weight gain. It is more of a head game than the actual weight loss. Jenn who knows about the army guy? He sounds like a nice guy to keep after you with niceties! BB just came on and want to watch, had a sliver to preview this morning thanks to Tracy and Pam!!

So do you guys know someone with a completely healthy relationship with food and what does it look like? By this I mean they rarely over eat, they eat healthy, they don't snack when they are bored or sad and they can say no to their favorite foods? Are alllll skinny people not addicted to food and we are the only ones? I doubt that. I do think some people have more will power, better genetics or exercise way more so they balance out. My activity level has contributed to my weight gain along with my need to like big quantities of food I enjoy.

ok, so I am almost 2 weeks out from my port replacement and doing fairly well. I did have to get my lortab refilled. I had trouble sleeping. Still am not losing. But I figured I would have to get a fill right away anyway. I am wanting to ask you all your opinion on something. Dr K said he would be going after the manufacturer for the cost of the surgery and such. What I was wondering, is should I make a case for extra? With all the flights, hotels, recovery time, weight gain, wasted time etc.? What do you all think? I have obviously never been in a position like this before and would love some input. Thanks!