Search the Community

Crosby: Man a cure for addiction would be fantastic. I was watching a movie on TV the other night and one of the female characters walked in the door from rehab, glanced over at a bottle of alcohol and the look she got on her face, that look of wanting that drink, needing that drink and how it made her feel, was exactly how I feel when I see or think about ice cream. Man, it was scary for me. She left the room and gave herself a chance to think about it, but rushed back over and poured herself drink within a few minutes. My behavior to a T! I'd like to believe all the hype that binge eating is something we can overcome by understanding that it's just calories in and calories out and if we like ourselves enough and wish to be thin, we will burn more than we eat. Well, it isn't that simple and if it were, people wouldn't be overweight if they didn't want to be. Millions of us don't want to be overweight anymore than alcoholics want to be dysfunctional because of drinking or anorexics do because of not eating. If some researcher can figure that part of the equation out, maybe there would be a chance for a cure.

I also was told I was fat when I weighed 113 lbs in Jr High. I too use food as my drug of choice. I have an addictive personality. My family history is full of alcoholics. I eat for all emotions I have. I am thankful for this band. It's helping me get that all under control. I will be victorious. Linda in WA Banded 10/30/09

Because I was usingfood for everything but nutrition. As a child I was never overweight. My mom was pretty strict on what I ate at home and I was very active so even if I had junk, I burned it off. In high school I thought I was heavy at 180lbs and 5'10. Funny since now my new personal goal weight is 200! Went to college and found new freedom and comfort in food and alcohol and gained about 25 lbs. Funny that I can rememberthe horror I felt when I went over 200lbs way back then. After I got married, had a couple kids the pounds just kept coming. Working nights as a nurse did help either, nor did the stress jn my home life that literally drove me to fast food at least once if not more daily. I got a wake up call in december 2010 when I went for my annual check up and tipped the scale at 317! My labs were terrible and I was put on diabetes meds and increased my BP meds. That was web I decided I ha to take control. I was banded feb 10,2011. I am down 38 lbs so far and off all my meds already. I feel so much better physically and emotionally. It was truly the best thing I have ever done.

Hi fellow Feb ‘19ers - well, I was doing extremely well and as for all of us, Covid hit... child with autism at home, zero therapy for her, husband lost his job, yada yada I gained 25 lbs back. I really fell off the wagon, especially with alcohol. I hardly drank before but used it to get through those hard months. Even though I have gained, I have actually done pretty well by my standards haha. Skip to now - kid back at school 2 days a week, husband working again (from home) and I’m getting a grip on life again. I went to see my surgeon and we are working towards getting a distal bypass done. I’m currently taking Saxenda to get me started on the journey and so far so good. Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. The photos you have posted are amazing!

Thanks, Gotta. You are right: I stuck to protein and the only cheating was some high-fat food--no sugar, no alcohol, and minimal carbs. And the good thing is that I didn't feel particularly deprived. I learned that I can sit with others at dinner and enjoy my shrimp cocktail while everyone else is eating a full meal.

These pxts of our alcohol stashes are fabulous. Don’t feel nearly as guilty now - tee hee! I love a good cocktail napkin. Your mum is the best @WishMeSmaller. I love a good martini. Gin of course & plenty of olives - gotta get your daily serve of fruit in. A friend used to make a pretty mean chocolate martini but he’s in Denmark now - waah! And there used to be a great little cafe/restaurant in Brisbane that made a to die for lychee martini too. So good! And I so do enjoy the salty goodness of a margarita. Ok @WishMeSmaller, @BayougirlMrsS & @ms.sss we just need to find a date for our cocktail party. Welcome @dms75. Hope to see lots more of your posts. We do go off on tangents sometimes,, like fridge shots, here sometimes but it adds to the fun.

I'm in too, sounds like a great idea Moongoddess! Raynie: LOL... glad to know you thought of me while drinking alcohol! One question... did you seem to get ummm "tipsy" quicker than you did before surgery? heeeheee

I went for my post op (8 days) last Friday and was concerned about the look of my incisions too. I had taken off the icky, bloody strips off of the outer ones and replaced them with some band-aid butterfly things. BAD idea. 2 days later I went down to my Mom's armed with supplies and had to say "help me Mommy! Fix it" I was in such pain and the darn strips were giving me some sort of reaction and it HURT. The strips took the skin off so now I have raw spots on either side of the incisions. One even blistered! Gads. So I asked the Dr. about it the next day and he said the healing looked fine and that he preferred no bandaids and that at this point nothing was going to come open anyway. I will have to trust him. He also said not to use alcohol but a vaseline type or baby oil to take off the strips. Sat. I was so uncomfortable around my port incision that still had the strips on it (that were gross from the Neosporin) that I took them off too. It feels so much better now. I think the strips were pulling and I was getting a rope-y feeling along the cut. Still looks a bit gruesome, but feels much better.

Makes one wonder how some of us came out of it alive, literally. Or how we were able to pull ourselves together and become respectable citizens. It also seems to be a very common thread in compulisive eating. Sometimes, those of us who were abused or lived in dysfunctional families either turn to alcohol, drugs or become overeaters. Some of us go through a procession of several of those things. My father was an abusive, brooding alcoholic, his father before him was too. Most of his brothers and sisters were alcoholics or staunch Christians. My mother's family had the same affliction. Both sides had histories of depression, anger issues, abuse, neglect. It just gets passed down and all around. Studies have shown that daughters of alcoholics often become overeaters, sons are more likely to take the alcoholic role. In my case, I went through the partying stage, stayed thin, then stopped and went the way of overeating and depression. My sister turned out being the one unable to handle drinking, then moved on to much worse things. She's now a recovering( knock on wood) heroin addict. I can definitely relate to the 'who took my sister' statement. The person she was is definitely not the person we got back after the damage or during the nightmare. Thank God she's alive, there is still hope. My father and mother were both married numerous times. Seems she had the pattern of marrying alcoholics and he moved on to other caretakers/enablers. None of them successful. Not a great legacy to try to follow, for sure. I have 2 half brothers from my father's first marriage. The oldest died in 98 at 45, having fallen out the side of a van door while he and a bunch of partying friends were out driving and doing drugs/drinking. The other is still a barroom brawling son of a gun and probably doesn't have a great future ahead of him either. I also have a sister from this marriage who lives in Wisconsin with her 7 (SEVEN) kids and is a dope smokin old hippie who thinks she's still in the 70's. lol I met her for the first time when I was 26, the next time we saw each other was at our oldest brother's funeral. Her daughter was the spitting image of me. Pretty eery.. Then, I have a wonderful older brother who was my mother's first. We don't share the same father, but he's a keeper. Then there were 3 of us from the same father. Thankfully, we saw enough that we tried desperately to break some chains. My baby sister is working on perfecting some things, but she sure made some bad choices along the way. Our family runs the gamut. There are those who worked hard, believed in responsibility and instilled a sense of 'rightness' in us. Thank goodness. Then there were those who just could not escape the alcohol and barroom brawls, prisons, yep, we even had a couple of murders on the outskirts. One cousins husband strangled her to death during a fight, then cut her head and hands off thinking he could dispose of her fingerprints. Then the fool drove her torso back to her home county and dumped her over a guard rail, I guess thinking the coyotes might get rid of the evidence? Instead a rancher passed by as he was disposing of the garbage bags and returned to check out what he seen as suspicious. Luckily, he got the license plates and that guy wasn't so smart after all. I hear he's living in Florida now, after spending 6 yrs in prison. Amazing... Character building indeed...

I mourned for a few days that I would never be able to gorge myself and feel "happy" again and damn I want this piece of plastic out. But I am trusting in the idea that I will find other things to make me happy. I cleaned up my garage this weekend. Made a pantry out there so that when the twins arrive we'll have a place for large bundles of pampers. Time heals most wounds. Emotional and Physical. Plus, I know, when I get to eat steak again, it won't be chop steak on a roll with cheese, but a savory filet mignon with green Beans on the side. (Yeah, I'm hungry right now) Anyway, what had me upset the most was that my alcoholic parents didn't call and still haven't called to find out how I'm doing. 10 days post op. Not a word. Screw'em. They were a major contributing factor to my weight issues. Now I got babies on the way. Due in July. I'm already working to be a better parent.

Just got back from an all inclusive vacation to Punta Cana, DR. And, it started off with lots of bad habits - example - alcohol and then the need for nachos. After 2 days, the Bariatric Gods intervened and I got sick.... Let's just say I met a guy named "John".... I spent two days in the bathroom.... After that, no more alcohol. I did have more bread than normal just to settle stomach. (I'm not really a bread person so you know it was necessary). Anyway, I ended up loosing 6 pounds on vacation!!!! Lol. Now that I'm home, I'm back on track! A few NSV - no extender for the airplane seatbelt, size 16-18 clothing including " sexy" dresses. And, a rather attractive Dominican telling me I had gorgeous legs!

Well, Michelle may want to spa while we shop ... something like that. i just put it out there since she mentioned it. Bible study!! LOL.... :eek: Drinking alcohol is not a requirement, Judy!! Having FUN is, however one defines it!

Sure, i'll bring the alcohol! That way the party won't get started until I get there! woo hoo!!

That is the same reason I chose RNY too @amylynns. I know many people struggle with the mixed drinks because they are often mixed with super sugary juices. I have not tried any alcohol yet, I don't know when I will feel ready.

Gotta replace the comfort habit....with a new comfort habit....while avoiding crossover addiction. Very easy to get in trouble with spending, intimacy addiction, gambling, alcohol, drugs, (obsessive dieting, obsessive exercize, obsessive internet use) Jaelzion has an awesome comfort habit...coffee, and a little alone time to think/relax/refocus. I like baths, walks, light funny TV, calling my bestie, playing with my pooch, gardening. I also love a cup of coffee and a sit on the porch. OP...it's a terrific question and the root of regain. It's a huge part of the work. Thanks for bringing it up.

wow thats great ! I wish my Dr. was that lax. Im supposed to be on liquids for 3 weeks ! I never thought I would grow so sick of Jello ! lol Im not sure I will last the whole 3 weeks , but Im gonna give it a shot! I will let you know too how I did on the cruise ! Im more worried about being able to drink alcohol though on that trip ! I figure I can have jello and liquid so maybe I could have vodka jello shots?! lol

Yep... like once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. I had my 5th fill last month. I'm a little uncomfortable every time I eat... sometimes more than a little. But I don't think I need an unfill, I just need to quit eating as soon as I feel that "full" feeling and stop trying to stuff in just a few more bites, sometimes (I think) to please my DH who prepared the food! Which is really stupid because he's happier if I quit with food still on the plate. Then I sit here popping Papaya tablets until the misery passes.

I don't watch The View, maybe caught a couple episodes when it debut's. I thought the whole premise of the show was to get women of varying ages and varying opinions, to speak on certain topics so the public could realize there are a wide range of opinions on any given subject out there. I thought it was up to each individual watching to take the discussion, to form their own opinions.. I was banded in '09. due ortho injuries resulting in multiple surgeries, I wanted to have enough nutrients to heal well. I requested a slow. gradual fill which I'd hoped would coincide with the end of surgeries. 8 surgeries in 4 yrs; 2 with lots of blood loss that rendered me unknowingly, extremely enimic. It hasn't been easy but I did lose 100lbs in those 4 yrs. In 2013, I experienced band complications of my own doing- picked up smoking cigs after 5yrs smoke-free, due to extreme mega- stress. The stress inflamed the band site. Smoking inflamed the band site, Alcohol increase inflamed the band site & a too-tight adjustment following the last of my surgeries further complicated already well-inflamed band site. I ended up awake all night with those uber annoying, hacking, night coughs. Then, the acid reflux. Burning all the way up my esophagus to my throat-OW! Then on top of the cough wake ups, I began also waking up an additional 2-3x's a night, vomiting blood that pooled in my tummy from the acid. I had the band loosened & gained 15lbs in 4 mos. The gastric symptoms were treated with omniprozole & some other liquid tummy med & it healed nicely. The PA put back 1cc and it seems ok though there are nights I still cough all night. Still trying to figure out the new sweet spot. I've lost 10 of the 15lbs I'd gained so am now @ 95lbs lost, 5yrs out. Even with all that, I'm not considering tossing the band and giving up. I'm pretty confident that once my mind's in a place where I have reduced that mega-stress enough to stop quitting smoking again, my tummy will stop being so inflamed & the band will again do its' job. I have 25-30lbs to lose to get to my goal weight. I'm not offended by Rosie's comments @ all. It is what it is. My PA informed me the band has had a low success rate in general; that I'm an exception to the rule. So what! I'm glad I'm still in the 50% group of band successes. I took Rosie's comments with a grain of salt; it's just her opinion based on whatever she knew @ that point in time. We've all done research to chose whichever WLS we get. What I discovered that informed my decision to get banded would probably offend the sleeve & RNY people. Who cares? We're all in this together, learning as we go, even Rosie. Anyone who makes their WLS decision based solely on "Rosie said..." should maybe consider a lobotomy instead of WLS, IMHO.

I'm kind of odd when it comes to fears with this surgery. I'm not afraid of the surgery itself, I'm afraid of the life after. I have had 5 surgeries, 4 of them were on my knees (ex highschool & college football player). I'm afraid of the life after, I mean let's be real..... Im a 26 year old guy that loves to go out and have fun = bubye alcohol.... I have always been very athletic but never small enough to do a few things I have always dreamed of = still won't be able to do an Ironman because nutrition and hydration. I love to golf, the idea of being on a TX golf course in the middle of summer without a beer is insane lol! And the biggest one of all, social pressures. I have not told anyone I'm doing this because when I mentioned the idea a few months ago I got really bad feedback from my friends, at which point they stepped up and really supported my weight loss (better known as 3 mo. Pre-op lol) I have changed my eating habits and limited my drinks to 2-3 vs 12-13 and I have lost 30 lbs in the 3 months. But now they miss the old me and the pressure is on hard core to drink again (I do miss the crazy bar nights). With that being said I am HORRIFIED I will lose my friends I am now looking on the brightside of things, maybe of I lose my old friends I will meet some awesome new healthy ones and hopefully a nice girl to motivate me to keep dragging my butt to the gym! I guess sometimes you just need to be willing to sacrifice, even if that means friends, for the greater good of life!

Ulcers, or gall bladder because then you have a food/alcohol excuse for social gatherings 'oh no thanks since that gall bladder surgery I just can't tolerate xyz food' and 'lucky me it is helping me shed a few pounds'.

SylviaT: I think the stuck feeling is the same as the golf ball people talk about. I may be wrong since I am not yet banded and am just going on what I have read. I found this info from the bandsters group and thought it had some great advice. Question: "Hi Everyone, I hope someone can help me who has experienced what I'm currently going through. I had a slight .1 cc fill last friday and ever since I have been coughing up flem and bits of my food at nighttime. I try not to eat after 6:30p. Not to sound gross, but it is mostly flem and liquid. When I get up from bed and walk around, I am totally normal and fine. Do you think it is because of the slight fill or do you think it is a slippage or Hiatal hernia? I had a hiatal hernia repaired last year due to the band. Please let me know if anyone has experienced this." Answer: "That sounds like reflux. Whether it's from your recent fill or a hernia or change in eating, I can't say. But what I do know is it is not something to be ignored. Some things to consider: -Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating -Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime -Rinse your pouch with a glass of water an hour before bedtime -Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: o Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods o Chocolate o Caffeine o Alcohol o Some fruits and vegetables Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers o Peppermint -Use baking soda toothpaste instead o Carbonated drinks -Eat slowly and do not eat big meals -If you smoke, quit smoking -Reduce stress -Exercise promotes digestion -Raise the head of your bed (not just using extra pillows which can actually worsen reflux) -Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist -Take estrogen containing medications in the morning -Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime -Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring -Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications -See your health care provider Try some of these changes and if you don't get relief, I would suggest a visit back to your fill person." I hadn't thought of rinsing my pouch at night by drinking water. I haven't even read them, so I wanted to post them here! Audree

why can't you use alcohol gel?

Dang, there's a lot of negativity on this post. She made a mistake. She realizes that she made a mistake. We've all made mistakes whether it's with drugs, alcohol, food, in life...whatever. Let's all remember what Thumper taught us all those years ago: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all".

This is from earlier on in this thread. I occasionally post things that I find. Here goes: ‘How to Lose 22lbs or 10kgs in 28 Days Without Starving or Training Like an Olympic Athlete!' By Stephen Smith BSc If you seriously want to lose 22lbs or 10 kilograms in 28 days then you must perform all of the principles exactly as recommended. Unlike the recommendations in my book, ‘Look good, feel great!', where you can pick the principles you want to use and ignore the rest and where you can even modify the principles to suit your lifestyle, these principles must be followed exactly as they are outlined. If you want extraordinary results, then you must be willing to put in an extraordinary effort! I realise that some people may be thinking, ‘But it is impossible to lose 10 kilograms of fat in a month!' I agree- it is! However, the truth is, it is impossible to only lose fat on any type of weight-loss program. You will always lose a combination of fat, Water, stored carbohydrate and some muscle. Furthermore, most people who want to lose 10 kilograms in the first place are generally retaining excess Fluid anyway, so a system that helps get rid of the excess fluid is certainly going to accelerate their results. Perform 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise morning and night. Yes, you read that correctly, morning and night- 2 sessions a day… every day! No excuses. We're all busy, we all feel tired some mornings, but if you're serious about getting amazing results, then you must be willing to do everything necessary. When we talk about aerobic exercise, we're talking about exercise! Not walking around the shops, doing the gardening or doing housework. It must be exercise, which means your breathing rate increases, your face goes red, you sweat, you get tired- simple! Some examples of aerobic exercise include: walking (pounding the pavement at a brisk pace- not dawdling), cycling (stationary bike is ideal), swimming, rowing, stepper, cross-trainer, aerobic classes, boxing, etc. Use ‘thermogenics'. There are several very effective thermogenic supplementson the market that can accelerate your progress towards your goal. Those containing caffeine, green tea extracts and an extract from a plant called coleus forskohlii are the most effective. They will boost your metabolismand promote the release of fat from the fat stores. ‘Scorch' by MAN Sports is a good example. It contains a combination of 7 powerful herbal ingredients specifically designed to boost your metabolism, burn body fat and increase your energy. Unfortunately though, thermogenics are not ‘magic pills'. You can't expect to take a couple of thermogenic capsules and then go home and eat pizza and drink alcohol and expect to get results. Thermogenics only work when their use is combined with a good nutrition and exercise program. Take 1-2 capsules twice a day; once prior to your morning exercise session and once with your lunch. Don't take them later than 4:00pm in the afternoon because they may keep you awake at night. Before using thermogenics, see your doctor first and obtain their approval. Do not eat anything for 30 minutes after the completion of any exercise. As a result of using the thermogenics combined with the exercise, your metabolism will remain elevated for some time after the exercise session is finished. This means your body will burn fuel at a faster rate than normal. Any exercise causes the body to use carbohydrate (muscle glycogen and blood glucose) as a fuel source. This means that after the exercise is completed the carbohydrate stores in the body are low and the body will be forced to use fat as its fuel. If a meal is eaten immediately after the completion of the exercise session, the blood glucose level will rise, inducing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of the effects of insulin is to stop fat burning in the body. Therefore, wait 30 minutes (but no longer because cortisol will rise) before having your next meal. Perform a weight training workout 2-4 times a week. Lifting weights is the most under-estimated way to lose fat fast! Now, before you start saying, ‘But I don't want to get big muscles!' or ‘I don't want to look like a man!', consider the following. The main purpose of lifting weights when your primary goal is to lose body fat is to preserve the muscle massyou already have. You see, muscle is the ‘engine' within which the fat, or ‘fuel' is burnt and maintaining or even increasing your muscle mass slightly will help ensure your body fat is burnt off efficiently. If you don't lift weights, your body will quite happily lose both fat and muscle as you drop the kilos. Lifting weights forces your body to maintain your muscle mass, therefore keeping your metabolism elevated and turning your body into 24-hour-a-day fat-burning machine! Incidentally, it only takes two 30 minute sessions a week to obtain the muscle preserving benefits of lifting weights. Have 5-6 small meals a day. One of the most common strategies people use to lose weight is to skip meals. Whilst reducing food intake is certainly an effective way to lose weight, having fewer meals is not the way to go. Many overweight people say, ‘I don't know why I'm overweight, I only eat once or twice a day!' Unfortunately, this is exactly why they are overweight. Having a mild calorie restriction is effective because if you consume less calories than you burn each day you will lose weight- simple! However, skipping meals forces the body to invoke its ‘Starvation Mechanism' because it thinks it is entering a famine. As a result, the body slows the metabolism to preserve energy. It also increases cortisol output and cortisol is the most powerful catabolic hormone in the body, which means it goes around the body breaking down lean tissue, particularly muscle. A loss of muscle slows the metabolism even further. Skipping meals also results in an increase in appetite, which forces you to eat larger amounts of food when you do eat. In addition to all these factors, the body also increases the activity of fat-storing enzymes, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), so when you do eat the food gets stored as fat. All of this results from simply skipping meals! By having a small meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, your metabolism stays elevated and your body will happily burn fat all day long. Unfortunately though, most people are conditioned to having large meals and they automatically assume they will put on weight if they have 5 or 6 meals a day. The fact is, the ideal portion sizes for most people are actually quite small and in order to lose weight fast it is essential that you never feel full from a meal but you do feel satisfied. Also, most people find it difficult to have a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day because they are so busy with work and/ or family commitments. Here are some suggestions to ensure you get your 5 or 6 meals a day. • Plan and prepare your meals the night before • Use Meal Replacements (protein shakes or bars) • Select foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume Ensure each meal contains Protein. Protein is a component of all cells and makes up over half the dry weight of the human body. Furthermore, the human body is a dynamic structure, which means it is constantly building up and breaking down tissue. Just imagine a bath full of water. At one end of the bath the plug is pulled out and at the other end the tap is turned on full. The water level in the bath doesn't change but there are ‘new' water molecules entering the bath and ‘old' water molecules leaving the bath all the time. The human body is exactly the same. If the body breaks down more tissue than it builds up, then it is said to be in a catabolic state. This results in the metabolism slowing down due to the loss of muscle tissue. Having a portion of high-quality protein every few hours throughout the day provides the body with a constant supply of amino acids- the building blocks of the body. This prevents the catabolic state, promotes an anabolic state (tissue building) and therefore keeps the metabolism ‘fired-up'. If only carbohydrate or fat is consumed for a meal, for example a piece of fruit (carbohydrate) for the mid-morning meal, then the body will still enter a catabolic state because it doesn't have the building blocks (amino acids) to re-build body tissues. Protein, as its name suggests, is of primary importance. Reduce your intake of high-density carbohydrates. Most high-density carbohydrates like bread, Pasta, rice and cereals cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. This invokes the release of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn stores the glucose. The body stores glucose in the muscles and liver as glycogen and once these sites are full, the remaining glucose gets stored as body fat. Not only this, but insulin also stops the body from mobilising and utilising fat for fuel (burning fat). So if you want to maximise fat loss, you need to keep insulin to a minimum and the best way to do this is by reducing your intake of starchy carbohydrates without cutting them out altogether. Cutting them out totally is a philosophy of many low-carb diets on the market. However, these are very hard to sustain long-term and may lead to nutrient deficiencies. Each day, have a small amount (1-2 serves) of high density carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals); a moderate amount (2-3 serves) of medium density carbohydrates (starchy vegetables and fruits); and a large amount (5-6 serves) of low density carbohydrates (fibrous vegetables). [For a complete list of carbohydrates, see pages 136-138 of the book, ‘ Look good, feel great! ] Do not have a Treat Day. Since you are expecting an extraordinary result, it is essential that you put in an extraordinary effort. Accordingly, for the next 28 days you must follow the plan exactly as it is outlined without deviating. This means you can't allow yourself to indulge in any ‘forbidden foods'. This also means avoiding alcohol for the entire 28-day period. I know this may be hard for some people but let's face it, it is only for 28 days! By committing to the plan and disciplining yourself to see it through, you are ensuring that the results will follow. Plus, the disciplines you create to help you achieve your physical goal will have a ‘carry-over benefit' to other areas of your life as well. I wish you the greatest success in achieving outstanding results!

Have a good fast day girls! I'm on tomorrow. I bounced up a pins yesterday to 163 hoping it goes away this week. Clk I feel you about those other threads ugh. I'm not going to get drawn in again (I hope ) Coops you lost the pound and I found it! I need to get back to 162 so we can be twins again! I'm not ready to give up artificial sugars yet, a girl has to have some fun... Oh sugar alcohols? I don't use those. I've been taking Psyllium husk powder the last couple of days (yuck) but is working to keep things moving