I'm here to help...

[Great2BThin 5]

Awesome photos Phyl! YOu look awesome!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Phyl

Glad you took my suggestion - That's a great pic of you from yesterday and like I said the comparison from 7/07 is fantastic

You have done so very well, I am so proud of you !!!

Julie - I didn't think yo were down - I just wanted to remind you that you have come along way yourself - Remember the turtle won the race ;0)..

LauraK, you are a great addition to the group too - I love having new pple join and really happy when they stay :0)

Jessica - Where are you - How are you doing - we might all be old enough to be your Mom's - we have Meredith and Melissa too as the babies - We will take you under our wings and give you all the sage advice that Mom's give - We care - so let us know how your are doing..

Well finished dinner - bbq 4 oz and squash - no rice tonite - trying to do it every other night..

Anyway - I am going to go read for a bit myself and set the alarm so I can get up 1/2 hr earlier so I can Wii :0)..

Talk to you all in the a.m.

Hugs

[NYSparklegirl 1]

Hi all.

What a fantastic Idea! I would love to have a mentor/buddy. I have just joined this site and am amazed at all the wonderful sharing that goes on. I wish id known about it sooner.

Im scheduled for surgery the 8th of February. Ive gotten all the consults completed with the exception of the endocronologist and the psych. My second consult is next week..when I hope to begin pre-op diet and the two weeks whatevers needed before surgery.

I live in LI, NY and the center im using is Long Island Bariatric Center with Dr, Hollover.

Would love a mentor...anyone?? lol

Heres my intro,

I want my life back!! Ive decided in the last year....it was time to begin to get it back and be in control again.

I want my premarriage/ pregnancy/ high blood pressure/cholesterol/ asthma/sleep apnea status!! Now is the time to do it.....

Ive had all first consult....visits with all the doctors and have recieved all the consults needed except for the psych. I am now waiting for all the written reports to come in and the second consult is next week and surgery set for...February 8th.

Im ready to get my life back in control....so this is the first step in getting a healthier me. Im so glad to see so many others here to share their experiences before and after. I hope I can contribute possitively and help others through my experiences. I also hope that I will be able to get help with questions and concerns that I know I will have before, during and after!!!

To all.....good luck, thank you in advance and and looking forward to sharing!! :smile2:

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

Phyll, your pictures are wonderful... The transformation is inspiring... Congratulations.. See, that pancake didn't do a darn thing!!!!!

Hey, NY, welcome..... we do lots of talking here... jump in anytime....

And, girls, do you realize that one month from now we will be sitting in Florida chatting away....??? won't it be wonderful??!!!!! Good night.....

[phyllser 3]

Phyll, your pictures are wonderful... The transformation is inspiring... Congratulations.. See, that pancake didn't do a darn thing!!!!!

Hey, NY, welcome..... we do lots of talking here... jump in anytime....

And, girls, do you realize that one month from now we will be sitting in Florida chatting away....??? won't it be wonderful??!!!!! Good night.....

Thanks to all of you for the compliments. A friend gave me those capris almost a year ago. I thought they'd never fit! But got them out again the other day and they fit! Got the t-shirt at the big RV show in Quartzsite last year at this time. Has a map of the U.S. and an Iron on crystal for every state I've been to... have 5 more to go!

Welcome, "Sparkle"! I grew up in Buffalo and have been to NYC a couple of times. Have a dear friend from high school days who lives in Manhattan.

[ocotillo 0]

Evening ladies....drive by.

Phyl, great pics....you look awesome!! And Happy.

I had to write a personal reference letter for my sister. She has an interview tomorrow. Too cool...she needs a job.

Okay, off to bed and I'll try and do personal posts tomorrow night...if I can keep up.

Julie, I can send you some steel cut oats if you don't find any there. Trader Joe's has them and Safeway has started carrying them too.

Eva

[Apples2 19]

Hi all.

What a fantastic Idea! I would love to have a mentor/buddy. I have just joined this site and am amazed at all the wonderful sharing that goes on. I wish id known about it sooner.

Im scheduled for surgery the 8th of February. Ive gotten all the consults completed with the exception of the endocronologist and the psych. My second consult is next week..when I hope to begin pre-op diet and the two weeks whatevers needed before surgery.

I live in LI, NY and the center im using is Long Island Bariatric Center with Dr, Hollover.

Would love a mentor...anyone?? lol

Heres my intro,

I want my life back!! Ive decided in the last year....it was time to begin to get it back and be in control again.

I want my premarriage/ pregnancy/ high blood pressure/cholesterol/ asthma/sleep apnea status!! Now is the time to do it.....

Ive had all first consult....visits with all the doctors and have recieved all the consults needed except for the psych. I am now waiting for all the written reports to come in and the second consult is next week and surgery set for...February 8th.

Im ready to get my life back in control....so this is the first step in getting a healthier me. Im so glad to see so many others here to share their experiences before and after. I hope I can contribute possitively and help others through my experiences. I also hope that I will be able to get help with questions and concerns that I know I will have before, during and after!!!

To all.....good luck, thank you in advance and and looking forward to sharing!!

Welcome! You sound REALLY excited about this. That's a good thing. Take this time b/4 surgery to educate yourself. Spend as much time as you can here reading through threads. Jump on this thread when you have any questions.

We have a diverse group in many different stages of the lapband journey. Any questions to start with?

Wishing you luck and looking forward to getting to know you.:smile2:

[Charlene K 1]

Good Morning Buddies! Welcome Sparkle! Just jump in and ask away.

I am going to take my mother to the doctor today. This is becoming a part of my weekly schedule. She is 86. She said if I don't take her she will take a taxi.......GUILT TRIP! So once a week she pulls the taxi card on me. I wish she would just move in with me,but that isn't going to happen. So, HI HO HI HO across Houston I go. CBL

[llkb4me 1]

Phyl, lovely, lovely, lovely you look wonderful!!!

Janet, you are going to have to pry me out of here with a crowbar to get me to leave. lol

Sparkle, welcome and ask these ladies any question you can think of. They are very helpful.

Apples, I too read everyday and always right before I go to sleep. Keep my book and glasses right in the bed. I have a reading light attached to bed so I don't even have to move to turn it off before I go to sleep. I sure you's with DH have to keep space for them. lol

I looked for steel cut oats in Walmart and didn't find them. I will keep looking, Krogers is not to far away.

Laura K

[ljv52 2]

Good morning all! Phyl, as I said on FB, fabulous pics -- such an inspiration -- you look so wonderful -- congratulaions on all your successes. Welcome to NY and all the other newbies I missed in my earlier posts -- welcome to you all and hope you will continue to drop in. One of the things I did when I first came to thread was to go back to the beginning and read -- you will get to know everyone's journeys much better and see all the good advice they received and all the struggles they had as well. You'll get to know everyone much better that way as well. I'm a firm believer in logging meals/exercise -- good one are sparkpeople.com, thedailyplate.com, etc. It's also a way to figure out how many calories you need to consume each day in order to lose as you go along on your journey. Just a suggestion.

Jessica, hope you are doing well. I am definitely old enough to be your mom and I wish to hell I was your mother in law. That woman is unbelieveable. Just hang in there -- when you're all done losing weight she'll probably take all the credit for that too -- she's just "one of those people" that loves to be miserable I think. But you can't let her moods affect your eating habits -- just shake it off (it's not easy, but doable) and "show her".

Cheri, glad you are happy with where you are. I'm okay with where I am, but still want to at least get the the first goal my surgeon set for me which is 132. As I said in my post, I've shrunk over the years -- years ago when I weighed 135 I was 5'4 and I wore size 6 to 8, but now I'm 5'1" (barely -- due to back surgery and old age) and so i have even more to lose cause I'm now so much shorter. But, I'm not in any hurry, I'll just keep plugging away at it and when I get there it'll be fine -- no rush -- I'm pretty happy feeling "normal" right now myself. I'm also pretty certain that I will hear the same kind of comments Apples hears if and when I do get down to my actual goal -- I'm shaped the same way as well and people are already telling me "you look too thin" -- it's just my arms and legs are so skinny and my face, but that belly is still there! Hopefully my arms, legs and face will stay the same as I lose the fat around my mid section. Hoepfully.

Julie, I found steel cut oats in my local Ralph's store-- kind of had a hard time finding it - -the brand I found was Hodgson Mill -- in a small square box (brown) -- that might help you find it. I found it among the regular oatmeal there. It wasn't in any of our other stores here either -- definitely not in Walmart.

Disappointed in the scales again for my weekly weigh in - still have 2 lbs. to lose to get back to my pre Christmas weight -- god, those few Cookies and little bit of cheese sure take a long, long, long time to burn off. I don't think it'll be such a temptation in the future.

Time to go work out and burn those calories!! CBL have a great day everyone!! Eva -- that animal was kinda cute but I bet I wouldn't think that if I smelled it - but I live in pig country (Iowa) and as it looks so much like a baby piglet, I thought it was kinda cute. LOL. Okay, really going to work out now. Bye. Linda

[IndioGirl55 32]

Good Morning Chickies !!!

Welcome Sparkel !!!! Yep it's all about taking our lives back and the lapband has been the tool we all needed to do that - Jump right on in - If you haven't alreay - go back to page one of this thread and read forward - that will give you picture of where we are all at and a little history too :0)

Yep Julie 30 days from today - we will be meeting - what time does your flight arrive in Orlando

Charlene - too funny taxi card :0) - depending on your relationship w/her - maybe it's a good thing she doesn't live with you - I think I might rather make the trip to Houston :0) by what everyone has to say about their Mom's - Have a safe trip

LauraK I need a light like that - I go one to slip on book but it sucks - and I hate having to reach over to turn the light off - I will have to look for one of those - I usually read infront of the tv and when I can't hold my eyes open anymore I go to bed - Glad to know you aren't going anywhere :0)

Linda - I was 5'3 & 3/4 - always said I was 5'4 - but when they measured me for sleep apena test I was 5'2 so I have shrunk 1.75 inches :0)

I agree w/you I think we all wish we were Jessica's MIL - or at the very least - give the lady a wake up call - LOL she's going to take the credit - Loved it - most likely will

Cheese is something I really try and stay away from - I have some light baby bels - that are only 50 cal and then some Somona pepper jack wegdes that are 25 - I will put these in my 1 pot wonders but ya those calories add up fast

Plus you are still healing from surgery - and yep those stupid Cookies - I am still working off my Xmas poundage too - so don't feel like the lone ranger..

I got up and did 30 min on my new wii active more game disc - did steps arobics - worked up a sweat and burned 137 cal - will hit they gym tonite and get some more exercise - going to go for the elptical I think - I like the treadmil but think I need to mix it up some ..

Well need to see what's on my desk this morning - it's my short week so better get the butt moving

CBL

[Great2BThin 5]

Good morning, gosh last night I had one of those nights I couldn't get to sleep. I got up and played Suduko til about 1am and still couldn't sleep. I am going up to the rec center this morning to see my boss, he left me a message yesterday. I am sure it is about my lay off or hour reduction, pretty sure lay off. Not sure why it bothers me, I was thinking of quitting the place anyway. I'm not happy with how it's all been handled and I guess the fact that the decision was taken away from me. And I wonder why I am getting laid off and 2 employees newer than me are not, I think that's what bothers me most. However, one of the newer ones is full time and I do not want full time and the other works nights and I do not want to work nights. He knows that and I am sure that is why, but I guess I feel I should've been respected and been asked. Weird ideas in my head I know, just got to process it all. Will let you know this afternoon how it went.

Arlene, my grandma likes to pull the guilt card too. I don't think she realizes sometimes that she does though. It gets frustrating. For example, yesterday we were at Walmart and that is where she got her glasses which need an adjustment. I suggested we stop and get them adjusted, there was a wait. She didn't want to wait as she'd be a bother and I was tired. I told her over and over it was fine we could wait, I had no where to be. Alas, we didn't wait. Then later says how much her glasses bother her but she can make do. Also needed milk but didn't want to go get it in the back of the store, then later wants to go get milk and if I can't go right then and there she says how she'll go without, etc. Her excuse all the time is about not being a bother, but she ends up being a bother when she does stuff like that. And she pulls the taxi card for dr appts too. There's very few times of teh week I can't take her and invariably that is when she'll make her appt. I volunteer on Wed at the hospital and seems like she makes them for WEd all the time. Twice I cancelled on the hospital to take her after she pulled the taxi card. The last time Ijust told her, I'd be happy to take her if she switched the appt and she did, or she could take the van or taxi.

LInda, I have the opposite build. My waist is smaller, though do have a small pooch of excess skin below the belly button, but my legs are huge. I get the too thin comments but could lose 20 lbs more in my legs alone. I think those comments most of the time are jealousy. You do what's right for you and what your doc says is healthy for you and forget the naysayers.

sparkle, welcome. Fire away any questions you have and best wishes on your surgery.

[Apples2 19]

Warm front here....supposed to get over 20 degrees today. Woohoo!!! Quite windy so thinking that it will still feel warm. Have my lined wool sweater on with wool turtleneck....maybe it will do the job of keeping me warm. Paired the sweater with my consignment shop jeans. They were brand new Silver jeans. Found them a few weeks ago. Can try on and try on jeans in a dept store sometimes to try and find the right fit. Walked into that consignment shop and there were two pair just waiting for me to pluck them off the rack at $12/each. I love a good deal and even better, they are a perfect fit and makes me look like I really do have a rear end. Something to be said about a good fit. Actually, today is a "feelin' sexy" day for me.

Linda...good advice on the journaling of food. It does make such a difference. The thing that got me to the obese stage was "tasting" and not realizing what I was putting in my mouth. I did not eat huge meals. I just didn't pay much attention to what I was doing. Just journaling on a daily basis totally changed my way of thinking.

You were talking about skinny arms, legs and face. That will all even out over the next few months. I remember having the stomach a couple months b/4 goal and thinking that I would never lose it...was pretty sure of it. I said it was the "marshmallow on a toothpick" look. It did melt away though and I am better protioned. And, even more so today cuz I'm in my "feelin' sexy" jeans!

I also like what you said about eating over the holidays and fighting with just those few pounds you gained. You stated that you will not be so willing to succomb to the temptations in the future. How true. It's like we have these mini "Ah-ha" moments throughout our LB trip.

So frustrating that steel cut oats are so difficult for some of you to find. They really are such a good, healthy food to consume on a daily basis. I find that Walmart is so fickle in what they stock. I make a monthly trip (65-70 miles) with my list in hopes of getting what I want or need. There's always things that I got the month b/4 that they either don't have or have replaced with a different brand. I looked for the oats on Saturday when I was in the store and not a one on the shelves. Month b/4 I could have chosen between three brands.

When I cannot find what I want, I just go onto Amazon.com (I have free shipping) and order what I need and get 2 day shipping.

LauraK...My glasses and book are always on the nightstand...unless I get up to "P" and thrash around and knock them off. I'm always feeling around on the floor in the dark for them!

Cheri...it's nice to feel comfortable where we are at, isn't it? Just just keep in mind (not lecturing but I am sure Janet, Great or anyone in the maintenance stage will back this up) that a person needs to still be very diligent and aware. The only reason I mention this is because I do not want you to get two months after goal and become discouraged. You've done so great and plugged away and are so close to our goal.

Well, off to my 3 mo appt with LB doc soon. Just totally p_ssed off this morning. Stepped on the scale and I'm down 3lbs. Why today when I have to weigh in? I'm going to wear my boots when I step on the scale (I always do anyway). I have faithfully kept my cals at 3000 the last month since losing that 6lbs when I moved "mom's" apt. Oh well, I eat and I feel healthy...that's what counts. Maybe a year from now I will be the whiner on her complaining if my metabolism changes back.

Hope everyone has a good day. Where are you, Meredith...I need your flight info and cell # soon.

[Great2BThin 5]

Apples, I definitely agree about staying diligent even more so now in the maintainance phase. It's so easy to become complacent and before you know it the scale starts moving again in the wrong direction. I am so grateful I've been able to maintain since Oct and my first knee surgery w/o any exercise. I can't really count physical therapy as much exercise as it's nothing as far as calorie burning compared to what I did pre surgery. I think it is all because I've had to be even more diligent as to what I eat.

So you going to town to see your dr and what else in your hot mama jeans???

[LittleOleMeinFL 1]

Hi girls~

Just a fly by, but wanted to say hello.

Apples~ Glad you are feeling SEXY today! You go girl! And good luck with the appt.

Phyl~ Love the photo! You are really an inspiration for us all! Doing a fab job!!!

NY~ Welcome! And good luck (ahead of time) with your surgery! Best decision I ever made! I am 42 and wish I had done it 10 years ago.

Well, this a.m. I went to my son's school and volunteered. I was the "reading mom". Usually we sit outside with them in the garden, but it was way too cold for that and went to the library. The weather had all of them a bit too distracted today. Nelson also brought the snack today and we made homemade banana bread... and apples with carmel dip. (maybe too much sugar for these 5 year olds!) I had used 2 disposable bread pans (so that I didn't have to worry about cutting them this a.m.) and darn it if I woke up to find 3 inches of the end of one missing!!! DH helped himself to it! I was so mad. Men sometimes don't LISTEN! I told him last night they were for Nels' class. SIGH! One of the MAIN reasons I did it that way, was so I wouldn't eat any! I was so tempted to sample this morning.. but I didn't. Went to Starbucks on my way to school. Ordered something I shouldn't have (a sugary, creamy coffee drink) and as I was lifting the tray it dumped and spilled ALL OVER MY CAR! Me! Both seats, drink holders, floor mats. What a mess. And OF COURSE.... b/c I got one with sugar......... everything is sticky!!! Noooooooooo... I shoulda ordered the SF! That'll teach me! uuughhhh. Can you tell I am having a day? I still have to go finish cleaning the car. sigh.

ok girlies... I will write more later. Hope everyone is having a good day!

PS. Apples, Can you send the resort info to me one more time (or re-post)... DH is going to make our reservations tonight. I hope they have one more condo! LOL.. or I can share DS and DH. wink wink. Kidding!