I'm here to help...

[Apples2 19]

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???

THESE ARE NOT "YOUR MOTHER'S JEANS"! Me and my jeans will go to my appt and then head to the mass clinic to get an H1N1 shot. It just became available in our area and the only way to get it is to stand in line. Just hope for not too long. Fun afternoon, huh?:thumbup:

[Apples2 19]

Laura...I booked through Stayflorida.com and you just click on Tuscana.

God dumped your sugar drink, Laura!

Edited January 12, 2010 by Apples2

[Apples2 19]

Laura...I booked through Stayflorida.com and you just click on Tuscana.

God dumped your sugar drink, Laura!

Direct booking #is: 877-448-8722

[ljv52 2]

OMG, I just realized in my post I told Julie I found the oats in my "Ralphs" store. LOL I lived in So. Cal. too long - haven't been to a Ralph's in 6 years. Should have read "HyVee" - you know you're getting old when you make slip ups like that!! Wow. Apples, good going on those jeans -- thanks for letting me know about how your belly size went away as you neared goal. I have really been concerned that mine will stay and not melt away, so thanks for reassuring me. Lori, hope your meeting goes okay with boss -- hopefully by you showing up in person and making him look you in the eyeball will teach him a good lesson -- he didn't handle this very well and I hope it makes him uncomfortable.

Laura, poor girl -- sorry you had the problem with the drink -- what a mess -- you must have been rushing -- sorry that happened.

Well, I did 120 mins. of walking/jogging/walking with weights, etc. Ready to eat lunch. CBL. Linda

[Charlene K 1]

Checking in......Oh what a beautiful day! 60 and sunny! Took mama to the doctor.....she is all good. Then drove back, stopped and got me a BBQ rib.....not good. I am sitting here sliming. When am I going to learn to slow down????? Okay ......TMI. I am so happy for all of you going to Florida. Maybe next year for me.

[IndioGirl55 32]

Laura - it was a God Smack that made you spill the coffee (yes he was telling you - you didn't need it lol)

Apples - NYDJ are normally $98 !!!!!! I got one pair at Ross for $39 and thought I had a deal :0)... You go girl...

Great - Cant wait to see what boss has to say - I want you to come to FL

Linda - WTG on your exercise

Well just a drive by to see what's going on

AMERICAN IDOL TONITE !!!!!

[LittleOleMeinFL 1]

Laura - it was a God Smack that made you spill the coffee (yes he was telling you - you didn't need it lol)

Apples - NYDJ are normally $98 !!!!!! I got one pair at Ross for $39 and thought I had a deal :0)... You go girl...

Great - Cant wait to see what boss has to say - I want you to come to FL

Linda - WTG on your exercise

Well just a drive by to see what's going on

AMERICAN IDOL TONITE !!!!!

Yes, agree with you and Apples about the God smack. What a mess. But I also was rushing. THEN.... I washed Nelson's sweats from yesterday without checking his little pockets! ugghhh! Babybel cheese red wax covering... ALL OVER THE LOAD OF CLOTHES! How do you get THAT out of the clothes?! He keeps making animals and boats and such out of the covering! Then, got an "incident" report from his teacher that he broke a little girl's headband and refused to apologize. So... we bought her 5 headbands with HIS allowance and wrote a thank you card. I also was pouring a bag of rice into a tupperware...... yep, you guessed it... ALL OVER THE KITCHEN FLOOR! And of course, after my girls were here cleaning all day. I have got the dropsies.

Nothing that a good dose of American Idol can't fix!!! : ) I can't wait. Bummed that Simon will be leaving after this season.

Spoke to my Mom a bit ago and she said Dad is not doing well. The chemo on Monday (2 diff chemos) is really affecting him. He has bone aches and is nauseous. He didn't feel like talking to me for two days now. His labs look good and he start peeing normally for a couple days. Perhaps the chemo is starting to work. The oncologist told him not to have too much hope, that it could be the steroids doing it. Why do they have to say that??

ok guys, need to encourage the little man to get to bed on time tonight.... CBL.....peasout.

[JeweI 2]

Sorry I have been MIA the past 2 days. School started yesterday and I have quite a load this semester.

I had my post op appt today. The doc said I should have lost more weight post op. He also said to expect to slip up sometimes but don't give up. I did eat some Soup with carbs in it post op so I know thats why I wasn't down as much as he was expecting.

I had a tough day today. The doc cleared me to go into the soft food stage. So I tried eatting somethings that were on his list of "soft foods". I know I am suppose to chew, chew, chew. I was so scared of getting stuck I really felt like I had chewed enough but apparently I didn't. I got stuck both at lunch and at dinner. What a horrible feeling. I thought I was gonna die. I ate dinner with my son so he kinda freaked out when everything came back out. Shesh, I freaked out. I am feeling really discouraged right now. I guess breaking up (with food) really is hard to do. I just want to get a big bowl of mashed potato's and go at it. Even that would hurt though. Anyway, I will just get up in the morning and try try again. Being a fat chick I guess I'll fiqure out how to get some food in me. I think I am gonna use the blender on my food a bit. I am really sore too from all the swallowing, gaging and everything else. Too sore to eat anything tonite.

I did resume excercising on sunday. My incisions look good. I didn't even need tylenol today until after dinner. I am back to sleeping on my tummy. I am healing from the surgery now it is time to do the work.

[Great2BThin 5]

Greetings from the now officially unemployed. I went to talk to my boss this morning, pulled into the parking lot, his car is there, but he is not. He went with someone else there in their car to Office Max or something. So I pedaled a stationary bike for 10 min. for therapy (my therapist said this was the most important thing for me to do on my own for my knee bend, etc. so will start going there to do that as I scale back on therapy). When I was walking out to the parking lot, he pulled in so we just talked in the parking lot. I am chalking up to how poorly this was handled to his age and inexperience (sorry younger gals I don't mean that as a slam to the young, just that my boss is well not as mature or experienced as he could be). He was so torn up telling me that he was almost in tears and I think he truly thought he was taking into consideration everyones lifestyles and desires when he made his decisions, problem some of that wasn't his decision, in his mind he was trying to make it easier and justify the moves made. Also after venting to DH last night he helped put it into perspective to me. It wasn't my boss's decision to lay me off, someone above him is directing him. DH many times has to enforce decisions made that are tough and he doesn't like. So that helped. Anyhoo, when summer comes or things change he will call, I am still considered 'an employee' just have no hours right now. I told him I would be okay as we didn't rely on my income it was so puny anyway.

God's timing is amazing however, I got another phone call this morning from the hospital I volunteer at. Seems there might be an opportunity there for 8 to 16 hours a week and would I be interested? Heck ya!! Get paid for what I am volunteering and doing anyway. So she had me send a letter of interest and resume to her boss and is trying to fast track me in. Of course, they still have to post it and it's not mine yet but might be. And DH found out yesterday he might get an awesome bonus. So a few things in the works.

Now on to important things, I want to kindda look at this FL trip, thanks Apples and Janet for allowing me to crash on your couch if I come. I ignored the details as I wasn't going and there's so many pages to scan. You are arriving on Thurs. and leaving on Sunday right? I think that's what I remember but then I got confused seeing as how it was Pres. Day weekend and Monday was the holiday thought maybe it was Fri to Monday. I will go on my free flight benefits if I go and have to see how full the flights are.

I broke down and called the knee doc office today for another refill on my vicodin. I was almost out and still needing them and felt like a whimp but then remembered I took them til about 6 weeks out on the last knee and I am not even 4 weeks yet. No sense being a hero though I hate the side effects.

Also, decided to call and get a fill on my band, that is Friday. Think I will ask for 1 cc and see how it goes. They took 5 out in the hospital so it's no where near what I had and I like where I am at now, just starting to eat a little too much and feeling hungrier than I have and it's concerning me. Weight is steady though.

Well gotta go watch Biggest Loser, I was so torn over what to watch that or American Idol. DH records NCIS so I couldn't record the one I don't watch so you'll have to fill me in on American Idol. I am excited about Simon leaving actually for this new show he is developing. I heard today he wants Paula to be a judge on it, might be good! I liked the 2 of them together. I think AI is in trouble w/o both of them.

[Apples2 19]

Great...the dates are Feb 11-14...3 nights. Excited that you are looking at the possibility of joining us!

Sounds like the job situations might just turn out to be a win/win for you. Change is good. Getting up at 4am to go out and work is bad. Hope you slip into that new job and love it.

Any other questions regarding FL?

[1day at a time 2]

New photo from yesterday and before photo

Phyllser i love the pic WOW and never really paid attn to how much weight you lost I just new it was a lot.

All the newbies - Welcome and ask away any questions we are all here

Apples, Janet and all the Fl trip peeps, - Okay I am coming but no longer with my mom. I am coming with my BF Theresa. She is coming to support me and also wants to go to a theme park one of the days. So i just want to let you know I am still coming and still with i other person and her and I can still share a room like I was going to do with my mom if needed so more people can come.

[sharlene 0]

my name is sharlene and I got my band on Dec18, 2009 and I have only lost 22 pounds, am I doing ok or not.

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Sorry gals if I wasn't clear about muscle and fat. Of course muscle is denser than fat. So a lb of it is smaller. Which is why, though my weight loss has slowed as I approach goal, with the fat being replaced by muscle through regular exercise, I look like I've lost more than I actually have.

Don't worry, everyone. I plan to lose the three lbs and give myself a 5 lb cushion to be lost very slowly as I transition to maintenance. I am all too aware that 7 months is not enough to permanantly change a lifelong addiction. The real battle is before me.

Being content with who I am is not the same as complacency. My Dr.'s goal for me was 170 # which at my height and weight and build puts me exactly at the correct BMI. I chose to make it an even 70# loss by making my goal 167#. Wish I could give my last three lbs to you, Apples, permanantly. LOL.

Being content with who I am means I won't get sucked into losing too much and then rebounding as a result. Being content means I'm accepting of my exercise limitations and arthritis and of my age wrinkles and laugh lines and overstretched skin and varicose veins and all the things over which I have no control (and no money to fix them, either, LOL).

Being content means when people compliment me or say things they think are compliments, after I get over being startled, because I forget I've lost the weight, I laugh and say, "Thanks, I have lost weight."

If they express concern that I might get too thin, I just laugh and say, "Not a chance of that happening."

So much of beauty is attitude. I've got my athletic walk back and I carry myself with confidence and I am a smiler and laugher. I know how to dress and use make-up and fix my hair in flattering ways. I may even be a little vain LOL.

I know I look good again. Apples, I feel sexy in my clothes too (not naked, LOL). I was blessed with a very balanced figure, actually. When I was younger and thinner (but not skinny) I've heard it described as hourglass and svelt. The last few lbs and the reshaping have really melted a lot of the belly fat and given me curves again. I'll never be as thin through the middle as I was, but that's part of the aging process. Even the thinnest women seem to thicken through their middles while their hips look thinner, and extreme exercise seems to make them look even straighter. They lose their curves. I like having curves.

After 3 big babies (biggest 10 lbs.) a hysterectomy, and a big gain and loss leaving me with a lot of stretchmarked flabby flapping skin, I'll never have a tight trim waist or belly, but my curves are back. The men are looking 2 and even 3 times. For 58, that ain't bad.

Phyll, I saw your pics on FB. Fantastic. You go girl!

Laura, all I can say is, "Momma said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this Momma said, Momma said." Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt and had it framed.

Sparkle-welcome.

Some of you who I'm wondering about probably have posted while I spent 2 hours writing this. American Idol LOL.

Cheri

[Charlene K 1]

my name is sharlene and I got my band on Dec18, 2009 and I have only lost 22 pounds, am I doing ok or not.

sharlene.......You are doing great!!!!!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[Apples2 19]

my name is sharlene and I got my band on Dec18, 2009 and I have only lost 22 pounds, am I doing ok or not.

Hey Sharlene...welcome and congrats on being banded. I would say you have done quite well!