I'm here to help...

[jbflorida 1]

hi all--

The defrosting heater in the freezer went out. It was replaced and humming along just fine now. MEANWHILE, I had to throw away almost everything I had in the freezer. This was God's way of getting me to clean the freezer because recently...I had considered buying a new one rather than clean it. Lazy girl!

I know Nels is a special boy to the Tooth Fairy as he is to all of his "aunties" here. I also hope the Tooth Fairy is feeling better real soon. :-)

Eva, it sounds as tho you get plenty of exercise and a sense of accomplishment to go with it. Sometimes when I exercise, I remind myself that I am doing this for my "70's year old body." Exercising now will help that future 70 year old body stay well and flexible.

I made myself a nice Southwestern salad with shrimp. Two bites--stuck and PB. I waited a bit. Two bites and again stuck and PB. I waited some more and then, was able to eat the whole thing without any problem!!! What's up with that????

I am on a plateau with the numbers right now, but that's okay. I am making peace with food my #1 goal.

I'm going to go pet my puppy (who happens to be around 12 years old....)

xo

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Arlene, even though that white chocolate pudding is SF the fruit is not. You're getting a lot of carbs if you're using that much fruit. As low as your metabolism is I would think you really need to limit your carbs. Where's the Protein? Do you add it to your shakes?

Cheri, I made the dessert for company. I mainly eat protein, some veggies, and a fruit. I write it down. I have to count calories or I will go over.

Oh good! I was afraid I'd have to do a Janet on you. Whip you with a wet noodle. LOL

Cheri

[ocotillo 0]

I went to Sierra Vista to share in my MIL's receiving a 40 year chip from AA. It was a moving experience because it showed how much love a person can give and receive. There were people there that had traveled for hours to be at this meeting. There were people that had known my MIL for 30 years. There was talk of the community they had with each other and how they each helped one another through their rough spots and how their group was like no other because of their sense of love and community.

I had to share that with you because that is what is happening here. Not every group can sustain life over the years and you don't realize how special it is until you don't have it. The help and support is very important because we share something that can't be understood by just anyone. Thanks for being here.

Eva

[phyllser 3]

Good Morning all! TIRED!! Busy weekend. And I ate a few bad things! Weight is up a little this morning. Day trip w/DD & SIL on Friday...Sr. meat load lunch at Denney's, then we went to Chinese at dinner time and split a chicken stir fry thing with DD. Saturday.... 1/2 a pita sandwich at the local fair... Aquafest, and some fries. Yesterday took a long walk down Everett waterfront. Then did "Happy Hour" at waterfront place we like to go to. So... that's my true confessions! Deserve to be up this morning.. ate way less than I would have in the past, but still made some bad choices. Back on track this morning.

Having some hip/back pain from all the walking over the weekend. Have to go to PT in a few hours.

New message from Joyce.... she said she's down 2 lb.

Joyce:  July 25 at 6:48pm

yippee. Wanted to share. Thank you for keeping me alive in the group. Hopefully computer will be fixed when I return from vacation. Have a dog sitter here to care for Gizmo - my husband doesn't have the time or patience.

Thanks for helping me stay connected.

Joyce

[IndioGirl55 32]

Good Morning Gang...

Gwen - This is my take on counting calories - measuring food - keeping a food diary - I am 100% for it!! - Why you ask I thought I wasn't suppose to be dieting... You aren't - these are learning tools -

As fat chicks - we never read a label - we think a serving size is a pint of ice cream not 1/2 cup - ck out the serving size of your foods - it's usually a 1/2 cup for veggies - potatoes etc and 4 ozs for meat - For us a dinner out was the blooming onion - salad - loaded baked potato - 16 oz steak - hell just the calories in the blooming onion were enough calories for the day..

Yes the band will restrict your portions once you get restriction - but till then you need to be aware how much you are eating - but can you eye ball 4 oz of meat/fish - can you eye ball 1/4 c or 1/2 c - I weighted and measured my food for the first 3-4 months - now I can eye ball most servings and if I'm unsure I pull out my scale..

I also believing in learning the calories in the foods we eat - this is knowledge - if we are going to get healthy we need to know what we are eating the # of calories in it...

Again knowledge is power - a Reese pb cup has 230 cal in it and no nutritional values - 4 oz of cat fish has 152 cal -28 grms pt (rule of thumb 7 grms pt per ounce of meat) add 1/2 spinach 30 cal - you got 182 cal and a meal with nutritional weight.

If you are to lose weight it's all about calories in vs calories burned - if you don't know the # of calories you are consuming how are you going to keep them between 800-1200 to lose the weight -

Like Charlene had her metabolism tested 1300 resting - that's how many calories she can eat a day to maintain her current weight - so she has to know the # of calories she consumes so that she can keep them around 800-900 plus her exercise in order to lose weight

So yes GF you gotta count calories - you gotta exercise - sorry but no magic here LOL - you gotta do the work :0) and its work !!! You have to learn what a portion size is - you gotta learn calories 100 cal in a tbps butter - 100 cal snack pack of Cookies - which would fill you up more :0) - which would you skip ?? and to burn the calories you gotta exercise

Eva - Puppy is cute love her - hate the potty training - Andrew's good at it - So I am lucky there - started to take video of her yesterday - but got to busy getting beautiful - Plios in the morning - Nail & Toe - Shopping (weekly) then came home and covered the white..

Joyce - WTG - I think I may take up yoga - I love that part of the plios class - it's 7:30 on Monday and Wed - both are already my exercise nights (weight) and 7:30 is late - but wth - at 7:30 p.m. my butt is on the computer - better to stretch and get centered w/my body ... I may just try it tonight.

Cheri: - I don't count carbs in fruit or veggies - I'm not sitting down eating 2 lbs of cherries - I think of fruit and veggies as healthy foods (again you can over do healthy foods) What I consider carbs are starches - That's what I eat limited quantities of

For Breakfast - I'm having bing cherries & Jerky - lunch steak and hummus chips and some salsa (homemade) - dinner will be chicken and veggies - Snacks tonite - vanilla greek yogurt & ff cream - splenda & a little vanilla flavoring and maybe some popcorn..

Well need to get my butt in gear - so cbl

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Eva,

Very touching story about your MIL. Very few people make it out of their addictions. The ones that do usually have a good support group of others with the same addictions. And most follow the 12 steps to do it. Good for your MIL.

I've noticed that many of us on this thread have some acquaintance with the 12 steps. I myself have attended many Alanon, OA, and open AA meetings where non-alcoholics can listen to an AA member tell their story. Sharing your story is a huge part of recovery. We try to be open and honest in our sharing on this thread, not just about our food slips and successes, but about those things happening in our lives that could drive us into the food.

We also trust each other with our emotions which makes us very vulnerable. Yet sometimes we need to carefront each other and hold each other accountable. That's where it gets tricky. We don't want to come off judgemental but to sensitive people, we just might. We offer advice or options but we need to know that the other person might feel like they're being controlled. I always try to remember "take what you like and leave the rest."

Cheri

[Charlene K 1]

I went to Sierra Vista to share in my MIL's receiving a 40 year chip from AA. It was a moving experience because it showed how much love a person can give and receive. There were people there that had traveled for hours to be at this meeting. There were people that had known my MIL for 30 years. There was talk of the community they had with each other and how they each helped one another through their rough spots and how their group was like no other because of their sense of love and community.

I had to share that with you because that is what is happening here. Not every group can sustain life over the years and you don't realize how special it is until you don't have it. The help and support is very important because we share something that can't be understood by just anyone. Thanks for being here.

Eva

Awesome.......just gave me chills. I applaud anyone who continues to recover all those years. Sharing my life with all of you keeps me going. I count my blessings everyday that I have the best support team . Thanks for sharing about your MIL.

Cheri, put your noodle up! Not yet. Oh, when Dr. Davis starts viewing my journal online I will really have to walk the line.....no more pudding! Boo! Our weight mangement class will be online next month. He even wants to see our sodium intake. Talk about accountability!

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Janet,

I could easily eat a lb of cherries in one sitting. Or 2 lbs of grapes. Bananas are packed with carbs. Most fruit is a lower on the glycemic index than pure sugar, but not that much. So fruit does raise your blood sugar which makes you store the fat in the other foods you eat instead of burning it. We always burn available carbs first.

So for me, I limit the fruit. It's a trigger to my addiction and can get me started on a binge. Unlike veggies, which can make me pb and which never tempted me to binge, most fruit is very sweet and a real slider. And, as with all carbs, I try to eat Protein first to fill my pouch and to help keep my blood sugar stable. This is because I am pre-diabetic if not diabetic.

I find I can also eat more calories if those calories are mostly protein. If I don't have the carbs, I burn the protein and don't even store the fat.

I do shake it up with higher carb days, otherwise my metabolism seems to get stuck. The trick is, after a day or 2 where I've let myself have some treats, to get back on the high protein low carb thing right away.

I don't think we do things much differently than each other, because I know that you eat the protein first also, and then the vegetables, and after that you don't have much room for the fruit.

Cheri

[IndioGirl55 32]

Eva - I forgot to mention MIL 40 yrs !!!! WTG - yep lbt is our AA ;0) - I totally agree...

Cheri - you are right that we eat about the same - For me fruit isn't a trigger - I ate about 1 cup of cherries (10 or 15 didn't count) & 3 sticks of Jerky - and I'm full.

Trigger for me is REAL SUGAR - candy cakes Cookies and greasy foods - OMG I love bbq steak fat - I love a taco driping in grease - I love cooking my refried Beans in lard then adding ton's of cheese - these are the things I don't do now a days.. I use to go thru a tub of butter in a week - now it last a month -

Yep - I may have a day or 2 of more starches than usual then cut back on them for the rest of the week..

It's all about what works for you - each of us is diff in our metabolizams - some faster than others - some have physical limitations -- etc..

We are all working it.. We are all learning and helping each other every day..

We have made lifetime freindships !!!

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

OMG, where to start..... I've so much to tell you..... but first..........

Eva, how wonderful for your MIL, she must have been so proud of herself.... My DH is 34 years sober.... I never knew him when he was a drinker..... He drinks lots of coffee and can't conquer the cigarettes though he tries and tries...... So nice of you to tell us.... and

Yes, Cheri, I agree that we have probably all had some 12 step training in our lives.... I have...... congrats on the back-up singing.... I'd love to do that sometime....

Joyce, you have a great time while your gone and we'll pray for your computer.......

Phyll, glad you had such a nice weekend...... I did, too... Saturday, just an easy day and friends in for grilled steaks and potatoes and a good game of pinochle.... Sunday was church with a picnic afterward at the parsonage.... Then a nice nap followed by a trip down the river on the pontoon with friends and DD and her family.... Laromi and Bailey had so much fun playing on the sandbar and walking in the water..... It was a good day and I was pain free until later last night....

Judy, Judy, Judy.................. you are a hoot..... Sorry about the wasted food and extra work, but stuff happens I guess and we just have to get through it... Glad you made it....

Laura, congrats on the toothless boy...... I'm sure he's feeling is oats today...... Hope you feel better...

Arlene, the fruit dessert sounded good..... I'm not sure I would want my doctor to see what I write here.....

Well all you others, you're not forgotten, just don't remember what to say...... so I'll just tell you all my news....... Saw my Pain doctor today... the one who was so weird to me and said it would take 9 months to get into Mayo..... He scheduled an MRI of my left shoulder, but never even laid a finger on me to examine me.... Gave me more pain meds for a month and sent me on my way...... Lovely...... I did some shopping and that was exercise for me in 95 degree heat and 80% humidity...... Glad I'm home.............and when I got here I had a message from mayo Clinic... I called back and have an appointment with them on Sept. 9th..... 6 weeks is way better than 9 months..... I can make it until then I think.... I've been doing this almost a year now so what's 6 more weeks??!!!!!:bolt: No news from my GP or the administration yet... I was supposed to call them when I got my call from Mayo, but don't know if I should now or not.....

Well, better get things put away from my shopping spree... Got some things for decorations for the wedding... and some groceries..... and popsicles... I just crave them these days.... I think it's those dang pills..... anyway, I wish you all a great evening..... Hugs to all............ Julie

[llkb4me 1]

ALL RIGHT JULIE, YEE HAW IT'S ON NOW. So glad you got your appointment with mayo

[jbflorida 1]

Mayo--here's Julie!

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Julie,

That's fantastic news. Maybe they saw something the radiologist didn't on your pictures. It's certainly intriguing, especially the fact that the pain gets so intense at 2 in the morning.

Julie, the medicine may be increasing your appetite, or retain Water, but if you've never really cut the starches and sugars out of your diet, just that fact will keep your cravings alive. If you cut them out completely and really concentrate on Protein, the effect of the meds should be minimized. Cutting the carbs, especially the sugars and simple starches, has also been known to reduce pain, reduce cortisol, the stress hormone which contributes to belly fat, retain less water (think about all the salt in those recipes), and all kinds of other good things.

I know you like real food and no fake sugars but real sugar may be worse for you than the fake sugar because its triggering your cravings for more sugar-most likely more than any medicine.

You've come so far and you want to go to mayo and show that you're doing all the things you need to do to get healthy.

Try to stay on your meds and let Mayo evaluate whether they should be changed or eliminated.

Have you considered journaling your activities each day and your pain attacks that day? That might be very useful info for Mayo in determining the source of your pain.

I'm also thinking back to all the surgeries and treatments you've had, including the shoulder manipulation under anaesthetic, the various types of massage, and the chiropractic. Maybe you should try to write everything down in chronological order from the time you got your lapband til the present. You had two life-threatening conditions with emergency surgery didn't you?

Has your chiro submitted your history with him to Mayo? That shouldn't be left out as its part of your treatment, as is everything your pain Dr. has done.

I know I'm advising too much. Take what you like and leave the rest. I'm just so excited that Mayo agreed to see you its making ideas pop in my head.

Cheri

[IndioGirl55 32]

FANTASTIC NEWS JULIE !!!!!

I am so happy for you !!!!

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

Hello All -

I feel like I get a :present: every time I read all the posts. Thank you all for sharing what is going on with your lives.

I have a question - saw my GP today, and everything is fine. Thing is I am feeling quite lethargic, spacey at times, and and some new aches and pains. I do not feel like doing anything.

I did go to the gym today, and walked 15 minutes on the tread mill.

Is this normal after surgery?

I have lost 10 pounds since I had the band 12 days ago. That made me feel great :ohmy::thumbup:

I see the bariatric doctor tomorrow. :Dancing_biggrin:and am looking forward to that.

Well that is it. The 12 step programs are great. Congratulations to your MIL.

Gwendolyn Smythe