I'm here to help...

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Happy Birthday Melissa!

Oh my I think I have spring fever already. Today is beautiful out. The sun is shining, it rained all night and melted most of our snow except on the front aka north side of the house. DH is out there now finally getting the Christmas lights and decorations down. It's been so icy and they were frozen in place. Tonight he is grilling steaks outside. Now you sunbelt folks will think we are crazy going with no coats, grilling, etc when it's only 49 degrees out but after the cold we've had that is balmy! I am seriously beginning to wonder if I have that disorder when you get down/depressed when there's no sunshine. I feel invigorated after my sunny drive to the mountains on Sat. and a day like today. Anyone know much about that? Suppose I could google it but not sure what it's called. I didn't get like this in Denver. But Denver has more erratic weather. Sure we had our extreme cold, like a week of 15 below zero but it was just as common or more so to have a week or more in the 50s to 60s in the winter. Here it is just constant 20's and blah no sun, inversion stuff.

Sure has been quiet around here. Even Janet has been quiet. Apples is too busy soaking up the AZ sunshine.

I am going to Denver tomorrow since I didn't go to Hawaii and will spend the day with Grandma. HOpefully I will get on the flight. Usually Tuesdays are good days to go standby but with today being a holiday for lots of folks many of the Monday morning travellers must be booked for Tues as the flights are looking full.

Just one thing to add to what everyone else has said about SAD. Vitamin D can make a huge difference. Take at least 2000IM a day. I've seen it as much as 10,000 IU pills. The minimum requirement isn't enough for those with SAD. It's made a huge difference for me. I also have some full spectrum lights that I read under and do FB and LBT under, and all my rooms are well lit with flourescent energy efficient lighting.

Have had grandchildren over nite and granddaughter is still over waiting to be picked up. They've been on Nick Jr. constantly on my computer, so no time to post. TTTYL.

Cheri

[1day at a time 2]

So I got a new computer monitor for my Birthday. Yeah I am so excited I am on it right now. It is a 22inch flat screen monitor. it is awesome. My monitor I had been using took almost ten times to turn it on. It hard a short circuit in the power switch and would shut off on its own all the time. I was dealing with for almost a year.

Anyways I wanted to share my present.

[Apples2 19]

Good Evening All....

Happy Birthday, Melissa...hope it was a good one and wishing you many, many more happy years in your life.

Laura....wow...what a difference your weight loss has made. You look wonderful. Glad to hear DH made it back all safe and sound and you are a family unit again. I know how important that is to you.

LauraK...love your new avatar photo. You are so cute. Cute as a bug in a rug. Good comeback lines for the ones you toss aside...LOL. Happy you are having fun.

Jodi...safe travels to you and Dassi. Have a great time with family and give Phyll and Janet a hug from me. And then, turn around and have them give you a hug from me.

Cheri....saw the photos of your little ones on FB. I have to tell you...that one little girl is her GM all over again. She has your jawline. Cute kids...good GM.

Phyll...funny story about the hotdog. Heck, when we were kids, we used to eat those nasty things cold. Surprising what we would eat back then. I'd have to be tied up and forced to eat a number of things now....hotdogs, bologna, liver, lamb, liverwurst, etc. I'm not a terribly picky person but some things just don't fly with me anymore.

Great...safe travels to you also. I love it that you have the opportunity to visit GM. You will never regret the time you give her. Have a good time and sorry you are somewhat blue. I am sure I do not have any inklings of SAD. DH's mother was one that it affected. Do what it takes to resolve those feelings. Last thing I want is a friend that acts anything like my MIL acted like during the winter. It was AWFUL... Thank goodness they spent many years in AZ.

Janet...you were quite this weekend. I must have missed something....hope you had a good one.

Melissa....try to get around those feelings of beating yourself up over "bad food". Allow yourself some once in awhile and get back to business. That's what this life change is all about. The biggest challenge in all of this is not beating yourself up. You cannot treat this as a strict "diet". It's life. You are doing so great to get back after things and come back here to share your daily life and feelings over food. We have all been there and have had issues with food. We are here for you....I guess you know that...you came back to us.

Well...Eva has done it again. Another great day of driving around and just enjoying the scenery. Tanker, DH and Eva and I. Was a great day. Thanks, Eva. The day started with us missing Eva and Glimmer coming over for a play date with Tanker. We got a late start on our daily walk and I forgot my phone at home. She came and left by the time we got back. That girl never seems to get ticked off by anything. Anyway, picked her up, went to a great Mexican restaurant and then hit the road. Met some of her friends and saw some of the property they own. Was a great way to spend the day.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring. DH wants to hang with Tanker. He feels the need to get in some biking and wants to take Tanker to the dog park. I think he is feeling the affects of sitting and eating and wants to keep a check on not gaining any weight. I am thinking of going to Barnes and Noble and then hitting some consignment shops. Will see what hits me after the morning walk.

I know I did not respond to all that has been posted or to all that are on the thread. But, remember? No guilt...I'll go with that....no guilt. Too busy being totally unstressed and that's the way I'm going to keep it. Love to all and safe travels to all and Happy Birthday to Melissa again and might check in later. DH's time for laptop and I am going to go shower and get relaxed.

[Apples2 19]

OK...something is sucky with our LBT site...will not let me edit. Not a good thing when I post cuz I usually screw something up.

Anyway...Melissa....disregard...I am not lecturing you about "bad food" that paragraph was for Meredith. Meredith...hope you got the lecture! LOL

[1day at a time 2]

OK...something is sucky with our LBT site...will not let me edit. Not a good thing when I post cuz I usually screw something up.

Anyway...Melissa....disregard...I am not lecturing you about "bad food" that paragraph was for Meredith. Meredith...hope you got the lecture! LOL

LOL I was wondering why I was getting the bad food lecture. You saw what I ate today didn't you. I knew you and Janet see all but wow your talent is amazing. Anyways off to go lay down and relax now that I am 35 I hear my bones creaking and I am getting sleeper much early these days. Just messin with ya, To some I am still a baby (right Janet)

Love you all Good night

[Apples2 19]

LOL I was wondering why I was getting the bad food lecture. You saw what I ate today didn't you. I knew you and Janet see all but wow your talent is amazing. Anyways off to go lay down and relax now that I am 35 I hear my bones creaking and I am getting sleeper much early these days. Just messin with ya, To some I am still a baby (right Janet)

Gosh, Melissa....you are exactly 20 yrs younger than me. Just a baby...I bet you thought I was off-kilter or something with that food lecture. Nope, just an old crazy woman. LOL. Congrats on the new computer screen. Fun and enjoy.

Love you all Good night

[sndycnrd 1]

Happy Birthday Melissa! Nice score on the monitor. I hope your day was wonderful.

[Charlene K 1]

Good Morning Gang! I am sure missing our Sheriff Janet. What up????

Apples, glad to see the green......sounds like you and Eva are having an awesome time.....wish I was there.

Melissa, wow! No excuse not to post.

Laura.....like the new avatar pic.......you are a pretty lady.

I am off to take DGD to Mommy's Day Out then weigh in at WW. I know I did not lose, but I did not gain. I am trying to listen to my body before I eat. I was hungry last night, but I talked to myself about what I had eaten for dinner......that I did not need to eat again. So, I took my Ipad to bed with me and read my daily Bible reading. It is helping me. One day at a time!

I hope you all have a great day!

[Apples2 19]

Good Morning All....another beautiful day here in Tucson. I am pretty sure I will not be going back to MN. Screaming and kicking is the only way (DH is standing over my shoulder reading this and choking on his coffee). Pretty sure I could put up with whatever summer weather brings. But, alas, it's just a dream.

Still not sure of my plans for the day. Walk with DH and Tanker first and then decide. DH went out and bought a bike so he could get some added exercise with the dog. That's their plan for today. I want to get a color e-reader so going to look into that. FIL's friend showed me hers the other day and it would be ideal for me. I am forever carrying a book or two in my purse.

Just wanted to say "Good Morning". Hope you all have a good day. Eva....have fun at school today. Admire you for enriching your mind. Not sure how you ever fit work into your life but know you are enjoying retirement. Call the realtor....want to take a look at the house down the street from you. (Yes, DH is still behind me....) Poor guy.

[IndioGirl55 32]

I'm alive - My stupid computer/mouse/keyboard - my mouse will work - but my keyboard won't - then my mouse won't work and the key board does.. FRUSTRATING - I need a new computer.....

I have been doing accounting stuff which takes me forever

Busy at work too - don't have time to post - sorry about sending you all that email yesterday - going too fast..

[ljv52 2]

Got an e-mail from Kaye Bailey who is the nurse practitioner whoo works with bariatric patients and who developed the 5 day pouch test. I have found a lot of her information very helpful and when I read this I thought it might help some of you. If you want to read more you can click on the link "5 day pouch test" below and you'll find her site. I hope it's okay to re-post it --- it's such good information.

<P done13="5">Three Keys to Lasting Weight Loss Surgery Success

Nearly a quarter-million people in the United States will undergo weight loss surgery this year to arrest their morbid obesity and lose weight. In spite of the drastic nature of gastric surgeries not all patients will reach a healthy weight and some may eventually regain weight they lost initially with surgery.

5 Day Pouch Test Store By Kaye Bailey

Nearly a quarter-million people in the United States will undergo weight loss surgery this year to arrest their morbid obesity and lose weight. In spite of the drastic nature of gastric surgeries not all patients will reach a healthy weight and some may eventually regain weight they lost initially with surgery. Obesity is not a simple cosmetic problem of excess body weight than can be corrected with surgery. It is a metabolic disorder where the body stores an abnormal amount of body fat. Bariatric surgeries help arrest the disease by reducing the amount of calories a person may eat and some surgeries reduce the amount of nutrients the body absorbs and stores as fat. The surgery does not remove the disease but with patient compliance weight is lost and obesity can be put in remission.

Chances for healthy weight loss and weight maintenance with surgery can improve with patient commitment to recovery. Patients must accept that the burden of treatment for their disease obesity is with them. Bariatric counselors tell patients the surgery is only a tool and it is up to the patient to use it correctly. This applies to all procedures including gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and adjustable gastric banding (lap-band). There are three pro-active things patients can do to use their tool wisely:

Use the Tool Wisely.

Lifestyle: Accept that bariatric surgery brings with it an entirely different lifestyle that you must adopt for the rest of your life. Unlike conventional diets there is no finish line: surgery requires an almost religious-like lifestyle change. Patients must follow a high Protein, low carbohydrate diet every day for the rest of their life in order to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. Patients will need to avoid simple carbohydrates including sugary snack foods and fried food. Snacking, when allowed, must be mindful including lean Protein and low-glycemic fruits and vegetables. liquid restrictions mean no beverages before or after meals and no drinking with meals: this helps the surgical pouch work correctly. Patients learn and accept that some things will make them sick, smells will affect them differently, and sometimes they will feel emotionally blue because of the irreversible restrictions of surgery. We have this life-changing surgery with all its restrictions and then return to the very environment in which we became obese: of course we suffer feelings of sadness at times.

Support: As with other life-changing disease, patients seeking treatment and recovery from morbid obesity with surgery benefit from support. While no one can understand another persons exact journey we can certainly share the collective experience of obesity, life long dieting and weight gain, and finally the somber decision to undergo treatment with surgery. While patients are likely to cluster to support groups both live and online before surgery and in the first year following surgery, there is a tendency to drift away from support groups as time passes. Evidence suggests, however, that solid support relationships are a key in sustaining personal efforts for health, weight control and wellness with bariatric surgery.

Activity: The inclusion of physical activity as part of lifestyle change with surgery will make a difference in the long term successful weight management of bariatric patients. Early post-operative patients are directed to get 150 minutes of exercise a week, that is about 20 minutes a day. Patients who do this and more will successfully manage their weight loss and weight maintenance. Patients who regain weight often admit they never really got around to including physical activity in their new lifestyle. Studies indicate exercise need not be strenuous or exhausting. Physical activity simply must move us beyond the normal motion required of daily life.

Weight loss surgery patients tend to idolize their surgeons and bariatric teams crediting them with restoring their health. But long after the surgical wounds have healed and the routine checkups are simply annual office visits it is up to the patient to own their surgical tool and manage it in a way that keeps their disease in remission.

Janet, glad to hear from you -- sorry about the computer problems - it's hard without it. Apples, yes, go buy one of the readers and let me know which one you decided to buy - I'm interested in them also - I just know for sure you want to be sure to get one that you can download books from anywhere (like Amazon) -- some of the ones sold at the bookstores are limited to buying only books from them (or so I've heard). Glad you're having a good time - lol I wouldn't go back to the winter either after spending time away -- that's why I don't plan to go until I don't have to come back.

Gotta run -- ultrasounds went well this a.m. Hoping to hear results today.

Love your new pic LauraK-- you look fabulous!!!

Love you all.

Linda

[JeweI 2]

I have an appt. with a new lapband doc. Just a consult to see if we can get along better. I am nervous about making a switch but I need to learn to trust myself. When the receptionist asked my docs name she said oh we have alot of his patients here. Not only are we not getting along but I wait atleast an hour sometimes even 2 hours before I am seen. I understand why his patients are leaving.

My MIL is trying to decide between mini gastric and lapband surgery. She is on 80 units of insulin per meal and is afraid of where her diabetes can take her. She tries to make her decision more dignified than mine by saying "I am not doing it for the weightloss, I am doing it for the comorbidities." I am trying to give her support thinking it may be something we can bond over but it ain't workin. So I am just gonna back off. She doesn't want to change her eatting habits. She only wants to "limit her portions". Let the docs be the ones to break the news to her that surgery doesn't fix this. We fix this. That way I am not the bearer of bad news.

Anyone watch Heavy last night. I am so thankful I had the opportunity early on to get this weight off. I also found it very inspiring. After I got Jake to school this morning first thing I did was run just because I can. Tom and Jodi were working so hard to get their weight off. I can do more.

After my last doc visit went so crazy I started emotionally eatting and put back on 5 pounds. I would try hard all day to stop my tail spin. After about 3pm I would lose control again. I am putting a stop to it today. If I feel the urge to eat I am gonna hit the gym again.

My brother and his family are flying in for a visit this week end. They arrive tommorrow afternoon. I am so excited. Also determined not to get caughtup in his drinking "challenge". I can out drink him but for weights sake I don't want too.

[Meredith2424 0]

Apples~ Thanks for the lecture! LOL. Even when I read Melissas name before it I knew it was for me! My whole point is that "events" and parties do not allow me to make my own decisions about what I'm going to eat. I'm kind of a control freak in the menu department and cook at least 4 time per week minimum and calculate all of the calories going in so I know exactly what I'm eating. I really want to get this last 20 lbs off and maintain, so I feel I need to be really strict. I'm glad I came back. Thank you for being there for me.

Melissa~ So glad you got a new monitor!!! Yipee! Hope you enjoyed your day.

Eva~ Keep being so wonderful to Apples, and all of us will be down there before you know it! LOL. Have a good time back at school! I'll bet it is so much better when you get to go for fun!!!!

Laura~ I must agree, cute pic!!!!

Jessica~ Good luck with the new doctor. It did sound like you needed a change. I hope it goes as well as you are hoping. Wait..... wasn't your MIL the one giving you the hard time when you were going to get LB?

Linda~ Thanks for the stuff from Kaye Bailey. I think it helps all of us with reminders like that. I'm so glad to here that your ultrasound went well. I will be praying for good results.

Janet~ At least with the e-mails we knew you were alive! LOL

Ok, CBL~ Meredith

[Meredith2424 0]

This site is harassing me so badly and posted twice, now it won't let me delete the post! It is forcing me to post somthing now! Ugh!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Lost my drive by post :0)