♥LovetheNewMe♥

Evening all! Home early today! Today I wished so one happy Fourth of July ! OMG the people on the other end of the phone call thought I was losing it. I covered well and said well I was upset becauseI summer was do short so I was going to pretend to live July all over! Do you think I have too much on my mind? Had a good day today , eating at least. I went back to Protein Shakes for Breakfast. 25 to 30 gms to start my day. Nice Halibut for lunch and plan chicken for dinner. No wine tonight, ;/( out until Friday. Carole I am glad you are liking the mountains. The Biltmore at Christmas is beautiful in Asheville. The fall in the mountains is also beautiful. Dawn it sounds like things are moving in the right direction, I know once you get moved your life will be smoother. I remember that empty nest feeling, it is hard that was the time in my life I picked up and moved to Kansas. Kids were all gone and I needed a change. Best move I ever made. BRB

You look great, I love the red dress!

Awesome NSV, keep up the good work!

Wow! Has it really been that long since I blogged, March 2013! Yes it has been a while. For those of you who do not know me, my name is "Love" and yes I still love my lap band 3 years post op. I am at goal weight and a normal BMI and have successfully maintained that weight for 1 year now. The questions i still get asked are: 1. How much is in you band? ( I have no idea, I have not had a fill since January 2012) 2. How much can you eat? I eat about a cup to a cup to a half of food, Most meals consist of protein and veggies. I am one of those low carb eaters by choice because i still have issues with carbs. One I love them, two they get stuck, and three I lost weight better by eating on the low side. 3. What can you eat? Anything, yes I can eat most foods. The issues for me are, if I chose to eat a slice of pizza it will fill me up much quicker and I will be hunger much sooner. I do eat pizza and small burgers or sandwiches occasionally but it has to be the perfect storm. My band has to be cooperative and I have to be relaxed and take my time. Not the type of foods I eat out in a restaurant. When I eat out I usually eat off the appetizer menu or share with my hubby or friends. I am a cheap date! 4. If you had to do it all over again would you do the surgery again? That would be a big YES, lap band has given me back control over my life and my health. It is true you are what you eat, I eat healthy now and I feel great. 5. Don't you think you are too thin? NO, I am a normal BMI. You are suppose to see my collar bone and I am suppose to be able to feel and see my hip bones. Geez world it is really healthy to be thin. 6. Do you drink protein shakes or eat protein bars? Yes, I still supplement with protein bars and shakes. I do not drink or eat them daily but I always keep a good supply of them around. It took me lots pf trial and error to find protein supplements I like and that taste has changed over the past 3 years. I found the most difficulty finding a protein shake I could stomach the smell and taste of. I personally hated and still do the premixed drinks, too sweet for my taste. I ordered off a bariatric web site in the early days and used a lot of unflavored protein powders. Today, I like Pure Protein, Frosty Chocolate and Vanilla. They are my base and I add flavorings, fruit, peanut butter and ice. I never use milk to mix with unless I am supplementing them as a meal and need the calories. How did I learn to like the powders, it was necessary, I needed to eat between 90-100 gms of protein a day when I was weight training and this was the only way I could get in the necessary protein to build muscle and loss weight. You see I had plateaued for a very long time and still had 30-40 lbs to lose to reach goal. If you eat too little you will not lose weight and your body will stop losing. 7. How long did it take you to lose your weight and how much did you lose? It took me 2 years to reach goal and I lost 132 lbs. I like many of you thought I would have my weight off in a year, boy was I shocked and disappointed when that did not happen. I stalled really bad and stayed the same weight for about 6-7 months right before my 1 year date. 8. Do you exercise? Yes, exercise is key to losing and maintaining weight. These days I am not as aggressive and obsessive as i was when trying to melt off that 132 lbs but I still exercise.You have to really work to find out how your body burns calories and how many you need to maintain. Figuring all this out took me months to figure out. I used a fit bit, my fitness pal and a trainer to help me learn to use my body as a fat burning machine. Fat and muscle weigh the same, a pound is a pound and a pound of muscle does not weigh more than a pound of fat. Use this as your vision, a pound of jello is your fat and a pound of chicken is your muscle. The mass of the jello is greater than the chicken but still weighs the same. That is why when you are exercising and toning you look smaller and the scales my stall. I know silly but so true. Also when you are exercising to build muscle and tone you need to be in your target heart rate to maximize your burn of calories. Losing weight is really a delicate balance of everything and is so much more than just cutting back the calories. 9. Since it took you 2 years to lose the weight why could you not lose it on your own? Well I guess the answer to that is yes, I could have lost the weight on my own without my band but I never, never could have maintained it for a year without my band. I view my band as my safety net, my inner voice, my conscious so to speak. It keeps me focused and honest with my self. I was a closet eater, if no one saw me eat it, it did not count. Sound familiar to anyone? 10. Do you have a lot of excess skin? No, I am fortunate and do not have a lot of excess skin. Do I have a nice tight, firm body. No, I have the body of a 58 year old women who lost 132 lbs and I am very happy with how I look in and out of my cloths. And believe me it has taken me a while to get comfortable with those words. Would I like to have some nips and tucks, yes it would be nice but my WLS does not recommend, At my last visit in June we discussed cosmetic surgery and he informed me that the benefits did not out way the risks for me. My surgery would be completely cosmetic, I have no skin break down or health issues from excess skin. So I am happy with me and my Victoria Secret Boobs! lol 11. Do you consider you are on a diet and do you get tired of watching what you eat? No, I have adopted a healthy life style. Have you ever noticed what skinny people eat, they do enjoy desserts and they do enjoy high calorie foods but they enjoy them in moderation. Moderation and balance is the key to maintaining your weight, learning that your body uses food for fuel and if your intake is lower than your needed use you will gain. So keep moving if you feel the urge to eat. 12; Do you drink while eating? Sometimes but only sips. Fluids fill me up and if I drink while eating I get stuck and PB or slime and neither is pleasant. I do not drink high carbonated beverages, I do have a soda stream and I do drink low carbonated beverages that I make using half a pump of gas I drink these only occasionally when I want to treat myself. 13. Do you drink alcoholic beverages? Yes I do drink Alcohol. I have had several bad experiences with alcohol during this journey and had to learn the hard way that alcohol and weight loss do not mix for me. I always loved martinis but have had to learn that one is not enough and two is too many. So I drink my wine and have an occasional martini on special occasions and savior the entire glass. Remember alcohol is empty calories and has absolutely no nutritious value at all and no a fruity drink is not a substitute for one of your fruits. I do not drink beer, I have tried and for me it is too fizzy and makes my stomach hurt and causes a lot of bloating. 14. Final question, what do you do if you get hungry between meals? Silly question, but here it is. I eat! I try hard not to eat in between meals and to not give into boredom eating or head hungry. I believe in planned snacks. Boredom eating is one of issues that we all have and feel and the sooner you learn to accept and deal with them the better off you will be. We all need to Analyze why we eat and when we eat. i eat when bored and like to snack late at night. So I plan snacks and makes sure they are low in calories or if high in calories they are packed with protein. I do not keep sugary treats around, I keep dark chocolate, protein bars, nuts, peanut butter and bananas, apples and pop corn for snacks. I have to seriously watch the nuts and popcorn and not have them to readily accessible. So this is my life on maintenance, is weight loss easy, NO! Is is worth the effort, YES! Do I love my Band, YES! Would I do it again, YES! Everyone's experience with lap band is different, there are basic rules yes but the key for me was finding out how lap band was going to help me. I honestly do not think about my band these days, it is part of me and how I eat. Small plates and small portions are just how I eat these days. Funny, most of my family now eats off a salad plate these days, I have quilted them into my feelings on why America is fat. Portions... Portion Control and learning to put the fork DOWN and give it 20 minutes before you go back for seconds. I wish all my lap band friends and family success and never compare yourself to others or allow others to make you feel bad about your journey. Me than: Me today:

One thing I forgot to add to my blog was "Friends"! Friends are key in your journey, surround your self with a healthy support system of friends,. If people are not supportive and constantly encouraging you to eat this is not being supportive, deal with them and their comments and excommunicate them if they can not be supportive. I have a network of wonderful friends, some I work with, some live in my neighborhood and some I have met on LBT My friends on LBT are truly the best and are always there for me and I for them. I can not stress how important a good support system is, this is a very emotional journey and really is about changing bad behaviors we all have developed over our lifetime. If your head is not screwed on right it is hard to be successful, after all when alone who sees you just ate that bite of Cake! Have a great day and have a shake and a nice walk in the park.

Kime, it is so easy to fall back into our old ways and into our comfort zone. Here are a few suggestions from someone who works a lot of long hours. Plan... Planning snacks and meals is key to being successful and staying on track. Yes it takes time and energy to get this started but it pays off in the long run and than you are not tempted to migrate to those comfort foods and allowing your head hunger to rule you again. On your days off take the time to sit down and plan some meals that will allow you to take the left overs for lunch the next day. Make yourself some healthy snacks and place them in snack bags in a container and keep in the cabnet or fridge. I keep my protein bars in the freezer, this forces me to eat them slowly and take the time to enjoy them. I place my nuts or chocolate in individual bags that are my serving size. I never trust my self to know when to stop eating because honestly who sees it but me and if no one sees it it does'nt count RIGHT. That was my old way of thinking and it is so easy for me to go back there if I don't stay focused. I like snacking as much as the next person so I plan. I have also found that if I allow myself to eat Pizza or a pasta dish I am soooo hungry in a very short period of time and this makes it hard. I work hard to eliminate carbs at night and focus more on protein and green veggies for nights. I always try to save some calories for night time because when I watch TV I want a snack some nights and I figure planned snacks are better than just eating anything and everything in site. My last comment is don't give up on your self, you have done a good job of losing weight and will continue to lose. Stress is unfortunately part of our daily lives and there will always be something that triggers us to eat or graze. Good luck and I know you can do this and reach your personal goal.

Early good morning! Been awake since 1230 this morning. Brain going ninty miles an hour. I have been on the web sit, visiting the forum and spreading cheer! lol I even wrote a blog.... See even writing run on sentences... Mom feel again yesterday, she feel at day care and hurt her knew. It was very stiff tonight and she was having issues getting around, I decided to stay home this morning with her while the guys work and go into work later in the day after they come home.Thank goodness I have a job that allows me the flexability to work from home occassionally. I got up and checked on her a couple of hours ago and she was talking in her sleep, Hubby thinks i am crazy and should be sleeping instead of surfing the web. Hope everyone has a great day today, going to try and get a little sleep before 7am. Love to all.

Please do not take offense to my answer but I had to chuckle to my self when I read your question, which is a good one, The easiest most honest answer is, it feels like a home depot bucket but actually it is the size of a dixie cup. Do not try to contain in a tissue, it can become very messy and ooz all over your hands and look very disgusting when it happens in public. Slimming can be very uncomfortable if you try to hold it back for long periods of time, it will come out and you can not hold it back. If you have every feed a baby formula, it reminds me of spit up when they eat too much and they are over full. Our slimming is due to food being stuck from eating too fast or trying to drink while eating. Or those times when a small piece of lettuce or spinach gets stuck. I have had more stuck episodes with salads and cooked greens than anything I eat. Again Sorry for the chuckle but I have to find humor in my screw ups.

You will always find negative comments on ALL web sites. There are those people who are successful with the band and there are those who still struggle and those who fail. I also was one of those people in early band days who wanted to be as informed as possible and surfed all the web sites to make sure I was doing everything right. This is how I dealt with negative comments and posts... I learned from them, What not to do." I am one of those people who believe you can learn from all experiences. I am also just shy of 3 years post op and have been at goal weight of a normal BMI for a year now. So it is possible but it takes a lot of hard work and there is as much work in the maintenance phase as there was in the weight lose phase. Learning to eat healthy and change behavior is challenging to say the least, but possible and rewarding. Good luck and keep reading and posting.

This looks good! Was the crust cruchy?

Eating out was more difficult for me in the early days but much easier now. It really is not about how much you can eat as much as how much you should eat and what your choices are. In my early weight loss days I was very OCD about what I could or should eat vs what was avalible to eat. I always make sure I eat at places that serve food that is actually cooked and not processed foods. Staying away from fast food is key to nutritious food choices. I never made a big deal over not being able to finish my food, I order off the appetizer menu usually or share with someone.. I have had my share of stuck episodes eating out but usually they were due to me not following rules, eating to fast, not chewing, etc. Learn to enjoy your new eating habits and start thinking more about eating healthy than what you can't eat and than it becomes more natural.Good luck in your journey.

Congratulations Mike, I never reached my so called "Green" zone until I lost my last 30 to 40 lbs and I was almost 2 years out at that point. It is a lot of work but if you stay focused and develop better eating habits it is possible. Wishing you much continued success in reaching your final goal.

Well I am trying to catch up with everyone. Janet, I am so glad you did so well with surgery and are now home and on the mend, I can't believe in 3 weeks you are doing the other knee. You are looking amazing my friend. I hope you continue to have a speedy recover. How is the baby, I have been reading that the date is soon, October? That will be here before you know it and you will be GMa all over again. Babies always make things nice, keeps us young. Mini, hope the studying is going well, I know you will do well on your exam. You are smart and so deserve this. Keep up the good work, I know working, losing weight, taking care of a family and trying to go to school is hard but it will be so worth it when it is all said and done, lot's of prayers and good cyber vibs coming your way tonight. Dawn, I just threw the mums away today, can you believe they stayed good all this time. I kept them sitting in the living room on my grandmothers singer sewing machine and they made me smile every night. You amaze me, you have so much on your plate with work and family and still take the time to reach out to a friend. You will never know how very much it meant that day. I am glad Ericka is hope safe and had a wonderful summer, I know you missed her and are so glad to have her back home and safe. I hope Audrey has a good night tonight, living on your own is scary and a big step for her. It is so hard not to run and rescue our children. I will say add her to my prayers tonight. . Hope your visit tomorrow goes well. Carole, I love the pictures of the leaves but I am so not ready for fall or winter. I bought myself a few fall shirts and scarfs this week so maybe I wold get in the mood. I will need winter clothes this year, seems that should make me happy. I always loved to shop but lately shopping is so far from my thoughts. How is the remodel going and how is Jack? Have you heard from your son? Dee, how do you do it? The kids, you work and help others, you help your husband. You are such an amazing person and such an inspiration to me, I look at all you do and never complain. Terri, thanks for always checking on me. You always seem to be there when I need you the most, I think you have a six sense! lol You made realize today just how MIA I had been. It just seems like the days are flying by. Well as Terri said above in her post I have been having some issues with eating. STRESS! I have had several really bad stuck episodes over the past week and have been doing a lot of Protein Shakes to supplement. Funny I got leaf lettuce stuck.... That is what started it all and than it was down hill. Yesterday and today have been better, I have eaten 2 meals but not nearly enough Protein, so I feel hungry, Had a snack of Peanut Butter earlier and it sit like a rock in my stomach and now I have a stomach ache. So how is Mom? Confused, but pleasant, she only tells me she hates me or has a temper tantrum once or twice a week. I try to remain Stoic but it is hard some days and I just have to walk a way. I must admit, shamefully but two nights ago I just wanted to slap her. She pushes you buttons just like a small child. She has the mentality of a 4 or 5 year old. I am working on child proofing my house because at any time I have no idea what inappropriate thing she may do. She is very difficult to hold a conversation with. I tried taking her out to lunch today and that did not go well. She fell last night coming from day care, I helped ease her to the ground but ended up hurting my back. So as Terri said, it is stressful. I am taking it one day at a time and please know that even though I do not post daily, I do try very hard to read and stay in touch, I know I am absent but please know that I do support each of you in your life happenings and add you to my prayers at night when i read about your stress. Hope everyone had a great Saturday, mine was good depict the set backs with mom. I have a much different outlook on life these days. I am taking each day as it comes. Some days are really good and some days are more challenging but one day it will all change and I will have new challenges to face. Love, prayers and cyber hugs to you all.

Believe in yourself and all these dreams will become a reality! Good luck achieving your goals!

I mix mine with Oranges, lemons, limes, cucumbers and mint. I could drink it by the gallons on hot days!

Morning, wish I could say TGIF! Been a hectic week, packing and moving, but almost done. Nothing new here same ole boring life, day to day routine getting to be pretty regular. Consistency is the key, two weeks without Aricept, less agitated but pleasantly confused. I guess you have to weigh all options. Who do we give them the meds for us or them. My motto stands, it is what it is! I think I become more cynical daily. Maybe age, maybe just the cards I am playing at the minute. Drawing up plans to add on two bedrooms and expand kitchen. What am I crazy but need about 1000 more Sqft so we can all tolerate each other. Janet glad your doing well post op and you look amazing. Terri, I sometime feel and do eat like a horse and than I have day where I throw up more than I take in, so goes the life of a bandster. Carole, glad your back and band intact. I hate these fall mornings, I want my summer back, I missed it some where this year. Dee, how is hubby? Dawn I love the new pooch on FB. Such a cutie! Mini, you are doing so well. Are you on FB? Gotta go morning starts! Gotta stop her before she plays in traffic !!! Love you all!

You have to establish the correct intake balance and exercise balance to consistently loss weight and everyone's is different. I personally had to eat very high protein 80-90 gms consistently, around 100 gms of carbs and exercise 6 days a week doing cardio and weights 3 days a week. Ihad many stalls along the way and some lasted as long as 5 months but I never gained and sometimes I lost inches. I do measure and weigh my food and count calories but more important I monitor my protein intake and portions. Be patient we did not become obese overnight.

Well as the sun goes down all is well in South Carolina at the Carper home. All in all not a bad weekend, started out a little bumpy Saturday morning but it got better. Eldest brother came up for 5 hours and took mom out, wasn't near enough time for me but I will take what I can get at this point. Cleaned house, cleaned out some cabnets and packed some boxes, weeded the flower beds, raked the yard and swam in the pool. Janet hope your birthday went well. Dee hope Charlie is behaving hisself and learning to eat better. I am glad things are setteling down a little. Dawn, love the pictures, bring back memories of college and how much fun it all was. Terri and Mini how was your weekend? Carole, looks like the graduation went well, hope your enjoying your time. Well going to go to bed early tonight, too much sun today and feeling a little tired. Hugs (((()))))

Janet hope you had a great day, wishing you many more Birthday's to spend with you famiy and friends, hope the pool party went well.

Quilt looks good Janet, hope every one is ready for the weekend I know I am. B)

Tonight is one of those nights when i wish my cyber friends lived down the street. Feeling sorta down and out of sorts tonight. Today was an emotional day. Took mom to the Geriatric specialist today and guess what we have Alzheimer's, NS Sherlock! Lots of cognitive testing and poor mama did poorly and I felt so sad for her, it broke my heart to watch her try so hard, she kept looking at me to bail her out and I had to just sit there. But the results are all confirmed for all to know and see, it is now written by two physicians, Mama can not live independently. Physician feels mom is on way to many medications and is stopping 5 meds this week and tapering off and stopping Klonopin and Aricept. She also stopped her HCTZ and her Zocor. We go back next week. She feels mom is at a moderate cognition level but does not feel she has Louie Body Dementia. Not sure what I was expecting, maybe a miracle, maybe just a little glimmer of hope, a magic pill. Well as we all know it does not exist. So tonight, reality sets in for me, I am the daughter not the care giver and feeling sad. I do not allow myself to be the daughter often because it is so painful and much easie to be the care giver. So sorry to ramble. hope all is well. Carole thinking about you and Jack tonight, I loved my Alex so much, I had to let him o 2 years ago but never a day goes by that I do not miss his sweat personality and snuggles we had. I find peace in the fact he no longer suffers and I know I did what was best for him in the most unselfish way. I wish we could be more human to the humans we love. ;-(

Hi everyone, hope everyone is having a good week. I am fine, just staying a little tired. Mama is doing much better now, she has accepted this is her life, she may not like it but she is trying and that is all I can ask. Finances are really very tight, some days I am just not sure how I am managing. Well actually I am not managing very well, but it is ok, money is not everything and as long as the bills are paid and there is food on the table what else really matters. I get tired of reminding my brothers I need money for pay ment for day care so I stopped asking and just pay it and do with out. An extra 1500 dollars a month is hard but it keeps Mama safe and I have piece of mind. I have almost talked myself out of moving and am thinking about just purchasing new living room furniture, a couch and love seat that make beds. Than I will have space for family when they come. Next week I may change my mind but for now, going to work on furniture and turning the carport into a Flordia room. Band giving me issues in the morning but ok by afternoon. Weight is still hold around 122-124. Mama goes to her appointment tomorrow with the Geriatric doctor, so we will see what she does with her medications. Big Hugs and prayers for all my cyber friends, you ladies are the best and I am so proud of us and all our success and how much we give to each other in the way of support. Honestly each and everyone of you ROCK! Love ya, night.

Busy today, cleaned out closet in family room, felt good to accomplish something. Even if we don't move, we need to pair down and get rid of some crap. took 8 boxes to storage so that makes more room for all involved. One day, just maybe one day I can get my room finished. Every time I get it half way straight we move someone Else's crap in my room and there it goes. The bath room currently is not usable due to all my husbands clothes hanging on the shower rod. We cleaned out the spare closet and there you go, room a mess a gain. So I cleaned the closet in the family room out and made room for all his suits and coats. We went and looked at a few places today, it was depressing. We looked at a house in the country, built in the 1940's it was perfect as far as space and size. All the bedrooms were 14 x 14, there was a fire place in every room of the house, not functioning to burn wood but electric or gas. Stone fire places floor to ceiling. And the ceilings were about 11 ft. Wow. Formal dining room, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, laundry room, pantry big kitchen. Bathrooms had been upgraded, kitchen, was awful, looked like it belonged in the 1960's. I loved the hallway, it was 8ft, room for book cases a couch or chairs and a reading light or table. I asked if I could paint the walls, original white wide molding and trim but the walls scream for color. The yard was Hugh, the front porch was aw some and a deck off the kitchen. We will probably turn it down because the outside storage was not adequate for Paul, the Garage was detached and very small and the half basement was damp. Disappointing to say the least especially for 1200 month. Good part of the day, my son grilled a London Broil, sautéed peppers and onions, roasted fingerling potato's and so we had grilled fajitas and potato's. It was yummy! well gotta finish laundry and get ready for tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week. Dee hope Charlie is stable, sending you lots of love and prayers. Cyber hug!(((())))))

Janet how are things with Angie, I hope every thing is ok with baby. Prayers for you and your family. Dee I hope Charlie is better today, we have all be praying for a speedy recovery for him. Dawn, I hope the doctor can help your pain and ease the back and neck, there is nothing worse than chronic pain, it tends to wear on us over time. Michelle is enjoying onederland, that was such a big hurdle for me and an exciting day all around. Carole, so glad got a good report and you guys have a great trip to Flordia. I will continue to pray for Seth and all our boys over seas and I agree I thought we were coming home! I guess others know more than we do but this has been going on long enough, wouldn;t it be wonderful if the world could live peacefully. Terri hope you have a wonderful day today, looks rainy here again. So tired of this weather. i went and looked at some houses yesterday but my heart is not in it. Hubby and I are arguing again, seems like that is normal these days. I just sometimes explode and no one understands why. I get so tired of being on stage all the time, tired of being nice and doing the right thing, it wears thin over time. Just frustrated, so this morning I feel guilty for my explosions and behavior. So hard to take back harsh words that were said in the heat of an arguement. So a little sad today and wishing I could learn to keep my big mouth shut. My day will start soon, Mom will be up and moving around soon. Hope everyone has a good day, going to be rainy in SC today. Love you all and lots of prayers for all our families and friends.

Congratulations Michelle, I knew you would get there. Woot! Woot! Party Time!