mdrai

Best wishes, Kat! That sounds awful! A picture-perfect day here... sunny, 72, no humidity, a light breeze... ahhhhhhh! I opened up all the windows & music on... a delightful afternoon... Uh oh! I hear the kiddo's coming up the drive... my relaxing time is over... time to jump into "Mommy" mode! Have a great eve, everyone!

Now off to aqua aerobics!

Why oh why did I wake up @ 4:30a & get up, come downstairs, make a cup of tea, & come into the office @ 5am???

I was banded 5/29/07 & am a stomach sleeper, too. I can feel my port, but it isn't painful, just there. I figure I'll be feeling it more the more weight I lose.

Sorry about the poker, but that's great about the slots, Laura! Let us know how your dad does... $20k is amazing! I tried those bullet things during my pre-op liquid stage... blech! They left a nasty film on my teeth & felt "fuzzy" in my mouth. Life is too short to eat/drink truly nasty stuff! I make yummy Protein shakes w/Whey Gourmet ice cream flavor Protein powder & Micellar Milk (van or choc) + some ice cubes... frothy & tasty & 40 g of pro... my fav is the pb choc flavor... I have that for breakfast just about every morning & it holds me 'til lunch. Laura, you should stock a drawer or the 'frig w/ good-for-you Snacks @ work so on days you forget to bring food you'll have it... South Beach Protein Bars, cashews or almonds, canned pro drinks, 100 cal packs, 2% cheese sticks, apple/ban, hb eggs... whatever... I realized while typing this that you probably don't like any of these things to eat... sorry! Just trying to offer some advice so you're not stuck in 2% milk & nasty candy land again! Doesn't sound good! Break time is over... back to work for me!

Phew! My friend kicked up my workout... she programmed the eliptical to do HILLS for me! Usually I just do level 1, flat & that kicks my butt... I had no idea about hills! Yikes! but I DID IT!!! :confused: :) 25 mins, 4.5 miles, w/hills! + I did 15 mins on the stationary bike before that! Man was I sweating -- I think I still am! What is happening to me?? Am I becoming a *GASP!* EXERCISER??? Maybe I'm channeling Terry! LOL! If she's the "gym nazi", then maybe I'm becoming the gym "French Foreign Legion"... ha ha ha! Once I think I can make it up the stairs, I'll go shower... may be awhile! TEENS, TracyKS??? I can't wait!! I'm so excited for you!!! Jen, you keep saying "liquid lunch"... whatcha drinking???

Good Tuesday Morn, Vi's~~ Working out on the eliptical this morning right after the school bus picks up dd, then working the rest of the day. Grey & rainy here... good weather for... just working! Judy, your pics are wonderful, thanks for sharing!! I'm traveling vicariously through you! First Disney, now Alaska... Jenn, continued hugs, m'dear! :car: That cruise sounds interesting... Janie, I'm watching your ticker!! Just 2 more lbs 'til that 100 mark!! You can do it, girlie! Pam, Wow! Those pics don't look anything like what I can see on your current avatar... to me it looks like 2 different people! Beautiful!! TracyKS helped me w/mine... she didn't post yesterday... where is she??? TracyK, 4 more lbs 'til onederland!!! If it was me, I'd be drinking shakes (protein, not milk! ) & exercising 24/7 to get it here as quickly as possible!!! Kat, It's always something, isn't it?? Keep us posted & good thoughts for you!! Make it a great day, everyone!

Good Monday Morning, Vi's~~ Oh. My. Gosh! I just returned from a 45 min aqua pilates class, followed by a 30 min Ai Chi class, followed by a 60 min aqua aerobics class! 2.25 hours of exercise! Me! I did that! Who am I and what have I done with the slothful gal who used to inhabit this body??? No, seriously, I feel GREAT but also very wibbledy, wobbley... wooh! (Oh, and this is going to be my Monday morning routine for (at least) the next 6 weeks!!!) Judy -- Glad you are back safe & sound & that you had such a fabulous time!! :eek: Terri -- Your necklace is gorgeous! What talent! Have a great time on your trip. oh, and to answer your food question, the answer is "yes" to both, I've cleaned out the kitchen of most of my munchie foods AND I also have to get to the grocery store today! I don't care for chips & such & that's what the kids enjoy now & again for the weekends, so that didn't tempt me... phew! Jenn -- God has a plan for your life! The hardest prayer to pray & mean (I think) is "Thy will be done." It can be hard to wait to see what His will is, though... Patience & Trust! Pam -- Could I come & live in your closet?? It sounds nicer than my whole house! lol! Hi Janie, Kat, TracyK, Househuntress, and everyone! Make it a great day!

Just checking in before I get going w/ the evening routine... Did everyone remember to send Laura good Violet thoughts today for her poker tournament?? Can't wait to hear how she did!!!!! (Tummy tucks for everyone??) I had the mental munchies all day today... good thing there's nothing around to physically munch! Couldn't decide what to do for dinner (my whole family is out at various activities... I'm actually home alone!), so I just whipped up a Protein shake so I wouldn't be tempted to overdo w/anything else... No matter how munchie my head thinks it is... My goal is to hit 50 this week!! G'nite all!

Good Sunday Morning, Violets~~ Up early for some reason this a.m.... dd is, too... & both dh & ds are still snoozing... the complete opposite of what it usually is around here! Errands & such on the schedule for today... + getting prepped for the week... Make it a great one, everyone!

Oh my gosh! Did you guys see??? We're the #2 Most-Viewed Thread on the WHOLE SITE!!! Go Violets!!

Wow! So many of us are at or near the -50 mark!! It's so exciting!!

((Jenn)) TracyK... isn't it ironic how I'm happy to be on the way down at 269 & that's where you started??? It's all relative, isn't it!? Think how over the moon I'll be when I get to where you are now!! Whew!

Good Saturday Morn, Violets~~ NSV this a.m.... "shopped" in my closet & "purchased" a denim jumper that was crammed at the bottom of a big pile of old stuff/stuff that didn't fit... was a bit nervous to try it on... didn't want it to *still* not fit!... but it does!... one might even say it's a bit on the big side!!... I know I was bursting it at the seams the last time I remember wearing it... I'm just glad to have something "new" to add to my clothing rotation... I imagine that the folks I see regularly -- at school, soccer, poms, PTA, the neighborhood, the grocery store... -- are sick of seeing me in the 3 or 4 outfits that comprise my "regular" clothing rotation... I know that I am! So it's nice to be able to add in something old that's new again... for me AND for them!! ((hugs)) Pam... when your supervisor wrote back that response, did you reply simply "YES!" ?? Today is dd's first pom performance!! + ds has a soccer game and dh is riding in his first bike "race" (a metric century ride)... and me? I'm just coordinating it all! Make it a great day, everyone!

-50! YAY TRACY!!! Wow! Fantastic! Yay! Great Job! Celebrate! That is a BIG accomplishment! Enjoy it! You did it! :rockon: :wow2:

Today's official weigh-in day weight in 269.2! Slow & steady!

Jen, Pam, Terry (& everyone else who needs one): ((HUGS)) ((HUGS)) ((HUGS)) ((HUGS)) ((HUGS)) That's the best I can do from here in cyberspace. No magic words, no wonderful advice... just my cyber-presence and friendship. Rant. Rave. Do what you've got to to let it all out I always tell my kids that we need to experience the full range of emotions, not try to always be peppy & happy, that it's ok to feel them all... Lord knows that anytime I've had a negative emotion I ATE it to numb it & look where it's gotten me! A fat "pleaser" personality... not good. Good thoughts for each of you!

Tracy, glad to hear dd is fine! and no, I didn't refer to myself as a fat "a**"... or "*ss"... I really said it. So much for the positive affirmations earlier. Maybe they should go something like: "I am a healthier fat ass." "I am a stronger fat ass." "I am a thinner fat ass." LOL! Now I'm just getting goofy! Time for dinner, then PTA, then bed. See ya'll tomorrow!

Laura that is hysterical! I forwarded it to several of my friends who are moms... what a hoot! Tracy... I got confused... first you talked about bms, then "elimination"... took me a min to figure out you were talking about Big Bro! ha ha! So I went to the meeting... haven't seen most of these folks since right after I had surgery... none of them knows I had it unless the town gossip told them (& she knows, so she could've)... and NO ONE says ANYTHING about my wt loss!! Booo! That's not right! 47 lbs & no one notices??? Bummer. I guess I *am* still a fat ass! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I'll try again tonight at the PTA meeting.

Glad to hear it went well, Jen... fingers crossed for you! Just threw together some stuff I had in the kitch for lunch & thought I'd share: 3 oz cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chix), 1 T light mayo, curry powder to taste, 1 rib of celery diced, 1/2 handful of cashews, 1/2 handful grapes sliced... mix it up & voila... curried chicken salad. It was mmmmmmmmm! Off to school parent volunteer training... seeing how I WROTE the whole program a few years ago, you'd think I'd get a pass on the annual "mandatory" meeting, but no... so off to school I go!

Hmmm Pam, that's odd cuz' that's why I LIKE the elliptical... it seemed easier on my knees/joints as it's a round motion & not just up & down... isn't that funny? (not ha ha funny, ironic) + I like the arms going, too... it just seems like it flows for me... I don't "count" anything, really... I just keep a general awareness in my head of each day's intake... I figure roughly 300 cals each meal, 15 or so carbs each meal, 25 or so grams of protein each meal... I tend to eat basically the same each day (well, weekends can get crazy, but usually the weeks are somewhat routine), so a protein shake w/micellar milk for b'fast, small salad w/3 oz of some kind of meat + lf cheese or a few olives or a t of sunflower seeds + spritz dressing, and a small portion (3oz) of whatever main course meat I make for the family + small veggie OR another pro shake if I'm really trying to drop the lbs (like now... I'm on fire to get to -50!). So really there's no math involved... just healthy choices! Gotta love the band!

Yes Terry, that's exactly what I try to do, sort of zen out on the thing. When I first started doing it I'd find that I was saying mean things to myself while huffing & puffing, like "I'm such a fat ass!" and it dawned on me that THAT wasn't good! :omg: I want it to be a positive experience, physically, mentally, & emotionally, so I started w/the + affirmations. I also do focus on my breathing and my muscles moving, etc... I think that mentality has come from the aqua pilates I've done all summer. Yay!

Thanks for the kind words, Laura! Yeah, I hate all work-out machines -- treadmill & especially stair stepper -- ack! But my friend got a gym-quality elliptical machine and I tried it and I love it for some reason, I don't know why! I started @ 20 mins and am gradually adding time & distance, today's was 25 mins & 2.5 miles! I guess the lesson here is to just keep trying different things & maybe you'll find something you like that you never thought you would! Cheese... mmmmm... there's a tasty topic! That's what I loved most about low-carb! But now that I'm trying to be basically low-carb AND low-fat, I eat only the skim or 2% cheeses. And not on crackers. Either alone or on salads. I'm like the food nazi, aren't I. Sorry!

25 mins on the eliptical -- an all-new record for me! My mantra while on it is: "I am healthier. I am stronger. I am thinner. I feel great! I look great!" About 1/2 way through, sweating & huffing & puffing, I shut my eyes & repeat that over & over & over... Now to get some work done!

Good Thursday morning, Vi's!~~ The scale was kind this morning & I'm now in the '60s! 269.7 -- I'm taking it! So that's what, -47.3! Slow & steady... small good food choices + exercise = success! Eliptical time! Make it a great day, everyone! GOOD LUCK, JEN!! Hang in there Terry!! Best wishes for the dr, Tracy! Hi Kat & Pam & Laura & everyone! BBL.