Sharpie

okay here you go. he raises cattle and is a good country guy.. he makes me laugh every day and tells me I am beautiful every single day. Life has a funny way of changing around. I am so grateful that he came along when he did..

don't rule anything out gals.. at 70 I wasn't thinking I had enough bait to attract a man.. but he came out of nowhere. he is divorced has been for many years, raised his sons on his own, he loves to dance, karoke and play poker it was like I hit the jackpot. he's also not bad looking in a Kenny rogers kind of way . I will post a picture .. when I get it off of my phone

I am checking in to see how everyone is doing. I have been mia for awhile. looks like I"ve missed some drama though. so my life has been going better after all the terrible things that happened last year it looks like this year might be better. I met someone right before my birthday Dec 8th. we had known each other through our mutual poker club . He thought I was married and I thought he was in a relationship. We ran into each other at a club when My best friend and I were out celebrating my birthday. He is such a great guy and we just clicked. he says he thinks I am beautiful which is so amazing anyway so far so good we are still together and having a great time. I am still at my goal weight, feel great and am going to my surgeon Feb 5th to talk about skin surgery. I need to get rid of my apron. boyfriend says doesn't matter to him but it does to me.He says he will take care of me when I have surgery.. amazing that there are still wonderful men out there especially my age. I hope you all are doing well and I will check in from time to time... still love my band have had no issues and feel so lucky to have had it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. After three Thanksgivings with my band I am so thankful that I have been able to maintain my weight loss almost 4 years. I will enjoy cooking and eating today with no guilt I am thankful for my children and grandchildren. This will be the 2nd Thanksgiving since my husband's death and I am grateful for all the wonderful memories we had in our 39 years of marriage. I still miss him everyday but I try to think of something happy everyday. Best of all my health is so much better because of my band. Do all the things you can do while you are able to do them. Life is short and there are no guarantees . I am cooking today and with my kids help we will have a happy day. Love to all my banded buddies.

yes women are easier to get to know because there is no worries about whether they want to hook up. I have been playing in poker tournaments they are charity events but men somehow only want to see if you are on the hunt. Which I am not. the women who are there are more interested in forming a friendship. I am doing okay for the most part still have my bad days when I can't believe I am actually alone. But I am blessed to have my health and family. talked to a local lady whose husband died in his sleep back in March. She is only 73 and has so many health issues , she is obese, has diabetes, is on oxygen full time and has kidney problems. I feel so lucky when I hear about how difficult her life is. Still maintaining my weight and except for arthritis I feel pretty good. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. It's only one day and thanks to my band I won't over eat.

Been praying for you all along. So Happy for you and your new start. Enjoy your new home.

woo hoo Liz was a great trip. I am so jelly. I am thinking about a trip this spring or summer but don't know where. I am kind of looking into a senior tour maybe. I of course don't have a partner so unless my best friend wants to go I'm going alone. She still has her husband and she has been vacationing with me for the past several year so she needs to spend some time with him.

Wonderful for you. I have not been to Hawaii yet but hope one day I can go. It's still warm here in Fla. so would like some cooler weather. Enjoy your vacation.

So happy for you sweetie, it's been such a long hard road for you. I am proud of you for getting through it. After my year of losses of my loved ones I know that any loss no matter though death or divorce can be emotionally draining. But life does go on and life can change drastically. Enjoy your new life and take care of yourself.

okay banded 1/15/13, starting weight, 200 lbs. 5' 0 " tall, 66 years old, current weight 127 69 years old. huge benefits to loosing and maintain weight. no longer diabetic, no longer on medication for cholesterol or high blood pressure,

so happy for you. Also so very proud of you for staying strong. it's very difficult no matter what the circumstances to get divorced . You now can concentrate on your future.

OMG , I am so sorry. hope you have a good judge who will see Mr. Wonderful for who and what he is.

Horray Chic Fil A has chicken tortilla Soup.. This soup was one of the things I ate back right after my surgery in 2013. 260 calories for one cup, 29 carbs and 22 Protein. it's filling and delicious. I am excited to get my first cup of the season tomorrow.

I know you will be relieved to have it over. It sounds like it was a very difficult divorce. I only hope health and happiness for you in your new life. Have fun, do things you have always wanted to do. Life is so short and the best might be around the corner. Fingers crossed you will be a free woman on Tuesday.

almost 4 years for me as well. I have had zero complications. I know I can eat things that are not healthy and every now and then I will eat something like a small piece of pie or ice cream on a special occasion. but overall I stick to Protein , eating slow and chewing well. it has almost become second nature to me. I never drink while I eat and I don't take any aspirin products. I think all WLS has failures it's not just the band . Every surgery is a tool and it is not a cure all. I have friends who have had bypass and sleeves some do very well some fail. it's more mental than physical. The one thing I can attest to is my band reminds me when I eat too fast and something like dry chicken. I have maintained my loss for a few years and I am eternally grateful for my band. I wish success to each and everyone whatever surgery they have . Life with good health and normal weight is so much better than having to take medications to try to control diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol .. at almost 70 years old I hope I can continue on for many more years.

You all are so sweet to respond with love and advice. Liz you are right my Bill wanted me to live life as full as possible. he told my best friend to make sure I did all of the things I loved, he knew he was not going to be with me much longer. My daughter and I had coffee this morning and laughed and talked about him and some of the great memories of him we have. It helped her and me get through the day. She took her Dad's death very hard. I hold him in my heart too and try to make him proud of me. I am blessed to have close friends and family to surround me with love. I also have my WLS sisters too. Love you all for caring.

Good Morning friend.. Today is a rough day for me and my family I lost my wonderful husband of 39 years one year ago . I have been up and down all year due to other losses of close family members so I am hoping the next year will be a better one. On a positive note My best friend and I just got back from Cranbrook, Canada, we stayed at a guest ranch and rode horses all week. It was a great experience and we enjoyed the views of the Canadian Rockies and beautiful rivers. We flew into Montana and spent a few days and went on a tour of Glacier National Park. I actually lost a few lbs while on my trip which makes me happy because I didn't worry about it all week. I ate what I wanted but generally didn't do bad. Had the best elk chili ever in Whitefish Montana. The food at the ranch was great too. I am feeling grateful for my health and weight loss because I chose the band in 2013. Had I not done that this trip would not have been possible for me. Glad to see some cooler weather here in Florida, the weather in Canada and Montana was beautiful and cool. Gave me a chance to wear some winter clothes.

I have a beautiful step daughter who is obese, She is smart and has a good husband and kids and teaches 2nd grade. I worry about her health and her Dad was always telling me to talk to her about her weight. I just didn't want to go there . She knows she has a problem I don't need to tell her. She lost 85 lbs last year but put it back on and then some. She has tried bless her heart, I just want to say please do something now before you develop serious issues. She has gone back on her diet and is on myfitness pal so she sees my posts. She knows I Had Band surgery and I hope when and if she decides to take the plunge she will ask me about mine. Until then I'm just waiting.

so good to see some of you are back. I haven't been too active lately either. Had things going on that kept me from being very motivated getting ready to go on vacation soon, going to a dude ranch in Canada, stopping in Montana, touring Glacier National Park and then to the ranch for a week or riding and rafting and eating good food. I have added a few lbs also just purely didn't care. had so much depression and sadness to deal with, but I know I have to take care of myself too. Hope you all get back on track and will hope we all have good things happen the rest of the year.

probably one of the most difficult things to adjust to is cooking for myself. After my husband died I was lost and just ate lean cuisines or take out. it made me gain weight. I have been working on getting myself back on track. for Breakfast I have low fat corned beef hash with a egg on top, sometimes high Protein oatmeal. I do not eat much bread at all. I also make homemade soups and chili. . problem I have is eating it until it's gone. I also grill or bake chicken thighs and make vegetables. I will cook for my kids on Sundays often and then I can make a big meal like I was used to.a lifetime of cooking big meals is difficult for weight management and just plain hard to break that habit. I am getting better with time though. Everyone's ideas were great .

Lisa I am so sorry about the loss of your Dad. it never gets easier no matter what. I know firsthand about loss and it does mess with your health and well being. I am praying that you resolve your heath issues and are able to get back on track to good health. Keep the good memories alive and be happy he is in a good place. I know my bill is no longer in pain and we Celebrate his life every day.

Debbie so glad you are okay. Girls I think I am going to enjoy the new Red Car and it was a step forward .Shingles are so painful and just plain makes you feel crumby. If you have had chicken pox make sure you get a shingles shot wish I had but I will get one once this is over . positive note, my best friend came down from Alabama to make sure I stay down and out of the heat. She is a godsend. She was worried about me getting depressed so she just decided to stay with me a few days. we're just hanging out, watching tv and playing board games.

I buy my gummy vitamins at Walmart. Ive been banded almost 4 years no problems with vitamins. b12 you can buy in dissolvable.

I found out today I have shingles. My eye was puffy over the weekend, thought maybe it was allergies but it got worse and I had a horrendous headache. anyways another hurdle. The only good thing is I am really not hungry but I have to eat something because of the medication they put me on. I hope everyone else is doing okay and I'm looking forward to a better week next week. On the good side I was able to sell my husband's truck and I traded my 2012 car in for a new "red car" never had a red car before. changes are bittersweet sometimes. Id rather have my beloved Bill back than a new car but I have to keep on with my life. I only have a month to go before I will be going to Canada on my Dude ranch vacation with my best friend. Other than shingles life is okay for now. Hope everyone else is doing good.

Praying for a good recovery. My band surgery was in 2013, I am 5' 0 and I'm not sure how much stones are but I was almost 200 lbs . I remember wanting to run out of the surgical prep room, but I am so happy I decided to go with my surgery. I am healthier and more active than I had been in years. the first few days you will have some discomfort but nothing serious . the gas pain will be the worst of it, remember to stay hydrated and walk around as much a possible without overdoing. concentrate on recovery not weight loss. That will come about. Follow your Dr's instructions and after a few weeks you will start seeing the results. Best of Luck.