DeLarla

Alex, take a good, long look at me and bomb the yogurt joint instead of walking in. My entire problem started with one bad decision. You've done this amazing job, so stick with what you've been doing. You can have frozen yogurt some other time when you don't want it so bad, okay? Does that make sense?

Darcey, I adore pink, and I noticed your avatar is surrounded by a lovely pink glow. Nice touch! That pic of the boxer on the red roses has my heart all thumpy thump... I'm very jealous cause my pretty piggy wants her picture taken on a bed of pink roses.

He can't give you a reason because there's no way for him to know how it happened. I was at my surgeon's on Saturday, and he showed me a model of the stomach with a band around it. He showed me how the band slips down, which leaves the top part of the stomach bigger. So, the pouch didn't actually expand, the band just slipped lower. I've heard the band could slip upward, too. I'm not sure how that would happen, but I sure hope your unfill settles your band back in place. Good luck to you.

Just pass the Fritos to me (got any bean dip?) I've been a naughty bandster myself. Let's try to do better tomorrow, okay?

When I was a kid I found a sample of Oil of Oley in the mail, but my mother saw me with it and snatched it away from me. She said, "THIS IS ONLY FOR GROWN-UPS!" Naturally, I snuck in her bathroom each day and massaged the naughty Fluid into my skin. That's all I've used for almost 30 years now. I've purchased other products over the years, but I always end up with the same pink bottle of Oley. It works wonders as a make-up remover. I dip a Q-tip in Oley, then roll it around my palm so it's nearly dry - perfect for cleaning up mascara from under eyes. The only other product I've been using since the Big Bang is Jafra's Almond Oil. I keep it in the shower. While wet, put a dime size blob in your hands, rub palms together and smear all over that wet, naked bod, then air dry. Any oil will work, but skin stays soft all day with no need for lotion.

I prefer a natural look. I've been using foundation since I was 15 because it protects the skin from nature's elements and has an SPF. I've spent a fortune on expensive department store make-up, but honestly, nobody has ever noticed a difference between my $50.00 foundation or my L'Oreal from the drug store. I mash a little around on all my fingertips then dap spots all over my face, then blend blend upward & outward. Bronzer just makes you look sun-kissed and can be used on eyes, cheeks, brows for a natural, sunny look. Since my eyes are now permanently defined, I just line my lips (this keeps color from bleeding outward into cracks.) I fill my lips with all-day color, then a dab of gloss. Done. The trick is to use what nature gave you and just bring out some highlights. The only time you should wear heavier make-up is at night.

Interesting, considering I had a long talk with my surgeon about pouch stretching versus slippage. According to him, there really isn't such thing as the pouch stretching or "dilating" so-to-say. What happens is the band slips down, thereby leaving the pouch bigger on the top. I asked him if packing the pouch too tight can cause this, and he said, "yes." He said it could happen if you over-eat a whole lot of times, or it could happen just from one incident, however, even a bad hiccup could essentially slip the band. I asked him if carbonation causes slippage, but he said there's no proof. Please forgive me if I didn't translate that in his exact medical terminolgy but I'm sleepy, and my thinking isn't too sharp. He never mentioned removing all the saline to see if the band re-sets itself, but he did tell me if I (me personally) slip my band that he'll probably remove it since I'm still over-eating. Did any of that make sense?

Pretty Pink Princess Piggy

Prom Night

I'm in packing denial. My plane leaves in 3 hours and I'm half naked on LBT and still haven't packed. If I come back and don't find any new 4th of July pictures all OVER this board, I'm gonna be mad. Especially Betty cuz those cabins sound awesome.

I wish I could caputre how the morning sun colors my entire house pink (and we all know how I feel about pink, right?) Oh, and let me explain the mess... I was forced to toss some fresh cherries in the blender for Cherry Coladas after spending 3 full hours on the phone with Tech Support trying to get my iPods working and they still don't work. And YES, that's a bottle of chocolate sauce. Band? What Band?

I had stitches sticking out too. Mine slid out, but now I wish I would have clipped them. For the record, these "dissolving" stitches don't always dissolve. When I had my last port removal, Dr. Billy found a handful of them floating around inside me.

Doesn't the Vodka defeat the purpose of the drink? Then again, booze defeats the purpose of the band, but do I ever listen to rules? I'll pay in the end, I always do.

Wow, welcome back! It sounds like they are taking good care of you. We were all told to walk as often as possible, but I've never heard anyone on a schedule - sounds like a great way to get all your walking in. Sounds to me like you're doing great. And yes, the handing-over-of-the-check wasn't so easy on me, either.

How about something simple like e-diets.com or fitday.com? The answers are all there.

Michelle, you could save money by taking less since the instructions on my bottle say only take 1-3 ounces once a day. Damn, makes me want to buy more now that your son isn't as sick.

Karen, I don't want to get in Dutch with the masters for advertising or selling, but I don't know how to buy it. I guess on-line, or maybe you can PM Michelle and she'll hook you up with her distributor. Or PM me and I'll give your name to the woman I met; she owns the UPS store so I could call her.

You asked for it! Dawn breaks over the jungles of Southeast Asia and begins to burn away the nighttime mists. Although it is early, the streetside produce markets in villages and towns throughout the land are already bustling with activity, for today is different. In these tropical climates, most fruits and vegetables are available any time of year, but today the open-air markets are humming with an almost electric anticipation. This only happens twice a year. Every six months. That’s the harvest cycle for the fruit prized above all others. The Queen of Fruits! For countless generations, the people of Southeast Asia have valued the mangosteen above all other fruits. These are people intimately acquainted with the plants of the rain forest. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of edible fruits, nuts, stems and roots. And yet only the mangosteen carries the label “The Queen of Fruits.” Why does the mangosteen deserve such a title? Certainly a major reason is the role the mangosteen played in ancient Southeast Asian medicine. Traditionally utilized to control fever and ward off infections of every kind, the whole mangosteen fruit was used and revered. But the people of early Southeast Asia weren’t all that different from us. Yes, they recognized and valued the medicinal benefits of the mangosteen. But what really caught their fancy was the taste! Difficult to describe, yet impossible to forget. Although almost unheard of in the temperate zones of North America and Europe, mangosteen is so prized by inhabitants of tropical rain forests that it is universally known as the Queen of Fruits and the Fruit of the Gods. About the size of a tangerine, the ripe mangosteen has a smooth, dark purple rind encasing snow-white fruit. Unlike other tropical fruits that are so unusual and obscure that eating them requires an “acquired taste,” mangosteen has a sweet, mild flavor that appeals to everyone, beginning with the first bite. Limited to tropical zones with abundant rainfall, the mangosteen tree takes 10 years to mature and bear fruit. Fully mature trees can be up to 80 feet tall, and may produce thousands of individual fruits each year. In Southeast Asia, where the mangosteen is predominantly grown, the people value this exceptional fruit for its premium taste and heavenly flavor. In fact, when Queen Victoria tasted this imported delicacy in the mid-1800s, she promptly declared it her favorite fruit. Although readily available in season throughout Southeast Asia, until now the mangosteen fruit in its whole form has never been commercially available in North America. While most people know about the antioxidant benefits of Vitamins C and E, far fewer are aware of the incredibly potent antioxidant power of xanthones. Xanthones are natural chemical substances that recently have won high praise from numerous scientists and researchers. Xanthones have been studied for their medicinal potential, since they demonstrate a number of pharmaceutical properties: - Supports microbiological balance - Maintains immune system health - Promotes joint flexibility - Provides positive mental support What’s remarkable is that the mangosteen—not just the inner flesh, but the whole fruit—represents the single greatest known supply of these tremendously beneficial xanthones. The pericarp, or rind, of the mangosteen is particularly rich in xanthones, which represent the next generation of powerful phytonutrients—phytonutrients that will change the future of dietary supplements. XanGo™ juice is a patented formulation featuring mangosteen whole-fruit purée, utilizing all the xanthone-laden components of the fruit. The result is a heavenly-delicious beverage that brings a wealth of incredible benefits.

Wow, somebody else takes this stuff? Far out. It tastes like really strong concentrated fruit juice, like cherry, but with some tart twangy thing going on. You're only supposed to take 1-3 ounces a day. It's really expensive. The bottle is $37.00, about the size of a wine bottle. Michelle, how much do you drink each day? I can't tell a difference in the way I feel from one dose. I never fall for gimmicks, but the other day I asked my doctor for a B12 shot because I'm simply drained. He gave me the shot, but I still don't have any energy. I'll try anything right now.

I don't care WHO you are, this is funny!

This one still gets me!

Brandi, just as well. We look like we could get in trouble together.

I do. I did really well with the band when I ate small portions, but I've had some complications and let my eating slide. I want to get back on track, so I'm seeinig my band surgeon this weekend.

Kathy, you look great, but there's no way nevaeH (that's how I'm spelling it) can be a year old! No way, she was just born??? That pic of you & her is so sweet

I love the snugglie bunnies, but YOU were in Vegas and didn't give me a ringy ding?