hagerteresa

Okay... I keep finding cute pics to add. Another one from my grandparents visit... All of us are in a gazebo behind where I live. I'm with my grandparents, mom and stepfather.

Here is a picture of my brother and I. He had just graduated in June and we all went to a local park for some family pictures. Aren't yurts the coolest... If you do a search for Oregon yurts you will get one of the manufacturer websites. They actually make them to live in too!!! I really really wanted to put one on our grants pass property at one point. The problem is the financing since it isn't like the traditional house but who knows??? Maybe someday... I've seen them fixed up magnificently. Thanks for all your cute sweet comments. About the time I think about getting off of birth control and little ones, my husband does something absolutely childish and I rethink the prospects of children with him...LOL.

Here is a picture of a yurt. They are putting them in almost all campgrounds to rent. I think they are pretty nifty. They sleep 5 and have nice padded mattresses. They also come with a heater, plug ins and a fold down futon inside. There are 2 local yurt manufacturers.

Here is a pic of our new puppy in case anybody missed it before. It is the black and white cutey. He is 6 months old and absolutely a sweet heart.

Here is another picture taken last night. We had a little bbq/dinner party at the bed and breakfast where I work. The girl in the middle has been our help for the summer but is leaving next week so she can have her baby, and the girl on the right is the girl that has helped out in the garden for the past 4 or 5 summers. Every year the owners of the B&B try to take us out for lunch or do something special for their help. We played a fun game called Bacchi (spelling?) out on the lawn.

We recently had my husband's 14 year old brother come and stay with us for a week (a yearly tradition) and we did a lot of fun activities including canoeing, rented a yurt at the beach and went down the Rogue on a jet boat. It was all a lot of fun. Here is a picture of KC, Me and Jim in the front row on the jet boat.

I started at 362 lbs. Before I knew it, I was already down in the 200's. It has been slow going since getting under the 300 lb mark but I'm happily plugging along. I consider myself a success at this point.

Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you! Keep us all posted on all the details as they come along. Teresa

Thanks Christina. Your so sweet. How has life been for you? Best wishes, Teresa

I know we have tried to come up with a regular day and time for people to plan on chatting but don't know if it ever worked. We could try that again. How about friday, and saturday evenings between say... 5 and 10 pm? Any other ideas?

I'm thinking about and praying for you both.

Hi Lauren, Sorry you didn't get the feedback you wanted from the doctor but hopefully he and the nutricianalist give you something to work on to improve. You have done a wonderful job and you will continue to do well. Just drink that water and focus on the proteins. I tend to like salads topped with hard boiled eggs, chicken, cheese, etc. I eat a lot of barbeque'd meats all summer too. Keep up the good work, Teresa

That is amazing Jodie. It is such a small little town. My aunt owns a cafe in that area as well. I love to get the big buckets of peanuts. I guess my grandparents get them across the border at some peanut farm. I've been back there way a couple of times, unfortunately it was always summer time and HOT and HUMID. I'll have to ask them about that steakhouse. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Anne, It does sound like you have a full load. Seems like all that housekeeping is plenty of excercise. Here is what I would suggest: drink a LOT of Water thru out the day. I can't talk about that too much because I'm not very good about getting it all in either but do the best you can. Tea would be fine too if your not a water drinker. Make sure your meals consist of almost pure Protein and then some vegetables. Eat the starches as rarely as possible. Consider your fill level... When and how much were your last fills? Those are just a few of the important things you could do without having to fit more excercise in and without having to measure. Also if you want to add in a bit of excercise maybe just consider parking a little further out in the parking lot where you work. Little things really add up. It is very nice meeting you and I wish you the best of luck. Teresa

Group hug everybody!!! LOL. I love it here too and am so thankful for everyones love and support.

Here is a picture of my grandparents, myself, my mom and stepfather when my grandparents were here visiting from Idabell Oklahoma this past June.

Here is another one of just crater lake. It really is a must see place if you ever get to Oregon. The lodge there is amazing too. Crater lake was formed about 5000 years ago when a huge volcano erupted. It is absolutely prestine. The island in the center is called Wizard island and they do tour boats out to it. That is the only boat allowed on the lake. Thanks for all the sweet compliments. I guess I'll have to take another look and compare them to old pics because I still think I look as fat as a barrel.

Okay, here is another one. This is one of my adorable younger brother at his graduation from the University of Oregon this summer with another graduate/friend who is going pro in football this year. I can't remember his name though.

I saved mine to desktop and then attached them. I hit Post Reply and then below the text box there is the option to add attachments. Another window comes up, I search thru the list of options for my desktop, click on the document I want to upload and then I hit upload and it somehow works. Today was my first day of successfully doing it without help. Best wishes, Teresa

How is your fill level? We have all been frustrated at times because we are eating the wrong things. Tomorrow is another day. Are you eating ALL your protein? Are you drinking enough water? Those are all factors. Bargain with yourself: if you eat all your protein and have appropriate meals (meat, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, etc) allow yourself one special treat in the evening. Do NOT buy your treat in bulk though or else it won't work. Trust me... I've lost 96 lbs in a little over a year and every single day of that time I have had a special coffee drink (sugar free iced white chocolate mocha with carmel) and a candy bar. I screw up when I buy 2 or 3 candy bars at a time or get a whole bag of chips or make a whole batch of cookies... Except for rare special occassions I try to avoid all those scenarios. Best wishes, Teresa

Okay, I completely redid the really large pic and deleted the old thread for it. So here we go again... We got a new dog a few days ago. He is a 6 month old 1/2 bassett hound, 1/2 beagle (the black and white one). Isn't he a doll??? We just got him fixed yesterday. I forgot how energetic young dogs were and so did poor Baylee (our other dog- a 4 year old pembroke welsh corgi).

Okay here is another try of some other pics resized. This is me and hubby at Crater Lake National Park on 4th of July weekend and the other pic is my very best friend and his companion and their dogs at the same place. My best friend is the one on the right. We have been buddies for the past 13 years.

Probably because there are relatively fewer doctors who do the band. I can look in the yellow pages and find dozens of cosmetic surgeons but there is not a single band doctor in a 100 mile radius. Also the cost of the band itself is kind of expensive. Not sure beyond that reasoning.

Some surgeons and doctor's offices just lack empathy and don't seem to care if you are inconvenienced. I don't understand how they get that attitude considering the price they are getting paid but from what I have seen poor customer service is fairly common with surgeons. Many lack bedside manner as well. I have had wonderful doctors and surgeons and I have had crappy mannered ones. The fill doctor I was seeing (before he lost his bariatric insurance) was a wonderful sweet doctor but I detested his office staff. They were always rude and made it quite clear there only concern was getting paid. If you are confident with your surgeon choice than I suggest you keep him and you may have to change that date and deal with a lot of crap later when you schedule fills. Check to see what their fill scheduling is like and what the process consists of. Will you get free fills for a year? Are they with flouro? Do they do the barium swallow when/if they use flouro? Those are all things to consider. Best of luck and best wishes, Teresa

Hi Dr. Pleatman, It is very nice to meet you. I wish I lived in the Michigan area so I can take you up on the aftercare offer but alas... Oregon is a long ways from Michigan. My planned aftercare doctor recently lost his bariatric insurance and can no longer serve my needs. I am going to have to find a doctor elsewhere in the state or go up to Washington state. Anyway thanks a bunch for introducing yourself and hopefully you will make yourself available to answer the occassional questions. Best wishes, Teresa