lisacaron

@@Debbie yes that is my middle son Nick visiting for Mothers Day and doing great! Congrats on the good news!!

Sigh...sometimes all we can do is love them and accept them for who they are. I have learned that you can not make anyone do anything or change anything that they are not ready to, even if it's killing them. All you can do is show your love and support and be there if they ever come to you.

Thanks, that was an interesting article. I'm one of those stress people with high adrenaline issues!

@@DeezJeanz are you looking to join the challenges or the VIP group?

Glad you ladies had a Happy Mother's Day. I did as well, though the weekends just go too darn fast!! Hubs and I spent Saturday morning/afternoon literally moving a mountain! Yes a mountain of dirt! Top soil to coat the back yard so we can plant some grass and get things going nicely for the summer. We had about 6 yards of the stuff delivered and had to shovel wheel barrels full and wheel it into the back yard from the front and then spread it out with the rake and hoe over the terrain in the back. I kind of was feeling like what a farmer might feel like back in the day before they had machines to do all this stuff. Here we are with no machines doing it the "hard" way. Needless to say after the gym on Friday and then all that work on Sat I am a bit sore, not as sore as I would have been in the past with the extra weight heck we probably would have just left it and said let it be sand we don't need grass I got to see the kids on Sunday briefly which was just perfect for me, we say his mother and then went out east to Joe's Crab Shack for a nice dinner together. I went shoe shopping at DSW and they were nearly empty! My kind of shopping I HATE crowds and rude people. Hubs spoils me as always, as do the kids..now if they would have washed my car I would have been in heaven but it's best to keep it real Here are some photo's...Ugh lots of dirt!!

@@AussieSam I can commiserate with you on this. I get myself bogged into the same loop and @@CowgirlJane is right we are falling back into bad habits because it's what we know and it's easy when our minds are so tangled in other things. It's easier to resort to what we know. In my way I know it's also a psychological game I play with myself. You see I am not an unhappy fat person. I don't think I look bad, I don't feel the need to be rail thin. In fact I don't find that physique at all attractive on a man or woman. So for me..when my clothes start to look baggy and my rings start sliding around I had a hard time accepting that it was time to just get new clothes that fit better vs. making myself fit better in the clothes I was wearing. I need to be a healthy person and that means I need to be a slimmer person, and so once I was able to change some of my thinking I have been able to stay on the wagon even though I'm doing 101 diverse things at once, I now make sure to find the time to schedule in what I need to keep me healthy and that means eating right and going to the gym and that also means not falling into the quick fix sugar trap for me. That's my "go to" when I'm sluggish, and peckish it doesn't sustain for long, and sometimes I have to argue with myself to not grab the easy fix pretzel rods on the desk top so I can keep plugging away, but to get up and make a shake or flavor some Water and drink that..or just go take a walk get some air and come back to it. Worst case I'll pop a piece of sugar free gum. Like Nike says you just have to "do it". Some days it's a battle in my head with myself and I like to win, though I will admit there are days the pretzel rods win.

@@CowgirlJane you are 100% right. We have to remember that just because we are not "fitness experts" we know our bodies better than anyone else. We know when too much is too much and often we will be really good at pushing ourselves. It takes a well trained fitness trainer to know when to push and when to back off. Interview your trainers and if your feeling something is too much or too heavy say something. Remember when you are working out blood is flowing and endorphin's are high and you may not feel any "pain" but if you are feeling resistance is too much or you are fatigued after a certain number of reps don't push for another 10 when you may have only 1 or 2 more in you. Going for the rest is going to hurt you and it's not about no pain no gain. We want to loose not gain It's the same for cardio. If you are running or rowing or spinning or zuming or what ever your choice of cardio is at too high of a heart rate you are not burning fat, your burning muscle and you don't want that. You want to build muscle and burn fat. Do the calculation for your age/weight/height and try to stay as near as you can to your target heart rate. The longer you can go at that pace the more fat you will burn. I will also offer this advice, that I got from the training director. If you are going to work out with your trainer do not do cardio before your work out! Warm up for a few minutes...5 to 10 at most and then do your work out. To maximize the benefits of fat burning do your cardio work out after your strength building exercises, and always stretch don't "over" stretch after your work outs, a simple floor mat stretch is good enough. The stretching should not be a yoga class, or a work out in itself.

@@JustWatchMe you go girl!!! I love working with the trainer. I will say this though, you have to find the right one to work with you. I actually switched gym locations and found a trainer with a background in PT so that when we work out he is aware of the issues I have with my back and neck and so far it's been really successful and the pain in my back and neck are minimized. I want to work out and get fit and lose weight but also still be able to sit and stand and sleep without being in crippling pain. It took me a little while but there are trainers out there that know about RA and other bone/joint issues and can work with us, it's so important to know about the client and their health. Go US!!! I'll be at the gym tonight with the trainer for an hour and then at least 30 min. of cardio. Woot Woot.

Here is one tip for the ladies...work out those pecks!! The muscles that we have under those lady lumps helps to keep them in place. It's just like every other area...build muscle lose fat. So not being one to work out those muscles, let me tell ya...the soreness...ugh but in the end it's worth it to keep them from hitting the floor

That was great. Totally inspirational stuff there and awesome creativity!

@@tallen74 do you eat or drink anything right before going to bed? I know that if I do that I will have some reflux at night. I try not to have anything to eat or drink before going to bed at night. I take my medication earlier than I used to and I don't have anything right before I turn in for the night. I noticed that the muscle relaxer I was on for my back spasms was causing this refulx to happen more often as it was relaxing that muscle as well as the rest of me I also have a friend this happens to when she takes Tylenol PM.

The best advice is going to come from the Dr. with only 1cc of Fluid in the band I would not think that you should have such issues. Though some are more sensitive than others when it comes to texture of certain foods, after 2 years to suddenly be having such an issue, I would want to have the Dr. check the flow through the stoma under fluoroscopic and as well as the position of your band. Sometimes a fill can cause swelling and irritation and goes away after a few days to a week. My retired Dr. used to say to stay on liquids to mushy for a week and then go back to soft and solids. My Dr. now says liquids for the day and foods then as tolerated mushy soft solid. Let us know how you are doing OK?

You go girl! Doing awesome!

Thank you

Looking good hot stuff!!!!!

@@Stacy Warner Hi Stacy and welcome to BP. Do you know what type of band you had originally and what you have now? For instance did you have the much older 4cc band? Today the smaller bands are usually 10cc and then there are also 14cc band. Depending on how much of a fill you have could be why you are not having that restriction feeling just yet. My Dr's are very conservative with their fill procedure as well usually giving only .5 of a cc each visit every other month!! It took me quite a long time to find my green zone and then after some medical issues and having a total un-fill it took me a while to get back there again and that time in between can be extremely frustrating, lots of hard work measuring and controlling your portions and choices of food etc. You did an amazing job on your first round with the lapband I'm sure you are going to work it this time and lose the weight you want to you again.

@@laizaone1 That was a very aggressive fill to your band at one time! What size band to you have? 10 or 14 cc? That feeling you are getting could happen when you are putting too much in too fast. Think about a Water bottle being filled up from a running tap. Only so much can make it through the neck of that water bottle and some air builds up around it inside the bottle and you start to have some bubbles, When your drinking in large gulps or big sips of Fluid your not giving enough time for the fluid to make it down your throat and through the opening in the stoma to your larger stomach and it creates some air bubbles and can also regurgitate on you if your not careful. This can happen with food as well and food and water together can be quite an explosive return which is why you hear many Dr.s tell you not to eat and drink at the same time. It's more a problem of stacking food. One bite after the next before the first bite has cleared the stoma and into the larger stomach. Also as water is usually heavier than most foods we grind up by chewing it will sink below and under the food in your esophagus and erupt a bit like a volcano if the pressure is right. Think about your insides being a bit like that, our bodies have pressure in them and outside of them along with the added pressure of the filled band doing it's thing. That discomfort could be the pressure being forced on the walls of the upper chamber (above the band) as it tries to squeeze fluid and food through the stoma and on it's way. If sipping and waiting and then sipping again does not alleviate the discomfort I would give the Dr. a call and consider having a small amount of fluid removed to decrease the pressure on the stomach. That growling of your stomach, could be just that. Not there because of hunger and if you are not hungry do not eat. My tummy will often make noises as I digest food, and sometimes it can be a little gnawing like hunger but it's mostly just things moving around in there. If I am not hungry I don't eat. Sometimes having some water or tea will help digestion and the noise will subside. Let us know how your doing!!

@@desertpixie sounds like your eating pretty well but I notice that your carbs nearly equal your Protein. Sadly the one thing our body can not make and does not retain is protein. We need it every day and when we do have too much our body just eliminates it. So maybe tip the balance toward the protein and away from the carbs. Remember that even vegies have their sneaky little sugars and starches. If they are fresh, frozen or canned can also be where we gain a few empty calories. The same is true for any condiments we might be using. I love pulled pork, or pulled chicken but that BBQ sauce is riddled with sugar, even if it's "natural" maple syrup kind it still has an affect on my body and my metabolism. So what @@KateP said about a calorie not always being a calorie does have some validity. When we exercise, it's true that we require our body to use up more calories that we consume, but if we are doing straight cardio we are not doing ourselves any favors, as we are burning up our muscle along with our fat. To prevent this we need to strength train and build muscle to burn more fat. The more muscle mass you have the more fat you burn even while at rest. If your output is only asking your body to burn calories it is going to take fuel from any source. The way to get the body to use the fat stores first before breaking down muscle is to build up the muscles squeezing out the fat and leaving it for the body to burn as energy. Eating a high protein diet helps us to build and replenish those muscles before, during and after a work out. I look at stalls like this...it's my body's way of telling me it has overcome and adapted. It's why human beings survive. We overcome and adapt so the best way to keep our body burning what we want is to mix it up every now and again. Eat protein, and take a break once in a while and throw in some carbs for balance. Run your ass off (literally if you feel like it) and then pick up some weights and build up those muscles. Keep moving enough and your body will keep responding to you calling it out to do something for you. Now, I'm going to take my own advice and get off my duff and head home for the night to do another 2-3 hours of home work!! Grrrrr I can't wait for Friday!!!

Well it's nearly 4:00 on Monday...and really...I'm looking forward to 4:30 and going to the gym to re-connect. I think I might need a boost of energy though.

checking out this thread today was definitely inspiring.

@@Butterfly512 you have had a few abdominal surgeries so you know pretty much what to expect when it comes to bending and lifting. When you do, don't use your stomach muscles use your legs and arms to do so and try not to lift the baby too often if you don't have to. The worst part of the healing process that can take some time is the port location, that can be very sore and tender for a few weeks. Use an ice pack on that site to help keep down swelling and pain. Everyone recovers differently so follow your instincts and don't be afraid to call your Dr. if you need to. You will do great!

@@Rn4val you are most likely very swollen still from surgery, and could also have some breathing difficulty from anesthesia. You want to practice taking deep breaths and coughing up that mucus. I know it's not fun and it can be very uncomfortable but to not do so could cause pneumonia. Keep sipping away, and only take small sips. Use a medicine cup if you need to, and take small sips. Don't worry so much about getting all your shakes in but keep hydrated. Ice pops are a great way to do that and also help the internal swelling. It never hurts to give your doctor a call and let them know what's going on and ask their advice. Hope your feeling better soon.

You know how they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think that is true when we look in the mirror at ourselves as well. When I look in the mirror I can see both sides of this issue. I see myself as fat, I see myself as having lost weight. When I was young and super thin, I would look and see something else and vs versa. When I was fatter I saw myself as fatter and I saw myself as beautiful still. When I see myself now 80 pounds lighter I still see a heavy set woman, and when I am having a "down" day I put myself down. When I am having a "good" day I think wow you look great in that color it brings out your eyes and wow this fits when it's been in my closet for years and I never thought I'd wear it again. Other times I put something on and think dam woman you look like a slob in this, I can see every roll and wrinkle on your face. (Can it really bring out the wrinkles on my face...?) It's just me and my moods can affect how I feel and look at myself no matter if it's a photo or a mirror. I am my own worst critic, and my biggest fan. So when I have bad days I try to find another surface to find something positive to tell myself. I might just look at my nails and think they look great, or put on a fancy piece of jewelry and admire the shine. Then there are those who cares what I look like...I'm comfortable with me and that's all that matters For me it wasn't WLS that made me think this way, it's always been me. I do the same for being at a stall, and I'll see the pattern to my life..and when your in a "pattern" your doing things predictably and repeatedly and you could be showing bad form, so maybe it's time to shake it up and break out of that pattern. Could be thinking could be a color I wear too often (like black) could be the same lip shade or the same ring..the same foods I'm eating..and then I'll wake up and say OK time for a change and I shake it up. I always feel better when it's "fresh" and I forget how easy it is to make each day a NEW day. Each moment is another breath of fresh air and I have the power to make it good or bad.

So I felt the need to stick my 2 cents in also I have heard this so many times through out my life. I remember when I was a young girl...and I was not overweight in fact I was slightly underweight, and certain friends families would try to "fatten" me up. OK it only took a few kids and couple of hormone changes to fix that problem. These "well meaning" people can be so hurtful and they don't realize what their words do to another person. I have spent the last 20 years thinking how I didn't appreciate being thin when I was..and trying to be that way again..and then I woke up one day and said you know I am me. No matter what I am pretty, I am smart, and I am perfect because I am me!! It is true that there are things and people that can make me act ugly... but I will never BE ugly. I heard my Mother in Law the current one tell me that people that have a pretty face are often obese..I almost fell to the floor but then remembered she suffers from foot in mouth disease and I just laughed and said I guess you don't have to worry about that problem then. She didn't get it and I just kept smiling.

@@Jyoyonomore It would be wonderful if you would be able to inquire about the rooms at the Huntington Library! I think you have to live in the town, I work in Bethpage and I live further out on the East End. Let me know if you would like to meet up one evening and perhaps we can speak further.