Suzzzie.

HP - Great... so I guess I shouldn't have eaten half a bag of hersheys vanilla creame kisses today then, huh? haha. That gives you a head start! Lol!!

Ya know what? You're ahead of me!! I've heard of podcasts... but reallly have NO idea what they are. Hahaa!

Holli - It would be cool if there were a way that they could harvest our leftover skin... someone should work on that. Stef - yeah... 8.0 is NOT good!! I'm really amazed that yours was so high with all the exercise you do! Wow! But!! I know you, and you are a go getter! You'll do your research about this and you'll get it tackled just like you do everything else. :wink:

Read this: Donating excess skin

I have no idea Holli, but thats a great idea. Unless they just don't use skin that has stretch marks... haha. I tease that I have no skin, I'm just one big stretch mark!

Yes, muscle. Not that hard to hit in the arm or thigh. I tend to do most of my patients in their deltoid muscles. Even on really obese ppl you can get to the deltoid pretty easily.

B12 shots vs. pills: I take the subligual pills, because I don't eat meat... B12 is the ONLY vitamin/nutrient that our bodies need that we cannot get from any other food source other than meat. :wub: My Grandma, dad, and Aunt all take the monthly injections, but they all go to the doc for them, none of them do self admin of the injections. I'm not sure why. But anyway... they get them every 30 days due to pernicious anemia. For cases like that, or other cases of low/absent B12 the sublingual pills don't work because the dose and absorption rates are different. And the shots really do give you a boost of energy! If you meet my Grandma, Dad, or Aunt the day after their shots they are wonderful ppl... meet them the day before their shots and they are BEARS!!

JC, I've never given myself a shot of anything, but I give shots to others daily!! With the B12 it's just an IM injectin, so choose your muscle... rotate site... (you don't want to do it in the same spot every time because you'll eventually damage the tissue and the medication will no longer absorb correctly.) Use whatever syringe they give you (duh, but at the hospital I get to choose what size I want to use, based on the patients weight, etc) Just cleanse the area you choose (remember muscle, not fat!!) and then insert the needle to the hub quickly (slow=pain) and inject medication. You don't hav eto do that part really fast, or really slow. Just whatever pace you are comfortable with. You can have your doc or nurse show you if you are still unsure. It is their job to be sure that you are 100% comfortable with the procedure.

I want to change my summer goal, cause it just ain't gonna happen!!! I've been on a 2 month plateau that just now seems to be ever so slightly budging... Suzzzie ........... 297 .... 270 ...... 288 ......................... 18

Stef... First, I want to know what your A1C was?! I think mine was 5.9 when I went (The normal range for people who don't have diabetes is 4.5 to 6.2, according to my hospital.) I was supposed to go back for more labs in FEB because my doc knew I'd had lap band and was hoping that the weightloss would reverse my insulin resistance. It's up to ME to make the appt for labs though, andI just 'haven't gotten around to it.' I'm not too anxious to have that label on me. I check my glucose levels at work a couple times a week, and I'm NEVER over 140's. No matter what I eat, or what time of day I check it... but that is largely the insulin resistance working for me. My pancrease shoots out large amounts of insulin to knock out the sugars in my body, often leaving me drained. haha. Stop. Don't lecture me. I'm a medical professional. I'm supposed to ignore my own health in order to better care for others. It's what we do.

You and me both HP!! Lets race!

Holli you look GREAT!!!!!

Quit this diabetes talk!! Lol. It runs deeply on both sides of my family, I've had issues with hypoglycemia for YEARS and in Sept my doc told me I was insulin resistant... I'm not really superstitious (sp?) but I'm worried ya'll will jinx me! I agree with Rhonda that some people stay away from the doc so that they can't be diagnosed. haha, that is totally ME!! Fighting bad indigestion right now. I ate a vegetarian BBQ 'riblett' for lunch at 2pm today. I was OK until I got home from work today and decided to lay down to take a nap at 5pm. I slept for maybe 45 mins, and the whole time I tossed and turned, my whole chest is on fire. I tried drinking water, not helping. I ate a small square of chocolate hoping it would help. I NEVER had heartburn before banding, so I don't have any antiacids or anything. From now on when I eat one of those ribletts I'm staying UPRIGHT for more than 3 hours afterwards. Ugh. I keep thinking today is Sunday. I'm just anxious cause I'm OFF on Monday, and I need a day off. Haha. Hope you all have a brilliant and blessed Easter.

Thats AMAZING Whos!! CONGRATS!! I was so excited the day I landed 299... Guess what I found out while visiting with my Aunt & Uncle last night?! They have a couple of Hybrid bikes sitting in their garage that thwy bought a few years ago, and only rode for one season!! I think I've talked them into taking them up to the LBS for a tune and lube up!! I'm sooo excited about this - I'll have someone to RIDE with! OK. Have a great Easter all!!

Oh, and COACH!! I've always loved it, but NEVER could afford it. I barely pay my bills, seriously, which is also why I had to buy an old used bike while ya'll got fancy ones. Haha. I was going to treat myself to a NEW Coach bag for my birthday in May, but yeah... it can't happen cause I have bills. So I decided to search eBay. I got this one for $55 plus shipping, it's not new, it's "gently used" but wtfever. I don't care. Now I'm bidding on a matching wallet. Haha. THEN one of the secretaries at work told me about the website http://www.bagborroworsteal.com (I hope I typed that in right.) Here is a pic of the one I got. I think it's a mini soho.

Yucky snow!!! Ack BG. You need to pack your shit and move south!! Stef (or TX, whatever!) - WHAT?!?! How could you be diabetic after losing weight!?!? Ugh! I know in Sept my regular doc told me I was insulin resistant... which is annoying in itself. we need more details.

Wow Stef - You're a SUPER poster. Haha. Gym went good. Even though I hadn't been there is forever I still easily did 60 minutes elliptical, every 5 minutes I increased my incline by 1, until I reached the highest (10) then I would lower it by 3 so I could start 'cool down'. I can tell in my leg mucsles that I hadn't been there is a while, otherwise all went well. I'm hoping to get back there tonight... we'll see if life gets in the way. I have some friends wanting me to go out tonight, BUT I was out last night until after 1am and I have to work today so I only got about 4 hours of sleep/ Heck, I may just come home and go to bed!!!

Poor BG!!! I think Mother Nature just doesn't want you to ride!! That sucks.

My two cats - Toad (almost 2 years old) and Princess (6 years old) My dog Asher (9 1/2 years old) This pic was taken right after he had surgery to remove a massive tumor from his bladder, thats why he's sad looking.

PS - I DO get heartburn if I eat anything with onions or garlic... or anything with a hint of spice!! I totally miss 'buffalo' things! I have this great 'buffalo' sauce I used to put on EVERYTHING! Wahhhh!!!!!!!

I'm still thinking new fill for me... I need to call the center and find out how much money I still owe them. Haha. I'm sure they'll fill me anyway, but I do need to know if I owe from the last one. I got an invoice from my insurance company that said I would owe the center like $800!! I was freaked out, but they've never billed me, and that was in early Feb... This is day 4 with no ice cream - And my bitch of a friend I was with today kept teasing me about going to Cold Stone!! I told her I was going to bash her face into the sidewalk. :embaressed_smile: I'm so dainty. Seriously though... at this rate I think I am planning a birthday party for myself AT Cold Stone. Haha. Like it, Love it, Gotta have it! Congrats to you Rhonda for trying to abstain from the stuff too! It really is hard!! I did have a 1/2 sugar cookie from Starbucks today - they are big cookies! I'm such a sugar addict. And I have mini-tootsie roll pops for my sugar cravings at home to keep me from running to the store to get something really bad. I remember frommy WW days that the mini tootsie pops were only 1/2 a "point". OK. I'm off to the gym!! I seriously don't think I've been there in like 2 months. No wonder I haven't lost any weight! I'd eat 2 gallons of ice cream a week and not exercise! It's a miracle I didn't GAIN weight!

the link didn't work for me? Since LBT wasn't working eariler, I spent my morning on eBay. Lol. I'm selling my super fat clothes... and spending my prfits on things like a new Coach purse. haha. It was like 65F here today, probably warmer. I got all my windows opened at my apt... and was going to go ride my bike... But I had to realllly do laundry... and when I was done with that my med school friend wanted me to go study with her at Panera... Ugh. I had vegetarian garden soup, 3 bites of an apple, and water. I did get a couple chapters done in my ethics book though. Did I ever mention that I'm studying my RN by doing a 'self study' program. It's torture!!! I mis having lectures and assignments. Lol. ANYWAY... So a missed bycyling day for me... we'll see how the rest of the week goes. - BUT!!! I AM going to go to the gym in a few minutes. I seriously don't think I've been in the gym in like 2 months. No wonder I haven't lost any weight! I'd eat 2 gallons of ice cream a week and not exercise! It's a miracle I didn't GAIN weight! BTW - today makes 4 days ice cream free for me. And my bitch of a friend I was with today kept teasing me about going to COld Stone!! I told her I was going to bash her face into the sidewalk. :embaressed_smile: I'm so dainty. Seriously though... at this rate I think I am planning a birthday party for myself AT Cold Stone. Haha. Like it, Love it, Gotta have it!

Ewww carrots!! Lol. LUCKILY for me donuts are one of the things that get stuck and i PB EVERY SINGLE TIME! Lol.

BigBaby - I can eat a whole box of 100 cal packs. Lol. I love the Lorna Doone cookies. Haha. Yeah, I don't buy those anymore. So.. I was at the dollar general store this evening... I was going to go to WalMart to get catfood, but decided NOT to go there cause it always ends up being a $100 trip. Haha. Anyway, so I was at the dollar store for cat food... I ended up walking around the sweets isles cause I'm a sugar addict. I had my hands on cookies, candies, chocolates, cookie dough, and then I looked up at the ice cream freezer. OMG. I snapped out of it quick and just paid for my cat food and left. Lol. I can't let myself replace ice cream with something else, that would defeat the purpose!! I do have some 'dum-dum' suckers here if the sugar craving gets too bad. Haha

Thanks Stef. It is hard. Not only has ice cream ALWAYS been my most favorite comfort food, but it is so easy to eat when nothing else will go down now. I had some Bear Naked peak protein granola and fresh pineapple for lunch and then some veggie lasagna for dinner. I feel good. I did have to have more granola for a snack after dinner to satisfy my head hunger. I just 'need' the hand-to-mouth somedays. Maybe I should start smoking? haha. J/K!