Suzzzie.

Lol. I totally find myself crossing my legs these days. It's not as pretty and perfect as the skinny people, but its totally awesome for me! CONGRATS to you!! I also think I forgot to brag that I had to buy new Scrub pants the other day. My 4x fall off of my butt and are just HUGE. I've been wearing my old 3x for a while... and they are big and baggy... I bought 2 pairs of 2x without trying them on - and they fit! There is actually room in them! I've NEVER, in my 11 year nuring career have worn smaller than a 3x! I really believe that in about another 20 pounds I should be able to fit into a 1x! I can't even believe it! NOW - if my dang shirt size could go down! Lol. I think I probably could, but I have issues with the 'muffin top' and like my shirts baggier so it isn't as highlighted. Lol.

Daddy (I call one of the housekeepers at work that, hehehee!) - I hat my roommate because: a) he's an ex boyfriend that I dumped and kicked out of my house for the first time back in Nov 2001. I kicked him out again in April 2002. c) Kicked him and his g/f out in Nov 2003. d) Kicked him out again in April 2004. e) In Oct 2005 he almost died and put me through hell... then I felt bad for him cause he came home all crippled (bilateral leg neuropathy, has tp wear leg braces to walk) and so after 4 months of surgeries and physical rehab I felt like I couldn't kick him out. f) finally kicked him out again in Aug 2006. g) refused to let him move back in with me in March 2007. h) gave in after a midnight phone call where he was crying and begging to move back in with me in Sept 2007. i) he is lazy and dramatic and likes to talk too much. He needs to learn that we are not friends. This is a business deal. j) before anyone asks - we have NOT dated since Nov 2001, and we have not had sex since Feb 2004. (drunken sex when it was...) k) I do not want him or to be with him in any way at all. I wouldn't be hurt if he moved out and never called me again. l) all mof my friends and family don't like him because he uses me for shelter and on many occations I have had to buy him basic things like food, beverage, and clothing. But they all understand that I am a "sucker" for a "cause" and that I am an enabler. I take care of people... It's what I do. Any questions? Lol. Go ahead, lecture me. I love it. I'm about to drop him off at the homeless shelter if he doesn;t get the dishes done and the trash out tonight!! Ugh!

I RARELY PB, and I have great restriction. Maybe ya'll should make note of the foods that you PB and avoid them? For me it is meats, the really fiberous veggies (lettuce, broccoli) and cake and donuts. (had my first PB in about a month yesterday - after eating 1/2 of a glazed donut - but DAMN it was good!) Today I went to Panera with a friend and ordered ther Vegetarian Black Bean soup. Sooo good, but I only ate about 1/3 of the small bowl. Of course I ate the bag of potato chips without any issues! Then we went to Starbucks and I ordered a light caramel Frapp and a sugar cookie - their cookies are HUGE, I could only eat about half. We decided that next time we go that we'll just order one cookie and split it. Lol. Ohhh... Joy. Food food food. I was talking to my friend Brian (who drove me the day I had surgery) and he wanted to know what I eat now and then we went into an hour long discussion of what I used to eat pre-op vs. now. ha! I remember when going to a buffet was like a challenge - to eat as much as possible! I'd have a game plan as to what to eat first, etc... NOW the thought of a buffet sickens me! I know I can't eat enough to make it worth it at all... I'm at the point where I hate food. All except for my old standby (creamy frozen goodness)... I was thinking about Alli to make me quit eating bad sugar stuff... cause doesn't it cause diarrhea when you eat high fat foods? That would scare me! And... I'd have a very clean colon! Ha! Soo... I think some of you have mentioned Alli before, what do you think? is it worth it at all? Is it a big pill... can I swallow it? I'm just grasping at straws... and being all super long winded here. Sorry so long and rambly.

Yes yes, Ethics suck. It's all about 'theory' and there are about 8 bajillion 'theories' on ethics and they all contradict one another. WTF? I'll never get it! Ugh! Luckily, this is a self study course so all I have to do is study the huge ass book, memorize it long enough to take one test, and if I pass I'm done. Yay! Sleeping all day hurts my back too... I'm a cheater though. My cats wake me up between 5:30 and 6:30 cause thats what they are used to, and I get up, feed them, take some ibuprofen and go back to bed. Ahhh the joy! And there is nothing wrong with enjoying your video games! I personally don't like them at all, but I know that I would be seriously put out if my TV or computer broke! Ack!

Haha. My roommate (whom I strongly dislike) is STILL whining about his broken xbox and it broke 2 months ago. Haha!! I think sleep is a VERY valid thing to put on a schedule! Every morning when my alarm wakes me up at 6am I hit snooze and count the days until my next day off so I can plan to sleep in late! TOday would be my day off... I slept until 11am. Is that bad?!?! I did stay up late studying boring ass Ethics! Ugh!

I think about the whole getting skinny later thing whenever I have chocolate. Lol. It's not working too well for me, so I do not reccommend it! I, too, was thinking about quoting the Skinny Bitches. Here is something else for you - Coffee has acidic acid and acidic acid creates fat cells. (correct me if I"m wrong here - my mom still has my book!)

Well, after hearing 2 people compliment my weight loss yesterday and 3 people today... I'm feeling pretty good. I'm still highly aggitated at my weakness for chocolate - I really think I mostly eat it now cause it goes down so smoothly (like Missy just said - I always say that!) I still weight between 291 and 294. Everyday the scale just bounces around and picks one at random. I'm about to toss it out in the trash and get a new one. Maybe it's just broken. Lol. Naw, its the chocolate! Really though, I haven't been logging my foods lately. I find it difficult to log things like "3 bites pasta, 4 grapes" Ya know? I'm sure my calories are down around 1000 a day, even with the chocolate. I think my body is rebelling against weightloss!!! Argh! I need to EXERCISE. Where is our Super Moderator/Aspiring Personal Trainer Stef?!? She needs to do a house call for me and kick my butt in gear!! ANYWAY... THanks for checking in Missy! Alwyas good to hear from you and EVERYONE else!!

Yep. My Doc says immidiate unfil with vomiting as well. It helps prevent a slip. I got a bill frommy insurance company the other day saying that I owe my provider nearly $300 for my last fill!?!?!? I paid my $15 co-pay... but since they do fills under flouro they charged the insurance like nearly $900!!! What is up with the health care system?!?! It sure didn't feel like a $900 procedure! I hope when the Center bills me that it isn't what my insurnace told me. THats crazy crazy! I can't pay it! Ugh. I think self-payers only pay like $150 per fill. Lol. OK. I gotta go to work people. Have a good day.

I'm with you Holli... I don't think that I'll make it this year either. :smile2: Financially I just can't do it. I have a bunch of friends going in May and they are all bugging me to go, but I just CAN'T! Between trying to get my credit cleaned up and finishing my degree... I just don't see a vacation in my near future...

Congrats on your loss Holli!! Thats amazing! :smile2:

Yeah, once I was approved and then had a date set I was all about eating EVERYTHING I could get ahold of. I remember the last meal I had before I started the liquid diet - My homemade burritos - which I ate SIX of, and they are big. Lol. Every now and then I think back on that and wish I'd stopped to actually chew and TASTE them Lol! I was just inhaling as fast as I could so that I wouldn't feel full before I was done eating. Ha! THAT could be how I got fat! Lol.

Beckie, I work every other weekend, but am usually home by 4:30 or so. I don't live very far from the Community center at all, and usually drive right past it on my way home. So yeah, that would work great. I haven't been going to my gym anyway... which is in the opposite direction. I'd been thinking about switching to there since it's by where I like to walk. Let me know what you decide!

Joeygirl - I'm one of those people who've lost 90 pounds... but LOOK at how much I have to lose! THat is a HUGE factor! I still have 141 to go!! Most people don't START with needing to lose that much! Lol. So yeah, when you see that someone has lost 60,70,80,90, etc pounds oin the same time it took you to lose 50, DON'T FEEL BAD! You've done GREAT!

J - I can't drink water before bed... it likes to slide back up when I lay down. This is hard for me because for as long as I have been alive I've had to have a glass of water before bed!! Mom used to tell us that it cleaned our kidneys while we slept, haha, and while I know this isn't so much true, it's now a habit I miss. I normally don't eat anything beyond about 8 or 9pm though, but I'm sure it would try to snake up too. As far as sleep being for wimps - then I'm the biggest wimp of all!! I seriously HAVE to have at least 8-10 hours of UNinterrupted sleep. My cats try to wake me up and they get the spray bottle cause I ain't dealing with it! God forbid I ever reproduce!! If I have nights where I get less than 8 hours, I will easily sleep 10-12 the following night! Even if that means going to bed at 8pm!!

lol. maybe a 'shot' of an adult beverage would be better??

Woot! No worries. Just got a call back from the Gas company and got that $42 paid. So I will have HEAT! Yayness. I know I'm such a goober. My mom has lectured me for years and years about this problem. Unless the mail is "shiney" (like a magazine or something) I don't mess with it. I have a huge pile of bills. Lol. The only bills I have to actually write out checks for are Gas, Water, and rent. My water has been nearly shut off a few times too! I get the WARNING envelope which is usually a different color (therefore "shiney") and it gets my attention. Ha! I need a better system!

THat was a GREAT post Big Baby!! I totally agree. I was watching Big Medicine last night and they were doing a lap band and DrDavis explained that when a banded Patient eats the blood vessels engorge and send our brains the "I'm Full" feeling much much sooner than pre-band. It's not so much that food is staying in the 'little stomach' as that as it is passing through it puts a bit of pressure against the walls, therefor signalling the blood stream and then activating hormones and signals in our brains. People always mention about food staying in the 'pouch', it's not supposed to. For me, I think that is when I'm stuck. Anything that hangs out above the band is a stuck thing! (and for me is very painful.) It all just goes through slower now... So cold here... and I'm BAD about paying bills (I just forget!) so I think my Gas service will be shut off today unless I pay like $42 more dollars! OMG! I paid $100 last night over the phone by credit card, but it only lets you make one phone payment every 24 hours! I had to split the payment between 2 credit cards. I'm such a retard. I only remember to pay rent cause the landlords come to the door to collect it, or else I"d probably be homeless! Most of my other bills are paid by automatic debit.

bang ... bang

Like - OMG - Did you know that there is a TV show called "Cycling"? Its on cable channel "VS" as in 'versus'... tonight is the 2008 Tour of California. Very very fun!

Rhonda, I understand the frustration with staying the same weight (been toying with the same 10 pounds for a couple months!) But if you look at ppl who are full on 2-3 bites... what kind of nutrition are their bodies getting? SURE I get FULL on about 2 bites of salad (3-4 bites get me stuck and then I PB) but does that mean I should eat a couple bites of salad everyday and call it done? That is NOT enough food or the proper nutrition for me (or anyone!) I really don't see how 1/2 cup food 3 or 4 times a day is enough either? Of course... if you are eating 1/2 cup of fresh raw fruits/veggies you'll lose weight like crazy, whereas if you eat 1/2 cup ice cream (but who can stop there?!) you'll likey lose some weight - but not like we should. Sigh. I don't think I'm making my point. I just don't want ANYONE to get frustrated with their bands!! I can promise that it isn't the bands' fault that we aren't losing like we want - but that we are defeating ourselves. It's like... back in high school or college and you have a test coming up... you had to study or you'd fail. If owning the books and pens and note cards were enough to pass the test thats all we would have done. But nope, you actually have to put in the work... MUCH TO MY DISMAY! (I use this example cause I'm 'working' on my RN and have the books but haven't cracked one in weeeeeeeeeeks, maybe months!) HANG IN THERE!

I can eat bread. As I've whined about before, I can eat bread fine and cannot eat more than 2 bites of salad! Ugh!! I am limited on bread though, can't eat a whole sandwich, but I can get about 1/2 of it without getting stuck. Oh joy. Sitting here now eating Kashi crackers and Hummus. Lol. 4 or 5 of the crackers and I"m done! Stef, send one of those spare bikes up to KC for me?!?! I'm so poor... thinking about tinkering around the thrift stores for a 'starter' bike. Ugh!! Beckie - Stefs little local bike ride got me thinking... you live nearish me! We should like walk or jog or bike or go eat ice cream together. Haha. Seriously though. What days/times would be good? Even if we could meet once a week or so just to walk a few miles?! Insub - I'd say to stay on the anti-depressants for a few months, and then talk to your doc about weening off of them. I know that you know this, but you should never just 'quit' taking them because that would cause major mood swings and can cause suicidal ideation. So, ween slowly. Glad you got what you needed to get you through your rough patch!!

Oh drats! I still live in Kansas City!

I'll snag a bunch of Lube from the hospital for Stefs party! Woot! Burnt chickens and nasty lubed bananas - what more could we ask for?!?!

BigBaby - For now I'm still thrilled with being in the 200's!! Lol. Though I've been toying in the 290's for a month now... maybe longer. I'm really struggling with the 'soft' foods... you know, chocolate and that frozen creamy stuff that Stef doesn't like me to talk about. Haha. TODAY is the day that I will eat solid foods all day. Lol. I have GREAT restriction, so, like yesterday, I got totally satisfied (near full) off of ONE meatball from a pasta dish. I didn't eat anything else for about 2 hours when all of a sudden M&Ms sounded good. Lol. So yeah. I WILL break out of the 290's by the end of next week!!

ha! See Stef!!! It's a SIGN!!!!