phyllser

Oh, Ruby, I'm so sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. That is so very sad. I don't know what you can say to your DH to help... just an understanding hug and a shoulder to cry on.

DD & SIL dropped by and I forgot where I was with my Wii story! DH and I were discussing exercise in the car this morning and he said something about buying a Wii. So when we were shopping after lunch I thought I'd check the electronics dept of the store we were in. Asked the clerk if they had any and she said she thought they did. She told me they only get in a few at a time and there are always people on the waiting list. They use a lottery system to see who gets to buy the ones they get in. But this week she only had three people on the list so they had a few extras! So I got one! We've spent the afternoon setting it up and playing with it. Then DD & SIL came over and they played with it too. I did my "Fitness Age" again and came up with a 61 this time!! DH was 71!! SIL was 79 and I think DD was 51!! We had fun! And I got some exercise!! DD & I each did a game of bowling, too. She did really well at that!! I bowled 125.. not too bad.

Karri, I am impressed with your meal planning for the week! That's great! I wish I had a little more "control" in the kitchen! DH has gotten very territorial about that! Can't wait until he starts cutting the lawn for our SIL... then I have some time to myself in the kitchen!! I will cook up some things that I"ve been wanting to try!! :biggrin::thumbup: Sounds like your weather has been as interesting as ours this weekend! Saw snow again this morning on the way to church. Sun is out now. Maybe it's over and we can get on with spring, huh??? Hi, to you, too!! It's been quiet around here today!! I just got on myself, for the first time since this morning. We'll be waiting to see pictures of you all decked out for that graduation!! Yes, Jacki, your daughter looked BEAUTIFUL in her prom dress! What a great color!! Well, we stopped to do a little shopping after church and lunch with our DD & SIL and ended up buying a Wii!! They're not that easy

Don't beat yourself up, Kiddo!! What do they say... "pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again!!" Wasn't that part of an old Frank Sinatra song??? You wouldn't know.... too young!! Heck, I'm almost too young for Frank Sinatra! My era was Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson, Elvis, Frankie Avalon, etc. Anyway, you get the picture!! Today is a new day! Wonder where everyone is!? You and I were the only ones hanging around last night, too! I read your posts... I was up late. Gym sounds like a good investment! Wish I had room for something like that here. We do have exercise equipment in the condo clubhouse. I have yet to get over there!! We've been so busy since we got back! EXCUSES!! I will check it out this afternoon, after church, etc.

Taken last night at dusk. Snow has pretty much all melted now, but still cold out....38 and every now and then, it starts snowing again. One of my sisters in Buffalo called... complaining because it was 89 there today!! Go figure!!

Yep... Choices and trade offs!! Cholesterol thing is a puzzle! Wonder why the LDL went up?? I got my results back today.... total cholesterol is 168, LDL 99, HDL 43 and Triglycerides 96. Not bad, but I'd like to see some improvement in the HDL/LDL. As your chart shows... optimal LDL, less than 100 and mine is just barely. For women, optimal HDL 50+ and mine is at 43. Not sure what the Cholesterol/HDL ratio random is, but mine is 3.91. Anyone know what that should be?? The snow got worse before it got better. And we still have tomorrow to deal with, which they originally said would be worse than today, but we'll see. They're never right anyway!! DD had 4-5 inches on the ground... 8 miles from where we live but slightly higher elevation. I got lots more pictures and may post another tomorrow. Tomorrow we're supposed to get thunderstorms mixed in with the rest of the mess!! Not a good day to travel to Olympia, Karri!! So sorry your fill was such a bummer! Frustrating that they screwed it up last time!! Unforgiveable, really!! They always give me Lidocaine before they start and I don't feel anything but the pushing and probing! My P.A. used the same excuse.... scar tissue in the way. I felt the needle slip off one time, but it was just like a thump.. not painful.

The hail changed to snow and it's been coming down all afternoon. We're going over to DD's for dinner (salmon!) and starting to be afraid we won't be able to make it up her big hill to go home tonight!! Oh, well... the RV is parked there! Might have to use it! Talked to my Mom yesterday. She's almost 86 yrs and really doesn't understand the whole Lapband thing, but she's very supportive and always asking me how I'm doing. Yesterday she commented that it'd be easier for me now that I'm home because there will be less "temptations". I agreed. But I was surpirsed that I felt a little bit of an emotional response to the word "temptations". I don't feel like there are really any temptions anymore... just CHOICES. So, I'm posing a "question of the day".... we haven't had one in a long time... How do you feel about the word "temptation"? Are you tempted by certain foods? I kind of feel that we have moved beyond "temptations" to a place where we have enough control to make healthy choices, and to sometimes choose to have something we wouldn't eat on a daily basis, but, as Janet just described... we allow for by cutting calories/intake somewhere else. Am I making myself clear?? I guess I was maybe a little offended, even, by the word "temptations" because I don't think I have any at this point. I know what i should and shouldn't eat, and if I want to have something.. like a dessert, or maybe some pasta or potatoes, then I will compensate for that by cutting somewhere else that day.

Weather Update: Now it's HAILING.... very heavy, starting to cover the ground!!

Ruby, So glad to hear you are feeling better this morning. My water... so far, a cup of coffee and about 8 oz of Crystal Lite and I've only been up about 90 minutes, so not too bad a start! I can hear again this morning! Really loved those guys, but we're just too old for that. Sensory overload!! Strobe lights, confetti shooting into the air, dueling drums, too much for us!! Bad mother??? Cheez! I think I must be REALLY bad, then! We have refused to bail our son out of jail at least three times! That's really mean! But, we felt very strongly that his behavior would NOT change unless he had to pay the consequences! Don't feel bad... you're not being unreasonable at all! Yes....TOUGH LOVE is okay!! I didn't see that "subscribed thead" link over there! Thanks! I was working under "diminished capacity" last night when I was looking.... my head was not right after that concert!! Well, I'm trying not to complain about the 40 degrees and rain and wind, so let me just say that the windy desert sounds pretty good to me right now... OH, NO!!!! It just started SNOWING!!! Large flakes falling outside my window! Next spring we are definitely staying in the desert LONGER!! I don't know if I can manage "appreciate", Steph, but I'm working hard on "tolerate" without complaining! I was looking forward to another ride around the neighborhood on my scooter today since I forgot to take my wallet yesterday!! and I haven't hit Target yet! But don't know if I can do it with the wind and cold temps, oh yeah, and the RAIN and SNOW!! Peckish... a new one for me, too. Thanks for expanding our vocabulary Janet and Ruby!! And, Peaches, hope you get somewhere with your Mom's healthcare providers!! That is unexcusable!

I checked out one of the PT places and they don't have onsite aquatic therapy but use the high school pool and it's all at night. But they did say another place about another block away has onsite aquatic therapy. But I haven't gotten over there yet to check it out. I looked up Hyroworx on the internet, though. Very cool! And it never occurred to me that I would probably qualify for some PT. Very good idea. Thanks. I'm going to continue to pursue this! My update: I had my 4th fill on Monday. My last one was Oct 29, three days before we left for the winter, so they hadn't seen me since then. I was down about 25 lb... not too impressive for 5 months, but slow and steady is okay! P.A. said she was "very proud" of me and she thougth I was doing very well. She put another 1 cc in my band to give me a total of 5.2 in my 11cc VG band. Restriction is good and if my scale is correct I've lost 3-4 lb since Monday. My biggest concern right now is the exercise as we were doing water aerobics five days a week all winter. But, as I said, I'm working on looking for something! Our condo has an exercise room... I forget what equipment is over there... I need to go check that out, too. They're putting in new showers and a new hot tub, so if there is equipment there that I can use without taxing my knees too much, that might be my exercise place for the spring/summer! Although, it still feels like winter here... 40 degrees this morning with weatherman threatening freezing rain mixed with snow for the next two days!! Always good to hear from you, Don, and get your updates!! We're rooting for you!! Your wife is waiting, too, right? Yeah, sounds good to me, too!!

The site looks different again. Where is "My Account"?? I can't find my list of subscribed threads! Frustrating! DD invited us to a concert tonight... Christian Contemporary... Newsboys! It was LOUD!! My ears will never be the same. Should've stayed home to watch Survivor & ER!! Temp has dropped like a rock tonight. Going in to the 30's tonight, rain mixed with snow coming over the next few days!! Take me back to the desert!!

Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups Swanson® chicken broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic) 1 tsp. garlic powder 2 cans (about 14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs 12 oz. mushrooms, cut in half (about 4 cups) 2 large onions, chopped (about 2 cups) 3 lb. chicken parts, skin removed Hot cooked spaghetti Directions: Mix the broth, garlic powder, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours* or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the spaghetti. *Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. For thicker sauce, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of Water in a small bowl. Remove the chicken from the cooker. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the cooker. Turn the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Serves 6. Keep this healthy by substituting something else for the spaghetti... spaghetti squash, french style green Beans, etc.

Here's something that sounds good.... just leave out the spaghetti or substitute something else. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic) 1 tsp. garlic powder 2 cans (about 14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs 12 oz. mushrooms, cut in half (about 4 cups) 2 large onions, chopped (about 2 cups) 3 lb. chicken parts, skin removed Hot cooked spaghetti Directions: Mix the broth, garlic powder, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours* or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the spaghetti. *Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. For thicker sauce, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Remove the chicken from the cooker. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the cooker. Turn the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Serves 6.

Seems to depend on the store and the brand, and it seems to me a lot of manufacturers have totally changed their sizes in the last year. I've bought a lot of JMS clothes.. I think 3X was 26-28 in JMS, too, and now that is 4X! It's too confusing! I was guessing it had to do with how many times you posted, but I just read what Janet found out about it. CONGRATULATIONS!! I totally forgot my aniversary is coming up, too!! Glad you're feeling better today. Hormones are not a bad thing even though they can play havoc with our emotions. Well, it's not exactly a BIG fridge, but certainly bigger than the RV fridge! First time I used my new water bottle it erupted on me, but now I have it figured out and I think I'm going to like it. It's a Rubbermaid 20 oz bottle with a pop up straw... so I have to empty it at least 3X a day. If you fill it up with cold liquid and then let it sit at room temperature, the liquid rises up the straw and pressure builds up as it warms up. So I have to make sure I pay attention to how far up the straw the liquid has come. If its near the top, I have to loosen the lid and pop the straw up to release the pressure and then it won't "ERUPT"! My old one was like that, too, so I should have known this one would work the same way. But, enough of this trivia! My new water bottle.... my incentive for DRINKING!! GOD BLESS YOU, DENISE!! MY SMILEY'S ARE LOST!

That sounds really good!! One thing I love about being home... if I get an idea like that in my head... need some ingredients to make something, I can get on my scooter and go across the street to Albertson's in 5 minutes!! Don't have to make a list and remember it three days from now when we go to Wal-Mart or something!! And don't have to persuade DH that I need it... just go get it myself! YEP----- your HORMONES are raging!! You're crying and you want a man!! UGH!! I have "closet work" to do, too, BIG TIME!! Everything that came out of the RV is scattered about in two different rooms so I can go through it all. I took WAY too many clothes with me because I was afraid nothing would fit me by the time we got back and I'd never be able to wear them again!! When I get done, there's not going to be much left! I did get all that new underwear/bras at Lane Bryant, so I'm all set there.. just need to get rid of all the old stuff. I'm hoping to get rid of some pills, too! Waiting to get the results of my cholesterol screening.. would love to get off one of those Rx and at least reduce strength on one of my BP meds. But, yes, I will still have BP issues, too. All three sisters are on 1-2 BP meds. Wow!! Congrats on the 5 K run!! That's wonderful! You MISS the rain??? Okay... I certainly understand the landscape, and the people! It's beautiful on this side of the mountains. But, up here at least, they're predicting freezing rain mixed with snow for this weekend!! I can live without that!! I was pushing up my two layers of long sleeves at church today so I could show my friends my tan before it fades!! I told them.. we brought that nice sun and warm weather with us last Saturday and "you guys" wasted it all in one day!! I like to experiment, but I'm not as creative as you! We'll have to try the lasagna without noodles. We tried it with eggplant, but, didn't turn out so great. We used canned tomatoes and I think we need to try again with spaghetti sauce. Oh, boy!! Like mother, like daughter!! You two have got the tears going on tonight! I haven't had a day like that in a while but it's cute and WE LOVE YOU BOTH... GROUP HUG!!! :grouphug:

That would make me REALLY mad!! That's why I like to box up my own leftovers... don't trust them! Seafood, too.... bummer! I will definitely have to try that... sounds yummy Doing good with your water again! I've only done about 32 oz so far today of crystal lite and water, and about 3 cups of coffee... which you said doesn't count!! Busy day... but I'm NOT making excuses! I DID go buy a new water bottle at Albertson's. Mine has been leaking. I'm trying a different kind. We went to "Primetimers" at church today. I had lots of compliments from all those folks who hadn't seen me in 5 1/2 mos..... AND I could swear some of those old guys kept staring at me and grinning!! I told DH they were flirting with me!! So he wants to know who so he can punch their lights out! :biggrin::tongue:

Hi, Good question... like Janet says, no pat answer, but general guidelines... you're not "grazing" for food between meals, satisfied with a "bandster" portion, losing weight consistently. My doctor's recommendation... if you haven't lost anything for several weeks, hungry between meals, eating too much, then you're probably not "tight" enough yet.

Thanks for the info!! I will research that! I have two PT facilities within shouting distance!

Hi, Shannon, I am in Everett WA, not too far from you. My starting BMI was 63.5. My doctor did not put me on a liquid diet, but told me he wanted me to lose 10% of my body weight before surgery. I didn't quite make that goal, but I did get my BMI below 60 prior to surgery and he was pleased with that. The pre-op diet is supposed to "shrink" the liver to make it easier for the surgeon to deal with during the surgery as it has to be lifted out of the way to install the band. That knowledge was incentive enough for me to want to lose as much as I could prior to surgery. I think it's quite normal to fear anesthetic, especially at our size. I just told myself that it was more dangerous to continue my life "morbidly obese" than to submit to an hour or so of anesthesia! You'll be in good hands... and you'll be fine.

Hmmm... I don't count calories either, but I did in the beginning. It might be a good idea to at log what you are eating for a week or so to get an idea where you are with calorie intake... do you keep a food diary? There's a good one at fitday.com if you don't have one that you use. What kinds of things are you eating and what amounts? What kind of exercise? Sometimes you just have to change things up a bit. Are you getting your water in?? Also, maybe you need another fill. Guidelines my doctor uses to determine whether or not you need another band adjustment.... no weight loss for several weeks, feeling hungry 1-2 hours after eating, eating portions larger than "bandster" portions.

It was nice to sleep in my own bed. We have a sleep number bed both at home and in the RV, but the home one is a king size and has a different foundation so it is a little more comfortable. It's also nice to have room to walk around!! But I miss the sunshine! Thanks, Ruby! Boy! I am really feeling the WATER pressure!! I'll have to work on that today. On the road I was holding back! I don't like to take off my seat belt and walk back to the BR when we're moving! Now I have no excuse, so I've got to get back to my drinking! We miss you. You have a great day, too! Looking forward to this morning... going to our "Primetimers" group at church so I'll be seeing friends I haven't seen since October! After that... back to the unpacking. I have BASKETS of clothes to go through... many have to be retired. And we haven't even brought the hanging clothes in yet! DH and a neighbor hauled things in for about an hour yesterday... refrigerator stuff, kitchen stuff, etc. But didn't want to block up the condo parking lot for too long, so now the RV is over at our daughters. When we finish putting away all the stuff that's already been hauled in, then we have to go over and get the rest of it! Biggest job for me is all those clothes... lots of them have to go.. too big. What a horrible problem! Our DD & SIL had a big WELCOME HOME banner and a little potted rose bush waiting for us when we came in the door yesterday!! It was so sweet! I think DD must have cleaned, too... there's no dust!! I forgot to ask her if she did that!

You're doing GREAT!! Glad your DH is with you on the PS!! Starting to try to get mine thinking in that direction... but I have a long way to go before I'll be ready. Don't float away!! I need the WATER PATROL, too!! I've been slacking off in that department since we've been on the road. Now that we're back home, I need to get back on the wagon!! It is GOOD to be home, BTW!! Great job with the exercise, Jackie! DRINK!! DRINK!! DRINK!! Waiting to hear how it went!!

Sounds like you are doing very well. Underwater treadmill?? Wow! Wish I could find one of those! We just got back from our long winter vacation in the sun and I now need to find a new place to exercise, preferably in water as I have bad knees. I had my 4th fill yesterday and I may be at that "SWEET SPOT"! DH fixed me a packet of oatmeal this morning and I could only eat half. That was fairly early. At noon I heated up some pureed soup... got down about 1/2 cup and that was it. Now it's almost 5pm and just starting to feel hungry again. This is GOOD!!

Good Morning, Sharon! so sorry to hear about your friend's baby. that is really sad. I had my 4th fill yesterday... first one in six months. It was a bit of a struggle... finding the center of the port was quite a challenge for the P.A. even under fluoro. But she finally got it and put in 1cc...for a total of 5.2 cc now in my 11ccVG band. I'm supposed to be on full liquids now for two days, then gradually back to solids. So I had soup yesterday... tomato soup twice and last night some pureed lentil stew that we made for this occasion! It was pretty runny, so it went down easy, but only 1/2 cup... like I"m supposed to... and I was full. Same thing this morning. DH fixed me "heart healthy" oatmeal but I could only eat half of it. First fill that I can feel a kind of gurgling, bubbly feeling when I swallow liquids. I think I'm going to be just right at this place. Us 60+ folks need to keep communication.. there aren't too many of us and so many in our age bracket are afraid to embark on this journey! We need to be here to encourage one another and any who might be looking in to band surgery. We're NOT TOO OLD to do this! P.A. was very supportive yesterday... told me she was "very proud" of my progress... weight loss, exercise, etc. It sounds ambitious, but I hope to make it to the 100 lb mark by my anniversary date, July 20!