phyllser

Hi, Linda and All, We took a ride today.. wind is back in the desert so I wanted to get out and do something. Took the mail out to our neighbors who are out at the Salton Sea camping for a couple of weeks and then ended up at "Slab City" and "Salvation Mountain"!! Pretty Interesting!! Take a look at these websites: Salvation Mountain - Official Website - Niland, California slab city

This thread isn't really very active. C'mon over to the "New 60+" thread instead.

I LOVE the stroller story!! I can picture it sitting in your kitchen!! How exciting!! We have 10 grandchildren from 19-2!! Part of the reason we just moved back to WA was to be closer to those little ones as they are growing up. We moved to OK when the older ones were toddlers and I so hated only seeing them a couple of times a year!! Grandchildren are wonderful and you are going to be so BLESSED!! It's just a whole new world!!

Yeah, I responded to his request for volunteers, too, but I didn't even get a "Dear John" email like you did! That's okay. My internet connection has been so spotty lately!

Hi and WELCOME! I am in Everett, near the Lake Stevens Albertson's. When I'm home, that is! We're doing winter in the Palm Springs area in southern CA. Will be home in a month or so!! How are you doing?

My favorite from Jesse's "Stages of Banding" list was the one about taking no crap from anyone!! Poor DH got the brunt of my wrath yesterday! Oh, well! He won't be tellling me how to do my diet/exercise again for a while!! :confused:

Hi, Well, if your family is so down on you and critical, why in the world do they not support your decision to do something to help yourself?? :confused: They don't make a lot of sense do they? They should be happy that you are taking charge and planning action that will help you improve your quality of life. And that will help with the depression, also. I commend your decision! Have they paid enough attention to even understand what this surgery is all about? Have you been to any support group meetings in your area yet? Maybe if they attended with you, or maybe take one of them to the orientation seminar, they'd understand more and be more supportive.

I have not had this problem, but I must say to you that you need to do what is best for you without listening to the "nay sayers"!! I had my surgery last summer and it's the best thing I ever did for myself! Tell us more about yourself and your situation. There are lots of caring people here to support you! :tt2::rolleyes2:

These were written by Jesse Ahroni who wrote the book: Laproscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding... and excellent book and the first one I read before making the decision to have the surgery. I met her at a support group meeting in Everett WA. She had her lapband surgery 10 years ago. She reminds me of Janet! :rolleyes2: Stages of Banding . Discovering the Band . Wondering if this is for me . Investigation . Doing serious research . Joining a support group . Getting hopeful . Finding a doctor . Shock at the price . Deciding to do it . Making the arrangements . Wondering if you made the right decision . Getting nervous . Going ahead with it . Waking up and wondering what the hell you did to yourself. . Post-op discomfort . Month of liquids- not being able to strictly adhere . Wondering if you've been scammed again . Seeing a little success . Getting your first fill . Changing your eating habits . Seeing more success . Getting second fill . Really losing . Seriously changing your eating habits . Being totally euphoric about your weight loss . Changing your thinking about eating . Wanting to tell every fat person you meet about the band . Realizing you really can't eat . Worrying about nutrition . Learning to eat healthy and wise . Finding other ways to meet your emotional needs . Realizing it takes a long time to lose 100lbs . Trudging along . My clothes are too big . Buying new clothes . Oops, I bought too much too soon...now these are too big . Buying more clothes . Getting near goal . Enjoying all the compliments . Feeling successful . Getting aggressive . Not taking crap from anybody . Realizing you can be assertive without steam rolling everybody . Finding balance . Wondering what comes next **There are other stages and everybody does not go through them in the same order or even go through all the stages. Some people might have stages to add....and there is some looping back and forth. But these are common stages that Bandsters go through.

These were written by Jesse Ahroni who wrote the book: Laproscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding... and excellent book and the first one I read before making the decision to have the surgery. Stages of Banding . Discovering the Band . Wondering if this is for me . Investigation . Doing serious research . Joining a support group . Getting hopeful . Finding a doctor . Shock at the price . Deciding to do it . Making the arrangements . Wondering if you made the right decision . Getting nervous . Going ahead with it . Waking up and wondering what the hell you did to yourself. . Post-op discomfort . Month of liquids- not being able to strictly adhere . Wondering if you've been scammed again . Seeing a little success . Getting your first fill . Changing your eating habits . Seeing more success . Getting second fill . Really losing . Seriously changing your eating habits . Being totally euphoric about your weight loss . Changing your thinking about eating . Wanting to tell every fat person you meet about the band . Realizing you really can't eat . Worrying about nutrition . Learning to eat healthy and wise . Finding other ways to meet your emotional needs . Realizing it takes a long time to lose 100lbs . Trudging along . My clothes are too big . Buying new clothes . Oops, I bought too much too soon...now these are too big . Buying more clothes . Getting near goal . Enjoying all the compliments . Feeling successful . Getting aggressive . Not taking crap from anybody . Realizing you can be assertive without steam rolling everybody . Finding balance . Wondering what comes next **There are other stages and everybody does not go through them in the same order or even go through all the stages. Some people might have stages to add....and there is some looping back and forth. But these are common stages that Bandsters go through.

You got that right!! I'm doing okay with my little gain this week... less than a pound, but disappointing anyway. DH got a BIG piece of my mind today over his "suggestions" as to WHY that happened and what I can do to do better next week! I think he's beginning to get it that he needs to keep his big mouth shut when I have a bad weigh in!! Well, they had the d----- things at the street fair tonight, too!! I looked the other way. But, the smell of the grilled onions from a couple of other booths was driving me wild! But the only food items we bought: a head of cauliflower, head of red cabbage, bag of garlic and some fresh tomatoes!! Then I splurged with a bookmark with my name on it and a couple of crystal nail files!! Woo Hoo!! Steph, your post on the joys of teaching was quite eloquent and WHAT an EYE OPENER!! I had no idea what you teachers go through!! Many KUDOS to you and Karri and all our teachers!! No wonder you're always stressed out!! Probably around 10 years ago our SIL was studying to get his degree and teaching certificate in math.. a five year program at OU (Oklahoma). He couldn't make it through the student teaching before he got burned out on teaching!! For him it was dealing with the parents. Kids didn't get it, wouldn't study or do the work and the parents blame the teacher! Now he is in mid-management at Microsoft and making way bigger bucks than he would have teaching. It's a shame what we are doing to our teachers in this country!

BTW, why am I online in the middle of the afternoon, you ask???? That's why... it's the middle of the afternoon and it's about 82 degrees outside and all the "old folks" are outside playing instead of inside on their computers!! And, being that it's over 85 degrees INSIDE the motor home now, I am about to join their ranks. I'm going to gather up my reading material and head out to the patio RIGHT NOW even though I have a wonderful connection right now!! I've read ALL the posts on ALL my threads and I've done ALL my Scrabble games, and I'm outa here!!

Wow! Your medical history sounds remarkably like mine.... all the same meds except I'm not taking anything for the arthritis right now, but I do take a thyroid pill, and detrol la for the bladder. I had my surgery last summer at 63 1/2 yrs. I can't do much walking, but I'm trying to push it. I use a handicap scooter a good bit of the time... shopping, etc. Very best of luck to you. you won't be sorry!

WOW!!! That's pretty exciting!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! :party: I don't know if I'll ever make it there!! I went to the Biggest Loser website the other day and filled out their assessment thing.. my age, height, etc... their recommended weight for me... 97 - 127 lb!! Yeah, right!! Never happen!!

Yeah, but the Bandster Bash... someone else does all the work and we just go have fun. The hotel they used has an indoor pool/hot tub in an oasis type of a setting so we could pretend we are in Palm Springs. They had lots of good speakers and seminars, even plastic surgery doctor. They had a clothing exchange and a dinner Friday night, dinner/dance Saturday night. I was looking at some of the online pictures last night. Looks like they were having fun. They had a professional photographer there taking individual and group photos, too. Those are online, too.

Hi, Dr. Hunter is my doctor, too. I had my surgery July 20, 2007. I like him a lot but his staff can be somewhat frustrating. We are spending the winter in southern CA so I haven't had a fill since Oct. 29. I want an appointment for mid April, when we get home, so, knowing how they are.. I made my first phone call yesterday and I'm still waiting for a call back from the scheduling nurse. It seems like every time I want an appointment I have to call and call and call until I feel like I"m nagging them! I don't know if it's just that they are that busy or if they need to revamp their system!! Other than that, I have no complaints! Probably a good idea to make sure you understand whether or not they are going to keep you overnight. I was told yes, no, yes, no, and I still wasn't sure the morning of surgery. So I brought my CPAP machine and never had to use it because they sent me home around 4pm. Not a good time to head north out of Seattle!!! Took two hours to get to Everett!! There's not much I can add as to what things you need to get prior to surgery. I will amen the Magic Bullet suggestion. It is very handy to have for mixing your protein drinks, etc, and also for the "mushie" stage. And every time you have a fill, you'll have to repeat those stages in shortened form, so it's a good thing to have. Shop around and watch for sales. I think I paid about $45... Costco, I think. Can't remember for sure where we finally bought it. And I like the EAS chocolate protein from Costco also. I got the Gas-X strips and hardly used them. Liquid Tylenol is a good thing to have for when you're ready to quit your Rx pain medicine. Did someone suggest sugar free popsicles?? Those are good thing to have on hand, too.

AMEN!!! Very well put! I completely concur!! Blessings!

Good Morning, Gang! Just checking in. I seem to be able to get online for a few minutes early in the day and then again at night. Although, yesterday afternoon when it was nice and hot (around 80 degrees, I think), everyone must have been outside playing because I got on for a little while. But I wanted to sit outside in the sun, too, so I wasn't on for long. Scale didn't move this week.... frustrating, but that's okay. We have one more month here before we go home, so I'm already trying to contact my doctor's office to get an appointment for a fill. It's a process!! The old, give me your number and they'll call you back... the nurse is busy!! Yeah, right. So I have to keep calling until they realize I'm serious and I won't go away until I get an appointment!! That's why I started already so I can get a mid-April appointment! Some days I seem to have plenty of restriction, others I know I"m not tight enough. I've exercised more this month than I have all winter. I'm eating the right things... Okay, I did eat some "fair food" last weekend, and had 2 1/2 "big girl glasses" of wine the other day... that could account for no loss this week. As I told Janet, I did okay at the fair at lunch time, but then DH bought a funnel cake and I ate about 1/3 of it. So much for my THREE BITE RULE! Oh, we went to a small luncheon the other day, too. That didn't help. I had chicken breast, chef salad, a little fruit salad (lady said it was "wheat salad", whatever that is), some carrots. Then dessert was served... homemade lemon pie with graham cracker crust. I DID follow my three bite rule with that, then when no one was looking, slid the rest onto DH's plate! Pretty slick. No one saw it. And hopefully didn't notice I then appeared to be the first one done!! Wow!! She must have sucked that thing down! Okay, I better sign off before I lose my connection and my whole post goes away!! MISS YOU ALL, but I read all the posts whenever I can get online. Just don't always then have time to answer!

Good Morning, Gang! Just checking in. I seem to be able to get online for a few minutes early in the day and then again at night. Although, yesterday afternoon when it was nice and hot (around 80 degrees, I think), everyone must have been outside playing because I got on for a little while. But I wanted to sit outside in the sun, too, so I wasn't on for long. Scale didn't move this week.... frustrating, but that's okay. We have one more month here before we go home, so I'm already trying to contact my doctor's office to get an appointment for a fill. It's a process!! The old, give me your number and they'll call you back... the nurse is busy!! Yeah, right. So I have to keep calling until they realize I'm serious and I won't go away until I get an appointment!! That's why I started already so I can get a mid-April appointment! Some days I seem to have plenty of restriction, others I know I"m not tight enough. I've exercised more this month than I have all winter. I'm eating the right things... Okay, I did eat some "fair food" last weekend, and had 2 1/2 "big girl glasses" of wine the other day... that could account for no loss this week. As I told Janet, I did okay at the fair at lunch time, but then DH bought a funnel cake and I ate about 1/3 of it. So much for my THREE BITE RULE! Oh, we went to a small luncheon the other day, too. That didn't help. I had chicken breast, chef salad, a little fruit salad (lady said it was "wheat salad", whatever that is), some carrots. Then dessert was served... homemade lemon pie with graham cracker crust. I DID follow my three bite rule with that, then when no one was looking, slid the rest onto DH's plate! Pretty slick. No one saw it. And hopefully didn't notice I then appeared to be the first one done!! Wow!! She must have sucked that thing down! Okay, I better sign off before I lose my connection and my whole post goes away!! MISS YOU ALL, but I read all the posts whenever I can get online. Just don't always then have time to answer!

Go to Edit Signature... copy/paste the bbc code, not the url. there is a tutorial somewhere on this site that will walk you through it if that doesn't work.

Hi, Everyone!! It's almost midnight and everyone in the park must be sleeping except for us because all of a sudden we can both get on the internet!! Bandwith is ridiculous! They've been promising to add more all winter! Oh, well! Can't complain because we're not paying for it! Our neighbors let us use theirs. My next strong connection next door is camping down at the Salton Sea!! They were going to be gone 10 days but when we went to visit them yesterday they said TWO MORE WEEKS!! Heck, we'll be almost ready to leave for home by then! Just coping here as best we can. Connection at the park clubhouse isn't any better. Our son tried to use it the other day and gave up. I've been amusing myself watching TV and playing Spider Solitaire until my hand hurts!! Read all your posts so I can keep up to date. But if I try to make comments I'll be up half the night!! Miss you all SOOOO MUCH! My lifeline! Anyway, about spaghetti squash... have only cooked it a couple of times, but just read this recipe on another thread: Ingredients: 1 spaghetti squash 1 tablespoon EVOO Salt & pepper 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (96/4) 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated 3 cups Ragu spaghetti sauce (old world style) Italian seasoning to taste 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese Directions: Cut squash in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the seeds. Brush with EVOO and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Lay both pieces, face-down, on a cookie sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil and bake at 350 for at least an hour, maybe longer. (Bake until skin is very very soft if you want the consistency to be like noodles). Let them cool completely. Meanwhile, brown ground beef, drain and put back in pan. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Then add spaghetti sauce, salt & pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning to taste. Let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Once squash is cooled, rake out the squash into a mixing bowl with a fork. Add sauce mixture and toss well. Put the mixture in a baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake until cheese is melted. Here's the nutritional information: Serving size is 1/8 of recipe (which is a good size portion) Calories- 117 Fat- 5g Carbs- 7g Protein- 9g

I don't usually have THAT problem, but I keep a bag of prunes around just in case. You can buy them in resealable bags. I like the orange flavored prunes. DH is being SO patient... I still have his laptop!! More than three hours. I must get off here!!

:mad::hurray::mad::hurray::mad: :mad: :smile2: :sad: That's GREAT, Mary!! Congrats!! I remember when I crossed that line, too!! It was a great day!! Now I'm about to dip below 260 and can't wait!!

You are more than welcome! Things are going better now, right?! I can't stand not being on here!! But, I've had DH's computer for a couple of hours now catching up on everything and he wants it back!Can't figure out why mine won't log on. It was spotty, but logging on for the first two days our "mobile internet cafe" was gone! Those RV neighbors left a message on our phone yesterday.. . "why aren't you answering our emails???" Duh!! You took away my internet connection. they'll be back, but not until next week. And if the weather doesn't get better, it might be longer than that. They're only 40 miles away but the weather is so much better there... Guess they'e under the protection of the mountains.

You know what.... if they have another "Bandster Bash" in Seattle next Feb, a bunch of us should try to go. It would be fun. I think they usually have it around "President's Day" on a Fri-Sun. This is the 6th year they've had it and it was at a big hotel by the airport.