lindata

One of my life goals was to see a musical in New York on Broadway. The first one I saw was Beauty and the Beast. I was so overwhelmed that I was actually seeing it in NEW YORK that I cried. I also saw Lion King there. Both amazing - Lion King the best though. I've seen many musicals other than on Broadway - too many to count here. I LOVE musicals. I love musical movies too. Linda

Skinny Jill - can't wait until I'm there. I've had 2 fills and getting another tomorrow - a total of 5 cc's? I'll have to ask the doc.

That sucks! I've heard elsewhere if you go to the hospital and ask for a chemo nurse to do an unfill they know how to do it. I'm not exactly sure what chemo nurses do but apparently know how to put fills in and unfills, etc. Linda

It will be sooner than you think. Just 30 pounds ago it was very hard for me too - that was last summer. I've been using a stationary bike for exercise and I think that's helped, but definitely having a smaller stomach is helping greatly. Your pond sounds so nice! We're putting one in but not with fish. My DH got a solar powered pump for it. Are we green or what? We tried the pump out today and it works really great. We haven't lined it yet - we just tried it out with the Water collected in it from rain. I planted some sunflower seeds for my son to see. I can't believe how fast they've grown! I just have a window to grow them in, not a greenhouse. It sounds like you have a really nice set up. Are you on a farm?

WHAT? Oh, thank you so much!!! I'm going there now.

Alyson -wow, you go! What is TMI, by the way? I just subscribed to a CSA as well and I'm really excited about getting locally produced meat and veggies. I was at Kroger today and just for sh!ts and giggles thought I'd ask if they have any organic meat (not that I thought they did), but he said they had chicken (gasp!), so I bought some. I couldn't believe it. We've got a soon to be four year old boy and I used to bike with him a lot on the back of my bike but he's too big for that now, so we're driving a lot of places where we can bike. So I'm going to get one of those bike trailer things - not the one they just sit in and get pulled, but the one that has pedals and a wheel and a seat so they can pedal too.

A little tidbit I just read about: Kids who eat a regular diet of non-organic food have organophosphates found in their blood and urine. After just 5 days of eating organic, the organophosphates are not traceable anymore. If nothing else convinced me to go organic, that info just did.

Green, you are my soul sista. Ditto for me except the therapy - but I'm not saying I don't need it. :party:

How about drinking one protein shake/day if it gives you more energy? I know they really help in filling me up for the day. If I don't have one I eat way more.

This is exactly the restriction I'm hoping for as well. I'm finding that I'm really lapsing into bad bad old eating habits and I'm getting depression along with it (the two are always linked with me), eat more, get depressed more. I'm so glad I got the band because I knew this would happen to me (always does with diets), and I'd quit the diet and gain all my weight back. This can't happen to me now. When I finally get restriction I will have to really battle my demons as well. It's nice we're all going through it at the same time.

I already posted in rants n raves that I missed HALF of tonights show! (big huge crying fit) I can't believe after waiting and waiting and waiting I missed half of it. The other half of it my son was wrestling me, so I didn't get to actually hear any of it. waaaahhh!

Crappity Crap, I missed half of Lost tonight. UGH!!!! It's been off air for so long I totally forgot when it was going to air. (sob sob)

Wow, I was expecting a lot more responses like Manatee! You guys have all given me some good ideas. Jack, what do you find is the best way to keep the freezer burn off your frozen stuff? We don't have a large yard to grow our own, but I'm planning this year to go to the organic orchards/farms, buying from them, and do a lot of preserving for the winter. Do you have any good tips? Trixie, thanks for the websites. One I really like is Ideal Bite (Byte?). It gives you "bite-sized" pieces of enviro info daily, stuff you can do to make a difference, done with humor. Anybody else have good green websites? Green, you're lucky to be able to recycle so much. We're only able to do the basics here. Luluc, I'd love to have solar panels. Do they work good? I don't think we can install them because our roof is so steep. Unfortunately we bought in a very un-green neighbourhood (before my big enviro kick), and I'm regretting our choice now. I hope somebody soon we can move to an acreage where I can use solar panels, grey Water system, grow my own everything, clothesline, the whole nine yards. FairyFacade - no plastic? That's awesome! I've heard of people using plant cellulose (?) instead of plastics which is biodegradable. Wheetsin - I must admit I still use paper towels for cleaning the outside of the toilet. I don't think I'd be able to use a sponge for that over and over again! But I do use sponges in all other areas of the house. Thanks everyone for your responses and tips. Keep them coming and we'll maybe be able to offset everything Manatee is doing! haha A few things I forgot about. I use a big plastic container to fill with water when I'm warming up the water for the shower. Then I use that water to flush the toilet, instead of just letting it run down the drain as it warms. Also I've been buying a LOT of houseplants. They are excellent at absorbing chemicals in your house (the stuff that's found in paint, carpets, foam, etc), and giving off oxygen. My new thing - I'm looking into homeopathic remedies. My son has been sick for two weeks and it really scared me taking him to a doctor and all the chemicals I now know are in medicines. I've got to learn to take care of him (and me) as much as I can without chemicals and with natural aids. Once again I am so happy I am banded because the weightloss has given me energy to look into things that are near to my heart, such as this topic. I never had the energy even 30 pounds ago. Linda

I'd like to start a thread about what y'all are doing to help protect our environment and your health. It's a huge issue I'm very passionate about and I'd like to discuss topics, share ideas, that kind of thing. Or are y'all just a bunch of gas-guzzling, non-recycling, hummer-driving nature destroyers? :frown: I thought I was such a good environmentalist - recycled, used cloth bags, tried not to drive the car too much. Then I got into researching it more on the internet - sheesh, there's a lot of stuff you can do. On the environmental side, I'm just trying not to consume as much, buy things with as little packaging as possible, and drive the car even less, buy local food, compost, plant my own garden veggies, bake my own bread, do canning, that kind of thing. Basically live as my grandma did on her homestead! I'd love to get a clothesline but I don't think our neighbourhood would stand for it. Actually, what I'd love to do is have an acreage and raise poultry, sheep and goats, but that's not going to happen for a while. As for personal health issues, it's really scary what our world has come to - how many toxins are in our environment and how little the FDA is doing to protect us. I've learned that I just have to do my own research and protect myself because governments (Canadian, U.S. - don't have personal knowledge of others) aren't - unless you buy everything 100% certified organic. That's the only way to make sure you aren't eating or applying toxins to your body. Cosmetics are really obnoxious. There is so much BAD stuff in personal care products. Check out The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics site online, enter the ingredients of whatever is in your toothpaste/deodorant/perfume/lotion. You would be very shocked to find cancer-causing substances and endocrine disruptors in just about everything you have. Whatever you put on your skin gets absorbed just as if you drank it. Look for anything with paraben in it - it's an endocrine disruptor. It's used to make products have a long shelf life, and it's in just about every single personal care product you have. That's just one of the commonly found harmful ingredients - there are thousands others. Don't be fooled if your product says "green," "natural," "environmental," or use catch phrases or have pictures of idyllic scenes on them. Also, it can say organic and have only 1% of the total product being organic. It's not all organic unless it says 100% organic. I used to assume everything in my local health food grocery store was all organic - I don't know why I did, but I just did. I have to really look closely at the labels there too to make sure I'm getting a 100% organic item. I'd totally replaced all plastic and teflon items in the kitchen with either stainless steel or glass. Teflon has been found in cancer tumors, and plastics can leach crap into your food and Water and cause cancer, disrupt your endocrine system (as in it can feminize boys), and all kinds of awful things. Right now we're in the process of getting organic latex and wool mattresses. Next item on the list is a whole house water filter to filter out chlorine - another awful ingredient which causes cancer. The chlorine in your water gets absorbed through your skin when you shower or bath just as if you drank it. So, anyone else passionate about the environment, the organic movement, or personal health issues? Is anyone in any great environmental groups or simple living clubs? I'd love to talk to ya! Linda

Anybody else try the cookbook Deceptively Delicious? I LOVE it. I never love cookbooks. I hate cookbooks. Nothing ever turns out. But this one actually makes stuff I cook taste good. Really. It's quite amazing. The puree stuff makes everything so moist and tender, and they're actually quite healthy recipes - especially if you use real foods - like butter instead of margarine and organic where you can. I really like this cookbook. Did I say that already? Anybody try any other books like this - where you sneak in healthy purees? Linda

My best friend is a photographer. She tells me to do the "turtle" - stick your chin out to make your other chin(s) disappear. I know I can look 50 pounds different just from a different way I angle a picture. It's actually quite frustrating. I don't really know what I look like! Sorry, was that changing the subject? Oops

I'm posting just to post.

Rose, it helped me to realize this point: on this board there are wonderful, eloquent, helpful people (about 95 percent); then there are the biatches (about 5 percent). The sooner I stopped worrying about those 5 percent, the happier I was. Let it roll off your back. It's just an aggravation to you to worry about it. I used to come to this site daily just to see what "those people" posted next. My husband called them the pack of wolves. Then I started laughing about it. I just couldn't care less anymore. Now I come to rants 'n raves to have a good laugh. Don't let it worry you. Linda

I am SO glad some of you are finally getting the restriction! Yeah!! I think I'm almost there - not quite, but should be with one or two more fills. My doc is only going to do .5 cc's each month from now on. Last fill (total of 5 cc's) I felt a change where I didn't need to eat nearly as much to get full, but I can still eat an awful lot. So I'm hoping my next one will be the ticket. I'm getting it done next Tuesday. I'll be back then to let you know! Luv ya guys! :frown: Linda

This is exactly what happened to me too. I graze during my son's nap and when I put him to bed. i did it before the band and now I'm doing it after the band. I have almost zip for restriction. I have 5 cc's in and he is only doing .5 cc's per month from now on. So I think I'm going to have zip for restriction for a looooonnnggg time. bwaaaaaa! I've basically brought back all my bad habits. The only difference is I don't eat the quantity I used to. That is my saving grace. Thank GAWD for the band. I eat like shite but not as much so at least I'm not gaining. And on the good days/weeks, I do manage to lose one or two. So, I understand how you feel, Sades!

When I was still skinny, like 5'4" and 135 pounds, my doctor told me to lose 10 pounds. No wonder I believed I was fat even when I was thin.

"I'm only frustrated with myself for giving into the frequent weighing. Oh, sure, I'd love to be losing as quickly as some. As helpful as this board is, the down side can be reading about others gushing about how the weight is falling off when it isn't happening to me. And I know I'm not losing because I don't have restriction yet, because I had a low BMI to begin with, and because I'm perimenopausal and having periods that last two weeks and come every two weeks. " Longhorn, you are doing great! If this were someone else, wouldn't you say the same thing to them? I think we all are a lot harder on ourselves than if the same thing were happening to others. If weighing you every day is depressing, then stop! You don't need that aggravation. I like weighing every day. If I don't then I gain for sure. And my weight fluctuates all the time. I tend to lose, then gain it back, then lose it once and for all, then plateau there for a while, and the cycle begins again. But if you're frustrated by it, then how about just at your doc's office like you first started? How about you throw out that scale and just rely on your doc's? Then it's not even there to tempt you, and you can focus on NSV's and the way your clothes fit. ALSO, big important thing here, you always weigh more at the doc's office than at home. Usually at home it's in the morning, no clothes, no food in your belly. At the doc's office you're wearing clothes, retaining Water weight from the day, etc, etc. I also hate the gushers. It makes me want to stab myself in the eye. It's hard not to compare to others though. I feel like I'm losing at a great rate FOR ME - it's probably slow compared to others. It looks like I've lost a lot but most of that was on my liquid phase in the beginning. I've slowed right down, but for ME it's absolutely incredible, and I have to keep reminding myself of that. I'm thankful when I don't GAIN, so to lose is an absolute miracle. I also have a hard time with challenges. It kind of sets me up to fail. But they can be very motivational for the right people. So, end of story, you're doing great! Don't beat yourself up! And do what works FOR YOU!! Love ya! Linda XOXO

Ditto this. I went to Africa when I was in university for a 'save the wildlife' kind of a trip. I was there a month (supposed to be 3), but I just could not STAND the people I was with, so cut it short. It would have been the most amazing thing if not for the people. Anyway, we stayed in "tents" made up of two pieces of tarp, our toilet was a hole dug in the earth, our oven was also a hole dug in the earth covered with stones, our utensil drying board someone made up with twigs and tied together with rope, our shower was a bucket of Water from the stream, our water was also supplied from the stream with iodine to purify it. Just to give you an idea of what I went through. I say do it. You're young, get in all the adventures you can, because when you're married with kids there's no way to do something like this and you'll always look back saying "what if." If you actually do it, you can always look back and say, "Look what I did in my life." I have never regretted doing any of my 'wild girl' things, but instead thought wow, I did a lot of cool stuff! Linda

Hello everyone! I'm feeling quite similar to a lot of you. A lot of hunger, head hunger, and lapsing into bad habits due to hunger! I had 3 cc's in my band at surgery, then 1 cc fill in December, and didn't feel any restriction. I just got another 1 cc fill this last week and I can feel a difference, but not enough restriction yet. I can't eat as much as I used to, definitely, but I can still eat way more than I should. It has helped a lot with the hunger though. My doc is going to give only .5 cc's/month from now on. So I hope the next .5 cc's does the trick of filling me up after 1/4 to 1/2 cup food.

My last straw moment was knowing I just didn't care enough about myself to diet anymore. I was starting to forget what it felt like to be skinny, and it was getting less and less important as the years went by. Diets just made me gain more weight in the end. I was scared that when I stopped completely caring, I would continue to gain until I died of a heart attack. I was eating a diet of junk food and was sneaking it in any way I could - going to different stores every day, hiding it from my husband and child. For me it was an addiction (sorry, Wasa, I know you don't believe food can be an addiction, but for me it really, truly was.) I did get the shakes when I tried quitting, and did get other symptoms like feeling out of control, severe mood swings, panic attacks, that sort of thing. Instead of equating it to other addictions like drugs and alcohol, think instead of gambling or shopping addictions. Anyway, I just knew I couldn't do it anymore through traditional means, and needed something drastic. 30 pounds lighter, and I feel like a new person, I feel like I fit in more, and I'm excited to lose more and feel even better about myself. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel where before it was complete darkness.