gingerbug

Been a while for me, as well. I am still pretty close to my final weight but I went up a bit because of the required inactivity after plastic surgery. I am supposed to be released for weight lifting beginning of april so the 14 pounds I need to lose will come off then. I still love my band!

The heat and humidity kicked into high gear here in texas and my band is tight, as if I just got a fill. Is there a connection? Heat and humidity makes my hands swell, could it make my band feel more tight?

My doc specifically discussed this with me. He said a glass of wine every night, specifically red, has some health benefits and to just not indulge. I usually dont drink because it weakens my resolve.

I have not had a regular burger with bun and all about a year and a half. Does it suck to go out for deep dish chicago style pizza with your dh and not be able to load up? Yeah, sometimes it sucks. I do have to say, I have been more adventurous at restaurants when I do go. Star Pizza in Houston makes a bad ass greek salad. I am ordering more fish and opting for sushi lunches rather than just country fried steak and pizza and fries. Plus, I look better sitting there NOT eating the burger and fries :biggrin:

I remember going through what you are dealing with right now. Get another fill!!

Interesting. My personal trainer approached me last week and told me I should think about becoming a trainer myself. I told her that I had been thinking about it and having my 'niche' being the WLS community. I know first hand the physical and emotional issues that go along with it and I do believe having a trainer that one can relate to would make a difference. Maybe I really am on to something.

I also eat plenty of carbs, just not junk carbs, for energy but for my activity level that is just not enough. I found out earlier in the year when I started a 6 day a week workout schedule that involved lifting and intense cardio that i was exhausted and passing out every night at 8:30 pm the second the kids were in bed. I have since bought GNC's AMP protien powder and it tastes great with just Water. I do just 1 scoop instead of three and get an extra 20 or so grams of protien. I already get around 60 grams in my regular diet but I just cant eat anymore and the extra 20 I get from the GNC powder gives me a boost. If I stop taking it I get tired again and my ass is dragging. I did not work this hard to have muscles to be to tired to enjoy it!

Remember, too, that when you do start lifting weights again, your muscles have 'memory'. It wont take long at all to get back your definition, not like what you had to do to get that definition there in the first place.

8 pounds is great. I averaged two pounds a week throughout the whole first year and I made my goal weight. Be patient. Also, I found that the liquid/mushy stages means we eat lots of food with sodium which easily puts 3 or more pounds on me. Are you eating lots of Soups? broth? Cut the sodium down to 1500 - 2000 for three days and see what happens.

Patty, every reply to comments is based on scripture, the bible, or what jesus/god thinks/thought. Do you see how hard it is for myself and others to even relate to you? When you are discussing something and the person you are talking to does not believe that faith/religion/the bible is based in logic, you cant approach the argument as if it does. The other person is not going to be able to relate to you and, many times, they are going to be even more turned off to your faith. When your views leave no room for shades or grey, you dont open yourself up to possibility. You are so utterly convinced in the validity of your faith that you dont hear other peoples 'reason'. I am ending my participation in this thread.

Bjean - I concur.

Plain - tell that to my catholic friends whom, after years of being members, chose to leave the church because of how much they were hounded for money. Church 'big cheeses' would come to their houses asking for more and more.

I am going to stick with my secular humanist freethinking views. I know, I am a clown loving sex fiend heathen. LOL.

gingerbug: What this all hinges on is there are those who believe and those who dont.

True. But how I see it is this. I have nothing to lose here. If I am right, I spend an eternity with my Father in Heaven where it is very peaceful, loving and wonderful. I also spend my lifetime here in peace knowing that my home in Heaven is secure, and knowing that there is a God who loves me and provides for my every need and desire. If I am wrong. Oh well. I die and my body rots in the ground and I exist no more. none the wiser. At least I had a good life. One that had good fellowship with likeminded believers and one based on goodness toward mankind and love for others. Unbelievers, on the other hand, if they are right, they lived their lives the way they wanted to, and when it is over, they die and don't exist anymore. Alls well. But, if they are wrong? They spend an eternity separated from the one who created them, living in turmoil because they could have chosen something far, far, far, far better.

I cannot live a life based on fear of the unknowing. I chose to live a life of goodness because it is the right thing to do, not because I am afraid of what might happen if I don't. Furthermore, if I may be wrong, and I lived a 'good' life, isn't god forgiving? Wont I be judged on my actions? If not, it seems to me the whole play on 'believe or you will go to hell' bit is a gamble for churches to get you to put your money in the collection plate. Feeding on peoples fear of the unknown. I wont subscribe to a school of thought like that.

Have you been obese most of your life? It helps being so tall as well. I think if I was not 5'9" I would be much worse! However, I have been obese since the age of 12 so it is still an issue, that, plus 3 kids and my age!!!!!!!

No, I not been overweight all my life but my weight has fluctuated wildly over the last 18 years. Being tall does help, I am 5'11" and carry weight well (so I am told)

If it helps, my high weight was 295 and my current weight is 170. I have no issues with excess skin with the exception of my lower abs but that is because I have two kids.

Hang in there, you are showing your children that it is ok to stand up for yourself and protect yourself, lessons that are incredibly important. Furthermore, you are showing them it is not ok to hurt women. A lesson their future spouses and childrens spouses with thank you for.

I cannot believe that all of those millions of people who do not believe as I do, will go to hell.

There are only 2 destinations after death from life here on earth. They are in Heaven with God or in Hell without him. All throughout the scriptures, it speaks of how anyone who chooses to accept the free gift of Jesus as their Savior from Hell, can simply ask him to save them in prayer. We must have reverence for God. We must fear Him. (and by fear, I mean hold him in awe for who He is) Matthew 10:28 says (when he was speaking of christians who were being persecuted for their beliefs),"Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but can not kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell."

Hebrews 4:6 It still remains that some will enter that rest (Heaven), and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their unbelief.

Prove it. Since you cannot, then I chose to believe that when we die, we just die. What this all hinges on is there are those who believe and those who dont. It is impossible to even converse about this with you because you are wearing blinders and only seeing a narrow sliver of the world. Since there is no reality for you other than what you chose to believe there seems little point in trying to debate or even carry on a logical conversation.

Oh, come on now. I was trying to keep it light. And I was specifically speaking of schools.

I suspect that all the kids, during times of quiet reflection and prayer, would be thinking the same things - homework, clowns, and sex. Well, maybe not the homework so just the clowns and sex. Wait, maybe clowns having sex? I can feel my morality draining right out of me. Must.flog.self.

Right....but what about a time dedicated to silent prayer or meditation, where an individual could pray to any god they wanted, or if they are an atheist, think about homework or clowns or sex or whatever. Would you be against something like that?

First of all, I think it is amusing that you think an atheist would think about 'homework or clowns or sex of whatever'. Surely you know that atheists can come up with something a little more profound than that during times of quiet reflection. Second of all, there is nothing to prevent a person from having a silent prayer whenever he/she sees fit. Prayer and meditation is something, I believe, that should be practiced at home with ones family, especially with small children. We outsource so much of our parental responsibilities these days and we are forgetting that parents are the teachers, first and foremost. Religious and spiritual education should start with the family and stay within the organizations that serve that purpose, not public schools.

How can you be so vain as to claim there is only one God for everyone?

There can ONLY be one God who made mankind. What do you think, a hundred little gods got together and created everyone and everything? No. One God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. Someones got to have it right. I worship that one. The one who created everything, so I have it right. If you believe in Him and worship that one also, then you have it right, too.

What do YOU think? A magical being waved his hand and conjured up the universe? Are you serious? Ok, ok, I get it. you are entitled to believe whatever you want. Personally, I think I have it right, Our universe was created by a random act of nature. It is beautiful and should be cherished but there is not a man or god up in the clouds who created it for us. Religiocentrism is the belief that ones religion is superior to anouthers. Your religion is based on speculation, as is all religions, IMO and faith should be a matter of practice rather than a declaration of absolute truth.

Respectfully, I disagree. The point of our country is that everybody's god has a place in the public. There's a big difference.

To me, it is like this - if my kids are fighting over something, I take it away. With so many different religions in this world, people need to practice their particular faith in the private sector, not in public institutions. It is too sensitive a subject to expect billions of people to get along about. Every person believes their particular faith to be valid and truthful. If we were to bring everybody's god into public and, for instance, represent all persons faiths during school prayer we would spend all day on it.

I thought I'd like to add that I don't believe I'm a religious fanatic. I hate organized religions made up by mankind. I think they cause alot of problems in the world. I'm more for a faith in Jesus as our creator fanatatic and in having a relationship with him (outside of religion).That's why I don't want any specific 'religion' to be the head faith in America.(Nor did those who wrote up the constitution). Not even any Christian religion. I just want christianity in general, to be recognized as the faith of our founders and their plan for this country. I would like people to stop trying to push God out of everything public.

No one's God has any place in the public. With as many religions and personally held philosophies in the world how can you possible claim yours is more 'right' than any others? How can you be so vain as to claim there is only one God for everyone? You are completely convinced on the validity and truth of your own personal set of beliefs and you filter your opinion of others through this narrow field of vision your faith allows you. Your faith is no more credible than anyone else's, past or present. Why should your set of be believed to be more credible than any others? Because you say so? Because the bible says so? What about other religious works? You cant dismiss other brands of religion or faith and claim yours as truth and then declare that all the woes of the world lie in the fault of people who have turned away from your particular god. It is irrational. I know you would like to rewrite history so we will all believe we are all supposed to be christian but that is not that case AND it is not even relative. The fact of the matter is, we are not all religious and all the woes of the world are not to be blamed on the godless heathens. It is a thin line between saturday night and sunday morning. You can claim to not be a religious fanatic but a fanatic you are, in my opinion, and since opinion must be truth, I must be right.

This is simply categorically untrue, and why there's no point in continuing this conversation. You clearly don't understand--and don't value--the most basic underpinnings of American society.

I agree, there is no logic here. Fortunately, the christian god does not have sole jurisdiction in America, where the rights of people to practice any type of religion, or non at all, are protected by the constitution. Even religious fanatics have the right to believe what they chose to believe. I am glad I have the right to ignore them.

How does teaching religion change any of that? Don’t make me go find statistics of teen pregnancy, drug use, cheating, stealing, etc. in religious private schools. You and both know that it will be there and it will be in comparable numbers to non-religious private schools. I would expect it to be a little less than public schools only because the private schools have the ability to throw the kids out where the public system can’t quite do that. The point is that the teaching of religion (or not teaching it) has little to do with the morality of the kids.

Maybe they should have just prayed more. That would solve everything. :bored:

We are accountable to ONE ANOTHER, Pattygreen. That's what my children are being taught and they are growing up to be lovely, responsible, thoughtful kids. Their school is doing a great job of rewarding kindness and encouraging a great work and civic ethic and guess what? God doesn't have anything to do with it.

The narrow-mindedness that teaches the ultimate moral code exists in a book, rather than in our human condition, is really scary to me. Not everyone buys the magical thinking in your favorite book. But we are all human, without exception, and in that condition can we find our shared responsibility to one another.

I agree with you. I am teaching my children to be honest and considerate and to be ethical in what they do because they want to be a better person today than they were the day before. I believe that in every person lies the ability to have a strong moral platform based on human decency, not on the fear of an imaginary person in the sky who is going to rain hell and brimstone on their heads if the do something 'wrong'. I can live a good and moral life without a god figure in my life. I dont need Jesus to hold my hand when I am faced with an ethical dilemma. I am ultimately responsible for what I say and do. I weigh the consequences of my actions and make decisions based on that. I teach my children to think about how what they say and do impact other people. Frankly, some of the things written in this thread are downright scary.

It happened to me all the time, especially when I would have Soup from a can, too much sodium. It is temporary!