Road Queen

Cool!! Good ideas VinesQueen. Mine are in Excel so I'm going to add the graph feature. Celeste

DeLarla, you are doing a great job overcoming this coke/cookies/sugar thing. Reading your thread is helping to motivate me. Keep us updated. BTW - Thanks in portuguese is 'obrigada'. Maybe we can get a good list going for you...Celeste

Did they give you a pre-op diet? If so, you will probably lose 10 pounds on that alone. If not, my dr had me doing Protein drinks twice a day and one meal with meat and vegetables. See you in bandland. Celeste

Kathy, thanks for posting your scale results. I get bummed out when I look at mine and see those increases/fluctuations and slow losses. Seeing that you go through the same thing makes me feel better. I hit 195 on June 9 and didn't get to 189 until Aug 3. (2 fills later) I'm going through the same issue now in the lower 180s. Thanks for posting that. Celeste

Michelle, congratulations!! I'm going to print that photo and paste it on my fridge. Maybe next year I can put my face on one like that. Good job. Celeste

striped - brown, dk blond, lt blond, brown, etc

I like these too Schwans Light chicken Marco PoloServing Size5oz(s)Total Fat4.5g(s)Total Carbs6g(s)# of servings4Saturated Fat1.5g(s)Fiber1g(s)Calories150Cholesterol50mg(s)Sugars2g(s)Fat Calories40Sodium840mg(s)Protein24g(s)Vitamin A4%Vitamin C15% Calcium4%Iron4%

Does anybody else's band act up with the weather? As I've posted before, I get real tight when its hot. But I am a walking weather vane. About a half hour before thunderstorms I lock up. Last night, I woke up just tight (couldn't hardly get Water down) at 12:30. At 1 it started raining and I loosened up about an hour later. (and went back to sleep). Woke up again at 4 - not as tight but a definite change - and then it started snowing. This is getting weird. Should I change occupations? Should I be a weather forecaster? Celeste

I don't like white pasta so I only use whole wheat. I have had whole wheat spaghetti noodles in marinara sauce and in an italian dressing/vegetable salad with no problems. I did take small bites and cut up my pasta before i use it.

Welcome back Jody. Its good to hear from you again. Your weight loss is awesome. Congratulations. Celeste

This is a great site for information and lots of good people. Welcome. Celeste

My mother is a skinny. She eats like a horse - all the time and everything in sight that is bad for you. At 69, she is once again complaining that her size 1 and 2 clothes have to be taken in. But she works and runs constantly. Since my dad died she lives alone but she was like this my whole life. I can call at 7 and she already has done laundry, canned some pickles, put lunch in the oven/crockpot, and is getting ready to clean some carpet. You can call at 2 and she will probably be tearing down wallpaper in some room and getting ready to pain. Call at 10:30 and she might be wondering if she should sweep the garage before she goes to bed. Now my garage hasn't been swept since 2002 so I now we know why I'm still morbidly obese and she's skinny. The skinny friends I have are either continuous workers (like my mom) or marathon runners, triathaloners, etc. That's all I can contribute to this thread. Celeste

DaLarla, I hate to threaten you but if you don't overcome this sugar addiction you may be forced to come to North Dakota and live through a winter. Oh, that's right, our roads are closed today because of the blizzard. You get a reprive for today but you are an inspiration to too many of us so we can't let you slack off.

Hmmm, I never thought about trying that. hmmm.

Good luck on your surgery and keep us posted. It is much easier to discuss these things with fellow bandsters. Celeste

Throw all sodas out in the garage - if your bike ever leaks oil (new ones don't) you can use that diet coke, pepsi, etc to clean the oil off of the cement and then stop and think what it is doing to your insides. I was a diet coke addict for years. The first time I stopped I couldn't even leave my office door open at noon because I could hear other people opening pop cans (seriously). One of the things I noticed that time was that my cellulite went away much faster. I know some in the herbal world believe that carbonation contributes to cellulite and I don't think that's true but I did find that eliminating it helped reduce the cellulite quicker. I will always drink a diet coke a day when I'm out of the country. I am not careless but I've seldom gotten sick and I don't usually travel in the tourist type places. Even my current dr and my surgeon agree that diet coke will help kill those nasty international germs. And you want to put that into your body on a daily basis. Okay, I'll stop for now but the message is clear - soda pop is crap. Good luck beating the demon. BTW - White snow is now completely covering the ground here and it looks like a fricking Christmas card - s#### in October. Celeste

Well, its Oct 4 and I'm still sitting around the 30 pound weight loss. I started exercising again when the holiday weight challenge started so I'm at 60-70 minutes of walking a day. I've been kind of bumming on my slow loss the last couple of days so I guess its time to get off the pity-potty and deal with it. I've got 1.4 cc in the 4cc band. I would like more but at one point I had to get some taken out so my dr doesn't want to put any in for awhile. So I kind of feel like I'm doing it alone or with minimal restriction - except when the temperatures outside heat up - then I've got megga restriction. Okay, we are supposed to get 4-8 inches of snow in the next two days so I'm guessing I will have no restriction. I've always been a slow loser so I just need to accept that and get my head back on straight. Sorry to whine but sometimes I just need to get it out of my system. Congratulations on your losses. Celeste

Yes, you can deduct it if you itemize. The amount of medical expenses you can deduct must exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. To itemize, your itemized expenses must exceed the standard deduction - $4850 for singles $9700 for married in 2004. Make sure you have your receipts and a letter from the your doctor saying this is medically necessary. Just to be on the safe side, I am using letters from the primary care physician and the surgeon. Celeste

Here's wishing you the best of luck and see you in bandland. Celeste

Cindy, if I haven't been walking for awhile, I start out about 2 miles per hour. That's where I started out after surgery in May. And over a months time increased it to 3mph. Then I kind of stalled for 2 months and just walked 2-3 times a week 20-40 minutes outside at about that pace. Now I am at 3mph for 60 minutes and I can read a book on the treadmill. Of course, if you have any hard cover books, please send them. Most books last me 2 days. I know a time will come when I have to vary my workout but I'm going to do this for another month. One goal at a time. Find something that works for you. Use if for a month or two, then find something else. The variety is good for your body and will relieve boredom. Celeste

weight still 182 under chest - 36 waist 37 hips 44.5 (That 60 minutes of day of walking is starting to pay off in inches!!) Celeste

Now I'm admittingsome of my past but I wore thongs in the 80s. One of my friends who could sew (and was a stripper) used to make the different underwear. She had G strings - flosser back and T strings - had a width of about 1 inch in the back. A bunch of us (5) went to Mazatlan in 1982 and wore T-string bottom swimsuits the whole time. I wish she hadn't got married and left because I liked those bottoms. The floss just doesn't cut it for me. Of course, this was in my old days when I thought I was gross when I hit 130. I can't wait to have those feelings again. Of course, in my mind I am the 130 but on the scale, lies, all lies.

Welcome Eunice. Like everyone has said, this site is a great source of information. The more you read the better prepared you will be. Everyone here is willing to share and answer questions. Good luck in your jouney. Celeste

Most of the chili rellanos I get here are stuffed with cheese. When I was in Oaxaca they stuff them with shredded meat (pork, chicken). I know somewhere I have had them with a meat,cheese, rice mixture. MMM, i'm getting hungry. How am I supposed to practice restrain when food is on my mind...Celeste

Are you trying to get insurance to pay? If not, it may not be as much of an issue. I was at a BMI of 36.5 with high blood pressure and foot problems. Everyone's feet hurt when they get heavy so you can always put that in. No way to prove or disprove it. If you are worried about the 10 pounds, I have read of people who put rolls of quarters in their pockets, wear weighted shoes (mine have 3 pound weights in the sole), etc. to get approved. I think you are worrying for nothing if you are self pay. Showing the doctor that you have the ability to change with your coach and exercise he may be more willing to do the surgery. Don't stress and try to prepare your self by reading and preparing for your surgery. Good luck. Celeste