Longhorn

My first thought is I should dig up a picture that shows how I really look. And then my second thought is, why the hell would I want to do that? :) Thanks, Hon! I just did an hour (and 300 calories) on my recumbent exercise bike so I'm feeling pretty darn good about myself right now! :whoo:

I love cocker spaniels, too! Our best dog ever was part cocker and part golden retriever. He lived to be almost 18 years old! Congratulations -- you're just shy of a third of the way there! :clap2: From your goal weight, I have to assume you're a petite gal, whereas, if I had some muscle, speed, and skill, I could play football in the NFL!

Oh, did I post that here? I meant to reply to your Cocker Spaniel post! Congratulations on the great shopping trip! And thanks for the smile.

Lizzie: I think beagles are so cute! I already loved them when I saw "Buddy," the beagle in "Regarding Henry." Our dog, Princess, was only part beagle but she was such a sweetie -- all white with tan ears and a tan spot on top of her head between her ears. I think there's another beagle in my future. Gosh, if I had only posted my pic on here sooner, I could have saved myself $14,000 for lap band surgery! However, I could show you some photos that aren't quite so flattering. By the way, I know this may be a dumb question because I don't always recognize the latest young starlet or pop star* but is that a picture of you in your avatar? If so, you're quite a beauty yourself! :clap2: (*When I taught in middle school in the late 90s, we had some kind of contest and the winner was "Jennifer Love Hewitt." We announced her name for three days and she never came forward and claimed her prize. Then one of my students finally told me who she was! )

I got a little electric food chopper at the grocery store for less than $10 that purees food very easily. The idea at this stage is that the food is already broken down so that it is easier to digest. If you can accomplish that with a fork, I'm sure that's fine. My doctor said it should be no thicker than pudding at this stage.

We've been able to reuse a lot of materials from my husband's jobs when we remodel -- sinks, dishwashers, light fixtures, even carpet. It's amazing what people will tear out and replace just because they want another color! Thanks again for the ego booster! I haven't felt pretty in a long time!

It's definitely something to consider. We'd never had any problems until we got Chase. I think he decided to challenge Sparky as alpha dog and when that didn't work, he decided to challenge Buddy. They have it all worked out now but there were some bad fights on the way -- and none of them are mean dogs! We made some changes on how we feed them, quit letting them sleep with us (to establish ourselves as pack leaders) and took away the toys, since they were a source of conflict. There hasn't been a fight since September and that was caused by my daughter's visiting dog (she didn't get the memo that all toys belong to Sparky!) Sometimes they'll jump in bed with me in the morning after my husband feeds them (except Paco, who can't jump on the bed any more) and it's wall-to-wall dogs on our king-size bed, so I can imagine what it's like in your bed!

Oh, my, aren't they cute! That expression on your pug's face is priceless! Is there some beagle in your other puppy? I grew up with a dog that looked a lot like him/her except she was mostly white. Just three or four more dogs and your life will be complete! Seriously, I always wanted to be like Betty White and have a houseful of dogs. It can be trying at times but they bring me such joy, just as I'm sure yours do!

Wow, so many compliments, I don't know where to begin! I think Mr. Longhorn is kinda cute, too. He's a remodeling contractor so every bit of our house has been remodeled. That floor behind us is a recycled high school gym floor. And we laid the tile ourselves. We've always had a lot of dogs so the carpet had to go! I do look thinner in that picture than I really am. I think Corky is helping to hide me. And I'm 5'8" with a large frame (size 11 shoes!) so I can carry more weight than others. I'm only posting my official weight but my scales say I'm down to 208, a few pounds less than at the doctor's last week. That top in the picture is an NSV, though. When I first ordered it from Coldwater Creek a few months before my surgery, it didn't fit, but it fits great now! Thanks for your kind comments!

They used to but we were having some pack order issues after we adopted Chase last January. We have a penned off section of our sunroom which has a leather loveseat, a couple of dog beds, a large Water container, a sliding glass door for light, and a doggy door to the backyard. The three big dogs sleep there at night (and actually seem to prefer it!) Paco, the oldest, sleeps under our bed. She's earned the right. And Corky, the spoiled poodle mix, sleeps with us. The arrangement seems to be working out well, especially since we now get to decide when it's time to get up instead of the dogs! I love labs! Buddy is mostly lab and Chase is lab/shepherd. Paco probably has some lab in her, too. Funny thing is, only Sparky, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, will get in the swimming pool! How big are your dogs? I hope they don't all try to get in bed with you at the same time!

I'm sure you're right and I didn't stick with the show long enough to learn more. I just object to the depiction that someone who isn't secure in their faith in God must be hitting rock bottom. There are plenty of believers in a bad way and their are plenty of atheists who have their acts together. But I guess there wouldn't be any "saving" if Grace didn't need some help, huh? Thanks!

It's amazing what you can accomplish when one daughter is holding up treats while the other is snapping the picture. Thanks!

I watched the first episode and, as an atheist, found myself offended that Grace, also a non-believer, was depicted as a basically amoral smoker, boozer, cusser, and homewrecker. Here, I am, a nonsmoker, only an occasional drinker of wine, married almost 32 years, mother of four, responsible citizen and college math teacher. But I guess I'd be a pretty boring subject of a television show. Oh, and not that smoking is amoral, but let's face it -- only flawed people and bad guys smoke on television so that was just another way to add to the atheist stereotype, in my view. I decided the show wasn't my cup of tea.

Since I just lost 70 pounds four years ago, I have a closet full of size from 10 to 18, which is what I currently wear. The only items I'll need on the way down are bras and panties. Some of those things I only got to wear once or twice so I'm excited about fitting into them again!

Now that's a LOL quote! And so true! Thanks!:clap2:

Gotta share them! Me and Mr. Longhorn, Corky on my lap, then from left to right, Chase, Paco, Buddy, and Sparky. Yep, five of the lil darlins' in all, ranging from two to 11 years and 18 to 110 pounds! Consider this my Christmas card to my LBT colleagues!

Me, too! I'm an atheist, too. Yet most people consider me perfectly normal.

I love the flavored instant mashed potatoes. I mix up a packet and add two scoops of unflavored Unjury protein powder (be sure to let it cool to lower than 130 degrees first.) Then I refrigerate the rest. I also got canned gravy to add flavor when necessary and to help thin it down. Even though I'm on soft foods, I still have it from time to time and, in fact, had some tonight. I am so stuffed! I made some sugar-free pudding (with Unjury) and I'm too full to have any tonight. Who would have thunk it?

I almost joined you in Colorado but I was able to find a great local surgeon for $12,500 -- $13,500 when you count the pre-op consultations and labs. However, that includes a year of after-care including free fills so I decided it would end up being fairly comparable, when you add in transportation costs to Colorado. My oldest daughter lives in Denver and it sure would have been nice to have an excuse to go there more often! I'm glad things worked out well for you. I only spoke to a member of Dr. K's staff but I got a very good impression of his practice.

Well said! Sometimes I still have to remind myself of what you so ably described! There are times I even need to take a break from this site -- and my breaks last all of about an hour. Thanks for your timely reminder! :clap2:

I think I'd send an email out to everyone in advance -- or at least a few key people in the family -- and level with them about the stage you're in. You can often get people on your side if you just ask for their help. I don't see how it could hurt and it might take the pressure off of everyone. I'm glad you're back and good luck and happy holidays!

Nope. Que sera, sera! My only goal is to keep plugging along, following the rules as best I can and getting back on track if I should stray. I'll drive myself crazy if I if I try to set a timetable but goal-setting does seem to work for many folks.

I didn't always blend food if it was crumbly or dissolved easily. I just chewed it up really, really well. I pureed foods that could go down in bigger pieces if I missed something.

My view is that we have to live on fewer calories than "normal" after having dieted for so many years. It's not starvation level but it's hard to maintain for the rest of our lives. I lost 70 pounds on a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) four years ago but as soon as I went back to 1600 -1800 calories a day, I gained. According to all the math and formulas, I should have at least been maintaining, if not losing, at that level, and that doesn't even count the exercising I was doing. But they're beginning to learn more and more about how all this works and it really isn't just "calories in, calories out." So the band allows me to be on a VLCD for the long term. I found that idea a little depressing at first because it's hard to imagine that I wouldn't be miserable, but that's what the band helps take care of. There are still adjustments to be made in my thinking and habits and I'm just at the beginning but I've had enough of a glimpse of how this works that I am no longer depressed. I think you asked a good question, one that many of us had in the beginning. Good luck on whatever you choose!

Diets have really messed me up over the years. What's good on one diet is evil on another! Fortunately, I've covered them all so either all foods are evil or none of them are. So, yes, I've had some carbs but I try to eat good ones and in smaller quantities. I think you did fine, limiting the amount of lasagna you had. Maybe next time, make it with spinach or whole wheat lasagna and you'll feel even less guilty! I think once we get accustomed to smaller portions, the guilt will go away. My doctor told me that there was nothing absolutely off limits (once I'm finished with the post-op diet) as long as I follow the rules and limit portions. But we do need to give ourselves time to get used to that idea. Don't count on that first fill making much of a difference. You could be different, of course, but I understand that it takes a few fills to get restriction. I certainly don't feel any different since my fill. Good luck!