beautifultina

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!! i HOPE YOU ALL FIND THE LOVE THAT YOU HAVE NOT ONLY FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY BUT, ALSO FIND THE LOVE THAT YOU HAVE FOR YOURSELF. WHEN YOU TAKE CARE OF YOU FIRST...THERE IS A BETTER MORE CAPEABLE YOU LEFT TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS. LOVE YOUR SELVES AND LOVE YOUR BAND!!

HELP!! Harry and I are throwing a huge super bowl party and I need help coming up with ideas for things I can eat and that are healthy for others as well. So far this is the list of JUNK that Harry wants to have present: Chili peanuts popcorn tortilla chips salsa guacamole ruffles chips ranch dip lays chips onion dip cake Brattsworst with buns cheese and crackers vegetable tray 7 layer dip brownies and he is thinking of ordering a few pizzas.. HELP!!!!:help:

I have 5 cats and had to name all but one... we have RED and SEBASTIAN and JAKE and Mickey and SAMANTHA I like the name CRICKET for your puppy. you could call her Martha Stewart or OPRAH or ELLEN I think it iis fun when aminals get celebrity names. imagine how fun it is to see someone yelling for Vin Diesel in the park only to see a little weiner dog come to the owner. HA HA HA Cinnamon /sugar sounds cute too. Good luck with the name choices. remember to have fun with it.

OK I got my fill on monday. I feel restricted YES!!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!! But, now I find it hard to throw food away or to leave it on my plate, even the smaller ones. I can usually take about 4-6 bites at any meal and feel full. But I keep eating that "one more bite".:hungry: WTF is wrong with me?!?!?!?!? Why can I not stop eating when I am full? I have resorted to drinking protien shakes between the meals to be sure I am getting my protien in. I know it is ont the best way to do it but, I want to keep on losing. I was reading on the forum today that someone is still drinking soda...I already do a lot of Bad for my band things, I am shocked that anyone is drinking soda..whon't the carbonation really expand and stretch your pouch? (EVEN if it wont---i want to think in my head that it will) I dont need any enouragement on the cheating dept. Why are people still eating diet type foods and using diet programs here? Isn't the band itself supposed to be the tool that we use to change our habits to that of a normal person? Normal people don't take trim spa or do the Atkin's diet. I want to be able to eat regular food and be ok with it. I saw that there are bandsters that don't/can't eat bread or pasta...I WISH!!! I can eat virtually anything I want to. I just try to avoid rice. makes me feel bloated when it expands in my pouch. I saw my Ex Boyfriend Jerrold today. He is a very nice gentleman. It was great to hear him tell me how nice I looked. (he doesn't know about the surgery as don't most people in my life). I have a goal to exercise at least three times a week. I need to get on the ball of getting in the habit of exercising. I havne't been and it is hurting me not to. Wish me well.

OK I got my fill on monday. I feel restricted YES!!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!! But, now I find it hard to throw food away or to leave it on my plate, even the smaller ones. I can usually take about 4-6 bites at any meal and feel full. But I keep eating that "one more bite".:hungry: WTF is wrong with me?!?!?!?!? Why can I not stop eating when I am full? I have resorted to drinking protien shakes between the meals to be sure I am getting my protien in. I know it is ont the best way to do it but, I want to keep on losing. I was reading on the forum today that someone is still drinking soda...I already do a lot of Bad for my band things, I am shocked that anyone is drinking soda..whon't the carbonation really expand and stretch your pouch? (EVEN if it wont---i want to think in my head that it will) I dont need any enouragement on the cheating dept. Why are people still eating diet type foods and using diet programs here? Isn't the band itself supposed to be the tool that we use to change our habits to that of a normal person? Normal people don't take trim spa or do the Atkin's diet. I want to be able to eat regular food and be ok with it. I saw that there are bandsters that don't/can't eat bread or pasta...I WISH!!! I can eat virtually anything I want to. I just try to avoid rice. makes me feel bloated when it expands in my pouch. I saw my Ex Boyfriend Jerrold today. He is a very nice gentleman. It was great to hear him tell me how nice I looked. (he doesn't know about the surgery as don't most people in my life). I have a goal to exercise at least three times a week. I need to get on the ball of getting in the habit of exercising. I havne't been and it is hurting me not to. Wish me well.

HA HA HA HA!!!!! I read the Celing Fan Comment and and a former patient of mine came to mind. I was working in a pediatric office and a three month old baby came in with both parents. Dad had a bandage on his head. During the conversation I asked him what happend to his head. His wife BUSTED UP laughing. and said for me to ask for the full story. SOOO, naturally I did. Dad turned about 8 shaded of red and then protested but finally told me. The couple was ROLE PLAYING. mom was naked and hand cuffed to the bed. (one hand on each top corner poster of the bed) Dad was playing a hero with a cape. (he was wearing a towel safety pinned around his neck and goggles over his eyes and nothing else) He thought it would be cool to stand on the top of the dresser and jump onto the bed to RESCUE his captured love. Well, (I am about to pee my pants laughing already) DAD forgot that the CEILING fan was on. He jumped off the dresser, Hit his head on the celing fan, which caused about a 5 inch laceration on the forehead and knocked himself out cold. So, here is dad laying naked with a cape and goggles and a bleeding cut passed out on naked, cuffed -to- the- bed- mom. :omg: ( HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ) Mom can't get dad to respond so she starts SCREAMING for HELP:help: at the top of her lungs. Fortnuately, one of the neighbors hears her and calls 911. the Firefighters break open the locked front door and rush to thier bedroom to see this scene. The first responder on the scene was a fireman who was laughing so hard he actually sat on the floor next to the bed. :faint: luckly right behind him was a paramedic who didnt laugh AS hard, he was still able to help dad out. But they couldnt find the keys to the cuffs. So the rescuers had to wait for the COPS to get there to unlock the cuffs pinning mom to the bed. Yes they were nice enought to cover naked mom with a blanket. Mom said the most fun part was hearing other nurses and docs in the ER re telling the story to each other as they waited for dad to be stitched up. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. And when I saw THE INCREDIVLES where the Edna says "NO CAPES!" I just think about that couple and I think yeah DAD no capes!!!!

:first: LaMadam...You truely look AMAZING!!!! :clap2: I am banded and I sturggle with food EACH AND EVERY DAY. :help: To make matters worse...I work in a grocery store...one with an awesome Bakery/Deli...:hungry: I have come to the conclusion , (it works for me most of the time) that when I see people come through my check out lane with all the fatty, fried and over processed foods, I look at those foods as though they are poision. :rip: They are doing nothing nutritionally for the people consuming them. They are addictive and slowly killing them to top it off. I have also noticed that the people who buy these foods are often tired, grumpy and forgetful. (They are often the ones who can't decide whether they want paper or plastic bags too.):Banane13: :welldone2: I look at the people who buy truely healthy foods and I have noticed that they look the way I want to. They come across as happy, energentic and full of the ZEST for life.:bananapowerslide: :bananapartyhat: :youcandothis: I know that it may take a bit more time and effort to prepare a healthier meal and after seeing these people week after week I saw that THIS is how they get and stay that way. They are an inspiration to me. you have many friends here that are here for you when you need some one to talk to. :gluck: :bananajump: so get out there and show the world that you are the boss of your own destiny!!! You have the controll it takes to win this deadly battle!!!:whoo: You can do it!! Much Love, Tina:Banane40:

WAY TO GO PENNI!!!! congrats on teh new wheels and what a set of wheels to get to show off the new you!! I am proud of you. Way to keep going in a forward direction!! YOU GO GIRL!!!

I love how we have the oppertunity to make any day a day for a fresh start. It doesn't have to be january 1 or even our birthday or anniversary. It can be a wednesday or a saturday or tomorrow or in 5 minutes. I have decided to take a fresh start with my weight loss. I am losing too slowly and it is due to my own lack of measureing my food and total lack of exercising. I can hardly believe how much in debt I am and I am still slacking aabout losing weight It is not that I dont want to lose weight ..I think I may be self sabotogoeing. Am I afraid to be thinner? Am I afraid to be healthy? What is it that won't let me lose? I try to tell myself that if harry wont go to thte gym with me that i shouldnt go but I NEED to go. I need to do this for myself. I need to make a difference in my own life before I can expect to in anyone else's. We are having a clothes swap tomorrow and I am scared as hell to get rid of my big clothes. What if i gain the weight back and I need them again? Then I will have to spend more money and get more clothes. Then part of me is excited to get rid of them so i can see my own progression. I started out in a size 26/28 now i am swimming in my 24's. My 22s fit but they have been tight as of late. I am frightened to try them on again. What if they are still too tight? What if I can never get into them? I need a fill. I am glad I am getting one on monday. I want to be so tight that i am restricted to liquids for at least two weeks. I need to stay on liquids for as long as I can after this fill. I want to catch up to a lady in my support group who had the surgery one day after me and she has already lost 67 pounds. I feel that i am getting left in the dirt. maybe that feeling of humiliation will motivate me to work out and eat less. i pray that God will provide that for me.

I love how we have the oppertunity to make any day a day for a fresh start. It doesn't have to be january 1 or even our birthday or anniversary. It can be a wednesday or a saturday or tomorrow or in 5 minutes. I have decided to take a fresh start with my weight loss. I am losing too slowly and it is due to my own lack of measureing my food and total lack of exercising. I can hardly believe how much in debt I am and I am still slacking aabout losing weight It is not that I dont want to lose weight ..I think I may be self sabotogoeing. Am I afraid to be thinner? Am I afraid to be healthy? What is it that won't let me lose? I try to tell myself that if harry wont go to thte gym with me that i shouldnt go but I NEED to go. I need to do this for myself. I need to make a difference in my own life before I can expect to in anyone else's. We are having a clothes swap tomorrow and I am scared as hell to get rid of my big clothes. What if i gain the weight back and I need them again? Then I will have to spend more money and get more clothes. Then part of me is excited to get rid of them so i can see my own progression. I started out in a size 26/28 now i am swimming in my 24's. My 22s fit but they have been tight as of late. I am frightened to try them on again. What if they are still too tight? What if I can never get into them? I need a fill. I am glad I am getting one on monday. I want to be so tight that i am restricted to liquids for at least two weeks. I need to stay on liquids for as long as I can after this fill. I want to catch up to a lady in my support group who had the surgery one day after me and she has already lost 67 pounds. I feel that i am getting left in the dirt. maybe that feeling of humiliation will motivate me to work out and eat less. i pray that God will provide that for me.

keep the yummy recipes comming!!!

I am sorry to hear that your doggie is hurt. I will keep her in my prayers. Lighted collars are a great idea..helps motorists to see the bikers at night too when they have similar lights on thier bikes.

OK I am SOOOOOOO JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Oprah!!!! Let us all know which show you are going to be going to so we can watch for you in the audience!!!!!! Best of luck Tina

Way to work it!!! Glad to hear that you are all movin and grovin Just need to find the motivation deep within myself to do the same. Best of luck to you all

Well, I am 5'2" and my entire life I have been told that I need to get to 125 or under to be at a healthy weight. Well, when I graduated from hs I weighed 195 and after my freshman year in college i weighed 230. I put on the FREAHMAN 15 ~~ TWICE!! My mini goal is to win Delarla's 3 month weight challenge and then see where I am then. I feel I have not been the bandster I should be. I will be 6 months post op as of Jan 26, and I haven't even lost 50 pounds as of yet..... I suck at this...

Hello to you all, new to your thread. You can now add Nevada to your list of participanting states. I can totally understand your frustration with bosses that don't appreciate all the hard work and extas you put into your job. :clap2: Mine is retiring in 23 days and I told him I was his offical count down reminder. I can hardly wait until Feb 4. :faint: I will throw a party for those who have Survived his WRATH!!:confused: I will have protein bars and shakes for Everyone!!! I will keep you all in my prayers and I will pray that Dianne will not have a leaky band or port. I have joined Delarla's weight loss challenge :hungry: and I feel I am off to a good start and I signed up to participate in the Valentine's Day gift exchange. Hope to see you all there.

ok here is my first shot at this.... I have a hard time with portion sizes too. start off the day 1 12 oz glass of 2% milk B:3/4 cup Special K fruit and Yougert with a small banana sliced into the bowl L: D: Water: Exercise: My goal no eating past 6 pm hard time finding good protein bars; I am deathly allergic to ALMONDS. They all seem to want to have almonds in them or have Almond butter. Local Bakery makes FRESH ENERGY BARS but most contain almonds or almond butter too . they are a huge hit here in Reno. Will have to see if I can find the weblink for you all to try them. They are awesome!! ok...lol..it's simple..... www.freshenergybakery.com you can order on line. Just be sure to read the ingredients.

congrats to all the newly approved bandsters!!! I remember how exciting it was when i got THE CALL. It was so great. I was in my car and cell phone rang. It was my surgeon's office saying they had recieved approval for my surgery and gave me the date of July 26, 2005. I was so over come with JOY that I actually had to pull my car off the road to sit and cry. The next person to know was my boyfriend Harry. It was a very exciting time for us both. I hope you bask in the joy of approval and shine in the spotlight of post surgery bliss. Best of luck to you all.

ok lets try again...i want to participate in this challenge. Its jan 6 and its 1009 am PST man how lucky am i to have found this contest and get to enter right before the deadline. my starting weight this morning was 264...wait that means i actually gained 3 pounds from last weigh in...damn you AUNT FLO!!! Best of luck to all of you!!! I will have to think of a cool prize to add into the basket for the winner, on the off chance it is not me... lol And she is off and running!!!

it can be normal. if you feel like it is not you need to call your surgeon right away. It is better to ask your surgeon and know for sure rather than risk having a problem and not having it taken care of in the correct manner and hurting yourself. no amount of advise here will replace the advise your surgeon can give you. and no, i am sure your surgeon will not be annoyed at your calling and asking. best of luck.

i am allergic to almost all aminals that have hair. to include cats and dogs and horses and rabbits (rule out a job in the vet field for me). Despite all my allergies, I have 5 cats. three live with my ex boyfriend( yes i pay kitty support and havevisitation sisitation rights) and i have two sweet babies here with me now. my allergies are less severe with cats and seem to dimish the more i am around them. I still have to vacuum almost everyday to keep the ahir down but it is so worth it when they cuddle up with the momma for some good baby kitty love.:Bunny

i have had three fills. I have never had xray or fluro at any of them. My first fill was done by my surgeon and the second was done by the attempts of both nurse practioners in his office. The first one missed three times. I am laying on a medical table with a huge needle being poked into my gut crying and thinking to myself.."HEY LADY!! I STILL HAVE VITAL ORGANS IN THERE!!!!!!!!" the second nurse practioner came in and got it on her second try. I have since requested that my surgeon do the rest of my fills. He has gotten me on the first try both times. If your dr can't do it without the fluro then by all means let him use it. If he can discuss it with him and see if you can do it without first. Best of luck to you.

wow. It took me almost two hours to read this thread. No, I am not a slow reader but, I did want to take everything in. I can relate to so many of you. There are a lot of things you all said that have stuck with me. I would like to share a few with you. "I pretty much dislike myself and don't think I am worth the time and energy it takes to eat right and exercise." "I feel like everyone is looking at me and judging me by my weight." "I hate my body with a frightening intensity and food is the method of destruction that I chose. I don't smoke or do drugs or drink to dull the pain so food is the weapon of choice." "I don't love myself as I am. I could blame my weight on instances of sexual abuse." "Being fat helps me to be invisible." "My weight is linked to my happiness/quality of life." "Over eating is the socially accepted vice." "I am fat because I can't fill up something inside." "I posess a desire to use food as something other than what it was meant for." "...parents/ grandparents feeling embarassment and disappointment in me and my lack of control over food." "They eat and eat and don't taste anything." "I was raised in a home with an abusive, alcoholic (step , in my case) father who made life resemble walking on egg shells." "...became extremely passive/aggresive due to daily spankings, incest..." "I have come to realize that because of the abuse in my childhood, I have been looking for love in all the wrong places, because my daddy didn't want me." "I want to understand what self-esteem truely means." "...realizing the difference from feeling hungry and realizing that i am just thirsty." (paraphrased) Do I eat to try to create a warm loving feeling that I felt I never had? "I will be healthy and strong and safe in my real body that has been hiding for years because of fear and not having enough faith in myself or in God to walk through the hard times." I am not quoting all these things to make it easier to explain away my being overweight; I chose them because I can so closely relate to them all. They all struck a chord in my heart and my mind when I read them. For me, my weight gain is attributed to a combination of all the following: a crummy childhood, an abusive relationship with my step father, lack of self confidence due to others in my family constantly nagging me to lose weight(my grand parents tried to bribe me to loose weight. They offered to pay me for each pound I lost. I was motivated until the check never came to reward me). My weight allowed me that safe zone so that men would find me unattractive and leave me alone. My family is for the most part small framed, despite the fact that I have German/ Dutch/Klammoth Indian in me( all known for thier HUSKY statures). My father is 6'4" and wieghs about 150 soaking wet. My mother is 4'11" and sometimes yo yoed with her weight. The clothes in her closet range frm size 4 to size 16. (What i wouldn't give to wear a 16 right now). My extened family are all small. I ,too was diagnosed with PCOS after gaining 80 pounds in a year. What it all comes down to is I made bad choices and now I have to do whatever it takes to correct them as best I can. I appreciate all the support I receive here. I look forward to the new year with much anticipation and enthusiam. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BANDSTER FRIENDS and to those awaiting their BANDS.

wow! that was lots of fun. I especially like the part where I could add my picture. it is an old one the only one i could find of me by myself. it is preband i was about 335 in that picture. i am now down to 272 in the surgeons office today with clothes on.lol at home with out clothes i am 268. too bad i cant get buck naked in the hallway where the scale is.. maybe i will suggest that to my surgeon and see if he winces or throws up at the thought. just kidding. Dr Watson...you are a great man!!!

Roast Chile-Lime Turkey Breast 1 (6lb) turkey breast with ribs,back and wing portions removed 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp grated lime zest 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp dried ancho chile powder 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin, chipotle chile powder, freshly ground black pepper, and Kosher salt 1-2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth Heat oven to 325 F Have ready a medium size roasting pan with a rack. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. In a small bowl with a fork, stir butter and remaining ingredients except broth until blended. Rub or brush mixture evenly over skin of turkey. Place the turkey breast side up, on rack in pan. insert meat thermometer into thickest part of the breast, not touching bone. Add borth to roasting pan. Loosely tent breast with foil. Roast 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting every 30 min with pan juices, adding more broth if pan seems dry, or until the thermometer registers 180F. Remove foil tent after 2 hours of roasting. Remove turkey to a carving board; loosely tent with foil. Let rest ofr 30 minutes. While turkey rests, pour fat and drippings from roasting pan into a glass measure. spoon off and reserve 1/4 cupturkey fat ofr gravy;discard any remaining fat from surface of drippings and reserve for gravy. (DO NOT WASHING ROASTING PAN!!! IT WILL BE USED TO MAKE THE GRAVY!) makes 8 servings, plus leftovers Tequila Pan Gravy 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup tequila or orange juice 1/4 cup reserved turkey fat 3 tbsp all purpose flour 2/3 cup cilantro sprigs Reserved pan drippings 2 tbsp lime juice 1/4 tsp EACH kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Heat broth in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Mean While, place roasting pan over 2 stove top burners set on medium-high heat. Deglaze pan with Tequila, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon from bottom, until tequila is cooked down to about 2 or 3 tbsp. Add turkey fat to pan and sprinkle flour over fat; whisk until smooth. about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk hot chicken broth into flour mixture, scraping bottom and sides of pan. Add cilantro sprigs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Add reserved dripping and any accumulated juices from turkey platter or cutting board; simmer gravey 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat; diacard cilantro. Pour into a gravy boat. Stir in lime, salt and pepper. This is sooooo goood. Enjoy!