Apples2

Great post, Jewel!

No way, Phyll. $4.98???? They last forever. Congrats! If you have to cut a lot off, you will be able to get rid of that logo and wear them for dress up!

Laura...thanks for the understanding statements. Yep, excited to see our friends at the resort again. They emailed us and are already down there and waiting for our arrival. We met so many ppl last year and just had a good ole' time. Campfires, pot lucks, day trips, etc. My only concern is how my baby (dog) will travel. He rides the countryside with me in my truck so I'm pretty sure he will be OK. He's just this big old lazy dog, but very friendly. He should fit right in. Great....I thought that color brought out blue in your eyes also. It looks so nice on you. Not matronly but age appropriate. We were at a wedding a few months ago for DH's nephew. The MOB who was probably pushing 60 had on a VIBRANT electric blue halter dress. I hate to criticize her but all I could see was nipples walking down the aisle. And they weren't sitting anywhere near where they should have been. It just was so tacky. Anyway, that tone of blue should compliment the pink your DD chose for dresses. You will be a beautiful (you are already) MOB. Janet...we all love you and do not change. No one is going to be detered from coming on this thread because of what you say or your tough love. Ppl lurk and if they want to, they jump on. They most likely have read alot of your post. They jump on here because of you. Have been reading most of the evening...laying in bed. Cannot read in livingroom when DH has TV on. Back at it...Nighty Nite! Sleep Tight!

JB...just checking to see how you are doing. Been thinking of you

Great...forgot to add how wonderful and slim you look in that dress. Looks like you've dropped weight since we met a little over a month ago.

Deb...we cannot control what comes out of others mouths or try to figure out why some ppl say what they do. It's for us to figure out how to either respond or walk away from it and let it go. I am working on that. We all go through the "comments" stage for awhile. It is all getting better for me. Good going on getting your treadmill up and going again.

Lori...love the ornaments. Are those Santas some your DH carved for you. They are very unique. Love your dress also. Not the one you planned on buying?

Diva....been missing your fun and challenging game. Wanna continue or let it go? Was so much fun and added a little spark to the day.

You do hit it straight on the head, Janet. That's why the ones that stick around can truly get something out of this thread. A fews days back you made the statement about knowing when someone drops off the thread, they are not doing so great. I have gotten waaaaaaaaaaaay more support from this thread than even my group. But, I love my group...we have such a diverse group. Young age to about 70 yrs old. So nice to watch the transformations. And yes, we have the bumps on a log that whine and say the band is not working for them. Heck, that girl that came up to me and said she didn't want the band if she ended up like me, has not lost in over a year and she's the biggest complainer. But, we have the stories of ppl at a standstill and 3 mo. later they come in all excited cuz they started to drop again. It's not how fast you lose...it's that you are TRYING. But, I understand where you are coming from on making the faces and not wanting to go. Funny. Sometimes I need to turn my back towards the wall, roll my eyes and turn back. I just wish the ppl that drop in on this thread asking for help and then just drop off again would stick around for a couple of weeks and get the support they are looking for. If they would just give it that much time and REALLY listen, they would continue to be here. But, like you said, there are things maybe they don't want to hear or are looking for a magic pill or whatever.

Aren't you all so sweet. Why would I ever feel uncormfortable posting my frustrations....OK, I just won't do that anymore. Great...hope you get the best price you can on your dress for the wedding. Yep, would sure hate to miss out on the Ann Taylor. LOL. I am envious that you have those kinds of stores at you finger tips. I would have to drive at least 4.5 hours. I thank you for the compliments on my looks. We all have our struggles, things we would want to change, etc. But, I can honestly say that I have accepted the physical changes and what I look like. I promised myself that b/4 banding. I would accept. There are so many things that we cannot change so why not accept what we have and feel good about where we are? That's what it has boiled down to for me. Julie...it takes awhile to accept compliments and not scoff at them in your head. Like I was trying to explain above...I am now at the point where if some does compliment me, I thank them and accept it as true. It took me awhile. The negative comments I receive do not make me feel bad about myself. I just get frustrated by the rudeness. I guess I was taught that if you cannot say anything good, don't say anything. I handle it but once in awhile I need to vent. You need to concentrate on what you have done to get you where you are right now. You have lost a huge amount of weight. You gotta have that spark to keep you going and thinking positive is what will get you to where YOU want to be. We could all be in one room (which will happen in FL) and compare ourselves to each other...where we are weight wise, what each of us looks like, body types, etc. We all have a different story as to what made us obese to begin with. We all have a physical genetic makeup that is ours and ours alone. We lose weight at a different pace...no different that my face is different than your face. And, you have a lovely face and I want you to take that as a compliment and accept it or I will be offended. LOL So Eva, you have quite the interesting history. Cannot wait to hear all about it. I love hearing about how ppl grew up, how they went through life, etc. Deb...congrats on upping your time on the elliptical and for your committment to exercise. It's a big deal and if you can continue to do what you are doing, it will help you in the longrun. Also, good for you for taking the step to fill your coworks in. It's a personal choice as to who we tell but I can understand why you came out with it. Those darned sweets. I think the holidays play a huge role in us having to reset our habits. Get a taste of them over the holidays and they can haunt for weeks unless we totally clean them out of our lives. I believe anything sweet (refined sugar) can and will trigger the kind of cravings you are having. Happy to hear you are going to group support meetings even though you miss the ones that have dropped out. Maybe they should have continued. You can be successful, get to goal but a person still needs support. I still attend mine and plan to for as long as there are groups. You should see the looks on faces when I walk in. I had a lady that was new to our group. She walked in the door, walked straight over to me and said "If this is what the lapband does, I don't want it". The was at the point in my journey where I was still doctoring with 2 docs trying to figure out why I dropped the 20lbs I did not want to lose and trying to figure out how to get my 2500-3000 cals in a day to maintain. But, the nurses that head up my group are know my struggles (they are my lb doc's nurses) and they stand behind me on it. So not only to I get crap from Joe Blow off the street, I get it in group also. It's all these types of things that just frustrate me and come to a head and I need a little vent to ppl that hopefully understand. Have fun with your book club. Maybe I should start one around here. I used to belong to one and it just went by the wayside. OK....our Sunday afternoon is being spent watching Andy Griffith show. Simple, don't have to think, might take a nap. DH is done working outside...will be a nice afternoon together.

Mornin' Laura, Have fun at yet another bday party. Nels seem like a social kid....bet he will enjoy it. We are heading out two weeks from tomorrow (25th). It would be sooner if were up to me. We are just lucky to be able to get away for 6 weeks. Younger DS will still be working here on our farm in the shop (he's a fabricator and welder and earns money on the side by building parts for implements we sell through our other business). Anyway, 6 weeks is about the max we can be gone due to the fact that grain needs to be trucked out, etc. DH is organizing all that and will take the next 2 weeks to get that done. Good Sunday Morning to everyone else! Had a good night's sleep...only up two times to eat last night. Yesterday morning I had over 700 cals between 11pm and when I finally got up for the last time. This is the reason I get so frustrated when I am out and about and get comments like "Do you eat? No way can you eat and be that skinny". "I bet all you eat is fruit". I have given up trying to explain. I have gotten pretty good about walking away but it is still a frustration and not fair. I do know that most ppl mean well. Most just don't realize how terribly rude it is. Told DH if I responded by saying "You are quite overweight. Is that all you do is eat?". How rude is that? About the same rudeness as I get. Sorry...venting. The comments are subsiding cuz ppl are getting used to how I look. But, sometimes I get comments from EVERYONE that I know that is in the supermarket on a given day. And, I appreciate that you guys listen and understand where I am coming from on this. Sometimes I feel embarrassed to even mention what I go through with all the comments. Don't want anyone to think it's a brag or to think I am lucky to be going through this. It's a true frustration and it has affected me terribly. All the negatives do not add up to anything positve. This has been my biggest hurdle with the LB and weightloss. But, I feel great, I allowed to eat and I have my family that knows what a struggle it has been and support me. Also, I have my LB family here that I should vent to more often and not be afraid that I am going to step on toes or come off as "Fluffy".

Eva, I guess I don't remember you ever mentioning that you were raised in Alaska. Beautiful place. I will never forget the drive between Anchorage and driving into Homer. I thought it had to be the most beautiful place on God's earth. And, I had NEVER seen mountains out in the ocean b/4. It still amazes me to this day. Speaking of decorating, I decorated our entire familyroom around two pictures given to us by our son who lived in Homer. My DH was in awe of a glacier visible from our window at the Land's End hotel where we stayed for a couple of weeks. I was in awe of the mountains out in the water. Well, for Christmas that year, DS has a friend who has a photography business take photos of both. 20x20 and had them framed and matted. They are in such beautiful hues of blue. I took them with me when I bought furniture and decor for the room.

Yep BOO BOO, I can run circles around any of my young friends. A lot of perks come with feeling healthy. And, does not bother me a bit to walk into a store and KNOW I will find something! I am sure you know that feeling and it's wonderful.

Phyll...I see you are still getting beat up over that one little pancake. Was cruising the 50's thread...that last comment of Janet's made me snort. Will you EVER live it down. Do you think going to confession will help?

Measured 6.5 and considered to be 1 mile underground is all. Said it was felt for miles

Arlene...earthquake was in Northern Cal

Careful, Cheri. Hopefully you did not jar anything in your fall. I could get the "Klutz of the Year" award. Honestly. DH says I am the klutziest person on earth and he's always right (just ask him). I do not have a sense of depth perception so stairs, curbs, etc. are wicked. Good idea to wait awhile on the fill, Cheri. Just see how it goes in maintenence and then make your decision. I had to give it a couple of months. I was hungry and didn't have trouble with anything but breads and pasta. So, I decided that that's where I wanted to be. Wanted to be able to eat "real" food and not mess with what I considered to be perfection when it came to the amount of fill I had. Things did change for me those two months after hitting goal. I felt more satisfied for some reason but not tight. I think bandster hell is not starving...I think it's when we are too tight and try to live like that. Hope you are not stiff tomorrow, Cheri. Take care.

Oh, good, Eva...you know how you post something quickly and then you happen to read it again? I had visions of you at your computer thinking "UMMMMM...how do we uninvite her to FL". Where does your niece reside in Alaska?

That was a interesting, Janet. I've always wondered about how any company can be so percise on the calories and nutrition listed on the box. Those prepared meals, or anything processed are handy in a pinch but have so many negatives such as sodium and MSG, et. Similar to a story about a year ago in regard to WW and AppleBees pairing up to provide healthy food choices in their restaurants. Wrong...when tested the food was waaaaaaaaaaaay over on calories, etc.

Oh man...just reread that post that Janet quoted of mine. Eva...don't be scared about the body parts comment. That just came out waaaaaaaay wrong. We will just compare. Sound better? Not even going to think about gas milage and our drive to FL in our Ford F150 truck. I will feel as if I am sinning against nature all the way down. Sorry, God.

Eva...maybe we DO have the same body type. We will compare body parts when we meet up in Feb.

Cool wedding pics, Eva. I can really tell between the photos you posted a couple of months ago. What a great theme for your wedding. Centerpeice was cool. Laura...looks like Nels is in love with that little girl. Deb, glad to hear you are feeling better. I will save those bras for you and when you think you are about in them, I will forward to you. I think I only wore them a couple of times each and they are washed, so not kooties. Just got home from "date day" with DH. Took the dog to visit his other daddy who was missing him (a friend). Had lunch with DH's partner and wife who have the implement business with us. Hit Walmart, swung by and checked our lake place as long as we were within 30 miles of it, picked up the dog and came home. Fun day. I'm easy to please. I ended up eating oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar for lunch. Had some dessert also. Perkins has many different items but just was sooooooooooooooooo afraid to come home and say I had a pancake. Thought I would get into some kind of trouble. LOL.

BBK...I hit goal 4 months after banding. I was one the insurance had jump through many hoops b/4 banding and lost over 50lbs b/4 banding. Probably the best thing that could have happened to me. It gave me time to wrap my head around what I was in for and gave me the opportunity to study up what was to come. Thanks for the wonderful compliment. This 54 yr old feels 30 yrs younger!

are they nuts?????????????

Thanks for the jeans tip, Janet. I was in a upscale resale shop a couple of weeks ago and found Silver and Limited jeans in my size in talls. Love when I find my size of slacks in a shop like that. I know the Silvers at $75 when they were on sale over the holidays in the dept store where I shop. The best thing is that they fit better than any jeans in my closet. Well, except for my prized pair of Seven for All Mankind black jeans. I'm hard to fit on the bottom and always have been. Need tall but low rise. I think God is the one that designed low rise just for me. Thing is...I am in need of not a thing and there are no more wants. I was very careful when I got to goal to coordinate my purchases. I spent way too much during the weightloss phase and ended up giving 98% of them away. Most went to Slavation Army so I know they will get used. Still bothers me that I was so impulsive to buy clothes I would never wear. Before I knew it, I was in a different size. Like Janet has said...was a 12 and thought I was done, was an 8 and though I was done....etc. Heading out to meet friends for lunch in a town about 70 miles away. It's mine and DH's date for the week. They suggested Perkins (and, yes Laura, we have them here). I agree, not the greatest menu. I most likely will order an omelette. DH can finish what I don't eat. Went and looked at their updated menu. Took me two minutes and just closed it again. Anyway, it will be all about the company we are with. Very cold and "crunchy" here today. I feel like I have been complaining about out cold over and over. Sorry. We were supposed to go to DH's sis's 50th bday party but decided this morning to not. 4 hour drive...party does not start till later this evening and a 4 hour drive back. Does not work for us to get a hotel tonight so we declined. Will give her a call. Well, better go get dress for my date. I was up again early..couldn't sleep...darn. Was up at 1:30, around 3 and fianlly up for good shortly b/4 5am. Ate oatmeal twice during the night. Not tired today though. Later