NanaRenan

Hello, all you Crazys out there! I want to get started on the "GET TO KNOW ME" stuff. I'll be starting new threads here and there for that purpose....and I'll lead off by answering first. You can cut and paste into a reply and change your answers. Answer only what you feel comfortable sharing. EVERYBODY CALLS ME: Pam MY PRIMARY RELATIONSHIPS INCLUDE: hubby of 28 years, Mike, four+ children (Michaela 26 (+ her fiance, Dominic), Phillip 24 (+ his wife, Melissa), Jacob 21 and Gennie 18) and two grandkids, (Sloane, 9 and Desmond, 15 mo.) MY NON-HUMAN FAMILY CONSISTS OF: a 16 lb male grey tabby named "KittyBabyCat" and a 3.5 lb female chihuahua named "Big Tex". (and, yes, they DO think we're crazy at the vets office.) I LIVE IN: Texas, just outside of Houston to be more specific, in Pearland. OCCUPATION(S): I stay at home and care for my grandchildren several days a week while their mommy works. When they aren't here I "work at" sewing, making greeting cards and themed/gift scrapbooks -- some of which is custom ordered and the rest I sell on eBay. I don't make much money, but it keeps me off the streets. :biggrin1: AND away from the table! :hungry: AVOCATION(S): Well, in addition to the sewing and crafting mentioned above, I also love to read, write, cook, visit online forums, work in the yard, decorate, embroider, paint, mosaic and crochet. Okay...that ought to be enough to get us started. Watch for the next thread in the "GET TO KNOW ME" series, coming soon!!

Tired of those same old 55 questions about me surveys? Well here are 55 I guarantee you've never answered. 1. Is your second toe longer than your first? Nope 2. Do you have a favorite type of pen? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a fountain pen. But I settle for the convenience of a gel pen. "You might be a writer if.....you test drive pens!" 3. Look at your planner for Sept 14, what were you doing? As little as possible and eating liquids -- I was one week post-op. 4. What color are your toenails usually? French pedi or au naturel 5. What was the last thing you highlighted? Something clever that I need to learn/remember in my Dave Ramsey course. 6. What color are your bedroom curtains? Green 7. What color are the seats in your car? Grey 8. Have you ever had a black and white cat? Yes. Her name was Cookie. 9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on? A medical bill 10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming? Can't say that I do. 11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time? Hmmmm.....it escapes me. But then cash always does. *ba-dump-bump* 12. Whose is the last baby that you held? My GrandBuddy...Desmond...my daughter's little boy. 13. Unlucky #? Do I have one? Nobody told me!! 14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste? uh---No. 15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago? 1996 Buick Roadmaster 16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators? I'll take my gator fried and my hurricane non-alcoholic. 17. Last time you went to Six Flags? Myself? 1987. But I've dropped the kids off since then. LOL 18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house? Nope -- first house I've lived in in 25 years to NOT have any wallpaper in it. 19. Closest thing to you that is yellow? The wall to my left. 20. Last person to give you a business card? A doctor, I guess. 21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to? My church for tithes. 22. Closest framed picture to you? Tootie and Bean -- my daughter and granddaughter, auntie and niece 23. Last time you had someone cook for you? My hubby made chili dogs on Saturday. 24. Have you ever applied for welfare? Not yet! 25. How many email accounts do you have? Three that I use -- several that I don't. 26. Last time you received flowers? Um....Mother's Day, I think. 27. Do you think the sanctity of marriage is meant for only a man & woman? Absolutely. 28. Do you play air guitar? Nope....I know my limitations. 29. Has anyone ever proposed to you? Yes 30. Do you take anything in your coffee? I prefer my caffeine carbonated and over ice. 31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines? One 32. What is/was your high school's rival mascot? Gosh, I don't remember. The school was Baker....but I don't know what their mascot was! 33. Last person you spoke to from high school? Tonya 34. Last time you used hand sanitizer? Does antibacterial soap count? 35. Would you like to learn to play the drums? Why bother...like I said, I know my limitations! 36. What color are the blinds in your living room? off-white 38. Last thing you read in the newspaper? The ad for Hobby Lobby 39. What was the last pageant you attended? Can't say I've ever attended one. 40. What is the last place you bought pizza from? Pizza Hut 41. Have you ever worn a crown? Only in my imagination. 42. What is the last thing you stapled? The budget 43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi? Nope 44. Are you ticklish? Very much so. 45. Last time you saw fireworks? July 4 46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut? Right before they closed down the one on Bay Area Blvd....so like 18 months ago maybe? 47. Who is the last person that left you a message & you actually returned it? Ha! Good question. I don't remember! 48. Last time you parked under a carport? At my daddy's, four years ago. 49. Do you have a black dog? Nope 50 . Have you had your mid life crisis yet? Since I've not yet acknowledged that I AM "mid-life", the answer is NO. 51. Are you an aunt or uncle? Auntie 52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of? My hubby -- or one of my kids that he gave them to. 53. Believe in Karma? I can't, since I don't believe in reincarnation. I believe we should treat others as we would like to be treated. And I sometimes see people suffer through things they shouldn't have to. But I know God is the judge of us all and He will make it all right in the end. 54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe? I'm thinking......er.....no. 55. Do you have a little black dress? Well, in my case it would be a BIG black dress, but yes, I have several.

Quick and easy and stolen from an email....I did not originate this! Copy and Paste and supply your own answers. CATEGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They MUST be real places, names, Things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. Your Name: Pam 1. Famous singer: Petula Clark 2. 4 letter word: Punk! 3. Street name: Pennsylvania Avenue 4. Color: Purple 5. Gifts/presents: Pearls 6. Vehicle: Pontiac 7. Items on a menu: Pasta 8. Girl Name: Priscilla 9. Boy Name: Phillip 10 Movie Title: Pride and Prejudice 11. DRINK: Punch 12. Occupation: Painter 13. Flower: Pansies 14. Celebrity: Paris Hilton 15. Magazine: People 16. US City: Portland, OR 17. Pro Sports Teams: Panthers -- is that Carolina?? 18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Procrastination 19. Something U Throw Away: papers 20. Things You Shout: SEE #2 21. Cartoon Character: Peppermint Patty WOO-HOO!!!!! I did it, yeah buddy.. your turn, and no its not easy..

I forgot to add -- cut and paste and substitute your own answers!!!

I've dealt with this for years and it will only get worse the more weight I lose -- until I finally lose enough to get surgery! Make sure the powder you're using is not MEDICATED. It can actually aggravate the problem if it is yeast-related. Monostat sells a Anti-Chafing gel that is awesome. Only problem is its a little pricey (about $6-$7 at Wal-Mart) and I hate that it gets wasted on my hands. I wish they'd put it in a roll-on container instead of a tube. Otherwise, shower frequently. Towel dry and I lay down on the bed in front of a fan and twist, turn and tug until I get all those areas really throughly dry before I dress. Good luck....I know your misery.

This is where I am at and I haven't even had a fill yet! Just have to mentally FORCE myself to put the fork down and walk away from the table. Very, very weird. I mean I dropped out of the CLEAN YOUR PLACE CLUB years ago. But I still think I should be able to eat my smaller (normal) sized portions and need to pay more attention. I've PBed a couple of times. The worse occasion was in a resturant with my sister-in-law. She had gone to the restroom and the waitress brought the check. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to do something quick or I was going to embarrass myself and gross out one whole room at IHOP!! (I was having the Cod Hollandaise without the sauce, btw!) I didn't have time to come up with a good solution, I just had to run. Sure enough, I'd just finished and was wiping my tears and blowing my nose when the waitress came in looking for us. Poor thing, I know she thought we'd stiffed her.

My name is Pam I'm going to keep pushing the walking -- a little further each day and little longer each trip. And I'm going to finally get off my duff, swallow my pride and go back to Bally's and see what they have to offer -- I'm paid up through May -- I might as well take advantage of it!

I'm spending the extra to by Borden's Hi-Pro 2% milk -- 10 grams of Protein per cup. (I gotta remember eating CHEAP helped get me 150 lbs overweight!) Made Beans twice this week -- at 15 grams per cup, they are a good source of protein. My husband LOVES it. He grew up on them, so their comfort food for him. And mega cheap -- he likes that, too! Also, I've been buying real lump crab meat to put in a salad for lunch -- 2 oz. has 10 grams of protein. You just gotta look for it, it's out there!

Yea!!! I did it! Nana Renan is good for me! Time to get crackin' on October!!!!

This is just a "head's up"! My brother-in-law got married two weeks ago on the beach. The next day they set sail on a cruise -- isn't that romantic? They had a great time in Cozumel. On the morning of their return, he was summoned over the intercom just as they were sitting down to Breakfast. He kissed his bride and said he'd be right back. Three hours later!! When she's pestered every crewmember she can find to help her look for him, she is finally handed over to two armed officers from Homeland Security. They neither answer her questions or help her carry her luggage, but just keep inching her towards customs and periodically hand her off to new pairs of officers. Finally, when she met the fifth new set of HLS officers, she was about to reach Three-Mile Island meltdown. They finally informed her that her husband had been arrested and was in the Galveston City Jail!!! He had a warrant in another state (a 'failure to appear' charge stemming from a civil dispute with is ex-wife, that he'd already been picked up for once before and had been assured it was all taken care of!!!). We were told at the jail that they've been doing this for about a month -- sweeping the list of names of people returning to the country -- and the jail is averaging 5 to 10 cruise ship passengers each week. It took from SATURDAY AM to late THURSDAY PM to get him out!!! Just wanted to warn anyone about to leave the country -- be sure there's nothing on your record.

**bump** Ya'll are doing good....keep it up. I'll be adding a new sumpin'sumpin' in a day or two!

I may have drifted back to Bandster Purgatory. LOL My hunger's not too bad....its there, but I'm doing okay ignoring it most of the time. But I still want my first fill!!!!!

Hi, Lindsey -- I just yesterday started a page at MySpace -- BOY!, do I have a LOT to learn. But 'TOM' is lookin' mighty lonely in my "friends" section!! LOL Please look me up! And congrats on your progress!

I've done Atkins enough, too, to instinctively lean towards high Protein. The only difference NOW is that it better really ring-my-bell in the taste department....no eating it 'jus'cause'. Treating myself to real lump crabmeat instead of the imitation stuff. Hey, no more than I can eat at a time, it better be worth the effort, KWIM?? It's all about the real estate, Baby!

Brava, Chinokitty!!! I was a 24 FOR MANY, MANY YEARS -- but in the last year had had to buy a few 26s!!! Happily, I'm retiring them one piece at a time!!! It's a great feeling. Boo Boo Kitty -- that is an awesome collage-photo of your transformation. Verra inspirational! Thank you!

Hoping to read more from Brandi about how it went on Friday. I went in Wednesday for my first fill (I was banded 8/14) but he felt like the port might be easier to access with one stick if we waited another two weeks in hopes I might lose a little more and make it easier. I was a little disappointed, but figure disappointment is less painful than being stuck several times. I'm trying to just PRETEND that I've got restriction and stop before I get too full. I must have SOME restriction just from the band itself, because I do 'slime' and PB on occasion.

Finally broke into the 280's.....was stuck between 294 and 296 for over two weeks and them spent a week -- IKYN -- bouncing between 290.4 and 290.8 -- EVERY FLIPPIN' DAY!!! (Save the lectures about weighing every day.....I've heard 'em all already!) Have PBed a few times -- not as bad as I had feared. I need to SLOW DOWN. Need to avoid HOLDING my food. Puts me in too much of a rush. First 2 PBs were eating something hand-held. I'm having to force myself to put it ON the plate and use my utensils. I must be one of those people who is extra constricted in the mornings -- in fact, if I have a short night, I can really expect a PB if I don't take it exceptionally slow at breakfast. I may never drink another protein shake or bowl of soup as long as I live -- I think I don't even like CHOCOLATE any more because it reminds me of shakes! How ghastly is THAT!!?! I went in on the 26th for my first fill, but he was concerned that it might take more than one stick to find my port....so he rescheduled me for the 8th. I REALLY want that fill. I've figured out I have more HEAD hunger than actual hunger. I do great at mealtimes, however, its the evening snacking that I fight -- even with the band. I have about three skirts that I've had to pull out of the closet because wearing them puts me at risk of public humiliation, because they could just fall off without warning. That's a NSV, right??

I'm BAAAACK!!! Didja miss me? I finally clocked my distance and time today -- 1.1 miles at 27 minutes. Doesn't seem like a whole lot, but considering I couldn't/WOULDN'T attempt to make it to the mailbox a few months ago, I'LL TAKE IT!!!! Anyway -- I made the 21/21....just barely squeaking in!

I SO wanted to be one of those people who followed every instruction to the letter. I ALSO wanted to be the rare bird who lost slowly and steadily and wouldn't need a fill for a long time. These WANTS are happening about as well as WANTING a figure like Angelina Jolie was getting me in shape BEFORE surgery! (That is NOT AT ALL!!) In the first week and a half I quickly dropped from 301 to 290. Then -- curse it all, I drifted -- I've been 293, 294 or 295 every day since then. My body REALLY likes the mid-290s!!! Dang it!! Because of that, my nutritionist told me to do another week of full liquids. Did I do it? Heck no! I leapt right over mushies and have pretty much been eating whatever the heck I want.....altho' I placate myself by reminding me that I am making excellent food choices taking in 1/4 tp 1/3 of what I previously consumed chewing excessively well avoiding drinking like I am supposed to I'm full aware of the consequences of rushing things MIGHT set the stage for slippage later. But, I had the weigh the consequences of the here and now which might've included jail time and/or a lengthy trial because I was SO frustrated somebody was gonna get hurt. Okay, That may be a slight exaggeration. SLIGHT, I said. Because I WAS snapping people's heads off and really NOT being my usual cherubic self. Anyhow, I'm still weighing every day -- WHY? Because if/when there IS a change, I want to know about it immediately. BUT, I'm pretty much ignoring the neutral/negative results because I am noticing a little more room in my waistbands. :clap2: Altho' I'd hoped to already be disposing of a few things by now,....at least I can see there is SOMETHING happening. I'll just have to be content with that.

I'm not worrying about the scales too much. I am making an effort to walk more each day. I've lived in this body long enough to know that the scales only move some of the time, and when it takes a break, the belt buckle moves. (Okay, so I don't really have a belt that goes around me at this point, BUT, I have had to retire a couple of skirts for fear I'll lose them and trip myself up!! Need to post that in the NSV thread, huh? My nutritionist didn't think I could be plateauing this early (three weeks post op + almost three weeks on pre-op = right time frame for a STALL!!)....but then, she hasn't been the one inside this body for 45 years!!! She told me to do another week on full liquid, but I was going to lose my mind if I didn't have something FRESH -- so I've been nibbling (and choo-choo-chewing!!) on a little fruit and salad stuff....and a little more real food. I did have two ALMOST PBs, enough to produce a little sliming -- both times, just got in too big of a hurry and was eating hand-held food!!!! I'm gonna have to start using a fork and knife on everything. I'm used to 'micro-bites' with them, but my mouth doesn't yet know how to take a little bite. Thanks for the support ya'll.

Okay -- I've had a devastating set back in that I've gained back about 4 pounds. I'm resisting changing my ticker, altho' it's been 5 days. It seems like conceeding failure to do so. Also, my ticker shows my lost from my HIGHEST weight, which was just prior to beginning mandatory pre-approcal supervised diet until now. Not beginning with my banding. Is that what most people show, or should it start with my banding?

VERY interesting topic. I've never heard of ANY of this before!!! Altho' I do remember almost every meal my father would have to leave the table to blow his nose!!! I'm going to start paying more attention.

Saturday, 8-25 -- cleaned out the garage off and on all day Today -- Walked to the end of the block and back, watered the yard and trimmed some shrubs for 45 minutes.

Picklebritches, I have a GINORMOUS liver, too!!! My surgeon worked on me for two hours instead of the usual 1/2 hour! I was banded on the 14th and STILL haven't gotten the go ahead to move to mushies. Wah!!! I think if I'm eating baby food consistency I have every right to whine like a baby, right??

Sounds way cool, doesn't it? I want to try it! :usa: