gentlespirit

I go have lunch with a dear friend and/or stop at every antique shop I see along the way. I've even been known to go miles out of my way for antique shops!! Emily

I'd make a law that elderly drivers have to be road tested to renew their drivers licenses every 2 years. I was rear-ended by an 83 year old man who had had a stroke and couldn't pick up his feet to walk, let alone the pedals in the car, was blind in one eye and had no depth perception in the other, and NEVER should have been allowed behind the wheel of a car. My spine was fractured and I'm now considered 25% disabled. Along with that, one of my day care babies was killed, and many lives were changed forrever. This could all be avoided if elderly people were tested more frequently. Another law I'd make is that judges who make stupid decisions that endanger children should be held liable. Some of the decisions made by judges are criminally stupid! All done emoting... Emily

I'm so happy for you! That's the way it's supposed to work!! Enjoy! Emily

I really appreciate Donna's comment that we can only do the best we can do at any given moment. I'm finding that sometimes this is a moment by moment choice, not even hour by hour! You have so much going on right now, so be gentle with yourself. It's not the end of the world that you had the cake. Just try to make better choices from now on and keep going. You are in my thoughts and prayers! Emily

I tried milk of magnesia for the constipation but that's at the bottom of the list of things I ever want to ingest again! I hated it so tried prune juice, and that worked fine for me. I have one of those little individual cans a couple of times a week and everything's good. Hope your recovery continues to go smoothly...just be gentle with yourself and give yourself time to heal and rest. Emily

Congratulations! Hope by now it's all over and you're on the way to a smooth and speedy recovery! Emily

I was so worried about turning 50 last Sept., but now thanks to the band I'm feeling better than I have in years! I had surgery 1/24 and have lost 33 pounds...not terribly fast, but I'll take it! If I could stay away from the chocolate it would go faster, I know. I get my third fill next week and am hoping that I'll get better restriction then. It was so neat to go for a brisk walk last night (about a mile) and actually enjoy the exercise rather than detesting every minute! And I found a shirt in my closet that I had purchased last year and it was too small...it fit great now. The NSVs are what keep me going!!! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their summer~ Emily

Thanks, Princess, for re-sizing Miko, the parrotlet! I hadn't checked this for awhile and just noticed that you had. Emily

The materials I got from my doc prior to surgery said to aim for 1 cup per meal. I'm sure different docs have different instructions. I still find myself having to measure that cup out a couple of times a week to remind myself what that amount looks like, otherwise I tend to put too much on my plate and can't finish it. Emily

A good friend of mine who was banded a year ago in March went for several months filled too tight because she wanted to keep losing. I kept telling her she needed to let the doc know she was vomiting and PBing several times a day, but she wouldn't. Finally it got so bad she had to, and now she's totally unfilled for a few weeks to get things healed up and calmed down. It just doesn't pay to stay too tight...seems to backfire in the long run, and we are in this for the long term. Please check with your doc and ask for a small unfill. Good luck! Emily

Yep, it's totally normal! My family used to laugh at me when they could hear it all the way across a room! It will settle down before too long, although after 4 months it still happens to me occasionally. Emily

I was banded 1/24/06 and have lost just over 30 pounds so far. Not phenomenal, but much better than I would have done without the band. The port doesn't bother me at all...in fact, I catch myself touching it occasionally almost like a good luck charm! The bypass wasn't an option for me at all...I am not interested in having my insides rearranged! In fact, people who know I have had LB surgery seem surprised that I look healthy and well. They are used to bypass patients who look sickly and ill, I guess. Only you can decide if the band is the way to go for you. As for me, I have not regretted it for a second, once I got past the first week post surgery. Good luck with your decision. Emily

I was supposed to lose 5-10 pounds pre-op, but my doc didn't give me any specifics on how to accomplish that. I was liquids only the day before surgery. Emily

Congratulations on your great success! We all know it didn't come easily but you stuck with it and are now seeing the rewards. It's great that you have found someone who appreciates the terrific person you are and that you are feeling strong and healthy! We are all so happy for you. Emily

Thanks for sharing this...I needed the laugh! I think everyone thinking of having children should read this reality check!!! Emily

Sounds to me like he is trying to counteract the fact that you know about his debts by being extra sweet and telling you he loves you. I think there are a lot of red flags here, but only you can make the decision. I wish you the best! Emily

I don't really think about it much. And if I do think about it, it's with gratitude that it's available to us and working for me. Emily

My doc said to take 2 if I used the Flintstones Vitamins, too. I started out with them but didn't like them, so I switched to Viactiv chocolate cherry. I also use the Viactiv chocolate mint calcium chews. I use them after lunch or dinner and they feel like a treat! Emily

Congratulations to him! Hope everything goes well for both of you. Emily

Thanks, everyone. I think I had heard somewhere that the craving can mean you need more protein. maybe I need to add another protein shake in somewhere. And I'll try the Vit E, too. I made it through 36 hours without any candy/chocolate and hope it's going to get easier in the next day or so. I think for me it works best to have absolutely none or I just want more and more. I'll try the fruit suggestions...I need to be eating more of that anyway. And I'll get some sugar free fat free pudding when I get groceries tonight. Now that I've made it this far, my pride is kicking and making it easier to keep going. Wish me lots of stick-to-it-iveness!! Tamryn, I'd love to hear what your dietician says. Emily

Vinesqueen~ Thanks for your commen sense comments! I always appreciate them. It's so easy to get caught up in the "I wish I were like..." and we need to work on being the best ourselves we can...we're all so different. I just hate the sizr game...it makes us constantly dissatisfied with ourselves. Emily

Amy~ Hope you're doing better again today! And hopefully they can figure it out and get you back to feeling like yourself. You're in my thoughts... Emily

Any word on FunnyDuddies? I hope and pray that she's doing better. This thread is such a blessing. Emily

The last few days I have really been craving sweets. Somewhere I read one of those articles about your cravings indicating that you are deficient in something else...does anyone know? I have held the sweets to a "not too bad" level, but I really want to get back to the place I was when doing Atkins where they didn't even appeal to me. That was wonderful! I know this is where the work comes in for me, and I'm trying really hard to resist. Any suggstions or help for dealing with this? Thanks. Emily

I'd love to look like Sara Rue or Mia Tyler...they are both gorgeous. But I also like Queen Latifah and would be happy if I get to the stage where I have a body like hers. That's probably more realistic, but it's fun to dream! Emily