minidriver

Dee, you are so right. I'm glad that you realize how far you've come and what an important thing you've done. And I'm sure your father is very proud of you.

Hello!!! I am back from ALL DAY GRADUATION. . . . whew! Dee? Are you still hiding behind the couch? It's okay . . . you can come out now. Everybody loves you even if you didn't lose this week. I think you're all remarkable. And of course there will be some weeks when you're up. You all know how fickle the scale can be. It will all even itself out in the end. Hey - I was getting dressed for graduation this morning and I put on a dress with my usual bike shorts underneath and I wondered if there will be a day in my future when I can actually wear a dress and not have my thighs chafe from rubbing together. They even chafe through panty hose! I don't want much in life . . . I just want to end the chafing!!! Oh, and I want to be able to sit on the ground and then get back up again without having to bring in heavy equipment to get me back on my feet. And I want to be able to sit in the teeny folding chairs at graduation and not be overflowing onto the person next to me. Okay. I'm done.

You're right. I know you're right. You're a wise wise woman. If I don't do it now, I'll just get heavier and sicker. I don't want to be a sick old lady. I want to have energy and joy. I want to enjoy my new grandson. I want to wear pumps again Well, my new cyber-buddy, I'm going to bed now. We have graduation tomorrow and it will be a loooong day. Talk to you soon! Thanks for, well, you know. Being so swell!

We are, indeed. Sometimes when my higher SES students are whining because they want new cars, etc., I just want to drop them into the middle of a developing nation and have them spend a week or two seeing how so much of the rest of the world lives. I think it changes your perspective so much. Wow, now I feel guilty that I'm spending $10,000 to lose weight!!! Crud.

BE CAREFUL!!!! My goodness!!!

Thanks, dee! We have a federal program called the McNair Scholar's Program that helps prepare first-generation, low-income and/or underrepresented minority students to prepare to go to grad school and eventually to join the ranks of academia. In the summer I am the "research mom" and oversee our group while they live on campus and do independent research. It's really rewarding. So many of these kids struggle to get to college and then find that they don't have a single professor from similar backgrounds. The purpose of the program is to "change the face of higher education". The kids work their fannies off and many times are also helping to support their families, etc. Some of our favorite students have been some of the Lost Boys of the Sudan. They are so amazing. I was helping one of them on the computer one day and he apologized for being so slow, then explained to me that he learned to write in the dirt with a stick while living in a refugee camp. He's now in a doctoral program at NYU.

Oh dear, we've totally degenerated. Wow, I just looked at our local newspaper and there was a feature story on one of my students! She is a young Latina from a pretty rocky background who will be attending the Univ. of Minnesota to get a doctorate in neuroscience. I'm so damned proud of her. It made me all verklempt.

I just had a funny (pathetic) thought. It's Friday night and we're sitting here chatting about our BMIs. Life is so exciting . . . sigh . . . . Maybe I should take that Lap Dance seminar! I'm sure my husband would enjoy that more than he enjoys watching me work my Laptop!

I found this on some website . . . I think I've seen this same breakdown elsewhere as well. Classification BMI Underweight <19 Ideal BMI 19-25 Overweight 25-30 Obese >30 Severely Obese >35 Morbidly Obese >40 Super Obese >50

I will definitely let you know the time. Knowing that I could meet you would be fantastic.

awww, Dee, I'm so sorry about the house. That has to be so disappointing. Well . . . maybe you can continue to rent for awhile and look into school . . . This could be a blessing in disguise! You give so much good karma to the world. It will come back to you.

DEE!!! I would LOVE if you came and gave me a hug and I could meet you. That would be so awesome! I'll be the scared person in the funny looking gown . . . I'll definitely call the manager and ask. That seemed higher than what I remembered reading on here. BTW - I asked Dr. K. if I would have to stop taking my anti-inflammatory meds and he said "no". He just said I'd have to switch to the non-extended release type and crush it. That was a pleasant surprise.

The teeth are awesome. lol

So I just called the Holiday Inn in Parker to get a room for the surgery. I asked for the medical rate. They quoted me 126 for a king suite. Does that sound right? It's the same as the rate on any of the travel sites . . .

So when I was first learning about the band, I went to a seminar at a local hospital. Later my husband and I were having lunch with my daughter and her fiance, and I wanted to tell my daughter about the seminar. So I said "Guess what I did today? I went to a lap band seminar!". She gave me a really weird look. I assumed she thought it was a dangerous procedure or something. So then I said "It's awesome, Jess! It's really quick. They're in and out in about an hour, and there's really not much pain. I'm so excited". Well, she started looking at me as if I'd sprouted a second head. Finally she said "Mom, why did you go to a lap dance seminar? You don't want me to go too, do you?". My husband started laughing so hard he spit his food all over the table. When I realized what she was thinking I completely lost it. We all laughed so hard that everyone in the restaurant was staring. She thought I was proposing some sort of wacky mother/daughter activity in honor of her upcoming nuptials. It was hilarious. So . . . whenever I see Lap Dancer's name on the board, I can't help but chuckle a little.

I just had my consult with Dr. K. today and it was great. After speaking with him, I'm even more excited about the surgery than I was before. You'll be so happy with your decision! Good luck and let us know your surgery date!

Hello ladies! Well, I FINALLY had my consult with Dr. K. You're all absolutely right! He's a wonderful man. I'm all set for surgery (for some reason I kept thinking he wouldn't do it . . . ) and I can't wait!! YAY!! Shelbi- how was your husband's test? Lap - some children are definitely energy vampires. Oh, the stuff they forget to mention in those parenting books . . . BTW- Wii Fit is a video game for the Wii system where you interact with the game while doing different types of exercise and it tracks your progress and such. There is a balance board that you stand on and there are a bunch of different activities (yoga, hula hoop, etc). There is a little cartoon "you" on the screen (called a mii) that you control with your body movements. It's sort of hard to explain . . . May I join you all in a virtual glass of wine? Cheers . . .

Oh dear. No wonder you're exhausted. Yikes.

Patty - I'm sorry that your daughter wore you out. I assume that she is bipolar from your comments?

Okay. Natalie called me this morning and rescheduled my consultation for 3:45 this afternoon. I guess I somehow didn't make it on to Dr. K's schedule yesterday. Adorkable - I know what you mean about ice cream as crack. I think I'll just have to become abstinent. Mal- learning about brains really rocks. There is so much new stuff happening every day. It never ceases to amaze me. All - have you looked for a Wii Fit on ebay? That's how I got my Wii to begin with. The Fit is really fun, but for those of you who are already exercising, it may not provide a challenging enough workout. For those of us who haven't left the couch for several years, however, it's great! Not as challenging as DDR (in my opinion), but lots of variety.

Head hunger is a scary beast. I read "ice cream" and immediately wished I had some in the freezer, even though I had a perfectly good dinner and have no reason to eat. But I do love ice cream.

Hmmm, I think I know what you mean. I'm not very in touch with my body or my hunger. I just sort of eat without paying attention to what I'm doing. It scares me that I'll continue to do that after I'm banded. I think if you're hungry then you should eat! I think it's when we eat when we're not hungry that it gets us into trouble. You're doing really well though. So you lost 20 pre-surgery so that means you've lost 43 since, yes? I think that's awesome in 4 months.

I would second that. And you are an incredible writer. I love reading your blog. And you're really supportive of everyone here. And I'll bet the babies at the hospital adore you. Hmmm, I'd say you turned out pretty well!

dee!!!! Purple pumps!!! DAYUM!! That's some sexy stuff!! Will you wear them with a purple boa? :thumbup::wink: Adorkable, you're doing great. 2 pounds a weeks is awesome. And the pics you posted were fab! How many fills have you had? Did you have restriction for awhile? Or???

Wow, that's amazing that you went to Haiti at 19. I wish all young people had a chance to visit other parts of the world before settling down. There's no substitute for experience. It would have been great for you to go to Korea, but I'm sure that being a JPO played a role in shaping who you are, yes? I live in Salt Lake and teach at a small, private college (2500 students). I love love love my job. I love the students, I love the atmosphere, I love that I continue to learn every single day. I'm my own boss (more or less) and I run my classroom however I see fit. And I feel like it keeps me young . . . or at least I like to tell myself so :thumbup::biggrin: PS- How fun that you enjoyed the mall! I can't wait until I can walk around without my heels hurting and my knees aching. And I want to wear cute shoes while I walk around! YAY FOR CUTE SHOES!!