riley4183

Right on you guys, keep 'em coming! The good, the bad, and the OMGs - I love these :-)

Right on Indio Girl! I am also shooting for 100% of excess weight in 1 year - I have already lost over 90% so I think I'll make it! 8 lbs. to lose still in the next 2 months and I will be there with you! Congratulations

Happy boxing day everyone!! It's start-over day! I think we all know what I mean:glare: forget whatever you did "wong" and start over!! I know I am Spent an extra 1/2 hour at the gym today, which burned me an etxra 150 calories in cardio and and extra 2 sets of 100 crunches. Ouch! Going for hike with a friend now; Chris wants to go to a movie tonight does anyone have suggestions? My youngest, Austin, (aka "the Moose") has the flu and is miserable but I cant seem to do anything to help him feel better. Clues with this one? Even at 18 and 21, these guys are a little weird at having a man around. I never, ever had a date over here before and now Chris is here almost every day and I am starting to see some reaction to that from my boys . . . . I guess thats normal since I had a little reaction to my dad getting a girlfriend when he was 60 & I was 45! I'm sure it will work out. Just blackberries to eat so far today; going to have an egg before I head out. Healthy choices everyone!

Merry Christmas John!!!

Lee what a beautiful greeting! I'm going to borrow that :-) Carb bloat for me too, 4 lbs up but not a surprise - been noshing on crackers, chili, and cinnamon rolls! But it's habit now to peel off a little piece of the top and toss the rest in the trash - I dont even think about it any more! My habits are finally catching up with my tiny tummy sized, LOL :-) I am still going to eat Christmas dinner today (I realized just this morning that I had not even bought bread, potatoes, or dessert to make - and do you know what?? I'm OK with that!) then take a little run just to keep my cardio up - I only got to the gym 2x this week and it's closed today - then start in again tomorrow AM when the new #1 (whom I might as well refer to as the new BF now - he actually wants a relationship!!) goes to work. :-) I got the best Christmas present of all this year! I got a new life. Now I have my health back, the support of my family and friends, a whole bunch of NEW friends who love me and boundless energy. This used to be a totally depressing time of year for me, and now I'm in the clouds! A very, VERY truly Merry Christmas to you all!

Pami - my work email, oh no! Offices are closed on furlough until January 4th! OH NO MR BILL :w00t: man that wasn't very smart of me! Well 53, huh . . . . I have met two 51 year olds who were young-looking and cute, a 51 year old who looked so old that I thought he had sent his father in his place (the former #1), a 58 year old who looked and acted 48, and my cute little 44 year old (the new #1) who looks like a baby and I didn't even see any grey on him until I got him out in the sun today, LOL! They all wear their ages differently, men more so than women I think because hey, we get makeup and hair dye!! And you get his number rather than vice-versa; that way you can put it in your phone and not answer it if you decide later he's a goon. I have been reluctant to meet some of them but I do always talk over the phone to them first - I also do a background check! You can do one at any county court for free on a public computer - just need their last name, and I be sure I get it and the spelling too. The first meeting is hard, but you have to do it to know. Guys who have been doing the online dating thing for a couple of months dont want to waste time on email if its not going to work out. But he liked your pic!! C'mon Pami, meet him! Have a friend there too for the first meet if that makes you more comfortable - I've done that almost every time because I HATE the first meeting!!. Unfortunately you really do have to meet them to know. I was not excited about my first date with Chris because I didn't think he was that cute, and he was too short for me, and too young. and he pushed me and pushed me for the first date - I turned him down twice - to the point that I let him know I was pretty annoyed with him and he backed off. But he came and met me in town when I was out with a bunch of girlfriends - he's a good sport - and he was SO adorable and I was SO comfortable with him that I leaned across the table and planted one on him about 3 hours into our first date!! NOT typical behavior for me! Now I am excited to see him every day And he teases me for kissing him first If he has a cell phone and you have exchanged numbers, have him take pictures of himself whatever he is doing EDIT! Not "WHATEVER" he is doing!! That would send the wrong impression - and you might get the WRONG kind of pictures, LOL! and send them to your phone. That way you know what he's really up to and what he really looks like in normal life - not in has favorite decade-old photo. I think that makes the first meeting easier too - you know what they really look like. I am PMing you my home email! Or it is on my facebook :-)

Maria, you get a fill at your 6 weeks appt. from Dr. Baggs. Nothing but clear liquids 6 hours before and same for 48 hours after - so no, you won't be able to eat, but you can order a broth-based soup and do just fine. Jello for dessert, LOL! I use those Special K protein waters after a fill - especially with having to go 48 hours now, that's more than I had to do following surgery! By the second day I am on soy slender (decaf) lattes because they also have protein and fiber like the protein waters. Between the two of those I can survive! And you will sure see the scale go down after being on clear liquids for 3 days

WOW! What an accomplishment! I do hope you'll stay around & motivate us! How is maintenance vs. losing? I've already begun to experience the struggle with no one complimenting me anymore, and no weight losses to motivate me to lose more . .

Hi Ruthie! Why did the band work this time and not all of the other times . . . well, as you've pointed out, it is just part of the solution - the journey is much more. For me, one reason the band worked is that in my program, it came with a bunch of classes and support group requirements. When those requirements ended, I continued support groups (I'm in 4 of them) and classes (overcoming emotional eating, etc) on my own. Another reason that it worked for me is exercise. I work out and run with some of the same folks who started with me and continue this journey with me. It doesn't end in a size or a weight - it really is a journey forever. But it's a GREAT one! Most important of course is the physical part. I was a volume eater. Volume, volume, volume. One brownie was never as good as 3. One ounce of sunflower seeds was not as tasty as the whole jar. If I had learned portion control (1/4 to 1/2 a cup if it's dense food) and how to eat slowly and chew each bite 50 times as a youngster, I would not have needed the band, because those are healthy habits - and the band keeps me making them! That said, I hear people complain all the time that their band is not working because they can eat cake or bread. Well come on, who's in charge here? You have capacity for an egg's worth of food, and it's up t you tonput the right kind of food in there. The band can't choose dense Protein over bread - thats up to you. DO IT! I love my band :-) Riley

Yowza, 5 guests! Woo-hoo, hello guests! Hey everybody did you know we are on almost 10,000 posts on our humble little thread???

Candra I want to do some of that stuff!! Where did you get this calendar??

That was healthy, Tamra! You're just a volume eater - and that's what the band is for! I could eat everything you just names - just not that much of it. Except the chocolate; the band has no effect on chocolate because you can suck it into a liquid,k LOL! Pami I emailed you my profile - 131 views in 3 weeks . . . all kinds of weird guys saving my profile (but also some good ones) - I made it unsearchable for a week and I still have that many views. It's crazy - there are a few repeats with pof, but as many. Boys on YP are a little more serious i think. DOn't email any from Santa Rosa, LOL!! Tina where are you??

Dudette, can I go to any 24 even though my membership is a cheapo one in Santa Rosa?

Hi my ladies! My exercise = 30 minutes on treadmill cranked up to 15 incline, pace between 4 and 5 (I walk-jog it) - that's 400 calories if I warm up fast THEN 30 minutes weights, including 3 sets of crunches. Warning it makes your port stick out! I am the world's easiest fill though, LOL I do a lot of work on large muscle groups because I want to keep my metabolism ramped up - so lots of core, thighs - less press and that sort of thing Do stuff for upper arms and shoulders too As long as I get there 4-5 days a week I keep losing. Tough to get up at 4:30 am though when your bed is nice and warm and snuggly :-) and the other person doesn't have to get up until 7!!! OK that's not happening too often. Yet. Facebook is a blast, thanks for making me do it you guys! And thanks for not mentioning "The Bachelors" since they are on there too :-)

Yes meeting the former #1 was an epic fail! LMAO - but not at him. Now I understand why he kept delaying our meeting - he knew. It was just SO dissapointing! Things are all still good with new #1 tho. Four days in a row! We had a little slumber party last night :-) He gets his 10-year-old back today so he won't be over again until Christmas eveing. I am needing this break - I might actually start missing him if he'd stay away for a couple of days!! Ah jeez I don't know what I want. I guess I have to pull my head out of the sand and finish my Christmas shopping now! What to buy for my old boys . . . . Pami I think they put "average" because they figure that the "average" person of their age has some gut! I am trying to stay open on mine but had to lower the top age. Still, I keep getting viewed by guys in their 60s - new #1 is 44 and I tell you what, I am getting spoiled & don't want to go older than me now, LOL. Oh he is on Yahoo personals too!! My profile is crazy but effective if you PM me your email I will send you my profile. I have actually lost weight since all my pics that are on there (except the Christmas gold dress one), I claim "average" because I think the average american woman DOES have a few pounds to lose!! Maybe when I get to goal I will claim "fit" but with all this excess skin that doesn't seem right.

Friday came & went & I forgot to log! 163.8 - yep thats a nice loss, I had my 6th and maybe final fill on Wednesday and my surgeon requires 48 hours of Clear liquids after - so yeah, I lost. And I have great restriction now, with only a .25cc fill! Yay. Heather, you are doing exactly the right thing setting up an appointment with someone who can help you with the eating patterns. It is my #1 issue. I have the food intake part down and the exercise part down, but no one did surgery on this brain that has spend 47 years establishing certain nueral pathways that I now have to re-wire. It is hard, hard work! I take a 4-week series of classes in Overcoming Emotional Eating every 2 months, and it has been SOOO helpful. Also David Kessler's book The end of overeating (or something like that) and the Beck Diet Solution - the book and the workbook. It's all about the head hunger, and it doesn't just go away because you can't eat as much anymore. The very best thing that I have done for my head hunger is to keep a detailed log of everthing I eat, my hunger at the time I ate it (on a scale of 1-5) and what my emotions were at the time - especially for snacking. I bought a journal in a health food store that has spaces to log stuff like that. When I log, drink my Water, and get to the gym, I lose. When I stop, I don't lose - but I don't gain too much either. Good luck!

Welcome home Heather!!! Missed you LOTS Dont worry, you'll catch up. Be like Candra, take Christmas off this year!

Candra thank you SO MUCH!!! I LOVE that cat card - - that face! That face!! OMG, LMAO!! Best Christmas card that I have had in YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!! You made my day girlfriend THANK YOU ALL you guys for finding me on facebook! I love it!! OK a new installment of "the boy update:" I finally met Bachelor #1 today in person after a month of email and phone calls and building him up in my mind . . . I WAS A WRECK but OMG girls, let's just say that #1 moved to the bottom of the list and #2 just moved up to #1 spot! And the new #1 (whose real name is Chris) just called and asked if he could come for a sleepover tonight, and I said yes!! OH BOY . . . . this dating thing is hard work LOL!! Now I have to go clean my kitchen because the new #1 is a chef . . . . . Old #1 - now #0 - is a nice guy still but when I walked in and saw this guy with long gray hair and glasses, and when he looked up one eye did not point toward me (the other one did) . . . well, lets just say I was dissappointed. WHY do they put up pics that are so obviously outdated? It's not fair. It's not like we won't notice when we meet them . . . HELLOOOOOO . . . oh well. New #1 is relieved that it didn't pan out for me! He is a good sport :crying: I just had 1/3 cup of split pea soup, it feels like it was too much but no BPing or anything. BOY DO I HAVE RESTRICTION!! And girls . . notice I am only at 5.5 cc's! Good, good spot for me to be right now I will get to my goal here Got to get on the kitchen! Bye ladies.

YAY PAMI! I'm proud of you :thumbup: You, me, and a couple other crazy girls who like to have fun - Jes and Candra come to mind, but they're married - need to go out - we'll get you out of your shell!! "Other guy" AKA Bachelor #1 got stuck at Kaiser ER yesterday so we re-scheduled for today. I'm beginning to think that he underestimates how long it's going to take him to do anything . . . that's twice now! So Bachelor #2 came over AGAIN last night, I think that's too much of him too soon. I made it clear last night that I am dating other people and now he's teasing me about having a date today - "have fun on your date, think about me" (yeah right) Boys are fun but I'd forgotten what a PAIN they are!! I wonder why no one can find me on facebook?? What if you search for my maiden name, Flege that is how all the high school people found me

Good morning lovely ladies :thumbup:

OMG Dr. Who!! He totally does look like a Who . . . how funny is that!!! I'm hungry - finally - but there's nothing here to eat. Thinking about making some lentils . . . but then again, if I am meeting Tony in a few hours, legumes may not be the best choice, LOL! I want a salad . . . . and to see my girlfriends!! We need to do the waterfront walk again soon . . . . Candra woman, it is the damned SMELL of that stuff. The microwave stuff I can resist, but the theater kind?? OMG. And the addictive oily substance . . . . and at this theater they have like 10 kinds of toppings . . . OMG. I took the bag from him like 3 times, finally told him to move it over to the other side so I couldn't get it any more . . . Pami, me and you need to go out and have some fun :thumbup:

Tamra thanks for watching out girl! :thumbup: OK shower time

Facebook people!! FRIEND ME!! I don't know your last names and I can't find you! I am Jane Riley from Santa Rosa - you will recognize my pic I'm sure!! OH I forgot to tell on myself - I ate popcorn at the movies last night! I was starving and I thought he was going to feed me, he did the last time - but it was popcorn or nothing. Chewed carefully and had no issues, but I BROKE A RULE!! That's my first popcorn since starting this process - so a year. It was easier to not eat it at all, now I want some again!!

OMG I have restriction. cheese is enough even. I used to be able to eat 1 morningstar sausage patty, now I can only eat like 4 tiny nibbles. SO LIKING IT! OK my report on last night's date with Chris (formerly #4, graduated to #2 after our 1st date - he MAY be replacing Tony in #1 spot after I meet Tony this afternoon). First off, I was TOTALLY busted for making out in the movie theater, who happens to be sitting in back of me but MY BOSS and her sister. She introes me to her sister, but I don't intro them to Chris because - well, who knows what the rules are for this? It's only our second date, they might start asking him questions or something . . making assumptions . . . and I can't exactly into him as my "friend" after the way we had been going at it . . . ??? Talk about awkward!! But that date ended at 3:30 this morning :ohmy: And I have an email from Tony (currently #1 just from talking to and emailing him for the last 2 weeks) that he wants to meet early this afternoon for a drink. Crap! I'd better go get in the shower!! No Jes there are not 6, technically there are only 4 and I am only currently talking to 3 of them (Chris Tony and Rob) as I wait for a character reference to come back on Bill. And just so you know, I run criminal and civil background checks (I can do it myself at work) on all of these guys before I meet them. I also tell them that I have done it, and they are actually flattered . . . Chris's biggest infraction was a dog on the beach without a leash - he tried to explain his way outta that one for a while! haha. This is fun. Forget eHarmony, I am on 4 services and Yahoo personals is WAY the best (although POF is free) and YP has a 7 day free trial - just google it - that is how I met Tony, while we were both on the free trial - he didn't continue, I did and met Chris :thumbup:. The Christian dating sites have been the worst. But DO IT! It is a great weight loss motivator to have guys interested in you!!! I love my new life!!:mad:

We have another date tonight :-)