NewBeginnings2018

Jessica, sorry about TOM. Mine started the day before surgery and when I went in that morning, I just told the nurse and she gave me a sexy pair of mesh panties and a big 'ol pad. lol. It really was no big deal. I'm so glad you like your new job Mandy! That's great! Diane on Sat night we had Indian food and then played some pool. It was ugly. lol. We then went home and watched a movie where my guy proceeded to ask if he could be my boyfriend. lol. It was so cute! I hadn't even told him about that band at that point, so I said well there's probably something I should tell you first. He didn't even flinch, and then joked that he was worried I was going to tell him I was a man before or something. lol. But anyway, I am so happy I am beside myself. He is so nice and a really great guy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because he has potential. Like Sherry says, he's got the whole package. Yeeaahhhh me!!! lol

Manatee there is nothing wrong with being upfront and honest. Although some people will still choose to look right past it. You have a right to what you want from your relationship and I think it's great that you're up front about it from the start. My latest update - it's offical. This Saturday after another great date, my man asked me to make it exclusive and to be his girlfriend. My response was, are you sure you're ready for this? lol. Spoken like a truly jaded woman. haha. At that point I hadn't even told him about the band so I said to him, well before we agree there is probably something I should tell you first. When I told him he didn't even flinch and just said, is that it? I thought you were going to tell me you were a man before or something. lol. So anyway, that started a little session where we decided to put all our baggage on the table up front and then decide if we still wanted to be exclusive. It was quite comical. I have to tell you all that I am so happy I am beside myself. I have finally found someone who has the whole package and real potential. Wish me luck.

Mandy those pumpkins look AMAZING!! I'm very impressed! Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. The date went great. So great in fact that we're going out again on Saturday. I totally have butterflies and am loving every minute of it.

Good luck Diane!! And congrats Mandy!! Wahooo! Hi to everyone else. Kat those cookies sound yummy! Thank god tomorrow is Halloween. I have to get this stinking candy out of my house. lol. Tomorrow I have a Halloween date with my new guy. We're going to pass out candy and watch scary movies. Should be fun!

Lizzie, that's a great attitude to have! That's how I was too, I just focused on bettering myself and filling my life with things that make me happy. I have a good life, with or without a guy, and that's what I am most proud of. Welcome Kimmie - glad you piped in. Welcome! Denise, it is tough finding the right fill level. Sometimes I wish I had more and then other times I think I couldn't handle any more than what I have. I'm a the point though where I know that in order for me to lose what I have left to lose, I need to watch what I eat and exercise. It stinks, but it's just he way it is for me I suppose. So I have another date for Wednesday night. We're going to pass out Halloween candy and watch a scary movie. Should be fun!

Oh April I'm so sorry to hear that your mom can't take you. It's stressful, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out. You have to! lol Ok, so last night I finally got my kiss! OMG, very nice! We got together around 4 at his place, watched some tv, went to dinner, then came back and watched the Sox beat the Rockies (again). We cuddled on the couch till about 2am. It was a really nice date, and it was hard to leave let me tell you! I think I need to come clean about the band soon though. He comments sometimes that I never eat bread and that I barely touched my dinner. My friends and I laugh because we know he's probably thinking, 'here's this big girl who's afraid to eat in front of me'. lol. It's just kind of awkward to bring up out of the blue and even though I know he's not worth it if he has an issue with it, there's always that little fear of rejection. But hey, it's gotta be done.

Ok guys, update on my date last night. It was great, and not just because the Sox crushed the Rockies. So I show up at his place with my lasagna, and he has jazz music playing, the wine poured, and a nice table set. I was really impressed. Then, as I was admiring the salad he made I noticed a small little bowl of olives. The significance of this? On our date last Saturday the restaurant gave us a small dish of olives and I mentioned how much I love olives, and he said that he thought olives were ok, but didn't search them out or anything. So the fact that he had olives meant 1) he listened and 2) he was thoughtful enough to do something special for me. I asked him, did you get me olives? And he just smiled. HUGE brownie points right there. Who would have thought something so simple would make such a difference, huh? But anyway, after dinner we watched the game and just talked and laughed, and I left a little after 11. No kiss goodnight, again. But man I have to say did I have butterflies as I was driving home. I really have fun with him and think he may have potential. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself and am just taking things as they come, and I am so enjoying this part of dating - this is the best part! So this morning I had an email where he thanked me for the lasagna and said that he was really enjoying the time we were spending together and that if I was still free on Saturday, he'd love to see me. So we have a date set for Sat afternoon/evening and I can promise you all, I'm getting my kiss one way or another.

JC I'm so happy for you!! And yes Manatee, I can still eat lasagna. At a 2.5 cc fill I can still eat lasagna. Sometimes it's a curse. Watch you've cursed me and tomorrow night I'll be PB'ing with my date who has no idea I have the band. lol.

That's the right attitude Arria. Good for you girl! A lot of guys online are just looking for "fun" and they try and sweet talk you to get it. Sometimes you have to set up filters to see if the guy is sincere or not and it looks like this guy was not. But it's his loss! Denise hon, you need to start being proud of yourself and who you are. I've seen pictures and you're beautiful! Be more confident in who you are. That shines through and is sexy! So I have date #2 (or 5 depending on how you look at it) set up for this Wednesday. I'm going to make us lasagna and we're going to watch the Red Sox game. I'll let you know how it goes.

WOW Manatee! What a big difference! You should feel good because you look good, and you've put in a lot of hard work to get there. Congrats! So I had another date last night and it was great. This was a guy I dated a few times back in May, but the timing was off for both of us. We've kept in touch as friends via email, and have been regularly emailing for the past couple of months (we were both in relationships, both of which recently ended). So out of the blue he asked me out this past Thursday and we went out last night. He took me to a VERY nice restaurant and then we went bowling - all dressed up. It was an absolute blast! We then had a little night cap at my place and watched David Chapelle reruns. We were laughing our butts off. And the best part - he didn't even make any moves. Just a hug and a peck goodnight. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have kissed him but it's so refreshing to find someone who's not looking to run the bases as fast as he can. So this morning I texted him a thank you message and he called me about 20 mintues later to let me know he had an excellent time and that he doesn't want to wait too long to see me again. I have to admit, I'm a little giddy today. I'm going to take it slow and just enjoy the dating for a while. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Speaking of which, JC how are things with your lady friend? Arria, how did you make out?

Hey ladies! It's been a while since I've posted but I've been lurking. Things have been so busy lately, so today I took a "mental health day" from work. I hadn't been feeling all that hot the past couple of days anyway so I figured I needed it. Not much else new here except that I finally joined the gym. Hopefully that will keep things plugging along. I'm still out there dating too. I have a date Sat night with a guy I went out with a few times right before my friend got really ill. I think our timing was off, but we kept in touch. So we'll see how that goes. It's been too long since I've posted for personals, but I've been following along and am thinking of you all. Hi msmary, I'm Chris, from MA. 33, single, no kids, had my band just over a year. And, like everyone else, think this group is great. Welcome!

JC you crack me up! lol Arria, I think if you've put pictures of yourself up there you have no reason to explain yourself. Just have fun with dating and worry more about if YOU like him than if he likes you. Good luck!

Topdownbug, don't be too nervous. Finding your right fill level is important, but it's a very personal thing. I'm at a fill level now where I can eat most foods without a problem just in smaller amounts. But more importantly, my band is filled to a level where I'm not hungry all the time. My losing has slowed waaaaay down - maybe a pound or two a month - and while getting another fill to have me eat less is tempting, I don't want to end up overfilled. I have seen a close friend deal with those issues and it's not fun. So instead of getting another fill, I have joined a gym and am trying to watch what I eat. It's not easy, but neither is not being able to eat out or getting sick all the time. But the band is SO worth it. It's a change for sure, but a good one. Sorry you had so much trouble Denise!! Next time try ordering an app like chicken satay, which is just grilled chicken on a stick. Yummy! It has taken me some time to get over feeling like I have to order a "meal" to fit in. Now I'll just order an app and I don't care what people think. If someone asks, I'll just mention that I'm trying to lose weight so I'm ordering a smaller portion.

JC that is such GREAT news! I'm so happy for you! Oh, and go for the hawaii thing! Opportunities like that don't happen all the time. Denise, I love thai food! Many of their dishes are basically meat and veggies in a light sauce and if you have trouble with that, then I might guess you may need a little more fill taken out like you said. But if you're not familiar with the menu and ordered pad thai, I can see why you might have a problem. Jessica thanks for the email. :eek: It's funny to look back now at that since it's been about a year since I was banded and I have dated many a guy since then. lol. I've found what works for me - if things start to get a little serious with a guy I tell him, otherwise I keep it to myself. And I agree, if a guy has an issue with it, he's not worth my time. Welcome Ozzy and Els720! Glad you found us!

OMG Manatee that is AWESOME!! Way to go!! You are going to be fighting them off with sticks!! Congrats April on your surgery date! That is sooo exciting! Not too much new on the single front for me. I've been dating - a couple new first dates a few dates with exes or old friends. I almost feel like I need to refocus a bit though and work on losing this last 40 lbs. Dating equals a lot of eating out and drinks, which don't necessarily work well with losing weight. That, and I need to join the gym and really start working out. So we'll see. I wonder how JC is doing? He had a date and we've yet to see him back.....lol. Hi to everyone else!

Hi girlies, I'm still alive - just busy. Mandy girl, I think you look SMALLER in person! You look absolutely great and I would not lie to you! Kat, you look amazing by the way!! You're doing fantastic!! Hi to everyone else. :grouphug:

Even though I don't have any dates this weekend, I still like weekends. I'm so busy during the week I love to have some time to myself. I've been single a long time so I have effectively packed my schedule enough that there is always something to do. lol

Wow Manatee, I can't believe she was so rude. I'm not that rude to anyone, including beggers on the street. I'm glad you laughed it off, but don't you wish you had some witty comeback ready when she said that? Sometimes people are just jerks!

Ooooh, look at you JC! Congrats on the date!

Welcome Jennifer!

Manatee I think the pic is a good one, but personally I prefer a pic where I can see the person's eyes. Maybe use another pic and your main pic, and this is a secondary photo. I thought the pic of you that you posted before was a good one. Congrats on setting up a profile - and good luck!

Denise, I really think that if you saw him he probably felt that substituted for the phone call. He is going to worry about coming on too strong. The beginning of all relationships SUCK because it's the back and forth - does he/doesn't he like me, etc? I think it's smart to wait on the sex thing, unless you're ok with it just being sex. Since you're not - wait. Like neveragain says, you'll know when it's right. Online dating is also tough because you don't know what the other person is doing and a certain level of trust is needed. When I first starting dating again I had a lot of trust issues I didn't know I had come to the surface. It effected some of my early relationships. The things I learned are 1) to try and take things slow in the beginning, rushing things will only work to the detriment of the reltionship 2) don't worry about if this person thinks you're right for them, instead try and figure out if they're right for YOU, 3) trust your instincts and 4) never make any decisions based on fear, it only breeds more fear. So the best advice I can give you is to relax and have some fun. If your friend pushes the physical stuff tell him you're not ready for that and you're enjoying getting to know him. If he's only looking for sex he'll give up and move on if you don't give it to him. Surefire way to figure out his true intentions there. As far as what I order in restuarants, I usually order fish, or chicken with mashed potatoes, sometimes pasta or salad since they come out in huge dishes and no one can really tell I didn't eat that much. lol

Denise dating is hard, there is no hiding that fact. But I think it's well worth the risk. Don't get me wrong, I get tired of being let down by men but what is the reverse option? Sitting home and wallowing. I refuse to do that. So now when I go on dates it's just for fun. If something comes of it great. If not, that's ok too. I'm a catch, I know it. If someone doesn't see it, that does not mean I am unworthy of it. I have met plenty of guys who are attractive and nice, but I don't have that "spark" with them. It doesn't mean they're not great people. So if someone's not interested in me - so be it. Life goes on and they weren't the one for me. I've also decided that I'm not falling for a guy until I've hit the 3 month mark with them. That's when their true colors come out. lol. Like I have any choice, but I'm going to try. lol.

Awww...Happiest of Birthdays to Betty!!!

Denise, I've seen your pic and I don't think it's a bad pic at all. It's probably not a bad idea to get a few other pics taken just so you have a bunch to show. I found when I posted more pics, there was definitely more activity. I know you don't post a pic on your profile, but I have to say that I think you should. There is nothing to be ashamed of. If someone sees your pic online, they're on there looking too. And I think doing that would generate more interest as well. You should give it a shot!