Nathalie

I'm here, VaB! I'm laid up with a cold. My chest is killing me. UGH. DS doesn't much care, and expects me to interact with him. All I want to do is sleep. We went to see Shrek 3 yesterday. I killed a medium popcorn, a large fruit punch/lemonade mix and a box of Junior Mints. I don't know what came over me. I'm going to try and sleep most of the day, and get out this afternoon for some form of exercise. I'll probably slap DS into his stroller and go out walking for an hour. As I'm almost at my next mini-goal (240) I treated myself to 2 pairs of sneakers. Every 10 pounds I get myself a reward. Lady Foot Locker was having a sale - 2 pairs of shoes for $89. I got some New Balance cross trainers and a pair of Reebok classics. I am trying to eat better, too. More cuts of meat and protein shots. I had a Boca brand sausage for b'fast and am stuffed. Still haven't read the posts I missed, so I hope everyone is doing well. I just wanted to check in for strength. N.

I also endorse Dell laptops. I would get a Latitude instead of an Inspiron. The Latitudes are the work/business models. Inspirons are for home use. The Lats are a little more sturdy. I have a Latitude D510 for home use. I have a cruddy HP 4400 for work use, and don't like it nearly as well.

Hey ladies - I was out of town this week and am just getting a chance to check in. I haven't read any of your posts, but I'm sure everyone is doing remarkably well. I am amazed at how well my band is working. Usually on business trips I consider it "free" to eat whatever I choose. I did this trip, too, but I couldn't eat that much at all! I'm eating about 1 cup of food per meal, and most of the time not even that much. As of this morning I'm down to 242. By week's end I'd like to be in the 230's. Next week Friday, I mean. More later, just wanted to check in and let you guys know I'm A-OK! Nat

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, non-mothers, wanna-be mothers and may as well be mothers. Big Love! Nathalie

VaB - Try Good Will or Salvation Army for clothes. My friend who had RnY shops there, and I will too as soon as I shrink out of the sizes I have "in stock."

Sassy - it definitely does make a difference! I have weighed at night and again in the morning, and have seen as much as a 2.5 - 3.0 pound difference. Weigh again this morning and see what the difference is. I tend to weigh butt naked after I've emptied my bladder. Every lil bit helps, honey! I never did make it onto that elliptical. But I slept my ass off last night. I'm eating light again today, and I'll be exercising. I'm taking 1/2 day off today. Hope everyone is doing well! Nathalie

I'm home. I am BEAT. Literally, I couldn't even pull it together to go on a walk with my son, who was chomping at the bit to get outside some. I am sipping a protein drink now (70cal, 15g protein). What I need to do is summon the energy to crawl my tired body onto that blasted elliptical. All I want to do is crawl my tired body into bed. *sigh* If I can do 30 minutes tonight I'll feel really good about myself. Time to put pookins into the bed. He's tired like his DM. Big Love! Nathalie

Kaydoll - you made me laugh out loud. I've always said the same thing. (about my own "white meat," not anyone else's) HUGE NSV. I wore a pair of black slacks with a turquoise thread in them. Really cute. I wore a black top that is kind of clingy, with no jacket with it! I was walking out of a meeting and a co-worker said "Hey there - you are getting really skinny! What are you trying to do, blow away?" I blushed. Literally BLUSHED! I said something self-depreciating, and then said, "What I meant to say was, thank you!" I am feeling and seeing a huge difference! salad for lunch, another protein drink for dinner, and 60 minutes, hook or crook, on the elliptical today. As soon as I hit 224, I'm in the gym in a big way. That is a mere 20 pounds away! I've had to rethink my 7/14 goal. I wanted to be 199, but I think if I'm at 224 by then, it is a huge huge accomplishment. That is how thin I was when I delivered my son. That's a 75.5 pound loss. I'll be a nice size 16 by then, and at that point, everything else I lose is literally gravy. It's been a good day. I'm going to get my boy and love him up some more. Later, gals! C.

Thanks everyone, for the positive thoughts. Little man is A-OK. We got discharged at 9pm and didn't get home until after 10. He is still sleeping, and I am going to let him sleep a while longer. I have to go to work today though, so he better wake up soon. I'm getting out of bed in a few. I stepped on the scale this morning and only weighed 1.5 lbs heavier. I think it's probably water, but I snacked a LOT. My "emotional eating" was out of control. I'm drinking a pre-op protein drink, and plan to take in no more than 800 calories today. I need to hit 240 soonest. Personals later - just wanted to let y'all know we're home and DS is okay. Nat

Just a quick note. I am in the hospital with DS. He swallowed some medicine I left on the counter (and then forgot about). I went to get water, and ended up handling his feeding needs, cleaning needs, and started out bedtime routine. Poison control sent us here. I've slept about 2 hours last night. I feel like horrible mom. DS is fine. He didn't have a seizure, as they thought he might. His heart rate is elevated though, so they are keeping him until this evening and possibly tomorrow. I'm so nervous I can't eat, which is good. I had 2 pieces of bacon this morning, and that's it. I felt skinny (my size 20 jeans are baggy on me) - but TOny the Tiger was here and I posed for a picture with DS. Naw baby, I'm still wide as all outside. I'm with you, Brandi - no telling how big I really was before, cuz I didn't feel all that big. Sheesh, I don't feel all this big now, but I guess I am. WTF? Going to try and rest - will update you when I have another free minute. Love you guys! Travel safely B'man! Nathalie

Obviously I stopped reading this thread on page 1, when the topic was boylove. LOL My bad for interrupting your argument (smile) with inappropriate dancing bananas at the thought of (Mmmmmmm!) monster penis. My bad. Nat

Mmmmm! Monster penis! :Banane56: :Banane26: Inappropriate, possibly. But it made me laugh nonetheless. (tee hee) I haven't seen the boylove thread, but I love my boy very much. (He'll be 2 in June)

I was about to suggest Jemima J. THAT BOOK IS A HOOT! There's one called "All American Dream Girls" which made me laugh so hard I cried. David Haynes is the author. And there's another one called..... ooooooh, racking my brain.... The Way It Is, by Patrick Sanchez. I want to say I've read some other books about chunky mamas who find love and happines through weight loss, but *shrug* Bridget Jones is another. I'll post again if I think of more! Happy Reading, nathalie

Hi Girls - I'm having a hard night. (Really fed up w/my daycare provider. Have to go out of town 4 days next week.) I am proud to report that I didn't eat a bunch of junk though. I had 2 pre-op Protein drinks (70 calories, 15g protein each) and a 42g protein bullet. AND I worked it out on my elliptical for 30 hard minutes. I am really proud of me. My butt is tingling something fierce from that "GLUTEOUS MAXIMUS" setting I was using on the elliptical. I am wearing a blouse tomorrow - size 1x. Again, a few weeks ago it was too tight in the arms. I'm anxious to weigh and measure this month on the 14th! I'm even thinking of tucking in my blouse. Oh, I also took DS for a quick walk today - we even ran a little bit. I jogged, he screamed and chased me. I love that kid an amazing lot. Where are you guys? Hope you're all having great nights! Love ya, Nathalie

Hi KayDoll! We miss you, too! Glad all is well with you, girlfriend! Just a quick NSV. I already told y'all how I'm sporting a pair of slacks that were too tight 2 weeks ago. I got three compliments from three separate people in three different situations that they can tell I'm "working out" "getting skinny" or "looking really good lately! What's your secret?!" I wanted to bust out with my own nat-inspired version of "Rump Shaker." HA! N.

hey bk - I think you should definitely eat like a single woman. That's what I do. When I eat the same thing as DS, I end up munching on BBQ meatballs, chicken nuggets, baked Beans, mandarin oranges and animal crackers. (laugh) I'm back to whips and canned tuna/salmon now. I was cooking too much, too. This way I'm eating for me, not from convenience. I hate to say it (sorry) but I agree w/your doctor. But that's only because I'm being aggressive with my weight loss again. This weekend I slimed when I ate bread. I think was kind of stuck or something. I am not eating bread or crackers now. I'm back to eating like I did post-surgery - soft foods and Protein drinks mostly. I bet I drop 10 pounds this week. And after I lose that 10 pounds, I know my band will also be looser, so I'm going to hike my happy azz back to Dr. K. for another fill! IF you are uncomfortable and really really really can't stand it, then insist that he take a tiny bit of Fluid out of your band. If you start throwing up, then I'd go for an unfill. Just my 2-cents; take it for what it's worth. Again, I'm being aggressive with my band and weight loss. VaB - Yeah, I agree. 20 minutes is more than I had done in the past. I got another compliment today. I'm wearing pants I couldn't fit into 2 weeks ago. I am on my way to "thick." ((laughing)) Another 15 pounds or so and I am there! Granted, I'll be a Whopper value meal away from "fat" but I'm definitely moving in the right direction. Keep up the good work - and I'm envious that you have a garden. I'd love to have one, but it's not possible since I live in a condo. My scale finally moved! Somewhere along the line I lost another 1.5 lbs. Ooooh baby, I rock! My eating for the day will be 2 Protein Drinks and 2 Protein Bars, plus probably a piece of grilled chicken or salmon for lunch. Hope you guys are having a great day! I think I'm going to see Spiderman 3 after work. WOO WOO! Big Love! Nathalie

Sassy - VaB has to add you. Glad you submitted a request though. She'll hook you up, don't worry! Okay, I could only go 20 minutes on the elliptical tonight. I feel defeated, cuz I said I wanted to do 60 minutes, programmed it for 45 minutes and only managed to do 20. :phanvan I guess my azz is wiped from all the activity I did today. :help: I'm puzzled. I'm nearly 60 pounds lighter than I was before, but I still feel so big and sluggish. WTF? My belly feels like it weighs 200 pounds alone. My legs feel like they are leaden. It's so hard to get my body up to mooooooove lately. I'm proud of myself for being up and out all afternoon though. I'm not eating all that much, so I don't know why I feel like such a big ole dinosaur. Got any feedback for me? Maybe in 10 pounds I'll feel lighter? Have a great night sexy mommas! :notagree I'm setting my alarm for 5:30 to try and bust a move before work. (Cross your fingers!) Nathalie

Hey Mommaz! B'man - YOU GO GIRL! I am so happy for you! I'd have completely flipped if I was a size 10. You've always had the prettiest legs. Keep up the good work! How are your tops fitting you? VaB - Mom and baby are fine. I was SO scared to call her today. The baby is 4 lbs and 10oz. He was 6-ish weeks early. 32 weeks out of 38-40 of a normal gestation. My friend sounded happy and not stressed out like I thought she would. Gitcher tail on the elliptical! (tee hee) Double the work, double the effects! Steph - I've had a series of colonics. They are relaxing and it's so interesting to see the gunk flush out of your body. I'd do it again. I remember falling asleep before while I was getting flushed. Claudia - how are you doing, girlfriend? you're in size 8's? OH MAN! You and B'man are disappearing before my very eyes! sweethot - this time next year we definitely will be scheduling surgery! I know I will. I'm getting a great set of tits if it kills me. And this gelatinous tummy tucked. And my thunder thighs lifted if I need it. I don't want to walk around looking like Frankenstein, but I plan to have some nipping and tucking done. bk - have a great time at the party! Or was it today? What theme did you choose? I'm definitely trying to figure out something for DS's 2nd b'day. You guys - he's in a size 4T already. Did I telll you that? He'll be 2 in June. I think that by winter he'll be in 5T's. My huge toddler boy. I love him soooooooooo much. Sassy - did you get into the Yahoo group? If not let me know and I can help. I went out to the park today - it's a garden, actually. Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculture Park. It's a gorgeous day! We were out there walking for 3 hours. Not fast, but steady. I took pictures and will upload them to my kodak site if anyone is interested. I went rolling down a hill with DS. HA! I ran up it 3x and rolled down 1x. It was fun, and I didn't feel like a grazing moose. I went to a Tastefully Simple party yesterday. Have you guys heard of that? They had SO MANY samples yesterday! dips, bread, crackers, cheeses, Desserts, drinks... I made a pig of myself. LOL So I'm on liquids today, self imposed, of course. I'm thinking about hosting a party... LOL The food was SO GOOD! And if you use low fat or fat free mayo/sour cream, the dips aren't as artery clogging! Maybe my spin on the party can be healthy recipes. BTW, the beer bread was to die for! Not much else to report today. I am going to take DS for a walk after he's done eating. And tonight I'm going to get on the elliptical for an hour if I can manage it. I have 2 episodes of Entourage to watch, so I should be able to keep myself occupied. I'm totally determined to dump 15 lbs this month. At 244 right now, think I can be under 200 by 7/14? That's my b'day - and what a great b'day present to myself it would be! That's like 45 pounds in 9 weeks. Gosh, that would be 5 pounds per week... Hmmmm. Okay, what about 215? **laughing** I crack me up. It's like SHUT UP AND EXERCISE!!!!! I totally had a stream of consciousness brain dump there... Forgot I was talking to other people. That's the kind of junk I do in my journal. Hope everyone had a great weekend! I agree with StephC - if it were not for you ladies, I wouldn't have come this far on my own. You guys rock! I still think we need to find a central location and have a meet and greet. We should meet in VEGAS for a weekend! Oh man that would be SO MUCH FUN! Talk to you later - probably later tonight! N. P.S. Don't try to edit through all those blasted smilie faces. It totally jacks up your post. That's why I hadda delete the last one. GRRRRRRR!

New format, but EDIT still doesn't work. Dumb dumb dumb. So anyhow, my friend's friend called me this morning to tell me the shower had been canceled. Her baby decided to come today! I know my friend, and she is totally freaked out. She's a planner, and thought she had a few more weeks. Actually, the baby wasn't due til the end of June, so he's almost 2 months early. I hope he's okay. :phanvan Sassy - the link to the Yahoo group is on page 1 of this thread. VaBandster posted it. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/steadies/join There it is, but if you lose it, remember: page 1. I just woke up from a nap and ate a Protein bar. Not sure what I want to do with the rest of my day. It's gorgeous outside, so I should probably get the baby outside for some fresh air. I feel like a nap tho. LOL Later, gals! Nathalie

jill - are you a smidge depressed? That will make you not want to get up and move. I know you had a huge trauma in your life. I posted a really good article in the Yahoo group about getting back on track - maybe that will help you? Just promise yourself you'll do something. 10 minutes of movement is better than none. What a hippo-crit I am. I started to walk today, then remembered I hadn't gotten anything for my friend's baby shower, so we went to babies R Us instead. When I got home I was sleep on my feet. I'm in bed about to turn out the light. 6am is going to come early. We had KFC for dinner. I ate 2 boneless wings and was STUFFED. I think the food I ate today was too soft and thats why I could eat so much. I'm going back to chicken breast and turkey sausages. Tomorrow I'll be walking a lot, so I'm good then. I'll just have to limit my intake. I calculated my intake today at 800 calories, so I don't feel bad. Steph - WTG on the NSV. I can't wait until ppl start noticing my loss again. My fat ass plateaued for 2 months. LOL But I'm going on this diet called the UltraFit plan. It's for body builders. Nothing but proten and complex carbs. Hey, I'll post that one, too. I'm starting on Monday. It's restrictive, but as I recall, I lost 10 pounds my first week on that jawn. Uh huh. Yeah. 2 weeks of UltraFit and I'll be on my way! I think I'm delirious, no kidding. Sassy - glad you're feeling good about yourself again. It's SO important. Hey, I tried to guzzle Water earlier. I forgot that I couldn't. I had a huge PB - all water. It was gross. I won't be doing that again. b'man - sorry about your hair loss, but I'm glad that you have a thick head of hair to begin with. I've always envied your waves. So Dr. C thinks your phenomenally fast weight loss is the culprit, eh? Go figure. I think docs don't know what causes it, and they just speculate. SweetHot (I love "sweetheart," Steph!) - See about a fill. If you're eating hanks of meat and are still ravenous 2 hours later, you've not gotten enough restriction. Have a great day tomorrow, ladies! We're taking the train to Chicago to attend my friend's baby shower. I'll be back either late at night, or on Sunday. Keep up the good work! WHERE IS KAYDOLL!? N.

Sassy - you CAN tell a huge difference! I'm so glad you're back - and uhhh, I'd be pushin up on your fiancee if he was working here at my company. He's cute! Looking at Sassy's pictures reminds me - how is everyone's hair loss? Is anyone losing large amounts of hair? I haven't really lost much at all. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself) I killed a bunch at lunch. I'll be out walking for 2 hours tonight trying to burn off the food I ate. It's funny, too, cuz I had 1/2 piece of pizza, 1 turkey roll up, and 3 brownie bites. OLD me would have eaten 3 pieces of pizza, 3 roll ups, 5 brownie bites, hummus, salsa, chips, 3 glasses of pop and been walking around like a hungry bear looking for more. I need to keep things in perspective and sit my greedy ass down somewhere. I can also tell Imma need another fill in a few weeks. Later Ladies! N

SassyAssy you go girl! SIX POUNDS is a lot of weight. I'm proud of you! WORK IT GIRL!!! WORK IT!!! B'man - I agree. I had the same thing. I'm restricted now. I was stuffed last night after 1/2 cup of Greek chicken whip. I had about 1/2 oz cheese later in the evening to tide me over. I am going to lose a grip in the month of May! And I will go back in June for another .5 cc tweak. bk - I am really going to try and be good today during the party. MAINLY because I don't want to end up in the bathroom puking my brains out like I did in the airport that time. TRES embarrassing! I'll eat a few spoonfuls of hummus or something - it'll be fine. Claudia - can't wait to see those pictures! YOU GO GIRL! I'm glad you're a little better. Keep healing, chica. Sweethot - I agree, if you're hungry - like REALLY hungry after 2-3 hours, you should go back for a lil more fluid. How are your fills? How has your surgeon been? I love that you all travel so much. I'm just plain jealous. All, I posted the articles I promised in the Yahoo files. I posted them as .pdf files - I hope you can all read them. If not let me know and I'll try to fix it. I know that by the end of next week I will have lost 10 pounds. I feel lighter, my p'rot is ending, and I've been walking an hour every night. I look sexy den a mug today - black capri pants, a fitted white t-shirt, my camel colored safari jacket and some sexy sling back sandals. It's a wee bit inappropriate for work, but it's Friday. I'm flouncing around the office like a showgirl. HA! More later! Nattykins

Hi SweetHot - Have you been exercising? Drinking Water? Have you varied your calories each day? I know it seems like you're losing slowly, but since surgery you've lost 31 pounds! That is a LOT of weight! You're a size 16 - a comfortable 16! Man, that's fabulous! I have only lost 8 pounds in the past 2 months, but I know it's because I haven't worked as hard at it as I could have. I'm back to journaling, drinking my water, exercising daily and focusing on my success. I'm incredibly proud of you, SweetHot! And you should be proud of yourself, too! Keep up the good work! In another 4 months at this rate, you'll be over 60 pounds down! Keep things in perspective girl. And keep up the good work. Your food intake sounds okay to me, but I've been kind of off base with my eating lately. Heading to bed, ladies! Nathalie

SWEETHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you been girlfriend? I missed you! (As did everyone else!) how are things going?

Sassy - I'm just gonna co-sign on what everyone else has said. If you guzzled that OJ, you may have been drinking too fast. Could you feel the cold juice passing into your "mother stomach" as Steph calls it? I have to sip my fluids now, or they back up on me. I am not complaining at all. I've been eating like I have a hole in my throat for the past month. I'm happy to chew little bites and swallow little bites and be full after little bites. I'm kind of bummed though, cuz I'm buying lunch for my team tomorrow. I'm getting everything from costco. A few pizzas, some little pinwheel sandwiches, chips, dips, salsa, hummus, beverages and dessert. I thought about getting one of those 7 layer chocolate cakes... I had a total "fat bitch fantasy" moment thinking about the peach salsa and the one bite brownies... Then I reminded myself "Nathalie, that's how you got so damn big in the first place!" If I want a brownie, I'll lick my thigh. LOL So all day long I've had 2 of these Protein drinks. (1.5) I felt lighter as I walked to the car at lunch time. I was doing the "Imma get skinny" dance today. Cuz ummm, IMMA GET SKINNY! I'm going back to whips tomorrow. I bought pre-op food from the doctor, so I also have the Protein Drinks, Protein Bars, Soups, etc. My day is equally as stressful as it was yesterday. Over the weekend I'm going to pull out my Fuck-It Bucket and drop all those stressors. Permanently. I am too close to one situation specifically, and I need to back off. As long as this woman makes me mad, she wins. Problem is, I hate her like poison. I love feeling so ... full of hope again. I was beginning to doubt the band. I should have had my ass back in the surgeon's office for another fill long before yesterday. I just forgot what it was supposed to feel like. Now I remember. And I like it!