Positive people unite! This thread is being created for the sole use of positive people to give positive reinforcement to others in the group that we care about. We know that we may disagree on some issues but we will offer constructive criticism, objective suggestions, we will always give kind support even when delivering the occasional (but necessary) kick in the pants.

Shad, don't complain. I wish I'd lost more in my face and neck....but noooo...where'd I lose it first...yep, the 'girls'.

Melody

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Celebration time! I got up this morning and I felt particularly 'skinny'. I didn't get too excited since I've felt skinny before but stepped on the scale and found I'd gained. Well, I had to wake my husband up and make him get on the scale to make sure it was right because the scale says I weigh 219!! That's 4 more pounds just since Monday! Finally, this scale is continuing to head in the right direction.

It is just amazing to me that such a 'little' change (dropping my daily protein grams down to 60) can have such a major effect! I may yet make it to 199 by the end of the year!

They've set a surgery date for me - Dec. 22nd - but I think I may hold off. I still have some pain in my arm with 6cc in my band...but not nearly as much as I had with 8...and it seems to have lessened just a bit this past week. Now that I know how I should be feeling when the band is working, I don't think I need that other 2cc back. I'm definitely not hungry (now that I was reminded of what real hunger is). Rather than putting myself through another surgery with all the risks, I think I may just give it a bit more time and see if the pain continues to lessen.

Yeah baby...doing the Snoopy dance right here!

Melody, That is so great! I'm glad things are going better for you.

Today is Bob's plastic surgery. He hasn't visited our thread much lately. We'll have to get him back on board.

Nobody home for the last 3 days except one little bird. Has everyone abandoned this thread?

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No I have been here reading but fighting with my husband all week and havent really had anything positive to add!

Taking care of mom, sick and fighting with the husband as well.

Wonderful news Melody!

Ladies, I'm sorry about the 'husbands'. Can't live with 'em...can't bury them in the back yard. <sigh>

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I apologize for not posting here for a while.

Had my panniculectomy Friday morning. All went well.

The pain was intolerable when they first woke me after surgery. I was thinking, "why did I do this to myself?"

The pain killers kicked in about 30 minutes later and I haven't had any pain since.

I've been home for about 12 hours now and doing fine except I can't quit smoking. I am so ashamed of myself. I felt as if I was going to die after first cigarette. I had a very scary head rush and my blood pressure sky rocketed. I've had 4 more cigarettes since.

I need to stop but can't.

I only have 2 cigarettes left, can't drive and I know my neighbors won't take me to get more. So, hopefully it will be much easier tomorrow.

Good morning everyone.

Bob glad your back! You know that phrase "Smoke em if you got em?" Well thats about over! Boredom is the enemy of stopping any habit. I'm glad your not in a lot of pain.

Shammah-- Tell your husband he is just going to have to wait his turn.

We are at a tentative cease fire at my house. Hopefully things are getting better. We went on a date friday night so maybe my husband is seeing that we have to do some of the things I want to do as well.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving we got home right before dark and my next door neighbor was outside across the street with the old guy who lives on the other side of her and they called us over. The neighbor across the street was gone on a 7 day cruise and water was pouring out of her house and they couldn't turn the water off so my husband came over and was able to finally get the valve to turn. So I looked inside and there was 2" of water throughout the house. So I went inside and started picking up her personal items and putting them on top of the furniture. The old guy was having a fit but I told him it would all be ruined by morning so he finally shut up. Well it turns out that she had taken all of her kids and grandkids on the cruise with her and they wouldn't be back until Sunday, so the next morning I called the water removal company to take care of her house, the old guy is the one with the key so when I got home that night, he comes over and starts screaming at me because he thought that I had talked to her son and the son had "authorized" the clean up but when he found out I had, he was furious, apparently women aren't allowed to make those kind of decisions, he wanted to just close up the house and wait until she got home to do anything. He was literally about 3" from my face and poking me in the chest with his finger! So I twisted on him and gave him a dose of his own medicine and even poked his chest too. I had actually signed the forms from the company that said if her insurance didn't pay, that I would pay the bill, plus they ripped out all of her carpet pad and threw it away. But they also put all the furniture on coasters and nothing was ruined, including the shoe boxes of pictures that we picked up off the closet floors the first night. So there was a possibility that she would be pissed when she got home and everything she owned was rearranged and her carpet pulled up but she wasn't, she got home and was so happy that we had saved everything that she gave me a $100 gift card to a local restaurant. And she even thanked me in front grouchy old neighbor guy.

Thats all the excitement that I have had this week.

Melody! Way to go!!!

Leigha, what a story. You did well. Glad the owner was pleased. Who wouldn't have been to have someone thinking. I bet you'll be the one with the key next time!

Shammah, right there with you on the caregiver and fighting thing.

However, we have reached a truce. At the advice or counsel (my R.N. sister and a good friend who has gone through the MIL thing) and at the insistence of my DH, I am stepping back from caregiving. There's a lot of family politics involved, but DH has decided that I am not to be involved in the day to day stuff. He will do home maintenance and his sisters (two of them, one retired living on premises, one semi-retired) can do the care stuff.

I have to support his decision. I love him, and I live with him. MIL needs more help than she is willing to admit. She can't get out of a chair, but she tries. She's going to fall one of these times. Can't wait.

Leigha you are a good neighbor. If the same thing happened at my house I would hope someone would be so nice.

I've been trying to finish a quilt in time for Christmas. At least it's keeping me busy so I don't go shopping and spending too much money and it keeps me away from grazing.

Bob, glad you made it through OK! YAY! How much weight did you lose during the surgery?

Bob: Glad to hear from you. Without that extra weight in front, be careful you don't tip over backwards while your body is recentering its gravity.

Leigha: I want you for my neighbor! Most people in this world would've said, "not my problem" and moved on without a thought. Just shows that you are as lovely on the inside as you are on the out.

Denise: It is hard backing away from situations, but I'm glad you have family support to do so. Nothing worse than driving yourself into the dirt because you're guilted into it. Your husband sounds like a darling man!

HB: I started a little tree skirt for what may become my new Christmas tree. I never have been much for decorating. I guess because I've been so busy running various business that the thought of having to take it all down post-holiday was just too overwhelming. Here's a pic of my new Christmas tree. I'm guess I won't have a problem finishing the skirt before Christmas .

Good afternoon everyone!

I spent the morning baking. I decided to try a new low carb recipe I found (based on Atkins Revolution Rolls) because I've been dying for a hamburger on a bun and I think it came out well. I'm getting ready to go make lunch now. Then I'm going to work on a low carb version of 'crackers' because I've seriously missed 'cheese and crackers'. I found a low carb peanut butter cookie recipe too but that one I'm going to avoid. Only 2 carbs per cookie but I know me...I'll suck down a dozen and then so much for low carb.

Have a good one!

Melody

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Melody, I feel like we should all break into "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" looking at the little Charlie Brown tree, it is darling!!

Yes, DH is a very good man. I think I'll keep him for at least another 20 years.