Is this gonna work? I am new at this new thread business...

Good Morning,

Haydee... keep it up! I know exactly what you mean about the sugar withdrawals and the food being friend thing... that's just how I feel, too. It's like breaking up! You (we!) can do it!

Pam... I hope you get the High Point classes! Sounds like you're rarin' to go with the new school year! Yay, you!

Oh, & you're right that my days haven't included much "me" time yet... didn't I tell you all that on Monday I dressed in my workout gear & was all ready to hit the Y... & then I get an e-mail "reminding" me that the Y is closed this week for annual rehab! LOL! Foiled again! So NEXT WEEK, for sure. & I'm finalizing which classes I'm going to take, too.

Jenn... you are doing so great & are really motivating me!!!

Judy... go fimming today! Yep, summer's over...

Laura... that was my fear, too. So sad.

Terri... Good for you! Giving back just feels so good, & puts life into perspective, huh?

Hi TracyK, Suzie, Janie, Kat!

My dd's science teacher is a gal who I know from the ES... she had gastric bypass a year ago... she knows about my banding... so yesterday she asks dd how much I've lost, but dd doesn't know & said so (& thankfully didn't tell her that I've actually GAINED this year!), & then this gal tells her to tell me that she's down -110! Ack! Good for her, but for some reason it made me feel like CRAP! So I'm trying to use that as motivation for me. and so it goes...

Make it a good day, everyone! We can do this!

Good morning ladies!

Well, I have gall stones and will have to have my gall bladder removed. My band doc could do the surgery, but probably not until the end of September, and would not do a band replacement at the same time (according to his nurse - he's in Paris until next week). Waiting to hear from the doc on the referral to her choice of surgeons.

The good news is that I feel SO much better -- no pain!! Yesterday was my first OTC med free day -- here's to another!!

Haydee - There is a scientific basis for the way you feel, you're not just imagining it. You have reinforced the food=pleasure connection for 30-something years...creating very real, physical neurological connections that take TIME to re-direct. That's why people tell you to be good to yourself and find other ways to derive pleasure for yourself...it helps to create NEW pleasure pathways in your brain. (Same for addicts/alcoholics.) But that all takes time.... it takes about 90 days to really get over the hump.

That's what the addiction specialist told us at the rehab center....and that guy knew his stuff!

My dd's science teacher is a gal who I know from the ES... she had gastric bypass a year ago... she knows about my banding... so yesterday she asks dd how much I've lost, but dd doesn't know & said so (& thankfully didn't tell her that I've actually GAINED this year!), & then this gal tells her to tell me that she's down -110! Ack! Good for her, but for some reason it made me feel like CRAP! So I'm trying to use that as motivation for me. and so it goes...

Michelle, you know as well as I do that she'll be struggling just like we are 2.5 years down the road! Except that hers will most likely also include malnutrition complications! :thumbdown:

Laura -- I was looking at the rules for Carson's contest -- see below. We can vote every 12 hours!!!!

"Any and all photographs submitted by an entrant is/are eligible to win but only one photo per child will be entered into the contest. Each entrant will be entering into the Contest for the calendar year unless otherwise notified. The winners of the Contest will be the entrant that submits the photograph that receives the most confirmed votes from the voting public during the period of the contest. Technologies have been put in place to limit the number of votes one person can cast to once every 12 hours."

I was hoping I wasn't going crazy. I felt like I was feeling when I broke up with Juan a few years ago. And right now my life is perfect, so I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so depressed.

:thumbdown: hi again

Yeah and I figured out the goofy Aug-Dec rule thing, they are taking the TOP 5 of August to be Aug-Dec baby of the month, so I actually have a shot and not as worried about that Abigail girl. Just gotta keep harassing people to vote hehehehe.

I am going to call them and ask who is printing their calendars... ho hum.

Did you get your e-mail from TracyKs? Poor girl.

((Tracyks))... when it rains, it pours. :thumbdown:

Jennifer...it is TracyinKS. Lets all say a big prayer for her

((((hugs))))

Hello from Panera, girlies!

DS's busy Weds eve is my 2-hr respite! He has soccer practice from 5:30 - 7pm, then I hustle him over to the community college for jazz band from 7:30 - 10pm... & in between, I decided to come here & hang for a bit... do some personal stuff... sip some decaf... I could've gone home, I suppose... but then I'd be doing laundry & cleaning, etc... so made the "selfish" decision to treat myself to some time out to myself... ahhhhh...

((TracyKS))

I've been trying to reignite my low-cal diet, so was looking for low-cal dinner recipes. Did you know that pepperoncini roast (YUUUUMMM) qualifies? I could seriously eat that every day.

Anyway, making diet coke chicken for the 2nd time, I make it my 'own', thought I'd share with ya'll.. it is VERY good. Saw someone post something about it here on the forums, so googled and found this basic recipe:

Diet Coke Chicken - The Secret Recipe Forum

Here's my spin. I use Coke Zero, because I have a case of it. Add 2 tbsp of minced onion (real onion probably good, just don't have any), 1 tsp of garlic powder, 3 dashes of lemon juice, and a dash of splenda.

The chicken turns out SOOOOO moist, it falls apart, so I shred it toward the end as the sauce thickens up. There's absolutely no telling there was a diet drink in it, just a sweet rich bbq with very moist (if I say it's moist, it has to be since I don't normally eat chicken!) chicken.

Thought ya'll may be interested :thumbdown:)

PS Vote for Carson (LINK BELOW!!)

Hello!!

Does anybody here play the lottery with the scratch off tickets? I got this chain letter (they tell me it is NOT a chain letter, that this is fun?) anyways and it is sending out a total of 7 scratch off lottery tickets, anybody want to do it? You get tickets too. If you want to do it let me know!!! Can you guys tell I was not a cheerleader in school????

Oh my gosh that is terrible about Tracyks.............

It looks like I am going to finish a cross stitch project I am making for my sisters birthday (9-1). I didn't think I was but it has been pretty slow at work and took it and am almost finished!!

Has anyone seen Hoarders on A & E? Oh my gosh!! Makes me want to clean out every nook and cranny in my house! I am very clutterry, always think bad of myself for this, but after that show!!!!!!! Wow is all I can say!!

Please someone do this lottery thing!!

I guess I'm not following, you gotta buy lottery tickets? Like a pyramid scheme, send it to whoeever invited you, then invite people to send them to you or something?

Lottery is illegal here...