Paula Bee

YAY! YAY! Doing the happy dance and celebrating with you! :lb21: :girl_dance:

Hugs for your pain and prayers uplifted for both you and your husband. Praying for the peace that passes all understanding. Love, Paula

My husband says he sees a noticable difference. He is very straight forward. So there is a difference.

Hot Damn, Girl! Doing the happy dance for you! Go, Cathy, go Cathy! woo woo!

Praying for you today.. hope yesterday went as well as it could possibly have.

Thank you all so very much...it is fun to celebrate with my friends here!

I think you are looking WONDERFUL! I can definitly see a huge difference, and you should be proud of yourself. Your butt is absolutely disappearing.. Next time you take a picture, use a clothespin to pull the slack back so we can see the whole difference. It is hard to see yourself, and hard for the people who see you everyday, but people who haven't seen your for a while will be stunned at your progress. You go, girl!

Dang, I would, but my hubby is on his way home. Need to give him some attention.

Remember that the band is not a quick solution; it is a permanent one. Don't be afraid to eat.. do the divided salad plate idea that Dr. Miranda drew on your instructions, and follow that. The hardest part is remembering to chew and to eat slowly enough for each bite to "go down." Food is still your aquaintance, but it is no longer your lover and Master.

The weird goal numbers are 10% of my weight each time. So, when I started at 286, my goal was to lose 28.6 pounds.

PTL! I couldn't seem to move below 244 for the longest time, (especially since I was away from home at my mom and brother's house for 9 of the last 12 weeks,) and I am so thrilled to finally reach 50 pounds lost. In fact, I jumped from 237 to 234 in two days. Now, if I can just get to feeling well enough to go back to the Y for water aerobics, I will be doing both of my objectives for my health. My original plan was to count every 10 percent lost as my goal, but I forgot to do it. Those goals would have been: 286 minus 28.6 equals 257.4 257.4 minus 25.7 equals 231.7. I will reach that second goal very soon! The next landmark after that one will be 231.7 minus 23.2 (rounded) equals 208. I am so grateful for the support this group offers. Thank you all!

My 72 year old mom just lost her home to bankruptsy, (elder loan prey) and moved in with my brother. She gets about the same amount as your mom. Her prescriptions are appx. the same as your mom's. All but 3 are generic, but those three cost a bunch. My sister contacted the Dr.'s office, got paperwork for free or reduced medication from the corporations that make the drugs. Now she gets all three of those meds for free. You should have a lawyer draw up papers for you to be her power of attorney, go to her, with a witness, have her sign the paperwork, then switch her SS to come to you. You can buy her meds for her, give some "rent" money to your sister, and use the rest for your mom's clothes, hair, and other things that will boost her morale. You are right; there are other places that will care for your mom. Her housing sounds unacceptable. I would follow Will's advice. Praying for you both

I don't care! I love to read your thought on "paper" even if it is sort of eavesdropping! You always have an encouraging or helpful word.

I used this site for years until I started regaining my weight about 6 years ago. It is one of the favorite WW sites. Thanks, Michelle, for reminding me of it!

Amen and Amen.

When I am going to be anywhere that there will be people that I know or might know, I take gas-x. It really does help with the "southern" gas. I also find that I belch less when I follow the eating rules very carefully. Overeating? In addition to the pain and pb, i burp for the next several hours. Otherwise, if I go to the grocery store and have a gas problem, I just squeeze my butt cheeks together so it is VERY quiet and slow, then I get out of that aisle as fast as possible!! <Shrug> What's a girl to do?

welcome to bandland! I don't know about the hernia issue... just a thought when you go back for your fill.. take a light, beach type bag and enough clothes for 2 days. Lighter is better.. definately. I did this and it worked so well for me.

OOOHHHH! Are we back on the crap topic! YIPPEE! I have lots more poop trivia!...

Welcome, Rexy! I am so happy to have you in our supportive family.

I would ask Dr. Miranda, but one of the choices for pre-op diet is the Atkins phase one diet, and the one I did was the two protein drinks for breakfast and lunch and a lean cuisine for supper. I cannot imagine how a protein bar would be any different than one of these solid meals. I would, however, check with Dr. M.

I have such bad knees; I am waiting for my weight loss to help relieve the pain somewhat. Do any of the pilates or other workouts make allowances for people with arthritis?

Oh, Utahmom! Happy Birthday and congratulations on you and your husband on reaching such a wonderful landmark. You are right; you already have the best gift, and have given it to your husband, too. Long lives and years of love together for both of you!

Happy Birthday, Bella! Kim, journal, take pictures, take movies... time slips away so quickly. My oldest son will be 29 on the August 18th, and my twins will be 24 on August 13th. (Don't ask about the birthdays a week apart; that is another story for another day,) and I have the sweetest memories of those young years; I get all weepy and watch all the videos that week of August. I didn't journal... I wish I had; I have forgotten so much with the chaos of having twins. When Bella is in her teens, and being obnoxious, read the journals and restore your balance. Let her read them, and she will understand, in some small way, (our children never really understand until they have a child of their own,) how much you love and treasure her. You are both blessed.

Congratulations on your life changing decision. So glad you got your appointment set. I will be praying that your spouse will be receptive and possibly even come with you. If not, the clinic takes such good care of you, you meet friends there, and even the hotel staff helps with things.

You have one of those jobs that keep you on the run all the time! God bless your heart. Thanks to Julie and every nurse who copes with the stress of today's medical system. We would be lost without you.