OK everyone...no more LURKING!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roll Call

Hi my friend, Sounds like you're being smart about the cream of wheat addiction and recognizing that you're not getting enough protein. Gee....your hair is just growing back, let's not go losing it again. Have you, or do you, or can you (LOL) use milk instead of water in your cream of wheat to up the protein? Chicken thighs are better for me than breasts, unless there is some sort of sauce involved, and I have to make sure to eat any beef slowly or it's a rock in the middle of my chest. Fortunately, I don't have a problem with dairy, so good old SF lattes are a big source of protein,calcium and calories (maintaining at about 1700 cals a day, not easy to get in all that food). So far the 6th and 13th are free for me.....tater maybe?

My family had a BIG Christmas as usual, my almost 3 year old daughter had a big time.  We really enjoyed her opening her gifts and telling us all about Santa.  She wants to put out cookies and milk now every night—she doesn’t seem to understand it’s a one-night event. 

I had my first post-op appointment with Dr. Baker Friday 21^st and everything went well, he was so happy with the results and me.  I’ve lost 34lbs and doing pretty good with different foods.  I’ve found that chicken doesn’t go down to well, which use to be my favorite meat.  I have not dumped yet and hope I don’t.  I go back to work next week, not looking forward to that, but we do what we have to do to survive in this big bad world.

Wishing everyone a successful and healthy 2008!

 

 

What a cute thing about your little girl!  I say cookies and milk every night too. Sounds like you're doing very well. Going back to work can be really stressful.  When I went back to work I was afraid that everyone was going to watch me eat every little(and they are little) bite, so I'd get into my car and go park a block or two away to have my lunch. Just ate it in the car and enjoyed the peace and quite. I love chicken too and now, 15 months out, I sometimes have trouble with it. Dark meat is better, not as dry as the breast meat can get.  Hope you find an alternative. Take care and keep up the great work.

I'm here.  I have been battling a bad cold for weeks now.  It got better and then it came back last week, for 3 days I was hardly able to get out of bed, and was on my oxygen 24/7.  I couldn't hardly speak because I couldn't breathe enough.  I am glad that on Christmas I started feeling better and was able to talk to my family.  Went to the doctor today and got the good cough syrup, so even if I don't feel better, I will still "FEEL" better mentally, haha I weighed today at 284, so that is 115lbs gone for me!!  I had a good christmas, got a bunch of Bert's Bees products, which I asked for.  Bert's Bees stuff is just the best, and its all natural.  My roomie made a big dinner for Christmas, and I put to much food on my plate but it was okay because I ate off the plate for all 3 meals. 

Bummer about the cold, hope this finds you feeling better!  How amazing is that.....115 lbs gone forever, and just since August. So unbelievable I'll talk to Lauren about a clothing exchange for the 10th and post something on the board in enough time for folks to get it organized. Great suggestion.....I'll make it work. Happy New Year!

This year just didnt seem like Christmas to me. I guess because I have been focusing completely on trying to get the WLS, I just wasnt so much in the spirit. My kids had a good time, thats all that mattered to me tho. We had a good day...well actually 2. One day was spent with my inlaws and that side of the family. Christmas day was spent with my side of the family. I didnt even eat as much as I normally do. Im not sure why. I guess its a good thing tho. I even stayed away from most of the sweets...which is so unusual for me. My daughter goes back to school next week, shes in 4th grade. My son is in college..not sure when his classes start back up yet...I think its the following week. My husband is also in college, but his classes start a bit later than my sons. Im really not looking forward to school being back in session...always so much work for me to do...and I rarely feel like doing it all. Oh well..it will pass the time.  Im counting down the days until Spring Break when I get my surgery. I want it now. Im so impatient..just waited for so long....seems like it will never get here... anyway...hope everyone has a great New Year..

Hey guys, Still alive here but barely.  Christmas this year was probably my best ever, didnt really feel like Christmas, as Mike has been sick since the 23rd. The reason it was my best is because Mike and I have been together 5 Christmas' and this was the first year he got into the holidays.  Hes never really liked them but this year got all into it, helped set up our village and decorate our baby tree, and then surprised my Christmas morning with a necklace that he designed and my sister made.  Beautiful arrowhead pendant w/his old buffalo nickel on it, w/lots of pretty rock type beads and silver spacers. I just cried, we do al the western stuff, and to think that he took the time to design my gift. However, Christmas night, everything went south, I started having awful muscle spasms in my back on the right side, and by morning they were all of the right side, across the bottom and up the left.  I lived on a heating pad, and then my sweet honey went and bought an electric blanket to put under our fitted sheet, so I would have constant heat all over my back.  On Friday night, I was still really sore, but then spiked a fever of 103.7, so off to ER we went.  BIG HUGE MISTAKE!!!!  The doc (if you cal him that) wanted to give me updraft treatments until I quit wheezing.  Finally I started refusing them, b/c they had given me an awful headache, and I never got any relief from them, my chest felt like a heart attack, it hurst so bad, all they did was a chest exray, ekg, and gave me two steroid shots, then a shot of Toradol and gave me a flexeril pill and sent me home.  I was no better when I left than when I got there.   So, I came home, took more meds and went to bed, had a great day yesterday, and last night all heck broke loose again. Oh well, maybe today will be better. On a side not, please keep my brother in law Havis Kimbrough and family in your prayers.  He is having open heart surgery in the morning at 9 am.  There will be 5-7 bypasses.  He has 9 blocked arteries, some 100% and the others 80-90% blocked.  My sister is scared to death of course, as I lost my first husband this way.  I have her kids, 17, 15, and 12.   Sorry this was so long, but how do you say all that in a short post.  Hugs to all, and prayers for safe and happy new years. Rhonda D. 122 pounds gone forever

Are you still running a fever? What's this all about? You're not supposed to get sick anymore, dudette!!!  Do you still have your gallbladder? These are some classic symptoms of gall stones. Something to think about anyway. Glad MOST of Christmas was merry, and yep, I'll keep your brother in law in my prayers for tomorrow. hugs and smoochies

I'm here!!  We had a great Christmas.  My younger brother and his fiancee were here Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, they enjoyed watching my kids open their presents...my parents were here too, but then they live just down the road from us.  My brother lives in Magnolia and he and his fiancee left here shortly after opening presents to go see her parents in El Dorado.  My older brother, his wife, and two kids came up from Eudora on Christmas day too...but I don't enjoy them as much.  There is always MAJOR DRAMA in their family and there's always so much tension in the house when they're around...so I was looking forward to them leaving.  I know that sounds mean, but you'd have to know the whole story to understand...and there's not nearly enough time or space for me to tell it here!   Oh, we also went down the Crossett to visit friends on the 23rd and had a Christmas party with them.  We had stuffed cherry tomatoes, sausage balls, chips & dip, sweet and sour meatballs, pigs in a blanket, and cookies of course.  I ate the sausage balls, chips & dip, and a couple of tomatoes, and one meatball.  Not what I normally eat at all, but it was good though.  Then on Christmas Eve I made party foods for everyone here at the house, like I always do.  I ate what everyone else was eating, just not nearly as much as I would have last year.  Then on Christmas Day we had a big dinner.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself, ate a lot of things that I haven't had in almost a year.  It was good, but by the third day or so my stomach was telling me to stop with the crap foods.  So, I'm now back to my "regular" foods and am as happy as can be.  And I've managed to lose 3 lbs. during the holidays... not too bad! I've got 2 sick kids right now.  Last Saturday night we took our oldest to the ER with a fever, ear ache, and infected eye...yep, ear infection.  She's still on an antibiotic.  Then last night we had to take the youngest to the ER with a fever, infected eye, and sore throat...yep, she has strep in her throat and her eye...we haven't slept in two days because her cough is so bad.  Hopefully she'll get to feeling better by tomorrow.  At least the kids are out of school right now because the ER nurses said strep is going around really bad right now.   So, that's my holiday story, not much else to tell I don't think.  I did post some new photos on my profile if anyone cares to check 'em out.  I'm now down 99lbs, can't seem to break that 100lb. mark.  I guess if I'd get off my tail and exercise more it would help, huh?  I gave myself the month off from exercise because I've just been so busy and I didn't want to feel guilty about not doing it, but now I'm ready to drop down another size and I need to exercise to do it. Susan, maybe we (or y'all since i"m never there) could incorporate a discussion on exercise at the support group meetings?  I know a lot of people get overwhelmed at the thought of exercise, maybe some of the older post-ops could help out the newer ones?  Just a thought Take care everyone!!

Hey Denise, All I can say about your photos is WOW!!!!  You're so lucky to not have skin issues, the advantage of being young and exercising.  I bet you'll hit the #100 lb mark before your 1 year appt with Dr Gibbs, and even if you don't, he's going to be so super pleased with your progress. How much more do you want to lose?  Did I see you post something on the PS boards? Are you thinking about having some 'nip/tucking" done?  Now that my ortho doc has released me I'm going to consultations to find someone to make my face look the age I now feel. Maybe put the "girls" back to where they used to be, but the TT will have to wait, if I do it at all.  Tell us though, did you wear something knock out sexy to DH's Xmas party??? What would the holidays be without family drama?  We don't bother too much with it now that we're 1800 miles away from it, but we still hear it via phone.