Recent Posts
RE: M&G Sat...
OPTION 1 M&G: Listen to a bunch of fat and formerly fat ladies whine about food getting stuck, loose skin, weird rashes, throwing up, protein powder. Whispers about who lost too much weight and looks crack-head-ish, who hasn't lost enough, and what happend to so and so with all the complications... you get the point.
OPTION 2 Apple Festival: Frolicking with my lover in a grove of apple trees with clean mountain air, blue skies, and a gentle breeze blowing my hair. He feeds me a crisp apple freshly plucked from a heavily laden branch. Juice dribbles down my chin. He kisses it off. We fall into a passionate embrace, and for that brief moment everything is ok with the world.
Let's not forget sampling delectable DS friendly treats including a lightly golden browned funnel cake liberally dusted with powdered sugar, and glistening with hot oil around the edges. (Dear God, thank you DS'ers do not dump or gain weight! AMEN). Some good music, the smell of sausages and peppers n onions grilling, cute little kids with their faces painted.
HMMM? I think I'll go for the latter.
Hee Hee Hee 
I think we all have those I love me/hate me days. Even super models critisize themselves.
Your post reminded me of a quote from Ruby when she was on the Oprah Show. She said something along the lines of
" You trade the fat for flab, and then trade the flab for scars [from plastic surgery], so you are never perfect."
That really resonated with me, because no matter how much you exercise, and even if you had all the money in the world for an extreme makeover, there will always be some kind of reminder of your once being fat, and you will always have some kind of flaw.
Now, you are likely to get some Pollyanna responses that you should be proud of your new body, and love yourself flab and all, yada, yada, yada, but let's be real. It is bothersome whether it's a little flab and wrinkle, or your belly hangs to your knees.
I told my BF I wanted implants and washboard abs, and he told me I am insane. I guess I see something he doesn't. He thinks I look great. I guess we are all our own worst critics.
I wish I had a magic answer. You could try for plastics, maybe even finance it. Try auditioning for one of those makeover shows ???
One thing I've noticed dealing with a lot of wls ladies, is your face and body does seem to bounce back a year or two post op and that droopy, haggard look seems to mellow out some. You are still "blooming" don't throw in the towel just yet.
**** I AM AN OH SUPPORT GROUP LEADER ****
WHY I CHOSE DS: No dumping. Highest percentage of weight loss, Best long term results, Won't regain weight! Eat normal sized meals, 96% diabeties, 90% high blood pressure, 80% sleep apnea cured. I 
MY DS!
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four unless there were three other people. ~Orson Wells
Hey u didn't want your other pic posted. I had to pick and choose, lol.
And yes, I would tend to agree with u about that being more of a Redneck wine glass than Ghetto, but the vendors were calling theirs ghetto so I just went with that.
And u know u and Robert need to come to the M & G Sat.!!!
I am glad you had a good time. You know I'm gonna get you for posting my pic with a mouth full of chicken!
P.S.
That's a redneck wine glass, not a ghetto wine glass! Just thought I needed to set you straight.
This is a ghetto wine glass
**** I AM AN OH SUPPORT GROUP LEADER ****
WHY I CHOSE DS: No dumping. Highest percentage of weight loss, Best long term results, Won't regain weight! Eat normal sized meals, 96% diabeties, 90% high blood pressure, 80% sleep apnea cured. I MY DS!
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four unless there were three other people. ~Orson Wells
So this was my weekend:
BBQ Wings, Trash Can Cooking, Drunk Duck & Bright Blue Water
October 3, 2011Friday I was unexpectedly invited by one of my WLS peeps to the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival. I’m not a big fan of bbq, but I love a good festival so I drove over for the event.
The music was eclectic. Everything from jazz to redneck hell. Yeah that last one I’m not sure how much they had to pay to get to perform there.
As far as the bbq, Friday they had mostly chicken hot wings and a few ribs.
Although………..some of the contestant’s had other ideas as to what to cook!
Ummm........I think not!
Other contestant’s had other ideas about HOW to cook.
Yes people that’s right. The man is cooking in a TRASH CAN! What more can I say?
Then there were also various vendors there selling things we never knew we needed, such as the Ghetto Wine Glass.
And to think……..I wasted all that money on my crystal wine glasses! What a waste! Lol.
Now I know some people take there bbq very seriously, but I had no idea it was an international thing. We met a group of contestants that drove all the way over from Germany just to compete!
"Are we there yet?"
Ok that was just a joke. I do know a little about geography! 
The highlight of the Atlanta BBQ Festival was meeting our new bff’s from the Dept. of Porks and Rumpreation. Those guys had it goin’ on! Their own mini man cave in a tent kind of thing.
Chair, love seat, coffee table, rug, fan, overhead Halloween lights, bath tub full of beer. And even Howard the Drunk Duck guarding the beer!
Yes I’m afraid Howard the Duck has a drinking problem.
"Don't touch my beer *****!"
But there is still hope. We’re planning an intervention for my inebriated little buddy and hoping to get him into a 12 step program.
Ok here’s where the bright blue water comes in……
50 MILLION invisible germs live inside these things! 
As many of you know, I have the Lap-Band (a.k.a CRAP-BAND!). It is very common for food to get “stuck" with the Lap-Band. This of course generally happens at the most inconvenient times, such as when am at a large festival with no real bathrooms around, just the dreaded porta potty!
Though I love color,………….and it was a lovely shade of bright blue water……..being a germaphobe forced to use a porta potty is NOT how I planned to spend my time at the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival!
Other than that, it was a wonderful weekend though
How was yours?
I have a major issue that I've pretty much kept to myself for a good while now. It concerns my sabataging my own weight-loss efforts due to my appearance - having loose skin and stretchmarks! 
I'm proud of getting healthier thru having had wls, and by following my doctor's diet and exercising program. 
However, I'm embarrassed by how my body looks on the outside! If my body looks the way it does now after a 150 lbs weight loss, how is it going to look minus the remaining extra 75 lbs! 
Exercise has done all it's going to do for my skin! I've been using a whole host of creams, lotions, and potions to fade the stretchmarks. Unfortunately there hasn't been much improvement! 
I tell myself that looks really don't matter but now that I'm at a more socially acceptable weight and look pretty good in my clothes, men notice me and at times even approach me for my number! I'm so insecure about my body that I run in the opposite direction! Sometimes even literally! 
So lately I've been journaling and I had a real "Come to Jesus Meeting" with myself!
I've been subconsciously sabotaging my efforts to lose the remaining 75 lbs that I need to lose but blaming my inability to reach my goal on everything else! 
I hope this doesn't sound too vain! 
I never thought I'd care so much about something like this but my "fat" body actually "looked" better then my smaller body is turning out to look like!
Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of having plastic surgery at this point! Any supportive words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated?
I just need to gain some perspective!
Thanks!
Cheryl G.
"'I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control and at times I'm hard to handle...but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."-- Marilyn Monroe
HW 240/ SW 229/ GW 146/CW 125; OH Support Group Leader
Starting size: 18W-20; Present size: 0 or 2; 5'5-1/2" tall.
Current BMI 20.4 as of 2/13/2013 (normal for the first time in my life).
Goal weight reached on 8/12/2010; As of 1/13/2013, 21 pounds below goal
