Hi Heidi - Yes, actually, my surgeon made the same change -- those of us who had it before a certain point are more prone to internal hernias than those after. I can't say it happens to everyone, but by the same token, I know a lot of people around "my time" that have been back under the knife at one time or another for that same "exploratory surgery", including myself. They didn't "specifically find anything" but I think they did end up closing up an area as much as they could.. (they also did fix an umbilical hernia, again...) The problem often is that internal hernias only hurt when they're sticking thru, and radiologic scans (CT, etc) usually won't catch it "active". The exact same symptoms you have were experienced by one of my WLS friends who had the surgery 8-9 mos before I did.. For my experience, it wasn't under the ribs as much as it was lower.. I hope your appt goes well and that they're able to get to the bottom of the issue. ...Nick

Nick, Good way to handle it. If we buy chocolate goodies we take the left overs to the vet for their candy dish. My husband works from home so there is no "office" to take the goodies to after Halloween. The staff at the vet love our donation. Mary

So what do you all do to avoid the dreaded temptation of Halloween Candy in your home????? We buy candy that we typically wouldn't eat, so this year NO Chocolate. Got a mixed bag of minis that are gummy bears, taffy, tootsie rolls, tootsie pops, pop tarts, etc. We did buy a large bag of minis that were all chocolate but took that bag to our vet. They always have out a candy bowl, so thought we would help them out as a thank you for taking such good care of our baby. Here's an ezine you might find helpful: Got a minute? That's long enough to avoid Halloween candy The Wt. Loss Minute by Linda Spangle, RN, MA www.100DaysChallenge.com Great idea: Get a few tricks up your sleeve Every year, it's the same! I start with planning how I will avoid the Halloween candy, but it never quite works the way I hope. I can rationalize with the best of you! Those little candy bars are so small. It says on the package that each miniature bar is only 46 calories. They fail to mention that a serving size is one-half of a bag, which adds up to my calorie allotment for the entire month of October. Like many of you, I came up with a great solution. Just hide the bags of goodies until Halloween night. Of course, that makes as much sense as saying, 'Don't think about a pink elephant!' I've never even once forgotten where I hid those bags of candy. At some point, I start to wonder if the bags are fresh, or if my store pulled out last year's candy and threw it back on the shelf. So to make sure I'm not handing out stale sugar, I open each bag and do a very scientific taste test. Yup, that one's OK. And that one is too. Yes, I think the bags are all safe to use without fear of giving out candy that's too old. Of course, now that the bags are open, I can certainly remember where I've hidden them. Before long, I realize I'd better purchase more bags of candy or on Halloween night, I'll run out after the first three children come to my door. Does this sound familiar? After years of some level of that scenario, I decided to change the pattern and stop being tripped up by my own candy. Here are three simple ideas that work well for me. Try them out. They'll protect you from the candy before Halloween arrives, but they'll also help you escape the pillowcase full of treats later that night. Maybe they'll be just enough to protect you from your own Halloween candy. Don't take the first bite The first bite is usually the one that sets you up for wanting more. So if you avoid taking the very first bite of candy or for that matter, even opening the bag, you'll escape the instant taste trigger that hooks you into nibbling until it's gone. Postpone eating Tell yourself you can have any of the candy you've bought, but you're going to postpone eating it. Then wait it out... maybe for a few days, perhaps even a few weeks. The longer you wait, the stronger you'll become in terms of resisting it. Eat it with a fork With any small foods that you tend to eat from your hand, switch to using a utensil. Slide nuts into a spoon, eat caramel popcorn with a fork, and cut those miniature candy bars into tiny pieces before munching them from your smallest silverware. For more ideas on surviving Halloween, see Day 65 in '100 Days of Weight Loss.' P.S. Thanks a bunch to everyone who sent feedback last week, telling me what you liked about the 'Wt. Loss Minute.' Most of you indicated that you love this ezine, read it every week, and usually find some level of inspiration, encouragement or learning from it. The most requested topic areas included emotional eating, as well as encouragement and motivation. I plan to add more resources and other topics in the near future. I want to thank all of you for your faithfulness in reading this ezine, as well as for forwarding it to your email lists. If you ever wish to comment on the material or request a particular topic, just click 'reply' and send me a note. You can also email me at [email protected]. I will usually respond back to you within just a day or two. Know others who've got a minute? Forward this ezine and brighten their day. Copyright Linda Spangle, 2006. #1009, Weight Loss for Life, Inc. 5023 W. 120th Ave. #183, Broomfield, CO 80020 Contact: [email protected] www.100DaysChallenge.com 303-452-1545 or 1-800-298-3020

The Wt. Loss Minute by Linda Spangle, RN, MA www.100DaysChallenge.com Great idea: Get more mindful Are you in need of an attitude adjustment? If you struggle with your weight, you know that your mental attitude and commitment to your plan are critical to your success. Your body does the actions, but your mind holds you on track. One way to improve your mental attitude is to create a clear picture of yourself being successful. People never win a beauty contest by focusing on their faults. Instead, they tell themselves they look great, and then they walk the runway with confidence and poise. To help yourself focus on success, take the 'beauty contest' approach to managing your weight. Stand or sit tall, take a deep breath and notice the immediate difference in your energy. Tell yourself you are totally capable of losing and maintaining your weight. Then walk the runway of your day with a positive, confident attitude. Stay mindful Your mental approach can also make a difference in how much you eat. If you slip into mindlessness around eating, you can take in a lot of extra calories and never even know it. And when you don't acknowledge how much you eat, it's easy to fool yourself into thinking that you're staying on your diet. At some point, you get on the scale and can't figure out how you gained 20 pounds. I recently visited a call center at an insurance company where rows of sales people sat in short-walled cubicles. In between calls, many of the workers would flip up the mouthpiece on their headset, then eat from bags of food they kept in their top desk drawer. Handful after handful of chips, candy, cookies, trail mix, etc. went into the mouths of the staff members. Break times centered around the 'potluck' table that held noodle casseroles and homemade cheesecake and brownies. The company frequently had contests for best dessert, best enchiladas, and other wonderful creations. The sad thing was that nearly every person in this call center was overweight, many of them to a severe level of obesity. Yet many of these people seemed to push food into their mouths without even looking at what they were eating. If you struggle with mindless eating, consider using these tools to change your approach. * Focus on the details - be aware of the tiny nuances of a food, including the texture, seasoning, and mouth sensation as you eat it. You may discover that you don't enjoy some things as much as you thought you did. * Pay attention - notice what you're eating, including whether you're getting some decent fuel with your food or whether you're asking your body to run on junk. * Slow down - set a timer for 20 minutes and make your meal or snack last that long. For more ideas on staying mindful, see Day 21 in '100 Days of Weight Loss.' Know others who've got a minute? Forward this ezine and brighten their day. Copyright Linda Spangle, 2006. #1002, Weight Loss for Life, Inc. 5023 W. 120th Ave. #183, Broomfield, CO 80020 Contact: [email protected] www.100DaysChallenge.com 303-452-1545 or 1-800-298-302

Wanda, It is difficult to be on the road and still eat properly and exercise too. Know you will get back on track. Hope you won't have to work out of town so much (unless you love doing that). I have a friend who LOVES being on the go for work. She travels for weeks on end at times. Great goals for the week. You can do it!!!!! Mary