SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY MORNING ROLE CALL

Its amazing how beautiful each morning is when u have a brighter outlook. I cant wait to start loosing. That high must be the bomb. Im so happy just knowing its around the corner I dont know how I will keep my feet grounded when the weight starts falling off. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Im working but I'll be off tue night. Does anyone know if there is a support group on tues or wed at St. V in Carmel. Since Im going to be up that way figured I could hit one of those depending on what time they are at. Mariah

Sorry Mariah I dodnt keep track of support groups.. The loosing weight is a great high!! Then there is me who abused myself yesterday.. The triplets had their 2nd bithday yesterday and I had a hot dog, cake and ice cream and some coke... BAD ME!!! The only thing that hurt was the hot dog.. I think I swallowed a bite whole! Meaning looks like I am getting into my old habits of not chewing and enjoying food just gulping it down... Today I am going to cleanse myself from sugar...yea, I know it will take a few days... maybe weeks to be fully cleansed again.. but it is soooo worth it!! Went to a garage sale and got clothes for .25 cents each. Neat Docker skirts size 10 and some nice mens clothes in Large and Med... something for you guys to exchange too!! I couldnt pass it up they were to nice of clothes!!! They will be coming to the next clothing exchange... Have a great week Remember WHY we did or are doing this and try to stay on track!! Life is to short to live it all fat... Linda

Good Morning Beautiful People! Another Glorious day awaits us! We had better enjoy it as it looks like it will be rainy most of the next week! Don't beat yourself up too bad Linda.....we all make some poor food choices after surgery, but I think that just being aware that it was not the better choice makes us much wiserr. I still have not really tried carbonated drinks and don't really plan to reintroduce them into my foods. I have really been craving lemonaide and all I can get is the regular as I am alergic to aspertame. I had a couple of glasses this past week and let me tell you it was Wicked!! I was in heaven!! I just try and cut back on other things to accomodate. I am tollerating sugar better than I had hoped....thank goodness the amounts are so limited so that helps keep me in check. In the old days I might have craved cookies and ate 6-12 of them...now if I eat one I am happy and really enjoy it. Just giving up bread and pop have made a huge difference for me. Eating greasy/fatty/rich foods are not for me, I feel icky almost immediatly and it is just so not worth it. I have been talking to several people who are 3+ years out and the most common comment I get is that they wish they had left their pouch smaller for a longer period of time. One gal says she can now eat anything and as much as she wants so it is a struggle to keep the weight she lost off but other than about 20 pounds she manages. I want to see what the Dr. and nutritionist think when I see them again in August about adding an additional 4oz meal and not upping the ounces at 3 meals. I kinda would like to eat more often and not as much. For a fun food I have really gotten into are the fat free pringles, I can eat about 8 of them for 35 calories and 0 trans fats. I use them as scoops for low fat pimento cheese spread and it is so yummy and the cheese is high in protein. It totatlly amazes me how much I love the dry foods...I dreaded trying them for so long and now they are really more of a comfort food go figure. I love snacking on Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. It is high in protein and fiber and so delicious! My other favorites are watermellon and string cheese, and mini rice cakes. I find I am not too adventurous with new foods and tend to stay in a rut for the foods I like. I feel good and it is working for me. My scales are still moving at a regular pace and I am down to 311 as of this morning so that makes me down a total of 86 since surgery 4 1/2 months ago. Praise the Lord! I have noticed more thinning hair since my 4 month date but it is not severe and I know it will only last a couple of months. I am the only one *****ally notices it so that is good! I have notice that my skin is finally starting to rehydrate to pre-surgery status. My skin after surgery was much dryer and now all the sudden I am not so flaky and my face is picking up an oii shine again! I don't mind the oil as it will keep me looking younger for longer! lol I am so thankful that all has gone well for me since surgery and feel so blessed. Thanks to all of you on OH as you truly have been my support! I don't always find time each day to post or reply to the post but I do read all the entries and when I feel a need I hold you each up in my prayers and carry you in my thoughts. Have a most wonderful weekend! Keep Blooming! HUGS! Marianne

Good morning everyone! Mariah, unless they've changed things, St. V Carmels' support group meetings are the 1st & 2nd Tuesday at 7-8:30 and the 3rd Wednesday at 3:30-5. I had a great day yesterday! We went shopping for shorts to bring to Vegas. I had picked out 8 pr to try on...4 in 12's and 4 in 10's. You can only bring in 6 items in the changing room so I thought I'd try on all the 10's then come out and get the 12's. No need! All the 10's fit!. So...inspired, I went home and got the 10's off the shelf that I'd been holding on to. 4 of the 6 pairs fit!!! I hAD 2 10'S already that fit but I think they must have been cut bigger than most 10's. The scales may not be going down but the sizes are. I was a 14 when this stall in weight began! I am hoping that Vegas will help shake things up and get the scales going down again too. I so much want to get rid of that last 20 lbs so I can have my ps! In the meantime, think I'll try on some 8's when Bill isn't with me and waiting on me.. It really makes me wonder..if I can be in a size 10 at 180 lbs....what size will I be at 140 and with the excess skin removed? A 4 or 6??? Me??? That's a concept I would have NEVER had pre-WLS! No me who went from a size 'girls chubby 14' to a woman's 16! Well..you all have a great day today. 4 more days of work then off to Vegas!Oh...Marianne...thank you so much for that site! It led me to another one as well.. http://www.bigempire.com/vegas/gamblecheap.html . Sherri

Good morning all! Well, got up again today and wandered onto the scale. 289 still looking back at me. WHy my my scale taunt me so? I'm not really making bad food choices I don't think, and although I don't measure my food out anymore, I'm pretty good about eyeballing 4 oz, and even if I'm not, I always stop when I start feeling full. So I think the thing to do is to up my water. I normally get about 64 oz in, so I think I'll try to get up to 80 in this week, then maybe up it to 100 next week. I used to drink more water than that a day, but then I was a gulper. Last week I threw up water for the first time ( I just totally forgot and chugged half a bottled water- baaaaaaaaaaaaaad idea), and in a way, it was even worse than throwing food up. I felt about twice as horrible- and I didn't even think that was possible! My back is starting to feel a little better today, and I haven't had to take any medicine for it yet today, so I think I'll try to get a good walk/jog in tonight. SO frustrating that I was doing even more walking than usual last week, and STILL the scale has not moved. Maybe I'm not getting enough protein in.

Darrah.... Do yourself a big favor...cut back on weighing yourself. Have your dh lock it up in his trunk and bring it out once a month...or once every 2 weeks. Other than going to the doctor, let that be the only time you weigh yourself. On your weigh-day, also measure yourself....your neck, breast, waist, hips, thighs, biceps...I even measure my calves, ankles, and wrists! The rest of the time, just tell yourself 'OK...I'm eating right at the stage I'm at (measure, just to be on the safe side), drinking my fluids (remember, yellow urine means you need more water), getting my protein (60-80 g a day..unless you get exercise every day, then 80-100 g), getting 8 hours of sleep a day (VERY important for weight loss!). Everything will work out fine.' The times when you weigh and no change, is there a change in your measurements? If so (which I would bet, definately so), you are losing fat and gaining muscle! A skinny weakling is NOT a goal of mine...yours? Didn't think so. Also...add variety. One day walk, the next day dance. One day lift weights, the next day ride a bike. Our bodies need to be spiced up. I know that I have been soundin like a broken record lately, but seriously, check out SparkPeople.com. It'll give you some exercise ideas that will help you out. Sherri (My motto anymore: a weight loss platau is only reflective of the pounds. I would rather have 180 lb of muscles in a size 10 jeans than 180 lbs of fat in a size 14!)

Hey guys! Good Morning. We went to the drive in movie last night with our 2 1/2 year old son to see Cars and The Breakup. It was so much fun. We brought our own healthy snacks and just had a great time. Of course we didn't get home until around 2:00 in the morning, but still it was fun. Someone had mentioned Sparkpeople.com. I LOVE IT!!!! It's very helpful for keeping track of your food, exercise, and weight loss. Plus it's free. A friend of mine got me hooked into it a few months ago. I don't get on there as often as I should, but it's still helpful. I've relaxed from weighing myself everyday. About twice a week now and I must say it's so much easier........the less I weigh, it seems like I don't have to worry about the scales not going down.....they always seem to. So that's nice. There's a little voice in the back of my head that says, "if you don't weigh every day, you're going to slip up and start gaining" but I just make sure that I'm eating what I'm supposed to, getting some exercise and try to relax. When I get disappointed about the numbers on the scale, I try on clothes that didn't fit a few weeks to a month ago....did that yesterday and many of my 18's fit, some were too big. Was just a good feeling. Gonna do some school work today, do some cleaning, and may take Kadin to the park to play for a bit. We'll see, we'll see. Well, hope you all have a great Sunday!

Thanks Sherri, I'll try that. I do weigh a lot less often that I did before surgery. I used to weight when I got up (nakid and after peeing of course) after EVERYTIME I used the bathrrom, and again before bed. Now I'm only weighing once a day in the mornings (still nakid and after the potty tho). I REALLY struggle with my protein (still). I HATE milk, even though I was drinking it post op because I couldn't find a supplement I could stand. This last trip to the nutritionalist she informed me that I could have been eating protein bars as soon as 6 weeks post op (nice to know that at 3 months! sheesh!) THey suggested the south beach ones, and I didn't think I'd like them. I've only tried the chocolate peanut butter ones, but I must say they ARENT that bad. I took her suggestion and break them into three and then eat them for a little snack during the day. But they are 20g of protein (or 19 one or the other), and less than 1g of sugar. BUT they are 220 calories each, so I only do one/day. I still eat a lot of cheese for protein, because meat is just a 50/50 chance with me. Some days i'm okay with it, others not so much. I *REALLY* wish I could get back to a point where I could do deli sliced turkey again, but we're just not there yet. I'm thinking about trying some tuna salad for some protein. I have had NO mayo since surgery, so I'm kind of scared about putting any into my pouch (even though I've always eaten Hellman's light). But I figure I'll maybe make some tomorrow, run maybe a dill pickle, red onion and some celery through the old food processor and add in and try my celery that way.

Darrah, I know what you mean with the calories for the protein bars! Guess that's why in my cabinet I still have Strive (PB Crunch, Bariatric Eating) at 230 cal/10 g fat/20 g protein, Zone Perfect (Choc. PB) at 210 cal/7 g fat/ 16 g protein, and South Beach Diet (2 different flavors!) at 140 cal/5 g fat/10 g protein. I usually go for my achiev instead (120 cal/20 g protein). I do have some powders from BariatricEating.com that I am beginning to wonder if I'll ever get the urge to have again. I'll probably bring some with me to Vegas though since that would be easier than Achiev's glass bottles on the plane. I do try to watch the cheese. Great for protein, but dietician told me to try to keep my fat under 30 g a day. If I go over, I usually will have had either cheese or beef (no matter how lean!). Tuna and FF cottage cheese are probably my top 2 protein food choices. DH makes a terrific tuna salad for me...complete with eggs, sf relish, Miracle whip light, and tuna light (packed in water)....calories: 120 for 1/2 cup with 14 g protein! and only 3 g fat. Just read it today that we should target having our calories to where we have ~1/3 of them for each 1/3 of day. So...if you are to have 1200 calories, by dinner, you should only have 400 left to eat. I was only having ~half ate by then. I'm trying to get my calories in earlier in the day now. I'm now at 750 for the day with dinner to go..but ONLY because I just had a 180 cal granola bar (which I normally do not have!). So...I think part of my problem is when I get most of my calories in and part may be that I don't always get my calories in. 3 times this week, I was under 1200...one of those times, under 1000. Hard to remember sometimes that not eaing enough can also cause weight loss stalls! Maybe sometime we can meet and I can give you some of this protein powder to try out... Sherri

Here is the best protien Ive found and here is an email from a rep after a friend of mine emailed them. My husband even loves this stuff for his workouts http://www.ubid.com/Protica_Research_PROFECT_BEVERAGE_Capsulized_Protein_-_Variety/a601605670-rsearchone.html Actinase employs three proteins to achieve a patent-pending formula that is (a) highly bioavailable (i.e. easily digestible and absorbable) and (b) complete (contains appropriate amounts of all essential amino acids). The proteins, in order of abundance, are collagen, whey and casein. All three proteins are hydrolyzed into peptides with an average molecular weight of 1,400 Daltons; this makes the combination of proteins more bioavailable than other protein powders, bars or liquids on the market. By itself, Collagen lacks several amino acids. However, in combination with whey and casein in the correct proportions, the collagen (1) improves the overall amino acid balance, (2) increases the overall glutamine content (more than whey or casein alone), and (3) achieves a complete protein combination (i.e. all essential amino acids). Actinase is more bioavailable than whey, whether it is isolated or concentrated. The challenge with isolated or concentrated whey is that passes through the stomach and small intestines rapidly, causing some malabsorption. Additional malabsorption is the result of the denatured protein molecules in whey drinks and bars. Denaturing occurs when the normal tertiary structure of the protein molecules are unintentionally broken down into an abnormal structure as a result of heat or acid processing (typically for the purposes of pasteurizing or baking protein drinks and bars). Denatured proteins do not have the same properties as the original protein before pasteurization. Hence, the biological activity of the proteins (i.e. the body's ability to assimilate and use the proteins) has been diminished or eliminated. In contrast, Actinase is extremely heat stable because it is made completely with peptides. Because of their small size, peptides are very heat stable. Typically, you will only find peptides in infant formulas since their small size also makes them easier for the body to digest and assimilate. To give you a real world example, look at a raw egg when you first crack it open. The "white" of the egg is not actually white; it is translucent (almost clear). The "white" is mostly protein, and it is in its original, biologically active form. When you cook the egg, the "white" becomes white and opaque. What happened is the heat (i.e. pasteurization process) caused the protein molecules to unfold (i.e. break apart) and then reconnect in an unnatural manner. The protein is now denatured. The egg will now be difficult for the body to digest and absorb (as evidenced by gastrointestinal distress experienced by many people who eat eggs). You will notice that Profect is translucent (you can see through the Profect vial, even though there is an extraordinary amount of protein in a very small volume). This is because the protein in Profect is still in its natural, biologically active structure. Jim Duffy Protica, Inc. Telephone: 610-832-2000 x711 Web Site: www.Protica.com Web Store: www.Protica.com/store Product Site: www.Profect.com