The Redhead

:lb10: :lb24: :lb21: :girl_dance: :girl_dance: :girl_dance: GREAT NEWS SROSSELL. Congrats

Hi Sue, You are using the right number. I took my package into a Print Shop that also sends faxes for fees. It took him quite a few times to get it to go through. It would ring and then get a message and then it finally went to fax. Next time you call give it a few seconds after you get the message. It might switch over. The other option is, you can mail it in (Xpresspost). Lori told me it would be ok if I did that. It costs a bit but it worked out to the same cost for me to fax it as it would have to mail it. Denise

EXCELLENT NEWS CATHY!!!! I'm SO excited for you. WOO HOO!!!! :lb10: :girl_dance:

Yes, it's amazing how little food we do need but I also find it amazing how some people can eat SO MUCH and not gain weight. My little sister is about 4'11 and weighs probably 100 lbs. She has ALWAYS been able to out eat me at any meal. Whenever we eat together she has always made a scene about how I eat like a bird. It's pretty embarrassing sometimes so I usually follow up that she thinks I eat like bird only because she eats like a seagull. And she really does. She can consume so much food that if I did that I'd gain 5 lbs in a day. (and she's over 40 so age and weight don't seem to affect her). My boyfriend is the same way and he is skinny, of course. When we would go out he will eat his meal and finish up anything I don't want or can't eat. I asked him the other day how much he weighed. He has now lost 2 lbs since we met. On the other hand, I gained 14 lbs. Life can be cruel.

Yes. You're calling from Canada to the U.S. Dial 1, then the area code and number. That should work just fine.

Hi Sara, I do remember you. I was up walking from 5am and paced that hallway between your room and mine about a hundred times. I have definitely been having hunger pains. I keep wondering if they are just a head thing but sometimes they are crampingly painful. I'm going back to TJ for a fill on May 29th. Talk to you soon, Denise

Yes. You need to add 1 and the area code

I don't know about that but its really good to keep walking and it is only a short walk to get to the OCC computers. There is two computers you can use and it isn't difficult to get on one at any time. Honestly, I didn't find much time to get bored when I was at the OCC. Time went by so quickly. I thought it would drag because I was so excited for the whole thing to happen but time just flew by.

Hi Lisa, That's exactly the same reason I decided to go back to the OCC for my fill. And I'm coming from British Columbia, Canada. My fill is scheduled for May 29th. Denise

I'm scheduled for a fill on May 29th as well. So maybe I'll see you too!

Hi Cath, I'm glad everything went well when you told your mom. Its great to have the support of your mom. ...and Cath don't forget, you have my support as well. You have my number, call me whenever you need to talk. Denise

We took our laptop with us and it was very handy to have at the hotel. It was nice to use the OCC's computers when I was awake at 5am and couldn't sleep any more.

Hey Michelle, Is that the powdered PB or is it regular PB? Thanks, Denise

LOL... actually 7 since banding. :girl_dance: Great picture Cath. Like I said before... GREAT hair.

I can't wait to... ...Wear a dress that shows my knees. ...Heck, I can't wait to wear a dress that shows any part of my legs. ...Quit wearing sweaters, loose tops, jackets, etc., that hide my spare tire. ...Stop feeling like I need to run away everytime someone pulls out a camera. ...Wear a real bathing suit to the beach instead of covering up with long shorts and a tank top. ...Wear heels again. ...Enjoy going clothes shopping instead of buying it out of the Sears catalogue ...Enjoy dressing up and going out. ...See my collar bones and hip bones again. I know they're under there somewhere. ...Ride a bike again.

If you can handle that sort of thing, there is a video on YouTube on a lap band surgery. It was really cool to watch because it shows everything. ...pushing the fat around, stitching the band in place, etc. I watched it a few times. Very interesting.

Hey Truly.., I was just wondering what your friendship was like before you brought up OCC. Maybe there are other reasons your friend doesn't want you to go to OCC and she is just using Tijuana as an excuse. I was just curious, does she have a weight problem as well? Is so, maybe she is jealous...? If not, could be that she is afraid of you changing. One time I was really good friends with another girl who was heavy, but not as large as me. I went to Weight Loss Clinics and lost almost 80 lbs in a VERY short time. We would talk on the phone daily but because we were both working full-time on alternate shifts/schedules, sometimes it would be a month or more before we'd see each other. The next time we got together I had lost a lot of weight and she was very critical of me. Even her mother (who was very obese) started saying horrible things about me. Funny though, the things they said about me not only were not true but they weren't even about my weight. I always felt that was what it was that ruined our friendship though. Just something to consider....

Well you on your way! You're doing great! 17 lbs down that you'll NEVER see again.

Momonamission I know what you mean. Everytime I am at work meetings I look around and find myself the heaviest in the room. (I work with a bunch of health conscious, golf nuts). Also, I used to love to sew and I quit doing it because I couldn't stand making 'big girl' clothes. Everything had to be baggy in the waist (so it didn't show my tummy rolls) and increased in the thighs and calves (I have large legs, especially at the knees). Yesterday I found myself in the Fabric store and I'm excited to sew again. I can't wait until I can make myself tailored suits and maybe one day, even a dress. I haven't worn a dress in years and years!!!! March on Mom. I'm there with ya!!! :lb25:

EXCELLENT NEWS WENDY!!! I've been wondering how you have been doing. Keep up the good work. You're doing great!

Glad to see you back Michelle. I missed your posts. :-h

A couple of weeks before my surgery I was walking up the stairs to get to my office at work. It's only one floor up with about 5 stairs, a platform and about 15 more stairs. Usually the stairs don't bother me too much but I do feel it in my knees by the time I get to the top. This day I was carrying my briefcase, my laptop, my purse and a bunch of other stuff. Probably at least about 30 - 35 lbs in total. By the time I got to my office I thought I was going to die!! My back, legs, shoulders, knees and arms were killing me. I plopped down in my chair to rest and thought... WAIT A MINUTE.... (at that time) I was like 70 lbs overweight. The weight I packed up that day was like half the excess weight I carry up those stairs every day. Imagine what life will be like when you drop all that excess baggage you're packing around. For some of us that's like packing around one or two large pieces of fully packed luggage all day. I'm looking forward to the day when the heaviest thing I carry up those stairs is my purse and not my butt! I'll be running those stairs. ...and I plan to do it in heels and a classy new wardrobe.

I'm craving a few things (i.e. popcorn) but it's all just the mental thing because I LOVE TO EAT!!! Most of the time I'm not really hungry. I can't say I never am because every once in a while I'll get this incredible rumbles in my stomach followed by a gut-wrenching cramp. That must be hunger, right? Gosh... at my age, and years of eating just because I thought I was hungry, I'm not sure what hunger really is. How pathetic is that? Since my surgery, I've been cooking (and baking) some wonderful dinners for my boyfriend and kids. It really doesn't bother me at that I can't eat them (even when they tease me about it). I just enjoy the food experience of preparing it, cooking it and serving it and of course the compliments after (especially the compliments... ). It's been said on this forum that 'food is a love affair'. I still enjoy the romance involved in preparing it.

Mmmm... all sound great! Thanks for your help. Do you think that adding vanilla extract or other flavorings might change the taste of the shakes? ...or is there a reason we shouldn't use these?

I booked my fill before I went for my surgery. I knew the date of my surgery and knew that I would be back in the States during a particular week (which was 7 weeks post-op) so I booked my first fill for that time. When Dr. Ortiz talked to me (just before my surgery) and told me that it would be best to come back to the OCC for my fills, I told him it was already arranged.