home!

[Guest guest]

Can you tell I'm grumpy!

Nope - not at all!

> I've gone from 285 to 235. I've been on this list for years and I've been up

and down

over and over again. I've tried Weight Watchers many times as well as other

programs. I

picked WLS because I just felt hopeless about losing the weight. Even though I

have an

extra advantage now I can totally relate to the endless struggle. I have to

exercise and eat

Congrats!

> Now for the exciting/scary news. While I was on vacation I got a job offer.

And again, congrats! What will you be doing, exactly?

> had another fasting blood glucose test. In March it was 119 and this

time it was

116. His AST and ALT were elevated. He is diabetic for all intents and

purposes. That

adds a whole different dimension to our meal planning. At the appointment the

doc said

change your diet and come back in 3 months but on the lab report that we just

got in the

mail it said come back in a week. Yikes. That doesn't sound good. His A1C was

5.6. The

doc recommended the book Living the GI Diet. Has anyone read that?

I haven't read that, but I have read the GI Revolution. Basically the idea is to

eat " good "

carbs that are Low GI (Meaning, the starches in them are processed slowly by the

body and

so don't raise blood sugars).

I don't think I've seen anyone actually diagnosed as diabetic at his numbers -

though I

know they've really lowered the bar in recent years. His A1C is *AWESOME* and

his fasting

glucose numbers are really only a smidge high (Goal is to be below 110). SO!

Don't let his

diagnosis panic you!

Cooking for a diabetic really isn't that hard! Lots of fresh veggies, low

saturated fats, and

cut down on sugar and processed carbs (doughnuts, white flour stuff like white

bread) and

high-GI carbs such as potatoes. Remember, basically, that the more processed

something

is, the higher its GI (IE, barely-done baked potato, while high-GI, is still

lower-GI than

boiled-to-death and mashed potatoes). You'll probably want to avoid some of the

higher-

carb fruits like pineapple but just about any berry is both low carb and low-GI.

For more

ideas you can visit glycemicindex.com and check specific foods.

Whatever you do, be very, very, very leery of the American Diabetes

Association's

exchange diet. It's basically a high-carb diet with very little explaination

given to

understand GI. The ADA's outlook seems to be " Here, eat this 'well rounded' diet

- and just

take more meds to deal with the food!' " *SIGH*

In reality, what's good for him SHOULD be good for you, baring any exceptions

due to your

WLS. Are there any foods you're supposed to avoid now?

>

>I have to think very low carb for dh.

Well, with his numbers, I wouldn't think you'd have to think " very low carb "

unless you've

already been eating relatively low carb. Cutting out things like chips, popcorn,

potatoes,

rice, white bread, junkfood, etc. may be enough to do the trick.

> Ann

>

SulaBlue

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: SulaBlue

> And again, congrats! What will you be doing, exactly?

Thanks! I'll be reviewing drawings for offshore oil rigs to make sure they

meet regulations before they are built. The hard part will be getting up to

speed on all the regulations. They are endless.

> His A1C is *AWESOME* and his fasting

glucose numbers are really only a smidge high (Goal is to be below 110). SO!

Don't let his diagnosis panic you!

Really? Hmmm.... We still have a lot to learn. I subscribed to

diabetes_int but had to go no mail when I was out of town. The volume made

it unmanageable to access my e-mail from my sister's computer. At home I

can just filter it into a folder and skim at my convenience.

Sounds like he is border line so hopefully he can change his habits now

before things become serious. Are you telling me that he's just a jerk by

nature and not because his blood sugar is high? Sigh.

> Whatever you do, be very, very, very leery of the American Diabetes

> Association's exchange diet.

I've already learned that from you. Good to know since it was a big

surprise. I would have thought they were the experts.

> In reality, what's good for him SHOULD be good for you, baring any

> exceptions due to your WLS. Are there any foods you're supposed to avoid

> now?

Yes. It will be great for the whole family. I'm supposed to eat protein

first, then veggies then minimal carbs. I can have almost anything except

they recommend waiting a long time after surgery for steak. I eat chicken

prepared many different ways.

> Well, with his numbers, I wouldn't think you'd have to think " very low

> carb " unless you've already been eating relatively low carb. Cutting out

> things like chips, popcorn, potatoes, rice, white bread, junkfood, etc.

> may be enough to do the trick.

We eat pasta often and white rice occasionally. Potatoes sometimes. He

eats pop-tarts for breakfast every morning. Blech. Eliminating those might

do it by itself! What is a good breakfast on the run? I generally

prepare healthy dinners. I just need to be more careful on the carbs.

Thanks for the info. We'll talk to the doc again and see what he recommends

with the latest lab results. I'd rather him be jumping on this than waiting

since 's mom had diabetes. Hopefully this will scare enough so he

improves his health.

Ann

[Guest guest]

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: SulaBlue

>

> We eat pasta often and white rice occasionally. Potatoes sometimes. He

> eats pop-tarts for breakfast every morning. Blech. Eliminating those might

> do it by itself! What is a good breakfast on the run? I generally

> prepare healthy dinners. I just need to be more careful on the carbs.

Pasta's going to be the biggy, obviously. You might try looking for Dreamfield's

pasta.

Some people tolerate it well, others don't. Actually, due to your WLS you might

not - it's

been known to cause some gastric problems (sorta like anything high-fiber!).

Also, some

people swear it doesn't spike their blood sugars, others it sends right up on

through the

roof. You may be able to get away with just cutting back on the amount of pasta

and

increasing the bulk of the dish with veggies. (IE, adding mushrooms, zucchini,

other low-

carb veggies into pasta sauce) and maybe cutting back on the portion size and

adding a

big side salad.

Poptarts - oy! A sugarbomb in a foil wrapper! Other than the taste (which,

honestly now

isn't a big selling factor for me) I can't think of one redeeming quality of

these things.

Hrm. Breakfast on the go... that one's a hard one, really. Are you meaning

'while driving?'

Why not just get up a bit earlier? Because I've got all my ingredients

pre-chopped (I spend

about 1 hour a week doing this, all at once, and only have to clean the kitchen

once) I am

able to toss whatever I want into a pan, including pre-cooked breakfast sausage,

along

with some Egg Beaters and have scrambled eggs in about 5 mins. 5-10 mins to eat,

and

another 5 to clean the plate and pan - out the door with a healthy breakfast in

my belly in

20 mins or less! (And, you can always leave the pan to clean when you get home

if you're

really in a rush in the mornings.

> Thanks for the info. We'll talk to the doc again and see what he recommends

> with the latest lab results. I'd rather him be jumping on this than waiting

> since 's mom had diabetes. Hopefully this will scare enough so he

> improves his health.

Well, there's no reason to tell HIM what I've told you, if not knowing keeps him

more

motivated

> Ann

SulaBlue

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the intro, Ann. It can be confusing when everyone else knows each other and you're the newbie. - Maya Ann and <maryannanderic@...> wrote: Hi losers, I'm glad to be home after a week visiting my sister in Savannah. We had fun but I'm tired and ready to get back to my own bed. The house was 88 degrees when we came in which makes me GRUMPY!!!!!!!!

It's down to 82 now which still makes me grumpy! I guess I should appreciate that dh was trying to save electricity while we were gone but he should have turned the & *%$* thing back on before we returned. The house also smells bad which makes me grumpy. I'm the exact same weight as I was the morning we left for our trip. Grrrr..... That makes me grumpy too. We went to the beach 3 days, water park 1 day and pool 2 days. I was very active and I ate in moderation and I drank water like crazy and I want that to show up on the scale. Tomorrow morning is official weigh in so hopefully I'll be down a pound. Usually I am between evening weight and morning weight. I'm very annoyed that Junonia didn't process my order for my swimsuits. I've

been waiting for it to arrive but it still isn't here. I realized I didn't get a confirmation e-mail. Grrrrr...... I couldn't place the order on-line since I had a store credit so I did it by phone and apparently it wasn't processed. I'll call them tomorrow. I wore my current suit almost every day on vacation and I really need a smaller size. Sorry for the whines. I think I need a night in my own bed to get back on track. I've been staying up way too late this week. Can you tell I'm grumpy! I'll stick in a little intro here since it looks like we have some newbies and returning members. I'm Ann and I live in Houston with my husband and daughters ages 6 and 9. I had weight loss surgery 10 weeks ago and I've lost 50

pounds. I've gone from 285 to 235. I've been on this list for years and I've been up and down over and over again. I've tried Weight Watchers many times as well as other programs. I picked WLS because I just felt hopeless about losing the weight. Even though I have an extra advantage now I can totally relate to the endless struggle. I have to exercise and eat moderately or I won't keep losing. At least now the hunger doesn't gnaw at me constantly. Now for the exciting/scary news. While I was on vacation I got a job offer. Ack! I asked for more money and more vacation and they called back the next day with an extra $5000 but no extra vacation. Oh well. It will be tough to deal with 2 weeks vacation but we'll have to make it work. I've been a stay at home mom for 9 years so I feel lucky to get such a good

offer. We have mega debt with 15k for camper, 20k for WLS as well as credit card debt. Ugh. Not good but at least now I have a good job. My husband's review is this month so hopefully he'll get a good raise. I start on June 19 so I have tons of stuff to do. I really want to finish painting the breakfast room so we can have a peaceful place for family dinners. I need to line up a few more day camps for the kids this summer too. Time to make lots of lists. I want to plan meals every weekend and purchase ingredients so we have a plan of attack. If I'm a full time working mom I have to be more organized. This all seems so overwhelming so I need a plan. had another fasting blood glucose test. In March it was 119 and this time it was 116. His AST and ALT were elevated. He is diabetic for all intents and purposes. That adds a whole different dimension to our meal planning. At the appointment the doc said change your diet and come back in 3 months but on the lab report that we just got in the mail it said come back in a week. Yikes. That doesn't sound good. His A1C was 5.6. The doc recommended the book Living the GI Diet. Has anyone read that? I've been on Lexapro for depression and PMS hostility. I was on 20mg but I'm experimenting with 10. 10 was fine on vacation with the kids but it doesn't seem to be enough to come home to my husband! I need drugs to make this a peaceful home. Sad but true. Anyone see Welcome to Fat Land on TV? I think it was on TLC. I'm all for fat people enjoying life but I don't feel the need to wear a bikini! Give me giant board shorts and I'll enjoy the water. Tomorrow I need to paint, paint, paint and just enjoy being home. I have chicken in the freezer so I'll plan a meal with that. I have to think very low carb for dh. Ann __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

>It's down to 82 now which still makes me grumpy!

Heck, with 3 window AC units on, 82 is *cool* in this apartment! Rarely does

it get under 80, and that's usually in the middle of the might when it's in

the 60's outside.

>I'm the exact same weight as I was the morning we left for our trip.

Grrrr..... That makes me grumpy too.

But isn't this the very first vacation in your adult life where you didn't

come home *higher* than when you left? I would consider this a victory of

sorts.

>and I ate in moderation

But calorie-wise, is it 800-calorie moderation or closer to 1600 or even

higher? I'm surprised at how much food you say you're eating right now, full

meals. Some people I know who had WLS could barely keep down 6 ounces of

food even a year post op. That was the size of their new stomach pouch and

that was all they could eat every 2 hours. Of course, many others would eat

larger than 6 ounce amounts, a bit more each time, so by the end of a year

their pouch was the same size as their old stomach and they had regained any

weight they lost int heir first few months post-op. Your meals sound to be

larger than your pouch size.

>and I drank water like crazy

Perhaps all this water is stretching your pouch back to normal size? I know

you live in HOT Texas and *need* to drink, but maybe you're doing too much

at one time and should space it out in smaller amounts more frequently. Did

your doctor give you any guidelines on how much to actually take in at one

time, volume-wise? If the pouch is 6 ounces, that should be the most to

drink at one time, I would guess.

>Now for the exciting/scary news. While I was on vacation I got a job

offer.

Congrats! Now to shell out for new professional wardrobe (and repeat that

every few months as your weight drops) and year round child care, and hope

your family income doesn't rise so much that you wind up in a new tax

bracket and paying more in taxes than you're earning.

> had another fasting blood glucose test. In March it was 119 and this

time it was 116. His AST and ALT were elevated. He is diabetic for all

intents and purposes.

For over 100 years, readings between 80 and 120 were considered normal

fasting blood sugars, so I wouldn't panic *or* diagnose him as diabetic. It

*is* a good idea to switch your whole family to healthier foods, like whole

grains, but I remember you tried that ages ago, since you first tried Sugar

Busters and South Beach. Neither you nor your family was willing to eat

whole grains and brown rice, IIRC.

> The doc recommended the book Living the GI Diet. Has anyone read that?

No, but I'm sure it's nothing you didn't already read in the 2 books I just

mentioned.

>Anyone see Welcome to Fat Land on TV?

I heard about it but didn't know it was on until it was over. Marilyn Wann

was interview, she of the book Fat!So? and the Gab Cafe message board I

frequently send people to. http://www.fatso.com

>I have to think very low carb for dh.

No, think *correct* carbs and low fat, for fat has as much to do with

insulin sensitivity and blood sugars as simple carbs do. Anything in the SB

books and message boards will be fine for the entire family.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

So maryann what kind of job? congrats.

NH... Mom to Abby Liz 10/94 Anne 7/99

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/9/06 3:57:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, maryannanderic@... writes:

and year round child care, and hope >your family income doesn't rise so much that you wind up in a new tax >bracket and paying more in taxes than you're earning.

This is why I dont go back. LOL Woman get paid more today than when I was working. When I stopped 11 yrs ago I took home just over $290 a week. We have talked about me going back to work and right now it is just not doable. So we go without the fancy stuff. Camper is on my wish list. I keep looking for a deal. Well, that was before my $3000 NY trip. LOL Do to living out in the country you need 2 cars. The kids get so much time off. No family around to help. Hubby works out of state. I would love to get a job at the school but they are cutting back now to. If we had the old bus driver she would of let me go on the bus with the girls. Not this nasty lady.

Ann have you checked out consignment shops. I have a friend who lost a large amount of weight so she shopped at Sally's. Salvation Army... She got beautiful outfits. Just a thought. Or check ebay.

NH... Mom to Abby Liz 10/94 Anne 7/99

[Guest guest]

> No, think *correct* carbs and low fat, for fat has as much to do with

> insulin sensitivity and blood sugars as simple carbs do. Anything in the SB

> books and message boards will be fine for the entire family.

>

>

> Sue in NJ

>

Yep. There was just an discussion about this on diabetes-int. I think the gist,

though, was

that it was mostly *saturated* fats that hiked up the insulin resistance, not

fat in general.

SulaBlue

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: Sue in NJ

> Heck, with 3 window AC units on, 82 is *cool* in this apartment!

Blech. If I could afford it I'd keep the house at 68! I need to re-program

the thermostats when I go back to work so it's 76 when we arrive home in the

afternoon.

> But isn't this the very first vacation in your adult life where you didn't

> come home *higher* than when you left?

No. I used to always lose weight on vacation since we'd walk so much and

stay so active. The cruise was the big exception. Too much food and not

enough walking.

> But calorie-wise, is it 800-calorie moderation or closer to 1600 or even

> higher? I'm surprised at how much food you say you're eating right now,

> full meals.

I eat less than half of what I ate before surgery. I haven't counted

calories yet to see how much that is. We went out to dinner on the way home

from the airport yesterday. I ate one chicken enchilada, a few bites of

rice and a few bites of black beans. I ate a few chips. Before surgery I

would have eaten both enchiladas, all the black beans, some of the rice and

tons of chips. I find the surgery miraculous.

> Some people I know who had WLS could barely keep down 6 ounces of food

> even a year post op. That was the size of their new stomach pouch

My pouch is 1-2 ounces. That is customary. There is no valve leaving the

stomach so liquids and smooth stuff can slide through.

> their pouch was the same size as their old stomach and they had regained

> any weight they lost in their first few months post-op.

How did they know " their pouch was the same size as their old stomach? " Did

they have additional surgery and the doctor looked at their pouch and told

them that? Did they drink with meals to wash the food out of their pouch so

they could eat more? Did they eat protein first to feel full before eating

veggies and then minimal carbs? Did they exercise? Did they weigh every

day? Did they eat slider foods that slip through the pouch instead of

making them feel full?

Surgery is just a tool. There is still a lot of work involved. Right now

I'm very happy with it but I have to be careful to use it correctly. I

can't have chicken enchiladas every day but I can enjoy them for a treat.

Everything in moderation. Before surgery I never felt full so it was

extremely difficult to achieve moderation. I'm very pleased with my

progress but only time will tell. I have to do my part to make this work.

> Perhaps all this water is stretching your pouch back to normal size?

Liquids just gurgle through the pouch. They aren't restricted by the

anastomosis. I can drink as much water as I want except not with meals

since that can wash the food out of the pouch so I won't feel full.

>Congrats! Now to shell out for new professional wardrobe (and repeat that

>every few months as your weight drops) and year round child care, and hope

>your family income doesn't rise so much that you wind up in a new tax

>bracket and paying more in taxes than you're earning.

Sheesh woman. Is everyone in Bayonne as negative as you are? I love you

girl but you're a glass half empty kind of person. I found work slacks at

Penney's for $22 on sale. I got shoes for $39, $59 and $59. I have plenty

of nice blouses in 3X that are getting too big so I'll take in the side

seams so they'll last a bit longer. I have time to hunt down more

reasonably priced blouses. I need to check the Land's End overstocks today.

The dress code is " smart casual attire " so I won't be wasting money on power

suits. Slacks, blouses and flats are perfect. Yes, I'll need year round

child care. I already signed the kids up for after school care at the

elementary for $55 per kid per week. Most of their summer camps we were

going to do even if I was unemployed but I did have to add a few more.

Doubling our income will undoubtedly increase our tax bracket but it

certainly won't eat up all my salary. I'll be making 4k less than .

This is a real job with a real salary to go along with it. I'm very glad to

have found a good job that's not far from my house and has flexible hours.

I'll work 8:30-5:30 so I can take the kids to school. will work 7-4 so

he can pick them up from after school care at 5.

> Neither you nor your family was willing to eat whole grains and brown

> rice, IIRC.

We eat 100% whole wheat bread. Brown rice didn't do much for us but we can

skip that and have more veggies for sides. Pasta will be hard to give up

since that's what I make when we don't have something else planned.

Ann

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: SulaBlue

> Why not just get up a bit earlier?

already gets up about 5am. There is no way that he is going to get up

even earlier to cook breakfast. Now he drives to work on an empty stomach

and has coffee and oatmeal when he gets to work. Apparently he's cut down

on the pop-tarts thank goodness. Unfortunately he gets the high sugar

oatmeal. Maybe he could take a couple of boiled eggs to work every morning.

> Well, there's no reason to tell HIM what I've told you, if not knowing

> keeps him more motivated

Shhhh..... it will be our secret.

Ann

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: Jase4567@...

> So maryann what kind of job? congrats.

Thanks! It's a marine engineering job where I'll be reviewing drawings for

offshore oil rigs to make sure the plans meet regulations.

Ann

[Guest guest]

For what it's worth, I think Uncle Ben's Converted is actually lower GI than

Brown Rice -

and I prefer it. Minute Rice is right out the window, however.

Something about the conversion process 'changes' the starches in the rice and

makes

them less accessable, apparently (The Glucose Revolution book has a long-winded

explaination). I don't remember how different the GIs were, and dont have the

book handy

right now.

SulaBlue

> > Neither you nor your family was willing to eat whole grains and brown

> > rice, IIRC.

>

> We eat 100% whole wheat bread. Brown rice didn't do much for us but we can

> skip that and have more veggies for sides. Pasta will be hard to give up

> since that's what I make when we don't have something else planned.

>

> Ann

>

[Guest guest]

Ann,

Did he get a glucose meter yet? Very often you can get them free.

Just as an experiment, if he has one - have him test when he wakes up, and then

test

again when he gets to work on an empty stomach. You've heard of " Dawn

Phenomenon " by

now on the other list, I'm sure.

The hard-boiled eggs would be perfect.

SulaBlue

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: SulaBlue

>

> > Why not just get up a bit earlier?

>

> already gets up about 5am. There is no way that he is going to get up

> even earlier to cook breakfast. Now he drives to work on an empty stomach

> and has coffee and oatmeal when he gets to work. Apparently he's cut down

> on the pop-tarts thank goodness. Unfortunately he gets the high sugar

> oatmeal. Maybe he could take a couple of boiled eggs to work every morning.

>

> > Well, there's no reason to tell HIM what I've told you, if not knowing

> > keeps him more motivated

>

> Shhhh..... it will be our secret.

>

> Ann

>

[Guest guest]

>Blech. If I could afford it I'd keep the house at 68!

That's how my dad and stepmom felt in FL, so when they had to replace their

AC unit a few years ago, they got one twice the size of the one that came

with the house. For just pennies more a month in electricity the house was

now frigid, just the way they liked it. Of course the unit itself cost a

small fortune at the time, but they said it was worth it.

>I eat less than half of what I ate before surgery.

But you did eat a lot before, including all the sweets.

>How did they know " their pouch was the same size as their old stomach? "

Because they could sit down and eat a gigantic meal with no problems.

> Did

they have additional surgery

Many did, thanks to all kinds of complications, like adhesions, strictures

and scarring. A number of them had to have their WLS repeated (one man I

know had it 4 times, about 3 years apart) because they never changed their

eating behaviors. They still ate for all the wrong reasons - when emotional,

when bored, and for recreation.

>Sheesh woman. Is everyone in Bayonne as negative as you are?

Just about. We're in the middle of a mayoral election right now and you

should *see* not only the negative ads on TV and mailings but the

accusations flying all around! The city message board hasn't been this

active since it was started almost 10 years ago!

> I love you

girl but you're a glass half empty kind of person.

Life made me a realist.

>I found work slacks at Penney's for $22 on sale.

Even when you and I weighed the same 272 I could never find anything to wear

in Penney's.

>The dress code is " smart casual attire " so I won't be wasting money on

power

suits. Slacks, blouses and flats are perfect.

Fantastic! When you described our job I thought it might be a business-suit

type of position.

> Yes, I'll need year round child care.

This is what killed us when I was working when Henry was really young (first

grade). During the school year it wasn't too bad, as it was just a few hours

between the time he got out and th time Ed got home, but the summer sessions

wound up costing almost the same as my take-home pay. He would have gone to

day camp, anyway, but the camp he used to go to was about a quarter the

price of the YMCA's program, the only one that had the hours I needed for

him.

> I'll be making 4k less than .

This is a real job with a real salary to go along with it.

Mine was just a get-me-out-of-the-house part time job that grew to be full

time with part time wages. It got to be too expensive to keep working so I

quit. There were (and still are) no decent nursing jobs around then and that

was all I could get. (No, I don't want to move to Texas, thank you)

>We eat 100% whole wheat bread.

Whoa! When did *this* happen? LOL I thought refused to touch the

stuff.

> Pasta will be hard to give up

since that's what I make when we don't have something else planned.

I haven't tried that Dreamfields that Sula recommended, but before we

switched to 100% whole wheat pasta we spent some time with the Healthy

Choice 1/2 whole wheat ones as a transition. The boys hardly noticed the

difference. Once they got used to that, I started mixing that with the ww,

and now the ww is all we use. I just wish I could get it cheaper. $2.49 for

a box of elbows or spaghetti is a lot when you consider you can get Ronzoni

on sale for 4/$1 sometimes, store brands even cheaper.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

Sue,

I've started to look at more expensive foods as an investment - it helps. Do I

pay the extra

50cents for the lower-carb brand of something? Hrm. Depends on how much 'lower'

lower

is! Certainly if it's a significant difference I do!

Also, I often find the more expensive brands more fullfilling. They somehow

satisfy me

more - either due to the better taste, or sometimes I find that various things

just 'fill' me

better than their cheap counterparts. So, not only am I using less just from a

healthy-

eating standpoint (Thus, that 'expensive' package of something probably

stretches just as

far as that 'cheap' package used to!) but I find I'm less likely to overeat.

That mindset has really helped me. I'm not sure what, exactly, is going on in my

body right

now but I have NEVER " dieted " and not been hungry. Then again, I guess with over

70g of

fat in my system yesterday I could do the math and figure out what's happening

I admit, I splurged this morning and had a whopping 6 slices of center-cut bacon

(140

calories and 8g of fat. Oy!) Maybe, though, I'll be able to compensate by eating

a very light

lunch before going over to a friend's this evening.

SulaBlue

> I haven't tried that Dreamfields that Sula recommended, but before we

> switched to 100% whole wheat pasta we spent some time with the Healthy

> Choice 1/2 whole wheat ones as a transition. The boys hardly noticed the

> difference. Once they got used to that, I started mixing that with the ww,

> and now the ww is all we use. I just wish I could get it cheaper. $2.49 for

> a box of elbows or spaghetti is a lot when you consider you can get Ronzoni

> on sale for 4/$1 sometimes, store brands even cheaper.

>

>

> Sue in NJ

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ann and welcome home. I hope that since you posted that the

other day you have had a few days to get caught up, etc. I know what

you mean about needing to be medicated to have a peaceful home. I'm

not, but probably should be. Congrats on the job offer!

>

> Hi losers,

>

> I'm glad to be home after a week visiting my sister in Savannah.

We had fun but I'm tired and ready to get back to my own bed. The

house was 88 degrees when we came in which makes me GRUMPY!!!!!!!!

It's down to 82 now which still makes me grumpy! I guess I should

appreciate that dh was trying to save electricity while we were gone

but he should have turned the & *%$* thing back on before we

returned. The house also smells bad which makes me grumpy.

>

> I'm the exact same weight as I was the morning we left for our

trip. Grrrr..... That makes me grumpy too. We went to the beach 3

days, water park 1 day and pool 2 days. I was very active and I ate

in moderation and I drank water like crazy and I want that to show up

on the scale. Tomorrow morning is official weigh in so hopefully

I'll be down a pound. Usually I am between evening weight and

morning weight.

>

> I'm very annoyed that Junonia didn't process my order for my

swimsuits. I've been waiting for it to arrive but it still isn't

here. I realized I didn't get a confirmation e-mail. Grrrrr......

I couldn't place the order on-line since I had a store credit so I

did it by phone and apparently it wasn't processed. I'll call them

tomorrow. I wore my current suit almost every day on vacation and I

really need a smaller size.

>

> Sorry for the whines. I think I need a night in my own bed to get

back on track. I've been staying up way too late this week. Can you

tell I'm grumpy!

>

> I'll stick in a little intro here since it looks like we have some

newbies and returning members. I'm Ann and I live in Houston

with my husband and daughters ages 6 and 9. I had weight loss

surgery 10 weeks ago and I've lost 50 pounds. I've gone from 285 to

235. I've been on this list for years and I've been up and down over

and over again. I've tried Weight Watchers many times as well as

other programs. I picked WLS because I just felt hopeless about

losing the weight. Even though I have an extra advantage now I can

totally relate to the endless struggle. I have to exercise and eat

moderately or I won't keep losing. At least now the hunger doesn't

gnaw at me constantly.

>

> Now for the exciting/scary news. While I was on vacation I got a

job offer. Ack! I asked for more money and more vacation and they

called back the next day with an extra $5000 but no extra vacation.

Oh well. It will be tough to deal with 2 weeks vacation but we'll

have to make it work. I've been a stay at home mom for 9 years so I

feel lucky to get such a good offer. We have mega debt with 15k for

camper, 20k for WLS as well as credit card debt. Ugh. Not good but

at least now I have a good job. My husband's review is this month so

hopefully he'll get a good raise.

>

> I start on June 19 so I have tons of stuff to do. I really want to

finish painting the breakfast room so we can have a peaceful place

for family dinners. I need to line up a few more day camps for the

kids this summer too. Time to make lots of lists.

>

> I want to plan meals every weekend and purchase ingredients so we

have a plan of attack. If I'm a full time working mom I have to be

more organized. This all seems so overwhelming so I need a plan.

>

> had another fasting blood glucose test. In March it was 119

and this time it was 116. His AST and ALT were elevated. He is

diabetic for all intents and purposes. That adds a whole different

dimension to our meal planning. At the appointment the doc said

change your diet and come back in 3 months but on the lab report that

we just got in the mail it said come back in a week. Yikes. That

doesn't sound good. His A1C was 5.6. The doc recommended the book

Living the GI Diet. Has anyone read that?

>

> I've been on Lexapro for depression and PMS hostility. I was on

20mg but I'm experimenting with 10. 10 was fine on vacation with the

kids but it doesn't seem to be enough to come home to my husband! I

need drugs to make this a peaceful home. Sad but true.

>

> Anyone see Welcome to Fat Land on TV? I think it was on TLC. I'm

all for fat people enjoying life but I don't feel the need to wear a

bikini! Give me giant board shorts and I'll enjoy the water.

>

> Tomorrow I need to paint, paint, paint and just enjoy being home.

I have chicken in the freezer so I'll plan a meal with that. I have

to think very low carb for dh.

>

> Ann

>

[Guest guest]

Home last night on time. Best flight ever. Did want to tell what

happened at fort. Since I don't usually carry things in my

pocket, I did have some change and chap stick in my pocket when I

went through the security in fort. So here I am being wanded by

this big, ugly German woman with a sour face. She comes to the shirt

pocket with chap stick and tells me to remove it and hold it in my

hand. Ok... then she comes to the 2d one that I had in my pants

pocket and tells me to remove it and hold it in my hand. Ok... of

course I forgot I had some British change from getting breakfast and

when she finds it and squeezes it, I told her it was change and she

tells me to hold it. OK.. I am standing there with chap stick in one

hand, change in another hand, arms spread out. I had one of those

travel packets of Kleenex's in my hip pocket and she started

squeezing my butt! I tell her that it is just Kleenex and she

continues to squeeze my butt. I also told her I didnt have any more

hands to hold them. She finally lets me go. I almost made the crack

about how I have never had a woman squeeze my butt before, but kept

my mouth shut.

I checked to see if I could get a bottle of water as I had to toss

the half I had left from buying in Heathrow. Well when the guy

quoted 5 to 6 lbs of British for enough to buy a small bottle of

water, I told him to just forget it. I had NO desire to pay that

much for some water. Think 10 to 12 dollars in American money!

So I am home, have a ton of shopping to do for food and run errands.

more later on the adventures

susan

michigan

[Guest guest]

Hooray! Crossing fingers, hoping and praying for good results. Hope you have a speedy healing.

Home!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that I am home! Came home Friday evening. Feels great to be home again.

Now we wait to see what the lab reports are and then we will know if we have to do further treatment or not for the cancer.

Thanks for all of the prayers. Greatly appreciated.

Dacia

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Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 14:27