Annie – 7.2 pounds – wow you are rockin! I am sure you could have found it on your own, but here is the URL for the site I mentioned: http://www.cuteoverload.com/

Kim – I agree with Valerie to not look at food and exercise in terms of punishment vs reward. In my opinion that is part of what got us to where we are now and is an important mindset to break. Exercise should be pleasurable and not associated with punishment.

Amy – I love authentic stuff too. I especially love good Dim Sum. We have a place nearby that does it and we go every do often. I have an uncle from Singapore so we grew up eating authentic stuff at holidays.

Jen – Thanks for asking how I am feeling. I am feeling better, but still working through the emotions. In fact now I am kind of getting excited about figuring out how to modify my workouts and possibly do even better, without putting myself through any strain.

Kenya – WOW your pictures are fantastic! I need to go take some – right now! OK – I did! You are looking so good! I love the new main pic especially. What a difference.

Sandy – I know that losing weight is important, but don’t sit on the sidelines in fear of food! When you are at an event like a wedding or a bachelorette dinner party, you do the best you can but go and enjoy yourself. Even if you eat 1000 extra calories, that isn’t even a pound and you have gained an experience that will last a lifetime. Also, those kinds of events – being active with your family – are the very thing that will keep you going when times are tough. That isn’t to say you should go hog wild, but don’t miss the action sitting at home or in the corner eating celery. /soapbox


Kenya inspired me and so I am posting an updated pic of myself, bare arms and all! I wish I could see more of a difference, but still it is getting better all the time. We are going to a dangerous place for dinner tonight – a sushi buffet! I haven’t eaten too much today and I am getting in a lot of exercise, so if I am careful and don’t have too much rice I should be ok.

Valerie~Sounds like you are doing great! Congrats on the machine registering!

violet~Yes I have to resist the urge to weigh all the time! lol Good for you going to Curves. I soooo wish we had one here. And I totally know what you mean about Game day. Back in Louisiana ...when LSU played it was like a Ghost town. I sorta liked it!

Kenya~Thanks for posting your pics. congrats on all the success. You look great!

Sandy~I hope your leg is doing better! I always get nervous about seeing my mother in law. I haven't been around her much and at times it seems so awkward. I hope it goes ok for ya! Sounds like you have a great plan with everything going on. I am such an emotional/stress eater as well...its a constant battle! Hope your week goes well..and take care of that leg!

Nancy~Thanks for posting your pics! I can for sure tell a difference. You look really good! Good luck with the sushi buffet...that sounds so good right now! Hope you are feeling better!


Well not much going on here. Slow Saturday...not too much to do. I did some walking around outdoors. We tried to go out on the beach but it was wayyyyy to cold! It was really windy and snowing. I really am going to miss going to the beach...it will be all frozen over soon.

Well I hope all of you have a great evening! Take care!

Michelle

Kim – how have you been today with being OP? I think you should take it one day at a time. Don’t say I will stay OP all week as your goal; say every morning that you will stay OP all day. When I started back on my diet that helped get me through, just taking it one day at a time. As each day passed I felt happier with myself and then the days turned to weeks which then turned to months. Give it a go

Nancy – how are you today? That’s great that the lady you helped out with the car took you out for a meal. Sounds like a great place to eat out at, and that tuna meal sounded delicious. I love tuna.

Thank you so much for your input on wearing a nice bag or something like the Scots wear a sporran. You even put a link for me, nothing like a guy in a kilt I don’t think a bag or anything like that would work unfortunately because if my ostomy bag is as bad as it gets, it would literally push anything on top of it out of the way. I am going to get Daren to take a picture of me next time the bag is sticking out, and you will be able to see what I mean about the new t-shirts. I guess I could just get one of those HUGE bags that the stars use when they are being filmed and don’t want to show they are pregnant that might work better to hide my ostomy than it does to hide those stars pregnancies

BRILLIANT news on your hips being less than 60” now, mine were 69” when I started, but they are 55” now so I know just how you feel getting under 60”. Onwards and downwards my friend Great news on losing an inch off your arms too, are you like me where it seems to take forever to lose any from your arms. I am thinking of getting a set of hand weights to at least try to tone my arms that are getting decidedly flabby. Ick.

Just saw your pics, and what can I say except WOW WOW and WOW again The change in you is awesome. What an inspiration you are

Sharon – sorry I worried you, I am fine, just been busy and/or just not feeling like being online.

I know what your mean about my t-shirts, the problem is that I don’t want to have to be in baggy tops all my life. When I was huge and didn’t care about wearing baggy tops I didn’t mind the ostomy so much. But now I am losing weight and want to wear more fitting clothes, now I find the ostomy shows up more. Yes I could keep on wearing baggy tops, seems like I don’t have any option, but it does bring me down. I’ll get over it I guess, and perhaps find a nice patterned top that might hide the bag a bit more.

I’m dull aren’t I? There I was thinking you told me you didn’t like the curries like Kormas, and you actually love them, they are your fave. Hmm it must be me that doesn’t like them. Actually some of them I do like, it depends on where I get them from. Sometimes they are just too sickly. I can’t STAND hot spicy curries though, so given the choice I will always go for the mild option

about Steve not being able to take photos that weren’t blurry thanks to having some wine You will have to get him to take some more when you are both 100% sober lol. Glad you had a nice night out.

Misti – it’s funny, you said you were sorry I am embarrassed by my ostomy. It’s daft really because I will talk about it to anybody, I am even talking about putting my pic on here with the bulge prominent through one of my new t-shirts, but to actually go out and have it be noticeable really upsets me. I guess it’s because it’s not my choice that it happens, I am out of control of it. Who’d have thought losing weight would cause such a dilemma. You said that your close friend HAD an ostomy, did she have a reversal? I was never eligible for one of them, so this little nuisance is for life. I have only had it 4 years, so who knows, in another 4 I might be a bit more accepting of it

As for the boobs and losing weight from them, after I posted my last message I remembered how much you have lost from all over, including your boobs, so my post was totally wrong Well as much as you still want to keep losing from them, I hope my loss from mine slows down soon

Annie – oh sorry, I wasn’t clear enough, Daren is my Santa LOL, I think you might find that Joel is yours BUT having said that, Daren is definitely showing a Santa belly, and if you have seen the film The Santa Clause, perhaps Daren’s true identity is showing itself LOL.

Oh yes you are absolutely right, I will never forget that without my ostomy I would be dead now. So as much as I hate the thing at times, I do appreciate the need for it, and I do have a LOT less trouble than a lot of people I know. I still hope I can figure a way to wear smaller clothes without the thing being so obvious though Thank you for your wonderful kind words about being glad I am here You are a treasure

I know I said it in my email, but once again WELL DONE on your fabulous weight loss. Your motivation is inspiring and I am glad you are seeing the rewards of all your efforts

Michelle – if you have digital scales, then take the battery out, give it to somebody and tell them not to give it back to you until you official WI When I had digital scales I got Daren to keep the battery, but then I got the old type of scales and I just keep them in my bedroom, on a shelf. I think if they are in a place that is easy to just step on them then I might be tempted to weigh more often. Though I doubt it now. I have learned to HATE the scales, so the less I go on them the better

Yes it is tough losing the weight and being able to wear tops that aren’t like tents, and yet NOT being able to wear them because of my ostomy. I will figure something out because I am not spending the rest of my life in tent shirts! Thanks for the hugs, here’s one right back at ya

I am glad you are going to tell the doctor about your back pain, when will you make an appt?

Valerie – thanks for your understanding about my t-shirt problem. You and some of the others here have been wonderful and supportive. Where would I be without you all

Brilliant news on your weigh in at Curves, and getting on your BFI/BMI scales and not having it show Error You should be so proud of yourself, you certainly sounded very happy when you posted!

Missy – did you take a peek on the scales, have those 2 lbs gone yet? It will be great if they have, but if not, well you still have til Tuesday until you have your official WI

Amy – sadly yes the ostomy bulge is as bad as I describe. When it’s empty it’s fine, you can’t see it. But as it fills it really sticks out. Picture putting a balloon under your top, seriously, it’s like that. I mentioned earlier to Nancy that I am going to get Daren to take a pic of me with one of the new t-shirts on and ‘baggy’ fully proud, and if it’s not too vile I will post it here. You can give me your opinion then, if I am too self conscious about it you will be able to tell me, but I think you will find I’m not

Your dancing and other smilies made me smile thank you You’re a sweety

Oh poor you having that wound with Staff and having to have it open. I know exactly where you are coming from. The same thing happened with my tummy wound after my ostomy surgery. I got MRSA (which I think is the same as Staff) and I had to have a nurse clean and dress where it came open daily. Even when I came home I had to have a nurse visit to do the job. Daren watched what she did and he took over the care of the wound, and it took a year before it had closed properly! When you have an open wound you sure do learn to get used to seeing gross stuff

Those light boxes I mentioned, could you borrow one from the hospital just to see if it works for you. I think you can do that here, but you can’t keep it, you have to buy your own eventually!

Good for you for getting yourself up and out of bed this morning so that you could go to Curves. Setting yourself that goal of exercising 5 times a week seems to definitely inspired you this morning

That’s a very good question about salt intake and if it effects how much you sweat when you work out. It could very well make a difference, though I wouldn’t be able to tell you because I sweat like a pig every time I work out regardless of what I eat. I actually have to have my fan blowing on me as I exercise because without it I am sure I would flake out

LOL about not being a Huckin’ Fusker fan LOL LOL

Kenya – those pictures were definitely worth the wait. You look so awesome, what a huge difference between the first and the last You look AMAZING. You should be so proud of yourself. Thanks for posting the pics!!

Jen – thanks for the link to that site. I did look up the top you mentioned, but I am sorry to say that I can’t see that it would work. Even when I wear jeans which are like a gentle corset the bag still protrudes. I can’t wear anything too tight or it will stop the bag filling and the only place the ‘output’ can go is all over me YUCK. I guess in that sense I am better off with a sticky out bag As for my t-shirts I don’t want them to get baggy lol, I just got rid of baggy tops and was thrilled to buy more fitting ones, that’s why I was so upset that I realised just how much the bag shows through them. I am fed up of baggy tops. But needs must I guess, so until I can figure out a good way to wear smaller clothes and not see the bag I guess the tent tops will still be necessary

So sorry to hear that you have had a problem with your bowels and have been running back and fore to the toilet so often in the last 3 weeks. I am surprised you left it so long before making an appt to see the doctor. I know it’s not nice to be probed down there, but if doing that will help a doctor decide what to do to make you better then it’s all worth it in the end. I have had more than my fair share of probes in the nether regions thank God I never have to have any ever again. See, my ostomy is good for something

Great news about getting all those tops from the suitcase and finding that they all fit now Nothing like that kind of NSV

Sandy – I have a great support network online full of wonderful people who are all ostomates. I think we all suffer with the worry of our bags being obvious through our clothes and other than wearing big clothes, and aiming for clothes with a lot of pattern there really isn’t anything that anybody can do. Not yet anyway, we are all still working on it

So glad you are going to give the G Rider a go, I hope it won’t be too long after your DDs wedding. I hear you on liking the guy but not wanting to give your baby up. I dread doing that with my DD, she’s only 15, but I still dread her leaving home. I want her here so I can make sure she is well looked after. I will also worry that her future partner will take advantage of the fact she’s deaf. Unless of course he is deaf too, but then I will worry about when they have kids and if they will hear the baby cry etc. Oh stop me, lol, hopefully none of that is going to happen any time soon I will cross that bridge when I come to it I hope your DDs wedding will be wonderful and I hope you will post some photos of the day.

Ok time for me to go to bed now, it’s 1.11 am, and I am worn out Take care all and have a happy Sunday

Hugs,

Ammi

Hey thanks for the nice words about my pictures.

Nancy- You look great! There is a major difference in you. You look taller and I like the black on you. I can see your figure in those clothes. Just look at your shoulders and face and midsection. You look great! Great job

Dogpal-- congrats on the 7 pound weight loss!

Ammi-- thanks for the nice words about my pictures

thanks for all the thoughts ladies. unfortunately, it doesnt seem like shes some unrequited love. i dunno what to do. i cant tell him i know without telling him how. im seriously so devistated. things were going SO well. and unfortunately there is NO room for interpretation here. my heart hurts. the worst part about it is this is almost exactly how me and my last boyfriend split. he met someone online (ok paul knows her from HS. same difference) and moved to be with her... *sigh* i have been in bed all day. i dont feel like doing anything. im doing laundry, and i made some chili with soy meat and tomatoes. i think im going back to bed

Luan-- dear my heart goes out to you. Take care of yourself. Love yourself and keep positive thoughts and eating healthy for yourself Whenever I am feeling bad I try to say to myself "This too shall pass." Sometimes it is easier to say than to truly believe it. Drink plenty of fluids ( that's the nursing student in me ) and when you can just take things as they come one day at a time. If it were me I would let him know exactly how I found out and my feeling about what I discovered. I would not argue with him but would remain calm and tell him my feelings.

Kenya--Your pics look great! And you look so happy! That is the most important part.

Jen--Just tell that doc of yours that you've come a long way, even though you may still be a little heavier than last time, so he can just shush his mouth! I'm sure if you tell him about your efforts he will be a little more forgiving.

I know how you feel about having a small place. My apt is pretty small too. Good for you for getting all that done today in addition to all the excercising you did! You're smokin', girl!!

Sandy--That is great that you have a plan. Having a plan is better than just going and having a free-for-all, ya know? And that is a good plan. That's kind of how WW works. They give you so many Flex Points you can use for whatever you want during the week. I like to save mine up for the weekend so I can have like that sub sandwich I had last night. And today. Its great that you can have a little something once in a while and stay OP with this plan. What plan do you follow, or are you doing like calorie counting or..?

I honestly wish I did like football because I think it would make my life a lot easier living in this state. I've tried to watch it before but it is just SOOOOO boring. Plus here in Huskertown they give our ball players God-like status and I think that is dangerous, especially for 20-yr-old testosterone-driven young men who are very muscular and large for thier age. But, what can I do? Stay away from the stadium on football Saturdays! But it DOES make it nice when Walmart is completely empty during the game!

Yes, you definetly have to have some cake at your daughter's wedding. Oh yes, I love cake too. That is mine and my co-worker's joke "I love cake" "Bring me some cake" "Feed me cake", etc. I had...erm...uh, 2 pieces at my sister's wedding last weekend..

Hey, I that's cool that you have an 8 yr old and a 30 yr old! The siblings in my family are Brothers: 40 and 14, Sisters: 30 and 26. I dont meet a lot of people who have that big of age ranges between siblings too. I have a lot of people say "You have a brother that's 40 and a brother that's 14????" Um, yes...

toofatforu--Thanks for the compliment! You are rockin' and rollin', seniorita!

Nancy--That's awesome! Yeah it always amazes me the # of people who think greasy chicken fried rice is what real chinese food is....

Your pics look great!! I can really tell in your chest and face. You look great, girl!! You are doing so awesome and I am so proud of you! Yeah!!

Good luck at the sushi buffet!

Michelle--Yeah, Walmart and the bigger stores that are always swamped are really nice when the game is on. I am actually thinking about going later while the game is still on instead of waiting until tomorrow...

Good for you for getting some excercising in!

Ammi--Oh, that's too bad about the bulge from the ostomy. Is that something you will have to have forever? I guess I dont really know how that works...but I guess if they kind of "rearrange" your insides like that, as it were, then its kinda permanent, huh? Duh, Amy!

Yes, I would like you to post pics of you! I dont think I've seen a full length pic of you yet! But your face looks so much slimmer than it did when I was posting here before. You are doing so great and your efforts are so awesome, I'll bet that is so frustrating to have the ostomy getting in your way like that. I feel for ya, babe, I really do.

OUCH on getting Staph in your ostomy wound!! I cant imagine having a wound and THEN having it get infected!! WHOA. I actually had staph in my leg and had the surgery because of the staph infection. It was pretty weird the way it all happened. I heard someone say once that she got Staph in her wound from the hospital! I suppose that happens sometimes. I guess they cant keep everything 100% clean all the time. Hey, so did you have to have like a PIC line when you had Staph? Its like a permanent IV in your arm and you give yourself antibiotics at home thru it... I had one of those. Kinda strange.

I'll ask the hospital if I can borrow one of those from them. That would be good to try it before I buy one. Thanks for the idea!

Yeah, I think I sweat more than the other people at Curves. Well, that's because I'm also like the biggest person that works out there regularly. But I wont be forever!!

Luan--Oh Luan darlin' I am soooooo sorry. When you said "My heart hurts" I just about lost it. I hadnt thought about how the confrontation is going to go but you are right, its not as easy as "hey, I was reading thru your emails and..." But you might have to come out and say it like that. Whatever you've done to break any trust or whatever with him, he's done it 10 fold to you. I'm not saying it makes reading his emails right, but its not like he can say anything about how bad you betrayed him or anything..."Hello, Pot? Yeah, this is Kettle..." Yeah. I am so so so sorry. You are worth so much better than these 2 timing losers. It angers me that this guy and the guy before would treat you like this.

As for me, I went shopping for like 4 hrs today and didnt get any grocery shopping done at all! I went to Shopko and they had some really good stuff on clearance so I bought some shirts, and thier maternity stuff was 40% off so I bought my friend a pair of jeans (only $16!!). She has literally NO winter clothes at all and they are in bad financial shape so they cant afford to buy ANYTHING. Then I ended up walking around the store aimlessly because there was a HUGE line at the register and I didnt want to hear people complain and abuse the cashier. I work in customer service so it makes me mad when people are a-holes to cashiers, etc.

Oh, I got mistaken for a Shopko employee twice in like 2 minutes today! I was standing at the front of the fitting rooms picking out what to take in and there was no employee there, so this girl asks me "Should I just go on in?" So she thought I was either an employee or Miss Know-It-All. Then as I was walking in the fitting rooms another lady is coming out. She doesnt even LOOK at me and says "Excuse me, there's a flaw on these," pointing to the pants she's holding. I said "I dont work here". Dude. I was wearing camoflauge capris and a plum colored shirt--not even CLOSE to the Shopko uniform. HELLO???

I ate an entire bag of baby carrots in the car while out today. Good thing veggies are 0 points on WW. I've also drank a lot of water today--probably close to 80 ounces I would say. But I've also had 2 Diet Pepsis.

I had take-out fajitas for dinner. They were REALLY good. They were still kinda high in points but with my Flex Points I still stayed OP. I still have 27 Flex Points left too! Good thing because my friend her kids and I are going out to dinner tomorrow and she wants to go to some steak place. Hopefully they will have some grilled chicken or seafood I can get. Steak is not exactly point-friendly.

Well, everyone have a great night! Even though its almost 9 pm I think I am going to go to Walmart for groceries.

Amy --- you remind me of myself with your shopping I hope you have fun grocery shopping. Your post was so funny to me

Ammi-- Your post about t-shirts really made me want to shed tears. I have taken care of patients with ostomy's and I never really thought about how many things it can alter besides what happens on the medical end of it. You are such a beautiful person and are doing super in your weight loss journey. Thanks for opening my eyes....

Hi ladies. Long time no "see", I know. I'm sorry. Things have been crazy. I thought I was stressed and pressed for time before - I was dead wrong. I'm in school full time and working full time, and it seems like I just can't keep caught up anymore. Every day there's something else to do or worry about.

I'm not sure if anyone remembers, but I've had issues with weight gain lately. Well, since March anyhow. Today, I jumped on the scale and it literally broke my heart. I just can't believe I've let myself get this far behind. I was doing so well before, and now it's just sickening to think of what I've done to myself.

I've been saying I'm getting back on track, yadda yadda - but today, I think I have truly hit rock bottom. I haven't overeaten, I haven't had a lot of soda (about 10oz rather than the 3-4 20oz bottles), I've gotten a lot of water in, and I've eaten decently - and way less than I have been. I can either lose the weight or wind up sending myself to an early grave. I choose to live.

amy - be careful with high starch veggies. its only 0 pts for a cup. if you eat more, they do start to accumulate points. i get what you mean about "hey pot.. " LOL i say it like that too, and no one usually understands what i mean. i dont know how im going to approach it. i dont know if its worth it to just walk away because i have been friends with him since 6th grade (15 years), but i dont want to be "that girl" either. right now im just gonna lay low. we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. we have dinner plans on the 11th with some friends. ive thought about just acting normal like nothing was going on, but ive DONE that. (with other guys) ive let them get away with EVERYTHING and i just cant do that this time. this sucks.

ammi - im with you. i could have dealt with him being gay. i cant deal with dirty emails from another woman. even tho we arent "together", its still disrespectful.

if you havent, all of you need to go out and get "he's just not that into you" its REALLY a great book. very empowering !!

dont worry ladies, i will keep you posted

Ammi~Well my husband has threatend to hide the scale! lol! It is so funny because it drives him nuts me saying well I lost one pound..no wait I gained a pound...no I lost a pound! Its like a roller coaster. I hope I just take a break from weighing for awhile...just because it can really get addicting! As far as shirts do you ever wear layers? Like if you have a tank top and another open button up shirt to wear over it. I was just thinking maybe layering might help. As far as the DR I have to go back in to check thyroid and stuff and I will ask him about it. I will proably go next week. I am finding stretching is helping...I think I may not have done enough stretching to begin with.

violet~The good ole days of going to Walmart. I have lived near a walmart my whole life it seems...and now I have no walmart or target here. We actually only have one store called Alaska Commercial but its like a walmart.
Point is...I am having walmart withdrawls LOL. BTW congrats for staying op today!

brandnewme~I am sorta new around here. But welcome back! Good for you getting back on the wagon. That is what I have been trying to do this last month. Sounds like you had a good day of staying OP.

PPP~I have been meaning to read that book. I had a few friends who read it and said it was really good. Sorry you are having a hard time right now.

Well I better hit the sack soon. I am going to bed early. Husband is on shift work and there is not a thing going on in town or on tv. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Michelle

I am sorry that my comments were thoughtless; please accept my apologies.

You are right... weight is not necessarily an indication of what someone can do. I have just been very frustrated at going to these classes and their being so wimpy they are a waste of $$$.

But no reason to stick my foot in my mouth. Again, my apologies to anyone who was offended.

WOW what wonderful new pictures several of you posted! You are all looking GREAT!! And nope... NOT vain at ALL to post them here! This is the place where we can share such things. !!!!

Oh as to my Plan B, actually it is just to keep hitting it but start coming up with other forms of exercise. I will probably still go to the pool on Sat morning for the early lap swim as I can do my own aerobics in the slow lanes... but will probably start hitting the gym more also. And when we FINALLY get our winter rains (!!) I will be outdoors more doing even more walking as I love the cool rainy weather.

Ammi, my friend who had the colostomy was a guy and no, his was not reversible. It was hard for him too as he was a world traveler on his job and the pressure of airline cabins and delays caused him some real problems. But he had adapted very well to it.

Oh... someone here mentioned they had done parasailing on one of their cruises. But I forgot who. I'm seriously thinking about doing it... I read that the maximum weight is 300 pounds so I should be okay there. I would love to hear more about it from the person who posted or anyone else who has done it.

And Brandnewme... hey, hang in there! I am sure many of us have had to "start over again" many times in the past. You CAN still do it!!! Just jump right back up here on the wagon!

BRANDNEWME - I'm so glad you're back! We've missed you!! I'm saddened by the backslide - I know how frustrating and disheartening that is. But it's not the end of the world. You're back on track, and while I also know how hard those first few days can be, especially with a schedule like yours, at least we all know already that you CAN do this! Stick around when as much as you can. With full time work and full time school, we'll understand if you can't keep up with ALL the posts and that you may just have a few words for us. Just hang in there, k? We're here for you, and we really, REALLY want you to succeed! Good luck with school and I hope work is more sane than most places - you have a lot on your plate!

KENYA and NANCY - I'm floored! I just got a chance to look at the Pic Page and you two are JAMMIN'!!! You've both made such fabulous progress and are lookin' so good! The only thing more impressive than your outstanding work and efforts is the glorious differences in your before and after bodies! Keep it up! (Read also here: Ooooo me too! me too! I wanna be like them!!!)

Off for another day of right eating. On Sundays the exercise bit is more challenging because I don't have any of my organized things, like workout class. I'm active, but not really intense enough, so today I have to make a point of it. First day of a new month and new exercise goal - I don't wanna blow a day! At least the sun is shining here instead of yesterday's cold rain.

Time to chug down those vitamins and another cup of water... and I suppose I should get dressed before I leave the house.

C-YA!

Ammi scales put up for a few days lol! Brandnewme the main thing is you are ready to begin again.. take it like i do.. one day at a time!