Everything is going well so far. I am now down 32 pounds - 20 of those were lost the month before surgery. I am measuring everything that goes into my mouth. I thought it would be a struggle doing that but I am finding it is easy to do - the scale is always on the counter. I absolutely love my scale - I got it years ago from Pampered Chef (www.pamperedchef.com)but never really used it much until now. I'm so glad I got it way back then. The other investment we made was to purchase an electric counter top meat grinder. That also sits on the counter as we use it at least 2 times a week or more. My husband loves and eats just about any kind of meat - if it is ground up. Otherwise he does not like much meat at all.

The exercise part of this program is not totally functional yet. I forget most days but when I am at work and need to run an errand downtown, I walk rather than getting in the van and driving that block or two. My balance is still not the best though. Maybe I should invest in one of those "magical bracelets" they advertise on TV that are supposed to restore your balance and anything else that is wrong with you :0)! I really need to set up a routine and stick to it - be as diligent with that as I am with the measuring of food and recording it. I really appreciate the Lapband website (www.lapband.com)the doctor recommended. It makes it easy to do daily recordings of just about everything. I have chosen to do monthly recordings of my measurements but daily recordings of my food intake and my blood sugar readings.

The negative stuff right now is that I have a bit of pleurisy going on and that has resulted in feeling very tired, almost exhausted by late afternoon. There really is nothing that can be done to ease the pain I feel in my left lung area when I breathe. I have a prescription for Darvocet for sleeping and that helps. So - since it is Saturday, I may just take that nap this afternoon. Sounds like indulgence - where did that come from - well - how about always hearing "do something productive" and "suck it up and keep moving" etc. You know - things that always made you feel guilty - coming from parents, teachers etc. So - when do I or can I stop listening to those voices from my past and do what I now think is right??? The answer comes from within folks! There is no magic bullet or pill one can take that will provide all the "correct" or "right ways" of doing things. You only have three people you can rely on - the same three I have - me, myself and I. And we are all in agreement on this one - a nap this afternoon will be great - so there :0)! Tikki