Guess What? It's Finally Happened.

I'm starting to forget.

Yep, I'm starting to forget that I have a Lap Band. 

I remember when I used to hear bandsters say that they "forget" that they have a band.  I would immediately think to myself: "Are you CRAZY?!  How can you forget that you have a band?"

I remember discussing this idea of forgetting with Banded Wendy in San Francisco this past Spring.  We both couldn't believe that anyone would ever forget that they have a band.

Well, it's finally happening to me.

Could this be because all the healthy habits that go along with my band lifestyle are now just second nature and I don't have to think about it as much?

I do get all kinds of reminders daily that there really is a band inside of me:

• When I swallow my first sips of water in the morning.
• When I walk outside on a really cold day.  Bam! Hello restriction!
• When I eat too fast or don't chew well enough.

After two years, the band almost feels like a body part that I've always had.

However, I can promise you that I will never forget what it felt like to be fat, sick, and tired for almost 20 years:

“It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”

~Henry David Thoreau

Do You Still Have Leftovers From Thanksgiving?

Yeah, me too.

One of the major ways that I stay on track with my eating choices is to keep what's in my refrigerator and kitchen cabinets very boring with healthy food choices. 

I make sure that there are no tempting foods lurking in my kitchen.  That way, if I am having a moment of weakness, there is nothing hanging around in the kitchen calling my name.  I drive over to Dairy Queen or Taco Bell for those special moments.

But seriously, in the past two years I have finally taught myself to throw away food (or pawn it off onto friends).

Yes, I chuck that food out. 

With no regrets.

Of course, I know that there are starving and hungry people around the world who could use that food.

It can be confusing sometimes to live in a culture of so much abundance of food while others are suffering of malnutrition and starvation.

I have learned that me cramming my pie hole with bad food choices because "I don't want it to go bad" or "waste it" does not help ANYONE, not even the world's hungry.  It's not like I'm going to FedEx my turkey and stuffing to the starving people of Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Seriously.

Therefore, I like to think of this little nugget of wisdom that Stephanie, Electric Lady Band told me in Chicago: "You can put it in the garbage now; or eat it and put it in the toilet later." 

Enough said.

I Need Your Help

If you remember, I never really rewarded myself when I arrived at my goal weight.  Because for me, the real test has been maintenance.

I will be celebrating maintaining my goal weight for one year with a new sparkly.  A ring.  I'm not much a jewelry wearer so this is a big step for me.

An alcoholic gets one year chip, so I'm getting a ring.

I will always be an obese person in recovery.  Always.  This ring will be a physical reminder for me.

So this brings me to YOU.  I need your help thinking of a 3-5 word saying/quote/etc that I can engrave inside the ring.  You are so creative with your ideas, I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Ideas so far that I've received from you on the Facebook page:

• "12-17-2011"   (1 goaliversary)
• "Never Forget"
• "Never Look Back"
• "Baby Steps"

Some initial sketches of the ring...

I hope to have the ring on my finger by the end of December, but as they say "Something worth having is something worth waiting for."

Weigh-in Day...and Eloise.

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 137.9 lbs

Here's a quick pic of me getting the turkey (A.K.A. "Eloise") ready for the oven yesterday.  Do you name your Thanksgiving turkey?

Happy Friday!

What Are You Thankful For?

It's Thanksgiving day here in the U.S.A.  


A time for me to remind myself of how thankful I am to have such good friends and family in my life.

But of course, there are also many, many weight loss related things to give thanks for:

I am thankful that I have learned:

• My food choices are never, ever going to fix my deeper problems.
• Food is not going to make me blissfully happy.
• Food is not my friend.
• Food is not going to make me feel less stressed about the business that is life.
• Food is not going to give me the courage to change things in my life.
• Food is not meant to be an escape from reality.

I am thankful that I am no longer sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I am thankful that I don't feel like I am dieting just because I am eating less.

I am thankful for my improved sleep quality at night -- no more naps during the day! I am no longer sleeping my life away.

I am thankful that food no longer has as much power over me.

Lastly, I couldn't end this post without a Thanksgiving funny...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm the Type of Girl...

...that used to fall down flat on my face.  Literally.  All...the..time.

There's a joke in my family about always packing enough band aids when heading out on vacations, 'cuz I would need them.  Lots of them.

The other inside joke is that there isn't a country that I haven't fallen down in. 

I can think of so many embarrassing examples, here are just two:

• Inside the British Museum in London in front of a crowd of tourists? Yep, it happened...just next to the Rosetta Stone.
• At the top of some waterfalls in South Africa? Of course it happened.

It's a good thing that I know how to roll once I hit the ground.  It's an acquired skill set.  I should put that on my resume.

Anyways, I just read this recent article about how obese people are 73% more likely to have an accident than the non-obese.

This made me realize: I don't fall down anymore.  I wonder if the extra weight threw my balance off?  Who knows.

I'm just glad that I don't have to buy so many Hello Kitty band aids anymore.

Time to add another Non-Scale Victory (NSV) to the list!

“Friends are like bras: close to your heart and there for support.”

Why have I never heard any of you ladies talk about the Brassiere Removal Approach (B.R.A.) of getting food unstuck?  Yeah, I just made that acronym up.  It's an official bandster word now.  You're welcome.

I have now used the B.R.A. method on three or four occasions (luckily I'm usually at home!) to get a stuck vitamin or piece of food to go down.  

Here's how it usually goes down (literally):

1. I swallow the food/vitamin.
2. It gets stuck.
3. I slime, slime, slime, then slime some more.
4. I walk around for a few minutes with my arms/hands above my head stupidly thinking this will help.
5. Then I undo the clasp on my bra, I swallow a few times and down the vitamin/food goes down.

Crazy, indeed!

I did some searches on the interwebs about this B.R.A. method and I did find THIS forum post.

Let me assure you, my bras are not too tight.  I am technically a 34D and I'm still wearing my 36Ds 'cuz they're more comfy.  And I almost never wear underwires...those b*tches are painful torture devices.  Just sayin'.

So, has anyone else used the B.R.A. technique? I want to know.

It's Time to Place Your Bets!

I'm looking forward to making a big Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday.  Family will be staying for the long weekend too.  It will be fun!

So I've made my spreadsheet with my shopping list and have just returned home from grocery shopping.

Now there are foods in my kitchen that are NEVER EVER there.  Yikes.

What foods?  All trigger foods for me:

• Breakfast cereal
• Peanut butter
• Ice cream
• Pie
• Mini Marshmallows
• Butter
• Whipped cream
• Half & half
• Bread
• The list could go on and on.

How many days until Thursday?  Sigh.

This will be a good test for me to see if this food stays OUT of my mouth until then.  

Do you think I can last until Thursday?  Place your bets...

Here are all the yummies....I think I can even hear their thoughts if I listen closely...

How Maintenance is Different than Losing

I would like to send a big shout and thank you to Dawnya who inspired me to do this post. 

If you haven't visited Dawnya's blog, please stop by and say "hi."

***************************************

Maintenance is NOT losing.

Losing is NOT maintenance.

No one ever told me about what maintaining my weight would be like. 

This is uncharted territory for me.

I never knew what it would take to maintain my weight because in the past I would lose about 25 lbs and then gain it all back.  Repeatedly.  A very viscous and frustrating cycle.

What I ate and my exercise choices when I was losing is different than what I currently eat and my exercise choices in maintenance.

However, what I learned when I was losing has helped me to better understand what I need to do to be successful at maintaining my weight. 

Confusing, right?

Well, since I love a fancy color-coded spreadsheet, I created this one to explain it: (Click on the picture to make it BIG):

My summary of the above:  I eat more carb-type foods now (and more of them) but I exercise more to make up for it.

Sure, there are many different ways to achieve weight maintenance, but for me, this seems to be working pretty well.

Weigh-in Day...and What I'm Thankful For

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 140 lbs

*******************
Onwards to giving some long overdue thanks...

So, you've heard me go on and on about Zumba...Yeah, I've Zumba'd in Los Angeles, CA.  I've Zumba'd in Orlando, FL.  I've Zumba'd in Monterey, CA.  I've Zumba'd in Napa, CA.

All different instructors.  All different styles and moves.  I guess you could say I'm a promiscuous Zumba-er.  I get around.

What have I learned?

The instructor can make the class FABULOUS or just ho-hum and not too exciting.

I am thankful for having one of the most motivating and FUN Zumba instructors...EVER.

Last night was my Zumba instructor, Anne's, last class teaching for awhile.

As you can see, she's 8+ months pregnant:

When we hugged good-bye last night, I reminded her that she has transformed me from a big T-shirt, baggy sweats wearing 230+ lbs to a now tight tank-top, spandex wearing 140 lbs.

She then reminded me that, no, it wasn't her doing, it was me who did it.

Can You Help A Sister Out?

I received an email a few days ago from a woman named Amanda. 

Amanda's a trained couples therapist completing her PhD in clinical psychology at Clark University in Worcester, MA.

Amanda needs your help.

For her dissertation, she's developed an anonymous, online survey that asks questions related to:

Do you ever feel that your romantic partner gets in the way of your weight loss?

This is an important study that could help health care professionals better understand their patients' barriers to weight loss.

Here's the link to the ANONYMOUS online survey

Before you begin the survey, you'll want to ensure that you can answer "YES" to the following questions:
*Have you been participating in a weight loss program for the past consecutive 5 weeks?
*Have you been in a committed, cohabitating relationship for the past two years?


Please feel free to repost this on your blog too.


******************************
Details from Amanda's email:

Participation in this survey should take approximately 30-45 minutes (there are open-ended questions which sometimes take participants longer to fill out depending on their particular experiences with the phenomenon of partner undermining. We appreciate your thoughtful responses about how you feel your weight loss program is undermined by your romantic partner and how this affects you).

The responses to this survey are anonymous and cannot be traced back to participants. Any question may be left unanswered. Participation is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time. If eligible to take this survey, you will be provided with an email address to enter a lottery for $100.

This study is being conducted by Amanda G. Harp, M.A., who is a graduate student in the Psychology Department at Clark University under the supervision of James V. Cordova, Ph.D. If you have any questions about this study, please contact Amanda Harp (aharp@clarku.edu) or Dr. James Cordova (jcordova@clarku.edu)

Confession Time...

Is it the Maltodextrin?

Perhaps it's the sugar?

Or maybe it's the cocoa powder? 

Yep, it MUST be the cocoa powder.  As you know, chocolate makes everything better.

Who knew that all of these things are in Taco Bell Meat Filling.   Yum.

Here's the ingredient label as proof:

So, ummmmm....about that confession...

Are you ready for it?  Can you handle it?

Here goes:

I eat a Nachos Bell Grande from Taco Bell about two to three times a week. Seriously.  I eat the whole thing each and every time.

Sshhhh...it's our little secret.

I know that the nachos are about 800 calories (depending if Paco working behind the counter gets too eager with the heaping servings sour cream and fake fluorescent orange cheese sauce).

Good thing I workout like crazy to cancel out all those extra calories.

Shut Your Mouth Already

Oh Em Gee.

Did you read this article: "Want to lose weight? Shut your mouth"?

The woman in the article, Anita, lost 242 lbs.  Pretty amazing, right?  Congrats Anita! That's a lot of hard work.

Here's how Anita did it:
1. Eat 8 ounces of food every 3 hours
2. No sugary drinks
3. Do not skip meals
4. Do not tell anyone what you're doing

What?  Huh?  Seriously?  This sounds like "secret dieting" to me.

For me, secret dieting always led to thoughts and behaviors like:

• "No one knows that I'm dieting, therefore I can eat this donut.  Who will care? No one will ever know."
• "No one knows that I'm trying to lose weight, therefore I don't have to exercise.  No biggie.  My own little secret if I don't go to the gym today."

Ultimately, secret dieting for me means that there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

Yes, I lost 115+ lbs for me. I did it to improve my health. I did not lose the weight for anyone else. However, I do get a lot of accountability and support from others.

Anita must have some fabulous internal accountability.  I wish that I some of that internal accountability, but I don't.

I've read many posts from weight loss bloggers (banded or not) that they notice that their weight loss stalls or they're seeing gains on the scale when they stop blogging.  Blogging is support for a lot of us.
 
I can remember when I used to be a Weight Watcher.  If I just weighed-in and didn't stay for the meeting, I was usually not as successful with my weight loss that following week. Why? For me, the support that I would get and give during the meeting was crucial for me.
 
I'm going to my surgeon's support group tonight because I will never shut my mouth about my weight loss journey (even though some people in my every day life probably wish that I would).

What do you think about secret dieting? Were/are you successful with this method of weight loss?

If You Don't Want a Sarcastic Answer, Don't Ask a Rhetorical Question...

Two separate women (who don't know each other) both asked me the same question this past week.

Are you ready for the question?

Here goes:

"Do you find it easy to maintain your weight loss?"

Seriously?  

Really?

I tried not to laugh at these ladies when they asked this question.

I tried to keep a straight face.  I tried really, really, hard.  But I couldn't.  I cracked a smile both times.

I'm sure that you can guess what my response to this question was...


No.


It's not easy.


Actually, it's a lot of work.   But of course, I follow it up with a "it's worth it."  'Cuz it is.

How would you respond to that lovely question?

Weigh-in Day...and the Results Are...

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 139.6 lbs (EXACTLY the same as last week's weigh-in).

I've just stopped in at Starbucks for my usual skinny caramel latte.  Of course they had those tempting little free samples of coffee cake.  Yeah, I just had to have one.  Seriously, they are barely a bite-sized taste.  Tiny.

And guess what? 

Yep, it got stuck.

Then I started sliming...

Good times.

Luckily, after some walking around and sipping my hot coffee a little it finally went down.  Whew! 

I guess I have taken my band restriction to a new level which I have officially entitled:

"No more bread/cake type foods first thing in the morning" or more commonly known as: "Stop eating cake for breakfast you big Fatty."

I Have Arrived...At the Sweet Spot

I'm kinda scared about putting this in writing because as you know, our bands can hear us and they can READ.  Yeah, just ask Island Bandit.  Her band is especially smart and clever it seems.

So here goes...

I puffy sparkly heart this latest fill. 

My restriction is at it's bestest level EVER. 

I am officially in the sweet spot. 

I took my big scary Omega 3 vitamin last night with no PB or stuck problems. 

But shhhh...it's our little secret, mmmkkkkaayyy?


And for no specific or rational reason, here's your Oompa Loompa song for the day:

Oompa loompa doopadee doo

I've got a perfect puzzle for you.
Oompa loompa doopadee dee

If you are wise you'll listen to me

What do you get when you guzzle down sweets?

Eating as much as an elephant eats?

What are you at getting terribly fat?

What do you think will come of that?

I don't like the look of it.

Oompa loompa doopadee dah.

If you're not greedy, you will go far.

You will live in happiness too.

Like the Oompa Loompa doopadee doo.

Doopadee doo!

Step Into the Museum My Friends...

Two posts in one day...a miracle indeed. 

This is not band related at all.

Ronnie over at Ronnie's Bandumentary has announced that the writing prompt for the day is: "When was the first time that you realized that your home was not like other people's homes?"

I think that I realized that my childhood home was not like my classmates and friends when I was about six years old.

Let me tell you why.

It's the decor.  It's been decorated pretty much the same way now for over 35 years.

What makes the decor so different?

Well, let's start with the zebra and springbok skins on the walls and hanging over chairs.

...and there's those African baskets.

....and the African wood drums.

...the giraffe tail hanging on the wall. 

Oh and don't forget the carved wooden masks...

Here are examples of what I am talking about that I found on the interwebs:

With half of my immediate family coming from and still living in South Africa, I guess it's to be expected?

Yeah, it kinda looks like a museum.  If you've ever visited the now closed Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island at Walt Disney World, it kinda looks like that.  But unfortunately, we don't have any of those crazy costumed characters running around shouting "Conga Loosh!" (that would be fun though)

All this stuff is older than me.  Oh, and older than my older sister.   I've become very used to it.  I don't even notice it anymore.

I can remember coming home from playing at a friends house one Saturday afternoon when I was probably eight years old and asking my Mom:  why can't we have a normal house like everyone else?  I don't think I ever really got a good answer to that question.

So, as you can guess, my choice of decor in my own home has always been pretty traditional or as like to call it: "normal".

OK, your turn.  When was the first time that you realized that your home was not like other people's homes?

Reminders....10 Tips For Unlocking the Keys To Band Success

As I promised yesterday, here are some great reminders/tips from my surgeon's office:

1. The band is not primarily about restriction
2. The band is first about reduced appetite (hunger) and eating less.
3. Always stop eating when you no longer feel physically hungry.  This may be long before you actually feel full.
4. Measure foods, eat only the amount you measure, and then walk away.
5. Do not rely on your stomach "feeling full" as your signal to stop eating.  This can easily lead to chronic overeating because the stomach "tells" the brain it's full about 20 minutes after it actually is.
6. Never eat until you are "stuffed."
7. Never eat more simply because you can.
8. The key to successful weight loss is not how much you can eat, but how little you can eat to suppress appetite.
9. Pay close attention to your bodies signals that you are done eating.  For some people this can be hiccups, a runny nose, watery eyes, a sigh, or a slight pain in the left shoulder.  What does you body tell you?
10. The band is a tool, you are the user, the controller, of the tool.  Like any tool, it is only as effective as the person using it.  You can use is effectively (like hitting the hammer on the head of the nail) or ineffectively (hit the hammer all around the nail).  You control the tool, not the other way around  By being careful and attentive you too will become a Band master.

Source: Southern Oregon Bariatric Center

Does a Lap Band Adjustment Hurt?

This shout-out post is for the newbies.  I get emails from you guys all the time asking about whether a band adjustment (A.K.A "a fill") hurts.  Well, since I had a fill yesterday, I thought that I'd tell you all about it.

Here's how a fill usually goes down:

1. I lay on the table and lift up my shirt to just below my bra line. I fold my pants waistband down. I put my hands/arms above my head.
2. My belly area is cleansed with Betodine.
3. The medical professional feels for the port (I am very lucky that my port is pretty easy to find).  It helps to push your tummy out a bit, like you're doing a sit-up.
4. The area is numbed with Lidocane (this hurts more than the actual fill, in my opinion)
5. The port is accessed with a special needle as shown below.  Fluid is added or removed and then the needle is taken out.  Here's a photo of the needle inside my port yesterday:

      6.  They clean up my belly to remove the Betodine and then put a band-aid on.

My nurse practitioner ended up putting in 0.3 ccs which takes it to a grand total of 7.6 ccs in my 10 cc Lap Band.

Here's what it looks like when the needle is removed:

Overall: it hurts less than a flu shot or a vaccine in your arm.

By the way, the sensation of when they remove fluid is really an odd feeling.  I cannot explain it very well.  You have to experience it to know it.  I feel like I can't quite catch my breath. It's super weird. But it tells me that yes, indeed, there's a band in there.

Tomorrow's post: 10 Tips For Unlocking the Keys To Success With the Lap Band.  (Ummm...yeah, I stole borrowed some informational sheets from the surgeon's office yesterday and I will be sharing them with you.)

The Long Lost Chicago Shopping Story

"I like my money right where I can see it: hanging in my closet." ~Carrie Bradshaw; Sex and the City.

Let's talk about the shopping that occurred at BOOBs in Chicago.

Took me long enough to get around to this post, right?  Grab that cup of coffee a settle in.  This is going to be a long post.

Since I live in middle-of-nowhere podunk Oregon, I've become quite skilled at online shopping. 

But let me tell ya, a girl really can't get the full-on shopping retail therapy experience unless she tries the clothes on and then prances around and poses in the dressing room.

The prancing is important. That's how I can tell if a cute top or a sexy dress speaks to me. 

Wait, your clothes don't speak to you?  Ummm, yeah, me either.

By the way, you know those magical mirrors in the dressing rooms that seem to make one look ten pounds lighter?  I want one of those mirrors in my house.  I'm taking donations towards the cause....just sayin'.

Anyways, onwards to the fun and amazing shopping adventure that I had on that fateful breezy Monday morning in Chicago.  It seems like it was just yesterday...

I first stopped in at Forever 21 which was just around the corner from the hotel.

Yes, I do realize that their clothes are pretty much made out of paper and after a few washings they will disintegrate.  But they have cute stuff hangin' up in that store I wanted to check it out.

Unfortunately, there's nothing like trying on junior size clothes to make a gal feel like a fat cow.  I am a size X-LARGE at Forever 21.  Seriously. Sigh.  But I never forget to remind myself that I couldn't have ever shopped in junior sizes when I was a fatty.  I ended up buying a boring navy blue button-down sweater cardigan.  Yep. A work outfit staple.  Way to step out of my comfort zone, right?  NOT.

I then headed north on Michigan Ave.  My destination was the Water Tower Place Mall.

Eight levels of shopping extravaganza and enlightenment.  Supposedly, Oprah has an apartment in the building.  I should have texted her so we could grab a coffee and catch up.  But I forgot and honestly, I had exactly two hours to get all my shopping done before I had to meet my roomie, Stephanie, for our official last supper in Chicago (deep dish pizza of course).

I arrived at the mall right when it opened at 10am.  Where was everyone?  It seemed like a ghost town.  I walked into White House - Black Market.

The overly eager sales ladies greeted me immediately and asked what they could help me find.  I said I was just looking around.  Then the especially commission-focused sales lady who I nick-named in my head as "scary eyebrows" asked if I wanted to see their fall collection.

Ummm...sure?

In five minutes flat, Scary Eyebrows had me trapped in a dressing room trying on all kinds cute skirts and tops.  In the end, I bought...betcha can't guess....yep, a white sweater cardigan.  Uh oh, I just may be a one trick pony after all.

I then ventured into Victoria Secret.  Pretty much no man's land for me when I was a fatty.  I never ever was able to fit into ANYTHING in Vicky's when I was a fatty.

I always feel that when I now walk into a Vicky's that the sales ladies will give me one look and laugh because I must be in the wrong place.  But there were no laughs to be heard.

Here is your OFFICIAL WARNING:  Never walk into a Vicky's on a Monday morning at 10am.

They are eager.

The sales ladies will pretty much start measuring you and force you things to try on.

After trying on what seemed like every version of bra ever invented, the middle-aged sales lady somehow convinced me to try on this bra/thong combo:

Wow. Me likey.  At that exact moment when I looked at my reflection in the magical dressing room mirror, I knew it.

I knew that ALL of that hard work of counting calories/protein and exercising was abso-freaking-lutely worth it.

Of course the sales lady asked to see how it looked.  I slowly opened the curtain and stood there embarrassed.

She nodded approvingly with a smile on her face.  Then as if modesty wasn't a concern, she calls over TWO MORE of her sales lady cronies for them to get a look too. Or as she said it, for "training purposes." WTF.

I ended up buying way too much at Vicky's that day.  Damn those overly eager sales ladies.

But honestly, it was fun experience and validated all that hard work that I've done to get my body to look like it does.  It made me realize that, yes,  IT'S WORTH IT.

Weigh-in Day...

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 139.6 lbs

Happy Friday!

Does Anybody Have an iBand?

No.  It's not another brand of gastric band or an iPhone app.

It's a new surgical procedure that's being done when a new Lap Band is placed around the stomach.  It's called iBand.  Or more officially it's called "Imbricated Lap Band Procedure."

This procedure takes the Lap Band to the next level.

The surgeon not only places the Lap Band at the top of the stomach, but also makes the stomach below the band smaller by folding the stomach inwards and suturing the stomach walls together.  Almost like a gastric sleeve without the cutting of the stomach.

If you want to see a cute cartoon on what the procedure looks like, click HERE.

If you want to see a surgeon, Dr. Adam Smith (who is banded himself), talk about the iBand procedure, click HERE.  The best thing about the entire interview is the comment that Dr. Smith makes about accountability.  Me likey.

Here's Dr. Smith showing off his weight loss.  Another successful bandster!

Do you have an iBand? I want to know

Can I Ask You a Really Random Question?

I can't believe that I've never asked any of my fellow bandsters about this...

Ever since I've been banded I've been much more prone to motion sickness. 

Before banding, I had no problem with it.  Planes, trains, cars, boats, etc...no problem at all.  Very rarely would I have an issue, unless I was on a cruise ship in really choppy/rough seas would I consider taking a Dramamine or Bonine.

Now? Sigh... It seems to happen more often now that I'm banded.  Heaven forbid I look down at my phone while I'm a passenger in a car or read a map. I'll get so queasy. I have to look out the window.  So now, I always keep Bonine and/or Zofran in my purse just in case.  And sometimes that doesn't even help.

It can be a quick 10 minute car ride in town or a plane ride across the country, I can sometimes get queasy.

I wonder if this increase in motion sickness has to do with my stomach is often empty?  But wait, isn't motion sickness an inner-ear thing?  Who knows?

Have you had this problem?  Any advice?

Versatile Blogger Award!

Lucy over at "Lucky Lucy's Lap Band" awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award.  Thank you Lucy!

Versatile: ver-sa-tile [vur-suh-tl] or, especially British, [vur-suh-tahyl]: capable of, or adapted for, turning easily from one to another various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.

Award Rules:
1. You thank the person who presented you with the award.
2. You tell 7 things about yourself.
3. You award 15 other newly discovered bloggers.

OK, onwards to seven things about me...hmmm....Is there anything that you don't already know about me yet?  Here goes:

1. I finally started my Christmas shopping/gift list last night.  Finally.  I am usually done with most of my shopping by Halloween.  Where has the time/year gone?  I can't believe that Christmas will be here in eight weeks.  By the way, is anyone else participating in the secret santa that is being organized by the beautiful Shannon?  I am!
2. I plan on wearing leg warmers and a sweat band to Jazzercise one of these days. It would look super hot, right?
3. I have been meaning to tell you about my "undo" days.  It's where I eat super healthy and low calorie/high protein (approximately 1000 calories a day) to "undo" a previous day's poor food choices. Anybody else have "undo" days?
4. I went HERE last night.  So spooky! I'm such a scaredy cat.
5. My guilty pleasure TV show this season is Tough Love Miami. Who else watches that hot mess?
6. If I adopted another cat, I would name him "Mr. Darcy."  But I don't think Pemberley would like another kitty in the house.  She likes to be the princess and only kitty around here.
7. I have a fill scheduled one week from today! yay!

I would like to pass along this award to one special new blogger out there, not 15 bloggers as the rules state. (If you haven't noticed already, I'm not exactly a rule follower.  I'm more of a rule bender).

Anyways, I award Big Jim over at "A Quest to Become Medium Sized".  He's a new blogger.  There are so few men who are banded out here in the blogosphere.  Please stop by and say "Hi" to Jim.