lizrbit

all the moves are done. Im now living alone in Tennessee and its gorgeous here. Im currently looking for work. Ive got the steps for reenrolling at my alma mater lined up and ready. things are good. okay, lets see. started at 330. got down to 140. (too thin for me). and got an unfil in ..august? maybe september? of 2009, and gained twenty lbs back which...was a good thing. of course i prefer it to have been ten to fifteen instead and i can live with that constant range. Im currently at 160, and im VERY comfortable here. I eat well. i cook everything myself and I dont eat out much (very tight budget). Im happy. Happier than ive been in a while. i turn 42 in a week.:w00t:

all the moves are done. Im now living alone in Tennessee and its gorgeous here. Im currently looking for work. Ive got the steps for reenrolling at my alma mater lined up and ready. things are good. okay, lets see. started at 330. got down to 140. (too thin for me). and got an unfil in ..august? maybe september? of 2009, and gained twenty lbs back which...was a good thing. of course i prefer it to have been ten to fifteen instead and i can live with that constant range. Im currently at 160, and im VERY comfortable here. I eat well. i cook everything myself and I dont eat out much (very tight budget). Im happy. Happier than ive been in a while. i turn 42 in a week.:tongue_smilie:

Much has happened. I think i lost too much wieght, and had an adjustment before i left the island with my surgeon and had some fill taken out. Ive left the state, and in transition. Im preparing to move to even yet another state and resume studies in a program i left 7 years ago and finish this time. On the island, i got down to 140 lbs (down from orig 330). much of it was poverty and stress, and the inability to see where i was supposed to stop. Ive since put back on fifteen lbs and feel significantly better, and back to eating more healthier as well. Losing great amounts of wieght significantly impacts the lives of the people around you...the people in your life. I never recieved any councelling that addressed this. Ive seen a couple of therapists, and they address depression, but ive not been able to find anyone that will address the issues surrounding the weightloss, and it does matter. Outside of my children, this was the best thing to happen to me in my adult life..a second chance at living better. But, i had issues outside of my wieght that were keeping me not only at a higher wieght, but at a specific way of living, and people involved fought back very hard against the change. Instead of support, i found...not so much support. Im still struggling with that, but making progress and choices moving in good directions, but the changes necessary are very, very difficult and ive had to make choices that i never forsaw or even imagined. EVEN knowing this..even if i knew before the band, what would happen, i would STILL have done it, and im grateful every single day that i get to walk in these shoes instead of the ones i had spent so many years wearing.

Much has happened. I think i lost too much wieght, and had an adjustment before i left the island with my surgeon and had some fill taken out. Ive left the state, and in transition. Im preparing to move to even yet another state and resume studies in a program i left 7 years ago and finish this time. On the island, i got down to 140 lbs (down from orig 330). much of it was poverty and stress, and the inability to see where i was supposed to stop. Ive since put back on fifteen lbs and feel significantly better, and back to eating more healthier as well. Losing great amounts of wieght significantly impacts the lives of the people around you...the people in your life. I never recieved any councelling that addressed this. Ive seen a couple of therapists, and they address depression, but ive not been able to find anyone that will address the issues surrounding the weightloss, and it does matter. Outside of my children, this was the best thing to happen to me in my adult life..a second chance at living better. But, i had issues outside of my wieght that were keeping me not only at a higher wieght, but at a specific way of living, and people involved fought back very hard against the change. Instead of support, i found...not so much support. Im still struggling with that, but making progress and choices moving in good directions, but the changes necessary are very, very difficult and ive had to make choices that i never forsaw or even imagined. EVEN knowing this..even if i knew before the band, what would happen, i would STILL have done it, and im grateful every single day that i get to walk in these shoes instead of the ones i had spent so many years wearing.

i currently weigh 159 lbs. i started out at 330 lbs. i dont have a car down here, and i ride my bike everywhere i go. I am currently waiting tables and still paint, but shows these days are far and few between, so i wait tables. Im also back in college. Prealgebra is kicking my tail. but ...im plugging along. im happy. Im very close to my surgeons goal, and to be honest, i was thrilled even twenty lbs ago. Skin is an issue, but not as bad as i thought it would be. I dont know if im going to pursue plastic surgery at this point. probably not (since im waiting tables). I love being this size. I never once thought, before the band, or even when banded, that id actually see this. live this, you know? I have a list of things im grateful for, and the band is one of them. Id love to talk to others whove been banded a while and compare experiences. its been a while since ive spoken to anyone about it. I love that more people are doing it. :thumbup:

i currently weigh 159 lbs. i started out at 330 lbs. i dont have a car down here, and i ride my bike everywhere i go. I am currently waiting tables and still paint, but shows these days are far and few between, so i wait tables. Im also back in college. Prealgebra is kicking my tail. but ...im plugging along. im happy. Im very close to my surgeons goal, and to be honest, i was thrilled even twenty lbs ago. Skin is an issue, but not as bad as i thought it would be. I dont know if im going to pursue plastic surgery at this point. probably not (since im waiting tables). I love being this size. I never once thought, before the band, or even when banded, that id actually see this. live this, you know? I have a list of things im grateful for, and the band is one of them. Id love to talk to others whove been banded a while and compare experiences. its been a while since ive spoken to anyone about it. I love that more people are doing it.

sue, i can SO relate to the dysmorphia. I go through that too, as well as the feelings of ?? and anger regarding attractiveness and husband issues. I cant even go into how absolutely lonely the last several years have been and the struggles there, but i bet there are a LOT of us that can relate to it directly too. Im seeing a therapist, and taking things slowly in terms of my internal dialog about the subject...but yes there is resentment. I try to keep thinking that at least i HAVE this second chance at living, and to have it on my own terms (thank you so much lapband and my incredibly talented surgeon) . If HE (husband) wants to become more attractive and put in some effort then hey, im all eyes. That attractive thing runs two ways and WE are worth the effort too.

hi krite, thanks for commenting! I know i know...its a bad discusting habit. i do replace them often with those losenges and that helps. I am concerned about it too. I do promise ill get a handle on it soon. When i work out in the mornings, and if its a good aerobic one, i find i can go without them for long stretches during the day. I still have my eye on the problem there. Thanks for looking out for me. :thumbup: I mean that. sometimes it feels kinda lonely on this journey and knowing someone cared enough to post means alot.

mantee! you look fantastic! I got forty left to go and its slowed down a LOT since ive been back in maine and eating with the boys. I cook for three grown men when im here, and its VERY difficult to stay the line. even though im not seeing the scale move very much these days im still working out and trying to maintain activity and solid proteins. Twin, im with you on the plastics. Ive taken SOME photos for my own reference but im just not ready to do bathing suit pics for public consumption yet. I keep telling myself "its all relative".