Fenton

Harley! You're both beautiful! Those 50 lbs have made an incredible difference. And I'm sure you can see it, otherwise you wouldn't have posted the photos! (insert winking emoticon) I tease, but I think that one of the challenges we have is actually recognizing our achievement. Since I see myself every day, and the change has been incrementally slow, a lot of weight coming off a very big body, I rarely feel like I look different. But I see how my clothes hang off me now, and are way too big, and I've been dropping stuff off at the Salvation Army thrift shop, so I "know" I'm losing. Still, when people say to me, "OMG! You look great! You've lost so much weight!", I'm not sure that I believe it. Despite the scales! Anyway, congratulations, you look amazing. And how funny is it that your daughter is a young lady - when you mentioned the zoo, I'd imagined you pushing a stroller past the lion cage...

sugr, yoga allows me to slow down and take it easy for a while, to find myself back in myself instead of being pulled in all different directions at once. Plus it stretches my overstressed joints, and is good for me in terms of burning calories (some routines). I love it.

Don't worry, greg - the first 48 are the worst. Gradually your full function will come back. Clutch a pillow to your abdomen when you're getting out of bed or up out of a chair - that sometimes helps. But try to walk as much as you can. I was pretty damn creaky for the first few days, but it eases quickly, and the more you move, the more you realize you CAN move, and the better you feel.

Teri! Nice to see you again! You've been doing great! I think another temptation with your Nashville trip (aside from, let's be frank, the INCREDIBLE barbecue) might be this idea that "Hey, I'm getting another fill when I get home, so, why not..." etc etc. It would be for me so, AVOID that! We know where your scale lives now - we need you back here on the 10th - impress us with your ability to lose weight, even on a vacation! You know you can do it. You'll be walking a lot - I say you'll be down 2 lbs come the 10th. But you could probably beat that if you tried...

Loprofyl! Nice to see you're still around! WTG on the WL, too!

Ooh, Hastings - Sweden! One of my favourite places to travel! I wonder what the calorie content of pickled herring is. Nice work on the weight loss. I have an Omron too - those things are great! I still carry it, even though I'm wearing a Bodybugg.

I swear to God, I've been wanting to say "More poi???" for a LONG time now. I'm participating in a writers conference in Hawaii next year, so my wish will finally come true.

Mylah, I'm sure it's tasty, but I'm actually not a salmon fan. Unless, of course, it's smoked or cured, and accompanied by a robust supporting cast that includes bagels, cream cheese, capers and chopped Bermuda onions... Kathy, whatever you're eating it seems to be the right thing, because you're losing at a really great rate. And I think busy makes an excellent point: the people who are posting are people who'll definitely lose. I think if you're still reading, still thinking about this stuff, you're still in the game, still involved in the weight loss experience. Sure, lbt is great for inspiration and information, but I think it's most useful feature is that we can INTERACT, check up on each other, goad each other on, wail when it's not going right - anything to keep us focused on what we're doing. So keep posting! And busy, I have to say that for me the best thing about going to Hawaii would be an opportunity to turn to someone at dinner and proffer a heaping bowl of mashed root vegetables and say, "More poi?"

Mylah, I have to say that, at the thought of mushy salmon, very watery, I threw up in my mouth a little bit...

Congrats, Greg! And it looks like you'd already made a great start on it. With the gas pain, you'll be amazed by how much walking helps. YOu might not feel like it now, but just getting up and walking will help the gas pain, plus burn calories - you'll feel a lot better for it.

I've restarted doing yoga, which is a really good thing. I have started (and will continue, for the forseeable future!) easily, doing Rodney Yee's 20 minute morning routine in AM YOGA FOR BEGINNERS, and now am easing into something called, I think, YOGA CONDITIONING FOR WEIGHT LOSS, with Suzanne Deason. The latter is a 45 + minute sequence, and a bit more demanding, but it's a very well-produced DVD: you can do the full-on sequence that the trainer does, or you can follow a modified routine, either a 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 less strain/effort than it would take to do the full routine. It's actually a pretty clever DVD - you can watch the group of four practitioners, each working at their own level, or you can select to watch just the person who's doing the routine at the level you want to follow. Yesterday evening I did the fully modified version, which offers support for your forward bends and less strenuous positions. Overall, it was a good balance, with some bits which were a little too easy, and some which tested my limits - at my size, holding one's hands over one's head, or stretched out horizontally, for prolonged lengths of time is very challenging indeed. Still, it was the first time in a while; one of the great things about the DVD is that as you strengthen, you can graduate to the next level of difficulty. And, if my previous experience is anything to go by, I'll move up fairly quickly as I gain in strength and flexibility. So, yeah, I think it's a great DVD - and only $8.49 at Amazon! $2.50 or so secondhand!

OUCH! Damn, dentists aren't fun at the Best of times... Get better soon! And good work on the WL, btw - almost halfway there!

Sorry, jfran, I shouldn't be joking in your thread. But I'm not worried about you - you're a cutie. Give it some time, relax, and you'll get where you want to be....

Haha! Too late! And weirdly, today some crazy woman beat me up just because I was flirting with her baby and her father!

Also, if you're curious about what the experience will be like, up to and for the first few days after my band, I posted a lot - and pretty specifically - about what was going on in the Master Thread in the March 2008 monthly support group. A lot of people chimed in as they went through it, so there's plenty of really good advice there. You're among friends here, so relax, and enjoy the ride...

Coondawg, you're going to be fine! The band is the best possible thing you could do for yourself. There may be a bump or two in the road to getting in shape, but you'll definitely get there if that's what you want. As far as anxiety attacks, lots of people have them. The nicotine probably doesn't help, but there's a good chance that even without the snuff, you'd still be having the attacks. If you haven't mentioned them to your private doctor, you should - he can give you some anti-anxiety medicine to take when you start to get panicky. As Jack says, many of the things you have problems with will be helped by the weight loss that comes with a band. And it sounds like you're on your way! Good luck on your journey, and hang around here and tell us how you're doing.

Sharon! Nice work! More than a third of the way to goal, not that much more to go...

Christine, are you taking a fiber supplement like Benefiber or the generic equivalent? That would help with IBS or various post-banding irregularities...

Bratz, you're going to have to figure out a way to do it. If you can just get Thursday and Friday off, you'll have a four day stretch with the weekend. Rest up and get better. And! "Following the rules of the Band" might not be enough. Are you keeping a food diary? I think it would be worth it to journal the food you're taking in, your Protein consumption, your calorie consumption etc for a few days - you might be surprised...

We've ALL been through it, man - looking for help, making the decision to commit to banding, the pre-op testing, the jitters as the op gets closer - we know how it is! And we know you'll be fine - you're having a minor procedure that will not just save your life, it'll give it back to you. We've got your back!

Bratz, are you getting enough nutrition? Enough protein, vitamins, calories? If you're not feeling better soon, you should probably see your doctor.

Yeah, it's a PITA. I started on the Benefiber before I actually had the surgery, and it served me well. And continues to serve me well. Your intake goes down considerably, therefore so does your, uh, output...

Et tu, Stella? One of the things I love about Christine is that SHE doesn't have a damn Wii Fit! That MD's behaviour is outrageous! WTF does he think he IS?? And that you paid for it yourself makes it even more outrageous. If I were you, I'd share my opinions about that jerk in the appropriate forum on this board; just let people know what they can expect if they go to him. Really, someone needs a serious ass-kicking. Diva, I'm sorry to hear you're still a bit stiff - that'll ease with time. (And I'd like everyone to note how gracious I was with the Diva, who'll be waving her Wii in my face any day now...) (That doesn't sound quite Kosher, but you know what I mean!) Anyway, yes, it sounds like you've got too much of the restriction for which everyone is clamouring. The conventional wisdom seems to be to wait a little, see if things ease as you lose, but I agree with you: this process shouldn't be such a hardship. And PENNY! Congrats on a great NSV! That's the way it should be working... I'm actually trying to ease up a bit today exercise-wise - I've been feeling a bit of hip pain, so I'm going to slow down for a few days before I wear these bad boys out... But I've started doing yoga again, which feels really good. Perhaps tonight I'll do the longer program, which I haven't done for a while. I hope you're all having fun out there. Who's our barbecue fiend with the Sabotaging Sister? I hope she's having a special little treat today...

Thanks, all. It feels good. I just wish I didn't have to go through, like, EIGHT more stages of obesity until I reach the level of Normos... To use Jack's expression. (Also a term familiar from 2000AD, my favourite British comic book.)

Dude! It's a piece of cake! You've got a bunch of highly trained experts doing a procedure they've done zillions of times before. They know exactly what they're doing. It's natural to be worried before an operation, particularly if you're a big guy - I was 473 lbs at the start of this - but it really was fine. I walked into the OR, lay on the table, they put an IV in my arm, and then I woke up with a band. It was EXACTLY that fast. Really, everyone sweats it a little, but there's nothing to worry about. And, look at it this way: continue with your weight and lifestyle the way they are now... THAT's something to worry about! In a way, with a band, you HAVE won the lottery. You've made a great decision, just relax and embrace it. I'm down 50 lbs from my operation 10 weeks ago.