susannah

Hey Juli, Good on ya! Keep plugging away at it. I agree with you re the food by the way. I am amazed people are even eating french fries or hot chips as we call them. Susannah

Hi Annie, I really love lighthouses. There is something really soothing and calming about them when they are bathed in moonlight. Typical that Stephen King should have a blood red mansion. I know he is very proud of Maine. Susannah

I love Dolly! She is actually a very accomplished songwriter. Love to See Miami also Piercedqt. Susannah

Remember Frank Sinatra singing " My kind of town, Chicago is, my kind of town" Love that song!!!! I would love to see Chicago definately. A million good cities in the US and so little time.:) Elisabeth, Maine and the Hamptons sound nice. Is Stephen King from Maine? Susannah

Gday Snaps, My brother lives in Brooklyn so I reckon we are gonna see lots of great stuff. They say New Yorkers are one out of the box. Susannah

Hey Mickey, I would like to go to QLD at some stage. I think the conference was being discussed on the Yahoo Lap Band boards and it was tentitively being called "Living Banded". Has anybody else heard anything about this? Susannah

Hey Girlz, Chickie no apologies needed. Mate this whole banding caper is not all beer and skittles that's for sure. Other people reckon we have taken the easy way out. WTF???!!!!! You still have to work at it every day. Hey Jacqui do you remember that old guy that used to run everywhere in his gumboots? He did marathons etc. Can't remember his name, but he was still running in his seventies before he died I recall. Susannah

Hey Jacqui, You and chickie have both blitzed it for sure.You have done very well. My only concern is that running is very hard on the body. Are you worried long term about knee trouble/arthritis etc and permanent damage? If you are not resting your body at all are you worried that you will wear it out earlier and have long term damage? Susannah

Hey Mickey, I have never been to Queensland, but apparently they are having a banding conference there next year, so maybe I will go. Don't know though because some bandsters you meet are fantastic, and some are the meanest, nastiest jerks, who have had a personality bypass. Sorry but I have to be honest here. Seventeen kilos in just over two months! Good on ya. You are powering away.:clap2: Susannah

Hey Chickie, When I called you hardcore I was saying it in a good way. You have had incredible results and that is to be admired. I physically can't do as much as you can because I have a medical condition that has weakened my body over time, but I reckon I am giving the exercise a red hot go to the best of my ability. I would have to agree with the whole obsession over protein. Protein schmotein! Not big on shakes either, but hey, to each their own. Babygrl you are tearing it up!:clap2: Good on ya. Susannah

Hi, I have being losing so much hair daily! It has been coming out in clumps. I generally have very thick hair and I have already lost so much. When will it stop? Susannah

Hi Crystal, I know it is such a battle we fight with weight. There are surgeons out there that will help you if you are upfront with them. I think that they realize that diets don't work statistically in the long run. Just be honest and let your surgeon know that you are really struggling with losing weight and that you need the surgery to keep your weight down for the rest of your life. I wish you lots of luck with it. Susannah

Hey Fort Bend, I think you are definately on to something there. Exercising definately speeds the weight loss along, and helps to keep your weight down. Like Meredith said also, you can have treats along the way as the exercise takes care of burning up the kilojoules. So I see that according to the poll 50% of people are exercising 5+ times per week. Wow! Well done. Well done to those that are doing 2-4 times too. That is ace. Meredith, I have experienced first hand how cold Canberra can be at this time of year and it ain't pretty.:biggrin1: Susannah

Hey, Thanks for the tips guys. I love the Boston accent. Thinking I would like to do the whole Memphis Elvis caper and tour the south. I also love Patsy Cline, so a visit to her hometown to pay hommage is a must. Susannah

Hi Tara, Unfortunately I won't be able to come to this weekend's meetup as I am going away to see my sister and nephews for the weekend. It's a pity because I would have loved to catch up with you and compare notes on all things banding. Oh well, I am sure there will be another time. Hi Mickey, How are things going up in Queensland? I am sure it must be a bit warmer up there than in melbourne right now. Ses, So you had to wait 4 years for your op? Susannah

Hi, Has anybody found that they read less since using the internet? I find that work,housework,exercise,visiting friends and the internet has really put my reading time on the back burner. When do you get the time? Susannah

Hi Crystal, I can understand that you are frustrated with your current weight, but I don't think it is ethically correct to lie to your surgeon. If you are wanting to lose weight why are you planning to put it on over December? Just to qualify? It is best to be honest at all times in your dealings with your surgeon and other health professionals. Susannah

Hey Girls, Chickie you are hardcore mate! But hey you have been an incredible success at losing weight, no doubt.:clap2: Meredith, You are getting married, so your life is revolving around that at the moment, and that is as it should be. When I go on my next holiday do you reckon I am going to exercise while I am away? Don't think so!. I am gonna bludge and enjoy it.:biggrin1: I am doing 4 days per week and I am getting good results with my weight loss, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it I reckon. If I stop losing weight I may need to ramp it up a bit, but it is working for me at the mo. How are you girls finding exercising outdoors in winter? It is not as delightful as summer that's for sure. Susannah

Hi Bubble and all, I sadly have not read a good book in quite a while. What are your favourite bookstores? I love Boarders even if they are a bit pricey. I hate that you have to spend $30 for one book. I like having a coffee in their cafe though. Susannah

Hi All, I thought a thread where we can exchange food stage ideas and recipes, that use ingredients readily available at our various supermarkets here, would help one and all. Liquids, mushies, solids, anything band friendly would be great. I am starting mushies on saturday and am in need of some good ideas. I am a bit challenged in the cooking department! Susannah

Hey, My moment of shame was when I broke a chair at work.:girl_hug: I was mortified. Susannah

Hi Lauren, Isn't it summertime in America? Maybe she is out having fun.:girl_hug: It is winter here so I am hibernating. Susannah

Hi Ses, Congrats on getting a date. I think your surgeon should have told you about the pre op Optifast diet as well as put it in a letter. The pre op diet is a very important part of the entire process for those patients who are asked to go on it. It has a two fold purpose in that it helps to kick start weight loss, and it helps to shrink the liver. The surgeon has to move the liver out of the way when performing the surgery, and it helps if it has shrunk a bit and is not so fatty. You must be excited. Not long now.:clap2: Susannah

Hi Edie, It was wonderful that you can now enjoy being outside without all the side effects of being obese. We can all now sit on that love seat/rockingchair on the patio in summer without breaking it too.:biggrin1: Susannah

Hey Sam, You have me worried now. Fourty nine kilos seems a little too low. Maybe you do need an unfill, because you don't want to get sick either. Insub, You just wait until the weight starts falling off. It will be a real incentive to keep going. Bronnie, hope your well, Mickey and everybody else also.:clap2: Susannah