gowalking

Smart man. He knows not to ask and he also knows that if the time/relationship is right, you'll tell him.

And this is why we will be a dynamic duo Lisa. I was going through the posts looking to see if anyone was going to address this. Good for you. You took the words right out of my mouth. Never forget, the doctor works for us. No matter what...we are always the customer and as such, need to use those we employ as we see fit. Good luck Gardnergirl. You've got this!

I know this is ambitious but maybe we need to do a cruise. This way, we can meet up. Would love to see Tammie again and meet Mikee, Jamilyne, Sharpie, tmf, Jim, Bandista, my BFF down in Raleigh, Arlene, and whoever else wants to come. The more the merrier I say. So....who wants to take this one on and organize it? Maybe we need to PM Alex.....lol.

Glad you had a good time in my town. (Now you know why my being able to walk was such a vital thing) Glad to know that you got home OK. ...and best of all...so very glad that I got to meet you. Now I know that I can say I have a friend from New Orleans and that makes me very happy.

Don't beat yourself up over this. I waited till I was nearly bedridden. It's a big decision and it's not an easy surgery or recovery so I understand your hesitancy. At least you can bike. All I could do was paddle around the pool. Now I can swim again and do the Water exercise class. I can ride the recumbent bike...and I can walk. Not great yet, but I am walking and that makes it all worth while.

Till ya'll are up and running, please feel free to come over the Hudson and join us on June 14th. The details are below. I hope to see some of you there. The NYC and surrounding area Spring Meet and Greet will be on June 14th from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level PS: I live in NY now but I was in Old Bridge for many years and I reverse commute to North Edison....though we always called it Woodbridge when I lived in Jersey. I get off at MetroPark so many of you should be familiar with the area.

Hi fellas. If you're interested, we have details in the NYC/LI chapter. I cut and pasted it below. I hope you can make it. Liz The NYC and surrounding area Spring Meet and Greet will be on June 14th from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level

See...doctors are all different in terms of what they allow you to do. I take Neurontin and a combination med with an anti-inflammatory and prilosec and she's fine with me taking it. But then again, I've no fluid in my band so that might have something to do with it.

Unfortunately yes. I have this all the time. Go see your doctor...it sounds very much like a pinched nerve...or what most folks call sciatica. It's your sciatic nerve that's giving you trouble I bet. I've been getting treatments for months now. I still have pain but at least my leg doesn't feel dead like it used to. Good luck!! I hope you can get it treated quickly and it goes away instead of what I have, which is months of treating it and the pain is still there...

A great response as usual tmf. We're lucky to have you on this forum.

I'm reading alot about folks reaching goal, trying to reach goal, almost at goal, not successful, not as successful as they want to be, blah, blah, blah.... So...here's the question. What is it that means success to you? Is it reaching a goal weight? Is it some NSV that you've attained? Is it a change in your perception of self? Something to do with relationships perhaps? I'm curious what you all think. I'll start it. I reached goal in terms of weight a couple of months ago. But my idea of success is not hitting goal weight. It's being this size more or less the rest of my life. I've lost alot of weight before, but as usual, put it back on and some extra just for the hell of it. My son says he doesn't recognize me and it bothers him. He knows the fat me...and I understand that. I was fat for a very long time. He doesn't remember when I was this size some 20 years ago. I want him to start to think of me this size so that he's comfortable with the smaller me. That means I have to stay this way. That's success in my eyes. What about the others on this forum? What's your definition of success?

I'm doing the same thing. Eating same as I was while dropping the weight. It's pretty much stopped at this point. I haven't lost anything in the last couple of weeks (I weigh weekly) I plan to eat as I have been and I know I won't gain....and will likely not lose either.

We are getting together on June 14th. The details are in the NYC support group thread. Do you know how to search the site? If you can't find the info, let me know and I'll forward it to you.

The NYC and surrounding area Spring Meet and Greet will be on June 14th from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. We are looking forward to seeing many of our forum friends there. If any Jersey friends want to attend, please feel free to cross the Hudson and join us. If anyone needs driving or mass transit directions, please PM me.

The NYC and surrounding area Spring Meet and Greet will be on June 14th from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. We are looking forward to seeing many of our forum friends there. If any Jersey friends want to attend, please feel free to cross the Hudson and join us. If anyone needs driving or mass transit directions, please PM me.

Hi all: The NYC and surrounding area Spring Meet and Greet will be on June 14th from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. We are looking forward to seeing many of our forum friends there. If any Jersey friends want to attend, please feel free to cross the Hudson and join us. If anyone needs driving or mass transit directions, please PM me.

Hope you are doing well booflu. If it helps at all, I can tell you that the lapband saved my life. No dramatics here...it really saved me. I was heading towards being in a wheelchair because my arthritis was turning me into a cripple. That's why my forum name is gowalking. That was my dream and I've reached it. No wheelchair, no more cane. I can walk pretty well now...not perfect, not yet...but I'm walking and moving and going up and down stairs...nothing scares me because I can move again. Good luck my friend and let us know how you are doing as you move through your weight loss journey.

Bwhahahaha!! Can I steal this for the lapband side??

It's all about moderation. If you love Chinese, eat it once in a while. That won't hurt you. I went to a Japanese/Chinese buffet with my son and DIL last night. I'm OK in buffets now because I can manage the amount I eat. And I'm fine in a place where I can get fish. I don't eat the Chinese food when I'm eating there....I stay with the sushi and sashimi. Less rice that way. I had one plate of food....not three. And the one plate was not piled to the ceiling. Even so, I'm up about a pound today. No problem. I expected it. The soy sauce, even cut with Water as I do, has so much sodium that I know I'll gain weight. But it's water weight and will be gone in a day or two. You can eat out anywhere as long as you are smart about it and manage your expectations. Don't eat fried foods...eat veggies and Proteins. Easy on the Soup...again it's loaded with sodium. If you weigh yourself often, don't be surprised to see a temporary weight gain. Good luck, and keep us posted.

good luck sweetie. my tummy looks just like yours and I am seriously considering some cosmetic work next year. plus I have a number of years on you so my thighs and 'girls' are also in need of help.

You sound like every other newbie. The fear of the unknown is overwhelming. Can I ease your mind some? I eat a little of my favorite foods. I admit that I am disciplined but success helps you get that way. I'll tell you right now that there isn't a food in the world that tastes as good as being normal sized feels. If you go ahead with any of the WLS out there, you will look at this post a year from now, or two years...whatever..and wonder why you were so worried. I live by the words of my dad who didn't even realize how profound he was when he said, 'why overeat? It's just more of the same'. Words to live by my friend. Good luck! Oh, and here's a visual for you...not this this has anything to do with looks...this change was solely to get my mobility back but I know it helps for people to see me before and after. Keep us posted.

There's already a big difference in just 7 weeks. Great job so far. Keep it up! My before and after pics are below. My whole life has changed for the better and I'm wanting to shout it from the rooftops. This surgery saved my life and I'm not being overly dramatic here. I went from almost having to use a wheelchair to walking around these days cane free and almost normally. I no longer fear walking or stairs or anything having to do with my mobility.

This was one of my biggest fears if I got surgery. Eating out is a huge part of my social life and I was so afraid I'd never be able to do that again. Well, I can eat out fine...I make good choices, we do sharing plates alot and this surgery has not impacted my social life at all....in fact it's much better now because I don't focus on the food, but on my companion(s).

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I bought my first dress in I don't know how long. It was a heck of a NSV for me. Well, a co-worker caught the moment for posterity and I've attached it here. Liz in a dress. Who would have thought it. Thank you lapband!! I'm so happy I could friggin' cry.....

Didn't your doctor provide a list of items you can eat? No one should have to ask these questions on an online forum. You should have detailed instructions of what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. If you did not receive this information, demand it. This is not the way to start your journey. You need information or you will get into trouble. Eating with the band is not instinctive at all and I am concerned for you that you will not receive the support you deserve and are paying for. Please call or see your doctor or nutritionist as soon as possible. Good luck.