Wenjea

Hi girls, I have been very busy playing Grandma to baby Chloeigh since she arrived on the second of April. Mom had to have a c-section so she has needed lots of help since then. They are both doing great now but I can see the recovery from a TT isn't going to be easy. Mer - how is it going? i cant wait to see your new belly and hear about your surgeon. I have been so busy being Grandma that I haven't been paying much attention to what I am eating but the band is still doing it's thing . . . slowly . . . and I am one pound away from an 80 pound loss. We have secure spot on our computer now so the girls can't get on my space but it won't let me change my ticker either. darn! Can't wait to catch up with everyone. Hopefully on the 21st at support group. Till then I will try to get on once in a while. Loss: 79 pounds, 34 to go

Diamond2008 - The food choices were good this weekend. My sister and her family were up so we went out for Italian. I ate half a breadstick and half of a lasagna. She kept asking me if that was all I was going to eat and I told her I was stuffed. I took the rest home and had it for lunch the next day. We went to my sons house for cake and ice-cream and I asked for a sliver of cake with a small scoop of ice-cream. For me it's got to be about portions size, not feeling deprived. I lost the two pounds that I put on last week so I guess I did okay. If gastric bypass was our only choice I would not have done surgery because of the side effects that come with that. Thank God that the band is available! Good luck on your surgery . . hope it is soon now. Smilin Apple - I have had three fills and my last one was in October. I am really tight in the morning and get looser as the day goes on. A warm Protein drink is all I can get down in the morning. I have oatmeal and yogurt around 10am. I sometimes think I should get another fill but I went through a very long plateau and the nutritionist said it was because I wasn't getting enough calories so my body was going on starvation mode and hoarding calories. She said I've got to eat more to lose more. I am almost nine months into this and my weight loss has really slowed down but it does slowly move in the right direction and I feel that the way I eat now is like a normal thin person so I think I will stay with three fills for now.

Amen. . . to that drug story!

Mer - exciting news! Glad you are going to a real PS who only does plastic surgery. I feel better now for you. I know your group will get going and it will be great! Thursdays are just really bad for me until Basketball is over cuz it's game night.

Hey, I really need to be lifted up in prayer today about my food choices. I seem to be playing with how much ice-cream and sweets (chocolate) I can eat without gaining weight. Problem is I can't! I need strength to make wise food choices!!! The scale is going the wrong way!

punkytres - Hi there, I'm a lakewoodite! Come join Sue and me anytime, just give us a heads up so we are looking for you. Mer - not sure about tonight. I will be at Anna's BBall game until about 6pm. Then I have to run the girls home and they have a huge history test tomorrow on the constitution that I really should help them study for. It's not looking like I am going to make it but hopefully sometime soon. Anna always has a game on Thursdays untill the season is over at the end of March. Boo Hoo, hate to miss the group but really can't miss her game.

Coltorismom - I don't know anyone who has a band that regrets it. I remember when I asked my doctor about having a hysterectomy and she said she had never been asked to put one back in after the fact. It's kind of the same thing with the band. I think most of us wish we had done it a lot sooner. I think the hardest thing to get past is us thinking we can still do this on our own, that a band is a cop out or something. The truth is that you will eventually hit a place with your band that you have to exercise and eat right also but their is a peace of mind that comes with the idea that I have to try pretty hard to out eat my band. When I am weak, my band is strong and won't allow me to get very out of control. My band is the will power I never had in this area of my life. Now I am focusing on using my will power to get up every morning and go to the YMCA or walk with my workout partner. I highly recommend getting a friend to work out with you. It helps to get up and get going if you know someone is waiting for you. I know we think in are heads that we should of been able to do this with the Lords help and somehow it feels like we are letting God down from lack of faith to opt for a band. But I don't feel like that any more. God gave us a brain and the judgement to know when we need to go to the doctor and when we can self medicate. God gave surgeons the brains to do this operation and someone the brains to come up with the idea of the lapband. I don't see anywhere in the Bible that it says we shouldn't use the tools that God gives us to do good works for Him. I think he says just the opposite. I think my weight was getting in the way of God in my life because I was focusing on it so much. Now it is becoming a non-issue and I can't hide behind it anymore. Faith is putting your beliefs into action . . .I took a step of faith by getting a band because I believed it would help me with my food addiction and my portion control. It is my belief in the band that has helped me to have the faith I need to talk to other people about their weight issues open and honestly. It comes full circle . . this belief and faith thing. Blessings to you and many prayers for you.

Little Debbie - when you go on to the main page on lapband.com just scroll down till you find special Interest Lap-Band Support Groups. Look for Religious Bandsters, then Christian Bandsters. Just click on each of those as you get to them and you will get here. An easier way though is below the reply box is a forum jump box on the lower right hand side. Hit the down arrow and scroll almost to the bottom and you will see us.

potatie - welcome and congratulations on you decision to band. I think there are threads at the beginning of the site that talks about the actual surgery and recovery. It seems like a distant memory, kind of like labor, once it's over it doesn't seam like it was that bad. . .

Hi there! I have been lurking on several threads but didn't find this one till tonight, go figure. I am from Washington (the state) and was banded last May. I am a mom of six kids, three daughter-in-laws and two soon to be born grandchildren. My losing is going very slow these days but I figure it is going off the way it went on. I substitute teach at a christian school and I am there this time of year almost eveyday either teaching or doing stuff for auction. I feel so much better about myself even though I still make bad food choices sometimes. I feel like Satan had such a stronghold over this part of my life and with the help of surgery I can get him behind me!!!

Chuck - welcome and good luck on the insurance thing. I wasn't covered by any obesity surgery on my insurance . . .they would rather pay for all the medicine that I took every month and all the doctor visits I made for those med checks. By the way, the only thing I take now is vitamins. I had to self-pay even though I am saving them hundreds of dollars a month now. You might get some age advice on the age threads that are age specific. I just started reading up on the 50's group and it has been helpful.

My insurance doesn't cover anything to do with obesity surgery in any way so I doubt it but I will check in to what it says about PS. I bet you are so excited about this! I can't imagine a flat stomach with no folds at the bottom.

Mer - will insurance pick up any of it if you are having skin problems such as rashes and such? What did Oh say about that?

Mer - i am excited for you and can't wait to see the results. Thanks for being the test sample for the rest of us! Is Oh a lot cheaper?

The meeting was great! I learned so much! I just don't know where to start! How in the world do you decide what you want off first. . . baggy chin, baggy tummy, baggy arms, baggy legs, baggy butt, baggy back. . . so much baggy and so little money! seriously I really like this guy and I liked his approach. I don't know if I have the patience to wait a year after losing all this weight but I figure my face has lost it the fastest and that's the part everyone sees eveyday so I think I will start there next fall. It will have been a year and a half since my surgery then and since I am over 50 I think it is the most necessary for my self-esteem. I don't want to look 26 again but I do want to be the best looking 52 year old I can be! Has anyone met any other plastic surgeons around the Puget sound area that they like?

Oh, I meant to tell you that I am walking at the mall on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 7:45am. I know it's early but I go as soon as I drop the girls off at school or else the days get away from me. If anyone wants to meet up with me just drop me a line. I will need a walking partner while Sue is on her cruise soaking up the sun. . . bummer dude.

Hey Mer! long time no see! I am planning on catching up at the support group this month with you all but i'm thinking it is on the third Monday which would be the 21st. Hope someone can clear this up for us. your classes sound fun. I am bummed because my upholstery teacher retired in December and they couldn't find a replacement until April so my hobby has been put on hold. I did however sign up to substitute teach so we will see how that goes.

Hi there everyone and many holiday blessings. I have been very busy with two parties at my home under my belt. The gifts are bought, wrapped, and under the tree and the house is decorated. I got the cold thing out of the way this week and spent two days flat on my back in bed. I will have all six kids and spouses here on Sunday so I gotta get cleaning. I'm hoping to get a picture of everyone for me Christmas card and get those out next week. It's a busy time of year with lots of food temptations but I managed to hit 70 pounds on my Birthday yesterday. That was the best gift of all!

KiKi - I'm not having one for awhile because last time I was so tight that getting food down that wasn't liquid was impossible without PBing after the first couple of bites. I am just getting to the place where I feel like I can eat in the evening. The nutritionist was explaining how you can cause your weight loss to slow down or stop if you don't keep your calories up. Try keeping track of eveything you eat and add up the calories, try to keep between 1000 - 1200 per day. Any less and you will quit losing. I'm really trying to eat more food and more variety everyday.

kiki -Sounds like you are doing fine with the weight loss. Make sure you are eating enough that your body doesn't think it is being starved, it will adjust your metabolism to calories consumed so be sure you are eating at least 1000 calories per day. Have you had any fills yet?

Sue - lets ride together. Call me!

I will be six months tomorrow and even though I have lost more then half of my weight I was really hoping it would fall off until I reached goal. Now the work starts and I am grateful that my band does not allow me to screw up much. . . . It gives me peace of mind and really helps with the determination to keep going when you know the weight won't come flying back on from looking at a desert. My biggest change is the way I think about food. I finally understand what it means to 'eat to live' instead of 'live to eat' and I'm thankful for that.

Sue - Welcome to my world . . . By the way, good job on the cushions!

I was gone all day but I met my kids at the doctors and it turns out they are having a baby girl !!!!!!! Can't wait to go shopping now that I know. This is gonna be sooooo fun! I think I am painting tomorrow but I will be at the Y first for my workout Sue so don't even think of giving me an excuse . . . I'm driving up to the outlet malls of north for the weekend on Friday so I'll see you next week.

Sue - sounds like Carol is having the same trouble I was. Remember that you finally had to do it from your office for me. I'm not sure if there is some kind of block on our computers but I was getting the same message as Carol is. Carol - Have someone try it from a different computer. They will have to use your password to get in to your page but once Sue set mine up I was fine.