mumof2boys

I agree with you...I would LOVE to hear what guys have to say.

Oh my goodness Amy, I think that we were separated at birth. I feel exactly the same way. I have HUGE issues with this. I feel that it is very disrespectful to a man's wife for him to be around that when he knows how it makes her feel. My husband has friends who have had some terrible bachelor parties in the past. We have had some pretty heated arguments about it and it has really put stress in the marriage early on. There are women out there that don't have a problem with it and inside I wish that I could be as "cool" as them, but I just can't. I don't want some naked woman rubbing up on my husband. Also...it's not really a trust thing with me either, but I know how men are when they are with their friends. They don't want to look "whipped" by their woman and not partake in the "activities". I hate it, hate it, hate it!!! I know exactly how you feel. I can say that I don't think that my husband would go on a river cruise with that going on because he knows that I would have HUGE problems with it. I wish you luck with dealing with this issue...it's difficult and I feel your pain. :cry

Congratulations and good luck on your upcoming surgery. I'm looking to have the same procedures done, but probably not for about another year. I want to reach my goal and maintain it for a year before going down that road (I'm a big chicken). I can't wait to see your pics after your procedure. GOOD LUCK!!!

Hello Cynthia and welcome. Where in Maryland are you from? I live in Southern Maryland. There are quite a bit of Marylanders on here. This is a great place to come for support. Best of luck to you on this wonderful journey!!!

120 pounds since May???? You want advice from us? I think that we should be getting advice from you...you have done a fantastic job. How did you do it so quickly? That is absolutely awesome. Congratulations and good luck with the last 40...you can do it!!!

Hi Jeri. I'm 8 months out too. I was banded on April 30. I have lost 76 pounds so we're pretty much on the same track. I feel fantastic and have lots of energy. It sounds like you are doing great. I wish that I could say that I work out 4 times a week...that's what I'm going to be shooting for in 2008. Good luck to you and keep up the good work!!!

Welcome, Natasha and congratulations on beginning your journey. I love my band and I am so grateful to have it. It has done me wonders. Best of luck to you.

Rewards are great incentive. I just rewarded myself with a COACH purse because I reached onderland. It was a 75 pound loss and no more 200s so I figured that a little bit more expensive reward was alright. I don't own any COACH purses except for this one and I love it. Good luck with all of your goals and rewards.

Good for you...it feels great getting attention, doesn't it? My husband bought me a robe and a coat for Christmas that I have to take back because they are too big. He said..."I didn't realize that you were shrinking that much". It's kind of funny...he seems me everyday so I don't think that he realizes, but others see me and are amazed. I love my band. I love losing weight and I love the attention...I think that you should head back into the dating world...why not????

Congrats. It sounds like you are going to do very well with your band. You are making wise decisions regarding your food, which means that you will do wonderful. I love my band too...it's my new best friend... :clap2:

Hi, Melissa. I live in Southern Maryland and I had my surgery in DC. Who is your surgeon? My surgeon is Dr. Brody at George Washington University Hospital. I must say...I absolutely LOVE my band. It has worked very well for me and I feel like I have worked very well with it too. The moment that I got the phone call that my surgery was approved by insurance, I completely changed my way of living and eating. I make much better decisions about food and I have picked up a few exercises that I actually enjoy (one is Water aerobics). The biggest thing to remember with the band is that you didn't gain the weight overnight so you shouldn't expect to lose it overnight, either. It is a long process and it takes a lot of work. The band is no miracle but if you do things the way that you are suppose to and make good decisions, you will succeed. I'm so happy for you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask...I'll do my best to answer any questions that you have. Good luck to you!!!

It depends on what size band you have. I have a big band and I believe that my first fill was 5.5 ccs. Right now I have 11.5 ccs in my band and I have good restriction. Good luck!

I live in Southern Maryland and had my surgery with Dr. Brody at George Washington University Hospital in DC. It was a wonderful experience and I am so thankful to him and his entire staff. I highly recommend him. If you would like contact information for him, I can certainly provide it to you. Good luck!!!!

I did it...I did it...I am in Onderland and it is wONDerful!!! I never thought in a million years that I would ever see those numbers on the scale again! I am so excited and I just love my band. I rewarded myself with a new COACH bag. I'm telling you...you do your part and your band will do its part...together me and my band work very well! I don't think I'm going to do any work today...I'm too excited. I think that I will just run through the halls with a huge smile on my face! Have a great day everyone and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! :whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

I had to do a two week pre-op liquid diet. It started on a Sunday. So...the day before (Saturday night) I had a "Farewell to Fat" party at my house. I surrounded myself with supportive family and friends and we partied all night long. We ate lots of food, dranks lots of beer, sang karaoke and had a great time. The date of that party was April 15. Well..this past Saturday (December 15...8 months later) I surrounded myself with the same crowd of people, supplied lots of food (for them) and sang karaoke. Well...I was pleased to announce to those folks that I had dropped 76 pounds since our last party. So...bottom line...enjoy yourself over the holidays.

Gwen, How dare you go and make those folks sick :sickright before the holidays. That is not nice of you at all...lol... Don't you just love "friendly" people? Have you talked to your doctor about your issues with her? I certainly would. I know that there were some people at my surgeon's office that had issues with his assistant and before long...she was gone. Well...good luck and I hope that you and hubby feel better soon! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Hi there Weightnomore. I was banded by Dr. Fred Brody at George Washington University Hospital in DC. I HIGHLY recommend him and his staff. They are absolutely wonderful. My entire experience was nothing short of fabulous. You never have to wait long in the waiting room when you go for an appointment and they are always there to answer your questions. I have no idea if they accept your insurance or not (sorry). Best of luck and let me know how everything goes.

Welcome, Becky. I love this site too. You tend to hear it all...the good, the bad and the ugly. I have been very lucky with my weight loss to date. I feel at times that I had a brain transplant because I see myself making much better food decisions and that makes me very happy. I look at pictures of myself from before and now and I want to cry. First I want to cry because of how I used to look and then I want to cry because I can't believe the difference. I have so much more confidence now and I feel so much better about myself. I wish you the very best of luck with your band. Remember...it's not a miracle and it's not going to work overnight. It's a tool that you have to work with...together, the two of you can do it. My band and I make a great team and I am sure that you and your band will do the same. :whoo:

OK...here's what I have to say abuout this...first off I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one with a problem not being able to pooh. I recently went to the doctor for severe back pains and I go back this Friday for a follow-up. Well...after thinking about it, I'm probably in pain because I don't go to the bathroom very often. Prior to surgery, I was completely opposite. I could not go anywhere after eating because it came right back out. Now...I am LUCKY if I go once a week and when that time comes, it's not very comfortable. I use Benefiber but it hasn't been very successful for me. The Benefiber doesn't make me gassy, but I have to say that since surgery I have been gassy anyway. I'm very lucky to have a private office at work because let me just tell you...it's not very nice at work sometimes (I know...TMI). So everyone...good luck with this blockage problem...I'm fighting the same fight at you guys!!!

Alright...this morning I was at 201.6. I can't get much closer than that. Yesterday was a Slim Fast day for me and tomorrow is going to be too. I had to eat something this morning to take some meds for my splitting headache. Well...I'm still trying really hard to get there by this weekend. I'm so determined it's crazy. Keeping my fingers crossed...I'll let you know how it goes.

Doing the Optifast was a real test for me. I actually liked the chicken soup better than the shakes. The shakes smelled horrible to me and everytime I put it up to my mouth to take a drink it grossed me out. I added spices to the chicken soup. I didn't even attempt the tomato soup. To me...the chicken soup kind of tasted like gravy. I added things like garlic powder and season all. I didn't add too much because I didn't want to overload with sodium. Good luck and you can get through it...

I really didn't feel much restriction until my third fill. Right now I have about 9 ccs in my band (if I remember correctly). My doctor will only do fills 8 weeks apart, however he will fill with a significant amount. I haven't had a fill in about 11 weeks and I don't think that I need one right now. I'm doing alright so far. It's frustrating, but eventually you'll get there...good luck everyone!

I read the same magazine this morning and saw the article about the teenager. She looks great! I agree with Jennifer Hewitt...the media is a joke. Yeah...she's really fat at size 2!!! Give me a damn break. They probably think that I'm a hippo. Good luck with your surgery.

I really think that people get jealous once they see people actually lose weight. They have a lot to say when they know that you have tried everything else in the world and nothing worked and then when you finally start to get smaller...they wake up and realize that you are HOTT!!!! Oh well...they'll get over it, right. Keep up the good work. You have done a great job!

Kristi, You are not alone with your struggles with the band. We all have our own "little" things that make us depressed and drag us down. You can get through this. I, too, compare myself to other banders, but we have to try to stop doing that. Everyone is different and everyone's body is different. For example, just last week I saw a womans profile that was very similiar to mine. She currently weighs one more pound than me and she said that she wears a size 12 pants. How could that be, I thought. I weight one pound less and I'm in a 16/18. What in the world is going on? Then...after about a day or so...I realized that we all have different body types, different shapes, sizes, heights, etc. I cannot focus on her great accomplishments...I need to concentrate on myself. I have come a long way and I have a long way to go. We can do this!!! It's a journey that we signed up for when we went to the doctor and said that we wanted the lap band. Every ounce lost is an accomplishment. I can't imagine what my weight might be right now if I didn't get the band. It was a steady climb up and it never went down. food was running my life and for the first time in a very long time, I feel like I'm in control. I love the saying "Thin feels better than food tastes". Although I'm not thin (yet)...I am smaller than I was and I'm starting to feel good about myself. I notice that I hold my head up higher than before. I am actually enjoying shopping for clothes. All of these things I dreaded before. I didn't buy clothes because nothing would fit and I would settle for anything that I could get on, no matter how ugly it was. Now I have a variety...I feel like I have a choice in what I buy. I too have a bad back. I just had x-rays on Friday and I go back to my doctor this Friday to try to figure out what is wrong. It's painful, but I try to find exercises that aren't uncomfortable. It's difficult, but I manage. One thing that I found enjoyable that didn't hurt me was Water aerobics. Prior to going to my first class I thought that I just crawl into a hole because I had to put on a bathing suit. Much to my surprise, the class was filled with woman of all shapes, sizes and ages. I felt like I really fit in. Everyone was so nice and nobody judged. It was great. You should look into something like that. Kristi---pick your chin up...face the evil of food!!! I will be your buddy...I will help you in any way that I can. I'm no expert by any means, but I know how to be a friend and if that's what you need... I am here for you!!!