Jonathan

The formatting is whack, but you can probably decipher this, or go to www.waistingaway.com and click on "Weight Loss Challenege". You can sort by weight lost to see the order. Name Starting Weight Current Weight Total Loss Jamie 253 225 28 Princess_n_thep 217 191 26 Banded&tattooed 389 369 20 BigT 441 422 19 Bigmom 262 245 17 Jonathan 315 298 17 Vinesqueen 267 250 17 Paula 202 186 16 Panda 199 185 14 Ladiebird 269 256 13 Kelly 179 167 12 Alkaloid 314 302 12 Michelle 184 173 11 Zoe 212 203 9 Kimalicious 237 232 5 Sharon 232 227 5 Wade 325 321 4 Betty 0 -1 1

Yeah, in a week or so. =)

... I thought I'd share some news with you. My wife and I have filed for divorce... for the 2nd time. Yes, from each other. For the 2nd time. No, you're reading it right, and you're understanding it. We're divorcing each other, again. I thought marrying the same woman twice was unique... wonder what the percentage of the population who have divorced the same person twice is... I'm a slow learner, I guess. Anyway, it's a testament to the wonderfull tool that the band is that I've LOST weight instead of gained it during this turbulent time. In addition to the marriage thing, I "retired" from the software development world today, and will be pastoring a church for the next 4 years as I go to the divinity school (seminary) at SMU at get my Masters degree. The squids (10 year old boy, and 5 year old girl) will be moving and living with me. It's been a BUSY BUSY BUSY month... but my chin is up, my waist is down, and I'm looking forward to the fall. So why am I posting? I dunno... maybe I need a few "hang in there"s from my LBT family. =) Jonathan

*mwuah* Madeline's Mom, if your husband's attitude doesn't change, and you one day kick him to the curb for it, please feel free to add his weight to your total weight loss. Jonathan P.S. For what it's worth, it does seem like the most likely reason for his attitude is pettiness over the money issue. And if that is the case, I think he'll come around. Money just isn't that important, and he'll figure that out. I wonder how many people who have died of a heart attack in their 50s would have paid $15,000 to have lived 20 more years.. or even lived the SAME amount of time, with a MUCH higher quality of life.

Present company exlcluded, right? =)

If we are exercising at all while we do this thing, we will be building muscle. That will have an effect on how much weight we lose... in spurts. Building muscle will add weight, but then it will speed up your metabolism which will cause you to lose weight faster... it's an ebb and flow. For the next challenege, I'd like to do a before/after challenge, complete with pictures. A summer challenge, ending on Labor day sounds about right to me. I can update the software I wrote to include the ability to upload a before picture, and a current/after picture (that could change as often as people wanted to upload one.) The scale doesn't always tell the whole stories... pictures don't lie! =) (Well, ok, they can... but let's say they can't for the sake of supporting my argument.) Just an idea =) Jonathan

To my knowledge, nobody in Austin will do aftercare for Mexico patients. When I was looking, I couldn't find anyone in Texas that would. Guess I didn't look hard enough =)

Down to 298. Not as much as I'd hoped to lose, but, a good start, and at least I'm out of those pesky 300s =)

I had to recheck my records -- it *wasn't* Welbutrin that caused weight gain for me, it was Lexapro. And weaning myself off of it was the hardest thing in the world. I took it for 2 months and it took me 4+ months to get off of it without having debilitating headaches and a complete and utter ability to cope. Welbutrin didn't have any ill side-effects for me that I noticed; it just didn't work for me. So, I may not have the insight that you're looking for. Sorry about that, but thanks for giving me a chance to set the record straight. Jonathan

Babs, I'm sorry for all the stress you're going through. PLEASE watch your weight very carefully. I gained 60 lbs in 2 months when I started taking Welbutrin. I don't think that kind of weight gain would be possible with the band, but it was horrible for me. My brother also gained about 60 lbs while on Welbutrin. If you think you're gaining weight because of it, don't be afraid to ask your doctor to switch you to something else. I take Cymbalta now, and it's perfect for me. Everyone's different of course, and you may be fine with it. I just know it was a direct cause of a massive weight gain for me. Jonathan

Within the next 2 weeks, I will finish up my career as a software development manager. In June I will begin pastoring a United Methodist Church in a small Texas town, and in August I will begin graduate studies at Southern Methodist Univerisity (in Dallas), which will lead to a Masters of Divinity and, eventually, ordination in the United Methodist Church. In June, I will also become a single father with residential custody of my two children (10 year old boy, 5 year old girl). It's going to be a busy few years =)

Way to go Zoe =) I plan on being there with you next week (+100 lbs, of course). I don't blame you for not waiting on me

Great job Paula =) I'm down to 304 this morning. 2 1/2 weeks left to go folks... Keep workin' it! Jonathan

Alexandra, Your pictures are absolutely amazing. You look, easily, 20 years younger in your current picture than in your before pictures. Your picture here proves you to be a beautiful woman; your posts here have prooven you are a beautiful woman on the inside, as well. Thanks for being inspiring in so many ways, Jonathan

That's exactly who I was thinking of...

310 this morning... finally losing some real weight after my 3rd fill. =) Only 23 days left in our challenge. We've lost a total of 194 lbs so far =)

I had my surgery in Richardson with Southwest Bariatrics on January 31st, 2005. It was $16,000.

Oops, that's only down a pound. Guess I'm crawling right along with you =)

Nothing as drastic as I was hoping, but I'm 2 lbs down -- now at 316.

When your lips start to chap, you're pretty well there...

This is just my opinion -- but as someone who's been there... STAY AWAY FROM COLD THINGS! I went 8 days without being able to keep even my own saliva down. I lost 40 lbs in those 8 days. It definitely wasn't healthy. (I gained 20 of that back once I rehydrated.) A lot of people have reported that they were very restricted. I, like you (it seems) wasn't very restricted -- I was *completely* restricted. I PB'd 200+ times in those 8 days, and at several points, thought I had made the worst mistake of my life. There really is *nothing* that can be done for you right now, assuming that the band placement is correct and you're only suffering from internal swelling... but know this -- the swelling *will* go down. In the mean time, get IV's as often as you need, and when you feel brave enough to try liquids, try HOT liquids (hot tea, chicken broth, etc.). Cold liquids (and ice) seemed to be counterproductive for me. When I finally got 1/8 cup of hot tea down, I could finally see the "light at the end of the tunnel". I've been there darlin'... I know it sucks beyond sucking. The only thing you can do is bear with it and know that "even this shall pass". This is, of course, assuming that you aren't having any internal problems (ie, band placement issues, surgery mishaps, etc.). But hang in there -- just give it time! Jonathan

Doh! Awesome job Zoe... I guess I'll need to hit the gym this week pretty hard =) I did FINALLY have a losing week. My band is nice and tight, finally, after my second fill. I lost 5 lbs, and am down to 317. I'm expecting to hit 299 in 3 weeks Zoe... so keep at it =) Everyone remember to update your weight on the challenge page: http://www.waistingaway.com/index.php?option=com_wlc&Itemid=50

It's on Mondays, but you can report anytime =) And update the challenge site whenever you want =) Congrats!

This is just an observation that I've had that I wanted to share with those who have yet to be banded. I had several "last" meals before my banding. I wanted to eat as much of my favorite foods as often as I could, knowing that once I was banded, I'd never be able to eat that way again. My best, last meal was about $70 worth of sushi and sashimi. It only took me about 20 minutes to eat it all. It was all of my favorites, and a meal worthy of a king, no doubt. A couple of days ago, I went back to that sushi restaurant and had the lunch sashimi special. It cost $10 and took me 45 minutes to eat. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the $10 meal 10x as much as I enjoyed the $70 meal. I tasted it. I chewed it. I experienced it. I was there when I ate it -- you know -- present, instead of off in some food-induced stupor, and I didn't leave so full that I hurt, so shameful that I hated myself until the pain went away. In retrospect, this is true of all of my "last" meals as I ate them then, and as I eat them now. So if you're about to be banded, and you're thinking about all of the foods you'll never be able to eat again, and you're trying to get every single "last" meal in that you can before you're banded, please believe me when I tell you that you will eat again, and that as much as you think you enjoy eating now, when you actually have to chew your food, you're going to enjoy it a lot more.

Zoe, I'm up to 322, but the x99 race is still on, and I'm getting my butt in gear, so you'd better step it up! (See post: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6106 ) Jonathan