vinesqueen

*sniff* *sniff* Group hugs! I have the option of a traditional support group while I'm home, but large groups of people are vary hard for me. Even large groups of large people... This place is just THE BEST and so are the people!

I get "pretty face" all the time, as well as, "you carry your weight well" but I just accept them as complements and not worry about back-handed things. Heh, although I do have a friend who was talking about a woman she knows who "is like, really fat. She's like a size 20." I just looked at her sort of sideways and said "oh really, a size 20. Huh, imagine that." I was a size 24... I think people are clueless but mostly well meaning.

Girl parts have nothing to do with stomach parts! Completely differnt system. Sort of like asking if you need to worry about a mason if you have electrical problems. I have the band, love the band; have girl problems, hate the girl problems. I'll be getting an ablation in a couple of weeks, hopefully that will fix my girl problems. Doctors Watkins and Mongomery at North West Weight Loss Center ROCK, ROCK, ROCK. Their suppor staff rocks and is wonderful tool www.nwwls.com

One of the things that made my journy a little different than most is that my DH was banded nearly 2 years before I was, so I lived with the band before I was banded.

Jodie, you are my hero of the day! I am sitting here in awe of your strength of character. I don't know if they felt like they could get away with that behaviour with you, or if that is their behavoiur towards their female peers in general. One of the things that may have been going on is that fat girls (or just girls who think they are fat) tend to have lower self-esteem. During my psych eval, we did talk about prior sex-abuse. Good thing I've come to terms with my history.

I haven't experienced this, but I'm pretty laid back as a general rule. Lastnight was really stressful (JFK Airport is amazingly loud!) and my band wasn't happy, but I was also dealing with residual heat issues. This is something interesting to watch though.

For me, there is never any question about being "stuck" or full. Being full is a happy, pleasant feeling, being stuck is painful and not a happy nor pleasant feeling. I think anybody could be able to eat lots if they eat slowly. Limit your eating time to 20 minutes.

Whenever my DH comes to visit me at school he has amazing restriction. I'm considering whether I should get a fill before I go back to school. I have almost a month to decide though. I just spent a miserable 5 days in NY. The heat was terrible, and my band hates the heat.

Yes, what is your fill level, and are you eating around the band? Was that day a typical day, or was there something "different" about it? And you know what? 25 pounds in 5 months is TREMENDOUS!!!! Have you ever been able to loose 25 in 5 before??? I sure haven't, not without my band. The band doesn't work without a fill. It is sort of like trying to drive your mazaratti car with the cheapest possible gas. Sure, you can still drive it, but you are not going to get good performance out of it. Be kind to yourself.

Great work! Great NSV! Amazing work! I agree with Lisa/DeLarla, you need to go buy yourself some new clothes, even if it is only a few pieces. Congrats again!

I used to be exhauasted for ever and a day. I also *knew* there was no way I has sleep apnea. No possible way. I just had developed insomnia, that was all... Well, they did the test, and I was waking up 180 times every night, and didn't even know it. It's pretty bad when you impress the sleep study folks... My oxygen level would drop down to the low 80's every night. I had a real love/hate relationship with my CPAP machine. I don't need to use it any more, and even if I try to sleep with it, I take it off soon after I fall asleep. If you need it, then man, will it ever change your life! You will have more energy, feel better, increase your sex drive, have less head-aches, and there are some studies that suggest that if you get 8 hours of sleep you will do better with weight loss efforts. (Sounds like snake oil, but these are all the side-effects I experienced)

Riding an ATV would probably be less physically demanding than riding a horse. I got the a-okay to ride a week after being banded. Cheers and wear your helmet!

the week after I was banded, my husband drove me to Idaho so I could go back to school. It was about a 12 hour trip, but I slep for a big whack of the trip.

My Dh has lost almost 200 pounds in almost 2 years. He still has a ways to go. He started at 600, and he's be biggest bandster I know of.

I had trouble with my bra for quite a while, and even now it sometimes irritates my band incision scar. Part of this no doubt is because I wear a G cup, and that incision line is right where my bra band hits. I wore a sports bra I modified so it wouldn't be too tight for quite a while, or when I was at home, a tight tee-shirt under my other shirts to help corral the "girls."

One other thing, because you have been through such difficulties that most people simply cannot comprehend, you have added depth and richness to your character and personality.

I don't think anyone can answer that question but you. I do know that bitterness will get you nowhere. Everyone has a different set of lessons they are here to learn. Some people need to learn acceptence of not only themselves but others. Not always an easy lesson. One thing I do know is that many skinny girls think that they are fat, and have tremendous self doubt around what they look like. I know that while I was never skinny, I didn't have an accurate picture of what I did look like. I thought I was terribly fat because the scale and my doctors said I was fat. I wasn't, I took up the same amount of physical space that others took up. Many skinny girls are sooo insucure about themselves, and many feel that their body is the only thing they have to offer, so they neglect to develop other parts of their beings. Do you really have extra energy to spend on hate? I know that I don't, plus hate isn't good for my soul or my kharma. Things attract like things. Love attacts love, hate attracts hate, indiference attracts indifference. I have been ill used by some in my life. I could be bitter and full of hate and rage. But you know what? it only really affects me. And one of the lessons I've learned is that I have to be kind to myself. If I am kind to myself, I am more apt to be kind to others. "Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes to the bone." I don't know who said that, but to a great extent, I think it's true, except for true inner beauty, that always shines through.

the pilaties ball is great, and I do crunches. I wan't told to not do them.

Mary, isn't the Band making you smaller???? I don't think Penni had anything to do with that... Muffin, wow! Phenominal is right! Doing great Kel, and Tammy, wow! I think you picked the right avatar as well.

See Paula, just one more example that he's being raised by a pack of wild dogs. Who knows, maybe his kids will be raised by a family dog...

Jody, honey-bee, I'm so sorry you are in so much pain. I just want to let you know that I understand some of your pain and am so sorry for it. Some of us didn't get to go to home coming or Prom, and we were not homebound. Life gets so much better after high school anyway. I garantee that failing one class will keep you out of college. I had a terrible high school GPA, I mean truly bad. But guess what, I'm currently on a full ride scholarship. It is never too late to go to college. Sure, I'm old enough to be your mom, but I'm also a full time student. Concentrate on your health now. If you need to take an extra semester or quarter, to finish with the GPA you think you can achieve, then you need to do that. That won't make you a failure or dumb; it makes you smart because you are taking care of yourself. Do you have the option of an alternative high school? My son just graduated from the local alternative high, and it was the very best place for him.

was it raining?

Heck! who cares what the scale says if you are loosing those kinds of inches! Besides the scale lies, lies, lies. Very impressive work! Nice to see you again Carmel!

Heh, this weekend, Spudboy was showimg me some of the leftover carnage from The 4th. I believe they were trophies. I had gone to bed after we got back from the show and I didn't light off any of the fireworks. I thought they just had bottle rockets... "no Momma, we had some firecrackers too." You had firecrackers???!!! He patted my arm, "It's okay Mom, don't worry, we saved some for you." And then we both laughed. That last line is not how the usual fireworks conversation goes between teenaged sons and their mothers.

Yup, CPAP changed my life. I hate the damn thing, and I don't need it all night anymore. Life is amazing when you get a full night's sleep