vinesqueen

I don't know Penni, but I've noticed it too. My nutrishonist said my target weight was some insane number like 115. I don't think so.... My current goal is about 170, but I want to be a size 12... I worked with a personal trainer for a while and I finally got her to tell me her weight and size.. she was about 170 and wore a size 12.... On the last supervised weightloss thing I tried, there was a woman who weighed over 300 pounds. She said she could never be happy unless she weighed 105 pounds. I thought how sad! She'd obviously never had her body fat measured. There is no way she could be healthy at that weight... she was tall, about 5'8" too. How sad for her. I think it is all the BMI chart's fault. But like any scale, it lies!

ah ha ha ha ha, my band Doc said to drink chocolate milk when I took my meds while on the liquid phase. I got some yummy organic chocolate milk....

I guess I'm just used to working for companies that care what happens to their employees. After all, when they hire me, they are investing a lot of money to keep me happy and and to keep me from leaving. I am used to working with professionals. But the last time I was in school I was the lab manager for all of the computer labs. I had been frustrated by other lab aides who thought they wre all high and mighty becaue they worked in the computer lab. When I took over, I made sure that the lab aides knew that the only reason they were there was because of the students. I know I have to finish my degree. I know this. It has been a dream for a long time. Yeah Kathy, I know I should leave my mother out of this, but it is hard when I hear her tapes telling me I'll never succeed, that school is for loosers. Stupid wolves. Tina it is so funny you said that! It is the same thing my son and his friends said. Or pretty close to what they said... Terran said "Great, just great! Now I HAVE to go to college, I can't let Speeny's mom show me up!" My son also decided that if I could go back to school at my "advanced age," then he could too. Gotta laugh at boy-ohs... So today begins another round of this battle. I will use the full force of my charm to sweet talk the various clerks and secretaries into helping me get what I need. There is no such thing as a "little person" just little minds.

..."and there was much rejoicing!" I'm so glad this is getting resolved for you kathy!

Thank-you everyone! I know that I can come here an get support. I feel much better, but I have a headache hang-over. (not from drinking, but from the terriffic headache I gave myself from all the crying I did. Things still haven't resolved, but I'm getting closer. Stupid inefficient place. I would be so much happier if the university was run like they gave a damn about the students. Sorry, I'm still really stressed over this.

I lost one pound. One week, one pound. Three weeks, three pounds. I know that I'm right on target, but I sure was hoping to loose faster than one pound a week. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, quick being so hard on myself because I'm right on target! Slow and stead wins the race. But geeze, can't I be a little more glamourous than a tortus? I wanna be something sleek like a cheeta! Or a leapord! yeah, that's it!

Denise, we are sure odd aren't we. I'm not mourning food, but I am morning the future loss of clothes. Funny that.

Okay, I cannot begin to explain how frustrated I am right now with school. I spent a full hours sobbing and wailing over this, and I never cry that hard. If I can’t get in the college of business, I don’t get my scholarship. If I don’t get my scholarship, there is no point in me being here any more. I don’t qualify for any financial aid because my husband makes too much money. I don’t even qualify for loans, but we can’t afford to pay for me to go anymore without the scholarship. I left my husband and son to pursue this dream of getting a college education. I left with their full blessing, by the way. I moved 800 miles away from all my friends and family to move to south east Idaho. I hate it here, but I’ve worked really hard. This has been such a hardship, coming out here, and my husband and sweet boy have been so supportive. I was supposed to register for my Fall classes Friday, but there was a hold on my account. I figured it was a stupid parking ticket or something like that. So this morning I got a letter from the University saying I couldn’t register for classes until they got an official transcript from one of the schools I’ve got to. Even without that particular transcript, I have enough credits to be a senior! So, I’ve had like four official transcripts sent to this frelling University. FOUR of them! They can’t find a single one, yet they’ve been able to do a transcript evaluation to know what they will accept and what they won’t. After one of the Ph.d’s I work with called the admissions office, they gave me a 2 day window in which to register for my classes. Great, except for one thing--- the damn dean of the college of business is on sabbatical and won’t be available for the rest of the week. He is the only one who can approve me to take the upper business division classes. AND HE’S FUCING OUT OF TOWN. What kind of ass leaves town the week of registration??? I am trying desperately to get accepted to the stupid college of business. I can’t be admitted until I take one more stupid math class. So I’m trying to register here at home, but the University of Washington doesn’t start accepting Summer students until later the week. There is no point for me to try to add into classes that I might or might not get into. I can’t stay in university housing if I’m not a full time student, and I can’t be a full time student if I can’t get into the classes I need. I’ve even considered not going on my summer internship in order to stay here so I can take that damn math class. You have no idea what a hardship giving up my internship is. I’m so frustrated that I’m considering just leaving this week—saying to hell with the semester. But that would give my damn mother too much satisfaction. I've been a big disapointment to her my entire life, espeically since I refused to drop out of high school like she wanted. stupid wolves.

Water aerobics is a great start! And if my DH went at his full 600 pounds, you surely can too! Pilaties is also very good--no impact

Hi Erica! Welcome to LBT! My husband (DH) started with a BMI of over 80-- like 86. We were both banded at the Northwest Weightloss Surgery center in Kirkland by Dr. Watkins http://nwwls.com/ 425-899-4610. Dr. Watkins and Dr Montgomery are the absolute best. They are very experinced laprascopic surgeons, and have been doing the Band for a few years. (My DH was done almost 2 years ago.) To date, Mike has been the highest BMI they've done, but well, there just on't get much higher. Your BMI is an issueand the port might need to be placed on your sternum. This is the standard place for European DRs to place their ports. It sounds like the surgeon you spoke with is not very experienced. Please give them a call to talk to them.

Hey Trish, have you heard of extrodinary bandsters? It's a yahoo group for folks with really high BMIs. My DH is a member of that group (he started with a BMI of over 80)

Welcome to the Banded Gentry!

Christina, being banded is just part of Penni's cover story! She's an internationally renown spy and celebrity pharmasist! (Dangeresque, Dangeresque!) I've gotta get my pix developed... went out and bought a disposable camera just so I could have pix of my tummy... (my digital camera didn't make it with me into exile...) My scars are still bright red lines, and several of them are still irritated from the glue and steristrips. I have very sensitive skin...

You will do just fine! Tina's getting her ba=and! Tina's getting her ba-and!

Some folks don't have insurance to covery the procedure, so they go out of the country where it is less expensive. The majority of the out of country, and self pay folks go to Mexico, but some go to Europe.

this is wonderful! You rock!

Hey Kris, the vast majority of people do really, really well, and many are able to return to work or normal activies within days, not weeks, not months. Like Jessie likes to say, "what makes you think you're so special?" Actually, I think we are all special... You will do fine. Honest!

I couldn't find is she posted how tall she is, but at 5'5', her BMI comes out 35, so I am guessing that she is taller, maybe 5' 8". Again, it is a scale and scales lie. To get a true idea her fat ratio, she should either be tested with an electornic scale that uses electrical impedence, a skin fold test (the "pinch" test) or be weighed underwater. Part of the reason my BMI is so high because I've been on steroids for huge wacks of my life, starting as a small child. That, and my family is just naturally more dense than normal. At a size 22 with a BMI of 32-ish, I would strongly recommend these tests. (sorry, you might be fatter than you think...)

oh honey! I'm sooo sorry you had this sucky experience! Sending you plenty of hugs and white light!

I suppose it all depends on the insurance coverage you have and whether the TT could be considered medically neccessary. If you have problems with the skin breaking down, get inflamed or rashes, then your insureance just might cover it. If it is purely a cosmetic thing, then maybe not. Sorry I cannot give you a definate answer on this Francesca...

bumping because I wanna!

I am constantly amazed that the Band not only helps one drop pounds, but it is apperntly the fountian of youth as well! When I got home I show this thread to my son, and he is convinced there is no way all your before pix belong to your afters. I can't wait to have my own after pix!

Tomorrow will be five weeks since I’ve been banded. I haven’t really written much lately because I’ve been in a contemplative mood I suppose. Trying to figure out what is going on with me and my new symbiote. A couple of days ago, I moved to solid food and feel like I can eat anything, even a cheeseburger. I haven’t had a single PB or a sliming event, so yay! for me. I haven’t attempted a cheeseburger yet, but I’m not anticipating any problems. I’ve had ground beef, and have had no issues with it. Mike can’t do any form of ground beef, except taco meat texture. People have been talking a lot about mourning food, and Jessie suggested that was what I was doing. I’m honestly not mourning food. I did that when I was on the 20/20 program, and I’m not doing that now. I suppose that part of it is because I see everything that Mike eats, and I know that I’ll probably not have difficulty eating either. One of the benefits I gained from the 20/20 program is knowing what foods I’m sensitive too, and another benefit was getting off breads and carb-loading. I used to eat a lot of carbohydrates, but after the program, I understood how bread really messes with my fibromailgia. I know a lot of bandsters are not as fortunate as I am, in that they don’t have someone who is just a head of them in their journey. Mike has done a great job of breaking the way for me, but he does a great job of that at company functions! LBT is great because it provides such great support, but it just isn’t the same as having a local person as opposed to a virtual person. I suppose that is why support groups are so very vital—there are people in all stages of their journey. Because I don’t have access to a meatspace support group, Mike is so important. I’ve come to terms with my lower calories, but since I’m breaking 1K everyday, I feel much better than when I was only at 800 calories a day. After a month of 800 calories, I was starting to feel weak and a bit out of sorts. I’ve also given myself permission to have ice cream when I just can’t get my calories up past 800. Not a huge bowl mind you, but a sensible 4 ounces. It isn’t that I feel hungry on 800 calories, but I’m worried that I’ll shut down my metabolism. Mike and Jessie are convinced that I’m obsessed with counting calories. I suppose at some level I am, but not in the way they think I am. I am not trying to limit my intake, I’m trying to figure out how to increase it in a healthy way. I track my calories on the Cereal with peaches. This snack would help me get up to the target calories, it was yummy, gave me all the Fiber I needed, and as an extra bonus, my sweat smelled like peaches! I find I am having a heck of a time getting my fiber and my Calcium in, so this would probably be just what the doctor ordered. Here are my assorted and collected NSVs: This is a gi-normous NSV. I haven't used my inhaler in 25 whole days! My starting BMI was 47 and it is now 41.6! This is so exciting! I can run up a flight of stairs with my 20 pound book bag on my back and not even be winded when I reach the next floor . It doesn't hurt to stand at the sink when I do the dishes anymore. I believe it is because I can get closer to the sink because my tummy is smaller. My old "Chick shirts" fit One of the women in my math class wanted to know how much weight I’ve lost. “You’re looking good! How much have you lost?” My purple robe fits me! My jeans slide off my butt!

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Kathy!!!!!)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) This is the sucky part of the internet...you are too far away for me to do anything but sit here and hope you are okay. Sending you a huge plast of the good old white light, the brightest and bluest I can! (white being the color of protection, and blue being the color of healing)

Oh Penni, what a heart break. my most sincere condolences