vinesqueen

Yikes! One fat bellydancer!

Woot! that's great work, and new clothes are always too much fun!

Okay, as y'all know, my DH was banded a couple of years before I was. He is down to 410 pounds, and has been enjoying that weight for the last few months. This is the smallest I've ever known him. Also, he has been at least 400 pounds all his adult life, so there has been some issues where he simply not ready to go further with his loss. Well, last week he got another fill and rededicated himself to losing weight. He did this so that he can better relate to my struggles. I've been slightly anoyed with him for the last several months because he hasn't been trying to lose weight, eating around his band, and generally not working his weight loss. I was anoyed because here I am doing everything under the sun and nothing works. He doesn't know if he will lose fast or slow, but he wants to support me in my struggle, and the best way he knows how is it start being the best bandster he can. I know of at least two other bandster couples, any one else?

Wait, you've lost 30 pounds in 5 months? !!!! That sounds suspicously like Rabbit behaviour! That's amazingly good progress, If I see a 40 pound loss in a year I'll be amazed. I don't lose 2 pounds a month let alone 2 pounds a week. I take viactive multi vitamines and calcium. Okay, I've decided that 700 calories is not nearly enough. I'm back to 240 pounds, as of yesterday morning, so it isn't even working. I've decided that i'm going to eat around the band. I hate to do this, and I'm not going to share how I plan to do it, but it will be with good choices, so not to worry. I'll not be sucking down bowls of ice cream or other stuff that band loves. I have finals all next week, and I need to be on the top of my game.

Santa Clause North Pole, Earth Dear Santa, I have been a good girl. It really wasn't my fault what happened at Clark's Office party. It was Traci who spiked the punch with too much egg nogg. I can't help it if I drank 42 glasses. It was so good---smelled and tasted just like pine. I thought it was funny when I put Ryan's panties on my head and danced the tango on the sofa while singing `Los'. I didn't mean to break Clark's PDA and don't know why Clark would accuse me of murder. I don't remember calling Clark's wife a sticky cow---even though she looked like one with purple eye shadow and green lipstick! And when I threw up on Jean's husband's elbow, it was only because I ate too much of that Soup. After all that fun, I admit I was a little tired. So I fell asleep on my way home and drove my snow cat through my neighbor's entryway. I don't think that was any reason for my neighbor to call me a hot dog and have me arrested for battery! So, Santa...here I sit in my jail cell on Christmas Eve, all wet and sweet. And I'm really not to blame for any of this sticky stuff. Please bring me what I want the most---bail money! Sincerely and quickly yours, Crystal (Really a nice girl!) P.S. It's only 12 bucks!

Actually it was a shot at her rigidity, because ballet dancers have the most diffiuclt time learning to move with great Fluid motions in their torso. We had a couple of women in ballet as well as bellydancing, and they couldn't move their hips or chest in isolations. Not sure what a Bon-Bon is, but apprently it's something that bellydancers have

Welcome to the Banded Gentry!

Yes, yes, yes!

Well, my big big DH ordered a custome set of motorcycle chaps... and we are going to San Fransisco in January, I suppose I could almost convince him to wear them buttless. You know, we could stroll the Castro District... You know, I almost posted something that was TMI, and something that only 3 guys on this board could relate to... So I'll just stop But there is a very stong likely hood that we will not do this. But we could.... but we won't.

Well, tonight I make my semi-professional debute again! We had our dance department dance review Wednesday night, and pix will be forthcoming. We were great, several people told us that we were the best group on stage, so that was awesome! I went out on stage, in front of an audience of maybe 300 or 400 people, and I OWNED the stage. I wasn't the slightest bit nervous, and I'm quite amazed at that, believe you me! I made eye contact with many of the audience, and I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time. Not only did I look like I was having a great time, I WAS having a great time! The next NSV is my costume... my top was a crop tant top that I've added bead work too to make it sparkle. But the important part of that sentence is CROP TOP! Yes, that's right, I was wearing a belly shirt on stage, exposing my ample belly to the public, with my surgery scars clearly visible! And I did it on purpose! Okay, this next one isn't an NSV, not really, and it properly goes on the "Skniny Bitches" thread, but here it is We had just come off stage after doing our two numbers and we were all still amped up on adrenalline. We were talking about how we had done, bla bla bla. A group of ballet dancers were there, I mean, right there and one of the skinny blond said to another skinny blond the snottiest comment I've heard in a long time. Okay, all the ballet dancers were skinny blonds, but that's besides the point. She said, in a loud voice "well, at least we weren't shaking our Bon-Bons." In the snottiest possible voice mind you. So, I simply said, with sugar in my voice, "well that's because you can't shake your Bon-Bon." And then I smiled so sweetly at her. (then she said that I was probably right, and the group of them walked away) So, I suppose that makes me a fat bitch, but I just decided that I wasn't in the mood to take crap from anyone. So, the next part of the Bellydancing NSV is that I'll be dancing againg tonight at a local restaurant, and yes, I'll be dancing for tips, so Big Paul, you'd better leave now so you get here in time, and yes, you'll probably need to take out a second mortgage So, finally, I'm doing this when I weigh 240 pound and not waiting until I get closer to goal. I'm doing this at size 22/24 and not when I get to my goal of 12/14

Babs, this is a GREAT NSV! Can I tag along too?

okay, a friend thinks he's figured out why I don't lose weight. I sit under flourencent lights all day... it must be photosynthesis. I'm eating all the time, light!

cherry nyquil does it for me!

You might want to search this topic, since it is quite a popular theme for discussion. I don't care that there is more maintence with the band. I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm aware of the risks of the band, and I'm fine with those too. I'm not fine with the malabsortion, or the "re-plumming." I know that many people are perfectly happy with their choice for a different WLS, that many people are wildly successful with their other WLS. I just feel that the other techniques are too drastic for me personally. I had the band so I wouldn't die. I didn't want to choose a solution that seemed worse than the problem. If I lost my band, I wouldn't have a differnt WLS. my two cents your milage may vary.

Oh great, I spend all that time and you remove your post! (brrraaaak, bauk bauk No seriosly, it is a touchy thing, love and sex and fat. PM me any time.

Hey Big Paul! I just wanted to let you know that many of your experiences paralell my life, since my husband too was 600 pounds. For almost 2 years my husband slept on the sofa, sitting up, since he had terrible sleep apnea. Well, hell, he would start to suffocate when he would just lie down. We too just became roommates. And I hated it. I didn't want a roommate, I wanted a husband. As he got bigger the further he pushed me away, the further he withdrew. I seriouly almost divorced him because of his weight, and the fact that he was no longer my husband. I don't know if you pulled away, I have to imagine that on some levels you did. I know that lots of fat people use their bulk as a way to distance themselves from everyone else, to insulate ourselves. It very may well be that be that your wife feels that you've pulled away. I don't know how long you were that big, but it seriouly takes a toll on a relationship in ways that are not obvious. It may be that she pulled away herself to try to shield herself from her paiin over your weight. I became terrribly depressed over my husband's weight. The problem is that I was stuck greiving for his death, and the subborn goat wouldn't die. It was not a concious think on my part, but I knew he was dieing from his weight. And I was stuck and couldn't move past it, until he did something about it. I was humiliated to be in public with the man I loved, which didn't help matters any either. Well, what he did was to get the band and drop almost 200 pounds in less than 2 years. What he also did was to woo me all over. It is not easy to go from being roommates to being lovers again. I'm not talking physical lovers, but emotionally lovers. I think that once the emotional connection re-connects it is easier for the physical to reconnect. feel free to PM me any time!

Okay, okay, it doesnt' have to be Barbies, I just like buying them because I had so much fun playing with them when I was a child, and I've been a feminist since I was 5-years-old! You are right, I won, so drinks are on you! Woot! Table dances anyone?

welcome to the banded gentry Tigger!

snow blows like madness the cold stings against my skin winter wonder land Ice, sleet, blowing snow pocatello winters make me long for home

Yikes! Oh my gawd! You must let us know how this progresses (up to a point... )

I've been seeing lots of folks lately talking about "the great deal" they are getting on their surgery. The talk of, oh my surgeon only charges $X amount, which is cheaper than doctor Y charges. I don't know why, but this really started to bother me this afternoon. What with all the talk of problems that have suddenly hit our community, with slips and leaks and the E-word, I would think that we would search out the very most qualified, the very best surgeon and aftercare facility that we can possibly find. I know that I'm so very lucky to have wonderful insurance. I knwo this and I am increadibly thankful for it. I know that when I was looking for a new sofa I looked for the best one that fit my budget. When I bought my saturn, I bought it used and got a great deal on it. It's 12 years old and I still get 35 mpg with it. But getting a band isn't like buying a sofa or a car. It is my body and my life. I don't want the cheapest surgeon cutting on me. I don't want the best price available, with frequent flyer miles and a free toaster. I want the most qualified laproscopic surgical team I can find. I want the best aftercare facilities that I can find. What is at stake? My health, and possibly my very life. Are you willing to take a cut rate price?

Donali, honey, no worries. No Worries at all. It occured to me that perhaps her current surgeon just isn't comfortable operating on someone as big as she is. I *know* how big she is, and I've never met her. I know many of her struggles, having lived with my DH who was 600 pounds when he was banded. Because she is Super Super Obese, she has extra physiolgical issues that need to be delt with. I know that there are many surgeons out there who wouldn't touch her at the range she is in, and probaly rightfully so because of their skill level and experience with folks her size. It could very well be that they want her to lose so much weight because that will increase her survival chances. Tonya, I'd like it if you could contact my surgeons because they have experience with people beyond simple Morbidly Obese. I worry about you.

That is what I was told by our surgeons, the weight we first lose will come right off our livers, not our hips or anywhere else. Especially with a rapid loss technique, it comes right off the liver. I can't say about the 10% body fat loss, I think my DH only had to lose something like that, but he was a super high risk patient, as are many of us. They wanted me to lose something similar, I think maybe only 10 but it might have been 20 pounds, I don't remember how much they wanted me to lose. But I didn't lose the pounds as requested, I gained 10 instead. All my surgeon did was pat my hand, say that's okay, we'll get you fixed right up, and to not worry about it. I really do not believe this request by my surgens' office is a power play. And in their case, it is a request, not a demand. As far as I know, they haven't turned anyone down because they couldn't lose the weight preband. And my clinic has done over 1,000 bands, and they proctor, so I believe that they know what they are doing. I have heard that some surgeons use this as a power and control thing, but my experience has not been that.

heh heh heh heh heh In Seattle we don't generally get a lot of cold and snow, maybe a couple of inches a year. Every 7 or 10 years or so we get a heavy snowfall. But even with a couple of inches the news cracks me up.. The TV news people well be all "STORMWATCH <insert year here>" dun dun dun! I was almost run over Wednesday by some idiot who was speeding and not mindful that the roads were covered in snow and ice. If there had been cars parked on the curbs he would have taken them out because he went through the intersection SIDEWAYES.

Oh man, I'm so very sorry to hear about this Fats. I can only imagine how you must feel. To go so very far only to have to snached away. I wish you the greatest success in all your endevors!