lindata

I haven't talked to you guys in foreva!!

So with all the news about leaching chemicals from plastics, etc, etc, I'm wondering if anyone has considered how safe our hunk of plastic is inside our bodies. Have any of you questioned your docs or have you heard any news via the lapbandtalk grapevine? I'd like to hear anything you may have gleaned. Thanks!

Linda, surgery Nov 2, start weight 225, BMI 38.6, now weigh 174, BMI 29.9, 51 pounds lost

1. Went from size 22 to 14 jeans (and the 14's are even loose!!!)

2. Not scared to leave the house without full makeup, sunglasses, and best clothes on - in other words my "armour"

3. Feel like I'm just as good as anyone else now.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go

CindyG...........191...........191...........178........13

Sades............186...........185...........175........11

Stephanie........175...........173...........145........28

shortgal.........173.6.........173.6.........168........5.6

Bandpal..........172.26........171.93........150........21.93

Momto1plus1......187...........187...........174........13

lindata..........174...........174...........169........5

Bandpal - holy CRAP, are you actually 172 pounds? Way to go!!!

Hey Steph, yes, that happened to me. The nausea happened right after surgery. Since then I don't think it's so much nausea as sweats. Lately I've gotten a burning sensation in my esophagus. I have PBd pure liquid too. I'm with you, I don't know WTH is up with that!

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go

CindyG...........195...........193...........185........8

Momto1plus1......193.6.........190.6.........185........5.6

Foofy............226...........226...........216........10

Sades............185...........185...........175........10

Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10

Shortgal.........174...........172.4.........168.........4.5

Wnt2Lose.........195...........195...........180........15

Stephanie......182.5.........182.5...........167......15.5

Linda............183..........181.5..........170........11.5

Shalee04.........180...........180...........174........06

Bandpal.................185..................185..................175. ...........10

Oh Gawd, why did I read this after eating? bleck!

Shelly - you're almost at goal?! Way to go!!!

Shortgal - you are doing FANTASTIC just maintaining at this stressful time. On the weekends, why don't you have just one meal a day that you "save up" for. Like, Breakfast and lunch have just a Protein shake or something really small, and then you can have more at supper and feel like you're cutting loose a bit, and hopefully not gain those two pounds that you're having to lose the rest of the week.

Can you believe we're almost a year to our first bandiversary? WOW!

Yes, I can't believe it either! Instead of being raised to eat certain amounts (i.e. a food pyramid), we should be taught to eat until satisfied. I can have two cup-size Protein Shakes and one small snack a day and be full - of course I WANT waaaay more than that.

Shalee - it sounds like our bodies are very similar. Mine is most comfortable in the 180's as well, and when I exercise I tend to lose inches, but not weight. In the past, that's where I quit because I'd get so frustrated with the scale not going down, even though my size did. Every so often I'd stick with it and after quite a few months I'd start losing again. I bet you'll start losing soon if your inches are going down. Hang in there!

You know you have good restriction when... the only food you can eat looks like the food you've already pb'd.

Ooh, that's so gross!!:rolleyes2::puke::thumbup:

And I suppose you can get into legal trouble if you post his face all over the internet telling everyone what a con job he is too. It is very unfair.

I know you're probably going to roll your eyes at this, but I've found after every travail there is usually a reason behind it. Every single time I have suffered, I have grown in ways that have helped me deal with the next hurdle in my life. I'm sure there's something here that will help you in the future that you will be grateful to have learned. Rolling your eyes yet? But it's true, really.

You know you have good restriction when ... you can't eat chips (food of the Gods!) because you know you're gonna get stuck. But it's aaaaallll good.

I went for my fill today and I am happy to say I did NOT gain a pound since I put my new and unimproved weight on this challenge. Trust me, this is a huge deal - I gain weight like a sponge soaks up Water. I'm back to the fill level I was before I had my big puking and unfill episode. I'm going to be veeeeery careful this time not to get stuck. I'm gonna whip some of your butts in the process!!!

Kendra, don't even worry about the weight right now, just worry about yourself getting better! I've never had chemo so I can't speak to your fatigue, but when I get really depressed and I feel like I can't move a muscle because I'm so tired, exercise is the only thing that can get me going again. It only takes once and then the next day I feel a lot better emotionally, and am able to keep going with the exercise. Then I start getting a lot more energy and don't need to sleep as much. Give it a huge effort, I know you've got to be tired, but do try and see if it helps. I'm so glad you checked in. I like to hear how you're doing!

Hey Shortgal. I can't wait to see your photos. Your dress sounds fantastic!

I'd talk to a lawyer too if I were you - and maybe ask some of the nurses that helped with the surgery, whoever works in his office, etc, if they know how to get evidence about what actually happened. Maybe they could give you a lead on where you could take this. I'm sure that there is someone who works for him that doesn't like his practices and would be helpful in giving you some hints along the way of what you could do to sue his a$$!!!:thumbup:

Well, how weird is this - everyone seems to have been in a funk and then got out of it again. Is it a cyclical thing - like the moon pulling at us? I bet 1000 years ago there were mystical people around who could explain this! Or maybe it's because of everyone supporting each other here. awwwwww!

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go

CindyG...........195...........195...........185........10

Momto1plus1......193.6.........193.6.........185........8.6

Foofy............226...........226...........216........10

Sades............185...........185...........175........10

Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10

Shortgal.........174...........174...........168.........6

Wnt2Lose.........195...........195...........180........15

Stephanie......182.5.........182.5...........167......15.5

Linda............183...........183...........170........13

This is very hard for me - I'm coming clean here with my weight gain and actually moving my ticker, my precious ticker!, up to where I am right now. :crying:

Are you working different muscle groups when you're lifting "every day?" If you continue to work the same muscles every day, you never give them a chance to build up again and get stronger.

.

I was just reading about this last night on a weightlifting site. The guy on there said if you don't rest your muscle groups then your muscles can either stay the same or even get smaller! It's when they're resting that they get bigger. Interesting! I've always heard that you need to rest at least a day when weightlifting. So arms one day, legs the next kind of thing.

Steph is back!!! Whoohoo! Congrats on the 4.0 you Smarty Pants. Can I call a police officer a smarty pants?

Another thing to consider, you might want to try different workouts, like mountain biking, hiking, etc, where you are using different muscles than what your body is used to. I can't remember the name of it, but there's a really good type of exercise for muscle tone and weightloss - it's where you do weights alternating with cardio. I started doing this at home. It keeps your heart rate up to burn fat as well as adding muscle. I'll do a set and then 30 seconds of running on the spot as hard as I can - or you could do jump rope or the treadmill, etc.

Scarecrow - my jaw dropped when I saw how much you lost! Way to go! And you are such a hottie - look at those blue eyes - they totally pop out at you now!

As for your questions, I am no doctor, but some things I'm wondering are:

What kind of meat are you having in your sandwiches? Are they processed deli meat, or like real meat straight off a chicken/cow kind of thing? I'd get rid of anything processed - it's got lots of artificial crap, as well as a lot of sodium which will make you retain Water. You could probably get Protein in other ways too aside from meat - like eggs, nuts, hmmm, drawing a blank here as to more but I'm sure there are (tofu?)

You may actually be eating too little in the way of calories if you're exercising as hard as you are, and being a young guy and all that. Maybe you need to add more calories.

The skin thing - I'm thinking since you are young, it will come back in time.

The weightloss in weird areas thing - I've noticed on the Biggest Loser the same thing happens to guys - they look a bit misshapen at first, but then when they come in at the finale everything is where it's supposed to be. There's always places that seem to stay fat till the end (it sounds like yours are your love handles - mine's my thighs!). But in the end the fat does come off these areas too. I've heard that you can't exercise one particular area for fat loss - it will come off you as it comes off.

Again, I am soooo not an expert, but these are just gut feelings to what you've described.

Congratulations again!!!

Bandpal - I will not give you a break! You are the man, the guy, one rad dude, totally!!

Cindy - thank you for your kind words!

Sades - what an awful on-line friend I am. Let's get back to the original post - how are YOU doing? Are you managing to get back on track with eating/exercising? Are you hanging on by the skin of your teeth or is it easier? Are your fills finally working? I noticed you totally ROCKED this month with the weightloss challenge.

I refuse to get on the scale until my next fill! :tt2: See you at the next challenge.

Bandpal - you are too true - with everything!! You're like our resident band guru! I agree that this band is probably going to be temporary. I'm just waiting for the day something bad happens to it that I have to have it removed. I was so scared that night when I was throwing up the whole time, I was sure I had a slipped band or something was wrong with my stomach.

About the family - it's still going to be hard to face them with my gain, but still I have lost a lot of weight, and I'm actually quite happy at the weight I am at now. I need to remind myself of that, and how proud of myself I actually am, rather than the few pounds that I have gained (which I know will come off again anyway!) People no longer look through me like I'm invisible. I am part of the human race again, and that's really all I wanted. I would honestly be happy at the weight I am right now even though I'm technically "overweight".

I am so glad that you are able to fight and conquer the old demons - your head is wrapped around this banding process really well. Unfortunately mine has not. Of course that is ultimately what I wish - that I could get my head around it. The band forces me to eat smaller amounts, but if I ever lost the band completely right now I'd be sunk. And that's what needs to happen, to get my head in the game before I do lose the band. I'm hoping and praying that once my fill level is good, and it is good for a prolonged period of time so that I'm forced to eat properly, then I will get out of the bad habits I have always had. I've done it before - gone for long times without eating the junk, but once that food passes my lips it's a downhill spiral. I'm not the type of person who can allow myself to have one little bite of chocolate a day (like my friend can!). If there is anything in the house, it is consumed at a rapid pace! This is what I need to get over.

Cindy, it was the nurse that had actually called. I have a feeling that if I asked the doctor he would have said to come in earlier when I had wanted to. I'll make sure to double check it with him next time. I have no restriction and I've gained back about 15 pounds. In another week and a half I'm sure it will be up to 20. But then again once I get restriction, it will come off.

Sades, you are right, about expressing feelings, getting it all out, and it's not really how we are feeling most of the time. I really don't feel hopeless most of the time either. I know this weight will come off again. I just wish it hadn't happened right when I'm supposed to go visit family that have seen me lighter. urgh.