gingerbug

My doc told me to give him a call when I go on vacation. He has no problem with doing an unfill for vacation to enjoy oneself. Do what is right for you. If having you band unfilled for one week a year improves your quality of life, do it. If it freaks you out too much, then dont. Asking people here what they think is appropriate and you will only find out what is good for them, not you. Ultimately, talk to your doc and see what he/she says. Have fun on vaca!

For me, it seemed that my body was trying to rebel against me and was refusing to give it up. Then, all of a sudden, the floodgates opened and I dropped weight. Hormones impact my weight loss as well. I will lose aprox 8-10 pounds the week of and the week after my period and NOTHING in between. So hang in there, it has to give eventually. I personally think that being overweight makes our bodies less efficient and they need more time to get with the program.

We MUST not forget.....the Hoff

Steph, I am going to save the sexy lingerie for when I get closer to goal otherwise it will only fit for a couple of months! I think he will be thrilled enough with my newfound comfort in just being naked, kwim?

I am doing well, been making it to the gym regularily. Seriously, I was HURTING for several days after my first round of weight lifting. Feeling better today and thinking I might go for the arm weights again tomorrow. DH has been gone since two weeks after the surgery. He is a commercial diver and has been on a job out of the country since the middle of January. He will be home end of this week! I have been hush hush about the success of the band so I hope he manages to notice. LOL, that would be a man for you to not mention anything. I have had 4 fills total and am at 6 or so cc's in my 10 cc band. Currently, this level is working out really well for me.

How is everyone doing? Any 'A-ha' moments? Been hitting the gym? Feeling good?

Oh, boy, now I am crying. WHat a beautiful thing for your doctor to say to you, I wish you the best.

I am generally not hungry or full after a cup of food, unpacked. I measured the kiddy bowl I have taken to using today and it holds a cup of food. This is a guide for me. What I do is eat that and even if I feel hungry still I wait. I wait for an hour then drink something. If I am still hungry, and I rarely am, I will eat more. I dont plan on dieting but I have changed my lifestyle. I eat until I am no longer hungry rather than stuffed full. I dont deny myself things, though. If I want ice cream I go out with the kiddos and grab a cone somewhere rather than a half gallon. If I want chocolate I go to one of those gourmet chocolate stores and get a piece of something really really yummy instead of a king size milky way (or two) that I used to stuf my face with without hardly tasting. Bottom line, it is not how much you eat because it will vary. Just go with the flow and eat good foods that fuel your body and pay attention to when your brain says it is no longer hungry. If you want a treat, make a deliberate decision and enjoy every moment of how it tastes.

Well, I made it to the gym today as I plan to everyday this weeks since dh will be home of FRIDAY! He has been gone since january 15th and has not seen me 47 pounds lighter yet!! woohoo!

Woohoo! I need to hear more about the arm raised shimmy, though!!

I was told coffee was fine and only flat soda (what is the point?). I still drink a lot of coffee in the mornings but have had no problem with soda. I was a few diet pepsi's a day type of person and I went cold turkey the day before the surgery. I start to miss it then I just make myself an iced coffee. :w00t:

I wake up every morning THRILLED that I have my band. All the things I gave up pale in comparison to how I feel both physically and emotionally.

I completely get it. I started telling myself a few years ago that I will not define myself by the size of my thighs, I am so much more than that. As much as I value all the other things that I have to offer, I still want to look good in my clothes.

I chose 190 as my goal weight. I felt that is was realistic for me being 5'11" with a large frame. I feel that I can be anywhere from 160 to 190 and be pretty thrilled.

To be perfectly and completely honest, I HATE the fat jokes and the movies that make fun of large people. At the same time, I think I hate it because I am (was??) fat and I did not want people looking at me and laughing. That is why I opted for the band. I want to be thin. Healthy? Of course, I am not stupid, I know I will have a better quality of life being in a healthy weight range but I really just want to be thin. I can *get* that people of all sizes ought to be accepted and embraced. Big IS beautiful - but not on me. I hope I make sense.

LMFAO, these are bringing back memories. Remember Hypo or Hyper shirts? I vcant remember what they were called but the heat from your hands or pits or something changed the color of the shirt. Like a mood shirt. Good times.....good times....

If you are lacking energy you may want to check out the book 'Tired of being Tired' or 'From Fatigued to Fantastic'. these books talk a lot about adrenal burn out and give you ideas to build up your energy naturally and easily.

Shhh, I STILL listen to GnR! LOL, Rave flaked in my hair so I could not use it but I was rocking my at-home perms I started getting in the 6th grade! Who all made friendship bracelets and friendship pins??

Flashbacks! Do you remember 'pinning' your jeans, long plastic fake beaded necklaces tied in a knot, keds without laces, v neck sweaters worn backwards, aquanet, Def leopard, swatch watches and wearing, like, 4 of them, valley girls (gag me with a spoon) The friday night line up?

Um, no. I have little kids and I am always bending over, sprawled on the floor, reaching for something on the ground so me in a mini skirt equals problems. Big problems!

I think so men just ant always make that leap into defining a relationship. In my mind, I define a relationship as neither are seeing other people. Does he treat you well? Is he nice to you in front of his friends? My only concern would be that he was avoiding the relationship label so he could play the field. By your description it sure seems to me that he is in a relationship, whether he likes the label or not! Some men just need more time to get with the program.

It takes at least 20 pounds for me to go down a size and it took about 40 pounds for it to be really noticeable.

I am pretty happy so far and it seems to be working. Today I plan to do two 30 minutes sets, one weights and one cardio. I had sick kids the last two days and i need a break from them and this is it. A whole hour to myself. LOL. It is easier to go in for an hour when it is a choice, not something I mandated myself to do in the beginning.

I dont like to work out but under the circumstances, it is necessary. I can accept that and honestly, it is not all that bad. I get to put the kiddos in the child care area at the YMCA, plug into my mp3 and listen to some tunes. I get to be ALONE. It helps that the Y has little flat panel tv's at all the machines. So, I have failed at committing to working out before so this time I decided to do it differently. I only do 30 minutes. Granted, I go more often and I total about 3 hours a week at the gym but I only 'make' myself commit to 30 minutes. I actually look forward to it.

Hard to say for me. I eat three times a day and I eat often eat the frozen South Beach entrees and i find they are just the right amount of food for me. I have taken to saving the 'trays' and reusing them for portion control for other meals. Plus, they work out great for leftovers.