MollyBrown

Hi there November Nymphs. Shortgal invited me to join. I guess I am a little dense because I can't figure out how. I looked around for something called November Nymphs to try and joing, but I couldn't find it. Could someone tell me how to do this? So I am going to read some of the other things going on in the section, and see what the challenges are so I can join in. This month, my goals currently are: 1) Get my life back, claim it back from the place (work) that has been stealing my energy, body and soul, for quite some time now. 2) Love approximately 5-6lbs. I want to weigh 249 by May 1st. 3) Walk at least 2 miles, 3 times a week. 4) Tomorrow I start a Water jogging class on Monday and Fridays to help relieve my knee and foot pain I hope this isn't to many goals. The first one is a doosey, let me tell you.

Hey there.... Thanks so much for the welcome and shout outs. I entered my information on the challenge. Even though work is still up in the air, this past week was a little less stressful because they removed me from the work environment and councelled the A-hole. I think this week they will want to mediate it because I am "O-so-valuable" to the program" , but I am just praying they let me go find a job elsewhere in the agency. Anyway, I have not posted a lot because I have made moving my mission this week, and guess what? The scale is finally moving a bit (Praise the Lord!!!). I walked three times this week (2.1miles each time), and attended two Water jogging classes which were really awesome. Not to slam those skinny girls at the water jogging class, but I kicked their butts. I think a saw one thinking "hey, that big girl can move in the water". I am working in the yard with my husband today, we are building a fence to keep the deer out of our garden, and if I have time, I am meeting my friend from the water jogging class to take a bike ride. I hope I have time to go for a ride but we really need to get this fence done. Thanks again.... I look forward to getting to know all of you... Lots of Love!!

Join Date: Oct 2007 Age: 30 Posts: 88 Rep Power: 1 Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.5.....................220 ..........8.5 Osangriared.....252...............249.5.....................232 ..........19 Skinny_Jill.......180...............176.....................168....... .....8 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............177....................175....... .....2 TxArcher..........328..............318......................308....... ....10 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............217.2..................210........... 7.2 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... ....16 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6.....................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............209.....................199........1 0 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............189......................185....... .4 Hollyberries......267...............262......................254...... .8 CindyG............215...............213......................199...... ..14 MollyBrown......258...............253.......................245.........8

Hey Bandsters It has been a while since I last posted. I was banded on 11/09/07 and lost 30lbs within two months. Since then I have not budged on the scale... I have been so stressed out by my job I have not had the mental fortitude to work out, probably a bit depressed, and eating to feed the stress. The good news is, I have not gained weight, but I have not lost any either. A year ago I started working for the US Government. I was told I was being hired for one position, but literally the day I showed up, they changed my job to a supervisor in a skill area that is not my strength. It has been a tough year. I have had to learn my job, teach others their job while learning my own, and whats worse, working for a Colonel who is passive aggressive and has a track record for writing employment actions against people at the drop of a hat. At first I was on his good side, but a month before my surgery, things really got bad. So much so, I took 3 weeks after my surgery. True, I did not bounce back like I thought I should have, but truly the third week was trying to mentally prepare to go back to that hell hole. Since being back, I have gone from being the Colonel's star pupil to being public enemy number one. Six weeks ago the Chief of Staff (woman) requested to be removed from the office due to a hostile work environment. Today, after suffering this mans verbal abuse, I requested to be removed due to a hostile work environment. Although I feel peace for once in a very long time, I know next week will be hell, with all of the mediation sessions and interviews I will have to participate in. Bottom line, I like to think I have not used this hostile working situation as an excuse to not be successful with the band, but unfortunately that is the way it is turning out. Somehow I need to shake off this grey cloud, pray that I will be released from this organization to find a new job within the Government, and take control of this band, take control of my life... I really need some prayers from this network. Not just prayers that this asshole will get what is coming to him for treating women so badly, but prayers that I make it through this process without defeating the good I have done so far with the band, and prayers that I will pull it back together to make the band work for me again.

THanks for inviting me to the November Nymphs group. I will definitely join. And you are right, I have not been on this board much since January, which is when the things at work REALLY started getting bad. And, if I am to be completely honest, I was a little embarrassed that I have only lost 30 when some of the other November folks are at 45 and more lost. Girlie2shooz, you are right too, I am the one stuffing hershey's kisses in my mouth, not A-hole. I think I will refer to him as A-hole instead of "my Colonel" or any other reference that would infer respect for the man. Plus, it is easier to type. I flipped the switch on Thursday, reporting a hostile work environment claim, They removed me from the office on Friday at about noon. They pretty much have to do that when a claim is made. I will continue to perform the same functions, but just from the offices of the A-holes superiors. Thankfully, another woman was removed about a six weeks ago for the same claim, so hopefully they will not return me to work for him. At least I am praying to all that is Holy that I don't have to. Thanks for your support.

What is the right choice for America? Roger or Mark. I think Roger has more to lose, so if we pick him, he could win over the girls. How to they calculate the winner, is it the greatest percentage of weight loss over the entire season? I really want a girl to win. Mark is really freaky to me. Ali, Kelly, and even Roger with his wobble neck look really good. Mark looks a like gaunt. I do get the impression that Mark has some deep-seated emotional issues.

Did you ask if they were going to recommend you for the surgery, prior to your leaving the eval? It is okay for you to ask, and they should tell you exactly what they are going to put in the eval recommendation to the insurance company. So some advice to anyone getting a psych eval, ask the doctor/counselor before you leave the room, whether or not they will be recommending you for the surgery. You are the patient, and in most cases you are paying the bill, therefore they are required to answer your question.

Thanks so much for the support. I have withdrawn from a lot of things in my life because of this situation. I have distanced myself from friends because I perceive they are getting tired of me talking about this issue, but the situation is so difficult, I am finding I can think of little else. This week will be rough. My Colonel will be lashing out because my claim is the second he has received in the last two months. The thing about this guy is that he intentionally send emails saying "excellent job" and stuff like that, but in person he is extremely harsh, overly critical, condescending, and chauvinistic. I hope this week isn't as bad as I am anticipating. I have finally gotten down to 255, and am hoping to get to 249 within the next week or so. Unfortunately when I am stressed and worried, all I want to do is eat sweets.

I looked under the local groups for Maryland and it does not look like very many folks participate in that group. I am dying to connect via this site with some folks in Maryland. If you are from Maryland and want to communicate, please respond...

Luvmy2dogs, First, I love your name, I love my 2 dogs too. Two goldens.... The surgery so far.... Well, it has been the toughest thing I have ever done. Anyone who thinks this surgery is a cure-all, or the cheaters way out has absolutely no idea of what this surgery is about. The lap-band is a way of life, and you need to work it every day. If you don't work it every day, you will not have the results of folks who lose 100+ pounds. To date, I have struggled to work the band every day. I am not going to lie, I am thrilled with a 30 lb weight loss, but a lot of the folks who were banded about the time I was have lost a LOT MORE than me. I have not been religious about physical activity/working out, and I have eaten things I shouldn't have. But, I am also sure that had I not had the band, I would probably be 10 pounds heavier than I was pre-op. I am determined to lose my 120 pounds. I will lose it slowly, which is okay because slow is as healthy as fast. The things I have difficulty with: my Dr goes very slow with the fills. I have only had one on a 14cc band and I literally have little to no restriction. The good part of this is that it makes me have to do some of the work, it isn't all the band. My life resembles a more "normal" life in regards to food. This will change as my fills come. Next, I need to be better about Water. You really need to focus on getting lots of water in between meals and not during. This has been difficult for me because I am a water hound and I really want to drink when I eat. Next, small bites and chew it a lot. At first I was very good with this. I have slackened in this area and as another fill lumes in my future, I really need to focus on this. When we were doing a good job at this, putting the fork down in between bites was really helpful too. Social eating is SUPER difficult. At the risk of sounding braggy, I am an excellent cook and our house is the hub of our family. I am always cooking for a lot of people and it is hard not to indulge in baby back pork ribs cooked to perfection, or the other dinners and appetizers I make. My husband and I also love wine which we have at social gatherings. The hardest things for me are exercise and social eating. I really need to get consistent with exercise. I have used every excuse in the book to not do it, some valid (injured knee and ankle), some invalid (to tired from work). I need some one to kick me in the butt...

Your pysch eval sounds difficult and only partially relevant to what you are about to go through. The doc definitely sounded like they were cruizing for more business. Did you ask at the end of the session whether they were recommending you for the surgery? I did, and they said yes. Always be your own advocate and ask the results.

Does anyone have problems with hypertrophic scars. Mine are not terrible, but still wider and raised. Do topical scar reducer treatments work on these type of scars?

Pix, You're cracking me up with the freaky saying from Silence of the Lambs. I do lotion a lot. I try to tell my 17 year old that it is never to early to start moisturizing your entire body... Olive oil, wow, that is really different... I am sure my husband would like that, a little bread and he could have sex with a snack.... Just kidding and kind of gross... Sorry.... Thanks for the tips though, I will have to give it a try.

Mine look more like Wheetsin's picture number two, just a lot more red and a little more raised. It has been almost three months. I guess what bugs me the most is the amount they are raised. I guess only time will tell how the end up. Right after surgery, my port location was indented or concave. Since I have lost, that has minimized as well.

My doctor does not want me to drink my calories, but there is a definite cost benefit analysis to be done when it comes to Protein. We definitely need protein to ensure we protect our muscles while we lose weight. High levels of protein also ensure lean muscle mass. I have only lost 30lbs but my mass has dramatically reduced because of the protein. I look for the lowest calorie Protein shake possible to make sure I am not using all of my calories on liquids. Muscle Milk Lite Ready to drinks 8.5fl oz (160 calories, 20g protein, tastes really good) or Isopure with one tube of Crystal Light in it 20fl oz (160calories, 40 gm protein, and very acceptable tasting with the crystal light in it). Also, if you are truly getting restriction, it would be hard to eat enough whole food protein to make dent in the 60 to 100 grams of protein you should be getting each day to protect your muscles, skin, and hair. Just my two cents...

Soozan, I like to refer to my fitness equipment as fitness art, because I purchased each piece with the well meaning of using it, only to sit and look at it as I considered the possibilities. If you have bad knees or are older or both with a high BMI, you might not want to try out an eliptical several times before purchasing. The total gym (sorry if this hurts anyones feelings) is gimmicky, a pain to adjust, is a bit heavy when lifting to adjust. The treadmills are GREAT, especially if you put infront of the TV and let it rip with your favorite show on. Of course a good walk out in the fresh air doesn't cost anything. If you are going to get a treadmill, get a really good one, not a PROFORM or something like that. Look at the weight capacity on any machine you are thinking about getting. Look on craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, events, forums for someone selling their fitness art in your area. I have purchased and sold enough equipment on craigslist that I am sure I could have outfitted an entire gym. I purchased this really nice two station weight lifting system for my husband for only $150.00. There is a little hassle with the pick up and put together stuff, but brand new the system was $1800.00. Make 33 is right too. A good approach is to join a local gym for about a month or a pay as you go place so that you can use all of the machines to decide which you like best.

Make 33: First, you are very welcome regarding the post over the weekend. I tend to be a straight talker myself, but realize that all cannot embrace that mode. I have had the hard hitting advice of several on this website and never once took it as an attack, rather a "hey, what the hell are you thinking" and I do respond to that. Also, when I was freaking out before surgery, some of the same hard hitters showed compassion and understanding that kept my fear at bay. Regarding the ketosis thing. The other poster on this thread is right. The diets that promote ketosis are considered questionable in their long term affect on the body. When I started noticing the ketosis setting in regularly I started have the Weight Control Oatmeal for Breakfast and it stopped it pretty quickly. Of course that increased my Fiber and I started farting regularly... If it ain't one end, it is the other...... :eek: Good luck and let me know how you do...

Make 33, A long time ago I was on this diet call Physicians Weight Loss. The main purpose of this diet was to put your body into ketosis to burn fat. I developed some funky breath... My boyfriend at the time really hurt my feelings when he told me that anytime time of day, my break not just stunk, but STANK! What a charmer, so glad I dumped him. Anyway, a few times since being banded I could tell I was in ketosis because of the funky breath. The only relief is temporarily provided by brushing your teeth or breath saver products like mints, listerine strips, etc.... Sorry, that is just my experience.

I agree, threads in different places can be confusing... The reason I suggested us moving is because Alex has overhauled this site. On th home page, as you scroll down, they have a sub-section called Lap-Band Support Groups, and under that is a main forum called Local Lap-Band Support Groups which is organized by country and then state. I thought this would be a good place for us to meet others from Maryland who come onto the site, AND it looks like some of these folks are organized, sometimes having group events. Maybe if we all go other there, we can abandon this thread.

I posted the link on the old message string and am hoping that some come over. I think it would be cool to have some outings with a healthful theme, a walk or bike ride or something like that. My last name is not Brown. I just use it because when I was young, people always found some other name to call me, Molly Hatchet, Unsinkable Molly Brown... I like the unsinkable Molly Brown because I will not let me dreams to be a healthy weight sink... Sounds corny, I know....

Has anyone read the Dummies series book for weight loss? I saw the table of contents and I think I would have liked this book prior to surgery. I was wondering if anyone has read it and if so, would it have meaningful info for folks who have already had the surgery.

Hope you all are still subscribing to this string. If so, please go to the new Maryland site from the Homepage or hit this link: Maryland - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support Looks like there are more Marylanders who are looking for all of us to join.

Hey Marylanders... I tried to get a Maryland string going before this website was updated. There were quite a few who responded. I could get there names and we could send them a message to join us. I was banded by Dr. Sighn on 11/09/07. I live near Catonsville, MD.

Yeah, the first couple of weeks are tough.... Please, please, please try to stay with your Protein Drinks and whatever is on your doctors allowable foods. The stomach is still healing and the movement it makes to digest food of any mass can cause possible movement/slippage of the band, especially if you eat to much. Which it does not sound like it was to much, just to rich. Be careful, fight the temptations and try to stay on track. We all slip up, but none of us want to have slippage :confused:

Kristin, Thanks for the love..... I really appreciate your words, and wow, you are going fantastic as well...