steph_co

What? No NSVs since August??? I know we've had some - come on and share, guys! It helps to keep me motivated, too! But here's MINE for today. I went shopping at Target for some new jeans because mine are hanging off my butt (14s). I thought I'd put on some 12s and have them be tight, but at least I'd be a 12. I put them on REALLY easily. It was strange because I thought, "These seem a little loose - they're not going to last me very long. Maybe I'll just get 10s instead so that I'm not wasting money." So I grabbed some 10s and tried them on, thinking I'd be struggling and sucking in and pulling really hard. OMG...NO...the things went on really easy. Buttoned and very comfortable! I'm a freaking 10! I'm almost positive I was not a 10 this early in the game the last time I lost weight down to this size!!! So then I thought it had to just be the designer of the jeans - fudging me on the size to make people feel better. So I went over and grabbed some 30s in men's (I wear men's pants for work) because I need some new work pants. They went on, too! They were a little bit more snug in the butt than the women's jeans were. I guess, because we all know, men don't have booties. LOL But I bet by next weekend I'll be proudly sporting my 30's to work! OMG...either clothes have gotten bigger, or my body is proportioned a lot differently than it was when I was 17. I SWEAR I did not get into 10's until I was in the 150's. And I KNOW I'm still in the 170's. I'm just so excited. :rolleyes2: I'm REALLY starting to feel skinny again. I love it. I'm so excited to get to wear my jeans somewhere. Funny thing is, I bet by the time I go out to see my family in December, I might have to go buy some 8's!!

Sounds exciting, you guys! I wish I was going in for something - an improvement on my lower body would be nice. I just have to keep being patient, I suppose. :|

I DID have good restriction for a couple of months at 6.5 cc, but it didn't last. I went back and got bumped up to 7.3 cc and the difference is HUGE. It seems to be perfect to me.

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........172.26........150........22.26 I updated my weight and it didn't take, I guess. I'm not weighing myself again until Monday, so have no idea what my weight is right now.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........191...........191...........178........13 Sades............186...........185...........175........11 Stephanie........175...........173...........145........28

Well...like I say, I guess I'll wait to see how I do through November. Hmm. I've lost that fast before, but have no idea how it's going to be since I'm closer to my goal.

Oh, yeah - before I had good restriction (about 6.5 cc in 10 cc band) I could eat like normal. I ate freaking 4 pieces of pizza one time. Now, I can still eat pretty much WHATever I want, just not as MUCH. It's so funny because before the band, I'd make a pan of brownies and easily be able to eat like two large ones. I made a pan several months ago and was SO excited. Cut out my one brownie I was going to allow myself... Ate one bite, and realized it was going to be too much of a hassle and shoved the remainder of the brownies at my roommate and told him to enjoy them. LOL Everything goes down if I chew it enough - some things just freaking aren't worth the work.

I'm just curious. If you could have ANY kind of plastic surgery and money was not an issue - you could have WHATEVER YOU WANTED, what would you get? I'm thinking if my tummy doesn't go totally flat that I'd consider a LBL. I also know for sure that I want lipo on my thighs/hips/butt - I've always hated that area even when I was skinny. So...share.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........191...........191...........178........13 Sades............186...........185...........175........11 Stephanie........175...........175...........145........30 Gees....is mine too lofty a goal? I'm serious in asking this question. I just don't know, now. I guess we'll see how I do as I go and possible revise it to 20? Hmmmm. Let me see how I do through November and I'll see if I need to change my goal.

Sounds good to me, Cindy. Starting tomorrow, it'll give us 61 days for the challenge.

Hmmm. If we're going to use the holidays we're passing instead of where we're ending up... I'm thinking maybe some play on the words, "Home for the Holidays." But I can't come up with anything. I don't know - I'm open to suggestions.

Yes...I totally get where you're coming from. I didn't want to be one of "those people" that turns to surgery because I couldn't control myself. I didn't think it was for me. But I hit rock bottom when I tried 5 years to get pregnant - not a dang thing wrong with me according to all the tests. Then I DID get pregnant and I miscarried at 10 weeks. I was POSITIVE it had to do with my weight. I never asked a doc about that, but no other reason made sense. I just decided I couldn't continue to live in my fat body - I had to do something. Something that would stick with me for life unlike some diet that I could just give up on. Getting the surgery was a HUGE decision. I was scared - I teared up lying in the bed in pre-op. I had images of jumping up, tearing the IV out of my arm, grabbing my clothes and getting the heck out of there. But you know what? It has been the best decision I have ever made. I have been able to lose weight that I haven't been able to lose in YEARS. And it has stayed off rather than packing back on everything I lost and gaining more on top of it. This ride has been a rollercoaster for me. I had a good 4 months after the surgery when my middle name was motivation and I lost a bunch of weight. Things got tough and I started eating around my band. But I still couldn't eat as much as I did before the band! So instead of gaining back the 60 lbs that I had lost up to that point and adding to it, I only gained back 15 of them. I've now lost 12 of those and am back on track. I know everybody's different, so in saying this I am not guaranteeing that you'll be the same - but there isn't a single food that I can't eat. Everything goes down if I chew it enough. I just eat a whole heck of a lot less of it. There are some foods that are more of a hassle to eat now, but that's fine. Really and truly - a taste is enough. I don't have to get sick from eating whatever it is to be satisfied. I was a major compulsive eater before the band. Do I miss eating like I used to be able to? No. I like being in control. Even in my "bad" time this year, I still was more in control than I've ever been in my life around food. And you know what? It feels good.

I'll do my official "weigh-in" on the 15th - that's my Bandiversary. I have two more weeks to wow myself with how much I've lost.

New Year, New You Challenge Haha..okay...um... Happy Nymph Year Challenge....because it's gonna be OUR YEAR (hopefully to all get to final goal!?...meaning that all Nymphs could be down to final goal in the year 2009 - so it's OUR YEAR) Heehee...I'll keep thinking. Back to the drawing board.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......Left CindyG...........195...........191...........185........6 Momto1plus1......193.6.........188...........185........3 Foofy............226...........226...........216........10 Sades............185...........185...........175........10 Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10 Shortgal.........174...........171.4.........168.........3.4 Wnt2Lose.........195...........190.8.........180........10.8 Stephanie........182.5.........175...........167........8 Linda............183...........181.5.........170........11.5 Shalee04.........180...........178...........174........04 Bandpal..........185...........172.26 .......175........0 Well - I made it nearly halfway there and didn't stick to the challenge like I should have. I made it to Bandpal's goal! LOL

Things I DON'T miss about being overweight 1) Embarrassment eating out because I felt people were staring at me to see how much and what I would eat. 2) Avoiding meeting new people because I was so afraid of what they thought. 3) Avoiding seeing people I haven't seen in awhile because of how fat I was! 4) Not wanting to exercise outdoors because I thought people would be thinking, "Gees! It isn't working!" 5) Being bigger than my ex-husband 6) Afraid to get naked in front of a guy 7) Aches and pains 8) My clothes getting tighter, but dreading the thought of shopping in the plus section...so I just wore the same old stretchy stuff. 9) This one might be kind of weird...but part of me was afraid to get divorced because I didn't think anybody else would want me.

OUCHIE. Good luck - hope it goes easier this time. Mine is about about 2 inches below my left ribs - nowhere near the bra line. Yikes.

You can take Fiber supplements without taking an actual laxative. Laxatives are only for occasional constipation and if you use them regularly, your body could learn to depend on them. But fiber is a dietary supplement found in foods that EVERYBODY needs, so I'd say it's a good deal safer. Fibersure is my best friend. LOL It's a powder that you can mix into a drink, to include Water. And there really is NO taste or texture to it at all. I usually put it into flavored water just because I get more liquids if they're flavored. Can't taste it at all, but LOVE the benefits. LOL

Wow, that's stupid! Sounds like a terrible insurance company. I guess they're worried about any liability if something goes wrong with the band. Plus not wanting to pay for fills.

No, I did not stay. I left about 4 hours post-op (if not less).

Thanks. :thumbup: I was a little discouraged because I was stalled for a whole week (I don't think I've ever stalled in my whole LIFE for that long). When I saw I had dropped two lbs overnight, you should have seen my face. LOL I made this face :biggrin: in the mirror. haha You just have to figure out something that works for you. And when it's time, it's time. I haven't been this motivated since the first 6 months directly after my surgery. I have a GOAL - that I don't want to go see my family and be a fatty. So I have until December 17th to drop as much as possible. I think having a date in mind like that makes it easier to stick to it. I think when it's something external forcing you to lose the weight (judgment from my family), it is much easier. That's just my experience.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......Left CindyG...........195...........191...........185........6 Momto1plus1......193.6.........188...........185........3 Foofy............226...........226...........216........10 Sades............185...........185...........175........10 Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10 Shortgal.........174...........171.4.........168.........3.4 Wnt2Lose.........195...........190.8.........180........10.8 Stephanie........182.5.........176...........167........9 Linda............183...........181.5.........170........11.5 Shalee04.........180...........178...........174........04 Bandpal..........185...........175.12 .......175........0.12

It's about an inch and a half down from my left ribs and 2 inches from my belly button.

I'm a year out and I still have issues with my port scar. It just seems to get irritated easily. It itches or it stings, etc. It's not infected. There's no redness or swelling. It's just the FEELING of the scar. Anybody else experience this? Maybe as my tummy gets smaller, the scar will feel better??? I have no idea - looking for some insight.

Gees. All the horrible stories make me really glad that I don't work in a conventional office setting. I can't believe the nerve of some people. I did have a friend ask me pointblank once, though, if I had had bypass. I was speechless for a moment, but then admitted to Lapband. He wasn't being malicious, though, and he really isn't the type to spread gossip. So I wasn't worried about him. I would die if I had to be in an office with people gossiping behind my back. Ugh.