Hastings

I was molested for ten years by an uncle and by my father, with my mother's complicity.

I have not found it necessary to forgive any of them. I HAVE found it necessary to finally let go of it. Children who are molested have their self image distorted and their self esteem severly damaged for many many years.

Until you let go of it, you have granted them power to affect you. It's the same with being fat. I let it go. I am safe now.

It just pisses me off that it took me almost fifty years to find freedom. There is no justice.

most gyms will have a "free training assessment". talk to one of the trainers (you don't have to sign up), and get an idea of what you should be doing - get a "how to" on some of the equipment your not familiar with.

...and for those times when you feel self conscious; put your ipod/mp3 player on and get lost in your own routine.

good luck & congrats for getting started!!

Be prepared for a hard sell, though. In my experience those personal trainers can be very insistent.

I have always appreciated your posts, Wasa, and hope you continue to post.

It's almost like voodoo around here sometimes. Everyone is afraid their mojo will be jinxed by someone/thing. They don't realize that the power is in them, whatever tool they use or don't use.

Keep on truckin' and keep on postin'.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page there is a list of threads about this subject.

If you ever have a question you can also do a search on the subject i.e. "flying".

I'm flying to Sweden in July and and a little nervous about it.

Oh wonderful! I bet you are counting the days. Best of luck.

An American cup measure is a volume measure. One cupful of shredded lettuce does not weigh the same as a cupful of mashed potato. It doesn't mean 8 ounces in weight. A closer equivalent might be a teacupfull. A bone china tea cup. It is what they used to use.

Also 16 tablespoons. You could measure that into a container and mark it.

I love Water aerobics too. It's addictive.

I use sparkpeople.com. You can track your weight and your exercise. You can make graphs, if you ever wanted to do that. It has recipes lots of stuff. It's free. It has a recipe calculator at sparkrecipes.com. You can put in the ingredients, and then the number of servings and it gives you the nutrition in formation.

3fatchicks.com

I love this web site. It was started by three sisters who were trying to lose weight. Lots of info.

Getting depressed and emotional is pretty normal, but it might be a good idea to call the doc.

Brandy, no, the book won't be over your head. I promise.

Congratulations on taking control of your life. That is why I like to keep my band looser. I want to be the one in control of what I eat. I just think of my lap band as a sort of fire wall. It is a sort of back up for me.

No eating after seven pm. At night when the house is quiet and I'm reading, I really want to snack. I don't.

It makes no sense not to see your doctor for fear of having your band removed. If something is wrong with your band this would not save it, only make the situation worse.

See your doctor.

I'm quite happy having my band a little looser. It seems there are a lot of different styles for bandsters.

I learned to stop eating when I was no longer hungry. That is a heck of a lot different from Thanksgiving day dinner full. It is really hard to explain, but your attitude toward food changes.

You might go through a period of mourning, but instead, I hope you go through a period of deciding to change and embracing the changes. It's the difference between having something taken from you and making a decision to change.

You might also learn that YOU decide when you stop eating, not the food. Some people rely on the band for that and others prefer less restriction and more self control. Whatever style of "band use" fits you, I hope you have a great journey and enjoy it.

I got my first fill of 3 ccs when the band was implanted. That was three months ago. I haven't needed another.

I completely agree, Ceredad. I think that will power and good choices are crucial. I look at my band as a maintenance tool.

I exercise too and I do the 10,000 steps. Some days I go to the gym and some days I just go shopping and walk around the air conditioned stores as quickly as possible. At the grocery store, once my cart is filled and take a quick turn or two around the store to give me a few steps.

Exercise also is helpful to your mental state. If you can get to the point that endorphins are released you'll feel rewarded.:behindsofa:

I think it's ok to mourn, but don't let that blind you to the new way of thinking.

I was so totally ready to give it all up because it was killing me. I stepped away from it and haven't looked back.

Don't think of overeating or gulping as a friend. If it was, it was a friend that was killing you. Sometimes I think that people sound like abused spouses who make excuses for their abuser.

You have escaped now put your feet on the road to wellness and race like the wind!

Well done. I bet you have a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

It's bad enough women shave most everything to look prepubescent. I find that shaven genital look perverted and discomfitting.

The gas is actually in your abdominal cavity, not your digestive tract.

I used a yoga position called Downward Facing Dog.

Beginner Yoga Pose: Downward Dog on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Of course I had to modify it by standing and then resting my forearms on a footstool. The results encourage the gas to move away from your shoulder.

You could get dream whip mix and use fat free milk with it. I am not sure about the Syrup, though.

It is all trial and error.

I can eat shrimp, but just barely and only cause I'm not tightly restricted.

bread is not so good, either.

You may need to give up some foods and it will be so worth it. I think you might discover that your attitude toward food will change.

You can always stick with Soup, refried Beans, etc. when you go out until you have a handle on safe foods.

My doctor gave me a photo of my lap band in place the day of surgery. It was strange, I've never really looked at it. I'm not curious.

My doctor suggested Slim Fast Low Carb. Good enough tasting, cheaper than most and readily available.