SpecialK

I was sharing at our local support group that my MedicID bracelet is so lose now its flipping around my wrist and my rings are getting loose and I'm putting them on my middle finger instead of ring finger and a lady told me --> Trace your hands right away on a piece of paper including down past your wrists and date the day you did it. You'll be amazed at how much your hands are changing in size. So, since I still have a ways to go, I'm going to do this today and see how it goes as I keep losing more.

Congratulations Tess! I know how happy I was when I hit Twoterville!

If anyone is still in the early stages of getting approved or losing and is in 3x or size 28-32, Personal Message me here and I'll bring some clothing items on Saturday to share at no cost. I need 22-24's as I'm losing below my 26's now.

Hi Shamrocks. When I did the Walk from Obesity in my area this past weekend, we received different papers and brochures and one was for the National Association of WLS website and I checked it out today. There is a Daily Inspirations link with a short but motivating reading. I enjoyed this one on there called Purr While You Nap but then I am a cat lover. Here is the link if you'd like to check it out or bookmark it as a Favorite. Daily Inspirations Purr while you nap. A cat knows how to lounge in a sunbeam without guilt or how to ask for attention without shame. A cat will lie in your lap, sleeping and purring at the same time. They understand what pleases them and they seek it out. Not only that, they know they are entitled to it, and they revel in it. Do you know how to purr while you nap? How to feel so satisfied, relaxed, comfortable, pleased, and nurtured you can't help but feel bliss? Do you deny yourself those feelings? Action for the day: Today, be a cat. Spend a few minutes seeking true bliss. Take a luxurious nap, get a massage, lounge in a warm bath, or read a book while curled up on the couch. © 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. As far as I know if I am giving them credit, I can share a sample so I did. Hope its okay.

My new short term goal is to get my Ticker to be able to say less than 100 lbs to go! My congrats to Scrappy too! You're inspiring.

These Losses are Inspirational! Keep up the good work.

Niki - that's a great jeans victory! Congratulations. I got a couple pairs of 26 and zipped all the way up and I was happy on that. Wasn't used to the muffin top of wearing jeans again though. Guess I'll keep trying them on until they look better and looser. My NSV today is buttoning a 24 blazer all the way down the front, all three buttons with no pulling/puckering! Hoping to knock on the 22 door by Thanksgiving and maybe even 20 by Christmas/New Years! I am doing pretty good on the Labor Day to Hallow-Lean challenge - I think I'm going to meet my goal of 14 lbs lost in that time frame. I am amazed.

Re: Hallow-Lean Challenge... *******NAME**********START WGHT****CURRENT WGHT*******GOAL********LBS. LOST *****************************:thumbup:************:tongue2:*********:sad:* 1dayatime..........263............261............243............2 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............218............213............5 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............218............213...........10 Bea1128............210.5..........205.5..........188............5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............192............180............2 Crzytchr...........281............272............265............9 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............229............220...........16 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........203.9..........200..........6.6 HeatherO...........155............146............140............9 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............184............177...........12 KikiVal315.........237.5..........229............220...........8.5 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............176............160............4 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........266.2..........256............8 LisaB..............205.5..........196............180..........10.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............235............230...........13 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............286............280...........13 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........290.2..........280..........9.6 Momof5.............192.5..........187.5..........175..........5.0 nip50..............175............170............160............5 NukeChik...........218............218............208............0 NurseNiki..........258............255............239............3 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............171............167............9 Renee74............214............213............199............7 Renewedhope........171............169............150............2 reif78.............294............195............185............0 savimama...........216............216............200............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............286............280............8 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............300.5..........280..........3.5 thatDEgirl.........211............205.2..........195..........5.8 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............219............210............6 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............185............170............10 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

I have 9.5 cc's in a 14 cc AP-L band at this point and I'd say I am close to what would be considered my sweet spot for now meaning I can eat a small amount and stay full for 4-5 hours which amazes me. When I do get hungry, I have almost this sudden realization I'm hungry I want something to eat, but then a very small amount satisfies. Yesterday I tried 2 scrambled eggs for Breakfast with nothing else. Well, only 1 of the 2 eggs stayed down, the 2nd egg made me so full I had a PB episode that I don't want to repeat so now I know that breakfast is 1 egg. I can remember going out to a restaurant for a big breakfast and having a big omelette (ham and cheese added plus maybe 3 eggs), hash browns, toast with butter and jelly and of course washing it all down with orange juice and coffee. Amazing. I did a 6 month picture taking session on my own yesterday at home. Set up a tripod and used the timer on my little digital camera to take pictures in the same clothes yesterday that I had pictures back on March 16 before surgery. Also tried some of the same clothes that I had revolting pictures before surgery and it did help me see the Before and During progress. Hang in there Shamrocks we're getting there step by step.

Well the economy is rearing its head all around and we got some somber news at our work yesterday - no job cuts thank goodness - but all spending of any discretionary basis is off - no training, no travel, no hiring of existing open posted positions, no replacing someone if someone leaves the company, etc. Ugh! This stress I really don't need. So, my best attack strategy for the depressing news was to take a long walk as soon as I got home last night and I got up today and did a long walk again. Tomorrow is the Walk from Obesity in Central Ohio so I hope there will be a good turnout for that. The walks for the last 2 days were to make sure I was warmed up for that. I think its 5K which is a little more than 3 miles and that shouldn't be a problem for me. That is a blessing. Let's keep a good thought and prayer for this whole economy situation for everyone but especially for those of us who were stress eaters that we don't find any of our old eating habits to cope.

We can get some Columbus or Central Ohio area folks to chime in for you here but these are ones I know: OHJuli has lost 132+ lbs with her lapband she had done at OSU. Seebs has lost 90 lbs in 1 year with her lapband done at Mt. Carmel. NurseNiki and SpecialK have lost 60+ lbs with lapband in 6 months done at Mt. Carmel. GregW done on same day at Mt.Carmel has lost 70+ last time I saw/heard from him. HeatherA has lost 80+ lbs with her lapband done 9 months ago at Riverside. These are all people you've met or can meet in person at one of the monthly get togethers at Polaris to talk more. Just to be completely open, in the same number of months like 6 or 9 with Gastric Bypass, we probably would have dropped 100 or more but I was willing to go slower and still get there long term. ThinnerMe had her RNY done August at Mt. Carmel and she had lost 32 lbs in less than 2 months for comparison. We have supported her as what was right for her due to her medical needs.

Again, so many of the programs really push Gastric Bypass hard when we have a high BMI as their initial Push as you say but if you stand firm and say I know of several people who have been successful losing more than 100 lbs with their lapband and that's really what I choose for myself as what is best for me, and besides, I can revise to a RNY, or Duodenal Switch (DS), or VSG (vertical sleeve) if I really don't feel successful with my lapband long term. Stand firm if that is what you want but don't feel we won't support you if you make whatever choice is best for you. Its also not too late to get a second opinion from Riverside's Dr. Myers or Mt. Carmel's doctors at Mid Ohio Surgical Associates to be sure you have made the right decision for you if you aren't feeling comfortable with how OSU is directing you. God Bless!

I flew with my CPAP machine and had no problem at all as long as I set it out so they could do the little residue check on it like they sometimes do on a laptop. They just need to see what the machinery is. No biggie!

I had a NSV today -- put on a favorite birthstone ring I've had for a long time and it kept slipping round and round my ring finger so I finally put it on my middle finger -- so my fingers are getting skinnier!

I have had some trouble the the Special K20 powder packets not dissolving very well in the bottle of Water or my drinking bottle if the water is very cold, like out of the drinking fountain at work. I shake and shake and still end up with flakes of powder that float to the bottom and never dissolve. Anyone else see this? I was tempted to use room temperature water and then chill it but that defeats the idea of having a nice cold drink.

I have hiccups start as a warning to back down and not take more bites.

I did go out to their website and saw the class schedule. I'll think about it. A friend also recommended Bally's at 161 & Cleveland Ave and they also have water aerobics classes and I can try it out for a 2 week pass.

It is interesting to me to see that the ADJUSTABLE part of adjustable gastric lap band is coming into play but that is exactly what I wanted, that it was adjustable, not one size fits all, and not an all or nothing for success thing. So those of you who are hanging in there with Fill, slight unfill, to adjust, keep on keeping on!

I'd be interested in hearing what kinds of water aerobics classes they offer and dates/times. I'm signed up with the Westerville Rec Center water aerobics class thru December but would consider this for January and on. I have a super cheap gym option through my work (the are promoting getting healthy to lower the company's insurance costs) and although it isn't fancy, they have treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, weights, and some classes so that mostly meets my needs for when I can get down there at lunch time to work it in.

Hang in there Barbarosa! You are just facing the reality of a lifetime commitment -- kind of like feeling those crazy feelings before getting married from what I'm told... you will be fine. We will be praying for you and cheering you on. You've got a good doctor/surgeon, you've been through all the pre-op surgery work-up to make sure you are medically okay to go through the surgery, its generally done laparascopic so that drastically lowers the risk and just remember, the complications of lapband surgery are drastically lower than RNY at the very least. That is not to say, surgery is still surgery and all surgery has risk so do everything they tell you to do with pre-op diet to shrink the liver, absolutely no food or liquids after midnight the day before surgery, etc. Listen to the post-op instructions carefully and do what they say and you'll come through with flying colors.

Hi Chris from another Buckeye Bandster! I wish you all the best in your surgery. Come drop in sometime on the Ohio Forum group thread under USA Local Support Groups. :cool2:

Anybody else having trouble visualizing what they will look like when they lose their weight? I found this fun site just for the grins and whatever motivation it might provide. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/weight-loss-simulator-prevention-com-77222/#post1012670

This was kind of a neat thing to try to check out what I mentally could think of as Before and After. It lets you pick height, weight, facial characteristics, body type, hair color, and a few things but its just to give you an idea. http://preventionweightloss.mvm.com/rodale_wl_ctx/jsp/sim.jsp :teeth_smile: Kinda cool! Weight loss simulator.doc

NAME************START WGHT**CURRENT WGHT*****GOAL****LBS. LOST *****************************:tt2:*********************:cool2:* 1dayatime..........263............259.5..........243..........3.5 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............219............213............4 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............223............213............5 Bea1128............210.5..........205.5..........188............5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............192............180............2 Crzytchr...........281............275............265............6 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............230............220...........15 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........206............200..........4.5 HeatherO...........155............150............140............5 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............185............177...........11 KikiVal315.........237.5..........230.5..........220............7 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............177............160............3 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........269.6..........256..........4.6 LisaB..............205.5..........198............180..........7.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............240............230............8 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............289............280............10 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........291.2..........280..........8.6 Momof5.............192.5..........191............175..........1.5 nip50..............175............171............160............4 NukeChik...........218............218............208............0 NurseNiki..........258............255............239............3 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............180............170............0 Renee74............214............213............199............7 Renewedhope........171............169............150............2 reif78.............294............195............185............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............288............280............6 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............300.5..........280..........3.5 thatDEgirl.........211............207.5..........195..........3.5 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............219............210............6 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............186............170............9 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

For those of us who want to know all about Paris, please tell us a little about where you bought a place in Paris and did you do that to have a place to write your next novel, do you have alot of friends and support there (those who know you are banded). I went over to Paris by myself and joined onto a Collette Vacations tour group once I got there and had the time of my life touring all around France for 2+ weeks about 6 years ago. I kept wanting to travel and could never get a friend's schedule or a family member in synch with mine, or when I had the money to go on a great vacation (or was committed to save to go) nobody else seemed to have the money or would commit to go so I finally one year said to heck with everyone else, I'm going to start living it up on my own. Anyway, I flew into Paris, saw the Orsay Museum, had dinner in the restaurant in the Effel Tower at twilight, took a boat cruise on the Seine river thru the city, got to see a dancing revue show, and that was just my first 3 days in France. The tour was called Impressions of France or something like that and we hit all the great art locations, Cezanne's, Monet's, Van Gogh's, etc. and ended the last week in the south of France in Provence, San Tropez, took in Monte Carlo/Monaco - tried a few slot machines just to say I gambled there! and I finished at Nice, France in a fabulous hotel overlooking the Mediterranean. So if anyone wants to plan for something fabulous to Celebrate their goal in the future, I loved this trip so whenever I hear Fenton post that he's heading off to Paris again, I'm so envious! So Fenton, tell us all the fabulous things we should do if we get to Paris or France again. What district in Paris do you live in? Also Fenton, I was thinking about the shows I've seen in the past where they talk about how most of the French are not overweight and they emphasized (if I remember correctly) that the French gets lots of exercise from walking, they eat small portions but don't cheat themselves from having a single piece of good chocolate or a small amount of a things, etc. I know I saw fabulous pastries and chocolate shops on almost every corner in Paris when I was there but since I can't eat too much bread anyway now, the temptation if I was in Paris would be to stay away from the high-fat sauces and the candy. I wish you well when you return there and as much control as is humanly possible and dont' forget you are human.