cindyg1212

Maybe Amanda will consider getting a band. Gaining all of that weight back is so discouraging. Must feel like such a waste. I'm also thankful for getting this much weight off. I'll never be that woman again!

Judy, can you post before and after photos? I was thinking about my chin too. I got a double one which I never had before. I had neck surgery a couple of years ago and my chin won't firm up even with the weight loss. It still feels numb since the neck surgery so I think muscles were cut that can't regenerate.

Tummy tuck for me for sure. Even after I had my kids and got back down to a size 6 (I really was!), my tummy was totally stretched out. My babies weighed almost 9 1/2 pounds each and left my tummy looking like a deflated balloon. Even at that weight, my thighs and hips were big. I was always a pear shape. I did lipo back then and was not happy with the results. It left fat pockets above my knees that were not there before. I heard afterwards that the thighs do not have as good results as the tummy or hips do. If I could do a thigh lift without all the pain, I would consider it. I heard that an incision is made in the groin area and I don't think I'm up for that. A plastic surgeon is giving a seminar at my doc's office next month. I may go to see what he has to say.

Steph, that's 15 pounds a month! I would have to starve to do that! Even in my younger, faster metabolism days, I couldn't do more than 10 a month. You could leave it and just see how close you get. Who knows? Maybe with a superwoman effort, you could do it!!

It's our bandiversary month and we should be celebrating our successes! We have all come a long way on this journey and have made life altering changes. This is the time to toast ourselves and ring in the holidays with a new outlook on life! 2009 will be the year that most of us get to or close to our final weight loss goals. Let's take this challenge to New Year's Day. It's our time to shine so let's ring in the New Year with a New You!! :cool2: Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........191...........191...........178........13

We probably should go with where we're heading like we did with the last challenges so how about a combination like "Celebrate the New Year with a New You"? What do you think? If no one objects or has another suggestion, I'll start the thread tomorrow.

Steph, I was thinking "A New Year, A New You"!! That's funny...great minds think alike, haha! I think that most of us will have a great chance of hitting our final goals by 2010. I plan to! I wonder if "A New Year, A New You" would sound better for a challenge that we could kick off on New Year's day? Let's try to come up with a holiday theme that covers it all...Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kawanzaa (sp?), etc. "Let's Celebrate our Success" Weight Loss Challenge? I don't know...What do you think?

That's a crazy time of year for me, Bandpal, but would love to try. We usually get to NYC over the holiday break with the kids before New Year's. I'll keep those dates in mind and let you know as it gets closer.

Name........Surg Date....Start Wgt/BMI.... Cur.Wgt/BMI..... Total Lbs lost Sades.......1 Nov 07......229 / 41.9..........185 / 34.8..........44 Cindyg......1 Nov 07......253 / 42.............191 / 35.............62 1. I dropped from a size 18 to size 14 and can wear clothes that I haven't worn in years. 2. I can climb 3 flights of stairs without hyperventilating and feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack. 3. I can look in a mirror without cringing and wondering who that is looking back at me. Happy Bandiversdary, everyone!! Look how far we've come!!

Bandpal is officially the winner of the Scare off the Pounds challenge. Congrats, Bandpal!! You're awesome!! :smile2::tt1: Let's do a Holiday challenge next until New Years. I'm trying to think of something catchy and motivating. Any ideas?

Steph, you're doing great! I need some inspiration. My bandiversary is Nov. 1 and the scale is playing tricks with me. Up and down 2 pounds is getting on my nerves. I need to get on a real plan and stick with it.

Foofy, that sounds like a lot of fun! I only live an hour from NYC so will have to try that restaurant if you give it a good review. What else are you doing in the city?

Bandpal, you did awesome! Looks like you will win this challenge! Steph, you're doing great! Judy, I wish I had the motivation to walk like you do. I need to start excercising if I'm going to jumpstart my weight loss again.

Hi Judy! Thanks for the good wishes. Still waiting for the pathology report from the doggie oncologist. Who knew there was such a thing? My little girl is recovering well from surgery. We will need to plan on the next step which is probably chemo. Vet says that dogs can handle chemo better than humans. I'm going through a small fortune to buy more time with her but its worth it. I have pet health insurance on her with a cancer rider so hopefully it will cover a lot of the expense. She is the sweetest, most loving dog I ever had. You had a Lhasa Poo? My mom bred Lhasas for years. We used to show them. Never heard of a Lhasa Poo. He must have been adorable! 17 years is a long time but its never long enough. My own Lhasa lived to 15. Hope your Golden has more time with you. They are my favorite large dogs.

Hey you two!! We missed you guys! We're all in the same boat. It makes sense that our weight loss is slowing down. I think we were able to rely on the band a lot in the beginning but now we have to put in more effort. We can still get this done but we have to work harder and keep coming here for support. Let's try to stay focused and not lose sight of what we've accomplished so far. You each lost over 100 pounds which is awesome! Wish I could say that!

Marie, so many of us are in the same boat. I'm halfway to goal and I'm stuck at the same weight for a month. I also graze all night long which is my downfall. The days are easy but I tend to stay up late and eat. If I would just get to bed earlier, the weight would come off. We all need to find the motivation we had at the beginning of our banding and not lose sight of what we've accomplished so far. 81 pounds is an amazing loss and you should be proud of yourself! Maybe its time for another small fill for you. I wanted to be done with fills myself but I think I'm going to give in and get a tiny one to get me going again. Coming here for support definitely helps. We are not alone and can do this together.

Sades, white bread has been off limits for me for a long time! So are rolls and buns. I can handle bread that is toasted to the point that it crumbles when chewed. But that's it. Be careful! I doubt you would have choked to death but it does feel like it. Also, liquids usually make something stuck get more stuck. You just made the bread get more doughy. Better to wait it out.

Up and down the same 2 pounds, Sades. I'm getting rather annoyed with myself. I had decided no more fills as I have such a hard time with them but I'm thinking of getting a tiny one at my appointment this Friday. Maybe just .125 instead of .25 which made me too tight last time. I need some help to propel me into the 180's. I can definitely eat way more than what fits in a little tuna can.

Judy, you look great!! What a gorgeous dress! Love the color! So glad you enjoyed the wedding. Thanks for posting the photo.

Small plate, less food. Makes so much sense and yet I've never done this before. I will now as I also have a hard time leaving food on my plate. Good idea, guys! No one has posted lately on the Halloween challenge. Anyone losing and just not posting?

Thanks, Shalee. The surgery was today and they removed a golf ball sized tumor from her small intestine. Her vets and I will decide on a treatment plan when we get the pathology reports next week. Its definitely malignant. We know when we fall in love with our pets that we won't have them long enough but to lose them sooner than expected is so much harder.

Thanks, Foofy. So sorry about your Border Collie. They're great dogs. Only other animal lovers who have had to put down a beloved pet really understand how painful it is. I had to put to sleep my 15 yr old Lhasa years ago and still miss her. My cocker, Lexi, is my baby. She follows me all over the house and I can't imagine not having my "shadow". I expected that I would lose her in 4-5 yrs from old age. I thought she just had some kind of an intestinal infection when I first brought her to the vet a few days ago. A sonogram and a needle biopsy have confirmed intestinal lymphoma. She's having surgery tomorrow. They will remove the growth from her small intestine and see if its spread. She may get chemo which dogs tolerate a lot better than humans. So far, she's not in pain and eats normally. If it gets to the point that she can't be saved and is suffering, I'll put her down. But right now, my plan is to try to save her if I can. A good prognosis is still only up to 2 years. I'm heartbroken.

Can't wait to be thinking abiout a TT! And I hate surgery and I hate pain even more. I haven't been posting much lately. I have so much going on and the scale won't budge. My MIL had open heart surgery 2 weeks ago to repair a mitro valve. My daughter fell off a horse last week flat onto her back. Four hours in the ER but she didn't have a break, thank God. Lots of rib bruising and a slight concussion. Luckily she was wearing her helmut. Hubby needs surgery next week to repair an incision in his bladder from his appendectomy last April. Appendix was attached to his bladder and was leaking. And my wonderful, sweet Cocker Spaniel has been horribly sick all weekend and vet believes she has intestinal cancer! She's 10 and I love her dearly. I'm devastated! I have an appointment with a veterinary oncologist tomorrow. I will do whatever it takes to save her. Just not ready to let her go. Exploratory surgery will let us know if its treatable. Can't even seem to focus on my eating habits but all of this stress seems to have tightened up my band. Maybe the craziness of my life right now will get the scale moving again.

Wnt2lose, great job! That must have been a wonderful surprise. Hey, why are you in size 12 jeans and I'm a 14? Funny how our bodies are so different at the same weight. I won't be a 12 until I hit 180. Wendy, you keep going down and down. I'm stuck and just want to see the 180's so bad! Sades, good luck with your fill! Cindy, you're just hanging out waiting for the rest of us to catch up with your awesome weight loss. You'll get the ball rolling when you're ready. You lost so much so fast that your body just wants to take a little break. This is a tough time of year. You'll get your focus back.

Sades, my condolences on the passing of your uncle. Hope you get your fill soon.