Rockin' Robyn

What a great idea! Thanks Wheets!! That's good to know.... I already have a nice black dress, but it is getting to be pretty big on me, and I of course was wanting to buy something a little more form fitting. Not to mention, I ALWAYS wore black before....now that I have lost a little weight, I have found that I am wanting to venture out and wear color again. The gown I found was actually a dark purple, floor length. Very pretty, but sleeveless :girl_hug:

I know I need to update my little exercising smiley...but she is so cute, I hate to part with her Now let me reitterate, that size 12 dress was STRETCHY material (although I didn't believe I could even get it over my head):girl_hug: ...I could never fit into even at size 16 pair of jeans at this point, as I carry all of my excess weight right now in my lower abdomen. Need a CHOP CHOP!!!!:eek:

I'm tired of being AWOL too. Gonna try to be better: Today: Breakfast: Nothing Lunch: Taco Bell side of Beans Snack: 100 calorie pudding cup 3 bite size cubes of cheese Dinner: 3 oz meatloaf, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes Water: 40 oz

Finally dropped another pound:eek: ....Went in to see Dr H. this morning for a very small fill. I'm still eating too much, and I know it...but I'm scared to death of the reflux I had before when I was portless and at or around this same fill level.....so I had him put in only 1/4 cc, with the plan of SLOWLY inching my way up if necessary. That puts me at 9.25 cc in my VG band. We'll see if there's a difference. DH and I are going on a cruise for our 14th wedding anniversary in January. Would like to drop another 19 pounds by then....I actually was trying on formal gowns at Dillards, and for the first time EVER trying on clothes didn't leave feeling depressed and disgusted. In fact, I couldn't stop looking at myself thinking...DAMN that girl looks pretty good! However, it is still such an optical illusion for me, in that I still don't recognize that person in the mirror as being myself :eek: I was actually able to snugly fit into a size 12....(I know what you all are thinking:p ) Now granted it was stretchy material, but still looked cute. It was a 180 dollar dress, or I would have totally bought it, just for the size alone!! I took several different sized things off the rack to try on, just because I truly wasn't sure what sizes I was wearing now. So it was fun to do some trial and error. But most of the stuff I was fitting into comfortably (still snug fitting though) were 18's. Still unbelievable being as a little over a year ago I was in the tent sizes at the large womens shops wearing 36's.:girl_hug: The thing that drives me nuts about all of the cute smaller clothes is that EVERY SINGLE ONE of those formal gowns were sleeveless, which look disgusting on my wretched flappy arms! I only found one that was sleeveless that had a shawl (sp?) type of thing I could maybe cover my arms up with...but I would be so conscientious (sp?) of it all night that I wouldn't enjoy myself.

Sorry to hear that Wheets:cry I totally understand, as I have been there for a while now. You will get through it though, you are strong. It's a very tough thing to get a handle on when you have been losing so quickly though, and then all of a sudden...nothing else is happening for no particular reason. Hang in there!!

Hi Girls! I'm finally back from my Grandpa's funeral in Houston, and can I just say the plane trip from HELL!!! (on the return flight). I could have drove home faster than it took me to fly. To start off, I'm waiting in the concourse on my departing flight, and a seemingly sweet little old man sits next to me, and whips out his hard-core porn magazine and starts openly reading it right next to me. The pictures were so gross, I thought I was going to puke. He was totally unscathed sitting there looking at it with kids and everyone else sitting around him!!!! I was praying the whole time for him to PLEASE not be assigned to sit next to me on the plane! Then I finally board. We sat IN THE PLANE on the runway for 45 mins leaving Houston, but they came over the speaker and promised we would make up the time in the air. Of course when I land for my connecting flight in Memphis, we were 45 mins late. AND the airline didn't even have the courtesy to let people off the plane first that they KNOW will be late for their connecting flights. So I stand there in the aisle for another 10 mins at least, waiting for people to de-board. Then, I am literally running (funny picture I know) through this huge, might I say poorly planned out airport in Memphis to get to a totally different terminal. I would say I ran at least a mile to get there. And of course I missed my flight to KC. I then go to the "rescheduling" desk, and they tell me they will not pay for an overnight stay because the delay in Houston was "weather related". Hilarious, being as the skies were crystal blue, no rain,.....NOTHING in Houston! But then they say they can re-route me through Minneapolis and onto KC, but I would have to run quickly to yet a third concourse to catch that plane. Oh, and they say my luggage most likely won't make it on the correct plane. I'm literally exhausted, emotionally from the funeral, and physically from running another mile through the airport with all my carry-on stuff. My back, legs, and arms were literally burning from pain. My back was drenched with sweat at this point. So I run again to catch the plane to Minneapolis. Barely made it, again, sat on the runway for way too long, and there was a baby screaming the entire flight (which I totally understand because I have kids, but it was still unnerving). Then we get to Minneapolis late, and again have to RUN seemingly forever to catch the plane to KC. Nothing was open at this time to grab to eat, I'm starving because I haven't eaten since breakfast because I had been on a plane (of which didn't even offer pretzels for a snack), and when I did get to the airports, I of course had no time to stop anywhere and grab anything. So, I board the plane in Minneapolis, again a crying baby....and we sit on the plane with NO AIR, no engines running or anything for over one hour. They kept coming over the speaker and giving bogus reasons as to why we weren't taking off, but the scary thing was that men in green florescent jackets, kept coming onto the plane looking confused, seemingly playing with the controls and lights in the cockpit. Finally the captain came on and said we had no auxillary power and we were waiting on a part!!! Just what I wanted to do, DIE from loss of electrical power on a plane after my long day with the airlines! We finally land in KC at 1 in the morning, no bags for me, then there are about 20 people waiting and waiting and waiting for the shuttle to come around and pick us up to take us to the parking lot (and did I mention I was standing next to this stupid young guy who was mad and throwing around the f-bomb at least 100 times in that 50 minutes while waiting on the shuttle....I was so close to slapping him!!). Evidently, the shuttle service shut down and didn't know about the late arrival. We stood there for 50 minutes, until someone finally called on a courtesy phone and complained, so they had to find someone to go get a bus to take us to the lot. Long story short, I was supposed to get back in KC at 7 pm, and I didn't get home until 2 am!!! I don't know if I will ever fly again!

Anybody planning on going to support group? I'm working this week.... Just curious.

Sorry;)....Don't mean to be depressing:p ....Besides you are doing awesome Cate! Look at it this way......in the seminars they say that the goal with Lapband is to lose 60% of your "excess" weight (although we all realistically aim for more). Based on what you have listed as your goal weight, 79.2 pounds lost is a 60% loss, so you're technically already a complete Lapband success at just 5 months out with already reaching a 50% loss:clap2: There....that should make you feel better:kiss2:

Okay...it's somewhat depressing looking back on it:eek: , but I'm not at all complaining...I've lost a ton of weight. But now that you asked, looking on my fitday weight log, I lost about 120 pounds in the first 7 months....then I hit my big stall (at about 266 pounds). We've talked about before, that I would always lose 10-15 pounds really quick, seemingly overnight....then stall for 2-3 weeks. But now, I'm losing just 1-3 pounds, then stalling sometimes for 4-5 weeks. The somewhat depressing thing is, I just realized in the past 6 months I have only lost 30 pounds, opposed to 120 pounds in the first 7 months. That puts me at averaging 1.25 pounds lost per week now, instead of 4.28 pounds per week at first:cool: I guess that's why I live by the doctrine, and I tell this to every lapbandster that is asking, make the very most of that first 6 months...since that is when the research shows the majority of the weight comes off the quickest. All that being said, I have to consider all that took place on my body surgically over the past 6 months, as well as I'm not requiring near as many calories....Oh, and did I mention that I cheat:kiss

Robyn- Although I don't know all the specifics of what you are going through that has led you to this decision, I can share some of what I have gone through that is along the same lines. There are times where I think the very same thing...."I need a rest...I'm tired of constantly thinking about my band.. Maybe if I just got unfilled and had some time to rest I could regroup and be remotivated etc etc..." I get sick of the pain, I still grieve the loss of food being my comfort--and is now the cause of painful misery...etc etc. I have actually had several unfills in the past year, mainly because of all the surgeries I have had to undergo. But during those times where I am healing from surgery, and waiting to heal before my doctor will "refill me", I am have always been reminded all too well that I NEED my restriction. I say this because, without my fills I gain the weight back MUCH faster than I ever lost it. Once this past summer, I gained 18 pounds in 2 weeks!! (after losing over 100). While this is depressing for me to realize that I cannot go it alone without my band/restriction, it is also reassuring even after 4 surgeries related to my band, that I do in fact have it there to back me up when I am weak (and I am very weak). I can't tell you what to do or not to do (especially not knowing all the specifics of what you are going through), but know I am thinking of you and wishing you well. Most importantly, I pray you will find peace of mind in whatever decision you make. Nobody ever said it would be easy, and it definitely is not. Best wishes to you, and sending hugs your way:girl_hug:

The suspense is building.......:clap2: We have arrived at 99 logged members of the LBT 100 pound club!! Who will be the 100th member? I can hardly believe it.....I never thought there would be so many members who have already reached 100 pounds lost!!! You all are absolutely amazing. Keep up the great work everybody, and stay tuned to see who will be the 100th member;) Here's the link to the LBT 100 pound club thread: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16050&page=11

Interesting that those docs would be sooo incredibly anti-band. Makes me wonder what they are basing that on? There are so many successful people on here that would beg to differ with them. I myself have lost MORE with the band than several people I know who have had GB. From my doc's support group alone I know of at least 3 others besides me who have done the same. Use that as motivation to prove them wrong:) As for drinking, I always explain to people to think of a clogged drain that drains very slowly or a toilet that doesn't flush well. If you add Water to the sink, or keep flushing the toilet...the pressure just builds, either forcing the clog through (a.k.a the food in your pouch washes through too quickly) or the sink/drain overflows (a.k.a., you throw up/PB). I know its strange, but people seem to get it when I explain it that way. Also, the EXTREME pressure that can build when you drink liquids that just SIT on top of the food you eat (because it doesn't pass right through), can be excrutiatingly painful when you are well restricted. Good Luck with your surgery;)

Wheets- I posted in the SMMC thread...but like I said, the past couple weeks, I can't feel mine anymore either. Used to be very prominent and easy to feel. Even bothered me sometimes when I hit it on something or during you know what....but now.....I don't notice bumping it anymore or it being "sore" after exersion. When I realized that, I was feeling for it a couple of weeks ago and noticed I couldn't feel it anymore. Although...I also noted that I could for the first time feel my rib cage while lying down:) . So I just made the assumption, like someone stated previously, that I have lost some of the fatty tissue UNDERNEATH the port, and it has caused it to sink down into my tummy. I never really had much fat OVER my port that I could ever feel.

Okay...gotta get back into the swing of things. It's Monday, a new week right? Here goes: Breakfast: None (slept in) AM Snack: 10 pepperoni chips with 1/4 cup queso Lunch: 3 oz baked parmesan crusted white fish PM Snack: Caramel Frapp from Starbucks Dinner: Order of Pinto Beans from Toxic Hell Water: None (can I count my 1/2 cup of coffee?) Exercise: None Puts me at 1001 calories and 39 gms Protein for the day. There...I confessed:o Better Luck tomorrow.

Yay!!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Congratulations!!!!!!!

Angela- It's funny you should mention this because over the past 2 weeks, I noticed the VERY SAME THING!! I can no longer feel my port at all, where I always could before. I also have a little "bump" which I'm not sure what it is, but it is definitely not the port. I just figured that I have started losing some of the fatty tissue 'underneath' where the port is and it is just more sunken down now. I actually wasn't worried about it at all, but have been thrilled not to feel it anymore:p Also, I don't seem to notice it getting "agitated" during sex, or when I bend over something or turn funny....which I am also thrilled about;)

Okay....I'll see you there. I'll call Holli and let her know too. I'll have to print directions off. I'll write down your number in case I get lost :puke: See you later!

It's up to you....haven't seen Pat on here lately, and don't know if you have a number to contact her? I know Holli and I were up for it tonight. So if you are okay with just the 4 of us, that's fine with me....I have a very busy day today, so doesn't matter either way. Would love to get together tonight, or wait to have more there. Next weekend is out for me though. I'm working Weds-Sat. Since it's your day, I'll let you make the call:biggrin1:

Okay....so what's the plan for today Diane??:puke: Are we still going out tonight? Need confirmation probably before this pm, as I have to go to my nephews b-day party and will be gone most of the pm. Are we still going out tonight? And if so, what time?:biggrin1:

So Wheets- are you saying you can still do it Sunday though? I'm confused (story of my life:biggrin1: )

Diane, Pat, Holli.....are you all open on Sunday pm?? I am available Saturday night, but Sunday would be better for me too;)

Diane- HAPPY BANDIVERSARY TO YOU!!!! Great job with all of the hard work you have done this year.:clap2: :clap2: I'm glad you posted, because that was the sole purpose I got on here real quick while I am at work today, was to see if we are still on for Saturday. I know I have talked Holli into trying it (and we need to eat with our fingers just to gross her out!!!) Just kidding. I can still go if we go in the early evening....6 ish?? Wheets, Jen, and Cynthia........Can you all go too? Haven't seen ya'll in a while.....Come on...it will be fun!!!

WOW....you are all doing sooooo good....and look at Cate and Wheets new super-sexy pics!!! Angela-I just have a question for you girlfriend....do you EVER eat carbs? It just seems that you are so good about that:p Today...not very great....I've been too tired today to make good food choices.....Angela, would that mean I am changing to a behavioral eater instead of an emotional one??:omg: Breakfast: 2 crustless ham/cheese/egg/veggie quiches Lunch: 1/2 cup mushroom bisque Soup, 4 slices assorted thin sliced deli lunch meats, 1 slice cheese, 1 tbsp mayo Snack #1: Baked Lays/100 calorie can of coke:think Snack #2: Piece of sugar free Apple Pie with 1/4 cup vanilla ice cream Dinner: (if you can call it that) Ice Cream Cone from Sonic Water: Not a drop!! :bandit Not even one....very thirsty now though:angry . Exercise: 12 hour day at work That puts me at 1240 calories and 41 grams Protein for today.

I totally understand what you are going through. I am one of the ones that was "forced" to jump through Dr. Sabopathy's psychological hoops. At the time I absolutely hated him because I felt he was the only thing standing in my way of the surgery. I was forced to go through I think 8-9 visits. I was pretty rebellious at first because I was mad....I even had a surgery date scheduled, and after I saw Sabopathy, they called me and said my date was cancelled until he okayed me for sugery!!! You can imagine my frustration to be in the mindset and tell everyone you have set the date, then have to try to come up with an explanation as to why it is postponed (without revealing the true explanation...which was of course in my mind very embarrassing...and how do you tell everyone your psychologist things you still have food "issues" to work through:confused: ). In retrospect...I NEEDED each and every one of those sessions to help me work through some of my food issues (emotionally based). I have even called and gone back to Dr. S post-op 6+ months out, because some of the things were coming back again. Look at it this way, you can't get out of the required visits, so try to make the most of it and truly get out of it all that you can to help you maximize your weight loss when the surgery date finally arrives (and it will!) Without being too windy/wordy here...I can tell you that it took me a long time to see the importance. But I can tell you that I did finally see it, and came to the appreciation that this was one of the things I actually love about Dr H.'s "program", is that they try to be very comprehensive. I know probably 6 other people that have gone to other surgeons that are more "popular" and highly advertised in town, and they do not have near as much pre-op preparation, nor the support afterwards. My advice to you would be this: Do exactly as he says (if he asks you to bring in your food logs, do it). I was bad about this at first, and as I became more "compliant" (and that is the key thing they are looking for because compliance pre-op in a psych's mind equals compliance post-op) the faster he moved me along in the process. Don't hide your frustration with his decision....tell him point blank how you are feeling, but then tell him HOW you are planning on dealing with his decision, and HOW you plan on doing your best to do what he asks because you see the importance of it all. Don't get distracted at the beginning of the sessions by talking about all the food failures/problems going on in your life. Make a point of starting out the session by outlining your accomplishments that you have made since your last session (i.e. for me...I would go in and say for example..."Since my last visit I haven't had fast food even once....I have stopped drinking coke altogether...and am doing better at eating more Protein at each meal...but I still have to work on drinking more water)....that's just an example. If money is an issue (which it was for me since I was self pay...and more appointments with him meant more money)....tell him point blank. He is very good about working with you on that (even might write off some part if you are self pay). You get where I"m going with this. Believe me, if any of us thought you should go to someone else, we are all very straightforward here and would tell you in a split second....but we all believe in our hearts and mind that Hoehn is a great surgeon and has a great comprehensive program. And that in my mind is what has made specifically the group of ladies on this web site so successfull. Look at the weight loss and the time frame in which the weight has been lost. NONE of the other people I know in the other local programs have done as well....and I say that based on factual-pure numbers, not opinion. Don't go looking for another surgeon....it's going to end up being the same amount of time because you will be starting the process over, and many of the other surgeons in town are just as busy, if not busier-meaning you would have to wait with them too. I am sending you hugs, because I truly do understand what you are going through. This will all be worth it all soon. Hope that helps, and hang in there!

Sorry I didn't post this weekend....I've been up at 4:30 am for 5 days straight...and it's starting to wear on me Posting very quickly tonight.... Yesterday: Breakfast: Starbucks Caramel Frapp (I hadn't had one in a while:rolleyes: ) Lunch: 3 bites of Leftover Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory Dinner: 4 clusters of crab legs with drawn butter (my how I forgot how much I love these!!...soooooo band friendly too because they take a while to eat, and go down easy....yummy....BUT 4????:eek: Paid the full price at a buffet because I felt it was worth it:hungry: , but ONLY ate crab legs. Today: Breakfast: 2 crustless ham/egg/cheese/vege quiches AM Snack: 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter/3 graham crackers Lunch: 2 oz Salmon, 6 saltines Dinner: 1 cup homemade chili, topped with 1/3 cup cheese and 1 Tbsp FF sour cream (trying to choke it down...need to eat more) Water: 60 oz Exercise: 12 hour shift at work Puts me at 820 calories and 49 gms Protein for the day.