Apples2

Another one here just a few pounds from goal. Last week was 4# from goal, had some surgery on Tuesday and walked out of there 12# from goal. As of today I am 6# from goal. Full of energy, looking good in size 6-8 jeans and happier than hell! Bought a new wardrobe and ready for the new world.

Great new photo, Susan. What a pretty woman

Hunzi...sounds like you have been through the wringer but have a great attitude. Congrats on your Mary Kay accomplishment. Hope you can be rebanded soon!

Still not wanting to eat much since my surgery Tuesday but trying Today: B - Greek yogart L - 2 oz grilled chicken and 1 bite of pickled beet D - 1 egg omelet with FF cheese and one turkey sausage/only ate 1/2

When I had LB surgery surgeon noticed that I had some hernias. One had been repaired 4 yrs ago but the mesh was wadded up and giving me trouble for the entire 4 yrs. He went in and repaired the hernias and cut away some adhesions. I can see where you got confused. Too much info on me in a short time frame! I love this thread...going to stick around

Janet...misunderstanding...I started 6 mo pre-op diet Nov, 2007, dropped a little over 50# on that diet, was banded June 17, 2008. On Tuesday of this week I had 4# to get to my goal of 100# lost. I had surgery on Tuesday and when I got home, I had gained 7#. My stomach is quite swollen so I am sure that extra weight will come off within the next few weeks. No worries about me being anorexic. I am one the likes to get all three meals in, I pay attention to nutrition and love feeling healthy.

Congrats Juno, what pretty girl (you and your new daughter). Also, wonderful that your baby weight has been lost. Way to go!!!!!!!!

Thanks newlife...so sweet. You should be proud of your loss after just a little over a week. You will find along this road that is not always the scale that gives you the boost to keep going. Going through closets and discarding too large clothes, comments people make, being able to roll over in bed without trying for five minutes, etc. But what makes me most happy is how I feel physically. I have more energy than two people half my age. Even with going through surgery this past Tuesday, I have been up and around doing things in the house (carefully) the entire time. I am sore but I have energy. If I would have had this surgery a year ago it would have taken me weeks to heal. Good luck to you. You are off to a great start!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Band Day, Hollie. You have done so well.

Gail, so sorry for your loss. Take care.

Allie...you are not too far away from the 70# mark. Not too long from now you will be posting about it. Great NSV....getting whistled at!!!!!!!!!

Way to go Long....good work! I bet you can make your mini goal by Halloween.

You will do just fine with your daughters leaving to go out on their own. A little adjustment period but you tend to get used to the empty nest quickly. We got a 100# black lab after my kids left. He is our third son. So funny what you said about your DH not sitting on your lap. Our big ole dog sits in the recliner with my DH in the evenings. They try to out-snore each other. We are lucky to have one of our sons back and farming with us. He bought a house in town last January. He spent a year in Iraq and I think he did some thinking about how nice it would be to farm. B/4 that time he always said farming was the last thing he wanted to do. My youngest left home at 18 to go to basic training. From there he moved to Alaska. Just two duffel bags and off he went. I worried for a few minutes and let it go. I figure if you raise kids that are independent and WANT to be out on their own, then you did the job you should have done. Both my sons waited 2 yrs after high school to go to college. I made them promise me that they would. Youngest is now living in FL. He has his commercial pilots license, sea plane license and is a flight instructor and a ground school instructor. When you let them spread their wings (literally) they will find their niche and be happy with what they choose to do with their lives. Guess I kind of got off on a tangent ... sorry.

I bet you do miss the beautiful colors from up north. I love the Duluth area. We used to take our sons camping up there and always stayed at resorts along the shore of Lake Superior. They loved those trips even more than Disney World. I am from the Alexandria area. Leaves are just starting to turn colors. Fall is my favorite time of year. We farm and I do really love harvest. Love the smell for corn drying in the dryer. I just noticed that you are not banded yet. What stage are you at? You are going to love it. It's an adjustment at first but not bad. The only foods I crave are the ones that I can have. Not sure how that worked for me but I miss nothing. I feel so lucky to have been able to get the band. I wouldn't trade my life now for what it was a year ago. My health is sooooooo much better, I have way too much energy and I actually sleep at night again. Life is good!

OMG...40 teenagers. You are a very brave woman! It makes me miss my boys. There were always a bunch of kids around and when my sons moved away, I missed their friends as much as I missed them. Sounds like you are hanging in there and doing great even without a fill, Allie. Hope your fill in Oct. helps.

Today B - Greek yogurt L - 3 oz Tyson grilled chix strips/ 1 oz red pepper spread with lite mayo D - 2 oz fillet mignon, two broccoli spears

Bochs...TJMAX is my all time favorite. I can spend hours in that store. The closest is 2.5 hours away. I haven't been there for a few months. If anything ever happened to my DH, I would never marry again. No one could measure up to what he is. Besides, he worked so hard to get us where we are in life. Making sure my sons get their inheritance, not some second husband

Janet...My set goal is to lose a total of 100#. I can't really tell where I am at this week. Had 4# left to lose b/4 my surgery on Tuesday but came out of it gaining 7#. My stomach is extremely swollen so think I am holding onto a lot of Water weight because of the surgery. I started at 242#. When I was thin 15 yrs ago, I felt best at about 135#, which I am thinking will be my new goal weight. I have only bought a couple of things at Fashion Bug besides their jeans and dress slacks. Found a blazer that was cute. They have plus size, misses and juniors.

Losing...it WAS Nutrisystem...not Jenny. Did them both plus many other diet plans

Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I worried you all. Happy I could set straight the weight loss thing. I started my "diet" November 22, 2007. I averaged about a 9lb loss/month which is about right. I have been sooooooo careful with each meal to get my nutrients. I have followed my surgeon's orders to a T. I feel absolutely wonderful. Even after going through this surgery two days ago, I have all kinds of energy. Just went out and took a long walk. I do believe that I cut 20 yrs off by losing this weight. About those Fashion Bug jeans and slacks; they have three fits. Yellow tag, Red tag and blue tag. All depending on body type. They have average and short in the store and tall online. I get the Yellow tag which is straight from waist through hips. I like the fact that the Yellow tag sits below the natural waist. (I am short waisted). Janet...I would not want to wear a sloppy sports shirt either. I notice now that I cannot stand to wear elastic pants, big shirts, etc. I want to look good every day even when I am just at home. It makes me feel so much better and accountable. Losing...what a fun job at QVC. I have only ordered there once. Was two months worth of Jenny Craig a couple of years ago. Do you think it worked? Not.

I love love love my jeans. I ordered them from Fashion Bug. I happened to be in one of their stores and tried on their "Right Fit" jeans just to see if maybe they would be long enough. Not. Went home and pulled up on the internet and they had longs. I also ordered their "Right Fit" dress pants in all the colors. They had a special going on when I did my last order. I only paid 16.99 for the jeans and 21.00 for dress pants. I love 'em all and they are good quality.:w00t:

Janet, just joking about the vote thing. And, I do feel good about myself and I stay positive. I was banded in June but lost over 50# on my six month medically supervised diet. That's what got me to so close to goal so soon after surgery. That's why I stated that I'm almost afraid to say things like what size I now am. I don't want others that had surgery in the last few months to think they are losing too slow, etc. Being from MN, coats are a necessity. Leather is usually for spring and fall and not heavy enough for winter unless it has a thick lining. It's been so much fun shopping for form fitting clothes instead of black elastic waist pants and baggy tops. You stated you are petite? I am 5'7" but need to special order slacks. I have at least a 34" inseam. I usually order on the internet. Can find exactly what I need.

Greatly...it's your choice on who you want to tell or not tell about your surgery. I have not kept my surgery to myself but if someone comes up to me and I don't know them very well and they ask me how I have lost weight, I just tell them a lot of hard work and leave it at that. Don't be discouraged by the amount of weight you have lost. You are doing great!

Hey Strike...nice to hear from you. Hope you can bond with some of your group people. It would be a nice way for you to start fitting into your new community. Your last fill sounds exactly like mine. I am satisfied all day long but get a little hungry in the evenings. I am going to get a small fill in a couple of weeks once my tummy is not so sore from my surgery. I know your life is crazy right now with the move and everything but take some time for yourself. Good way to reduce stress.

Long....congrats...only .5# away from your goal. Isn't that the way it goes! You've done so well though. Good luck with the parents thing. They should be able to understand why you did this for yourself. They should be happy that you are being proactive with your health. Try not to be nervous about their visit. Just enjoy it. Well, I was 4# from goal on Sunday but am up 7# since surgery. Not a big deal. I swear I look 8 months preggers! I'm in stretch pants for the first time in awhile. My pain is pretty extreme today. Can only get better each day. I have been up and about and walking most of the last two days. I figure I will sleep better at night if I don't lay around during the day. Take care