NanaRenan

I'll go there. My weight GAIN was mostly physiological -- four pregnancies in 8.5 years and eating completely wrong for someone predisposed to diabetes explains that, but there are some psychological components. Primarily, it boils down to one thing -- caring for a family of six on one income, luxuries were few and far between. food -- usually simple but delicious -- was a reward I didn't guilty letting myself have. I justified it that I was keeping it from going to waste. And subconsciously pleasing my mom, by living up to her expectations of a clean plate!! STAYING fat was a different story. I know that at least SOME of the reason I got so comfortable in the fat world was that it insulated me from unwanted attention. Last time I had a school girl figure, I was, well.................a school girl!! And I was one of those girls that developed early and looked 18 when I was 12. I got a lot of attention from that -- mostly negative, as you can imagine. I had to fight very hard and stand very firm to not live up to the reputation that I inadvertantly got from that. (Evidently, if you're cute and boys like you, well, you're a 'slut' whether you do anything or not!) Looking back on some of the situations I ignorantly got myself into, it's frankly amazing that I was never a victim of date rape!! But somehow I managed to stay a virgin until I married -- LOL -- not that I'd win any endurance records for that ..... I married 12 days before I turned 17 and got pregnant 9 months later. The 21.5 inch waist was gone forever and with it went the unwanted looks and flirtations of other men, so I actually LIKED that. See, my husband lived 500 miles away and was unaware of those rumors. I guess -- in my immaturity -- I tho't if he saw me dealing with glances and passes from guys, he would think I was causing it somehow and it would cause problems. LOL It seems silly to say that, after 28.5 years of marriage, there's probably not a less jealous man on the planet!!! But in my mind it was a huge deal back then. In 1988 I dieted down to a size 10 after several years of being an 18/20. It absolutely freaked me out the first time someone whistled at me.....I looked around to see who they were flirting with!! But I didn't have to worry about it long, because within a few months I was pregnant again and once again 'safely' invisible.

oh my goodness....I hadn't seen this thread until now. Thanks for the laughs, ladies!!! Here's one for the Sad But True category -- I can't call it a NSV, how about a NSA(Non-scales Actuality)?? One way I can tell that I'm losing is my considerable APRON is getting longer and thinner. It's hard to get excited about weight loss when it comes with such uncomely results.

Wow! This thread makes me really happy I stay-at-home! Laura -- that sux SO bad. I can't believe people do stuff like that!

WASA, this is one we'll have to agree to disagree on. In 2002, I did Weight Watchers for several months and lost 49 lbs. Got a little cocky, feeling good, all new clothes and half the meds.....let my mometum slip and spent the next 5 years battling to keep from putting it all back on....I lost, of course, and that's why I'm now banded, BUT....I digress. I have my card where I weighed in as well as my journals where I recorded everything I ate. My Points range was about 31 points per day. If you look at the weeks were I was really working it and eating 25 pts or less 4 or more days....my weight loss would be .5 to 1.0 lb. But, if you look at weeks where I ate 33-35 pts per day 4 or more days, I would lose 1.5 to 2 lbs. This was consistent across the span. Now I don't have your medical training, but I have had my diabetes explained to me enough to understand that this has to do with being resistant to insulin and is not some inexplicable phenomenon or just a myth. It DOES happen. I've been on here pouting for WEEKS because I was stuck. I'd lose two lbs and sit there for three weeks before I'd lose another pound or two and sit at the new number a month. SO - I increased my carb intake and I've lost two lbs each of the last two weeks. I'm sure that the logic of what you are saying would kick in....if I consistently held myself to 1000 calories for many months, of course, I would eventually lose. BUT, my body will fight it by killing all of my appetite and switching off my metabolism. So, if you're only taking in 1000 and your metabolism 'thermostat' gets dialed back to 800 calories burned per day. Then you're still STORING 200 calories a day, right?

Okay..I didn't make THAT goal by Halloween, but I DID reach it by Thanksgiving Day! And we're going to East Texas to see some friends and relatives instead of San Antonio -- just trying to figure out if we can squeeze it in before Christmas or wait until after. My next goal is 250 by Valentine's Day. It'll be a stretch, but I'm determined!

ooooh! What she said!!! girl, that's GOOD, I'm gonna be borrowin' that! losingjusme, don't be too hard on yourself. food was your (OUR!) comfort for SO many years. No reason to think it wouldn't be the first place we still turn. I'm gonna pray for you. I know what its like to go through bad stuff -- ESPECIALLY when DH is away, isn't that always when the feces hits the fan? candy -- Girl, I feel ya! I had my surgery rescheduled TWICE, too. First time I was prepped and about to go into OR, second time I was in OR and OUT, I can't begin to tell you how I felt when they woke me up and sent me home withOUT a band!!! It'll happen, just be patient.

I know, I didn't either, and when my approval came, it happened so fast I hadn't been fitted for one yet and would only have had it about 3 nights before my surgery. As those who were around in August know, the anesthesiologist stop me outside the OR the first date, put me out and then stopped the surgery the second date and finally, after kicking him off the team and getting a new anesthesiologist we did surgery on the third try. BUT -- I said all of that to say, one of the reasons he didn't want to do my surgery is because my test showed I did have apnea, yet I hadn't been sleeping with a CPAP. And ultimately -- forget the surgeon, forget the insurance -- the man with the POWER is that flippin' anesthesiologist!!! Ennywayze....I would LOVE to have a copy of your CD. What do I need to do to get one??

Ashley, I think you're doing pretty good. I was banded a week after you and have only lost a smidge more, and I started out nearly 100 lbs more than you! How are you doing clothes-wise...? Things looser, having to buy smaller? Remember, when the scales are stalling, the inches are falling. :whoo:

And don't you find some things you previously thought were just delicious really DON'T taste that good when you savor them slowly...? I bought a "favorite" pie for Thanksgiving, hoping everyone else would gobble it up and I wouldn't be tempted for days. I ate one small slice and found it, it really ISN'T that good.:heh:

Okay....I got the pricing for the personal trainer sessions at the gym yesterday. Lets just say I'm gonna have to save that for when I hit a plateau I CAN'T bust out of on my own. I think (HOPE!) I got enough core info from him during the two free sessions I had to get me started -- and I'll just keep increasing the duration and weights. Then, when I need to vary it some more, maybe I can pay for another month here or there.

It looks like BRAS are going to be the first thing I'm going to have to buy! I started about a year ago replacing all of my older ones AND going UP a size, so it's a shame, but the newest ones are going to be the first to go. I wear front closers so there's no way to tighten them (yes, I know I have a sewing machine, but I'm not gonna go there!) and there's enough play in them now (guess I'm losing back fat! YAY!) that sometimes when I take off my top, half or more of the hooks are undone! So, if my 46s are too big, I wonder if I should by a 44 or just squeeze into a 42 for now...?

I'm sorry, but that make me snicker...cause that kind of stuff happens on a regular basis, at least to me and my husband it does. An example -- we do a guest reception at our church every Sunday morning. I went in to the dry cleaners week after week with four identical tablecloths and it was $26 + change. The seasons changed so I got four NEW tablecloths and the first time they were cleaned it was over $40! My husband picked it up and paid, but I went back in to find out why. One of the cloths was a few inches longer. BUT TWO OTHERS WERE SHORTER!!!!! I pointed out. The guy turned his screen around to show me his price listing. (I'd bought them on a clearance rack and sizes didn't make much difference to what we use them for.) I didn't argue with the man, I just pointed out that in addition to the $100+ a month I was spending on the cloths, we spent nearly that much on our personal clothing in his establishment as well. It seemed to not make any difference in his mind. So, I could cut off and hem the one offending cloth so I can keep paying the $26. OR, I can just wash and Iron them at home. And look for a different dry cleaners for my clothing. What do you think I did?? And back to the dress in question. We did not agree on a price at the beginning. When I asked, I quoted $75 MINIMUM, to 'sew' a formal, depending on how elaborate it was, it could be more. She wanted me to copy/design-from-scratch a dress AND sew it. And she's free to walk away from the deal. I bought the material, so techincally the dress is ALL mine. The only thing I have from her is the magazine ad and her measurements. She's lost nothing -- except the extra time to search for a replacement. PLUS -- she's my daughter's nail tech, so its highly likely we'll barter it out in services anyhow. So she won't be HURT by a $25 increase. Besides, I used frequent customer coupons she wouldn't have access to and saved her more than $25 on the cost of the fabric.

I agree -- I think I used it also, and know that there are exceptions. ALWAYS. I worked a job once, that was very near customer service, in that the only time I saw people was when they had a problem. If I could fix it, I was their new best friend. If I couldn't fix it, they didn't know what I was being paid for. More than once I cracked off, "If you knew WHAT they were paying me, you'd know why I'm not able to help you!" (Someone with more training and skill would cost three times what I did!) My son, daughter and both their spouses worked at Whole Foods supermarkets. They weren't always happy with how they were treated as employees...but they DO respect the level of Customer Service that that company stressed and my DD, especially, gets HIGHLY upset when she's dealt with poorly as a customer. But employers are a large part of the problem.....they don't treat their employees well enough to make them WANT to stay and progress in their skills and experience. Where's the motivation to do an excellent job if you know full well you could get replaced tomorrow by someone willing to accept minimum wage.

Hi there and welcome to LBT!! Did I have days I feared not losing weight??:cry Only every day that I wake up! Seriously! You just will have to be patient. I've stalled out several times in 3 months because I want to speed things up by eating less and less. But it's counter-productive. Just choose healthy things and then eat what your band will permit you to. The weight WILL come off. Watch for those changes in how your clothes fit. Listen for remarks from friends and family. And expect to still seriously doubt anything is happening. But it is. Oh, and get plenty of Water and exercise -- those two things seem to make the most difference to my progress. As to weighing -- that's a personal choice. I can completely see the wisdom in weighing infrequently or not-at-all if you're easily discouraged. OTOH, I always say, "If there's GOOD news, I want to know it ASAP!" I weigh every morning between the first trip to the bathroom and the first trip to the fridge. Sure -- there are plenty of days I'm frustrated. BUT, I can then channel that frustration. It makes the difference between putting on my shoes to go walk right THEN or postponing it and possibly not getting it in at all that day. Likewise, if I've seen PROGRESS :whoo: on the scales that morning, it's easier to make the healthiest possible choices all day long. Hope that made sense.

I dearly LOVE fish, but get stuck on it more often than almost anything else. I have to take SUPER small bites (think like the size of a pencil eraser!) and lengthy pauses between bites. Take your time! (preaching to myself as well!!!)

Beka, I had more than one freak-out reading about the unhappy people. Then I realized that I have to accept the reality of forum posting. Undoubtedly, a fairly large percentage of the "Happy/No complications" people are not coming back to LBT to post because.... THEY ARE OUT HAVING A LIFE AND LOVING THEIR BAND! Meanwhile, you can also assume that a large percentage of the "this-sucks" people ARE coming back to share their warnings with others. So whether you're reading the postings or taking a poll, you'll have to take the results with a grain of salt and weigh them against reality. btw -- 3.5 months and I love it. (I may not always LIKE it, as I'm still learning the ins and outs, but I DO love having it.)

I'd prefer to just STOP taking custom jobs PERIOD!! I want to make WHAT I want, in the size I want, out of the fabric I want and then sell it online. If no one purchases it, then I'll donate it somewhere!! I'm tired of having other people dictate what my handiwork is worth!:tired

Just curious -- a heard some ladies talking a couple of years ago about a 'treatment' that some spas or salons do to remove skin tags.... But I can't find out the name of it or how to go about tracking down a salon that does it. The GP or dermatologists charge SOOO much because they can't claim it on insurance, I may as well go to a spa to get it done. I just don't know how to find one. Anyone know what I'm talking about??

I'll agree that there are PLENTY of jerk customers, but, "I" don't deserve to be treated rudely just because the ninety-nine people ahead of me were jerks. Most of the public jobs I've held in my life were retail, or in some capacity customer service based. I had plenty of customers who made me want to gnash my teeth and tear out my hair. But you deal with the average customer less than 10 minutes. I'm no Meryl Streep, but I can FAKE being courteous to you for at least 15 minutes. That's all I'm asking for. Humor me, don't talk down to me and for pity's sake, DON'T ARGUE WITH ME. I'm a customer who is quick to alert management if there is a spill on the floor, or a stall out of toilet tissue, etc. It's just part of who I am. They can't fix what they're unaware of. And I always do it in the most courteous and non-threatening way I can. One day I took my GrandDoll to CiCi's pizza. She liked the pink lemonade, but all that came out was goopy pink syrup. So I got her Sprite instead. There was no manager in sight, so I went up to the most mature adolescent present and said, "Just wanted to let you know that the pink lemonade isn't working right." Without even making eye contact he barked at me -- "That's just the way it is. There's no carbonation." Sheesh -- does Alfalfa honestly think I don't know that LEMONADE is non-carbonated...? "Yes, but you don't understand, all that's coming out is pink syrup." Again I get "That's just the way it is, it doesn't fizz." We went through a couple more rounds of this before someone else walked up behind me and said, "The pink lemonade is messed up. "That's just the way it is, it's not carbonated." I walked away and left the newcomer to deal with it. But I'm thinking, he's worse than lazy, he's just DUMB, because it would have taken WAY less energy to just say, "Oh, thank you Ma'am, I'll check that out." and I would have walked away content I had accomplished my good deed for the day and he could think me a moron all he wanted to. I didn't need his condescenscion. Whoops...sorry, didn't realize I was still so bitter over that incident.

I've still got good restriction with just one fill, so I'm gonna ride it for as long as I can. Unlike so many of you, I have NO idea the size of my band or how much they put in it. Am I an idiot? Should I know this? Is it important to know?

Looks to me like you've answered your own question!! :clap2:

Okay -- obviously I meant to say LOSE in the thread title! Color me embarrassed!

I oscillate between thinking it's possible and thinking it's IMPOSSIBLE. I really, REALLY want to do it. Day to day it feels like my progress is too slow -- but when I stand back and look at the big picture -- about 25 lbs lost in three months -- that seems like 100 lbs in 12 months is within my reach. What do you think? I mean if it takes two years to take that last 50-60 off -- fine. But I want that big chunk gone NOW! Its been almost 18 years since I was exiled from ONEDERLAND -- I want back in BAD!! :bounce:

Becky, that sounds like an excellent plan. I might've looked into that, too, if I would have tho't of it!! LOL But seriously, I'm pretty determined to make this work at the gym. Like I say at least twice a day, the band won't keep me from falling off the wagon, it'll just keep the wagon from going off and leaving me behind!! So, whereas before, every other time I've joined a gym, I've fallen off the wagon and given up -- this one has so much more to offer, if I have a problem with one thing -- like say my back messes up like it did when I belonged to Curves a few years ago, I can switch to the Water aerobics. Etc. The point is to not just give up and sit on my butt again! Progress is like riding a bike, if you aren't moving forward, you're falling over!

Yep -- the band doesn't keep you from falling OFF the wagon, it just keeps the wagon from going off and leaving you BEHIND! LOL I did good on portions, just had way more carbs than usual, but my weight has maintained, so I survived it okay. Now to get back to business again! I'm ready to go back to the gym on Monday! Might even go tomorrow afternoon!