hopeinapril

Hi Shamrocks! Today I was 249.6 YEAH!!!!!!!! :biggrin: Karen - nice to know there are others of us out there. I am so thrilled right now. I finally believe this will work!! Penny - I have heard that without the fat insulating us that many are colder, quicker. I believe that. I will be thrilled to buy cute sweaters and jackets! Of course, I expect to find a cute guy to cuddle also! :drool:

Hey everyone! Good to see the board is a little active now. I went to the meeting last night and it was pretty good. I would advise anyone to go to the support group meetings, they always revv me up! They are a good source of information. Stacy, I think someone answered this, but St. Francis support group meetings are open to anyone. Christiana charges $5 a meeting if you did not have surgery with them. I'm thrilled because I think I have finally hit the "sweet spot". The weight it dropping off me pretty good. It took me a while to drop the first size. I may go down another because my pants are falling down. I spend a lot of the day hiking my pants up! What a good feeling. There was a lady at the meeting last night who said "I finally believe this will work". She took the words right out of my mouth! Actually, my arms would be the first thing I had done if I get plastic surgery....if I get a choice. The belly flap has rashes and such, so my insurance company just might pay for that. The arm flaps are embarassing. I don't wear sleeveless shirts and even short sleeve ones are getting embarassing. I think I will have to look for an undergarment for the arms, if there is such a thing.

SpecialK :omg_smile::thumbup::scared2::thumbup::tongue2: That is awesome about the test. I know how much you were focused on that! That has to be a ton of stress off of you now! You never know with the liquids. Mostly, I do lose weight, but sometimes not so much. Thanks for the congrats and kind words!

Greetings Shamrocks! I am convinced I have hit the sweet spot. The weight loss has FINALLY kicked it. (It is hard to watch week after week when everyone else is losing and I was not!) I hit 250 this morning on the scale. I can't wait for the next .1 pound and I will be in the 240's! This puts my total at 37 pounds now! I am thrilled! Anyone else so busy this September? I'm not sure what it is about the month of September, but I am usually so crazy busy!

Hi Lynn and Fairy! I'm still struggling a bit with the exercise. I just seem to find so much else I would rather do. When I exercise with a friend, I always go. I guess I need to make sure I take a friend more often. The meetings are at St. Francis right next to the doctor's office. I don't think there is a topic on Tuesday night. While they do go on about stuff I already know on Tuesday night, I find the enthusiasm of the newbies contagious. It also reminds me that not long ago I was a newbie and why I am doing this in the first place. The Wednesday night meeting is also interesting. Dr. Wynn is usually there. (I did attend once and Dr. Peters was there). There are quite a few folks there who have reached their goal and have had plastic surgery. It is also good to go to these meetings because of them. I found that there is a variety of lengths of time folks have been banded or gastric bypass. I have found these meetings also to be helpful. It is very cool to have a doctor there to answer questions. This week I will go to the Tuesday meeting. I have something else (another meeting with a different group!) on Wednesday.

Hey Shamrocks! I hope everyone is doing great! I had a seminar this weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Long, but exciting. Funny thing about the sweet spot. When I started this journey, I thought once you got to the sweet spot, life woul be good. I sort of think that I am there. The scale has started moving again. I am like many of you. Sometimes, I can't eat solid food. I can eat pureed type foods like cream of wheat or oatmeal, but not an egg. Other times (like last night) I can eat a piece of pizza. I think some of it has to do with taking my time and eating small bites. It is quite possible that the weather affects us. If you think about storms, the barometric pressure changes. I would imagine it also affects our bodies. The band, being a foreign object, could be influenced by this. It makes sense. I am excited.....I am currently about 4 pounds from having less than 100 pounds to loose. That is a milestone for me! Today I had a NSV. Someone I had not seen in a few weeks told me to get some new jeans, mine were too loose and ready to fall down. Now, she was exaggerating a bit. (no way were they actually going to fall down) It sure was nice to hear that. Well, have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Hellooooooo (echo of hello, hello, hello.......) Anyone come in this room anymore? I'm going to the support group meeting on Tuesday. I am going to use the pre-ops to continue to motivate me! I'm struggling a bit with the exercise........ UGH!

Hi Shamrocks! Bummer so many folks have lost their "get up and go". The exercise part (for the moment) is more difficult for me. I think my band is working. Since my last fill, I can't eat as much. I don't have PB's, but I come close. Stuff that I was able to eat a month ago can be challenging, especially in the morning. But, I do find that it varies. Some days it seems like anything goes down. Some mornings, not much goes down. I hate the scale because it is not moving. I have started (slowly) to get back to the exercise. I am mostly compliant about the food. I guess the scale will move when it does.

Hey Shamrocks! Have a great Labor day weekend! Gosh, emotional eater - yes I am. I have been thin and I have been morbidly obese. I like thin better. While I can understand folks questioning their decision, I have not. It could be that I forked out $17k+ out of pocket for this. It could be that I rarely look back. I am thrilled there are some that will consider removing their bands at some point. I doubt I'll ever be at that place, but it is nice to know that some of you out there will get to that point. Hurray for you! I do agree that a lot of people will find that when they lose weight, they uncover issues to resolve. I wish you well with your journeys! I am familar with jealousy. There is a part of me that doesn't look forwad to being thin again because I have a friend who gets very insecure and jealous. To me, that was the worse part of being thin. So, those are my rambling thoughts for the moment.

Hey Shamrocks! I have heard that you should wait for plastic surgery. The doctors I have spoken with say it takes time for your skin to catch up to your weight loss. Now, having said that, I truly do not expect to have tight skin when I get to my goal. Also, I think this is where the slow losers (me!) have an advantage.....they say that your skin will catch up better with the slow losers. Of course, that is one of the few advantages. I went to the doc today and got a small fill. I forgot to ask him how much. but, even if he only put .5 cc in, I would have 7.5 cc in my 9 cc band. I have a very real fear that I will never reach my "sweet spot". I really don't want to have the experience of PBing or not even being able to drink Water, but it is even more scary to me to think that I will never hit the sweet spot. All in all, this is a good journey. I am back down to the weight I was at the beginning of last year and despite any bumps in the road, I am determined to keep walking down this road.

Hi Amanda and Fenton! Amanda - how horrible for you! I am sure that it sucks when you are doing everything right! I think Fenton is correct. I have heard from many folks that it takes a while for the skin to catch up. The weight loss is quick and then it takes the skin a good year or so to catch up. I do know that good undergarments help. I know lots of women who love the spanx stuff. It holds all the stuff in while your skin is adjusting. (Heck, I know skinnny folks who where them just to look smooth and not lumpy) And Amanda, CONGRATS, you are 1/2 way there! Hey Fenton! Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed your little break! Now it is time to get back to the business of losing weight. Remember that snowboard! Don't worry about getting filled. I have seen few folks that have much restriction after the 1st fill! It could also be something that motivates you to get back on track. (Frankly, I have a hard time staying the line with the weight loss thing. It is a slow process for me. Gradually, I think I am getting it!) This is a week that lots of folks go on vacation. The last week of summer. (OK, it isn't really, but we treat it that way) I have to admit, without everyone posting, it is tough to get motivation. Good news for me, I have to face the scale on Wednesday at the doctor's office. It is amazing how that keeps me from going too far off the deep end.

Hi Shamrocks! Amanda - good deal that you worked back down to your starting vacation weight. I loved cruising. Had a blast going to St. Thomas, St. Maartan last year. There are plenty of things on the ship to keep you going! SpecialK - Hey, with what you went through, I'm not surprised you slipped a little. It is hard to eat right in those situations! Sugar - I hope your next fill is the "one" for you! Lynn - have a wonderful vacation! I love reading, it is my favorite activity! I'm sure you will do ok. Keep up your walking! Sharon - antique road show, how cool! I really enjoy that tv show. I am amazed at how people will stand in line just for a chance for someone to look at their stuff. Glad to hear you are breaking your plateau I'm going for a fill this week. I think it will be a slight one. I hate how my scale seems to bounce up and down. Overall, it is a downward trend, but yikes, the daily up and down drive me nuts. I am only trying this weighing yourself daily because the doctor has reccommended it. I may go back to the once a week. Up 1/2 down 1, up 1, down 1/4 -----it is driving me nuts!

Hi Shamrocks! SpecialK - my thoughts are with you during this emotional and stressful time. bettyann - welcome! we can always find room for more. Congrats on being 1/2 way there! Fenton - dude, next new minute! MSBoss - how bad, but how wonderful! I love it that my clothes are getting loose! I'm really lucky because a fellow bander is a few sizes smaller than I and she has been giving me her clothes. I had an odd experience today. One that I am sure will happen more often! I had my 4 ounces of food that I was going to eat for lunch. I ate about 3 ounces and I just couldn't eat anymore. If that wasn't amazing enough, I was full for 3 1/2 hours. I am loving the turkey pepperoni and cheese! (it was my lunch)

Hi Delaware folks! Fairy: very cool that you did your workout. Even better that it was similar to where you were! Life is good. I'm glad. I was beginning to wonder about this band and if it was ever going to work. I have an appointment next week. I have a feeling that I will need to talk them into giving me a small fill. I really believe the next one will be "it".

Welcome to the group gabby! Txgirl - I also have fears that if they fill the band with as much as it will take and I still don't have restriction. I can definitely relate to that. Steph -I can share some words of wisdom that someone else on this website gave me. When you are messing up, don't wait for the next day or Monday. Start new the next minute. I call it "next new minute". To be honest, there were times when I thought about quitting. But, then I thought holy crap I paid $17k out of pocket for this, there is no way I can quit. Plus, the band is in me. I can't really stop. Even now, I can't eat quickly or not chew well. I also go back to the reasons I did this in the first place. I don't want to be this big. I don't want to struggle to walk up 2 flights of stairs. (no elevator in my building where I work). I already got rid of all my bigger clothes. (I kept one pair of pants for a reality check). I pulled out pictures of me pre-op and looked at current ones. I have to admit some of this stuff made me really realize that I don't want to quit. My doctors group is getting much better about the fills. They encourage us to come back and get a fill if you have no restriction. I am also trying to give myself a break and not be angry at myself for screwing up, when I have. As many here have said, we are human. This is a new lifestyle. Not something we do for a few months to loose the weight, then go back to our old ways. I went to a support group meeting on Wednesday for people who are stuggling. There were all kinds of people there. One lady was 7 years out. She looked tiny. But, she admits that she is very careful as she had gained some of her weight back and had to loose it again. I'll be honest, I had some real crappy emotional stuff going on. I am an emotional eater. I am working on trying to re-train myself as to the emotional eating. I can honestly say that I don't exercise when I am upset. I have in the past, but it is not my first choice. The nearest good tasting, crappy for me food is what I reach for. I am trying to re-train myself to do something else. I think all this re-trainging is VERY hard. The doctor at the support group said while it takes 3 weeks to start a new habit, it takes about 6 months for it to become a habit! OK, I am a little windy today. I hope this helps anyone else on the board.

Hi Fairy: Cool that you like exercise. Believe me, I know about trying to do ANYTHING with a small child around. My son has calmed down now, but he is still very active. (He was riding his bike in the storm last week. I realized it after he had been outside for a few minutes!) I hope you get out to exercise today. I don't have any real words of wisdom. The only thing that has worked for me is if I make myself look at it like a doctor's appointment. Then I don't allow myself to miss it.

Hi Shamrocks! Txgirl - I can relate to being a slow loser. I didn't lose weight for 2 months. I didn't have any restriction! OK, I am finally successful in this band thing. I have crossed the line of 30 pounds lost and am 7 pounds away from needing to loose 99 more pounds. I can't wait to be in double digits for weight left to lose! I will also be under 250 at that point! While I am not at prime restriction, I anticipate it will happen the next fill!

Hi Fairy! - If you need a butt kicking to get in gear, let us know! :biggrin: Last night there were about 20 or so folks there last night. And of course, Dr. Wynn and MaryEllen and Sam. It was nice because there was a nice mixture. There were about 4-5 folks who had more than a year and were looking good. There was a lady who was about 9 months out and had lost 95 pounds. There were folks at a few months, a lady who was a week out and a man who was only a few days out. I did find it helpful. I also like going on Tuesdays because it is fun to help folks. It also reminds me why I did this in the first place. I find their enthusiasm contagious. On a good note, I have finally lost over 30 pounds. I can't update my ticker right now, but I will as soon as I can! Woohoo......7 more pounds and I will be in double digits as to what I need to loose! Thanks for the information about the walk Lynn. If anyone else is interested, the website is www.heartwalk.kintera.org/wilmingtonde

Hi! Christine: I had to make that decision about my father. Fortunately for me, my brother agreed. I can't imagine how hard that must be! It was difficult enough for me to basically let my dad die, without having a sibling disagree. I've seen how nasty that can get!

Hi! I went to the Wednesday night support group tonight and it was fun. It is the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Dr. Wynn is so sweet. It was nice to see many successful people there. I would love to be as tiny as some of them were. Lynn - glad you got your fill. Sometimes, I don't think the docs understand that you are loosing weight because of YOU, not the band. Because I am losing slowly, I have been able to get the fills. Meg - did you go to the Tuesday night meeting? I heard that there were only 2 post ops there. Anyone else going to do the Heart walk in September. I believe it is 2k. (Don't quote me, I haven't checked out the website. That was the talk at the meeting tonight) Anyway, I moseying along with my weight loss. How is everyone doing?

Hi Shamrocks! Special K - Wow, you have a lot going on. These can be the tough times. I will keep you in mind and send good thoughts your way. A friend had a fill yesterday and could not even keep Water down. She went in today and got 1/2 of the fill removed. I haven't had that particular experience. To anyone who has, my sympathies!

Hey Shamrocks! I guess we are all on vacation as the board is a little quiet. We had fabulous weather here on Friday/Saturday. I did get outside. Ugh, I found out that even if you are close to the "sweet spot" you can cheat your way around the band. I did NOT need to know that. Oh well, right now is the next new minute.

Great that some of us are getting restriction. I am 7cc in a 9cc band.

Hi Shamrocks! Scrappy - woohoo! Congrats on 100 pounds! Special K - Awesome! I know that must feel great to be in 2 ville! What a great job! Amanda - WOW! You are really making a new life for yourself! I can tell you that 6 months ago I would have never even considered doing such a thing. Now I am walking 5ks. Congrats! FILLS I have to say that my latest fill seem to be doing its job. Sometimes I a full after only a few ounces of food. I can still eat more, but I am learning to be satisfied with less. I am hoping that this will kick the weight loss into gear. Of course, I have to admit that I GAINED 30 pounds last year while dieting! So, the fact that I have lost almost 30 pounds to date is a great thing. I am finally back down to the weight I was last year in the Spring. I honestly believe the tightness is a personal preference. If you are losing and you are getting enough Protein and liquid, you should be ok. If you are weak and not getting all your protein in, you may want to get a small un-fill. I happen to need the band tight. For the first time, I am not sure that I will get a fill at the end of the month. Up til now, I have always wanted a fill. Have a great day shamrocks!

Hi everyone! I did go and see Dr. Wynn Wednesday. She is really nice. She did give me a fill. I was happy with my weight loss over the last 2 months. I now have 7cc in a 9cc band. I am on mushies today and I had some cream of wheat for Breakfast. I COULD NOT eat the whole thing. After I ate close to 1/2 of it, I just threw the rest away. YEAH! I feel like the band is now working for me. It is an amazing feeling! FYI - St. Francis will now have a post op only group. Now that I said that I can't remember which Wednesday it is. I think it is the 2nd Wednesday of the month. I'll have to check. Lisa - 50 pounds!!!!! That is awesome. We should catch up again. Since it has been a while, I am sure that I will notice a big difference! Lynn - I have to tell you that I think I get most irritated when I do what I consider the right thing (eating correctly) only to find out later that there were tons of carb/calories in what I ate. Yikes! I tried a friend's wii fit the other night. It was so much fun! I am really considering getting one. I am not a big fan of exercise, but this stuff was actually fun. We played for around an hour. It seemed like 10 minutes! I did work up a sweat. The hoola hoop thing was a lot of fun. I didn't do that one that long, but I woke up the next day and noticed that some of unused muscles were a little achy.