Ezma

I was looking thru the clearance bakery stuff yesterday for snacks for my husband and son and there was a man standing next to me looking too. He said something about how good they looked but not that neither he or I needed them. Now this might sound rude but it was said in such a nice way and he must have been 65 so it wasn't some young rude boy remark. Afterwards I realized what a compliment it really was for me. 6 months and 98 pounds ago no one would have made a remark about my weight. I was the oddity in the room that everyone pretended didn't exist. Now I'm such a normal amount overweight that he felt perfectly comfortable joking with me. Nice! I guess..... LOL

Since banding I've had about 1/3 of a bottle of a wine cooler. I didn't drink much before but I sure do crave a beer or mudslide once in a while, especially when it's hot....like March thru October. LOL

Dang Ready! Look at you, gorgeous girl.

SLCMommy - you're looking great. Doesn't it feel good to be able to see the lovely losses you've made. Keep on swimmin'.

I was and still sort of am that way too. Hate cameras. But I hate them less now that they can show me that I really am losing weight. Helps me get a better feeling of what I really look like. I know....that's good and bad. LOL

Me too! It was okay for a while cause I was still carrying so much weight. Now it's really starting to show. I was able to wear short sleeve shirts but it's looking like that won't be true for long. And I'm starting to get the wrinkled skin things going on the tummy. :smile2:

I know that feeling completely. I was asking my doctor to tell me how much fill I had in my band and he asked me why I wanted to know. Basicaly I said that I wanted to make sure there was still enough band left to get me where I needed to be. And he said that was exactly why he didn't want to tell me. Because his job is to worry about the band and mine is to worry about the other stuff. That way I can't just blame it on a low fill, etc, I have to look at the things I control like exercise and caloric intake. Pretty smart guy actually - though it really drives me nuts not to be in control. LOL I'm so afraid that the weight loss magic will stop before I'm done.

Sounds like a beautiful goal. And you know what you want to look like and how you want to feel better than anyone. I'm so happy for you!!!! Have you posted before and afters to the 6 month pics post yet? I'd love to see.

Wow kjeter!!! Another couple pounds and you will no longer be overweight. Very nicely done!

You have a lot on your plate there Ready. Quitting the smoking habit by itself is tough enough already. I smoked for 25 years and finally totally stopped 3 years ago. I still occasionally have a craving but it's so much easier to ignore after the first couple weeks and most of it is gone in a few months. You go girl!

In fact I'm eating and thinking about drinking right now. This has been the hardest thing in the world for me to stop doing.

Great poll Ready! I hope everyone answers it because then we can get a good idea of Lap Band reality instead of just the few people who talk. I know there are numerous people in each area but not really sure what the breakdown looks like. Thanks

That crab and cheese sounds good. Gonna have to try it. I eat turkey that way with Lite Jarlsburg.

Yay Ready!!!!! I'm so happy for you. And that fill should kick it in gear for sure. I got one yesterday and can already tell a difference. Hoping I make 100 pounds gone in a few days. It's been about a year total to lose that though all but 18 happened since my 2 week pre-op diet.

I think the exercise part is the most important. Just ease back into it so you don't get hurt again. I'm guessing that you may have set your August goal too high, thinking about how much you did before you got hurt. Maybe start off with 15 minutes a day and add 5 or 10 minutes to that each week until you get back to where you were. The weight loss should just naturally happen is you exercise and make smart food choices 80% to 90% of the time. I imagine it would be hard to keep motivated once you've reached normal size clothing. I'm still dreaming of that. Congrats on that great accomplishment. And you know you can always stop if you're happy. But I'm guessing you aren't where you want to be yet. That alone will drive you. You're just gonna have to force yourself to get back into the exercise routine. Maybe try a new kind of exercise, that might make it easier. I really ramble before I have my coffee, don't I? :thumbup:

Love berries and mangos. Also I really like carrots or cucumbers with hummus or this spinach dip. Garlicky Spinach & Ricotta Dip 1 tsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 leek, washed and thinly sliced 2 large bunches of spinach, washed and coarsely chopped 1 cup light ricotta cheese 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg Instructions: One - Coat a large nonstick frying pan with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add garlic and leek. Stir often until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add a few drops of Water if leek starts to brown too much before it softens. Two – Increases heat to medium-high and add a few handfuls of spinach. Stir until wilted, then turn into a food processor. Continue to cook rest of spinach in small batches until all is wilted. Place in food processor. Whirl until blended – make it as chunky or fine as you like. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate until cool. Three - Stir spinach with ricotta, sea salt and nutmeg. Taste and add more seasonings if needed. Dip will water out as it sits; stir before serving. Nutrients per ¼ cup serving: Calories – 30 Total Fat – 1g Sat. Fat – 0.4g Carbs – 3g Fiber – 1g Sugars – 1g Protein – 3g Sodium – 100mg Cholesterol – 2mg

Fun thread by the way. Thanks.:biggrin2:

1. What have you learned about yourself since you have been banded? That I really am capable of losing the weight and that if I could make it through the 2-week pre-op diet, I can make it through anything. 2. What has surprised you most about being banded? That it is more about me changing my habits than the band doing all the work. Sadly, I didn't know this before the surgery. 3. What foods do you miss that you can't/won't eat anymore? pizza and Pasta. Restaurant food. 4. Do you regret being banded? No way! Best thing I've done for myself in a long, long time. 5. Would you recommend the band to anyone? Would and have done so. Three people from my company are in the starting process of it. 6. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? Would have made sure that they got the hospital tax id right so I wouldn't have had to wait until the next year and lost my flex spending money for the surgery. 7. Would you do it all over again? Oh yeah! 8. Has your self esteem improved? Oh yeah again! Told my husband that now I feel like a normal fat person, not some deformed oddity. 9. Has being banded changed your personality? Not really. It's put me back to myself. Gaining the weight changed my personality. 10. What do you dislike about being banded? Not being able to gorge out on something truly delicious if I want. Having to worry about getting stuck and throwing up. Not being able to swallow pills.

Melanie - you look fabulous. Thanks for posting. I know it inspires me so much to see all the progress the VVs are making. Congrats!

I'm so sad. I know the month isn't done yet but we've only had 4 people post for their 6-month mark. To me it was a big milestone mark and I thought everyone would come out of the woodwork for it. Guess this group really is dying and that is what makes me feel so sad. I know we all have our reasons for not posting - busy lives, feeling down and disappointed, not wanting to make others feel uncomfortable when we succeed, etc. I just found this place a much needed release. I could come here when I was confused, frustrated, proud or any other of a million feelings and know that, here at least, someone knew exactly what I was going through. Well, I still plan to stop in at least a couple times a day and will try to keep the place alive. Hope to catch more of you. And if any of you have moved to another area that's taking care of your posting needs, let me know. :biggrin2:

Then I'll just say a very quiet and secretive congratulations. Inside I'm doing a major happy dance for you though.

Well tomorrow is 6 months for me and I had the hubby take some pictures today. Sorry I didn't get a side view pre-op. I can't really tell much difference between my 4 month and my 6 month pictures but I really can between this one on the day before my surgery and now. And as always, I have the lovely "too much sun" squint. Wish this was over but I'm sure it's gonna be at least another year for me. But I'm in it for as long as I have to be. It's become a way of life for me and I don't intend to slip back into bad habits. Good thing I have a friendly reminder surgically implanted in my gut. :thumbup:

Woo Hoo!!!! You look great!!! 16s? That's so sweet.

Crystal, you look fantastic too. Really, really can see the difference. Can't wait to see even more of you guys.

Shiny, you look fabulous!! Can't believe you have any left to lose. You're looking great!