JulieNYC

Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................243.5.................. .....10..........................5.5 Lapbandit.................240..................... ..20..........................13 Libra....................... 257.......................20...................... . ...12 Indianlight................ 279.......................20...................... ...20 JulieNYC.................. 221........................215.................... .....6 Elisabethsew............ 289 (-5)................. 282..........................7

Dawn! Your ticker moved again, WOOHOO!!!! Dancing and jumping bananas for you! :confused::bananajump::bananajump: How are you feeling about going into Onederland? Is it just another number for you, or are you a little anxious about it? Your head seems screwed on better than mine (wink), so you're probably fine about it. Kat, any chance you can post a picture of the mural? I know we'd all love to see it. I have days like that too -- where I do only exactly the number of minutes the challenge requires. I guess days like that are why we have a challenge, no? Way to go for meeting it.

You're in the right place, Tina! Where are you in your band journey? Pre-op? Post-op? Give us some info and we'll give you all the support you need....

Thanks, Time2live. I have 10 cc's in my 11 cc Vanguard band. I didn't feel a THING until they took me from 7.8 cc's to 10 cc's by doing this technique where I drank Water WHILE they filled me, I told them when I could feel the water backing up (which happened at 10.5 cc's), they backed out 0.5 cc's and I've been good to go ever since. I think I had an unusually small stomach for a VG band (being only 5'2) but my surgeon really prefers it, particularly for higher BMI patients. Back to luv2bingo's question, I'm with BabyGotBack -- I think Ortiz is comfortable with higher BMI patients because of his vast experience banding, where some surgeons may not be (and will admit this -- my uncle is a bariatric surgeon and he said he wouldn't have banded me -- he would have recommended bypass). There is no empirical data that I know of (and I looked) in support of a higher risk surgery (like DS or bypass) for a high BMI patient. The only reason to recommend a more invasive procedure for a high BMI patient is for quicker weight loss if your life is truly in danger from the weight. It's a very personal decision, but for what it's worth, I started at your BMI and am very, very happy with my band.

The apartment is great. I can't WAIT to move. Now, it's tiny by non-NYC standards, but it's actually not too small by my standards. It's about 750 square feet. It's a one bedroom with a separate dining room and a prive garden. I'm so excited about it! It's my 5th apartment in NYC, but it's the first one I've owed. The buying experience here is a trip. They need so much information from you, it's crazy. I actually have to go meet the co-op board in person next week. I'm assuming that will go fine, and, if so, I close on January 24th and move in on February 10th. I usually paint my walls a very neutral color (Sherwin Williams "Gourmet Mushroom"), but this time I'm going bold. If I hate it, well, it's just paint. I think I'm going to love it though. Most of my furniture is red and those colors really work together in my opinion. New bod. That's coming along too, slowly but surely. I had a long conversation with my Dad last week about my PS. He thinks it's a certainty that I can have a breast lift and a mini tummy tuck on April (March 28th, actually -- we tentatively scheduled it). I'm having my "consult" with him in Feburary while we're in St. Barts and that's when we'll make the final decisions. The only real decision is whether the mini-TT will be enough, or whether I have to wait to goal and have a full-TT. I want the full now, but I don't think he'll go for that. It's a really big surgery and he wants to keep it simple since I'm not at goal and, thus, am subject to a higher risk of complications. We'll see. I secretly hope that if I can lose enough weight before St. Barts, he'll agree to do the full TT along with the breast lift. Then I'll do thighs and arms when I get to goal, but thighs and arms don't get in my way like the tummy does. We'll see. I'm trying to be patient. New guy. No, unfortunately. My history there is that I have this very close friend in NYC whom I've had a crush on forever. I don't see him very often because we both work crazy jobs and he takes primary care of his elderly and ailing parents after work, but I've always wanted it to turn into something. I'm truly not waiting on that though -- I large part of me thinks that it would have happened by now if it was meant to be. So, I'm beginning to put myself out there. I keep telling myself once I get under 200, I'll try a little internet dating to get myself back in practice. One of my problems is I really don't know what I want from a man. I know I want a career. I don't know that I want children, but I don't know that I don't want them. Most 34 year old women have made up their minds about that -- not me. I guess there's an immaturity about that that comes with living through my 20s morbidly obese. Speaking of, 4 more pounds and I leave that moniker behind forever. I can't wait.

Betty, you're so light, I didn't see you there. 170s -- geeze, you're going to blow away on us! I got to the gym for a marathon cardio session -- 2 hours -- because I missed yesterday and I have to get in an hour a day to make my St. Barts exercise goal. I did a very leisurely hour on the elliptical, then an hour on the tread with 20 min of jogging. It was a good workout. Oddly, I don't feel too tired. I'm picking out wall colors for my new apartment that I'm moving into next month. So much fun! I'm painting the whole apartment "Tiffany" box blue. It's bold, but I love it.

How did Southwest determine who needed to buy an extra seat and who didn't? It must be arbitrary! I flew quite frequently at 350+ and I'm only 5'2. I was uncomfortable on several flights with the arm rest digging into my side (even leaving bruises) but no one ever suggested that I needed to buy an extra seat. I think at 6'1, you'll be fine on any large commercial airline. I "borrowed" a seatbelt extender about 5 years ago and took it on every flight with me because asking for it is such a pain and embarassment. The FA's would sometimes forget until right before takeoff, then they'd rush back with it for the world to see. So, I just took one. I flew a few weeks ago and it was the 4th flight in a row where I didn't need an extender. I almost left it on the plane, but held onto it. I'm flying in February and I think I'll take it and leave it on the plane then. Or, I'd be glad to send it to you, if you're worried about your trip....

I diet. I actively try to eat 1000 calories a day and 45 grams of Protein. I expect I will eat this quantity of food for the rest of my life, but that I will be less strict about staying under a particular calorie limit for long-term maintenance. I got the band because before, in my dieting attempts, I would inevitably lose a lot of weight only to gain it back far more rapidly than I lost. I am naturally a quantity eater. Before being banded, I could (and did) eat a whole large pizza in one sitting. My brain told me to eat and eat, then eat some more. Now it doesn't. I think there are (at least) two types of bandsters. Those who get the band to slowly change their eating behaviors and quantity and are satisfied losing at a more traditional bandster pace. Fabulous! I wholeheartedly support them! Then there are the bandsters who want the quickest weight loss possible. Those bansters use the band to help them do what they couldn't before -- make healthier choices and follow a particular diet and exercise plan to get to goal as quickly (and, hopefully safely) as possible. Then, gloriously, the band is there to protect and serve in maintenance as well. There's nothing wrong with a bandster "still dieting." We'll all get to goal at our own pace. For me, I'm 34 years old, single and had 200 lbs to lose. If I let the band do it's job without dieting, it would take me years to get to goal. My way, I expect to be at goal this summer. It's a very individual process. As for exercise, I think some focus more on dieting because it's more efficient! It's easier to not eat 500 calories and lose weight than it is to walk for 2 hours on a treadmill to burn those same calories. I don't know many people who get and stay at goal without an exercise program though. It's part of the new lifestyle, I think.

Betty, I'm glad you made up with your friend. I know how bad it feels when things are up in the air like that. Glad you got your NIA in too. Roberta, I hate that you have to struggle to breathe. I have fairly common anexiety attacks where I can't catch my breath and I hate that feeling. I have meds that I take when in the middle of an attack, but they take about 20 minutes to start working and it's no fun. I would imagine (rightly or wrongly) that the feeling can be akin to asthma. Of course, when I'm not in the middle of an attack, I feel totally fine, where I would think yours is more of a continuum. Anyway, I'm glad you manage it and I'm hoping the weather gets more consistent for you. I didn't feel like a run tonight, so I just walked at a leisurely pace for just over an hour. I was feeling a little burned out, so I wanted something easier but still logging some time. Today was a hard day. I wanted to eat the furniture. Probably because I had a handul of M&Ms at about 10 a.m. Somehow if I have something unplanned like that at 4, it's no problem, but if it's early, food haunts me all day. I overshot my calories for the day, but not by too much. I'm pretty happy with the day, given how hard it was.

I'm always cold and I never was pre-band. I think it's the weight loss though and not the band or the surgery itself. I've read that your body's core temp takes a long time to re-set, so it still thinks I'm carrying 130 additional lbs and that I don't need my internal heat on. But I do!!

I'm so happy for you! A thousand congratulations to you. That's just fabulous.

Judy, I'm with Wheetsin. I was 360 on the day of my first appointment and I'm only 5'2. My doc, who at the time had done about 5000 procedures assured me that around 500 of the ones he'd done were on patients with BMIs as high or higher than mine. Also, for what it's worth, they got me to a great fill level early on and I haven't needed another fill for 7 months. You're a candidate for banding. Keep searching for the right doctor. I hear Ortiz is great, if that's who you choose. Take care,

I'm "from" Alabama, but I've been living in NYC for 5 years. Banded at NYU and couldn't be happier!

Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................248.................... ...10..........................10 Lapbandit.................247..................... ..20..........................20 Libra....................... 265................... ....245........................16 Indianlight................ 279.................... ...20.........................20 JulieNYC.................. 222........................215.........................7 Elisabethsew............ 290 (-4).................. 282........................8

Kat, I'm with Boo. You don't need to run -- you just need to make sure a good portion of your exercise time is within your "target heart rate" zone. I wear a heart rate monitor to make sure I don't go over the zone (where you can get hurt), though many people in better shape (or doing less strenuous activity) wear it to make sure they get their heart rate high enough. I find the heart rate monitors to be more reliable than the hand held thing on gym equipment, but then again, it's just another gadget and getting out and moving, with or without it, is the most important thing. I'm totally with you in that I have no desire to exercise more and more for the rest of my life. I'm planning on 45 minutes, most days (say, 5 a week) and making those 45 minutes as efficient as possible in terms of calorie burning and strength training (i.e., for me, running many of them). Walking on an incline and chopping wood sound perfect. Amourette, welcome home and have a great week off before you start flying again.

Congratulations, Chris! You're going to do GREAT. Are there any questions you have or anything before your surgery on Friday? I remember being worried about whether things would fit (surgical gowns, chairs, etc.). I thought even though they dealt with the morbidly obese all the time, since I was "super" that there might be a problem. Nope. The hospitals are used to people of all sizes and the whole thing was a breeze. If you have any questions or things on your mind, be sure to let us know so we can ease your concerns before the big day. And if you don't, be sure to check in with us ASAP afterwards so we know everything went well (as I'm certain it will)! Best of luck and speedy recovery,

My advice is eat the occasional piece of bread if you find it filling and not painful. Bandsters avoid bread because it hurts and because it can be high calorie, but if you're managing both of those aspects, there's nothing about bread that's going to hurt you. I would quit drinking with your food though, at the very least until you know your band better. I know a few people who say drinking while eating doesn't affect their hunger, the vast majority (and Inamed, assuming that's the brand of your band) think it does. If I drink with my meal, sometimes food goes down better, but I can eat more and am hungry quicker. That's no good! Good luck and I'm sure others will give you their points of view too.

Kat, you are a phenominal grandmother. Lindzie (and the rest) is lucky to have you! That is such a thoughtful gift. I bet it gives her an interest in art that she will carry all her life, along with that precious and cherished memory Bluehill noted. That's so cool. And Bluehill, you're so right -- the correct emotion is envy, not jealousy. There's no resentment in the April bandsters' successes. I want all the success in the world for all of us. With the band, I know we'll get it too, no matter the order. I was at a work function tonight -- it was a Texas Hold'em contest between a bunch of lawyers. I've got to tell you, it was a whole different world from other functions I've been to -- even at just 30 or so lbs heavier than I am now. First, remember I'm a 34 year old single woman. Then think about the fact that my profession (particularly my sub-field) is 95% men. Throw in beer (for the men -- I had to hit the treadmill later so no alcohol for me) and poker and somehow all my jokes were funny! There were only about 4 women there out of 40. I was up $3500 (fake) dollars and was one of about 12 left in the game (i.e. who still had chips left) when I announced I had to go to the gym, handed my chips to the cute guy to my left, winked at him and walked out. It was a blast! Usually work functions are such a drag, but they're getting better.... And, I did go to the gym to make it exactly 40 minutes on the treadmill before they kicked me out (closing time at 10 pm)! Hey Kat, maybe I'm the one who dropped a dumbell on my head -- winning at poker and leaving a group of cute boys to go to the gym?? Nite,

4-3: JenRN - 263/257/223/150 - 40 total 4-3: jenn28 - 282/265/229/165 - 53 total 4-3: Picardy3 - 298/300/257.5/150 - 42.5 total 4-3: tipper - 300/290/259/165 - 41 total 4-4: Sugar1 - 311/289/231/150 - 80 total 4-4: Dak – 255/251/205/150 – 50 total 4-4: Angels - 264/255/235/? - 29 total 4-4: Harpseal Al - 327/295/220 - 34 total 4-5: Boo - 208/203/169/132 - 39 total 4-5: siestaqh - 180+/177/128/110 - 52 total 4-6: Disneynut - 290/287/260/125 - 27 total 4-7: Guysis - 234/180.5/134 - 53.5 total 4-10: JulieNYC - 358/227/180 - 131 total 4-10: DeltaDawn - 358/221/180 - 137 total 4-11: Vickie1177 - 320/297/267/137 - 53 total 4-11: tellymelly - 240/235/152/140 - 88 total 4-11: Fel0816 - 307/284/265/to get under 200 - 42 total 4-11: dsrjrr - 231/230/210/130 - 21 total 4:11: truckinmama - 262/234/160 - 28 total 4-13: Nursekathy2u - 358/356/335/175 - 23 total 4-13: NJgirl - 248/230/206/140 - 42 total 4-13: Miper70 - 217.5/187/145 - 30 Total 4-17: Amourette - 22.5 total 4-17: Jeepergurrl - 242/192/140 - 50 total 4-17: MelAnne - 245/207/150 - 38 total 4-18: KAYBEE-284/198/180 -86 total 4-18: Danaclark2 - 270/260.5/245/150 - 25 total 4-20: TrustUfirst - 210/205/177/135 - 32 Total 4-20: Omamoon - 220/211.5/179/130 - 41 total 4-20: KimInMD - 288/288/228/156 - 60 total 4-21: Yoda - 273/257/212/150 - 61 total 4-21: kristielynn - 310/302/237/150 - 73 total 4-22: alisonb - 286/270/176 - 16 total 4-24: Eficka - 125/117/98/69 - 27 kgs/59.4 lbs. total 4-24: Ceparano- 255/270.5/205/170 - 65.5 lbs. total 4-24: Kat - 289/281/210.5/165 - 78.5 total 4-24: hlj25950 - 262/257/216/160 - 46 total 4-25: momof2boys - 270/266/237/145 - 33 total 4-26: Bostongurl - 264/244/191/150 - 73 total 4-27: tinaj - 226/221/210/150 - 15 total 4-27: lookingout - 185/178/165/101 - 20 total 4-27: flowergoddesstn - 214/204/190/130 - 24 total 4-27: Dimples0323 - 284/284/241/145 - 43 total 4-28: Susan4794 - 283/267/237.0/140 - 46 total 4-28: bluehill - 333/243/145 - 90 total 4-28: Irish Girl - 225/214/158/135 - 67 total 4-29: Momofsixkids - 238/188/140 - 50 pounds total

Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................248.................... ...10..........................10 Lapbandit.................247..................... ..20..........................20 Libra....................... 265................... ....245........................16 Indianlight................ 279.................... ...20.........................20 JulieNYC.................. 224........................215.........................9 Elisabethsew............ 290 (-4).................. 282........................8

My doctor said it was appropriate for just after surgery (he goes straight to full liquids, no clear liquid phase). Even the spicy one. The point is to not make the stomach churn, not to avoid flavor. As with anything on this forum, if your doc's advise differs, of course go with that. Otherwise, enjoy!

It's hard to compare our different challenges. We all want to be as close to goal as possible NOW and also the one who is losing pounds the fastest NOW. Those are incongruous, of course. There are exciting things about both (I know I'm stating the obvious -- I just am kind of using the obvious as my own therapy to get over my jealousy of Boo and Betty for being in Onederland and Dawn about to be! I love you all and want the very best for you all, but I know you know the jealousy I'm talking about -- it's not the evil kind, just the "I wish I could be there too" kind.). On the one hand, it's exciting to have lost 134 lbs. I get PMs all the time from people just starting their journey asking me what I did differently and how they can replicate it. I tell them (softer than this, but essentially this), start at 5'1 1/2 inch with a BMI of 68 and you'll lose a lot fairly quickly too. On the other hand, I'd do anything to be in the 180s or the (holy grail) 160s right now! Even if it meant not losing but 0.5 lbs per month as opposed to the 6 lbs I've weirdly lost this week (thank you scale god)! Ask me again when I'm actually 180 and I'll probably sing a different tune. And that's ok. Because I know when I get there, Boo, Betty, Kat, Dawn and all you other April bandsters who are already in Onederland or knocking on the door will be there to pull me over the border. Sort of along that line, I've been wondering about something I was hoping we could discuss. I direct this to Boo and Betty, but as with everything on this thread I love everyone's view. What is it like to be 20-ish lbs from goal? Does it feel the same as the rest of the journey, just more frustrating because the scale doesn't move as fast, or do you feel "done" and that you're just tweaking? Do you buy nice clothes in your current size, or do you still say to yourself "I should look for something on sale because I know it won't fit in the long term"? Do you spend just as much daily time on weight loss planning (meal prep, gym time, time on the forums, whatever) as you did during the more rapid weight loss phase, or do you feel like you're in long-term "normal life" mode? If the latter, how different is "normal life" mode from the "gunning full force -- it's all I think about mode? As you can tell, I'm really wondering what will be different 40 lbs from now when I'm close to goal but not at goal. I know that phase could be a long one and I want to prepare for it. Thanks for your input! **PS Betty, I'm honored you've adopted me and I accept. Wink.

Funny how it's the comments that hit us on days when we're feeling GOOD about ourselves that are the worst. I can think of several worse examples, but the one that felt the worst came on a day I was feeling so good. I had JUST gone under 300 lbs, so it was sometime in July 2006. I had on a new skirt that was 2 sizes smaller than where I started when I was at 358. It was summer and I felt like I looked nice. I mean, don't get me wrong -- I was still morbidly obese (and still am, actually), but I was just feeling better generally. I was walking up Madison Avenue on a Friday and it was REALLY crowded. I was keeping up with the pace of pedestrians, which was another reason I felt really good, because before I was slower. Anyway, the crowd was starting to thin out and I got to a construction area where the path narrowed a little. This guy behind me was in a hurry (I didn't know it and couldn't see him, as he was behind me and it was a really busy street). A hole finally opened up where he could pass me and he loudly said "geeze, I'm in a hurry and you're just so BIG to try and pass." I felt so low, not because I hadn't had things like that said to me 50 times before on the streets of NYC, but because I was feeling so good that day, having just gotten into the 200s.

Betty, Maybe you've tried this, but in case you haven't, I thought I'd offer it. At certain points of the month, I'm too loose, particularly at lunch. For whatever reason, I'm a backwards bandster and I'm looser at lunch than at dinner. Anyway, since I prefer to be a little too loose than a little too tight and since my restriction varies a lot with my cycle, there are about 10 days in each month when I could eat a lot more volume at lunch that I "should." So, what I do on those days is drink ice cold Water right before I eat lunch (within about 5 minutes of eating). Cold water really tightens me up. Then I eat and I get full as if it's the normal time of the month instead of the too loose time of the month. It works pretty well, most of the time. You might give it a try if you haven't already. I had a good workout with my trainer tonight, followed by a good talk with my Dad about my PS in April. It's all very exciting, these changes. Take care, Julie

You can do it, losingjusme! Twoterville is a great place to be! They day I hit it was the happiest day of banded life so far. I think it was more important that Onederland will be (though only time will tell). I can't wait to hear all about it from you. Come on across the border! You can do it! (Fran, Twoterville is the state of being in the 200s i.e. going from 300 to 299 -- Onederland is the state of being in the 100s) Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................248.................... ...10..........................10 Lapbandit.................247..................... ..20..........................20 Libra....................... 265................... ....245..........................16 Indianlight................ 279.................... ...20..........................20 JulieNYC.................. 225..................... ...215.........................10 Elisabethsew............ 290 (-4).................. 282.........................8