julie.ann

FABULOUS! It is AWSOME to weight less than DH! Even yesterday my DH said something about his weight and I still smiled a little thinking I weigh less. I wonder if that will ever get old. I have weighed less than DH for four months now. Some day we will have been healthy for so long we won't even think about it Great job BG!

Headed out tonight to see Dr. K tomorrow. Whew! I need this fill!

Great job nightart! Keep it up. Thanks for checking in! BTW You look AWESOME!

Oh you guys make me want to cry. You are all so sweet and supportive and I couldn't have done what I have done so far without all of you. I need to come back here more often and write down on sparkpeople what I am eating. I gave an appt for a fill on Monday. I plan to get back to basics with that fill and remember why I am doing this. I love all the positive attention I get. Okay, maybe not ALL the attention I get. Sometimes it is a little weird, but sometimes I wonder if all that positive attention is part of the reason that I have become too comfortable at this weight...at this size. I LOVE that I am a size 12. Don't get me wrong, I never thought it would happen. I never thought I would be this size, but I want MORE!!!!! um wait.... I want LESS!!!! hehe. I crack myself up. Thanks guys. I love you all. (My band-family I will never meet) God bless you!

That's great. Hang in there. It gets better, fast.

I have really been having a hard time. June 27th was my lowest weight. I might have hit it one other time. I weigh about 3 lbs more than that. I maintained my weight for a few weeks, actually about a month before my vacation. I gain 3 lbs on vacation and lost it since I got back. I know this is all great. I guess it is. That is what I would tell most people. My probelm is that I have lost that edge that I gained with this decision. I am still working out 3-6 days a week. Good work outs and I am really happy with how I am doing at the gym. My problem is what I am eating. I do pretty well and then I do something to really screw it up. Ice cream, cookies, popcorn. ugh! I used to not have any problem passing it up. Now I can't see to say no. I wonder if I just need to purge my system of the carbs or be less happy with my weight. I lost my restriction on my vacation. I ate a pretzel and homeade pizza dough. Now you all know that I shouldn't be able to eat that. So I realize that my restriction is gone. I do still have appetite supression which is SO important. I have been able to eat too much. I haven't been pushing my limits, but I don't get full very fast. Before vacation I have had to really watch what I eat and take very small bites so I was afraid that I was too tight, but now I am starting to doubt that was the fact. I think I just need to be more careful about what I eat and the bites I take. I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow for an appt. My doctor is 7 hours away. It sucks to go that far and I haven't been there since April. I guess that is what I need to do. Any advice? All comments welcome!

I have really been having a hard time. June 27th was my lowest weight. I might have hit it one other time. I weigh about 3 lbs more than that. I maintained my weight for a few weeks, actually about a month before my vacation. I gain 3 lbs on vacation and lost it since I got back. I know this is all great. I guess it is. That is what I would tell most people. My probelm is that I have lost that edge that I gained with this decision. I am still working out 3-6 days a week. Good work outs and I am really happy with how I am doing at the gym. My problem is what I am eating. I do pretty well and then I do something to really screw it up. Ice cream, cookies, popcorn. ugh! I used to not have any problem passing it up. Now I can't see to say no. I wonder if I just need to purge my system of the carbs or be less happy with my weight. I lost my restriction on my vacation. I ate a pretzel and homeade pizza dough. Now you all know that I shouldn't be able to eat that. So I realize that my restriction is gone. I do still have appetite supression which is SO important. I have been able to eat too much. I haven't been pushing my limits, but I don't get full very fast. Before vacation I have had to really watch what I eat and take very small bites so I was afraid that I was too tight, but now I am starting to doubt that was the fact. I think I just need to be more careful about what I eat and the bites I take. I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow for an appt. My doctor is 7 hours away. It sucks to go that far and I haven't been there since April. I guess that is what I need to do. Any advice? All comments welcome!

Well I am going to post this here and in my blog. I want to put this out to all of you because you are in the same step in this long journey that I am. I have really been having a hard time. June 27th was my lowest weight. I might have hit it one other time. I weigh about 3 lbs more than that. I maintained my weight for a few weeks, actually about a month before my vacation. I gain 3 lbs on vacation and lost it since I got back. I know this is all great. I guess it is. That is what I would tell most people. My probelm is that I have lost that edge that I gained with this decision. I am still working out 3-6 days a week. Good work outs and I am really happy with how I am doing at the gym. My problem is what I am eating. I do pretty well and then I do something to really screw it up. Ice cream, cookies, popcorn. ugh! I used to not have any problem passing it up. Now I can't see to say no. I wonder if I just need to purge my system of the carbs or be less happy with my weight. I lost my restriction on my vacation. I ate a pretzel and homeade pizza dough. Now you all know that I shouldn't be able to eat that. So I realize that my restriction is gone. I do still have appetite supression which is SO important. I have been able to eat too much. I haven't been pushing my limits, but I don't get full very fast. Before vacation I have had to really watch what I eat and take very small bites so I was afraid that I was too tight, but now I am starting to doubt that was the fact. I think I just need to be more careful about what I eat and the bites I take. I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow for an appt. My doctor is 7 hours away. It sucks to go that far and I haven't been there since April. I guess that is what I need to do. Any advice from any Smashing Pumpkins? All comments welcome!

Well I am going to post this here and in my blog. I want to put this out to all of you because you are in the same step in this long journey that I am. I have really been having a hard time. June 27th was my lowest weight. I might have hit it one other time. I weigh about 3 lbs more than that. I maintained my weight for a few weeks, actually about a month before my vacation. I gain 3 lbs on vacation and lost it since I got back. I know this is all great. I guess it is. That is what I would tell most people. My probelm is that I have lost that edge that I gained with this decision. I am still working out 3-6 days a week. Good work outs and I am really happy with how I am doing at the gym. My problem is what I am eating. I do pretty well and then I do something to really screw it up. Ice cream, cookies, popcorn. ugh! I used to not have any problem passing it up. Now I can't see to say no. I wonder if I just need to purge my system of the carbs or be less happy with my weight. I lost my restriction on my vacation. I ate a pretzel and homeade pizza dough. Now you all know that I shouldn't be able to eat that. So I realize that my restriction is gone. I do still have appetite supression which is SO important. I have been able to eat too much. I haven't been pushing my limits, but I don't get full very fast. Before vacation I have had to really watch what I eat and take very small bites so I was afraid that I was too tight, but now I am starting to doubt that was the fact. I think I just need to be more careful about what I eat and the bites I take. I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow for an appt. My doctor is 7 hours away. It sucks to go that far and I haven't been there since April. I guess that is what I need to do. Any advice from any Smashing Pumpkins? All comments welcome!

I am so jealous Lovely! You are doing great. I went on a plateau and then tried matenance. I am back from vacation and trying to get back to losing. Great job and keep up the great work!

Thank you. I can't tell you how much all of your comments mean to me! Each one is so special to me. Thank you!!!!!

Thanks. I just lost 2.5 lbs today. I knew I was retaining with all the crappy food I was eating. I'm sure every time mom and dad call they will ask about my weight. They did anyway. Keep working out. I bet even it the scales don't show it, your clothes will start getting loose!

Well some of you "old timers" might remember me from nine months ago when I was a brand new bandster. I decided to keep my decision to have lap band surgery a secret...FROM EVERYONE! I have lost 108 lbs. Along my journey so far I have told a few people. It took months for me to tell my best friend. At 5 month post-op I told another friend and then a few co-workers. I have not told my family. Not only did I not tell them that I had surgery, but I did not tell them that I lost weight. I thought that I would surprise them....and I certainly did! I live in Kansas and my family lives in Florida. I just got back last night (Fade to black....cue flashback.....) All by myself I got off the plane and primped in the bathroom. My baby brother picked me up. He is 25 years old. Ten years younger than I am. I couldn't believe how nervous I was!!!! He was on his way and I stood outside the airport waiting for him. There was this couple that looked very kind and I asked if they would mind taking a picture of my brother because I have lost alot of weight and he won't recognize me. He doesn't even suspect it. So he called and said he was pulling up. I asked if he saw the lady in the black and white shirt with the red purse. He did and I told him to pull up in front of her and I would come out. He got out and started to come into the airport to help me with my bags. He turned to that lady with the red purse looked her straight in the face and gave a polite smile and nodded and kept on walking. That lady just smiled stared and turned to watch him walk away. He saw her turn towards him out of the corner of his eye and knew he was being watched and so he turned back. The lady with the red purse started laughing and his jaw dropped and slowly his mouth turned into a big O. That lady was me, his sister that he hadn't seen in a year!!! I just laughed and he said "I haven't seen you look like that since you were in high school!" That would have put him in 2nd grade! So my baby sister was surprised and said very calmly, "Oh my goodness!" and gave me a hug. I was sitting on her bed holding her new, 3 week old daughter when my parents came in. I hadn't thought about how to do this. So they walked into the bedroom and dad smiled at me like I was some friend of my sisters that he didn't know and my mom walked in and I started to laugh and that gave it away. Mom kept saying "Oh my gosh! Wow! You look great!" She said it about 5 times. Dad recognized me too when I started to laugh and he gave me a big smile. We were sitting in my sister's bedroom and dad just kept staring at me. I pretended like I didn't notice, but he was staring and it was great. My other two sisters just said "Wow! You look great." Again they were very calm. It was AWESOME and then I could post new pics of myself on facebook because I had even been avoiding that to keep from spoiling the surprise. I just can't tell you how exciting it was! I gained 3.5 pounds on my vacation. Guess what? It was a vacation. Nothing to beat myself up about. I couldn't wait to get back to the gym now and I am ready to start losing again! I have really opened up when I was on vacation. I even at a pretzel! My sisters couldn't apprieciate that like all of you can. A week ago I never could have gotten a pretzel down. I still have GREAT hunger control with the band and so I am going to hold out and see how I do with this and get a fill if I don't do well the next few weeks, but I am not really worried. I know I have my band and my band loves me. I am HOPING that my family, especially my dad will want to get banded. My older and one younger sister could loose 75-125 lbs (Dad too), but I don't know if it is something they will consider. I would be so happy for them if they did!. I can't attach my new picture I had taken because it is too big, but I will try to upload it to my album.

Well some of you "old timers" might remember me from nine months ago when I was a brand new bandster. I decided to keep my decision to have lap band surgery a secret...FROM EVERYONE! I have lost 108 lbs. Along my journey so far I have told a few people. It took months for me to tell my best friend. At 5 month post-op I told another friend and then a few co-workers. I have not told my family. Not only did I not tell them that I had surgery, but I did not tell them that I lost weight. I thought that I would surprise them....and I certainly did! I live in Kansas and my family lives in Florida. I just got back last night (Fade to black....cue flashback.....) All by myself I got off the plane and primped in the bathroom. My baby brother picked me up. He is 25 years old. Ten years younger than I am. I couldn't believe how nervous I was!!!! He was on his way and I stood outside the airport waiting for him. There was this couple that looked very kind and I asked if they would mind taking a picture of my brother because I have lost alot of weight and he won't recognize me. He doesn't even suspect it. So he called and said he was pulling up. I asked if he saw the lady in the black and white shirt with the red purse. He did and I told him to pull up in front of her and I would come out. He got out and started to come into the airport to help me with my bags. He turned to that lady with the red purse looked her straight in the face and gave a polite smile and nodded and kept on walking. That lady just smiled stared and turned to watch him walk away. He saw her turn towards him out of the corner of his eye and knew he was being watched and so he turned back. The lady with the red purse started laughing and his jaw dropped and slowly his mouth turned into a big O. That lady was me, his sister that he hadn't seen in a year!!! I just laughed and he said "I haven't seen you look like that since you were in high school!" That would have put him in 2nd grade! So my baby sister was surprised and said very calmly, "Oh my goodness!" and gave me a hug. I was sitting on her bed holding her new, 3 week old daughter when my parents came in. I hadn't thought about how to do this. So they walked into the bedroom and dad smiled at me like I was some friend of my sisters that he didn't know and my mom walked in and I started to laugh and that gave it away. Mom kept saying "Oh my gosh! Wow! You look great!" She said it about 5 times. Dad recognized me too when I started to laugh and he gave me a big smile. We were sitting in my sister's bedroom and dad just kept staring at me. I pretended like I didn't notice, but he was staring and it was great. My other two sisters just said "Wow! You look great." Again they were very calm. It was AWESOME and then I could post new pics of myself on facebook because I had even been avoiding that to keep from spoiling the surprise. I just can't tell you how exciting it was! I gained 3.5 pounds on my vacation. Guess what? It was a vacation. Nothing to beat myself up about. I couldn't wait to get back to the gym now and I am ready to start losing again! I have really opened up when I was on vacation. I even at a pretzel! My sisters couldn't apprieciate that like all of you can. A week ago I never could have gotten a pretzel down. I still have GREAT hunger control with the band and so I am going to hold out and see how I do with this and get a fill if I don't do well the next few weeks, but I am not really worried. I know I have my band and my band loves me. I am HOPING that my family, especially my dad will want to get banded. My older and one younger sister could loose 75-125 lbs (Dad too), but I don't know if it is something they will consider. I would be so happy for them if they did!. I can't attach my new picture I had taken because it is too big, but I will try to upload it to my album.

That is amazing to almost be at goal. Great job. I am jealous and proud of you!!!

That it AWESOME! Great job girl!

That is okay. You can get back to eating right starting right now. No reason to wait until tomorrow. This isn't how every diet goes because after the waiting time is up you get to have a fill and work to find the sweet spot. The nurse was completely out of line. No doubt about that. Weight gain like that can be fluid. It takes 3500 calories to pack on a pound. I doubt that it true weight gain. Hang in there. Keep your chin up. Keep making smart choices and eating bandster portions. When you reach the sweet spot you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

I have heard some people say that it helps them open up if they take a few sips of warm liquids. I think I am tighter at night than the morning. Kind of a switch from what you usually hear about. The band is the Queen and we must obey the queen!

Well, week two of maintenance and I gained 0.9 lbs. It is less than a pound and I'm not getting down on myself. I will really be ready to start losing next week when I get back from vacation. I think the week away from the gym will help me get ready to dive back in too. I'll let you know how my trip went! I leave in two days.

why is it that peaches screw me up so bad. Incredablly RIPE, SOFT peaches? I even try to watch the skins and chew, but I think they are one of those foods I have to put on my "Can't Eat" list

Every doctor is different. I was on liquids for only about a week then I moved to soft and started with eggs. If you have lost all that weight make sure you are well hydrated. I think calling the nutristionist is a great idea! "Why couldn't I do this?" failure??? I had that too until someone pointed out that I am a successful wife, mother and career woman. Just because obesity was too hard for me and I needed help does not make me a failure. When I need help with my job I find the tools I need. When I need help as a mother use the tools I need. Why wouldn't I find the tool I need if I want to fight obesity. My band has mad my fight against obesity a success!

You do need to mourn your old life. I also bet that getting the band has been the focus of your life for a while....now what? You have it. Kind of anticlimactic uh? Now look toward the future. Look at goals. Get out. If the feeling doesn't go away get to your doctor and ask if it could be depression that they can help you with. Some people find that they have been depressed, but they have been self medicating themselves with food. That isn't an option so now you may need to deal with that. Good luck. hang in there!

Before...August 2008...I gained another 10 lbs before surgery. Current is about 179. I will start back to weight loss when I return from vacation next week. I can't wait to surprise my family this week. They don't know I had surgery 9 months ago and they don't know I have lost all this weight! Do you think they will recognize me???

Here there again. Thanks for the great message. Okay so the first thing you have to know is WHY you have to loose weight. Every doctor is different. Mostly you need to shrink your liver so that they can lift it out of the way and get to your stomach to do the job right. That is the reason that most people have a preop diet. My pre-op was no bread, potatoes, rice or pasta. If I got hungry I was to drink a protein shake. That got the carbs out of my system (which took the cravings with it) not to mention I lost 14 lbs the 2- 2 1/2 week before my surgery. It is okay to be scared. I would really worry about you if you weren't because I would be afraid that you thought that just having the band was going to fix your probelm. It won't. You can get this band and gain weight, but YOU know that you are ready to work hard. That is what brought you to this decision. Be very open with your surgeon. Mine didn't expect any weight loss before he scheduled surgery...but I had to lose some during pre-op for the liver "issue". He said he had one patient that he started on and couldn't get around the liver and had to close up without the band. He went out and talked to her mom about her diet. Asked if she had given up what she was supposed to. She said that her daughter was eating french fries every day. Well, I guess that if she couldn't follow the rules for 10 days then she wasn't ready for the band. I was so scared that I went out with friends a few days before my surgery and without thinking at a mozerella stick. I was so stressed out that the breading on the outside had screwed up my chances! I guess I was scared straight. I'll be honest I had "Last Supper Syndrome" up until the day I started my pre-op. I gain 10 lbs from August when I decided to get the surgery "no matter what" and October when I started my pre-op because I was so afraid I could never eat some of the foods ever again. That is normal. Completely counter productive and some people are better at not doing that than others, but not me. Use you calorie counter and get the bad carbs out of your system. Start with the gym a few days a week to get comfortable there. Honestly a high protein/low carb diet will take the pounds off. And talk to your surgeon. Mine was very understanding! Hang in there. You haven't "ruined" anything.

Okay, so I decided to try maintanence until I get back from my trip on August 5th. So I have stayed exactly the same for the past week. That is GREAT news! I am still under 180 (barely...but that counts) I see my family next week and can't wait to show them my weight loss. It is so nice to hear from everyone. Things have been quiet on the Smashing Pumpkins board.