TexasFire

Feeling everyone's pain here...literally! I had a slip and mine hasn't been the same since, either. After all the trauma and misery and failed attempts at re-filling, my doctor and I have decided to remove and replace the band with a new one. Surgery is scheduled for February 9th, so I'm really hoping to get back on track soon. I was SO close to goal when things went haywire! Good luck to everyone here...I really hope we all find our much needed solutions!

Hey, folks! Just stopping by to see how everyone is doing? I got a random message out of the blue from one of the members here that I was chatting with back two years ago and I got curious to see if the same bycyling crew was still here from way back! I haven't been here in so-o-o-o-o long! Hope everyone is doing fantasmic!

HP, JJ, ZZ ~ Thanks so much for the welcome back! I love you girls so much! I'm glad to be here again! ZZ ~ What kind of help are you needing from your LBT buddies? Someone to feel your pain, or someone to get real with you. I can do either, just let me know where you are in your head, girlfriend. CharlieTuna ~ I don't know how long you've been here. I almost called you CT. Did Juli do here knicknaming duties with you yet? <wink> Losing the inches is fantastic! Just fantastic! Those bad old scales don't tell a good story at all...pounds are not the way to measure....it's just the way everyone is used to. Inches and body fat % is the way to measure. Clothing is the way to measure. Particularly if you work out. So tell me what you do for excercise and resistance training and tell me about your diet? Maybe I can help? I would be willing to bet that you and ZZ have the very same problem right now with weight gain: you are not eating enough or often enough. That scares your body into storing (depositing fat) every bit of energy (food) you put into it if it thinks there is a shortage of food available. HP ~ Inquiring minds want to know? What is the spinning program that you joined and downloaded? I need something to make the trainer more interesting. Is it expensive?

...pssst! ...how's it goin'? ...'member me?

He's still at the community rec center. He will have to find a new partner, too. He's a big boy...he'll be all right. :thumbup:

That would of made a cute pic! LOL I started at Lifetime Fitness today. Wow, it's really kind of intimidating...I'm so used to my community rec center. All that equipment and people handing you fluffy towels on the workout floor and in the bathrooms...it's a lot to take in. Plus, I'm used to Cybex equipment, and they have Nautilus there. End result is the same, but Nautilus breaks their equipment down and specifies more...will take getting used to. I have a fitness assessment tomorrow, and I'm excited/scared to learn what my body fat percentage is currently. So anyhow, I got in a good chest workout for about an hour and then rode the recumbent for 30 minutes on hill intervals. I'll be glad to get a comfort level there soon, I hope. It's different working out alone, too...but me and my IPOD get along great, and it doesn't argue with me! LOL

Thank you, ma'am! You are such a sweetheart! :tongue: I don't know about that conference, but it better get off the ground in a fashion that you all can come out here to B's and my neck of the woods! That is too funny, D! Especially the "hillbilly" crack! :tongue: Wow...I wish I'd of known. All my beds are full of large river rock and I want it OUT. :thumbup: What a pain in the ass, though...once it is in, I think you are pretty much stuck with it. :thumbs_up: If you have a secret to getting it all out, please let me know! :confused2: LOL

Hey, folks! I finally got some pics from the MS150 put into my bike photo album in my profile! That's not all of them...I need to download my other card yet, but here is a start.

Oh, I know you were kidding! I love your sense of humor, Enchanted!

Yes, well good judgement has to come into play here, you know! LOL The holiday season? Presidents Day? Me thinks you jest at this point. I don't go on big vacations but once or twice a year, and not all would prompt me to unfill. Vegas would definitely have me unfilling! I love Vegas and go every year. A week at the lake? No...no unfill for that...but Vegas? Oh yeah, baby! That is one way of looking at it...the best of both worlds. I self-pay for fills now since we changed insurance recently, but that wouldn't stop me. My doc charges $150 for a fill and nothing for an unfill. That is expensive for some, and not for others...that's a personal decision there. I think the temporary freedom is awesome in a situation like a big vacation. To me, that would add SO MUCH to the enjoyment of the trip. Others think it's nuts, so what can I say? If you read my posting history, I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone more positive, more dedicated to her own and others' band success, more dedicated to eating clean and exercising. So my decision to unfill would certainly not be made out of weakness...I am not weak. It would be made to HAVE FUN! :thumbup:

I can answer that one, if I may? To not be hampered with the every-day routine of monitoring portion size, bite size, chewing, not eating what you dang well want to! LOL When she goes on vacation, she wants to TRULY be on vacation, and I don't blame her a bit! It won't undo much in a weeks time, or however long she will be there. Especially considering the joy and relaxation she will experience by taking a vacation from her band as well. I was completely unfilled last month, as well. Even though it took many fills to get to where I was, it should only take two fills to get that level back. I had one of those fills today. I likely will never get the rest put back in. During the month of being completely unfilled, I actually still lost. Only two pounds, but still a loss. There are several bandsters on here who got unfilled when they reached goal, and have maintained very well. Vacation is a great time and reason to get unfilled to me, but its obviously not everyone's ideal.

Boy, I had the same problem last November when hubby and I were there for ten days! All I can say is planes are no problem as I had heard altitude changes might affect your band. food is another story! There are tons of restaraunts in the casinos, not just the buffets...so if you just order from the menu, you should be fine. I was having real restriction issues at the time, too...being way too tight. But I kept bananas and Protein bars in our room for the mornings and avoided regular Breakfast altogether. Once afternoon hit, I could eat slowly. Do just like at home...take your time...think ahead if you can...but always eat sensibly. It can be done! By the way...have a BLAST! We did! We are going back in October this year, too! Go see "The Rat Pack Is Back!" (Greek Isles Casino, I think...) We saw tons of shows while we were there, and this was the BEST!

Oh, I know, right?!?!? The tuna has FINALLY gone through, thank dog! It's soup for me for the rest of the day. But hey, I can tell I've got some restriction back, and it doesn't seem to be too much, so that's good.

I LEARNED NOTHING. Just took a big ol bite of tuna, completely forgetting that I got refilled today. What the hell is WRONG with me?!?!? It HURTS!

Oh no! Sorry, didn't mean to send you shopping! No, I have another favorite pair that are clear plastic with big clear crystal flowers, and the plastic is hard as hell, which KILLS my feet! I just put some moleskin on the between-the-toes thingy and I'm good to go! Whatever you are using is fine. Thanks on the congrats on my tummy being okay! Yeah, my daughter is the only "shortcake" in my family...she's 5'5" and she can wear a size 10, sometimes an 11, too!

Yeah, I know, girlfriend...you know I gotta give a hard time! Size 10...I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on that! :hurray: I am 5'10"...with long-ass legs (36" inseam) and big feet! :cry_smile: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BTW...I can't believe I forgot to post this. Got back from the docs a bit ago. Pouch is healed, band corrected itself and they put 3.2 CC's back in. AND...I lost two pounds to boot! So I am in good shape!

You didn't ask me? :cry_smile: <sniff> (LOL...JK) Hey, Suze...I effing LIVE in Old Navy flip flops! Especially since they are always putting them on for 2 for $5! They are the only ones that don't hurt between my toes. I hate wearing shoes at all, but I gotta wear 'em. I'd like three pair in size 10...pink, turquoise, and surprise me on the third! Do you have a PayPal account I can pay you on?

Ceradad...I would love to get my hands on a copy of your regimen, if you don't mind? Sounds like an awesome switch for me to keep from letting my body aclimate to my workouts.

I agree 100%! How boring would life be if everyone agreed with us all the time anyhow?!?!? And I love me some Jill Scott, too! BTW...haven't heard/seen the term "NoVA" in many a year! Not since leaving Richmond, that is. Miss the beauty of NoVA, too...not much stays green in summer here in Texas! :tongue2: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And good luck with getting your date very soon, HF!

Crap! This will be true here soon enough... J, see? You ARE cute! I can't tell if that is a shadow or if you are wearing pigtails! Pigtails are or would be too precious on you!

Count me in from Ft. Worth! Cher, are you familiar with Dr. Barzune's annual show? (Dallas doc) He did my sisters bypass a few years ago, and she was part of his fashion show (televised and all!) her first year. It was a lot of fun! They had a slide show going on at the back of the stage showing before pics, then the transformed person would walk the stage! It was amazing! I would love to see personal trainers there, nutritionists who don't "cookie cutter" their advice (all bandsters are not equal), and the like. It might be kind of cool to have body fat testing, too. (The BOD POD - Medgadget - www.medgadget.com ) Body fat percentage is MUCH better than the scale to determine success. I look forward to seeing how this event rounds out! Let me know if you need local help, too.