OH Juli

Hi Jeni, thanks for starting the September thread. I love my band. I got my first fill just 3 weeks ago so I'm new to this serious restriction. I do well when I'm careful, but if I get overly hungry or when I'm thoughtless about the size of my bights I get stuck. Often not to the point of PBing, but to the point of being in pain. I feel dumb everytime it happens. But my weight loss has remained a constant 10lbs a month. I lost 23 before surgery. I'm please as punch with my losses. I'll have pictures posted this weekend close to my 6 month bandivarsary.

....because I didn't have SURGERY, check out life for a few weeks to recover, spend hours in therapy and talk a whole lot of stuff about how important losing weight is to me to everyone I know to mess around and not be focused and on plan. That's one fantastic run-on sentance.

D I feel ya. I too am having the PB's from hell solely because I'm eating too quickly. And it's always when I'm alone, because when I'm with people the last thing I want to do is slime and heave so I'm uber careful. I love the restriction, but damn! What a literal pain! Good luck at the BBQ. You're strong, you'll do well. JC, you're a maniac!

Dude, You just had to up one me didn't ya? That's too cool! What a bad ass story! You rock! I hope you got that dude's info so you can hook up for another ride. And I hope he gets his bike fixed.. You make me feel like a whiner baby for complaining about my achy knee... Damn, you da man.

Hi people. We are so quiet today.... Just a shout out to you all....XO

if you get 800 calories minimally with 60 plus grams of Protein, you'll be fine. And you eat over the course of the day... It's easier to do than you think.

Food is still important to me but in a different way. How it's changed: It's not the first thing I think of in the morning. I meet friends for drinks, coffee or wine, not dinner anymore. I don't fret about the cost of the food I buy, because I go for quality not quantity. I think a lot more about how I feed my daughter. I don't allow her nearly the amount of junk I used to. She doesn't seem to care. I talk to her about food giving us energy to move. (She's nearly 6). I get full and I'm done. I'm learning to order less, or save bits of left overs where as in the past I'd just have eaten them. I have had to remind myself to eat, it's been "hours" since the last time. Having the band causes you to change your life. Not just adding exercise and eating less. You really will have to process your relationship with food. That's a fantastic thing too! Because it's ones relationship with food that is out of whack that makes one get fat. So, don't expect things to be the same...the same is not what you want. And it's not atkins, south beach, weight watchers or any of the other things you may have done in the past. It's a whole new way. And that is refreshing.

Nana Mine is set from my initial consult with the group I had surgery with. It is not my highest known weight which is 338...though I do believe I weighed more, I just hadn't been on a scale. As for truth in tickering, I believe the ticker is for you, so do with it what you want. If not adding pounds and only taking them off keeps you motivated that do that. If keeping it as acurate as possible makes you feel less guilty do that... For real, we are more than the numbers that represent different parts of our lives. I am not my bank account or my weight. I'm sure you are not either. So don't sweat it sweetie! And for the record, I only take pounds off, I'll be damned if I'm going to add them back. If someone is checking my numbers daily they need to find a hobby. XO

My friend made me paranoid before the surgery by saying I should take a sharpie and write "lapband" on my belly so as not to get the bypass. Well, that caused me to ask everyone I came in contact with to tell me what thought I was there for. Pain in the ass that I am....They just laughed at me, read the chart, told me "lapband"...I told them I nearly wrote it on my belly, which caused them to laugh...The very last words out of my mouth was probably "palm trees..." I was asked to describe a tropical vacation.... Cool thread. Thanks

dez Fantastic NSV! Wow that means no more plus size shops for you! What a great feeling that must be!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations.

SHE'S ADORABLE! Oh, Traci, what a cutie pie. All, I napped, I went and saw a band, I crawled out of there around midnight and I slept like a rock through the entire night. I need to lift my seat a bit, or said some salty ol bike guy when we stopped for icecream yesterday. Yes, I ate icecream. He was eating icecream too...and I said to my firend, "ow my knee." and he said, "where exactly does it hurt?" so I pointed and he told me to raise my seat less than an inch. I thought it was that too high to do that but it can go up a hair more... Well, I didn't have tools with me so I'll do before my next ride, but I did scoot back on the seat a little and noticed some relief. Also, my friend who I was riding with did a pace line to draft me and another woman who was having muscle spasms. THAT WAS COOL! I've tried drafting before but I'm too scared to get that close to someone else, but I was hurting so it was worth the help. So, I learned something new yesterday too. Then, I shared with them at lunch time FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal for tracking food. In passing I said I'd been losing wieght and it's what I used. At the end of the ride as we were gathered to say goodbye one woman asked me just how much? I don't normally share those numbers but I told them 85 since January and that I had the band. It was cool, they were so congratulatory and all full of praise for my riding and stuff. Again, the support was so great. Anyway, a few good days in a row even if my GF isn't with me. We had plans but her mom needed her. Don't resent the GF, just miss her. So Woo Hoo.

Tri- You wont die. That's called a learning experience. I'm guessing you are learned to plan better in the future?! As for lovin' the partner. I hear you loud and clear. I feel like I got the prize in the cracker jack box too. You'll be fine. Hey Pamela We're all good. I just finished my first 50+ mile ride today. 56 to be exact. There's more to talk about, life, A, kid...but I'm pooped. Catch you soon. Hey family-XO

56! fiddymoddaeffensix miles ya'll. That's my baby. It was a great ride, but I'm tired and I'm meeting my brother and his wife out tonight at 10. (Who goes out at 10?!) to see someone the know perform. He lives about 1.5 hours away, so it's kind of a treat. Needless to say, I'm going to take a nap! WOO HOO! I tell you all more later. XO

Hi Lszeliga. Welcome. 8.6 is a fantanstic start. I think I started out at less than 3. Howdy, howdy. Juli also known as J.

Good pics. Cute kids.

Okay the rest of yous... A friend stopped by for a minutes. We are going to go to a movie in an hour.... Anyway, D-I hear scubs are good when the get worn a bit. You'll be good to go soon. Please share with us when you figure out to deal with people and thier food in our personal space. I find myself trying to not stare at people when the are popping M&Ms in their mouths during class. I've learned to walk away from cake when it's being served and offerend...but damn....there's this woman (skinny bitch) who eats during the entire 3 hour class...she hits the vending machines at every brake. I've never seen anyone spend so much time worrying a freaking Twizzler. Alas, what are we going to do?! BG-I'm buying a ticket too, so if I win I'll pick you up a new bike, okay? It's only fair. HP-Howdy. The weather is beautiful isn't it? B- J

Gang, I've been in a meeting all day, well that and shopping.... JC- Not to get personal, but have you done the therapy thing? Psycho therapy, I mean. And not how to become psycho but to work on why you ate/eat the way you did/do with out the band? It's just an avenue to explore if, I'm scared to type it, you can't keep your band...But here's to hoping that is not the case... My point is to look for the triggers and the whys and all the icky stuff that's better covered up with a nice smear of icing or cream cheese.... The rest of you all...I'll catch you soon........

I'm staying on plan today because it's the daily decisions that will make me victorious in the long run.

click on someone else's and it will take you to the site. hth

BG, Girl, what's up? All, I'm stoked for the cooler weather. And common sense prevailed (and sizing charts that say a 12 is an XL) so I didn't go to Performance Bikes... I'll be fine in a Tshirt.

Check it out. It's good for beginners, if you like the social aspect and if it fits your life's schedule. But if you are serious about working out you will out grow it in a matter of months.

My doc said walking right away, other cardio was fine too, weight training and circut machines had to wait for six weeks. Might I suggest that you hit it hard right now before your surgery? I'm assuming you don't exercise now, which is bad of me so ignor me if I am wrong...but you will be in better cardio health for the surgery and muscles have "memory" so when you do get back to strength training you'll be further ahead of the game. Also losing a few pounds pre surgery is always good. You'll do great!

Isn't that something else? Congratulations for making choices that have you happy after the fact. Sure is better than beating yourself up for making bad choices. Awesome job.

Hey Pamela, I was wondering about how you schedule from hell was going this last week. Glad to see you are still breathing! Shout out to S!

Morning Bikers! I'm on the verge of going to the bike store to buy a new top since I am a 1x now or do I wait until spring. I know if I go to the store I'll be looking at a new peddal system and aerobars...it's just too much of a draw...I get sucked in...and money is tight. But when I rode last weekend, in a T shirt and bike short, I got so sweaty and you see it on the shirt when we stopped. I think it looks horrible and it's not just the regular pits and back and neck but where ever the T shirt touched my body. I orginally told myself I'd wait until next spring to buy tops because they are so expensive...but...but.... And the thing is the selection isn't great but I could find something if I look...damn, damn, damn. You know this is a problem because I'm planning on riding 54 this weekend and there will be pictures of me grinning like a jackass at the end. I don't want to look like someone doused me with a bucket of water.