xavier

You look so beautiful! I always love to see your pictures to really keep me motivated. You really look like one of those lucky girls who has always been skinny!!!

That message from pdmarkle really says it all! I really think that blog is going to be publishable!

We are similar in terms of the stats..I was banded 6 months a go and have lost (ONLY???) 30 pounds. I think thats ok and Ill keep losing till I'm in the right place for me. My formerly skinny days when I was 22 are not coming back and thats ok!!!I really am just going to try to maintain my sweet spot interms of restriction (I am there now) and just let the chips (the scale) fall where they may!!

We all have that in us for sure. My one friend describes it as a mean inner voice and she calls him Stan! Hes mean to her and that brings out the meaness in her! Sometimes we both say "Shut up, Stan!"

Hey I forgot to tell you that my Wii still hates Mii!!! I got on the other day after a long absence and she told me I had lost ONLY 7 pounds and maybe I should lower my expectations! It told my sister she was overweight and she about peed herself laughing when her Mii puffed up!

Hey! You MUST see tennesseequeens photos!!! They are on the first (last I guess) page under the photos tab at the top...she became a beauty queen!

I think you're really going to do great because you have the whole thing (life I guess) in good perspective! One tiny piece of advice, Make sure you are geeting an abdominal binder..mine was on me when I woke up and he said keep it on for two weeks. You can get one at a drug store and it will make your first week a piece of cake. Otherwise your tummy kind of pulls whichever way if youre standing or lying down or whatever and its quite painful...the binder just keeps everything snugged in! Its just a big elastic thing with velcro but it really helped especially with post op sleeping...good luck, you wont need the luck!

I am curious how you would compare the pain/recovery of your TT to the lap band surgery? You really look amazing!!!

I agree entirely...I felt lucky to have the tiny shred of willpower to maintain my weight during the I-need-fill- phase!!! You are right, if I could lose and maintain on my own why would I have gotten a band...tried to binge a little the other night, the band said no in a very assertive way!!! Good luck!!

Glad to hear it...might be time to change that Avatar...can you morph Fred to skinny?

High praise coming from you...thanks!!!

Hope you'll be blogging soon...the LB world is dying to know how youre doing...

I have not heard any bad stories from the LA area. Of course, I am wondering who your doc was. Mine was Oliak but I know it wasnt him because he doesnt use Realize. These docs make big money and certainly dont want bad word of mouth on them...I might mention that in my next e mail or call to their office! As I said in your thread...1. ALL records 2. Lawyer 3. Good luck friend!!!

Yes, I am leaving myself a message...actually I just wanted to say that my new Avatar is an idea stolen from Lellow...if you dont know her you should!!! The first pair is a Levi's 16 and they are totally stretched out probably to an !

18!! The current pair (yes, they ARE snug!!) is a size 10 Levi's!!

Hey Lellow, Hows it going? Loving life at goal!?! I stole your jeans idea for a picture for my avatar! The original pair is a stretched out Levi's 16 short...the newest (yes they are snug!!!) is a Levi's 10 short...well the short part doesnt change....I had a couple of months of plateau where I needed a fill but was out of town for work...I felt lucky to maintain but now I got a couple of fills and I am back in the game...

Ok heres the rest...

To your question about not getting too skinny, thats the great thing about the band. Right now mine is preventing me from eating more than about 1/2 cup of food at one time so I eat about 4 to 5 tiny meals and I feel great. Full and really never hungry. But if I was at goal, I would have a little taken out because long term I want to eat more of a normal meal but only at lunch and dinner. The band really works great when its filled right and you can have it how you want it!I hope that makes sense, good luck and let me know if theres any thing I could answer!

I started the whole thing at 215lbs (I'm 5'4") and in the first three months got to 190...then travel plateau!!!Diane

Not sure how I ended up seeing your post in the October thread but I wanted to message you since our stats, goals are similar. I was banded in May and I lost weight really well with my band empty for a couple of months. Then it loosened up and I needed a fill but I was working out of town for another couple of months and I was lucky to just maintain. Now this month I got two fills only about a week apart and I feel I am perfect now in restriction and can start losing again.

Sorry, note too long, second message...Diane

Oh, good luck on your surgery and MAKE SURE they are giving you an abdominal binder for afterwards...otherwise go buy one at a drugstore!! It holds your sore tummy in where if you take it off gravity pulls your tummy even in bed and you are miserable! Let me know if you have any other questions....Diane

I got the whey protein powder from GNC and added it to vegetable soups. I like those soups in a box kind of like a milk carton...they're made by V-8. Tomato and butternut squash were the best. Cottage cheese is good if you like it.

Thought I would send you a little message of support. If you are not filled to the sweet spot you are struggling too much. Yes there is work and behavior change but the worst of it is in between needed fills. I needed a fill for two months and couldnt get one due to work travel and I feel I really suffered just to maintain my weight...I could eat ANYTHING and if I had good willpower well I prob wouldnt have had to fork out a ton of cash ( yes, self pay!) for this band!!Now I got two fills just about ten days apart and I am so thankful to only be able to eat tiny meals...otherwise PAIN and slime!!! Also, I really dont exercise much and when I am good on the fill I still lose...hope this is helpful, good luck..Diane

Just saw your pictures...WOW!!! There are no words to describe the change and how great you look. You look like a teenager now!!!

Hey! How is it going???

Jigglypuff...where are you...???

Anything new down there? I am just now getting back on track I guess after a couple of months of needing a fill and not being able to get one...I was just happy not to gain during that time! Now I can only eat tiny meals or get a bitch-slap from the mistress of bitch-slaps...my band! Let me know how youre doing...

Hey what's new? Well I lost my good restriction a couple of months ago and the was out of town for weeks and weeks so anyway I finally got two fills this month and I am in a good place...I can only eat a little bit so hopefully I will start losing again...let me know how you are doing!!