Jul

Hey Lil Miss Diva! It has been much too long since I`ve checked in here! My band has been empty for awhile, my port was leaking. So I haven`t lost any either. But I got it revised on may 24th and also had a hernia repair and a tummy tuck! they took off 9 pounds for the tummy tuck. yay! I`m so excited to not have my big flab of belly anymore. I`m anxious to be able to work out again. any problems with your band?

I want to wish all the VVs a very happy New Year! We're alomost up for our Bandiversary! I feel like we should have some sort of celebration as ALL of us have worked so hard! I will be having surgery soon. I have to have 2 hernias repaired and as long as they're working in that area they are doing a tummy tuck as well!!!! I feel like that is my Christmas present, Happy New Year and bandiversary gift all in one! I'm just a little excited. :biggrin: Lil'missdiva, don't feel bad. I think most of us took the holiday off of working out and being concerned about our food choices. I know I sure did. But as I said before all of us have worked so hard over the year. We deserve to pamper ourselves once in awhile guilt free! Besides, you have an amazing action plan for the New year. EZMA, I will search for you on face book. I don't have access to it often, so don't think I've forgotten, meanwhile if you want to try again it's Julie Polak in Albuquerque NM. I wish everyone well, take care and be safe for any celebrating!

Hey girls! Ezma, that was probably my profile on facebook. I recently put a picture on there though. Hope you're well. LilMissDiva, wow another great plan from you. that sounds fun buying all that stuff, I wish I could. Keep us posted on what seems to work the best for you. I was doing pretty good for awhile, then all of the sudden I really fell off the wagon. Which sucks because it really seemed like I was at a sweet spot. I'm just too stressed it's really hard to focus on losing weight right now. I GAINED ABOUT 5 POUNDS BACK! URGH! Well all we can do is our best. Christmas next week. YIKES!

Hey everyone. Just a quick hello. I think I've decided I'll just be happy if I don't gain over the holiday. So I'm trying not to go too crazy with the goodies. However I did reach a new low of 192. LIL missdiva sorry your so unhappy withthe band, with good reason. I admit I haven't lost as much as I expected when I first got it. Are you losing at all? gaining? or just staying the same? How's working out going? Well anyone who wants to look me up on facebook my name is Julie Polak. I haven't done much with it as far as pictures etc. I can't get it at work either, so I don't check it often. But I will eventually check it. All take care. Hang in there everyone!

Hey Everyone. These are very trying times for me. Between all the stuff I'm dealing with at home, the new computer system/elctronic health records at work, and the holidays I feel frazzled! :w00t: EZMA, You totally broke my heart. I wish I could give you a hug. What ShinyHappy said was good advice. We should embrace and take joy in our good memories of our lost loved ones. Easier said than done, I know. What someone told us is to celebrate and do what you normally do on the holidays, and just know that he will be there in spirit. You will be in my thoughts and in my prayers. I do admire how strong you are in carring on the way you have. LilMissDiva, What's up on your side of the world? Are you still on the pre op diet? How did your fill go. Glad to hear you're feeling good shiny happy mommy. Hope everyone else is well.

:tongue:EZMA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :tongue: Hope you had a wonderful birthday. You are doing so awesome with the band too. Did your appt go as well as you hoped? Keep up the impressive work! LilMissDiva, Sorry about your aunt. I guess it really does change things to lose someone. Makes you think. Sometimes you wonder how much of a difference you make in peoples lives, more than you think I'm sure. That's cool you're getting another adjustment. Just in case i don't check in before then I hope it goes well for you. I'm back down to pre Thanksgiving weight. :smile: Hope I can keep it off. Other than that work and life is STRESSFUL! I'm just trying to hang in.

Hey all! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was ok. It was somber, due to it being the 1 year anniversary of my father-in-laws death. He passed away Thanksgiving night last year. But we had eachother, and a nice dinner. I put on 4 pounds too! But I've taken a couple off already. Yesterday I worked out for an hour, gave 3 dogs baths, and went shopping, so the scale was better today. Thank you Ezma for your kind words. I am so proud of you losing 12 pounds! I know you said you gained a few back over TG but still that is awesome. I'm sure they'll come off quickly. LilMissDiva, Thank you for your support also. It sounds like you are making great progress. That is wonderful! I guess we all go through our slumps, and it looks impossible. But somehow, someday it seems to work out. Thank God! Wow! I envy lil miss, and ezma for being able to go back to the pre op diet. Maybe someday I could convince myself to do it. But right now I don't thinks so. I've slacked some on the work outs, I'm trying to get back into it. It's so hard when inside I feel so sad. Sorry Shiny happy Mommy about your problems and pain. Hope it gets better soon. Talk to everyone soon.

Hey everyone! Hope everyone's week is off to a good start. I saw a new therapist yesterday, and she was really great. She gave me a lot of good insight. It renewed some hope for me, which feels priceless. Wow Ezma 7 pounds! That is great! I'm so proud of you and Lilmissdiva actually going back to the preop diet. OMG i don't know if I could. Or at least not without looking like this :thumbup: Not much else to report for today, just wanted to check in. So here we go preparing for Turkey day! At least Turkey is healthy, and has protien. YAY!

I seriously doubt that just because you're a lesbian you're more likely to become obese. I know gay people and staright people who have different issues with depression/ self esteem etc. some thin some not. If there is any truth to it I would say it's because women feel more comfortable being themselves with other women, and women are more accepting. Usually.

Hey everyone, Sorry I've been such a stranger lately, I just have so much going on. I've just been so unhappy lately, mostly due to marital problems. Things have been so difficult with my husband due to his depression and anxiety. I've been struggling to help him for years, he seems to be getting worse instead of better, and not doing everything that has been recomended. It really seems hopeless anymore. I'm trying to keep my head up so I must focus on what is good. Also I might have to have another surgery. My doctor thinks I have a hernia. So I talked it over with my plastic surgeon, he said we can do a tummy tuck at the same time. :confused: I wasn't planning on doing the TT this soon, as I still have more weight to lose, but I think it will be ok. I don't think I'll have more loose skin after loosing a little more after the TT. So I'm kind of excitied about that. I will have a CT scan on the 28th to verify if it is indeed a hernia. On one hand it's like another surgery?!!!!! But on the other hand, if I can get rid of some of this belly I will be thrilled!:scared2: I reached a new low of 195. I got another adjustment on 11-13-09, I'm feeling like LilMissDiva said, I don't get hungry, I able to stop eating with no effort. It is like a dream, I never thought that would be possible for me. By the way, LilMiss, you look great! WoW! you have come a long way, You have much to be proud of. And you're on, I'll take a challenge for our bandiversary. I'm going to shoot for 180. That seems doable without killing myself. And yes, I know you can do it, you showed us the proof. Glad you're well. I'll try not to stay away so long anymore, I missed you all.

Hey Girls! I'm having kind of a blue day today. Not sure why, nothing specific has happened. But nothing new or nothing serious, so I'm sure I'll get through it. LilMissDiva, something you said did cheer me up a little though. I gues that is something I forgot, that typical Lapband weight loss to reach goal is about 5 years. I don't feel like a failure now! Sometimes I'm able to aknowlege the fact that I've lost 60 pounds, and that that is a significant amount of weight, but other times I feel like I have a long ways to go and wonder how I'll do it. But on the up side, today I did my workout (1 hour of Kettlenetics, ouch!)even though it took every ounce of strength to get out of bed this morning! So far eating today hasn't been too terrible. Melissa, has your band already been emptied? How are you feeling? Ezma, how is your side of the world? Tapshoes, have things improved for you? Okay ladies, we must, we must! :thumbup:

Hey all, not much to report really. Congradulations to Melissa. All the weight you lost will give you a better chance at a healthy pregnancy. Lower risk of Gestational diabetes and high BP. Keep us posted on how things go for you, best wishes. LilMissDiva- It's nice to see you all fired up again. It was funny about your ring falling off. Usually we're so busy about losing weight off our bellies or backsides we forget about the little places it comes off of. Tapshoes-How is your struggle going? I've had a better time for 2 days now. I pray it lasts. Ezma- how are you? things ok for you? Okay group hug!

Hey everyone! I seriously need to check in more, so much has happened again. LilMissDiva- WOW! That is a huge decision! I work with 2 people who got the gastric by pass instead of LB. Both lost well over 100 pounds. However one of them is able to eat whatever she wants without getting sick, or the dumping syndrome. I'm a little envious. :sneaky: It seems like with the band you still have to put a lot of effort. I mean it has helped me a lot, I never would've been able to cut my portions the way I have. I guess any WLS takes some effort, it just seems more so with Lapband. I talked it over with my husband, he feels I shouldn't do revision unless I actually have a problem with the band :frown:, which I haven't yet. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I haven't had problems, but I'm tired of having to work at it so damn hard! :thumbup: Just please always keep us posted on your progress. I'm doing pretty darn terrible. You know everything they tell us not to do? No sweets, no fast food, no sodas, bread, and get lots of exercise? Well I've been doing the opposite of all of those. i so totally hate myself right now and am having such a rotten time getting back on track. It doesn't help that my husband has an insomnia problem which is effecting my sleep as well. Well I guess all of us strugglers need to get into a group hug and support eachother. My next move is to find a new therapist that specializes in weight loss/food addiction. By the way, not weighung myself didn't work. :mad: So here I go , try, try again.

Holy smokes! Everybody has been so busy since I checked in last. It so totally sucks not having the internet at home, hopefully soon. Okay where to begin? Ezma, your analogy of the weight loss being at the tip of your tongue rings so true! As for your son, I don't have kids so I can't give advice from a "parent" point of view. However I so happen to work in women's health with the midwives. As far as pregnant 14 year olds, not too often. It tends to be more around 16 on up. From what I've observed over the years is the ones who end up pregnant or with an STD at a young age didn't have a parent that was as involved, wasn't open to talk to. You would definately have to go to him to talk about it and let him know he can always talk to you about it (sex). Unfortunately you can't be with him every minute and control his every move, so the best you can do is advise him. First of all not to be in a hurry. Wait for someone special. Teach him all the rsponsibilities of sex, not only pregnancy, but the biggest thing is the STD's. Chlamydia and herpes really seem to show up often. herpes is not curable. And no birth control is 100% effective, so tell him not to let any girl trick him with that one, that seems to be the main way guys get tricked. And of course tell him to use a condom everytime. I even work with some people who have brought home condoms, gave them to their kids and was like I'm not telling you to have sex it's best to wait, but if you do please use one of these. Because in reality most teenagers are too embarrassed to buy condoms.But of course you have to decide what you think is the best way to handle this. I'm just sharing what I've observed over the years with teen pregnancies. And congrats on the weight loss, when it's without effort it's like a nice surprise like Christmas! Lil'missdiva-Thank you for reassuring me about being on pause. It sounds like it would be a good idea to put the sleeve off for awhile maybe a year or two. Do the best you can with the band, and maybe by then insurance will cover it. If you actually save all the money it would cost and they do cover it you have a nice little nest egg saved. But I would definately try not to eat too close to bedtime. I know that can be a killer for me too. Start being more careful with eating-speed, not too big of bites, amount etc. And see if that helps you feel better. But if you're still totally miserable then have the unfill. My surgeon says to chew everything to "apple sauce like consistancy". So CHEW CHEW CHEW and CHEW some more. Frankly sometimes you just tired of chewing and then you stop eating, so your portions are much less. Tap don't feel bad about the five pounds, like lilmissdiva said, I can do that in one "bad weekend" as well. and the comment of the SWEETS MONSTER being like Jason was halarious! It is exactly like that! :biggrin: As for myself, I'm trying a new approach, I'm working out, trying to avoid sweets, AKA Jason, and certainly trying to avoid sodas. The difference is I'm not going to weigh myself for a long time. That will be hard, but sometimes I lose my motivation when the scale isn't moving as quickly as I'd like. Okay girls, I think I wrote more than anyone really cares to read. baby steps....

Ezma, don't feel bad about the cookies, just enjoy them and move on. LiL'missdiva, Have you found any answers as to whether or not you can get the sleeve covered by insurance? Did you do the pouch test? Well despite admitting to myself what I need to do to make more progress, i haven't done what I need to do. I have the desire to do it just not the actual will or motivation or whatever it is. But I have accepted until I do those things i will not be losing weight. I haven't given up, i'm just on hold, or maybe pause for now.

I just wanted to say to EVERYONE but especially Irene (LILMISSDIVA) since you mentioned it. ALWAYS post here! The good the bad and the ugly. We are here for eachother through good and bad. It's fun to hear the good stuff but we certainly need to help eachother through the bad.

Tapshoes, OMG that is incredibly exciting! I can't wait until I'm there. Maybe you will start to love shopping. I already do, but that would really make crazy for shopping. Talk about a confidence booster! Congrats! SLG- 100 pounds?!!! WOW! That is like losing a whole person. That is something to truly be proud of. Pat yourself on the back for sure! Nicole- good luck on your bandless journey. But just because you don't physically have the band you're still one of us. Keep us posted on your progress. EZMA, how are things for you? How is the house situation? I hope things are going well for you. As for myself, I threw myself a big pitty party last week, but tha't over now. I had it out with myself and realize I just have to accept the fact that I'm just one of many unfortunate people who have a difficult time losing weight. I just have to buck up and do what is necessary for ME to lose weight. I should be thankful exercise isn't an issue for me, so that's half the battle. So I just need to start making better food choices. Stop eating goodies just because i feel sorry for myself, and stop the sodas! The sodas are the biggest killer for me. Because it would mean so much more to me to be one of the ones saying I'm at the 100 pound mark, or I'm wearing single digit clothing. Plus a friend I work with is getting ready to get the Lapband and She is so excitied and can't wait. I remember feeling that way, and now I feel like I'm taking it for granted when there are so many who would do anything to have the band. Okay sorry for rambling on and on, but I feel like I had an awakening. I know it's all easier said than done but I really want to accomplish my goal. And now I feel I must be a good example of a bandster for my friend. Well for those of you we haven't heard from in awhile, hope you're well. Come back !! Don't forget about us!!

It's funny how that works, it seems like when we're fat people keep us under a microscope when we eat. It's like if you were to read their minds they would be saying "How'd you get so fat?". The sad thing is I've had people actually verbally ask me that question. :biggrin:

EZma, Yeah most unfortunately I have been having a lot of simple carbs. I plan on re viewing and making a new plan for myself. I just need to get out of this crazy carb frenzy! I know what you mean about the Mcflurry. Sometimes I feel like all I have to do is thinks about having a treat and I gain weight! Congrats on the property, hope it goes smoothly. Where has LilmissDiva been? How are you? Hope everyone else is well. Have a good weekend.

SLG, Awesome! I'm happy for you. I feel for you going through the liquids only phase again, but of course it will be worth it. Do they know why your band slipped? Hope you have a speedy recovery. I'm really having a lousy week. I gained 4 pounds back. I keep eating like crap, despite my efforts not to. It's enough to make you bang your head against the wall!:thumbup: I'm not really sure what is wrong with me to make me eat so poorly after having such a great run. I'm having one of those days where you feel like why can't this be easier?!! It's days like today I feel like giving up because my progress is so slow. i know inside I don't want to give up, I would be devistated to gain all my weight back, but I just can't help but wish the fat would fall off effortlessly! :smile2: But of course there wouldn't be such thing as lap bands or bariatric surgery if that were the case. I've been in this slump before, I'll get out again, I just hate this. How could it be that I so badly want to reach a new low, but keep doing things to ruin my efforts! URGH!!!! EZMA- glad your feeling back on track. I guess maybe sometimes you just need to go back to square A. I guess I should try it. Baby steps, baby steps. Take care VV's

Ezma- Good deal. Glad to hear your on track and feeling ok where you're at. That is what is most important. Are you getting a fill today? Thanks for what you said about the soda. I tend to think it's ok as long as it's not an everyday thing. I was so afraid to confess, I was sure to get a lecture from someone. I'm like I'm already kicking myself! As for everyone else, hope you're doing ok. Have a great day!:mad2:

Hi everyone Sorry to hear about what's going on with some of you. Tapshoes, hope you're feeling better. Pink eye and a stye my goodness! Enough to drive you crazy huh? Ezma, has your search resolved? Glad to hear your cat is doing better. Do you like using work out DVD's? They're a good alternative when you can't leave the house. Although I use them all the time. It's just my preference. St Louis Gal, hang in there. I know it's terrible anticipating a surgery, but I'm sure things will turn out great. :sad: Did you decide to replace the band or just have it taken out? Lil'miss Diva, How's the WW world? How's the lapband treating you these days? I'm doing ok. No new lows as I did pretty bad eating wise last week. And only worked out 3 days. :thumbdown: Today I kind of made up for it, I worked out almost 2 hours this morning. I've done well eating today. I guess the worst thing last week was I drank sodas. I hate to admit that, they have been my biggest weakness ever and the most difficult thing for me to give up. I'm not sure what to do about that. From the research I've done some surgeons think it's okay to drink soda without hurting the band or pouch, but some think it's just terrible. I mean I know they're not healthy, but I wonder if they are really something to worry about band wise. Meanwhile, I keep doing the best I can to give them up. Well we'll see how things go this week. Everyone hang in there. We'll be the little trains that could, I think I can, I think I can. :thumbdown:

Hey girls! I don't have much to report today. Except that I did start looking into "Diet sabbotage" there are some very interesting articles on the Prevention web site. One of the articles mentioned a book called Fatitudes. It talks about all sorts of different reasons why we hide behind our fat. I think I'll look for this book, because the article helped me understand myself a little better. Basically about the way I grew up, the way my parents were. Their love was very conditional most of the time, so it was saying that someone like me gains weight almost as a way to rebel against people who only accept you when your "normal weight". My whole family my whole life always taunted me and harped on me about my weight. And about a lot of other things. Anyway that's a little depressing to talk about when we have a 3 day weekend to look forward to! Lil'missdiva, Give yourself a big pat on the back! You deserve it. Your determination is very inspiring. It's been quite awhile for me too since I was in the 100's. Before I got my band I was convinced I would never get out of the 200's, and I knew I was headed for the 300's. Then somehow I heard about Lapband and looked into it. Boy am I happy I did! Are you still considering the sleeve? I hope the band is it for me, my husband would totally freak if I said I wanted another surgery. I hope your next fill works out better for you. Everybody have a safe, peaceful and fun weekend! If you fall off the horse this weekend just dust yourself off and get back on. We're alowed to have days that aren't all about diet or rules and restriction. As long as we don't look at those days as failures. Think of them as vacations, then it's back to reality the next day.

Alright Ezma! Every effort adds up. It's amazing When you actually start logging what you eat how sometimes you actually turn down some stuff because when you have to look at it in writing somehow it seems worse. Know wonder you resisted your cookie! Yay! That is awesome Shinyhappymommy, you avoided the 200 range. I had to laugh to myself when you said weighing after "exercising and bathrooming etc." I do the same thing, I get up at 5:00am to workout, then I go to the bathroom, then I strip down anything and everything I can remove from my body then weigh myself. Once I eat and drink then I feel like that's not my true weight. Tapshoes, What your doing is great. Don't downplay any efforts you make. Walking to and from work is excellent, and of course monitoring your diet as best you can will make a difference. As for myself I hit a new low, 198. I am thrilled, I'm hoping by Saturday I can say 197 or 196. I'm just glad the scale is moving in the right direction again. I have been extra careful with the goodies. For some reason I'm not craving that type of stuff right now. I'm not sure why, but I'll take it!

SLG I'm glad to hear there is some light at the end of the tunel for you. I have heard it is possible for the band to go back into place after being emptied. That would be great! But if not at least the insurance will pay for re-banding and you can continue your journey, hopefully trouble free! Do they or you know what caused your band to slip? Lil misdiva, that is so great that WW has given you so much inspiration back. I have gone to WW in the past and it really is a great program. But that was before being banded and I use to get so hungry I couldn't stand it. One of many reasons why it was too difficult to lose weight on my own. Now I just try to eat as healthy as I can. Some days are better than others as we all know. Right now my band is really working in preventing me to eat too much. I hope it lasts. And of course all the VV's support is AWESOME!!!