Alicia521

My goal is 140. I want to have a healthy BMI and wear a single size digit in clothes. I am 5'6 and my ideal weight range is within 117-154.

Drews - you look fantastic and good luck with the testing. I will keep you in my prayers. My son was such a blessing. I can't wait to have another child. OU - that is great about the 36 pants! I will update my ticker tomorrow, but had a great week last week...3.6 loss and it brings me down to 181. I can't wait to be in the 170s again. May Bandsters ROCK! Everyone keep up the good work!

My DH and I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class at church and it was awesome. He teaches you to not use credit cards, pay off bills using the debt snowball system and live off of the envelope system. We have started doing this again and it works great. One of his first rules is to build a $1000 emergency fund in your savings account so you don’t have to use credit cards for emergency. His debt snowball teaches you to pay off existing debts by paying off the smallest debt first and when you pay it off, then use that monthly payment for the next bill. Eventually you will have them all paid off. The envelope system is an old school system for using cash. Do your monthly budget and figure out how much money can go to what. We use the envelope for things like groceries, eating out, etc. If you walk in the grocery store with $100 cash and don’t allow yourself to use your debit card or credit card you will not overspend and you’d be surprised how you can make your money stretch. It is an awesome system and has saved us so much money! I highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling to get out of debt or who just wants to live practically.

Missy, do you have any pics from your trip? I would love to see pics of Cambodia!

I cannot believe the results. Erik looked great...he didn't even look the same. Kai was a little hottie! I thought Brian looked hot too! I was very pleased with who won! I cannot get over how much weight they all lost.

hey guys, I looked on the interent today and it said Suzi and Matt are expecting...there is also speculation that Heather is pregnant. I am counting down the hours until 8pm!!

Is everyone ready for the finale tonight?

Kat - that is too cute!

thank you all for the support!

I didn't take it as a hijack so no worries! It's pretty cool! I know exactly what you mean. I still see the fat girl and pick out my flaws.

Awesome Neal! It feels great!!

I am 7 months out and my hair is still shedding like crazy. I have a very thick head of hair anyway, but I am seriously considering having my whacked off. Just not sure if my face is skinny enough to do it yet.

Glad to hear your trip went well Missy! Huge NSV for me to report - I am officially overweight. My BMI changed and I am no longer considered obese. Wahoo!

I am no longer obese. I am officially overweight. My starting BMI was 41.2 and I am now 29.7 with a 70 lb weightloss! This was a major goal for me to reach!

Well mine is totally not creative. Usually I am AliCat521 but I think it was taken. So obviously my name is Alicia and my b-day is 5/21.

Good luck Wendy. This is a great site for info. Keep us posted on your progress.

Ditto to Susan. If you lose any weight at all prior to your first fill, it is just a bonus. Right now you need to focus on your stomach healing. I was fortunate that I lost weight during the recovery period but there are a lot of people that don't and it's completely normal. Hang in there and you'll get the sweet spot soon enough!

I have considered potty training with Harrison. He seems to show signs of readiness. He will tell me when he poops now. He's been sick and we had a recent death in the family so timing has not been good. Maybe we will start this weekend. Any tips?

I totally agree that Matt has gained some weight. Suzi still looked great though. I hated the Minnesota chick. She was so whiny and non compliant! I was so glad when they voted her off. Heather is a B and she isn't big enough to win. I can't imagine she will even come close at the finals. I thought it was crappy what she did to Bobby from TN. I was cheering for Bobby because TN is where I live, plus I liked him. There is definitely something annoying about Wylie - I can't put my finger on it but I don't really like him. From the previews for the finals, Kai is looking tiny! I also liked the blonde girl, Amy, she looks great now too!

Does anyone watch the Biggest Loser on NBC? I am an avid fan and I tivo it when I am not able to watch it. I have watched it religiously for the past 3 seasons. Anyway, just curious if anyone else watches it? If so, who do you want to win? Who do you think will win? Who gets on your nerves? Kai and Erik are my faves. They have both come a really long way. I wouldn't mind seeing either one of them win. I don't really care for Heather. Your thoughts?

Thanks for the compliments to all. I still feel like a fat girl. I get discouraged because I carry most of my weight in my butt, hips, lower gut, and thighs and still feel huge in that area. Marci - you are rockin! You are going to be in 14 pants before you know it!!!

Nov-Dec 05 - around 250 this week I have finally got some before/after shots. Here ya go!

Yeah, you are a complete light weight after banding. I can't remember how long I waited but it was probably at least a month, maybe longer. I used to LOVE beer - probably part of the reason for the weight gain. I can drink it a little now, but have to let it sit for a bit to settle carbonation otherwise it makes me feel horrible. Generally I stick with wine or mixers now but I rarerly drink anymore.

For me, it is a combination of things. I am 5'6. My starting BMI was 41.2 and I am now at 30. For my height, my healthy BMI/weight range is 117-154. I can remember weighing 154 and still feeling chubby. I initially wanted to weigh between 125-130 but realistically, I am almost 30 and have had one child, I figured 140 was more attainable. That may change once I get to 140 but right now that is my goal. I can remember being 140 and looking back, I wouldn’t mind being that size again. Back then I thought I was fat, but I have always had a distorted body image. I will probably never be high school skinny again and that is okay. I’d really like to be in a single digit clothing size as well. So that is why my ticker says 140! J<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

bkwalling - that is hilarious. Those little guys take everything so literally!