mary on a mission

Hi Everyone! Hope to hear from you all. No matter where you are, it's good to to come back here to the place people understand and don't condemn! I FINALLY went in for a fill 10 days ago after more than a year. I had stayed away because it was always so difficult to get in to see the doc and I wasn't doing well anyway, and ..... you know the deal. Finally went in to see the PA (really like him!!) and got a .5cc fill. Can definitely tell a difference in my attitude and how much I can/want to eat. Also, I read something on one of these forums that helped me as well. Here is the link that was posted, and it helped me to kind of re-establish what I knew about the band and how it works. dr simpson I also started running (using that term very loosely) again, and have lost 5 of my regained pounds as of this morning. Yay! SO, THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS: wherever you are, hit that restart button again. We have worked too hard and been through too much to let this get away from us now. Can't wait to hear from you guys! Where are ya? Mary

Finally checking back in. A friend asked me about lapband, as she was considering it for herself. I had to tell her about my failures. I did tell her the good, the bad, and the ugly. She is considering all that while trying to make her decision. Anyway, in talking to her, I realized that I don't have to let this get away from me again. I hadn't had a fill in over a year. I didn't call my doctor's office during that time because it was too hard to get in, and he always wanted to wait forever to get back in. This friend said she had heard they had a new PA doing fills, so I called and got an appointment for the following Friday (yesterday). It was quick & easy. He gave me .5cc, so I am up to 6.3cc.It's too early to tell, but I can already tell a difference in my attitude. I feel empowered again, not helpless. Not sure how things will go, but I will keep you posted. Let's try to stay in touch. I know I am the world's worst, but I also know it helped me to know others who were going through the same struggles.

sorry, can't get the double post to go away. YOu can tell it's been a while since I was here!

OK, here I am...updating the ticker for the first time in a long time - 10 lbs heavier than it was. I am where I am, and I choose to restart today. No more waiting. No more hoping. I will get in and do the hard work again, and see those pounds go away - forever. I will post weekly with my ticker and more often if I need help. Let's all get this ball rolling. And be sure and share any positive news you have. I need it!

Hello July 09 Bandsters! I have been MIA for a while. No weight loss in forever; in fact, I have probably gained some weight. It's time to get this party re-started. Seems like you have all done well. I am going to start working the band TODAY! I have been snacking, eating carbs, just going back to all my bad habits. Starting today, it's protein first, no drinks with meals, and no sweets! Thanks for the motivation just reading over the last few posts. I will weigh in tomorrow and it will be what it will be! EEEK!!

Wow! Again, same story. Haven't been on here because I didn't want to face my failures. I, too, lost all of my weight in the first 6-7 months. I lost 53 pounds, and have struggled with the same 3 or 4 pounds ever since. It's good to know that I'm not alone. Yes, bad choices abound in my life. I am exercising a lot, which means I feel justified in my sweet-eating. I am a caterer, and my business is about to close, which gives me the stress-eating thing, too. But I know I can do this. It may take me a lot longer than I originally thought (it already has), but I am NOT giving up. I hope none of you will either. We went through a lot to get here. So, what can we do to try and motivate ourselves and each other this week? How about 2 things: increase Protein intake and make sure to drink lots of Water? That's a start, and that will be relatively easy....what do you guys think? Hang in there, ladies. We can do this!

Wow! It's been a long time for me. I have lost a little over 50 pounds (53.5 as of today), but I have been hovering here for about 3 months. I have been living life, doing all right as far as exercise, but not being as vigilant as I should be on the food side. I just love sugar too much! In the past couple of weeks, I have started boot camp in addition to the running I took up a couple of months ago, and I think that's why I am seeing the scale move just a bit again. I knew I was going to have to blast that weight off! Anyway, I am thankful that the weight is moving a bit. I want to be successful, but to me that means living a normal life. It means eating like a normal person, sugar and all. Of course, for me, sugar will always require special attention. But I am not going to stop eating it completely or stop fighting it. I think I will always have to really work at the sugar thing. So, I won't make my goal within one year, but I will be working toward it, and I'm ok with it. I always try to remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Hope all you July bandsters are doing well. Please update so we can see how you're doing!:thumbup:

Sorry, I must admit that half of the reason I drink shakes is that they are fast and easy and I don't have to think. The other half is that I need extra Protein, they go down easily, and they taste good. That being said, I might like to try a recipe now and then, but for me the Atkins Advantage shakes are fine right from the fridge!:thumbup:

Just finished week 5...wasn't sure how in the world I was going to run for 20 minutes, but actually jumped a bit ahead and did 25! :bored: I hated running more than anything. My husband is a marathon runner, and I have often said that he must be mentally ill to do such a crazy thing...however, now I am really getting into it. I don't think I will ever want to run a marathon, but I feel good when I run. Not fast, mind you, but it is running! Anyway, enjoy it. Keep us posted on your progress!

Just finished week 3. Not bad at all. I am taking it slow and it feels great. You can do it. Just don't try to do too much too soon!

Love it! My local YMCA offers it, and it's great fun. Feels like dancing, not exercising. At first I was worried that I would look stupid, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly, and there are always lots of people of different shapes and sizes there. My favorite aerobics class!:confused:

I know I have been MIA for a while now. The scales have been making me crazy! Since Christmas, I have been snacking, and not well. I went for a fill this week, and the doc didn't really want to give me a fill. He gave me about a half cc, and said that I should be getting to my sweet spot. (5.8cc in a 10cc band) I'm just not sure what to think about it. He has been very conservative since day one, and while I am sure he's a good surgeon, he is truly driving me nuts. I have been banded for 7 months, and have only had 3 fills. He made me wait 12 weeks for the first, then another 10, then another 9. Anyway, he said that I had lost 9 pounds since my last fill (9 weeks ago), and that was exactly where he wanted me to be. One pound per week. He said it should take 2 years for me to lose my weight. I looked at him and said "Then we obviously have VERY different expectations." He didn't budge, and said to come back in 3 months. I sure hope this fill gets me to my sweet spot, because I will then be 10 months out from surgery, and I wanted to be closer to my goal by then. On that note, he also said I had an unrealistic goal weight. He said that I might get to the goal I had earlier (125), but that my goal weight should be to just get within the normal bmi range. That puts me at about 135. I made my goal 133, so I could keep it at 100 pounds. I will aim for that now, and see how I feel then. I am 1 pound shy of the 50 pound mark. Hopefully I will get there in the next week so I can Celebrate next weekend. I am wearing a size 14, and may be able to move to some 12's pretty soon! :woot: I am very happy with my band, but not so happy with myself. Trying to break these bad habits, and keep up with the good ones. Haven't gotten my lazy butt out of bed for the gym in over 2 weeks...5:30 tomorrow morning - Hope everyone else is doing better than me. I see at least one 60 pound loss from our freedom fighters, and some other really high numbers. Congratulations! Keep up the good work and keep on fighting the good fight! Mary:thumbup:

Dang, that's a lot of calories...I don't have one in front of me, but I use the Atkins shakes, which have 15 g of Protein, and I think less than 200 calories. Very good, too. I don't drink too many shakes any more, but I do get on them when I have a fill and do 2 days of liquids or when I feel like I have gotten off track and want to get back to eating the band-friendly way (which is where I am today!).

He is. :smile2:

Well, hello all you fellow north carolinians...I am from Greensboro, and my surgeon was Dr. Newman. I was banded in July and have lost about 45 pounds. My only complaint is that everything takes so long...once I was all paid up, etc., it took forever to get the surgery date, and then they have been painfully slow with fills. Dr. Newman didn't do the first fill till 12 weeks out, and then 10 weeks for the second. I made an appt for the 3rd fill, but they have called and cancelled that appt and said they will have to reschedule it in Feb, but no book yet. So it will probably be at least 10 weeks for the 3rd fill. All in all, though, very happy with my band and the practice. Let me know if you have questions.... Best of luck to each of you. Let's keep in touch! Mary:cool2:

OK, my first weigh-in: 188 lbs Goal: 175 lbs 13 pounds to go!!!!

2 weeks ago: 188 today: 188 Back to being diligent...no more junk in the house, back to regular work schedule, back to losing weight. I haven't been able to eat much, so it must be that I am eating the wrong stuff...:thumbup: I have joined the valentine's weight loss challenge and will get to 175 by valentine's day. :blushing: Have a good Monday, everyone.

Ok, I'm in... I am a slow loser also, but would like to lose 12 pounds by Valentine's Day. That would put me at 175. Woo Hoo!

HI everyone! I was banded 7/7/09, and have lost 44 pounds. Hoped to be at 50 by 6 months, but not sure I can get there. Will keep trying. I have only had 2 fills, but I can definitely feel the difference with this last one. I think I am now at 5.5 cc in a 10cc band. Actually, I am probably too tight, but I am gonna go with it at this point. I have difficulty with 1st bite syndrome, and have lots of trouble with chicken & beef; salads are a nightmare (sometimes), and I can usually eat about 5 or 6 bites before I have to give up. The good news is, even though I only "rent" my food for a while most of the time, I still don't feel too hungry between meals. I do try to do some healthy snacking, which helps (yogurt, Protein drinks, cut up veggies), but really, I am not all that interested in food. I did eat a few too many sweets during the Christmas holiday and actually gained a pound, but it's gone now. My official weigh in is on Monday, so I will be posting it then. In reflecting about the year gone by, one of the things that stands out to me is that I would never have believed on January 1 this year that food would not be the most important thing in my life. I still love to eat good stuff, but it's quickly losing its sparkle. Last year it was all about where to eat, what to eat, etc. Now it's not. That is requiring some adjustment, however, and it's not always good. I sometimes get angry because I feel like I have lost my favorite source of entertainment, but I am working on replacing it with other activities. I know I am rambling, but I think I'm in a good place. I just hope it stays that way! Happy New Year everyone! :biggrin:

I agree that I would love to see people talking more, but I think everyone is very busy this time of year. My eating habits are definitely changing. Even though I still eat lots of foods I probably shouldn't, I don't eat too much of anything. This morning, I was going shopping with a friend, and we got a Breakfast burrito at chik-fil-a. I ate less than half, and the rest went in the trash. At lunch, opted for the chicken tenders (not usually a fried food maniac, it just hit that way today), and ate less than half before I was full. If I can just keep my hands out of the sweets, I should be ok. A friend told me to buy some sugar free chocolate covered almonds and toffee, so I did, but I haven't tried them yet. Maybe tomorrow. The good news is that the holidays don't last forever, and it will be easier when there aren't so many foods lying around. However, I do KNOW that it's up to me what I put in my mouth. No one else controls that but me. Anyway, I know I am making progress. It's just a matter of keeping on keeping on. Hope everyone else sees positive changes. Would love to hear any helpful hints! Mary

Good Monday Morning Everyone! I only lost 1/2 pound this week, but I'm ok with it. I see the band working. Unfortunately, I didn't work the band so much this week. Funny how we find ourselves slipping into old habits sometimes... We had 6 inches of snow this weekend. I know for many of you that's no big deal, but it's a huge deal here. We get a dusting to an inch or two once or twice a year, so the whole world shuts down when we get significant snow. Anyway, all families have their traditions, and one of ours is junk food when it snows. Additionally, I am a caterer and this is my busy season. We lost a couple of events on Friday due to the snow. Now I can't say I'm too upset about that, as I have worked 60-70 hour weeks all month, and my husband and sons took off to Orlando to see my daughter, who won't be home for Christmas. So, I was all alone and completely exhausted. I didn't leave the house from Friday night to Sunday morning. I didn't even take off my pajamas. Now I didn't do as badly as I could have, but I did find myself eating constantly. I craved bad food. Fortunately, we didn't have a lot of bad food in the house, but I did have a hard time. So, all that to say that losing a half pound this week is not so bad. I'm back to work and back to reality today. I need to develop some tactics to combat those urges next time. I think I was just too exhausted to fight too hard. Any suggestions would be appreciated.:ohmy: On another note, I did get my Christmas shopping done yesterday. Took a lot of determination, but I got most of it done. Yay!:thumbup: Starting weight 233 Current Weight 188 Merry Christmas to you all!

Good Morning everyone! I hate to say this, because I don't want to jinx myself, but I think the band is doing what it's supposed to - finally! I am not able to eat as much, and I don't get hungry often. I still get stuck more than I like, but I think it's that 1st bite syndrome. Hopefully that will go away soon. Anyway, here it is: Starting weight: 233 This week: 188.5 Not going to make my goal by year end, but I'm ok with it. I made that plan before my 2 month long plateau. Hope everyone has a great Monday.:willy_nilly:

So sorry, Bobbie. Just remember to try and remain positive. This is nothing but a bump in the road, right? You will have it repaired and then be back on your way. You can do this. Please keep us posted.

Hi Everyone! Was still plateaued last week. Got my 2nd fill (finally - 5 months after banding!). So far, it is helping. Of course, a couple of days on liquids never hurts, right? Anyway, finally down some. 3.5 pounds this week. Starting weight 233 Today's weight 191 I am ready to recharge that motivation battery! :thumbup:

Wow! You guys are amazing. I can't think about 100 yet, but I am 8 pounds from 50!!! Yes! My plan is to be at goal by my one year bandiversary as well. That being said, I need to step it up. I had my second fill last week, so hopefully that will help. Happy Monday!:thumbup: