1019Joanne

awesome job! I am so proud of you! Keep it up!

5 days! congratulations on making this change for you! Best wishes!

you said it darlin! Hang in there!

aw, I am so so sorry that you had slip! definately my worst nightmare! I don't think you did anything wrong - I just think it happened due to the flu. Hang in there! I am wishing you all the best!

I think back to a year ago, and I had just gotten approval from my insurance company, and scheduled my sugery. What a difference a year makes! I walked into surgery weighing 277lbs - this morning on my scale, I weighed in at 193lbs. 193 lbs in 11 months - holy smokes. I always wanted to be a thinner woman - and not be the biggest mom in the group, and cringing when boarding an airplane hoping the belt would buckle. I wanted to fit in the desks at back to school night, and wanted to stop undoing my pants on my drive home, since I had stuffed myself into a too tight pair of jeans rather than buy a larger size. I wanted to look in a mirror and not cringe, I wanted to buy clothes in the regular ladies section, not the plus sized section of the stores. I wanted that - and went on so many diets in an effort to acheive it - but always failed. I wore a 26/28 shirt, or a 3XL, and squeezed into 24 jeans, but really should have been in 26's. I muffin-topped out of every single bra I owned. Not now - October 19, 2009 was a day that will forever be noted on my calendar as a second birthday, if you will. My rebirth - the day the NEW me came into being. I have joined the gym, I walk several times a week, I don't just sit on the couch anymore! I wear a large t-shirt, and bought size 16 jeans today (whoohoo!) and they fit comfortably (meaning no unzip on the way home from work!). I bought a sweatshirt in a large, too, since the XL was just too big and the arms way too long (why do clothing people always think heavy people have REALLY long arms!!!) I have new goals - such as hitting the 100lbs down mark by the time 2011 arrives - and trying to figure out what to do with my boobs, which now look like two deflated beach balls, altho they easily stuff into anything these days. I also would really like to see what buying size 12 jeans feels like! THAT would be awesome! 11 months...and I am happy with my progress so far! This has certainly been a journey - but one I wish I had the courage to make years ago, instead of waiting so long! I cannot wait to see what the next 11 months have in store!

kick the negative people to the curb! You dont need the negativity! You, and your sister, have taken a HUGE step in getting yourselves healthy for the rest of your lives! Congratulations on that! People who dont understand why we want to be thinner, will never get it - and you dont have to explain yourself to anyone on this earth. keep it up, and I wish you and our sister good health, and awesome clothes as you shed the pounds!

Keep it up! You are doing so well! Pretty soon, you will be waving goodbye to the whole 200's! Yay you!

wow - bread.....I have not had bread in a very long time - it just does not sit well with me at all! I know some people dont have problems with bread, and others are like me, no tolerance what-so-ever! Wishing you only happy eats! and congrats on the running! Keep moving and the pounds keep coming off!

I, too, was given heparin post-op, as a precaution. If you are concerned about it, talk to your doctor. Wishing you well!

Congratulations on the shopping trip! I can so relate to the feeling of putting on a size that you have not been in for a long time - I was shopping tonight after work, and bought shirts in a large! who knew I could fit in a large! Whoo hoo! Keep up the good work! You are doing great! P.S. congrats to your husband as well - what a great day!

it will happen - hang in there! I wish you all the best!

You are amazing! Keep up the great work!

high protien greek yogurt with granola added in - that seems to keep my hungry feeling away.

Congratulations on you surgery! Keep walking, and drink water every time you think about it! You are on the right track! Keep it up!

First of all, congratulations on making this decision to better yourself. Secondly, if you tell people, its YOUR business. You don't have to say one word to anyone, and if a co-worker asks, then its up to you on whether or not you want to share, or just let them wonder. This is up to you. I took the approach that I was going to tell everyone, no secrets, no cover ups - just 100% honesty. But that was me, and my decision. I wish you all the best! Here is to a whole new you!

warm liquids in small sips....and if that does not stay down, call your doctor....there has to be an emergency protocol that the office follows for situations just like this! I also find that when I am stressed out, my band gets tighter....relax...and if it does not get better, then head to the ER (if your DR does not have an emergency line to call)

I think that you have to remember who is having this surgery - you are! This is a huge decision for YOU to make, and I know how hard it can be to not have your whole support system 100% behind you. Take your mom with you to an informational seminar - if your doctor has a website, let her see it, and let her see the transformations of people just like you! Have your mom write down just what it is that bothers her about this surgery, and answer them. She can even read things on here, and see that we are just people, trying to get healthy, trying to get the scale into "normal" range! Hang in there! Best wishes to you!

you are going to be just fine.. keep drinking water...get your fluids in. Once the trauma of the surgery is past, your body is going to want more. Hang in there, and best wishes as you start this journey!

You are really doing well! Congratulations! I think we all have those weight milestones - the numbers that might not mean much to anyone else, but to us, it's pure joy! Enjoy the moment when the scale shows you that magic number! I will be cheering you on from here!

it IS going to get better! The first few days are miserable to get through, but you will be on the other side of this in no time! I slept in a reclining chair for the first few days, since I could not lay down in my own bed. My best advise - drink lots of water, take your prescribed pain meds, and walk walk walk! Your body needs to rehydrate after the sugery, and the water does make you feel better. Take the pain meds when you need them - no one likes to be in pain! Walking, moving your body, will get the leftover gas (from the surgery) to move out, and it also gets your muscles and joints going again, since we are so used to moving! I wish you good things on this journey!

Congratulations on the 20lbs and on the shopping spree! It's so very nice to treat yourself to new things, and especially in a smaller size! Keep up the good work!

so scary! Thanks for sharing the info on potassium, and how very important it is to our bodies! I think that sometimes we are so focused on what we cannot physically eat, that we forget what we need to eat to keep us going! Hope you are feeling better!

make the best of this - the earlier date means that by Labor Day weekend, you will be ready to visit with people, and feeling more like your own self! This is just a small hiccup on the road to a new you...Best wishes as you start this journey!

yay - the fills are a breeze! I think the anticipation of the fill, for me, was so much worse than the actual fill itself! Congratulations with the weight loss!

You never know where you are going to find someone who understands.... This past Saturday was my youngest daughters high school graduation party, and toward the end of the party, I tripped over a root of a tree (a root that I had warned people about over and over about through the day,but failed to heed my own advise) and after getting the party all cleaned up, I really had a chance to check out my foot, and then I decided on a quick trip to the emergency room, since I could no longer get my foot in any of my shoes, and the top of my foot was a beautiful shade of purple. The emergency room was quiet for a Saturday night - and we got in pretty quickly. Several nurses asked what I had taken for pain management, which was nothing, since I recently had a fill, and pills and I are not getting along very well. The doctor who first checked in on my ordered 400mg of childrens Motrin, and pretty soon a beautiful nurse knocked on the door and said "can I ask why childrens Motrin, and not adult Motrin?" - I explained about my surgery, and my recent fill, and my nurse gave me a hug, and said she, too, is a bandster, and that she understood perfectly what I was going through! It was such a comforting situation, and I knew that no matter what the xray showed, I was in good hands. This nurse checked on me several times, we compared stories, shared experiences, and bonded over our bands in the ER - and not only do I have a new friend on this journey (she is already at goal) but I hobbled out with no broken bones, just a severe sprain of my foot. You just never know where you are going to find support....and I am so happy that I found this nurse, who took the time to double check orders, and make my visit to the ER easy!