LoseIt!

Fantastic post, BG! I seem to think things out in a similar way. I've come to the same conclusion that the band doesn't always follow logic, but it helps me anyway. :thumbup:

Way to go!!

Hang in there!! It gets so much better. :thumbup:

That sounds absolutely awful!! I'm so sorry you have been going through such pain...and frustration to boot. Thank goodness you have the source pinned down. I hope that they will be able to fix you with the LB so you can get down to the business at hand! But most importantly I hope you feel better very, very soon!!

I lost 7 pounds last month, so in no way has my weight loss stalled. However, as you all have come to know, I'm a very impatient person. I want to see a little come off on the scale EVERYDAY! Obviously, that is unrealistic and I need to learn to appreciate life without one eye focused on the scale. One way I'm doing that is through pictures. As horribly hard as it was for me to have pictures taken of myself at my biggest, I'm now very glad I did. The physical transformation I have gone through is instant inspiration to me when I have any low feelings at all. Another way I focus OFF the scale is focusing on how my clothes fit. I'm wearing a size 16 NY&Co pair of pants today that I bought when my mom was in town. Less than three weeks ago, I could get them on, but they were too snug to wear. Today, they look perfect! I remember the way I felt when I weighed 285 pounds. I still went places with my friends, but I felt withdrawn. I wanted to fade into the woodwork. I wanted to hide myself and my body. I was so hard on myself for every little thing because I felt insecure because of my fatness. Now, I'm much more confident with my body. I practically flirted with a guy in the elevator this morning. Ha! I will catch a glace of myself in a mirror or window reflection and I can hardly believe it is me. I worked out twice yesterday and didn't feel like I was overworked. It's absolutely incredible. As you also have been able to tell, I love having my picture taken now. I still have a long way to go, but I just feel so darn good! No need to put off living while I finish the job. :confused: Tonight I'm going with one of by LAP-BAND® Support Group buddies to see Shrek. I have made friends with two girls from the group. I'm so grateful to have folks face to face that are going through what I am going through. Plus, they are super fun!! Happy Wednesday!

I'm a part of a Yahoo group (Band Buddies) where I get emails from fellow bandsters. It is similar to LBT except communication is primarily through emails instead of forums and blogs. Many of the active members of the group are from my Support Group, so it is interesting to actually get to know them face to face. One member of the group is often setting up challenges for us to participate together. The newest is Onderland by the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is on 2/06/11 which is almost 4 months away. I only have 12(ish) pounds to lose to get to Onederland, so I was hoping to get there by Thanksgiving(ish). Now...in order to LOSE 100 pounds, I have to lose 27 pounds. As many of you might know, my goal is to be there by 1/31/10 which is roughly a year from my surgery date. This challenge works perfectly!! So I have two Onederland (of sorts) challenges in one. Shrek was great!! If you like family friendly musicals, you will love it. Debi, my friend from group, and I went to Champp's before and had dinner. We even shared (between us we may have had 1/4) a dessert. One thing we talked about was the ridiculous portions. Both of our meals were easily 3 servings. And I'm not talking about "real" servings (probably 5 or 6), I'm talking about normal person real world servings. The sad part is that I could have easily eaten the entire plate pre-surgery...probably along with a salad and part of the dessert. Even though it kind of grosses me out now, I don't judge the people that clean their plates. Lord knows that without this band, I would most likely do the same thing. I'm just very happy that I stopped the madness and took control of my life. Only one more day and then another fun mini-vacation! Have a good one, y'all!

Hi Angela! Most of us are beginner bloggers, so welcome!! I have found it so helpful to blog through my experience. It really helps me keep focused and on track. Good luck to you!

We are all in the same boat and think we all find it helpful to read about everyone's experiences. It is amazing to follow people from the start and then through their journey. Welcome!!

Glad that you are feeling better! Once you start getting into a normal diet (and get on a fill schedule), things will really start falling into place.

Now that I had some taken out (when I was sick), I can eat absolutely anything, but not the quantity I could eat prior to surgery. This is exactly where I want to be once I get to goal. However, since I have a lot more to lose, I'm getting a fill on Monday. I would like to be full on the 3/4C-1C of food as I was before and not be hungry between meals. Good luck!

I have chills and a heavy heart from your story. What a blessing you are to your SIL and your daughter. I have no doubt she is going to be a beautiful bride and you, a beautiful mother of the bride!

Great job! Keep up the AWESOME work!

Amen, sister!!

Just got my flu shot, so I'm ready for Fall! :confused: Last night I had a few moments of thought about my journery. I'm in my "small" range. I'm within 10-15 pounds of my lowest weights as an adult. I wondered briefly if this could be it for me. I mean, I look pretty great! I've gotten into almost every "skinny" piece of clothing I have. What can I really expect? And then I started looking at some pictures. My SIL was finally able to send me pics from my 5K. As I was looking at them, I realized that if I can do THAT...I can do MORE! It might take 3 years, but who cares? I'm loving my life right now and I'm going at a pace that I can continue for as long as I need. Sometimes, I guess I just need to remind myself. :thumbup: Speaking of my 5K pictures, I have attached a few. As I mentioned before, my SIL was absolutely awesome! I'm truly not sure I could have done it without her. Today I'm committing to running 2 miles at lunch and Jazzercising for an hour tonight. Fun NSV: I was able to wear a dress today that I have had for YEARS, but it hasn't fit. It looks really nice and I've gotten several compliments!! Have a wonderful day!!

You rock, sister!!

That's fabulous!

I know! I never understood why designers thought fat people had to be fashion victims. Enjoy the new clothes!!

You look fabulous! Enjoy your trip!

Vent away! I completely understand the scale thing. I weigh EVERYDAY and most times twice a day. I like information, so I'm not going to stop, but I did make a committment to myself not to act on the daily information. I log it and only use the trend information (weekly/montly) to gauge how I'm "really" doing. Good luck!!

First, let me tell you about my AWESOME vacation! Thursday night we landed in New Orleans and made our way to our hotel in the Quarter. After we checked in, we walked the 2.5 blocks (great location!) to Cafe du Monde for some decaf Cafe au Lait and beignets. When I was there in July, I was able to eat one beignet VERY SLOWLY and it was uncomfortable. After I was able to wolf down one super quick this time, I knew I was in trouble! :confused: Then we headed over to Pat O's and the dueling pianos for a Hurricane. One Hurricane is PLENTY for this girl! After a quick walk down Bourbon, we settled in for the night. Friday, we slept in a little then went to Mother's for a late breakfast. I had the special which is two eggs, biscuit, meat (I had debris & gravy) and grits. I only ate half the biscuit and barely any of the meat. The eggs, grits & gravy were AWESOME! I didn't think I even liked grits. Ha! After we took the ferry over to Algiers. We had some coffee at a cute little coffee house then visited a glass blowing place. That was REALLY neat and I picked up a super cute hand blown perfume bottle. After we headed back to the French Quarter and went to Yo Mama's. This, my fellow Bandsters, is where you put your hands over your eyes and shriek! My friend & I shared a Peanut Butter and Bacon Burger. I will let that sink in... Now, I will say that I was only able to eat half and I was quite satisfied. So, if I were in my maintenance stage, I'm actually in a very good place. But I still have 50 or so pounds to lose! And I know that I would not be able to keep my hunger in check at this restriction (well, at least not enough to continue to lose weight.) So, duly noted. I will say though that was the MOST DELICIOUS burger I have ever had. My friend agreed. Anyway, after lunch we went to the casino where we both lost $40 in less than an hour. Nice. By then it was time to make our way back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. We met my friend's brother and sister-in-law for dinner on Frenchman Street. It was delcious! I had grillades and grits...grits twice in one day! Crazy. Then we went to a couple of different bars to listen to some live music. Saturday, we grabbed some coffee and headed to the Mardi Gras World museum. It is at the company which makes all the floats and it was a really neat thing to see! After, we had lunch at an authentic Po Boy place. It didn't even have a sign, but the line was out the door! I had half of a catfish Po Boy and again...this is the first time since my surgery in January that I have had real bread. After lunch, we walked around Magazine Street for a few hours then headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We had dinner at the Gumbo Shop and it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. I would STRONGLY recommend the place! After dinner we took a Haunted History tour which was a lot of fun. After that, we walked around Bourbon for a while taking in the "sights". Sunday we got up and went with brother & SIL to tailgate for the Saints game. I will say that New Orleans has some of the most dedicated fans I have ever seen. The place is COVERED with Saints colors and signs and you can't get a block without hearing "Who Dat?" or "Geax Saints!" As a Colts fan, I can appreciate it, but I had enough!! :thumbup: The pregame was fun though! We watched the game from the airport bar. Darryl Johnston was at our gate when we left! But I don't think he was able to make it on the plane. It was very nice to be home! Since my doctor wouldn't allow a fill for another week, I can't regret not getting one before I went. And quite honestly, I think the vacation was worth the small amount I was up this morning. I have no doubt it will be gone soon enough. It did make me realize that I still need a lot of help to get to my goal! But it also made me realize that I have a life to live in the meantime and I HAD FUN! I have another vacation to Indianapolis this coming weekend. In the past, I would have used this as an excuse to continue my vacation through the week and get back on it when I return. But I'm a different person now! It is back to the routine for 4.5 days. 4.5 days of focus and work, then I can enjoy another vacation with NO GUILT!! I hope you all had wonderful weekends as well!!