LoseIt!

I think everyone is different, but when I was on liquids for my two week preop diet, it took about 4 or 5 days to acclimate. Good luck!

First, I want to stress that I truly wasn't compliment fishing yesterday. I was just so happy that I had seemed to get past a mental block of mine. But your comments just made me feel so good. Especially you, Janet! Your email made me decide to change my avatar, so I will be doing that soon! Thank you all, truly. Okay, onto the rest. I was sick yesterday. I'm afraid that until I get my tonsilectomy (29 more days) I will be constantly fighting this. But I went to the doctor and got some meds. About 2 hours after I took them, I started feeling better. I think it was the steroids. I feel SO MUCH better today. It is like I am a different person. But I was determined to get my fill yesterday. So I went and told the doctor that I wasn't as concerned with how much I was eating at once as I was that it didn't keep me full for very long. He took a look and gave me .25 cc's. The last few times I got fills, I only got .1 cc, so this is quite a bit more. I was a little nervous that it would be too much. I sipped my water just fine and I left. I had asked my PCP for liquid antibiotics, but it turned out that none of the pharmacies (including the compounding pharmacies) have them in stock. I would have had to wait until today (probably this evening) to start taking them. So I went with the horse pills. The steroids were small and caused me no issues. I crushed up the pill and put it in my frozen custard. It tasted disgusting, but went down just fine. I had a lot of gurgling through the evening, but I didn't have any reflux problems while I was sleeping. YAY! Today, I had my coffee and smoothie for breakfast. I took my steroids and even popped my full antibiotic without thinking about it and it went down just fine. I guess I'm not TOO FULL at all! :scared2: I'm eating some soup for lunch today and I will do that tonight too. Tomorrow I will start on some mushy soft stuff like mashed potatoes or something. I'm sitting out of Jazzercise tonight. It is hard for me to really get up the energy when I haven't eaten anything solid. BUT, my cousin is coming for a visit tomorrow and I am going to go home and organize at home. My housekeeper comes tomorrow and she will clean, but I need to sort out the clutter. That should burn a few calories for sure! Last night I got on my Wii Fit for the first time in MONTHS. I'm surprised my little Mii believed it was me. Anyway, I had lost 60 pounds since the previous time which was AWESOME to see!! But I had to laugh when the Wii still made sad noises and told me I was obese. Stupid Wii. BUT I was happy to see that the line didn't go off the charts anymore, it just hovered in the obese section. And finally, I get to today's clothing choice. My favorite part! The last time I had lost a lot of weight was 2005-2006. In 2006, my company took on a new partner company and my group tripled in size. I was in charge of the hiring and averaged 2 interviews a day. There would be some days I would have FIVE! I felt like an HR person...it was good experience though. Anyway, I had no time for myself and I put on about 50 pounds in 6 months. I hung there for about 3 years before I gained another 30 pounds and started this journey. Sooo...at the end of Winter 2006, before I had gained anything, my mom and I went shopping. I tried on a XL sweater dress that I never dreamed would fit me. Not only did it fit, but it looked spectacular! Unfortunately, since it was the end of the season, I couldn't wear it and I put it in the closet until the following Winter. Well, we all know what comes next. By that time, I was entirely to big to fit into the dress. BUT I kept it all this time and today, I took it out of the closet, took off the tags and wore it! Woo hoo! I wanted to take a pic for my mom, so I thought I would go ahead and include it. I'm 2 pounds away from the lowest I was at that time and only 8 pounds from the lowest I have ever been as an adult (1999). It is so close that I can taste it!

I chose not to post my "Casual" pictures yesterday. It was because I didn't think they were very flattering so I considered retaking them today. But then I thought more about it and realized that even though I don't think they are as flattering as some, I still don't dislike them! For years, I have hated having my picture taken because of my weight. I would work at getting a good angle, hiding in the back, or just avoiding the camera. Now, I don't hide at all. Sometimes the shot isn't my favorite, but I'm not embarrassed by it. And that makes a HUGE difference. I realized that is quite a big milestone. And now I'm PROUD to post my pictures. I have the full body shots from the beginning, last month and current and the head shots from last month and current. I will NOT HIDE anymore!

That is outstanding! Congratulations!!

Dude, let me know if that works!!

Hi Grizzly!! So glad to hear that things are going well. So motivating to hear stories like yours!!

You look fantastic! I had a similar October and am looking at a fill tomorrow to help me get on track. Best wishes to you!

Best wishes to your success! We will all be here to hear the details of your journey!!

Wow...what an amazing job you have done! Good for you for losing 34 pounds before the surgery. Keep up the awesome work!

What a wonderful weekend at the NASCAR races! We always have a good time, but this weekend seemed particularly fun. I have noticed something interesting about thin people vs. fat people. Now don't get me wrong, this is going to be a generalization (and honestly, there is no good or bad) but just something I noticed. Overweight people (especially women) are typically very aware of the space around them and how they fit into that space, more so in my opinion than thinner people. Example #1 - My BFF Cori is not only thin, she is petite. At 5'0" tall and small build, she doesn't often have to worry about much in the size department. There were four of us at lunch the other day sitting in a booth. Cori & I both scooted in to each end. I put my purse on the floor and my jacket on my lap to make sure that the other person in my seat (a super petite person) had plenty of room. I was sitting with my arm touching the wall so I was as far over as I could be. I noticed that Cori put her purse by her side against the wall of the booth and was seated more toward the middle. They seemed to have plenty of room, so it certainly isn't a big deal. But it did make me realize that I think about the space that I take up (even though it is WAY less now) more than smaller people. Example #2 - I was at a company event and we were all in a big room standing in a circle. There were these desk tables around the room and I decided to sit on one. I precariously perched on it and settled in with as little weight movement as possible. A guy I work with who probably weighs 60 pounds less than me came over and jumped on it with the full force of his body. I cringed as I waited for the desk to settle. It didn't break and I was so relieved. It is funny because Chris didn't think anything about it, but if the desk would have fallen down, I would have been mortified. I would have felt that people would have been looking at me...not him. Again, he didn't do anything wrong at all. I just noticed that we approached doing the same thing very differently. As a fat person(for I will always be that in my mind, I feel), I think I will always be more concious of my surroundings. I think sometimes that will be a very good thing and sometimes I think it will be a bad thing. It is just something that will make me a little different from someone who has never experienced literally not being able to fit in. Now...picture time! Today I will post my spandex pics and tomorrow I will post my casuals. Changes are way more subtle now, but I can still see them. I have attached my front pics from last month and this month. And I included side pics from the start, last month and this month. I think I'm actually feeling better about my arms. :-)

I'm sorry that you have had complications and I will pray that your upcoming surgery will correct everything successfully! Sending hugs!!

That's great!!

I did the exact same thing before I went on my preop diet. In fact, I gained 20 pounds in the 2 months before!! I don't know how to explain it, but now that I'm banded and I can't pig out, I don't need to pig out. I know that probably doesn't make sense, but what I'm trying to say is that it is going to be okay. I was an emotional eater (for EVERY emotion...is boredom an emotion?) and now, I'm so much better. Enjoy your foods now, but know that you are going to be fine later too. This isn't like all those other "diets". Best wishes!!

Sounds like you are doing well! All of this will pass soon. Wishing you the best!

I wear jeans to work so I have a ton of them. 9 pairs, I think. Which seems crazy until I think about the fact that I literally wear them everyday. I remember a time when I didn't even OWN a pair of jeans!! I have had to retire a few pairs this week and I noticed that others were getting a little baggy. Last night I was running early for my dinner with a friend, so I stopped by Cato. I am now the owner of 2 new pairs of size 14 jeans!! (And a $6 slim fitting size 14 skirt which is still a little snug...but $6! And I know it will fit in a few weeks!!) I have gotten smaller a couple times in my adult life. I graduated high school around 185 and by the end of college I was 250. Around 1999, I got to 197 for a short time and in 2005 I got to 203 for a short time. Interestingly though, I don't think I ever bought size 14 jeans. I think 1999 was around the time I just didn't wear jeans and 2005 I didn't stay small long enough to get a proper fitting wardrobe. I know I won't be in these jeans long, but it is nice to know that this time it is because I will be heading for size 12s!! I was trying to remember when I bought my current size 16 jeans and I think it was only a month or so ago. And I know that I didn't fit into the 14s at that time. I only lost ONE POUND in the last month, so it just goes to show you that you can't always go by the scale. :-) I'm having such a feel good day! It is such a rush to wear something new and SMALLER! I'm out tomorrow and the weekend for the NASCAR races getting my redneck on, so have a wonderful weekend, my LBT friends!! Beth

After my run yesterday morning, I was SO hot. I even took a cold shower to help cool me off. I was fine most of the day until the afternoon. My office is always cold, but since I'm so hot natured, I never needed anything more than a fleece jacket. But yesterday, I was freezing. I made it through the afternoon (SHIVERING!) and went to Jazzercise. While I was warm through class, I wasn't ridiculously hot like I usually am when I work out. After class, I felt chilled to the bone. When I got home, I turned my heater on 74 (it is usually on 68-70 in the colder months) and wrapped up like a burrito in my blanket. I finally warmed up in time for bed. But then I was so hot I couldn't sleep!! HAHA! This morning I tried to dress appropriately. I'm wearing a long sleeved T-shirt. Over that I have on a short sleeved sweater. Over that I have on a boiled wool jacket. That should be enough layers to take care of any situation!! :-) Right now with all of these clothes on, I'm comfortable. It's possible that I've not been this small as an adult in cold weather. Or at least not for long. It will be interesting to see if at 36 I turn into a cold person after being hot all my life or if this was a one day phenomenon. Happy Wednesday everybody!

Thank you for checking in with us! It is really good to hear from people that have had the band a while. Weight is truly a life long struggle, banded or not. Thanks!

I went through the True Results Center of Ft. Worth and their support groups are AWESOME! If the Austin office has them, I stongly encourage you to go. Best of luck to you...can't wait to hear about your journey!!

2011 is going to be a whole new year with a whole new you!! Best of luck to you and keep us updated!

Wow, you have had a fascinating life! May this be the start of the next set of best years of your life. :cursing:

First of all, thank you for being a paramedic and a conscientious one at that. I could never do what you do and it is such an important thing! Second, it is apparent the way you are thinking this through that you are on the right track. I am an analyzer and I went through all of the questions and scenarios before as well. You will find tons of information out here, but everyone is different. Follow your surgeon's advice and listen to your body. You will do great!