kareyquilts

BooBooKitty: Are you going for plastics too?

Where do you get the whey shakes? Please let me know how you like them when yours come. I think you should take 2-3 weeks off work if you can. Julie, others with experience, what do you think?

Ghost: I think you lost some of your momentum when you had your surgery and you needed the time to regroup. Glad your excited to get back in the saddle. Using your husband's gym sounds like a good idea. Who knows maybe at some point you guys could go together and make it like a date? Does it offer babysitting? I also think that like you said, sometimes, it's a mental barrier. We are happy where we are, comfortable. We look better, we feel better, people tell us to be satisfied and so we become satisfied. Then something clicks and we can see other possibilities. Like Tami losing 10 pounds after months of staying the same. Our bodies like equlibrium too and they fight us. We are to be very tricky to defeat our bodies! You're going to do great. You will love exercising, after you get over the initial shock of it, that is! Today, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes rowing and a hour pilates session. I will try and do the treadmill this evening. The scale showed 2 more pounds off, so maybe my body is finally ready to lose again! Mimin: Are you out there? We miss you? How are you doing?

I'm wondering if there is a bigger possiblity of injury with heavier weights vs more reps? Any thoughts on this? Today, I did the ellipitical for 25 minutes, rowing machine for 30 minutes and had a one hour private pilates session. I will try and do the treadmill for 30 minutes this evening. The scale finally gave and I lost 2 more pounds! Very exciting stuff!

Tami: That's cool. What procedure are you having done? You'll have to keep us informed.

Neal, I'd be curious what your doc says about the fill level. Please share.

I think your son should come, it will be a good experience. My DH will take 3 days off of work and then my mom will be here for several weeks. I'm little girl adores her and she is an excellant cook. It should be good.

Well, I'm glad you can be so self-sufficient, just wish it wasn't necessary. Take care of yourself!

Reporting in for this week. Call all September bandsters to do the same! I down 1 hard-faught-for-pound! 19 to Go!:clap2: Mimin: How's the infection? Are you back to work yet? Are you beating the smoking dragon? Ghost: What you been up to? Today, I had a reallly hard work out and I felt good, because I can tolerate it better and I'm seeing some real progress. Able to lift heavier weights and do more step ups. Not bad for a Grandma! :nervous I just hope that the PS doesn't put me too far back in my work outs. You guys have any experience with this?

Nina: With the amount of time you will be in France, wil any of your family come or just your friend? Who will watch all the kidos? So many logistics!

Okay, the scale showed a 1 pound loss today. FINALLY! Hope to keep it off and maybe add more for this weeks total!

I think we are getting it worked out so that my lapband doc will come into the surgery room and place the lower profile port while I'm under for the PS. She said it would take about 15 minutes of surgery time, which the hospital with charge for, the port which is about $600 and her fee, which she did not mention. My port is starting to stick out a little and the surgeon said it will stick out more when he removes the fat that's above it! How exciting, huh?! If we can't work out all the details, I'll live with it too, because I'm planning on back side, arms and any revision to TT done and we'll do it then if needs be. JulieNYC said that she can still feel the port and see it when she's naked, but with the lower profile port at least it doesn't show through her clothes. I'm sure it's not a panacea, but it will be good to get if we can work out the details.

Whose: Checked out your spark's page, too. Darling little girls! I have red hair too, so I'm very partial to red heads. Wish my hair was that pretty! You're doing awesome, what an example you're setting for your family. Stef: Thanks for the recording keeping, it helps! And also, your enthusiasm. I did 30 minutes on the ellipitical and worked out with my trainer. He's really upped by work outs and it kicks my butt. But, like he said, you should never get comfortable at the gym. Always, at least in weight training, work to failure! That was hard for me at first, because I want to be good at everything, but as I see my progress, I realize that I am getting better and better. I'm up to 90 pounds on rowing and when I first started 45 pounds was hard. I'm doing 60 step ups when I could hardly do them at first. It makes me feel good to know that I am making progress. Don't bad for a grandma!

Lyon is beautiful. I've been to France many time, my daughter studied at the Sarbonne in Paris. I think that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You're going to have a great experience. I also think that the French have an undeserved reputation as anti-Americian. They certainly hate President Bush, but on an indidvidual basis you will love them and they will love you. But you're right, most French women are unnatural thin, with tiny waists. By daughter says that they constantly diet and smoke like fiends to stay that way. Hmmm, constantly dieting sounds familar!

Me too. Let me know if it works!

Wow! I'm excited to follow you journey. There are a lot of us getting ready for PS. I hope you will post pictures. This will be great!

It's been 16 months since I got the lapband. I am nearing the goal line and thought I would post some pics. I don't have any after body shots, but will take some when before my plastic surgery. Anyway, I enjoy seeing everyones photos, so here are mine:

LJM: I'm 5 days after you!

Okay, I'm impressed that you would show before pictures without the after ones. You're making me afraid to start a thread. I'm not anxious to show my pictures! You wear a size 8 and you're going to be smokin' after your procedures! Are you excited or what! I bet you'll be a 6 or 4 by the time your finished! Wow! I'm going to have to try a bending over view!

LJM: I checked out the website for your doc that you posted on Nina's thread. He looks really good and very ethical. I liked what he said about pictures. He had a whole thing on there about not using drains either. It would appear that you and Nina will be going drainless? I'm going to ask my doctor about that technique. I also have upped my exercise, but I'm still not losing weight. I saw my band doctor on Friday to talk about a low profile port and she actually told me to stop worrying about losing anymore weight. That I should be good to go after my TT. I was floored. I said, but what about my BMI, she said, I was obviously in good shape and looked thin and to not worry about it. Amazing. I am still going to try and get off as much as I can, but I do think it will be easier when the belly is gone. I think it will change my metabolism. I hope that's not wishful thinking on my part. Anyway, I'm excited for you. I'll think of you when I can't sleep!

It does help to have confidence in your surgeon. My husband is an orthopediac veterinary surgeon. He does totally hips, backs, knees, etc. He is wonderful at what he does, but I see that sometimes things go wrong with anesthesia, etc. He has lots of doctors that work for him and someone of them can talk the talk but not the walk. So, I'm suspicious and a worrier. I really like my doc though, or I would never do it. My husband is great. He has loved me through thick and thin (literally!). He thinks I look fine, but he supports me. He wants me to be happy and he agrees that it will improve my looks. We've been married for 33 years, so he doesn't reallly look at the outside of me anymore. He sees more the essence of who I am. This can be good and bad, but it's mostly good. I'm very blessed to be married to my husband. He is a good man. I think I'm feeling a little sentimental today. When you think about this journey of the band, it is really marvelous. So glad that I did it.

Longhorn: Well I totally understand about the money part. Maybe at some point you could find one on Ebay, but there is still a monthly maintence fee. Your weight will come off, it takes a while to get to the right restriction. Once your tool works properly it will be a lot easier. For now, I guess you just have to do it the all fashioned way!

Longhorn: I don't know why you don't invest in the body bugg. You seem like a person who like numbers. It gives you all the information you could possibly need. I love mine. It really does help to know your calorie burn. I often compare what my ellipitical and treadmill say I've burned and what the BB says. Usually the calories burned are a little lower than what the machine says. But then I'm amazed at how many calories can be burned cleaning up the house and going up and down stairs. Stef: Is this the day to report? I believe it is and we are only starting from Monday of this week? If I'm correct here are my weekly totals: Cardio: 255 min., Strength training: 240 min., Weight: 172 (GRRR, it should be better!), not sure what I'm forgetting....

Nina: I know exactly what you are saying. I think that your doc is right. It does take courage, time and money! I like that. I am very scared about it and I don't know why exactly. I feel very confident of my doc. I'm not that afraid of the pain. I wake up every morning about 4:00 am and I start worrying. I'm going to be exhausted before I get the surgery! I think it's a control issue. I have to give up control of the outcome and it scares the hell out of me. I have worked so hard to be in control of my body, to eat right, to exercise, etc. I guess I feel motivated on many fronts. I have 5 children and I love them dearly, but they grow up and then they are off living their own lives and even though you know that they love you, somehow I've felt a little discarded, tired and used up. I have a 31, 28, 26, 22 and 8 year old. My little daughter of course still needs me and is worried about the surgery. The others are "proud" of me. You know I don't really care what they think about this. I've given them everything and like you, I realize that I need to live more for myself. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't of ended up needed the band and PS in the first place. I don't like getting older and feeling dismissed by people because of my age. Since I have lost weight I look a lot younger, but I think its more than that. I don't assume that people won't like me. I probably am friendlier. I know that I am happier. I think, maybe it's not too late for me and I can still look good for a while anyway. I want to look in the mirror and not just see sagging breasts and sagging stomach. I don't think that's being selfish. I do think it takes courage and determination. It's exciting to think of the possiblities. I don't want to get too carried away, because at some point you have to make peace with who you are and just love yourself, but I think that for now part of loving myself is doing this for me. I hope that makes sense. I'm sorry if I went on for too long, it was a good question.

rharriet: I'm really excited about the upcoming PS too, but also very nervous! When you get closer PM me and I'll give you some suggestions for plastic surgeons. Livingthedream: That's the great thing about the body bugg, we finally are able to get the information that we needed all a long. Now if we can discipline ourselves and use the info to our advantage. That is a whole other subject! I love my BB. I don't like their food reporting side, but I'm trying to use it and be more careful about my measurements. My weight loss has really slowed down and I want to make sure it's not that I'm under reporting calories consumed. I talked with one of the head guys from Apex, he came to my gym and gave a presentation. He told me my body has been through a lot and it may be tired of losing weight (even though officially Apex says there is no such thing as a plateau!). He told me to give myself a month off and then get ready to fight like hell to lose the last 20. That's what I did and I started back 2 weeks ago to measuring, etc. Averaging a 950 calorie defiect daily, I have only lost 1.5 pounds in 2 weeks. According to them, I should have lost 4. GRRR! I guess I'll take what I can get. I'm also building muscle, according to my trainer, which weighs more than fat. All I know is that I'm down 1 pant size and looking better, so upward and onward into battle, I go!