Vikki

Tom- why don't you have a ticker on your signature. I didn't know you had lost that much because you don't show how much. That is great. I will keep on trucking to get this weight off...................Chooo Chooooo!!! I have seen lots of people that have lost 2 hundred pounds and they did loose in their arms. Everyone's body is different. You just have to work out................................darnit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE FUN WITH THE WORKOUTS BANDSTER PEEPS!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap2:

Well Tom is going to love this part of the conversation........I totally know what you are talking about Marni. I am noticing a difference with just 25 pounds and doing my Core Video that has a lot of arm training which I guess is working the girls to loose weight. That is the only part of my body I don't want to go away. The more it goes away the more the girls are going toward the floor............Not nice!!!! So after my loan is paid off for the band I am going to the cosmentic surgeon to pull the girls back in place and take the extra skin off my tummy. Nip and tuck here I come. I can't wait until my 40th birthday because I am going to look like I was at 25 again..........I am pushing towards that anyway!!!!!!!!!!! Work it girl!!!!

I wanted to ask you guys if you feel a prick every once in awhile now that your loosing weight in your stomach area. I think it might be wear they stitched my band so it wouldn't slip. It feels like a prick feeling when I touch certain areas of my stomach or sit a certain way. Does anyone else have this sensation?

I swear I can't get the weight off and it has been up and down the same three pounds for about 5 weeks now. I guess I need a fill. I don't know what else to do. I stick to the 1200 calories a day and exercise. I even when to go see a nutrionist and she said what I am eating is fine. My body is as stuburn as my head I guess. I wish I could give my metabilsm a kick in the butt......seriously. I am trying. I am at least 25 pounds less thank I was before Christmas so I am just trying to be positive. I am going to get a fill in April but have to drive far.

My husband is a big soda drinker and sometimes that is all I have to drip so I just take a taste, a couple of sips of it. I never have been a soda drinker so I don't miss soda. I just know that it feels weird because of the carbination in feels like its going to come back up. I know soda is bad on your intestines anyway so we are all better off with the H2O and lots of it. I have not had a good weight loss week but still trying to take it one day at a time. I am working on being patient and still trying to break my old bad habits of chips and extra snacks that are not good for my body. I got the overeater book off Amazon called Today which has daily inspirational insight. I try to read it when I am feeling like I could use a bag of doritos right now and it helps put me back into perspective of the weight loss journey and keeping the weight off for the rest of my life. I am only 35 years old so I still have a long life to live. Lets promise that today is a good day and tomorrow will be even better. Support is key and internal peace is a big challenge. Have a great weekend my Bandster buddies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh Tom you are halarious. A thong on farm boy you must send us pictures!! The goats are going to just love that. Make sure you wear the sunscreen!!! I would love some ideas on how to cook the meat so that is goes down okay. It is hard for me to find a way to get it so it doesn't get stuck. I am noticing I am using a lot of ranch dressing and tarter sauce which is really high in calorie. You guys have great suggestions!!! Thanks for everyone's support.

I do not measure but my cloths do feel looser. Is that more encouraging when you measure than just getting a read on the scale? I will have to try that. I will get a sewing measuring tape today. Since I am journaling my food I guess I should journal the inches too. Thanks for the advice.

Marni, I am feeling the EXACT same way you are!!!! It is nice to know there are others out there. I am trying soooo hard to get down under 220. The past 5 weeks I have gone down to 223 then back up and down from 223 - 227. Right now at 227. :hungry: I feel very hungry and have had one fill but it was so tight at first it scared me because I could barely get liquids down. So I am afraid to get get another one for awhile. Even after all of that drama I still haven't lost much. I am going to take Angela's advice on going up in calories for a couple of days then back down and see if that kick starts it back into loosing again. I was also given the advice to only do low impact exercise instead of any weight lifting to tone. That will also kick the metabilism into gear too. I know how you feel because I was starting to feel like God has punished me with this weight problem for something I have done. Here I went threw an extreme thing to loose weight and my body is not cooperating with the weight loss and I feel I am practically starving. Why.......me.....is the way I feel. I am trying to be positive and patient but every morning when I get on the scale I want to scream instead of smile. I am right there with ya girl!!!! We can tackle this darn extra weight and beat it to a pulp!!! I don't know what I would do with out this support from the Nov bandsters. Thanks everyone!!!!!:clap2:

I ate chinese food my husband brought home with sauce on it hoping that would make it slimmy enough to go down and ohhhhhh boy was I in pain for about 30 min. I had to get it all up too. This Process of elimination gets so frustrating sometimes. But it is what we signed up for to be restriced to eat everything we get our hands on. I had a bad time at lunch today by eating too fast. I am going to liquids for dinner. Congrat's to you tweety to getting to Onederland!!! I hope to be there in the next couple of months!!!! Have a great week everyone.

Thats great BetsyJane...............what a blessing!!!! Something to help keep you motivated to be healthy. That is great news!!!! Go out and celebrate by going dancing tonight!!!! Get your groove on girl!!!:girl_hug:

mistyarmenti, I know exactly what you mean when you say sober. I am realizing how food......eating has filled a problem that I have with myself. Now that I cannot have food like before I am realizing....opening my eyes to the bigger problem which is my low self esteem issue. I have always thought well its because I am overweight that I hate myself. Now I am shinking and still don't like what I see in the mirror. I want to be happy with me....inside and out. I am going to check into going to overeaters annonymous to get support with being happy with myself. It really controls your mood in everything when you don't like yourself and the way you look. Yes I am from Southern Calif. where it is the land of the models but I am from a really overweight family so all of this is part of what I grew up with. How being overweight really effects the way you are and the way your think about yourself. Even at my thinest I still didn't like what I saw in the mirror and looking back would love to be that size again. Try to find a support group in your area. My brother had bypass and I didn't understand why he was pushing me so much until now of getting a support group to join. He started drinking alcohol to fill the food issue and is now in AA but went from 400 down to 200. He is happy with the weight loss but it opened a whole other can of worms for him and almost lost his marriage. Now I get it and understand because the food is a no no. Good luck

Hi Karen, I live really close to the beach in beautiful Huntington Beach, Orange County. I am not a beach bunnie since I am as white as snow and do not want to be seen in a bathing suit. I just love to look out at the ocean and hear the waves crash. Nothing more beautiful than watching the sun set at the beach. I have lived here all my life and could not amagine living in snow. Having to wear more than just a sweater in the winter. It has been pretty cold this winter. I trip out if it goes in the 40's which it has a lot this winter. We should meet up some time. At the beach and go for a nice long walk.:cheer2: :cheer2:

I agree. My husband is trying to be patient when I get into the special order at restaurants. I ask questions like does it have a lot of juice......is it soft? He gives me the look like "oh my god". I just tell him listen I don't want to waist my money on something on can't eat. I give up trying to eat anything solid anymore. I just go for the soup to be on the safe side and if it is solid stuff in it well then I sip the juice and crush up crackers in it. I am a cheap date now. I ask for a side of this and a side of that to use as my lubricant. My kids think that the way I eat is gross but at least I am not sitting there with my eyes popping out which does happen and will still happen but trying to not be in pain and enjoy my meal. It is hard to know what is going to stick. I am in Orange County which will be in the 80's today. I love living in Souther Calif this time of year. That is why we get the snow birds. Have a great day you guys.

PS Angela........I hope I look as good at 49 as you do. Thanks for the tip. I got a referal from my Dr. yesterday to go see a nutritionist threw my insurance. I am hoping they help me to kick start the weight loss again. When I first had the surgery getting off of carbs really made my weight drop quick but now it is used to not getting carbs and is at a platue. I know Patients...............I am trying!!!! One day at a time. One meal at a time........One workout at a time!!!!! Have a great V-day!!!!

Wow Angela, I just checked out your my space and it is soooo cool. I loved the slide show and the dolphin page. You are so lucky you have lost so much so fast. I can't get down past 30 pounds. I am happy that I have lost weight but I keep going up and down threw the 220's. I already had a fill and it was real tight for awhile so I don't want to go get another for awhile. What do you suggest? I am exercising a lot and I have lost a lot in my thighs and my waist is starting to slim down. I just want to get to Onederland so bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:think

I just love reading all of your comments. It is like a bandster reality show!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for everyone being so honest about what you are going threw and all of the advice. It helps out so much to not feel like the only one going threw this total change in our life. Thanks again and I am a lapbandtalk addict.....a good addiction for once!!!:clap2:

Where do you go to find a support group like overeating annoymous? I would like to find a support group in my area to help me deal with the emotional issues I have with food. I am from a very overweight family and was always the smallest but in the last 5 years have gained 75 pounds. I know the band is not the answer to my weight problem but a tool. I need to work on that voice in my head....so to speak.....of the low self asteem that I have now with food. It is the enemy to me. It is an obsession that has taken over me that I have gained weight because I have failed myself. Which is true in a way but I am really hard on myself because I had told myself all my life I wasn't going to be fat like my family. I wasn't going to let myself be in the plus size category..........but here I am. Now I have to work on looking forward instead of backwards. Do you guys feel this way too? I am just trying to be a better me and a support group will help me a lot. Thanks

Thanks for the advice Angela. Since you are a natual health nut what do you get most of your protien from. I can't seem to get chix down and tried to have soft pot roast last night and no go. Is just getting protien from powder protein mix enough? What foods do you suggest? I am having a hard time figuring the food out since it is hard to get anything down. It seems like one day I can get something down then I try to eat it again the next day and it gets stuck??? IT is a crap shoot anymore. I know having hot liquids before does help open it up.

Thanks Betsy.....You are so sweet!!! Yes I have to remember the long haul part. I want people that haven't seen me in awhile to go WOW you have lost a lot of weight.........But that hasn't happened yet. I am still in the honeymoon stage and need to just take it one day at a time. I am going to the vitamin store this weekend to get more suppliments. I have felt way too tired lately so I need more nutrients to get the energy back. :faint: Thanks for all of your advise.....I will keep on trucken and getter DONE!!!:heh:

Tom, You are a plethera of information!!!! You should go back to school to be a DR. I seriously do not count calories I just try to get full and that is it. I was thinking this morning of making a diary of my food eat day and the amount. I will start trying to count calories and protein to see if it makes a difference. So 1250 calories a day and how much protein? I guess there are carb's in potatoes so I am getting carbs from that. I just don't eat any bread anymore or chips or pretzels like I used too. Thanks for the info and I am going to start my diary today.

I have a question for you guys. I had my fill and was really tight so I lost about 5 pounds in two weeks. Then I started feeling a little looser so was able to get a little more food in my system but then gained 3 pounds back. I am now teadering between 227 and 223 for the last couple of weeks. I am not eating much and no carbs and exercising a lot. I was told maybe I am not getting enough protein which will make me not loose weight. I really want to get down to the 100's again and am feeling very discouraged. What do you guys suggest I concentrate on for the next couple of weeks to help get down again. I am only three months into this so need to work on patients but the scale is frustrating me right now!!! What would you guys suggest I eat to kick my body in weight loss again? Thanks and Happy Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know what you mean Tom. Darn exercise..............if we just get rid of the cars and go back to walking and riding horses then we wouldn't have to go threw the workout hell. I sit on my butt all day at my desk which doesn't help either. I agree with the torture chamber!!!! That was funny. Have fun with your fence. Soon you will have the energy to chase the goats around for exercise. Gotta make it fun somehow. Have a good weekend full of fun and exercise.........Well at least Fun!!!

It is slobber. It is a thick substance that helps your food go down but in our case sits on top of the band and collects the slobber mixed with food..................Yummy. I think that is why if you do hot liquid before the meal it will break/water down the slobber to not be so thick.

Brooksie, I know exactly what you are talking about. I PB'ed last night after trying to chew some chix with sauce on it and after about 5 bites I was in major pain. So I waited about 10 min and couldn't take the pain anymore so I made myself get rid of it and it was like a thick long goowy plug. I felt fine once I got that out. I know if does sound gross but having a band you know exactly what I am talking about. I sometimes can eat something and the next week have it again and forget it....It just gets stuck. What I am starting to notice is if I start my meal with something hot like watery soup that will loosen me up to get some solids down. I had some fish the other day at Co Co's and it came with soup so I sipped the soup before the fish and the fish went down fine. I then took the fish home for dinner and heated it up in the micro and tried to eat it with watery tarter sauce and it got stuck. So starting the meal off with hot liquids makes it easier. I am going to have to make some broth to sip or even some hot tea before I eat a meal. What I did right after my first fill was go to the vitamin store and get powder suppliment or they have them in liquids and put it in a cup of juice and sip it for an hour. It really helps put nutrients in your body and you will feel more energy in a couple of hours. I really wanted to chew something after a couple of weeks so I just gradually started sampling different things. Mostly from the Chinese restaruant because they cook everything really soft. I hope this helps!!

Go to tickerfactory.com and Use the weight loss scale and copy and paste it onto your signature. You can add anything you want to your signature. Darn Scales.............:angry