bandiva

Ohhh....the extra boobs...I know what that is like! Also...how about being able to wear those cute bra and panty sets and only paying $14.99 for them. My biggest thing right now I look forward to managing stress in a healthy way...not temporarily, but as a lifestyle. Also, I work in the beauty industry, and I am blessed because I look young naturally, but it would be a great advertisement to have the 'whole package'. (I could be the hot old chick!)

Well everyone, I have some bad news. Yesterday, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It took her by suprise (we were told Thursday that all tests came back clear) and so she didn't ask many questions. I am trying to just be positive and hope they caught it early, but to be honest, I have a bad gut feeling about this. My mom has always been healthy and so I hope she can fight this. She is 78, and a high strung person, so right now her biggest enemy is stress. I have her convinced to take some anti-anxiety meds to help her through the next couple weeks at least. (I am going to pop a few myself). Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I was going to go for a walk when I found out, and I went to DQ instead. I need to learn healthier ways to deal with stress, hopefully working iwth a trainer will help that. I am very fortunate to have you all, a supportive husband and kids, and my clients at work are terrific. I was thinking last night about how I would normally handle this...shut down, shut people out, control everything that I could and suffocate the pain with food. I don't want to go there this time, so I am going to reach out to others and try to be as physically and mentally healthy as I can. Thanks for listening. xoxo Everything is going to be OK. I just don't want her to suffer. Hope you are all doing well on your journey! It is amazing how fast time goes by! Victoria.

Hi Everyone! I have been lurking around, just kind of quiet lately. Been having some problems with my sugar addiction lately, but today is a new day! I know I need to start exercising to get feeling better etc. so I hired a trainer 3 days per week. I think it will give me the kick in the pants that I need. She is also trained in nutrition and will help me that way. Thanks for all your support everyone. BTW, my second fill kicked in 11 days later...it was like the gates of hell slammed shut. Couldn't even keep icecream down (but I lived through it!) Time to be serious. I think I have a mental block about 50 lbs....too bad, I am breaking through. NSV...I am off all meds! Yippee!

Thanks Dame J. Another question I have, I had a fill March 18th...got another .5 in my band. I feel no difference. I can still eat anything, and have not lost anything. Have only pb.d once, one a piece of ham. Grrr. They said I can come back down and be topped up, but that get's expensive. Has this happened to anyone else? Maybe I should quit depending on the band so much, and insert a little exercise and will power.:help:

Congtrats Mandi, wow! The 170's...you are an inspiration and really deserve the success you have had! You will be zoom zooming in no time, you are a woman who gets what she wants! Congrats.

Hi Everyone. I have been out of town for a while so I haven't been posting. (I was at my sisters and her internet isn't hooked up yet. I haven't been doing very well. Havent gained but havent lost. I have been eating a lot of sweets, which is my main addiction. I also have not been exercising. I have lost 45 pounds, so I will be a week or two overdue meeting my goal of 50 lbs by the end of March. As long as I make it, I guess that is all that matters. I find it really encouraging to read about you all and your daily activities, it is really supportive for me. I MUST get serious about the exercise. I have weaned myself off of the anti depressant that I have been taking for years, so I need the positive effects of exercise. Today is a new day, so I can start all over. Chocolate easter bunnies are safe for another day. My biggest issue seems to be poor time management. I work too much, come home, eat garbage, and go directly to bed. I am working on that, but I will not master it until I make a schedule and stick to it. Congrats everyone, you are doing so well! Take Care and keep on doing what you are doing cause it is working great for you! :clap2:

Hope you are doing well and recovering comfortably. You have done a great thing for yourself.

OK, so I have been thinking about the little misunderstanding over here. I think I was initially scared that I would lose the 'old timers' support, but now that i have thought about it, I can't see that happening because you have all been so great about embracing us newer people. Maybe (???) that is what some of Doddie's concern really is, becuase we all really need each other. Secondly, I think this is a positive thing. You all have your own language because you have known each other for so long. Sometimes I will be reading a thread and the topic changes back to something from another thread and so on an so on. I have to say, sometimes I don't have a freakin clue what you guys are talking about, I just play along!! I am glad you will have your own little place to catch up, and I am sure you will be visiting other threads as well. I will continue to read this one and throw in my 2 cents worth here and there, because you are all great mentors. Other than that, we can still chat on other threads. I hope no one else is offended, becuase I am sure that we can all agree that the 'oldtimers' have been great to all of us, and I feel confident that they will continue to be. Group hug everyone. xoxo:girl_hug: :kiss2: :mad: Let's just focus on the positive. It will all work out in the end.

Cloe, I am glad your daughter is moving home. Some of us just have to learn things the hard way and for ourselves...and sometimes more than once! I am happy your little chicken will be safe and sound in her nest. I know I sleep better when I have tucked in my little chickens. Now if I could just get them to do what I want!

Mandi, wow! You look so great. You are beautiful, and I agree, nice eyebrows. I am sorry about your grandma. I guess we all hope our families won't be touched by long term illness. I hope you and your family will be able to remember the special times. xox PS...I am soooo proud of you! Wow! That's all I can say about that!

It is a little weird, but we all do it. I even offer feeling it to other people, I think it is fascinating! It's like my little port baby or something!

Hi Lila, glad you are doing so well and staying warm as well! I am jealous of you and Greeen, I would really like to see the sun! Hopefully it will show up here (in Victoria) soon. Take Care and congrats!

Hi everyone. I am back from my fill. I got another .5. I can feel restriction already, but so far no neg side effects. I went to a clinic in Arlington, WA. They were really great and gave me tons of useful information. I am off to work now, but I will write more later.

You were wondering about fills...I just had a fill done in Arlington Washington (about an hour from the border). It was fantastic, and I paid $150. I will definately be returning there for my fills. PM me if you would like more info.

MaryS, where are you getting your fills? I went back to Dr. Ortiz for my first fill, but I am trying a fill centre in Washington for my second fill. (I live in Canada.)

You all are THE BEST. I really appreciate your support. I am (have always been) hard on myself. I need to work on that. I suspect we all do. Thanks again. Yoda...I know! I have caught myself a few times devouring food like a mad woman. I have resorted to eating high fibre cereal for breakfast with the most tiny spoon you have ever seen! It keeps me eating slow! I bought a new laptop today! I get it on Tuesday...they are just putting what I want on it! I am very excited, I will be able to hang out with you guys and not be in pain from my crazy set up I have now. I have been studying healing with crystals...guess what? I carry most of my pain in my stomach...now there is a shocker! I am learning techniques to relieve stress and heal the body through release both emotionally and physically. I will keep you posted when I actually know what I am talking about. Huge hugs to everyone. xoxox! Victoria.

I am down another pound, that is 4 pounds in 3 weeks. Not exactly breaking any records, but I have not been perfect in my eating and my exercise has been inconsistant. I really want to make my March goal, I am committed to doing more exercise and eating a healthier. I get a fill on Monday, so that should help. I love reading about each of you. Sorry I don't post very often, but I do skan through the posts as I eat my breakfast. Take care everyone!

Hope you are feeling better and have a speedy recovery!

I can eat bread, but I try to stick to high fiber bread. I can only eat about 3/4 of a piece. I load it with banana and peanut butter and call it breakfast! Any more than 3/4 piece and I am hurting. I also take about 1/2 hour to eat it. Not sure if it is worth it!

So, I booked a fill for Mon March 19th. I celebrated by eating lasagna. I have 8 more pounds to lose to reach my Marhc goal. I need to be serious about that instead of having it as a 'wish'. I booked my fill at a pharmacy in Arlington, WA that someone here I chat with on my Dr.'s site has used and highly recommends. It is without flouro. Apparently they do a lot of Dr. Ortiz' patients. I will try it once and then take it from there. I have been thinking about what makes me eat. I think two big things are stress and exaustion.(sp?) I get comforted and rewarded for a long days work by food. I want to change that thinking. I teach poeple how to manage stress all day, so I need to start taking the time to apply it to my life, and I need to find myself a new reward for whan I come home tired at the end of the day. I am open to suggestions!:help: It is so encouraging to spend time here and read about other peoples success. It helps me to 'believe'. Well, I am off to work...short day today (9 hours) so I hope to enjoy some sunlight. Take Care everyone and thanks for your support and kindness!

Yoda! You are so great! What an achievement! I can understand being emotional - just embrace it! Yippee~! There is hope for me too! Congrats.

What a great thread. So much useful information to help me decide if I need a fill! I DO! I got a fill Jan 18/07 of 2CC in my 4CC band. I was afraid to book another even though I had lost restriction. Now I am going to go for it! Thanks for all the great info, and congrats on your succcess!

Hi NN32! Sounds like you are on the right track! My exercise has been lacking as well, so now I am telling myself I only have to do 20 min, then if I do more that is great, but if not, I have met my goal. Welcome back!

Well, I finally got my butt on the treadmill Tues night. Did three miles and loved it. I went med-fast, and it was great. Yesterday I had a brownie, and today my scale un-stuck and I was finally down another pound. Hmmm....I wonder if I should have a brownie everyday to help me lose weight! I need a fill. Don't feel like going back to TJ right now so I am trying to arrange somthing near home. Found a Dr. in Olympia (Washington) that I will call today, as well, I am going to try dr. Amson here in Victoria again today. So far, they are not returning my calls. They gave me a lame story about how they don't want to fill me because they missed out on the money because I had my band in Mexico. They need to get over it, he has a 3-4 year waiting list, I would think my health should be the bigger concern...but at least I am not bitter :biggrin1: . I will keep hounding them though becuase I feel deserving of local health care. I am going to try to contact Dr. Leung in Surrey...just need to find his info. Doddie...in answer to your questions (thank you, by the way) I think I am just a little stressed out. I was having a few issues at work but I think I have dealt with about 75% of them. Sometimes (usually) it is not fun being the boss. Did some firing / hiring and it seems to be correcting things. Also, my mom found a lump which is probably nothing but you still worry (she is 78), and my sister is a new grandma and is having a few issues there. I am really hurting for her. It would all be so much better if I could just control everyone and everything! (I may have a few issues to deal with in this weight loss journey!) Thanks for your concern. Happy Days everyone! :confused:

Maybe you could print this thread and others like it, as well as the information on line regarding the clinic you are considering. Once he has done his research as well, he will be equipped to make an educated decision. If he is still concerned, maybe he can come with you to make sure everything is OK. I am sure he is so concerned because he loves you, but he also needs to trust that you know what is best for your health. My husband was worried as well, now he acts like the whole Mexico thing was his idea! lol. Best wishes!