Positive people unite! This thread is being created for the sole use of positive people to give positive reinforcement to others in the group that we care about. We know that we may disagree on some issues but we will offer constructive criticism, objective suggestions, we will always give kind support even when delivering the occasional (but necessary) kick in the pants.

OOOOoooooooo! "weight-loss odyssey" .......LOL :thumbup:

Hello everyone, Happy friday!!! Im going for a 2nd. fill today, boy I need it. I have NO restriction, so I hope I do after today!!

Thinking of Betsy & Mark and hoping all is well. We will keep you in our prayers...... Have a Blessed Easter everyone and a super weekend.........:thumbup:

Hello, all,

What a beautiful spring day we are having here! Ihad a great walk today with my little dog.

Hope everyone has a great Easter, or Sunday, as the case may be.

My Dr. appt. went well. He is very happy about my weightloss so far. There is a questionaire I fill out when I get there and I am very honest with my responses. One of the questions is, are you exercising? What type? how often? ....... I marked NO, and wrote not enough to count under how often. The Dr. was surprised at my weightloss with no exercise. He said the people who lose that kind of weight are the ones who exercise all the time. He asked what I attribute my success to ......

I almost said it ...... almost (the magic wand thing), but I didn't. I had to laugh to myself a little because lastnight my husband and I were joking around about that very question ...... I told him if the Doc asked what type of exercise I was doing I was going to tell him sex....lots of sex. I just told him it is just eating less food and that I am more active when the weather gets warmer .... take walks more.

I told him I think I might need a little fill because I was getting hungry between meals this week. He put a little bit in and had me drink water. The water felt like it was backing up a little, so he took some out, then I drank more water, same feeling......... I ended up with the teeny tiny fill of .1 (yes that is point one) LOL, not worth the price of the supplies ..... that's ok, the fills are only $15 and we wouldn't have known if he didn't try it. I can live with that for a bit. He said some people are very sensitive to the tiny fills and I will feel the difference. He sounded surprised because I only had 2 fills and the 2nd one has lasted so long. He is pretty sure I will take off 100 lbs in 1 year. I just hope this plateau will stop in the next few days.

Hey Humming Bird,

My surgeon says that as we get more fill it takes less to make a difference. He draws a picture with a curve to explain it all.

But it makes sense, just like with a belt on your pants. When it is very loose, you can take it in several holes, when tight, you really have to pull to bring it in even half way between two holes.

So, you might be surprised what that 0.1cc will do for you!!

Here's hoping it busts that plateau wide open!!

Hey!! My appt. today went well. I lost 8 pounds since my march 3 appt. Got my second fill today, went from 3.7cc to 6.5cc !!! Doc said wow, you need a fill, looking under floro, so I guess I really didnt have any restriction....... Will see how it goes, I have not ate anything solid yet so...... I sure hope I'm on my way now, or one more fill in a month or 6 weeks and 3 is the charm????? Have a super night friends.......Laura:thumbup:

Hey, I'm proud of me and this site! I went to my nutritionist yesterday, and he said I was the best prepared of any client in his years of practice! Even told him a thing or two...And guess where I got most of my information! So, the moral of the story is that my waiting period is a good thing, even though the only way I have cheated is too many almonds and my weight hasn't budged.

Thanks to all of you for your information and experience!

That's great Anne! I too have found this site very helpful. I didn't know about it pre-op, but the info I have learned about little details has eased my mind so many times. Of course there is some bad info too ....like the silly "self fill" stuff, but all you have to do is use your head. I think you are doing great by getting prepared while you wait. Before you know it your day will be here and you will be waiting for your first stuck or PB !

Laura, I'm glad you got a good sized fill if you had no restriction at all. Please go slow with the liquids for a couple days and work your way toward the more solid stuff. You may have some swelling with a big fill like that. I hope it does the trick for you!

I hope my tiny fill did it for me too. My scale is my friend again this morning. I'm down a pound!

Thanks, everyone, for the good thoughts and prayers. Mark’s hanging in--he feels awful, but isn’t really admitting it (most of the time). He’s been home a lot this past week, rather than at the office; this is largely driven by how he’s felt, though he’s couched it in getting-ready-for-holiday terms. He hates being sick!

It’s been a good week otherwise, though--both kids are home from school, and it’s been nice. We’ve had great weather (well, except for this morning’s rain), and everyone’s been in good spirits. (Read that: the offspring have not spent the week at each other’s throats.)

Bobbie! I love your picture--it’s great to have a face to go with your name!

I have the opposite problem that you do. Veggies are no problem. It’s protein that’s giving me trouble since my last fill. Well, chicken. I think I may finally have to bid chicken breast adieu. (Dark meat’s not much better.) Still, no sweet spot quite yet, I don’t think….this is going to be like a tight wire walk, isn’t it?

Elfie….oh, Elfie. Snakes. <shudder> My sympathies. I love good compost…but I don’t think I could endure a snake farm---even if it was cute little garter snakes. Seriously---you should see my face right now. HORROR!

Illuminationlady--Welcome back! I’m glad you had a great trip, despite the untimely demise of your laptop. Tell Becky we’re all thinking of her as she recovers--what a good example she has in you.

Denise--you look fabulous! I love seeing the transformation in your pictures.

Jacki- You are adorable even in your “before“ picture!

I wish I could find good “before” pics. I know there are a handful out there….but laying hands on them would require asking my in-laws--who take enormous delight in catching the most unflattering photos of everyone for their own private arsenal---for them. Oh, well. I have my huge fat pants as evidence, if nothing else.

Speaking of pants, I broke down and bought new jeans yesterday, primarily because the ones I’d been wearing fell off. I tried on 2 pairs, a 16W and an 18 (regular). Both fit. I surprised myself for going for the larger number---because I JUST WANTED THAT DAMN “W” TO GO AWAY!

So, I have a “normal” size pair of jeans. And am now looking forward to a lifetime of buying clothes off the rack, easily, and HAPPILY. (I almost cried in the dressing room. I took them off. Put ‘em back on to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. And did it over and over.)

At my highest weight, I wore 24W. This is a BIG change, and really, very sudden---I did not lose weight this past week (I don’t think), but something changed!

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled programming…

Leigha--Yikes! That pollen! It’s bad here, too--I know this because my contacts seem to get glazed by it by noon every day. Blah! But it’s NOTHING like what you have!

Oh, fresh eggs! They are so, so good. I am looking for a local farm to get organic eggs and meat----we’re buying in to a CSA for veggies and herbs, too. The quality is so good.

The tulips are gorgeous--they are my favorite flower, and I wonder, every spring, just why it was that I forgot to put bulbs in in the fall. I have a feeling that THIS season, I will find myself with a great deal more energy to do things like that.

Hummingbird--My scale NEVER cooperates on doctor visit days! In my earlier life (you know, LBB: Life Before Band), this really threw me for a loop. Now it just…well, is.

How did your fill go? Are you feeling good?

Karen! 170 pounds---that’s AWESOME!!

Liz--Thanks for the Jillian info. I really like her. Something about her being a former fat girl really … I don’t know…it just makes me respect her more. I don’t always agree with her approach or rationale, but she gets really great results. One of these days, I am going to break down and get her Shred DVD.

Laura--Congrats on Fill #2--Wow! That was a BIG jump! How are you feeling?

Anne, I’m so glad you’re getting such awesome feedback from the nutritionist. You are going to knock their socks off, post-op. I really think that the wait (and preparation that goes along with it) paves the way to success.

I don't have to teach Sunday school in the morning, so I am (horridly) contemplating sleeping late rather than getting up for church. That would be really bad, wouldn't it? :bored:

Okay, enough blammer from me. Have a great day, everyone. I am hoping for the rain to end so that I can go for a walk and then play in the dirt. I am so eager to do my garden "spring cleaning."

Hello!!! I hope all is well with all of you!! Thanks for the comments and I am ok. I must say I have not ate anything yet....I guess Im kinda afraid, but time will tell.

Betsy: Hugs to you and Mark, I pray daily for your family .

Humming Bird: Im glad to get to know you and hope to get to know the rest of the bunch better!!!

Happy Easter to everyone and Im cooking so I have to get my ass in gear for tomorrow............Laura:w00t:

Hey Everyone!

Anyone seen Bob or JensGems lately?

Happy Saturday! I have a headache from heck today. Not the worst but blah. Threw a handful of meds down my throat. Is better, but yuck.

Not sure if migraine or sinus, maybe a mix of both. We have high pressure building behind a weather system that came through. That's always a bad thing for me.

Butters and I finally made it out for a walk the other day. As he'd had a longish break, much of his recent training had gone out the window. Poor guy. :bored: Bad mommy!

Checked my blood sugar this morning 95!! Woohoo!

We are going out to lunch today, and shopping for a new bathroom rug.

Anne--way to find the bright side to the lag in your approval! Keep learning. The more prepared you are, the better you will do post-op.

Betsy-I used to hate all pictures of me. Now I love all those old ugly ones, the uglier the better! Congrats on getting rid of the "wide" rating on your sizes! Woot woot!!

You are doing great, even with all the stresses in your life right now. Keep up the good work!

Hope everyone has a super great day!!!

Good Morning everyone! It's great to be back and reading everyone's posts. Becky continues to recover well. My oldest daughter is home for Easter. I really enjoy reading about your daily lives and progress. You are all doing so well! I thought about my trip and my weight loss. I actually gained 1.8 lbs. but have already taken it off. I ate crabcakes, ice cream, and drank Bloody Marys. Just pretty much had a great time and didn't worry about any dieting. When in the world have I ever been able to do that and not gain 10-15 lbs? The whole way back, on the road, I'm thinking, "Please God, make it so that I only gained a few lbs." But low and behold only 1.8 lbs. and it's already gone! I couldn't believe it. So, the band really does work. It did it's job and only a few stuck episodes. Just some thoughts I had about my trip and weightloss. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and weekend!! Love to all, Dottie

Hello to All ! :-)

It sounds like everyone is doing well, keeping on track, and lovin' life! :bored:

I may need an additional boot kick in the next week or so. Those of you on FB already read this, but for the rest of you, I lost my job on Wednesday... Actually, we ALL lost our jobs. Some of us on Wed, some in 2 weeks, some in 4, and the rest in 6 weeks. My company decided to close our branch down. I went to work on Wed morning, in a great mood. Then went to an all employee meeting at 1:30, and was escorted out by 2:30, It totally sucked ... Been there almost 3 years, fully vested, and full bennies. Now, no severance, no notice, no Medical Ins, no nuttin' !! I've been having MAJOR financial dificulties for the past 6 months or so. Hence, my depression has been out of control at times, and my diet has stalled, which contributes to my depression, which makes me eat crappy, which stalls my diet, etc...and round and round <you get the idea>

So, I need happy thoughts from you all that a job will come my way very soon. And I'll need more than just a stern talking to from you guys about my choices - I NEED THREATS OF BODILY HARM!!! lol

Ok, not really, but i could use an occasional pep talk, alright ???

You guys are the best! I just feel my day isn't complete until I check in and see how everyone else is doing :-) Good,Bad,Or Indifferent, We're all in this together!! We're like family <I'm the black sheep >

So... BAAAAAA BAAAAA ( talk to you all soon! )

Hey Everybody! Good Morning and Happy Easter! Man, it took me three days to read all the posts since the last time I was here... Haha.... Work keeps me busy and when I get home, the last thing I want to do is turn on my computer...

Glad to see everyone is doing well/persevering through losses and plateaus.. Loved Lizzys post about Plateaus from Jillian... Makes sense to me!

Bob, Sorry about the stuck... Aren't you glad you can really "relate" now... I was getting used to that be a daily way of life and then my Dr. Said "Oh Hell NO!" Haha...

After my last .5 Fill I was only keeping about 30% or less of my food down so when I saw the Dr. After 2 weeks he insisted to remove .25 no matter how much I begged him not too... Come on, I was HAPPY! I had lost 5 pounds in that two weeks! But he said this is not about being bulimic this is about proper eating habits... Boo... Its not like I was Spitting it all back up on purpose.... Well, it will be two weeks on Tuesday and I've actually lost 3 pounds as of this morning and thats with my TOM starting yesterday, so I might be down another pound or two... I go back on Tuesday.. Oh and let me add that when I went in for the dreaded unfill, I wore a cute dress with boots, (Was on my way to work afterwards), and all the nurses were whistling and commenting on how great I looked... I was wondering if they do that to everyone who loses a few pounds here and there just to make them feel good becasue man, I felt like a million bucks, so if thats a plan to make you feel good about your decision, it worked.....

Sorry for not posting individually to everyone but I forgot whose done what by now... Betsy, Praying for you and Mark that they can help him somehow... Illuminnlady, Congratulations to your daughter (Hope I got the right person... Haha... I told you I forgot whose done what), hope she is successful.... Cocoa Good job on controlling the blood sugar... Leigha Hope your Allergies pass quickly so you can enjoy the beauty of the warm weather, Juliansmom Congrats on hitting the goal for the Easter Challenge... According to my weigh in, I have fallen short however, yesterday my TOM started so I may weigh in next weekend for a more accurate count...