The Gone for Good Club

[Dianechef 3]

Hey Everyone!! My name is Diane & I am originally from a small town in AZ. I moved to the city & met my husband 12 years ago. (We ACTUALLY met in person...ha!) We have 3 children 10, 8 & 2 yr. old. I graduated from BYU-Hawaii with a degree in Music & have been a piano teacher for over 20 yrs. I recently retired from the Pampered Chef where I was a Senior Sales Director for over 9 yrs. (In case you're wondering why I still have a website address below, it's because I ONLY sell over the web!) So, back to the story...

I weighed 170 on my wedding day & truly THOUGHT I was fat!! After my first child, I gained 50 lbs. I gained more with each one & at my highest was 258 lbs. I was tired all the time. I was wearing a size 24 jeans & was a terrible mother. We ate fast food & I was becoming a major couch potato. My breaking point was when when my husband started his own business & we were looking for individual Health Insurance. I was devastated when I was denied insurance because "my build exceeded the limitations." We searched around & NO INSURANCE company would take me until I weighed below 208. I was very emberassed & humilitated that I had let myself get that fat!! So, I scheduled to have Lapband surgery & haven't looked back since. My surgery was July '05 & to date I have lost 50 lbs. (yeah me!!!)

I am thrilled to be a part of this group & to be held accountable each week. By the way, I have a confession. :rolleyes Girl Scout Cookies came out yesterday & I ate.....um......ALOT!! (Too many to count!) Somebody needs to really kick my butt over this one. The Cookies are now LOCKED away & I am giving them to the skinny neighbors next door.

It's great to get to know everyone!! Good luck to everyone!! May we all be BIG LOSERS!!!! :clap2:

[Refound_Hope 0]

I want in! I want in!

Ok My Name is chelsie. I am 21 years old. I have been married for 2 years last november and have a wonderful and supportive husband. I am a cosmetologist in logan utah and I love my job. The only hard thing with it is that I am "over weight" and that is not the trend these days. hahahaha. I love my band and I have been banded since jan 9th and am loving it. I have lost about 12 lbs. I am learning slowly. So I am greatful for this challenge so I can really get my butt in gear and loose some more. I hope to be down about 50 lbs by june...family reunion pics ya know. I am the only bigger person in my family. My dads side of the family are typically more heavy set people and I got the gene from them. I was actually fairly skinny for most of my life until my junior year of highschool when my mom past away and then the emotional eating started. I ate healthy at home for the most part but when I went to school I would go out to wendys and get the soda pop and biggie size the meal. Then I started stopping on the way home from school too. So you can see the trend. I have been on tons of diets since then and have lost weight only to gain back what I had lost plus about 10 each time.:help: So now here I am at 238 trying to undo all of the damage. But now with the help of the lap band I feel like I can do it. It might be slow in coming but atleast its coming off. I have to say that I am so thankful for this board and the people on it. I have been kind of lurking lately. I go in spurts. But I love lbt and will continue to come and read and contribute more. Thanks to everyone...Good Luck with your weightloss!:clap2:

[Jill_S 1]

Girl Scout Cookies came out yesterday & I ate.....um......ALOT!!

I ordered 2 boxes (mostly to be nice, but my goodness - THIN MINTS!), and they're still sitting in the bag on my desk. Eventually, I have to take them home and then no telling what they'll do.... well, they won't do much if I stash them in the back of the freezer! They'll be too cold to taunt me. Right??? RIGHT????!!!!

[Gloria37 0]

Hello everyone, my name is Gloria and I am 31 years old. I have been overweight since I was 9 or 10. Unfortunately, I had a major stroke when I was 30 due to a hole in my heart (PFO), being overweight and I was on the pill...they all had something to do with the stroke. I have no use of my right arm and I have to wear a brace to walk outside. But on the happier side I'm also engaged to the most wonderful guy who I met at work in 2001. He moved in just five months prior to my stoke and he stayed with me even though I'm disabled. I tried to go back to work in August of 2005 and I made it until October 2005 but I couldn't do it. Being overweight, and no functional use of my right arm it wasn't possible. So I'm currently going to occupational therapy and basically staying home.

I tried all diets...but in August of 2005 I decided to go to NYU to attend a seminar for the lap band. Once I saw the seminar I decided to go ahead and have it done. I had to go through a whole process...then my insurance gave me a problem. I was scheduled to get the lap band in November and it was delayed until February. So on February 6th 2006, I finally got the surgery. I'm so glad I did it because so far I've lost 25 lbs. as of this morning. I keep going up and down with the same pound!

Anyway, I hope to get motivation from all of you and I hope to give you guys motivation! This site has helped me a lot!

310/285 (-25)

[dawg 0]

Hello... My name is Marlin and I'm a clown fish.... wait.. crap... lets try that again...

Okay, I'm Paul (Man I dislike my name), I'm.... 33?? yeah.. 33. I'm married to P'Nut and she tolerates my insanity which proves we were made for each other.

I was fat when my Ma produced me, and I pretty much managed to stay that way until present day.

Okay a mini-bio.

Born in the UK. Lived in an itty bitty town on the south coast of England (Gosport, Hampshire). I was stolen away from the UK by P'Nut who figured she couldn't get the English Paul she wanted (that's McCartney) so I'd do.

I've worked many trades, starting out in Pharmaceutical Biology, then food Chemistry, then food Biology (EAW), Military Administration and now... I lead a bunch of wacky engineers testing software and hardware for functionality and localization.

As P'Nut mentioned. 2 Kids, 1 grandkid. All splendid. Our animals are about as odd as we are. We have Abby (a.k.a The Auld Bitch) who is the most wonderful loving cat who will at any moment bite you. We also have Sprout (formerly known as Hobbs, Formerly known as Princess - he really wasn't fond of his first name). He takes on the typical sanity level of the household - his current trick is burrying his face underwater in his bowl, and miaowing loudly.

That about wraps it up (for now)!

Well... of course there is this:

307 / 265 (-42.0)

[HeatherGurl 0]

P'Nut and Dawg~

I just realized that you both started at 307??? and have both lost 42lbs? I am ready that correctly?

[PhotoNut 7]

P'Nut and Dawg~

I just realized that you both started at 307??? and have both lost 42lbs? I am ready that correctly?

Yup, you are reading it right. When I reached the weight of my 6'4" man, I said that was enough. And yup, we fluctuate a half a pound here and there from each other, but we have (oddly enough) lost at just about the same rate. Which is cool, because before when we've tried to diet together, he passed me by and I'd get SO jealous! LOL

By the way, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's intros. How awesome it is to -- Cookies? NO Cookies FOR YOU! -- get to know you all! We are going to have so much fun together -- STEP AWAY FROM THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!! -- and I'm sure we will achieve so much as a group who -- SAY NO TO GIRL SCOUT COOKIES -- stands by each other through the hard times and the good ones too! Love you guys!

[dawg 0]

P'Nut and Dawg~

I just realized that you both started at 307??? and have both lost 42lbs? I am ready that correctly?

Yea and verily, two shall come and their weight shall be the same, they shall thinketh alike, two as one. Thou shouldst not fear them, for they are harbingers of weight loss.

:)

Erm... whatever the hell that meant...

Yes Heather, same weight at the present moment and initial weight. Mine is 'sort' of a bit vague. I didn't weigh consistantly but I did start out at 307.

So yep, we both started at 307, we both now weigh 265. We will drift apart soon, I promise :Banane40:

If not, and I get down to 130 pounds - I'll be one skinny bastard.

[Poster child 0]

Hi everyone! I am happy to be a part of this group. I live in Columbia SC and have been overweight most of my adult life. I am a typical yo-yo dieter. I have gone through all the diets, Nutrisystem, Physicians Weightloss, Weight Watchers, etc only to gain back the weight and then some. My highest weight is now, 258 lbs. I can't imagine I am saying that publically, but I don't think anyone would believe I weigh 120! I am going for my pre-op appoitnment 3/8/06 and I am planning on having my surgery 5/8/06. I will be self-pay and feel the amount I do pay is worth getting my life back. Thanks for inspiration and great posts! My goal weight is 130 lbs.

So:

258/130

[Morsaille 4]

Hey Everyone ~

My name is Brenda, I live in WA just outside of Seattle with my Husband of two years who I met in a National Service program 11 years ago in Denver (at 170#), and my two year old daughter, Soren who is my joy, my heart, and my legacy.

I have gained weight steadily since being placed on my first "diet" at eight years old, my dear old dad thought he knew best... I was not overweight at the time and I hope that my genes lean toward thinness for Soren's sake. I weighed 265# my Senior year of High School.

Before our daughter, I was a Mental Health Counselor with the county and a volunteer National Responder with the Red Cross completing twelve assorted floods, fires, tornado/hailstorms, and air-crashes (9/11).

Now, I look forward to starting the garden later this month.

The digits:

S~ 312

J~ 287

G~ 180

[Bell 0]

Ok, my name is Bell... I am almost 62 yrs old, married to my DH for 34 yrs, with 2 grown sons, and 4 of the most beautiful grandchildren in the world. (..frozen thin mints are the greatet...) I live in the Far NW, which most think of as North Wet. I have been banded for a few days past 7 months. I started at 300 lbs the week before surgery, which was on July 22, 05. As of today, I am at 223, which I have been stuck at for about 3 weeks. I have good restriction, at 3.8cc in my 4cc band. I have yet to PB, but have slimed 2/3 times, and always on Peanut Butter, but WILL NOT give it up!! My goal now is to lose these 23 lbs by my anniversary date in July, so I will have lost 100lbs, and would love to be in Onederland. Have not been there in about 25 yrs.

[Morsaille 4]

Oooh, and Dawg. It is aways wonderful to see someone who knows and can recite the 'Man's Prayer'

[Criss Kellogg 0]

Hello Gone for Good Club friends! My name is Criss and I am 45 years old. My husband and I have been married for almost 19 years, and we have 2 boys ages 17 and 8. (It took us that long to get over the first one before we thought about having another one), No seriously, I was dx with PCOS 18 years ago, and then not many docs even knew too much about it. I have been heavy since about age 12, and that is a good part of the reason. There were times when I was able to loose some weight, I think the most was about 35 pounds, and then it would come back, you all know that story.

I had been investigating WLS for about 2 years, when I decided to have the Band. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I had my surgery on December 1, 2005 and I have lost 30 pounds to date. I joined an exercise club and I attend Water aerobics class 3 times a week. TOday, I started my one mile walking tape and will do that the days I don't go to the club and work out (at least 2 times per week). I live in Michigan, and it's still cold and nasty here, but when the spring comes, watch out, then I'm outside doing anything and everything.

I am a social worker and manage 2 Alzheimer's Units at the Assisted Living Community I work for. My husband is a Financial Analyst. My oldest son Ian, is a musician and graduates from High school on June 10th and so I am already beginning to plan a party. If any one has any great tips about a graduation party, I'm all ears. My youngest son Trevor, is a student and all around great kid.

Enough about me tonight. Nice to meet you all. Here are my stats:

H- 245

s- 241

c- 211

G- 175

(-30):clap2:

[Kim_8 2]

Hi Guys!

My name is Kim and I'm from Keller, TX in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. I've been married to my husband, Steve, for 16 years. We have two daughters - Samantha (15) and Chelsea (13) who are responsible for the onslaught of gray hair lately. I do business analysis / systems implementation work.

Weight? Well, like most of you, I've been on every kind out diet out there and managed to lose and then gain back plus a few each time. I eventually made my way up to 235 lbs or so (all time high). I lost down to about 185 and swore I'd never gain it back.... but alas.... I had made it back to 218 when a friend of the family had lap band surgery and talked to me about it. I decided to do this thing and tried to get my dad and sister to join me, but for now I'm the lone ranger. Hoping they'll watch me and follow!

So here I am - banded for almost two months now and really pretty happy so far! I am back under 200 AND I now weigh less than my husband by 12 lbs - that hasn't happened in 15 years!

I have never in my life felt "thin". I haven't worn a normal size clothing since my 2nd child was born (and even then it was for about 2 months after she was born). I look forward to these things! Weight is a pisser - it makes me too embarrassed to do things I think I would find to be great fun! It zaps self confidence that could make my life so much more enjoyable.

I look forward to this journey with great optimism and I've enjoyed being a part of this board. Great stories and support here - thanks guys.

By the way - I've been stuck at the same weight now for 5 days. Hopefully this is the kickstart I need!

3/1/2006: 218 / 192 (-26)

[PhotoNut 7]

Hey everyone.. if you have posted an intro and still don't have any numbers by your name on the first page, it's probably because you didn't provide them in your intro post. If you want your numbers to appear by your name, please post again or PM me with the weights you want listed by your name.

Thanks!

This is SO cool! I'm loving reading everyone's info. *hugs each of you*