:welcomeB:

This marks the official beginning of the May 2006 Band Crew for June. It will be great to keep up with those we've come to know and get to know those who were banded in May and just joining LBT. Everyone is welcome!!

Don't get left behind.....jump in and enjoy the ride!!

Drewslou! You look great! I can tell the difference in your face. Keep up the good work. I'm going to take my 2 month postop pictures on Thursday. I'll see if I can post them.

Also, you said your goal was to lose another 30 lbs by Sept. 13. My birthday is Sept. 13, so you can lose it for my birthday!!!! Oh, yeah, and of course for Dave Matthews.......:rolleyes I'll be happy to lose another 20 by then.

One cool thing I did today was ride a horse! I haven't ridden our horses in years and years because one -- it was very uncomfortable and two -- I always felt sorry for the horse that had to carry my big fat butt around. But today I fit in the saddle, I wasn't hanging out anywhere and I even trotted without falling off. It was really great. I still feel sorry for my old horse that has to haul my big fat butt around, but at least there is less of it than before!:biggrin1:

Awesome Justduckie! I haven't ridden a horse in years. They kinda scare me.... they are so huge they could just crush me like a bug!

So I have an idea.... let's try and lose my 30 and your 20 pounds by Septemeber 13 together! We can support each other and keep each other accountable! I really need that! What do you think??

Drewslou - You look great! I think I'll post some picks at my 2 months bandaversary around July 26!

I've now lost 18lbs since surgery, 30 lbs since beginning the liquid diet on May 12, and 37 lbs since giving up sodas in January!:clap2:

I'm trying to swim or walk every evening. I hope I keep losing at this rate for the next couple of months(but I expect it to slow drastically).

I'm eating soft solid foods now (tuna, chicken, soft/small chopped veggies, ground beef,etc.) and doing great!

I seem to be staying full for at least 4 hours after eating a small meal, so maybe I can go without a fill for a while!

So everyone.... what is your body's signal to stop eating? I tend to experience a slight pressure in my chest area, and then I'll burp. That's when I stop. For the first couple of weeks after surgery I got a pain in my left flank(back), but that seems to have gone away. I'm sooo happy with this band!

So how are your incisions looking? I have had to trim a few pieces of stitching material closer to the skin so that they will disentigrate. All but two of my scars are almost completely healed looking. My port scar is the best one, it was the quickest healing and smoothest.

Continued success everyone!

Hey Drewslou and Justduckie - Can I come along for the ride? My B-day is September 15 and I was thinking when I read Drew's post that 30 lbs might be a little optimistic for me but Justduckies 20 sounds just about right.

I go for my second fill today and hopefull I wil have better restriction and the losing won't be such a struggle. I just get so hungry at night. I have always been a pm eater and, if there is food around, it is really hard to resist.

Anyway, I really want to be able to ski with my son this winter and losing another 20 lbs by my B-day sould certainly move me along toward that goal. I used to ski at over 200 pounds so, as long as I can get close by December or January, I will brave the slopes.

I figure I need to lose about 10 pounds a month which is more than possible for me. It just helps to have friends on the same journey to share my victories and encourage me through the hard times.

Join in the fun Linda!! We can all work together!

I can't tell you how gratefull I am to see the information you are sharing. I got my first fill on the 12th. That afternoon, I had 3 sips of broth and thought I was dying. slime, PB, and blood! :omg: It seems that the manipulation to get to the port to do the fill caused aggitation. The next day, I stayed on yogurt and protien drinks. The third day, I was able to eat chicken and salad. All was right with the world!:nervous NaturalBeauty, you are right on and completely AWSOME :clap2: . Just like you said, MY BAND IS FICKLE TOO:devious ! Up until a moment ago, I thought there was something wrong with me. One day, I do fine and the next day with the same exact food, here comes the slime and PB.

I spoke to a group yesturday about fattism in America and thought to myself, if only others knew what we are going through. The despiration, changes, the complications, the hardships, and the successes.

I'm down 30 lbs from my pre-op weight of 246 (little upset that there was no loss this week). I'm with you DrewsLou et al., 18/20 is now baggy but not quite enough to go to 16. Can't wait!!!! I was a size 16 one day 17 years ago!

My goals to complete by September; go Horseback riding (can I come with y'all?!) and be enrolled in Ballroom Dancing!

Here is another item to think about. Even though we are just beginning this new type of road, since losing some weight, have you noticed more people around you are actually making eye contact with you and saying HI? I think I'm experiencing it. Or maybe it's just in my mind.:paranoid

I know what you mean Cinderella.... a guy actually FLIRTED with me yesterday! That hasn't happened in a long long time. My hubby was so happy for me, he loves my new self-confidence!

It's still June, so I have time to join the chat. It's been about 7 weeks since surgery. And since then, I have lost 17 lbs. During that time, I have had only two golf balls. I suppose I should have known better, but dang it! chicken salad and scrambled eggs were both on my doc's list of soft foods. Not for me apparently.

I have not had a fill yet. I am still losing, but have stalled at 17 lbs for the last 2 weeks. I'm hesitant to get a fill because I feel good. I'm losing weight and can eat anything I want. I'm worried about the PB's and sliming and such. If I'm still there in a couple of weeks, I'll go in.

I don't have to take baby bites, but I do chew really well. I can eat like before - only less. That is really hard, though, because I do feel like I could EAT IT ALL! That is what got me where I was in the first place. I literally have to say "I've had enough." My soft stops are pretty subtle - like just wondering if I had enough. And it is sooo hard to push the plate away when I know I could finish it in only 3-4 bites.

No one has said that they notice yet. Well, DH has, but that's his job. I mean other people. I keep waiting.

I have been pretty busy, and not posting too much, but I keep reading the May Bandster thread.

Yea! for us!!:clap2: :clap2:

Drewslou and LindaV -- yes! I will take up the challenge. Linda, your birthday is the same as my best friend from high school's. It's funny our birthdays are so close together.....just like our banding dates!

So tomorrow my gym should have the new scale....the old one got jumped on and kicked one time too many but not by me!!!..... so I will weigh and use it as my July 1st official weight. I'm sure it's higher than the old scale was -- I think the old scale was about 5 lbs light. That's why I liked it so much!:biggrin1: I don't go see my dr. till July 18th for another fill, so I won't do that official weigh in for a while. But 20 lbs in 10 weeks -- that's 2 lbs a week. Just what we should be doing so it's VERY doable.

Anyone else want to join the Mayster's Challenge?????

Drewslou,

Good going! I see the difference in the pics!

Let's see some more pics! I want to see your beautiful faces! :clap2:

3loves: Have you started solid foods yet? I start them on Monday! Never thought that I would say that I'm sick of soups and thinned mashed potatoes, but I am!

Please forgive me for not responding earlier. :wow2: 37 lbs?? I bet you are looking like some hot mama these days. :Banane56: You are such an inspiration!!! Yes, I started solid foods and was actually approved for solids a couple of weeks ago. I was just a chicken and wanted to go a bit longer on the mushies. I DO NOT want to experience an actual PB.....man, I'm such a baby. I've had ground sirloin, chicken breast, chicken salad, insides of a burrito supreme, peas, carrots, celery.....you get the picture. I think I am getting hungrier than b4 b/c I'm doing more walking and using up those extra calories. I am also at 18 lbs as of Sun. I am pleased as punch.

So everyone.... what is your body's signal to stop eating?

I simply feel full. No pressure, I just feel satisfied so I stop. Like I said, I'm a big chicken so I stop while I'm ahead and get a snack if I get hungry later.

So how are your incisions looking?

My port scar looks great too, but I do have one scar that has healed slower and I can see 3 stitches. I guess they came to the top like someone else experienced (I can't remember who or which thread I read that on).

christy668 and DrewsLou ~ You both look SUPER DUPER fantastic!! I just love seeing pics. I will post some when I get further along. I can't tell much difference at this point.

NaturalBeauty ~ Thank you for your words of wisdom. Like others have said, it's nice to hear from someone with the real "time experience" under their belt. I hope to see you post often. After all, you are a May Bandster and we LOVE the encouragement!!!

Cinderella ~ Bless your heart!! I'm so sorry you had to go through that awful experience. I hope you did call your doc since you had some blood. If nothing else, so they could document it. Glad to hear your doing better. Maybe I'll get on a horse too someday soon. I love all that power between my legs....give me a horse, motorcycle, or quad. I love to feel the power!!

I'll take the Mayster's Challenge. I'm with LindaV....20 lbs by Sept 13th. I don't have a fill yet and want to put it off until I stop losing. I may need a fill to meet my goal....we'll see.

Sorry for the loooonnng post folks. It's be awhile for me and I can get wordy. :nervous

Ok - this is it! It is 10:30 pm and I am officially going to start the 9/13 challenge tomorrow. My goal is -20 pouns! I got my fill this morning and still ate way too much for dinner tonight, but, starting tomorrow, the too much will consist of veggies and other healthy choices. We had dinner at a friend's house tonight and I did ok through dinner, but, the fondu was too much for me! Of course, my TOM is coming and PMS hunger is really hard to resist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So.......tomorrow is a new day and I will officially weigh in here then (hopefully the fondu didn't do too much damage!)

Hey guys, I'll join the challenge! Twenty pounds by September 13th! We can do it!

3loves - So glad to hear from you! I'm glad you are doing well! You go girl! I know what you mean, I've been a little chicken to try the solids, but so far, so good! Thanks for the kind words.

You girls crack me up about the horse riding. I've only ever ridden a horse once, and I was afraid the poor thing was going to collapse from my weight! This was in high school, so it's been a long time. I've already told all of my friends that when I lose enough weight, I'm heading straight for Dollywood theme park or Six Flags or even Disney World(never been there) to ride roller coasters. This is something that I've steered away from in the last 15 years or so because I was/am just too big for the safety bars to latch! How sad is that? Well, no more! I AM GONNA DO IT! Though, I'll probably hurl because I get motion sickness pretty easily, but its worth it!

You girls are looking good, I'll post photos next month! I gotta get my before photos off my cousin's digital camera and get more taken!

GOOOO MAY Bandsters!

Kim,

I can't speak for Disneyworld because I have never been there, but I lived in Anaheim for 12 years and had season passes to Disneyland for several of them and, even at 300 + pounds, I never had problems not fitting onto their rides. I avoid all other theme parks for the same reason you do, but, the people at Disney seemed to take into account the larger people of society when they designed the rides!

At 280 lbs, I don't think you would have any problems at Disneyworld.

We are planning to visit Disneyland in November when we are in California and I am mostly looking forward to finally being able to climb up the Tarzan tree house. I remember going up it when it was the Swiss Family Robinson attraction when I was a much skinnier kid. I don't particularly care about the attraction itself, I just want to be able to say to myself that I climbed it!