**small disclaimer--i'm PMSing**

to those of you who aren't familiar with me, let me introduce myself. i do not have a lap band. came here originally to get info for my aunt who was initially going to have GB. i told her about the lap band, and the rest is history. great history! now her daughter just got one.

i feel a connection to this site because i feel that i struggle with my weight just as y'all do. i lost a whole lot of weight in the past, but now i sit about 10 pounds away from goal--AGAIN. it is stressful and emotionally exhausting at times.

sometimes i wonder if i should just accept the 10 pound overage and not worry if i ever lose it. i'm 35 and i do understand that life is short so i shouldn't sweat the "small stuff." and i sure as hell don't want to look back at 50 and lament the 15 years i spent overly concerned with 10 pounds.

on the other hand, i know that losing it is doable! so i don't want to accept that this is my weight/size.

but i don't want to constantly be preoccupied with it either.

but...

you get the picture.

sometimes i wish that i were rich enough to go to a spa retreat four times/year, for a month at a time, just to keep my weight in check. but until i win lotto, that ain't happening. but i really feel like i need an intervention that drastic to get and stay at goal.

SIGH :straight

Banded, unbanded, RNY or DS... we are all here with the same wishes and dreams and goals. To live long healthy lives without being consumed by the issues that excess weight brings to our lives. You are one of us. *hugs*

Kudos to you for being strong enough to do this on your own! And man do I relate to the obsession part. This weightloss journey has consumed 95% of my waking thoughts, partly because of my personality (disorders hehe).

I would think that if you are making wise food choices and being active, you could now begin to relax and allow your body plenty of time to adjust to the new you. As we get closer to our goal weight, each pound has a much larger impact on our overall makeup. In other words, when we are at 300 pounds, its easy to lose 10 pounds and most of us can't even tell we've lost it. But get that close to goal and 10 pounds makes a remarkable difference on our smaller frames. If you only lost 1 pound per month now, why would that be a bad thing? Why is there a hurry to get there? (yeah, yeah, I heard that *winks*) My point is that with each pound you lose now, you will see a huge difference. Think of each pound as being equal to 10 pounds when you were heavier. It takes time and as you exercise you build muscles which weigh more, even though they take up less room.

Also, you might consider that its more important to look and feel good than it is to make the scale read a certain number. If you know you could stand to lose that 10 pounds, then relax... eat well... get active... and really enjoy your year. Each pound you lose will make a huge difference in your clothes, so it will be a fun progression. Best of luck to you.

Maybe you could check out FunnyDuddies new diet - it is on a thread -- can't remember exactly what it is called - quite a few people are doing it - and they say you can lose quite a bit in a week. It is also linked (I believe) in the Gone for Good Club thread too! Good luck....10 or 110 - it's still weight you want off - we all know how it feels....(I'm not banded either but am losing with great support here and GFG Club thread) come join in if you want....

Good idea, Mo. Here's the link to Funny's thread:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19407

thanks, y'all! i will check it out.

I'm sure that alot of folks around here would love to be 10 pounds from our goal weight, but that fact doesn't dimininsh that those 10 pounds seem to be causing you unhappiness.

Weight issues are weight issues. It can be 100 pounds or 10 pounds. If it causes you grief or hurt then you are in the same boat as we are, and YES you are one of us.

Check out Weight Watchers online and take the free tour. If you like it, then it is reasonably priced to use. I just started it last week and lost 2 pounds so far. It has been a great motivator to me.

Best of luck to you... ((hugs))

I've been (in the past) 10 lbs from goal on weight watchers and then I started yo yo dieting. Just watch those signs because it could be a sign that your body doesn't want that 10 lbs off. good luck.

I've been (in the past) 10 lbs from goal on weight watchers and then I started yo yo dieting. Just watch those signs because it could be a sign that your body doesn't want that 10 lbs off. good luck.

say it ain't so!! :huytsao

thanks, y'all i appreciate it. i doubt if it would bother me as much if my 10 pounds didn't mean i go from mediums to larges. and not just in arbitrary clothes sizes, but in weight too. 160 is easy enough to maintain, once i get there and have no complications! ha! but my weight just always wants to creep back to 170. and to me, that is the cusp of overweightness.

i know that we all have different body types. so my thing is would i be settling for mediocre and giving up if i said, "ok body, let's just stay here." or would i finally be "accepting myself." i just don't know. i mean, is it supposed to be difficult to maintain at your healthier(est??) weight?

May I suggest seeing your PCP? He/she may have some good ideas.

With all due respect there are a lot of really good diet and health group out there that are not specifically geared toward lapband surgery. The others who answered and who may flame me are really good nice giving people.

I understand you joined to find out info for a relative. That is great and I hoped it helped them and continues to help them. Yes, we are all trying to lose weight. But we are trying to cope, understand, share, decide to have surgery.

So I mean no harm but I think there are other boards that would be more suited for you to share your particular journey.

I wish you luck with your weight loss.

I just have to say WELL DONE on getting w/in 10 lbs of your goal weight!!! That is absolutely fabulous and you should be very proud of yourself! :clap2: I have already told myself that if I get w/in 10-15 lbs of my goal weight then I would consider myself a success with my weight loss. If I want to lose more then I suppose I could but I would just be estatic if I was 10 lbs from goal. Good job to you!!

~Liz~

banded 03/10/06

Dr.Ortiz

241/197/150

5'7''

May I suggest seeing your PCP? He/she may have some good ideas.

With all due respect there are a lot of really good diet and health group out there that are not specifically geared toward lapband surgery. The others who answered and who may flame me are really good nice giving people.

I understand you joined to find out info for a relative. That is great and I hoped it helped them and continues to help them. Yes, we are all trying to lose weight. But we are trying to cope, understand, share, decide to have surgery.

So I mean no harm but I think there are other boards that would be more suited for you to share your particular journey.

I wish you luck with your weight loss.

Diva,

I wanted to give my response some thought before I posted.

First, I know that you did not mean any harm, and I don’t take it that way. I do know that y’all are on a specific path that I am not on. However, I am on—and have been for most of my life—the same weight-loss path as all of you. Although I am working to lose a small amount of weight now, I have lost upwards of 65 pounds in the past. Does knowing that now make me a more acceptable poster? And I am not the only person who posts on here who made it to goal, or is close to goal, without surgery.

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Is it really because I’m not dealing with specific lap-band issues that caused you to post? Or are you irritated because I’m concerned about 10 “measly” pounds? Why should I have to find another board to post on if I feel a connection to this one? I do feel a connection to this board. Heck, I feel a connection any and everybody who is trying to gain control of their weight because I’ve been there!

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And quite frankly, who are you to tell me I should find a place more suited to my situation?

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I’m thankful for the ladies who responded positively to my emotional issues that I am dealing with. Aren’t we all dealing with weight-related emotional issues? Having said that, I’m sure that you are not the only one who feels this way, and I do not want to make people feel uncomfortable with/irritated by my posts. And no, this is not a “goodbye cruel board post.” Rather, it is an acknowledgement that you (and possibly others) may not be able to relate to me the same way that I relate to you. And I don’t want to be thought of as an outsider. I don’t know if I will stop posting, but I did want you to know that I have heard what you really meant, and I understand it.

an introduction and a thank you

<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->hello,

i found this awesome forum while searching for lap-band information for my aunt. last october, she told me that she was planning to have GB. when i asked her if she'd heard of LB, she said no. well, i proceeded to track down and give her as much information as possible. from our discussions, she decided that the LB was for her and convinced her doctor of it as well.

since her surgery on 11/22/04, she's lost 75 pounds! she has between 200 - 230 to go and is determined to reach her goal. the lost 75 pounds has already resulted in a better quality of life, and she has hope that she can finally get her weight under control. and she is extremely grateful to me for turning her on to the band. she never felt quite right about GB, but didn't know there was another option.

so why am i posting and not her? HA! well, she isn't an internet chatter and i am.

but i did want to register and say that i understand your struggles, and i am inspired by your successes. and even though my weight struggle is 10 pounds (well 10 pounds now, but it has been as much as 70 pounds in my life and 30 pounds 2 or 3 times) i have felt/and feel a lot of the same emotions about weight, weight loss, food, nutrition, and exercise as you do.

and can i tell you something? i truly believe that LBs will someday be approved as an elective surgery for weight maintenance. i know that i would get one. and i am convinced that some celebrities already have.

well, that's all. thanks for being such a great resource.

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I wanted to quote your original first post and say that I admire

1 Your willingness to stand by your Aunt and help her.

2 Anybody that can make a connection with our struggles

3 Being an inspiration for us

Keep up the good work. We need folks like you.

Myra

wow, thanks so much, myra!

i really appreciate you going to that trouble.

Rest assured that you are not the only one without a band that is on here. If you came here looking for info and then felt comfortable here, then you have just as much right as anyone to be on this web site. I am supprised that Diva even said that. Maybe it was just the way she said it. Maybe she doesn't realize how hurtfull it sounded sometimes people just don't realize what they are saying could be hurtfull to someone. Hang in there!

Carol

I see Diva's point -- it is mainly a lap band emphasized kind of forum....but I'll speak for myself when I say -- I have NOT decided when/if to get a band -- and everyone has been so awesome and supportive and shared such great ideas on weight-loss, exercise, etc I ain't goin nowhere.....it is because of these great lap banders that I have stayed around to continue learning about banded life - eroded removed banded life - etc. I may be in someone's shoes one day and I'd like to know as much as I can about their experiences.....I'm not flaming Diva - I don't do flames..... :eek: