Hi Folks,

I just can't believe it's really August. Where did July go? I think the May Band Crew did an AWESOME job in July. Hey, I wonder if it's possible to track the total weight our group has lost? On second thought, it may be misleading since many were banded in different years. What do you all think?

Here's the new thread and we'll leave the other one up for a few days to get everyone switched over.

Here's to a bigger loss in August!!!

Happy August May bandsters. I just hit (well, 1/2 a pound from it) my halfway goal. Did not think I would be this far along after 3 months. Hope everyone has a great week!

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great work Ousooner- 70 lbs, awsome!!:clap2::clap2::clap2:

3Loves - We are going to put laminate flooring in our school room. It's too hard to roll around on carpet. We were throwing around the idea of doing it ourselves when I read your post last week. I'm getting two quotes for installation today! Thanks for the warning

Hey gang! Nothing major to report on my end. I'm still losing at a pretty good rate and I've just about resigned myself to the fact that one week out of every month is going to be a MAJOR struggle for me. I'm still pushing along, though. ONEderland is on the horizon. Some days it seems like it will take forever to get there. Other days it seems like just a matter of time...

Wow! Everyone is doing soo well! I'm so glad everyone found this thread and is posting!

Drews - I'm sure everything will work out with the possible leak, that stinks! Please keep us posted!

3loves - glad to hear you survived the laminate flooring install. I've watched it be installed on TV and they make it look so easy, but I figured it would be a nightmare. I wouldn't have had the patience to stick with it! Kudos! I'm sure it looks great! Don't worry about those scales, I'm sure they will catch up! My scales are very finicky as well, and it didn't help that I had TWO Periods last month... I hope that is a temporary thing! EEEK!

Alicia - I work out on Tuesday and Thursday at CHI at Memorial downtown (around 5 pm), and on Saturdays at the CHI Northpark (around 9 am). Maybe we will cross paths! I'm gonna try to attend the weekly support group meetings on Wednesdays at lunch the next couple of weeks. After that, I'm off to the beach for a week! WOOO HOO! Can't wait! The weekly meetings have Lap Band and Gastric Bypass people in them, its pretty good. I'm kinda scared to get my first fill, how was it? How many cc's did they put in? Do you know what size band you have?

Lynda - Congrats on getting rid of those clothes! I gotta do the same... I'm tired of people complaining that my pants look like they are about to fall off or calling me "baggy britches", but I don't want to spend a lot of money on "transition clothes" either.... The ones that I recently bought are baggy too.. It's hard to get used to not looking for the largest size on the rack, you know? Anyway, you go girl!

Keep it up May Bandsters! WE ROCK!

Hi Maysters! I'm glad I found you guys. From looking at the weight loss to date for people with a similar starting point (my start weight was 219), I'm not so terribly slow at the weight loss as I thought - currently my weight ranges from 202 - 207, despite having had two fills. Now at 1.5 ccs in a 4 cc band. But I have very little restriction, just some difficulty with bread (I try to eat only whole-grain), and need to chew meat really well. Yay! for all of you who are losing so quickly! That must be so exciting! I'm hoping eventually that I get to the right fill level and can start losing again (can you tell I'm getting a little bummed?).

Julie - Hang in there! It seems like the closer people get to onderland, the slower they lose. You're almost there!

gjray - Welcome to the May Band Crew!

Ousouner - I saw the pics you posted on the Before and After thread. What a difference. I think I should nominate you for the May Band Crew Poster Child. You are looking great!

I want to see some pictures of you guys on this thread. I am planning to post some after the September challenge is over. I know what Christy, Ousouner and Stitchy look like...what about the rest of you?

Funny Linda... I was just thinking I need to take some new pics for comparision. Maybe I'll have my hottie hubby take some tonight!

Let's see the rest of you!

Linda, Thanks for your encouragement! Helps me keep it going. There are so many inspiration on here. Glad to have company in this journey we have chosen.

He All,

After last week's appointment with my nutritionist and increasing my daily Protein and calorie intake, I have good news to report!

Here are my stats for the September Challenge:

S 276 / C 262 / G 255 (-3 this week, -14 total)

Everyone seems to be doing very well. May bandsters are awesome! <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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Violet – hang in there – you’ll be out of your 18’s before you know it<o:p></o:p>

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Ousooner – that’s incredible weight loss for 3 months. I amazed. <o:p></o:p>

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Sleepyjean – your weight loss is great. You’ll be in ONEderland soon!<o:p></o:p>

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Kim2bhealthy – I may try a Wednesday support group next week. I know they will help me! The first fill for me was virtually painless and the fill itself takes less than 5 minutes. You just have to wait forever to get it. Be prepared to be there for 2 hours. The diet after the fill is rough, especially the clear/full liquids. I didn’t get very good restriction with my first fill so I was pretty hungry. I lost about 10 lbs with it in 6 weeks. My 2<SUP>nd</SUP> fill has been much more restrictive. I think they put 1 cc the first time and may 1 or 1.5 this time. I think my band holds 4 cc. I should probably know more of the stats! <o:p></o:p>

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Julie T – Don’t get bummed. Hopefully your 3<SUP>rd</SUP> fill will be the charm. <o:p></o:p>

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LindaV – Great job. You are going to be at your September goal before you know it. <o:p></o:p>

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Everyone – I have been doing a lot of thinking about exercising and getting to a more active lifestyle in general. Especially since I have a 15 month old son and I want him to grow up healthy and active. I have joined my gym at work and I’ve been going 4-5 days a week. I do different combos of aerobic classes, cardio machines and strength training. I realize how important exercise is and how I have GOT to incorporate into my daily lifestyle. It has finally clicked in my brain after all of these years. So anyway, I picked up a flier in the gym yesterday for a 5K run/walk. My hubby and another friend have decided to sign up for it. It’s on 9/23/06. There is another one the following day for the Race for the Cure, which I am considering as well. There is usually at least one type of 5K walk/run in my area every month and I am considering participating in 1 every month. Right now, I just want to be able to walk in them, but eventually I’d like to run in them. To build my endurance I have devised a plan I will begin this weekend. I have a nice mountain bike I have rarely used over the past 6 years. I am going to alternate days jogging and riding my bike in the evenings. I am starting out small…like 3 minutes for each activity (or the most I can comfortably tolerate). Each week I am going to add 1-2 minutes per activity. My goal is to be able to bike or jog for at least 30 minutes by New Years without feeling like I am going to pass out. I may post this part in other areas of the message board as well. Anyway, is anyone up for a exercise/5K run/walk challenge?<o:p></o:p>

Alicia,

Those are great goals! I can't even imagine being able to jog - it's been so long! I think doing one 5K a month is awesome!

I am so sorry you have to have the steriods and hope you can get adjusted enough to start to lose. Not gaining will be a win for you right now! I have the same type problem with the depo provera.

My surgeon told me that I should be concentrating on getting to the right restriction so that the hunger/eating part is under control. Perhaps you should also set your sights on getting to the 'sweet spot'?

Good luck...

I got my second fill yesterday of .6cc so now have 1.6cc. I hope I get some restriction this time. Today is mushy day...

How are the rest of you doing with your fills? Anyone at the sweet spot yet?

What levels are you at? Having good results?

Hey everyone! I'm like a lot of you out there, not really staying in touch. But I have to share my week with you...I finally hit the 40lb mark this week and have had to dig to find old clothes that fit. What a wonderful thing to do. My pants size isn't moving as fast as I would like but I heard from someone that you gain weight from bottom up and lose weight from the top down. I totally believe it. I have dropped from a 3x shirt to an XL but I'm only down from a 26/28 to a 24 pant. Anyway, it's coming off and I'm only 6 lbs from my Sept challenge.

I went for my 3rd fill on Monday and I am now up to 7cc in a 12cc band. I was at 5cc for over a month and really struggled because I could eat anything and as much as I wanted. When the doc's nurse asked me how much it took to fill me up, I replied that I haven't been full. She gave me an additional 2cc and then had me sit up and gave me 3 more and a cup of Water to drink. My chest hurt when I swallowed so she took the extra 3 out and I'm thinking it is just perfect for now. I haven't ever pb'd or even had heartburn. So far since Monday, I have been a bit afraid to eat but everything has gone down okay, but I certainly feel the restriction now. And I must say, I can tell when I need to slow down and not eat too fast.

Congrats to everyone who has cleaned their closet recently. I find it interesting that we have all hung onto our "skinny" clothes til they are out of style! It's like we all knew that someday we'd need those clothes. And praise God we do need them! Keep up the good work everyone!!!