Hey all, just thought id come on and share my little story with you all. So my aunt and uncle won a free night at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City, Michigan. They have this hotel all over the US, but im not sure where. Dont know if any of you have heard of it or not, but it is a big fancy hotel, with a Water park inside of it. So my aunt and uncle invited me and my mom and dad to come stay with em overnight since the room slept 8. So we did. We got there, went into the bar had some stuff to drive, I had a virgin pina colda smoothie with strawberry added since im not 21 yet, was awesome by the way. They arrived we checked in, went to the room went and ate dinner at the bar and grille in the hotel, then we went back to the room and changed into our bathing suits to go into the water park. Passes to the water park are usually 15 bucks but if you stay overnight it is included in the room price so you get these wrist bands to put on to go to the water park. So i get on a one piece swim suit, i put shorts and a t-shirt on overtop, since obviously im self concious about myself or else i wouldnt be getting WLS. We go down to the water park, go in the hot tub, everything is fine, go into the pool, back into the hot tub. They have like 4 huge slides there, 2 of em you use tubes in and they go outside of the building and back in and wind in and out and what not. The other 2 come off of this huge wooden water house like thing, that you can race people in, of course thank god, they are completely open at the top not closed in completely. Anyways my cousin asks me if i want to race her, im like ehhhhh uhhhh uhhhh sure i guess so. So we head up to the slides and get to the top after getting drenched with water on the way there, and getting racoon eyes (i hate that). There is a life guard at the top making sure n one gets hurt. So her and I step up to the top and get ready to go into the slides. I ask him JOKINGLY, so do you think i will fit in that slide, cause the slide was pretty small, and he gave me the DIRTIEST look, looked at me up and down my body like i was disgusting, looked at the slide, looked back at me and was like, dunno go ahead. Im like what was that look for, and he goes sorry go ahead. Im like no im not going now, that was just plain rude. so i go back down the stairs and i go to the snack bar that is in the waterpark, and im like i want to talk to the person in charge of the life guards NOW, cause that fucking little punk just did that shit to me. I FLIPPED OUT. I was swearing up and down a storm, and so i talked to the manager of the water park and she apologized, and couldnt do anything more, then "talk to him" about it. What the hell? When will it stop? Why why why on earth do people have to do that shit just because im not some skinny little bimbo with blonde hair and big freaking boobs huh? It hurt my feelings and it hurt them pretty bad. I bawled nearly all night long because of it. He did it, infront of a bunch of other people, and i was not the biggest person in the waterpark, so why me? Why do i get singled out and get dirty looks and what not. Im just wondering when this will stop. The only reason i flipped out is because ive been dealing with rude looks and dirty comments my whole life, thats why i dropped out of school because people were so rude, and i hardly go out in public because people are rude, i stepped out of my little bubble that i try to live in once, and that is what happens. Now i know why i choose not to go out in public, let alone go in the water with a bathing suit on. I was scared so scared about having this surgery that i was almost ready to say no i dont want to do it. Now i want it more then ever. I just want to be normal. Not get dirty looks, not get snikcers and comments. Why cant we just be treated like everyone else? Incase people didnt notice, we have feelings too. Just thought id share this with everyone. I will never NEVER be going back to the Great Wolf Lodge ever again, and i do not recommend anyone else go. It is a joke, the biggest joke in the world. Thanks for listening guys. Just had to get that out. Any comments or thoughts are welcome! Hope you all have a good day!!!!!

~Hotpink~

Ooooh ---sounds like we have a 208 conspiracy or something going on!!! I wish I had a magic answer for you---but I don't! I tried everything I could think of to break the plateau. I usually can bust one by upping my caloric intake for a few days, and then I start burning off the weight again---not this time! I lowered my calories---nothing. I upped my exercise----nothing. I have no idea hwy it finally started again, but very glad it did! I was stuck for over 2 months--I did however lose several inches during that time---not quite sure how that works---but it did! I had originally hoped to be in Onederland by the first of the year, and then I hit 208.5, and it stopped! Now I only have 2 pounds to go, and I will not be obese any longer---merely overweight!!! Who would have ever thought I would celebrate being overweight??? Then a few more to Onederland, then another 10 after that, and I will be at my 100 pounds lost point. I had/have all these little goals, and it all came to a screeching halt! Finally it is moving again, and even if I cannot tell you why---I am just thankful it is!

So I guess my only advice would be to relax, when your body "catches up" or whatever, it will start again. It did relax me in regards to the maintenance...I know for a fact, I can eat, normally and comfortably, and maintain a weight....when I get to goal, it will be easier to maintain than I was afraid it would be.

If I figure out why I finally started losing I will let you know. The only thing I changed and I do mean ONLY thing, is I began drinking a small glass of pineapple juice in the evening---I was told it helps cleanse the pouch. Buy a carton---couldn't hurt!!!

Good Luck---I will let you know how it goes!

Kat

Kat,

Do you think there is a 6 month plateau, like you'll lose pretty good for the first 6 months and then your body says, "Hey, what is going on here! I gotta keep this weight or I'll die!"?

Seems like everyone in the July group is having trouble right now with the plateau.

I don't know, I was banded back in April, and did pretty good until a couple of months ago (would have been 7 months out). Now the group of April Bandsters I fall right about middle of the road, some have lost less, some a lot more---a couple of our April Bandsters have lost over 140 pounds already!!!

I do think you get to a point that you have to add in some exercise if you aren't already---it keeps your metabolism up or something.

Jane, I wish I had the answer---everyone here would love me!!! I was told early on that the question was not IF you would hit plateaus, it was WHEN would you hit them!!! Same as the hair issue--they told me, it was hit or miss, some lost it regardless of what they did, others were not affected. Of course with my luck, I hit the plateau, and my hair is falling like crazy----figures!!! The only thing I can say, is there is 84 pounds less of me to worry with!

Hang in there, the plateau will pass....don't get discouraged!

Kat

Well gee, thanks to those of you who had nice reponses, and those of you who said that i set myself up for the comments and my reference to a little blonde bimbo with big boobs, i would rather be called that ANY day, over getting made fun of. And as far as im concerned, i was just sharing my story, so please if you dont have anything nice to say, do not reply. My mistake in thinking everyone here would understand how i felt 100%. Wishful thinking, gotta stop that. Oh and by the way Mommy202, i asked the question in a funny way, I know im fat, ive been told several times and i can see it. And no it is not my fault i did not ask for it, he could have said, suuuuuure youll fit no problem and smiled and left it at that, he didnt need to give me a dirty look like i was the most disgusting thing in the world. That was not called for no matter who you are. If it happened to you, im sure you wouldnt be saying that i asked for it.

~Hotpink~

I don't think anyone is excusing the lifeguard at all. But you did ask for comments and thoughts. Not agreement.

I thought the same thing when I read your post, that asking the question kind of opened the door. I'd bet we have all had very similar moments, in fact there was a thread here about the worst thing anyone said about our size, and there are lots of stories. So yes, most of us understand how you felt, we've been there.

Kat - thanks so much for your great e-mail to me. It really helped.

I too have been drastically cutting my calories and I find that I actually do BETTER when I eat more. You probably lost inches because you stuck with your workouts, like me - maybe we are gaining muscle.

Thanks again for a great pep talk!!!

I do the same, and like I said before it had always worked for me to up my caloric intake a bit, and I would bounce right off the plateau, until this time!!! Now however, that the scale has started to move again, it is continuing to go down. It is now in half pound increments---but I refuse to complain!

I think your post points out what upsets me most with the direction this original post took, and that is that we (especially women) tend to beat up on one another...when all any of us want is support. Now I totally agree on honesty and calling a spade a spade, but find no sense in putting someone down to do it. I loved getting this post from you---it made my day---it feels like regardless of what else I do today,at least I did something right!!! This thread didn't get bad, but boy some of them just bash away at one another---the drama!! Maybe it is my age, I just click a button and go read another. I raised 2 teenage girls, I have had enough drama!

Kat

You don't even have to tell me what you mean by your last post Kat - you are eloquently spoken, mature, on this forum for the right reason, and sometimes the TRUTH is too hard to hear from certain people...

Hang in there girl...again, thanks for a great couple of posts! Us bandsters need to stick together IN THE POSITIVE direction and not negative.

Can I just say to hotpinkbubbles, that I'm sorry for your experience at Great Wolf Lodge...but to state that no one should visit this hotel chain is a little harsh. You are judging all the hotels based on the actions of a few people at one location...and thats really not fair. We have a Lodge here in Kansas City and it is fabulous!! (I havent been in the water myself, just watch my children...but give me time, and I will be....and wearing a bathing suit to boot!!) My kids love it and I'm sure if you go back at some point, you will have even more fun!!

Hang in there girl!!

I love Great Wolf Lodge in K.C.! I'm sorry you had a bad experience.....sounds like it was just a kid not knowing what to say to me. I weigh over 300 pounds and have been to the Lodge at least 5 or 6 times.....we LOVE it!! The very first time we went, I was so nervous, got to the top of the slides and I very bluntly asked the lifeguard if there would be a problem with me going (went in the tobogan ride with my twin boys!). In my opinion he was really nice, his comment was, "Oh sure, people a lot bigger than you go down all the time." I didn't joke, I just asked a blunt question and he responded. Please give them a second chance.....not all lifeguards are as inexperienced as the one you encountered. Good luck with your surgery!