SHRINK'N VIOLETS

Hello all... I'm Tracy and I'm starting this thread because I just found out that I'm scheduled for Surgery on April 26, 2007.

fffffffffffffffffffast forward to April 30, 2007

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

We made it to the other side of bandland and now we are set to support one another while we shrink our booties and grow into our new smaller skins.

All are welcome to join in and post, but we are not a group that bickers..... please be supportive as we all have different paths to follow... but the journies to the more healthy self beckons....

Let the losing begin!!!!!!!!!!!

April will be a great month to be banded-- do recovery --then all summer to take walks and enjoy being active, and all the while losing weight!!! Not losing weight that we just expect to meet up with again by the holidays and old man winter. GOOD LUCK AND HEALTH TO ALL!!

OK girlz (no guys, huh?), I'm just gonna ramble here most 'cause I'm bored with nothing better to do.

First, confession time: I went out and ate a 1/3 basket-full of tortilla chips and some enchiladas verdes for dinner. I got on the scale this morning and had dropped a couple of pounds, so I figure, "Hey, why not? I'll never get to eat this again." It absolutely IS my favorite dinner in the world, but jeez.... this last supper thing is hard to shake!!

The other thing is that earlier in the week DH and I had an argument and we basically haven't spoken to each other since. (It had to do with a long-standing problem about money that I thought was being resolved, but apparently isn't. The problem is that he doesn't share info with me 'cause he's the big $$-winner ...?? doesn't make sense to me...I'm his WIFE). Anyway, I'm wondering if he's feeling a little insecure about my losing weight...he said something about me 'taking 1/2 the money and leaving'. Huh??? Oh, I dunno where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just upset that this issue is never going to go away and I'm all obsessing about the surgery and I guess just trying to tie the two together. I'm loo-loo. I don't know how or when we'll ever start speaking again. Could be days. Lovely, huh?

And speaking of telling family and friends....I don't know what to tell my sister and mom. My mom is pretty feeble and I help to take care of her on the weekends (running errands, keeping her company, taking her to lunch, etc.) but obviously I won't be able to do that after my surg (Easter wknd)...so I gotta figure out what to tell them. I don't want to worry mom about this at her age. She wouldn't understand it in her state of mind. No way...she'd confuse it with bypass and would freak out. So I have to tell my sister something so she can cover for me that wknd, but can't tell her the truth either. She DEFINITELY could use the surgery herself, but has always been so....petty...or jealous....or something with me. I dunno. She'll think it's the dumbest thing in the world and tell everyone we know "what an idiot" I am....only because she's so embarrassed about being so FAT herself. She's gonna come unglued when I start losing weight. GAWD I hope I weigh 130 someday!! LOL

I've only told my hubby (of course), my 2 kids (sworn to secrecy), and two girlfriends (also sworn to secrecy). I think I can get away with that. I hope. I really don't want to tell anyone else.

Wow, can't believe my ticker says 19 days 'til surgery. Yikes. Gotta start seriously getting my ducks in a row!!

I am WAY sick of being fat.

You know, I guess it's a blessing and a curse, but I've never been "skinny". Unless you count when I was 4 years old...but I most definitely wouldn't fit into those clothes anymore!!! LOL. But I have acquired a few "skinnier" clothes over the years (still hanging onto some size 16s and 14s that people have given me, and some larger sizes that I KNOW shrank over the years! lol).

I see the pictures of those who have already been banded a year and a lot of them look like totally different people...so I'm curious to see if that'll happen to me...if i'll still even resemble the 'me' I've come to know......ya know? LOL.

The best part though is that I'll be healthy, no meds, have more energy, and I'll finally (after a year or two of being banded) be able to start having mini-me's with muh hubby :-D That's my ultimate goal - be healthy for life, but also to create life

Love your post. Like you I have been big the majority of my life; over 200 lbs in the 6th grade, then over 250 in my mid 20s. I had a short period (2 years) that I worked my way down to a 12/14 by spending 3 hours a day at the gym, and starving on carrots. But now with the band I am looking forward to taking a balanced approach to weight loss. It will be so exciting to drop sizes and buy new clothes. Just think in 12 short months from now we will be new women!! How exciting.

I'M TORN EAT like there's no tomarrow? or eat like I'm post-op and filled?

Be bad while I still can? or show myself how disciplined I can be?

Eat all the NO NO foods in the house? or trash them?(of course, I mean RIGHT before the garbage truck leaves my neighbors house, so I'm not tempted to rummage through my own garbage, after deciding to go for it before pre-op diet time!?!)

Anyone else have this conflict 10 days before liquid diet time??????

Please! tell me I'm not alone!! (or if I am alone, Please...don't tell me!?!)

I feel you! But then again this was a weekend dilemma for me every moment of my life.

Terry, I TOTALLY agree with you! I am WAY sick of being fat and uncomfortable. Everyone, with the exception of my mom, has been over the moon supportive... but I've been picky with who I tell. Or is it whom I tell? Don't know. Don't care. Anyway, I too am really looking forward to being banded in the Spring and Summer. All those fresh fruits and veggies! Also it's gorgeous during the summer here and the 100+ degree weather will certainly be an incentive to go hop in the pool. I'm thinking about joining a non-competitive, community swim team. Sounds like fun!

I hope that all of you are sleeping as I write this... I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm so grateful to have you all in my life. These decisions are exciting but also scary and it's wonderful to be able to relate to others in a similar situation. Thank you all so very much! Off to bed!

Good Saturday Morning, Everyone!~~

Today I'm supposed to have my psych consult at Noon... but it snowed about 5-8 inches yesterday in an unexpected storm, so if my dh doesn't shovel us out, then I won't be able to make it! & he's up in bed still! & I really want to go, because this is my LAST REQUIREMENT for insurance approval! I think I'm gonna go cook a nice, big breakfast & the lovely aroma will entice him down the stairs, & the food will warm him up & just when he's all cozy & full I'll hand him his snow suit & shovel!

Re: what to tell people you don't want to tell... I read somewhere that someone told folks that he/she had a hernia operation... that sounded good to me... same area of the bod (so might explain the scars), same lifting restrictions, same recovery basically... how about that?? Before I heard of the hernia idea, I had told the place I work part-time (lots of walking & carrying stuff) that I was going to be having "female stuff" surgery... trust me, NO more questions were asked! LOL!

Have a great day everyone... time to go heat up the griddle!

Ok, so who is having REALLY REALLY STRANGE DREAMS lately??? :whip: :) :kev::flypig: :spy: :llama:

Oh my Terri... are your smilies a graphical depiction of your dream last night? If so... oh my!

Terri: about your sister, tell her your either having a hernia fixed or gallbladder surgery. If you know from the get go she will become uncorked and a blabbermouth.. DON"T DO IT to yourself.... then after, if she notices that you are not eating the same amounts of food, you can say that you are just not hungry. Don't bother your mom, just keep on being there for her. As for your DH... well... I'm DIVORCED LOL, but my dbf (of 2 years now) we have money issues too.. Long complicated story, but just know that it is a powerful issue in a marriage. It DOES sound like he is a bit insecure or heck even Jealous that you are paying more attention to the surgery and maybe this board than to him, and he is not liking it.......... I dunno.. I can just give you a cyber hug!

LapDancer: HEY WOMAN!!!!!!!! glad to see you posting! I can not wait for you to get your surgery date and then we can lose this weight! NOTE to everyone: LD and I were INSURANCE thread maniacs at the same time!

Michelle: YUMMM that sounds delish! I hope you make it to your consult today!

ME: well I'm blissfully alone in the house..... dbf is on call this weekend and he has already been called out til at least noon. My son is at grandma's and his sons are at their moms!

I am planning to take apart the kitchen and really clean the sucker... (a few weeks ago dbf and the boys took down one of the walls and made it bigger.. so the area is a construction zone!) I have like a zillion things to do around here.. so I really need to get my butt off the puter!

Ok, so who is having REALLY REALLY STRANGE DREAMS lately??? :whip: :) :kev::flypig: :spy: :llama:

OMG so glad I am not the only one. I just woke up after having a horrible night, but the one dream that sticks out is that I had my surgery this weekend and there was about 15 other people in the room with me who had it done, and they were all eating bread, pasta, (those were the 2 i could remember) and I was sipping water and broth and couldn't understand how everyone was eating real food. and then a friend who i have not seen in years appeared in my dream and that was when I woke up!

it has been days of dreams like that

Good morning all!

Here I sit, just getting up and drinking my coffee, reading post and thinking how great it is to not feel so alone with thoughts and fears. We are getting so close to April and i think I am getting very anxious and nervous.

Terry -

1st. that is a great confession, how about this, I have my pre-op next thursday and can't gain an ounce so on Friday, I am going to a mexican place for lunch because that is my favorite food every! As for last supper, other than the mexican food and these great baby hotdogs with sauce you can get here, I can't think of anything else i really want before I can't eat anymore. But I have a friend who is being banded on Wed who said she felt the same way until this week and she is starting to panic like she needs to have a final supper if that makes sense.

As for DH - I am sorry - money is always an issue but it is more than that. I have been having problems with dbf for a while but he has never judged me for my size and has been with me from a 10 to a 24 and everywhere in between. I keep telling everyone this is going to make us or break us, and i don't want it to break us, but i don't know if he will like me being a stronger person (serious head dr sessions to go with this lately). So is it really more than money?

As for telling family - my mom and sister knows, they are both very supportive, my sister doesn't totally understand but she is supportive. I went to dad's last night to tell him and it just didn't work out that way. I don't know, he is remarried and has a huge family on her side and they are all very small - and are they type to blab to the world and I don't want that and I think that is what keeps me from telling him. I don't know how to approach it with him and to keep it with us and not tell them. As for school. I have every intention of returning to school the day after I get home. It is only 4 hrs a day, 2 in the am and 2 in the pm and I told them i have to have to have my gall bladder out. so that will cover the lifting and such. I have great teachers and they are very supportive

Finally, sorry I'm rambling too...not that I disagree, but everyone says in 12 months they will be new improved (not direct quote of anyone) and yes, in 12 months I plan on being much smaller, BUT my new life begins on April 16th.

HUGS TO ALL, this is such a great group, and as the April banders before us, we will be there next April for the new group

TERRY!! LOL!! Your images are hilarious. I love the combo of the rabbi and the dancing pony. You guys are so funny. OMG! I've been having wacked up dreams all this week. I mean wacked up dreams. Like, I had this dream last night that someone was chocking me and I woke up and I couldn't breathe. Talk about freaky. Then I went to get a class of water and I swear to you someone was sitting on the couch. I thought nothing of it because my brother said he would be home late. Talked to him this morning and he spent the night at a friends house!! Yikes.

Jennifur, I totally agree with you about our lives starting in April. I feel like this band is the first of many good steps... buddhist saying... a journey of a thousand steps, begins with one. Brava, for working with a "head doctor" (that's so cute) and facing the demons head on. I feel like my weight sometimes keeps me insulated from facing my life and my past. It's really tough. You're doing a great job and I can tell that your wisdom will help this group be even stronger!

Michelle, did it work? Is he shoveling? That is such a great idea. Thats what I love about guys, in general they are VERY simple creatures.

I hope ya'll have a great day. We're gonna be banded before you know it!

That snow is heavy! I don't have anyone here to do it for me except my snow blower and that stalled out the snow was so wet

I think i'm going to go tanning so i can at least pretend I'm already in Myrtle Beach

Hello! Add me to the list! April 12 is my surgery date! thanks...!!

WELCOME MARGI!! :welcomeB:

Thanks to everyone for the support...I do appreciate it. I dunno what's going on or what's gonna happen. It's pretty dreary around here. Oh well.

I spent the day with my mom and we had a great time. She's been disabled in the last 6 months or so but she wanted to get out of the house. She can't walk very far AT ALL, so I suggested we go goof around at WalMart and she can ride the electric buggy thing. IT WAS HILARIOUS since she's never ridden one before and it was Saturday at Walmart (need I say more?).... we laughed so hard and it was so good to see my 'old' mom back again. Then we went back to her place after lunch and cleaned out her closet...LOL...so many of my 'skinny' clothes were in there that I had outgrown. (My mom has always been 5'8" and 140#....obviously I did not get her genes!!) But I pitched them anyway....I've got plans for ALL NEW clothes. Man, I wonder how many thousands of dollars in clothes I've bought & thrown away in the last 6 years?? Now, I'm an executive sec'y, so when I buy clothes they have to be fairly nice ones...and lots of them!! UGH. Here's a recent weight history to give you an idea:

2000 160 (dating, going out and eating up a storm)

2001 170 (got married to DH #2 -- still eating!)

2002 182 (threw away all my skinny clothes :tired )

2003 156 (lost weight and threw away ALL my fat clothes :rolleyes )

2004 185 (need new fat clothes)

2005 200 (need bigger fat clothes)

2006 215 (need even bigger fat clothes)

Like I said.....thousands and thousands of $$$$. Aaaaackkkk!!! So here I am again....looking at buying and throwing out more and more clothes. Hopefully these new ones will last a while. :nervous We defiinitely need a clothing exchange going on!! I'm in 18W's & 2X now.....who wants 'em when I start pitching?

bwaydiva --That's a dancing LLAMA I'll have you know!! :biggrin1: I can't even begin to describe my dreams....they're either too weird or just too sick. But I can tell you there's a lot of fat people in them!!

18 days 'til surgery! AAAck! That's just 2-1/2 weeks! We're getting so close!!!