Hello and good morning my friends. Welcome to Banders #7. So, I guess I'll start it off by saying how grateful I am today and every day for the new lease on life that I have. I walked to the office today from the train station. That was something I couldn't do before the surgery. I always say how light I feel and I realized it's not a state of mind, but a physical reality. We are weighed down by the excess weight and all that goes with it. When we don't rumble and jumble as we walk, our steps are lighter. I was listening to my ipod and started to dance a little as I was walking. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but who cares? When one is thin, even looking ridiculous seems OK.

I am grateful for my for my beautiful grandson who I was able to tuck into my lap last Saturday morning so we could play while Mommy and Daddy got to sleep in a bit. I'm grateful that I fit anywhere and everywhere. No more worrying if I will break a chair, or be able to navigate a booth at the restaurant, or walk down a narrow aisle without having to suck it all in just to get past someone/something.

I'm grateful for my health. I take alot of pills, but many of them are supplements and not prescription for chronic ailments. I'm grateful that I can walk again...that I can swim, bike, climb, and yes....enjoy sex. I am surprised at how flexible I can be now that I'm thin.

I'm grateful that I earn enough money that I can indulge my new found love of shopping. I really think I'm one of the best dressed ladies in the office these days...and I know I've upped the game for others. I am definitely seeing more dresses than I did a year ago.

I'm grateful to Alex for having this site available...and I'm grateful to all the folks on it who are part of my success. I know I would not have been as successful as I have been if not for all of you. I talk about things here that I don't talk to anyone else about. You all know the struggles of being fat, and immobile, and feeling like a failure regardless of what we've accomplished..and I know now how much we 'hidden' people have accomplished. It's helping me to not turn that self hatred towards others still struggling with obesity. It also reminds me that I will always struggle with obesity. Under this thin person still lurks the fat girl. She is the one who whispers in my ear all the time that I'm not worthy of the good things out there and I should just order a pizza and eat the whole thing. She and I clash daily and it's why I still go every Tuesday to the therapist who listens and helps me to navigate this new world I inhabit.

Well...I think I've posted enough for today. Feel free to comment on the above, or share your stories, or say hi, or just lurk. Enjoy your day today...enjoy the upcoming holiday, and looking forward to a wonderfully robust Banders #7 thread.

Liz

No body knows the struggle loosing and gaining better than me.

I remember losing 105 lbs back in 2009 in two years to get down to 180. The weight seem to come off so easy, BUT then I stop and in 4 short years I was back to 250 lbs. I had to take a strong look at my life and I felt like such a failure even at 250 it was still 80 lbs less then my highest weight.

In January 2013 I rededicated myself and for the last 3 years and even though I am not terrific at following bandster rules I just seem to make more good choices then bad ones and I have gotten back down to 180.

So I do know how frustrating you must feel and how ashamed it can be.

Even if it is possible to gain weight it just as possible lose the weight again.

I know what you mean about not leaving the board this is truly my support system. during those 4 years of gaining I rarely came back to the board.

I do miss many of the bandsters that started with me back in September 2007 So when I am going through that 3 month stall I seem to concentrate on NSV just like I mention in my earlier post.

@ Gowalking you know We all backslide sometimes but you know what you have or should do. Every time I backslide even a little I guilt trip myself which is NOT good but in my mind I think wth are you doing , you paid a lot of money to lose weight & be able to do things so then I start either the 5 day pouch test or go back to the first 2 weeks of pre op, & it starts the scale moving again but I'm still not at my goal even after 3 years , but as long as I can fit & move around & my Surgeon & I am Happy with the results then , I know We can get to our goals & maintenance .

Debbie3sons

Debbie, your transformation is amazing.

Liz, you nailed it when you promised yourself you won't leave the boards. As you guys know, I stalled for a year (yeah, I know a year is technically not a stall) and then gained a little over ten pounds before I was ready to get my sshit together. I wasn't ready until I was ready. But once I was, miracle of miracles, my band was as reliable as ever. In December I cleaned up my food. I dropped the crap that I knew was causing my weight gain. Dumped the fried everything. Dumped the movie crapcorn. Focused on p rotein instead of bread and p asta. Alcohol was already gone. I tracked the food honestly and even bought a kitchen food scale and used it. I faced the truth about what I was eating. And the truth was that I was regularly eating over 2000 calories a day. No way was this old shot-metabolism, zero-exercise body going to lose weight on that amount of calories per day. Slowly I got my calories down to approximately 1100-1200 per day. I've gone from 204 down to 189 since December. It's been slow but it's coming off. And that "tightened" my band without an additional adjustment. Funny how this contraption works. Feed it lean solid p rotein and no sliders for a couple of weeks and restriction comes back.

Don't give up on yourself. I don't know why I stagnated for a year. Furthermore I don't know what emotionally kicked my butt into reenergizing. I have my theories, but today the reasons are less important than the success I am experiencing. It feels good to feel good again. You will too.

Last year at this time I was down to 165 lbs. I lost some additional weight due to my total knee replacements. The drugs left me with very little appetite but the downside was addiction. Once I kicked the Oxy habit in April last year I started to put weight back on.

I was getting stuck a lot so I had 1 CC removed. Then I started gaining weight even faster. By the end of December last year I had gained 37 lbs. But, I never really panicked. I knew I had my tool and went back in and had .5 CCs put back in.

I lost 8 lbs by the end of February and I'm currently stalled for the time being. No worries, I just need to get back on the bike(literally) and pump those lbs off again. If only the weather would cooperate . I'm not concerned, I know once I can get back out there and ride again I'll drop another 25+ lbs.

Stay strong!

tmf

Grand Daughter and I outside Hilton in Honolulu

#Jfc193 first I'm jealous LOL some day I'll go Hawaii, but you all look great , have a awesome time & have a great time exploring.

Debbie3sons

my Son & I with my Aunt's dog & me before they turned down our beds had to make sure I fit Lol , no problem SO even more comfortable after they turned them down.

Debbie3sons

I love love love Hawaii!!! My hubby and I hope to retire there in a few years...

Here is a picture PRE WLS of hubby and I in the same spot John We stayed at the Hale Koa military hotel right next door

I think it's time to start making plans to go back!!

You just can't beat the weather in Hawaii. Even with a little rain, it is warm.

Special getaway place[emoji267]

I subscribed to too many threads and can't keep up. So I'm just visiting the participated ones.

In the last week I've met with the wasband twice in the lawyer office for negotiations (he's being a complete obstructionist a-hole), got in (caused) a minor car accident (no injuries), have been borrowing my mother's car, and got a callback for a repeat mammogram and ultrasound (tomorrow morning before work). My eldest daughter has been traveling the country looking at graduate schools (looks like she will choose Emory in Atlanta) with her boyfriend who is going to grad school in Atlanta as well; they plan to share an apartment. Emotionally I'm a mess, but I'm getting lots of support from my friends and 12-step programs. Here's the amazing part: my food is clean and my weight is 188-189. The constant in my life is my LapBand. I can't believe it but the constant in my life is my eating/food/weight loss. I am so grateful for this gift of WLS. I thank God every day I made this choice. In a few weeks my excellent insurance will be gone. My company insurance is lousier and costlier than what I have now. I'm so glad I did this when I did.

.

Meant to tell you @JustWatchMe....I giggle every time you reference the 'wasband'.

@ Justwatchme better get everything checked , filled & tuned up before you don't have the insurance you have now & find out if your Lapband Surgeon takes your New insurance or if they can refer you to someone that does , hope you're not in to much pain from the accident & sounds like everything else may fall into place & there's a reason your ex is becoming a wasband.

Debbie3sons

Repeat mammogram and ultrasound are A-OK. There is a calcification in a blood vessel which is common with - you guessed it - age! Not anything to worry about. Routine follow up in a year with my regular mammogram. Very very happy!! Next: deal with the other "boob" at the lawyer's office tomorrow!

Repeat mammogram and ultrasound are A-OK. There is a calcification in a blood vessel which is common with - you guessed it - age! Not anything to worry about. Routine follow up in a year with my regular mammogram. Very very happy!! Next: deal with the other "boob" at the lawyer's office tomorrow!

..the other boob.. can you hear me laughing??