Hi everyone--I thought I'd listen to some advice from one of the other monthly groups and start one master thread in which we have an ongoing discussion/updates. I don't know about you all but I certainly spend most of my time on these boards on the pre-op forum and the general forum, not here. It would be nice to have just one thread to go to once in this forum.

We can maybe start out with introductions?

As for me, I'm going the "online privacy" route for now (paranoid that people I haven't told about this will somehow stumble across me on this site I guess, which is crazy, I know) but I can give you the big picture:

You can call me Penny, I'm 27, single and live in the Washington, DC area. I have a background in politics (which is why I live in DC) but now I'm a librarian which is much cooler and way more fun (trust me on that). Oh, and there's no "Marion the Librarian" thing with me either. One of the things I hear most frequently (besides the cliche "you have such a pretty face") is "but you don't LOOK like a librarian", which is another one of those bizarre backhanded compliments that you never really know how to take.

Personality wise, I'm kind of dorky, big into public radio and books and popular science. Oh, I'm also a little on the paranoid side (as you may be able to tell from earlier in this post). Beyond that I'm just kind of silly and friendly, VERY much so into traveling and I'm an aspiring "green" domestic diva (but that's not going so well).

WOO HOO! Went to buy a pair of jeans yesterday, I was in a size 10 and thought it was time to move to a 9(single didgits) They didn't have a size 9 in a style I liked so I thought to myself what the heck I'll try an 8 and to my surprise they fit and I had to get a new belt to go with them. The last one I bought was an extra large and I had put extra holes in it recently to wear it. The new one is a medium, I don't know what size medium is but I'll take it. It's nice to have something that doesn't have an x behind or in front of it. Feeling good this morning.

Congrats!!!! way to go!!!

I think the last time I was an 8 was like 6th grade LOL.. cant wait for the day that Im even a 12!

Does anyone else have the friend (overweight one at that) that knows you have the lap band and then act like its not a big deal when you lose the weight cause you had "weight loss" surgery so its not like its a big victory or anything., man it drives me nuts, cause every pound I lose I work for.. I make good choices and I work out and it makes me mad when people act like this is the bariatric surgery where the weight just falls off because you are forced to eat only small amounts.. only a few people in my life know i have this.. and I am regretting telling some of them.

A size 8...mmmm....NOPE, not even a distant memory. Is it possible to just skip a size completely? I literally don't have any memory at all of any single digits.

Shrinknme: if there are people around me that feel that I was "cheating" by being banded, they have been smart enough to keep that info to themselves.:confused: I told everyone, because I felt that if it helped anyone else make the decision to be banded, then that was a good thing. I haven't had anyone be negative with me yet. Hopefully it won't happen. Oh, and your "friend" who says that to you may just be jealous.

Thanks ladies

Shrinknme, Yes I had a best friend that is overweight and I now refer to her as my ex best friend. I just recently had to cut her off. She was always negitive and I am trying to lead a positve life and have no room for negitivity no matter where it's comming from. I beleave a true friend would be happy for you and not show their negitivity just because they are jealous. And if they think you took the easy way out you know that they have no idea what it's like to be a bandster. It's hard work on both the mind and body. The band has a way of weeding out the not as good a friend as you thought they were people. I say out with the bad and in with the good. OH! and almost everyone in my life knows I have a band. I am not ashamed. I was more ashamed of being so over weight and out of control. Now I am proud of all I have acomplished and that I have taken my life back and those who truely love me are also proud. My DH tells me all the time, He is aware of how hard I work at this and knows it hasn't been easy. He always tells people he's proud of me because he doesn't think he could do it. I've learned just how strong I am this past year and a half and if it took the band to help me then so be it.

Edited April 19, 201016 yr by kimaly

I have an over weight friend I think she like feeling miserable cause I try to include her in walking and supporting her trying to get her to go with me to a group or talk to a surgeon but she says she is happy unfortunitly she is getting bigger and ios getting more health problems. She supports me and congradulates me but I worry about here.

On the size 8 I can't remember but in Middle school early highschool I was a 9/10 when I graduated HS I was a size 12 I want back there

So I started my plan and today I have had a Starbucks skinny latte 130 calories it was the grande but if I get it again I will get the tall cause that is only 90 cals then I had a adkins shake 150 cals. I forgot to bring my Pure protein shakes. Also a hectic day so I have to get some water in.

As of today..I am down 20lbs since January and feeling great about it! thats 2/3 of my baby weight. :thumbup: small victories I guess.

Hey all! thanks for the input! its so interesting how your life changes when you lose weight.. people just dont understand. I was talking to my husband about it and he didnt understand.. and I was like.. when your the fat person people feel more safe around you..but when you lose weight they somehow feel more threatened by you.. anyways.. its all a learning expierence I guess. This particular friend is always referring to us as "US Fat girls" and I get annoyed like.. I am not ok with being fat.. you may be. but I dont think its good or healthy and I am trying to change that about myself. I started weight watchers with her the beginning of this year and really tried to help her change her habits and eat right.. she invited me to keep her accountable.. well its April and she has quit.. and the sad thing is I kept telling her all along if she didnt change her mindset she would quit. Its just really sad to me..

Also I didnt not tell people because I was ashamed of it.. I had several reasons why..

1st.. my parents had the stomach resectioning surgery.. and they told everyone!!! even people who didnt ask.. they would just talk non-stop about it.. and it got annoying to people.. they revolved their life around it.. so when they were fat they talked about food.. and now that they are skinny they talk about food!

I personally just wanted to lose the weight and get on with my life. I have never really been about food and thats whats so annoying about the band.. before I would just eat something and move on with my day.. now with my milk allergy and the band I have to stop and think.. can I eat that? whats in that? where can I go to get something that I cant eat?

2nd is that I have always been defined at the chubby girl.. and now that I am banded I didnt want to be known as the chubby girl that had weightloss surgery.. in my younger years I made bad choices that made me who I am.. and I am changing that.. so I dont always want to be defined by what I weigh. I know someone that is a friend of our family and she had stomach resectioning.. and wherever we are that she is there my mother in law is always like look at "Pam" doesnt she look great? she had weight loss surgery.. how much did you lose "Pam"? I always felt embarassed for her.. like maybe she just wants to move on with her life and not be reminded of it. or tell perfect strangers that she was once a fat ass! LOL!

3rd is.. with weight loss surgery and the stomach resectioning there are alot of rules that they need to follow.. and also the weight just flies off.. well as you all know that is not the case with the band.. so people hear anything about WL surgery and they are looking at you like.. should she be eating that? or why is she still fat? didnt she have weight loss surgery? I just didnt want everyone all up in my business..

I kinda viewed the whole thing like my bra or credit card number.. its not like I walk around telling everyone my number or my size..

anyways.. maybe you didnt want to know all that but there it is :sad:.

20lbs since Jan. is FANTASTIC!!!

20lbs since Jan. is FANTASTIC!!! - Ditto on the quote Awesome

Okay cont.. from previous post

I had another Atkins shake Chocolate 150c

3 bites of white chili I made but could not finish I ran errands at lunch so I only got 3 bites in

Dinner - 3 oz grilled chicken 90 cals with a Burger Side salad 70 cals with 1 pkt lite Italin dressing 120 cals with 6 french fries and 4 onion rings cal ??? Total cal for dinner approx 300 could be more I am guessing on the fries and onion ring sampling

So approx 750 cal today and approx 50 protein cals

Hard day at work running everwhere have not really drank any water maybe 4 cups so far today

Today was not really a planned day cause my pure protein shakes have more protein in them and I have some Ostrim beef jerky that is low in cal and High in Protein. i also bought a cup that holds 57oz of water. And I walked out the door with none of it. So I ate or drank what I had in my desk. Which was not bad I think.

Sounds like a good day to me. I have a hard time getting my water in. I just can't seem to set the coffee down long enough. I'm gonna work on that today.

Tuesday weigh in: and zip not even an ounce. I thought I was gonna have a good week. Well, I guess it's OK because I'm still riden high.

Sounds like a good day to me. I have a hard time getting my water in. I just can't seem to set the coffee down long enough. I'm gonna work on that today.

Tuesday weigh in: and zip not even an ounce. I thought I was gonna have a good week. Well, I guess it's OK because I'm still riden high.

Your doing good! Keep it up!

kimaly,

"Your doing good! Keep it up! ":biggrin:

As always Thank you.

Hello ladies. I hope life is treating you well. I had to go looking for this in my subscribed threads. I thought I had accidentally deleted it.

Charlene, did the weather finally clear up for you?

Y'all all have so much more restraint than I do, which probably explains why y'all are losing and I am stuck, stuck, stuck at the same weight for-e-ver....

Hello ladies. I hope life is treating you well. I had to go looking for this in my subscribed threads. I thought I had accidentally deleted it.

Charlene, did the weather finally clear up for you?

Y'all all have so much more restraint than I do, which probably explains why y'all are losing and I am stuck, stuck, stuck at the same weight for-e-ver....

I don't really have restraint, I slip up often. I just try to make up for it on the days I don't. I'll slip almost once every other week like this weekend I ate 2 brownies. But I did good the rest of the week and somehow managed to lose a pound. I wish my eating habits were better, I'll just have 3 or 4 shakes(Atkins or EAS) aday and maybe a Gordons grilled filet. I know I don't eat like I should. And I was stuck for a pretty long time until I had my last fill in Jan. Since then I have been loosing pretty steady. Mostly a pound a week and some weeks it's none. When was the last time you had a tweek? It could be as simple as that. I notice that we've lost the same amount so all in all you are at least doing as well as me. Don't let it get you down because that just makes it even harder to stay on track. I know for myself I really really need to work on my eating habits. They just arn't as healthy as they should be.

Edited April 27, 201016 yr by kimaly

Hey, Crzy and Kimaly.......you are both doing good. I still haven't lost as much as you two have. Keep it up!

Well, my 86 yr old mom is in the hospital with pneumonia. She is better today and I will be putting her in skilled nursing care tomorrow or Thursday. Needless to say, four shakes a day are not happening. I can't make them at the hospital so it has been one meal and one protein bar with a shake for breakfast and one for evening snack. I think I lost another lb. I will see Dr. Davis on Friday for a monthly check up. Yikes! I would like to lose two this week.

Take care all!

Sorry to hear about your mom.

Don't worry about your check up I'm sure you'll do fine. Stress can really do a number on our bands, I know when I'm stressed out my band is really tight. Anyway good luck on your appt. and I'll put your family in my prayers.