Candle

Thank you Dr. Schulman! I've read a little about the upper body lift, although I wonder how that would work for me. I have extensive scaring on my back from spinal fusions when I was a teenager. (scoliosis) I'm really looking forward to getting the opinions of a few surgeons. Although the thought of having my body examined in that way, scares me to death :thumbup: I still have AT LEAST another 20lbs to lose and I’ve started running – we’ll see how the inner thighs do …

Thanks shortgal. I was actually thinking about doing that once my weight stabilizes. I’ve gone from a 44DDD to a 36D. I was trying on dresses the other day for a wedding I'm going to in June, so I tried a few different bras as well. The only bras that didn't give me the hang over of skin, were bras that were too big and didn't give me the support I need. I need a nice tight bra or my girls are down to my knees :cursing:

Thanks Frangipani I'm not expecting to get everything done in one shot. My TT alone is going to be MAJOR. My pani is ridiculous! I've been over 200lbs since highschool and well over 250 for almost 10 years. Plus I have fair skin and lots of stretch marks. If my inner thighs never get fixed I think I'll survive. I probably wouldn't ever be comfortable in a normal cut bathing suit bottom. I'm always going to be a skirt/shorts kinda gal. I’ve been wanting a breast reduction for years and now they are so deflated that a at least a lift, is HIGH on the priority list! My side boob fat is the big surprise to me and not something I see a lot of people talk about. I still need to do a lot of research but I'm praying that can be fixed. The skin under my arm pits is busting out of my bra. I just wonder how that's most commonly fixed.

Mmm ... thanks for the recommendation!

Salsa just made a perfect comparison for anyone dealing with these issues - proof this stuff is not just in our heads. If I took a naked picture of a [normal] girl my height, weight, and body shape and compared it to my own ... you would never be able to guess both women were the same weight. Looking at my naked body - you'd probably think I weigh about 250lbs!! It's really sad to me that I did so much damage to my body. When newbies ask if anyone has regrets about being banded, it sounds so cliché but it is sooooooo true - my only regret is not doing this sooner. You are so dead on with those comments. I always felt like I was defined by my weight but only in hindsight do I really see how much of my life was about being fat. There are so many experiences that I passed up as a kid or a young adult. I never played sports, tried new things like playing an instrument, or horse back riding, etc because I was always worried about drawing unnecessary attention to myself. Then later in life there were things I just couldn't physically do - tropical vacations that required a bathing suit, or amusement parks, etc. Letting go of a lot of regrets and learning to be a healthy person - mentally and physically - has been more of a challenge than I was expecting but at the same time I feel more in touch with myself and the “real” me, than I ever remember feeling.

I'm right there with you ladies! 100% The last 10lbs or so have really been a turning point for me though. Suddenly I *am* starting to notice that I look different – only took 110lbs – lol! I have a waiste, my legs look thinner and longer (?!) and even my chubby cheeks are getting thinner!!! woo-hoo!!!! I even got whistled at yesterday by 2 guys in a truck when I was walking my dog. BUT Get me naked ... and I still see a 300lb woman. Which is ironic because I don't think I was really SEEING myself as a 300lb woman for all those years. I look at pictures now and I can't believe that was me! My breasts are saggy and deflated now and my stomach area is a mess. I'm in a size 12 pants but I can't buy any of the cute low rise ones - I need the "mom jeans" that I can pull up over my muffin top. If it wasn't for my muffin top and pani, I could wear a size 10 and all my tops have to be a bigger size and long, to cover my "front butt" I worry sometimes that I'm just never going to be happy with how I look. I'm trying really hard to focus on my original goals: -Get healthy and off all medications - check -Have more energy and get back into LIVING life - check -Not have to shop in a plus size store - check -Weigh less than my boyfriend – check (hehe) They say that PS doesn’t cure body image issues and that you really should work through all the head stuff before PS or you could be setting yourself up for a disappointment but in extreme cases like mine/our’s I don’t see how that could be entirely true. My tummy looks much like Salsa’s but a little bigger and more saggy. Plus, I have the saggy boobs and back fat still. With all this weight loss, sometimes I feel like I’m swimming in Water – weightless and free of all those extra pounds but then I still have a huge tire around my mid-section pulling me down. We'll all work through it, I guess. It really does help to know others are dealing with the same issues and these feelings of abnormality are really ... well ... normal - lol.

I'll be thinking about you on Wed, Ellen. How exciting !!! Dr Geiss did my surgery too. It was at 4pm and it worked out perfect. I was in my room, after WALKING to my bed, by 6pm. My boyfriend stayed with me until almost 9 and then I slept most of the night. Got to leave the next day by 2pm. You'll do great.

Great job!!!

Becky!!! Congrats on getting a date!!I'm so looking forward to hearing all about your PS journey. (and Salsa too!) I hope to not be too far behind you guys.I did major clothes shopping this past weekend and did a lot of looking at my saggy tummy in the unflattering lights of a dressing room. My pani really does limit the type of clothing and sizes I can wear.

Awesome! Very inspirational!I'm jealous about your skin. Mine is much WORSE than I was expecting.

Bummer - I'm not going to make it this time. Great job everyone!!

You are correct! Plus size clothes sell VERY well on ebay! I've been doing the EXACT SAME THING for a few months. I sell 3-4 items of clothing per week along with my regular ebay stuff and send the money for the clothing to a separate paypal account. I have $268 in there right now. I'm currently in a size 14 and only have 1 pair of jeans that fit me well. Everything is falling off but I want to get to a size 12 before buying stuff for the summer. My sister also gave me a ton of size 12's and XL tops that I can't wait to wear! I need to start working out harder, to re-shape my body. Luckily, I work from home so I've been able to get by with a very limited wardrobe the past 6 months or so.

I'm going to be cutting it close this time! I've been eating out a lot lately too. We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel and I've had no kitchen for over a week ... with one week to go. Luckily, I've been working my ass off between the kitchen and the yard. Name........................Current.......Goal....... Lost.......Still to Lose Renewed Hope...............198...........195...........12..................3 georgia girl....................251...........244...........3................. .7 darr5380.......................172...........160...........4.......... ........12 KarenG.........................176...........173...........0.......... ..........3 Chocolate_Snaps............274...........260...........0.............. .....14 Wannabthin...................197.5........187.5.........2............. .......8 OH Juli..........................194...........190............7.......... ..........3 jfran.............................165...........160...........3....... .............5 Candle..........................187.5.........186..........5.5........ ........1.5 destiny79......................245...........235...........2.......... ..........8 Jennypoo......................194...........184...........3.5......... .. .......6.5 luvinke.........................220............210..........1.5....... .. .........8.5 Sunshine2.....................181.3.........176..........0............ .........5

OMG!!! I wish I lived in your area! I would take the mommy!!!! You have a heart of gold. Good luck finding homes for every one.

Yeah, I always see one of the PA's. I've been going in once every 8 weeks. Only 1 fill.

I haven't seen Dr Geiss since my surgery - 8 months ago.

Good luck to Ellen and bigdawg on your upcoming surgery. msjessy - I don't know much about Dr Powers but I've met him a few times when in the office. If you do require a lot of hand holding, you may want to think about switching. The one thing that I wish I knew before (although I probably still would have gone with him) is that the last time you'll see Dr Geiss is surgery. I guess the PA's do ALL his follow up?

I'm starting my NON food logging challenge today. I weighted in at 191.5 - up a 2 pounds from last week but it was my birthday on Saturday. I ate a ton of crap over the weekend. Including the most decedent piece of choc/peanut butter birthday cake. I was full after 1/2 a piece but ate the whole thing anyway - hehe! I'm not going to count calories on fitday and "plan" my meals for the next 2 weeks ... I'm going to check back in on 4/28/08 and see how I did.

I'm starting to think about getting fills. I've done really well so far without restriction but my weight loss has stalled a little recently. I know it probably has more to do with poor food choices than quanity of food and I know it gets harder the closer you get to goal. I have really kicked up the work out though and my clothes do seem to be fitting differently. Maybe I'm losing inches and not lbs? I just fear getting complacent.

princesst - You are doing awesome!!! Our stats are very similar - even our surgery date! Feels GREAT, doesn't it? You are in a smaller size than me though - you must be a lot taller. :rolleyes2:

Woo-Hoo!!! A whole new YOU ... a whole new life!!! So exciting!! Congrats! :rolleyes2:

Congrats! I didn't know you were planning to get married either. BIG smiles all around!!

Wow! Be sure to let us know how this unfolds.

My first update :regular_smile: Name........................Current.......Goal....... Lost.......Still to Lose Renewed Hope...............201...........195...........9....................6 georgia girl....................254...........244...........0............... ...10 darr5380.......................174...........160...........2......... .........14 KarenG.........................179...........173...........0.......... ..........6 Chocolate_Snaps...........274...........260...........0............... ....14 Wannabthin..................197.5........187.5.........2.............. ......8 OH Juli..........................199...........190...........2........... .........9 jfran.............................165...........160...........3....... .............5 Candle..........................190.5.........186..........3.5....... .........4.5 destiny79......................245...........235...........2.......... ..........8 Jennypoo......................194...........184...........2........... ..........8

With one package of sugar free choc pudding mix, I blend in anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons of dry PB2. (then the regular 2 cups of milk)