Bright

Chantel, congratulations on becoming motivated to be more focused on what you are eating. I have to say though, I think a 500 calorie diet sounds drastic - of course you will lose weight but eating that little doesn't do much to help you change your unhealthy food choices for the LONG term, which is why most of us got banded in the first place. Plus I personally feel 500 calories is an unhealthfully low amount for a woman to eat, and feel well enough to do all the stressful, normal everyday things! Please take care of yourself - the "feeling in control" may not last if you binge/cheat on your strict diet, and in my experience, is followed by self loathing and shame/failure cycle. You have lost weight, and with making healthy choices, coupled with your great new exercise program, you will slowly but surely get to a healthy weight AND feel energetic and fantastic! I hope you don't think I'm "raining on your parade" - I am so happy for you that you feel something has changed - maybe after a week or two of the strict diet, you can ease off, and use the big weight loss as a springboard to feeling more motivated! Best of luck! Ps - Maybe you'd like to read this article from Spotlight Health's Newsletter - It helped me get back to the gym today and bin my cookies! http://www.spotlighthealth.com/platforms/mo/obesityNews/obesityNewsDetails.aspx?id=83

Wow - Babs, I'm THRILLED for you - fantastic news - you must be over the moon! Well done! PLEASE PLEASE post some photos! Dying to see the difference!

Alex, Donali, thanks for your reminders - I went to bed last night way happier, and focused. I feel so much calmer about the carb/overeating thing - now I'm a thinking overeater....aaaarrgghhh:D Donali - What the Fudge....? Are you woman of the year or what? I can't believe you are doing all those tasks yourself! I pride myself in being a diy kinda gal, but whooaaahhh, compared to you, flinging up porches, and ripping out doors, I look like Paris Hilton! Stop making me look bad.......... Oh and just when I was calm, I found I could eat a whole bowl of bran flakes for brekkie this morning - with NO restriction, golf ball, anything - I normally can't eat anything much in the mornings so was shocked to see the bowl empty....I'm trying to tell myself it's because I have stopped eating past 7 in the evenings and my band is lighter in the morning because of it....but I am actually convinced my band has slipped....now where is my Drama Queen tiara to wear today.........

wow Teresa, you look fab - what gorgeous pictures - congratulations :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana

I haven't "been" here in ages, and it's amazing - whatever I'm going through, I log on here, and hey presto, someone else is going through it too.... I've gone ludicrously off track, on a total carb binge, for the past fortnight and am so depressed about it.... I normally have a few crazy carb days just before my period, but then am fine, and back on the road a couple of days later - but that was a whole two weeks away - and my one year bandiversary is looming ominously....I'm feeling like a big giant failure and have been too low to come to Lapband talk to get some support. Thanks Alex for releasing your "embarrassing secret" - I hope you get back on track - has anyone any motivational tips? It's so hard to keep going on this journey, when it's gonna take so damn long! I have just over one lousy third of my excess weight off and it seems like forever already!

woo hoo! Well done Janie, I'm so happy for you xx

Ryan, I'm crying and laughing at the same time here! Love your posts so much....! In fifty days you'll be banded - you'll be one of US then.....heh heh heh....:devious :devious :devious :devious Hey, it's going to fly by, and you won't even miss Thanksgiving dinner too much, you'll be so excited about the future - in fact, come to Ireland! We don't even HAVE thanksgiving....! It's the only holiday I never put up any weight.... :) Congrats on your date xx

byeeeeeeeeeeeee Alex, have fun xx

Just comparing my vacation photos - we returned to the same area in France for our holidays this year, and when I got the photo's developed, it was interesting to see the difference - I am down 80lbs since that photo was taken in 2001, but "only" down 65 since banding... I am so thrilled at how wonderful I feel being 80lbs lighter - so energetic, sleeping better etc - I can't thank all my fantastic banded friends here, the support keeps me going. August 2004 & August 2001 -80lbs

Lisa, people definitely do notice - they just don't mention it - I am absolutely shocked at people's reaction to me - but I'm shameless - I pretty much shove it in their faces now - "hey, have you noticed I've lost over five stone??!!" (which is the way we measure weight here and in the UK) - people HAVE to smile and say something nice. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of people who mention it, and go "wow, well done" but I am so surprised at certain people's reactions....recently, we had a religious thing for my mother's first year anniversary of her death, and I was dying for my mother's closest friend to see me - she was always really nice to me and was the one I would go to with problems etc as I didn't get on my mother all that well - she greeted all of us at the Mass thing, and stayed for dinner etc and never mentioned once that I had lost weight - it was 60lbs loss at the time, and whatever about my ASS, my face was bloody loads thinner - at one point I was filling up her wine glass, and my aunt walked in saying "oh my god, YOU'VE lost weight!" - this friend of my mother's actually got up, and walked away to the bathroom! Then I knew she had noticed but couldn't find it within herself to mention it. People are threatened by us, by having to possibly compete with another person on their level again. I went to a girls night thing recently as well - about 6 of the women from our neighbourhood met to discuss the school run etc - one of them at the end of the night said, "do you mind me mentioning, you seem way thinner - have you lost weight???" All the rest of them suddenly chimed in with "yeah, we noticed too" - and honed in for diet tips and wanting to know how I did it.... Jeez, you think they coulda said something if they were all thinking of it! Anyway I just started with my "helpful" dieting tips again - wasabi on EVERYTHING, raw eggs in soya sauce, tobasco in cheesecake.....they lapped it up.................. :)

ok I'm blushing here now.........don't know what to say! I forwarded these same photos to my family (first time I have ever sent them any progress pictures) - my dad sent me back the unforgettable message "good man" - my father in law replied with " you are doing well, but you look much happier in the before picture" (!!!!) - and worst of all, a close friend, (one of the few who knew me before I put on all the weight) rang my husband saying "she's doing well" and didn't even reply to me!!!! My sister in law said "I'm not going to worry until you get close to MY weight....." THANK GOD for my lapband talk family - you guys have me walking on air! Jennye - it'd be great to see you here more! Sue - you're a legend Ryan - you made my day! Bush baby - definitely! Lisa - that means a lot comin from such a sexy momma!

Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOO much - you are all so kind! :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny I never thought I would have actual side-by-side photos to show - it's like a dream come true - even tho I'm still a work-in-progress, like Alex said in another post, I feel so HOPEFUL - I know this band is going to work, and I am going to be healthy and fit, and hopefully more confident. I feel lighthearted for the first time in years, sure of my journey, and where I'm going. Thanks for all your positive comments - they really do fuel my motivation xx

Thanks for all your nice comments - I'm chuffed to bits here! You all give me such a boost - thanks so much! Yeah Marie, I have red hair! Well reddish/blonde, not really true irish red hair but I'm happy with it!

Lucky Cow!!!! Have a brillo time!

Suddenly, lots of Curves franchises have sprung up all over Ireland, and there is one about 30 minutes from my house, not exactly convenient but there all the same! I belong to a really good gym, and am happy enough there, but often find it hard to stay motivated, and actually working hard there, instead of sneaking off to the jacuzzi/sauna/steam room - (going by the theory that it all counts, as long as you're on gym premises!!!) - my question is, is Curves worth it? What are your experiences? I shouldn't really be spending more money on exercise after paying the yearly gym subscription and having perfectly good walking paths very close to our house....but I'm tempted all the same by the 30 minute workout.... what do you guys think?

It's official - Donali knows everything..........

your welcome Alex! I just saved the pics, then cut and pasted them in a graphics (Micrografix Windows Draw) program on a blank A4 page, then saved the whole thing as a .jpg, cropped and resized it! You look great side by side !

Carol, you look fantastic - what an amazing achievement - I am overcome with envy!!!! Well done!

So sorry it's taken me so long to get around to reading all these posts - so glad it's all over for you Anne, and hope you are bonding with Berpitha ll ! Thinking of you, and hope the liquid phase speeds by for you - take care of yourself and don't be rushing back to the gym! (((((((((hugs))))))))))

All I can say is WOW Michelle - you look fantastic, and have come such a long way in a relatively short time - I'm thrilled for you - hope I do as well xx

audrey - you have done brilliantly! Wow! I am so happy for you - well done :D

what a great perspective Alex, I love your one year story! I had to be induced at 42 weeks too, BOTH times so I'm with you on the waiting.... so proud for you - well done xx Ps - I put the montage together for you - hope that's ok....

Wow Penni - I can't believe how great you look - well done!:banana :banana :banana :banana

....I have something to add! After being banded for nine months now, I eventually have a tiny nugget of information to pass on to you guys! I have felt pretty impotent here without fill info, pain experience to share! Well - here it is (ta da!).... Does anyone remember me asking about shoulder pain? I was experiencing a LOT of pretty severe pain for AGES in my shoulder, just above my left breast - It left me pretty winded as it hurt when I breathed in deeply or coughed or even moved my arm... I was getting kinda worried about it and posted here - Donali (the big meanie...) suggested that I was overeating at meal times and the diaphragm was causing the gas-like pain. Ok, I went with that and stopped eating sooner that I had been. No go, still bad pain (Wake up! I'm getting to the good part....!) - ok so picture me in the car, driving down through france, well, hubby is driving, I am having my shoulder pain, moaning and whining away, hubby is completely glazed over pretending to listen.... So I turn to my big pile of gossip magazines, and am reading about poor Brittney having put on 1.5lbs and doing 3000 crunches per day to keep her lovely flat tummy - then I notice it says "Brittney avoids sugar-free gum as this causes build up of gas and can leave her tummy bloated and distended! Whoaaaaa stop the vehicle! What have I in my mouth 90% of the time? Only SUGAR FREE GUM! I constantly chew gum after meals, and well, all day long! I spat the gum out, and haven't had so much as a twinge of shoulder pain since! So there. Now I am waiting for my tum to go all flat like Brittney's.... must just have been all that gum makin it hang down to my knees....any day now...................

I think my loss is pretty slow too - about 70lbs in just over 9 months - I am 34, and have probably been MO for 7/8 years BUT I have lots of hanging skin - especially my arms... my thighs aren't great either - but shockingly enough, my horrible hanging stomach has sort of shrunk up over a third - I work out 2/3 times a week - but am resigned to having a good deal of stretched skin. I have given up years ago wearing anything skimpy anyway, and I am not hoping to get into sleeveless vest tops or mini skirts ever! As long as I can get into way smaller clothes sizes, I'll be delighted! However my breasts are REALLY saggy... I would love to have a breast uplift/enhancement/miracle in a few years! But they are pretty horrible these days......See photo attached: ****Just KIDDING! Did you all think I was really going to show 'em????*************** Not even for you guys!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :o :o :o