mjsafari

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f93/june-2007-bandsters-33199/index199.html Be sure and join us on the June 07 thread!

Sheila - congrats on the BP medicine. Keep up the good work. Good Luck with the seat belt! Suzzzie - thanks for the info. I am in Belton - I wish they would do something like that! Sounds fun and a great way to make new friends. Toni - glad to see you are still here with us. We miss your daily posts .

OH - I forgot my very big NSV! I flew Southwest yesterday to Nashville. I buckled the belt, put the armrest down and put the tray table down. I can't tell you the last time I was able to do that!

I had to take a day trip to Nashville for a job interview. They paid, so they sent me Southwest. I have not flown Southwest, since the time they made me buy and extra seat a couple of years ago. I am proud to say, I sat in the seat, buckled the belt , and....... put the tray table down! I can not tell you the last time I was able to do that! I also walked through the airport from one end to the other without sweating like a pig and being out of breathe! I am 1 lb away from being 70 lbs down since June 1st when I started pre-op, what a difference it makes. I love my band! Keep going everyone, it is so worth it!

Suzzzie - I agree with Faith - you are dieting and exercising, just like everyone else in the challenge, so unless the rules specifically state no surgery patients, I would go for. What city is the challenge for? Welcome back from vacation! Faith - love your 297.4 - WAY TO GO! Stef - I will have to check out the slide show from home, they are blocked at work. Thanks for Sharing! Janine - sorry you are having breathing problems, hopefully your continued weight loss will help that. DH update - surgeon called today and said he has H.Pylori, which is a bacteria in the stomach. So finally we have something treatable. We are waiting for the GI doc to call him in some antibiotics. Happy Hump day everyone!

good attitude Rhonda! At least you are losing instead of gaining!

HI EVERYONE! Great to see your posts. I am a daily reader, so it is great to have some news. It is amazing how involved I feel in each of our journeys even though we have never met. Nothing new to report for me. Husband still not doing well but surviving. He had is scope of Friday. They were able to pass the scope through his band, so the hole is open, but there was a lot of edema above and below the band. He sees the surgeon on Wednesday, hopefully he will have further ideas on what to do. The good news is he is able to drink cold liquids again, so he is getting some calories in. He has tried some soft solids also, they don't get stuck, but he has severe pain a little later when trying to digest I think. He is very frustrated. Have a great Monday!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/how-get-ticker-your-signature-16218/ Katy - here is a thread about how to set-up your ticker. Sweet spot - able to eat 1/2-1 cup of food at a sitting. For me, I think I eat less than that, but I am happy about that. I can eat almost anything except bread, as long as I take small bites and chew well. I have to remember to eat slowly or my band forces me to. I don't slime or PB, but I do get a pain and definitely know I need to put the fork down.

Yeah Insub! Holidays are for a little splurging, don't beat yourself up about it! I have a day trip to Nashville for a job interview on Southwest, so I hope the seatbelt fits! No problem on Midwest last month, but theirs are bigger I think. Stef your right it has been quiet. I hope that means that everyone is enjoying their weight loss and too busy to post! I have no excuse except not much to say. Hi everyone, I hope you are still out there! :-)

Name.......Challenge Start Wt...Current Wt.....Challenge Goal..To Go Huntersmom...... 174........... 172........... 159............ 13 SWEETY.......... 202........... 200........... 180............ 20 MJsafari........ 268........... 260........... 238............ 22 captdanbo....... 211........... 211........... 185............ 26 PaulaD.......... 216........... 216........... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206........... 203........... 175............ 28 Suzzzie......... 349........... 349........... 320............ 29 glindab......... 277........... 272........... 250............ 22 MM.............. 242........... 235........... 218............ 17 finallythin..... 254........... 254........... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259........... 259........... 239............ 20 Miscontext...... 303........... 303........... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207........... 202........... 182............ 20 wombat712....... 180........... 179........... 165............ 14 Texasmom5573.... 252........... 252........... 230............ 22 Waters.......... 214........... 213........... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206........... 197........... 179............ 18 I have managed to keep the extra lbs I lost being sick off, so I am going to record them! 8lbs down since we started.

I definitely have to say I am surprised to hear you received personal negative comments from this board. I have never had that experience here. It has always been very supportive or "tough" love, but never negative. I have seen negative on other boards, so I don't bother to go there. Please do consider at least reading and posting on the monthly support board for which ever month you have surgery. I love my June 07 thread and feel very invested in everyone's success there. It is great to have people at the same stages as you are to talk to. Good Luck in your Journey!

Name...Challenge start wgt...current wgt...chall. goal...To go Huntersmom...... 174........... 172........... 159............ 13 SWEETY.......... 202........... 200........... 180............ 20 MJsafari........ 268........... 262........... 238............ 24 captdanbo....... 211........... 211........... 185............ 26 PaulaD.......... 216........... 216........... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206........... 206........... 175............ 31 Suzzzie......... 349........... 349........... 320............ 29 glindab......... 277........... 277........... 250............ 27 MM.............. 242........... 235........... 218............17 finallythin..... 254........... 254........... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259........... 259........... 239............ 20 Miscontext...... 303........... 303........... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207........... 207........... 182............ 25 wombat712....... 180........... 179........... 165............ 14 Texasmom5573.... 252........... 252........... 230............ 22 Waters.......... 214........... 213........... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206........... 199........... 179............ 20 Way to GO MM!

cheating on diet - yes unfortunately I did and if my surgeon wasn't so good, I may have ended up without the band. He said my liver was still very large. I am not talking huge cheats, but I did have some solid food every once in awhile. My pre-op was all liquid - 4 protein drinks a day and all the SF fluids I wanted along with broth. I would encourage you to do the best you can. I am no longer Super Obese! My BMI is now 49.5, so I am morbidly obese. Which I think sounds much worse, but I will take it!

It is pretty cool to get rid of clothes! I have a whole bag of 30/32 for donation also. Very little of mine was nice enough to sell though. I never could bring myself to spend very much money on clothes. I hate to shop and I hate to try on. I think that will change as I get in to smaller sizes. Home sick today, started with just bowel issues, but at 6:00am I started heaving and was very diaphoretic. I had my son bring me the phenergan suppositories that we have had in the frig since surgery. Thank goodness, every heave I kept thinking did my band slip! The meds kicked in though and I have been fine. I am afraid to eat anything though. I am going to update my ticker - nothing like a little illness to drop a few pounds. I think I will be morbidly obese now instead of Super obese - YEAH.

Soda - drank some before, never drink it now, it tasted terrible the one time I tried. DH on the other hand - 64OZ Diet DP EVERYDAY before - now never drinks any soda. He said he doesn't even have any desire for it. We do drink iced tea some, but we do try to minimize our caffeine intake. Steak and Turkey - no problem for me. They need to be moist and I have to take small bites, but they go down fine. The only thing I feel like I have given up is bread. Do I miss having a sandwich or a burger - sure I do, but I can everything but the bread, so that is what I do. Mental - now this is a difficult road. If you don't think your ready - Your NOT. I thought I was ready and still at times get frustrated. I ate because I wanted to, it had to do with hunger sometimes, but I ALWAYS made bad choices. There was not one healthy thing about my pre-band diet. Did I love it, sure, but it was killing me, even if I didn't have any co-morbidities. food still has a very strong hold on me, but the band does not allow me to overeat. I love it and hate it at the same time. Only you can make the decision that is right for you. As some one suggested, seek professional help if you can and make a list of pros and cons. Good Luck!

I can only echo what the others have said. It is a lifetime commitment - but it is a commitment to yourself, you deserve to be healthy. I love my band most days, because I have very good restriction. I don't count calories at all and my surgeon never said I had to, I just try to make good choices. Lean Protein first, veggies (hardly ever for me, I hate them), fruit, and then some carbs if I have room which I often don't. I couldn't do this if I had to be on a "diet", I have proven this all my life. Is it frustrating, YES!, but only when I am struggling with wanting to eat more than I can with my restriction. If I let the band do it's job and quit eating when I am full, I am fine. I truly believe it was the right choice for me and the best decision I could have made. I cleaned out my closet yesterday because I know I will never be in those sizes again. Consider why you have to drink with meals? Are you washing down great quantities of food? With the band you don't need to do that. You will learn to enjoy the food you can eat and not waste calories on liquids. If you are thirsty 30min-1hr after meals, then have all the zero cal liquid or Water that you want before the next meal. I don't consider my life more complicated at all.

OH thanks for reminding me about that recipe! I was going to make those for a party I am having on Friday with my high school drama club friends! I have a job interview in Nashville next week - flying Southwest. Normally I would boycott Southwest, but since they are paying for the flight, I have to do it. I am not too worried about the seat and seat belt this time, but I haven't flown them in so long, I am not sure. KC never says anything about size, nor have they asked me to purchase another seat - unlike San Diego. I don't think Nashville would bring it up either - any experience? At 265, I should be fine, but I HATE even having to think about it!

Your doing Great Rhonda! your dd looks just like you! Melissa - congrats, thanks for sharing! Insub and Toni - THANKS! Good to hear from both of you!

I think you can update whenever you want.

Janine - Oh no you didn't offend me at all. We hear that all the time. It is hard to lose 2, but we sure ended up with a special one in the end. I hope you get to feeling better. Suzzzie - don't push it with food, and if you feel too tight, don't wait to long for an unfill. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Name....Challenge start wgt....current wgt.....chall. goal.....To go Huntersmom...... 174.............. 172........... 159...... ..... 13 SWEETY.......... 202.............. 200........... 180............ 20 MJsafari........ 268.............. 266........... 238............ 28 captdanbo....... 211.............. 211........... 185............ 26 PaulaD.......... 216.............. 216........... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206.............. 206........... 175............ 31 Suzzzie. ....... 346.............. 346........... 315............ 31 glindab......... 277.............. 277........... 250............ 27 MM.............. 242.............. 237.4........... 218............ 19.4 finallythin..... 254.............. 254........... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259.............. 259........... 239............ 20 Miscontext...... 303.............. 303........... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207.............. 207........... 182............ 25 wombat712....... 180.............. 179........... 165............ 14 Texasmom5573.... 252.............. 252........... 230............ 22 Waters.......... 214.............. 213........... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206.............. 199........... 179............ 20 I know I said I wasn't weighing until the weekend, but I just had to know! The scale moved a little, so I am updating, but I am now worried about getting to goal. At least I am not gaining I guess.

Suzzzie - I am not a Snickers eater, but every once in awhile I do want some chocolate. have you tried the Hershey's 100 calorie bars? I have tried the Wafer Bar - it tastes just like a KitKat. Nut. Facts: 100cal 5g fat 12g carbs 1g Protein. 100 Calorie Bars - HERSHEY'S

Janine - Yes little one is almost 5 (Oct 8th) and a 15 year old. Wasn't planned that way, we started trying a lot sooner, but we lost 2 and I had fertility issues of course with PCOS and obesity. My wonderful OB/GYN gave me Glucaphage. It worked to straighten me out, so I had a regular period, but it wasn't until I went off of everything for a couple months after giving up that I got pregnant. I think I had 5 or 6 sonograms in the 1st trimester just to make sure she was growing. CONGRATS on the weight loss! Man I hate my band! Not really but why is it so frustrating NOT to be able to eat as much as you want! I know that is the point of the band and I am very happy about my restriction. But it still PI**es me off some days! NSV - I keep trying to scoot my car seat up. It won't go any farther, but I feel like I am far away from the wheel! LOL I am and that is a good thing, since it used to rub every time I turned the wheel.

Rhonda - I feel your pain. I had to have an un-fill last time. It was so good to be able to drink and eat without pain. My nurse said you will probably gain back the 6 lbs you lost in those 4 days. I was determined not to! I think I gained 1 back, but kept up the losing after that. I am still on a plateau! I hope with a fill, walking and trying to get more water in I will get moving again. I am trying really hard not to weigh myself until the weekend. I tried a piece of pizza last night, 2 small bites and that was it, it wasn't going down, so I ate the topping and a tablespoon of mac-n-cheese. I know not the best choices, but I had so little I figured one night wouldn't hurt me. It didn't really taste that good any way - it was a cheap frozen sausage pizza. Kids enjoyed dinner though, seemed like a treat. My 4 year old informed me this morning that she did not feel like walking today, because her legs were tired! Will probably leave the kids home tonight, the 15 year old has a really bad cough.

Hi all! Thanks for the encouragement. With much reluctance I went walking again tonight. I survived, even though I thought many times about turning around. My youngest was complaining for the last 10 minutes. She said she wished she had a magic carpet to take her home - at that point I had to agree! Amy - I have to agree with you. I am very interested in the work they are doing with kids. There was a teenager in my surgeon's office when I had my fill on Monday. I don't know how old, he was tall, but his face was very young, so I wouldn't think he was more than 15. I know he was under 18 because his mother had to sign for his fill. I SO wish I could have had this choice at a much younger age.