hagerteresa

Penni!!! That is so cool! You go girl! I can't imagine ever shopping in a normal clothing store. I am totally impressed. Keep up the good work, Teresa

Carol, you have done an amazing job! I am so impressed! Can't wait to see your pictures. I got banded May 8, 2004 and am down 53 lbs (3.5 months) and hope to be where you are at my 1 year bandaversary. Bravo to you!!! Teresa

Marie, I am SO proud of you!!! Good Job!!! I have been doing Water aerobics since day one but haven't mustered up the courage to get on the bike mom loaned me after surgery. I am hoping to use it soon but still shy away from the idea so far. You did great and have further inspired me to take a step closer to getting on the dang bike. I am also a wobbly non-confident rider so wish me the best... LOL. I am hoping you did wear a helmet though... Once again, job well done girl! Teresa:cool:

Glad to hear they are okay Penni. What a relief for you to talk to your kids. I am very close to my family also. Best wishes and hugs, Teresa

I vote to keep the prizes and Marie I'll happily ship yours if you win. Bummed you won't be there. I am joining THIS challenge. food today: 1 egg, 1 vegetarian sausage (morning star) 1 24 oz. iced white chocolate mocha with carmel (all sugar free) 1 chicken soft taco made fresco style from taco bell 1 cup of arm roast mixed in gravy and 1 sauted small zuchini 5 hersheys minatures Having a tough time getting all my Water in but have recently discovered getting kool-aid mix and making it with splenda. Very yummy and no sugar or calories. Not sure if this really replaces water or not but it helps me get more fluids in. Not sure if I'll get on here to do this daily. I just started another grueling 4 weeks of my last chemistry class ever but I'll try to often. I only weigh once a week already on wednesdays and no fill yet and none planned. Happened to glance at my weight while getting a depo shot today and I had lost 1.1 lbs since last wednesday when I had that plateau week but since today isn't my official weigh in day, I am will wait for the official scale reading till then. Best of luck to you all, Teresa

AMEN Marie, Alex and Donali, I agree with all of you. Hopeful1, I KNEW the band wasn't going to work for me and I would be the ONE person that didn't lose weight. I studied it and studied it, and although I wanted it done, I always cast a negative shadow over it when talking to friends and family about it. Fortunately they thought it would work for me and subliminally I HOPED it would work for me. I am so glad I had it done. In 3.5 months I am down 53 lbs. From 362 to 309 lbs! I didn't lose anything last week because my focus shifted into finals mode, hormone mode etc, but this week my weight loss has resumed. I realized my mistakes and brought the focus back to protein and vegetables. I still have a little chocolate everyday but that last week I had gone overboard on the treats. I do keep tabs of my calories like Alex mainly for educational purposes. It helps me keep tabs on my average intakes so I will hopefully tell if I am begining to see a pattern of eating more calories and what the calories consist of. I have not had a fill yet and am getting "full" on the same quantities that I was 2 months ago. I will NOT get a fill until I plateau for a minimum of three weeks and have evaluated any potential problems in my eating routines. Best wishes to you hopeful1 and thank you all for giving such frequent good advice. Teresa

Hi Babs, I am glad to see you too and can't wait to meet you. Hopefully you just experienced a minor computer glich or something. Best wishes, Teresa

Very nice Lioness. I bet that felt great hearing that. Keep up the good work. Teresa

You BOTH look GREAT!!! I can't wait to meet you both too! I am also pouting... LOL. Glad it worked out for your meeting and helped each other swap equipment. Keep up the good work, Teresa

Your doing good Melissa and keep it up. Glad to have you hear and hope you start posting more. Teresa;)

They are in my prayers also. T

In their own little worlds... Some times its better that way. LOL, Teresa;)

Hi Sue, Oh, don't worry about me, I know, I know. The truth is I definitely did not eat healthy for about 4 days last week eating things like fried chicken (INCLUDING THE SKIN!!!), Cookies, Pasta salad, candy bars etc. OUT OF CONTROL!!! The family picnic was the biggest culprit followed by inn-sitting and sorrounded by lots and lots of candy and cookies. I have been banded something like 13.5 weeks and have lost at least something every week by eating better with the band. I am due for a depo shot which means my time of the month (hypothetically) would be coming on till I get my next shot... Who knows. I just gave in for a few days. I still have good restriction even without a fill and have to be very careful not PB'ing. Everytime I think I am over that hump of not needing to be cautious I get a serious reminder. I am not kicking myself for the plateau and realize they do occurr naturally BUT I also know where I failed last week and am looking to correct it. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? Donali, trust me, I don't deprive myself. Recall earlier conversations about allowing myself a 24 oz. iced white choc. carmel mocha (all sugar free) and my one a day candy bar. I am normally fabulous about keeping it at one a day but the last few days it was more like 2 or 3 in a row! I have a major chemistry exam tomorrow and have been freaked and stressing about that for weeks. The school take a whole 10 week term of class and compresses it into 4 weeks during the summer. I have been busting my A** trying to pass weekly midterms and labs. If I pass this one it will just lead to another month for the last one in the series. I am honestly at the point I am sick of torturing myself with chemistry and ready to throw in the towel. If I pass I get rewarded with another 4 weeks of total torture. If I don't pass I won't be able to take it again till spring of NEXT year. I am in a rock and a hard place and just sick of it. I think that has been another big factor to my naughty eating. Oh-well, anyway... I am back on track and doing better food wise. Ginny keep your chin up and keep practicing making good choices, Teresa

Hi Anne, Good luck and hope surgery and recovery are easier than expected. Best wishes, Teresa

I can agree to everything leatha said. I had the gurgling noises too for awhile. I still get some little sounds here and there but it has calmed down some. Nothing is wrong with your band. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Ginny, Sorry you have had a tough time. I had my first plateau this week and realize where I went wrong thru out the last week and am trying to work better to improve it. I know it is tough for everyone here and there but we do get past these humps. I definitely have my weaknesses. Best of luck to you and hope things improve soon. Teresa

Options b, d, and c. size 3x $20.00 Rather than shipping to those of us going to Vegas I would prefer to just get mine when we get there. Teresa

That is who I am planning on having doing my fills. Haven't needed one yet so haven't met him yet. I refered a couple of other people to him and they are supposed to let me know how their fills go. Don't know how he is as a surgeon. Good luck, Teresa

Hello all and good job on all your progress. Sounds like everyone had a good weigh week. Well it is my turn to stumble. Blah. Stayed the exact same this week. Bummed out but I was a bad girl last weekend and now need to repent. LOL... We had a church picnic and mom did the catering for us (fried chicken, Pasta salad, Cookies etc) and I couldn't even resist the damn chicken skin. And then she left US all the leftovers!!! How lucky. Bad bad girl. Then to make matters worst I had to inn-sit at the bed and Breakfast where I was surrounded by jars of homemade cookies and minature candy bars. Once again I was a bad girl and made bad choices. I have been better since monday but not good enough to recover a weight loss. I guess I am lucky not to have gained. Recently I have given up on using fitday on the weekends but think I will resume that. Weekends seem to be my biggest problem. I do real well most of the week. Oh-well, such is life. Thrilled to hear about everyone else's success though. Keep up the good work. Teresa Dr. Lopez 5/8/04 362/310/??? no fill, down 52 lbs.

Looking forward to seeing you too!!! Teresa

Once again, I must say Oregon is best... We MIGHT get snow in the valley 2 days a year and even that is unlikely. The mountains are just an hour east and there is plenty of snow there to go visit. I hate being cold too and detest snow except to look at. I also hate heat though and that is what we are experiencing right now. HOT!!! Teresa

Congratulations Zoe!!! You won't regret it! YOU GO GIRL!!! LOL. Seriously best of luck to you and hope all goes well with surgery. You scheduled yours like I did mine. I had researched in for several months and just one day made the appointment for less than two weeks out. Figured I had less time to fret about it. Keep in touch and ask questions, Teresa

Penni, did Dr. Billy use flouro on Pam? T

Alexandra, I always thought it way you who created this cool site! Shucks... T

Penni, I most definitely will go to Jamaica with you if your friend can't make it. Don't know how but I would find a way. Hopefully your friend and yourself have a grand time though. Did Pam get a fill? I haven't heard from her in a few weeks and miss her. Hoping she will email me soon. I know she was disappointed in how her progress was going. Hopefully she is all fixed up with a good fill. Best wishes to you Penni and glad you got a clean bill of health. Yep Lisa, you got my attention... LOL. Teresa