areellady

How much are you running J??? Are you going to be doing a marathon, or triathalon in the future???

why, thank you, Mr. Who's....

Awe, that is so sweet. I have to admit, it brings me to tears when I watch it and that is several times a week. I just can't believe that is me in the new pictures....I keep expecting to see the fat lady reappear!!!

Totally digital!!!! That is the ONLY way to go....but take pictures the same day each month. Write it on the calendar so you don't forget. I always did mine on the 19th, because I was banded on April 19th. It really does help when you don't see any difference, you can look at the pictures and be amazed!!!

Although I am not joining in on your fun, I wanted to say "YOU GO GIRLS!!!!!" AND GUYS IF THERE ARE ANY!!!! I am running now too, I started two weeks ago and am doing 2 miles at a time as of the 4th time out. I started C25K when I was about 220 and it hurt my knees so bad, but I kept at it until the pain was just too much. I do not want to be a runner, per se. I do not want running to be my exercise of choice. I am a biker though, and having said that, as I started running again a few weeks ago, I have a lot of lung capacity I didn't have before. I know it is because of the long rides on the road bike. You girls keep it up and you WILL succeed. You know you will, I know you will, and soon everyone else will know you will.

BG, you are too funny. J, quit making her work at work please!!!! Geeeeeeeeshhhhhhh!!! I know, I know, but when I am not in class room, I will be out in offices getting experience, so it might only be a once a day thing, right before bedtime....I will not quit coming here this semester....I promise....... at least I think I promise.

Hey, Hey, Hey!!! Calm down sweetie!!!! You are fine!!! You are doing nothing out of the ordinary. You do NOT have any restriction so of course you can eat a lot of food. Anyone who is not restricted CAN eat a lot of food!!! You really don't have a pouch yet to stretch out, with only one fill, so breath easy!! Most important thing is, YOU HAVE NOT FAILED!!! This is the band, not bypass. You are not going to drop a huge amount of weight all of a sudden, it will be gradual and will come as you get restriction and can not eat as much. Bless you heart!!! You are doing just fine!! Stay with it and it will come!!

I have a bit of a different look on this. My house had changed what they eat just like I changed what I eat. They eat what I eat. I don't make them seperate meals or seperate Snacks. There are a few things I buy for them that I don't eat, and vice versa, but for the most part it is a family commitment to get healthy. Saying that, my husband is the same size or a bit smaller that he was in high school, so he is not overweight in any shape or form. He takes his lunch to work and has apples and yogurt everyday. When I decided I was going to have this surgery, we talked about it, and he knew that it was a family change, not just a me change. I guess everyone does what works for them and their family, but I do know myself well enough to know that if there is a lot of snacks and goodies around, I would eat them. The only time I buy chips is if we are going camping. I buy candy then too. I always end up eating the crap when camping too. Thats why I don't have it in the house all the time.

You brought a tear to MY eye reading your response!!!!:wink2: Thank you for all the kind words. You know, it seems that it takes some time for your brain to catch up with your weight loss and to truly see a difference. Thats why it is sooo important to take those pictures, so you can see what is happening to your body.

I was self pay and paid 13,500 for everything including one year follow up with all the fills/unfills needed. This included talking with an exercise physiologist and the dietitian everytime I went for a fill/unfill. I am past my one year, and now I will pay 100 for a fill. Nothing for an unfill. I actually got a better deal than most because right about the time my year was up, I got too tight and got really bad acid reflux and had to have a complete unfill. They have not charged me at all for the four months now that I am past my year mark to get me back to restriction. It all depends on where you live and where you want to get your surgery done at.

Heather pretty much summed up my complete thought process. It gets easier every day. It really does. The pain will go away and you will start feeling better and soon the weight will come off and you will know you did the right thing. I really didn't have issues with the weight coming off at first. I lost a lot of weight within the first four months....then I plateaued for six months. The weight I plateaued at was the weight I have spent a majority of my adult life at, I was comfortable there, so I was not too worried about the plateau. But I did get over it, and started losing again, and hopefully will be at my goal by Christmas. I do think everyone handles the band different. I know that for me, I would fight tooth and nail for this band in me. I know myself well enough to know that I am a food addict and if I lost this band today, I would not be able to control myself with food. That is me today, in the future, I may be different. I wish you luck on your journey to find yourself and what is right for you. I do know that I have NO regrets other than staying heavy so many years and missing out on all the fun things there is to do out there in the world when you are not sitting on the couch shoving food in your mouth!!

I rode my mountain bike up the mountain last night....got very little miles in, but it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo windy here last night, there was no way we were going on the road bikes. I am feeling great, and no pains since last week, so hopefully, I don't get anymore. I have to go pick up my samples of Prevacid to take when I get an episode again...geeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz, it is sooooooooo not heartburn, but have to satisfy the doc I guess. School starts Monday, and then we are off for a fun filled weekend for Labor day, camping, fishing and tubing....so the fun starts for me next week, and I will probably start disappearing again...but I hope not like last year..

Welcome Patrick and neighbor....I am in Idaho!!!!

I took pictures and still do every month....I have a slide show I put together and it is really an awesome thing to see the changes in yourself.....

Have a great time Traci!!!! You deserve it!!!

Yeah, he originally said they would do a hydascan if the ultrasound came back normal...I don't know what changed his mind. If I have another attack I will call them and see what the next plan is, but I know this IS NOT heart burn....

Oh, I forgot to tell everyone, I had to call the doctors office to ask about my ultrasound.......everything was negative..... He said I have heartburn. WHAT??? Heartburn???? I don't think heartburn is gonna make me have to push on my stomach that hard to make the pain go away. I don't think heartburn takes your breath away when you breath in....... Hmmmm....he wants me to take a Prevacid when it happens again. I have taken Prevacid.....this is not going to be a fun journey, I can tell that..

I am having a MUCH easier time this week with the scale......but I have been super busy getting ready for school. Sooo hang in there, next week will be easier!!! I have not drank at all since being banded, so I don't have an answer about the alcohol. I made a HUGE mistake tonight. For some reason, I am stuck after eating a granola bar too late in the evening....now I can't lay down without it coming up, so here I sit......and I needed sleep tonight!!

Awe, thanks for the ass comments!!!!! LOL....Hopefully it will just keep getting smaller and smaller.... School starts tomorrow for DD and I have to drive a 2 hour round trip to the clinic to get an offical weight, sooooooooo I am off to bed......I heart LapBandTalk.....

Absolutely not!!!! Never, not once!!

Updates of before and afters.... 305.5 April 5th, 2007 191 pounds August 20, 2008 Watch my slideshow that shows all the months of the first year!!!

Tiger, THANKS!!!

Lean Cuisunes are just about the right amount of food.....just sayin'....

This morning I took a picture of myself. I looked at it and thought, she is pretty. Whoa!!!!! Hold on here, I thought that I was pretty???? It didn't really even hit me that it was me for awhile.....and then when I realized what I thought, it made me cry. I have been so terribly bad to myself and my body, I hope that I can catch up to myself one day and realize that what I weigh does not equal pretty or smart.

You need to call your doctor anytime you get sick and are throwing up a lot. I have personally not thrown up from being sick since being banded and am super duper scared to do it. I think it would hurt really bad. I don't know this, it just seems like it would. I would call and discuss this with your doctor.