Marimaru

Woo! Congratulations!!!

I wear sandals all the time, so my feet are really aweful. I know that if I wore 'shoes' they wouldn't be so bad, but I really like my flip flops. Not so much with the veins at this point though.

I'll give it a shot! I'll need to get some pics taken this weekend for it, and I'll have to do my best to get everything posted on time on Mondays!

awwwww!!!! He's SO cute!! I remember when my kitty would run about my keyboard. I used to bring her to work everyday, but now she's a spaz and doesn't like to come. I love kitties. My boyfriend says they need to genetically engineer a cat that stays kitten sized, lol.

I had an easy bake oven. I also had My Little Ponies that had tails like your doll. You could pull the tails out really long, and if you turned their heads back and forth it got shorter. I also had one of those dolls where you could do the make up and hair. And one of them, the hair changed color when you heated it up with a crimp or curling Iron. Or maybe it was one of those Water ones, so there was no 'heat' envoled... I don't remember, lol.

Like Jack said, why not do something with the first 70 lbs before there's ANOTHER 70 lbs to deal with. I'll tell you honestly, when I was first banded, 'lightweights' used to bother me. Then I got overmyself and realized that when I had 'only' 70 lbs to lose if someone had said "you can get this and stop gaining weight and start losing weight" I would have jumped for it! Why gain more if you don't have to right? I'm crawling up on my halfway point, which will be 70lbs lost, and no way would I want to stop there.

If anyone finds a place that we can ship clothes and supplies to, please tell me. I don't have much cash right now, but I have lots of "junk" that I don't need and someone else does. I've been 'planning' on cleaning out my apartment for a good long time now and taking some stuff to good will, but now it may have a good use and some urgency. I'm also giving blood next week. I don't understand why our country officials are quicker to give (unsolicited)help to people outside the nation, but it's driving me mad.

I would get on the waiting list as soon as you can, just so you are on it if you are going to try and do anything else. In the meantime, I'm sure you can lose weight if you eat like a bandster. Where the band come in most handy is those tough times when you want to just blow the diet. Unfortunately you wont have the help there, but try and keep the mentality. If you splurge on a meal or snack and have something you "aren't supposed" to have, don't give up for the day or week, get back on track with the very next meal. Don't have an "All or nothing" mentality, just have a "do my best" mentality. At the very least you'll be healthier when you do get your surgery. Good luck!

You mean this is really a condition?? Holy cow. My mom once told me that fidgity legs was a sign of poor circulation, but I didn't actually know it was a 'condition'. Wow. Well, now that I know, it's time to hit the research

Wow! That's really awesome!!!

My surgery was done by Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey. I paid $11000, but have heard recent quotes of about $8500. I drive down to TJ to see Dr. Kuri for my fills, because I live in Southern California, and that is easier for me than flying back to see Dr. Rumbaut. Both of them are really excellent surgeons, and both of them have their own bands installed, so they *know* what we are going through. Dr. Kuri has a couple of different pricing plans based on 2 hospitals you can choose from. I've not been to the hospitals, only the radiology office. The hospital in Monterrey was beautiful, and I had my own very large private room with a pull out couch for the person who came with me.

I hated fat people the most while I was in denial. When I got to a size 14, my brain paused and didn't see me getting any bigger. Yeah, I could lose a few pounds, but I'm not too bad. Jump to size 24, and here I am thinking about weight loss surgery?! When did I get fat?!?! Now having been banded a year, I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I'd spent a good 6 months before getting banded (before I knew about the band) comparing myself to people and REALLY taking in their size and comparing it to my size. Realizing just how big I was compared to the people around me. Now I'm having trouble with the idea that I am smaller than some of them now, I'm having trouble NOT feeling huge (still big, not QUITE so big). I went to a party last Saturday, and an old friend of mine was there from highschool. We got into a conversation about an online 'community' called myspace (public profiles, blogs, etc) and how some of the people on there were really screwy. She said "I may be fat, but I don't have a boyfriend who beats me, I'm not pregnant unexpectedly and all that stuff. Now if the doctors could just figure out why I'm fat, I'd be set" She went a little further to say that they didn't think she was eating as little as she said she was, and she just wasn't losing, etc etc. I was just about the use the opportunity to tell her I'd had surgery when we were interupted, but I found myself doubting her claims. "You don't weight that much eating so little as that." etc etc. Wondering if she was in some sort of denial about the amount she really ate or whatever. What do I know? I have no idea whether or not she has some yet-undiscovered health issue, or anything like that. I hate judging people, and I HATE catching myself judging people... and it would be a fat person that I did that to, wouldn't it? Sheesh. I've been terribly afraid of becoming one of those "skinny bitches". Not that I think I'll get "skinny" by any means, but just being thinner and having that mind set. I don't know how to avoid it, but I really don't want it. Anyhow, more for the thought process on this one.

Actually, I think she was referring to your comments about the care/hospitals in TJ being substandard. Have you had any surgery there? Do you know what the care is like personally? No offense, but what you just said could be turned directly around to you.

Tina, I used to do that same thing. That was back when I was in MAJOR DENIAL about my own size to begin with. In my mind, my body never got bigger than a size 14, even though I was in 18's, then 22's, then 24's... Finally it hit me that I was FAT, and a number of the people I'd had those thoughts about were SMALLER than ME!! Holy crap was that a kick in the head. So now, I see myself as my 24 self even though I'm a 16, and I can't get that staightened out right. I'll see someone and say to myself "Gee I wish I was that small" and then on some more careful consideration see that I might just be that size, or at least close to it. I've only got a couple of full body shots at this point to post, but I'll be happy to do it. How much detail do we want to include? I'm asking this (sorry Jack), because I'm thinking that for the ladies, that waist size is also going to look different dependant on breast size, etc... you know?

I experience this same thing. What Thinkthin says makes alot of sense too. I try and have bran cereal, or applesauce and a v8 for breakfast. Both of those choices are healthy, but they are also carby and don't have much protien. A couple of hours later, I'm hungry. I'll have to try having an egg or something for breakfast tomorrow

I have a friend who knows a few women who "don't believe in fills". I guess so far, getting the band was all the motivation they've needed to work on their habits. Personally, it seems pointless to put myself through the extra hunger it would cause me to have an empty band. Currently, to lose wieght, I need to stay at or below 1300 calories. I've found that I can maintain if I stay between 1400 and 1800 calories (never tried to get much higher than that). With my current fill, I could easily eat 1800 calories if I allow extra Snacks and what not. I have to work decently hard at not eating when I'm not truly hungry. The band really only stops you from eating too much in one sitting and from feeling true hunger for decent periods of time. It does nothing for the head hunger between meals, so I have to work on that monster myself. As for having it unfilled or removed... I really think that after taking the time to lose the weight, I would not develop new good 'habits' until after a few more years of maintaining my goal weight. And even then, I'd really rather not risk the temptation that would be abound if I didn't have my band. If all goes well, I'm keeping it for a good long time.

A half cup per meal really isn't reasonable for the most part. Alot of us restricted bandsters can eat more than that per meal. You should probably aim for 1200 to 1500 calories per day, and break that down into your meals.

You look great!!!

You've done great!!! Congratulations!!

Fasting in and of itself, defeats the purpose of the band, because the band is designed to keep you full faster when you eat solid foods. But if you think you could last on a liquid diet, it's likely you'll lose some weight, but then the flaw with diets like that is that they don't teach you good eating habits. So, while you'll probably lose weight, I would recommend doing some extra work to get eating right even while you are busy, as that will help you maintain your weight loss int he future as well, you know?

The first year of your loss was so incredible, it might be that your body is just taking some time to chill out and get used to things! You've done GREAT!!

I was 165~170 in Jr. High, and while I knew at the time that wasn't "skinny", and I had my dad to help pound it into my head that I was fat by putting me on slimfast and weighing me every damn day. I think for me, being fat IS my control thing. You can't control what I eat anymore, so HAHA! Not that I did it consiously mind you, but I think that's what it breaks down to. I never snuck out of the house, or did drugs or anything like that, but the hidden candy wrappers in my room told the story of my rebellion. So while I try not to give too much credit for my problems to other people, I can't help but thank dear old dad for a hand in my body dysmorphia (and that of my 17 year old sister's as well, who was never more than 20 lbs overweight. Fortunately, I've been able to be a picture of what NOT to do for her, and she's a great 130 right now, and workin' hard to keep it that way). My sister was never even "Obese", just "Overweight" but I think she's the person in my family who has the closest idea of what I've gone through, just because she has to watch herself so closely to stay where she is.

I can't imagine how much fun a bunch of wierdos like us would have with a few pitchers of margaritas, haha. Back in my day ( :laugh ), it was Jonathan Brandis, Edward Furlong and the like. None of their pictures were in my locker or on my bedroom walls either. I don't even swoon for Brad Pitt either. I had teal hair my senior year too. I think maybe I was trying NOT to fit in... or something. I don't have any friends that I hang out with currently in "real life". I work with my family and my boyfriend, and live with my boyfriend and haven't really bothered with much else. Last weekend I saw someone of the people I went to high school with, and while I was glad to have seen them, I was glad to not have kept in close contact with them. I guess just a different set of reasons why I'm part of the "Out of Place" group too. We're not out of place, just in our own place

I like this idea, but another thing that I'm doing is, when I get down toward the smaller sizes, I'm going to have my sister point out to me other people close to my size. I did the same for her and she was totally amazed (and she had 20 lbs to lose at the most ever). I think it will be helpful when I get there. I'm at a size 16 now and 225 lbs, and when I look at a picture, I see the difference, I even see a difference in the mirror, but I don't see the difference when I compare myself to other people. And I don't see the difference when I look down at my body, if that makes sense.

Congrats! Be sure to keep us updated