insubordination

Wow Rhonda, you look great. You can see the difference all over. What a shame you're fill was too tight. I want mine a little tighter but I'm quite comfortable right now and can eat most things - then again, that's the problem. CD, my port is a little rotated now and I think I did it from exercise. I use an ab machine at the gym and that's it (rowing machine probably helps too.) Even though I'm really overweight, I can actually see that my stomach might have a chance of going back to normal. The only area that I've done too much damage too is my upper arms. Luckily, there is an invention called 'sleeves'.

Make it an off-limits topic from now on Suzzie by responding in grunts. That's what I've done with my colleagues. I don't tell them how much I've lost. Save all that for here. I've lost 56 too which is totally awesome but I have a dreadful feeling that I'm about to come to a standstill. I've still been exercising but have been eating too much. I have to book another fill I think and make a commitment like giving up all sugar for several months or something like that. I just refuse to be this big any longer and will have to find a way not to be. My biggest and most successful change has come from seeing the psychologist (just a few times). I am learning to defend myself and tell people how I feel and not taking any kind of mistreatment just because I'm obese. I've been honest with my boss about my workload and progress, have been working less unpaid overtime (so stupidly, still do it at least an hour a day but that's an improvement, believe me). I have also told people why I can't do their favour or take a call during my lunch break. I have been writing complaint letters, taking things back to stores, telephoning people left, right and centre. A big change for me but one that I need to keep doing. Missy and Holly, you have done so well. 84 pounds is an incredible amount of weight. It must feel great to not have to carry that around. We want pictures when you reach 100 pounds off. Not long to go, I bet. I hope everyone else is doing OK. Haven't heard from a lot of you much lately. I miss you guys.

That choice should be a no-brainer, shouldn't it? The problem for me is that food is so delicious and enjoyable that I have fooled myself into thinking that I'm spoiling myself and being good to myself because it's so delicious and comforting. Some pleasurable things are harmless (massage, bath, laughing, being with loved ones, being in nature). Food can be deceptive in that way.

QueenMama, I just wanted to congratulate you on the no-seat belt extender. I don't care which leg it was on. You must have been over-the-moon. I'm also glad you went to Hawaii. Didn't you say that you usually refuse business trips because of your size? Bathroom was no problem as you'd feared. Well done man! Good luck on your goal too. That extra inch will be gone in no time. Can't help you Mary as I'm a vegan!!!! A vegan who got to a BMI of 50+. Who'd have thunk it?

Bloody hell! I'm normally really good diet-wise choosing healthy nutritious stuff but when I'm seriously PMSing, watch out. Some months it's OK, mostly bad but sometimes it's absolutely wicked and it's as though my body is screaming from the cells to the universe. I got up, switched on the oven and put a 'lite' apple pie in (single serve pies thank goodness). I had a shower and made a coffee and ate hot pie with about 20 pieces of dark almond chocolate. I have been able to pace myself easily lately with junk food and the like and could be trusted with these things in the house. Not anymore! I'm pacman and hungry hungry hippo rolled into one. I'm not going to beat myself up. Two months ago, my PMS was just fine and I didn't feel to many 'urges' and resisted all sugar etc. but its definitely a real thing. I have never eaten an apple pie for breakfast before.

Choose the weight loss over the food. Who cares? There will be many more Thanksgivings but you only get one first year with a band. Look up some sad stats on turkeys or something. Maybe we don't need a great quantity of food. Maybe just a few bites is enough. It's still the same taste whether you eat a bit or a vast amount. Maybe we have to enjoy tastes of things. We have been having our (whole) cake and eating it too for so long. Then again, what am I talking about? Choose the food! Sorry to hear that you had a bad time. I had probs soon after a fill but it settled down later. Liquids suck.

Jelbel, I am also an adult ESL teacher but am also the manager now. I love the teaching part, the managing - not so much. I teach in Australia but I did live/study in Chile for a year when I was younger. Am thinking about going to Germany, Austria or Spain to teach this year so I can do the overseas thing (have EU passport too, luckily). Where in Central America did you teach?

Maybe you have to go through a rough period to properly appreciate a good one.

I know you're speaking from experience Chickie but so are lapband surgeons. They aren't wrong that most people lost X% of their excess weight. Then again, I'm reminded of a quote/proverb that says something like, "Argue your limitations and sure enough, they're yours." I don't want to state that I will never be a normal weight and then have a self-fufilling prophecy but the other part of my mind says that not every athlete makes it to the Olympic Games no matter how hard they work at it.

I'm not sure whether this was an NSV or not. I have lost a fair bit of weight and all my clothes are loose. I went to the kitchenette and the back of the classroom to get some water and my pants fell down! A few of my students saw I think but they did a good job pretending that they didn't. How embarrassing (in a cool way). Needless to say, I bought some safety pins on the way home.

The doctor told me that I would likely lose 60% of my excess weight. Therefore, I'm being realistic to set it high as that's what statistics show. Also, I hate setting a lofty goal and failing to achieve it.

I only have lose the desire to eat about a week after a fill. After that, I get used to it or something and my life revolves around food once more. It's so hard to know whether one has adequate restriction. I don't PB but I eat more than I should be for a bandster (I think).

That apple festival sounds wonderful. Also HUGE congratulations about reading ONEderland. Such an achievement. You must have been stoked when you saw that on the scales. Bravo! :whoo::biggrin1::clap2::high5::banana:bananalama:

I think a holistic approach, including counselling/psychiatry/psychology is crucial for many (but not necessarily all) patients. To lose the weight without understanding why you overate in the first place is setting yourself up for a relapse. I think support boards like this one are so important to help us know that we are not battling alone. I hope that if anyone reading this is suicidal, they will post about their feelings before doing anything drastic. Probably no one is a professional but we would try to help. It's also important that we are supportive of each other, even when we disagree. I sometimes visit another forum (no, not THAT one) where people can occasionally be downright cruel and heartless towards each other. I always worry that an unkind word might push someone over the edge.

I'm also 5'8" which really isn't so tall these days. I have huge feet and have to wear men's shoes. I need to go down at least 2-3 sizes to get into regular women's shoes. That ain't going to happen unfortunately, my feet/ankles/wrists/hands have never been fat for some reason, though the rest of me is. However, I have heard of people dropping shoe sizes. Would be so cool.

I don't know whether you should get a fill or not. I know you have done this on willpower alone but I think that if you somehow lose your will, the band will be there to 'save' you from gaining. I don't thnk you have tight restriction and are maybe just eating so little from discipline but if some pounds ever start creeping back on, get a fill, then another one. I'm glad you didn't get RNY because your body needs as many nutrients as you can get and your stomach and intestines are still intact.

Heck no! It was your picture that spurred me on pre-op. Cute dressed, bikinis and skinny jeans are what we all want to see. I'm so glad that the people at goal who have maintained it (there are only a handful of you) have not abandoned the board for greener pastures. It's so important that you're on here. What I have noticed is that the successful people are the ones who have dedicated themselves to exercise. I've reaslised directly through you guys that exercise is crucial to long-term success. Imagine if there were no people at goal on this board. It would be very depressing indeed.

PS I joined a gym not to lose weight or get fit but to have something planned for when I get home which did not include shopping/conducting a binge/spit session in front of the TV. A nice side-effect is that the gym has helped me deal with the day's stress. When I get back from the gym, I do not want to buy food and pig out. Here is a link to give you some ideas Alternatives to Bingeing/Purging

I had to see a psychologist and develop other strategies for stress-related binge eating. These included joining a gym and planning 'hand busy' activities for my danger times, keeping a journal, dealing with problems when they come up and expressing my feelings to key people in my life (such as my boss and colleagues) so I do not feel quiet resentment. All these things combined took a bit of work and time. I have been through an intense period of buying food and chewing it and spitting it out because I could not let go of this behaviour. However, 4 months post-banding, I do it maybe once a week or even less and I don't go out shopping especially for it. I have confidence that I will work through this and I hope you will too. The fact that there is some will there not to hurt yourself and to make the post shows you have the potential in you to deal with this. Some people improve with binge-eating straight away and others have to work on it. I know one thing, your stomach can't take it at this stage so you absolutely can't do it. You must find another way or you could damage yourself, biologically even.

I'd really love to go but it's too far from Sydney, Australia. I'm actually going to visit a friend in NY but not until the end of August. Put a dollar in for me.

Awesome. Alot of us were above 300 just a month or two ago and now have our beach front property in Twoterville.

What a great surprise for you. Congrats! They must have a policy of denying all claims from the outset and then hope that people don't appeal. I have a bra anecdote too. I only lived with my brothers and father and was too embarrassed to go by myself and get a bra. I finally got one after a bit of teasing and my first bra was a C-cup! We won't even talk about which way I thought the sticky part of the pad went when I got my period.

Loveya Toni. We are all band sisters (I mean siblings) here and glowing successes are no less important that the down times. Yes, I imagined that I'd never have to diet with the lapband and that the weight would just come off without trying because my portion size would be reduced and my hunger would go away. I think they do try to sell is to us in some ways and that advertising can be misleading unless you read sensible books like 'The Lapband Solution' which are totally honest about the part that you play in the whole shebang. Though I'm not dieting, I probably could be sucked into a regime but don't want to be as I have failed at sustaining that in the past. I will not count calories because it drives me insane. Do we have to just diet only it's easier to stick to now? I bloody well hope not. I *will* say that my tiger has turned into a kitten in a stomach sense but, in my head, the tiger sometimes transforms into a starving mother lioness in heat (or something like that, you get the picture). What I am trying to do instead of dieting to raise my standards in regards to health, exercise and eating and to 'look after myself' or at least find out what that means. This process brought up so many issues that have made me realise how far I still am from having a normal life. I can understand your disappointment with banding for sure. Do you drink with meals? Are you using the correct eating technique? You rarely PB and slime if you bite and chew properly. Maybe you are too tight and so you eat easier foods to avoid PBing and sliming. I don't want to blame you at all but something is not going right and you have to find out what it is. Hopefully your docs can help with this. I had to see a shrink about my emotional eating (she certainly honed in on the probs, very good she was) and I had to go to the gym to deal with stress. It's not always easy but I realise that the other choice (doing diddley on my couch) is not what I want. I also acknowledge that I'm in a pretty good headspace right now but may not always be. Have you seen this link before? If not, we might use it as a checklist to identify potential problems. Can you see anything that could help you? 10 Most Common Mistakes Weight Loss Surgery Patients Make The 10 Most Common Mistakes Weight Loss Surgery Patients Make Keep checking in Toni. You have a right to be annoyed if you haven't lost in a month or two but don't give up searching for answers.

Congrats! Outstanding result for the month (so far). I can relate to the TOM thing. The scales show I'm up but I know I can't be really. It's so hard to be patient waiting for a loss. Sometimes I wish I could have fills far more often because I always lose straight afterwards. I'm not super-strict with myself. I give myself a break sometimes. I think I'd snap if I didn't.

You're doing outrageously well. I can't wait until you hit 300 either. I also liked your little experiments and what you said about finding other ways to measure success.