vinesqueen

Bumping because I needed to re-read it.

Oh my gawd! Oh my gawd! Oh my gawd! Is this how non-circus freeks react to shoes? My hubby just told me that he got the part to fix my bike!

Hello all. My husband had his band placed 18 months ago, and to date he’s lost 180 pounds (down from 600 pounds). One of the many changes that have happened has been the different way he now relates to food. When you eat half a stick of butter in one sitting, well, you’ve got problems…. He also tells me that he used to go to the drive through and order 2 or 3 full combo meals and scarf them all down before coming home for dinner. Mike has now become a huge fan of cooking shows, especially Alton Brown. It’s pretty funny when he insists on giving me cooking tips. (One of the reasons my first husband left me was because I “was too good of a cook.”) I don’t know what my current relationship to food is. I suppose I need to sit a while and ponder that before I have my band placed. I’m not a binger, I’m not a stuffer, I do use food as a reward, although I’m trying to change that to rewarding myself with other non-food treats. I do love really good food, and I love to feed my friends and family really good food too… and unfortunately, it shows. I’ve seen a couple of different therapists as part of diet and “non-diet” programs, and they were baffled because I don’t have any eating disorders, which seems to be unusual for someone with my BMI. I would like to know how other people have noticed that their relationship changed with and to food. Thanks in advance.

I felt it was time to revisit this thread. Especially given my experinces while I spent a month too tight, and where I am with my current struggles. I started this thread just over a year ago, it was one of my first posts here to LBT. I recently spent several days in DC for my scholarship, and had to carefully figure out what I could and could not eat, carefully make sure I knew where all the restrooms were so I could make a break if I had to PB. It was odd. On another board I belong to they have been talking about the importance of changing my lifestyle, and how I will never be successful as a bandster if I do not change my lifestyle. It's funny. I know they are right, but I know I've changed my lifestyle. I think one of the parts they are missing is the importance of changing the way we relate to food. The way I relate to food. I never, ever thought it would come to this, but there are days where eating has become a chore to me. Eating is not something that is fun or enjoyable, as it was once before. It isn't to say that I don't revel in the flavors or textures, but food does not hold the allure it once held for me. Not all the time. Some days it is a case of looking through my considerably empty pantry, asking myself if I really want to eat something or if I'm just bored. Usually, it is because I am bored so I wander away and find something else to do with my hands. I find myself sucking on pens and rings and things just to give my mouth and tounge and teeth something to do because I am not hungry. Because I do not want to eat. And I marvel in that. Not wanting to eat, not eating because I'm not hungry.

Woot! Someone get Jenna here to do her booty shaking dance! Job and 4 sizes!

Show your tummy, with your old and new scars. Explain how you've done EVERYTHING including going through major surgery to lose weight. Be bright and be shinning. Don't whine, don't cry. Your strong suit is being strong, so be strong.

Wow, that sounds like an amazing test, but I live in SE ID, where you have to set your clock back several decades once you arrive. Holy cow! 1500 calories sounds like so much food. I know that I haven't been getting close to what I set for my new calorie goals, but it's hard when I've been so low cal for so long... Please, please, please keep me abreast of how well you do on that, and gimme more details on that test!

I just wanted to add my bigmouth blabber to the conversation... First off, anyone is welcome to PM me for any reason. You can e-mail me as well, but I probably won't answer for a while, since i rarely check that e-mail account. (Bad VQ! Bad, bad, bad VQ) At this point in my life I wouln't consider having any surgery in MX, for two basic reasons. First is the distance, I'm in freeking SE ID and going to MX is just logistically unreasonable for me. The second main reason is that I do not speak Spanish, and I would feel very uncomfortable for this reason.

Oh Excellent work Candy Baby! I know it can be really intimidating to deal with people when we are vulnerable. And yet you faced your fears and moved on.

Everyone has has such amazing NSVs! I'm so proud of everyone!

Okay, since going so low didn't work, I've decided that I"m going to try to go the other way, and up my calories to about what men are recommended to use. 1400 -1600 calories for a man my height. So, for the next month, I'm going to shoot for 1400 calories. I sure wish I wasn't an uber-turtle.

Lianna, I have no idea what I can tell you to help you to jump start your weightloss. I wish I could, really I do, but I'm trying to work it out myself. I know one thing though. I personally cannot stress enought the importance of tracking your NSVs, your non-scale victories. The scale really only gives one dimention of your journey. It's like trying to describe a beautiful sunset, but you only have one color in your paint box. Please, if you haven't started it now, start your NSV list. If you really are a Turtle, you will need that NSV list to keep you motivated. Mine is the only thing that reminds me where I'm going, but more importatly, where I've been.

My DH will need to have major plastic reconstuctive surgery once he gets close to goal. He has major pani stuff going on now, and he's got about 150 pounds to go. He'll need the full body lift. I on the other hand, want a BR and a tummy tuck. I feel like I need the BR and want the tummy tuck. Heh, some days lately, I feel like the TT is the only way I'll ever lose weight.... I'm blessed with good skin though. Good genes and I've avoided the sun and smoke.

Well, if in my case, it isn't behavour that is keeping me fat. I don't know if it is my thyroid or not, but there has to be some body chemistry that has to be the culprit. I refuse to give up on this, but I also have come to accept that it isn't anything that I have done or not done that is keeping me fat. I will not accept being told it is my fault. Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.

I started back on my CPAP machine a few nights ago. I haven't been using it for several months, but going home for the holidays made me realize that I really, really need to go back on it. It doesn't have any affect on my weight, since well, nothing apperently does, but it sure makes a HUGE difference for my fibromyalgia. I impressed the heck out of the techs when I went for my first sleep study, I had 182 arousal periods during the night. You know it's a bad thing when you impress the sleep study folks. The doc said that it looked like I was trying to kick myself away to jump-start my breathing. I have RLS too, hate it hate it hate it

stupid back button. Anyway, I've been on the meds now for a few weeks, and I haven't seen any change in the scale. I'm feeling pretty good, except for being jet lagged the last couple days, so I guess that's all I can expect. Someone said that it took them about 7 weeks before they started to see any results from the thyroid meds, but I am so tired of waiting. I'm going to see if I can find an Endo Doc here next week and not wait until I go back to Seattle in March.

Well, according to the "ideal weight" calculators, I should weigh about 140-160. But when you take into account my fat free mass is 140, there is NO WAY I could reach any sort of external "ideal weight" Lisa, my dear circus co-freak, if you send me your current weight and your body fat percentage, I will come with with a scientifically derived number for you. Or you could just add 25 - 30% to that number to get a reasonable goal weight.

The most important thing, IMHO, is to start slowly. Folks have a tendency to want to jump into excersize programs and just go full tilt without being physically ready, which can and will lead to injuries and pain. Water aerobics is a good place to start, its a class, so there are other poeple to encourage you as well. (something that I need, I do SO much better in a class setting than not.) And if my DH, who at his all time high of 600 pounds could go to his water aerobic class, then you can get your relatively skinny butt down there too :rofl: Another thing to keep in mind is to find something you enjoy, an activity that doesn't fall under the classic "excersize" model. Something like dancing, or hiking, or gardening, the list is endless.

Oh Jenifer! what a jerk you have for a surgeon. Sounds like he's more concerned with his numbers than with your needs. 26 in 26 is GREAT, espeically given the amount of stress you are going through right now. Most people gain weight under such stressful things, any one of which is hard to deal with. Because you have had so many super stressfull things happen in such a short amount of time, I would schedule some time with a councelor or therapist. I know that many people belong to an organized religeon, perhaps this would fit you as well? You are doing well, and if he yells at you, then tell him to come talk to me, and I'll set him straight.

Folk never guess right how old I am without talking to me for an extended converstation. We are talking, they never guess within a decade. A lot of folks think I'm in my 20's which rocks my boat. I do not believe that Oprah's had any sort of WLS, she doesn't need to with her support staff. I know that If I had the same support staff I would have never needed the band. Also, when she was a lot heavier, she looked a lot older. When I look through the before and after pix on our board, I'm always astounded that folks look so much younger after losing weight. oh, and if Kirstie's only lost 60 or so pounds, then I say that was whipped fat, you know, air was added, like frosting....

Oh Diane! What a sucky place your MIL lives in! Okay, you don't do anything more. As long as you keep going to her trying to appologise, she has the power, which is what she wants, yes? Tell your children that g'ma just has some issues that she needs to work out, and that it has nothing to do with them, it's just a g'ma thing. I personally wouldn't be sad that such a person had no contact with my children, other than to provide an example of how not to act. Great job with not bad-mouthing g'ma in front of them. They will appricate it. Excellent parenting there. This is your husband's job and responsibility, not yours. Hugs, and I so sorry you have to go throught this!

Go to 200, and see how that fits. Because we are built really weird, being circus folk and all, we have different molecular structures. When I was working out 5 days a week, doing serious work out stuff, I was a size 12. I weighed 190 pounds and was told I was in danger of all sorts of obese related things. Do not concentrate on a scale weight sweetie, concentrate on a size. When you get to a size 16, let us know, send us pictures. It is possible that you don't want to go lower than a 14, given your body type. And yes, I've seen you partly naked, so there!

woot! woot! woot! woot! woot! (woot! woot!)

Just got back from DC, don't know what my weight is, and furthermore, I don't care. I have a whole string of NSVs, the very most important one is that I went to DC WITHOUT AN INHALER. What's more, I didn't even need it. This is super significant because this time last year, and for several years prior, I couldn't go anywhere without at least 2 inhalers on my person. I had an inhaler in every single piece of clothing that had a pocket. Last year this time I had spent 10 days of the Christmas vacation in hospital, don't know how many trips to the various ERs. I didn't even realize that I didn't have an inhaler until the puddle jumper from Salt Lake to Pokey, AFTER my trip was almost done. very tired. must sleep now.

This is technically from 2005, but close enough to call it 2006 Starting in the Back, and moving counter-clockwise we have MollyMolly, Vinesqueen, Sallykotz and Victoriana. This was taken at one of the many the Bellevue Startbucks in Mid-December. Okay, can someone please resize this puppy?