JustCallMeKelly

Can anyone tell me how to get my ticker onto my signature please? I thought all I had to do was paste the link, but that didn't work. Any help would be appreciated since I'm having surgery on the 26th and would like to have this up and running to track my weight loss. Thanks. KKG

Would still love to meet up sometime, just pm me for my number and we can coordinate. KKG

Karen, I'm thinking it was atleast $500 total that I had to pay out of pocket for Dr. Cywes' extra "stuff" (nutritionalist, phsyc appt., etc.) but I could be wrong...maybe someone else with a better memory could let you know...or you could just ask the office coordinator (Dana Zamont I think is her name). Good luck to you. KKG

Kerrie and Sue, hello ladies (and anyone else that wants to meet up in OP)...so sorry that I've been MIA again from this site...I just can't keep up with my 2 moms groups, doctor appts., and all the emailing and websites I check these days Anywhosy, I wanted to say that I would love to get together with both of you (and of course anyone else that wants to join us), I would love to share my experience Kerrie and would also love the chance to pick your brain Sue about how you made it to goal! I'm fine with either sometime during the week (Mon/Thurs/Fri.) but I'd have to bring my 3 yo and could either meet for coffee at SB (I LOVE lattes and the venti only has 25 grams carbs w/splenda) or could do lunch at Panera (they have a great tuna salad salad that I eat there). Or since Sue is better for the weekends I could do a Sat. afternoon (my son has Little Gym in the am) at the park or somewhere for lunch. If either of you would like my cell number to call and we can coordinate then please pm me and I'll give it to you. Look forward to talking with you both and meeting you soon. KKG

Hey Kerrie! Congrats on surviving the summer w/2 tween boys Yes, I'd love to get together with a bunch of bandsters here locally anytime. I wouldn't even mind having a monthly get together here at my house if we could just get it all coordinated. I do know that Susan (JaxBandster) was trying to find a location that was centrally located for us all to meet up but not sure if that ever happened since I was MIA for the last couple months from this board (maybe someone else can fill me and Kerrie in if you all ever got together). But if you'd ever like to meet for coffee or lunch sometime just to chat and get to know each other I'd totally be up for that. I live out in Oakleaf...where are you? LMK and we'll try to coordinate something soon. Maybe if I can hang around with some other bandsters (or soon to be) then I can get my motivation back and maybe motivate others as well! TTYS. Be well. KKG

We did just fine here in Oakleaf, some minor standing water and some down small trees (shallow root systems) but that's about it. Hope you are fine as well... I know there were some tornados in the surrounding areas last night! Hope everyone here survived this weird bizzare storm system. xoxo KKG

Thanks for the pep-talk Karen, it is much appreciated! I do know that I have to keep on going... especially since I still have 104 more lbs. to lose to get to my goal of 180 (Dr. C says I should be at 160 but I'm shooting for 180 instead). My biggest problem is that I did such an extreme LOW Carb for the first 5 months (under 15 grams/day), which is why I had such great success in losing, but now I just can't seem to get back on the low carb wagon... I've tried and failed like 9 times in the past 2 1/2 months!!! I don't know what's wrong with me! Every day I wake up and tell myself that today is the day that I'm going to start being a better bandster, but when lunch time comes I fail every time! I really think I'm going to have to get some professional intervention here...maybe some sort of addiction program. I will say this, especially to reassure those of you that are newbies or are getting ready to have the band, this lap-band has saved my life!!! And although my own demons are making it harder for me to lose right now, the band has kept me eating small meals and it keeps me from eating ALOT of the foods I'm most addicted too...breads, rice, and pastas! If it wasn't for the band I would never have been able to lose this weight and I certainly would not have been able to keep it off after 2 1/2 months of cheating w/no exercise. I just really need to find my focus and determination to get the rest of this weight off! Thanks for listening. Much love to all. KKG

Hey Kerrie and welcome to the Jax group! I live in OP too, Oakleaf to be specific, and have a 3yo son. LMK if you'd ever like to get together, how old are your boys? Well good luck with the process and just try and keep your patience throughtout. Take care. KKG

Oh, it was HUGE! Dr. C freaked out when he saw my results...but then you have to consider that I haven't lost any more in the past 2 1/2 months so when you average it out, it's more like 90 lbs. in 7 months, which is still great, but just not great considering I still have about 90 lbs. left to goal. I never meant to imply that I wasn't happy with the results I had in the beginning, it's just been these past 3 months that have been the killer for me!!! I know it's common for it to happen cos' Dr. C did warn me that between 4-6 months is when most people either fail or get started...I'm just mad at myself for failing my bad :-( Sorry if I gave the impression that I wasn't happy with my success cos' I'm thrilled, the band has saved my life... I just wish I wasn't such an addict to carbs cos' that is one thing the band cannot fix for me; I have to conquere that one all by myself and I'm afraid that I never will. Take care. KKG

Hello all, hope this finds you all doing GREAT!!! I've been MIA for a couple months but got the friendly LapBandTalk reminder to come back so I figured I'd start here! It's been a couple of tough months for me... all self inflicted unfortunately! I've completely fallen off the wagon and although my band has kept me from gaining I haven't lost at all. So in the first 4 months post-surgery I lost about 90 lbs. (give or take a lb. depending on scale) and in the past 2 1/2 have gained about 4 back :-( I've completely stopped exercising and have started eating carbs with every meal and have cancelled my last two appts. w/Dr. C...not out of guilt but just felt like there was nothing he could do for me since I didn't need a fill, I'm pretty much at the sweet spot as far as fullness goes but still battle with my carb addiction and laziness in exercising. Anyway, that's what's going on with me. Sue, I wanted to congradulate you on doing so wonderfully, I'm really proud of you and you look great! I'm posting my 4 month progress pics here so you can see how far I got before stalling. Much love to all. KKG

Hey everyone, well I was just wondering how long after being banded did most of you wait to start trying for pregnancy? Also, how much did you weigh when you got pregnant? One of my main reasons for being banded is so that I can have another child. When I got prego w/my son 3 years ago I weighed 300 lbs and although I had no problems conceiving i did encounter problems during pregnancy due to weight issues (high bp, gest diabeties w/insulin, low blood sugar for baby when born, etc.) so when I got the band my goal was to lose 110 lbs. before even thinking about trying for #2, but now it's been 6 months and I've lost 90 lbs. (20 to go) but I'm getting so anxious and worry cos' I'm getting older by the day (which means so are my eggs) and I'm starting to think I should just throw caution to the wind and start now, even though I'm not to my pregnancy goal weight yet (my ultimate goal is 180 but I'm already 35 and will be 36 in Nov so don't want to wait till I reach 180 cos' that just seems too far away). What do you think? Any and all input would be appreciated. Peace to all. KKG

Oh okay, now I understand your situation...well for me I finished the 6 month waiting period in mid-November (which then triggers approval from insurance company) and had surgery Dec. 26th. Hope that helps. Sorry for misunderstanding the first time I responded. Take care. KKG

Thanks Juno for replying...you are awesome cos' I notice you respond alot on this thread and I know it is appreciated. I wish you much joy during your pregnancy and many blessings for your little miracle. Be well. KKG

That's right Sue we ARE ONLY HUMAN and each of us has to face our own private demons everyday we wake up, but atleast it's better than the alternative right? Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I'm thinking of you and hoping that you are enjoying Vegas but are making good choices at the same time! After all, I KNOW there are alot more fun things to do in Vegas than JUST EATING! So focus on those instead of the all you can eat buffets and if you do choose to indulge than just accept it and move on to the next bite or meal and make it better than the last! Good luck and remember to enjoy life every day...Peace! KKG

1000Words, Well I don't know about your insurance company, but mine required me to do a 6 month doctor supervised weightloss period, so even though I went in for my meeting in May of last year, I didn't get the surgery till 12/26....so it really all depends on what they find out from your ins. co. but I will say that Dr. Cywes' office is very proficient in finding out the info they need to get you started...after all they don't get paid till they DO the surgery so that will be their goal, as well as yours. Hope this helps. Take care and good luck. KKG

Sue, you sure just took the words right out of my mouth!!! You and I are going through the exact same thing right now! It's been almost 6 months since my surgery and I've had incredible results so far but have all the sudden completely LOST my focus and momentum! And I'm SCARED to death about it too!!! Ever since I had that 4th fill and then unfill episode (see my post from 5/22) I've been doing horrible! Now I've gotten another fill on 6/3 and although I didn't gain any weight from the previous appt. I hadn't lost any either!!! I told Jodi and Dr. C that I think that is part of the problem is that I'm cheating almost daily but not seeing the consequences on the scale, like I would in my past weight loss experiences, which allows me to justify it in my head the next time I go to eat something I shouldn't. And don't even get me started on the not exercising thing...it's so weird cos' when I started this journey and weighed 83 lbs. more than I do right now I had MORE energy and motivation to exercise daily ... without FAIL! Now I find myself making excuses for not getting up and just doing it, even my 15 minutes pep talk isn't helping me (I would tell myself that I only had to do the bike or treadmill for 15 minutes and then of course would end up doing 45 - 60 minutes but that would get me moving every time). After some much needed self exploration therapy I've come to the conclusion that the reason I've lost my focus and momentum is simple... Life isn't so hard anymore and I no longer have those daily/hourly/minute to minute reminders of WHY I'm doing all this. Before when I was at my heaviest the smallest thing like getting in and out of the car would cause me pain and was just so hard, but now 83 lbs. gone life is just plain easier (even though I still need to lose over 100 lbs., but I seem to conveniently forget this when I'm eating chips and salsa). Anyway, Dr. C & Jodi both told me that the only way to stay focused is to make it a bite by bite decision making process, if you take a bite of something you KNOW you shouldn't be eating then make the very next bite a better choice and do this ALWAYS and w/o fail! And as far as exercising Dr. C says you do NOT do this to lose weight but to replace the "good" feelings you get when you eat carbs with the "good" feelings you get from exercise. So here I am a week after my last fill and I'm struggling still...now it's because everything I try to eat seems to get stuck, so I try to take smaller bites and chew better but then I don't get enough food intake before the 15-20 minutes is up...I've been drinking alot of shakes this week cos' otherwise I feel shaky and headachy w/o the Protein. Sorry this is so long but I really feel desperate for some help and I know that no one can solve this for me but it just helps to put it out there and hope for some support. Thanks for reading. Hope to talk to someone soon! Be well. KKG

Thanks so much Salsa for all that AWE-inspiring advice! Can I just tell you that you are amazing...not because of your weight loss (although that is awesome) but because you are so willing to help a perfect stranger and treat them as a loved one or friend! And for that I salute you Your advice is awesome and exactly what I needed to hear, I've already started writing those things down for my list and once I complete it I will not only carry it around with me but I will enlarge it and post it in my bedroom and kitchen as well to make sure that I see it all day everyday! I think what happened to me was I got TOO confident! I started thinking (even though I still have over 100 lbs. to lose) that this was so easy to do that I didn't really need to "try" so I stopped doing all the things that had brought me the success so far cos' I didn't really see how important they really were (journaling, exercising every day no matter what, watching every bite that went into my mouth, reminding my self on an hourly basis why I was doing all this to begin with). But today I went to see my lap-band doc and along with his advice, a fill and then reading all your great advice I now feel confident and armed with the tools I need for the next part of my journey! I will continue to check in with you for support and read what you say to others as well so that I can learn from them as well! Thanks again for putting yourself out here for all of us in need! You are now and always will be a friend of mine, Much love, KKG

Salsa, first let me say thanks for volunteering to be a mentor. After reading about 20 different stories of bandsters offering to mentor on this new thread I liked yours the best and am hoping you can help. I'm 35 yo SAHM with a 3 yo son, I've been happily married for 15 years. I've been overweight since my early 20's and been battling that long as well. I was banded on 12/26/07 and have been blessed enough to have lost 83 lbs. so far but with 107 to go to goal. But now I seem to be failing myself and my band. After some hard self examination I've come to the realization that now that life is not as hard on a daily basis and I don't have all those constant reminders of just how much my weight effects me, I'm slacking off on my eating and exercising habits. The worse part is that even though I'm cheating almost DAILY, I'm still not gaining (it's just keeping me from losing) and the reason I say that's the worse part is because I'm not stopping and I think it's cos' I'm not really seeing the consequences of my actions like I would preband. So what I think I need the most mentoring and help on is how to keep strong long term. I'm trying to get to 250 and try to get pregnant before I'm 36 (which I'll be in November) but even though I have set that goal for myself I just can't seem to get back on track! What is wrong with me!!! I always said I would not go through something as serious as surgery and be one of those people who backslide... but here I am doing exactly that!!! HELP ME PLEASE! I'm desperate right now cos' I'm starting to get scared of this addiction. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Much love, KKG

Libra, well first let me say thanks for volunteering to be a mentor. After reading about 20 different stories of bandsters offering to mentor on this new thread I think that you fit me best. I'm 35 yo with a 3 yo son, I've been happily married for 15 years. I've been overweight since my early 20's and been battling that long as well. I was banded on 12/26/07 and have been blessed enough to have lost 83 lbs. so far. But now I seem to be failing myself and my band. After some hard self examination I've come to the realization that now that life is not as hard on a daily basis I'm slacking off on my eating and exercising habits. The worse part is that even though I'm cheating almost DAILY, I'm still not gaining (it's just keeping me from losing) and the reason I say that's the worse part is because I'm not stopping and I think it's cos' I'm not really seeing the consequences of my actions like I would preband. So what I think I need the most mentoring and help on is how to keep strong long term. I'm trying to get to 250 and try to get pregnant before I'm 36 (which I'll be in November) but even though I have set that goal for myself I just can't seem to get back on track! What is wrong with me!!! I always said I would not go through something as serious as surgery and be one of those people who backslide... but here I am doing exactly that!!! HELP ME PLEASE! I'm desperate right now cos' I'm starting to get scared of this addiction. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Much love, KKG

Peter, those are incredible results, congrats to you! Keep up the terrific progress. What do you feel is most important in your success so far? Thanks for sharing. Be well. KKG

Glad to hear you are not experiencing too much pain. I will be at Dr. Baptista's office on Tues. also, to see Dr. Cywes at 11:45...what time is your appt. Maybe I'll see ya there. ttys. KKG

Tied2BeFit...I just wanted to tell you how much I LOVE your screen name!!! When I first read it I was like oh that's cute cos' she switched it around from Fit2Btied...but then I realized it's actual meaning "Tied (meaning the band) 2 Be Fit (losing weight to get healthy)" and I just think that is so darn clever and wanted to let you know! Much love, KKG

Mary, thanks so much for those kind and inspirational words of wisdom...you can't know how much it helps me to have this kind of support! I just want to tell you what an inspiration your success is to me! When I decided to get the band I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to lose as much weight as I needed and thought I maybe should have done bypass instead but then I noticed that they are plenty of people that have lost MORE weight than what I need to lose and that convinced me that it CAN be done! And I know I WILL DO IT Too!!! So thanks a million and keep up your awesome momentum and success. Also, how did you go about finding a personal trainer cos' I am looking to have someone come to me (I HATE gyms) at my home but don't know where to start looking...any tips would be appreciated. Much love, KKG

Anavrin, just checking in with you to see how you are healing? Feeling better now? I sure hope so. Let us know how you are doing. Thinking of you and wishing you well. Peace. KKG

LorraineS, just writing to see how your surgery went? How are you feeling so far? Wishing you great success. Let us know how it's going. Be well. KKG