the best me

Will be there! Okay, Angie got me goin'...what's my goal for our next lunch? Okay, 184 by Feb 18th. I can do it. Wooot!!!

I know!!! You all were waaaay down at the other end of the table. I almost wish we had a room, where we could circle up after lunch and go around, give updates on everyone. LOL I guess that's what Chat is for, but it's nice to talk to everyone while we are there. I really enjoy our lunches. Melissa e-mailed me the individual pic of me she took from her camera. Sad to say, I was horrified and dissappointed. Kind of like when I'd see pics of myself (such as the "fat pics" I posted on my NSV thread...ya'll remember the ones...) and I'm shocked because I don't realize how bad I look! Okay, so I look BETTER than I did, but it's the kick in the butt I need to get hard on myself with my diet and exercise. It has recently sunk in that I have been banded almost 10 !!! months. Where did the time go?! I want to have lost 50 pounds by my one year bandiversary. So I got to get crackalackin' on the next 17 pounds. I weighed an even 190.0 this morning. Ugh. 17 more pounds. 17 more pounds. Gotta make the donuts. 17 more pounds.

You are so funny!!! :biggrin1: How ya doin' Pati-O???

First thing you need to do is go back to your liquid diet for a fews days and give your band some rest! And call your doc. As you move to different foods in the healing stages, your restriction will change. You should have little to NO restriction on Water and other liquids. Many people are tight in the mornings and sip warm tea or broth, or just do a Protein shake until lunch. You, however, appear to be fighting stoma swelling caused by continuing to attempt to eat regular food. Switch to liquids...get those protien shakes back out...for as long as needed before you move to thicker liquids, then soft mushies, then fuller mushies, then soft foods...you get the idea. Start over. An unfill isn't an option for you. And you need calories and hydration. Give us an update soon!!!

Prayers from now till Tuesday! Okay, after that, too! You are so loved and valued on this board. Peace to you, and test results that bring promise and hope!!!!

:amen: I like that!

He's perfect and beautiful!!!! Thanks for sharing!!! WOW!!!!

I am a very happy Dr Kuri patient. He is a wonderful band surgeon and a lovely man. I have seen pics of the new hospital he is working from and hear glowing reports. I had my surgery almost 10 months ago and have lost about 35 pounds (depending on the day) of a total of 78 needed to lose to meet my goal weight. I have a mini-goal of losing another 15 pounds before my one year "bandiversary" as we like to call it here on LBT. That will be 50 pounds gone in one year. Not sure what my percentages are, but run the numbers if you like. I am a slow loser, dissappointing as it is. It takes work and effort. It's a hard as any diet in regards to the headwork and will power required by me. HOWEVER, I never had been able to do what I have accomplished so far without my band. And I'd be hopeless to do more without it. Simply, my band stops me in my tracks. I HAVE to eat slowly and chew carefully. I AM able to eat lots less food then before, and be satisfied. It's not what I thought it would be, but it's good. I love my band. Just be sure you have local aftercare unless you plan to travel easily to see Kuri for fills or problems. Good luck!

I am 10 months and have lost 34 pounds. Talk about slow. Realistically, I could lose another 16 pounds in 2 months, making it an even 50 for the year. Hey, that's a great mini-goal! Thanks! Anyhow, like you, I don't mind slow, but the green-eyed-monster burns my a$$ occasionally at quick weight loss, banded or RNY! If you don't mind slow, and appreciate doing the hard work yourself, including the head work! then banding is a good option. Hey, I am clueless about French...what does your sig say? (is it even French?!)

:amen: I totally relate to this! And I think I'm looking for whatever the pat answer is, when in reality, it's a growth thing...that happens over time. It IS happening with me. Perhpas I'm just not patient. I want the whole answer now. Truth is, I have to live through it in order to grow. Thanks, Ruthie. I'm not sure what you said that gave me my answer, but I'm good for now.

There's a Romans 8 discussion hanging around out there...Kare said something about Romans 8 on another old thread, and I need to dig into that. I totally see Banding as a path, not a cicumvention. Yeah, there's a verse for everything so surely there's one for that, right? LOL

Interesting. For me, no. RNY was simply not an option, personally. But, I suppose at some level I felt it would be spiritually irresponsible, knowing what I know, to risk those types of complications. The band was just "less" risky, and therefore, not out of the scope of God's will. For me. Yeah, I guess there's a twinge of that thinking in there. Not so much that it changes God's creation, but that the risks of RNY might keep me from God's will (caring for my family, etc) due to more serious health problems. JessicaO was a real clencher. All she wanted was to be a mother to her son, and look what happened. I feel that what I'm doing with my life in every other area IS God's will for me, so twarting it with health problems brought on by RNY would NOT be following God's will. I was "making deals" with the Almighty left and right pre-surgery. He brought me through, now's my chance to make this opportunity a success, so that I am able to bring glory to God with my life in every area...as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. Well, this is therapeutic. Maybe I'd lose more weight if I did a better job of keeping up with my end of things. Quit borrowing Grace. hmmmm...

Maybe that's the hard part? Maybe it's easier to be fat and have an excuse to be weak, that way I don't HAVE to be strong? Nah, that's not it. But I KNOW I tend to get too full of myself and then DAILY come across some kind of either experience or memory of a past experience that starts the self-talk road of "forget it...sigh...whatever, not for me, not this time, loser, not worth it, it'll never happen, I ain't 'got it' and it doesn't even matter anyway." crap that I KNOW is wrong according to my Bible. See?!!!! This IS a Hot Topic for me!!! Keep talking people! I'll keep smilin', promise! :biggrin1: editing to add: I suppose the Hot Topic for me isn't whether or not getting banded is sinful. We are all pretty clear that in most circumstances, it's not. It's the dealing with the sin in my life, whatever it is, that keeps me fat, because it keeps me eating, even banded! I really should be losing better than I am. Maybe if I name the sin(s)? Search out the source? You guys KNOW what I mean! Gimme some therapy! The Free kind, I can't afford the professional type! LOL

Not yet, but I feel more like "Me" than before. I'm still hashing out the issues that require some amount of self-control and discipline on my part. You know, the stuff that got me into this mess in the first place. Now I just get fuller faster. A little dissappointing, but I still have hope. As long as I have this band, I have hope. So, working on it over here.

hmmm...maybe? Perhaps we have a mutual friend? I'll try and think how we might have met. Here's some hints? I attend church in Huntersille, I have lived out this way since I was married almost 9 years ago, so for as long as you have been here. My MIL is in a nursing home in Stanley. My daughter is 6, in the 1st grade, but we talked enough about kids and schools that we'd have found a connection, I'd think. I used to belong to Curves on Mt Holly-Huntersville Rd at Rozzels Ferry. Do you know anyone who is mentally retarded? Seriously! I used to work for an agency in Charlotte and have met a TON of people all over town. I have a friend who used to live in Gastonia. Her hubby is a pastor, and used to pastor a Presbyterian Church in Gastonia. She's the friend who used to teach at Piedmont Charter. hmmmm...keep thinking!

Sounds as if you have a fighting chance. Alexandra will no doubt be able to give you good direction, but I'm sure others will be able to advise as well. Good luck! Go get 'em!

Very COOL!!!!! It's YOU! Better than the 1996 model. It suits you perfectly!

Whoa. Nope, I take my spoons waaaay for granted. I won't anymore. Thanks. :hail:

Lunch WAS fun! I'm so glad you were there, Jennifer. And the 18th is just 4 days before your big day! Hope your car troubles are fixed by then, but if not, let us know. I could swing by, too, if you need a lift.

I am very interested in finding out what types of testing you go through, if any, and what your doc says. I suspect I'm experiencing something similar and I see my GP on Wed next week.

[red highlights mine] excellent paraphrase. welcome out of lurkdom and thanks for your thoughts.

I am ashamed to admit it, but I believe the above about myself. I suppose my biggest idol is myself. I idolize the need for ME to be the one to take care of me and my needs, rather than God. So I pick food, not God. And how the heck does one DO that anyway? I'm hungry...should I memorize another Bible verse? Pray...again?!!!! Oy Vey!! I admit it's exhausting to feel so ashamed and spiritually deficient because I'm so FAT! If someone could talk me out of it, that'd be great. Somebody quote some more scriptures, please! And let me hear an AMEN!!! :amen:

YES! That is MUCH the way I look at it.

Ouch! My port is right at my waist. And I'm short waisted. The incisions aren't a problem...they are in a small arch across my stomach. Even the port incision is above my waist band. But the actual port gets squished if I sit just so and it's a bit aggravating at times. On the other hand, I like my port and it's location, I guess just because it's MY port. So I tolerate it. Many of the pants are low waisted these days, and that's helpful, but anything is in the way. Oh well.

Decidedly Christian Worldview here...I'm pretty sure it's more complicated than overweight=sin. Back when I was looking into banding, I was very frustrated because I knew I couldn't control my intake, I knew there was something missing in my thinking, I knew there was a huge spiritual side of this issue for me, but I felt I couldn't grasp it. All the prayer, Bible study, searching, memorizing the right verses, etc etc didn't miraculously make me thin, or heal my rebellious heart when it came to food. Point is, I'm still grappling with it. What I KNEW at the time, however, (pre-surgery) was that at 220+ pounds, I was so shriveled up with lack of confidence, understanding but not getting it, feeling gross, feeling unworthy to have an opinion, SPIRITUALLY HINDERED, that losing the weight first was the key to understanding how I got here. It's working. It's so much easier to explore these issues now that I have lost SOME weight. I think as I grow, my weight loss will follow and I will end up at a much healthier weight. And I don't want to be a skinny-minnie either. I'm toying with the idea of changing my goal weight to 160. We'll see. Anyhow, wonderful thread. I'd love to keep this discussion alive!