salsa1877

MISERABLE AND TOO TIGHT! I said I would be okay being on liquids for 3 weeks, but I am not. I can't even eat beans right now. Jello hurts! I can still get liquids down so I am not in danger of dehydrating, but I am tired of the pain everytime I try to eat. Evenings are alright and I can seem to get some food down then, but nothing wants to go down before about 7 pm. So now I am going to have to drive back. Should have just taken my docs advice and had the unfill right then and there, but I was stubborn. This is the first week of the new trimester and I am already missing 1 day for a conference that I am going to so I don't want to miss any more. I am going to try and make some chili and then puree it so that I have something besides protein drinks for breakfast and lunch. Even yogurt hurts a bit going down so I don't know if the chili will work or not.

That is what everyone kept telling me because I was so young (28), but when I went in to talk to my lap band doc about the possibility of having a TT he said there is NO way that my belly flab is going away. He said it was possible my arms could shrink, but that the excess skin on my belly was there until I cut it off. I don't plan on ever having kids so I am having it done quickly. I too have many more years before the lap-band is paid off, but I have a good job that will allow me to get the TT. That is all I care about at this time. Other things need to be fixed but I HATE my belly! Good luck with your decision.

I lost another 4 pounds this morning!!!!!! Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 81 lbs Total weight loss: 87 lbs Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 81 lbs Total weight loss: 95 lbs Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 85 lbs Total weight loss: 85 lbs Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 84 lbs Total weight loss: 86 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 80.5 Total weight loss: 100.5 Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 78 Total weight loss: 78 Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 45 Total weight loss: 65 Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 88 Total weight loss: 98 Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 55 Total weight loss: 55 Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 20 lbs Total weight loss: Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 28.5 lbs Total weight loss: 28.5 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 74.5 Total weight loss: 76.5 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 49 lbs Total weight loss: 54 lbs Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 48 total weight loss: 82 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 72.5lbs total weight loss: 89.5lbs

Holy COW Becky. You look WONDERFUL, AMAZING, BEATIFUL and CONFINDENT! Congrats

So it is Saturday morning weigh in day! 4 pounds gone. Maybe I will be at revised goal by the time I get this fill removed! Going to go in during spring break which is not this coming week but the following. Well we are going to head out and do something. I don't want to sit in the house all day!

So I talked to the counselor today and she has recommended me to a therapist. At first she thought that I truly was dealing with an eating disorder but after a 2 hour conversation she has decided that I have an obsessive personality. Money, work and food! Those are the three things in my life that I have completely control over, so I obsess about them. She really thinks that I need some therapy from someone that has dealt with these issues for longer than she has. So I called and left a message so hopefully I will get an appointment soon. I have made the decision that I am going to have part of this fill removed though. I can't eat more than 1/3 of a cup of food without pain and in order to get my calories I have to eat constantly throughout the day. Then I can't get my water in. Only 20 oz yesterday and the same today. Okay going to sign off and go drink, drink, drink.

So when I went to my lap-band doc on Monday and asked him about whether or not the skin/flab/fat that I have on my belly was going to go away with exercise and more weight loss he said "absolutly NOT". He told me I could do a million situps a day until I was 90 and the only thing that would happen is that my skin would be further south. We have lost a lot of weight and our skin is not going to recover to the extent that we need it to. He highly suggested PS because it helps us mentally accept our new bodies. I posted my belly flab pictures on the august 07 board and you can see from there why I would think that at 169 I still feel like I am 250. Doc's concern is that because I can't see a difference that I will not notice if I start putting on weight or that I will feel like a failure and put the weight back on. This is not for your sister...THIS IS FOR YOU! If you were anything like me, you always put other peoples opinions ahead of yours and this is one of the major things that I have learned in this journey...This is for ME and I AM WORTH IT. By the time I end up paying for PS and the lap band I will have spent 25000$. People buy cars on a regular basis that cost more than that. Cars are a 5 year investment...my body is a lifelong investment. Good luck with your decision...just make sure you are making it for the right person.

I laughed so loud I snorted!

Yes it is pi day. Mol day is in October for all of us chemistry folks! Wow Steph we really are nerds. I always tell my students that there is a nerd that lives inside of each one of us. Some of us just let it out of the cage more often than others. Mine is pretty much out at all times and has free reign of whatever I say!

I am with you on that one. Only problem is when you are getting everyone and there dog (including your doc) telling you that you need to stop losing weight. If money wasn't tight I would go get one of those body fat % scales so that I could show everyone that I still have fat on me. My BF told me this morning that what I think it fat is really just skin (not just on my belly!) Don't know if I believe him. Then again I don't know if I would believe anyone. So I went to the PE/health teacher for nutrition tips and they said that 1500 calories is too low since I am not wanting to lose a whole lot of weight. I think I am going to have to have some of my fill removed. Though I am telling you that people would kill for the level of restriction that I have. But I can't get enought calories and water in. To get the amount of calories I need I have to snack all day long. I only got 20 oz of water in yesterday. :angry_smile: The suggestion the teacher gave is that I need to start eating higher calorie foods. "Go ahead and have that piece of cheesecake and don't feel bad about it" Ummmmm....that is what got me to a 17000$ bill and major surgery. I don't care about those foods any more. But on the other hand I can't eat enough of the good foods to maintain. I know this is a problem that people wish they had and I feel a little guilty posting here about this but I don't know where else to turn. I don't want to post on the at/near goal because I don't know them and you are my family. I have really been on emotional roller coaster this week. I kept saying that I needed to see a nutritionist before, but now I really think I do. Just flustered!

Angie I wish my belly button looked like yours. Like LJM, mine is nicely tucked away between my two belly rolls. When I had my lap-band installed that was my goal was the see my belly button...now that is my goal after my tummy tuck, because the belly button just wasn't ready to make an appearance even after 80 pounds gone!

But you learned and that is the only thing that mattered. I tell my students all the time..."It doesn't really matter when you learn it, just THAT you learn it!" The nice part for you learning now is that the newness is back and you are more focused than ever!

1.5 hours - Cardio and weights. My arms are going to kill me tomorrow.

Everyone...including my doctor told me that I really need to start going into maintenance phase. I changed my ticker today to reflect that my goal weight prior to tummy tuck will be 160. I have increased my calories to 1500 (oh and by the way have lost 3.5 pounds since doing so) but I am not going to update my ticker until my official weigh in day on Saturday. My doc was so convinced that I could easily lose 15-20 pounds with surgery, which as of right now would put me at goal. I have a very muscular frame, even when I was really heavy and he doesn't want me sacrificing muscle tone just to get to 150, so after a lot of soul searching I have decided to listen to him. My doc also said that he has found that patients that have plastic surgery are LESS likely to gain their weight back because they don't get discouraged and disappointed with the flab of hanging skin. As you can see from my pictures I look really fat when I am not clothed. So for me that is all I am focusing on. It was kind of a relief when he said that no matter what I did or how little I ate, that skin was not going away. This surgery is really going to be a financial burden for another couple of years but I figured I was worth it. I know I should really shop around for a surgeon but if I don't use the one that I got financing for I will have to go to Washington state (I live in Central Oregon) and the 6 hour drive to my lap band doc already takes a toll on me. Plus my lap band doc did recommend him and I would trust anything he said. Obviously if I get there and I don't like him or his work looks terrible I will cancel the surgery. I would love to get the breasts done, but right now they still look okay in a bra. But these rolls are killing me so that is what I am getting done. My legs have always been my best asset so I am happy with them. The arms look bad but my doc thinks that I can fix those in the gym. In order to get the skin to shrink or reattach and not flop you have to build muscle...biceps and triceps I can build easily. I would have to build my ab muscles until I looked like Homer Simpson in order to reattach this belly skin. So that is a no for me!!!

So I fed them healthy! Actually my principal came by today during the last period of the day because he heard that I had food. He said he was making his rounds to all the teachers that he heard had food so that he could get his meal for the day. He was very surprised when he got there because he kept hearing that "Miss Salas has a ton of food" so he figured that he was going to score. He was the only dang person to complain today!:banghead: He couldn't believe after indulging in ice cream, pizza, doughnuts, cupcakes, and other baked goodies that I was actually serving fruit and vegetables. I was actually very proud of what I served them, and the kids didn't complain at all. The gobbled up the celery and Peanut Butter. I hope you are feeling better, and my mom is right...all those calories in a peach cobbler are not worth it. You certainly made the right choice. I always ask myself if it is worth working off the calories in the gym: if it is I eat it and then go to the gym, if it is not I just skip it. Phyl has her three bite rule and I have that one. It is all about finding what works for you. Alright. I did it. Check out the ticker! Moved it to a goal of 160. Also I set up an appointment with one of our school counselors to talk about my mental issues that I am having. I need to figure out how to get it out of my head that I am not 80+ pounds heavier. So I decided she could help me get a start and if not recommend me to someone in the area. Alright off to the gym as soon as I find my sports bras. Couldn't find them this morning. And yes...I have to wear 2:sad_smile:

My doctor said that legs and thighs can often be filled out with muscle, but that the stretched out belly skin often requires surgery. I have hope that my arms will look normal, but with confirmation from my lap band surgeon that they belly will not go away I have signed up for PS!

banana = pain. I have not eaten a banana since being banded but I brought in Snacks for the kiddos today as it is the last day of the trimester and just popped one in my mouth. OUCH So for my snacks I only brought healthy stuff of course. Not one complaint though. They are snitching on the teachers that are bringing in doughnuts!! I brought carrots, celery, bananas, apples, oranges, low fat animal crackers, Peanut Butter and low fat ranch dressing. Got to teach these kids something. Anyways I digress. I was cutting the bananas up for the next class and it is stuck. Not pleasant!!! It's mushy for cripes sake, why won't it just got down.

For those that didn't see it I started a plastic surgery thread. Just be forewarned the second post on there is a picture of my flabby belly.

I have been a lurker on your plastic surgery posts and you really did give me the inspiration to talk to my doctor about it. He was totally for it. In fact he very strongly suggested it. I have a consult with the surgeon that he recommended on April 4 and surgery tentatively scheduled for my birthday July 1. I can't do it any sooner because I am a teacher and can't take the time off of work. So the summer is perfect for me.

Yeah about 3-5 pages back I posted the picture of my big flabby belly. My doc told me that I would probably lose all of my excess weight with the surgery. To me 10 pounds is huge, but I have finally accepted that the scale is just one number. I will be ok with 160, but I need to change my ticker, because that really has been a motivator for me and I don't want to stop with just a little left and then have to wait until July. 80+ pounds in 7 months is a bigger accomplishment then I could have ever dreamed. I have never been to maintenance before and it is scary. I really have not been able to enjoy the fact that I am here because I am so scared. I only know two things when it comes to weight: how to lose it and how to gain it. :grouphug:

Jackie - Congrats on your NSV. That is a huge accomplishment. You should be really, really proud of yourself. Janet - YEAH!!!:grouphug: Nice Job. Weight lifting really is very good. I think a lot of people are worried about lifting because they think that they will gain weight. When I lived in Vegas my trainer told me that there is only a three pound differnence when you get to goal between fat and muscle. So while you can gain weight at first the difference at the end isn't that great. However the benefits from weight lifting is HUGE! Glad you are finding your trainer helpful. Kari - Welcome back. I was just thinking the other day that you should be coming back soon and here you are! Ruby - Glad you are feel better and more balanced:wink_smile: this morning. I second what Jackie says, pain is not good, and I would take the meds at least 1 more day if it was me. you may have to remind me of that when I have PS because I hate how the meds make me feel. I like being in control of all of my mental capacity (one reason I have never been drunk!) so it annoys me when I can't think clearly. Alright...here is my big announcement. I have decided to revise my goal. I have been resistant to this since my doctor told me I needed to stop losing weight. I felt like I would be a failure if I didn't get to my goal of 150. However after a lot of soul searching I have realized that when it comes to health, my doc probably does know more than I do and since he has had more experience with plastic surgery than I ever have that I am going to strive to get to the 160 and then get REALLY serious about maintenance. After all, once I have surgery I will most likely lose down to 150 so I will hit my goal. you all know that I am such a numbers/graph person and if I just left my ticker sitting with 10 pounds to go to get to goal it was going to bug me. So when I get home (can't get to my ticker from work) I am going to change the number. Weekly weigh in is on Saturday and I think I am going to be down a few pounds. I stepped on the scale last night (after eaing and drinking all day and I was down to 168 and I can be anywhere from 1-4 pounds heavier at night) Funny...I up my calories and off comes the weight. We will see what the final judgement is on Saturday, but I am pretty certain I will be happy. I think this is going to be a positive step. After all...I did this for health and I don't want to go too far the other way and become UNHEALTHY, which is what concerns my doctor.

Warning: Belly Flab Pictures. You may want to skip it!

By the way I am using doctorssayyes.com and my total surgery cost for the TT will be 8500$. I really want my breasts done, but right now I can live with those. My doctor was adament about getting the extra skin off now. Like your doc Becky he doesn't think I have much fat left to get off. Perhaps we should start a PS thread on here. That way we don't overrun the exercise board! By the way I ran for 1.5 miles tonight and did an hour of total cardio!

So this is how I do my pictures. I would copy what you have in word and paste it into Microsoft Paint (I am assuming you are not using a Mac). Then save it and go to the additional options section under the posting screen. Then click Manage Attachements. When you do that another screen will pop up. On the first line it will say "upload file from your computer". Click browse and find the picture that you want. Click on it and then click on upload. Then you can preview your post or hit submit reply like you do for a normal post. As for the PS, because of the way that I am having it financed I only have 1 surgeon in my area to choose from. However, my lap band doc recommended me to him because he sends many of his patients to him. I have seen the credentials and the before and after pics of the patients and they look good. My doc was very positive about him and I would take the word of my doc any day. He is a wonderful, caring and brilliant surgeon. So I just hope I like this guy. I may go to another doctor just for the consultation to see what they would say to compare notes. But for me, I got my first consultation through my lap band doc who has done abdominoplasties before, so I am fairly confident. (I say that shaking in my boots!)

Oh and Janet even though you may not have felt that you worked out as much, the simple fact you lifted weights means that you burn calories for longer. Cardio really only burns calories while you are doing it...weight lifting burns calories even after you are finished.