steph_co

I think you look great, LTD. But I agree - you need to do what makes YOU feel comfortable and happy. You're the one that has to live in your body. I do not think you look anorexic at all.

CEINMAN: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

Yes...this is what I was hinting at. I kind of have a bad history of saying I'm going to do something when it comes to my career and chickening out. I have no idea why that is. LOL But I am on my way and incredibly excited! WTG, Wendy! It's amazing how much courage a little weight loss can give a person.

HAHAHAHA...shhhhhhhh LOL

I know of one poster: MariposaBella You might have to PM her. I don't know how often she is here and she might miss this thread.

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI Foofy..............37.5..................14%.................38 Sades.............31.5..................14%.................36 Shalee04.........61.....................24%.................31.1 Bandpal...........66.8..................24%................36 Skinny_Jill....48.....................22%..................32.7 Stephanie.......60...................26%..................27.1 Hollyberries.....95....................27%.................38 Ooops. LOL It's been a long day for me...have mercy. hahaha ETA - OMG! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...I screwed it up again. It's fixed, now. LMAO

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI Foofy..............37.5..................14%.................38 Sades.............31.5..................14%.................36 Shalee04.........61.....................24...................31.1 Bandpal...........66.8..................24%................36 Skinny_Jill....48.....................22%..................32.7 Stephanie.......60...................58%..................27.1

And I'm finally to the penis! Yippee!!

I'd say it's your port, hon. Mine is REALLY noticeable if I press in that area. In fact, all I have to do is rub my hand across it lightly and I can feel it. I'm not looking forward to when it can just be SEEN.

Awwwwww...that is so dang cute!! I have to chuckle at the way guys put thing, "your ankles aren't puffy anymore..." HAHAHAHA A compliment, yes...but it just made me chuckle. LOL He sounds like a real sweetheart.

WTG, Kristin! WOW!! You are doing so amazing. Keep up the great work.

You know, I have discovered over the past couple of months that I suffer from a pretty bad disorder. Basically, I'm nutty as a fruitcake. I made it through the eval fine. As long as you can show maturity and control when it comes to handling yourself, that'll show through. With my psych eval, she was just wanting to make sure that I had reasonable expectations, was not currently struggling with bulimia, and that I would agree to get counseling so that I could learn healthy coping mechanisms. I'd say you're a step ahead - you already have a good support system, it sounds like. And that is definitely key.

I feel you, Alexandra. I struggle with this on an almost constant basis. I had nearly a 2-month stretch, here, where I did not eat like I should have been doing. And when I say that - I LOVE sugar, I LOVE any kind of carbs. Fried stuff, you name it. I love it all. It really takes kicking myself in the rear to not do that. I'm so used to thinking, "That sounds good - I should go eat it." And usually going on automatic and just DOING it. I have found for me that the only way I keep from those destructive behaviors is by keeping myself busy. This way I don't get a chance to even THINK about that stuff. It's when I get bored that it makes it that much easier to eat that stuff. OK, and if you don't believe me because of how much I have lost so far, let me give you an example. God, this is so embarrassing. This past Saturday I was at home by myself. (*cringe, cringe, cringe*...here goes nothing) I ate 2 Boston Creme Rolls, a package of Swiss Rolls, and two packages of little chocolate chip muffins. Yikes. This was over the course of a couple hours, of course, but so BAD! But I have found that I CANNOT beat myself up if I am to get back on the wagon and keep moving forward. I just basically had to ignore it, chalk it up to being human, and get back on track the following day. Shit happens. Don't feel bad about it. Just make a new choice. Each moment brings a new opportunity for a different choice.

I can understand this! I had a sheriff's deputy that I work with tell me that if I lose anymore weight, I'll disappear. Umm...I'm still considered 14 lbs overweight. I told him I wanted to lose 45 more (at the time) and he said, "FROM WHERE???" Cripes. LOL Trust me - naked, you'd see plenty of spots I could stand to lose 43 more lbs from. Without a doubt. I do look good clothed, but naked is a totally different story. Do what makes you happy. I agree with Fanny on the exercise thing, and I agree with Jacqui on the "genetic freaks" thing and I agree with MacMadame on the body fat percentage thing. :coolgleamA: So there you have it. LOL

Cindy (hollyberries) - Thanks. :coolgleamA: I would think at your height, though, getting down to 175 that you'd be in a 14 or even possibly a 12. I mean, I'm 2 inches shorter than you...which would mean wider at the weight I'm at compared to where you will be. I agree with Craig - you might have to adjust your goal size. Cindyg - Thank you. Exercise truly does make a difference. DH is struggling to lose weight right now, he's kind of limited by the kinds of exercise he can do because he has an old lower back injury. It's hard. I hope the elliptical helps. You can do this! You'll catch up before you know it. Linda - that's so exciting! It gets more and more fun dressing the new, emerging body, huh? :cool2:

Woooowwwww. LOL Wishing I could get some of that kind of restriction, but it'll have to wait for me for now because I can't get back to the fill doc. :coolgleamA: I'll bet you go even speedier now with the weight loss. Holy moly.

I wondered about ya the other day - glad to hear you are doing well!

Um...more fill? How much are you able to eat in one sitting? How long do you stay full? Do you have difficulty getting any kind of food down no matter how much you chew it? How many ccs do you have in your band and what size band do you have?

My first drink was a couple of months out.

I'm a self-pay. As long as you are absolutely, 100% committed to making changes in your life, exercise, and eating habits...YES, it is worth it. It has been for me. Even when I was "bad" for like 2 months, straight. Yes, I was bad, but I maintained because I tried to stay at least semi-active AND I was not able to eat as much junk in one sitting as I used to (MAN, is that frustrating...LOL). I would go back and get the surgery right now if I had to make the decision again.

Ohh! DAYUM. Gees. LOL Sometimes people say things and REALLY don't understand how they come across. My mom is one of those. Usually when I put it back to her, explaining how it sounded, she gets apologetic and tries to explain what she meant. She wasn't really trying to be venomous. One time she criticized a cow keychain I had, saying that when people keep certain imagery around, they start to look like it. Another time, I had gotten up to 210 (5 years ago) and lost back down to like 170. I told her I had gotten up that high and she said if she ever got over 200, she'd kill herself. Thanks, Mom. LOL It doesn't bother me when people ask - I love answering that question. But I could certainly understand if it was a daily occurrence. I'd probably get annoyed with that. I would probably ask them how much they've lost. LOL I usually turn a question around on the other person if I don't feel like answering it - even if it doesn't make any sense.

I slid into some size 12 shorts today. Yes...SHORTS. I have not worn shorts in dang near 5 years. The running is helping to tone my legs...they actually don't look half bad in shorts! Now I just need to lose more weight so that my knees don't look so fat. LOL

I'd find somebody else to do your fills. Your doctor sounds like an idiot if he refuses to completely unfill you and you are throwing up and can hardly keep anything down. Either that, or he could be facing malpractice once you end up in the hospital for malnutrition and possibly dehydration. Those are the answers. Whether you like them or not. DEMAND a complete unfill, and/or get a flouroscopy. With all the throwing up, it's very possible you could be slipped. Even the half-wit doc would have to realize that.

Oh, boy, am I glad I'm not the only one. LOL I've been very bad since February. Not sure why. The only thing I could think of was a lot of stress in my marriage and eating was the way I dealt with it. I'm FINALLY back on it and have managed to lose 6 lbs in the past few weeks. I'm eating low carb and I'm exercising. I started back into my Couch to 5K program and actually didn't miss a beat at all even though I hadn't run in about a month! I worked with the sheriff's office yesterday at a stationary post and I went to lean my back up against the wall and it actually HURT. LOL Yes, my shoulder blades are sticking out back there more than they used to. DH even mentioned that he can feel more bone back there. I looked in the mirror and kind of flex and can you believe that there are is also MUSCLE back there?? Wow. LOL I was standing with my back to a hallway when I hear a voice, "Gees, girl, you lose anymore weight and you're going to disappear!!" It was one of the sheriff's deputies that saw me a couple months ago and was amazed then at what I had lost. He then told me he was going to confiscate my ID because it looked nothing like me. LOL Overall, I'm adjusting to being thinner. It comes with added attention - I'm no longer invisible and it is definitely an adjustment. Sounds like everybody is doing good. I have noticed the board has been pretty quiet around here, lately. It's great to hear updates from my fellow Nymphs.

Sounds excellent, Bandpal - I always look forward to reading your posts. The visit to New York sounds especially fun! I'm sure you'll do fantastic. Eating with a toothpick...now THERE'S a trick I hadn't thought of, yet. LOL It would probably benefit me, though. I know that if I don't set the fork/spoon down between bites, that I just keep shoveling, then I get the very painful reminder from my band to chill. It's the only thing that keeps me eating slowly - setting the fork down. It also affords me time to sit and talk with people I'm with. Anybody else frustrated that you can't hurry and swallow when somebody asks you a question? I have to push the food off to one cheek or the other. It's really gross. haha It's either that, or be writhing on the floor in pain. As for deciding when I'm full...I try to pick out reasonable portions and go with that. When I'm getting close to the end of the portion, I start to eat even slower. Might be a full minute or two between bites at that point - I'm waiting to see what my body says. And when it no longer says, "hungry," I stop. That is REALLY odd for me because I NEVER used to be that way. I'd eat until FULL. Can't do that anymore. Rather than thinking of how much more you could possibly put in there (my old way of thinking and one I still struggle with), I find that it helps to think if I have satisfied my body enough. It's great to read about your journey, BP. Excellent job on the 61.5 lbs!! Happy 5th month anniversary to you, too!