mousecrazy

I can ABSOLUTELY see a big difference! Especially in your face! Look under your chin...can't you see it? Also, your back, and your tummy....you are one of those lucky people with the skinny thighs already, so that's not as big of a difference... You are looking good, Sherry! Wait until the next 20 pounds...it's a huge difference at that point, too! I'm so excitied for you!

It's beddie bye time for me, but couldn't tuck in without reading up on today's activities, and checking in with everyone. Sherry, where are the pictures? Are they on our picture thread? Honestly, I'm actually enjoying the dumbbells...that's a weird sentence to write... Mary, I'm glad to hear that you are getting closer to moving on...although I'm sure you may have mixed feelings during this time. It's nice to read up on your news! Beanie, thanks for the Broadway review...and I join you in despising those theatre seats that are just WAY too close for comfort. I won't go to the Music Hall at Fair Park for that very reason. Can't they remodel those theatres or something? Glad you and Eileen get to see each other! Darcy, I hope you are feeling better, but I know backs take a while to get better sometimes. My DH has that problem sometimes, and it takes a few days, sometimes longer. Take it easy! No heavy lifting, including that Snickers bar! Eileen, thanks for being you! You make me laugh every day! Dianne, I think having "controlled eating" is something that just can't be 100%. So, do the best you can...shoot for 80%. Then you won't get caught up in "beating up" on yourself....that could lead to more over-eating....sorry for the philosophy here....just something I've noticed I do. Tomorrow's Friday! Yea! I really have to go to bed....more tomorrow! Hugs, Cindy Sorry if I forgot anyone tonight....

You've learned a lot! Very valuable post, and your lessons would be helpful to others. Especially if the concept of personal responsibility was really, really, thought about carefully. Well done!

Hi, Beanie! So you're in the Big Apple again? I hear you're gonna meet Eileen for lunch or dinner and you're bringing all your boyfriends, too! LOL! Thanks for the understanding toward my passion toward my "kids"...if I could just straighten out this mess... Yes, today was a better day, thank goodness! Day 2 of my dumbbell exercises....the best part is the stretches at the end! Hi Mary!!!!! Darcy, I'll check out that book...I felt a little better today when some of my colleagues gave me some love for challenging the assumptions of the book used to give us that info. That felt good. Thanks to all of you...I'm doing some exercise for the first time in a decade!!!! (blowing kisses to all!) Goodnight, and see ya tomorrow! Cindy

Report for week, 8/9/06: J 225 / C 222/ G 199 (-2) good week! "In the lane, snow is glistening....."

Why are waiting to get unfilled? Please explain what the worry is in being filled less? I see these posts all too often lately it seems, and it concerns me. I worry that too much dependence is being put on the band, not enough on the behavioral and "head" changes and the two must work together or there are going to be problems, for sure. Please use this question as an invitation for self-exploration. Why would you hesitate to ask for a slight unfill, so you can eat regular food in smaller quantities?

Oh, something I should have mentioned earlier...it's really important to learn that just because you CAN eat anything, doesn't mean you SHOULD eat it...I know, I know...it's a big problem...but something to start thinking about, anyway.... Good luck, Cindy

First, put yourself on a clear liquid diet for at least two days. Then try some protein drinks, or Carnation Instant Breakfast. Drink these slowly, do not push it AT ALL. After that, very easy and mild mushies, like applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, some soup. No messing around with this. This can be the difference in your health and the life of your band. I know it is frustrating and you are scared...but you need to take control of this situation, and understand that surgeons are surgeons...and each person is different and responds differently...so your body is giving you some strong messages. Listen. Please post and let us know if you are responding well to clear liquids, and we'll know how to advise from there...it is hard, but it will be worth it to let your stomach heal. I'm sorry you are having to go through this....((hug))

I can walk as much and as far as I want, and it doesn't hurt! I can buckle a seatbelt in an airplane. I can play and dance with my daughter, and do stuff with her. I look like myself again. I can be me. I can look forward to a much healthier, and longer, life.

BF in the above post means "best friend" who works in my school with me, the one I went to Austin with! I don't have a lot of boyfriends or anything.....

I survived (just barely) the first day back at school. THIS year, we were greeted with a morning full of BS about how the US is falling behind the rest of the world in preparing our student's for the 21st century...that's a fine "how do you do." They expect to encourage us with THAT? I guess that's why all those international students come to the US for university, and 18 of the top 20 universities in the world are, oh yah, in the US. The US educates all of the available population under 18 years of age, whereas these other countries mainly educate on a track system, and believe me, "inclusive" is not in the picture. They go more days a year, and more hours a day. I'm not opposed to any of that, but the travel/tourism industry in our country is opposed to it.....sorry, just venting here.....taking a deep breath....okay. I know we have problems in public schools, but dang...what kind of start to a year is that? Ya'll stink, welcome back! Betty, glad you enjoyed the tubing and San Antonio...and hope your foot is feeling better! Darcy, what happened to your trees? Did I miss something? Eileen, I was so p'sd on my way home from propaganda world inservice that I forgot about the dip!!!!!! What a bummer! Now I wish I had some....boohoo! Tomorrow will probably be more of same....the funnest thing today was my BF and I made my 90 link chain to hang around my bulletin board...one for each work day until R-day!!!!! Also, I got to meet the "new me." Yes, they have already hired my replacement....she is so brand new, she's not even certified yet....she's getting alternatively certified, which means she does not have a teaching certificate from a university at this time....sigh. See how that fits in with "students are not prepared for the 21st century"....okay.....stop.....somebody slap me! LOL!

Hi, Minime I know it's sooo hard at times, but it will help so much if you try not to compare yourself to others, and do the best you can do for yourself. Sometimes loss is slow, and that may turn out to be the best thing for you...I like the advice of just changing ONE thing. It's not hard to do, and just one little thing, done consistently, can make some big changes happen. See if that will shake something up! Good luck, Cindy

Okay, now you've got it. Take control, listen to your body, and do what is right for you. The band teaches many lessons (ah, grasshopper...I sound so philosophical!)...for you, taking control of your life may be THE one. Yes, back that fill up to something like .6cc. Then sneak up slowly to your sweet spot, and use your own head more. We'll be here to help you through the hard parts, and there will be hard parts. But what's happening now is very unhealthy, and that's certainly not the point of the whole thing.... I'm not scolding or lecturing...here's a (((hug))) and my best wishes to you as you learn how to use this tool! Please post as you need to! P.S. Before this very last fill of two weeks ago, I was able to eat an entire plate of pancakes! Still, I lost 61 lbs in the year! I was ready for more restriction (ready, in my HEAD) and now, boy, do I have it. Yet, I can eat real meat, but MUCH less...MUCH less. I could not have done that right off the bat a year ago. Each person is different, has different reasons for having the band, has different reasons for being obese....learn to listen to what is right for you, and trust yourself. This is no competition. Good luck! Cindy

Hi! I watch the Food Channel as a diversion when I cannot eat much...it works for me! Maybe you're like that, too! It's not torture at all, but I know it is for some. You are doing great...way to hang tough, Paula!

I'm just going to give you some information so you can compare. We have the same size bands. You can read my signature and see my fill history. Notice the time space between fills. Here's the advice, take it for what it's worth, which is just my own opinion, and my desire to make this a better experience for you. Back your fill down to .6cc, and live with it a while. Use it as a tool, and don't depend totally on your fill level to restrict your food intake. In a few months, if you are ready, get another fill...and so on. You will be happier, you won't live in a nightmare, and you will give yourself time to adjust to less food intake, and the other types of lifestyle/behavioral changes that bandster life takes. Can you see the logic of this? I know it costs money to get fills, and it's inconvenient, but it sounds like your life is pretty inconvenient like this, so weight it out. Banded life should be happy. Cindy

Kat! What a blessing for DH, and thanks for posting your good news. Now, the REAL hard part begins...keeping a DH satisfied and still and following dr.'s orders! Sorry that falls on you, but it just does, and I know you'll be able to handle it. Come here and vent when you need to, and you will. You're right, we all said our prayers! Sherry, ummmm, I'm just not real sure about your dr....no offense if you love her/him. Is this an internist? Might want a referral for one, don't know what your insurance requirements are....I swear there's an inner ear component here...but waddaIknow? I'm so sorry you are suffering with this. After running all over town all day, I didn't get the stuff for the famous dip, but it's goin' down this week or else! Hope your birthday's been a fantastic one, Eileen! Cindy

Thank you, thank you! Keep learning, keep your patience, and thanks for the compliments!

So, one year ago today, I had my lapband surgery. I don't need to review for any of you the nerves, the anxiety, the GAS PAINS!!!!! Then the liquid diet, the mushie diet....and the hardest of all: learning to eat plain ol' regular food again. Looking back now, I see that I have learned so much. In fact, I think the lapband gave me more gifts than I was prepared, at first, to accept. I have been given the gift of PATIENCE. I learned that if I turn down a brownie today, there will probably be another one in the future. Think about that. That's a big realization! I learned FORGIVENESS. If I make some bad choices today, I can do better tomorrow. Life is full of opportunities to redeem your mistakes. Learning this has been very freeing. This kind of freedom has released me from the depression/eating cycle, at least most of the time. I learned how to LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE. There's no race going on here...no competition. Sure, I'd see that others lost weight faster than I did, and I was tempted to buy into my old response of feeling inferior to them, but I fought that battle. What glorious freedom to rid myself of that! The reverse is also true. I saw that I was losing faster than some...I had to learn to fight the feeling of superiority, too. I LEARNED TO JUST BE ME. I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to be the best example to everyone. I can be just ME...sometimes doing things that are good and healthy, and sometimes not doing those things. Overall, the good decisions won out, and I have some before and after stats that I hope will be inspiring to some, especially those who are just starting out or are making their decisions about whether or not to have this surgery. I also hope that those of us who have been supporting each other all along will accept whatever success these statistics represent as a personal THANK YOU! The hours and hours I have spent here were informative, comforting, and thought-provoking. I chose to learn from all of you. I know we are all different, and that has been a benefit, not a detriment. I have made some very special friends here, and to those very special people, who should know who they are, I want to say, "Thank God for you!" Before: After: Weight: 286 Weight: 225 Bust: 50" Bust: 38.5" Waist: 48" Waist: 39" Hips: 59.5" Hips: 49" Thigh: 36" Thigh: 26.5" Calf: 18.5" Calf: 16" Upper arm: 18" Upper arm: 14" Size: 26 Size: 18 BMI: 45 BMI: 36 61 lbs lost!!! 41 inches gone!!! I am looking forward to YEAR TWO as a year to meet my stated goal of reaching 180 lbs. Another goal for this year is to add quite a lot more physical activity to my life. It's been a great year. I wouldn't trade the ups and downs for anything...especially not the life I had before I made the decision to take the leap and change my life! Much luck and success to all, and again, thanks for support! Cindy (There should be pictures to go with this, soon.) <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

It's Eileen's birthday!!!!!!!!!! And her wedding rings fit!!!!!! What a great birthday present to you! Thanks for the recipe, and I can't wait to make it...think I'll shop for the stuff today! I must need iron or something? It sounds so good... Guess what? My DD and I did a 15 minute walk this morning! I did physical exercise? WTF? OMG! Now, I'm getting ready to run my last-day-of-summer errands...shoes for DD, file my passport stuff at courthouse, get a non-fiction book for DD, go out to lunch (okay, that's not an errand!), and take DD to the dentist....whew! Well, dentist just called and they have an opening early...so gotta bug out! TTYL! Cindy

The best cure for this is to read the "Happy" posts...like the ones for the bandsters who have lost 100+ pounds...that's a long list! Look for the threads about people who would choose lapband all over again. Look for the bandiversary threads...those are always inspirational! Recently, PinkMary has a wonderful bandiversary post....Piercedqt does also. Use the "search" button at the top of the page and enter "bandiversary"...and remember, more people post their problems than their successes! Good luck! Cindy

My port feels like that sometime if I overeat (which isn't very much in non-banded terms), but anything that causes pressure on that piece of equipment can cause that feeling.

Yes, I am glad you are going for an unfill...what size band do you have? 4cc or 10cc? If you have the regular 4cc band, that's one big fill you had for your first fill....but it's hard to tell without knowing the size of your band. Get your unfill, let the irritation and swelling heal completely, get a small fill, and live with that for a while...then get another small fill, and live with that. IMHO it is a good idea to sneak up on your "sweet spot" and let your head and lifestyle adjust to it, than to have these problems, that can potentially threaten your band and your health. That said, congrats on the weight loss you have experienced so far...you are doing very well! If you can't wait until wednesday, call and go in sooner!

Okay Eileen, is this a spinach dip recipe you can share with us commoners? If so, feel free to post it anytime! May I be the first to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY so you'll read it first thing tomorrow morning! Sorry you have to have boss man to look at, but you can always fantasize about the GC cake, and how good it is be alive! Seriously, I hope you have a great day....you rock, girl! Sherry, vertigo is definitely a possibility. Please post what your doc has to say, because I'm interested in hearing about it....I bet that baby is a cutie patootie! Dianne, hi! I see you're on here reading while I'm posting! Anne, hey there...how's it goin' and how was that wonderful veggie casserole? Enjoy your week...That's what business trips are for...making the heart grow fonder or something like that! Darcy, how ya doin'? Hope you've had a good day. Hopefully we'll be able to make some of Eileen's spinach dip for breakfast! No more whining (today only!) about going back to work...I don't want to make Eileen feel bad about her 20ish years ahead of her.....although they go by much faster than seems possible! g'night, everyone! Cindy

Adorable pics, all of them!

Now all I can think about is spinach dip! Yummy! Maybe some Harvest Chips to go with it?