mousecrazy

glad you're here! This is a great place for support and information...in fact, I think people find out more here on the boards than they do from their doctors, which is weird...but undoubtedly true! LOL! Here's another helpful hint for getting the most out of LBT...use the SEARCH feature...that will help you find past posts on topics you are interested in...let's say you want to know about pre-op diets...go to the top of the page, click on search, enter the term, and a list of posts will be given...then click on one, and the term you entered will be highlighted in red (I think) so you can find it easily. Have fun reading...I know I've spend countless hours here, and have learned so much, and met some fantastic friends here!

Yes, you will always be able to feel your port, from the inside and from the outside.

You're fine. It's normal. Adjust your sights to the long haul...these little bumps are just bumps, and it's gonna be a long and difficult journey if every bump feels like a mountain. Have you checked out www.fitday.com? It's free. You can track your weight, and notice what pattern your weight loss takes. Much better to just notice a pattern than stress over every hill and valley. Please don't do this to yourself. You will lose weight if you are using the tool, the band....and following the eating suggestions, even 80% of the time. Breathe....you're fine.

Chloe, I just now read all these posts, and you have received a lot of great in sight and advice. I am posting because I wanted to add something that hasn't aleady been posted here. First, a few days of eating too much or the wrong things isn't that weird in the "normal" world, is it? So if it's a few days, try not to let it scare you, and see it as a normal ebb and flow in life. Then, it won't cause such anxiety and worry. If it goes on longer, then it might be sabotage. Second, since emotional eating is by nature "self-centered", one way to combat it is to replace it with something NOT self-centered. Like Wheetsin so perfectly illustrated, I'm not suggesting hopping addictions...that's trading one for another...but instead of turning inward, go outward....one way that has helped me in the past is to get up, close the Cheeto bag, and call a friend who needs some encouragement, get on LBT and try to help someone, DO SOMETHING for someone. I know it's cliche now, but random acts of kindness have a lot of power, not just for the receiver, but the giver, as well. You are quite courageous to open this discussion, and please just take my input for what it's worth to you....no offense if you don't like it, really. Hugs, Cindy

HAHAHAHA! Darcy, I noticed that last night!!!!!! Weird, in our parallel universe here! I'm hoping (cross fingers) to get to change my weight again next week....I'd better if I can only eat 5 bites at a time. I mean, that's got to be the trade-off, RIGHT?! It's really okay, it's just another adjustment in my "head" band. Eileen, could you pass the spinach dip? Please? It's a big laundry day here, whoop-ti-doo!!! I'm fighting off the blues for going back to work on Tuesday...so I just think, "Let's get it going, so I can start my count down to Christmas!" Hey, all you guys we haven't seen in a while...I miss you! Cindy

I always say it is better to go slow and be cautious, than try to rush things and run into problems later that could cause you to lost your band altogether. The band is a tool, and it would be a mistake to totally rely on just that. Try to combine the band with some "head band" adjustment, and go with that for a while to see how the fill plays out in time. If, after a while, you believe you need an adjustment, then go get it. A little at a time give YOU a chance to change your behavior and thinking as you go, and make using the tool a happier experience! Good luck! Cindy

Mary, all I can say is WOW! WOW! WOW! Did I say WOW?! You are beautiful, and look happy and postively glowing! A big congratulations on a successful year of work, and I know you are ready to have that baby!

You are not a wimp, you just had surgery...you will not feel 100% for weeks! I remember I was driving after a week, but it was gingerly...in other words, I could drive, but I was aware of how my body was moving and I was very careful. You need to be resting most of the time, broken up by frequent walks (not fitness walks, just around the house or up and down the driveway). Even laproscopic surgery causes bruising and swelling inside your body. The pulling on your left side IS probably your port; mine is located on the left. You will always be aware of that port, even after it is healed, and that is going to take much longer than 5 days. After all, there is a silicone piece of equipment in there! LOL! You should be going in for a one week check-up. Make sure your doctor shows you where your port is, and ask about the pain if you are still experiencing it...most of all, remember your body needs to be treated gently right now, inside and out, and YOU need to be patient with yourself. Calling yourself a wimp and trying to tough it out isn't going to help at all. Follow the doctor's discharge orders, rest, use a heating pad, lots of pillows to support you and move slowly.... Be patient, you're healing! It will get better every day....good luck! Cindy

Darcy, that makes total sense, since I have always read that exercise releases endorphins that help with depression/blues...I guess we are just determined to fight it! LOL! We are soooo stubborn! Eileen, I am still laughing (and I am not making this up!) about your comment on "nursing a cheese doodle".!!!!!!!! I feel like a new bandster again with the new fill...it's almost laughable. DH made his famous bachelor-recipe tater-tot casserole tonight. In the olden, pre-band days, I would eat a big ol'bowl of that stuff...I mean, 3 cups of it, minimum. Tonight, I tried about 1/2 cup, and had to stop with several bites left in the little bowl....it cracks me up! My FIL invited us to Master Grill, which is this place where they bring around big skewers of Brazilian roasted meat, all you can eat, for tomorrow night....they let me pay child's price, but dang, I'm wondering if I can even eat a lamb chop! I warned him....but he doesn't really get it, so I'll pick at stuff and move stuff around on my plate for a couple of hours....and do the best I can! Do ya'll think the is the elusive "sweet spot"? I guess that'll depend on whether or not I lose weight, huh? Hope everyone is having a good weekend....it's nice to have the little munchkin back in the house!

Hi!! We are home with DD in tow, and the dirty laundry to prove it! She loved her new futon, but is a little skeptical about what all just MIGHT be missing out of there....I keep saying, oh yeah, you know, it's in that second drawer...LOL! Really, she had a great week, seems to have come home with all her own clothes, and looks really, really tired, but says she isn't, so I guess that means it was a fantastic camp! We came home and made a couple of casseroles, one for us and one for the neighbors...she had a melanoma removed, so we're taking dinner over there for them. And, my sister has our plans all booked for our big trip next summer! June 15 is the day, and we're off to Disneyworld for 5 nights, then a Disney cruise for 4 nights!!!!!! You know, I'm not "Mousecrazy" for nothin'! this trip, it's gonna be my sis, her son (graduating from OU this coming year), me and DD. We're celebrating nephew's graduation and my retirement. I'm so excited! Ya'll are really inspiring in the "E" department...seriously. I am so proud of ya'll for going and working out, and doing all that good stuff that I want to do, but then just blow it off. I'm hoping to jump that hurdle. I am working up to it, and each little thing I do, I find I actually like it! Darcy, don't worry about not sending cards...some people do and some people don't. You're still A-OK around here! We'll be keeping up with each other every day, as usual, anyway, and we've all got great Christmas wishes! Eileen, you're killin' me! You absolutely do NOT look 42...if you looked any younger, people would wonder if you were old enough to be the mom of your DD! Hugs, Cindy

Angela, definitely slow down...and it sounds like you've got the right idea by going to liquids for a couple of days. When you talk yourself into doing things like pushing the envelope, then you know your head hunger thing is kicking in, and the battle is on! I hope you will take this caring advice along with a hug, and just slow down...you've had two good fills in two weeks, and you were banded in May...let your brain catch up, and adjust. Pushing things along will only set you up for possible problems in the future, and you don't want that. Take it easy, and remember, there are a lot of people on here who say their fills don't "kick in" for several weeks...you could be one of them. Good luck!

Urrrrrghhhhh! I pushed "post reply" and everything I just wrote DISAPPEARED!!!!! It was long, too! Short version: Finished room, looks pretty good, can't wait to see DD's face! Looking forward to picking her up, leaving at 7:30 AM. Did some extra walking this morning while I was on shopping trip. Yea for Darcy for walking dogs, Yea for Eileen for being only 42 (I had a one month old baby when I turned that age!) Love Anne's idea of getting us a NJ address list for Christmas cards...will PM you, Anne. Let us know if you want our email addresses, or are you going to mail these address lists to us? I'll chat with you wonderful people tomorrow....hope this post actually makes it! Hugs, Cindy

Congratulations to you and your husband, and may God bless the beginning of your new little family...Little Pinkie! I'm so happy for you!

Wow...everyone's busy today! Still cleaning DD's room...this is a deep clean, as you can tell. Now I'm going through all the CD's and matching them to the covers....talk about a brainless activity. We went to Lowe's and got wood for the closet shelves, and then out to eat. I ordered tortilla soup...a bowl. I brought half of it home. I'm so full I hurt. I'm learning all over again. Dang it! But, good in a way. I'll check back for the evening update!

I have not had a problem with my pills...granted they are "aspirin-sized." My restriction is pretty good right now, and I was worried, but so far, no problems. You'll just have to see how it is for you.

Eileen, I think you are DEFINITELY onto something...and I've just forgotten it temporarily...every time I was ever on a diet of any kind, that would cause all kinds of cravings, and rebellious behavior...are we fat because we're rebellious? Soooo, I think if that's the case, I'm just going back to my "eat like a normal person" idea...it was working there for a while. Normal people eat more ice cream in the summer, because it is hot outside...see how that works, Sherry? LOL! Darcy, I wouldn't call it weight "pumping" really...more like controlled stretching, and it feels good to me, kinda works out the muscle tension I'm prone to get. I'm hoping it will also take up some of the slack on the back of my arms while I'm at it! Eileen, what day is your birthday, and what birthday is it, or do you mind telling? I KNOW you are all younger than me, so that should be pretty safe! I'm taking a break from DD's big "DIG"...probably taken 50 lbs of trash out of there so far! Darcy, I loved your joke about the ballerina's! DH is gone to an estate sale right now, but when he gets back we're gonna build the futon frame, and a couple of shelves in her closet. I think I'm making him take me out to dinner tonight...like I can eat something! I'll just order tortilla soup, and get a bite of his dinner. Like you said, Eileen, the band is *f* up on consistent restriction! Before this fill, I was eating big ol' plates of food, now, hahahaha....1 cup is pushing it. I had like 10 Cheetos, and got a golfball that lasted an hour. LOL! Gotta go, back to the saltmine!

With your good attitude and brave nature, you are probably laughing about this already! If not, then I hope the skies have cleared a bit, and maybe you're feeling a little better. Thanks for "coming home" even if just for a bit, and posting so we can cyber-hug you! How long will you be there, and, sorry if I should know this, why are you there? Hugs, Cindy

Wow! I"m so excited for you! That is a huge achievement, and it gets better every day! Life is wonderful! Keep posting, and sharing your exciting news as you go...and if you need to get support for the harder times, do that, too. That's what support boards are all about! You are doing super!!!!!!

Can you have SF popsicles? That helped me out with the "chewing" need...congratulations on your great progress, and the NSV (non-scale victory) of cutting your diabetic meds in half! WHooot! That's great! Hang in there, and get through it one hour at a time. You'll be SOOOOOOOOO glad you did, and you won't hardly remember the tough first month!

Well, now, didn't he go and marry a needy one? She will certainly be a hindrance to his career. You handled everything very professionally. I would document the call, time and content, and your response, time and content. Document whatever is said today in regard to it. If you have a supervisor, I would pass that documentation forward, I think, just in case she is even crazier and calls up the line. There is nothing here that reflects on you, but a real problem for your male employee, who cannot trust his wife. Now, whether he is trustworthy or not, who knows? But no woman should be calling her husband's supervisor and making accusations that involve the F word...that's just wrong, wrong, wrong. Hope you got some sleep...

If you are not used to cooking, a good place to start is some quick and easy recipes...I subscribe to a magazine that used to be called Quick Cooking, but it just recently changed its name to Simple and Delicious. Check them out online, or go to the library and look at some back issues. Very easy, small list of ingredients. Another idea is to see if you have a Super Suppers or Dinner Station in your area. They've done all the prep work, and you just go there and assemble the meals. They also have some of the meals prepared and frozen already. You do the finish (bake, cook) at home. I also work full-time, and spend two hours commuting, so don't have much time to cook...we grill/bake/slow cook on the weekends, and use that as the base for quick meals on week nights. If I have to go out to eat on week nights, I go for places I can get something decent, like Wendy's chili, or somewhere with soup. It is possible to go out to eat if you are very careful about portion control. It's tough out there in "busy world", I understand. Check out the magazines and recipes above, and see if they are helpful! Good luck! Cindy

Thanks for noticing that little ol' pound, Darcy! Baby steps, baby steps.... I'm in the mood for a little free weights tonight...a few tricep curls ought to put me to sleep....zzzzzzzzzzzz. I'll finish up the bull-dozing in DD's room tomorrow!

Mandy!!!!!! You are looking more like Tinkerbelle everyday! I guess you have had your PS? Is that what the compression bandage is for? My gosh, you look just fantastic! Hugs, Cindy

Hi! Yes, you will read about problems some people have...but be sure to check out the thread where those who have lost 100+ pounds have posted...there is a LONG list! There are also threads where people are asked "Would you do it again?" Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes. For each of us, the decision is a personal one. No surgery is without risk, and no surgery is complication free. Hair loss is a common side effect of any body trauma like surgery. Some have more, and some have less loss. Use the search feature and search "happy", or "do it again" and see what you find. Personally, a great decision! Cindy

HI, Patti! I'm glad you started posting before your surgery! You'll have questions, and you'll want to use the search feature and read up on all those topics you've missed! LBT is a wonderful place for friendship and support, and a wealth of info! Welcome! Cindy