Foofy

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI Foofy...............39.5..................14.4%.................38 Sades...............33...................14.5%.................35.5 Shalee04...........61.....................24%................31.1 Bandpal.............77.66..................27%................34.1(47) Skinny_Jill..........50.....................22.5%..............32.7 Stephanie..........60.....................26%.................27.1 Hollyberries........99.....................27%.................37.7 linda.................42.5..................19%.................31.6 Abbisgood..........53.....................23%.................?? want2lose..........76.4...................26%................33.5 kandiceb............63.....................26%................27.6 Momto1plus1......61.2...................23%................32.6 MollyBrown.........36.....................12.5%..............36.5 TxArcher............98.....................24.5%.........52.8 to 39.8 Cindyg...............47.....................18.5%.................37 Close.................50.....................20%.................33.1 Tmusicmaker123..73.....................19%.................60.1 to 48.7 plump_princess....57.....................22%.................36 Mariegabrieleee....71.....................23%.................51.3 to 39.4 gabeekeeper.......101.....................30% ..................40.2 stranger138........36......................15%.................35 shortgal..............40......................18.5%..............33.8 Robin_Bird............76.....................25%................? Staysee..............70.....................20%................48.4 Hajohnson1..........45....................16.4%..............40.6 lindseyann2u........63......................?%.................? BarbBee..............57.......................19%...............42.1 Cherlita...............44.......................20%...............65 to 57.5 BandChick64..........86.....................28.7%.............34.5 TOTAL.......1765.66 Dang. I still can't catch Sades, Stranger, and Hajohnson. Grrrr. Raynae - I updated your percentage. Way to come from behind and break that 100-pound tape!

Name..........Start........Current.........Goal........ To Go CindyG.........210...........206...........198...........8 TxArcher.......308...........302...........285...........17 Foofy..........235...........234...........225........... 9 Skinny_Jill....173...........168...........163............5 Hollyberries...257...........255...........247............8 Stephanie......173...........173...........159...........14 gabeekeeper....246...........246...........236...........10 Sades..........197...........195.5.........185...........10.5 shortgal.......175...........175...........165...........10 Momto1plus1....210...........208...........198...........10 Shalee04.......187...........185...........177...........10 osangriared....248...........248...........228...........20 lindata........181.5.........181.5.........176.5..........5 kuchiegrl1.....262.5.........253.5.........252...........1.5 kandiceb.......175...........175...........165...........10 Hajohnson1.....234...........229.2.........219...........10.2 Hopping to it..295...........295...........280...........15 Eulete P.......219...........219...........209...........10 wnr2lose.......211.8.........208.8.........200...........8.8 __________________ Uuuuugh. I WISH I was losing a pound a week. Amazingly, I can report my first loss in several weeks. Ta da!!! One pound!!!! Yippeee!!!!! I'm trying to bust it loose, and I know it will happen eventually. Eliptical trainer yesterday, weights today, walking and eliptical tomorrow. Drink, drink, drink. Persistence....

I definately feel your pain about the saggy skin. I used to have firm rolls of fat everywhere. While I am very glad for the loss of fat, I am depressed about the sagginess of my birthday suit. I knew there would be some sagging - but, gee whiz I was not ready for this. Also, when I wear a shaper I am amazed at how the edges of it are so visible on my now squishy skin. Rats! I'm already saving for PS. As for the bra, I posted about my favorite bra in the Nov 2007 forum. I LOVE the Lane Bryant balconette bra. Holy cow, it's like someone is walking behind me and holding each boob up in front of me. I cannot believe how high they are hoised up. My posture is fabulous when I wear it and I feel SASSY. I think I look 10 years younger when I where it. My boobs do NOT lay on my chest wall like they do with all other bras. Plus, it has great sides with 4 hooks to keep the "side boobs" in their place. I suspect I will be ordering that bra from Lane Bryant no matter what size I eventaully get down to. I LOVE it!!!!

I wouldn't worry too much about this yet. I did the same thing in the second week after my surgery. I was soooo starved for the taste and feel of meat that I would chew up a few pieces of my husband's dinner (steak or bacon or other chewy things) and then spit them out after the flavor was gone. My dog LOVED this habit. I never swallowed any bulk material, and I only did a few peices a night. The craving stopped TOTALLYonce I got onto solids. It definately got me through the liquid and mushy stage.

You BET you should celebrate!!! That is fantastic news. Go outside and bay at the moon. Run naked around the block. Do something CRAZY!!!

Hang in there Bandpal. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your wife.

Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

I have always heard that insurance companies very often turn people down on the first try for all kinds of things. They count on the fact that the majority of people give up and go away. The ones who are persistent, armed with documentation and determination, are often approved on the second or third try. Becky. you lost 300 pounds! Clearly you are persitent and determined. Put your shoulders back and get back in there. Work with your surgeon to come up with a game plan. DON'T give up. YOU CAN DO IT.

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..........50.....................22.5%..............32.7 Stephanie..........60.....................26%.................27.1 Hollyberries........97.....................27%.................38 linda.................42.5..................19%.................31.6 Abbisgood..........53.....................23%.................?? want2lose..........76.4...................26%................33.5 kandiceb............63.....................26%................27.6 Momto1plus1......59.2...................22%................32.9 MollyBrown.........36.....................12.5%..............36.5 TxArcher............94.....................23%..............52.8 to 40.6 Cindyg...............45.....................18%.................37.5 Close.................50.....................20%.................33.1 Tmusicmaker123..73.....................19%.................60.1 to 48.7 plump_princess....57.....................22%.................36 Mariegabrieleee....71.....................23%.................51.3 to 39.4 gabeekeeper.......97......................29% ..................40.9 stranger138........36......................15%.................35 shortgal..............40......................18.5%..............33.8 Robin_Bird............76.....................25%................? Staysee..............70.....................20%................48.4 Hajohnson1..........40.2..................14.6%..............41.5 lindseyann2u........63......................?%.................? TOTAL:::::::::::: 1546.1 lbs Gabeekeeper, I updated your percentage for you. LindseyAnn, I took your percentage off (we're doing percent of total weight lost, not percent of goal). I don't know what your starting weight was.... Everyone is doing great. Looks like it's a race to 100 between Hollyberries, Txarcher, and Gabeekeeper!!!

Fabulous!!! You look like you're ready to go out dancing in a cute little mini skirt. Dang it - how come you don't have a double or triple chin? That's hardly fair....

Dang it Kuchie - you are right. Although it always seems further away than I would like it to be, I AM getting close to Onderland. For th first time on MANY years I am closer to 199 than 299. I guess I'm just letting all the other people get there first so they can make big preparations for MY arrival. LOL.

50 pounds is great Kathy. I'm going to be veeery excited when I get to 50. I don't get stuck very often, and there doesn't seem to be any pattern with what the food is. Mainly, it's because I forget I have the band and I swallow something without chewing it well. Plus, I always notice that the next forkful is either already in my mouth or is up to my lips. Obviously, I need to put that darn fork DOWN between bites. It's always my fault when I get stuck. I am thinking of getting a fill because I have only lost about 6 pounds in the 2 and a half months since I got the last one. I hate to get stuck more often, but maybe I can eat slower and avoid that. I also MUST listen for the "full" signal and pay attention to it. Oh well, 37 pounds down is way better than nothing. My knees tell me that!

Man, that must have been an emotional rollercoaster. It's amazing how people who have the least grasp of what is going on can so totally screw up what seems to be a done deal. I am so glad it all worked out. Did the office person at least apologize to you? Just think how much fun and stamina you'll have with those new babies in your updated body! Best of luck!

My surgeon never mentioned it. I figured I would need a TT and BL was actually excited about the prospect. What surprised ME was all the other places that I seem to be getting loose skin - my forearms and upper arms, my thighs, and my neck. If things done start "tightening up" I'm gonna look like a Shar Pei. I've never smoked and I always ate lots of fruits and vegetables and had great looking skin. Ah well. Did you see the episode of the Simpsons where Homer gets a band and uses clothes pins on his back to pull all the loose skin taut? Classic. All potential bariatric patients should see it (even if it does confuse the two bariatric procedures).

Thanks Kuchie. Dave was wonderful, but it was his time to go. They can't cure old age. I also lost my 18-year old cat last month. I will wish the best for your Powder. Twelve is the prime of life for a kitty - much too young to go.

Well, I started off the challenge by GAINING 4 POUNDS IN ONE WEEK and I didn't even go anywhere or eat anything fun! I am quite certain that this is Water weight. I came down with pink eye and a terrible cold this week. Also, I am an emotional mess because I had to put my 15-year old Border collie (Dave) down yesterday. Sigh. There is no way that I am going to record this weight. I can only hope that next week will be kinder.

I used to drink a sixpack of Diet Coke a day. I LOVED it. But, every now and then I would smell a partially empty, several day old can and think - "man, that smells just like formaldehyde in the lab". I just KNOW it couldn't have been good for me. I had my last soda the day I started my two-week prediet in October 2007. Every now and then I just CRAVE one, but I don't give in because I am soooo glad to have that monkey off my back. Now, I drink Water and tea. I don't use any artificial sweeteners. I find I am appreciating things that have a much subtler level of sweetness. Here's a drink I love on occassion (but you will probably think I'm nuts) 1 oz milk+1oz of OJ+ a full glass of water. Hang in there with me - it does a few things. First, it takes me back to drinking Orange Julius's as a kid in the desert. Second, it has very few calories and is made with healthy ingredients. Third, it makes me drink a whole glass of water! What could be wrong with that? Don't laugh until you try it.

BCBS of Mass requires that surgery be performed at a "Center of Excellence." In order to get that rating they need to do psych evaluation (also nutritional counseling). That being said, I don't think there are any guidelines on what is in that evaluation. I kid you not - mine lasted 3 minutes and was done by a young guy who had a BS in psychology. I think there was no way I could have failed that evaluation.

I also like Dr. Rohrer. I know he does fills for other people's patients. I have no idea what he charges, since it's all part of my surgery package.

40 - I remember 40. Sigh. Enjoy it. The time just speeds by. I grew up in Vegas, graduated from Las Vegas High School and UNLV. I have very fond memories, but would never move back. It was smaller, simpler town in the 60s and 70s. It's too darn big and impersonal for me now. I remember getting shrimp cocktails on Fremont street at lunch in high school, listening to Sigfried and Roy's tigers roaring at night in the subdivision, delivering newspapers on the strip (my first job in Junior High), and riding our bikes from bar to bar on the strip looking for my neighbors yellow lab (Baron) who loved beer and swimming pools - in that order. One time, he got delivered to my neighbor's front yard in a cab, because he had imbibbed to many beers and passed out. He's the only alcoholic dog I've ever known.

Welcome back Holly! I for one am GLAD to have someone else who is losing at my slow speed in the crowd. Not that I don't love the big losers, but I do feel like an underacheiver sometimes. Like you, I almost never see my surgeon. I have only had two fills since banding in November and only saw my surgeon on those two occassions. I think about going back, because I can eat pretty much anything; but, I do get stuck occassionally, and I worry that being tighter will make that worse. Plus, he's 90 miles away. MY big problem is knowing when to say when. I could easily stop eating about 25% sooner than I do now and be just fine. I have a terrible problem leaving stuff on my plate. I'm "full", but there it is staring at me. Of course, the OBVIOUS answer is to put less on my plate. But, it's not like I'm eating crazy portions of food. I track everything, and I usually range from 1200 to 1300 cal per day. I could cut back to 1000 without too much problem, but I wonder WHY that 200 cals would make a big difference. Blah blah blah. I need to get my butt in gear and exercise. At least I have lost almost 40 pounds. This is the frst Spring in a long time when I could pull out all my out of season clothes and find they either fit or were too loose, as opposed to being too tight. I am going to revel in that little miracle for a while. Best of luck.

HAjohnson, you are in good company with Sades and I. We're gonna suprise everyone and make a monstrous step forward - I can feel it! Hollyberries and TxArcher - you guys could end up in a commercial! You'll be famous.

I am on Diovan and during the first two weeks after surgery, when my calorie intake was really low, my BP dropped so much that the doc said to stop the meds. However, as I settled into a normal routine, it crept up again and I restarted. My controlled BP is now lower than it used to be on the same dose of Diovan and I am hoping that when I lose another 40 pounds, I may get off it altogether. I had pretty resistant HBP. Good luck. Definately talk to your doctor and keep monitoring.

Maybe someone will tell you that your skin will snap back like a teenagers, but the plain truth is that it probably won't. Visit the Plastic Surgery forum and you will see that PS seems to be a fact of life for big losers who want smooth skin. But, ask yourself, it is better to be 100 pounds overweight with smooth skin or a normal weight with some folds and wrinkles. Body shapers can hide a LOT under clothes. Don't worry about it. Focus on losing the weight and you'll have a chance to LIVE to 90. People who are morbidly obese generally never make it that far.

At seven weeks, I was well into my prescribed solid foods. I could have eaten a whole lobster - no problem. You'll be fine. Your bidggest problem will be being a sensible eater and not loading up on butter, cream sauces, and all those other yummy high-calorie treats that will be whispering to you. Fill up on lean protien first and stay strong. Also, stay hydrated between meals, it will cut your urge to snack.