pizzicato66

I still haven't gotten a fill (other than whatever they put in during surgery). So far, I'm still losing ,but I am feeling a little less restriction these days so I have to concentrate more on not going overboard. But, I think a good part of it is head hunger and not truly needing more food. I meet with my nutritionist and doc again on Monday, so I guess we'll see what happens then. It might be good to not have more restriction for Thanksgiving, but then again, it might be nice to have a little more incentive to be good! I think any extras I've been having have really been more about old grazing habits and not about portion size though . Sadly, adjustments can't fix your thinking!

Someone had asked what the Nov. challenge is. For me, it's not about exercise but just loss. I've been setting monthly goals for myself - in the 240's by my birthday (Oct 21), in the 230's by Thanksgiving (I'm 3 lbs away as of today), and the 220's by Xmas (13 lbs away). I need those baby steps to keep my head on straight as I go through this, and to build confidence in myself! Is anyone else setting goals for Nov/Dec?

By the way Pammy, it's not just the weight loss I see in your picture. I can see you're feeling better about yourself. You look SO confident!

Wooh - look at the amazing shrinking people! Too cool, guys! I'll see if I can get a pic sometime this weekend and possibly some preop from my parents' bday party in August. The clinic gave me grief for wearing all black the day they took my before pic (against a dark wood door, no less). I'm getting all snazzed up for a belly dance event tonight so it might be a fun "in progress" picture. :-)

I had prilosec daily before surgery but haven't needed it since I started my preop liquid fast. I did have a teeny bit last night but that was after a heavy meal including some cheese balls and a snack size m&m packet. I figured it was a sign!

Wow Lawanda - sorry you're so uncomfortable. Have you tried a warm drink to see if it loosens things up a bit? Maybe trying some liquids would get some nutrition in you until things settle down. If it keeps up, I'd call your doc and see what they suggest. Did you have a fill recently? Hang in there!

Hey Val, Cheer up, hon! Think of the positive things you HAVE done so far: - You've lost THIRTY TWO pounds since late August. That's in just over 8 weeks, so your average is 4 lbs a week. Outstanding!! - who knows what you might have gained or eaten if you had not taken this positive step in your life! - you've come back here to check in and made a revelation about head vs. stomach hunger. I think there are a LOT of people on the boards who don't get it, and I'd wager that ALL of us struggle with learning it. I had my "light bulb" about that right off the bat because I knew how much fit my new little pouch and yet my head was obsessing over MORE MORE MORE all the time (it even tries to tell me to take seconds before I even had my first serving - messed up). It makes a huge difference knowing you're not alone, and also knowing that the band will work with you if you make the commitment. Just think how hard this would be without it!! Hang in there, darlin!

Go Princess!! You speedy devil you!!

Candle, you're doing great! You were banded a week after me and yet you're 8 lbs ahead of me in loss. Nice work!!

Holy Weightloss, Becky! 51 lbs since August - Well done! I agree - best to avoid the trigger foods entirely.

I'm seeing it in a lot of ways now (41 lbs will do that for you). - I'm down between 2 and 3 sizes (depending on where I try on clothes). I can't put things in my pockets or my pants fall off! Even the pants that come close to fitting now have that nasty droop in the front crotch area. Eek! - legs are crossing more easily (still not the ladylike approach but things aren't falling asleep as much) - the seatbelt buckle doesn't jab my hip any more - no more double chin and the cheekbones are showing - collar bones are starting to show and I can almost feel my hipbones - chairs fit better (I even had extra room in an old theatre chair the other night! - I'm now doing 3 laps at the dog park relatively easily - people who don't know I had surgery are noticing - my brother now calls me "slim" (even though I'm not even halfway yet). I love my brother! It feels great, doesn't it?!

Heck yeah! Why shouldn't everyone know?! Then again, I have no secrets, really. I'm very open about everything in my life (except finances - that's probably the one private thing I keep). Probably drive everyone batty blabbing on about my shrinking self! LOL

Donna (Pizzicato66) - 8/22/07!

This is cool! Not sure if you're still updating but I just joined recently so I'm not on the list. My date is 8/22/07 Thanks!

boy, do I hear you on this one! It seems like the little nagging voice is quieter now (and sneakier), but it's still there, telling me to graze or have a little more, even when I'm full. I've been able to sneak a bit more in lately too, so I'm making a point of measuring everything so I can see if I do need a fill this time (I had a small fill at surgery time and none since). I'm going to therapy though, and can talk through the compulsions a bit more with my therapist, and I'm trying to retrain my brain a bit more. That head of mine likes to shop compulsively too, so I'm trying to shift my thinking patterns away from shopping and eating and more to other activities (better than making a mistake and beating myself up over it later). The guilt side of it sucks too, doesn't it? It's willing to torture me even when I have a reasonable meal and am losing weight. So messed up..

I hadn't shared by birthday, but here I am! I just turned 41 on the 21st (10/21/66). I treated myself to 36 lbs gone forever (my birthday mini-goal). I'll confess I also had a few sweets, but a LOT less than I would have eaten a year ago. Before surgery, I would have been snacking on candy ALL DAY this time of year! This time, I was happy with a reasonable serving of tiramasu one day, a mini-cupcake another and a brownie on another occasion. I still lost weight (1.5 lbs that week), so it was a smaller weight loss but a loss none the less. Happy birthday fellow Crazy Ates!

I've already met one goal so far (to be under 250 by my birthday - made it with a week to spare!). Next 2 goals: - Under 240 by Thanksgiving (only 6 lbs to go, so I'm right on track). - Under 230 by Xmas (that's 16 lbs in 8 weeks, a manageable 2 lbs/week) I'm trying to keep between 2-3 lbs loss per week per my doctor's recommendations and have kept it in that range except for last week (1.5 lbs and it was my birthday week so treats did enter the picture). My portions and goodies have crept up just a tad so I'm setting a mini goal of measuring portions and logging what I eat for the week to see what happens (although I've been giving myself grief and still lost 3 lbs last week). Go team go!

Hi All! I just found out about this site and signed up (I've been spending my time on obesityhelp.com). What a cool thing to find a group JUST for August band babies! Here's a little bit about me: I'm 41 (as of Oct 21st), and was banded August 22nd, 2007. So far, including my preop fast, I've lost 40 lbs (on the nose, as of today). My all time high was 286, so I'm happily cruising my way down through the 240's with an end goal of around 100-120 lbs (160-180). I was a skinny kid (very active child of the northwoods), but the weight started coming on in high school (just a slight bit of tummy). It came on full force when I married. I've lost and regained many times (as we all can say), and finally topped out at 286 this year. I've watched my sister battle with superobesity and it's complications and realized that I don't want to be there when I reach that age, so it's time to start now! So far, the journey's been far easier than I thought. No food problems, no nausea or PBing, no plateaus. Since I got the newest version of the band, I started with a small fill right at surgery time, and haven't had a need for a fill since. For activity, I'm taking strolls at the dog park with my DP (dear pooch) Bungee the Labradoodle, and take belly dancing lessons each week. My goal for activity is to gradually increase the duration of both those activities and spend more time with dance practice. It feels great feeling myself getting smaller and moving around more easily. I love no longer having to take prilosec every day. I'm sure I'm in the "pink cloud" and that I'll have challenges eventually, but I'm enjoying where I am for now, and hoping it will keep going! I'm also working with a therapist to resolve some self-defeating behaviors and reverse some attitudes, which may also help me stay on track (can only hope so!). Anyway, looking forward to getting to know all of you. Keep up the good work! Donna

Thanks everyone! It's good to be on board.

I'm down another 2.5 lbs this week for a total of 41 since my preop fast. I don't feel like I've been as careful as I could lately so I'm going back to measuring and logging my food on Calorie King, to see how it goes. I think I might be about ready for my first fill but that won't be for a few weeks (I have the new band so I had a small fill at surgery time and haven't needed another one so far). I figure if I measure out portions at what I think is the right portion size and get breakthrough hunger, it's time to get a fill. The only discomfort I have so far is from eating bigger bites at a faster rate than I should. My own darned fault. I've stuck almost exclusively to the protein and veg for meals, milk or other protein for snacks approach, but a few treats have snuck in the past couple of weeks. how's everyone else doing?