SuzanneG

Bandana, Happy Anniversary! Glad DH has graduated to Dear. LOL I'll be celebrating 10 in June. This may not be the healthiest of choices, but have you tried Smart Ones? I bring them for lunch a lot and most of them are easy to tolerate. They are typically very moist, but not loaded with calories. Enjoy your trip.

Carol and ScalingDown, are either of you using a podcast when running? I use Robert Ullrey's and it really helps keep me going. Having said that, last night was a challenge. I had a bad day and was feeling cranky and noticed that it was really holding me back on the treadmill. I kind of had to make myself do it and I felt like I barely made it through the last 8 minute run. Afterward, I felt amazing though and was really glad I did it. Friday is my first 20 minute run and I'm nervous about it. If I can't make it, I may be repeating week 5 myself. As long as we're running right?

Bandana - tee hee, Dear Husband (DH). I usually eat breakfast at 8 or 8:30 (I get up at 4am, so this is about 4 hours after waking). I usually eat a protien bar (tried regular food this am and had my first PB in a long time). lunch is at 12:00, then a snack at 4:00 (if needed), another at 6:45 and dinner at 8 or 8:30. I wish I didn't eat dinner so late, but I don't get home until 6:30, 6:45 and I just can't get it done any faster, especially if its my night to run. It gets very hard to lose so close to goal. I didn't set a mini goal or anything. My original goal just happens to be my Holy Crap goal, so it has been a looong time coming, but I'm still moving in the right direction. I don't care how long it takes me as long as I'm progressing.

Mumof2Boys, Hang in there. How old are your boys? My kids were 3 and 5 when I split from their dad and I had many of the same emotions that you are feeling now. Be prepared, it's very lonely at first. It was hard and back before unlimited long distance, I was calling everyone I knew to occupy my time. Eventually, I learned to enjoy my own company and to be OK, just being with me. Once you jump that hurdle, it's all downhill from there. Enjoy your own space, your own schedule, your own destiny. You can do this! In the end, this could turn out to be one of the best things that has happened to you. It could be a blessing in disguise. Keep us posted on how you are doing. Do you have a good support network? Clearly you're close with your brother and thats a good thing. Enjoy yourself and take care of YOU. Don't accept anything less than you deserve and the rest will work itself out!

Hey Guys, As usual, reading your posts inspires me to keep trying. I'm on Week5 Day2 tonight and I'm very nervous about Friday. That will be my first 20 minute straight running! OMG, can I do it? Any tips or hints to help me get through the straight 20 mins? I ran Week5 Day1 on Monday, then went sledding with DH. We must have walked up our huge hill about 30 times. I went again yesterday, but only about 12 times. DD came over and she's recovering from mono (I know she had no business out there). Anyway, I was happy not to over do it as Week 5 is scarey! I've lost 5.4 pounds on WW and bought SIZE 6 this weekend! I keep checking the tags, I just can't believe it.

Mac - Thanks for the info! Kathy - CONGRATS on the 100 pounds and thanks for the tips on eating before running. Slinky - I'm late asking, but how did your runs go? Did you do two in a row? Did you start week 2? Tonight is Week4 Day3 for me. I'm excited already. I just signed up for my Race for the Cure 5K in May and I checked the box to get a timer chip. That made me nervous but will surely keep me focused as the next few weeks on the C25K roll by. I read where a lot of people drop out around 5 or 6 weeks. I'm determined not to do that. The best news is that I finally moved the scale to a new low! Woot!

hkitty, Hang in there. That side of the practice isn't too good, but once you have the surgery, it's all downhill from there. I wanted to kill somebody trying to get my approval and surgery date, but once you get the surgery, you'll be dealing with a different group of people. I {heart} Dr. Brengman and Erin!!!! I'll be cheering for you! Hey where in Spotsy do you live? I live in Partlow/Ladysmith area.

Tink, I started losing weight 2 weeks PRIOR to surgery when I was on my pre-op diet. I don't want to misslead you, some on here have struggled, but I have to say, it pretty much melted off me with very little effort on my part and after 76 pounds, I'm at a plateau. Sooo, I've started exercising and have developed a newfound love for running. I never thought I'd be one of those "crazies" who LOVE exercise, but dang it, this running stuff is fun. I doubt it would have been fun when I was heavier though, even getting dressed was hard for me then. I went to my seminar as moral support for my brother and ended up, I got the surgery and he didn't (insurance issues). I feel alwful about that, but hoping he'll find a new job with ins that will pay. You've come to the best possible place for info and support. I'm so excited for you!

tink4me, Welcome! My daughter is a NICU nurse! She's 21 years old, graduated last year and loves her job. Congratulations on taking the first step to a new you. Your story sounds very much like mine and I noticed we are the same age. There are so many inspiring people and success stories on this site. Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress!

Hey Tina, I've been reading your story for a while and I have to say I'm excited for you. I went through a bad relatinoship and divorce when my kids were young. It's a little sad and scary when you are doing the move out thing, but trust me when I tell you, this will be the second best thing that ever happened to you (besides the band)! Congrats! Enjoy being you, learning about yourself, and not having someone else drag you down. Put yourself first, take care and enjoy those young guys! I had the same thing happen to me and I ended up eventually meeting a young one that I married. DH is 5 years younger than me, we're celebrating our 10th anniversary this year and I couldn't be happier! Sorry for the loss of the relationship, but GOOD FOR YOU!

Slinky, how did it go last night? Did you run? I'm too late to answer your question, but just as an FYI, I PBd last week and immediately ran afterward. I try to eat a small banana before I run (I'm hypoglycemic) and for some reason I have a tough time getting them down. Anyway, it didn't effect my run at all. GA - I wish I was able to complain that I ONLY ran 2.83 miles! That's awesome! I don't enjoy the gym at all so I have a treadmill at home, but am anxious to run on the ground and see how it feels. Mac - I'm embarassed to have to ask, but what are T/R/I? Is this running lingo that I should be learning? I'm doing Week4 Day2 tonight. Anyone else here hypoglycemic? As I mentioned I have trouble getting my banana down and was wondering if/what you guys eat before working out?

I've seen other threads like this, it does seem to be prevalent with LapBanders. I FREEZE all the time too. sleep with my electric blanket on high and can't bare to be outside when it's cold out. For the first time since I was a kid, I can't WAIT for summer. DH is already primed to battle over the thermostat. LOL

Barbara - You should look up Boo Boo Kitty and take a look at her pics. You may find inspiration there. She does pinup pics and she looks amazing.

I DID IT! I ran Week4 Day1 last night and I felt AMAZING afterward. I felt like Rocky, like I could run again. I skipped all over the house while making dinner. Dare I ask? Is this a runner's high? Or shall I say, fledgling runner's high? Kathy - Thanks for the encouragement, you guys really inspire me! Good luck with your .5 pound. I've had the same problem dipping below 150. I was 149 over the weekend and it bounced right back up. Dang it that 150 is like a brick wall! Slinky - Don't wait, GO FOR IT. Try week two on your next run. Each week I feel like I can't do the next one, but then I surprise myself and do it. Give it a try and let me know how it feels. Mac - Too funny about the earring. I can't count how many times I've done that. Now you guys are making me want to check into this Nike+ thing. Can someone give me a quick synopsis of what it does? GA - Do you have music specific for running or do you just listen to whatever music you have on your iPod? I'm using the podcast for now, but will be switching to regular music in a few weeks. I just got my first iPod, so I am starting from scratch on music. Any suggestions? What kind of music do you guys like for running? I'm trying to compile a playlist. Renewed - I'm fairly new to the thread. I've picked up on a bit of your story. Glad to hear you are settling in. Whosya - Were you a swimmer and biker before or did you start those after becoming enthused about running? I love the idea of a tri, but can't imagine ever doing one. Ninner - I have the exact same issue if I wear the same shoes every day. I haven't noticed it with workout shoes yet, but even my every day shoes, I have to switch it up and I buy really comfortable shoes (Birkenstock and Easy Spirit Mostly). I hate not wearing cute shoes, but my feet just won't allow it.

Warning - may be TMI - I had food poisoning once when I was young. I threw up continuously for a week. Once I emptied my stomach of all food and liquid, I graduated to black throw up. It looked like asshes and Water to me, then on to yellow stuff that looked like Chinese mustard. I was told that the black and yellow stuff was the lining of my stomach and bile (sp?). I think if you were throwing up blood it would be RED, not black. Black blood is blood that has been in the intestinal tract for a long time. For instance if you were passing black stool, it would be possible that you have an ulcer high in the intestines, if you pass red blood in stool, probably a roid. Not sure if this info is helpful, but it's all I've got. Let us know what the doc tells you. Hope you're feeling better and don't leave there without a perscription for anti-nausea meds.

Hang in there you guys, it WILL be so worth it!

Bandana, it was indeed POINT ONE (.1). A few weeks ago he took out .2 and the fill before that was .6. Not sure why your doc thinks its impossible. Maybe he means impossible to get .12, but maybe he could do .1?

Cameroncapt, so sorry that you had to go through that. I can't believe he would just send you away without finding a way to help you. That's awaful. On the bright side, congrats on your weightloss. Hopefully your doctor can provide you with some relief tomorrow.

You guys are all amazing. I can't imagine getting to where you are now, but I'm giong to push as far as I can to what I'm capable of. I start week4 day1 tonight. FIVE MINUTES? Seriously, I hope I can do it!

I had a very similar experience as Deb. You need immediate medical attention. Does your doctor have a partner or a PA who can help you? Either call back and INSIST on a partial unfil or I would do what ckelly suggested and head to the ER.

The liver shrinking diet is designed to do just as it suggests. The liver sits directly on top of where they need to place the band and they have to lift it up and out of the way without nicking anything. I saw this on Big Medicine. If the liver doesn't shrink, and consequently become less slippery, they can't and won't do the surgery. Search fatty liver on this site and see if you can find threads where folks were closed up without their band because of their liver. I know it happened to RestlessMonkey because it's in her signature line. That was motivation enough for me to stick to the diet. Hang in there, it feels like forever, but its oh so worth it in the long run!