cindyg1212

I get stuck almost daily on something. It can change at any time. But I know that scrambled eggs or thick Pasta like ziti is guaranteed to cause an episode. Still thinking about getting another fill this week to move that scale faster. I'm getting impatient!

Cindy, the elliptical is OK as long as I move slowly. Walking a lot hurts because of the up and down motion on my neck. That accident is what did me in with this weight gain. I had other issues too but the lack of activity is what makes it so hard to lose and easy to gain. I agree with you that it's better to lose it slowly even if we get impatient. I'm concerned about loose skin too which I already had on my belly from the kids. Even when I was much, much thinner the belly was sagging from excess skin. Now I can't imagine what it will look like when the weight is off. At this point, I will be happy to look good in clothes. Worry about the skin later. A tummy tuck may not be out of the question for me except I am tired of having surgery. A year before my neck surgery, I had my gall bladder removed. Apparently putting on 50 lbs in one year when my dad was sick gave me gallstones. So I have had 3 surgeries in 15 months. Too much! I could play "connect the dots" with my scars! I figure if the loose skin really bugs me, I'll think about plastic surgery. What's another scar? Anyway, you must look great! Don't worry about the excess skin and concentrate on how good you look 100 lbs thinner!

I think I may get a small fill, .5, on Monday when I see the nurse practioner. I'm nervous cause the last fill made me uncomfortable too. It took 2 weeks to feel almost normal. Lost 11 pounds from that one. I had gained 5 during Easter but lost that quick along with another 6. Now my weight loss has stalled again and I can eat too much. At least I'm not gaining. I'm a big fan of Kohl's dept. store. I love the clothes and can wear misses 16 now. Stranger, if you have a Kohl's near you, give them a try. I told my kids to let daddy know that I want a big gift certificate to Kohl's for Mother's Day!

:cake:HAPPY BIRTHDAY SKINNYJILL!!! May all your wishes come true! :thumbup: Losing 50 lbs is a great present to yourself. What a great way to celebrate! I'm a member of the "fabulous 40" club too. Losing this weight is the best thing we can do for ourselves. Congrats!!

Stranger, Cindy is right. Take a deep breath and take stock. Losing 35 lbs and being halfway to goal is an amazing accomplishment. I've also fallen off the wagon a number of times but I did lose 43 pounds that I couldn't get off without the band. On bad days I try to remind myself of that. If you need a fill, call your doc and make an appointment sooner. I see the nurse practioner in my doc's office every 2-4 weeks depending on how I'm doing. 3 months seems too long to wait. I get stuck too but its been better as long as I remember to take small bites and chew a lot. Even if I give into a craving, I can't eat nearly as much as I used to so less damage is done. Do you feel as though your band is tight enough? See if you can go 4 hours between meals without feeling hungry like Cindy said. If not, call the doc and get a fill.

Zippy, your grandaughter sounds too cute! "From the mouths of babes"... Leave it to a child to notice what others don't. Cindy, I guess I'm doing OK. I have to fight for every single pound. I haven't started excercising yet. I had 2 discs in my neck repaired last year because of a car accident in '03 and even walking gives me a stiff, painful neck. I have an elleptical machine that I will try to use for short periods just to get started. After I had my son 12 years ago and had to lose just 35 pounds, the weight dropped so much faster and I took in more calories. I guess age, a partial hysterectomy, and lack of excercise has put my metabolism into neutral. I thought the weight would come off faster with this band but I'm trying to be patient. You're doing amazing, by the way. Staying busy with the store must help. I checked it out online. Your shop is adorable! Such beautiful things. I love country stores like yours.

Wendy, I'm only 5'2". I look very short and round right now even though I took off 43 lbs. I wish I had your height! I've only been over 200 for the last 3 years. Still can't get used to what I see in the mirror. I'm almost desperate to get back into the 100's just to feel a bit more like my old self. My goal is 130 which is totally attainable. That was my weight just 10 years ago. I started steadily gaining weight after a hysterectomy 8 years ago. Then a car accident in '03 spead it up. Got hit hard from behind by an elderly lady who now has dementia and doesn't remember the accident. I had 2 discs repaired in my neck last May and haven't excercised since the accident. Also lost my parents a year apart a few years ago. Put on 50 lbs in that one year alone. Still can't believe how much weight I've put on in the last decade. I want it off now! We'll get to Onederland together. It will be a great way to head into summer! :frown:

Congrats, Tx!!! That must have felt great! Sometimes fitting into a smaller size is more exciting than seeing the numbers on the scale get smaller. I bet your wife is really excited for you.

I'm right there with you Wendy! Can't wait to see the scale back in Onederland. I'm determined to get there by summer. If the scale doesn't move in a couple of weeks, I'm going to get another fill to get me there.

My surgeon gave me anti-nausea suppositories in case of a stomach virus. He said that vomiting is very dangerous for the band, especially right after surgery. The stomach contracts violently when vomiting and it can cause slippage and other problems. However, gently throwing up stuck food above the band may not be as bad I'm guessing. Definitely check with your surgeon.

Me too, Wendy! Onederland, here we come!!

Well, I only lost 5 lbs but I had gained 6 before the challenge. So I had actually lost that 6 and then another 5. It's fine but I feel like I have to fight for every pound. How about having the next challenge go to the first day of summer, June 21st? That's almost 7 weeks. It could be a "kick off the summer" challenge or whatever sounds good to everyone else. After that we can have a "melt off the pounds for summer" challenge. Any thoughts?

Name..............Start...........Current..............Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.....................220 .........8 Osangriared.....252...............245.5.....................232 .....13.5 Skinny_Jill.......180...............175.....................168....... ....7 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... ..12 kandiceb..........187...............175.....................175....... ...0 shortgal............183..............175....................175....... ....0 TxArcher..........328..............315......................308....... ...7 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... 10 Momto1plus1.....223..............212.6..................210......... 2.6 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........209.....................199...... ..10 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6...................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............206.....................199.......7 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239...... 11 Foofy..............239.5............236.....................230....... ...6 Shalee04..........196..............187......................185....... ..2 Hollyberries......267...............257......................254...... ...3 CindyG............215...............210......................199...... .11 MollyBrown......258...............251.......................245....... .8 lindata............189?.............185.......................180..... ...5 Lost a whole pound this week! WoooHooo!! :sad: Honestly, if this goes any slower I'll go crazy!!!

Good luck Steph!! You'll make a great police officer. What an amazing goal to accomplish!!

Bandpal, I completely understand what you are saying about using food to nurture us emotionally. This has been my biggest problem. I started gaining weight 8 years ago during a stressful time in my marriage but the majority of the weight came on when my parents got sick. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and my mom fell apart. She died suddenly after an infection. I lost my dad one year later. It will be 3 yrs next week since my mom died and 2 yrs for my dad this June. I gained 50 lbs during the year between their deaths. I don't even remember eating that much. I turned to food to help me through the most difficult time of my life and couldn't get the weight off no matter how I tried. The band has helped me get off most of the weight I gained that year. Now I have to work on the rest. I am Jewish as well but not that observant. My son will be Bar Mitzvahed May '09 so I do go to services with him. Whenever we sing the song for the deceased and ill, I get choked up. However, it does bring me peace. I'm glad you were able to spend this time with your son and parents. It must be difficult to live so far away. They must have been so happy to see you. How did they react to your weight loss? Your post was beautiful and inspiring. Hope the rest of your trip goes well.

Oh, nooooo! :thumbup: I better get my butt in gear!! :wub: Catch me if you can! :thumbup:

Dry eggs whether boiled or scrambled never go down for me. I can only eat eggs if its egg salad. Ist and only stuckage? Geez, I have them almost every day!

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.......48....................22%..................32.7 Stephanie.......60....................26%..................27.1 Hollyberries.....95....................27%.................38 linda..............42.5..................19%.................31.6 Abbisgood.......53....................23%.................?? want2lose.......76.4.................26%..................33.5 kandiceb.........63...................26%...................27.6 Momto1plus1...56.6.................21%...................33.3 MollyBrown......36...................12.5%................36.5 TxArcher.........85...................21.7%............52.8 to 41.6 Cindyg............42...................17%....................38

Steph, that is amazing! We have the same goal weight but you will get there quicker than me. The nurse practioner told me today that I must start excercising to make this go faster. I had neck surgery last May, so running is out of the question. I have an elliptical machine and she wants me to start using it slowly. I hope it helps my weight loss speed up. Congrats on the size 12. I'll get there eventually!

QatarPhil, 2cc at once is too much for most people. I had to get an unfill after just 1cc. I only do .5 at a time and it's tight enough. I'm surprised they let you out of the doctor's office if you didn't get the test water down. That's the point of the test. They should have unfilled a bit immediately. Glad you're doing well though. 48 lbs is great!

I have an issue with the snacks in the house too. My teen daughter is trying to lose weight so she's not the problem. But my husband and son are thin. Hubby once brought home Hagen Daz (sp?) chocolate ice cream and DD and I nearly kicked him out! Now I mostly buy the 100 calorie snack packs which are better for everyone. I only have one once in a while and know exactly how many calories it is. Those little snack packs are a great idea even for kids!

It's true that I have a hard time taking tiny bites especially when I'm hungry. The good thing is I can go hours between meals but all of a sudden the hunger strikes in a big way. By the time I can get to food, I'm famished. Then it's so hard to concentrate on taking little bites and chewing a lot. I also have a cup of coffee first to relax the band. Nurse at the doc's office said to always drink something warm before meals. Last night I was so stressed that nothing worked. It was like the band closed up. On a positive note, I lost another pound and got to update my ticker. I was able to eat today so I won't be surprised if that pound went back up. This is like learning to eat all over again. Bandpal, good luck on your trip back to the states. I bet everyone will be in awe of how great you look! Try to just enjoy this time with your family and not dwell on your old triggers. The band will keep you honest. Shopping in your closet is so much fun. I can shop in mine for at least 10 sizes! Skinny Jill, I think your right about the sudden increase in calories. I also think that I am definitely taking in too much fat in order to get the food down. I'm seeing the nurse practioner tomorrow but I'm not ready yet for another fill.

TX, I can't eat solids at all the first week after a fill even if the fill is only .5cc. Ist day is clear liquids, then 2 days of shakes or soup, then 4 days of mushies. If I tried to get down solids as quick as you did, I would get stuck everytime. Keep taking tiny bites. Good luck on your move!

Debbie, I was curious so I checked out Adapex on the net. Never heard of it before. You'd be crazy to resort to that stuff. Technically, its speed! Sure it controls your appetitie while your bouncing off the wall! If I took something like that, I'm sure my family would disown me. Sometimes, this band makes me cranky enough without taking a pill that makes you hyper and irritable. It's also highly addictive. Those girls in the office are playing with fire. They won't feel so smug when they need to get off the stuff and can't without a trip to rehab. You just need a fill and to get your head in the game. I'm having a tough time too but resorting to diet pills is not the way to go.

Cindy, You hit the nail on the head. I am eating things that will go down easier. I have no choice or just not eat. I do tend to add fat to my proteins in the form of gravies, sauces, or mayo. Whatever it takes to get the food down. If I unfill, I'll be hungrier and eat too much. Feels like a vicious cycle. Also when I am very stressed, nothing goes down. I was upset about a family situation today and couldn't even get eggdrop soup to go down. I have sliming episodes on a daily basis. Tonight it was all through dinner. Ughh! Good thing I was home. Where does that stuff come from? So gross! I can't see getting another fill just to get the weight loss going again if I get stuck so often now. This is a tough way to live but I know it would be tougher to live the rest of my life with this weight on.