cindyg1212

Ughhh!! Got my first pill stuck today! Guess that means I've got good restriction, huh? Well, guess what guys. I just found out today that I have Lyme Disease! It's in the early stages so I should completely recover. The doc put me on Doxycycline and the pills are about the size of an aspirin. The problem is I'm supposed to take them, twice a day, on an empty stomach. That's when the band is the tightest. I took the first one today with a lot of Water and it still got stuck. What awful pain! Now I can barely get down a cup of coffee. I'm going to try breaking the pill into 4 pieces tonight. If I'm still having trouble getting it down, I'll have to get the med in liquid form tomorrow. I got a weird rash on Sat. with a red blotch on my leg. I didn't know that I got bit from a tick but I got so many mosquito bites in RI, I probably didn't notice one more bite. I probably got bit there. It can take a week to 10 days for the rash to appear. I was also feeling really lousy as if I had the flu. A friend suggested it could be Lyme and I was like "no way"! Went to the doc Tues and got a blood test. I feel like I dodged a bullet. If I ignored the symptoms and just assumed I had a virus like I thought, it would have gotten a lot worse and maybe caused permanent damage. Moral of the story - Never play doctor. Always have a doctor diagnose what's wrong with you. Anyway, this has been good for my diet. An irritated band and some nausea is always good for a few pounds!

everything you eat, no matter how soft and moist, feels like a lead weight in the pit of your stomach.

TX, that's great news!! Sometimes you have to be really pushy with these insurance companies. The squeaky wheel does get the grease! Glad that's off your mind.

Zippy, only 5 left?! That's amazing!!! Congrats! Can't wait till I'm thinking about a TT.

Yep, Cindy Hollyberries is our resident cheerleader. Although, I was a cheerleader in 9th grade. My outfit was so 70's - sweater and saddle shoes. The girls get to wear much cuter, if more revealing, outfits now.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........195...........193...........185........8 Momto1plus1......193.6.........193.6.........185........8.6 Foofy............226...........226...........216........10 Sades............185...........185...........175........10 Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10 Shortgal.........174...........172.4.........168.........4.5 Wnt2Lose.........195...........195...........180........15 Stephanie......182.5.........182.5...........167......15.5 Linda............183...........183...........170........13 Way to go, Judy! Knew you could do it!! Maybe everyone had a slow start. I did but I can finally post a loss now.

Shockers? Like what?? More pics, perhaps? You do look great, Bandpal. Like the new pic!

Steph, if I eat strictly protein with no carbs, I get very weak. Complex carbs like fruits and veggies, in moderation, help. Just stay away from the "white" foods like pasta, white rice, and anything made with flour and sugar. It's those simple carbs that are the weight loss culprits, not complex cards. I tried the Atkins no carb diet once. Nearly fell on my face! Those no carb diets really aren't too healthy. We're made to have a balanced diet of protein, fat, and carbs. You just need to choose the right foods to keep your sugar balanced and your calories down. A nutritionist who is experienced in working with hypoglycemics and diabetics would be very helpful for you.

Thanks for the update, Kendra. It's so good to hear from you! I'm sure the next round of chemo will kill the rest of the cancer off. You have an amazing attitude. Don't worry about your weight right now. You can concentrate on that later. How was your vacation? Did you have a nice visit with your daughter?

Steph, the only OTC med that helped me with heartburn was liquid Mylanta. It would neutralize the acid as it went down. Gaviscon works for my husband. They all taste like chalk but if it helps, you get used to it. They all come in flavors now like mint and cherry which masks the chalky taste a bit. Nexium was a lifesaver for me. Hope you get your insurance soon. I think you should check with your doc about the hypoglycemia. You shouldn't be getting that weak if you're eating protein regularly. Is there anything else you can do?

Steph, my doc sells these great shakes that have a lot of Protein but are only about 100 calories. They really help to keep my sugar balanced between meals. Any low cal shake would work. GNC sells a lot of them. I also used to be hypoglycemic but my doc said before the surgery that I was pre-diabetic. That can happen with hypoglycemia. It can swing the other way. I have to keep my sugar balanced so I try to keep a shake with me wherever I go. I also used to have a problem with reflux and heartburn due to a hiatal hernia. It was repaired during the surgery and I was able to come off of my medication which was Nexium. What causes your heartburn? Can you take medication to control it?

Steph, when did you get your fill? How much was put in? I just got .25 yesterday which brings me to 7.5 in a 10cc band. I pureed my dinner of chicken with non-fat gravy as I'm supposed to be on liquids today. I can swallow easily, unlike a fill of .5 I got 6 weeks ago when for 10 days, I could barely swallow Water. Now we fill only .25 at a time which I seem able to tolerate. After eating tonight, I had an unusual feeling of fullness all the way up to my throat. I wasn't stuck, just uncomfortable. It's first feeling more normal after 2 hours. Is that what real restriction feels like? Am I finally at my sweet spot? I hope so. I really would like to get the rest of the weight off faster. I'll see how long before I feel hungry again. Hopefully it will be hours.

Hey, Linda don't worry about it! I just got a small fill today of .25 and I'm sore. I'm at 7.5cc now. The nurse practioner said that I'm only down about 24 pounds since February. I hope to kick it up now. We'll do this together!

OK Nymphs, summer is here, according to which calendar you look at! Or winter for our Aussie friend, Sades! So after posting your final weight on the Kick-Off challenge, join us for a meltdown! :rolleyes2: Let's take this one all the way to Labor Day and see who's the biggest summer loser! Good luck, Nymphs! Now let's melt some pounds off!! Name..........Start........Current.........Goal........ To Go CindyG.........204...........204...........184...........20 Onederland, here I come!!! :rolleyes2:

Judy, we stayed on Great Island on Periwinkle Drive near Gallilee. Where in Scarborough are your houses? We went to Scarborough beach twice. It was beautiful. Are your rentals houses, condos, or apartments? When do you rent them? How much do you charge? Do you rent privately or list with a realtor? We may be interested in renting again next year. You can answer me here or email me at cindyg@hvc.rr.com. Wished we could have gotten together in RI. We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect. We overdosed on lobster and chowder and ate at a great restaurant called "Spain". We also visited Newport, Wakefield, and Wickford. Loved the great shops. It was actually my second time in Narragansett. I was only 12 years old the first time.

Congrats, Scarecrow! You look great!! Those love handles may very well disappear when you get to goal. Keep working out and they should go away. As for surgery, I didn't know we should wait a year after hitting goal but it makes sense. I'm planning on a tummy tuck but getting a whole body overhaul sounds too scary. Wait until you get to goal and get a consultation with a reputable surgeon. Then decide what bothers you the most. Either way, you will still look awesome!

Welcome back, Steph! Congrats on your awesome grades! Are you a police officer now? Bet those extra pounds will slip off now that your classes are over. I was hoping to be closer or at goal by my 1 year bandiversary too. Not going to happen but its OK. I will get there in time and so will you.

Hey, Cindy! We missed our cheerleader. I think the summer months and change in routine might be contributing to our funk. I think getting back into a regular schedule with the kids being back in school may help me. I'm getting a small fill on Thursday even though I am still pretty tight. I'm hoping it will get me down another 10 pounds. If I get too tight again, I'll get some taken out. We all need to get re-energized. We have been at this for almost a year so I think it's normal to lose some motivation. We'll get it together. It's important to come here often and support each other. Perhaps joining the new challenge I posted will help us stay focused. Then we can reflect on the past year on our bandiversary. We all need to remember how far we've come and not obsess over the tough times. We are all thinner and healthier than we were last year at this time. That's the most important thing.

Linda, why does anyone in your family need to know if you've gained? I'm sure 5 pounds isn't obvious to anyone but you. If anyone asks, just say that everything is going the way it's supposed to. My extended family thought I would lose at the rate of someone who had gastric bypass. I spent a few minutes educating the ones I care about that the band helps me lose at a healthy pace unlike bypass surgery. The weight will come off in its own time and I will be able to keep it off. Once that was understood, the questions stopped. You've lost a lot of weight! Weight loss slows down at this point regardless of the method used. I can't imagine anyone thinking anything other than how great you must look.

Hey, Wendy! You came in a close second with the most weight lost next to Sades. Skinny Jill came in second as the next one closest to goal. Way to go, you guys!!

Great story, Wendy! You have a wonderful husband. Wishing you both many, many more years of happiness!!

I love your poem, Sades. How creative and a good reflection of how many of us feel. Bandpal, love your poem, too!

I finally talked myself into getting on the scale. As I stood there cringing and waiting for the number to appear I was shocked to find out that I didn't gain an once!! I didn't lose either but I'm thrilled that all that fudge and chowder didn't do much. The Summer Meltdown is officially over and the winner is...(drumroll, please)....SADES!!!!!! Sades, you rock!! See what a little restriction can do?! Now it's time to start a new challenge as we head towards our Bandiversary. Can't believe that almost a year has gone by!

Linda, that's terrible that your doc postponed your fill for 2 weeks. Any way you could convince him to let you come sooner?

Sades, you're doing great! It's normal to get burned out and want to take a break from obsessing about this band and losing weight. I've only heard of a few who are disciplined enough to lose their weight consistently but that's not the norm. We will all get there in time. I'm sure you'll find your focus again.