Jennie1976

Sorry for the delayed response...I just saw this! I haven't begun exercising yet (treadmill is broken and I live in the mountains...a bit scary when it's dark!), and I HAVE to eat as high calories as possible due to a rare disease I have. So I drink a lot of calories, but eat between 3-10 bites per meal of whatever I want. I lose between 1 and 3 pounds a week usually, but have lost as many as 4 before. I know what I'm doing is not what normal people are doing, but it's working for me and I haven't gotten sick (which is what that disease does to me if I eat too few carbs or calories), and I'm losing weight...even if sometimes it's slow. Good luck!

I made my goal! I can't believe it! On New Years, I was 251. This morning, I weighed in at 235! I have NEVER been below 240 in my entire adult life. AND, to top it off, I forgot my jackets in my car last night (when I carpooled with DH), and I live in the mountains where it's cold. DH gave me one of his jackets...and it fit PERFECTLY! I told him he may never get it back! This is amazing!

Well, I'm five months out and 52 pounds down. I had hoped to lose about 10 pounds a month, and it seems that's what I'm averaging. It comes and goes in spurts. I'll lose nothing for a week, and then lose three or four pounds the next. Weird. I'm also lower than I've ever been since I can remember in my adult life. When I went on the atkins diet, I got down to 240. I am now at 238! Wow! I am also almost halfway. I just can't believe it. I KNOW this will slow down eventually, and that I'll have to work at it. But I am SO enjoying right now. I'm not one of those people who constantly tries on bigger sizes. I usually start with one too small, just hoping! My new body isn't perfect. I will want plastic surgery on my stomach. But I'm loving being able to fit in smaller clothes. However, that being said, I don't see a difference in the mirror. I see a SMALL difference with clothes on, but with no clothes...nothing. But everyone around me is noticing so I guess it's happening. Well, I'm hoping to get down to 230 by the end of February and into the 220s by Easter...maybe 225. Of course, I say that, but can't even begin to imagine it! We'll see!

Well, I'm five months out and 52 pounds down. I had hoped to lose about 10 pounds a month, and it seems that's what I'm averaging. It comes and goes in spurts. I'll lose nothing for a week, and then lose three or four pounds the next. Weird. I'm also lower than I've ever been since I can remember in my adult life. When I went on the atkins diet, I got down to 240. I am now at 238! Wow! I am also almost halfway. I just can't believe it. I KNOW this will slow down eventually, and that I'll have to work at it. But I am SO enjoying right now. I'm not one of those people who constantly tries on bigger sizes. I usually start with one too small, just hoping! My new body isn't perfect. I will want plastic surgery on my stomach. But I'm loving being able to fit in smaller clothes. However, that being said, I don't see a difference in the mirror. I see a SMALL difference with clothes on, but with no clothes...nothing. But everyone around me is noticing so I guess it's happening. Well, I'm hoping to get down to 230 by the end of February and into the 220s by Easter...maybe 225. Of course, I say that, but can't even begin to imagine it! We'll see!

Hi! I was banded on September 6th, so I guess that's pretty close. I started at 290 and have lost 52 pounds. It comes and goes in spurts though. I'll stay the same for a week, and lose three to four pounds the next.

Hi! I have a very rare disease called porphyria, and was wondering if anyone else had it. If so, how do you keep your carbs and calories at a level where you don't have an attack? I know it's a long shot, but just curious! Thanks!

I turned 32 on the 27th!

Just updating my weight loss!!! Stacy 73… 51 TulipStar…22 Mdicurn…30 time4me…27.8 Magooz07…11 Caresarn…16 georgia girl…65 Lapband4me...32 Sirusman…67 Allisarin…23 Tishamarie…49 EL1…23 Juliacleone…27 Kimmie…45 dsmit13…23 ScareDcat…50 Lapitup…22.5 mandi78…23 andrea71…28 Thinmom…23 Kellymovingon...35 flipper64...30 kagoscuba...37 Lucylu...15 Gurlygirl....27 Amber...39 suzygayle....40 Linda E......24.5 lbs Texrose 575 .....24.0 lbs itstime....23 lbs eastxnurse....30 lbs wannabthin...36.5 lbs Queenp....28lbs Chocolate_Snaps....52lbs Bekiboo26....58lb Jennie1976...49 lbs

Hi, the first paragraph was a quote from another poster...not from me. In the US, people who live in gang-riddled neighborhoods live in constant fear (many of them being my students so I hear about this first-hand). I also have had several students who lived in constant fear in their own households (and several parents as well who have confided in me). Yes, these people exist. To answer the second part of your question, they live in fear of gang members, pimps, drug dealers, (I have a student that lives in a motel that offers rates by the hour with his mom and her current boyfriend), etc. In their own homes, usually they are afraid of boyfriends, fathers, etc. I had one mother afraid of her boyfriend whom I helped escape (unfortunately, she later went back). My moral obligation is mine alone. I have had numerous people take refuge in my home. My husband and I have an agreement that we might just show up one day with a kid who needs to be in immediate foster care or an entire family (we've done both). My husband and I both are active with students with special needs as he is a special education teacher (we do a lot of volunteer work with special olympics and miracle league). However, all of this, to me, is neither here nor there. These are my personal moral obligations, and I would like to do more. I would not advise anyone else to take strangers into their home, or anything else for that matter. As I've said, I personally have moral obligations. What anyone else does, or anyone else's idea of what my moral obligations should be doesn't really matter.

I know my views are WAY out there to most, but I don't believe in child support. I think children of divorced parents should go to the parent who wants them most, not the one who wants to get paid to take care of their own children. Yes, fathers should contribute; I'm not disputing that. However, if my husband and I got divorced, I would be happy to have my children...period. I would rather have my children 100% of the time with NO money, than anything else and receive child support.

They live in constant fear and terror from terrorists. And if they want change, they they need to fight for it, like we are. I believe in humans more than I think you do. If I see that my children might have to live in fear everyday like you postulate, then I would be willing to die so that my children would have a better life. And no, the terrorists don't outnumber those you would live in fear. They can stand up and fight, just like we can. Yes, they might die, but there are worse things than death. I don't believe a "level playing field" exists. There are people in the United States who live in fear everyday. And there are those who fight and rise above it. THOSE are people I respect. There are also people who lose their lives doing so. I respect THEM as well. And that's just here in the USA. I don't believe in punishing those who "have", just because they "have". As a Christian, I personally have a moral obligation; however, others may not, and, as an American, I don't have the right to force them.

Recently, I think most democrats and republican are all acting the same. They make the same policies and say the same things. Democrats want John McCain to win the nomination because, although he says he's republican, everything else he says is deomcrat. So if he wins, who cares? Also, everyone wants to not support the war in Iraq. But, they have all forgotten that, right after 9/11, we all put flags on our cars and called ourselves American (not African-American, Hispanic-American, etc. Just American). People say that the only reason we're still there is for oil. Great! That's a perfect reason for me. I use gasoline to get to work every day. And at over $3.00 a gallon, let's go! It's how I feed my family. I will never put the families of someone else (whether from this country or not) over mine. I think most people have selective memories when it comes to history...me included! We take the parts of history that serve our purpose...me included again! However, we did not get to be a great nation by rolling over. I think my grandfathers' generation, the generation that fought in WWII, would be appalled at some of the policies and attitudes happening today. I prefer people who fight for what they believe, even if I disagree with it. I can respect someone who takes a stand, puts their own life on the line, and demands to be heard over someone who thinks we can do it with kindness. People call our enemies Muslim extremists. My question is, why aren't WE extremists? We were appalled at the soldiers for making the Muslim prisoners act like gay men. It's against their religion and we should respect that. Guess what! It's against mine too and I'm every bit as religious as they are! And even if you disagree with me, as I'm sure most of you will, I can respect that, because, after all, this IS America! My favorite quote is that I may not believe in what you are saying, but I will fight for your right to say it. People want to make this presidential race about being black, a woman, or "other" (Republican). It's not. It's about who will make our nation stronger, rather than weaken it, regardless of their pigmentation or genitalia. It IS about scaring the "beejeebers" out of the rest of the world. Yes, that is exactly what makes us a strong country. I, for one, am an "extremist" American. And anyone who is anti-American is my enemy.

I think that ALL of the candidates have skeletons in their closets. I wouldn't choose any of them to be my friend quite honestly. However, to me, it is choosing the lesser of the evils, so to speak. I go back and forth between Romney and Huckabee. There are things I like and dislike about both of them, but I think both of them would make good presidents. However, if it's between Obama (his background scares me more than anyone!) or Hillary (I won't even get into that!), or Huckabee or Romney, I would absolutely choose Huckabee or Romney any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Does anyone else feel the need to overeat because you are with other people? I haven't told most people about my surgery, and, when I'm eating with others, I feel this pressure to eat a more "normal" amount. For example, today, my coworkers (none of whom know about my surgery) and I went to Taco Bell for lunch. They ordered different value meals. I ordered a taco...and couldn't finish it. Usually, I try and try to eat a bit more so that I look more "normal", but not doing so is now one of my New Years resolutions. So, today I ate half a taco. No one said anything, but I still feel stupid...like I'm admitting I'm fat (which isn't a suprise to those who see me, I'm sure :-)] Does anyone else feel this way, and, if so, how do you deal with it?

Hi! I'm a new reply: NAME ... Start Weight ... Goal ... Current Weight ... To Go Jennie1976 ...... 290 ....... 200 ........ 243 ......... 43

This was my favorite answer! Thank you for putting it in perspective. This was my equivalent of a kick in the pants!

Hi! I have 2.6 in my 4 band. This is my sweet spot. I felt the same way as you before I found my sweet spot. I was also despairing, but, let me reassure you, be patient. Now I can only eat a few bites of something (between 3 and 10--depending on what it is) before I'm full. And I don't get hungry as often either. Good luck to you!

I honestly hope NONE of the democrats and a few of the republicans have no chance at the white house. I'm hoping for Huckabee, but, assuming he is too conservative, my next choice is Romney. However, the democrats have ALWAYS been better campaigners. It's unfortunate that republican candidates in the last several years have won on luck, rather than campaigns. I'm hoping that will change, but I"m not holding my breath!

Well, I've only lost 43 pounds, but my NSVs are: 1. My stomach no longer protroudes past my boobs! 2. I have a waist! 3. I have gone from size 26 clothes to size 22 and some size 18/20s! 4. My husband tries to *follow* me EVERY NIGHT! 5. *I* feel sexy! 6. I'm excited about where I might be this summer!!!!!!!

I just quit soda cold turkey, so I can't help you there, but as for feeling full: I am about four months out, and I still go from normal to PB in one bite. Very rarely do I have any signal before that. But, now that I am four months out, I am getting better at judging how much I can eat. For me, I measure it in bites. I know I can eat between 3 and 7 bites (depending on the time of day and what I'm eating) before it is too much. And I CANNOT drink when I eat. It causes me to PB every time. But, my head is still not that bright. I still always want just one more bite...which I pay for right after! I guess I'll learn eventually, right?! :-) Hope that helps!

It's a couple of times a week...but it's my own fault for not paying attention to my stopping signals! I'm getting better though! It used to be every day!

I don't know if I'm normal or not, but I never get a "full" feeling. Instead, I eat a few bites and feel a tightness in my chest. Sometimes it's painful, but, if I stop soon enough, it's just uncomfortable. I take this as my signal to stop eating. Sometimes I even still feel a little hungry, but it goes away very soon. I can only eat a few bites before this happens. I used to wait until the "plop" feeling; however, my thought on that was this: my understanding is that the band stops us from overeating by filling the top pouch with food. Since the "plop" feeling is food transferring from the upper pouch to the lower pouch, that defeats the purpose of the band and means I am eating too much. So, even though I only get a few small bites to eat (read: beween 5-10), I know that in a few minutes I won't be hungry anymore. But, to answer your question, no, I never have a "full" feeling anymore. It is either uncomfortable in my chest or actual pain. Both make me stop eating!! :-)

That has happened to me before as well. I think some others on here said to mix up your calorie count. Someone once explained to me that our bodies get used to a certain number of calories. If I hit a plateau like that, I up my callories (as much as I can with the band) for a day. Then the next day, I eat a very small amount of calories. My weight may go up a pound or two for a bit (DON'T FREAK--like me!), but then the weight starts coming off again. In past diets, I always had problems after eating more calories...I wanted to keep doing it! But, with the band, eating more makes me sick, so it's pretty easy to go back to normal. If this doesn't work the first time, I do it a couple of times until the weight comes off again. Now, I've gotten to the point where I just vary my calories daily, and this problem hasn't happened since (not to say that it won't in the future!). Hope this helps! Jennie

Well, it was my four month anniversary two days ago. As of today, I have lost 41 pounds. I had a VERY slow beginning, but the weight is coming off steadily (usually) now. Last week, my weight went up three/four pounds, but it is back down today. Thank God for that! My goal has always been to lose about ten pounds per month. If I do that, then I should reach my goal weight right about the time I want to get pregnant! Funny! Social eating is a problem for me. Not many people know about my surgery, so I always feel I have to eat a "normal" amount of food so that I don't look like an idiot. With the band, this is impossible so I thow up. That cannot be good for my esophogus--or the band. I've noticed that all of my old habits have not gone away either...not that I expected them to just disappear. I still try to eat constantly when I'm home (on vacation). Except, now with the band, I can't eat as much and, when I do overeat (notice I said when, not if), I throw up. It mystifies me that I would rather have the horrible throwing up feeling than just eat what I'm supposed to. I know I will fail if I continue these horrible habits. On the up side, I am FINALLY seeing some results with regard to clothes. I can't believe how much better I look. Without clothes, I don't see a difference at all. WITH clothes, I'm looking almost normal!!! Well, still very large, but not "OH MY GOD" large. Yeah!!!!! I'm having fun clothes shopping, but spending WAY too much money!!!! My husband is enjoying the new me though! The lowest I've EVERY weighed in my adult life is 240. I can't even imagine what it will be like below that. I feel like my weight loss doesn't even start until then, because I've been there before and gained it all back. In my head, it seems like 240 is my starting point. I'm 9 pounds away, and I can't wait to get into the new weights!!! Well, here's to a great week and to meeting my goal of 235 by Valentine's Day!!! Jennie

Well, it was my four month anniversary two days ago. As of today, I have lost 41 pounds. I had a VERY slow beginning, but the weight is coming off steadily (usually) now. Last week, my weight went up three/four pounds, but it is back down today. Thank God for that! My goal has always been to lose about ten pounds per month. If I do that, then I should reach my goal weight right about the time I want to get pregnant! Funny! Social eating is a problem for me. Not many people know about my surgery, so I always feel I have to eat a "normal" amount of food so that I don't look like an idiot. With the band, this is impossible so I thow up. That cannot be good for my esophogus--or the band. I've noticed that all of my old habits have not gone away either...not that I expected them to just disappear. I still try to eat constantly when I'm home (on vacation). Except, now with the band, I can't eat as much and, when I do overeat (notice I said when, not if), I throw up. It mystifies me that I would rather have the horrible throwing up feeling than just eat what I'm supposed to. I know I will fail if I continue these horrible habits. On the up side, I am FINALLY seeing some results with regard to clothes. I can't believe how much better I look. Without clothes, I don't see a difference at all. WITH clothes, I'm looking almost normal!!! Well, still very large, but not "OH MY GOD" large. Yeah!!!!! I'm having fun clothes shopping, but spending WAY too much money!!!! My husband is enjoying the new me though! The lowest I've EVERY weighed in my adult life is 240. I can't even imagine what it will be like below that. I feel like my weight loss doesn't even start until then, because I've been there before and gained it all back. In my head, it seems like 240 is my starting point. I'm 9 pounds away, and I can't wait to get into the new weights!!! Well, here's to a great week and to meeting my goal of 235 by Valentine's Day!!! Jennie