NJ_gal_in_VA

Thank you all for your opinions! It is such a help since I was so undecided. I have always been leaning toward the one without the ruffles as well but everyone's opinions have helped push me in the direction of the other one! Shortgal, my future mother and sister-in-law like that one, too. It IS different and that would make it stand out, but I just don't think it flatters my, as I put it, "24 hour glass figure"!! Thank you all for your compliments. It makes me feel so good to hear people say I have a "small waist"! It's been a long time since I've been told that! I guess even if you don't lose many pounds you can still lose inches! A fabulous NSV for me!! Welcome to you Sharon. Your weight loss is wonderful, believe me! Everyone on this forum is going through the same thing and everyone here is so wonderful! They are all so very supportive and have helped me through some rough times. I couldn't have got this far without the support of my "slow loser friends"!!! Stick with us and post often with updates. You'll be glad you did!!

By the way, if you click on the actual photos they should get bigger so you can see them better!

Ok! I posted the pictures in an album on my profile. Just click on my screenname in any of my posts and go to "view profile". Go down to the album entitled "the final two" and click on it. You should see my pics. Let me know what you all think. The first one is from a place called Annie's Room. The second is from David's Bridal and there's 2 shots of that one-one shot from the front and one from the side. The ribbon around it is my color theme. Tell me which one you all like best and why and I'll tell you which one I'm leaning towards (don't want to influence your decision...lol!)

We did that and printed them out on photo paper. I scanned them to my computer but i just need to know how to post them on here if that's possible. Wishes, that's so great for your daughter! She sounds just like me!! It's so nice to be in a smaller size for the first time since before I got pregnant...lol! I will try and put the pictures up if I can. If not, I will try and send them to your email, wishes. Nonad, I'm holding you to that offer if you win the lotto!! LOL!!! :biggrin2:

Candy you poor thing! I don't envy you at all. I work part time and that's enough for me! But just keep trudging along and you'll get to where you want to be! I've narrowed my wedding dress choices down to two. They are both soooo pretty and I can't decide. They are both around the same price, too! Is there any way I can post the pictures of me in the dresses on this forum so you ladies can tell me which one you like best? Also, the last time I tried on clothes I was a size 26. It's been a while and wedding dresses have been the first thing I've tried on in months. My perfect size?.....22!!!! Both dresses that I'm choosing from are a 22! I'm so excited about that! I felt so beautiful trying them on! I even tried on a size 20 that was a little tight but I got it zippered! How cool is that?!! It feels great!! Hope everyone is well!

Thank you so much for your support! Denise, I will look into that book. Thanks for the advice! Since my mental breakdown I have lost over 5 pounds! I guess I needed that! It made me realize that I can't live this way anymore. I started back on weight watchers and I haven't eaten anything after supper for the last 2 nights. Water weight comes off quickly so I know it's that! But weight is weight, right?! :biggrin2: Thanks again to everyone, and all of you have a friend in me as well! I know how it feels to be in a bad situation and I will be there for any of you that need me like I needed you! I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter! And don't forget the reason for it! :cheers2: :smile:

You're so funny, shortgal! I know we said I would lock everything up but it just didn't happen. But I made my fiancee hide anything we had left as far as junk food and I told him we are NOT buying it anymore. PERIOD! Anyway, my son is 9 years old so he's not yet a teenager but if his attitude is any indication of what he WILL be like when he becomes a teen, I'm going into the convent! LOL!! J/K! Nonetheless I still have a little control over what he eats...lol! I will start looking for a dress. If I lose weight that will be wonderful! I guess that's what they have tailors for! The first 20 pounds I lost was in the first week after surgery. I've only lost about 5 more pounds after that so I'm REALLY far behind on my goal. But I know what I need to do and I'm so lucky to have you and everyone else on here as a support system! By the way, Xann, I'm actually living in VA. I was born and raised in NJ until I was 21 but I have lived here for about 6 years now. But I'm sure I can find someone around here. Just can't spend alot of money!

You guys are so wonderful! I cried when I read all of the positive comments and offers for help. I am so glad to have friends like you all! I'm doing better now than I was this morning. Sorry about that rant! I forgot to take my anti-depressants for three days and it caught up with me. I think I am going through withdrawal. I believe I was having a panic attack. But I took my medicine right away and it should get level in my system within a few days. I felt like I was going over the edge. I guess on top of going through that attack I was depressed about not having lost any weight and all. My 10 cc band is now 9 cc full and my restriction is STILL not good enough for me. But I do honestly believe it IS head hunger as one of you said. I can eat pretty well throughout the day but when nighttime comes, I binge eat. Every day I tell myself "I'm gonna eat well, and I'm not gonna eat after supper." But I can't seem to do that second part. I'm not hungry. It's just such a bad habit to break. And I don't need to change my eating during the day, because it's pretty good. And eating something healthier at night is not the answer, because I'm simply not hungry. I JUST WANT SOMETHING SWEET TO EAT. And that's the bottom line! But I am REALLY going to give it a good shot tonight. I'm gonna exercise after dinner and go right to bed shortly after. Thank you again for everyone's compassion. I really needed it. I don't need people telling me what to eat, how to eat, and how to exercise. Right now, I just need a friend. I know what I SHOULD be doing. I'm just having a hard time doing it.

i give up u guys...i cant do this anymore....im out of control...i need help...

Well, I had my fill, finally, on Friday (March 7). I found out that I have a 10cc band and I had 7cc's of fluid in it before the fill. She put in 2 more cc's and so now I am up to 9cc's in a 10cc band. So why do I not feel much of a difference? At first after the fill, I was full easily, but now I am not. I know I have a lot of "head hunger" to overcome, and I think that's one of my biggest problems. But I feel genuinely hungry and my stomach growls. For example, I had 3 pierogies for dinner tonight and had some chopped onions on them. I know....not the greatest meal to have. That was about 1 hour ago and I'm starving right now. I don't want to eat because I'm trying to cut out my after dinner snacking but it's so hard. I mean, I am a compulsive overeater at night. I can't seem to eat something and control my portions. If I eat a cookie, I have to have half a sleeve or why eat it at all. If I eat a few potato chips, I have to eat the whole bag or it was in vain. That's been my thinking for so long. Nothing healthy seems to satisfy me no matter how much of it I eat. I guess that's why it's called "head hunger" because it's all in you head that you need JUNK! Does anyone else have that way of thinking that "you can't eat just one" as the Lay's company claims?

Hey everyone! I just wanted to know how everyone is doing. I haven't posted in a while. I go in for my fill (finally) on Friday. I'm so excited and I hope this gives me some better restriction. My weight is so stubborn right now :drool: I've been trying to stay away from my nightime eating binges because my cravings at night are terrible. I don't have them during the day. So I've been eating cereal with 1% milk at night instead of junk. What do you all think about that? I guess it's better than shoving a candybar or cookies down my throat! :laugh:

I was banded on June 11, 2007. Since then I have lost about 25 lbs. Problem is, 20 of those pounds were lost in the first week. I had serious issues with the immediate post-op diet. Liquids, then mushies even, were not doing it for me. I was starving. I am an extremely picky eater so even the stuff that my dietician told me I could eat was not edible for me. Again, I was starving. After about a week, I started eating things I used to eat, in moderation. Slowly but surely, I worked my way back to my old eating habits. My fault, I know. I'm not looking for sympathy or excuses, because there are none for me. I screwed up. I was given a golden opportunity and I screwed up. And with all the crap going on in my life, I'm finding it difficult to get back on track. I feel like I can't because I messed it up. I don't even exercise. I always have an excuse. Currently, my excuse is that it's too cold to go for a walk. Also, I have a cold so that's another excuse I'm making. Can I start over? Should I go back on the post-op diet? I know all the things I SHOULD be doing and God knows I don't need to hear them over and over again. I'm not asking for people to tell me it's ok that I screwed up and feel sorry for me. I just want to know if I should go back to the beginning. Can I start over and redeem myself? Make a new start? Get on track with exercise and diet? Someone please just tell me I'm not alone so I know that there may be hope for me.

Candy, I know EXACTLY the feeling! I have been stuck at this weight for months now. And my habits are TERRIBLE! I looked at the 5 day pouch test and I think I'll try that too. Not because I want to see if my pouch is messed up but because I think I need to "start over" so to speak and get back on track. I have to give myself some slack, though. I haven't had a fill in about 6 months. I go back on March 7th so I'll probably start my pouch test then. I'm hoping that the lack of weight loss is due to my lack of fill and that my next fill will trigger some more weight loss. I will be sooooo upset if I don't lose at least 50 more pounds by my wedding.

Hi Canary! When my son was in preschool I had to get him on the sp. ed. bus every morning also. He's in third grade now and doing well. He's in a regular school, just some adjustments to his curriculum! When you go to the ticker page, click on the weight loss link. Then select your ruler. You can click on the numbers for the pages to see them all. When you've chosen your ruler, click on next. Then choose your slider the same way and click on next. Then just type in a password and fill in the current weight or weight loss and goals, etc. Then click on next. Then scroll down and cut and paste the bbCode on to your signature in your profile (Just click on where it says "Edit Signature" to the right of your screen) Then save it and you should be set!:smile:

OMG! My mom does the same thing! She has been doing it ever since I gained the weight. She's always so negative with her "constructive criticism." I can't stand it when she does that. I guess she believes I will do better if I have someone jumping down my throat all the time :wink2: But it actually sometimes makes me worse off because I feel depressed about what she says to me. But I guess they really mean well by it, right Band Chick? LOL!

Doddie, I have absolutely NO addiction whatsoever to soda. I guess I;m one of the lucky ones. I've never felt a need to have it and all I ever drink is water and occasionally some iced tea. I'm so grateful I'm not a soda drinker!

Sliming is the worst! It feels like someone is trying to tear out your esophogus (sp). It happens to me in public sometimes and I try to keep a straight face so as not to let on that I'm "choking!" I can't eat anything real doughy anymore, which is good because I'm addicted to carbs!

Thanks! It sounds really good and I need something I can freeze and eat on the fly!

I'm so jealous at how well you're doing! You lost twice as much weight as I have and you were banded 4 months later than I was! Congratulations! I have the same problem with people telling me I don't seem to have made any progress. And "tough love" my ass! Excuse my language! They know they're being condescending and it hurts more the way some people try to "help". Only we know how truly well we feel we are doing and pounds and inches lost is just a small part of this process to becoming a healthier person. Don't let others get you down.

Hey, we can't change the past, right? So just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and dive in head first again! Don't even think about the past! I was banded 6/11/07 and I've only lost 25 pounds so don't feel bad. And the first 20 was lost in the first week after surgery! We just gotta support one another! Best of luck to you!

Do you have a good recipe for the chili you eat? I have almost NO protein intake and I am a VERY picky eater but I like chili! Thanks!!

EMC, I'm curious to know....when were you banded?

Thanks for the advice shortgal! I know what you mean! It's so bad that I have to have things "locked" away from me...lol! You're right about the weight goal. If I could just be 200 lbs. I would be much happier. Since we both have similar goals and a similar event in a few months, we can be a great support for each other! You must be so excited about your son's wedding! Thanks to everyone else too for your advice. It ALWAYS helps! :cursing:

Do you ladies think it would be unfair to ask my fiancee and my son to sacrifice junk food and keep it completely out of the house? Josh, my fiancee, comes home from work and likes to have a snack of chips or cookies and Shane, my son, is a junk food-a-holic! I know we ALL need to eat better but I feel guilty asking them to completely give it up when they're not the ones who need to lose weight. I just can't seem to have enough willpower to stay away from the junk when it's in the house. :biggrin:

I know what you mean, Liz! It's much easier to be full on a small meal when we have the band. I sometimes eat those smart ones and before the band, it was like having a little snack. So unfulfilling. I started weight watchers too. I have done well on it before. I love WW because you don't have to deprive yourself. It teaches you to watch your portions. Don't worry! You will begin to lose more each week. Just exercise and stick with the program. I should really be giving myself that advice! LOL! :biggrin: