nycm00

Tess, congratulations on making it to Twoterville!!! You are doing so well! Way to go!! I too finally broke down and bought a bra. I bought two because I know I will be dropping sizes further and can't spend the money again. I wish I could have found something on the clearence rack, but it did not pan out. I have not bought any new clothes yet, but have gone through all my stuff that was way too tight before band. I really need to shop, but can't see spending the money when I know more weight is coming off. Really a catch 22 because Iknow I would feel better about how I look if I had clothes that fit. Maybe I'll hit a thrift shop or two. Christine

Rhonda!!!! Way to go!!!!! You are doing so well. I am in awe of how you have been doing so very, very well. Congratulations!!! Christine

Glad many of you are joining me in setting a short term goal. With the Holiday's coming up I really need that extra push. I now have a UTI. The doctor feels it may be a result of allowing myself to become so dehydrated last week. I am waiting to have my prescription filled tomorrow because I wasnted something that will be kind to my recently troubled tummy and no one had it on hand. It's being ordered and will be in tomorrow. Christine

I have decided to set a short term goal for myself. I would like to be in Onederland by Christmas. Anyone want to join me in setting a short term goal? I am thinking with the Holidays coming up there is going to be a lot of temptation. I need something to keep me stictly on track. Christine

I had a feeling that I had gastristis because of the huge amount of burning I had after eating or drinking anything. I have had this once before...before banding and it felt very similar. So, I started taking Omeprazol, but it did not get better. The band started feeling too dight and just kept getting tighter. The gastritis causes the lining of the stomach to become inflamed and swollen, so this made the band feel tighter. They removed 2cc which leaves me at 4.5cc in a 10cc band. I feel good restriction now and my stomach is healing. I feel so much better, have some energy and can eat and drink, but am still sticking to bland foods and no caffiene to help with the gastritis. I was at 6cc in my band for a few months and did very well. Even with 6.5cc I did not feel over full, but when these issues hit, I really needed the un-fill. Christine

I feel much better now that I've had my slight unfill. I still have restriction and I still have a bit of gastritis, so I'm being very careful with what I eat, but I can eat. Today I had 1 egg and I just had half a chicken thigh and about a tablespoon of corn. I need to drink an Isopure to get in a bit more for the day, but I'm just so grateful to be ablt to eat and drink again. Today I said to a friend..."do you know what is better than being able to eat?....being able to drink!" I never thought I would say that. Christine

I had a slight unfill yesterday. The MD said I did everything right. My problem started with a gastritis...which I started taking some medication for, but it just did not improve. The band just kept getting tighter and tighter as a result of the inflammation of my stomach. So, they removed 2cc and I feel much better. I drank a bunch of Water and has some Soup yesterday. So nice to be able to comfortably hold something down. I am still taking the meds for the gastritis and scheduled another appt for 4 weeks out. If I have any more problems they want me to get an esophogram. Hopefully this slight un-fill will do the trick. The band is very fickle, but in the end it's all worth it. Christine

WoW, you can eat a whole fish sandwich? A few weeks ago I ate 4 bites of a wendy's chicken sandwich with only the bottom part of the bun and was full for the rest of the day. This was at 1PM. Wow! That day I was really reflecting on the fact that before band, I could eat the whole chicken sandwich and a bacon cheese burger and french fries and still not be "full". WoW. Christine

I can't wait to see the doctor on Thursday. I have been having a very hard time with my tummy lately. I think I may need a slight un-fill. I have been on liquids for about a week with an attempted bite of real food occasionally. Everything gets stuck. I have a very hard time with reflux and with serious burning after drinking or eating. I started taking over the counter Omeprezol thinking it would help if I had some imflamation due to the reflux, but I'm on day 9 of the med and it's not improving. I called the surgeon's office today and am a bit peeved because no one returned my call. I have a scheduled appt for Thursday, but would really like some help before then. This degree of tightness and fear of eating/drinking because of the pain is good for weight loss, but not for the mood. Christine

Just wondering how attainable these goal seem now that we are halfway there? My goal of 80 lbs seems more attainable now than it was when I posted it. I think this band is working! Christine

Michelle, you are doing so well! 55lbs is a wonderful loss. I seem to have a love/hate relationship with my band. I love the weight loss, but wish it were easier. I miss drinking with my meals....even just coffee or orange juice with Breakfast. I do not enjoy eating in a social setting. I try to avoid it if I can. I love my shrinking body. My blood pressure is normal without medication. My sugar levels are normal. I am not a self conscious when in a social setting. No more foot pain. No more swollen ankles. My boobs stick out further than my tummy and I can see the faint hint of collar bones I have never seen in my life. I look younger. No more seat belt extenders on airplanes and I only take up one seat on the train. So, I would not change my decision to have lap band surgery. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself, but it's not easy. It does not happen on it's own. It has changed my life. Christine

NAME.........................surgery date.....todays date....Lbs lost 1. SpecialK .................3/17/08........9/7/08............53.9 lbs 2. scrappy_friend .........3/17/08........9/4/08............54.0 lbs 3. aJoneen.................. 3/04/08........9/4/08............31.0 lbs 4. WestCoastMom....... 3/27/08........9/4/08............60.0 lbs 5. julietj1970................ 3/03/08........9/4/08............40 lbs 6. SugarBean.............. 3/24/08........9/4/08............88 lbs (30 before surgery) 7. Tess415...................3/10/08........9/4/08............60 lbs (23 before surgery) 8. jegtlf.........................3/24/08........9/5/08............56lbs 9. emmersglue .............3/18/08........9/5/08............48lbs 10. lglenn3000.................3/17/08........9/5/08............28 lbs 11. Busy.........................3/17/08........9/6/08............41 lbs. 12. tp78..........................3/13/08........9/8/08............36 lbs. update 9/25/08....-44lbs 13.potatie........................3/27/08........9/11/08...........56lbs 14. TKT2FLY.....................3/17/08........9/14/08...........63lbs 15. MSBoss08....................3/06/08........9/17/08..........64lbs 16. Hazel-Eyes...................3/14/08........9/17/08...........31 lbs 17. hungry4help..............3/3/08...........9/18/08........65lbs (10 before surgery) 18. sisterc.....................3/17/08..........9/18/08........28 lbs 19. Anniedub..................3/6/08............9/26/08........55 lbs 20. wishin4.....................3/26/08..........9/26/08........48 lbs 21. AuntLucy...................3/10/08.........9/26/08........64 lbs 22. nycm00................3/24/08........9/25/08........60lbs.

Jacole, Logging your intake really is motivating and promotes awareness. If you are writing down everything you put in your mouth you are holding yourself accountable and being aware of what you are eating. Check with your doctor if it's physical hunger you are feeling. If it's head stuff, maybe you should speak with someone in Behaviour Modification. I wish I could afford to do that because a lot of my stuff is head stuff at this point, but I just can't afford to get help. Good luck to you! You can do this! Christine

Annie, I am glad to hear that the hair loss seems to have slowed. I am sorry you had a rough night out last night. Why are there so many STUPID people in the world? Hugs! Christine

Special K...congrats on you loss. You look great! Harley....you are doing so well. Doesn't it feel great to be halfway there? Fenton, go get another fill already! You need some help. The temptation deminishes as the fill increases. Annie, I love your hair cut. I have extremely curly hair, so when I cut it short, it gets really hard to manage and adds time to my getting ready routine. So I just keep it back in pathetic buns or pony tails. It's almost time to spend some energy on myself. I'm feeling frumpy in my way too big clothes and my always pulled back hair. I'm working my way up to it. Christine

Follow-up is the most important part of the journey. Without good care, it's very hard to succeed. I work in Manhattan, so I just schedule my appts for after work. Definatly go with a good doctor close to you. I have a friend who has Gastric bypass at Brookhaven Memorial and is very happy with it. Good luck to you! Christine

Go get that fill. Before I reached my sweet spot, I could not believe I would ever be able to reach 80lbs weight loss by my 1 yr anniversary in March. Now I easily see that happening by Christmas! Maybe even by Thanksgiving if I really get my but to excersizing. With the right restriction you have tha extra bit of control. Use the tool. It's just waiting to be used. Christine

Hi, I live in Sayville. I was banded by Dr. Ren at NYU in Manhattan, March 2008. Let me know if I can help in any way. The whole process is so much easier with support. Christine

I think it's a gret idea and I think that people would be surprised by how many calories some things contain. I believe the average person just does not think much about calorie content and maybe this will cause people to start questioning their choices. I recently read an article about childhood obesity causing fatty liver disease in early adulthood leading to more liver transplants at an earlier age. This is really sad. It's totally controllable. Sad. Christine

I came from the home with the mom who really regulated our intake. 3 square meals a day. Snack after school and dessert after dinner if we cleaned our plate. Once she went off to work when I was a young teen I started sneaking food. I would shuffle the Cookies to make it seem like I had not taken "too many".....never take the last one. Out of 4 kids I was the fat one...but not until my teens....but I remember being a little girl and hearing my grandmother discuss with my great-aunts how big I was (all in German which they did not think I understood) so I always thought I was HUGE. My extended family has boday image issues and all my life I have heard comments on how so and so looked. I have a cousin who is anorexic. So how do I deal with my kids? Nothing is off limits in moderation. We discuss the nutritional value of foods. They know what the healthy snack is opposed to the junk food snack. I don't make them clean their plates. I allow them control over what they eat within reason. I am HUGE on excersize. We are always outside in action. In the middle of winter my neighbors thik I am nuts, because they are all bundeled up out there on their bikes or scooters or playing some new fangled game of tag. I hope they never have the weight issues I have had and I pray the don't have the boday image issues that have plagued my family for decades. Christine

I am one of the one's that now that I have restriction I cannot drink during or after eating. If I try to drink too soon I have horrible pain and end up getting sick. It has been a hard adjustment for me. When I go out I have just recently stopped ordering drinks. I do get Water to sip in case I really need something while I am eating, but it's just a sip....or I'll be in trouble. I do miss coffee or Orange juice with my Breakfast, but I love the fact that I can tell that I have some collar bones under all this flesh for the first time in years. Christine

SpecialK, glad you have that back up generator. Sorry you still don't have power fully up and running. Tess, you are an ispiration. You offer such great advice and are doing so very, very well. Congratulations on your loss! I have made it halfway to my first goal!!! (At the time I set it I did not imagine I would ever reach it, but now it seems to be a reality....It still keeps me in the overweight catagory though, so we will see how I feel when I get there about changing it.) I think I may actually be able to make it to 60lbs lost by my 6 month anniversary if I work really hard. Christine

So happy to see that you've returned to your senses and not given up on yourself and your band. Congratulations on getting your first fill! I think you are an intelectual hottie and if it were not for the fact that I am married with 3 kids I'd be trying to court you. You have so much to offer....you'll find the right person when you get all the head stuff under a bit of control. I've been having a hard time with the head stuff too lately. I have restriction and that keeps me in line, but I get frustrated when I can't stuff my feelings by stuffing food in my mouth. Maybe I should get some help with it. Christine

I have just started taking the Chewable Centrum Vitamins. The hair loss pushed me. I just hate the taste. My band definatly changes through different times of the month and with stress. The relfux has improved with my no eating after 7PM rule. So glad, because waking up from acid flowing into my throat and coughing was getting old! Christine

I do miss being able to lose myself in food. I was banded in March and have a hard time with the frustration of feeling the feelings instead of stuffing them. I am hopefull that in time I will resolve my head issues and enjoy my new eating abilities. I do enjoy eating healthy food now. I love my new size and ability to move without constant pain. I do miss overeating, but am confident that I will get over it. It's really hard to believe that I am still so attached to something that did nothing but bring me misery for years and years. I will move past this in time. New healthy habits will replace the old bad ones thanks to my band. Christine