Maggie63

thanks for the info dawg..i have to admit though...it is a bit depressing. even at my goal weight i am class 1 obese. i would have to hit around 145 to be considered average....not sure if that is where i want to be...i like my curves. i will have to bring this up with my doc when i see him in may.... i am no longer morbidly obese though...and that makes me very happy. i am officially down 60 lbs as of this morning.... alright guys...you talked me into it...i will do the points too.....i will print it out and try to get on here at least every other day to update. photonut....the girls are doing okay...still sore and itchy though. sometimes i look at them and think "too small".... sometimes i look at them and say "perfect"....it is very strange looking at a part of your body that changed so drastically so quickly....i LOVE that i am sitting here without wearing a bra and the girls are not practially in my lap (lol) they are perky okay, i need to get working on my sheet.....

i would like to join this challenge...although i do not think i will be able to do the points, just the weight loss part....it is difficult for me to get to the computer every day i am two lbs away from being down 60 lbs....i am so excited!! i hope this challenge helps me...i have only lost 2 lbs in the last 4 weeks....frustrated but not giving up!!!! you are all doing great...you are inspirations!!

i had a reduction (grom DDD to D) 3 weeks ago. so far so good. i have sensation in my nipples (i can feel it when i touch it...not sure if it is sexual or not yet though (i would be a bit disapionted if i lost sexual satisfaction there...i am single...and it was a erotic area for me : ) feels weird for the girls to be gone...i miss them sometimes...i guess that is normal.

i use senecot only if i am REALLY backed up. it works every time. i also try to eat bran with some milk for breakfast whenever i can...it helps keep me fluid.

yes, it does. i am using this point to fight my insurance (who would not pay for my lapband). article attached. http://www.bannerhealth.com/About+Us/News+Center/Press+Releases/Medicare+Covers+Lap+Band.htm

scout- welcome. this is the best place for you to ask questions, and research research research before having the surgery. the surgery has quite simply changed my life. it is the best thing i have ever done for myself. i wish you all the best!!

we have all been there. you will get through this!! my prayers and good vibes are with you. stay on liquids till you can see your doc and talk to him about all of this!!

Jacqui me too. i have done great with my band, and do not drink during meals to get more in, i drink because i am thirsty. if it became a problem for me, i would stop. i talked to my doc about it, and he said it was fine as long as i am not chugging down Water to get more food in. little sips are fine (for me anyway) : )

mexican food goes down especially well for me...no problemo...just need to remember to eat slowly. i still eat mexican...just much less of it : )

it amazes me how rude people can be. photonut 2bslm and others...i am so sorry you had to go through that. i have been there many times, believe me. i remember what boys in college said about me (she would be cute if she were not such a load - shes a fatty). a "friend" of mine at work saw a pic of me from a few years ago (she is not a skinny girl either) and she said, "you looked so healthy then, so good...what happened?" i walked in a grocery store 6 months ago and i overheard a couple of woman laughing at me cause i was "huge" should i take it? i don't know. i agree with vines...2 wrongs to not make a polite. i also know in my heart that it is the folks that are out there making all those mean comments that are insecure and should be pitied...why else would they say such outwardly mean things? now i hang my head high and get right back in their face, not saying anything mean, but pointing out to them that they are being inappropriate......and stop it right now!! it freaks them out a bit but it works without me feeling bad about not turning the other cheek. if the person is REALLY rude, and won't stop with the mean comments, then i am happy to bitch slap them...cause they deserve it : ) m

i drink Water with every meal...only had one bad experience where it came back up. if i was not losing or getting sick i would stop...but it works fine for me. i cannot chug water either like i used to. i try to sip it all day long though. m

i definently have body issues. i am down to 229 from 285, down from a size 22 to a 16W or 18 i had my picture taken at work right before my surgery. i am a mentor at a local middle school, and we had a pic taken for the local paper. i am bumpy, puffy and red in the photo.... just last week i recieved an award at work. again i had my pic taken. i know there is a HUGE difference, but i just do not see it. my parents, sister, niece and nephews were there, and they all were complimenting me on how i looked and how the pics came out...why can't i see it????? i think we all are going to have those issues until we accept the fact that the weight is NOT coming back on this time. i think i am self protecting myself from the fact that EVERY other time i have lost weight i gained it back and then some.....NOT THIS TIME! congrats to everyone on how well you are all doing!!! i am excited for the challenge. i need somthing to make me want to excerise...it is so hard getting motivated : )

the best me, photonut, and natural beauty.... well, you were right (darn you : ) i went to see my doc yesterday and explained to him everything that was happening (acid reflux, br surgery, have not lost weight in two weeks). he gave me a 30 day supply of nexium and told me i would not be getting a fill today. the reason he gave me made me feel so wonderful. he said that i have lost more weight the goals we set for me (which is true). he told me i was amazing and should feel so proud of myself. he said that with the surgery, the acid reflux, and the great weight loss, why am i trying to rush things so much? if i got a fill today, i could make myself miserable, and need an unfill (and hurt my esophagas in the process). now, i am a self pay, and that fill would have cost me about 150 bucks. i feel really good that my doc cares more about my health than making a few bucks. i AM worried about not losing any weight in the next month. the doc said that if i do not lose ANY weight, and the reflux, etc is under control, to come and see him and we could talk. he also said that if i started excersicing on a regular basis, it would be moving along quicker (yea...i think i agree with him : ). thanks for the hugs all, and thanks for the great advice. it is so good to know i have people who UNDERSTAND to talk to this about. photonut-i would be interesting in a challenge...i think it keeps things interesting : ) and congrats on being on being so close to no longer being morbidly obese....as of yesterday...i am just obese : ) it feels great! maggie

well, today is the day i start an exercise program. i have plateaued (been the same about 3 weeks) and it is time to step it up a notch. i am still recoperating from my br surgery....but my doc said it would be great if i walk (no lifitng weights or anything) my sis is here till tomorrow visiting and as soon as she wakes up we are hitting the sidewalk. i am also scheduled for a fill today, so that should help. i am starting to get a bit of acid refulx..has anyone else experienced that? wish me luck, i will need it : )

mandy-you look amazing, really amazing. congratulations!!

i do not want a "bikini bod" as much as i want to be comfortable in my owne skin. i have gained and lost so much weight over my life, that my poor skin has lost a lot of it's elasticity...i am afraid i will never be comfy showing alot of skin without some major plastic surgery. i am a size 12 at about 190 lbs (isn't that amazing, but i am just a very sturdy girl...and i love it)!! if i was down to 150 or so, i think i would be too thin... i do hope to put a bathing suit on this year...i have not worn one in about 5 years (and i am a beach lover)!!

hi all. sorry it has taken me so long to post. i am just coming out of the after anesthesia lull...i did not poop for 4 days...it was not good!! surgery went fine. i spent the night in the hospital, morphine was wonderful (i know that sounds sick, but i had the most amazing restful sleep on that stuff...thank god i am too afraid of being a drug addict to ever get addicted to something like that)! i am currently weaning myself off of the oxycodene (percocet) the doc gave me for pain (and the reason i am so constipated). i take extra strength tylenol during the day, and a percocet at night so i can sleep. right now i feel kinda weird. i am used to my girls being BIG....they are shrished inside of a medical bra right now, and they look okay, much perkier...but still odd to me. i think as i continue to lose weight, and my belly gets smaller, i will like the size better (if my tummy was flat i would love the size now....they seem kinda small since i am used to DDD and my belly sticks out a bit ) i will be out of work for another week, so will see you all on LBT for the next several days. Yes, girls...i will take a pic...but not now....they are still looking kinda icky from surgery. this has motivated me to continue this weight loss and jorney to health i am on. there is no reason i should not be able to lose another 10 or so lbs in the next month....i am going for a walk as soon as the percocet wears off!! thanks for caring and asking about me. it means alot!! i will keep you all posted! you are such an inspiration to me. m

after i read about penni's erosion story, i got upset. the next day i had an appointment with my doc. i told him about all the erosion stories and asked him what he thought. he said that it is VERY important when placing the band that there is layers of fat between the band and the stomach to keep the stomach from eroding. he said that many doctors, and especially the out of country doctors, do not follow this procedure and therefore have many bands that erode (he has never had a band erode). have any of you ever heard of this? do you know if your doctors follow this procedure?

sallyjo--congrats on your banding date...how exciting!! i got my breast reduction on monday....i got out of the hospital yesterday, and am in quite a lot of pain today. doc said in a week or so i should be back to normal...i sure hope so!!! i have not been on the scale yet, but plan on starting next week. i need another fill, but did not want to get it so close to my surgery. i plan on seeing my fill doctor next week. i will take let you know how it goes.

my gift has arrived to mechanicsburg, PA...and just in time...i just got out of the hosptial (breast reduction) and was feeling yucky when it got here....it is a set of 3 soy candles in a beautiful basket...i have it on my dining room table. i will send a pic for everyone as soon as i am off the pain meds!!! secret bunny...thank you thank you thank you. i do not have your screen name, so please PM me okay? thanks again!

great news alex...so glad to hear you are on the mend!!

okay all.... i feel like i am at a standstill. as some of you know, i was in Louisianna the last 30 days to assist with the katrina relief effort. i did really well there...ate well and got lots of exercise. i have been home less than a week and i feel kind of out of control...i am hungry...i am trying to think of ways to eat around my band (tons of tomato soup, ice cream)...what is my problem???? (i also have a cold so i feel lousy and just want to get home from work, crawl in the sack and drink soup all night (that is alot of calories to eat soup all night!!)) i am committing to getting on this thread as often as i can to check in so that all of you can slap me if i am not keeping it real!!!! to top it all off, i am scheduled for breast reduction surgery on monday...and i am getting really nervous. i actually broke out in a rash today...i think it is stress related!! any thoughts, guidance or kicks in the butt would be appreciated : ) by the way, you guys are doing great....it is inspirational!! thanks-m

welcome bikerbioch (love that!!) please keep us posted. you will love your band.....i feel like a new person! best of luck! maggie

congratuations!!! great job!!

stewarts- i am so happy you liked your gift...it does match the colors in your home....i knew it was fate when i held it in my hand!!!! happy easter!!!