PhotoNut

Welcome to LBT, Jojo. You are among friends here. Friends who have dealt with, or are just in the middle of dealing with, the same mixture of emotions that you are having. The fear of the unknown is very powerful. But the good news is, you've found a place where many have gone before you and many are there with you now. Ask lots of questions and keep sharing your feelings. You will learn so much before you're even banded - and THAT will help lessen those fears. Congratulations on making the choice to take back control of your life! Keep us posted on the progress of your journey! :clap2:

I stand by what I said. Which, if you read it carefully, does not say that the honeymoon phase doesn't exist. It says that when the initial excitement is over (and for some it may never be - my excitement just keeps growing with each 10 pounds lost) that doesn't mean your success will stop. Telling someone that they are only doing well and seeing success because they are in a honeymoon phase IS an attempt to discourage people. There's just no way around it.

I should clarify that I do NOT mean to imply that everyone who has used the phrase "honeymoon phase" has meant it in a negative way. Nor do feel that ALL older bandsters are annoyed with newer bandsters. It is clear when the expression is used in the negative context and that's all I'm addressing here. This also isn't about never giving in to desires to have treats. This is about the jealousy or annoyance - whatever you want to call it - at those who don't give in to those desires. When I was banded about a month, someone on here posted this to me: "..and your only a month out.....lets see when you feel like some pizza or mcdonalds i say give u a few weeks" and "and like i have already said PHOTONUT you are only a month out i never ate pizza on a month afetr surgery. I wasnt hungry but it will happen at some stage." I realize that we are a large sea of different fish here on LBT, and that we are all at different stages of the journey, experiencing different victories and struggles and the emotions that come with them. For some reason we all tend to get sensItive about certain posts which seem to be screaming our names when we read them - putting the spotlight on our self-perceived failings. I think it's just very important to remember that just because someone is doing well and trying to encourage others to do equally as well, it does NOT mean they are being judgmental or self righteous. It just means they want everyone to have the enjoyment of success over this beast that has enslaved us all for such a long time. There is no need to steal their enthusiasm away. Make use of it! Let the fire spread onto you, like Kathy said - let it be a motivation not a discouragement. And I have good news - I hit the -70 pound mark today. That is incredible! Not because I'm special or claiming to be better than anyone else. Nor do I announce it to show up those who haven't lost as much. I announce it to say - IT CAN BE DONE, AND YOU CAN DO IT! Oh... and by the way... I still have not had McDonald's or Pizza. :Banane20:

Hey Carla - It's a blast losing all this weight isn't it? *grins* I'm glad I was able to help ya out, and thanks for the compliments. *big hugs*

Tamt - I would have guessed gas. When they bloat you for surgery, it stretches the diahpram and causes it to be achy for a while. Those pains "radiate" up into the chest and shoulders, sometimes the neck. My was like a band around my lower rib cage. It hurt like crazy to breathe in very deep. Many suggest a heating pad on the area. I know that the more I was able to move around, the quicker the pain subsided. I hope it goes away quickly for you. *hugs* Carla - I think it's both amazing and wonderful that you've lost so much weight in such a short amount of time. Your advice to everyone is spot on. And please, don't let people dampen your spirits or take away any praise you deserve by claiming that this is just a "honeymoon phase" that you will eventually get over. Keep up the good work, stay committed and focused, and enjoy your success. Thanks for sharing that bit of encouragement for others. It's appreciated. *hugs*

Updates have been done for this week. Please check your stats and let me know if I need to make any corrections. We only had 19 people check in this week, so the total loss was low. Still, that's a 2.8 lb average loss in the group. Right on target! Great job everyone. Keep up the losing spirit!

I had reflux so bad I was waking up in the night, drowning in the stuff. It would go up in my sinuses and burn! It was horrible waking up unable to breathe and in so much pain. I was on Protonix too, which had stopped the reflux. The last Protonix I took was the day before my band surgery. I haven't even had a hint of heartburn since that time. It's been wonderful. As to whether or not you'll succeed with the band, well... that will be up to you for the most part. But I can tell you that I never succeeded for any real length of time either, prior to the band. Now I reach those points of getting bored, frustrated, upset, etc but there is nothing I can do about it. The band keeps me from stuffing myself like I once did. You should know that it's very easy to get sweets past the band. Icecream, chocolate... anything that melts or crumbles will most likely slip right through. The band restricts quantity and some foods like breads and pastas. Those were my downfall foods, so the band has worked out great for me. I don't typically care for icecream and chocolate, but there are many here that do and have made the decision to walk away from those foods once and for all. It's amazing what a little restriction and a $20,000 piece of plastic in your tummy will give you the strength to walk away from. Best of luck to you in your decision.

If I can achieve that, the hell yes in that pose! Um, don't tell Dawg. Oh, by the way. The biotch has blue eyes but I made them brown. It's just not fair to have it ALL! You know? LOL!

Ok, forget the blazer. I just raised the bar. Here's my goal, hair, body, clothes. Yup, this is going to take some work, a boobie lift and a tummy tuck, but I'm ready to give it a go! One year from now, I will post a picture of me and we'll see how close I've come. *grins*

My dream outfit is very close to what Heather described. Only, I want to wear a black or navy blue blazer with it. I'll see if I can find a picture that comes close to what I have in mind.

I'm just checking in to say that this thread is full of big losers! And I'm so happy for each of you! My goal is to join y'all by the end of September. That would put me over 100 pounds lost in 9 months. I can live with that!

Too funny, Mo. I had the same thought! *laughs*

I'm tempted to change my LBT name to P'Nut. Should I?

Just so nobody misses it on the Boise May Events thread... The Idahobansters Soup Night is going to be on Tuesday, May 23rd, at 6:30 p.m. at Johnny Carino's at Fairview and Eagle in Boise/Meridian. Take the Eagle Road exit off of the Interstate and turn right onto Eagle Road. At Fairview Avenue, turn right, and then turn right into the parking lot when you see Johnny Carino's (before the next light). I hope you can all make it!

I have updated the info above regarding the Idahobandsters' Soup Night. I hope you can all come!

*laughs* Go, Heather, go. I mean.. Satin! *laughs*

It's weigh-in day and most of you are using the correct reporting format. Here is it again for those of you who haven't seen it yet: C 238.5 (-68.5 total, -3 this week) That's mine for the week. So far so good for those who have reported. No loss/no gain is good, right? You ladies who aren't losing are surely seeing tremendous changes in the way your clothes are fitting. You are eating right and working out a lot. Soon you step on those scales and see a huge drop! Me? I'm being lazy and I'm flabby. I think I'd rather be like you!

One fill, didnt feel a thing. Here's a websit of one of our LBT members that has a link to a video of him getting a fill. http://www.vtmag.com/lapband.aspx

*salutes Funny* Yes ma'am! (thanks for that push, I needed it!)

Wow, everyone is doing so well! I wish I could get the motivation to exercise. I go a couple of times, then slack off for a week. I think I'm just lazy by nature. Work my brain all day long, but leave my poor body alone! I saw my surgeon this morning. After reviewing my food logs (calories, Protein intake, portion sizes) and weight loss for the past two months, he said I don't need a fill. I was happy to hear that! Since my TOM has passed, my hunger has returned to normal and my ability to eat larger portions has decreases. Odd huh? Anyway, I'm averaging a loss of a little over 12 pounds per month, which is above his expectation of 8 to 10 lbs per month. So... as the saying goes, 'If it aint broke, don't fix it!' Funny - Im proud of you, sis. Hang in there and you will see good results. There's no way you won't! I know I haven't been posting much lately. I've just not been in a talkative mood. Well, that and I've been watching my 2 yr old grandson everyday, all day. He's a sweetheart, no trouble at all but man does he wear me out! Keep up the good work everyone, and remember - Tomorrow is weigh in day!

Hi Vickie! I'm very very glad to hear that you went in and saw the Dr about this, and I'm even more glad to hear that you're feeling better. I told ya you'd be ok. *winks* *big hugs*

*grins* That's almost 70 pounds (68 as of today) in 5 months - thank you very much! *snickers* Thanks, Diane. I know you care and I'm just being a whiner. I can do it with will power, but that's stressful and making me grumpy. I paid a lot of money for this band so I'm going to stop obsessing and get my stupid fill. *huggles Diane* Thanks

I swear, I believe that there must be a sign on the forehead of lonely women that can only be read by men. It says, "I'm desperate for someone to love me, so I'll take any crap you throw at me as long as you make me believe you love me." That is an open door for every abusing, using, jerk in the world to walk through... and trust me, they will. I married twice before I found that the third time really was a charm. Every man I dated or married all had the same "wrong qualities". So, I finally got smart and decided it was time to do the opposite of what I would normally do. And the first thing on the list was to STOP looking for that Mr. Right. I was always attracted to the same type of man, so what was the point in looking? The second was to STOP expecting to find a man who possessed all of the right qualities, when I myself possessed none of them. I once read that we should make a list of all of the things that we would insist upon in a perfect mate. Every quality, every personality trait, etc. Then, we should go back over that list and check off the ones that we can honestly say we possess. It's not surprising to find that we possess very few of them. So, why do we think we are going to attract someone who does? I have found that the important thing in finding real love is not the timing, the outfit, the perfect responses, the perfect hair or body. The most important thing is being ready for it when it comes along. Number one, so we can recognize it... and number two, so we can handle it. I would suggest focusing on becoming the best you that you can be - inside and out. You might be surprised at how much higher your standards become once you feel good about you.

What a lovely bunch of ladies. Your mom must be very proud. I feel sorry for your brother though. He gets left out every Mother's Day! *grins* Grats on your NSV. I knew you used to be the largest of the sisters and you once said you were afraid that they would all treat you differently once you were no longer the biggest. So... now that you're one of the little sisters, how is it?

Hello my friends. I'm going in to see my Dr on Tuesday, and I'm struggling so much with the idea of getting more fill. I'm getting hungry about every 2-3 hours now and I know I can eat a lot more than I should - I'm just controling myself with will power. I have gone from eating between 800 and 1,000 calories per day up to 1,100 to 1,300. Now I know that for this tool to work properly it has to be used properly which means the right amount of restriction. But I'm so stinking scared of going through what you're going through, Diane. Being too tight causes problems, and I swear - things are going so well I'll just lose my mind if I do something stupid and cost myself this band. Someone tell me to stop obssessing over this and get that stupid fill. *sighs*