Ezma

Then I'll just say a very quiet and secretive congratulations. Inside I'm doing a major happy dance for you though.

Well tomorrow is 6 months for me and I had the hubby take some pictures today. Sorry I didn't get a side view pre-op. I can't really tell much difference between my 4 month and my 6 month pictures but I really can between this one on the day before my surgery and now. And as always, I have the lovely "too much sun" squint. Wish this was over but I'm sure it's gonna be at least another year for me. But I'm in it for as long as I have to be. It's become a way of life for me and I don't intend to slip back into bad habits. Good thing I have a friendly reminder surgically implanted in my gut. :thumbup:

Woo Hoo!!!! You look great!!! 16s? That's so sweet.

Crystal, you look fantastic too. Really, really can see the difference. Can't wait to see even more of you guys.

Shiny, you look fabulous!! Can't believe you have any left to lose. You're looking great!

There are several of us that are having a plateau issue and I almost think it's a natural stage of weight loss since there are so many of us. At least that's the way I'm trying to stay sane. I want to slug my scale every time I see that same blasted number on it. I eat 800-1200 calories a day and I vary it so I don't have the starvation thing. I exercise about 20-30 minutes a day and I've moved that up in the last month. I think I've tried every method know to man but fasting to break the plateau. Wish I could be of more help but if I knew the answer I wouldn't be right there frowning with you. :Banane37: Let me know if you find anything that helps. I'm gonna try another fill next week and see if that helps me.

Alyssa - I'm so sorry to hear about all your frustration. And Crystal is so right about not comparing yourself with others. I've lost 93-94 pounds total but I had so much more to lose than you. In fact we're now close to the same amount left to go and my loss has slowed to a crawl. I was gonna give you all the old pep talk but you know it already. Instead I'll just say "Hang in there" and keep talking here. We're all here for you and we all understand the frustration in a way that most unbanded others don't. So if you want to rant, feel free but don't give up. You have done fantastic! And even if you stay losing at the same rate it will be gone in a year and a half. Is that really so bad? You're going down and not up. Before you know it, it will all be gone. It's kind of funny how frustrated I am now. I've only lost 4 pounds this month and feel like pigging out (and have in fact) cause I think that's so little. Hell, a year ago if someone had told me I could lose a pound a week I would have danced with joy. Guess I need to give myself a good kick in the butt. LOL

By the way Lil, congrats on reaching your 6 month goal. 100 pounds!!!! That's so fantastic. Are you going to do anything special for that accomplishment? I was right there with ya but my plateau stalled me out a bit. Looks like it's finally moving again. Yay! I'm still hoping to reach my goal and have until the 18th to do it. Gonna be tight but I have my fingers crossed.

That's such a great one! Congrats! It's always good to run into someone you haven't seen in a while. And you got several in one shot. Must be on cloud nine about that one.

Welcome back!!! Sounds like life has been very chaotic for you. Glad to hear the band part is going pretty well though. You've been missed. Sadly several regulars have been missing. But I guess it's good for them cause they're having a life. I have a life but I really need this group right now to stay on track. Hopefully things will pick up some now that you're back. :biggrin2:

Just wondering how many of us are having plateau issues right now. It seems almost like it's a natural thing at this time since so many of us seem to be having one. If so, how long has it been going on, what have you tried to break it and did you do anything different when it started? And if not, any idea what you're doing that keeps it away? I hit one about 3 weeks ago. I've been bouncing up and down two pounds and can not get it to move. I think two things made it happen but I'm not sure - started some weight training at the gym and I think I may be getting a few more calories than I think I am. I've tried zigzaging my caloric intake, I've tried changing up my exercise and food types. Heck, I even tried not exercising for a few days when I had a cold. Thought it might be Water so I tried drinking more. Trying not to get really frustrated and pretty bummed 'cause I probably won't make my 100 pound at six months goal. Right now I think there are only three things that might break it - time, a fill but I can't get one until the 19th and I'm going to try being fanatical about measuring my food and calories next.

Is there anything new that you've started doing since you've been losing weight? Any new hobbies? You could reward yourself with something for that if you have. Since I've been losing weight I've become much more into cooking than I have been for years. Weird, I know! Lose weight, diet and then become obsessed with cooking. But it's finding new, healthier ways to cook for me and my family. So I plan to reward myself with new kitchen stuff. My big goal is a new set of professional pots and pans. That will have to be for goal though since they are a bit pricey. In between there's new utensils and gadgets to keep me happy. I need to pick something for my 100 pound mark. That just might encourage me to work through this plateau. Right now I'm having a pity party. Luckily it's almost over.

Yay for the return of the hair. Happy for you! And hope I follow soon but I may not since I had that additional surgery to fix my port. I think I need to just take a day or so off. Definately need to not see that same number on my scale for a day or so.

We kind of hit on this a bit on another thread but I thought it would be good to have one just for our 6-month goals. So if you have a specific goal or just a general one, let us all know. I'll post mine again - I want to lose 100 pounds total by 8-18-08. There's also a pair of pants that I'd like to fit into. It's close so hopefully they will go on. :wub:

So jealous, yet so very, very happy for you! I bet you're just bursting with happiness. I know I will be. And I bet that skirt looks absolutely wonderful on you. :wink2: Not sure if I'll make mine or not. As of this morning I have 7 pounds to go in 16 days and I've been bouncing up and down 2 pounds for 2 weeks now. If my plateau ends soon I should make it. In the past I've sat at a spot for a few weeks and then dropped rapidly. Cross all your fingers for me.

Really not sure if I'm going to make my goal or not. I'm also fighting a plateau. I've also had a lovely cold and felt like crap for the past week. Antibiotics seem to be working on it though and I was able to exercise the last couple days again. I wonder if it's common to hit plateaus every 3 months. It seems like many of us had them at about 3 months and again here at nearing 6 months. Trying hard to eat right and get some more exercise in and believe it will go away soon. Even thinking about going on the 2 week liquid pre-op diet again. Don't think I can force myself on that ever again though. LOL

Both my Iron and B12 were in the bottom third of the normal range. B12 was 370 and Ferritin was 78. Pretty sure the ferritin is the iron. I also take daily supplements but it's still on the low side. Think it's the nature of the band.

I tell everyone also. But you can always say it's eating smaller portions of healthier foods. I mean all the band does is force portion control.

I saw this site when I was researching it too. While I do understand a big part of what he's saying, basicially that loose skin is just fat left to lose, I just can't believe it. I'd sure like to see some before and after pictures of people who have lost large amounts of weight and have no loose skin without surgery. I searched all over his site for some proof and can't find any. I guess I just can't wrap my head about it being possible to lose 100, 200, 300 pounds and not have loose skin.

Congrats Melanie!! That's such a big mile stone. I know I'm looking forward to mine but it's still a couple months off. Really is weird how different our bodies are underneath all of our padding. Hoping all of our loose skin tightens up.

Amy that is fantastic news! Congrats!!! I'm so excited to hear how much your life has turned around and that you're planning to really shake it up with a child. Best of luck to you from the bottom of my heart. And as a side, I had my blood work done this last week too. Every thing looked real good but my cholesterol was a bit high in LdL and a bit low in HDL, overall was 181 though so it's okay. But the weird part is that my cholesterol was always good before. Now that I'm exercising, eating healthy and losing weight it went up. Go figure. I wonder if most doctor's do blood tests at about 6 months.

Oh Ready you look wonderful!!!! Please tell me you can see the difference. I can totally tell. You have some fine curves going there. And never, never, never say "only" 40 pounds again. 40 pounds off is fantastic!!!!!!!

Dang, seems like we're running on the same track Jaime. I hit a plateau last week too. I've lost 2 pounds in the last couple weeks. It's also been stormy and humid here, maybe it's water for me? I have about 800-1100 calories usually unless I kick it up for a day to try and keep a plateau away. I don't get as much protein, about 45-70 and usually the low end of that. I exercise almost every day and use a calorie counter online, The Daily Plate. I'm about the same on carbs and but I try to keep my fat under 30g. Close enough.

Yeah, I'm thinking your goal is a bit low too. You'd have to get down to -3 Zeros - LOL Bet you're very right about the muscle mass. You should try one of the other methods of getting BMI, like the pinchers or the thing you squeeze.

Didn't realize it until I went looking for you and saw it on your User CP. Hope you had a wonderful day and hope to hear from you soon.