westcoastmom

Hello all. It has been nice reading all your recent stories as we approach our anniversary. Too many successes to count! This is our busy month as an Irish Dance family. We will do some Reels and Jigs for you all... Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Happy Holidays to all! We are getting so much winter weather in the Seattle area. It is unusual to get so much snow and then to have it stay around for so long. We are all stir crazy. My husbands office is even shut down. I did manage to get out a bit yesterday so we can at least serve dinner to our guests on Christmas. Although the kids kept making sure I was driving carefully enough the whole time. I grew up on the East Coast where you got 20 inches of snow overnight and still went to work the next day. But it is very different here with less infrastructure to take care of things and icy conditions. And very easy to want to fill all this time at home with eating! But it will be fun to have a white Christmas - and maybe I will even be in a picture or 2 this year...

Christine - I am sorry you are having a difficult time. I can't offer you any advice or explanations, but I do send you good thoughts. I guess fear of this is one of the reasons I have kept Fluid out of my band - you are braver than me to give it your all and have really worked hard. The only small thing I might offer is a bit of my experience. Although I don't have the restriction and sense of fullness that many of you have, I have tried to change many of my habits. I have found that as I have lost weight, my body's responses have changed as well. So even though I might not be eating the very small amounts or very small calories, I am still either losing slowly or at least maintaining weight loss. I have found that if I limit too much, it does not make me lose any more weight. With a bit more food, I have more energy and actually lose more. I wonder if your body and band might need to function with just a bit less fluid in than most? I remember reading some success stories from people who did not have much fluid in at all. Maybe at the very least, have a bit less in would give you and your body a bit of a respite to feel better. I wonder if being able to get a bit more food would give you more energy and even enable you to be able to lose weigh more easily? I wish you well - I know this must be hard. WCM

I think we might want to give Fenton a bit of a pass on the weigh in - if I read his post correctly it sounds like it might be a bit of a logistical issue. Although, I will seach the web every once in a while for a story about a naked gentleman in Paris just looking for a neighbor's scale...

I am not sure I can join in, but I thought I would add myself too... NAME *******START WEIGHT *******CURRENT WEIGHT *******GOAL *******LBS. Lost aJoneen............XXX............XXX............XXX............0 Fenton.............XXX............XXX............XXX............0 HarleyGirl.........XXX............XXX............XXX............0 Hopeinapril .......XXX............XXX............XXX............0 Hungry4help........XXX............XXX............XXX............0 Lynn1215...........174.5..........174.5..........XXX............0 NurseNiki..........XXX............XXX............XXX............0 Nycm00.............220............219............XXX...........-1 SpecialK...........274............274............165............0 Sugarbean..........200............200............XXX............0 Tess41.............XXX............XXX............XXX............0 WestCoastMom.......155............153.5..........140..........1.5

I have started the cooking already - and the ignoring of my children. Luckily they play well together. I have the cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing, salad dressing, chocolate pecan pie, apple pie, and kid's chocolate mouse pie ready. Just the turkey, carrot Soup, potatoes, and salad to put together tomorrow. (Maybe some cleaning too...) But the most fun is decorating gingerbread houses after dinner - and trying to keep our dog away from the houses until Xmas. You know the funny thing is that I don't really feel like I identify closely with the people at our support group or sometimes even feel like a "bandster" - but I still enjoy reading here and keeping up with everyone's stories. Happy Turkey day to all.

I am sorry things are so stressful for so many. I am thankful that my stress is only from being busy with so much kid stuff. But aside from the mounting piles of laundry, I enjoy it all. I don't think I will write about my daily food intake or choices. It might not go over very well. I will just say that it is more than most and I still enjoy eating things that I want. But I have found a balance of being able to do that without over indulging as I had done in the past. And I am still the same 10-15 pounds from goal, so it is still going OK. I am still fighting with low Iron and some other little things. I think I thought so many things would just get better right away with weight loss. But it is so much easier to find clothes!

My food groups of late are the chocolate, nougat, crackers and cheese. Obviously I am not losing weight, but I am still right where I was and am good with that. I know I have not used the band well - I can actually feel myself get full in my "real" stomach. At some point, I will have a check up to see how everything looks. I know I eat way more than 1/4 to 1/2! It is amazing how different everyone's bodies are too. I know I am so short when I read the comments about what size everyone is wearing. Even with my weight down below 160, I am still in size 14s. Hopefully at some point soon, I will get motivated to lose about 15 more pounds. I would then be able to say I am "normal". I would certainly be happy with that by March.

Bras are expensive - I have to say that I usually spend between 48 and 60 for each. I hate doing it, but it is the only way I can get one that has support and comfort. I just end up being unhappy with anything I get that is cheaper. Sorry I can't help you with finding less expensive support! My favorite is Le Mystere.

It is nice to hear from so many of you. Rhonda & Tess - congrats on your new "lands"! It feels so good to hit those milestones. I love reading about what you are all going through, but I don't always contribute because I still struggle with the lap band decision. I don't want my worries clouding the other successes and positive outcomes. Even with those feelings, it is so nice to be looked at as "normal". Some newer friends have been surprised when they hear a comment from someone about how much weight I have lost. I hope to lose about 15 more pounds, but I am OK with it being slower now. My kids love having lots of lap to sit in and I notice how my 6 year old can now easily hug the whole way around. I know that I haven't used the lap band like I should. I can actually feel myself get full in my lower stomach - I don't think anything stays above the band. I guess in some way it gives me a bit of hope that if I do get the band removed that I might be able to keep the weight off myself. I will probably get the little Fluid out that I do have in soon - just because I find that I have always had to clear my throat since having surgery. I think that if I had lots of money around, I would probably have the band removed. That said, I also would never say it isn't a great tool for so many people. I know how much it helps and how it has changed so many for the better. Who knows - I may be the poster child for this some day...

Sharon - I can certainly understand the talks we give ourselves to get the kick in the but we need to make changes or get motivation! I have been thinking about things in terms of just setting the "reset" button every once in a while. Hopefully you can just do that instead of feeling disappointed in yourself. I know I used to make a choice that I considered bad and then then I would just let everything slide for the rest of the day too. I am now trying to look more at the big picture. And maybe to make you all feel better, I am sure I can still eat way more than most of you at one sitting! I can eat a whole tortilla rolled up with veggies and cheese. (And I don't feel bad about it.) I think eat person does need a certain amount of calories to feel like moving and to get their metabolism going. I have actually started losing more after eating more. Although things might be challenging this month! Today is my oldest daughter's bday (just turning 11) and she wants brownies which are my favorite dessert. We are traveling almost every weekend for the girls dancing. And we are having a big halloween party for my daughter and friends toward the end of the month (and I love to have way too much food for parties). I am not even going to think about getting halloween candy for a while. It is tough when there is so much in the house.

SpecialK - what a wonderful way to mark your milestones! You have set the challenge to me to come up with something as meaningful. My daughter is asking friends to donate to a local wildlife rehab provider instead given her gifts for her bday - maybe I will add 60 pounds of somethinnd they need. At our last support group, they were talking about how you need to reward yourself with "things" and something about that just didn't feel right to me. I talk with my kids all the time about how important it is to feel self worth - I don't think you get that from an external reward. This just makes great sense. Thanks!

I have lost enough hair in the past 2 months to craft a border collie. It is a good think I started out with thick hair, but it is not so thick now. I am sure it was started by losing weight, but low Iron also helped it along. The nurse who runs our support groups and does fills always gives this advice about hairloss. You can take supplements, Biotin, and add more Protein and your hair will grow back in a few months. Or you can just keep doing what you are doing and your hair will group back in a few months. She just says it is a normal part of the process and that there really isn't anything that will change it or speed up regrowth. And Mom007 - wouldn't your husband rather have a wife who is happy because she loves how she looks? I would imagine that if you feel good, you might be more willing to (pardon my outburst) "feel good together". But, I have to say that I am much better now at doing what I want to do and not just what everyone else wants me to do. And about getting hit on - I would just think it would be flattering to get hit on regardless of "team"!

Hello Fenton (and everyone!) - I checked in quick before getting the kids to the bus stop. Well, I made it to my original doctor's goal this morning. It does feel good to get there! I think I will adjust the goal about 20 pounds more so that I can actually be just in the normal range. I think it will probably take me until my year anniversary to get there, but I am OK with that. I am actually pretty comfortable where I am now. As for Halloween - I love it! I know the candy will be a challenge, but I am having difficulities holding myself back from decorating. We do actually have a 3 foot spider named Ralph hanging out on the stairs as a head start. I have had a bit different philosphy on treats and food I think since I have started this journey than some. I have acutally allowed treats every day if I want them (small of course) and do eat the foods I really still like. That has helped me feel like I am not restricting myself and I to also feel like I am not on a diet. I know that at the end of the day, I can have something sweet I want and it helps me not eat stuff throughout the day. Although I am very hungry right now...

It was nice to ready everyone's posts after coming back home from a weekend trip to Boise with my oldest daughter. I think I was probably the only person on the place estimating how much seatbelt strap was hanging out after I tightened the buckle. I am short, so I always had leg room, but it was fun to have over 18 inches of belt room left. I also knew I looked almost normal - the same amount of seat left over on either side of me. (I still have to qualify with the "almost".) I didn't have to squish onto my daughter's side to make sure I wasn't taking up any of a stranger's seat. Now if only my poor daughter, who danced beautifully, would have had the results to show for it. But she did seem to perk up a bit after some dessert at Maggie Moo's. It sounds like I am creating an issue for her here!

I don't want to make it sound like we don't have "junk food" in the house. We just try to make it! We just made fudge - I know I have had more than my kids. But it does help me talk with them about whole foods and to look at labels. I think my older child is starting to think about serving sizes and understands why we try not to get foods with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils. And I know it is a only a matter of time before she stages some sort of sit in to demand American Idol viewing...

Well, today was monthly support group/weigh in. I am now 2.5 pounds away from the doctor's original goal. Although I really should get down about 20 more from that - so it feels good, but slowly onward and downward... I will "weigh" in on the child discussion. I was overweight as a child as well as an adult. I know that even as a child, whenever I had success losing weight, it came from me wanting to make a change. When my Mom would comment, it would actually make me feel bad which would in turn make me seek comfort (food). It was only when I was feeling good about things that I made healthier choices. I do think there is a lot of genetics at work as well. I was always active and participating in sports. Even when I was eating healthy and making the right choices, I was never going to be a size 6. Even though my Mom was active and spoke a lot about my weight, she did not always have the right choices in the house. She also didn't take the time to cook and lead by example in her own eating. What I took away from my own childhood was that talk is cheap and that I need to just live in a way that I want me children live. I know that they saw me at an unhealthy weight for a while, but they we really only have whole & healthy foods in the house (with occasional treats). We cook together as a family and spend time talking about what foods provide what type of nutrition. We also talk about how most things are OK in moderation. I am also very careful to not allow talk of dieting or feeling bad about how your look in front of the kids. If another parent starts talking about this, I will find a way to change the subject and talk with them later about why I don't allow this. I want to make sure that the girls understand that we are all more than what we look like - that you can like yourself and be happy independently of your weight. All talk is really just in reference to being healthy. Now, the other side is that we don't allow TV, videos or computer during the week. And on the weekends, it is only for under 2 hours a day. It forces us all to play and get out to do things all the time. (My girls are still young - 6 & 11 - so I know I still have lots of learning to do as they move into teenagers!) My 11 year old is actually a bit underweight. She is only about 65 pounds and almost 5 feet tall - something I certainly never had to deal with! But she has opposite food issues. She really doesn't like most foods. But I deal with it the same way as with everything - it is my job to have and prepare healthy foods. It is their job to eat it. She wants to...

I was about 225 when I started & I am only 5'3" - that put me at just below the 40 bmi mark. I don't know if that is close to you? I didn't do any real diet prior to surgery, the doctor didn't think it was necessary. I had surgery on 3/17 and am about 163 or 164 right now. I lost weight pretty fast at first - I think mostly because I was afraid to eat much. Now I lose about 3 to 4 pounds a month, which I know is probably not enough for some, but is fine with me. I have only had one fill and probably won't get more for now, so I do struggle at times with real hunger. But I have just tried to manage things by eating much smaller portions. I still do eat the types of foods I really like - I just don't eat as much. When I was losing more quickly, I was probably eating between 1000 and 1200 calories. I am eating a bit more than that now. I have found that I feel better when I eat enough and really need enough calories to want to be active. I also don't lose more weight be restricting my food choices or restricting my calories too much. My body really does seem to fight back when I do that. Now that I have rambled too much before knowing if I could help...

Lynnt - I am sorry for the stress. Is this new for your daughter? I have had migraines as long as I can remember - even through childhood. Has she been able to figure out what is bringing any of them on? I did figure out that I had several different triggers. I have ones triggered by hormones, the sun, getting too hungry, and lack of sleep. I was able to reduce the frequency of the hormonal migraines by taking a birth control pill that kept my progesterone level. Right now I take Yasmin because it does not let your hormone levels fluctuate normally. I also take the pill continuously - the withdrawal would bring on migranes. I also have sleep issues and once I started getting that in better control - I stopped waking with migraines. I have to take medication to help get to sleep and stay asleep - I am a bit too type A and have restless legs. I have also started taking topamax - which is for migraine prevention. It seems to have really helped. I hope she can figure out what is going on. It is really a hard thing to deal with.

Hello everyone. It has been busy but fun here getting the kids in school. It is strange now that my little one is in school the whole day. For those of you feeling cold and losing hair - it is probably just all the weight coming off. But I did want to mention that it could be a sign of low Iron as well. My iron is extremely low right now and I am cold all the time - my hair seems to be found more around the house then on my head... I will be taking my oldest to Boise for an Irish dance competition this coming weekend. It will be nice to fly without worrying if the people walking down the aisle are hoping they don't have to sit by me. I still feel such a mixed bag with this decision, but regardless, it is nice to feel more comfortable doing active things. I was just at the playground with my 11 year old, her friend, and my 6 year old. I was swinging and got up a few times to chase and run with them. I know I surprised them, but I could tell it really made my 11 year old happy. Wishin4 - I know only you can know if you are at the right fill level. But I just wanted to say that our fill nurse always says that reflux is a sign that you are too tight. She actually likes to keep herself on the tight side, but will always say that reflux isn't something people with the band should live with. I hope it works through for you. Amanda - congrats on moving past the halfway point! We will be on our boat tomorrow... SpecialK - congrats on the test! I used to have to take lots of them for my job. I know it is stressful and I used to live on chips and chocolate to help. Sharon - happy new grandbaby! Hopeinapril - congrats on your great milestone too! WCM

6 month Bandiversary 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.................3/3/08...........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. lglenn3000...................3/17/08.........9/5/08.............28 lbs instructions- copy most recent list and add your stats. It would be great if you could post on your six month bandiversary.

mscathyl - I am sorry for your difficult times. Amanda has great advice about trying to keep yourself "out" of these struggles. I often try to think about just being as respectful as I can. You can really catch some people off guard if you don't engage them when they want to struggle. A lot of people who are always looking for arguments or to blame really only know how to work in that type of environment. If you don't "play", they really can't either. Sometimes if I feel like I need to address it, I might say "I am sorry if I have done something to make you feel angry or uncomfortable". Your BIL might just have a hard time feeling like he wants to keep everyone happy. It is a hard thing to have to choose among people you care about. He will probably appreciate you even more, the more understanding you are. Sometimes I just think about "what am I going to do" about a problem and not "what am I going to get someone else to do". I hope things get better!

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 instructions- copy most recent list and add your stats. It would be great if you could post on your six month bandiversary.

It's better to laugh or to giggle, than to eat more and jiggle. I guess I could keep repeating that, but I too seem to be reaching for things I should not be. It seems like more now than before I want all the things that are in our pantry. (Darn kids and their food needs.) I actually think since I haven't really gained anything, I probably keep taking just "a bit more". I am only about 5 pounds from the goal the doctor originally sent. It has been slow going for the past 2 months, but at least moving in the right direction. I have always eaten things I probably should not have, but have tried to just keep servings small only eat things I really like and want. I think I am realizing that I don't really like meals very much. I would much rather eat 2 slices of cheese and a few crackers. (That might be why my Iron is so low.) On the good side, I am making myself wait until I do get to the first goal of 160 to get a few new pants. I hope my ego can survive the comments from my once lovely 11 year old about needing to wear padded underware so my pants don't sag so much. Hopefully I can fit into pants in the petite (or height- & tush-challeneged) sections now...

I am glad to read everyone's thoughts. It seems the struggles and successes are so individual and yet have common threads. Reading here has made me realize that I was actually more comfortable with myself than I thought and have luckily been able to stay that way through this journey. I worried about emotional issues that might arise and so far they all seem to be related to the band itself. I guess I somehow plowed through the other emotional baggage through my many long years! (Not that I don't carry some other "fun" stuff around.) My biggest concerns have always been problems with the band and how to handle any unpleasant issues even though I haven't really had any. We are off for a few days with the kids before school starts. Have a great holiday everyone! If only the weather out here was still summer-like...