JulieNYC

Well the only thing that got exercise today was my credit card. I spent about $500 in unplanned clothes purchases! I got 3 awesome new dresses for work/summer and a couple of tops. I was too nervous to try on pants -- maybe next time. Did yall get your exercise in today? Wink, Julie

I'm so happy for you and proud of you Molly. You have done so wonderfully and I'm so glad to know you and be a part of this journey with you. Congratulations on your bandiversary.

OK, I'm not going to win any photographic awards for these, but here goes -- a clothed shot and a more up close shot. ***Here's the further scoop. I'm just not comfortable with nudes of me on the internet. But, I did take them, both before and after. If you're part of the lapband world and you promise to keep them confidential and "for your eyes only," email me through LBT and I'll send them to you directly. Sound fair? The best part is that top is a size 8 and that's with NO BRA and no lycra -- just a top and sweatpants! See my port scar BELOW my belly button! Also, the marks above my belly button and below my bra aren't suture lines -- it's where the girdle they had me in was chaffing. It should fade in a few days now that I've moved to a different style garment. It didn't hurt at all -- I just mark easily. Dad says the swelling on my tummy will go down quite a bit more. I'm happy with it as is, but yahoo!

OK, I got really scared there for a second until you reassured me that I'm the first child (wink). I'm an only child in real life, so this feeling must be the sibling rivalry I've always read about! Seriously though, that's awesome that you met up with Jenny. Hi Jenny! Congratulations on getting banded this month! OK Betty, YOU ROCK for losing 64 lbs in a year and being the hippest, coolest April bandster out there! And I beg to differ -- you have met every goal along the way. You are losing weight and you are the quintessential success story, whether you lose any more weight (which I'm sure you will) or not. Think how great you feel and how amazing it is that you didn't gain weight during the most stressful time your family could imagine. It's really very amazing. GO BETTY. Dancing bananas for you. :D Molly, your bandiversary sounds just perfect. I want to rewind and go paint pottery for my bandiversary! And a healthy walk to boot. You're the best. Happy bandiversary.

Haha! You're going to do GREAT Maziemommy. I can't wait to watch your success in the coming year! Congratulations again on getting banded. When is your first fill?

I was really ready to lose the weight and wanted to make as much progress as possible, as quickly as possible. Some people prefer to take things more slowly and I totally get and support that. For me, at 5'2 and 358 lbs, neither my body nor my spirit wanted to stay at that weight, so the first 75 lbs came off with almost no effort. The second 75 came off equally quickly due to moderate daily exercise (about 45 min of cardio most days) and tracking calories (not with the goal of staying below X calories, but just for accountability). The last 12 came off with my tummy tuck, then healing took about 10 more off with it! 72 lbs in a year is NOT unrealistic. You can do it.

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .........231.5.................228...........3.5 Lapbandit.......................231............... ........210………….199.............11 Waterlily........................300.............. . .........276.................264.............12 Roiansmom....................299.................. . .....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248............ ............232.................228.............4 JulieNYC.......................212................ .......185..................185.............0 Elisabethsew..................282................. . ......274..................264 ............10 PeaCeJ..........................338............... ........333..................318.............15 RidinMyHDDream.........297........................ 281 .................281..............0 Babygirl1234.................260.................. . .....244..................240..............4 Leecelove70..................228................. .......228.................200.............28 Josette...........................351............. ...........342.................335...............7 Lizrbit............................289............ . ...........290.................279..............11 losingjusme....................315............. ...........312.................302.5.......... 9.5

Fabulous, Boo! Thanks for running for me. I can't run for at least another month. Grrr. I can't even walk leisurely for 2 more weeks, except as necessary (meaning I can run an errand, but I need to sit tight for any voluntary action). OK, we're all going to run 5Ks in under 30 minutes. Fabulous. You, me, Dawn and Molly -- the roadrunner team -- that cayote will never catch us! Molly, happy bandiversary. It's a weird day, but do something special for yourself if you can, whether you choose to post about it or not. Maybe get your new gym membership? I know you're excited about that! Time for bed....

Well, the stitches come out tomorrow and I'll post some pictures when they do -- AFTER my --- wait for it ---- ahhhhh, SHOWER!! No shower for 2 weeks is NOT fun! Actually, it's not as bad as you'd think. I managed to wash my hair and shave my legs pretty normally, then sponge bathe the rest of me, so it hasn't been TOO TOO bad. That said, I can't wait for tomorrow! When Dad got home and looked at my stomach swelling he said it was completely normal and expected. He tightened the binder and everything went back to normal in about 6 hours. As I figured, I was worried about nothing. He said it was a little early to be worried about seromas anyway, that it's really between weeks 2-3 that he would worry about them for me. Anyway, so far so good. I'm feeling really good. I worked about 6 hours today (from home). My head is clear and I don't need to nap so much anymore. If I were in NYC, I could completely be back at the office by this point. I could have done this surgery with 2 weeks off instead of 3, for those of you in the planning stages. Lastly, today is my bandiversary. I'm going to do a separate post on the main thread, but I'm down 173 lbs in a year. It almost doesn't seem real. Take care,

Boo, congratulations on your new time. WOOHOO! Way to go! Run one for me! I'm itching to run, but I know I can't. I still have stitches, I keep telling myself! I feel good though. The swelling has mostly gone down and Dad doesn't think it's anything abnormal. He said I can go back to NY on Sunday if I want to. My ticket is for Tuesday. I might hang out till then, or I might go back. We'll see when the stitches come out TOMORROW. Sheila, congratulations on your conversion. I converted to Catholicism when I was 23. My Dad's family is Catholic and, in a way, my conversion was about becoming closer to them as much as it was finding a new spirituality. In any event, it can be a powerful thing and I'm glad you have something solid to lean on during your recovery. I'm so excited for your banding! Betty, France will always be there. I'm sorry you had to postone though. That's a bummer. Coming to NYC in June is fabulous though and I can't wait to meet you! Do you and Alan have a place to stay? You're welcome to stay with me if you don't. I'm so excited to meet you! We'll have to go for a walk together, or maybe to a NIA class. My gym has them and I have a guest pass -- I've just never been to that class.... Today is my bandiversary. I'm down 173 lbs -- how surreal is that? Strangely, I don't really feel like writing a whole post about it, but I'm going to. Posts like that were important to me a year ago, so I guess I'll do the emotional homework necessary to "pay it forward." As for a real present, I spent $500 on sterling silver (silly luxuries like a set of bullion spoons and a couple of mint julep cups) at my favorite store today. I don't usually go that crazy, but I felt like I deserved it today.

Well, today I'm a little more swollen than I'd like and I'm a bit worried about it. I don't know if it's just normal swelling or -- my big fear -- that I've got a seroma in the works. We'll see, I guess. I'm probably worried about nothing, but Dad'll be home in a few hours and I guess I'll get his opinion then.

Nope, no arm work yet. Arms and legs have to wait till I'm at goal. I did tummy and breasts only. On the tummy, he extended the incision around the hip, almost like a LBL (where it goes around nearly 360 degrees to address back and rear end issues). The point of that was that I had a big roll (an extension of the tummy roll) on the sides of my waist/top of my thigh. This was above where the "saddlebag" thigh area is -- more like a tummy roll on the side, i.e. up at the waist. The extended incision addressed that area more than the actual thighs. On the breast lift, I have an extended incision under the armpit (like by the top rib) that allowed him to take out the fat/skin roll to the side of my breast, under the arm. I think I'm happiest with that part! My arms lay flat against my side now. I haven't gotten a good look at the scar yet, but I'm sure it's worth it. Being "watched over" by my Dad is fine. He's actually out of town for the weekend, but in general, it's fine. They're a little over protective and I'd definitely be doing more if I were home, so it's probably best that I'm with them!

Molly, I don't know much about reading disorders, but to me it doesn't sounds like dislexia, which (I believe) is usually the reversal of two letters or a single letter (d for b, etc.). A whole word sounds like something else. Was he being silly? If not, can you speak with his teachers who may have more experience with this/knowledge of how often it happens? Good luck and keep us posted. Boo, woohoo! Congratulations on meeting your time goals. We're going to rename you Speedy.

4-3: JenRN - 263/257/223/150 - 40 total 4-3: jenn28 - 282/265/229/165 - 53 total 4-3: Picardy3 - 298/300/257.5/150 - 42.5 total 4-3: tipper - 300/290/259/165 - 41 total 4-4: Sugar1 - 311/289/231/150 - 80 total 4-4: DeltaDawn - 358/202/179 - 156 total 4-4: Dak – 255/251/205/150 – 50 total 4-4: Angels - 264/255/235/? - 29 total 4-4: Harpseal Al - 327/295/220 - 34 total 4-5: Boo - 208/203/165/132 - 43 total 4-5: siestaqh - 180+/177/117/110 - 63 total--NO MORE BAND :-( 4-6: Disneynut - 290/287/260/125 - 27 total 4-7: Guysis - 234/170/134 - 64 total 4-10: JulieNYC - 358/186/179 - 172 total 4-11: Vickie1177 - 320/297/267/137 - 53 total 4-11: tellymelly - 240/235/143.5/140 - 96.5total 4-11: Fel0816 - 307/284/265/to get under 200 - 42 total 4-11: dsrjrr - 231/230/210/130 - 21 total 4-11: truckinmama - 262/234/160 - 28 total 4-11: waterlily1072 - 354/281/150 - 73 total 4-13: Nursekathy2u - 358/356/335/175 - 23 total 4-13: NJgirl - 248/230/188/140 - 60 total 4-13: Miper70 - 217.5/187/145 - 33 total 4-17: Amourette - 22.5 total 4-17: Jeepergurrl - 242/192/140 - 50 total 4-17: MelAnne - 245/207/150 - 38 total 4-18: KAYBEE-284/198/180 -86 total 4-18: Danaclark2 - 270/260.5/266/150 - 4 total 4-20: TrustUfirst - 210/205/177/135 - 32 total 4-20: Omamoon - 220/211.5/179/130 - 41 total 4-20: KimInMD - 288/288/228/156 - 60 total 4-21: Yoda - 273/257/198/150 - 75 total 4-21: kristielynn - 310/302/237/150 - 73 total 4-22: alisonb - 286/270/176 - 16 total 4-24: Eficka - 125/117/95/69 - 27 kgs/66 lbs total 4-24: Ceparano- 255/270.5/201/170 - 69.5 total 4-24: Kat - 289/281/203/165 - 86 total 4-24: hlj25950 - 262/257/206/160 - 56 total 4-25: momof2boys - 270/266/237/145 - 33 total 4-26: Bostongurl - 264/244/184/150 - 80 total 4-27: tinaj - 226/221/210/150 - 15 total 4-27: lookingout - 185/178/165/101 - 20 total 4-27: flowergoddesstn - 214/204/190/130 - 24 total 4-27: Dimples0323 - 284/284/241/145 - 43 total 4-28: Susan4794 - 283/228/150 - 55 total 4-28: bluehill - 333/228/150 - 105 total 4-28: Irish Girl - 225/214/150/135 - 75 total 4-29: Momofsixkids - 238/188/140 - 50 total

Gooo Julie!! Woohoo! Dancing bananas for you!! :confused: That's an incredible milestone. Way to go.

I've always gone through phases like that while in bandland. I'll have 10 days or so where I "give up" and eat all the old things again. One of the differences though is that I will continue to exercise while I'm "off track," which helps to maintain rather than gain during my off period. Then, slowly, I'll start to replace my unhealthy choices with lower calorie items and before you know it, I'm back on track. For me, it's a cycle. I can get in a bad rut for about 10 days -- and that happens about every other month -- but then I'll have a good spell that lasts for about 2 months, so I come out ok in the long run. Does that make sense?

I've always gone through phases like that while in bandland. I'll have 10 days or so where I "give up" and eat all the old things again. One of the differences though is that I will continue to exercise while I'm "off track," which helps to maintain rather than gain during my off period. Then, slowly, I'll start to replace my unhealthy choices with lower calorie items and before you know it, I'm back on track. For me, it's a cycle. I can get in a bad rut for about 10 d

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .........231.5.................228...........3.5 Lapbandit.......................231............... ........210………….199.............11 Waterlily........................300.............. . .........276.................264.............12 Roiansmom....................299.................. . .....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248............ ............234.................228.............6 JulieNYC.......................212................ .......186..................185.............1 Elisabethsew..................282................. . ......274..................264 ............10 PeaCeJ..........................338............... ........333..................318.............15 RidinMyHDDream.........297........................ 281 .................281..............0 Babygirl1234.................260.................. . .....244..................240..............4 Leecelove70..................228................. .......228.................200.............28 Josette...........................351............. ...........342.................335...............7 Lizrbit............................289............ . ...........286.................279..............7 losingjusme....................315............. ...........315.................302.5........12.5

TERRI ROCKS THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE!!!! Dancing bananas for Terri!! :confused: Terri, take care of yourself first though, ok? Still on pain meds -- we'd give you a hall pass on exercise if you need it. I'm so glad you're in bandland now! Woohoo!

Dawn, what do you think about training for a 10K together first? I'm up for a 1/2 marathon, but I want to do a bunch of 10Ks first. I should be back up and "running" in about 6 weeks. I can't wait to put on my sneakers again. Betty, I'm so thankful that you can't tell Alan had valve surgery 2 weeks ago. That is soooo amazing. Way to go for getting out there and walking with him so quickly. You guys are fabulous.

I was the same, Maziemommy. I was home in 8 hours and went back to work post-op day 2 simply because I was BORED. Bored, bored, bored. It is different this time though. This was a much bigger surgery. I needed the 2 nights in the hospital and the 2 weeks of downtime. I feel totally fine, but my body gives me subtle reminders that it's been through a lot. On the plus side, I'm starting to feel THIN. My stomach is flat, my breasts are perky and my face and arms are thin. My legs and hips still have some meat, but it's not so bad. I could be happy at this weight, though I do plan to lose 30ish more....

When I need that comfort that I used to get from food, I curl up in a blanket and go to sleep. It works most of the time. And, I work with a therapist weekly to try and have that need for comfort met through my daily life instead of needing it at the end of the day so much. It's a work in progress....

Yes, Elisabethsew, I had a tummy tuck a week ago. They took off 12 lbs, though all of them haven't shown up yet (swelling). I'm feeling great. Thanks for asking! Julie Geraci, I updated you when I updated me, so your new totals will carry forward....

They use regular sutures on some places and dissolvable ones on others. My belly button and nipples have dissolvable ones. My tummy mostly has regular ones, except around on the sides where it has regular ones and staples. I think it has to do with how much stress is on the given area, but I've never actually asked. Yes, I wear normal clothes, as long as I don't have to lift my arms too high to get into it. V-necks and things that zip or button up are the best, though by now I can get into most tops unassisted. I can bend over fine. What I can't do is stand up straight. They don't want me to do that for at least 3 weeks. You walk in kind of a crouched position to protect the incision line. Can you imagine? My stomach is so flat that the incision line could pull if I stood up too straight! 3 weeks of crouching isn't much to pay for that, I think. I haven't left the house yet. Not because I couldn't, but because they've asked me not to. Dad just wanted me to take it as easy as possible for a couple of weeks to ensure the best possible recovery, so as boring as it is, I'm trying to comply. I don't have any of those "I wish I'd have known" moments. I knew everything so far, though, ask me again when I've seen the actual results. I might feel differently once I've actually seen my skin.