Betelnut

Approximately every two months.

Well, I don't think I'll make my goal, but I'm hoping to be down another 10 pounds by then (I just had a fill), so I'll be satisfied. I'm losing slowly but if the scale keeps going down, it's all good. 3ShotRoc..................... 345.............. 263............ 220........ 43 Alabubba..................... 464.............. 464............ 400........ 64 Alleycia....................... 255.............. 217............ 198........ 19 Annieemmm................. 200.............. 198............. 170....... 28 Ashleyrenee................ 240.............. 240............. 199........ 41 Barb12590.................. 173.............. 156............. 155.......... 1 Betelnut..................... 295.............. 262............. 245........ 17 Bklyn1984................... 317.............. 241............. 230........ 11 Blaze21...................... 200.8........... 187............. 170....... 17 Blklab70282................. 241............. 241.............. 220........ 19 ChickyAbby................. 314............. 314.............. 270........ 44 Clcort......................... 236............. 200.............. 200........ 36 CountrygirlNY.............. 253............. 217.............. 182........ 35 Crzytchr.................... 237.............. 229.............. 210........ 19 Ewiedbingcott ............ 215.5.......... 211.2............ 198........ 13.2 Fab by 50.................. 215............. 204............... 175........ 29 Fordgal88.................. 199.............. 175.............. 199........ 24 Hdsantoni.................. 252.............. 198.............. 190......... 8 Htaylor1021............... 210.............. 206.5............ 185......... 21.5 itsjustducky................368...............368...............328... .......40 Jazma....................... 261.............. 261.............. 235......... 24 Jeni 85...................... 170............. 170............... 158......... 12 Jennyt71................... 245............. 197............... 170......... 27 Keepingfaith08........... 225.............. 225.............. 190.......... 35 Lalaredd................... 240.............. 190............... 150......... 40 LessJess................... 228.............. 199............... 199......... 0 Letsgetitstarted......... 229.............. 211............... 199......... 30 Libbyjane1976........... 283............... 283.............. 250.......... 33 LilMissDiva................ 251.6............ 247.6............ 227.......... 20.6 Liz_hager................. 158............... 151............... 145.......... 6 LisaRT..................... 254............... 248............... 225.......... 23 Long2BThin.............. 192............... 183............... 169.......... 14 Loveislovely............. 191............... 187............... 169.......... 18 Mair....................... 222............... 220............... 199........... 21 Mamacj.................. 316............... 269............... 233........... 36 Melody_Mary_42f..... 277............... 231............... 170........... 49 MsNickelback.......... 172............... 163................ 149........... 14 Nicolerose.............. 365............... 288................ 260........... 28 Nursemelly............. 245............... 203................ 185........... 18 Onehotmama.......... 272............... 237................ 210........... 27 OneHotMomma........ 285.............. 282................ 250............ 32 Pbpuniser............... 212.............. 212................ 182............ 30 Peachwood............. 251............. 251................. 230............ 21 Picklesix................. 197............. 175................. 170............ 5 Sexylips................. 238............. 238................. 199............ 39 Sadie77................. 277............. 250................. 220............ 30 SillyGoose.............. 258............. 238................. 228............ 10 Simone.................. 182............ 176.................. 160............ 16 Ukcatsfan.............. 340............. 340................. 300............ 40 Workingmom........... 214............. 214................. 175............ 39 ZiggyLove.............. 226............. 202................. 180............ 22 Health4life..............279.............222.2................195..... .. .....27.2 __________________

People are definitely not taking the most recent stats and then adjusting their own stats. Please copy the last posted list and then adjust your stats on it!

Reposting my stats with the "Start" weight being from the beginning of the challenge, not from when I was first banded. Name.............. Start ..........Current.......... Goal ........ToGo 3ShotRoc..............345..............263................220......... ..43 alabubba..............464..............464................400......... ....64 annieemmm.........200..............198.................170......... ..28 barb12590............173..............165................155.......... .10 Betelnut………….....273….……...…265 …....……..245………….20 Bklyn1984.............317..............256................230......... ..26 blaze21................200.8...........200.8..............170......... ..30.8 Chicky Abby..........314..............314................270...........44 countrygirlNY........253..............217................182.......... ..35 crzytchr2004.........237..............232................210.......... .22 Fab by 50.............215..............215................175...........40 Fordgal88.............199..............175................199......... ..24 Htaylor1021.....210............210............185.........25 Jennyt71...............245..............207................170........ ...37 keepingfaith08...225..........225.............190.......35 LessJess...............228..............228................199........ ...29 Letsgetitstarted.....229..............229................199.......... .30 libbyjane1976.......283...............283................250.......... 33 LilMissDiva...........251.6............247.6..............227......... .20.6 liz_hager..............158..............157.................145....... ....12 Long2BThin...........192..............187.................169......... ..18 Mair.....................222..............220................199...... .....21 mamacj................316..............269................233......... ...36 MsNickelback....172...........172............149..........23 nicolerose.......365..........288............260.........28 Nursemelly............245............213.................185.......... ...28 onehotmama.........272.............237.................210............ 27 pbpuniser.............212..............212................182......... ..30 peachwood......251...........251............230.........21 picklesix...........197..........197.............170.........27 sexylips................238..............238................199....... ....39 SillyGoose............258...............243................228........ ...15 simone................182...............182................160........ ...22 ukcatsfan.............340...............340................300........ ...40 workingmom.....214...........214............175.........39

Will do (posting comment). Hmm. My "start weight" was my original starting weight from being banded. Maybe I need to change my stats. But if you look over the list, a lot of people put their original start weight, not the start weight from the beginning of the challenge, so I do think there has been a bit of confusion on the issue. I can't think of a good short word/phrase for "Start at beginning of challenge" though. Anyway, I'm going to change my stats..

I'm a slow loser (about 30 pounds in 6 months) but, in my case, that is partly because I've only had two fills. My doctor wanted me to wait 3 months between my first and second fill and I foolishly didn't reschedule my second fill to be earlier (he had said that would be okay but I just didn't reschedule). That said, while I'm not totally thrilled with the amount of poundage I've lost, I can tell that my habits have changed completely. Also, even at this slower rate (which may excellerate once I get a few more fills), I'll still have lost 60 pounds in a year without really "dieting" (counting points or calories). Yes, I wish it were faster, but I KNOW that I'm eating a hell of a lot less food, eating slower and achieving my ultimate goal--to be a more healthy me. You're doing great--as long as the scale is moving downward, the band is working. Slow weight loss is still weight lost and it adds up over time. As one person once said to me: If you plan on being around a year from now, isn't it better to be even 10 pounds lighter than nothing?

I've never had a thin person not support my efforts to lose weight. Since I plan (hope!) to be a thin/thinner person one day, I don't want to slag on them too much.

I have an idea--why doesn't everyone post how many total pounds they've lost since starting the challenge? That way we'll be able to cheer each other on better. (Unless the "start" weight, listed at the beginning of the listing, is supposed to be your weight at the beginning of the challenge and not your start weight from being banded??--I've never been able to figure that out...?) Anyway, I've lost eight pounds so far! Yeah!

Just adjusting for new weight (down a few more pounds). I'm not sure if I'll really lose 20 pounds by the 4th (I'm a slow loser), but it is still a good goal to keep in mind! Since the 4th is about 11 weeks from now, I'm hoping to AT LEAST lose about 10 more pounds. Good luck everyone! Name.............. Start ..........Current.......... Goal ........ToGo 3ShotRoc..............345..............263................220......... ..43 alabubba..............464..............464................400......... ....64 annieemmm.........200..............198.................170......... ..28 barb12590............173..............165................155.......... .10 Betelnut………….....295….……...…265 …....……..245………….20 Bklyn1984.............317..............256................230......... ..26 blaze21................200.8...........200.8..............170......... ..30.8 Chicky Abby..........314..............314................270...........44 countrygirlNY........253..............217................182.......... ..35 crzytchr2004.........237..............232................210.......... .22 Fab by 50.............215..............215................175...........40 Fordgal88.............199..............175................199......... ..24 Htaylor1021.....210............210............185.........25 Jennyt71...............245..............207................170........ ...37 keepingfaith08...225..........225.............190.......35 LessJess...............228..............228................199........ ...29 Letsgetitstarted.....229..............229................199.......... .30 libbyjane1976.......283...............283................250.......... 33 LilMissDiva...........251.6............247.6..............227......... .20.6 liz_hager..............158..............157.................145....... ....12 Long2BThin...........192..............191.................169......... ..22 Mair.....................222..............220................199...... .....21 mamacj................316..............269................233......... ...36 MsNickelback....172...........172............149..........23 nicolerose.......365..........288............260.........28 Nursemelly............245............213.................185.............28 onehotmama.........272.............237.................210............ 27 pbpuniser.............212..............212................182......... ..30 peachwood......251...........251............230.........21 picklesix...........197..........197.............170.........27 sexylips................238..............238................199....... ....39 SillyGoose............258...............243................228........ ...15 simone................182...............182................160........ ...22 ukcatsfan.............340...............340................300........ ...40 workingmom.....214...........214............175.........39

This is an interesting topic to me because I was wondering if I'd be able to "get off" my CPAP once I've lost the weight. I truly think my apnea is weight related, so I'm hoping I will be able to get off the machine. That said, I'm so used to it now, I'm wondering if I'll be able to sleep without it! Once I lose a lot more weight, I'm planning on having another sleep study to see what happened with the apnea.

Well, I had my first PB this morning. I've had the band for almost six months and never had one before. I was actually thinking that, when people talked about "PBing" they meant vomiting because I have done that occassionally. Um, no. Totally different, it turns out. Thank goodness I had a winter scarf in the car that caught almost all of it or I would have had to turn around and change my clothes. I guess my second fill (three weeks ago) has settled in! Note to self: Keep a PB/vomit can in the car because that stuff is gross! Note to self again: Don't eat hard Protein in the morning. oatmeal it is! Anyway, I'm a member of the club now. And I need a new scarf!

I was told to wait 30 minutes but I usually wait until I know my food has "gone down" which really depends on what I ate. Sometimes I don't drink for a long time, but sometimes it will just be 10 minutes later. On average, it probably is about 20-30 minutes though.

Updating my numbers--down three pounds! My last fill (3 weeks ago) is really helping! Name.............. Start ..........Current.......... Goal ........ToGo 3ShotRoc..............345..............263................220......... ..43 alabubba..............464..............464................400......... ....64 annieemmm.........200..............198.................170......... ..28 barb12590............173..............165................155.......... .10 Betelnut………….....295….……...…270 …....……..245………….25 Bklyn1984.............317..............256................230......... ..26 blaze21................200.8...........200.8..............170......... ..30.8 Chicky Abby..........314..............314................270...........44 countrygirlNY........253..............217................182.......... ..35 crzytchr2004.........237..............232................210.......... .22 Fab by 50.............215..............215................175...........40 Fordgal88.............199..............175................199......... ..24 Htaylor1021.....210............210............185.........25 Jennyt71...............245..............207................170........ ...37 keepingfaith08...225..........225.............190.......35 LessJess...............228..............228................199........ ...29 Letsgetitstarted.....229..............229................199.......... .30 libbyjane1976.......283...............283................250.......... 33 LilMissDiva...........251.6............247.6..............227......... .20.6 liz_hager..............158..............157.................145....... ....12 Long2BThin...........192..............191.................169......... ..22 Mair.....................222..............220................199...... .....21 mamacj................316..............269................233......... ...36 MsNickelback....172...........172............149..........23 nicolerose.......365..........288............260.........28 Nursemelly............245............213.................185.............28 onehotmama.........272.............237.................210............ 27 pbpuniser.............212..............212................182......... ..30 peachwood......251...........251............230.........21 picklesix...........197..........197.............170.........27 sexylips................238..............238................199....... ....39 SillyGoose............258...............243................228........ ...15 simone................182...............182................160........ ...22 ukcatsfan.............340...............340................300........ ...40 workingmom.....214...........214............175.........39

I've had my CPAP for almost a year and I'd say, for me at least, the difference was almost instantaneous since I didn't have that much trouble adjusting to it. I didn't almost fall asleep at the wheel. I didn't want to crawl into bed at 8:30 at night. I didn't fall asleep while holding onto my computer mouse at work. I felt better. So yes, I'd say, for me at least, I had more energy and definitely better brain function. I love my CPAP machine but I'm wondering if, once I lose more weight, I'll even need it. I guess I'll need another sleep study in a year or so to see.

Less invasive surgery and not permanent. Those were the two key differences to me.

Oh yes, that scarf has been tossed. I probably could have saved it, but Spring is on the way anyway. I'm not glad I had my first PB but at least now I know what everyone is talking about! And I did learn that chicken sausage (even 3/4 of a link) is not exactly a good Breakfast choice. I actually paused before heating it up, thinking, "Hmm, I hope this doesn't come back up on me." I chewed, chewed, chewed, but, alas alack, it still didn't agree.

Your doctor has you on pureed food until your first fill? Wow! I didn't get my first fill for 8 weeks! That would have been agony, that is for sure. I got to eat regular food after 2-3 weeks.

....your tummy talks more than you do at mealtime. ... you notice how fast people eat and the huge bites they take. ... you can share a slice of pizza with your toddler and feel totally full if not overfull when, in the past, two slices would have been barely enough! ...one Lean Cuisine lasts an hour. ...every meal lasts an hour.

I'm thinking of rejoining WW too. I think, like the rest of you, that the food aspect of "working the band" is not really covered very well by the surgeon. They do have a nutritionist on staff which is great, but my surgeon is an hour drive away and I don't feel comfortable just calling the nutritionist to chat. WW might actually work long term for me now that I have the band! As you can see by my ticker, I'm losing rather slowly, so maybe joining WW will jumpstart me to losing more!

Yep, mine "talks" to me after eating too, especially now that I've had my second fill (a week ago). It's sort of hilarious because my three-year old will pat my stomach and say, "Tummy?" and I say, "Yep, my tummy." I figure when she gets older she'll know what's going on, but for now she's just getting used to the fact that Mommy's tummy makes weird noises sometimes!

I need to jump start my enthusiasm and the only way to do that is to lose more weight. It has been too slow!

I'm in! I'm going for a big goal--28 pounds because I've had a slow start. Name.............. Start ..........Current.......... Goal ........ToGo 3ShotRoc..............345..............263...............220.......... 43 barb12590.............173.............173................155.........1 8 Betelnut…………………295………………273 ………………..245…………28 blaze21................200.8...........200.8..............170......... 30.8 Chicky Abby..........314.............314.................270...........44 countrygirlNY.........253..............217...............182.......... 35 crzytchr2004.........237..............235...............210..........2 5 Fordgal88.............199...............175...............199......... 24 Jennyt71..............245................210..............170.........40 LessJess..............228...............228...............199......... .29 libbyjane1976.......283...............283................250.........3 3 Mair....................222...............222................199...... ...23 pbpuniser.............212..............212................182......... .30 sexylips...............238..............238.................199....... ..39 SillyGoose............258...............251................228........ ..23 simone................182...............182................160........ ..22 ukcatsfan.............340..............340................300......... .40

I've had to travel for my fills too (just up to Catonsville, but it is still a pain). It would be great to find a place closer in--like in Charles or St. Mary's County.

Me too! I got my first fill a month ago and don't have much restriction. I ate like a pig over Christmas although intellectually I know that without my band I would probably have eaten twice as much. I finally got up the gumption to weigh myself this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see I'd "only" gained two pounds! Now I need to work the band and perhaps schedule an earlier second fill appointment (it is currently scheduled for March). Let's all "jump back on" and achieve our goals (or close to them) this year!

Lapband because it is less invasive and has an easier recovery. Despite the recent death, my surgeon has never had a death result from the lapband surgery, unlike with gastric bypass. Having a piece of me removed just seemed too drastic!