LindaV

Alicia - I am thrilled for you! Congratulations! Marci - I'm glad to see you are still around too!

I haven't checked in here at LBT in months but I'm glad I found you all! Myra - I'm sorry you have been having trouble with slips. Hopefully this time will go better. Diane - It's great to hear you are doing well. Drews - Is that a ice cream machine you are leaning on?!? Anyway, you look great! Kim - I too am a Peanut Butter cup lover! I love the occasional indulgence. Halloween is always hard because it seems like half our neighborhood gives them out--and the big ones to boot! If my son doesn't hide them he knows I will. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you are doing so well. Paladin - It's good to hear from you too. Next time you check in please tell 3Loves "hello" for me. As for me...I'm doing really well. It's been a very busy year. My family took a trip to England in May and we had such a wonderful time. This summer was packed with my son's sports activities. I took a break from exercising and tracking my food this summer. I was active but I didn't go to the YMCA once for regular workouts. Healthy eating has become somewhat of a habit for me but I definitely had my share of reeces pb cups and ice cream this summer. The great thing was that I didn't gain an ounce--in fact, I think overall I lost about 3 pounds over the summer. This was a huge accomplishment for me--well, actually, my band! When I have taken breaks from a healthy lifestyle before, none of the behaviors have lasted and I packed back on the weight very quickly. I'm back to regular exercise again but the close I get to my goal, the slower the weight comes off. That's ok by me! I am so happy with my life and my energy and my health!

Diane - I havn't checked in on LBT for months but happened to see your post tonight while waiting for a load of laundry to finish. I have found myself thinking and praying for and wondering about you over the past year. Thanks for checking in and letting us know how you are doing. I am really glad to hear life is going so well for you.

Hey Drews - I love the new look...and the Doll Ball pic you posted on B2G.

Exercise and eating enough calories has been the key for me. Too little of either has me feeling lousy and not losing weight. Hand in there Wiggy. 49 pounds is still a lot and I'm sure it has made a huge difference in your life. Just keep up what you are doing and you will be in Onderland before you know it. It seems to be a difficult barrier to break for many of us.

Thanks guys! Hey, I found the May thread. Here is the link: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=34326

Hi Everyone, I found and posted on the April Chat thread first and then found this one. It has been a while since I have checked in here. I enjoyed catching up on everyone while reading through April's posts. My bandiversary was May 1. What a year it's been. I am now down 118 pounds and have finally entered the ellusive ONEderland! My life is different in so many ways--ALL GOOD! I am so proud of each and every one of you! We have all worked really hard the last year and the results show in our tickers, pictures and testimonies. Thank you all for your support over the last year!

If there is a new May Chat thread no one will probably even see this but I didn't see one when I looked. It's been a while since I've posted. I was band one year ago on May 1st. What a year it has been!!! I am now down 117 pounds and I feel great. I still have between 30-40 more to go but I am soooo happy with what I have accomplished thus far. I am also so proud of all of the other May 2006 Bandsters. We have really worked hard and struggled through a lot together!

It sounds like everyone is doing great! I'm really glad to hear it. I had a minor setback. I came home from vacation (10 days after my "slight" unfill) and had gained 10 pounds.:success1: The night before I weighed myself was my son's 11th bday and my mom cooked up a bunch of my favororites. I was able to eat a small salad, a 10 oz steak, a half cup of rice, 12-15 shrimp, and three helpings of dessert (2 peices of pound cake, 1 peice of anglefood cake w/whip cream & strawberries). :hungry:All this and I didn't even come close to a PB.:tired Needless to say, I called my doc the next morning and made an appointment to get a little more saline put back in my band. At the appointment yesterday, he only aspirated about 2.2 cc. He thought I should have about 2.6 cc. I had been at 2.8 before the unfill. Anyway, he filled me back up to 2.6 and I think I have a good amount of restriction now. I was able to eat, actually eat (not drink) some Breakfast this morning so I think that I will be able to get in an adequate amount of calories now and hopefully achieve a good balance between calories and exercise. Well, that's my update. Oh...and I have lost almost 6 of the 10 lbs I gained at Disneyland. I was soooo close to Onderland that it made me furious to go up that much. Especiall considering that, aside from the one meal I described, I wasn't eating that much! Oh well, tha's life life with the band. Happy St. Patty's day everyone. Needless to say, I won't be making my goal.:nervous

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. I just got back from vacation and have to run but thought I'd pop in and catch up.

Do we have a new March thread yet? Drews?

I am dreading when I finally get a stomach bug w/vomiting. I think I will probably make a trip to my surgeon or the ER for an unfill until it passes. I'm so sorry so many of you have had to go through it. Kim...CONGRATULATIONS on hitting the -100 pound mark!

Thanks for asking and thanks for the link Myra! I have been checking out Chicago and visiting friends in Indiana for the last few days so I havn't had a chance to update you. I saw my dietician just before I left. When she learned that there was protein and keytones in my urine, looked at my bloodwork, asked me some questions about my calorie intake (1200-1400) and exercise, and did her little electrode test which shows that I have lost more muscle, she said that with the amount I am exercising (elliptical 30 minutes plus swimming for an hour or skiing for the day) I am just not getting in enough calories so my body is burning muscle along with fat. She suggested a couple of things. First that I only do about 45 minutes of aerobic exercise combined with about 30 minutes of weight training to build my muscles back up. And to do this only 3-4 times a week and just do more recreational exercise the other days. She said if I want to continue exercising at the same rate that I should really be eating at 1500-2000 calories a day. I like doing the 90 minutes of exercise I have been doing 5-6 days a week because I am really noticing a change in my body. If I decide to continue to exercise at this rate, I will need to get a small unfil so that I can increase my calorie intake. The good news is that I am continuing to burn fat at a pretty good rate and even though my protein levels were on the low side she said that by getting the exercise/calorie ratio in sinc that it would probably resolve itself. I am going to call my surgeon today to schedule an appointment to discuss this with him and see what he thinks.

Absoutely! And spit!

3Loaves - Welcome back! We've missed you! Mychevygirl (DeAnn) was staying with me a few weeks ago and we were up late one night trying to see if we could find you on OH or myspace but we had no luck. It's good to hear from you. Justduckie & Lapbandit - Congratulations on making Onderland! Marci, how are you feeling? I can't believe how long it's been since I've checked in here. I had to read through about 4 pages worth of posts to get caught up. I don't think we are moving to Chicago. We love Idaho and are planning on doing whatever it takes to remain here! I had labs drawn for the first time since May and found out that I have low Protein levels and Iron levels. The iron doesn't really concern me because I can take supplements but the protein levels have me a little baffled. I eat between 90 and 120 g of protein a day as it is and I don't think I can fit much more in. Apparently I am spilling protein in my urine. I see my dietician next week and hopefully we can figure something out. On a more postive note, I did make my Valentine's goal which was 210. I am now sitting at 208.6 and creeping ever so slowy toward Onderland. I'm glad to see you all are doing well.

Thanks for starting the new thread Drews!

Congrats - Ducky! I did it too--I have officially lost 101 pounds as of this morning! I only have 15 more to go to join you in Onderland.

Has anybody (Drews?) started a Feb. chat thread yet?

Myra - That was pretty much my experience on an eleptical. I knew it would be hard so I set a goal of 5 minutes. I lasted 2 the first time and 3 the second time and I havn't gotten back on one since. The machines taunt me from afar! So for now I'll stick to the pool, skiing, and playing racquetball. Those I can handle! As for me - I can taste -100. I have lost 98.7 pounds. Unfortunately, my TOM is early next week and I usually gain 2-3 pounds a couple of days before it starts. Those extra pounds usually stay on for a week (no matter what I do) before I start losing again. If that happens this month, I think I might go crazy. I've become a scale whore this weekend. Today I actually comtemplated not eating until I peed enough to see -100. I hate it when I obsess like this. It's just a number! But it is a number I would really like to reach...SOON! Wish me luck!

I think the pressure caused by vomiting could do worse damage than having the food go through.

Marz - I am so sorry for you loss and will definately keep your family in my prayers! Myra - Good luck with the port revision. I'm sure fills will be a lot easier after it's done. As for me, I could use some prayers too. We just found out that all of the operational aspects of my husbands company are being relocated to Chicago. They have offered to relocate us but we really love Idaho and have no desire to move back to the urban jungle. I am praying that a job materializes soon because they have a very agressive timeline for this move (about 6 weeks). On the food front, I have never been much of an emotional eater but I have discovered the past seek (since we got the relocation news) that I am a stress eater. My life is usually stress free and relatively uncomplicated but since last week I have been dealing with a lot of head hunger. I guess this is good is a good opportunity for me to do some dealing with this issue. I recognize that it is not physical hunger but that doesn't lessen the desire to eat. It doesn't help that my TOM is approaching and I am usually extra hungry at that time as well. Anyway, if you guys think of it, please send a prayer for a job our way. Thanks!

Drews - I completely understand your hurt feelings. If you are really good friends I think you could ask her about it. She may have had second thoughts about having you along because you aren't really into the gay scene. She should have told you that and made alternate plans with you to Celebrate her b-day. I think the fact that she avoided the subject with you means she was trying not to hurt your feelings and didn't really know what to do. But, I do understand your hurt feelings. I have dealt with similar situations here in the recent past. I have found that it only makes things worse to dwell on them. We tend to create even worse scenarios and reasons in our own heads than what reality actually is. I think you will probably both feel better when you talk about it. Kim - I have the 10cm band and I am filled to 2.7 or 2.9. I can't remember which. I don't like to have really tight restriction so I get a very small fill every 4-6 weeks. My doctor tells me that the time beteen fills will start to increase and I am looking forward to that. I am starting to wonder if this fill will last longer. I am 5 weeks out now and I still have really good restriction. I have an appointment for a fill on Monday but may postpone it. We'll see. Anyway, don't get discouraged. My scale is finally moving at a good pace again. I have felt really stalled out for the past few months. I have never kept track of my measurements but I did notice that even when the scale was moving very slowly up and down that I was fitting into clothes differently. And I definately wouldn't call a 7 pound difference leaving you in the dust. :confused: GOOD LUCK WITH THE VALENTINE CHALLENGE EVERYONE!!!

Hey Kelli, Welcome to LBT and the May Bandster's thread. Our next challenge is our Valentine's challenge and you pick your own goal. We ocassionally post how we're doing throughout the challenge to help encourage each other. Based on your ticker, you are doing great so far. So where are you from and who did your surgery?

Well, I did it! I made my "I have a dream challenge" goal! This morning I weighed 220. I guess my Valentines Challenge goal will be 210.

I actually might make this month's challenge. I only have a half of a pound to go to hit my 220 goal. I don't actually think I have made one of my challenge goals yet. I usually end up dropping a bunch of weight the week after the challenge is up. I have thought about trying racquetball. I was never very good but I did used to enjoy playing. So many of you are getting so close to your goal weights. I can't wait to join you. I have a trip to London coming up at the end of May. I would love to be below 190 by then. And my 25 year high school reunion is sometime this summer. How I would love to be at 180. That is around or a little lower than what I was through most of high school. I was over 300 at my 20 year reunion. I will decide on my Valentine's goal on Monday. It will probably be to lose 10 pounds which will really be a challenge since my weight loss seems to be a little less than than a month.