Bye

Congratulations, MYSHERRIJO!!! And thanks to this group for getting me to add exercise to my routine. I am having so much fun and discovering more energy. This week I lost two pounds.

It was a slow week for me as Wednesday passed and I remained the same 383 of the last Wednesday. BUT TODAY...the scale dropped. I lost two pounds. Seems the 100+ weather would cause me to sweat off more.

Congratulations Emilee on hitting the 100 Pounds Gone mark. :clap2: :clap2: That has to be a fantastic feeling, and I can't wait to feel it myself. This week I've lost three pounds -- current 383.

I love quotes!! Let's see... "Yard by yard, it's very hard. But inch by inch, it's a cinch." -- Anon (but I bet he was on a diet!!) "I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday." -- Anon (still on that diet) "Instead of thinking about where you are, think about where you want to be. It takes twenty years of hard work to become an overnight success." -- Diana Rankin

Consider a resistance chair. I created my own with the bands I had and a straight chair. I used it for the first two months, and now, I am able to do just about anything. A resistance chair may be purchased from: http://www.continuingfitness.com/prod-cfrc100.htm

I am so grateful to LapBandTalk and the Gone for Good Club. I was 450 on March 15, 2006, when I learned that I needed to lose 100 lbs to remove a tumor on my leg. I joined Memorial Bariatric Center and started eating as if I was already living with a lap-band. I'm down to 385 (-65 lbs). How my life has changed: Ø I changed the bed without taking rest periods for the first time in two years. Ø I'm able to stand longer. Ø As the fat melts around the tumor, I’m guessing it only weights 25 lbs now – but all rock. Ø My healthy protein drinks are now stored in glass canisters instead of those large plastic things they arrive in. I swear, it has me toying with opening a health food store in my small town. Frozen blueberries are sooo good, too. Ø My energy level is so good, that I am cleaning and organizing the house like it has never been done before. Ø I’ve started my Christmas shopping and have half done. Ø At my rate I should be 300 by December (19 lbs a month is what I’ve been doing). Ø I can join the local wellness center at 300 lbs. Life is Good!!

The Summer I Dared is by [ame=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=Barbara%20Delinsky&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank/102-4758375-5668159]Barbara Delinsky[/ame]. I love all her books.

My weekly weigh-in report -- I've lost 6 lbs in July so far. I've added exercise and that has kicked my success. This morning, the scale smiles 385 lbs.

I'm a book junkie, too. :help: Of course, I turned my addiction into my passion and career. As soon as I decided to get a lap band, I hit the stacks!! Besides the cookbook you mentioned, I have... Cooking with Soul: Soulful Cuisine Tailored for Gastric Bypass Patients. by Valerie Renee Campbell To Serve with Love. by Carnie Wilson with Cindy Pearlman Hugs from the Refrigerator: The Psychology of Emotional Eating. by James McClernan, Ed. D. When food is Love. by Geneen Roth 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet. by Suzanne, Jennifer, and Amy Barnett with Bev West Weight Loss Surgery A Lighter Look...At a Heavy Subject. by Terry Simpson, MD Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies. by Marina S. Kurian, MD et al Before & After: Living & Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery. by Susan Maria Leach I'm Still Hungry: Finding Myself Through Thick and Thin. by Carnie Wilson with Cindy Pearlman I recommend them all.:clap2: :clap2:

OK, I've got to get a stripper name... My stripper name would be Smokey Liberty (first pet, first street name)

Deann, what an empowering story. You have a great husband. Plus, I loved the part about being late because you had trouble finding something small enough to wear. Time for some retail therapy!! I'm most inspired by your energy to clean and workout (2 hrs no less) in one day. I'm still trying to clean one room a day. I dream of getting back to doing the entire house and laundry in the same day. Bravo!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Well, JoyceGA is my original screen name from AOL days in 1994. I use it when being the real me -- "Joyce in Georgia". But cyberlife allows for all our personalities to emerge. My past and other current screen names: HanksHussy. I was the original Hank's Hussy on the Dr. Quinn List and a fan group was organized for William Shockley called "the Hussies". The show is gone now, and I have moved on; but the Hussies still are active. http://williamshockley.com/hankprofile.html SassyRed. My high school and college nickname. I use for old friends. IrishHussy. Well, I always liked being a hussy, but didn't want to be labeled as Hank's anymore...what would Tom, Dick and Harry think? On dating sites, my box fills quickly because of that name. LiteraryLady. A name I use with my on line book groups. Then there is my favorite name, though I don't use it as a screen name. My trailer trash name: Jolene Donothing. Get your trailer trash name at: http://www.trailerparkmusical.com/

This is working wonderful for me. I sat at the same weight for two weeks last month, but since adding exercise, I've lost a pound a day. I know it will level off again, but right now my spirits are high. morning videos: AM & PM Stretch with Madeleine Lewis BellyDance Fitness for Beginners with Veena & Neena evening videos: Total Stretch with Tamilee The Biggest Loser Workout Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansome I can't wait to get down to 300 lbs, so I can join the Wellness Center and use the equipment.

FunnyDunnies, good luck Monday. I'll be sending good thoughts your way. I joined the exercise challenge, since I hadn't been exercising with the Gone for Good Club the past two months. It is kicking up my weight loss. I lost 2 lbs in the past week.:clap2:

I'm already down one pound. I've lost 60 lbs since starting. 380 here I come! I didn't exercise with Gone for Good, so y'all are motivating me to get out the exercise videos and move. Time to Belly Dance...

I've missed the past exchanges, but loved the thank you thread today. Everyone was so creative!! Count me in for the Labor Day Exchange.

K@t, this sounds great!! I had painful reflux following my gall bladder surgery 8 years ago. I finally was able to stop it by giving up all the foods that caused a bad reaction. Hearing people talk about reflux with the lapband, had me scared that reflux might be a common reaction. So, does reflux occur because the fill is wrong?

Don't you feel the world is attacking obese people this week? It seems each day a new article comes out with another poke at obesity. Now, they are saying that being obese is linked to mental illness and that the fat aren't jolly? True, I am an emotional eater, who added two hundred pounds following the deaths of my mother and my boyfriend --- BUT I have always been FAT AND JOLLY!! I never denied myself anything that gave pleasure, and food gave pleasure. Also, I am a people person, so sharing good company and good food -- with a lot of laughter -- was common in my life. Though I am learning smarter ways to manage my weight, I certainly don't want to lose the laughter and friends. Joyce Here's the AP article... Study says obesity, depression linked By LINDSEY TANNER The Associated Press CHICAGO — Obesity is strongly linked with depression and other mood disorders, according to a new study by Group Health Cooperative. Whether obesity might cause these problems or is the result of them is not certain, but there are theories to support both arguments. Depression often causes people to abandon activities, and some medications used to treat mental illness can cause weight gain. On the other hand, obesity is often seen as a stigma, and overweight people often are subject to teasing and other hurtful behavior. The study of more than 9,000 adults found that mood and anxiety disorders, including depression, were about 25 percent more common in the obese people studied than in the nonobese. Substance abuse was an exception; obese people were about 25 percent less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than slimmer participants. The results appear in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, released Monday. The lead author was Dr. Gregory Simon, a researcher with Group Health in Seattle. The results "suggest that the cultural stereotype of the jolly fat person is more a figment of our imagination than a reality," said Dr. Wayne Fenton of the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study. "The take-home message for doctors is to be on the lookout for depression among their patients who are overweight," Fenton said. Both conditions are quite common. About one-third of U.S. adults are obese, and depression affects about 10 percent of the population, or nearly 21 million U.S. adults in a given year. Previous studies produced conflicting results on whether obesity is linked with mental illness, although a growing body of research suggests there is an association. The latest study helps resolve the question, said Dr. Susan McElroy, editor of a textbook on obesity and mental disorders. "This is a state-of-the-art psychiatric epidemiology study that really confirms that there is, in fact, a relationship," she said. The study was based on an analysis of a national survey of 9,125 adults who were interviewed to assess mental state. Obesity status was determined using participants' self-reported weight and height. About one-fourth of all participants were obese. Twenty-two percent of obese participants had experienced a mood disorder, compared with 18 percent of the nonobese.

OK, I'm pulling out all my Heart CDs and rocking out the rest of the 4th. Photonut and Diva, loved your posts that took me back to college and my favorite group. Ann Wilson really didn't get heavy till 1980. The video "Alone" was the first to only show her head and not full body. Still she was beautiful!! Heather, if you don't know the music, get a greatest hits CD. It empowers women and is great storytelling. Nancy Wilson is married to Cameron Crowe, who was the subject of "Almost Famous" and "Elizabethtown" -- both autobiographical. Ann is at menopause now, so that could be part of the recent weight gain -- if she isn't exercising. Ann adopted her daughter Marie in 1991 and her son Dustin in 1998. The lapband surgery came around in 2002. As a singer, I could understand removing the band because of reflux. Her voice is her paycheck.

Another excellent LapBandTalk thread! Anytime you try to cheat when dealing with your health is dangerous. I'm more concerned with the doctor's requirements than the insurance company's (who just want to keep your money). Blue Cross Blue Shield of GA denied my lapband surgery, because I did not have the bariatric rider -- the fact that I weighed 450 at the time and was beginning to have other health issues where they were paying claims didn't seem to matter. I will self-pay. But here is the issue, that I want those trying to cheat the system to read closely. I have a heart condition which four doctors have told me that I would not survive gastric bypass on the table. All four eagerly advised lapband surgery for me, which my heart could handle. The one set back is that the bariatric doctor wants me to be a BMI of 40 for surgery. Right now, I am a BMI 71.5 at 391 lbs. I will have lost 123 lbs by the time I reach a BMI of 40. The lapband should take me down to 165, which I am extremely excited about. So, I advise everyone to do what your doctor says and not try to cheat the system. If they are operating with false data, you could be the one to suffer in the end.

Since I haven't been banded, I'm not participating in the poll. BUT I am very interested in this thread, because I don't want to have reflux when banded. I would like those participating, who have not experienced reflux to give this information: 1. age at banding 2. if they have had gall bladder surgery 3. tips for avoiding reflux THANK YOU!!

Since the Gone for Good Club is taking July off, this is just what I need. Count me in!!! Today: 391 lbs. Goal August 5th: 380 lbs.

Good points, Jack and Carol. I guess it just hit me as another slam against obese people this morning. Honestly, I am known to talk through a meal without eating at all now, because I am done first with my small veggie plate. I still consider myself "fat and jolly", but I just want to be less fat. And yes, I have a long list that this 200 lbs in the past ten years has kept me from doing...like sitting in a booth. But I really want to do adventure travel again. I haven't hiked, etc. in years. Not that I want them to find good things about being obese, but I want the powers that be to remember we are people with the great span of emotions -- just like them. Joyce

It's hitting a 100 in south Georgia today, and I am looking for ways to stay cool. I started the morning with an icey protein cappacino. Four cubes on ice in the blender with my whey protein mix. The watermelon for lunch is cut up in cubes and in a bag in the freezer. The banana smoothie has been poured into the popsicle mold for later. What are you doing to stay cool?? :Banane22:

I love a good reason to sleep more, but as a south Georgia resident, I'm not turning off the air conditioning. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - "Super-sized" fast food meals and TV time shouldn't take all the blame for the U.S. obesity problem, according to a research review published Tuesday. <SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if (window.yzq_a == null) document.write("<scr" + "ipt type=text/javascript src=""http://us.js2.yimg.com/us.js.yimg.com/lib/bc/bc_1.7.3.js></scr" + "ipt>");</SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if (window.yzq_a){yzq_a('p', 'P=uwQlus6.I3oMK09aRKFaWRAYRNwytkSjvdYAB5Ny&T=17b35a3bh%2fX%3d1151581654%2fE%3d7666449%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d1.1%2fW%3d8%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d4293078391%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJkaWV0O0hlYWx0aDtJdDtjaGlsZHJlbjt3ZWF0aGVyO2l0OyIgcmVmdXJsPSIiIHRvcGljcz0iIg--%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d4723BECE');yzq_a('a', '&U=139fb8112%2fN%3dMt0BB86.Isc-%2fC%3d378029.7424007.9670348.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d3800058');}</SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT> In fact, a group of researchers contend, a number of aspects of modern living -- from lack of sleep to exposure to environmental chemicals to living with air conditioning -- may be feeding Americans' weight woes. Writing in the International Journal of Obesity, they argue that obesity research and prevention efforts need to look beyond the "Big Two" -- food industry practices, like beefed-up portion sizes and added sugar; and reduced physical activity from factors such as cuts in school gym classes. That's not to say that diet and exercise aren't important, said report co-author Dr. David B. Allison of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. However, he told Reuters Health, the evidence linking obesity to food industry marketing and lack of gym class is circumstantial. It's equally plausible that a range of other factors are also involved, Allison and his colleagues point out. Lack of sleep is one, they say. Research in animals and humans suggests that chronic sleep deprivation boosts appetite and eating, and studies also show that U.S. adults and children are sleeping less than they used to. In recent decades, adults have gone from sleeping for an average of 9 hours to about 7 hours, the researchers point out. There is also evidence that industrial chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors may increase body fat. These chemicals, which are used in products such as pesticides and plastics, alter hormonal activity when they get into the body. Studies suggest that people have been increasingly exposed to these chemicals through the food chain in recent decades. Another factor potentially weighing Americans down is air conditioning. The body burns calories when forced to regulate its own temperature and, Allison noted, people tend to eat less in hot, humid weather. He and his colleagues cite 10 potential obesity risk factors in all, including: increased rates of older mothers, whose children may be more prone to excess weight gain; a range of medications, such as antidepressants, which can promote weight gain; and a decrease in smoking rates, because people often gain weight when they quit and the absence of nicotine, an appetite suppressant. No one is suggesting that people should stop taking their prescriptions, keep smoking or swelter in the July sun, according to Allison. When it comes to any one person's weight, he said, "what ultimately matters is calorie intake and calorie expenditure." That means diet and exercise is still key. But, Allison argued, researchers and policymakers should be "open-minded" about the potential contributors to the obesity problem and not assume that the answer lies in simple fixes like ridding schools of vending machines or installing sidewalks in the suburbs to encourage walking. SOURCE: International Journal of Obesity, June 27, 2006 online.