ALuv82

I bought new bras today. I had the salesgirl measure me and I was a 44DD! Yay. So much better then the 46DDD that I used to squish my boobs into because it was the biggest size I could find. If I go down 4 more inches on the band I'll be able to shop at Victoria's Secret. I also comfortably wore a pair of jeans today that I haven't been able to wear since I started vet school. I couldn't even pull them up a few months ago. They're 24s, down from the 28s I was wearing. Although I did get some other pants in 24s a few weeks ago so that's not so much of a surprise. Next stop--22s.

Remember in my last post I wrote about how there would be days when I didn’t have the strength to even try to say no to the indulgences I used to consume? Well, I think today was on of those days. Not that I went on a binge or ate myself sick or anything—but the “rules” definitely didn’t seem to apply. Strike number 1…I left the house without breakfast as I was running late for an appointment. Luckily I had an Atkin’s protein bar in my bag which is actually a pretty typical breakfast for me. After my appointment I figured it was time that I could start drinking so I stopped off at 7-11 and bought a 1 liter bottle of water—it is now 8’o clock here and ¾ of the bottle still remains. I had some more errands to run in the afternoon and for lunch I stopped off at a bagel place and got a made to order salad with chicken in it. Not a bad choice per se, but I decided “to hell” with the diet dressing and had it loaded up with some creamy Russian goodness. I made no attempt to eat the chicken pieces first and though I only ate less than half the salad I probably ate about 10 forkfulls past “comfortably satisfied.” To top it all off—I ate while driving, stuffing a few huge mouthfuls in at each stoplight and taking well over the recommended 20 minutes to eat. Shortly after I finished lunch I got one of my undeniable cravings for diet coke and had actually convinced myself—“what the hell, let’s try it. One carbonated beverage isn’t going to kill me,” even though carbonation was the one and only forbidden “food” as per my doctor. By the time I got to the next 7-11 I had managed to switch my soda craving for an iced tea craving. Not as bad but still full of sugary empty calories. By the time the evening rolled around I was fighting more sugary cravings and stopped off for another iced-tea and a chocolate bar. On the bright side I managed to only eat half the chocolate. Then for dinner I had this pork and rice thing my mother makes which I’m sure is super fattening and I ate the rice before the pork. Man I’m full now. Sad to say, I kind of like the feeling. So let’s see—how many guidelines did I ignore today? There was the 8 glass of water, the no “drinking calories, the stopping when comfortably full, eating for 20 minutes only, not doing anything else while I eat and that minor, little eating protein first thing…I think that’s pretty much all of them. I don’t have any idea how many calories I consumed since I have no idea how to log half the stuff I ate into MyFitnessPal, but I’m sure it’s more than the 1000-1200 I usually consume. Well, what’s done is done. Tomorrow is a new day and I just have to keep on keepin’ on. So I guess the question now becomes, why was today so hard for me. Maybe it’s just that I miss my favorite foods. Or maybe it was my weird schedule—I always find it harder on days when I don’t work. Or maybe it was the session with my shrink this morning ( the psychiatrist I saw for surgical clearance suggested I keep seeing him to help me through this journey). Now logically you’d think that seeing him would help, and I think in the long term it does, but probably less so in the short term. I mean, it’s very disconcerting sitting there having him ask you questions you can’t possibly have answers for like “why are you sad?” (as a general life question, not about anything in particular) and “how do you feel in public?” and “what can I give you to make you happy?” I mean honestly, it’s weird and uncomfortable and it makes you think about things that you’ve never thought about because you’ve always just stuffed them down with food. And so maybe after a session of that, perhaps I just wanted to stuff those feelings back to where they were. I guess I’m going to have to get used to confronting my emotions. It’s not something I’ve ever done before, but going through this journey to the newer, skinnier me, means giving up the coping mechanism I’ve used to avoid those emotions all my life. They may not be easy to deal with but they’re mine and they’re just the price I’m going to have to pay to be happy. I guess that’s the answer to that last question my shrink asked.

272.5 this week. That's 1.5 down. Not what I was hoping for since it's 10 lbs away from my Independence Day Challenge goal and I don't think I can lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks. Oh well--a loss is a loss and I should be happy.

I was banded 4/27/09 I had my first "fill" Tuesday. I got 2.5ccs. Of course, I had to go in early for an unfill 4 weeks out and they took 3.2ccs out of the band. So I don't know if they usually do more at the first fill but didn't because I was already overfull with that.

1. WEIGHT-I'm down 41.4 lbs since the beginning of the pre-op diet. I stalled for a while after going to solids even though I was keeping my calories to around 1200-1300 a day. I knew this was because I was in starvation mode from over a month of 600 calorie days. I tried not to get discouraged, exercise, make good choices to rev up my metabolism and the scale is starting to move again. 2. FILLS- I've had 1 unfill and 1 fill. I was hasving troble just tolerating mushies so they did an unfill. Took out about 3.2ccs leaving about 0.5ccs in. I was very hungry after that and so I went back in for a fill and they put 2.5ccs back. last week. I'm now at 3.0ccs in a 10cc band. 3. RESTRICTION-Well I'm still giving it some time since they said it could take 1-2 weeks for a fill to kick in and it's only been a week. I have some restriction but not enough. I'm still doing OK though. Going back on liquids after the fill got my head back into it. 4. RULES-I try not to think of things in terms of "rules" because that feels too much like a diet. I knw there are things I'm supposed to do and I'm better at some of them then others. I'm getting better at not drinking until an hour after my meal. I make allowences for this rule if I'm going to the gym in the morning right after breakfastso I don't get dehydrated. I still give in and have a little sip if I need one but I'm getting better. I have trouble with the protien first thing since I hate eating one thing on my plate completely before moving on to something else. I enjoy mixing my foods. Like when i have a chicken salad I don't want to eat all the chicken out first. I like the mix of flavors. Other than that I think I'm doing OK. 5. ANYTHING ELSE-I'm usually a big exerciser--I go to the gym at least 3 times a week and run on the treadmill and work out with a trainer 2 times a week. Sadly I hurt my back last weekend though so I have to take some time off. I had the first person who didn't know about my surgery comment on my weight loss last week. Yay for NSVs.

People should really not talk about things they don't understand. If they think that lap-band is "lazy" and that it's an "alternative to diet and exercise" and that it means "giving up on the healthier way to lose weight" then they're completely ignorant about not only surgery but obesity and weight loss in general. Obviously if you're still following a weight loss plan like WW then you still need to follow a healthy diet and exercise polan just like them. The only difference is that you will have an extra tool at your disposal to make it a little bit easier and you have a much greater chance of successfully losing and keeping off the weight. A year from now when you're at goal and he's 10 lbs heavier then when he started we'll see who chose the healthier option.

mmmm, pizza. So tasty. But we must not let ourselves fall vitim to the gooey, yummy goodness.

I’ve been a bad, bad girl…abandoning my blog for almost 3 weeks. I’ve been busy trying to get everything in order with the bank to buy my co-op apartment which I will hopefully be getting in the next week or two. I also have my sister’s wedding and have been doing some stuff with her as well as getting started on plans for her shower. Then of course there’s just the fact that I’m a lazy bum. I’ve spent much of my free time the last week or two catching up on episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D. courtesy of Hulu. I used to love that show and apparently I don’t remember a single episode of it. I’ve also been reading a lot. I’m on my forth book this past month. So you can clearly see why I’ve had no time to write. Despite my lack of updating, a lot has been going on. I believe the last time I wrote was just after I got my unfill and the first day I started solid food. Well, for a day or two there I was feeling great. The unfill was a very welcome—I could finally drink water without chest pain. And for a few days there I felt great restriction. But the sweet spot did not last. Eventually my appetite returned full force and as I realized that not only was I hungry, but I could eat anything, I started making some bad choices again. I tried a slice of pizza. It went down great. On the bright side, I only had 1. I was still hungry, but I ate some good healthy chicken afterwards to fill me up. I also tried bagels. I scooped out the insides to help me out. One day at work someone brought in some left over candy from Easter (how on earth anyone could have Easter candy left over a month later is beyond my comprehension, but I digress). I learned a very valuable lesson that day—I can NOT eat just 1 or 2 pieces of candy. No, as soon as I have one bite, I am overcome with the need to stuff my face with it. Now at least I know that I can only have a taste of candy if a taste is all that’s available to me. And then of course there was the donut that the pharmaceutical rep brought in one day. I also started eating faster and faster as the days went by. Now I know all of this sounds bad—I was definitely straying from the guidelines my nutritionist gave me, but I was still keeping my calories down to around 1200-1300 calories most days. Of course since my body was in starvation mode from over a month of 600 calorie a day liquids and mushies, my weight loss stalled but I did manage to lose almost 3 pounds between the time of my unfill and last Tuesday when I went back to Dr. G’s for my 6 week post-op appointment. The appointment went well. I called ahead to make sure I didn’t have to fast or go on liquids prior to the appointment and was assured that it wasn’t necessary. I ate a reasonable breakfast (whole wheat English muffin, 1 egg and a slice of American cheese) and got there in the early afternoon. Dr. G asked me how I was doing and I told him that I was doing alright but I was hungry again after the unfill. He asked me how I was doing keeping my meals to 20 minutes and how my food choices were. I admitted that I had had a few indiscretions and that I was afraid I was starting to eat too quickly but that overall I was managing okay. He agreed to give me a fill but made me promise to take my time and chew well. I agreed and he sent the PA in to do the fill. The PA came in and asked me some of the same questions, then prepped my stomach over my port, filled a syringe, and stuck me with a big needle. It was a quick pinch, but hurt less than giving blood and it didn’t bother me at all. She filled me with 2.5ccs (they had previously removed 3.2ccs) so that I know have a total of 3ccs in my 10 cc band. She gave me my post fill instructions—24-48 hours of liquids followed by 24-48 hours of mushies. All of Tuesday and Wednesday I stuck to my liquids and Thursday and half of Friday I was on mushies before reverting back to solids at dinner time Friday. The fill was good for me, although it’s still too early for me to tell if it worked. I do think I’m feeling less hungry and the post adjustment diet got me back on track. It was long enough to get my mind back to where it needs to be but not so long that I feel the deprivation that I felt from the post-op diet. I’m definitely making better choices, watching my speed and making sure to chew to goo. The only thing I didn’t have to get back on track after the fill was my exercise regime. I’ve been going to the gym at least 3 times a week for cardio and I’ve started working out with my trainer, J, again. I can now run on the treadmill for an hour starting at a 4.0 mph pace and working my way up to a 5.0 mph. If I can keep that up I definitely think I should be able to meet my goal of running a half marathon by the end of September. Of course this weekend I didn’t get to the gym since I hurt my back at work yesterday. Well, technically it’s not my back so much as my butt—I apparently have a weak gluteus medius muscle. That’s the muscle that’s just below the small of your back. The left one seems to be my bad one. I’ve had trouble with it several times in the past. Usually some pain meds and rest and I’m feeling better in a week but it’s pure agony in the mean time. I think I might give in and go to a chiropractor this time. Hopefully I’ll be back to the gym before long. Anyhow, after the fill Tuesday, I’ve lost another 6.5 pounds for a total of 40.5 pounds since I started the pre-op diet 8 weeks ago. Also, this past week at work one of my clients noticed that I’d lost weight and told me how good I looked. This was the first person who didn’t know about my surgery to mention that they noticed a difference in me. Things definitely aren’t as simple as they were when I was on liquids and mushies. Back then it all seemed so easy and I started getting complacent. I was starting to think that this was going to be cake but the truth is, this is something that I’m going to be working at every day for the rest of my life. This isn’t news, I’ve always known that the lap-band was just a tool to help me get where I need to go—that the real work was up to me. And since I’m only human, there are going to be slip ups along the way. There will be days when I’m less dedicated than I should be. There will be days when I look at a donut or an ice cream sundae or some pizza and I don’t even have the will to try and fight the desire to eat it. Those days will happen and it’s not going to be a straight shot to victory here. All I can do is remember what I’ve gone through to get here, remember what I’m trying to achieve and take it one bite at a time. If I do that then hopefully the good days will be more frequent and the bad days won’t really be so bad—after all, we all need a little indulgence sometimes and accepting that doesn’t automatically equal failure.

hehe, thanks. Exercise is not a new concept for me. I've been working out with a personal trainer for almost a year now. And I exercised a lot before that too. Even in HS I was on track and cross country. The cross country meets were 5Ks. I always finished even if I always came in last. And despite having practacies for 2 hours a day 6 days a week I still weighed 250#. Distance was easy for me--it's speed that I suck at. There are usually people walking faster than I run.

For me, it was easy right after surgery. I had specific rules I had to follow and I followed them. I didn't suffer from too much head hunger because I knew I had no choice. Once I was able to start eating real food again was when I started having trouble. Obviously we all got to the point where we need surgery for a reason. We have trouble managing our diets. That's not going to change after surgery, the band is just one thing to help us deal with that struggle.

Hey, don't get discouraged. I did manage to lose a good amount of weight my first week but I have heard from many people who didn't. There's a lot of swelling, plus you were on an IV in the hospital so it sometimes takes some time for your body to get rid of the fluid it's holding onto. Some people even gain right after surgery for this reason. Just keep doing what you're doing and the weight will come off.

It’s officially been 4 weeks since my surgery and 5 weeks since I started my pre-op diet. I figured this would make as good a time for an official weigh-in as any. I took some 1 month post-op pictures which can be viewed below if you’re interested. It’s actually pretty cool to see how much can change in a month. In addition I also took my measurements again. Of course they’re probably completely meaningless since the first time I had them professionally done by my personal trainer, J and this time I had to do them myself since I haven’t been cleared my Dr. G. yet for PT level working out. I hope it’s at least somewhat accurate. So here goes… Post-op pictures: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/54524-albums3098.html Before Weight: 313.4# Chest: 52.5” Waist: 51.5” Hips: 59.5” Thigh: 29.5” Calf: 20” Arm: 21.5” Now Weight: 281.0# Chest: 51” Waist: 45” Hips: 58” Thigh: 29.25” Calf: 19.75” Arm: 20” My weight was actually down to 279.5 a few days ago but it seems to have gone back up a tad. I was really happy being out of the 280’s. It meant less than 10# until my BMI was below 40. Oh well; before I had my unfill I could barely even drink water so I was dehydrated. I know this has to be it because now I’m drinking more but still haven’t been peeing much the last couple of days. A 32# loss is still pretty damn good for 5 weeks. In other news, I get to start real food today—woohoo! I’m excited to get off munchies. So far I haven’t been having trouble tolerating my food, but I definitely still feel restricted. I had 3 oz of Tyson steak strips and half a baked potato for lunch and was stuffed. Also, I’ve been looking for alternatives to Diet Coke since I’ve really been missing it lately and water is getting boring. The Crystal Light and Diet Snapples are just too aspartame-y for me now. Well, I’ve got to tell you, I’ve discovered a new Snapple—Noni Berry Juice—10 calories per 8 oz serving and super yummy. I’m loving it. I also tried a Tropical Punch Fuze yesterday, also 10 calories per 8oz serving. Not bad either. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get over the Diet Coke but these might ease my pain a little. The only think I have to do is make sure I don’t start drinking just that. I still need my H20 goodness, even if I don’t like it.

There's a spread sheet? Where?

I’ve been a bad, bad girl…abandoning my blog for almost 3 weeks. I’ve been busy trying to get everything in order with the bank to buy my co-op apartment which I will hopefully be getting in the next week or two. I also have my sister’s wedding and have been doing some stuff with her as well as getting started on plans for her shower. Then of course there’s just the fact that I’m a lazy bum. I’ve spent much of my free time the last week or two catching up on episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D. courtesy of Hulu. I used to love that show and apparently I don’t remember a single episode of it. I’ve also been reading a lot. I’m on my forth book this past month. So you can clearly see why I’ve had no time to write. Despite my lack of updating, a lot has been going on. I believe the last time I wrote was just after I got my unfill and the first day I started solid food. Well, for a day or two there I was feeling great. The unfill was a very welcome—I could finally drink water without chest pain. And for a few days there I felt great restriction. But the sweet spot did not last. Eventually my appetite returned full force and as I realized that not only was I hungry, but I could eat anything, I started making some bad choices again. I tried a slice of pizza. It went down great. On the bright side, I only had 1. I was still hungry, but I ate some good healthy chicken afterwards to fill me up. I also tried bagels. I scooped out the insides to help me out. One day at work someone brought in some left over candy from Easter (how on earth anyone could have Easter candy left over a month later is beyond my comprehension, but I digress). I learned a very valuable lesson that day—I can NOT eat just 1 or 2 pieces of candy. No, as soon as I have one bite, I am overcome with the need to stuff my face with it. Now at least I know that I can only have a taste of candy if a taste is all that’s available to me. And then of course there was the donut that the pharmaceutical rep brought in one day. I also started eating faster and faster as the days went by. Now I know all of this sounds bad—I was definitely straying from the guidelines my nutritionist gave me, but I was still keeping my calories down to around 1200-1300 calories most days. Of course since my body was in starvation mode from over a month of 600 calorie a day liquids and mushies, my weight loss stalled but I did manage to lose almost 3 pounds between the time of my unfill and last Tuesday when I went back to Dr. G’s for my 6 week post-op appointment. The appointment went well. I called ahead to make sure I didn’t have to fast or go on liquids prior to the appointment and was assured that it wasn’t necessary. I ate a reasonable breakfast (whole wheat English muffin, 1 egg and a slice of American cheese) and got there in the early afternoon. Dr. G asked me how I was doing and I told him that I was doing alright but I was hungry again after the unfill. He asked me how I was doing keeping my meals to 20 minutes and how my food choices were. I admitted that I had had a few indiscretions and that I was afraid I was starting to eat too quickly but that overall I was managing okay. He agreed to give me a fill but made me promise to take my time and chew well. I agreed and he sent the PA in to do the fill. The PA came in and asked me some of the same questions, then prepped my stomach over my port, filled a syringe, and stuck me with a big needle. It was a quick pinch, but hurt less than giving blood and it didn’t bother me at all. She filled me with 2.5ccs (they had previously removed 3.2ccs) so that I know have a total of 3ccs in my 10 cc band. She gave me my post fill instructions—24-48 hours of liquids followed by 24-48 hours of mushies. All of Tuesday and Wednesday I stuck to my liquids and Thursday and half of Friday I was on mushies before reverting back to solids at dinner time Friday. The fill was good for me, although it’s still too early for me to tell if it worked. I do think I’m feeling less hungry and the post adjustment diet got me back on track. It was long enough to get my mind back to where it needs to be but not so long that I feel the deprivation that I felt from the post-op diet. I’m definitely making better choices, watching my speed and making sure to chew to goo. The only thing I didn’t have to get back on track after the fill was my exercise regime. I’ve been going to the gym at least 3 times a week for cardio and I’ve started working out with my trainer, J, again. I can now run on the treadmill for an hour starting at a 4.0 mph pace and working my way up to a 5.0 mph. If I can keep that up I definitely think I should be able to meet my goal of running a half marathon by the end of September. Of course this weekend I didn’t get to the gym since I hurt my back at work yesterday. Well, technically it’s not my back so much as my butt—I apparently have a weak gluteus medius muscle. That’s the muscle that’s just below the small of your back. The left one seems to be my bad one. I’ve had trouble with it several times in the past. Usually some pain meds and rest and I’m feeling better in a week but it’s pure agony in the mean time. I think I might give in and go to a chiropractor this time. Hopefully I’ll be back to the gym before long. Anyhow, after the fill Tuesday, I’ve lost another 6.5 pounds for a total of 40.5 pounds since I started the pre-op diet 8 weeks ago. Also, this past week at work one of my clients noticed that I’d lost weight and told me how good I looked. This was the first person who didn’t know about my surgery to mention that they noticed a difference in me. Things definitely aren’t as simple as they were when I was on liquids and mushies. Back then it all seemed so easy and I started getting complacent. I was starting to think that this was going to be cake but the truth is, this is something that I’m going to be working at every day for the rest of my life. This isn’t news, I’ve always known that the lap-band was just a tool to help me get where I need to go—that the real work was up to me. And since I’m only human, there are going to be slip ups along the way. There will be days when I’m less dedicated than I should be. There will be days when I look at a donut or an ice cream sundae or some pizza and I don’t even have the will to try and fight the desire to eat it. Those days will happen and it’s not going to be a straight shot to victory here. All I can do is remember what I’ve gone through to get here, remember what I’m trying to achieve and take it one bite at a time. If I do that then hopefully the good days will be more frequent and the bad days won’t really be so bad—after all, we all need a little indulgence sometimes and accepting that doesn’t automatically equal failure.

Bunny's name ------ Bunny's target loss --- Bunny's start weight --- Current date --- Bunny's Current weight --- Bunny's target July 4 weight PharmaGirl -------------- 20lb --------------------- 276lb ---------------- 11 May --------------------- 278lb -------------------- 256lb NY Lady ----------------- 20lb --------------------- 253lb ---------------- 11 May --------------------- 250lb -------------------- 233lb lingling ------------------ 20lb --------------------- 279.6lb --------------- 1 May --------------------- 279.6lb ----------------- 259.6lb JayTee562 --------------- 20lb --------------------- 272lb ----------------- 12 June --------------------- 261lb -------------------- 252lb MrsMitch ---------------- 25lb --------------------- 242lb ------------------ 1 May --------------------- 242lb -------------------- 217lb ALuv82------------------ 35lb ---------------------- 297.5lb --------------- 14 June --------------------- 273lbs ------------------- 262.5lb Band_Groupie ----------- 15lb ---------------------- 218 lbs -------------- 5 June --------------------- 207lbs -------------------- 203lbs kaner ------------------- 20lb ----------------------- 275lb --------------- 29 May --------------------- 267lb ---------------------- 255lb scoobydoo -------------- 25lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? TerriLynne -------------- 15lb ----------------------- 296lb --------------- 5 June --------------------- 285.8lb ---------------------- 281lb hopeful41411 ----------- 18lb ----------------------- 260.8lb -------------- 1 May -------------------- 260.8lb -------------------- 242.8lb IsabellaP84 ------------- 20lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? hannahj914 ------------- 20lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? JWL08 ------------------ 18lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? Abbie-pie --------------- 30lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? poconomom -------------20lb ----------------------- 212lb --------------- 8 May --------------------- 204lb --------------------- 192lb myturn2bhappy --------- 30lb ---------------------- 288lb ---------------- 1 May --------------------- 286lb --------------------- 258lb DM Chef ---------------- 20lb ---------------------- ? -------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? FutureSize10 ------------ 25lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? doodlebug11 ------------ 20lb ---------------------- 207lb --------------- 1 May ---------------------- 199.5lb-------------------- 187lb tcbgirl ------------------- 15lb ---------------------- 202.8lb ------------- 1 May --------------------- 202.8lb --------------------187.8lb twinmamma1130 -------- 20lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? mi_illusion_st ----------- 15lb --------------------- 211.6lb ---------------- 1 May --------------------- 211.6lb----------------- 196.6lb Babygirl_68 -------------- 20lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? kittygirl ------------------ 22lb ----------------------2031b ------------------ 31 May ---------------195lb---------------------- 181lb jukeBox81782 ----------- 40lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May ---------------------- ? ------------------------- ? Losing for me ----------- 20lb ---------------------- 189lb ---------------13 Jun ---------------------- 176lb --------------------169lb early -------------------- 15lb ---------------------- 202lb ------------------- 1 May --------------------- 202lb -------------------- 187lb lapband-AP-redo -------- 20lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May ---------------------- ? ------------------------- ? pottergirl----------------- 20lb----------------------- 280lb ---------------- 1 May---------------------- 280lb -------------------- 260lb shakia90 ---------------- 20lb ----------------------- 285lb ---------------- 1 May --------------------- 285lb -------------------- 265lb txdj --------------------- 20lb------------------------ 205lb ---------------- 11 June --------------------- 186lb --------------------175lb ThinWithin -------------- 27.4lb --------------------- 297.4lb -------------- 8 May --------------------- 297.4lb ------------------ 270lb help1977 ----------------20lb----------------------- 251.8lb ---------------- 14 June -------------------- 245.0lb ------------------- 231.8lb vcatalina1 -------------- 20lb------------------------ 255lb ------------------1 May -------------------- 240lb --------------------- 220lb Auddie ----------------- 20lb------------------------ ? -----------------------1 May ------------------- ? --------------------------? lapbandgirl2009 -------- 25lb ---------------------- 259lb -------------------25 May ------------------- 256lb --------------------- 234lb swkrp ------------------ 20lb ---------------------- 219lb ------------------- 1 May ------------------- 199lb --------------------- 234lb Shellynnrn --------------20lb ---------------------- 260lb--------------------1 May ------------------- 260lb-----------------------240lb kath17268 -------------15lb ----------------------- 236lb--------------------1 May ------------------- 224lb ------------------------ 221lb knighmo -------------- 25lb --------------------- 298lb -------------------- 4 May-------------------- 298lb ------------------- 273lb jannyboo -------------- 29lb -------------------- 219lb ---------------------1 May ------------------- 219lb ------------------- 190lb lilith ------------------ 20lb -------------------- 249lb---------------------6 May ------------------- 244.7lb ------------------- 229lb

Hmm, well I tried to update but stupid google won't let me in. I'm 274 which is 7 lbs down from the beginning of the challenge. Most of that was this week since I got a fill and have been on liwuids and mushies. Hope I can keep it up on solid food.

Name********Starting weight*****Current*******Goal******To go ******************:laugh:*******************************:thumbdown: 1RockinMom.........254............220.........145.......75 Alleycia...........255............220.........152.......68 ALuv82.............280.5..........274.........200......74 AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............272.........199.......73 Bellaperdente......196............177.........150.......27 Bklyn1984..........317............235.........165.......70 Bostongurl.........190............186.........133.......53 Brandy.............198............181.........166.......15 Cappy..............240............223.5.......130.......93.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............219.........175.......44 CubsGirl17.........147............135.........130.......5 Clarebear08........192............170.........160.......10 Donna113...........183............172.5.......126.......46.5 dublingirl.........224............209.........145.......64 Ebonie.............307............298.8.......200.......98.8 EmmaWang...........241............203.........140.......63 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............364.........300.......64 GratefulHeart......226............187.........135.......52 GuyMontag..........325............276.........200.......76 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 inri09.............287............254.........185.......69 janesays...........225............189.........160.......29 kaninag............210............210.........170.......40 kimaly.............194............183.........160.......23 Lindar172..........246............218.6.......150.......68.4 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............180.........169.......11 lotzasunshine......270............244.5.......180.......64.5 Loveislovely.......216............180.........175.......5 ltgordon...........284.8..........229.4.......185.......44.4 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 nicolerose.........365............288.........258.......30 Pink...............230............152.........145........7 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Snow...............227............167.........141.......26 stacy73............285............214.........160.......54 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............187.5.......130.......57.5 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............147.........125.......22

274. I'm down 5.5 lbs this week. Yippee. Of course I had my first fill Tues so I've been on liquids and mushies. Hope this trend keeps up as I transition back to real food though. A few more ponuds and my BMI will be under 40. :thumbdown:

Bunny's name ------ Bunny's target loss --- Bunny's start weight --- Current date --- Bunny's Current weight --- Bunny's target July 4 weight PharmaGirl -------------- 20lb --------------------- 276lb ---------------- 11 May --------------------- 278lb -------------------- 256lb NY Lady ----------------- 20lb --------------------- 253lb ---------------- 11 May --------------------- 250lb -------------------- 233lb lingling ------------------ 20lb --------------------- 279.6lb --------------- 1 May --------------------- 279.6lb ----------------- 259.6lb JayTee562 --------------- 20lb --------------------- 272lb ----------------- 5 June --------------------- 261lb -------------------- 252lb MrsMitch ---------------- 25lb --------------------- 242lb ------------------ 1 May --------------------- 242lb -------------------- 217lb ALuv82------------------ 35lb ---------------------- 297.5lb --------------- 22 May --------------------- 279.5lbs ------------------- 262.5lb Band_Groupie ----------- 15lb ---------------------- 218 lbs -------------- 5 June --------------------- 207lbs -------------------- 203lbs kaner ------------------- 20lb ----------------------- 275lb --------------- 29 May --------------------- 267lb ---------------------- 255lb scoobydoo -------------- 25lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? TerriLynne -------------- 15lb ----------------------- 296lb --------------- 5 June --------------------- 285.8lb ---------------------- 281lb hopeful41411 ----------- 18lb ----------------------- 260.8lb -------------- 1 May -------------------- 260.8lb -------------------- 242.8lb IsabellaP84 ------------- 20lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? hannahj914 ------------- 20lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? JWL08 ------------------ 18lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? Abbie-pie --------------- 30lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? -------------------------- ? poconomom -------------20lb ----------------------- 212lb --------------- 8 May --------------------- 204lb --------------------- 192lb myturn2bhappy --------- 30lb ---------------------- 288lb ---------------- 1 May --------------------- 286lb --------------------- 258lb DM Chef ---------------- 20lb ---------------------- ? -------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? FutureSize10 ------------ 25lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? doodlebug11 ------------ 20lb ---------------------- 207lb --------------- 1 May ---------------------- 199.5lb-------------------- 187lb tcbgirl ------------------- 15lb ---------------------- 202.8lb ------------- 1 May --------------------- 202.8lb --------------------187.8lb twinmamma1130 -------- 20lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? mi_illusion_st ----------- 15lb --------------------- 211.6lb ---------------- 1 May --------------------- 211.6lb----------------- 196.6lb Babygirl_68 -------------- 20lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May --------------------- ? ------------------------- ? kittygirl ------------------ 22lb ----------------------2031b ------------------ 31 May ---------------195lb---------------------- 181lb jukeBox81782 ----------- 40lb ---------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May ---------------------- ? ------------------------- ? Losing for me ----------- 20lb ---------------------- 189lb ---------------- 1 May ---------------------- 189lb --------------------169lb early -------------------- 15lb ---------------------- 202lb ------------------- 1 May --------------------- 202lb -------------------- 187lb lapband-AP-redo -------- 20lb ----------------------- ? ------------------- 1 May ---------------------- ? ------------------------- ? pottergirl----------------- 20lb----------------------- 280lb ---------------- 1 May---------------------- 280lb -------------------- 260lb shakia90 ---------------- 20lb ----------------------- 285lb ---------------- 1 May --------------------- 285lb -------------------- 265lb txdj --------------------- 20lb------------------------ 205lb ---------------- 22 May --------------------- 193lb --------------------185lb ThinWithin -------------- 27.4lb --------------------- 297.4lb -------------- 8 May --------------------- 297.4lb ------------------ 270lb help1977 ----------------20lb----------------------- 251.8lb ---------------- 3 June -------------------- 246.6lb ------------------- 231.8lb vcatalina1 -------------- 20lb------------------------ 255lb ------------------1 May -------------------- 240lb --------------------- 220lb Auddie ----------------- 20lb------------------------ ? -----------------------1 May ------------------- ? --------------------------? lapbandgirl2009 -------- 25lb ---------------------- 259lb -------------------25 May ------------------- 256lb --------------------- 234lb swkrp ------------------ 20lb ---------------------- 219lb ------------------- 1 May ------------------- 199lb --------------------- 234lb Shellynnrn --------------20lb ---------------------- 260lb--------------------1 May ------------------- 260lb-----------------------240lb kath17268 -------------15lb ----------------------- 236lb--------------------1 May ------------------- 224lb ------------------------ 221lb knighmo -------------- 25lb --------------------- 298lb -------------------- 4 May-------------------- 298lb ------------------- 273lb jannyboo -------------- 29lb -------------------- 219lb ---------------------1 May ------------------- 219lb ------------------- 190lb lilith ------------------ 20lb -------------------- 249lb---------------------6 May ------------------- 244.7lb ------------------- 229lb

279.5 Down a pound and a half. I was hoping it would be more since I didn't lose any last week. Oh well, I have my first fill Tues (although I've already been unfilled haha--guess they're gonna have to put some of it back.) Hopefully that will help speed things up.

281. I'm up a half a pound. I got that unfill last week because I was way too tight and I gained 2 days later--I think it's because I was dehydrated from not even being able to drink. Then the scale hasn't moved since. I'm in bandster hell now although I did good all week except yesterday. We ordered chinese for lunch and I got general tso's but I got it sauteed instead of fried. Well aparently it's stilla lot of calories. And in true chinese fashion it filled me up and then left me hungry an hour alter so even though I didn't eat much at first--by the end of the night I'd consumed the whole plater that I was sure would feed me for days. It also doesn't help that I haven't exercised much the last few days. I'm heading to the gym in a little bit to try and remedy that.

Well, today was my first official day on solids and about 4 days since my unfill. I don't know if it will last as I've heard that "fills" can take 2-3 weeks to take effect, so I imagine that unfill might not all work right away, BUT if I stay like this I think I have my sweet spot with only the 0.5 ccs. I had a sweet and sour chicken lean cuisine dinner and had no problems, even with the rice, but I couldn't finish that last bite of it. And for lunch I had ~ 3 oz Tyson steak strips and half a baked potato and again no problems getting it down but I felt overly full. It's pretty cool feeling this way. Now as long as I continue to listen to my body everything should be great.

I'll join... Name...................Start........Current..........Goal.......To Go Capitolchick.............215................215..............200...... ..15 Chocolate_Snaps......219................219..............199........20 JasonR....................314................289..............289..... ...25 Kaninag..................210.................210..............190..... ...20 Aluv82..................281.................281..............235..... ...45

It was hard for me to give up when I didn't have to give it up. But once I started the pre-op diet it was so much easier. I think it's because I was so focused on my new diet that the diet soda was just trivial. But now that I've settled into my post-band life the cravings are starting to return.