NewBeginnings2018

Derby, that is still awesome! I have a friend who is getting the band, and she is starting out at 400. I'm sure she'll be excited to hear about your progress. You're doing awesome!

Cindy have fun in Disney. Hugs to Kat, Dianne, Mandy, Patty....there's been a lot of stressful stuff going on. Hi to all my other gals! xoxoxo

About a week for me as well. Good luck!

Alysa hon, you, your father, and your family are in my thoughts and prayers today. ((hugs)) Denise don't get discouraged!! You may have to kiss (or not kiss in this case) a lot of frogs to find your prince, but he's out there. I know what it's like to want things out of life that you don't have (for me children first, a man second lol), but I also am a firm believer that we get one shot at life, and since we don't know what day will be our last, we need to focus on being thankful for what we do have and not focus on what we don't. You are a beautiful, caring woman who has a great head on her shoulders. You are working towards improving yourself and your life. The man who lands you will be one lucky guy!! You need a hug today too I sense. lol ((hugs)) JC, yes my self-esteem has really been boosted as I've been losing this weight. I've always been a "big" girl, but I was always active and athletic. There was nothing I couldn't do. For me, once I started getting winded doing simple things like riding a bike, I felt disgusted with how out of shape I was. Now that I've lost 50 lbs, exercising is so much easier and I'm starting to enjoy it again. You're an inspiration to me with the exercise. I'm so glad you've become a regular poster on the thread.

Loved your post JC. And it's very true. It's been tough but I've been trying to focus on myself, and doing what's good for me. It's well worth it though. I really feel like I am finding myself again. It's a wonderful thing.

Eyespy I was just going to say that I do a lot of volunteering and I love it! We have a local women's group here and we do community projects, fundraising, and lots of social stuff. There is always something to do, which I often find to be a pain in the butt, but at the end of the day I'm happy I volunteer. I'm a firm believer that if everyone did a little bit for their community, then we would make a big difference. Hokey, I know, but it's how I feel. I've made some great friendships though, and have had the chance to do some fun things with my "volunteer" friends. Go for it! As far as recovery, I needed two weeks. I had soooo much shoulder pain after surgery I really was in agony. That, and I think I ate less than 300 calories a day for the first 7 days so I was very weak and didn't feel well. The second week I felt better, but I did get tired easily. Some people bounce right back though, so it's hard to tell how you'll do. Denise - congrats on the fill working! I hit a point after this last fill where I said "ah ha, THIS is how it's supposed to work". lol. JC hang in there! I know the weight gain is devastating, even with all that exercising, but you're doing great. Look at all the positive changes you have made in your life since you've had the band. I can bet a 4 mile walk and kyaking was not a part of your regular routine in your past. You should be pround of that accomplishment!

Good point JC! If this is his "best" behavior Denise then there is not much more to look forward to! I'm proud of you for getting out there though, and I'm sure next time it will be easier. Regarding the looks thing, there are lots of guys I've become attracted to when they are not the typical definition of attractiveness. Sometimes chemistry is in the weirdest places. But if there was no chemistry, don't try and force it. You deserve it all! I am going out this weekend with that guy again. He was away last week for a conference. We're going out Sat night -- oooh our first weekend date. lol. It's my treat, and I think we're grabbing dinner. Of course, I can't eat much at all since my last fill. I may have to come clean. lol

Awww Denise, I think no matter what happens tonight, it is a HUGE success because you took the chance and got back out there. He may or may not be right for you, but you gave it a try! That's half the battle! You are beautiful, inside and out. The right guy will see this, even if you have to kiss a 100 frogs to find him. There is no need to settle, which I know you won't. I'm proud of you for taking a chance and getting back out there. I can't wait for the update!

lol Suzzie, that was hysterical! GOOD LUCK DENISE!!! I have my fingers crossed that it's a good meeting!

Wow derbygirl, you have done phenomenal! You should be very proud of yourself! 117 lbs lost is no small feat. Great job!

Welcome Marjorie! I hope you get approved! Who did you meet with? June or Kelly? They are really great. I think I started the process this time last year and I got banded on 10/2 so I think you're right on track for October. My advice - take 2 weeks. Better to be safe. Good luck - keep us updated!

Shirley I always heard about the sweet spot myself and wondered how I would know if I found it. Well, with my last fill I think I did. I am FINALLY able to make it 3-4 hours without being hungry and I'm full on a small amount of food - no more than a cup. I have to eat slow - no choice. I've had the fill just over a week and I've lost 4 lbs and I haven't PB'd once. I was beginning to doubt myself too, but now I really get how this little band works. I love this fill!

Soooo cute Mandy!

Haha eyespy, I have no idea. So is it the week for ex-boyfriends to come out of the woodwork or something?? My ex of five years, the one I wrote about on the very first post when I started this thread, text messaged me today out of the blue. We haven't corresponded in over a year. It totally freaked me out. So my questions for him are #1 - when did you become such a wimp that you text me to see how I'm doing? Especially when a text message was too much to ask for when we were dating and #2 - seriously, you think I want to talk to you??? The best part of the whole story is that when I saw the message I didn't know who it was from. lol. I knew it was between him and another guy from the exchange number, but I really didn't know because I had deleted all of my ex's numbers from everything. Cracks me up because I almost texted back "who is this". hmmm...maybe I still should. lol. So anyway, that's the weird stuff happening with me today. Men! Ugh!

Hey Jersey girls! I'm alive and kicking - just busy. Wated to pop in to say hi though. Another puppy Mandy?! lol You have quite the brood! I can't wait to see pics.

I'd love to see pics Brenda!! Be brave!!!

Lmao Eyespy - you are too funny! lol Welcome Sharon! You too Dotofoz! As far as what to do with this new (old)guy, I would say just take it slow and do what you are comfortable with. I would also suggest making sure you take some time to find yourself again. You may have already done this, because I'm sure you've been separated for a while. But whatever you do, don't settle. You're worth far too much! :welldoneclap:

Denise there is definitely a need for chemistry! But it's one of those things you can't force. It's either going to be there or it's not. It's hard not to be dissapointed when it's not there, but that's life I suppose. Good luck with your meeting!! I really hope it goes well for you. New man is pretty good. We've agreed to go out again, and it will be my treat and my planning (I insisted since he has paid both times before, and for two very, very nice dinners). I'm trying to come up with something fun that doesn't surround eating. I'll take any ideas. lol. We've emailed a couple of times but haven't spoken. I don't know what it is about guys my age - they don't like to call. Grrr... But he's away for business this week, so our next date will be sometime during the week after next. I'll keep you posted.

Well eyespy there is nothing like a 3 week liquid diet to detox you from all the junk. lol. My problems were eating large volumes, hunger (snacking too much), and stress eating. The band has helped with all 3. With my 3rd fill though I'm starting to get nervous that it's going to become abundantly obvious when I go to dinner with someone that I'm not eating much. When I went to dinner with tattoo boy the other night (who knows about my surgery thank god) I was able to eat 3 scallops and a few bites of the lettuce from my salad. That's it. I'm stressing out a little bit over my dates noticing this. lol So what are some ideas for dates that don't revolve around eating????

I think you should be ok Kim with the soup. I'm a stress eater too, although I've found that 8 months out I have curbed that habit a tremendous amount. Denise - you go girl!!!! Isn't fun to even talk with someone?! Ask a lot of questions, make sure he's being honest with you, and have some fun girl! Eyspy - I don't blame you for wanting as much info about the band as you can get. For me, food has lost a lot of his luster. This in and of itself is amazing to me. I didn't feel like that right away, but 8 months and 3 fills down the road, I don't put such a big focus on eating, even though I still enjoy food. And certain foods take so much effort to eat, I never care to eat them. For example, when I go out to eat I have no interest in getting a burger & fries or even pizza, which is my all time favorite, because they take too much effort to eat. Also, with this third fill I am FINALLY feeling the benefits of staying full between meals. That was one of my biggest problems. I was always hungry. I love the fact that I can eat my breakfast and not need a snack before lunch. Sometimes I still need a small snack in the afternoon, but a small snack now fills me up. It's a beautiful thing. But like Denise said it's still very easy to eat the ice cream, cookies, and junk because that stuff goes down easy. So you still have to use your willpower. It's not as easy a journey as I thought it would be, but I am facing my personal issues with food which needs to be done if I ever want to beat this demon. I always tell myself that the band is just a tool, and whether or not I'm a success story will depend on how I use it.

See in my opinion, the thing about the band is that if you want to lose the weight, you have to change your habits. You'll only get so far with the band. You have to do just as much work. With bypass, the weight falls off and if you don't change your habits, eventually it will come back on. I'm not saying that bypass people can't change their habits, or that all bandsters do, but I think we have a better chance of keeping the weight off if it takes us 2 years to lose it. I'm with you though Carol, by whole goal is to lose it and keep it off! Denise I don't mind at all if you "borrowed" some of my profile wording. Not at all! I hope you have luck with plenty of fish. Post your pic, know that you're a hot thing and that men would be lucky to have you! Oh, I broke up with tattoo boy because he started acting funny. One week wants to see me all the time, the next week i don't hear for him for days. I talked to him about it, he told me he heard me loud and clear, but nothing changed the next two days so I dumped him. He's claiming now it takes him more than two days to process something and he knows he can be a bit high maintenance but he wished I didn't give up so early. I told him that sounds so "f-ed" up. lol. So I think we're at least on friendly terms now and we understand where the other one was coming from. I don't think it will change anything, but that's ok. I'm not sure I would want to go down that road again with him.

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I want in on the challenge too. I would like to try to get to 212 by July 4th. That is 12-14 lbs if you count the 2 lbs I gained last week. lol. But I just got a fill the other day, and man I can tell the difference. I'm hoping to find my sweet spot and get this scale moving again!!

lol, too funny Eyespy! You go girl! Ok, so the weirdest thing happened today. Tattoo boy text messaged me this morning, and we started chatting and by the end of the conversation we started getting into why we broke up - again. We ended up meeting tonight to talk because, moreso than me, I think he needed closure. It was odd to see him again, I'll be honest. We had dinner out and talked a lot about what went down. He felt like I gave up on "us" too soon, but I think at the end he understood where I was coming from when I broke things off. We both admitted we were sad to break up, and dissapointed that it didn't work out. He apologized, I apologized and that was kind of it. So it was good to talk. I don't think we'll be friends, but at least I don't think there's any anomosity. So it was an interesting night for me to say the least.

Eyespy I love your profile. It sounds fun, and genuine. Sounds like a go to me!

Wootsie hon, I am so glad you posted! I've been thinking about you!!! Don't be down on yourself. You are such a beautiful person, inside and out. If other people don't see that, it's their loss. Do what you can to see a therapist again if it helped you. I know you're on hold to get the band, and that probably bums you out as well. But I can tell you the band certainly doesn't solve all your problems. We're here for you Wootsie - always! Eyespye, I've never done that site, just Match. I don't know - I'm a little leery about that site. I think a lot of men think overweight women are easy and have low self esteem and I just worry that BBW is a feeding ground for that. I have no basis for saying that, just a feeling I get. Denise honey, you are FAR too kind. There have been plenty of guys who I've met who didn't like me or weren't attracted to me. The thing is to dust yourself off and try again. I know it's easy to say, but I get frustrated too sometimes. You're not alone with that. JC the stomach bug is my biggest fear actually! I asked the doctor about that before I had surgery even. lol. Hopefully the unfill will help and you'll be ok when it comes time to get some fill added back in. So my date tonight went pretty well. He's a bit shy, but overall I thought we had fun and I am interested in him. I think I could have a spark with him. I know, I know - a spark is something I should know off the bat, right? Well tattoo boy and I had fireworks, and that didn't work out so well. lol So guys - I need your input here. This is our second date, and I got a hug goodnight. No attempt for a kiss. Need I be nervous, or could this be one of those ellusive "nice" guys?? lol. He took me out for a very, very nice dinner. We shared a bottle of wine, expensive meals - he easily dropped $100, so I'm assuming he likes me somewhat. lol. When the bill came I asked if I could treat this time and he said no, he asked me out so he pays and that I'll have to ask him out if I'd like to treat. So I'm guessing these are all good signs. It's pretty sad that I'm worried that the kid didn't try and make any moves on me. lol.