SpideyMom

Congratulations, LOM! :thumbup: Glad to hear it went well. Looking forward to hearing more progress updates! :laugh::thumbup: Take good care of yourself. :thumbup:

Julie, I love it -- an underwear revolution! :thumbup: It is good to celebrate all our victories, not just the numbers on the scale.:laugh: That's often what keeps me going lately since my weight loss is pretty much at a standstill now. Congrats! And keep on coming back with more! :thumbup:

Congratulations and happy bandiversary, Mamadot!!!! :frown::w00t: You have done so phenomenally well!!! So much of your post I could have written. I'm also about 10 pounds from where I'd like to be, but am struggling with those last few pounds. I keep going up and down about 3 lbs. from drinking large glasses of SF chocolate milk at night. That's something I never did before. It's interesting to see what new things we pick up, even when we're so successful in getting rid of the many bad habits we had before. That's fantastic that you can run now! I still can't do that, but I start a tae kwon do class tonight, and next month I'm starting a twice-a-week abs and strength training class at work. I'm hoping between that and the pool opening (love my Water aerobics) that I will tone up and maybe push past this tough spot. Many more happy days to you and all the Mayo Banditos!! :wink::thumbup:

WOWZA! :w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t:Everyone looks fab!!!!! :w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t: Way to go, Banditos!!!! :biggrin::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Congratulations, Vanessa! :biggrin: You look fantastic! I'm glad you came here and posted. Keep up the great work. :thumbup:

Happy official bandiversary, John! I agree, what a year! Thanks for being our greatest inspiration and cheerleader! :scared2::w00t::cheers2::party::tt2:

Fantastic job, sil! You look great!! :thumbup:

Aw, LOM, thanks. You are an inspiration to ME, with all your running!!! That is fantastic! :w00t: And you're almost at 100 lbs lost!! :w00t: How exciting! Can't wait to hear about your tummy tuck. Today is my one-year bandiversary! I cannot believe how time has flown! :ohmy: I am so glad I made this decision. It has been a tough road, but worth every step. I feel better in so many ways! I'm now down to the size I was when I got married (the first time) 20 years ago. Too bad I don't still have that wedding dress -- I would love to see if it fit. My dress from my second wedding is six sizes too big now! :laugh: Thank you, EVERY ONE OF YOU, for being there every step of the way. :thumbup::thumbup: Your posts have been so important to me. I have learned so much from you this past year+. I hope you will all continue to stick with the Mayo Banditos as we head into our next year of our new lives! Cheers!!! :tea:

Wow, LOM, you look fantastic!!! :thumbup: Way to go!!! :thumbup:

Congrats, Rebecca! It's fun when you break into a new "decade" isn't it? :thumbup: No weight loss for me this week. Today is my one-year anniversary. Hard to believe it's been a year already! It went so fast. If you haven't noticed, we started a new thread for our bandiversaries. Please check it out. :thumbup:

That's awesome! :bored: No wonder I could never hula hoop -- I'm hopelessly pear-shaped. :glare:

HG, it is so great to see you on here again! :bored: Congratulations on all you've lost!!! :glare: I'd call you a big loser too! lol :sleep: That is so awesome to be back in all your skinny clothes. And you are so right, it is all about a lifestyle change. That is so very important. That is the biggest battle. It will be one year for me on Friday. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. Where are all the rest of our Banditos? I hope you will all check in!

Erin Marie, don't worry, we all go up and down. It's becoming a weekly thing for me! I spoke to my doc about it, and he said that's the way everyone is. No one stays at the same weight (or loses weight) every day. The important thing is that we stay aware of our weight so it doesn't go too far up or down. What he said really made sense to me. I don't know why I always assumed that naturally thin people just stayed right at one weight. lol So, you're in good company. Cheer up, 'cause we're here for you!!! :thumbup::thumbup:

Thanks for starting this thread, John! You have been my inspiration from the very start! :biggrin: Happy Bandiversary to all my Mayo Bandito friends! It's been quite a journey, and I am so glad to have shared it with all of you!!!! I agree with you, John, I wish I had done this sooner. And I also feel that it has added 10 (or more) years back onto my life. I feel so much younger!! You're also right about maintenance -- although I am not truly at maintenance yet, my weight loss has slowed down to the point that I am sorta just maintaining -- you do get to the point where you are loose enough to eat more but tight enough not to get out of hand. It's a good feeling. John, that's a great story about your friend walking past you, and I can't wait to hear what your son has to say when he sees you!!! And, Rebecca, like you said, ONWARD!!! :thumbup::biggrin::thumbup: :party::biggrin:

Wisteria, don't fret. Everyone is different. I used to watch this thread and think the same thing. But I've talked with my surgeon about it many times, and he keeps assuring me that some people are able to eat more than others with the band, and it really depends on what kind of food you are eating. I am often able to eat 2 cups of food at a sitting, but I've lost 108 lbs in less than a year. Everyone is different! The important thing is to listen to your body, eat well, exercise, and never give up!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Cheers!

Thanks! :blushing: Congratulations to you, also!! :thumbdown::thumbup:

Thanks, everyone! Hard to believe that a year ago I was doing that nasty preop liquid diet, wondering if I was doing the right thing, scared to death, etc., etc. And now I can tell you, it was the best decision I've ever made -- and you too can do this! Keep your chin up, and if you slip up, just get up and keep going! :smile::frown::scared2:

Three words: Skinny. jeans. today. :smile:

I finally -- after months -- had a breakthrough! I had a fill last Friday, and I've lost 4 lbs. I can't tell you what that did for my confidence! I hate to admit it, but I was really beginning to doubt myself that I could get to my goal. Tomorrow is MAY -- can you believe it??? A year ago, I was choking down nasty SlimFast all day, all night, and feeling sick as a dawg. Wow, I really still believe the pre-op diet was the worst of it all. :smile: Rebecca, I know exactly what you are talking about. I hovered at 160 for the longest time before breaking into the 150s. It's so nice to finally see a "decade" change. Hang in there!

Sarah, those are both awesome! :smile: I would totally take the first one as a compliment and nothing else! :thumbup::biggrin::smile:

Congrats on the 2 lbs, Sarah! Everyone does lose at their own pace. The important things are: 1. you're not giving up, and 2. you're still losing! My doc told me from the onset that this was a 2 to 3 year process. Keep up the good work! :smile: Glad you're going to see someone about your continued joint pain. I have had times when my fibromyalgia and knee arthritis have gotten really bad, and it usually has to do with the weather. I really thought that losing weight would make that go away. :smile: On the days it isn't flaring, it is better, though. I'm not taking as much meds daily, which is good. I think I need to have blood work done at a year (mine will be a month later, just due to scheduling), and the doc wants me to have an x-ray also, just to be sure everything is looking okay. He does that with all of his patients. Keep smiling! :thumbup:

LOM, I can imagine your daughter is very scared about surgery. I'm sure there are books in the library for her age to explain that to her, and you can relate your own surgery to her to help her understand a bit better. I pray that everything is caught early and can be removed and not worried about again! :smile: And, btw, congrats on the 2 lbs. that got you to 90. :smile: I've never lost my appetite for any reason -- I eat more when I'm stressed, but, hey, take it however you can. :thumbup: (((HUGS)))

Wow, Mamadot, that is sooooo cool!!!:biggrin::biggrin: Can I have your autograph??? :wub: And Gaye, how exciting is that to find new jewelry in your own home!!! :w00t: Same thing happened to me, but I didn't like any of it anymore. LOL It was still fun, though.

Oh, LOM, I'm so sorry to hear what you are going through! You are really holding up through a tough time! I will keep you all in my prayers.:biggrin:

A new NSV today -- my surgeon's nurse told me that I was their most successful patient ever! Wheee! Then the surgeon asked me to speak at an upcoming support group meeting. That would be a little weird, since I go to those meetings anyhow, but we'll see. How 'bout the rest of you? I know there are some NSVs out there just waiting to be shared!!