TracyinKS

Thanks Ard and all the other well wishers.......... I am so pooped and I have GOT to get cracking on this payroll so this will be short.... I have not drank my water in days so I am up a couple pounds.... We booked a place last night and it is so beautiful... the pictures do it NO justice....... It will be March 1st, so the weather could be beautiful or ICEY.. coin toss....... http://www.basswoodresort.com/wedding_%20photo_gallery.html I have a photographer...... she actually works here but her major in college was PHOTOGRAPHY and all I have to do is buy and process the FILM! Dbf and I were up til 12:30 a.m. discussing wedding details... and it was HIM that wouldn't let me go to bed.... AND I got Lucky AGAIN! I don't know what has gotten into the man.... wedding AND luvn *but I likey* sorry TMI Congrats TERRY on dropping a pound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats Michelle for dropping 6!!!!!!! Jen: YOU ALREADY LOOK GREAT! Don't be so down on yourself woman! Everyone that I'm missing................. HAVE A GREAT DAY! I have to get to work. WWJD

I now have a DJ........... between my sis and her best friend I am sailing along...... friends Hubby is in a band and he just agreed to be the DJ... said I have to pic 50 or 60 songs, cuz they are NOT country and we are! LOL

LOL! Thanks everyone! I really can't believe all this is real... I'm in wedding planning mode.....as I was reading everyones comments I was chuckling out loud.... The only thing so far that we know is: 1. Wedding and Reception in same place, probably a Legion or other banquet hall. (I had the big church wedding the FIRST time) 2. My sis and 17 yr old neice are standing up with me. 3. My sis had a GREAT idea..... her blended family includes 5 girls and ours includes 4 boys....... her oldest will be up with us but the other 4 pairs are also matched in age so they are going to enter together! With my son and her youngest as flower girl/ring bearer.... (embarassed to admit this but) I just ordered the girls dresses in 1 size bigger than they wear today on clearance for $9.00 each in Lemon yellow... (I hadn't planned on buying the girls dresses but the ENTIRE order was $42.00 and I've spent WAY more on STUPID stuff.. boys are going to be in blue shirts with a yellow rose for accent..... Dbf doesn't know I did this.... (lets just keep it between us ...) the dresses are sleeveless but I figure my sis could get them white sweater toppers or something to keep them warmer and maybe cover the armholes if too big... and heck if we find something better later... the girls all have a new summer dress for next year. I have no idea what size I will be in by then HOPING for a 10/12... this just gives me a new goal to shoot for........ oh lord I can't believe how excited I really am... (the planner in me just kicked on and I have to turn it on simmer or else I will be FREAKING dbf out) And yes Kat... I'm thinking of doing our own invitations incorporating both our bikes.. but I don't know.. haven't talked to him about it...... I've called a couple rentable halls to get prices.... now I must get some work done! Oh.. I did really bad on food this weekend, but I'm back to it today.

GOOD MORNING Violets! Warning LONG POST AHEAD I had a VERY VERY VERY eventful weekend........ Went to the wedding and it was a very nice small to do, I felt like I looked good, this was the first meeting for me with the bride, and I had only met the groom once (at dbf's mom's funeral) so it was not a real meeting. The bride is a nice young bubbly blonde spitfire and I think she and I will hit it off great... her dress was handmade and a beautiful lavendar and white (some of my favorite colors)........ the fire department showed up with everyone one a pumper truck and it was cool because they had bride, groom, and son riding on the tail board of the truck with horns and lights to the reception... ( a VERY big deal due to insurance liability) but the groom was the chief at one time so the current chief ok'd it.........VERY cool. Dbf's exwife was wearing shorts and a pony tail and I looked better than her... (na na nanna na) Sorry, but you KNOW I was thinking it... can't say it to anyone else but my violets! We get along just fine and it was funny because the rest of the department pretty much had open mouthes when new husband shook dbf's hand and exwife and I started laughing about the boys...... she asked me in front of everyone..... So WHEN DO WE GET TO GO TO YOUR WEDDING???? I laughed and made a smart ass remark about improving his credit score first.. ( a defensive strategy I use to NOT show how important it someday is to me to become "legal") anyway.... once at the reception it came time for the bouquet toss and the bride yelled accross the room... "TRACY GET UP HERE!" I was like "What?" I hadn't planned on partaking in this event but when the bride is yelling from the dancefloor to get my ass up there, I figured I better do it...... She line up the DJ did a countdown and then she threw the bouquet straight into my hands... so I jokingly made a scene of it ... shaking it as a victor.. I think the photographer got the actual catch.......... DBF yelled that it was a set up as he laughed.... so the night progressed and we are sitting at the wedding party table and Charles say's........ "I like this wedding.. I could do this"... I'm like "YUP"... he's like "could you live with something small like this?" I said "well yeah" and that was the end of it........... So yesterday, we are still kid free and the morning is beautiful so we spent about 2.5 hours on our back deck drinking coffee, and somehow, some way............. WE SET A DATE...... March 1st. We had planned on going to Daytona for Bike week anyway so we just decided to make it OUR HONEYMOON............... We even wrote out lists to invite........ and wait that is not all..................... We went to Helzberg Diamonds and bought RINGS....... and (for those on the intimacy thread) I GOT LUCKY!!!!!!!!!!! after a nine month drought........ do you THINK I had a good day? My rings had to be sized, but they will be ready by Wednesday and yes I will take pics.......... I'm still in shock..... We told my mom, my sister and my dad..... He is going to tell his sister (who is really his mom and is against marriage in general) I was going to wait til I had a pic of the ring but I couldn't..... It is more of a ring that I ever dreamed of.......It is the first ring that the salesman pulled out of the case....... I am excited. That's it for now.

I'm bumping this for more replies! flap, flap.....

I'm going to chime in on the THANK YOU FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO POST YOUR PICS! Knowledge is power baby! Also you warned people on the title about graphic pics. Not a big deal to me. I find it extremely interesting and now that I have my band I'm researching the possible next step on my journey. p.s. the boobs and the hourglass look great!

Ms_Jen: thanks for the recipee! Judy: YOU CRACK ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pam: Yes we love our liberal lesbian from California!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to a wedding tomorrow and I have been TRYING to figure out how to look HAWT! which reminds me... Jennifer are you ready for your saturday picnic????? I think I'm going for a pair of my dress black capris.. (that I shopped for in my closet last night and THEY FIT!) A black lacey dress tank top, Covered by a White short sleeved blouse... The wedding is outside in a park SMACKDAB in the middle of dbfs EXstomping grounds............ I am going to be eyeballed from head to toe, (he used to be Fire Chief and the groom was the Chief before him...) so it is going to be SMALL TOWN HELL.. (especially because exwife and NEW husband are both still involved with the fire department) We all get along, and we have biweekly pow wows about the boys, but this is different................ AWEEEEEE I'm already sweating from the pressure............. ANYWAY! Michelle: Have a great time tonight! I'll be SLEEPING! Who are you going as?????

GOOD MORNING! TGIF to all the "slackers" today who have a day off.. LOL! I have been chuckling at everyones comments, and Haydee I would like to know how to make homeade beans too. I did not get to work out this morning BUT....... I had a WHOOOOOOOOOOSH...... I know it has something to do with weighing at 6:10a.m. instead of 4:20 a.m. but I DON'T CARE ... I'm claiming it............ 232.2...... I am preparing myself to bounce tomorrow, but I AM CLAIMING IT! What a way to go into the weekend! Whooooooooohooooooooooooo Good luck on the garage sale Judy! I have about 4 nice suits that I'm going to try and find home for.... I think I will try to find a womens charity that retrains and outfits women for entry into the business world.

I had a left over burger with a couple pcs of colby jack and a bit of ranch... I patiently waited for water and then I've had two glasses of water.... and that has been it......... I'm setting my sites on 232 so that I can hit 40lbs... the 220's....... just typing it makes getting to ONEderland more of a reality. Dbf called and said that my early morning workout is out for tomorrow because he has to leave early for work.... I may be able to get it in after work tomorrow but we'll see.... I'm getting ready to dive back into my book... tomorrow then

SO DID I! It came in yesterdays mail.............. NOW hows THAT for a WWJD moment! I'm in meetings the rest of the afternoon... check in this evening if I can.

Thanks JennifER for the post about the glycogen.... so I guess I'm going to hit a stall next week but will be amping up my metabolism instead! I knew that you tend to stall or gain when you first start exercising but I didn't know the WHY part. Laura: For someone who is EXTREMELY picky your are doing great on cooking! I am reading the book by Khaliiah Ali, about her lapband.... it is a really good book... so many things I've identified with during her life and I'm only to twenties....... I gotta tell you... the dedication made me tear up... it reads: "To my son Jacob- and to all the children whose parents have opted out of too many photos with them........ " This his home with me big time.........

EXACT SAME Response as Patti!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to the Malley Bandwagon!

Michelle: Thats sounds like SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!! I sure hope she didn't kill Harry off... maybe turn him into a teacher or something but DON'T kill him off! (congrats on the whoosh too!) Pamela: THAT IS SOOOO FUNNY! our violet connection creeps into our Real Lives and in your case Dreams! awesome Judy: Did you EVER think your being completely anal would keep us in check?????? Terry: let us know if you get in to see Spivak... I've been looking at my scars now wondering what the heck that spot is! Jennifur: I bought some "suck me in" undies last night and Ohhhhh MY I think I need a degree in gymnastics to get into the the dang thing! I bought 2 versions.......... one is the bicycle pants and the other is a brief with a high waist that actually hooks like a bra around the middle... it works but dannnnnnnnnnnng it is not comfortable..... it does smooth out my gut though and I tried a dress on with it and it REALLY helped. about time for me to start on my water! WWJD? (add it to my tab)

Mayo: All of these questions have been answered in older threads.. please take some time and read this site. I know I did and it helped me make the choice and I learned so much from those who posted before me.... you have your entire life ahead of you.. I WISH I wouldn't of waited so long, but YOU have to be ready, because this isn't a quick fix. re: 1) I want more children and I am affraid that the lap band can cause problems. Can there be problems during delivery? The band is simply UNFILLED during pregnancy, and after delivery you resume the fill process. Basically you turn it off and then you turn it back on. 2) I am scared of having excess skin. Has anyone else had a problem with this? You are so young that your skin will have more elasticity than older bandsters, also genitics play a huge role.... you said you had a baby.. did you get stretch marks? How did your skin snap back after delivery? and Like Jack said.... empty loose skin is better than fat filled skin. 3) I am really scared I will regret it. Only YOU can decide to have the procedure.. it took me two years of debating before taking the plunge. I am reading the Lap Band book by Ms. Ali right now and let me tell you some of the little one liners hit home instantly.... 4) I will be misserable watching people around me eat the foods I enjoy, and not be able to have them too. You will be able to eat foods you love, just not much of them.. imagine for a minute that you are FULL after 1 taco, instead of 8....... and also you will start to feel empowered and proud of yourself with every pound, inch and clothing size lost. The important thing to know is that all the CRAP food DOES goe down tooo easily... so it will be up to you to make the right choices. If you eat icecream everyday you will gain... and honey, ice cream goes RIGHT through the band! also... the next time you go to a restraunt... take time too look around at the thin people NOTICE that they eat smaller amounts and then push their plates away... YOU CAN BE THAT PERSON.. focusing on the company and NOT how much food you can get for your money at the buffet. 5) Can you feel the band, does it hurt? NO you can't feel it, and NO it doesn't hurt unless you eat too fast, too much and when something gets stuck 6) I am diabetic. Higher risk of getting an infection. Any diabetics had this done. Type 2 diabetis can easily become non existant.. and most all diabetics in general either cut down or cut out their meds completely. (this is a reason that insurance companies are now covering the procedure) 7) The doctors I am going to use have only done either 450 or 550 lap bands! They are are from Texarkana Texas? Anyone used doctors from this area? That is a good number considering that LapBand in the U.S. has only been available since 2001. My doc was one of the first and back in January at my consult he'd done 557.......... he has increased that number immensly since then and he is EXCELLENT. Doctors in Australia, Mexico and the UK have been doing the surgery since the 1990's... its not new.... in some countries they will even band a person as a PRECAUTION instead of a cure for obesity. In the end.. you have to decide if your ready........... no one can make the decision for you. Have a positive outlook, and know that you will still have to do the work... but also know that you also have to opportunity to actually go through your day and NOT be a slave to your hunger. <!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I am starting to see my REAL face again! When I lay on my back I can feel rib bones. My 16's are fitting again and th 24's are at Good Will The biggest change in me is the hope that I feel, the light at the end of the tunnel, the knowledge of KNOWING I will be free of this bulk that I detest..... and this time, that I WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP IT OFF! I did this for ME, I did this for my SON...... I did this for a better life.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Now THAT's a HAWT DL pic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!! After yesterday's WWJD comments I had a chance to USE them... :)seriously.... I was all set to have an omlett for dinner, but upon arriving at the homestead, dbf says we are going out for mexican...... hmmmmmm.... mexican........ hmmmmmmmmm. So, we get there and I'm faced with a choice... do I opt for fajita's? (which I KNOW I will eat too much off because my restriction has loosened up quite a bit.. I will eat the better part of the platter if I order them not touching the tortillas mind you but I will eat too much.. I KNOW MYSELF) Taco Salad that is on special (but it comes in a big delicious fried shell) So first I take ONE chip and the dilima Terry had at Taco Johns enters my mind........ I eat the one chip and push the basket away from me. I order ONE chicken taco.... the waiter asked me twice ONE? UNO? I said YES, I only want ONE..... dbf looked at me and asked ARE YOU SURE??? "I said YES... I've been good all week and I'm not blowing it tonight!" He's like "Whatever, its your deal" So, WWJD? I ate ONE chicken taco at 5:30 p.m. and that was it or food the rest of the night...... and the scale dropped this morning 236.8! ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND I got up and went to the gym! ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND I just finished my cottage cheese and blueberries ANnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnD that's it for now Seriously, I don't know what I would do without you Violets! Thanks to EVERYONE who continues to post on our little thread.. IT REALLY HELPS ME!

30 lbs is wonderful! I imagine you would of gone UP the scale in the same amount of time had you NOT been banded! I agree.. you need to either get your doctor to be more agressive with the fills or find another doctor......... I hollered so loudly about being able to eat a house that in TWO fills I have 2.75cc's rather than .5 a cc each time. TELL HIM YOU ARE EATING MORE THAN A CUP OF food and you are paying cash for fills so could he PLEASE fill you UP! remember YOU are the consumer he is HUMAN and should understand that you are PAYING HIM..... DO NOT GIVE UP! You have a tool installed YOU JUST NEED TO TURN IT ON!!!!!!!!

I had it on Thursday went back to work on Monday......... MUCH easier than my c-section. Take the time to read this site, you will learn SOOOO much that you may even know more than the nurses who tend to you after surgery. (I did) I was told several times they were not really familiar with the procedure I had done... I asked them to remove the leg thingy's so I could get up and walk around... and I did .. walk walk walk it was the best thing I could of done for myself!

Yes.. its a good sign that your getting ready to move to the next stage... a couple stages left before you finally boot his ass to the curb, but your getting there.......... he is doing a number on your self esteem by blowing you off all the time and inch by inch your starting to regain it and before too long you will be like............ WHATEVER LOSER... BYE

The way I explained it to dbf was.... I was full, but that little nerve in the back of my mouth was tingling WANTING MORE........ After a few times of going ahead and eating it and then having the OH CRAP moment........ the tingling has gone away..... PB'ng while my 3 year old watched in horror, begging me to stop RIGHT NOW ... also works

Tricare as I understand it will NOT cover the band but cover the RNY at 100% makes no sense to me...

WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO JUlie!!!!!! (the date)

WOW 9 months to a year and a bunch of hoops! Another option would be to self pay and then claim it on your taxes for the deduction (Medical Section)

I eat out all the time, dbf will stab me with a fork if I try to share with him so I often just order much like everyone else does... order what I want and don't eat the stuff that comes with... Mexican, chips and salsa go down EASY, anything CRUNCHY does but the better choice would be and what I usually have is chicken fajita's and then ditch the tortila's...... I often spit them with my son. Last week we went to an italian place... I had a chicken breast smothered in very tasty stuff and gave the side of Pasta to others and didn't touch the bread.... I have 2.75 cc's in my band which holds 4cc's I am not at optimum restriction but I don't have any problems finding SOMEthing.... heck I was even at McDonalds last weekend and I had a chicken bacon ranch salad and it was good... Yeah the chicken had breading, but like someone else pointed out... this is REAL life....... I do have a hang up about getting my money's worth at buffets, but then I look around at all the skinny people in the room and see them not getting "their money's worth" either and know that its all realative........ I'm not going to lie... when I get stressed or just WANT that oooeyy gooooey piece of SUGAR I mourn it for a second and then I remember that my size 16's are fitting again and before too long I'll be in my beloved 12's