cathgr8

Thanks Barbara, I'm going to print out your post and read it to myself all day!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. There is one thing I don't have to tell you all I'm thankful for! The great thing about Thanlksgiving is it's the only holiday meal that features protein! Wish me luck. I'm spending the day with my first HS boyfriend tomorrow - He took me out for coffee Tuesday, and I guess I didn't scare him off...He was balding, but not fat. In fact he looked pretty darned good for an old guy (as my daughter would call him!). I still have a very hard time believing he'd be attracted to me at this weight, but we'll see how it plays out...

My fill on Monday really did the trick. I have more restriction, I get full on much less food, and I've lost 5 pounds - by far my best week in months. Thankfully, so far no problems other than a minor golf ball yesterday. It's hard to believe one little cc can limit your food intake by 1/3, but that's what it has done. I was getting a little down about how slowly my weight was coming off, and I feel much more motivated. Yesterday afternoon I was so tired, my first thought was to take a nap. I thought it over and decided to take a walk instead. This week, I am going to see my very first crush for the first time in 37 years. He moved away right after we broke up, and found me via the internet. He'll be in town for Thanksgiving. I was a lot thinner then, so it's a little intimidating (I'm imagining that he's fat and bald) but I don't think I'd have had the guts to meet him had this happened six months ago. I still have a long way to go, but it's really starting to feel like it's inevitable!

Carol, There's no secret. I was lucky, and had some restriction just from the band. Other than that, I exercise way too little, and follow the bandster eating rules about 90% of the time. Plus, I have all of you guys to inspire and advise me!

I work in a small office. There's a woman in an office down the hall who is at least 150 pounds overeight. I don't know her well, but she appears to be a nosy, negative, bitchy type, who always acted like she was doing me a favor to acknowledge me. Today she saw me in the hall for the first time in a month or two and asked if I have been losing weight. This is the first time anyone has acknowleged my weight loss who didn't know about the surgery, and it's so great that it came from her. In fact, she was nicer to me today than she has ever been, and I ended up recommending the surgery to her. :biggrin1: I had my first fill yesterday with flouro. First sip, before the fill, we could see that I had some restriction, but it just barely paused, then came right on through. After the fill (1cc), it was definitely coming through more slowly, so I'm satisfied. Dr. Paya was thrilled with my loss so far, questioned me about how hungry I get, how much I can eat at a meal, and said "We'll just give you a small fill, you want to be able to live a good life, right?" After hearing some of your too tight stories, I happily agreed! He said to come back in 4 weeks for another .5 cc if I am too hungry. Love him.

Hi Crew, I'm finally having my first fill today. I have been very discouraged about how slowly the weight is coming off, but I get hungry pretty quickly even after eating solid proteins. I actually went for a fill a month ago, but the doctor couldn't find my port. I had to be scheduled at the hospital for a flouro fill, which must have been very difficult, as it wasn't done until last Thursday. Quite frustrating! On top of that, the hospital called to check on my insurance, and I started to think about the additional cost added to my normally $200 fill by the hospital. All in all it's been a bad month. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm getting my first fill tomorrow, but I've lost quite a bit so far. There are some people, like me, who have restriction from the band itself without a fill. I have had golf balls, and while I can eat more than 4 oz at a time, not much more. My fill has become necessary because I get hungry sooner after a meal, which causes me to snack too much, and it may be just because of the lost weight.

When you are building muscle mass, muscle weighs more than fat, so you might not see a change on the scales even though you are losing fat. Don't get too disheartened, you still have to see about your meds. And there's the nutritionist to think about. If there is nothing wrong hormonally, you should eventually lose the weight, even if it is slow. Don't give up. We're here for you!

Hey Pinky, I have never had a fill. I had enough restriction until the last month or so. Now I'm down to a pound a week, so I went in Wednesday for my first fill. My doctor warned me that if he couldn't find my port, I might have to have it done with flouro, but he was confident. Well, five minutes of poking and digging later (ouch!), he admitted defeat. However, now I have to make an appointment to go to radiology at the hospital, so it will be at least another week... Sorry so many people are having problems. My doctor asked me if I wanted a big fill or a little fill. When I said a little fill, because I didn't want to be too tight, he told me that was a great decision. I told him hearing all of your stories made me conservative.

There's a lot more to the Sharon Osbourne story: Sharon: I'm still fighting bulimia Nicola Boden BULEMIA: Sharon Osbourne. X FACTOR judge Sharon Osbourne is still battling bulimia after 35 years with the eating disorder, she revealed today. Sharon, 52, said she gorges on Pasta and ice cream before forcing herself to be sick. The wife of ex-Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne has had her stomach stapled and spent £300,000 on cosmetic surgery but said even this had not cured her of the condition.The mum of three still has eating binges and makes herself sick once aweek - down from four times a day at its worst. She said: "Some people do drink and drugs but for me it's food, food, food. It's about having low self-esteem. It's not socially acceptable to be fat."

Hey guys, Don't assume Sharon Osbourne is your typical bandster. I think the combination of the band and bulimia has to cause some physical problems we don't have to deal with. Manchester News, September 2005: Sharon: I'm still fighting bulimia Nicola Boden BULEMIA: Sharon Osbourne. X FACTOR judge Sharon Osbourne is still battling bulimia after 35 years with the eating disorder, she revealed today. Sharon, 52, said she gorges on Pasta and ice cream before forcing herself to be sick. The wife of ex-Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne has had her stomach stapled and spent £300,000 on cosmetic surgery but said even this had not cured her of the condition.The mum of three still has eating binges and makes herself sick once a week - down from four times a day at its worst. She said: "Some people do drink and drugs but for me it's food, food, food. It's about having low self-esteem. It's not socially acceptable to be fat."

Topamax is weight loss friendly, but it's very common that it makes your feel like your brain is foggy. Not worth it! I do know a couple of people who have switched to Wellbutrin or added it to an SSRI and felt it helped them weight and appetite wise. Also - I'm pretty sure Paxil has withdrawal effects similar to Effexor. Ask your doctor before switching if that's a concern. There are lots of other anti-depressants that do not have such severe withdrawal symptoms.

I am really looking forward to the day I have enough confidence in my appearance to get out into the dating world again. I feel like a cloistered nun! And it will be nice to have some flattering clothes to wear when I do.

I only had to do two days of clear liquids preop.

I have a caution for you on drinking. Prior to surgery, I drank pretty rarely, but took Vicodin for back pain twice a month. Since surgery, if I take pain meds or drink alcohol, I get jittery and agitated. The last time I had a glass of wine, my friend was talking to me on the phone and noticed it in my voice. He suggested maybe it was the result of the extra estrogen from losing so much fat. I did some searching online, and it turns out alcohol can suddenly raise estrogen levels by quite a bit (like double), and too much estrogen can make you anxious and jittery. It isn't too horrible, but it makes me avoid drinking. The calories never affected my weight loss. Have fun on your vacation!!

Like Stephanie, I have never PB'd yet either, but we have both lost a good amount. If I had to deal with sliming and PB'g on a daily basis, I'd have my fill removed, and if that didn't work, have the band removed. I don't know how you all endure it! I have a fill appt. on October 19, and I have been feeling a lot more hunger this week, so I probably need one, but I'm definitely not going to let him put too much in. I'd rather be hungry than throwing up. Best of luck to all of you. I know I'm lucky, and I hope you can all find some relief.

And for the women here, I was just telling a friend last week, I feel like I'm 16 again, with all these hormones being released from my shrinking fat cells. Still have a ways to go to reach HS weight though! Good job, Pianoman and Alexandra!

Count me into the October challenge. I'll get a head start by working on them now.

My weight loss hasn't stopped, but it has slowed down. I've been trying to count calories and avoid carbs other than veggies, but I fudge some (like last night, I had one big fat piece of cheese filled tortellini). I don't have the time in my day to do six meals, I barely get lunch in. My biggest challenge is exercising. I used to take a walk when I picked my son up at work over the summer. Now that the summer is over, I just can't get into a new routine. An hour a day isn't doable for me, given my daily schedule, but today, I'm going to try for 15 minutes at lunch instead of sitting at my desk as usual.

I had an increase in both acne and dry skin. I thought it could be because the hormones stored in your fat cells get released into your system, causing the same imbalances you had when you were a teenager, and just undergoing surgery, like any trauma, can affect your chemical balance as well

Did I miss something? Is Chicago to be the scene of the Junebie reunion? I ain't complaining. It's one of my favorite cities.

I have been through much of what you describe. My surgery was the result of the changes I made once I got the help I needed. If one of your children came to you and told you they felt like you do, wouldn't you get them help? You deserve the same treatment. Take care of yourself for a change. BTW, Prozac comes in a liquid, so don't rule it out if that's what you need.

I haven't had a Coke, but I confess I had a few sips of champagne a couple of weeks ago. I had a gas pain in my rib cage within 5 minutes, and it lasted 2-3 hours. I'll drink still wine from now on!

I used to get that way too, but never since the surgery. I'm convinced it's the high protein diet that is preventing that.

My daughter turned 21, and started making noises about moving out, and my son started high school. As I contemplated what to do with the extra "me" time, I eventually came to the realization that I have been delaying getting a life outside of raising them since my husband died 13 years ago, and using my excess weight to do it. And I turned 50, and started thinking about whether I wanted to have more healthy years or risk getting diabetes, heart problems, etc. and dying earlier. That's when I finally made an appointment with the surgeon and started the process.