LoseIt!

I think you are rockin! I have a shape when I'm thinner (I'm talking 200 lbs, because I've never been thin), but as I gained weight, I have lost my shape. I'm looking forward to seeing more definition in places, but like you I like curves!

After 7 sinus infections in one year, last November I saw an allergist. It turned out that I was allergic to EVERYTHING! At least all seasonal allergies. Big bummer. So I started getting shots. At first it was 2-4 times a week which was tough to do, but I actually stuck with it. The shots were so effective for me that I didn't have another sinus infection until today. Although it totally stinks that I have one now, I think it is pretty cool that was able to put it off for a whole year. Now if I can just get through the next couple of days!! i have tickets to see South Pacific tonight and I'm not going to miss it. Getting up for work tomorrow will be the painful part. Have a great day, everyone!

After 7 sinus infections in one year, last November I saw an allergist. It turned out that I was allergic to EVERYTHING! At least all seasonal allergies. Big bummer. So I started getting shots. At first it was 2-4 times a week which was tough to do, but I actually stuck with it. The shots were so effective for me that I didn't have another sinus infection until today. Although it totally stinks that I have one now, I think it is pretty cool that was able to put it off for a whole year. Now if I can just get through the next couple of days!! i have tickets to see South Pacific tonight and I'm not going to miss it. Getting up for work tomorrow will be the painful part. Have a great day, everyone!

I don't know your family but I feel sure that your family does not think you are hideous. I always think that but what I realize now is that those people close to me pretty much view me the same way no matter my size. Good luck in your continuing non-weightloss program. You know we are all behind you!

God bless, sister. I'm always surprised when folks say that this is an easy decision. Best wishes to you on your journey!

I attended my 2nd LB support group last night. Even though I'm not being banded until January, they are so inclusive and helpful. It is so wonderful to sit in a room with people that are going through, have gone through or will go through what I'm going through now. They also do things together outside of group, so it brings in a whole new social element. One of the veterns (she was banded in Dec 2008, met her goal of 84 lbs lost in July and has been maintaining since) gave me her phone number and email address just in case I have any questions that come up. I mean really...how sweet is that!?! She looks FABULOUS, by the way. I also met some girls my age and they seem fun to get to know. One of the girls talked about how she lost 150 pounds but then she had a band issue and had to empty it. She then went on a bender and gained 15 pounds before she was able to get back on track. 15 pounds?? I don't want to belittle what I'm sure was a difficult time for her, but I can gain 15 pounds over the holidays! It was another example to me how this can be such an effective tool, not only for weight LOSS, but especially for maintaining. No one, not even the girl with trouble, regretted or didn't like their band. There was a newbie, banded in late October, that was having a little trouble adjusting, but still willing to work at it. It is interesting how passionately people feel about the time prior to surgery (diet vs. pig out.) People certainly can argue adamantly one way or the other!! Bottom line is that I love my support group and plan to be a part of it for a long time!!

1.) What is your current and goal weight? 275/175 (my doc thinks I can get to 145, but I will stick with 175 for now) 2.) What is your surgery date? January 27, 2010 3.) What is your age? 36 4.) Where do you live? Bedford, TX (DFW area) 5.) Where are you having surgery? Hurst, TX (DFW area) 6.) Who is your doctor? Dr. Adam Smith 7.) Insurance or self-pay? Self pay 8.) What was your deciding factor? It was a culmination of things, but the three main ones: having a health scare early in the year, not being remotely comfortable in a 9 hour plane ride, and seeing a picture of myself. The picture is my avatar. It made me sad. I'm a little late to the party, but I'm being banded in January so I wanted to introduce myself. I can't wait to start the journey with you all!!

What is Dr. Smith's pre op diet? I have my appointment January 12th and surgery January 27th, so I guess I will find out soon enough. I was just curious. I'm a planner. :thumbup:

I attended my 2nd LB support group last night. Even though I'm not being banded until January, they are so inclusive and helpful. It is so wonderful to sit in a room with people that are going through, have gone through or will go through what I'm going through now. They also do things together outside of group, so it brings in a whole new social element. One of the veterns (she was banded in Dec 2008, met her goal of 84 lbs lost in July and has been maintaining since) gave me her phone number and email address just in case I have any questions that come up. I mean really...how sweet is that!?! She looks FABULOUS, by the way. I also met some girls my age and they seem fun to get to know. One of the girls talked about how she lost 150 pounds but then she had a band issue and had to empty it. She then went on a bender and gained 15 pounds before she was able to get back on track. 15 pounds?? I don't want to belittle what I'm sure was a difficult time for her, but I can gain 15 pounds over the holidays! It was another example to me how this can be such an effective tool, not only for weight LOSS, but especially for maintaining. No one, not even the girl with trouble, regretted or didn't like their band. There was a newbie, banded in late October, that was having a little trouble adjusting, but still willing to work at it. It is interesting how passionately people feel about the time prior to surgery (diet vs. pig out.) People certainly can argue adamantly one way or the other!! Bottom line is that I love my support group and plan to be a part of it for a long time!!

I too will be banded in January. Good luck to you! I'm sure everything will go smoothly.

I love that you wrote "You don't have to read this. Just some thoughts." at the beginning of your entry. That's what I think about every single one of my entries. Ha! The truth is though that everything you write down means something to you and I'm guessing will benefit someone out here. We are all out here for a reason. We are in this together! Good luck, chica!!

I just read a whole bunch of posts from people who have had bad experiences with LB. There were studies sited and personal experiences shared. Sigh. Then there were people not being so nice to the posters. There are flat out denials, but then there is some compromise. Double sigh. I do understand that this is not magic. I understand that it will be up to me to make good food choices, to chew well, to exercise, and do all of the other things I need to do. I understand that I will need to listen to my body and trust my intincts. My biggest fear from what I was reading is that I will either feel no restriction or feel so restricted that I'm constantly throwing up. There were several people that had that experience and it scares me because the point of the LB is restriction, but too much is so unhealthy and counterproductive. My second biggest fear is that my stomach will erode around the band or that I will develop scar tissue on my liver and not realize it until a lot of damage has been done. I'm certainly not talking myself out of this, but it I can't say that it didn't dampen my spirits a bit this afternoon. I guess everyone faces the same thing. I am definitely not turned off by how much work it will be, but it is disheartening to think that I will do this, work hard and still could end up in a worse place. I prefer happy posts. :tongue2:

Thanks guys. **hugs**

I just read a whole bunch of posts from people who have had bad experiences with LB. There were studies sited and personal experiences shared. Sigh. Then there were people not being so nice to the posters. There are flat out denials, but then there is some compromise. Double sigh. I do understand that this is not magic. I understand that it will be up to me to make good food choices, to chew well, to exercise, and do all of the other things I need to do. I understand that I will need to listen to my body and trust my intincts. My biggest fear from what I was reading is that I will either feel no restriction or feel so restricted that I'm constantly throwing up. There were several people that had that experience and it scares me because the point of the LB is restriction, but too much is so unhealthy and counterproductive. My second biggest fear is that my stomach will erode around the band or that I will develop scar tissue on my liver and not realize it until a lot of damage has been done. I'm certainly not talking myself out of this, but it I can't say that it didn't dampen my spirits a bit this afternoon. I guess everyone faces the same thing. I am definitely not turned off by how much work it will be, but it is disheartening to think that I will do this, work hard and still could end up in a worse place. I prefer happy posts.

Wow, dude, that's just not right! Hopefully the cold won't linger too long.

Congrats on feeling the change! That's great. Good luck on the novel. That's a big undertaking!

I just told my boss that I had to have a medical procedure done and will need to take some time to recover. Do you have a male boss? If you say that and look slightly uncomfortable, they often think it's "women problems" and don't ask anything more. Being out a week, I have to coordinate with a lot of folks at work. I've found that if I stay consistent and say I'm having a small surgical procedure, nothing to worry about...more preventive than anything, that seems to do the trick. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing that. I get banded on 1/27 and I like hearing real world experiences to help me prepare!

This might not be a very fun blog entry to read, but I felt it was one I needed to write so I could see it for myself. I keep saying that I want to be healthy, so what does that mean to me? Once I wrote it, I looked at it before I posted it. Wow. I need this surgery. I need help so I can get and stay healthy. Thank you all for existing so I have somewhere to do this. SLEEP. About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Once I got used to my CPAP machine, I had the best nights of sleeping that I had in my life! Then I gained 40 lbs. It certainly didn't happen all at once, but it's like I noticed it all at once. I can feel that my machine is not effective any longer. I am exhausted all the time. I yawn constantly. I remember being like this before I got my machine. While I could go make appointments and get another sleep study and get it all changed (about 60-90 days), my hope is that in the next 3-4 months, I will lose the 25 or so lbs that will make the machine effective again. My ultimate goal would be to get off the machine altogether!! Acid Reflux. I take two Nexium a day. I have terrible reflux that my doctor has indicate would lessen considerably with weight loss. All the research I have seen indicates that people who suffer from acid reflux benefit greatly from the effects of the LB. I would love to be able to take only one a day with no flare ups. It would be super great if I didn't have to take it at all! Blood pressure & cholesterol. My blood pressure is mostly fine, but I had a period earlier this year when it was high. I took medication for one month and it seemed to lower and I was able to go off. My cholesterol is hovering near the elevated area. My goal is to NOT have to get on medication for these things! Skin. I've noticed that as the heavier I get the more issues I have with my skin. I know part of that is nutritional and that will help alone. Part of it is that I am less flexible and it is harder to clean and moisturize in every area. Gross and sad, but true. By being able to reach everything, and areas not being "lost" under flab rolls of skin, I think my overall skin will be much better! Feet. My feet hurt constantly. I honestly believe that I'm just trying to carry to much weight. I used to be able to exercise and then ice them, but I can't even do that anymore. I'm actually wearing flector patches during the day just so I can do normal walking. I should be at least able to do normal walking and low impact aerobics without ridiculous pain. I'm hoping for high impact aerobics, but I will settle for low if that is all I can get! Knees. In the last year, I noticed that as I exercised, my knees started to really hurt. No question in my mind that if I were carrying less weight, this would not be a problem at this point. Energy. I think this goes along with sleep, but since I'm not able to exercise, I just have no energy whatsoever. I'm sleeping 9-10 hours per night and it just doesn't feel like enough. I remember when I was exercising 7 hours per week. I was bouncing off the wall with energy! Anxiety. Yes, it would nice to be thin for looks. But mostly, I just want to be comfortable in my own skin. i didn't have any physical reactions to anxiety, but then I was like a volcano. I have it under control, but it would be nice to not have it at all. I feel that with weightloss, I will feel more comfortable and in control. With that, I feel that my anxiety will lessen. Comfort. Speaking of comfort, it would just be nice to be able to sit down in a chair and not be concerned if it is sturday enough. It would be nice to sit in a plane without being concerned that the person next to me is hating life because they are stuck next to a fat person. It would be nice for my nephews and neice to not innocently say things about how big/squishy/fat etc. their aunt is. I said to someone the other day, "The more you love yourself, the easier you are to love by those who love you." I believe that and I want to make it easier for my family and friends to love me. I want to LOVE myself. ALL of myself!! I am ready for my new life.

I LOVE Jazzercise! I haven't been able to do it lately because my feet hurt. One of my biggest reasons for doing this is so I can get back to Jazzercising with my friends! I don't get banded until Jan 27th. Best of luck to you next week!!

I can hear the pain in your post and my heart is breaking for you. I wish I could say something to you that would magically make it better, but that just isn't possible. We all understand the unhealthy relationship you have with food because we all have it, although it is a little different for everyone. I'm not banded yet, so I can't even offer you any advice. Be honest with your doctor though. That seems to be extremely important. Best of luck to you going forward. I know there is something inside you that you can bring out to help you do it!

I read this after I posted my blog today. Interestingly, mine was about all the health ailments I hope to eliminate or lessen. Go YOU!

Wow, good for you for facing it head on and getting back into it!

This might not be a very fun blog entry to read, but I felt it was one I needed to write so I could see it for myself. I keep saying that I want to be healthy, so what does that mean to me? Once I wrote it, I looked at it before I posted it. Wow. I need this surgery. I need help so I can get and stay healthy. Thank you all for existing so I have somewhere to do this. SLEEP. About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Once I got used to my CPAP machine, I had the best nights of sleeping that I had in my life! Then I gained 40 lbs. It certainly didn't happen all at once, but it's like I noticed it all at once. I can feel that my machine is not effective any longer. I am exhausted all the time. I yawn constantly. I remember being like this before I got my machine. While I could go make appointments and get another sleep study and get it all changed (about 60-90 days), my hope is that in the next 3-4 months, I will lose the 25 or so lbs that will make the machine effective again. My ultimate goal would be to get off the machine altogether!! Acid Reflux. I take two Nexium a day. I have terrible reflux that my doctor has indicate would lessen considerably with weight loss. All the research I have seen indicates that people who suffer from acid reflux benefit greatly from the effects of the LB. I would love to be able to take only one a day with no flare ups. It would be super great if I didn't have to take it at all! Blood pressure & cholesterol. My blood pressure is mostly fine, but I had a period earlier this year when it was high. I took medication for one month and it seemed to lower and I was able to go off. My cholesterol is hovering near the elevated area. My goal is to NOT have to get on medication for these things! Skin. I've noticed that as the heavier I get the more issues I have with my skin. I know part of that is nutritional and that will help alone. Part of it is that I am less flexible and it is harder to clean and moisturize in every area. Gross and sad, but true. By being able to reach everything, and areas not being "lost" under flab rolls of skin, I think my overall skin will be much better! Feet. My feet hurt constantly. I honestly believe that I'm just trying to carry to much weight. I used to be able to exercise and then ice them, but I can't even do that anymore. I'm actually wearing flector patches during the day just so I can do normal walking. I should be at least able to do normal walking and low impact aerobics without ridiculous pain. I'm hoping for high impact aerobics, but I will settle for low if that is all I can get! Knees. In the last year, I noticed that as I exercised, my knees started to really hurt. No question in my mind that if I were carrying less weight, this would not be a problem at this point. Energy. I think this goes along with sleep, but since I'm not able to exercise, I just have no energy whatsoever. I'm sleeping 9-10 hours per night and it just doesn't feel like enough. I remember when I was exercising 7 hours per week. I was bouncing off the wall with energy! Anxiety. Yes, it would nice to be thin for looks. But mostly, I just want to be comfortable in my own skin. i didn't have any physical reactions to anxiety, but then I was like a volcano. I have it under control, but it would be nice to not have it at all. I feel that with weightloss, I will feel more comfortable and in control. With that, I feel that my anxiety will lessen. Comfort. Speaking of comfort, it would just be nice to be able to sit down in a chair and not be concerned if it is sturday enough. It would be nice to sit in a plane without being concerned that the person next to me is hating life because they are stuck next to a fat person. It would be nice for my nephews and neice to not innocently say things about how big/squishy/fat etc. their aunt is. I said to someone the other day, "The more you love yourself, the easier you are to love by those who love you." I believe that and I want to make it easier for my family and friends to love me. I want to LOVE myself. ALL of myself!! I am ready for my new life.