Shoshanna

After breast reduction surgery I was a Born Again C Cup, eager to spread the gospel of smaller boobs. Fortunately, my mama raised me to consider personal remarks ill-mannered so I never actually accosted the Well Endowed with the good news about plastic surgery. If anyone asked, however, I was there for 'em.

Dear Reader, you might recall that two weeks ago I visited Dr. Todd Beckstedt to have some fluid withdrawn from my band. You might also recall that I took a trip via ambulance to the hospital the next day to check out some chest pains that turned out to not be heart-related. Today: the rest of the story, or at least the next part of the story. Upon returning to Dr. B this morning to begin my maintenance refills, I apprised him of that exciting little adventure in medical care. He told me that it is fairly common for folks who’ve lost a large amount of weight quickly to have gall bladder problems (two and a half years is quickly?). He decided to send me for an ultrasound and some other kind of test then determine a date for surgery. Bless his little prompt heart, the ultrasound is tomorrow and I see him again the day after. In the last five years I’ve had at least three or four surgeries, so I suggested that while he is in there he should look around for anything else that might need to be removed in the future and yank it out now. He just patted my hand and said we’d wait until after the gall bladder thing is resolved to start refills. Urk. I suppose I haven’t done too badly without restriction though I have indulged myself in food groups I haven’t visited in two and a half years: biscuits and gravy, a hamburger and fries, and BREAD. Real, warm, honest to goodness bread. My weight went up about two pounds over two weeks, but since it can shift that much in a single day I didn’t go into complete Freak-Out Mode when faced with the scale of justice, but moderated back to only Justifiably Alarmed. Having access to unlimited amounts of foods I used to love was worrisome, but by indulging a bit, I learned a few things: Hamburgers and fries do not constitute Manna From On High. In fact, I disliked the very meal that once drove me relentlessly toward 240 pounds. One really can have a) too much bacon; too much ice cream; c) too much biscuits and gravy. The jury is still out on too much watermelon. More study is needed. Fresh bread is a serious temptation if hot from the oven and sitting next to fresh butter, but the stuff that comes prepackaged tastes a lot like construction paper. Carbonated drinks keep me awake at night, no matter how early in the morning I drink them. After the first rush of pleasure is past, junk food makes me feel… well, junky. I have enjoyed eating salad that contains normally prohibitive amounts of fiber. Oranges taste wonderful right out of the skin and I had forgotten the joys of eating grapes that weren’t divvied into mouse-bite-sized portions. With any luck, my maintenance restriction will not be as severe as my weight loss restriction and I’ll be able to eat fruit and vegetables again without mincing them. But if not, I will survive.

Best wishes for a lucky third time!

A gorilla for an avatar. No accident there.

Too bad boob transfusions aren't possible. I'd have been glad to be a donor.

COOL old Yamaha! Who the heck needs an overpriced HD when you can have a bike like this?

I bought three new bras last week, all exactly the same and size 38C. I am a happy woman. Seventeen years ago I had bilateral breast reduction surgery and it ties with lap banding for the best thing I ever did for myself. It instantly cured 30 years of backaches. When I bought these last bras I requested the assistance of a fitter. Experience has taught me that fitters make the shopping quicker, easier, and more efficient. That's important to me because I really hate shopping for bras.

I rode my own at 240 and I ride my own at 148. If anyone had negative thoughts about me riding at any weight they had the wisdom and courtesy to keep those thoughts to themselves. I have a 1997 Virago 1100. It's a great bike but it needs one more upper gear to keep it smooth on those long Texas interstates.

My ride is a 1997 Yamaha Virago 1100; my husband has a Honda Shadow. We took a good long trip in late spring but haven't done much riding since due to professional and personal obligations- not to mention the hottest June and July on record. We're hoping to do more riding as the weather cools off. Are you all camping riders or moteling riders? We do a bit of both, prefer camping because it is cheaper and moteling because I have a passionate fondness for hot showers at the end of a long day.

He's apparently willing to spend money on things you want in order to dangle them just out of your reach. You already belong to the gym, right? And you can't go because he wants you home to put the kids to bed? Control. Mixed emotions. Mixed signals. Whatever. Couples counseling might help and is often available free or on a sliding scale from community mental health services or at a local synagogue or church.

It's nice to have familial support for one's life changing decisions, but it is not necessary. As Carolina Girl said, we'll support you via this forum. Good luck.

Second hand stores are a great resource for interim clothing.I've bought nearly new and new brand name items for a pittance, like Cruel Girl jeans for $3 and a Coldwater Creek skirt for $2. You have to check regularly to get the best buys, but that's part of the fun. I used to hate shopping but if I miss my weekly round of my favorite stores I feel deprived.

I first broached the subject with my doctor in October 2009. Attended the seminar, met with the nurse in charge of the hopital weight management program, had three monthly appointments with the dietician, then a psyche exam and a fairly lengthy wait for the insurance company to decide in my favor (I didn't need to los quite the required 100 pounds but had co-morbidities like arthritis, GERD, low sleep oxygen, and family history of diabetes). From start to finish, I waited about five months. It seemed endless at the time, but it gave me a chance to settle into a new way of thinking and test my resolve.

Twelve step programs for nicotine addiction exist; it might be a good idea to seek one out. Failing to find a program specifically for nicotine, I suggest NA where no one cares what you used or how much you used. I've never smoked tobacco but I will have 16 years of clean time in NA next month.