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Hi Ladies! Just got back from a beach trip to Hilton Head and I'm leaving for another 11 day vacation starting Thursday. Lucky me - two vacations, back to back. Great for the mind, but bad for my body. I went with a couple of friends and we were all in vacation "eat whatever we want" mode. So I gained a few pounds over the weekend. I'm back on track today, however I will be vacationing and eating out for 11 days straight, I know I will gain a few more pounds. I am such a slow loser, but a fast gainer. Does not seem fair! Anyway, MY birthday goal, which is only 9 days away, is to drop the extra few pounds I gained over the weekend and not gain anymore on the next vacation, and hopefully drop 2 more pounds (total of 4 pounds in 9 days???). I want to get down to 213 and I am at 217 today. Maybe it's liquids for me for a few days to kick start a loss. Anyway, I will check in to see how everyone is doing with my birthday goal. Let's hope the birthday girl meets her goal. Oh, almost forgot my NSV ....... I really liked one of the vacation pictures taken of me, so I posted on Facebook and received LOTS of awesome comments and likes. Made this soon to be 49 year old grandmother of two feel wonderful. Can't wait till I gt to goal and start posting some full body shots!

12/21/08 My name is Julie and I am a food addict. I thought I had my problem under control. I thought that I had learned so many lessons that I could jump back on the wagon if I ever took a little sip from the bottle…so to speak. I had a Christmas party to go to on Friday. It went okay. Not great. I had a half of a dinner roll. Except for an occasional thin crust pizza I have not had any bread of any kind for 2 months. I didn’t even want to know if it would go down. It was a dinner party and they served steak. If it wouldn’t have been for the drink I had and the bread with butter I would have stayed under 1000 calories and been okay with the carbs…but I did eat and drink those things so I guess that’s how it is. The next day comes and I weigh in and I lost another 0.9 lbs. I realize that it will probably take another day to see the damage on the scale. I did good at breakfast and took my lunch to class with me and I was a very good girl. Pizza for supper…not so good. Today I have screwed the pooch….so to speak. (Can I say that here?) It is Sunday which means I am home all day and the gym is closed. Sundays are my hardest days! I ate leftover pizza for lunch and then …..we made Christmas cookies. I feel like a toad for the first time in a month! I half heartedly did a cardio Firm work out for 30 minutes today. Not a great work out. Oh here is the kicker…Are you ready…I was only 0.2 lbs away from my New Year’s goal. The gym is closed Wednesday and Thursday this week and next week. I want to go out and eat everything I can get my hands on. Almost like a last supper before I hike my butt up back onto the wagon. I’m not going to. I have to hit the gym in the morning if I can get up though. I have class tomorrow night, so I can do it then. It would have been better it I had gained a smidge back after eating badly just to teach myself that I can’t get away with it. I have to go back to those lessons I thought I learned. 1. DO NOT EAT UNLESS YOU ARE HUNGRY or unless it has been 5 hours since your last meal. 2. PROTEIN FIRST then you can have your HEALTHY side dish. 3. STOP EATING BEFORE YOU FEEL OVER FULL! 4. DO NOT EAT BETWEEN MEALS 5. DRINK YOUR WATER but not during or right after meals. 6. YOU WILL NOT SEE THE RESULTS YOU WANT UNLESS YOU WORK OUT! 7. Getting the lap band doesn’t make you lose weight. YOU STILL HAVE TO EAT HEALTHY AND EXERCISE! Time for a reminder Julie! Eating is for survival! It is to get enough nutrition to live. That is its main focus. It is not a reward. It does not console us. It doesn't take away boredom. It doesn't listen to our problems. It is a fair weather friend....actually not even a friend at all. It is that bi*chy girl in jr. high that we thought liked us, but only pretends to until she can stab us in the back. Memorize it! Put it to song. Make up a dance…I don’t how you remember it… LIVE IT! Okay you addict, get your big butt back on the wagon! Stop putting it off. Remember YOU ARE AN ADDICT! Oh you were so proud of yourself for 2 months. Well the jokes on you. Two months is not enough to give you permission to go back to your crappy eating. It only took two months to take off 45 lbs. I bet it would only take 2 months to gain 45 lbs. Didn’t you have some NSV along the way? Remember what it felt like to sit in a chair and feel like you didn’t know what to do with your fat stubby arms except cross them over your too big belly? Remember how it felt when your husband put it arms around you and you felt like he had to try too hard to hug you? Remember the first time you crossed your legs in YEARS. Maybe not as comfortable as you want, but you did it without even thinking. Remember putting those size 22 jeans in the give away and lounging around the house in the size 18 jeans. Remember putting on the shirt that hasn’t fit you in years. Do you really want to be back to that person that you see in all the pictures that have been taken of you over the past years? Remember when you started out and your goal was to feel comfortable sitting on the bleachers watching your kids play ball. Have you even thought recently that you have felt more comfortable doing that? What is more important to you? A slimy greasy piece of pizza and doughy cookie dough that sits in your stomach and makes you feel like crap or feeling great about yourself. What is more fun? Seeing how long you can go in between meals without getting hungry and being surprised by how little took away your hunger….or greasy butter garlic bread with a bowl of sodium filled tomato sauce. You are paying $265 a month for 5 years to have this tool to help you be healthy. You are so cheap…do you really want to throw all that money out the window for a crappy meal that will make your chest hurt and your feet swell again like they had been up until a month ago? Go to bed now and when you wake up you need to decide what you are going to do with the rest of your life. Are you going to live the life of a “user” or as someone in “recovery.” It’s all your decision Julie. It’s up to you to be a wonderful, healthy successful person who loves not only life, but herself as well!

So glad to hear that you are doing well, I'm sure the numbers on the scale will be kind but if not look at all of your current NSV's ???????????? I actually weigh myself everyday and use this app to keep the progress. I'm glad that your hernia isn't bothering you this week but so jealous- my hernia repair is awful, I feel like I have acid in my esophagus and I'm having some discomfort but it comes with the territory so I will be patient Yayyy for being able to get away when your hubby chases you- you two sound sooo cute aw thank you! I'm so sorry to hear about the discomfort and acidic feeling you're having! That's got to be aggravating. I have a question. Did your doctor put you on Prilosec at all? My doctor has me start Prilosec one week pre-op and continue until the end of two weeks post-op. I think that's some kind of secret magic key for no acid or something! I've never taken that stuff in my life but he was like take it. Even if you don't have heartburn or discomfort take it - and then he said so many patients won't take it thinking it was options and then they turn up with issues. I took everyday - no issues at all! I hope you feel better soon! I didn't have acid reflux prior to surgery but because of the hernia and gastritis I was taking Protonix I asked if I should continue after and was told only if needed ???? I will ask about the reflux and Prilosec when I see the surgeon tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion ????

steph hope you get to feeling better congrats on the nsv way to go claudia and other ladies this is my plan no snacking for the rest of this month. I am bad about snacking just a couple of bites of popcorn or candy and yesterday I decided to track my snacking calories where before I felt I could not be eating that much. before I was tracking the snacking I got in about 1000 calories so I tracked the snacking yesterday and up to 1400 with snacking. I about fainted. I have heard it takes two wks to change a habit so I will be scrapbooking when I get the urge to eat or snack I should say. If I can do this the rest of the month maybe I can make a new habit. I don't wanna say no snacking forever because then I will make myself feel sorry for me and eat a snack. I swear the mindgames we play. So claudia and all other bandsters let me be a lesson count those 5 wheathins in calories they add up. on to other news we have just gotten a support group for weight loss here in town not just for surgery weightloss but all kinds. It is a place that offers healthy shakes and snacks and support the ad says AA type meeting weekly but for weight loss thought that sounded neat may try it ... My scale is stalled but that is okay I Have four lbs so far this month

BK....congrats on the NSV! Sorry to hear about your loss though. Glad you've figured out what you want to do w/your life! :eek: STEPH...yes, you told me so!! Funny thing is i Saw the Ex w/his new girl on Sunday and I was just SOO over it! I actually felt kind of sorry for HER choosing to be w/such a slimeball! But hey, not my problem, right? I just hope this guy falls for me! I'm still so not confident in that area... CLAUD...glad to hear everyone is safe!!! I hear on the news that they're hopefully turning a corner in controlling all the fires, so that is good news!

Whew. This has probably been the busiest month I've had in years. But I wanted to take some time to reflect on my year since my band repair and Celebrate a small joy. It's been one crazy year - almost to the day - since my 2005 surgery. This time last year, I had my band access port replaced to a lower profile port, the access area moved to a different part of my body - and my tubing repaired due to a leak. (And I just found out from reading my medical records, I had some never-before-mentioned-to-me minor surgical things tweaked during the '05 procedure.) In other words I was practically rebanded a year ago.(I was banded 5 years ago originally, but after major league complications, I struggled mightily to achieve and maintain any real loss with my band. But almost one year ago to the day, I began a sort of "second chance" with the band.) Since my doctor insisted I treat this as a new band as if I was "brand new," that's what I did. I tried life almost as a "new" Banded patient again. One year later, the experiment didn't quite work as we thought. But I am grateful for some of this past year's progress. No, I'm not considered much of a success after only losing 51# -52# of my 70# goal in all these years but although I may have to now consider other non-band & surgical options to get the weight off, I am trying to reflect on some of the positive things that have happened at least in this past year. One difference - with the newer band I once again felt, at least for a time, some real restriction which was really good. It's helped me to have some renewed success and to help deal with the Monster of "Head Hunger" vs "Real Hunger". That's a good thing as a popular domestic diva might say. But now I'm overdue for a fill. Once I get some things settled and situate myself with a new fill doctor I'll be on my way again. Stay tuned. The positive stuff? Well after a busy 2-week period including an out-of-state trip and then some parties and events, I had a small Non scale Victory (or "NSV"). Well, non-scale victories are the only ones I have since I haven't had a "SV" since I got my weight into OneDerLand. But hey, a girl has to take her joys where she can find them. Here's what happened: I had to go shopping to find things to wear (most of my clothes seem curiously big, and although the scale isn't moving much I think my tummy tuck is finally starting to 'kick in'). As a shopped I saw a Clearance Rack for regular (non plus sizes). I rarely can find anything good on the sales rack in larger sizes (A silent curse for the tiny size 4's who can always find something good on sale or clearance :phanvan ) Well, as I browsed, I saw a great dress and grabbed my normal size 16 and put it over my arm. When I peered at it later, I realized that size 16 might be too big after all. This is a major relevation. Some of the thinner among you can't possibly fathom this - but eyeballing a size 16 and having it possibly be too big? Omigawd, that's a big deal for someone like me. I had to make myself hold the dress up and keep looking, because in my head, I didn't believe it, although my eyes were clearly telling me the dress was just too large. On a good day I'm a 16 in jeans, especially with slimmer-fitting brands. [ Background: Now keep in mind I'm a Professional Fat Person - I sometimes feel like being fat, or fighting fat is what I seem to concentrate so much of my energy on. I mean, I'm the girl who can't get her BMI under 30 after having had WLS 5 years ago :rolleyes so my weight is a constant struggle. So after dieting, exercise, LapBand surgery and then a "Well, Dang, I had LapBand 4.5 years ago, why am I waiting? Tummy Tuck" operation- I am usually a size 14 / 14W or so. Sad but true - after all this money, time and effort - honestly I'm grateful just to be able to get to the "regular bigger sizes." Habit still makes me head for the Plus Sizes & Womens Sizes clothes rack. My larger frame means they usually fit a bit better. And really, I'm a Size Tall so there are no regular sizes in Jeans/pants for me, but hey, that's life, eh? But being taller makes my rather uneviable heavier weight a bit more tolerable as I have a larger frame to space my fat out on.] So I'm in the store, right? After arguing with myself for the longest, I drag myself back to the dress rack so I can pick up the same dress in a size 14. I avoided dresses for the longest due to the hanging pouch of skin at my belly. Now that's been minimized quite a bit. So this is the first dress I've bought since my Band Repair and my Tummy Tuck. And although I didn't lose a pound (actually like most TT patients, I initially gained weight due to swelling & Fluid retention) I think my abdomen is finally starting to look trimmer. I have to convince myself to pick up the size 14 but since it's the only one left in that size, I do get it. I really had to quiet my self doubt just to grab the Size 14. Later in the dressing room, I go to pull it over my head and wiggle into it, only to realize it's too tight. I'm crushed - literally. Then I realize two important things: #1. It has a hidden inner zipper which I never bothered to undo - once I unzip it, the dress slides down and fits. #2. Although it was on the Size 14 section of the rack, the dress is tagged as Size 12. Yep, me, NewSho - Professional Fat Person managed to get into a Size 12 slinky silk spaghetti strap dress. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had it on, and it wasn't ripping or splitting. When I saw myself in it, I almost cried. The lady in the next fitting room probably thought I was having a Nervous Breakdown but I was so full of emotion. I never thought I'd see a size 12 again - and although this wasn't my real size, it felt great. I just twirled and twirled and twirled around in the fitting room - I couldn't believe it! Now reality is - I'm not delusional - I can't wear size 12 jeans or shorts. But this dress actually got on my body. Honestly, I need a Boob Lift but until then I have to solve any breast-related issues with well-engineered bras. So this dress does call for a bulletproof strapless bra. Plus my butt really is a size 14 - that should have been the size I should have bought but since the Size 12 actually got on, looked OK and since it was on clearance - that baby came right home with me. A beautiful little silk slip dress in size 12 - and I actually got in it. It was worth its weight in gold. Me? In a 12? Even for just one night, it was so exciting.:confused: I wore the dress to the party that night. There was lots of media & TV coverage of the event, but I felt confident. It did the job, but after losing some weight (and after treating "The Twins" to a much-needed Boob Lift) I would look GREAT in it. But for right now, just getting in it was the victory. I'm still fighting the war but it's nice to win a battle now and then. Thanks for letting me share this. It ain't all gloom and doom over here, all the time. And though I'm always fighting the Battle of The Bulge, at least I got one good shot in this war. :clap2: Happy Band Journeys To All, New Sho (a.k.a. "I ain't a size 12 but I got to play one on TV, just for one night :kiss2: ")

STEPH...you think the scale not moving for 2 weeks is bad!!? Try 5 weeks! :-( I go next week for my 3rd fill and can't wait! Congrats on the NSV!!! That is awesome!!! Its weeks like this when my scale hasn't moved that I wonder if I'll ever get into those sizes, but I just have to keep the faith, right!? Sassy...I've never had numbing for my fills either, although I'm not sure how my new fill Dr. will do it next week, but I'll let ya know!

brandi- dont worry u are probably just swollan and you be ok . Its happen to me and within a couple of hours the scale moves for some odd reason. nsv- yay I was walking out of my home (your home aswell) when my naighbor said clau come here . so I was thinking oh god lol she is like what are you doing you have lost about 20 pounds of course I laughed and I said really you can tell lol she is like yes yes you have lost lots and lots of weight I said yeah a little lol thank you for noticing it . she said no you can really tell but you need to tell me how or what are you doing . I could of told here the complete truth but then eveyone around the block would know lol . so I said I am eating a little of everything and walking I dint lie I guess I eat eveything I can eat in little portions lol and I do walk lol. it was nice feeling truly. well girls I wish you the best easter ever pls stay away from the evil easter candy and remember we are all here for the same reason and that is to make ours selfs better not only physically but emotionally and I love you all thank you for all the support and in me really you have a friend you can count on . love you all !! clau :clap2:

We went to church today. I think that after I get back from FL I am going to visit some other churches to see which one I like, and then we need to join one. Now that I've got the momentum to go, it's not hard to get up and participate in my own salvation. Yeah, I think I'll wait. I may even cancel tomorrow's date, just because I can. He hates being rejected, and it would be my pleasure to put him off for a while longer. Aside from that, I really may have to work tomorrow night. Big Wigs are coming into town and I'm in exec. mtgs Tues - Thurs. I forgot - NSV. On Friday I wore a pair of chinos and a fitted turtleneck to work. The nutso (lies to get attention) lady in the office said, "Nathalie, can I ask you a kind of personal question?" I nodded, and she goes, "Are you losing weight?" I smiled and said, "Just a little." She goes, "Yeah, I can tell." Then she launched into some lies about her husband having to fire some people and blah blah blah. But she did notice, and she's said more than anyone else in the office, except for the guy who interrupted me to say "Hey, you've lost weight. A LOTTA weight! WOW!" ahahah Like I was Jabba the Hut before. I just smiled and said "Thanks Rob." ahaha I wanted to kick him in his scrotum. I need to clean my room. *sigh* I also need to pack for my trip. I can't wait to go! We're flying, bk. That's a big ordeal in and of itself, thanks to my crazy baby boy. He doesn't like to sit still so we're going to be cramped onto that plane for a while. I hope he just sits there and STFU. bk why are you still throwing up? Call your doctor. Stay on liquids until you get that fixed. You should not be throwing up! VAB - good luck on your fill! I know you're ready for it! Sorry you're still feeling lousy. Being sick is absolutely no fun at all. Poor thing. I hope you feel better soon! Do what you need to do to make yourself feel better! Talk to yall later! Hope everyone is having a great day! Nat.

That is very impressive what you have done and are planning to do. Very motivational! Love the NSV.

On my top ten for NSV!!!!

Definite NSV! Awesome!

Yes, Janine, the possibilities ARE endless! Good for you--what a great NSV. Everyone is doing awesome--keep it up! It's just so inspiring to me to see your victories. I'm actually feeling restriction for basically the first time. I had my 8th fill a week ago tomorrow and am now at 3.3 in my 4 band. The downside is that I had 2 slime/pb episodes in the last 4 days but I'm learning. The upside is that I HAVE RESTRICTION! Woohoo. Now I just need to learn to chew chew chew and take m & m-sized bites. The band is really doing it's behavior modification job for me on those two counts. I'm doing Curves and just joined their diet class so we'll see how that goes. I'm ready to start losing (I have been ready for six months, of course, but now I'm ready to start with some help via restriction). Good luck to everyone--keep up the great work. Karen

WOW! I got my bike back from the shop and had to try it out! I just got back from a 15.12 mile Bike Ride!!!:whoo: 1 hour and 6 minutes... an average of 14.6 mph!:clap2: I only intended to go out for 4 or 5 miles... but I wasnt even winded. So, I thought ok 10 miles... got to 10 miles and wasn't even winded. So, I thought ok, 15 miles. I was still NOT winded at all! breathing well... and hyped up on adreniline BUT if it wasnt for the fact that it was getting tooo dark to ride safely. I could have just kept right on going!! I feel great. So, happy I got started on this. I LOVE my bike! ------------------ Next order of business, NSV -- OMG I had my first Cat Call tonight!! hahaha -- these guys saw me riding my bike -- as they came out of their apartment and totallly did "the whistle" and shouted some kind of "hey baby" comment at me. I was like, "what the hell!?!?" (then I started thinking) I ride in these little bitty short shorts and tank top... I never once thought about what I must look like up on that bike. Half my ass is probably exposed! :omg: i guess they got to see a whole lot of "leg." haha... and mamma must be looking better these days when she is riding around town! I laughed so hard when I figured out the whistling was directed at me! I almost fell off my bike. THAT would have been sexy! ------------- Claud -- well, at least you found a nice guy to spend the evening with... sound like you may want to give him a bit of a chance. I know your heart is in Chicago BUT this guy sounds awfully polite and nice. He would be great to spend time with and just enjoy yourself. BUT I know what you mean, when you heart lie somewhere else -- it is hard to even look at another person. Booboo -- YEAH!! for not killing the mother! haha -- I am glad she finally came around. That probably took alot for her to make that compliment. She seems like the type of person that would have had to swallow her pride to say that one. So, I know must have meant alot to you. Kudos on the tubing!! I was with my 5'2'' sexy as hell Hawaiian friend this weekend. She is GORGEOUS! and she is like "you want to go down to the pool?" I had to have looked at her like she was crazy! I havent been in a bathing suit in over 10 years! in a publice pool since I was 15 or 16! and here she is in all of her perfectly tanned and toned glory!! YEAH... um, that was NOT the day for me to try out sun bathing... I love her to death. Best person ever, but she is like Ms. Hawaiian Tropic... THAT would make anyone feel infearior. Steph -- yeah, I would let them have it too!! haha -- i dont put up with ANYONES crap anymore. or at least I try not to. I just cant handle it. Give 'em hell! I am glad to see you checking in more. I've missed you! Congrats on the awesome day! Make sure not to skip breakfast, it will put your metabolism in SLOW MO for the entire day. Ive been setting my alarm for 5am getting up eating my breakfast and then taking an hour power nap before I have to keep getting ready for work. It helps jump start my metabolism -- so I keep on burning up the food all day. Just an idea!! hehe about "the boinking" of the husband. you crack me up girl. You seem to have a very healthy happy relationsihp with your husband. that is good! Keeps you both young and um..... satisfied??? haha:heh: BabyGotBack! Hey chica! I keep up with you on the boards... I check up every few weeks to see how you are doing and how things are progressing :-) OF course we remember you! You are doing an awesome job with your band. I was plateaued for about 2 months. I've had to kick up the exercise HARDCORE to see results. But I think things are finally moving again! So good to hear from you!

Just popping in to say HI. I'm having my morning latte, which lasts me through lunch. I'll eat tuna pack w/crackers at about 1:30 and drink some water. Dinner I'll probably have another buffalo chicken whip (thanks Kaydoll for mentioning that!). I whip it chunky and sprinkle bleu cheese on top. Holding strong at 222.5, which is bullshit. I need to put the scale away until the end of the month when I will undoubtedly bust strong into the 2-teens. Oh, NSV. I went to the drivethrough Beaners, but the line was too long so I got my can out of the car and went inside! Last year at this time I would have waited in the line, pissed because they were going so slowly! NSV2 - I am wearing a pair of Jones New York olive green, side zip, no-waist pants that I have never worn before! They have always been too tight (and were tooooo small when I bought them!). My sz 14 jacket is baggy on me, too! I am feeling kinda good today, mommas! I didn't exercise last night, so I am bound and determined to hit it hard tonight. I'm sure that's why the blasted scale isn't cooperating. Not in the mood to be at work today, I can tell you that. Not in the mood for meetings or being politically nice to people. I hate everybody. Seriously. EVERYBODY. Nat

oK Soooo daddy is doing better day by day and I thank you again and again not for only being my new family for praying for him and for your friendship . God works in misterious ways and the way he brough you to me I thank him . Now nsv lol I think its funny my bigest cridict is my brother ok so yesterday I was on my lap top and he was on his computer I was in the family room and he was in the computer room . He emails me and its a picture and it reads you see sister you dont look like an oik oik any more you need to realize your just and oik your 1/2 way there and your looking awsome. lol I started craking up of course I called him every name on the book but I think its funny because when I saw the picture I was like omg no way my eyes look diffrent my face expression and me over all and its a really check some times I still look in the mirror everyday lol and think nothing has changed but I have changed in many ways many inside and out . and a plus I have you all to tell my stupid stories lol On another note girls I wish eveyone of you the best ever christmas may God bring more weighloss lol and lots and lots of blessing to you and your families each one of you have a special place in my heart even thou I dont know you physically I know I know each of you and love you for who you are and your the best people in my 37 years of :thinklive that god has brought to me your my FRIENDS.:think b00- i doing good need to be positive I know 2008 will be my year of ackomplishments I know it will . Daddy good . How are thing with you , boo you know I say things from the heart and I glad I got to see you and your an awsome person do what your heart tells you to do in anything and everything your worth millions ..ok ok girls I read you later love clau:clap2:

Boo-I love your tag line about finding your treasure. fantastic! Congrats on the NSV. Love to hear all about it. I bet it feels great. Okay, so I weighed my younger daughters candy bag out of curiosity and it weighs 6 pounds. I thought it was heavier than that, but still, 6 pounds of freaking candy. My older daughter already hid her bag because he dad is a major junkie for candy. She knows he will plow through it in days (and maintain is svelte 175lb frame...arrrghhh!!!). I am not hearing the candy call to me yet. I hope it keeps up. I just don't want it (wtf..that is so unlike me). Think of it this way girls...for most of us, now thru New Year's would have been a free for all eating wise. Thanks to the bands, the worst case may be a maintenance or small gain if we are not careful. Of course, the goal should be to try to be careful and still lose over the holidays. Just a different perspective for you. Nat-sorry to hear about the job crap. It is equally frustrating because I know that job eats up so much of your life. At least your sweet dad was there to remind you how great you are (and how young you look!). Keep us posted. Steph-enjoy the couch to 5k on the "dreadmill" (love that). Lucky for you to not have any candy in the house. Sweet-you will be pleased to know I just completed week 1/day 2 of couch to 5K. Feeling good. Especially since my bugg has told me that so far today I have burned 1255 calories. I have only eaten 150 so far. yippee. We'll see if I can figure this thing out. Okay..I seriously need to get some stuff done before school tonight. I will check back later if I can.

Janine - I'm glad you got that unfill, I was worried about you. Great to see you back, TammyJ! We missed you! To The Bitch: Awesome NSV story! LMAO....soon you'll be "Skinny Bitch". Jeni, Feeling pretty good about my progress, and am happy with my band for sure. No regrets at all. I have to weigh myself daily. I actually read something that people who do weigh frequently manage their weight better. As long as we don't freak out over the normal fluctuations, I think it's ok. Jmcambra - Happy 6 month bandiversary today! Me too! You have really done well with your commitment to exercise. I was going to post my 6 month pics today, but something is wrong with my before picture. It's not the right type of file or something, and I don't know why. It's because I had rotated it, I think. I'm not very good at this. Any suggestions?

Just Checking In Glad Over All Everyone Is Doing Good!!! I Just A Little Fustrated Scale Is Not Moving But I Could Honestly Say I Feel Smaller . Nice Nsv Was That I Saw The Rest Of My Family And Wow I Looked Great Lol Bought My Self A Little (wow I Could Actually Say Little Lol Jajaj ) Black Dress Very Modern And I Looked And Felt Good . I Say I Looked Good Because My Brother Is My Bigest Cridict And Said Wow Sister You Look Good . And So We Wen To The Family Party And Yes Everyone Asked What I Was Doing Some Bad Coments But Now I Laugh And Over All Everyone Was Inpressed. I Did Get A Comment From One Of My Cousins Oviously I Have Many Lol That Said Wow Wow You Look So Thin I Said No I Still Fat ( Oviously Been Sarcastic ) She Is Well You Do Look Very Thin But I Mean Since I Saw You Last Year But Keep Working At It And You Will Be Skinny One Of This Days . I Oviously Laughed And Thought To My Self Wow What A Bitch Lol But It Didnt Matter Because Like The Commercial Of Oily Of Olay Said Dont Hate Me For Being Beautiful Lol Jajjaajjaja. Just Wanted To Share That With You Its Feels Fustrated That I Cant Get The Scale To Move But It Feels So Good To Know People Do See You Geting Better By The Day. Booo//pls Finish The Book Soon Lol I Need To Read It And We Need To Go On Oprah Lol So Meet Each Other Girls Hope You Have Or Had A Great Weekend Just Checked In .. Going On A Date Lol So Wish Me Luck Lol Love Ya All Clau

Hi Everyone! I'm enjoying my one and only weekend with NO homework so I decided to see what everyone was up to! bkwalling—Man, it sounds like you’ve been having a miserable time lately! I’m so glad your interview went well! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you! As for me, the boss told me yesterday that my interview (for the job I’m already doing) went “very well” but they aren’t hiring anyone at this time because no one was “qualified.” Yes, that pretty much means that I’m chopped liver. Kind of like a mistress--good enough to fool around with but not good enough to marry. On a more positive note, the boss asked me to continue in the acting supervisory position through the summer. I’ll be done my administration degree by August, so hopefully I’ll be “good enough” for them by then… :faint: BooBooKitty—I think we ALL deserve more pay because we rock! StephC—Remember that some days are going to be better than others. Just get back on track and don’t beat yourself up too much! You are just about halfway through your weight loss—hang in there! :clap2: VABandster—Awesome job getting into those size 18 shorts! I tried on two sets of PJs today that were XL. They fit, but the material was a bit thin, so I didn’t get them. I was floating on a cloud that I could actually squeeze my keester into an outfit in the "regular" section of the store! Jill—You made it to onederland! I’m SO excited for you!! :wow2: beversman—What I wouldn’t do to go on a road trip right now! I’m so sick of doing homework! Your weight loss is INCREDIBLE! I’m so proud of you—what an accomplishment! :first: Kaydotrn—Glad to have you back! I’ve been among the missing myself. I made it through my 3 classes at the same time nightmare of the last 8 weeks! My next class doesn't start until next Thursday, so I thought I’d write to everyone. At least I’ll only have one class at a time and my internship to get done from now until the end of August. Way to go by the way on losing 50 pounds already! I was banded the day after you, and have only lost around 35 (maybe a little more by now). I really need to exercise some more—now that I won’t have classes 2-4 nights a week I’ll be able to be more dedicated like you! I guess I should just be happy I haven’t GAINED any weight. I sure would have in the old days before the band! :hungry: Nathalie—I’m glad you’re doing better after your rough patch! You’re an inspiration! Good job standing up to your mother—not an easy task! VABandster—The VA Tech. tragedy hit us hard in Hampton Roads as well. One of my classmates is a teacher in Smithfield, the hometown of one of the girls who died. One of my professors is an assistant superintendent in Hampton, VA, where another girl who died used to live. Working in the school system has been nerve-wracking, too. My son (a high school freshman) stayed home from school on April 20th because of rumors of a Columbine-style shooting. We had an interview for him at an alternative school in the morning (traditional high school sucks) and I decided to keep him home just in case. All of us at central office got a procedure for handling phoned-in bomb threats. Not a warm and happy feeling! My big NSV is that I had to buy new underwear and bras today because I was swimming in my old ones! I know, I really like to live it up! Woo-hoo! The only downer is that my body is turning into a giant blob of flabby jello! Do any of you feel this way? I don’t know if all of my fat is just loosening up so it can melt off, but I jiggle more now than I did 40 pounds ago! I don’t think I’m going near a bathing suit this summer. I hope my skin tightens up or I’m definitely going to need a date with a plastic surgeon! Or maybe I should move to Mauritania??? :doh: I think I’ll check out that “thedailyplate.com” website. I haven’t had the time to track calories—maybe now is a good time to try that out. I'll do my best to check in more often. Keep up the good work everyone! It's amazing how much we've all accomplished already!

nat...... i swear im howling with laughter and worse still you just know we all going to be trying it !! i love that you told us about that hugging on loo ,congrats on your unique nsv oh and your new coat im still wearing a knee length blk one that me and baby bump will fit in ...its like a tent but really cosy and last winter i could zip it up but afraid to sit down incase zip burst. transformer,,,looking at your taz pic makes me tired..does that mean im officially the laziest person ever ..lol brandi.....glad your back honey ...thats the girl we all love ,the lean mean running machine and you sound so cheerful ..excercise and you go so well together ,ive yet to start anything thats why im like wobble monster steph .....i dont really fart alot but those pains always feel like a wind ball trapped in areas that they shouldnt be ,i took big glass of this constipation stuff and added some fibre powder and went to bed ....no "movement" but pain gone when i woke up so not complaining ,i felt really peeved because ive eaten rice many times no problem but last night it killed me and i swear it was only a little bit i had cereal this morning and threw up .im hungry but cant seem to find anything that doesnt annoy me .maybe i should go on liquids for 24 hours and give everything a rest .is melted chocolate liquid...pmsl sweethot...you have us all chocolate mad talking about your fountain we even want to dip our men....lol

DD has strep. She had me look this morning before I left for work and I saw spots. Sure enough the dr confirmed it was strep, so shes on penicillin. Hopefully it'll knock it out of her before Saturday. Bk - it'll happen when you least expect it to - suddenly you'll go "wow, thats me!" I had another nsv today. One of the guys at work said you can tell Steph is losing weight, she doesn't wear those big baggy clothes anymore (I think he was looking at my butt LOL ) I actually am between sizes, my butt is a 14 but my waist is a 16 - it drives me crazy! So yeah my butt looked good today but if he had seen the fat flopping out at the waistline he may have thought differently. Still it was nice to hear.

So recently I've been pretty hard on myself. My weight loss has been very slow over the last few months (mainly because I don't have much restriction and I'm not doing enough exercise). I live and work in Seoul, South Korea and Koreans don't really recognise changes even if those changes are pretty drastic. So I haven't had many people compliment me. That was up until this week that is. This week I've had seven different people compliment me about my weight loss. Saying I look so slim and asking how I've done it. It's such a great feeling and has really motivated me to keep going until my goal. In addition to this I've met and fallen for a great man. It's early days but I never though I would meet someone like him. He's very special and we have so much fun when we are together. He makes me smile a lot. Before my surgery I always dreamed of meeting a man like him. It also helps that he's really healthy and fit so we get out and do active stuff at the weekend like mountain climbing, hiking and biking. He also cooks me amazing, healthy meals (and I secretly think he loves it that I give him half my food!). I'd say that this is my biggest NSV! Life is good and I'm happy. Here I am at 215lbs on the right. And down to 160!

Hello friends, This past week has been one of breakthrough for me and learning so much about myself. I was asked to share some of my poetry with the Young Adults at my church last Friday and it was the first time that I felt truly confident and happy with who I was. I was happy with the person I was becoming and stepping in being- like really living. My identity was not wrapped around what I looked like, obsessing over a number on the scale or the "I'll be happy when" mindset. I am actually happy. Truly uncovering the depths of my being and who God created me to be has brought me freedom. I am done obsessing over my weight and letting it consume my life and shaping my whole life around if I am losing or not. I want to be healthy, I want to be alive, I want to truly enjoy my reality and I believe I am doing that! I still plan on controlling my weight but I am no longer allowing my weight to control me. This is an NSV for me, big time!

Just finished w6d2, I ran three miles in new balance minimus shoes. I feel great no knee pain..atleast not yet. Also tonight I ran around the block a couple times with my girls while they scootered. My ten year old said "Mom it is nice to not have to stop while you catch up" a great NSV! Thanks for your help butter, I worked on my form and keeping bent knees...