Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered Bandsters

[cheri52 1]

Laura, thanks for the thought, but I DO log on to the thread EVERY time I get a notice, ( although I don't always write , sometimes just nothing to say or very tired) and I also check my junk mail (although not as offen) I have never gotten it in junk mail as LBT in on my safe list. I just don't know! I remember it happening to MS Dad long ago. still :thumbup:.

[OH Juli 15]

Hi my gay brothers and sisters.

Hope you all are doing well. It's very slow around here these days.

Someone chime in with a story or an NSV or something.

[cheri52 1]

Hi my gay brothers and sisters.

Hope you all are doing well. It's very slow around here these days.

Someone chime in with a story or an NSV or something.

something.....something......something........something........

seems we are alone! how does one have time and energy to post over 2000 messages , ride all those miles and still have a life with your sweets? I'm very impressed and awed :tt2: not to mention the great wt. loss :thumbup:

[ohbearly 0]

Hey All,

I haven't posted in awhile. My surgery is approved and scheduled for 07/16. On Tuesday I start a 6 week Optifast diet. It really intimidates me. That is such a long time to not have any solid food. My surgeon initially told me that I would have 2 weeks. He then upped it to 4 weeks. Finally, at my last appointment he decided that 6 weeks would be best. I am 5'7" 255. He says my goal will most likely be 185. With the 6 weeks diet, he expects me to lose 45 pounds. That puts me over 1/2 the way to goal. How does all this sound to others on this thread? Is this goal weight realistic, conservative or liberal?

Tom from Ohio

[cosmo24 0]

To Tom from Ohio, Sorry to hear you have to lose so much on liquids. I weighed in at 275 on surgery day and did not have to lose any before surgery. Did you question the doc's reason for so much weight needing to be lost this way? My opinion is it's an excessive amount to lose in such a short time. Good Luck. It will be all worth it in the end.

[OH Juli 15]

Tom that sounds excessive. Wow.

Cheri-I've been on here for a long time and I'm super active on the cycling thread. I suppose I don't have much of a life either.

[cheri52 1]

HI Tom, that's crazy! as you can see from my ticker, I started with 138 lbs to lose. all my Dr.s wanted was 14 lbs. gone before surgery,and no pre-opt liquid diet. now, granted a lot has to do with your build, but really! I carry most of my wt. in the legs, with a much smaller gut. that makes it safer for the surgeon and you. but, if you can lose half of the wt. on the liquid, why would you even have the band done? If you don't mind my saying, it doesn't even really seem like you are that much over wt. I thought one needed to have at least 100 lbs to lose.?? I think I might get a second opinion.

Juli, I was wrong, it's not 2000, almost 3000!!! wow.

[Bozlee 0]

Hi my gay brothers and sisters.

Hope you all are doing well. It's very slow around here these days.

Someone chime in with a story or an NSV or something.

Hmmm...I have a NSV (Non-Scale Victory) to share. Before I had the band I could not ride on roller coasters due to being too big for the rides. One of my goals was to lose enough weight to finally enjoy the coasters again, especially since I currently live about 5 or 10 minutes from Busch Gardens. Once I hit my goal weight of 250 lbs, I bought myself an annual pass to Busch Gardens. The following weekend I went there with a friend and I was able to finally fit in the seats. The bad part was the roller coaster bars kept pushing in on my port and after a few hours I was in pain. I think maybe once I lose more weight this might not be an issue. I was happy because I finally got to do something I had been telling myself I would not be able to go again. It was nice to be wrong. I hope everyone is setting NSV's and accomplishing them too.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Bozlee

[OH Juli 15]

Edd,

I love you NSV. It's fantastic. I hope to be a copy cat and make it mine too.

I've made plans to do something similar. My banded friend and I are going to an amusement park the 4th of July weekend. No kids, no partners. Just us former fatties, enjoying the ride which we haven't ridden on since high school.

I'm super excited.

[hungry4help 0]

hi all... haven't visited this thread in awhile, but it's good to know it's always here. it's been a rough month. after 3+ years, my gf and i broke up. long story, but it was a mutual, albeit very painful, decision.

damn, it sure was hard not to slide right off the rails. chocolate has always been my favorite anti-depressant and i really wanted to od on it during the last month. i can't say i stayed away from it completely, but i definitely did better than i had in the past. i managed to take my frustration out by playing tennis and going to the gym. (spin class produces an abundance of endorphins!)

this banding process has made me painfully aware of how i've used food to medicate mood swings and ease loneliness. intellectually, that's not news to me. but because i'm now banded and because i haven't been using food as a numbing agent, my feelings seem more poignant and more sustained. i've been forced to navigate and endure my emotions in new ways. again, it ain't easy and i sometimes really miss my pals ben and jerry. i knew the band would make me physically healthier, but it's also upping my emotional iq. that's a pretty nice side effect.

[Chunkymonkys 0]

Congrats on your NSV!! I know this is something my partner and I are looking forward to doing once we get some of the weight off...Guess we will find out who is more of a chicken, ha!!

[OH Juli 15]

hi all... haven't visited this thread in awhile, but it's good to know it's always here. it's been a rough month. after 3+ years, my gf and i broke up. long story, but it was a mutual, albeit very painful, decision.

damn, it sure was hard not to slide right off the rails. chocolate has always been my favorite anti-depressant and i really wanted to od on it during the last month. i can't say i stayed away from it completely, but i definitely did better than i had in the past. i managed to take my frustration out by playing tennis and going to the gym. (spin class produces an abundance of endorphins!)

this banding process has made me painfully aware of how i've used food to medicate mood swings and ease loneliness. intellectually, that's not news to me. but because i'm now banded and because i haven't been using food as a numbing agent, my feelings seem more poignant and more sustained. i've been forced to navigate and endure my emotions in new ways. again, it ain't easy and i sometimes really miss my pals ben and jerry. i knew the band would make me physically healthier, but it's also upping my emotional iq. that's a pretty nice side effect.

That's some stuff you're going through. Seems like you've got good perspective though. and yeah, I second the growth of the emotional IQ.

Can't think the same ol' way and expect different results. One needs to think differently as well.

Here's to getting back in the game when you're ready.

[cheri52 1]

Hmmm...I have a NSV (Non-Scale Victory) to share. Before I had the band I could not ride on roller coasters due to being too big for the rides. One of my goals was to lose enough weight to finally enjoy the coasters again, especially since I currently live about 5 or 10 minutes from Busch Gardens. Once I hit my goal weight of 250 lbs, I bought myself an annual pass to Busch Gardens. The following weekend I went there with a friend and I was able to finally fit in the seats. The bad part was the roller coaster bars kept pushing in on my port and after a few hours I was in pain. I think maybe once I lose more weight this might not be an issue. I was happy because I finally got to do something I had been telling myself I would not be able to go again. It was nice to be wrong. I hope everyone is setting NSV's and accomplishing them too.

nice to see a familiar "face" on here, very happy for you, and jealous!!! the last time I was on a ride was 98 lbs ago:embaressed_smile:. it was the "merry mixer" and the bar was so tight across me it wouldn't allow the catch to release. it was very embaressing especially when the kid had to get the maintance man to get me out. I nearly died. My kids were little so I don't think they were aware of the real problem. now 25 years later I'm too chicken! I have this fear that the ride will break and all this will be for nothing. I may have to rethink that .

My NSV I guess is I only got 2 more lbs. to go to hit my 100 lb. loss ( from my top wt. of course!) :laugh:

[Bozlee 0]

I think it is good to have an NSV because it gives you something else to focus on other then that damn scale number, which doesn’t always count because sometimes I don’t lose anything but inches. For those of you that are new, don’t lose faith because we will all reach our goal sometime. Some people lose really fast or non-stop and others only lose a couple of pounds a month. I had a goal in mind and thought I would not be happy until I reached it, but I was wrong. I am finally at a weight that I feel comfortable. My health is good and I feel like I can run a marathon. Don’t get me wrong, I am still overweight and need to lose about 50+ pounds. I was just wrong about how far away that light was at the end of the tunnel, and I hope you will find out that your happiness may come sooner then you think.

For the first time in my life, I don’t want to stay home (which sucks with the current gas prices). I am also so comfortable that I am finally trying to get out and meet people more and I have applied for a management job (which I should hear about by the middle of June, so keep your fingers crossed). If I don’t get that job, I am also considering just moving to a new city (probably Atlanta) and making a fresh start. I guess sometimes you just have to take risks, the first of which is done because it was having the surgery.

Edited June 1, 2008 by Bozlee

[azsungirl 0]

hi all... haven't visited this thread in awhile, but it's good to know it's always here. it's been a rough month. after 3+ years, my gf and i broke up. long story, but it was a mutual, albeit very painful, decision.

damn, it sure was hard not to slide right off the rails. chocolate has always been my favorite anti-depressant and i really wanted to od on it during the last month. i can't say i stayed away from it completely, but i definitely did better than i had in the past. i managed to take my frustration out by playing tennis and going to the gym. (spin class produces an abundance of endorphins!)

this banding process has made me painfully aware of how i've used food to medicate mood swings and ease loneliness. intellectually, that's not news to me. but because i'm now banded and because i haven't been using food as a numbing agent, my feelings seem more poignant and more sustained. i've been forced to navigate and endure my emotions in new ways. again, it ain't easy and i sometimes really miss my pals ben and jerry. i knew the band would make me physically healthier, but it's also upping my emotional iq. that's a pretty nice side effect.

Hungry4help, your post is one of the most sincere ones I've read so far, it also makes sense. Enduring problems without relying on the old ways it's awesome... stay strong... great post!