March Bandsters: MASTER THREAD

[hungry4help 0]

hi all... i've been lurking too. actually, i hadn't logged in for several months but recently had a fill and thought i'd check back in on this thread. glad to see that so many from our cohort are doing so well.

so much has changed for me in the last couple of years. a relationship has come and gone, i adopted a puppy, and i met the person i think i'm going to marry. i've also a had to have a port revision (too many failed fill attempts led to a leaky port). but more importantly, i'm done more than 100 pounds. i've got a little more to go, but i'm close enough that i'm thinking about a Tummy Tuck and an inner thigh lift.

it's been a long strange trip. my food choices aren't always ideal, but my portions are under control and i've been seeing a trainer once a week and playing competitive tennis. next goal: a mini triathlon. hey, a girl's gotta try!

since i got a fill last week, i've been thinking a lot about my food choices. to be honest, i still eat chocolate chip Cookies and fries with regularity -- just far fewer of them. i'm not a veggie person, but know that to maintain my weight and get really healthy i'm going to have to make better food choices on a more consistent basis.

at any rate, thanks to everyone who posts here with regularity. i've never met any of you, but your stories have comforted me, made me laugh and kept me going.

[Desdemona 48]

hungry4help!!!!!!!--WHOAAAA Mama!!!!!! You been busy girl!!! That's great!

I been sitting here for a few hrs on this site trying to understand my belly and I've been looking for people like you who are near (or at goal) to ask about your experience with belly fat. I have lost a lot of weight and I know I must have lost a lot in the belly because I went from a size 20 jean to a 12. But I still have this belly and I have another 30lbs to go. I'll bet that about 20-25 of what I need to lose is located in my abdomen! A lot of people on this site are saying that they are not losing in the belly. Others are saying it's the last to go. Other are saying it will never really go without surgery because older women will have belly fat anyway. So I thought I'd like to ask people who have lost weight. Are you holding onto belly fat? When did you lose it? Do you think it will go by the time you get to goal?

Edited January 24, 2010 by Desdemona

[nycm00 0]

HI Des,

Still lots of belly fat here too. I'm 39, so that puts in a bit of a different place...I think?... My belly just sort of hangs now where as before it was hard and out. I have also had 3 kids, 3 c-sections and I don't think that helped things.

My arms are not bad, but my legs, boobs and belly look worse to me now than they did when I was 70 pounds heavier, just because of the hang. I also have a bit of a waddle under my chin that I could bear to live without.

If I reach goal, I know my belly will go down further, but the hang will still be there.

I think whild DH is away, I will put some money away for some PS.

Christine

[nycm00 0]

Hey Hungry,

You've done amazingly well! Congrats on keeping an eye on the goal while going through a lot of change.

We are getting a puppy next month. I am really looking foward to it, but nervous at the same time. The whole potty training thing has me nervous! We'll be getting him on Feb 26th! The kids are so excited.

Thanks for checking in. It's good to see you around again.

Christine

[Desdemona 48]

Christine--The PS ---ESPECIALLY -- the B Reduction is remarkable. They say that B reduction has the highest satisfaction rate of all operations. I can say that it's true for me. I can't believe how much better I feel. I can look down and see my stomach. I can tuck my blouse in. I don't slouch to hide them anymore --- or try to pack them down. It's SO MUCH easier to move around and reach. I have more energy and motivation now to lose more weight. Everyone says I look like I lost a lot of weight just from the reduction. I look younger. And the strange thing is the chin, neck and upper arm area have tightened up since the reduction. I'm wondering if that is because my breast are not pulling on those areas. He also sucked out fat in the B area when he was in there so I'm wondering if somehow the fat in the arms and chin where able to redistribute because he freed "made more room" in the chest area.

My pup, Dodie, is one of the very best things I did this last year. She's a rescue Schnauzer mix. I found her on petfinders.com and drove out to northern Missouri to pick her up. She's 12.5lbs now and a ball of energy and curiosity. It's deeply satisfying to know that my love and protection has helped her change from being an insecure, anxious, ill behaved pup to a wonderful companion. She is so loving and cuddly when she isn't being a little monster. But --really -- I do think that she has also helped me get through a difficult time. She has touched my heart in a time with I could have closed down. It's so important that we try to find our joys in the mist of worries and stress that we are facing. It's better than eating our way through it -- huh?

Edited January 25, 2010 by Desdemona

[hungry4help 0]

hey des... i hear you on the belly fat thing. it's where i carry much of my weight and it's the last thing to go. well, there's also my inner thighs, but that's another issue. i'm hoping to address both problem areas with an abdominoplasty and inner thigh lift later this fall. luckily, i think my insurer will cover the Tummy Tuck and i'll have to handle the thigh lift as out of pocket expense.

as for exercise reducing belly fat. for the first year and a half, i saw a personal trainer 2x a week. it about killed me financially, but i really wanted to commit to the process. exercise helps too, but genetics and luck have the most to do with minimizing belly fat. core strengthening and crunches have helped a lot, but the 20+ years that i was morbidly obese have pretty much ruined the skin around my lower body. it's just not going to bounce back, sigh.

nyc: so glad to hear you're getting a puppy. apart from being warm and cuddly, my little pup really helps keep me on track. she gets me up in the morning makes me get up of the couch each and every night for a stroll around the neighborhood. have that structure has been a real help for me.

[Desdemona 48]

OOOOOHHHHHH NOOOOO!!!!! I JUST joined Planet Fitness thinking that, FOR SURE, all I needed to do was get on a treadmill and cycle and it would take care of the belly fat within several months!!! You hired a personal trainer for all that time and it didn't work???!!!!! OMG!!!! But ---do you mean that exercise didn't get rid of the big belly --- or do you mean that you just have hanging skin from losing all the fat off of your belly?? My shoulders,arms, backside, legs, face, neck --even thighs are ALMOST where they should be. I still do have SOME fat on my upper arms and thighs but it's seems to be slowly going. I'm 5 ft tall and still at least 30-35lbs overweight. I'd say that 20-25lbs of that is actually sitting in my abdomen. I have been doing some reading and it sound like the fat that is there is mostly visceral fat which is the worst kind. I'm worried about that. When they do a Tummy Tuck -isn't that the removal of loose skin with some subcutaneous fat? It sounds like the visceral fat is deposited between the internal organs in the abdomen. They don't remove that ---do they?? I'm hoping that I can get rid of it without a tummy tuck. Now I'm wondering if that's possible.

[HarleyGirl 1]

I'm in the new puppy bunch, too!

I got him in a round about way after my ex bought him and then decided he didn't want him, but I am just crazy about him. He's a little miniature pinscher and so full of energy! He gives me a lot of smiles....when he's not pissing me off...he's a busy little guy!

My last fill has put me at a really interesting restriction point. I really think I'm on the border of being too tight, I have to be super careful.....but that's what it's about. I've dropped three pounds in the two weeks since the fill, I'm happy with that.....nine more to go to my doctor's goal for me! I'm going to make it, which totally amazes me and is something I never thought I could do!

[Desdemona 48]

Hey Harley! New dog -- new life---new bod! You sound chipper and I'm happy to see it. You've paid your dues -- and now you're gonna reap the rewards!

Just imagine --- it will be summer soon and you and your pup can go cruzin. Yes. I know EXACTLY how you feel about the pup. I got mine last Jan when things were tough. We BOTH needed some love. She has touched my heart and helped me over the rough spot--and I was able to give her the good home she needed/deserved. I guess we're gonna have start posting our pups pictures!

Congrats on your 3lbs.

[nycm00 0]

Hey Harley...Good to see you checking in! Congrats on the 3 pound loss. Be careful to follow the rules and if something get's stuck go back to liquids. When you are at that borderline restriction point,the littlest irritation to your stomach can cause swelling which would put you where you don't want to be. But, I say kudos to you for using your tool!

Congrats on the puppy. I can't wait till my little guy arrives, just nervous about the training. Guess I'll deal with that when the time comes.

Christine

[SpecialK 22]

Hi ladies! ... yes, it seems we have no male lapbanders any more among us. I lost again this a.m. when I weighed in. Can't tell you how much happier I am now that I am losing, slowly, but surely, and I know it is from careful eating and exercise and the lack of work stress now.

[SpecialK 22]

He is just under a year old now but we love him to death! We took him for a picture with Santa because the donations at the Pet Store went to a rescue shelter. Ahhhhh

[SpecialK 22]

I'm in the new puppy bunch, too!

I got him in a round about way after my ex bought him and then decided he didn't want him, but I am just crazy about him. He's a little miniature pinscher and so full of energy! He gives me a lot of smiles....when he's not pissing me off...he's a busy little guy!

My last fill has put me at a really interesting restriction point. I really think I'm on the border of being too tight, I have to be super careful.....but that's what it's about. I've dropped three pounds in the two weeks since the fill, I'm happy with that.....nine more to go to my doctor's goal for me! I'm going to make it, which totally amazes me and is something I never thought I could do!

Harley, congratulations for being so close to your goal. You are set to join the Century Club of 100 lb losers any day!

[Desdemona 48]

OK ---- I can clearly see I'm going to have to upload a picture of my pup!

well -- I still haven't gotten on the scale because I'm the kind that if I step on it once -- I'll be on it 15 times a day and turning it in all directions to see if it weight less if I point it northeast as opposed to southwest. I do know that I'm losing again because I can feel it and see it in my clothes. I'm going to wait until I go back to the MD on 2/25 and see how much I lost from my 1/7 appointment.

Meanwhile --I'm STILL not exercising and that is BAD. I'm BAD, BAD, BAD to the BONE!! Gotta get movin'!!!

[HarleyGirl 1]

Here are some pictures of my new baby.....I need to take some more, he's grown so much!

Paige Berhow Ansley's Photos - New Baby.... | Facebook