MamaMichelle

protein builds lean muscle and the more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn while your body is at rest!!

LISA!!!! I can't believe I am just now seeing this post (I have been out of town), congrats on your amazing progress you've come such a long way and I know you'll keep it going and get to those goals!! Way to go babe!

Elaine- This will work!! You've already lost 38lbs so you're on the right track, in the first few weeks after banding you're supposed to be focused on HEALING sounds like you are well on your way to that... Keep it up!!

I believe the rule on time for a meal is to take at least 20min to eat but no longer than 30 min, if you continue to eat past the 30 min the first portion of your meal will have passed through the band leaving more room for you to continue to eat! Maybe just try 1oz of tuna tomorrow!!

Congrats on the progress Kelly!! I am with everyone else post some pics for us so we can see your amazing transformation!!

Congrats sweetie, can't wait to hear the full reoprt!!

Good for you for taking the steps to get that band (and your eating) into the right mode!!

Hey Kimmie, I looked at your sparkpeople food logs and it looks like on most days you are getting 800 calories or less, maybe your aren't logging everything (personally I have been slacking with my log since I got back from vacation) but that seems like way too low of calories to keep the weight loss going!! You've said before that you're still hungry during the day so maybe you need to try upping your calories and see if that gets your weight loss going again... You are doing great, you've lost 50lbs in a short amount of time (about 14weeks?) and that averages out to at least 3.5lbs a week!

Sorry to hear about your problems sweetie... My fill center USA location offers a waiting list, since you have to cancel an appointment 72hrs in advance to avoid being charged they get notified of a cancelation and if you are on the cancelation list they will call you and offer you the open spot 24-48hrs before the appointment. Try to call back and get on the waiting list!!

I have never heard that about contact lenses, I may need to check that out!

Mona the pain from the liquids is from the water trying to get past all of the food still in your esophagus, Dr. Romero said to think of it like a clogged drain and it builds up a ton of pressure... Sounds like you're going to have to wait a little longer than an hour after eating before you drink something because that pain/pressure could lead to a stretched pouch!! Congrats on the restriction!

I am super white too as I discovered standing next to our resident sun goddess Evette... P.S. Tan fat looks waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than white fat!!

Congrats on your progress, I'm glad the solids are working out well for you... Fingers crossed that your restriction holds out!!

My foot went from a 9 or 9.5 to a 10 with pregnancy (supposedly your feet "spread" to help balance the extra weight) so logic would say that as I packed on more pounds they continued to spread to again balance a heavier me and now that I am shrinking they are reducing to a normal size...

I guess I mispelled it it is actually "Bromelain" my girlfriend had lipo 2 years ago and her doctor told her to take it to prevent more severe bruising and to help speed healing here's what Wikipedia says: Source Bromelain is present in all parts of the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus), but the stem is the most common commercial source, presumably because it is readily available after the fruit has been harvested. Pineapples have had a long tradition as a medicinal plant among the natives of South and Central America. However, just eating pineapple will not give you a great deal of extra bromelain, because it is mostly concentrated in the stem, which is not nearly as tasty (albeit still edible). Medical uses Bromelain can be used in a vast array of medical conditions. It was first introduced in this area in 1957, and works by blocking some proinflammatory metabolites that accelerate and worsen the inflammatory process. It is an anti-inflammatory agent, and so can be used for sports injury, trauma, arthritis, and other kinds of swelling. Its main uses are treatment of athletic injuries, digestive problems, phlebitis, sinusitis, and aiding healing after surgery. It has also been proposed for the treatment of arthritis,[2] chronic venous insufficiency, easy bruising, gout, hemorrhoids, menstrual pain, autoimmune disorders, and ulcerative colitis. Studies have shown that bromelain can also be useful in the reduction of platelet clumping and blood clots in the bloodstream, especially in the arteries. It may have treatment potential for HIV.[3] Proprietary bromelain mixtures are being used for third degree burn treatment, and more are being approved. Bromelain supplementation up to 460 mg has been shown to have no effect on human heart rate or blood pressure; however, increasing doses up to 1840 mg have been shown to increase the heart rate proportionately[citation needed].

I still do a shake in the morning, if I am on the go I grab a slim-fast or if I am staying aroung the house I will blend up an optifast and add some unjury protein powder mix since my fill doc says I need a minimum of 90grams of protein per day. I also like the little slimfast snack bars, it's a chocolate peanut nougut something with 100 calories and 5g of protein so it's a good combo for when I need something quick! As long as you aren't following a shake or bar with a full meal a few min later I don't see any issues with using these things to keep your protein levels up!

It really is amazing when I look back on what I used to eat compared to now, today my hubby and I were running errands and stopped in at Long John Silvers... Before the band I would get the 2 chicken plank combo (with fries and hush puppies) and I would add an extra plank of chicken as well as end up eating whatever my son didn't finish. Today I had 1/2 of one chicken plank and ended up pulling all the fried breading off so I just ate the meat!! Congrats on your first day of solids Jann!!

I am a size 11 too, or at least I was an 11 for the past 5 years or so now most of my 11's are too big so the last few pairs I have bought were 10's!

I have had the same issue and spoke to my fill doctor about that last weekend during my 3rd fill- he said it's not unusual when people are dieting to bruise a lot. He said that people with less fat bruise more which is why the elderly tend to bruise more. He also said that it's not unusual because your skin, after losing so much fat, needs to readjust and is somewhat in "shock" (for lack of a better term). He said there also may be a vitamin deficiency but said I would usually feel it more (fatique, run down) first but he'd check also. He told me to make sure I was taking a multivitamin EVERY DAY (oops...I try but I'm REALLY bad at that!) and to take a vitamin called Bromeline, made from pineapple extract.

Great to hear Kim, keep up the good work!

Glad things went well sweetie! You are on the way!!

CHECK THIS OUT!! It's been a while since I have checked in on Teresa the woman featured in the videos, I just watched her 8 week update video and she dropped a bombshell: SHE's PREGNANT!! She had PCOS and had to have invtro to have her twins 5 years ago, I'm not sure on her timeline because she says she's 8 weeks post band and she said she is 6 weeks pregnant.. But she said that 6 weeks of the good nutrition (I guess 4 weeks pre-op and 2 weeks after surgery?) basically took her from infertile to "the ovaries of a 21 year old" in the words of her doctor, it's a pretty crazy thing!! Here's the video on that topic for you girls that have PCOS: http://www.malleysurgical.com/images/stori...ent/movie12.jpg

I have heard it's best to avoid gum because it forces you to swallow lots of air and that can result in a painful gas bubble!! I miss gum a lot, I used to always get a pack in the checkout line or gas station so now I have to slap my own hand back and say NO!! lol

When I asked about getting into the Jacuzzi Dr Ortiz said to wait 2 weeks till the incisions are more healed up so I know you would need to at least wait that long because of the chlorine water... I would write down that question and any others you might think of now because when you meet Dr. O girls tend to get all giddy and you might forget all the things you needed to ask him! lol Only 2 more days Trina, I'm so excited for you babe!

Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeters!!!! You look SUPER great, I'm going to have to beat those single men off with a stick (well maybe I'll let a few of them slip by, lol) Seriously though you look wonderful, keep up the great work!!