MamaMichelle

Since they don't want you swallowing pills after surgery you are given 4 pain pills that dissolve under your tounge. I don't recall the name but they are perscription strength, it's just the OCC gives you the actual pills directly instead of having to go to the pharmacy.. I used mine but I didn't feel much relief, but the pain was so minimal that many people never even open them.

What a great moment!! It's funny once you get into the reqular stores it's hard to get used to pulling the smaller sizes for yourself! Even today I went shopping for some capri's and I am still in the habit of getting 14's- went to the dressing room and they were WAY too big, then I tried on some 12's also too big and then finally found the size I needed... 10's! It's just so weird, like I still see myself as so much bigger even though I have a few pairs of 10's I've been wearing for over a week. So for those of you that still think you're borderline for "normal" stores go out there and try it just like "itsabouttime" did, because you NEVER know!

Lol So glad you said something Lisa, I am totally feeling the same way... Yes there are moments when I think a Dr. Pepper sounds good or I really want a cookie, and yes sometimes I give in!! Usually it is just a small indulgence and never anything that would harm my band... I never let myself feel guilty because what's the point?? I LOVE MY NEW LIFE MORE THAN THE FOOD I CAN NO LONGER EAT!

Gotta Post this BEFORE Pic of our beautiful Arlene at 3 weeks Post Op You can really see the changes side by side, you look so much younger and refreshed!!

Glad you changed your Avatar Lynn, I saw that pic on your myspace and you're looking GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!

I would visit your local whole foods or if you're in a smaller town whatever local health food store and talk to the owner/salespeople and see what they suggest... I have seen things like sugar free organic cake mixes and fudge mixes that are sweetened with natural applesauce and other things to avoid the processed sugars, not sure what kind of calories these end up having but since we are eating so little it should be fine! I know hungrygirl.com has a lot of recipies using natural surgars and such so maybe you can get some ideas there too!

Congrats, I think we all need to remember to celebrate each little victory like moving into a new weight class because we have earned it!

I HATE vegetables so what I do is use my juicer to get my veggies in... I juice 1 cucumber, 2 carrorts and 2 stalks of celery which turns into about 10oz of liquid and drink that in the morning... 80% of the time those are the ONLY veggies I get in each day unless I have a salad as a meal and for me that means just romaine lettuce, chicken and dressing.

I have the Isopure Peach Mango and I add some of the Walmart Version of Crystal Light Peach Flavor powder to it and it makes it MUCH better!

There is a built in Spell Checker but not sure if it works in Firefox... You should see a button like this in the upper right hand corrner on top of the text box...

I would say 80% of the posters on this board were banded by Dr. Ortiz, he has done over 5,000 surgeries and is one of the best in the world!!

I should be starting my cycle tomorrow and that's the only time I ever feel any restriction- last night I had trouble swallowing my biotin and vitamin pill and ending up burping that yucky vitamin taste for 15 min it was horrible... This is why I am scared to get another fill, I basically have no restriction for 3 weeks out of the month and then for about 5 days during my TOM I can't swallow much at all... I know if I get a fill so I can feel restriction during my Non TOM days I will most likely not be able to keep down thick liquids when it is that time... Grrrrrrr It's so frustrating!

Are you getting your first fill back at the OCC or somewhere else?

Lol Kimmie you crack me up, not sure why you chose me as your eating litmus test but it's very flattering... Maybe I need to get you a bracelet that says "WWMMD?" lol though I am far from being a perfect bandster I do find that the support of the board does keep me accountable and I love being able to help others the way they have helped me! Keep up the good work everyone!

Publication 502 outlines what medical expenses are allowable. Here are a few highlights from that publication: What Are Medical Expenses? Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes. They also include dental expenses. Medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness. They do not include expenses that are merely beneficial to general health, such as vitamins or a vacation. Medical expenses include the premiums you pay for insurance that covers the expenses of medical care, and the amounts you pay for transportation to get medical care. Medical expenses also include amounts paid for qualified long-term care services and limited amounts paid for any qualified long-term care insurance contract. What Expenses Can You Include This Year? You can include only the medical and dental expenses you paid this year, regardless of when the services were provided. (But see Decedent under Whose Medical Expenses Can You Include, later, for an exception.) If you pay medical expenses by check, the day you mail or deliver the check generally is the date of payment. If you use a “pay-by-phone” or “online” account to pay your medical expenses, the date reported on the statement of the financial institution showing when payment was made is the date of payment. If you use a credit card, include medical expenses you charge to your credit card in the year the charge is made, not when you actually pay the amount charged. If you did not claim a medical or dental expense that would have been deductible in an earlier year, you can file Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for the year in which you overlooked the expense. Do not claim the expense on this year's return. Generally, an amended return must be filed within 3 years from the date the original return was filed or within 2 years from the time the tax was paid, whichever is later. You cannot include medical expenses that were paid by an insurance company or other sources. This is true whether the payments were made directly to you, to the patient, or to the provider of the medical services. Weight-Loss Program You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay to lose weight if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group and attendance at periodic meetings. You cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa as medical expenses, but you can include separate fees charged there for weight loss activities. You cannot include the cost of diet food or beverages in medical expenses because the diet food and beverages substitute for what is normally consumed to satisfy nutritional needs. You can include the cost of special food in medical expenses only if: The food does not satisfy normal nutritional needs, The food alleviates or treats an illness, and The need for the food is substantiated by a physician. Medical Conferences You can include in medical expenses amounts paid for admission and transportation to a medical conference if the medical conference concerns the chronic illness of yourself, your spouse, or your dependent. The costs of the medical conference must be primarily for and necessary to the medical care of you, your spouse, or your dependent. The majority of the time spent at the conference must be spent attending sessions on medical information. The cost of meals and lodging while attending the conference is not deductible as a medical expense. Here's the Link: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#d0e232

I read somewhere that if you get meat stuck, drinking meat tenderizer diluted in water will break up the culprit and help it pass though.

I love Zumba too! I did my first class 2 weeks ago my local Rec center with 5 others that had never tried it before... So when the class was over the teacher came over to me and asked if I had done Zumba before or if I had any of the videos, when I said no she told me that I should really consider getting certified to teach it, that I have a natural talent for latin dance... Of course I was a dancer/cheerleader so I have good body control and can pick up steps but I'm as white as white girls come.. lol Anyways it was very flattering for her to say so and it was a nice workout! Maybe I'll look into the certification and I can teach a Zumba workout at Band Camp 2009!

Netflix has a HUGE selection of exercise DVD's that you can rent, you can do a search for a beginners program in whatever intersests you (sweating to the oldies, jazzercise, belly dancing, yoga or whatever) this way you can do try the workouts at home (no gym membership needed) and you can keep the DVD as long as it's enjoyable and then change up your routine as you get in better shape!!

Super Cute Babe!! I liked it dark but if you're like me a "blonde a heart" you just don't feel right any other way!!

Dolittle has been keeping a thread with pics of some of the Other people behind the scenes of the OCC here: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=6506

I like this anology: Putting the band between your stomach and esopagus is like a glass blower "pinching" an hourglass in the middle of a glass. The size of the space within the "pinch" is adjusted by adding a fill to your band, the more fill you get the smaller the space inside the pinch. The food you eat is like the "sand" that is able to pass through the pinch... If your don't chew well enough (if the sand is too big) it won't pass through the band. That is the "stuck" feeling people describe! When your band is filled correctly the food you eat will stack upon itself on top of the band (like sand in the top of an hourglass) till the food stacks high enough that your body signals that you are full. Again depending on the size of your "pinch" combined with the size of the sand (your chewed up food) derermines the flow of food from the esopagus into the stomach. Once you lose that full feeling it means that the food has passed through the band into your stomach where the nerves in your stomach tell you body again that you are still full... once the food has been digested and left your stomach you get that feeling of being hungry again. So if you're not feeling full with the food you are eating your choices are eating more to keep that feeling of fullness in your stomach or getting another fill so that food stays above the pinch so you feel fuller longer.

I think I have pretty much everyone already on my myspace, but if not feel free to add me!! http://www.myspace.com/mamamichellelv

I aim for 1200 calories a day, sometimes I only get in 800 sometimes it's 2000... Either way I don't beat myself up over it!! I love the show "The Biggest Loser" and I read part of their plan that said on the evening after their weigh in each week they get one 1,500 calorie MEAL (not total for the day but for one meal) so their bodies know that food will always be available and they don't go into starvation mode and stop losing. USually the meal involves some version of what they are craving or one of their old favorites. Of course it's portion controlled (like 1/2 cup of chocolate ice cream instead of 1/2 gallon), or the give it a healthy twist (like 2 slices of veggie pizza instead of 6 slices of peperoni) again it helps them feel less deprived and the big calorie boost keeps their metabolism going. So if that plan is good enough for them it's good enough for me! Again it's not something you want to do every day but if I want a 200 calorie bag of M&M's I have it, and I either cut calories from other meals or make sure to workout and burn 200 calories so I have no guilt about it... That's what works for me!

Lol, thanks babe... It's a small victory since I'm only down 5lbs this month so far with 1 more week to go, (sigh) I guess the months of losing 8-10lbs are gone... Oh well I'll get there when I get there!

I like the Cambell's Soup at hand Velvety Potato, Calories 160 Sodium 870mg Total Fat 7g Total Carb. 21g Sat. Fat 1g Dietary Fiber 4g Cholesterol <5mg Sugars 5g Protein 2g