jhawkchick75

Another good one to add is refried beans. I do the low fat ones with some cheese shredded on top. Soo good! I know I don't get as much as I should but I just get in as much as I can.

Ohhh have a great time!!!!! I am so jealous i've always wanted to go!!!!

I leave for Vegas next Thurs - AKA buffet central!!! My plans are to take snacks w/ me and to just follow the rules - proteins first, then veggies then carbs. It will be a royal waste of food and my money since the buffets cost like $20, but that is pretty much how my life works now anyway so i'm used to it. I'm also gonna try to work in pool or other types of work out time while i'm there and I figure we will be doing a lot of walking. I just have to watch my alcohol content since it's free booze while you gamble - yikes! Have fun!!!

Woo Hoo KC!!! Me too!!! I've never used my card I have a 24 yr old brother that lives with me so he is always the recipient of my leftovers and loves it!! I'm a big fan of Mexican food and it is convenient since you can order a la carte. When I do need a fast food fix I also do the kids meals at Sonic or McD's.

B: Glass of milk (1%) S: 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese and about 5 crackers L: Chips and cheese, 1 cheese enchilada and a few bites of beans S: One fun sized twix bar D: Got busy at work so managed to eat about 5 bites of pasta S: Buffalo chicken dip and chips Calories so far: 900

Oh I feel your pain! I booked my surgery in June but couldn't take off work until the end of Oct. Felt like forever but I promise it will go by faster than you think! OK here is a really lame joke I heard today but it's Halloween related so timely. We have a "family friendly" joke of the day at work and they have been all Halloween related so here you go: Q: What is a mummy's favorite type of music?? A: Wrap!! Stupid I know!

B: Corn flakes (dry) L: Taco Bell pintos and cheese and a roll up S: A few bites of chocolate ice cream S: Buffalo chicken dip and chips Calories so far: 800

Mine was a piece of pizza and let me tell you I ate it sooo slow b/c I was scared. I broke down and ate about 8pm the night of the last day of the 21 days. I was stuck at a work meeting and the pizza just smelled sooo good! It went down just fine I just took it slow.

Glad all is going well! I had some really nasty bruises so don't worry they finally clear. I bruise easily though so it didn't surprise me. My bruises took a while to heal too. I took pics but ended up deleting them b/c they grossed me out so bad. They were nasty!

For me the only reason people really noticed was because my clothes weren't fitting. That was probably 20-30 lbs. It's too funny the same thing has happened to me as some others. From around May to Sept I lost 5lbs if that and around that time everyone kept saying I was the incredible shrinking woman. I think our bodies sometimes go in cycles where the inches are coming off, but the weight isn't and vice versa. A lot of people are hesitant to say anything to someone when it comes to weight loss. I was at a conference in Feb (4 months out of surgery) and while we ate lunch someone asked why I didn't take bread and I started talking about that I was trying to lose weight and then you could feel this literal sigh of relief come over everyone and they were like "I can tell you have lost a lot" and things like that. So don't think they don't notice b/c i'm sure they do. I had one of the police officers at work one day say "OK, I know you aren't supposed to ask a woman this, but have you lost weight?" which was funny b/c I had lost like 40 by then!

OK, having one of those days where from the second I woke up my stomach is GROWLING and hasn't stopped! But really trying to be good! B: Dry cereal - frosted flakes & Corn Pops L: Spaghettios and crackers (just a few bites is for some reason got stuck) D: 1 pc of thin crust cheese pizza S: White wine S: Chips and cheese Calories so far: 1,000

Horrible eating day!!! But i'm posting it anyway!!! B: Applejuice S: Cheese and crackers L: Tuna packet (only a few bites) S: Popcorn and goldfish crackers S: Chef boy ar dee raviolis They have little mini containers and they are the BEST! About 200 calories and I eat them late afternoon when I know i'm gonna go do a hard workout and then have a small snack later that night. D: TBA - Taco Bell pintos and cheese and a cheese roll up Calories so far: 1000 Exercise - Bootcamp class holy jesus she worked us hard!! My abs and arms are hurting sooo bad!!

You know i've heard a lot of people say this works well. I think as long as you are counting your calories and make sure you aren't eating around the band you will be OK. Keeps your metabolism going.

Sorry i've been sick and playing catch up. Somehow I managed to lose 3.4 this week! I'll take it! That is about how much I lost from like May to August!

Same here mine looked like I was drunk! Glad it all went well!

Regardless of fill or not you shouldn't drink and eat. Food is gonna go through your band faster until you are filled, but it can still cause problems. Good time to start practicing the 45-60 minute rule.

B: None, i'm home sick today so slept in L: About 3 bites of a hard taco, 3 bites of a cheese enchilada and about 5 chips and salsa. One nice thing about being sick is it tightens me up! D: Chicken fetuchini alfredo Calories so far: 400

Honestly for me the first week or so food just didn't even sound good so it wasn't an issue. The hardest for me was not chewing and then those last few days were tough but that was b/c I knew solids were coming soon. I did eat some mashed potatoes about 3 days before my 21 days were over, but other than that did not cheat. You will be so scared that you will mess something up that you will not want to cheat. The urge will be there, but I know for me I was too afraid that I would hurt the band so I didn't do it. Also, the weight loss keeps you motivated to keep to the rules.

Truly depends on the person. My mom and I went shopping the next day and took a bus tour, but I was miserable the whole time. I had more pain than others and it took me longer to heal. So it is really a crap shoot - I say take it easy and drink lots of liquids and when you are tired or have had enough then head back to the hotel.

Is it a requirement that all men at OCC must be hot!!?? Good luck i'm sure it will all go fantastic!! Let us know how it goes once you are done!!

So glad to have you back!!! Just coming back in here is great - it is a huge support and keeps me honest! I agree I say just forget the past and make today a new start. You still have quite a bit of weight off and i'm sure you will be back on track in NO time! Get back to basics just like after you were banded and follow all those little rules. Good luck!!

I agree I commend you on being such a good friend! I think it is great that you have sought us out for advice. I feel like I have changed a lot, but not in the ways you are describing. I have changed in the fact that I now try to take all opportunities to get out there and enjoy life and experience new things. I have lost friends, but it has been because I have decided to focus on myself and realize that friendship is a two way street and I had many toxic people in my life that were dragging me down. I agree she is getting sick way too much! After a fill it takes me a week or so to get re-adjusted to eating, but after that I work hard to not get sick. Now sometimes my band is finicky and I just can't help it, but if there are foods that I eat and every time I get sick on them then I just don't have them any more. For instance, there were these low fat pizza roll type things I used to eat but after my last fill they just weren't happening anymore so I had to kiss them goodbye. That might be her issue with pasta. Also, if she is lethargic all the time then it might be she isn't getting enough protein and veggies in. I fully admit i'm bad with my fruits and veggies so I am working on that and also starting to take juice plus as a suppliment. With the band we HAVE to focus on our nutrition sooo carefully. My suggestion would be to take the "I care and am concerned" approach. Talk to her about being lethargic and you can just simply tell her you feel it is impacting her attitude too and that she just doesn't seem happy (nice way to tell her she is being a beeotch!). I didn't have to have an eval before mine, but I agree that everyone should. I figure most all of us have severe emotional issues around food and those don't go away after surgery. For me, I didn't work out at first but about 4-5 months out I started and i'll tell you they say working out helps your energy and your overall attitude and it is true!! Working out makes all the difference in the world to me. So perhaps there is a nice way to encourage that. Not sure if you work out, but maybe you can invite her to go on a walk w/ you, take a class, etc... Again, kudos for being such a good friend!

B: Apple juice w/ Miralax S: Cheese and crackers L: 1/2 of a vanilla cupcake - one of those days! D: Chicken fettuchini alfredo w/ broccoli S: A few bites of chocolate ice cream Calories so far: 1100 Exercise: Have to work both jobs today so no working out.

I tried the liquids and almost threw up so I stopped. I do the chewable centrum and they are fine kind of an orange taste to them. I got a sample of the bariatric advantage from my fill dr and the grape ones were OK for me. I'm also about to start Juice Plus and do their chewables. Everyone is different so you just need to find the ones that work for you. Good luck!

B: Cheese & crackers L: Chili, pinwheels and a small brownie D: Mac & cheese w/ cubed ham in it Calories: 700 Exercise: none today I think I am getting sick! My throat is on fire and I can't stop sneezing. Gotta work both jobs tomorrow so hopefully this will go away. I don't have time to be sick!