ValleyGirl

Pammie, you are SO SWEET and I think I'll take you up on this offer in June. I'm going to spend a week at my recreational property in Maple Falls Washington and from there would love to meet you somewhere in Seattle and spend the day hanging out and also getting a consult with Dr.Nyte. I just know I will get lost but once someone shows me how to get there once, I can usually find my way back! I'll be in touch. Sabrina:)

Debbie, are you going in to see Dr.Nyte or consulting on phone? I'm wondering how long the drive would be from the border. I'm in Washington about once a month and would love to meet him but I have no idea where that town is and can't read a map to save my life so I'm nervous about a solo road-trip! Sabrina:)

It's been one week since my slight unfill and I feel GREAT! With only 1.4 cc's in my 4 cc band I can eat everything (including small amounts of bread and pasta) and nothing is getting stuck, and I still lost one pound this week, even without exercising. You don't need to be so tight that you are miserable. I was SO scared that if I wasn't super restricted, I'd gain. In fact, the opposite will happen and you will likely plateau or even gain if you are not getting enough calories in. That said, I hope to never have a complete unfill again (which I've done twice) because that is too hard for me and always results in a weight-gain. Just try to find that happy medium. The doctors know what they are doing when they say you should be eating three small meals per day- not starving yourself. Sabrina:)

Thanks for the giggle!

If you're staying at Lucerna...request a massage in your hotel room. It is heaven!

I lost 21 pounds in 21 days on liquids. I got to eat "real" food again as of Christmas Eve and then gained five pounds back over the holidays before my first fill. We area ll very different, just do your best. Sabrina:)

B- coffee with fat-free french vanilla creamer(2 tbsp) 50 cals S- Turkey Pepperoni 50 cals L-banana and small yogurt 200 cals S- 2 tbsp peanut butter 190 cals (holy crap!!!) S- Starbucks Tall skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte ONLY 90 cals!!! S- Turkey Pepperoni 50 cals D- Caesar salad with Boathouse yogurt dressing- 120 cals

Last week 166, this week 165 so a ONE pound loss. Like Carrie, I had a partial unfill this week and feel much better now that I can eat real food again. I probably got a bit too much taken out but will wait and see since my band tends to tighten for no reason. Now I have some "wiggle room". Sabrina:)

WHAT???? How exciting! Have you ever been at a normal weight when you got pregnant like you are now? Both times I got pregnant I weighed 239. I've always wondered what it would have felt like to be pregnant with a normal BMI. I guess now you'll know! Way to go! Sabrina:)

Butterface syndrome, hahahaha!!! I have to share that with my friends on facebook if you don't mind. On another note, I am the opposite with photos...I look better in pics than real life. It's a good thing I was never single when online dating was so popular or there would be plenty of dissapointed guys out there when they saw me up close. I know I'm not ugly, but I know I look better in pics for some reason. Sabrina:)

I wish I would have blogged along the way. Good for you! And what you said about "using the band to help curb my appetite while I try to change my life and eat healthier foods"... BINGO! I only just had this same realization this week...14 months in to my journey!!! With less fill, I eat REAL food and, surprise, real food fills you up when you have a band! Here's to good health. Now if only I could get off my butt and get some exercise! Sabrina:) ps- I have two small kids (plus my niece and nephew) I make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every day. Just keep the treats out of the house (they don't need it either) and you won't be so tempted.

Yes, I am guilty. I used to have a bumper sticker that said "I may be fat, but you're ugly and I can diet"! Sabrina:)

Before going for my THIRD unfill the other day, I had a big cry at my mom's house, telling her how terrified I was that if I didn't have lots of restrictiion, I would gain all my weight back. I just couldn't go back to being that person. It was a big sob-fest that resulted in her telling me "YOU CAN DO IT. I HAVE FAITH IN YOU... EVEN IF YOU DON"T HAVE FATH IN YOU... I HAVE FAITH IN YOU!!!". Those words have stuck with me and now I'd like to pass them on to you! Sabrina:)

Thanks guys. I just couldn't live with the constant "gurgling" and pressure on my chest...and I don't ever want to end up with a slipped band. I probably got a little too much out `cause I woke up starving this morning (which never happens to me) but I'm going to stick to the rules and eat three small meals per day- now that I CAN! I have come too far to not make goal now. I'm going to do this, damn it! 156 here I come! Sabrina:)

After trying to work with this last fill for a month, I decided I am just too tight and had .6 cc's taken out today. Now I only have 1.4 cc's in my band but I feel better already. I lost 15 pounds this month, that is way too fast and I know it. Sabrina:)

I had a consult with him (in person) and had a very good feeling about him. In fact, I liked him much more than Dr.Quiroz but I have not had work done personally so I can't give an informed opinion- only a gut feeling. Sabrina:)

To answer Carrie's question about what I eat in a day... Breakfast is always a cup of coffee with fat-free french vanilla creamer then (about an hour later) I will try something soft like a yogurt cup or some oatmeal or a smoothie I make with frozen fruit, yogurt and milk. Lately lunch has been either french onion soup (if I am home) or something I can take on the road like cheese, crackers, and a turkey peporoni. I can always feel the peperoni sitting in my pouch for hours. For dinner, I TRY to eat whateber the family is having minus the carbs (some kind of protein and steamed veggies) but I usually only eat a couple bites then later find myself making popcorn or some othe slider food `cause I felt like I didn't eat enough dinner. I had blood work done recently and it was good except that I was low on iron. Of course, I can't take pills at all (they always get stuck) so I haven't addressed that issue yet. I don't drink enough water, but do get in a few glasses per day. I ran out of chewable multivitamins and I'm going to go buy some more cause they are not a problem for me. Perhaps I am over-thinking this. I don't PB anymore, but know I would if I kept eating past the first warning sign. Sabrina:)

Thanks for chiming in everyone. I guess my biggest fear here is that I become malnourished. I FEEL fine eating so little, (in fact I've never been more energetic) but I keep thinking it must be harming me in some way. Am I worrying too much? My size 6 best friend has been eating like this all her life and she has no health problems. It's just so foreign to me to eat so little...I eat less then my kids who are 5 and 6! Sabrina:)

Even 14 months in to this, I'm still trying to figure out how much I should be able to eat. If I eat the way lap-band surgeons recommend (hard protein, then veggies, then MAYBE a starch) I can only get in a couple bites and I am done. If I eat softer foods (soup, shakes, beans etc) I can eat about a cup of food. Here is the thing, when I have less fill and I CAN tolerate the hard proteins, I am also able to eat much larger portions...and I do. I'd say I have lost my weight 90% bandpower and 10% will-power. If I had more willpower, I would have done it without surgery. I only stop eating because if I don't, it hurts. Period. Has anyone found a happy medium with eating? Sabrina:) ps-I made and threw away the following this week: baked salmon, chicken legs, turkey meatballs, pork chop. Can anybody (successfully losing) eat these things? I just want to eat with my family again. Sigh.

Warning- I'm grumpy today. My finicky band is really ticking me off. No loss this week and, again, I can hardly eat anything so I am resorting to slider foods. I was with a friend who is considering getting banded yesterday and told her it was "very inconvenient" cause you never know when you can eat and she replied, "yeah, diabetes and heart disease are inconvenient too". Ha! Sabrina:)

Nice work Angie. I just watched it. I'm sure you will inspire many! Also wanted to say that you might not think so, but you DO have an accent (at least to me) haha and you are SO SO pretty!! Sabrina:)

Good luck! I know how hard it is to not have great restriction but to be too afraid of getting too tight and getting in troube with the band again. Better to take it slow. I lost the weight I gained with my recent unfill fast but now I know I'm going to stay stuck at this weight for a while if I don't find some will-power. I want to eat everything in sight! Sabrina:)

Last time I went to OCC they said I didn't need to do liquids after a fill but when I went to Northwest Fill Managemet, they made you do 24 or 48-hours of liquids only. Again, every clinic follows different rules. It's not a perfect science, that's for sure. Just be careful with making yourself sick...I used to do that a lot and wonder now if that's what has caused the recent problems that lead to two unfills. I'm happy to report that I haven't PB'd in months. I can tell right away if there are going to be problems and I put the fork down immediately! Sabrina:)

Not counting cals, just eating when hungry and attempting to be a "normal" person! B- Babybell cheese, two breton crackers and a coffee with ff french vanilla creamer L- Mmmmmmmmmmm....French Onion soup (even ate the bread!) D- small caesar salad with chicken breast (Boathouse yogurt dressing, SO good) Drank- 2 large zero cal Sobe Life waters and 2 glasses tap water (mango and pomegranate types)

B- mango, blackberry and spinach smoothie (kids even loved it!) L- turkey peporoni and 2 pieces sharp cheddar cheese and 2 breton crackers D- 1 McDonalds grilled chicken fajita Drinks- 2 coffee with french vanialla creamer, 2 Sobe Life Water zero calorie Apple-pear drinks (mmm)and 1 glass tap water I'm not counting cals anymore, just trying to live normally without being on a "diet".