Smiley

I was banded almost 17 months ago and you will be surprised when you measure out a cup of food and then think - oh my goodness, there is no way I can eat all of that. I typically don't measure out a cup of food (I am a bad example), but occasionally I do. Tonight was one of those nights and I seriously don't think I will be able to finish it. I have been eating for 35 minutes now and still have about 1/4 of a cup to go, but I am already full so I am stopoping. Just know that it will take a while to get to this point and determine now that you will stay the course regardless of what comes your way.

Congratulations on the 195!!! Before you know it you will be at 180 and choosing your next goal.

Congratulations! BTW, do you have a recipe for pumpkin soup or is it something you buy pre-made?

Not yet, but there will be a day when I do. I need to pay off my TT/Arm Lift and Lap Band first - at least one of them. A lot of plastic surgeons offer free consultations, so go ahead and schedule a few appointments - and then let me know what the price quotes are.

40 pounds in six months time IS wonderful! The fact that you have not gained any weight is also wonderful. You already know what you are doing wrong because you confessed them all in your post. The good news is that you already know what you are doing wrong. So, pick one of those items to correct this week, and one to correct next week and keep at it until you are back on track. I too am going thru a phase right now where I also get kind of ticked because I really want to eat everything that was just set in front of me, but then I remember that by eating only a small portion of it I will get to eat it at least 2 if not 3 more times. I'm not going to totally put moms down, but in all honesty, sometimes they just don't get how hurtful their comments can be - as can be true with anyone. They may not mean them to be hurtful, but nevertheless they are. At the present time my mom keeps telling me that I need to eat lots and lots of vegetables because I am low in vitamins D & B12 as well as being anemic. Well, when you only eat 3 cups of a food a day and need the majority of it to protein, lots and lots of vegetables isn't really gonna happen. Sometimes you have to apply the water off of a ducks back theory. Hold your head up high and face tomorrow as the first day of renewed determination to become the new you. Even though the journey is tough and may be longer than you would like, you won't regret it in the end.

Well pooh on him! People get tax deductions for buying a certain type of car, putting energy efficient windows in their house and buying energy efficient furnaces because those items are all helping out with the environment. Well, my lap band is helping out with the environment as well. I eat less therefore I generate less trash and I generate less heat being put into the atmosphere because I have less stuff rubbing together. That last one might have been a little bit of a stretch, but if the government allows tax deductions for elective surgeries and he doesn't like it he is well within his right to contact his congressman. He probably wouldn't like paying for my Medicaid in later years either if I were too obese to work and had to be on assistance. Okay, jumping off of my soap box now.

How sweet is that!!! What part of Texas? Maybe something will work out with Mr. FW and I will move back to TX in the next couple of year.

My plastic surgeon said he took of about 8.5 pounds between the arm lift and the TT. I was kind of surprised that it wasn't more, but then again I have never weighed a chunk of fat and skin. I will probably combine a breast reduction (lift is a by product of this from what I understand) with my thigh lift, especially if my PCP can get my insurance to cover the breast reduction like he says he can. I used to say I didn't care about the breast, but I have kind of changed my mind after seeing the positive results from the other surgeries. Never thought about it being an Olsen twin. I typically relate it to having lost my two nephews, who are going to spend the first week of August with me - Yippee!!!

I felt I was being kind of vain, but a fellow bandster assured me that I wasn't and told me to go for it. I will feel much better about having had it once my home refinance goes thru. It was supposed to be completed the same day as my surgery, but Wells Fargo screwed up my loan so here I am two and a half months later still waiting. Supposedly it will be finished Monday or Tuesday, but I'm not holding my breath and told my loan officer and his supervisor as much. Maybe you should go online and show him some before and after pictures - that might peak his interest. Although, take comfort in having a husband who loves you just the way you are. I have a friend whose boyfriend told her she needed to lose some weight - that was a huge red flag for me as she is a size 10 or 12 and 5' 10", but she didn't see it that way and is currently in the process of losing weight. Good advice on the fun money, but at 36 I feel like I have had my fun. Lap band, TT, Arm Lift, 3.5 week vacation in Australia, a week in Honduras and much more. I would just be happy to get married at some point in my life. I do have a guy all picked out but he doesn't necessarily agree based on the conversation we had the last time I saw him which was 4 years ago. I will be seeing him again in October when I go back to Fort Worth for a visit. He knows I have had the lap band and knows I was researching the TT and Arm Lift, but doesn't know I have had it. I told him the other night on the phone that he probably wouldn't recognize me if I passed him in the grocery store, he said the same thing, but his is because he has gained weight. I didn't have the surgeries for this reason, but I won't be disappointed if my new appearance helps to change his mind. I have made sure to not send him pictures for this reason, as I want him to see the change in person for the first time. My dad told me I shouldn't have even told him about the lap band, but our conversation kind of went in that direction and if it makes him think of me more often by trying to picture the changes in me, I'm good with that.

When I stepped on the scale on Monday morning I discovered that I have lost 80 pounds. I didn't want to post about it too early because I didn't want to jinx myself. But, now that 5 days have passed and I have maintained it I decided to go ahead and post. In fact, as of this morning I was down 80.5 pounds. I need to update my ticker. At the present time my ticker says that I have 10 pounds to go based on my last update, but it will soon say I have 12 pounds to go. I originally thought that if I got to 160 I would be done, but now I am going to shoot for 150. It is really hard to set a goal weight the last time you were at this weight was 4th or 5th grade. The charts say that my weight should be 142, but I don't see that happening until I get an inner thigh lift in a couple of years. I figure if I can get to 150 then my plastic surgeon can get me to 142. People tell me that I don't look like I need an inner thigh lift which is true as long as I am standing with my legs together and my thighs are covered, but once I uncover them or sit down, they change their minds and see it my way. I kid you not when I say that I still have all my baby fat on my thighs. I have a ledge of fat which is the point where they start getting larger and flabby. I have a couple of baby pictures where I am sitting up with my legs turned out to the side and you can see that same ledge of fat. Luckily the TT did help pull them up a little bit to sustain me for a while, but it still was not enough. The best advice I can give to anyone is to stay the course, do not allow yourself to get discouraged because you will eventually reach your goals. Be patient and enjoy the metamorphosis into the new you.

Getting food stuck doesn't necessarily mean you have restriction. You could get food stuck the day after surgery if you ate a big bite of something, didn't chew it very well and then swallowed, but that wouldn't mean you have restriction in the way we are striving to have it. Now, please note that I am not saying you should eat anything the day after surgery, I am just using it as an example. As you get closer and closer to restriction you do have to chew even more carefully because the band has decreased the size of the passageway between the pouch and the rest of your stomach. If you don't chew super well it will not be pretty, as you have already experienced once. For me restriction constitutes being able to eat my cup of food (sometimes less) and being satisfied and/or full. Being able to go 4 hours or so without being hungry is also a tell tale sign of restriction. I like to drink a big glass of milk every morning and love to hear it drain thru my band. It kind of sounds like a kitchen sink draining when you let out the dish water. This also tells me that I have restriction. How much are you losing each week? If you are losing 1-2 pounds a week on average and able to go about 4 hours withouth being hungry then you are where you need to be, regardless of whether or not you are feeling restriction. I had many months where I was losing just fine, but didn't "feel" restriction. Restriction is a nice feeling to have, but it isn't necessarily a requirement for success, so don't get discouraged if you are not feeling it.

Congratulations! It is such a good feeling to reach a milestone.

Since it has been over a year that you were banded and you said you vomited a small amount, I wouldn't think your band would have slipped. It sounds more like you are swollen. I was looking at going to Honduras sometime this year (not gonna happen now) and asked what I needed to do if I got sick while there. My fill doctor said that the scar tissue should have a good hold on my band and unless I was vomiting violently for an extensive period of time that I should be okay even if I got sick. Have you been on liquids only since your incident? I discovered this past week that while I can get 5 meals out of one Chinese take out meal, the 4 leftover meals require very careful eating and 2/3 of a cup is my limit on Chinese leftovers even if I am careful. The skin on a green pepper got me one day, of course I was stressed over a doctor's appointment that day which didn't help anything.

Remember that the scale isn't the only way to measure your success. How are your clothes feeling? Has you clothes size changed? I had a few months where I had to measure my success by my clothes as opposed to the scale.

From a psychological standpoint, she has to come to the end of herself and decide that the band is right for her. Most children cannot make this decision at the age of 10. If she could be banded and the decision was made for her to be banded, it could have an even more devestating effect on her. My parents put me on my first diet when I was 5 years old, before I had even started kindergarten - talk about not feeling like you were accepted for who you were. I also remember my mom absolutely begging me to drink the grapefruit juice the diet said I had to have for breakfast every morning and me laying in bed crying my eyes out because I hated the stuff. The smell of my nephews pink grapefruit scented handsoap makes me nauseous and reminds me of those mornings every time I wash my hands in their bathroom (may start taking my own soap). I also remember being a sophmore in high school and being told while on another parent determined weight loss program that if I would follow all the rules and lose the weight that after I was done my dad would like to then go on the diet - guess they couldn't afford both of us doing it at the same time. I lost weight but didn't complete the program and struggled for a few years feeling like my dad's weight problem was partially my fault (I'm over that now). The weight loss programs that truely worked for me and the one that finally did the trick were the ones that I decided on because I was in control of my own life and ready to change my life - hence my decision to be banded. My mom had my thyroid check a couple of times but that never turned out to be the problem - even though I wished it had been so that something besides me would have been to blame. I am not a nurse, although at the age of 10 I thought I was going to be, but my limited knowledge tells me that when a person has a thyroid problem, the thyroid probably does or doesn't do its thing based as a reaction to the types of food that we put into our bodies as opposed to forcing us to put certain types of food into our bodies. Until your sister can recognize this and realize that her daughter's thyroid is not forcing her to provide Big Mac's, pop, Doritoes, etc. to Molly, she will not change her ways of providing nourishment for Molly or the rest of her family. What is your sister's weight/health level like? What you need to do right now is be a positive example for your niece and to love her unconditionally. You might be on the other side of the globe, but with so many forms of communication available to us today, you need to make sure that you develop a loving, no strings attached relationship with her. Let her know that you are there for her in a non-judgemental way no matter what. At some point she may seek out your advice or help in regards to weight loss, but unless she comes to that conclusion on her own, I am afraid that your attempts to help her may be futile. I hope this post wasn't too much of a downer. I do understand where you are coming from. I have a sister-in-law that believes McDonald's, Sonic, Arby's, pizza and milk are the five food groups. Thankfully, at this point my nephews are more like my brother in that on their own they order the salad off of the children's menu or ask for steamed broccoli as the side to go along with their corn dog at Chili's, but that may not always be the case. I just pray that I can continue to be a positive role model for my nephews, my sister-in-law, and my dad.

It is pretty normal to not feel restriction after your first fill. For many people it isn't until their second or sometimes third fill that they begin to feel restriction. Don't be discouraged by not being able to feel restriction. Instead, continue to use this as a learning time. It is more important now then ever before to make sure that you are chewing your food correctly and eating the proper amount of food. This training will all be very beneficial once you do feel the ever anticipated restriction. Don't think of it as a waste of $500, rather think of the $500 as the investment needed to construct the first floor on top of the foundation that was completed when the lap band was placed. You may end up with a two or three story house, but regardless of how many levels it has, in the end it will be beautiful and you will love it!

You both sound normal to me as I also experienced many of things you are experiencing. It will take a little while for the sorenend surgery s to disappear, I mean think how long a bruise can hurt and your lap band surgery is definitely a bigger issue than a bruise and it will take time completely heal.

Amen and Amen! I also didn't tell many people prior to surgery because I just wanted to make sure this weight loss method was actually going to work. I was banded 16 months ago and have gradually over time started telling some people when they ask me what I have been doing. Most people I give the "exercising more and eating less" answer to, which is 100% correct. However, if someone asks that I believe can keep the information to themself and I don't mind them knowing, then I tell them. However, when I tell them I let them know that this is my story to tell and it is up to me, not them who I do and do not tell. To my knowledge only one person has said anything to someone else and she did it only because the person she told is one of her staff and they were telling her that they were looking into having the lap band. When this person asked me about it I hesitated telling her anything, but once again reminded her that it was my story to tell and no one else's. The main people I tell are those who not only ask, but are also individual's whom I also feel could benefit from the procedure. A complete stranger however, is another story. I will tell a complete stranger about my lap band in a heart beat. Heck, I did so today to someone who was overhearing a conversation between one of my professor's and I. My professor told me that I was going to look 16 again, I told him absolutely not because I look much better at 36 than I ever did at 16 and that I never again want to look like I did at the age of 16. Choosing to not reveal that you have been banded is not selfish at all. You know what you want and if you don't take care of yourself and what you want, no one else will. I was at the church I grew up in on Sunday. One person told me I looked great and asked me what I had been doing, so I told her. Another person was there who asked me back in August what I had been doing and again 4 weeks ago. I did not tell her and have no intntion of telling her because she is just being nosy and will tell everyone that will listen. So, being choosy is an okay thing. Weight loss or gain is a personal issue and you owe no one an answer as to what you have or have not been doing. They sure didn't ask what you had been doing to gain weight now did they? I can only wish that I had had the opportunity to have had this surgery at 27, but I am very grateful that I was able to have it at 35. Congratulations on your decision to have the band and on your success with it to date!

Yes, the lap band and other medical expenses and prescriptions are tax deductible. The catch is that you have to have more medical expenses than 7.5% of your income and you can only claim the amount that is over the 7.5% of your income? Confused yet? I am not sure if the 7.5% will still be the percentage this year or not, but it is definitely something to keep in mind when tax time rolls around. You can also claim mileage to and from doctor appointments as a medical expense.

Dawn suggested UNJURY to me. You can only get it on-line, but you can also purchase samples so that you can try it before investing a bunch of money only to find out you don't like it. I bought one of each of the samples. So far I have tried the Strawberry and Vanilla. I didn't have a problem with either of them in clumping up. I have never been a fan of strawberry milk or of vanilla milkshakes (unless there are Oreos in it ) however I did fine with both of these. I probably will not order a large container of either one, but at least I can say I tried them. The unflavored version is what I am really hoping I will do well with and knowing me if I also like the chocolate one it will end up in my order because I do like chocolate milk. As for the vitamins, I also was taking the adult gummies by One A Day, but did not find as good a deal as "finally" found at Costco, of course I do not have a Costco card, but then again I haven't checked at Sam's yet. Today I spent $10ish at Wal-Mart for a bottle of 180 children's gummies. 3 of them will basically be equal to 2 of the adult gummies so I definitely saved as this 60 day supply only cost $2 more than a 15 day supply of the adult gummies. However, when I run out of the children's gummies I will be checking at Sam's for the adult version, especially if I can get a 100 day supply for around $10.

Absolutely wonderful - YEAH YOU!!!

Are you eating at least 60 grams of protein each day? If so, are they in a solid or liquid form? Solids are definitely best. Granted, you can't live on liquids for the next two and a half weeks, but getting in at least 64 ounces of liquids can help curb the hunger as well.

I try to keep mine at around 1000 a day. I do about 300 per meal and then allow another hundred for snacks. There are times I will go over (like today as I had a rotten dr.'s appt. so I decided to compensate for it, but this is the exception as opposed to the norm), but most days I am around 1000. Changing up your caloric intake occasionally is a good think as it helps to keep your body guessing about what it is going to get. Having your body go into storage mode (there is a technical term but I can't remember it at the moment) and holding on to everything it can is not a good thing and will often put you into a plateau which can be very frustrating.

Congratulations!!! I am impressed with the 20 lbs. removed. I had 8 lbs. removed, but other than the TT we had different surgeries. Stay clear of the scale for a while. Considering I lost 8 lbs. of fat and skin, I was 4 lbs. heavier three days after the surgery than I was the morning of surgery. So, I had 12 lbs. worth of fluid and swelling. According to my PS I am still swollen where he did the lipo - God bless him for saying that. Isn't being marked up a humbling experience? After having this surgery I have pretty much lost all modesty around doctors - in a good kind of way. Be careful with the woozieness. Make sure you are getting enough liquids and take that multi vitamin. We think my blood loss during the surgery is what caused my anemia - and I was woozy from that until we figured it out and started treating it. I lost a normal amount in both of the surgeries, but by combining the two together, I lost more than what my body could afford to part with, but I am on the mend. Let us know what the doctor says on Monday!

Ummm - Thanks, but no thanks! I live by myself and already have a fear of falling down the steps - a very rationale fear based on my history of gracefulness (my dad says my middle name should have been Grace) and not being found until my staff finally decided that someone needs to come look for me. I am afraid that attempting pole dancing and having a pole at my house would cause my list of fears to grow - not sure how I would explain that one to my staff once they finally found me. Even more concerning is that they might struggle with the decision to just leave me where they found me or to help me get down off of that thing. :-?