♥LovetheNewMe♥

First I am going to say, I spent 20 minutes answering these dang questions and accidentally deleted them by accidentally exiting the web site, so frustrating soooo her I go again. Maybe this tells you a little something about me, I am determined and I do not give up easily. 1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? no 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Friday a week ago when I rear ended a car. 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, I am a nurse and my hand writing sucks. 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE lunch meat? Fried Bologna but I don't eat it anymore, I eat turkey. 5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes 2, a son, a daughter, 3 grandchildren, a dog, a cat and a big baby for a husband. 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I am an awesome friend, I wish I could be friends with me. I am loyal and always there. 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Can't you tell! 8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes and every other organ I was born with. 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? that would be a hell to the no! I grew up in WV near the New River Gorge Bridge and watched it every year, never had a desire to jump off a bridge or any high object. 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? cooked oatmeal with egg whites. 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes, how do you get them off. 12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes, emotionally and physically 13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Butter Pecan from bresslers. Yummy salted pecans. 14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? their shoes 15. RED OR PINK? Red 16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My inner thighs 17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Dad, he died 12 years ago. 18. WHAT IS THE PAUL MCKENNA TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST? I'm a realist and do not believe in hypnoses. I believe you are the only one who can control your own destiny. 19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? barefoot 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Protein Bar 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the local news 22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Fuchsia, I wanna be hot! 23. FAVORITE SMELLS? coffee and Cookies baking 24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? House supervisor, I am on call this weekend. 25 . MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE? Beach House 26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? WVU Football Go Mountaineers!! 27. hair COLOR? Dark Brown 28. EYE COLOR? Green 29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes 30. FAVORITE food? Sushi 31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Scary Movies. 32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Air Bud 33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Yellow with Betty Boop! 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer 35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs 36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Dark chocolate 37. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO? Love to lift weights, so strength training. 38. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION? Computer 39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished Fifty Shades of Gray 40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Kitten 42. FAVORITE SOUND? Waves crashing on the rocks at the beach. 43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles but I really prefer alternative music, The Fray is one of my favorites or Maroon Five. 44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Nevada never been out of the country 45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Yes, I can decorate cakes, sugar, fondant, wedding cakes, chocolates, birthdays, cupcakes etc. I used to do this as a hobby for friends and family 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? West Virginia 47. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW? South Carolina 48. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE? red brick 49. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR? Gold 50. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 50 QUESTIONS? I guess I did or I wouldn't have came back the second time and did it over.

Drink more liquids between meals. Try some sugar free jello and pop cycles. Protein makes you feel full longer so if your not getting much food in yet and can have full liquids drink a protein shake.

I love shopping. Congratulations!

The shakes that are lower in carbs are better for us. The ones that give your 20-25 gms of protein per serving are the best. Early on I took in 70 plus gms of protein a day and there was no way I could get this much protein from food. I will even add (not don't get grossed out) liquid egg whites to my protein shakes when I mix them with ice in the blender. Protein is key to our weight loss and the key to not getting hungry between meals. The Special k drinks and slim fast are higher in carbs, calories and lower in protein. Unjury is also another good shake but you need to order that one also. If you have not had surgery yet you have time to play around and find something you like. Also what I liked before surgery and what I liked after surgery was different. I went through a period when everything tasted funny. Can't explain that either. Good luck.

You need to find a protein drink you like, these will be around for as long as you have the band. You will need to use them at different times when you can not get enough protein in. When you have a fill, when your sick, when you want to build muscle after you lose the fat. With lapband protein intake is key to the weight lose and those nasty protein drinks help. As far as the BR problem, I drink so much liquids all the time I am always in the BR day and night. Today for example I have drank 15-16 8oz glasses of liquids and this is pretty much an average for me and this does not count the coffee I had this morning. When I was struggling with my protein, I mixed it in only 4ozs of liquid or mixed it with ice to make it thick. Hope this helps.

Do not become a slave to your scale. I sat at the same weight for 7 months, but dropped inches and several sizes. I do weigh myself but it is more as just a double check to make sure I am not gaining anything. I have even had a weight gain during this process and still dropped inches. I do understand how frustrating it is not to see those numbers drop but if you become a slave to the scale it will only frustrate you more. A size 18 is awesome!

Your a little tight, I would suggest you tell your doctor if you are still unable to eat solids by Monday. If you can drink liquids please try some protein shakes even if you have to thin them out a little more so you get some nutrition. Do not grin and bare it! The purpose of the band is not to restrict you from eating, it is to help you learn portion control and curb the normal hunger feeling that goes along with cuting back you calorie intake. If you leave the band too tight and continue to PB and reflux you can damage your band and your health.

I did beef and chicken broth, jello, cranberry and grape juice during my clear liquid stage. It really does not last that long and I did do the lower sodium types during this stage. Full liquids is much easier, cream soups, thin yogurt and some protein shakes makes it a little easier. do not expect to lose weight during this initial phase, you will lose some but you will be eating some foods that later will be considered sliders, cream soups, ice cream, etc I also ate a gew sugarfree popcycles during this stage..

I lived in Chapel Hill for 2 years, I was a nurse manager at the UNC. I loved the downtown area especially around Halloween, Franklin Street on Halloween was awesome!

Yes the site can be overwhelming. Jean is right on target with her comments and so is Carolina Girl. This is not a diet, this is about learning to eat healthy and live healthy. Your MD should be your first place to get the answers to your questions,

Good luck, doing research up front will really help you on the back end if you do have the surgery.

Some of the other terms you may see are, PB, PBing, Sliming, stuck etc. We have our own slang just like everyone else. PB is puck back, more of a productive burp, kinda like reflux, Slimming is something when it happens you will never forget, you take to big of bite, you don't chew properly or the band just doesn't let it go down, your stomach trys to pull it through the band with gastric juices and if it doesn't happen it erupts from your mouth like a volcano and there is no stopping it so run for the bathroom or trash can. (sorry to be so graphic but it happened to me in the car and it is pretty gross) Stuck is when you fail to chew or eat something your band does not like, if you do not vomit it back up it sits there. You can sometimes move around, walk sit straight up, move your arms etc. I do suggest you do not try to push it down with water, because it is stuck so the fluid will come right back up. Dry foods, microwave leftovers, breads, fibrous foods etc are common things to get stuck. That is why people do sliders, they do not get stuck. Please do not let any of his discourage you, it is a process and it takes time to learn all the rules and learn how your body will react. Have Patience and just follow the rules your doc gave you and you will be fine.

Have a couple of questions. When was the fill? And how long after you ate did you try and drink your tea? If it has been in the last week you may have to just do protein shakes or mushy foods for a few days until the swelling and iritation goes down. I am very sensative to my fills. I have only had 3 in two years and I hate getting them because it takes me several weeks to adjust. If you can take in fluids you will be ok until Monday, if you are unable to take in fluids and are having reflux than you may need to call his service and see if they can see you in the emergency room.

I had a lot of problems with the shakes also, I am not a big milkshake person and I did not like the smell or the sweetness of most shakes. In the beginning I ordered some from a website, bariatriceating.com Their shakes are low in calorie and not sweet. I loved the chocolate, the peanut butter cookie and latte flavored. Over time I have learned to like, a powdered form that I can purchase locally. My favorite is Pure Protein Chocolate and Vanilla. I mix the Vanilla with Mio Water flavoring or PB2 powder and sugar free syrups. I also like some of Jay Robb's, he has an egg white and a whey brand. The orange tastes like a dream-cycle especially if you mix it with TruAde sugar free drink (no carbonation) I really hate the premixed stuff reminds me of Ensure or Boost (I'm a nurse and have delivered this to patients over the years and hate the smell) If you can find some individual serving size packages, from GNC, the Vitamin Store, Whole Foods or CVS this may cost a little more upfront but at least you can try a variety and pick some you like.

A slider is a food that is usually high in calorie has less nutritional value than what we are suppose to eat. Some people with lap band will eat sliders because, protein-meats are sometimes difficult to digest and get to go through the band. If our bands are too tight than we have difficulty digesting proteins like we should. There seems to be a fine line between the band being too loose or just right. Everyone is different, some people never have a fill in their band and some may have the max amount in their band. Examples of sliders are ice cream, yogurt, mashed potatos, cream soups and even protein shakes can be considered sliders if we put high calorie ingrediants in them. Hope this helps.

Slow loser here, it has taken me two years to lose all my weight. I did lose a lot of inches along the way when the scale failed to move. I learned early on to have patience and it would come. Just continue to make healthy choices and change your behavior and success will come.

Small pills and small capsules I could swallow within a few days of surgery, you have to do them one at a time. I would check with my md they make a lot of meds in liquids these days.

Congratulations on your decision, you may want to befriend carolinagirl2012 she had this same procedure that you are considering and is doing very well with her weight loss. Good luck to you and let us know how we can support you in your journey!

Congratulations and much success!

The bump is your port, will be alittle sore in the beginning. You can not feel the band from the outside. Good luck on your journey.

Check out my profile and you and everyone else can see just how I used to look. I also have done measurements. I keep a picture of me in my fat pants posted in plain site for me to always remember where i was and where I will never go back if at all possible. Good luck to you.

I use it, LovetheNewMe. You can add me but I do have non-band friends also.

Hi Linda, I guess I am what they refere to as being successful, I have lost all of my weight in just shy of two years. What do I eat; Breakfast: oatmeal with egg whites cooked in them for extra Protein, 1/4 cup blueberries and 2 pecan halves OIKO yogurt or other brand of Greek yogurt Star bucks grande skinny carmel macchito with scoop of unflavored Protein powder (This is an on the go Diane does not have time to sit down and eat breakfast) Protein Bar (Another Diane can't take the time to eat) Mid Morning: Protein shake (25gms) a banana or small peeled apple lunch 3ozs lean protein, fish, deli meats, chicken, turkey etc. small salad consisting of lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, no cheese and only a small amount of oil and vinegar If no salad I have some type of fresh cooked veggie about 1/4 cup Mid afternoon Snack Protein shake and 1 tablespoon natural Peanut Butter sometimes I may add 2 saltine crackers but only occasionally dinner 3-4 ozs of lean protein, usually chicken, pork loin, fish or turkey 1/4 cup veggies Evening snack: Pop Secret 100 calorie popcorn, (This is my treat and splurge, I add spray no calorie butter and some coarse ground butter) I rarely eat bread, my starches consist of a sandwich made with a small flour tortilla grilled in a pan, an occasional slice of cracker crust pizza (very small) 1/4 cup mashed potato's, rarely eat rice or Pasta I just do not digest well and it makes me feel very full. I try very hard to avoid any foods that upset my stomach or make me feel too full. Potato chips and salty foods are my weakness so I try and use small amounts of nuts and popcorn as substitute. I limit these because they also can get out of hand for me. I weigh, measure and log all my meals. Now these are my perfect days, I do occasionally eat a sweet, a mini pack of m and m's a sugar free Caramel, a tootsie roll pop, have a glass of wine or a martini but I reserve these for occasional use. The one thing I do is count my Snacks and treats in my total daily calorie count. I am in my maintenance stage and I am trying hard to eat 1500 calories a day so I do not lose anymore weight. Hope this helps, Diane