siyah

I am proud of my loss. I certainly feel a lot better! I haven't lost much in awhile, though, and need to go get a fill mid June when I can get in. I did better with food today. Yesterday I made hummus from scratch and cooked lamb with the fat trimmed off. I portioned it all out and have it for the next few days of meals. I figure will all the hair that's falling out lately, I must be lacking protein or something. That and I stopped taking the vitamins. WHoops! So much for months of good habits!

Thanks, D. I wish I could say things are better today, but they are not. I just want to curl up, read, nap and listen to the rain. I did look into tennis lessons last night, but then lost the motivation to check them out today. I ordered my first pizza in over 6 months and ate 2.5 slices, followed by a glass of wine an hour later. I was surprised at not liking the pizza, since it used to be a favorite. The wine is good, though. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

I am loosing soooo much hair! But I am also not getting in the protein like I used to, so this might explain it. I literally clean a ton out of my brush several times a day and it gets all over my shirts. I've always liked my hair- my one redeeming feature- so it's like loosing an old friend. Makes me sad.

Well, I'm glad i've checked back in after so long. I realize after not loosing for awhile that I need the support of this thread for advice and to keep me accountable on many levels. I also need to go back to using calorie counter. Today was just a lousy day. Hope noone minds if I vent a bit just to get things out of my head before trying to sleep. This past week DH lost his job, which is par for the course as a contract computer geek. I'm not pissed about that, but about his utter lack of effort to find a new one and help out around the house. i made chore lists for each of us today, with mine twice as long, and he still couldn't get to anything much. I just get so frustrated with him and his lack of motivation. Now I am trying to find another job so we don't loose the new house we moved into 2 months ago. End result- I eat. I went to the movies and had a large nacho with extra of that crappy cheese, 1/2 a box of junior mints and 1/2 a large icee. Yesterday it was more chips and dip. The only thing I did good for me today was to walk the dog in a park. I'm in the same boat about the fill- totally need one. I've got to wait until the school year ends, though. I just can't make any appointments right now.

Well, I'm glad i've checked back in after so long. I realize after not loosing for awhile that I need the support of this thread for advice and to keep me accountable on many levels. I also need to go back to using calorie counter. Today was just a lousy day. Hope noone minds if I vent a bit just to get things out of my head before trying to sleep. This past week DH lost his job, which is par for the course as a contract computer geek. I'm not pissed about that, but about his utter lack of effort to find a new one and help out around the house. i made chore lists for each of us today, with mine twice as long, and he still couldn't get to anything much. I just get so frustrated with him and his lack of motivation. Now I am trying to find another job so we don't loose the new house we moved into 2 months ago. End result- I eat. I went to the movies and had a large nacho with extra of that crappy cheese, 1/2 a box of junior mints and 1/2 a large icee. Yesterday it was more chips and dip. The only thing I did good for me today was to walk the dog in a park. I'm in the same boat about the fill- totally need one. I've got to wait until the school year ends, though. I just can't make any appointments right now.

Awhile back I ordered a variety of protein products from bariatriceating and I am finding that I just don't use them. If you are interested, I will ship them to you at 1/2 cost. I have chocolate pudding and isopure drinks. You pay shipping at cost. Send me a PM or email to me at house11812@yahoo.com Jeri, Seattle

It'll take a week or so for your body to adjust, but without the sugars from carbs or sweets, you level out and stop becoming shaky. I only use the whey protein powders for shakes that have 0-4 grams of sugar max. Mix that with a little peanut butter and soy milk and it's good for you and filling. Lots of great combos. Eating whole foods when able are ideal, and I lived for soup- especially the thick ones with lentils. Good luck!

After years of uncomfortable fitting bras I finally went in for a fitting at nordstorms where they do a bang-up job. This was after loosing 30 pounds so I thought I'd be smaller than my 46/48DD. Low and behold that Oprah show with the bra fitting was right. I'm now a 42G- as in good golly! So I know the back fat is diminished, but I now wear a larger size cup. For a $58 price tag, I finally have excellent fit and support. For anyone looking for a great sports bra- serious no motion- Enell can be found on-line or through a clothing company called Junonia. I wore my last one for years with no give in the fabric at all. In shrinking I just bought another one. It will flatten you out nicely for a better fit in blouses while still giving some definition. It also totally smoothes out your back.

Makes sense to me. I know my feet were a narrow 9 in High School and then averaged at a 10 for many years. Now I'm an 11 wide!!! How cool to think of wearing "pretty" shoes again!

Boy does life get busy! I haven't checked in for awhile but things are going alright. I'm not loosing as fast as I'd like, but I figure it's my own fault. I have not stated to excersise and I probably eat at least one item of "crap" per day. (Damn those girl scouts!) Of course I am full of excuses lately. I had an MRI done on a sprained ankle and they found that 2 of 3 ligaments are severed with the 3rd barely hanging on. So I am freaked out about rolling it again until I can have surgery this summer. Could I still excersise? Of course. I'm just being lazy about wanting to start up something new. And then there's Water. This is my big weak area. I only get about 40 ounces in daily. Maybe this can be my goal for awhile. On the bright side, I began this process wearing 28-30's and am now comfortably in 24's with a few 22's thrown in. Needless, to say, I am very happy with the band. It's a great tool that I just need to use better if I want to loose faster. By the way, i went shopping yesterday at Lane Bryant and found that they are now selling SPANX. These are the undergarments Oprah loves that suck it all in. LB also carries their own brand at 1/2 the cost ($12). I tried them out and MAN do they work wonders. My ASSets were sucked in and no more muffin top over the pants. Also- they come in a long, toeless style that I like, as well as an above the knee variety. Just two sizes, one for about 14-20(A- and then 20ish-28ish(C-D). Love these!!! I shipped off all the rest of my higher sized clothing today before I move next weekend and it really feels good to purge. It also felt good to shop in a different section on the racks and to even ask the clerk to bring smaller sizes. I feel like I can finally make selections that look good instead of just buying whatever fits. Good to read about everyone again! As soon as I am moved and settled in life again I promise to be more regular. Take care all! Jeri

I have never heard about it stretching normally so we can eat more later. Has anyone else heard this? I only know about the .25-1 cup limit. I am on my 2nd fill and there's a lot more burning this time. For example, I just had a crab cake- about 1/4 cup at most- and it burns after a bite or two. Soup goes down well, of course, but not much else in a more solid form feels good. I probably just need more time since it was just Friday that I was filled again.

I can ship someone a variety pack of 26-30's. Some great stuff for spring, though I'm not ironing the blouses for you. :eek: Oakie has first dibs, but PM me if you are interested too. Just don't ask for pictures because I am in the process of moving and simply don't have time. I am 5'8", btw. Jeri

All great advise! As for the shoulder pain- massage works wonders! Get someone to do it for you or try it yourself. The nurses showed me what to do and I continued with it for two days. No more pain after that! Pillows! Liquid tylenol! Walking!

sounds about right to me. I was able to go, but not a lot at a time. My muscles were to sore to push it out. Try standing in the shower and going with teh water running over you- especially first thing in the morning.

My best find on that stuff is at the Outlet Malls. if you live near any and the hav a GNC- GO!!! I bought them out of the individual serving size at half off and got a powder at half off, too. They do this when they near the expiration date, but it's not until May so I'm all set.

Even on the clear liquid diet I was supposed to have Protein shakes. I would drink Water in the morning and then grab an atkins shake mid-morning. I had a lot of the good, organic chicken broth. Heat seemed to help the hunger. I bought really nice teas, too. Another atkins later on, and more broth. After about 12 days post-op I went crazy and blended up slightly heartier Soups so they were liquidy. (get a magic bullet!) I just had my first fill and am supposed to do the SFCL diet again for 48 hours. I have used the Isopure liquid Protein drinks from GNC (40 grams of protein!) and had Soup for lunch and dinner. It's not easy, but it will get easier. Your body is releasing it's hold on sugar, too. That made me pretty hungry. And the loss of caffeine didn't help, although it's actually supposed to be better without the stimulant. And yes, GNC and stores like it have the clear protein powders to mix with the fluids. No flavor or with flavors. You'll be OK. Just keep thinking of the skinnier you!

I had my fill today; nice to have restriction but man was that needle scary! I had a shake for dinner and felt full. Yeah! It's been weeks since the scale moved!

I'm Back! This has been a crazy week. I finally sold my house. It's been on the market for months, so that feels great. Hopefully this 5-day inspection phase will go well, too. Next comes a HUGE yard sale! Yesterday I viewed 11 houses and bought a new-construction one in a development. I never wanted to live in a housing development, but we landed a house with only one neighbor on one side and a green belt to the other side and in the back. Best of all, an unheard of 3.75% interest rate is the only way I could afford this. I guess I'm rambling... My sprained ankle turns out to be a bit broken as well. I will have an MRI in a week after teh swelling goes down. Then I may need surgery to tighten the ligaments and remove the bone fragment. Good grief! Just when I was gearing up to work out again! To top it off, I can't even swim yet! I think this past week I have gone back to some poor eating habits. I guess I am not just a bordom eater, but a stress one, too. Was the sugar-free coffee ice cream really worth the weight gain? Of course not! Tomorrow is my first fill so I am looking forward to restriction again. Saturday I take off for Nashville with a 15 YO aspiring country music star. He's like a nephew and can hardly contain him excitement. I'm glad to have a fill before getting there. Have you tried fried pickles? Actually, fried everything the last time I went there. My friend wants me to booze it up with her, but obviously that can't happen. (She's having us stay with her.) Well, I guess that's the Jeri-catch-up-minute. It sounds like others have had ups and downs, too, but everyone is plodding along nicely. Peace!

There's no getting around it- unless you were a back sleeper, you'll have an uncomfortable two or so weeks. The best things I did were to use a pregnancy pillow- the U-Shaped kind. I could put my knees up with it, thereby relieving back pressure and it allowed me to be braced on both sides for mild shifting. The other thing was to take tylenol PM. It comes in liquid form so you can get it down. SLowly, you should be able to shift from one side to the next. It took me a month to stomach sleep again. I won't bother to say "good luck" because you don't need it. You'll be fine in due time!

Hey all! I posed this question on the January site, but I think folks had shifted here already. Here goes: I just sprained my ankle and the only relief comes from taking aleve (naproxin). Can someone remind me why taking aleve or ibuprofin is bad for us? Tylenol does nothing. Thanks! As for the breakfast question folks were talking about... I typically throw Protein powder in a blender with soy milk and either frozen fruit or Peanut Butter depending upon the flavor of powder. That magic bullet blender is great for dashing out the door with protein in hand! When I have time, I put egg whites and salsa together for a scramble. Sometimes with a little feta, too. On occasion, cottage cheese with ground flax seeds or salmon is tasty. Lastly, I bought some kind of "super oats" from bariatriceating.com . They are apple-cinnamon and have an amazing 35 grams of protein in them!

Whew! I had some reading to catch up on! Life got the better of me for the past week between social activities and writing progress reports for school. Then the past two days were spent taking care of my mom. I sprained my ankle over there slipping on a wet patch on her floor. Nothing like that purple golf ball on you ankle to remind you how the accident might have been avoided if you hadn't fallen so heavily on it. I was desperate for something to take the pain away so I popped two aleve (naproxin). It feels a million times better! Will someone remind me why ibuprofen and aleve are bad for us? I haven't had a fill yet so it's pretty much just dropping into the lower stomach.

Kirsten- Well here's hoping the H & R Block program on-line knew to take the correct amount of the self-pay! I remember it saying something about 7%, but I also remember entering the whole amount. I think I figured it would do the calculation. Hope it did! I'm getting a bunch back this year (for a change) and I'd HATE to get an audit. I have no idea where past receipts are. OK- so for dinner tonight I ate an entire can of turkey-chili (healthy choice). Funny how I think I can eat more than I can. Ten minutes later it feels like something's sitting on my chest. Ug. It's going down, but that's a lesson in not putting so much in my bowl or on a plate, 'cause if it's there, I'll eat it.

Just finished my tax return tonight and got caught up on this site. Lot's of people getting fills! While I am getting more hungry, I want to wait as long as possible to get filled. It feels good to eat more normally right now. And I'm doing OK with the calories and protein. As for the taxes- I included the self-pay costs to the tune of 13,150. I'm glad I paid in December so I can get the dedution! I use H & R Block's on-line program and love it. This year they changed the format and it's so much easier. Anyhoo... It's good reading all your posts!

Hi bandsters and bandsters-to-be! I'd like to meet up with those from our area in a couple of weeks at a restaurant that will suit our needs. Consider this an open invitation to sit with people and share a non-judgemental meal. (ie: no-"Is that all you're having?!") We can compare stories and provide information to those considering a band. It'll be fun to meet folks in our area and perhaps be our own local support team. If you are interested, just drop me a line here or send me a PM. We'll see what the response is like and book a place from there. Jeri :hungry:

Siyah: I'm so pleased your first meal out was such a good experience. I went out to eat for the first time on Saturday Night. A group of 14 girls from work all decided to go out for Karaoke and a meal first. My expereince was not a good experience & I'll ring the Manager today. I first wanted to order Spaghetti from the childrens Menu, they said we have to charge you as a mainmeal, I argued that I only wanted a childrens serve, still they wanted to charge me a main meal price, so I then chose from the main menu and chose an entree. Again thay wanted to charge me extra for salad bar etc. I said I didnt want the salad bar. In the end I had a gf order my entree (garlic prawns) with her main meal. It seems its impossible to get JUST an entree (without paying a full meal price) if your not having a main meal. NOT HAPPY hahaa. I'll complain to management today. Who was it that said we come under the disability act? Now I can see why. CHEERS to all Happy Healthy Eating Someone on this site said their Dr. gave them a card explaining that they were banded so they could order from the children's menu. I'll have to ask my Dr. about that. It seems we could even make our own and have the Dr. sign it or stamp it with the office logo or something. How frustrating for you! I guess my thinking was that I'd just order the full size meal and take 2/3's home. I suppose just ordering an appetizer would work, too.