nicole_m

Hi, I already invited you, but if it didn't work, what's your FB name?

Oops! Looks like someone already volunteered to create a FB page. Thanks!

Hi everyone, Well, I've had a wretched 3 weeks as far as the band goes, but a glorious 3 weeks personally. In was in Hawaii, "celebrating" my return to work from mat leave. I didn't want to worry about anything on this trip, so I let myself eat whatever I wanted. Gained a bunch of weight - argh - but enjoyed myself too. No regrets. That said, I'm home and ready to recommit myself to this lifestyle change. I'll create a FB group - any ideas for a clever name that doesn't tell the world what we're up to, for those who prefer to keep things private? N

The pouch test went pretty well, I definitely felt tighter after the two days of liquids. As for what to drink, I went to Nutrition House and bought the lowest calorie, highest Protein drink I could find. Doesn't matter what kind. I think Slimfast has a lot of calories, which is why I didn't use it. I noticed there's a brand at Walmart that isn't too pricey and would work fine. Oh yeah, and I lost 5 pounds. Got on the elliptical today for about 40 minutes too. Felt pretty good.

I've started the pouch test today as well. For those who asked, here's the plan: (I don't advocate buying any of the products, since the plan is dead easy to follow.) Days One & Two: liquid Protein low-carb Protein shakes, broth, clear or cream Soups, sugar-free Gelatin and pudding. Day 3: Soft Protein canned fish (tuna or salmon) eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy. Day 4: Firm Protein ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut. Day 5: Solid Protein white meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game Slipped up a teeny bit this morning while feeding my son - I mindlessly ate a few mouthfuls of banana. Not the end of the world, but it was amazing how the food just ended up in my mouth, without me thinking about it.

I was banded in 2010 (I weighed about 263 at my highest) and lost 50 pounds pretty easily. Then my husband and I decided to have a baby. I know I should have stuck to the program during the pregnancy, but I used it as an excuse to eat *everything.* Big mistake because once I had my son, it was impossible to stop. I told myself I could eat what I wanted while I was breastfeeding, but I stopped that about 3 months ago and have gained about 30lbs of the weight back. So I'm here to recommit myself to a healthier lifestyle - to be inspired and (hopefully) inspire a few people in the process. We are all strong people who made a choice to live healthier. Maybe we thought it was a choice we'd just need to make once, and what we're discovering is it's a choice you have to make every day. But with support, we can do it. Let's vow to try, not to be too hard on ourselves when we stumble and realize that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

I'm with you. I got my band in August and it was going really well (down 45lbs) until last month. I'm not really sure what's been going on - stress at work, some "issues" in my relationship, the holidays, but I've been eating crap (grazing like crazy when I'm not really hungry) and haven't been exercising as I should. It all kind of started when I went on vacation in New Orleans and the food! But I think it's time to get back on the band-wagon (heh) and start losing again. I don't want to be one of those people who lose 40 lbs and stop. I didn't pay all that money, and go through all this hassle, not to be a success. So count me in. I'm committing to eat three or four small meals a day and exercising as much as I can. We can do this!