Candle

I don't know that much about it but I think the oral B12 doesn't work for everyone - not just people with malabsorbtion (sp?) procedures. I think most RNY people go right to the injections. My B12 was low and my doctor suggested taking the sublingual for awhile to see if it raised my levels. If it didn't, we'd do the monthly shots. Luckily, after a few months, my levels went back to normal so I never needed to do the injections. I buy mine at Walmart and it's not that expensive. I just read this when I did a google search: Sublingual delivery lets your body absorb B Vitamins directly into the bloodstream through the numerous blood vessels underneath your tongue. This delivery completely bypasses your digestive system where it can lose much of its effectiveness. Bypassing your digestive system means maximum absorption.

As others have said, until you start getting the band filled, what you are experiencing is completely normal. It is VERY rare for someone to have restriction with an empty band. I've only had one fill of 2cc’s in a 10cc band so I have no restriction and can eat anything. I do feel full quicker and for a longer period of time though. Hang in there! (I'd stay away from the foot longs though - if you *must* have Subway at least get a 6" or a wrap. You need to stay accountable!)

I'm so jealous!! We went to Disney last Oct, 2 months after my surgery.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> You can bring food and even a small soft side cooler into the parks. I brought water, crystal light packets, protein bars, nuts, fruit, oatmeal, etc.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> We stayed in a condo instead of a hotel so I had the benefit of a full kitchen to prepare breakfast and a few dinners.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Food was the last thing on my mind while in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:Street><st1:address>Happiest Place</st1:address></st1:Street> on Earth!!!!<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Have fun!<o:p></o:p>

oops ... here she is ...

Lisa - if you are in the mind set already, I think starting your pre-op diet a little early is a great idea. I did the same thing. It was the start of a new week and time to go to the groc store anyway. I did 10 days and lost 14lbs. It was a great kick start to my weight loss!! I'm not going to lie to you, the first few days were roughhhhhhhhhhhhh. Long walks with your dog are right around the corner! Here's my girl BELLA. She turned 3 in June. We adopted her in Feb ‘07 from the Bide-A-Wee in Westhampton. She's the love of my life. There's a tan and white colored greyhound and a gray mini at the park in Smithtown frequently. I have such a crush on the mini-greyhounds!!

YES!!! I plan as much as possible. I also do it for financial reasons now too since food is getting so damn expensive. I look at my store's sale flyer and plan my next week accordingly. (it probably takes me about 20 minutes.) We bring breakfast & lunch to work and I cook dinner. We eat out about 4-6x per month. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> I no longer count calories or journal my food but I did for the first year. (I lost 120lbs in that time!) <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> I try and stick to a meal plan because if I don't, I tend to make poor choices. I also tend to over eat if I let myself get too hungry between meals by not keeping healthy snacks in the house. Planning at the beginning of the week also gives me the ability to be sure I'm eating a balanced diet. I don't feel like I'm on a diet.<o:p></o:p>

Weight:295 -------> 167lbs Bust: 44DDD ------> 36DD Shoe: 10 ---------> 9-9.5 Pants: 26/28W ----> 12 Top: 26/28W-3X --> Large

I don't know whose thighs and butt you are looking at but I could not tell ANY size difference between you and the other riders. Hot stuff! Thanks for starting this thread Judi - we seem to have lost most of our Crazy Ates or they are in PS land. I just typed up a long update and some how deleted the whole thing when spell checking - errrr!!! I'll start over later tonight.

PS. Lisa - I wasn't groggy or in pain the day after surgery. I actually had NO pain at all besides a tender port site. I never took any of the pain meds they gave me a script for. A pillow for the ride home is a good suggestion though. You don't want the seat belt rubbing on your tummy.

Amanda - you are the sweetest person!!! Lisa - I can't remember specifically but I don't think you can drive for at least 48 hours because of the anesthesia. The hospital will not allow you to drive yourself!! ssankofa73 – Have you had a fill recently? Your signature info does not seem to be updated. I wish I had some magic weight loss secrets to share with you but I don’t. I attribute my success to: -Eating 4-5 small meals per day. I think that helped boost my defunct metabolism. -Drinking AT LEAST 64ozs of Water every day but usually more like 80-100. -Planning my meals. If I don't have healthy stuff to eat in the house or I let myself get too hungry, I always seem to make poor choices and/or over eat. -Logging my food intake. -Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! I know it sucks and I still HATE every minute of it but you have to do it. Even something small to start, like walking a few blocks. This might sound silly but I got a dog - she forces me to walk. (She also brings smiles and laughter to our lives everyday!!!! I’m so ridiculously in love with this stupid fur ball!) We usually do about a 2-4 mile walk daily. We also take her to Blydenburg Park in Smithtown every Sunday. They have a dog park where she gets to play with other pooches and then we take about a 2 hour hike with her. If anyone lives in the area, it's a beautiful park with a lot of great trails that wrap around a lake. If you have a dog, the dog run is 1 acre, fenced in, and on the weekend there are usually at least 20-30 other dogs there. Next summer me and my boyfriend are planning to hike the Greenbelt Trail. There are a few access points but one of them is in BlydenburgPark and it ends in Connetquot. It should be about 30 miles. :biggrin: I haven't read thru ALL the recent posts but have you guys ever talked about starting up our own support group/meeting? The one at Dr Geiss' office doesn't sound all that "supportive" or organized. It costs $20 and Dr Geiss or Powers aren’t even there?! We could meet in a local library, Starbucks, etc. I'm in Patchogue so I wouldn't want to go much further than Syosset. The drive is actually something that has inhibited me from going in the past but I also have a little touch of social anxiety, lol. I realized the other day that I do not know one person in my 3-D life that is banded. Kinda weird ....

You should try posting this in the NY forum.

Hey Sue I just wanted to congratulate you on how well you are doing! Keep doing what you’re doing and try not to compare yourself to others. Do what works for YOU. I had the same experience - I've never had any sense of "restriction", not even swelling in the days after surgery. When I had my 6 week follow up they told me NO to a fill because I was losing quickly and consistently. Even though I could eat anything, I limit myself and I do feel full on a smaller amount of food and stay full for a longer period of time. At my next follow up, at about 10 weeks, I talked one of the PA's into giving me a small fill even though I had still been losing quite fast. I wanted to experience the fill process. I had anxiety about the needle and about losing my motivation and momentum. I also got caught up in comparing myself to others banded around the same time because they were on fill #2,3, or 4. He agreed to do 2cc's in my 10cc band - it made no difference at all and that's the only fill I've had. I'm glad to have been thru the process but it would be so cool to say I lost all my weight with NO fill. I think too many people get caught up in thinking the band isn't working unless they have severe food limitations and slime/PB on a daily/weekly basis. I also think a lot of people sell themselves short thinking they won't start losing any weight until they get fills and then give themselves a pass to start cheating. Keep it up, girl! You’re going to need all new summer clothes next year!!! Good luck to everyone with up coming surgeries!! I've never been to any of the support groups and I'd be in the >1 year group now anyway so I doubt I'd meet any of you but I do check this thread frequently and I share in your excitement.

Same weakness here - any kind of [soft] cookie, cake, donut or brownie. Ugh!!!! I ate 4 of these big frosted sugar cookies today. I'm so pissed at myself right now. I bet they were easily 150 calories each! I had to have my boyfriend hide the rest of the box because I don't trust myself and he wouldn't let me throw them away. lol

Thanks for posting this. I have the APS.

I, too, thought these commercials were a joke or a SNL skit!!

My journey has been very uneventful. Luckily, I haven't struggled much at all either. I hit my goal, to lose 120lbs, in about 10 months and I've been losing about 2lbs per month since then. I don't think one is better than the other - just made by different companies, with a few slight design differences. For example, I think the Realize port is a little smaller.

Thanks Congrats on the 30lbs!!! I agree about the Medifast - not only did I find it totally gross but it's pretty pricey! I used unjury. It seems to be pretty popular - you can only order it online. They have samples too so you can try it before spending a bunch of money.

I try not to be an advocate of not following the rules because my band journey seems to be different than most. I do tend to drink with my meals but I have very little Fluid in my band and no restriction. If you are starting to struggle, I would suggest following your doctor's guidelines.

It's tough growing up and becoming an ... adult, huh?

Alex - is this what is causing the problem on the forums now? I haven't been here in a few days but all the font is now pretty big and is causing the threads to stretch left-to-right. To read a reply in a thread I now have to scroll left-to-right and it's a real pain in the butt!!!!

It sounds like you are doing the right thing. If your bf is willing to let you go, that means he also really knows what he wants in life and it's not the same things you want - marriage and a family. My boyfriend was with his last girlfriend for 7 years. They broke up about 6 years ago for the same reasons, she wanted marriage and children. He did not. They are still friendly but no longer FRIENDS and it seems she still holds a lot of resentment towards him. She feels like he wasted a lot of her time and he admits he was wishy-washy with her when it came to making plans for the future. He's since worked thru most of his guilt with a therapist but I think she holds him more responsible for what happened than she should. She never took the steps to end the relationship either and it’s not his fault that 6 years later, she’s still single. I only know his side of the story but I often wonder if they'd ended it earlier, would they still be friends? My sister is a nurse at a nursing home and she says a lot of childless women express regret over never having children. I really hope that's never me some day. At 33, I really have no desire to have children and no confidence in my ability to be a good mother but my life has changed drastically in the last year. I find myself with a new level of self confidence & self worth. I'm doing things I never thought I would or could do. My relationship is stronger than ever but I do worry ... what if my biological clock starts ticking one day? I can now understand why so many people experience relationship changes and/or difficulty after weight loss. Your life does change in many ways beyond the size clothing you wear and the food you eat. Good luck and have a great vacation!

Maggie - That's great news! Thanks for the update.

Pammy, you look awesome!!! I like your hair cut too - I'm going to print out your pic to take to my hairdresser - lol. I need to do something different with my hair. I was thinking about bangs but I'm a chicken - lol.

Hi Donna!! Glad you stopped in! Sounds like you are doing well in CA. It's starting to get a little chilly here in NY, I bet you aren't going to miss the MN winters!!! I’m jealous! I know it's easier said than done but try and look at the glass as half full. You've been very successful with your band so far. Once you get the doctor stuff in order, which sounds like a major pain in the ass, you'll be back on track! Are you exercising? I've been fighting a major sweet tooth lately! Even though it doesn't sound like you are thrilled with your job, it sounds like it's working out and you'll have more options next year. Most people (myself included ) are really worried about the stability of their jobs right now. All this economic stuff going on right now is down right scary!! Me and my boyfriend just got part time jobs at Netflix to try and help add to a little safety net. I'm in finance and my company is barely holding on right now. I’ve decided to wait it out and go down with the ship. Are you going to be in MN any time soon? Holidays? Maybe you could see your original doc for a fill while you are there? Have you found any belly dancing activities in SD yet?

Congrats to all on your recent and upcoming surgeries!! I was wondering - does Dr Geiss use the Realize Band now? Is that what you guys are getting or does he still use the AP bands as well? Someone mentioned pizza and going out to eat after 3 weeks. With the Realize Band, what is the post-op diet? With the AP band, I had to do 2 weeks of liquids and then 3 weeks of mushies. Cappy - I can't not feel my band at all. From day one, I have never felt any different than before surgery. You may have some swelling for a few weeks after surgery and that can mimic the feeling of "restriction" but everyone is different. Re: Port. I can feel my port - it's a little knot about 4" above my belly button and to the left. It's never bothered me, other than soreness for about a month after surgery. I actually kind of like my port and find myself rubbing it a lot. :w00t: Unfortunately, I'm an apple shape and even though I've lost 128lbs, I still have a pretty big belly. My muffin top hides the port but I think after a tummy tuck it will stick out a little. My boyfriend says he can feel it when we hug.