Janine

Hey Mary, & All Damn girl your pictures looks so different!!! you are looking so good. I am in the same place as you now. I have 2.5 in a 4cc band. It does make a huge difference. Also, like you, everyday, I wonder if I should have just a touch taken out. This belt is so finicky. I am very tight in the am. I tend to have that first bite syndrome then I PB. So I have finally found a happy medium after about 4 weeks of this. First of all I try to drink something warm as soon as I get up. Then I have mushies (full liquid), at this point I can usually have a little regular dinner. Let me emphasis little, literally a few spoons of food. I am feeling good, energy is up. Walked like 6 miles at the Woodward dream cruise. That damn PBing is so annoying. Sorry to be graphic but that mucus just gags me. It is not the food, most of the time the food stays down, it is the mucus. I think I have told you guys I have 3 teenage sons and a daughter that is 6 adopted from China. She just does not miss a beat. Her and DH can see my face turn red, and my eyes kinda glass up, then I go off running. She will then announce to the table, " OH, No, Mom is gonna go puke again"I swear she is gonna grow up thinking I am bulimic. I have good restriction and while I wouldn't exactly call this my sweet spot I am OK. Hey You guys aren't you worried about the holidays and being cooped up in the house. Maybe it is living in northern Michigan but I hate the winters.

Hi Welcome Robin, I live in Mt. Pleasant Mi. Were practically neighbors LOL. Sophie- I have had very good luck at Burlington Coat Factory for dresses. Well Gals I have been doing Tai Chi at a class, it has been very interesting. But, in fact it is harder then you would think. I was hoping for some weight loss in conjunction with it, but no! But its OK, because it is very relaxing and that is a good thing. I just have to get walking again:phanvan My hair which is usually wavy especially this time of the year with all the humidity is very straight and feels dry. I am having a very hard time with the protein. Tuna, egg salad, chicken, eggs, all seem to gag me up and I pb. Have a great weekend everyone!

hello Everyone, So I have to ask what is everyone doing with their clothes. I have gone from a size 26 to a 18/20 pants and a 3x to a 1x shirt.It just kills me to give this to the Goodwill I have so much money tied up in clothes. I took a ton of dresses to a designer consignment shop. The first 30.00 sold is in store credit. Everything is just sitting there. I have come to the realization that the average obese women is size 18. When I was a size 26 the racks were full of clothes on clearance, 18, not so much. Hey guys tonight for the first time ever I treated myself to a pedicure. I was always way to embarrassed to ever have anyone see anything on me including my toes. I ventured out of my comfort zone, it was marvelous. Julie and other bikers, are you really able to ride? My calves hurt so much just going down the street. I am so inspired by you all on here.

Trina, So sorry to hear what you have had to go through. Take care of yourself. Janine:girl_hug:

Hey Mary, When you are referring to unsweetened ice tea at 7 11, are you drinking that in a slurpee form. If so I would love it, I am an ice tea addict.

HI everyone, I just wanted to say that maybe we don;t comment like we all should on the posts, but everything that people share, vent, boast, is beneficial. I love hearing what others are going through, we are all in the same boat. We all had surgery within 30 days of each other. We are all going through our journey learning together. I often lurk but oh!, I get so much from everyone. Feelings that I have are validated, questions and concerns I am often wondering about are answered from someone else going through the same thing. Sometimes we may be unsure how to answer, because we don't know ourselves. That's why I love the veterans, that had it a few weeks before and often answer. We are all losers, some faster some slower. We need to capitalize and try to really let our bands work for us this summer with the beautiful weather. We are really going to have to be there for each other during the holidays, frankly, it scares the shi* out of me. That is when I am a piggy, piggy, piggy.:hungry: I love the pictures they are a inspiration. You guys are an inspiration.:whoo: PS. Mazel Tov Mama Lambert on your new grandson.

Hey Ladies. Is the pain on either side or in the middles. I have had pain under my port area about 2 inches down so I know it is not the port. Just wondering. I even jumped up and down, saw this on MASH. They say if it makes it worse it could be appendix, but no.

Julie I am with you! I am going to try, try try, this weekend. I swear I am the most disgusting mom. I have 4 kids, oldest 19. We are driving in the car. My 6 year old is hungry so we stop and get her a cheesburger meal. I eat 2 fries and a bite from the burger and a tiny sip of pop. My 16 year old (new driver) is driving. I am screaming:eek: for the bag that the food came into because at this point I am PBing out the window of the car. Are you guys able to judge what you can and can't eat pretty good now. I am not sure why I can't gage it. I remember reading a post a while back. Somebody said they often would take a big bite of something like a burger. Chew it then spit it out. I thought they were crazy, but I think sometimes you miss that mouth of food. I am not saying that I am overeating and that is what is causing the PBing, it just seems I am still trying to gage textures and what will go down the smoothest. Do you think that pretty much it is truly a soft diet? How do salads go down any suggestions?

Welcome Cindy!!!!! Is anyone doing Curves?

I have one thing to say I HATE PLATEAUS:angry I guess what frustrates me the most, is the fact that being banded,I am eating a 1/4 of what I normally eat. Then I have bumped up my exercising to a crazy level. Then I sit at these darn numbers for several days or a week. While I am complaining,....... they say don;t drink while eating or after eating. Are you kidding, I am frightened to death of drinking. It seems if I cheat even a bit and have a sip it is enough to make me PB. That golf ball pain makes you feel like your kinda choking, but breathing, so naturally you want to take a drink to get that feeling to subside, but holy s*#?t it makes it so much worse. So I think they should say what it truly is, you can't drink with food, when you have good restriction. On the positive side......everyone is starting to comment on how much thinner I look, mostly in the face. Has anyone had anyone comment on their bodys looking thinner? I am still waiting on that day. My knees feel great, my energy is great. My family doc that was totally against this said she had to eat crow. My blood pressure is normal, all my blood work is excellent, and she said I seem to be just glowing. We will do this together.....:clap2::clap2::clap2::eek:

Laralyn_ Man, what a schedule girl. You need to take care of yourself. ,maybe a mental health day is in order. Yeah, I also would love to say good bye to the 200's. I am 34 lbs away.:phanvan. I am going on a large trip, NYC, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, amusement park, so hopefully all that exercise will bump up the weight loss. To the entire board Can you drink alcohol?? I know your not suppose too. I heard you get wasted really fast. It is so crazy with good restriction to get in all that water. it drives me crazy to just drink 16 ounces. Why really is all that fluid so important. I mean I know you don't want to dehydrate but is there any other advantages? Have a great week friends.

Momlambert. I have 2.5 cc in a 4cc band. it has made a huge difference. i have very good restriction. Sounds like your getting close. Laralyn- I agree just take one day at a time. Why oh why do those darn chocolate bars go down so easy. LOL That has been my downfall too. Kythera- enjoy those 20's and 30's it is truly a great time in life. Your still so young, you are on your way to being a sensual young lady, on the outside, we already know how brave and courageous you are on the inside. Kudos. Nikki- Your right it is hard being the mother and also taking time to care for yourself. Thanks for the kind words.

Kythera_ I feel for you, I can't imagine having a mom smaller then myself. As it is I have always been the biggest girlfriend, the biggest PTA mom, the biggest sister in law, I swear the biggest tourist in China and Japan LOL. My boys are in marching band, I cannot wait until late August during marching band Camp, when I won't be the biggest mom out there. You guys I feel funny. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe a little obsessed with going into this new territory that I thought the door was closed and chained. I have day dreamed for years about losing weight. But it has never happened. There is so many changes, both physical and mental. My rings slide around, I stare at the mirror and say "Do I look slimmer? A friend saw my license he was like man, no chubby checks, I am glad to hear it, I think I see it? I feel more feminine but I feel guilty or something. I feel like I need to just pour my feelings out, get some kind of reassurance that this is happening. I am not dreaming, this is a reality. 37 lbs are gone. Will I be thin and weak, you know, big girl = strong girl, my crazy mentality. I guess I am just venting, but I am not mad, just maybe emotional.

Juli I can't believe you can ride a bike. With my weight I can not stay balanced and my calves just kill me. Way to go! Hey girl, I wouldn't buy to many clothes, they say every 10 pounds lost is one dress size. I hear you about the size 14. I will be doing the snoopy dance at that time. Have a great day. Can't wait to hear how everyone did on vacation. We miss you guys.

Kythera, sounds like you have a good handle in what your doing. Kudos. Rosi, you may also try walking, and laying on your tummy. That has worked for me. How did we fall to page 3 on the boards? Maybe we have to check in more. Michale from Colorado are you out there lurking. I was wondering how you are doing?

Julie I read somewhere that you lose pounds for a couple days then you stop, then you lose inches for a couple days. It keeps rotating. What do you think? Anyone else think this is true? I often wonder if my ice tea addiction is holding me back a little. I drink it unsweetened with nothing in it. I drink alot maybe 5,8 ounces glasses a day. I think stress and being stretched to thin can have an impact, too.

Thick chick to funny. Actually it sounds quite painful. Each time I have had a Pbing episode I start yelling to my DH do give me the hemlick maneuver'. He laughs and says what for, your breathing. Oh, Mamalambert your lucky you have not had to deal with it yet. I am wondering how many times it is going to happen until I learn. Thanks for the tips on food Nikki and Lori.

Hi Wannabthin, I can relate to how you feel. We are overweight because of our addiction with food. But I have to tell ya, I am now 2 1/2 months out. I am down 35 lbs, and I just received my 2nd fill and have found my sweet spot. I have literally packed up half my closet and gave it away to goodwill. What you will see back in the mirror is a person that feels better, has more confidence, and is damn beautiful. When those cloths start hanging off you, I don;t think there is a better feeling. If you listen and respect your belt, it will be taken out of your hands. Picture this, you have 4 table spoons of food and you feel like you just ate at a Vegas buffet. it is truly how it feels. Go look under the poll that asks: Would you do it again. Look at what people have said. My daughter ways 35 lbs, sometimes she wants me to carry her. I will walk a couple of yards and say, I just can't carry you another step. How, in the heck did I carry that 35 lbs around I don't know. I still have 100 lbs to go. Can you imagine carrying 100 lbs around. Did you happen to see biggest loser when they had them carry their weight in a back pack up a ladder. Boy, did that hit home to me. If your parents are able, take the money, it will improve your life to take care of them when their old. You will feel so much better. Also, these boards are phenomenal, tap into the support here, it is priceless. Good luck Janine

Mary, I know what your saying about eating Cookies doritos and such. I have really good restriction now. Yes, a lot of Pbing episodes. But I am so amazed how junk food slides down easily. Once you have restriction though, it really makes you aware of what your putting in your mouth. I am constantly worried about the Protein. I am eating tofu, it is kinda growing on me. My daughter is 6 and adopted from China so she is thrilled with the tofu in the house, our 3 teen boys, not so much. I don't want to just live on Soups, shakes, smooth things. I need to get more creative with eating. Anyone with good restriction have any advice on how to put some pizazz in the foods we can eat from now on? I am now eating about 1/2 cup a meal. How often do you guys eat? How much and how many times a day? I said to my doctor before my fill, "I don't think I even have a lap band. I ate fajitas at Bennigan's no problem ." He said Really, will see about fixing that. Holy Toledo me and my big mouth, No seriously though, I love my band because I finally feel like it has been activated. When you have restriction, there are no bones about it you will know!!

Hey Mary, Here in Michigan I hear that Uof M is always in need of skin for burn victims. A friend told me that when people have large hunks removed U of M will pay for your surgery. Again this is here say, but worth looking into. Had my second fill yesterday. What a huge difference. I officially feel banded now. It is a odd feeling, but I am happy. I have kinda plateaued so hopefully this will kick start things up again. Anyone else out there going through some mental challenges regarding planning a vacation and eating? I had no clue my DH and I were such foodaholics. We are going to NYC, Montreal, Amish country. All he is talking about is restaurants and food. Everything revolves around food. I am trying to tell him that maybe we can take walks around the parks etc. instead. Even my kids see vacation as simply a time to eat.

Tammy and Thick chick, way to go gals. Thanks so much for sharing your photos. Yes, you can defintley tell in your butt, face and sides the most. I just went through cake hell, first my son turned 16, then mother's day, then my birthday. After I eat the last piece of cake at the bar Mitzvah it will be no more cake for awhile. Cake is my biggest downfall and it goes down way to easy. Ok, for the people thAT have a good fill amount right now. How much are you eating in quanity per meal? Like 1, 1 1/2, 2 cups of food or much less?? I know that for instance if you take 1 cup of something and chew it into slop it may shrink down to 2-3 ounces. I am dying to know. I went to Bennigans and ate a whole Tailpia Fish Dinner, no problem. I have had one 1.5cc fill.

Hi Llsibley I can relate to you, my sons Bar Mitzvah is next weekend. It has dominated our lives. I should probably get a fill before, but am also afraid of PBing, and I don't want another thing to worry about. I had my fill, 1.5 cc's in a 4 cc's belt. I really do not see much of a change. I am not sure how it should really feel to get restricted. OK, Warning, crazy analogy coming.I guess it is kinda like a orgasm if you don't know what it feels like you probably don't have it. I can say that I am eating probably 1/2 of what I would normally consume. But the scale has stalled, but I have not gained. Yeah! Once the Bar Mitzvah is over I am sure I will get on a exercising schedule. Again, I love this thread, I will have to post about my experience at my lapband support group, it was very interesting. Have a great week everyone!!

Tammy so sorry to hear of your loss. I had my first fill yesterday. It was very interesting. The doctor plunged up and down about 6 times to get all of the air out of the belt. He kept hitting the syringe with his finger to get every single drop of air out of it. Then he put in 1.5 cc's. My DH kept asking if I felt anything I said no. It took about 10 minutes. So today I am on full liquids, I seem to be at a nice fill right now. I do not like the nurse at all. I knew the day of the fill it was a liquid only day. I called the office earlier in the day to see if I could have a Protein shake, they said no, clear only. The nurse put me on the scale, she said, "Are you the one that called about the shake? I said Yes, She said dead serious, "Shame on you for even thinking of having a shake that is not on your "DIET":mad::angry. I was mad as hell. I have lost almost 30 lbs since banded, I am ecstatic, my Doctor was thrilled. Then she was very rude to the doctor during the procedure. She was contradicting him during the procedure. He wanted a band aide with neosporin on it, she said, Well, you didn't do that for the last patient. She was just so unprofessional. I do love my doctor, so all is good. Toodles, Everyone Have a Wonderful weekend.

Rosie and Tammy, You guys have made my day. Tammy I feel for you honey, but I am so happy to hear that you do indeed get good restriction the second time. Rosie, Rosie, you really put it in perspectives. My doctor kept saying don't expect a weight loss before the fill. I guess once we have the band we feel that the weight should drop off, but really it is just willpower till the fills. I say kudos to everyone of us Marchies for every IODA we have lost. So I have read that the first 6 months it is the easiest window of opportunity to lose. You guys think this is true? Rosie, were they saying that the weight loss doesn't get steady until, say, in Tammy's case you get a real good fill? I just love this thread.,.,..:kiss2:

Thanks Tammy for the new thread. Do you think maybe we should put 07 after Marchies so we don't get confused with other groups? Just a thought.