flowergirly

My doctor says 24 hours also. Although, I have to admit that I've snuck in a few solids chewed up very well in the past. Most times I stick with the rule though. I was always told not to drink while I eat, but to wait 20 minutes before I drink. The chicken should go down. It's just so uncomfortable waiting! Good luck.

I was banded in Mexico and find it hard to get local help. I think that is why Fill Centers USA was started. I don't know if that's what you're referring to but you can go on their web page and see if there's one in your area. I have an appointment set to go to one in Utah in a few weeks. At this location, it is a physician who has been specially trained to do fills. I read up on him through doing internet searches and read really good things about him. He also offers flouroscopy, which I only want from now on. I hope that we can reach my sweet spot easily. I've been going to a local physician's assistant and not had the best of luck finding it. I hope this helps!

P.S. I just looked at your album and you look amazing!

Oh thanks Connie! I think it would be great to just check in on here each day and see if we got our 8 glasses of water and were able to eat well without snacking and all of those things that get me into trouble! How does that sound? Do you have any other suggestions?

I'm new to how all of this forum stuff runs but I've really enjoyed browsing through the photos and seeing the amazing and impressive before and after results that people have posted. You really do have the tool to become one of them too! Don't question if it'll work for you or not. The best advice that I ever got was from a skinny successfully banded friend. She said that there is no way that you can fail if you keep your band filled. It seems so obvious, but sometimes we don't want it as snug as it could be! Although, I've had my share of being too filled also. It's a fabulous invention and feel very fortunate to have in my band in there! Chin up and enjoy the journey!

This is why I love to stop by this forum every day! There are so many wonderful people on here to lift you up when you're feeling down. Few are judgemental and most can completely sympathize. It's so true that worrying about the past gets us no where! Good for you for taking the necessary steps to ensure that you get to the gym and to be accountable to someone until you make it a habit and can get there on your own a little more frequently. You're doing great and like they said, we've got the tool to get us to our goals, don't let that ugly voice in the back of your head get the better of you!

No matter how you look at it, 100 pounds is a fantastic accomplishment! I love your goal of short term goals, I really want to do that too now. The big number can be too overcoming. What exactly are you doing in your 30 day challenge?

I would love to hear form anyone who has considered or even had a great experience with lipo on their cankles and calves. I'm doomed with poor genetics and have horrible heavy and shapeless legs. I'm tired of hiding them year-round and would love to have something done to them. Any suggestions would be so appreciated! Thanks!

Name, real or screen~ Flowergirly Age - 44 Weight on September 1st~153 Goal Weight for September 29th~142 Exercise Goal for September~Run at least 4 mornings per week for 30 or minutes. Dietary Goal for September~ Eat less sugary treats. Personal Goal for September~Read my scpriptures at least 3 days/week. Date Banded~5/19/09 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~45

I had my first fluoroscopy done last week. I've been banded for over 2 years and have gone for my fills to a local physician's assistant who also had her procedure done by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. Several times, (like at least 10!) I've had fills and unfills. She always said that my pouch was inflamed. I never really understood what that meant until I was in Tijuana last week for my first flouroscopy check. Dr. So told me that my pouch was swollen and described to me for the first time exactly what that was. He felt that if I would go 7 weeks with an unfill that it should settle down. I can't make it back down there, sadly for financial reasons, but will be going to a Fill Centers USA instead. My question to you all is this. Have you had success with your pouches shrinking in that time period and were you able to get to a comfortable place with restraint after that? Did you take any stomache meds to help to shrink the swelling? All of these questions popped in my brain after I'd left his office! Thanks!

So happy for you! You are beautiful!

I think the best advice that anyone banded gave me was to keep your band filled. It seems so obvious but I have an aunt who only lost 12 pounds. Now, after being banded for 2.5 years, I can't see how that is possible unless she has next to nothing in there! I'm currently unfilled due to inflammation in my pouch from it being over-filled. I went for over a year with no adjustments and did great. I made the mistake of eating corn on the cob and that plugged up everything! Since then, I've had a tough time finding the perfect place and will only get fills under flouroscopy now! So, my advice is to go for it! Easy-smeazy surgery and keep it filled, only under x-ray and don't worry about the skin. I'm with Boshie and say that I'd rather have saggy skin than tight fat skin. A good friend of mine saved her $$ and got a body lift after her drastic weight loss. For me, my skin just shrunk slowly as I was shrinking. Best of luck and do what is best for you!

My family was planning a trip to Southern California anyway so I thought that since I'd never had it done under flouro, that I'd get a quick check. I'd had a few concerns with PBing and thought it was worth the time going across, which it was. I'd love to go back there for my next fill, but I'm in Idaho and that's not a whole lot better than Alberta! I've read good things about Dr. Muse in Salt Lake City and hope things will go well when I'm there in October. Thanks for asking!

I've seen many mention Dr. Ariel Ortiz as their surgeon on here. He works at the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, MX. Why can't I find his name listed?

I had a great experience with the staff at OCC and Dr. Ortiz. I'd recommend him to anyone. I saw the Newsweek article and thought it was a little questionable, but I wouldn't read into it that much. I wish that I would have gone back there for my fills because I've just gone locally with a Physician's Assistant who also had Dr. Ortiz do hers. I never had flouroscopy done until last week when I went back to Tijuana and Dr. So ended up doing an unfill at the OCC. My pouch was swollen and now I have to wait 7 weeks before going to a place with x-ray, which is a Fill Center USA about 3 hours away. I will never go back to the Physician's Assistant again. It was a lot of wasted money guessing where my magic number was and we had no idea that I was stretching out my pouch. I'd say the very worst part of going to Mexico is leaving the border! We moved 3 times in 3 hours! I had no clue and came very unprepared; no book, ipod, magazine, nothing! The driver, Joel, was great, but we could only carry on a broken English conversation for so long before running out of things to say! The staff is so kind at the OCC and now I'd love to go back to the Ariel Center there for some Botox!

My son works at a frozen yogurt store and I'm a frequent visitor! It's really not that high in calories or fat and hits the sweet spot nicely! I think a lot of the danger comes from the toppings, just try a little harder to hold back on the good stuff on top!