Suziecat

Well, it is like having a baby. And how well you take care of that baby will dictate your weight loss. Your baby is the tool. Good Luck and if you want more to clean, my door is always open.

Well a Big Happy Birthday to you.And yes, let them eat cake.

Bravo to you. That is huge.

Hello Stephanie. Boy, I'm not sure how you do it with all of that food there. In my house we have nothing in the kitchen that I can snack on. But in the computer room where my husband spends most of his time is all the crap. chips, popcorn, Cookies candies, peanuts and whatever else he likes. He usually leaves in on the table next to the bed in there. So I asked him to move every thing but the can of peanuts and the pretzels. Those I allow myself to have while I'm watching tv with him. More power to you. This morning was our family Breakfast at Cracker Barrell. Anyone can show up and it's great to see all of my cousins and aunts and uncles. It's a great chance to get caught up on how eveyone is doing. So my husband and I each ordered two eggs over easy and bacon and we split an order of toast. I can do bread as long as it is toasted. But there was a glass of Water sitting in front of me and I found myself several times trying to reach for it. I finally picked it up ad plunked it down in front of my husband. It jolted him a little and he looked at me with that "What" look. I told him to keep it on his side so I didn't drink any while I was eating. Ughh, that is still my weakness. So later today I going to go meet my friend after she gets off work and we are going to walk by the lake. They have a really great trail there and we enjoy it. We will walk a mile and then sit on a bench for about an our and just talk. I'm going to take my cane with me and I told her I might only be able to make it to the first bench but at least I'm out and trying. My thighs are still weak a little bit. But today was the first time I went out without the cane. Well, I took it and left it i the car because I still need it for the steps. Amy, I looked on the internet for MyPalFitness.com and I set up an account. Hopefully in the next day or two, I will have a chance to look it over. I alreay have Loseit on my nook. But I just need to use it, whatever I decide on. I hope everyone is having a good day. Suzanne.

Amy, luckily I don't have a big family so it is a little easier for me to do the cooking. But when I was in the docs office, she asked about my meals. Her face contorted and then she said to me that Hambuger Helper is no longer allowed. No Pasta dishes of any kind. There is too much Water in it. She explained that the water in the pasta and the salads I eat has acts the same as if I was drinking water. That still makes it hard because I like to eat fruit and you know watermelon is like 99% water. Mainly I think what she was trying to tell me it to not have my Protein with salads or pasta dishes. Like the meat in spaghetti or hamburger helper, lasagna, chicken penne and others like that. That the protein has to be seperate. Did you know that the lower calorie intake that you have that your body will go into starvation mode? The body will start to hoard those calories and you will end up losing muscle instead of fat. That's why you will always hear that a 1200-1500 caloie intake is what is recommended. I know this is weird but I really don't follow my calorie intake. I do look to see how many calories are in things. But mine is more of portion control. I watch the amount of food I put on my plate. And I know what foods to stay away from. I know that when we go to the state fair this summer that if I want to have a corn dog that I need to watch what else I eat that day. But I also know that two tacos are what WW's allows but is it what my band will allow. Oh, and I live with the original food-band nazi. Can you have that? Are you eating your protein first? Are you chew, chew chewing? Your'e not drinking while you eat are you? Are you allowed to have that? Uhhh, some days I could just smack him. But it is good for me. Got out and walked again today. And tomorrow will be better. I will do my morning walk and then go in the afternoon to meet my friend when she gets off work and walk with her. I'll be in shape for my next appointment. By golly I'm gonna get a feel this time. lol.

I remember waking up and asking the Doctor if he had really done the surgery and he said yes, why? I told him I didn't fell anything. He said I wasn't supposed to feel the band. And he chuckled. Good Luck to you.

Curvy, I agree. We all have to pick what we think is the best route for our journey. I had had a cousin that got the Gastric Bypass, she lost the weight and then regained the weight. But what they had done to her insides was awful. She eventually died from complications. But before she passed away I had gotten my band. We had seen her struggles. I had talked to my husband about it and he said no way was I going to have that surgery done. So I had gone to a seminar for the lap-band and came home and told my husband about it. But my insurance didn't take that doctor so I had to go to another seminar. My husband asked if he could go. By the time the seminar was over, my husband was sold on it. He made me go right up and set my appointment. Best decision we ever made. Everyone needs to do their research and pick what they think is best for them. So how are you doing with the Protein shakes so far? Amy, Congrats on the few pounds lost. And thank goodness you have an appointmet coming up. I know that I'm not in my green spot also. Butm y enemy right now is being a grazer. I know I'm not hungry but I just feel the need to snack. Thank goodness I don't keep snack food around here. Sometimes I find myself going to the cupboards and opening them and just staring, all along knowing that there is nothing to snack on. But I still have two and a half weeks till I go back and see my Doc. I sure hope you get a fill and I really hope I get one. Yesterday was a really good day for me. My husband and I got out to walk and almost all of the snow is gone. There were a few places that we had to go around but the biggest part was that I had made it all the way around our block. Major step for me. I had to stop 2 times to catch my breath but it felt so good to have made it that far. We will get out and do the same today. I didn't get my Protein Drink in yesterday. I didn't wake up in time and it was to close to lunch time and well, I wanted regular food for lunch and dinner. But I did get my protein in first thing and I did my chewing right.

Amy, welcome. So glad you found this thread. When I went to see my Doc, she also made me take responsibility for my band. And thruthfully, it needed to be done. She went over all the rules with me and then sent a copy home with me. It was an eye opener because basically, I had fallen back into my old habits of what got me to such a high weight. Even though I have been doing this for a little over a week now, I still find myself wanting to do my old habits. It's just so easy to do. But then I have to remember that I go see her again in 3 weeks. That is a real motivation for me. Knowing I have to get on that scale again. Last week at a class I go to, there was a girl that announced that she was going in April to have the sleeve done. During her telling everyone she started to bash the Band. Saying all kind of things that she had heard bad about it. Like getting holes and slipping and other stuff. I kept my mouth shut and didn't say a thing as this was not the place to debate it. So the next morning I wrote an e-mail and sent it to her. I laid out my story and my sucess. I explained why I had decided to get the band and not have my stomach mutilated. I didn't put it that way but should have. It actualy was a very nice letter. I wished her well. So a few hours later she wrote back and explain to me that she was actually using a Doctor in my Band Docs office and the reason they chose to do the sleeve was that she had a very fatty liver and found that the sleeve would be best for her. We catted several times back and forth with e-mails. So in class last night I took her a journal and explained to her about logging everything and to write her daily emotions, that it will really help her out to understand her eating habits. I also took in some pictures to show my before and after. She was really impressed. Then I found out from her that her insurance won't cover it so she is asking her dad to help pay half of it. She said she is taking him to a seminar so that he can see what it is all about and then hope that he will help pay for it. She said her mom is completely against it and a few of her friends are also against it. It was really said to hear her say all of that. So I told her that I would back her and that if she need any encouragement, I would be there. That she needs a good support system. Poor thing. Well, it rained most of the day yesteday which helped melt most of the snow. The sidewalks are all clear so I will be getting out there soon and start walking. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

What two great post, ok 4. It did my heart good to hear that you went to the support group meeting. I'm not sure how your is structured but ours is 2 hours long and most times they try to have a guest speaker. So yesterday I met my friend Michelle and we took the 1/2 hour drive and went. We were so glad that we did. They had a representative from a Band company and he was so informative and we had a ton of questions for him. He was particularly interested in my story and came over and spent about 10 minutes with me. One thing he was really interested in was that fact that most of us eat salads. It really surprised him. I left there with some amazing info and insight and as a topper. The girl leading the group brought a bag over and it had a plate and bowl in it that had measurement marked in them for our convience. A big huge bag of Protein mix and another little bottle of contentrated protein. It's a shot and has 42 grams of protein. My friend Michelle said she had tried them before and to make sure I pour it over ice and drink it that way. I'm guessing it would come in hand if I had a day that I was so busy and didn't have the time to do a Protein Drink. Man, I was impressed with you going to the movies and passing on all the good stuff. I would have at least had a small bag of popcorn. But I would probably not have eaten the rest of the day. Just me. I sure hope that you felt it was worth it to haul your butt out of bed and to have gone to the meeting. I'm so very proud of you. Hilary, I am also very proud of you. I have never suffered from a migraine but I've had some pretty bad headaches. But have suffered thru all of that and also do all of your school stuff is a feat in it's self. You must be exhausted and I don't blame you for taking a month off. Remember, you have to take care of yourself first. And enjoy the time with your boyfrind. It might just be the jolt you need to help you get back on track. Yesterday in the meeting alot of the people use that myfitnesspal.com. I have an old antique cell phone so that is not an option for me. I'm looking into Loseit on my NOOK. I started the crockpot a little while I go. I put in two pork roast. One to make as a dinner with veggies and the other I will pull. Sometimes my husband and I will just have a small bowl of pulled pork for a meal. Get my protein in and get full, Plus if I get to busy doing something, I at least know what we will be having for a meal. Today is my day to make Snacks for church class this evening. I plan on doing a St. Patricks day theme. I'm gonna make two different types of Cookies. So that will be my test for the day. To make the cookies and not eat any of the dough and then to make the cookies and still have enough to take to class, lol. Last weekend I did really good and didn't eat any of the snacks. I hadn't done my protein shake for the day and was going to do that after class. Make it a good one.

Right now I am working at forgiving myself for yesterday. But in my defense, it was a fish fry. Who can not over do it at a fish fry. This monring is the monthly support group meeting. I haven't been in almost two years. So my friend Michelle and I are going to go. I love thse meetings because it gives me a chance to meet new people and to also hear their struggles and victories. We always have a good time.

Yesterday we were so busy that I never got around to eating lunch. By the time I thought about it, it was 3:30 so I grabbed a Jello cup and had that. The Protein drink I am having in the morning seems to be keeping my tummy happy for a long time. I have actually noticed the last few days that I have no appetite till almost dinner time. I'm kinda liking this. Hilary, I was wondering if you had abandoned us. But when I read your post, I now understand. I wish I had some help for you with the c-pap. I have never used one. My cousin did and she hated it. She said she would pull it off during the night also. I think she eventually gave it up. But I'm proud of you for giving it a good try. Not sure I could handle wearing it. I was on WW when I started my journey for my band. I would go on monday mornings to the meetings. We had an amazing leader and a really good group. But I got to that point after about two years that I reached a plateau and decided to quit WW for the same reason. Why should I pay to find out that month after month that i wasn't going anywhere. I miss going to the meetings because they at least kept me aware that I still needed to try. Not sure I could do the only WW. Seems like that would be to easy to cheat. We are going to a fish fry tonight at my nephews.They were asking what sides do we want and I told them to have what ever the kids want because I'm there for the fish. I have been able to get out and walk. And that is a great plus for me. I love to walk and used to do about a mile everyday. I would take my sisters little dog with me and we conquered the streets around here. But unfortunetly our little doggie passed away last year. It's been a struggle or me to get back to walking without him. The house next door to us is up for sale and I am hoping the new people will have a dog I could borrow. But getting back to walking after this surgery has been hard. My legs suffered from the surgery and it has taken me a long time to get them working right again. But I'm getting my strength back. Make it a good day, Suzanne

Wow, fifty pounds. That must feel awesome. I also had gotten to the point the even though I love to walk, I needed more. So I joined Curves. What a great thing for me to have done. I had been losing weight and now, thanks to Curves, I was losing inches. I guess it doens't matter where you go, just using the gym will really help you out. Good Luck.

Oh I remember that feeling. I had to go in and get my renewed and the place was packed. So I got it done and when the lady had it ready, she handed it to me and I grabbed it and ran. I just stuck it in my purse and headed to the car. Once I got into the car I thought to myself that I better put it in my wallet before it got lost in the abyss. I pulled it out and looked at it and almost sat there in my car crying. I did not recognise the girl I was looking at. It was such an amazing feeling. Congratulations to you.

I got to get outside yesterday and take a good walk. It felt really good and I look forward to walking today. On GMA yesteray morning they had a guy who weigh over 500 pounds. He had gastic by-pass and lost 200 pounds. But he gained it back and then reality hit him and he knew he had to get it back off. So he ended up losing 300 pounds after that. It was a very amazing story. I don't remember how long it took him to take it off. But the determination on his face was an eye opener. Well, I tried freezing my Protein drink and it was not what I was expecting. Maybe it was the fact that I'm kind of tired of the banana Peanut Butter flavor or that because I use Water instead of ilk that it didn't ave that creamy texture and more of an icee texture. I can pretty much gurantee that I won't be trying that again. It's been a whole week now since my appointment with the band doc. I'm pretty proud of myself. I haven't weighed, I will later. But I really feel I did a very good job on the not snacking between meals except the one little slip when I had some fritos. Oops. But the rest of the week was snack free. Protein is still my main focus and I'm finding it that is getting easier to do. I's still having a little problem remembering to chew and to slow down and take my time eating. I sure hope everyone is doing better and following the band rules. We all know it is not easy but I'm taking this second chance and running with it.

So now you have really joined the rest of us in this journey. No rhyme or reason. It has happened to most of us. Weight loss is a mystery. The body will decide when it is time to let go of the weight. Sometimes it hangs on to it thinking that you are starving it. So hang in there. The body will release the weight and next month at your weigh in you should do great. The Doctors know this and that is why they weren't concerned.

Couldn't be happier for you. Keep it up.

Morning Folks. I will be so glad when all of this snow has melted and I can get out and do my walking again. It's not easy to walk in the street and most sidewalks are not clear. Last night I was reading through a lot of different post and there were a few where people had lost a great amount of weight in a short time. I find myself a little jealous of these people and then I think, well how did they do that? Are they even eating? Even with the best restriction that you can get, you should still be eating. I don't want to have to do 500-800 calories a day to get the weight off. First I don't see that as healthy. I think most Doctors want the patients to get at least 1200 calories in. That and exercise should give you a pretty decent weight loss. Please don't get me wrong. If you are one that has lost weight at a very fast rate, I applaud you. That must have not been easy. Jealous? Hell yes. Some part of me would love to do that. I would love to have all of this weight off. So the other day when I was fixing my morning Protein shake, I made enough for two and put the other in a cup and covered it and put it in the freezer. I'm thinking for my lunch today that I might take it out about a half hour before hand and then have it as a frozen treat. I hope it works out ok. I'll post and let you know. Two days away from my first week on this journey. So far so good. I had a little slip yesterday but got right back to it. Don't they say that it takes 21 day to make it a habit? I have 16 days to go then. lol.

And what's wrong with 1200 calories a day? But maybe you need to make an appointment and go in and talk to your Doc about it. Maybe you need a fill or maybe you just need a talking too. Have him go over the do's and don'ts with you. A little refresher. Don't let it get out of hand and you not see your Doc for a long time and gain back. Stay proactive.

I love oranges but I do sometimes find myself pulling the membrane off. Try doing that untill you get comfortable.

I agree with Mis73 about the cutting of the stomach and rerouting. But you need to do a lot of reading. You will find pros and cons for all of the surgeries. But what is best for you is what you and your Doctor decide on. I love my band and have enjoyed the almost 200 pounds I have lost. I also know that my surgery is reversible, not the others. Plus another thing I'm sure a lot of Doctors don't tell you is that if you have the surgeries where they remove parts of your stomach and intestines. That if you should get stomach cancer or Esophageal Cancer, you are kind of heck out of luck. You have no extra tissue for them to use. Just something to think about. Good Luck.

The manager at Chili's told me they would do what they could for banded people. Even cut orders in half. Not that they have a lot of healthy food, but you could order and have them box your food and bring you out a fourth of it. Times are hard and they don't want to lose any customers.

You're right Missy, this is a never ending battle. Whether it's fills, exercise, restrictions, hernias or anything else. It's the little battles within the big battle and how we handle those. But one thing that is very important is a good support system. It can be your family, a freind, a teacher, a support group meeting or on-line support. I find my inspiration in what others have to say about their journeys. It may be one word or a sentence that could spark a light in someone. Who knows, it maybe some thing you say or do, So far today, I got to take a little walk down the street. It's bitterly cold here and snow every where but the streets. Sidewalks are all covered. So we walked in the street. It felt good. I love to walk. I put a few extra strawberries in my shake this morning. It help a little with the taste. Now I just need to figure out what to have for dinner. I pulled out some hamburger meat with thoughts of having hamburger patties and a salad for dinner. I could do this by myself but I have a family to cook for so I have to figure how to fix my meal along with what I cook for them. It's actually pretty easy to do. I just have to do it.

Hey, I thought I would pass this on to you guys. When I was at the Docs last week I had told her that I eat a lot of salads. She told me that she wanted the proteins in first. I told her I put chicken and other proteins on my salad. She then explained it to me that lettuce and other veggies have water in them and that when I chew them all together that the water will help wash the food down. Hmm, I had never thought about that.

DeAnna, great job making it one week. And good going on the NSV's. Those are always exciting. My NSV for yesterday was that I had not been able to have my Protein shake in the morning so I told myself that I would have it for dinner. Well, I have a class on sunday evenings and we take turns bringing in Snacks to eat. The girl whose turn it was had brought in a crockpot of chili with all of the trimmings. cheese, onion, fritos and more. I actually sat there and let everyone else eat and I drank my Water. I was so proud of myself. So as we were moving into another section of the building I was bringing up the rear end with another lady and our teacher and I was telling them about not eating so I could have my Protein Shake when I got home, and I told them how hard it was because it all smelt so good. Get this, both of them at the same time said I did the right thing because it didn't taste that good. So glad I held my ground. Finally got home and had my banana and Peanut Butter protein shake. It never tasted so good. Now to make it thru another day. This truly is a day to day thing. I'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. And no more excuses or trying to fool myself thinking I can do or eat something and think I can explain it off.

I didn't get to have my Protein drink this morning. So I am going to have it for dinner. I will use the Peanut Butter and banana mixture, I might even put it in the freezer for a little while. It's my fourth day of getting back on track. And so far I think I have done pretty good. I just wish we could get to the BBQ grill. I would love to cook out there. One thing I like to cook on the grill is veggies. Oh they are so good. But I have to do my protein first. But a little grilled veggie on every other bite shouldn't hurt, huh? Funny how we find ways to get around the band. Sneaky, aren't we? And then wonder why we can't lose weight. I remember when I was in WW, the leader there was impressed with the excuses we made up with for not losing weight and for not exercising. I went to my meeting on monday morning and people wondered why I would do that. They said you wouldn't be able to have good stuff on then weekends. No partying. Well that is exactly why I liked going monday mornings. It kept me accountable. But they eventually closed our local WW. Nearest one is 15 miles away.