amica813

Hi all! Glad folks are checking in! I've kept up with reading the posts, but haven't been good at writing. I've just kind of been doing my thing. So, my weight update - I'm down a total of 111 pounds to 140.5 and am 4 away from the doc's goal and 14 away from my personal goal. I hit about a 3 month plateau at 100 pounds lost and just couldn't make the scale move. I went for a check-up in May and the doctor wouldn't do a fill because he still felt I was in the green zone (limited consumption from a volume standpoint but no problems with vomiting and only the occasional stuck episode if I ate too fast.) I agreed and he gave me a month's supply of Suprenza which is a dissolvable phentermine pill. I didn't have any problems and got right back on track! I would have taken them for a second month, but was getting ready for hip replacement surgery. Which brings me to my second update...I had a hip replacement on July 1 and am headed back to work on Monday! SueBee, how did they do yours? I was extremely lucky to have an orthopedic doctor who does the anterior approach which means they don't detach any muscles or ligaments, just kind of scoot them aside. This usually drastically reduces your recovery time! Thank the Lord, it was a breeze! I was off the walker by Saturday after the surgery and I pretty much don't need the cane now. If I do a lot of walking I start to get tired and fall into a limp so I keep the cane handy just in case. I gained 10 pounds in swelling (yikes!) but got rid of that after the first week and am back on track with a 1 - 1.5 per week loss. I had some follow-up (bariatric doc) bloodwork today and go back again in August. I may do one more month of the Suprenza for the final push to the goal line. And now I have to start exercising! No more hip pain excuses! Keep pushing gang! We're getting there!

Nicole - thanks for the awesome suggestions! I know I'm bad about thinking I can do it on my own, and I also know I absolutely can't do it in my own. My surgeon didn't require any counseling but recommended the hospital support group, but I know some docs do. I kind of wish he had, but I've been pretty lucky so far that I can recognize when I'm emotionally eating; the challenge is to actually stop it. I've got pretty good restriction so that helps. And of course this group has been amazing! I think the fact that we've all experienced some of the same issues at the same time has really helped me at least.

Congratulations Ladybandito!!! Keep it up!

Sue - that's wonderful! I'm so excited for you!!! I can't wait to hit goal. I've got 15 pounds left to be where the docs want me, but I'd like to lose 34 more for a personal goal. I'm looking at a hip replacement too. I have hip dysplasia which turned into horrible arthritis because of my weight. I was hoping that the weight loss would alleviate a lot of the pain and would allow me to delay the replacement and taper off the cortisone injections, but I'm losing hope for that. I'm 2 months away from my next cortisone injection and I'm in constant pain. I'm to the point where I almost want to go ahead with the replacement, but I'm really scared about the recovery from it. Keep us posted with your progress. Way to go!

Just posted this to FB, thought I'd share here as well: · Today is my 1 year "Bandiversary"! I had Lap-Band surgery a year ago today - since then I have lost 87 pounds; I am no longer morbidly obese or even obese, I'm just plain old overweight; I've dropped 7 pants sizes; I have room to spare with the airplane seatbelt; I worry less about squeezing between rows of chairs; my Mom said if she had walked by me in the mall she wouldn't have recognized me; and I completed a 5K walk! I had to pay out of pocket but it's been worth every penny! My health is better, the arthritis in my hip (although right now it's flaring up) is better, and my blood pressure is no longer borderline high. My eating habits have significantly changed in a good way - I listen to my body and when it needs food or is full. I don't deprive myself of anything (deprivation diets didn't work before and I doubt it would work now) but I know what fuels my body and I eat those things first; if there's room leftover for a treat, I have it! I've only had 1 real bout of "emotional" eating since the surgery and I put a stop to it as soon as I recognized it. I am thankful to everyone who has cheered me on and hopefully I can be an inspiration to anyone who needs it. I still have a ways to go - 38 pounds to my personal goal, but that's a lot closer than the 125 pounds I needed to lose last January 9th!

Hi all! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Mine was fantastic - I hit my Christmas goal of 166.5 or 85 pounds lost! I was worried it wouldn't happen because I got hit with PMS bloat last week and it seemed I gained another pound just about every day! Salty foods and not enough water didn't help either. The bloat went away in time though and I'm taking my victory. (And today the scales said 166!) I'm out in the craziness today exchanging all my gifts from my hubby because the clothes were TOO BIG!!!!! ???†I even had one sweater I had to swap from a large to a small! Woo-hoo! I'm heading to Florida tomorrow to visit my family for a couple of days. Food is already a problem, though. Growing up we ate spaghetti at least 3 times a week because it was cheap, easy, and could feed an army if guests showed up. I knew my Mom would probably have it on the menu and I told them I would be okay if they fixed meatballs, but I couldn't really eat the noodles. I thought that was the plan, but I found out we've got 8 extra people coming so they probably scrapped the meatballs. Oh we'll, I'll figure something out. Keep up the good work everyone! We've survived Christmas!

Way to go Chrissylu!

Hi all. Sorry I didn't post last Monday. I was at 174.5 which was the same as the previous Monday. I did we'll with Thanksgiving, we went to our friends' house. They sent home some leftovers but one meal of leftovers is certainly better than a houseful! Yesterday I was at 170.5 for a total loss of 81 pounds. I'd like to be at 85 by Christmas but I'm hesitant to make that a "goal". It seems like anytime I set a specific goal I end up sabotaging myself; but if I just plug along and see what happens my results are always better. I should probably reflect more on that! On the topic of alcohol, I'm still okay with wine (my poison of choice). I haven't tried any liquor drinks, but I have a feeling they would hit me a lot faster. I try to stay away from beer because of the carbonation. If I do have beer I usually go VERY slowly and end up giving half of it to my hubby. Two NSV's - bought a pair of size 12 (curvy fit) pants; now I just need to focus on my thunder thighs and bat wings! I also survived my first holiday open house. I did about one small round of grazing, didn't even fill up a small plate, and I was done (plus two glasses of wine - told you it was my fave!) Prior to the band I would have stood at the table without a plate and just gnoshed!

Happy Monday everyone! I'm at 174.5 today. This is a huge milestone for me. I got down to 175 in 2000 due to a huge stress event, but I haven't been below that since probably my sophomore/junior year in college ('94/'95). And this time, instead of the weight going back up from the milestone, it will be going down!

Otaknam- that's scary! Too long to go before they fix the issue, hope you get some relief soon! Rimini- welcome! We are a very welcoming bunch! As for me, I'm on. The fence about my refill (ha!) on Wednesdy. I'm scheduled to go in at 1:00 which makes me nervous because I know if there's a problem I won't get back in until next Monday. He took out 1.2 cc which was too much. I'm hoping he puts 1 cc back in and it's just right... Just call me Goldilocks! As far as Thanksgiving, I guess I'm kind of lucky because it's not my favorite meal. Hopefully I'll behave!

Doc took out 1.2 cc yesterday and I am able to eat (yay, but also boo!). He said we had 2 choices, remove enough to level off the pressure or take all of the fluid out. He went with letting the pressure equalize. I'll go back next Wednesday when my stomach is nice and calm and have him put fluid back in. I had trouble at 5.4 so maybe we'll shoot for 5.2. I lost 3 pounds between Monday and Wednesday; wonder how much of that will stay off...

That's not right! I tried to post I was down3.5 pounds since Monday.

1

Back at the doc today to have some of Monday's fill taken out. I was okay at lunch Monday but haven't been able to keep solids or liquids down since Monday night. I've also had terrible reflux at night. Hopefully taking half of the fill out will help; I don't want to take the full fill out!

176.5 today; no change from last week but it's my TOM. I had a 2 month follow-up with doctor. He's still happy with my progress but did a fill (didn't have one last time). I got .4 today and am at a total of 5.4 cc. He's pushed the next follow-up to 3 months out. I'm starting to get hungry between meals so maybe this fill will help. I REALLY need to get on the exercise bandwagon!

176.5 for me; -75 since surgery.

Hi all! Checking in with some NSVs! We went on vacation to Myrtle Beach 2 weeks ago and I didn't gain anything! I was conscious of what I ate but I didn't limit myself (red velvet donuts are delicious!) but I still didn't gain. In my pre-band life we'd be talking a minimum gain of 5 pounds! I also wore a 2 piece bathing suit! Probably to the horror if the rest of the resort, but who cares! I'm okay with my stomach, my thighs and arms are my trouble zones and they would have been a problem in a one piece! This weekend I'm doing my first 5k! I won't be running, but I'm still amazed I signed up! I'm surprising my best friend in NC who was just diagnosed and treated for breast cancer; I'll be walking on her team. Also - my parents were up this past weekend for a quick visit. I saw them in June and had lost 35 pounds, but I'm up to 73 now. My mom said if she had passed me in the mall she wouldn't have even recognized me! Is that good or bad??? Ha! I think I'll be okay for the holidays. I really feel my restriction and try to avoid at all costs the pain I get from overeating. Does anybody else get "ice cream headaches" when they eat too fast? I get pain at the band but also a horrible forehead headache if I cram it in! I'm okay with a bite or 2 of DH's dessert. We'll see how it goes though.

For all you ice cram fiends - I tried the Arctic Zero chocolate peanut butter last night and it was really tasty! It's not ice cream, so don't expect the luscious creamy mouth feel of a full fat cream, but if you like frozen yogurt you'll like it! There's a tiny whey protein aftertaste but it's nothing like what I've experienced with protein shakes or bars - even the tastiest ones! It's not cheap, but it may satisfy the craving without the damage AND it's a great way to get in our protein! I wish I had some now instead of this super artificially sweet light yogurt for breakfast!

JDI - Glad everyone's okay! Have you tried Arctic Zero yet? It's a whey protein frozen dessert that's supposed to only have 150 calories per PINT! It's gotten incredible reviews for taste - I have some in the freezer but am a little nervous about trying it. I did see one article that stated the manufacturer underestimated the calorie count, but even if it's 250 calories for the pint, that's a far cry from the calories in a pint of Ben and Jerry's! I think I may have some tonight after dinner so I'll let you know how it is. If it works as a substitute, don't give up your treat completely! I find if I deprive myself I want it more and end up eating a lot more than I should or even really want to. I am worried about the amount you're eating, though. Are you not getting the restriction when you eat it? I'm at the point where even water too fast causes issues!

Hubby found the pic on the left from our beach trip one year ago (we're headed there next week!). The pic on the right was snapped at work today. Despite the fact I look like Velma from the Scooby Doo gang, I'm pretty pleased with the difference. 70 down and 55 to go!

Getting ready to fly home and feeling a little blechy. I don't think my band likes altitude changes. Has anyone else had this?

Ladies - I think I just bought my first pair of "skinny" jeans. They're supposed to peel off, right?!?

Oh, and "posited" was supposed to be opposite... Stupid auto-correct!

Hi all - I know it's been forever since I've posted and there 's no excuse! I've kept up with reading all the posts and have done lots of responding...in my head! It seems I've been very much in my head the last 2 months. I'm struggling with how to feel about all this. Not bad, not good, just processing. Update and victories - I'm at 70.5 pounds lost (yes I'm counting the halfs!) I went for a follow-up on Monday and my doctor was very pleased with my steady 1-2 pounds a week, so no fill. I have had a couple of BAD food episodes since my last fill and they asked if I wanted any fluid taken out but I left it. I think I'm finally learning to really listen to my body and know my limitations. I had two days of throwing up everything and I couldn't even keep soft foods down so I went the posited route and had a handful of crunchy Cheetohs for dinner... All was well! Who knows? I got back on track with normal eating the next day. I'm struggling with my husband's response to my weight loss which is ambivalent and almost unhappy. I know several of you have had the same thing. And I know part of it is that he's obese and isn't doing anything about it. I love him the way he is but I worry about his health (all his wight is in his chest and abdomen - the worst place for it!) but I can't say anything or he'll get all upset. And I know he loved me the way I was, but I would think he would be happier for me now. He got upset that I gave away a sweater that was 3 sizes too big because, "it looked so good on you." ummm, couldn't I find a sweater that looks good in a smaller size?!? Then my parents (haven't seen since June) asked at one point, "Do you think you're losing weight fast enough?" WAY TO BE ENCOURAGING!!! Then there's the clothes issue. I've always been an exaggerated hourglass with a giant caboose and hips, but I bought a dress the other day that was a size 12 because of the cut, but I still have to buy pants in the plus size! Granted it's a women's 14p which is the lowest in the pusses, but it's still GRRR! Another reason I haven't posted is because I still haven't been exercising. I read your exercise posts and your amazing commitment makes me hang my head in shame. I really need to start doing something now though because I've got some serious sag going on in some places. Sorry for the 2+ month dump. I've been here reading and I'm amazed at everyone's fantastic journeys! I've just been stuck in my own head. We're getting ready to go to the beach in a couple of weeks. I will actually weigh a little less than when my hubby and I took our first beach trip together 13 years ago. Let's hope he appeciates me now as much as he did then! Thanks for listening! I don't know what I'd do without you guys!

ICE CREAM!!! Hey team - I'm having a really bad food day and nothing solid is staying down. I knew I needed to get some protein in and it's so hot here today, so I went searching for a high protein ice cream recipe. I ended up finding a site with very simple flavor variations and kind of cobbled together my own. I used a scoop of birthday cake flavored whey protein (most of the recipes call for vanilla protein powder), a pack of WW vanilla smoothie mix I had laying around (recipes call for a sf instant breakfast mix), and a cup and a half of skim milk. Threw it in the ice cream maker and 30 minutes later had my treat! Not quite ColdStone but It wasn't half bad! Here's the website: http://voices.yahoo.com/sugar-free-high-protein-ice-cream-recipes-3367638.html?cat=51