jetti

I dont have a fill but everyone is different regarding fills. Some people need a few to hit that sweet spot and some are good with none or one.

I usually get home from the gym at around 9 and I will sometimes have a little snack of a few pretzels or nuts. I think you would be fine with the yogurt if needed.

I take 2 classes at the gym every day. the first is cardio and then the second is more of a tone class. I normally use 3 pound weight is toning while doing cardio and when just toning I will use 5 or 8 pounds. reps are normally 3/4 reps of 8

Congrats on getting "felt up" AWESOME job!

very interesting. I have never heard of this before but I will be on vacation soon so I will be sure to take notice.

I was banded by Dr Bertha of Advanced Laproscopic Surgeons in Florham Park. They perform surgery out of a few different hospitals - St clares, Morristown and St Peter's. I went to 3 different seminars before I found a surgeon that I felt good about putting my life and future in their hands.

Raf I didnt have to pay anything up front to my doctor except for my copay. I went to a nutritionist and psychologist that I picked because the ones that they recommened did not take my insurance and I would have had to pay abot $250 each for the visits. I got a list of nutristionists from the online doctors listing for BCBS and called a few to find out if they deal with bariatric patients. I only had to pay my copay for the nutritionist and I dont remember even paying that for the psychologist. My surgeon was fine with this and I had no problems when it came to getting my insurance approval.

HIP HIP HOORAY its FRIDAY!!!!

I was on a the Clear liquids for a week so I was surviving on sugar free Jello, ice pops, chicken broth and water/crystal light. really I didnt have the appetite to even want some other then that. the one thing I can say is that for the chicken broth I originally bought swansons broth and when I tried it I wanted to gag. the flavoring was just horrible so I moved on to the lipton packages of Soup that you add to Water and would just drink the broth. Im sure it was not as healthy as the basic chicken broth but it worked for me and the flavor made it easier to eat for lunch and dinner. I honeslty cant remember eating/drinking anything else. A lot of people call the liquid stage "bandster hell" but I have to say that it was not that bad. You will survive and the pay off will be so worth it. for the full liquid stage I added a little bit of sugar free pudding and yogurt to the mix but still pretty much stuck with the broth as my "meal" I also suggest having a heating pad handy for any gas pains that you may experience. I had no gas pains until a week out when I was helping a friend bake Cookies and from mixing the dough by hand I guess I bought the gas up to my shoulder...not fun. the heating pad did help with some of the pain. also make sure you have some comfy pajama pants. you may be a little swollen so you dont want anything that is going to be tight on your belly. if I think of anything else I will let you know and if you have any other questions feel free to ask. hope this helps

this happens to alot of people, myself included. A few months ago I started taking Biotin which I found at my local GNC and it seems to be helping. it cant hurt to try it. its supposed to be good for your hair and nails

donna glad to see that you are already up and moving around. that will help alot with the gas pain. I didnt suffer from any gas pains until a week out when I was helping someone make cookies and I guess mixing the dough by hand brought the gas up into my shoulder which was NOT fun. but I used a heating bad as recommended by the lovely ladies here and it worked wonders.

how has the journey been going for you so far? who is your surgeon? feel free to ask any questions that you may have...I will do my best to help you out.

Im from essex county..how about you?

Hi tracy. Im a Jersey girl too and would love to help you out...or at least try. I was banded nov 6 2007 so to me im still a newbie but im here for you if you need me. there is also a NJ support thread here with a bunch of GREAT ladies. most are not from NJ but they are very supportive and helpful in anything that you need.

Good luck Donna and welcome to band land!!

sherry im like you...I enjoy baking and it relaxes me when I feeling stressed. I kick everyone out of the kitchen, put my music on and just have at it. my specialty to make is chocolate chip cookies very basic but mine are fantastic. my mom follows the same receipe but hers dont taste the same. I tried to make a little business out if it but cant seem to get any steady takers. some people at work will order a batch or 2 here and there but nothing grand. so if any of you NJ ladies need some cookies give me a shout. they are HUGE and soft perfect for making ice cream sandwiches with :-) I also enjoy baking basic cakes and cupcakes...I wish I could work for charm city cakes. if you dont know who they are do a search and you will see the awesome cakes they make. as you can tell I LOVE SWEETS!!!! perhaps this is why I am not happy with my weight loss so far this month...ugh :-( have a good night chicas hope all is well and Kat we are still waiting for those pics of your new belly

Does anyone have any doctors in NJ that they would recommend? I have already gone to 2 info seminars by 2 different doctors but I am still looking to talk to a few others. If anyone has any info that would be great. thanks!!!

No need for me to worry about liquid calories since I dont drink. that just means I get to save all my calories for all the yummy food that will be served on the resort all day and night!!! Goodthing I have my band or I would gain 50pounds. Im hoping that I dont gain to much weight while im away. I will be bringing some workout clothes and my sneakers so that I can do a little workout here and there. but I will also be swimming all day and dancing all night so im sure that will be enough to burn some calories too. This time 2 weeks from now I will be on my way to the resort and I cant wait! Not including today I only have 7 more days of work!!! And Karolina comes home this coming sunday so that is something to look forward too. we will be shopping and chatting the entire week before we leave so the time will fly by...I hope!!! The island is not going to know what hit it when we arrive. We will be having a belated celebration of both of our birthdays while we are there so we are sure to get in some trouble :-)

Donna I have stayed at this Occidental resort once before and I loved it! My friend that I am travelling with has been to DR probably 8 times and this is her favorite resort. I remember reading bad reviews last time about the food, people, room, etc you name it and people complain about it. I mean really some people just have the idea in there mind that they are going to the Ritz. yeah most of the resorts are 4 or 5 stars but you are also not in the states or Europe so things are going to be different. Some travellers just dont have an open mind. I do would love to be a travel writer in my next life. I love reading travel books especially about the islands. I have read 2 true stories about cuba and i loved them and wish I could find more. good luck on the research for Costa Rico

Good luck with your visit to the PS Kat...hope all is well with your new belly! and I cant wait to be away for 3 weeks!!! Im not sure if I will get homesick or not but all the cute dominican men might help ease that :-) and I will have alot of catching up to do with Karolina - have not seen her since she was home for a few days during Christmas time so we will have alot of talking to keep us occupied. and we will be celebrating it up in DR so I dont think we will have time to miss home!!!

Great job on the weight loss Trish!!!!

Donna this will be my 3rd trip to DR but I have not been since 2004 so im super excited. We are staying Occidental Grand Punta Cana and we actually stayed there on our first trip in 2003 and loved it! the area outside of this resort is not that bad there are shops and bars that we might go to since we will be there 3 weeks but they have a club right on the resort that everyone including locals can go to. Its great because you get to meet so many different people. 2 weeks to go and I will be sitting on the beach all day and dancing all night what can be better then that??? :ohmy:

George I dont know the % of people without fills but I am one of them. Im a little over 7 months out and have not had or needed a fill yet.

Diane I hope that things turn around for you and that you start feeling better soon!!! Sending HUGS and love your way! Donna im going to Dominican Republic in a few weeks and I am happier then a pig in sh!t :-) I also love traveling and wish I could do it more! Trish - I too cheated a little on the liquid stage. my last 2 days while having my broth I put in one cracker and let it get soggy and kind of dissolve. I probably ate only half the cracker but it made me feel better. good luck on the rest of the post op diet - it does get better. Hello to everyone!! HAPPY FRIDAY

If you feel like you are doing good without a fill then dont get one. From what I read you dont sound like you would need one - your weight loss is great and you are keeping your portions small. I am a little over 7 months out and still have not had a fill so it is possible to do lose without one.