~c~

Thanks for the pics,you look fabulous!:cool: C

I was looking at my frozen dinner thinking what alot of food that was! It used to be a snack in between meals!! Now i eat half for lunch and half for dinner! I LOVE MY BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel tight as well and the thought of a big mac seems good but i know it will be a waste of money and will be torture to throw away so what i did a few weeks ago when i brought the kids was i ordered one of those( what used to be tiny but now is huge for me) cheesebuger and asked them to put only lettuce,onion,pickles and big mac sauce and had myself a mini big mac!Tasted like the real thing and i wasn't frustrated when i could only eat 3/4 of it since it was only a buck! Toast is fine as long as i eat slow and can only manage one piece. Fries are NOT do-albe and send me into PB big time since this last fill but mashed potatoes work. Unfortunatly my weakness is buttered popcorn and i can still eat quite a bit when i let myself!!:cool: Chantal

Wellll, there is a plunger but bandsters should avoid this at all costs...it's water.If i swallowed the last bite too fast and i am really stuck or way too full there is no way to explain the torture and a few sips of water drank quickly over the toilet will bring the last few bites up very well.Doing this often is NOT recommended as it could cause the band to slip but once a few bites are up and away the relief is immediate.The trick is too eat slow and STOP once you feel full no matter how good the meal is!!! The food does go down eventually but the point is to keep a comfortable amount in your 'small belly'to feel satisfied for a good 2-3 hours(this is were the fills come in) I am tight and can manage bread occasionaly if i take small bites and eat slow,toast too but not a full slice just a few bites or else it's torture again! Chantal

Depends what you mean by normal!For me having a cheeseburger as a snack before dinner was normal! Yes,you will be able to eat a varied balanced diet,just in much smaller quantity(after fills).Most foods are tolerable.Some people have problems with bread, Pasta and rice.Carbonated drinks are difficult for me since the last fill and i tried beer and it felt stuck so oh well! for that.I also find having vegetable broth or other broth before eating helps because it doesn't fill me up and it makes my meal feel likes it takes more time.My head could NOT accept the fact that i was done and it took only 10 minutes and a few bites so i drag it out with soup BEFORE I eat.(not after cuz you'll wash the food out of your small stomach) Chantal

When trying to explain the full feeling an PB to someone i explained that it's kinda like a plugged sink.If i try to eat after I am full everything bubbles up!Sure you can try to run water(eat)in the sink but it will sit there or overflow!! C

Ronald fat donald!!!OMG! I saw a documeantary last week about a guy who ate mcd's for breakfast,lunch and dinner for one month!He gained 25 lbs in 4 weeks!!!:cool: Goes to show you that salad can go a LOOOONG way to losing weight hahah! Good luck Delarla!Let us know how you do! C

Congrats Aud!That's awesome! How bout some pics!!! C

Ya know, i see your name and then the title of your post and i'm screaming at my computer to open your message faster cuz i'm sooo curious about what the heck you'll come up with next and you didn't disappoint!:cool: You're great and i bet you come up with a ton of wacky ideas a week...Love u! Chantal

OHHHHH:D :cool: ! Sooo happy for you!Get super duper excited!!!I'm excited for you!!! What were you doing when you got the call?Did you run up and hug everyone?Or are you those cool collected types;) Let us know how it turns out,what time on friday? See U C

Congrats Alex!! It's the best feeling,better than seeing the #'s go down cuz you can actually FEEL it!!bravo:) C

How do i get to Texas??haha:) I read somewhere how someone put their scale in the trunk of the car so if they wanted or needed to weigh they would have to go outside and get the darn thing!! C

Thanks! I am a #2 now.Do you think my belly would 'go back'after i lose weight or just go lower?Geez i thought I would have this after i lose weight but i have it now. (I have had two children.) I will be speaking to my doctor (eventually) Again thanks for taking the time to do this for me! C

GeezerSue, Congrats!!! I did not know that there might be medical reason to have this surgery!The hanging belly thing is what scares me the most about this weight loss thing i'm doing!(it already hangs pretty low to start with)I could never afford to do this and kinda feel ashamed to say that i hope i have some medical reasons once the time comes.Who does not want a beautiful flat belly?I'd rather have that than a big ass diamond(if i had a choice:p ) C Ps i will be mentioning this to my mom since she has been suffering this rash forever!!!

I must say i used to do the same until i realized how nuts i was getting!If the #'s didn't move or stayed about the same or went up a little i would tell myself it was hopeless and then would permit myself to go back to my bad eating habits(wrong choices all around!)Now i weigh on the 15th of every month,that way i have a whole month of trying to eat healthy without the scale to influence my decisions! C

Hi babs! I don't know what to say to make you feel better except i understand how you feel since i am living the same thing..Just know that i am thinking of you and hope you find all the answers you need. The other thing for me is if i change all and experience all of those things will i be happy then or regret it???? I think that since some of us have always put things off for 'when I lose weight' we are now bombarded with things we want/need to do and can become overwhelmed. I have joined a gym to spend some new found energy and also it gives me some 'me' time and let's me think in peace. Good luck finding the answers and PM me if you want to chat more! Chantal

When trying to make sensible snack choices, what do you eat? I am a junk food fan,the saltier the better.Any ideas?

I hear alot about soy but I think I read somewhere that it could affect the thyroid meds i take.I will have to check it again. Senators are out of the playoffs so the sitting around and snacking is not that bad(my coworkers is sitting beside me eating a bag of hickorey sticks...shhesh:confused: C

I hear you too! I get in the car and go shopping...manic, beautiful,sick sick sick shopping;) No clothes though cuz that would just upset me more but shoes,nail polish,perfume(oh! that stinky, major $$ french stuff that I never wear:rolleyes: )Oh well! Then i have a nap! C

Every time i see you post, the numbers are going down!!Way to go and keep up the awesome work!!!7lbs to go to one der land!:mad: Chantal

http://www.inamed.com/pdf/health/94829F_LB_Patient_Book.pdf This is the Inamed patient booklet(providing you have an inamed band)But i would check with the doctor if his info is different than this.Protein shakes are mentioned alot here.I don't drink these but you can check out what people say by looking at the older posts. I am glad you feel better,the first week is tough but once you recover and start eating solids you will feel 100% Walking helped me alot with gas.Some people like to use gasX and the like. Congrats on you succecssful surgery!!!!:mad: Chantal

No Trader Joe in Ottawa..oh well, sounds good though!Stinking Canada (just kidding!) No trader joe's, no liquid Tylenol,no atkins food,what the heck!! I will have to become the spokesperson for lap band friendly stuff for Ottawa I think!:mad: I'll just wait until i lose more weight...(story of my life:rolleyes: ) Chantal

Hi again!:mad: When you say fifteen days of eating left,what do you mean? fifteen days of eating and then done forever or just awhile? Cuz after you are done healing you can eat pretty much anything (maybe trouble with some foods like rice,bread and carbonated stuff)So don't think you will never be able to eat.I try to eat healthy most of the time but if i REALLY need a certain food i will have it.For instance i have been craving a dairy queen cheesecake blizzard for about two weeks now.I will have one eventually and since i know that, the gotta eat toute suite(right now)feeling does not have that much power anymore. Take care and please come back on once you are back to let us know how you are!! C

Congratulations DeLarla!!!I have to tell you that out of every single stinking diet plan and the thousands of $$$ spent that this is the most amazing decisions that i have ever made!I am so happy with my band and have not regretted my decision at all! The only really hard part is my brain wanting food but no room in my belly.It is impossible to swallow another bite even if you still want to eatThe feeling is very new to me as i was NEVER full before. Take care and enjoy the excitement. Chantal:D

I tried beer for the first time in 2 years.BAD IDEA>It sat there and felt all stuck then i pb'd foam and felt sick. Oh well i'll have to stick to Marguerita's(yummy:D ) Chantal ps... this was after about 4 sips