ChicagoRose

I'm at 68 lbs lost in 6 1/2 months. But I follow the rules damn near religiously and I also jog a few times a week. To be honest, but not discouraging, ten pounds a year is not really on point at all, it should be more like one pound a week, not one pound a month. Maybe it's time to recommit to the program and go back into the surgeon and get refreshed on your nutritional counseling. Good luck!

Now, now, we need to support everyone, even our less eloquent friends....LOL

You can do this. Just as I tell everyone, there is likely cold feet right before a major commitment, it will be like you are marrying your band! A whole new life! Sure there are ups and downs, and there could be complications, but I felt like I was burried alive when I was at my highest weight and that wasn't living. Living my life that way was a complication. Good luck, you deserve this!

1. If I saw blood I would freak out and be at the surgical center so fast your head would spin. 2. I also have heard WARM liquids. They can help things pass. 3. Our instructions are liquids the rest of the day after the stuck episode, then mushies and then back to normal. Good luck and either go in or make that phone call! Keep us posted!

FANTASTIC!!

I have three. One on my foot, no probs there LOL. One on my shoulder, also fine. I just got an under-boob tattoo that says "No Day But Today" that I LOVE over my scar and so far so good. When I get my tummytuck hopefully someday I"m worried it will get jacked up but then I'll have to either do a cover or fix it somehow LOL.

I can and do drink normally. The only thing I can't take a big swallow of is pop, which I shouldn't be drinking anyways but on occasion maybe once a week I allow myself a few sips of a drink. Your whole body is adjusting to the new internal environment and each day things will get easier, promise =)

You are frustrated but you are not giving up which is the important thing! I think the bands have come a long way, even since 09, so that still might be a great option for you. DId they ever find the true reason behind the infection? As far as the other surgeries go, they all have pros and cons of their own. I decided to start with the band and see where it goes from there. I do know with damn certainty that I love my new life and if I ever have to get my band removed for whatever reason I am either getting a new band or revising to something else. i am NEVER going back to that dark place I was. You can and will bounce back from this...hang in there =)

You can read my blog if you want =) It's on blogspot so I don't have to go though this website LOL.

Welcome =) My whole process took 11 months (which included the 6-month supervised diet) and although it felt like a million years, it was well worth it. I took that time to really research, think, talk to people, prepare, and train for my new life. It has been an amazing journey so far. When people say it will "take too long" I say, the time will pass regardless of if you are waiting or not....and when it does pass you will think I could have spent the past year prepping. Good luck =)

Interesting!

I got the same chat with my surgeon pre-op. Luckily he didn't discourage the band per-se, but just really wanted me to have all the information from all the surgeries. Because the band is the least invasive, I wanted to start there....I don't have a crystal ball, I am only 35, will I have my band for the next 40 years? Realistically no, but I will cross that bridge when I get there. I have been nothing but happy. I follow the rules. I indulge in moderation. I have lost almost 70% of my excess weight and feel amazing. Good luck =)

I took a hiatus the past few seasons but am watching this one because I love Reuben Studdard!! I actually went to high school with a past winner (Mike Ventrella) and haven't watched since then. It makes me sad when they "only" loose like 13 lbs a week and everyone is disappointed in them. Not realistic and very unhealthy both physically and emotionally!!

Here you go! Here is the blog post! Oh and I OF COURSE had to include the butt-ugly dog that CarolinaGirl shared with us!!! LOL!!! http://mybandemonium.blogspot.com/2013/10/thats-what-she-said.html

Congrats, you took the first step, you spoke up and admitted you have a problem! It's never too late to start over. You also cannot start over too many times. You have been through a tradgedy and it derailed you. You are human. But the band is still inside of you and ready to rock it. Go see your surgeon and lay it all out there. I think some people who are banded think that the tighter the better the weight loss but I don't personally believe that's the case. Being too tight makes people start eating a slider diet to compensate, and when you feel shitty you only want more comfort food. I am only filled 2.5 in a 10cc band and to be honest I don't want another fill even though I'm not super tight. One pound a week wins the race. Sign up for myfitnesspal.com and start tracking your choices. You will be amazed how you can still eat <gasp> baked goods and still lose weight. Maybe not like before, but enough to make you happy and still make progress. Keep posting on here. Read other people's posts and questions. Respond or don't. Every minute you spend in the band community is a minute well spent. Good luck =)

I've had a bison burger and if you like red meat it has a great flavor!

AMAZING =) Enjoy!!

I make like a Mediterranean salad.....quinoa, tomato, cucumbers, bell pepper, and feta cheese tossed with fat free greek dressing. You could add olives but I don't eat olives.

If I have learned anything at all about losing weight it's that it's OKAY to have a treat here and there, you have to live, as long as the majority of the time you are staying on plan. People are not fat because they eat soup. Or too much fruit. Or a handful of M&Ms. People are fat because the consistently make poor choices, or don't make any choices they just go through life with their mouths open wide. I was one of those people myself, I don't judge. I still smell a Dorito and throw caution to the wind....but I'm learning, and living, and the new me is wide awake and aware of my life =)

I have never had a problem getting there and I am usually the one who initiates as well. Not that my husband minds of course, it's just my job to keep us on schedule LOL which is 3-4 times a week which is our sweet spot. As far as the big "O" goes, it has always been the same intensity wise, but I notice with out the excess body weight we are literally closer down there and everything seems to be more sensitive. Enjoy

Cold feet before any commitment is totally normal. you are basically going into a marriage...with your band! You will be able to eat, trust me, just not as much or the way you used to. And you won't miss it. I don't because instead of mourning not being able to gorge at buffets, I am thinking about the outfits I now get to wear, or how I don't have to hide behind people in pictures. I too have several vacations planned coming up and I can't wait to go shopping and enjoy running around and swimming and hiking with my family =)

Great idea!! I have also heard that if you do sit-ups or arm exercises during commercial breaks that's another way to exercise during your favorite shows. Go Bears

Give it a few more days. The gas is in your body cavity, not your intestine so that's why over the counter things may not work. Use heating pads and be patient, the gas will pass, no pun intended!