GREATFUL

2BtinyinTN - it has been a wonderful year. I was banded at MTMC, by Dr. Eckles. Love him and his staff. (little know fact, he has the band himself) The only regret is I did not get this done sooner. I have learned alot about myself this past year, met my food deamons face to face, still deal with head hunger now and then, and had a short love affair with ice-cream, committed to exercising 3 times a week.......busy year. As for the ticker,hhhhh there are instructions here on this site somewhere....... I will have to get back to you on that one. Savedbygrace - I am from Murfreesboro, there is a support group that meets last Thursday of the month. I have been detailed with my job out of town so I have not been able to go lately. But if you are interested I can call and get the details for you. Nice to meet all of yall........ Laura

Friday I will be stepping on the scales. It is my one year bandday. I just can't believe it has been one year. About a week and half ago I was at the Docs for a fill and we were discussing my weight loss. I was all down because I wanted to have lost much more, feeling like I have not done much. He was real quick to correct me and said I had done very well. This is a life change, and the lap-band is the crockpot while by-pass is the mirowave. It is going to take more time. It will not all be completed the first year. He told me that studies show that the amount of weith loss with the band will be close to the amount with by-pass in a three year period. I am lucky, my doc has the band himself, so he understands the feelings I am going through.

Hey 2BtinyinTN - I am from around Murfreesboro, I had my surgery almost a year ago - May 2. Good luck on the journey ahead of you.

Oh, and I have not weight myself. It has been real hard. Crazy.......

Hey Guy!! Sandra - it is so wonderful to hear from you. Please keep in touch. I am so excited for you and your family (a very handsom family it is). Melissa - Good luck with the liquids.

All I can say is WOW Manatee!!!!!! You look great, I bet you feel good also. You have done wonderful! Melissa - I hope there is nothing wrong with your band. That is one of my biggest worries. Now that I have had it for almost a year, I cannot and do not want to live without it. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you. Laura

YEA no reflux last night. I did not eat after 7:00 and did mushies all day. It is feels so wonderful to have a good nights sleep. I still have not weighed myself. I sure want too, but I am going to do this. I will not be ruled by the scales, I will not let them determine how I will feel about myself. I did workout last night, ate by the rules, got all of my water in, and my pants (size 8) feel a little loose around the waist. So I think today I will find me a size 7 and see how close I am to getting into them. LAURA

Thanks Sue, I think you may be right about being irritated, he did take the fluid in and out a few time. He said he wanted to flush it out to make sure there was not air in the line. I had lost .6 cc since December. So I think it just maybe brused. (I Hope that is all). I was on liquids Friday and did mushies Sat. and I ate some roast yesterday. Might of been too much too soon. Taking it easy today. Hope will not have the same experience tonight. If I do then I will call the Doc. Laura

Good Monday Morning All.... Went for a fill last Friday. The last fill I had was in Dec., at that time I had 2.6 in my 4cc band. When he pulled out the fluid it showed I only had 2.0. He said that was not anything to worry about, and then put began my fill. He made me drink the water and adjusted me to 3.0. I was on full liquids for the next 24 hours, no problems. I was able to eat some solids yesterday, having no problem gettin in my fluids. But, last night I woke up with awful reflux, spitting and coughing. I have not had that since my surgery. I did have a small snack about 8:30, and was thinking that maybe that did not help. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you think I am too tight? I don't feel like I am. I did take Zantac, it helped a little. Any advise would help.... Laura

What were you doing this time last year? I was looking at my calander and was looking back at 2007. I saw that last year at this time I was on the "Liver Shrinking" part of my journey, two shakes a day and 1 meal. It was just 2 weeks until my surgery. I was so excited, looking forward and hopeful. This year did go by fast, and I am so excited about the years to come. Laura

You go Mischievous1. One day at a time, that is all you have to committ to is one day at a time. Heck sometime I take it one hour at a time....LOL. I have committed to going to the gym for 5 min. four day a week. Most days I just don't want to go, so I have a rule, I have to go for at least 5 min. I have yet to only stay that long, once I get there I stay for a hour or more. Funny I know, but I am trying to retrain this little fat child in me. Hey, guess what, I did not weight myself this morning.......and I feel great about the day.

Hey everyone, Like alot of you I am on the slow side of loosing also. I have been stalled now for 2 months. I have been trying to focus more on eating right and exercising and such. I was walking on the treadmill yesterday (after running for over six minutes) thinking about this years journey. I am so very focused on the scales that I get real upset when they do not move. You know I have alot to be proud of, I have come a long way in the past year. I now workout 4-5 time a week and can wear size 8 pants. Yet I let the scales upset me. This made me think, I am going to do myself a favor, give myself a gift. My one year date is May 2nd. I am going to put away my scales until that day. I am not going to weight myself at all until then. (I do go in for a fill this Fri so it will have to start then because the Doc will weight me) I am going to focus on eating right, working out, feeling good about myself. Anyone else with me? Banish the scales until your 1 year ann.? You know if we had been on Weight Watchers for the past year we would be so very proud of ourselfs. First of all I have never stayed on WW for a year, or any diet for that matter. Second we would be struggling to keep the weight we had lost from coming back on. Hang in there gang, Laura

Melissa - going for a fill today so I will be joining you on the liquid band wagon. Sure hope it helps the scales to move. Staying postive though because I have dropped a pant size in the past two weeks while the scales have not moved at all. Go figure. Working out six days a week now, funny, if I cannot go for a day I miss it. I am sure not the same person I was a year ago. Laura

I am with you there. But, today is another day, and if you woke up breathing you have another chance. I packed my lunch today, and my workout clothes are in the car for after work. I am having a fiber one bar for breakfast and my water is in the fridge. I have already planned my dinner for tonight. I am not going to let my inner fat child rule my day today. If I do not plan out everything, my inner fat child will say "I want ice cream!!!" and I will give in because I am hungry and have not planned out anything. So here is to staying one step ahead of the fat monster that lives within me! Laura

Melissa - Like you I am seeing the same 2 lbs come and go. It is getting old real fast. But this too shall pass........ or at least that is what I keep telling myself. WEAZER - good to see you again. Hope all is going well with you. I have an appointment for a fill this friday. I am not sure if I need one or not. I think I need more of an attitude adjustment than a band adjustment. I am trying to stick to the bandster rules this week and see. NO ice creame, No NO NO..... Laura

I look at my band as a tool to help me loose weight. I choose not to tell many people. If I choose to get an IUD as a tool to help me not to get pregnant, I sure would not think it was anyones business.

Mike, First of all, congratulations for putting your self first. Second, you know you are really ready for this surgery and you are doing it for the right reasons when it does not matter what anyone else things or says. You are the one who will have to do the work so it has to be for you and your health. Not that you doing it for your family is not important and it is very important for your spouse to be in your courner. My DH is my biggest cheerleader. When I was at the point you are at now, I hated the questions so much that I decided to only tell a few members of my family and I made them promise to not tell anyone else. I did'nt even tell anyone at work about the surgery. I have not regretted that at all, I figure it is none of their business. Good luck and God speed with your journey. Laura

Sue - I had my yummy hot protein mixed with my international coffee this morning. Thanks again for the advice. I sure enjoyed it, I just can't do a cold shake first thing. I have trouble eating in the AM, and usually cannot eat anything until around 9 or 10, so it felt so much better knowing that at least I am getting some protein first thing. Part of me thinks that this has been one of the reasons that the weight has been real slow to come of lately. We shall see........

Thanks Sue, I will let it cool a bit see how that works. I will also try the SF syrups, they sound yummy. Thanks bunches, Laura

WOW Manatee, you look Marvelous!!!!

Sue, Okay, I need your help. I see that you drink you protein hot. I would like to try that in the morning. So, how do you do it where the mix does not curdel(sp, you know what I mean). I have tried the SF international coffee mix and love it so I would like to have it in the AM with my protein mix. Thanks, Laura

I have tried the Fiber One bars, I like the oats & peanut butter. It is chewey and good, and very filling. Has 150 cal and 3 grams of protein. I have not tried the chocolate, but will give them a try now. I just am not very hungery in the morning. I usually have some hot tea and do not feel like eating anything until almost 9 am. I know they say you are supposed to eat early in the morning, but I just have a hard time with it. I have not used shakes that much, but thinking maybe I should try them first thing in the morning and maybe that would help.

Melissa, I did'nt see Good Morning, but that is a good way to look at loosing 10 lbs. I remember when I used to go to Weight Watchers and only loose one pound. They would tell you to take a look at 4 sticks of butter, and see how much a pound looks like. Has anyone else lost a shoe size? I never knew just how fat my feet were. All of my shoes are very loose, and not very uncomfortable. How funny is that? Dont you just hate it when you have to buy new shoes? (LOL) Laura