Daisalana

brie.. on pear slices... nuff said. Oh wait, I'll say one more thing.. brie.. on grapes... mm. Foodgasm!

Not sure about what to do for complications really.. My doctor is 3 hours away.. my local bariatric surgeons will not fill other patients, so.. I figured I'd just be going down there! I did worry I had blood clots post-op, and I just went to the local ER, then called my doctor next day to see if I should come in (I didn't) As for the apnea.. that's crazy... My doctor only does it if they think you have sleep apnea.. I'm like you, I don't snore, I sleep fine.. I wouldn't have gotten one.. and bubble makes a great point about later with insurance. Run!

My surgeon does generic tests, and then additional tests if you need it (i.e. if you have sleep apnea, they will do some test..if you smoked, they do some lung test) I had the h.pylori bacteria test, they think it correlates with nausea post op... bloodwork to check blood count, pregnancy, and that usual stuff.. they did an ultrasound to see my liver, the psychological evaluation, they did an x-ray..I forget why, it was of my chest, and that was it.

Yes.. and I do make comments to my fiance. He orders appetizer, food, extras, etc.. and I will say something like 'that's a lot of food.. you don't need all that'. He ignores me, which is probably good.. no need to fight about it! I made dinner last night and when I was making portions, for the first time ever I was also serving up an 'extras' container to go in the fridge from making pot roast (normally we can eat everything between us). I gave myself a small serving, and gave him an average serving.. smaller than I normally would give him.. and put the rest up, so he didn't even notice. Ho hum

Good point terri I think I need to keep revamping my old habits.

Just a perspective check.. I ate badly yesterday.. I haven't been doing myplate anymore due to laziness or forgetfulness.. So I did yesterday's just to see what kind of damage I did. My goal is 1200 calories in a day.. according to metabolism breathing test thing I did, if I ate under 3,000 calories I will lose weight. From all my overeating yesterday, my caloric intake total was: 1,633 So that is a boost to my self esteem. I did bad yesterday, I was sad that I was going to gain more weight on top of my night time weighing (BTW Thanks for the tip, I'm not weighing myself at night anymore!!!!), but I can't 'gain' weight from having 1,633 calories. Whew. Ok, back to lovin the band

A funny thing about my 'restriction'.. I'm not a breakfast eater regardless, sometimes I bring a banana or some kind of snack in the morning just to get me going.. but normally I don't eat till lunchtime. But when I eat at lunchtime, I can never eat much.. me and fiance go to lunch around work (normally TGIFriday's or Olive Garden), I can only eat 1/5th of whatever I get and get the rest to go.. and I'm full until about 7pm.. Around 7pm every day, I am hungry and can eat anything I want.. literally. If I told you all I was able to eat last night after 7pm you'd go 'OH MY GOD' It's like I don't even have the band by time I get off work. That's where I need restriction. But I don't quite get why most of the day I'm restricted and full but by end day I'm hungry and no restriction whatsoever. I'm praying that in the next 2 weeks the fill kicks in and I am restricted at night. This morning I brought my banana to work, and it took a lot of effort to get it all down..good.. just went to lunch, ate 1/5th of it and it was an effort to get that much down..good.. but I know come dinner time, I'll be able to gorge. Dammits.

For those of you who like the idea of the 100 calorie packs.. I have discovered.. the 90 calorie packs! Quaker oatmeal makes 'granola bites' which are relatively new.. fiance got them for him, they are cinnamon flavored.. I'm not a big fan of cinnamon but I was hungry last night and didn't feel like cooking.. so I got one.. 90 calories in the pack.. and they are little bites of heaven!! They aren't what I expected them to be. They taste like cinnamon french toast...and its like a puff ball surrounded by cinnamon and granola.. Harder to explain than it is to enjoy

I originally wanted to do ballet slippers for wedding shoes.. because I am 6'0 and fiance is 5'11. I don't need heels and towering over him with all those people.. but since we're doing the small intimate wedding, and he loooves that I'm taller (and he loooves when I wear heels-which is SO rare).. so I'm going to wear those heel shoes.. and since my feet show anyway, I want them to be sexy shoes After the wedding, I'll be changing out of it anyway since we're not having a reception. We'll probably go to a nice dinner with the people that are coming (mostly family) and I can change into comfy shoes then (and dress). I bought a pretty white crochet dress from Lane Bryant to wear afterward. I'm very excited.. can't wait to be in vegas, we had to skip this year (since we normally go every February) due to finances. Dyeable Shoe Company:Wedding Shoes: Prom Shoes: Evening Shoes: Bridesmaid Shoes: Bridal Shoes: Catalog that's where I got them (they have the wide widths), the ribbon ones aren't wide width, but they're completely lace up so I can make them fit. I envy you people that work out. I can't quite bring myself to do it yet. I do walk, and I do things to get extra exercise anywhere I can.. (standing instead of sitting when I'm doing housework, parking farther away, 'browsing' more when I have to go to stores) and I play outside with the dog, and I do my little gazelle.. but I know it's not high impact and maybe that's why I was 302.5lb last night

Oh, I also bought these shoes.. for fun in Vegas. http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/dyeableshoecompany_1948_3162761 Comes with 13 different color ribbons you can change out. Also bought my sexy bridal lingerie.. woowoo.

WHEW! We went and tried on wedding dresses today.. and we, I mean me and my mom watched. She took pictures.. SIGH.. I really wanted pics of that.. ends up she didn't know what she was doing and we didn't get any pics. I was just trying on to see how things fit, so I could order my dress online.. well, it ended up by 3rd dress (I was sweating like a stuck pig in there, I look horrid, the lady kept handing me tissues). We all liked it, I was tired, and we decided on it. I wanted long bell sleeves, but more I think about it, that would just be more heat for a July wedding! David's Bridal - Bridal Gowns 9V9010 Satin A-line with removable cap sleeves, chiffon split front, and metallic embroidery. that's the one I got. It looks better in person, or maybe just better on me than the model.. I'm more busty so it curves nicely. Got the veil, and a corset thing.. I said my bra is a 46D.. by time we left, she had me squeezed into a 42C.. I was like oooook. She tried putting me into a 40B.. hrm. The b's, I couldn't even see the cups under my boobs LOL! She said I'm not suppose to be comfortable, so 42C it is. I do like it, but I am so tall, my feet showed in every gown, and she said they don't have enough time to alter it to make it longer So we took off the petticoat and the one we bought barely covers my feet, but if I move you see them.. oh well I guess. I already ordered shoes --- http://www.discountweddingshoes.com/images/amber.jpg I need to pick out a tiara and jewelry.. david's bridal is so overprices, the tiaras were starting at $150.. I can find them online for 1/3 of that, and it INCLUDES matching jewelry. Got home, was really tired, had to clean the litter boxes, feed the cats.. Weighed myself.. and I'm up to 302.5!!! WHY?! I'm a little bummed right now.

Maybe I'm the odd one then! I just had my first fill, I'm still not restricted well anymore (since right after surgery). I can eat just about anything.. but hamburgers (ground beef, and/or buns) have a hard time with me. I can eat steak fine, and toast fine.. but hamburgers, one bite makes me feel 'bad' and I just can't eat anymore.

TracyK- You can definitely tell you've lost weight, congrats I'm still not restricted from my fill and it's making me anxious.. I know I need to wait, I've even told others they should wait to see, but darn it.. I've been needing that sweet restriction.. kick in already!

samiam- I had my first fill the other day, I called ahead and asked if I had to fast/not drink day of fill, and she said it didn't affect it. Also, my doctor doesn't do it under fluero unless there's a problem.

Kity- We should get together for some gamblin'! We'll be there 7/5-7/13.. My dad's playing in the WSOP event that week, so he was already going to be there.. We're all staying at the Rio...and we've got a list of shows we're going to go see, so we'll be all over the strip.

We found a place in Vegas NOT BOOKED on 7-7-07.. they had a cancellation this morning. It's fate. At Wynn hotel, nice place. It's all done! WE'RE DOING IT!

Thanks for the encouragement guys! One of my bridesmaids would not be able to make it if we do it on 7-7-07, and it will be a nightmare for his mom to get out there.. He said, the only 2 people he wants there is me and his mom.. So, we're trying to figure a way for her to fly out the night before, and fly back to a horseshow (they are trainers and some big event is that weekend) the night of the wedding. If she can do that, it'd be great.. I'm about to start calling around in Vegas, I saw packages at Venetian and Rio that look nice.. if someone has 7/7/07 open--here we come! Me and fiance actually MET in Las Vegas when we were both underage (I was 18 and he was 19). At the Sahara.. so for years we would go back on my birthday (around the date we met) and stay at Sahara.. So vegas is extremely fitting for us. We love to play poker, we love the casinos, that's where we met, we LOVE vegas. Crossing my fingers his mom can make it, we find out today.. His g'ma (who is the one throwing the fit about not paying our honeymoon), he hasn't told her yet, and I heard him on the phone with his mom telling her 'I don't care if she can make it, I don't even want her there'.. I felt so akward, I keep telling him, make this decision because it's stress-free, fun, and it's US.. don't make the decision out of spite to your family.. And I keep seeing visions of the in-laws hating ME for this in the long run But I wanted to call his g'ma myself yesterday and explain how we're only asking her to pay 2% compared to what MY parents are paying, we're not asking her to pay for everything the groom's family is SUPPOSE to pay for, just one damn thing, and if she is going to be petty about it, I DONT WANT HER THERE.. I don't want MY family paying for her good time and her to see her grandson get married, if she feels she should get a free ride (which is unwarranted..). Blah blah blah.. I'm on hold with the champagne glass people.. they were engraved with Nov. 4,2007 lol. I guess it will end up being a funny keepsake if they have already gone into production.. sounds like they haven't, but I've been on hold about 20 minutes now.

OH MY GOD GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well today is a day of crazyness. Went to dentist...while in waiting room my surgeon calls (about 11). He decided to go out of town early, so my appointment is cancelled (nearly in tears, I just go 'no no no!!') and they said if I could be there today by 3:30 at latest, I'd get my fill today.. So I beg dentist to hurry so we can be on our way to the doctor 3 hours away.. we're on the road, and he's talking to his parents, who are suppose to pay for our honeymoon.. long story short, my parents forking out a lot of money and some reason they don't think the groom's parents should pay for anything..so all of our honeymoon plans are out the window.. I am trying not to cry, but fiance is pissed and it makes me feel worse.. I know he felt left down (they have the money, they're being petty about us not having it in a chapel.. but in a garden and god-ordaned). So anyway.. Doctor had so many people in there, place was overflowing. He was still in surgery. He finally gets back, and goes through people quickly (only saw 1 other lap bander) who was bigger than me, banded in January and telling everyone she only lost 10lbs so far (with 2 fills). I wanted to speak up, but some reason I didn't.. It made all the GB people have that look of 'I'm so glad I did GB instead of LB'.. We're finally called back there, and I had a fat moment. He lays me back, doesn't numb me. I'm a little nervous from the size of the needle. He says.. tighten your stomach.. duhhh?? So I go 'Hold my breath or what?' and he goes, tighten it like your muscles.. So I do, and he says "Tighten your muscles".. and I'm like jeez I AM!! LOL.. so that was my fat moment.. then he shows me how to raise my legs so I tighten my abdomen.. I do that.. he puts the needle in.. barely a prick.. but finding the port was a CRAZY sensation, wish I knew what exactly he was doing (I couldn't look for fear of freaking out, so I'm staring at the ceiling, clenching my abdomen). Keeps asking if I'm ok, and I said yup I'm fine.. felt like I had a metal screen built into my body and a distant sensation of someone raking a fork on it.. so he pulls it out, decides he needs a new angle.. puts needle back in, wasn't expecting that (didn't realize he removed it originall), and it smarted for a brief second.. he fills me.. and ta-da.. 1.5cc! Gave me water and cracker and told me to make sure I could take them.. They leave, I drink water, eat cracker, feel no different. So he comes back, I said I don't feel anything and he said give it a week etc... BUT GUYS I AM FILLED!!!!! Now, on the way home fiance still upset about his parents and we decide to have a small wedding in Vegas. There goes our fancy wedding, I'll get into it later (tomorrow at work when Fiance isn't in the room).. We'll save money, we'll get to have our honeymoon, and it will be FUN. It will be more 'us'. I think I'm going to get my wedding dress I wanted and just take it out there.. and.. we are looking at doing it on 7-7-07 Tomorrow is the daunting task of finding out what place in vegas has an opening on 7-7-07, and cancelling our contracts. One down thing.. we ordered our champagne flutes already.. we're going to have 150 personalized glass champagne flutes with our names and "November 4,2007" on them. LOL! I'm excited.

Angie- Sounds like going in every other week to get more fills (if you can afford it/need to), is ideal... till you get your sweet spot TOMORROW IS MY FILL! I'll admit, I saw someone banded over a week after me got their fill yesterday (was it Tracy? can't remember now) and I was just going 'damn it, that's just not fair!' lol. I am so afraid I'm going to start gaining, because I am eating way too much...and hating myself for it. Still bouncing between 299-300, so that is good, it was 299 this morning again (this is how I do, I bounce between 2-3 numbers for a week and then it introduces a new lower number, repeat). Today I officially start the gym.. I keep putting it off, and my back still hurts, but.. 4 co-workers and I made a pact, and today we said NO EXCUSES.. so I have to remember my tennis shoes! Going to the dentist soon, now THAT I am scared of.. I have a broken tooth in the back, I don't want a root canal or them to pull it I hate my teeth. I brush 2x a day and floss every night, and yet they are brittle and break. I get it from my dad! He has all veneers, since he was 40. I can't afford that yet.. guess that's my next big plan, have all my teeth capped and be done with it. I called my surgeon to ask if I need to fast tomorrow, the nurse laughed and said 'there's no need to do that'.. so I said ok! Better for me, fill isn't till 2:30, so I'm goin into work then we leaving around 10:30-11 for the 3 hour drive. I can't wait!!! I still have a big lump under the skin if I push down, I hope that's ok. It's been bugging me only in past 2 days, like it's sore or hurts when I bend.. hasn't bothered me before.. happy thoughts..

Wow Terri! You can definitely see a difference! I wish I showed a difference in just 16#'s!!!!! Good job :welldoneclap: I'm down 34lbs since my 'before' pics were taken, I took my first 'afters' last week and there is barely a difference.. hrmph!

TracyK- I'm glad to hear you say 'I can eat what I want.. I have been eating what I want'.. not because it's good, but I just like to know I'm not alone! I'm really having to make the right choices, and I don't always.. I hate that there's nothing enforcing me anymore. Let us know how the fill goes! That's my saving grace (in theory) right now. Wed. is my first fill, and I'm praying it does the job. Yesterday I had a sugar cookie.. not 5-7 but 1.. so that IS better than usual.. but I was also able to eat 2 hot dogs (not in bun) yesterday at lunch.. and 3 slices of pineapple. :welldoneclap: It feels like I don't have a band most of the time. In the mornings I am tighter, and the good thing is I can't eat hamburgers anymore.. yay! I've tried-hrm- a few times.. fish sandwhich from BK, one bite and I wasn't feeling so hot.. at family cook outs (every Sunday), I've tired my dad's burgers on 2 occasions.. 1 without bun, 1 with.. both times, after 1 bite I hurt a bit (small bites). I tried a Wendy's, not burger, but some kid's meal thing.. ham and cheese on a bun, and one bite, same thing. So that's good enforcement.. now I just need it on more things. I take longer to get 'full' now.. fill fill fill!!!

TGI..S! Before I get to my excitement, anyone else have like stomach aches and diarhea in the morning? Seems to be my new morning routine.. it feels like anxiety pains or something.. I wake up and I get a flutter like butterflies, then I have gas and diarhea.. (not in bed of course). This isn't normal for me until after banding, curious if anyone else has this. I'm going to have to look into the lactose intolerance post-band information.. I normally have a cheesestick for my late night snack. Soooo tonight fiance is takin me to a fancy restaurant.. one with reservations and no prices on the menu :heh: He is trying to make up for the not-romantic-proposal, so I'm curious to see how it goes! So what better day than today for me to get on the scale and see it.... 299!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap2::faint: I did a little dance as I took the dog out this morning!

Saw this posted on another forum and thought it was a good read.. 6 Reasons Why We’re Not Eating Healthier Americans know it's important to lose weight and eat more healthfully, but misconceptions and bad choices are getting in their way, according to a survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation. For example, 56% of Americans surveyed said they were trying to lose weight. Yet 9 out of 10 did not know how many calories they should be consuming each day (and nearly half wouldn't even hazard a guess). For its second annual Food & Health Survey,the IFIC Foundation surveyed 1,000 adults over a three-week period in February and March, asking about their attitudes on food, nutrition, and health. The survey revealed six major "disconnects"– conflicts between our perceptions about diet and health and what we actually do, says IFIC Foundation President Susan Borra, RD. "The diet disparities, or disconnects, highlight the gap between Americans’ desire to be healthier and the reality of how to make changes in day-to-day behavior," Borra says. 6 Diet Disconnects Here are the major areas in which the survey found "diet disconnects" that could stand in the way of a healthier diet and lifestyle: 1. Calories. Some70% of those who reported trying to eat healthier said they were doing so because they wanted to lose weight. Yet only 11% of Americans knew how many calories they should be eating each day. (To find out your own recommended calorie level, go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx.) 2. Diet and Exercise. Most Americans -- 84% -- say they are physically active for health benefits at least once a week. But 44% of those who are active say that they don't balance diet and physical activity to manage their weight. "Consumers need to understand that calories have to be balanced with physical activity -- either by eating less or exercising more -- to achieve weight control," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. 3. Breakfast. According to 90% of Americans, breakfast is the most important meal of the day (something most dietitians agree with). Still, less than half (49%) report eating it every day. (If this sounds like you, dietitians recommend stocking your kitchen with healthy "grab and go" breakfasts: low-fat yogurt, cereal bars, whole-grain cereal, and hard-boiled eggs.) 4. Fats. Americans' concern about how much and what kind of fats we eat is up from a year ago (from 66% to 72%) and we're specifically trying to consume less trans fats. But it seems we're as confused as ever about which fats are healthier. Some survey participants reported trying to eat less polyunsaturated fats, but this is one of the fats recommended for health benefits. (For the record, healthier fats include canola, olive, corn and safflower, though it's important to keep in mind that all fats are high in calories.) 5. Carbohydrates. Americans are getting the message that some types of carbs can improve the healthfulness of their diets. More than 70% of those surveyed said they are trying to eat more fiber and whole grains. But even though low-carb diets have seen a drop in popularity lately,more than 50% of Americans are still concerned about the amount of carbohydrates they consume. 6. "Functional" Foods. According to the survey, Americans believe that consuming specific foods and beverages can provide health benefits, like improving heart health (80%); digestive health (76%); and energy or stamina (76%). Yet more than 50% of those surveys say they don't actually consume food or beverages that deliver these benefits. Eating Healthier: All Foods Can Fit Into a Healthy Diet Despite these disconnects, some positive health messages are getting through. For example, the survey found that Americans are getting the message that all foods can fit into a healthy diet. "We saw a shift away from people being reductionists, or consuming less food and beverage, to eating more healthful food and beverages," says Borra. Adds Taub-Dix: "Balance is essential. You can’t just focus on calories or fats. You need to turn over packages and look at the nutrition label to choose foods that are rich in nutrients and reasonable in calories." One message that dietitians say Americans should take to heart is this is this: Rather than trying to find the perfect diet or exercise routine, we should strive to make small, gradual improvements in diet and exercise behaviors. "If Americans did nothing more than trim down their portions and became a little more active, it could make a big difference," says Taub-Dix. "I tell my clients to make a list of all the things they could improve and each week, tackle one of the behaviors, so the changes are small, sustainable and doable within the demands of their busy lives."

Wen- I didn't have much swelling that I could see.. I know they say you have swelling and it goes down, and I've also read about abdomen surgery where they have to drain the swelling (it becomes like a pocket full of fluid). Your doctor would be the best to answer, if I were you I would give them a call and ask about it! That's what they're there for :confused: It could be completely normal, or they may think that's more swelling than it should be and would ask you to come in and look at it. I wouldn't worry about it, but definitely call them! Plateaus are completely normal too, we all hit them. I've been on one too.. there's no good answer for them, they just happen, and then all of a sudden you'll lose again. Some people say exercise helps!

Morning ladies! This morning I got on the scale and didn't have my glasses on.. so I squint, I squint.. I go oooo is that a 2?! So I run get my glasses LOL, and I look, and its 300.5 :tired Oh well. At least I'm not gaining or anything, yea? First fill coming up, I can't wait!!!! 5 more days!!! And the day before, I'm having a root canal.. eek.. Please oh please let this fill get me some adequate restriction. :clap2: