Donna113

You've just gotta have a good juicy steak once in a while. Shonda, was your New Year's Resolution to kick the Vegan lifestyle to the curb?

Wow! Amazing loss to date! 75 lbs in only 3 months! That's 25 lbs a month! That's averaging what, 5-6 lbs a week? WOW!

Like you, I lost approx. 12 lbs within the first 2 weeks and then nothing until about 3 months out and then averaging only about 3 lbs a month. I'm now almost 6 months out. Yes, wvgal, there is a "sweet spot" but it may take several fills to get there. I feel I'm at my sweet spot now but it took 5 fills to get there (I was very sensitive to fills so only received .5 cc at a time after the initial 3 cc fill). There is no signal to tell you to stop eating, you should stop eating when you no longer feel hungry. At first this is a hard gauge so the best thing is to chew 20 times per small bite and stop after 20 minutes of eating. That should help with portion control. Since you don't really need to chew Soup or other liquids, obviously, you should avoid those if you're seeking satiety (not fullness -- fullness means you've overdone it). I was walking 3-4 miles a day every day for the first 2 months but injured my knee when I started jogging and was told to rest my knee for a couple of weeks and restart walking (no jogging allowed). My knee did recover fully after 2 weeks but my exercise routine seems to have suffered a fatal blow. I really need to get back on the exercise routine and plan on restarting this weekend.

OK, I'm in a mood so this won't sound very nice. Policeman116, if you give up that easily before the surgery, then you probably don't have what it takes to be a success after the surgery. We can support and help you, but we can't lose the weight for you. I admit, I have no patience for people who lie down and cry.

I don't think a show is exploitive if the contestants are there willingly -- especially when it's in their 3rd or 4th season. However, there is no freakin' way you'd ever see my gut on national TV. I still am aghast at what these people are willing to put themselves through. I started crying along with them when they cried during their "check in". Yep! That whiner was sickening. You can tell her she was a spoiled baby brat whose momma probably spoon fed her chocolate while telling her not to worry, she'll lose the weight.

In the week before the surgery, there were times I was convinced I wouldn't wake up from the anesthesia. I wrote down all the accounts and passwords for everything and gave it to DH. Even feeling that way, I was so miserable being fat, I was willing to risk death. I woke up from surgery with hardly any pain and absolutely no issues.

Tina, the best of luck to you! You're gonna be so hot, you won't be able to tear yourself away from the mirror! :thumbs_up:

That's exactly my approach as well.

Ditto. From the mouth of babes... Sorry, Bob, but at 17, you are a bit of a baby here. No offense meant.

I've been banded now for almost 6 mos. I had a Big Mac for the first time since being banded 2 weeks ago. Prior to being banded, I really liked the taste of a Big Mac. Well, when I tried it 2 weeks ago, it tasted blah! I had no problems with it getting stuck or going down but after eating 1/2 of it (I took the top bun off and always did even prior to banding), I just couldn't bear the thought of taking another bite of BLAH! All other foods taste the same so far. I do find that I get tired of eating after about 10 minutes (maybe because I actually chew the food thoroughly now).

Tina, what a fabulous date! I love that you are taking charge and overriding a bad memory date and replacing it with a gift to yourself! You go girl!

"He has receeded tremendously and is still a horrible alcohlic that is undercover gay and she looks like a reject ghetto Ms. Piggy that wears cheap stretchy clothes with kool aid red hair and fake flourescent fingernails and cankles. A match made in heaven. Kermit and Ms. Piggy." Plain -- I'm on the floor rolling with you! Nya -- great, great attitude! Aren't you eversoglad you're free of them freaks now?

I plan on lifting the girls and TT in Feb 2010. I hope to reach goal by July '09 and figure that will give my body time to have "settled".

WTG! What a great NSV!

Flaccid -- saying the word out loud makes my face scrunch up in disgust. Females must be programmed to think of flaccid as bad.

My doctor's office said about 9 oz of food 3 times a day made up of 4-5 oz of solid protein and 4-5 oz of solid vegetables/fruits at each meal. He said that is to be a guideline but each individual is different and gains and loses differently. He said his best advice is to maintin the band at a comfortable fill level and then forget about it and live my life so long as I am continuing to lose weight, even if it's slow. This is a lifetime modification and not a diet so it's best to learn how to live your life from the beginning.

I just love that word! Something about saying it to an A$$ is just so satisfying! KAT - your SOL is a d*ckweed!! My BP started going up reading your post. I can't even imagine what you, your DH and his ex are going through! Want me to call someone? I know a couple of Sicilians...

Thank you! I'm hoping to break 180 by next Tuesday. I've been focusing on 10lb goals at a time so it won't seem so overwhelming.

PJTP: Spicy chicken fajita soup (Asian inspired spices) in a can SUCKS!!! Now I'm asking myself, why would I buy Mexican soup that's Asian inspired?

Dianne, I went to KY during the holidays. A road trip and you know how hard it is to eat properly on road trips so every morning I drank a protein shake for breakfast to ensure I got my protein for the day. Why don't you do the 5 day pouch test? It starts out liquids the first 2 days then gradually takes you to the solid stage by day 5. It's basically what's recommended after a fill to give your pouch a chance to recoup from the fill. Here's the link: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test I did it a coule of months ago and lost 3 lbs by the end of the 5th day and I did it again after I got my 5th fill the week after Thanksgiving. It's not difficult to do at all and you can have all the protein shakes you want during the liquid days.

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Now that's thinking outside the box! Wish more of my co-workers were like you.

Clarebear08 - it is entirely up to you how often you want to update your weight loss progress. I updated my progress on the Last of the 2008 challenge at every .5 lb drop. To me, every ounce lost is a cause for celebration. :thumbup:

PJTP - sometimes it really takes the patience of a saint to work with people who cannot for the life of them think outside the box.