steph2012

You have very little to worry about. You'll want to change this behavior as you get more fills but for now, you are likely able to gulp liquid because your band isn't very restrictive yet.

OMG, I'm not sure how your co-workers didn't notice the 130 lbs you lost without having someone mention it. You look amazing. Congratulations on Onderland & the best of luck in reaching your goal weight. You've proven that you can do it!

Google 'Once a Month Cooking'. You may not want to cook for an entire month but you can use some time on your weekend to prepare in advance for the week ahead. While the food is in the crockpot or oven, you have 30 minutes to work out. Here is some tough loving... "If you want to do it, you will. If you don't, you will find excuses." Please don't hate me. I'm trying to motivate you, not upset you... I really had to push myself to start exercising but now that I have, I'm telling you, the mental high that comes from working out is awesome. It makes you feel so good about yourself!

I have found that I actually love food more now... Now that we have to chew it so much, we extract all the flavor out of it & get to enjoy its taste. I had a taco salad today for lunch & I swear, it was AMAZING. I do find that I get bored with food but then I go in search of new recipes. I find that I am trying at least one new recipe a week, sometimes even more. I went through a six month stint where I hated chicken. Thank God I'm past that! LOL

I can eat almost everything mentioned, though like B52, I've chosen not to eat most of it. The thing that I miss the most is a nice juicy blue steak. I have great difficulty with steaks now. Honestly, I would also love to be able to enjoy a binge on Chinese food or a big plate of spagetti and meatballs. Spagetti was my FAVORITE meal pre-banding. I have had it since being banded but not in the 'stuff your face until your full' way. LOL Yes, Thank God for my band!

Sounds like the symptoms of someone too tight. I suspect the defill was the right thing to do. Are you eating enough food? Are you eating dense Proteins? I find if I have a day where I eat too much soft food or skip Snacks that I am really hungry later in the day.

Britneygirl, I would love it if you kept us posted on what you find out. I have a friend that's banded and she's been aspirated twice (had fluids removed to see what's in the band) and has had less in her band than she was suppose to - which leads to to believe she has a leak. Like someone mentioned before, I'd compare a leaky band to a leaky tire. At some point, wouldn't it just deflate?! I don't know if its common but it obviously happens. I'm just wondering what gets done about it. Good luck!

It wasn' t until I started the Couch 2 5K Program a couple months ago that I realized the value of a good sports bra. I have a couple that I bought at costco but I find it pulls the boobs together & makes it look like you have one big boob, rather than 2 puppies. Have to take the time to go in search of a better sports bra. Funny story. You definitely made me smile.

I recently purchased a bunch of Taste of Home cookbooks for $3 each from our local dollar store. They have some beautiful recipes in them. I have marked quite a few to try. The cooks books were likely sold so cheaply because they are from 2011 and 2012 but I didn't care about that. If you google the recipes, you can will find them on the internet & then you can see how others rated the recipe & their suggested improvements. I'm always looking for new recipes. I find that variety of food is key to sucess in any weight loss program. I also believe that we only get to eat a small quantity of food so it should be full, flavorful, delicious food. If something is mediocre, I don't want it. I only get 1000 - 1200 calories a day - I want them to be yummy calories.

I would wait a SHORT period of time just to see if the discomfort you are feeling is because of swelling BUT I would not wait too long. Your band should NOT cause you discomfort when eating (if eating properly). If it is, you are too tight. I am speaking from experience. I was the same way. I went a few months thinking it would settle OR I could get through it by chewing more & taking smaller bits. I ended up with a dilated esophagus. You do not want a dilated esophagus! I would give it 2 weeks & then reassess. Just my opinion.

My band has always been tighter in the morning. I start my day out with a smoothie (Protein powder, milk, greek yogurt, various fruit). By lunch time, it's loosened up & I'm ready to eat more solid/dense protein. Alternatively, as Cheryl suggested, drinking a hot beverage in the morning should loosen your band as well. Wouldn't it be awesome if the reverse were true... tighter in the evenings!?!

Congratulations! That is fantastic!

Well said!

I would do it again... in a heartbeat! PROS: All of the good things that go with losing weight CONS: Some but none that are substantial enough to make me wish I hadn't been banded. Don't get me wrong, it's been a lot of work & it hasn't always been easy but definitely worth it.

I booked in October for a January surgery - had to work the surgery & recovery around my vacation schedule & Christmas. I had a lot of last meals! Gained 6-8 lbs... If I could go back and do it again, it would be a BIG plate of Pasta or a nice juicy (blue) steak - two things I cannot indulge in now.

Sorry about your troubles & thanks for the tip. LOL

Congrats on the weight loss. That's fantastic.

I suspect you aren't eating enough & your body has 'gone into starvation/hibernation' mode - it's hanging on to the fat/energy that it has stored. Eating less does not necessarily guarantee weight loss. Sometimes we have to eat more to lose weight. I don't think you are eating enough & should not be considering another fill because of this. Just my opinion...

Maintenance is such an exciting discussion. I'm still 35 lbs away from goal so I've never given this much thought. Before reaching goal, I think you sort of see maintenance as the end. i.e. once I get there it's all done & over with. But that is not really the case, is it?! It's really a new beginning with new challenges & new things to learn. Congrats on maintenance! I can't wait to get there myself!

I don't know how I missed it but yesterday was my 2-Year Bandiversary. It's been quite the ride - loss 80 lbs in Year 1. Became complacent but still managed to lose 15 lbs in Year 2. Planning to finish this weight loss journey & move into maintenance this year! I wish I had stayed true to the program and had the weight all gone by now BUT this was my journey & I made choices that I can't go back and change now. One thing I know for certain is that I love my band & it was the best decision I made for myself.

WOW! Congrats! Great pics!

I like that idea Misty. Was actually thinking about doing the same thing. Though I was thinking about wrapping a couple pieces of thin deli meat around a cheese string.

My surgeon says snacks are a must. We are to eat every 2-3 hours to keep our metabolism revving. Snacks must contain protein and should be around 100-200 calories.

Nutritional info per truffle: Cal: 109 Fat: 5.8 g Cholesterol: 11 mg Sodium: 52 mg Carbs: 7.2 g Fibre: 0.7 g Sugar: 5.6 g Protein: 7.9 g

I make these all the time... I have vanilla & mocha java in the freezer right now. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/5-Minute-Protein-Truffles-51200210