hagerteresa

Hi Shawn, Congratulations! Sounds like your off to a good start. I too love my band and was banded in Mexico 5/8/04. Down 58 lbs. I feel more and more energetic and enjoy meeting other bandsters as well. Nice to meet you and hope you join our group often. Teresa

Nice to meet you Shireen!!! Who was your surgeon? You'll feel better very soon. I know I felt beat up for about 2 days. I got better and better though. Keep us updated. Teresa;)

Cateringqueen, I too was moved by your post. I don't have kids yet but really want to have one in the next few years. I love trying new things and being adventuresome but am sick of being hindered with weight. I have been heavy my entire life and just got fed up. I was raised around horses and dream of getting a horse when I totally finish school and start my career as a teacher. Just one more year left or so till I am done with the school part. Being able to ride a horse better is one of my real motivations. I was also teased a lot in school, so being thinner would be more comforting in front of middle or high schoolers. Keep up the good work!!! Teresa;)

Hi Dazzey, I agree with everyone else and am impressed by your weight loss so far. I have always hated excercise too but I love to swim. I got invited to a Water aerobics class 6 months ago and have been diligently going ever since. I love it!!! Just try to think of something you enjoy doing and then it doesn't seem like such a hassle. Best of luck to you and hope the scale starts a downward trend soon. Teresa;)

Debra, Did they give you a calorie intake estimate or mention how many you should be eating? I am curious and was wondering what a nutricianist would say. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Leatha, I feel the same as you regarding surgery and I don't even have all those other health concerns. Surgery is scary and healing is no fun either. I sure feel for you and hope the best for you. I kind of wished they had taken my gallbladder when I had band surgery too. I don't like to have to worry about things that can go wrong. I would have rather had it all taken care of but for some reason they chose not to take it out at that time. Keep your chin up and your in all of our thoughts. Teresa

breakfast 1 vegetarian sausage, 1 egg lunch 1 chicken sandwich w/ lowfat mayo and only one side of the bun dinner taco salad without a shell or chips with lowfat sour cream 5 hershey's minis maybe a little roast in gravy depending on what time it gets done baking. Water intake was good all weekend but poor today. I could eat anything all weekend but having a harder time today. Stubborn band... Went to the Portland Zoo on saturday and walked a ton so hopefully that will help. It started to pour a most drenching rain before we left so I got to walk soaked in about 10 lbs of wet clothes for a while. My good deed for the weekend was taking our roommate and child to zoo. We had a grand time. The roommate doesn't have a drivers license so he hasn't ever been able to really take her anywhere, so we have a good time traveling around with them. This was her FIRST trip to the zoo ever and we got some adorable pictures. Don't have a good deed today that I can think of. Since I weighed last thursday I think I am going to keep it on thursdays for a while. Best wishes all, Teresa

You are looking smashingly good! Keep up the good work!!!! Our little Irish princess!

Hello, I have heard of this several times. Your not doing anything wrong but you won't start getting good restriction until you get your first fill. It might change a little when you get on solid Protein because that really makes you feel fuller longer. You'll get thru it and its perfectly normal. Make sure you aren't drinking after meals too. What are you eating at this stage? Best wishes, Teresa Dr. Lopez 5/8/04 362/304.6/??? no fills

Hi Saffy, So nice to meet you! You are lovely and I hope you have recovered well from surgery. Like Alex said, two months out you can be eating anything. No drinking for about an hour after a meal though. And drink lots of Water at all other times. Do you have restriction now? I am one of the lucky ones that have maintained a steady restriction and continue to lose. I figure I'll get a fill after I plateau for a few weeks which hasn't happened yet. How do you like your band so far? I know it takes some getting used to. If your Protein source is too dry it may give you problems. Try adding a sauce or gravy to it. I had a dry roast recently and I made a gravy from the juices and it worked wonderfully. Best of luck to you and keep us posted, Teresa

I never knew what DH stood for either. What are some of the other abreviations I have seen and their meanings? Teresa

Alex, you have done a wonderful job! Your family is adorable and I am glad you are banded with us. My day isn't the same unless I see words of wisdom from you to other people. Best wishes, Teresa

Alex, you look ravishing!!! Great Job! Teresa

Hi Carmen, Happy birthday!!! Sorry about your having to move. I know life is tough at times. We had to move in and take care of my in-laws last year when they had major medical issues. It was tough business. Glad your jeans fit, that was a nice surprise. Sometimes we have to appreciate the small things in life. Best wishes and hope it all gets better, Teresa sending you b-day hugs!

Best of luck Eva.

Nope, didn't mean to be an exhibitionist that time... I still got reminded of that when we were graduating high school. Just somehow totally forgot to put it on. LOL. Don't forget Marie I started off a full 140 lbs heavier. There is more of me that excercises. I don't know but I am sure it gets harder the closer to goal weight. It won't all be this easy for me. Teresa

Of course we'll all still be here. We love it here and have made wonderful friendships all over the world. I definitely eat MORE than 1 oz at every meal. The doctor is full of hog wash. Hmmm what is 1 oz??? 1/8th OF A CUP!!! I eat about 1 full cup of food at most meals. Sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more. I have been banded just under 15 weeks and am down 58 lbs and haven't had any fills. I started off at 362 lbs and am now at 304 lbs. I LOVE the band. I was a huge skeptic at first and was certain it wouldn't work for me before I had surgery. I HOPED it WOULD work and it has. Best of luck with your mom and I hope she will come to visit. Teresa;)

You shouldn't be afraid to try new solid foods. Try having a little of the soft stuff and adding in something solid too. Just take tiny bites, lube it up if needed and chew well. I pb on occassion too but you have to let the band work for you too and it works its best with more solid food. Skinless chicken leg meat goes down really well for me and doesn't have too many calories. I'll eat that with a .25 cup of cottage cheese and some sliced sauteed zuchini. I enjoy a couple of ounces of meat with a small baked potato with butter and light sour cream and a little vegetable. Mix and match things. Have you used fitday to track what you are eating. Getting enough water throughout the day makes a big difference too. Best wishes, Teresa

That is great cateringqueen! Glad to hear you are doing good and your happy. It is amazing how the band works. Make sure you fit the criteria's of needing a fill when the date comes. Remember your supposed to be plateued for at least a couple of weeks. Your doing great! Teresa

Shelly, you look amazing!!! Great job! I kind of take the diet approach too. I count calories and follow the rules as often as possible. I do allow a sugar free iced espresso drink everyday and 1 candy bar everyday but it has worked for me. I try to stay between 1200-1400 calories a day. I have lost 58 lbs in just under 15 weeks so I am happy with how it is going. Shelly, keep up the great work! Teresa

Marie, I didn't even know they had an A&W out of Oregon!!! Amazing! And we both PB'ed from it! Weird. I had a cheesburger patty but it was really dry too. I am the queen of embarrassing acts. At 7 yrs. old I accidently forgot to put my swim suit on before going out to the pool in front of my whole class, at about the same age I peed the play ground swing... Never lived those down since it was a small town and I lived there all my life. I am also known for sticking my foot in my mouth and saying the wrong thing and falling flat on my face in public. Trust me, I got you all beat on embarrassing incidents. Darcy good job!!! I weighed in today on the same scale at the same doctors office as always and it actually said I lost 5.6 lbs since last wednesday!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes so I hopped off and got back on. Still the same!!! Down 58 lbs now!!! I even wore my lucky outfit. Last week it was dirty so I couldn't wear it, no wonder I hadn't loss anything. LOL. I'll be bummed when it starts falling off of me. I've already ripped out the crotch... lol. It was an outfit I got acouple of months after being banded and it is getting really loose. My swim suit is horribly loose too but I can't quite squeeze into my old suit yet either. I kind of like it loose anyway. Just worried about things bouncing out of it. It used to be really tight and I got it new at the end of last summer. food today: chicken patty with light mayo and lettuce my normal sugar free white choc mocha cheeseburger with 1/2 the bun. .33 cup of mashed potato and gravy 2 chicken breast tenderloins a cup of salad or so. 5 hersheys minis. Excercise: 1 hour of Water aerobics and 3 hours of cleaning somebody else's house (oops I do that everyday...) and 5 hours of chemistry lab doing acid/base titrations. Good deed: hmmm, drank a lot of water. Best wishes all, Teresa 5/8/04 Dr. Lopez 362/304/??? no fills

I always notice the begining of the sliming before I PB. I get a salty taste on the roof of my mouth and will get that weird golfball throat feeling. I figure the sliming is natures way of trying to get something to go down. Lube it up BABY! LOL. I'll sit there in total denial that I am going to PB forever. I'll sit there and try to ignore it until I am absolutely in a mad race for the bathroom or a bag depending on what is closer. A few weeks ago my husband and I went to an A&W drive in. I tried to eat a plain burger patty and normally those work fine but I think I was so starving by the time it came that I snarfed it down. I felt uncomfortable before we pulled away but sometimes what I think is a PB warning sign will work itself out, NOT THIS TIME! We were driving around (I am at the wheel) and KC keeps asking if I am REALLY okay? I was determined I was NOT going to get sick and kept driving. Finally to my relief I had to stop at a stop sign and it gave me enough time to grab a cup. Of course he had to do the whole superiority speech and I must not LIE to him when I am sick. LOL. Lisa, I love my husband too, but men are dumb. Having this roommate has been a learning experience because I'll observe them without always participating in the conversation. Their conversations are amazingly stupid. I don't think the woman's movement was what we thought it was. I think women just had to get out of the house and go to work because their husbands weren't smart enough to support them. I don't know. Do we have entire 20 year span of men raised to be big wimpy mama's boys? KC is clever at a lot of things mechanical but otherwise he is blind and deaf to his surroundings. We make a good team because I am not mechanical at all. Marie, I'll try that note taping tip. I used to leave it on the computer keyboard but it has become the roommates room now and we still keep it as the office too. Right across the front of the television might work too. Best wishes all, Teresa

Marie, If Penni can wear spandex so can you! Aren't you in the 190 lb range right now? I'd be happy just getting to the 200's. I didn't get to weigh today but will try to in the morning before work. Lisa, I already WALKED! LOL. UofO lets people walk if they have under 8 credits to complete. I didn't want to have to wait all the way till next year to walk for a measly couple of summer classes so I walked already. Hence the picture in my avatar... LOL. I am surviving and kept a better attitude about it today. Michelle, those were really good deeds! I don't think I would get up and drive my own mother to the air port at 5 A.M. LOL. The only good deed I can think of that might count was stopping by the grocery store on the way home from class and a long hot day to get some grocery's for dumb and dumber (husband and roommate). I think the less I see hubby the more he annoys me. He (I think men in general) can't do anything unless I direct him. He always says to leave a note but the last two times I have left one, he hasn't even noticed them! Both were BIG written in brightly colored ink and one time I even included money on top of the note! All of this was centered right dead center on the kitchen counter and he NEVER noticed! Oh-well. Anyway... Today I had two veg. sausage, 1 egg missed lunch, too busy 2 roasted chicken legs, .25 cup of cottage cheese, and 1 small zuchinni candy bar Oops almost forgot my sugar free iced white choc. mocha too. I love that grape propel drink by gatorade. Hope everyone has a good evening and I'll get my weight tomorrow. Teresa

Lisa, When you see the records of what we ate: that was only one day. I am not always that good and I doubt everyone else is too. I try more often than not to have good eating days but recall last week where I drowned myself in candy bars... LOL. Trust me, I hit that plateau, knew where I had gone wrong and fixed it. I have been better ever since. That doesn't mean I still don't eat unhealthy foods on occassion. I have the worst problem when I try to justify why I should have that item. For example, last week I ate my 1 candy bar but suddenly I was justifying why I should have 2! I did it all week and I got a clear warning sign at weigh in. Allow yourself some small portion of the treat and put your foot down after that. I know it is hard sometimes. I have found that by moving my dinner back a couple of hours, I am less likely to snack before bed. I don't seem to snack as much between lunch and dinner because I am too busy. Lisa, I would love to chat with you ANYTIME! If you ever call, leave a message if I don't answer and I'll call you back! Marie, you are so blessedly sweet to feed those strays. Are they friendly or skittish? Too bad they can't be caught and adopted out. Marie if you looked at my menu for yesterday the only thing that was homemade was the arm roast in gravy and those were improved leftovers I had made. My husbands kitchen experience is minimal. He cooks good when he cooks but it only consists of a few items. He doesn't bother cooking for the most part. It isn't difficult to sautee sliced zuchinni in a pan. What kind of vegetarian sausage do you eat? I love morningstar. Grew up with the product all my life. My dad was a vegetarian for most of my childhood and he shared it with me. I know I need new pictures. The problem is my mom and husband take hideous pictures and I refuse to be the object of their failings. I have a digital camera so I guess I'll just have them keep taking pictures until I find one that highlights all my good traits. I have beautiful blue eyes... LOL. I know... I'll get on it. I have been terribly depressed lately. On friday I had that final. It took me 4 grueling hours and I left with a horrible headache and sobbed all the way home. I was sure I hadn't passed and my brain was fried. Monday the following segment was starting and the final grades weren't posted. I went to class with the specific intention of hearing I had failed. I didn't even bring my notebook or calculator with me. I found out I passed and had to spend the next 5 hours totally ill prepared and having to deal with chemistry AGAIN! AND since my hubby and I work opposite shifts our schedules are totally by passing each other. For the next 4 weeks I will ONLY see him on weekends. I cried all the way home yesterday at the thought of all of this. TODAY, I thought I was going to miss Water aerobics (the one enjoyable thing in my life right now) and that made me cry all the way home. Blah!!! What is with me!?! I am scared to death of chemistry and this 4 weeks I am going to have to work extra hard. Calculus was the same way for me. I just hated it and never could GET it. I did make it to water aerobics but normally I get there a half hour early to do laps and today only just barely made it for class. I am feeling more positive right now but can't believe I am going to get another 4 weeks of torture. This is the VERY last class I'll ever need for my bachelors and won't be offered again till spring so I am definitely sticking with it. I love the teacher and actually consider her more of a friend but I am student only in class. She did promise to take me crabbing if I pass though. LOL. Anyway chin is up for the moment and hopefully it will stay up from here on out. Got to go, Teresa

Isn't it amazing Lioness. LOL. I am still early in my banding progress but I always get amazed when I am sitting and see what might actually resemble knee caps instead of big round rolly lumps. I can definitely tell looser clothes but am always trying to see hints of thinning (besides my hair that is). Great job!!!