PrettyThick1

This has nothing to do with my lapband, but my heart. I'm losing my furry son Chester and I'm torn as to what to do. From the looks of things, he might go on his own sometime today - which is what I'd prefer, for him to die in the comforts of his home surrounded by his two furry sisters and his human sister. But I've made an appointment for euthanasia by his doctor at 3pm today. I took today off, but I can't take off tomorrow so one way or another today will be the day. This hurts so darn bad. I love him as if I gave life to him myself, he's been nothing short of exceptional in these 13 years we've shared with him. I could write a book on how sweet, loving, gentle, affectionate, intelligent and funny he has always been. I knew this day would come and when I saw him slowing down 3 years ago we got Chloe, who perked him up and gave him something we as humans could not - it worked. We got Pebbles 2 years ago, but she was only supposed to be a short-term visitor. We fell in love and she and Chloe became instant best friends, which took the heat off of Chester to keep Chloe entertained during her terrible twos. I'm going to miss him so much, but right now it's more pain than pleasure to see him. I've had to hold him off and on through the night - he's in unbearable pain and the expensive prescriptions his vet gave us on Friday did absolutely nothing, in fact he's gotten worse. He's suffering from dementia and arthritis, so things haven't been too pleasant over the weekend. Anyway friends, if you have furry children love them a little bit extra today in honor of Chester, the most precious boy in the world.

Don't be too tough on yourself. Your body might just be a little bit stubborn, maybe there are other things you should try with your meals. Bumping up your protein intake should be at the top of your list - if you want to see significant changes, I would have not less than 80g a day.

Name, real or screen~ Gwen Goal weight for October 31st~ 165 Weight on October 1st~ 172 City/State~ Housto, Texas Dietary goal for October~ Drink more water, get more protein in Exercise goal for October~ Completing the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 5th - 1 day before my birthday. Personal goal for October~ Don't let stalls discourage me Date banded~ June 19, 2013 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 47 Favorite Halloween Activity~ Dressing up and taking my daughter, her friends and my dogs trick-or-treating.

Dealing with my dying dog made me completely forget I had an appointment for an adjustment today. Fortunately, I don't think I need a fill; the weight is still coming off, I'm not hungry and when I do eat I'm full for nearly 5 hours. Not bad for not havnig a fill for almost 2 months now.

I decided to let him die at home, his vet doesn't have an appointment available but suggested we just come and wait to see if/when she can fit him in. That doesn't sit well with me, I don't want to have him in a crowded waiting room for hours when he could be comfortable at home. He's unresponsive, no longer whimpering and just in a deep sleep. This is what I prayed for and it seems God is answering my prayer. Thanks for all of your compassionate messages, they've really helped me. Animal lovers are some of the best people in the world and I'm glad that so many of you understand my grief. I've told him it's okay to let go and I don't have a single doubt that he knows how much he is loved.

I lost about 30lbs in the first 6 weeks.

You should be on liquids for 2 days, then go to mushies for 1 day. You might be able to eat them again, but you won't know that for several days.

Do you still have your pain meds? I would suggest taking them just so you can sleep. I was prescribed liquid hydrocodone and when I took it, I was guaranteed at least 6 hours of steady sleep.

My doctor said 1200 calories, as long as you get over 600 but not more than 1200 you're fine.

Sounds like you need a fill to me.

I couldn't sleep normally for 3-4 weeks. Nothing unusual about how you're feeling.

Okay - another lazy day for me, thank goodness I keep frozen meals here at work with me. This morning I threw caution to the wind (having trouble tolerating eggs now) and had 1/2 container of the Atkins Farmhouse Sausage Scramble - it's good! This is the first time I've been able to eat scrambled eggs in quite a while and I was nervous about trying them, but these went down fairly well - not perfectly, but I didn't slime or PB which is definitely an accomplishment. Two thumbs up - very flavorful, filling and I can eat the eggs!

Congratulations! Don't worry about how the port will look, just enjoy this journey and think happy thoughts about the beautiful little life you are bringing into the world.

Yes, it's possible. That's about the rate of my progress, too.

Be easy on yourself, it takes time. You will have lost a significant amount in a year, so don't stress out about it.

I was sore at the port site for quite a while. If you're gaining weight, it's likely water retention...or it's close to that time of the month. Watch your salt intake, increase your water consumption and wait a week. Those 3 pounds will be gone, plus a few more. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of weight...have you consumed that much? I didn't think so. No worries.

You should be recording your measurements. There's no way you aren't losing fat with that meal plan, even if the scale isn't revealing it.

True Results gave me a cute 1 minute sand glass, once I swallow, I turn it over - when the sand is emptied then I take another bite. I don't have to do that anymore and neither will you. It just takes a little time to get use to it, but it's better for you to make the adjustment on your own. When your band makes you make the adjustment...it ain't pretty.

LOL!!!! Fellow bandsters would "feel me", I don't know about anybody else - hahahahah!

Go crazy on chewable vitamin C, echinacea, zinc lozenges, water and try to work up a sweat. That's my mom's home remedy and it's always worked for us - she's the homeopathic queen. She's a spry 77 year old that could run circles around folks half her age; never taken any prescription meds, never had surgery and she's smokin' hot - you'd swear she was 50 years old. Her doctor is amazed at her conditioning and wants to know where she's hiding the fountain of youth. LOL

You seem like soooo much fun, I would love to hang out with you girl. LOL

I took a sip of soda before allowing it to go flat first a couple of weeks ago and I have to be honest, the bubbling from the carbonation doesn't feel good in my mouth anymore. Not only that, it became apparent that the gas in it could easily expand my pouch. Not worth it. I craved it really bad at first, so I would let it get flat (keeping it uncapped for a few days) before drinking it. That got me over the hump, but now I don't even need to do that anymore. I'm in love with green, black and black currant tea now. NSV

Soda is bad for bands. Not only can it stretch your pouch, but it - like Aspirin can cause band erosion over time.

Separate it before you cook them, I do that for all of my frozen/microwave meals. Store the uncooked portion in a sealed container or a ziplock bag and it stays fresh for a long time.

Yesterday I was out and about and ran into an ex-boyfriend. His greeting was "OMG...look at you, you're tiny!" After he finished showering me with compliments, he wanted to know if I was single and if he could call me sometime. I was a bit ga-ga over this guy for about a year and he didn't treat me as well as I deserved, so it was soooooo nice to tell him, "it was nice seeing you, take care". Then walking away without answering his relationship questions or giving him my phone number. Well, he turned facebook stalker on me late last night. Even though he's not a FBF he was still able to send me a message, it was late so I didn't reply and he sent another one this morning. I am now thinking of ways to let him know how I feel about our shot at a relationship the first time without sounding bitter - or coming off as conceited that I've changed so much since then, not just my physical appearance - I've done a lot of "me" work over the past 5 or 6 years and I think the lap band is the icing on that multi-layer cake.