SandyM

Wow, you look great.

Way to go. Let the shopping begin

Sounds like you're doing great. I think we all are a little scared and worry that this could turn out to be temporary. Keep doing what you're doing. The fills will be there for you when you need them

Good to see you staying in top of it. I had a fill today, first since December. I keep mine on the loose side, but it's started being too loose. I saw surgeon las April 1 and am down 8 lbs since then. Here's to us:)

I think going to the ER is the right thing to do. Water weight is nothing to mess with. I don't see how this can be band related.

Have you tried warm liquids? I wake my band up daily with coffee. Also, you are not doing ibuprofen are you? Is it possibly your TOM? These are a few of the things that can cause swelling.

It would be wonderful if you never had to feel it. It's horrible. Eat slow, chew well and give yourself time between bites. You'll know it when it happens.

I can definitely see and feel my port. I'm actually very proud of that as the more weight I have lost the more prominent it has become. I don't wear bikinis or anything so it's not an issue. I like to cup my fingers around my port to remind me where I am now versus where I came from. I call my band Simon as In "Simon says"

I've counted calories for the past year and am at/around goal now. I've mixed my calorie counts up a lot and haven't noticed a huge difference in how I lose weight regardless. I average 5 lbs a month, except the last few months when I've managed 2-3 each month. I think the most important thing is to watch the types of foods as well as how well you chew and how large are your bites. If you take small bites, chew really well and give yourself a good pause between bites (15-30 seconds) and stop and 20 minutes, you'll do fine and the weight will come off. I recommend going on youtube and watching the 8 golden rules of lapband, intro 1-4. I feel this helped me more than anything to see how this whole thing works. I credit tmfun for introducting this information to me through one of his other posts.

as for insurance, I'm not hearing a lot of insurances covering what is considered cosmetic surgery.

I did the same things. I was out of town for 4 days and ate things I haven't eaten in over a year. I didn't step on the scales for 2 days after coming home, I actually didn't gain anything. You're correct, its probably Water gain.

I took Prilosec right up until the day of surgery, but with surgery I had hiatal hernia repair and haven't needed it since.

The sliming happens to me when I don't pay attention. There's an app called "eat slower". That helps you slow down. Lay your eating utensil down between bites; vision each bite taking 2-4 squeezes from the esophagus to get completely through; stop at 20 minutes; use sauces or whatever to keep meats from being too dry. It does take a lot of practice and even after you learn it, frequent reminding.

I think it's just something we have to live with. I attribute it to my increase in protein

I find the hardest time is in the evening. I like the flavors for my Water and diet hot chocolate. They give me a little something to look forward to. It doesn't necessarily get easier so you'll need to create a plan that works for you. In the beginning I visited this site really often and got a lot of motivation from here. I also spent a lot of time on youtube educating myself on how this band is going to work for me.May I suggest to you on youtube, 8 golden rules of lapband, introduction 1 - 4.

You will have swelling for a little bit and that will account for the weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a time for healing and you should focus on that. Protein is an important part of healing and since you aren't able to eat the dense Proteins like meat, you will mostly get those in Protein shakes, greek yogurt etc. I know a lot of people tell you not to worry about tracking during the healing phase, but getting good proteins is vey important. It will also help you so you aren't as hungry.

While your waiting, go to youtube and search out the 8 golden rules of lapband. They are Introduction part 1-4. Very good info.

Bicycling is great. It gets all of the lower body butt to toes.

I'm there too. I've been watching the same 3 lbs for 2 months. I'm not worried about it though. I'm tickled pink with my progress and if I don't lose the last few, I'm good. My only real issue is I'm sorta between sizes for most things. I'm a tight 8 loose 10. I wouldn't mind another 5 lbs to fix that.

Try cutting the apple into slicles, spray it with "I can't believe its not butter" and bake it in the microwave for a minute. Tastes like apple pie and you still get all of the benefits. You can also put a little artificial sweetner on it.

Glad to see your journey is heading in the right direction. Keep us posted on how you do. We're all pulling for you.

We are all counting down with you

Bicycling is really great for shaping hips thighs calves and ankles

Actual bike

349 +78 my loss 427