LilMissDiva Irene

I'm staying on plan today because today is Monday. A workday, and I always do great on workdays!

Yay!! I'm so happy for you! :tongue: I think I might be right there with you too. I eat smaller portions (much smaller) because I feel full and satisfied with a minute amount of normal foods (meat and all) and my sateity has been lasting from 3-4 hours. PERFECT! Just what I wanted from my band. Hopefully it will last a long time. :smile2:

I'm so happy for you Gibson, that you have restriction and on your weight loss. Of course I'm not happy about your vomiting... so I hope you won't be eating anymore of those taco insides! Take it easy, listen to your band and you will in twoderville in no time! :biggrin:

This is so true. It's almost bizarre how someone can weigh the same as you and yet be either much smaller in size or even larger. I am much heavier than most ladies my size. I was actually able to squeeze into some size 16's in my closet right now. I couldn't believe it, as I haven't worn than size in a good 13 years! But I often wonder how that can be at my weight. I must have great muscle tone or something... :biggrin:

ROFLMAO!! :biggrin::tongue: Great for you Angie & SO.

Becca, I think you are right on target. Just because you have not slimed or PB'd does not mean something is wrong. It means you are doing the right thing. Usually those symptoms come from (as what I've read around this forum) either eating too much of things that the band has trouble passing through, or simply having your band restriction too tight. Both of these things are bad. I have had a few times where I had a minor stuck feeling and both of those were from breads. I stopped eating immediately until the stuck feeling subsided and experienced nothing more. I personally don't want to PB or slime and if I do, I will correct my behavior right away. I have a serious fear of vomiting, so I think that might be the trigger in my own mind to ensure that never happens - and when it does (because it is very possible) I'll do everything in my power to see to it I don't again.

Great thread! It's nice to hear everyone's views from all sides of the spectrum. You know, I do have a bunch of little mini-goals which my Surgeon and Dietician suggested would help keep that HUGE goal from seeming so great. As it will be great, I mean - from my total weight loss it will be approximately 190 to 200 lbs! :biggrin: Anyway, I never really gave it any thought to give myself any rewards. I will just be happy enough to reach all my mini-goals - but the idea of rewarding myself with something nice would be even better. If it were something I really like, it would most likely be a new designer outfit, but let's face it. It would not be a good idea because I would most likely not fit it very long. Maybe I can think of something more feasible as I am less than ten pounds away from my first mini-goal.

What a great NSV!! :biggrin: I can't wait to be a skinny Minnie too!

I'm staying on plan today because I finally got my first fill after 9 weeks post surgery. I have no choice, I can't eat much! I have to make healthy choices my body needs and craves! WooHoo!! :biggrin:

Well, I FINALLY received my first fill! It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Luckily he found my port easily and he only had to try four times. More over, thank goodness he numbed the area first!! :biggrin: It was a bit weird, you can feel the port slipping around in there while he's trying to find that perfect spot to put the needle in. So weird... LOL! I finally found out out I have a regular (10cc) VG Band. How funny I never thought to ask before having surgery. I guess my mind was always thinking about other things with all my insurance problems I was having. It actually took me almost six months from the time of my last dietician appointment for me to get in the OR. He filled me with a small 2cc's which we both agreed on since my weight loss has been good so far. He said I'm doing excellent and right on track. I confessed and told him I am no Angel, but I really try most of the time and it's working. It is an added plus with my strict routine of hard cardio exercise and some strength training. He said just to keep up my plan because I have been successful so far. He did not put me on any kind of restrictive diet post fill, but I still did liquids for over 24 hours and then tried a Lean Cuisine meal and ate very slowly. It was just a meal of about four pieces of white meat chicken and some soupy type of spinach. It tasted so delicious and it also took me two tries to finish it off. I finally have the satiety I have been wanting. I have not felt much hunger at all since my fill (YEAH!) except yesterday afternoon before I decided to try some solids. Have had none since. I am eating tiny amounts too. I made my next appointment for May 6th, which he said I can come in a week sooner if I feel I need to. Or later if my fill holds. I mentioned before I am going to go conservative as long as I notice I'm getting full on small meals and I'm steadily losing weight. Good luck everyone!

I am staying on plan today because I'm getting my first fill tomorrow. I can't disappoint the ol'Doc!

Ready, I had the hardest time getting into a routine. I just happened to get into it a few years ago. It was right after I was diagnosed with hypertension and I was told exercise can help with this. You have to start slow and with "baby-steps". I started with maybe 15 mins of walking as fast as I could, which to me now is quite slow. There is nothing wrong with that. The only thing wrong would be NOT doing it (if you certainly can of course). I see though you have already begun, which is great! It takes awhile to get so into your groove that you just don't feel right "not" doing it. It took me at least six months to get to that point. Then your body starts to let you know when you need to pick up the pace, by not losing or even gaining even though you are constantly doing your routine. Also, if I don't work out for more than a few days, or I'm not working out at a good pace I notice my body gets or feels kind of jittery. Almost described like restless leg syndrome or something. It's a good place to be for myself. It keeps me true to my routine. I wish you the best!

I'm staying on plan today because I haven't really done that in the past week. So far so good! :thumbup:

I'm so glad to hear of everyon'e successes. I wish you all the best, and most of all good health! I have pretty much just been staying on plan. I will finally get to my first fill appointment next Friday. It has so far been 7 loo-ooong weeks. In this time, I have been able to take a step back and realize that I am doing really great. I thought that since I have been able to feel hunger since day three that I needed a fill ASAP. Well, I think I might have been doing my eating wrong. This is definitely a learning curve and as I am adjusting to the band way of life, I am finding out that certain foods will keep you from being hungry for longer. I am so glad to report that I have lost 25 pounds in 7 weeks. I feel that is right on! That is about a 3.5 pounds per week loss. I notice some weeks I will gain a few, but then others I will just drop like crazy. I just need to learn to be patient with my body - and as long as I stay on my routine 95% of the time, the weight will go away. I love my band, and I am so happy to have made the plunge to do it. My secret to success has been mostly my exercise routine. I have really bumped up the intensity and it is really paying off. I do eat well, making sure to eat properly and a well balanced diet. I'm also very aware of how many calories I'm intaking. I don't want to do too many of course, but too little is not good either. I have never felt better! I feel so healthy and alive!! My band is able to keep my portions in check, which is really all I wanted out of the deal. I personally think I might be alright for awhile with only one fill, since I'm already eating small portions. I still want to be able to eat mostly anything that I like, and most of what I like is really healthy food to begin with. Don't get me wrong, there are a few demon foods I indulge in from time to time!! :cursing: I would just like for my meal to last a bit longer, by maybe an hour or so. Other than that, I have absolutely no complaints. Cheers every VV in the room!!

I think he/she meant the fact she is clutching her chest like she is stuck or something... ? I did notice the girl at the top right away too, and she is a bit annoying looking.

I just burped as I'm typing this... it's lunch time. I burp all the time. Especially while I'm eating. They are small, and sometimes I have to stop and help them along. I'm over it really, I just tell the person I'm around it's a side effect from my lil'band. Ooops, sorry. All my close family are already used to ignoring it with me now. :bolt:

Glad to see your back! I also have to wait 8 weeks for a fill, so you are not alone. I however think I feel some restriction to some extent already. I think when I finally go in next Friday, I am going to ask for a conservative fill. Anyway, we are all here in the good times and the bad. I went through a little stagnant period for about two weeks after week one. Then as I started to get back to my exercise routine and making sure I'm trying my best to eat the right things the weight started dropping again. It'll happen for you too. Everyone is different and that is what makes this world so great! Take Care!

I don't regret it one bit. I have lost 25 pounds since surgery on 2/11, and the majority of this comes from within. I have not had a fill yet, but I will make sure I don't get so tight that I have a problem eating food. It is not good to be so tight that you are purging or getting reflux every time you eat. All I'm looking for is the ability to eat small portions, and to feel satisfied for a good amount of time until my next scheduled meal. All that being said, I have noticed there were several votes for regrets. I would be interested in hearing more from these posters. Not in a bad way, but I would think it to be fair to hear all sides of the spectrum. Do as much research as you can! There is also a small forum here for people who have had some complications you might want to skim through as well. Good luck in your decision!

I'm staying on plan today because: My band feels tight and I am having trouble even eating a tiny Lean Cuisine for lunch! :wink_smile:

Hi Ready, you just copy the very last posting of the weight losses and put your personal info on the next line. Your starting weight will be your weight as of right now, or the last time you weighed yourself. And will always stay the same every time you check in. Some people post their tracking once a week and some do it more or less. It is up to you. Let me know if you need more info. Good luck!

So, shall we start a new challenge for this month, April 2008? I will go ahead and post first. I am going to go very conservative this month. I have a feeling I am going to need to stop taking my HCTZ, and that is going to play some tricks on the scale. Good luck everyone! Name................Starting........ Loss.......Current.....Goal......ToGo LilMissBand-Aid......258.8..............0...........258.8.......254........4.8

laurend, I am already having some problems with my bulging belly. I find that when I want to wear a more fitting shirt, the Spanx underpants work really great. They are not too uncomfortable either. I bought mine from the infamous LB, but I don't know if they come in your small size there. There also is another brand that works wonders too. I have attached the link to it (Slim N'Lift). Good luck! Slim 'n Lift Supreme®- Thane USA

Believe me, it won't be very long! Don't wait too long to keep trying those smaller sizes on - you will bypass a whole size if you do!! I was about a 22/24 just before surgery and I can fit some size 18's right now. Not the Wal-Mart 18 yet, but very close! Congrats on all the size changes VV's!!

You can do your tattoo is pieces. If you want a large one, they can start with the outline and do a little here and there. Or you can do what I do... just get nice and drunk! :wink_smile: um... no! I knew from the beginning that even if my lil'band doesn't work - then I'll just have to do it all on my own. I know what I need to do, I just wanted a little help with my portions control. I see your confusion though, lol, can't do both really, I mean, can you?