Suzzzie.

STEF - I'm soooooo sorry but I laughed at your donut situation!! I was craving a Krispy Kreme this morning, but was scared to death of it!! Since my fill on Thursday I'm scared to eat alot of stuff. Today for lunch I had a lean POcket - and it went down very slowly, not stcuk, just slow, and it made my tummy gurggle LOUDLY! I don't know how my co-workers eating with me couldn't hear it!?!?!?!

I've never needed a seatbelt extender. Last time I flew was on Southwest going to Las Vegas just 3 weeks prior to surgery - highest weight too, at 382. I'm 5'10 though, so my fat has a bit more room to go than just my belly. The seatbelt was tight, but I was determined to NOT ask for an extension!! Lol. Next month I'm flying to see my best friend down in Houston TX and I'm excited cause I've lost about 30 pounds already and I know the seatbelts will fit no matter what... I'm not worried at all now!!

Hmmm, so I've failed this no sweets thing. Anyone else still hanging in there?

Pippz, what kid of music are you downloading? I need new ideas. And Missy, Who is that in the pic??

Lol. I wanted Sonic earlier too!! I was craving the greasey sausage, egg and cheese toaster sandwich and a m&m sonic blast! Haha. But I didn't go there. I came home and ate some cottage cheese.

The joy is gone... Ya know, I've heard this before, and I know its true - that food addiction is the single hardest addiction to have. It's not like an alcohol or heroin or gambling or sex addiction. Those are optional things in life. (Yes, sex is optional, Lol.) But food is a necessity, you cannot live without it. We have to face our addiction every single day, several times a day. We have to eat, and we have to be strong enough to stop and push the rest away. We have to be constantly bombarded with food commercials and pizza coupons that come in the mail. Heroin addicts don't have commercials rubbed in theri faces, they don't have to take just a little bit in order to live, and yet have to stop just before they have enough to get the feeling they want. It is very difficult to stop eating the bad things. I have a Lap Band, and I have some restriction... but does that make me want broccoli more than I want ice cream? No. Does it mean I'm never going to over eat ever again? No. Its so hard. But it's worth it. Even though I've only lost 28 pounds, it's worth it.

I've wondered the same thing. I mean, I know food now passes through the band slowly, so that we can't eat fast now... but it can't stay up there, or else we'd be sick, right? I mean, yesterday my smoothie was going very slowly through the band and it was uncomfortable when it was above the band.

Stef - Can't believe you've never heard of a fried Twinkie!! Lol. I've never had one, but I"ve seen them. They even featured them on the Food Network once. OK all - I'm depressed. It's cause I can't eat. Lol. Isn'tthis what I wanted? So my fill is good, for now at least. I've had to force myself to get in 70gm of protein today... and I can't imagine eating any more. Water has been a struggle too - and that has NEVER been a problem for me. It's not that I'm over-filled or its painful or anything. I'm just not hungry in the slightest. Which never stopped me before either - but I have head hunger. I want food... but I just know that it will take me so long to eat it or whatever, and I don't even bother with it since I"m not hungry. IS that crazy? So not being able to have access to binging I was wanting ice cream. Ice cream has always been my #1 comfort food since I was a little kid. ANd i knew it would go down easy. So when I was out running errands earlier I stopped at the grocery store. But I didn't even get out of my car cause ice cream didn't sound good. I wanted it cause I know the creamy cold comfort that it would provide - but then all I could think about was who sickly sweat it would be in my mouth and how even with it being a melting food and that it would go down easy, that I still wouldn't be able to eat as much as I used to... the amount it took to make me feel numb (emotionally, not from the coldness.) OK, is ANY of this making sense? And i crazy here? I"ve never just not eaten because of not being hungry. Appetite has never had anything to do with me eating... I could always eat anything at anytime. I preferred going to all you can eat buffets when I wasn't hungry because I could eat more then than I could when I was hungry - which is weird in itself. Seriously, I've walked to my freezer a dozen times today and looked at this frozen cheesey garlic french bread thing and wanted it so bad... but it just wasn't worth the effort it was going to take to eat it. Lol. I'm crazy, aren't I?

I have a co-worker who had an ovarian cyst removed last year - it was just slightly smaller than a volley ball and weighed 33 pounds!! When she came back to work she was so stinking skinny! Lol. Good luck to you and your surgery!!

OK. So I know this is too much info and all, but I wondered if anyone else has noticed that when they are on liquid diets (either pre-op, post-op, or post fill) that you're urine smells funny? I swear! I noticed it post op (my pre-op diet was only 2 days) and after my 2 fills. My urine smells stronger, more... bitter? Lol. I'm a nurse so I see and smell (not intentionally!) a LOT of urine. Just curious.

o2bthin - question about the diet... it says to have most calories in breakfast and lunch, and yet you're only eating a grapefruit for breakfast? Thats not many calories??

Glad you got your fill in Beckie. Judy does mine too, I think she's the best! I posted this on the regular Junies thread, but decided I better add it here too: I got my 2nd fill yesterday. Judy (NP) gave me 2cc for a total of 6cc in a 10cc band. I didn't feel any different when I was drinking the Water - but I'm hoping I can feel some restriction when I start regular foods again. Oh, and I had lost 6 pounds in the last 4 weeks. I was wanting more, but I knew that it wouldn't be. I was surprised at the 6! I told her I just go up and down 2 pounds all week long. I'm sick and tired of seeing the same numbers on my scale! She told me to quit weighing myself... Hmmm, now THERE is some advise. Haha

Opppps! Make that 290. I wish is was 390!

390 minutes so far. I'm slow moving!!

Hey all! I got my 2nd fill today! I have a 10cc band and last time I got 4cc, today she gave me 2cc for a total of 6cc. I didn't feel any different when Iw as drinking the water - but I hope I can feel some restriction when I start mushies on Saturday. I can't go back for another fill for 4 weeks. Thats the soonest they do them. I begged the NP today to let me come back in 2 weeks if I don't feel restricted, she said she would take bribes but then if it ended up being over-fills then she was the on call NP and didn't want to have to come back in at 3am. Lol. I really like her. We also discussed head hunger and stuff. Oh, and I had lost 6 pounds in the last 4 weeks. I was wanting more, but I knew that it wouldn't be. I was surprised at the 6! I told her I just go up and down 2 pounds all week long. I'm sick and tired of seeing the same numbers on my scale! SHe told me to quit weighing myself... Hmmm, now THERE is some advise. Haha OK. I'm worn out. Goodnight!

Rhonda, I've gotten everything stuck! Lol. Tuna, chicken, pasta, of course bread, eggs, a cookie... Lol.

Woot, we could stay together. Lol. Since we're band-sisters. Lol.

Sounds good to me!! April is great. I get plenty of vacation time at my job so taking those days off would be no problem! I'm so excited!! WHich hotels did you check with?? And I must add that I will so miss out on mot getting a huge hot dog from Slots o Fun this trip!! Lol! They're only 99 cents each!! Hahaha!

Yes, we should get together! We've been banded for 2 months today! Kinda seems like I've had this band for longer than that somedays... Have you been to one of the support group meetings yet? I haven't been about to, but would like to go sometime. My port site is still a really hard knot, I go for my 2nd fill tomorrow, I'm gonna make sure that the NP feels it and see if its normal or not. Lol. the swelling is all gone though. Missy, I think I occationally have that first bite syndrome. I was trying to eat a scrambled egg this morning and the first bite got stuck. I wanted to cry. And then tonight I went to Bucca di Beppo and ordered lasagne (OK, OK, I know its not good for me, but OH it was delish!) and the very first bite of it got stuck and my friend I was with was like "whats wrong?" when I told her (she's a medical student) she was all curious about what did I feel, and where did I feel the 'stuck' pressure. Its so crazy, and frustrating. My eyes filled with tears and I told her "This is what makes me have days when I quit eating." I think it took a few minutes to pass, then I managed a ew more bites before I gave up. Lol. Its not that I was full, just tired of the stuck feeling. And its all types of foods that do it to me.. and some days I have no problems with anything. ANYWAY... QUESTION FOR ALL: Anyone who is focusing on protein and limiting carbs, do you have problems with your blood sugar bottoming out? I do!! It will just hit me all of a sudden when I least expect it. I get dizzy, instant feeling of being b*tchy, flashes of light or darkness behind my eyes, and a full body cold sweat. A few times it's happened at work and I've checked my glucose level and it's been down as low as 45. (Norm is 70-100) So this happened to me yesterday afternoon and I thought I was going to pass out. The only thing I had with me in my purse was some sugar free mints!! A friends ran and got me a snickers bar, which I only took a few bites of, cause I"m trying to avoid sweets. I've always had problems with my blood sugar levels, I remember my first attack at around 9 years old, though at the time I didin't know what it was. I'm not a diabetic, I've been tested. Just curious if anyone else is having problems??

Beckie, where are you taking that class at? It looks like fun! Maybe I'll by a DVD so I can do something on the days I don't feel like getting out in the heat to go to the gym!

Lol. Yesterday I had a 6" turkey on wheat with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mustard. Very low fat. and yummy. I was worried about the bread but no problems! I think it was easy to eat cause the bread was kind of hard. But I ate the WHOLE thing! I'm definatly ready for my 2nd fill on Thursday!!

Stef, I'm 5'10" also, and have a larger frame. I've kinda set 150-160 as my goal, but I haven't been under 200 pounds since I was about 13 years old, so I have NO CLUE what I would look like. I'm excited and scared to find out. Of course NO ONE in my family or at work knows about the surgery, but most of my friends do. My biggest problem is some friends like to be the 'food police' for me. But I have heard a few comments from well meaning friends about losing weight. I have an overweight friend who said something the other night about how she doesn't know what she'll do when she is the fattest one in our group, since I'm now losing weight. She had also asked what weight I wanted to get at and when I told her she acted like I was crazy! Pft. I just blow it off. I've also sworn off telling anyone how much weight I have lost. No one knows. I tell my friends that if they can't see a weight loss then there hasn't been one. And when they do see it, I asked them to just compliment me and not to worry about numbers.

DAN!! YOU look AMAZING. But I do have to say that even in your before pic you were a hottie. I tend to like guys a bit 'stocky-er' if that makes sense. ANYWAY. You look great! Insub, I have a friend who lost nearly 300 pounds in 2 years by simply spitting his food out. It was insane. But if he wanted pizza he would just chew and spit. Tacos? candy? same thing. I found his reserve to spit it out amazing, because I personally am not satisfied simply by tasting the food. I want it ALL! I was to chew and swollow and feel stuffed. For me it is the sated feeling that overeating causes that makes me over eat. Either way though, it IS a self destructive behavior. you can't do that forever... Good luck to you!

Binges: I can't binge like I used to. Its crazy, upsetting... and NICE all at the same time. I'm very grateful to my band for that! I can however still eat naughty things. haha. a week ago I was stressing over work and a comment a friend made (about the band being the easy way out!) and other stuff. I made some chocolate chip cookie dough and started eating it. Didn't eat too much before I just felt icky from all the fat and sugar in it. But still... I gave in the the craving and i hate that. Bah.

Dan you look GREAT!! You should post a 'before' to go with the new you!!