the best me

OMGosh, I hope you hear something soon. Seems like if they cover banding, they'd cover re-banding? I don't know, but I'm rooting for you!!!!

WOW! You did it!! I'm so proud and happy for you! Well done, Michelle. You are such an inspiration!

Wow girl. You have alot going on here. As for the band, take a bit of a break. Give yourself some wiggle room! That doesn't mean go eat cake and pizza, but come on now, don't you think other things are a little more pressing right now? Not that your weight loss battle isn't important, it IS! but please realize that these additional stresses wil affect it and you need to adjust accordingly. Get yourself some perspective and prioritize these issues into what needs the most time and attention from you. ((((hugs)))) girl and try not to beat yourself up! I also notice that when I lose, I get hungry. I guess my body is attempting to maintain it's weight and as soon as I lose a few, I get starvin' marvin. And this weekend I, too, ate pizza. Ya know what? It was really yummy and I paid for it on the scales this morning, but today I'll do better and it will be fine. It will be fine!!! Go to your husband. Talk with him. Or don't, just hug him and love him and let go. It's okay. Don't overthink it or overneed him or something from him. Just be and be with him. It doesn't have to be perfect every time. Choose to love. Please keep us posted and I'll keep you in my prayers.

Welcome to LBT Joe! Lots of great info for the taking here. And lots of great support. Here you go, down the merry road to Bandland. Congrats!!!

9/5 (week 1) 198 9/12 (week2) 196.6 9/19 (week 3) 197.0 9/26 (week4) 194.4 10/3 (week 5) 194.8 that's a .4 pound gain this week for a total of 3.2 pounds lost in this challenge so far. Yuck. The good news is that I used to weigh 198, and now when I weigh at night, I'm 198 and lose a magical 3 pounds or so overnight. So my low weight is now my high weight. I'll take it, but one day last week I saw 193.4 and I WILL see that again. sigh.

WOW, it really IS working! Well done! We salute you, O Mistress of the Slow Losers, may you reign supreme no matter what the scales say, even as the numbers slowly dwindle. Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! and again I say, Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

Vitamin E oil. Polysporin ointment. See if you can find the kind with a topical anesthetic in it? I know Neosporin makes one but for some reason I wasn't supposed to use Neosporin. Just so you know, I STILL occasionally itch. Ewww...I'm itching now just thinking about it!!!

Schindler's List. Abe Lincoln. Make me care, then shoot me.

Vines, check our www.room42.com and enter your stats. I found it very helpful. BTW, you are NOT insane. Maybe a little crazy but not insane LOL

Chin up, you will win the battle with the help of your little band friend. I know, for me, I needed time to adjust to life with my band. I lost 15 pounds in 12 days post-op and didn't lose another pound until about a week before my first fill...3 months after sugery! Give it a minute! The only thing I would admonish you for is eating that extra bite that comes back up. Nope. Can't be doing that. Try to make bandster food choices, following the rules of hard protiens first. If needed, put off your next fill until you know you are ready not to push your band past it's limits. Your band will wait for you. Get your mind around it a little until your fierceness about food settles down a bit. I'm relating big time. It does get better, though.

THAT is poetry. And that's the rub...the heart issue that doesn't have much to do with your band, self-image, level of confidence. It's your need for redemption. We all seek it. For so long we have sought it in food. Now what?

In my opinion, your first priority is to make your exercise regimin something that you can keep up day after day after month after year. There is no way you can keep up this pace for the long haul. So cut back, and let your body adjust it's metabolism to your 1500-1800 calories a day with an hour of exercise. Do cardio one day, heavy weights the next, and let your muscles rest and repair the next when you do cardio. John, you have worked so hard. Don't burn out, please. Adjust your routine to be sure you can maintain your success. It will take time, but you have proven you have the discipline to do what it takes. Now your job is to figure out how to make it last. And do what DeLarla said and measure!!! That's where you'll see even more success!!

Yep, I agree. That was actually the thinking I had when I went for a small unfill after my first fill. Every time I tried to eat anything other than liquids I had trouble. Mushies were uncomfortable. What I tried to do was go on liquids for 24 hours, then test my soft mushies, then full mushies...just because I wanted to be sure I wasn't dealing with stoma swelling that would eventually go down. No such luck. The .4cc unfill was just the ticket.

First, Dr Ortiz and staff will NOT be dissappointed. Don't let that stop you. From what I get from others he is kind and understanding, and knows that tuour band will only work with a good fill. Princess n theP said once tha an unfilled band is like a loose bracelet around your tummy (paraphrase) and that made alot of sense to me. You just need a fill! Your best bet in the interim is to eat solid protiens first, then veggies and fruit, then breads/other carbs if you have room. Fill up on the good stuff first and work what little restriction you have. You may find you are more restricted than you thought! Good luck! And get on down to TJ!!!

Don't be depressed, be informed!! The more you know, the more you will feel confident about your decision, no matter what others think! What questions do you have? What worries you? I'll tell you anything you want to know...we all will here! ((hugs)) and welcome to LBT!!

Okay, let me disclaim my "nothing goes right through on day 2 post-op" assertion to say that "everyone is different". I was very very swollen the first weeks after my surgery. If I had to go back and do it again, I would sip smaller and wiser, and not just try to take small drinks, thinking I would be like others and breeze through my recovery. You will go through your own unique recovery process. But yes, surgery really is serious business. It's surgery!!! It's alot to recover from, however easy it is compared to others. Take it very seroiusly, reasearch well, be prepared for everything, and come here for support from others. If it fits you, great. If it doesn't, it will someone else. And you can't drink enough water. Keep trying, you will get there!

I have named my inner fat girl "Shaniqua". She's a tough-talking, street-savvy, braided black girl that wags her head and shakes her finger and says, "Oh no, I don't THINK so!!!!" when my inner responsible reliable fair-minded practical self attempts to make good food choices. Shaniqua is self-centered and loves me so much, she won't let anyone steal MY happiness. She beats up others on my behalf. She makes me feel better about me and rewards me with yummy foods, cuz she loves me so much. What she says makes perfect sense and I love her friendship, even though she scares me a little because she's WAY much more of a bully than I am. She gets mad easily, too. Yep, some call it the food demon, the inner fat girl, other things, but I'm thinking I have a Shaniqua. I love her, I really do. I admire her strength, her bull-headedness, her ability to put her foot down. But she's so different from the inner me that's quietly content, reserved, confident, secure, got it all together kind of grown woman. Her voice is getting quieter, but she's still there. Maybe she's growing up a little bit, too? Don't feel alone, we all deal with it in some way. I'm learning how to manipulate her a little better, I guess? I dunno. It's part of the fight, though.

Now the hard work begins. Don't let up your resolve. Do whatever you have to do to get even further past this phase in your life. I'm so proud of you!!! No more pain pills!!! Now you can FEEL again, even when it hurts! And that's a good thing. Welcome home!

It isn't forever, it really isn't!!! Good for you for making it through and coming here to vent. Isn't it therapeutic?!!! You WILL taste the yummy foods again.

Cheers Capt'n Jack! Hope your birthday was simply grand!!!

Wow, I think that is just awesome. Well done. Vinesqueen has started a trend!!!! Welcome to the Medium Paced Loser Club...LOL that's too funny! Good job!!!

Nothing just goes right through on day 2 post-op due to swelling in the stoma. Sips should be amazingly small and as constant as possible. What your doc tells you is a great goal. Day 2, you will not be there yet. Just get hydrated and stay that way. Vinesqueen and Jack gave you perfect advice and great pictures of what that should be like. Do your best, have a goal, keep sipsipsip-ing.

I can eat bread. Toasted is better. It has to be well chewed and I avoid flour tortillas. But if it's a quesadilla (toasted flour tortilla) I can eat it in small bites. I can eat crackers. Townhouse are fine but Triscuits are more risky. They definately need some cheese or dip and small bites. I can do the Breakfast sandwich with the pancake (McGriddles?) fine well chewed and small bites. I haven't tried a biscuit, a bagel, but I have taken a small bite of a roll. Risky. I can eat a hamurger or hotdog bun. Whole wheat is less sticky. I can eat a donut but I just don't (tried a donut hole, went down fine, a bit scary) It's true that you are better limiting those bad carbs. I know that it would drive me batty to not be able to eat at least a little bit of bread. But I haven't lost as much as Chichigirl, either, so what's that tell ya?

Well done! Kepp them coming! Once you get into the habit of thinking of them, they come flooding through! It will help me alot now that I have a place to post mine. Thanks Vines! Nice NSV's Kim! I like the leg-crossing thing, too

YES! And I had a very rough first 2 weeks post-surgery where I was kicking myself and feeling very foolish for having done this thing. No regrets now, though. Walk and sip when you get home. Go slow. Read read read before you go. Where are you getting banded and how much weight do you want to lose? Be sure to post on the October Bandsters thread, too. You are in good company!