the best me

Holy Smokes! You are so beautiful! Well done!

You are so cool to share these pics. thank you thank you thank you!!! You look wonderful, Jess. WTG!!!!

Yay! Thanks Penni...it's perfect! Excellent idea Kim! My name is Kathy and I live outside of Charlotte, up towards the Denver/West Lake Norman area. My stats are below, so that's that. I am a wife to Joe and Mom to Rachel (6) and Tyler (3) and I'm a stay-at-home mom, although my hubby says I don't stay home much! LOL We are very active in our church in Huntersville and I do a good bit of volunteer work. I love my band. I ned a tummy tuck in about 15 pounds but have no idea how we'll manage to pay for that just yet! So it may be a while. hmmmm, what else? Oh, I'm on LBT a good bit. haha.

I LOVE the Frito Pie Quote! It keeps you close to our hearts when you are away working your fingers to the bone. I feel sorry for you AND I miss you! When will you go HOME?!

If you eat foods/drinks that are too thick too soon, your stomach has to churn and work hard at digesting it, and this is harmful to a healing tummy with a new band around it. The easier it is on your tummy, the better. You can increase your risk for slippage if you advance too quickly. So don't, please! I understand being hungry...get those calories in with protien shakes, yummy blended soups, anything you would be able to sip through a straw. Also, check out the Food Stages thread in the Food Forum (it's a Sticky) for some food ideas at this stage. Take good care of that band! Good luck!

Nah. I consider it a clear liquid, like Water, just healing and soothing. Sorry for the highjack Dawn...be sure to stock up on your Aloe Vera juice! LOL

Oh no! Really?! Gosh, I was sooo tight post-surgery and got the Egg Drop Soup on day...6? maybe? It was such a life saver. Maybe you are drinking it too fast? You know, drinking more than 1/4 cup at a time and not letting it dribble down?

Cue the Jeopardy song as I wait anxiously for pics...:clap2:

HeatherGurl changed her user name to "Gurly" I think. It always takes me a sec to put her in place when she posts now, but she did add "formerly HeartherGurl" to her username (you know...underneath). She's still about. Hey Heather! Where's Kare? I thought about her today. Nana is the one who started the Scar Stages thread that got deleted. Security reasons? Hmmm...I miss seeing her Hot Bod in the 'kini on her posts. She's cool.

Michelle, you ROCK! :rockon: Excellent work. Thanks for being so wonderful.

I made it. It's been a year since I went to Mexico and got banded by Dr Kuri. No regrets, not a single one. I'm not yet to my goal weight and have hit many loooong plateaus, but I'm doing it. I'm really doing it! Here's a pic...big thanks to P'nut for editing services

Pictures, pictures, we want pictures!! Congrats Jamie! We have missed you too! I'm really sorry about your FIL. What a month for you...but how wonderful to be off your BP meds! My BP was normal last time I went in for a check-up, so I know how great it feels. NORMAL!!! Wow! Your weight loss is fab, girl. Congrats!!! Here's some smilies from my daughter. :cry

It's 182.8, but yeah, I'm getting there! About once a week for the past 3 weeks I have popped a phentermine. They make me so out of sorts, but they work really well. Not just with the appetite suppression, but with speeding my metabolism. They really are exhausting though. I don't want to get a fill, though, so there ya go. Yep, Praise God I'm not where I used to be! Never again. Just pray I can keep my band.

LOL I thought I was wearing the same pants as last year, but I don't think I was...but the butt is looking better, for sure. It will never be bikini-ready, this I KNOW, but I have lost 7.5 inches from my hips and it helps alot. I think this next 15 pounds will make a big difference, and maybe have me ready for a tummy tuck. It's my tummy that's really in the way. I have bare belly pics but I'm nervous about posting them. Maybe I'll take "now" bare belly pics and see. And if P'nut will, yet again!, edit them into panels, I'll do it. I'll see how they look first but when tummy tuck time gets here, I'll definately post them...I promise! Anyhow, my belly is what's causing my biggest probs with clothes fitting well. I'm still doing baggy, and it's never a good look.

You will adjust to the port being there. I had to change my laundry technique but it's old hat now. And the port area WILL be sore if you strain something. "Sore", "discomfort", are different from PAIN. Tylenol and rest are great solutions for sore though. PAIN warrants a call to the doc. "Sore" should be gone in a day or two, or at least get better daily.

Here's some more inspiration. These are pics of me at around 240+ which is my high weight. I am down about 60 pounds from there. Enjoy the REAL before pics! Whew...so glad I don't have to carry all that around anymore. Gone for GOOD!

here's the link... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17041

There's a Sticky thread in the food Forum with the Food Stages. It's pretty handy. Lots of ideas for which foods are clear liquid, full liquid, mushy, etc. it's important to follow YOUR docs instructions, but if you are having a hard time with, say, mushies, there's no harm in staying on full liquids till you are ready. I like the "no bread for 4 weeks" rule, too. I'd personally add "no meats until 6 weeks unless pureed" or something like that. But there's a big difference in the chicken chunks in chicken noodle Soup and the chicken in chicken salad and grilled chicken breast. So it really is an "as tolerated" kind of thing. Thing is, the healing phase is about keeping your stomach from churning more than needed as your band heals. We can get our calories with mushy foods and stay pretty satisfied without making the band work too much before it's healed. Protien drinks are a staple, too.

hehe, she did my pics the other night, then I sent her MORE! Busy girl! Hey, P'nut, you editing superhero!

Well done! I just did my inches, too and it's amazing! I had a 52.5 inch butt! Down to 45 inches so far. Yay! I'll check out that site. I love to keep track of inches, and this site measures more than I am at home. And more than they track at Curves. Thanks, and great work!!

JanetC can do pics, too! I can post them, but I can't edit. I wanna see pics, too! Congrats js! well done! Today is my 1-year, too. It's been a heck of a ride! Here's to another successful year for the both of us!

Happy band day to me! I weighed 182.8 this morning...a new low! My next little goal is a 15 pound loss. That will put me at wedding weight (9 years ago) and I will weigh the same as my husband. And in a few pounds I will no longer be Obese. Seems impossible, but NOT! I love my band. I updated my signature, too and have lost a bunch of inches...LQQK below! And P'nut did a great Before/After pic for me so find my bandiversary thread and check it out! Yay me! Here's the link. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17062

I was so sad for you when I saw your thread on the New Posts list. Then I was so confused when I started reading. Then I was so relieved to find out it wasn't "ominous"! Tell your Mom I'm glad she just went home, not "HOME" LOL LBT is super entertaining, so just log on when you need a boost!

forest and ellette, don't panic yet! Someone described an unfilled band as being like a bracelet around your stomach. Well chewed foods just pass on through. It's normal and not unhealthy to feel no restriction before you start getting fills. Take a close look at Wheetsin's eating mindset...it's a good one, and Poodles is right about the sugar. Carbs do the same thing (doh) so keep a high protien diet going. And pints of Water is a GOOD thing! Hang in there ya'll. Now's the time to heal. Do your best but expect better weight loss AFTER healing when you can get filled. Good luck!

Here's a link to that thread Dody... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16954