ssankofa73

ONDERLAND!!!!! Wow! I'm very proud of u ribearty! I can't wait to get there 1 day. Walking record 45 minutes up and down the neighborhood. I'm hoping to get to bed early tonight because tomorrow i have to go back to work after a lovely summer and I need to be able to walk early in the morning...I'm shooting for 30 minutes of walking tomorrow. I'm not used to a full day of work and excercising and I don't want to play myself, over do it and have it turn me off for the rest of the week. To all my bandster buddies.....Have a wonderful nite!!!

Anna I know they have the packet at the hospital. Maybe during ur next visit u can pick one up.

Only4Me It came in the inamed packet that I got from the hospital right before I left. I can't remember who handed it to me. There was a postcard to fill out to send to Inamed, a booklet on the Lapband and 2 cards....1 to track my weightloss at the Dr's office and a restaurant card.

I have the restaurant card but I don't use it. I've eaten out quite a few times and just take home the leftovers and have them for 2 or 3 more meals. Just now, I finished a sheppard's pie that I originallly ordered for dinner last Monday and I'm satisfied. I was able to get 4 meals out of it so my band is making food become a lot cheaper for me in the long run. I enjoy the left overs especially since I don't cook that much.

Hi Everyone! It's Labor Day Weekend in the United States too. I'm hopefully going to a lounge tonite and a bbq tomorrow. Ruby As soon as you wrote "water bottle" in your post, I ran to get mine, lol. "Ruby's Water Rules" are in effect people so get to sippin!! BTW, I'm sorry ur having problems with your insurance company and what they cover. I wish u luck in paying off the co-pay for the sleep study. Walking record This morning, I dropped my car off to the dealer to get it serviced and I walked home. It took me 50 minutes to get back to my place. I might walk back there later on this afternoon to pick up my car. I definately made up for lost time yesterday. I never thought I would even be able to walk that far. My plan was just to walk for 30 to 45 minutes to a nail salon while I wait for the car to be done and maybe stop at a stationary store to make some copies but I don't know what got into me! I just kept going. When I saw the major intersection that led to my house I thought to myself, "I wonder how long it would take to me to get home from here" and I went for it. Things in my neighborhood are alot easier to get to then i realized before. I am so tied to my car that I couldn't see myself walking to get groceries, to get my hair done, pick up a prescription, etc. These little errands burn up gas and put miles on my car meanwhile, if I could just budget my time better, I could burn up calories by walking instead. Love you guys!

Hi Everyone. Just stopping in to say a quick hello. Walking record Maybe 10 minutes walking to the car from a huge parking lot. I hope to get more in tomorrow.

Marcy U are Hilarious!!!

Ok so I had the Beef patty and it was good but I have to be honest. There was a little gristle (sp?) in it. I just picked it out and kept chewing. Oh, well. Nothings perfect. Hey Chim! Thanks for the good words!

Hi All! For those like Car, who have embarked on their workout routines..... congrats and keep it up! The pounds will melt off easier than just eating less alone. Heres a mushy meal that I'm going to try in a few minutes.....a Jamaican Beef Patty. It looks like a turnover type of pastry but it's filled with groung beef. It comes in chicken and veggie style too. I don't know if you can get it everywhere though and its not so great on calories (410 for one) but i figured that it would fill me up and it will be a nice change from other typical mushy foods. My weight loss in the past thrived on variety, including where I workout. Walking record I walked to and from the beauty parlor today which was about 45 minutes in all. I also sip, sip, sipped my Water all day long. Even though it was only about 1.5 bottles worth, it was more than I've been doing in the recent past. Love u guys!!

Chim Thanks for the vote of confidence. I really needed it. Hi Everyone I hope ur all having a good day so far. Yesterday's walking record 30 minutes at nite with a friend. I didn't move as fast as I wanted to because the other person was slowing me down. Ain't that something? lol

I started to wonder why we needed to stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal. I think someone else on this site asked about it too. If water or other thin liquids go straight thru the banded area of the stomach then stopping a 1/2 hour before eating is waaaaay too long. I haven't been too good with the drinking situation so now I don't feel so bad that I end up drinking only 10 to 15 minutes before I eat. Granted this is only my opinion and the opinion of someone else's doctor but the shorter time period between drink 1st then eating a meal afterwards makes sense to me. As for drinking after the meal, I totally understand why we have to wait an hour. To be honest, thats tough for me too so I've taken just enpugh small sips of water to soothe my dry mouth and throat. I don't want to wash the food I eat thru the band but I need a little water after a meal or my mouth doesn't feel right. Bottom line is....I'm not getting in enough hydration and I need to make "Ruby's Water Rules" a way of life so that I don't sabotage my band. (How do u like that phrase I just coined?? lol) If I was properly hydrated during the day, I wouldn't need the small sips of water after my meals.

I've eaten out a few times during both the liquid and mushy phases. During the liquid phase, I had hearty soups like chicken and dumpling soup or broccoli and cheese soup. Each time when I ate the chucks of food in them I just chewed really well and had no issues. I finished the meals but it always took a long time. During the mushy phase, which I'm on now, I had the afore mentioned sheppard's pie, fried fish and french fries, etc. Each time I ate out, I never finished the meals and had left overs for 2 or 3 more meals. I'm a real cheap date now, lol.

The water pacing idea is wonderful!!! I'm so motivated to use it that I'm gonna go fill up a water bottle right now. Thanks for the tip Ruby!

hi Lynette Sheppard's Pie is a casserole that has a layer of ground beef ( you can use turkey to make it low fat) mixed with veggies like shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, green peas, chopped onions and gravy with a layer of mashed or whipped potatoes topped with a little shredded cheese that is baked until the top has a light crust on it. It tastes really good.

Hi guys. Not much to report other than the fact that I went to Cheesecake Factory today for my dad's birthday and ordered the shepperds pie. It was soooo good. I ate 1/3 of it and took the rest home. I guess that was about 1 to 1.5 cups of it that I ate. I'm hoping to get 2 more meals out of it. Walking record I did 50 minutes of walking today. The weather was great.

Does anyone else have a bulge at their port site? Mine sticks out a little in a "1 pack" (as part of a non existent 6 pack) sort of way. Just wondering.

Hi everyone I was away for awhile because my computer monitor conked out but I have a new 1 now so I'm back. I hope everyone is doing well. Walking record 45 minutes around the neighborhood. It felt good today.

Walking record 45 minutes doing walking and step aerobics in front of the the TV. Started slow then picked up the pace but I slowed down again. It was hard to get thru. It seems like everyday my feelings about excercise are different. I wish I could get to the point where I craved excercise instead of having to talk myself into it.

Hi Sarujah You are correct. We are not supposed to drink with our meals but, if you have something stuck and its nots moving aftr 15 minutes, then you have to try to loosen the muscles around the area or break down the food that's stuck. I'm not saying that you need to gulp down a cup of hot tea but a small sip or 2 can help. Also, papaya juice has enzymes in it that are used as meat tenderizers. You could try having a sip or 2 of papaya juice. Its very difficult getting used to this new lifestyle we've chosen. I hope that we all can get through the tough times by using eachother's suggestions instead of running to the emergency room at the hospital.

Hi Chim n Everyone I'm doing ok. Burping just like most of you and apologizing to all those who might be offended. I just bought a winter jacket today that fits very snug on me in the hopes that it will be loose fitting by the winter. I also bought a pair a stretchy fitting pants today because my jeans are still tight around my port site and made me uncomfortable when I went out this weekend. Now my port site hurts. The pain has subsided a little. I hope I haven't done any damage. I'm trying extremely hard not to buy any clothes because I don't plan on getting a lot of wear out of them due to weight loss. Walking Record I did 1/2 an hour on the treadmill today. Wow it was easy! Thats the 1st time I could say that.

Sarujah Try taking a a small sip of hot tea with meat tenderizer mixed into it then see what happens. The hot tea should help loosen up the stomach muscles a little and the tenderizer will work to break down the blocked food. You could try a clear liquid diet today and tomorrow then see how you feel also. I've read on LBP that a lot of people go on clear liquids right after they get a fill.

Hi Everyone. I had my post op appt. and everything went well. I found out that I have the 4cc band and I'm scheduled to have my 1st fill in a month. I had a rough weekend but I got through it and I'm now trying to rebuild. I ate almost all the wrong foods and didn't excercise a lick. Potato chips were my downfall but what was nice is that I didn't eat the amount that I would have eaten pre-banding. I just hope it didn't cause a weight gain. Today I got back on track (screw the weekend and all the people who made it suck...whats done is done)! I woke up today and took a 55 minute walk through my neighborhood. I was shocked that all that time past but glad I did it. I ate 1/2 a chicken chimichanga and 1/2 cup of seasoned black beans. I had not problem tolerating the wrap that it was made with so I think I'll have the rest for dinner. I hope everyone is doing well. I'm all caught up on our posts and its nice to see that we have a great community going here. You guys are the best.

Phyllser I like how you handled your MOL!! That comeback was funny and I bet she never told your kids to finish their plates again, lol. Everyone Thanks for the encouragement guys! You all are the best. I have my 1st post op appointment tomorrow and I'm curious to see hear what they have to say. I want to know how small my band is, when I can get my first fill, when I can start having sex again, among other things. Has anyone's Dr. told them when they can start having sex again? My Dr. friend told me that because the surgery was done laproscopically I can start when I feel up to it but I'm scared something is gonna shift inside or my incisions are gonna open up. That's not sexy ya'll lol. Walking record I did 30 minutes of slow step aerobics (both on and off the step) in front of the TV. It was slow but I worked up a sweat. Only4Me How are you feeling?

Caolin Congrats on hitting the 200's!!! It won't be long before you hit your next goal. Everyone I read all the posts quickly but couldn't comment on all of them due to time constraints. For all who are struggling...... hang in there. For all who are doing well....... keep up the good work. I had my 1st post band omlette to today. It was from this restaurant called the Grand Luxe. I had 1/2 of it (about 1 cup) with a handful of french fries and 1/3 of a slice of chocolate cake (I shared a dessert with my sis and a friend. This is a good idea if you feel like having dessert but you don't want all of the calories for yourself). I need to learn how to use this online journal on this site. Walking record I did 45 minutes around the neighborhood. I even went up to my old high school and walked around the grounds there.

Walking record 45 minutes on the treadmill. I only felt like to doing 30 but I forced the extra 15 minutes in there because it was part of my plan today.