Chickie

I have no issues with fruit and veggies. Canned asparagus has a very different texture to the stuff you buy fresh. So if you find you have trouble with fresh, give canned a try.

I am sorry,I had to giggle! If it is a case of your port stitches being pulled, and losing saline, you will have the BEST story! Seriously, call your doc. ASAP.

Banded 26 months, 10 of that at goal, and am now well under goal (I am down to 107 - 108lbs)

I hope all goes as planned. How is your daughter going with her exercise and eating?

Think back. You must have had something in your life where at first you failed, but eventually succeeded. I bet that you felt the same way about that too (although the degree may vary) Anything is possible. We are only governed by our own fears. Once you can let go of that fear, you will find that the monster / voices go away.

I think the real issue here is that I questioned the value of putting the fork down between bites. I am sorry if that offends you, I really am, but for the vast majority, it doesn't work. You were, and still are to a degree, lecturing me. I can live with that. I know I am at the end of the weight loss journey, and you are at the start, and you feel the need to validate what you think / believe / have been told. I think most have been there, but I am at the other end. I have tried 99.95% of what your program has suggested. Some things work, some don't. Do words of wisdom count for nothing?

LOL! The Screaming Jets, Dave Dobbin and KT Tunstall are Aussie bands / singers, and bands. The Rage, Urge Overkill and Sugar hill Gang are 80' / 90's, and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are pushing 50 (Seeing Flea has finally grown up brought a tear to the eye the other day when I was watching a VH1 interview, and I think that The Sugar Hill Gang were very, very early 80's - someone correct me if I am wrong) Gnarles Barkley, and The White Stripes I only know because I have a pre teen! Otherwise, my taste is firmly in my backside some would argue. I love my 60's, 70's, 80's and very early 90's music. I swear I was born a decade too late.

Looks can be deceiving. Although I do notice it is usually older men who I "butt heads" with online. What? You claim to know better! You may not have said the words, but the tone of your posts say it all for you. And when I said it, I wasn't actually being nasty, so much as very sarcastic. Dude! I NEVER said that there are no rules to follow! I don't subscribe to a few of them, but that doesn't mean I don't follow most. And I never said the band alone will solve the obesity epidemic. Actually, if you look at more than 2 of my posts, you will see that I say exactly the opposite. Let me quote you. That. Unless you are calling me anorexic, or telling me I exercise too much.... I can't see how I could be offended. But here is the thing. I never really disagreed! Yes, my statement was simple, and nowhere near as long winded as yours, but I never disagreed that the band is not a "cure all" or would do all the work. I do disagree on the limiter thing. If we all had the self control to eat only 3 or 4 ounces at a time, we would have never been fat, or could have lost weight without the need for weight loss surgery. But with the restriction that the band offers, in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle (healthy whole foods, and exercise) we can lose weight. I am well aware of the role my band has played in my weight loss. I am also aware of the role of my lifestyle changes. Why be banded, and NOT use the restriction?

Time flies, huh? Expect a little more swelling for a couple of months. Some people report that the swelling goes down by about week 4, but comes back at week 6 ish. I was lucky enough to be swollen, but not shockingly so, for only a couple of months. So, I never really had the swelling go down, then come back up. But apparently it is pretty common. Let us know how you are feeling Liz! And we need 4 week post op pics too!!

:clap2: Congratulations!! I can see the pride in your words!! :clap2:

Why EXACTLY are you trying to explain to me how the band works? Do you honestly think I lost close on 190lbs by eating crap? Where - exactly- did I say (or have I ever said for that matter) to eat what you want? Your tone is why I *mistakenly* thought you were being sarcasic with the "wow - I appreciate that you didn't blast me" bit. I still feel it is a little on the snarky side - but I think I will build a bridge. I am spoiling for nothing mate. I never attacked you, or even your idea's. I just stated what worked for me. That and, I am to the point with what I say. And my point is, and always has been. The band will restrict. It will restrict good food, and some of the bad. The bandster has to make choices in order to lose weight. Some people chose to fill their bands to the point of only being able to eat 2 or 3 bites. Others, like me, chose to fill to the point where restriction allows us to eat like a normal person, and exercise. And as an aside - you can go to the best clinic in the world, but if you think you know everything, and don't listen to anyone but yourself, you will fall on your ass.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/what-your-favorite-excercise-songs-36447/ I replied on the other thread. C&P from the other thread (mainly because I am too lazy to re type it) I love to run to (in no order of preference) Screaming Jets, Better Urge Overkill (anything by them, but Sister Havana is a fave) The White Stripes, 7 Nation Army Anything by the RHCP Sugar Hill Gang, Rappers Delight Some Led Zepplin Madonna, Hung Up Rage Against The Machine, Killing in the name of Pink Flyod, Another Brick in the wall KT Tunstall, Suddenly I see Gnarls Barkley, Crazy, and Go Go Gadget Gospel And some Janis Joplin, Dave Dobbin, and Stone Temple Pilots to cool down to. There is a lot more than that on my iPod, but they are a few that I love.

Restriction is different for everyone. For me, restriction is eating a small meal (large by the 600 calorie a day crew) and not feeling hungry for at least 2 or 3 hours after. I have the odd snack. But it is usually an apple, a hand full of nuts, or hummus on a stick of celery, or maybe an egg, slice of cheese or yogurt. I find that, for me anyway, the idea of drinking Protein shakes defeats the whole idea of banding. Are we not told to stay away from liquid calories? Aside from that, I have yet to find compelling proof that the amount of protein that the US bandsters are told to take in is safe (I would like to note that I have not found compelling proof that it isn't either) Back to restriction. I don't know that the "Bursting at the seems" type full we felt prior to banding is really "full". I think it is far quieter than that. I have found that I get to a point where I instinctively push the plate away. It doesn't matter how much is still left on the plate, I am full. And that is it. I am done till my next meal / snack. I don't know if that is helpful in any way. But they are my thoughts on restriction.

I sleep on my stomach all the time, and the port never bothers me. Add to that that I have had a TT, weigh 107lbs, and have pretty hard abs, and it still doesn't bother me.

Congrats on the date! I am sure, with hard work, you will get to your 150lb goal!!

Where did I blast anyone? YES! The band WILL keep you from eating too much! That is the whole bloody idea. If people eat past the full feeling, THAT is where the problems start. Why do you think half the people who don't bother to exercise lose weight? Because the band restricts their eating. But what do I know right? You have a month under your belt, and I only have 2.5 years, and close to a year at goal. You know better hon. Carry on.

Did you sit in your pantry or fridge to eat your meals before you were banded? Eat out of the pots you cooked in? Naturally people "set out" what they are going to eat before a meal. The trick to "setting out" a meal, or serving a meal is to not put a lumberjack size meal on your plate, and if you do put too much on your plate, to not eat it all. I am not sure the whole putting your fork down between bites thing works long term. It makes you stand out from the other diners at the table. No one wants to feel different at the table. What does work is eating slower. Chewing. Talking between bites. Concentrating on putting your fork down between bites is damm distracting. The band is like a limiter. It does slow us down... Keep us from eating too much at a sitting. And I still say, if after the chicken salad, you are not bursting at the seems, and are contented and full for a few hours, no problems. The band is working as designed.

By far and away, my biggest NSV was my first run. This year's Mothers Day Classic. I ran 4.5km in 28.35 minutes!! The euphoria I felt crossing the finish line was incredible! I felt like I could take on the world and win. I can't help but smile when I think back.

I love to run to (in no order of preference) Screaming Jets, Better Urge Overkill (anything by them, but Sister Havana is a fave) The White Stripes, 7 Nation Army Anything by the RHCP Sugar Hill Gang, Rappers Delight Some Led Zepplin Madonna, Hung Up Rage Against The Machine, Killing in the name of Pink Flyod, Another Brick in the wall KT Tunstall, Suddenly I see Gnarls Barkley, Crazy, and Go Go Gadget Gospel And some Janis Joplin, Dave Dobbin, and Stone Temple Pilots to cool down to. There is a lot more than that on my iPod, but they are a few that I love.

If history repeated itself, I would be mother to half a dozen kids by half a dozen fathers. After all, isn't that how all teen mothers end up? (I only have 1 child, for the record! LOL) I am not a big believer in letting past screw up determine how I live my life in the future. I take my lessons, and move on. The lesson I took from my failed diets / plans was, not to just "diet" I had to change my life. Change my lifestyle. Change my way of thinking about my health, and nutrition. When I learned that lesson, the "You will fail" monster went away. I think I may have squashed him when I went for a run one day, LMAO.

My port is exactly where my doc put it 26 months ago, and it is still the same old "regular" port. I can feel my port, but I cannot see it, despite my weight going down to 108lbs. Talk to your surgeons, but if your port is well placed, there should be no good reason to move it. Good luck!

I am not worried at all. Running is only hard on your body if you push too far beyond it's limitations, and if you run with an injury that needs to be rested. According to "The Complete Book of Running for Women", running is good for the joints. (I am paraphrasing here to avoid copy write issues) Way to go on the 20 minute run Babygril1234! Anyway, never mind me, or my mood of late. I am having issues with the "bitchy mothers club" at school. It seems that they are telling anyone who will listen that I am anorexic and that is how I lost weight. I am sorry that I have been bitchy, and unnecessarily defensive here.

Unless you are exercising for hours, and hours a day, and hard, exercise rarely increases the appetite to the point where you can gain weight. Perhaps you should look at your diet. Maybe you are eating foods that are a little on the mushy side, or perhaps you are drinking too many of your meals in the form of Protein shakes?

The date is on the post/threads. It is in the top left corner, above the posters name.

The idea of the band is to restrict how much we eat, yes. But that same restriction also keeps us from being hungry. So if after eating your chicken salad, you are not hungry for a couple of hours, and your pouch is not hurting because you have overeaten, it's all ok.