TulipStar

I am not one for following rules ..... but, here are couple that I do follow: - Never drink w/ meals - listen to your body. Eat slowly, chew well and when you think you are full - STOP (no, not just one more little bite). - The key to success is planning. If you know you will have to eat out, try to plan what you will eat (if a restaurant, look up their menu online). -Avoid snacking/grazing. Eat at your scheduled times for your 3 meals a day. Snacking adds the extra calories. - Exercise has been key for me to losing weight. Not everyone has to...but I do!

it's just a little kick start that you need to do it. Think about how good it will feel to finally reach goal... you can do it!

This is so inspirational.... thanks for sharing your stories!

Hey Brandy, Initially I liked their new sizing too. But for some reason they were still too big in the butt for me. It didn't last long. I went from size 26 to 16 pretty quickly and I am too small for most things in lane bryant now. There are so many options in the "regular" store, I don't know how to shop!

I have never tried it, but they also sell it in the grocery stores here...

Herniated disc - OUCH! I have been on prednisone multiple times prior to being banded. I have been able to maintain my weight but it was really really hard. I also gained 40 lbs in 1 month the first time I took prednisone. That is very unlikely to happen to you though. Good luck and I hope you feel better!

It depends on what you can tolerate. Things I would consider: chicken salad Tuna salad lunch meat like turkey or ham Raw vegetables like carrots cheese A picnic sounds like fun. Let us know how it goes!

I am a PM too and I find that there are just lazy people all around in general who get away with a lot whether they are overweight or normal weight. I can tell you that I think I am taken more seriously at this current weight and when I weighed my current weight a few years ago I did receive multiple promotions. I was shocked last year when at 300 lbs someone called to give me a job offer based on a 1 hour meeting I had in Europe. I thought for sure that being fat would have totally cause discrimination, but in this case it didn't. Just wait until people start talking to you about fat people (because they think they can bc you aren't fat). It's awful. My husband said it will happen soon. The other day a co-worker told me that he wouldn't date this girl bc she was fat. I doubt he would have told me that if I was still 85 lbs heavier....

When people are too tight they can tend to eat things that they can - soft foods, liquids that are high in calories so they are still getting too many caloires. Things like Soup, ice cream, milkshakes, chocolate, etc. Regarding the teeth-- no, never heard of it, but I would ask your dr. You should be taking supplements to make sure you get your Vitamins and you minimum required Protein a day.

My dr says no foods 2 hours prior to a fill.

Oh yeah, this is me exactly. I have been getting it twice a month, lasting from 10-22 days. I have PCOS though. So my dr put me on some medication and BC to regulate it.

OMG Georgia Girl -- What an AMAZING difference!! You look fantastic and look at that jawline! I like your haircut! You go girl!!

I have met Dr. Felts. He also does surgery here in the Dallas area. They are really good. They are well trained and have done thousands of surgeries combined. My dr. is a parter of Dr. Felts. I just preferred my dr. LBS is great. They take care of all the insurance for you which can be a hassle. Don't worry about Friday the 13th...that is lucky for you! I turned 13 and 30 on Friday the 13th :thumbup:

I absolutely HATE the "You have such a pretty face". I get so pissed when people say that.... I tell them! Then they say, "that's not what I mean...". I have heard that my whole life.

I would definitely talk to a counselor. I've struggled w/ eating disorders my whole life ...anorexia, bulimia, compulsive/binge eating. I think it is common to feel the way you do. I know that I have and I have thoughts of my past ED come up. However, I am in counseling now to deal with it. It's kind of like we used to be obsessed w/ eating and now we are obsessed with losing weight. Like my therapist says, you must have something else...because once you lose the weight, then what? What will you obsess about?

Hi and welcome! I was banded the same month as you. It is great, isn't it?! Yes, I had some hesitation about giving up the clothes but then it became way too much...I had about 10 bags full of clothes a total of 500lbs of clothes that I gave away. Don't hang on to them, because you are NEVER going back!

I use a straw everyday. I drink more when I drink using a straw.

Yes, that's normal. I could actually eat more than that so you are lucky to only be able to eat 6 ounces. Some people gain weight before their first fill (I did as my Dr told me I would). You might not feel true restriction on your 1st fill. I *thought* I felt restriction, but truly did not feel restriction until my 3-4th fill.

Hi Brittany! The first step is to probably go to a free seminar on the lapband. I went to a few and met with the doctors at each. I chose based on who I thought had the most experience/knowledge. From that point it took me about 4 months to be banded. This included time for required testing, insurance approval (took the longest) and pre=op diet. You are smart doing this at a young age. I was obese my entire childhood and teens. I wish that they had it available when I was your age because it would have given me some of my life back in my twenties. Good luck!

The first step is actually realizing you are doing emotional eating. When I realize this,I stop, then ask myself "what am I feeling?". If I am feeling bored, stressed, tired then I will try to do something else other than eat to address the emotion that I am having. If I am hungry then I eat. I don't always follow this, but I try to. Just like skye said, the first step is realizing you are emotional eating.

This is an interesting topic and one that I was planning to blog about. Year over year our food bill has gone done about $400 - $600 a month!!! We have always eaten organic fresh foods and try to avoid processed foods, so this might be why ours has gone down. You see an increase in cost since you have changed foods -- foods that are better for you cost more. Also the cost of food has increased in general, so that might be why. In April 2007 we spent $481 on groceries and $578 on eating out in Restaurants. In April 2008 we spent $320 on groceries and $218 on eating out. We have saved a ton of money!

I don't know of any list but if you stick with American cuisine they usually have soup, mashed potatoes (if you are allowed to have them). I went to a lot of deli/sandwich shops like Jason's deli, Potbelly, corner bakery, panera, etc. because they have a wide variety of soups.

I used to eat eggs every day. Before my 4th fill I could still eat eggs. When I started to get restricted, they would get stuck for some reason. I think its something about the consistency, the fluffiness, I don't really know. All I know is that I miss them A LOT!!! I was recently able to have 1 bite (one bite) at a friends house and I felt it kind of get stuck, but it eventually passed. Everyone is different, so you might not have a problem...

I'm sorry about this. I had the same kind of drama before my surgery. The only difference was my MIL called and asked if she could tell people in our family! It certainly adds to the stress of the situation. Congrats on your upcoming band date. You are going to love it!

I drank about 3 months po and it was wine. My dr said that 1 glass of wine is fine and it actually can help clear out any mucus that might be blocking the stoma.