Sue Magoo

Thanks pandagirl.

Thanks amamastime.

Thanks Taz.

I struggle with this too. I tried eating three prunes per day and that helped for a few weeks. Then I had to have a colonoscopy which caused diarreah for 12 days! Then no poop for 8 days. I took stool softeners for three days before I could poop again. Yipes. I look forward to seeing other people's responses so that I can figure out what might work. Sue

restrict2008: You're having a hard time because you don't have restriction yet. Wait until you do have restriction and you get pizza. You'll eat less than one piece and have to stop. I still have one piece every few weeks and it hasn't hurt me. Sometimes if I know I want something that's not a "good" food choice I make sure that I walk to go and get it. It helps with the guilt and then the craving is gone and I've gotten some extra walking in for the day. It takes me about twenty minutes to walk to my favorite frozen yogurt store. So, if I get a sf or ff yogurt I also have a forty minute extra walk on top of the five miles I walk almost daily. Good luck getting restriction. It's such an easier battle then. Sue

Kristin: Wow! You've done a great job. You sure have some great numbers to show for just over 3 months of banding. Congratulations. I know that the exercise helps alot. I'm down 113 as of this morning and I walk 5 miles per day 6 days per week. I just started wearing a watch that is a heart monitor too. I'm kind of nuts about the exercise too. I was afraid I wasn't getting a big enough bang for my buck on the exercise. Found out I wasn't working my heart enough. Now that I know I am doing a bit of jogging while I'm walking, and/or I am walking up and down a big hill where I live. Congratulations again. Your post is inspirational. Sue

kaninag: I've had experience with getting fills and not feeling the complete benefit for up to ten days. So, relax and give your tummy some time to cooperate with the new fill. It may take as many as ten days to feel it. Good luck with finding restriction. Sue

Hi Julie: Please keep me posted on your progress through the PS process. I'm very interested in all of it and hope to be ready for it a year from now, both physically and financially. My guess is I'll be physically ready, but not fiscally. Isn't that what 401k's are for? I'll be broke and attractive and get myself a sugar daddy - LOL! Thanks for sharing the details. Sue

Hi: You might be better off with SF popsicles than fudgsicles because they have alot less calories. If I recall correctly, a SF fudgsicle 40 to 50 calories, a sf popsicle 10 to 15 calories. Don't know on the cheesecake side. I found a great cold treat for the summer. I have an electric ice crushing machine. I crush ice, add crystal light iced tea, or crystal light lemonade, squeeze fresh lemons, and eat it with a spoon. Next to no calories and feels like a treat if you eat it with a spoon. Sue

Angelyco: I have to say that I didn't have any wrinkles before I was banded. Now I have some, but I'll trade a few wrinkles for a few extra chins anytime! Last week I saw my primary care doctor for a physical. The nurse who was doing my bp, etc. said she had to start a new page on my chart. She asked me how old I am. I told her 48 and she said "Wow you look great for 48. I would have guessed almost 40." That was great to hear, so I guess the wrinkles that I see are not that noticable to others yet. You are so young you probably won't have wrinkles, but almost everyone who loses 100+ will have loose skin to deal with. Hope all goes well for you. Sue

Jan 08: So sorry to hear that you're still having trouble. I hope they find out what works better for you. Take care, and keep us posted. Sue

Hi everyone: I'm very excited and proud to let you all know that I'm officially down 100 pounds today. I was banded 7/26/07, and started dieting 4/23/07. I'm down 100 pounds just shy of 9 months. Yippee.....I celebrated by having one piece of toast with Peanut Butter for breakfast! Yeah, I know - no food rewards......ooops. Now I'll get off that cloud and come back down and lose 64 more pounds to get to goal. I'm guessing that will take me another 12 months, but hey it's alot easier to handle being 64 pounds overweight than 164 pounds overweight! Thanks everyone for your support. I'll fix my ticker next week on 6 month bandiversary. Sue

Elkhunter: I lost 38 pounds before banding, but there's a picture 3 days post surgery and after about a hundred pounds on page 76 of the before and afters thread. I see that you just got banded recently. Congratulations and best wishes. It gets alot easier after you get some restriction and can eat solids again. Sue

Dave01: Thanks. I'm going to save up and order by the end of April. I'll make sure I get a helmet too. Let me know how the calorie burning goes. Sue

Thanks for your help. Sue

Dave: I checked it out some more and I am very interested. However, I'm kind of clutzy. Is it difficult to learn how to ride? It looks like great fun. I'm thinking that I could buy it and ride it along the Cape Cod Canal this spring and summer. Please let me know if your average clutzy person would be able to learn to ride it? Thanks. Sue

It seems that the majority of us who have to lose 100+ will have alot of loose skin when we're done. I certainly can tell that I will. Take a look at some of the pictures on the before and after threads. If you can find a picture of jachut in her bathing suit, she looks great and I don't think she had any plastic surgery. Good luck. Sue

Dave: Looks cool! Can you tell me approximate cost to get one? Do you think someone riding one looks like they're DUI? Sue

Songinmysoul: I eat too fast too. I bought some one minute sand/hourglass type timers at unclesgames.com. They're only a few bucks. I got five of them because I need to have one wherever I eat. What I do is take a bite, flip the timer over, and wait until the sand's all at the bottom before I take another bite, then flip again..... Good luck. Sue

Kat: I had "sausage" fingers too. Funny how when the sausages empty out you get lines on your fingers and hands! Lines, not wrinkles .Oh well, still an improvement overall. Keep up the good work. Sue

Josephine: Have you thought to ask the Plastic surgeon where he placed the tubing? Someone once told me that any time you have surgery you should get a copy of the surgeon's written report of the surgery and keep it in your personal files. I just had an xray the other day and I saw where my tubing is. Try to get in to see your lap band doctor. I hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: My surgeon hardly even discusses foods. I'm sure that he does if someone's not losing, but he had us go to nutritional counseling before the band, and he also gave us a list of what we could or couldn't eat pre-band, and post-band (for the first six weeks or so). Now, he says everything in moderation, while trying to make good food choices. I recall after I was a few months in my surgeon had to ask that I was eating enough. So, if you're eating a good variety, and eating three small meals a day, and not more than two Snacks you're probably in good shape. After all, you lost 30 pounds in a month. That will probably slow down alot. Congratulations on those 30 pounds. Sue

4jin: NSV's are what keep me going from day to day. Here are a few I've had recently: I can wrap a normal bath towel around after a shower. My legs don't look like tree trunks anymore. My fingers look long instead of looking like overstuffed sausages. My favorite is that I have collar bones. They showed up about twenty pounds ago! I look forward to reading these posts. It feels good to read others NSV's.

Hi: This subject was brought up at my last lap band support group meeting. The surgeons in my group (two experienced surgeons) recently changed to only using the larger bands. They said that they used to use the smaller bands on most women, and always used the larger band on men. Then, there was a period of about three weeks that they had to switch bands for three people because the small band was too tight before they were even filled. I think they were following the inamed protocal and based on their experience have recently changed to using just the larger bands. They said the larger bands require alot more fills and adjustments for the patients to get restriction, but you can always make a band tighter, but an unfilled band cannot be made looser. I have the small band and I'm glad that I do. I think that if I'd had the ability to eat more I would have. Sue

Saphire: Congratulations. Relax, it's a pretty easy surgery. Take it easy afterwards though because you will be healing. It's all down hill from here, downhill on the scale that is! Take care. Sue