hollyberries

I have had one fill and the second is this week. Can't wait until I get it though want some type of restrictions. On the brighter side, I have lost 10lbs. in 5 weeks. Cindy

TxArcher................360........................346..........345... .1 Shortgal...................198........................192.6.......192. ....1/2 (now I'm aiming for 191) Trixie...................264.......248..........244.....4 tyman311...........168.......161..........150.....11 Shalee04............218........208.........206......2 Steph...............203.5......188.5......188.5....0 hungry..............227.5......218.........215.5...2.5 Longhorn............211........205.........199.....6 plump_princess........237..............228................227........1 Momto1plus1.............241.......................235................. ...6(229) ellbrookes 191......181.......175........6 want2lose.............236.8.............229.8............225.........4 .8 Hollyberries...........298...............289...............285..........4 Back from PA and down 1lb. Woo-Hoo! Can't wait for my 2nd fill on Wed. I could use a little. Looks like everyone is doing good. Keep it up.

Shortgal- We were in PA. I own a Country Home Decor and gift shop. We head to PA for all the primitive goodies I can get my grubby little hands on. Take a look at my website..I have pictures of the store. Hollyberries Country Gifts I am opening a 2nd store on the 19th of this month. Gotta tell you I am very tired right now as I just got back. Of course I had to check in to catch up on this weeks happenings. Hang in there! You are doing great. Can't wait for my next fill on the 6th. Cindy

Craig- Great job, Man! You should be very proud of yourself. Missed being on the board while I was in PA. Don't know if I gained or lost while I was gone. I am going to weigh in tomorrow. Gotta tell you that I worked my tail off in PA. We were buying and loading a 16' truck with all the goodies. Before going on the trip I had to buy some pants. Well, I was down 4 sizes and this size won't last long because they are already getting big. Yeah! Lots of NSV moments for all. Cindy

Well, since I have only had one fill I am no expert but I have got to admit that what I am feeling must be restriction. Now mind you, I have no idea what kind of band I have. I did ask Dr. Lautz what size and he said a 10. Not sure what that means but he proceeded to put 1cc in my band. Anyone that might have a clue as to what band size I have let me in on the secret. I am going to ask at my next appointment as I feel stupid for not knowing. My first fill was 1/3/08 and this past week I have been very full after eating. I have not felt hunger between meals except if I waited to long to eat but for the most part it has been about 5 hours between meals and no Snacks in between. The last few days I have been cutting my portions down because I don't like the overstuffed feeling. I am eating fine but full. So my guess is that I have restriction. I do know that it will be short lived but I was wondering how many of you Nymphs are experiencing some restriction after your first few fills. Cindy

Great advice! Love the game you play to be the slowest eater at the table. Now...I just wish I had restriction like all you people. Dang it! I have to wait a whole nother week....Not to mention I am on a business trip and not many good choices. I have done very well and have had only 3 meals and Snacks if I needed to but for the most part I have split all the meals in half and taken them back to my room. Thanks goodness for a microwave because we have saved a whole lot of money on our meals. I am a cheap date now. Keep up the great work everyone!

Here you go you losers! LOL Hope everyone is having a good week! Name.......................Start.....................Current................To Go

Actually, I am not sure but when I made my last appointment I was told that Dr. Lautz would be going to Faulkner to do surgeries. I haven't gone to the Faulkner for an appointment. I enjoyed Dr. Vernon's seminar. However, I had it my mind to go with Dr. Lautz. I love him; he is really quiet but knows what he is doing. I love love love my band. I go for my 2nd fill on 2/6/08. I can't wait; really need it. My weight has been going down slowly. Best wishes! Cindy

I guess alot! LOL! I was in a rush when I did it. Thanks for helping out. I can never remember what format it is in. Thanks, Cindy

Name.......................Start.....................Current.......... ......To Go 1. TxArcher..................360.......................353............... ......8 2. Momto1plus1.............241.......................237................. ....8(229) 3. Hungryforchange......227.5....................219.5..................4 .5 (total lost 8 pounds) 4. Steph....................203.5.....................192.5.............. ....4 (188.5 goal) 5. shortgal..................198.......................194............... ......2 6. Hollyberries..............298.......................291......................6 (lost 7lbs.)

Steph! YOU ROCK! Ahhh! Restriction..how I miss it. Cindy

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! Here is to some great scale victories!:smile: Name.................Start..................Current.................Goal

food for today was much much better than the last two binge days. Breakfast: Weight Control Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Lunch: 3oz. of taco meat, 1oz. of Fiesta Cheddar cheese, 1.5 cups of salad greens 1/4 cup of Salsa sauce, 9 All-Bran Crackers dipped in some Herb & Garlic dip made with sour cream. Snack: 13 almonds Dinner: Nutrisystem spinach ravioli and 1/2 cup of canned spinach Water: 24 oz of pure Water and 24oz of K2O Protein Water If hungry later, I may have a some pudding dessert from Football party. I need to get in about another 200 calories. I was only at 1000 today. Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Cindy

Shortgal! Don't get discouraged this is just a season right now. You will begin will get there just be patient. I know that is harder said than done but are you worth the wait. I think so and you will get restriction it is just so hard right now because it is a game until they find the right level. The Band will work once you hit the sweet spot. You are eating fine and if you are hungry just eat. You are making great choices so eat. I am doing the same thing. If you don't mind a suggestion. One thing that I have found that has helped me a lot is drinking K2O Protein Water. I put it in my water and it Ice Tea flavored. It contains 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of Fiber and it does help in between meals. Another thing that might help is drinking a Protein shake as a snack. I use Body Fortress whey Protein chocolate and mix with 1 cup of 1% milk and 1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter and 4 ice cubes and blend in my blender. It makes a thick shake that tastes good and packs 20 grams of protein. Now, it does have 200+ calories but it may help get your through a tough spot. I hope that you will feel better because I know that you can do this. Have confidence in yourself and the great successes that you have already made. If you need shoulder we are here. Keep the chin up! Cindy

I confess that I am human and I madder than hell that I gave into temptation yesterday and today. Today, I had a buying trip and we ate at Burger King for Breakfast (left house at 6:00). I got the sausage egg & cheese croissant. I didn't eat all the croissant because was going down a little hard. lunch was out as well because we were still on the road. I had the inside of a Greek salad roll up and some butternut squash. I also drank a K2O Ice Tea. Got home to all the dang Snacks leftover from the football party at my house last night and ate a bunch of peanuts, popcorn and 3 chocolate chip Cookies. Right now my stomach hurts and I feel like crap. Bad bad bad Bandster Girl needs a spanking. As I state above, can't get the head to catch up the band mindset. Yikes! Tomorrow is another day and I am truly looking forward to drinking my shakes for a couple of meals just to clean the body out of all the junk that I ate yesterday and today. Cindy

Shortgal- I am with you in the restriction department. I have been a very bad bandster yesterday and today. I had a big football party at my house last night. I made all kinds of junk for the party and I ate a little of everything. Well, I still have it in the house today and had a hard resisting. Dang it. The mind can't catch up with the band. I hate old eating habits creeping in. I feel like crap tonight and I gained 2lbs. from eating yesterday. How the heck can someone gain 2lbs overnight. I am clueless. Restriction will come. I don't have my next fill until 2/6/08...I hope I can make it on will power. Problem is I am going to a business trip next week and I will be eating off schedule. Any ideas about traveling and eating. I could use it. Cindy

OK Nymphs lets get motivated. Lets do a weight loss challenge just for us. Just list your information like this in this thread. name ............. starting# ....... current#.........goal#.......togo# Hollyberries.........298........... 298.................. 285.......... 13 Good Luck Everyone...let the race begin. Cindy

Hope everyone is having a great evening! Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 slice of cheese & 1 slice of light oat bran bread & 1/2 orange Lunch: NutriSystem Rotini & Meatballs, 1 tbsp grated cheese & 1/2 cup of brussel sprouts. Snack: 9 All-Bran Crackers, 1 oz lean deli ham & 1/2 orange Dinner: 3oz of Meatloaf, 1/2 cup of GG Nibblets corn & 1/2 cup of broccoli & 1/4 cup of brown gravy. I was a little hungrier today so need a snack between lunch & dinner. Cindy

Hey Fellow Massachusetts Bandsters! I live on the South Shore and had my surgery at Brigham & Women's under Dr. Lautz. I love my doctor and his staff; it is very busy though. I had surgery on 11/6/07 and had my first fill on 1/3/08. I have lost 65lbs. but am heavier than most so that is why I am losing as quickly. Started at 358lbs and am at 293. I love the band but it has a mind of its own. I know that I am ready for another fill because I am getting more hungry in between meals. I had pretty good restriction right after surgery and is the reason I have lost so much but I have slowed down. I lost 1lb this week. I will take it because the scale is going down. Today will be tough because we are having a Football party for the AFC Championship game and the house is loaded with bad choices but I didn't do this journey to never eat bad stuff what is good is that you can have it in smaller portions and jump right back into your routine. The band is good for getting back on track for sure. Would love to keep reading about us successful Massachusetts Bandsters! Cindy

Longhorn.. How was you week back. Are you tired? Hope you had a good week back at school. Cindy

Good post Shortgal! I live in Southeaster Massachusetts just 10 miles from Cape Cod. I have 3 boys ages 14, 13 & 10 and am married to great guy my best friend. I am 40 years old (just had a birthday last Saturday). I homeschool my boys so that is why I am on the computer all the time. My husband and I own two Country Stores in Middleboro and Kingston Massachusetts called Hollyberries Country Gifts. You can check our website at Hollyberries Country Gifts. As you might be able to tell we are super busy all the time with running two businesses and homeschooling our children but with God's grace we get it done. I chose to homeschool the boys after my oldest son was diagnosed with ADD. He was struggling at the private school we had him in and when he was in the third grade we decided he needed the one on one attention that he would not be able to get in a school environment. He is doing super in the homeschool setting because he can go at his pace. I am not against school just needed to do something that was right for him and didn't want him to get lost in the school system. By the way, he wants to be a professional baseball player and is planning to go to college. My youngest son was born with a birth defect; bi-lateral cleft lip and palate. He has gone through numerous surgeries for repairing it and will have several more before he is completely done. Just this past week he had some work done on his gum line. They had to rebuild it by taking bone from his hip. He is a trooper and did very well. I think the surgeries are harder on the parent than the child sometimes. The worry! The Band...why did I choose it. Well, the straw that broke the camels back was it. I had hit an all time high of 358lbs. and knew that I needed to find something that would nip my weightloss in the bud before I was 400lbs. I can lose weight but can never keep it off because I always revert to eating large quantities. My problem isn't sweets it is the endless pit inside that doesn't know the sign to stop eating when I am satisfied. I was always the last person leaving the table because I was still eating 2nd's and sometimes 3rd's. I was so glad that I found out about the Band and researched it and decided that this was the option for me. What better way to combat overeating if you had a tool that would do such a thing. I was always the big girl but I wasn't going to eat myself into the grave. I remember meeting with the surgeon the first time and he asked why I wanted the Band? I told him to look at me...I am freakin' fat. I didn't have anything wrong with me just that I was fat and needed to lose the weight if I intended to live to be 80. Best decision of the my life...it's fickle but I still like the fact that I am the last one eating because I am chew chew chewing and on only 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food. Who knew! By the way, my doc who is usually more for RNY said I was a great candidate for the Band and didn't even try to talk me into RNY. Well enough about me...I want to read more about you all. Cindy

Hey Shortgal...how is your hunger in between meals? I find that I eat about 1 1/2 cups of food at my meals. If I am getting hungry between meals consistently than I know it is time for a fill. I am scheduled for my next fill on 2/6. I am beginning to feel hungry between meals so this is a clue that it will be time. Don't worry though we will reach the sweet spot and forget all about this hell. Cindy

Don't feel guilty! You need to eat if you are hungry and working out makes a huge difference in how much you need to eat. Your muscles need the energy to recover. Besides that is not a lot. What does it work out to in calories? You might be surprised. Have you tracked your calorie loss after exercise? For example, if I have done the treadmill for 30 minutes at a medium incline I might burn off 375 calories. So if you are only taking in 1200 calories per day you actually burn off 375 for net intake of 825 and that doesn't take into consideration the fact we burn calories just typing on the computer. You are doing just great! Keep up the great job!

Holy smoke Kristin...how the heck do you get in all that water. I struggle for 6. Yikes! Don't you just love the Weight Control Quaker Oatmeal. I usually try to go with eggs for Breakfast but have found that this oatmeal has staying power. hmmmmm, I might have that for lunch! Cindy

I knew something must be good when you were very excited to post your success. Doesn't it help us to have great success. You can do it! How is your restriction? I hope it takes you another week. Cindy