Dianechef

THANK YOU!! I love these. I am making the BBQ Chicken recipe tonight. It sounds yummy. Thanks for sharing NJchick!!! :scared:

CONGRATULATIONS CARRIE!!! I am so thrilled for you. I am only 27 lbs. away from goal & I totally know how you're feeling. We can do this!! I am eagerly waiting to see those pictures you're going to post!! :confused:

I drink a diet coke straight from my husbands can!! I can only tolerate a few sips. I've never felt any pain, it just makes me burp A LOT & is uncomfortable. But, the few sips I get in totally satisfy my little craving.

Hmmm... I was going to agree with your husband about #2. :girl_hug: But, now that I see the pictures from last year I'm thinkin' you might need to scratch them all & dig some more. They all look like they're wearing nice, kinda dressy stuff. Anything else you can show us?!?!? Added in later: After thinking about it a bit, I thought that maybe you shouldn't try to be like the rest of them all!! BE YOURSELF! You are HOT & should wear whatever you feel shows off your best self. Even if it's totally different then what everone else is wearing......oh well!! Maybe the guys will go for your style better!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck!! We're crossing our fingerst that you WIN!!!!!! :clap2:

Go Heather!! 40 lbs. before December isn't that much!! That's about 6 lbs a month. 1.5 lbs. a week. That's right on track & very do-able!!! No more complaining. JUST DO IT!! (Talking to myself here!!!!) I got my big tall glass of Water next to me & I'm going on Fit Day to plan out my days menu. WE CAN DO THIS HEATHER!!!! :biggrin1:

Oh my goodness! I forgot to say Alove Vera Juice!! Kathy (the best me) told me all about Aloe Vera Juice & I drink it all the time when I'm tight. It usually won't go down right away but it helps with the irritation in your throat & esophagus. Just like Kathy said!!!!!!

I'm the expert!! It happens to me EVERY month!! I have a heating "bag" that I use constantly. (The kind that you heat up in the microwave.) I sit that right on my stomach & then drink anything I can that's warm & clear. Sometimes it's just a tiny, tiny sip - but eventually it will open up so I can atleast get Water down. I'm sure your over it by now, but maybe this will work for next time.

Hey Mary - WAY TO GO!!! 93 lbs is a lot of weight. I'm so proud of you!! Post MORE pictures! You are lookin' so good!! Isn't life so much more fun when your thin?!?!?!?!? :biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1: GO MARY!! GO MARY!!

pplqueen -I loved what your doctor said about half of the people never get a fill & don't lose any weight. I am SURE that they messed up the statistics!! :girl_hug: That makes me feel so much better!! Linds - I have a feeling that there are a lot of people who are in our situation & it really sucks doesn't it? I can't imagine gaining back 70 lbs & I totally feel for you!!! :tired It's crazy that we know everything we should be doing, but she just don't do it!! I could teach a class on weight loss. I am an expert on it!! I just can't seem to apply all it of it to me. You can do it Linds. WE BOTH CAN!! Time to kick some butt here. I think I have made a big turn around for the better!! Over the July 4th Holiday, I did a lot of thinking. I am very good at earning rewards when I know there's something to win. So, I am going to motivate myself to lose those last 30 lbs!!! I posted this on my rewards thread, but I'll post it here too!! I had all my nails & everything taken off this weekend. I love getting manicures & pedicures because they make me feel so pretty!! Well, they are gone!! And, I won't be treating myself to ANYTHING until these last 30 lbs. are GONE!! Once I hit 170, I will be treating myself to an ALL DAY SPA TREATMENT!! There will be 10 things I will be indulging in that day & when I walk out of there, I am going to be HOT!! And, I'll have my pretty nails back. This has really lit a fire under my butt!!!!!! I am back on track & doing so good. For 3 days now, I haven't eaten any sugar, drank all my Water, ate good bandster foods AND I'm buying a treadmill this week. I AM GOING TO DO THIS!!!! :girl_hug: Thank you all for your comments & help. It really does make a difference when you know there's people just like you who are struggling right along with you. Next time I'll post it will be an update on my wonderful progess!! NO MORE COMPLAINING!!! I REALLY want my nails back on!! :phanvan

Does anyone know of a cookbook that only has band friendly foods? If not, will somebody please write one?!?!? I know how to cook. I know how to eat. But I have a hard time finding recipes that are easy for me to eat with the band. It takes me so long to look through my cookbooks just to find a recipe I can actually EAT!! I end up eating the same things over & over again. The food needs to be high in Protein, have lots of veggies, no mushy stuff that goes right through. No high calorie stuff. No high fat stuff. No carbonation. Does anyone else go through my delimma at dinner time?! :help:

I've had my band for a year now & I am really leaning towards La Madam's theory. I'm not sure there is a Sweet Spot. I have not found it & I've been over-filled, under-filled & everything in between. I lost the weight from hard work!! The band DOES help me to feel fuller faster, but I never really found a spot that helped me stop eating. I still felt hungry & wanted to eat. My weight loss has been slow & steady & I am thrilled with it. However, I gave up finding the sweet spot. This band is my buddy & when we work TOGETHER, I really do much better. :grouphug: Not sure I helped or not, but thought I'd give you my 2 cents.

Hi Clady! Did you do some research on Dr. Lopez? If so, what did you find out? I noticed that you haven't received very many responses on here & I think it's because there were some negative things said about Dr. Lopez in the past. I don't have any experiance with him at all & can't tell you a thing. I am a firm believer in listening to FACTS & real personal stories. I am guessing that everyone here isn't giving a lot of response because they are hoping you look up some info. on your own & find out what you need to know. He may very well be a fabulous doctor!! Let us know what you find out! :grouphug:

Wow Christy!! That's in one pot of soup?! That is AWESOME!! Thanks for adding that up for us. :grouphug: Here's what I'm doing with the soup. I've added in a can of black beans. (drained first!) Black beans are high in protein & very good for you. It is YUMMY!! My husband said it makes the soup taste better. :eek: It helps me get more protein in for the day. I am not following the full soup diet right now. My band is a little too weird with fruits & meats. I kept PBing & then had to go on liquids for a while. (It's just me. Don't worry, that may not be a problem for you!!) But, I eat this soup for lunch just about every day & anytime I am hungry. I am going to lose these last 30 lbs. & FINALLY hit goal. This soup is going to get me there!! I love this soup!

I made up my ultimate plan this weekend & I think it's going to work!!!!!! I have been getting my fingernails & toe nails done professionally for years. I feel ugly without them!!! Well, this weekend I had them all taken off. My toes look bare & my fingers are little stubs! I won't be getting any nails done, eyebrows waxed, massages.......NADA!!!.....until I reach my weight loss goal. The faster I reach my goal, the sooner I get to enjoy my DAY AT THE SPA & get pampered to high heaven. Here's what my SPA DAY will include: Egyptian Secret Exclusive Pyramid Retreat Hydro Rose Petal Bath with jasmine oil Parafango Body Treatment Hot Rock Massage Milk and Honey Facial Catered Spa lunch Spa Manicure Spa Pedicure Aromatherapy Treatment Shampoo, Cut and Style Two Dozen Multicolor Roses in a Vase The ultimate gift in luxury and indulgence to relax, restore, rejuvenate and pamper. When this day is over, I am going to look so HOT!! My new goal is 170! Today I weighed myself at 199. So I have about 30 lbs. to get there! My goal is 10 lbs. a month. Just thinking about my SPA DAY really motivates me. I want my pretty nails back. :phanvan I CAN DO THIS!!!!!! :woot: :Banane21: :Banane42: :Banane10: :Banane02: :eek: :grouphug: :Banane20:

I WANT WHAT YOU GOT!!!!!! I've had the band for almost a year & have NEVER felt that way. I WANT to eat all the time. The thought of what I should or shouldn't be eating is constantly on my mind. It annoys me! I want to be free of food & the thought of food!!! So, what do you guys think you're doing that helps this? Do you have tight fills? Did this come on gradually or have you felt this immediatly after banding? I am so jealous....

I would love more info too! Did they find out why she couldn't eat or drink? Did the band slip? Please explain.

Hey Funny, what happened to your beautiful avatar? I loved that picture of you. You have perfect skin, hair & smile. LOVE IT!!

Niche - how's the low carb diet going? I saw that you ate pork chop. Are you able to get that down okay? I'm very curious to see if this really is sucessful.

I have been reading on YahooBandsters & came across this diet that a Dr. tells all his patients to follow & apparently he has a very good success rate. I thought it was interesting. Dr. Foxkin's High Protein Diet for Gastric Banding patients. It is based on a baseball diamond working together. Home plate- is getting banded and then working on getting proper adjustment. First Base- Use an appetite suppressant to relieve hunger and carbohydrate cravings. Use Phentermine or Phendimetrazine. For a month worth it was $23 self-pay. Second Base - It is a high protein/almost no carb diet. He describes it as Atkins minus the salads. He recommends patients stay on the diet until they reach goal weight, which usually takes only 9-12 months. No milk, avoid fruits, veggies, and grains. Be careful of hidden carbs in sauces or breaded products. (Anyone who is commited to a high protein diet has to follow these rules to the letter. It takes 2 to 3 days for the body to switch to fat burning. Consume a lil' carbs and you are back to a glucose burning metabolism and can lose the effect of the 2 or 3 days of fat burning. If you eat good during the week and eat normal on weekends say bye-bye to the drastic results. You can use something like Keto-stics to make sure ketones are present in your urine.) Third Base -Exercise intervention on a daily basis. They recommend Curves, Curves look-alikes, or anything aerobic done for at least 30 minutes per day. No matter what level you are at it is important to just start moving even seated exercise videos can be a great place to start. Using all the above together the next step is Home plate! Home plate - Is reaching your goal. He considers a Home Run getting to a size 9 or smaller for women. (He is known for liking his patients very skinny. He wanted me to shoot for a size 6 but I haven't been that since third grade. I was very happy at a 10/12 when I lost to goal before but we agreed I'd shoot for a size 9. Hell I'd love to get to a 9 or smaller but I don't want to set myself up for disappointment.) He says most patients will lose at least 15 lbs a month with the band adjusted right and following the Foxkin plan. He says even non-bandsters have good luck with it. He also recommends maintaining adequate protein, Vitamin and mineral levels for optimum weight loss -90 or 120 grams protein supplement (unless your doctor thinks you need more) -Vitamin and mineral supplement like the pink bottle from Vita4Life. Although he thought the GNC orange liquid multi-vitamin and mineral supplement (I think I'm going to use the orange Centrum chewables next) -Calcium Citrate 3500-4500mg

My reward has been decided!! Although I really would like the BBQ in Figi, my husband said we'd have to save that one for later; when he becomes a millionare. ROFL!!!!!! I am going with my original idea of an all-day spa treatment. My husband helped me decide when he told me I was very worth the $500 we would be spending. Don't ya just love him?!?!?!?!?

Double post. Sorry!!

Anybody try this cookbook? Any good? Are the recipes easy?

Carlene - The place we stayed at was called the Moon Palace. It was a trip I earned through The Pampered Chef so I don't have a clue how much it cost. I DO remember the yummy guacamole that they had available through out the entire place. And....uh, did I mention the jacuzzi in the room?!?! NICE. I'll attach a picture. Josette - I LOVE that hotel. (Okay, I've never actually been there, but I'd like too!!) It's the same hotel that was featured in the movie "Somewhere in Time". I used to watch that movie over & over. Elyse McKenna was the woman played by Jane Seymour & I liked it so much that I named my daughter McKenna Elyse.

I did my research by finding the most experienced lapband doctors. The Mexico doctors had done far more then any doctors I had found in my state. (I'm from AZ.) I narrowed it down to Dr. Ortiz or Rumbaut & because Dr. Ortiz was a reasonable driving distance I went with him. To me, the experience was waaaay more important then the price. I loved Dr. Ortiz & would highly reccomend him. I had never been in Mexico until this surgery & was pleasantly surprised to find that all the horror stories where really just stories. At least, I never encountered anything scary at all!! Good luck to you!

Wow Josephine!! What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am so happy you posted it here. I personally need to hear positive stories like yours to keep me going!! THANK YOU!!