luluc

i too have ankylosing spondylitis, along with crohns - which required me to have my Gastroenterologists clear me prior to surgery (was a concern of my lapband dr). i gave up NSAIDs in order to get the band, and rely on exercise & a muscle relaxer here / there. i will admit, i have had a couple of advils since being banded when the pain was just too much in the neck to lift my head off the pillow & have been in touch w/my lapband dr regarding such. he's not concerned so much with the occassional use - it's the habitual reliance & the uncertainty that it "can" cause erosion. my rheumatologist recommends exercise as the medicine of choice to fight AS - and it's turned out to be true. i feel worse if have little to no activity. my advise - have an upper GI to determine your stomach health. the last thing you'll want is the band put in - only to cause you problems requiring it to be removed (constant fear of mine)....good luck to you. lulu

yesterday~ b- slice WW toast w/cream cheese s- 1 chicken wing l- 1c edamame d- chips & queso - lg margarita:eek:

i personally will Not lose weight unless my calories are over 1000 per day. if your working out - you HAVE to get more calories in to fuel yourself. as crystal mentions - every wk i allow for a treat, be that an extra snack/dessert - chips/queso - another glass of wine here or there...none of it halts the scale, in fact the opposite occurs. and 3 months on a soft diet, seem excessively long before introducing solid food into your diet. my dr after the 4 wks post op diet wants his patients to eat be able to eat solid protein & start encorporating balanced meals of complex carbs/fruits/veggies. i typically eat 3 meals a day plus one snack - avg meal consists of 1cup of food. this is a gauge, some days i eat more - some less. i think you have to play around with your meals (calories & quantity) to determine what will work for you & produce weight loss.

yesterday - b- 2 slices of turkey bacon l- 3oz roasted chicken w/ 1/2c field green salad - tbsp blue cheese dressing s- kashi crunch bar - choc/almond d- 1 chicken wing & 1c edamame - glass of chardonay

really active month! everyone is doing so great! today - all cardio 1 mile run 20min stairmaster 20min elliptical 2 mile run

yesterday - b- 3 slices of turkey bacon l- half fajita steak loaded baked potato d- half cup grilled veggies s- jello pudding cup - chocolate

congrats whosya~~ on the race & XL clothing:tongue: played 18 holes in a golf tourney this AM & am expecting family back this afternoon for BBQ & fireworks. i love golf, but my putting game is for the birds. i have a psycho competitive family so i'm sure bocce' ball & Water volley ball is on tap the rest of the day,..... happy holiday~

i can take RR in doses - she can be a bit much, at times & it's not her voice for me...i have a bit of raspy NY accent voice going on, living in TX now & get a second glance every now and then. my favorite is the brit Nigella "feasts". i love how she talks about food and entertaining - her dishes sound overly exotic, but end up being reasonably easy to make...maybe it's "her accent":rolleyes:..LOL

i do the SAME thing & have since the begining. first goal, get out of the 190's, then 180's & so forth. my dr suggested that getting to 140lbs should be something i shoot for - but i'm pretty short (barely 5'1) & thought 125 was a reasonable & attainable goal. the closer i got to 125, i realized i can take that down some more....but i think that's something you can assess as time goes on. good luck all~

yesterday - b- ensure meal replacement - chocolate l- 4oz cottage cheese d- half fajita steak loaded baked potato

i've been living in TX for almost 15yrs now - 3 of those on a ranch outside of dallas. as a girl growing up on long island - guns were something seen on TV; have a hippie mom and they just weren't allowed as toys for my brothers. fast forward - i currently have a CHL in the state of TX. my husband is a hunter & we are respectful and lawful, taking gun safety serious. our gun safes are bolted into our concrete slab floors - each gun in it's own case inside...minus a shotgun handy at all times, you'd never know how many we owned. we also keep our liscenses current & hit the range as sport. all that said - , joe horn was wrong in my opinion, property does not equate life. in TX, as plain describes - the law does allow though for such deadly force. i have never had to use a gun other than to try to pick off a coyote here and there from messing w/my livestock - i tend to rely on my dogs as protection - but when you have a bunch of Labs, you best be able to have a good shot if needed....they'll be rolling over for a belly rub from an intruder, should one happen upon your place.

taking the day off - have dry socket from wisdom teeth removal last wk & have to have them flushed...ugh tomorrow have a golf tourney - have a good 4th all~~~

thank goodness for smoothie factory~ yesterday - b- mango smoothie (extra protein) l- 1/2c mash potatos w/gravy d- mango smoothie (extra protein) s- small chocolate malt - sonic...

you are not sick, and if you are, so am i. the minute i wrote the check for my lapband, i hired a trainer - took a healthy cooking class - GOT lasik & am in the process of getting veneers. i thankfully don't "need" plastic surgery at the moment for any loose skin issues - but i'd like some eye work done in the future & won't hesitate to do so. i spent my 20's & early 30's as a "road warrior" sales person. different city / different time zone - all i had time for was to "unpack a suitcase" on friday & replenish sunday evening. it's my time now & i plan on being SO selfish - to the annoyance of some...but DH just smiles along with me, knowing all the sacrifices i made in the past & appreciative i'm taking care of myself now.....

i can totally relate~ had all 4 impacted wisdom teeth plus a compromised molar pulled last thursday and STILL can't eat - still have pain & can't help but look like marlon brando's twin sister. my face is now a lovely shade of yellow bruising & i'm trying not to rely on pain meds, but after working out the last 2 days - by mid afternoon my mouth is throbbing.... so i agree, not much worse than tooth pain, hope you get relief soon!!

TXBecky so glad you joined ... today - hubby is on vacation , so dragged him to my wkly conditioning class w/baylor football players @ 5am. i LOVED i kicked his ass in the sprint drills - i will keep doing the happy dance in his face all DAY long.....cause i can:tongue: so the class was 90mins - all cardio & ab training...lots of stadium stairs/ladder drills/ & hurdle jumps. will drag my horse out tonight for a long ride - been a few days & he misses the trott.

I do see where your coming from....but, Who would then set the limits? The Insurance companies? The AMA? The Government? The mere fact this discussion/debate is taking place on a WLS forum – it’s no wonder the Insurance companies, that put many of us through the ringer – laugh all the way to the bank. We’re supposed to be their customers, and if one has to use their cash stash to pay for the advancement of health, because the Ins company that collects “our fees” can arbitrarily decide who can / cannot have Lap Band .. who does that hurt? This OP has 200lbs to loose – why on earth should she be on a 6 month diet. That’s just plain cruel in my opinion. I would assume that ethical standards come into play with WLS/PS surgeons, and as consumers’ we have the choice in elective surgery to find one that suits our individual needs = meets our criteria. So long as I have cash – and my Insurance wants to play judge & jury w/my body and my aesthetics, I will spend away, can’t take it with me….but in the mean time I will kick obesity to the curb and keep mother nature at bay.

i think so. as mentioned by the previous poster, i no longer fixate on what i'm going to have for my next meal, what time that meal will take place & where. 9 months out, i don't have any foods that give me a problem - i take my time, enjoy every meal - actually TASTE the food rather than inhale it. i think once you start loosing weight, your more apt to make better food choices in general....i pretty much lost all my salty carb cravings by month 4 & now those foods just have no appeal. good luck to you!

wisdom teeth pain still - not hungry yesterday - b- mango smoothie l- 1/2c pasta w/marinara d- ice pop - grape

~~Join In~~ I'm in for 5 days - 2 with trainer 3 w/out Sunday Morning Soccer Game **men's over 40 league**

today - morning yoga class & plan on a evening walk w/my neighbor tonight...

have to go back to DH's family - fried blood. the marrow on a roast/chop - the blood that drips off - that sucker is fried and fought after. me, i've had bulls balls - didn't know at the times; kinda gamey.

georgia girl - is this a packaged product or home made? thanks,

i am so ready for a salad!!! my chipmunk cheeks won't let me chew chew chew just yet:frown: yesterday - b- 4oz cottage cheese l- tamale' & a few bites of refried beans d- ice pop - cherry

hey ya'll - just wanted to wish those starting this program all the best!!! i had a LOVE/HATE relationship w/the podcast man - this was, along with the band the best motivator ever! cheers!