Anwyn

Well, one question would be how much do you have to lose? I'm almost 6 months out from surgery and I'm not even half way to goal yet. But my main concern with the balloon would be maintenance. If you're like me, you've lost weight many times before and it comes right back on. For me, I feel like the band is my first real chance to lose weight and keep it off. You're doing a good thing by researching all of the possibilities. Good luck with your decision!

I had to take Fleet's Phospho Soda the day before. Choking that stuff down was the worst part of the entire procedure.

Congrats! Hopefully this will be the sweet spot for you.

Cindy, I'm sorry that you're having so much trouble - I know how frustrating it can be when you're doing everything right and the scale still isn't moving. When is your next fill scheduled? If you're not full for 3 hours or so after each meal you may need another one. Are you exercising? If not, that could be just the kick in the behind your metabolism needs. Good luck breaking that plateau.

Congrats on jumping through your final hoop! You'll be getting your surgery date soon!

Ruth, I'm sorry to hear that you need a new band. I'm curious from your post... do you mean that you've never had restriction with your band?

Welcome to LBT Nicole. Congrats on your weight loss! msbabytee, it sounds like you're light on Protein. Make sure you're getting in at least 60 grams of protein/day and call your doctor to let him know what's going on.

My surgeon was a very experienced trauma surgeon and he had done many, many RNY's. He explained it like this: In comparison to most surgeries, putting a band on is like clipping a toenail. I was his 15th band and my experience has been great.

I can't top the banana lady shaking her booty in Eilene's post, so I'll just say... Have a great birthday!!

Congratulations!

Everything's haywire for me too. I was on Lisa's yell at your scale thread and when I clicked on page 2 it popped me somewhere else.

I was given 1cc in a 4cc band at my first fill, but my doctor told me that Inamed recommends .5cc. I was glad for the bigger fill at first, but then I had too much restriction and had to have most of it taken out. The problem is, they just don't know what is going to work best for any one person. IMO, it's best to sneak up on the sweet spot slowly so that you don't put extra stress on your stomach.

Every bandster has to decide which rules to follow for themselves because there is an astounding amount of variation in the information that we are given. My doc and nutritionist both said caffeine and alcohol are fine in moderation (thank God!).

:yell: stupid motherf&*%&$# son of a *$&%*&%^ c*^&*%&^*er Thanks! I actually feel a little better...

HeatherGurl, I forgot about the size thing with the Boppy... I actually bought a plus sized one on a website for plus-sized maternity clothes. It was handmade (not from the boppy people) and I loved it. Boppy is missing out on a good chunk of the market share by not producing a bigger one.

Good morning everybody! I'm just sitting down with my Zone bar... I think I like these. Not quite as "bricky" as some others that I've tried. Thanks for the recommendation Cindy. I had a really nice weekend. DD was feeling better and DH was home from his business trip, so yesterday was very relaxing. We hung out at home in the morning and then took a drive out to some property that we're thinking of buying. Speaking of property - Pat, your home is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing a pic with us. Very cool to see it from the air too. I think it's official - I'm on a plateau. I stuck to about 1000 calories yesterday and did an hour workout and my weight was the same this morning. It's been going that way for a few weeks now... and it stinks, lol! I know I just need to stick with it, but I get down when that scale doesn't move. I guess that's pretty normal, eh? This week is a busy one... I'm having the MIL over for dinner tonight. She lives alone so I try to get her over here as much as I can. The stew is already in the crock pot. Is there any greater feeling than having dinner taken care of at 10am? I wish I'd make myself use that thing more... Anyone have any good crock pot recipes? Elaine, good luck finding a new job in your company! I don't blame you for not leaving after 8 years. There can be a lot of benefits with seniority. Does your company make it easy to find open job postings? Keri, you are doing so great with your weight loss. 6 miles on your bike is awesome. I think I'd be limping with a sore booty for weeks if I tried that, lol. I gave in to the chocolate demon yesterday too... Those hershey's kisses with caramel were created by a sadist. My sister warned me not to try those, but would I listen? Sherry, I hope the weather warmed up a little for you. I can handle the cold, but when the wind chill dips below zero it's a little tough to take. I like your idea about switching the oil for applesauce when baking but I'd have to be pretty desperate to eat a cake made with Splenda. Eww! I don't know why, but I've always had trouble eating artificial sweeteners. That's probably why I got fat. You know, that and the bingeing, lol. I hope everybody is having a good day. Beanie, enjoy your extra day off! Does anybody else get a holiday today? HUGS to everyone.

My surgeon only required a sleep study for patients with sleep apnea so I didn't have to have one.

It could definitely be lack of exercise. Exercising releases endorphins. Come to think of it, so does sex. Try both. Is it possible that you have that disorder where lack of sunlight gets you down? It's called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder I think). I don't know where you live, but here in MI we haven't had much sun this past month and it really starts to get to me after a while. Good luck getting rid of the frumps!

Lliana, refried Beans are a mushie not a full liquid (but I agree on the yum part!). I tried a lot of the Bear Creek Soups when I was on full liquids. You have to puree some of them to get rid of any chunks but they're quite good. Try the Potato cheese.

Welcome to LBT! Congrats on getting your band. You'll find so much information and support on this website. It's really been a huge help for me.

That was a very generous, unselfish thing you did. You're a good friend! And won't it be nice having a banded friend to talk to? That said, don't feel obligated to tell everybody just because you told one person. Nothing wrong with taking it case by case. Believe me, when I notice my MIL watching every bite I take, I sometimes regret my decision to tell all.

Cindy, does that mean that at 220lbs I should be drinking 14 - 8 ounce glasses of water a day? Because I think I'd float away! Isn't there some sort of cut off?

I don't have any problems with popcorn either - in fact, I had it tonight.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I've been researching plastic surgery for the hopefully not too distant future and it's great to get a first hand account.

:faint: Oh man, I'm gonna be sore tomorrow... I made it through the whole CD today, but I had to skip 3 songs. I'm stumped about Lisa's song because I was sure it was "Maniac". My guess for Kare's favorite song is "The Fire Inside" by Bob Seger. I did 30 minutes of hill climbing on the treadmill (I can't run. I'd try but then they'd have to carry me off on a stretcher). Then I did the elliptical for 23 minutes followed by 5 minutes of cooldown/stretching. I was on the elliptical with my eyes closed, gasping and singing "Constant Craving" when DH came in. Fortunately, I was too tired to feel like a dork. :biggrin1: