ReneBean

Yeah, they "lost" mine the first time, too. Keep on top of them. Good Luck!

I make my own Protein Water using New Whey Orange flavor and Propel 1 tube New Whey (42 grams protein) - Orange flavor 1 bottle propel Mandaring Orange or Mango flavor Mix in 1 liter bottle - add filtered tap water to fill the liter out. 196 calories for 42 grams of protein with the added Vitamins from the propel. The flavor is very NON-nauseating. A nice light orange. I get the protein at DPS Nutrition website. http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_item_ID132.htm Please note - I don't work for, or own stock in DPS Nutrition or New Whey/IDS, or Propel. I just like this liquid Protein and have been quite happy to have no hair loss, nor any other band related problems. Good Luck!

Howdy! My phantom signal is hot right now, so I thought I would check in. I went to my counselling session and as I thought, I have the credits I need for both English & Spanish certification... but if I start in Spanish and don't pass the test - I have to start over in English... So, I will start out getting certified in English - and then go back for Spanish later, after I have had several Spanish classes and gotten comfortable/fluent in the language, again. I took the whole day off today, so DH and I have been out tooling around. We had to get some stuff to re-stock our fridge, now that it is blessedly cold again. Plus, we now have two freezers - so we stocked up on Hamburger. We get it from the World food Market in Plano. It's Halal - which works for SIL & BIL and it is actually much tastier than the hamburger we get elsewhere. We hit Sam's Club, too. It was the most beautiful day imaginable, here. Sunny, warm - but not hot - PERFECT for a day off. Now, the sun is setting and I am sitting in my garden room with a cat on the arm of my chair. *sigh* Now, if I were just independently wealthy, I could enjoy this every day... :] Happy Birthday, Sherry!! I hope you have had a fantastic day! Cindy - That worry about damaging their little psyches by marking the errors is one of my big worries. I am going to have a hard time with that one... but we shall see. Glad your little jockette is doing so well! Betty - Hugs! Sorry you had to go to work, today! It was an awesome day to have off. Kat - Sorry about the weird relatives. I guess some people just HAVE to compete to make life worth living. What a low blow to say that your SIL is feminine and attractive - implying that you aren't. Can you say "Beaches" Sure you can. Don't let them get you down. Remember - bodies can be altered, but crappy personalities are forever. HUGS! Darcy - Hope you are having a great day! Mandy - Hi! What's goin' on in your neck o' the woods? Well - I have to go help DH put away the meat he is divvying up into small packages for the freezer. Love you guys!

Hi Natalee! You are so lucky! You get to have a band while you are still YOUNG. Good Luck with the Insurance company. I hope you get an easy approval, soon. :]

Keep in mind that most people here are going to give you positive responses. If you ask this question at a board for another type of surgery, you will get overwhelming negative responses. So, you are getting a biased answer... I will provide my biased answer: I love my band! I don't really "feel" it on a moment-by-moment basis. You can feel it when you are eating - but not really any other time, once the initial healing is done. I am not sure what after-affects you are worried about - but I can tell you that even the most minor ones (the productive burp/PB) are extremely rare for me. I have had ONE PB in 14 months... and it was entirely my own fault. Gas can be a problem - but it is less so over time. After over a year, I don't have any more gas than anybody else. My stomach makes more growlie noises - because I am not full from top to bottom with food anymore... so anytime food moves through the system, it makes noise. There are potential risks - erosion, slippage, esaphogus problems - but those are very rare. Perhaps the people around you are confusing the LapBand with a different type of surgery. The other options each come with it's own set of possible complications - all of them more severe than the standard band problems. I have lost 44 lbs since my surgery date - with so little effort that it hardly bears mentioning. I have NOT been a gym nazi, a carb nazi or any other kind of nazi... I have just eaten mostly all that I wanted and occassionally made it to the gym. Now, when I DO make the effort - eat low carb & exercise - I lose at a remarkably steady pace. Approx. 1/3rd pound per day. So, with the band, you get a very low-risk surgery with low impact on daily life - and you get the loss in relation to the efforts that you make. I love my band. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

1) band holds 4cc + the tubing for your port will hold more - maybe as much as 3-4 ccs 2) YES - you still need to drink lots of Water. Water is required for your body to burn fat. Sometimes JUST drinking enough water in combination with your reduced intake will be what you need to start losing again. 3) Be sure to eat solid foods. Solid Proteins like chicken or beef will satisfy you sooner than yogurt or cottage cheese - which just slide on through. This is particularly important at night - when most bandsters have the least restriction. 4) Chewing, particularly solid proteins, is the most important thing you can do. Count the chews, if you can't figure it out on your own. 30x is considered enough. 5) If it's CRUNCHY it is not your friend. Things like cheetos or crackers - when chewed - turn to a lovely liquid/mushy form and slide right past the band. If you want crunch - eat a vegatable. Sadly, the band is not a cure-all. Some correct choices will be required. You don't have to be a saint - but you need to be making good choices the bulk of the time in order to lose weight. I urge, even BEG you - do NOT assume that "I am not losing" = "I need a fill." There are numerous hazards with having too much restriction. Sometimes "I am not losing" means you need to make different or better food choices, you need to get more exercise, or you need to drink more water. While the Band makes it easier, you still have to diet to lose weight. You may not have to SUFFER, but you still have to eat good, wholesome food in small quantity and burn more calories than you take in. Good Luck and Happy Band Trails to All.

In a sense, she is probably right - we SHOULD all get our heads screwed on straight before we start... but DANG, I might be 100 yrs old before I could get my head straight! :]

I know we have had several successful babies after banding and the mommies had lots less trouble losing the "baby weight". The beauty of the band is that if you find yourself pregnant, you can just get an unfill and it will be almost like you don't have the band, at all. No malabsorption issues - so no problem with getting all the nutrition that baby needs... It's all good. Until you get restriction - which usually takes 2-3 fills - you will hardly notice the band, at all. The only thing you have to remember is to chew your food well, from the start. Don't let the 1% get you down. Hugs!!!

Yep - once should be sufficient. I spent an hour or so talking to my guy and then he gave me some standard psych eval test. One visit - 3 hours - done. Find another doc. :]

Another day, another 25 cents... Let's see. My scale is still tweaking - so I have no idea what I really weigh. That's scary... There is literally nothing on the calendar for today... unless work miraculously appears, I will be studying the evil Algebra. Tomorrow, I have my first counselling session with the teacher program people at Collin County Community College. We are going to review my transcripts to see what, exactly, I can qualify to teach. I may need to take remedial reading or something. :biggrin1: Deb - glad to hear work was ok. I am thinking too much beats none, at least it does for me, right now. Darcy - that little sucker died within minutes! I have always been that way about bugs. You leave me alone, you live. You mess with me, you are one dead insect. Mandy - laid back is always my preference. I know people who plan every second of their "free" time. Sort of defeats the purpose, if you ask me. I hope we get to meet some of your local band buddies, here. :] Betty - The bite is miraculously ok, today. I have had bad reactions to wasp stings in the past - but since I have had this lovely poison ivy, I happened to have some antihistamine cream standing by - so I put it right on the sting and today it's all ok. Just a tiny sore spot on my arm. Well, I am off to eat a salmon cup and study some math. Hugs & Love to All!

I don't know Dr. Felts - but I have nothing but good things to say about SCOR. It was AWESOME. I wouldn't worry too much about not having met him. I have regular appts with Doc Fox since surgery - but I only met him once or twice prior to that. If you are worried about it - maybe you can catch him in an informational seminar, or schedule a meet prior to surgery. Good Luck!

In terms of energy, I can say that after losing about 20-25 lbs - very early on - I found myself walking down the hall one day and I realized that I was walking with an energetic bouncy gait - FAR from the crouching limp that I had previously called walking. The pain in my knees and ankles was all but gone and I felt about 20 yrs younger. The added joy was in knowing that those pounds are gone - not coming back in three months like they would have before. I eat literally everything that I ate before - even the occasional glazed donut (carefully!) - and I never ever have that gnawing, driving need to eat. Usually, I eat a couple of donut HOLES and I am satisfied. Not at all like the old days when a half a dozen donuts was the standard serving size for me. As for PB's - they can and should be avoided. It's a matter of keeping your band at that "Not so tight" stage and exercising JUST a LITTLE self control. It's much easier to do, now. I have to consciously diet to lose weight - but when I DO eat the proper foods, when I DO exercise, I lose about a third of a pound a day - consistently. A nice, steady loss. When I fall off the wagon - I find that I maintain that loss over time until I am ready to focus on diet & exercise again. Banding is the smartest choice I ever made for myself. Good Luck in your deliberations.

Glad to hear there were no horrors in there... Heal Up and relax. Hugs!

The first two weeks were actually pretty easy... it was weeks 4-6 that were hard... While you are still sore and healing up, it is much easier to stay on liquids - it takes a good two weeks for the swelling inside to calm down - and then you go on full liquids... It was after everything was healed and you start to feel lots better that the hunger comes back... That is when you will need somebody to lock all the cupboards and tie you to the treadmill. You will survive it, though. We all did. Good Luck!! Oh - and I use Six Star Protein from Walmart - or Atkins pre-mixed shakes in cans. :]

Clean Plate is the hardest one - but I try to just take a little tiny bit of food.... and I use a smaller plate. Office functions - nobody even notices... Get a plate - put a dot of this and a smear of that on it and by the time you are done, nobody can really tell that you are eating any differently than the rest of the office. All they will notice is your great self restraint cause your plate isn't overloaded. If you are eating out - you have to leave food behind - but you won't be lying when you tell people you are full. :] For emergencies, I keep a salmon cup or two in my desk. Get then at Walmart in the Tuna section - 2.8 oz of chopped salmon in either Honey BBQ sauce or Mandarin Orange sauce. I eat one of those and a 16 cracker serving of reduced fat wheat thins. That is a perfect lunch. :]

Tuna works great - Chix salad would probably work, too. I would blend tuna, lt mayo and fried onions (like you put on greenbean salad) into mostly liquid. No problems eating it and the onions gave it great flavor. not sure that the calorie content was any lower than mashed potatoes - but at least it had Protein. Not gross at all! And very filling. :]

The concept of "PIG OUT" has become completely different since banding. Prior to the band, "Pig Out" meant half a gallon of ice cream and maybe a half dozen Cookies + assorted other food in a day. (or a whole pizza, or whatever) Now "Pig Out" means I eat a pint of ice cream... You still get all the same emotional release - it just isn't 4000 calories anymore... Good Luck!

It helps to start with a tiny portion of food on your plate... remember, you can always go back for more if you are actually HUNGRY. Good Luck!

Sounds a little too tight, to me, also. I can always eat solid foods by noon.... Good Luck!

Hey All! I hope everybody had a fabulous holiday and a wonderful weekend! Another glorious day in Mtg Lending... *sigh* I guess continued employment is the best option - but DANG it's boring here every day! I am now the proud owner of a new freezer - and all the food from our fridge-freezer is now relocated into it. Now, all we need is for the repairman to fix the fridge tomorrow and my life can resume as per normal. Living out of an ice chest leaves a bit to be desired. I will be so glad to get my fridge back! Saturday was freezer shopping. Sunday we did grocery shopping. Both days I played my latest video game... The Elder Scrolls III - Morrowind. It's not a new game, but it's new to me. I just joined the Mages Guild and I am trying to become a Journeyman... :] So that's all the excitement for this weekend. I can tell you that while I am not big into the Easter Celebration, some speckled Malted Milk eggs found their way into my cart, yesterday. My scale is acting up - but if it is to be beleived at all, I am still hovering at 282/283. (adjusted to match doc's scale is 286/287) I have only clocked 4 miles for April so far - a pretty weak showing considering the date today... but I will try to do better for the rest of the month. My only consolation is that I have already clocked more in April than I did for the whole month of March! LOL! I started out my day today with a little zing... we have had a big ol' red wasp in the house that we could not catch and throw outside. First he was up at the ceiling behind the curtains, then he was down in the windowsills behind the furniture - and I had pretty much forgotten all about him... until I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my forearm this morning! The little &*(I^%$&( crawled up onto the arm of my chair and I set my arm right down on him. He did not survive the encounter - as I immediately got up and smacked him with DH's size 13 tennis shoe! So, I have one more red welt to add the rest. We have decided that we must have some stealth poison oak or poison ivy out front - since I have the classic symptoms of that. I am going to have to check the shrubs & vines in my front yard! Otherwise, there is nothing new to report... Mr. Pat - that liquid burp should be less of a problem as the swelling goes down from surgery. I think you must just be really tight from that. Sorry about the breath... eventually, that will calm down too. Mandy - Hi! WDW in September sounds like fun! So, were your local girls Bandsters? Or just gal pals? Are you guys doing anything special for Spring Break? Chris - Whew! Sounds like you are busy! Hope you and TatBoy can leave the baggage behind and deal with each other from the now. Hugs! So, am I the only one on this thread who ISN'T planning a Disney Trip? LOL! Have fun! Oh - and be sure to post the bunny picture. I want to see that! Eileenie - I PM'd you back... :] If that boss man doesn't tone it down, I will have to catch a plane... Hugs! Patty - Hi Hon! Glad to hear you have some breathing room on the finances. Can't wait to hear the unemployment tale of your DexH. He never fails to astound me... Hugs! So, is Garrett not a big fan of Cake? Or is he just a little Cookie Monster? Any big plans for Spring Break at your house? Sherry - Wow! That's pretty awesome for your first project! Is that opal/rainbow glass in the wings? She's beautiful! And, of course your DS wanted to color eggs. I am 42 yrs old, and I still want to... I think Christmas and Easter both, you are allowed to be a kid, no matter how old you are. Did you get your excell program from that guy on TV who gives you the first lesson for free? I have thought about doing that excell thing, myself. You will have to let me know if you convince yourself that you like it - or at least if you learn anything. :] Kat - Friday afternoon was a pretty laid back affair... my phantom signal was working great, so I surfed some renfair clothing sites. I am always looking for ideas - and I figure one of these times I am going to see something I can't live without. If I weren't on the verge of unemployment, I would have grabbed up a sword and baldric for DH. The price was pretty doable and the baldric was big enough for him. But, alas, I dare not spend my coin at this time... The freezer was a life neccessity. The Baldric and sword purely frivolous. Maybe for Christmas.... Hopefully by then, I will either know this job will last, or have a new one. Betty - you got snow? If we did, it was only for a minute - cause I missed it. It was plenty cold - but I didn't see any snow. Sorry about your Aunt. Hugs! Cindy - I am holding my breath for you - have you hit the magic number, yet? I am so excited for you. My scale got me all excited yesterday - first it said 280 - but when I went for the verification weigh, it wouldn't give me any numbers at all. Then it went to 283. It's all messed up. Hope your scale is functioning normally! I may have to invest in one of those medical scales - the old fashioned kind with the weight slider at the top. They are never persnickety.... Deb - you are doing great! Hope the adjustment gives you the push into Onderland! Did you have a great day at work? :] Darcy - OOOOOOOOO - if there were any way, I would get that beautiful cabin! Wow... So, will your DS take that cool sled out of the rafters? That place looks awesome! Maybe you should cut a deal for fully furnished. :] That table IS pretty cool... Well - I am thinking I am going to blast out of here a bit early today, too. I just can't see any purpose in hanging around when there is nothing to do... besides, I have 3 whole days of vacation time, left... At an hour a day, that will get me through til May... LOL! Love you guys! TTL

Yes, initially I thought maybe she was making remarks and didn't KNOW that they were hurtful - but the Easy Way Out comment pretty much negates that benefit of the doubt. Just tell her to knock it off, or she will be seeing a lot less of you sooner, rather than later. :]

LOL!!! Thanks Tommy!

I'm afraid it's the joy of being a girl. Belly fat is necessary to produce babies, or some such nonsense like that, so our bodies just hold onto that crap. Sucks, huh? But, try the twist thing. Maybe if the muscles underneath get more shape, the fat on top will look better.... Good Luck~!!

Hi MommaLee! Welcome to LBT. Do anything that requires bending at the waist prior to surgery. Don't buy too much of any one post-op food. Seriously - you won't be eating that much until you get to eat full liquids or mushies, anyway - and you will just end up with 47 cans of chicken broth in your pantry. :] Besides, you end up totally SICK of liquids after about day 4. You will never want to see chicken broth again. By the time you run out of anything, you will probably feel up to a trip to the store. Be sure to have GasX and chewable meds/vitamins/aspirin lined up and ready prior to surgery. Give a couple of days extra for any prescriptions...they might not have the liquid meds on hand. We will all be thinking good thoughts for an easy surgery and a speedy recovery! Hugs!

I have decided that more journalling might help me keep my butt on track. I get gold stars for going to the gym again, last night. DH is still not coming with - but he has promised to make an attempt this weekend. Seeing me go without him is guilting him out a bit. This weekend promises to be a busy one. Scarborough Faire starts on Saturday and I am all excited about it. It would be nicer if the weather was a tad warmer - but hey - it will still be fun. NSV - I now fit into the bodices that they sell at Scarborough Faire... and I plan to buy one! While I made a chemise and skirt for Halloween, (Gypsy costume) I never have gotten around to making myself the bodice I need for the faire, so I think I may just buy the first one and maybe use it as a model for any future attempts. DH's costume is still just a spark in my sewing machine. We have had other things to do... So, for this first trip out, we are going in street clothes. Maybe I will find a shirt for him when we go. Heck - maybe I will visit the Queen's Corsetier this year, too. They have big-girl sizes... and I am so happy to be getting back to the point where at least I can shop at more than one store! :biggrin1: This weekend, we also need to get a freezer so we can empty the one in the fridge without destroying all our food. Although, it is good that we have been digging around in there - cause we had some great stuff buried! Having an extra freezer will be great. We also have to do a bunch of shopping for basic staples. We are out of flavored water and other stuff - so a trip to Sam's is in order. I am thinking we will have to shop on Saturday and Scarborough on Sunday. Since Sunday is Easter, most stores will actually be closed, I think. Plus, the sky is supposed to open up tomorrow - and DH really doesn't need to be hanging out in the rain after his recent illness. Well, let's see. I need to give myself a pep talk for the weekend. 1) exercise - see yesterday's journal entry. You LIKE this stuff. Go to the gym. 2) food - no pouch packing! You have formal permission to eat one good thing each day - but NO pouch packing, no matter how great it is. If nothing else, I will get some exercise walking at the stores. Yeah! So, I am off! My office has *cough* generously allowed us to take a half day off - if we use vacation time. I guess I can't complain. They are paying me to surf LBT these days.... TGIF