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Woohoo! Pole dancing sounds like a rippin good time. We have stripper aerobics - my cousin took the class. She only did the beginning class but apparently in the next level up you wear high heels to class!

Used to play for the Utah Symphony so I gotta love the classics, my favorites being Mahler, Sibelius, Beethoven, Tchaikovski, Stravinski, and any of the Romantic period. But nowadays I'm listening to alternative, my fav's being Aqualung, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day, any jazzy alternative rock sound as well.

Today: B: 8 oz. lactose-free, fat-free milk with SF Carnation Instant Breakfast (200 calories) S: 1 stick mozarella string cheese (100 calories) L: 6 oz. Cranberry Chicken (roughly 300 calories); 1/2 sweet potato (30 calories) S: 1 dark-chocolate-dipped strawberry (48 calories) S: 10 raw almonds (70 calories) D: Stuffed bell pepper with stewed tomatoes (320 calories) S: 2 dark-chocolate-dipped strawberries (96 calories) Bunch o' water Total calories: 1164 Total protien: 96g Exercise: Worked my friggin butt of with 35 INTENSE minutes of 20 minutes elliptical, 15 minutes weird elliptical machine.

I just wanted to share something that has really worked for me since being banded. I'm very busy (like most of you, I'm sure) and really don't have time to cook, which usually translates to fast food. But I decided that planning was the key to weight loss, so what I do is plan 7 of my favorite healthy meals each month. I make all of them when I get the chance (usually on Sunday afternoons) and then I portion them out into bandster portions. I use my Suck 'n Seal (can't remember the real name of the machine) and usually get about 8 portions out of each dish. I stick them all in the freezer and for each meal I'll just boil the bags straight from the freezer for about 10 minutes - it's just as good as the day I made it. I have to boil because I hate the taste of reheated meat and boiling doesn't produce that reheated taste. If I'm bringing my lunch to work I'll stick a "frozen dinner" in the fridge the evening before and then it's defrosted the next day. It doesn't keep that freezer taste because the air has been sucked out of them. When I just want plain moist chicken for salads I'll take a sealed piece of chicken (usually frozen) and boil it right in the bag. It cooks quickly, it tastes good because it's cooked in its own juices, and it's moist. This process has enabled me to stick to a healthy diet (sans that terrible month of December) and save a lot of time and energy. I just keep salad items, sweet potatoes, and broccoli on hand for side dishes. This way you have a mostly preservative-free collection of dinners. I like to buy frozen dinners as well, but they often have a lot of preservatives that I feel are just making us fatter. I've built up my frozen dinner selection so much that I could probably eat for 2 months without going shopping, plus it's my favorite food. Did I mention this was a budget saver as well?

Oh my goodness, yesterday I did Piloga (a cross between Pilates and Yoga) at my gym and today I am SO SORE! I love it! I'm going again next week. Does this count for weight training?

I think the band works by first assessing what your favorite foods are (except of course the stuff that is really bad for you that goes down really easy) and then programs itself to reject it! How about it, band model #2?

A few people that know I have the band have made similar comments about it being "so easy" for me to lose weight now. My cousin asked me how much weight I'd lost and when I told her she said, "Well that's all because you took the easy way out." I said, "Well that's the last time I'm telling you how much I've lost." I hate it when our efforts are so trivialized. There was nothing easy about making the decision to get the band, getting the band, and now paying for the band let alone living with the band and making sure I work my butt off every day so I can still lose weight. I'm with Didi in that this is why I haven't told many people. I have never worked so hard in my life to lose weight and FINALLY, with the help of this "magic" band, I am seeing results. Every day I am so thankful that I made the decision to get the band. It's given me my life back.

Well thank you, Susan. It hasn't been easy but it has been worth it. But when I DO get married I know it will be so much better because this fluffy junk all over me will be gone!

If I lost my band I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I could even afford to have it removed! My doc guarantees for 1 year if anything happens he'll fix it for free. But after that.. who knows??? I've got a 5-year loan on this bad boy, it better not slip or erode before then! I can't imagine that in my entire life nothing will happen, though.

Token virgin here... All this talk makes me [almost] want to get married LOL!

I didn't PB until I was 4 months out and had 2.0 cc fill. Never even came close before that. Right now, I've officially PB'd twice, on the same dang piece of chicken 2 days in a row. That'll teach me to eat dry chicken! That said, I've been stuck about 4 times total, just did the spitting up twice. The last one was a monster and lasted about 45 minutes!

Wow! 5 Years??? That's a lot to ask. Sounds like your insurance wants to make it extra hard to get approved for the band. If you do decide to go self-pay remember that paying for the band sometimes isn't as hard as it initially sounds. For example, I got a 5-year loan from the bank and took out an extra $1,500 to pay off my car (there goes my monthly car payment), I eat less than half of what I used to so there goes about another $150. So in the end, my monthly payments are $360, but in reality I'm only paying about $80 more a month than what I would have spent before on car payments and food.

Thanks for the tips! It's always great to hear from a successful bandster and how they are able to succeed.

The only reason It's easier for me to order fish is because it goes down easier than pasta and steak LOL!

I'm pretty sure I hide behind my humor. My personality is bigger than life; I think it's a bit much for some people to handle. I find myself becoming more self-conscious about my personality. I don't think I'm a drama queen, but I laugh all the time, have lots of sarcasm, and talk an awful lot. For one, I'd like to have a little less personality - that is to say, I'd like to be able to not hide behind it someday.

JessieBear, you are the queen of cooking. Here's my small contribution: Cranberry Crockpot chicken (my favorite) 1 16 oz. can cranberries 1 8 oz. bottle French dressing 1 package Lipton Onion Soup 6-8 chicken breasts Stick it all in the crockpot for about 3 hours on high. I just love this recipe. ====================================================== Comfort food Chicken 1 bottle mild salsa (I love the Sam's club salsa with this) 1 can black or kidney Beans 1 can corn 6-8 chicken breasts (or whatever fits) Put half of the salsa, all of the drained beans and corn in the bottom of the crock pot. Add chicken. Pour remaining salsa over chicken. I didn't think this recipe sounded very good when I got it, but it's very filling (I think because of the protien content in chicken and beans) and feels like comfort food.

I hear such conflicting information about artificial sweeteners and I'm convinced that until I see the tests myself I'll never know the truth. I have read that our brains get used to what "sweet" is, no matter what it's made out of, and anticipates a boost in energy. If it doesn't get that energy boost it sends out that sugar craving so you will get the boost. Seems plausible, but you never know...

Nykee, I have been able to follow good dieting rules in the past, but my motivation always went down the drain because I just didn't see results. There was one point where I gave up all sugar and carbonation and exercised my butt off for 3 months STRAIGHT! I saw a 2 pound weight loss. That was it! So for me, the band means that I can follow the same rules only this time I will actually see results. It's incredibly motivating. For me, seeing the scale go up does not motivate me to work harder, only when it goes down. It enables me to keep my motivation which is the #1 key to weight loss!

I had my metabolism tested the other day. I still have to go in and get the full run-down on the results, but the guy who conducted the test said I'm burning about 1,200 calories/day (resting metabolism). The guy who conducted the test said that's pretty much starvation mode. I realized when I got the band that this would probably happen. My question is this: How do you get your metabolism back up? I do weight training, but what else besides building muscle will do it? I can't seem to find any real concrete information. All I read is "Spicy food can help," and other fluff.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the advice. I talked with another woman who works in the wellness center where the test was conducted. She says the guy who did the test was full of it when he said that was starvation mode. She says yes, it was 1,200, and yes, it's low for a person of my size, but she also said that your RESTING metabolism only accounts for 60-65% of your daily caloric burn rate. This could mean I'm actually burning more like 1,700 calories/day. She also said many things can affect the accuracy of the test, such as RECENTLY LOSING WEIGHT! So I'm not lost after all. I have been losing, just a bit slower recently. As far as eating every few hours goes, I thought the band sort of made it so that your body felt like it was constantly eating because it drops slowly into the pouch. My doc said not to eat more than 3 times/day. I must admit that mid-day I have to eat a handful of almonds to stay satisfied, though. I'm going to have to probably follow my doc on this one and try to get my metabolism up by using some of the other wonderful suggestions.

Jack, I did a resting metabolic rate test (not sure of the technical name) - the university I work for will do it for $20. I had to fast for 24 hours and then laid down on a mat while they put this plastic hood over my head for about a half hour. I have no idea how it works. The idea, however, is for them to test your resting metabolic rate. I'm sorry I can't tell you more than what I learned immediately after: My Basal Metabolic Rate (resting rate) was about 1,200 calories/day. I'll find out more when I meet with him again next week. I'll keep you posted after that. Jacqui, I think you may be right about shaking up my routine. I do pretty much the same routine each week: I alternate upper and lower body workouts every other day. At first I was sore every time I worked out and now I hardly ever get sore. Maybe that's what I need to do. I work as hard as I possibly can, but perhaps I need to do something different. As far as cardio goes, I've heard the same about doing interval training. I do 30 minutes every other day (not on the days of weight training and maybe that's part of the problem) of interval training - and my heart rate is usually around 160-165. I work my butt off! But maybe it's time to go a bit longer or to do something other than the eliptical machine.

When I need formals for cruises I get them at this site: http://www.alight.com/cat-0009-dresses-1241.html

Maybe they said it was crap because it sounds so extreme that they didn't believe you. Truthfully, it's beyond anything I could imagine growing up with. Sounds like hell on earth! I'm so glad you broke the cycle for your own children.

Can I get some responses on "average" weight loss the first month? I lost about 16 pounds the first month because I was on PURE LIQUIDS! I'm sure 5-7 of those pounds were Water. What is the average calorie intake the first few months following the proceedure? First month average: STRUGGLED to eat around 600 calories Second month: Probably around 1500 calories Third month-now: Probably around 1200 calories (and I don't plan on going any lower) How long do I have to wait before I can get back on the eliptical 7 do other cardio? I started doing the eliptical 1 week to the day of my surgery. I just took it a little easier. I was back at 100% within 3 weeks (besides that blasted gas pain which lasted for 5 weeks!) How long did everyone wait to go back to work? Most of what I do is at a desk... some occational lifting. Not much though and nothing over say 20 pounds. I have a desk job as well and I went back to work within 1 week. Probably could have returned within 4 days. What's the worst part of the first few days post-op? I've had two operations on my knees, (ACL) -- OMG! It can't be worse than that can it? Can you get up and walk around? You HAVE to get up and walk around. It's not hard and you do it frequently. I did it because it was the only thing that relieved the gas pain. Oh yes, the worst thing for me was the gas pains in my shoulder. The second worst thing was drinking Clear Liquids for a full week.

I had a turkey burger with a portabello mushroom for a bun and WHAM! I slimed for 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure the mushroom was swelling in my esophagus. Anyone know if mushrooms swell?