Apples2

Long...you can find Jones NY clothes at Macys, Nordstroms, Herbergers, etc. Most dept stores carry that brand.

Janet...I did eyelash extensions and permanent eyeliner back in August as a gift to myself. The eyelashes fall out when my own fall out. They are attached just about to the end of the lash. They look so natural and never have to wear mascara. I go back in every 2-3 weeks for a touch up. I actually fall asleep while she is doing it. $25 for a touch up. I also love the permanent eyeliner. I did charcoal and did a not too thick line upper and lower lids. Yes, I am a farm girl but a fancy one. Have always been a clothes horse and would never walk out of the house without makeup. Even when I was heavy I believed in keeping myself up even if just running to the field for the guys. (You never know who you will run into. Hi everyone else. Have had such a busy week. My volunteer jobs are more than full time right now. Have a huge day tomorrow with the guards xmas party and meeting. An all day thing. Had my annual physical this week. Everything checked out but don't have results on a few tests but not worried about it. Had mammo today and that was fine. Also had a bone density test. Was soooooo funny. The tech was a little girl about 20. Very nice little thing and visited throughout the test. She got excited all of a sudden and told me there was something abnormal with my spine. She said I had what looked like Calcium about the size of a quarter in my spine. She immediately called the radiologist to come look. I asked if I could look. Got off the table and knew instantly that it was my port. You should have seen the look on her face. Poor thing was so concerned. Just a cute story! We have a fun Christmas party tonight at friend's home. They have the most beautiful house in the world and throw the best parties. Usually 100 people or more and their home accommodates everyone. We see people that we have not seen for a year. I bought a Ann Taylor silky sweater, black boots and silky black pants for the occasion. Blue is my best color and my DH loves me in that color with my blue eyes. Have the other Christmas party tomorrow night and found Jones NY sweater in red and black for that celebration. I remember the Christmas parties last year. I felt sooooooo uncomfortable in my extra weight (actually for the last 15 yrs). I have an outgoing personality and would visit but would just want to hide when my beautiful friends walked in and looked so sleek and pretty. They are still beautiful but I will not feel like I have to hide this year. One of my friends that had not seen me for a year (the hostess of our party tonight) saw me two weeks ago and just said "We have you back to the way you used to be." That mean a lot to me. So, as you can tell, I am really looking forward to NOT worrying about my looks and just enjoy the holiday parties and events. It makes me feel so peaceful and makes me not want to not be noticed. Everyone have a good weekend. It's time for me to go get "HOT"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liza..........congrats on Onderland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO:thumbup:

Katy...I am really surprised that your doc unfilled you for your hernia surgery. I know there is not a bariatric surgeon out there that thinks like another on most things...I had hernia repair two months ago and doc did not unfill. In fact, had my fill two days b/4 surgery. I had over ten hernias and adhesions to repair. My point is that there is such a variation between docs. I hope your gurd or whatever is going on with you does not continue to give you problems.

Good luck with the new job, Long. Also, hope that fill is what you needed. You were kind of on the fence about it. Hope it will be a successful fill. Janet...NOTHING was on the menu today. My guys finished up all the farming (no livestock on our farm) yesterday and took the day to go to a farm show 3 hours away. NO GUYS TODAY AT MY HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yahoo!! I took the day for me. Had a color and cut at 11, eyelash extensions at 1pm and annual physical at 2:30. All went well. My general practitioner told me to not sweat the extra weight I lost after reaching goal. He stated that I am still within the normal range. I have been sweating it and trying to gain some of that ten pounds back. Neither him or my bariatric doc seem too bothered by it. My GP told me to enjoy the fact that I am ten less than what my goal was. Guess I am good to go on that. JoAnne. Sending some love your way and will be thinking about you and cannot wait till you check in with us and let us know how you are doing. Take care and God Bless.

Long...are the beef sticks individual or the salami type meat?

Cathy....love your photo. What a pretty lady! The only thing I know to stop your cravings for sugar is to totally cut them out. Replace them with fruit. See what happens. Some of my mainstays for food are: Snacks: 1.5oz pack of beef jerky. 25g protein and very filling. Fiber One cereal. I just put 1/2 up in snack pack baggie. 60 cals. Pure Protein bars (I use these and beef jerky when meal options are not the greatest when I am on the run). I always treat myself with a 100 cal pack of Kettle popcorn every evening. I just gotta have it! Breakfast is usually 5oz container of Oikos greek yogurt with Splenda and a small amount of Fiber One. Lunch and dinner: salmon, shrimp, scallops, chix, steak with fruit and veggies. Hope this helps.

Happy .5 bandiversary to you, too, Long!!!!! I think I cheated on the poll though (not on purpose...was an afterthought). I voted 100+ weight loss....54 was prior to surgery....62# since June 17. I have gotten so much out of this journey. #1. What it feels like to have energy again and feel young and healthy. #2. Appreciation of all the friends I have made on this board. #3. A deep appreciation of the fact that I am taking care of myself. It took me a lot of years to find the right tool to help me along but I am now at the place I want to be. #4. Watch out world!!!!!!! There's not holding back!!!!!

Holly....wishing you luck with your ins. approval. I will keep my fingers crossed for you. I had a BMI of 40 with many comorbidities and I worried waaaaaaaaaaay too much about approval. Just try to be patient and see what your company does. You have comorbidities and you have done your 6 mo. required. Welcome to the group. A great place to be if you have questions or just need support!:cursing:

You know, Denise, I'm not really sure. I think you might have guessed right that it tenderizes. That is what I have always thought. I have friends that throw a can of real coke into their roast beef when they cook them.

You can always try them for your DH and sample a bit.

I find it so strange that everyone reacts differently to the amount of fills they have. I, too, have a 14cc band. 5.5cc's in it after my two post-op fills. I know now that I cannot get any more fills for a long time. I am not too tight but there are days (stress) that I could not get any more food in than I do. It's a mystery!

Our Walmart does not carry any flavors except for plain and vanilla. I just dress mine up with Splenda and SF syrups. I did try another brand of Greek yogurt in honey flavor and LOVED it but only had 6g Protein. Not enough when I make it my morning meal. Will have to see if I can find it when we are on our travels this winter.

Charlene...good job on the 50#. Also, happy you have some relief with the unfill.

I am disappointed also that we will not meet. I was looking forward to it. As far as I'm concerned, we are ALL Band Superstars!!!!!!! I am at the end of my weight loss journey but yet I am still inspired by all of you. It's hard work and it's so nice to have friends to talk to on a daily basis. Let me tell you...it is not over once the weight is off. I have been working really hard to figure out where I need to be as far as calories and exercise. I will get it but it's not easy. I just try to get all my nutrients in every day and throw in extra cals when I think I need them. What is so weird is that my doc says 600 cals for a woman on maintenance and 800 for a man. I am needing about double that to maintain. Good for you for losing over TG weekend! Always good feeling when moving to a smaller size. Alright....I am getting pissed...this site keeps putting all of my poop in a group today. I use paragraphs and then one big wad post shows up. Oh well, at least it hasn't deleted them!

Denise...forgot one thing I was going to say. I always keep a bottle of low fat Italian dressing on hand. Makes a great marinade. You can also throw in a packet of Liptons onion soup mix into any marinade.

Denise...sounds like you are struggling right now but have the right idea to get back to low carb. I know that I struggle less when I stick to high protein/low carb. It is not that I don't eat some carbs but just try to do "good" carbs in fruit and veggies. I do throw the one carb in a day of the 100 cal pack of popcorn in the evenings. It tends to satisfy my need for salt. I have never craved sweets...just snack foods. Let us know about that book. I love to read and have a few self-help type books and reread them now and then. I usually make my own marinades. There are so many variations with one basic recipe...just base it on your tastes. Also, you don't have to make the entire recipe..cut it in halves or quarters depending on how many you are feeding. I started using them for the crew I feed and they love them. Low fat and carbs. My DH lost 15lbs without trying just because he has been eating low fat along with me. I will list a few for you in this post. Try them and so how they work for your taste buds. My basic recipe is: 1Tbsp lite soy sauce 1Tsp garlic powder 1 can Sprite Zero or Diet 7-Up juice from 1 lime (I throw the rind in after squeezing) 1Tsp dried mustard 1Tsp chili powder Just throw all in a freezer bag (they are more sturdy than others). I use this recipe for up to 2lbs of chicken, beef, salmon, or pork. When I want a change in taste I add about a 1/2 cup of any sugar free jams to the same recipe. Smuckers has some great ones. My family likes the orange marmalade, seedless raspberry or apricot. You can also add 1/2 cup of lite teriaki (sp?) sauce when you don't add the jams. I throw my meat in the bag, squish it around a bit and marinade for at least 24 hours. Remember, you can cut the recipe down if you want. I sometimes throw the meat in individual servings in smaller bags with the marinade on it into the freezer. Or, I grill, bake or use crockpot and put the cooked meat into individual bags into the freezer to grab and nuke. Hope this helps. Also, hope your struggles will subside once your get back to your low carb diet. A good way to kick start!

Long...happy to hear that you had a good vacation. That .5lbs will be gone tomorrow, I bet. Not to worry. You wouldn't get me to eat venison in any form! Blah!!!!!!!

Hey....anyone else having trouble today with posting on this site. I break my posts into paragraphs but when I go back to read them, they are all mushed together

I have been really struggling lately because of comments made by people I have not seen since I started my weight loss. Have been running into a lot of them in the last month or so. I have been getting the "You're too skinny and you better not lose any more". My answer is usually "I'm right where my doc wants me to be and I feel healthy, not too skinny." I know that most people do not mean to demean me but just don't think b/4 they speak. The worst are friends that have quite a bit of weight on them. The word anorexic was being tossed around at a party a couple of weeks ago and started by a so-called friend. The last time I met with my surgeon, he was happy with the weight I am at. My BMI is within the normal range and he told me I am done with my monthly meetings and would see me in March. Then he added that I should come back for a fill in the mean time if I start to gain any weight. I am quite tall and have a boyish figure with boobs. Have always had skinny arms and legs, even when I weighed 249#. I had a similar incident on Thanksgiving day. A person who is an RN started questioning me about having the LB. Drilled me for about 5 minutes and just stood there staring for about 30 minutes while I was busy in the kitchen but not saying another word. Another incident happened two weeks ago while volunteering at our local hospital. Was in the cafeteria getting a cup of coffee. The lead RN (what is it with these RN's? LOL) came up behind me and stated that she thought I was too skinny and that the surgery I had was not meant for that purpose. The purpose is to get healthy...not skinny. I couldn't even open my mouth to respond. There were about 20 people standing in line within hearing distance. I was appalled. The RN walked away and then turned around and said "In MY opinion you are way too skinny". It's too bad that it threw me cuz I would have told her that if I wanted her medical opinion, I would have made an appt. (This RN works at the hospital I had my LB surgery at). Very inappropriate. In my opinion, this incident was reportable but I cannot be bothered. I am proud of the steps I have taken to get to where I am. It was a lot of work and I am finally at peace. The obesity cloud has lifted. And...I AM NOT TOO SKINNY. Where were people when I was sooooooooooo obese? Why didn't they say something then? I will have to say that there are more people than not who are encouraging and compliment me on how good I look. All in all most people mean well. There just has to be those few.....

Cheryl...we all have a little ruts that we get into. Try to just focus on your successes and you will be fine. I feel that a person is lucky if a fill doc is careful and does not give much of a fill at a time. I know it is extra travel for someone like yourself that has to travel a distance. Just get the fills that are recommended by your doc. Sounds like he will not overfill you. It does happen and that is why I am very careful to stay at a spot where I have a little hunger but still get that satiated feeling for about 4 hours after a meal. You will know it when you get there. It actually took about a month for my second fill to kick in. I was really wishy washy that month about not knowing if I would need another fill. Then one day I just felt it. It pays to wait and see. You can always PM me any time with any questions you might have. There is also a thread started by Indiogirl "I'm here to help". Find that thread and go there also. I have enjoyed it. Janet (Indiogirl) and others on that thread got me through a couple tough spots. I was feeling like I was all alone in this until I connected with my June girls, the 50's and Indio's thread. Just don't feel like you are alone. We've all been through what you are going through. Rely on people to get you through. You can get there. Get the fills you need and tame your hunger and you will notice such a difference! Sending hugs your way. K

Hang in there, Cheryl...sounds like you need a fill. Try not to get discouraged. Call your doc to see when you can get in. It's a tough time b/4 your reach a spot where you are not hungry. We have all been there. Don't beat yourself up...just get back on tract NOW. You will feel so much better about things. I use a treadmill but have heard the ellipticals are so much easier on the knees. I do not have problems with knees anymore but think the workouts with the ellipticals are better.

I have done a fair amount of travel since being banded. I usually make sure my carry on or purse contains the following items: 1.5oz beef jerky snack packs...25g protein, 140 cals....works as a meal in a pinch. Low fat cheese sticks Pure protein bar...purchase at WalMart Most hotels provide a continental breakfast. Some have hard boiled eggs (cannot do them), fiber cereal, oatmeal, etc. I have found that airport food is a challenge for me. Especially deli type meat that my band does not allow me to have. Enjoy your trip!!!!!!!!!!

JoAnne....hopefully you will not need that knee replacement for awhile. Wait and see what your weight loss does first. My right knee was HORRIBLE b/4 I lost. The stairs were a killer and just walking brought tears sometimes. I have not felt a pain for months. Unbelievable!!!!!!