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I have been very busy and have not been on here in a month or so but i wanted to drop in and say hi and hope everyone is still losing. i also updated my signature somewhat and i wanted to see if it worked. i hate those url's when the don't convert to my lovely pics. I have lost 3 lbs i believe since last time i was on. it was not easy but somehow it came off. i have not been exercising like i should BUT i am starting with a personal trainer tommorrow. i'm excited but dreading it because i will be huffin & a puffin and that hurts. i live 80 miles from this trainer but i will be working and staying in that area for awhile so i thought why not? maybe by the time this temporary job is over i will have gotten in the groove of working out and i wilkl continue at home. we have no trainers here where i live so i have to grab this moment. better go, keep up the good work everyone and we will all go to the tropics together when we all reach our goal. how's that for an incentive. maybe i'll win the lottery and pay everyone's way, now that sounds great. see ya:thumbup:

stella have u reached your goal and are u drinking protein drinks for help with the nutrition. i use Unjury, choc is good, mix with van soy milk or water. this would at least get u some protein in while u are trying to figure out what the problem is. do u drink warm liquids before your meals? i found that this has helped me a lot. i have mucous in my pouch and if i dont flush it down with warm liquids then i have no room in my pouch for food. i had my surgery done by Ortiz also and some of the things he suggest have not worked for me. i live in TX so i go to Acuna, Mexico for my fills(my cheaper). I do think u need to go see a gastroenterologist for your problems though. it could be nothing but u never know. hope everything works out soon for u.

I'm 5' 2" also. how much weight have u lost> did u exercise alot and which kind, cardio or strength training?

hey ghost what is the SMMC LB support group chicas?

Thanks for the replys, enjoyed them. I have never received any support from Dr. Ortiz office nor have i called. I am in contact with the pt advocate for Dr. Martinez and Dr. Alvarez in Acuna. She has been helpful but some things differ between her and what i've been told and read on this forum. After my last fill i have learned what eating very little is all about. iwas very tight. it has been trial and error, slimed alot, threw up alot and had some discomfort but i have learned when to stop eating and to chew well. one thing that has been interesting is that i have alot of sinus(mucous) that i didn't know i had. When i throw up it is usually a big mucous ball. this usually only happens after 3 to 4 bites of food. Can't live on that! I now drink warm tea or coffee before i eat to rinse out the mucous so i have room in my pouch for some nutrition(food). i probably do not get enough calories in a day but i know i am getting protein because i use Unjury protein drinks. They do not leave me hungry 2 hours later. I am going Monday for a fill or unfill, not sure which one but we'll see. Sorry this was so long.

hi i am fairly new here but i had my surgery by Dr. Ortiz also. mine was on Sept 8, 2006. I lost 16 lbs the first month but then stopped losing. i am also a slow loser. Did you ever call ortiz for any support or did u buy his book for answers to any questions? I go to Acuna, Mexico for fills because it is cheaper and they use fluoro. My first fill in 3-07, i was told that my pouch was stretched out but now i look back and i realize that i had gulped the liquid and he had me closed off and the liquid had nowhere to go. Remember this was my first fill and i had no idea what to expect or do. i went months being frustrated thinking i had a big stomach again. Later i could eat whatever i wanted and i thought it was because of a stretched out pouch so why go for a fill. In Dec 07 i decided to hell with it, i was going for a fill anyway. Good news, I did not have a stretched out pouch and i was way past due for a fill. it urps me that i wasted all those months when i could have gone for another fill if i had not been misinformed at my first fill. oh well i'm back on track now. I am down 21 lbs from the day of surgery which is not where i wanted to be at this time but I am better that what i was. if u have any suggestions for me i would appreciate it. plus your tickler says you have only lost 5 lbs since your surgery. is this correct?:cursing:

NJ what i mean is to do 5-10 lbs heavier weights than normal for whatever muscle group u are working on. the reps would be 8-12 instead of 15-20 of lower weights. u have to build muscle to tone things up. when the muscles are alive and toned your body shrinks in because everything is tighter. get the book i was talking about, it explains everything. good luck!!!!

NJ, to keep from eating too much till u get your fill, try doing unjury Protein drinks. It really keeps me from getting hungry. they taste good even mixed with Water. i have started using chocolate soy milk with the choc unjury mix, yum yum!!! you can mix 1/2 a frozen banana with the vanilla and that is also good. Anyway it is a medical grade whey protein and it has 20 grams protein/serving and only 100 calories. it keeps me from any hunger pains for at least 3 1/2 hours. I also can't find a DR close by that will take another Dr's patient. the lab at one of their places charges $800.00 for a fill:eek: is that not rediculous, I live 5 hours away from my fill station also, i go to Acuna Mexico for $100.00 and that is with x-ray. i heard that if u walk 1 hour/day it will reset your weight set point. That is where i am stuck at. The weight i was for years and it fluctuates 4 lbs. i tried that walking but my first mistake was that i did 1 hour my first day:rolleyes2: Was i ever sore, i haven't done it since. i got the book another forum talker suggested called "New rules to lifting for women" it says to lift heavier weights at shorter reps to build muscle, tone the areas and speed up metabolism. you have a wedding soon so u might want to tone everything by adding some lifting to your cardio. i am also flabby, yuck!!! i just can't seem to make myself get in the sunroom & exercise. Get this, i have a treadmill, eliptical, gazelle, mini trampoline, Gold's gym machine, exercise balls, a TV w/a DVD player and plenty of exercise tapes. oh yeah i'm borrowing a Boflex right now, so i have no excuse to not exercise:angry: i'm lazy. i live in a small town so there are no personal trainers to hire. i rambled enough, ya''ll keep hanging in there, we will all be skinny some day.

most ins will not cover for chantix but it is worth it to try it. i can guarantee you are addicted because if u weren't u wouldn't even be having 4 or 5 cigs/day, u would be smoke free. are u in denial? I promise it works.:frown:

My Chantix was around $ 115.00/month but it was worth it. i feel so much better now, can breath better and i know it is not affecting my heart anymore. Sometimes i will have one with my friends and i fell really bad the next day. i see the difference in how i feel. i have a question about the calorie trackers online. i went to one and you can't put in the precise portions because i can't eat 1/4 or a 1/2 a cup of anything so the calories are not correct. i have to chose "1 serving" or cup measurements. my serving is nothing compared to a normal serving. how can u calculate the calories in 3 bites of queso & chips, or 4 bites of hamburger, or 2 bites of steak, or 5 bites of mashed cauliflower and broccolli? i have just been writing down what i eat and how much in a journal. i mainly concern myself with my Water and protein( i drink 3 unjury shakes/day with 25 grams Protein each). i know that i am getting less than 1000 cals/day but i can't eat anymore than that unless i eat candy, which i have no problem with. any pointers?? :wink2:

way to go Denise on the plateau breakage. that is hard to do. hang in there. i am at a plateau now but this too shall pass.

Try a prescription med named Chantix. it works, ask your Dr. for a script. that is how i quit after the band. Even having heart surgery couldn't convince me to quit for good but Chantix has done the trick.

to anyone who gives a damn, i slime alot and i have puked alot until i figured out when and how much to eat. i still have a tendency to not chew enough and then it comes up, eat too much & it comes up, forget not to drink 30 mins before eating & it comes up, eat something i know doesn't set well with me & it comes up. i always wondered about the ball of mucous i barf up. if that mucous wasn't in there i could eat more. HaHa Thanks for all the info, it helps to know that i am not alone on some of these things. Denise, i think that the key for me from here on out is to exercise, because the scales aren't moving(but neither is my body, :heh: ) good luck to all:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2: