Tricia K.

This is directly from Debby's first post for the challenge: First Start Date, January 3,2006 End Date March 1,2006

I'm in the zero-calorie club. I'm a Splenda girl.

My husband has been 100% supportive through the entire process. He knows that I have PCOS and couldn't lose a significant amount of weight without the help of the band. He did almost as much research pre-surgery as I did. He wanted to be well aware of the advantages/disadvantages/possible risks, etc. before I had the surgery. He went with me to my first appointment with the surgeon so that he could ask his many questions. I flew solo on subsequent appointments because we didn't feel it was necessary for him to come. The morning of surgery, he asked the anesthesiologist a bunch of questions. I'm a lucky girl to have such a wonderful husband.

I gained steadily from about the age of 11 or 12 because of PCOS. Of course, I didn't know I had PCOS until a little over 5 years ago. That's when everything sunk in - - - "jeez, no wonder I was gaining weight even though I was an active kid and I ate relatively healthy"

From what I've read, caffeine can increase your appetite. However, this is not the case for me. I don't deny myself caffeine 'cause love coffee, lattes, etc.

That's exactly the brand/type I was referring to in my earlier post. I absolutely love it. I have both the chocolate and the vanilla and I don't mix them with anything other than skim milk. However, I do refrigerate them for at least an hour so that they get that yummy milkshake consistency.

I don't see any harm in starting on protein shakes early on. I've found that Body Fortress and EAS whey protein powder shake mixes taste the best - - either vanilla or chocolate. Wal-mart and CVS both carry a 30-serving size tub of Body Fortress. EAS makes smaller containers if you're just looking to try it out. However, they're more expensive than Body Fortress. The last time I purchased EAS was at Rite-Aid. However, I think they have it at GNC.

If I finish this in time, I'll be the first to post after PhotoNut. In any event, as you can see, my name is Tricia. I'm 34 years of age and was born and raised in Central Oregon. I moved to NJ at the age of 23 to be a nanny (which lasted all of 2 years) and ended up staying there for a total of 9 years. After my stint as a nanny, I worked in the publishing/advertising industry until my most recent move to Louisiana in March of 2004. Speaking of my recent move, it was all due to the love of my life, my dear, sweet husband. He and I met online in October of 2003 and spent all of 19 days together before I made the big move. Other than having lap band surgery, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. He and I have been married one year, as of this past January 2nd. Still somewhat newlyweds, I suppose. Anyway, I could keep rambling about my wonderful marriage and husband but I'll spare everyone. My husband and I have no children together but he has an 8 year-old son from a previous relationship. My step-son is a great kid. We do have 3 cool cats though. In any event, we plan on trying to get pregnant around this time next year. Wish us luck. I have two older brothers. The 2nd oldest, who lives outside of Seattle, has two children. The other still lives in Central Oregon, along with my Mother, of whom I'm very close to. My father passed away 12 years ago. I miss him dearly. I've been heavy since about the age of 11 or 12. Unfortunately, I never understood why I was constantly gaining weight until 5 years ago when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I've never been an overeater or one to binge, but I progressively gained weight due to the syndrome. After so many failed attempts at losing weight, I felt that my last option was lap band surgery. I'm so happy with my decision. Anyway, I hope this gives you some insight into the life of Tricia K. Now, on to the required stuff...LOL. Highest / Present 283 / 216 (- 67)

The band is meant to be a permanent implant. Unless you're unfortunate enough to have an erosion or some other complication, it should remain. Additionally, my experience with fills has been nothing but positive. I'm not afraid of needles but I can honestly tell you that out of my 4 fills, I've never once felt the needle. A word of advice, if you're afraid of needles, don't watch while you're getting a fill.

I've uploaded the PDF file to my site. Here's the link. http://www.geocities.com/tricia_kutz/94832C_LB_Patient_Card.pdf

Congratulations!!

Oh my goodness, how could I have forgotten mozzarella and provolone? I swear, my CRS is getting worse every day!! Hee hee.

Anyone else have a fondness for it? I'm sitting here munching on a small chunk of it....yummy.

Cool :confused: I prefer brie, havarti, colby jack, american and mild cheddar, in that order. Oops, I almost forgot pepperjack!! Yum!

*insert standard good luck surgery post here* LOL :confused: Congratulations and best of luck for a speedy recovery! :confused:

I'm sorry that you're going through this. Fortunately, I haven't developed any scar tissue (that I can tell, of course). I hope you find relief soon.

Congratulations and best of luck for a speedy recovery! :confused:

I too like the challenge name. I also think that adding a little info about ourselves is a great idea. However, I do feel that we should post our weight as follows: Highest weight/challenge starting weight/current weight (- lbs. lost) Does anyone else agree? Oh yeah....I'm cool with posting our weight on Wednesdays.

I also love sashimi!

Congratulations, Heather! :confused:

:confused: Correction - - the band did not set off the wand while I went through extra security at Las Vegas McCarren International Airport.

Ok, that's odd...while my husband and I were in Vegas this past October, my purse was stolen (with my ID inside), which required me to go through that "extra" security at the airport on our trip home. The wand didn't go off at all and I know for a fact that I have a port. I wonder why it goes off for some and not others. Not that I'm itching to tell the TSA agent that I have an implanted device, mind you. :eek:

I'm averaging between 800 and 900 calories per day. Every once in a while I'll kick it up to 1100 or 1200 just so my body doesn't get used to a minimal amount.

Oh my gosh!! I'm so glad I found this thread. I absolutely love sushi but haven't gone near it due to my fear of rice. I suppose I could do as others have said and ask for less rice and see how it goes. I think I'm going to have some tomorrow. Yum, yum, yum. I cannot wait!! *drool*

LOL....that's hilarious!! :biggrin1: