hopeinapril

Hello everyone! Congrats on the 50 pound loss. I think that is awesome. I carried a 35 container of cat litter the other day. Holy cow! I can't imagine lugging 50 pounds around, but I guess I am doing more than that now! I've started a new job and am loving it. But, I can't get online from there. I have been so busy that I haven't been online. The Halloween candy got me a little bit. I guess like others I don't show up when I am going down the wrong path! Anyway, after last weekend's binge, I am back to the weight I was. I'm glad it took only a week to get the weight down. I honestly think that a lot of it is Water weight because I eat salty stuff and then am incredible thirsty, so I drink tons of water. Anyone know the deal with soda? Are we ever allowed to have it? I try not to use it, but sometimes there are no other choices.

I am going to try to post the St. Francis support groups dates again. This will be the second try.:thumbup: Pre and post ops - 10/28 Pre and post ops - 11/11 post op struggling - 11/12 pre and post ops - 11/25 No Decemeber meetings! YIKES! All the meetings are 6-7:30 Hope this works this time!

Hello! Congrats Julie! I was thrilled to hit that same goal not long ago. I think I am going to go in for a slight fill. I am starting to be able to eat more than I should and get hungry more often. I have to admit after being at a place where this didn't happen, I am not happy. I want to give it a few more days, just in case it is a temporary thing. Harley, great drink recipes. I was in a support group with a lot of pre-ops and they always ask me about that stuff. I'll have to remember to print it out and take it with me! Hope everyone has a great, active weekend! :smile:

Hi everyone! Lynn - great news! I am so happy for you. I will join you in the 180's some time next year! I have 7 cc in a 9cc band. I was concerned at some point that I would have the band completely filled and I still wouldn't have restriction. That didn't happen, but it was a fear. I think I am at a pretty good spot. I expect to get a small fill before the end of the year. I am still only eating about 4 oz at a time, but I can tell that could creep up. Sorry, no port soreness for me. I can feel it more and more, but it is not sore. Is in an area that your clothes rub or bang up against a door or something on a daily basis?

Hi Julie: I did go last night. The meetings for St. Francis are in the office right next to CHRIAS. They have them 2 times a month for pre& post op and I believe once or twice a month for post op only. I can put the schedule up if you want. I really enjoy going to the meetings. I always learn something and I come out feeling pretty good! Julie - welcome to band land!

Hi Shamrocks! Congrats on the recent successes! I have been offline for about 2 weeks. Stress at work got to me, so I got another job. Now, I am excited about the new job. I am a little nervous because I will work with 2 friends. Neither knows about the band, but fortunately, they are used to my odd eating habits. I'll have to think about a holiday goal. I'd really like to lose about 15 pounds. I'll ponder a bit on that. I watched several of the biggest loser shows today. It got to the point where the ladies in the show had lost 40-50 pounds. It was illuminating to me. I didn't realize how much that really was until I saw their before and after photos. I realize now how far I have come. Also, with a new job, I need to dress more professional. I hauled out a whole bunch of clothes. I had 3 huge bags of stuff that was too big. That was wonderful! On another note, how can I wear size 24, 22 and 20 all at the same time? It drives me a little nuts!

Delores: Hi! I do believe that the band losens over time. I think you stomach also gets smaller, so that band that was at the right tightness - after you loose weight - is not so tight after all. Hey, my band is tight at different times. I ate a bite of sugar free ice milk and couldn't eat any more because the band tightened up. If I drink hot tea or something warm, it loosens up. Funny thing, the band.

Caelyn - welcome to bandland....lol. Just remember all that you go through in the beginning is only short term. Pretty soon you will be up and about. Lynn - you have lost a lot of weight. I bet that shirt was huge! Very cool to see your success like that.

Wow, a fish sandwhich..... I tried one chicken nugget and that was a bad idea! SLIME...ew. I honestly think I didn't chew it enough. But, I have to tell you....don't beat yourself up about this. All that does is make you feel bad. Start the next minute as a new minute. Plus, the studies say that if you catch yourself after the first slip, you usually won't gain any weight. Since I go for the salty stuff, then drink a ton of Water.....I usually gain water weight....so, take that for what it is worth.

Hi Julie: It will go quickly! I think taking pictures once a month is a great idea. I think it may be hard to see at first, but you may be surprised. Also, after a few months or more, you will really see the progress.

Hi Julie: I was TERRIFIED of the 2 days of clear liquids. It turns out that it wasn't so bad. First, be well stocked. I had clear diet soda, sugar free jello in many flavors and plenty of clear broth. Second, keep drinking through the day. When you are hungry, eat jello. I was surprised how much I LOVED the jello. I was happy to eat something of substance. Third, do NOT stay at the table while your family is eating. If you can convince them to go out without you, do it! If not, stay away from the kitchen. I'd try to avoid cooking for them. It is only 2 days! If that is not possible, then go for a walk while they are eating or go somewhere in your home that you will not smell the food. Get someone else to clear the table and put the dishes in the dish washer. Remember that this will be the last time in a long time that you should drink soda. I took advantage of that and drank diet sprite most of the day.

CHRIAS doesn't have the $2,000 seminar fee, that is the docs downstate. I'd call CHRIAS for an appointment. I think they make you go to their seminar first, but it is free. If you have surgery at Christiana - they have a $700-$800 fee plus they have a ton of co-pays. St. Francis only charges $550 and they do not charge you co-pays for the dietician and nurse. You can go see the dietician forever and they will not charge you any more. You can also go to as many support group meetings as you want. Good luck!

Hi Julie! Last supper syndrome is a tough one! I wanted to eat and eat.....but, I kept it to a minimum! I'd suggest that you bring something to read, a small pillow for the ride home. Very comfy clothes. (bring loose stuff, your stomach will be swollen and you don't want anything tight around you) The pillow is to put between you and your seatbelt. I'd also recommend that you hit the medicine button as much as you can once you know they are discharging you. It will last you for the ride home and maybe even longer.

Hi everyone! Harley - awesome news! How terrific that you are 1/2 way there! I went to the doc's office yesterday and I told him I didn't want a fill. He agreed, but tried to convince me to exercise more. LOL, I still don't love exercise! But, I do enjoy walking quickly up the 2 flights of steps to my office and not even realizing it. THANK GOD! My horribly stressful situation is gone. My new reaction to stress is NOT to eat. It was an interesting realization.

Hi everyone! Caelyn - how exciting! I remember the week before surgery. I was excited and scared at the same time. (I had never had a surgical procedure before!) Lynn - cool that you got your fill. You have done really well. I know you will succeed. Look how well you have done so far! I am the opposite of the average bander. I loose more weight each month. But, considering I didn't loose weight for 2 months, that is not saying too much. In the past 4 weeks I lost 8 pounds, so I am happy. I did not get a fill at the doc's today. I didn't really want one. I don't go back until the end of November. We will see if I need a fill then. Today was such a nice day and I was off work. I really enjoyed myself. I walked all over walmart and then all over Wilmington. The funny part is that I didn't even notice how much I walked until I started thinking about what I had done for the day. I think that is great!

WCM - Congrats! You have hit a major goal. That is wonderful. Chica - In a way, it is kind of cool that your dd doesn't remember you at a higher weight. I showed my son some photos of me at 19 last night. He had no clue who it was. I told him that it was mommy when she was young. I still don't think he got it. Well, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I don't anticipate a fill as I did well this past month and I think I am at the sweet spot. I'm still having issues with getting enough food down. (from stress not the band being too tight) There is a lot of irony in that!

Hi! Well, I finally believe I am at the sweet spot. I can still cheat, but anyone with 1/2 a brain can figure out how to cheat the band. But, I am currently at the point that I can eat what I should and feel full. It sure took me a while! Finally, my weight loss is taking off. I'm glad because I am self pay and I was beginning to think I paid a ton of money for something that would not work for me. I am really glad that I was wrong! I plan to continue to write everything I eat down, continue to post here and continue to go to the support group meetings. I believe all those things are important. I am changing, but a little afraid that the changes are not permanent. I guess I will deal with that fear for a while. I figure I have been fat for a very long time. (I have gone up and down the scale my whole life!) It will take a while to have confidence in the changes I have made. Meanwhile, the scale moving down is a very motivating thing. I am very close to having 40 pounds gone. I may actually lose 80 pounds by my one year anniversary. That is so very exciting to me! Well, time to go out and enjoy the nice weather!

Howdy folks! My story- I was fat by 10 and went up and down the scale many times after that. Both parents were chunky and my brother gained a ton of weight by the time he was out of high school. My son was underweight for many years. He is now 11 and is getting a small tummy. I allow him to eat what he wants, because he self-regulates. I also encourage him to go outside and ride his bike. The sad thing is that many days, he is the only kid outside on the bike. We have no video games in the house, but he is allowed to watch tv and DVDs. So far, so good. I do monitor him closely because no way do I want him to go through what I went through. Different note. I seem to be changing a bit. At almost 6 months with the band, I am glad - sort of. I have been a little upset (work issues) lately. Instead of jumping into the nearest bag of bad stuff, I have lost my appetite. You have no idea how weird this is for me. I have struggled the past few days to get in my Protein. (I resorted to having Protein shakes to get it in!) I always wondered what special kind of stupid the people were who "forgot to eat". Now, I am becoming that person. It is enlightening to me!

Fairy - AWESOME! I love those kind of victories! I can't wait until I am "too small" for Lane Bryant!

Hey folks! Tess - congrats on your weight loss. I'm sure you will keep it going. SpecialK - While I really enjoy all the Biggest Loser shows. (I even applied to the show......which if you knew me well, you would realize that telling my personal history [12 page application] is NOT my style) They spend ALL day exercising. I mean that is their job while they are on the show. We would all lose double digits if we spent all day exercising and had trainers and the right foods. I'm not saying that they have it easy, but they are focused only on losing weight. Plus, see what happens next week. Usually the second week is a tough one because their bodies are saying "WHAT THE HECK" and they don't lose as much weight. It is good tv to show these great weight losses. It was amusing last night because both Jill and Bob taunted the contestants about sitting at home and watching it on tv. (eating their chips and such) I'll be honest, I enjoy the show and this time when watching it, I am losing weight and it feels good to go "yep, I am losing weight". Fenton - I'm glad you sort of made fun of how much you were missed. I was going to post a comment about your harem missing you, but I was afraid I would be blown off the board. I'm sorry you had such a rough time. While it may be hard to believe, posting when you are having trouble works. I guess you have to be ready to move along though. I am sure that you will move along. Welcome to the group of bandsters who have acutally had a fill.

Hi everyone! Lynn - hope everything goes well for your daughter. I don't think you stop worrying about them just because they aren't little! Caelyn - It went fast didn't it? I know I thought it was real once I did my pre-op visit. Dee - welcome! Congrats on your loss to date. Restriction - It's funny, but for the most part now I think I have good restriction. I do eat only small portions. I am AMAZED at how little I actually eat now. I do think restriction is a moving target though. I anticipate that I will need more fills in the future, but not right now.

Hi! Amanda - congrats on the 1/2 way point. What a great milestone! I haven't had hair loss or reflux. I am very compliant with the Vitamins. My doc added Iron to my regime because I was complaining of being tired. The added iron has made a difference. I don't have that afternoon drop anymore. The band is variable. I find that usually in the morning it is tight. The rain always seems to make it tighter. What I have found interesting is the small amount of food that we actually need. After the Protein, I don't eat a whole lot. It takes the mental adjustment as well. I still find myself in front of the fridge at times and wonder what I am doing there. (I'm not hungry) Have a great Monday everyone!

hi Band mates! This weekend was a little rough. Got to love it sometimes. I forgot how it can be bad to not really have anything to do. I did play couch potato a bit and enjoyed it for a while. Then I realized that there really isn't much on tv these days! Thanks for the info about Avenue. I'll have to take a look. I'm always up for a bargain! Thanks for noticing my milestone and the congrats! I am looking forward to the next goal!

Hi Everyone! Fairy - I have been doing the same. Unless I get tightened up, I'll be wearing some creative outfits. I am beginning to think I may make some of my own stuff. I like longer shirts and the 1/2 to 3/4 sleeves. I could wear the jeans and stuff that are out there, but the tops will have to cover the excess skin. Guess I have to be better at doing some exercises to tighten the skin and muscle underneath. I hit a landmark today and I AM THRILLED!!! I am so happy with my decision to get the band!