JaimeSTL

I don't like welfare abuse, but if paying for abuse means children eat, I'm okay with that. Let's face it--these people who are getting food stamps and medicaid while driving Escalades and carrying Coach purses are going to still drive Escalades and carry Coach purses while their children starve and suffer. If they'll abuse the welfare system, it isn't likely they'll step up and care for their children otherwise. Plus, when you tighten the system, you are going to leave out a lot of people who don't abuse it but have no other way to make it. I'm also okay with paying more taxes if need be, probably because I have been there and needed help for a few months when my husband lost his job and I had just delivered a premature baby with a 1 yr old at home. We work hard now, but we also worked hard then. Of course, I'm just a tree-hugging hippie liberal.

The other night we were hanging out with some friends and I decided to have a drink. I picked up some Mike's Light Hard Lemonade. Mmm, yummy! One bottle has 98 calories. I rarely drink--that was the first time in probably a year--so I was a little buzzed after just one. It is lightly carbonated, but it didn't really bother me. It just felt kind of weird after not having carbonation for so long.

I haven't had any protein drinks since my post-op diet was over. Once I was able to get in enough protein through solid food, I stopped drinking them. They were just disgusting and gave me awful stomach cramping. I manage to get in about 70-80 grams of protein per day (sometimes even more) while staying around 1200 calories.

Thanks! My starting weight was 350. All I've done is follow the bandster rules. I don't drink when I eat or for 1.5-2 hours after. I take small bites, chew well, etc. I eat 3 meals per day and 1 snack, approximately 1000-1200 calories, with 70-80+ grams of protein a day. My doctor is very aggressive with his fills, but I prefer to keep my fill level on the loose side so I can still eat a normal meal. I don't believe in keeping myself so restricted that I can only have liquids or eat just a few bites at a time. I also don't drink calories. Generally speaking, I only drink water, with a minimum of 64 ozs a day. I exercise 30 minutes per day, most days. I just started exercising regularly in July and I wish I'd started sooner. I also try to avoid slider foods and I track calories and protein everyday. I allow myself occasional indulgences so when I want something, I just have a little and that has helped me avoid binges.

As of this morning, I am down exactly 100 lbs, less than 7 months post-op. :crying:

I took/take pictures of myself in clothes, bra/underwear, and naked every month. The bra/underwear and naked pictures are only seen by me (and my husband). I have shared the bra/underwear pictures with one close friend, but I would never post them on my blog. I do wish that I'd picked something to wear that was more form fitting in my pictures, especially at the beginning. I usually just take the pictures for my blog in whatever I happen to be wearing that day, which can make it hard to tell how much weight I've really lost, especially since most of my clothes are baggy.

Tap, I don't want to feed your nut addiction, but I found 100 calorie almond packs at Walgreens. I, too, love almonds. I bought a large container and weighed out servings and bagged them so I wouldn't eat too many at a time. The 100 cal packs are perfect too. I've been on a mission to find all the low-cal, small serving versions of my favorite things so I can eat them and not feel guilty. I have a problem with large packages--I just can't stop. I know this, so I just don't buy them.

Don't count yourself out because you're a woman. I am 6 1/2 months post-op and I've lost 98 lbs. It is definitely possible if you stick to the plan. Eat2Live, congrats!

I just got my first taste of that this week. Someone who claimed me be a poster here sent me a message via MySpace just to call me a liar. She insisted I couldn't possibly have lost 95 lbs and that my pictures look like I simply changed clothes. WTF is wrong with people?!

I'll see when I get there. I can't imagine I'd do okay with a complete unfill, even at goal. I like that the band controls my hunger and I can feel full on normal amounts of food. I never felt full before so I worry that if I was unfilled, I'd go back to that feeling.

I'm glad to hear you are okay! How scary! Are you on BP medication? Maybe they need to change the dose or take you off of it if you are.

I gained right up until my pre-op liquid diet. My doctor usually does a 3 day diet but he made me do 5 days to make sure I lost a few pounds before surgery.

I canNOT even believe people would defend something like this. Even my 7 and 5 year olds know better than to use the word retarded. My 7 year old has special needs and has been referred to in that way, both by children and adults. You can't even imagine how much it hurts until you (or your child) are the one being called that.

I've been holding onto a lot of my too big clothes. I have a bunch of things I need to bag up and take to Goodwill (thanks for the reminder on that RSG!). Some things I am making a conscious decision to keep because I love to sleep in baggy shirts and shorts or because I can still make them work well enough to wear sometimes. I really hate the idea of spending money on clothes that I won't wear long. I am trying to make things last as long as I can before I break down and buy new stuff. I also noticed that my body is much different than it was at this weight before. My arms and legs are thinner so my pants are way baggier throughout the legs. I have no butt. I think I wore the same size before. I carry much of my weight in my stomach and it is putting up a fight. LOL

Posting just to say that some people just really REALLY suck.

I have lost 96 lbs as of today. I told my husband, "If you put something that weighed 96 pounds in front of me and asked me to lift it, I couldn't do it. But I carried those 96 pounds around on my body for years." Even though I still have quite a bit more to lose, just losing those 96 lbs made it worth going through surgery. I wish I'd gotten the surgery when I only had 90 lbs to lose instead of 190.

Woohoo!! Yay!!