JeepGal

Here's what I would do. I would make a new goal to not eat anything while with friends. If they go out to eat, just get a Water and drink it and enjoy their company. Sneaking food in is so easily done, so just quitting the snacking, I find is the easiest way to address it. Also be sure to stick to the band rules! I called my Dr Office and got a list for ya (your Dr's list might be different) 1.Eat only 3 small meals a day 2.Eat slowly and chew throughly (15-20 times a bite) 3.Stope eating as soon as you feel full. 4.Do not drink while eating 5.Do not eat between meals 6.Eat only good quality food. solid food is more important than liquid foods. Infact, the band will have no effect if you only consume liquids 7.Avoid fibrous foods. 8.Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day 9.Drink only low cal liquids 10. Exercise Daily Next, GIRL, you need to get your ass off the couch! LoL Think about when you do start losing the weight. Do you want your body to look all nasty and hangy? NO! you wanna look freakin hot and exercise is a MUST for that. Thinking about that usually helps me. Another thing I do is when a freind is telling me about their weight issues (which happens often) I say to them, "Hey let's work out once or twice a week together. Nothing hard, just walking for 20-30 minutes." I have three work out partners I meet up with once a week. It provides me motivation, that I don't have to come up with myself, and I get to enjoy some one on one time with my friends. :thumbup: In fact, one of the gals I work with is losing weight and we have decided to run a marathon in April and three other co-workers have joined in. We work out indivudually during the week then on Sat we run together. I strongly encourage you to find work out buddies. (I even found a gal in my area from this site to work out with) You can also journal what you are eating on a few websites. Here are a few that I like and my trainer gave me. sparkpeople.com myfitnesspal.com and MyPyramid.gov - United States Department of Agriculture - Home If you start looking at exactly what you are putting in your mouth it will be come apparent that you either need a fill or you are slacking. Not to be harsh, but I'm trying to be honest with you. It sounds like you are slacking in a major way. (also you do NOT have enough restriction) I think if you could find some ways to motivate yourself you'll have more sucess. This band is not an "easy button" it's just to help you. Look at what you think would motivate you and try it out. You are learning a new lifestyle with this band! You should work hard to make sure it's full of the right choices. Anyway, best of luck! God knows I still have a lot to work on with my diet, I really didn't mean to get on a soap box! I'm just trying to help with some ideas for you. Keep us posted on how it works out for ya.

Wait. Everyone I talk to says that you lose one dress size for every 10lbs you lose. This has held pretty true to my weight lost. How did you lose 30 lbs and go down 10 dress sizes? I'm calling bull. :smile2: But congratz on your weight loss.

I've been stuck at 60lbs for two months now. It's driving me crazy!! Then I see your post, find out you're stuck at exactly 60lbs, AND you stole my signature! HAHAHA I thought it was my own post for a second, even went though my mind to see if I had posted it and forgot. HAHAH I have no idea why we are stuck...looks like it's a common thing tho. No need to fear!! :sad_smile: Keep up the good work!!

I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything...but you'll ALWAYS worry about PBing from here on out. It's to embarrassing when you do it, in public, it's always at the back of your mind. LoL The nurse in my surgeon's office even keeps a container in her car just in case she might need it randomly. *shrug* BUT WE SURE DO LOOK HOT!! *laughing*

I lost 25lbs my first month and was stuck for the next 2 months. For me, I think my body just drops a lot of weight and then likes to just sit at that weight for awhile to make sure I'm really okay to lose some more. What helped me was to keep in mind they say you should only lose 1 to 2 pounds a week with the band. You are already WAY ahead of schedule. Next, my doctors office told me that usually people do not see substantial weight loss until 5 or 6 months out. They would tell me every time I'd go in, "Don't worry it will happen if you are doing what you are supposed to do". And it slowly has!! Remember to have patients! You didn't gain this weight overnight, you can't expect your body to drop it all overnight either. :cool2: Best of luck!!

My doctor's office recommended the Viactiv chews. I love them. They are yummy and my nails have never grown so well! haha Plus, I only take one a day. I have become stuck on them a few times if I eat them too early in the morning, but honestly I've been stuck on Water in the morning a few times. LoL Best of luck! :thumbup:

Hey! I disagree. From what I've noticed, I think it's an individual thing. About 3-4 months out I lost a ton of hair and was really really worried about it. Which I'm sure was because I ate very little Protein. Since that time, I eat cottage cheese for lunch nearly everyday and ALWAYS have meat at meals and my hair just isn't the same as it was before surgery. I mean it's become a lot better, but it's still not the same hair it was. Oh well, my body is becoming smokin, so I guess it's a trade off. hehe FYI, maybe if I did gag those Protein drinks down it would look better, but I'd rather use my extra calories on stuff I like. HAHA I do have atkin Protein Bars to snack on, but those shakes :cry_smile: hehe That's my take on it, best of luck!! :cool2:

Justmel has it exactly right. Put stuff you can eat (mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing with tons of gravy, Jello salad, soups) on your plate and if anyone questions why you don't have a lot or why you didn't eat it all, just say you've already been snacking all day. :embaressed_smile: I know this is how my thanksgivings usually went anyway before my band. LoL I personally wouldn't blend any food. That would cause more questions you might not want to answer. People don't really watch what you eat as much as you think they might. On first dates I ALWAYS get stuck, so usually I push my food around on the plate and take bites with little or no food on the fork. Not one guy has noticed yet. hehe You do need to tell your husband that this is 21 days after a major surgery and he MUST help you out. He's going to be your personal do bitch for the day, but that's what it is! :cool2: hehe I don't know if I would have been up for hosting a thanksgiving day feast, but you can do it! I wish you the best of luck! Oh and DO NOT eat something that isn't okay for you to eat. Not letting your in-laws know you had surgery isn't worth the risk of hurting your stomach or making your band slip. Happy Turkey Day!!

You are going to do awesome!! :embaressed_smile: You'll be back home and as good as new in no time! I'm excited for you! Best of luck!!

Tom, I'm gonna give it to ya straight. The band is a tool to help you. It won't do it for you. You MUST make the right food choices and get your exercise in. If you can't eat breads, your band is working. However, you can still eat too much with the band and you can eat all the time with the band...there are SO many ways to cheat. (let's be honest) It really is up to you. My guy friend that got the 14cc band didn't get any restriction until he was filled near 7.5cc's. My guess is that you don't have enough restriction. It sounds like your doctor is an ass. LoL you might have to just suck it up and lose 20lbs to get another fill. For me the band (along with a lot of hard work) has worked wonders. I know it can work for you and I really hope you can get it to work. It's amazing to be at a size you haven't been at for YEARS, and to find yourself doing physical activities easily that would have caused you to worry about trying before. The band is simply amazing!! I hope one day you can share my experience.

The address to Provo High School is 1125 N University Parkway. The track is located on the North West side of the school and there is also parking on the West side of the track. I'm excited! What days/time did you have in mind? I usually leave my house around 6am. This puts me at the track at about 6:15ish. :thumbup:

Nan, Here is Dr Aldredge's number 801-571-9511. I have no idea how much fills cost if you did not get the surgery in their office. I get fills/unfills free for the first year and I think it's $225 or something close to that for every year after. I think you can pay for an individual fill, but I'd rather just pay for the year and know I can bother them at any time. LoL :tongue2: What's your work schedule like? I'm a morning person, but I could meet up at the track after 5pm. I haven't been to the gym or anything in a week. I feel SUPER lazy. LoL

Nan, I live in Provo too! I'm always looking for gym buddy or someone to go to the Provo High Track with. If you ever need workout support, I'd be happy to meet you there! It's always good to keep motivated! BTW, I have a gold's membership. I, like Moo, had my surgery done with Dr Aldredge. His nurses are awesome. I've heard from other people that he will do fills on people that had the surgery in Mexico. I would be worried about fills if I got my surgery in Mexcio. I seriously am up in Dr Aldredge's office at least once a month for fills or unfills. It takes a while to find the right fill level. This band is an adventure that's for sure. :cool2:

Pete, You should try dating and being banded. OMG, it's the worst! Not to mention when I'm stressed out, like on a first date, my band gets SoOOoo tight. I just order food and push it around on my plate making it look like I've eaten something. LoL It's a great system, let me tell ya. But you're exactly right, what does a person do?

Nan, That's exactly how I handle it. And it's 100% true. I'm running three miles a day and I try to only eat healthy things. However, if it's someone that I know has tried losing weight on their own or has issues with food, I like to tell them about the surgery. I figure this surgery has helped me so much, why not tell others it exists. It might change their life too!! :tt2: Good luck!! BTW, I live in Utah as well. Where are you from and who was your surgeon?

utahband I know that the doctors at Utah Valley Surgical have helped patients from out of state. I think I talked to a guy that was getting fills here, but had his surgery in Mexico. Anyway, you could call them. 801-571-9511. My doctor is Dr Aldredge.