JanetC

Ok, so to update... 12 so far, I think. :Banane56: At least I can give the restaurant a rough estimate! I'll most likely say 15-20, so if you didn't sign up but can come, please do! Weeee!!! It's tomorrow! List so far: 2 Janet & Mikey 2 Didi (Diane) 1 banded_for_life (Keri) 2 MyKdsDad (Randy & Joy) 2 Kim_8 1 divanita2006 (Anita) 2 DonnaB & Mike 12 total so far

Awesome, and clever name, Anita! Heh, I assumed it was Nita! I like it! See you there!!

I miss all the old pics, heh, anyone have more to add? What do/did you use on your scars? I've been using Neosporin's Scar Solution. Mikey hasn't been using it on his (typical male). I think I can see a difference between ours... though time will tell, of course.

A week ago, I couldn't seem to eat without hurting. I was golf-balling almost every meal, at least once… sometimes two or three times. StrawartS posted this list to help folks deal with “first bite blues” (also called “first bite syndrome”, or “living with a tight fill”). I haven’t done the hot tea part yet… I’m not really tight, lol. But if I follow the rest of it, I do well. I’ve taken to actually watching a second hand… and this is what I found: My normal bites are 0 seconds apart. My 2nd bite is in as SOON as I swallow. My “slow” bites are 3-5 seconds apart. LOL!! Sad, but true. 30-60 seconds is FOREVER!!!! Dealing with first bite blues: Drink HOT tea before your first bite. Take a VERY small first bite. Chew to goo. Swallow. Wait 1 minute with your mouth EMPTY!! Drink more HOT tea to wash it down. Repeat steps 2-6 for the next few bites. Put your fork down for 30 seconds to 1 minute between ALL subsequent bites. Happy eating!! I've now gone a week without a food incident, so it seems to work! I get another fill tomorrow, so we'll soon know if I've really learned my lesson!

Hi JucyC! :puke: If you want more personal responses, click here & then click on the "New Thread" button. That way folks will see your post! :eek: Glad you liked our fun! :puke: And welcome to LBT! If you went out to Easter lunch with your family & they got appetizers & meals & dessert & are STILL done before you've had your chicken breast & you have to get a "to go" box because they're tired of waiting for you & you stare at your chicken wishing you could just will it into your stomach, lol... you just might be a bandster! (Nah, that's not a run-on sentence! ) If you're at a restaurant & everyone's ordering drinks & you seriously can't figure out what to say that will get her to quit asking you for your drink order... you might be a bandster! :der: If your sister-in-law leans over & says, "Wow, you sure worked a lot during this meal, but you didn't eat ANYTHING!"... you just might be a bandster! (And oh how sweet those words were!)

Wow Tammy! Congrats on the compliment from the doctor on your stomach size! Give yourself time on the menopause worry. Remember that you've JUST had surgery... and you're constantly going through a life change. We won't be "through" it until we're at goal for more then a year. That being said, good luck with your new restriction! And thanks for the clouds under our feet! We're gonna need 'em! (I LOVE the music, heh, so I dance too much!)

Oh my goodness, lol, those are rocking! "Covet your neighbor's plate" Heh, you saw me eat with Mikey pre-band! :uwelcome: Not sure who was coveting more! If you worry about eating at your in-laws because they REALLY like dry chicken breasts... you might be a bandster. (On my way over to their house for lunch, lol.) If you drink apple cider (NOT sparkling) instead of champagne, you might be a bandster! If one drink gets you tipsy, you might be a bandster! (Or so we're hoping!) If you no longer dread the weight loss lecture from your doctor during every physical, you might be a bandster! If you're having to cut back on meds, you might be a bandster! If your blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or swollen joints is getting under control or disappearing, you might be a bandster!

I struggled with golf-balls, slimes & PBs after my first fill. I finally seem to have conquered it -- 3 days with no incidents! Weee!! For me, I use a baby food spoon / shrimp fork. TINY bites Chew to goo (every bite... every time) Put your utensil down & watch a clock AFTER you swallow 30-60 seconds with your mouth EMPTY... then take another bite The space between bites helps you to catch it the second it hurts, instead of being 2-3 bites too far. Now I stop at slight breastbone pressure & it doesn't get to a golf-ball. Heh, I'm really hoping that I've learned this lesson... and that it's not just that my restriction is less now, lol. I get another fill next week, so we'll see!

You look awesome!!!!!! To post side-by-side pics: Get an account at http://www.photobucket.com (or another web album site) Upload your pics to your album Start a post on LBT Click on the image icon (little yellow pic of a mountain with a moon above it) Copy in the URL from the album page (photobucket's is a textbox that's titled URL.) Add a space or 2 & repeat for the 2nd pic

If you order 2 things from Taco Bell, "just in case" you're still hungry, but then you can't even finish the first thing... you might be a bandster! If your dog and husband are gaining weight from eating your leftovers, lol, you might be a bandster! (No dog & Mikey's banded too... sooo much food left!)

Pasta with sauce? Oh yeah Lasagna? Yep, cheese only ... and with meat Mac n cheese? Yep Grits? Nah, but I didn't eat them often pre-banding either. :uwelcome: Oatmeal? Haven't yet (not my norm) Cucumbers? Yes Bananas? OH YEAH Grilled cheese sandwich? Yep, love 'em Oysters as in fresh? Ewww! Sushi? Nope, I had "beef on stick" -- I hate fish, lol. Rice? Yes Shrimp as in cocktail? Yep (shrimp <> fish, lol) Celery? Only in Soup... it's REALLY hard to chew to goo French fries? Yes (*blush*) Fake crab meat? Lobster bites from Long John Silvers count? Corn on the cob? Haven't tried this one... corn is supposed to be a no-no (too much Fiber / skin) Chili with Beans? OH YEAH Enchilada? Yep Have you ever slipped up and had champagne? What happened? What could happen? I'm not a champagne drinker, but I had "flat" diet coke that wasn't all that flat. I had heart burn from it & burped a TON. Technically it could stretch the pouch, or so I've been told. My doc wasn't too worried about it, he just asked that we let it go flat first. But the new coke doesn't seem to GO flat! I cracked the 3 liter & waited a week, lol. Still had some fizz. Weird. I currently have 1.2 cc in a 4cc band. With more restriction I may lose some foods... but so far anything goes, as long as I chew it well & wait 30-60 seconds between bites.

I hadn't thought of it... until we were talking about trying out for "The Biggest Loser". Suddenly money pops to the forefront! (We didn't try out, we got banded instead, lol.) I'm guessing they get some sort of stipend. AI "owns" the top 25 for 2 years or some such, don't they? Tours, etc. They'd better pay 'em something! I did notice that Kellie behaved better this week, heh. Wonder if it's 'cuz Chris's wife was in the audience!

Hi Sherry! I like your new pic! Great smile! Congrats on your first fill! Good luck with your mushie Easter! :uwelcome: I find fitday PC better then the web version. It takes a little getting used to, but I love it, heh. Some of us might be a weeeeee bit addicted to it. For some other options, try: http://www.myfooddiary.com/ http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html I saw some others recommending them... I haven't tried 'em though, I'm already addicted enough to fitday! Wow, Nanster, sounds like that ol' restriction kicked in! Be sure & slow down... give yourself a good 30-60 seconds with your mouth EMPTY before you put another bite in. (That way it's 2-3 minutes between swallows, depending on how much chewing you do.) I think the big no-no for Slim Fast is that you don't get a good Protein bang for your carb buck. In other words, they have too much extra stuff in it. Protein drinks for "weight lifters" are better. Of course they're more expensive... so it's a toss up. If you do Slim Fast, be sure you're doing the low carb version! It sounds like you've got a good Easter plan going. In my opinion, lol, a planned cheat is not a cheat! Enjoy it for me! I'll be gritting my teeth & wiring my mouth shut for Tammy! Thanks for the thoughts, Michele! And you REALLY hit it on the head. I'm PMSing & Mexican is a trigger food. Plus, I've found that nachos go down REALLY easily. (I SOOO did NOT need to know that!) I was beyond angry on Wed... and used the nachos to cheer me up, lol. Sad. We're wicked busy this week (silly Easter program), so eating is really suffering. We've been having dinner at 9 pm, so I'm climbing the walls by then. LOL with Donna! I trusted you to fulfill the fitday look-up duties. I do believe you MIGHT be more addicted then I am! Michele -- there's a "Quote" button beneath every person's post... I THINK that's the way you quote them, though I've never done it, lol. Mine are always random... and really long. I woke up with my stomach growling... which doesn't bode well for the day! I wish my monthly would just GET HERE already & quit putting me through this!! Thank goodness we get another fill Tuesday! Cannot wait!

That Zetacaps thing sounds wicked cool! I really, really, really hope it works for you! I guess the trick is to make yourself take it, huh. **sigh** so much of this is all mental, at least for me! I mean, I struggle with my anger daily... I paid to not be as hungry, and then I'm angry that I can't eat as much as I want? What's up with that! Anyway, this accountability thing worked last night!! I made myself get up & go get our vitamins, lol. I was going over my check list & realized I hadn't taken them. Oops! Better at midnight then never! :uwelcome: 14-APR-2006 Vitamins — check (Yaaay!!!) Water — check -- gotta watch it, it's dropping lower again Protein — check Exercise — omg check! (27 min of DDR!!! Plus 2 hours of standing choir practice.) Food journal — check Good choices — NO CHECK!!! (Today's bad choice, lol, Wendy's SW Taco Salad. But it's a salad, so it must be good, right?) Calorie difference 1000+ — *sigh* (753... at least it's in the right direction!) Daily affirmations 3 times — CHECK!!! (First time ever, I think, lol.)

Heh, so I guess us banded gentry shouldn't do it, eh? :uwelcome: I'm glad you found something that's working!! Keep us updated with it! If I'm ever de-banded, I'm following in your footsteps! Thanks for being my pioneer! SPRING Bootcamp 2006 4-10 ---- 277 4-13 275 (-2) 4-24 5-1 5-8 5-15 5-22 5-29 6-5 6-12 6-19 6-26 6-30 BOOTCAMP Measurements BUST-----55 WAIST----47.5 HIPS-7----57.76 HIPS-9----55 THIGH-----32.5 CALVES----19 ARMS------15.5

Yep, have your initial eval, get your pre-auth from insurance & then go for it! I wish I had the motivation for that! :uwelcome: Lose some from me, would you? Heh. Congrats on your decision!

Oh my goodness, that's the best NSV!!! Enjoy some clothes for me! :uwelcome:

If belching and farting is a GOOD thing... to be sought after & encouraged, you might be a bandster. If you regularly discuss your, um, regularity & how you keep it, you might be a bandster. LOL, why is my mind on bodily functions this morning? :uwelcome:

If you dream of being close enough to goal to have plastic surgery, you might be a bandster! (Thanks Kel & Jess for keeping my dreams alive!)

LOL, I can just picture you & your hubby both splitting AND getting a doggy bag. :uwelcome: If you time going to sleep to be 3 hours after your last bite & make sure you drink some Water during those 3 hours, you might be a bandster! If you look forward to your chewable caramel-flavored Calcium supplement as dessert, you might be a bandster. If you're learning to use words like "it's smart to" instead of "I have to" and "it's in my best interest to" instead of "I must", you might be a bandster in therapy! If you drool over the thought of a clothing swap, you might be a bandster! If you go to dinner with your friends from LBT & everyone there orders a cup of Soup with no drink, ya'll just might be bandsters!

Everyone in the boot camp thread wants to know about the zetacaps. I'm gonna go read up on them.... In the meantime, have a great trip! Check in when you can! And enjoy first class! :uwelcome: (And the grandkids, of course, lol.)

Penni's not banded currently, but I'm really curious about the zetacap... I've never heard of it! Gonna have to go read up! :uwelcome: On a positive note... I got to sneak into the scale room during our meeting tonight. I'm down 2 pounds (275)! I'm happy with a pound a week! (It's been 2 weeks since we weighed.)

Oops! I'm late today! Hope your day's going well, Penni! Last day before the trip! You got emergency food planned? :mad: I'm sure your daughter will feed you well (too well, lol). 12-APR-2006 Vitamins — check Water — check (barely, lol) :Banane04: Protein — check! Exercise — no check (NOT per plan.) Food journal — check! Good choices — NO CHECK!!! (AUGH!! Nachos will be the death of me!) Calorie difference 1000+ — *sigh* (-300. Uh oh. Today I gained. :mad:) Daily affirmations 3 times — semi-check (2 of 3)

If you have Gas-X in every bag, car, desk & cabinet... you might be a bandster. If you can't talk while eating because it will break your concentration... you might be a bandster.

Congrats & welcome to the journey!! :Banane04: