Godshelp

GREAT Paragirl and Angelshere! To answer you question Angelshere, I can eat everthing you mentioned accept for maybe steak. I only say maybe because I can't remember eating any since I've been banded. Are you too tight? That's probably not a question you want asked especially with your great wt loss. Have you all started already if you are you following Atkins, South Beach or something else?

Okay you guys. I see that none of us post on a regular basis including me. Let's get serious about this! Who's in with me? I want to do this. We don't have to wait until the new year. Waiting for tomorrow which never comes has not been my friend,how about you?

I was insurance pay but I do remember them saying in the seminar that selfpay is the easiest to get done. You don't have to wait for an insurance okay. They may be able to get you done this month, no later than Jan I would think. Take care of you! War Eagle!

Hi all, Dr. Dewitt did my band in Apr 08. I like him and his staff. What questions do you have. I am bad about remembering to go back and check these threads. If you have specific questions and do not hera back from me in a few days, please feel free to PM me.

Two days of low carbing down and exercise. Can't wait to see what the scale says this weekend. I will be happy with two pound but will be totally estatic with more. I want so badly to under 200 lbs Christmas morning.

I'm in for the low carb living. I tried it once before I was banded. I think it was successful. Now I want to try it again with the likelihood of keeping the wt off imroved greatly. Today, I had two boiled eggs and three stripps of turkey bacon for breakfast, salad with about two tablespoons of tuna, and 1.5 tablespoons of ranch salad dressing. Dinner was a salmon steak and about 8oz of milk. I had to fight temptations all around but tomorrow is another day and I will win! I want to see 1-- lbs on Christmas morning. If not on that morning, shortly there after. Good luck you guys. Let's keep each other encouraged and uplifted.

If you are a praying woman, get to it. The realize band wasn't available to me in Apr when Dr. Dewitt did my band. He tried to sway me in the direction of gastric bypass but I was not having it. I suppose the the information on how black women respond the band was also not available as Dr. Dewitt never mentioned it to me. I was banded Apr 08. Lost great in the beginning and it continued quite well until I injured my knee and could not exercise for more than two months. I have lost a little more than 50 lbs in the six months or so with not much exercise. If I had it to do all over again, I think I might give the bypass more thought. Not sure I would've chosen it but would have been open. As you have probably seen on this site, there are lots of people who have done extremely well with the band but from the pictures, I haven't seen many black women. It is a little depressing to know that there is yet another thing that that does not seem to do as well for us. However, if we push ourselves I'm sure we can meet our goal. Which ever proceedure you choose, I'm sure you will do well if you stay focused and dedicated. God Bless.

Hi fellow Avengers. I have posted here before but mostly lurked. I was banded on 8 Apr and also would like to be down below 200lbs by what was initially Christmas morning now 31 Dec I suppose. I keep saying what I want but don't seem to be making much if any progress. At this point, I am down 50lbs from day prior to surgery but can't but worry that I won't make my goal of being down by 100lbs at my bandaversary. What are you guys doing?

Wow, I see things are getting busy here. I must have checked every other day if not everyday for months after starting this thread. Glad to see that you all have found it. How's everyone especially our bandster who was banded in Oct? I have not regreted my decision a single time. Good luck you guys.

Hi, I have and continue to have a sharp pain in my left side from time to time. It goes away however when I move or reposition myself. My surgeon stated that it is most likely the extra tubing leading from the port to the band. Sounds plausible to me especially since it goes away. Ask your doctor.

Dr. Dewitt's staff is great. I was banded by him in April or 08. Hope things go well for you.

Contray to one of the previous reports, it's not always an issue that you don't have an immediate bm. It took me about a week. Part of the reason for this is that it sometimes takes a while for your bowles to start working. Another is that you have not likely eatten enough to cause you to have a bm. If you are concerned contact your Dr., s/he might tell you get a good stool softner.

Each dr gives his own directions for eating. However, I don't think tht you should be drinking fruit juices. This is not recommended due to the large number of calories you consume from them. They could seriously hinder your weight loss. Watch out. Water, water, and more water. You may also want to try the Welche's, Crystal Light type powders that you can mix in your water on the go. Keep the faith. If you start telling yourself that you can't, you won't. :thumbup:

Congratulations on your band girl. As for the watery stool, you had to cleanse your body before surgery and probably still on liquids. Liquids in liquids out. No solids in, no solids out. The gas is your friend, embrace it. It's probably the gas from the surgery working it's way out. Sounds like you're doing great but call your doctor if you have concerns. That's what he and his staff are there for.

I think it may a starvation mode thing too. Dare I say, try to lower your deficit buy burning fewer calories instead of eating more. Just my idea! Most importantly don't get discouraged. You're doing great! I'm sure your body will see that everythings okay and will decide to release the weight. You'll probably drop 4-6 lbs in one week!:frown:

My Sister, What advice do you have for me regarding exercise? I am just under two months out from surgery and have had my first fill. I have lost about thirty pounds since my pre-op diet. I was 268 the day before surgery and now weigh 241.5. I am motivated to make the absolute most out of my band. It has been good to me and I'm trying to be good to me. What ever you have will be helpful. I thank God for the opportunity to be a receipient of you paying it forward. Be blessed.

Kareyquilts it's so nice to talk to you. I have read a number of your comments in various threads and have been inspired by your weight loss. Thank you for allowing us to go along on your journey to a happier, healthier you. I am using my machine. I had been focusing on lower body exercises but last night, I did ab work as well. Instead of the "100" I did the "30". LOL. I am out almost two months. As I said, it came from QVC. It was that day's special value for 299 or 288. At any rate, there are three monthly payments for a total of 360.00. I ordered it on Saturday and I think UPS made their first attempt to deliver it on Tuesday. I went to QVC.com and saw that they have them back in stock and that they will be doing a show on 23 June. If you're intersted, you may want to watch out for it. I also cut a pasted the description of my machine in this note for you to see. Good luck with your decision. Looking to help strengthen and tone your entire body? The Reformer does all of that--plus it gives you a great cardio workout! Ergonomically designed, the unit offers a two-position headrest and oversized, high-density shoulder pads. Its heavy-duty steel construction with nonslip frame caps make for exceptional strength and durability. The quiet, ultra-smooth rollers bear the weight of the sliding carriage. From Aero Pilates. As always, please consult your personal physician before beginning any diet or exercise program. Includes Reformer unit, removable foot bar, cardio board, four resistance cords, one 42-minute instructional workout DVD, and one 24-minute cardio board workout Folds for storage Open, measures 85"L x 20"W x 27"H 1-year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty Made in China Tune in to QVC for Pilates Home Studio Monday, June 23, 2008 from 6 – 7 a.m. and 10 – 11 p.m. ET.

I have an Aeropilates machine I order from QVC a couple of months ago. I was concerned about being able to "start" working out on it. When I saw the machine on QVC I thought I had to have it but was worried that I might not be able to use it especially after my conversation last week with the Bariatic Surgery Coordinator. She said that she had never heard of pilates, continued to warn me to not do too much but could not explain what that means. Thanks you guys.

Georgiagirl, Are your pounds lost matching the calories burned from the bugg?

You really do look great. Keep up the good work! Stay encouraged.

Mine has fallen off twice. It's now a habit to check every so often to make sure it is secure.

Ditto! Don't give up. Keep your eye on the prize.

That's WONDERFUL Joyce!:thumbup:

I'm laughing because I said yes at first and then changed it to no when I saw I wouldn't be able to register it too. I rationalized it by saying that our bands are merely for reduction in calories not malabsorption as you noted. None of you seem to be having any rpoblems with weight loss so I'm guessing it won't be an issue. I'll see.:smile2:

Hi everyone, Were any of you asked if you had weightloss surgery? If so, what did you say? Did you speak with the nutritionists from Apex? Were you required to get some kind of clearance? In general, what did you do?