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Charlene -- so glad to hear the great news!! Congratulation your DH for us!! Glad everything went well. Linda

Hi everyone. Had a .250 cc fill yesterday - I love that my surgeon will give me teeny tiny fills, he's very good at listening to me. I spent the afternoon at the hospital with my friend and she is doing okay. They are doing a pet scan tomorrow -- and then she'll probably be coming home. She's doing very well considering her diagnosis. It brings up a lot of other memories for me as my mom also died of lung cancer six years ago. I need to adjust my ticker and go with my surgeon's goal for me -- I never had asked him before what his goal for me was so he checked the file yesterday and told me 132, so I'll change my ticker to that and if I can and want to lose more, so be it, but if not, I'll be happy with that - that'll be 113 from where I started. Bugs, as everyone else has stated, don't let your surgeon's staff deprive you of your decision to get the band. In looking back to how uncertain I was, I think, "wow, am I ever glad I didn't let that stop me!" So hang in there, you only have to see those people once every 6 weeks or so, so don't let them discourage you -- in fact use it to your advantage by showing them what a FANTASTIC patient/bander you'll be. Julie, you sound like you're doing very well -- hang in there, soon you'll be sweatin bullets like the rest of us. Ordered some new walking tapes cause I was so sick of my old one and truly, the new one I tried today was great and got me enjoying it again. Laura, I thought you're pics were amazing -- congratulations on your loss -- you've done a fantastic job! I've never let my weight stop me either -- I love to swim too much to ever stop, so even though my bathing suit size before I got the band was a 30, I still put it on and went to the beach/pool. I too had told myself I was fine with being fat, but truly I was absolutely miserable and only said that to cover the fact that I felt like an out of control eating maniac. I felt fat Monday all day and all night and was still feeling fat Tuesday morning. But, I got on the scale and I was down 2 lbs. so that fat feeling went away immediately. LOL. Bugs, the only think Laura forgot on her packing for the hospital list is Gas X strips. You'll defintely need them if you stay overnight in the hospital as I did. If you go home the same day, you probably don't need to take them, but be sure to have them on hand for when you get home. Hope everyone has a great day. CBL. Linda

Hi everyone, just checking in, catching up. I go in for a small fill tomorrow -- I hope it's the last one I'll need -- I plan to ask for .5 cc's and hopefully that will be it and I'll be at my sweet spot. I had some terrible news. My best friend has terminal mesothelioma which is lung cancer caused by aesbestos. We have no idea where she may have been around aesbestos. She was raised in Northern Michigan and was a teacher her entire life. Julie, glad to hear from you, so glad your surgery is over and now the healing can begin. You've had more on your plate this year than most people have in a decade, so please be kind to yourself and allow yourself to heal. I hope all goes well with your band during your recovery. You are one brave and strong woman!! Long, so happy you are home safe from the bears. Janet, so sad that your employers are so insensitive - that's just terrible. You'd think it would be (and should be) just the opposite and they would value someone who had that kind of loyalty. Glad you and your friends had a great time. Charlene, hope your DH is doing great -- I've been thinking of you. I wish your son had made it on Biggest Loser. I was thinking it would be neat if they would do a season with all WLS patients and talk about all the various bariatric surgerical options. It would be so educational to the viewers to see how that WLS is only a TOOL, not what 99% of the public thinks. They still aren't sure what my DGD has - the first blood work came back positive for lupus. Then they did more blood work and lupus was not indicated. So now they did more blood work thinking it may be Dermatomyostis. She's such a brave little angel -- getting all the blood drawn -- she's only 2-1/2. Laura, recipe sounds delish, I'll make it soon, but probably the one pot wonder way as well. I love zucchini, thanks for sharing. Hope everyone has a great week. Linda

Jill,congratulations on your year bandanniversary and also on your losses -- both pounds and sizes -- it doesn't matter how much someone loses -- what matters is that you continue on your path to a new healthier you and it sounds like you have been and will continue to be very successful. I'm so happy that you had such wonderful NSV and especially at the wedding - wow! I bet you were glowing! That should help you stay inspired for your next year with the band! So happy for you!! Laura, so happy you had a great time with your sister and now you're mom and dad coming - that's nice too -- I'm jealous -- I still have 4-1/2 weeks until I get to see my family -- can't wait! Meredith, can't imagine that you have that much drainage but maybe it's cause they only used one incision (right? you had the new one incision band, I think). So none of us would have any idea because all of us had the old, 5 incision bands. I'm sure you'll be fine if you continue to follow doctor's orders and keep a close eye on it. Ifyourband, I'm so sorry you had such a bad time with your folks and that your mom got hurt. Hope she's doing better and everything has calmed down. Proud of you for recognizing that you needed to write rather than eat -- it's hard to get through the first few eating triggers, but sounds like you did a good job. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Linda

Hi everyone, just checking in. Not much happening with me. Meredith, I'm proud of you for not eating the pizza. I find it easier and easier to be around pizza and other foods that I'm not supposed to eat as long as I plan ahead and have my own food, it doesn't bother me. For instance, last night, DH and DGD and DD had bbq ribs so I grilled salmon for me instead -- much better for me and it didn't bother me not to eat the ribs. Janet, congrats on your 30 year anniversary -- that really is something to celebrate - -the longest I ever worked at one job was 15 years. Good for you! Charlene, glad to hear your DH has his surgery date. Julie, keeping you in my thoughts, hope your surgery went well. PJ, so happy you had you unfill. I'm debating on whether to keep my appt. next week. I stay satisfied for several hours after eating, but I don't feel that full after eating the amount that should fill me up, so am thinking of getting another small fill -- last one was .5 ccs. I just don't ever want to get too tight and experience that. I started to do my workout this afternoon, but just felt like crap, so cut it short and decided I must need a day to rest. I still did about 40 mins. though, so I still got some good cardio in. Long, I'll be thinking of you camping -- good luck and stay safe. Yikes, I'm impressed with your courage. Have a great time!! Linda

Good luck Julie, will be thinking and praying for you. Linda

Julie, you are in my thoughts and prayers. I am so sorry to hear your feeling so poorly. Linda

JoAnn, we are more alike than we knew! I too have fibromyalgia which has improved some since losing weight and I do think the exercise has helped. gotta run, I'm late for the gym!!

There are a lot of bands on the market, I'd go by what your doctor says and don't worry about what other people say. I think there are different brands that hold different amounts. Only our surgeons know and besides that some people only need 1 or 2 fills to get to their sweet spots -- everyone is different so don't worry. I'd like to respond to the Water aerobics point that was made by Ifyourstomach. If you go to a gym or a YMCA that has a certified water aerobics instructor, they certainly are good instructors and know what they are doing. I've belonged to several different gyms in different states and have always found good water aerobics programs. I'd just check out credentials and make sure everyone has been certified before joining and/or signing up for the classes.

PJ so glad you had a great time on your vacation. Sorry about your ac -- hope it gets fixed soon. If I were you I'd call the surgeon's office tomorrow and tell them about your coughing - because that is also something that is on my questionnaire I have to fill out every time I go to my surgeon's office for a fill or a check up. I've not heard of any rule about drinking or snacking close to bed time -- in fact I usually drink right up until bed but I do have my snack earlier in the evening. You said you've been eating more than normal, maybe you've just been eating too much and that food is backing up into your esphogus area and causing you to cough. I know my brother has esphogus problems and has coughing spells sometimes because of that. Good luck and keep us posted, but call your doctor, don't wait and get sick like before. Linda

JoAnn, I have a bad left hip and bad back (rods and screws in it) and I live with daily pain from those. Three days a week I do Water aerobics (I highly recommend that because you get a good work out but your body doesn't suffer) . I feel really good after my hour long water aerobics class. I also ride a recumbant bike three days a week which hurt my hip and knees at first, but I started out slow and gradually increased the time (I started out doing 5 minutes and have now increased it to 45 to 60 mins. each time) and I also do 30 mins. of circuit training with weight machines which has also helped increase my strength and endurance. I still have daily pain, but I've found it's not any worse with exercise than it was just sitting in front of the computer or tv. I get sore and hobble around but the results make it worth it for me. I found starting slow and working up really helps increase stamina and endurance. Other than that, I do a walking tape and now I'm also able to do some step aerobics (only on the lowest step) -- I do tapes at home where I can control what I do. I found some beginner's tapes that I can handle. Years ago (about 20 years ago) I was a step aerobics enthusiast. I find still enjoy the workout (because the time flies by) even though it's much harder for me now, but I just do what I can and if I hurt I stop and try again another day. The water aerobics is really helpful at building endurance and I recommend it as a starting exercise for anyone with limited mobility or anyone living with pain. My hubby (who has two artificial hips) goes with me to water aerobics and he thinks it's a good workout too. Have a great week everyone!

1Day I agree with JoAnnMarie, I would be honest with your surgeon and get his advice regarding a fill. My surgeon always talks to me directly about what I think I need. For instance, his nurse will usually say, "she's lost weight, she doesn't need a fill" and then I tell the surgeon, "yes, I've lost, but it's all because I've used will power and I would like a fill to help with restriction." He's always given me a fill. They also always routinely ask if I've experienced any heartburn (which can be a sign of being too tight). At my last appt. I told my surgeon exactly what I could and could not eat and how much. After listening to that, my surgeon recommended a .500 cc fill and I agreed -- I didnt' want to be too tight, but still felt I could use a little restriction. It was my third fill which brought me to 5.5 ccs in a 10cc band. I felt some restriction the first few weeks, but now don't feel as much restriction, although I don't get hungry between meals. I do stay satisfied about 4 to 5 hours after each meal. There are times I can eat a lot more than 1 or 1-1/2 cups of food. However, some of that food is slider food -- i.e., I mix my fruit with yogurt in the morning and I enjoy making a chinese chicken type of salad with low fat ginger sesame dressing which makes that a slider as well. However, with those types of meals, I make sure I eat my 4 oz. of Protein first. I occasionally have a 100 calorie bag of popcorn (maybe twice a week) and I do snack every night on a sugar free pudding to help me get my Calcium in as I don't drink milk. I vary my actual calories (usually between 800 and 1100 daily) and I exercise 7 days a week - 100 to 120 minutes each day. I also occasionally have a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich or a Skinny Bar or Weight Watchers fudge sickle as an extra treat. It helps cut down on my cravings if I have a treat like that once in awhile. So far I've been fortunate in continuing to lose each week and for that I'm grateful, but I do work very hard at it. I had some serious health issues that I needed to resolve quickly and I just put my heart and soul into my lap band journey. I haven't felt this good in over 20 years. I too love my band!!!

I went back to the beginning of your blog and read it in its entirety. You are fabulous! Your blog seems to speak directly to me (and I'm sure thousands more) and I thank you for sharing your feelings, your thoughts and your beliefs. It is truly empowering and so very helpful. I will be a faithful reader. I wish you all the very best of luck in your lapband journey.

Hi Meredith, You are doing so great! Congratulations on your success so far. My only question is, did your doctor limit your calories to 800 per day? In reading your post, I'm not sure if your posting to question the calories or the amount of liquid. JoAnnMarie is right -- the liquid amount is not too much, like she said, the rules about liquids don't apply until after the liquid stage is over. I know you're still swollen, but if you are hungy and still only eating 800 calories, it should be fine to increase your calories. Have you checked what your calorie budget should be on one of the many helpful programs on the web? Daily plate will figure it for you - you put in your age, height, weight and how much per week you want to lose (2 lbs.) and it will give you your calorie budget for the week. I've had good success with varying my calories -- some days 800, some days 1100, some days 1200, etc. I know Janet recommends doing that as well. Not sure if you are asking about calories or amounts. I'm only 5'1" and I remember my calorie budget when I first started was around 1300 or so and I lost 2 lbs. per week on using the calorie budget as figured by thedailyplate.com

JoannMarie, I'm sure you're right. I also think that journaling my food and keeping track of calories in vs. calories burned by exercise helps me to stay on track as well. I work too hard exercising to blow it all by eating the wrong foods! I've noticed the same thing at my bunco nights -- I used to pile on the food and eat my way through the whole evening. Now I pick very carefully and eat only certain foods (I make sure I take some things that I can eat so that I don't feel deprived), but I do notice how much others are eating. I love my band too! :thumbup:

Hi everyone! I too am very thankful for our troops who are keeping us safe and free every day. Moochie, you got some great advice from the girls and I'm so happy to hear your positive thoughts afterwards. You are doing great, the trick is to stop comparing yourself to other people. We are all different, lose weight differently, eat differently, etc. It sounds like you're ready to get back to the program and continue to make it work for you. Good luck and know that we are all here for you and will be supportive of you every day as often as you need. We had a lovely 4th, although it was cold and rainy here in Iowa. I think our high was 67 -- and it sprinkled as we sat outside watching the fireworks. Also watched the show from D.C. on tv - what a great show that was! It was just DH and me for dinner as I had to work until 4:00. We grilled chicken and DH had his potato salad and I ate my green beans and watermelon. It was great. JoAnn, I'm like you, nothing seems to be too tempting to me anymore. At work sometimes there is food or sweets and I used to not be able to resist them, but lately, I don't even care. It's so weird -- maybe it does have something to do with getting closer to our sweet spots. Whatever it is, I'm grateful to have that extra bit of self control. Everybody have a wonderful Sunday. Linda

Hope it's not too late. I made a delish cake a few weeks ago and it's low in sugar as well as low in fat. I bought a strawberry cake mix and used egg beaters in place of the eggs (1/4 C. egg beaters equals 1 egg) and then I replaced the oil with strawberry applesauce (I used two individual applesauces, or about 1/2 cup total). Bake the cake according to package instructions. Then I sliced strawberries and mixed in a small amount of splenda to sweeten then a bit and then poked some holes in the cake with a fork and threw the strawberries over it, juice and all. I mixed 1 sugar free pkg of pudding with 1 cup of skim milk and after it set up I mixed the pudding with a container of fat free cool whip and put that on top. I then grated some some semi sweet chocolate on top -- just a light dusting for looks (not taste). You could also use raspberries or black berries with yellow or white cake mix -- it's all delish. They even make low sugar cake mixes these days. Refrigerate the cake several hours before serving for best flavor. Hope you try it, it was a big hit at my office, even with the "regular" eaters, who didn't even realize it was low sugar and low fat. Linda

Hi everyone, Happy Bandanniversary 1Day! Time does seem to fly here in band land. Janet, have a safe and fun trip to visit your DS and family. Everyone have a very happy 4th. I've been busy, it just seems that my days are getting shorter all the time. I work nights and then I can't go to bed early on my off nights so I stay up late and then get up around 10:00 a.m. and eat a quick breakfast and then off to the gym at noon and by the time I get home it's 3:00, if I have grocery shopping, etc. it's after 4 when I get home. My DGD is here tonight, we had her visit this afternoon and took her to our outdoor concert at the town square tonight -- it's a fun time - our municipal band is said to be the longest enduring muni band west of the Mississippi. DGD enjoyed it, enjoyed the popcorn and ice cream they give out -- it's truly smalll town America at it's very best -- we are so in love with our little town and it's traditions after living so many years in the LA area. Meredith, so happy you are doing so well, congrats on your band and congrats on having such good taste in men!! Andrew is a definite keeper!! My DH is like that as well, treats me so well and is just so kind always. My DS is that way with his wife too, so I'm very proud of that as well. Had bad news on my DGD she did test positive for Lupus, but had to have more blood drawn yesterday to see if it's just the skin type Lupus, or if it's the type that also affects organs. So please say a prayer for her and for us that it's just the skin type. We won't probably know until some time next week. After my complaining about my only losing 4 lbs. the entire month of June, my scale was good to me on Tues, the last day of the month and I did have a 3 lb. loss for the week, so that made it 7 lbs. for the month and I was thrilled. Laura, hope you have a great time with your sister. The only experience I have with bypass is a friend that had a bypass in 91 and she never ever eats anything in a restaurant. She orders, but never even trys to eat -- always takes it home. She's in my red hat group and not someone I know well enough to ask. I have seen her eat some desserts at other gatherings, but I have never seen her eat any real food. I've often wondered why. For me, I always order baked or broiled fish when I eat out - I would think that would work for bypass patients as well especially since it's a very soft texture. I love fish, and I know many people don't, but I swear, I used to just "like" fish but since I got my band, I LOVE it. Does that sound weird? I am finding a lot of my tastes are changing. I never cared much for beef and pork and so seldom eat that, mostly chicken, fish and seafood. Julie, hope your DD can get some help -- it's so frustrating when you are sick but no one can seem to fix the problem. I am celebrating an anniversary today as well -- today is the anniversary of when I got very ill last year and had kidney failure and spent two months in and out of the hospital. I am in so much better health today than I was last year. I am remembering this anniversary just because I am so thankful that I am 100% healthy. That was the illness that delayed my band -- I would have been banded by September, but I had to wait until my kidneys were functioning 100% again and that took until December. OMG Long, that bear was a brave one! What a scary night that must have been! Glad you made it home safe and sound. Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!!! Linda

Wow congratulations Long on your climb! I bet you were freezing to death -- you look fabulous in the picture! You look even younger than you did in the last pic you posted! OMG about the bear - how scary -- glad you made it out of there safe and sound -- wow! Laura, you're folks sound so wonderful, you are very lucky. I don't understand however, I still can go out to eat and order a regular meal -- last night we went out and I ordered broiled talipia and I ate all the talipia and half the salad before I got full. I never order smaller portions or share anyone's meals -- I figure if I have fish left I can take it home. I'm just curious cause it seems that most people buy appetizers or share meals, but I can eat my meal with very little problem - I don't eat the carbs -- I just leave them or my DH takes them home for his next meal. Do you guys think I'm eating too much? Hope everyone has a great week!! Linda

Laura, thanks so much for your concern and the hug about my GD, I do hope you're right about it being a virus. That's my gut feeling too, but the dermatologist scared me a bit. Hopefully, it's something easily fixed. 1Day congratulations on your size 14 dress - isn't it great to try on clothes in a smaller size than you imagine you'll fit in and have them fit? When I hang up my new size 16 pants I look at them and think of "how tiny" they look to me. I suppose in a few months I'll think, "how big they look". LOL. Meredith, hope you're walking a lot and getting rid of the gas. Thinking of you and sending love and healing thoughts your way. Doodlebug, you're doing so well, congratulations on your success. I've been at a plateau for a month -- I didn't realize it until I checked my weight loss record this morning, but i've only lost 4 pounds the entire month of June! That's just 1 pound per week. This is the longest plateau period I've had and it's a struggle getting through it cause I work so hard to try to lose those 2 lbs. per week. But, I'm not complaining cause I've lost so much, but still, I wish the scale would start moving at 2 lbs. per week again. I'm very careful with my calories and exercise 2 hours per day 7 days a week. I don't think there's anything more I can possibly do. I constantly change up my exercise routine and intensity levels, I change up my calorie intake (some days less some days more), I log all my calories and exercise. I know we have to just accept that our bodies are only going to lose what it wants to lose when it wants to lose it, no matter what we do, so we just have to always stay positive and "keep on keeping on" (I think Joann coined that term). Well, I will close. I bet Long is halfway up those stairs by now. Linda

My definition of interval training is add periods of intensity during an exercise. For instance, if I'm on the treadmill doing a speed of say 5.0 (12 mi. per min.) after a period of about 15 mins. I increase the speed to 6.0 just for a few minutes -- 2 to 3 mins. and then decrease it back down to 5.0 (without stopping or resting) and continue to work out at my original pace. You do this say every 15 to 30 mins. during your workout. You will gain more endurance by doing this and many people believe you also burn more fat by doing this and some people say it helps get the scale to move if your at a plateau period. Another thing you can do during a plateau is to chane your workout -- i.e., if you ride a bike try a stair step machine, if you swim, try a step aerobics class, etc. Sometimes that helps to get your body to react again. You didn't post how long it has taken you to lose the weight you have lost. Most bandsters lose slowly, only one or two pounds per week. Most of all, keep up all the good work and keep exercising and stay positive -- you will continue to succeed with your band. Good luck and I hope this helps. Linda

Meredith, I too have been thinking positive thoughts all day to you as well, I'm sure you're in your room by now and feeling sleepy from all the pain meds. Laura, that was a nasty fall Nelson had, glad to hear he's doing okay now. Julie, your poor GD -- gosh what a terrible bite that must have been. My own little GD is having a tough time right now too. About a month ago she broke out on a rash on her cheeks (face) which to me looks like rosasia (sp?). She finally got a referral to a dermatologist who ordered blood work, so yesterday she had 4 vials of blood drawn -- she was so brave -- she's only 2-1/2 it was torture for us to have to see that, but she did so well. They are talking it might also be a form of Lupus as well (I certainly hope not), but whatever it is seems to be aggrivated by the heat/sun. So I just hope its a virus she picked up at the public pool and not something more major and especially not lupus. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Janet I was so shocked at Michael Jackson's death -- I'm very concerned about his young children - didn't Debbie Rowe give up her parental rights? I wonder who will raise them. Why do these icons all die so young, I wonder? It makes me feel lucky to still be alive. Linda

Hi everyone, just checking in and taking a rest after my exercise. 65 min. walking tape and 60 mins. step aerobics. I have bunco tonight and have to get busy cutting up fruit for the fruit salad I'm taking. We all bring food and have dinner while we play. It's fun, but can be very fattening, so I make sure I take a couple of low fat things I can eat just so I'm not tempted. Meredith, before I forget, good luck tomorrow, you'll do great, will be looking for your posts when you feel well enough. Long, I love your new name Great2bethin and think it's perfect for you. Good luck on the steps -- you'll probably run up them and be waiting at the top for all the others. I told my DH about those cots - the reason we don't tent camp anymore is cause neither of us can sleep on the ground, so now it sounds like the cots could be our solution. I love to camp and have missed it terribly. PJ, have a great time off work, sometimes it's more fun to have a stay at home vacation instead of traveling -- you get so much done and no jet lag. Laura, hope you enjoy your parents - it's nice to have young acting parents. Julie, you are doing so good, I'm so proud of you. JoAnn, love your new picture, you two look so happy together. Have a great one everyone! Linda