Shir2Bthin

You need a 'liquid' with more body to it. After my surgery (July 2007) I bought the Campbell Chunky Soups and ran them through the blender. Especially the ones with beef are really delicious and whip into something like a bisque when you puree them. I had an easy beginning, have had three fills and am down 88 lbs. Very happy I went for the lapband. Shir2Bthin

jrob, thanks for the reply. You don't freeze the blueberries and cherries yourself - you will find them ready to eat in the frozen food section over with the frozen fruit. Absolutely fabulous, healthy, and a great low calorie addition to any meal. I have about 2/3 cup of blueberries every morning with my bagel and at lunch I have the frozen cherries or 2/3 cup of applesauce. It has perked up my meals considerably. Almost like having a drink with your meal because they are moist and kind of wash the dry stuff down. Good luck with your weight loss. Shir2Bthin

Wow, Kobae, I can't believe you already have three fills in two months! And so early too. I have had three fills in 11 months. I get very nervous when I am going to have a fill - afraid it will tighten me up so much that I won't be able to eat normally, but that hasn't happened so far. My weight loss has slowed down considerably but I'm down 88 lbs and that alone makes me feel like Miss America, so not so urgent on the other 90 lbs I still have to lose. My last fill was May 25. I didn't notice much difference, actually, and am thinking about having another in July. Good luck with your weight loss project! Shir2Bthin banded 7/18/07 Dr. O'Brien Sioux Falls, SD

It is very hard to exercise when you have pain. I have a really bad ankle, probably from years of carrying around too much weight, and those fitness gurus at the gym are all young and super fit and don't seem to understand that pain stops you cold in your tracks. I am off the treadmill, probably the easiest of all aerobic exercises, because of the pain in my ankle afterwards. There are other machines I can work on that don't leave me in pain. The recumbent exercycle is a good one and there is a hand cranker that is aerobic and gets your heart rate up there too. I have been banded 11 months now and find it is a bad habit to eat too much at dinner - I used to be soooooo conscientious but have been slipping the last couple of months. Now joining this website has helped me get excited again about losing and watching what I'm eating. I hope they can be as inspirational for you. I'd say just hang in there and your weight loss may be slower but it will come off and you can be proud of it. After you lose that first chunk of weight, the rest doesn't feel so urgent anyway. Good luck with the 'kick in the butt'!! Try changing to some new foods that won't hurt you along with your regular menu. I have a bowl of applesauce, frozen blueberries OR frozen cherries with lunch and dinner. Makes the meal feel special and adds a sweet touch for very few calories. ALSO FILLS YOU UP. Put that with a nice ham sandwich and you'll be full all the way until the next meal. Shir2Bthin banded 7/18/07 lost 88 lbs 90 to go

Hello, I had my lapband surgery July 18, 2007 and it is without a doubt the best thing I have ever done for myself. I weighed in at 330 lbs at my first visit, lost 26 before I had the actual surgery, and now I'm down a total of 88 lbs! I am enjoying life, eating normally and have had very few problems. No nausea. Now and then in social situations I will be in a conversation and unwittingly swallow what is in my mouth in order to speak, and sometimes have sent down things that are a little large for the band. Uncomfortable for a few minutes but am slowly learning to always be CONSCIOUS of what I am swallowing. I pretty much live by the rules - no drinking with meals, no carbonated beverages, and chew chew chew. Weight loss has definitely slowed down in the last three months, as has my exercise program because I tore a meniscus in my knee and haven't been to the gym for three months. Getting that meniscus repaired (finally) tomorrow and will be on my way back to exercising. That should speed the weight loss up considerably. I have had three fills, was scared to death each time that the band would be too tight, but I didn't need to worry because it has always been normal swallowing after the fill. For sure I'm loving the new clothes in smaller sizes. I was in 4X - a very hippy person - and now fitting nicely into 2X and a few 1X things. I am 5'6". Eager to get another 88 lbs off and expect it should take another year and a half, maybe two. With the first 88 off, I feel like a princess, so the rest of the way is going to be easy! I have just registered here and have enjoyed reading your posts. Shir@Bthin

Indiegirl, Wow, those are some GREAT numbers! I'm extremely jealous and encouraged to hang in there. The whole thing about having so many pounds to drop in the first place is what held me back before I got the band and now the idea that it's all possible is mind boggling! I've tried every which way to get that goal counter on my profile. Do I cut and paste it into my signature? I just had this idea in the middle of the night and am going to give it a try. I guess ideas come to me slowly... duh! Got my knee fixed (torn meniscus) and am having an easy time of it recovering. Just had it done Friday morning and already went to the movie last night with hubby, so that's quick. The leg's a bit stiff but I'm doing the exercises and it will loosen up soon. Bandage comes off Monday morniing and replaced with bandaids - looking forward to that. Thanks for your encouraging email! You are a SUPER success story! Congratulations!!

Wow, Indiogirl, I see you've lost to goal plus nine! How do you feel about that additional nine lbs and are you trying to stabilize? Congrats on getting it all off! We'll have to get together when I get back there in late September. Shir2Bthin

I am overwhelmed by the encouraging letters you have all written! :redface: I would have joined a group like this a lot sooner had I known how uplifting it would be!! (but maybe this group is SPECIAL and I just happened to join the RIGHT ONE!!!) This morning I had the knee surgery so now my meniscus is removed and I am back home feeling great. They sent home an electric cooler system for my knee that looks like a picnic cooler with a Water hose on it - it sends ice water up to a bag on my knee constantly and that's really great! I'm walking and feeling good! Probably going to droop tomorrow.... I am from Huron, South Dakota right now. My husband and I are snowbirds and we live in Palm Springs, California from October until May. We have come back to South Dakota for 11 summers now and it is really nice here. The heat in Palm Springs is amazing in summer so it's good to get away. I had my lapband surgery done July 18 2007 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In my opinion, South Dakota has the most incredible medical people. We lived in Los Angeles 30 years while my husband was working and I've seen all kinds of medical negatives there. The first thing when I came out of the anesthesia this morning the nurses were all over me asking what kind of lipstick I was wearing because it was still on!!! Isn't that a hoot!! I had a chuckle out of giving them my Cover Girl Everlast commercial.............. Even told them to go to ebay to buy it!:smile: I didn't have regular meals today, of course, but tomorrow it's going to be back to three squares and maybe a couple cups of milk in my nonfat, decaf latte! (that's if I can drag my sorry butt to the coffee shop)!! :confused2: (Is it okay to say 'butt' on this thread??) So, onward and upward with the weight loss! When I am better acquainted with this website I will figure out how to put that cool weight loss slider thing under my postings. No clue how to do it right now.:confused2: Thanks again. Great group!! Shir2Bthin

Thanks for your encouragement and congratulations on your weight loss since just March!! You are doing great! Soon you'll be model thin!!

Thanks! I'm loving the journey to THIN!!