August

B – Protein latte, later had Amy’s brown rice hot cereal L – 1 egg, 2oz turkey sausage, package of instant grits, slice of cheese S – Yoplait light D – ¾ C. baked ziti made with spicy Italian sausage and whole wheat ziti

Today…. B – Package of instant grits L – Salmon, spinach, and whole grain pasta Lean Cuisine (Did not eat the pasta. The spinach got stuck and I was in pain all afternoon. I don't know why I keep buying these things. They taste terrible and always give me touble!) S – Protein shake D – 3oz greek style chicken, with peppers, tomatoes, olives, and feta S – Low Sugar orange juice

Today…. B – Package of instant grits topped w/ 1oz turkey sausage, 1 egg, and cheese L – 1/3 C. Paneer w/ Korma sauce, 4 fish sticks S – SF Pistachio pudding, handful of pretzels D – 1 sm roast chicken thigh, 1/3 C. broccoli, 2 bites brown rice

I’ve been lazy about posting my meals. I eat better when I log everything here. I haven’t been eating very healthy foods. I’m still losing weight but I know I need to do better to get the right nutrition. As we all know, when you can only eat a tiny amount of food the food the nutritional value of that food really counts. I’m not sure what has gotten into me because I usually prefer healthier foods. Today is another day. Yesterday…. B – Protein smoothie L – 1 Krystal Chick (tossed the bread and ate the little chicken patty), 5 french fries S – Small dark chocolate bar D – 2oz hamburger patty w/ cheese and catsup. ½ C. sliced tomato with a dab of light mayo.

I’ve had to replace most of my wardrobe every 2-3 months since banding. I’ve gone from a size 30 to a size 20-22 in 9 months. I work in an office where people are expected to be well dressed so wearing sloppy clothes 2 sizes too big is not an option. I could barely afford to dress nicely before my surgery, when all I had to buy was filler each season to spruce up my existing wardrobe. Now I have to start from scratch every couple of months. The problem is that I can’t afford to buy a new wardrobe that often. Even my shoes from last year are too wide now because my fat feet stretched them out. When I shop I try on clothes to fit the size I am now . If I like them and they are a good deal, I put the correct size back and buy the item in the next size down. If it’s an especially good deal on a seasonless item, like slacks or jeans, I will buy several of them in every smaller size that is available. I have 3 pairs of awesome brown slacks from Target that I found on clearance for $6. The largest pair has already retired to the box for Goodwill. I was so happy that I found the pants in smaller sizes because sometimes I lament the loss of clothes I really like. I have to remember to try on the smaller items every couple of weeks because I almost missed my chance with a few things that were a little loose by the time I pulled them out of the closet to wear. I also have to try to gauge what size I’ll be when the next season rolls around. Lately I’ve found awesome prices on fall/winter leftovers from last year. They are practically free. I hope the pretty wool suits I found for $20 each last weekend will fit right when the cool weather rolls around. Buying so many clothes on a limited budget is hard work! I spend a lot of lunch hours running out to browse the clearance racks at Marshall’s or Ross. I spend my evenings browsing EBay listings. Weekends are spent picking through the deeply reduced clearance racks at the stores I know to have good markdowns. At least I have more options now that I’m a smaller size. I'm definitely not complaining. I'm thrilled to have lost so much weight, but it’s really been hard work keeping myself in clothes that fit without going broke. I guess I needed some kind of hobby now that I don’t fill my time with eating! :scared2: How is everybody else keeping up with their new clothing size? What are your best bargain hunting tips?

Today…. B – Frozen protein latte, Soup at Hand chicken & stars L – ¾ Lean Cuisine quesadilla S – 12oz skim milk followed by 100 cal pack of cocoa roasted almonds D – 3oz parmesan crusted sole, ½ C cauliflower w/ cheese, 2tbs. brown rice S – SF hot chocolate

I was able to eat today and I was SOOOO hungry. So eat I did!! I think my body had enough of eating close to nothing for the past 2 weeks. Fortunately the band kept me in check but it was still a lot for me. B – Frozen protein latte, Soup at Hand chicken & stars L – 1 taco with extra guacamole (I find tacos easier to eat if I serve them deconstructed on a plate with the shell on the side for dipping into the salsa & guac. I have trouble taking small enough bites of an assembled taco.) S – Smoothie with low sugar orange juice, 1/3 banana, and vanilla protein powder D – 6 fish sticks used as a vehicle for tartar sauce (good thing I made it with low fat mayo because I ate plenty!), 1/3 C. black bean and corn salad, ½ avocado S – SF vanilla pudding cup mixed with PB2, SF Cool Whip, and Chocolate protein powder (The protein powder was a mistake. Won’t do that again. Didn’t stop me from eating it though!) S2 – SF hot chocolate WHEW! :tongue2:

I had .05cc taken out today. I feel a lot better. They had to break out the special tiny needle to get that small amount out of me. She said they got the needles by mistake and didn't think they would ever use them. I told her to hold onto them for me because I'm so sensitive to fills. I'm lucky that they are so sweet there. They have never made me feel bad about coming back to have half of my fill removed which I invariably have to do no matter how small a fill I request.

I went to the band clinic today and got a ridiculous .05cc removed. I felt foolish but they were very nice about it. I’m still tight but it’s a tolerable tight. They said to stay on liquids and mushys for a couple of days to give my pouch a rest. B – Frozen protein latte L – 3 nigiri sushi made with brown rice (I left a lot of the rice) D – Broccoli and Cheese soup at Ruby Tuesdays S – May have a protein shake if I’m up late

Congratulations on your success! There are worse problems to have. :laugh: It sounds like it's time to consider new suits. My husband told me that Syms, Men's Warehouse, and K&G are good places to get decent suits cheap, and all do alterations on site. They will charge for the alterations though, and of course will charge again for subsequent alterations. You should include the price of 2-3 alterations into the total price before deciding if buying at a discount store would be cheaper than the store where you usually buy. Could you stand wearing a suit that is a tiny bit tight? If so you'd get more wear out of a suit. Not so much that you look foolish, but just enough that only you'd know.

Things are a little better today, but I still made an appointment with the band clinic to see if I need to have a little of my fill removed. B – Frozen protein latte L – Lean Cuisine stuffed cabbage (left the cabbage because I was afraid it would get stuck) S – SF pudding cup D – ½ C. Beef Stroganoff made with Ezekiel pasta (Ezekiel pasta is made with sprouted whole grains. It was not the most delicious pasta I’ve ever had but I can put up with the taste for the nutritional value. Their bread is much tastier than the pasta was.)

Congratulations on your weightloss! :blushing: I am just realizing that I have a choice now. It's wonderful to be able to wear the clothes I like. It also doesn't hurt that I feel so much better and am able to wear clothes and shoes that would have killed me at higher weights.

I was able to eat regular food for dinner tonight! It wasn't much but it was solid food. :blushing: I read a tip in this forum that suggested a small dose of children’s strength liquid ibuprofen to relieve swelling in the pouch. It worked. I know not to take it often but I don't think occasional use would hurt. Today….. B – low sugar OJ w/ vanilla protein powder L – Hood milk w/ chocolate protein powder D – 2oz ground chicken patty ¼ C. green beans Couple of bites of Kashi pilaf (gross!)

I’m having a very hard time with this fill. It was OK for a while but now I think it may be too tight. I’m having trouble eating anything and even with thick fluids. I’m still finding it hard to believe that .1cc can make this much difference especially when I did need a fill. I had progressed from ½ to 2/3 C of food after my last fill to being able to eat well over a cup of solid food. Also, I was having a hard time resisting between meal snacks. I’ve been trying to stick it out to see if it’s just temporary swelling, which it probably is, but at the same time I’d like to at least be able to eat a little food. I’ll probably call the band clinic tomorrow. I wonder if it’s possible to remove .05cc. Yesterday….. B – Protein iced latte L – 100 cal pack hummus Handful of pita chips D - Herbal tea (everything else kept coming back up)

Today…. B – Frozen latte w/ protein powder L – Soup at Hand chicken and stars, low sugar orange juice mixed with vanilla protein powder S – V-8 juice, small handful of almonds D – 1C whole wheat pasta with turkey Italian sausage and peppers

Today… B – Protein shake made w/ frozen banana. Can of V-8 juice L – Too much popcorn at the movies! D – Insides of 1 fish taco, couple of chips w/ salsa S – Protein shake and handful of almonds.

I had a handful of clothes from lower weights and mistake purchases that I was able to fit into but for the most part I've had to purchase all new. Ross, Marhall's, and TJMaxx, are perfect for business casual wear on the cheap, especially if you can find something on the clearance rack. If there is a Syms near you they are great for less casual clothes, although they do have casual clothing. Their clearance rack has some amazing deals. You're a little bit smaller size than I am so you should find great deals. Try looking on the clearance racks now for heavier winter items that are too tight for you now by at least one size. There are still clothes leftover from last winter on the clearance racks that are deeply discounted. You should be fitting in them fine by the time the weather is cold enough to wear them. I'll keep everyone posted in my EBay/Craigslist adventures. I think I'll try EBay first simply because the face to face transactions on Craigslist make me nervous. I have been putting my too large clothes that are saleable into boxes by size. I'll probably sell the lower priced items in lots by size and the nicer stuff as individual pieces. PS I love shopping too! Having so much more selection now that I'm a smaller size has been a blast, but of course hard on my wallet. It has been so long since I've concentrated on myself. I feel guilty sometimes, but my husband is happy to seem me doing things for me. It doesn't hurt that I grab a shirt or pair of pants for him when I'm out shopping so he has nice new clothes too. :thumbup:

Yesterday…. B – Protein smoothie and can of V-8 juice L – Lean cuisine with fish and pasta (ate most of the fish and vegetables, didn’t eat the pasta) D – Roast chicken drumstick, ½ heirloom tomato with 1tsp light mayo. My new fill is getting better. I must have been swollen right afterward. I’m still very tight but I can eat regular foods except in the morning.

Today….. B – Few bites of cottage cheese. Tasted funny and spoiled my appetite. I think I must be tired of cottage cheese. L – ½ sushi roll with assorted fish S – Protein shake D – Couple bites of cauliflower and cheese soup. Wasn’t into it. I was feeling a little green around the gills at times today. I was OK at lunchtime, but not so great the rest of the day. I hope I’m feeling better tomorrow because I’m visiting family.

Confused, I love the Yoplait yogurt parfaits! Lemon w/ Vanilla is my favorite. My husband likes them in his lunchbox. I haven't tired the chocolate because I don't like chocolate with sour flavors, not even chocolate cheesecake if you can believe it! What flavor did you have?

Congratulations on your success! I'm sure you look great! :smile2: When you go shopping, I would suggest buying clothes that fit snug now, so that they will fit longer. I made the mistake of buying clothes that fit properly just after the surgery and only got the chance to wear them one or twice before they were too big.

You're lucky to have a good resource for clothes. I've given some clothes to friends at work who were once smaller than me and they gave me a few things along the way. I need to make some more friends a size smaller and a size larger than me! :smile2:

I forgot to add...congratulations on the new size! :smile2:

I had not thought of Craigslist to sell my clothes! I'll have to investigate that. Thanks! :smile2:

I got .1cc (not a typo, really .1). I can't believe how much difference that drop of fluid makes. It's kicking my butt! I got .2cc in May and had to have half taken out, so I was afraid to get more than .1cc. It feels a little tighter than I'd like at this point but I can get things down as long as I'm careful. I'm not enjoying the discomfort of being so tight. On the bright side the scale is rapidly moving down!! :smile2: Today.... B – Protein latte L – 1/2 C. cottage cheese, 2 wedges laughing cow light spread on 3 wafer thin crispbread slices (20 cal each). S – 1/4 C. FF Greek Yogurt with tiny squirt of honey D – 2oz tuna steak, ¼ C green beans, 2 bites roast potatoes