LindaV

Kim2behealthy - Congrats on the -2 sizes. To answer your question, I eat between 1400 - 1600 calories a day. I use WW points to track how much I food I am eating and I think that 1 point is equal to about 50 calories. I hate to count calories so the points are just an easier way for me to track my intake. While I do have restriction, I am not so restricted that I can't eat that much pretty easily. I find if I lower my calorie intake below 1300 or1400 for more than a few days, I don't lose. I am happy with my slow progress and am afraid to lower my calorie intake to a level that I feel I couldn't maintain if I ever had to have an unfill or, God forbid, if I ever lose my band. Myra - If you read the above you will know that getting in enough calories is not a problem for me, however, if it ever is, I would do what you are doing and drink more calories. Christy - I responded to your "Wahoo" thread but I wanted to say that I just love seeing the pictures of you looking so happy in front of your great car! On another note, I have been making really healthy food choices since before my surgery and, yesterday, while at Pirates of the Caribbean, I made some not-so-healthy choices. I could afford to do that before banding because I could eat enough to get what my body needed and still eat a good amount of junk. This is not the case anymore. I didn't get in nearly enough Protein, Water, or fruits and vegetables yesterday and, this morning, I thought I was going to die during water aerobics. I had absoutely no energy after just 15 minutes of an hour workout. I am very glad to see that along with all of you wonderful people, my body is also going to keep me accountable on this journey.

Sorry I got you and 3Loves mixed up Drewslou. I really can't believe I forgot it was Dave Matthews you are goingt to see though, I love Dave Matthews! :nervous Well, it's Monday morning and back to normal life for me. The weekends are always hard for me because I just do not have a regular routine. My goal on the weekends is really to just maintain the weight I've lost during the rest of the week. We went to see Pirates last night and, I was more than a bit dissapointed with the end of the movie. Talk about leaving you hanging... I don't really appreciate paying that much to see a major motion picture (not to mention waiting in line for an hour) to be left hanging for another two to three years! I don't mind leaving things open for another movie, but, I think Disney went a little far this time. Even my 10 year old son was dissapointed. Oh well! Have a great week everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You go girl!!!!!!!!!! I was in 5x in May too but, I havn't been clothes shopping yet. I got a gift certificate for Catherines for Mother's Day but, I find I don't want to buy something I will soon not fit into. However, I am barely fitting into my bra so.....maybe a trip to Catherine's is in order after all. Their end of season sales ROCK!

Hi All, Justducky and 3Loves sort of started the challenge. We picked September 13 because it is either Justducky's birthday or 3Loves' concert--I can't remember which. It's in last months chat. Anyway, we don't have any set rules or ways to chart. I started on Thursday so I will post my current weight, goal weight for 9/13 and how much I have lost for the challenge on Thursdays. It will look something like this: 9/13 Goal: 255, Current Weight: 273, Loss for Challenge: -3 (18 to go) Anyone is welcome to join us and you can post whatever statistics you want as often as you want. This is just a way for us to encourage and motivate each other and help to keep each other accountable.

Hi Kim, I am somewhere between 5'5 and 5'6 depending on who measures me. Congratulations on the 43 pound weight loss. How did you go about choosing your 155 goal weight? My 170 goal is a random number that I think I will look and feel good at. It is definately subject to change. I have given myself a goal of two years to reach it. That is about -1.5 pounds per week. Since having this surgery, I can think about actually being able to reach this goal. It still seems a little surreal just typing it out. My 42nd B-day is on 9/15 so that is really my goal date to be at 255. I would actually love to be at 250 but, I don't want to be too unrealistic. The last time I was below that was 10 years ago after having my son. I was so sick during my pregnancy, I lost about 80 pounds. It's nice to be able to lose weight without nausea and vomiting! I just notices that we weighed the same on our surgery dates so we have lost the same since surgery!

Hi All, I thought I would up date on how it is going for the September Challenger so far. I lost 2 pounds last week which is pretty good since we ate out or at a freinds almost everynight. I even managed to graze my way through the holiday making healthy choices and not gaining. My current weight is 274. I want to be at 255 by 9/13. How is everyone else doing?

Hi Amy, Here are my stats for the week: C 274 (-3 this week, -41 total). Good luck with you surgery. I'll keep you in my prayers! LindaV

:usa2:Hey Everyone, I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Thin sliced deli turkey was the cause of my first PB too. I think I didn't chew well enough. When I read your post, it could have been my post after it happened. :phanvan I was a little sore for 4 or 5 days but, after being on liquids for a day, I did ok with food. Sorry you had to experience the dreaded PB! Three months is a really good record. I noticed on the PB poll that some people PB daily or several times a week. I DEFINATELY do NOT want to be one of those people!

I am just curious what everyone is eating in a typical day? Do you have 3 meals? Do you snack in between meals? When do you get your Water in? Here is a typical day for me: 8-9ish - Lite Yogurt (before water aerobics) 24oz of water during aerobics 11ish - 2-4 oz of Protein, veggie or fruit Noonish - 8 to 16 oz of water 2-3ish - 2 string cheeses, avocado, peice of fruit (if I'm still hungry) 5ish - some amount of water 6 pm - small salad, 3-4 oz protein, 1/2 c vegetables, a small amount of carbs, sometimes a little more (I am definately tighter in the am and looser in the pm) 8ish - some more water (usually equals 6-8 glasses a day) 9ish - a snack if I need one usually 1 protein/ 1 fruit or veg. serving. If I havn't gotten in enough protein (70-90g) I will have a Protein shake. I usually try to drink some water right before bed to kind of empyt my pouch. If I am really starving for a little extra during the day, I keep 100 calories bags of popcorn or kettlecorn around, mini rice cakes, or f/f fudgesicles. Nuts really fill me up quickly. Extra string cheese sticks are also a great snack to carry around with me. Anyway, that's a typical day for me!

Hey Hope, I tried to call you the other day but you weren't home and I got another call before I could leave a message! I am glad I was able to enourage you! Have you thought about seeing a dietician? I see the one Dr. Anderson recommended and I really like her. She can tell me how much fat I have lost and how much muscle I have gained which is nice when the scale isn't moving. She can also tell me how many calories I am burning at rest so we figure out a daily calorie intake goal. She charged $120 for my first appointment and $40 for follow-ups. I will continue to see her every few months. Have you been keeping track of your calories/grams of Protein? I write down everything I eat during the day so that I can track what works and what doesn't. I know it's a pain in the a..., but, until I feel like eating like a healthy banded person comes naturally, I will continue to journal my food. You have lost about 1/4 of what you want to lose and that is about the same as me. I think you are doing great! I do know that the less you have to lose, the slower it comes off! Keep up the exercise - at least you will build muscle!!!! Why don't you pm me and we can arrange to have that lunch we have talked about.

Mvpo - Yes I do and that's all I'm saying! :biggrin1: Christy - You look great! I can really tell in your face and the loose jeans don't lie!

I am horribly alergic to any surgical type of adhesives. There is a product called Bards Skin protector that you put on before the adhesive goes on and it forms a barrier between the adhesive and your skin. I need to use it even for IV tape. Doctors can order it from the hospital pharmacy for use during your surgery. I insisted on it! It is most ofter used by colostomy patients so, generally healthcare professionals are familiar with it.

Jolyow, I did the same thing when I started mushy food. I actually started losing again after increasing my calorie intake to between 1200 - 1400 per day. I can get enough Protein in without shakes and solid food sticks wiht me a lot longer. Good luck and don't lose hope. You'll do better once you have healed and can start having fills.

Justduckie - You look great! I can really tell a difference from the first to the last picture! Keep up the good work!

Well, it's 9:30 and I still have restriction! I ate about 1/3 of what I have been having for dinner and am still not hungry. In fact, I have eaten so little today that I am going to have a Protein shake before I go to bed just to get in some extra calories. Tonight as I was explaining this new restriction to my husband I actually started crying. I am so happy to finallly have the band really working for me! Of course, I am also PMSing so I'm overly emotional anyway. I just want to encourage all of you May Bandsters who don't have good restriction yet. It makes such a huge difference when you finally get there. Just be patient and you'll make it! Ok, no more posting about my restriction! I am sure you are all sick of hearing about it by now!

Well, it's 5 pm and I still have restriction! I keep expecting it to disappear but, so far, so good. In fact, I was so busy today, I forgot to eat! Let's see, the last time that happened was...NEVER! :faint:

Guess what? I was a little discouraged about my the results of my second fill (yesterday morning) after my "fondu fest" last night, but this morning there is a noticable difference in the amount of restriction I have. I tried to eat a small piece of left over chicken (a quick protein fix) before water aerobics and could only get about 5 or 6 bites down. Then, during aerobics, I usuall polish off a 1 liter bottle of water in about 4 trips to the wall but, today, I couldn't take several huge gulps like I usually do. I was hungry when I got home and I only got down about 3/4 c of shepherd's pie. So.....I think I finally have restriction!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!! I have always been a big pm eater and that has continued after being banded. Since it doesn't look like I will be getting a lot of food down during the earlier part of the day, I am happy with making up for it at night. I can't believe I am saying this, but, I actually hope I don't have this much restriction all the time. It might just be my PMS week too. Oh well, I am rambling on..I'll just have to wait and see!

Well the fondu didn't do too much damage--I actually lost a half a pound yesterday. So here are my official statistic: Current Weight: 276 Goal Weight by 9/13: 255 (-21 pounds to make it an even -60) I am down 39 pounds now so that will be -60 by my B-day on 9/15. It will be the best gift I get!!!!!!!!! If I havn't gotten around to it before then, I will post my pictures then too.

Kim, I can't speak for Disneyworld because I have never been there, but I lived in Anaheim for 12 years and had season passes to Disneyland for several of them and, even at 300 + pounds, I never had problems not fitting onto their rides. I avoid all other theme parks for the same reason you do, but, the people at Disney seemed to take into account the larger people of society when they designed the rides! At 280 lbs, I don't think you would have any problems at Disneyworld. We are planning to visit Disneyland in November when we are in California and I am mostly looking forward to finally being able to climb up the Tarzan tree house. I remember going up it when it was the Swiss Family Robinson attraction when I was a much skinnier kid. I don't particularly care about the attraction itself, I just want to be able to say to myself that I climbed it!

Ok - this is it! It is 10:30 pm and I am officially going to start the 9/13 challenge tomorrow. My goal is -20 pouns! I got my fill this morning and still ate way too much for dinner tonight, but, starting tomorrow, the too much will consist of veggies and other healthy choices. We had dinner at a friend's house tonight and I did ok through dinner, but, the fondu was too much for me! Of course, my TOM is coming and PMS hunger is really hard to resist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So.......tomorrow is a new day and I will officially weigh in here then (hopefully the fondu didn't do too much damage!)

No change for me this week. I went for another fill this morning so, hopefully that will get things moving again!

I was banded May 1 of this year and I do not have proper restriction yet--well, I went for my second fill this morning so I am hoping! Anyway, I have been able to eat 2-3 cups of food at a time since starting solids and I am usually hungry one and a half to two hours later. I do not like being hungry but, I also don't want to start gaining weight so, I have just eaten more fruit and vegetables. It curbs the hunger and I am still losing weight.

Hey Drewslou and Justduckie - Can I come along for the ride? My B-day is September 15 and I was thinking when I read Drew's post that 30 lbs might be a little optimistic for me but Justduckies 20 sounds just about right. I go for my second fill today and hopefull I wil have better restriction and the losing won't be such a struggle. I just get so hungry at night. I have always been a pm eater and, if there is food around, it is really hard to resist. Anyway, I really want to be able to ski with my son this winter and losing another 20 lbs by my B-day sould certainly move me along toward that goal. I used to ski at over 200 pounds so, as long as I can get close by December or January, I will brave the slopes. I figure I need to lose about 10 pounds a month which is more than possible for me. It just helps to have friends on the same journey to share my victories and encourage me through the hard times.

Hey Drewslou - It's great to finally put a face to a name. You look great! I have a digital camera and hopefully sometime soon P'nut will come over and show me how to post pictures. I dont' even know how to get them from the camera on to the computer!:nervous I hope others post some pictures here soon, too.