julie.ann

We will be waiting to hear!

I went for a fill last Friday and my doctor had his staff take my pic. I'm not all that thrilled with it, but here it is.

You look amazing!!!

24 lbs in a month! 40lbs in 2 months! You guys are doing AWESOME!!!! That's is amazing too. Keep up the good work and it took about 3 months for my changes to become habit....a lifestyle. You will get there!!!!

Karen - Great job. You look AWESOME. MollyJo- If it were me I would ask about a partial unfil. Ask why they want a complete unfill. They might have a very reasonable and valid point. Let us know how it goes. I've been worried about you too!

I partied last night. For the first time in almost 5 months I really over did it in every way. I drank (althought had as few of calories as possible doing it) and ate much more than I should have. My husband's family had a "benefit" dinner for my son. We are sending him to Austria in July with an Ambassador program. We have been fund raising and so his aunt invitedthe whole family over and cooked mexican food and had everyone over for a donation dinner. The first round of supper I did a good job. I ate the the right amount of portions and was no longer full. I just had a fill 2 days ago and things were going good. But then with every drink my inhibitions lowered. I remember when me and my girlfriends would say don't let me do anything stupid when I am drunk. Then we were talking about guys....now I will be talking about food! I drank and ate and I be after 4 months of keeping my calories under 1200 a day (usually 800-1000/daily) I betI ate 3000 calories. My fingers are swollen, My face feels greasy. I don't feel good at all. I have proven to myself that with the band I CAN eat anything (I kind of already knew that) but just because I can eat it doesn't mean I should. I didn't listen to my stomach that was satisfied I listened to my head that will always be happy to take in more food. Here is the great thing. Today is a new day. We are 5 hours away from home, but I have packed my meals in case there aren't good choices around and so I am not worried about getting back on the program that is my life. I may have put myself back a week. I may not reach ONEderland by Aprill 1st. That is my fault and I will still get there. No, the band isn't magic, It is a tool. I don't want to be so tight that I CAN"T eat anything. I just have to be good listen to my stomach and put that child that is my head hunger back in the box. Today is a new day!

BG- I just can't wait for you to join the banded on the other side of the line! Keep up the fun posts!

At first eating too much gave me chest pain. That was pretty obvious. Last night when i ate too much it was spread out over a period of about 6 hours so I didn't eat it all at one time. Now I just feel full. I've only had one episode of PBing and it was horrible! it really isn't like it sounds. Sliming means you have alot of extra thick slime to spit out. PBing is actually vomiting the thick slime. I think of bleching as voluntary I guess, like drinking soda and you can feel this blech coming and you let it out. PBing is like vomiting....it just comes out. The funny thing is that I see what I eat and say I ate alot. (Not yesterday, but on a daily basis) then I start looking around and realize it is only a fraction of what I used to eat! Of what I wanted to eat! Of what I craved! What a difference a band can make. I thought about the fact that over eating has not given me chest pain. It is more subtle now. I'll just have to be more careful because I can't imagine finding out I stretched my band. I have been thinking that my serving of chicken salad is too much for me to eat .It has really started to look like a lot to eat. I just measured it out and it is a little under a cup. Funny how perspectives change!

April 1st Challenge Minidriver ------(Goal -10lbs) -4.5,+6.5,-3.5, , , , Lap_dancer-----(Goal -33lbs) 0.0,+4.5,-2.0, , , , Deboregon -----(Goal -15lbs) -2.6,-3.4,+1.8, , , , Julie.Ann -------(Goal -19lbs) -4.9,-1.9,-2.0, , , , , PrtyAntOvrYt---(Goal -30lbs) -4.2, ,-1.0, , , , BellaPerdente--(Goal -12lbs) 0.0,-3.0,-1.0, , , , Lotzasunshine--(Goal -12lbs)+1.5,-0.0,-0.0, , , , Jmegirl----------(Goal -15lbs) -2.6,-2.4,+1.2, , , , KaleighsMommy-(Goal -10lbs) ,-0.4,-0.4, , , , BikiniBeachy-----(Goal -12lbs) , , , , , , ,

I partied last night. For the first time in almost 5 months I really over did it in every way. I drank (althought had as few of calories as possible doing it) and ate much more than I should have. My husband's family had a "benefit" dinner for my son. We are sending him to Austria in July with an Ambassador program. We have been fund raising and so his aunt invitedthe whole family over and cooked mexican food and had everyone over for a donation dinner. The first round of supper I did a good job. I ate the the right amount of portions and was no longer full. I just had a fill 2 days ago and things were going good. But then with every drink my inhibitions lowered. I remember when me and my girlfriends would say don't let me do anything stupid when I am drunk. Then we were talking about guys....now I will be talking about food! I drank and ate and I be after 4 months of keeping my calories under 1200 a day (usually 800-1000/daily) I betI ate 3000 calories. My fingers are swollen, My face feels greasy. I don't feel good at all. I have proven to myself that with the band I CAN eat anything (I kind of already knew that) but just because I can eat it doesn't mean I should. I didn't listen to my stomach that was satisfied I listened to my head that will always be happy to take in more food. Here is the great thing. Today is a new day. We are 5 hours away from home, but I have packed my meals in case there aren't good choices around and so I am not worried about getting back on the program that is my life. I may have put myself back a week. I may not reach ONEderland by Aprill 1st. That is my fault and I will still get there. No, the band isn't magic, It is a tool. I don't want to be so tight that I CAN"T eat anything. I just have to be good listen to my stomach and put that child that is my head hunger back in the box. Today is a new day!

I have been told by a nurse practitioner that over 4 cc can go in a 4 cc band. Probabbly 6 or so. I don't remember exactly.

Put me down for 2.8 lost. YAY! I had my third fill yesterday. I hope that helps out. Things have gotten a little harder so I hope this helps.

Molly, Please be careful. Being too tight can be justas counter productive as too loose. You should ALWAYS beable to drink. ALWAYS. To limit drinking is te first step to dehydration. Please be careful and keep us updated. I'll be thinking about you until I hear from you again. Take care.

April 1st Challenge Minidriver ------(Goal -10lbs) -4.5,+6.5, , , , , Lap_dancer-----(Goal -33lbs) 0.0,+4.5, , , , , Deboregon -----(Goal -15lbs) -2.6,-3.4, , , , , Julie.Ann -------(Goal -19lbs) -4.9,-1.9,-2.0, , , , , PrtyAntOvrYt---(Goal -30lbs) -4.2, , , , , , BellaPerdente--(Goal -12lbs) 0.0,-3.0, , , , , Lotzasunshine--(Goal -12lbs)+1.5,0.0, , , , , Jmegirl----------(Goal -15lbs) -2.6,-2.4, , , , , KaleighsMommy-(Goal -10lbs) ,-0.4, , , , , BikiniBeachy-----(Goal -12lbs) , , , , , , , Please let me know if I have missed anyone for the first two weeks. I will be out of town until Sunday night so I will catch things up then. Good luck to all. I just got back from my third fill with Dr. K.

I have been thinking about my band and my life. With a 7 hour drive home after my (3rd) fill there is alot of time for thinking. I know that this monster I fight called obesity is a tough one. I have started to look at how it has affected my life. Although my weight did keep me from doing a few physically active things with my family I have found that it was the emotioinal and psychological damage that my obesity caused that hurt the most. I would use my weight as a reason not to go out with my family. I wasn't comfortable sitting on the bleachers watching a game and if my kids were playing I would go to watch them and leave as soon as I could. I thought that no one would want to socialize with me because I was so obese. Sometimes I put it off on others. I judged them as unfair because I just knew that they were judging me. Since I have lost over 70 lbs in this short time I have come to realize that I was holding myself hostage. It wasn't my weight that was keeping me from socializing. It was how I felt about myself because of my weight. It was how uncomfortable I felt in my own skin and how uncomfortable I felt with how I looked. Having the gastric band procedure has helped me change a lot of my habits. It has helped me change what I eat and how I look at food. I have learned that I feel better when I eat healthy food and that portion control is just as important as food choices. I learned that it took me about 3 months for this to become a lifestyle. I have learned that I may lose weight by following the rules, but I will lose it much more quickly and at a rate that I am happy with if I exercise at least 3 times a week. I have learned that I am not perfect and every day is a new day to make the right decisions. I have learned the difference between head hunger and real hunger. I think the one thing that Dr. K told me that has helped me more than anything else is when he said, "Don't eat unless you are hungry." I am a smart person. I know that is the way it should be, but hearing him say it just made it click in my head. Now if I want to eat something I ask myself, "Am I hungry?" If the answer is no I go back to what I was doing. I started that the first day of my pre-op diet and I ask myself that question every day. Sometimes I even find myself thinking, "Boy I wish I was hungry so I could eat that!" This band is not a magic pill. I am working hard for what is happening, but I know without the band it would not be happening. This is the best weight loss tool I could ever imagine! I love going to my fill appointments (and not becuase of the 14 hours I spend on the road in a day.) I love it becuase the staff is so wonderful. You (Natalie) and Mary make me feel welcome. You have since the first day I met you. Even before I met you when you answered my email on a Sunday night! That meant a lot to me, when I reached that point that I just had to do something and reach out to take that first big step to contact your office. When I come in for a fill Dr. K looks and my weight loss and says "Great! Do you think you need a fill?" and then he really listens to the reasons that lead me to believe it is time for a fill. His extensive experience and his low price made this dream for me come true. I never thought, being self pay, I could afford this with a hubby and 3 kids. Dr. K made it possible! So I have to say thank you. Thank you for giving me my life back! Thank you for helping me to take my life back. Julie Ann Surgery Oct. 29, 2008 Start/Now/Goal 285/210/142.5

I find it takes about 7-14 days for my fills to really kick in. I don't schedule them any closer than 4 weeks apart.

Hang in there Don. The next fill is just around the corner. Friday for me!!!

Ewiedbingcott- That is great! Way to go. A positive attitude makes such a difference!!! I fell into not eating anything until late in the morning. I encourage you to jumpstart your metabolism as early as you can. It helped when I started slowing down. Egg beaters or a couple of poached eggs give you a good amount of protein and very little calories. (I don't eat the yolk in the poached egg.) That way you body thinks that it has plenty and it is time to burn more calories. Just a tip that has helped me. Keep up the great work. I can't wait for my fill on Friday!

1-28-09 I got stuck. I don’t mean my weight. I’m talking about my chicken breast I made for supper. If you have never had anything S-T-U-C-K then I can’t even begin to tell you how horrible and miserable it is!!!!! I have done some small time sliming in the past, but tonight was the first time I did any PBing (productive belching). I couldn’t have imagined what that was like! When I have slimed in the past I would have some belching trying to move that piece of whatever (usually meat) down to my stomach. This time I might have a tiny belch and all this slime would come up and I couldn’t control it. I can’t believe how much would come up around the chicken I had stuck. BLAH!!!!! It took about 80 minutes to get past it. I couldn’t believe all of the sudden it passed and I was okay. My throat is still sore. I’m going to take it easy. Needless to say I didn’t eat supper tonight. I followed that ordeal with a protein shake and a couple of pieces of cheese latter on. I wanted to keep things liquid or soft. I also didn’t make it to the gym tonight because of this. I was going to go after I finished supper. I guess tonight supper finished me. This morning I was starting my metabolism up about with a Morningstar sausage. I a bite that was a tiny bit too big and it slowed me down. I started thinking maybe my fill from 2 1/2 weeks ago started working and tightening me up. I've always been tighter in the evening....I guess so! I hope I never do something stupid enough to make me feel like that again!!!! :cheatfree:

Hey March 12th will be here before you know it! I can't wait for my fill on Friday. We really can't afford it, but I can't afford to lose momentem. Let us know how it goes.

This is bandster hell. You can do this. Stay away from all bread, pasta, rice and potatoes to keep the cravings at bay. (Sweets too.) Get plenty of protein and eat the solid protein first and then add veggies until you have your 1 - 1 1/2cup of food. Now is the time to begin eating like the banded person you are. Also this is a perfect time to learn the difference between real hunger and head hunger. Sometimes even now I have a hard time with that. Anytime you find yourself wanting to eat stop, quiet yourself and ask if you are hungery. Really hungery or if you just want to eat. I think those that are most successful are those that learn the differnce between the hungers. Follow the bandster rules. Find them here in my blog. This is what I follow and I have done pretty well. Good luck and keep us posted!.