adamsmom

I use Unjury or Nectars --both in chocolate flavor, mixed with non fat milk or soy milk, some frozen strawberries in a blender and voila! Likle my very own Jamba Juice!

Jill--shopping in your closet is always fun! I have a few things I can wear now--but the suits I was wearing last month are almost too big now. Plus, we are now getting warmer weather (mid 70s in N. Cal this week so I'm lookeing for some wamer weather clothes. I'll have to dg inmy closet more.

Thanks for the suggestion, Cherbear. I think there are some thrift stores nearby. I think tehre may be an upscale one a little further away. I am down from a size 22/24 to a 18/20. Some of my tops were 26/28--most of my clothes are from Lane Bryant, which is where I usually shop, but I don't want to invest money on clothes that won't fit me for long. I just need a few more things to get me through the last 8 weeks of school. Summer is around the corner too, so I have to consider if I buy cold weather clothes, I may get to wear them once or twice.

Amymoe--sorry about your experience. Congrats to those of you who have lost weight and need to find smaller clothes. I am in the same predicament. My clothes look silly on me now and I do have a few things in smaller sizes, but I need to go shopping--scary when I have that job layoff looming in a couple of months! SO, my queastion is: where do you go shopping for clothes inexpensively, that still look stylish and maybe even professional, when you're shrinking and don't want to spend loads of money? ANy ideas or suggestions?

Theresa, congrats on the smaller size and congrats to Amymoe for losing 2 more pounds. Cherbear, I saw your photos. I can really see the difference in you. I am down another pound as of this morning, that is 7 pounds since my fill last Friday! So, I'm not complaining! I am about to begin a 2-week spring break from school. I really need the break. I have exercised 3 night w this week, and will do moree during my time off.

Fighting Weight by Khaliah Ali. SHe is one of Mohammed Ali's daughters, who had the Lap Band put in a couple of years ago. I found her book to be he most helpful and inspirational. I bought mine on Barnes & Nobles.com

burgygirl, congrats on the new pants size--that's always exciting. I think I will also have tog o shopping because my clothes are hanging on med like sacks. I have not felt any restriction since my fill on Friday, but I have already lost 6 pounds since then! I have been exercising, so I'm sure that helped, and I went back to having Protein shakes for Breakfast. Finally, my weight loss is picking up again! Total weight lost since first weigh-in at my surgeon's office: 24 pounds; since surgery: 18 pounds.

Hi Burgygirl, congrats on your fill. Did it hurt? Mine was awful. I almost cried like a baby!:laugh: I feel no restriction, so all that pain and no gain! On another note, I did work out this evening--a milestone for me as I had fallen off the wagon in that department. I hope you all had a good day.:tt2:

Had my first fill on Friday, 2 days ago, and it hurt like hell! The PA who does this at my office doesn't use lidocaine, but he will be using it for me in the future. I would definitely ask for it. Everyone's different, but I was in a lot of pain.:confused:

OK, so I had my first fill yesteray, and it was NOT fun. I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact that I received my actual written pink slip yesterday and I was very upset and tense. But it hurt like hell, and I was almost in tears.:laugh: He added 2 CCs to the 4 I already had, but my water came up, so he took one CC out. So, I currently have 5 CCs in my band and do not feel any different, except for the lump and soreness where the needle went in. I was on clear fluids yesterday and full fluids today. Tomorrow, I can return to mushies, and start regular food on Monday. I'm STARVING.

Hello Ladies, I hope everyone is hanging in in there. These are tough times and stress like this is probably what got me to a place where I needed a lap band in the first place. Thank you for allowing me to vent my stress and frustrations here. Tomorrow, I am going for my first fill. ABOUT BLOODY TIME! I will write and let you know how it goes.

Cherbear, sorry for not voting for you. I hwould have if I'd been online. Sorry about your cat, too. My oldest cat has something similar, so I took Tomkin to the vet this afternoon and he too started antibiotics for a snotty nose and a cough. Don't you just hate it when they sit on your lap , sneeze, and then fling snot all over! YUCK!!! I think it's bacterial because my other two cats and my dog are all healthy. Tomkin is almost 17 so he's a little weaker than the yournger animals.

Hello, ladies, I haven't been on in so long. Things have gone from bad to worse. On the 17th, I was told my job was safe, then on Monday this week, I was told I would be laid off at the end of the school year. On Wednesday, my principal announced to the entire faculty in front of me that I had been laid off. She never told me she was going to do this. I was so humiliated. I left the room, went into my office, and collapsed into a heap of tears. I cried and cried all night long, and never slept. My principal felt the teachers should know so they could rally for me before the School Board and try to get my job back, but she had no right to do that, she could have asked me. This is absolutely devastating to me and my family. If I can't find another job comparable to what I have now we will lose our home for sure. :wink: I am now frantically job hunting so that I have something to go to after my job ends. There are no school district jobs in California because our government totally screwed the budget, so I'm applying to teach at four local community colleges, either in English or reading. So this weekend, I have been updating my resume, gathering letters of recommendation, and trying to put on a good game face. I have no emotional energy for this, but what choices do I have? The court trial for the child abuse case I reported last year has had 3 continuances since the DA first contacted me. Finally I was all set to appear in court this coming Monday, the 2nd. I got a call at 4:45 yesterday afternoon that there has been yet another continuance, and I have to wait to find out the next court date. My stomach lurched again. I am so scared of the guy I have to testify against. I hope they convict him because if he gets off he may come looking for me. My son is still struggling and we're fighting to get him into a school for kids with Asperger's Syndrome, but the school district doesn't want/can't pay for the private school tuition. Meanwhile, we're racking up a fortune in lawyers fees to try to make this happen because my kid is miserable and I can't stand to see him suffer like this. His psychiatrist wrote a letter for us and his therapist is writing one too. With these two recommendations that Adam is placed in this private school, I think I can sway the district because they would not want a possible law suit that something like this could bring. I have been very headachey and nauseous--vomiting for the first time since surgery, but I think it's stress. Also, this website is now blocked from my school district's computers so I can only check in when I'm at home. I need a fill so badly because I can eat way too much! Then other days, I have 3 bites and I want to puke, like the food gets stuck and can't go down. My fill date is next Friday, the 6th. I can't wait! Congrats to those of you who have lost weight--I have maintained and am still at 21 pounds total, or 17 since surgery. Baylee, those puppies are just too cute! Thanks for posting the pictures. I just love animals, all animals.

you should be able to return ro work in a week easily. I took a week and a half off and didn't need that much time. The extra time is nice for giving yourself time to adjust to a new way of eating. Youw ill still be on fluids or just starting mushies and that can be a challenge at first.

Friends, you are all so sweet and supportive. It's such a blessing for me to have all you to write to. Thank you all for you kind words.

Good morning, ladies. Life has been quite the roller coaster for me lately. As you know, I am a school employee in California, where we have no state budget and the schools are feeling the financial hit. My school district is laying off 390 teachers. They also decided to lay off half the vice prinicpals. As the 3rd to last hired, I figured I was a gonna. I got a call from my superintendent's office on Tuesday morning and was told to drive to the district office for a meeting. I figured I was getting my lay off notice. Instead, I found that I was one of the lucky ones who would keep their job They decided to go on merit and not longevity. Then Tuesday night, there was a huge board meeting and tons more unexpected job cuts were made--almost all of our directors and even one of the assistant superintendednt. In a meeting yesterday they decided that all vice perincipals will be laid off unless we vote to accept a 10% pay cut across the board. This will make my salary 11 thousand dollars a year less than I was making when I was a teacher, but I'll work more days, work londer days, and carry the burden of much more responsibility. I have been told I will receive my lay off notice today and getting my job back will be contingent upon how the vote turns out. In addition, my 14 year old son with autism is struggling with depression at his middle school and it's just killing me. Suffice it to say, staying on any kind of exercise or diet program has been a challenge. One goos thing is I am feeling much tighter where the band is these days, but I think it's because I'm so tense. I threww up after 3 bites of dinner 2 nights ago, and my weight has not gone up, but has at least stayed the same. I have caught myself going back to old habits: chocolate. It slides down very easily. This has made me realize that even with the band, when I am stressed I can still revert back to my old bad habits

I have a lot of doggy bags these days, but I order pretty much anything i want. I never eat a food at a restuarant that I haven't tried and eaten with success at home. For example, I wanted shrimp last night. My doctor said this could be a difficult food for me to get down. I haven't treid it at home yet, so I didn't want to try it at a restaurant and have a problem in public. I choce the salmon because I know I won't throw that up.

Jill, interesting posts. I am so desparate for a fill, though. And I want to know how I will react to a fill. Mine isn't until March 6th! Hope I can wait that long! I think a few days of not being to eat anything would do me good because i can eat anything, but I still get full quicker than before , and my weight loss has slowed rrught down. Trouble is I can eat a lot more than I am supposed to. DH and i went out on a date for Valentine's last night. I ate about 2/3 of my entree--grilled salmon, garlic spinach, and risotto. I did not have an appetizer or a dessert. I was so stuffed. For lunch today, we went out for Chinese food. Again, I ate about 2/3 of my plate of food before I got full, but I can eat rice, bread, and everything I was told I would not be able to eat after surgery.

Amymoe, thanks for sharing this with us. It's very interesting. I can't wait to get my first fill. What did your doctor say about the bloated feeling you're having?

Amy, it's probably the bread. I have managed wheat toast and even 1/2 a toasted bagel, but I think I'm in desparate need of a fill! :thumbup: Plus, everyone's different and you may be reacting to the bread for sure. Hope you feel better. Hang in there!

Amymoe--sorry you're not feeling good. What do you think you ate that made you feel like this?

Amy--I have the same question about the ticker thingy--I also have one, but haven't figured out how to post it here. I am wearing a suit today that I haven't worn in 3 years! It's a size 20. I was wearing size 22 and 24 suits when I went in for surgery. When I got dressed this morning, my husband said, "Is that new?" I reminded him it's been hanging in the closet for 3 years and I haven't been able to wear it. He then remembered it and congratulated me. I have several size 20 suits, so it'll be like having all new clothes! My school nurse asked me yesterday if I'm losing weight. As you know--no one at work knows I had WLS. So I said, "Yes, maybe a few pounds." She said, "Looks like more than a few pounds to me. Are you on a plan?" So I just said, "Well, I'm sort of trying to do a modified Weight Watchers, but nothing really specific. I did have a new year's resolution to try and get a bit healthier." I'm just trying to down play the whole thing, but it's nice that people are noticing. She said I look really good and I thanked her. Hang in there, ladies--we're going to have to start getting used to all those compliments about our shrinking bodies! :smile:

I eat at least one salad a day, sometimes two. I can eat lettuce, cucumber, chopped carrots, raw brocolli, zuchinni, avocados with no problem. I heard to stay away from raw tomatoes and onions.

OK, so I'm wearing a suit today that fit me the last time I wore it and now hangs on me! I didn't have enough time this morning to get something else to wear, so I'm wearing a baggy suit. :thumbdown: I guess I should be pleased, but I look kind of weird. WIll have to go shopping. Oh darn!:thumbup: