Zannie

If you like iced latte/coffee drinks (Frappachinos etc), try this one! My kids (5 & 8) and husband ask for their own when I make mine, which is a pretty good endorsement. 1 scoop Protein powder, vanilla or chocolate flavor (I like nectar Sweets, personally) 1 tsp instant coffee granules 1 cup to 1-1/2 cups cold skim milk or Water (milk adds more protein, but water works, too) 1 tbsp flavored liquid or powdered coffee creamer, sugar free Ziz it all together in a blender, magic bullet, or with a shaker bottle. Drink it as is or served over ice. For a decadent treat, top with SF whipped cream ~ heaven! Delicious!! Really, there is nothing horrific or torturous about THIS protein shake. If you like coffee drinks, you will LOVE this! Getting in all the protein you need is hard enough, why make it taste awful, too?!? Drink up & enjoy!

Hey, Bonnie! Congrats on the arm lift! :frown: (Is that the appropriate reaction to plastic surgery? Well, you know what I mean. ) I'm so interested in your progress with having your arms done! My shirt size can't go down further because while the shape has, the circumference of my arms hasn't changed all that much since my banding. I'd have my arms done in a flash if I could afford it! Care to expand on your procedure? How much $; how much PAIN & for how long; what are your scars like currently; do you have before pics...? Everything you're willing to share, I'm eager to know! Tell all! Suzanne

Today is my 3-year anniversary. :wub: I started at 320 & am at 240 now, which is up (far more than I care to admit) from my low of 205. I’ve totally stopped exercising, a huge factor in my initial weight problem & not something solved by inserting the Band. I knew that going in, however! My eating itself is only so-so. When I eat real foods, I’m still using the band correctly & it works exactly as it should to control my hunger. I’m all about Protein 1st, then veggies (love salad), and then carbs. :lunch: Yea me! :wink2: But I’ve slipped back into the skipping meals habit & have also found that Protein shakes aren’t the only kind that goes down easily if I need to eat & am out unprepared! :sneaky: Argh. I knew that going in, too. Anyhow! I’m very thankful I’ve got my Band. I’ve had no problems with it and no follow-up surgeries related to the LAP-BAND®. Everything about me is saggy, wrinkly & hangs something awful; something else I expected going in, so I’m not complaining. I’d love to have my arms done (forget bats, I’ve got pterodactyl wings), remove the “abdominal appendage” (as I call the apron of excess), and put “the girls” back in their proper location, but there’s no money for plastics so that’s the end of that. My life is so much fuller now, thanks to the LAP-BAND®. I’m active with my kiddies & feel better at 35 than I did at 30, heck…maybe even 25. :frown: But I have to say that I do “feel” this weight I’ve gained back more than I “felt it” the 1st time I saw 240 on the upswing. :frown: And I don’t like it. :mad: I need to get back on track, particularly with the exercising – which always was & will likely always be my big stumbling block. Having had the success I did initially, I know I can do it again if I would just get on the frickin’ treadmill! I’m so glad to have achieved what I did with this tool & remain grateful for my Band! LBT was a vital part of my post-op experience & I regret letting Life's issues get between my support network & Me. Perhaps it’s time to not only get back on the treadmill, but back online with y’all, too, eh? :biggrin: It’s wonderful to hear from some familiar Bandsters & touch base with how y’all are doing at 3-years out. :frown: Can’t wait for more updates! And Happy Bandiversary! Suzanne

Sounds great! I miss spaghetti!! Heck -- I miss PASTA! Which leads to my question... What, in general, is your experience with Pasta? I'm only able to eat a few elbow noodles before getting the "just not worth it" feeling. I'm intrigued by this idea of pasta as a pie crust though! And this sounds like something the whole family could eat (or bring for pot-luck) without it screaming LAPBAND!

What a fun day today was! My 5-year-old has been scared stiff of water for as long as I can recall, with no "event" that triggered his reaction. Not good for a kid who spends a great deal of his time at Grammy & Papa's house -- with an in-ground pool! But, but, but! We've been house-sitting for my parents for several days now & TODAY he finally went into the water without having a total melt-down! (Well, there WAS one, but later on while everyone else was still in the water, he walked right down the steps & across the pool to get the boat that had floated out of his reach. And just never went back to his perch on the 2nd step!) It was friggin' amazing! :ohmy: AND -- here's the relevant part -- he was eventually comfortable enough that I could swim laps (right in the shallow end with him) while he played (he's tall enough to stand well above the water)! So I got in my workout & my son actually had a fantastic time in the pool!!! Apart from my having to parade around all "saggy baggy" in a swimsuit, this has the makings of a great summer!!!! :crying: Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June '08 Challenge ~ Moderate Level 1 10 of 15 workouts (30 min, 3 days a week)

Hey y'all! I know this is quite a bump, but has anyone been to Busch Gardens since being banded? I'll be heading to B.G. Europe in Williamsburg, VA soon & have not ridden a roller coaster in 7 years! My last ride was on Apollo’s Chariot...the part of the seat the buckles you in was quite a struggle to secure, but finally clicked -- once. (in contrast, it clicked several times in securing my husband.) I spent the ride in a panic that I wasn’t truly buckled in! And that was the end of my coaster enthusiast days... But (113 # lighter) it is time to venture back to the "BIG KID" rides again! Griffin & Apollo’s Chariot await & yet I can’t shake the notion that I’m not gonna fit!!!! :smile::redface:

I've been at a standstill for so long... And the scale is finally moving again! I've suddenly lost 4 pounds! WAHOO! I'm down 113 pounds now -- hot diggity! :smile: I know the physical activity is what's making the difference, because I've been eating crap! :redface: I'm not at home this week, so my posts are bound to be sporadic at best. Keep up the good work, SJ! And I can't wait to get a look at the new you, Andrea! Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June '08 Challenge ~ Moderate Level 1 9 of 15 workouts (30 min, 3 days a week)

SJ, I hope your son is doing well after his surgery... And that the same can be said for you! :smile2: What's this about a cruise?!? And can you pack me in among your suitcases? Oh, wait -- they're charging per bag nowadays, so I guess THAT is out! But at least the fear of needing a seat belt extender is a thing of the past! :sad: I know you can hit that 5# goal prior to your sailing...and what a terrific reward for doing so! :crying: I've been pretty unmotivated myself...but enough is enough already! I want these changes & it's up to me to make them! I think the problem is that I'm feeling so great, physically. Leaps & bounds better than I've felt in many a year. So the drive to start feeling better is gone...even though I've still got a long way to go before my health is not at risk due to my weight. And the notion that -one day- I might "squat & recover" without fear of my knees going out from under me in the process is almost too scary to consider! But, oh, what a day that'd be -- if I can just get myself there! And that damn treadmill is the ticket, so... Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June '08 Challenge ~ Moderate Level 1 5 of 15 workouts (30 min, 3 days a week)

Skinnyjeans? Tracy even? Am I alone here? Serves me right if so!! I have NOT been consistent with sticking to a fitness regimen for the last several months. I know, however, that consistency is KEY for me. So -- even if I'm all by my lil' lonesome -- I still intend to post here for that sense of accountability! Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June '08 Challenge ~ Moderate Level 1 4 of 15 workouts (30 min, 3 days a week)

I agree, Christal! If I know I'm going to be eating in a pinch or at "talking" meal, I try to stick to stuff that I know will go down well -- soup, yogurt, eggs, fish, or mayo-based chicken/tuna salad. I've just started back to college & took an all-day (8-5)Saturday course for the summer semester. That necessitates 3 meals in class! Breakfast: Protein shake; lunch: yogurt and a cheese stick; Snack: homemade trail mix of cashews, dried papaya, dry oat Cereal, and M-n-Ms (I have an issue with raisins getting stuck). I also sip on bottled Water all day long.

First off -- I'm not a doctor, so don't take what I say as medical advice, just as my own opinion! With that said... I can't say if you're too tight or not, but you should NOT be regularly sliming and PBing with your meals -- that is a sign of a problem. Eating too much, not chewing enough, eating the wrong types of foods, AND being too restricted can all cause those symptoms. More significant problems can also cause the same reactions. Now, of those, which do I suspect is the problem...? Maybe a combination of a couple! If you've been taking more than an hour to eat your meals & are only have trouble when you are limited to a 1/2 hour, I'd say you're not eating right... Being banded isn't supposed to change the length of the MEAL, just the amount of FOOD! If I were to sit down for dinner and allow 1 to 1-1/2 hours to eat, I'm sure I could eat the portions you've been having, too. And personally, I can only eat 3 or 4 bites of pizza (it's the crust that gets me) before I start to feel full. That sounds harsh to my own ears, but that's not how I mean it... I would hate for you to have problems with your band because your head & stomach are not in the same place yet! It takes a while to adjust to life with the Band -- and we all go through ups & downs as we make that adjustment! But you've been banded for quite some time & I'd have thought you'd be in a more "Banded" mindset about your meals by now, even if your restriction wasn't at the sweet spot yet. The guideline I received went something like this: 2-3oz of "whole foods" Protein as the biggest portion on your plate & eaten first, followed by a smaller portion of veggies eaten 2nd, and then an even smaller serving of starchy carbs eaten last. So maybe what you need is to take a realistic look at what you're doing at meals (I hate journaling, but that's a place to start) & compare that to the materials you received from your doc when you were banded. Consult the staff at your surgery center (mine has a nutritionist as well as the surgeons) for advice!! And in all seriousness, too much PBing can cause a slip of your band and meals that are too big can cause pouch dilation over time -- that is not just scare tactics! Good luck!