travelgirl

I have to say I agree with Wasa here...Boost and Ensure just have too many calories/not enough Protein to justify it. You'll get better results if you go with a Protein Shake. And the Special K protein Water only has 5 grams of protein per 20 oz bottle. And 50 calories at that! I simply can't afford to spend my calories in liquid form or I quit losing, and that's all there is to it. HTH!

Yeah, I don't know how she's upright most of the time....How awful to be SO VERY blessed in that area... She has to have her bras specially made, and ONE usually costs her upwards of $100. RIDICULOUS.

Size 14 on what planet??? At 250 I was still wearing 20-22. Talk about STRETCH pants....OUCH! I do have a friend, though who outweighed me by about 75 lbs, and she wore the same size jeans I did. I'll never understand how that worked! Of course, she wears a T cup bra, and I was a B at my highest weight....maybe that had a little something to do with it... :omg::faint:

Elliptikill... now that's funny... A machine cannot determine how many calories you've burned, because it does not know your height, weight, age, etc, so I don't know why it's even included in most of them. Maybe it makes people feel better to see SOMETHING.

Yeah, for about 3 months, there I didn't post much of anything because I would read one of those and I just couldn't bring myself to respond. I mean, come on, I know most surgeons will not even let you begin the whole process without going through SOME of the education process. I was required to go to at LEAST one seminar, and read a whole book prior to banding. Another pet peeve of mine is to see a newly banded person post a question on here, only to have someone who isn't banded, and is brand new to the board posts "advice". How can they even begin to know what they're talking about???? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't that make anyone else want to scream?

If there are still scabs on your wounds, you need to keep them clean and dry until they are completely healed. Then you can put whatever you wish on them.

OR I was just banned 3 days ago, and I'm not loosing weight, so I don't know if I should be etting this yet.

How about these? I'm on the first day of my 3 day pre-op diet, and I cheated and ate a whole pizza. I don't think I can go 3 more days on liquids! At this point, I would have to seriously re-think my commitment level and whether I really WANT to be banded, since it's not a magical cure that will instantaneously and without any effort on our part make the weight disappear! Personally, I had a 10 day liquid diet, that I didn't cheat on because I decided that if I was going to go through with it, I needed to be able to prove to myself that I was committed. And I was.

If all the scabs are gone, you're fine to put whatever you want on them.

Like shit, I guess, there was also a reference made to diarrhea, too. I didn't get that, either, so I didn't include it in my post here.... HAHAHA

Be strong, and stay with your pre-op diet. The day before my surgery, (day 10 of my liquid pre-op diet) I went to my nephew's birthday party, where they had 10 large pizzas and then cake and ice cream. I had a protein shake. Period. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! And it's not likely that you'll never be able to have chinese food again, just not for awhile. Oh, and after surgery, FOLLOW YOUR POST-OP diet instructions as well, they are just as important as the pre-op diet, if not more so. Don't eat solid food before your surgeon says that it's ok to. Patience!!! ((((((((hugs)))))))) YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Ok, I can't help it. I came across a post about smells....OP was concerned it was surgery or band related, I guess. Anyhow, I was nice, and said I thought it sounded like a sinus infection, to which OP said, YEP, I'm on antibiotics for that very thing!!!! THEN......can I have a drumroll, please?.... A first time poster-newbie came on and said that maybe they put it on the inside, and she's "tasting the band". WTH? I truly hope that was supposed to be a joke, but sadly, I'd bet the farm it wasn't.

Installed WHAT on the inside? I'm not sure what you mean. If you're being treated for a sinus infection, there's probably some dried up mucous in there that is a little stinky, and that's what you smell. Happens all the time. Try getting a saline nasal spray (NOT MEDICATED), that can help loosen that stuff up so you can get it out of there.

One of my biggest pet peeves is to hear someone mean to say asked, and it's AXE'D. Skin crawling here, too.... How about if someone goes to the liberry? Or, here's one I hear in the office daily, and it's like nails on a chalkboard to me.... My boss doesn't CLICK something with his mouse, he CLIPS on it. EEEEEESH!!

Sounds like a sinus infection to me.

I drank from a fountain just last night, and had no problems.... And the only things I don't drink with a straw is coffee or other hot liquid, and alcoholic beverages.

I still can't tell when I look at myself, but I had a 10-day liquid pre-op diet, and people were noticing it in my face even before surgery. Then after about 30 lbs, I started getting comments about my neck and shoulders.

Ok, after dropping 50 lbs nearly effortlessly (of COURSE, I was exercising, and eating right), I started sneaking in little treats for myself. An oreo cookie here, a handful of chips there, 2 string cheeses when one would have sufficed, well, this led to eating way more than I needed to, grazing all day, etc, etc... I also just sort of quit exercising, I had tons of excuses. So for the past 3 months the scale has not moved ONE pound in either direction. At least it didn't start going back up.... I finally decided I had to do something different, because telling myself every morning as I stood there on the scale that today would be different from yesterday was just not working for me. I asked a friend of mine to be my accountability partner. I don't care if she participates, but here's what I've been doing: I write down every bite of food that passes my lips, and calculate the calories. I also write down everything I did that day that would count as exercise. I tell her every day what my numbers were for the previous day, and at the end of the week, I give her the papers to look at. I just have to be accountable to someone besides myself (in my head) or I just eat however much I want of whatever I want. In the past week, I've lost 5 lbs, so hopefully, I'll be able to keep this up. Maybe this idea will help someone the way it helped me.

Losing weight will not magically resolve any of these issues. Most of us, no matter how much weight we lose, still see the fat person in the mirror, and feel like we're still at our highest weight. You have to love and respect yourself enough to stand up for yourself. No one else is going to do it for you. I don't know if that means getting out, or not allowing your husband to abuse you, or whatever it might mean for you. Certainly, there is help out there for women in your situation, if you'll just seek it. As far as encouragement, you've already done the hardest part, restriction will come later, with fills. Just make sure you're following your surgeon's post-op instructions, and you'll get there! (((((((hugs))))))

I am trying to NOT say "Oh, My God!" I say it all the time, without even realizing it. I never even knew I said it so much until my 7 & 10 year old niece and nephew were teasing me about it! I also cuss a lot, and I'm trying to reform from that, too.... Awesome That's cool Oh, Really? (a co-worker uses this, and I hated hearing it, so naturally, I picked it up. I want to rip out my vocal cords when I hear it come out of my own mouth)

You'll do great! I've been banded 8+ months, and it's the best decision I ever made. However, the day before surgery, I wasn't so sure...so take comfort in the fact that nearly everyone has doubts, that's completely normal! Hang in there, and we'll see you tomorrow in BANDLAND! Welcome!

Dark yellow/orange urine is a sure sign that you're not drinking enough Water. My doc told me to sip slowly at first, and then take bigger sips until it became uncomfortable, to know quickly I can drink. Heck, now, I can just about chug-a-lug water as much as I want. Just take it easy, don't take too big of swallows, but you need to be trying to get in at least 64 ozs of water every day. ((((((((((hugs))))))))))))) welcome to bandland!

They are THE BEST. Everyone there is so helpful and caring. I had the best experience there, and they even made my hubby feel at ease during my surgery. I can't say enough good things about everyone there on their staff. The PA there does every other fill for most patients, and after he did a couple for me, I request him every time. He's AWESOME at fills. If you haven't met him yet, you will, his name is Robert Blanken. Tall skinny guy with a shaved head... If you have any questions, you can PM me, and I can try to answer them for you. ((((((((hugs))))))))

Are you being banded at Tallgrass??

SPIDERS. Big ones, little ones, hairy ones, shiny ones, leggy ones, black ones, brown ones, green ones, yellow ones.....OH, the list goes on. There aren't too many things that make me scream, but going outside in the dark and walking into a web sends me right off the deep end. I CAN kill them, in the right circumstances, but I have not always been able to say that. Also, if I'm not the one that kills it, I HAVE TO SEE the carcass, or I can't convince myself that the little F**ker isn't going to stalk me in my sleep..... Oh, and if one happens to sneak up on me and is ON ME, let's just say that even when I was at my highest weight, you never saw a fat girl move that fast. And, just because I've been thinking about it, I'm going to have trouble sleeping tonight, I'll be searching my ceiling for moving spots...CRAP.