isaviolinist

I have this EXACT same issue with the horrible pain in the chest, getting stuck, taking a drink to try and get the food to go down, only being able to eat 2 bites. My abdomen also gets distended. Anyways, thanks for starting this thread. I have to go out to dinner tonite and I'm going to REALLY try and eat like a bird and just chew chew chew. Also, we both have a goal to reach onederland by Christmas! Good luck! We can do it!

Hey do you fit into Korean clothes!!?? OMG CONGRATS! I CANT wait to be able to buy clothes in Korea. Actually, last time we were there, my fiance's aunt gave me a 500.00 gift certificate to Shinsegae. She didn't know I was fat before she met me. I could see the look in her face, like "Here is a gift card, I don't know what the hell you're going to buy there". So I bought a Louis Vuitton bag But fiance's mom said that she would give me some ridiculous sum of money (like 5000 dollars or something) if I could reach a normal clothing size, so I can't wait to take it and go shopping for clothes in Korea haha :huh2:

Yep. It definitely makes me more nervous. Thanks for your insightful question, though. :huh2: Does anyone who has actually revised have any input?

I generally do a Protein shake for lunch (and I'm not really a Breakfast eater). Its primarily because up until about 3-4 PM everyday my band is pretty tight and I was getting tired of throwing up lunches. As far as figuring out what to eat, I use fitday.com to track my calories (and protein, carbs, etc.) and I use mealsmatter.org to plan my meals. I don't get crazy caught up with what is part of the plan, I just try to make healthy balanced meals using whole grains and organic foods. I try to get a good variety of things so I'm not eating the same thing everyday (which is where meal planning on mealsmatter works well for me). I try to stick to 800-900 calories a day which is working for me. Right now, I'm a little less anal about protein (although I do eat a decent amount, but I'm not eating 100g a day or anything) and more focused on meeting (and not exceeding) my calorie intake of 900 a day (and getting in all my exercise). I'm working with a practitioner who is monitoring my lean (and fat) mass loss to make sure I'm not losing an inordinate amount of lean mass and losing mostly fat. I think once you get into a routine of choosing foods and tracking them, it becomes easier. Hope that helps!

Hey - thanks so much for the replies. I really need to find a dr in Michigan so I guess this is a good excuse to get on that. I hope nothing is wrong with my band. Hey Alien! How are you?! Yea - I took a break (aka I completely fell of the wagon) for awhile. But I'm back and losing weight pretty steadily now! Exercising like crazy! I haven't been to Korea recently. I was going to go this past summer but then we decided we were moving (fiance got into law school in Michigan and decided its where he wanted to go), so he went back home and I stayed here to pack and tie up all of the loose ends before we skipped town. At the time I was grumpy about it, but now I'm glad that I did stay because we had SO much stuff (I couldn't even have imagined how much stuff we had in that little apartment until I started packing it) and I wouldn't have been able to get it all packed in just a few days. But we've planned our wedding for August 2012 in Hawaii, and after the wedding, we'll just fly to Korea for a few weeks. So I'm looking forward to that! My fiance may not be able to go home next summer because of whatever summer internship he gets, but I'm hoping that he will because I really miss Korea and can't wait to go back! His mom is taking us to Hawaii in December and she was just in the states in May - so I'm glad I'll get to see her more than just once every 2 years when we go to Korea.

So I had my first fill under fluoro 5 days ago and I have no restriction so far. I thought the fluoro would show the doctor when I was having restriction? But I definitely can eat more than a cup of food at a time. Also, he put in 5cc. I'm concerned that if I have no restriction at 5cc, is it possible that I'll never have restriction (which will then make my band useless). I'm thinking about sending him an email. Any advice?

I think I got approved the same day that everything was completed. But my hospital's bariatric center had a working relationship with BCBS so virtually all BCBS patients were automatically approved. But I think it varies from ins. to ins. co.

You guys are inspirational. I can't wait to join this club someday soon I hope!

Thank you so much for your reply. Ugh, now I'm scared - I hope nothing is wrong with my band. I just moved to a new city and am still looking for doctors so I can't even go see my surgeon. Ergh. When you got an unfill and waited for a few weeks, did your pouch go back to the correct size?

I'm just bumping this to see if anyone has had a similar experience. Thanks!

Hey! Congrats! I totally agree - getting up and starting is the hardest part by far! After you get over that initial hump it gets more routine! I don't love working out, but I'm in a groove. Ive accepted that I don't love working out, but an hour a day won't kill me! And I agree - go to a gym, and get into a group training schedule or find a good personal trainer, and try to find a gym that will help you with food logs, weigh-ins, body composition (fat mass vs lean mass) and general coaching. Great job!

Hey thats so strange :-( Hm, well if someone reactivates it, it might be easier to do the formula based on just entering your start weight, goal weight, and your weekly current weight (and then the spreadsheet will calculate how many pounds you have lost automatically), as opposed to entering how many pounds you lost each week. Probably a lot of people have kept a log of their weight each week and even if we haven't, you can estimate what your start weight was, and then enter your current weight for this week, and then the spreadsheet will calculate it. I don't know how to make that formula, but I know that's usually how the challenge spreadsheets are setup. Just a thought so we can easily recover the info.

I just added myself to the spreadsheet - is there anyway to get my name in the main list (above the running tally)? I posted below the running tally - not sure if my weight will be added in. Also, I just put zero's for the months that I wasn't in on the challenge. LOL Nevermind - I figured it out.

Yay I was looking for a challenge!! I was going to ask about a Thanksgiving one, but this is perfect! Woohoo I love challenges!

LOL at the trashy bras :w00t: I am looking forward to getting some sassy wedding night lingerie.

I'm going to wait until I'm at goal and then I'm going on a shopping spree like you've never seen. I'm going to buy everything I've ever wanted since I was in my teens but couldn't wear because I was fat. The damage could be well into the thousands. I've already warned my fiancé lol :w00t:

7ish weeks ago I started exercising 6 days a week. 3-4 days with the trainer, the rest for 50 minutes on the elliptical and 1 day a week off.

Hey guys - just thought I'd contribute to the pizza thread! I just made pizza with tortillas and it was amazing! I found a low carb tortilla (60 calories, 11 carbs, 7.5g Fiber, 6g Protein and made with soy flour and oats - its a decent sized tortilla too! Here is the brand if anyone is interested: Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas - Low Carb Tortillas, Healthy Flour Tortillas and Wraps, Organic Tortillas, Flavored Tortillas, food Service Tortillas, Soy-Full Heart Flatbread Tortillas the one I used is the garden veggie kind), an organic roasted veggie tomato sauce at whole foods with 35 calories per 1/2 cup (I can't remember now but I think it was the 365 brand you find at WF's), and skim mozzarella cheese (70 calories for 1/4 cup). I sprayed the tortilla lightly with olive oil cooking spray, used 1/2 cup of sauce, used a little under 1/2 cup of cheese (I tried to just use one quarter cup but I love cheese!), and popped it in the oven until the cheese was melted and the edges of the tortilla were browned. OMG SO YUMMY! I was able to eat about 4/5 or so (although I could've stopped at 3/4). For the entire pizza it was 225 calories! So if you split it with someone its only 113 calories for half and SO tasty! I just checked through ALL the sauces until I found the most low cal one (which was delicious!) and went through all of the tortilla's too, and Ill be sticking to that Tumaros tortilla because it really was delicious! If you rummage through all of the sauce and tortilla options (sometimes there are TONS - especially with the sauces), you can maximize taste while still reducing calories.

Congratulations! How are you feeling? Are you just getting off full liquids at this point? Definitely stick around on these boards. When I am posting and supporting others (and getting support from others here) I do so great. I left for awhile and fell off the horse. Now I'm back to stay! LBT is a great tool to keep you accountable. Congrats on your successful surgery!

Congrats to you for taking control back! I am also in a similar boat. I lost about 80 pounds in the first few months. Then I started going the wrong direction and gained 50 back. 6 weeks ago I decided to get my butt up off the couch and sign up at a fitness center. And I reactived my fitday account so I could start tracking calories again! And I dragged my fiance with me too lol! In the past 6.5 weeks I've lost almost 30 of those 50 pounds and am feeling great. It was hardest to get to the gym. But once you go, you get into a routine and its easier! You have lots of support here! And also, now that we know how HORRIBLE it feels to regain the weight we worked hard to take off, it will hopefully serve to motivate us to make it work!

Yes! That is awesome Congrats to you!

Hey you should join a thing like I'm doing - where you have a trainer who helps you with your food logs and creates an exercise program for you (and creates a supplemental exercise/cardio program for the days that you don't do personal or group training). That way, if you stop showing up, someone will be on your back! Its good for those of us who don't have the discipline to just go to the gym on our own. The hardest part for me was making the call to setup the initial consultation. And it was REALLY hard lol. But now I've gotten into a groove and its WAY easier (I still don't like it, but I definitely don't avoid it).

This would be awesome! I'm not sure if I'm really a mentor, but we should definitely support each other - it will help us along the way and keep things honest! Before I stopped posting on LBT, I was doing so great and I think it had a lot to do with the message boards and chat room keeping me accountable. I also stopped blogging (which I've started again!) to help myself stay on track. So yes, lets definitely be a support for each other! Message me anytime! Also congrats on your engagement! We're going to be beautiful brides! Cant wait to lose the weight and go dress shopping!

Oooh I watched the first episode of that show and I really like it! I'll definitely watch for you! I also gained back about 50 pounds of what I had initially lost, but 6 and a half weeks ago I decided to get back on the horse and have lost about 30 of those pounds again. I'm so determined, and like you, I feel that I haven't addressed my psychological issues with eating. I have thought about counseling and even OA (my fiance isn't a fan of OA and when I bring up counseling he says its for when you're not doing good and I'm doing good....Love him more than life itself but hes missing the point ). Anyways, congrats on being on the show and I'll definitely be watching for you!