Dani-X

Toqu - wow, it sounds like you are way too tight. The sweet spot should not make you only be able to eat one food - and get sick on it at that. I would talk to you dr and discuss the possibility of a slight unfill. You never know, it could make all the difference! It seems like we're all in the same boat! My weight loss slowed to about .5 lb a week for about 5 weeks despite the fact that I was exercising 4-5 days a week! Talk about frustrating. I signed up with myfooddiary.com and started tracking everything I put in my body. What a difference it made! It put me back on track to where I wanted to be and makes me see exactly where my calories were coming from. I know that my lattes have no fat and 15 grams of protein but skim milk is LOADED with carbs! I think it was all the sugars that were slowing me down. I decided that if I really want those sugars - which I usually don't, I'm going to get them from where they count - like a few bites of a snickers! Can you believe we're coming up on a year!!? It just doesn't seem real.

Cindy, that's a great way of looking at it. I have always enjoyed my cocktails but I'm much more conscious of the calories I'm consuming now. If I want a drink when I'm out with friends, I don't order the 400 calorie sugar-laden margarita. Instead I'll order wine or something less bad for me. I still enjoy the fruity martinis or mojitos (my avatar, my favorite) on girls night out but just not in the same quantity... pre-band I could put down 6 or 7 martinis in a night. Now, I'm totally looped at 3 - and that's for about 4 hours of drinking!!! I love being a lightweight and a cheap date! So go ahead and imbibe, just make sure you're cognizant of the empty calories. Cheers!

Hey BL I wouldn't worry too much about it. I threw up twice the same day I had the surgery... I couldn't even handle Water with the morphine and the anesthesia. The nurses and doctor knew about it but they told me not to worry... I was much more worried than they were. I would give yourself some more time on easier mushies than pureed meat. Maybe just do a day or two of refried Beans or yogurt... something that is easier on your stomach than the meat. Also, remember that if you do throw up to stay on liquids for the rest of the day as a PB can be quite irritating. Good luck!

I'm not sure of the exact number of days but I track everything on myfooddiary.com It costs $9/mo and it's pay as you go so you aren't committed to any contracts. You put in all your foods, exercise, Water for the day and when you mark your day complete, it gives you a report like this: If every day were like today ... You would lose 1.7 lbs per week. You would meet your goal weight of 145 lbs on 1/9/2008. In one month, you would weigh 175.2 lbs. In three months, you would weigh <nobr>160.4 lbs.</nobr> It's a great tool and it lets you see the good stuff and bad stuff you're eating with your meal. For me, I had to dial back my skim milk usage because I saw how many sugars there were in it! It just keeps you concious of what your eating and what's really in there.

Funny story about swimming.... I jumped in my friend's pool a few weeks ago for the first time after being banded and sunk like a rock! I was used to having my body fat be enough to keep me afloat. No more!!! I had to tread Water again to keep me from goin down. It was awesome! I wish I had better access to a pool for laps because I'm developing a knee issue from something I'm doing... swimming is just therapeutic on so many levels.

I've always liked salads but since being banded I love them. I can eat almost any veggie although sometimes broccoli gives me a problem. I tend not to put it in my salad anyway! The lettuce is super easy to break down when you're chewing and all those textures make it a party in your mouth! Just an FYI, while most of us can eat salad without any incident, I know a lot of people cannot tolerate it. I've got a few friends with the 4cc band that absolutely can't touch salad... those with the larger VG band don't have a problem. Although, salad is the one food I can eat the most of without feeling full. I would definitely try to add some solid Protein to it - 2 oz of grilled chicken breast is about what I add to my 1/2-3/4 cup of salad and it's fine... if there's no protein in there, i could eat significantly more.

Hey Julie! I just saw that you hit your 163 milestone. Congratulations! That's AWESOME!!!! Happy summer!

I'd invest in a heart rate monitor that you can customize with your own vitals. I'm glad to hear you haven't stopped doing what you were doing before in terms of exercise. To me, the 4- minute thing makes it seem like PFM (PUre F*&king Magic) and we all know where those things got us in the first place. Rock on for trying something new but knowing what's truly best for your body!

Hey there, The last supper thing is totally normal... but if I could do it all again, I'd have gone easier. I gained 5 "last supper" pounds... you know what - with an exception or two, I can eat everything I ate pre-band. The extra eating made me feel more down about myself than anything... AND, i still had to lose those 5 pounds! :/ My advice - eat what you want... just don't feel the need to stuff it all in at once. But whatever you do - don't beat yourself up about it. You're going to do great!

Ashley, It's amazing how other people treat me now. What's also different is how I treat myself. Even though other people can be jerks, how many of us have lived our lives putting up walls so it hurts less when ppl make fun of us. Losing 80 pounds has made me feel beautiful, sexy, and happy. My boyfriend says I'm a little more vain now but that's ok - I'm hot! heheheh He says the best part about my surgery was the confidence it gave me. I'm confident in what I do, in who I am, and in things I try. I was always afraid to try new things - mostly physical things. Not now! I'll try any gym class, any outdoor activity, anything! I never would have done that pre-band... I would have just kept to myself on the elliptical and got bored of my routine. My band helped me to branch out at the gym. I now have a group of about 12 friends, men and women, that I see socially outside of the gym. All these things help contribute to a happier life... happier people are more attractive. Don't you think?

Personally, I was able to do the Slim Fast Optima Milk chocolate shakes... some ppl can't handle them but I didn't mind them. I'm also a fan of the unjury and Muscle Milk drinks. I'm not sure what your pre-op diet entails but I was allowed to eat two cups of raw or cooked veggies each day. Believe it or not, CABBAGE was my best friend. As part of my "last supper," my mom made me roast pork with cabbage and all the other good stuff. Well, that cabbage is my favorite so I modified it so it would fit into the pre-op diet. If you're interested, here we go: Slice up 1/4 cabbage (about 2 cups) and place in a pot of boiling Water. Add 1 tbs of Better than Bouillion chicken Stock. Cook the cabbage until nice and tender... drain. Then, spray a pan with PAM (JUST so it doesn't stick, only a quick 1 sec. burst, not enough to coat the whole pan). Place the cabbage in a hot pan and brown it for about 4 or 5 minutes. The flavor is so rich that you don't even feel like you are eating vegetables! I lost 23 pounds on my pre-op and out of those 2 weeks, only had one day that was a bit tough. The rest was a cakewalk for me. Good luck on your journey! You're going to do great!!!

I remember thinking exactly this before being banded. While the band definitly helps, you have to work with it. There are times I've been full and stopped right there... a few times, I've put one more bite in my mouth and then realized that I should probably spit it out. There's full and then there's uncomfortable. You'll get to know the difference very quickly!!! Good luck!

It's so true! The band is a TOOL... it baffles my boyfriend that people think of it as PFM (pure f@c*ing magic). The band helps us make the right choices but it's the choices that we make that ultimately determine how well our weight loss is going. Kudos to your aunt for stepping up, baby!

NYGMEN - you'll have to come back and let us know when your date is!!! We're rooting for you Feel free to email me if you have any questions! Spunky - you're doing great! How nice was it to go into a new year and not only didn't you gain but you were down 30 pounds! That's awesome! Keep on keepin' on

Hey Toni, I'm sorry to hear that your friend hasn't contacted you yet. Just remember it's change for everybody around us too and she might not know how to deal with it just yet. I'd give her a call in a few weeks to see how she's doing... she might really be needing to hear from you. Best, Dani

Most of my friends have been supportive... most. I've kept my decision to have the surgery quiet and did not tell anybody but my closest colleagues. With one of my girls being overweight, I thought she'd understand the most about my desire to keep it quiet. While she hasn't blabbed it out, she's been less than discreet. Asking questions, constantly talking about my weight in front of people. People tell me it's jealousy, I don't know what it is... that's not how I show my support to people who are working their butts off! She's already gone to a seminar after seeing my progress... even though part of me wants to "return the favor" if she gets it done, I just don't have it in me to be anything less that supportive - and discreet! Now family is a different matter... I'm down 75 pounds - an obvious weight loss... at least you would think so considering you see these family members every 6 weeks or so. One of my cousins lost a lot of weight many years ago and I was her biggest supporter! AND, she kept it off and looks great. I've never received one compliment from her. And her mother, well, she barely talks to me anymore. A few weeks ago she asked me if I was a size 14. When I told her I was, she said "oh, your face looks different." My mom says that was her way of complimenting me. WTF!? What ever happened to "Hey Lina, you look great!" I don't get people. Just remember... you did this for you! The people who matter most will be the people supporting you and cheering you on through the journey! And if you ever feel down and out, come on here and say hi... we're all rooting for you!

Donna, That's fabulous! Which band do you have? Let us know how your first fill goes! Congrats on the *awesome* progress.

I have a Starbucks 3-4 times a week as my Breakfast. A grande sugar-free vanilla non-fat latte packs 16 grams of Protein into 160 calories! Not to mention it gives you nearly half the Calcium you need for the day. Just stay away from the blended frappucino drinks. Belive it or not, I've only had one frappucino in my life! They're packed with calories and sugars so I try and stay away...

Yes, the calorie counters on the machines are off by close to 30% The best thing I did was to invest in a heart rate monitor. I got the Polar F4 and programmed it to my body specs. It's the most accurate you'll get for counting your calories. Also, it's a great motivator when you see those calories creeping up during your workout.

Hi there, I currently have 10cc's as well. The folks at my doctor's office said they have people with more Fluid in their bands than 10 cc's if necessary. Don't quote me on it but I think they mentioned they had some patients with 13 cc's. I, too, was worried about maxing it out but they said not to worry. So, there are plenty of other things to worry about... I'm not letting this be one of them!

Hey Slack, My doctor said to start walking the day I got home. It was a full 6 weeks before they told me I was OK to use the elliptical. Make sure you use this time to let your body heal. I've actually learned to enjoy walking thanks to the time I spent doing it after my surgery. Congrats and good luck!

I can walk and do the elliptical for many many miles as my body's more used to it. I'm cross-training now and my new challenge is running! I've been doing 5 minute intervals with my lifting and do that 4-5 times throughout the workout. Breaking it up into 5 minutes bursts at a 5.0 pace has been awesome for my weight loss. Now, my next goal is to do a 5k! I just hit the 1 mile mark (continuous running) so I'm on my way! It was only a few weeks ago that I struggled with a quarter mile. No aches or pains... just a little sore in the left hamstring sometimes. Yay for NSV's!!!

OMG! I have to try it! My friends and I are doing a 5K this weekend. The weather will FINALLY be nice so maybe we'll sip a mojito made with your new recipe! Thanks!!

I asked as I was being released the day after surgery when I could enjoy a glass of wine. My nurse told me that Dr. Fielding would never tell me not to enojy my wine... she said the nutritionist would view it differently but that it's ok. I ended up having a glass of wine about 1.5 weeks afterwards when I had a business meeting. I was still on liquids and we were at an Indian restaurant so I ordered a mulligitawny soup and a nice glass of red wine. I didn't care about all the other goodies my colleagues were eating. I was *thrilled* with my wine and soup! Beware... your tolerance will probably go to hell after the surgery. Please, one glass and I really feel it! I'm a cheap date... when it comes to food too! Also, if you do go the wine route, just be mindful of the empty calories that it contains. You're almost always better off going with a glass of wine over a mixed drink... margaritas are particularly bad (as are anything creamy). Mojitos are my favorite but talk about your sugar!!! Anyway, I hope you decide to enjoy your wine! *cheers*

There are a bunch of us out there who've gone with Fielding... he's amazing and I am so thankful I went with him. Good luck on your journey!!!