Dani-X

Size 18 for me! And yes, it was one of the little joys when I realized I could do it. I also notice that when I'm sitting on the bus to go to work, I can keep my arms at my sides... they no longer have to rest on what was my big belly! Now it's a smaller belly and you can even see that my boobs stick out farther than my stomach :welldone:

I had to post my FAVORITE chili recipe! I always use ground turkey or chicken and it's amazing! INGREDIENTS 1 pound ground beef/chicken/turkey 1 medium onion, chopped 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato Soup (Campbell's) 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 5 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto Beans, drained (optional) cayenne pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Crumble the ground beef into a soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Drain off most of the grease. Add onion, red pepper flakes, and half of the cumin; cook and stir until onion is tender. Pour in the tomato soup, chicken broth, and crushed tomatoes. Season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Pour in the beans, and season with remaining cumin and cayenne pepper; simmer for another 30 minutes. Now enjoy.

Connie, If it's decaf tea, I would definitely say it counts! I'm a huge tea fan and always wondered if it counted towards my water consumption when I was on Weight Watchers. They said it did but that I should count each glass as 3/4's of a serving of water because the caffeine acts as a diuretic. I hope this helps!

OK... I have to tell you it's been a great day. Today was my first day back at the gym since my surgery. I've been walking but I haven't worked out like I should have been when I was cleared nearly 4 weeks ago. Anyway, I got there today... So, I did 35 minutes on the elliptical not wanting to push it since it's my first time at the gym in 4 months. I felt great! I couldn't believe my heart rate wasn't skyrocketing like it used to. And during my cool down, my heart rate came down so much quicker than it used to. I also didn't look like a beet about to give birth :eek: After my workout I went to the stretch station and went to grab my heel behind me so I could stretch my quad. WELL, I was able to grab my toe and didn't have to deal with all the silly maneuvering of grabbing my heel or ankle for the quad stretch like I used to do when my legs were bigger. I was so happy I wanted to cry but instead I just gave a huge smile to myself. I love my band and I love ME!

Fergalicious - Fergie Galaxy Bounce - Chemical Brothers Stand Up - Ludacris Bloos is Pumpin - Voodoo & Serrano Lose Control - Missy Elliott Going Out of My Head - Fatboy Slim Right Here, Right Now - Fatboy Slim And pretty much most techno/trance... I've got a TON of it!

Hey Benbax, I used Dr. Fielding and he's AMAZING! I couldn't feel any better about my decision to have the surgery, and to have done it with him. Feel free to email me if you have any questions at all. Good luck!!!!

Oh yeah, I LOVED my creamed spinach Still do but it slides through too quickly so I try and stay away if possible.

Oh, I'm sure we've all had our little piggy moments. I'm thrilled that the holidays are over so I can get away from constantly being surrounded by food - and good but bad for you food. I'm really happy with how I came through it... I weigh myself on Mondays and I had gained 1.5 pounds after my vacation. Grrr - I just ate super low carb and high Protein, drank lots of Water and I lost the weight in two days. AND, I got back on track and am not craving the crap that comes with eating the crap! This band was a gift and I just remember that... it's ok to mess up once in a while - we're human. But recognize it and move on. There are size 10 jeans waiting for us!

Sure, sometimes I take sliced turkey or ham and put some low fat cheese in it and roll it up like a cigar. It's low fat and high in Protein. I also do yogurt and when I need to do carbs or get some crunch, I'll have a handful of Kashi Go Lean Crunch if I want sweet, or a handful of Goldfish if I want salty. sugar-free Jello is always in my fridge too

Hey Maro, Your class sounds like FUN! Rock on! A great snack that lasts me for several hours is a half piece of whole wheat toast or a few slices of apple with fresh almond butter. If you have a Whole Foods near you they grind it up right there and there are no added sugars. It's a stick to your ribs kind of food! I'm not diabetic but I've been trying to stick to foods with a low glycemic index. I've found it really helps with the cravings for crap foods and it keeps my energy up too.

Ah mushies.... I ate: * refried Beans with taco sauce and a sprinkle of cheese * tuna - fork mashed with lemon juice or vinegar * egg beaters with finely shredded turkey or ham for extra Protein * Soups from Panera. I was only able to eat about 1/3 of the cup and they have the BEST flavor

Hi there, I went to visit some family in Ireland over Martin Luther King weekend in January, 2003. The weather was AMAZING! It was in the mid- to high fifties and even climbed into the 60's a few days. I imagine it would be even warmer in February. Also, I was on the northern coast and only stayed 2 days in Dublin. Here's a link to the Monthly Temp and Precipitation Averages: http://tinyurl.com/y623h7 Have fun!

Ann, I know it's not a pretty subject but my doctor also recommended an enema (up to 4 of them in a day). I used the Fleet Mineral Oil enema. Also, I ended up taking mineral oil orally and it definitely helped as it lubes you from the inside. Gross but that's why I can't stress enough Water to the newly banded! It sucks - I know...

YEP!!!! Manolos here you come!

Jason, You definitely came to the right place. Congratulations on your decision to go with the Lap Band. It's not a easy decision and it's not right for everybody... but, it has the power to HELP you change your life. Just remember that it's YOU doing the changing. The band is just a tool that will help you in your journey - a tool that most of us here cannot live without. It will help you make the right decisions with what foods to eat but it won't help you exercise. It will help make you feel good about yourself... but it's you doing the work and don't forget that. With every pound you lose don't forget how far along you're coming. Smile and know that the 240 lb blissful days aren't so far away. Happy New Year!

I've always enjoyed a good salad but now I LOVE them. There's so much going on with the different flavors and textures that it's a party in your mouth! One of my favorite dinners is a chicken chopped salad. I do lettuce, tomato, chicken, avocado, cucumber, onion, and a wee bit of blue cheese. Chop it up really well and toss it in a bowl with a homemade dijon vinaigrette and it's such a treat. Because the chicken is chopped up so fine, it's never been a problem. Speaking of problems, the only thing that's gotten me stuck was a piece of steamed cauliflower that I had a on Christmas Eve... salads are A Ok!

I had my surgery on a Monday and I had my first BM on Friday... it was my darkest day! I've met some pre-Banders while waiting for my fill at the dr's office and one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give them is DRINK DRINK DRINK your Water after the surgery. Prune juice, apple cider (it was in season for me), will help immensly and I was told I could also take a stool softener. Good luck... I've never had a problem since that day but I still shudder thinking about it.

Hi Hedwig, I buy mine at my local Vitamin Shoppe. Before I realized that carried them I was purchasing them at www.nutricraze.com They are kind of thick and syrupy sweet so I just dump a vial in my Water glass/bottle and take it that way.

Sweetheart, enjoy those shoes while they fit because they won't for long! Yes, even your feet will most likely shrink. I've gone from a 9/9.5 to a solid 8.5 - and I'm only 2 months post-op! It's great to buy things on sale but it's also a great feeling buying something in a misses size at full price BECAUSE IT FITS!!!! I can notice the difference when I wear heels too! Congratulations on your decision and good luck!

Steph, DON'T go for the chocolate. The purpose of the liquid diet pre-op is to shrink the fatty liver to make it easier for the surgeons to operate. Stick with the liquids and you'll be glad you did. It also makes the liquids AFTER surgery easier to handle if you stick with it beforehand. My doc recommended 2 weeks of liquids and I could have 2 cups of raw or cooked veggies a day (no potatoes, corn, peas, etc). It was only tough for one day (Day 5) and that was it. I did the SlimFast Optima shakes and I lost 23 pounds in those 2 weeks before the surgery. Good luck!!!

I have the larger VG band and I love it. I went to a holiday party gor the NYU LapBand patients and some of the nurses were telling me they wished they had the larger bands. They feel they it's more forgiving when it comes to certain foods like vegetables and salads. Who knows! I love my band and am having great success with it. Although, I'm THRILLED that the holidays are over.

Dr. Fielding did my surgery at NYU but Dr. Ren did one of my fills. They are some of the most knowledgeable people around. I am SO glad I chose to have my surgery at NYU.

Hi Cal, I was banded in late-October and have had apples with the skin on. I just make sure to chew well. Even though I've had two fills, I'm still not at my "sweet spot" so that may be a reason. I'd go ahead and try a bite... this way you'll know for sure. Good luck!

Hi there, I have the VG band and am currently filled at 7cc's. Surgery: 10/23 3 cc's 1st Fill: 12/10 +3 cc's = 6 total 2nd Fill: 12/20 +1 cc = 7 total Because of the larger band, my doctor had put 3 cc's in at the time of surgery. I was REALLY looking forward to my first fill because I could eat anything I wanted. They put another 3 cc's in and I felt some minor restriction for a few days but not as much as I wanted. I was going to wait until after Christmas to get a second fill but I figured it was in my best interest to get one beforehand as I'm still pretty open. So, they put a small 1 cc fill in this week and I'm now at 7 in total. I can definitely notice a difference in what I can eat but if this loosens up again, I'm going in for another ASAP. I'm going to milk this band for all it's got! Based on reading this board over the past 6 months, I always thought I didn't want the large VG band. People say their doctor gave them the small band because they weren't that big... so you can imagine how HUGE I felt when I found out I had the big band (and disappointed). BUT, now I love my band! After talking with some of my doc's staff at the holiday party last week, they were saying how they wish they had had the larger band. They said it seems more forgiving with different textures than the small one. They can't do broccoli or salad and yet, the majority of their VG bandsters have no problem.

I think it's great that you're worried as there are risks and complications with any surgery and you'd be foolish not to consider these when making your decision. But, consider this - when a person has a good experience, they tell about 3-4 people on average. If that experience was a bad one, they tell 9-11! And not only that, this is also a place of support. One where you expect to see the ups and downs as it's the nature of the beast. There are a lot of us on this board who are pretty quiet about our bands because everything went well. No matter what you ultimately decide, know your doing the right thing by being informed. We'll help you with anything else along the way