libra

Bug, don't be nervous about your fill. It actually feels good to know what restriction feels like. And to finally start losing weight again.

Name...............Christmas…...To Go A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza.....................299..............XX BPM..................230...............XX candy444..........299................23 Elisabeth...........275................22 Ericsmom.........250.................XX Indianlight........280.................22 Josette...............340................31 JulieNYC..........235................29 LapBandit.........250.................28 Libra.................270................22 Mariguita..........290................XX NatesMommy...275................XX Waterlily1072...275................24 __________________

Kristina, that's awesome!! congrats!!!!

Josette, Your pictures are adorable. I've been pb-ing all over the place today. For some reason the band feels extremely tight today. Ick!!!

Pebbles, I'm so sorry sweetie. You've had such a rough time as of late. But I'll tell you something...you're an incredibly strong woman and I know you have the respect and support of all of us at the ABC. Hang in there, it will get better. Well, my second fill seems to have done it. I now know what restriction feels like. Oddly, my fill was last Friday yet today I felt really tight. I even had a hard time drinking water. Two days ago I had restriction but not like this. My hubby took me out to dinner tonight for my birthday and I had broiled scallops. Figured that would be okay. I had a couple bites of onion soup and one scallop and had to run to the bathroom to PB. After we left, we picked up my son at my mom's and Hubby had to stop the car so I could PB on the side of the road. And once more when I got home. HELLO!! 3 spoons of soup and 1 scallop!!! I don't think I'm too filled as this is the first day I felt like this. I'll have to see what happens over the next few days. To those of you struggling with weight loss and even gains, remember that once you have some restriction in your band, you'll see a difference. Cheers!! ABC!!

Wow! It seems a lot of us have some "dress up" occasions coming up!! We definitely need pictures from everyone! BTW, that dress comes in sizes up to a 28, I'm hoping to be at around a 20 by then. I've upped my exercise to five days a week from three!! I'm motivated!!! Faybie, I can totally relate to your scale addiction. I keep saying I'm only gonna weigh myself twice a week, but I get on it nearly every morning!! LOL!! Step away from the scale....

Seafood seems to be one of the easiest proteins for me. I love crab cakes, or shrimp, scallop and crab cakes. Flounder and salmon are good as well. Chicken breast is a bit of a problem since my second fill. Rice, pasta and bread are completely out of the picture, which is probably for the best.

Here you go Candy!!! Name...............Christmas…...To Go A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza.....................299..............XX BPM..................230...............XX candy444..........299................23 Elisabeth...........275................22 Ericsmom.........250.................XX Indianlight........280.................22 Josette...............340................XX JulieNYC..........235................32 LapBandit.........250.................28 Libra.................270................23.8 Mariguita..........290................XX NatesMommy...275................XX Waterlily1072...275................24

Thanks for the support guys!! I just saw that dress and totally panicked!!! I'm sure I can get to a reasonable weight by June. I may not be at my ideal weight but I'm sure I'll be feeling pretty good about myself by then. You know, It's been so long since I wore something that I felt good in, that I just can't imagine it happening. Stay postitive, stay positive, stay positive.

HELP!!! My soon-to-be sister in law just e-mailed me a pic of the bridesmaid dress I'll be wearing in June!!! I'm a total panic now. Look at it!! It's not a dress for chubby chicks!! How's this for pressure?? And to top it all off, I'm a DD. My boobs are gonna look HUGE in that!! Please tell me I'm gonna lose enough weight to be able to pull of that dress in public!! I'm mortified!!! http://billlevkoff.com/collections/index.asp?dress=841

Best of luck to you Mark. Deciding to get the band is a personal decision. I wish I had the opportunity to do something like this when I had less weight to lose instead of getting to the "critical" point. I'm sure, even with the adjustments and frusterations you may have, you'll be happy with your results and the fact that you now have this tool to help you keep the weight off permanently.

Josette, don't worry. You'll bounce back. I'm trying to concentrate on Protein for my meals which is not easy for a carb addict. Okay, so I'm not the biggest fan of chili, but I made some awesome turkey chili last night. And it was really easy too. My hubby ate it with cornbread ( I was so jealous!!!) But I topped it with shredded fat free cheddar and monterey jack and a dollop of fat free sour cream. Take 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey and 1 chopped onion and brown in pan with about a teaspoon oil. Drain the excess fat and put in a large crock pot. Add two large cans (32 oz maybe?) of chopped tomatoes, 1 ~ 16 oz can of tomato sauce, 2 ~ 16 oz cans of red kidney Beans, 1 ~ 16 oz can of black beans, 1 ~ 16 oz can of pinto beans, 1 ~16 oz can of butter beans and two packets of chili seasoning, like Lawry's or similar brand. Stir the ingredients and put the lid on the crock pot and either set it to low for 7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. That's it!! It made enough for me to freeze several containers of it.

As a mom who just spent 3 hours with 20 three year olds at Chucky Cheese's... I concur!!!:grouphug:

I just had my second fill. Prior to that, I could eat anything. Now I have parted ways with bread, pasta and rice so far. Not easy for a carb addict but worth it in the long haul!!!

My band is fairly new and it was suggested that I track my intake at fitday.com as some were suggesting I wasn't getting enough calories. I was getting 500 to 600 and my weight loss stalled. Fit day is great because you can also track your protein and carb intake, track you activities and compare them with what you've eaten. Lets face it, if I had good eating habits, I woundn't have needed the band in the first place. I figure, I never learned to eat healthy in my 34 years and if counting calories and reading labels will teach me, then Im up for it. But I don't think its about calories alone, that's just part of the equation. What your're eating is as important as how much you're eating.

Awww Pebbles, my thoughts are with your family as well. Not an easy time, I know. As for the weight loss, we should all be proud of our successes. I think we're all doing a great job!!! And when you look at totals on people's posts, try and remember that some of us were on pre-op diets and some were not. And other factors such as age, level of activity, and medical issues, all contribute to how fast or slow a person will lose. I'm very proud of the girls here that lost an exceptional amount of weight. But I'm also proud of myself for my weightloss. Pre band, this would have taken me 6 months.

It's not actually "throwing up" just so you know. What ends up coming out is some mucous and whatever food was stuck in the stoma. It's hard to explain but it's definitely different.

Ugh, If one more person says the band is the "easy way out" I'm gonna vomit. (oh wait, I have a band, I mean PB!!) This is not easy by any means. The choice to have LapBand surgery is so we don't have to deal with the yo-yo crap anymore!!! I don't ever want to have "fat clothes" again!!! I can't understand how "friends" can make such comments.:phanvan

Awww, bug. They're a bunch of @%&*%$ jerks!! Let's see what they have to say when you reach your goal and they're still yoyo dieting!!!

You looks fabulous!! Congrats on you Bandiversary!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I've learned to actually pay attention to what and how much I am eating. I sometimes catch myself going into the fridge to pick on leftovers. I never even realized I did that. I also learned...and this is a big one...not to be ashamed of having the lapband. It doesn't make me a failure because I couldn't lose the weight on my own. It makes me stronger because I took the necessary steps for success. And another biggie...It's okay to accept support. This board is great for information, but it's even better for the support you get from others who are going through the same struggles.

Sounds like you need another fill. I doubt you stretched your pouch!!

Great Job!!! What an inspiration!!!

It's not bad. Pretty painless. Although the fluoro tastes like crap!! LOL!! It's a more precise way to get a fill.

Pebbles, That sounds yummy. I've been really missing my pasta. I'll definitely try this, thanks for the recipe!!! GE Mom, 23 pounds is nothing to sneeze at. I'm at 24 and am happy with my weight loss so far. (although I still have the delusion that I'll just wake up at my goal weight:p ) Although there are a few of you with tremendous losses. What kind of exercise are you doing? And I agree, please fill us in on what you eat in an average day. Maybe there are some changes the rest of us can make to optimize our weight loss as well.