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Welcome to LBT Jen! You've made it past the first step...you decided to take control of your life. This can be the hardest part sometimes! This site is a great resource for information and support. Be sure to ask lots of questions and read everything. Good luck on your journey!!

Shelly you are so great! Definitely an inspiration for me to get my butt into the gym.

Be careful with the "slim fast" type drinks...they tend to have a lot of sugar and usually only about 10 grams of protein. But like marjon9 said, I guess you could add protein powder to it. I use Body Fortress (you can get it at Target or Walmart) and it has 23 g of protein for 110 calories and only 1 gram of sugar. I mix it up with milk and that adds 9 more grams of protein and about 60 calories. I also have an unflavored one called Any Whey that I add to stuff like pudding and you can't even tell it's there. Hope that helps!

It figures that I am the only one who has the obvious stretch marks. Ha ha! They aren't really bigger, just more noticeable. Yay Shirley...you got your ticker to work and you've lost 142 pounds in just over a year!! So I weighed in this morning for our challenge and I'm down 1.4 pounds. I feel like I'm losing SO slowly, but at least I haven't really gained over the holidays...I certainly couldn't say that last year! I have a feeling that this week will be great for me, I really need to get back on track. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!

Hi everyone...I know it has been forever since I posted here. The holidays have been crazy! I definitely haven't been very disciplined about eating and exercising. I will be working more on that starting tomorrow. 2007 is going to be a great year for us! So one of my goals for 2007 is to date more. Scary!! But I find it very difficult to meet new people here so I've decided to resort to online dating...again. However, this time I'm doing eharmony and chemistry (it's basically like eharmony, except it's done by the match.com people). I figured I should try something new since the tradtitional online thing has never worked for me. I always get weird people who never quite match up with what I want. So wish me luck because I'm terrified!!

Awesome!!! You are such an exemplary October bandster. Keep up the good work! I need to follow your lead and exercise more...

Welcome to LBT! This site is great resource for information and support. Good luck with your surgery on Tuesday. Keep us updated on your progess!!

Welcome Tammy! This site is a great resource for information and support, you will learn a lot. Good luck on your journey and keep us updated on your progress!

Welcom to LBT Jason and thanks for sharing your story! This site is such a great resource for information and support. Good luck on your journey, I know you will do well!

Hi everyone...it's been awhile since I've posted anything, this week has been crazy! So I've noticed a new thing this week: my stretch marks are becomming more visible! Ugh! Anyone else having this problem??

That is so awesome Kristen!! Keep up the good work.

Hi everyone! I haven't checked in here for awhile....the holidays have me busy! I'm doing pretty well, but eating a bit too much of the bad stuff lately. I've had 2 fills so far in my 4 cc band. The first one was 1.2 cc and the second was .3cc. I still don't have the right amount of restriction and I've been losing fairly slowly so I'll probably get a little bit more fill on January 4. You're all doing great!!

That is a great accomplishment Turner! Way to go!

I also need to exercise more! I go to the gym every once and awhile, but I need to go more often. I got a yoga and pilates DVD for Christmas too so now I have no excuse!! Maybe in addition to our Valentine's challenge we could try to do 12 exercise sessions in January (3 times/week). Oh and I didn't quite make the Christmas challenge....I lost 7.5 pounds. I will definitely try my hardest to make the next challenge.

Hi Tara! Welcome to LBT...this is a great site for info and support. Be sure to ask lots of questions and read everything. And congrats on your upcoming baby!!

Welcome to LBT! This is a great site for info and support. Good luck on your journey!

I wil certainly try for 15 by February 14th!!

Merry Christmas everyone (almost)!! I weighed myself this morning and I was 198.4 so I didn't quite make my Chirstmas challenge. But I'm feeling pretty good considering all of the cookies and treats I've been eating. After Christmas I'm going to have to seriously kick my ass into gear. Maybe we should think about another challenge...Valentine's Day?

My doc says absolutely no carbonation, so I'm scared to try it. I know that some bandsters do fine with it though. It's totally a personal thing.

I started drinking again about 1 month after surgery. Mostly wine and I have tried a martini with no problem. I think as long as it's in moderation you're ok. Just stay away from the carbonation...which makes me sad because I used to be a beer drinker.

Christine congrats on being so close to your Christmas challenge. This morning I was 197.4...which is 2.6 away from my Christmas goal. I'm not sure I'll make it to 195 by Monday. We'll see...

Welcome Monica! This site is a great resource for information and support. As for portion size on thick liquids...I didn't eat a specific amount on liquids, just ate until i was full. But realizing when you're "full" is a learning process...and I'm still learning! Good luck on your journey.

Hi everyone! Just checking in with my November friends. I had my 2nd fill on Wednesday and it seems to be fine. My first fill was 1.2 cc and the 2nd was .3 cc. The fills are easy and virtually painless. I didn't have very much restriction with my first fill...I could basically eat everything. I've never had a PB or even a stuck feeling. And that makes me kind of nervous because I don't know what to expect. I'm just starting to eat solid food today so we'll see how it goes. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Denise I think that is really common to be able to eat a lot until you reach your sweet spot. I just had my 2nd fill on Wed and before that I could eat ANYTHING! I've never had a PB or even a stuck feeling. That makes me a little nervous because I'm not quite sure what to expect. I was stuck at 203.6 for 3 weeks!! Then after my first fill I was down to 199, then this week back up to 201 and this morning it was 197. Ugh!! I know it can be frustrating. Have you taken measurements of your body yet? Your body is still changing, even though the scale is stuck at the same number. Especially if you're working out 5-6 times a day, you're probably building muscle. I also keep track of everything I'm eating on sparkpeople.com so I can see where my calories are coming from. Good luck!!

Welcome to LBT! This site is a great resource for information and support. Good luck on your journey and keep us updated.