shonette

If there is anything I can do please let me know. I will be praying for you but everything is going to be okay. Trust and have faith in God! That's what I do. Also, the band is only a tool that you will learn to use to aide your weight lost. page 2

That is great that you will have a wonderful Christmas gift (your band)! My pre op diet consisted of no bread outside of nature wheat (no white flour), no white flour or sugars, no corn, potatoes, or foods heavy in cream. I could eat fruits that were low in sugar, lean meats without any skin, and limited fruit juices or half/half. I was encouraged to limit coffee and lots of water. During that period it was suggested not to eat fried foods. The main reason for such a strict diet is to shrink your liver down to do your surgery. It seems a bite hard to do but just look at the bigger picture and what you stand to gain from all of it. page 1

Thanks for the friendship request. How are things going with you. Have you been banded yet?

Stay encouraged and things will work out for you.

P.S.: I have learned that I can eat out, but I try to choice foods that are going to be a better food choice to eat. I normally eat from the appetizer menu because it takes very little to make me fill full. My portion is always the least amount on the entire bill. Yesterday was my wedding anniversary and we ate out twice. The majority of my food was brought home for the kids, but it was more about he quite time I spent with my husband. He is learning what does and do not work for me and that is really great, but it was a learning process for him and me. Honey it will get better.

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We will all make so wrong choices along the way, but we have to take control and listen to our bodies and band. I really don't know if I am at my sweet spot or not, but it takes very little to give me a feeling of being full. I have an appointment tomorrow and I really don't want to give up an opportunity to get a fill. If my food isn't chewed very fine and eaten slowly I feel like everything gets stuck in the center of my chest area. There is an awful pain that lingers for several minutes then it past. I still want my doctor to give me a fill tomorrow. My weight lost is very slow; I really want things to speed up. I do work out about 3 hours a week. I should do more but that is all I can work in at this time. PAGE 1

Love the butterfly.

How are you doing? Thanks so much for the friend request! It's always nice to meet new people who have some of the same experiences and dreams with a new way of life as I do. Have you been band yet or are you going through the process? If there is anything I can do to assist or support you, please feel free to let me know. Let me know how things are going.

I am happy to hear your pain isn't that bad, and hopefully your headache will go away. I never really experienced any headache pains after my surgery. I read several others were having that same problem. Walking really helps the gas pains to pass and the gas x-strips should help as well. I always found a lot of relief when I had something warm to drink. I would experience more gas when I had a lot of cold things to drink. I would warm up some chicken broth and sip on that, and I would feel so much better. I pray you continue to do well. If there is any thing I can do please let me know. Congrats on your band!

I see today is your band date and my prayers are with you. I pray all goes well with you. I will check up on you in a couple of days to see how you are doing. The best of luck!

Thank you so much finallyncontrol for the advice. Thanks God I have gotten that bill taken care of and removed totally from my account. Yes, my family has been informed that I need some personal time for myself. My daughter is very responsible with the baby, and I really butt in a whole lot more than what I should. I do notice that I take over and she allows me too without a fight (smile). I recently pulled my mini stepper from under my bed and placed it in my bathroom. I have made my half of the bathroom my workout area. I have 5pound weights, resistance bands, and my mini stepper to use whenever I wish to workout. I really work out a lot more (5-6 x per week) since I have those things within arms reach.

Mbwalker, Girl you look amazing and you should be so very proud of yourself. I too have a very hard time with positive comments from people who share about my weight lost. I decided it's much better to hear positive remarks than negative. When it comes to losing weight every effort made is a big deal. Please stop being so hard on yourself, and trust that those people around you are sharing their honest opinion! Just yesterday at church, I had several people who commented about how much weight I had lost and I looked good! Instantly, I wanted to say, “It’s really not that much weight that I lost, but instead I said thanks and just smiled”. I honestly think you look soooooooo amazing, and I wish you continual success! Please keep posting your up dated pics.

How are you doing Marw? Things have been very well with me. I am trying to workout as much as possible and eat most of the right foods. I really have good restriction since my last fill a week ago. I have another appointment at the end of the month. I really don't know if I should get another fill right now. My doctor is very aggressive with giving his patients fills. I really do appreciate his attitude to giving his patients fills. Thanks again for checking up on me. How is your weight lost going. I am really losing more inches than anything at this point. Again thanks for checking in.

How are you doing? When did you get your band? Thanks for the friendship request.

Getting married is always a beautiful but stressful time all into one. I know you will be a beautiful bride so please enjoy your time becoming a new bride.

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Oct 26th will me my 8th year wedding anniversary. My family has experienced a lot throughout those years,

but I thank God we all have shared another year together. I know life is crazy, but God puts no more on any one of us than we can bear.

I can really start to see a difference in my clothes. I Know I have a long way to go, but I am learning daily to thank God for every little change in my body. I pray your business goes well and everything falls in place the way you desire it to be. Just pray and ask God for guidance and direction with your business, and he will. I too have some things I desire to do, but something is always causing me to delay my plans. I just need to focus and get my business in order. page3

You should not use your scale as your measuring tool. Personally, I target a clothing item that was too tight and I try it on to measure my success. I today I have on a suit I purchase 2 years ago that was too small. Now that suit fits me perfectly. I am so proud of myself that I can finally wear that suit. For me having the band is about small accomplishments one day at a time. I have a stepper that I use at night and in the morning before work. I really need to tone my thigh area and butt. I try to do 1000 steps per section.page2

mbwalker,

I am so sorry you are having such a stressful time with all of the things you have going on around you right now. You need to take a deep breath and calm your nerves. I honestly think you are being too hard on yourself. Most of us are our biggest critics and it's hard for us to believe that other people can have positive things to say to us. You have to remember that your mind still sees that fat girl, and other people around you can see that new person. I look at myself very closely in the mirror and I honestly can not see that much of a difference, but my clothes say something different. page1

How are you doing? Thanks for checking up on me. My third fill went very well! I was very careful not to eat the wrong things due too my bad experience during my 2nd fill. I actually have a lot of restriction and it takes very little to satisfy me. I do thank God for that. I have an appointment in 2wks for my 4th fill, but I really don't know if I should get another fill or maybe just a little. I hope you will soon reach a point where your restriction kicks in. It feels so good not to feel hungry all of the time. I really believe am burning more fat and losing inches instead of pounds. That may sound crazy but it’s true! My clothes are all too big but the scale is moving very slowly. Good luck!

Those are the best times for me. Always remember anything extra you do of a physical nature is better than doing nothing at all. I even try to walk around my office build more for a little more exercise throughout the day. Again, thanks so much for the nice works of encouragement. P.S.: post your pictures because others always see you differently than you see yourself. I am learning to take the positive comments people say to me daily, because I really don’t see that much results. However, I have learned to say thanks and keep it moving. (smile)!page3