shonette

I try to stick with foods that work well for me and I enjoy eating. Some of the tiredness could be coming from the low calories in take. You need to make sure you are taking your daily vitamins to help build your energy level up. Sometimes when I forget to take my vits or I am running late and leave them at home my body feels ran down. That's not a good feeling at all. When I work out I feel so much better. Sometimes the hardest part is just making up my mind to work out, but once I do workout I feel so much better. I like to workout first thing in the morning before work or right before I go to bed. page2

I am so sorry you are having such a difficult time starting off with your band. I think having a band is like have a new baby. You have to learn what do and don't work for that new baby just like your band. That new baby is unable to talk and tell you their likes and dislikes, and your band is the same way. You have to learn a lot of things a long the way about having a band. Some are good and some not so good. I don't do very well with eating beef; therefore I am not eating beef at this time. It has a hard time going down and I don't like the feeling when I do eat it beef (hanging up). page1

Thanks for stopping by. Things are going well for me. I am still learnig the ins and outs of having my band. I had my third fill on last Thursday. So far things are going well for me. I am starting to have pretty good restriction. I am not at my sweet spot, but I can handle my hunger a whole lot better. take care.

Hello Sandradee,

I am so happy that you are enjoying your band and being thankful for everything in your life. I think so many times how we all have lost sight of what God has done, and continue to do in all our lives. It is really a blessing to have this tool to make our goals so much easier to accomplish. I really learn each and every day of my life to count all of my blessings because nothing is never too small to consider. You are doing so well keep it up! Hugs to you.

I pray your daughter has a beautiful wedding and every single thing goes as planned. I am so happy for your family during things very exciting time.

Thank God I am to the point that it takes very little food to make me feel full, but it has take me three fills to get to this point. Thank God my doctor is very aggressive with doing my fills. He has a band and he personally knows how a band patient feels. Therefore, he wants us to reach our sweet spot as quick as possible thank God! I pray most if not all of your questions were answered. page4

I try very hard to eliminate sweets from my diet. I eat a lot of sugar free things which don’t taste that bad. I drink mostly water and the instant drink packs that’s sugar free as well. I eat a lot of soup for lunch which most is low in calories. I also drink the special K protein drinks. When I snack its things like nuts, no sugar peanut butter with wheat crackers, soy chips, pork skins w/no salt, apples, strawberries, bananas, sugar free ice cream or popsicles. I really don’t eat a lot of beans bc they do give me excessive gas. To address your last question about filling up, it really takes a lot of discipline not to eat excessively until you really start to experience some real restriction. You may also try a lot of low calorie things to help you fill full. page3

I really don’t experience a lot of gas, but I do burp a lot but that is my way of keeping the air out of my stomach. I think the pain you are experiencing is coming from not taking your time to chew really well so your food can go down much easier (remember to take small bites). When your foods are not chewed up well it causes you to feel pain in your chest area. That unpleasant feeling should pass pretty soon. I try to drink my protein shakes for breakfast and a midday snack. I eat a lot of fish (stream, grilled, and very little to no fried foods), chicken, just any type of lean meats of choice. I eat my veggies and if there is room a small portion of carbs. page2

Reginap,

Thanks for stopping by my page. I want to make sure I address all of your questions and concerns. First of all, congrats on getting your new band. Your band is something you have to learn what works and don’t work for you. Every single person is totally different. We all have the same tool inside our bodies, but it works a little different for each person. From my experiences, your first couple of fills really doesn’t give you as much restriction as you really are hoping for. I have had three fills and this one gives me a lot more restriction than I have ever had before. I can really tell if I don’t take my time to chew my foods really well things appear to get hung up a lot more. That’s not a really pleasant feeling which causes a lot of pressure in my band area. page1

How are you doing? I often read so many of your responses that you provide for so many people on this site. You are such a loving and inspiring person. I do pray everything is working out for you. I am so encouraged by your success.

I am so sorry to hear that you had been going through all of these changes. I pray things will only continue to get better with you. Maybe if you try to eat more fiber that will also help with some of the constipation. I chew maybe three weight management fiber tables daily. It's an OTC and it really helps my body along with lots of water to be regular. I pray you reach your goal.

How are things going with you? I just wanted to check up with you to say Hello.

I went in yesterday and got a third fill. My doctor was very pleased with my progress. My fat mass on 8/19-10 was 151.01/ on 9/09/10 it was 142.6/ and on 9/29/10 it's down to 123.4. I can't believe how much fat am losing. The scale isn't moving so much but my inches are off the chart. Once you are banded don't play as much attention to the numbers on the scale, but some many other factors to losing weight are important. The way your clothes are fitting you and most important is your fat mass. Once you lose the weight you should be building muscles to replace the fat. Always remember, muscles weigh more than fat, but you will still look much smaller due to being leaner! It sounds crazy but its fact. Good luck. I am praying everything works out for you so you can be banded. Keep me posted. Page 2

Thanks so much for the wonderful words of encouragement. It really means so much when someone else can notice my hard efforts. Having a band is not a quick fix but it makes your journey a whole lot easier when losing weight. I have not felt this good in years. It's not a healthy thing when you don't feel good in your own skin. For years I really did not like the person I had allowed myself to become. I just can not stop thanking God daily for giving me this opportunity to have my band. Page 1

I just wanted to check to see how everything was going with you. I pray all is well. I go today for my 3rd fill.

Thank you so much loseit. I just called my doctor's office and you were so correct about my unfill being covered for the first year. Today when I go to get my 3rd fill they are going to correct my bill. Thanks so much for the advice.

I work daily to build up his self esteem so when people say hurtful things he's not so easily offended by what they are saying about him. I also want him to understand the importance of health and what he eats affects him. It's so sad that people are judge according to their clothing size and not the wonderful person they are inside. I love people for who they are and not for what society says they should look like!

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I read a post you wrote back in April about some of your most embarrassing moments as a child. I too have an over weight little boy who comes home telling me about the ugly things kids at school are saying to him and about him. He?s only 5 years old and it?s very sad to see what he is going through. I try very hard to encourage my baby and I never allow him to think of himself as being any less than any other children. I tell my son he is wonderful just the way he is and God loves the beautiful person he is inside and out. page 1

I pray that things work out with your doctor's office as it relates to the extra fees. I think it's very wrong when someone is not up front about financial matters. I am the type of person who plans and prepare for what I've been told to expect. I don't like add on's.