Kaydotrn

I am also in favor of the Braintree mall area. It is easily accessible off the highway and parking is not the problem it would be in Boston. With the exception of this coming Saturday, I am open. I am still open to going elsewhere-just wanted to throw in my 2 cents for what they're worth! Looking forward to it!

Oh boy can I relate to that! That was how I felt at the 5 Christmas events I attended. It was a bit depressing! It was, however, worth it! The weight is coming off. I attended my WW meeting today and I weighed in at -4.4lbs. I actually purposely wore my heavier jeans because I am afraid they are going to kick me out of the meetings for losing more than the 1-2lbs a week. I am keeping my membership because I know after I can eat food again I will need the accountability that I am getting with the weigh ins right now. Plus, I still like the motivation of healthy food choices that I am getting fromthe fantastic meeting leader. I still do feel like a fraud since no one knows I am banded. But then I think, whatever, I am doing this for me and my health and not required to share my health history with everyone I come into contact with. (I need to rationalize this somehow). BKwall-good luck at the gym. I am back tomorrow when the kids go back to school. I was going 6 days a week before surgery and Ihave not been back once since. I cannot wait!!! I am going to take it slow though. I am going to just do 30 minutes or so on the elliptical as opposed to the hour I was getting before. I am afraid to overdo it. donS and wife-welcome. I think as the spouse, it is great that you are here to support your husband and his journey. Don, please join in and post-we would love to hear from you. Beversman-you lush! Just kidding girl. I had a few sips of Baileys on Christmas and it made me loopy. What is the rule on alcohol? I don't normally drink so I don't think I paid attn to that part of the lecture. It is hard when you are young and in that mindset so I give you credit for acknowledging your mistake. I stopped drinking after having the kids so it is not a big issue for me anymore. But I do remember those partying days(they were a lot of fun!!!!). Bandiva-as far as goals for January, I would like to lose another 10 pounds-that being said, I am trying not to set weight goals since I always find they set me up for disappointment. I am going to set fitness goals and meeting my healthy requirements. I want to log 16 hours of cardio this month. When I am back to eating normal food, I will assess other healthy goals. I would love to find an exercise challenge thread to do since accountability does wonders for me! Welcome to the new & hugs to all the December bandsters.

I am also guilty of this odd behavior. I know it is considered a bulimic behavior. I don't plan for it to become a habit, as I have done it twice during this post op liquids for a month phase which I find TERRIBLE! I had a piece of pizza the other night that I chewed for the flavor and spit out. Yes, it is gross, but I really enjoyed the flavor without fearing that I was going to have a complication with my pouch. In the future, when I can eat, I will be happy with my little bit that I can have and move on. BTW, I don't find it easy to spit it out, as part of the joy in eating is the swallowing part. Just my opinion.

Thanks everyone, I must say, the wheat thin habit is a tough one to break. When I have them, it is about 6 at a time and at most I have them once a day. I eat them slowly and mush them to nothing. (can you see me rationalizing???). In the past, I too would have polished off the whole box in a day or two. 6 crackers is even less than the serving size! (serving size is 16). Anyway, I am relieved to hear that some surgeons allow this and there have not been any complications. I know I should still be only listening to my surgeon-but I am dying here!!!! This little bit of rebellion is keeping me on the straight path for the rest of my diet. haha. I just cannot wait for true mushies....I fantasize about the things I am going to put in my food processor! :rolleyes My poor family has not had a real cooked meal in a while.

Happy New Year Everyone! Congrats on the great news Nana...I will be in the office on the 11th formypost op visit. too bad it was not on the same day. Best wishes and keep us posted.

I am in Boston. I would be willingto drive up to an hour. I prefer nights or weekends (would love weekends). Wed and Thurs eves are no good as I am in school..actually, no evenings until after Jan. 11th because I am taking another class. (ugh). Would anyone do a Saturday or Sunday afternoon?

Do you put anything on the wounds while they are still healing? My port incision is still a little red and I am not sure if I am supposed to "clean" it or leave it alone. I have used a little rubbing alcohol to get the adhesive and yucky crap stuck to it off but I am not sure what else to do. Any hints or do I call my MD? It is not looking infected so I don't think it warrants a call to the office.

Happy New Year to you as well. This is going tobe a fantastic year! Best wishes for health and prosperity to all!

Help! I need to stop eating wheat thins. I am probably eating about 6 per day on my "liquid" phase. WTF! I made the mistake of having some at a Christmas party this Friday. I think I had two, broke each little wheat thin into 4 pieces, chewed it to liquid and swallowed. All has gone down fine. I am telling myself that plenty of people are eating mushies at 2 weeks out and these few crackers are not going to stretch out my pouch or make my band slip. Do I need to throw the box away? I just love to eat those few little crackers. They make me get through this otherwise horrendous liquid phase I am inuntil January 11th. UGH!!!!!!!!! Thanks for listening to my desktop confession.

Okay, I am relieved I am not alone (sorry-don't wish the pain on you, but nice to feel that I am with someone in this). Does it feel like a stitch pulling or something? I have had the pain a couple of timesand it is not as intense now. It even has a burning sensation to it. I don't like it because it makes me nervous. It is about an inch below my port incision. I don't see my surgeon until January 11th. My surgery was the 18th. It seems that the 11th is a long time from my surgery date for a post op visit. hmph. I know it will be here soon.

Congrats! I am so excited for you! Keep up the great work!

Quick mention, I was at WW onthe day after Christmas and down another 3 pounds. I hit my 10% and got my keychain too. Small milestones! Another 10 or so pounds and I will be lower than I have been in about 10 years!!!! Happy New Year to me! I cannot believe I am starting this year without the dread of another "diet" looming ahead. I don't have that major "last supper" mentality that I would normally have now in preparation for the diet that would inevitably start tomorrow (and fail by Tuesday). This is going to be an amazing year. This year I will become the healthiest I have been in a long time AND I will finish school. What could be better? I am very excited at my prospects this year. Sadly, I am couch bound this eventful night. I could not handle another get together and another food event that I would have to suffer through. I have had 5 of them in the past week and I havehad enough!!! I will say, I have done very well. Christmas Eve, I didn't eat a thing, Christmas day I had about a half cup of very runny mashed potatoes, Friday I had 2 crackers and my soup at my aunt's house saying I had a sore throat (again-I am sick of that lie!), then yesterday at Dad's. I had about 6 wheat thins over the course of the day with some cheese spread and totally skipped the dinner. It was tough especially since I have to be sneaky. I made up a plate and fed it to my husband like scraps to a dogand no one noticed. Hubby has no problem eating 2 meals anyway. haha. Today was a liquid day because I am feeling guilty for having the crackers. I have no problem at all eating them, since I chew them to nothing before swallowing, but I technically am not supposed to be eating them. I took my scar pic today. Since then I showered and my last bandage came off. I will take another pic later. I think the scars will heal well. The big incision looks a little pink and scary but otherwise I look like I have scratches. I am pleased. Off to ring in the new year with DH!

Quick mention, I was at WW onthe day after Christmas and down another 3 pounds. I hit my 10% and got my keychain too. Small milestones! Another 10 or so pounds and I will be lower than I have been in about 10 years!!!! Happy New Year to me! I cannot believe I am starting this year without the dread of another "diet" looming ahead. I don't have that major "last supper" mentality that I would normally have now in preparation for the diet that would inevitably start tomorrow (and fail by Tuesday). This is going to be an amazing year. This year I will become the healthiest I have been in a long time AND I will finish school. What could be better? I am very excited at my prospects this year. Sadly, I am couch bound this eventful night. I could not handle another get together and another food event that I would have to suffer through. I have had 5 of them in the past week and I havehad enough!!! I will say, I have done very well. Christmas Eve, I didn't eat a thing, Christmas day I had about a half cup of very runny mashed potatoes, Friday I had 2 crackers and my soup at my aunt's house saying I had a sore throat (again-I am sick of that lie!), then yesterday at Dad's. I had about 6 wheat thins over the course of the day with some cheese spread and totally skipped the dinner. It was tough especially since I have to be sneaky. I made up a plate and fed it to my husband like scraps to a dogand no one noticed. Hubby has no problem eating 2 meals anyway. haha. Today was a liquid day because I am feeling guilty for having the crackers. I have no problem at all eating them, since I chew them to nothing before swallowing, but I technically am not supposed to be eating them. I took my scar pic today. Since then I showered and my last bandage came off. I will take another pic later. I think the scars will heal well. The big incision looks a little pink and scary but otherwise I look like I have scratches. I am pleased. Off to ring in the new year with DH!

:woot: :party: Happy New Year!!!! Best wishes for a healthy New Year! I know this year brings great things for us all!!! Love you all! Thanks for being such a great support network.

Congrats on your banding. Do the best you can those first days out of surgery but don't expect to get a lot in. I had no appetite until this past week. I was amazed that I could only fit in a half pudding in a sitting. Unfortunately, I can now eat the whole thing, but I know that is the right thing. Just make sure in between your food, you are sipping water to stay hydrated. Your swelling will go down in a few days and you will be able to eat more protein. I never had the hiccups but I have seen others talk about them. Just makesure you take things slowly, little sips, and you should be fine. Best wishes!

Welcome and congrats on your decision. I actually chose not to tell any of my friends because I knew they would have the same opinion. I can tell you, this is not easy. It is a tool but I will still have to work at making correct choices with my food and exercising every day. Not to mention, as I have said in other posts, if there were an "easy way out", I would be the first in line...where is the medal for taking the "hard" way to get your health in check. Please!!!!

I have been using Designer Whey for a few weeks. It is okay. I don't love it but I bought 4 cans so I am suffering through it. The unflavored I add to my cream of wheat. I tried some samples of SmartForme (hot cocoa and a add in to water that was Wildberry flavored). They were really good but expensive! I placed an order today since they are having a sale until 01/03. Not cheap but at this point I will spend the money if it means it will taste good!

My bandages have come off except for the incision site. I still have a lot of adhesive that needs to be rubbed off. I am off tobuy some Mederma today. Has anyone had luck with that? 2 weeks post op as of tomorrow.

Hello Bandfriends! Happy New Year! Does anyone have plans tonight? I am not doing anything. Kind of a bummer but I cannot do another party. I am so tired of the food situation. I had Christmas with my Dad yesterday and there was soooo much food. He bought a 100 dollar beef tenderloin that looked to die for. I know, I know--it is not worth it and my scale moving down is somuch better than beef, but itis depressing nonetheless. As it was, I had to be sneaky so that it would not beobvious that I was not eating..since they do not know. Hubby was great, I made aplate of things I knew he would eat and then he ate off my plate. How silly to have to be sneaky like that. Anywho-welcome back from surgery to BlackButterfly and Stace. Hang in there, these first few days can be tough but they go by quickly. NN32-hope you are feeling better soon. We were all sick last week and hubby is still sick. 'tis the season, huh? Take care and have some soup! Steph-laughing my butt off about the high jeans. I know what you mean, but I swear, once you get used to the lower jeans (not super low, just mid-low rise) you will not miss the up over the belly jeans. I don't know how the girls do those super low jeans but I do like them buttoned under my belly button. It does stink though if your shirt isn't long enough and every time you sit down people can see your undies. I have to run--phone call. Have a great New Year everyone.

(((((((NATHALIE)))))))))) I was so afraid something was wrong. I am glad to have you back and I hope youa re taking care of yourself. I am sorry to hear you had such a trying time these last couple of weeks. I know it must be so hard to go through this and be a single mom...Try to take the time you need for yourself. I am so glad your sister is there to help you out with your little man. If I were closer to you, I would be over in a heartbeat. Glad to see you were able to eat something. How are your incisions looking now? I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the end of any complications we will see on this thread. I am just glad to see that you are better and believe me, you were missed!!!!!!

Hi Everyone, I am off to another Christmas party today..when will it end? This has beena tough week emotionally since I cannot eat anything when I go to these functions. This is my 4th party since Sunday. I just wish my MD would transition me to mushies. I did however have some loosely whipped mashed potatoes (hope I don;t get in trouble) because I rationalized that if I am allowed cream of wheat which is technically mushy, why can I not have potatoes? It is just nice to have something with a little flavor. I have also had a couple of thin crackers that I mushed up to nothing in my mouth before swallowing. I am not proud of my rebellion, but I don't really regret it either. I think seeing that so many of you have transitioned makes it seem like it must be okay. I will not try anything else until I get to go ahead from MD but I still have 12 days until I see him...aarrghh! The scale has not budged this week. Not like it did last week, but I am not going to stress about it. I really shouldn't be so darn scale obsessive anyway. That cannot be a good thing. I cannot wait to go back to the gym. Only 4 more days until the kids are back in school and that is when I told myself the gym starts again. I have not been in 2 weeks. How is everyone else? Any big plans for New Year's? Nothing here. I don't feel much inthe partying mood since New Years would be a big drinking and eating night and those days are over. I think we will just hang in with the kids and play games or something. Have a very nice weekend everyone.

Thanks for replying. I have not felt it again and I really hope I don't. It was scary. I know I have been doing a lot. Yesterday I was food shopping and panicked knowing I would have to lift my 34lb child into the carriage. Luckily, my older daughter brought up all the groceries. A few times I have caught myself doing a bit more than I probably should...It is hard to slow down when you don't necessarily feel bad..y'know? I will call my surgeon if the pain comes back.

LOL, I am laughing because I was driving home last night and wanting something "good" really badly. I drove by Wendy's and whined "mmm,grilled chicken sandwich with cheese" then by this hot dog place "mmm, hot dog with ketchup and mustard", then by the 99 "mmm, gold fever wings on a sald with bleu cheese dressing". THen got home and watched tv and saw an ad for the best looking pizza...waaahhhh. Geez, I wonder why I am overweight!

Have to add my 2 cents for what it's worth.. In my region (Boston) soda was called tonic when I was growing up. I would go to a restaurant and order a tonic (meaning a coke or pepsi). Now I would say Coke. ANother funny is that denim jeans were referred to as "dungarees" anyone else?

I am 9 days out and still have all of my strips except for one. I too had a lot of curling of the strips and just the center that is on the actual incision is still stuck on. It looked ridiculous and dirty from the lint of my clothes sticking to the. Last night I sat and trimmed all the edges that were curles and used rubbing alcohol to rub any sticky adhesive on my skin off. The center of the stips is still on tight.