J_BandRanger

@imaluckyog.... "Food Inc"??? nope! havent seen that one----> but I'll be on the 'Look Out"!!! THNX!!!

@ 2excited: well.... (I think) I know b/c right now i just prepare the portion that I should be having at each sitting (as confirmed by the Doc & nutritionalist) and I eat that, but i could eat more, I just dont. I make myself stop. the fact that i could eat more tells me that I'm not full BUT.... I'm not starving after and I dont get hungry again for the right number of hours (5).... So that tells me that I'm stopping very close to where my band (if adjusted properly) would stop me anyway..... The nurse pretty much said the same thing. she also asked me if anything was getting stuck and if i ever feel like "one more bite would make me vomit". Nope-----> So she also said that I need another fill to hit my Sweet Spot.

I felt EXACTLY the same way! then i found out that until you have your first fill, there is no restriction in the band at all!!! you may feel a little tightness ("restriction") right after surgery but that is just swelling. the first 4-8wks is just for internal (and a little external) healing. many ppl report that they dont feel restriction until they hit their "sweet spot" around their 3rd fill. im also told that: each time you loose a certain amoount of weight, the fat around your stomach reduces and the band loosens. so until you hit your sweetspot (the perfect band restriction for you) you are basically just "dieting & exercising". My doc and nurse say that the band doesnt "kick in" until between 3-5 months after surgery/fills, etc... I am exactly 2 months out today -I hv 8.75 in my band. I can tell tht I need a "tad" more to hit my sweet spot. as of last weigh-in, I'd lost 16.5 pounds!!! :-) I officially weigh-in w/my LB Doc tomorrow (6/28)...i will update my blog/weight then!!! ***fingers crossed***

last night my family and I went out to an Italian restuarant for a celebration. it was a last minute invitation, so i kinda' panicked w/the invite.... but I did very well!! I ordered shrimp & brocolli and STILL stayed within my calorie allotment for the day! no wine, no appitizers, no dessert!!!! I also confirmed that I can NOT eat bread! this was my 2nd attempt at eatting just a small slice of the bread that arrives in a basket with your water, etc.... no go! wouldnt go down! got stuck! :crying:had to sip water and hope nobody noticed my "problem"! (they didnt)

THNX "loseit"! for the first time ever in my life i am looking forward to going to the doc to weigh in!!! @"finally..." - no, I'm not full. I havent hit my sweet spot yet. i just stop eating when the meal that I fixed is gone, b/c i premeasure and count out the calories in the meal. I stay full for pretty long though, so i must not be too far from my sweet spot. I probably need very little to get there. maybe my 3rd fill will do the trick?

i put in 75 mins one the treadmill today-felt great! been doing 3 mile walking DVDs all week too....trying to cut my calories and increase my w/o! my food diary told me that i was still over by about 600 calories a day... So i've cut my portions in 1/2. i never feel full - so i have to just make myself stop eating.... but i am not "absolutely starving" either. i will speak to my doc Monday (6/28)and get his opinion on another small fill. What does it sound like to you guys?:smile:

did you eat soon after the fill? i only ask b/c after my fills, i have to do 3 days clear liquid, then full liquid 1 wk, then mushies 1 week, etc.... i dont get to solids until 3-4 weeks. its a pain but i really think it helps.... havent "lost" any food yet :-) the 30 pounds down is great! keep up the good work!!

wow! "flashed your card"? that should be universal!!! :-) do tell us more!!!

Whoo-Hooo! this is great!!! keep up the wonderful work!!

i LOVE my workout DVDs! all that sweating in the privacy of my own home! LOL! this week I've been using the 3 & 4 mile challenge walking DVDs. one uses light weights for toning and the other uses that giant stretchie band thingie! love it!

i was starving on the clear liquid phase too....when i couldnt take it anymore, i had to move up to a VERY thin type soup....like food mushed down to a drinkable state... sounds grooss, but it was filling. I havent tried salad yet but i want to...sounds like a LOT of chewing to me! I will ask my Doc about it on my visit Monday

I have a little inexpensive mini-chopper...wasnt even $15!!! does wonder to make everything MUSHY! if the food is stubborn, I add a drop or two of water or chicken broth, depending on what I'm "mushing". I use to make my babies', food rather than buy it, when they were younger. its pretty easy! I did buy a case of Beechnut babyfood at Sam's club! (for myself, after surgery) all the flavors were good! I thought it was yummy!! maybe I'm weird?

Good question "2excited"!! I've been dieing for a nice crunchy salad too! I've always loved that!!! so? does salad go down for you???

funny about your neighbors! sounds like a comedy movie! glad you're feeling ok :-)

hey! so glad to hear that you're up & about!! you're doing much better than i was on day 3!!! great!

i buy the store brand frozen fruit from Target (peaches, mangos, pineapple....the "berrries" had tiny pits in them when juiced and that annoyed me). The bags of fruit from Target are 100% fruit-no sauce, sugar, etc.... I add some fruit to my shakes along w/4 ice cubes and 1 pack of Splenda (0 calories) every morning for breakfast....it makes my shakes nice and fluffy and very filling! other mornings, I might add 1/2 banana or a spoon of peanutbutter (w/the chcolate shakes)..... of course, check w/your Doc first, but these shakes are filling, healthy and high in protein for me!

wow! what an ordeal! glad you made it through! and yes, you CAN reach your new goal! go for it!!

My glue started peeling around a week.. then it got itchy and i got impatient, so when i showered i washed my stomach just a Liiiittle more aggressively (not too hard, mind you)...it finally finished peeling around 3 weeks....

funny about the oatmeal b/c i was never so glad to see cream of wheat, farina & cream of rice as i am now!! ha! ha! today i did a "3 mile challenge walking DVD"!! i felt great when i was done! thnx for asking!!

sugar free popcicles!! and if you have a Rita's Italian Ice place near you, the pink-lemonade sugarfree icee is very good! i'm eating that right now! I found that i liked the turkey and vegetable broth after i got sick of the sight of chicken broth! LOL! and.... hot tea w/Splenda really filled me up for a few!! sip slowly!!! - pretend its a starBucks or something fancy!!! i dont like jello, even when i'm not on a diet, but you might like all their new SF flavors....

I went to the doctor Friday (not my LAP-BAND®® Doc). Since this was the same office that I logged my start weight in, during my office visit for my pre-approval process, I decided to step on the scale (when no one was looking!!:smile:) ....aaaaannnnnd..... I AM DOWN 16 POUNDS!! at first it didn't hit me. I just hopped off the scale and back on the table before the doc came in.....but then the pants and shorts that I wore this w/e were VERY loose!! they didnt fit anymore! wow! i reached for a BELT!! never thought I'D be so happy to need a belt!!! this is just what I needed to shake the "discouraged mode" that I'd been in!! I go to my LB Doc Monday (6/28) so I am being VERY deligent about counting my calories, logging my food and doing my exercise------> everyday!!! I hope to be down even more by the time I weigh in at his office!! :smile2::thumbup::laugh:

at 2 months post-op I dont feel like i've lost anything! I look at other's succcess and think "how the heck did they loose 50-80-90 pounds in 6 months??" :confused: So I started a food diary. Everything I'm eating is "band approved".... and I'm certainly eating much less than I was before BUT I am still WAY over my calorie allotment....like 1500-1600 instead of 900-1200!! my shakes and protein shots are even high in calories!!!:sneaky: what gives? so, I'm going to have to cut WAY back, which means I'm going to be starving everyday, which means I need another fill!! I'm already at 8.25 w/only my 2nd fill and going even higher so early really worries me....

THNX for the advise!! is there a protein shot (as in a drink not a needle!!) that has 0 or very few calories??? the ones that I have, have calories in them and a I feel like that's a "waste of calories".....

thank you for the "tips" ... I started a food diary this weekand did notice that although its much less than what I ate Pre-band, and although everything i eat now is "band approved" and healthy, I am still taking in too many calories!!!