this sucks

That is such great news!!! Glad to hear that you are feeling good and the reflux is gone!

The biggest problem with taking laxatives all the time is that your body starts to rely on them. They may "clean you out", but you need to find ways to do it naturally. Also, make sure you are drinking enough water!

Try adding some fiber to your diet. My dietitian recommends adding ground flax seed to my protein shakes. It works and the shake keeps me full for longer too.

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!

I mean TOPS to match...stupid auto spell!

I went to a tailor to get some pants altered. Thought it might be cheaper than buying new pants when I already had plenty of tips to match! She asked me why I bought my pants so big! Made me feel great!!! I am out of the plus department for the first time in more than 23 years! Was able to buy some khakis in the regular department last week and kind of wish I had bought them one size smaller than I did. By the way Terry, I live for the Kohls coupons and sales!

I took ten days off. I had a 35 mile commute and couldn't sit completely upright for the first nine days because of the location of one of the incisions. Kind of wished I had taken longer, but oh well... Also had a lifting restriction for six weeks, which was a great justification for not overdoing it once I returned. I'm a sales person who spends a lot of time behind the steering wheel and within a few weeks was pretty well back to normal.

It really doesn't matter what you do for a living, You will always have food around you and if you don't learn how to live with your band and the temptation of food, you won't be successful. We all still need to feed ourselves and our family ( if we have one). It's not like an alcohol or drug issue where we can avoid or triggers. We still need to eat to live. Just my opinion...I've made enough excuses about my job being the cause of my obesity, but the reality is that I ate more than I burned off. Best of luck to you.

Can you just increase your fiber intake as part of your eating plan? Or try one of the fiber powders? I add ground flax seed to my protein shake and it keeps me full and excuse me...loose. Probably TMI, but it does work.

Terry, when I complained to the dietitian at my weight loss group about the Protein Shake not sticking with me long enough, she recommended that I add 1-2 tbs. of ground flax seed. Word of warning though, drink your shake pretty quickly because the flax swells up and thickens your shake. The good news is that the swollen flax fills you up too! I have a protein shake at 7:30 and don't feel hungry again until 11:30 or 12:00.

Yep, and have from the first week post banding... I won't lie, it isn't always easy but you have to figure out a plan on how you are going to deal with your job. I am a sales person in the food business and am surrounded each and every day by fried food. I sell breaded chicken and spend a lot of my day preparing and presenting samples for customers. I just explain that I can't taste with them because of my "food allergies". Here's what works for me: 1. Pack a cooler EVERY DAY! My meal choices are not left to chance, they are made ahead of time. I know how many calories and grams of protein I need to get through the day and pack lots of choices. Once the cooler is empty, I am done! 2. Carry a water bottle and plan out how many times a day you need to fill it to meet your water requirements. My dr. wants me to drink 64 oz per day, minimum. 3. Chew gum or suck on a sugar free mint if it keeps you from "tasting". Just don't swallow the gum ( I'm sorry if you already know this, but I don't know how long you've been banded). It's not good for your band... 4. Don't think of your new eating style as a diet. After more than 2 1/2 years, I eat almost everything, I just write it all down. This has to be a lifestyle change and if you plan on continuing in your present career, you need to find what works best for you. Hope this helps! From one "foodie" to another...

I got the fitbit zip for Christmas and it took a little while to get used to it. It doesn't come with very good instructions about setting it up but once I figured it out, I love it! It motivates because when I see how little I've moved, I find ways to get more steps into my day. I have it linked with MFP and I sync it several times through the day so I can tell where I'm at on calories in versus calories burned.

I agree with Terry and B-52 ...lets continue to reward those who post the most. Now you want to give them even more to boost their egos? Wow, an official LBT title. Wonder where that gets you in the real world? As much as I need a good support forum, maybe it's time to leave for good. I'm sure I won't get many "likes" for this post, but I don't really care anymore.

Hang in there. I have thyroid issues also and it does impact your rate of weight loss. You need to accept that you are going to lose a little slower, but don't use your thyroid as an excuse. Since you are new to the medication, it may take a little time to get your dosing at the right level to help. Good news is that I am still losing and I was banded over 2 1/2 years ago. There is nothing wrong with losing slowly. At least you aren't gaining, right? Celebrate the 20 lbs and keep on doing the right stuff-journaling, exercising, eating lots of protein and drinking lots of water. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Who won the race in the end??? Good luck.

I completely agree with you B-52! Unfortunately, that is the reality of this forum. Points counted...point leaders- all ways to reward people for the amount of time they spend on the site. That is exactly why I visit LBT so little these days. I only post if I really feel that I have something to add to the discussion...

All drama and judgment aside... I was very lucky because my Weight Loss Center does a body scan before surgery and then again at six months post op. if you want additional scans done, it only costs $65. The scan gives you a REALISTIC goal weight based on YOUR body...not from a height/weight chart or from a BMI chart. It measures how much your lean muscle mass weighs-(which does change as you lose weight) and gives a reasonable goal weight specific to you. It was an eye opener to me because based on my scan, I will never be able to be the weight that I, and the weight charts, thought I "should". My body wasn't built to be standard, as I'm sure many of us aren't. Best of luck!

Happy Monday ladies! Hope everyone is dong well today. Had an appointment today with my PA and she did not give me any fill. I have lost 6.5 lbs in four weeks! I lost all of my Christmas indulgences gain plus some.. Pretty amazing news for me since I was out of town all of last week for a company event where I had no control over the menu. Of course, it was my choice how much of anything I chose to eat...and I chose to make the best choices I could. I even managed to exercise every day but one. Using the fitbit forced me to look at how active/inactive I was and to adjust my free time accordingly. The PA asked me what I have changed to explain my recent success and I has to think about it for a moment. I think journaling everything has been important. We talked for a few minutes about "owning" what I eat and not seeing food as "good" or "bad". I also think the exercise is helping, with both the weight loss and how I'm feeling day to day. I'm at the lowest weight in 23+ years! I am NOT trying to tell anyone what to do, just sharing what is working for me right now. Best of luck to all of you!!!

Make sure you find some "savory" liquids to use also. I found that after the first week of sweet Protein shakes, I was desperate for something else. I hear that al lot of people like the unjury brand of protein powders and they have a chicken flavor. I ended up having homemade chicken broth which was pretty high in protein also.

I eat pizza every Friday and have since my post op diet ended. I usually eat just the toppings and the hard crunchy part of the crust. I also make my own with whole wheat flatbreads like MIs does. I actually have one in the oven right now! I don't like the good food, bad food rules. I eat almost everything that I used to, just a lot less of them. I knew that in order to be successful, I had to view this as a lifestyle, not a diet. This is what works for me.

Sorry, but get used to it! Even after 2 1/2 years, it's still a problem...oh, and burping, loudly too! The line in my house is "Mom's band is talking...again!!!" But as Shrek says, better out than in!

I was told by my doctor that any time you have a "stuck" incident, go back to liquids for at least 24 hours. It gives your gut time to recover.

You should be proud of yourself for taking back ownership of your health and weight. I was banded in July 2010 and stalled for a while due to some complications from vitamin deficiencies-long story but end result was the same. When I finally started feeling well in July 2012, I had gained about 20 pounds. I am grateful to have the band because I was able to have a fill and re-start my weight loss. It's grea that you are exercising, but are you journaling? I use My Fitness Pal, a free app, and log everything that I eat. My motto is "if I eat it, I own it". Once i started journaling, the weight started coming off. I eat about 1200 calories a day. As of this morning, I'm at my lowest weight in more than 23 years! My first weight loss goal is in my sights. Welcome back to the bandwagon!

I brought my own PJ's. You will be able to move around much better than you did after your C-section and you don't want to be showing off your backside when you take your required walks-☺ Good luck!

Happy Monday ladies! It's a frigid cold, snowy Monday in Michigan so I'm jealous of anyone who lives somewhere warm and sunny this morning!!! Took the dogs out for their morning walk and felt like my face was going to freeze off... Feeling quite proud of myself today. I am down to the least that i have weighed in over 23 years! I had a rough day yesterday, binged on some cookies and potato chips, but ended up eating less than 1200 calories by having a small but nutritionally loaded dinner and healthy night time snack. You would believe that after 2 1/2 years of this that I would have the binging thing under control, but I don't...but really, I guess 5 cookies and one small snack bowl of potato chips would have been nothing before banding. Guess today needs to be a good hard workout day so the scale doesn't go up in response to the sugar and fat from yesterday. Sue-welcome back from the cruise. Europe sounds great-we are considering a trip this summer for our family and hoping to be able to afford an England/Scotland route. Nicki-dang ice-cream!!! I cannot even start on it because I have no control. I only have it as a special treat and ONLY when we are out because then I cannot go back for more. I agree with you about the "slider-ness" of it. I can only eat a few ounces of chicken but I could eat bowls full of ice cream-seems stupid, doesn't it? Congrats on the new car. Nicole-keep up the good work. You deserve it! To all the newbies-I wish you great success on your journey. If you have questions, ask away. I was banded in July, 2010 and I was adopted by this lovely group of women a few months ago. I've traveled a difficult road, with lots of detours and side trips, but I'm here to show you that you can still lose weight with the band even after more than two years. Have a great week!

Hey ladies! I just invited you to all be friends of mine on MFP. I have been using the app since August and am now at the lowest weight I've been in over 20 years! I love the support that I find on MFP because it doesn't have the drama that LBT can have...