size10again

Good Morning! Joan~ 208.6 (down 2.4) I lost weight while on vacation for a week! That is definetly a first. ; ) Glad to see the weight is coming off for everyone. Good job!! I'll check in again later. Joan

I had heard from my surgeon, who has a band, that he can only sip liquids when flying. I flew this last week and very cautiously ate and drank without any problems. Have fun on your trip! Joan

I am on vacation in San Francisco this week. I have been walking up and down hills galore, even climbed the STEEP stairs up and down to the Coit tower from the road below. I feel great! Last year at this time I was 25# heavier, at The Grand Canyon, swollen right knee, fatigue, uncomfortable/embarrased about how I looked. I will turn 50 tomorrow and feel better than I have in a number of years. This is the first vacation I won't gain weight on and will probably actually lose weight! I have enjoyed small amounts of the different foods with my husband and son. I carry a Protein drink and bar in my packback for extra nourishment when there aren't great choices available. No sour dough bread for me, lol! I just wanted to share my happiness...

It was suggested to me by my surgeons dietician that I USE a straw to help keep drinking at a sip speed instead of a gulp. I find no difference regarding gas when I drink from a straw vs. a cup. Joan

Congratulations on your surgery tomorrow! I am 3 months postop and am doing great. When you are in the recovery room let the nurse know if you feel any nausea so she/he can give you medication to stop it. I had one dose in the RR and was not nauseous again. My best recommendations are to drink/sip liquids whenever you are awake to ensure you are well hydrated and to get up and walk around the house every hour or so when you're awake. Moving around will help with the gas pains and to keep you from getting weak. I did great and was driving the day after surgery and walking the neighborhood 3 days after surgery. Good luck! Joan

Thanks Vicky!!! PS my weight on March 7th was 213.2 and it was 211.0 today I weighed in early since I'll be OOT. Thanks again!! Joan

Hello, I am weighing in early because I am heading out of town from Saturday to Saturday. San Francisco! Joan~ 211.0 (down 2.2#) I'll check in Monday but won't have a scale to weigh on. Joan

Hello, I had my third fill last week and am thinking I might be in the green zone/sweet spot. I have lost a couple pounds since the fill, yeah! I will be flying on Saturday so I'll be extra cautious of what and how I eat while in the air since most peoples bands are tighter. Keep up the good work! Joan

YEAH! So happy for you! Thanks Vicky! It looks like it was a succesful week for most! Keep up the great job! It is especially encouraging to see some who were at a plateau/not losing get motivated to continue this journey! Have a great day, Joan

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Joan

Good Morning<! Joan weighing in at 213.2, a loss of 1.5#. Keep those weights coming! Please put your name with your weight. Thanks Vicky for doing our stats!! Have a good day, Joan

Kendra, It is never to late to join. Good luck to you this month! Joan

Hello, My instructions say to start the day with warm water to help flush out mucous in the pouch. I was told that our bands are tightest in the AM. My surgeon, who has a band, says that he always has a shake/smoothie for breakfast for this reason. Joan

Amy, Happy Birthday and good for you for making a bad day a positive on plan day! I am so happy that the challenge helped you make good choices! Have fun in Atlantic City! Joan

Hello, Vicky will be pulling and compiling our stats for us. Thanks Vicky! Remember, when you weigh in put the name you are under for the challenge, real or screen, with your weight. Hope everyone is having a great week! I go in for my third fill tomorrow. Joan

My surgeon only uses the lapband. I have been happy with my surgery, recovery and continued progress. Does your surgeon use both bands? Joan

Hello, and welcome to The Sweetheart's Challenge! If you'd like to join, please copy and paste the template below to your post and fill in the information. Lindsey keeps our stats on a seperate page. This is a fun, stress free way to set goals, motivate others and be motivated. Weigh ins are each Monday, starting January 31st and ending February 28th. I hope you'll join us! Joan Copy and Paste this template: Name, real or screen~ Age~ Weight on January 31st~ Goal Weight for February 28th~ Exercise Goal for February~ Dietary Goal for February~ Personal Goal for February~ Date Banded~ Total Weight Loss Since Banding~

Please join us at the March Madness thread! Joan

Hello, I am glad to see some old members and some new! Welcome! I hope we all have a great month and reach our goals. : ) Vicky~ Lindsey hasn't checked in yet so I don't know if she'll do our stats. Thanks for the offer, I'll keep you posted. Name, real or screen~ Joan Age~ 49 (I'll turn 50 on March 18th, yikes!) Weight on February 28th~ 214.6 Goal Weight for March 31st~ 207.6 Exercise Goal for March~ go to the gym 3x per week Dietary Goal for March~ no mindless eating Personal Goal for March~ eat slowly and chew well Date Banded~ 12/04/10 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 10.4#

Good Morning, Sweethearts! Joan~ 214.6 Glad to see the weights rolling in. Amy~ I was trying to think of a catchy name for March's Challenge and love your idea, March Madness it is! Please join us at the new March Madness Challenge link after you weigh in for February. Joan

I am really focusing on eating slowly and chewing well. I have had a tendency to rush through eating 'cause I am always in a hurry. Time to S L O W down, lol. Glad you had fun in Vegas and managed to lose, too! I will try the warm water before eating anything questionable, thanks for the tip. My doctor says to drink warm water each morning before having anything else. Yeah Heather! I have to hide some of my foods from my son and husband. I am only now feeling restriction after my second fill, too. I go in for my third fill on Friday. I am 1# away from a total of 20#'s lost since I started the preop diet. Slower than most of you, or all of you!, but I'll take it. Better than I would do with out my band. TTYL, Joan

Hello, I have had 2 fills and am scheduled for a third on March 4th. After my second fill I started feeling more restriction after about 2 weeks. Is this common? I still can eat more comfortably than desired but have had a few stuck episodes. I am cautious about getting my 3rd fill because I will be out of town 8 days following the fill for 7 days total, and don't want to possibly run into trouble in another state with being too tight. What are your experiences and suggestions? Thanks! Joan

I get hungry about every 3 hours or so. I am satisfied more easily than prefills. I am concerned about having my band "tighten up" while I am out of town for a week and it being an urgent situation. Do you feel tighter 2 weeks after a fill ratherthan immediately following it? I think a small fill would be appropriate for me, just not sure if I want to do this 8 days prior to traveling. Joan

I feel your pain! I think my stuck episodes have primarily been due to my eating too fast and not chewing well enough. I can sometimes stop them by chewing a couple of TUMS. Drinking liquids is the worst thing for me to do, it comes right back up. ugh! How are you doing now? Joan