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Howdy all. Alrighty, I have some questions....despite doing a ton of research and reading soooooooooooo many posts on here (& also searching on here) these are the ones that I still don't feel I have the "answers" to....help plse!! 1. This "restriction" thing...yes, I logically know what it is but how do you "feel" it? Is it just the "oh, I'm sooo full" feeling or do you know that you are "restricted" when you have one of those god awfully scary PBs/Golf balls I keep reading about. (y'all are givin' me night terrors!). 2. Once I am banded and way over my post-op stages and eating "normally"....is the amount to eat for every meal always around 1/2 to 1 cup (ie. for everything total at that meal?). Can someone plse confirm...is that the goal...not to eat more than 1 cup (amount wise) at one meal sitting? 3. I know you get anti-nausea meds to prevent vomiting after the surgery ...but despite that, did anyone still vomit? I'm so paranoid because the last time (yrs ago) I had anasth. I woke up vomiting (not a pretty site, let me tell ya)...scared it will happen again and ruin what was done. 4. I know y'all talk about how many 'ccs you have etc...and I do know what that refers to...but I didn't know there were diff. sizes of bands...(as to how many cc's they hold)....what if you get a band that isn't even BIG enough to have the right amount of ccs in it for your restriction? Is that possible? 5. Last one (for now!)...water....I know we have to drink LOTS of it; especially post op....but when we drink it, is it supposed to be in continuous small sippys or can I drink Water (liquids) normally (like I do now)...omigawd, I just thought of something...will I get one of those PB things from just drinking water? Tks for your patience....I hope to one day be dishing out advise to other newbies.... :help:

Workout: I did 40 minutes on Arc Trainer, elliptical, & treadmill in the AM Food: B: Metagenics shake (w 1 scoop metagenics & 1/2 scoop Unjury) - 125 calories, 17g protein L: Chicken florentine (Lean Cuisine) - 18g protein, 200 calories S: 1 dark chocolate caramel bar & almond caramel sample from Sees (2g protein, 275 calories) Totals (so far): 600 calories, 37g protein Water: I've had 5 cups so far Scale: Gym scale said 255

:update: Well, I found out yesterday that my results from my Upper GI was A-OK , and I am scheduled for surgery May 10th :clap2:. I am so excited, this is going to be the best birthday present ever (May 16th). I look forward to starting a whole new chapter in my life!

Today was better at work. I ate pretty good. I tried to drink all of my water but I have such a hard time with that. People keep sayinf that I look like I am still losing weight but I think that it I am losing inches instead of pounds. I am going to try to keep losing and in April I will call Stanish's office and schedule another fill. It would be better to face him at a standstill instead of gaining a bunch of weight. You cares what he thinks anyway he is only in it for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I saw Dr. Wiess about three weeks ago and he said that he hardly recognized me. That made me feel so great. I have to remember how that maked me feel when people coplement me and think of that when I want to eat crap.

Have you been trying to lose body fat, but find it comes off at a snail's pace? If you’re working out with efficiency and maintaining a slight caloric deficit, you can actually lose up to 1.5 pounds per week. However, even if you haven’t been consistent, I have some metabolism-boosting tips that should help ignite some good, steady fat loss. 1. Increase your meal frequency: Eat more often but don’t increase total calories. For example, break three meals into five to six smaller meals and eat every three hours. food can actually help burn body fat when used strategically. Breaking meals into smaller feedings helps to control blood sugar and puts you in a better position to lose fat. 2. Break up your workout: Many people are pressed for time and the thought of exercise becomes another stress in their lives. However, research has proven that two short bouts of exercise per day will actually stimulate the metabolism more than one longer bout. Go for two brisk 15 minute walks per day, five days per week, and you’ll see progress at the end of 30 days. 3. Eat breakfast: If you sleep through the night and then deprive the body of food in the morning, the body is sensing a potential famine and holds onto stored body fat to keep you alive. Remember, calories from food represent heat. Use the heat to rev your metabolism. 4. Cycle calories: For three days, consume your minimum calorie requirement based on your height, weight and goals. Then, on day four, increase your calories by an additional 400 (nutritious foods only). This technique can actually get the metabolism racing and stimulate additional fat loss. 5. drinks lots of water: If you limit your Water intake, the body will retain water; the body only needs to be dehydrated by approximately 2 percent for this to take place. Drink 0.55 multiplied by your body weight in ounces of water per day. 6. Exercise in the morning: If you can fit it into your schedule, exercise in the morning. People who exercise consistently in the morning find that exercise at this time regulates their appetite all day long. They don’t get as hungry and they start the day with a boost to the metabolism.. 7. Perform cardio interval training: Cardio interval training is simply short bursts of high-intensity exercise combined with more moderate intensity within the same workout. Studies have shown that people who perform interval training twice a week (in addition to two other days of lower intensity cardio) lose twice as much weight as those who do just a moderate cardio workout. You can easily incorporate interval training into your workout by inserting a 45 second burst into your stationary bike workout every four to five minutes. 8. Boost your metabolism by reading instead of watching TV: Researchers at Memphis State University monitored 32 girls as they watched a half-hour television program. They found the metabolic rates dropped as much as 16 percent below resting metabolic rate. They burned fewer calories watching TV than they did just by reading! 9. Drink green tea: Green tea is a popular tea from Japan that has numerous health benefits, including weight loss. It’s not 100 percent certain how green tea helps one to lose fat, but it appears to increase the amount of calories the body burns—not necessarily because of the small amounts of caffeine it contains, but due to a compound abbreviated as EGCG. When purchasing green tea make sure the label states that the green tea used is standardized for caffeine and EGCG. 10. Practice hydrotherapy: First thing in the morning, drink 32 ounces of very cold water on an empty stomach. Don’t eat Breakfast for at least 30 minutes. The cold water will force your body to raise its core temperature, thereby stimulating your metabolism and excreting any excess water. You may find that you lose two pounds the first month you try this. If you want to take it a step further, do the same thing at lunch.

Today I went o the surgeon's office to pick up some documents and show him my blisters fromthe bandaids. No Biggie. I weighed in at 204 pounds.

This thread is for discussion purposes only... just curiousity. So... I'm sure everyone here knows the rules but as another thread pointed out some people seem to be less knowlegeable on them. I am very curious on how strict you follow the rules and your opinion of how you think they work. 1. Eat only three small meals a day 2. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly 3. Stop eathing as soon as you feel full 4. Do not drink while you are eating 5. Do not eat between meals 6. Eat only good quality foods 7. Avoid fibrous foods 8. Drink enough fluids during the day 9. Drink only low-calorie liquids 10.Exercise at least 30 mintues a day My issues.... 1. I eat more like 5 really small meal-If not I get low suger crazy. 2. Eating slowly and chewing is teaching me to savor what I can eat. 3. Need to learn this still - I usually go from hungrey to in pain. 4. Learning not to drink is hard but I think I got it. 5. Eating between meals - it's hard not too. 6. Quality Foods - well I hate most quality food so this is a challange too. 7. Avoid fibrous foods - not a problem 8. Drink enough - this is hard since I used to only drink with meals 9. Low-Calorie liquids - I'm doing ok on this exept I like latte's too much 10.Exercise at least 30 mintues - I'm getting this about 4 x Week.

I am getting banded in Monterrey next Friday by Dr. Garza. Has anyone been to see this Dr.? He sounds like he is well quailified with 2500 bandings done. What can I expect for recovery and for how long?:clap2:

Weigh in day and another 2 pounds gone. Current weight is 268.5. Also managed to do .95 miles on the treadmill and I am completely POOPED.

WALKED 50MINS LAST NITE 1.550 MILES, & 290 CALS BURNT, ATE 575 CALS. I HAVE TO BE DISCIPLINED W MY EATING... EGG WHITES, COTTAGE CHEESE, & FISH ONLY! I MUST WORK WITH THE BAND IT'S A TOOL LIKE THE VACCUM CLEANER, YOU GOTTA USE IT. NOW I MUST MEASURE EVERYTHING THAT I EAT. MY LEGS GOT SLIMMER...MY TROUSERS ARE VERY LOOSE. WENT TO TARGET & BOUGHT REAL MISSES SIZE 18 PANTS IN BLACK & BROWN THE BLACK FIT BEAUTIFULLY...I LOOK THINNER!

Well, I decided to start this journal to try and keep track of how often my head demons seem to overcome me. Maybe, I can figure out how to ward them off better. It all started this week, after Valentine's day. My husband bought me a bag of chocolates (which is something I asked for for Valentine's day:confused: ). Since then, I have had no self control. I decided that I needed to go through withdrawal, and then my control would come back. I was doing very well, until last night. Yesterday, I went to my nephew's b-day party and managed to do quite well resisting everything there, such as pizza, nachos, and cake. Then they sent us home with a party favor bag for my son. In it, it had a couple of debbie's brownies (my absolute favorite). I ate half of one and tried to pig out. The problem is, that once I decide to pig out, it becomes a very hard task. It's like, I then decide to plan my pig out, but can't seem to get in everything I want. So I go crazy. This is what I ate last night: gold fish (100) bbq chips (15) cracker-1 cottage cheese-2tbs meatloaf veggies-2tbs chocolate chip cookies-6minibites brownie-1/2 I know, that after reviewing all of this, it doesn't look like a lot. I keep reviewing it to see if there is anything I missed because I felt stuffed last night. This morning, I feel terrible. The problem is that I am an "all or nothing" type of person. Either I have full control, or I have none. I feel so gross and bloated. I also worry about my band and the damage I do to it by not following the rules. O.K. I think I know what the problem is. The problem is, that I drink too much. I have 2 mixed drinks every night. This takes away all of my self control. I know I have a problem, because I can't go a whole night without drinking. I know I need to stop, or at least decrease, my drinking. I just think I am too analytical, and when I am sober, I tend to think about things too much. I used to be a pothead, and think that this is why. Since being banded, I realized that I had to choose: the band or weed. And I chose the band. I haven't smoked weed in over 3 months. O.K. I was a functional pothead and am a functional alcoholic. I still go to work and do really well all day long, until about 7pm, when it is time to relax. I do use alcohol to relax. I admit it. Weight-loss wise, I have done really well. I have lost 63 pounds in less than a year. I know that if I didn't have weed or alcohol in my life, I could have lost more. My goal is to be down to 145, or 135, by my one year anniversary. So once I gave up weed, I knew that sooner or later, I would have to give up alcohol, as well. I think, no I KNOW, that it's time. I just don't know. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try. I hope I have the strength...

Sunday Went over to Mario and MaryLou's last night and I drank 4 glasses of Merlot. I feel completely like shit this morning. I have the worst hangover ever. I took an Actos and had a bowl of potato soup. My blood sugar is probably going to be screwed all day now. I am out of test strips and need to go to Walgreens and spend freaking $50 and get some. I must have been majorly dehydrated this morning, scale said 204 lbs. It will be back at 207 tomorrow, I need to STOP weighing everyday, lol.

Just a quick note in my journal before I hit the hay. I have been a very bad person lately with regards to my eating habits. I have eaten all the wrong foods. Since I am disbanded I can eat ANYTHING I want now. And man am I testing that theory. Travelling doesn't help that much. I was in Tucson for about 10 days for a bead show. THen was home for all of 3 days then headed to Nashville, TN / Princeton, KY to visit family. I have been eating fast food and junk mostly on this trip. I am heading home on Thursday the 23rd. Hopefully once I get home I can get back on track with the diet and exercise and set up a routine. I am still waiting to hear back from Biggest Loser. I think if I don't hear from them by the end of the month then I didn't get picked. Oh well at least I tried. I am planning on working out the Jewelry Party protocol when I get home. I wanna start making some money with this biz I started. PeMerri Designs is a baby right now but something I am pretty proud of so far. www.pemerridesigns.com will begin to grow soon and who knows I might need some assistants. LOL!! It could happen. I have to research some good marketing strategies. Enough for tonight!

I still feel like crap. Missing food but can't eat anyway. Having trouble drinking sips of clear liquids. Drinking powerade, broth, jello and ice pops. I still feel pain in my stomach, hate chewing the pain pills...uh liquid is avail. why did they give me pills. Will ask Dr on Tuesday. Eric trying to help out but at night when he drinks he says stupid ass things. Called me a douchbag, baby, asshole, bitch...wow this is really helpful in my healing process. Todayhe put some clothes away...not mine only his. At least he is trying to keep house clean, complaining all the way but trying. Will take Nicholas out to Taco Bell for lunch I think so will be quiet a few minutes (I Hope).

So ok, I fell, I was doing so good and then BAM!!! Fell Hard! Since I am being honest with myself I will notate everything I ate over the weekendand look up the calories for the next post. I am so upset with myself seeing that I am so close to wonderland. Back on the horse is where I need to be and the relaxed weekend eating has to be cut off until I am down under 200!!! Friday: Breakfast: 100 calorie pack of Cheese Nips: 100 calories Lunch: 1/2 chargrilled chicken sandwich from Chick fil a w/ low fat mayo and 1/2 order of small fries: 290 calories HERE COMES THE DOWNFALL!! afterwork snack: 2 bites of cookie cake with frosting from the mall Dinner: Don Pablos: 7 huge chips with about 3/4 cup of salsa, 1 chicken fajita nacho ( actually one from the order, which came with 8) and then lots of extra cheese, chicken and sour cream that I nibbled on as my band would let me. Then a sopapilla(SP) for dessert. PLUS 1/4 glass of COKE!!: total: 1 billion calories, so I know preband I would have eaten a basket of chips, 2 bowls of hot sauce, the entore order of nachos and sopapillas with extra buttery rum sauce. But still Friday was only the beginning! At least did 40 minutes on the Gazelle which burned off 400 calories! Saturday: 02/11/06 Breakfast: 2 more bites of cookie cake with icing that was PB'd because for some reason I thought I could eat this when I first woke up??? Lunch: 1/2 childs cheeseburger from Whataburger, 1/2 french fries and ketchup. 400 calories snack: Half of a piece of cookie cake with icing and a peanut butter bar from Mrs. Fields!!!! Probably a million calories. Dinner: 1/2 roll with butter, 1/3 side salad with ranch dressing, cheese and croutons. 1/3 chicken fried steak sandwich with mayo and pickles!!! Probably a million calories. At least I did 40 minutes on the Gazelle, this burned off 400 calories!! Sunday: 02/12/06 Breakfast: none Lunch: 4 bites fried onions in sauce, 10 bites chicken fried steak w/ cream gravy, 1/3 baked potato loaded, 10 bites side salad complete with ranch, cheese, croutons, eggs and tomatoes and sweet Tea~ snack: 15 peanut butter Hershy Kisses and a Dr. Pepper!! Dinner: Back to Donny P's for 8 chips, 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 whole nacho and then nibbles of cheese and chicken from the top of the nachos, 2, count them 2 sopapillas with yummy buttery rum sauce! Then 1/2 of a coke!!! Snack: 5 more peanut butter Hershy kisses! SWEET PETE, NO EXERCISE SINCE I WAS SO MISERABLE FROM WHAT I ATE!! I just remembered before we went to dinner I hit the fridge with my leftover chicken fried steak and ate the breading and gravy off of it whilst standing in front of the fridge! Now to today: Monday: 02/14/06 The horror continues: Breakfast: 10 Reese peanut butter cups! Lunch: 1/2 childrens cheese burger, 1/2 childrens fries DIPPED IN MAYO!!! 8 oz of coke: 500 calories snack: 10 more Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! This is all I will eat today since I won't get home until 8:30 from work and have too much homework to worry about! I will make it through valentines day and I will hit it hard again with no cheating!! God I am really disgusted with myself at this point, how can I go so quickly back into fat girl eating mode!?? I know I would have eaten TONS more pre band, but I just feel disgusting!!! Time to nip it in the bud. Bad habits are so hard to break!

Friday Saw 208 this morning! Hope it stays around or goes down one more! Went to Pizza Hut tonite with a couple we hang with. 7:45 Atkins shake 10:30 handful of peanuts Lunch Taco salad, skipped the shell....no dressing, just some salsa 5:00 Atkins shake...starving waiting for John so we can go out 7:00 3 wings, small salad, 1 slice thin crust supreme pizza, 1 Michelob Ultra

I had my pre-op appt today and it went well except that it lasted for 3 hours. :help: Most of the time I was waiting to see the different people that needed to see me so it was really tedious. I am all set though and unless something significant shows up in my blood work (which I can't imagine it would!) then the surgery will be at 10am on 2/21. I start the liquid fast tomorrow and have decided to let go of all of the anxiety that I have surrounding it. Yes, I am going to be hungry, yes it's going to be hard and yes I am nervous. BUT I can't let it rule all of my thoughts over the next 10 days. I am going to focus on the fact that I am preparing for a new life and it's time to start learning how to shake the grip that food has on me. I am ready to take off the fat suit and find me again.

I am very nervous about my surgery. I know I have to go with it and make it work. 2 more days.:cry

Hello Everyone, This is my first post I am being banded for the second time on 02/01 first time my gall bladder had a big problem with my band. I am very nervous just wondering if any one else had had their ban removed. Glad to find this site and some support.

hi all, my aunt continues to have success with the lap band. she is now down 121 pounds as of 11/22/04! now, her 22 yo daughter is in the process for getting a band! truthfully, her husband and son could use one too, but they are not interested. and the whole family has just joined a great hospital gym associated with my uncle's job. i haven't given much advice to my cousins about weight loss, et al., because i didn't want them to think it was all i saw. but now that they are taking steps to improve their health, i wrote down the top 10 things i've learned about exercise and body size/image over the years. i didn't share my thoughts on diet. i'll save that for another top 10 list. i thought y'all might like to see it too. so here goes! EXERCISE SHOULD BE FUN! There are so many ways to burn calories that there is no reason to do any exercise you don’t like. I love rebounding, walking uphill, and jogging slowly. I do not like stationary biking, running, the stair-climber, and most aerobic-dance classes. Find a few activities you like and stick to them! Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t challenge yourself or try new things. You must do that! Giving exercise your best effort is REQUIRED to get the results you want. But if you find that you don’t like a particular exercise, then don’t do it! And don’t let anyone tell you different. Exercise at least almost every day. And exercise everyday if you can! Yes. We don’t move around a lot if our jobs don’t require it. That inactivity, coupled with extra eating, makes it so, so easy to gain weight. If we had active jobs, we wouldn’t need gyms and scheduled time each day to work out. But we don’t. So we must make the effort to move our bodies every day.<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p Wear a pedometer. The federal government recommends taking at least 10,000 steps each day for good health. If you don’t work out, you’ll be surprised at just how few steps you will take in a day. Cheap pedometers are not very accurate, but they will give you a decent approximation—within a few hundred steps. A pedometer helps to keep you aware of how active you are. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p Longer at a moderate (NOT EASY!!) pace is ALWAYS better than shorter at a fast pace. Even trainers disagree amongst themselves about this. Some say that if you exercise very hard for a short period of time (20 – 30 minutes), you’ll burn roughly the same amount of calories during the activity and for a few hours after as someone who exercises for a longer time (40 – 60 minutes) at a moderate pace. But I prefer moderate because it is easier to do, and you won’t dread having to exercise the next day because the day before was so hard. Plus, the more movement you do in a day, the better it is for your health. So make every exercise session at least 40 minutes long.<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p Strength training is a must. First and foremost, eating healthy, small portions and lots of aerobic activity are what you must do to lose weight. But strength training is important because it makes the shape of your shrinking body look and move better. If you don’t strength train, you’ll get smaller, but you’ll be flabby! Fortunately, there are a few different methods of strength training to choose from: resistance machines, free weights, resistance bands, Pilates (on a reformer machine or on a mat), yoga, stability ball, and functional fitness/body weight. There is too much for me to say about all of these, but I just want you to be aware that strength training is important and there are many types to choose from. So research them online and ask the trainers to tell you more about them. Then make your choice(s). I have tried them all, and I prefer stability ball, functional fitness/body weight, and Pilates on the reformer machine. Pilates and yoga also incorporate flexibility conditioning.<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p Take the emotion out of weight loss. It is so easy to feel bad about yourself for being overweight, not losing weight fast enough, overeating one day, etc. And if you tell yourself that you’re a failure and other such negative things, it makes starting over that much harder. And pretty soon, you’ll start doubting if you can really lose the weight—even while you’re losing weight! And then you’ll start sabotaging yourself, either because you don’t want to feel like a failure again or because you don’t think that you can really reach your goal. But if you take the emotion out of weight loss (I’m a failure, I can’t do this, why don’t I have any willpower) and focus on the mechanics of it (eating right, exercising every day), then you will be successful. THIS IS HARD TO DO! I know from years of experience. But one trick I’ve learned is, whenever you start thinking a negative thought, refute it out loud. Don’t let the thought keep replaying in your head. For example, if you start to think “I’m never going to lose this weight.” Say out loud, “What I was just thinking is not true. If I eat right and exercise, the weight will come off.” It’s like shining a light under the bed and realizing there is no bogey man underneath it. The more you attack negative thoughts, the more confidence you will gain. <O:p</O:p Keep a journal. Write down what you eat and how much you exercise. I said it before, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Awareness is so important. Also, write down your feelings. Write down your goals. Write down your motivational daydreams. It is inspirational! <O:p</O:p Set goal markers. Weight loss at first, and then good health later, is a never-ending process that can seem overwhelming.Make it easy and fun by breaking it up. I like to work towards mini-goal dates. Use events in your life as goal markers to work towards. Pull out a calendar and plan ahead. For example, in February, I have several events to attend. I’ll use these events as extra motivation to get in all of my exercise and to keep my eating on track. <O:p</O:p Love your body, part 1. Okay, so you may not like how your body looks right now. But as you start losing weight and really get into exercise, you’ll be amazed at how much you can do. Acknowledge and Celebrate every accomplishment. Love your body, part 2. Please, please, PLEASE, do not compare your body to anyone else’s. Be realistic about how your fit, healthy body will look. Your fit body will not be the size of 97% of the women on television and in the magazines. Rely on three things, in this order, to let you know that you are fit and healthy: (1) your body fat %, (2) your clothes, and (3) the scale. Your body fat % will give you a realistic weight to shoot for. And that weight will change as you gain muscle. Once you get to your goal weight range, your clothes size will probably range between 2 and 3 sizes, depending on the clothes manufacturer. One designer’s size 8 may be another designer’s size 12. DO NOT get caught up in clothes size. I know from experience that this can be hard to do. I mean, here I am working out and eating right, and this crazy designer still classifies my body type as LARGE. ARRRGGGHH! It can be frustrating. But just remember that every designer uses a different size fit model on which to base its sizes. Every designer starts with a size 8 and then works up and down—usually an inch per size. Plus, I choose which designer to give my money to. So if I come across a delusional designer who thinks that Nicole Ritchie is a MEDIUM, then that designer does not get my money!! <O:p</O:p LOVE YOURSELF. As corny as it sounds, it is so true. Body image and self image are two different things. You can have a good self image and also want to improve your body. But if your self image is poor, it will wreck everything you try to accomplish. So take pride in you for just being you. For being kind, smart, funny, loving, a great cousin to Rory… all of it. And then take that self love and accomplish all your goals—weight ones included.

This is all new to me. I am hoping by keeping this journal I will be able to stay on track. I have been banded 10 days now. Basiclly, I feel good. Usally I'm alway on the go but now I get tired very easily - have been needing naps. Incisions are 99% healed and the port area is the only place that's tender. I still get shoulder pains though. I'm able to eat now and that scares me. I am only 10 days and can eat almost normally just less of it. Does this mean soon I will eat more and more and MORE....... Today, I was at a meeting where I ate lasagna, bread and brownie. :think I feel guilty and horribe!

Hi all, Just wanted to say that I'm back from Tijuana where I had my band surgery with the Bajanor Hospital...DH and I ended up staying an extra day, since I didn't anticipate having surgery so late in the day (9pm) and having to leave only 18 hours later! (duh) Anyway, that whole extra day was really helpful and I felt a LOT better... Again, I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences and information...you all have been a priceless resource for beginning my journey...so happy to be on the LOSING side!!! :clap2: M.

and if I can do it anyone can do it! The Nutrisystem commerical is on right now... everytime i watch it I just laugh. GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY!! If I EVER get to a size 10 I'm declaring a national holiday!!! I DREAM of being a size 10.... :thankyou: Anyway sorry, total random post. Just thought it was funny. What's not enough for one is more then plenty for another! P.S. I haven't really gone from a size 10 to a size 4... I'm still at an 18. Just being funny (or trying)

Hello to all!! I am just banded on Thursday. The day was a little nervous for me because I am not fired up about being put under anesthesia but all went well. I feel good except for tummy gas (I am gonna go get some gas X) and have been hungry. Today I drank a protein shake that was creamy instead of clear and that felt wonderful. My question for all of you is I need some assurance that I can have pudding etc and it will stay put. So far I have had no nausea or any complications. In fact I am off pain meds totally. Last night I slept like a baby and can hardly wait to face this day. I get to go to Wal-mart and get some protein drinks. Any other ideas of what I could have on full liquids? I am so fired up for this. I weighed myself today for the first time in about 10 days. I didn't weigh because I wanted to be surprised. I lost 15 lbs since my doc appointment before banding. That was on Jan 5. WooooHooo!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to you wonderful people and my band, family and the Lord, I can do this!:clap2: Ps. How do I start a ticker to chart my lose?