Texarkana Bandsters

[Sugarbear 2]

Oh the ticker. Looks like you got a ticker for debt reduction. But getting the ticker over to your signature is the main thing. You might want to change it to "weight loss," now that you know how to do it. Good luck.

[A lot less 1]

Do I need to be taking the Vitamins now?

[Lisa G. 4]

Way to go, gloharmar. Now you know how to do it. You should be able to change it anytime now. LOL

I know all about beautiful, downtown Omaha, Texas. It's a wonderful place to visit!!! lol You would just have to drive to Wally world. I don't even know if they would have the enzyme, but there is a GNC in the Super 1 shopping center.

Shannon, glad to hear that it works. I reckon I'll have to go and get some.

Lynn, I hate that yall are starting so early. We did that last year. This year the kids don't start until the 27th. They have "meet the teacher nite" thursday before.

See yall!

lisa

[Lisa G. 4]

Yes, start taking Vitamins now. chewables. I take two chewables a day. There are some liquid vitamins on the market now that I might start taking. I'm sorry, I have a bad case of CRS lately (can't remember stuff) I'll think of the name and get back to you. I know you can get it at wal mart. Mckellar's medicine chest in MP has some also that look mighty tasty. Also, get you some ADULT liquid Tylenol and put it in the cabinet for later use.

lisa

[lo2us 1]

Usually when I'm stuck, it takes about 15 minutes to an hour to pass. I've heard some people taking 3-5 hours! Yikes! This getting stuck is kind of painful. I'm finding that my band must close up easily and I need to sip something warm throughout the day. I think my first fill must have been a tight one, but nothing I can't live with. The papya enzyme has really helped speed things up so that almost 5 minutes after taking it, I'm feeling a lot better if not totally better.

I would recommend a heating pad and a BIG pillow to help position yourself in bed until the soreness goes away too. Also, it might be a good idea to buy some surgical tape to have on hand when you come home. My steristrips didn't want to stay stuck the find couple of days because of drainage.

The hairdo went well...wohoo! I'm now an auburn redhead with super straight hair until I was it! If you don't have super curly hair, I know it's not big deal, but wow have I been missing out!

[lo2us 1]

Until I wash it even! Geez with the typos!

[Sugarbear 2]

Lo2us, how short did you get it cut?! You know they have some kind of Iron I think at the beauty salons that will straighten your hair I think permanently, until it's cut off. But you have to have the newgrowth touched up. They charge by the inch, so I would think you would have to have it fairly short. I can't wait to see you, I'm sure it is great. Is the enzyme a drink or what? Maybe I will check that out when I am in T-Town. I seldom have the problem. How much fill did you wind up getting? Gotta go, meeting friends in T-town for dinner.< /p>

[wish412 0]

Sugarbear, I know that the trainer is a bit pricey, but after Colby came to the meeting and said that if we pay only for the trainer for2 months we don't have to join the gym, I thought I would give it my best shot for eightweeks. Usually it is about 150.00 just for the monthly fee, so the trainer was a pretty good deal. 600.00 for 2 months, and you get one on one training three times a week for 1 hour each time. I am doing things I never thought were possible at my age, and I love the feeling of sore muscles cause I know I have really oushed them hard, and I can still walk and talk and BREATHE! If there is any way possible just try to hire a trainer for just one hour at a time, and learn some exercises you can do. I just know myself too well, and after I broke a sweat on my own, I would leave and head to Starbucks, but she keeps me on track, and not quitting after 15 minutes. Hope has 2 gyms, but I am not sure about personal trainers. I really don't even shop much in Hope any more, so I just drive to Texarkana and usually get to have lunch with my hubby after my workout. Please post if you hear where the meeting will be this month. Thanks, MIZBOO

[lo2us 1]

I didn't really get it cut short, just thinned a lot. I don't have the patience to straighten it everyday and I'm afraid to do it permanetly because I feel safer with poofy hair! Maybe when I'm skinny, I'll feel more secure about keeping it straight.

The enzyme is a chewable tablet that tastes really good. You take up to three at a time. I've been taking two and it helps a lot. You can order it from GNC.com or from the Vitamin Shop. The Vitamin Shop has the better deal with 300 for $7 and GNC is 180 for $7. The product at GNC is called papya complete. I've also been told that pineapple juice will help too. Anybody tried that?

[sunlight575757 0]

Hi to all!

I havent posted in a while because i have been depressed that i am not losing weight. I started out at 275 and 2 weeks after surgery i was 250. I stay aroung 247 to 250 now and that is with drinking 2 slim fast a day instead meals. I have had my first fill and it is not restricting me, but i am getting stuck a lot more. I have lost a lot of inches and my clothes are big and i feel better. I get tired of people asking how much weight have you lost now and i cant report any weight lost. I think i may tell them i am not getting on the scales much but i can tell i have lost weight.

Thanks sugarbear for emailing me and giving me a pep talk!

[Sugarbear 2]

Hi Sunlight, glad to see you are back. This seems to a harder journey for some of us than others. For those of us that have to trudge through it, we'll just have to find things that work for us through trial and error. If you don't get enough calories and or Protein, your body may be screaming, "hey, I'm not getting enough! Sooooo, I am going to hold on to everything you give me. I'm starving here already! That is one scenerio why some are slow losers. I will have to admit that is definitely not my problem. Even though we have this tool to use to help us eat less, it will not tell us, "don't eat this, and don't eat that." Sometimes it tells us you shouldn't have eaten this or that, or you ate entirely too much! Does that sound goofy? Oh well.....that's the way it seems to be going for me. You would think once it told me that, I would heed the message and not do it anymore. hmmmm. Years ago I used to smoke. I know, shame on me! When I quit, I thought, that was the hardest thing I have ever done! If I can do this I should be able to do ANYTHING! WRONG! Breaking the horrible habits of what brought me to obesity seems to have a stronger hold over me than nicotine (as powerful a drug as it is) ever had over me. I am truly ashamed to admit that, but it is true. That is something I have to correct myself, the band can't do it for me. Whew! Now that I have spilled my guts,lol, gotta bring this to a close. What I am trying to say Betty, is we are all different. We have to figure out what OUR problems are and then find a solution that works for us. Everyone on here will back you on your journey to lose weight and being healthier. We all need a pepper-upper session from time to time. Me included. I have only lost 16 pounds since the actual surgery. Gotta get my bottom in gear too. Take care, stay in touch.

[hippmom 2]

sunlight

don't give up!! i'm the slow poke of this group but have finally begun to loss a little more. i was banded 7/06 and had a few problems with a leak in the tubing. that was finally fixed in 3/07. i think because of the leak i didn't learn how to work the band at first because i could eat anything even after 3-4 fills and i was always hungry. but after the tubing was fixed i have slowly begun to find the "sweet spot". i really have to watch how and what i eat now. i still eat the things i like but can only eat a very small amount and i have to really pay attention the what the band says to me if it tells me not to eat that last bite i better listen are every thing will come up!!! but i am learning to listen and am working the band better now. since my last fill which was 7-9-07 i have lost about 6-8 lbs which is a record for me. so i guess what i am trying to say is get those fills. the band is made to work with the right amount of fill when that is right the rest is up to us.

well that is my 2 cents worth

[Lisa G. 4]

Betty, I agree with Sugarbear and hippmom. (hi yall) I had my fourth fill last tuesday. Up until then, it seemed like I had restriction for a few days and then it just went away. I have been banded for seven months. I'm not a really fast loser either. You just have to be patient until you can find your spot. We were told at the begining that weight loss would be slow, not like GB where you lose rapidly because of such a small pouch and malnutrition. I get discouraged also, but I just keep thinking tomorrow is another day, I will do this. You just have to have faith and determination. I promise it will get better after you get a few fills. Who knows, the next one may be the one. Just keep after it and before you know it, you will be losing faster that you can imagine.

lisa

[lo2us 1]

Here's what keeps me going even though my loss has slowed down the past 2 weeks:

I have an addiction to food. This addiciton is a little harder to break because unlike every other addiction, we have to eat to survive. We can't go cold turkey.

Don't beat yourself up. Just keep doing your best, that's all any of us can do at any given moment. If you mess up (I guarentee all of us have), let it go and try to do better.

[lo2us 1]

You already know I can't spell! And WHEN are they going to get the edit button fixed???????