FLORIDAYS

Oh honey it will move.... I promise. Today try do do something that makes you sweat.... Take a brisk walk...go shopping and carry bags of gifts up stairs, clean your house... Go outside if it's not freezing where you live and pull weeds so the house sparkles for the holidays....and double up on your water....sometimes that's all you need to get the scale moving.

Congratulation...getting out of the 300s is awesome!!!

My go to lunch is a small can of tuna mixed with fat free caesar dressing, 6 wheat thins and a mini container of fat free cottage cheese.

It's the holidays.... No doubt if you are a banded person in the losing stage... You have survived holiday office, neighborhood and family parties over the past few weeks by making good decisions and forgoing the sweets and booze. Or maybe you are on liquids, newly banded and struggled through sipping your meals out of a straw. Either way You have continued to lose during this time and you should be very proud of yourself. But we are down to the wire and the cooking for Christmas is beginning and all you can do is think about everything you can't have when really you should think about everything you can have. If you are on liquids during this time... I can relate. I was banded on dec 9 two years ago and wasn't allowed mushies until January 1.... So I found other things to do while people ate on christmas day and while I was feeling pretty sorry for myself I made the most out of it and kept telling myself it would be worth it in the end. I remember I took all the children outside while the adults were going for round two! If you are on solids... You can eat just like everyone else. You can have the same things everyone else does...just smaller portions of it. Spend your time looking up calorie counts and smile to yourself knowing your meal cost you 300 calories... Your uncles pile of food cost him 1500!!! My point it...the holidays are a time to Celebrate friends and family...being together and sharing time with loved ones. You are on a journey to increase your time on this earth...dont waste it on fretting over what you cannot have. Focus on what you do have...and that is will power and momentum to have a better you around for many more holidays to come.

I think having drains vs not having them must make a world of difference because I am standing pretty straight. I am sorry you are still uncomfortable. Honestly I am so glad I did my boobs at the same time or I would have looked pretty scary..I actually paid for the tt and financed the boobs which I am not a fan of ..I am a cash and carry girl.... But 12 months interest free seemed worth it. Maybe your dr has something like that.

I don't live in Indiana I live in Florida and my surgery was 10k. The only reason I am mentioning it is that my hospital and dr offered and all inclusive package to self pays... 5k down and interest free payments of 200$ for 2 years. On the 2nd month of making the payments the hospital called and told me if I paid my account by February 28th they would cut the balance in half. This after just making 2 payments... Well I jumped on that so I ended up only paying $ 7500!! Of course i didnt know it up front that they were going to call and make that offer but maybe check with your local hospitals who specialize in bariatric surgery for a self pay plan.

Welcome Annemarie.... You have done a marvelous job. Congratulations!!! Welcome to the forum.

Donna... You can eat the same things every one else eats. I ate ham all the time... Just about 2 oz of it instead of 8 oz every one else is eating. I ate mased potatoes...1/4 c of them, shoot you can have six or eight pieces of check mix as well... And if the pumpkin pie is calling your name... Take a tiny slice.... Just eat a bite or two. Nothing is going to happen... You will not gain 5 lbs on that amount if food. And while the others are stuffing their faces you can busy yourself on your phone ap looking up all the calories counts and adding them into your food diary. Seriously...very rarely did or do I cook something different for myself....I just eat tiny portions of what everyone else does.... They can gain the weight but I do not. Hang in there.

Without knowing if you are sticking to a certain calorie count and portions I cannot identify a specific area to work on.... But i drank lots of Water, counted every calorie and measured and weighed my portions...even when the scale didn't move so I knew it was just a matter of time.... If you are doing that I would just keep on doing it... And one day you will wake up and the scale will be on a brand new number.

No need for tears...we all started the same way.... We hit a point in our lives where enough was enough and we chose to do something about it.... You are there... Just dedicate your life to this project and you will be successful. There will be tough times ahead but just remember how you feel right now...and that NOTHING tastes as good as thin feels!!!

My dr said I would lose from the top down and he was right. I have lost everywhere... Face, neck, chest, arms, tummy, hips, thighs, calfs..... Even my feet. My fingers wnt down 4 sizes!!! I started with 77" hips.... Now they are 37". I even have a space between my legs when I stand .... I NEVER had that before.....lol

Just stick to your portion size and calories count and you will be ok. This is a tough time but consider how good you will feel when it's time for that fill and how much more weight you will have lost.

Best wishes for success!

That's is the best thing I heard all day.

My dr told me 1000 from the gitgo.... Liquids or solids... To be honest I was lucky to get in 800 for the first several weeks

My dr said 2 weeks....which worked for me because it took that long for me to feel normal.... Now I am recovering from the tt and breast aug and I will need to ask at my 2 week post op appt...I have a feeling this will be longer

I learn so much on this forum..... They look like a snacking food which I try to avoid..

interesting....certainly see what he says. Just curious....So would you just make them liquid instead of solid?

Veggie sticks? Like cut up carrots and celery? obviously those are fine except I have trouble with the strings on celery.... They do not digest very well. You MIT be different. Ask yourndr to be sure. If that's not what you mean I am Sorry..... not familiar with any other kind of veggie stick......

thanks very much. I too was out patient... So I think it's each surgeons preference... Or the way they were trained... I don't know but I had liquids for 2 weeks before, 2 weeks after until I could move to mushies so I am serious when I say lucky you!!! LOL

I suppose if you can blend up the peppers to the point of being liquid..... And you are used to hot foods... It would be ok but I would check with the doctor to be sure he wouldn't think the acid would be harmful....

Doing well today...went shopping for a few hours and it was most certainly enough. I have been on the couch since I got home....the bruising is coming in nicely now where it hadn't yet.... LOL. I don't have drains so don't have to deal with that. I am not really too hunched over but obviously not running any marathons. Only have taken pain meds twice... Both times at night to sleep. Didn't last night and made it through six hrs before I woke up uncomfortable. Bought a spanx like garmet to wear to help the swelling above the waiste. Don't have it below the waist and dr said the garment would help even things up. He wants me to sleep in it. Glad to hear you are doing well

Lucky you for being able to move to mushies so quickly. It just amazes me how doctors vary on their instructions.... It just makes this all So confusing. Congrats on making good decisions.

Lessons learned are the ones we remember,.......

Occasionally I find my band doesn't like something I ate, i ate too fast or too much and it let's me know...but I wouldn't say it's happened a lot. Continue doing what you are doing and maybe you will not have any issues. Congrats!