FLORIDAYS

He told me it would take 2 1/2 yrs and I am at 22 months.... so I think he is very happy for me. Back in April he said I could come in every other month instead of once a month... I paniced and thought I would gain it all back for some silly reason. Of course I didnt and now its every 3 months... but I miss him!

I felt awful until day 4. Headache from hell and I was starving. I was on liquid shakes from Optifast and found if you add ice and put them in a blender there is more of it and its better... I was alowed 2 sugar free popsicles each day. And caffine free tea or coffee. broth was ok but not encouraged so I didnt. And of course Water water water. It was horrible to be honest but I was so excited for the surgery it somehow got me through it. The crowning glorig was on the day before surgery my Dr told me I lost 22 lbs in those 2 weeks. I learned that I didnt need to eat my way through a day and I still survived. All the best to you!

gotcha... well then like we talked about before...ignore them

If you are worried about it... come clean before you leave and tell the boss you are having a medical procedure and that you were too emarrased to say anthing at first but you value your job and love working there so wanted to be honest with him/her. You dont want to be recovering from surgery while worrying about your job

Unless I am paying their bills I have no right to judge but keep in mind that Marijuana is illegal in the United States. Just saying....

OK so you use it as a meal replacement. I have a SF carnation instant breakfast on some work morning too for the same reason... I dont think of that as a protein shake. Maybe I am confused. Are the protien shakes more healthy?

I am confused by the question. Are you asking if there is another way to reduce belly fat other than diet and exercise? Other than a tummy tuck if there is I am not aware of it... From your profile I assume you are male.... in which case that is more common to have all the weight in the tummy. But its is still fat and depending how overweight you are it most likely needs to come off for your health. I would have a chat with your Dr and discuss what options will work for you. Best of luck!

thats a great feeling! Keep up the good work!

In another thread there was discussion about shakes. It seems alot of you drink them on a pretty regular basis and I am wondering why? Are they for nutrition or enjoyment? Are they a Meal Replacement or in addition too? Please don't misunderstand. I am not saying anything is wrong with it... I just never was told to do it or felt I needed it for any reason. My Dr has me scared to death about empty liquid calories so I never thought to try them. Can you tell me for what purpose you drink them? I appreciate the knowledge because I havent had once since the pre and post op Optifast required shakes.. Thanks

There are several reasons people succeed... For me I think the biggest one is that I followed my drs orders. He told me what to eat, when to eat and how to eat . I listened and never tried to take the shortcuts. It not only worked but I haven't had any trouble with my band.

Interesting,..... I never thought about an emergency situation. I will have to think about this.

I stick with 1000 calories... Mostly because if I did t lose this weight At a decent pace i would have become frustrated...well that and I find if I eat 1300-1500 I will just maintain... So I have averaged my loss at about 10 lbs per month.

Ok... But please excuse my laymans knowledge of medical terms,.... What's an NG tube?

And that's a good answer... I was just curious as to why I would need one

Talk to your doctor there may be some creative solutions for self pays I was a bmi of 55 and Aetna wouldn't cover it... My dr and the hospital had an arrangement for self pays ..1/2 down and the other 1/2 was interest free for 2 yrs. the at 2 months post op they called to tell me what a great customer I was...and offered me $.50 on the dollar to payoff my account. It cost me less than if I went to Mexico like I though about. Good luck to You!

Peanut butter was always one of my go to foods as a fat girl... So as delicious as it sounds I will stay away. I have tried a thin spread of pb on toast and I always get heartburn as I did when I was heavy and i hate that so I just deleted it from my grocery list But it sure sounds yummy !

I have the card... But I wonder what purpose would it serve to have the bracelet? I mean obviously it would alert medical personnel that you are banded but why? I really am curious... I mean I always put it on a medical form and have alerted any drs I have seen for whatever reason...including the dentist.. But I would love to know why you think it would be important info for someone to know in an emergency situation.

2 lbs each week is fine... Don't be ashamed of any type of steady loss. If you are satisfied at 1200 calories a day and you are losing ...that's wonderful!

I can totally relate. Thanks for sharing!

Calorie counting worked for me... so while I didnt add in any shakes if you want to just make sure they dont put you over your alloted calorie intake or the day. I lost my weight eating 1000 calories a day so there wasnt much room for shakes. As for sugar... I use sugar free whatever I can and figure the rest of it will work out. Sticking to a low calorie mael plan doesnt leave much room for sugar either. Good luck!

the liquid diet was to get your liver and body ready for surgery. And to teach you that you can live with out eating food. You cannot sustain on it or compare losses to eating food. For me to lose this weight I had to decide how many calories I can eat to lose ... 1000 is my number. I measure and track everything I put in my mouth... I use a kitchen scale and measuring cups and the application on my phone which tracks calories. I could show you what I ate exactly for the past 22 months....LOL I was very strict with myself. Not so much anymore as I am 10 lbs from goal but now is where the band really shines.... For example...last night my husband and I were grabbing a bite before attending a function. He wanted BBQ. SO I could have gotten any number of things but I opted for the BBQ chicken which consisted of a leg and thigh. The sides were "greens" I hate, baked Beans etc... so I just asked for a baked potato / butter on side. The meal came and I got the chicken and potatoe and a HUGE roll. First think I did was as for a to go box. I removed the roll. Then I cut my potato in half and removed one half from my plate. Then I took the skin off the checken leg and thigh and started to eat the meat. I would say It was 3 oz of meat. I ate most of it w/ BBQ sauce. I also ate most of the potato 1/2... about 1/4 c or so. Thats it. I was so full.... and didnt think about food until this morning. Granted I would have preferred 1/4 potato and some veggies but they only had leafy greens and that doesnt sit well with me...and I dont care for them anyway. But Thats how well this band can work. I hope that helps.

I have found that it doesnt matter when I stop drinking before I eat. Its more important that I dont drink after or during. I ueually wait 30 minutes. Any sooner than that usually gets me in trouble. FOr me it feels like the liquid just pushed the food back up if I drink too soon after eating

Nothing you dont know but I feel the question is... why are you eating all that food? I needed this to work for me. I am guessing you did too or you wouldnt have been banded. The band only does 70% of the work. You need to do the rest. ribs and fried chicken arent in my diet plan. The would blow my 1000 calories a day out of the Water. I am a firm believer that you do need to control your calories to lose the weight. With or without the band. The band makes it easier not to over eat but if you are making bad choices day after day you wont lose weight. Once you have lost the weight you can relax and eat that stuff in moderation to maintain. Thats where the band makes it easier in my eyes.

No pain no gain. I know its a tired saying but it true. Recovering from surgery hurts. The meds and following Dr's orders helps..but it was about 2 weeks before I felt normal again. Now that I am way on the other side.... I have no regrets or misgivings. Do I wish I wouldnt have had to resort to surgery? Yes. Am I glad it was an option for me... absolutely!

I agree with the other posters. If I want something I have it. But thats now... For the forst 200 lbs I just found a substitue...as I was on a track which I refused to be derailed off of so sugar free pudding was the go to. One of those premade Jello SF puddings are only like 60 calories. Another was the Granola thins... they are 80 calories I think and the chocolate it a very thin layer but it satisfied me. Now... If I want candy I will have 2 or 3 peanut M&Ms. Thats it.... then I either toss the rest of the bag or hand it to hubby who doesnt struggle with his weight.