TracieR

Love her too! I am definitely making the Strawberry Cannoli Santas to bring as a dessert to our families Christmas dinner!!

My doctor gave me clearance to start exercising with no restrictions at about 8 weeks post op. Definitely check with your doctor.

I have been having the same problem. My hair seems to be breaking off though. My doctor says it is a combo of not enough protein and just a side effect of the weight loss. I've been taking 5,000 Biotin once a day. It seems to be helping, took a couple of months to kick in though.

Isn't it great? We will never see the 300's again! WOOHOO! Congrats to you!

So since Thanksgiving I've been not making the best food choices. I've been slacking with my Protein and just overall slipping into bad habits. I am here today to start over. Today I was at the gym bright and early and have already had 30 grams of protein and 32 oz of Water. My goals for the week are to get 100oz of water and eat 3 meals a day. What a great opportunity Monday’s are! You get to fix what went wrong LAST week, you get to try the things that you were too afraid to do LAST week, you get to go after one of the infinite opportunites that are available to you that you put off LAST week…whoo hoo!! What will you do with your Fresh Start Monday??

This is what they refer to as bandster hell! The time where your built-in willpower has not yet been turned on. I agree with the other posters, I haven't heard of a doctor who gives a fill before 4 weeks post op. Stick with it, follow the rules and keep busy. I always log on here when I have a craving. Reading success stories seem to help keep them at bay! Good luck to you!

Congrats on losing 35lbs! Take it one day at a time. Try not to obsess over the numbers. For the first 2 months or so your body is adjusting to the changes. If you follow the rules your doctor gave you it will start to come off! Also, about the sagging skin thing - from what I have read it is also your body. Some people sag some people don't . I have major stretch marks all over and from what my dr told me that skin will probably not bounce back no matter how slow I lose or how much I exercise. Just my two cents! Good Luck to you!

Thanks everyone! I feel great! It has been the best thing I have ever done for myself!

Thanks so much! I had my surgery at Mercy with Dr. Garber. I am very happy with them. I didn't really do a preop diet, the week before surgery I had a Protein shake for Breakfast and tried to eat light. I did not lose any weight before surgery. I was exactly the same weight on my first visit that I was the morning of surgery. It is a lot of hard work but if you follow the rules and take it one day at a time it will work for you! I wish you all the best!

I had surgery on March 8, 2011. I have been working my a** off (literally!) I am so proud of myself - I will say it because I deserve it! I have a good restriction right now. I watch my calories but, honestly not too strict with it. I eat low carb, high Protein, don't do bread or Pasta at all. I don't deprive myself, if I want something I have it. A small portion of it. I started working out about 8 weeks after surgery. I work out 4-5 days a week, two of those days with a trainer. I love it. I went from a tight size 26/28 to a 16 (!!!!). I started this journey at 371lbs and now weigh 256lbs. I want to get under 200 and then I will decide on a goal weight. I wanted to share some pictures to show my progress. I love my band! Sorry if the pictures are huge - I was having trouble resizing!!! Before (02/2011) During (Thanksgiving 2011)

Sounds delicious. I'm ging to try the pistachio. Thanks for sharing!

Yes. Sometimes the fill can take a couple of weeks to really "kick in". Also, I get tighter around my time of the month.

I weigh in everyday and record it on Thursday. I don't obsess about the number except for on Thursday! It helps keep me accountable and tells me if I need to change up my eating or work out routine. Works for me so far!

Yeah it is not a fun feeling! I find that there are certain things that no matter how slow I go or how small my pieces are I get stuck on them anyway, like chicken breast. Also, sometimes my band is tighter around that time of the month, in the morning and when I am stressed. I just go slow and learn something new all the time! Good Luck!

I had surgery with Dr. Garber. I am 100% happy with them! I have not had the experience where I have to push them for things. Everything pre-op and post-op has gone great. I had my first appt in December and had surgery in March. Everything went very smoothly. Since my 1 week postop I have not seen Dr. Garber, I personally don't have an issue with that, I feel that I can see him if I need to. He also answers emails pretty quickly. I see the PA's - Donna and Irina. I am very happy with them. I feel they take the time to answer my questions and accomodate my needs with no problems. The office is super busy and you usually have a pretty long wait. Overall I have had a very positive experience with Dr. Garber and the staff. Choosing a doctor is a very personal decision and I can only share my own experience so far. Best of luck to you!

I had to stop reading for a while in the beginning because of the negativity but I try to remember people come here that are having issues or have questions. It is hard to do sometimes. I love my band too! YAY!

This is what I had done when I had a stress echo: You will have several electrodes (small, sticky patches) placed on your chest and a baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) will be done. The Echocardiography Technologist will first perform an echocardiogram at rest. To do this, a small device called a transducer is held against your chest with ultrasound gel while you lie on your left side with your left arm up. Next, you will be asked to walk on a treadmill. The average walking time is 6 to 10 minutes. Your blood pressure and ECG will be recorded several times throughout this test. The treadmill will start slowly and then gradually increase speed and incline. You will continue walking until you are either too tired to continue, you have reached your target heart rate or the Cardiologist or his/her designee has obtained adequate information. You will be asked to report any symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath. The test may be stopped if you experience these symptoms. Immediately after you have finished walking on the treadmill, the final echocardiogram will be done. Again, you will lie on your left side while the transducer is placed on your chest to record pictures.

It sounds like you need a fill! Call you doctor if you want to be sure. Good Luck!

I was an emotional wreck the first month or so. I was mourning food and learning how to deal with stress/life without food as my comfort. Take it one day at a time! You seem to be on the right track....keep doing what you are doing and the weight will start coming off again! Good Luck!

I love your lists of motivations! I feel the same way, i just want to be healthy. I enjoyed reading your blog and will be following it. Keep up the good work!

I hope your follow up with doctor goes well! Feel better!

Welcome Stacie! The forums have helped me write out my feelings sometimes instead of eating them! Hope they can help you too.

I had surgery on a Tuesday and returned to work the following Monday. I was a little tired at the end of the day but not too bad.

I remember my first weight loss "class" when I was in fourth grade!! UGH! I have heard "You have such a pretty face" my whole life. I started my journey at 371lbs only 8 months ago and I have already lost 110lbs. I haven't been this weight in forever and I feel awesome! Sometimes I forget I'm still fat because I feel so good!!!

Great news! I'm glad to see you are doing better. Best wishes for continued success!