Lianne

For a little spicy alternative, I add red bell pepper, and ginger

Premier shakes from Costco are yummy1 These are the most affordable ready to drink shakes I have found at about $1.00 each. I also drink the Isopure smoothies, they come in yummy flavors like pomegranate berry and have 32 grams of protein. I order them from Amazon for $2.88 each.

I end up taking a large swallow of Fresca WHILE i'm standing over the toilet. That usually helps get it all out. Sometimes I will vomit for 2 hours strait, and nothing else helps. After doing this a few times that usually clears me up. Good luck!

Just above, and to the right of my belly button. Under the largest scar. I couldn't fell mine for about 2 months due to the swelling But it was definately the source of the majority of my pain after surgery. For months! 10 months out now, and a rarely have any pain unless I've done something to strain the muscles it is adhered to.

I was in the same boat as you, but after my 4th ( i think ) fill, I could only eat a small fraction of what I was eating before. But with that restriction come vomiting, and being uncomfortable feeling after eating. At least for me. Best of luck to you!

I've made frozen yogurt with Fage unflavored yogurt, real vanilla, and Splenda. Mix it up put it in the freezer, and stir every 30 minutes until the right consistency. I even made a strawberry sauce with strawberries, and Splenda. It was really good, I served it at a dinner party we were having and everyone loved it.

My Doctor charges $150 if your insurance doesn't cover them.

OMGosh. I thought I was the only one! Grossest thing ever! it's bad enough when it happens at home, but in a public bathroom. Horrible! Thanks for the advise. I'm never gonna do that again without putting a toilet seat cover in the bowl.

I try to stay away from Aspertame as much as possible. Have you tried the MIO flavors? Some are very good. Easy to use, and sweetened with Splenda. You can carry them in your purse, or keep them in your desk at work. I order water at the restaurants the give it a quick squirt from the MIO bottle. Walmart is the best place the buy it.

I voted for you, good luck!

I'm in the same boat as you. 41lbs down and only lost one since the first of the year. But the good news is I am shrinking. I cleaned out mu closet today, and fit into a whole size smaller in pants. I try to remind myself that this is not a race, it's the rest of my life. But sometimes I want to throw that scale out the freakin window! I'll keep keeping on until the scale catches up with me. Good luck!

What a great thread! So many great answers! I don't want to be the fat girl with a pretty face anymore, I just want to be pretty ( = I don't want to walk into a party and ALWAYS be the fattest girl there. I want my outside to look as good as I feel inside. I want to be healthy for a long, long time. I don't want to be fat anymore, life's too short to be held back for ANY reason.

I had pain from my port for 6+ months. It would get better or worse. I found wearing tight pants really irritated it. I still get sore at times if I've been too active or even sitting with bad posture for long periods of time. My surgery was May 2011. But I would let your Dr know next time you seen him.

Don't look at the needle! It's a biggie 0-= My Dr has never offered me any lidocaine. Every time I get fill I am amazed that such a big needle hardly hurts at all. I guess he's just pretty good at it. I HATE needles too, when my husband told my Dr that at my first fill, the Dr said "well then you got the wrong surgery". That made me soo nervous.

I had ablation done late last year to eliminate my periods. I had met my yearly out of pocket co-pays with my Lap Band surgery so i figured why not? It was a very minor outpatient surgery. I still get my regular PMS symptoms (which are minor) but the horrible cramps and the bleeding are gone! I couldn't be happier, and would recommend it to anyone.

Costco sells a great liquid daily vitamin, and it's very affordable. Reviva. It's sugar free, and has fiber to boot. Less than $20 for a two pack.

For Migraines I take a wafer that dissolves under my tongue called Maxalt (prescription). I also use liquid children's Motrin. For minor aches, and pains I take liquid Tylenol. I get the multi packs at Costco or the generic versions at CVS. makes it way more affordable.

Great news! Keep up the good work.

Love it! Way to go ( = I am still trying to get Lane Bryant to stop sending me emails every day. That's pretty exciting.

Dr K is my surgeon too. He is very good. Although I wasn't entirely impressed with the Hospital in Delano, every person there that I had any contact with the day of surgery was absolutely top notch. He is very straight forward and gave me excellent care. My only concern is that pre surgery his staff gave me no instructions at all for after care. But I had 100% confidence with my Doctor.

Good for you Kathy! Good luck! You/ve got the hardest part behind you (the surgery) now you just gotta work it.

Wow, 100 lbs in 1 year and you're not happy? Are you healthy? I can't imagine a better outcome. any faster and you'd more than likely have complications, malnutrition, etc. What were you expecting?

We are almost like LB twins! I was banded 5/10/11. I've been fluctuating between 202 and 208. Down 40 lbs. It's driving me crazy! 3 month now. I saw my Dr today and he didn't do a fill for me because according to his scale I'm down 4 lbs in 4 weeks. I am eating small portions, and working out 3 times per week. So back to the drawing board I guess, something has to change right? I know that I do have to remind myself that this is not a race, it's the rest of my life. Slow and easy wins the race. But it does get very frustrating.

White wine if my friend. Can't drink like i used to, but can still have a few when I feel like it.

My Dr does his own fills. He only had trouble finding my port twice. i am often sore for a few days after. But i've found that after loosing some more weight he tends finds it right off. Maybe the nurse wasn't very experienced with fills? i think I agree that you should request a different nurse for the next fill.