PattyGirl66

These are my boys! They are brothers and came from a litter of 5 boys. Their Mother is a blue russian and their father is a black/white tuxedo. My husband and I adopted them from a rescue shelter two years ago when they were 4 months old. Naturally they are jealous of one another and always are fighting for my attention. They have a love and hate relationship towards eachother, but there are times when I find them snuggling and playing which makes it worth having them both.

I am a huge animal lover, especially little fur balls.... I have 2 brothers of my own. This is sooooo sweet! I love how they all are in a row like that, super cute! Thanks for sharing!

I think you are doing fantastic!!! Great job

Oh, and another thing I thought of..even though you said you don't snack per say. I would suggest you eat a lite snack between meals and make them healthy such as a fresh fruit, hard boiled egg (white), yogurt, or string cheese. This can help with adding on to your caloric intake as well

I would deff up the calories since you have experimented before and lost weight. I know I too have a very hard time getting to up my calories because its a matter of balancing out the calories and fat ratio. You can always switch back to what your normal range would be. Fat grams should be between 20-25 grams a day (healthy fat), you can do this by adding the good ones to your meals such as Peanut Butter, lite virgin olive oil, smart balance lite butter, mayo (just make sure to measure). Fiber would be around 20-25 grams daily (another hard nutrient to get in) Protein should be over 50 grams per day. Last resort, if you tried everything and still your weight has stalled I would deff recommend seeing a nutrionist ... Best of luck and keep us posted! BTW, you look fantastic

What is your caloric intake? For instance, if you normally intake 1200 a day, you may need to up it for a few days. Also, I am a big believer in your fat grams as well. Are you getting enough of adequate fat grams per day? Fat free is not a good way to go (remember fat burns) Adding extra fat (healthy) in towards your meal is very helpful. And as Kime-Lou said above you should really try to eat different foods. Keep track or a journal that is your best bet in doing this. I have also hit a plateau and lost only 1 lb in 4 weeks. I have started exercising 3 weeks now and I had to tweak my nutrients in order to jumpstart even the one pound. I know this is temporary and I will continue to lose. Also, be very careful on your salt intake too much of it swells under our skin and we retain it. There are 5 key nutrients I watch daily when tracking, they are: Calories/Fat/Protein/Carbs/Fiber Be super careful of the Carbohydrates expecially, they are sneeeeeeeeaky, LOL I usually stay under 110 grams a day, give or take. Don't get discouraged, you probably ran into a small set back ....

Well, for starters you seem to reconize and validate many things about lapband surgery and how the band works. You also acknowledge that the band is just a tool only. You are not nieve and certaintly not oblivous. Now, with all that you mentioned above you are right to say that the band is just a tool, a tool that can work for you, but you have to help it. Honestly, I don't have a magic answer for you, wish I did. However, I think you know what you need to do in order to get your weight loss journey back on track. Are you trying hard enough? No more excuses, and just because your friend has the sleeve does not make her any less vulnerable than you, she too will have to fight with all her might to keep that weight off from coming back. Lucky you have a 'tool' to help you from doing just that, she is not that lucky. Any weight loss, no matter what you will have to find strength and willpower to succeed. Starting over--- Yes you can do this! Why? Because you care about yourself and your health (that is the reason you had this done in the first place). Never give up on yourself, Now, I am going to give you a virtual hug (((((hugs)))))) because I know how hard this is and I really do feel your pain and frustration. I have been there a million times. Hope you hang around you would be surprised how much 'venting' can lead to actual motivation and results Take care,

Wonderful Job! Keep up the great work you are doing marvelous!!!!

Hi Connie, Rest assure we all have been there and done that. You are right! It is a learning process and does take some time. We have busy stressful lives and we tend to 'rush' everything we do, including eating. If you catch yourself rushing, put your utensil down and take a few deep breaths, collect yourself, and most importantly 'focus'. This allows you to realize you need to slow down. Especially those of you who have very small children, you really need the extra time... Hang in there

I couldn't agree more with my lovely friend Missy about the smell of nicotine from smoking. I have a friend who smokes and when she comes and visits me honestly she smells awful to the point I don't want to touch her coat to hang it near my other items in my closet, so I just leave it on the chair. I don't think she knows how badly the odor pours out of her because she does smoke. The saddest is when her very young daughter comes over she reeks of smoke , almost as if she was smoking a few packs a day. I think about her when she is in school and how others are affected by her smell. You know kids can be cruel. I did mention this to her Mother and only got lashed out so I don't say much ever! Just as any addiction its a battle and I think you will benefit dearly by quitting, having just 1 addiction is horrible, but 2 or 3 makes it more so difficult to combat, but its doable if determined. I sincerly wish you the best of luck and hope you do 'kick' the habbit once and for all ...

I really have no clue, I started shedding (hair breaking) about a month after surgery. As of now I have less breakage this is a good sign. My hair is growing as I just got it cut and less hair on the brush and in the shower.

baaaaaaaa, that is hysterical!!!

I firmly believe that tracking your foods daily will be the best tool you can have in becoming a weight loss success. It helps not only for me to see how much food I am taking in, but if my weight comes to a stall (such as now) I can go back to my tracker and tweak all my nutrients to jumpstart my metabolisim again. I just started exercising a few weeks ago and this may be one of the reasons my weight has stalled, but I know this is temporary. Another thing someone mentioned above, don't put too much stress on yourself or have high expectations as this can become frustrating and only lead to falling off track. Pace yourself and follow a plan that works for you, remember no two people are alike when losing weight and speaking to a nutrionist about your needs can help with a plan that fits into your lifestyle.

Yes, its very normal - Mine is breaking off less and less. I have been taking some precautions, such as eating balanced meals daily, a multivitamin, biotin gelcaps, rinsing my hair with cool water and never hot, spraying my hair with Paul Mitchell strong hair treatments. Every little bit helps in trying to combat the hair from breaking. Just remember that this is temporary....

Hey Weeze, It will get better,. Many of us have been down this road before. I know before surgery I swore I would never eat again once banded. I had this idea fixated in my head. It was fear of losing food, my comfort. There were times on my pre-op diet I wanted to eat every single thing I laid eyes on for fear I would never eat again. I did have one big meal 2 weeks before my surgery and knew that was going to be the last time I eat like a raving lunatic. The reason as you know, for doing the pre-op is to 'shrink' your liver. The liver is located super close to your stomache, right where the surgeons will operate. There is motive for this, because when your liver shrinks your surgeons can meuneuver around that area, thus not coming in contact with the liver, like cuts, nicks, or tears. This could be very dangerous, and your surgeo once inside will determine whether or not your liver is small enough to do surgery. There was a man who came to this forum about a month or so ago and told us a story about what happened to him. Honestly, I wanted to cry for him. He said on the day of his surgery the surgeons opened him up, when he woke up, he was told they could not band him because his liver did not shrink enough. OMG, this poor man! He had to wait another month and lose more weight, scary huh? What advice do I have for you? None that you already don't know. Talk to yourself every day, enforce good habits now. Believe me you will not starve once you get the band. You will not have to give up the foods you love! Its all in moderation.... Stay strong....

Hi Lanna, Your gas is 'internal' and from what I read the best results you will get is from walking. The more you move around the gas will move and will eventally dissipate. Other things you can try is Gas X strips, and even a heating pad (be sure not to put the heating pad on your belly). Hang in there it will get better...

NIIIICE! Great job!! Keep it up

Hi Kitty, Yes, I had a bloody nose anddddd I was hacking up phlem. It is from the anesthesia. Boy I was messed up!, LOLOL

Again, this is going to be through trial and error you will find what works for you. Some may say MOM is very very gassy and leads to feeling very bloated as well. Since you just got out of surgery, keep taking the stool softners and drink plenty of water. Honestly, these 'other' precautions are 'last resorts' when you are still having a hard time going.... Best of luck,

Kitty, Expect to be swollen for awhile, don't get scared its very normal. Everyone heals differently, and so our bodies changes are different too. I was swollen for many weeks, and bloated as well. You are looking quite normal, LOL It does get better, hang in there chick...

OMG Anna, I really really hope things work out for you!! Please keep us posted about your surgery! I really really keep hopeing Sandy loses her strength by the time she makes her way up here!!! (crossing fingers for you)!!!

Gosh, there are so many mushies and recipes you can make. I really enjoyed this stage beleive me!! I made a list what to buy from the store when I was in the 'mushy' stages, they are: Mashed potatoes Mashed sweet potatoes Blenderized tuna fish white/albacore in Water laughing cow 'lite' cheese wedges Babybel 'lite' cheese Ricotta cheese (part skim) Cottage cheese (1 or 2%) Refried Beans Bumble Bee chicken Breast (blenderized) in can. **Note, you can also visit the food/nutrition thread on here and find there are many many recipes for mushy stages, several I posted myself** Be safe from Sandy, we are expecting her as well (NJ here)

Hiya Kittylove, OMG, I thought I would die!!! Nine days it took, and honestly I am not regular like I was before banded. I found through trial and error what works for me in helping me get some relief. I eat prunes and rasins. Occassionaly prune or grape juice. Not too much because these contain a lot of sugar (carbs). However, it helps and does not affect my weight loss. Now, since you just got banded you can not eat these itmes, Keep taking the stool softner. Drink lots of Water, Oh, also I do drink an 8 ounce glass of water mixed with metamucil every day, this I find helps me too! I am almost going every day now. (knock on wood), but it did take a very long while before this happened...

<----Northern NJ and prepared for the unexpected. I feel worse for those who live down by the shore areas and live by rivers/lakes. They usually are the ones who suffer the most. Where I am located we worry about floods and power outages. Winds can bring down trees so that worries me too. I am quite a few blocks from the hudson river which will hit the lower part of my town, I am wayyyy uptown so we are safe in that aspect. Flooding is going to be big, I just made sure the drain in the driveway is clear because that has a tendency to flood the garage/basement if its clogged up. Made sure all the patios chairs are put inside and garbage bins are put against the gate in the backyard so its not flying around the streets. Be safe everyone!

Hope you are doing well from your surgery! I would say to sip allllllll day long. Keep yourself hydrated. If you made a drink for yourself you can keep sipping until you are finished, just pause inbetween taking small breaks by putting your drink down. Just keep sipping, thats about it... Keep us posted on your progress, and take time to heal...