jetti

hi I have the same problem - I LOVE sweets. try cutting back little by little and if you are going to have the sweets try and be smart about it. have a bite size piece of candy instead of a normal size bar. get some of those 100 calorie snack packs. I struggle with staying away from candy everyday and some days I fall or nosedive off the wagon but you just have to pick yourself back up and keep on trying. A lot of times I will think about it first and try to talk myself out of it with the thought have having something better another day..."I wont eat this cookie today because Friday is someones birthday and I want to be able to eat some cake" It is hard but as you are reaching for the sweet think about it for a minute and hopefully that will help you say no...even if you are only able to say no 2 times out of 10 you are still going towards the right direction. Good luck!!

Im not sure of the brand that I have but I either got it at Walmart or Walgreens and they disolve rather quickly and have a fruity taste to them. maybe try a different brand

so I had my 1 year check up the other day and my doctor was happy with the way everything has been going. He felt around on my stomach and said everything is good. but he wants me to go for a barium swallow just to check the placement of the band, size of the pouch, etc. Did anyone else have to do this? I didnt think anything of it but of course after thinking about it I started to worry that he felt something was wrong and wants to double check. I am sure I am worried for nothing but just want to see if this is common practice. thanks!

thanks ladies I appreciate the feedback.

I feel the same way you do. Im 30 and I spent all of my teen and 20 years hiding because of my weight. I am not a very outgoing person but I can see the change in myself since I started losing weight. I will never be an overly out there person but anything is better then living behind the invisible wall.

luluc - I am not a big daredevil but I have definitely come out of my shell since losing weight. hope you have a great time on your upcoming trips!!

I went to the Dominican Republic 8 months after being banded. I was definitely alot more comfortable being myself on this vacation. didnt feel like a beach whale or fish out of water. i went out every night and had a great time and im not sure if i would have done that and been as happy if i was still at my preband weight.

I had a trip planned a few weeks before I was banded and used it as reward in my mind to reach my goal. I set a good goal to reach by the time I got on the plane and not only did I reach it but I beat it. I knew that I didnt want to be the same fat me on the beach this summer so having that vacation planned helped me push myself and get myself to where I am now.

I start my day with a glass of orange juice - I cant stand the thought of food too early in the morning i have always been like that not just since being banded. I will then have an apple and some peanut butter around 10am and it holds me over just fine until lunch around 130pm

jenny you may not be as skinny at the end of 08 as you want to be but hey you are skinnier and that in my book is a big plus!!! you are doing great so dont be so hard on yourself. The suggestions to try and walk at work is a good one...also try to do some jumping jacks if you can sneak them in somewhere through out the day, 10 or 15 here in there may not seem like much buy hey its better then nothing. I can also pretty much eat whatever I want just smaller portions but there are alot of things that I choose not to eat or at least I will eat them as a treat once a week or every 2 weeks. If your current fill is not giving you enough restriction then try to go for another one but in the mean time try to think about what you are eating. are you getting enough Protein? eating to many carbs? I dont count anything - carbs, calories, fat - but I do try to stay away from things that are high in those catergories on a daily basis. dont get down on yourself you are doing great...good luck!

welcome to the board!! first thing I would suggest doing is to call your insurance to make sure they cover the surgery. if they do find out if there are any other surgeons in your area that they cover and then attend the info seminars held my most doctors. you insurance/surgeon will be able to tell you what is required and generally how long it will take. some insurance require different test and some dont require much at all...all insurances and plans are different so you have to call and find out what your specific plans requires. good luck!

ok i came up with some pretty corny ones but hey it beats doing the invoices on my desk at work good luck

brrr its cold here in NJ!!! Pat I am green with envy of you little Mexican getaway. I wish I can get on a plane and go back to DR right now - or anywhere warm. I did dance the night away on friday and had a blast!!!! Got a haircut on saturday and its growning on me...the layers are not as short as I wanted but its still good. a year ago my hair was down to my booty and right now its at my bra on my back...stupid hair loss :-( but hey it could be worse. never did make it to the car dealership for a test drive...my truck right now is a lease and the lease isnt up until May but I am only about 1000 miles from being at my limit so im trying to see if can find something soon and get them to take over my lease and i will get something new. I dont know what I want yet...not much out there that I like...well not in my price range anyway. I LOVE the VW beetle but i test drove it and there isnt enough leg room in it for me. well i will keep looking and hopfully find something soon. have a great monday ladies!!!

I do 4 days a week at the gym between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours on those days

Congrats!!!!

hi ladies!!! just stopping in to say hi and hope everyone has a great weekend!! I work my second job tonight but im off the rest of the weekend so i've got my dancing shoes on and its time to party!!! :-) thinking of getting a hair cut tomorrow and test driving a car but who knows what the weekend holds...

livingston NJ is not really a good choice if people want to have the option to go into NYC at night or to even go out on the town in NJ. a better area would be around secaucus/medowlands as its very close to NYC by bus or train.

jacqui - we have a low carb slim fast that has 20 grams of protein, 4 or 6 carbs, 190 calories and not much in sugar. there is also a high protein slim fast too but its doesnt have as much protein as the low carb - doesnt make much sense to me.

I live in NJ and I am only a 15-20 minute path ride into the city so either place will work for me.