hagerteresa

Hi Betty, I too love my band. I got mine 5/8/04 and am down 49 lbs. Tomorrow is weigh day so I am hoping it might be a bigger number then. I have been heavy my whole life too and have been on every diet out there. My results were the same as yours, temporary losses and monsterous gains. I have never been into fried foods either. KFC actually makes me really sick on anything more than two peices. Even then I am bound to regret it the next day. I do love chocolate though and allow myself small bits daily. The band is amazing. I had a tough time following diets but suddenly with the band it all seems easier. It doesn't even seem too much like dieting. The hardest things for me at first were getting enough Water, chewing well enough, giving up diet soda and no drinking after meals. It wasn't THAT difficult changing all of those habits though. For about two weeks I really missed soda, kind of had a break down about it and haven't had a problem about it since. All of the other things just take practice and have gotten easier over time. Don't get me wrong, on occassion I am a bad girl and want to pig out but it amounts to far less then preband days. I had one of those weekends last weekend. I went to a 3 day concert and had free food passes, FREE FOOD!!! I felt like I pigged out all day but when I added all of the calories it was about 2000. Now that is a LOT for me nowadays and I am hoping it won't affect my loss this week but compared to preband eating that is just a drop in the bucket. Have I mentioned that I love my band??? LOL.. There are days where we have disagreements but that is only when I try to rush my food down and don't chew enough. Portion control is the bands specialty! Good luck, Teresa 5/8/04 Dr. Lopez 362/313/???

I want to say they live in Idabell. I think that is it. It is in the far south eastern corner I think. I have been there once. Interesting place... I loved the thunder and lightning and brief rain showers. I hated the hot humidity. Have a good day, Teresa

Hello, I don't mind if he stays two or three months. He is paying rent so it will help us get caught up, help give us a little extra money for the vegas trip and help my husband get his pick-up in the shop. He really isn't so bad and has actually had some positive influences on my husband. He helps out around the house too, so less work for hubby and I. Since he works the same shift as hubby, I still get all my evenings for my time. His daughter is adorable and recall our earlier conversations about having kids someday, I figure this will help acclimate us a little. It is only every other weekend. Trust me, I have moments where I have to take a big deep breath but for the most part this has gone better than expected. Geremy came from a very disfunctional family so I am glad my hubby and I can show him a glimse of normalcy. He has a good job so he really isn't a couch surfing bumm. He has also been one of my biggest fans since getting banded too. LOL.. HMMM perhaps I should give hubby a little competition??? I forgot to mention earlier about another chaotic thing going on. Friday my aunt, uncle and cousin were in a horrible car accident in oklahoma. They didn't think my 14 year old cousin would live, and my aunt is in critical condition too. They life flew all three of them to three different hospitals around the state. My uncle had the most minor injuries and got released the same night, my cousin didn't end up having all of the brain damage they predicted so he should be released tomorrow, and my poor aunt has a shattered pelvis, ribs, broken arm, internal bleeding, liver damage and fractured vertebrate. Lame, huh... I guess they have her on around the clock morphine. Sounds like she could be in there a long time. They put her in traction over the weekend. My poor grandparents (also live in OK) have been horribly upset. My poor mom is declaring bankruptcy and can't afford to fly back there right now so it is all kind of crazy. I am glad everyone is going to live but it will be tough for all of them for awhile. I dealt with major medical issues last year and loved ones in the hospital for months so I know how it goes. I get daily updates from mom. I don't know this part of the family very well but we have met on a few occassions and it is family. Nice to hear from you marie, Teresa

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!! They can really be that shallow. Having a new male roommate who is also my husbands co-worker and friend has made that shallow point MORE clear!!! Clear as a damned bell. I listen to them once in awhile chabbering and I pause and wonder why on gods green earth they were put on this planet. About the sex and injuring yourself... Unlikely... I find after doing 5-10 minutes worth of ab excercises my port area gets really irritated once in awhile. It has happened two or three times and has lasted 24-48 hours. It doesn't look like anything on the surface but I can feel something going on underneath. I'll come out of the workout and it hurts just to breath on the left side. Nothing looks out of normal, color looks good on the skin, no heat radiating from my skin, no bumps, blah, blah. Doubt I am doing any damage but just using those muscles for once. Even without the port I am sure the muscles still might get irritated. Sorry if none of this is any help or doesn't even sound similar but thought I would toss it out there. My pain is not excrusiating but uncomfortable. Teresa:cool:

Ellen, Hope your life settles down a bit once you have moved and worked at the new job a bit. Will you get insurance benefits at the new job? My insurance didn't pay either so I had to go to Mexico. I never would have been able to if it hadn't been for my father in law helping me with a loan. My credit isn't sterling either and I couldn't get a loan on my own. I have waited a decade to somehow be able to afford wls. You may have to wait awhile or who knows? Maybe something will pop up at some point. Wish you the best and hope your next week goes better. Teresa

Hey folks, I've missed all of you too!!! Very much so and think of you all daily. Life has changed a little bit. I mentioned in another post that we were getting a temporary roommate. Well we did. Actually it is going fine and we all seem to get along fine and try to do our parts. TRY is sometimes a key word... LOL. The poor guy doesn't have any furniture at all so thank goodness we didn't have to empy out our spare bedroom for him, but we haven't moved any of our "office" stuff either. He works the same schedule as my husband (at the same job) so it doesn't affect my personal time that much BUT it does affect my computer time. I can't get into the spare bedroom before work to check everything. During the week it isn't so bad because I have all evening alone, but I have also been studying for chemistry midterms. So that has affected some of my weekday evening time. Our new roommate has a 2 1/2 year old toddler he gets every other weekend. Yep, you guessed it... it was our weekend last weekend. LOL!!! She is actually darling and really pleasant but I try not to let the dogs around her much. One of my dogs was a rescue dog and can't be trusted around kids. It wasn't too bad. Put them outside while she was up and let them in when she was napping or at night. They didn't mind too much. On top of all that, I was given 2- 3 day passes to the Oregon Jamboree (3 days of the best country music artists in the U.S.). I was also given hospitality passes!!!! Free food and drink ALL WEEKEND!!! Lame!!! Free food... who can pass that up??? Oh, I felt gluttenous and sinful but when I added up the calories, the damage was around 2000 per day. I know that is a lot compared to my typical 1200 calorie day but in comparison with preband days, its probably just a small drop in the bucket. Not bashing myself for it yet, but we'll see when weigh day comes. I ALSO did a lot of walking, so I am hoping they might counter act each other. Anyway last weekend was chaotic, last week was chaotic. I have a midterm on this thursday so this week will be chaotic, blah blah blah... I have missed you all a lot and will plan on at least checking posts when I can over the next few days but otherwise I won't get to post much. Lisa, my husband has moments of stupidity too but I would KILL him if he came home with a $30,000 motorcycle. We both own non-extravagant cars (mine 94 Nissan Sentra, and his 99 Ford Ranger) We paid $12,000 TOTAL for both vehicles both slightly used. We owe about $7,000 total for both now. Payments are $277 combined for both vehicles. Frugal... We pay low rent too but always seem to be tight having enough money. We do our best to make ends meet but I have to juggle things here and there too. Don't fight fire with fire. You'll only get deeper in debt BUT.... since you got a second job to pay for your big purchase maybe he should get a second job to help pay for his little indescretion??? Just a thought. LOL... Anyway wanted to let everyone know I hadn't died and am still doing fine. Miss you all! Teresa

You all make me feel lucky that I primarily work alone!!! I love all of my customers like family and they all have been tremendous support but usually when I am in their homes cleaning nobody is home besides me. I have known plenty of catty people like that and I just choose to avoid them as much as possible and make the best of it, or find a new favorite place to eat. I will be a teacher next year. I know I will encounter more people like that too but I am good at dealing with difficult people. One of my clients is a large bed and breakfast. When the owners go on trips they hire me to run the place and take care of guests. Trust me, we get plenty of difficult hard to please people but I always handle them smoothly and calmly. Aim to please but don't get trod on either. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Kim, I was banded 5/8/04 in Tijuana Mexico and am down 49 lbs. I FEEL great!!! I love my band. There are times I struggle but nothing like with dieting. For some reason the band makes "dieting" easier. You don't even need to diet!!! For me it has happened pretty naturally. My 3 biggest struggles that have gotten easier with practice: drinking enough Water, eating slowly enough. Once in awhile when I am in a hurry to eat I experience a p.b./regurgitation of food. It rarely happens and it is not painful for me but I definitely like to avoid it occurring too. My meals typically should take 10-20 minutes tops. Lastly the other difficult thing was no drinking after meals. I guess I should add giving up diet soda too. All of those were habits that weren't really too difficult to change. It took a little practive but after a couple of weeks it got easier. The only formal excercise I do is water aerobics. I highly recommend it! I am starting to be more willing to walk but haven't started a walking routine. I just feel more and more energy every day. Smaller clothes helps motivate too. I do have an active job as a housekeeper but it obviously never helped me lose weight in the past. I do get a full sensation with the band but it is more subtle than pre-band. I dish out my plate with small portions of whatever I am eating and if I can't finish it I give the leftovers to the dogs and when I do finish it, I definitely feel satiated. I do still allow myself small luxuries on a daily basis (sugar free espresso drinks and 1 single size candy bar) but all other times I eat the Protein first then veggis. Funny enough, I had kind of a snack fest at a festival I went to last weekend. I got free tickets to a 3 day country music festival and they came with hospitality passes (FREE food and drinks!!!!). I swear I munched all weekend but when I added up the calories it added up to about 2000 calories. Now understand that is STILL way over my normal daily limit of 1200 calories but WAY below my daily preband intake. I still feel really critical of myself that I ate so much those two days but when I really thought about it I just had to pause and think of the "real picture". Now we will see how it affects my wednesday weight date this week. LOL... I also walked a LOT over the weekend so maybe they will counteract each other... I have not had a fill and won't need one till I plateau for a few weeks. I am still losing steadily so not sure when I'll need one. I am 12 weeks post band. Also, I am 30 years old, no kids, married 5 years, love gardening, cooking and critters. Nice to meet you, Teresa Dr. Lopez 5/8/04 362/313/??? no fills

Hi Debra, It was nice getting to know a little bit about you. Glad your nearing goal too. Hope you keep coming back to visit us and inspire us. I got banded 5/8/04 and am down 49 lbs. Love the results. Keep up the good work, Teresa

Lisa, I really am sorry to hear about all of this. I hate it when parents don't properly raise boys to become men. It just makes me cringe. Leave it up to the poor future wives to have to retrain them not to be idiots. Life has been crazy. I would like to write more but I'll be back. My eating habits all weekend have been less than band proper too. I'll have to be really good for the rest of the week if I want a loss on wednesday. Chat later, I'm thinking about ya, Teresa

There must be something in the air, because I couldn't control myself last night either. SNACK, SNACK, SNACK, SNACK. Bummer. I didn't go above my higher limit calorie parameters nor did I hit my highest calorie day but I felt awful about it last night. I had to study chemistry till the wee hours of the night and I must have thought the sugar would keep me awake. LOL... I think a hotline is a good idea too. I would be game to be available one evening during the week. I get those costco calling cards. It is $19.99 for something like 900 minutes. They don't rip you off at all and they last FOREVER it seems like. My whole family all shares one and we alternate on who recharges the minutes. We only have to recharge it about every 4-6 months. This race thing sounds fun but I think I'll stay out of it and help think of the prize. We should each think of something little or unique or homemade and use them as prizes for different things. That would be fun. HMMM, now who should I sabotage first??? LOL. Teresa

Good luck Tina!!!! Can't wait to hear how it went. Congratulations Iluvsammy! How is it going? Teresa:)

Hi Tricia!!! I have been waiting to meet you, your husband is amazing and sounds really sweet. I am so glad your surgery went well and you are healing. Yes that hunger is normal. Terrible isn't it??? I swear I went into surgery hungry and I came out hungrier for a good couple of weeks. Can you have protein drinks? They gave me jello in the hospital so I thought applesauce and pudding had about the same consistency and they helped. Definitely thicker juices help. If you like V-8 and can have that, it helped. Make sure whatever you consume at this stage is very smooth. Unfortunately I was always testing my boundaries but overall I think I came thru just fine. I never got too carried away. I am 11.5 weeks out and still have pretty good restriction. Haven't needed a fill yet, so trust me when I say that I was really pretty careful. Remind us when you get to mushies and I can send you ideas then too. So glad to meet you!!! Teresa;)

Pretty funny about taking that lady her clothes back! LOL... My family and friends always thought I could lose weight on my own. I really tried and tried for years and would have small successes but I could never keep anything off for good. Since I was 16 I knew I needed HELP. Recall my story about having my teeth wired shut at 16. I would have done anything at any time to get wls done. I am so glad I learned about the band when I was researching wls. Best of luck with your friend. What kind of puppy? Teresa

I am a housekeeper and I took one week off. It was still a little hard to bend over that second week but it did me good getting out and seeing friendly faces and moving around. I got bored lazing around the house. Teresa Dr. Lopez 5/8/04 362/313/??? No fills.

Doesn't it feel funny seeing your name pop out from the other threads. You do a kind of double take. I don't know why you didn't see it sooner. Sometimes I miss posts too just because they kind of get shuffled down. Well once again, hope you had a happy one! Teresa;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!!!! Have a merry one! Teresa:cool:

I think it could be all of the possibilies listed above but for me, my biggest obstacle was money. My stinkin insurance wouldn't cover anything, and I would have had the by-pass done years ago if I could have afforded it. Thank God the band has come out since then. My friends know my weight is an issue, not out of meanness but they all want me to be healthy. My boss at the B&B even joined weight watchers with me at one point. She has always offered to do this or that to help motivate me. I don't mind at all. They hate to see me moving slowly and sorely and just want the best for me. Have you asked your friend about exercising together? I find water aerobics really fun and easy on the joints. Best wishes and good luck, Teresa

Congratulations Kimber-lilly!!!! That is SOOOO cool and what a big relief for you. I can't wait to hear when the date is set for. Practice the small bites with lots of chewing. Best wishes to you!!! Teresa:Bunny

Marie, you are darling for thinking I must be a good cook. I just like to play in the kitchen. I have my bad turn-outs though. LOL... Soooooo girls, call me slow but what kind of drumstick are we talking about??? Teresa

I don't think drumsticks are too bad, that is what I normally eat when I have chicken and on fitday it wasn't too many calories. I don't think I am that rigid. I do still allow myself that candy bar and I do have a sugar free iced white chocolate mocha with carmel every single day but since that is sugar free I only have to count the milk and whipping cream. I am proud of how I have done but I am sure it was just the luck of the draw. My surgery was 90 minutes because they had to cut away some of the fat around where they wanted to put the band. Maybe it was just a naturally tight fit. I DEFINITELY still have restriction though. I got cocky today and figured since I have eaten tortillas in the past, I could eat part of a subway wrap. The tortillas were much different and not so easily chewed. I NEARLY PB'ed!!! Never did, but it wasn't the most comfy situation either. LOL. Oops... Well thanks for all the sweet words, Teresa

Okay folks, weighed in today and was down another 2.6 lbs, so just a few ounces shy of 49 lbs down. Today is exactly 11.5 weeks. Thanks for all your support, I adore you all. Teresa

Okay folks, weighed in today and was down another 2.6 lbs, so just a few ounces shy of 49 lbs down. Today is exactly 11.5 weeks. Thanks for all your support, I adore you all. Teresa

I'm blushing. I saw my name and thought that can't possibly be for me... Thanks folks, you are all so sweet. I am sure it is because I started off heavier than all of you. My body just wants to catch up to the rest of you. Honestly, I use fitday like a fiend, follow the no Water after meals rule, try to eat healthier in general- especially in regards to taking in solid Protein. Sometimes a meal isn't anything BUT a piece of steak or chicken. Other times I'll add a vegetable. On rare occassions I do allow bits of bread products and every night I make sure I have enough calories available to have a single regular size candy bar. That is my one flaw but if it keeps me motivated then??? I try to average around 1200-1400 calories a day. Ussually it is closer to the lower number but it seems that one or two days a week it will sneak up closer to the higher numbers too. I just keep doing the same thing week after week, and ALWAYS dread the weigh in days (tomorrow). I just know sooner or later I am going to have that dreaded plateau. I still feel restriction and can actually feel the point that everyone is always describing (the pre-golf ball feeling). I know at that point that I must stop and take a break and let everything settle or I will PB. I have gotten much better about the PB's too. I don't think I have had one in at least a few weeks now. Anyway thanks for all the kind words, it really made my day. Teresa :cool:

Hi Cindy, Welcome, welcome, welcome. So glad you could come and join us. Keep coming back for visits. I also started out with a high BMI (62) and was banded 5/8/04 in Mexico. I am down 46 lbs as of last week. Like you, I ONLY weigh on the doctors scales weekly. Seems more ligit. I am 30 years old and live in Oregon. Best wishes to you, Teresa