Suzzzie.

TONI!! Why wait until AUGUST to start exercising! Go today! Start today! There is still 18 days left in July!!!! Come on, you know you want to!:eyebrows:

Hey Beckie! Good to hear from you. I was just thinking about you last night. Still fighting that infection, huh> Icky! I know my port site is still swollen and hard, and bruised. It is (slowly) getting better, so I hope it doesn't interfere with my fill next Friday!

lo2us - WOW! I know it must've been painful, but I can only hope for that kind of restriction when I get my fill next week!! Dan - You are the man! Haha. But I can't eat fish. It's nasty. Actually, I hate most seafood. I can handle grilled shrip - occationally, and I can eat tuna, if I'm in the 'mood' for it, and even then I'm picky and can't eat much of it. I'm more of a chicken girl. I'm just hoping that once I get my fill that the scale will start moving DOWN again. I'm up about 3 pounds since I started regular foods. (still down total of about 20 pounds though.) Just got home from the gym again. Made the mistake of starting on the tred-climber tonight. 10 minutes and I was pooped. I did manage to do 10 minutes elliptical though, and then did 35-40 reps on 5 different ab and leg weight machines. And I can't seem to drink enough water today - as in I've been thirsty ALL day. I feel bloated and water logged. Any advice?

You should get a minimum 1000 cals a day! anything less than that and your body goes in starvation mode and stores all the calories it can. I read somewhere that calorie intake should be 1000-1200 for women, and 1200-1500 for men.

I hear ya! WHen I was a teenager I used to pray to God every night to let me wake up thin and I would eat better for the rest of my life. Haha. I just wanted a new start so bad. I remember I weighed myself one day when I was about 12 years old and I weighed 211 at that time. I don't think I weighed again until I was 17, and I was 309 then. I'm seriously surprised that I never reached 400 or beyond. I know that if I hadn't spent the last 5 years of my life on weight watchers and low carb diets that I would be like 500 pounds. So scary. Anyway... I totally get the hurry up thing. This is what I tell my sick patients at the hospital: Hurry up and wait.

I've done 160 minutes. Yay! I know that having this challenge, and also my lil exercise ticker has helped me get to the gym! I love seeing my ticker move move move!

Oh I'm so so so jealous! Hmmm... I'm getting rid of the queen bed in the spare room... MAYBE I could get an elliptical machine or something in there? I'd have to find the money to buy it though. Darn. Well, ENJOY!! As for me - It's 9:25pm, so you know what that means!! I'm off to the gym! Weeee. (note sarcasm)

I pulled mine out from one incision, but the other one the stitch is down really close to the skin. I can feel it, just can't get the tweezers to it! Grrr!

I'm totally back to eating TOOOOO much. Went out for Mexican tonight. Chips and Salsa? No problem. Haha. Everything goes down fine. I will say that I brought home about 1/3 of my dinner - which never happened from there before. And I'm stuffed. So I guess my band is helping me a little bit. I get my first fill in a little over a week... I can't wait! And as for me 'procrastinating' before going to the gym at night: Its just the ONLY way I can do it! I can't go right after work cause I lift, tug, push, pull, roll, etc... on human beings all day. I walk all day at work and I'm just generally too tired to even think about going right after work. I just wanna come home and kick off my shoes and cuddle with my fat cat. One I've had a chance to relax a bit I will get up and throw on my work out clothes and go to the gym. Its only about 3 miles from me, and I prefer it at night when no one else is there. I'm still very uncomfortable with the idea of being in a crowded gym and having people see my fat giggle around.

Sounds like a plan, Stan. You and I will both be skinnier by then too.:whoo:

Toni! You live in Houston!? My best friend lives down there, I try to make it down at least once a year... this year I'm planning on late September. What part of Houston? My friend lives just inside Houston, near Missouri City. I would love the chance to meet you when I'm there.

Someone LIKES exercising? WHO? Haha. What I do is wait until about 9 or 10pm. I get off of work at 4pm, home by 4:30. :couch2:I have all evening to lay around my house and make up excuses (I'm tired, I've had a long day, etc...:decision:) But in the end, I make myself get up and go. Also, that late at night there is usually only 1-3 other people there. I have my choice of machines and if I'm the only one there I will blast the stereo system. :rockon:

:funnypost:Heather - leave it to you to provide such comedy releif! Haha. I was at the gym tonight and decided to try out this new machine - Uh,... my dumb self to NOT be able to figure it out! :noidea: It was kinda like an elliptical / stepper machine. I think the idea is to give you more of a jog / run motion. Well, I couldn't get it to move at all! It wouldn't turn on... nothing. :help: Ugh! THAT is why I go to the gym at 10pm... NO ONE else is there to see me and my retardedness. Oh well, at least I'm back in the gym! 3 nights in a row now!!

OK. Just got back from the gym. DId another 45 minutes cardio. (35 elliptical and 10 bike). I'm exhausted. I should sleep good after I shower. That gives me a total of 85 minutes done. Weeeeee!

THanks to everyone for input on my port site. It really doesn't hurt at all. I have absolutely no pain. I can't sleep on my stomach, because I feel 'pressure' but I've not been able to sleep on my stomach for about 10 years due to a bad back. The bruising is old, I know that by the colors, but concern is that it has spread so much. I understand some spreading, but THIS MUCH? Its seriously 8 inches by 4.5 inches! I'm a nurse, and I'm a naturally laid back person, so it takes alot to make me 'concerned' about anything. I guess my worry is that the bruising isn't fading the way it should, and that it keeps spreading. All opf my other incisions are great! All have healed well with very very little itching. I do have 2 though that I can still see the end of the stitches atthe end opening. Very weird. I play with them all the time. Haha. Are those stitches supposed be disolved by now? (can you tell that I've never been a patient before? I've never been really sick or anything. I still have all 32 teeth even!!)

OK, not sure if this will work - But I wanted to show you all my port site bruise. I figure I'm not the only one with a fat tummy here, haha, so I figure it is safe to share. I do think I will call the doc office tomorrow and maybe see if I can be seen on Wednesday (my day off).<br /> <br /> THe first pic is from 6/24, 9 days post op. Initially the bruising was getting better...<br /><br /> Then this one if from tonight, 24 days post op. <br /> <br /> I know its hard to tell the size of the bruise from these, but you can see how it has spread outwards. Very weird.

Hmmm, Can't remember the name of the protein powder. I'm out of it now, need to pick up more on Friday when I get paid. I got it from Wal-Mart. I think it costs like $11-$13. The container is red with a black lid. I like it really well, but be careful how its mixed. Its not BAD with just Water or milk, but does have an odd taste. I just add it to smoothies or cream of wheat and its pretty good.

Hello all. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm doing much better than I was a week ago. I can now sleep in bed throughout the night without any pain!! It only took THREE weeks to get there! Haha. My port site is still very very swollen and darkly bruised. I feellike it should be better by now? Someone please make me feel better and tell me that yours at 3 weeks was still a large hard knot? When I cup my hand over it, it is about the size of a standard computer mouse, maybe a tad bit larger. The bruising spans about 8 inches horizontal, and 4 inches vertical. Just barely slightly warmer to the touch than the rest of my tummy. The incision is well healed. Went to the gym for the first time tonight (since about 1 week pre op). I did 40 minutes on the elliptical. I feel like I could have done better, either longer and/or worked harder at it. But I did sweat and my average heart rate was 151. (resting heart rate is typically in the upper 50's). I'm the first one to admit that my diet isn't the best. I always try to get my protein in, other than that - it's a free-for-all. I can eat anything without difficulty. I was HOPING that i wouldn't be able to eat bread anymore, as much as I love it... but no such luck, it goes down fine. The only thing I feel like I have been successful at is that I chew better now than I ever have, which forces me to eat slower. Eating slower allows my tummy to send signals to my brain that I'm full before I feel like I'm going to explode. Oh, and (don't shoot me) I was at a baby shower today and while i stayed away from the cake and other little goodies, I did drink a diet coke. I didn't even think about it!! This was at a friends house that doesn't know I have the band. When her husband handed me a diet coke, knowing that that is what I drink, I opened and took a big gulp. It was only after that first drink that I remembered!! LUCKILY I didn't explode. I belched a few times (very lady-like) and after that I just kinda sipped on it over about 2 hours. I won't be doing that again though. I don't want to take the chance of messing up anything, plus I don't really miss it like I thought I would. Actually, it didn't even taste so good. OK, Well, Happy Monday all.

OK, I FINALLY made it to the gym!! Slow start because of post op pain, but I feel 100% again!! I did 40 minutes tonight on the elliptical. Hopefully tomorrow I can get in a full hour, and some light weight training.

Wow. I'm glad your doc found that!! Go to the gyn and have it removed. I have a co-worker who had a 33 pound ovarian cyst last year. She is thin and looked pregnant! We're nurses, so no one knows why she waited so long to have it checked out (other than fear of cancer) but she is absolutely fine. We all tease her about the 'quads' cause 33 pounds is about what 4 babies would weigh. Lol. Seriously though, just go have it checked out!

My sis in law used this after her gallbladder surgery, and she says it worked very well. My neice uses it on her scrapped up knees she gets from skateboarding and baseball. Lol. Oh the joys of a tomboy! Haha

Ewwww! I HATE FISH. Lol. As far as meat goes I am a chicken and cow kind of girl. As I said in my last post, old habits are dying hard... but I'll make it. I can eat tuna, every once in a while, but have to be in the mood for it.

Haha, what nutritionist? At my doc office the nurse practitioner does everything As far as I know they don't have a nutritionist, and that is the only thing I can complain about. Basically I'm supposed to be on a mechanically soft diet...but if you chew well, that IS mechanically soft. Toast and pasta are in that list anyway, so I figured Carrabbas was 'kinda' on the list. Haha. Everything I've eaten has gone down absolutely fine. I've had 2 bites get momentarily stuck, and I think that they were just too big of bites, and not chewed well enough. My problem remains though: I eat too much of the stuff I shouldn't. Carbs mostly. Carbs are cheap and comforting. I haven't had ice cream though, except one ice cream sammich. HAha. I'm a HUGE ice cream freak, so this is good. I also have stayed away from fast food totally. I have not had any chocolate, other than my protein shakes. I don't really miss desserts like I thought I would. And diet coke - haven;t had one in 3 weeks and have only missed it one day. I know I have a long way to go, but I'm here and willing to make the changes... they just have to come kind of slow. If i was capable of changing my eating habits overnight I wouldn't have needed the band.

Can you list some lean protein that you eat? I can't imagine cooking chicken or anything every so many hours! So like, lean deli meats? Cheese? I SHOULD know this - OK, I do. But..but...but... I LIKE pasta and potatoes. Haha. 2 more weeks until I can get a fill. I sooooo need it! I was able to eat too much at Carrabbas last night!! (including the bread and salad! But I only managed about 1/4 of my pasta, so that is amazing for me!)

I used the WTLSC. They have online and in person seminars. Had my consultation on May 9th, was apporved by insurance within 2 days, and had surgery on June 15th. They have 5 docs I think, Dr. Ellison was my doc and he was very good.