the best me

Missing you and thinking of you Christina! I'm so sorry, and I'll be praying for your restored health.

It's a conspiracy! All bandsters...drop and roll! Now! You are funny diva. It IS a bit surreal! You'll be fine. Good luck! The 4th is coming like a freight train! Woooo wooooo!!!!!

That sounds great. Whatever works and is easy! I love rotisserie (sp?) chicken and I'm sure the kids will love nuggets...no problem! Think of things!

Don't get too antsy, I was 179.8 this morning LOL! I discovered www.sparkpeople.com and man was I eating some FAT in my diet! Once I began logging my food and getting some instant feedback on what I was shoveling down the ole gullet, I made some changes. Mainly, Fat Free dressings and less chips and crackers and cheese. I highly recommend it. I was *this* close to ordering the FitDay for home when Cheri mentioned Sparkpeople and it's all I need. Much easier to enter the foods I eat, most are on the list. And now that I have generated a good list of Favorites, it's pretty quick to enter my foods. Anyhow, I think it's got me on the right track. I told it I wanted to be 145 by Dec 31st this year and it said I need to eat 1200-1550 calories a day and gave me ranges for fat, protien and carbs...as long as I exercise I "should?" get there, right? We'll see.

You know, I PB'd (a pretty good one-Chex Mix) Wed evening so I did liquid Breakfast and soft foods yesterday. My calorie intake was barely over 1000, I didn't sleep well last night, and today I just feel yucky. This makes me wonder if a "sore" or whatever, band area, like what one might have after a fill, contributes to feeling bad. I just feel like crap today. Maybe the PB isn't directly related, but I'm thinking it didn't help? You may have something here, Leener. I don't think it's completely out of the question to be having trouble for a short time after a fill. Who knows?

I want an autograph! Congrats...be sure to post a link for those of us out of the area. I wanna see!!!

figure out how to scan and post! Cindy, that pic was taken in 87? in one of the parking lots at North Texas in Denton. That's a Coors Light, and I'm on my way to a frat party. Sigma Alpha Mu (or do I even want to admit that? Aren't they banned from campus now? Wouldn't doubt it!) The good ole days....:rofl: with blonde hair and huge 80's sunglasses. Hot dang Donna! Wooot!!!!!!

Great pic, P'nut! I'm betting I have a few, one for sure. I was about 22? Those shorts were size 9 and I though I was fat. yah, right! Kathy 1987.BMP

honestly, it ain't great. I have no trouble drinking it, it has a sharp taste, but it's not bitter, certainly not sweet. It really helps though. If I'm having any trouble, being tight (TOM) or just getting stuck or having a hard time eating for whatever reason, I'll drink a small glass (4 ounces or so) at bedtime and it really soothes. I don't drink it every day. But I keep a gallon in the fridge in the garage. I won't be without it. Good news though, at Wal Mart they have a smaller quart sized container of berry flavored Aloe Vera juice. I haven't tried it, but I'm betting it's better. Come on, take the plunge. Try it! It's good for anything digestive from the top to the bottom!

Yay you got a fill!!!! Congrats! have 1.5 cc's in a 4 cc band. I'm on liquids for a day. Tomorrow full liquids right? full liquids or soft mushies...take it slow. some folks go ahead and follow the post of diet as long as possible if the limited intake and liquids jump start the weight loss...up to you, just go slow. Oh, just thought about your post-op swelling issues...reaallllllly take it easy and be careful. DOes restriction kick in right away? some folks don't feel a thing till 2 weeks out. ??? You should feel a difference the first time you eat food with substance. Look for the ever so slight chest pressure, then don't take another bite till it goes away. I went to the beach afterward to swim. That won't hurt the puncture will it? Infect it? I didn't even think of it till now. Probably not, not with salt water. Keep the puncture clean and dry. Maybe dab a tiny bit of antibiotic ointment on it at bedtime. Should be fine. Yay Leener! Let us know how it goes!

Potato salad sounds yummy Angie...I say go for it! I'll bring drinks for me and Rachel, so you won't have to worry about drinks. Should we all just bring whatever we want to drink? I know I'll have several bottles of Water for us. That way Kim won't have to worry about that. What else Kim? Paper products? Post your wish list here and we'll all bring something!

I guess calamari is on my list with oysters-on-the-half-shell. Maybe I could? Not worth trying though. I could eat a 6 inch sub if I peeled off chunks of bread along the way. I could eat an Egg McMuffin if I took 45 min., peeled some muffin along the way, and added mayo. I wouldn't order a Happy meal anything. Not worth it, french fries are gross, I'd rather have a salad or a small chili with a few chicken nuggets. I have pretty well written off cheddar cheese now. It's gross greasy fat that messes up my numbers when I log it into sparkpeople. I'll sprinkle 1/2 ounce on a salad if it helps the taste of the salad (as in a spinich salad with nuts and apples and vinaigrette dressing?) otherwise it's off my list. Last night I PB'd for the first time in a loooong time (months, I say!) on Chex Mix. Ouch. Aloe Vera juice and soft foods today, and a liquid Breakfast. Banded eating is a whole new world. Be prepared for anything, because you won't know what it's like for you till you get there. It's good though! Good luck. You can do this.

Happy Bandiversary Denika!!!!!

Page one, first post. Amy can edit it, since she posted it, and we are all on the same page, and she can update it every week.

Perfect! We are there!

Okay, I went back and read and everyone is good with the eveing except Dianne, who may not be able to do lunchtime either anyway. I vote 5-9pm. (sorry Dianne! I hate to vote for a time you can't come!!!! I'll miss you!)

I suppose if I had to pick, I'd prefer the noonish...11am till 2 or 3 or so? Sometimes we have family over for dinner on Saturdays. We can always make it Friday, though, and an evening get-together would be nice. Cripes...this is why I didn't answer, I don't know! Either is fine, really! And whole chicken if fine. and we will have a really nice relaxing time. I can't wait! Rachel will have a ball, I know! Kim, since I sometimes bite (LOL I cracked up when I read that!) just pick a time. If Dianne needs daytime, but she's iffy anyway, lets just do evening if wavy is for sure coming. I didnt' go back any pages to see what the rest of you preferred....just thinking out loud. August is here?!!!!!!!!

Okay, so I went to Sparkpeople and did a quick entry with the following foods. I did the best I could with what you listed and came pretty close, except the chicken Marsala was a boxed/frozen something or other... Egg McMuffin Wendy's Cheeseburger Happy Meal 1 ounce RoldGold pretzels 2 ounce grilled Calamari (fried wasn't an option) iceberg salad w/ 2 TBS Ranch dressing Chicken Marsala 5 Ritz crackers w/ 5 ounces cheddar cheese what I got was: 1688 claories 104 carbs 93 fat 106 protien Not completely horrible, but you can't eat like that and lose weight well. You just can't. Maybe at first, but, like me, after a while, you'll just stall and go nowhere. It wasn't till I recently started taking a cold hard look at my intake (the quality of the food, not the quantity) that I started to quit fighting the scales. On the other hand, my band is NOT tight, and I could eat anything on that list with no problem given enough time to chew well (okay, not the calamari...too chewy...ewww) but there is NO way I could get ALL of that in on any given day. I'd have to do nothing but eat. whew. I COULD do it, but I sure don't want to. That's a load of food to me, and I can chow down some 1600 calories a day, too. It's a learning curve. But you can make this band work if you want to.

Okay, gang. I posted my weight this morning at 179.0 Yay me, right? Well, I just did my BMI to update my sig, and.... I'm no longer Obese! Wow! I'm keeping my sig on this post...just to show you all. Oh, I can't wait to lose more weight!!!!

So, this is my thread and I'm cussin'. MY BMI IS 29.8. I'm not Obese?! OMG! I'm not Obese! :faint: Well, now. Yay me. :huggie: I just can't believe it. I knew it was coming, but when it popped up on the little calculator? Wow. I'm just shaking my head, I guess I'll go tell hubby and call my mom and my sister? Wow.

Shawn, I see you are 5'8". I'm 5'5" and was hoping that 165 would do it for me. That's the weight I want to be for my tummy tuck, anyway. But I have wondered what my end weight was going to end up being, and if 165 was far enough for me. I am certainly willing to change my goal weight from 145 to whatever, as long as I'm comfortable. So, I'm a mere 14 pounds from my tummy tuck goal weight of 165. (disregard sig if it doesn't say 179) How weird is that? Isn't it still weird to be so close to goal? I don't have my head around that yet. I just don't. Anyhow, great job and congrats!!!

If you aren't sure about Pilates (or Yoga, for that matter) here's an idea. I found a beginners DVD (was it Pilates for Dummies?) at the library and took it home for a week. Did it (kinda) once and it got a thumbs up. I'm not interested in anything more advanced that what I got on that DVD, I'll tell ya. WHEW! And I'm fairly flexible and strong. I'm no athelete, but, ya know. It was hard but do-able. Good luck!

I have been to 2 HWJr shows in Dallas TX. This was the late 80's, maybe a 1990 show in there? and I had a ball. I was impressed, since I wasn't a huge fan. I was a BIG fan of my BF at the time, though, so I'm sure that had something to do with it, LOL! We had great seats on the floor both times. I wouldn't spend my money now, but back in those days? FUN.

AND! I have located the blank Christmas cards I had intended for this past year and never got to. So I'm ready to start addressing. I'm doing this!!!! (LindaV, I did a copy/paste from page 1, changed my current, then just added in my loss for the week. easy cheesey! glad you like it!)

I will PM you.