WOWOX7

39, At the begining, I just would not allow myself to snack. I followed the band rules. NOW I do snack some. Like Jachnut, I have no problem with popcorn. I get the mini bags with the lowest calorie count I can find.. MODERATION. I also snack on sunflower seeds....... I am a seed spitter !!!!!!! Absolutly no problems with them either, also nuts. Very high protein, BUT high fat and calories. MIND YOU, I have been very, very strick with what I would allow myself to eat until the last few months, and am trying differant things. best of luck Lois

A sad "know your a Bandster when" You roll over in the middle of the night, and feel a bump in the bed. Thinking you have a rolled up sheet only to find out it is just your LOOSE SKIN !!!!!!! ;-(

I hope this is the latest updated list. Have not posted in quite a while, hit my first goal. According to BMI I need to lose another 20+ to be considered "normal" weight. Why is that so important now? Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal_________ToGo *****:hurray:************************:tt2:***********:sad:* ********* *** AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............278.6.......199.......79.6 Bellaperdente......196............177.........150.......27 Bklyn1984..........317............253.........165.......88 Bostongurl.........190............186.........133.......53 Brandy.............198............181.........166.......15 Cappy..............240............227.5.......130.......97.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49 CubsGirl17.........147............135.........130.......5 Clarebear08........192............176.5.......160.......16.5 Donna113...........183............172.5.......126.......46.5 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 EmmaWang...........241............210.........140.......70 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............380.........300.......80 GratefulHeart......226............199.........135.......64 GuyMontag..........325............295.........200.......95 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 inri09.............287............254.........185.......69 janesays...........225............199.........160.......39 kimaly.............194............183.........160.......23 Lindar172..........246............222.2.......150.......72.2 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............188.5.......169.......19.5 lotzasunshine......270............257.5.......180.......77.5 Loveislovely.......216............194.........175.......19 ltgordon...........284.8..........250.5.......185.......65.5 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 nicolerose.........365............288.........258.......30 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............187.5.......130.......57.5 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............147.........125.......22

James, I also love eating. but you know, your WANTS change. I dont know how to explain it. What you do eat tastes so much better, you eat it slower and enjoy it. You DO get satisfied on smaller amounts. Once you get restriction, you are not hungry.. Honest. My life does not revolve around my next meal, and how much and what I can eat. Also, the benifits of living longer, feeling healthy far outweigh the wanting to gorge... ANYHOW.. FOR ME. Keep searching.... do some deep soul searching. I wish I could have done this at 30 instead of 46, I feel half my life was wasted being obese. Best of Luck. Lois

Bridgette, I have been banded since January 3 of 2008, 15 months out. I have had steak.... You just have to make sure that it is VERY VERY tender and juicy. Take it slow and easy,, chew, chew, and chew some more.... As for the salad, I have eaten salad almost every evening since I was able to eat solids again. No problems at all. I do add cottage cheese to my salad for added protein. Just try these items, take it slow and easy. besides, what you cant eat today, you might be able to eat tomorrow. The bands are so fickle. Lois

JAMES, Only you can decide if the BAND is the answer for YOU. Do all the research you can. Dig into all of these posts and read.. read... read. For me, Yes it was the answer. After 30+ years of dieting, losing, regaining I could not emotionally do another DIET. This is a way of life, it does change you and your relationship with food. You have to be ready for a HUGE commitment. That said, I can now tie my shoes, I dont huff and puff when I have to walk a distance. My blood pressure is down, my chances at diabites has went down. I FEEL GOOD. Best of Luck in your decision.... let me know if I can help you at all. Lois

Susan, Where are you in your journey? My band is about 75% full. thanks for your response. Lois

Milliecat, At first my boyfriend "living with for 5 years" was not crazy about the idea. His point was.... go on a diet and lose it... "I need to lose too so we can both do it'. I tried to explain to him that I have done the DIETS for the last 30+ years, Yes,, I can lose it. but it always comes back.I could not emotionally start another DIET. It is a health issue for me. Both parents and a brother with diabetes, I have high blood pressure, short of breath, tired, leg problems.. ect. He told me he would support me what ever I decided to do. He just did not get the emotional side of it all. What we go through on a daily basis.. every single day. He told me he would go to the free seminar with me. BEST THING TO HAPPEN, listening to people talking, the slide show, the Dr explaining in detail the band, surgery, post op, fills.. ect. After the seminar, he looked at me and said.. " I get it now" hearing other peoples struggles, health concerns made such a impact. I am 14 months out, 129 lbs down and could not be happier. I WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT HIS SUPPORT. Yes, it is my decision. But having him understand where I came from, and how I felt made such a differance. He is so proud of me. We are enjoying so many things TOGETHER that I could not do before. NOT JUST SEX EITHER. I get to live longer, with less health issues. CANT TOP THAT. Take your man to a free consultation.... Best of luck. Lois

I usually bake my meat in the oven or put in a crock pot, it makes it alot more tender and juicy. Try canned tuna and chicken. I have found that I cannot microwave meats, just makes it to dry. I usually only eat meat freshly cooked. I get the WALMART bagged Chicken breasts, spray a glass pan, place chicken on it, put seasonings on it. Cover with foil, bake at 350 for a couple of hours. I also do this with pork steaks and country style pork ribs. Protein alternatives. try eggs.... egg salad is wonderful. also cottage cheese. I put bacon bits and Mccormicks season all on the cottage cheese. When I have a salad, I put boiled eggs on it plus sometimes I put cottage cheese on the salad for extra protein. You can cut down on dressings that way also. Lois

Thank you both, I may just do liquids to cover myself.

Manicure, Pedicure, facial, a piece of jewelry. A final treat for myself, trip to europe. BUT, I think the best treat for myself that I have done is so inexpensive... I took pictures each month... same pose "front and side". I keep these pictures in my purse. When I am having a bad day, or seems like the scales are not moving... I pull out those pics. TALK ABOUT A TREAT...... It is hard for me to see the weight loss when I look down or in the mirror, but when I see the pics... I know the truth. Lois

Because I want to be at my first Goal "150" by May when I go to Europe

Skeeterbait8, I used EAS Protein drinks from Walmart, I think they have 17 grams protein, there are two different ones, the other one has higher protein count but I never tried it. I kept mine in the fridge, I did not drink it all at once. It did tend to give me diarreah if I did, so I sipped on it every time I went by the fridge. Like the other person said, I also used K20 protein packets for Water. I liked the tea and the Kiwi/strawberry. Also at Walmart. I see you are in the early stages, once you can do mushies... Try cottage cheese and egg salad for protein. I put Mccormicks season all and bacon bits on the cottage cheese for little differnt taste. Later, I put cottage cheese on my lettuce salad for added protein, also cut down on the amount of dressing I use. Lois

Steph, As stated earlier, and many times on this board. "Everyone is Different" on how they lose. I was banded on 1/3/2008. so it has been over a year. Here is kinda my breakdown by months. 1/3 265 2/2 -10 3/5 -10 4/12 -12 5/3 -5 6/3 -10 7/8 -11 8/5 -9 9/4 -7 10/2 -7 11/3 -9 Had small unfil in nov. gained and then started losing again. was to tight. 1/3 -4 from 11/3 date 2/5 -8 3/3 -6 The first 3 or 4 months I had no restriction, so it was shear willpower and small portions, watching WHAT I ate that helped me lose, as you can tell as I get closer to goal, it is coming off slower. But that is ok, I am adding foods that I had considered no no's and eating more normal. Hope this helps.. Best of Luck. Lois

Molly, Congrats on your weight loss so far, you WILL suceed. You are right, I am always tighter after I first get up. Like someones stated.. I drink hot tea or coffy for an hour or so before I even think about eating breakfast. If at that point you still are real tight, try a Protein Drink. As far as a diet, I pesonally do not follow one, nor do I count calories,carbs or any of that.. I did that for 30+ years... not doing it anymore. I just eat my Protein first, then my veggies, then some fruit. I eat alot of cottage cheese for protein and egg salad also.At the begining after banding, I stayed clear of all and any carbs. breads, pastas, potatoes.. ect. no sweets. I am slowly adding this in since I am closer to goal. As far as exercise,, I did not do hardly any... so sad to say.. I still lost the weight, BUTTTT, would I not be so flabby if I had??????? Take one day at a time, Reward your self on goals...ie.. 50 lbs lost.. under 200lbs.. 75 lbs lost.. ect... Keep a set of clothing from the begining, and take pictures of yourself monthly... You can and will do it. Lois

I am going to europe in May and was wondering if anyone has flown for long distances and if they had issues. My Dr said yesterday that some people have trouble with swelling, but most dont. Was suggested that I be on a liquid diet the day of flying. Thoughts and experiances would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Lois

I hope this is the latest post, if not, someone please fix me. AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............286.4.......199.......87.4 Bellaperdente......196............184.........150.......34 Bklyn1984..........317............261.........165.......96 Bostongurl.........190............188.........133.......55 Brandy.............198............184.........166.......18 Cappy..............240............231.........130.......105.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49 CubsGirl17.........147............138.........130.......8 Clarebear08........192............176.5.......160.......16.5 Donna113...........183............174.5.......126.......48.5 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 EmmaWang...........241............230.........140.......90 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............391.........300.......91 GratefulHeart......226............206.........135.......71 GuyMontag..........325............295.........200.......95 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 janesays...........225............208.........160.......48 kimaly.............194............185.........160.......25 Lindar172..........246............226.8.......150.......76.8 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............198.........169.......29 lotzasunshine......270............262.........180.......82 Loveislovely.......216............210.........175.......35 ltgordon...........284.8..........250.5.......185.......65.5 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............187.5.......130.......57.5 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............157.........125.......32 __________________

I was self pay, went to the free seminar in june of 07 and had surgery scheduled for Aug 31st. They found a parathyroid problem during the pre op testing, and I had to have surgery for that before I could continue. so it set me back. I had all kinds of labs, ekg, cardiac testing,, think that was it. I had my lap band surgery on jan 3 of 08. It was worth every moment of waiting and testing. Best of Luck. Lois

Barbie, I finally decided to go to a free seminar in june of 07, had my consultation with the surgeon the next week. I was self pay, had surgery scheduled for aug 31st. Pre- testing for the surgery found I had a parathyroid problem, so I had to have surgery for that before I could have the band. soooooooo... my band surgery was canceled the day before surgery and I had been on a two week liquid diet... urggggggggggg.... I had my band surgery on Jan 3rd of 08, absolutly no regrets.... I had to do the two week liquid diet AGAIN, but that is ok... It was sooo worth it. Lois

Barbie, I finally decided to go to a free seminar in june of 07, had my consultation with the surgeon the next week. I was self pay, had surgery scheduled for aug 31st. Pre- testing for the surgery found I had a parathyroid problem, so I had to have surgery for that before I could have the band. soooooooo... my band surgery was canceled the day before surgery and I had been on a two week liquid diet... urggggggggggg.... I had my band surgery on Jan 3rd of 08, absolutly no regrets.... I had to do the two week liquid

Have you thought about Cottage cheese, egg salad they are both very high protein and softer foods. I also ate small amounts of mashed potatos. Best of luck. Lois

GOOD MORNING I just wanted to ad that it took 3 or 4 fills for me to feel any restriction at all. I think what you are going through is normal. I know for the first few months, I COULD have eaten the same amount as before I was banded, it is very hard to do... but I just put a certain amount on my plate, and that was all I ate. Also, try drinking protein water. I drank K2O little packets that you put in bottled water. I got it at walmart, i liked the tea and the kiwi/ strawberry. The protein water kinda helped curb the hunger. Best of luck.. you will do great. Lois

KRISTYLYNN, First off, congrats on your weigt loss so far. You are doing a wonderful job. Isnt it exciting !!!!!!!! When I was getting close to my 100 pound loss mark, I comented to my Mom that I was going to go and have a manicure and nails done for my nephews wedding. Low and behold, a few days after I met my 100 loss mark, my mother sent me a sizeable gift certificate to a local spa. Included with the certificate was a pamplet of the services and the different plans I could chose from. My nephew wedding was two weeks away, so I had a little time to decide what I was going to do. I ended up getting a manicure, pedicure,facial and upper body massage. I can not tell you how woderful it felt, I ended up chipping in a little but it was sooooo worth it. I also decided to start adding differant things to my diet. Since my banding, I had restricted myself on what I ate. I slowly started working in a few potatoes, rice, ect... the higher calorie items. Best of Luck to you, and hope you get some great ideas. Lois

First of all, Congrats on your loss so far, you are doing wonderful. I, like most people had a closet full of cloths. My EXTRA closet ranged from size 26/3x to 18/xl. this was stuff over the years that I just could not part with. Following the many diets, regains.. I had quite a few cloths. I took pictures the day before I started my liquid diet. I saved the jeans I wore in that picture, plus a pair of 3x scrubs that I was currently wearing. Since that time, I have given away all of my to big cloths. It has been such a joy to be able to go downstairs to my "cloths Closet" try on cloths from years past... Wash them, hang them in my "currently wearing " closet. I have long gone through that closet downstairs and now buying ALL new. What a joy, and so much fun. I am now wearing size 12 jeans,"started at 26", and wearing MEDIUM scrubs.. from a size 3x. I have taken monthly pictures of my progress, in the same pose.. front and a side view. I carry them with me in my purse, so I can look and remind myself how far I have come in the 14 months in my journey. I also show family and interested friends these pics. What a journey. The one thing that I wish I had done was to measure myself at the begining and each month since. But , I did not do this. Maybe you could do this. Bottom line, get rid of the old cloths with an exception of a few pieces. You will NEVER fit into them again... kiss them goodbye.... Keep us posted... Lois

Ok, I am in. I am at the ending part of my journey, so the weight is coming off really slow now.. which is fine. I want to meet the 150 lb goal by April 1st. and when I reach 153 I will no longer be considered "obese".... I will party that day... trust me. I am going to try and add capitalchick and do list alpabetical again. best to everyone. Lois Name...........Start lbs..........Current..........Goal.......To Go Barb12590..........176...............176.............170.........6 Bklyn1984...........263.0............261.0..........253..........8 Bobbie155...........255.8............255.8..........245.........10.8 Burgygirl.............230.2............230.2..........220........10.2 Capitalchick.........231..............228.5..........218.........10.5 coloradobanding...236...............236.............220........16 crzytchr..............239...............238.............229.........9 CubsGirl17...........139...............138.............134........4 fordgal88...........202...............199..............195.........4 gingerbug...........179.8.............179.8..........167.8......12 irishgal...............197...............197.............185........12 Janesays.............214.8............212.4..........202........10.4 Jennyt71.............245...............216.............204........12 JuneAct2.............198.6...........169.5...........155........14.5 Justmeyouknow.....165.4...........165.4..........155..........9 Kaninag.............219...............217.............209.........8 KikiVal315...........212.5............212.5..........206.........6.5 Kristilaw.............264...............264............250.........14. 0 lcwils01..............223...............223............215...........8 lindar172............229.4............229.4..........219...........10 Long2BThin.........202.4............199.4...........192.4.........7 ltgordon.............250.5............250.5...........240..........10. 5 mair...................225..............222.............215........... 7 Merda................270...............270.............260.........10 mljalways...........215...............215.............200........ 15 MsNickelback......179...............179.............167.........12 pvtash61............228................218............200.........18 sue in ne...........257 ...............256............ 245..........12 ValJean..............266...............266.............254.........12 wowox7..............158...............158.............150.........08