StartingOver

Good one Penni What is left to say? It's all sooooo true! ......And my husband wonders why I am stressed?

This is a great thread, I'm glad I just stumbled on to it. I have been thinking alot about my relationship with food lately. In fact, the family and I went out to dinner last night (Chinese). I told DH to order whichever family meal he wanted, as long as it included some type of meat dish that is not breaded, battered, fried, or dripping with sweet sauce (all of which I find absolutely divine.) Instead of eating like I would have pre-band, I had a tid bit of mandarin beef with veggies and a sampling of the kung pao chicken. That's it, and I felt satisfied, not bulging, nor uncomfortable, or completely stuffed and ready for a nap . Then, when DS was finished with his dinner, the restaurant owner brought him one of those orange sherbert/vanilla ice cream dixie cups. He had a few bites and then offered it to me, and I declined. Without even thinking about it, I turned down ice cream? Immediately I realized what I had done, and told my hubby how shocked I was at myself, but at the same time, that I was satisfied with the dinner I had eaten. Am I getting over my ice cream obsession? Am I the same woman who believes that no matter how stuffed and how much pain you are in, there is always room for desert? OMG ! I thought I'd never get a handle on the psychological part of this journey. Looks like I may have a bit of a grip. Oh yeah, the same happened with the fortune Cookies. I let my son have mine, after I opened it and read the fortune of course. I think it said something about getting bussels of gold???

Remember this post from way back in January??? Don't forget your stance on how much weight the scale has on your progress (no pun intended). You are already down a few sizes, and are celebrating many NSV's. Stupid scale. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Get the point?

Crystal, You are doing awesome. I'm soooo proud of you. You are truely an inspiration. Who cares what number appears on the scale when you are experiencing such great NSV's! Keep it up. Eventually the scale will catch up with your amazing progress. But for now, throw that darn scale in a dark closet, lock the door, and throw the key on the roof! While you're at it, will you put mine up there too. I'd follow my own advice, but I'm likely to climb up on the roof and retreive the key. (I really have a scale obsession).

Chritina, you have done an amazing job. Keep it up! You are too funny. I think I'll take a trip on over to the gym to see exactly what I'm paying $40/month for. (Besides the cute membership card)

Okay, maybe not my first, but the first one that I am REALLY REALLY excited about. Today at lunch I walked to Old Navy and bought a cute pair of jeans and a pair of slacks in size 20. I haven't worn a size 20 for 7 years. Well, maybe I did--but I shouldn't have. I started my journey in a size 24 (which I shouldn't have either, but couldn't admit that I needed a size 26 or 28). On top of that, I have never bought anything at Old Navy 1. because the store opened when I was a teen, and didn't have anything over a size 12 back then, and 2. because I didn't think that they now sell anything bigger than an XL. I'm starting to feel like the 50lbs I've lost is a reality. Oh yeah, and my mother called me today just to tell me how proud she is of me, and how great I'm looking. Of course, this was after she told me this morning that she just couldn't bring herself to ever tell me how REDICULOUSLY HUGE (her words) I was pre op. I wasn't mad though, she's right. I had let myself go. Well, I'm back, and feelin' great!!! I love my band! banana.gif" />

This morning I am 258lbs. That's 20lbs for the challenge and 47lbs since banding 3/30/05.

Puree is more like liquid (think baby food consistency). Mushy is thicker, but not solid. Refried beans,scrambled eggs, cottage cheese are all mushy. Apple sauce is a puree. I hope this helps.

Today I weighed in at 261. That's 17lbs down for the challenge, and 44 lbs since being banded 4 months ago.

We all have been there...that time after surgery before getting your first fill. For me, I had a good deal of swelling, and therefore restriction for the first 2-3 weeks post op, but then my band was wide open. And it was during these first weeks that I lost the largest portion of weight, then I gained and lost the same 1-2 lbs over the next month. My first fill was at 8 weeks post op, and I struggled with hunger during those 5 weeks with no restriction, waiting for a fill. I questioned my decision to have this surgery several times. I received encouragement from the great people at this board, especially those that had gone through this before me.I know it's tough, but this is the time for your body (stomach) to heal from the trauma of surgery. My best advice is hang in there. It's great that you are eating less than pre-surgery. Just take it one day at a time, and try to make the best food choices that you can. Before you know it, you'll be filled and have some restriction. Congratulations on getting banded. It is a great step toward a healthier life! Corinne

I had surgery with Dr. Arturo Rodriguez in Monterrey March 30th. I'm two days away from my 4 month anniversary,and I've lost 46 lbs. I receive my followup care here in the states, but I would definately do this all over again with Dr. Rod. His entire staff was wonderful and accomodating. I knew that I was in good hands.

Congratulations Pam. You are in my prays. Come check in when you're feeling up to it after surgery.

Pam, I don't think that your secondary can now deny a service that they approved, or that is written as a covered item in the policy, it shouldn't matter that you have another insurance plan that is primary. They may however, want proof that the primary is not covering it, just so that the claims can be sent directly to the secondary without them sending them back to the primary to pay first. I'm sure it will all work out. I'm thinking good thoughts for you.

I am down 3lbs to 264 this week. Just got another fill today, hopefully this one will do the trick. I've become too comfortable with my exercise routine, so I need to take it up a notch. We'll see how I do this week.

I'm down 1 more pound this week to 267. Better than gaining, but I'm not thrilled. Good job everyone on your weightloss, and for reporting it every week. This board is a great support for me.

I had surgery March 30th. I weighed 305 on my date of surgery, and 267 today. That's 38 lbs. gone in less than 4 months! I am very pleased with my progress, and I can't wait until I change clothing sizes. Keep up the good work everyone!

Here is my before pic for the summer weight loss challenge.

I weighed in at 268 this morning. That's 1 more pound for me. Total lost since beginning of challenge is 10 lbs!

And have you noticed that the portion sizes at fast food restaurants have gotten larger and larger over the years. When I was a child, a small soft drink at McD's or Jack In The Box was 10 or 12oz, medium was 16oz, and large I think was 24oz. Now it's more like 16oz small, 24 oz med, and 32oz large. And what's with the Mighty Kid's meal. I was a chubby kid, but I still got full off a Happy Meal - so why are they making them bigger? I'm just disgusted whenever I order a medium or large anything, and it comes out 2 times bigger than I expected.

Hi Barb, First, welcome to this site, and congratulations on your decision to get banded. I was banded just over 3 months ago by Dr. Rodriguez in Monterrey. I went to the San Pedro clinic instead of the large hospital because it was more affordable for me. (it's not really a clinic-just a smaller hospital facility) I am completely satisfied with my decision. Dr. Rod's team is fantastic. I have emailed him directly with a few questions post op, and always received a prompt response. They have a group on Yahoo for Dr. Rod's patients, and I think once a week one of his patients who is a personal trainer is available online to chat. Overall, my care was great, and the support has been phenomenal. I get my followup care in Seattle, but I am going to stop by Monterrey during my vacation to Mexico City in Janusry. While in Monterrey, I knew that I was in good hands. My mom travelled with me, and Dr. Rod even went out of his way to bring her lunch and dinner the night that we spent in the hospital. I'm looking forward to going to Dallas in November to Dr. Rod's patient reunion. I think it's just in the beginning stages of planning now, but I've marked my calendar. If you have any questions, feel free to PM or email me. I hope this helps you with your decision. Oh, and for spell check, I usually copy and paste the text into Word, or something that does have spell check.

Well, here it is my most desperate attempt to be thin. Last summer I convinced my (thin) husband to do the "Master Cleanse" with me. For those of you who are not familiar with the madness of the cleanse, you basically don't eat any food, and only drink a concoction of warm water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and grade B maple syrup. It is truly the vilest thing I have ever put in my body. The whole idea is that you do drink this, and don't eat for some ridiculous amount of time (40 or 70 days I think) and when you're done, your colon is clean, all of the toxins are out of your body, and you have lost tons of weight. I lasted 2 days. I will NEVER forget the smell of that drink, and the warm temperature of the water mixed with the spiciness of the cayenne....yuck! The most weight I ever lost was at age 19 doing fen-phen. I tried to eat pretty healthy food, and I worked out a ton! I went from 230 to 197. Right now 230 isn't looking bad to me.

I am down to 269.5. That's 9 lbs! I'm glad that all of my hard work payed off this week, and thankful for my new fill and appetite suppressants.

I too have the large VG band. My surgeon did not put anything in during surgery, and I had decent restriction for 2-3 weeks (probably due to swelling). For patients with the large VG band, my doc puts 4cc's for the first fill. My second fill was 1cc, and basically he'll put in 1cc a month until I have decent restriction.

I had my surgery March 30th also. I've lost 26 lbs so far.

I'm a real estate agent in the Pacific NW.