Road Queen

lunch - sausage and cabbage cooked with garlic and chilis (modified a recipe I found on here) dinner - chicken salad I chopped spinach, grated carrots, cooked black Beans, etc for this weeks. My new fav meal is all of the above with tuna and dressing (thousand island, ranch, vinegar/oil) I have 6 packets of tuna left for my 11 days until I visit the states - can I take 1 or 2 for my 40 hours of flying and airport time - that is one of the worst times for me. Oops just noticed this is Canada support - is ND close enough?

Robin - good job on the weight loss and on recognizing your nsv. Keep up the good work. Ericsmom - oh what a visual!!

Oh, this is making me crave homemade tomato soup. Do you think I can substitute cream cheese for the sour cream? I have yet to see sour cream here except homemade in a restaurant one time. BTW - the cream cheese is about $7 for a container the size of a small yogurt! I have to start liking Malawian food - corn meal mush - yuck!!

P'Nut - just realized we are the same age. My goal was not to be overweight when I hit 50. I have 8 months to lose that last pound - LOL - so my BMI is normal. I am going to celebrate next year alot - taking motorcycle trips in South Africa, going to Italy to drink wine and eat olives, etc. How about you? Any 50 plans?

PhotoNut - I wish I could send you tons of my 12s and 14s. I was so excited to get into those when I moved here I bought a half dozen pair of jeans and another half dozen twills for work. And they pretty much fall off now. I have been giving away clothes since I moved here. It is so weird to put on a sweater and look like I'm wearing a tent. Congratulations - you are doing awesome.

Livvy - good job! And congrats on recognizing the importance of NSVs. Keep us updated.

My dr had a two week diet - but I was in Ecuador vacationing so could only follow it for one week. And I blew it most days! But not too bad and I still lost weight. booda- there will be many times in the future you will plateau or stall. Weight loss initially is always rapid. I wouldn't worry too much now but if you are still losing this rapidly in a couple of months. I think the skin issue also depends on 1) original size 2) skin elasticity 3) age, and other things I am sure I don't understand.

NewSho, There isn't even a dr in this country that I am allowed to use. If I would have any medical condition, they have an individual on contract that could stabilize me until I could be flown to South Africa. I have not been able to find a lapband dr in S. Africa. But I didn't move here until 10 months after surgery. So I seem to be okay. The big issue is that after this trip in August, I won't be back in the US until 2008. Right now, I am shredding carrots, spinach, cooking black Beans, etc for my 10 days of healthy eating (oops I forgot to mention I am having my unhealthy Sunday morning coffee with 1/2 shot of baileys - to relax my morning band). Joe - how's the ice cream addiction coming? I am lucky that I have never like it. I would get a caramel sundae, eat the topping off and give my dog the ice cream. Maybe you should share your ice cream with a four legged pal. Let us know how you are doing. Celeste

to see how food goes down, take a funnel. put in yogurt. (if you want to see the effects of drinking Water with meals, put in some water with it) now put in mushies. they tend to go down slower.

I don't remember if you followed the fill restrictions affter you got this fill - 2 days liquids, 2 days mushies - but if you didn't, that may have caused your initial swell. If swelled from the fill, going on the post-fill diet of liquids relieved the swelling and allowed you to proceed. You could have been swelled for many reasons. I swell from heat, TOM, stress, etc. From what I understand, the US is pretty hot these days and I would have alot of restriction there now. But this journey is teaching me about my body. Start listening to your body, eat healthy, make good choices, determine what is right for you. Sorry you had such a bad experience with your fill. I have found that I cannot rely totally on my dr - he doesn't have a band and only knows what patients tell him. I find reading posts here (especially old ones) to be much more beneficial. Good luck.

okay, take the cheese and sausage out of my salad, put in a packet of flavored tuna. Its awesome. I alternate using thousand island or italian dressing. This is going to be my main meal for the next 10 days....I have 3 gallon bags full of spinach in my fridge and a gallon bag of carrots.. My gardener thinks I need to start eating more.

Joe, it looks like you are doing great but are stuck in a rut right now. That happens to me periodically and I need to remind myself that I am not a regular person but a bandster and I got the band to get a healthy weight - and not center my life around food anymore. I received some boxes of food from home a couple of weeks ago and have been eating very unhealthy too. I have had licorice, candy bars, sausage, etc. I am now pledging to eat healthy every day from now until Aug 23 (when I visit the US to ride my new 96 in. 6 speed Road King for a couple of weeks). Spinach, black Beans, shredded carrot, tuna, fresh veggies with olive oil and vinegar dressing is going to be my main food!! (Finding food to eat here is difficult as a bandster) Make a vow to take it one day at a time and improve your habits every day. Don't lose the momentum now. Good luck. Celeste

I had to wait 3 weeks after surgery to do anything beyond walking.

Yes, that happens occassionally. If I drink Water too fast and cold, it comes back up. I had a couple of weeks where I couldn't tolerate coffee in the morning. (I like my coffee strong). I am extremely sensitive to heat and when its hot I have to be careful to take small drinks of water that is just slightly chilled, not cold. I have had a very stressful week and as I am drinking coffee this morning, I can hear it going down. Slowly. Sorry about the center alignment on this. I don't know what happened. Over time, you will find many new things out concerning your band, your body, stress, etc. This is all part of the journey. And I think it makes us more aware than non-bandsters. Good luck. Celeste

This journey has been freaky. When I left the US, everybody was noticing my weight loss, complimenting me, etc I was able to buy lots of clothes and enjoyed it all. I have lost another 25 since then. I hope when I get back and look in a full length mirror, I am happy. Sometimes, I feel like a runt. I don't want to be tiny. Just normal size and healthy. I also stayed home alot after surgery (May 2005). So there are many people who haven't seen me for 70+ pounds or 1/3 of my former body weight. I feel more vulnerable physically at this size. I always figured if worse happened I'd probably squash an opponent. I know I looked more intimidating in old photos. I will post after I return to US and let you know how it goes emotionally. Celeste

I hate to tell you this but what you are doing is the right thing. When its not working, go to threads, read what others do, implement the basic rules. These are what I call basic rules: don't drink with meals small bites chewed 25 times stop at the first sign of being full don't lay down for at least an hour after eating eat your last meal 3-4 hours before bedtime never assume that what works today will work next week Even after 15 months, this is still a learning experience for me. Good luck.

3loves - love that mower. Two weeks from Friday I will be riding a 2007 Road King custom 96 ci 6 speed. Can't wait...

I have been addicted to scales and tape measures since the 70s. Even when I was gaining, I recorded. Everytime I lost weight, I checked how much inches compared to other times I was at that weight. BTW - in 1975 when I weighed 108, I had a 23 inch waist and 21 inch thigh. Now, at 146 I have a 32 inch waist and 23 inch thigh. Not so thigh heavy these days. When I moved to Africa, I threw all the records away - except post surgery documentation. I know my body changes as I age and its better to just accept it. But I still love to weigh daily and measure weekly.

You guys are doing great. Hang in there. It will be worth it. Now, I have to go get food ready for my book club tomorrow night. Good thing I have my band or that alone would put on 5 pounds a month. Celeste

Wheetsin, I have friends who are into stuff like that. Please remind me in two weeks when I get back to the US for a visit (yes, two weeks) and I will ask them. They are not the kind of guys who email so I can't do it from here. Some go to black powder competitions, others do those renaissance type festivals, etc. Celeste

Picardy, I feel sorry for you and yes, the band tightens during stress. Being miserable at work is so bad. We spend the majority of our time at work and when that's miserable, it really disrupts our lives. But isn't it cool that when we are banded and stressed - food is not the instant solution. I hope things get better. Try and set up some support system with other teachers who are experiencing the same difficulties. Don't use it as a whine session but how can we get through this and make it as positive as possible. I always picture myself at a job interview and they are asking 'describe how you have turned a negative into a positive during a past job' and I can say - 'at a job site, we had a new boss whose management style was difficult for many of us to adjust to. By setting up a support group for each other, we gave positive suggestions to help the others and ourselves adjust to the situation...' Then, if nothing else, you are ready for your next job search. Good luck. Celeste

I don't think it was chocolate season she was referring to - its ice cream season. You can only have ice cream when its cold outside and its too hot now (in the US anyway).

Everyone here has given you great advice. I also have had major time periods where I stalled. For me, those are weights that I weighed for a long time in the past. 190 - I was stalled around 6 weeks. I weighed that multiple times over the years. 179 - stalled for 4 months. Weighed that in 1975, 1982, 1988, 1994, etc 152 - stalled for 2 months. My low phen-fen weight and my normal weight in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I have just thought these are weights my body has been comfortable with and needs incentive to leave. (lol) I was 132 for many years so I'm hoping that's where the body decides to go!!! I don't know if this applies to your current plateau but it gets me through the plateaus mentally. Good luck.

I don't know if my brother has made comments but I wouldn't have listened to them anyway. I'm a little independent and headstrong and never worried about his opinion. But I do have a funny similar story - I was home for an all school reunion a couple of years ago and a classmate commented that he always respected me for my professional work, volunteer work, motorcycle riding, etc but his respect was diminished when he saw how fat I had become. I told him to get away or I would sit on him and squish him - and how embarrasing would it be to have a 'short fat girl' beat you up. The owner of the bar threw him out, bought me a straight shot, and we laughed about it all night. One thing about Africa. I do outweigh most of the guys here....fortunately, I no longer hang out in bars or make rude comments....

I am sorry but I just need to vent and cry. Yesterday was such a bad day. In the morning, I found my car was very low on oil. Almost to the point of blowing up the enginge. My gardener was trained by a mechanic and told me he had been checking it every day. I had to sit him down and tell me if he doesn't understand to let me know. I can't afford to replace an engine. He told me I had a problem and had made a mistake and needed to go to church. Later, I realized that he has a problem with pronouns and may have meant he had the problem..... Last night, I took some college girls that are visiting Malawi out for dinner. When it came time to pay the guards watching the vehicle, all I had was a $500MK bill - about $3. So I gave it to the head guard. A street beggar saw it and grabbed a bench and tried to hit the guard with it. And a big fight erupted. All because I gave too big of a tip and the beggar thought the guards should share it with him. Some days I struggle alot. This is the first day I have really woke up in a tither and crying and just thought venting here would help. Thanks for being here. I hate burdening people with these things but just typing it is sometimes a relief. In a couple of days, I'm sure I will be laughing over it. Celeste