Sue Magoo

John: I think I might have the low profile port. I was banded last July. My port is right under the incision which is just slightly below the bottom and middle of my rib cage. I think I have the low profile port because it is very flat and it feels like it's only about a half inch below the skin. It doesn't bulge out at all, starting to get the top of my stomach flat and the port isn't visable at all, just a 3 inch scar. I hope that someone who definitely knows that they have a low profile port responds so that I can tell if mine is or not. Sue

Jen: My port is right under my large incision. I had hiatal (spelling?) hernia repair too. Fills are a piece of cake (oops, not eating cake anymore:lol:). My doctor uses a numbing medication first, then the fill. I can hardly feel it. He doesn't use fluoroscopy, just experience, and surgeons skilled hands. I was a bit stressed before first fill because of the unknown. It's so easy though, not worth worrying about. Hope yours is easy too. Sue

Hi Newgirl 07: I love thrift store shopping. I am very fortunate because we just got a new thrift store in my town last year. It is very clean and well organized. I have saved a ton of money shopping there. I'm thinking my best buy was a pair of dockers pants for $3. They looked brand new! I go every couple of weeks to check out what they got that is new. I giggle when I see the clothes that I donated there. I find alot of stuff with store tags still on them. So, they've never been worn. During the summer I go to Cape Cod. They have some of the best thrift shops down there if you're looking for brand names. Take care. Sue

Hi: You do have collar bones! You look great. I found my collar bones too. I'm melting from the head down. First I noticed that some of my chins were gone, then I noticed that I had collar bones, then I noticed that my boobs seem bigger because there's not as much fat under them. I'm hoping that I can lose some of this belly. Seems to be the worst part for me, the lower belly. Plastic surgery here I come......next year. Congratulations on your collar bones. Sue

Suzanne: I went through this tired stage too. Are you taking a Multivitamin each day? If you have issues swallowing a big multivitamin try the Centrum chewable Vitamins for adults. They taste bad but at least they don't get stuck. I think part of the exhaustion is in grieving your old eating habits. It was for me. So, eat as healthy as you can, take a multivitamin, and get extra rest. Once you start taking off alot of the weight your energy should come back. Take care. Sue

Ky: Welcome to bandland and also to this site. There are alot of supportive people here. Sue

Congratulations Purplegirl1818: Yippee! 199.0 I'm sure that Onederland is a great place to be. Please save a spot for me. I'll join you there in April. Sue

Cosmo: I've been there, done that. It can be overwhelming if you think of it in total. I tried to think about it in much smaller chunks, 10 pounds, 25 pounds, 50 pounds, 60 pounds, 70 pounds, and here I am at 105 pounds lost. I still need to lose about 55 or so, so I'm focusing on getting 45 off by my one year bandiversary, and the other ten by end of 2008. I think that starting the journey was the hardest part because I was dieting for 3 months pre-surgery without a band and I was nervous about gaining it back because I didn't have my band yet. However, I worked very hard and kept it off - lost 38 pounds presurgery. I hope all goes well for you and try to think of it in smaller chunks and then it's not so overwhelming. Take care. Sue

Msbutterkup23: Please look to the other bandsters here to recommend a surgeon that you can go and see for follow up, fills, and recommitment to your band. If you let people know where you live and ask for recommendations you'll probably be able to find a great doctor to help you with your band journey. I can honestly say that I feel like my doctor's group is part of my team for this weight loss journey. They share in my success and I feel like they genuinely care about my weight and well-being. I hope that you can find a medical group as good as mine. Take care. Sue

Lizalee: I started at 324 last April. I was banded in July 07. Today I weigh 219. It can be done! I hope to be in a size 12 for my goal weight, whatever weight that ends up being. I'd like to be in a loose 12, so I'm guessing at my height of 5' 7" that is going to be around 160 to 170 pounds, but I'll have to wait and see. I started at 26/28 and now I'm wearing 18's. So, instead of thinking of it as being 50 to 60 pounds from goal I like to think of it as I have 3 sizes to go. I think that I've been feeding on the success. I had a bad December and was shocked when I went to the doctor in January when he said my weight was up 3 pounds! My scale at home didn't agree, but I had a new scale, so I'm sure his scale was right and my scale was wrong. Anyway, I got over the shock of it, committed to another half hour per day of exercise, and now I'm down 10 pounds since 1/18. I'm sure that the fill helped, but the scare of gaining 3 pounds helped me to recommit to the goal too. We can all do it, and I think that believing in that helps too. Best wishes to you for your successful weight loss program. I've been walking my ass off - literally! Take care. Sue

Stacy: I've heard of zumba, but I haven't tried it yet. You've done great in your first five months. You can certainly do 50 more by August 1 going at the pace you have been. They say that if you build muscle your fat burns faster, so working out is probably important to keep at the pace you've been on. Congratulations on your first five months, and keep up the good work. Sue

Hi: If you don't want to count calories you could try counting weight watcher points. If you don't know anyone with an old weight watcher booklet that tells the points values, you could join just for a month or so to get all of the materials to be able to count the points. I don't actually count calories, and I think because I walk so much it's not an issue. I've been pretty successful so far. If you try to stick to eating less than a cup of food with each meal you probably won't need to count calories. Hope this works for you, or that you find an easier method than counting calories. Sue

Kristine: Are you taking really small bites, chewing like crazy, and waiting at least a minute before the next bite? Is it an issue with the quantity you are consuming? I have problems when I eat too fast so I use a one minute timer before I take my next bite. If it's not that, please call your doctor or your nutritionist and speak with them about what, how much, and how you're eating to see if they can make suggestions. Good luck. Sue

Ooops. Somehow my update from yesterday got deleted. Hope that doesn't mean that I'm going to gain those pounds back - lol!:tongue2: Name............starting#......current#.......goal#.....to go Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............226..........220.......6 TxArcher...........360............346..........345.......1 Candle.............218............209..........207.......2 chickatee..........188............179..........175.......4 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............264..........261.......3 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............191.5..........189......2.5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........228..........220.......8 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............175..........175.......0 Mandyjo............191............179..........180.......-1 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............235..........238.......-3 Rainer.............264............250..........248.......2 Redtulips3.........248............231..........226.......5 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............187..........180.......7 Stacy73............230............222..........222.......0 SueMagoo...........230............219..........220......-1 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............209..........205.......4 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........147.8........140.......7.8 One week left to go. I love my last fill! Sue

Hi: I'm Sue. I was banded 7/26/07. I started dieting 4/23/07 and as of this morning have lost 105 pounds! I've been walking my ass off, literally! I'm averaging about 2.5 pounds per week. I had some slow-down, so I kicked up the exercise and it's working. I started at 324, so I'm bigger than most that are getting banded. I'm shooting for size 12 or 14, can't wait to get there. Hopefully this summer. Sue

Yippee - scale was 219.4 this morning. Nice to be out of the two-twenties. Almost on the onederland watch. Thanks everyone for the challenge and support. Name............starting#......current#.......goal#.....to go Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............226..........220.......6 TxArcher...........360............346..........345.......1 Candle.............218............209..........207.......2 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............179..........175.......4 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............264..........261.......3 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............194..........189.......5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........228..........220.......8 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............175..........175.......0 Mandyjo............191............179..........180.......-1 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............237..........238.......-1 Rainer.............264............252..........248.......4 Redtulips3.........248............231..........226.......5 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............187..........180.......7 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............219..........220......-1 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............209..........205.......4 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........147.8........140.......7.8 __________________

cheri52: You are right. I increased my exercise by a half an hour per day with the new total walking of 2 hours per day 6 days per week. It seems to be helping because I've lost 8 pounds since 1/16 which was my last visit to the doctor. I was getting into a rut and losing and gaining back the same 3 pounds for weeks so I decided another half hour of exercise would help and it has. I'm fortunate that I can do most of my exercise walking around the building at work. I take two 15 to 20 minute breaks during work to walk, plus 50 minutes straight during lunch. So, it's just part of my routine now and I walk no matter what the weather is. Then, I add 40 to 50 minutes at night to make sure I have 2 hours. I'm going to have to start some strengthening exercises soon - yuck! I don't have any young kids, and my house is empty all week while my 20 year old is away at college. So, I have alot of "me" time which allows me to focus on my exercise goals. Take care. Sue

Countrygirljtl/Janet: It can and does work. You just need to get to the right fill level. Night time is the hardest for me too. Load up on sugar free Snacks if you can. Sometimes I have four sugarfree popsicles at night when I can't stop that head hunger. I sometimes crush ice in the blender and add crystal light and eat it with a spoon. It's kind of like a sugar free snow cone. Talk with your doctor if this fill doesn't get you to the restriction level that you need. He should be able to give you a fill after a week if it doesn't. You don't want to wait longer between fills if you're not restricted and not losing. If you are losing, then you should be okay. I've been walking my ass off, and it's working! Good luck with getting restriction. Sue

Congratulations! Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and quick recovery. Here's to a thinner you. Sue

cheri52: Thanks for the compliment. A typical day for me is as follows: coffee w/FF cream 7:30 to 9:30 Instant oatmeal 10:30 Hard boiled egg or half Protein bar around 12:30 sometimes fruit too if I can fit it in Fruit or 100 calorie popcorn at 4:00'ish Half a porkchop, or chicken, (something w/protein) and frozen veggies around 6:30 SF Popsicles, rice cakes, low calorie for snack while watching tv Exercise - 15 to 20 minutes walking 9:15 am 50 minutes walking at noon 15 to 20 minutes walking at 3:00 30 to 50 minutes walking at 7:30 So far this is working for me. I recently added 1/2 hour to my exercise because I was plateauing. Between kicking up the exercise and my last fill I'm good for now. I have one of those bands that holds 4cc's. I'm at 1.5 cc's now and it feels pretty good. Occasionally I pb and/or slime if I eat too fast, or don't chew enough. Best wishes to you for your future weight loss success. Sue

Paula: Congratulations! I am so envious, but I hope to be there too soon. Well done - 18 months! Sue

Trystelle: I feel badly about this problem you're having, but on the bright side I've heard that when this happens sometimes insurance will cover the tummy tuck. I was joking with my Sister the other day that I hope that I get a recurring rash there, and if not, get me some brillo pads! Actually though, you might want to start seeing a plastic surgeon now so that you can see what the possibilities are. In addition, it will be good to have medical records supporting this problem you're having if there's a possibility to get your tummy tuck covered. Hope you have some relief soon. Take care. Sue

Kimberly: I am one of the Glasgow's patients too. I think they are fabulous over there. Maybe I've seen you at the support group? I've been going every month since September 2007. I wish I had been banded back when I was 30 instead of when I was 47. I had the biggest appetite and I got through the ten day liquid diet. I dieted starting in April 07 (kind of a modified weight watchers plan) and lost 38 pounds before I got banded on 7/26/07. Since then I've lost 65 more pounds and feel like a new person. I started at 324 and I'm down to 221. I'm 5' 7", and I'd like to be a size 12. Right now I'm in 18's. I was so ready to get banded. I did the ten day liquid pre-op without a problem. It bothered me a bit the first few days, but then it just became a habit. Drink, drink, drink, and then drink some more, and oh I was eating sugarfree popsicles so often I was going through a box every two days! I never cheated on the pre-op diet because I have a daughter who depends on me and I didn't want any extra risk going into the surgery. The lower risk was the reason why I chose lapband. I think that it's all a mind game. If you need to discuss it, send me a private message here and I'll be glad to send you my phone number. Best wishes to you for a quick ten-day liquid diet, and a very successful surgery. I hope to see you at the March support group meeting. Take care. Sue

My medical team was great. Drs. Adam and Arthur Glasgow in Norwood, MA. They do surgeries at Caritas Norwood Hospital. They are both caring, experienced surgeons. They're a Father and Son team. Their office staff is fabulous and they deal well with the insurance companies. They have monthly support groups in their office too. They definitely are a great part of my success so far. Check out their website glasgowandglasgow.com. Take care. Sue

Filole 78: I'm hoping that someone in the know responds to your question. I'm looking to see what might help too. Although I'm pretty sure that plastic surgery will be my only solution because I'm planning to lose 164 pounds total. I'm proud of losing 103 pounds, but I'm also mad at myself for letting things get so out of hand! Your weight loss is fabulous in such a short period of time. Congratulations. Sue