lovecats85

I had it too! Still have some of it although it's almost gone. Mine was more like a rectangular shaped box of swollen muscle around my port - blech!

I'm 3 weeks out and I can do it any which way just fine! And the DH can't keep his hand off of me due to the 15 pounds I've lost already!

Isn't a cup 8 ounces - thats seems about what I eat.

When do you get mushies? I had one week liquids, 2 weeks mushies and then I start real food tomorrow WHOO HOO

Ok Ok everyone cheats - don't do it blah blah. The reality here is that it's so hard not to cheat b/c A. you're used to the level of "hunger" you probably felt all the time before, and B. most people have NO restriction until they get a fill. You are at a tough stage but I will give you my thoughts: 1. like Jack told me - hunger does not mean you have to eat until you are stuffed and can't cram anymore in. You have to re-teach yourself that there is a thing such as comfortably full. 2. my tummy growls alot even when I'm totally not hungry - I think the tummy noises are just something that bandsters have to deal with but I'll trade it for weight loss any ole day! 3. Don't cheat b/c it's not good for you, but also don't obsess over cheating - just move on and try to do better. If you are on mushies there are mushies that are more filling (ex. mashed potatoes are way more filling than tomato soup). Try potato salad, mashed potatoes, blended brocolli soup - stuff that may fill you up more. Also if you just have a craving try to modify it to what you can have. For example I was craving nachos so I had fat-free refried beans, light velveeta, some lowfat sour cream and avacado and mushed that all together and it took away my nacho craving. Just my suggestions! Good luck and you will be healed soon and get that fill soon and you'll be fine!

This is awesome: It says for me: You burn 2210 calories during a typical day. You should consume about 1488 calories a day to reach your target weight of 150 lbs. This is at a reasonable weight loss average of 0.69 lbs per week, which would take about 117 weeks to reach. Ok, well since I don't really want to wait 2 years and 3 months to lose the weight I am going to stick with my 1200 calories per day!

Wear a thing - you'll be sexy and you'll get used to that "creepy" feeling! Haha! You need not complain - you are one hot sexy mama. And can I just say that I don't even know Erin but she BUGS ME! Why can this woman not eat at her own desk?

1st off, I guess I need to take a pregnancy test b/c I am not officially one week late. I hope it's just my body reacting to the stress of surgery b/c me, nor my doc, would be too thrilled about getting pregnant immediatley after my band surgery. Also, today my tummy is making all kinds of growling noises but I ate Breakfast anbd I'm not hungry. What's that about? Lats but not least, what's the deal with salad. Some people say they can eat it, some say they can't, someone even said no raw veggies for 6 months!!! On Friday I can start eating "normal" food and of course I am craving a salad - the one thing I don't think I can have 3 weeks out! What's the consensus on salad? Ok, I know I am annoying you all with all my posts. I feel like I chronicle my daily life on this website. But really, reading this site makes me feel good even when I hear the bad things b/c I love you guys and I feel like I can vent/rant, etc here without being judged by people who don't understand.

Good point! I think alot of celebs lie about everything from gastric bypass to anorexia and I have sympathy for them b/c everyone in my life is supportive of my band - but then again, only my friends and family know - things might be different if I had paparazzi on my front porch and Star magazine making up stories about me. I sympathize with celebs who lie or don't tell - it's just the ones that endorse other products that make me mad. And even if they didn't lose weight surgically, I don't belive they did it by diet alone which is what they make it sound like on thier endorsements. I bet I could lose alot of weight on Jenny Craig or Trimspa-- but only if I had personal trainer, personal chef, personal shopper, maid, etc.

Vines, I ditto the answer above! I think if you have to go down to 800 to lose you should try to lose, but also bringing the exersize level up can help (grimmace - exersize sucks!!! ot at least I think it does). Anyways, most likely you will have no problems with your band and have it forever so you won't have to worry about weight gain if you ever had the band out. I just worry b/c I am only 26 and I haven't had kids yet so I would rather eat the 1200 calories now, lose weight slowly, have healthy babies, and then at that point I can weigh weigh loss v. metabolic slow down. Also, about the exersize - the basic thing to remeber is that if you burn more calories than you eat you will lose. Simple as that (unless you have a medical metabolic problem). So if you eat 1200 but move around enough to burn 1300 you'll lose, or eat 800 and move around enought to burn 900 you'll lose. I wasn't trying to scare anyone w/ the 1200 comment - I am just being proactive b/c unlike some people who think thier band will last forever, I have 60-70 years left in this lifetime (hopefully) and I don't see my band lasting that long -- I wish it would but I don't think it's realistic to expect it to (I know alot of people would argue with me on this but it's just my opinion). Anyways, I'm totally rambling on here, but the metabolic study Melissa suggested is an interesting idea. I would like to have that done too b/c my metablolism seems awfully slow! Anyways, good luck and even though you are a turtle I think you are doing great and I think your NSV list is really inspiring!!

Actually I think you'd have to try really hard to overeat soft food. I'm on mushies and frankly there is only so much I can eat with my band. You could easily drink milkshakes all day though so you do have to work with your band.

Yeah! I had to pay for my EVERYTHING! 12,600 bucks and worth it so far! 16 pounds lost in 3 weeks! Before the band I couldn't lose 16 pounds in a year! Anyways, I got banded on a Friday and went back to work for 1/2 day on Tues and 1/2 day on Wed and then I was back full time.

Just remember that continually eating under 1200 calories per day can slow your metablolism down FOR LIFE. I would rather lose slower with my band than end up being 400 lbs if I ever have to remove my band!

Look around for cheaper US prices. My self pay band was 12,600 and someone in San Antonion does the band for 10,500.

PMS is a bitch! Just let yesterday be yesterday and today be a new day!

I got a soft stuck thing 2 days ago - I ate some mashed up meatloaf and mashed potatoes and it didn't really get stuck but it just went down weird and painfully. I felt like crap the next 24 hours and I got freaked out about slippage and my chest was tight and all that but I'm fine now. I think it's normal to freak out when your chest feels weird and you feel bad and you've never felt that way before! Hope you are better now!

I think your stubborness about taking medicine is related to anxiety (not just a "man thing"- I've found other people with anxiety have the same fear like I do. I have this irrational fear I will have a bad side effect and die or something.

I know the feeling! I am supposed to start "real food" on Friday and so far I have been too scared to swallow a bite of mushy as heck chicken salad. I just have this gut feeling it won't go down. I don't know how I will eat a piece of chicken!

Thanks for sharing your story. The DS supposedly works really well, so I wish you luck!

Ok, not that anyone cares but I had some cottage cheese and applesauce for dinner and I feel fine tonight. Hopefully I'll be all better but I will stick to liquids and major mush again tomorrow to be sure!

I had a BMI of 37 on some charts, 38 on others. I had no official co-morbities except reflux and knee pain. Of course I'm a self pay and I think they don't care as much if you pay yourself.

I'm so glad I had you guys to break it down in plain English for me. I have a biology degree but I sure hate reading studies and numbers! Anyways, basically what I got out of the summarized news article was that some people die but it's mainly b/c of the co-mobidities. Duh.

also, it feels like my stomach is up in my throat!

Ok, so last night I swallowed a bite that felt weird and gave me the golfball feeling. This morning I was fine again, had a shake for breakfast and some mush for lunch and here it is 5 o'clock and I feel tihgtness in my chest and somewhat "golfbally" again. I am so worried that my band will slip. Is this feeling normal after a weird swallow - will it go away soon? how long shuld I wait before I call the doc?

I'm not resentfyl or cynical - I just don't believe that Anna Nicole lost all that weight by just taking TrimSpa and that irritates me that she would do an endorsement that was a lie. As far as other celebs, I totally understand people who don't want to admit they've had surgery - but I do honestly believe there are plenty of celebs and non-celebs that lie about it , so what's wrong with speculating?