PrtyAntOvrYt

Yup, I know how the negative feelings can be. I try to be upbeat and I think in my head, "Wow, I've lost a lot of weight already, I should be looking really good!" Then I see a picture of myself and I feel like crying, I look just like before. The weight I've lost hasn't made one bit of difference in my appearance. My face is still huge. People tell me I look different, but I think they are just trying to be encouraging. BECAUSE there is another person, I know who was banded a while before me, she's lost half of her excess weight and not one person has noticed, but she also hasn't told anyone about her surgery. So I wonder if I hadn't shared my surgery with others, IF they would ever notice. I guess, I need to think more positively. I'll try today!

Do you have clothes that just don't fit right, now that you've lost those ugly pounds? Come to Dr. Kirshenbaum's office:sneaky: May 21st @ 6pm to 7:30pm:tongue_smilie: and swap them with other successful Banders!:blushing:

Mal, Things are good right now. It's a novelty yet. I hope the sweetness doesn't wear off! I'm motivated! But I'm also a pretty compliant person. That's just my personality. I know, I'm a freak! Glad to hear that your last fill is working well.

Actually Liteweight, I was a freak long before I got my Band!

Do you have clothes that just don't fit right, now that you've lost those ugly pounds?:w00t: Come to Dr. Kirshenbaum's office:sneaky: May 21st @ 6pm to 7:30pm:tongue_smilie: and swap them with other successful Banders!

Yup, he is going to be in trouble! LOL!

I used to give my daughter the choice, she could clean her bedroom or the bathroom. If she chose the bathroom, then I cleaned her bedroom and a lot of unfortunate children got a lot of nice toys that week! She learned quickly it was to her benefit to clean her room. I know, I'm mean!

Brandy: Work out 4 days week/lose 12 pounds by Memorial day! Dee: Get at least 7 hours of sleep everynight! Continue Interval Training, Lose 39lbs by my 6 month anniversary! 7/29/08 (2 days after my 45th birthday)

It's funny! I'm craving my workouts now! Sometimes in the evening, I hear my cycle calling my name, "Dee come to me! Ride me, you Hot Mamma!" Too bad it's my cycle saying those things! HA!!! LOL!

You're so cute Shelbi! I loved reading why you edited your post! I had to edit mine last week because I kept pushing the wrong buttons! Did your son enjoy the walk?

You Rock Brandy! Good for you!!! You're such a workout Mamma!

I woke up this morning, my 3 Month Bandiversary and stepped on the scale!!! I lost 7 lbs this week! I've lost 44 total since surgery, 64lbs since my highest weight! I started Interval Training last Monday. I think that and the fact that I gave up all Simple Carbs made me get over the plateau. The week before I did the pleateau buster diet and maybe the scale waited to move until this week. I have no idea, but something worked! The Interval Training is kicking my hiney! My muscles are sore! My life has changed so much in the last 3 months. I'm more energetic and I'm happier - I do admit that I'm getting that dreaded Turkey Gobbler neck and I now have a marionette face - looks like I'm now a puppet on a string! Thanks for being with me during the pre-op days - the surgery - and the last 3 months. It's been quite the ride and having you all there along has made it that much sweeter! I love you Guys!:w00t::w00t::coolgleamA::thumbup::cool2: dee~

Hi Brandy! Thanks! That is sweet of you! I hate to be so verbose sometimes! I know that what works for me doesn't work for everyone. There are a lot of factors that make things hard at times. Work, children, husbands etc etc. can all make following the rules difficult. Love you too, dee~

That is great news! I'm so happy for you!!!

Thanks Green Sister! I hesitated to post what I did. I don't want people to think it is okay to not follow Dr. K's NUT's instructions, BUT with that being said, I truly believe that Paula meant that we should drink the protein drinks between meals so that we got our protein in and we were still able to eat a variety of foods. In fact, that is exactly what she said when I spoke with her. I feel if I can eat my protein - in form of my solid food meals, it's best. I tried the drinks and it just didn't work for me. AND if I drink protein in place of meals, I end up really hungry in about 2 hours and then I'm searching for food. I've had to do that at work when I'm just crazy busy and not able to eat a sit down meal. It's a tough call, but I believe you have to experiment with several different things and find the one that works for you. Our goals are all the same, to get our protein in, to lose weight and to feel satiated longer. dee~

Good Job Lapdancer! I'm the same way, if I don't plan for my week's meals, I end up failing! I can't rely on Protein Drinks,I have to eat my protein or I feel really deprived and I don't lose as well. I love planning my food, the protein, the whole grain carbs and veggies. It's like a puzzle for me. Each Tuesday morning, I weigh and then I graph it on my excel spreadsheet. So each Tuesday morning, I've decided I'm going to make a new challenge for myself. Last weeks was NO SIMPLE SUGARS! Next week is going to be to get my 7 hours of sleep each night! I'm failing drastically at that! Good Luck Dear! Looks like you're doing great! I loved your Food Porn description. I am just like you! I am an addict! There is no other way to say it! Hugs, dee~

Hi Nurse, My first fill was 3.3mls. Dr. K is going to give you what you need. You don't want to be too tight. That's where you get into problems. You have to trust that he'll do what is right for you. One more thing too, the fill works for a specific amount of time. You get the fill, feel good restriction and then as you lose weight the fill gets looser. You start with your sweet spot and then you'll eventually lose it. That is how I've found things work. When you lose your sweet spot, you have to do it on your own. That's why building good habits during your good restriction times, helps when your restriction wanes. This week, I lost 5 lbs. I weigh every Tuesday as that is my weekly anniversary -- but my pants were so huge on Saturday that I weighed yesterday morning. I was down 4 lbs on Sunday morning then this morning another pound. I am scheduled for a fill on the 5th of May. I hope I can make it! When my fill leaves and I start to fall into bad habits, I force myself to return to my pre-op diet. I have to be really strict with myself, because afterall, I'm a recovering addict! RECOVERING being the important part of that statement! Good luck! dee~

Hi Shelbi! How did the rest of your weekend go? Did you continue with success? Anymore PB's or Slimes? I've been thinking about you each time, I sit down to eat. dee~

Hi Macemar, I sense your frustration and it bothers me. I know that the NUT advises Protein Shakes, but I really found that if I drink my meals or Snacks, I don't lose weight. I'm 3 months post surgery and I'm down 43 lbs as of this morning and 63 lbs from my highest weight. I eat my protein, solid meals makes the best solution for me. I am very careful too about logging in all of my intake in Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople or FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. I found they are both very similar but fitday is less involved. I agree with Green, you should log your intake in and see exactly how many calories you're eating. I also take my measuring cup with me everywhere. I have to, I am an overeater and if something tastes really good to me, I will continue past my 'soft stop' and eat more than I should. I discovered this during my early days with the band. I measure one cup and then put the rest in the fridge or if I'm out, I put the rest in a take out container and place it out of reach. It's the way you have to treat a addict, but that is really what I am. I advise, eating your protein, cut out the Protein drinks. Make your meal, 1/2 protein, 1/4 veggie, 1/4 whole grain carbs. Drink your water, (it's great if you already do this) Log your food for atleast a week, watch your protein intake there, and don't exceed 1200 calories, but try to get in 60-80 grams of protein. Start moving your body - atleast 30 mins a day. If you can't do a whole 30 mins when you start, do like I did 3-10 mins then 2-15 mins then 20 and a 10 min, now I'm up to 40 mins a day of hard recumbent cycling. Good Luck, don't be discouraged. Be motivated to use this time to reinvent yourself and your lifestyle of eating right, working out and taking care of your body as a whole person. Come back often for support and encouragement. It's not easy, Dear, but it's totally doable if you take it one small bite at a time! dee~

Oh Shelbi, I forgot to mention! My daughter says she can see me counting to 30 in my head and then she can see me counting to 9 after I've swallowed. Hey! If it keeps me on track then that's good! I'm so happy for you! Keep counting Girlie! How does the Omega-3 chewable taste? And is that the one from GNC? I'm about to put my order in online and I saw them.

:smile2: Yeah Shelbi!!! You made my evening!! I'm so happy to hear it worked! Wow! I know I have a friend who lives in Littleton and she was banded by a different doctor, but she has trouble everytime she gets a new fill. She tends to eat really fast and not chew things well. It takes about a week to get back to the slow eating routine! My meals are pretty funny looking, actually. Trying to get all of my different foods in there on one tiny plate. Like breakfast this morning was pretty cute. I had one Morningstar Farm Veggie Sausage (10grams of protein in one patty), 1/4 piece of Dakota bread (1gram of protein), toasted with 1/3 Less fat cream cheese and one egg soft scrambled with milk (6grams of protein). I have stopped drinking the protein drinks because I really don't have room for them, if I'm eating my fruit and I don't need the protein. I do admit that I drink 5oz of a MIX1 drink every morning with my crushed pills before riding my bike. (7 grams of protein in half) I feel I need to get them to the lower stomach so they can start working and I don't want them down there with just water. So I drink my MIX1 drink. They come in 11oz servings and I drink 1/2 of one. They aren't thick at all and come in fruity flavors and are filled with all kinds of good vitamins, including calcuim and vitamin D. I get them at Whole Foods for $1.50 (on sale) so if I drink half, one serving for me is 0.75cents. I haven't found a chewable Biotin, but I read some where that someone did. I'll see if I can find that post and I'll repost it here. I take the tiny tiny ones from Walmart. They taste okay - I just chew them really fast and then chase them with my MIX1 drink in the am. I also take the GNC Chewable Calcium. It's Calcium Carbonate. But it tastes okay. My chewable Multivit has some Calcium Citrate in it, actually, the one I'm taking now has 100% required. I just finished a chewable that was really good. I got it at Vitamin Cottage. Now I'm using the one from a tiny health food store in Albuquerque. The next one will be the one Brandy turned me on to from GNC. I have tasted more Multivits in the last three months than in my entire life. One day at Vitamin Cottage, I sampled about 5 different ones. I guess, it didn't click in my head that I shouldn't be eating so many vitamins, but I was searching for the one that tasted the best. They have one container open and you can sample them. I bought a chewable Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Vit D combo and it is absolutely horrible! Well, I better get going now! Hugs! AND I'm thrilled that you were able to eat a good meal. I'm so anal, that I write down the time I finish eating so I can see how long before I get hungry again! I know! I'm a nerd! I started doing that a year ago when I was checking my blood sugars two hours after my meals. I was obsessed with that too! My doctor said he'd never seen anyone like me! Oh well... Life goes on... Hugs! Kisses! dee~

Hi Lizzieann, I think a BBQ is a perfect meal for a Lap Bander. I eat a lot of BBQ now. I don't eat the Potatoe Salad, Mac Salad or Beans, but the meat is perfect for me. There is a BBQ place in Parker close to the hospital and the Similac Rep brings us food all the time. He knows I can eat their BBQ chicken. It's very very very tender. It almost melts in my mouth. (but I don't allow it to, Shelbi!) I don't eat pork of any kind, so I don't know how that would work, but Brisket is good too. Are you not able to eat really tender meats? Anyway, I agree, I think it's not so much about the food and more about socializing! Hope you can come!

Shelbi, I don't have that much experience yet, but I do remember Paula's rules as being 3 meals, no snacks and 2 protein drinks. I remember distinctly Dr. K telling me IF I was not hungry, I was not to eat anything. And the goal was to only eat 3 meals -- when I was hungry. I have to admit I haven't done that because when I did, I was only getting 600 cals a day. And when I added the protein shakes between the meals, I wasn't hungry and found myself not eating anything. Somedays, I'd have my breakfast 2 or 3 hours later as instructed, I'd have my protein shake and then I'd be full until 4 in the afternoon, I'd eat my lunch and 2 or 3 hours later it was time to drink my protein shake but by then it was time for bed and I didn't want to drink or eat anything that close to bedtime for fear of having problems. I had to change the way I was doing things because my weight stalled and I felt weak most of the time. Now I eat my three solid protein/veggie/whole grain carb meals - approx. one cup at a time, then between meals, I will eat a very small or half a piece of fruit. This helps me keep things regular and I feel I am eating more balanced and healthy. I'm getting in about 80grams of protein, because I log everything in Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople. Okay, I know that does help your PB'g problem now that you've had a fill. Sorry, but do you think you want to try to chew things more and eat them slower? I read where it takes 9 seconds for your food to get to the stomach once you've swallowed it. (I read that on the discovery channel's website in reference to speed eaters.) I think I could have easily been a speed eater. I didn't chew, I shoved food in my mouth and inhaled it. I'm surprised I didn't go the way of others who have choked to death. Maybe Shelbi, if you can start fresh with the rules of taking smaller bites, chewing to liquid form and then waiting 9 seconds until you take your next bite, maybe you'll be able to consume more solid proteins. I admit, I'm not perfect with the chewing 30 times and waiting. But I want to be -- it's a very difficult concept for me. I have to completely pay attention to my meal. I haven't slimed yet, but I had a little stuck episode one night on a piece of chicken. My second bite and it was over. I didn't want anything else and I certainly wasn't going to force myself. Also, have you tried something hot to drink just prior to eating, so you can relax and open up a little? You can do it -- take those tiny bites! I'm rooting for you! dee~ Shelbi, if smaller bites, chewing more and waiting doesn't help, then maybe you need a slight unfill. Are you having any coughing at night or reflux issues? AND lastly, you can always call Natalie and Paula... use us as support and ideas, but they are always there!

You are certainly welcome Liteweight! I feel honored to have been asked to post the information. I think it's so sweet of Dr. K to have a Reunion.:thumbup:

Thank you Sidann, That is very kind of you to say. I have really found my site to be very cathartic. Writing my thoughts, good and bad helps me understand them better. This hasn't been easy for me, but it hasn't been impossible either. I know I need to understand how I ever let myself weigh over 400lbs or it will be a battle I fight the rest of my life. I hope you can come to the Reunion. What a blessed event that will be... a group of people who have all been on the same journey! i can't wait. I think it's so thoughtful of Dr. K to host this BBQ and even more thoughtful of Natalie to give us the date so early. At work we are already scheduling for July. AND just think of everyone who lives out of state. I can't wait! dee~