enjoylife

Okey Dokey, I had my fill today! I now have 3cc in a 14 cc band. The fill ws really easy - a tiny little piece of a pinch that lasted a millisecond if that. The worst part was me thinking that the poke was the end - I went to sit up and there was a needle sticking in my belly. I almost passed out - just from the sight of the needle - it was not painful at all. I can only have liquids for today and tomorrow - that's exactly what I need in order to get rid of those two pounds I have gained. I'm scheduled for another will on May 21st. April and Cathy - how are things with your mom (April) and brother-in-law (Cathy)? I hope that all is well. I am keeping you all in my prayers.

MY APOINTMENT/HOPEFULLY - FILL WAS MOVED UP TO TODAY AT 11:10. I'M scared. I HATE NEEDLES... BUT I REALLY NEED A FILL - SO HERE GOES...

Cathy, this is the place to celebrate your victories, lament your slips, vent your frustrations, spill your guts, get encouragement to push on through, tell somebody what's hurting you. Otherwise, what's the point of this place? Most of us aren't here just because we're fat, had the same surgery, and need some one to talk to. We're here for support because crap happens and that crap and our responses to it affect us and our weight. That's the only reason I'm here - for the support - otherwise I'd just write about my LB experience in a private journal. We come here to get and give support, so if that's what you need; take all that you need. I'm sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. This has got to be difficult for him, but fortunately he has you to help him through this. It sounds as though you all have suffered quite a bit in the last twelve months. Hold on and keep the faith. I pray that he has a full recovery and that you all come out on the other side stronger, closer, and happier. Now to all of you that are struggling with the same three or four pounds. Be grateful dudes cuz I have gained 4 pounds. It has been sitting here on my bones for a week now. If one more person tells me that muscle weighs more than fat I will scream. I have barely lifted anything since surgery (except a spoon and fork) I will try to walk at least a mile everyday and I do make sure that I get my protein in, but I don’t think I’m doing enough to have built any muscle mass. On the bright side though, my body seems to be shrinking. Today I put on a pair of size 24 pants. Last year I was buying 32s and 28s. Yesterday I work a blouse set that I have not been able to wear for a quite some time (over a year)! So, I’m gaining weight but getting smaller? That makes no sense at all….

Special K – thank you for the encouraging information. I did not know that a normal first fill was 4.5 cc!!! I’m hoping my doctor follows that same practice! :smile: Fenton is right. I am sure that most of us are doing what we should and therefore, should expect to see that infamous scale move eventually. Laying off my scale has made me less edgy. It also may have made me a little lax in eating properly – but then I’d place the blame for that anywhere other than my own lap. I have not exercised since Saturday. That’s four days of laziness. Today may make five because my baby has a recital after school/work and I have too many things to do between getting off and getting her to the recital on time to get my walk in. I guess I should pledge here and now to set up my Wii tonight. Maybe if I do that and get in a few games of tennis I can count that as exercise. Anyway, I actually like my NSV almost as much as seeing the scale move. That lowering, hovering, (or in my case – rising) number is so concrete. But that concrete-ness could not compare to the feeling I got wearing those black jeans yesterday. I was looking good! One of the regular delivery guys went out of his way to come over and talk to me. I got the distinct feeling that he was flirting with me!!!! Ok I may be making more of it then it really was, but he reached out and touched my arm twice. He has never touched me before; and in marketing we know that people touch what they want. But even if I am wrong, I don’t care. I care that I was able to get into those jeans and I looked good. I care that I had to race for the door and I wasn’t winded. I care that I had to walk the length of my building several times yesterday I it did not make me tired and I did not cringe at the thought of having to make the walk. So I will definitely be out there walking tomorrow and I will be playing me some Wii!

Lisa - I'm sorry to read about your landlord freaking out over your dog. I had a landlord that made me give away a kitten once. It was heartbreaking but I did find him a good home. Unlike you, I didn't have a leg to stand on. My lease clearly stated NO PETS. OF course what could I do when I walked out of work and he was there motherless and mewing by my car? I stooped down and held out my hand and he waddled right onto my palm. Hell I was hooked. I left work and went straight to the store to pick up everything he would need. He was content to sit in my purse while I shopped and had the good sense (or the empty tummy) not to poop or pee in my purse. Anyway... I love animals. If my baby wasn't allergic to cats and dogs I'd have one of each. I may still get a cat - she's been asking for one. Fight for your baby boy Lisa. Get the vet to write a note and get it notarized. See if you can get any neighbors to write letters stating that your dog has not been any trouble, and I am with Busy - the burden of proof lies with the landlord. If they want to use the pit rule, then they need to prove that your dog is a pit - fat chance of that happening. Hang in there. Now on to me... The last time I weighed myself was yesterday morning, before that it had been a week or so. Anyway, yesterday morning the scale said that I had gained close to 4 lbs. I was ok with that because it’s that time of the month (sorry Fenton). I have crap restriction. I really do, until you consider the fact that pre band I could damn near eat a large pizza by myself. Pre band I could eat a five piece chicken dinner from Popeyes by myself and still make room for at least one more piece (if only it were in the box). So I can eat more than a cup of food. At least I don’t eat all day. I don’t do the four or five little meals. I just don’t have that kind of schedule. I am looking forward to my first fill. I’m praying that my doctor will be aggressive. If I have to take a half day off from work, drive 2.5 hours there and back (in HEAVY rush hour traffic) I want more than a .5 cc fill! I want a 3 cc fill maybe even a 4 cc fill!!! Ok – I know that’s wishful thinking. But I have a 14cc band. Putting a .5 cc fill in that is like giving a Tic Tac to a whale. But I have to wait until May 12th for that so there’s no need in me stressing myself out over it until then. Trust me that day will be plenty stressful because I not only have to convince my doctor to load me up with saline, but in addition, I HATE NEEDLES! If I were a diabetic, I’d be in serious trouble. So while I wait for my fill day to arrive, I will stay off the scale and enjoy celebrating my NSVs – like the one I am celebrating today… I am currently wearing a pair of jeans that I have not been able to wear for over two years. Yippee Ky F-ing YEA!!!! Now that deserves a Happy Dance – cue the music…

I was banded on March 24th. I hope to have my first fill on May 12th. I have a 14cc band so I am hoping to get a decent fill - like 3 or 4 ccs.

Chica – My arm twin. That was no typo. I started at about 11:00 am, and finished at about 4:40. In that time I ate 5.5 bun-less hotdogs. My only saving Grace is that I did not have chips, Cookies, brownies, or soda. K-pod – everyone one is right. You went into what could have been a disastrous situation with a plan, which you stuck to and came out victorious. I understand your being steamed and wanting to vent. That’s probably why your sister chose to tell whoever would listen about your chips and dip encounter. She’s steamed and wants to vent. You said yourself that she does not have the option to have Lap Band. How would she know that unless she looked into it? Why would she know that unless she’s considered lap band? It could be that she’s just as frustrated as you are because she can envision you reaching your weight goals but cannot envision herself reaching hers. My advice (as if you asked for it) would be to not mention the incidents to her. Just continue to do as you have been doing. She will eventually have to recognize your weight loss and lifestyle change achievements. Good luck to you!

Fenton, those statistics helped me make my decision to be banded. I lost over 90 lbs once. It was great while it lasted, but it didn't last long. My sister kept telling me, "You can lose the weight without surgery." I kept reminding her that I know, I did it before, but statically, it was a waste of my time. I was not willing to go through the struggle losing all that weight, only to 1) regain it all and then some and 2) find that the insurance companies have made it even harder to get the lap band through them two years from now. I almost 2 years ago, my co-worker had the lap band and she was not required to do the 6-month diet. Had I followed through and gotten mine then (she went to seminar with me - she chose one surgeon, I chose the other) I could have avoided the 6-month wait and be well on my way to Thindom. Instead, she's down 89 lbs and I'm just beginning. WOW!!!! Do you guys know what today is? It’s my ONE MONTH BANDIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE KY YEA!!!! I wish I had remembered that yesterday when I spent my work day tossing back 5.5 bun less hotdogs. That's not including the breakfast I had. I am worthless around a bar-b-q grill. So other than my protein shakes and a SF Popsicle, I had nothing to eat yesterday past 5:30. At least I did get my mile walk in. But I am back on track today. I actually think I am down around (or close to) 20lb post op. My mini goal is to be down (post op) 25 - 30 pounds by May 12th. That's when I have my next appointment. That is when I will get officially weighed. So, to all my fellow March 24th Bandsters - HAPPY ONE-MONTH BANDIVERSARY!!!!!

Harley - I think I may need to start talking to myself. I really blew it today. Thank God for the support I get here and the knowledge that tomorrow is a new day... heck the next minute is a new minute and I can get back on track right here and now.

Kpod - thank you for the exercise link. I just printed them off. I'm going to keep them at my desk at work. The gym teacher gave me two of her bands so guess I can get started. My upper arms are huge. Mine are too fat to flap like wings. They just look like a shank of meat with a lot of fat or something. Hopefully these exercises will help. I'll start slowly - one rep between classes. Carrie - give the candy to your students. If you're anything like me you cannot be around chocolate and practice any kind of self control. The best thing is to just get rid of it. trashing them would not help me because I'd have to unwrap them to ensure that I didn't change my mind later. So either give them away or get rid of them in a disgusting way - like opening them in a public restroom and dropping them in the toilet - no going back there... and if you open them in a public restroom, you won't be tempted to take a bite before tossing them. On Music - I love Journey!!! Steve Perry's voice is incredible! Don't stop believin' - hold on to that feelinnnnnn....

You could tell him/her its a tumor - but that's not sexy at all... :glare:

Fenton - that's wonderful news. I'm with Harley, I love to read and I love words. I just may be going to Amazon.com to purchase your book. It would be a nice diversion though I will have to put off reading it until after next May. If I am to graduate on time I cannot let anything distract me. In fact I have been trying to cut back on me being on LBT because I get so caught up that time flies by before I realize it. I'm sort of sick of school, but I know that if I simply buckle down, I can be finished and moving on to my next goal - whatever that may be. I've been in school for so long, I'm pretty sure it won't be me taking any kind of serious classes. In fact, I have said that after this, I am concentrating on my baby's education. On another note, I broke down and weighed myself at work. Last week it had me up in weight. Today It has me down past where I was when I weighed in with my doctor. Who knows what that means - except both my home and work scales went down. i can't wait until 5/12 when I can weigh in with the surgeon. I'm not changing my ticker until then. NSV - I retired my first pair of pants. They truly are sagging and too big - that may be mostly because they were cheap - but heck I'll take any victory I can legitimately get! Teri and Fenton – Congrats on your weight loss this week! I feel my port too. I usually feel it when I am walking – like after I have walked past my comfort level. I just push through it and keep going. The pain usually doesn’t last long or becomes so dull that it’s not bothersome.

I was banded on March 24th. I have a five-year-old and I felt just like you. I was afraid. One thing to remember though is that inorder to get insurance approval, you've got to go through a slew of medical clearances. If you sucessfully made it through those without fudging anything, you have nothing to worry about. You will be fine. Trust in God, have your surgery, and go on to lose the weight that's keeping you from doing all that you want to do with your children (if that's the case) and may keep you from living to see them graduate high school or college (if you are as obese as I am). Take Care and remember - PRAY!!!

Hopeinapril, thanks for responding about the gall bladder medication. I guess this means that I’m at risk of needing surgery too. I need to learn to ask more questions when I am sitting in front of my doctor Scrappy - this is for you... skip click skip click, tap tap tap shimmy shimmy, and shake! That was me clicking my heels and happy dancing to celebrate your 5 lb weight loss!!!! WHOOOO HOOOOO I am still walking. Today I walked by myself. Well I was on my cell phone. It was ok. I am sore and happy. Fenton, thank you for the invitation to the men's room! I've never been there, but I'm going today - or maybe tomorrow. Don't worry I won't post there; I'll just review the body bugg chart and duck if I see any guys coming. I did not read far enough to know that there is a $100 yearly fee. That's crazy. I mean if you've paid for the equipment you shouldn't have to pay so much to use the site. What is this about Nike having a piece of equipment? Is comparable to the bugg? Does anyone know the name of this device? I'd love to check it out. Let me know if you come across any info on that. Well my homework is screaming for me to get to work! Later fellow Shamrocks!

HAPPY BANIDVERSARY March 18thers!!!! That’s fantastic. My date is fast approaching. Amazing – it seems like a week ago. I really want that Body Bugg. It is ridiculously expensive, but if it will be a constant reminder and motivator for me to do the right thing, then I may invest in one for my Mother’s Day present. Those Shamrocks that already have one, please keep us posted on how it is working for you. What I would really like to know is if you think its accurate – especially when monitoring your food intake (of is it based on what you input in the computer) and your calories burned. Is it comfortable? Is it motivating you to stay on track? I mean if I had something that indicated that I had to walk one more mile this week to make my weight loss goal – I’d be in business. Is that how it works? Has anyone else here been instructed to take medication for the liver or gall stones? I have take this stuff for six months…

Wow what an awesome thread. SpecialK you certainly are special. This was so thoughtful. I know I'm a little late, but I usually log in and go straight for either the blog section or the March Master thread. I guess I need to broaden my horizons. Thanks for creating the list. I'm sure it took you quite a while to compile it.

MoverM, Welcome to the Master Thread - and all of the other March 2008 threads. These people are truly wonderful. I do not have a support group near me (I had surgery 2.5 hours away from my home) so this is as close as I get. I actually think that this is a better support group than those that are in person because there's no face-to-face there's no feeling like you need to embellish. Here it simply is what it is. I'm glad that you are here and getting some much needed support. Well all, I have decided that I MAY not weigh myself at home anymore. I had my post op yesterday and I had not gained back 2.5 pounds. I have actually lost another 1.something or other. So post op I'm down 17.5 lbs. YEA ME!!! NSV - a no-nonsense, non tongue-holding, cute, tiny, petite co-worker told me that I am looking great!!!! YEA ME again! So, no more standing on my scale up to six times in the morning until I get the same reading twice. I have a fairly new weight watchers scale so I don't think it’s the scale, I think it’s the floor not being level. I have my next appointment on May 12th. My doctor said that he might give me my first fill then. Now I almost wish had kept my original April 7th appt - but that was my baby's recital - I could not miss that. Ok - the sun is shining and I want to enjoy it. I have not done my walking for the day.

God Bless to the both of you. Before my surgery I was terrified. - Really I was terrified. I have a five year old and I did not want to leave my baby motherless. Upon waking up my first thoughts were "Thank you Jesus." I thanked Him over and over again. Just like I know He watched over me, I know He will be watching over you Hunee B and you Tymeforachange. I am currently three weeks post op. I don't regret having it. I've lost 16 pounds and am learning that 16lbs in three weeks is a good thing (at first I thought I should be losing at a much faster pace). I am sending up a prayer for you two right now. I look forward to hearing about your experiences and your successes.

it belongs here... so I hope this isn't considered cheating.. this is how I feel so this is my blog. First of all, let me say why I post in large print. I have 15/20 vision, but I work on a computer all day long. Reading the 10 point font size prints drive me nuts. In addition I cannot Zoom my screen size at home. So, to compensate I use 12 point font. It just appears bigger than 12 online. Whew, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I hope you all don’t mind. Second, I’d like to personally welcome Ejmdiva to the March 2008 Bandsters’ Master Thread. WELCOME!!!!!!! Ejmdiva, helped to calm my fears as I approached my surgery date. I was terrified; she offered her words of wisdom and then suggested that I go to the chat room. I did I found several people who were able to give me statistic information regarding the death rate in the US that made me feel much better. I am a single mom and my biggest fear was doing something that would leave my child motherless. Thank you so much Ejmdiva, I really appreciate what you did for me. Third, I’d like to say… HOW THE HECK DID I GAIN 2.5 POUNDS!!!!!!!! I’ll be dog gone. I hate the mushie stage! I cannot seem to get it right. I cannot eat every four hours. I’m a teacher; I can’t just whip out a snack of pureed chicken and chow down in the middle of a class. In addition, I cannot survive on 2- 4 oz per meal. I’m eating a cup – yeah that’s right a cup! I try to keep it down to three meals a day. I usually have a shake for breakfast, then a "regular" lunch and dinner. I never make my water goal. I forgot to take either one or both of my vitamin supplements three days in a row. H4eck I haven’t taken my B12 yet today – let me do that now….Energy my rear. I am so out of shape that my body aches from WALKING and the use of 3lb weights! That’s right I’m in major _itch mode right now. (Stomps around, breathing heavily glaring at the mirror on her desk). Now that I have that out of the way… I think my body is in starvation mode. It is holding on to every calorie. Cuz I know I was eating around or over 3000 per day pre band. Now I’m eating anywhere between 800 and 1300 calories (except yesterday – yesterday I had 1560 cals). Fours later….This morning I was trippin. I feel much better now. I called a friend who was banded 1.5 years ago. She helped me get my head right. Now I have two mantras lol 1) I won’t really start to lose weight until after my first fill, until then I will do my best to make good choices and exercise and 2) I did not have gastric bypass surgery. The weight will not come off in a week. It takes time, it’s healthier, and I must not lose faith. WOOO-SAHHH! I feel so much better. So what my body hurts from walking – I went walking. I did again today too. I am going to walk everyday until I get to a point that it does not leave me with body ache – then I gonna walk farther and/or faster so I can ache again. Yall are fantastic! Thanks for the support!... no I am not crazy – just happy….

it belongs here... so I hope this isn't considered cheating.. this is how I feel so this is my blog. First of all, let me say why I post in large print. I have 15/20 vision, but I work on a computer all day long. Reading the 10 point font size prints drive me nuts. In addition I cannot Zoom my screen size at home. So, to compensate I use 12 point font. It just appears bigger than 12 online. Whew, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I hope you all don’t mind. Second, I’d like to personally welcome Ejmdiva to the March 2008 Bandsters’ Master Thread. WELCOME!!!!!!! Ejmdiva, helped to calm my fears as I approached my surgery date. I was terrified; she offered her words of wisdom and then suggested that I go to the chat room. I did I found several people who were able to give me statistic information regarding the death rate in the US that made me feel much better. I am a single mom and my biggest fear was doing something that would leave my child motherless. Thank you so much Ejmdiva, I really appreciate what you did for me. Third, I’d like to say… HOW THE HECK DID I GAIN 2.5 POUNDS!!!!!!!! I’ll be dog gone. I hate the mushie stage! I cannot seem to get it right. I cannot eat every four hours. I’m a teacher; I can’t just whip out a snack of pureed chicken and chow down in the middle of a class. In addition, I cannot survive on 2- 4 oz per meal. I’m eating a cup – yeah that’s right a cup! I try to keep it down to three meals a day. I usually have a shake for breakfast, then a "regular" lunch and dinner. I never make my water goal. I forgot to take either one or both of my vitamin supplements three days in a row. H4eck I haven’t taken my B12 yet today – let me do that now….Energy my rear. I am so out of shape that my body aches from WALKING and the use of 3lb weights! That’s right I’m in major _itch mode right now. (Stomps around, breathing heavily glaring at the mirror on her desk). Now that I have that out of the way… I think my body is in starvation mode. It is holding on to every calorie. Cuz I know I was eating around or over 3000 per day pre band. Now I’m eating anywhere between 800 and 1300 calories (except yesterday – yesterday I had 1560 cals). Fours later….This morning I was trippin. I feel much better now. I called a friend who was banded 1.5 years ago. She helped me get my head right. Now I have two mantras lol 1) I won’t really start to lose weight until after my first fill, until then I will do my best to make good choices and exercise and 2) I did not have gastric bypass surgery. The weight will not come off in a week. It takes time, it’s healthier, and I must not lose faith. WOOO-SAHHH! I feel so much better. So what my body hurts from walking – I went walking. I did again today too. I am going to walk everyday until I get to a point that it does not leave me with body ache – then I gonna walk farther and/or faster so I can ache again. Yall are fantastic! Thanks for the support!... no I am not crazy – just happy….

First of all, let me say why I post in large print. I have 15/20 vision, but I work on a computer all day long. Reading the 10 point font size prints drive me nuts. In addition I cannot Zoom my screen size at home. So, to compensate I use 12 point font. It just appears bigger than 12 online. Whew, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I hope you all don’t mind. Second, I’d like to personally welcome Ejmdiva to the March 2008 Bandsters’ Master Thread. WELCOME!!!!!!! Ejmdiva, helped to calm my fears as I approached my surgery date. I was terrified; she offered her words of wisdom and then suggested that I go to the chat room. I did I found several people who were able to give me statistic information regarding the death rate in the US that made me feel much better. I am a single mom and my biggest fear was doing something that would leave my child motherless. Thank you so much Ejmdiva, I really appreciate what you did for me. Third, I’d like to say… HOW THE HECK DID I GAIN 2.5 POUNDS!!!!!!!! I’ll be dog gone. I hate the mushie stage! I cannot seem to get it right. I cannot eat every four hours. I’m a teacher; I can’t just whip out a snack of pureed chicken and chow down in the middle of a class. In addition, I cannot survive on 2- 4 oz per meal. I’m eating a cup – yeah that’s right a cup! I try to keep it down to three meals a day. I usually have a shake for Breakfast, then a "regular" lunch and dinner. I never make my Water goal. I forgot to take either one or both of my Vitamin supplements three days in a row. H4eck I haven’t taken my B12 yet today – let me do that now….Energy my rear. I am so out of shape that my body aches from WALKING and the use of 3lb weights! That’s right I’m in major _itch mode right now. (Stomps around, breathing heavily glaring at the mirror on her desk). Now that I have that out of the way… I think my body is in starvation mode. It is holding on to every calorie. Cuz I know I was eating around or over 3000 per day pre band. Now I’m eating anywhere between 800 and 1300 calories (except yesterday – yesterday I had 1560 cals). Four hours later….This morning I was trippin. I feel much better now. I called a friend who was banded 1.5 years ago. She helped me get my head right. Now I have two mantras lol 1) I won’t really start to lose weight until after my first fill, until then I will do my best to make good choices and exercise and 2) I did not have gastric bypass surgery. The weight will not come off in a week. It takes time, it’s healthier, and I must not lose faith. WOOO-SAHHH! I feel so much better. So what my body hurts from walking – I went walking. I did again today too. I am going to walk everyday until I get to a point that it does not leave me with body ache – then I gonna walk farther and/or faster so I can ache again. Yall are fantastic! Thanks for the support!... no I am not crazy – just happy….

Terry - tap, tap, tap, shimmy, shimmy, shake, shake (that was me doing the happy dance to Celebrate your SV. As for me, I stayed off the scale today – WHOHOOO – that’s a minor miracle in my house. Hopeinapril – I went to Wynn (CRIAS), and Sofranski (Salisbury – and now Lewes) for consults. Both wanted like $2500 extra for stuff I wasn’t going to use. Nobody drives two hours to go to the gym. I chose the practice of Drs. Singh and Averbach in Catonsville, MD. Dr. Singh does not charge any extra fees, fills are covered by insurance. In fact my insurance paid every penny of my surgery bill - I think (won't know for certain until I don't get a bill). Dr. Averbach charges $25 for trip to the hospital to use flouro (or x-ray)- I think. Dr. Singh (my surgeon) trained the doctor that trained Sofranski. He’s really big about making the incisions as small as possible. Though two are longer than I hoped for, the other three are barely visible anymore. I think (hope and pray) that the other two will disappear as they completely heal over time. I had liquid for two weeks and now I am on mushies for two weeks. Amanda – I blog here on LBT – I think you’ve commented on my blog a time or two. I make start a personal journal. I am sure it will help to be able to look back to review where I’ve been and determine if I’ve grown or digressed. Its also great to look back at times you were sure you wouldn’t make it and remember how you actually did make it through. Sometimes we need reminding that setbacks, plateaus, and disappointments are usually temporary – we just need to keep plugging and keep the faith. Fenton – I respect your decision to wait for a fill, but I personally need my fill. I hate needles, but I am looking forward to my first fill. I loved the restriction I felt during my liquid stage. Never a moment of hunger. Now that I am in my mushies stage I have awakened my hunger. I usually drink Breakfast – a Protein shake and eat my other two meals. Low point: sucking on jalapeno kettle potato chips. hmm hmm good but oh so bad!

Christine, I'm sorry to read about your tum tum. Mine itched like crazy the first two weeks. I had little bumps everywhere. The only thing that gave me relief was 70% - 90% alcohol wipes. I wiped my stomach with them whenever I thought about it. It calmed the itching and made the bumps subside. I don't think mine was fungus though – I think I was just allergic to the strips. I had mine on for almost two weeks. I guess that's way too long because the nurse asked me if I showered. I had to explain to her that I kept my back to the running water and took great pains to keep my stomach as dry as possible. I use well water and was paranoid about getting an infection. Harley girl, I don't know how you're doing those 1/4 to 1/2 cups of food. I guess I am really off. I swear I am eating a cup. Aside from those three strips of bacon, I just try to keep it low calorie. I'm praying that my stomach has not stretched. I am concerned about my inability to go potty. I'd probably drop a ton if I could. Literally, I must be full of... you know what. Either that or go back to chicken broth only. I've heard this is normal, but it does not seem normal. I've gone once this week and not at all last week!!!! I'm considering a colonic (SP?). I'll have to ask my surgeon about that on the 16th. Lynn, I considered Dr. Wynn, she was my first consultation. At the time my insurance would only cover gastric bypass. I was not wild about that. Then she added all of those extra fees your insurance company won't pay for. Other than that, I know I would have been happy with her. Fenton, I think we have the same problem with portion sizes. I think that’s what you meant by “not eating to the size of the meal.” I’m worried about my pouch too. But When I was on liquids, and still swollen, I had great restriction. I could drink .5 cup of soup and be stuffed full. Now I’m not so easily appeased. I do stop when I feel full coming (except for twice). I guess I’ll have to scroll up and find that guide you’re talking about. I think I need it. I hope it helps. Ok, that was a mouthful – and then some. I’m off to clean out the car and play with my bundle of joy!

Yea You MissCathyl. Congrats on getting in a size 16 and even bigger ups on shutting up anybody that laughs at overweight people. K_podski and hopeinapril - thank you for your encouraging words. I too have an obesssion with the scale. I even blogged about it a week or so ago. Maybe after my post op on April 16th I will put it in the shed and only take it out on weekends. I need to start trying to cut back, exercise and take note of my NSVs. Otherwise I may drive myself nuts.

Thanks Chica. Trust me I have no intention to try to top bacon. In fact I made some for my daughter this morning and I'm telling you I couldn't even smell the stuff. i had no desire for it. So far today I've had apple sauce for breakfast (I'm out of milk) pureed chicken for lunch and a chocolate no sugar added pudding cup for a snack. This weekend I will be living off of cottage cheese and protein shakes (mainly because I purchased two huge vats of cottage cheese and when I got home realized that they expire on April 13th. Thank you for the encouragement (and the mantra).