Anwyn

Starting Weight: 255.5 9/19 weigh in: 252 Down 3.5 in about 10 days (joined challenge late and didn't weigh in last Monday). Good luck with your surgery Keri! You're almost there!

I'm so, so sorry for your loss. I'm glad you were able to have such a nice day to remember your brother with family and friends. We're all thinking of you and sending power hugs your way.

That is so wonderful! Your daughter is a sweetheart.

Happy 36th Birthday Paula! I hope you had a great day!!

a fly stuck in the chocolate frosting. So DeLarla...

Nice job on the 40lb weight loss! You're doing great so don't let her negativity get to you. You may lose slower, but she's going to find that there are a whole bunch of lifetime drawbacks to the RNY, especially if she develops an intolerance to sugar or fat. Keep working - you're going to get there!

Hi there! I'm also from the Detroit area. My doctor just gave me a great fill at Henry Ford Hospital. If you need a fill doc once you have your surgery I'd highly recommend him. PM me for contact info if you're interested. Good luck with your surgery - you're going to do great!!!

LOL - Glad I could help! And you are NOT a doofuss. It took me over an hour to get my ticker on my signature the first time. :)

Hot potato... sit in a circle and pass a potato. Whoever is left holding the potato when the music goes off is out. The last person left gets a prize. Of course, passing around one of your sample toys instead of a potato would be the best way to go... it'd get people more comfortable handling one.

Thanks for the words of support and encouragement everyone! Vines - your post about NSV's is what gave me a mental shove to look for changes since my surgery. Your an inspiration for those of us new to bandland!

Are you using the correct code for message boards? On tickerfactory.com they give you 3 codes at the end. If memory serves, the first code is for bulletin boards. Good luck!

You might want to try a heating pad. I found it helped with the pain. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Thanks for your story Melissa! I agree that smokers and overeaters are very much alike. I worry about my Mom because she's a longtime smoker. Like you, I'm hoping that my weight loss will inspire her to quit. Good for you for trying to set an example for your brother! It's a great way to honor his memory.

Wow, a duchess! I'd say that now we have to call you "Lady", but that's already your screen name. It was obviously meant to be... Sorry, I've read too many historical romances.. Congratulations to you and your daughter! She sounds like a wonderful girl, and I too wish I had her confidence in high school.

I use unflavored Unjury protein powder (available at unjury.com). It's pure whey protein and there's almost no aftertaste. You can put the unflavored variety in jello, soup, milk, etc. It's got 20 grams of protein a shot. They also have flavored varieties and I've heard very positive reviews of those as well.

Both of your options are surgery, and there are no guarantees with either procedure. If you try hard enough, you can gain weight with either. If you're willing to undergo surgery, I'm assuming that you're ready for a lifestyle change. Given that, why not go with the procedure that doesn't permanently alter your organs? I'm obviously biased here, because I chose the band. I also have a friend who underwent the RNY 3 years ago. She has gained most of her weight back and her "new stomach" is stretched out to the same size as her old stomach. I like to know that if I got sick or pregnant, my procedure could be reversed. That's my two cents. Good luck with your decision!

Diane, I'm experiencing the exact same thing right now. Everything sits in there like lead. I'm trying to do what Alex recommended. I take my first bite and then get up to walk around for 5 minutes. It's frustrating because everything but the first bite gets cold, but It seems to be going better when I really stretch out my first couple bites. I'm still only getting in about 1/3 of a cup of food tho. I'm going to give it a few weeks to see if I adjust a little before looking into an unfill. Good luck, and congratulations on your 25 lb loss!

I'm so excited right now! I ordered two pairs of size 24 jeans several months ago. When I tried them on pre-surgery they were a good 6 inches away from buttoning. I tried them on today expecting that they wouldn't fit and they do! Okay, they're a little tight in the thighs, but still! Also, another NSV hit me today. I bought a huge bag of Halloween candy from costco over a week ago. Normally, if I had something like that in the house I would obsess until I broke down and ate 8 or 10 pieces and I was sitting in a sugar coma. Over the course of a week, I've only had 3 pieces. I don't even think about it being in the house. I know I shouldn't be eating candy at all, but that's such a huge improvement for me! And, I only had one piece at a time and was satisfied. I have all sorts of other junk here because I'm having a birthday party for my son this weekend, and I haven't been able to eat more than a bite or two. Restriction rocks! I'm down 6 lbs since my first fill 9 days ago. Now if I could just get my butt in gear and start exercising I'd really feel like hot s**t...

I was able to log on to the chat room, but I was a little late and nobody was there. There needs to be a live feature where you can invite everyone online to a chat!

Ugh - I think I need an unfill. I had my first fill last week and I can eat maybe 1/3 of a cup at a time. I keep hoping it'll get better because I don't want an unfill! I agree with Chichigirl - you're definitely in starvation mode. When I was on liquids I couldn't get in more than 600 cals per day and I didn't lose for a week. Good luck - it'll come off!

Don't beat yourself up for slipping today. It's not an indicator of how the band will work for you. We ALL have trouble sticking to diets or we wouldn't get a band. Surgeons are all different with their pre-op diets. I had to do one week of liquids, and it was a looooong week! Hang in there - just take it a day at a time!

Love the dancing bananas... Congratulations on your date!

Hi Porcindoll! Plateaus can be sooooo frustrating. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to jumpstart weightloss other than to do a really tough workout for a few days. I don't have much experience with it, but you could try going low-carb for a few weeks. Hang in there - I bet your fill will help a lot!

Hi nectar, I'm not in Florida, so I don't have any physicians for you to try, but I had to say hello after reading your post. I feel so badly for you! I also had crippling lower back & sciatic pain. I had a laminectomy in November to repair a herniated disk. I was supposed to get my band in January but I re-injured my back and had to have a second back operation. I now have my band and am mostly recovered from my back injuries. So, now that I've babbled my story, are they sure surgery won't help with your herniation? I know it's certainly not an easy choice, but constant pain is no way to live either. I don't know your full story, but I'd see a neurosurgeon for a second opinion. I spent 4 months going to a chiropractor and living in pain before I had surgery. They can help to a point, but if you're injured badly enough to be in constant pain you need a doctor. Just my humble opinion...

Are you eating sugar free jello and popsicles? I hate artificial sweeteners, but when I was on liquids I felt no hunger as long as I stayed sugar free. The minute I tried a regular popsicle I wanted to eat everything in sight.