Mom2_4

Those are really great. You are very talented!

I have had really good restriction since my second fill but for the past 2 weeks or so, I have days where my restriction is normal but there are others that I am super super tight and I pb alot or throw up. This is not like getting a bit tighter during the week before my TOM, it is totally random. Does anyone else have this happen, am I normal or a mutant?

You look so happy! You can definitely see your awesome weight loss. Keep enjoying yourself girlie!

That is great! Never lose faith in yourself. I sometimes feel like every pound is such a struggle and other times I feel like this is just too damn easy. Never a dull moment with band life. Glad you are back on track!

Awesome! I hope you get good restriction with it. I was really lucky and hit my sweet spot on the second try.

I have had 2 fills and am definitely at my sweet spot. I cannot eat steak at all, after 3 bites, I am done. I can get through about 1/3 to 1/2 of a hamburger. With pizza, I can usually eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a slice of thin crust pizza. I don't really miss any of it though. I feel full at every meal and don't have alot of cravings except around my TOM.

That is terrific! You can do it and you will be having your surgery soon!!

I absolutely hate most of the protein shakes. Unjury is the least offensive that I have found but that one takes me awhile to get down. I have been pretty happy with South Beach Diet meal replacement bars which have like 20 grams and aren't too bad tasting. I am going to try to get some protein bullets this weekend and those have 42 grams in a 3 oz vial, I am hoping that I can just hold my nose and do it like a shot :eek: Good luck in your search

Oh I like this one. I used to be able to eat a #3 at McD and now I can't eat more than half of a kids cheeseburger, without touching fries or the drink. At Outback, I used to order the cheese fries, steak, potato, and onion Soup along with tons of soda. Now I can't get past the soup :eek: I used to be able to eat a half a bag of chips without even noticing, now I can most of the time eat a full 100 calorie pack of Sun Chips. I used to be able to eat a quesadilla and a taco meal at Taco Bell with a huge soda, now I can eat about 3/4 of a taco. I used to be able to eat 3 slices of pizza along with breadsticks and of course some soda, now I can eat 1/2 to 3/4 of a slice of very thin crust. The funny thing about all of this is that I am so much happier not being able to eat like I used to. Most of the time, I don't miss it. I get full at every meal and almost feel like I am cheating or something because I feel so full.

This is what my doctor does. I waited 6 weeks for my first fill and he actually says wait 6-8 weeks between fills. I was kind of bugged about this but to his credit, he didn't mess around with giving me small amounts and got to my sweet spot on the second fill. Good luck with getting what you are looking for!

Congrats on joining the gym! I do much better at the gym than at home. I have way too many distractions at home from the kids fighting, phone ringing, to one of the kids trying to jump on the treadmill while I am walking. Once I am there, I can focus on what I need to and get it done. I also do Curves about 3 sometimes 4 times a week. Keep us posted on your progress!

Glad you had a great vacation. I wouldn't worry about indulging a bit here and there. We just got back last week from vacation and I tried for the first few days to eat like I should, but it was just too hard and I indulged myself quite a bit. I expected to come home to a disaster on the scale and I ended up actually losing 2 pounds. I know that is a bad message to send but my thinking is that I don't eat like that at home and we only do vacation like that once or twice a year and even if I had gained 5 pounds, I would still not beat myself up for it.

I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and post some progress pics as well.

Ok, I am back from vacation and jumping in. I will somehow find the time to make it back to the gym today. My goal is to do 3 hours this week. Please someone harass the hell out of me mid week and make sure I am doing this! With the kids out of school now, I know that I will not be able to find as much time to go.

You are too funny! I had a few sugar crazed days of my own when we were on vacation. I rationalized that since I was out in the sun sweating to death and walking endlessly around theme parks that it would balance out in the end. Somehow I was able to lose 2 pounds that week but I have been craving chocolate like a mad woman ever since. Why did I let myself go back there!?!?

Great job! I can't wait to get to half way, its all downhill from here!!

Thanks for sharing! Brownies sound so good. I have been on a chocolate craving kick since we got home from vacation, thankfully I am doing a good job of ignoring it.

I have been waiting for this day for so long. No matter how many milestones I have hit, this one was still nagging at me, that I was still 'morbidly' obese. When I die, I don't want it to be because I am FAT.

Wow! You look great!

I would shop around some more. My surgeons office was able to complete all preop testing including the psych and EGD in 2 appointments. These took several hours each time but it was done and over with after that which was great for me because I lived out of state. Good luck with the process!

I don't count calories, occasionally I will do a rough estimate mainly to make sure I got enough for the day. I do not eat sugary things, I do try to stick with sugar free but I don't beat myself up if I do eat something sugary. I don't have anything with caffeine ever. I generally eat 3 meals per day, sometimes with a snack, sometimes not. I don't want to live my life on a 'diet' but I have changed my lifestyle significantly. As far as protein goes, I strive for 60, but often don't get past 50.

Best of luck to you with your surgery!! It truly is a life changing experience, you have made a great choice.

I have PCOS and my periods have never really been regular until recently. At one point, I hadn't had one in about a year or so and when I did get one, it was like super payback for not getting one for so long. Much like you described but it did let up after a few days but still lasted around 10 days. Another time, it happened and it would stop and start only giving me a day or so of peace and eventually I went to the ER and they gave me a prescription for birth control pills which made it stop and things became normal again. Hope you are feeling more normal soon!

Congratulations!! It feels soooo good doesn't it!

I am so sorry for your loss Peter. My prayers are with you and your family.