NanaRenan

I've lost 43# -- about 23 of that since the day of the surgery, 3 months ago. My waistbands are only slightly looser. My tops a bit looser still -- but nothing to write home about. However, my wedding ring can go off and on now without greasing my finger and several pairs of my shoes -- the wide-width ones -- are uncomfortably loose. Meaning I'm almost afraid to wear them afraid they'll cause me to trip or something! A neighbor who's been on the road and hasn't seen me since two-days post op saw me in the yard yesterday and went on and on and on about how much he could tell I'd lost. I still suspect he might've just been being nice! LOL

OMG -- I just started a thread on the question of doing WW while banded!!! GMTA, eh?

I didn't see my nemesis -- the T-Factor Diet. But I know it's still around -- I recently saw the books in Barnes and Noble! I gained 100 lbs on THAT *#$&^ excuse for a diet!

I've always been hot-natured, by hubby is cold. If I'm "comfortable", I don't dare mention it, because someone is sure to point out that the rest of the room are FREEZING! I sure hope to get somewhere closer to NORMAL as the pounds drop!

Barilla Plus pasta is whole-wheat AND has Omega-3 oils and protein added!!!

I would say, "What are you waiting for?" Seriously!! Just do it.

Sheeesh!! My scales do that crap to me ALL the time! I just decided to channel it -- I weigh right before I get dressed. If I see that same stoopid number again, then I put on my walking shoes and walk MAD....surely it must burn more calories than just walking.....right???

Hi. It's been a while since I was on. But its been crazy busy around here and I was out of town last weekend. I got my first fill on 10/10 and have some pretty good restriction with it...am VERY tight in the morning!!! While we were out of town last weekend, my husband and I stopped for some Breakfast. I ate a few of bites each of eggs and bacon and a bite or two of hash browns and I was stuffed. As we got in the car and started towards our appointment, I caught myself repeatedly thinking, "I didn't eat enough, I'm gonna be hungry soon!" or else wondering WHEN we would do lunch or WHAT lunch would be? And all the while I was SO full another bite would have made me puke~!! Does anyone have suggestions for dealing with THE BRAIN? I told my husband it reminds me a little of SEX!!! The stomach is always going to get 'satisfied', but the MOUTH needs a little more ...er.... um..... stimulation :car: to know that something actually occurred!!!

Great pics ladies -- thanks for sharing. I need to take mine -- I intended to take them monthly, but have been convinced there's nothing notable to report. I'm coming up on 3 months soon. I'll do them then, I promise. (Somebody remind me on the 14th!)

I am SO freakin' tired of seeing the same number on the scales day after day after day after..... you get the point! I'm just gonna walk MAD on days when nothing happens!!! As opposed to just walking otherwise. I totally flubbed the challenge in October -- too many excuses and none of them worth listing. Just DIDN'T get off my bootois and do it! (That's boo-TWAH for those of you who don't speak "Nana".) And, I'm going to go to the gym next week if it is the last thing I do!

I think the bigger question is how do we react to others who've lost weight! I tend to be like "Hey!!?! You look GREAT! Have you lost weight?" Some people are quite delighted to rattle of their stats and what they're doing/have done, while others look like they just smelled something nasty and can't wait to get away from me! In the past I've really loved the compliments when I'm losing. Right now -- as currently reigning PLATEAU QUEEN -- I don't feel I've lost enough to be noticeable, so I tend to feel like the compliments I'm getting are just courtesy or sympathy remarks because people WANT IT FOR ME so bad.

Glad you got good encouragement!!! I remember once -- after having made excellent progress on Weight Watchers -- I decided I deserved to 'coast' a while. All I accomplished was losing my momentum!!! The motivation was gone. I'd lost enough to cut out several prescriptions, my knees weren't hurting, I got compliments every where I went and all my clothes were brand new!!!! Hey!! That was the best my life had been in many years! Never mind I was STILL 100 lbs overweight! It took 5 years to gain it all back, but I did -- AND THEM SOME! (Ya'll know THAT routine, right?) But I did....and now I'm banded. I'm terribly pessimistic that I will do that again....shoot myself in the foot!! At least with the banding....I know I might stand still a while, but there's no excuse for going backwards, as long as I can scrape together a C-note and find someone who'll fill me!! Hang in there, Losing -- you ARE an inspiration!!

It's some unwritten law or something....when you're losing pounds, you're not losing inches. And conversely, when you're losing inches, you're not losing pounds. Aggravating as all get out, BUT, enough of each one and you'll reach your goal eventually, right?? Carry-on....sounds like both of you are doing fine!

I'm only adding a teeny amount. Which is hard for me, because I LOVE rice! I'm from Louisiana, y'know!!?!! Down there we say, "Rice is ON! What do ya'll want for dinner?" Cause its pretty much on the table always! LOL But now it's a love/hate relationship because I know it's largely to blame for me being over 300 lbs!!! So I've been cutting way, WAY back for years....to the point that post band, I'm measuring it into my bowl by the teaspoonful rather than the shovelful. But so far, no problems. Dangedest thing though....I keep getting 'hung up" with GRITS of all things!!! I may have to give them up entirely. I've had two bad spells with them.

For the last two days I've had this odd little pain every now and then. I can only describe it as a PINCH. Not a stabbing pain, but a quick PINCH and it's gone. It's on my left side and right about the bottom of my ribcage.....Okay, I'm not real sure about that -- I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't find my ribs that extend below the bottom of my bra!! :omg: Anyhow, I notice it every time I hiccup -- and a few other times, too. But always with a hiccup. Could it be my diaphragm?? (No, not THAT diaphragm, silly head! ) I'm paranoid that it's some sort of slippage or something -- erosion, maybe? Someone mentioned it could be a pulled muscle. I do tug on my GrandBuddy quite a bit! Alex....? Are ya there? You're the resident SLIPPAGE expert, right?? Should I call the doctor's office? I'm scheduled to go in Monday for a fill.

Hm....I do keep my 17 m/o grandbuddy several days a week....hadn't considered THAT! I was so focused on getting my fill that I didn't think to ask!

I am definitely more constricted in the AM. I just got my first fill yesterday, but every PB I've had (or almost had) has been at breakfast or lunch. In the evenings I could eat pretty much anything as long as I chewed it halfway seriously.

I got my first fill yesterday. They did NOT tell me to do liquids, so I'm not. I'm pleased, because after 3 or 4 bites, I'm full and need to stop. I'm impatient, because my brain is going to take a long time catching on to the program. It is screaming at me, "You CAN'T be done! Look how much food is left. You need to wash that down with something so you can fit in a few more bites......and so on and so on". I've got to really work at deprograming 45 years of doing something one way!

I'm not feeling 'fatigued' -- in fact, since the surgery, I've been off several meds and feel I have more energy than I have in YEARS! Today a friend met me at church and we tackled a long ignored task of cleaning out a storage closet. After my third hike to the dumpster out back I had to "sit a spell"....but, I told my helper, "You know, three months ago I couldn't have done this at ALL -- even with frequent sit-down breaks!"

Hi there, Sunny! Welcome! You're doing excellent there....I was banded a couple of days before you. I've gotten TONS of encouragement and support from this site and making some new friends along the way, too. Hope you get what you need. Just ask -- if you're not getting the answer you need, just keep asking....someone will respond. Toodles! Nana Renan (a.k.a. Pam)

Hi, Shelli....I guess if my family wipes it out in one meal it's a "good" recipe, huh? LOL I start them the night before. When I'm cleaning up from dinner I bring a pot of Water (about 4 qts in a 5 qt pot) to boil on the stove. When it is at a rolling boil I turn it off and dump in the bag of beans and let them sit all night. The next morning, I rinse them several times in clear water and strain them. I add bouillion (about 5-6 cubes), minced onion (a tablespoon of the dried), the beans and water about an inch over all in the Crock-Pot. (with garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper to taste) Set it on Low for 8 - 10 hours or High for 6 - 7 hours. This works for Pinto Beans. I do the exact same thing for dried Black-Eyed Peas (Man, my kids friends swarm the house on New Year's Day!!) and Red Kidney Beans (in La. this is a traditional meal on Mondays -- cafes and school lunch rooms almost always make this available on Monday!). But, because the Black-Eyed Peas and Red Beans we serve over rice, you want them really cooked down a LOT. And to thicken them up some, a little while before serving I will take about 1.5 cups of beans and broth out and mash it up real fine before returning it to the pot. This makes for a thicker, richer bean to eat over rice. If you want it even thicker STILL, stir a tablespoon of corn starch into about a half cup of cool water until its dissolved and pour it into the pot and stir well. I add real bacon bits to all three kinds and sliced smoked sausage to the red beans, to make them really "Nawlins"-style. My mama and granny made these with bacon drippings for flavoring. But you can cut out all of that fat by using the bouillion. You can also control the sodium by choosing low-sodium bouillion. chicken or beef flavor either one will work, BUT if your local store has an aisle of Mexican foods, check to see if they have GOYA brand HAM flavored bouillion. I also choose smoked turkey sausage to cut out even more fat. I still like my rice, but I eat much less now -- just a little for texture, and it's usually brown rice. My mama would faint! :faint: LOL That's about it. Clear as mud??? If you have any questions just ask.

I don't notice the chewing issue as much as the timing between bites. I pretty much have to HOLD NOTHING. Sandwich, burrito, toast.....anything that you hold in your HAND and eat -- I get in too big of a hurry and then I have problems! So everything has to lay on a plate and be cut and forked. But hey -- 42 lbs since surgery day? That is AWESOME! :clap2: That's what I ASPIRED to do, but dropped about 21 in 2.5 to 3 weeks and have just been HUNG there ever since. And I was banded the day after you!

Are you KIDDING me? "Fill Parties" I'm sorry, but that just sounds 'igganunt' to me!!!

I know what you mean. Almost every day someone says, "Man, you're really losing!" or "I can see you're dropping the pounds." I want to go "Thanks, but fibbing doesn't help!" I'm SUPPOSED to get my first fill on WEDNESDAY. The date keeps jumping around and I'm starting to get frustrated.

I'm sorta worried about mine, too. It's almost to my knees and I won't cut it. (Been there, done that, not goin' back!) Mine is technically a "dark ash blonde" with a BUNCH of grey in it and it's already about 50% thinner than it was 15 years ago -- thanks to simply AGING. But, I don't want it to get any thinner! But -- if it does, then I'll deal with it, and I'll be in excellent company!