jnbwilds

It's good to feel missed! I know I do better when I am connecting with the community - it helps keep me accountable. Ezma - I did get back to a good restriction level. Luckily the problems didn't last long - just a hiccup in the journey. It did make me SO appreciative of my band. Being unfilled for even a few weeks was really hard!

Yikes ladies! I haven't been on here in months! It's great to see all of your faces and signatures again! Luckily it hasn't been depression that's kept me away (although I'm sorry that it has hit some of you.) I guess life with the band has just gotten to be my new "normal". I lost the first 60 pounds right away, and then kind of took a break over the summer - just enjoying life, riding rollercoasters I now fit in - running around with my kids and yes... eating a little ice cream now and then. So I did maintain, but no loss over the summer. I got back on the wagon this fall and it seems that the pattern is losing a few pounds a month. Slow, but steady. So I'm at a total loss of 70 lbs and the goal is to hit a 75 lb loss by the end of this calendar year and a 80 lb loss by my "bandiversary". Still lovin' my band and the freedom it's given me from a lifetime of food addiction. Good luck ladies!

The only alternative to the 6 month supervised weight loss program is to go with self-pay. So, it is probably worth it to go through the program! Honestly you will learn some great habits during the 6 months that will be VERY helpful after you have the band. Good luck - and enjoy the journey!

Welcome to the forum! It might be helpful to have your hubby go through the before and after pictures on this forum - that did it for my husband! I agree that including him in the research process and actively asking his opinion will help him feel more comfortable!

Welcome to you both! Congratulations on making a very brave and exciting decision. Hopefully you will continue to learn a lot more from the forum. Best of luck with the band!

Everyone is different! Definately take your time - 3 days is a minimum and most will need a bit more, especially if you don't have a desk job. For me, days 2 and 3 after surgery were the worst, and then I woke up on day 4 feeling much more like myself. Congratulations on your band and good luck!

Well friends, I haven't been hanging out here very much lately. Not for any scary reason like I've lost all motivation and gained all the weight back or anything. It's just that life with the band has become routine. My weight loss has slowed down to about a pound a week and things have become pretty normal. I recently updated my video blog and thought I would let my Victorious Valentine friends know about it. This one is meant to be a motivational episode. If your weight loss has slowed - hopefully this will be inspirational! Hope you all are doing well.

I'm doing the low-carb thing too, and here's a bunch of stuff I keep handy. String cheese (with 2 or 3 mini rice cakes for crunch) Cottage Cheese (with 1 T. of Fiber One yogurt) Tuna - mix with 1 T mayo & 1 oz cheddar cheese and nuke for 30 sec. Salmon Pinwheels - find them at Target, with crab filling. Yummo! Bags and bags of "steam in the bag" frozen veggies - I toss them with a little butter & feta cheese crumbles and eat 1 cup almost every night. Lettuce wraps - wrap turkey or ham and provolone cheese in a lettuce leaf with chopped tomato and mayo. Delish! Veggie dips - raw yellow pepper strips, cucumber and baby carrots go down really well - with a little sour cream mixed with dill. Sausage & Cabbage - simmer hunks of polish sausage with chopped cabbage until the cabbage is fork tender. I also buy a lot of pre-marinated pork loin - just heat and serve w/ veggies. I go to Sam's Club and buy huge bags of frozen chicken breasts and have about 20 low carb chicken recipes I make with them. Here's a few of my family's favs.... 1. Marinate chicken in Greek dressing - Saute, then toss with steamed spinach & feta cheese. 2. Coat chicken with a mix of mayo & garlic salt, then roll in parmesan cheese (w/ a spoonful of breadcrumbs tossed in, if you like). Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. 3. Marinate chicken in Italian dressing. Saute w/ red & yellow peppers & chopped onion. Toss w/ parmesan cheese. I serve this to my boys over Pasta - but serve mine just with a salad. Hope a few of these sound yummy!

Gibson, I'm so happy for you! What a great feeling! I'm smiling a big smile for you right now.