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Ladies and gentlemen.. I give you, Tammy! **DRUM ROLL**

Hey Maggie - I agree with Kathy! Talk to your Dr about the reflux before you get a fill. This is usually a sign of being over-filled, or a slipped band. Let's hope its neither. With your recent surgery, I'd guess that you are swollen in there and have restriction from that. It might be a good idea to hold off on that fill for a while. It's not really an accurate assessment of your progress to weigh during surgery and recovery time. So much swelling and stuff. *hugs* I'm glad you're going to start walking though. That will help a lot. NaturalBeauty - I'm glad you had such a happy Easter! Three pounds is great! Don't push that band to lose more than the average though, ok? If you're too tight, you're too tight and should get an unfill. In my humble opinion, none of us should be struggling to get food down. I believe we just put ourselves at risk for slipping and erosion when we do that. Be patient and be good to yourself. *hugs* Jill - I went through a similar situation with the end of my first marriage. And even though your life has changed a lot and you've more-or-less moved on, that D word sure does rock you to the core, doesn't it? Again, I agree with Kathy (I usually do, she's great!) I think you're distracted, tense, upset... and those things can certainly affect the way we eat. They can also tighten the restriction. I've heard people talking about getting tighter when they are upset, so it is certainly possible. Hang in there girl. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. And hun... size 16s!? Yay! :clap2: Kathy - You know what? You are such an awesome lady. I think you have the biggest, kindest heart I've ever seen and I just love you to pieces! *big ole squishy hug*

If you're on full liquids, you might try blending some bean with bacon soup until its smooth. Great protein and very filling. I also heard someone else mention blending Dinty Moore beef stew like this. Just make sure its all liquid.

I'm trying to lose my daughter too. Only, she's 25 and weighs 140 pounds! LOL

To quote someone else, "the band is a fickle bitch". While it seems impossible for the amount of restriction to vary, we hear a lot of reports just like yours. I'm sure the amount of saline in your band is the same as it was when you were filled, unless you've sprung a leak. The next time you're filled your doctor will pull out the existing fill to measure the content. He will know if any has escaped. Assuming you don't have a leak, I believe that the stomach is also a fickle bitch! *chuckles* We retain Water, bloat with gas, etc. and all of those things could contribute to the increase or decrease in the way we preceive the restriction. I've had one fill, two months ago, and I have had days when I felt like I could eat and eat and eat. But the reality is, I can not. We may think we are eating like normal, but if you are keeping a food journal you will find that you aren't eating anywhere close to what your old normal was. It's a head game. If you are losing 2 pounds per week, you are right on target for the healthy average weight loss of a bandster. So that shouldn't warrant more fill. If you are eating according to the bandster rules (eating a minimum of 60 grams of Protein per day, eat protein first then your veggies, no liquid calories, taking your daily Vitamins and Calcium suppliments, and drinking a min. of 64oz of water per day - do NOT drink with meals) and you are hungry all of the time, then you might need a fill. Frankly, I am very cautious about running to get a tighter fill when I have a few days of feeling hungry. I want to avoid being too tight which brings on the PBs and could cause slippage or erosion. I figure I want to be normal. And in my pre-band life, there were days when I was hungrier than other days. I think its just a normal thing and nothing to worry over unless you stop losing or begin to gain weight.

Wow! Awesome! Here are close ups of your face. What a remarkable difference in your face and shoulders!!

I think all of us have felt just as you do now. I remember very clearly being scared to death that I would fail at this too! Had it been just another diet, I would have failed by now. But, as you can see by my ticker, this last four months have been an amazing comfort. I now believe this thing works, and it will work for me. Word of caution. If you are a sweet eater and you eat a lot of stuff that will go through the band easily, it will still be a big challenge for you. My problem was breads and portion sizes. This band was a perfect choice for me. For even when I want to give up and give in - I can't.

*chuckles* I emailed them too, Donna. Got the same email from Alex. I missed you all!

Pasta with sauce? Nope. Lasagna? Nope. Mac n cheese? Nope. Grits? Nope. Oatmeal? Yes, with 1 tsp of real butter and Splenda Cucumbers? Nope. Bananas? Yes. Grilled cheese sandwich? Nope. Oysters as in fresh? Nope. Sushi? Nope. Rice? Yes. Brown rice only, with juice from sweet-n-sour chicken cooked in crock pot. Shrimp as in cocktail? Nope. Celery? Danger! Nope French fries? Nope. Fake crab meat? Nope. Corn on the cob? Nope, but I've had cooked frozen corn not on the cob. Chili with Beans? Yup, canned and in resturaunts. Enchilada? Nope. Have you ever slipped up and had champagne? What happened? What could happen? Nope. Most of what is listed here is very high in calories and carbs, so I have chosen to leave them out of my diet. Breads and pastas are my weakness, and what made me fat, so I choose to believe that these types of things could cause PBs and that keeps me from even trying them. With my addictive personality, if I tried them and found out I could eat them, it would be all over. This band is my final hope. I'm not going to risk losing that for a bite of flour and Water.

Karlie - Didn't your Dr put you on a post op diet of liquids and then mushies? I was on liquids for three weeks, then soft foods for three more weeks - gradually introducing more solid foods. There is a lot you can eat in the mushie phase without putting your band in any danger. I worry about you since you said you PB already. If you continue to do that, you might cause your stitches to tear in your stomach and your band could slip, which could mean another operation to repair things. Please, please, please, take it easy. Until your first fill you will be able to eat pretty much like you did before the band BUT you shouldn't! Like I said, we can all give you plenty of ideas for eating that will help you not be so hungry starting with getting a minimum of 60 grams of Protein per day, stay away from carbs (except from veggies), and start drinking a minimum of 6 bottles of Water per day (16.9 oz size). Having the band means making a huge change in the way we eat. You must take small bites, chew slowly, and make each meal last 15 minutes. Until you get a fill, it doesn't matter if you eat more or gain a few pounds. This is normal as you begin to introduce more solid foods back into your diet. So don't worry about weight loss just yet. But do worry about tearing those stitches by stuffing your pouch or by PB'ing.

I couldn't resist doing this. Hope you don't mind, Mandy. It's SO good to see you looking so happy! I know how much you were looking forward to that trip, and all of the stress you went through over this past winter with your daughter. You look fantastic, girl! Yay!

Hey everyone. My commitment has been a bit weak lately! *laughs* I haven't been walking or exercising, and my water intake sucks! But inspite of that I have now lost 61 pounds, 4 pounds a week for the last two weeks. Does that rock, or what?! I've seen people say that when you hit a plateau you should change things. I didn't hit a plateau, but my loss sure had slowed down. Maybe slacking off for a couple of weeks was just the change I needed! LOL Seriously though. Tomorrow, I'm back on track with this thread - 1/2 mile every day on the treadmill, 6 bottles of water (16.9oz), and taking my vitamins every day - not just when I remember! :eek: Hope youre having a wonderful trip Penni!

Paul! Where are the before and "in progress" pics?! We wanna see Big Paul turn into Little Paul! :eek:

A very happy Easter to all who celebrate our victory over death through our Risen Lord! :rockon: Josette - no doubt you will be significantly smaller by next Easter! :eek: I know that weigh in isnt until Wednesday, but I had to share this with you all. I passed the 60 pound mark today! I've lost 61 pounds now!! My BMI has dropped from 51 to 41. I love my band!! :thumb:

We'll adopt you in Idaho, and if you're willing to drive 5 hours one way, twice a month, you can come to our support groups and dinners too! :eek:

Pugmum - I'm always close by watching you all, so don't think you can start sneaking in the girl scout cookies! *cackles* Emilee - The best time NOT to avoid this site is when you're gaining weight. If you go off and hide it, you won't get the help you need to stop. I'm glad to hear you've scheduled a fill. My doc doesn't require any special diet prior to the fill, but he does put us on full liquids for two days after the fill. And on day three and four, I felt like I could eat a horse! I thought I did, but reality was I only eat ponies now. *grins*

If you go out to dinner with 16 people and everyone yells at the waitress in unison, "good god! take that away!" when she starts setting loaves of hot bread on the table, you might be a group of bandsters! Idaho bandsters rock! I should have brought my camera last night! DOH!

I'm here but haven't been very active lately. Like Funny said, life around my house has been hectic lately. Thanks for noticing Puggie! *hugs*

Kellie, everytime I look at your pics I start laughing with uncontrollable excitement! I hope you realize just how encouraging it is to see your success! Thank you, and congratulations on a job well done!

If the word 'erosion' puts the fear of god into you, you might be a bandster. If you use the word 'pouch' more than once a week, you might be a banster. If you've been seen in restaurant bathrooms with long strings of slime hanging from your mouth, you might be a bandster. If you would actually consider mixing meat tenderizer with Water and then drinking it, you might be a bandster!

:clap2: Welcome to bandland!!!:clap2:

If you think being too tight is a bad thing, you might be a bandster. If you have size DDD boobs and you still got a silicone implant, you might be a bandster. If you no longer order a meal in a restaraunt, but you do graze on everyone else's plates with a shrimp fork, you might be a bandster. If you tell people that you've lost weight by having a torrid affair with a swarthy set of Romanian gymnists, you might be a bandster. If you cheer people on who are about to have surgery, you might be a bandster. If you say sip, sip, sip, you might be a bandster. If your find yourself pulling up your shirt to let perfect strangers see your scars and touch that odd lump under your skin, you might be a bandster.

Leener, damnit! Knock it off. All you've gone through will be for naught if you keep that up. It didn't make you feel any better did it? It only made you feel worse on top of the stress. Think a long time about this event. Recognize it for what it is. Don't fall for the lie of comfort - it wont comfort you! It's a deception we all embrace and lean on like a crutch. Ah, but this will ease my stress, take away the sadness, help me feel less lonely. It wont! Not in a million years! It will make you fatter, it will ruin your excellent and brave decision to get the band. Now is the time for you to grab ahold of yourself and really realize what a remarkable tool you have inside of you and put it to use! Now is your chance girl. No amount of chocolate crap is going to feel anywhere as wonderful as as weighing 140 pounds. I love ya Leener. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the deception that tricks us all into misery. *big hugs*

:update: on the Honors Page! Welcome to the following people who have been added to the Honor's page (second post on page one of this thread) Mychevygirl - 51 pounds RHONDAKO - 50 pounds Wonkette - 66 pounds Paula - 63.6 pounds ScrapKarla - 60 pounds I know we have a lot more of you that have lost weight and you should be getting your honors! Please remember to post! Help the groups weekly weigh-in reflect the true successes! I think I'm going to send out a PM to everyone in the group, reminding everyone to post on Wednesdays, and what format to use. This doesn't apply to those of you who just don't want to post, only to the ones who are forgetting! :biggrin1: Mychevygirl - last week you weighed 333, thats a FIVE pound loss, not a four pound loss! Grats! Youre doing an amazing job, prebanded! Josette - By the looks of your join weight (J 295) you have lost 10 pounds! Grats to you girl! Kimbo - Based on last week's weight, you've lost 2.5 pounds this week, for a total of 73. Grats! Shackdog hasnt reported his weight loss, but I'm going to tell on him now because I know his secret! He's lost 30 pounds this past month on his pre-op diet! :clap2: Tricia K - THREE pounds from Onederland! Go girl go!

I have never PB'd. I have felt the golfball a few times. Usually when eating chicken too quickly and not chewing well enough.