MistyD65

There is a list of abbreviations/acronyms in the FAQ section here. You kind of have to dig for it, so here's the link: Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations

Last week: 254.8 This week: 254.0 0.8 lbs lost for a total of **50** Woohoo! I am so excited!! I really controlled my Thanksgiving eating yesterday, and took a 40 minute walk in the afternoon. I probably would have lost more, but I kind of overdid it earlier in the week. I have been very faithful about going to Curves M-F, and I know that is helping. Here's to the next 50!

I was proud of myself. I had about 3 ounces of turkey, 1/4 cup of dressing, 1/2 cup of a broccoli and cauliflower casserole, and a couple of forkfuls of apple salad. Oh, and a brown-n-serve roll. I started not to eat it, but gave in. Later, after taking a 40 minute walk, I had a small slice of lemon icebox pie made with Splenda. I'm planning to workout at Curves in the morning.

Really make an effort to eat your Proteins first. I find that proteins fill me up much faster than anything else. Salad just turns to mush and goes right on through.

Last week 258.0 This week 254.8 3.2 lbs lost for a total of 49.2 lbs since surgery. Aaaargh, so close to 50!!! But I'm not going to sneer at 3.2 lost. This is more weight than I've ever lost before, so I've gotten past the worry that I would get stuck at my previous weight-loss tries. Exercise - Worked out at Curves 5 days this week. Next week is going to be a challenge for many of us, being Thanksgiving week. My goal is to get to Friday having lost at least that 0.8 lbs. I'm going to keep repeating my favorite saying to myself....Don't put off what you want the MOST for what you want at the MOMENT.

I have the 4cc band and my dr put in 0.6 ccs at the first fill. When I had my second fill appointment we decided not to put in anymore because my loss is steady, I feel full with a cup of food, and my hunger is not unbearable. I do get hungry again in about 2 hours, but it's not a problem. I can eat just about anything as long as I chew it well, but I make good food choices the vast majority of the time. I think, right now, my success is 80% me and 20% the band. There will probably come a time in the future that I will want more fill, but for now I'm happy with my results.

Claudine, your loss may have slowed down because you are taking in too few calories. My nutritionist recommends 1000-1200, and up to 1400 if I am exercising regularly and with intensity. I have found that I lose more when I am on the high end of my calorie range. You should talk with a nutritionist about how you can get more calories. I am steadily losing - 46 pounds since my surgery. I've had one fill of .6 ccs in a 4 cc band. When I went for a second fill a couple of weeks ago, my doctor and I decided that I didn't really need one, since my loss is steady and I am controlling my eating. I'll go back in January, so this holiday time will be a real test of where I am in my lifestyle changes. My goal is to lose at least another 10 pounds by New Year's Eve.

I do Curves 5 times a week and it is really working for me!

Hi barb and linda! I'm in Katy and I was banded on 8/4. I've lost 46 pounds so far. I'd be happy to offer advice and support and a listening ear. There is also a forum here for Texas lap banders: Texas Local Lap-Band Support - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum You can find several threads in there about Houston and the surrounding area. Talk to you soon!

Last week: 258.8 Today: 258.0 0.8 lbs, and I'll take it. I really thought I was going to have gained a few pounds this week, with TOM and some less-than-careful eating. But I *have* been faithful with going to Curves daily, so I guess that 400 or so calories I burn there offsets the extras that have been sneaking in. :tongue2: Oh, I went for my 2nd fill appointment on 11/3 and the dr and I decided that I didn't need one, since my weight loss has been steady and I'm not having huge issues with hunger. I've never had a PB, only a few instances of feeling "stuck" for a couple of minutes when I don't chew something carefully, and I haven't found anything that I can't eat. I do definitely have a limit to the amount I can eat though - a little less than a cup, especially of high-Protein foods, fills me up.

I'm in! Let's see, there are 7 weeks left. AND it's the holiday season. I'm going to shoot for 10 pounds. That will put me at 56 total lost since surgery and weighing less than 250 for the first time in 15 years! Current: 11/14/08 - 258.0 Goal: 1/1/09 - 248.0 Good luck and Happy Holidays everyone!

I had to look twice at this thread to make sure I had the right one...it's Friday, but not the 4th! :smile2: 10/17 - 265 This week - 258.8 6.2 lbs lost since last weigh-in, 45.2 total since surgery - and goodbye 260s!!!!!:thumbup: My last weigh-in was 3 weeks ago on 10/17, because I went out of town to help take care of a sick friend. I actually managed to get in 3 workouts at a Curves in the 12 days I was gone, then got right back into my 5 days a week routine once I got home. And since this wasn't really a "vacation", I didn't do as much eating out and "fun" eating as I might normally have done. I went for my second fill on Monday, and the surgeon and I decided that I didn't need one. I have 0.6 ccs in a 4 cc band, but my weight loss has averaged 1-2 pounds a week since moving to regular foods. I also get a definite full signal on about a cup of food. I'm not having a problem with pbing - I can eat just about anything as long as I chew it carefully. We figured, why mess with what is working? The next two months will be the test though, with the holidays. My next appt isn't until January.

Hi everyone! Sorry, I've been out of town helping take care of a sick friend for almost 2 weeks, but I'm back home now. We definitely need to plan another get-together - we've not been successful in getting a big group together yet, but I'm still hoping for it.

The best thing to do is to follow the eating plan your doctor or nutritionist has given you. For example, I was to eat 3 oz of tender chicken, turkey, fish or pork and 1/2 cup of veggies for supper during the soft foods stage. For lunch I'd have 1/2 cup of chicken or tuna salad with 6 crackers. I often felt like I could eat more, but when I really checked with myself, I found that I was no longer hungry after eating the recommended amounts. So, the *wanting* to eat more was just that - a want. And doing what I *wanted* regarding eating is what got me overweight to begin with.:biggrin:

Welcome to LBT! Make sure to check out the Houston area threads in the Texas Support Groups forum Texas Local Lap-Band Support - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum . I live in Katy and have met lots of Houston folks here...even some in person! It's great to have access to others on this journey. You'll probably learn more here than from your doctors... lol...I like to call it "warts and all". You'll hear about the hard parts, the frustrations, the "I didn't know it was going to be like this" as well as the triumphs, joys, and excitement of the band. Ask questions, explore, read, then ask more questions. An educated bandster is more likely to be a successful bandster. I look forward to hearing more of your story!

My port is tilted too. And my surgeon said about the same thing - that we'll watch it and it will probably have to be fixed in the future. Sometimes I have a sensation that it is pulling at the remaining stitches; nothing painful, really, just a momentary slight pinprick. I go back for my second fill on the 27th, so I guess we'll see then if it has moved any more.

Keep trying with your insurance company, but please don't consider taking out a loan if you have no job and no way to pay it back. You don't want that hanging over your head.

Last week: 265.2 This week: 265.0 2 tenths lost this week. 39 total since surgery. 40 is in my sights!!!!:smile: Woo hoo for tenths of pounds! lol I wasn't really expecting to lose any, and wouldn't have been surprised by a gain, since it is that TOM and I've had the munchies all week. But I have worked out at Curves every day and my "pre-munchie" calorie count is usually a little low. So the extras may actually have helped. Also, when I give into my munchies it is much different than it used to be. I can be happy with 2 chips or a few pieces of candy corn, or 1/8th of a Reece's Peanut Butter pumpkin that I cut into pieces, put into a ziplock bag, and hid behind the butter in the refrigerator.:frown:

She HAS tried to get a fill from her doctor and she posted this thread to ask for advice in finding another doctor, or place to get fills.

I like to roll it around a low-fat string cheese stick.

Hi Stardaly and welcome! I really wanted to use Dr. St. Laurent, but he is not in my network and my insurance won't cover ANYTHING for an out-of-network bariatric surgeon. I am happy with Dr. Ricardo Bonnor though, and he is very close to home. He has also just joined the Journey Lite staff. I've been trying to get a Katy/Cypress area support group going, but Ike kind of shook things up. A few of us have met, and had a blast. It's wonderful to be able to talk with people who are on the same journey. Where in Houston are you? If you are in my neck of the woods, and interested, I'll add you to our list. I'm a bit embarassed to admit that, like Kacee, my weight has really been coming off since surgery. I read about so many folks struggling, yet I'm having a relatively easy time of it (knock wood). I'm 10 weeks out and have lost 38 pounds. And I really feel that I have made some strides towards thinking like a "normo" (as Jack calls them) regarding food. My first big epiphany came a couple of days into the soft foods phase. I had finished eating the amount of food that I was supposed to, took stock of myself and realized that my hunger was sated. However, I was kind of surprised to realize that, regardless of not being hungry, I still wanted to eat more. Realization #1: Thin people stop eating when they are no longer hungry, overweight people stop eating when they have had all they want or when it is all gone. There have also been some moments, when I am about to prepare a meal, that I find myself almost upset about the small amount of food I'm about to eat. It didn't matter that I knew I would no longer be hungry after eating that small amount. I wanted to eat a LOT, darn it!! But, being aware of that feeling, I was able to face it down and get past it. I'm still fighting the "eating for entertainment and to combat boredom" monster, but it is getting easier and easier.

It's hard to make a suggestion without knowing what else is going on. Are you following your surgeon's eating plan, eating proteins first, staying away from "slider" foods, getting enough calories, exercising regularly?

I've always thought that if you weren't "lined up" just right when using a bidet, there'd be water everywhere. But I've never tried one, so that's just my impression.:thumbup:

Oh wow, that class looks like it would be SO much fun! And I didn't realize the teacher was a guy until he started talking.:confused: That's great!! And congrats on your loss Roheryn. Last week: 268.6 This week: 265.2:hurray: Loss: 3.4 pounds!!! Total: 38.8 pounds!!! I worked at at Curves every day this week, plus worked in the yard for a couple of hours several days. For some reason I decided to jump on the scale Wednesday, only to be up 4 pounds from last week. But when I weighed on Thursday (after giving in to an oatmeal raisin cookie on Wednesday after my workout) those 4 were gone, plus an extra 2. I tell you, eating in the middle to upper range of my recommended calories really seems to work for me. Off to Curves now.

Breakfast: Lite Yogurt (80c/7p), Scrambled Egg (70c/6p), low-fat shredded cheese (13c/1.6p) Lunch: 1/2 cup Tuna or chicken salad made with Tostitos Spinach Dip and sugar-free sweet pickle relish (tuna 137c/22p, chicken 177c/24p) 15 All-Bran Crackers (108c/1.65p) Dinner: 3 oz of ground beef, chicken, fish or pork (140-160c/22-26p); 1/2 cup of vegetables or potato or refried Beans. Snacks: string cheese, Protein drink, etc. if my calorie/protein count allows...and sometimes if it doesn't Even before my first fill, I was only able to eat about 1 cup of food at a time. When I reach a cup, I really start to feel it - like a stitch in my side, but at the position of the band. The food does seem to pass on through afterwards pretty quickly, because I start feeling hungry again after about 2 hours. Plus, occasionally, I've gone out to eat and have had no problems. At a pizza buffet I had one slice of pizza and a salad. At a mexican restaurant I split a fajita dinner with a friend (didn't eat the tortillas or rice, but did have several chips and salsa) and another time had my favorite burrito but only ate half, plus had my first post-surgery margarita (took about 3 hours to drink it lol). When I found myself out and about at lunch time, I got chik-fil-a nuggets. And you know what? When I started giving myself some leeway (within reason and wisely) I started losing more weight! And I feel like I am actually having times where I think like a thin person regarding food! Not all the time, of course, but more and more often. And I'm excited about that!!:wink2: