momcof3

John - I really like Cream of Wheat and when I was finally able to eat it after my band it was so yummy - add Splenda to it to make it sweet. I'm eating my lunch - 1/2 lean ground beef with a packet of ketchup mixed in - I'm pretending I'm eating a sloppy joe without the bun. :frown: I had 1/2 cup baked beans for breakfast. Candra - where are you?

Happy Bandiversay Riley!! Glad to hear all is going well with you. I hear you on not making this process the total focus - we went through this so food and weight loss wouldn't be our main focus every day. I only wish I was as successful as you have been, but as we know, we are all different and lose at different rates and our bands are individuals too - they each have a mind of their own :frown: I have a crazy week ahead of me - I am in the office today, but will be offsite in a project management training class the next three days - and back in the office on Friday (if I don't take it off). I have relatives coming in from Illinois on Wed and kids' school stuff in the evenings too - the worst week for me to be getting out of class at 4:30 pm (I normally leave work at 2:15). Don't know where I am going to fit the gym in, but I will try. Have a great day everyone with good choices.

John and Lee - glad to hear you are feeling better. Obviously the 12 lbs was fluid from the operation John - they told me not to weigh for the first week - but of course I did but oddly I was down the second day after surgery. I was cleaning out a junk basket on my counter this morning while watching three Oprah's I dvrd still in my nightgown until 11 am and I came across my list of dates and my weight starting from when I went to orientation in May 2008 until July 2009. I weighed 219 back in March 2009 and it is now Feb 2010 and I still weigh 219 - wtf? I have played with the same 5 lbs for almost a year now. Up and down, up and down. But I guess if I put a positive spin on it and least I maintained and didn't gain - that's a new one for me. Maybe I will get the other 40 lbs off this year. If I could, I think I would go get sleeved now - I did so well for a long time and the weight was coming off and then it slowed down which was normal and now I can not seem to get focused and get my act together. My 13 yr old son accidentally dropped a plastic gallon jug of apple juice on the floor this evening and it split in half and apple juice was all over the kitchen floor and under the refrigerator - it took us at least 1/2 hour to clean up and now the floor is sticky - I was going to steam mop on Sunday anyway, but hadn't really planned on pulling out the refrigerator and cleaning the floor tonight. I had lunch with my daughter's teacher again today - teriyaki chicken - I think I will just have a protein drink from now on - for some reason even though I only ate a small amount of chicken and about 1 bite of rice - I ended up having to excuse myself and run to the bathroom to pb. I think it is just nerves. Jeez, I just saw the time - what am I still doing up? This is late for me. talk to you tomorrow.

That is so funny. I watch the people at the gym going around with the trainer and most of the people are way out of shape - their faces are beat red and sweat is pouring down them. After the free hour I had with the trainer I could hardly move my arms a couple of days later and it took two weeks for them to feel normal again. :confused:

Good Morning - Sorry to hear you have pain John. I would have expected this one to be different in the pain area as the first two you had didn't have the port or band stitched into you. Take the pain meds as long as you need to - no reason to be in pain if you don't have to. I just ate my 1/3 cup of baked beans and I have 1/3 cup of shredded chicken for lunch (Heather's recipe). I also have a protein drink in the fridge here at work to drink on the way home from work. I did that yesterday and it prevented me from having a snack after work yesterday. Yeah it's my Friday today.

Did anyone hear how it went with Lee?

Woo Hoo John! I was so glad to hear you actually had the surgery you went in for this time - must be a big relief. Next on board - Lee.

Good Luck tomorrow John and Lee - I will be sending good thoughts your way tomorrow morning. I am interested to see how the sleeve works. My son passed his driving permit test this morning - holy cow the DMV was crowded - luckily he had an appointment but we were still there 1 1/2 hrs - he has his first driving lesson with the instructor on Mar 6. I did good with my food at work but then messed up. I had a protein shake for breakfast, a Costco fro yo on the way to work at 10:30 am and a 190 lean cuisine for lunch. Then on the way home at 2:30 I felt faint - think my blood sugar dropped - I had a candy bar. For dinner I had a bowl of frosted flakes and then a bowl of rice krispies - plus 3 cheese taquitos microwaved. Jeez - what was I thinking - or actually I don't think I was thinking. Good to see you back on here Riley and glad you had a special Valentines Day. Tina - how much does that new place charge for unfills? Might be good to know in case they fill you too much. Did you tell them at what amount you were too full last time? I would hate for them to over fill you. Ash - how old are your two kids? Adding a third with special needs sounds like a lot to take on. You need to think of the effect it will have on your family and your kids besides yourself. Are you feeling better Heather and Candra? My cough still comes and goes. I am loving this weather though - went for a walk at work during break. Today is my off day from the gym - will go tomorrow evening. I'm in my jammies ready for bed but I think 6:40 pm is too early to go to bed - I slept poorly last night.

There aren't any staples inside of you Tamra - they are stitches. The port is stitched to your chest muscle and the band is stitched to your stomach. The stitches dissolve as they have no way of removing them. If you eat solid things before your stitches heal, you could pop a stitch. That's also why we can't go back to working out for six weeks.

I spent my Valentine's Day finishing my painting and pulling weeds and mowing the lawn. My arms and shoulders are a hurting. It was so nice outside today. I had my parents over for dinner tonight - bbqd hamburgers and homemade potato salad. I had about 1/3 cup potato salad and couldn't eat the last bite. It had egg in it but I know there wasn't enough protein in it. I bought 10 lbs of potatos yesterday at Winco - 99 cents for 10 lbs, 1.28 for 5 lbs - My kids are going to get a lot of baked potatoes this week. Glad to hear you are all having a special day today.

I have been busy cleaning and painting today. I finally finished painting around my recessed lights and under the kitchen cabinets and the cupboards in the hall. I painted the walls about 2 years ago. I also scrubbed the counters and went through my junk in the corner. It took me all day. I am going to continue with the cleaning tomorrow. My aunt, cousin and her 1 1/2 yr old from Illinois are coming to visit on 2/24 and I will need to clean until then to get everything done. Glad you are feeling good CoCo - don't overdo it. Hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day tomorrow - just another day for me. Maybe next year will be different. My son is going bowling tomorrow morning with his girlfriend and giving her her gift then. I helped him pick out the card - this is the first time he has given a girl something at Valentine's Day. My Tylenol nighttime is starting to kick in so I'll check in tomorrow. Night all.

Yep I noticed - everything social seems to revolve around food and alcohol.

Each surgeon has their own philosophy on fills. I had zero at surgery and got 4 ccs at my 6 wk follow up appt and then 2 more ccs 3 mths later, then 1 more 6 mths later. Dr. Im and Dr. Park are conservative in their fills and give them less frequently but more at each fill. Maria - I wouldn't call a tblsp of ice cream a binge - you stopped yourself as soon as you realized what you ate - that is what is important. Sorry you didn't get the job. We will all be tested when life as its' ups and downs. Candra - what did Bridezilla say about you missing her appointment? Riley - where are you girl?

Good to see you on line already Nicole - wow you got 5 cc in your band at surgery - you should be almost to your sweet spot already. Keep using your spirometer so you don't get pneumonia. Hope your baby is doing better Mo - take care of yourself too. Someone else this morning said I look like I have lost more weight - the scale was actually up a pound today so I must be losing inches. We went to the gym last night - I only did half an hour on the elliptical as I wasn't feeling too good to start with.

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow morning Nicole - see you on the banded side. I'm off to take my son to the dr to get his wart burned off and to find some daytime liquid cough medication for me - almost died coughing at work today.

Well, I went to the Superbowl party - there were 26 of us there. There was tons of food - I had two little chicken drumettes, two mozerella sticks, a few chips and dip, 3 cookies and some candy - that was my lunch and dinner. There was a silent auction for some gift baskets. I bought 4 $1 tickets and I ended up winning two baskets - yipee - I never win anything. One of the baskets had the DVD Bride Wars, a 2 liter of Pepsi, microwave popcorn, Hot Tamales, 2 Dove bars, some lip gloss and nail polish. The other basket was a Valentines basket and had a bunch of candy, a heart pillow, two plastic Valentine drinking glasses, a little book, a friend picture frame, a garter belt, plastic red handcuffs, and chocolate body paint. Lucky for me the body paint doesn't expire until Feb 2011 so I have almost a year to find someone to use it with. . My boys thought the adult stuff was gross - I checked the basket out before I showed them everything to make sure nothing inappropriate was in it. The party was continuing but I left after the game was over. I just took some nighttime cold medicine and hope to be in bed by 9 pm. I have coughed all day and now have a headache. Sure not wanting to get up at 5:30 am tomorrow.

Good Morning all - Thanks so much for having us Reggie - my daughter said she had fun. CoCo - My kids liked the cheesecake even if it was chunky . Candra - I need to take picture posing lessons from you - my eyes are closed and I need to find my good side - if I have one. I am going to the my singles group's Superbowl party today at 2 pm. I keep trying to talk myself out of it, but so far I am going. My kids are going to my parents' house. I had oatmeal for breakfast this morning - trying to soothe my throat - either I caught what my son has or it is allergies - I hope it is the latter - I gave in and took some liquid Tylenol cough and cold nighttime medicine last night and slept so good. Better go switch the laundry -

I have thought the same thing Monique - I must have looked huge 65 lbs ago - . And although I have only lost 35 lbs since my surgery 1 1/2 years ago - I have not gained any weight back and I can only imagine how much I would have gained if I didn't have surgery - I am hoping to lose the rest of my weight by the time I turn 50 - I'll be 48 next month - I'm watching this week's Biggest Loser now - I have to catch up on my shows on the weekend - I don't have time to watch much tv now that we go to the gym every other day in the evening.

Just got back from the gym - thank goodness my boys want to go as it makes me go and I end up working out. I did the elliptical with the arm things for one hour straight - 6600 strides - that is a first for me - before today I only did 1/2 hour max. Wow I never thought I would get into the gym exercise thing - I am so thankful my parents are paying for us to go. Then we walked across the parking lot to Subway - oh I wanted a sandwich so bad but knew that wouldn't work and I won't pay that much for a little lunch meat- my kids had sandwiches (they have a veggie pattie now) and I got frozen yogurt next door - that was our dinner. I'm bringing my camera tomorrow too - CoCo I told my daughter you were bringing the cheesecake this time - she was excited. I'm watching Hoarders - makes me want to go through stuff and get rid of it. It's really sad they let their houses get like that.

I was only going to take one week off from work, but ended up staying home two weeks. I sit in a chair in front of a computer all day at work and sitting up straight with the port incision wasn't working - neither was wearing a bra. I just had to read 6 pages of posts to catch up since yesterday noon - man you all are chatty. I love it. I changed my pants twice today and my shirt 4 times before I left the house this morning. I was having an "I feel fat" moment and a low self esteem half hour. I dropped the boys at school in my bathrobe, showered, dressed and dropped my daughter off at school and ran some errands before taking lunch to her teacher. I was going to have a protein drink for lunch, but drove off and forgot it at home so I got the teriyaki chicken and ate some of the chicken. I hardly ate any of it as last time I ate it with her teacher I ended up pbing in the little girls room when the class went to the library. Why oh why can't I give him up - especially since he has already said he is not interested. I did find out today he has never been married, bought a ring once, but never did get married. I will definitely be there tomorrow Reggie - did the mapquest thing already. We are going to the gym in a little bit although I don't feel like it. When my daughter and I were waiting for my boys at school this afternoon, a teenage boy and girl were having what looked like a serious conversation and then he walked off and she started walking in the direction of our car and she started crying - omg I started crying with her. She was trying to hide her face in the hood of her coat. My daughter thought I was nuts. Guess I'd better fix something for my kids to eat as they are snacking like they think I am not going to feed them.

Nicole - I just pmd you Reggie's address for Saturday.

Nicole - the get together at Reggie's on Saturday doesn't start at a definite time - she said 4-5 so please try and come. You can bring Auds - I am bringing my daughter. I am so glad to have this support group. I think of all of us on here, I was banded the earliest. I found Lapbandtalk.com on my own - I wasn't given any information on any support groups from the staff at Richmond - the paper they gave me in my packet had some people's names and telephone numbers, but they said the information was old. The one person I called never called me back. If I eat something not on plan and I post it here, I am doing so to make myself accountable, not to make it appear that it is okay. We are all adults and should make our own decisions. I have seen a few waves of new people on here start the process, get banded, lose weight fast and be super excited and I am always happy for them. Once the newness wears off and the weight loss slows down and life keeps on going on and being banded (or sleeved or whatever) is not the main focus of your life (as it shouldn't be) you will maybe understand more how the struggles and slip ups don't mean you are failing or not trying - it is just part of the life time journey. I agree if we all post like we are perfect or tell those who posted slip ups that they aren't following the program (they already know that in most cases), then there isn't any point in having a support group. Just my take on all of this - I don't post much, but I read everyone's posts and care about all of you.

I have had gum once but I didn't chew it long as I was afraid I would swallow it. I got my first fill at my 6 wk checkup but I didn't have anything in my band after surgery - I got 4 cc for my first fill. Dr. Im does fewer fills, but more at a time. I could go to a Superbowl party with my singles group - but since I don't watch football and can't eat and can't drink alcohol - I decided it wouldn't be much fun and I know I would eat more than I should. I figured out how to get to Reggie's today - only 14 miles from my house - can't wait to see everyone - I'm bringing my camera this time.

I'm thinking the diet plan is for pre-op patients as our pouches can't hold that much at one time - I can only get one hot dog down and it takes at least 20 minutes of tiny bites - but I wish I could use it. I honestly think it was easier to lose weight before surgery - I rarely eat over 1000 calories a day and still don't lose. I think I have lost inches though as a couple of people lately have asked if I have lost more weight as I look like it - I tell them no but that I have been going to the gym. I did 15 min on the bike and 25 min on the elliptical last night - I wasn't sure I was going to do anything as I had a horribly stressful day at work and had a sore throat. But my boys wanted to go so off we went and I ended up working out anyway. I felt like I was going to pass out when we were walking to the car - I guess I should eat before we go next time. duh.

Did they say the 3 day Kaiser diet plan is for people who have already been banded or whatever surgery? I am pretty sure I couldn't get 2 hot dogs down at one meal. I am planning on being there Saturday with my 10 yr old daughter. She wants to see the lapband ladies again.