Elisabethsew

Lisa, You went through a lot and only gained 5 pounds. Consider what you would have gained a year ago. Why is it we always focus on the gains and not the HARD work it takes to achieve and maintain the losses? You're a winner with a loss of 57 pounds and your back on track. Keep posting and giving us updates.

If you got a fill on Tuesday and can't eat solid proteins today, it would seem like your fill might be a little too much. Many people stay "too tight" in the hopes of losing more weight but most actually gain as they resort to higher calorie foods that are easier to get down. Because acid reguritation into the stomach can also damage your esophagus, call your MD if you're unable to eat solid proteins.

Name.............................Starting……..Curre nt……..Goal……..To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. ...... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....231………….199.............32 Waterlily.........................300............. .......294.................264.............30 Roiansmom.....................299................. ...299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... .........245.................228.............17 JulieNYC........................212............... .....209.................185.............24 Elisabethsew....................282............... .....279.................264.............15 PeaCeJ............................338............. .......338.................318............20 RidinMyHDDream...........297.....................297.................281............16 Babygirl1234................... 260................ ...260.................240.............20 Leecelove70.....................228....................228.................200............28 I think we're all listed now and I think this reflects the most current stats. Welcome to Lisa.

Congratulations on your loss!

I'm glad the problem was resolved and that you caught it in time. Intestinal volulus can occur at anytime and there is no predicting who will experience it or when. Sometimes it resolves on its own and sometimes it needs surgical intervention.

Cascadian, I am the female version of you. Weighed nearly 9 pounds at birth, 85 pounds by the age of eight and 218 in high school. My highest was 440 and I dieted down to 195. I started regaining and was 351 when I had my surgery. I do know that people did not know me when I went from 440 to 195 so it should be interesting to see what happens this time.

Chicken has very little fat in it. Beef tends to have fat running throughout it. Because chicken is low fat and can tend to be fiborous and dry, try eating fish with some tomato sauce on it or with some salsa or something else you like. Put a small amount of chicken with the "something else" and eat them together. It prevents you from taking too big a bite and helps to break down the chicken.

I wasn't aware I was doing that.

Since you've had problems that are now resolved, why risk it again? Food intolerance at the mushy stage is a sign you're too tight. Call your MD and get seen.

I'm also on Long Island and have not had any complications. There are quite a few New Yorkers on the board. Albany Medical is an excellent center so you're in great hands.

Follow the advice of your MD. For me, the rules are fluids for the day of the fill, soft on the following day, and back to a normal diet after that.

Trust me, at 5' 2" with a small bone structure, fat is fat. Short or tall those extra pounds show. I have a girlfriend who says women become invisible to men as a love interest once they cross over the 200 pound mark. As for bumper stickers, I don't have any on my vehicle and don't always agree with what some say but it's America and I respect their right to freedom of expression... even if the sticker is hurtful.

"never have to diet again" You better clarify that one. LOL. There are physical, emotional, genetic, etc. factors that all play a role in obesity and, like any disease, lifelong changes have to be implemented and adhered to. I suppose it's correct to say that if you follow the banded rules, dieting will become a natural way of life. Am I correct in guessing that you have never had a weight problem? Thanks again for your help with questions and answers.

I agree with Molly, it took forever for me to get restriction but I learned to speak up. There is a difference when you lose weight BECAUSE you're seriously dieting and when you lose weight because you are seriously dieting AND have the band working with you to optimize weight loss. Until my January fill, the weight I lost was NOT related to the band. Babygrl, feel free to ask any questions and we'll do our best to help you out. Do you have the 10 cc band? I second wanting Spring to arrive. Long Island is like an ice sculpture and I hate the cold. I can't wait to be outside again planting flowers and enjoying the sun and warm temps.

Welcome Babygrl. It's nice to see we'll have a bigger group (and support) for this challenge. The goal is to LOSE pounds and GAIN a tax refund. LOL.

I only got 0.2 cc's on the last fill. It seems they have rules for only giving such an such an amount based on how much you already have. I think 0.5 would have been more appropriate but this one might "kick-in" in a few days. There's some nut on this board who fills his own port. When I go and only get a small fill that does little to nothing, I can relate to how he feels. The funny thing is, I am an RN certified in accessing inamed ports but would be scared to death to do my own. Make sure you can handle solid protein and stay hydrated, Molly. As for a nap, having just finished a 12 hour shift at work, that is exactly what I am going to do. LOL. Welcome to the challenge, Carol!

Congratulations on a GREAT achievement!

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

You've made remarkable progress and should be very proud of all the hard work you did to get to your present weight. An average of 4 pounds a week is a lot but there are many people on the board who are quick losers and getting to 199 is a GREAT accomplishment. I think JulieNYC will soon be departing for onederland and several others (including you) will be following her travel plan real soon. I just got shots of cortisone into both knees (PAIN!) just a few days ago and need two total knee replacements. Therefore, I can't do the types of exercises others can but do what I am able to and try and increase the number of minutes I exercise each week. For that reason, I went with two pounds a week and tossed in an extra 2 as an added incentive. When I get to 199, I'm scheduling my knee surgery. It's not as glamorous as plastic surgery but it will give me my life back and allow me to do a lot of things I can't do now. Good luck to us all!

Wait 2 weeks and see if you notice any change with this fill. If not, call and schedule an appointment for another one.

I'm in too. It's a little over 8 weeks until 4/15/07 so I went with 2 pounds a week + 2 more. Best of luck to us all. Tax Day Challenge! (April 15th) Week Zero of Eight Name.............................Starting……..Current……..Goal……..To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. ...... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....231………….199.............32 Waterlily.........................300............. .......300.................264.............39 Roiansmom.....................299................. ...299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... .........248.................228.............20 JulieNYC........................212............... .....212.................185.............27 Elisabethsew....................282.....................282.................264.............18

As many of you know, and are living through, we had a very major snow and ice storm in the Northeast yesterday and today. Thankfully, it hasn't been a bad winter (precipitation wise) on Long Island so I was spared the task of shoveling snow... until today! This time last year, I was recovering from bilateral pulmonary emboli (blood clots in my lungs) and minimal movement resulted in shortness of breath. Today, I was outside in 20 degree temps with the wind whipping at 30 MPH shoveling heavy snow, slush, and ice and I was not at all short of breath. I would not classify this as a non-scale victory because I know if I still weighed the same as I did last winter, I would be huffing and puffing and taking frequent breaks in the shoveling. So, has anyone else noticed that things that were a "chore" months ago are now "routine" and less intensive to perform?

I think the new challenge begins today or tomorrow. Julie, you've done SO great with your weight loss and I'm sure you'll plastic surgery will produce great results.

WOW! I had no idea that the band could hold 3 times more than what I thought. I knew the band could be "overfilled" but thought it was only by a few cc's. I had a fill yesterday also but they told me on the last fill that once a patient gets to 8 cc's they don't give large fills. So, I only got a small fill of 0.2 cc's and hope that will bring me back to the level of restriction I had in early January.

Congratulations on your approval.