wstorms

I eat pasta more than I eat pizza. As far as pizza goes about one piece of a medium thin crust pizza is all that I can do. I can eat pasta, but I have to make sure it is cooked really well.

I can eat anything. The only time I have had issues with food is when I did not chew well enough. I know this was the case because I was talking and just resorted back to my pre-banded days of not chewing very well. Good luck!!!!

WOWZA Sweetheart, 99 lbs....that is awesome!!! Is the 99 lb loss from your banding date or from the start of your WL journey?

Immediately after banding I would get 600-800 calories. Like most have said I had to play around with my calorie intake. I found I lose the best when I take in about 1200, right now for me anything below that makes my body hold onto the weight. Though I do have to qualify, I do not count my calories on a daily basis. I will county them a few times a month to make sure I am staying on track. This works for me because I basically eat the same things over and over...I am a creature of habit :biggrin:.

Mary Kay Lady...what day were you banded? I myself was banded in December :drool:.

I used Medical Tourism Corporation and had my surgery in Juarez, Mexico. Everything was exactly as they said it would be and I have NO REGRETS! I was at a private hospital, not a clinic, it was very state of the art and cleaner than any hospital that I have ever been in. I paid $7000, which is about half of what I was going to pay having the surgery in Texas. Personal soap box here...I think it is WRONG of insurance companies to completely write out bariatric procedures out of their policies. I have insurance with a company that most would consider to be really good. I just think they are doing a disservice to patients when they will not even look to see if there is a medical need!

I went to PF Changs four days post op. I had the egg drop soup....that was just the safest bet. I would not have dared anything more at that stage of banding.

I am five months post op and I very rarely feel hunger. Amazing how everyone has a different reaction to the band.

After I was first banded I never felt hunger! I would feel a rumbling sensation in my tummy, but did not feel hunger. I do feel some hunger now, but I have to have not eaten for a long time to feel this feeling. I do however have boughts with head hunger...which means I am not really hungry, but I have a craving for something. I am almost five months post-op, the hunger I sometimes feel is NOTHING like before!! I used to always be hungry and could eat everything on my plate plus more. Now I rarely feel hunger and I can eat one cup of food and be stuffed! Now, not everyone is this way. Some people are starving from the very beginning. Luckily I have never felt that way, and I truly hope it stays like that. Everyone is different and has a different reaction to the band, I have felt very lucky that I do not feel hunger as I used to!! Good luck !

That is awesome!!! Congrats!!!!!

I was banded 12/3/09, and LOVE my band!!! I have not had any fills done to date. When I stop losing consistently I will schedule my first fill. I have just recently incorporated exercise in my routine, I have been putting that off for four months . I know it is necessary to reach my goal!!

That is a great motivator! When I had lost 30 lbs, in my mind that was not much at all. So I went to Walmart in search of something that weighed 30 lbs. I ended up finding a bag of Tidy Cat that weighed that much. When I picked it up I realized that WAS a lot of weight!! I believe we often see others successes and Celebrate them, but have a hard time with the realization that we have done the same thing. Sometimes we just need to put things in perspective, wether it is holding meat, children, or watching others losing on TV with the realization we are doing the same! WAY TO GO EVERYONE!!!!

You look great, way to go!!! I remember going from morbidly obese to just obese, it is an amazing feeling! Keep up the GREAT work!!

Thank you Ken !

I am not receiving mine either. Looks to me like they are also trying to implement some layout changes...have you all noticed that as well? This morning it was a different layout and this afternoon it is back to how it was before.

ksill18, we were banded on the same day....does that make us band twins :thumbup:?

I too have no problems with popcorn, though when I eat it I make sure I just put one piece at a time in my mouth. That way I can make sure it is chewed very well. I eat three meals and two Snacks a day. For the most part I use my snacks to get in more Protein though...which popcorn is not :thumbup:.

I live in West Texas....San Angelo.

I started with a relatively high BMI. My first big goal I set was to be under 200 lbs, I have not seen that number for YEARS!!! My OMG goal (100 lbs) is not skinny by any means, but it would be skinny for me! I am not very concerned about what charts say a "normal" weight should be, I want to be a healthy weight for ME! So in all honesty I really do not know what my final goal will be. I guess it will just kind of level out where I am supposed to be :smile2:.

I REFUSE to think of this journey as a diet!! I do, for the most part make better choices of what I eat, but I eat what I want!!! The difference is the before me would have eaten half that container of ice cream the now me would eat half a cup!!! I do not deprive myself, if I do I would obsess about what ever it is I am not allowing myself to have! Now I do not indulge in everything I want, I feel everything should be in moderation...that is the key! For instance have the small ice cream once a week, not everyday! For me this was a lifestyle change, and so far it has been working. I am going to quote Jachut here from another post , "It is all about calories and and calories out." MODERATION!!!! If anyone would have talked to me that way I would have set them straight in an instant. Stand up for yourself! You are doing a WONDERFUL job KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

I used Dr. Natera in Juarez. I set everything up through Medical Tourism Corporation, had surgery at Star Medica Hospital. All went wonderful! Everything was exactly how they said it would be!!!

For my on the go lunches I usual take the following... Slice of turkey, spread a little cream cheese on it (I use chive flavor) and roll it up. Put that in a baggie, take a cheese stick and a few almonds....and I am good to go! I do not do on the go very often, so I pretty much just stick to that when I do. I am a creature of habit anyway . Good luck on Friday!

Everyone has different opinions on this very subject, all being VERY valid. I chose to tell. I have very supportive family and friends which helps a great deal. I have a very public job, so I thought I could possibly help others by being open about it. Now I do not wear advertisement by any means, I dont talk about it in speeches I make. Though I do have to say that it is amazing what gets around by word of mouth!!! Though I do have to say, at least for me, I do get tired of the weekly, "So how much have you lost now?" question. Many people associate WLS surgery with the results of bipass. So they expect fast results, so I feel I am doing a lot of education when talking to people as well . This is such an individual decision, to tell or not to tell. I can see positives in both.

Thanks for sharing, I needed a good laugh today :smile:!

I was banded in December and have not yet scheduled my first fill. I feel restriction, but can eat 1 to 1.5 cups of food. So I can eat quite a bit. My theory is that as long as I am losing weight each week I am not going to get a fill. When I reach a time that I do not lose for several weeks in a row, I will then schedule my first fill. Good luck, and I hope your complications were nothing serious!