TexasFire

Sleepy, yet can't sleep!

Thank you very much for the compliment! And you are adorable, and hardly look like you need banding, darling! But I can give you info on docs. What part of TX are you in? I'm in DFW. I used Dr. John Marsden and was banded at the Ft. Worth Surgery Center, which is actually in Hurst and only about three miles or so from my house, which was great.

I'm BA-A-A-A-A-A-ACK! Lookin good, Daddy! Are these recent pics I see? And your tag line says "TRIATHLETE"!!!!!!!!! You did one? Tell me you did one! How amazing! Was it a sprint? I am just coming out of a knee injury, so my first tri has been pushed out to April 25th. It's a sprint. I wanted warm enough weather to do an open swim. Tell me about the events you've done so far. All I know about are a 5K and a Duathlon. Catch me up, Daddy! Missed yall!

Wow-wee! Lookin' good, girlfriend! I take a break and look who becomes an Admin...great move by Alex, I must say. I hope you are enjoying the holidays and wish you a very Merry Christmas! ~ Stef

Hey there! I actually took about a six month break from LBT, so I am just now reading the picture comment you left for me! (Which you probably don't even remember after so long! LOL) Anyhow, I'm back and wanted to say thank you! I'm pretty proud of my "guns"! Looks like you've had a pretty good journey yourself...congrats for doing all the hard work it takes and keep it up. Merry Christmas! ~ Stef

Hey, folks!

I posted new pics to my bike photo album from the MS150!

Go check 'em out! It was a great event!

"TEST" photo album? :tongue2:

You need pics, too, Alex!

WOO -HOO! ImaDucky is approved! That is awesome! (I almost called you "chica", then realized that I don't actually KNOW that you are female! I just assumed? Let me know! LOL)

And WOW on that protein you found! I'm going to have to go look for that! FYI, use the two scoops per 8 oz. of water...that gives you the full 52g of protein, and you need that!

BTW...I meant to ask...what brand of protein did you buy that is so high in protien? I use EAS that has 27, but would LOVE to find one with much more.

Thank you, ma'am! Well I went and my pouch is healed, the band corrected itself, and they put 3.2 CC's back in my band...so I am in fantastic shape! No, I didn't gain...in fact, I lost two pounds! So I won't have any more put back in...I'm enjoying eating again, and my exercise is such that I know I will make it to goal without all that fill.

Today is day one for your diet, right? What is the diet, anyhow? Doing okay so far?

Yes, and I am still grateful it went down that way, trust me! The slip...no, it didn't hurt...just couldn't eat a dang thing. Seriously. Then even water had a hard time getting through. Bad news. So we did a complete unfill. This was a month ago. I go back for my follow up appointment in about four hours to see if it has healed yet. Wish me luck!

Oh, of course! I knew I was being hard headed and it would be an obvious answer! No, I didn't have time for preop diets....approved on Monday but not confirmed until Wednesday...had surgery on Friday...all in the same week! (Long story...) Flouro is like xray...is xray? Dunno, but its cool. You swallow this stuff called barium and you can look on the monitor and watch it go through your stomach/band. I usually have them print pics from the machine, too! I definitely will this time so I can compare to last time when we discovered the slip/stretch. My doc does all fill/adjustments under flouro.

Hey there! Thanks for the message...I heart comments from folks and hearing about how they are doing. And I'm good, too, thank you! Going for a flouro check up on Thursday, so will know more then, but I feel great. I am a dork...can't figure out what the "L" is...but assuming that the "SD" is Supervised Diet? Maybe "L" is for "LONG"? LOL

Hey there...and welcome to BandsterLand! I see you joined over three months ago...why so long without jumping in? :confused: This a great place! Get involved and you will have all the support you need to make it through this amazing journey. Thank you for the comments about my pics! That was very nice. No, I haven't had any plastic surgery...I work out like a FIEND! I'm addicted to the gym...live there...would own one if I could just so I could have an excuse to be there all day, every day!

There are many ways to get involved here. Just to name a few, there are the surgery month threads, there are the exercise threads, and there are tons of specialty groups such as diabetic bandsters and the like. Personally, I belong to the June 2007 thread because that is when I was banded, I belong to the BYCYLING thread (yes, we know it is mis-spelled! ) because I am an avid cyclist, and I always join the monthly exercise thread (though I am really not posting much of late with life getting a little nuts here lately). What are your hobbies? Maybe we have a thread for it? Who knows! The key is to get in there and introduce yourself, tell a little bit about yourself and show an interest in the others on the thread...you will fit right in and will find great support.

Let me (or any of the other moderators) know if we can be of assistance in any way, please!

Take care, Stefanie

The Texas and my name are all in my signature with my ticker and fundraising link. If you copy and paste it, it seems to work better than trying to paste the full code, as the sig can get too long and become unsavable.

Wow...I wrote a TON back to you, but it seems it either disappeared or I dreamed that I wrote it! LOL I'm running out the door soon, but will answer again later or tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

Well it was yesterday and today, and it went very well, all things considered! I really enjoyed all the people and the events along the route. I will definitely do it again next year. I have a tailbone injury, so I'm afraid I didn't finish...but I did go about 120 miles on my bike before giving in! I just couldn't stand in my pedals another 40 miles to the finish, so I sagged in. There were just over 4,000 folks participating in this ride, which was great. There were rest stops about every ten to fifteen miles with support crew handing out bananas and oranges, water and gatorade, snacks of all sorts...also different bike shops had tents at each rest stop to assist riders with flats or mechanical issues along the way. The overnight was at Texas Motor Speedway, which is about 25 minutes from my house, so I came home for the night. But most camped out in tents right there at the speedway.

For protein, I use EAS Premium Protein from Costco. It is in a big purple and silver bag, has 27 grams of protein and 150 calories in the chocolate. (140 for vanilla, but I don't drink that very much.) It really tastes great. I don't like my protein thick, and this isn't. I mix mine with 8 oz. water, five or six ice cubes, add extra (chocolate) powder (three scoops instead of two), and add a scoop of natural peanut butter with flaxseed and flaxseed oil...it is super yummy at that point and comes out to 285 calories and about 45 grams of protein. Keeps me full for hours...a complete meal replacement...tons better than any RTD on the market like Slim Fast or the likes. Those products are sugar/carb trash, in my opinion.

Oh! Sometimes I need more fiber, so I put Benefiber right in the protein drink and that works great. After banding, fiber can become a common issue.

I am honored to be your first friend on LBT! How are you doing? Have a great week!

Thanks for the friend request! You are newly banded? You don't look like you even NEED it, girlfriend! You are gorgeous! How are you feeling? I hope well, and ready for this fantastic journey! Drop by my page any time!

Oh, you are welcome! Good luck in your paperwork process...it can be daunting for some, so just breathe and know all will be okay. Some companies "seem" to automatically deny the first time and you have to go for round two. Others return approvals in less than a week. You just never know. It sounds like you have a good handle on things and a good shot at approval. Have no fear! LOL

Thank you for the compliment on my pics! I will admit I am proud of my progress...because I've worked very hard for it! LOL I have a little ways to go yet, before I go into "maintenance mode"...about 25 pounds or a comfortable size 8, whichever comes first. The 8 will likely come first. I exercise a LOT...I am into body building, lifting 1.5 to 2 hours a day, Monday through Friday...one body part per day. I am also an avid cyclist...I LOVE MY BIKE! I try to ride 200 miles per week...sometimes I do more, sometimes a little less. This weekend I am riding in the MS150, which is 150 miles in two days to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research and assistance. This will be my biggest organized event to date, and I can't wait!

One thing I know...exercise is the reason I won't have to have any plastic surgery. Though a boob job would be nice! Exercise is the key! I started late...I hope you do better than I did...I started about two months after surgery and not seriously until five months after surgery. You can do it!

I'll be keeping you in mind and keep me posted as you go through the approval process!

Stef

You are most welcome, and I look forward to chatting about our journies along the way! VERY cute page...did a great job of matching it to your name!

Glad you had fun at golf! My first round of the year was about a month and a half ago...it was NOT pretty! LOL But we did have fun chasing that little white ball everywhere!

Thank you! I just saw that you left me rep last week! And for my whiney post, too! LOL Happy Thursday!

OH! And thank you for the birthday wishes! Where did the "Today's Birthdays" list go with the new revisions, anyhow?

Hey, there! Thanx for the friend request! And now I see your new pic! You loo amazing! Significant difference from your other pic in red!