xavier

I think the 100 is worth celebrating! I dont know where you started out but it sounds like a good number! I used to starve and not drink when I went in but my doc is 4 hours away and I finally realized that was stupid...I think I still hold my breath on the scale though!! Anyway have a celebratory drink and toast to your self!!

Congrats!!!! Dont make us beg for the pix....but we will!

Use the glue gun NOT the royal icing to hold it together...otherwise your kids will learn some new cuss words...oh wait that was me!!!

Keep doing what you're doing. I firmly believe that if we do what we should, the best we can, our weight will level off where it should...I am counting on it!!! Does anyone else agree or disagree? I think these specific nuber goals may be counterproductive...

I hope you have that abdominal binder..it will get you comfortable especially on your side, much faster. You can get one at a drugstore. It keeps your belly tucked in so it doesnt schlump over and pull! I had amazing restriction and no appetite for probably a month after surgery..enjoy it...good luck!!

Really great blog...all about family!!

I was sorry for the guy who gained it back too but I was happily surprised to see so many that have kept it off and really made a new life/lifestyle for themselves and their loved ones! I'm usually cynical but I thought this was very inspiring and I think the show is helping a lot of the viewers get motivated too!

I like you even more when you're crabby!!!

Tupelo, Yes we do. My doc gave me the pix of the band in place...it looked huge like a billboard that said ALLERGAN in big letters! Anyway there were globs of fat all over my stomach and thats the worse kind of fat (visceral)compared to the stuff you can pinch on your waist or hips (subcutaneous) ! So that stuff is decreasing all over the body and the band loosens up.

I remember when I got my first wetsuit it was very tight everywhere and I really looked like a fat seal (it was black, but NOT slimming!!)....I think that would hold everything in really well but you would be sweating like a hog and then it would be hard to get off!!! Anyway, congrats...to jiggle is to succeed in this game!

The Grinch???

I'm pretty sure old Ernie has had some sewing around the eyes!!!

I was a Diet Coke addict and my doc said it was ok to keep drinking it although you might feel burpy with anything carbonated. I can still drink it no problem but I dont like the taste! Weird!

Is there a theme here? Horrendous plastic surgery? LOL!

Well I know myself to be jealous and competitive so hopefully your 180 will get me going! You look absolutely fantastic...and a little surprised at yourself in that photo! I love it! I still cant believe how strong the pattern for me to (try to ) overeat is...even now when it can be quite painful! Duh!!!

Dear Ibutor, Sorry to jack the thread off topic but I was a self pay also and I am wondering if you would have to self pay for that too or is there any way it would be covered by insurance or even the doc for not tacking it down right? Have they given you a clue on what it will cost? Good luck...

I hate myself for reading this blog, thinking how wise and sensible you are and THEN...thinking I couldnt wait for the 'one new thing' that would surely be weight loss magic!!! I am laughing at myself right now for still believing in that kind of magic!!!

I KNOW I dont drink enough...I'm going to try to keep a bottle nearby...

Just a note on the original Boca burger: 100 cals and 18gm protein.

I think its as simple as this: If we could lose weight permanently with a protein shake diet we already would have and wouldnt need the band.We HAVE to learn how to eat real food for the rest of our lives. That said, I almost always have a Special K shake in the morning because i am too tight for food. PS: Best solid proein source if youre a veg...Boca burgers. I love them and they are huge protein for minimal calories.

We looked up that street rider the next day at work...very pricey but you know that its going to end up on Ebay in six months from all the people who bought it but never used it...we agreed we'd try to get one then...it really looks fun!!I got my Tony Little rock and roll stepper on Ebay for $6.13!!! LOL!

I would say the chewing is something you get used to and it really raises your awareness of what and how much you are putting into your mouth. If I dont chew well enough or take one bite too many I get a small ping in my shoulder which will become real pain if I dont stop eating...I LOVE it. I call it the bitch-slap I need to eat right! I would say be careful who you tell or it can become the only thing people want to talk about and ask you about and look you up and down to evaluate how they judge you to be doing...also I have read some nasty comments made to people about it so you have to be strong because some people are really mean...Its medical, its personal, I would at least start by only telling the people who you KNOW will support you...Good Luck!

I had mine done in LA which is about a four hour drive from home. I stayed in a hotel for a couple of days. I never went to see my doc for several months after that...its not that big of a procedure and there really is no wound care. Of course you need to be ok to travel home (taking fluid ok by mouth) and then you need to have medical care available like your primary doc if you would develop an infection ( but you wont!)

They LOAD you with IV fluids during the procedure and the internal inflammation (swelling) from the trauma is the body holding onto fluid in areas that are healing. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds and they do hang those big IV fluid bags...it will take a while to heal for the body to get back to normal fluid levels!!

The steri strips usually peel up and kind of curl at the ends...you can just trim that as it happens until they are all gone.I also only had the Dermabond and could shower whenever.