juliansmom2003

Betsy---I am saying prayers for you, Mark and the family. I will be thinking of you. Please post an update whenever you can. ((HUGS)) Dottie--Congrats on your daughter's successful banding. Wishing her a speedy recovery and wonderful road ahead with us bandsters! Glad you're back! Leigha--love your Spring pics!!! So never had the spit thing! Weird! Your hubby sounds just like mine--a complete smart a$$ LOL Are you still having this issue? HB-- Good luck with your appointment and getting another fill! I am exactly in the same boat. Have good restriction, but my meals are not lasting very long before I'm starving again, so I'm getting a fill on 4/22. Let us know how it goes! Cocoa-- LOVE the new pic! Looking good, girl!!! So, hit my Easter goal of 170 lbs! Woohooo! Pulled it out at the last second. So waiting for TOM to get here and I have never missed him so badly.....about 2 days late (blush). Please say prayers that the Easter bunny brings a tardy visitor because I am sooo not prepared for the alternative (didn't want to say anything yesterday due to April fool's). So that's my nail biter for the day. All of a sudden being hungry in between meals doesn't seem like my biggest issue LOL.... Fingers crossed, guys!

YEAH! I HIT MY EASTER GOAL THIS MORNING! 170, thank you very much! Happy Easter! I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all for doing these challenges. You guys SO keep me motivated!!!!

Hey there, Just adding another recipe to our ever-growing crockpot collection! Making this for Easter: CROCKPOT CRANBERRY TURKEY Ingredients: · 2 teaspoons melted butter · 1/2 cup chicken broth · 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced · 1 rib celery, chopped · 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (8-ounce can) · 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning · 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing crumbs · turkey breast cutlets, 2 to 3 pounds Preparation:Combine butter, chicken broth, apple, onion, celery, cranberry sauce, poultry seasoning and stuffing. Place about 3 tablespoons stuffing and fruit mixture on each turkey cutlet, then roll and secure with toothpicks. If cutlets are too thick to roll, arrange in crockpot then top with stuffing mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours). Serves 8. Calories per serving: 297, Fat 4 g, Protein: 40, Carbs: 27, Sodium: 202g, Cholest: 2.5 mg Enjoy!

Here is the link: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test I didn't do an unfill, so not sure about that question??

I will be 6 months out on 4/21 (surgery was on 10/21) and I have lost 42 lbs post-op (rest of the weight was pre-op). It's coming off a little slower now, but I am very happy with the results! Please remember everyone is different, so while you are getting a benchmark from all of us, remember you have to do what works best for you :-)! Good luck!!

TJ-- what a great outlook you have!!!!

Sometimes it just happens that way. Honestly, our bodies can easily go into starvation mode if we stay at a lower calorie level for a certain period of time. Perhaps the spike of the extra calories you took in reignited the weight loss? It's happened to me before when I had a moment of weakness and snacked on something not on my approved list and it kick started another round of weight loss. Now, I just play with my calories keeping them inconsistent (yet not going over 1200 on those higher calorie days), and it seems to still work for me. I hope it continues for you!

I hear you, Whillow. As a chronic-weigher inner (LOL) I run into that every now and then and really try to keep it in my mind that we can fluctuate a pound or two a day. It's a risk I run LOL. Now that everyone is mentioning it, I'm wondering if my latest issue with hunger is sodium. I am looking back on my daily plate logs and notice I'm taking in a lot of sodium. It's SO hard to watch calories, fat, Protein, cholesterol, protein. Argh! Anyway, honestly, you hit 50 lbs lost, no matter what. You did it! Don't let that pesky scale get you down. It's all good. Believe me. If in another week you're still up those 2 lbs, then maybe you could go in for a teeny fill, but don't be so hard on yourself until it's been a little longer. Hang in there! I really do feel your pain!!

RIGHT???? I don't know what to do! It's a pain in the butt taking the day off to go there and I don't want to hear "you're already restricted". I am also wondering if it could be TOM (I just realized I'm expecting it by Friday). Maybe that could make me hungrier? Although some say they are tighter then (and I know I was when I got my first fill). I am waiting for the doc's office to call back so I can ask his assistant what I should do. It's like all of a sudden, I just want to eat, eat, eat and I have been doing so well for the most part. I swear I will never figure this out. Are you going to go for another fill, Elfie? I recall you were saying you dropped like 13 lbs in a week and had great restriction. Why can't we just keep it for awhile? Sniff sniff!!!

I am a total moron when it comes to the whole restriction thing. All I know is that for 2 weeks, I really didn't think of food all that much, now it seems like I am WAY hungry in between meals and 6 ounces isn't really cutting it. I had my last fill on 2/25 (.8ccs putting 4.2 total ccs in a 14 cc band) and it seemed to kick in about 2 weeks after that. Now, I am just hungry most of the time. Is it possible for restriction to all of a sudden disappear? The problem is that I am so tight in the morning, I don't want to have issues until I loosen up, but I notice these last few days that I'm not getting full and it's not lasting me very long. Should I call for another fill (doc will check restriction level under fluoro first before giving me anything, but I don't want to deal with taking another day off work and going through insurance hassles if I really don't need it). Any thoughts or advice?

Yeah, Whillow!!!! WOOOOHOOOO! I'm so happy for you! Congrats on your milestone! (Doing the happy dance for you!!)

I had my second fill on 2/25 and I really thought it was going to be "the one", but the last couple of days, I have noticed that I am getting hungrier between meals and have to stop myself from eating more after 6 ounces, so I think I'm going to need to go in and get "topped off" LOL. Everyone is different, so hopefully, this one will either be "the one" or very close to it! Good luck!

I had about 3.8 ccs for my first fill and couldn't really tell a difference. I was calling the following week begging for another fill. For some (very lucky) bandsters, they are restricted with NO fill (yes, I know someone and HATE her LOL) or one fill just works for them--everyone is different, but the 'norm' around here seems to be that it could take a few before you get to that coveted sweet spot. Hang in there. It does get better. I just had fill #2 in February and I am very close--going to try to schedule another to hopefully last me for awhile :-) Good luck to you! ETA --my doc does all fills under fluoroscopy, so he checks restriction levels before he puts anything in, so I'm glad for that. I would be so upset with only being 'allowed' 1 cc per fill!

Leigha--you go girl!!! OMG, 150! My dream weight! SO happy for you :-)! It's going to be 80 here on Friday and Saturday here in Philly/NJ, so I'll take it! Bob-- thanks for making me feel better. I really was trying not to forget anyone LOL Re: Mark, there is some info on Betsy's fb page Having an odd couple of days. I get stuck plenty, don't get me wrong (usually for just being a bonehead), but I'm really wondering if I might need another fill. I have been so hungry in between meals lately and I'm definitely NOT satisfied on 4 to 6 ounces of food. For a couple of weeks there, I was actually NOT thinking of food and it was AWESOME! Now I'm sitting here counting the minutes until I can have lunch (when I was last done eating 2.5 hours ago). My problem is, I'm so tight in the mornings that it might throw everything off. I am so confused. I am sure my angel, Leigha will have some advice for me, because I just don't know what to do!!! :-)

Leigha -- I think you hit the nail right on the head. I think I am waiting too long, especially when I'm at work, I think that makes a huge difference in why I'm not feeling satisfied like I should after eating. Thanks for pointing that out! Honestly, I think that is my issue most of the time. I just need to throw in a cheese stick somewhere so I am not so ravenous by the time I get to lunchtime. I am like watching the clock and waiting for 4 hours to come and I shouldn't really be doing that if I'm that hungry. Sorry to hear about the incident with the sandwich. It sucks when you REALLY want something but your band won't let you keep it!! I've had trashcan days like that here at work too and they're not fun. Hope you're feeling better! OMG--that pic of you and your bike??? GIRL you look awesome! Honestly, chickie, you don't need to lose another pound! WAY TO GO, GIRL!!! :thumbup: TJ — Congrats on being half way to goal! That’s so awesome and you should be so proud!!! Amy — welcome to “the other side” and congratulations on your surgery last week! How are you feeling? Hey Jacki — nice neck LOL! Seriously, WTG —LOVE the progress shirt!! Hang in there HB, it slows down quite a bit, doesn’t it? Some days I will lose 1 lb or nothing (which is a victory not to go the other way), but others, I’ll lose 3. Tricky little thing this band is. You’re doing great, so don’t get discouraged!! Gloria—I agree. It’s so tough to keep up with everyone. I am now in Word drafting my post praying to GOD I don’t miss anyone LOL. We are a LARGE group (no pun intended LOL) Bree— I have also had 2 fills (4.2 total ccs in a 14 cc band) and I was sliming/PBing quite a bit after the second fill, but realized that until then, I hadn’t had restriction, so I was still taking bites that were too big and eating too fast. Now I’m worried that I need more fill since some times I can eat way more than I should (but others, I can barely get anything down). My doctor defined restriction to me as being able to eat about 6 ounces of food and feeling comfortably full, and the full feeling lasting every 3 to 4 hours. Are you losing weight? Is this happening to you at certain times of the day or all the time? Betsy — Things are going down easier (as usual) in the evenings. I had no problem getting a piece of papa john’s chicken club pizza down on Friday night, but hey. I worked out and had the calories available and let me tell you, that pizza was GREAT! And since it had bacon and grilled chicken, a nice amount of protein! It’s amazing being able to eat ONE piece of pizza (I was a 3-piece girl). Holy crap, it hurts just thinking about it! It’s weird, some days I’m so ravenous, others I’m cool. I guess I’m expecting this band to keep me from feeling hungry ALL the time, and that’s just not the way it should be. Dear Lord! My only concern is that sometimes I actually feel more hungry when I eat and it seems as though I can keep going over 6-8 ounces (I don’t, but sometimes I am not satisfied after the small amount we are supposed to eat). But I am so tight in the morning, that I know another fill would have me spitting my own saliva into a trash can in the mornings because I wouldn’t be able to get that down LOL. I am still working on it. Thanks for asking!! Bob — I got sick and thought of you yesterday — how’s THAT for a compliment :-)!!!! I had my first public incident yesterday! It was at a bridal show of all places! Freaking dj comes over with extra cake and says TRY THIS! It’s HEAVEN! So, I really hadn’t had much to eat (and I am PMSing big time), so I took a tiny bite of chocolate cake). It was some kind of gourmet cake that had a raspberry flavor—like a black forest almost, so I took 2 more small bites. No sooner did I take the last bite, one of the producers comes over and says, “Slow—make sure you are going slow” (she knows about my LB and is one of my FB friends, so she knows all about my tendency to eat too fast). Of course, I was sliming, holding it in and didn’t want to run to the bathroom, so I grabbed 2 cocktail napkins, hid behind the booth and spit it out, not realizing I had a gallon of slime and I underestimated the amount and of course, thick slimy chocolate that I couldn’t “break” ! Luckily, no one saw, but some of it landed on the dj’s tux bag (but since it was the S.O.B. who gave me the cake, I giggled to myself about payback LOL). Anyway, WOW! I had 3 bites and they weren’t that big — jeez, talk about SCARY!!!! Wanna befit@40 — Welcome! Trust me, it’s a GREAT thing you’ve had no issues yet! Be thankful :-)! Looking forward to getting to know you! Cocoa — sorry to hear you had computer problems. Glad you’re back! I’m sorry to hear about your boss considering retirement. It is terrible when you gel with someone and you have a great relationship and have to start over! Hopefully it was a comment made due to the stress and he will change his mind!! I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

Girl, you look amazing!!! Maybe you set your goal a little too low. You are just perfect!!! Me, personally. I am soooo short that everything shows on me, so I need to get to 150 lbs, even though that's still overweight for my height. I'll see what I look like then and make the decision if I want to lose more or not. I am a size 12 now and still love my curves, so I can't imagine ever being a 4 or 6 anyway LOL! Congratulations on all you've accomplished and for your great outlook! You have inspired so many of us along the way!!! You go, girl!!! ETA: What the heck are all of us gonna do when we get to goal? I feel like so much of my focus is keeping my eyes on the prize that I don't know what I'm going to do with myself once I get "there" LOL! Maybe actually live life with no worries in the back of my mind whether or not I lost another 1 or 2 pounds this week ?

Hi there, I was also banded in October of 2009 (the 21st). Lost about 17 on the pre-op diet--the rest has been post op. I'm sorry to hear that you're not losing the weight. I have first bite syndrome as well (although it's starting to get selective based on the time of day lately), so I can relate to that totally screwing up your getting in enough Protein, calories, etc. May I ask, are you journaling? I still journal everything I put into my mouth to this day. It really keeps me accountable and allows me to see how much protein I'm really getting in every day. We absolutely cannot do it without the protein and (I hate to say this) Water too! I have also found that if I 'play' with my calories (some days 1200, others 800) that it tricks my body into not thinking it's in starvation mode, which is usually what happens when you're not getting enough calories in. How many roughly are you taking in? You may not be getting enough if you are having the issues with first bite syndrome. Perhaps a scoop of some chocolate Protein powder in a sugar free pudding cup. That's 160 calories there and roughly 25 g of protein. Are you exercising at all or live more of a sedentary lifestyle? Sometimes 15 minutes or 20 minutes of cardio per day can jump start that metabolism (I use the walk for weight loss on demand--1 mile in 15 minutes or 2 miles in 30). Just a few thoughts. Please hang in there. It's very easy to give up and be discouraged when you're not getting results. Just know that it will change. Your tool will start working with you--I think you're still in the process of figuring things out, so make sure you're doing what works best for you. Lots of luck to you! Please keep us posted. You can do this!! :thumbup:

Ginger, I'm so sorry you were caught offguard. That is just awful. I agree with a lot of the posts that these people are obviously miserable anyway and somehow take pleasure in making others' lives miserable! How often do you see them? I'd actually try to distance myself (if you can). It sounds like they stir the pot quite a bit where you and your hubby are concerned. SO sorry! Just keep you chin up and know you have all of us here to support you! You are beautiful outside and in and don't let ANYONE make you feel any different, girl! To hell with 'em !

As Betsy mentioned, it's the actual scheduling issues, given you can't eat on the average 1 hour after your meal. I think I'm at a good restriction now and sometimes water goes down easily and others, if I take too big a swallow, it will either go down very slow or try to come back up and I have even slimed a time or two on WATER lol!

Hiya, I posted this on another thread and received a message for the recipe as well, so I thought I would post this recipe for anyone else who was interested: Crockpot Mexican chicken 16 oz Chicken Breast (boneless,skinless) 2 serving Taco Seasoning, Original 1 can KIDNEY Beans 16 oz Traditional Salsa Mild 8 oz Fat Free Cream cheese Put some salsa in the bottom of the crockpot. Add 2 chicken breasts and sprinkle taco seasoning on them (repeat for the additional layers of chicken). Soften the cream cheese and stir with the remaining salsa and pour over the chicken. Put chili beans on top. Cook on low for 8 hours. (Serves 4) Calories: 300, Fat: 3.5g, Protein: 37 g, Carbs: 32 g Enjoy, from your bandster friend Karen who is still continuing to find different ways to cook a chicken :Banane20:!!

OMG that is WONDERFUL! Congratulations on a job well done! Wooooohooooo!!!!!

Down another pound to 172. I have 2 to go before the challenge ends. God, give me the strength to work out until I throw up LOL!!!

OMG Bob. Just as I was saying, "Awww, poor thing", you then hit me with that moral of the story and made me burst into laughter! How true!! I'm so sorry about your stuck episode! For some reason, I haven't been lucky enough to have that experience in public (I swear I have a guardian angel watching over me). I can tell you over the last two weeks 5 issues of sliming I've had at home though..... Hang in there! I'd try to take it easy the rest of the day....

HB- I love your closet shopping ventures! You go getting into those jeans! GREAT job! Glad to hear you’re starting to feel better! Leigha-- did I see in the Easter Challenge that you're 152????? Can I tell you I'm soooo jealous LOL? Christie-- Sorry to hear Steve was acting up. How terrible. At least he let you enjoy your birthday cake!!! Elfie-- I am SO glad to hear that your friend is going to pull through! I have been saying prayers like mad that he recovers with minimal long-term issues! Please continue to keep us posted. (Thanks for your get well wishes) GL on your goal! You can do it!!!! Dizzy-- I actually had a book called "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". I have to dig it out. Really put things into perspective for me and got me through a time I sooo needed the help. Bob — hoping that April 21 is here in the blink of an eye. Bandster Hell is no fun and I’m praying you sail right past it! Bobbie-- thanks for reminding me. I need to figure out WTH I am going to wear when the weather gets warmer LOL!!! So, I'm not having a very good couple of days. Now those of you that know me know that I'm super hard on myself, and always second-guessing the restriction thing, but I have been RAVENOUS the past 2 days. I am hoping it's just an isolated couple of days. I mean, there is NO way my doc would even consider giving me a fill, especially since I am suuuuper tight in the morning still. I am a freaking night feeder though. Everything goes down so well (unless I'm getting the chewing thing down LOL). I was soo not satisfied after lunch yesterday or breakfast today, and it seems like I am not staying full as long. Snuck a 100 calorie Milky Way bar on the way home so I'd make it to dinner last night LOL! Anyway, the past 2 weeks were filled with PBing, sliming issues, so I do not want to be too tight, but at the same time, want to continue NOT thinking of food like I have been for the past couple of weeks. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I might be just overthinking it. We'll see. I have 23 stinking pounds to go until my first goal (150), but I think I'm going to set a second "mini" goal for 140. What the heck, I'm 5'1.5" (yes that half inch counts LOL), so maybe that will be a nice weight for me. Okay, I'll shut up now LOL Happy Friday, gang!

Vicky--this is the same question I have been asking for a month now. I am in the same boat. I can get nothing down until 11:30, but in the afternoon and evening, I am able to eat way more than I should. I think it's a catch 22. While we are able to eat more in the afternoon/evening, we should try to limit to about 6 ounces because if we got more fill, we wouldn't be able to swallow our own saliva in the mornings LOL (fyi--I have 4.2 cc in a 14 cc band). I wish I had some advice other than the standard slow down chewing, spacing swallows, and taking 20 minutes to eat your meal. Hang in there!!