bayareanan

This proves that you were doing the right thing all the time and your body has just been stubborn.

I recall reading a post last year from someone who woke up with no band. Her liver had not shrunk because she didnt follow her diet. The second time she made a point of following it to the letter.

I am in the Dallas area and used Dr Victor Gonzalez. I had only a limited selection of doctors because I work for a hospital and the surgery had to be done at their facility. He does surgery at Medical City, Dallas. I was still pleased with my decision.

After spending time on the board off and on all day (and feeling upset because I havent lost any weight in 2 weeks) I thought I would go to Sonic and get a small bite to satisfy my crazings. Last time I went out to eat was 2 weeks ago and I was stuffed with half a sandwich. Not today. I ate a whole burger and small fries. Am I wrong in doing so? YES. Will this help me break my stall?? NO. I wanted flavors that I havent tasted in 7 weeks but should have gone with someone and only had a few bites. I am not going to beat myself up for this cuz I know that will just make things worse instead of better.

I think it would depend a lot on your starting weight.

I a pretty sure you cant do COBRA if you have a new coverage through your employer.

You made wise choices especially with the temptations. chicken is usually grilled and the avocados are healthy fat. No need to beat yourself up at all.

I have a different issue that I am wondering is Bandster Hell. I am not hungry, but no matter how good I do on the diet, I am not losing any weight. It as been a few weeks now. I see my doc next week and hopefully he will schedule 1st fill then. I am beginning to think I am not going to get anywhere. I even exercise most days of the week.

I take Provigil, which was created before Nuvigil but is the same class of drugs. I take in on work days because I have trouble staying awake in the morning. It has done some good, but hasnt solved the problem. I can definately tell when I am not on it though. I have heard that it is also prescribed for tiredness and depression.

Hi, I am 52 and was banded on 10/1. I started at 340 and have lost 22lbs. I seem to have stalled now and will be asking about my 1st fill when I see the doc next week. Would love to find someone to buddy with, with a similar starting size. Or, would love a mentor. Nan

I was lucky. I asked my doc how long I could be off work and he said as long as I wanted, so I took a month. My boss knew and I had enough sick time to get paid 100% for the full month. But, I had surgery on Monday and could have easily gone back to work on Thur. Wed would have been pushing it.

Wren, I have some Aussie friends who have vegemite and timtams send to them on a regular basis. While I did enjoy the timtams, I am not sure that I would have them shipped that far. I never understood the whole vegemite thing.

Maggie, Yes, I joined 24hr fitness. The introductory training package is 3 sessions to familiarize yourself with all the equipment and get an idea what a workout should be. There is a special right now, 3 sessions for $129 (must be used within 30 days). It was more than I wanted to pay, but as I have had the membership for 6 months and not used it, the extra expense sounded like a good investment. I go to the club in Little Elm, but have also swam at the club on Preson Rd, Frisco. Where are you located?

This may sound silly, but I joined the gym 6 months ago but was too afraid to actually go. I dont want people looking at me and I am not familiar with the machines. I bought a 3 session personal training package to learn the equipment and get more comfortable with the gym enviroment. Today was session 1. I learned alot and also noticed that very few people actually looked at me. Like most of us I am ashamed of my body and feel like people are thinking to themselves "Why is this fat person even here?" I have one more day before I go back to work, but will do some time on the treadmill. I only made it 5 minutes today,even though I have been walking .8miles every day.

My nutritionist suggested powdered eggs to add to other foods. I found it at Kroger.

I am joining the challenge a little late but wish to lose 16lbs. A big challenge as I seem to be a slow loser. I am presently 321 as I gained back 3lbs somehow. My goal is to be at 305.

Many people have said they needed smaller shoes after losing weight. I cant wait. I wear a 10 2e, which are as big as a surf board. I need to buy a new paid of tennis shoes, but am hesitant if my feet are going to change anytime soon. Those who lost a shoe size, or width, how long before you noticed it?

The liquid diet gets easier, really it does. I could not eat real food of any type. broth, sugar free Jello, Protein drinks, that was it. I did crave the strangest things when I was on it. Things that I havent eaten in years. It became amusing after awhile. It does get easier, just take it one meal at a time and SF jello will save you as it does make it feel that you had real food. Remember, it will all be worth it when you wake up after surgery banded, because you followed the diet.

I have a coworker who makes jean lap blankets and backpacks for wheelchairs for the VA Hospital. She gets my jeans..now what to do with the others, I haven thought that far. I am down 22lbs and still cant tell any difference. Soon I hope.

I hear you! Fortunately the cardiologist asked if I wanted to wait and have the stress test the same day. Of course I did. It took me 3.5hrs, but it was done and I didnt have to take any more time off work.......for that task. I also had to do an EGD, so I had 2 unexpected and expensive tests. While I am happy to have insurance that paod 100% for the hospital charges (I work at the hospital), everything else is 80/20 and it sure adds up.

I am in agreement with Betsy. I hate taking off work to have a Dr appt and always have to drive 30minutes across Dallas traffic. BUT.. once I have escaped the office, the cell, the pager and, people standing infront of my desk, I am content. Especially if I have time to take a deep breath before getting called in. Getting out of the office and rushing to an appointment is the worst. Once I get there I have no problem waiting.

You rock! Your success is inspiring.

I am only 3 weeks post op, and my motivation factors will probably change. But, for now "fear of failure" is what keeps me motivated. I used to work out in a personal training group that also required everyone to read their food journal in front of the group daily. I wasnt honest about what I ate.....or atleast how much alcohol I was consuming. This time I dont have to lie to anyone, but myself. And I refuse to have a need to lie to myself anymore. I bought a gym membership 6 months ago and actually went today. I swam for about 20 minutes and plan to go daily until I return to work in a week.

stateofzen, Would you be open to sharing your egglant recipe? It sounds yummie.

I havent gone back to work yet and am sure I will weigh myself less once I do. But, for now, I weigh myself when I get up at 6:30, then again when I wake up at 9:30, and finally when I get up for real at 10:30. Each time I get up I go to the bathroom, so the numbers do change. Except this morning, I was at 320 at 6:30 and by 9:30 I was up to 321.5!! And that is after using the bathroom again. That made me realize that you just cant count on the scale to be accurate all of the time. As long as the trend is downward, that should be enough.