shonette

I like the Whey protein shakes for advance muscle building. My favorite is chocolate and it goes really well with the plain Greek yogurt.

I like the Whey protein shakes for advance muscle building. My favorite is chocolate and it goes really well with the plain Greek yogurt.

I love your blog and you rock. Honey- you look wonderful. I do so love this band. It keeps me in check when I don't have the strenght to do it on my own. My life has become so much sweetier.

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">OMG- my band experiences sounds so much like the things you have just wrote about. My doctor thinks it sounds odd when I tell him my restriction is not the same from day to day. There are some days I can barely get anything down and there are others I am totally fine with almost anything. I had the same issues with fruit so now I juice my fruits so I am still able to get them into my diet. It's not the same satisfaction as eating the fruit, but I am getting all the good stuff inside my body. There was a time I really enjoyed my very rich and creamy cup of coffee daily, but I occasionally drink coffee with fat free creamer and one shot of half/half. It's not Starbucks but I still get that coffee satisfaction!<BR><BR>Congrats on your wedding anniversary of 4 years. I really love taking home all of my left overs to enjoy the next couple of days. I sometimes will share a meal with my 5 yr old; because I know I am not going to be able to eat my food. <BR><BR>Keep up the great job. Having a band really rocks!</SPAN></P>

Great job. You rock.

Don't

<P>Don't beat yourself-up, you are doing a great job . Stay encouraged and continue to do what you are doing..</P>

I am so very sorry to hear about your lost. It is never an easy thing to say good-bye to those that we love. I God knows your heart and what is too much for you to bare. Therefore, you are a lots stronger than what you think you are! Take things slow and don't get too worked up about your weight l ost or the amount of calories you are eating. Just follow your heart and it wont' lead you wrong. My prayers are with you and your family

Happy, happy Bandiversary to you. My one year is just around the corner July 21st. Time really goes a lot fastier than we think it does!

I am so sorry you are going through so much discomfort and pain. I do pray things get better with you real soon

I just left my doctor's office this afternoon, and I could not wait to see what that little printout had to say. I lost a total of 12.2 pounds overall. Therefore, I averaged around 3 pounds per week. These are my numbers compared to my last adjustment on 1-18-2011: 1-18-2011 / 2-24-2011 BMI: 37.3 BMI: 35.7 Fat mass: 129 Fat mass: 106.21 weight: 282.61 weight: 270.41 I don't want to lose water weight. I want to lose body fat and gain muscles throughout this entire process. Nothing makes me happier than to see these numbers. It lets me know all of my hard work is not in vain and the fat is being replaced with muscles. God is so good to me and this is a long time dream becoming a reality to get off this weight and to keep it off. It's slow but it's coming off!

That's some great information and I do know the additional protein will really make you feel a lot fuller throughout the day. The only problem I now have is getting a lot of my protein down without getting that stuck feeling . Drinking protein shakes are no problem, but it's a lof of the meats that I do have a big issue with. I eat fish almost every single day because it's soft and it goes down really well. I am also able to cook it in the microwave at work and it taste great with a little lemon and butter. Good info.

<P>I was having the same issues with protein and veggies getting stuck which I hate that feeling more than anything. I started juicing a couple of weeks ago to ensure enough of the right things are apart of my daily diet. I also started cooking my foods very tender and soft to make the digestive process a lot easier. Each person's band is a very unique and complicated at the same time. I also eat a lot of soup to ensure a well balance meal is going down. These are just some options that have worked for me. </P>

I am so very sorry to hear about the lost of your mother. I will be praying for you and your family. Hugs and a lot of prayer through this very difficult and hurtful time! Grandkids are a blessing. I have a wonderful sweet little grandboy that I do love with all of my heart so congrats on the new grand baby girl!

Today I am scheduled to have another adjustment at 430pm. I have put off getting another adjustment for several reasons. I am really not sure first of all if I really need another adjustment. I have a difficult time as it is getting certain foods down. I rarely eat fruits like apples/oranges etc, because they always give me a stuck feeling which I hate more than anything. I love to eat all types of fruits and I really miss not having them in my diet. Therefore, I have started juicing to get my fruits into my daily diet within the last couple of weeks. I had a really nice Jack Lalnane power juicer a couple of years ago, but I had a house fire and it was never replaced. My mother is a gadget queen and she purchased a juiceman 2 yrs back which she stopped using once the thrill was gone. Therefore, she pasted her juicer on to me a couple of weeks ago and now I am able to enjoy all my fruits and raw veggies. I juice in the afternoon which give me a late day burst of energy which I really need after a long day. Last night I juiced (2) small apples, (4) carrots, (1) large orange, and (1) grapefruit that really got my digestive system moving. I felt so good this morning once I got up and moving. Now when I find it difficult to digest certain foods I juice as my alternative to getting nutritional foods. I know this does not work for everyone, but it really gives me an incredible feeling of being full and it's good for my body. I do not drink things that don't taste good to me. I am learning that foods are to be enjoyed and I now only eat those things that I really enjoy eating. I am always searching the net for new and tasty juice recipes. If anyone has any I would really enjoy you sharing them with me! Back to my fill- I really think another adjustment will boost my weight lost, but I dare don't want to be too tight like I have been in the past. I want my doctor to be very conservative today with my fill. I think just a little will put everything into motion. More than anything I am very excited to know what my fat mass is going to be today. My last fill was on 1-18-2011 and my fat mass was 129. I am so excited to find out what it will be today when I weigh in at the office. Lately, so many people have been coming up to me complimenting me on my weight lost and asking how I've lost so much weight. My response is a very honest one (portion control and being more active)! I've learned not to mention my band any more because it leads into too many questions that I am tired of answering. I really don't see what they do, but I do thank God Change is taking place in my body.

I really do appreciate all of the advice to put myself first. I do find myself getting upset with my family for not doing things they should be doing. Instead of me holding each of them accountable for their own actions, I do things myself and I become very angry the entire time I am doing whatever it is. I need to redefine my roles and responsibility with my love ones and make them accountable for their own actions and responsibilities in the house. Dadkins8: you are so correct when you stated men have no problem with putting themselves first. My husband is the perfect example of doing that very well!

This sounds really good but I really don't like egg custard.

I really do appreciate everyone's response. It does help to know that you are not the only person who is feeling a certain way about your life. I do feel like having this band increases my emotional ups and downs at times. I want to succeed in my weight lost so band and it does become a little stressful when things don't happen the way I want them to. I often feel like there is never enough time in my day to do all the things I would like to. That alone causes some of my frustation when things don't get accomplished. I really have to find some quiet time for myself if it's no more than 30 minutes! Again, thanks.

Try not to look at your situation as a failure but a lesson well learned. You have worked so hard at learning what works and how to use your tool. Now you know first hand what can cause your short term delay toward your long term goals. You did it once and God will give you the will power to do it once more.

Well stated. I really needed to read that post because I am going through a lot of emotional stuff.

When you have people make statements that are not in line with your goals dismiss them. It's hard enough go follow all the rules of your band without the haters saying negative things to kill your drive and motivation. Keep your positve frame of mind because the reward is just in your reach! Good luck.

I have found myself feeling very unsure about a lot of things lately. My job, marriage, personal relationships, and my band have often been the center of my frustrations. I thank God every single day for having a good job to work at, but lately things are so over whelming with mess! I supervisor two departments with a total of 36 staff members, and they are all woman. Do I need to say any more! I hope this does not sound offensive to anyone, but woman are some of the most emotional creations God has created. They bring their personal issues with them to work ex. (sick kids, bills, relationship issues, and lord help me "their endless gossip"), and I have had enough of their endless nonsense. Every single day it seems to be one more endless issue with work related drama. I do understand it's all apart of my job but I am worn out daily with the constant counseling, investigating issues, and being a peace maker. For some reason, I initially thought my marriage would get better once I started to lose the weight. But honestly, our issues are not weight related and our communication break down continues to be broken. Yes, I do love my husband, and yes he is capable of being a great man. However, he continues to put himself before his family and he really don't see why I am always frustrated and upset by his choices and decisions. The poor communication breakdown makes things that much worst between us. We have been together for over 16 years, but I feel like I am living in a time zone because things often remain the same between us. I have often visited the question (do I go or stay.) We have a 5 year old son who adores his father and my 18 yr daughter who now has a 7 month old son adores him too. My grandbaby is very attached to my husband so I will be viewed as the bad person, because I try really hard not to involve the kids in our issues. Its several things that I have settled with for years that’s not okay with me any more. Am I being the unfair person? Several of my long time friendships have sort of drifted away due to the lack of communications we have. I often find myself so wrapped up in my family, church, and my job until it’s very little time in my day for anything else. So, slowly but surely my friendships have drifted away. I continue to have two close friends and I do make an effort t to nourish those relationships a lot more (as best as my free time will allow me to)! I am nearly 7 months post band and I make every effort daily to follow the rules of my band, but sometimes I really don’t workout like I should or would like to workout. I try to be as active as possible daily, but I still feel like I should be doing more when I read about other’s success. I do know and understand that every single person is totally different, but sometimes I do question if I am doing my best. I have posted some recent pictures but I really feel like my body and weight lost should be more advance than it is. Sometimes I feel so good about my progress and other days I continue to see that fat person staring back at me in the mirror. I really don’t know why I have been on an emotional roller coaster! For so many years I have always been the strong and supportive person for everyone around me, but sometimes I want and need someone to be those things for me. I do know that God will not put more on me than I can bear, therefore I will continue to lend on my faith and stop feeling sorry for poor (ME)! This post may have been more information than I needed to share, but I do feel so much better to get some of this stuff off of my chest. Thanks for the listening ears.

I agree totally with muscle weighing more than fat. The more I work out my clothing sizes drop like crazy but the scales don't always go down as fast as I think it should. However, I measure my success from the sizes and inches lost. Always remember every single person is totally different and the way we lose isn't the same. I am six months out and I've only lost 56 pounds as of yesterday. However, this has been the smallest I have been in years. I thank God for every inch-pound he's enabled me to loose! I just think back 6 months ago I weighed 325 and today I am 269. Hey that is one victory I am glad to celebrate.

This is so funny that you are saying these things, because one of my incisions is keloided as well and it itches at times like crazy. I was reminded by my doc it was a sign of healing. I surely thought all of my incisions sites had healed by now. However, he explained that the inside of your body heals at a different rate than the out side. He stated every thing looked good and I continue to use Palmers coco butter to enhance the elasticity of my skin.

I was banded on July 21, 2011 and my BMI was 39. My starting weight was 325 pounds and at surgery I had lost 315 pounds. I was told by my surgeon I had to lose enough weight to shrink my liver down or my date could be set back. I really got very nervous and I became somewhat angry with myself. I turned that anger into motivation to have something I really wanted more than anything. I started doing a lot of research on the web about food portion and foods that fueled the body. I also learned that my Water intake had a lot to do with my body holding on to the excess pounds. I really started drinking more water because my body retains Fluid really bad. I have had a problem with my lower extremities swelling for several years. I ended up having vein surgery to repair some of the weak and inflated veins in my legs. I am very tall for the average woman (6'1) and several people did not believe I was over 300 plus pounds but I was. Today, I am 55 pounds down and the swelling and excessive pain in my legs has mininized greatly. I continue to suffer from plantar fasciitis, but I do pray that too will continue to get better over time. I said all of that to encourage you to take control of your life. You have to start making slow changes in your diet daily, the portions that you are eating. and most of all do some type of physical activity every day. I too have a membership at the gym, but I workout better at home. I invested in a kettle bell, hand weights, resistance bands, an electric stepper, and several DVD's. By having all of my equipment handy at home it takes out the excuse of not going to the gym. I have my own personal gym right at home. I sometimes workout before going to work, before going to bed, and anything I have a spare moment. My workout times vary from 15-20-30 minutes, and sometimes an hour. I feel like any workout is better than nothing at all. When I am at work, use my potty breaks to do a couple of squats before leaving the bathroom. Always remember, start small and build on the good things you have learned to do. It's called a life style change because diets have never worked for me. I pray GOD will open up a door for you to have your surgery. I know people who have had the bypass and several years later have gained a great deal of their weight back. It all depends on the person and their self well!