finallyncontrol

Well today is my 2 yr anniversary..I am so excited!!! This has been the best 2 years ever! I met my goal after 10 months..which still amazes me...losing 130lbs in 10 months is amazing!! Maintenance has been fantastic...I fluctuate 3-4 lbs and that is fine with me! I still only have 4.75ccs in my 10cc band. I wish everyone the best on their journey!!!!! Stay positive...attitude is everything!!

Hello! Just checking on you! I need to go to your site. I miss your humor. Bet you are busy with the kids going back to school!! We had a terrific summer!!!

Looks like we all are sharing some good weather and boy am I loving it!! Can't believe I would ever say I that I am loving raking leaves and sweeping the drive way but dang it feels good and the the drive looks awesome and the yard is getting there!! If the weather stays like this I'll be pool bound in a week or so..I can't wait..that is how I get the majority of my exercise!!! Take care!!

Ready to start of 2011 with a positive attitude and to maintain this 130 lb loss I had in 2010! I feel fabulous and I hope it is catagious!!!

Thank you! I am glad I can help others! People say that getting banded is the easy way out..as we both know it isn't! We need support, motivation, encouragement and sometimes just someone to just chat with that has been there! Take care and keep up the great work!

Hey I saw on one of your postings on "TheresaMom" that you hope to get pregnant soon...I just wanted to relay to you that I know that my surgeon says that women who get banded are extremely fertile. So I wish you luck!!!

oh on the potassium..mine was at 1.5 where as you need to be at 3.5 at least..4-5 is preferred.. I hang around 3.5 now

Yeah I ended up in the hosp for 6 days..they still couldn't figure it out..I self diagnosed it as the potassium being the cause. As I said every once in a great while I will take two nexium instead of the one that is prescribed but I totally agree...you can't keep feeling like that. I would call the dr as soon as you can..tomorrow if possible.

Absolutely!! That is what we need is people who can help one another!! Do you text?? Lately I have been consumed in cleaning out closets and haven't been online which I dearly love!! I hope all has been going well!! Hope to talk to you soon!!

Thank you! I try to give solid advice. It hurts me sometimes when I see people give up knowingly and I have to bite my tongue..so I try to apologize first on those posts! LOL

It is rare that I eat bread, not that it gets stuck..it just fills me up too fast and I can't get my protein in.

Exercise: I walk and exercise in my pool daily. This helps tremendously. I know when it rains for days I can really feel it.

For my meals..As I said I eat everything but I eat very small portions..never more than a cup but usually about 3/4 of a cup per meal. The only thing I really splurge on is the popsicles..probably 4-5 a day. I have a 3 year old and we eat them all afternoon/evening.

If I have a cravining I found that if I satisfy the craving instead of trying everying to avoid it I realized that I only wanted maybe 2 bites of the craving and I was satisified. If I tried to avoid it I ate everything in the house and still ended up eating the craving..just think of all the wasted calories!

Another thing when I eat is that I eat until I am satisified not until I am full.

I hope this has helped!! Take care!

Hi gillian,

Well the first thing I did was take the word diet out plan. I use the term lifestyle change. I maintain a positive attitude 98% of the time. I do cook a majority of the time so I know what it is I am eating however I eat just about everything under the sun. I have lost my appetite for sweets so that does help. My snacks are SF Popsicles and apples w/laughing cow cheese or hot chocolate. I may eat 4 or 5 dorito chips a couple times a month but that satisfies my chip craving. I am not a breakfast person (never have been) so I have a protein shake (EAS Myoplex Lite Chocolate). Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas, Tuna w/mayo, greek yogurt, salad, chicken w/mayo or ravillos. Dinner: this is wide open Chicken Corden Blue, Steak, Pork Chops, Meat Balls, Chicken Picatti, Scallops, Shrimp..the list goes on. If I make a dish for my family that includes pasta I may eat 2-3 noodles cut up very fine.

Ok my favorite topics first thing in the morning..LOL

PB'ing is technically Productive Burping. This is where you burp and you actually burp and bring stuff up so very similar to throwing up but it happens when you burp.

Sliming...is kind of just that..slime and a bunch of it. You can have a little bit or a lot of fluids build up in your mouth. You can sometimes just spit to get rid of it but other times you have to throw it up and it will be nothing more than slimey slim (no food). It happens after you eat. It could be a sign that you eat too much..everything went down just too much. Once you see it the first time you will know it. It is kind of gross, probably the grossest part of anything we do because of how slimey it is. I hope these descriptions help.

Ok, it should be in your inbox...let me know if you have any problems opening the file!!

I am going to send it in an email..it says that it is too long to post in a message??

I would not of wrote it if I didn't mean it!! Take care..I haven't seen what you wrote today...hmmm

Thank you! The one thing I am learning is how bad my ankle is swelling throughout the day. I knew my left leg was bad due to DVT's (blood clots) but I didn't think my right one was. In the morning the ankle bracelet slides right around it but not in the evening. I had a stroke 3 years ago after having my son (actually had nothing to do with my weight) so feet/ankle swelling actually means something else to me. So actually ended up being a test of different things...

Thank you!! That is truely how I feel!! I think it takes a positive attitude, the band as a tool and desire to make this all work!! Your name fits you to a T. You are a lucky dog!!

It really proves how small the world is!! I personally am not too much into the horror stuff. I like his comics and was just amazed when we used to sit in study hall and he would draw these amazing pictures. I draw horrible stick people!! I couldn't believe it when I saw your post and saw where your husband was so I had to send you the link!! BTW great job on going to the gym and keeping busy without him while he was gone! I do love my alone time. Take care!!

Hey I was just reading this article and thought about you...it was about being light headed, dizzy or cramping when just starting the "5 day pouch diet" which is similar to what we go thru when we get a fill..clear liquids, shakes and mushies. Well it said that you can eat a small piece of melon or orange. You can also take a dosage of Emergen-C. They explain that it is a carbohydrate withdrawal..vs a sugar withdrawal?? I don't know just thought I would pass on the info.

How wonderful!! I love suprises like that!!! I also stumbled across www.Sparkrecipes.com today. I tried the Chicken and Brocolli casserole tonight..absolutely wonderful!!! With that website I just selected diet and low carb.. Once again congrats on the 7.4!! a wonderful surprise!!!

After my first fill..well right before that..during the 6 weeks (from surgery date until first fill date) I reflected on what I just did (you will do the same) I realized then that I wasn't going on a "diet" for the rest of my life..I am make a change in my lifestyle for the rest of my life. I eat everyday food..no one would every suspect I have been banded except for the small amounts I eat. I don't eat bread only because it fills me up too fast but not because it causes me to get stuck. Don't ever say never..one day you will eat your favorite food again (more than likely)..just not as big of a portion. Sodas/Pops are out but other than that..properly cooked, cut, chewed, portioned..you will enjoy it again one day..just not today but one day!

Thank you!! I kept trying to tell myself that if I cheat now than why bother getting banded I would just cheat then and cheat myself out of lifetime of happiness. I am also selfpay..so I had a ton of money riding on it so it helped motivate me to stick to my guns. I also was amazed with myself that I could actually go day after day without actually biting food..just having liquids. I would say wow 6 days no food, 7 days no food, 8 days no food and so on..how many days can I go like this. I also watch the scale..it kept going down, down, down. I lost 14 lbs during those two weeks..another motivator. I fought my insurance company for two years before I decided to self pay so I wanted this more than anything. I was so willing to give up whatever it took to make this happen. That was my mindset and still is.

Keep not only the surgery receipts but any and all co pays (to any & all doctors), medicines (pharmacy purchases) and so forth for the entire year for when you do your taxes. If you do your own taxes or use Quicken..Quicken has an entire section for it or if you use an accountant they are very familiar with it.

These are lessons learned I guess for me. I fought my insurance company for two years and even had an attorney involved..still ended up being self pay. At the very end I asked the "insurance person" what else can I do..she said well save your reciepts and submit them and maybe you can get some of them reimbursed. I mentioned this to my doctor and he said that one of his patients did the same thing and got all but the surgeons bill reimbursed. When I originally submitted them the hosp bill was denied because I didn't get "precertification" before admittance. So I called the insurance co and said I have 2 yrs of denial of the surgery..they said that is for the surgery not the hosp stay. They may be able to code the hosp stay a certain way before you get there that you don't pay before hand..just a thought!! My was 3 seperate charges..surgery, anes., hosp stay. I hope this makes sense.