spoiltmom

I'm glad it went well! I'm still eating to fast also. I have to get control of that.

My blood pressure is now 110/70 WITHOUT my blood pressure meds! I started this journey on 2 blood pressure meds then I went down to just 1 and now... NONE!

Woot! Congrats to you!

I've lost 50 pounds so far and actually my saggy skin isn't that bad at all. While that may not be the case for everyone you can't let that stop you. Being healthy is much more important than saggy skin. Also as for being a carb addict I find it different with the band. Here's what I mean: Before the band if I was dieting but I really really wanted some rolls, biscuits whatever then I would just eat them anyway and feel badly about it the next day. With the band however, I know that if I eat too much bread I will be sick and in pain and I will throw up. That has kept me from even wanting bread anymore. Now that I'm banded I've had to give up a few things because they get stuck and make me sick but you know what? I don't miss them. Seeing the weight come off is much more important than having a roll. I had a lot of friends that were against this but now that they see how well I'm doing they are actually happy for me. You have to do what's right for you.

Yes that's totally normal. It's like you don't realize that your life revolved around food until it can't anymore. It's eye opening for sure and it takes getting used to. Just keep moving and walking and find a new hobby instead.

I feel your pain. 2 weeks ago I ate something that I almost got stuck on. It hurt when it went down and I was uncomfortable but never threw up. I got a bad feeling that something wasn't quite right you know? Well the next morning I got up and took my medicine for the day and I threw up three times after that and I had awful dry heaves. I thought maybe I had a stomach virus. Turns out what I had eaten the night before really aggravated my band. I had to go back to liquids for 3 days and then I was fine after that.

I've thrown up once a day for the past 3 days. I was told that when you are throwing up a lot like that it causes swelling and it's best to go back to a liquid diet for 3 days and then try real food again. I guess I may try that.

My last fill was at the beginning of February. For 3 weeks afterwards I felt no different and was hungry all the time so I scheduled another fill. I ended up cancelling that fill though because since then my band has gotten a lot tighter on it's own. I have feelings that I have to burp a lot. I fill up on very little food- Last night for example I had 9 really small bites of a steak and I was stuffed. But the problem is I've thrown up once a day for the past 3 days now. I'm getting stuck more and I'm not sure if it's b/c I'm eating one bite too many or not chewing well enough. Should I slow down and chew more thoroughly or just go for a partial unfill? I've lost almost 20 pounds since my last fill and it was done the first week of February. Edited to Add: The reason I'm posting this is because it's now 1 pm and I haven't eaten at all today so I had five small strawberries and they got stuck and I threw up. I don't normally have issues with strawberries.

I love it! Thank you for sharing:)

I have found that meat tenderizer really helps me to eat things like steak but so far the few I've tried taste like they are completely salt and it makes my food tasty salty, it's very easy to eat but salty. Any recs for a sodium free meat tenderizer?

regular/average length and boot cut if possible. I have one or two pairs of size 18 jeans and a couple of pairs of size 16's for anyone who needs them. I'll have to check and see exactly what they are but I know for sure 1 pair is Old Navy Dreamer Jeans. They are bootcut and a 16.

I was told not to EVER use a straw again but I have 2 banded friends that do. So are you using I could try it and it won't hurt my band?

I'm doing so good on my weight loss but I have yet to start exercising. I know, I know I need to. I just can't seem to find time to fit it in. I have 3 kids and I go to college full time. Most days I can't even find time to get all my homework done much less exercise. Where do you fit it in at?

Congratulations!!! Keep up the good work!

Way to go girl!!! I have to do a formal presentation, with professional dress, for one of my classes. I'm waiting until a few days before to buy anything to wear. I can't wait to see how I'll look though:) It's so much fun to dress up now days.

Tilapia and Click Espresso drinks:) I have started eating Tilapia several times a week. It's so good, quick to cook and it doesn't have a strong fishy taste to it. I love it broiled, grilled or quickly cooked in a skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil. I also got some sample of Click Espresso. It's great in the mornings! It tastes like a coffee drink and has caffeine just like my morning coffee but it's creamy like hot chocolate and has 15 grams of Protein. On days when I have class I don't have time for my usual coffee so I just make a Click drink and take it with me instead. Just thought I'd share.

My favorite is the Chobani brand it is so good. I especially like the Chobani Pineapple but it's the hardest one to find:(

It's not uncommon to lose weight in the first month as long as you stick to the rules. You have to remember though you will be pretty hungry just like you were pre band so it can be a big battle with the will power to control your calorie intake.. at least for most people this is true. Congratulations to you!!

Okay I have to brag! According to the BMI charts I'm now just overweight instead of obese! I'm so happy with that label:)

I did a search for sliming but I didn't find exactly what I'm looking for. Sometimes I get the slime but I don't really feel stuck. I'm not in pain I just have slime. Does that mean I've over eaten or I am slightly stuck and don't realize it? In that situation is it better to give it time and let it pass or just throw up? I know when I'm stuck I feel better if I throw up so I do it and get it over with but what do I do when I'm just sliming?

I like the Syntrax brand. They have an awesome chocolate and Cappucino flavor. For the mornings though I've been drinking Click Espresso Protein drinks. They don't have as much protein as most shakes but they are WAY good. They taste like coffee but have the consistency of hot chocolate. They are smooth and creamy.

My surgeon only does the Lap Band but that is what I preferred. I read something about how the Lap Band fills uniformly all the way around but the Realize band doesn't so I thought maybe the Lap Band would be a better choice.

Yeah I'm with Cleo's Mom also. These surgeons all have a different idea of what to do and how to do it. I know 4 other women who are banded. We've all had different surgeons and all been given different directions about eating. So I emailed Allergan to ask what their take on it was and you know what they told me??? Your surgeon has been trained to perform the Lap Band procedure. You should follow his directions as to what to eat. WTH. The maker of the band can't even tell me what their standard is, or do they not know either?

Well I don't really consider 1200 calories a day to be too low cal. My doctor says I should only eat 900-to me that's too low cal. I get between 65 and 90 grams of Protein a day and stay at or below 1200 calories.

I use MyFitness Pal on my iPhone. I'm addicted to it! It tracks food intake, weight, daily vitamin intake levels , exercise and daily nutrition info like total amounts of fat, carbs and calories. I can add my own recipes and the food database on it is huge. I was using lose it but I was having to add to many foods to it. I don't have that issue with MyFitness pal.