sawyer77

I know I've been absent from this thread, and I'm so sorry -- It sounds like everyone is doing well! I just had to pop in to share a recent NSV with folks who understand. I'm currently wearing size 12 jeans that I bought about a month ago from Old Navy. (My last pair of new jeans was a 17 from Target, and they were exciting to fit into back in, oh, it was March, I think?!) I picked up a size 10 when I bought these 12s. What the heck, right?! The 12s have been getting baggy, and so Saturday, while dressing to head to the Philadelphia Zoo, I figured it was time to try them on again. You know how you keep trying every few days and there ain't no way, no how? Well, I got them on! Zipped, buttoned and everything. 'Course I could only wear them for about 30 minutes before I either had to pass out or decide I wanted to wear my comfy shorts instead. Ha! But I did it! :waytogo: Now it won't be long before I fit into the 9s I have hanging by my refrigerator! I stare at them every day and dream. :thumbup: Woohoo for NSVs! I've been riding my bike to work every single day. 9 - 12 miles depending on if I need a Wawa fix or not. That's a little Mid-Atlantic love for you, right there. I love my Wawa. Also, my work schedule is different now until September, so I can fit in more classes at the gym. Tonight I'm going to explore a Yogalates class. I am so excited. Two things I love, rolled into one! Hope you're all having a great Monday! Ten days until I get a little break from work for a few days. w00t! We're putting up our pool and I want to do nothing but ME. No work, no volunteering, just ME!

LOVE all the pictures! I have to admit, it's hard to see changes in my own pictures, because it's me (and I've seen me my whole life!) and I look at the pics all the time, but when I look at others' pics, I can really see the WOW factor! Keep those pics comin'! :thumbup:

Oooh, thanks! You made me blush! :thumbup:

Tink's Mom -- you crack me up. :thumbup:

I had no clue! My surgeon told me that when they were in there, they noticed it and repaired it. It was nice because I'm a "don't ask, don't tell" person to most of the world, and so if anyone really pressed, I told them my surgery was to repair a hernia. I work with a bigtime gossip in my office, and she would tell the whole building, just so she had something to know and share. I don't need my business trounced around like that. So, I took great pride in telling her when I got back to work that I had a hernia repaired. :thumbup:

You look GREAT, txprincess! Here is my album: Weight Loss Progress And my new updated Virtual Model H/C/G collage, to reflect my current 167:

That was me! Wow, mine came very quickly. I would talk to your surgeon's office. See if they can help you order another one.

I concur with a lot of the previous comments. I almost immediately draw a line in my food, down the middle. I'm at 6 ccs and not at restriction yet, so I have to tell myself my limits. One thing I did learn today for Sunday brunch: Old Country Buffet does NOT honor our Lap-Band cards, so corporate will be getting a phone call from me! If my family members want to go there, I'm not going to ruin their moods by nixing their choice, ya know?

I love a nice spinach, strawberry and chicken salad. OR a Chicken Caesar salad minus the dressing. MMM! And it is very filling, so to me -- not a slider food. In my mind, a slider food does nothing to advance my journey. Another poster put it well, a slider food has to fit the three requirements: goes down easily, high-calorie, low nutrition. Salad doesn't fit that! (As long as you are picking the RIGHT salads!)

I know how frustrating it is to not lose. I'm 4.5 months postop with 4 fills/6ccs in my band. This last fill is the only one where I felt any type progress/restriction at all. I know I'm not at ideal restriction yet, but this is progress, at least! In the last 9 days, I've lost 5 pounds! For all you newly banded (well, newer than me, anyway!) folks, please know that you are going to have to be patient. They don't call "bandster hell" for nothin'! I lost my first 10 pounds in one week prior to surgery, during my pre-op diet. The next 10 pounds took a month, and these most recent 10 pounds took *3.5 months*, and 5 of them were in the last nine days! (Fill #4 was May 20th.) 172 (which had been bopping around on my scale for a MONTH!) down to 167 this morning! WAHOOOOOOOO! That puts me at 30 pounds lost and 38% of the way to my goal. I am so happy, there's nothing that could kill this high today! :ohmy: Keep the faith, and just grit those teeth! :Dancing_biggrin:

Go, Jen! WAHOO! I have 11 pounds to go to get to be just overweight. :confused: Wooooooo! I'm chasin' ya!

These first few months after banding are torture! I'm 4.5 months post-op and I've had 4 fills (total 6ccs in my 10cc band). I feel that I'm getting closer to restriction with this last fill, but I'm not there yet. The first three fills did N-O-T-H-I-N-G for me. Every little drop of my 28 pounds lost has been all me, baby! Exercise, eating right (protein first, and no snacking!), getting proper sleep (SO IMPORTANT!), drinking water, taking vitamins -- all those rules WORK. I have my Fill #5 in two weeks and I just know I'm going to have another "be careful what you wish for" episode. It is sinking in, now after 4 months, that it's for real, and I have to chew, chew, chew and make the right food choices. It's been a little surreal these last few months not having restriction, and I've had days where I have really regretted what I've eaten. But, as another poster said, forgive yourself and move on to a new day tomorrow. I'm on a "new day" today. :confused: In these first 4, 6, 8 months before you get restriction, you owe it to yourself to learn healthy habits, and figure any weight you lose during this time will be a BONUS!

At my one-week followup, my doctor gave me the okay to return to exercise, but only because I had already been running. I always think it's best to do what each particular doctor recommends upon seeing each patient. A friend of mine had a different surgeon and he told her nothing for 8 weeks, but she was not an active person before.

I had my first appointment there on July 6th, 2009. That was almost a year ago! Wow! I wish you good luck, but more importantly, I wish you good skill. It takes skill to succeed at this journey! You can do it!

Thanks, all! I tried the Malibu Bay Breeze, and YUM! I love it! Love all your suggestions. Thanks, again.

I mix it up with the following: -running -weight training/strength training -yoga classes at the gym -body conditioning classes at the gym -bicycling -swimming I try to run 3-4 days a week, weight training 3 times a week, yoga once a week, body conditioning (which my friends and I affectionately call "torture class") once a week. I like to run one 5K a month. And I just started training for 10Ks! (I'm a graduate of C25K, and highly recommend it!) Also, one of my friends has talked into a 65-mile bikeathon for the American Cancer Society in July. Woohoo! Busy training for that!

I'm not a big drinker but when I go out, I tend to drink things like Mudslides and White Russians, or I'll have an Amaretto Sour or a glass of wine. I stay away from carbonation, of course. I'm curious to learn what your favorite alcoholic drinks are, post-banding. Whatcha got?! (I'm going out tonight, so I need ideas! Heh.:rolleyes:)

My surgeon did a nicotine test well before surgery, but then again the morning of surgery. I think you better mention to your surgeon that you're struggling. (I quit in August, surgery was in January.)

I have been playing around with the same three pounds for a month now! C'MON! I just got my Fill #4 a week ago, and I feel the beginnings of restriction, so I *am* happy, don't get me wrong! Even though I believe slow and steady wins the race, I am just so anxious for that sweet spot!

Hey, all! I'm enjoying reading all your posts, and I wish I could reply to them all. I'm glad to hear all of your successes -- go, all y'all! I had a 1 cc fill (#4) on Thursday! Had some OMDog Moments in the last two days. One moment was trouble eating a turkey sandwich. I try to avoid bread anyway, but I was on a kayak trip & eating quickly at a pull-over beach stop. I had to walk away from the group. I kept it down but it was scary. REALLY learning how to eat now with this band (I'm at 6ccs). I felt lost for these last few months there, like I didn't have a band. Be careful what you wish for, right?!? I do okay for breakfast and lunch, but I do fall into ruts because I like EASY. I usually eat yogurt and cottage cheese for lunch. When it comes to dinner, that's where I lose control. Pasta still works for me and I have this feeling that I should enjoy it now while I can, so I eat what I KNOW I should not. :tongue2: I'm really letting myself down with the carbs at night. Anyone have some quick, easy dinner ideas to keep me away from pasta? Does anyone have a good quinoa recipe to share? I love quinoa and don't eat it enough!

Hey, everybody! I've been quiet, because there's not much to report on my end. I got my fourth fill yesterday, 1cc, and am now at 6 ccs total. The surgeon and nurse were talking about how much to give me, a whole or a half, and they said, "Ah, it's Thursday, give her a whole." Then they laughed and said, "If it were Friday, you'd get a half." I replied, "Yah, the service station is closed for the weekend!" Ah, Lap-Band humor. I'm still flirting with the same two pounds. It's aggravating, but slow and steady wins the race, this I know. I told my doctor I don't want to rush things, I'd like to slowly sneak up on the green zone, and he said, "That's why you're going to win this battle." I'm sure they get a lot of folks who push, push, push for quick and voluminous fills. I'm happy to take what they tell me every four weeks. They're the experts here, I'm just one patient. They definitely listen to what I'm saying and make judgments accordingly, so I'm pleased to have 6 ccs after 4 months post-op. Oh, and did anyone see Grey's last night?!?! OMDog!

In an effort to be a well-rounded academic, I'm bringing you some math after my recent Bandster poem. I want to make sure I'm entertaining all sides of your brain. :thumbup: Play along with my fun math games below. I had my surgery on 1/20/10. I'm constantly searching for ways to keep myself motivated, and it always helps me to see my successes to keep my mind off of any times I've stumbled. I'm including a picture of my Weigh-In Notebook, just to encourage you to do a weekly (not daily!!) weigh-in, and track your SUCCESS! The highlights in the notebook are my fills. I go for my fourth fill in two days, but I don't note it until it's done, until it's IN MAH BELLY! :biggrin: I started my pre-op diet at 197 pounds on 1/13/10. My weight on 5/12/10 was 170. So that's 27 pounds lost in 17 weeks. If I divide 27 by 17, I have an average loss of 1.58 pounds a week. THAT'S AWESOME! How could I possibly be discouraged with those numbers?! (I'm doing a lot of self-talk here, folks!) Even if I don't have a loss on the scale tomorrow (my weigh-in day), 27 pounds in 18 weeks is still an average of 1.5 pounds lost per week. Another fun math game is this: Divide your lost weight by your original excess body weight (EBW). I just use 117 as my goal weight because it gives me an even EBW of 80. (I may amend my goal as I get closer. That will come in time.) So, I've lost 27 out of 80. That means I've lost 33.75% of my EBW in 17 weeks. How could I be unhappy with THAT?!? C'mon, folks, get with me here. Let's do some math! Look at the GREAT stuff we've accomplished and stop beating yourselves up! Who's with me?! Let's hear your average pounds-per-week and your EBW percentage lost! I bet you'll surprise yourself!

Also, if you have google account, and you go to: http://docs.google.com/ it will be listed there.

I've had three fills and go for my fourth in four days. My doctor has me on the table, I have to do a crunch while he circles the port with a pen for a guide, inserts the needle (no numbing -- I'm getting a needle either way) and inserts the saline. My port is a little tilted, so my third fill was a little more involved than the first two, but I'll remember to tell him this Thursday for my fill that my port is tilted. I'm so ready to keep the fills moving because I feel nothing resembling restriction. Though, I did have a hard time eating rice yesterday. Very exciting! Heh. Every time I go for a fill, I make my next appointment on the spot, four weeks to the minute!

Wonderful! I love hearing this stuff, especially from the folks my height! Go, you!