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I wouldn't have worried so much about protein in the early going. I would have been patient and less frustrated during Bandster Hell. I would have discovered the beauty of tomato soup and lifting weights and running and almonds and Lululemon earlier.

Congratulations! Funnily, we had the exact same starting weight. Maybe 286 is a magic number. You look fantastic. Thinner even than your weight describes. Yay for you!

The towels at the gym and the blood pressure cuff are good ones too. Congratulations!

I guess it didn't happen right away but now I can definitely gulp water. Not like I used to, but I'm a huge exerciser and sweat a lot and even during the summer I manage to hydrate myself perfectly well. Actually, last summer, when I was still losing weight I do remember drinking a lot of the diet Gatorade because I was feeling a little dehydrated. I had forgotten! But now I suck down water and don't even think about it. Good luck!

LOL. I lost my 130 lb sister. Or my three 45ish pound children. Better yet, someone posted on here a while ago that they lost Snookie. That made me laugh. Congratulations!

I wear a size six, have impressive biceps and make fat jokes about myself all the time. I always forget that I'm thin! I think it's neither here nor there though. On the health front my body knows what's happened and that's the important part. The rest will come in time, I figure.

Tons of protein, exercise a lot, just because at least you don't eat when you exercise, and remember that this too shall pass. Even if I eat a ton at least I try and make good choices. Limitless chicken breasts or Weight Watchers Popsicle won't kill you whereas some things will. It sucks though. I hate when that happens!

I posted the same way back when. The gas will...pass. As for mushies, I know you can have mashed potatoes, but I would try and find some lower calories things. Or at least don't buy them from KFC! Ideas are posted all over the site but I did a lot of low-fat ricotta cheese with marinara and melted low-fat mozzarella cheese, black beans with salsa and sour cream, Greek yogurt...that's all I can think of for now. I worked hard to find things that made me happy and that I looked forward to. I was starving but at least I really looked forward to mealtime. Best of luck! And sympathies on the shoulder pain. It will be a distant memory soon enough.

130 lbs down and my feet are as wide as ever. Grrr. Didn't change a bit.

I think 1X and 16 for pants. Just order online! Order something from Zappos (they have apparel) that has free shipping in both directions. Shopping is boring anyway!

So great!

I attribute half of my success to a crazy gym schedule. The best part is that since I'm in good shape I weight 150 lbs and people always think I weight about 20 lbs less. Being in shape is the best "cheat" of all. I get to look like a 130 lb person and eat like a 150 lb person. To me that's the best incentive of all!

I've had that off and on since I've been banded. Whenever I've been less restricted and have eaten more, the cramps go away. They also inexplicably go away for weeks at a time, but they always come back and torment my sleep! I try and eat bananas, take a multivitamin and drink boatloads of water. I'd put my money on the hydration, although I've never taken the time to really look for patterns. God luck. I feel your pain! I posted something similar about a year ago. Flashback!

Even though you can eat those things doesn't mean you should! Restriction or no, pretend you're on a diet at least. The restriction will come. There's no way I would have founds such success if eating pasta, potatoes and rice had been regular occurrences. Now I'm maintaining and even though I eat chocolate and creamy sauces and plenty of caloric foods, I still rarely eat bread or rice. It's just not worth it and it doesn't even bother me at this point. You can cheat later. For now try and tow the line!

You kind of do know it when you see it. For me it means that I can eat tomatoes, salad and chicken breast (these are the first things to go if I'm too tight) and chug a big bottle of water before I go to sleep without any reflux. It is, however, an imperfect science. Right now I need to chew slowly and need to work pretty hard to eat grapes, for example, but I do find myself feeling a little too hungry. I make good choices (a few almonds here, some bites of something there), but with perfect restriction I should be ok for the four or five hours between meals and I'm not. I've also ALWAYS eaten way more than that half a cup thing people talk about. It's really a line you have to walk, although it doesn't sound like you're up to it yet. I had two fills early on that did absolutely nothing and then a magical fill which helped me lose the lion's share of this weight. Don't be too ambitious, I'd advise, Being over-full is no fun and counter-productive. Patience and baby steps!

I had horrible breath for a while there. I think it was a combination of the protein shakes and being in ketosis. No amount of tooth brushing could counter it. Only time. In the interim, buy a tongue scraper, drink lots of water, brush your teeth a lot and give people a little distance!

I'd agree that you should get a slight unfill. You sound too tight to me anyway! Have a great trip.

Mazel tov!

I bet you'll far exceed your goal. You sound like the successful banding type, for some reason. Best of luck!

I've been getting calf and foot cramps even since I was banded. Small price to pay, but it sucks! Nothing seems to alleviate them except for "bad" phases when I'm eating more carbs and a more varied diet. Drinking a ton of water helps a little bit. I feel your pain!

I eat movie theater popcorn all the time. Patience!

I think that a more specific question would have elicited more responses. There's nothing I could say everyone hasn't heard many times already. I exercised like a madwoman and ate no carbs for a year basically. It was hard, but not THAT hard. I did drink alcohol, steal french fries from my children's plates and eat dessert in moderation and have a skim latte or two every day. My top three tips would be to lift weights in addition to doing cardio, eat lots of fish, and to banish bagels and muffins forever. Good luck! There are many many satisfied vets out there. There are also only so many "any suggestions for mushies" questions you can answer!

I wouldn't focus too much on your goal weight. My initial goal was a BMI in the "normal" range, but once I got close I realized that I could pretty easily go and maintain lower. I started at 286 and now hover around 147. It's not that this was my goal. but rather that it seemed to be a natural place for me to stay. I maintain it with normal effort, as in I make good choices, but I make bad ones too. Like a normal person. Finally! GL to you.

I'd stick to high reps but lifting weights has been the key (for me) to avoiding droopy excess skin everywhere. Muscle beats empty skin any day. Consider yourself lucky!

I used to order rolls and sushi but now just order sashimi. I also try to limit tuna because I eat so much fish in general that I'm sure my head is exploding with the mercury. A piece of eel is fine, but think of it more like a treat than a staple. For me these days (my band is on the loose side) some miso Soup, three pieces of salmon sashimi, two pieced of tuna and one yellowtail and some edamame make up a good meal. Theee-o I'll try and order a handroll without the rice. Good idea. Spicy tuna here I come!