Betsyjane

My needs are simple. I want to walk with my arms hanging down comfortably at my sides instead of sticking out. I want to walk like a model, sort of...hips engaged without worrying that that just pushes my stomach out more. I want to own a swim suit. I want to not have to wish all my shoes were W width. I want to hold hands with my husband abd have his fingers go all the way to the end of my fingers. I want to own pants without elastic. I want to go through a summer without folds of skin causing chapping. I want to run without every inch of me bouncing. I want a waistline.

I'm a Spivak baby too. No regrets. I didn't hesitate to have it done...brave all the way....until I got to the day of surgery. then every doubt flooded in. One surprise was that Dr. Spivak had arranged for a person with Lupus who was banded to be there to stay with me and my husband. I have Lupus, and she knew some of what was going on in my head. It was a nice touch. I awoke from surgery groggily saying to myself that I needed to tell them to remove it while they were in ther, or something like that. that was my last hesitancy. I'm so glad I had it done. I was both a binger and a grazer. Now I'm on that neverending learning curve to my wieght goal, and alot of peace of mind. We'll look forward to meeting you, Kathy. If we see someone crawling in with a water bottle, we'll know it's you.

I have a 10cm/5cc band. This fill stuff will always be somewhat mysterious. I too showed huge restriction at the filling station :-) but had none when I got home. Then this last time it worked. I've heard of people getting unfilled and later partially filled and finally got restriction. I've heard of people more restrticted during periods, during air travel. Jeez. I got out of a plateau with my weight by sitting down to Godiva chocolate one day! All we can do is keep at it and try to stay patient and active! And keep asking questions.

I might name mine Trixie. Trixie was a guard dog we owned, may she rest in peace.

If anybody want s to go with me to the 24 Hour Fitness in Atascocita, I have guest passes. I don't know if they'll harrass you to join or leave us alone, but my guess is that they won't do a hard sell.

Muscle Milk has a ready to drink premixed too. Sooo smooth and rich! 25g protein.I like Muscle Milk lLight...or the regular one diluted 50/50 with water and ice. It's almost too rich!

I'm drooling. For the food and the customer service....

Dog Camp: www.GoldenRetrieverCamp.com Er, yep. I've THOUGHT about jazzercise... Here's my excuse. The cold is gone but I still have a bit of a leftover cough. I start coughing after about 10 minutes on the treadmill, so I think I'll wait. I am interested, though. It does sound like alot of fun. Maybe I'll even get coordinated! Are you still going and still enjoying it?

ah, I miss my shakes. I'm on solid food now and I don't want to get my calories from liquids that don't give me that full sensation. Too bad. I loved Muscle Milk. The only time I get to have it is when I'm too restricted in the morning, and I haven't been for at least a week...... For Vitamins, I take Solotron from GNC. Chewable lemon-lime flavor.

I was on mushies after 48 hours, per my Dr. Everybody's different.

Some people have used liquids to open the band so they can eat.... Maybe you are one of the peop[le for whom liquids cause less restriction.

Sewingloss: An average of 1-2 pounds a week is good. If you're losing less, it might be time for a fill...... Talk to your Dr......

Luckily, a fill is usually not a big deal...just a 1 minute procedure. And hey! Look at you! You are doing so well!

The first fill might get absorbed into the band. Then there are fills until you get to the right amount for you. Then you lose fat around the stomach so the band losens. There's also a big learning curve with the band and I suppose as you eat differently, you might need more or less restriction. Then if you get sick you might need it unfilled for awhile. It can be a bit of a moving target at times.

I'm not young, so I don't belong here, and I promise to get out. Just a thought. There are bandsters who switch "additions" from food to alcohol, and end up in major trouble. Also bandsters who lose their hair because of getting empty calories and not enough protein. Just a thought.

You're on your way, Tony! What I'm finding is that if I'm trying hard and not losing...or gaining...it's time to quit kicking myself and just get a fill! Otherwise, enjoy the learning curve.

I know the feeling. By the time I got banded, I knew I had lost the battle and couldn't do it without the band. It's a funny journey though. I've lost some of the restriction I had weeks ago, and I plateaued and had to readjust my food...but nowI have, and I'm losing again. It's amazing to actually have some control over choices...to be able to make a decision about food and stick with it (mostly).

Atta Bikergirl! And I see you've already named your band. I want to do that......

So...it's only 21,000 troops if we subcontract the rest to Halliburton.

Let me see if I get the concept. If you don't succeed at the 6 month diet will you get denied for being noncompliant? If you do succeed, will you be proving that you don't need the band to lose weight?

I wonder if you had the hernia already and it's causing inflammation that restricts your band..... I know nothing about hernias, but I do know that when I got just a plain old cold, I was WAY restricted and when it went away, I wasn't. Call your lap band Dr. and ask. Seems a shame to trash the band unless you're sure......

Ok. Cold is gone and so is some of the restriction. Bah! I'm doing fine, but it was easier knowing I couldn't get much down and living on more protein shakes! These thorny decisions about real food are soooo tedious, dahlings. I've had days of no weight loss, readjusting my food intake to accommodate a slightly looser bands.... But....a milestone for me. No more diabetic meds! I was on just one pill and it was mild, but I don't need it anymore. Blood sugar is stable at a good rate. Yeah! One less stoopid pill to crush and make a grinchy face it. I'm going to keep monitoring, but so far so good. So here's the news from dog camp. A woman (truly an inside the looper) from Rice U was bringing her dog up to camp this morning and didn't show up.... she called later to ask if she was close yet since she was seeing signs for KATY! when I apologized and said I much not have told her 59 NORTH, she said "No. It's my fault. You said north but I just didn't think there was anything north except the airport." Oy. So 2 hours later, she arrived in a gorgeous brand new Jag convertible and knee high stilletto boots that were $700 on sale, I'm sure. Her dog ran to the lake, jumped in, ran back to her and jumped on her, soaking wet. dogs are the great equalizers. Her response was to stop and play with her dog. So I like them both. We enjoy them little things out here in BFE.

Woo hoo! No more diabetes meds needed! Whadda milestone!

If I stayed on 600 calories, my metabolism would re-set and I'd have to eat even less than that to lose weight. I don't want my body to react to too much fast weight loss or too few calories. I'm trying to sneak this weight loss in gradually, and hoping my skin will catch up as I go!

I hear there is a band being tested that fills mechanically by remote control. that would be nice.... Have you ever driven down a street seeling if your garage door opener opens anyone else's garage? Can you just see it? Get mad at your spouse and fill him up so he can't eat? check your remotes at the door suring support group? ah, the visuals are endless. I suspect however that the remote will only be in the doctor's hands......