Betsyjane

The side shot is a great idea. It really shows your success. But.....is that a before or after shot of your toenail polish? 6PM is fine with me. I don't care where. I'm uninspired......

I am diabetic and get the runs and other effects from too much artificial sweetener. Check with the Dr for ideas.....I sometimes buy Any Whey from GNC...It's protein with NO flavor/sweeteners. I sprinkle it on food and get my protein that way. That way breakfast can even be a hearty blended soup or something else instead of shakes. But truly, check with the Dr.

Hey Jodie...How's pregnant life treating you? Hope all is well.

I've been told to average 30%. I wouldn't have DARED eat ice cream in my first 8 months banded, but now I know that if I do, I need to cut back on fat/calories...amd put in extra time in the gym. I don't feel deprived, but I do know there are consequences. It's just that with the band, I can actually carry all this stuff out and actually succeed. A first for me! If you love salad dressing THAT much...it might be interessting to think about what you will eat in a day as a bandster and see how you might need to tweek it to get that salad dressing and rebalance a few other things.

It's an interesting issue. I've talked with bandsters who do their loss by the band's portion control only. I've talked with folks who believe banding whould also include a diet...I've met vegetarian bandsters.....Especially after about 8 months of banding, there's a lot of variety in bandsters. I've personally developed a very strict healthy diet when I'm at home, and whenever I eat out, I allow myself whatever, and rely on portion control alone. I'm happy with that. Here's what I believe: 1. At the beginning follow whatever your doctor says. You will have lots of adjusting to do in your new life, and it is best to follow the program, at the very least until you get your bearings, good restriction, etc. 2. Weight loss is usually faster during the first year of banding, so it's a good idea to optimize your weight loss, building in an exercise lifestyle and as strict a regime as you can. 3. If you're comfy with Atkins, that's great! Eat your protein and your vege and then other things if you have room. It's the way to get enough protein. But remember that being banded doesn't mean a steak won't clog your arteries. So to the extent that you are in this for health, think about building in lower fat protein sources. Frankly, your band may help you....some of your foods that you used to love may not be interesting after banding. I used to love shrimp, but I'm one of those people who can't get it through the band well...some can and some can't....and shrimp just became a food that wasn't worth the effort. And oddly, I don't miss shrimp. Think about it this way....If you eat according to plan, and you want to lose between .5 and 2 pounds a week, you may find that you count calories and as weight loss stops, you may drop your calorie intake by 100-200 calories to accomplish it...or you may count fat intake and keep it under a certain level. I found whenever I hit a plateau, I counted protein, calories, and fat intake for 3 days and it gave me a wakeup call about what I had allowed to sneak back into my mouth. We obese have been good at deceiving ourselves about what we eat! I guess the bottom line is that it's a long haul journey and not a sprint, and you'll evolve through many stages based on everything from persanal preference to weight loss goals...so at first as a newbie, follow your doc. Enjoy the learning curve!

Yeah. I had that too. I was always shocked to see how big I was in pictures.... I guess we're kin to anorexics who can't see their thinness.....

There are times when I can't see my weight loss, so I have to take pictures to tell myself what my body looks like. How weird is that! Anybody else need a scale or a picture to show what's there...or not there?

The other weird thing is that sometimes I can look in the mirror and not see the weight loss. I'm game for anytime. Monday 5:30PM?

The odd thing is that there are times when I can look i the mirror and not see the loss. Weird. Does that happen to you?

The funny thing is a lot of times, I can look in the mirror and not see the loss......

For some reason I lost my butt first....

Thanks. One advantage of weight loss is that my eyes show again!

On my way home....

Pre-band me

WAY! Weird, ain't it?

What? I had a double chin? HAHAHA. It's fun to buy necklaces that are normal lengths. A 16" is a tiny bit tight still...... Funny the things you enjoy in this process. Welcome to the journey.

I've so enjoyed this journey. I have been on the verge of taking vacations, changing my wardrobe and strutting my stuff. But Lupus reared it's head, my kidneys are shutting down, and I have various infections in my body and maybe a dead bone, and maybe uterine cancer. Seems so unfair so be saddled with all of this now. So I've been thinking how greateful I am for having the band, even if I don't live long. Oh, bah humbug....I'm not able to say it genuinely. The operation was a success but the patient died...old joke. I just wish I had it longer. Never put things off that are core to you....nomatter what you weight at the time. My new, albeit late motto. Actually, I don't particularly need sympathy so much as irony and jokes, I think. I read an article recently that showed that lap band patients drop dramatically in their comorbid illnesses, but they they die faster because with their new bodies, they try higher risk sports and wipe out. I envision formerly morbidly obese bungee jumpers. Sad, but sort of funny, and definitely ironic. Sort of how I feel.

Thanks! And my knees cross!

or at least more than half way....

Here's your inspiration for the day.

Welcome to the journey, dear. We've all been through the losing and regaining. My struggle, in addition to being obese, is that I have Lupus and every time I have to go on meds, I gain huge! Or used to..... I'll tell ya...the lap band lifestyle isn't easy, but it's do-able! That's all I ask...a decent chance at success. And to continue to be able to cross my legs! I just posted my before and after pics. Go take a look!

Ha! Lest we forget why we are all here..... I'm for celebrating anybody's weight loss and health! (I just posted before and after pics...proudly. Whoda thought.

Current state.....Admittedly a slightly more attractive pic than in real life.....taking pics from above works nicely....

OK. This thread needs a little boost.... How about some old and new pics?

Yeah, and I can even cross my legs! Wonder of wonders. Thanks.