vickyd

What you have to remember that it is VERY common for weight loss to stall (or even to gain weight) when moving to mushies or solids. I know that's not what you want to hear but that's the way it is for a lot of people (me included). You just need to be patient and keep doing what you're supposed to do and you will start losing again.

My sentiments exactly!!

My doctor gives the first fill at 6 weeks post op and then you see them monthly after that. I would call to see if you can go ahead and schedule a fill for next month...you can always cancel it if you don't need it...

Great job!! You look amazing!!

I am completely off my blood pressure meds and my thyroid meds have been reduced twice (I will always have to take them in some form because I had a thyroidectomy 12 years ago). In addition, I have arthritis in both knees and, although that will never completely go away, I used to live in constant pain - walking was difficult and stairs were out of the question (I couldn't even get in and out of our pool without assistance). Now, I don't feel pain in my knees when walking, can walk up and down stairs with minimal discomfort and can get in and out of the pool unassisted.

I had issues finding a swimsuit this year too...the way my body has adjusted to the weight loss is leaving quite a bit of fat and skin on the outside of my upper thighs and every swimsuit I tried on just emphasized it. My DH convinced me to try on some swim shorts and they are working great - I am getting good coverage on my thighs and I bought several tankini tops to wear with them so I'm happy with the results. I am starting to think a thigh lift will be in my future unless something drastic happens...

Thanks Dave. That makes sense. I guess I got spoiled without many "stairs" until the last 2 "decades" - I also notice it more because I am also a daily weigher. Luckily, I don't get freaked out about it because I know I'm eating well.

How about deli meat spread with laughing cow cheese and rolled up? I'm lactose intolerant and it doesn't cause any issues for me.

That makes sense about the set point...the weight I am now is a weight I was at for about 5 or 6 years. I'll be patient with it and try to bump up my exercise to get things moving again... Thanks my sista!

WOO HOO!!! Way to go Jess!!! I can't wait to be there too...although I have a way to go before I get there.

Quick question and a couple of NSVs... First the question, last week I lost a whopping .6 lbs and I have noticed that every time I enter a new "decade" in my weight loss (most recently from the 240s into the 230s) my weight loss slows way down and bounces back and forth a couple of pounds before I start losing again. Has anyone else experienced this? Now for the NSVs...I went shopping this weekend and everything I bought was a regular size rather than a plus size! Don't get me wrong, my pants are still an 18W or 20W depending on the fit so I'm not completely out of the plus sizes but when my DH and I go out to dinner tonight for our anniversary I will be wearing a size L skirt and an XL top...so exciting!! I also bought 3 pairs of shoes (I really needed them ) and not only has my shoe size gone down from a 9 to an 8 but I also bought some shoes that aren't flats - in the past my knees hurt so bad that I would never wear heels! And the last one...my DH and I spent part of Saturday touring a large plantation in our area (before the shopping). It was in the upper 90s temperature-wise but I was able to do all of that walking in addition to a lot of walking at the mall without sitting down and without pain! All of these NSVs reinforce why this is the best thing I have ever done for myself!!!

Well said, Dave. You always have very good advice and I, for one, am glad you chime in on topics from time to time

Not a bad idea...I don't know how they do things at your surgeon's office but any time I don't get a fill they always tell me that if later I decide I need one then they will fit me in. I also weigh and measure all my food and when the food is gone I stop. It took some getting used to but now it's a habit. Good luck!!

I think that is what I will need to do once I hit my goal. Please keep in touch, I would love to hear about your experience with it...

My normal meal is 3-4 oz Protein and 1/2 cup veggies...that works out to about 1 1/2 cups of food (depending on the protein) and I consider that a "full meal". I think that with the band, you definition of "full meal" changes. As far as flying goes, I have flown 3 times in the 6 months I have had my band and I have never had any issues...the people that I know of who have issues appear to be more affected by the elevation level change from one place to the other (i.e, flying from Denver which is high altitude to New Orleans which is below sea level can affect your restriction). Even though I haven't ever had an issue, I still pack Protein powder just in case I have problems with being too tight after a flight.

I'm about 1/2 way to my goal and I do have saggy skin. Quite frankly, I expected it...very few people can weigh over 300 lbs for 5+ years and not have some saggy skin when they lose weight. That said, I will say that the amount of saggy skin is a lot less than I expected...I think because of the exercise. I am already planning for post weight loss plastic surgery in a year or two but even if I couldn't afford plastic surgery I would still be happy with being at a healthy weight (even with saggy skin).

I live in New Oleans and it gets extremely hot down here...I never leave the house without a drink and I've never heard anyone (on here or IRL) who has a band and has wrecked (or almost wrecked) due to drinking too fast. I would, however, caution you against eating while driving...I have heard tons of stories about people getting stuck while driving.

We have both a Wii and an XBox (the benefits of having 2 boys...LOL). Personally, I like the Kinect better. There aren't as many options for it since it is so new but I have The Biggest Loser and Your Shape (I like The Biggest Loser the best) but I also enjoy playing Kinect Sports with my family (it has bowling, beach volleyball, soccer, boxing, track and field and table tennis) and you can definately get your heartrate up playing the games . I haven't tried Zumba yet but that is the next one I'm getting...

Without tracking your food/calories, it is impossible for you to know how much or how little you are eating. By tracking you may find that you are eating way more calories that you think you are or it also could be possible that you aren't eating enough for the amount of exercise you are doing. Either way, tracking will help you make the necessary tweaks to get things moving again. There are many applications you can use to do this on line...I like myfitnesspal.com because they have an app for my Iphone (Blackberry too) so I can add my food whereever I am...

Just thought I would jump in with some additional insight For fiber, instead of the chewable try one of the disolvable ones like Benefiber. I mix it in tea, crystal lite, etc and it completely dissolves. Also be careful of the Gummy Vites...most of the gummy Vitamins don't contain Iron which is very important for you to have. The liquid tylenol doesn't taste bad, but I would think that dissolving children's tylenol would work...you should run it by your doctor's office and get their input on how much to take. Since you have trouble taking liquid meds you should also know that, most likely, any pain meds they prescribe to you after surgery will be liquid. Another thing you should make sure you have for post op is a heating pad...it really helped me with muscle pains and gas after surgery. And don't forget to bring a pillow with you for the ride home from the hospital...it helps cushion your stomach from the seatbelt on bumpy roads

I just looked at my Isopure container, and it contains whey also...interesting...I wasn't aware of that.

What you are feeling is swelling...the port was attached (either with stitches or with a clip type thing) to your abdominal muscle. You are less than a week out of surgery, some swelling and pain is very normal at this point.

This is the hard part...you are doing the right thing by portioning your food, tracking your calories and being more mindful of what you are eating. I would suggest keeping your snacks protein based rather than the 100 calorie packs because protein does tend to keep people full longer. Don't beat yourself up about going over your calorie goal during this time...there are many people who eat over 1200 calories a day so don't worry about it. You definately need another fill...I don't know when your next fill is due but maybe you can contact your surgeon's office to see if you can get one sooner. Other than that, HANG IN THERE...it WILL get better!!!

Meatloaf would be fine. I don't know what you were eating prior to this, but if you were only eating mushies then I would start with softer meat...fish, shrimp, meatloaf, hamburgers before moving up to chicken, pork, steak, etc. Make sure the meat is moist and keep your bites small, chew very well before swallowing and eat slowly. If you feel any discomfort, wait a bit for it to pass and try again with a smaller bite (some people choose to use baby utensils to make sure their bite sizes are small enough) I'm sure you will be fine.

I try to eat low carb, but I do allow myself an occaisional (every 2 weeks) trip to my favorite japanese restaurant for sushi. I normally get a snow crab roll and a shrimp appetizer. I split the appetizer with my husband and then usally can only eat 1/2 - 3/4 of the roll. I love japanese food and I'm glad I was able to find a way to enjoy it from time to time.