Lap_dancer

In the ZONE at the sweet spot is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ......................................................................... I am staying on my plan today because I value my health and body and I know I will feel even better with each passing week.

Beckiet I love hummus now! I don't have a calender to copy and paste but I'll post some of my typical daily intakes: Propel - Strawberry-Kiwi Water, three bottles at 33.3 ounces cheese melted - Parmesan cheese melted in the microwave until in cooks into a solid crispy cracker. Great source of Protein. Dolmades - Greek grape leaves stuffed with herbs, rice and lamb. ARUGALA!!!! Best leaf on the planet! Soups: New England clam chowder, vegetable beef, chicken noodle, Avgolemono (Greek lemon soup), Egg Drop soup, Won Ton soup, French onion (with cheese..yum) Salads!!: Greek with feta cheese (be still my heart), Raspberry Vinegerette and springmix, Anything with KEN'S DRESSINGS!! Bacon, and cheese (no bread) Nathan's hot dogs and mustard (one dog no bread) I eat based on my fullness sensation. If I had say..Cheerios for breakfast and had milk with that I'm full and good til about 1 or 2 when I get home from work. Then I'll have some cheese or a salad and all day I drink my water. No liquids with meals, nothing ice cold (that hurts). SLOW..I eat real slow. I swallow and pause between bites. This is how I avoid PBing. What does PBing feel like? Remember that scene in 'ALIEN' where the alien bursts from the stomach of John Hurt? Yeah. That. dinner depends on how I feel. If I had soup for lunch then I will most likely go for a solid for dinner like shrimp, pork chop, hamburger.

I believe that God only gives three answers to prayer: 1. "YES!" 2. "Not yet." 3. " I have something better in mind."

and some other art from Maxfield Parrish:

WONDERFUL thread. Thank you for starting it. My contribution is some art from Van Gogh:

My son buys CELLMASS in berry blast. He's the gym junky in the house. I personally gagged on the whey powder. I eventually went to Advantage which is available at Walgreens. Tastes just fine in chocolate and also the Gold bars are very good. I supplement my intake with the Protein.

Hi Jean Jones, welcome to LapBandTalk. Glad to hear from you down under in Oz. Wow, that's quite a long time to have the band. Congratulations. I'm also happy for you the weight is staying off. Best always Patty

You did lose weight! 13 pounds. That is something. I hope it helps you to know that we all lose at different rates. The band isn't like the bypass where foods goes through like a zipper in your stomach. Are you drinking your Water? Eating all the Protein you should? It will happen. Hang in there.

Hugs and You inspire many who are on the same journey!! Thanks for sharing. Patty

This is the surgeon who placed my band. I just went to his website and noticed that they have added a new resource page that offers information about the band among other things. financing for Lap-Band Surgery Mexico.php" rel="external nofollow">Lap-Band Surgery in Mexico Questions About the LAP-BAND® System Seminars & Support Lap-Band® Diet BMI Calculator There is other info about him and his facility. Web link is: Denver Colorado - Obesity Weight Loss Surgery | Lap Band Surgery in Colorado | Bariatric Surgery Center# Hope this helps. Patty "I'm through with the madness..."

@ Steph...YER SIGGY IS HYNOTIC (smiles) I am a grammer freak. .................... Yes, once an overeater always an overeater. I did headwork with a therapist, joined OA and am working the 12 steps. Restriction is using the band is a tool. So is therapy.

I have the Inamed and my incision is exactly 2.5 inches.

Folks this sounds DIVINE! Spa treatments! wow. Maybe the next one. I've got a grandbaby on the way!!!

Shout out to L.A. Dr. K is AWESOME. Say hello to Natalie for me and give Marilyn and Mary a hug! Best to you at Crowne. ......................................... Sunshine..to answer your question has anyone had that experience YES! ME! I specifically did not want anyone to know. I told the three women I work with because I would be going to Colorado and out of work for about two weeks. They were not the problem MY FAMILY WAS. I told my step father with instructions not to tell my mother because my mother quite honestly cannot keep a secret. He did not keep his word but told her. Of course she told my sister who told my nieces who told...and so I learned then that from this moment on, no matter how much I lost, and trust me Sunshine..that question will be asked over and over...my response is, " I know, I'm feeling so great but I don't weigh myself" which is partly the truth. Bottom line is it is your business. I think most all of us have issues with being judged by appearance and already have a leg up on privacy. It just feels invasive to have people ASK about this sensative issue. So that is how I handle it and my pat answer to how much I have lost is..." I know I feel great right? But I don't really weigh myself so I'm not sure". At that moment it is more than likely the truth. Because we are losing weight, if we do not weigh ourselves daily, we do not know! Patty

Tampa Bay!!!! ((grins))

KAT this was cute. Thanks. It made me smile.

I just read the rest of your posts. first...let me add this REPEATED POST from two other threads...wow, seems restriction is a hot topic this past week. Hope this helps: I got this card from Natalie at Dr. Kirshenbaum's office. I will retype it for the benefit of those who were and are where I was before my last fill: Get into the Lap-Band Green Zone ADD Fluid When: You appear to always feel hungry You are able to eat big meals You are 'looking for food' SUB-OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS GREEN ZONE The Optimal Zone and what you target for You have early and prolonged satiety -you feel satisfied earlier at mealtime and that fullness sticks with you for a good while. Small meals satisfy Satisfactory weight loss or maintenance OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS Reduce Fluid Difficulty swallowing Reflux-Heartburn Night Cough Regurgitatioin Poor Eating Behavior SUB-OPTIMAL WEIGHTLOSS .................................................. I hope this helps. It took me three fills to finally hit the zone. This "sweet spot" as it is known, is a lovely place to be. Mind you I have retrained myself to chew slowly, eat slowly, no liquids at meal time ( I will have the occasional room temperature drink of Water to cleanse the pallette). The band goes hand in hand with rechanging eating patterns (habits..event the bad ones) that we've developed over the years. ........................................................................ I am 48 as of Dec. 28th. I am married to my wonderfully handsome husband for 25 years this May. We have two children both grown with one still at home. We are expecting our first grandchild in July!!!

GREETNGS!!! 48 is great here! I'm Patty. Nice to meet you all.

Hello friends! I started out at 379 and if I recall my weight at surgery was around 358. I have posted this message several times and it still is in my "CTRL=C" operation on my computer..I'll paste it below. It's about restriction. The only time I belch is when I have eaten too fast or gulped air/had some liquid with dinner. I backed off doing that. Certain foods will trigger a belching episode but it doesn't last beyond a few. I got this card from Natalie at Dr. Kirshenbaum's office. I will retype it for the benefit of those who were and are where I was before my last fill: Get into the Lap-Band Green Zone ADD Fluid When: You appear to always feel hungry You are able to eat big meals You are 'looking for food' SUB-OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS GREEN ZONE The Optimal Zone and what you target for You have early and prolonged satiety -you feel satisfied earlier at mealtime and that fullness sticks with you for a good while. Small meals satisfy Satisfactory weight loss or maintenance OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS Reduce Fluid Difficulty swallowing Reflux-Heartburn Night Cough Regurgitatioin Poor Eating Behavior SUB-OPTIMAL WEIGHTLOSS .................................................. I hope this helps. It took me three fills to finally hit the zone. This "sweet spot" as it is known, is a lovely place to be. Mind you I have retrained myself to chew slowly, eat slowly, no liquids at meal time ( I will have the occasional room temperature drink of Water to cleanse the pallette). The band goes hand in hand with rechanging eating patterns (habits..event the bad ones) that we've developed over the years.

This is my repost from another thread. Hope it helps: I got this card from Natalie at Dr. Kirshenbaum's office. I will retype it for the benefit of those who were and are where I was before my last fill: Get into the Lap-Band Green Zone ADD Fluid When: You appear to always feel hungry You are able to eat big meals You are 'looking for food' SUB-OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS GREEN ZONE The Optimal Zone and what you target for You have early and prolonged satiety -you feel satisfied earlier at mealtime and that fullness sticks with you for a good while. Small meals satisfy Satisfactory weight loss or maintenance OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS Reduce Fluid Difficulty swallowing Reflux-Heartburn Night Cough Regurgitatioin Poor Eating Behavior SUB-OPTIMAL WEIGHTLOSS .................................................. I hope this helps. It took me three fills to finally hit the zone. This "sweet spot" as it is known, is a lovely place to be. Mind you I have retrained myself to chew slowly, eat slowly, no liquids at meal time ( I will have the occasional room temperature drink of Water to cleanse the pallette). The band goes hand in hand with rechanging eating patterns (habits..event the bad ones) that we've developed over the years.

My band scar is keloid while the lap scars did not. My plan is..after I have the skin removal surgery, I'll see what's there to work with and probably..maybe...have it tattooed.

Mamajava you are just post-op so that soreness is to be expected. Yes..it does go away. I can suggest going easy on the liquids and make sure...make sure..make sure...that they are room temp. Cold temps can cause your system to contract (ouch) and drink sloooooow.

Hi Sherri...welcome to Lap Band Talk. Congratulations on getting banded Thursday. Remember when you had your kids? This surgery is a piece of cake compared to that. ( I've got two and my first one got "stuck"..with that big head of hers in my pelvic bones so I had a c-section after 36 hours of labor)...like I said, piece of cake. The great thing about anesthesia these days is it has progressed from how things use to be. Much safer. So think of it like you are getting a paid NAP. You'll wake up and personally, I didn't feel anything but a bit sore. I was just sleepy. Nothing a couple of days of napping didn't cure. Now for the WHY you want the surgery and are opting for it (instead of the normal being told you require surgery)... you do it so you do not get sicker from health complications of being obese. You do it so you can live longer for yourself and for your kids...dance at their wedding. I did it because I had tried everything else and topped the scales at 379. I wish you all the best on Thursday. You will wake up with a new life ahead of you and I wish for you the same feelings that I had...a new sense of HOPE for my future! Patty

To CrackedPepper: I think you "get" that so many people have said no eating past a certain time the night before surgery and yes, it is because aspiration caused by the anesthesia. * I am one of those folks who does get sick and does throw-up from it* so I always tell the anesthesiologist that I do get nauseated. There is something they can give you before surgery to help with that and liquid Anti-nausea worked like a charm for me when I got home. I am banded since April 17th and weighed in at around 360 at the time of my surgery. I did do a pre-op diet, I was very good, I did eat solids but it was healthy, grilled chicken and salads type things...low fat. The idea is to shrink the liver. *even though I did well prior to my surgery, my liver was still large and floppy..yes it shrank but the doctor said it was floppy* He got my band in and doggone it got that stitch in there too. No problems. I hope that no one is afraid to call their doctor. The first surgeon I went to locally actually made me afraid and told me if my husband did not agree with the surgery he would not do it (that should have been a sign to me) As it is, I ended up self pay with a grand doctor. Best wishes to you.

FYI to those of us in the states...Her doctor is presenting in Miami at U of M's Baker-Gordon Symposium. SEMINAR SITE HYATT REGENCY HOTEL 400 S. E. 2nd Avenue, Miami in the Ashe Auditorium Thursday, February 7, 2008Friday, February 8, 2008Saturday, February 9, 2008 Founders After having such an awesome experience leaving my home state and thinking OUTSIDE THE BOX, this journey had been so positive. I am not beyond traveling outside my area for post-band surgery to get rid of all the extra skin (stomach). Oh to feel my hip bones again. I'm really going for it now adding excercise to the drill. Thanks for sharing this!!