I'll be banded July 10 by Dr. Ortiz - who else is getting banded in July?

:dance:

Thanks Beth,

You are the best. I will try that. I so want this fill to work as they are sooooo expensive. I know you shouldn't keep a fill just because of money but when your not rich and your insurance company won't pay a penny for anything associated with your band, well you know what I mean. I will try that today. I can get down some stuff. I can probably do the ground beef especially with maybe ketchup squirted on it. I sure want to give this a try before a unfill. I will also go today and try that isopure and order me some more unjury. I still have a strawberry and chocolate unjury but don't know how to use it. I sprinkled the unflavored on any food but I don't think the flavored ones would be good like that, lol.

Hope your having a great week, and thanks for always being so helpful.

Please let me know how it goes. I know what you mean about getting an unfill. I have insurance but I really didn't want to go backwards at this point. All I want is to lose weight and it hasn't been happening in awhile. I hope with this extra protein that I can lose some weight again.

Well hey everyone!! I am getting ready to go on a cruise with 15 other ladies. We are leaving either tomorrow night or Thursday morning, depending on this crazy Texas weather. Supposed to be getting rain, cold front, and it may be icey. We are all pumped to go. My weight hasn't moved much, but I'm okay with that for now. I know that it will come off slowly and will just keep on keeping on!!

With the holiday season now upon us, we'll all be tempted to eat those goodies. Let's help each other with encouragement and ideas to be "samplers" once in awhile and not "indulgers" every day!! I like sweets so this is a challenge for me.

Take care and BON VOYAGE!!!

Hey everybody!! It's be longer than I thought since I've been on. I had another fill a couple of weeks ago, and I'm a little tighter than I should be, but not enough to go back for an unfil... especially since I've lost 6 lbs after being stuck for 2 months.

I was wondering... what protein shakes does everybody use? I've been looking for in the morning when I'm really tight, and I can't make up my mind on what to use, since most of them are for weight lifters.

I've been really tight in the mornings, semi-tight at lunch and almost loose at night... I'm giving it some time to hopefully straighten out.

Anybody have some good tips for getting the weight to come off the stomach? I've lost 81 lbs, but really haven't been able to go down jeans sizes because it refuses to come off my hips LOL :cry

Hi Brandy! Nice to see you here!

I am a Slim Fast Chocolate Royale lover...I use the powder, 1% milk, chocolate Whey protein powder and ice and zap it in my Magic Bullet blender (as seen on TV!) and it's so yummy! Have at least one, sometimes two a day.

I, too, have lost more other places than my stomach. It's gone down a lot, but prevents me from being in the proper size to fit my rear correctly LOL! I'm just enjoying the baggy pants stage!!

You're doing awesome, girl! I'm down almost 80 and boy, doesn't it feel good? Keep up the great work!

Just thought I'd post a picture of me today...down 76lbs...

This is me with my parents and my sister on my dad's retirement day...February 17, 2006...

In April when I saw the surgeon I was 341...so I'm thinking I was around there when this was taken...OMG!!!

I am so thankful for my band!

oh my god! stephanie. you are doing so well. i can see a huge difference. You've lost so much weight. congratulations on that.

I was so in aw of you pics i almost forgot why i logged on today.

MY PROBLEM.

okay so in my last poast i was talking about how i was all afraid of having my third fill and so on. Well, i'm not sure anymore.

I don't think i'm over filled because i'm barely filled at all. I might just be overeating. or it could be that the other day my small dog jumped on my stomach in just the right spot. right between the "girls" right where my top scar is. I think that is right where my band is. I don't know but that's what i've decided.

so right now i feel very uncomfortable. i haven't quite felt right since the dog jumped on me but it wasn't like this.

Today at work they took us out for lunch to a seafood place called Pappadeaux. i'm trying to decide if i over ate or if the food just "doesn't agree with me".

my doctor told me that some foods just don't agree with people. He said he couldn't possible explain to me how that would feel because he doesn't know. but some patients just say "it didn't agree with me".

I ate salmon for the first time. it was good. i had no problem eating it.

i also had one or two bites of the appetizers. Calamari, coconut shrimp, and fried alligator (taste like chicken). i didn't eat even half of the salmon. it came with some dirty rice. which i only ate a little of. i felt fine the whole time.

I do have to admit i did drink a little while having lunch. Okay i admit i drank alot. I guess it was just because of the atmosphere and the company i was with i just decided to drink and eat like i used to because i thought it would just be more enjoyable that way.

so back to what i was saying....

now i just feel blah. i can't quite tell if i'm in pain. i don't think so. i think it is just a really uncomfortable feeling. i haven't eaten since lunch and i don't think i will. i can still drink with no problem at all.

i thought my dog maybe did something to the band when she jumped on me but i don't know how reasonable that is.

i've never pb'd. i've never thrown up.

this is probably the biggest meal i've tried to eaten since my last fill.

so any advice or stories relating to mine would be greatly appreciated.

i don't know if i should see my doctor or at what point i should.

I JUST DON'T KNOW.

i've kinda decided to wait till morning and see how i feel. If i feel fine i probably wont eat much all day because i'll be afraid of feeling like this again.

for anyone who actually read thru all that. i feel like i have to say thank you. hehehe. so thanks.

OH MY GOSH Stefanie!!! Im sure you are hearing this all the time but you are SHRINKING!! lol yayyyy for you! Good going. You look gorgeous. Even your hands and forearms look so pretty. Have you had to have your rings sized yet?? Congratulations!! Thank you for posting pictures, its so inspirational to see them.

Hi Kari - No I haven't had my rings re-sized yet, but they spin like crazy when I'm cold or at a good body temp. I sometimes have to put both rings on one hand...I'm going to wait a bit more before I take them it because it weakens them every time you do something like that...

I have VERY supportive co-workers who are commenting on my shrinking all the time...it's very encouraging to hear that on a regular basis

Jessica - I don't think your dog jumping on you could have done something to your band...it's in there pretty deep. You more than likely just had something go down a bit wrong and you'll feel better tomorrow. If you're not used to eating that much at one time, that may be part of it, too. Let us know how you're feeling tomorrow

OMG Steph,

You look fabulous. I can so tell how much weight you've lost. I'm jealous. You go girl and keep up the good work. You can't believe the difference. You really motivate me.

Stephanie....I posted a few days ago with a question and I guess you missed it. How do you eat so little??? Are you taking something to kill your appetite??? You had posted what you eat and I was amazed you (even with the ole band) could eat so little and not go crazy with hunger. Thanks for responding....keep up the good work.

Ruthie

Hi Ruthie - For starters, I eat to the point of satisfied, not to the point of fullness...I have a shake for breakfast...if I'm hungry around 10:30 or so I have a couple pieces of string cheese, or a couple of crackers...just enough to take the growlies away. Then I have lunch at 12:30. I have the cottage cheese and peaches or soup or something like that...again, it's enough to take the hunger away. Then my family doesn't eat dinner until 6:30ish. If I make dinner, I have the protien I make and a veggie. If I'm home alone that night and DH and DS are doing something, I have a shake again...or if I run errands after work I'll have a Slim Fast Meal Bar.

My band is at 8cc's. It holds 10cc's. I have it filled aggressively because I choose to. I could eat more if it had less in it. I just really try to pay attention to when I'm actually hungry vs when the clock says it's a mealtime.

I don't drink as much water as I should be - it sits on my desk at work all day, but I get so busy I forget to pick it up...and as far as exercise, I have really bad knees, so I have a recumbant stationery bike that I should be riding, but I don't. I walk around the school I work at. So I suppose it would be coming off even more if I would get better at these two things.

I hope that answers your questions

:update:

I feel alot better now. I hate to admit it but....

I ATE TOO MUCH. :doh:

i know. bad bad bad bad me. i know i know.

i've learned my lesson. I barely ate anything today.

and i don't feel hungry at all. I'm just not going to eat

again. EVER!

Okay. I"m lying about never eating again. :hungry: But i sure am not eating

until i am hungry and i'm certainly not going to eat till i'm full.

I think i had that one lesson i needed to learn.