I just found out my surgery will be in July (granted my pre-op testing goes okay) SOOOOOOOOO

Here's a thread for everyone getting banded in July 07!

Does anyone have any good ideas for a neat name we could call ourselves?

Janet - fish, rice and veggies...........I don't like fish,. don't like rice and can handle some veggies. I'm fixing dh fish tonight and he is eating by himself. I am finding that since my last fill, a lean cuisine fills me up nicely.

Has anyone seen that commercial on TV for Pure Weight Loss Clinics? (I think it used to be LA weight loss) Anyway, the one where a girl is standing with an orange bikini and says that she has lost 61 pounds and has gone from a size 22 to a size 4. Okay now, can anyone tell me how she did that??????????????? I am right around the 60 pound mark..........I started out wearing a size 22.......and I am still wearing a size 22. So...................

I HAVE TO GO START DINNER NOW. HUBBY SHOULD BE HOME AS SOON AS HE FINISHES VOTING. DON'T EAT TOO MUCH. WE LIKE TO SEE THAT SCALE MOVING DOWN.

kARI

BANDED 7-16-07

dR. Ortiz

lost 60 lbs

almost halfway to goal.

Kari - I don't know about all those commercials - i have lost 60 lbs - and I am now where near a size 4 - I was a 18/22 I am now a solid 14 and sometimes 12 .... I haven't had a lean cuisine since I was banded - I use to eat them for lunch alot - but now just have left overs 98% and I want real food - not processed food - that's why I never lasted too long on Jenny Craig and never tried Nutrisystem...

I bet you 100 bucks that your clothes do have to be fitting differently with a 60 pound weight loss... Let us talk to you daughter:tongue:

1) I am just really nosey now... what is everybodies Marital status...???

2) Does everyone live alone and cook for one??

3) Who prepares family meals and who eats what they cook their family?

4) Or... do you prepare special meals just for your bandster self?

1) Married, 43+ years, four grown kids, ten grandkids plus two step grandkids and several step-GREAT grandkids!! Oh, my! I'm not old enough for great grandkids, am I???

2) We're cooking for two.

3) DH prepares most of the meals except when he is pouting about some stupid thing... which is the case tonight, so I'm on my own. He ate without me .........while I was at the mall without him! I do recognize an opportunity when I see one!! LOL Shopping... BY MYSELF!! YES!! And I CAN take care of myself.

4) No special meals.... we usually eat the same thing... when we eat together, that is! Hee Hee!

.

There's going to be a bandster bash in Seattle next month. The website is:

/

Here's a letter from the coordinator:

Letter from our Coordinator

My name is Joanne Godmintz and I've been the Coordinator of the Seattle Splash Bandster Bash and Conference for the last six years. (This year's is set for February 15th-17th at the Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel ).

Over ten years ago this event started out as a party celebrating Lap Band weight-loss surgery in someone's home in Seattle. It's hard to believe it's been that long.

This initial group were really the pioneers of U.S. banding. The largest group of Bandsters come from the Pacific Northwest because this is where the FDA trials occurred. These patients were sent to Dr. Rumbaut in Mexico who was the surgeon for the FDA trials. This first group (I was not one of them) are why many of us are here today. The The Lap Band was new, not only to doctors but also to patients. These original patients had to create a game plan with dietary rules, working by trial and error to determine what worked best for the banding weight loss.

This first group helped start the Yahoo Bandster groups, networked, and gathered from all over the country here once a year to network and celebrate.

The event outgrew a house six years ago, and became a larger conference to celebrate banding and to share information from doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, endocrinologists, dieticians, diabetic educators, fellow and prospective Bandsters and many others to help make our weight loss surgery successful.

It looks like there are many new faces this year, so let me tell you what typically occurs at the Bash.

It opens Friday, February 15th with registration between 4-6 PM. Each registrant is provided name tags, agendas and session maps, and that first night we have a no-host dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Last year, we had over 250 people registered for the Splash and 70 signed up for the no-host dinner. Then more than 125 people showed up and overwhelmed the restaurant. So please, if you're coming to the no-host dinner, sign up on the

Seattle Splash Yahoo group, then add yourself to the Friday Night Dinner Setup database. Friday's dinner is always a blast because, besides sitting beside speakers and vendors, you are meeting new and old friends.

At 7:30 P.M. Friday night, after a free hor d'oeurve party, we have a surgeons' panel for questions and answers. Often informative and occasionally very funny, it's a place for everyone to let their hair down and ask those questions you always wanted answered.

After the panel, join others at the hotel's tropical pool for hot-tubing and maybe a splash in the warm pool (bring your suit!)

Saturday 7:30 A.M., hopefully you got enough sleep because this a jam-packed day of dozens of speaker sessions, vendors tables, a catered lunch and banquet dinner, fashion show with before and after clothes, raffle, auction, a Before and After Banding slide show (a real tear jerker) and entertainment and dancing. It's all included in your registration fee.

Sunday morning's agenda is still in the works, but Bandster discussion groups, Plastic Surgeon Presentations and maybe some fun exercise sessions are planned.

Many hours of planning and preparation have gone into the Splash This is an entirely volunteer-run, non-profit event.

Now your job is to get registered and join us.

Joanne Godmintz

Phyl

What did Earl want to go shopping with you

So What did you fix yourself for dinner??

That bash sounds really like a fun time - jammed packed with stuff to do - vendors - great way to get to try sample protein products..

Well went to the gym was tired only going to do 2 miles - but ended up doing 3.5 - Power starts with you...

Well tonite is Idol - oh look we have some of our smilies back:clap2:

Peaches I was feeling the golfball/soccerball feeling in my chest. I can't even imagine eating anything with bread right now! And I have to agree with Janet, I was shaking my finger at you! I am still struggling to get to 1000 calories. I think I was just below 800 tonight. I still am going to have to go in on Monday of next week and get a bit taken out of this fill. It is okay now, but I am tired of my meals taking an hour to eat. I did go to work today and it is a good thing that my prep period goes into my lunch cause otherwise I wouldn't have time to eat. It just isn't worth it. On a good note though my weight did go down now that I am back on real foods. I really don't have much tolerance for sugar so when I am on protein shakes the overabundance of carbs prohibits me from losing any weight. As soon as I go off and stop drinking sugars the weight starts coming off. Gosh darn NBC. Tonight is American Gladiators and tomorrow is biggest loser. This kills my bedtime! And no I don't have TIVO. In fact we don't even have cable, just an antenna on top of our TV!! Well I am off to bed as soon as this is over.

Have you tried the low carb slim fast shakes? They only have 6 carbs and 4 of them are fiber, but 20 grams of protein. Great! I stick them in the freezer and get them cold and serve them in a frozen glass with a straw. Yum! One for breakfast everyday, only 190 calories and replaces a meal completely.

Have you tried the low carb slim fast shakes? They only have 6 carbs and 4 of them are fiber, but 20 grams of protein. Great! I stick them in the freezer and get them cold and serve them in a frozen glass with a straw. Yum! One for breakfast everyday, only 190 calories and replaces a meal completely.

I haven't tried or even seen those. I was doing the optima ones. Hopefully I won't have to be back on liquids for a while. Well I will after I have some of the fill removed on Monday, but after that I would like to be liquid free for a while! Thanks for the suggestion.

Hey Guys :mad:

Sounds like everyone is doing great!!

Dini-YOU LOOK HOT!!!!!

Well, I went for a fill yesterday. Doc says I am doing "perfect" with my weight loss but I feel like it is so slow. He says 1.5 lbs a week is just where I need to be. It just kinda frustrates me. I guess I am still in the "diet" mode. Where you get used to loosing 3-5 lbs a week when you go on a diet, even though it doesn't last long enough to count :silly:

But he did put 0.6cc in my band as opposed to the 0.2cc last time. I believe this is the most he has put in at one time and OMG am I tight... I haven't been able to eat more than a couple bites here and there since. I did get a protein drink down tonight. OK, so I shouldn't complain, I asked for it. I told him I felt like I could eat a whole house, so I guess he just accomodated me... Maybe this won't be all bad. I can imagine a few lbs coming off this week alone.

Hey, I am reading this cool book that has the most interesting concepts. It talked a little about being overweight and why diets dont work. It is a book that can change the way you see and think about things. And the idea for weight loss was very interesting. It said that the reason most diets don't work is that when we diet our thought processes are concentrated on losing weight instead of on the "final product" (pardon the terminology) It says that instead of concentrating so much on "omg, how much weight did I loose this week", we should concentrate on our IBW. If you have a picure of yourself at your IBW, then put copies of it up everywhere to keep it in the front of your mind or if you dont have a pic of yourself, find a pic of someone who weighs what you want to weigh and do the same. You should constantly think about weighing your IBW. That, along with the positive thinking concepts, was very interesting indeed.

Now for the posed questions at hand:

1) I am just really nosey now... what is everybodies Marital status...???

Married. Just DH and I

2) Does everyone live alone and cook for one??

No on living alone, but yes on cooking for one at times

3) Who prepares family meals and who eats what they cook their family?

Sometimes I cook, sometimes DH cooks (he's a great cook) but at times he fixes what he wants and I fix what I want.

4) Or... do you prepare special meals just for your bandster self?

See above

Happy bandstering :happy:

I haven't tried or even seen those. I was doing the optima ones. Hopefully I won't have to be back on liquids for a while. Well I will after I have some of the fill removed on Monday, but after that I would like to be liquid free for a while! Thanks for the suggestion.

Well, you can get them at Sam's in a case of 15 for a good price, while at the grocery store, they come in packs of 4 and cost quite a bit. It says low carb in blue on it. They are really great! And I never liked any of those types of products before.

I've been on a roll, lost another 1/2 pound this morning. So, 152.5 pounds....I'm so close to the 140's I can smell it.....and I'm moving into a new pair of jeans (well they were new fifteen years ago...and still look brand new) )

Janet - Yes, I have to admit...........my clothes are looser. In fact, my tops could maybe be a size smaller, but they would be snug. Now they are just baggy. And my belly is all prunish when I suck it in. LOL. Daughter thought it was hilarious. I also have to admit that size 22 is mostly dresses. My shirts are mostly 2X. Baggy 2X.

Katrina--What's the name of your book?

Kirajh--Next time you go shopping just try on some things in a smaller size. You might be plesantly surprised!

Brandy--I'm glad you found a protein shake that you like. I've invested a small fortune in them and have yet to find even approaching a McDonald's milkshake!

Dini--good to see you posting again. I have to agree with everyone else--you are one beautiful woman!

Phyl--I sure admire your attitude.

Brandy--Great job! Isn't it wonderful to put on thoes old (new) jeans? It's like going back in time--being young again. I bet you even look younger these days.

Well, off to work for me. Then I have to baby sit for a 16-month old. Then I have to visit a woman in jail that I am mentoring. Then I should work on my spanish. Oh, yes, and straighten up the house. . .

Brandy - I also use the Low Carb Slimfast. I eat the vanilla with my Raisin Bran Cereal instead of milk. I haven't seen them at Sam's, I'll look harder.

Salsa - The Low Carb has the lowest carb count and the highest protien count of all the Slim Fast. I only like the van.

It's 5 something for a 4 pack.

Janet - Yes, I have to admit...........my clothes are looser. In fact, my tops could maybe be a size smaller, but they would be snug. Now they are just baggy. And my belly is all prunish when I suck it in. LOL. Daughter thought it was hilarious. I also have to admit that size 22 is mostly dresses. My shirts are mostly 2X. Baggy 2X.

Kari

You sound like me - you really aren't into form fitting clothing. I think this goes to the whole - not comfortable with your body image. I still long for my elastic waist pants and baggy tops - you know that comfort factor - well I told a gf a long time ago - "don't wear baggy clothes - cuz then it's to easy not to notice weight gain" she reminds me of this every now and then.. I feel like an imposter today... Don't ask me why while I was getting ready for work this morning - I am feeling like i weight 250 still. Hormones I guess. who the heck knows.. maybe it's cuz I do have on elastic waist pants -

Brandy- congrats on 150's ...

Linda - you will get your exercise watching a 16 month old...

Blue- 1.5 a week is great girl - be happy... and yes take the diet out of your vocaublary.

Phyl

What did Earl want to go shopping with you

So What did you fix yourself for dinner??

Hi,

I heated up some leftover ham and frozen mixed veggies.

I didn't give him a choice about going shopping with me. He left on his bike, didn't take his cell phone, didn't say where he was going. So when he wasn't back in an hour and a half, I loaded my scooter on the back of the car and took off for the mall. When I came back 2 1/2 hours later, he was washing dishes... was all finished eating (4:45pm). Whatever! Then he wanted to call a truce, but I was too mad. Guess we'll have a new start this morning! It's our TOPS day, then out to breakfast and then go to Wal-Mart probably, so I guess I'll have to talk to him! :eek::tt1::tt1: The joys of living in an RV.... no personal space!!

The joys of living in an RV.... no personal space!!

Ya I can imagine that living in a RV would be a little difficult at times.

Too much togetherness isn't always a good thing...

Did you buy anything at the mall??