Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

Rhonda , you did look beautiful ,healthier and younger also !

Nurse Niki and BNL -- Looks like we are all lining up in a row...

BNL 9.5 in 14 cc band

SK 8.5 in 14 cc band

NN 7.5 in 14 cc band

Yes, I'm also finding the quantity I eat is getting more restricted than I ever imagined but I do still get hungry after maybe 4 hours when I eat a tiny lunch like we're talking about. I had maybe 1/2-1 cup of vegetables and small pieces of chicken for lunch (chicken stir fry) and that kept me going for 4+ hours. I knew I just was too hungry to go to my Water aerobics class for an hour where she really kicks our butt the whole hour so I went and got a small dinner before class! I'm tracking carefully online and found I had eaten about 1100 calories total and according to my food/exercise tracker, an hour of water aerobics counts for -400 calories or so, so that puts me at a net of 600 calories for the day.

Last night I was really hungry for dinner and scrambled 3 eggs and found I could barely finish 2. I'm going to have to learn to fix less and then if I'm still hungry, fix one more. I did the same with fixing 3 small turkey sausage links (3" long each and the size of an index finger around) and found I could only eat 2.

I'm with you that when I go Sept 2 for my next dr. appt I'm probably not going to need a fill if this level of restriction hangs in.

Hope that sharing food portion things at a certain level of fill helps others compare.

Edited August 6, 200818 yr by SpecialK

Great that some of us are getting restriction. I am 7cc in a 9cc band.

I feel pretty good restriction most of the time......I asked my doctor NOT to tell me anymore how much is in my band. I think it's a psychological thing for me, I kept thinking it couldn't work because it didn't have enough in it.......I over think things......so now I'm just going on feeling instead of how much. It's working for me!

Been having a lot of knee problems lately.......how weird is that? Lose some weight and my knee STARTS hurting. I'm going for some physical therapy starting next week, hopefully, that will help.

same for me Har;ey, in fact tomorrow I go for an MRI on my knee. It buckled on me a few times when I am walking and then the discomfort and pain follows for a few days. Dr. told me to continue my Water aerobics and walking, but not to push myself too much, until we know what the issue may or may not be.

I complained. Here I lose weight and try to get into some sort of shape and I feel like I am falling apart!!

But, the weight is still coming off, slower than the first 4 months, but still going down!

possible fill on Friday

Sending you good knee vibes!!

It's miserable, that's for sure!

Getting older is NOT for sissies!

I have had intermittent knee problems most of my life. So I thought it would be my knees that would give me the most trouble training for the Tri. Nope, it was my back. I can't believe how tight it is when I get up in the morning. I spend 15 minutes just warming up and stretching. Then 5min in a hot shower.

Fingers & toes crossed the knees are staying strong. I think it is because of the cross training- swimming to biking. Not a lot of weight baring.

had my MRI this morning....now back to the DR.

I will go to water serobics tonight and hopefully not aggravate the situation. :thumbup:

Still feeling great otherwise, go to see about fill #3 tomorrow and about this new hernia that has cropped up. UGH. I want to feel 100%, not have new ailments show up!!

Sorry to hear about the knee problems - my own are markedly improved, I have to say.

Amanda, you should try doing Rodney Yee's AM Yoga routine from Gaiam's AM/PM YOGA DVD. It's a 20 minute routine that starts with relaxation exercises and goes through a sequence of gentle stretches. I always feel so much better when I do it.

Congrats on all the restriction and progress, you impressive losers!

I myself have not been doing well.

I'm still fill-less, but have lost a lot of my momentum, and am kind of churning around. Since - actually, before - my vacation, I haven't been able to get traction on myself, and am slipping into bad eating habits. Indulging, then justifying continuing to indulge because, well, I've already slipped, and can start again tomorrow, fresh.

Part of the problem is that life has been v. stressful - I'm trying to work on my next book, but have had a spate of obligations and disasters. I've been feeling not in control of my own time and life, which makes it easier to slip and fall.

Another major problem, I think, has been lack of sleep. It's part and parcel of the whole busy busy stress stress thing, but also I'll come home exhausted and then stay up till 2 AM on the internet when I have to be up at 7AM.

Last night, though, I finally got almost 7 hours, and today have been an Unstoppable Force. I'm going to try to get back into the groove. And I'm going to schedule a fill for when I get back from Paris next month.

I'll weigh in tomorrow, see where I am.

Amanda, you should try doing Rodney Yee's AM Yoga routine from Gaiam's AM/PM YOGA DVD. It's a 20 minute routine that starts with relaxation exercises and goes through a sequence of gentle stretches. I always feel so much better when I do it.

I mentioned the yoga to my trainer. He said Palaties would be better. How so I don't know.

Glad to see you surface again.

I myself have not been doing well. NEVER WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR.

I'm ... slipping into bad eating habits. Indulging, then justifying continuing to indulge because, well, I've already slipped, and can start again tomorrow, fresh. REALLY NOT GOOD

Part of the problem is that life has been v. stressful - I'm trying to work on my next book, but have had a spate of obligations and disasters.?? I've been feeling not in control of my own time and life, which makes it easier to slip and fall. NOT GOOD

Another major problem, I think, has been lack of sleep. It's part and parcel of the whole busy busy stress stress thing, but also I'll come home exhausted and then stay up till 2 AM on the internet when I have to be up at 7AM. BAD

Last night, though, I finally got almost 7 hours, and today have been an Unstoppable Force. GOOD I'm going to (try to) get back into the groove. VERY GOOD And I'm going to schedule a fill for when I get back from Paris next month.PARIS-HOW IS THE APARTMENT COMING ALONG?

I'll weigh in tomorrow, see where I am.

Is there anything we can do to help with your situation? Inspirational quotes? Daily love notes? Kick your *ss? Kick someones else's *ss?

We are here for you.

Don't give up now fenton you have come too far. You were doing so good and you can get back into it. I think a fill would be a good idea then the band will make you behave.

Ha, Scrappy - that's the idea! To have the band to make me behave... So, yes, that will happen.

And thanks for the offer of @$$ kicking, Amanda; I think it'll be fine, but July was a bit of a right-off month for me. I'll find out tomorrow if I've spiralled upwards again. I hope not.

Either way, I shall post the gory truth here!

Is there anything we can do to help with your situation? Inspirational quotes? Daily love notes? Kick your *ss? Kick someones else's *ss?

We are here for you.

Yes, Fenton, we are all here for any kind of support ot ass kicking you may want or need. I can't believe you have gone this far without a fill, time to get to the DR and get one.

and going to Paris, I am envious