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

Is that what you were saying at the 1 hour and 40 minute mark, Harley?

Is that what you were saying at the 1 hour and 40 minute mark, Harley?

yeah....not so much....there were f bombs and curled toes, that's for sure....that work at the top is right on the bone.

Wow Harley, great tattoo!! I love the colors!

Congrats on the 80lbs lost as well, what an accomplishment! I must say I'm a bit envious:)... Do you mind if I ask what a typical day looks like for you food wise? How often are you exercising?

Keep up the good work!! You're an inspiration!:thumbup:

Amanda--

Wow! That IS a coincidence! Well -- it popped into my head and I started Googling on it the other day. Read everything I could find. Even went into the Medline abstracts and focused on studies for women--especially older women. I found all positives on it. Seems to be good for everything from increasing metabolism--increased bone density--increase balance--decreases hip fractures and falls---increases muscle mass---increases weight loss--even improves posture. I have searched on this board and found VERY little discussion on it. I did see posts by 1 woman who said she used it and lost only 9lbs in a few months but when she went back to do a post-vest body mass analysis with her MD -- and compared it to a pre-vest analysis her MD told her she gained 10lbs of muscle and lost 19lbs of fat. Prior to that she was at a plateau for quite a while. So I'm very hopeful this will help.

I got my vest at Walmart for $46. Although there are a lot of options out there--people seem to be saying that many of the brands can be uncomfortable. Oddly enough--the best reviewed vest is actually the Gold's Gym one at Walmarts (for the price). It takes 1lb weights up to 20lbs and even has a place for an MP3. Did your trainer recommend a particular weight? I saw on one site to start at 5% of my body weight. Some say go up to 10% or 15%. Others say 20%. Some wear them while working out. Others (including some of the medical research I have read) used it all day during regular activity. It looks like men who are building their bodies and older women who are just trying to lose weight and tone up are doing very different things with the vest. My problem is I can't find any good instructions regarding weight, duration and activity levels for it. Can you say more about what your trainer told you?

It definitely makes me hungry -- although I have been good with eating. I think I'm already seeing a difference in both strength and weight.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this. My trainer just mentioned it that one day. I brought it up again on Friday asking about how it will benefit me and how best to use it. He really did not answer my questions(thanks to you and your inquiry of what % of body weight to use) in a way that made me feel comfortable strapping 40 extra pounds on and "doing the regular routine". So Im taking a pass on using it while working out with him. I might however use it for cardio. He had two different vests; one for use while weight training and one for use running(cardio). The one for cardio had little pouches that held 1lb weights in the area of the mid stomach and back, up to 20lbs. The other had 10lb panel weights that fit into pockets at the chest, stomach and back. One thing to note is that both vests need to be fit to the wearer so they don't shift/slip around, both at the shoulder and the waist.

Sorry I (or my trainer)could not be more helpful.

Wow Harley, great tattoo!! I love the colors!

Congrats on the 80lbs lost as well, what an accomplishment! I must say I'm a bit envious:)... Do you mind if I ask what a typical day looks like for you food wise? How often are you exercising?

Keep up the good work!! You're an inspiration!:thumbup:

A typical food day....well, it's change a little since my last adjustment....I'm pretty tight in the mornings, so a lot of times I'll just have a Protein shake for Breakfast. If I'm feeling like it, I'll have a yoplait with 1/2 c. of kashi Cereal mixed in.

lunch is usually leftovers from the night before....1/2 chicken breast on some lettuce or whatever. Sometimes a lean cuisine.

dinner is usually 3 oz or so of either chicken or lean beef with veggies....sometimes I'll have half of a baked potato, but potatoes fill me up really fast.

Since my last fill, I have stopped snacking completely. I just haven't been hungry at all. I'll have a drink, either a crystal light or sometime like that...but haven't been eating at night.

Exercise....I try to get 30 good minutes of cardio four times a week and then do some resistance work or yoga in between. I'm also on my feet for eight solid hours at work....up and down stairs and working the floor....so I get a lot of movement at work.

Really, it's just started the gel for me the last three weeks....It's been magic.

Congrats Harley on the new tattoo... it is beautiful. I agree with you on the stress factor. It really seems to make a difference with the band. My 2 year old was hospitalized last week with pneumonia, and I couldn't eat anything!!! I lost 4 pounds though! yay me. She's fine now, but the whole time I was worried there wasn't anything I could eat. Even now that things are back to normal, it seems as if my band is tighter than it was a week ago. Maybe now I'm stressed out over catching up at work.:rose: Seriously... everything is pretty much back to normal, and I'm liking the restriction.

I've seen many of the postings regarding exercise and how much all of you are getting. I however don't have time to go to the gym. Any good results with exercise at home??? I was thinking about getting the Wii fit... any thoughts? I have to get that part of my journey started. I know I'll lose faster and steadier if I get off my butt.

Well one of my goals was for my boobs to be bigger than my belly and so far its not happening. I think I'll have to buy padded bras.

I was hoping for this too... My boobs were the first thing to go!!! I'm not small enough for Victoria yet... but when I am WATCH OUT!!

BTW....red letter day....I did a pre-friday hop on the scales....

I ACTUALLY WEIGH WHAT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE SAYS I DO!

How awful that they put your weight on your driver's license!! Mine says I'm 2 inches taller than I actually am... wonder if I'll ever grow into it?

i have been eating like a pig the past week and i know i gained a few pounds . I've been depressed and when i'm depressed i eat . Today it hit me as to why i've been so down . Today i am 50 years old . I knew something was off with me . I really didn't think it was going to bother me , the big five o , but i guess it was and still is . I just have to get a grip and try to remember that i'm healthier now than i have been in the last 20 years . I think i go back to bed and mourn for awhile and get over it . My family is taking me out to dinner tonight .

happy birthday cathy!!!

Happy Belated Cathy!

Congrats on the trainer Fenton, a good trainer is worth their weight in gold. Use her!

Ummm, boobs vs. midline? The girls are so totally not winning that fight right now!

Thanks for the drivers license tip! I have had 260 lbs. on my license as long as I can remember, I am actually below that now. Yay for a nsv!

Harley, the tat is HAWT! One of my rewards for when I hit goal is to get a cover-up on my shoulder piece. It is about 4 inches high and and two inches wide, and it is black! I need to research this one, but I am excited to get some new ink!

And Kathy, I would soooo rather have some 'junk in the trunk' instead of the Linebacker Neveau effect I have going on now, lol. Bottom heavy works in my world.

Quick question all. Does anyone have any experience with Acid Reflux? I have never, and I mean never, had heartburn in my entire life. But after my last fill, I have Acid Reflux with almost every meal. I ate 3/4 of a pack of oatmeal this morning, and it gave me heartburn. Reflux with oatmeal is so not cool. I know that heartburn can be a sign of an overfill, but I have no other symptoms. I can eat a regular amount (3-5 ounces) and I stay full for at least 4 hours at a time. No pb's or sliming. Any advice? I called my surgeons Nurse today to find out what I should do, but I am hoping that you guys might have some pre-emptive advice. Thanks!!!!

That does sound like you're a little tight. I'd treat that symptomatically - antacids, whatever. See how you settle into it.

I've developed a new behaviour which kind of worries me. I have, I think, 3.5 cc in a 14 cc band. If I eat quickly, food gets a bit stuck, but it doesn't really get completely jammed. Still, if I have a stuck feeling, I just go to the bathroom and have a PB.

The thing is, I'm wondering if I'm now using it as a weight loss technique. Instead of chewing better, I'm happily getting rid of half of what I just had...

My overall intake is still fine, and I'm taking about maybe five times a week, but, still. It's a little fake bulimic, I think. (Although the notion of me as a bulimic is kind of hilarious.)

IN other news: I was in the gym at 6AM this morning. I'm beginning to wonder just who the hell I am!

Fenton - gym at 6am... WTG. I know I could go at that time before work , but opt for after work. the gym is on my way home..one reason that I joined there. I am looking forward to the time change so I can go walking after work. I miss being outside and the dog enjoys the walk too.

Trouble with stress and excess tightness in the band.. very sensitive in the area around the port, too. lots of ?? for my surgeon at Tuesday's appt.

Ach, I'm kind of cheating - I'm in Colorado at the moment, two hours out of whack with my body clock, so I woke at 4:30AM and gave up on trying to get back to sleep.

Victoria Secret, the best thing to put them back where they belong. Amazing!!!!

WTG Fenton

could never fit these girls in anything victoria secret...a push up bra would probably suffocate me....hanging loose and hoping for some surgical intervention when I'm done...whenever that is!!!