Hi April 8th Avengers!

If you have a two week pro-op diet to start, today is the day!

I was not totally prepared for it and it caught me off guard. First day hasn't been to bad so far. I need to go shopping. Yesterday was my education class, it lasted three hours and was very informative. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown and the 8th is almost here. Lets keep in touch so we can support each other.

How are the April 8th people doing? I no longer need my blood pressure medicine. My blood pressure is now what it used to be on the medication. I feel great!

Hi Carol, I've been doing good, All healed up!! The scales dont seem to be moving much, and I'm doing everything I should so not sure what that means, I'm going to start exercising more maybe that will give it a boost, and I can't wait til my first fill on June 2nd, i couldn't get in any sooner....I want to get this show on the road......Looks like you are doing great over 40 lbs now,WOW tell me your secret.......Cindy

Hi Carol, I've been doing good, All healed up!! The scales dont seem to be moving much, and I'm doing everything I should so not sure what that means, I'm going to start exercising more maybe that will give it a boost, and I can't wait til my first fill on June 2nd, i couldn't get in any sooner....I want to get this show on the road......Looks like you are doing great over 40 lbs now,WOW tell me your secret.......Cindy

Hi Cindy, I'm on 1 1/2 - 2 oz. soft Protein now. I'm still not hungry, which really helps. I lost 41 pounds pre-surgery. (14.5 pounds on the 2 week

pre-op) I weigh myself on Tuesday mornings. So I have a new weigh in tomorrow and I don't think this week is going well. The morning of surgery I weighed 245....4/15..I weighed 241....on 4/22..I weighed..237.4...will let you know what I weigh tomorrow....:wink2:......I feel good and am glad that I do not have an appetite.

I get my first fill on 5/9. I try to get in a 30 minute walk at least 5 days a week. Don't stress over the scale...you could be losing inches. Did you get the Realize band? If yes, do you go to the website and enter your data? I try to enter it once a week.

My clothing size has changed a lot. I have gone from a womans 24 down to a womans 18. My head is still reeling from that transformation...I was so excited when I found out they fit! This week I'm taking a few tops to my aunt's house to take them in. She has a sewing machine I can use. I thought I'd be able to get to fall before buying a new wardrobe, but I don't think that is going to happen. :tt2:

Keep doing what your doctor recommends and the pounds will start to drop. Keep in touch.:tt2:

banded on the 8th with you guys. bmi was 39 so I expected to lose slower than everone mostly because I'm a very slow loser. (don't think I have a metabolism!) anyway I lost a steady 2-3 pounds pre-op untill last week when the hunger lion kicked in. I tried to stay around 1000 cal a day without much success. get my fill in 10 long days. I'm a little worried because everything goes down at this point and I'm never full. I'm reading that this is normal. but it's still kinda scary. The doc put us on the"diet" but didn't tell us it might be a challange. can someone out there tell me this is normal and it will all get eaiser after the fill? fills?!?

Hi Cindy, I'm on 1 1/2 - 2 oz. soft Protein now. I'm still not hungry, which really helps. I lost 41 pounds pre-surgery. (14.5 pounds on the 2 week

pre-op) I weigh myself on Tuesday mornings. So I have a new weigh in tomorrow and I don't think this week is going well. The morning of surgery I weighed 245....4/15..I weighed 241....on 4/22..I weighed..237.4...will let you know what I weigh tomorrow....:coolgleamA:......I feel good and am glad that I do not have an appetite.

Okay...I weighed in this morning and it was....236.6. I was right , I didn't do as well this week. So now I'm down 49.4 pounds...gone forever...I will not let them come back. So that is 8.4 pounds off in three weeks. Better than none! How is it going with the rest of you?

Hi April 8ers!. Carol from OH here. Can hardly believe it'll be 4 weeks Tuesday. The exercise has been sporadic...DH and I have been working a lot lately. Not a very good excuse...it just seems like if I don't exercise first thing it doesn't happen. Had my first PB today. Got home from grocery store and husband and neighbor were on the deck eating pizza and hot wings!!! Yikes. They were starving and our power had been out for several hours. Second time this week....squirrels keep getting fried near transformers and the power goes. Anyway ate just the cheese off the top of one small piece of pizza....first time i had tried that. Ate slowly and chewed. Oh boy, up it came. I then had a small salad, yes salad for dinner. And, BTW my IBS has disappeared, so off that medication. Wish I could get off some of the BP meds. I think I've lost around 24 lbs....so down to around 232. Glad everyone is doing well.

Hi Carol from OH, glad to see your post. I haven't pb'd yet, but I have slimed. That isn't a good feeling either. I can't eat vegetables til the end of this month. I'm dying for a salad. It won't be long and you'll be off your bp meds. Getting off the IBS meds is a start. I'm off bp meds and my pcp lowed the dosage for my thyroid meds. All of these changes make me know I have done the right thing. I really do feel so much better. I weighed in this morning..down to 235. I haven't seen this weight in years. I've also gone from a size 24 to a size 18. I can't wait to go to WV and see my grandsons. I don't want to change too much and then Ian won't know who I am........that shouldn't happen because I've sent new pictures via email. Hope things continue to get better for you! Have a great day!

You know Carol....I'm not sure it was a PB or a slime....but more than saliva came up. TMI, TMI. Anyway, the whole thing shocked me...cause I have eaten cheese. Actually, sometimes for "dinner" I'll slice off 5 or 6 tiny little slices of cheddar on six whole wheat thins. So, I didn't think the cheese would hurt. Maybe I got too much of the sauce...I don't know. I haven't been brave enough to try on some of my smaller jeans....I just know that the current ones are getting really baggy. A Goodwill store JUST opened in Athens so that will be great. I bought the nicest jeans I've ever had from a GW store in Columbus. Avenue brand I think for $3. Anyway, if I lose another 5 lbs. or so I'll try those on. Sounds like you're doing great. I wonder how Cindy and Cora are doing. Talk to you later.

You know Carol....I'm not sure it was a PB or a slime....but more than saliva came up. TMI, TMI. Anyway, the whole thing shocked me...cause I have eaten cheese. Actually, sometimes for "dinner" I'll slice off 5 or 6 tiny little slices of cheddar on six whole wheat thins. So, I didn't think the cheese would hurt. Maybe I got too much of the sauce...I don't know. I haven't been brave enough to try on some of my smaller jeans....I just know that the current ones are getting really baggy. A Goodwill store JUST opened in Athens so that will be great. I bought the nicest jeans I've ever had from a GW store in Columbus. Avenue brand I think for $3. Anyway, if I lose another 5 lbs. or so I'll try those on. Sounds like you're doing great. I wonder how Cindy and Cora are doing. Talk to you later.

Carol it sounds like a pb. I've gagged on hot mozzerella cheese from a pizza before I was banded. You were brave to try it. I'm good with cheddar and muenster. I've had sauce with ricotta cheese and didn't have a problem.

Next weekend I want to try the resale shop in a nearby town. My husbands boss bought Nike sweatpants there for a dollar. He said they still had tags on them. Our sizes are changing too quickly to not shop at resale or GW.

Maybe Cindy and Cora will post soon.

Have a great week and don't work too hard!

Hello everyone sorry I've been really busy, working & kids and stuff.....I'm doing really good I am down 20 lbs,(I wish it was more) but I am feeling so much better already and already am fitting into jeans a size smaller.....I will be getting my first fill on June 2nd, I made that appt over 2 months ago and that was the soonest, I will be 8 weeks out and I feel like I am ready for it now!! Anyway gotto go lots of prom nails and hair this week BUSY BUSY....Cindy

Hello all! I am doing pretty good, but not having success with my scale going in the right direction. As a matter of fact since I started eating real food, I have gone backwards 4 pounds. I am ready for a fill. I am so scared I will keep going backwards and I have another 3 1/2 weeks before fill time...AHHHH! Oh, well I still am excited for a 16 pound weight loss in the 3 weeks. I wouldn't trade this adventure for the world.

Keep up the good work gang! We'll get there together!

Hi 4-8-08 bandsters!

It is now 8 weeks since we had surgery. How are you all doing? The day of surgery I weighed 245. This morning I weighed 229. I've lost 16 pounds. I have been losing the same 2 pounds for the last 2 or 3 weeks. I'm still glad that I have had this surgery even if I'm stalled.

I'm still down 56 pounds total. I've also started to go to th gym 3 times a week. I must remember that muscle weighs more than fat. My next fill will be on 6-27. I feel so much better than I have in years.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Just had my first fill! It wasn't bad at all. I will weigh tomorrow and see if it has had any effect. The problem with me is that I base my happiness on the number in the scale...Big Mistake!

Good luck to all as we move into the third month.

Hi April 8ers!! Down 37# to 219. My father was very ill and passed away May 16th. Had great difficulty eating (stress, emotions, etc.), father was in intensive care 11 days. Anyway, went for fill May 7, didn't need fill, already restricted. Kept getting worse and worse til I was not even keeping down water. Was admitted to hospital 2 days last Wed and Thursday, on Reglan and steroids for swelling. Am to see dr. again Friday, June 13th. Other than that am fine, am on mushies for 10 more days. Glad to hear from you guys. You're doing GREAT.

Hi April 8ers!! Down 37# to 219. My father was very ill and passed away May 16th. Had great difficulty eating (stress, emotions, etc.), father was in intensive care 11 days. Anyway, went for fill May 7, didn't need fill, already restricted. Kept getting worse and worse til I was not even keeping down Water. Was admitted to hospital 2 days last Wed and Thursday, on Reglan and steroids for swelling. Am to see dr. again Friday, June 13th. Other than that am fine, am on mushies for 10 more days. Glad to hear from you guys. You're doing GREAT.

Carol, sorry to hear about your father passing away. That had to be very stressful for you. I heard that stress also causes your band to tighten. I hope that things are getting better for you. A 37 pound weight loss is great! Keep up the good hard work.