Hi all you April Bandsters! We have our own April '09 Forum here. This will be our 1st Master Thread to chat, share dates, diets, feelings, etc. When it starts getting too long (loads too slowly) we can start a 2nd and so on.

Sherry (Sissyh1006) has started a list with all our surgery dates, so she'll be along soon and you can give her updates.

If you want a "Bunny Bandsters - April '09" signature line (see below) then click HERE (feel free to change anything). On LBT go to 'User CP' (in the top banner) then down to 'Edit your Signature' (on the Left column). Now copy the PICTURE of the Bunny signature with the peep and paste it into the edit your signature box.

Can't wait to meet you all! -BG

I can tolerate solid protein like chicken, fish, steak, etc. as long as the food is moist, and not too much at a time. I find if I eat small amounts very slow and chew thoroughly I do much better. I cannot tolerate bread of any kind and rice (not even brown rice), it causes vomiting.

I am scheduled for a fill this coming week. My doctor goes very slowly she will only fill me .5 cc at a time. She tried to give me 1cc once and I was vomiting for a week, I could not even handle liquids. (Lost 5lbs in 4 days though...and gained it right back) Thats when I was slightly unfilled. Then I had to wait a month to try again.

I do very well with the no drinking after I eat rule.....I have always been trained since childhood to wait 30 min. after eating to drink liquids so that you don't dilute the stomach acids needed for digestion. Go figure....as it turns out as a "bander" I will have to do this always, which I was already doing anyway.

Hi everyone,

Butterfly & hopeful - I've decided to post again after seeing your posts - I am another one from the official slow-loser brigade. After the problems my partner Lisa had with the band and from which she has not yet fully recovered (still on precautionary antibiotics to prevent recurrence of the infections), I have been reluctant to get too many fills. My band is filled to the point where I have no trouble eating a small meal (but I am satiated at the end of it) and where I have no problems with any food type as long as I chew properly and don't eat too fast e.g., last night I had a cereal bowl size serving of pasta alla matriciana and then a slice of chocolate cake (hey, it was my mum's birthday!). I very much like that I can go out with family and friends and still partake like a relatively "normal" person where I am not limited to noticeably small portions. Before this I did not partake like a normal person but was more like a great big Hoover. I know I could be filled a little more and would lose weight more quickly that way but I know that the quality of that life that goes with that doesn't appeal to me. My weight loss has been slow but very steady and I continue to lose about 1-1.5kg (2-3lb) per month - see graph (banded 23 April):

I try not to be disappointed with my rate of loss because 43lb is nothing to sneeze at and it is noticeable though I am still jealous of those of you who have lost over 100lb in 1 year! You are real inspirations. To the other slow losers, we should not measure our success by comparing ourselves to these exceptional people. We are works-in-progress and need to remind ourselves of what we have accomplished so we don't get discouraged.

Hopeful, I very much relate to a lot of the things you say about pushing things too far. Something I found very helpful was someone (can't remember who) said - don't focus on how much you can eat with the band (i.e., testing the limits of the band) but instead focus on how little you need to eat before you are satisfied. Thinking this way when I'm eating (i.e., focussing on when I feel satisfied instead of when I feel full) has helped me avoid those episodes where I would eventually throw up. I still indulge in things I shouldn't (like the chocolate cake last night!) and am not exercising as much as I should. Like you, I hope that coming here will help me be more accountable to myself. I also have 31 different reminders programmed into my phone - each day one of the reminders pops up to help keep me on track - today's was: Don’t aim for perfection – just aim to be better today than you were yesterday - so I'm keeping away from chocolate cake today!

JT - sorry for the loss of your cousin; it is scary when people we grew up with start to pass - it is a stark reminder of our own mortality but it is also an opportunity to remember that life is not something to be taken for granted so we should take the trouble to ENJOY it.

Me again - have set up a poll to see how much weight people lost in their first year of being banded - go here

Edited July 17, 201016 yr by PharmaGirl

Me again - have set up a poll to see how much weight people lost in their first year of being banded - go here

So good to hear from you glad you are happy with where you are that is half the battle. Sorry to hear your Lady is still dealing wiht the aftermath of her banding issues. We are well here in Louisville my other half is traveling to Abu Dahbi for work now there for 2 weeks home for one. Keep in touch.

So good to hear from you glad you are happy with where you are that is half the battle. Sorry to hear your Lady is still dealing wiht the aftermath of her banding issues. We are well here in Louisville my other half is traveling to Abu Dahbi for work now there for 2 weeks home for one. Keep in touch.

Hey there JT, thanks for the welcome back - it is good to be back. Lucky K - would love to see Abu Dhabi/UAE. Sex & the City 2 has firmly put that region on my "must visit one day" list (though I believe that the Abu Dhabi scenes was actually mostly filmed in Marrakesh, Morocco!). You might need to be working the angles better to get to be able to tag along at least for some of the trips! I believe you could do with some lessons from Lisa - somehow, every time I have to go on a work trip somewhere nice, Lisa manages to make me feel like (maybe that should read "stooges me that"!) I'm going on a holiday without her - so, before I know it, I have booked a ticket for to come along too - the outcome being that she gets a super holiday while I work my ass off! Seriously, I am never not happy that I brought her along - it is nice to have someone to share the down time with when you are far away from home.

Pharma Girll, I love your idea of putting the reminders in your phone. How'd you do that? Is it a daily thing? I would love to do that.

So dh and I are going to do our own Biggest Loser for 4 weeks. We picked something out that we both would like as a reward for who wins at the end of the four weeks. He knows I am super competitive, so he's trying to help keep me motivated. He chose a $10 itunes card and I chose three nights in one week for a 10 minute foot massage! I want to win!

Hopeful - I put the reminders in my phone by making an appointment (mine is at 9am) in my Outlook calendar on my computer and setting "Recurrence" to monthly. I then synchronised the calendar on my phone with the calendar on my computer and voila!! You can do this directly on most phones too but it is a bit tedious to use type stuff in using the phone keypad. Either way, once you've put them in and set them to recur you never need to put them in again!

Today's message was: Today, don’t trade what you want the most for what you want at this moment.

I am going to have to try to put some in my phone. I'd love to hear some more of them!

I'm SO, SO, SO glad to see some old faces (LOL, or avatars) back!!! I love the daily reminders (so sorry that Lisa has had ongoing problems...unbelievable!! Tell her I hope the trips away ease the pain!) and the contest (I'm SO hoping the foot massages happen!!).

It's a lifelong battle, so we can't ever give up...and there's always someone doing WAY better than we are, so comparing is just futile...at least for me. We're all here to give support and get it, so I'm glad our little group is growing again! I hope this coaxes more Bunnies back to the hutch as we all need each other no matter where we are in our journey!

Thanks BG. You are such an inspiration and such a great support to me and so many others on this journey.

I also love hopeful's contest - I also love foot massages (and head massages too).

Here's the other reminders in my phone:

• Do it or don't do it - there is no try.
  
• Losing weight is not just a goal – it is a discipline
  
• If you want what you do not have, you must do what you have not done
  
• My health is my first priority – let me be my priority TODAY
  
• PLAN what you will do to lose weight today & take action
  
• Enjoy and savour each bite – it’s the quality not the quantity
  
• Today, don't sacrifice long-term success for momentary pleasure
  
• Today, don’t trade what you want the most for what you want at this moment
  
• Go for that walk – just today
  
• The band has pointed you in the right direction – you just have to put one step in front of the other and you will get there
  
• Persevere and you will get there
  
• A plateau is just a landing on the stairway to success
  
• Success doesn’t come to you – you have to go to it
  
• Today is a good day to SUCCEED!
  
• Some people dream about success... while others wake up and work hard at it.
  
• You cannot fail if you put your mind to it.
  
• Insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result
  
• Feeling healthy and feeling good about yourself is not a luxury - it's an absolute necessity.
  
• Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
  
• Things happen when you realise it's your choice and your attitude
  
• Nothing tastes as good as being healthy and full of energy feels.
  
• Everyone makes mistakes – just get up and keep going. Life is not a rehearsal. Don't let it pass without giving it your all.
  
• You have a body that can stand most anything. Today, you just have to convince your mind.
  
• Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your Destiny
  
• There is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps
  
• Don't concentrate on how much you can eat with the band - concentrate on how little you can eat
  
• Life is not a race. If it is - do you know anyone rushing to get to the finish line?!
  

Always looking for new ones so if you have one, please let us know

Thanks for posting those! I am going to put them in my phone.

I had a great week of eating until the weekend. I was down 6 lbs. in 5 days, which is kickA#$. Then there was a bridal shower and friends over today. BUT tomorrow is a new day! I will be hopping on that scale again in the morning :bolt: Did I tell you guys I am "training" for a 5K in August? That is really helping me with the working out.

Have a great week! Thank you for your encouragement!

Me again - have set up a poll to see how much weight people lost in their first year of being banded - go here

Hey, it's Jersey. Glad you popped back in. I;ve missed you.

Hey Jersey, thanks for the welcome back. You look fabulous in your new avatar - you look so happy!!

Jersey! You look phenomenal! Congrats!