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Thats so fantasic Michelle... im so happy for you... and that smile in your picture says it all. You are truely an inspiration to me and many others here xoxox

Hahahahaha... you guys are sooooo funny. I must try that chandelier for my new ab exercises... turn it into a real fun exercise event for all... sure the hubby wont mind!!

Cathy, your looking amazing... 45 pounds in almost 3 months is fantastic !! Your an inspiration, I hope to do aswell as you xx Im also having problems uploading photos from my computer... any ideas???

Hahahahaha... thats so funny... good luck with the 23 inches. Its a daily battle... but we will all get there in the end my friend xx

Im sorry about you not being able to eat much... but OMG look at you... you look amazing... and 43lbs ... that is fantasic... when i saw your new profile pic i had to look twice... WELL DONE!!!

:cheerleader: :cheerleader: :cheerleader: :cheerleader: Kim you look soooo good, and im so happy for you. The pictures are always such great encouragement for us bandsters... for me personally i cant imagine how good it will feel to get into a size 12... dreaming of that day xox

Try to stay positive Barb, before being banded i spoke to my Dr about the extra skin especially around my waist after having 3 kids,.. he said to give your body 2 years before even considering any surgery for the extra skin..he said majority of the extra skin as a living organ will slowly start to fit our new body... but not as quick or as perfect as we would like due to skin elasticity ... but there is still hope for us !

Hey Vix... i totally agree with Blazn about checking with the Dr about what order to have the surgeries in... Ive had arthroscopic knee surgery and the recovery time can be different for everyone... but i remember i was still able to get around quite easy just after the surgery just a little slower! Goodluck and keep us updated.

That sounds so yum... i will definately give that a go

I was banded on the 22nd of July so im actually starting to cook and eat real food aswell. And I understand your frustration... its sometimes an effort to actually make something and then when it turns out DRY thats a huge disapointment... What i do is measure out 100grams of lean meat.. chicken or red meat and soak it over night in natural yoghurt... its a natural tenderiser.. with the chicken i add a little tandori paste. The trick is to cook it on low heat and not to over cook it. I created a meatball reciepe and they are really yummy...and has about 23grams of protein per 100grams... I freeze them in 100g serves and take them out as needed.. its helps with those days where i don't have the time to cook....Even the kids think they are great 500g extra lean heart smart mince 1 grated carrot 2 tablespoons of salt reduced tomato paste 1 egg 3/4 cup of dry breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon of curry powder 1 teaspoon of mixed all spice 2 tablesoons of caramelised onions 2 tablespoons of worchestshire sauce Salt and pepper Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix.... then make them into small balls... i usually weigh the first ball to 50 grams then make them all the that size. Then i place them all on non stick paper in the oven on around 150 degrees for about 30 minutes... There quick there yummy and i beleive low in fat and high in protein. Goodluck

:cheerleader: OMG :cheerleader: . .. you look so beautiful ... congrats to both you and your husband, Im so happy for you. xoxoxox Its pictures like this that keeps me motivated !!!

Hi again WormButterfly... what worked best for me is Opti-fast (chocolate) my Dr recommended that 1 week prior to surgery for Breakfast, lunch and dinner.. was a little tuff and was hungry and emotional for the first few days.. but it was sooooo worth it. Ive noticed that some of the things mentioned (recommended)we dont have here in Australia... which is a bit of a bummer... i was told you could also have Tony Furgerson shakes which is available from Bloom and Terry White pharmacy's. I was banded here in Sydney on the 22nd of July and my starting weight was 106.7 kilos... with opti fast in the past 4 weeks i have dropped 10 kg which is about 22lbs... ive been told that will slow down but thats okay too... Also since being banded ive been taking Supradyn which is a daily vitamin supplement which dissolves in about half a cup of water... just have to remember to let it go flat before drinking .Im still pretty new at this too but i hope that helps.

Kimmy, seriously ive read alot of your comments on posts and i think that you really need to be more careful with your choice of words... support and encouragement would be great... we all daily battle with weight issues and to come on here and have to read nasty demeaning comments is starting to make people feel uncomfortable... so please try and stay positive and provide positive helpful feedback.

Hi WormButterfly... I was recently banded by Dr Loi who is quite well known here in Sydney Australia... when i was doing my research i searched in goggle and i found alot of information from previous patients. When I typed Dr Peter Nottle name in Goggle... and alot of information came up... there is some information in Yahoo messages from ppl who have had there band with that dr... they have there yahoo id's maybe you could email them and ask them some questions. I hope that helps. xox

Hey Shasha, I had my surgery done here in Australia and found this website by chance. I log on daily and read most of the posts... I have found it really great and the people here are really supportive. Everyone is different although it is great to talk and read about things that you were not aware of or read about something simular to what your going through...