Will T

LMAO lisa.... just as long as it's a little more than the paper thong we all wore in Tijuana

Aww... i cant post THAT... they'd boot me for sure, and I'd have a lot of people reading the posts. It takes THREE pages to talk about.... awesome reading.....

lmao jena! What a great dilemma... all of us getting SO THIN that we worry about seeing the port bulge when exposing our midriffs.

[will T raises his hand] I want a poster too !!!!

on the days when i can feel mine, it's about the size of a quarter, and is a slight bump.

[will T will insert a wise, well-thought comment at this point] Ditto what they said.

WTG LAUREN!!! And I'll wager that before the end of the summer, you'll be able to get a smaller one!

Good luck on Tuesday kittycat!! like, "meow" : )

I did. When I returned home from Tijuana, I reached down to dry off my left foot, and it felt like a knife was sticking in me. It was powerful. Even today, almost two months from surgery, it will be uncomfortable, but NOTHING like it was the first few weeks. I learned what made it hurt, and avoided that activity. I was told it was something to do with scarred tissue. I called and talked with Dr. Martinez, and he explained how the port was placed near the surface. But it feels much better (and Dr. Martinez said it would take a couple of months) now, with minimal discomfort where there once was agony. It shall pass, if your pain is the same issue.

will T will join with an adaptation of the workout. He will sit and watch on the PLATINUM level. Already, evette's Carmen Electra hip hop dance made him sweat off two pounds. And watching lynzz and blazn.... O....M....G..... I like this program. I should've started it EARLIER....

WillT stands, claps and cheers.... this is well deserving of a standing ovation!!!! WOOOO HOOOOOO !!!!!

Dawnie..... you GOTTA try pages 14, 17... and WHOA!!! page 27!!!

I felt all those feelings. The burping returns. It will be a different burp than you are used to, because there are now two pouches separated by the band's restriction. Apple juice in SMALL sips.... not very much total..... just a few sips would help me. As far as the soup goes, don't use the entire spoon. Coat the spoon for a while, instead of a "spoonful". Give yourself time to adjust to it. You may want to stay on water-based soups for another day or two. Brocc and cheese is really a melted cheese soup, instead of a cream base. It's VERY thick. Try a cream of chicken instead, or something similar.

yep. shorty is right. When we came back into the country, i had left MY bc at home, and my son walked right on through... The security guard used my Driver's License and some other ID, and made things ok... but that was pre-passport.

I think I will contact the Oprah show, and urge EVERYONE who feels strongly about what's said, to do the same thing. Additionally, I will RECOMMEND that OPRAH herself stop her silly yo-yo-ing and GET BANDED. Dr. Ortiz told me on my surgery day he offered her a freebie. (Dawnie..... be careful here... ) Oprah will change for life, as we all have. DO IT EVERYONE>>>> CONTACT THE OPRAH SHOW after it airs.... (then blame it on evette or paulabee)

And, here is the rocket scientist speaking: Scales work on springs. If you get a used scale that has a weaker spring, there is a solid likelihood that there will be an inaccuracy in your weight. A newer scale will be more likely to be close to your accurate weight. Think about two different scales side by side... they may not measure the same, even though you step on one, then straight to the other. If you measure your weight, have a constant in your experiment: the device. Once a week or twice a week are good time increments to weigh yourself. Here is something else to remember... if you lose 10 pounds per month, you wont see a change in your weight but once every three days (plus or minus). Take your diet a day at a time, and look at the monthly total...

OK everyone, here is a natural willT update. Last night, I was MC at the retirement dinner for our school district. I announce at many events; Honors Day, Academic Banquet, Graduation, etc.. Anyway, there are people that I see at that function that I see maybe twice a year. Most of the people at the event last night haven't seen me in months, well before the pre-op diet. It was a MAJOR RUSH to have people sneak close and whisper..."You've lost a LOT of weight.... you look great!" I had a few great looking women (like some of you ) ask me what i had done to look so good.... I fibbed. I said I was now a disciple of "The Ultimate Sex Diet" by Kerry McCloskey. Several asked if it worked really well, and I would flex a little and say "Ohhhh yes!!!!!" then wink. I had four emails today from those people asking where they could get the book online. They may not lose the weight, but they'll have a heckuva time trying to

First of all, welcome to the group. Some of us may be crazy, but we are kindred spirits. Our stories parallel yours. Congratulations on taking a MAJOR step in becoming the same YOU in a different shell. Use us as a surrogate family, if you will, and let us be a support network for you. Your questions are vaild, and have faced by all of us. Here are a few ideas from me. I'm sure the many others who'll respond will have awesome thoughts as well. First, dont purchase the junk food. If I have chips around, I'll eat them too. When you get your first fill, it will be MORE painful when something you eat disagrees with you. I've purchased the fruit ice cream bars that sell for about $1, that are 100 calories or less that taste AWESOME. I LOVE eating ice cream as a healthy snack. (It's really like a sorbet, I think). I'm like you in many ways. Raised in the South, bread is a large component of any meal here, as well as sweetened tea. It's tough to wean from a life style that I've lived for 40 years... since WAYYYY before you were born. I drink Crystal lite a lot these days. Dr. Miranda said..." don't drink liquid calories" and she made headway with that point. I've had some difficulty eating just dry food (food without liquids). I need to drink a little before, and some during. I sip these days since my fill, and it lessens opportunities for PBing. As far as becoming a cook extraordinaire, learn from the masters. Tyler Florence is great, if you have the food network (231 for DirectTV subscribers). There are a dozen more that make cooking wonderful, simple, but sometimes not calorie conscious. I love to adapt things they make and cook something scrumptious, and have it for several days. I'm sure there will more comments from this awesome peanut gallery VERY soon. You have allies here, and those of us who have stood where you are standing now (not in Alaska, but in your quest to change your life). I guess the best thing: Be victorious ONE day at a time. As Paula said to me.... YOU CAN DO EEEET.

I hope it helps, Erin. Please remember I'm not the expert, and I don't play one on TV.

well.......

LOL. Sorry Dawnie. I didn't know how to describe it gingerly. Plus, I wanted to be as accurate as I could. How do yours feel? [will pulls up a chair, he can't WAIT to read how SHE describes it : ) ]

When we eat something that isnt very cooperative with the band, it tends to block it, or clog it for a little while until it can pass through. Things that clump together, like eaten bread, oatmeal, and many other things have started this feeling of compression in my chest, like i need to burp seriously but cannot. My mouth salivates, and i go the restroom (this is gross - and spit the saliva out). This is the sliming stage, and you will feel like you are ready to hurl everything you've ever eaten. Breathe deeply, and stretch your arms, and finally you'll burp a lot, which relieves the feeling immediately, or you will throw up just a little bit (the matter that was clogging) and again the relief is immediate. The key is to breathe deep, and try to burp. Try to burp lots, and keep a mental note of things that make you PB. When you do your pre-op, Dr. Miranda will tell you the real name of PB... It's long, and technical, but somewhere along the line it became "Pre Barfing", which is honestly an accurate description of how it feels. It will pass within a couple of minutes, max (at least mine did).

Here's another priceless... The sound of him crying as he drove away from WalMart.

YOU GO GIRL !! Remember the happy moments in the past, and look forward to all the fantastic moments still ahead of you!! It is HIS loss, for sure.

Ok, now i add a new twist I didnt expect. Job stress has been intense today. Anyone ever deserve a promotion but the give it to the person who sucks up the most? Yep. I want to crawl inside LOTS of greasy food, eating until I couldn't ingest another bite. I walked today instead of loading a plate, and honestly, that helped NADA lol. I did drink a lot of no-calorie drinks, and feel full, but I crave the old way. I will go and eat something and drown it in ketchup for dinner. That may trick my tummy into thinking we're on the same page. I will survive this week. I have gone to far to let something like this set me back from my goal. I love looking at the pictures of people's success on this site, and it motivates me more and more. I guess I'm not the only emotional eater out there. Wow...... a half gallon of fudge ripple ice cream would go nicely right now. Hurdles are set before us. We can overcome them. We must CHOOSE to overcome them.