Jann

The strangest thing happened today. After my workout hubby and I decided to run some errands. After battling through crowds at Costco we decided to stop at a restaurant and have some lunch on the way home. I had a grilled chicken breast. YUM! When we finished I left hubby to pay and went to investigate a tanning salon across the road that I had never noticed before. On my way out the door I got hit on! I was so shocked that all I could do was turn about 20 shades of red, smile, nod and keep on moving. As I'm walking on the guy called after me and asked me for my number anyway. Now, I've been with hubby for 14 years and will continue to be so no matter how you look at it, it was a non-starter. Add to that, back in the day that approach, generally speaking, didn't work but this guy was younger and maybe that's how it's done now? Who knows? At any rate, it was very embarrassing and yet very cool in a really unsettling way. I thought those days were long since past! Jann

Nice work, Taz! You did it! Jann

I have all four of my wisdoms and I haven't had any dental issues either. We are all so different. Jann

Oh wicked thinking, Taz! I went the bank transfer route. What the heck was I thinking???! Jann

I have been chained to my desk since five this morning working on a deadline. The best I can hope for today is 10K when I work out later, if I can work out later. Bah Humbug! Jann

They do a medical work-up just prior to surgery. All information that is relevant and important should be brought up then. That should alleviate any concerns. Take care, Jann

After your banding it takes about six weeks for your stomach to heal enough to support having a fill. There are two methods for fills, one with flouro and one without. Both require an injection of saline into the port which tightens the lapband hence the term restriction. You can either return to OCC for your fills or alternatively find a doctor or fill centre near you for aftercare. Planning your aftercare is critical and must be done prior to the surgery. Hope that helps. Jann

2 quarts water 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1 tablespoon onion powder 5 cubes chicken bouillon 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa 2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup 3 tablespoons chili powder 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream DIRECTIONS In a large pot over medium heat, combine water, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred chicken. In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, sour cream, shredded chicken and 5 cups broth. Simmer 30 minutes. Nutritional Information Servings Per Recipe: 8 Amount Per Serving Calories: 474 Total Fat: 15.4g Total Carbs: 50.4g Dietary Fiber: 10.1g Protein: 39.5g Jann

The pre-op diet is based on the volume of weight you need to lose prior to surgery. You can send OCC an email and ask them if that is where your surgery will be. I believe for me it was two SlimFasts and one Lean Cuisine per day. Take care, Jann

All that hard work is paying off in spades! Those aren't small NSV's! They're huge! Good for you! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jann

13,958 for me today! Jann

Although clearly I'm not following any diets I do try to keep up and take the strength from what they present. I'm always on a quest to find drinkables because I bore of Crystal Light and I can't stand full on water. 2 liters water (about 8 1/2 cups) 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger 1 medium cucumber. peeled and thinly sliced 1 medium lemon thinly sliced 12 small spearmint leaves Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight. Cucumber and lemon are natural dirutetics and gingers and spearment help relieve bloating. Make it to suit your personal sweet spot. I halved the cucumber and upped the lemon and ginger. I found it to be far too much cucumber flavour personally. Jann

Tapioca Paper -- I would suggest any good Asian Market or swap it out for a wrap or Jazzy's egg wrap. Avocado Slivers of cucumber Slivers of carrot Red cabbage Leaf lettuce Salt and pepper to taste Roll, cut in half. Use a good chili dip and away you go! Jann

Bahahaha, I so loved that! I'm still laughing! Thanks, Jann

Holy smokes, 3.6 cc's out of the gate. Be really careful! I'm at like 1.6 and I worry about going tighter than that! Everyone is very different. G'luck! Jann

Ah, your first time. Gross isn't it! I ALWAYS use four papaya enzymes when that happens and wait it out. I never take it to the PB stage. If it takes me five trips to the bathroom so be it. Sliming, in my experience never hurts, it's just really and truly gross. Its a sign that either we didn't chew enough or we ate too fast. I've noticed that I eat much faster when I'm out so now I just order a bowl of soup as my meal to avoid public sliming. Welcome to Bandland! Jann

Hi Hun, I would suggest that you won't stretch your pouch just by drinking water. It goes through the stoma pretty quickly. Also, just so you are aware, full capitals is typically read as yelling on the internet. Hugs, Jann

Okay, so I just finished my first Jillian workout and I wanted to share my observations: It's quirky. The instructions are not specific enough for me and it takes a bit to figure out what you need to do to perform a task. On the log jump I was doing deep fast squats. As it turned out I didn't need to do that. Just a squat and a quick force downward with both handhelds worked. The step in the tires exercise was a gong show. I haven't figured it out obviously as my avatar did not move to not even one tire yet somehow I got an excellent from Jillian. Running is all in the arms, as long as my arms were pumping my bar was lit full green. You can't run on the balance board so it's just a mimic movement side to side. I really liked the balance on the log exercise, it's harder than it looks. hehe The kickboxing component was erratic. At one point all I did was bounce from foot to foot for two plus minutes because it only gave me one command to kick! Having said that I burned 400 calories in a 30 minute set and I did work up a really decent sweat so it does do it's job. It's early days and I'm sure I will master it in time. Also, I could be wrong, and I would check with the store if you are buying it, but I'm getting the impression the Wii Fit balance board is optional. Jann

Oddly I can eat pasta without issue but I cannot eat bread or rice. I have had limited success with toast but it has to be late at night and I don't eat after seven so that's that gone as well. I eat WW wraps all the time but I admit I tire of them. Jazzy posted a recipe for her egg version of wraps but I haven't made them yet. Given that I cannot tolerate rice now I've even given up my California rolls. I couldn't do sushi with fish (ew) but I did love the veggie version dipped in chili sauce. My treat is popcorn which I have no problem with at all while other's can't tolerate it. Jann

You are most welcome and I agree!! Jann

You can actually have both in your entertainment room. The X-Box 360 is HDTV compat so we have that in the HD slots and the Wii is regular TV so we have that in the regular spots. Hope that helps. Jann

Unfortunately no, you need the balance board that comes with Wii Fit. Jann

Those are the kinds of problems you want to have, Taz! Good for you, that's some serious momentum! Jann

Greek Salad 4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped or 6 medium tomatoes quartered 1 English Cucumber, cut into chunks 1 small Vidalia or Red Onion 2 Tbsp of fresh cilantro, or lemon basil chopped fine 4 oz low fat feta cheese, crumbled 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed or passed through a garlic press 2 Tbsp of fresh oregano, chopped 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 8-10 Black Olives. prefer Kalamata, pitted halved Fresh ground black pepper to taste 1. Place the first 6 ingredients in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the Oregano leaves over the vegetables. 2. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over the salad. Add Olives and toss gently. Season with black pepper. Calories: 96 Protein: 4g Fiber: 2g.

I don't worry about drinking with snacks or taste testing meals. There's truly not enough volume in my opinion to worry about it. Hope that helps! Jann