UTdigiMOM

I loved seeing your pictures. You look so beautiful. You can really see your weight loss in your face. The transformation is beautiful!! Your hubby must be so proud of you!! Congrats!

I, too, love reading these kinds of success stories. You're doing GREAT! Keep it up. I lost weight 4 years ago and the lowest I got was a size 10 but I LOVED that size and would love to be there some day. I'm in an Old Navy size 14 as of my latest fill and can't wait for that number to be a 10. Congrats and thanks for sharing!!

Congrats on your new band. You're doing so well already on your pre-op that I'm sure you'll do great with the band. Keep us posted.

Hello all! When I went for my SIXTH fill last Thursday my fill doctor asked me about what kind of 'liquid calories' I was consuming. I was taken aback by his question and told him I really didn't think I was consuming too many calories in liquid form other than my daily protein shake (Worldwide Pure Protein Shake at 170 calories and 35 grams of protein) and my daily latte. Boy, was I wrong. Today, I started tracking my calories online and went in to enter my latte from earlier today. To my shock ( I know, I'm slow) I was drinking 350 calories and 6 grams of fat 3 or 4 times a week in my Starbuck's Grande Non-fat White Chocolate No-Whip Latte. Duh!! I started drinking coffee soon after being banded to help ease my diet coke addiction and now with this great restriction to loosen my band a little so I could get some protein in for lunch, but that is just crazy. I'm switching to a much better 130 calorie, 0 fat gram Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte. It still tastes great but with so many fewer fat grams and calories. If anyone's interested in looking up a drink, here's the link http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverages.asp You put in your drink, the size, the milk type and if you drink it with whip cream or not. It's a pretty handy calculator. Here's hoping for better results now that I've pulled my head out of the sand!!

100 lbs in one year with the band? Now that is something to be proud of!! You go girl! Your family and friends must be so proud of you too. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the last 20. I know you'll do it!

I drink a protein shake in the am due to being too tight and I like to start my day off with some protein. I found a good tasting canned shake and stick with it. If you're interested it's called Pure Protein and I like the chocolate and cookies and creme flavors. You'll see that with the band comes lots of conflicting advice. We're all so different and that makes it hard to say what works for one person will work for the next.

Evening Vangirl - I'm so glad to have read your post tonight as you described exactly what I'm feeling after my SIXTH fill last Thursday, April 16, 2009. I'm now at 3.2 cc in my 4cc band and my doctor here in Utah says he's rarely had to put this much in a band of that size. Lucky us, huh? Anyway, I'm feeling that same feeling you wrote about. When I read this line..."I think this is what the feeling of fullness is supposed to be. Stuff still in the pouch and going down really slowly, so that the signal of fullness has time to get to the brain..." I said YES! That's what I feel now. FINALLY! I don't post very much but I want to say thank you very much for sharing because it made me feel good to read about someone like myself on the boards. It's SO hard not to compare even though I know we're all different. Thanks and have a good night!

Aww, Kristy...I'm just going to miss ya! Hubby and I are escaping for a weekend in Vegas, Baby! We're sick of the cold and really want to see the LOVE show at the Mirage. We haven't been away from the boys in almost 3 years and we're ready. Fun! I'm hoping you let me know next time you're in town so we can meet up. There are about 4 other girls from here on this board so I'm sure you'll get some responses soon. Take care and keep in touch!

Happy Bandiversary!! You've accomplished so much and are an inspiration to us all. Thanks so much for posting about your struggles and your successes. It's all good for us newbies to realize that this can be done. Congrats again!

What an honest and sincere Christmas post, Dana. Thanks for making it and for taking the words right out of my mouth. I'm looking so forward to 2009 and can't wait for it to arrive. I can't remember being this hopeful for an new year to begin. What a dream come true. The OCC has changed so many lives and it's so sweet of you to recognize them and post this very special message. Merry Christmas to all on the board and here's to seeing less of everyone in the new year.

I, too, was a diet cokeaholic and I can tell you that it was an easy one to give up. I agree that socially it's hard, but you won't want it after your surgery. I was banded on 10/10/08 and I haven't had more than 2 sips (from my hubby's) and I haven't cared. I substituted tall non-fat lattes from Starbuck's every once in a while. The caffeine dependence goes away as you progress. Also, now that I'm exercising more regularly, I sleep better and am less tired when I wake up. You'll be fine. Take it from me. I was there!

1. Name: Jessica 2. Location: Utah 3. Age: 37 4. Band Date:10/10/08 5. Married: Yes, 13 years to my best friend. 6. Children of the human or furry kind: Two sons (ages 8 and 5) and one crazy dog named Max 7. Hobby(ies): My Mac laptop, digital scrapbooking, Photoshop, photography, taking my kids on adventures, travel 8. Work: SAHM 9. What was the deciding factor(s) on getting banded: I could lose weight but never keep it off. The yo-yo dieting was so unhealthy for me. 10. Interesting factoid: Even though she's not 'cool', my favorite singer is Olivia Newton-John. Love her voice.

Hey Kristy - Good to hear that everything went well and that you're recovering and healing. So excited for you!! I sent you an email on the 1st of Dec wishing you well and saying hi! Email me when you're home and update me on how you're feeling. I'm sending positive thoughts your way. Congrats!!

Hey Kim - I had a breast lift and reduction in 2006 and had lost about 60 lbs. at that time. I gained it all back over the following 2 years but it didn't affect my lift. I'll be interested to see if losing weight now will affect them. Sorry to hear about your frustration with your surgery. I would definately second everyone's advice about getting a second opinion. I got 2 and chose the best one. Good luck to you and don't be such a stranger!! P.S. You look fab!!!!

This has been a fast year for me as well. Having the band is huge and I look forward to the ways in which it will change my holiday eating for the rest of my life. As Kimmy said, I'm thankful for my band and for all the changes that it has brought. I just had my first fill today so it'll be interesting to see how different the meal is now. Thanks for the advice about the dark meat. I would have never thought of that. I'm the cook for my family also and I agree with mona-camille that by the end of the day...I'm done with all that food that I've just prepared.

Trying on old clothes is one of my favorite things when I lose weight. How fun for you to slip your arms inside and have it fit!! Way to go. Are there some other old NY clothing boxes stored somewhere?? It could be a party. I have some old size 10 clothes in my basement and I can't wait to dive in.

Great job, Mindy!! I love that you shared how you cried with us all. It's an emotional journey we're all on and at times it just takes over. Keep up the good work!!

Kathy - I pulled up the two pictures in two different windows on my computer and my mouth dropped open. You're a different person and you should be so proud of your accomplishments. I LOVE that you take your pictures in front of your mantel with what looks like your son's picture looking on. Your family must be so proud of you also. Way to go!! love the pics too!! Keep it up!

I asked the hotel front desk about this and they assured me that everything at the Lucerna was safe to drink and eat for Americans. My dad went with me and neither of us had any problems. Good luck and you'll be amazed at what TJ is like now. Like another poster wrote, it's not the TJ of our youth. I grew up in West Los Angeles and went down there a few times. It's so not what I remember. You'll do great!!

I'm a newbie here, but welcome back just the same. Congrats on losing so much weight!! I'm sure some other seasoned bandsters will chime in here and give you some great advice.

It's so crazy how different we all are with fills. I don't have one yet, but just reading all these posts makes me appreciate this fact. Good luck with your 2nd fill. Here's to good restriction and more success for you!!

Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to my first fill and I'm doing flouro for my first time for the same reason. I'm so glad to hear your story and to hear that everything went smoothly. Keep posting how you're feeling this next week.

Mindy - that is such a great NSV!! I have two boys myself and love the feeling of those cute little bear hugs. You have done so well with your band and your hard work and perseverance has paid off. Thanks for sharing!!

I'll be tuning in for sure!! Thanks, Dana

Hello there G! I'm a Utah girl too (been here 4 years) from So Cal, but I'm happy to be living in this great state. My husband and I love the outdoors and mountains and raising two boys here is soooo much easier than trying to do so in So Cal. Where are you in Utah? I'm in Draper. You can PM me if you'd like to talk more and exchange numbers. There are 4 of us here from Utah who post regularly. They're from Riverton, Park City, Layton and me from Draper. Did you have a good experience with the Fill Center USA doctor? Some on here haven't been so lucky if it's the same one. I'm planning on seeing Dr. Cottam in SLC for my fills. He's with Surgical Weight Loss Center of Utah. He comes pretty highly rec'd. We'll see. I was recently banded on 10/10/08. You must be so proud of your progress so far!! How great!! I'm in email contact with a couple of girls who were banded on the same day at the OCC and we were all talking about those going it alone. I'm so glad you chose to come out and post. Welcome!! Talk soon!