LisaLaw

Great job Revy!! keep up the good work!! It is amazing the difference!

YOU look smokin'!! who is the hottie next to you?

I have heard you had the year from hell...so glad to have you back. you have been missed!

Angie GREAT idea on the NO crust pie. Try making it with Splenda instead of sugar. I have made it this way before and it cuts out SO many bad carbs it is amazing! (it still tasted great also!)

Thank you so much everyone for the great comments and encouragement. I really believe what did it for me was cutting out sugar as the 'white' stuff is not on my menu anyways for obvious reasons! LOL I think when it really hits is when I get down to 160 and only have 20 lbs left. In fact, I just realized that the last time I weighed 170 is when I got married in 1998 and I am only 5 lbs away from that!! (holy cow!)

Hey Cheryl... Here is the link <http://www.pacsurgical.com/lapbandhome.htm?gclid=CLSYjrCToJ4CFShSagod4wrklw> I will PM you some details as well, but basically, they have been my favorite by far. I think that Lisal used them exclusively also

what I have done is go to one of those Vietnamese Pho restaurants and BUY their broth! sip slowly..but the warmth will help and open the band up.Their broth is very nutritious as well. Or you can open a can of swansons chicken broth and drink that warm also. Hot tea helps as well.

The plateau hit at the end of March, it was truly awful, I got down to 178 and then popped right back up to 182 within a week and never fell below 180 after that. I had spinal neurosurgery on my neck at the end of September and decided to NOT get an unfill as the neurosurgeon said I would be fine. Thankfully I listened. I also decided to NOT get on the scale back in September because I was very frustrated with not falling under 180 lbs. Two weeks ago I pulled on this cute dressy skirt I have and went "whoa...I feel skinnier" and immediately went to the scale and viola...176 lbs. I was very hesitant to get excited because I had been there before only to go right back up to 180. So I waited. Then I stepped on the scale just the other day and I am still at 176 lbs. The plateau is gone! My point is this. We all lose differently. I have seen some people drop 10-15 lbs per month, while people like me feel thankful to have lost 55 lbs in a year. I am crazy in love with this band and am so thankful to have found Dr. Ortiz and his wonderful staff. If not for this band, I would be at least 250 lbs by now...frustrated and emotionally abusing myself for being so fat. Instead my husband calls me "hot" and looking forward to getting the remaining 35 lbs OFF...instead of ON For those of you who have hit a plateau or have not hit one yet, don't give up...just stay off the scale for a bit to keep your sanity and keep up the bandster habits of small portions (and the right items). All the best

GIRL! So glad to hear you are around still as well! I am NOT a NW Fill fan...and I know there are alot of people on here who are. I had my own problems with a fill with them back in March and boy was I pissed when I went to the place down in Olympia to have a decent fluoro done to find out WHY I had no restriction two weeks after going to NW Fill...then I find out they had taken OUT so much fill to put me down to 2.5cc when I had been AT 3.9 and was doing fine, but only wanted .2 taken out to be able to eat a bit better. A bit weasly if you ask me when they do whatever they want. Getting tweaks and fills are NOT cheap. I do not expect to be lied to for that kind of money. My port is a bit tilted towards the right side, but not having any problems. I have had quite a bit of spasming and achiness around the port and have been thinking of getting a checkup to see if I need to have it surgically altered. Keep us posted on what goes on!

glad to hear you are still around sweet girl. I have wondered for a very long time what had happened to you. great accomplishment getting to goal and I have also suffered the dreaded plateau BUT I just beat it...took a few months. keep up the good work!

I wish you the best sweetie pie...and I do not blame you...I would not want to be going from step one again. you will do just great and dont stress yourself out! oodles, clf

I found myself tearing up after reading this. WOW. My husband and I did 1 year of professional counseling over some family issues and then I continued on for another two years on my own. It is the BEST thing we (and I) have ever done. this could be a phase on his part, but I don't know...it is a bit brutal if you ask me. I am not sure if I could stay with any man who said those types of things to me...counseling or no counseling. you must have alot of strength! The band is the best thing I have done to take control of my life and my eating habits. I think many of us will agree that when you hit a certain point (or number) where it seems like no matter what you do to get the weight off it becomes frustrating and a vicious cycle of self-defeating behavior. I always smirk at people who tell us 'fatties' to just eat right and exercise...they are usually the same people who a). are NOT overweight . never have been overweight and c). look down their nose at any overweight person. I wish you strength and conviction in all that you do. oodles

HOLY CRAP SHELBY screw the plastic lard of fat you have in your hands! YOU look AMAZING!! I am proud to say that I have been on this journey with you for the past 12+ months and am just so damn proud of you and your accomplishments! You run, you look (and must feel) phenomenal. Sheesh. If I was not sitting here with an immobile neck brace on, I would fly back to Kansas to have a margarita with you and I thought I looked good

Thanks Lindsay I posted this in the past as it is detrimental for us all to remember these tips...but I don't know what happened to it

glad to hear you are doing better Kristi Here is some great info from some fill drs I have gone to in the past: URGENT: Frequent vomiting: If you have frequent vomiting ( 3-4 or more times per week), you need to be seen by your fill clinic to get saline removed. Heartburn or Reflux: If you have heartburn or reflux, you can use Prilosec (available over the counter) twice a day, and possibly remove a bit of saline from your band. If you allow the heartburn to persist, you may risk slippage of the band. If some saline is taken out, stay on liquids for 1 week, mushy for 1 week, and then introduce solids slowly. If your band slams shut after you have had a fill, you should return to your clinic for a bit of unfill. Don't let it go on too long, you risk slipping your band and dehydration. This prevents and ER visit. NORMAL: You can't eat solids in the morning: If you can't eat solids early in the day, try drinking something hot. This may open your band up and allow you to eat. If the problem persists, try going on liquids for 3 days, then start eating breakfast, a larger lunch, and a smaller dinner. Sometimes this will reset your eating habits. If you just can't eat in the morning but can eat later in the day, drink a protein drink in the morning. We normally say no liquid proteins, but once in a while is ok. The whole process behind the band is to eat our protein in solid form, not liquids. Projectile burping, vomiting, tossing your cookies: Are you eating too fast? Not chewing enough? Taking too big a bite? Swallowing hot things too soon? Try coating meat with BBQ (or another) sauce to help it go down. Try eating with a baby spoon to make sure you are taking. Illness: If you have the flu, you should be fine, but if you are throwing up too much, removing some fluid from your band may help. You can drink flat 7-up, gator-aid, apple juice, whatever, forget the calories, just stay hydrated. WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR: Get an unfill if you can't swallow your own saliva. Get an unfill if you can't eat regular food. Get an unfill if you are having heartburn or reflux. Call your doctor immediately if you are throwing up blood. You might have a tear or rupture in your esophagus. Be sure to tell them you have a lap band. Go to the ER if you haven't been able to drink any liquids for 24 hours. DO NOT LIVE WITH THROWING UP FOR MORE THAN A FEW DAYS. THE WEIGHT YOU ARE LOSING IS WATER, NOT FAT! This is not the way to lose weight. You are depleting yourself of needed vitamins and nutrients your body needs to survive. Call your surgeon with any concerns.

Being overfilled is not a standard fill and has a tendency to irritate the tummy. The positive side is that she knew immediately and they fixed it, she may or may not have more swelling than normal. My overfill hit the next day and it still took me two more days to get the 2 hours back up to fix it. By then I was gagging on coffee, water, etc. They had to go from 4.2 cc down to 2.9 cc to let the swelling go down or I would have had a slippage. I stayed at 2.9 cc for 3 weeks before going up to 3.9cc where I am comfortably at now. I also do ALL my fills under fluoro...I like to see what is going on and if I am doing anything adverse, I want to be aware of it. caio

ooo, so NOT fun and a bit freaky. I had that happen last spring (too much fill) and it is a freaky thing to slime on everyday liquids, it was hard not to panic. Be safe and just realize you will be a bit swollen for the next 10-14 days oodles

I tried PM'ing you cupcake...but your inbox is full!

congratulations on everything Ute! I just had a 7 hour spinal neurosurgery. I did NOT have an unfill before going through this extensive surgery as both the surgeon and his team did not feel having an unfill would be necessary. I was fine and able to take all of my pills within hours. I cannot tell you what to do...just sharing my experience. Good luck!

well, I am going to try this, it sounds good also. I have had to deal with so much pain and then this neurosurgery that I know I just have had that I dont give a shit mentality. Time to get back to basics and get the remainder of this 40 lbs off...sweets be damned

Oo...I am going to try that one...maybe I can kick that sugar/PB craving

Ya Gotta love Dolittle...he always tells it like it is!

good luck to you! I just had a 7 hour spinal neurosurgery 3 weeks ago and my neurosurgeon or the team did not even blink about the band. I was able to take my pills just fine. you will be just fine!

ABSOLUTELY A YES! I never used to eat sugar...in fact I was anti sugar due to so many cases of diabetes in my family...maybe it was because I could eat pasta (and pasta breaks down as carb sugars) and now I can't eat pasta...so sugar is the substitute. Anyways, it sucks big time. I am addicted to Reeces PB cups with extra PB...and have gone so far as to dip chocolate in PB to get a quick fix. I stick to only sugar free ice cream..but have a terrible time staying away from cookies, etc. I think it is also because all of this goes down a bit too easily.

wow.. you are a beautiful woman, they can go screw themselves..but in the meantime, either tell them "You have too much time on your hands, you might want to get a life" OR "gosh...I just believe in good old fashioned eating right and exercising...wish there was a secret!" keep up the good (and hard) work...you deserve every ounce of applause.