3rd Fill and still feeling great!

I went in today for my 3rd fill and I am now at 5cc.

The fills have been a piece of cake (so to speak....mmmm...I miss cake). No pain or problems with them and feeling very little restriction so far. Despite that little restriction and no real exericise so far, I have officially lost 35 lbs by the doctor's scales. WOOO HOOO!

Everyone says they can really see the weight loss especially in my face. All of my clothes are hanging and I have no jeans that fit now. Can I hear another WOOOOO HOOOOO?!

I feel soooooooooooo blessed to have had this surgery. AND I am so happy and feeling so different in every way. A lot of that has to do with the huge decrease in stress in my life (resigning my full time volunteer job with the opera). What a blessing it is to be so relaxed and focusing on me and my new consulting and grant writing work and finally getting paid well to do it! WOOO HOOO!

And I have learned so much about my old eating habits.

So those of you reading this with or without lap band surgery, listen up for these helpful hints! Wish I had followed these rules all my life.

1. Chew, chew and chew again your food to the consistency of apple sauce. I never knew how fast I gulped food before. Now I eat slowly and get full much faster.

2. Do not drink 30 min before or 1 hour after meals. My grandfather "Dandy" who was one of America's first Osteopaths (Doctor of Osteopathy) used to hassle us all the time at family dinners to not ever drink with our meals. We thought he was an old coot, but he wasn't...he was ahead of his time! Why? Drinking rushes the digestive process and washes food down keeping you from chewing properly. With lap band, it washes our food through our new pouch too fast and makes us hungrier faster. I thought this was going to be so hard to give up but turns out that I am adjusting!

3. Don't eat between meals, ever. Just walk away from the kitchen (I go upstairs).

4. Drink a ton of water (at least 64 oz a day)

5. Consume at least 50 to 70 grams of protein a day. I thought I was getting enough protein in my diet, but I really wasn't and most of us women don't. I feel so much better and my nails are hard as well....nails (the metal kind)!

So I am due for another fill in 3 weeks...they think that a few more fills should get me to my "sweet spot". I had my fitness appointment today (10 visits with a specialized trainer are included with my surgery). I have orders to do aerobic exercise and weight training 3 to 5 days a week. THAT will be my biggest challenge. I hate exercise. I love dancing, swimming, hiking etc so I just have to commit and do it. Tips will be appreciated.

Good luck to you all and Happy Thanksgiving. Our kids are coming home (from LA) and we cannot wait. It is snowing today and I just love this time of year. Blessings to you all!!!