TerriDoodle

Laura - I had a Panera Asian Chicken Salad today for lunch. The chicken breast is moist but is sliced paper thin. It was touch and go until I figured out that I had to cut the chicken into bites about as big as a peanut. I assure you I am not exaggerating!! So I killed time that way while I was chewing...cutting the chicken up into itsy bitsy bites. It also took me 45 minutes to eat this salad! It IS possible to eat meat, it just HAS to be cut very fine.

Kat - I am soooo sorry about your accident! I hate hunting on so many levels, and this is just another added to the list. I hope you're all better now. Kat & TracyinKS - I know that ya'll are all over this board like I am, have ya'll noticed that losingjusme has 'disappeared'?? I"m going to poke a little deeper and see if she's at least logged in. I've sent her 2 PMs and she hasn't responded. I HATE that about message boards....it makes me worry so. I'm bouncing between 185-186. Choices are simple. Eat less, exercise more and LOSE....or get sloppy with the calories, don't exercise and bounce around with the same numbers. :tired Hmmm. It's not rocket science! I essentially have not lost crap since I quit smoking and I'm eating too much trying to pacify my cravings. I'm going to try to substitute exercise to feed those addictions, but it's easier said than done. So frustrating. Pamela - What are you talking about? Did you go out and get another job???? Michelle - are you tracking your food on fitday or dailyplate? fitday is good 'cause it gives you a nutrition breakdown for the whole day (dailyplate you have to pay extra for that i think). Eating 'too much' or 'too little' is such a relative thing and is best measured by tracking your calories and then comparing that to how you are losing. If I don't track I tend to eat too much. If I track and keep my calories below 1200, I'll lose. Guess whether or not I'm tracking now!? LOL When I did track religiously I found that I almost always got 60-70 grams of protein without even trying so I don't worry about my proteiin intake too much. 30 years of eating a high protein diet to control my blood sugar has trained me well enough! I'm always preaching "PROTEIN!" to my kids...they are sick of the question, "What kind of protein did you have for lunch today?" I've taught them all I know about nutrition since they were 6 years old. They may or may not make the best choices (neither do I!) but I feel better knowing that the knowledge is in their mushy little brains and when they're old enough to really care about what they're putting in their bodies...they'll be educated.

I have no idea what any of this means. :tired Man, I'm OLD.

When nothing goes down without a fight...except maybe Water....then you're too tight. If it takes me 45+ minutes to eat 1/2 of cottage cheese, I'm too tight. If eating tiny bites of tender fish gets stuck...I'm too tight. If I find myself avoiding solid foods and eating Soups and shakes, then I'm too tight. If I find myself wondering "What in the world am I going to eat for lunch??" ...then I'm too tight. In other words, I should be able to eat just about anything (except bread, rice, fried stuff) as long as I have small bites and chew well. But if I'm getting stuck even when I'm following those rules, then I'm too tight and there's no way I'll get adequate nutrition if I keep that up.

Before you do that, are tracking calories? Are you following all the bandster rules? Are you exercising? If the answer to all of these is YES and you are still not losing weight, then you might consider a very small fill....and I do mean small! Being too tight is pretty miserable.

Hi Girls! We ALL had these same fears....and 100 other ones to go along with 'em! Yet here we are....most of us quite successful and very happy with our bands, our new bodies and our future!! Breathe, relax, get educated and be VERY grateful that you have this opportunity. The lap band is a wonderful tool and in 6 months you're going to be saying the same thing to newbies on this board!

<<<<-------- STUCK on canadian bacon which is just like deli ham, right?? So why oh WHY do I eat it???????? (easy protein, that's why) I feel like carrying a cup around with me like somebody who chews tobacco does. YUCK!!!!....but handy!

No, Tracy I don't dream about my band, but I DO dream about beading and come up with ideas in my dreams!! Cool huh? But earlier I was dreaming that I was working for my old boss (yuck). He was throwing a party to celebrate his new house (I always dream about houses!). The invitations were going out to select few but very important people....and included the recipe and ingredients for some cajun thing. The ingredients included sliced strawberries (!) and I had to figure out a way to slice and package the strawberries, along with the other ingredients, and get them fed-ex'd to the people by tomorrow without ruining the strawberries (but HOW?)....and I only had an hour to do it. But first I had to find his house (for some reason) and I was driving around and around and couldn't find it....and meanwhile the clock was ticking and I was running out of time. I was becoming VERY anxious when I woke up. LOL My life as a secretary feels like that sometimes, but it's never that bad!!

Sorry - Post #3 - still 2 away from my previous record. TracyK - I'm back into my gym routine....sorta. I haven't managed to get back on the weights, but I am doing cardio. Yesterday I burned 280 calories. Today I'll go back and try to do a full body...cardio and weights. I just miss my trainer!! When he left it just really messed me up....but maybe I'm just using that as a convenient excuse! Jenn - Your mom is a reiki practitioner?? Cool. She sounds like an 'intuitive'....is she?? Best of luck with the job interview! What does the shop produce?? TracyK - glad you are better!! Careful with the aleve! Scares me.

***For those of you with colds and allergies *** I am very lucky. I do not suffer with allergies at all but the rest of my family does! They are all going thru BAD episodes right now. KAT (and whoever else) - My DH's doctor told him that the very best way to deal with that stuffy head is to use a sinus rinse....it reduces greatly the need to keep blowing your nose AND reduces the chance of subsequent sinus infections. My DH uses what the doctor recommended and it's called NeilMed Sinus Rinse. I've used it myself and it does work VERY well. Sounds like you would really benefit. Get it at any drugstore.

(((((LUNASA)))))) We missed you so much!! Boy, I can tell those anti-d's are helping you immensely!! Just re-read the tone of your post and compare it to a few months ago where you would have been crying (literally) about how you just "know" you're always going to be fat and with SUCH a feeling of hopelessness!! And NOW....you've got your head on straight!! You acknowledge in a neutral way that you're not losing as much as you could be if you were exercising. You are choosing to change that....you're no longer seeing yourself as just a victim of your DNA or self-sabotage. You simply have analyzed what needs to be done and realize the choice is yours. Plain and simple. No need to lay in bed crying about it or plead with the Universe to change it....you alone have the power....and you DO have it!! And you can choose or not choose to exercise....as long as you realize that you are also choosing the consequences. Not a big deal, right? This is the philosophy I try to use with my teenagers....I try not to lecture, scream and get all emotional when they break rules. I TRY to re-state the rules, re-state why they're in place, dole out the consequences and then give them a big hug. I try very hard not to get mad and behave as though I've withdrawn my love....because I haven't! I am just in the business of teaching them about life...that every choice has consequences. Simple. Take the emotion out of it. No need to withdraw love from yourself over it. It just is what it is. Choice & Consequence. You sound VERY happy and whole. It's not medically induced...the medicines are only balancing chemicals that should be balanced on their own. It's not like you're taking LSD or something! LOL (Can you tell I've been listening to the Beatles lately?) Anyway....just so very happy to hear from you. We are ALL....every one of us....going thru our struggles now. Yours is no better or worse than the rest of us. That's why we're here and why we realize we need each other so badly. In that process we've found absolute treasure. OXXOXO!!

I feel like I'm almost at my sweet spot. Last fill was 0.5 and was too much so she took out 0.3cc. I am getting hungry between meals and feel like my restriction could be a little better. Would it be silly of me to ask for a 0.1cc fill??

Panda!! You are so gorgeous!! I am always amazed at the beautiful women that are revealed as the fat melts away....the ones we all know are in there "somewhere"!! You know I don't mean to offend anyone by that statement! You need to post your side by side B&A's for us!! BRAVO!!

I've lived in Texas all my life and I love it here....except for the brutal summers. Ideally, I'd like to have a summer place in Colorado. I just love it there, but no way I could handle the snow in winter.

YEAH!! That's what I was trying to say!!! Ok, I'm hungry AND I'm craving a cigarette. That's my cue to go to bed!!!

When we go out I almost always order a small salad, soup, an appetizer, or off the a la carte menu. Or DH and I will split a dinner and he'll order a soup or appetizer in addition. That works well for us. We ended up going out tonight 'cause he just felt like it and we went to Carrabba's (italian). I ordered crab cake appetizers and he ordered a personal pizza. I could only eat 3/4 of one crab cake, 2" in diameter! He ate all the rest, plus 1/2 of his pizza. We brought the rest of the pizza home. I still enjoy going out. Well, I guess I'm alone....but I really am enjoying what I'm eating! There's not too many foods I'm missing at all. But I am getting to the point I've always wanted to be ...and that is by really savoring the flavor of vegetables and fruits, whole grains and fish! (TracyK, i used to hate fish, too. I eat tilapia 3-4x a week now.) I know it's because I eat more slowly and chew each bite well. But more than that, I think it's because I eat so 'little' now that what I do eat I really like. <shrug> I dunno how to explain it. Haydee - Any chance you'd want to walk in the Houston SPCA 5K walk with me on Oct. 20th? I'm going to sign up with my DD...would love for you to join us. It's a great cause!! More info at HSPCA - Houston SPCA if you're interested. I still haven't told anyone about my band outside of my family and 2 friends. But then again, nobody has said to me, "WOW, you've lost weight!"...much less "How did you do it??" As a matter of fact, nobody outside of my family has even commented about my weight loss. But my kids tell me all the time how great I'm looking and I LOVE that! They are so sweet!

I just totalled our losses on the spreadsheet and it's like 478# (or close)!! WOW! We were going to go out too....but it's a waste of money. Especially when I am sooooooo happy with pan-grilled tilapia and some steamed asparagus or salad. I've got a freezer full of meat and lots of veggies in the fridge so we're eating in too. Tomorrow's a busy day for me. I think I'll do some beading tonight and probably hang out here. So I'll see ya'll later! Oh, by the way, I meant to ask ya'll....... Do you find that you enjoy your food more now than pre-band?? I know I do. Every bite.

Bingo, Jack. That is where I think I am. I'm anxious to see how I feel in a week or two. So far restriction is perfect-o!!! By the way....I looked it up and was freaking amazed to find out that 0.1cc is 0.02 of a teaspoon!!! That's very very tiny.

Good Morning Sweeties! Ok, I am definitely feeling greater restriction with just a measely 0.1cc fill. Do you realize how little that is? That is 2/100 of a teaspoon!! Blows my mind. Jenn - You know what I think? I think that every time he says "I fell asleep" that is his code word for "I found something better to do." He just wants a lay and he wants it when it's convenient for him. GROSS! That line about "it would be different if you were my girlfriend" sounds like a line that boys use in high school for cryin' out loud! He must think you are as dumb as a post. Ignore his existance. He is a gnat...no, an amoeba...in the world of real manhood. I haven't read the book, but I have read exerpts, "He's Just Not that Into You" and one of the things I remember is that if a guy is really into you he will almost make a complete ass of himself by calling too often and wanting to see you! If he's interested, you'll KNOW it!! When I think back on the 4 serious loves of my life...they all did that. Like we were inseparable from the day we met!! That's not just a coincidence that they all 4 behaved the same way....that's what real, meaningful attraction looks like!!! And, on the other hand, just because someone isn't that into you, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you!!! It just means that the chemistry isn't there!! No big deal! "There's a bus every 10 minutes" as my DH is fond of telling anyone who's heartbroken. I know that a good relationship would go a long way in helping you feel better with all you have going on right now. It's hard to bear all that weight yourself. I know. And I'm sorry you have to do it. It's vastly unfair how many women have to do it alone. And, speaking of which....why is it that you won't ask your children's father face-to-face what his plan is for paying child support??? Can't he see...doesn't he understand...that you are on the verge of losing your house and car?? Is he THAT much of a bastard? And if so, why in the world are you allowing that bastard the luxury of waltzing in and out of your life as if you were an all-night drive through? I just don't get that at all. Sorry. I know you love him and that is a powerful thing. But man o man...not supporting your kids is the lowest of the low in my book. Lower than your 'sleeper' friend, the amoeba. Ok, done with my rant. Michelle - I'm so glad that you feel pretty today!! I just LOVE those days!!! Your outfit sounds really cute! How about a pic?? Might I remind you that anything more than 8# a month is totally unhealthy?? ....and what it implies is that you are wasting muscle tissue, not fat?? So, my dear, you are right on target. Give yourself a big kiss and jump for joy!!! You are a picture perfect bandster!! Judy - I have never been good with the alchemy of spices....so thanks for those suggestions. I use that "Garlic Dude Dust" and it takes care of it all for me! LOL I can't tell you how many soups I've ruined because I put some wierd spice in there that didn't belong! I wish I could take a class or something that emphasized the use of spices...I don't even know what 1/2 of them taste like. TracyK - Sooooo glad you are feeling better. Have a nice restful day today! (are you working??!) Lazy day here -- I'm the only one at the office in my area. Everyone scattered for the weekend....Vegas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Mexico! LOL Yet, here I sit!! Did anyone see that new show last night after Gray's Anatomy, "Big Shots"? Those guys remind me of the kind of men that I work with!!! Except that my guys are upstanding, very nice and very monogamous!...but they are all definitely a part of the country club crowd so it will be an interesting show for me. Gray's Anatomy was awesome last night!!!

Oh, you outed yourself! I thought you meant somebody squealed! Well, you did the right thing, Tracy. I don't know that I would have done the same. I'm proud of you!!

My worst nightmare!! Who told?? I'd kill 'em.

Are you banded...and tight? It could also be the taste of bile which is a sign of being too tightly restricted. Call your doctor or nurse to discuss your symptoms.They may want to scope you.

Laura - I've come to the conclusion that you just have taste buds from another planet or something. I'll eat a lot of things, but I will NOT eat canned chicken! I think it tastes like dog food smells!! And here you are buying all you can get your hands on!

Well, I did ask and receive a 0.1cc fill. The nurse is kinda new to lapband but she said, "If you feel much difference in 0.1cc, I'll be amazed." Well, I do feel a significant difference! I can definitely tell I've had a fill! Thankfully it's not as rough a ride as my last fill was!

Here's some other threads: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/help-gum-question-im-cross-posting-37506/#post508899 http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/help-27277/#post353105 http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/help-swallowed-gum-20316/#post248005