TerriDoodle

Ya'll are crackin' me up with your liquid diet stories. Not that I'm actually 'amused' by your suffering! Oh, NO!! But you do have a way of making me VERY GLAD I'm not on liquids!!! I wish I had comforting words of encouragement. I do know that when I'm hungry but don't want to pack in any more calories that I turn to my beading .... keeps my hands and mind very busy and I can be distracted pretty easily that way. So maybe if you make an effort to do things that are not 'ordinary' for you. In other words, don't sit in your favorite chair and watch your favorite show when you know you can't have your favorite snack! Avoid the triggers, I guess is what I'm saying. Play cards or Scrabble or go for a walk at the mall, get a pedicure, pick up that needlework you've been neglecting, clean out the pantry. KEEP BUSY. I know, I know....not exactly pearls of wisdom, but it's all I got. It's all going to be worth it in the end. Keep your eye on the prize! You're all doing GREAT!!

It's funny how much of the country is just getting their springtime weather...and here (Houston) we are already well into it. Today it will probably hit 80. By May we'll be hitting 90! July, Aug and Sept. are just pure hell no matter what the temperature. We will be going to Colorado hopefully sometime to escape the heat. ANYWAY.... today is nice and we're enjoying our weather while we can. I'm feeling very *balanced* right now. I'm a little nervous, but not much, and get a lot of positive encouragement from the forums and threads I visit. I am trying to keep in mind that the complications are rare in reality, they just seem more frequent on the boards. One resounding theme throughout the success stories seems to be, "I follow the bandster guidelines". Wow. Who'da thunk it? The best one I read today was a girl about my size who has lost 65# this past year. Normally lower BMI and older ladies (me) have a harder time losing. And no, she didn't exercise much. I was thrilled to see her progress. She just "followed the bandster rules"!!! If I could be down to 150 by this time next year I think I would just have a FIT!! I think I'd have to go out and buy myself a CORVETTE or something!!! Ya'll have a great day. Smooches!

Your concerns are the same as many on the April 2007 band wagon.... come join us and stay awhile! Click here for the thread. We'd love to have you. :welcomeB:

No offense taken, Kat....I had the same concerns when I posted it, but just thought it was funny. All is well. I'm down to 13 days now. I don't have a pre-op diet except to "eat low-carb". I've been doing fairly well at it and have gained and lost the same 3# over and over again. This is exactly why I'm getting banded. I don't think my doctor will be upset by my lack of loss, but I will try in earnest for the next two weeks....uh, 13 days. The April 06 Bandiversary thread is really awesome. I totally recommend you all go take a look. Thanks to those who are posting their memories, dreams and reflections. It is very, very reassuring.

This thread is so very inspiring to all of us that are anxiously awaiting our banding. You probably remember your anxiety, too....second-guessing, worrying, wondering, mourning, etc. Every time I have any doubts I just hang out on LBT for awhile, maybe go look at the before/after thread or the 'would you do it again?' poll, and I'm right back at the place where I know without a doubt that I am doing the right thing. Thanks to all of you for taking the April 07 Bandwagon under your wings. It helps more than you know. :love:

I'm considering the band. One of my major concerns is how long the recovery will take. I'd MUCH prefer to keep it a secret at work, but what do I tell my boss and how much time off should I ask for? I suppose I could say I"m having 'minor'(?) surgery and expect to be back in X number of days....but I'm pretty close to the folks I work with. That may cause quite a bit of alarm. Also, I'd prefer to take medical leave rather than vacation time. Any ideas and shared experiences are appreciated.

Sorry, group! I was really only just kidding about the drill sargeant routine.

Well, isn't THAT interesting!!! I will definitely be looking for that signal when I eat my lunch today!! Where would we be without this board??? ....just fumbling around in the dark!!! I'm really proud of you Tracy....you did real good! :clap2: Check it out........exactly 2 weeks from today I'll be going under the knife. Most of my doubts and anxieties are all gone and I'm READY to get this show on the road. I mean, it's already time for me to clean out and then start re-stocking my pantry and lining up my post-op supplies!!

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!! (I went to UT Austin 1976-78!! Earl Campbell kick-a$$ days!!) Welcome Horns10!!!

From PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Addiction: Pay Attention Heroin and chocolate cake have a nasty way of crowding out the rest of the universe. The country's chief addiction expert argues that the propensity to drink, overeat and take drugs is a matter of attention gone awry. By:Kathleen McGowan Meeting her now, it is hard to believe that the Mexican-Russian great-granddaughter of the revolutionary Leon Trotsky ever felt the need to impress her friends. But the universal teenage urge to look more glamorous drove a young Nora Volkow, then in high school, to smoke her first cigarette. It could have been the first step toward a nasty habit, but something in her neurochemistry rebelled. She hated it. Volkow, now one of the country's most prominent drug addiction researchers and the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), doesn't think that her disgust for cigarettes had anything to do with morals or self-control. She says she's just naturally intense; the additional stimulation provided by the nicotine was simply too much for her. "I like coffee, but I cannot even drink it because I get so wired," she says. "I was probably born like that. I'm very protected against drugs. It's my neurobiology, and I'm lucky." Listening to her explain her theories about addiction and the brain, her self-diagnosis sounds right on target. Even though she's petite, with a jogger's lean physique, she dominates the room. She speaks very fast, with a Spanish accent that rounds her vowels, and ideas tumble out one after the other so quickly that it's almost impossible to keep up. She's a fast-moving example of one of her most interesting theories: that addiction may be a malfunction of the normal human craving for stimulation. Volkow thinks that drugs and other addictive habits tap into some of the deepest forces within us—our lust for newness, our yearning for vitality and the deep-down thrill of being alive. "We all seek that intensity," she says. "There's something very powerful about that." This idea is based on a new understanding of dopamine, the brain chemical involved in motivation, pleasure and learning. Because addictive drugs like cocaine and nicotine cause a flood of dopamine in the brain, researchers once thought that the neurochemical was a simple pleasure switch, the body's own "reward" button. Yet something didn't add up. If dopamine delivers the pleasure message, addicts should be in a continual state of bliss—but most of them get very little pleasure from the drug, despite the surge of neurochemicals. "I've seen hundreds of addicted people, and never have I come across one who wanted to be addicted," says Volkow. As she began doing brain-imaging studies with drug addicts, that contradiction haunted her. In response, Volkow and other researchers are developing a new understanding of addiction. Rather than just telling us to feel good, dopamine tells us what's salient—the unexpected bits of new information we need to pay attention to in order to survive, like alerts about sex, food and pleasure, as well as danger and pain. If you are hungry and you get a whiff of a bacon cheeseburger, Volkow's research team has shown, your dopamine skyrockets. But the chemical will also surge if a lion leaps into your cubicle. Dopamine's role is to shout: "Hey! Pay attention to this!" Only as an afterthought might it whisper "Wow, this feels great." So maybe addicts aren't just chasing a good time. Perhaps their brains have somehow mistakenly learned that drugs are the most important thing to pay attention to, as crucial to survival as food or sex. The salience theory of dopamine also provides new explanations for other self-destructive human tendencies, from binge eating to gambling. It may explain why we crave the stimulation of new information. The experiments that Volkow and her team are conducting may also reveal some of the most powerful behavioral machinery in our brains, the equipment that motivates and inspires us. If they are right, dopamine is more than a joyride. It's more like the drug of life. Its mission is more profound and philosophical: to connect us to the world and supply us with the will to stay alive. Nora Volkow has science in her blood. Her father is a chemist, her grandfather and her great-grandfather were physicists. But her family, which emigrated from Russia to Mexico in the 1930s, has another intellectual legacy. One of her great-grandfathers was the brilliant Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky, and Volkow grew up in the Mexico City home where he spent the last days of his life—and where he was killed on Stalin's orders in 1940. Parts of the house became a museum of Trotsky's life, and when Volkow was a child, people like the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez would stop by. Volkow, though, was more interested in psychiatry than in politics. She graduated at the top of her medical school class at the National University of Mexico, then came to the United States to pursue the new science of brain imaging. During the 1980s, at New York University and then at University of Texas, Austin, she used brain imaging techniques to study schizophrenia and cocaine addiction—and established herself as a leader in the field. She then moved to Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, where she won a reputation as an intellectual powerhouse, respected for her creativity as well as for her productivity. "Nora has that enthusiasm, that spark," says NYU Medical Center psychiatry chair Robert Cancro, who worked with her early in her career. "She'd get excited about things, talk 160 words a minute—and that was in English!" Her colleagues say she is a bold and unconventional thinker. Early on, she demonstrated that cocaine physically damaged the brain. It took years before this controversial finding was accepted, but other research eventually proved her right. She was also an early champion of the idea that drug addiction is a medical problem, rather than a lack of willpower or moral Fiber. That formerly radical view is now considered mainstream. Since she was chosen to direct NIDA, Volkow has brought new visibility to the controversial theory about dopamine that has percolated in the scientific community for approximately the past decade. According to the salience theory of dopamine, the neurochemical is released when something surprisingly important happens, whether that's an unexpected reward or accidentally stepping on a nail. Since dopamine is also involved in learning, memory and motivation, the chemical helps us pay attention to the information we need to survive, act upon it, and remember it for the future. But drugs hijack that machinery, sending 5 to ten times as much dopamine surging through the nucleus accumbens and forcing the brain's motivational and attentional mechanisms to focus purely on the drug. It becomes the most interesting and important thing in the world. "In any addicted person, what's salient is the drug," says Volkow. "There's no competition." Over time, the addict's brain adapts to the torrent of dopamine by dampening the system down. Imaging experiments show that cocaine addicts' brains don't react to the things that turn on the rest of us, whether that's romantic passion, food or cold, hard cash. Volkow's research has also shown that addicts have fewer dopamine D2 receptors, which are found in parts of the brain involved in motivation and reward behavior. With fewer receptors, the dopamine system is desensitized, and the now-understimulated addict needs more and more of the drug to feel anything at all. Meanwhile, pathways associated with other interesting stimuli are left idle and lose strength. The prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain associated with judgment and inhibitory control—also stops functioning normally. It's a neurological recipe for disaster. "You have enhanced motivation for the drug, and you have impaired prefrontal cortical systems. So you want the drugs pathologically, and you have reduced control of behavior, and what you've got is an addict," says University of Michigan, Ann Arbor psychology professor Terry Robinson, who pioneered this new way of thinking about dopamine with his University of Michigan colleague Kent Berridge. Some people are apparently born with fewer dopamine receptors, and they are more likely to enjoy the rush of addictive drugs. In one imaging experiment, Volkow gave Ritalin, which gently lifts dopamine levels, to a group of ordinary volunteers. Some loved the feeling of the drug, but others hated it so much that they threatened to drop out of the study. Volkow was puzzled until she imaged their brains. She found that those who liked the rush from the drug had fewer dopamine D2 receptors than those who hated it. Volkow thinks that some people have a sensitive dopamine circuitry; they can't take the additional stimulation of drugs. Obesity may involve similar malfunctions in the dopamine system. Volkow's longtime Brookhaven collaborator Gene-Jack Wang has discovered that the brains of seriously obese people seem to be tuned toward food. Even when they are lying quietly in the scanning machine, the sensory cortex of their mouth, tongue and lips is more active than it is in normal-weight people, he says: "They are putting out their antennae." Yet he also found that the dopamine circuitry of heavy people is less responsive, with fewer dopamine D2 receptors. Even among the obese, there are dopamine differences. The heaviest people in his study had fewer dopamine receptors than the lightest. Like addicts, overeaters may be compensating for a sluggish dopamine system by turning to the one thing that gets their neurons pumping. It's a mark of changing times—and more sophisticated science—that the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is thinking about doughnuts as well as heroin. Just as blaming drug addiction on moral weakness was a shortsighted and unscientific way of framing a social problem, Volkow believes that focusing solely on metabolism, or blaming fat people for overindulgence and gluttony, are intellectual dead ends. "What motivates us to eat is clearly much more than hunger," she says. "We need to expand the way we think about eating." Wang and Volkow suggest that dopamine may provide a new window into weight loss: Animal studies have shown, for example, that exercise elevates dopamine release and increases dopamine D2 receptors. Volkow and the other champions of the new view of dopamine don't deny that the chemical helps us register pleasure. But they think that pleasure is just part of a set of interconnected dopamine-related behaviors. Volkow recently found that adults with attention deficit disorder who took dopamine-boosting Ritalin before taking a math test found it easier to concentrate, in part, because the task seemed more interesting, so they felt more motivated to do the problem. From this angle, it makes sense that the cognitive process of absorbing new information is closely tied to the brain's pleasure mechanisms. You might say that what the brain really "wants" is new information, suggests Gregory Berns, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta. "Neurons really exist to process information. That's what neurons do. If you want to anthropomorphize neurons, you can say that they are happiest when they are processing information." This urge to connect to the world and learn from it is more important than mere pleasure, says Volkow. It's part of the most basic force in behavior: the will to live. It's not automatic, she points out. Seriously ill or very depressed people can lose the will to survive. "What is the motivation we all have to be alive, to do things?" she asks. "It's not pleasure. Our lives would be so much simpler if we were motivated just for the sake of pleasure." But dopamine sensitivity and addiction aren't genetically determined or inevitable. One experiment with monkeys showed that the dopamine system may be influenced by social interactions: Animals that lost social status also lost D2 receptors. Context is also crucial. Obviously, it's easier to get hooked if drugs are easy to get in your neighborhood, but it's not just a question of supply and demand. People who grow up in stimulating, engaging surroundings are protected against addiction, Volkow believes, even if they don't have a naturally responsive dopamine system. If you connect to the world in a meaningful way, and have more chances to get excited about natural stimuli, you're less likely to need an artificial boost. "If you don't get excited by everyday things in life, if things look gray, and the drug makes things look extraordinary, that puts you at risk," she says. "But if you get great excitement out of a great multiplicity of things, and intensely enjoy these things—seeing a movie, or climbing a mountain—and then you try a drug, you'll think: What's the big deal?" For those lucky enough to grow up as Volkow did, surrounded by sharp minds and fascinating history, drugs are just nowhere near as interesting as everyday life.

Julz, I just want to say how sorry I am that you have lost your son. There are no words to express it, as you know. I only want to say I'm sorry. It does sound like you have adapted as well as you can and I'm so glad you are in touch with his presence. That must give you such great comfort. I wish you well with your upcoming challenges... we're all in this together and we're forming some pretty special friendships here. This is good.

Well, Jenn, I do have fears, too....but not about the surgery. Mine are more about WHAT AM I GOING TO EAT?? NO LETTUCE??? NO CHICKEN??? NO SALADS???? That's a real stumper for me. The other fear I have is not losing weight....of course.

Awwww, Jenn!!!! I'm sorry you're in a tailspin! I think everyone is right here.... first you need to calm down. Keep things in perspective. You're not going in for brain sugery here....it's just a little laproscope. You'll be under for a grand total of 30-45 minutes. You will absolutely be FINE!! My surgeon has done something like 2500 (or more) of these operations and he's never lost a patient yet....not even close, he said. It might be a little riskier if you were 496#, had blood pressure thru the roof, a 20 year history of diabetes and heart disease!! But you're a healthy young woman and you'll be just fine. The human ability to survive all kinds of havoc is really amazing and this surgery is just a 'blip on the screen' in the grand scheme of things. All that being said, however, if you are THIS riled up and stressed out about it, it probably would not be a good idea to do it until you are really ready and 150% sure this is what you want to do. It's ok to put it off if you want....the surgeon isn't going anywhere. It is my belief, too, that you are very connected to your cousin (obviously) and there is just a hightened energy activity around the anniversary of her death. You must know in your heart that she is with you all the time....that all you need to do is direct your thoughts to her and she is instantly with you. Soul energy works that way. She may be frustrated that she is unable to communicate her presence to you and uses these methods to just say "Hi! I love you! Don't worry about me!" I don't believe that she would necessarily 'know the future' and try to 'warn' you about it. Your path was laid out long before you were even born and all is well. There is nothing to 'warn' you about! What will be is meant to be and she accepts that where she is. If anything, she is only letting you know that she is with you during this stressful time and you should call on her and all the angels in Heaven to be with you and protect you as you go through this process. Angels help when they are asked to help. I'll pray for you too. A little prayer goes a long way. Breathe.

Me too, Tracy -- I was a die-hard low carber and a firm believer for 2 years. I still am, but not keeping my carbs anywhere near 30-40 a day. I can do maybe 70-100. I am looking forward to having the band as a tool get back to that healthy WOE.

BetsyJane posted this and I thought it might come in REAL handy. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` HowtoTellWhenYouArePerfectlyAdjusted: You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of protein a day? 2. Are you eating 25 grams of fiber? 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories? a. Soup can be sign of soft calorie syndrome b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories 7 calories per gram.(It's also a stomach irritant). c. Fruit juice is just sugar water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can't just eat what's easy c. Cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals? 6. Are you eating too much junk? a. Chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don't avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of calcium daily? 8. Do you always eat the protein first? 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. Meat or fish (3 ounces the size of a deck of cards) b. Vegetables (½ cup the size of your fist) c. Starch (If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don't need much - Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta) 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine. d. The body has no way to break down artificial fats). a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you're not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won't be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it's a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive compulsive thoughts (Obsess about something else) b. Perfectionism (All or none, black and white thinking) c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as good and bad e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables (6) Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (7) Peppermint (8) Baking soda toothpaste (9) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (Tylenol is OK) n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider

BetsyJane posted this and I thought it might come in REAL handy. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` HowtoTellWhenYouArePerfectlyAdjusted: You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of protein a day? 2. Are you eating 25 grams of fiber? 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories? a. Soup can be sign of soft calorie syndrome b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories 7 calories per gram.(It's also a stomach irritant). c. Fruit juice is just sugar water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can't just eat what's easy c. Cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals? 6. Are you eating too much junk? a. Chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don't avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of calcium daily? 8. Do you always eat the protein first? 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. Meat or fish (3 ounces the size of a deck of cards) b. Vegetables (½ cup the size of your fist) c. Starch (If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don't need much - Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta) 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine. d. The body has no way to break down artificial fats). a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you're not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won't be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it's a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive compulsive thoughts (Obsess about something else) b. Perfectionism (All or none, black and white thinking) c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as good and bad e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables (6) Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (7) Peppermint (8) Baking soda toothpaste (9) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (Tylenol is OK) n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider

Tracy -- Who's Kimmer? Jenn - I'm sorry you don't have anyone to be at the hospital with you :eek: I wish i could come and stay with you then get you home and tucked in. That's a drag. I think you should tell your dad but with the STRICT admonishment that he not tell anyone. Tell him that this is VERY IMPORTANT to you and you expect him to honor the confidence. Surely he can understand that!!! Right?

Nurseamy -- Now, I'm not banded yet, but I do have a long history with blood sugar issues and related hunger. If I was eating what you're eating, I'd be starving too!! To me it looks like too many carbs, and not enoughprotein and fat. This may sound really odd, but not to anyone who's ever been on a low-carb diet like Atkins. Adding a little fat will really help keep you satisfied longer. LIke Betsyjane said, make your soups hearty, make scrambled eggs with some butter, use full fat cottage cheese and yogurt and add some whey Protein powder, blend Peanut Butter into your shakes, etc. You can watch your calories on www.fitday.com. There will be plenty of time for restricting your calories further later on after you get filled when the band is doing a better job.

Funny you say that, I was just over at the Feb. 07 Bandsters!! They're all doing really well but some are having trouble with being hungry (before their first fill, etc.). It is so cool how we can hop around and see how folks are doing 1, 2, 3+ months post op. Very informative. What's really crazy to me is to hear people say, "I've only lost 26 pounds since my surgery 5 weeks ago".... :eek: ....Did they say "ONLY"??? I would be dancing a jig!!!

Mazie! You're FUNNY. I'm so glad you're here!! Ok, so give it up. What issues? Yikes....are you gonna be the first one of us?? Who else is on 4/2?? Wait...we have the list somewhere.... CJulzGO - 04/02 Sara Mos - 04/02<O:p></O:p> Maziemommy – 04/02 Adumont75 - 04/02 Darla - 04/02 (mother to Panda) Panda - 04/02 (daughter to Darla) Kity - 04/03<O:p></O:p> Jennifer – 04/03 TerriDoodle - 04/04 BandedMe - 04/05<O:p></O:p> OnlyMe – 04/05 ShineOn - 04/06 Heather228 - 04/06 Chica Chula - 04/09<O:p></O:p> Day3447 – 04/09 Keluliana - 04/10 Bwaydiva - 04/11 StaceyLynn - 04/12<O:p></O:p> Maggiec 38 – 04/13 Jennifur - 04/16 Flax - 04/26 TracyinKS -04/26

Jenn -- You've given lots of good reasons for NOT telling your dad. But why DO you want to tell him? Is it important to you? Just wonderin' (read: just being nosey). :eek:

Well, come join our April 2007 group -- we're all due for surger in April and we're all freakin' out just the same!! We'd be happy to have you!

What kind of tea was that?? (note to self: stay away from Jenn's "special" tea.)

Ok, I was NOT kidding when I said I was having strange dreams. Last night I dreamed about two HUGE frogs (like the kind you fry up :hungry: ) chasing each other around....then one stops to take a pee break....right on my bananas. Do ya'll think I need psychiatric care?

Well, to me, it sounds like you've just described the experiences of 90% of the bandsters on this board....so sounds like you're perfectly normal and the kind doctor is living in fantasy land. $20 says he does not have a band himself. That's what is so great about being here, that you know going in that it's learning and re-learning, trial and error, over and over again until you finally get it. Then you may have to do it all over again as your body adjusts, you get filled and unfilled, etc. From what I can gather it's at least a year+ long learning curve. I am always kinda shocked when I see new posters that come on here and say, "I was banded a month ago and I can't seem to eat BREAD!!" Uh, hello??? Were they just not listening??? I can't help but worry about someone like that....man, are they in for a shock!!