donali

AHHHAHAHAHHH!!!! LOL I was trying to get my BF to sing (and act out) the "I'm too sexy for my shirt" song just the other day... lol

Getting your heart rate up is cardiovascular exercise, and is very very important - your heart is pretty much the most important muscle you have, next to your brain. Aerobic exercise does help burn calories, but not in the same way as building muscle. Your active job does count, but probably not too much towards building muscle or getting your heart rate up. But you are moving, and therefore burning more calories per day than if you sat there typing all day like I do. :bored I believe whatever muscle mass you currently have will be maintained as long as you provide your body with adequate protein/calories and continue to do the same amount of activity each day. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. To attain best health you should do both - heart rate exercise and muscle building exercise. Says the ultimate couch potato... So much beautiful, unapplied knowledge in this little brain of mine... I'm looking for the magic motivation gene. lol Where's Tony Robbins when you need him?!?!

Hi Nana - I did get your email - you should have received an email from me this morning letting all who sent me an email know that Kyleigh was the lucky winner. Congrats, Kyleigh!! Enjoy, and use in good health! xxoo

Last call - bumping for those coming late to the offer.

Whoo hooo!!! <wolf whistle> - looking great, Alex!! Congrats!!!

Sensy, what Alexandra said. No kidding. No fooling around. Promise???

Sounds pretty important, and scary to mess with according to these sites?!?! lol http://www.answers.com/topic/vagus-nerve http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/ http://www.bartleby.com/107/205.html

I believe that is the "vagus" nerve...

I think being banded has changed you... You may not think it has, because you are fighting the same demons, but you have learned SO MUCH about yourself through your band, and through your membership on this board. Yes, you are still struggling. No, it isn't easy. But look at how much you have accomplished since banding in spite of all the problems you have had, being UNFILLED, and then just life in general. One day, my little chickadee, you WILL get a fill, and you will become even more successful. Until then, you are seeking the help you need, and exploring strategies to remain and continue to be successful. And that may not be a change, but everything you are trying IS changing you. Can you take a night class in something fun, like painting, or dog grooming, or something like that? A community class that only costs $25 or something? You need live bodies to get you out of the house and tire your a$$ out. You will need SEVERAL live bodies, though, 'cause you have more energy than any 10 people I know put together. xxoo

If you are feeling like you are being compliant and still can't lose weight, then you need to really look at everything you are doing to find out what is going wrong. Log your intake - EVERY single mouthful!! - at www.fitday.com for two weeks doing your NORMAL routine. Log your exercise, note your medications. After your two weeks review the results. What kinds of foods are you eating? Are you meeting your nutritional goals? Are you eating too much? Are you eating too little? How close to goal are you? The weight comes off more quickly the further from goal you are, and slows down the closer you get to goal. It is important that you are eating enough, particularly if you are genuinely exercising regularly and relatively intensely. Does your normal intake tend to be on the refined carb/high fat side? Try substituting less refined carbs and lean Proteins for those refined carbs. If it doesn't look like there's anything wrong with your intake, shake up your exercise routine. Interval training really helps - alternate your workout with low intensity/high intensity activities. If you usually walk, ride your bike. If you usually bike try walking. Add arm movements, use resistance, change your route to include hills. Are you on a normal plateau? The body likes to rest occasionaly. Make sure you keep up with measurements, too. If your intake/activity level is already optimum, and you're not on a plateau (allow two months!), it's time to review your medications and have some bloodwork done to rule out biological causes. Good luck, and if you want more personalized help we're all willing to review and analyze your intake/activity and offer opinions/advice on how to better achieve your goals.

(((Megan))) I am so glad he had the balls to give you closure in person. Don't let him string you along with "maybe someday..." Make a clean break, do your dating, and if in a year or two he has gotten his sh*t together and gives you a call out of the blue you can think about whether or not you want to see him again THEN. And NO, you are NOT forgettable...

You are over half way there!!! You are doing great!! Having other people in the household does make it challenging. Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em... Just kidding... Can you turn around your frustration with your husband's diet to be a positive? Instead of thinking of all the ways it is irritating you, think of all the positive things about it - like it's a reminder that you have a husband you love that you can care for, and every little chore is a way of showing him how deeply you care for him. Every little effort made on his behalf is like a kiss, a caress. If you can't turn it around, perhaps you can suggest to him to be more participatory. HE makes the shopping list of the stuff HE wants, HE goes with you, HE does the chopping and measuring of his stuff, HE does the counting. If you offer to cook it I think that's supportive enough. Oh, and did I mention - YOU'RE OVER HALF-WAY THERE!!!! :banana

Brenda, really, you are doing fantastic!! Congrats! I like your strategy for success. Baby step that, break it into little bits that are easily accomplished and when that becomes habit step it up a notch. Also, if you are snacking inbetween meals because you are hungry, pre-plan Snacks that won't negatively impact your goals but will give you snacking satisfaction, like maybe sliced cucumbers cold stored in some vinegar Water, or other raw veggies. You really get some chewing satisfaction (I like celery and carrots for that), and you really can't go overboard on those types of things. We'll be with you every step of the way! Whoo hoo!

I have an extra "Picture Perfect Weight Loss" book by Dr. Shapiro that was sent to me by mistake when I ordered a different one of his books, and I never returned it. The cover is scuffed, but other than that it seems to be in new condition. If anyone wants it, EMAIL me. I imagine I will get several responses, so at the end of today I will do a random drawing from the requests I receive and will send it off as a gift to the lucky winner once they email me their mailing address. I will NOT consider PM requests (my PM box is full!!! Do NOT PM me!!!)

Actually, the device is for INHALING - you have to inhale to get the little ball to move up. Exhaling is easy - it's the inhaling that's hard, and hurts. You have to have a certain lung capacity to bring the ball all the way to the top. Prior to surgery the lung doc did my lung test - asked me to exhale for as long as I could, and then inhale for as long as I could. He's timing me, and asking, "Are you STILL???" And I nodded yes, both inhale/exhale. I'm a professionally trained singer, and I guess that makes a difference... lol One of my assisting surgeons, a very slender, young, healthy looking guy said he could NOT move the ball up to the top. Prior to surgery I showed him just how very easy it is, inhaling slowly (inhaling quickly is cheating - you have to move the ball up SLOWLY - for real) and getting the ball all the way up to the top and continuing to inhale for many seconds effortlessly keeping it there. He was duly impressed... After surgery I was like: get this f#$!*ng torture machine AWAY from me!!! lol

The biggest difference between a lifestyle change and a "diet" is ATTITUDE. On a diet, certain things are off limits. In a lifestyle change, all things are choices. To be successful in a lifestyle change your healthy choices just outnumber your less healthy choices most of the time. A "diet" is all or nothing. You either did it that day, or you didn't. Success or failure. Black or white. A lifestyle change is NOT ALL or NOTHING. It is more healthy/less healthy. It is how you lived that day, how you will live tomorrow, and the day after that all blended together. Grey. A "diet" is temporary. A lifestyle change is forever. A "diet" is: I was good. I was bad. I'm trying to be good. I'm going to be good. I won't eat xxxx. I can't eat xxxx. A lifestyle change is: I choose to eat this because it adds to my health. I choose to eat this because I want it, knowing that it does not further my health goals for today. I choose to eat xxxx today. I choose not to eat xxxx today. A "diet" is almost always drastic and unsustainable. The more drastic, the more appealing. A "diet" sets us up for failure by its very nature. A lifestyle change is reasonable and maintainable. It makes one sustainable change at a time. It focuses on building desireable habits and feeling good about yourself. A lifestyle change sets us up for success by its very nature. A "diet" is about deprivation and willpower. A lifestyle change is about moderation and learning new ways to cope with life. A "diet" is about weight. A lifestyle change is about health.

Can you have full liquids yet? Can you add some fruit/peanut butter and blend well with your Protein shakes? Is there some other possibility for your headaches besides low caloric intake - caffeine withdrawal, nicotine withdrawal, school stress? The hair loss thing is normal and will stop. I can't give any advice on the fibromalgyia, as thank goodness I've never had to deal with that, but be good to yourself. If liquid Tylenol helps with the pain and you can tolerate that I recommend it - it really helped with my pain when I tore my port sutures. I understand that reasoning with emotions - I would also like to remind you that it is very common and perfectly normal to feel some depression after an episode of anesthesia. So even if you feel like crap, you're normal!! Believe it or not... lol

I'm sure you've heard it before - the first six weeks are for HEALING, not weight loss! If you're in mushies make the best choices you can and eat as much and as often as you need to feel satisfied. Many people regain a little weight in this stage, many don't. In the end, IT DOESN'T matter. What happens weight-wise in the next six weeks is not going to impact your end result. Go to www.fitday.com and enter your personal info. Then if you look on the activity level (I believe it is) it will tell you what your basal metabolism burns. Per Alexandra (and I believe this to be true), the basal calories listed are a little high, because our body fat percentage is higher than the charts figure, and they don't compensate for the fact that fat is not metabolically active like muscle. Regardless, if you take in the number of calories the chart says your basal metabolism requires you should loose weight just fine, particularly with exercise 3x a week. There is no reason to drop your calories to 1200 if you can lose weight at 1800 - as you get closer to goal you will have to start lowering your caloric intake to continue to lose, or increase your exercise. And don't forget - the true benefit of exercise does NOT occur while you're doing it - it occurs after you do it, by having an increased metabolic rate for an hour or two after cardio activity, and a faster metabolsim due to increased muscle mass. Also, may I point out that you have lost 11 pounds in a little over two weeks, which is way ahead of the curve. Our bodies are not little mathematic machines - sometimes they rest a little bit before dropping more weight scale-wise. However, rest assured that your body is doing all the things it needs to do to become smaller and healthier, even if the scale is not showing it. Relax, and learn to get in touch with your physical hunger so you can eat in response to that, and do other things in response to non-physical hunger.

Actually, this is NOT true. In order for erosion to be detectable under fluoroscopy, the erosion would have to be advanced enough for the band to already have breached the stomach wall, and the barium is seen to be flowing around/on the outside of the band, instead of the inside. Slips, however, or bad band placement, CAN be determined via fluoro.

Wow, Nykee... (((((hugs))))) Amazing story, fabulous survival skills. Congrats on all your accomplishments and for never giving up. (((hugs)))

Water load, drink lots of hot non-caloric beverages inbetween meals. Can you have sugar-free jello? Try drinking that as a hot liquid - it really stays with you.

Christina - Your nutritionist is well-intentioned, I'm sure, but a little off the mark for patients who do not have restriction. Some patients are restricted for some time after surgery (I wasn't hungry until four weeks out, which means that my stomach was swollen enough from surgery that I basically was a little too tight). Some patients, however, have very little residual swelling, or swelling that resolves more quickly. You sound like one of those - without restriction you will be able to eat almost normal-sized portions. I have read many articles that encourage the smaller/more frequent meals. I buy into that rationale, but at the same time it was uncomfortable for me to eat six times a day of any amount - my life TOTALLY revolved around food that way! I felt like I was eating all the time!! That was kind of the opposite effect I was hoping for - I didn't want to think about food at all - just eat when hungry, stop when full. The period of time before your first fill is about healing, not about weightloss. I would not worry too much about how much you are eating at this point because you have very little restriction and are very close to your pre-band capacity. If you do choose to incorporate the 6 meals a day into your lifestyle that DOESN'T mean you have to do that every single day! On days that you want to have dinner with family/friends or have a party or whatever you just make adjustments. You eat less during the day, or you cut out some of the meals, or you choose lower calorie foods, or you just eat more one day. Eating more calories than you need ONE day does not make you gain weight that sticks around. You are not dieting, you are feeling your way into a new lifestyle. You need to find something that works for you that you feel comfortable with. You can try your nutritionist's suggestion, but ultimately you are going to end up doing what you can maintain - it's human nature.

What a heartbreaking tragedy. I thinks Babs advice is right on the money - grief couseling is definitely in order for all involved.

Jamie - You already say in your first post that you're only getting in 700-800 calories... Surely you do not expect your fill to drop that number of calories even lower??? A fill is only to help restrict the amount of food you eat and help you stay satisfied on a smaller amount of food longer. You are already concerned that you are not eating enough - you DON'T need a fill in this case! Do you see what I'm saying here? If you are already eating too little, a fill is not going to help you lose weight... Fills are for when you are eating too much solid foods and are still hungry between reasonable-sized meals of dense Proteins and vegetables.

Hi Kirsten, and all other relatively new bandsters dying for a fill (or two, or three) - Please remember that YOU NEED TIME physically and emotionally to adjust to the changes that the band and the resulting levels of restriction bring. It can be a rude awakening (and frustrating) to go from eating normally to eating .5-1 cup of food at a sitting. I KNOW - everyone says "Bring it on!!!", and everyone thinks they are "ready" - but if you read any of these boards very long you soon become familiar with the problems people have by jumping into full-blown restriction too quickly. Please heed this sage advice from an experienced bandster - the restriction will come, make no mistake. More importantly, though, is taking the time to learn and adjust to new ways of eating and thinking. This journey is for LIFE - literally and figuratively. Give yourselves a chance to ease into it gradually - don't give in to those desires to rush the process. This experience will be so much more joyful and enjoyable if you are able to value each step without trying to rush to the end. Think of it as a new exercise class, or yoga. You need time for your body to become accustomed to the new moves and stretches before you can do it all - rushing will only result in pain and injury. We are such a "RIGHT NOW" society - but the reality is, some things are better (and work better) when they come gradually. And something I finally learned with the help of counseling: The changes you make DON'T have to be drastic to be effective. JMHO