donali

LOL... Is this how we came up with the saying, "Looks can be deceiving."? Just kidding, DeLarla!!! DON'T throw your shoe at me!!! xxoo

I guess it's okay if this thread turns into a reiteration about plateau "truths" - since the are an annoying part of everyone's journey. But, hey - at this point I hope I AM on a plateau, and not going up anymore!! lol Geez... this advice is all so good... You'd think I would have been able to keep these 30 pounds from creeping on. Saying and doing are so very two different things... sigh... Repeating for my benefit!! http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1545&highlight=plateau Hi Babs - Well, you've already said that not weighing regularly is NOT an option for you, so I can't tell you to throw your scale off a tall building. And as "anti-scale" as I am, I still weigh regularly myself for the same reasons you state - some sort of accountability. You already know that the plateaus are regular, short lasting, and have no effect on your average weightloss per month, but you freak out on plateaus in spite of your own well documented trends that it is indeed only temporary. The trick for me (undoubtedly you've read my very detailed post about my plateau's, their length, and my monthly weightloss average - lol) was to change my attitude about the plateau itself. Since everyone has them, they're obviously "needed" by the body. So I freak out less over plateaus because I tell myself: 1. My body is resting and compacting, doing all the secret body stuff it needs to do to adjust to its new size before it gets smaller. 2. I have an opportunity for my mind to adjust to my body at this size. 3. However long my body needs to readjust itself before it can release more weight is the right amount of time. If my plateaus seem ridiculously long, I evaluate my lifestyle and reaffirm some truths (for me): 1. My journey is about health, not weightloss. If I continue to do healthy things, my body will achieve a normal weight. 2. Am I doing what I need to do to achieve health? Am I drinking enough water, eating enough protein, exercising enough? Is there room for improvement? Am I willing to make some small changes that may aid/speed my health? If I am not emotionally ready to make more positive changes, then I don't, and I accept that emotionally I am not ready to be more healthy, but I also make a mental note of what steps I could take, once I AM ready to make more changes. 3. Above all, I am gentle, loving, and accepting of myself and where I am. I have abused myself physically and emotionally all my life, and I am no longer going to treat myself that way. I am willing to look at myself honestly, accept where I may be lacking in effort, and congratulate myself for how far I've come and validate my journey. I remind myself that there is no "deadline", and that this is for life. This things do not keep me from stepping on the scale and hoping that the number drops, but it does keep me from freaking out when it doesn't, week, after week. Hope something in this helps! You're doing great! Don't let those negative tapes about fear of failure kick in and sabotage your good feelings about yourself! *********** http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1727&highlight=plateau quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by leo Yes these plateaus are really something. Without the band I would have been eating as usual long time ago. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Alexandra I can get morose about the fact that the scale has not budged in two weeks or more, but I still can't have a huge baked potato. So even if I feel like giving up, throwing in the towel, forgetting the whole damned thing and resigning myself to being fat the rest of my short life (and how many times have I done THAT in the past 40 years?), I STILL have my friend and gatekeeper there to keep me from sabotaging myself until I'm feeling more optimistic. It's the coolest thing ever!! Wow - Alexandra... Big lightbulb moment for me, and my past dieting experiences. With the band, we ARE forced to keep doing what we are doing, regardless of whether we're losing weight or not, which reveals a lot about the normal weight loss journey and plateaus. You are so right that many of my attempts to lose weight prior to the band were sabotaged by plateaus - I was hungry, deprived, and/or missing my old eating habits, so when I didn't see scale results, I threw in the towel and went back to my old ways, knowing they wouldn't help me lose weight, but if I wasn't losing anyway... Now, no matter HOW long I am on a plateau, I can't go on a binge and eat a whole large deep dish pizza, or a whole bucket of fried chicken, or a box of spaghetti. My psyche is now forced to deal with the reality that this journey really DOES take time. I never felt like I had the "time" before - of course, because I didn't want to diet any longer than absolutely necessary... And that mindset in and of itself is so very telling... "I didn't want to diet any longer than absolutely necessary..." Doesn't that phrase scream out that I had no plans to really change my eating habits for life? But now my body has been changed for life, whether my mind was ready or not. I was always "ready" before, but the "for life" part always dragged on waaaay too long... lol This time, I started out emotionally ready once again, and now the band helps with the "for life" part. ********** Without the band, "life" is starting to seem toooo long again... lol

Per the guy I talked to at Inamed when reporting my erosion, it is virtually impossible to get the serial numbers from Lopez of the bands that have been placed, so tracking these things back to a bad batch of Inamed bands seems unlikely, although Inamed should have records of what was sent to Lopez, and I would imagine it could be guesstimated by the number of bandings he's done which batch they were done from, if he by chance used up one batch before starting the next. I was banded 1/23/03 - so if it was a bad batch of bands it's spread out over a long period of time.... My erosion was diagnosed 6/17?/04 at 40%, removal two weeks later over the 4th of July weekend, 2004.

I started at 303, and got down to 200.5 by mid-September, 2 months after my band removal. Than BF moved in, schedules changed, eating out commenced, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine's Day happened... lol Bday is this weekend, then Easter is just around the corner... Aaaack!! lol My plateau info from an old post: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1341&highlight=plateau I think the plateaus are the hardest thing. Maybe we can think of them as what it will be like when we reach our goal weight? Hopefully at some point we will no longer be looking to see that our weight is going down, but just staying the same, day after day, year after year, for the rest of our lives. A plateau is not the time to automatically run for a fill. A plateau is a time to reflect, to regroup and to regather. The body needs it (apparently, since they seem to happen to just about everyone), and the MIND needs it. Really. However, if we are not at goal, there comes a time when the plateau no longer seems to serve a purpose in our minds. At this point, it is time to evaluate. 1. Start tracking on www.fitday.com everything you consume everyday. Be HONEST! Yes, 3 cups of fat free/sugar free ice cream counts, and MUST be logged (lol - that's to me for last night :sick ) 2. Update your stats - your current weight and activity level. Then go to the "activities" section and check out the number of calories you're supposed to be burning at your basal metabolism. Aim to consume that number of calories (and up to 200 additional) everyday. 3. Recently there has been a lot of discussion (my euphamism for "arguments" lol) on other boards about the amount of Protein required each day. Unless you're really short and tiny, it seems the bare minimum should be 60 grams. 4. Make sure you are drinking .5 oz of Water for every pound of body weight. 5. Seriously try to take a 60 minute walk at least every other day. Every day if at all possible. This does not have to be a kill yourself speed. Just walk (winter is a great excuse to walk the mall - just as hot summers are a great excuse to walk the mall - lol). If you are already exercising like the dickens, change your routine. shake it up - do something different. 6. Of the foods you are recording in fitday, be sure that you are eating SOLIDS. 7. Are you eating when you're hungry, stopping when you're full? 8. Are you eating regularly? Do this for TWO weeks. Are you still plateaued? Are you meeting your caloric/water/exercise requirements? Are you hungry/overly full? If you are unable to meet your basal calorie requirements with solid food, your fill may already be too tight. If you are PBing, you are either too tight, not chewing well enough, are eating too fast, or eating foods that don't work for your band (usually bread, rice, pasta). Fix the chewing/speed/type of food. If you are still PBing you are TOO tight. If you are exceeding your basal calorie requirements with solid food by more than 200 calories, it's time for a fill. Chances are, as soon as you start tracking on fitday and make a commitment to walking, your plateau will "magically" be busted.. For enquiring minds, my own stats: 2/10-3/13 - stuck at 281 (31 days) 3/31-4/14 - stuck at 278 (14 days) 4/15-5/6 - stuck at 267 (21 days) 5/12-6/30 - stuck at 262 (49 days) 7-14-8/4 - stuck at 257 (21 days) 9/2-10/13 stuck at 247 (41 days) 12/1-12/29 - stuck at 233 (28 days) Fills dates and resulting fill level: 3/8/03 1.1cc 6/6/03 1.3cc 7/12/03 2.0cc 10/4/03 2.6cc My weight may have fluctuated up/down a couple pounds throughout the time of the plateau, but on the Monday when I weighed "officially" each week, it was the same as the week before. So throughout the year I've been banded, with 205 days of plateau, I have lost 81 pounds (yesterday I was 222). Final words of advice - don't panic, evaluate yourself honestly for two weeks as outlined above, and I bet either your plateau breaks itself, or you find you need a fill/unfill. Good luck everyone!

Hi Heidi - Glad to see you found your way over here. Not sure why there seems to be a rash of Lopez erosions this past year and a half, but you make about the tenth one I know of personally, including myself. I don't have too much to add in addition to the links I gave you, but if you need someone to talk to who understands feel free to email me - click on my name and choose "Send an email" - I usually respond to my email several times throughout the day. (((hugs))), and wishing you all the best...

LOL. Now THAT'S what I call "sneaky" exercise... **hugs**

OUCH!!! lol All of you banded types, please note the difference ALREADY in calories consumed: Megan: 856 Donali: 1496 And Megan is battling with the SNACK monster! lol Oh where, oh where can my little band be??? And I'm STILL hungry... **sniff** Of course, 700 of those calories came from Cookies and chocolate, so I shouldn't be complaining. For 700 calories, I could have had: 16 cups of steamed broccoli - or - 2.18 cups of chili - or - 2.24 servings of lasagna - or - 3.88 cups of lowfat cottage cheese - or - 9.58 cups of BUTTERED popcorn popped in oil... - or - 5.69 LARGE pears - or - 14.28 CUPS of diced watermelon - or - 5.6 LARGE apples.... Sigh...

7am - 2"x2" square of homemade lasagna - chicken sausage/lowfat cheeses 9am - 2 Vday sugar Cookies 12:15pm - 4 Vday sugar cookies 12:15pm - 10oz turkey chili 12:15pm - 2 cups steamed broccoli 1:15 - 3 mini chocolate bars Throughout day: 6 cups hot tea with artifical sweetner & half-n-half 1 quart Water Total Calories: 1496 Total Carbs: 74 Total Protein: 152 Total Fats: 67 Total Water: 64 oz

Uh.... What happened to my "edit" button?!?!?! Hmmmm... It shows up on this post, but NOT on my earlier one???? 7am 2"x2" square of homemade lasagna - chicken sausage/lowfat cheeses 9am 2 Vday sugar Cookies Throughout day: 6 cups hot tea with artifical sweetner & half-n-half 1 quart Water Total Calories: 613 Total Carbs: 36 Total Protein: 49 Total Fats: 25 Total Water: 64 oz

7am 2"x2" square of homemade lasagna - chicken sausage/lowfat cheeses 9am 2 Vday sugar Cookies Throughout day: 6 cups hot tea with artifical sweetner & half-n-half 1 quart Water

Bump for those fighting plateaus - they're normal!!

Erosion. http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2256 http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2725 http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showth...=&threadid=2250 http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showth...=&threadid=2274

I haven't seen the movie, although I am sorely tempted to buy it now. If this is set a generation AFTER the body Nazi movement, I am curious as to what an M.D. who treats MO thinks would be happening. I guess it wouldn't be much of a story if they actually discovered and corrected the physical problem that contributes to MO. Hopefully she is not one of those docs who thinks that MO people just need to diet and exercise... Please tell me that this film does NOT endorse the current societal attitudes towards obesity being a failing in willpower... Please????

Estela - I don't know anything about the doc, but lots of people (most?) get fills without fluoro. You may want to ask if you get a window of free tweeks after the fill - for example, if 2 days later you find you are waaaay too tight, can you have them take a bit out for free? Or, if after two weeks you STILL don't feel restriction, can you have them add more for free? Make sure you understand their policy. Also, make sure you understand their fill process - do they fill you up and back it off while you're drinking? Or do they only give you a set amount? Good luck!

Whoo hooo!!! Congrats, Cindy!!

OMG!!! No wonder I feel such an affinity for you... I'm a 2/19 as well - but I've got a year on you. Turning 44 on Saturday. Geez, my Mom must be old!!... lol I don't know that I've ever met a fellow "cusp-er". I tell people that's why I have a split personality - I never know for sure if I'm Aquarius or Pisces. I claim Pisces, as I feel that matches more of my personality... Good and bad... lol

My removal cost $5500. Not sure what the breakdown on that is, as far as hospital/dr/etc. Removal should be at least a little cheaper since you're not paying for the cost of the band, which is $2000+ I believe. My installation surgery took 30-45 minutes. My removal surgery took 5 hours. So certainly was no deal for the doctor. As far as the process for removal being the "same" as for installation, it would really depend on why it is being removed, and what is found in the process. They may have to do the removal "open." In my case it was removed laproscopically, but I did get a couple of new incisions. I believe some sort of repair was done to my stomach (removal due to erosion), but I am not clear what exactly was done in that regard. They also removed a lot of adhesions. They did a lot of testing with dye to make sure that the stomach wasn't leaking after removal. Makes the first bathroom trip interesting, since the dye is blue.

I was going to bump your rep, too, Vera, but I ran out of "reps" for this 24 hour period... lol Tomorrow!! xxoo

Congrats, Betty!! I know you'll be a wonderful addition to the team!! xxoo

Congrats, Crystal!! My Dad, whom I considered to be the smartest person I knew, said that statistics was the hardest course he EVER had to take - this was as an adult, too, not as a young whipper-snapper. So whooo hooo!! Congrats!! You got through without having to take the "prerequisite"! lol

All my Valentine's day chocolate is gone... :D I did NOT eat anything instead of chocolate, but I did eat healthy stuff in addition to it! I am not good or bad. But my choices yesterday and this morning were not particularly healthy... lol

Yes, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the moderators!! Unsung heroes, doing a great job. **KISS** (((HUGS)))

Sue - So glad everything went well!! I hope your recover this time around is MUCH less eventful than last time!!! (((hugs)))

I've ironed clothes while I was wearing them too - I guess I just used a lower setting than your sister... I have never knowingly blow-dried my hair in my sleep, however. I can see how that would be very dangerous...

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