donali

Thanks, Marsha - But luckily for everyone I just work with computers. :confused:

Hi Michelle - I have never heard of anyone running out of room for a fill. Unless you were given a band that is too big (again, unlikely), you shouldn't worry about running out of room. You didn't give amounts on the things that you listed, but I know that I cannot eat more than 3 or 4 fries (if that many) before I feel stuck. The more Fluid you have in your band, the less it will take to really feel a difference. 3.9 may end up being too much for you. Are you feeling any restriction at all? You are not supposed to have to do it all on your own. Does your doc measure the amount of fluid taken out of your band? (Mine doesn't) It would be reassuring to know for sure that there really is 3.8ccs in your band. You may want to double-check on the size of the band that was installed (bigger ones will take more fill), and see if they can measure the amount of fluid that comes out. Believe me, I am not the one who says "STOP!!!!" when I am eating - it is all the band. Also, I would ask if they can close you off completely at your fill, so: 1) you know what it feels like 2) you can be reassured that there really is a point where your band would be absolutely too tight. Good luck, sweetie, and keep us posted!

Hi Michelle - No, that doesn't sound like too much food to me, but then again, you are losing 10 pounds a month when you eat like that, so that is not the problem. Are you hungry on that amount of food? Do you feel like you need to eat more than that? I didn't run the calories, but have you looked on fitday to see what your basal metabolism is compared to the number of calories you're consuming? Telling you to stop eating after 1/2 cup of food is not helpful. 1/2 cup tells you nothing about nutrients, calories, quality, etc. Besides, VOLUME doesn't matter - what matters is what's contained in that volume. Eating 4 cups of lettuce is no where near the same thing as eating 4 cups of full fat ice cream - we all know that. I would stop worrying about how much you're eating, and focus more on how you are feeling with the size of your meals (hunger-wise) and the resulting (or non-resulting) weightloss. I would also evaluate how the number of calories you ingest stack up to your basal metabolism requirements. When you are NOT "dieting" is what you really need to look at, since that seems to be the problem. What kinds of things do you eat when you're not doing Atkins? What's your calorie level like? Do you get in enough Protein and Water? You should be able to eat moderately a wide variety of things and still lose weight without going hungry between meals. Please give us some more information about your regular eating habits when you're not dieting. Obviously what you're doing on Atkins does not need troubleshooting.

This is a very real fear, and one that most people cannot acknowledge. The fact that you can recognize it gives you power. It is very true that being slender may very well not be "all it's cracked up to be" in your mind. Losing weight will not solve ANY of your problems, except for being fat. And being fat is invariably just a "symptom" of other problems, not THE problem in and of itself. Some of the underlying problems are emotional, and some (I truly believe) are physical. I honestly believe that most of us have a disconnect in either our "full feeling" or our "hunger drive". That coupled with using food to soothe ourselves got us to obesity. Many times becoming slender after a lifetime of being fat actually CAUSES problems. It changes the balance in our relationships - people look at us differently. Some people are threatened by these changes, and may try to sabotage us. Even we can feel threatened by these changes, and try to sabotage ourselves. There is counseling available specifically for these issues, particularly between couples. Here is an interesting article on intimate saboteurs: http://aboutmso.com/ep/lp-lifestylechanges-saboteurs.cfm A good questionnaire to help you discover "secret" saboteurs: http://www.wellnessnet.com/sabotarticle.htm And finally, Why We Sabotage Ourselves! http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm?article_id=8202&pg=2 There are many, many more resources out there on the infinite web. When you are ready, Alexandra, you will move forward. There is nothing wrong with you taking the time you need to adjust to this life-changing event. I like that you are not beating yourself up, but are taking the time to evaluate what exactly you are thinking and feeling about your journey. You are in the process of healing much more than your weight, and all of this takes time, energy, growing, and thoughtful reflection. Thank you for sharing this part of your journey!

There are quite a few posts on this topic above. Do a search by putting pain survey in the keyword section and julie h in the user name section, and you should get it. This was my answer to Julie H. *********** I am the super pain weenie. Right after surgery, I'd say I was at 8-9. Everything was extremely uncomfortable, I was hot, my throat was dry, I felt big as a house. Moving me into my hospital bed was not fun. I was on oxygen, and hated it. I finally took the mask off myself after an hour or two - I just couldn't take it anymore. Then, just laying still, I'd say the pain was at a 6 the first night. Throughout the night it continued to drop as long as I stayed still. They administered pain meds through the night on a schedule - I never asked for it. I took all the pain meds they gave me when I got home. Throughout the first 12 days, I had painful burping. Day 1 - 8-9 - surgery day Day 2 - 4 (when still), 6-7 when trying to move. Lived on couch. Day 3 - 1 (when still), 6 when trying to move. Lived on couch. Day 4 - 1 (when still), 6 when trying to move. Lived on couch. Day 5 - 1 (when still), 8 getting into/out of the car, 3 sitting for 8 hours at work, 5 getting up and walking Day 6 - 1 (when still), 8 getting into/out of the car, 3 sitting for 8 hours at work, 5 getting up and walking Day 7 - 1 (when still), 8 getting into/out of the car, 2 sitting for 8 hours at work, 4 getting up and walking Day 8 - 1 (when still), 7 getting into/out of the car, 2 sitting for 8 hours at work, 4 getting up and walking Day 8's BIG MISTAKE - went to choir practice - 2.5 hours of deep breathing, sustained support Day 9 - 3 (when still), 8 getting into/out of the car, 4 sitting for 6 hours at work, 6 getting up and walking. Left work early. Crashed on couch. Sick as a dog, thought I was going to die. Lots of waves of nausea, no actual throwing up. Day 10 - 4 when still, 6 getting up. Sick as a dog, thought I was going to die. Lots of waves of nausea, no actual throwing up. Lived on couch. Day 11 - 4 when still, 6 getting up. Sick as a dog, thought I was going to die. Lots of waves of nausea, no actual throwing up. Lived on couch. By 6pm I decided to go to the grocery store and get more supplies. Two severe waves of nausea while shopping, still did not throw up. Day 12 - 0 when still, 2 when moving (back to work) Day 13 - 0 when still, 2 when moving Day 14 - 0 when still, 2 when moving Day 15 - 0 when still, 1 when moving Day 16 - 0 when still, 1 when moving Day 17 - 0 when still, 1when moving Day 18 - first day getting in/out of car pain free - whoo hoo!

Hi Alexandra - This post is mostly directed "in general" - not specifically towards you. But perhaps you'll find something useful in my musings. 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!

Nancy - How frustrating. I thought every 10-15 pounds was a size or so, so you should definitely be seeing some results in that department by now! I will say one thing from my own point of view - my clothes had been so well worn (and were of such a stretchy nature) that the 28+/30s I was wearing had undoubtably been stretched to be more like 30s/32s, so it seemed to take me an inordinate amount of time to be able to fit into a brand new pair of 26s. However, now that I'm into "new" clothes, the sizes are going down more like I expect. Perhaps this is the case for you as well? Another possibility (I'm just throwing this out there based on a post I read from someone else) - are you getting in enough Protein so that the weight you're losing is fat and not muscle? The gal I'm referring to posted that she was losing weight, but was actually gaining INCHES, because is turned out she was substituting fat for muscle. That may be something you want to check out as well. Either way, eventually everyone is going to notice how great you're doing! In the meantime, enjoy becoming the new you, babystep at a time.

Whoo hooo Bright!!! You go, Girl! Sorry to be so late in adding my congrats - I don't seem yet to be back into the swing of things yet. :sick It will be so fun seeing you in HELL - lol I haven't been giving out hateful dieting tips, but I've done enough other things to land me there. Aren't we going to have fun?!?! I do SO love your evil tips, and I do agree with you - if they're that dimwitted to believe mixing sweets and savourys together "tricks" the body into negating the sugar calories... what can I say? I love imagining one of the skinnys lamenting a stubborn five pounds, and you shaking your head and saying, "Well, if you would just eat less and exercise more, it would come right off." Revenge is sweet. I miss emailing you - I swear I will get back into some sort of normal person mode. And in case you've been wondering, no mail yet your way. I know, I'm a mess. In the meantime, keep up the great work, and keep us posted on your latest evil plans to torment your new found "friends"! hugs and kisses -

In my opinion, the PERFECT fill is where you can eat comfortably and stay satisfied for 3-4 hours before you need to eat again AND lose weight at the same time. Being so tight that you eat too little will slow your weightloss - being so loose that you eat too much will allow you to gain. Too little/too much is totally individual, and is determined by your metabolism, activity level, muscle mass and the types of food you eat. There is no magic fill amount for everyone - this is a very, very individual thing. Every person is extremely different. You have to go by how YOU feel - not how much fill is in your band. If you are at .5 and struggling, you are too tight. If you are at 3 and eating a Big Mac and a large fry at pre-band speed with no problems, you are too loose. Sorry, that's just the way it is. After 4 fills I am at 2.6. That would completely close some people off. A gal that calls me for support is at 3.5 and is still eating and not losing weight. A fill that feels perfect today may be too tight tomorrow, or too loose the day after that. One of the inconsistencies of our new lives that we all have to learn to deal with. I would not concern myself with missing Fluid. I was hung up about how much was still in my band because I read so many people talking about how much their Dr. took out. My doc doesn't take the fluid out - he inserts the fill needle without the syringe and lets the fluid run out. There is no measuring, no sucking out the last drops to compare with what was "supposed" to be in there. What does it matter? What matters is whether or not you have enough restriction when your new fill is complete. If your fills are restrictive at first but then "disappear" in feeling soon after the fill and remain "disappeared" I would be concerned about a leak, but that is usually not the case. There is a normal fluctuation in the restrictive feeling from day to day for most people.

Yay Carmen! Everyone repeat after me: The scale is not your friend. It does not give you the true picture of what is going on with your body. It cannot tell muscle from fat. It has no idea when you're losing inches. Congrats again!!

Hi Everybody - Sorry for "dropping off the face of the Earth" for two weeks, but I was on vacation with my Sweetie, and spent very little time on the computer. It was a wonderful 2 week vacation, and the icing on the cake was that I dropped 9 pounds while he was here. I'm positive it is almost all contributable to the extra physical activity that I never added on my own - lots of walking each day, and of course, the more pleasureable types of exercise performed between two people in love... ahem So, with the help of my Sweeitie, I am coming up on my one year bandiversary (1/23) at -80 pounds. This "year in review" is a little early, but I'm awake after dropping off my Sweetie at the airport, so what the hey? It's been a wonderful year, full of hope, promise and peace in regards to my weight. There have been a few rocks in the road (tearing of my port suture and subsequent flipping of my port in July, a concussion in October, a port revision in November, multiple plateaus of unrelenting length) but overall the experience has been fantastic. I have met so many fabulous people, both online and in real life (IRL), and I look and feel better than I have in years. Except for the port revision, I have had very few undesireable side effects from being banded. In the past year, I have PB'd approximately 10 times. I've been stuck without PBing only a handful or two more times than that. I have some slight discomfort off and on that I associate with the tubing near the port, and the last three weeks I ocassionally feel as though there is some pressure pushing down on my band - this feeling usually occurs when I am lying down. Don't know what that means, if anything, but I'll have an annual check-up with Dr Lopez in the near future. The good stuff - down 80 pounds virtually 'effortlessly.' I am mindful of what I eat, generally consuming good Proteins and vegetables, but nothing is off limits. The only thing I conscientiously avoid is carbonation, even though many people seem to do well with it. To me it is not important enough to risk any possible negative side effects. My restriction varies, but not as widely as before. It takes about 4 weeks for my fills to kick in. After 4 fills, I am at 2.6 cc's, and would not want to be any tighter. I still toy with the idea of going down to 2.5 cc's to see if that allows me to meet my Water goals with less work, but have been making do with 1 to 2 quarts a day, instead of my gallon goal. I can usually eat a whole spicy chicken sandwich (a specialty of a nearby deli on jalepeno bread - yum, yum) on a good day. Normally I have a Protein shake for bfast, a pick-me-up yoghurt a couple of hours later, a porkchop/burger patty/chicken breast and possibly some steamed broccoli for lunch, and then something similar for dinner 4 to 5 hours later. Some days I'm hungrier than others, and on those days I usually add less nutritious choices like a candy bar, chips, even the ocassional donut. I'd say my choices are about 70% nutritious/30% not so nutritious. My activity level as a general rule is deplorable. My constant goal is to add consistent activity that I enjoy. I have very few troublesome foods. I eat some bread, but generally just the middles. No sub sandwich type of bread, maybe one bite of a hamburger bun. Spinach is a struggle. Nuts get stuck quickly. I am leery of Pasta and rice, but have had both carefully. No problems with any meats unless they are very dry. I eat even less seafood than before (never a favorite of mine anyway) because I don't like the taste of chewing fish for that long. Exception is fish and chips (minus the chips). Potatos are not my friend - I can handle no more than four or five fries at a time, so mostly don't do them at all. Hashbrowns are somewhat better, but even mashed potatos require thought. I eat very little fruit - almost none. I like blended bananas in a drink, but rarely have that. I am hit and miss with Vitamin supplements - I go through short phases of being conscientious, and then mostly forget. When I do take supplements I crush them to powder. I know - yuck. I am on no medications. It is such a joy to no longer be consumed by when I will eat, what I will eat, how much I will eat, and whether or not it will be enough and if not what else will I have in addition? I still love food, but I am no longer fearful that I will go hungry, as I have honored my commitment to myself to eat when I'm hungry, whenever that is, and stop when I'm full. I have very few cravings, since nothing is off limits. Would I do this again? In a hearbeat. Thank you to everyone for all of your caring and support. Looking forward to giving the two year update!!

Hi Nancy - No, I have never attended any bash, so that wasn't me. It's unlikely that I would travel much distance to attend a bash, as I'm not particularly interested in even going to the one in Tijuana which is very close and convenient. I have been told by several people that the bashes are a complete blast, though, so maybe some year I'll show up at the Tijuana one.

Mary and Alicia - So glad your restriction problems seem to be resolved. Good for you, Mary, on getting medical help and keeping your head - that must have been very scary. Alicia, hopefully your list of untolerated foods won't be too long.

Great BLOG, Alexis! Congrats!

Hi Sue - I would find that situation very frustrating as well. Sigh. I'm with QuakerGirl, though - I would relate a story about myself (after all, it's ALL about me anyway, right? lol), even if I had to MAKE IT UP! I would respond to her comments "I just don't eat that much" with: "I used to think I just didn't eat that much, too. I discounted the ocassional binge, because I didn't eat that way ALL the time, and then in between I dieted, or fasted, or ate what I felt was a "normal" portion. I finally had to get real with myself, and when I started tracking every mouthful on www.fitday.com - WHOA! It was a real eye opener for me. With the lap-band I can reduce the number of calories I eat without feeling like I'm hungry all the time, or "dieting." In my case, it's been a Godsend, and I wouldn't do without it. There are certainly lots of different paths to lowering one's weight, but this was the right one for me." I'm glad though that you refuse to buy into her self-deception. Stay strong! lol

Congrats on arriving "on the other side"! So glad all went well.

Kelly - Thanks for the update, and so glad all is well with your band. Also, I'm glad your doc did not allow you to continue to suffer TOO tight! A thread of an opening, and you're arguing with him?!?! lol Since the holidays are more or less past, my restriction has eased up a lot. Icy liquids still are slow, but food is about back to the level it was. Now, to start making better choices... lol I still cannot imagine being any tighter, even though I ate almost a whole country fried steak on Saturday. That overly-full feeling is still delayed in me - about 30 minutes later I felt uncomfortably stuffed... Will I never learn? Anyway, congrats again! -34 WHOO HOO - you go, girl!!

Well said, Leo... lol So politically correct! Alexis, you look fabulous! Congrats, congrats, congrats!!!

Keep us posted, Kelly. I hope everything is okay.

I thought a lot of editing happened to this thread! Glad I'm not just losing my mind... lol You're looking great, Michelle!

Four legged friends do tend to be much more loyal, loving, trainable and reliable than 3 legged friends... lol No offense, guys! My youngest sister and her husband were talking about their cat Beast last night. My BIL was complaining about the attention sis lavished on this animal (originally his). Sis said my BIL demanded a whole day where she did not pay one scrap of attention to Beast, not speak one word! Sis laughed relating this story. I asked what the problem was. My BIL elaborated, "I hear her in the bedroom talking to this cat. She has this tone of adoration in her voice, and she says stuff like, 'You are SO handsome. Do you have ANY idea how handsome you are? And you are SO SOFT. ummmmmm oooooooohhhh.'" It drives him mad. lol I told my BIL I knew exactly how he felt, and that I will not allow my BF to have a cat for that exact same reason - he is just overcome with love when he is around cats. Of course, I'm that way around dogs, so it would be best if we just remained petless while we're together... lol

Vera - You don't have to worry about ME counting calories/fat/carbs for anyone else - I don't count them for myself! If prime rib floats your boat, you should DEFINITELY have that instead of Big Macs! And correct me if I'm wrong, but I could have sworn you said you only managed 2 inches of prime rib anyway... Thank you to our band buddies everywhere! lol

Well said, Sue! (both times... lol)

:cry Sometimes it takes a long time to weed through the rejects - we have to look at these kinds of episodes as them doing us a favor - otherwise we may have wasted precious more time on them. Sorry, though... What's that saying? "There's plenty of fish in the sea." The trick is to not let these jerks disillusion us so that we give up on the idea of what we want. Hang in there, girl!

10 pounds a month is awesome - you're doing everything right EXCEPT drinking your Water. It is recommended to consume .5 oz of water for each pound of body weight per day. Remember, we are talking WATER - not just any ol' liquid. Why? Who cares? Water washes away the wastes of the body, particularly the wastes associated with weight loss. Without adequate water, wastes are stored in cells as toxins, and disease sets in. Without adequate water, your kidneys work overtime, trying to filter wastes and toxins out of the blood without enough "solvent" to make this task easier. Wastes that don't get moved through dissolved in water can crystalize and create kidney stones. Without adequate water, the body becomes dehydrated and tries to hold on to what little water it does get. This also helps keep wastes and toxins in your system. Once you kick up your water you may not see an increase in your weight loss, but you can rest assured that your body will be healthier. Adequately hydrated people should have very very light urine. If your urine is dark chances are you are very dehydrated. Certain B Vitamins will turn your urine bright yellow, so that doesn't count. I'm not quite sure why you seem disappointed with a 10 pound a month weight loss. I say, "Congratulations! Whoo hooo!"