Alexandra

I've been eating Protein bars for Breakfast, and I'm thinking that's just not enough. I get hungry at 10:30 (right about NOW, in fact!) after eating at about 7:30. This morning I had both a Protein Bar and 8 oz of yogurt, and I'm definitely still getting the pangs right about now. Penni, have you worked with FitDay yet? I'm having fun with it, but remain mystified at their idea of a decent calorie count. According to them I burn over 3000 calories a day just existing, and to lose weight at the rate I want I should be taking in more than 2000 calories a day. How is that possible?

Good luck and congrats to our June bandbabies! :D

It's about 3 hours for me, too, these days. I think that's more or less normal, actually. When a meal consists of four ounces of turkey, why are we surprised when we get hungry again three or four hours later? That's what snacks are for.

I was thinking as I was typing it that I probably shouldn't. Oh well, the cat's out of the bag now. No one has mentioned the other effect alcohol has on some banded patients. People have reported that drinking makes them much looser, so they can eat more and with less care. While that may sound good once in a while, obviously it's counterproductive. People have also reported having pain the next day after having had only one or two drinks the night before and overdoing it on food. Sorry to be a party pooper, but there it is.

Lisa, that not-nibbling thing is a BIG one for me, too. Even though I know WAY better, just the other night I had a piece of ravioli while dishing it out for the others. Then I had one more upon sitting down, and that was about it for me for dinner. I can't tell you how many dinners I've been unable to eat because I nibbled something right before it. Someone suggested wearing a surgical mask while cooking, which at least slows you down a little every time your hand goes for your mouth. What an eye-opener that would be!

Beer is actually only very lightly carbonated, in spite of the foam. I can't comfortably drink a Diet Coke but the beer and champagne I've had since banding went down just fine. Can we sing "Tiny Bubbles"?

This is just a guess, and may be wildly off base scientifically. But I think that when something gets stuck in our esophagus it can create the golf-ball feeling long after whatever is in the pouch has gone on its merry way. It's probably a good idea at that point to try to wash it through. Don't try that immediately when it happens because you'll just PB the Fluid right up, but in an hour or so if it hasn't gone away try sipping something. The last PB I had was the day before my last fill. It was horrible, the seaweed incident, remember? It wasn't until almost 40 minutes after I stopped eating that it came back up, although I was gagging on saliva in the interim. Not fun. You're not missing anything. (But I remember my first one, too, like it was some sort of achievement badge. We all know how you feel.)

Donali, you are really on to something here. Were you heavy as a child? Did your parents dole out food like it was made of precious gems? Mine did, and I know in my soul that is a big part of my lifelong obesity. I was always fed smaller portions and told no seconds and no dessert, while other members of my family had both. There were never any surprises or treats for me, and even fruit was one-at-a-time and no more. So I'm always subconsciously worried there won't be any more when I want it. (As a child I fantasized about having kitchen with well-stocked cupboards. My mom would only buy the bare necessities for evening meals for a few days and then go shopping again. This may have been due to her being a depression child, or the daughter of Quakers, I don't know, but it sure felt like punishment to me.) Now that I'm a comfortably-off adult it's really time to readjust that worldview. You're absolutely right--it's the WANTING that has to be turned off, and we have to learn to do it by ourselves. Wish I knew how...

Julie, congratulations on your banding! This is a completely normal phase you're going through, but I guess it's surprising if you don't expect it. But EVERYONE gets hungrier post-operatively as the body heals and restriction caused by swelling disappears. Before the band is adjusted most people feel almost no restriction whatsoever. You're normal, don't worry. Just try to eat enough of what's on your doctor's orders to keep from getting too hungry. Now is not the time to count calories; it's more important to let your band heal firmly in place. Don't eat solid food until your doctor says it's OK, even if you think you can. Welcome to LBT!

HAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh my god. My husband think there's a hyena in here with me. Good thing I wasn't drinking when I saw this, or I'd need a new keyboard.

What Donali said. I'd just also point out that this is the famous "golf ball" feeling you may have seen mentioned here and there. But Donali explained it beeeeeeeeeyuuuuuuuuutifully.

If people get drunk sooner after being banded I don't think it's because of the pouch. I think it's because once we start taking in fewer calories, EVERYTHING affects us more. I noticed that with caffeine, sugar, and even Tylenol. I just need less to get the same effect I got before. Remember that our digestive processes have not been altered like those of RNY patients. We will not dump on sugar like they will, so the fact that something has a high sugar content is irrelevant except for the calorie count.

Penni, just go to Fitday.com and the home page has a huge ad for it. I downloaded it directly from the website but you can also order a CD version. It used to be $39.95 and at that price I wasn't interested, but for $20 it seemed like a good investment. Plus, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. There may be way better programs out there that do essentially the same thing, but this was in my face every time I went to Fitday and hey, advertising works.

Hmmm...I think I'm on the outside again. Omigod, Lisa, thanks for the LAUGH OUT LOUD!! I'm dyin' here!!

Well I get a kick out of it, actually. I especially like when my t-shirt has the big round wet spots on it...am I weird? I like the message it sends to the world--this girl can MOVE!!

Jeanie, when you see that a post has been edited it's not because of anything the poster wrote. It's always because the person posting neglected to trim out the post to which he or she was responding. Since so many people get the list in digest form, it's easy to just hit "reply" and inadvertently copy the entire digest into your message. Naturally that annoys the heck out of everyone, so the moderators take the time to trim that out when it happens. I think they're being very generous to do that. I know I wouldn't have the patience.

Hi Raggedy Ann, Two good places to start your search are BandstersInsurance on the YahooGroups website, and ObesityHelp.com. Both sites have databases with records of what insurance carriers have paid for weight loss surgeries. Be sure to look ONLY in Texas, because what is true in one state may not be true in another, even if it's the same national company. The other thing to do is ask your doctor's office which carriers are friendly to weight-loss surgery. In my experience, unless there is a specific exclusion for the treatment of morbid obesity, most carriers cover that as a disease like any other. They will have criteria to meet in order to qualify patients for treatment, and that criteria can vary considerably from place to place and doctor to doctor. Are you employed or are you seeking individual insurance? If the latter, call your state's department of insurance and ask what the rules are in your state for individual coverage. Or you could always call an insurance broker for that information. In any event, you are asking lots of questions that will need answering, and there's no easy way to get the answers. It takes lots of research. Good luck!!

Sultana, there will always be people at either end of the bell curve, and you're just lucky enough to be one of them. Dr. Kurian will be talking about you to new patients in the years to come. When you ate that peach yogurt, I assume you did it in the doctor's office? Did they ask you what it felt like as you were eating it? Being able to stuff a thick puree of something (which, btw, I am POSITIVE I would have absolutely no trouble with) does not necessarily mean you've done any damage. Can you feel it actually going down? If you're taking big swigs at once do you feel it building up in the back of your throat? Try an experiment with drinking some icewater and see if you can feel it traveling. Maybe that will shed some light on the situation. (It just occurred to me, that when I get a fill the doctor has me take three big swallows of Water when I'm completely closed off so I'll know what it feels like. So, I guess three big swallows is all it takes to fill my pouch AND my esophagus to the point where I can feel it in the back of my throat. Yet when he pulls out a tiny bit of saline so that the stoma is letting through what only looks like a tiny thread of barium, the difference in sensation is astonishing and I can suddenly drink and even gulp water with ease. I don't think there's a 1:1 correlation in what we feel vs. what is actually there. I'm just rambling here, I don't know where I'm going with this, but it's something I think I'll ask about next week at our meeting.) I take it you haven't been having fills under x-ray. That tells the doctor a lot and it's a good idea to have it done. If you were having a serious problem I'd think it would have made itself known by now, but I'm no expert. Do let us know what you discover next week, and try not to worry!!

Birdee, I totally know what you mean. I just went through this with my chest muscles hurting, thinking it was band-related even though I knew that it was something I'd done that made those particular muscles hurt. Try to think about the pain as though you don't have a band. Try to remember back pre-banding and what you would have thought if you had this exact pain. What would be causing it? A rumble in your stomach? Are you hungry, perhaps? Is it intestinal? If that's it, you may be coming down with something (or if you're like me, that could also be period-related). It was a good idea to call your PA and sound her out about it, but it really probably is nothing at all. Just be alert to the symptoms and what/when/where they happen, and obviously if they get worse pay close attention and get help if necessary. And I guess I'll be the odd woman out and say that I don't notice any change in restriction related to my period. I do tend to be at my lowest weight a day or so after it ends (back when I was losing weight, that is), which surely is related to Water retention. But that hasn't seemed to regularly affect restriction, as far as I can tell.

Dan's fault is that he seems to be utterly without a sense of humor or any imagination. Honestly, how hard was it to figure out that Lisa was talking about the sets of hooks?!?! The initial comment may have been intended as funny, but when he admitted he was serious I thought, then why in hell say it? Other people start to dissect the thing, chime in with equally silly comments, and before you know it your e-mail box is flooded with inanity. That sort of thing is what derails online lists all the time, and really tries my patience. With email lists especially it's important to be judicious in posting. I <3 LBT.

Babs, Donali and Bright said it all. What a wonderful testimonial! And you have done soooooo well!!! Here's hoping the second year and beyond bring more of the same. It's true, being banded brings much more into our lives than just a little band of plastic. Bandsters are amazing people, and it's a privilege to be among them!

Hey, I'm on the inside of something!! And you know what? I FIT!! :D Back to the thread topic, ladies. Jennye, I just went to the gym for the first time in about 5 weeks. (I'd been taking a break, making the excuse that starting in July I'll be going to the Y daily to pick up my daughters, so I'll start exercising again then.) But in the past three or so weeks I've been tired, cranky, not sleeping well, and worst of all, not losing weight despite another fill on 6/10. So today I bit the bullet and went to the Y. And you know what? It's fun! My brain remembers what it felt like to exercise 50+ lbs ago, but my body was surprised to find that it's a lot easier than I remember. So cool! Before I knew it 25 minutes on the treadmill had passed and I went on to do a Cybex circuit. Amazingly, it's fun to sweat when it doesn't mean fearing a heart attack. I'm back, baby!!

I also swear by Melatonin. I used to take Valerian until being banded, but couldn't take the idea of crushing those smelly tablets. But Melatonin tablets are tiny, and work like a charm. Diphenhydramine works to put us to sleep, sure, but I always found it stuck around in my system the next day. It was always hard to clear my head and I never felt like I was getting enough sleep (until the next evening, when I was wide awake as usual). The natural products don't have this hangover effect at all--what a huge difference! And, of course, exercise is the best sleep aid there is as long as it's done more than a couple of hours before bed. I sleep like a baby (BETTER than a baby, that should be) when I'm getting enough exercise.

LOL!!! :)

Shhh...You know, Sue, I've thought exactly the same thing. I've been leery of saying it flat out to Donali, though, because she should be focusing on her and not worrying about us relying on her for boosts of wisdom and encouragement. I know you know and she knows and we all know that we can all do as we please and what will make us happy, but I don't want to express an iota of anything that might lead to guilt on Donali's part. Much as I want her to stick around forever and hold my hand, I have to understand if she can't or doesn't want to post-banding. Donali, I know you will make it to ONEderland before you have to say goodbye to your band. I love the idea that your stomach might have a permanent bottleneck in it! How cool that would be, hm? And I love the name Casper. The FRIENDLY ghost!! LOL