faithmd

Now while I'm not that bad with syrup or the peanut butter jar (I have changed to Natural unsalted PB so that if I do go off the deep end , at least I'm not getting the sugar and salt), I LOVE LOVE LOVE Oreos. And Cookies. But what I don't get is for the six months of so before I was banded, I didn't have a single cookie or Oreo. As soon as I was allowed solids again, one of my first purchases was a cup of the mini Oreos...and I have struggled ever since. Not too long before Christmas, Trader Joe's had a big display of their version of Oreos...BUT, not only were they "double stuffed," but the filling had crushed candy canes in it!!!!! So I bought a box... I hadn't bought a box of any cookies yet, just those little snack cups, or the six Oreo packs. Buying that box of "Candy Cane Joe-Joe's" started a really slippery slope! Halloween Double Stuff Oreos were on Clearance at the grocer...Had to buy them! Then at Big Lot's they had Dulce De Leche Oreo's and Sugar Free Oreo's-so of course I had to try them both... Last week I noticed a bag of chocolate chips in the cabinet that had just barely expired. I'm sure you can figure out what I did...I made chocolate chip cookies. Fortunately I think of the four dozen or so I only had eaten about a dozen before I realized what I was doing. Saturday night I emptied all the cookies I had left (which was about 1/3 of the box of Candy Cane Joe-Joe's, and almost all of the Dulce De Leche, and nearly all the Sugar Free Oreos were left-thankfully-as well as about 2 1/2 dozen chocolate chip cookies) into the trash can. Then for good measure I took a spray bottle of bleach and sprayed the heck out of the pile of them. Thought I was doing well...until last night at work, the place became a swirling vortex of Hell. There was ice cream in the freezer-some chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. And some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Ughhhhh!!!! So I had about 1 cup total. Half a cup of each. I could have eaten more, but I did stop myself, somehow. I'm trying to get back on track. I've plateaued for months now, I stopped logging my food. I started eating cookies, and drinking some crap (hot cocoa, etc). Yesterday I started logging my food again. This morning I didn't have a cocoa, I actually had Water. I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

But how would we know if he did a "good job" if we aren't qualified FACS surgeons who are also members of the ASBS or more specifically, if we aren't a bariatric surgeon? I haven't clicked on it yet (I'm assuming you mean the TOP row, 2nd from the left?), but am guessing it's a video of your surgery?

I gave a charm bracelet to each of the ladies that stood up with me when I got married (and started one for myself, too). Six years later it is so full I have to start another one. I now give them as gifts and then when a big event occurs in a friend's life, I give a charm. Every time I travel somewhere new, I get a charm. I now am starting a weightloss charm bracelet for myself. I'm giving myself charms for every ten pounds, and bigger charms for the big milestones (like 300, 250, 200 and GOAL). Along the way if I get to a point when I add an activity (like a dance class or running or swimming regularly, or weight training) I will add a charm for that activity itself. Like ballet or tap shoes, or a swmmer or a runner or running shoes, etc... I can tell you the VERY VERY best prices I have found for silver charms and bracelets is Swarovski Crystal Beads, Sterling Silver Charms, Bali Beads, Silver Beads, Wholesale, BlueMud.com

Thank you so much for posting this, Lisa! I've been plateauing since August/September. Have only lost about 20# since being banded and can't seem to get my head straight. I'm very glad to hear that a) I'm not alone and b)You can start over! Good luck!

Hello all, I'm married, with a nearly 20 year old step-son and I live near Ann Arbor, MI. I've not been a normal weight since the third grade. Seriously. So I would be beyond floored and over the moon to get into Onderland, let alone anywhere near "goal" (which according to the BMI charts is 160 for me). This has been a long journey for me, and it's just starting (despite being banded since June). I think it will be a winding road for the rest of my life. But I'm ready to get on with it! (my life, that is)

Oooo, excellent point, Laura! I had forgotten that. And I believe if you fight it, it can take much longer than 30 days.

If he's going to act so irresponsibly, then it is past time for him to go. If he really cared about you and your MARRIAGE, he would have been at your doorstep, begging for another chance, with the MONEY FROM HIS SISTER IN HAND. He hasn't done that, he's packing already. Tells you right there how much he loves and cares about you and your committment to one another. This man was not ready for marriage, nor will he possibly ever be if he's going to let a sister dictate who he is with. I wish you luck and happiness and good health! Brava to you for standing up for YOURSELF! It's gonna be a rough start to 2008, but I'm going to bet this will be an amazing year for you!

PS, you're only 23, please think about starting over. Kind of young to be married (IMHO), and this is one of the reasons why, men at this age are (often, not always) somewhat unstable and immature. Not your fault, just go while you can (and hopefully before you have children with this family).

Yup, I'd get the Hell out. This is just the beginning, blood will ALWAYS win.

I do, and I wish I could tell you how to deal with it, but I just don't know. Perhaps that is one of the big reasons why I haven't lost any weight in the past four months. I know what you mean, when you are in a group it is a bit hard to have say half a burrito. Invariably someone asks you if it was bad, or what was wrong with it. Or they look at me like, "What, is the fat chick trying to make it look good by eating like a bird?" I dunno, guess it's one of thos things I will have to overcome. And I had thought I had resolved so much head stuff already. I truly haven't!

Usually a seminar is information only. There is a LOT of information to go over in that hour. It is quite possible that very few people there will have done a lot of advance preparation (like you have by joining LBT), so there are usually lots of questions. You should take a list with you, too (you'll find a couple of GREAT lists in the FAQ and References Forum, just print and take with!). At my seminar they passed around a band and a port and showed quite a few slides of the anatomy and some pics of the surgery. At the end they gave us the chance to come and make an appt for a consult.

You're eating solids at 8 days post-op? Wow! That's a liberal doc! I agree the fish fillets are excellent, and have good protein.

I found a lifesaver: A bottle a day of Gerber Baby Prune Juice. Perfect small size, EXCELLENT taste and only 70 calories. Works wonders!

CRAP!!! It looked right when I filled in the post box. DAMN! Okay, to summarize. One packt of CIB Chocolate Malt is 130 calories alone. Mix it with one cup (8 fl oz) SKIM milk and it becomes 220 calories. Double that and you get 440 calories without fruit or anything added. That is a lot!

Hmmmm, you ask if drinking 16 oz instead of 8 oz is bad? Well, let's look at the nutrition info for CIB (chocolate Malt Flavor) Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 Packet (36 g)Amount Per ServingOne Packetwith 1 cup Fat Free Vit A & D MilkCalories130220Calories from Fat1015% Daily Value**Total Fat 1 g*2%2%Saturated Fat 0.5 g3%4%Trans Fat 0 gCholesterol < 5 mg1%2%Sodium 120 mg5%10%Potassium 260 mg7%19%Total Carbohydrate 27 g9%13%Dietary Fiber < 1 g3%3%Sugars 19 gProtein 5 g9%25% Now DOUBLE those calories above. Then ask yourself if it's bad. Yep, I think it's bad. Your whey protein (while good for you) is REALLY high in calories, and you mix it with milk? Eeeep! There are many others out there to try that do not need to be mixed with milk and are very filling. Adding Benefiber helps as well, so does using ice when mixing, to make it a richer shake. The protein suggested above is a good option. As is the Matrix line.

I was told the same thing, Carnation Instant Breakfast is evil. Full of carbs and little in the way of Protein compared to what you can get from other drinks. Even the sugar free variety isn't that nutritious.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f112/how-create-ticker-add-your-signature-47643/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f112/ticker-instructions-help-47581/

I realize this person posted once, over a month ago, but I feel compelled to write a response anyway. You are in the "Life After Lap-Band Removal" forum so OF COURSE just about everyone here in this forum has had a slip or erosion. Complications are not a definite thing that will happen. Surgical techniques and bands have vastly improved over the past couple of years.

I also hold on occasionally with one hand or even a couple of fingers for my balance. I try to swing my arms as much as possible but have to reach out and hold on when I really get going.

No, those are my last two initials. Good luck tomorrow! I saw your other thread in General Discussion about being banded tomorrow, I think it might be better posted in the Jaunary 08 Bandsters thread (you'll probably get more responses from those who are going through it with you). Just remember to walk, walk, walk.

It's totally normal for you to be scared. I think we all were in our own way. Hang in there! The surgery length totally depends on many factors. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 mins (quite short) to a couple of hours. The likelihood is that your family won't see you for a couple of hours. That doesn't mean you are in surgery that whole time, you will be in recovery waking up for a bit before they can come back and see you. In my case I was admitted (that what my surgeon's practice does) overnight and my husband couldn't see me in the recovery room, he had to wait until they had me settled in a hospital room. That's pretty common if someone is admitted after surgery, the family sees them in their room. Did you ask your surgeon how long it takes? That would the person who would know a GUESSTIMATE in your case. And they are ALWAYS estimates.

That is a popular question: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f9/how-many-days-before-mushies-30582/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/how-soon-mushy-foods-1187/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/why-do-some-doctors-allow-you-eat-mushy-1-week-post-op-44909/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/how-long-before-you-were-eating-mushy-food-27508/ Does it matter? It seems we are trying to either trying to validate our cheating on OUR doc's post-op diet ("See, someone else can have mushy food in three days, I was okay to eat those mashed potatoes, etc...") or it is to see if others have cheated with us, or it is find other to commiserate with ("My doc is sooo strict, yours is too? Thank goodness someone else understands."). Really, does it matter? You should be STICKING like GLUE to what YOUR DOCTOR (or nutritionist) told you to do. I wasn't allowed mushies until after three weeks. I could do pureed after two weeks. I think. I don't honestly remember and it's only been six months. See how it fades? It seems awful right now (and it was, that part I DO remember), but this is your life and your BAND. Stick to the diet, please. PLEASE do not get jealous of what someone else can do and think it's okay for you to do it, too. And please please please do not fall into the trap of "I chewed it really well, it went down fine, I feel fine, so it is okay." It's NOT okay. See Wendell's thread in the FAQ section about how the band really works for a good description of why eating early is bad. A year or two down the line someone may have a slip (they rarely know what causes slips), then I wonder if they think back to when they had that piece of pizza "chewed really well" and wonder if that contributed to it. I honestly believe that a)surgeons are sick to death of hearing us food addicts (I'm including myself here, otherwise I wouldn't be fat) whine and cry and piss and moan about how we can't possibly go a week or two or three on liquids so rather than have us cheat and eat something like fried chicken or pizza or steak they relented and went for the lesser of the evils and gave us the "mushy" phase a litle early. b)the other thought is the surgical technique has improved over the years and the sutures are a bit better and the new AP band and the Swedish band (Realize in the US) and the Midband are wider bands and thus should stay in place better and have less of a tendency to slip. But do we know that for sure yet? Hoe long term are the studies (and are there any large studies that demonstrate that shorter liquid and mushy phases do NOT contirbute to band complications?). I think it NEVER hurts to go a bit longer on each of the stages, especially the liquids stage. It gives your stomach a chance to heal and from scar tissue around the band to hold it in place (they can only suture on the front of the stomach, not the back, scars must form to hold the back in place) and to allow a "groove" to form for the band to settle in. The more you eat of food with more substance (yes even if you chew it really well) the more churning your stomach does to produce acids and enzymes to break that food down. Think about it. You walk into a bakery, you smell something wonderful, your mouth starts watering. You've started that digestive process. It's your body reacting to preparing for food. If you eat something you have to chew and chew, the body is producing lots of enzymes to break down that food. Producing those acids and enzymes causes (to a degree) some movement of the stomach muscle. Now I'm not saying it's in there running a race, but keeping the movements of the stomach to a minimum in the early days after banding is never a bad thing.

I believe that there are many factors in how your scars will look. Here's a thread of scar stages: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/ I found it very helpful. I agree that the staples leave the dots and that was one reason I didn't want them. But the fact is whatever your doc does is what you will have. My doc uses staples. He was able to give me a valid reason why he preferred staples (not that I liked it, but it was valid nonetheless). That is that staples allow the wound to drain if there is any need for it to happen. If a wound is closed with glue or covered with steri-strips and develops an exudate that needs to get out, it cannot with the glue or steristrips covering it. The chances then increase for an infection. Now one could say it could go the other way, things could get into a stapled wound, but usually it doesn't go that way. Stuff comes out, not crawls in. While the chances of a wound infection are very slim, many people develop seromas, esp. at the port site (A seroma is a pocket of clear serous Fluid that sometimes develops in the body after surgery. When small blood vessels are ruptured, blood plasma can seep out; inflammation caused by dying injured cells also contributes to the fluid.) With staples the seroma can just drain, versus having to open part or all of an incision covered with glue and/or steristrips. The last thing that convinced me was that to date that surgical practice had not had a single infection. Did I want glue or steristrips? Hell yes I did. Do I wish I had had glue or steri strips, yea kind of. But I weigh that with the fact that I didn't have an infection and it was kind of a wash. I scar badly so I was really hoping cosmetically for glue. However, a) I'm married, who else is going to be looking at my stomach? I'm REALLY fat, I won't be wearing a bikini, ever. c) Given the fact that I am starting at such a high weight, if and when I have PS, the real likelihood is that that entire expanse (or at least part of it) of my stomach that has the incisions on it will be removed.

Be careful with the bottled Stevia, check the label to make sure it doesn't say something like "Refrigerate after opening to extend freshness." Mine does. I just carry the packets in a small snack-size ziploc baggie either in my purse or in a pocket (usually both).

Yep, I'm in the same boat as you. We could be twins. It's all my fault, I know. I just have to get my mind around it and get it done. I lost about 45lbs before I was banded and it was just about effortless. I have been at a plateau since September and have completely fallen off the wagon. I was just reading Boo Boo Kitty's post in the Life at (or near) goal forum and got a mild epiphany. I stopped drinking. I have stopped drinking water/fluids. Thinking about it I bet I'm lucky to get 20 oz in in a day. And I stopped logging EVERYTHING I ate and drank. Those are my two biggest screw-ups. Tomorrow I'm logging again. And I'm heading to the store for a couple cases of bottled Water (I KNOW that's the only way I can guarantee I get it all in). I used to put the pitcher int he fridge and when it was gone I knew I had drank my water for the day. Then I tried keeping track of how many times I refilled my water bottle, that didn't work either. What does work is drinking a minimum of four bottles of water a day. So I'm going to do it. I WILL. Hope I've helped in some small way. It helps me to know I'm not the only one, too.