Lioness81970

You scored 276 points! 275-349 You're a danger to society. Who let you out on a day pass? I think the test lied.........I am really a GOOD GIRL!!!!

now that I know that this is a go I will check in on flights today. We get a discount through a company called Frontier - I guess they are trying to make a name for themselves and are offering a 45% discount on fare. I will check it out tomorrow and see what the rates are. I will let everyone know tomorrow.

I have a question........after eating how long does it take for you to get hungry again? I seem to get hungry about 2 or 3 hours later. I also haven't been getting in my daily intake of water and that's really killing me. I am thirsty ALL the time but I just can't seem to get it in. Before I felt this level of restriction I NEVER had a problem getting it. I could still chug it down....especially when it was nice and cold but now I can't do that anymore and I'm feeling it. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I am starting to discover all sorts of new things with this level and sometimes it's SOOOOO DAMN FRUSTERATING that I wonder why I went and got banded........but then I put on a pair of pants that are too big or someone sees me and says "Wow you look great" and then I remember why.

maybe if we ALL sent them e-mails they would take notice. Word of mouth is something and the more people that write about it the better chance there is of it actually being taken serious........maybe??

what is her web address?

actually - I was kind of wondering about that. I had a fill on 6/18 and initially I couldn't guzzle. But over the last week or so I can. I still have restriction so I know that's not the problem but yep to answer your question I can guzzle!!!

Today I am noticing that it feels like something is stuck in my throat and won't go down. I may have felt it earlier this morning and really didn't apy any attention to it. Anyways, I have been drinking water and it is going down fine and I thought that whatever is sitting there would find it's way down as well. I called my doc's office and spoke to the nurse. She told me to drink some water and have some bread. Told her BAD idea - can't do bread. She said to have some yogurt - which is what I had for breakfast. I don't know how something could be stuck from yesterday..........I didn't have anything to eat atleast 2 1/2 hours before I went to bed and the only thing I had this morning was yogurt. Well now I have been eating crackers hoping it will have the same effect as the bread? Not even sure why she would tell me to eat bread anyways.........but if anyone has experienced this or knows what I am talking about please let me know. She told me to see how I feel today and if it doesn't get any better call her back...........

yes - I am feeling so much better. I took your advice Donali and did liquids that day. I have become very addicted to hot tea with lemon and it really helped. I am so sorry that I forgot to post here that it was all better. I don't know what it was but whatever it is it's gone. I do think that it had a lot to do with my last fill. I just don't think that I was used to being that restricted. I have since learned to take things slowly!! Thanks again everyone for your responses and suggestions!!!

and I just wanted to share this with you. You all may think this is minor but for me - OMG - this is WAY BIG!!! Anyways.....today my husband didn't feel like cooking and by the time I get home from work it's almost 7 or so and too late for me to even want to cook. So my husband decided to order a pizza. Now I don't know if I have ever told you all about this but pizza is my all time favorite food. I could eat it every day for every meal. To give you an idea of how much - when I was pregnant with my son Nathan we ate so much pizza that when I asked my kids what they wanted for dinner they would tell me anything as long as it isn't PIZZA!!! Now this is coming from KIDS so you know I was eating alot of pizza. Well anyways, today my hubby ordered 2 large pizzas with all the things that I like. Now granted pizza isn't the best choice for me to be eating (and with my current level of restriction) I wasn't even sure I would be able to. But I could and guess what?? I had 3 slices - not your normal slices of pizza - these were about the size of saltine crackers - and I couldn't even eat the full 3rd one. But what was big for me is the fact that I set the plate down and didn't attempt to eat more because I knew that I wasn't hungry and I was SATISFIED!!!! This is the first time that I have had pizza in about 2 months and I didn't get any prior because I was afraid of what I would do when it was sitting in front of me. I feel so good right now that I could probably run around the block!! (But then my kids may have to dial 911 cause I would have a heart attack by the time I made it home!) Thanks so much for letting me share this with you....you are the best group of people around and knowing that I can share this and you won't judge me just makes it that much more special!!!! :D :D

Free Propel Fitness Water

I found this article on emotional eating and thought you all might find it interesting! Original page: http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/76/90283.htm Emotional Eating: Feeding Your Feelings Eating to feed a feeling, and not a growling stomach, is emotional eating. By Heather Hatfield WebMD Feature Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 When you're happy, your food of choice could be steak or pizza, when you're sad it could be ice cream or Cookies, and when you're bored it could be potato chips. Food does more than fill our stomachs -- it also satisfies feelings, and when you quench those feelings with comfort food when your stomach isn't growling, that's emotional eating. "Emotional eating is eating for reasons other than hunger," says Jane Jakubczak, a registered dietitian at the University of Maryland. "Instead of the physical symptom of hunger initiating the eating, an emotion triggers the eating." What are the telltale signs of emotional eating, what foods are the most likely culprits when it comes to emotional eating, and how it can be overcome? Experts help WebMD find the answers. How to Tell the Difference There are several differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger, according to the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center web site: 1. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly; physical hunger occurs gradually. 2. When you are eating to fill a void that isn't related to an empty stomach, you crave a specific food, such as pizza or ice cream, and only that food will meet your need. When you eat because you are actually hungry, you're open to options. 3. Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly with the food you crave; physical hunger can wait. 4. Even when you are full, if you're eating to satisfy an emotional need, you're more likely to keep eating. When you're eating because you're hungry, you're more likely to stop when you're full. 5. Emotional eating can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically hungry does not. Comfort Foods When emotional hunger rumbles, one of its distinguishing characteristics is that you're focused on a particular food, which is likely a comfort food. "Comfort foods are foods a person eats to obtain or maintain a feeling," says Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Food and Brand Lab at the University of Illinois. "Comfort foods are often wrongly associated with negative moods, and indeed, people often consume them when they're down or depressed, but interestingly enough, comfort foods are also consumed to maintain good moods." Ice cream is first on the comfort food list. After ice cream, comfort foods break down by sex: For women it's chocolate and cookies; for men it's pizza, steak, and casserole, explains Wansink. And what you reach for when eating to satisfy an emotion depends on the emotion. According to an article by Wansink, published in the July 2000 American Demographics, "The types of comfort foods a person is drawn toward varies depending on their mood. People in happy moods tended to prefer ... foods such as pizza or steak (32%). Sad people reached for ice cream and cookies 39% of the time, and 36% of bored people opened up a bag of potato chips." Overfeeding Emotions "We all eat for emotional reasons sometimes," says Jakubczak, who has talked to college students at the University of Maryland about emotional eating. When eating becomes the only or main strategy a person uses to manage emotions, explains Jakubczak, then problems arise -- especially if the foods a person is choosing to eat to satisfy emotions aren't exactly healthy. "If you eat when you are not hungry, chances are your body does not need the calories," says Jakubczak. "If this happens too often, the extra calories get stored as fat, and too much fat storage can cause one to be overweight, which may present some health risks." According to an interview with Jakubczak on the University of Maryland web site, 75% of overeating is caused by emotions, so dealing with emotions appropriately is important. Recognizing Emotional Eating "The first thing one needs to do to overcome emotional eating is to recognize it," says Jakubczak. "Keeping a food record and ranking your hunger from 1-10 each time you put something in your mouth will bring to light 'if' and 'when' you are eating for reasons other than hunger." Next, you need to learn techniques that help manage emotions besides eating, explains Jakubczak. "Oftentimes when a child is sad, we cheer them up with a sweet treat," says Jakubczak. "This behavior gets reinforced year after year until we are practicing the same behavior as adults. We never learned how to deal with the sad feeling because we always pushed it away with a sweet treat. Learning how to deal with feelings without food is a new skill many of us need to learn." Managing Emotional Eating Here are a few tips to help you deal with emotional eating: Recognize emotional eating and learn what triggers this behavior in you. Make a list of things to do when you get the urge to eat and you're not hungry, and carry it with you, according to the Tufts Nutrition web site. When you feel overwhelmed, you can put off that desire by doing another enjoyable activity. Try taking a walk, calling a friend, playing cards, cleaning your room, doing laundry, or something productive to take your mind off the craving -- even taking a nap, according to the Tufts Nutrition web site. When you do get the urge to eat when you're not hungry, find a comfort food that's healthy instead of junk food. "Comfort foods don't need to be unhealthy," says Wansink. For some, leaving comfort foods behind when they're dieting can be emotionally difficult. Wansink tells WebMD, "The key is moderation, not elimination." He suggests dividing comfort foods into smaller portions. For instance, if you have a large bag of chips, divide it into smaller containers or baggies and the temptation to eat more than one serving can be avoided. When it comes to comfort foods that aren't always healthy, like fattening Desserts, Wansink also offers this piece of information: "Your memory of a food peaks after about four bites, so if you only have those bites, a week later you'll recall it as just a good experience than if you polished off the whole thing." So have a few bites of cheesecake, then call it quits, and you'll get equal the pleasure with lower cost. Lastly, remember that emotional eating is something that most people do when they're bored, happy, or sad. It might be a bag of chips or a steak, but whatever the food choice, learning how to control it and using moderation are key. Published Nov. 11, 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOURCES: Brian Wansink, PhD, consumer psychologist; marketing and nutritional science professor; director, Food and Brand Lab, University of Illinois. Jane Jakubczak, registered dietitian, University of Maryland. American Demographics, July 2000. Physiology & Behavior, 2003. University of Texas. Tufts University. Food and brand Lab, University of Illinois

the 8th -10th sounds good to me!!!

I wouldn't be able to make that weekend - I could do the one before or the one after but not that one.........

as of recent yes I am doing abdominal crunches. When my port flipped I wasn't doing anything so I really don't know how it happened. I went in for a fill one day and under flouro the doc couldn't get it into the port so he determined that my port was flipped. Up to that point I hadn't felt any pain at all or felt anything unusual so I hadn't a clue that happened. Anyways went in for day surgery and he fixed it. When he got done I asked him was it flipped? He said yep. I asked him if he had any idea how it could have happened and he said it could have been that I lifted something too heavy or reached too far - I wasn't exercising at that point so it wasn't because of that.

this all sounds really cool and all - but like Alexandra - I would need plenty of advance notice. We are a one budget household with 4 kids right now and money is tight. But if it were planned a few months in advance I could start saving. Hey - all the money I'm saving on not buying lunch at work could go into a "Send-Carmen-to-Vegas" fund. Although I would need to bring my hubby along. I don't think he would let me go to Vegas by myself..........I might not have enough money to get back home!! lololol Anyways I just thought about this - we get a nice discount on airfare through my company.....for those that are interested I may be able to hook them up with it - it's up to 45% off.

I just want to say that I had a flipped port - how it happened I don't know. I can honestly say that I over the last 3 months I have been working out on a regular basis but prior to that I hadn't done anything. The most that I had done prior to that was going up a flight of stairs carrying the laundry. I am assuming that a port could flip just by turning the wrong way, stretching too hard or even lifting too heavily. I wouldn't let that be a deterrant for exercising - providing that your doctor has given you the go-ahead with it!!!

actually I did read it but that's not what's happening to me. I WOKE UP like this and hadn't eaten anything when I felt it. This has been going on since 6:30 this morning come to think of it and I didn't eat anything until around 8:30 which was the yogurt that I mentioned.

Congratulations!!! I have a neice named Neveah - not a common name - pronounced Na-va-ah. I call her Navy for short (sometimes Navy Bean!!) Once again CONGRATS!!!!

Hey everyone!! I went for my 4th fill on Friday and boy let me tell ya - IT'S WORKING!!! Prior to this fill I had felt it every so often and was really working hard to keep the weight off that I had lost. Well I just couldn't do it anymore cause I was trying to eat the whole cow and then move on to the horse!!! I am now realizing that prior to feeling this level of restriction I thought I was taking small bites........boy did I get a reality check. I was going to eat a banana for breakfast - nice soft and easy. Well first bite into the banana and swallowed - BAM - I felt it and was like oh boy.......not good enough!! So now I am re-evaluating how I chew, how big I bite and what I eat. I am also realizing that things that I could eat before are definately off limits now!! And to think I thought the band was not going to work for me. Even with water I am realizing that I need to sip - something I never had to do. I am happy though. What a way to start the summer!!! Just wanted to share my "lightbulb' moment with everyone!! Thanks!!!

I just want you to know that those words echoed LOUDLY in my ears today when I tried to eat dinner this evening!! All I could think was "that damn Donali knows too much for her own good" (in a LOVING way of course!!!!)

ok so all the experienced bandsters..........is this the same thing as feeling the food going down?? It's kind of painful when it's going through enough to say ok, that's enough for me!!!

We're in Milwaukee!

Hey Jenn - my husband has a twin!!!!

Hi all!! I'm Carmen from Milwaukee, WI. I have 4 kids - 2 boys aged 4 and 14 and 2 girls aged 7 and 11. 33 yr old Leo (hence the name Lioness) and have been married for little over a year to my husband but have been with him for almost 13 years. I was banded on Nov 25th, 2003 and to date have lost approximately 55 pounds - but that changes depending on which way the wind blows!! Anyways I have about 80 more that I want to loose.....it's slow but I don't mind!! I wouldn't change it for the world nor do I ever regret having the surgery. I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!

so far I have had 3 fills and I don't feel much restriction either. Luckily my insurance is covering everything otherwise I would be upset as well. Be more vocal to your doctor and let him know - you paid HIM/HER for a service and you should be 100% happy with it. Request to have it under flouro - then you will know for sure. I just think it takes everyone time to get to the "sweet spot" and I wouldn't sweat it right now. One thing I have really come to realize is that I gained this weight in 15 + years and I am not going to loose it in 6 months. I wouldn't worry too much yet as this is only the second fill. Hey, you never know it might creep up on you when you least expect it!!! Hang in there though and know that you are not alone!!!