donna12

Does anyone own a mini stepper with the bands that they would recommend? One that fits under bed or in closet, just the foot petals and stretch bands kind? Thanks Donna

doing the happy dance for ya. Congrats!

well I guess I should call it ashamed too since I've only lost 3 lbs in what will be one month next week. I'm not able to exercise and I'm angry about that. I also am feeling an emotional attachment to food here lately, bad foods. I haven't been bad, it's just I have craved old foods like chips and dip, cheeto's, frito's, stuff like that and sweets, it's awful. I'm feeling deprived and its not a good feeling right now. I literally could binge. I guess those feelings of craving old bad food habits never will go away and I have to deal with it for the rest of my life as I want so bad to succeed with my band. I'm 47 and having gone thru a hysterectomy a few yrs ago it threw me into menopause so I know my metabolism is probably slower than someone younger or who is not going thru menopause plus I take hormones. Here lately it seems I can eat a cup worth of food and then some but I don't. I go in next week for a fill, thank goodness. I am staying full every 4 hrs but the urge to snack in between is there, I don't snack often, maybe 2 to 3 times a week once a day and then I will grab a low fat string cheese. My worst time is late night, food calls my name, anything and I'm not hungry for the most part. Now last night I was hungry so I ate 3 bites of turkey and half piece of Munster cheese with it around 11:00 pm. Tonight, I'm not hungry. I just wish I could turn off the food craving button in my head.

Actually over Christmas between my brother and I we gave her lots of her favorite candy so she did keep that in her bedroom and I appreciated it but as far as the chips and things like that go its in the pantry. I actually live with my elderly mom, well she's 74, not that elderly but needs me and I'm divorced now so it helps me out too by living here. But like when she leaves the house and leaves me here all alone I have no accountability for my actions and I like want to scarf down whatever I am forbidden to eat any other time, it's like sinful, I mean down right sinful. The other day I was like a drug addict, she left and I went to the pantry and opened up the bag of cheeto's and ate 5, boy you would have thought I died and had gone to heaven and lord only knows I didn't tell her. She is the food police around here for me and I want her to be, I want to be held accountable, I want to be reminded "Donna, that looks like more than a cup in cases when I didn't measure" kind of deal. Maybe I need to become Catholic and go to confessional instead of being Baptist, lol. It's just that I'm having a hard time with craving old foods like pasta, rice, soda, Subway, things I no longer eat or drink and can't and am having a hard time with it right now and I don't know why. I've been emotional about all week long. It's almost like I'm mourning these types of foods and the attachment I have with them. Sheesh.

Gas X

B52 I'm 8 mos post op and I'm not quite sure how much I have in my band cause I had an unfill for gallbladder surgery Dec 3rd and right now I'm not quite up to what was in there prior to that surgery. My band surgery was June 13th. No I haven't really sat down and thought of what a pound of fat really looks like but I guess you are right, I did do my body good by losing 3 lbs. I'm just really struggling with cravings with old food habits and old foods that I used to eat and yes they are in the house as I live with my mom and she eats them. Luckily she doesn't have a weight problem.

I love the Swiss Choc ones, just ordered some from GNC.com with $1 shipping the other night since I can't walk very well with an injured food and am not able to walk inside our mall to buy them plus got 25% off.

3 yrs ago tonight my eating got way outta hand and worse. Yes I had always been overweight all my adult life but 3 yrs ago tonight my ex asked for a divorce out of nowhere, that sorry piece of SH*&. I know most of you are blown away at my language as I don't curse but if you knew what I know about him now, boy oh boy, have I found out things in the past 2 weeks, man was I blind! He was such a DOG! All I can say is I can take comfort in knowing I'm over him once and for all and have moved on and life is good and on with my weight loss and healthy eating and lifestyle. Now if I can get my sore toe to heal so I can exercise properly I'd be good. But with that said, I did blow up a stability ball today to do sit ups and I bought bands to do upper body workout, so that's a start. I thought about one of those mini stepper things with bands, do any of you have one? I happen to live with my mom so not a lot of space so I thought it was something I could tuck under the bed or in the closet when not in use. Thanks Donna

thank you sparkplug for your kind words, that meant a lot.

ok, slow down for starters and breathe and relax. First off you do need to learn to take it slow and take tee tiny bites the size of your pinky nail or else you will have a stuck episode and believe me I've had my share and they aren't fun, they are gross, not pretty, they hurt and can be harmful to your new band. So if you want solid food, take it slow, sometimes I can eat chicken and sometimes I can't, canned chicken that I can shred or fork thru and put light mayo in I can eat but to bake a chicken breast I can eat sometimes and then some nights or days I will get stuck, no ryhm or reason. Try some tuna, try some baked fish or grilled salmon. The other night I baked a pork chop with 3 tsp of ff mushroom soup on it to make a gravy and to make it moist and i was able to eat it and it was delish. I covered it in foil in like a pocket so that it would steam almost instead of open in the oven and dry out. Try steamed veggies or canned green beans or carrots cooked. You can do this. If you are still on purreed types of food just try and vary your meals with different types of soups and struggle thru it, we've all been there and this too shall pass. My weight loss is slow cause I am not able to exercise due to various reasons but this is the best decision I've ever made for myself and I'd do it all again. Hang in there. Best of luck.

thanks for the encouragement on my toe and new nail growth which will be awhile of course. bummer. I am still so sore, can't wear a shoe on this foot, still in a slipper, luckily well I shouldn't say luckily I need a job badly but luckily right now while this is going on, I don't work.

was banded 6-13-12, first six mos was mostly sick, sick to my stomach and throwing up for the most part and pain in my back. Between me and my lap band surgeon and tests he decided my gallbladder needed to come out so on Dec. 3rd I had surgery, recovered from that, had complications but recovered. Now, jumping back and forth, I noticed latter part of November first part of December on my left big toe a red streak coming from the toe nail, didn't think anything about at the time and yes I got pedicures but hadn't gotten one at that time in about 6 wks. Then I noticed swelling at the cuticle and a lot of redness and very sore. I showed it to my mom and she advised me to see a Podiatrist so Jan. 2nd I did. He prescribed a very strong antibiotic and said if it wasn't better in a week the nail needed to come off. Well that wasn't what I wanted to hear so I sought a 2nd opinion. I took the 10 antibiotic and sought another Podiatrist. He informed me let's treat you with another antibiotic, ointment and wrapping it and of course he numbed the toe and cleaned out puss that had dried back into the cuticle, I know gross. Now skipping ahead to now. This past Wed. I went back to the same Podiatrist and he said the nail has to come off, so he numbed the toe and off it came, I mourned the nail coming off as I love painting my nails but to clear the infection it needed to be done. He wrapped it and sent me off on my way. By Friday I noticed oozing and swelling and bleeding so I called and he wanted to see me so I went in. He looked at it and said, "hm, this is a first, I've never seen this before, it's definately infected, let me take a culture and send it off", put me back on antibiotics (mind you this is my 5th round of antibiotics) and told me how to clean it and disinfect it and wrap it. Needless to say I am in much pain so I'm living on pain meds day and night, the gauze sticks to my toe so I have to peel it off with some very extreme pain involved. Today I called my medical dr in Nashville and he wanted to see me. So with all this done, I have an appt tomorrow with my internal medicine dr. My toe is still raw, bleeding, very sore, swollen, red at the cuticle and oozing. No fever at this point, thank goodness but now I have a numb tongue which I've googled and can be caused by antibiotics or Vitamin deficiency of B-12 and Iron. Happy to go see the doc tomorrow. Sorry to get off on a subject other than lap band but I'm sad I just can't exercise and haven't been able to from day one since I've been sick for the most part of my journey. I will be glad when I can walk, exercise, and lose some major weight!!! Keeping my eye on the prize, my health and getting healthy. Thanks for listening.

Hang in there, it will get better. First few days or week is rough. No regrets here despite the rough start I had. Best decision I ever made.

got good news today at my internal med dr today. He didn't seem too concerned, said it looked more inflamed at the cuticle than infected and that since I had been on 5 rounds of antibiotics that it most likely wasn't still infected. Told me to soak it twice a day, keep it wrapped with antibiotic ointment and if not better in 2 wks to call him and he would get me in to see a foot specialist. He was surprised that I had the nail removed and I was disappointed in myself for not seeing him in the first place instead of a Podiatrist but you think, cuticle infection and inflamation, go to a Podiatrist so thats what I did. Hind sight now. Praying that my toe nail grows back normal so that I can paint it again, maybe next summer. Thanks for all the well wishes.

thanks everyone. Laurigee, as far as I know I'm not diabetic. I had blood work done in Sept and hoping that the dr today will order fasting blood work today. Since I live an hour and half from Nashville I will have eaten before I get there so I will have him write the order for blood work for home where I live and have it done here. When I had blood work done in Sept my glucose level showed 83 range. With that said, my dad is deceased but all his siblings are diabetic and his mother was diabetic so it is in my bloodline. Thanks again everyone. Donna

I am really struggling with food this week. As a matter of fact I gained 2 lbs. I'm not able to exercise at all, a whole entire different story but I won't go into that so I can't work off any lbs that way and everytime I eat I feel like I could eat more than a cup. Like tonight for dinner I ate a cup of soup/beans with a small small piece of cornbread and I literally could have eaten more but didn't. I usually hiccup when I hit that full soft spot of fullness but here lately this week that has not been happening. I am due for a fill on the 22nd, well, I say a fill, its an appt with my surgeon and I'm assuming he will give me a fill. I stay full for approx 4 hrs at a time. I'm sleeping a lot and laying around due to taking pain meds from an injury. Will I ever hit the green zone, sigh.

thanks all, laurigee, I hope you are doing well from your hysterectomy? Usually I'd agree with you all about the pain meds and constipation but since having my gallbladder out Dec 3rd everything runs thru me now.

Well it was called a Grapple, it was yummy. It was the first apple I've eaten since being banded, wasn't sure about the peeling but ate it anyway, no problems, I just chewed really well and took tiny bites.

elcee, on the sign at Publix above the fruit it says Grapple and it also says its a cross between a grape and an apple and tastes like a grape too but looks like an apple. I did detect a different taste, it was good and crisp, now if I had to say it tasted like a grape, I really can't pinpoint that.

First off, make sure you are getting enough protein to stay feeling full. Are you allowed to have broth and sf jello and sf popsicles? The first 3 to 4 days were awful for me and of course your body is detoxing from sugar and carbs or at least mine was. I won't lie, it was hard, probably one of the hardest things I've ever done but I kept looking at the big picture, and why I was doing it. Stay focused and I promise you, you can do this! Hang in there, big hugs!

laurigee thank you so much for the prayers. He had chemo this past Wed so he's pretty sick right now, it makes him sick every time. I wish I could take it away from him but it's in God's hands.

Congrats, I know you are excited!

I'm every 3 yrs also cause my brother is battling colon cancer right now and the kind he has is heredetery (did I spell that right, oh well) anyway, his dr wanted me tested 3 yrs ago and said for me to have one every 3 yrs so my time is coming up Dec '13. Yes the prep is worse the colonoscopy.

I will keep that in mind as the mag citrate is nasty, yuck. good luck

Be safe everyone, prayers for all ya'll! Keep us posted if you can.