WASaBubbleButt

I'm in the group that I am hyperfocused on what my diet is today but it won't be that way forever. I have a personal goal I want to achieve and once that goal is met, I'm done with the lifestyle of counting calories and such. But during weight loss? You bet, I count and log everything that goes in my mouth... including Water. HA!

When you burn fat the fat turns into various chemicals, one of them is keytones. The burned fat is released from your body by way of urine and sweat mostly. Every hear someone say to work out hard enough to work up a good sweat? Most people tend to think you poop out burned fat, you don't. You pee it out and sweat it out. That is another reason for lots of Water during the fat burning stage. You want to flush out these chemicals or they can potentially cause problems. These chemicals are also found in tears, breath, and saliva. It's the keytones present that make food taste much different from before. It's a great time to get used to foods you just didn't care for before. Really, it's the PERFECT time. I'll never forget the first time I popped a couple of jelly Beans in my mouth. It was a few months after surgery. I was about to gag. They tasted like dirt, it was just horrible. oatmeal... the very sight of it used to make me roll my eyes in disgust. It's pretty good now, I actually like it.

Each doc is different. My doc wants fluids only before and after the fill for the whole day. No soft foods, no solids. But each doc is different. If you eat solids there will still be food in your pouch (or could be) and he won't get an idea of pouch size without food. So if you are getting a fill with fluoro stick to liquids for the best view possible. My doc has us do liquids for the day of the fill and the day after. Then soft foods for a day then regular food. It doesn't hurt at all. Some docs use lidocaine and some don't. I've had it done both ways and it doesn't make a bit of difference to me if they use lidocaine or not. There are fewer nerve endings in your abdomen around the port area so it really doesn't hurt. No problems at all finding the port under fluoro. Without fluoro a lot depends on belly fat and how experienced the doc is at fills. 3cc in a 10cc band probably won't do a lot for you, but that's okay. If it doesn't, you'll get another fill. It really does have to be taken in stages. Good luck!

The #1 thing people probably don't know about me is that regardless of my writing style I'm actually a very nice person! I just can't write worth a damn. I collect antiquarian books mostly regarding medicine and Black Slavery. I have some books that are many hundreds of years old. Always wanted to be an eye surgeon as I was growing up and then I realized that eye juice is gross. I still can't stand eye surgery. And my sister refers to our "stoma's" as a stem. Heh... that makes me laugh. She thinks of it as a plant stem that provides nourishment and life.

Hey Kat... Congrats on the 100lb mark! That's fantastic!

For me it was about 20lbs. I don't like people talking about it, I'd rather they just move on and discuss something else. BTW, it's much easier for us to lose weight than a thin person. The bigger you are the more calories you burn with the same exact exercise. If I run for 5 miles as at 252lbs I burn more calories than I do now at the same speed, same distance as a 166lb person. The closer you get to goal the harder it is to lose weight.

Everyone has problems with some type of food. Beef is one of the more common problem foods. Take smaller bites, chew until it is a paste, and eat verrry slowly. The problem foods for most seem to be bread, beef, dry chicken, eggs, and Pasta.

If you are self pay and this isn't an insurance requirement, can you tell the consultant to buggar off? Either do the surgery or you'll find someone else who will? Not sure how things work there but I had my surgery in Mexico. By the time I did my research and chose a doc, I finally scheduled surgery. Called one day and had surgery six days later.

Not sure if you are responding to me, but if you are that's not what I wrote at all. I don't think anyone did.

Might want to read the "food" thread. There are lots of ideas there.

I've lost 86lbs since December but I work really hard. I keep calories at about 600 daily (not hard with the band) and run 1-2 hours daily. I have found if I sit on my butt and not move, I don't gain but I don't lose either. I eat when I'm hungry, if that is at noon or midnight. I don't do hunger well. I power walk and run, just bought a Bowflex but haven't used it since I don't have the slightest idea what to do with it. I rarely drink alcohol because I don't want to run off the calories, and I rarely eat white carbs such as sugar.

Not sure where you live but on the off chance it is Phoenix, we are going to Mexicali a week from today, 8/18. You are MORE than welcome to go with us. Or, if you are anywhere between Phoenix and Mexicali we'll pick you up. If you have to fly then check with the airlines and see if it is cheaper for you to fly from your home to San Diego or Phoenix, it's usually cheaper to fly to Phoenix. Then I'll pick you up and you can go with us. Or, if it is cheaper to go to San Diego then Dr. Aceves' van will pick you up. There is no charge for the van ride. They'll take you to the hospital and back to the airport again. I know Dr. A works on other patients, he fixes ports, does fills, etc. The way he explained it to me is that if I were in Monterrey, for example, and had some sort of problem he knows Dr. Rodriguez would see me if I had a problem, it's only right that he sees other doctor's patients as well. If you can just get to Phoenix then that would be all your transportation costs right there... meaning, just the airfare. KansasSooner and I are going there in a week, so you are welcome to come along if you wish. Not sure when you'll check back so I'll PM you this as well as posting it.

I agree with you but the thing is, when pounds start melting away you find all kinds of motivation you never knew you had. You kinda come to a point where you want to keep up the rate of weight loss and foods such as Mac & Chz don't work well for weight loss. While you can easily gain a pound in a day it's nothing to take a week burn enough calories to lose a pound. You start thinking about food differently as time goes on. Many of us count calories and are quite strict, others are not. For those of us that count calories that mac & chz would take up a good portion of our calories for the day. That's not to say we don't cheat, I do because I agree with you. But one thing about being banded is that it's a lifestyle change. Many of us just prefer to stick to healthier foods. Also, when you are losing weight you produce keytones and keytones tend to change your tastes. What used to taste great suddenly becomes vile and what you used to hate (for me it was oatmeal) is surprising yummy. I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE French Silk pie. Today it is beyond disgusting, it tastes like chocolate flavored butter. It's gross. I sometimes wonder how that stuff could even go down a year ago. So you have to keep in mind that there are lots of reasons for food changes and various backgrounds here. People that are really mega serious about losing weight and closing the 'fat' chapter of their lives tend to shy away from high carb, high fat, high calorie, poor GI quality foods. When you can only eat so much food daily you have to get the good/healthy foods in first. If you have room for high fat, high carb, high calorie, poor quality GI foods, then by all means. Eat them. If you are losing weight then all is good. Since you are a newbie you might want to consider that you haven't dealt with all the head games yet. Planning food, planning meals, wondering how you'll eat "X" food, focusing on food. As you deal with those issues you'll care less and less if you can have various foods. I think it's just one of those things that you have to experience before you see the difference. The only time I really wonder what I'll be able to eat is at a restaurant while looking at the menu. I don't like sliming in public. Otherwise food just isn't an issue for me like it used to be. I don't care if I will be able to eat "X" food, makes no difference to me. I'm finally thinking like a normal size person. As an example.. consider this. A normal size person without any weight issues wouldn't even think about that mac & chz until it was sitting in front of them on their plate. The thought wouldn't cross their minds. They worry about what they will eat when it's time for that meal. Yet for lots of reasons we are planning and hyperfocusing on food and what we can have. The changes come with time.

A diet of fiber cookies.... Eat and poop, what a way to live!

Thank you! You know, I've been putting off my work out all day long and I was just sitting here thinking about how much I don't want to do it. After your post I have motivation now. Thanks again!!!

Life is soooo much easier with restriction. At that point the hard part is getting beyond the head stuff such as head hunger. But just remembe, dieting was something we couldn't do before the band, it was too hard. With a band it's still very hard but it's the kind of hard we can do.

The band isn't the problem, the sutures are the problem.

Lots of slooooow easy deep breaths before the test...

So, go someplace else.

I have a hunch that you might be under-estimating caloric intake daily. Two cups of navy beans is 704 calories per MEAL. Check out Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate or FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. You might be floored at caloric consumption.

I'd pay BIG bucks to be in your position! You are an EXSMOKER! Rejoice! Enjoy the glory. Sorry.. I'm not about to answer your original question... it isn't going to happen to an EXsmoker! The craving will be there for years. There, you have it. BUT.. the worst part is over. Enjoy being a non smoker and go ahead, snub your nose at us smokers! And live to love it!

Is THAT what those buttons are for? I like Target too, it's a fav.

Faith... btw, won't you be happy (thrilled) when you and I are both at the point that we can assure newbies this too, will pass? I just want my hair back!

Faith... please vote!!! If you read the OP again you will see that if you are less than six months AND have lost hair, you are requested to vote!! Actually, your vote counts more than others. You didn't have anesthesia before you started losing weight. Your vote shows it is weight loss and not anesthesia that caused the problem.

Amazingly, it is possible. But not for lap band but bypass. Check out this study, it's HUGE right now in the bariatric community: Welsh Medics To Examine How Surgery Can Cure Diabetes Because of this study scientists are scrambling to find out why this is the case. They are already looking at completely different ways to approach diabetes. The results are essentially the same for band and bypass, but bypass remission happens within days, diabetes remission happens with weight loss in banding.