WASaBubbleButt

I end up throwing away sooooo much food because I just don't eat it. I like this stuff because it stays good in the freezer until you use it. Well, that and I don't cook.

Positive. They used to order an extra bag for my Mom whenever we ran out. This stuff was really quite good. They used to get it from a restaurant supply place but I have no idea where. It was delivered in clear 5# bags. You'd take out a small scoop, mix a little mayo and it thawed instantly. It came in chicken and ham. It was great for a restaurant/bar because it never went bad. You made it one sandwich at a time and kept the rest of the little pellets in the freezer. Their chicken salad was the only kind of chicken salad I have ever cared for. I know it doesn't sound good but really, it was great.

If I could just find this stuff it would be great because it takes the danger of cooking out of the picture (nasty food, deadly food, ruining large appliances, etc.)

This won't likely work since you've been on the drug for a while but for smoking you have to take it 150mg extended release twice daily. This makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE because the 300 once daily should do exactly the same thing. But for smokers, it just doesn't. It works for depression but not smoking unless it is 150mg version twice daily.

Are you taking the 150mg extended release version twice daily?

Sorry to hear that. My Dad died 4/26/05 of colon cancer that was very likely related to excess fat and crap in his diet.

Lauren, that does NOT make it ANY less of an addiction! Food is our addiction, smoking is an addiction for some of us. Just because one may have easier aspects to it than another does not mean it isn't an addiction. An addiction is an addiction, period. I think there should be a fat tax. If you are above a 25BMI then you pay $1.00 per calorie and an additional $0.50 per fat gram for restaurant food. Fat people cost the medical system a buttload of money, it's time we fatties started paying up! Just like smokers. You don't NEED restaurant food to survive. Eat twigs, eat leaves, but you don't need restaurant food to survive. Maybe we should apply the same fat tax to grocery store foods. You don't NEED white rice, flour, fried chicken, donuts, crackers, etc. etc. etc. to survive. I think $1.00 per calorie and $0.50 per fat gram should start paying for the costs to society for we fatties.

I wasn't clear, I think! LOL The egg thing is just a different way to use up this stuff. Instead of putting egg stuff in the white part of the egg, you put ham salad stuff in the white part of a deviled egg. Not sure that makes more sense though! This stuff did indeed come in tiny little balls. It was actually pretty good. It was served at this bar/restaurant next to my Mom's shop. But that was 30 years ago, I'm pretty sure they have new owners after the bar owner set his bar on fire so they could collect insurance money. Otherwise I'd call them and ask. It came in a 5# plastic bag, a gazillion little tiny balls. You take a small scoop out, mix a little mayo in there and you have ham salad. I've tried Google searches on dehydrated ham salad, frozen ham salad, restaurant ham salad... all I get are recipes.

That is just bypass people. I *think* (going by memory here) that B12 is absorbed in the first foot of intestine. They remove 3' - 6' depending on how much you have to lose. If they remove the part of your body that absorbs this it has to be given via a different route. That doesn't happen in banding, just bypass.

NEVER EVER try to gain weight, there is no reason for that, you'll just have to take it off later. Put rolls of quarters in your pockets, bra, anywhere. But DO NOT try to gain weight. When you get down to your last 2-3 pounds and they are not coming off you will regret doing this.

Most of your body is fluid. It will go up and down. If you don't have a history of heart problems, etc., then it is absolutely normal.

For the most part mine has been consistant. As for calorie, fat, and Protein intake your doc should have given you this information. My doc says to stick to 800 a day, I stick with 600 a day. Fat... I just keep it low. Protein around 60gms. But your doc will have his own numbers for you.

Just keep in mind that during the liquid phase it is EASY to get a lot of liquid calories in. While the healing phase is not meant for weight loss but healing instead, sugar will make you want to eat your right arm. Protein will kill hunger. You don't need sugar. It does nothing for your body, it does not promote weight loss, and during liquids it will make you one very unhappy person. Why would you WANT sugar? Perhaps that is what you need to consider. What do you think? Gatorade is "okay" but Propel is better. No clue how old you are but the older the newbie bandster the harder blood sugar issues seem to be. If you are REALLY feeling shaky, light headed, etc., then a bit of propel or watered down gatorade is in order. But for your standard issue person it is best to keep it at a minimum. Sugar will just make you miserable in the end. It's not worth it.

Thank you. Sincerely, thank you. This is what I was looking for. It's a perspective and this is what I am looking for. This is what I need for a variety of reasons. The specific reasons don't really matter but you have offered me what I need. I just tried to explain my thinking and I deleted it. It does not explain my thinking. I think I need to continue reading responses until I resolve my issues with my thinking.

I've seen people do amazing things when they want a band. The thing is, you really have to want it bad enough. Get two jobs, get three jobs. They may not be the best jobs in the whole world but they pay the bills. As others have mentioned, Subway, Mickey D's, call centers, anything. Maybe not a dream job but it's a job. The thing about a band is that you have to want it bad enough to go get it. To answer your question, no. There are no band friendly programs. This is one you'll have to do yourself. And make no mistake, it can be done. According to the last poll here that I saw 55% of the people here went to Mexico, which means they paid for their own band. 45% had it done in the US and of those, not all had insurance. Stick around, you'll see for yourself that we are not typically wealthy people that can pay cash for anything we want. You really do have to want it bad enough to go and get it. If that means 3 jobs and paying cash or finding a job where insurance will cover the procedure.

Nope. Being stuffed like a Tday turkey is not really the feeling we are looking for. Remember, the hardest part of banding is relearning old stuff. We USED to want to be stuffed full. Today we are looking for satisfied. Every 2nd or 3rd bite stop and think, are you still hungry or are you satisfied? You are thinking "fat" and that is what got us fat to begin with. Being T-day turkey stuffed full is what causes slips and pouch/esophagus stretching. You really aren't looking for stuffed full, you are looking for "not hungry" ... that is a much safer bet. It's sooo hard for us to wrap our brain around the concept of food being for survival. We eat to live, not live to eat. You simply don't need to be T-day stuffed, you need to be not hungry.

HA! Can you imagine what they would write? Ohhhh, I'd LOVE to read such a forum!

BTW, regarding the above. Mormons have to understand that their "splinter" groups are still Mormon, just like the crappy Catholics are still Catholic, and the crappy atheists are still atheist. I have a real problem when one group decides if another group is of their religion or not. It's none of their business. It is between the person and their God. ... Or no God as the case may be. Again, this is where "religion" butts into the lives of others. Take away organized religion and I think most would have a great deal more spirituality.

Hear hear! I don't think people typically have problems with the people regardless of belief, it's the organized religion that is such a horror.

Mine has been working just fine. Are you updating your weight daily before entering exercise? Also, sometimes (not always) you have to add food to your daily plate before it will finish calculating the exercise. If you aren't using it to track food (I don't, just weight and exercise) then just add a bottle of water. It will calculate it from there.

Sorry, I must have been confusing you with someone else.

We disagree. I have been referring to the addictive process and I think you know that. You keep debating this point. Have I disagreed with you? I have said that in my personal opinion I disagree with businesses not being able to do any damn thing they want. Big Bro steps in again. Some people want lots of gov't control, some don't. I personally don't care because I tend to not smoke in public a great deal. What are we debating regarding bans? I'm talking about addiction and you keep going back to bans. Okay, I hear you. Honest... I do. What does that have to do with the addiction of obesity and smoking?

Patch-crap Gum-crap Lozenges-crap and they give me instant and severe heartburn Fake cigs-crap Candy-fat Drugs-GREAT! Wellbutrin made a world of difference but at the time I didn't believe it would work and I didn't want to quit. So I quit taking the drug. (Same thing as Zyban) The problem now is that I can't swallow that size tablet anymore, it is extended release so I can't break/crush it, and it does not come in a liquid. The odd thing about that particular drug is that although it comes in a short acting tablet that I *could* crush, the short acting does not work for smoking issues. Even if you take it more often, the short acting tablet does not work. It MUST be extended release and I can't swallow those tablets.

Sorry, I really didn't mean it as a hit, I meant it literally. You previously gave some examples of her (what I call) nagging. Did it help? Did you lose weight? Or did it just make you feel worse? If not Mom than anyone. Has ANY person's nagging helped you to lose weight? I think smoking is exactly like obesity. I need a band so I CAN'T eat the kinds of foods I used to. I don't have a choice. I could, and did, live on burgers. I got fat. I can't have burgers now, I'm losing weight. It wasn't done through sheer will power. Honestly, I didn't mean the "mom" thing as a slam, I really didn't.

No, my point was that the lectures, grocery list of health issues, and finger wagging don't do ANYTHING to get smokers to stop smoking. It didn't work with weight, it doesn't work with smoking. To pretend it does a bloody thing is just that, pretending. It might make the nonsmokers feel like they are doing something but we all know better. If anyone disagrees then get rid of your band and I will be happy to nag you about overeating.