Kime-lou

I find if I don't snack at the times I set for myself that I will find myself in a little while over hungry and then it's hard to get that starving hunger under control. Find what works for you and that keeps your calories low and your intake a cup or less at a time. For me though if I wait until I say ok I am hungry it's bad. It's like my body now has 2 modes not hungry and starving- as long as I eat about 4-5 hours I am ok, if I say ok I'm not hungry at 5 hours I feel like crap and have a hard time eating like I am suppose to, but this is me.

I have had this problem, it can be from water weight gain, regular weight gain or irritation of the band area due to reflux - or at least this is what I was told by my physician.

My plan I set up with my nutritionist is to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks. My meals are breakfast, lunch, dinner and are around 300 calries each. My snacks fall between Breakfast and lunch and then lunch and dinner and I keep them about 150 calories.

Early on you may not be able to see/feel it due to swelling. But it is normal to feel it and eventually see it with weight loss.

It's okay to weigh daily IF you don't allow it to effect your mood. You can't allow it to stress you out, because the stress horomone cortisol will make you gain. I weigh everyday and look at the trend as long as my week long trend is downward it was a good week, if it's up then I look for the cause. Remember to weigh at the same time everyday with about the same about of clothing if you weigh daily. TOM, Water intake, salt intake, carb intake can all cause weight fluctuations from 1-10 lbs. Remember it is physilogically (sp) impossible to gain that much in a day as long as you are under you BMR. A lbs is 3500 calories and unless you ate 3500 calories over what you used in a day you didn't gain. Try to take a deep breath and look at the trends not the dailys.

Yep, you can be. I am allergic to multi's, have been since I was a kid. The problem I have is once they get into my system I start hurling everyday as soon as I wake up, like morning sickness. When my mom tried me on Flinstones as a kid this happened, doctor said I was allergic and I couldn't take the multi. Instead I have to take the most important ones one at a time. I have had my labs checked often and I am doing well with taking my b12 in the morning, calcium chews mid morning, Vit D at night. They just keep a check on all my labs to make sure I am getting everything I need. This sucks, but it's better than living with the side effects.

I had surgery in June, I have lost 40 lbs and have had 4 fills. Next week I am scheduled to go get another fill, but I am scared. I had a couple of stuck spells that caused me to PB last weekend. Now I feel pretty good restriction. I have to be very careful to chew well because if I don't I feel pressure when I eat. I do have a cold and a bad sinus drainage that is causing a lot of coughing, I know that could be causing me to feel tighter. What do I do, go in or cancel and reschedule for later? I am just scared to be filled to tight where I can't even get water down.

I almost feel like I have been living in an alternate reality since I began my journey in May. Once I decided I wanted to have lapband surgery I jumped in with both feet and committed myself to doing it. I got a doctors appointment, set up all the pre-op appointments, got scheduled for sugery and had it done June 22nd. Since surgery I have been busy with work and home stuff and then my Grandmother passed away. I feel like time has flown by. I thought I did terrible when my Grandmother died because I ate food that I don't normally eat (fried chicken), granted I didn't eat 3 pieces like I would have at one time, I ate one and didn't eat desert because my band wouldn't allow me to over eat. I still figured I had gained a couple of pounds over that weekend. The day before I left to go up to meet with the family I was 206 that was on a Wed. I returned home on the next week and on Wed of the next week I was at 203 - WOW- I didn't gain I lost! The only thing I can figure is I was drinking water all the time, rather than snacking I was walking around with a cup of water in my hand so I drank that instead of picking at the endless amount of food. I can't believe I have lost 40 lbs in 4 months. In 4 months life has changed a lot. I am eating differently, I am feeling better, I am more focused, I wear smaller clothes, I think differently- I could go on. I know with out surgery I would likely be sitting about 250-260 right now and miserable, instead I am close to Onederland and feeling good. Even though I lost a dear loved one, I am handling it better because of the band. I was down for a little me and ate some things I shouldn't have, but I got back on the wagon, started counting calories again and moving forward. I feel like fat clouded my life for years- it put my mind in a haze and I am coming out now. I hope my drive and clear mind continue and I can get to my goal of losing 100 lbs or a little more I want to know what life is like on the other side- the healthy side.

The last fill I had I was told to stay on liquid for 24 and then for the next 36 do mushy then go to solids. Sometimes band adjustments can causing swelling that will disapate in a few days.

Water or decaf coffee work for me. When I am craving or wanting that bedtime snack I brew a cup of decaf or fix a ice cold cup of water and sip- once I am done with that I feel full and don't want anything else. If I am really hungry I find a healthy snack- some times it's just a teaspoon of low sodium, low fat peanut butter. It takes a while to eat plan PB and by the time I am finished I don't want anything else.

I don't think the fast food resturants are evil exactly, but we just need to make better choices when we go. I am a calorie counter so if I am really wanting a certain meal I will eat it but count that is my calories knowing that eating a high calorie meal means less later. However, I do not think I will ever eat a big mac or a whopper again because it just doesn't taste 500 calories good or do I think my band would allow it. I, have however, enjoyed a kids chicken nugget and the occasinal MD Grilled Chicken Ceaser salad. I like the fact that resturants are putting calories counts on their menus now so I can make better choices when I do go out. I do see your point, I do not understand how people who are banded can feel like it's ok to gorge at places like they did before. I don't even see how they can do it. At this point it would be impossible for me to eat the quantity that I did at one at one meal, my band just would not allow it. For me it's all about making healthy choices wherever and whenever I eat. I went through surgery and have lost 40 lbs and don't want to go back, so when I do eat at a fast food place I don't get the calorie layden meal, I choose a healthier option.

Weight fluctuates due to many things, which was one of the hardest things for me to learn. But, what they tell you as you prepared to be banded is so true. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK! I use to think the more I drank the more I'd retain, but that isn't true. The Water helps flush your system. Following rules of portion sizes, for me it's all about calorie counts. I count my calories on myfitnesspal to keep be for going over 1200- since the start of that the weight loss has been very steady, maybe a few days of plateau, but then it drops again. I order to be succesful I think each one of us has to try different methods- wheater it's calorie counting, or measing out one cup of food, ect. We have to figure out what works for us. I don't loose if I go under 900 calories a day, my body thinks it's starving- but that might not be the same for you. So I encourage you to journal and see what works for you and stick to that.

No foods, even carbs, are against the law with the lapband. That being said some people can't tolerate thick breads, especially once they reach proper restriction. Some people choose not to eat carbs, but other continue to. The choice is yours. I eat carbs and some sweets, and heres the catch- I count calories. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but when I really crave something I do have it and I count it in my calories. I LOVE spagetti and chicken alfredo, but both have Pasta. I choose to use spagetti squash for my noodles instead of regular pasta and it is still awesome. You can still eat your carbs, but in moderation. The biggest question to ask you self are you ready for MODERATION, not are you ready to give up xyz. Eating whatever and how ever much you WANT got you over weight, so you have to change in order to change your weight. You can be successful if you are WANTING and WILLING to MODERATE yourself with your food intake. If your family loves you they will support you through the difficult times.

I go in for a fill once a month (had 4 so far), but how often you go in for a fill is related to your restriction level, not time. Some people need more fills than other and some don't need any to be "comfy". So there is no real 100% answer to that.

I have heard that it is possible for the carbonation to stretch the pouch causing the band to basically be useless. I do have a friend whose doctor told her that she could drink no more than 10 oz of a light colored soda a day. I have tried a little Dt. Dew, but it made my stomach hurt so no more, besides I just really rather not risk it. If I were you I would go with what your doctor and nutritionist say, after all they are the experts not us.

I am doing Thanksgiving so I am in control of what is served. So a healthy Thanksgiving it is. I will make my fav- Turkey, cranberry sauce and spinch stuffing- but I will try to do everything as low cal as possible. I will only eat a little tiny bit of each rather than a huge serving of each. Christmas will be harder, but I will fix myself one plate and do just a taste of each and that is it!! The holidays won't be easy, but I don't think they will be horrible.

I am not going to lie the pre-op diet is going to be hell, but it will be worth it. You are about to have surgery, you doctor and you want it to go well. The pre-op diet is to strink your liver which will make placing the band easier and saver. The only advice I can give you is DRINK!! If Water just doesn't cut it for you, try some flavor additives like crystal light or propel. I am hooked on peach mango green tea and it honestly does help curb my hunger. Instead of reaching for food I reach for water. Once you have a handle on your bad habits and curb them you will be suprised at how great you will feel about yourself. I have a friend who like you makes amazing cupcakes - flavor and decor. She has lost about 90 lbs. When she comes up with a new recipe she will bake a couple and cut one in half and taste it- then she knows if it's a keeper. Flavors she has made for a long time she doesn't worry about tasting because she knows how they are. Losing weight has also challenged her to make some sugar free options, and some low cal options made with veggies - so now she is helping others be able to have a cake and eat it to. So don't look at this as the end of something, look at this as the begining of something. You can do it, I know you can!

I did. I had to start mixing mine with other things- like half a Protein Shake with a half cup of yogurt. I was told by my nutritionist that to much Protein at one time can cause nausea. It helped me to just cut mine with yogurt or milk (1%).

I am not shocked. I have times like this. I think sometimes is it worth it, giving up things that I love to taste. I have times when I think, oh it's okay to eat that tonight, it's not like I eat it every night, just this once will be ok. You know what happens then it becomes twice a week, 3 times a week, ect. I have to really watch myself. I have to remind myself thinking like that will get me back to 250 and then on up to 300 lbs and I do not want that to happen. I really have to remind myself sometimes of the big picture- my health and not wanting to be so big I can't go out.

I had a horrible stuck episode this weekend, lasted 30 min and I finally puked it up, that was Saturday. Sunday I couldn't eat anything with out getting stuck, so Sunday after I figued that out and then Monday I did soft food. Today I went back on solids and I am not getting stuck anymore, but I do feel tighter. I have devloped a cold since then, my throat is major sore and I am coughing like crazy- can this make you tighter than normal? Previous stuck spells haven't caused my band to be tight for this long. Just a little worried I may have screwed my band up.