Daisalana

I don't like splenda as a substitute at home.. I was raised on sweet-n-low, so I have no problem using that as a substitute (I think it's an aquired taste).. But I DO like SF foods in stores that are sweetened with Splenda.. like my SF Pudding!! I'm sure I have other splenda sweetened foods besides that, I just don't pay attention. They said everything is bad, then they give it back.. Egg beaters, sweet-n-low, etc.. I wouldn't be too worried about splenda going anywhere.

I haven't been filled yet, and haven't felt restriction in a while, but I tried lettuce and it took a lot of chewing to get it to go down well.. was very unenjoyable so I haven't tried it since.

Typically my morning at work are way too chaotic to think about eating.. and before work, I'm barely rolling out of bed, so I don't have time to eat before going in.. Even pre-band, my first food is normally lunch time, and I don't pause to think about if I'm hungry before then. Well today some reason.. (I've been taking phen---diet pill for past week or so), I didn't take my diet pill, got real busy, and started to get hungry. Real hungry. I don't always take lunch break either, I work through lunch and eat something in the office (if I decide to eat). Since taking the phen, I don't get hungry till dinner time, so I've only eaten after 5pm. But today like I said, I was soo hungry, I was growling and having severe cramps from being hungry! It was weird.. so afterwork we went by Wendy's on the way home, and I got a chili. While eating it, I felt like everything was struggling to go down. I was so hungry it made me not hungry... (I have had that sensation before), but I was trying to eat a little so I'd stop feeling sick.. and it felt like my band was tight! It felt like I was taking huge bites (honest, I wasn't!!), so 3-4 bites later I just stopped trying. I haven't felt my band 'tighten' from being hungry before, anyone else have this happen??? Or know why?

Because I'm in the paranoia boat with you..I never was till banded, but after banding I went to ER the weekend after due to pains, and I am terrified I'm going to stretch my pouch etc.. So I can relate to you thinking you've slipped. However.. from what I've heard people say, this doesn't sound like a slip. I would still see your doctor ASAP, because it could be a million different things (like infection.. or you just need some unfill). Good luck Don't worry yourself just yet!!

congrats on the good fill terri! I can NOT wait till June 6th!!!!!!!!! Kity- I called the local jeweler, he said they have something for 10 dollars that sizes it, I imagined what you're talking about.. then fiance said they are made of plated metal (i am highly allergic to metals except the good ones), so I figured for 10 bucks he's probably right and it would make my finger swell and break out.. so we went to walmart to get the plastic tube ones.. and they were sold out.. what friggin luck.. so I went to the pet dept. and bought a thin aquarium hose.. cut it up, put it on there and I'm able to wear my ring now! I know it's a trashy thing to do to my engagement ring but I want to wear it! And the jeweler told me what you did about the integrity, which is why I'm holding off on resizing.. I know myfinger will shrink more by then (it better!). So.. I did a bad thing tonight. I can't take it back and just scheming damage control. Fiance lived in OH with some friends for a year.. the friends were good friends of mine too..going to keep this story simple.. 2 males became good friends of both of ours.. one moved to Alabama (few hours from us), and one stayed in OH. There was also a lady involved, who I hated and she always tried to ruin our relationship (and succeeded early on) cause she liked him, but she was roommate of the guy still in OH. When making our guest list, he never mentioned them. I wanted the guys to be there, so without trying to bring up weird memories, I just e-mailed both guys tonight letting them know about the wedding and where to send an invite. The one in AL has a girlfriend now, I knew her and she's welcome to come (I read wedding etiquette on inviting cohabitential-new word, and long term partners). So then the one in OH, wrote back very excited and happy for us, and he'll definitely be there, and will invite 'the whole gang... unless there's someone you don't want there' (He knows). Well, I didn't plan for 'the whole gang' and frankly, I don't remember anyone else up there. So I wrote back quickly, it's a fancy wedding, if it was a simple casual one, everyone and anyone would be invited, but since this is a fancy wedding, I'm only inviting you..how akward and snobby does that sound?! Now I feel horrible. I didn't know the right thing to say. Now I wonder if this is why fiance didn't put them on the list.. cause it would bring the drama. Now that same 'lady' up there is going to have a conniption because guy in OH will likely say 'laura didn't want anyone else up here invited'. :help: :faint:

Yeah, I keep a daily journal thing, I have been on average 1,200 calories, the past week around 900 due to I've been forgetting to eat my 5:30. I typically eat at 5:30 and then 8:30. I also have a frappucino w/protein powder for my b'fast.

schexy- good in theory, but.. im not really a cake connesuer (spspspspsp) so I looked at her website menus, and it's all greek to me. I know I like buttercream.. but she does the fondaut icing things, I might want that, but not if it tastes bad.. so I wanna try that.. have no clue what I want the bread to be (she has a ton of options.. i dont like almond, banana, etc..) so I don't know what the white bread is I like.. and then filling... no clue, I don't want a fruit filling, and she mentioned dont do buttercream filling and icing, but.. thats what I think I'd like.. who knows.

gah, and congrats you guys on exercising.. remember friday i said 'starting monday im gonna start working out' Hm.. tuesday is now gone and I still haven't. I'm so busy, and so exhausted! Everyday for the past week and half, my lunchbreak is doing a meeting with a new wedding vendor. Tomorrow is cake lady.. sample tasting.. ut oh.. gonna gain 50lbs tomorrow. Is it impolite to spit it out like a wine tasting??

mdrai- I feel a sense of sadness in you saying that.. are you tellin me in 21 years, I'll look back at the delusions of grandeur?

It's also poison ivy season.. I'm highly allergic, but some reason it always starts in my hands.. so I go to the doctor and get a shot before it can spread too much. How long have you had it?

kat- nope, I got the most unromantic man on the planet. We've lived together for years, he knew I wanted to get married, so it became me going 'when are we gonna do this?' and it wasn't all that fun.. and he finally got on one knee (I was watching one of my judge shows--so I paused it), and he said will you marry me? I laughed and said 'duh' and then I said 'we're suppose to kiss now'. So we kissed, and that was that. He was apparently re-proposing this week at some fancy restaurant when he had the ring.. but I dunno, I guess since we been together so long, this isn't all exciting and romantic.. I'm excited to finally have a ring, but it wasn't like in the movies where the girl is blown away, had no idea, etc. I am going to be excited and giddy at the wedding, just cause it's a big event about ME.. er, I mean US. But, apparently he's still takin me to the fancy restaurant and has some big speech worked up.. I just got the ring early cause he knows it bugs me to be going to all the wedding planner stuff and I don't even have a ring on.. So speaking of which.. here it is.. Also, I finally took my first 'after' pics last night, im looking at them side by side right now.. it's not a huge difference, but I can tell! YAY!

No one mentioned this, but according to the lap-band book I got.. It says... once you've graduated to solids, you're not suppose to be eating mushies or having liquids with calories.. it said those are wasted calories, because they will slide through too quickly. Instead of pudding and smoothies, try eating something solid that fills you up and makes it so you don't have to snack so much

Thanks for the numbers Dianels, since I am self-pay, I'm being positive that I won't slip, but if it ever happened, I am curious what I'd have to cough up. Anyone else self-pay on revision surgery for slips that would share the figure they had to pay?

I think its been quiet due to the problems with the boards (they need to quit messin with it!!) Good luck with the job search Jennifur, if you lived closer I'd get you a job here, we're hiring in accounting and reception. It's a nuthouse right now.. I'm in sales, but I know the accounting, so I've been having to work both jobs while they try to find a replacement for the girl who is SUPPOSE TO BE WORKING.. need someone here who needs a job..the lady in accounting's husband just retired and she just had her first grandbaby, so she's been 'sick' 4/5 days a week for 2 months now. It's a headache.

No 299 today! I got my engagement ring last night. We were engaged long before he could afford the ring, so he finally gave it to me last night! It doesn't fit. It's kind of a NSV, but also it's really disappointing. He had bought it in TN and they don't have a local store, and if I have someone here resize it, it voids all warranties. It fit when we were sizing rings originally.. but now I've lose weight in my sausage fingers and it's way too big.. falls right off :eek: :P I'm afraid to resize it now, since I'll likely have to resize it again in a few months...and everytime they resize they have to take the diamond out, and yadda yadda.. so I'm trying to find a store that has those rubber tube sizers. The metal ones would make me itch and break out. Waaaah I finally got an engagement ring and I can't wear it!

njwhitetail-- nicotine is in the system 8 weeks is what my doc told me.

Just to reitterate if you decide to do Atkins, it's based on 'low carb', but I did absolutely NO carbs.. not one gram of sugar, etc. (So no maple/sugar/honey flavored meats..). The first 2 weeks of Atkins is 0 carb, then you're suppose to slowly incorporate 'some' or 'good' carbs.. But I just stuck it out for months on 0 carb and it worked wonders.

The varying is a good idea. I don't know if it was coincidence, so I'm wary to do it, but I average 1200 calories a day (900 lately due to forgetting to eat till later in the day), and when I first started back on real foods, I was averaging 700-800, and then one day I did 1,400! (I looked at my myplate, and I worried about it), but I lost weight regularly that week. Now I'm not varying very much at all, and I'm losing weight, but its more like lose 1lb, nothing for days, lose 2lbs, etc. Before I decided on surgery I saw a dietician.. she said for my body to maintain the weight I need to eat 3200 calories a day at least.. To lose, she said I can go to 2500. But I told her I need to lose weight quickly due to back problems, I need to get down in 200's at least rather quickly.. she said if I ate 1800 a day, I should lose 2-3lbs a week. I think I had PMed you about this before, but a good 'jump start' diet, just to get your numbers for insurance company.. do Atkins. Atkins was always a quick fix for me (but not a permanent solution, as I gained it back as soon as I quit Atkins). But I could easily lose 20+lbs in a month while on it. I didn't even eat 'healthy' no-carb. I had sausage, pounds and pounds of bacon, eggs, cheese, steaks, sauteed veggies, etc..and lost rapidly.

My doctor was one who preferred the RNY. To each their own. One “estimate of the failure rate (from complications with bands) indicates that removal is expected in almost one out of ten patients every year”. I believe that is a statistic taken out of context, which is pretty immoral. I believe it means, IF YOU HAVE A COMPLICATION (which is less than 5% they're recording now, right? I'm sure someone remembers). Out of THOSE 5% 1/10 have to have the band removed. That's really an insignificant amount as a whole. But they phrase it so it looks like 1/10 banded people have to have it removed due to complications.

Morning guys! This morning.. the scale said.... (drumroll) 300LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means.. if I had taken my clothes off, I just might have been (GASP!!) in the 200's! I'm beside myself right now! Mdrai- Don't worry about things right now, I was like Kity.. anytime I got bad vibes, I would rush to before & after and allow myself to think about the GOOD. I did NOT read 'complications' folder until I was post-band. I knew 110% I was doing this, and I did not need things to make me stress and worry about it. It seems like you're there now. You're ready, you've made the decision.. don't psyche yourself out or think about the bad things.. it's not worth it. I have PB'ed a few times, and it was not a huge deal like I've heard people make out of it. It makes me paralyze in fear for a minute, no talking, no moving.. but it does go away.. Like I said before, I drink water to 'help it along' which always makes it worse..so just don't do that! And sliming.. sliming is from your stomach I think (maybe esophogus or throat?) producing a lot of saliva to lubricate whatever gets stuck. I've never slimed, even though I've had PBs. Maybe nothing is ever stuck long enough for me. Maybe this will change after my first fill. But if it does.. oh well! It will be good behavior correction for me! The only times I PBed has been when I ate too fast. That's it. I PBed on pudding early on, on fried okra, and on bread. All 3 times I was eating too quick, not thinking.. and then stuck.. and then up it comes.. and I move on. I definitely slow down after that, and (with the bread) I didn't want to eat it anymore, so it kept me from eating more then 2 bites of a BK Fish sandwhich. YAY FOR THAT! I think it's good that all the WLS have some form of 'punishment'. Otherwise, to me, it would be like any other diet. You cheat here and there and go oh well.. and then it snowballs. With the band, if you do something you shouldn't (eat too fast, too big of bites, foods that don't go down well for you), it will 'punish' you and you'll be sure not to do that again anytime soon

Good luck with your husband's surgery Judy!

Kity- I got it on Amazon. "Lap-Band for Life" by Dr. Ortiz.. I posted a couple pages back about it some things I learned that I never knew.. it is a good read and has valuable information in it. I read the whole thing in a couple hours (couldn't put it down). Like for instance, once you go to 'solids' stage you're not suppose to eat mushies anymore at all. I didn't know that! It says mushies will drain out too quick and you're left hungry, so it's like the idea of no water with a meal, no mushies with a meal. Trying to practice that now, I've been eating mushies still. He says a scrambled egg is a solid, oatmeal is a mushie. I do recommend the book. As for American Idol.. sure! But I can tell you who will win now..Jordan!! She's amazing, I would be shocked if Blake actually beat her. But I will PM you and let you know.

Oh, and I ordered the veggie chips.. I've never been a fan of dried fruit, but I thought maybe this 'gourmet' place would make em better, plus never had most of these things dried... I got the canteloupe, cherries, apple rings, banana chips.. and walnuts for fiance.

Here's a pic of taro chips: http://www.terrachips.com/images/products/w190/02822945678.gif On theJ&D website, the pic of a rolled up brown thing looks like the taro, has the little red dots in it. See if this helps, does it look like that rolled up?

Hey! Ok, you guys will be as sick of my wedding as I am by time this sucker happens.. I picked out my colors last night, and secured my last bride's maid (someone who I would have wanted to be one, but she moved to Oklahoma so wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it).. Navy Blue, Powder Blue and silver. Finalized who the wedding coordinator is and NOW.. due to the time restraints on the venue we picked, when fiance gets back in town tonight I'm going to work really hard to convince him to go with our 2nd choice of the Botanical Gardens where we will be able to get good deals and more time. I don't want to be rushed on my wedding, and it's becoming the logical choice to go with the gardens. I was picking out bridesmaid's dresses I liked last night. Maid of honor and both bride's maids are on the plus size.. so I was looking at flattering ones for that.. then we decided it would be nice if they had navy blue dresses and navy blue elbow gloves, and I'm in my white dress with white elbow gloves.. But my sister is one of the bridesmaids and she's got gaudy tattoos all over herself, so she has to have her arms covered.. and my maid of honor has a big tattoo across the top of her back, so she'll have to be covered. Grrr. Wraps and elbow gloves don't go together in my head. Maybe tattoo make up to cover it up with chiffon shrugs. But at least I picked my colors, thats a big start. I was really disappointed that since we moved it up a month we were no longer in winter and all the 'idea books' suggest harvest/autumn stuff like hay bales, pumpkins, etc.. sounds so tacky to me. I wanted my winter wonderland.. now I'll just have winter wonderland colors, but no theme. Angie- I just posted this on another thread, according to the lap-band for life book--and what I've heard people say, it can take 2 weeks for you to feel the fill. It has to travel up the tube and shifts around, and air bubbles have to work out. Give it 2 weeks before scheduling another fill!