lisacaron

@@Karen Pelt Great news! Happy to have you on the board! You are sure to find loads of support here!!! As @@HealthyNewMe said, that is the beauty of being banded, we have the flexibility to be able to make it work with our life style.

@@Gardnergirl2 I have to weigh in here with my 2 cents, mostly because while all the puffing up is awesome it's not going to help you do what you really need to do and that is to get real with yourself! Break ups are never easy and we all too easily fall back onto our old habits when we are faced with emotional turmoil, we look for something soft to fall back on and when we are beat up and hurting who wouldn't want something soft?! Why are you so beat up...? That's the question you need to start asking yourself! You are beat up because you are kicking your own ass! Stop it! NOW today put the stones and the Cookies down! This person whoever he/she may be has hurt you they probably hit you where it hurt and so you turned around and poured salt in the wound and you won't let it heal. It's familiar to you and if you let it heal that might mean you have to let go of it, let go of them...or worse if it scars..you might have to be reminded of it..but you will also be reminded that you are now tougher where once you were vulnerable. As for you going to see your doctor...now this is what really bothered me about your post!!! If you need to go to your doctor for a fill to help you get yourself going why they heck would you not go until you lose some weight?! That is just BS. I don't care if your doctor is not "happy" with you or your loss. Is he living in your body? Paying your bills? Suffering your ailments? Or feeling your emotional pain? If not then (pardon me) but to hell with him and what he is "happy" with. He is there for YOU. He works for YOU. If you need him you go and see him and you tell him how you feel and what you think you need from him. If you need his tough love then OK great, but if you need medical assistance to make that band work for you, honey that's why you had this surgery. Not all of us are lucky enough to have satiation without a fill. Some of us need more fill volume then others, and that is no reflection on you or your success, it does not make you failure. As CG said you are only a failure when you give up. So get your butt to the doc when and if you need to. Kick the loser who made you feel bad to the curb and when you feel like beating something up leave yourself alone and go after the person who made you feel bad, focus that energy take it to the gym and literally kick their butt and make it a win win for you!

Name, real or screen~ LIsa Caron Goal weight for May 31st~ 199 Weight on May 1st~215 Age~43 City/State~ Long Island NY Dietary goal for May~ Eat more Fruit/Vegies Exercise goal for May~30 min. 4x a week Date banded~5/6/13 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~54 Personal goal for May~ To schedule the time to take care of myself along with everything else. Favorite Flower?Lily of the Valley

There could be many reasons for why this is happening to you but I doubt they have much to do with your band other then the fact that you have lost weight and your body and hormones could be out of balance. That said you should most defiantly get yourself to your OB/GYN and get a check up. Let them know when this started for you and exactly what is happening. They are going to ask for details so don't be afraid to be as graphic with them as necessary for them to get to the bottom of it for you. Bleeding for that long, or having a constant flow throughout the month even when going through menopause is not normal. Let us know how your doing!!

For the most part people usually get unfilled because they are too tight and if you are too tight your stoma has some swelling and irritation. So for that reason when getting unfilled my doctor recommends that we treat it the same as we would on a fill day and go through the protocol of liquids> mushy>soft> solid.

Truly excellent keep up the great work!

Interesting....cant' wait to hear what these are!

I'm 5'2" and my surgeon would be happy if I was at the highest weight for my height (136) and no longer "overweight" but all my Dr.'s are happy even now that I have lost the first 10% of my weight. According to my height of 5' 2" my ideal healthy weight is 122 pounds. Recommended weight range is between 109 and 136 pounds. I put in your stats... According to your height of 4' 11" your ideal healthy weight is 111 pounds. Your recommended weight range is between 98 and 123 pounds. Here is the link http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/ideal-healthy-weight

I agree with @@Recycled or at least make it one of your "goal" markers! When you reach that # you want to reach 25, 50, 75 what ever that number is for you then make that your goal reward and go get that TaT! I have several including one on my back but more on my shoulder blade then upper neck area and it's looking just fine

OK here is my Grandma's Old Fashion chicken Soup Recipe. (Yes this is still the way I make it at home ) 1 package of chicken parts. (we like the legs and thighs best since after banding breasts can be dry) 1 large onion 1 head of celery 1 package of carrots 1 box of Ronzoni Orzo Chop up all the vegies, put them and the chicken in a large stock pot cover with Water, bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 hours. Make the Orzo in a separate pot, strain and serve with chicken and soup. Easy peasy...no fat other then what's on the chicken parts that makes your stock or broth...and you can salt and pepper to taste.

Are you having this issue at night? If you are experiencing a night cough you will want to follow up with your bariatric Dr. as you could be having reflux. Reflux could also be the cause of wheezing as Fluid backs up into the airway. Give your doctor a call and follow up with your surgeon to determine that your symptoms are not the result of reflux. Let us know how your doing!!

I think I understand what RJ is trying to say....if I'm right because sometimes I feel the same way too. We are our own worst critic! We think we are too fat too obese at our starting weight. We are embarrassed that we got to be that big, but we were big enough and strong enough to do something about it! Then we go through all that we have to go through jump through all the hoops find every hidden treasure along the way, and for all of us no matter what WLS it's not an easy journey. We don't go to sleep at surgery and wake up 100+ pounds lighter with no memory of being obese. For many of us our issues are still there even after we lose the weight. We may still be diabetic, we may still need the sleep apnea machine we may still have high blood pressure or we may still see that fat girl in the mirror wearing a size 5 dress. We stress and we wonder if the weight comes off the way it "should" the way it is "expected" am I losing as much as Mary-Jane, Sally, and Joe or am I better then them or am I worse then them? Did they have an unfair advantage over me because they were fatter when they started...or did I have the unfair advantage because I was fatter....or is it my fault that I can't lose weight so fast because I am so fat that I can't change my habits after all this time because I like them too much?! I'm just a failure at this! All those other posters are doing it they are happy they must know something I don't know... When what we really should be thinking is, yes I was obese. I was sick, I was tired and I was miserable, and it opened my eyes so I took my life back into my own hands. I made a choice and took another course in my life. I had this surgery (what ever it is) to make me a heather and ultimately happier person. I might not be able to change all my habits over night but I have made one major one already and tomorrow I'll start practicing to make another and another an every day, and even if I gain an ounce or lose an ounce I will learn from that and I will Celebrate my life and the choices I make in it. In sharing my story on this forum, I help myself and I help others who maybe see their journey in mine as I see mine in theirs. I learn from you all and you help make me a better person. No matter your surgical procedure, your starting, ending or goal weights, you inspire, motivate and support me. For that I am ever grateful! Celebrate YOU!!! Every second of every day you are worth it!!!

@@ElyQuint I totally understand how you feel. For me...I am always who I am. Fat, skinny, blond, red hair. I am me. That includes my surgery, and there are people who do not know about it and I don't feel the need to tell them since they don't me well if they don't know about it Then there are people who I encounter that don't know me at all, who I am standing with in the cafe at work waiting on line with or in the supermarket or what have you and they are obese and they may make a comment to me and say oh I wish that was enough to fill me up or I wish I could eat healthy like that, and because I am me...I share my story with them and tell them that there are options out there and if I can do it so can they. There was even a time, when a co-worker who I had not told about my surgery was telling me about her niece who was severely overweight and was now pregnant and in danger of losing yet another pregnancy due to her weight and how she and her family have tried to help her to lose weight etc.and there I was sharing my story all over again. Then there are those that I just don't feel the need to share with and I just go about my day and my life, and I don't think twice about it I'll always be me, no matter my size, surgery, hair style, or status. It makes going through life that much easier

Here is the flyer with the details for our upcoming June 14th meeting! Hope to see you all there!!!

Yes Carol please give us an update on how your doing. @@HealthyNewMe your a good friend to be checking in and following up, and your a great mentor if one was needed. I hope Carol reaches out to you and@@gowalking as well!!! We all need inspiration and motivation now and then to keep our spirits high and keep us on our path. When there are so many things going on and so many irons in the fire it's hard not to get burned...and usually it's the person doing for everyone and everything that ends up hurting the most with the least amount of time for themselves. Trust me I know but I am my own worst enemy! Teenage boys...yes that is a TOUGH one but you will survive. I made it through 5 of them..well one is still in the teens at 19, but I'm almost there!!!!!

I agree 2015 is a better date. Need at least a year out after you find the trip and get people pre-registered. I would start with a poll on suggested trips and time of year suggestions and go from there. Having never booked a cruise I would help but leave that to someone with actual experience in it.

No matter what our issue is we all struggle with self defeating behaviors its true. We know what we know and we do know better, but somehow we call into the same trap over and over again. In many ways I think we keep repeating in an effort to not just learn but to understand and integrate the changes we are trying to make into our lives. So many of our behaviors have been ingrained over the course of years and years many from the time of infancy, making a change to those behaviors simply because we know better is not something that can be done over night. On the surface we see and recognize the changes that we need/want to make and yet it will take us time to dig down deep and get to the root cause of those behaviors to fully change them and integrate the changes into the grooves we have made. It’s not an easy process, and no matter what the course is that we are trying to shift we must be persistent and consistent with ourselves to make it a reality. We will try and fail and try and fail and fail again; the point is to keep on trying. To keep the chocolate eggs and jelly Beans on the plate with the vegetables to remind us that we are changing, to remind us that we want to change. That as we acknowledge the past and we acknowledge the deficit, and today we may fall into it tomorrow we will come back and fill it up with veggies. For every bite of chocolate we will come back with a healthy choice and keep coming back again with our new choice until we no longer need to fill that void with sugar to help the medicine go down. Much easier said than done, but well worth it, to achieve the change you desire.

What's going on is totally normal at your stage of the band. You could be swallowing a lot of air when you are taking sips of your Water. Especailly if you are drinking from a bottle. Try getting tiny medicine cups and drinking from those they will help you learn how to take tiny sips and not gulp the fluids. Gas-Ex or Beano will help but get used to the noises your body makes as you will be honking and tooting quite a bit.

@@ddsweighin228 How long have you been banded? I also had some digestive issues that have cleared up thanks to the band. In the early stages of the band it is no uncommon to be lactos intolerant so my Dr told me. Get some chewable lactaid tabs and you will feel right as rain and still be able to consume shakes. It's the whey Protein in the shakes that is made from dairy products that often becomes an irritant. I also take pro-biotics daily to aid with digestion. You can get them at any GNC or CVS. Feel better!

Ramble away! I'm glad you had a great time in our big city! Walking is one thing that I do miss being on Long Island. When I lived in the city your right I walked EVERYWHERE! Even with 3 little kids, I put them in the carriage and we walked all over town. Out here you have to drive to get to most places, and you never have to parallel park every place has a drive way or parking lot! It was awesome to be able to meet up with fellow bandsters and BP posters! It’s a bit of drive into NYC for me but I am always up for a visit to meet some friends! One day soon once Ken is healed up from his surgery we are going to plan a trip down South your way. I have always wanted to visit, and as yet have not had the opportunity. I love being banded especially when we travel on vacations. We have been on a few since being banded and it’s been great because we didn’t come home with any weight! I don’t really log in calories or any of that stuff…just eat and live my life and enjoy. We are losing slowly but surely and I am very happy to report feeling healthy.

Success for me happens every day. It's in the little things. I am still a long way from my ultimate "goal" weight but every day I wake up and I give myself a goal that I would like to attain today. Sometimes most times its food related, I try to gear my day toward some type of change. Whether it is getting up and planning out Breakfast and lunch, and sticking to that even if we have lunch catered in or if someone asks me out to lunch for the day. I try to stay in the frame of the goal I have set for myself that day. There are days when it comes to exercise that I set goals for myself and say I am going to do this today and I fall short. I feel badly about it but usually there are some other goals that I have met that day, and I know that I have overburdened myself with goals and the one that is always going to fail is the one I want to do the least! That is still a challenge for me, since I use up so much of my energy in other area's I don't take the time to get that work out done for ME. I am going to work on that in the coming weeks. I have set my hubby to a goal of PT for his hip and along with him I am going to PT myself! Get my arse up and moving more and more each day right along with him. Like you Liz my son has told me that he sees how much weight both Ken and I have lost over the last year, and it has not been as significant as yours maybe half that, but there are still notable changes in our appearance. Our boys are all happy about the changes they see in us, and some of our boys who are obese are learning valuable lessons from the changes we have made in our lives. So for me that is a success as well. I understand why your son is "bothered" by your new physical appearance. He is used to his Mom being larger than life to him. Now she seems smaller and in his mind perhaps more fragile. What he needs to understand is that you are still a ROCK! Who you are has not changed, you are not more fraile if anything you have become stronger through so much over these last few years. You can help him to see that about you, once you accept who you are today and embrace all the stregnth it has taken for you to get there! You truly are a strong force to be reconed with! Our kids have these perceptions of us as we do about ourselves and if we are happy and accepting of our changes as we go through life they will be as well. That goes for all things not just weight loss. We need to be comfortable in our own skin no matter its size, tight abs, flabby bellies chicken wings..whatever. I know you are all successful at everything you do and true inspirations to all of us!

Oops sorry about that. The good news is that soon you will be able to eat it again!! I love the band because no foods are really restricted. Some "could" be an issue but mostly it's subjective to the person.

I have noticed that after a fill when I am on liquids and soft foods my metabolism or what ever it is..just shuts down and I don't lose anything and sometimes can even gain a few pounds. It seems to be all water weight and once I am back eating solid foods again it all goes away and my weight goes down. I honestly wish I knew what it all meant...cause when I limit my calorie intake I don't lose any weight when I up my calories I lose more...it's very frustrating!!!

OK I'm sorry I read a little about this...oil pulling and I'm not sure I could handle it! Do you actually do this...and what do you use to do it? They say it doubles in size in your mouth as you swish..and most people end up gagging on it...just curious since it was posted here to learn more about it from someone who does it.