Amy Carter

I have always taken the Flintstones with iron and my nutritionist said that was perfect. They are much less than the other vitamins. I also eat yogurt smoothie and other milk products for my calcium. I hope I can continue with that after my sleeve. I have the band now. Can't wait for it to come out.

I'll be getting the sleeve December 15th also. I had the band last September, but have had issues with it so it's coming out. I lost 30 pounds with it, but gained 10 back due to only being able to eat things like Nacho's and pasta. Healthy food came back up. Very frustrated. Can't wait to get back to healthy eating. I really miss salads. I found a protein drink that tastes like chocolate cake batter. It's an EAS powder. I bought it at Walmart and it had 25 grams per serving.

I'm so excited!!! I'm getting the sleeve done on December 15!! I start the liquid diet in the morning.

Hey everyone, I'm still having issues. Finally got the time off work to go to the doctor and he agreed that taking the band out and getting the sleeve was my best option. I'm so excited. I hope that my insurance will approve it so I can get it done between student teaching for early childhood and elementary student teaching in January. The issues I've been having are only being able to keep certain slider foods down. I'm so sick of only being able to eat Beans, chilli, oatmeal, smoothies, nachos, cheese and crackers, Jello, pudding, and sometimes if I'm really lucky a few bites of chicken breast. I'm scared to eat half the time at work cause I don't have time to be throwing up while trying to watch 8 kids. I have slacked on my exercise the last couple of months, but after not losing for several months I was kind depressed. I was walking/jogging 3 miles 3 times a week plus lifting weights. I haven't lost any since last December, unless you count losing the same 5 pounds on a liquid diet once a month.

Hello everyone!!! I know that I have not posted in a long time so here goes. I am still only down to 185 on good days and some days i'm back up to 190. I have been having so many problems eating. It is easier to list the foods I can eat as opposed to those I can't eat. My list includes nachos, Beans, chili, Pasta, tacos, mashed potatoes, corn, oatmeal,chicken breast on good days,and yogurt smoothies. I can usually eat these with little problem, but somedays I can't even keep the smoothie down. I have tried getting some taken out of the band, but then I have have no restriction and still have issues with veggies and most meats. I can't eat scrambled eggs unless i'm at work. For some reason I can eat those liquid eggs, but only those cause I have tried every egg the stores carry. I have also been working at a daycare and then I'm so tired I don't want to exercise, but I was doing 3 miles a day at least 3 days a week and I was still not losing any weight. I have finally decided that I'm going to talk to my Dr. about the sleeve in hopes that I can finally be able to eat a healthy meal without it coming back up or only being able to eat 3 or 4 bites. I'm dreaming of the day I can eat salad again. I have been craving a salad for about a year now, but if I try to eat one I am able to only eat about 3 bites and then it comes back up. I'll also enjoy eating a hot meal. I eat so slowly and chew so much that my food is cold after the second bite. I talk to him this Friday (if my boss approves my leaving early). I have my fingers crossed for surgery between my class ending in mid December and Christmas. The only good news I really have is that I will graduate in May.

I have popcorn several times a week. It is my favorite filler for that hungry feeling that you know is mostly mental. I like the white kernals because they are only 20 calories a cup if it is air popped. I usually just have a little salt or salt substitute on it, but every now and then I'll go crazy and spray "I can't believe its not butter" on it.

I was able to have 1cc put back in my band a couple of weeks ago. I spent the next week eating soft food, but now I can eat just about anything. I am sticking with healthy options 99% of the time. I did have a few peanut butter cups the other day. I have also discovered that mixing a large box of sf vanilla pudding, 2 cups 1% milk, 1/2 cup peanut butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla will give you a candy like treat. It is my new go to treat for cravings. You can also mix some sf cool whip to make the pudding last longer and be lighter with few additional calories. Navy beans are also my favorite source of protein for a quick lunch. I make a large pot every week so I am not tempted to eat high calorie foods when I am at the school observing for class. I have also been exercising more I have walked a few 5k's and my time is about 40 minutes if people stay out of my way lol. I am also trying to start walking at least 3 miles a day. I have found that this is great to unwind/take a break from homework. I take a break and walk a mile up and down my road. It has a small hill so it has added resistance. I have lost 2 of the 5 pounds I gained after having the 1.5cc's taken out of my band in Feb.

I have dealt with the same problem. My last fill was December 4 and i had to take 1.5cc's out near the end of February. The air pressure was making everything stick and i was not losing even when i was exercising everyday.

Well he wanted to try taking some out so I went from 4.3cc's to 2.8cc's. If that doesn't work he will take all fluid out and check the band. If its the band I will have to have it taken out and do a sleeve. I am really hoping that the unfill works. I have been able to eat a slice of beef pizza and a little chicken and mashed potatoes with corn for lunch and dinner. So far so good. The next few days will determine if this has worked. I'm just glad to have food in my tummy without throwing it up or feeling nauseous like I was this morning after drinking my morning hot chai tea latte or at least some of it.

Going to the Dr this afternoon. I hope he can tell me whats wrong cause my hot tea made me feel nauseous this morning. I have not ate anything today since then. Now that is almost time for my appt I am getting a little hungry, but I will just drink water until after. I was able to eat a little chicken breast and mashed potatoes yesterday for a late lunch at 3 and that kept me going until I got home from class at a little before 10 pm. Had a couple cups of popcorn and did my crunches and leg lifts then went to sleep. I'll be glad when spring break is here in a couple of weeks so I only have 2 classes to do instead of 3 lol. Wish my online classes had a spring break. Can't wait for the pics of your wedding Debbie. Have a fabulous wedding and honeymoon!!

Hey everyone! I have been having major problems with my band. Some days I can eat normally, but most of the time I can't even drink a yogurt smoothie without throwing it back up. I have been trying to eat the same things, but somedays I can't eat what I ate just fine the day before. I have been exercising more and I have not lost any weight. Last Saturday I spent an hour and a half swimming and then I spent an hour on weights and walking. I actually gained what little weight I had lost since Christmas back. I have not had a fill since the beginning of December. All these problems have started in the last few weeks. I am tired of being afraid to eat for fear of it coming back up. I tried eating at a Chinese restaurant Saturday and I was only able to have maybe 6 toddler size bites that I chewed to mush before I started hiccuping and had to run to the bathroom. It took me almost 15 minutes to eat those 6 bites. No matter how slow I eat or how small the bite is and how well I chew it still comes back up. It happened with just about everything at one time or another, even jello. I am going to get an appointment with my new doctor and talk to him about these problems. Has anyone else experienced this? I am starting to think I may have to get the sleeve instead of the band if I can't find out the problem.

I have problems with being tight in the mornings. I am not able to eat first thing or have anything cold. I have also found that my band gets tight when it is colder out or the air pressure is high. I thought I was going to have to get some taken out, but I tried a liquid diet for a few days and that seems to have helped some. I also found eating mushy foods when this happens is the best way to eat. I love navy beans now more than ever. I make sure that every thing I eat provides protein so I reach my goal every day. Greek yogurt packs tons of protein in a cup serving and makes wonderful smoothies.

Don't get discouraged. You are doing amazingly well. I was banded Sept. 30 and I am only just now down 31 pounds. I hit a plateau in Dec and the scale did not move again until this week. Every day I weigh I hope I am down, but if the scale doesn't move I know I am still doing good since my clothes are getting loser. Sometimes you are tightening muscles (losing inches) instead of losing fat. It is all positive changes. Good luck and keep positive.

I found that a heating pad on my tummy helped break the gas up faster. I also got up and walked around for at least 30 minutes a day. Not all at once but for a total of 30 minutes a day. Sitting in a recliner with pillows if needed worked for me also. I was not able to lay flat for almost a week. It gets better.

I was stuck at a loss of 28 pounds, but after doing a liquid diet for a couple of days I am now down another 3 pounds for a total of 31 pounds lost. I want to get another fill, but with the trouble I have been having I figure I should wait until the weather straightens up. I have a friend in my class that had his band a year ago and he has been having the same trouble I have. So glad that this weather is just not effecting me like this.

I think I am going to have to get a small unfill until this weather straightens up. I have found that when it is really cold and the air pressure is high that I can't eat hardly anything and usually if i eat more than a few bites I end up throwing up part of it. It wouldn't be so bad if it was only in the morning or the evening, but its every time I eat and its not everyday. My scale has also been going back and forth. I know I need to exercise more, but I can only do so much inside the house and with my son's schedule and my classes getting to the gym has been a trial. I am lucky to make it there a couple times a week. I have been doing some crunches, squats, and leg lifts at home. I want summer to get here!!!!!

I have some good news. I no longer have to drive all the way to my Dr. in Sedalia. Clinton now has a Dr that is starting baractric surgeries. He moved here from Columbia MO. I called his office today to make sure they were able to do fills and to make sure they took my insurance. Dr. Bell welcome to Clinton and TG I no longer have to drive an hour away for a fill. I will miss Dr. Joesph because he is a wonderful doctor, but I can't afford the gas money to drive there every 6 weeks.

Congrats on the engagement Debbie. So happy for you.

I am so excited. In my last post I was close to being out of the 190's. This was my goal by the end of december. Now I have had to put my goal at being at 185 by the end of december, since I am now at 188. My clothes are getting loser every day. I need to take in my pj pants so they don't fall down when I walk. I really think that I am in my green zone for right now. I am having some trouble with my band being tight in the morning or when the air pressure is high, but I can live with that as long as I am losing weight. Hope everyone else is doing well. If I can't post again before Christmas I hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with family and friends.

I have been doing the same thing so I bought a jump rope and have been trying to work up to my goal of 10 minutes of continuous jumping. (i'm at almost a minute now) I also have found that if I have a yogurt smoothie in the morning it helps me all day. I use a cup of greek yogurt(plain), a couple small bananas and about 5 strawberries or some PB2 and I have been adding some of my chocolate protein mix in also. Blend and then I add 1% milk until it is as thin as I want it. Use any fruit you like. Drink it slowly. I am full for about 4 hours and most of my cravings for chocolate or junk are gone.

I only get them when I eat to fast or i'm taking to large of a bite. I stop eating until they are gone and then I slow down with smaller bites until I am satisfied. Thankfully I am getting in the habit of eating right and it doesn't happen often.

I am tight in the mornings. I have to sip a cup of hot tea before I can even think of having my morning smoothie. I was not like this before my second fill and the cold weather we have been having, but I am liking it. I am eating about a 1/4 cup of solid food again and feeling satisfied for a few hours. At night I am able to eat a little more, but only a bite or two more.

I have not had a soda since I started my 2 week pre op diet. I don't miss the carbonation at all, but the convience of getting a drink while on the go I really miss. Most places don't have much that is not carbonated. I do miss the caffine from the soda, but I get that from my morning cup of tea and the chai tea lattes I drink throughout the day. I am loving the almost no calories from my drinks now.

The best thing for the gas and shoulder pain is a heating pad and walking around. I also found sipping hot broth helped relieve the gas. Hang in there it gets better.