aubrie

I stuff my eggplant, as well as grill it, put it in marinara sauces, and also make ratatoullie. Eggplant is high in Iron and very good for you. I LOVE it. Japanese eggplant is a bit milder and awesome on the grill. To stuff it try this Italian style recipe. 2 medium eggplants 1 small onion 1 medium potato 5 cloves of crushed garlic 1 lb. of lean ground beef 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese 1/2 cup of Italian Bread crumbs 2 tbls. thyme leaves (be generous) oregano to taste basil to taste parsley to taste salt and pepper to taste Cut both eggplants lenthwise down the middle. Let soak in salted Water for about 30 minutes, then boil gently until pulp is soft but not falling apart. Removed from water and let cool on cookie sheet. Brown the ground beef along with the chopped onion and garlic. Drain off all grease. Peel, dice and boil the potato in lightly salted water until soft. Drain and add to ground beef and mash with a fork. This will help hold the stuffing together a bit better. You don't want it runny. Then VERY GENTLY scoop out the pulp from your eggplant halves and add to ground beef mixture. Gently lay the shells back on the cookie sheet. Mash the pulp into the ground beef very well and add your herbs and spices. Especially the thyme. This should be the dominant flavor in your stuffing. Mix very well. If filling is runny, add a couple tablespoons of bread crumbs. Fill all four of the eggplant shells with the mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and top with bread crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 until bubbly and golden brown on top. DELICIOUS!!!!!

I always drink my water room temperature during the day. I can't do iced beverages until the evening. Tea is always soothing and feels good. The warmth is just like putting a heating pad on a sore muscle. It relaxes the muscle. Where swimming in cold water will give you cramps. It's the same principle I think.

Mine are $175 but my insurance pays 80%.

One of my favorite recipes is pork chops smoothered in Bavarian style saurkraut, fresh garden tomatoes, onions and bell peppers, and baked for an hour. The chops just fall off the bone and are real easy to eat. I don't have any problem with the kraut.

Priceless.... completely priceless. Isn't it nice to know that God in His infinite wisdom created the laws of the universe that include: "What goes around comes around" (Karma)? TOUCHE!!!!

Purely by accident, I was using extra virgin coconut oil on my face to cure a stubborn rash. The rash went away in 3 -4 days, but the effect it had on the fine lines and wrinkles on my face and the smoothing effect it had on my hands, was so noticable, I continue to use it. It's AMAZING.

I like the low carb slim fast as well. I use the vanilla flavor in my coffee in the morning. It gives me a few grams of extra protien, and I also like the fact that it has vitamins and minerals in it. Many protein shakes don't have anything but fat and protein. That's not worth it to me.... I also use the vanilla slim fast to make cream of wheat and oatmeal. It gives it a little extra flavor. I add some extra vanilla and cinnamon, and a half scoop of unflavored protein powder, and I have a power packed breakfast.

How much does this type of thing cost? $50, $200, $1,000??? I have no clue. I've had such a change in my bowel movements since being banded, I think this would be something that would help me, but a bit afraid of it.

These past two weeks my sister has had a scare with breast cancer. I was beside myself with worry. My band was like a vice. It tightened right up. I was sliming, had tummy ache, gas and my band actually hurt. It was very uncomfortable. I would be full for hours. so much so, that I would have to skip meals. I would force down breakfast, and wouldn't be hungry until 7:00 that night. Even then I couldn't eat much. Mushies for me!!! It's amazing how much the stress actually affects the band.

I noticed today, that I have a lot of very tiny hairs growing back along my hairline, but the new hair is several shades lighter than my old hair. Has anyone had this happen? It also seems to be rather frizzy and curly. I'm not happy about that at all. I started the 3000 mcg biotin this past weekend. I'll keep you posted on my regrowth.....

I went on a two week vacation and gained three pounds. The doctor didn't even fuss at me. He said that the point of losing weight is to get your life back and enjoy life as it should be. I did enjoy my vacation. I was able to walk and hike without being winded or stopping to rest. My arthritis in my knees no longer bothers me. I was able to wear heels with my new outfits. Anyway. I got right back on track the minute I got home. I had been on a three month plateau, and for some reason, the change of pace started my metabolism back up. It's been two weeks home and I've lost my three pounds plus two more!!! WOO HOO!!! So just get back in the swing of things, and you may be surprised. I was!

What EXACTLY do they do for a "colonic"? I have an idea, but suspect I may be off a bit. Does it hurt?

Don't get your broth TOO hot (not a rolling boil) and beat it like crazy with a fork as you add the beaten egg to the hot broth. You'll get minimal clumps. I lived on this in the beginning. You can use all manner of different flavored broths as well.

Okay.... I admit, I tend to be a bit challenged in the compter whiz area.... I've lost enough weight now that I want to post my picture before surgery and where I'm at now. How the heck do I go about doing that? :confused2: I feel like such a dummy.:smile2: Help anyone, or from one of you youngsters?

LOL!!! I love it.... "feral creatures". Yeah, that about explains that age group of boys. They are kids, and kids with no manners or good upbringing. If either of my sons had said something like that at their age, I would have knocked the snot out of them!! All that aside... Amy you are doing FANTASTIC. Great loss in a short time. You've made the committement. Don't let those little twits ruin it for you. Glad to hear you got back on that bike!!! I'm really proud of you. Hang in there and keep doing what you're doing!!!

My surgeon doesn't allow me to eat them. You're allowed to?

I agree. 2 ounces is no where near enough food. I hope you realize that if you eat to little you won't lose. You will slow your metabolism down to a standstill and do yourself no good at all. I eat about 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups of food at a time. It depends on the density of what I'm eating and the time of day. My doctor requires it to keep my metabolism going. Especially since I exercise vigorously and regularly. this also increases the metabolism. I'm due for a fill, and will probably go back to a one cup limit afterwards. I've lost quite well, and am healthy and fit, which is why I did this in the first place. Quality of life. Starving myself was not what I considered quality of life. I'm big on nutrition and found a surgeon with a philosophy that matched mine. I wanted to be like a normal person, and enjoy my life. I'm doing just that.

I too go to a doctor with a smaller practice and get his FULL attention. No offense to anyone, but I would never let my doctor's nurse do my fills, and I expect to see my doctor every time I go. I pay for an office visit, and I expect him to do it. My question is, did you get your money back for the visit. You mentioned that you paid for it prior to sitting down and waiting. I think you should work up how much it cost you for the day (the milage and gas costs, the time off from work using your sick leave), and write your surgeon a letter and let him know how much it cost you for his office managers oversight and ineffeciency. The least he could do is offer a formal apology. I'd be furious. He won't know unless you say something. It's also important that you weren't the only one sitting there waiting. There was someone else whom this affected. And the nurse said she contacted everyoone??? Didn't sound like it to me. If this is your first fill, I would definately wait for your surgeon to see you. That's his responsibility in my opinion.

I agree with Smartiegirl. I think the nosebleed could be from blood thinners they use before, during and after surgery. I didn't have coumadin. I can't remember what it was called, just several shots in my belly. Have you been sneezing along with the nosebleeds? With the blood thinner and a sneeze, you could have ruptured a blood vessel.

I was a committed couch potato before banding. I was so weak I had trouble moving and going up stairs. I started exercising and I now have all kinds of muscle. Even muscle definition that I never had when thinner. I have just broken through a three month plateau with no weight loss what so ever. BUT, I lost an entire dress size. Muscle weighs more than fat, so I lost without seeing it on the scale. YES, you can develop muscle with the band!! It works better that way. Higher metabolism.

It also depends on how you are toning your muscles. I haven't lost an ounce since April. But the clothes I bought in April are falling off of me. I've been exercising a lot and my muscle tone is showing. I actually have definition in a couple places. I know muscle weighs more than fat, so I'm not to worried about it. I've lost about 59 pounds and have gone from a 24 to a 16 so far.

I'm 8 months out, and the hair loss started about a month ago. Up until that time I thought I had escaped the hair loss thing. I read that many had that happen around 4 months out. I didn't, so I thought I would not have to deal with it. It's now coming out by the handfulls in the shower. I have to clear my brush and comb every other day! My hair has always been fine, but I had a lot of it. Now when I touch the back of my head, I just feel my skull. I can see my scalp at my bangs, and my hair is also dry and brittle. I've checked my protein and I'm getting the required amount. No problem there, so I'm off to buy some biotin. Thanks for the tip!!! I've just recently added coconut oil to my diet. I think this may help with the dryness. I've taken so much fat out of my diet, it's having a negative effect on my skin and hair. Even my nails are splitting.

Too old. To saggy and to many stretch marks from child bearing to ever wear a two piece again!!! My husband is the only one to see my scars. (And my physicians, who know what they're from).

I can feel my band. It's up under my ribs, but I can feel it on occasion. It bumps into my ribs. If I slouch in a chair for a long period of time, I can feel it. Sometimes I will get a dull ache where my band is located. It's not all the time, and for the most part, I can't feel it, but every once in a while it will give me fits. I can feel my port with my hand all the time. If I do a really hard ab workout, the muscles around it will get a little sore.

I have Aetna and they covered it, but it's true, your employer may not have a rider on their group policy that covers it. But check and recheck. Aetna did this to me as well. They were ASS HOLES about it. It took me 11 months to get an approval. I had to dance through hoops like a circus animal to get mine approved. I had to have all my doctors (OB/GYN, Rhuemetologist, cardiologist, PCP as well as my Bariatric Surgeon) to write letters of support for the surgery and how it would help my health. I had to have sleep studies, dietician appointments, 6 months of supervised weight loss attempts with my PCP, psych evaluations...... It was horrible. At first I cried for weeks over being turned down. Then I just GOT MAD!!!!! don't give up just yet. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!! Exhaust ALL possibilities.