sunshine6855

Hello all. Long time, no see. It seems everyone is doing so great with their weight loss. I have been very, very slow. In fact, since December I have lost 2 lbs. I think I am eating more junk and not enough exercise. I have had some health problems since Christmas. First, my asthma kicked in and I was on prednisone for several weeks. Then, I stepped on a rotten board on a deck and my leg went through. This was the first part of February. It took out a long hunk on leg and I have been doing dressing changes since then. It is almost healed now. It made me feel bad though, because I was on antibiotics for over a month. I am doing well now though. I think I have used all of these things as reasons for not losing weight. Not looking at my self, what I am eating or my lack of exercise. I have taken a good look at myself though and hopefully I am on the right track now. I even walk, at a slow pace, 30 min. today. It wasn't hard like I thought it would be. I really need the support of others. When I stopped checking in here is when I stopped losing. You all are such great support and enouragement. I will be back more often for your support as well as to help support others. On the home front, my daughter got engaged on Valentine's Day. We are all so excited. I will be checking in and answering y'all daily now. I am excited to be back and can't wait to catch up with everyone. Sunny

Hi Kathy, I will sign up for level 2 if I can just remember what level 2 is. Hi Cate. I was going to list the same sites Kathy gave you. You are doing so well. I sure hope you post more often. Hi Dini girl. Won't be long before you are here in the States... I am so excited about your weight loss...147lb...wow!!! I bet you are looking hot. I am glad you and Adam are doing well. Hugs and kisses to Annafrancesca. Janet, you sure are doing well...and such a good cheerleader for all of us. I sure do appreciate all of your support. Phyl, hope everything is going well. Made my Thanksgiving goal....I am below 250..not by much but below none the less...:clap2::clap2::whoo::clap2: Happy Thanksgiving!!! :hungry:

My doctor has the same philosophy. He says I should be able to eat normal foods, just in smaller amounts, eliminating what gives me problems. I have problems with bread. However I have no problems with crackers or popcorn. Doing well now that the band had some fluid removed. Much better than being tight. My doc says that being too tight has problems too, besides not being able to eat as much. He says there is a risk of esophogeal dilation and erosion.

I went to the doc today and he removed some fill. I was pbing water. I could tell an immediate difference. I could drink water. Unfortunately, because everything I have tried to take in has come up except tiny, tiny sips of water, I have to stay on liquids a few days. The good thing is that this sure did jump start my weight loss. I would have waited until Monday to get the unfill if I could have just drank water comfortably...

Well, I took a can of Progresso soup, blended it and heated in microwave. Very tasty and went down easy. I ate the whole can. I guess I just need to get used to the new band tightness.

Hello all. It is so good to read everything. I am so sorry I have been MIA for a while. I was sick with respiratory issues and then just life, work, etc. Everyone is losing so well. I feel like the turtle, not the hare. Peaches, I can totally relate to your feelings about slow weight loss. I see so many losing 50 and 60 lbs and I am just 30 lbs down. I know I need to add more exercise, but it is hard to exercise when you cannot breathe. Now I should start slowly trying to do something. I just got my 2nd fill yesterday morning. I am also worrying I may be too tight. Doc says I have a total of 2 cc in 4cc band. yesterday I could drink water ok but nothing else. Today I had a protein shake for breakfast, lots of water, and some soupy mashed potates for lunch. They went down ok. I am trying to figure out some very, very mushy, tasty, and easy to fix for support. Ideas are welcome. My doc has stop in once a month to weigh but I felt I needed more than that so I joined TOPS (take of pounds sensibly). They meet weekly, are much cheaper than weight watchers ($4/month vs $12/week) and are a great supportive group. it turns out the leader is a girl I went to high school with in Savannah. It's a small word. Anyway, I have been going since Oct 8 and I have lost 12 lbs. So it really has helped motivate me and having to weight each week does keep you on your toes. I have been getting back into quilting, trying to keep busy in the evenings rather than graze food. Hard to eat while quilting. I am buying me a new sewing machine and picking it up next week...a Bernina. This is an early Christmas present for me. I am very excited. That sums up my life. How is everyone else doing? I would love to join the exercise challenge. What is it....20 day at least in December?? 'Sign me up. Talk with you later...

Hate You???? NO WAY!!!! I want you to stay on my shoulder. I did good today. No ice cream After talking with y'all I started really looking at what I was eating and found soft foods, ground beef, tuna salad, chicken salad, fish and shrimp did well....and ice cream Chicken and bread caused extreme pain. Went to the dr. today. He said it sounded like I may be a little tight but since there was foods I could eat with no problems, he wanted to wait and watch. If problems continued he would do a swallow test to make sure I don't a a small slip. He said chicken causes problems because it is stringy muscle and no matter how much you chew you cannot break it all down. In some people it forms something like a ball in tummy as you continue to eat. He told me to avoid chick, steak, pork chops unless ground and see how I do. He fills as I lose the band will loosen. So for now its ground beef, tuna salad, chicken salad, fish, shrimp, and of course veggies and sometimes fruit. He said my less than stellar weight loss was probably due to water retention from the steroids I was taking and that, by looking at me he could tell I had lost more weight than the scales show. Which is probably true since my clothes are larger.

WOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!! Lynette,that is Fantastic!!!!! I can't wait until the day I join you. Congratulations!!!!!:whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo:

I got my 1st fill a month ago. He put in a little over 1 cc in a 4 cc band. I have trouble eating. I can eat soft, mushy food fine. But if I eat solids, I get a golf ball feeling in the chest with pain after 4-5 bites. Don't even mention chicken. Everytime I eat chicken, after 2 or 3 bites I get pain and end up PBing. I feel I am too tight. I was talking with a friend who had gastric bypass and she said I was just right. I should just eat 4-5 bites 6 times and day and make sure I get enough Protein with shakes. I thought this was a life style change and that is not the life style I want. I thought you would be able to eat 1/2 to 1 cup food total each time and you lose weight by controling volume consumed vs dieting. I have not lost weight in the last 2 weeks. Most of the mushy stuff is higher in calories and fat (potatos, noodles, ice cream ..) Please advise. do you think my band is too tight? Is my friend right? Are my expectations wrong? I just don't know what to do.

Dissolvable stitches inside, glue and steri-strips outside.

Thanks, Jackie. I actually feel pretty good now. All the treatments have worked. Today I ate a Wendy's chili and a cesear salad for lunch without any problems. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to have fluid removed if I have a good restriction and it is just something I may be doing wrong. Anyone have any suggestions????

I am having the same problem. I can only eat about 4-5 very small bites of solid food like chicken and I get a golf ball in my chest that hurts and it takes forever to go away. I have an appointment on Tuesday to see if I am too tight. A friend from work had the bypass and told me that was the way it was suppose to be...4-5 bites eating 6 times a day. I told her I thought the band was different and I should be able to eat 1/2 to 1 cup. She doesn't have the band to stop it and cause pain. Anyway, I will talk with the dr. and let him make the decision. Unfortunately, ice cream goes down very well. I haven't lost weight in several weeks. I can really relate to how Marcy was feeling. The nurse said maybe I wasn't eating enough. I think I am just eating the wrong stuff. Meats and poultry get stuck. Soft stuff like baked potatoes and ice cream don't. Do the math...:rose: I need to start tracking my points like with weight watchers. I have a program on my palm that makes it easy. I think I have just been in denial or something. I was taking augmentin for a sinus infection and the sulfa in it caused me to develop a condition called Erythema Nodosum which caused extreme pain, swelling and redness in my ankles. I could hardly walk since the pain was so bad. Tx with prednisone and cellebrex help but I sure was worried about the celebrex since it is such a strong NSAID. But is sure helped the pain. So I haven't walked for exercise in several weeks. They changed my antibiotic to Levoquin which makes me feel like crap. Oh well... Enough of my whining...

Good morning everyone!!! Such a beautiful day here today. Everything is going well with me. I have been trying to analyze why I keep getting the golf ball feeling in the chest after eating. I decided I was getting hungry, eating too fast and, probably, too much. So yesterday I starting trying to eat more frequent small meals and it worked. Wasn't as hungry, ate slower, no pain. I did, however, stick to softer food...I was scared. Caolin, I am going back to a protein shake in the am because I don't think I am getting enough protein in. That may also be part of my problem. I am sipping on one now, in fact. I was busy yesterday trying to make sure I had easy things to eat this week. I bought some hummus, made Lynette's chicken salad, browned ground beef and made straugnoff (sp?), and put some up for a meal later this week, and cooked some chicken and cut it up for a chicken dish this week. I also bought some frozen fruit pops for snacks. Hopefully, with all these high protein finger foods I can get the protein in and not be too hungry. I will let y'all know how it goes.

caz, 8.5 lbs!!! That is AWESOME!!!!! congrats

Hi all. I just got back from Tampa last night. I was there all week for work without a computer...ahhhhhg!!! I was taking 40mg of Prednisone this week for my asthma. I was afraid to get on the scale since prednisone makes me eat, eat, eat. My goal this week was not to gain. I lost 1 lb. yeah!!! And I can breathe...:eek: I still get that golf ball feeling in my stomach whenever I eat. Do you think my band is too tight? My mood is much improved. I was just in a funk and sick too. I haven't read all the messages yet so I will go back now and see how everyone is doing. Talk with y'all later.

Kim, I need to join you and Marcy in the challenge. I am definitely exercised challenged.

Thanks so much for your support and the good shaking. I needed that. I never even thought about my funk being related to Daisy dying but you are absolutely right. I just pulled away from everything, and as in the past, food became my comfort. Luckily I was beginning to realize something was not right and came here. I grabbed my boot straps but I hadn't given them a jerk yet. I have now. Thanks again. I will pm my cell. I need to talk sometimes with someone experiencing the same things. Thanks for the offer. I had come to the conclusion I was eating too fast and therefore too much. Glad to have it validated. That golf ball in the chest does hurt like hell! Chim, I will pm you too. Thanks for your support too. Marcy, congrats on the aniverary and the wonderful diamond. You have such a romantic husband. Men, in general, underestimate the power of romance. Your husband is obviously very smart :car: I have trouble getting motivated for exercise too. I just have to start pushing myself. I will have to try walking Rocky on the treadmill. I hurt my back somehow Monday and I am in PAIN. I went to a yoga gentle stretch class tonight to try and work out some of the pain. It hhelped a little. The left over pain medicine from surgery helped better Dini girl, HEY!!!! How was Italy? How are things with Adam? Hugs and kisses to Annafrancesca. Don't work to hard. I had problems with yahoo and have had to reinstall. I should be available for chat tomorrow and forward. Hello to any and all I may have missed. Lynette, where are you?????

Hi all. Sorry I have been MIA lately. I don't know what is wrong with me. I have been in a really funky mood. And I find I haven't been losing much. I do better when I come here regularly for support. I feel like I am sabatoging myself. BTW, chocolate goes down really easy. I have been having a lot of discomfort when eating since I got filled. Breads are a definite no-no. Chicken is no fun either. I think I am eating too fast. Like Marcy said, a couple of bites and then...wham...pain. I have to sit and wait and usually don't finish. I chew pretty good but I have been chewing more just in case. Why is it you hurt if you eat fast as long as you chew well? Sometimes I just want to be able to sit and eat a whole meal like I used to. Maybe I am going through food withdrawal. Anyway, sorry for not being so sunny today. How is Dini? did she get back from her trip to Italy? Someone, I think Phyl, mentioned the cruise again. I am still interested. I will talk with y'all tomorrow.

Laurend, good to see the scale is in a downward trend. I can sympathize. I have stayed the say weight for a while here. Maybe I can catch up with you.

Hi Wendall. I always just went over to OH occasionally to read specific people's emails...mainly yours. You provided me with a lot of great information in my research on lapbands and what to do after surgery. Thanks. I am glad you are over here now so we can continue to benefit from your knowledge and experience.

Hello everyone! Today is a great day! Today is my baby girl's 21st birthday :happybday: We are cooking out at her house tonight. I will not be on much today. I bought her a beautiful string of pearls for her birthday. I sure hope she likes them. citygirlnks :welcomeB:

caz, FYI, my doc says to not go more than 5 hrs between meals. So I would think being hungry after 5 hours is normal.

Lynette, don't you just hate it when you do that. I love bell peppers but I cannot eat them because I will burp them all day. They aren't as good the 2nd time around :huggie: My doc was concerned that my band may be too tight but I have had no troubles. Tonight I ate a little more than 1/2 of a small wendy's chili and 1/3-1/2 of a baked potato. Does this seem like too much to you???

Dini girl, Have a wonderful, wonderful trip!! I will be waiting to hear all the details when you get back, if not before. Ciao!

Jackie, thats for the emotional support. Everyone here has been so supportive. My other dog, Rocky, is a shitzu. He has been a comfort but he is missing daisy too. I under stand the M & M obsession. I have always said I should own stock in the company. It is my favorite candy. Thats cute naming your dogs like that so the initials are M&M.