Taynuh

Hi all, Been awhile since I posted... ya know, adjusting to the new baby... then we've been through hell the last week and a half... everyone officially has been diagnosed with strep... even little Tanner... his took the longest to confirm... because the darn docs kept saying infants rarely get it... well, this infant shares his room with his carrier sister (no symptoms, just carrying the bacteria and sharing it apparently)(nice to know she shares)... and he was recovering from a nasty cold so lo and behold strep (after 2 false negative rapid tests)! I finally went to my primary care doc... and told her the scoop and also said, ya know, he's 11 months old and he has funky breath... to me that means infection. And she agreed and finally someone put him on antibiotics... so anyhow, we are finally all on the mend... no more fevers and sore throats... Tanner has sweet baby breath again and we are no longer contagious (so...hard to believe I am saying this, but yippee, I can go back to work and daycare will "allow" me to bring my kids back)... Anyhow I am just venting... I'm tired of nursing three sick babies (I'm including the 43 year old boyfriend... he's the worst of the lot...lol) even when I felt like crap too... I still have 8 days of bribing and tricking kids into taking their medicine to look forward to, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now... Now, on to the "have ya ever...?" Have ya ever had a fellow larger person friend or family member kind of casually hint around/insinuate that you are somehow "cheating" or taking a short cut in losing weight because of the lap band? You know, like somehow, it's more respectable/honest/noble/righteous if you lose the weight without the band... you know? I have kind of encountered that a few times... Comments like, "well, I think its better/healthier to lose it by diet and exercise" or "oh, I just need some will power is all and I could lose that weight too"... ya know sometimes I don't know if its jealousy or envy or competition or maybe rationalizing on their part... but really I just try to rein myself in and respond back that the band is a tool... you can still gain weight if ya misuse it and that it's definitely not an easy out... diet, portion control and exercise are all part of the whole picture... it's certainly not a walk in the park... I have one friend in particular (we used to be the same size) that seems to like to rub it in that I can't really do breakfast anymore... (My former favorite meal -- I even tried breakfast dishes at dinner time when my band is nicer, but no go, eggs always result in a PB for me for some reason... well okay, poached on very dry toast works). Anyhow, she keeps telling me about her breakfasts at my favorite creole cafe that I introduced her to (Hmmm...maybe I'm the envious one...G-d I miss beignets and fried eggs and andouille sausages...)! I dunno, it seems like the frequency of the sly comments has increased as I move along toward my goal... And yet, she keeps saying she's gonna diet, she says she is happy for me, but she does not diet (and that is totally her choice... I try to encourage her and cheer her on when she brings it up) and I kinda feel like maybe she's feeling resentful or something. Have y'all encountered this or something similar and what do you do about it? I did not do this to make my friends feel badly or anything.. I did this for my health and for my kids. It's not a competition or anything... so I don't get it. I have other friends that have lost and kept off significant weight on their own (and one who did it via the "band") over the years and I always thought it was cool that they did it, so I'm not "getting" the ones that are feeling funky... Tina

Woofay... With my .2cc unfill, it was amazing the difference! The band (even a 10cc one) is sensitive..... Glad you're feeling better! Tina

I read everyone's posts about second thoughts. For me it was not the money... money comes and goes in life... (I figure the tax write-off and savings from dining out will even out in a few years easily.) My big fear was the anesthesia... I was convinced I was not going to wake up (which is silly, I have had like 6 surgeries in my life time with no issues other than a sore throat from the tube), but I think it was worried because this time I was a mom and was worried about something happening to me (I'm a single mom of two under the age of 3)... it was the fear about what would happen to the kiddos should something happen... Anyhow, I just told myself Dr. K was a great surgeon and that the kid's needed a healthy and more fit mom and that kept me calm... and it would be nice to feel better about myself on all levels. I woke up just fine and recovered quickly and with no pain issues... I was lifting my 2.5 year old in like 2 weeks... so keep your faith up... it's all worth it... Tina (becoming healthier every day...smaller too!)

The babies are good... my 2.5 year old, Tessa, is adjusting to sharing the limelight and my new 10.5 month old son, tanner, is happily integrated into the family. He is a very sweet and smiley baby and I thank G-d for giving me two awesome babies. Now, if he'll just make the terrible two's and their companion tantrums end soon.... life would be perfect! LOL The tantrums are getting less frequent and shorter in duration, so maybe he's hearing my prayers... or maybe it's just part of the adjustment phase and things are settling down. My little gal is potty trained now, so we're gonna go shopping and pick out some big girl panties so that she'll want to keep the potty training going... Plus, daycare is insisiting that wearing pull-ups as a back-up encourages relapses... me I just know that they prevent accidents from being messy... oh well, I guess I have to let her venture into the world of being a big girl some day... accidents and all... It just seems like these last two months so much has been pushed on her... big girl bed, new brother, potty training and now, this week, preschool.... hmmm, I guess I'd have a few tantrums a day too... Otherwise all is well... and aside from the tantrum part, having two is really not much more work (just more coordination and planning really). Well, okay and daycare just doubled... Tina

Dee, It WILL happen... here, you can borrow my mantra from when I was adopting my two kids from Guatemala and the stress of the wait and the unknown was making me depressed... "It's not a matter of 'if', it's just a matter of 'when'..." Repeat to yourself over and over as needed... Tina

Yesterday Breakfast earl grey tea w/ cream and 1 tsp. sugar slim fast low carb shake Lunch wendy's oriental chicken salad with almonds, crispy noodles and oriental dressing lite lemonade Snack 2 - 100 calorie snack bags Dinner 1/2 of country fried chicken with gravy 1/4 cup mashed potatoes 2 broccoli florets (I hate half-raw, steamed broccoli.... I like mine overcooked!) Snack Crunchy ice cream bar Today Breakfast earl grey tea w/ cream and 1 tsp. sugarmaple and brown sugar oatmeal, one packet 1/2 c. 2% milk Snack Nesquick Strawberry Milk (reduced fat), 16 oz. (like wow, 400 calories!) Lunch (planned0 chili, beef and beans, 12 oz. Snack pistachios, small bag, 150 calories Dinner pork loin (size of deck of cards) 1/4 c. mashed 'taters 1/4 c. veggies (to be determined) As you can see, I kinda eat what i want, in the amounts my band allows... so far, so good....

Hi all, It's been awhile, but the holidays were crazy... especially when trying to integrate a new baby into the family while your older kiddo is in the throes of the terrible two's (can you say multiple daily tantrums)... Well, I guess technically x-mas ends the 6th, but for me, its over! Thank goodness...my scale barely moved from Thanksgiving to New Year's... but now that I am done being evil and eating what I want (and I loved it I might add and was willing to pay the price of a slow scale), I am back to working my band again... this morning it finally dropped 3 more pounds... about time! I am currently trying to decide if I need a third fill or not. I still cannot eat breakfast without PBing most mornings (I do slimfast low carb shakes -- more protein and less fat than the high protein shakes they make), lunch is usually okay and dinner is good... I am thinking that maybe now that the holiday food fest is over, I'll see how the scale moves along and use that to gauge whether I need a fill or not... My question for the more experienced bandsters out there: What is a good weight loss weekly with the band? Does 1-3 pounds a week seem right? I mean I am now almost 4 months post-surgery so I do expect a slow down (and I think I may need to consider exercising soon --yuck -- which so far I have avoided... besides I lug a 2.5 year old and 10 month old around daily that should count).... Tina (waiting for the TERRIBLE TWO's to end)

Hi all, Just wanted to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just think, this year, our resolutions to lose weight... will happen!!!! Hugs, Tina

It's late and I am tired... but I did post pics... they are on page 176 of the original Dr. Kirshenbaum thread... Lazy... and Happy, Tina

You all asked for it... here are some pics... also one of Paul (boyfriend of 6 years, NOT husband...lol), me and Tanner... and one of my daughter...as a pirate on Halloween.... He's a week shy of 10 months... she is 2 years, 8 months... today in fact! Tina

Thanks all, he really is a joy and I feel so very lucky... both of my kiddos are real blessings! Today, my bundle of joy discovered the cat's food dish... with his 7 teeth, it was kinda hard (and dangerous) to get that piece of cat kibble outta his mouth, but I persisted! I'll post pics soon... family is clamoring for them too, so they are a priority... Marcy... Like my daughter, I got Tanner's referral when he was 12 days old and like Tessa, I got to name him before his birth was registered... so I am keeping his name... Also, I think Tanner James is pretty English/Anglo sounding... :eek: Tessa's birth mom did name her Allison, so I kept that as a middle name... so she'd have that gift from her birth mom... Plus, it sounded nicer than Tessa Marie, which were the names I had originally chosen. Tanner's mom, unfortunately, wanted nothing to do with him...so I choose both names. Right now, we are calling him Tanner, but I suspect, he'll wind up as a "TJ"... his sister is Tessa-roo or "Roo"... Tina

Here's what I just posted on the other Dr. K thread... It's late, so pardon the cut and paste job ...Tanner likes to wake up at 6... so I need to go nite nite... he still thinks he is in Guatemala... But on the bright side, he sleeps from 9 to 6, with NO wake-ups... Tessa woke up 2 times a night until 18 mos! lol: Back from the Land of Eternal Spring... that would be Guatemala! My baby boy, Tanner, and I got in Tuesday nite.. I must say, he is just the sweetest and cutest 9.5 month old ever... and his big sister (2.5 years) is great with him... very excited about him... only seems to get jealous at bed time. She's quite a momma's helper too! I could not be happier. He's just doing awesome no big transition trauma or anxiety issues that I can see. I think it was harder on his foster mom then him. I did okay in Guatemala food-wise. Only threw up (PB sounds nicer, but lets be honest it's barfing!) once (chicken is sooo unpredictable for me...eggs too...hmmm, which came first?)... My scale says I stayed exactly the same... not surprising given my diet there... I ate a lot of the local cuisine... strangely, although I hate bananas (except banana bread, weird, huh?), I apparently love fried plantains! And I love Crema Chapina Soup (black bean soup...served with advocado, cheese and tortilla chips)....okay and I drank a lot of bubbly sodas... I'm hooked on Limenada con soda!!!! But, I think the dietary lapse (heck, staying the same is better than gaining I figure) was well worth the trip to get my son! Seriously, he's a cutie patootie..with a mouth full of teeth too! He's sooooo alert and happy.... okay, I'm gonna stop gushing now! Tina

... that would be Guatemala! My baby boy, Tanner, and I got in Tuesday nite.. I must say, he is just the sweetest and cutest 9.5 month old ever... and his big sister (2.5 years) is great with him... very excited about him... only seems to get jealous at bed time. She's quite a momma's helper too! I could not be happier. He's just doing awesome no big transition trauma or anxiety issues that I can see. I think it was harder on his foster mom then him. I did okay in Guatemala food-wise. Only threw up (PB sounds nicer, but lets be honest it's barfing!) once (chicken is sooo unpredictable for me...eggs too...hmmm, which came first?)... My scale says I stayed exactly the same... not surprising given my diet there... I ate a lot of the local cuisine... strangely, although I hate bananas (except banana bread, weird, huh?), I apparently love fried plantains! And I love Crema Chapina Soup (black bean soup...served with advocado, cheese and tortilla chips)....okay and I drank a lot of bubbly sodas... I'm hooked on Limenada con soda!!!! But, I think the dietary lapse (heck, staying the same is better than gaining I figure) was well worth the trip to get my son! Seriously, he's a cutie patootie..with a mouth full of teeth too! He's sooooo alert and happy.... okay, I'm gonna stop gushing now! Tina :whoo:

Lap... Congrats!!!! Tina

ShelbiCallie and all... I was scared to get on the scale post-Thanksgiving, but I did this morning. I dropped another 2 pounds... but I was looking for more... seems since my second fill on 11/1/07, things are slower... but then again, I've been a bad bandster. this month.. eating poorly (chocolate, chips, dip, popcorn!)... and I had turkey and all the trimmings Thursday.... ALL of them including pumpkin pie and pecan pie... so the weight loss was surprising... Somehow, I think the occasional bad few days or week, tricks the body... which has responded to the lower caloric intake by slowing metabolism down to compensate... into thinking its back in feast (as opposed to famine) mode, so the metabolism speeds back up... maybe thats what happened?! I dunno... I made bad choices, but of course, thanks to my band, they weren't my pre-band day sized portions of bad choices. :cry Anyhow, since the last fill on 11/1/07, I have only lost 7 pounds... a slow down for me, but it is actually to be expected... I think it's time I add some exercise/walking to my new lifestyle, to keep from stalling and staying flat... plus its good for me. I am off to pick my new son up in Guatemala next week, so I'll be on family leave for a month (or so), so mybe some big stroller walks... and baby lifting...lol Tina :hungry:

to Guatemala on Wednesday to PICK UP my baby boy!!!! Got the word today, on National Adoption Day! How fitting!!!! Tanner is coming home! I am going to have to cancel my 11/29 appointment with DR. K for a check-up...so anyone needing a quick appointment, that one will be opening up! Later! Tina :whoo:

Shelbie, I am like 2.5 - 3.5 weeks away from going down.... I'm super-psyched. Getting the room ready... getting me ready...lol We bought Tessa a new book, "I'm a big sister now"... hopefully that will prep her a bit... I am getting sooooooo impatient.... Tina

I hate to break it to you, but so does chocolate... :eyebrows: I found this out when Paul returned from Germany with a ton of chocolate from the Ritter Chocolate factory.... we only have a few bars left thankfully... I finally brought a few boxes in to Tessa's daycare teachers just to remove the bulk of the temptation... (yeah, some of it...well, ya know, I did not want to disrespect his thoughtfulness [sabotage]) Tina (whose breath smells strangely like chocolate at the moment...notice my ticker has stayed in the same spot for over a week now)...(then agian, it hasn't moved the other way either...woo hooo)

Hmmm...I agree, maybe if it did hurt, I wouldn't chug... So far, it's never hurt... (knocks on wood). Yes, I find since I focus so much on protein these days, that salads are kinda becoming a treat I look forward to versus something I eat because they are "good" for me. Kinda ironic for me anyway. I'm glad there are so many salad choices these days. My absolute favorite is the one Souper!Salad! has with the cranberries and apples in it... I love it with their fat free (or is it low fat) raspberry nut dressing.... yummers! Then again, it's been awhile, as Longmont's Souper!Salad! went belly up. Just as well, I used to love buffets and getting my money's worth, now I feel like they make too much money off of me and I'm kinda anti-buffet currently. I find the band is fickle, let's me eat more some days, less others and also, different foods one day and different foods another day. Tina (15 minutes until I can drink some liquids post-dinner....tick tock...)

I have given up on eggs in the morning and am doing shakes. I am simply too tight in the a.m. even after my daily cup of earl grey tea. And I do not have time to PB them up:( It's okay, I tell myself, eggs are full of cholestrol (in August mine was at 320...) I loosen up as the day progresses...and like Woofay, I am surprised that salads go down easier than protein... so today, I had an chicken, apple, walnut salad at Appleebees (well, okay, almost half of a half-sized one) and a whole cup of broccoli-cheese soup (I do not care if soup is liquid). Dinner is normally very good for me... I can eat an entire enchilada (small) and a taco.... woo hooooo. (I wish I could every night, but I try to behave...last night it was beef and rice with gravy... followed by a wonderful PB). Apparently, ground beef is a yes, but cubes of round steak are out... I'm sad, I think this means no more summer rib-eyes on the barbeque, no more prime rib...etc. My love affair with rare steaks and other cuts of beef seems to be at an end. I am having a hard time with beverages though. I tend to be an evening drinker (decaf, iced tea... unsweetened) and cannot make myself sip... Is it really bad to chug liquids...lol? Tina

I like the new thread... Rosey, Until your band is filled, you will be able to eat some pretty decent (although probably not like your pre-band days) portions. The band is just in place and is healing and settling in so to speak. Basically, it not "online" yet. During this phase some folks actually gain weight or lose very little. So, don't let it get you too down, you'll be missing that short-lived freedom to eat decent portions soon enough. As for the support group, they are good for some folks and not for others. I think if it appeals to you... go for it! Work it, sister! Some people learn more about themselves from such groups... in this instance, the group has a common history (lap-band and weight issues) and there may be some cool insights and pointers for you... Work every tool at your disposal, band, diet, support group, this forum, etc. As for the ticker....once you pick the one ya want and get it all set up...copy the html text (you know, click and drag and do a control-c and paste it like normal, control-v) it tells you into your signature box (which means you have to open up the usercp page from the lapbandtalk menu... and then click on edit signature...) Good luck with the ticker! Tina

a.m. beverage earl grey tea with splenda and non-dairy creamer (25 cals) Breakfast (my 2 year old mooches part of my meal every morning) 1 fried egg with cheese shreds (used pam spray) 1 individual serving packet of grits butter, salt and pepper (like 370 cals) late a.m. snack v-8 juice (70 cals) Lunch spaghetti with meat sauce/mushrooms (lean gourmet, 8 oz, 300 cals) p.m. snack 10 chew sprees (40 cals) Dinner (planned) meatloaf slice mashed potatoes (2 tbs) carrots (1/2 cup) butter, salt and pepper, ketchup (400 cals) beverages: I drink water and iced tea (artifically sweetened) Total for the day, 1205 cals...