ssankofa73

Ruby, Thanks for the encouragement. Together we can make it through this. I remember back in the fall when you were the H2O drinking QUEEN! Sip, sip, sip, lol You're a great reminder of my "lap band glory days" and I'm making an effort to get back to that. Exercise log: 43 minutes drenched in sweat with my dog. YES!!! Food: I went to my 1st WW meeting in about almost 1 1/2 years today. In less than a week of journaling my food intake, drinking H2O and walking I lost 7 pounds!!! YES!!! I'm back baby! What? I'm so hyped. I've always been a flex plan girl but because of the band, I think I might switch to core. I want to try the 5 day pouch test and if I do the Core Plan, then I'll be able to swing it, but.... I'm afraid of messing with a good thing right now ...We'll see what the coming weeks will bring.

Hi Phylls, Man!! That sounds like its going to be fun and I really wanted to travel West this summer too. I'm going to be at a convention in Florida at that time. I'm sure ya'll are going to have a ball.

Hi Healthy Sue, You're desire to eat out of boredom has to do with your mind, not your stomach. On this site you will find people that write about knowing the difference between head hunger and real hunger. Head hunger is what leads to eating for emotional or psych. reasons like boredom, stress, etc. Matter of fact, 1 of the PA's that does my fills recently asked me if I was paying attention to the difference and to be honest, I wasn't. You will have to do lots of work emotionally to stop eating due to boredom. I'm handling this now by going back to weight watchers so that I can have some accountability. Thats a form of group therapy for me. I started Sunday and already lost 5 lbs. just by journaling and keeping tabs on staying within my points range. I see now that I will struggle with knowing the difference between head hunger and real hunger at least for the next few months while I adjust to doing WW again in conjunction with the band. Maybe you should look into Dr. Geiss' support group, working with Willow, his psychologist, or doing another type of therapy to help you deal with the eating out of boredom.

What's MofA?

Exercise log 40 minute walk today with my dog. I kicked up a sweat so I feel good about that. Eating I went back to following the WW regimen of journaling my food intake and counting points. My food choices and length of satiety are different now. Wow!! It's waaaaaaay easier with the BAND! I'm so happy with my decision because now I have a life saving safety net.

Good Advice Colton. I was at a restaurant the other nite with another friend who also has a band. We picked at our food after knowing we were full. We both ended up getting a doggie bag but we should have gotten them at the start of our meals. I have to try to remember to follow this rule every time I go out because it saves us before we can go over board. Another thing I always liked about having a "to go" box....It reminds me the next day of the great meal I had the day before!

Sthernbrat Good luck to you!

Most of my friends don't know I have the surgery. Only my close family and about 5 friends are in on the secret. When I go out to eat, I usually try to order a regular meal with a take home box. I've been on a perpetual life long diet so no one questions me on getting the "to go" box. I Then put most of my meal in th box and leave enough on my plate to have a decent sized meal. I still have problems with throwing food out. I find that I "collect" food now when I go out. For example, I went to a BBQ yesterday and saw lots of things that I wanted but knew I couldn't fit into my pouch. I ended up taking food home and having some for lunch today. I will probably get 3 or 4 more meals out of the leftovers and I won't have to cook anything but veggies to go with it.

I think your dr. meant that the jello will slip thru the band too easily like juice or water and won't give you a feeling a satiety. Jello is considered a clear liquid even though its in a gel stage when its served. When jello is heated up by our bodies, it turns into a liquid.

Exercise log, Tues 4/1/08: 1 hour walk with a friend and my dog. Not very fast paced, but enough for me to feel good about being out there and doing something. Wed 4/2/08: 40 minute walk with my soror. Good fast pace. Only a little sweat but I was winded. Thurs. 4/3/08: skipped walk for some reason. don't remember Fri: 4/4/08: 15 minute walk with my dog before a BBQ. Ate waaaay too much. Sat: 4/5/08: 35 minute walk with my dog. It was fast enough for me to come home sweaty and needing a shower. I did well today. I hope to get in another walk later this evening when it cools down some. EATING Today I'm planning on eating in the correct order. My 1st meal was lunch. BBQ leftovers: 1 hotdog, 1 ounce pork, 3/4 of a burger, 1/3 of a sausage, 1/2 cup squash, 2 tbspn, mac and cheese. All of it fit on a paper dessert plate. I followed my PA's orders and left for a walk after i finished so that I wouldn't be tempted to go back for more 20 minutes later. Its now about an hour and 15 minutes after I ate and I'm back from my walk. I'm thirsty and drinking H2O. I feel good today.

Congrats for being able to feel comfortable in your bathing suit in public. I've never been to splish splash but I want to go someday.

I think mine took an hour or less. All they did was ask me a bunch of questions regarding allergies, current medications, family history and then they took my weight, a blood sample, blood pressure, etc. It wasn't long at all.

This is a great thread. Keep sharing guys.

Indio, Thanks for the apology. Everyone's weight loss journey is 1 that is personal to them. I took your comments about my weight loss team personally but I appreciate the apology. Peaches, I'm getting plenty of sleep....no need for me to have any extra naps. Ruby, Thanks for your encouragement. That's what I really need right now.

Indio and everyone one else, Please don't go on a tirade about my doctor or his staff on this site or at your meeting. The band they put in place and the eating system that they taught me worked to the point where I was able to lose a considerable amount of weight. 40 lbs is nothing to sneeze at and I've had it rough the last few months so BE EASY an don't try to play my medical team out. Things just stopped working or I just stopped following the exact rules and needed a refresher. I want your support and the support of everyone else on this site but I don't want to feel like I have to defend my medical team, my choice in having surgery, my eating practices, etc. I get enough of that from my mother and my own conscience. Even though I know this site is open to the public I would like to at least FEEL like I can come here and not be put on blast by other people. FALL BACK

I didn't know about the spicy food thing or not having anything but liquids after something gets stuck, either. My doctor and PA have always counseled me on having liquids 2 days after a fill followed by 2 days of soft solids then on to regular food.

I just got a fill last week and I think it's kicked in. The PA that did the fill also said that I've been eating the wrong way. She said I should have been eating 4 ounces of hard proteins 1st, then veggies, then carbs if I had room. I was eating that all at once,...not to mention also having ketchup, etc. which is a lubricant. Yesterday is the 1st day I tried it after having a fill and seems to be working in terms of keeping me full longer.

Hi, I'm just posting to see if my signature changed. No change in my weight in 5 months. Hoping to see results soon.

Hi everyone! Indio I haven't been tracking a thing. I haven't tracked what I ate since weight watchers this time last year. I thought about doing it again but didn't follow through. Since getting back on LBT I've been trying to focus on drinking 1/2 before eating. Baby steps.... Twilight Yes, you can lose weight in your gums. It does sound strange but you have fat in your cheeks, gums, pharynx (back of the mouth that opens up to your wind pipe), etc. Dentures, bite plates, etc. fit looser after a significant amount of weight loss. Since losing weight has anyone experienced changes in their menstruation cycle? Mine has gone haywire. My gyn. said that my hormonal ratios are out of whack and thats causing me to have irregular periods. I'm wondering if its connected to weight loss.

I do have restriction, but I know I haven't been following the rules other than not drinking and eating at the same time (when I even try that it hurts so that's a no no for me). I have no off limit foods which my doctor's PAs say is a good thing. I'm scared that I have dilated my pouch because no matter what, I can always eat more than 6 oz. of food in 1 sitting during which time I'm ravenous but then 30 minutes after I finish eating I feel a little too full (to the point where I feel guilty for eating.) Just now I ate about 14oz of chunky soup and now I'm thirsty.

Hi Everyone. I known this might seem silly at this point, but does anyone have the lapband rules? You know....the info about drinking 30 minutes before a meal, no drinking during a meal, waiting 60 minutes to dirnk after a meal, etc? If you could post it for me it would be a big help. Thanks

I'm doig ok, Indio. I gained 6 lbs over the holidays but my weight is now 1/2 a lb lower than what's posted in my signature so I'm fine with that. BTW everyone, I named my dog Buppy and she is a Bichon Frise. Very cute but peeing in her cage at nights while I'm sleeping. She refuses to use the wee pads so I think I'm going to get doggy diapers for her and call it a day because I don't feel like cleaning her cage anymore. On a good note, she is forcing me to walk daily due to the toileting situation. On average I get at least 30 minutes of walking out of her.

Hi Distant Try cutting your food up into half square inch bites then chewing each bite 40 times. Experimenting with this is much cheaper and better for you than getting an unfill. </p> <p> </p> <p>Last night I was eating steak and my 1st 2 bites were stuck for 1 minute or so before they passed because I wasn't paying attention to what I was eating. I remembered the advice about bite portion and chewing and it worked for me.</p>

testing ticker

Happy Holidays Everyone!! I haven't posted in a while but I'm happy to say that I have lost 40 lbs since being banded and it feels lovely!! I stopped going for walks for a long time due to the colder weather and a tighter schedule, but I just got a dog so I'm forced to walk her for at least 10 to 15 minutes daily. Now I'm forced to go for walks or doggie will do her business in my apartment and I don't want that to happen. I excited about what's to come in the new year. The fact that I have my band and my dog is giving me real hope that I will reach my weight loss goals.