dacer123

I love having several cups of coffee in the morning. I don't eat a lot in the day and I just realized that my coffee is sabotaging my efforts. I don't actually love the taste of coffee, but I do love it sweet and creamy with creamer. Does anyone have any ways to make my coffee like I enjoy it but with less calories and sugar? My friend uses monkeys fruit as a sweetener. What about that? I love spends but I heard it can be bad for sugar substitute.

I never would have thought of fat free evaporated milk. Good idea!

I had my surgery this past Monday (today is Saturday) for a slipped lap band. My band had been slipped for a long time but wasn't showing very well on testing. Anyway, I'm really having a hard time with basically Protein drinks and broth. I was told to drink some milk when I get hypoglycemic and to chew a glucose tablet. As of two days ago, I feel like I'm in a constant state of hypoglycemia with weakness, sweating, and dizziness. I just finally added some Peanut Butter to my Protein Drink in the blender with milk so hopefully that will bring me out of it for the morning. As of this Monday (two days away) I get to have thinned oatmeal or maltomeal, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, pureed Soups (per nutritionist: creamed soups pureed), and thinned corn grits. I'm seriously considering moving on to that phase today, two days early, as I know the little bit of carbs will help my hypoglycemia. Does anyone have any insights that might help me? Six years ago when I had my original band, which was put in my another facility/doctor, I felt the exact same way and didn't pull out of it until i went on to pureed food. I specifically remember pureeing a can of campbells vegetable Soup (can't remember if it was vegetable beef though) and I immediatelly felt better with more energy. I'm also so sick of all the sweet Protein Drinks.

Thanks Judy. I'm going to dry that tomorrow for sure. I don't know if I have any decaf in the kitchen but maybe just a little regular coffee won't hurt things. It's been so long since I went through this that I forgot what recipes to use. Everything I've come across is so sickenlingly and artifically sweet that by now I could just cry at the thought of one more day of this day. I'm trying really hard to be strong though.

Yeah I'm trying really hard not to move ahead too early. I talked to the on-call physician at the hospital since the clinic doesn't actually have anyone you can talk to on the weekend. She said that I need to actually include some peanut butter into my smoothies to help my level. At first she said to put some sugar on my tongue when the symptoms happen but when I told her I already was using glucose tablets then she suggested the peanut butter thing. Everything I've been using has been very low sugar or sugar-free per the nutritionist, but I think I need to go get some things with a little real sugar in them. I think I'm going to at least pick up some fudgesickles or popsickles.

I'm 4 years out from my band surgery and up until last year I've done really well. Last year I had my son and I really tight afterwards and just kept getting tighter for no reason at all. I started to get some bad pains in my side and the doctor thought it might be my stomach causing the pains so he took some of my fill out. I was also suddenly getting explosive reflux when I would lay down at night just as I would drift off to sleep. It was so bad the first time that I thought I was having a heart attack because it burned so bad and I couldn't breath very good because i think I actually aspirated some of it. The doctor has taken out quite a bit because we just couldn't get the reflux under control completely. He finally put me on either Prilosec or Prevacid, but I can't remember which it is right now. If I don't take it daily, I get heartburn but no backing up of food. I had a barium swallow two months ago and it came back fine with no slippage. I think I've dilated my pouch, while the band itself is still tight. The reason I say this is that I can eat like I did before surgery and can't seem to stop, but sometimes it takes a long time for the food to actually go down, while other times it goes right through with no problem. I can't seem to stop thinking of food, especially ice cream and sweets. I can't seem to stop this "Oh I'll just take a couple more bites because this is so good" even though I'm getting full. However, I can't seem to get satisfied when I eat. It's almost like I've never eaten before and now that I can I can't seem to stop. I'm afraid to get another fill because I'm afraid I'll get that explosive reflux again. I can't do the roux-en-y because of a possible medical problem in our family that would be horrible to treat if I ended up with it after having had a bypass. I'm thinking of the gastric sleeve but I think I'd fail that too. Can anyone relate to what I'm going through? Does anyone have any suggestions or maybe some thoughts on what's going on?

Right after I had my surgery I lost weight even without trying. I did walk for exercise but not religiously. I think that might be why I struggle now too, the fact that I let the band do all the work and never really learned to eat properly. I'll keep you posted on how the therapy goes and how Curves works out. I'm hoping maybe if I start exercising that I'll fell better and that then maybe I'll be more motivated to eat better.

I'd need to lose about 30 pounds, but I would even settle for 20. I just joined Curves this week, so I'm hoping that will motivate me some. I'm not on anything for my PCOS. Since I had my kids they don't seem to be too concerned about it. I think you're probably right though about the PCOS being the main problem with it. I think the hormone issues from it are what make my cravings so much more intense. I'm not much of a bread eater myself either. My weakness is ice cream and chips. I also love frozen coffee drinks like the Frappe's from McDonlds. I'll figure this out eventually and I actually started seeing a therapist as well, so hopefully that will help me get my head in the game.

Wow I didn't think anyone else would understand what I'm going through. As embarassing as it is, I have to admit.....I'm about to say it.....I love to eat. There I said it! lol I too have PCOS and even though I'm not diabetic, I struggle with feelings like I've got hypoglycemia. I think I need to get rid of the sugar and carbohydrates in my life, but it's so hard to get it out of your system and the withdrawal process for me is terrible. when I'm going through the withdrawal process, I can't focus, I'm grumpy, lack energy, get sleepy, etc. I just dread putting myself through that again. That's the only thing I think would help me though.

Okay I'm trying to get back on track with my band and losing weight. I had my friend/band put in in June 2007 and I've lost 96 pounds with only like 10-15 more pounds to go. I'll admit to not being the best band patient in the last 9 months since having my new son. Now I can't seem to get back on track. I did the 5 day pouch test and lost some weight, but now I don't know where to go from here. I'm confused when reading labels as to what is considered too many carbs in an item or if it has too much sugar. Is there a total carb/sugar count we should be staying under for the day? Need some guidance here. I'm really scared I'm going to gain this weight back. Over the holidays I gained 8 lbs but then lost it with the 5 day pouch test. For health reasons for sure, I can't afford to put back on my weight. Plus I need to get it off to be healthy for my family.

So Brad I need to clarify something I read earlier. Out of seven days of the week, you eat low calories for six of them and then have one high calorie day? I'm curious, what do you consider high and low calorie amounts for you? This is intriguing to me and something I'm considering trying. I'm thinking if that a one high calorie day may be just what I need to not feel deprived so much.

I'm a little over a year out from my surgery and I think I'm getting hypoglycemia. I keep getting these episodes where I suddenly get lightheaded, irritable, kinda hot, and almost dizzy. My glucometer from when I had gestational diabetes five years ago is broken so I can't check my blood sugar, but I know it isn't my blood pressure because I did check it and it was fine. Once I eat something, then I feel okay. Has anyone experienced this? I got it today even after I had eaten something, but I got full quickly so maybe I hadn't eaten enough because I got this episode about an hour after that, but felt better once I ate some sugar. I wonder if I should start carrying around some glucose tablets.

I just had a fill on Thursday and I'm wondering is possibly I'm a little overfilled. My dietician at the surgeon's office said I should be able to eat approximately a cup of food at a time. Well since I got my fill I'm lucky to be able to eat 4 small spoonfulls at a time before I have to stop and come back later to try to take a few more bites. I could hardly get 1/4-1/2 cup of cottage cheese down today. I don't know if possibly I'm a tad overfilled. Will it get better as a few more days go buy, like maybe my stomach is a little swollen from the fill? What do you think? Thanks!

Here's my dilemma: My sweet spot keeps coming and going over about a 2 week period, meaning for a week or two I'm perfectly filled and then for a week or two I can eat more than I should. I think I have first bite syndrome anyway because I get full on just 3-4 bites, but if I wait a few minutes I can finish my meal, which is usually more than I should. I've noticed that I usually stay full and satisfied for about 1.5 to 2 hours. I'm thinking I need just a small fill. Has anyone experienced this?

Okay, I'll tell you what I'm experiencing and hopefully someone can help me decide. I'm 7 months out from surgery and I've had I think 4 fills. I lost track of how much I have in my Inamed 10 cm band, but I think it's right around 3 cc or maybe 3.5. I'm beginning to wonder if I might have an esophageal stricture. Most times when I start to eat I get full/uncomfortable on like 2-3 bites. However, if I wait it out for a few minutes I can then finish my meal which is way less than I ate before surgery but too much for a band patient. I think I'm averaging a cup to a cup and a half of food, sometimes more sometimes less depending on the food. I'm supposed to go for a fill next week, but I'm not sure I actually need one. Last time I was at my doctor's office he said I should just about reaching my perfect fill point. What do you think? BTW, I've lost 41 lbs, but most of it was in the first 4-5 months, but not much more than 5-6 lbs in two months. I'm getting irritated with myself. Thanks! Casey

I'm seriously thinking I may have stretched my pouch out. I had surgery six months ago and have lost 37 pounds, but I've been at a total stand still for two months. I notice that I get a full/uncomfortable feeling after a few bites, but if I wait 2-3 minutes I can usually eat my full meal, which is usually 1 to 1 1/2 cups, which I know is too much. I have a 10 cc band, which should have about 4 cc in it right now and the doctor said I should be just about full. I'm extremely struggling with the head hunger lately too. My old eating habits are creeping and I'm wanting to eat a lot. I'm going to go back to giving up sugar to see if that helps with the cravings. The holiday season really threw me for a loop since I wasn't prepared for all the goodies being around all the time. I've also been drinking about 1/2 of a 20 ounce bottle of diet Coke each day, maybe a whole bottle though some days. I never have pains from the soda though. I'm thinking I can eat too much because I stretched out my pouch. Is it too late to save myself from me?:help:

A while back I was asking them how big my band was and he said it was 10 cc and I think he said it was by Inamed. He told me that typically they hold about 4 cc, unless maybe I misunderstood him. I do know when I went three weeks ago for a fill, which I think put me right around 3-4 cc, he said I should just about be where I need to be as far as fills. Is is normal to have to wait a few minutes after the first few bites before you can finish your meal? I think I've heard this called first bite syndrome.

I have PCOS too. I was having fertility trouble and thats when we found it. That was about 7 years ago. It took 3 1/2 years, but we finally managed to have our daughter when I somehow managed to lose some weight. I took Metformin to do it though. I had my band on June 21st and I've lost about 34-37 lbs, depending on the day. The weight has slowed to a snails pace now, which is frustrating. When I exercised, it didn't come off either. I'm just a really slow loser. I stopped my metformin almost immediately because it made me jittery like my blood sugar was too low. I never tested my sugar (I don't have diabetes...yet) so I don't know if it went low or not, but it made me feel like it was low. I'm considering trying it again to see if it will help my weight loss efforts. Has anyone else had any experience with this?

I was wondering if anyone else has trouble after your band with salads. I can eat a little bit of lettuce, like on a sandwich or a tiny tiny salad, but I can't eat a bigger salad anymore without getting into tummy trouble and have to spend the day running to the bathroom. Does anyone else have this problem? I also learned I cant do rice anymore either, but that I can work around.

I had mine done at Barix in Ypsilanti and I've been very pleased so far. Dr. Poplowski is my surgeon and there are several others there as well. Dr. Pop is a little bit of the no nonsense type and can be pretty serious, but he's actually nice and he's VERY good at what he does. I like him and I've heard good things about the other doctors there as well. I'd highly recommend them. I definitely was not disappointed in my experience with them in any way.

Have you ever had been tested for a clotting disorder? It sounds like maybe you're blood is really slow to clot. It may be nothing, but I'd mention it to your surgeon or even your family doctor. I don't know if you take any medications or herbal supplements, but if you are then maybe one of them is thinning your blood. Just a thought though. I wouldn't worry too much, but I wouldn't ignore it either. I personally don't think it's normal to bleed so heavily with being poked.

Name...........Chall. Start Wt........Current......Chall. Goal.............To Go abckids..............303.........................3 03...........270......................33 alwayscurious........245......................245. ............212.................33 Amelia40...............270.................... 270................240................30 areellady...............232....................226 .5...........212.................14.5 argon..................162...................155.2 ...............142...............13.2 Ariel....................207.................... 199 ..............182..................17 aussie_jode...........212......................212 .............190..................22 BabygotBack..........164.....................164. ............145..................19 Babygrl1234...........215......................205 ............190.................15 Becky42................253.....................248 ...............220...............28 bekafina.................225.....................2 25.............199................26 Cherrybomb...........311....................306 ..............291................15 chickatee..............203.....................196 ..............175................21 chocolate_snaps......344....................342... ...........299................43 cQQlgirl..................225...................21 8................185..............33 Chris_NJ................284....................255 .................250..............5 cindyluhu...............194....................194 ...............180.............14 dacer123...............243....................239. ..............223................16 Denise...................170....................17 0...............155...............15 Denise..................244.....................24 4...............220................24 Desertbunnee.........232....................207. .............180................27 DonnaD................185.....................185. .............170................15 eclipse..................215.....................2 12..............199................16 faithmd................303.....................303 ............ 283...............16.7 glindab................ 277.....................269...............250..... .. .......19 gonnabfree............231....................231.. ..............205................26 Guinessgirl77.........241...................241 ..................210..............31 gweniper..............253.....................236. ...............223...............30 hf2havefun...........240......................240. ..............210................30 ihadenuf................216....................216 ................190................26 itsjustducky...........317....................317. ................297...............20 james2539............235.4.................235.4 ................220.............15.4 jfran……………………….212………………………204……………………..196………………8 jglong54...............206....................206. .................195.............11 jadrad7.................224....................224 .................200..............24 jazzystouch...........246......................246 ...............220...............26 Jeni 85.................237....................230 ..................207..............23 joisey....................307....................3 07................290...............17 josiebies...............188......................1 70................165................5 JulieNYC................155.....................14 9.................136..............13 Kaelin's G-Ma.........272....................272............. ......220.............12 KarenG................. 240.....................227...................215. ...........12 katalin.e................230.....................1 79.................150..............29 Keekahari..............230......................22 2..................215............7 Kellymovingon........207......................196 .................187............9 Kimmie.................296.....................287 ..................270.............17 ladydi............. .....233.....................228.................2 08...............20 legster..................261....................24 0................228...............12 LeslieLee...............216.....................21 6................186...............30 LifeLover..............289.....................275 ..............259................16 LilMissBandAid.......276.8...................276.8 ............265...............11.8 lisa_in_toronto.......180......................180 ................160...............20 losingjusme...........273.....................270. ...............238................31 luvinke..................225.................. ..223..................195..............28 maddog.................230.....................230 ................205..............25 marcar35...............277.....................266 ................250............. 16 mcgreen...............236......................220 .................210..............10 METALBAND...........187.....................179... ..... .......167..............13 momlambert..........207...................204.5... ............185..............20.5 mpalen.................229.....................229 ................200................29 Peache8887...........330.....................306.. ...............275..............31 pmmegm..............248.....................248... ...............228..............20 Rainer..................298................... 272..................258................14 robgoblin87............279...................279.. ................250...............29 SC2VA..................233.....................233 ..................200..............33 sdakotaRN.............254.....................254. ................225..............29 Short C................. 166....................166.................146.. ............20 Soniacan...............198.5..................198. 5.............175.............23.5 Stacy73.................259.....................23 8...............230...............8 Sunny112..............215.....................157. ...............140...............17 Suzzzie. ...............349....................326......... .......320................6 sweethot143..........197....................188... ...........175.................13 tanderson..............231.....................231 ...............199................32 teacher.................236.....................23 6.............200................36 ToniaPatt …..........286……….....……......283………......... 243.… ........…40 UK-Lady...............255.....................223.... ...........210.................13 Wannabthin...........231......................222. .............211................20 want2beme...........225.....................225.. ............195................30 wen.....................288......................2 84..............255................29 Whosyadaddy.........388.....................369... ...........335................43 I'm a really slow loser, but I am losing. How about in honor of our challenge we post some tips and suggestions for things we're each doing that is helping us become successful at achieving our weight loss? The one thing I just started doing was I joined the YMCA gym. I'm having a hard time in portion control though right now, so I'm hoping that exercise will help kick me in gear. How is everyone else doing?

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with any of these supplements. I heard one gives more energy and the other one helps keep the brain focused, which I struggle with both. I'm starting a new job Monday and need to be more focused and have more energy. I wonder if I can take them both or if I should only take one of them. I thought also about B12 instead, but I'm not sure and wanted some others' input. Thanks! Casey

I was wondering if this could be an overfill. When I eat I feel a LOT of pressure when I first eat, almost like I'm full off 1-2 bites, but more like it hurts. Then if I eat tiny tiny bites and chew to mush I can eat a little bit, but it takes forever for it to go down. Is it normal to feel a lot lot of pressure when you first start eating? What are your thoughts? I'm worried that it will always be like this.

I've had one fill so far and will go for my second fill next Friday. I had some restriction for a while, but now it's very rare that I get restriction. My weight loss seems to have really slowed down. Will it get better once I get to my sweet spot with fills?