salsa1877

There is a bariatric surgeon in Bend, but I have not heard great things about them. I go to their support group because I have a friend that was banded by them. I am not sure if they would follow up with you or not after being banded by Dr. Kuri, but I do know that Dr. Neal in Olympia, WA does. I am not certain how expensive the fills are with him though because they do them under fluro. However they are fantastic people!

I am having an extended TT with a vertical incision. I think if my skin was rotting my insurance would still deny me! So I am a self pay. 9580$ but my surgery is quite extensive...so I am alright with the amount that she is charging. The surgery is scheduled to take 6 hours because of the amount of skin they are removing. Doc said she anticipates 10-15 pounds. Yep...that's a lot of flab!

This is EXACTLY what happened to me. You are right...you are not going to lose weight by drinking all the Protein Shakes. They are FULL of sugar and other preservatives which is why most of them can be stored without refrigeration! Refried beans should never hurt...that is what my doc said. Hey I am the first one to jump on poor food choices, but when you are in your situation...chocolate milk is okay. you do need calories, fat and milk has good Vitamins and minerals. Do not feel bad about those choices. Right now you are doing what you need to survive. I really hope your doc suggests a small unfill! It really will make you feel better and the weight will start coming off again...or at least it did for me.

I ended up with MASSIVE amounts of extra skin on my tummy...but that is where I carried all of my weight. My lap band doc told me before I even was banded that if I lost all my excess weight I would DEFINETLY need PS. Well...he didn't lie. I am going in for my extensive TT with vertical incision just so that they can remove all the skin. My PS said it would take about 6 hours and she is hoping to remove almost 15 pounds of skin. I think a lot of it has to do with how you carry your weight, genetics, and how long you have been fat. For me...all in my tummy, don't know about genetics(both my parents were/are fat), I was fat for 20 years...didn't have a whole lot going for me. Plus I did lose my weight really fast so that might have something to do with it. However I did exercise and tone regularly...didn't help the tummy though. However I wouldn't trade my Jabba-the-Hut look for the 96 pounds that I lost!

I think most of us got fat by eating when we are not hungry. This does work, but you have to learn to get in touch with your hunger. IF you had asked me before the surgery if I only ate when I was hungry...I would have said yes. I had deluded myself to that point that I honestly believed I was hungry ALL THE TIME. I wasn't. So as I mentioned earlier start that process now of listening and feeling your stomach. It is a powerful tool.

I told my DH to slap my hand and he hit it HARD!:thumbup: (Nobody freak out..he does NOT abuse me...I asked him to slap my hand!) I deserve it though...so he spanked me for you! And as for dotting my i's and crossing my t's...I do that too...only in perfect caligraphy! So yes...it is plan, plan, plan. Even I have momentary lapses in judgement. GOTTA GO TO BED...3:30 COMES EARLY

Well...yes...but you have to do some work too. You obviously recognize that you overeat because you are stressed and are an emotional overeater. The band will prevent you from eating large amounts of certain foods. I could probably eat 20 gallons of ice cream (if I hadn't become lactose intolerant!) but might only be able to get in 12 bites of chicken. Let me give you my back story. A typical day of eating for me was to stop at Carl's Jr. and get a loaded Breakfast burrito with 2 orders of large hash browns and a large orange juce. Then get to work and have doughnuts that my students would bring for breakfast in AP Chemistry. Then at break I would have at least 1 snickers bar...or 2...or yep 6! Then at lunch when I would eat in front of the other teachers I always had a modest sandwich or Soup or small amount of leftovers. Then when I was back in my classroom I would eat something that I had stashed...Lord knows what it was...if it was bad for me...I ate it. Then after work I would stop at Carl's Jr and get 2 big hamburgers and eat them in the 4 minutes it would take me to get home. Yes there was discomfort but who cared...I could have been a world record holder in how fast I could swallow food. Then I would get home and an hour later have a double portion dinner meal followed by SOMETHING for dessert. So was I an overeater...well...what do you think!?!?! I ate for emotional reasons, boredom, control, lack of control, hatred of myself, to just eat. You name it...I had a reason for eating. So I decided to get the band as I sat in my living room bawling my eyes out while I devoured an entire 9x14 cake pan of carrot cake. I haven't looked back since! I think it would be a good exercise for you to start keeping a journal now of what you eat. Not to count calories or try to diet, but to write down WHY you are eating. Try to start listening to your tummy...when you think you are hungry...sit down, close your eyes and tyr to feel your stomach...are you truly hungry. These are all good practices to put into place before you get your band. It is NOT the cure...it will NOT take away your desire to eat. It will make you very miserable if you overeat. If I eat too much I get this horrible pain in my chest. Stomach pain never caused me to STOP eating...pain in the chest...now that does. But the band is just a tool. I don't know that a lot of people get this message. There are going to be times when you want to just rip open your stomach and pull the dang thing out because you want to eat something and it says no! But to be honest with you... I have lost 96 pounds of fat and gained 154 pounds OF ME! If you would have told me 6 months ago that I was going to train for a half marathon I would have looked at you and called for the guards with the straight jacket. But with the weightloss, I can move around and be healthy. I didn't have health problems before I was banded...but I was headed there. My mom died at the age of 53 weighing 300+ pounds with heart disease, diabetes and a whole host of other things. NO WAY WAS I GOING THERE! Good luck and ask all the questions you need to!

Thank you...I have worked very hard and am a much different person today. My personality is the same and my caring for other people is the same...but my attitude towards me is totally different. I LOVE the new me. I think the fill and weight watchers is a great place to start. Just remember this is about you...you have to do what is best for YOU!

I will post some soup recipes for you to try. I have them on a few threads but instead of making you look around...I will just repost them here. Soup recipes Roasted Tomato with Roasted Garlic This recipe yielded about 1 cup. Ingredients: ½ container of grape tomatoes 4-6 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu 2 TBSP of fresh basil (2-3 tsp of dried basil) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Peal the garlic and wrap in a small piece of aluminum foil. 2. Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and spray with PAM, sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Put the tomatoes and garlic in a 350 degree oven until done. a. Tomatoes will burst and shrivel a bit b. Garlic will be soft and mash easily with a fork c. Tomatoes will probably finish before the garlic 4. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor (or blender) 5. Add the tofu and blend until almost smooth. 6. Heat through and add the finely chopped basil at the end. 7. Simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. 8. If necessary thin out with FF evaporated milk. Grilled Asparagus Soup Ingredients: ¼ pound or more of asparagus 2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu ¼ small onion (more or less depending on taste) ¼ -1/3 cup of LF shredded cheese. Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Either boil grill on BBQ (much better!) the asparagus until just undercooked. a. To grill on BBQ spray with PAM and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in aluminum foil if you do not have a flat grill on BBQ. 2. Sautee garlic, onions and cooked asparagus 3. Place veggies in a food processor (or blender) 4. Add the tofu and blend until smooth. 5. Add FF evaporated milk until correct texture. 6. Heat to desired temperature Sautéed Mushroom and Tuna Soup (This was my way of eating tuna noodle casserole…soup style!) Ingredients: ½ pound or more of mushrooms (any kind will work) 2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu or white beans ¼ small onion (more or less depending on taste) 1 can of tuna fish Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Sautee mushrooms, garlic and onions until desired texture. 2. Add to food processor or blender. 3. Add 4oz of silken tofu or ½ can of white beans (depending on your taste!) 4. Add drained tuna fish (or any other canned fish) 5. Puree to desired texture. 6. Heat and add FF evaporated milk to thin if needed So as you can see, the base for these soups is pretty much the same. If you don’t like tofu I would assume that white canned beans would work just as well. Experiment with different spices, add a little parmesan cheese, or different veggies. Right now you shouldn’t be worrying as much about calories, but rather about healing. If you would like add meat to any of these it would work just fine. Ground chicken, hamburger, and ground turkey all pulverize very well. You will most likely just have to thin it out with the FF evaporated milk. That one ingredient has changed my way of cooking. Once you graduate to real foods you can have chicken Alfredo for VERY few calories by using this one ingredient. Another soup that has good flavor is to just take some refried beans and beef stock. It has a lot of flavor and a lot of protein to keep you fuller longer. Also take some spaghetti sauce and add some pulverized veggies to it and it makes it better. Adding some pureed white beans also helps it feel like more food.

Okay...this is not an excuse...this is a legitimate reason why I didn't finish the 12 miles. I did 8, but I AM AN IDIOT! Yep...no other way to put it. I tried to do the 12 miles outside in the canyon in 80+ degree weather and I had only had 1 bottle of water the whole day. I didn't really think anything of it...until I started running. About 3 miles into the run...I cramped up. I tried to run through it but I couldn't I stopped and walked and then ran...cramped up again...walked...ran...walk...ran...walk...called DH to ask him to bring me some water. By the time he got there I was almost ready to pass out. So basically I only got 8 miles done...4 miles running and 4 miles pretty slow walking. My legs, stomach, back and even feet were cramping up from the dehydration. The heat got to me. I didn't hardly sweat at all...NOT a good sign. So instead of beating myself up I am just moving my LONG run/walk days to Sunday so that I can do them in the morning when it is cool outside. So no 12 miles today...but on Sunday. 8 miles is still nothing to sniff at...that is a long ways. According to my new nike+ I had an average pace of 4.3 miles per hour and burned 930 calories...not too shabby for being crippled the last 2 miles!

I know I need to add the healthy fats but mentally...I am not there yet. Hell..I still eat FF cheese! I always say that I need to leave calories for the end of the day in case I am hungry after working out...but I am never hungry at night and I know this! Peaches the analogy was fabulous...I guess I am a hummer! I already have my meals planned for this week and we will see how the weigh in goes. I don't like to adjust things for 2 weeks to make sure that there are no oddities. If I have to add calories I certainly am going to add nuts or avocados. I don't like to cook with oil or add cream because it is too hard to calculate the correct amount of calories. Yes I still count calories. I have to...I totally underestimated the calories in the enchiladas we made Tuesday. After I ate them I calculated it to make sure that it was what I had estimated. They were 510 calories and I had only estimated them to be 400! So obviously I am still underestimating calories of foods that I don't normally eat. But tonight I did something VERY stupid. The water patrol should write me a ticket. I only had 1 bottle of water because I had to cover someone elses class during my prep which is when I normally get all of my water in so that I don't have to go to the bathroom during the day. Well I didn't get my water in. I didn't really think anything of it...until I started running. About 3 miles into the run...I cramped up. I tried to run through it but I couldn't I stopped and walked and then ran...cramped up again...walked...ran...walk...ran...walk...called DH to ask him to bring me some water. By the time he got there I was almost ready to pass out. Oh...I didn't mention that it was 80 degrees outside today...probably about 70 when I started running. So basically I only got 8 miles done...4 miles running and 4 miles pretty slow walking. My legs, stomach, back and even feet were cramping up from the dehydration. The heat got to me. I didn't hardly sweat at all...NOT a good sign. So instead of beating myself up I am just moving my LONG run/walk days to Sunday so that I can do them in the morning when it is cool outside. So no 12 miles today...but on Sunday. 8 miles is still nothing to sniff at...that is a long ways. According to my new nike+ I had an average pace of 4.3 miles per hour and burned 930 calories...not too shabby for being crippled the last 2 miles!

When is the last time that you lost 10 pounds in 10 days???? That is amazing weight loss. I only lost 18 in the first month...but after that I averaged 3.4 pounds per week. I can't say there was any secret except that I stayed loose enough to eat GOOD foods and I followed the rules! Glad the recipes help. I think that is the downfall for a lot of people during the first few weeks...they think the only thing they can have is canned soups. I love the ricotta and spaghetti sauce. When I transferred to mushies I made noodle-less lasagne in muffin tins. Froze them and then ate that for meals. Just make sure if you are doing it during the liquid stage that it is thin enough. Good luck and if you want to figure out how to make other things into soups just PM me and I can USUALLY help out. I love to cook...can you tell!

I got unjury Protein Powder that was unflavored. Another thing is to add silken tofu. It blends up and you can't taste it and it is thin enough to eat. I am going to paste some soup recipes that I have used that might give you some heartiness. It sounds like you can have thick liquids if you are eating yogurt. You may need to strain or blend the crap out of these to fit the level of thickness you can have. Soup recipes Roasted Tomato with Roasted Garlic This recipe yielded about 1 cup. Ingredients: ½ container of grape tomatoes 4-6 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu 2 TBSP of fresh basil (2-3 tsp of dried basil) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Peal the garlic and wrap in a small piece of aluminum foil. 2. Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and spray with PAM, sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Put the tomatoes and garlic in a 350 degree oven until done. a. Tomatoes will burst and shrivel a bit b. Garlic will be soft and mash easily with a fork c. Tomatoes will probably finish before the garlic 4. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor (or blender) 5. Add the tofu and blend until almost smooth. 6. Heat through and add the finely chopped basil at the end. 7. Simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. 8. If necessary thin out with FF evaporated milk. Grilled Asparagus Soup Ingredients: ¼ pound or more of asparagus 2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu ¼ small onion (more or less depending on taste) ¼ -1/3 cup of LF shredded cheese. Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Either boil grill on BBQ (much better!) the asparagus until just undercooked. a. To grill on BBQ spray with PAM and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in aluminum foil if you do not have a flat grill on BBQ. 2. Sautee garlic, onions and cooked asparagus 3. Place veggies in a food processor (or blender) 4. Add the tofu and blend until smooth. 5. Add FF evaporated milk until correct texture. 6. Heat to desired temperature Sautéed Mushroom and Tuna Soup (This was my way of eating tuna noodle casserole…soup style!) Ingredients: ½ pound or more of mushrooms (any kind will work) 2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu or white Beans ¼ small onion (more or less depending on taste) 1 can of tuna fish Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Sautee mushrooms, garlic and onions until desired texture. 2. Add to food processor or blender. 3. Add 4oz of silken tofu or ½ can of white beans (depending on your taste!) 4. Add drained tuna fish (or any other canned fish) 5. Puree to desired texture. 6. Heat and add FF evaporated milk to thin if needed So as you can see, the base for these soups is pretty much the same. If you don’t like tofu I would assume that white canned beans would work just as well. Experiment with different spices, add a little parmesan cheese, or different veggies. Right now you shouldn’t be worrying as much about calories, but rather about healing. If you would like add meat to any of these it would work just fine. Ground chicken, hamburger, and ground turkey all pulverize very well. You will most likely just have to thin it out with the FF evaporated milk. That one ingredient has changed my way of cooking. Once you graduate to real foods you can have chicken Alfredo for VERY few calories by using this one ingredient. Another soup that has good flavor is to just take some refried beans and beef stock. It has a lot of flavor and a lot of protein to keep you fuller longer. Also take some spaghetti sauce and add some pulverized veggies to it and it makes it better. Adding some pureed white beans also helps it feel like more food.

I would start there. If you find that you are still hungry maybe a little more. My doc said between 1/3 and 1/2 cup. What did your doc tell you?

I tried to stick to no drinking rule even when I was on liquids, but that was because I am a rule follower. One thing that you might not realize is that sometimes when your tummy is growling...it isn't actually hungry. Sometimes it is just air rumbling. I would think if you could stick it out until at least 30 minutes after you eat that you are going to train your MIND that you are not going to give into it everytime, and you will start setting up great habits for the future. I don't think medically it is critical at this point, but mentally it takes several weeks to create a habit so there is no time like the present. It is okay to feel hunger sometimes. I have learned that standing up to myself and not letting my "hungry brain" rule my life has changed me for the better. You are in a tough spot though...once the hunger starts and you are still on liquids...it is tough. Hang in there though..it does go by faster than you imagine. So my advice...try to stick it out 30 minutes!

I am getting ready to do a big run/walk. Run 6 miles/walk 2 miles/run 2 miles/walk 2 miles. I had better get jeers and angry PM if I don't post that I did this. Thursdays are the days you get to prepare to be mean to me! I am waiting until later when the sun starts to set and it cools off a bit. I think we got over 85 today! Will check back later!

The unfill right before my TOTAL unfill I lost 9 pounds in 7 days because all I could "eat" was crystal light and popcorn (don't ask!) and I didn't gain any of it back. Just follow all the rules. I think it is sooooo much better to be a little looser, change your lifestyle and NOT be miserable! Good luck and I am glad you feel better!

My doc said that I could come back in a week to get a fill, but because of the distance that I traveled, I ended up waiting for over 40 days. I would see how you are feeling. If you are still having problems I would wait to get a fill...if you still feel very unrestricted, then you could go in next week. Do they do the fills under fluoro?

No I just felt like I had swallowed a golf ball and had extreme pain. But my doc said that heartburn is a classic sign of being too tight or that swelling has occured.

I am here....thanks for noticing me...Did I sound like eeyore?!? Things are actually going pretty well, but I am tired. The end of the week is always the worst because I get up so gosh darn early and my big runs come at the end of the week. I have a 6 mile run today followed by a 2 mile walk, 2 mile run, 2 mile walk for a total of 12 miles. I am looking forward to it, but know that I am going to be exhausted. Surprisingly enough the kids are actually still behaving and working harder than ever. I love our new proficiency grading system. I am getting better at it so the grading is getting less and less. Still is a lot of work though. I am just sick of eating though. I know a lot of you wish that you had this problem so that is why I try not to post about this but I am having a hard time. I lost 1.5 pounds last week and so I upped the calories to 1800 calories but I am still resistant to adding in high caloried foods, so I feel like I am eating TONS of food...and frankly I am sick of it. I have spent the last several months learning not to eat and now I have to eat so much food. I still am quite restricted even without a fill so when I ate breakfast this morning I actually got sick from the amount of food that I needed to eat to get my calories in. Then tonight I am having pasta so that I can up the calories and get some carbs after the long run...but I am anticipating feeling ill because of how full I am going to feel. 1800 calories = a ton of food! I don't like it...picture me stomping my feet and thrwoing a fit. Okay gotta get my kids started.

I concur. I rarely get in the amount of water that they say I should...and I think I have done just fine. As I mentioned earlier...drinking makes me hungry...so why would I want to do that. Birdee you may lose restriction from drinking...especially if you are drinking something warm. I know that a lot of people will drink something warm to loosen themselves up so they can eat in the morning. There is no reason to think that you are crazy. One thing I have to say that I have learned in these last 9 months is that...everyone is different...and nothing surprises me about the band.

I think you are right...if you haven't been filled (or are not filled to a sufficient level) you are most likely going to feel TRUE, HONEST hunger. As long as you are staying within the guidelines that your doctor is giving you, it is alright to eat more than you think you should...as long as it is the right food. I think the original poster on this thread however was eating before given permission by her doctor. That is where my (and IndioGirl's) concern lie. I do think it is FANTASTIC that everyone can share that they are not alone in their struggle, but I do have a very hard time when people condone something that is being done that can actually HARM someone just so that they can feel better about what they are doing themselves. I am probably going to get flamed for this, but I would hope that if I was doing something WRONG or bad for me that someone would stand up and say "STOP...you are going to hurt yourself." If you have not been given permission to eat solids/mushy foods by your doctor I don't think you should be eating them. I don't care if you drink 1000 cans of Protein drinks and gain 21 pounds because you are healing. However I don't think it is good when people are eating the wrong foods at the wrong time. There is a reason for what doctor's tell you. If you don't think you can handle the liquids...you are not alone. But call your doctor and see if he/she can progress you faster. Perhaps they can based on how your band was applied. IndioGirl and I (going to speak for her) do not mean to make anyone feel bad or to insult any one. We just want people to know that by taking the right steps you can be successful. I know for me that I wanted to take advice from people who had done well...not from those that were struggling. Perhaps there was some information that I could glean from them that would my journey a bit easier.

Well I have to tell you that if you are wanting the band to do A LOT of the work for you, you are going to have a tough time. I don't want to sound mean but unfortunately that is how it is going to come across because you can't show sympathy and empathy in a stupid post...Need to invent a way to do that! I did 98% of the work on my own and used the band to help me change my behaviors. The band won't let me binge, but it will not change the food that I eat. In fact I think it makes it easier to eat CRAP foods because those always seem to go down easier than Proteins and good carbs. I said this on another thread but often times when we think we need our band tightened we might, but often times we need our minds tightened. This is not an easy journey and I don't think even gastric bypass is EASY. This is hard work. We are changing behaviors that even for those of us that are young have been ingrained in us for several years. Sometimes it feels like you take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. But as I always tell my students mistakes are meant to happen and they are only bad if you don't learn from them. 22 pounds and 17 pounds respectively are very good. I just want you to know that I have gained more than I have lost in this journey. I have lost 96 pounds but I have gained 154 pounds of ME. I am a stronger, happier, more confident person because I took control of my life. Before we gave up control to food...don't give up control to your band. Your life is more than just food, a number on a scale or the size of your pants...so embrace that and take control of you. Make YOU work for YOU. There is no greater thing to be proud of!

Okay I am going to try and translate Jack a bit! I just looked up the calories in butter and shortening...and we will assume that those have the highest calories out there. If you ate one pound of butter and immediately stepped on the scale...you would have gained 1 pound. Hopefully we can all see that. If you eat 1 pound of anything the scale will show an increase of 1 pound. However, that does not mean that it will turn into 1 pound of fat. Now 1 pound of butter has 3250 calories. Now that is just 250 calories shy of causing you to gain 1 pound of fat. I am assuming that you didn't eat 1 pound of butter! So to summarize. 1. Our bodies need calories just to exist (this is your basal metabolic rate...the amount of calories needed to do daily functions) 2. Our bodies burn calories when we move (exercise) 3. If we eat 3500 calorie OVER what we have just burned up in #1 and #2 we will gain 1 pound of fat. 4. If you weight 205 pounds... eat 1 pound of food....step on the scale ...it will register 206 pounds. But that does not mean that you gained 1 pound of fat...which is all we should be concerned with. Heck if you put on a very heavy sweater and then step on the scale you will have gained a pound or two...but do we care about that? NO! So both you and your dad are correct. If you eat 1 pound of food the scale will show an increase in weight because it can not tell the difference between 1 pound of food and a 1 pound sweater! However, once the food is digested and you have burned off the calories that 1 pound will go away. On the other hand if you eat 1 pound of butter and then go to sleep that pound may not go away because you MAY have not burned off enough calories to compensate for the additional calories. I guess long story short...don't eat 1 pound of butter!

I lost 18 pounds in the first month, but as everyone has said...it is very different from person to person. That is one BIG piece of advice I would give you Don't compare yourself to anyone else or any other group of people. You will be different. There will be some similarities but what works for one may not work for you. You may lose quickly while someone else loses slowly. Take the time to enjoy getting to know who you are. I have learned more about myself in the last 9 months that I did the first 28 years of my life!