shellyj.

hello, i have been trying to lay low and not talk to much about my restriction so that i dont jinx myself! lol. my question is...why are mushies easier for me that liquids?? in the AM (i wake at 9:30ish) i leave a Water out overnight so that its room temp and thats what i drink from. so i have 1 tiny sip of water. it goes down. another tiny sip 10 minutes later then another sip. i notice my mouth start to fill with saliva. ok the water must not be going down, i fight the urge PB and the sip sits and sits. if i drink more i will PB, so i sit. i know from *my* past experience that it seems liquids dont start my AM off right. i have tried coffee and hot tea and they do the same thing. 1 sip will go down but when i start to drink more it just sits there. i grab a cold yogurt and in 30 minutes can have it gone without so much as a hiccup. after the yogurt liquids are slow till later afternoon. i drink slimfast for lunch around 3. it seems the liquids dont trigger my esoph. to get moving. if i drink a shake for lunch it goes down slowly and thats all i will have. i will continue to struggle with liquids. if i have a cup of Soup with/before lunch then i can eat a HUGE meal. this past weekend at 3 pm (this is my normal lunch time since i wake late) i had 1 chick thigh, 1 piece bread, 1 serving green Beans, 1 serving peach pie. the chick was cooked in a 'gravy' and boy did it lube me up. when we got there to pick the peaches i was struggling with my slimfast. when i sat to dinner i had several spoons of gravy like soup thinking that might be all that would go down. little did i know i would eat a full meal w/desert and finish only a few bites behind everyone else. i still havent pb'd since my 'stupid f'n post'. i am doing the yogurt -slimfast route then 2-3 crackers before dinner (7 pmish) and i can eat a solid meal. lastnight 4-5 oz meatloaf, side garlic mashed taters with skins in it, and a small side salad. then 3 hours later a bowl of watermelon. i am a stickler about not drinking with my meals. i never ever do it. i did eat 1/2 the taters first to 'lube' me some so i didnt have to worry about a pb. i ate in under 30 mintues. :phanvan is this just another atrophy!?!

hi i was talking with a non banded friend of mine this past weekend about food issues, addiction etc. my family is full of alcohal, drug addiction. my addiction is to food she has basically the same story. so neither of us have been to OA just wondering what its like? i have been to AA and NA meetings before (wild youth, parents sent me to rehab) and dont really care for the 12 step based programs. is OA based on the same 12 steps? did you get anything out of it?

ok guys i am about ready to pull the plugs on my optimism with the band. this (insert curse words) band is giving me problems AGAIN and i really dont know what to do!!! i had been partially unfilled since may when i recieved a tiny fill that was fine for a few weeks but got progressively tighter to the point of closing me off. the dr took out .4 cc's SWEET RELIEF! so i waited 3 months till after the wedding to get a small refill. .1 and 1/2 but definitally NOT .2. (my dr said a .1 fill is so small its hard to give one that tiny so it was a smidge more than .1 but not more than .2.) so i go home things are great. eating solids no PB's this goes on for a few days. i do notice that my meals are getting smaller and smaller. yesterday my caloric intake consisted of: BREAKFAST: yogurt lunch 4 bites of mushy mexican (barfed up) NEW LUNCH slimfast dinner 2 bites of mush cooked veggies (barfed up) NEW DINNER yogurt and a 90 calorie juice i am SO DAMN FRUSTRATED i dont know what to do. before my fill i was WIDE OPEN. i had no restriction on portions and none on textures. HOW can a .1 - .1 1/2 fill SEAL ME OFF???? if i cant EVER get restriction again how can i be successfull with the band? in november it will be 2 YEARS that i have gone WITHOUT restriction. i have had so many fills and unfills its RIDICULOUS. my Fluid level is constant. i have never had them draw out less than they thought should be in there. my band hasnt slipped. WTF IS WRONG THEN??? ok enough complaining. i have to figure out if i can wait a week till my scheduled unfill or if i will have to in sooner. (MORE CURSE WORDS!!!) ****** for newbies...this is not a typical problem. usually the answer to being overfilled is to get an unfill wait a few weeks and get refilled slowly.

hi everyone! ok so no secret :hungry: I LOVE FOOD! here are some foods i have been eating lately and REALLY loving! 1. health nut BREADS: 1 oversized slice = 90-100 calories. organic bread with flax seeds and sunflowers. 2. LA tortilla factory wraps...rosemary and something. these are 100 calories for a HUGE 10 inch wrap! most low cal. wraps are 100 calorie for a 6 or 8 inch so these are bigger and taste AWESOME! also made with unproccessed wheat flower! 3. yoplait LIGHT yogurt KEY LIME PIE! 90 calories. i eat one of these for Breakfast about 4-5 times a week and i LOVE them! 4. fudgecicles (sp) (no sugar added) GREAT for a choco fix! 40 calories per single bar!!! even if you have 2 a 80 cal. snack is AWESOME! 5. wal mart brand sweetened with splenda peaches. THE WHOLE CAN is a whopping 110 calories!!! 6. litehouse sesame ginger dressing. i use this for my stir fry's. its 35 calories per 2 tbsp. OR brush it on chicken or pork as your grilling! you guys give me some good foods to try!

sure you can eat it. i sprinkle cinn. or nutmeg or cocoa powder for flavors. *i* think its a good low cal sweet tooth fix! i use lite

banded monday worked that friday. if i could have i wished i could have had that friday too. i was SOOOOO tired!

it has been to cold to continue to get my exercise outside! i would love some ideas or product reviews on indoor exercise!!! we have been doing: the biggest loser workout video. it REALLY is a workout! and its designed for folks who arent a size 4, or a size 12 even, well atleast not when they start. you can customize your workouts. we really like it! medicine ball, 12 lb: we have used this for a while- throwing it, waiste twists, sit-up - throws, incorporating into the biggest loser... i LOVE it! resistance bands: calvin uses. i dont. he seems to like them though. recumbant bike: does anyone know the desired heart rate for fat burning? i have been riding this for an hour at a time. its a great workout i crank my MP3 and GO!!!! full size punching bag: i am just getting into using this. will let ya'll know how it goes. i need some training, i got one at goodwill for $20 but i need find some exercises or see what the 'proper form' is, i dont want to hurt myself! gym membership, going unused:paranoid : i work from home and its to cold to drive :nervous what have you been doing indoors to workout? i like and need variety!!!

one other thing that i have been eating a lot of is cilantro..i have always used it for salsa and mexican but its soooooo good on: a regular salad a sandwich cooked in eggs

hey pumpkin, i have never tried pilates and have never like videos before. if you do try it let me know how you like it! jacqui, i have also been looking for a good weight set. we are trying to make a home gym. why cant it just be 70 degrees everyday! when it gets really hot and dry here i cant do much outside either! leatha and kat, i dont have a PS2 or game system in general...well ok i DO have a atari and an original nintendo but i dont think dance revolution was made for that! i was thinking of buying the hubby a game system...maybe i should with an alterior motive!

what about making a homeade fruit smoothie and adding protien powder to it?

well thats AWESOME! congrats on going to the gym! i too didnt use exercise the first few months of banding and lost then i hit a major plateau and realized i HAD to do both in order to lose like i wanted. NOW i exercise to feel the way i want! i feel like a million bucks when i exercise! good luck! keep it up!

lately i have been eating: lite cool whip and sprinkle cocoa powder on top! lite cool whip and sprinkle nutmeg and cinn on top, or both! egg whites OMG i forgot how good and low cal. they are! 6 whites with 1 yoke is 150 calories and it keeps me satisfied soooo long. hummus: i have eaten for years but lately i am skipping the cracker and just eating it with a spoon. walnuts and brazil nuts: i have been buying them in the shell cause it takes longer to eat and i dont eat nearly as many. now that its cold i just made huge pots of each: pea Soup, black bean soup and lentils...i froze them in small containers and i have ingredient controlled yummy lunches for the winter.

hey alex, it is so hard living with an empty band. i did get a small fill a month ago and while i still have no restriction- it did help with the constant hunger...it is taking the edge off and i am at a happy medium with my band. for me my biggest 'trigger for a bad day' is....lack of planning. everynight i think out what i am gonna eat the next day. on days i my routine changes i always eat WAY more calories and carbs.

thanks for posting your struggles. i am dealing with long term effects of having a band placed as well. i am worried that eventually it may have to be removed. for now my dr sees no reason to remove it. i just can not have restriction, thats when my problems begin. thanks again and please keep posting your updates so we (I) can see how you are doing! michelle

i have been unfilled many times. my dr's always make you wait 3 weeks as well for a refill to make sure the irritation is gone and swelling is down. its tough without restriction but leaving a to tight fill could cause worse damage. good luck!

garland mom, thanks for sharing your story. i am sorry you had these complications and lost your band. i hope the removal solves all of your reflux and pressure issues. i am also having esophogus issues and just hoping they dont have to remove it. did you self pay for the removal? please keep us updated and how your and your esoph. do post banding. michelle

for me wheetsin, its defintally the pain before the PB or the pain of letting it go down instead of just PB'ing that hurts the most. my sweet spot to me is: if i am happy about the quality and variety of foods i was eating. like jachut, i could always eat bread and i could eat salads, steak, or pork! i couldnt eat much and i couldnt eat fast. by the time i got the food down i was tired from chewing and satisfied. i could drink in the a.m. and only had to worry about a PB if i was being careless. i lost 100 the first year. YOU decide what proper restriction is for you. according to my dr if i could eat pork or steak i needed a fill (WTF?) i was losing and still enjoying food and i think thats important. i like to eat- i want to eat and dont want to worry about pb'ing at breakfast! after 3+ years i have learned that having a band changed the way my espohogus works and now i must leave it empty in order to not have to have it removed. i have learned that the DR's dont have all the answers (or sometimes ANY!) and the fact remains that we really dont know WHAT to expect long term! i have learned that exercise is just as important as restriction!

*thinking of you* what an ordeal. i am no lawyer and dont have any advice but i will be hoping these antibiotics do the trick. after you take them ALL please see your dr again to see if the infection is gone! michelle

hey alex, i am hoping it doesnt happen to me but it seems almost inevitable. not being negative just realistic based on my past experience...we'll see what the future brings. has your dr tried to pull air out of your band? i saw wear babs posted that her dr pulled out a substantial amount of air. i will be asking my dr as i dont recall him trying to pull out air but i can see where that could cause a fluctuation of restriction. i dont know i am almost afraid of them touching my band!!

YAYYY Babs!!! thats great!! you better believe i will be asking my dr to check for air when i go back on 10-3! you'll be back at goal in no time!! michelle

i got myself a bike at a yardsale and fixed it up and have been LOVING riding it!!! i have only had it a month and am planning a wedding but have managed to log over FIFTY MILES!!! i just cant believe THAT! the most i have rode at once is 10 miles but i am still testing the waters! i really think i could do more like 20 MILES in a day if i just pack a lunch have a safe route. the safe route is the hard part. we have a 50 mile trail close by but i am afraid to get out of town alone. i have a 'tazer' you know shocker but heck i could shock myself! today i am going out around my neighborhood instead of the trail but i may have to PUSH my bike up the hill to get home! when calvin and i walk it we call it 'heart rate hill' cause your heart feels like its gonna bust out of your chest! wish me luck!

hey alexandra, i am sorry you had to get another unfill. its frustrating...but i am with you, at least i still have my band. i too am HAPPY with where it got me, i think it will still help me, i am SOOOOOO dissapointed i cant adjust it anymore though. are you worried about what will happen now if you swell and your band is empty? the dr unfilled me 1.8 leaving me with 0 cc's and i swear i am starting to feel signs of restriction. so if i (we) never refill but for whatever reason start to get restriction again or irritated then removal is whats left?!?! i am glad your feeling better, the relief of an unfill is euphoric. michelle

YAY!! thats wonderful news! i hope you have an uneventful month and are able to put this past you! thats where i am too babs!!!

hey babs! i am so glad your new dr is working hard for you! let us know what he finds in the endo. michelle

thats great news megan! the endo gives peace of mind for sure. i can feel your enthusiam and i hope this is your sweet spot! i am supposed to get a fill 10-3 i am hoping that i get a mild curb in appetite. after that i will wait a month or so and get the motility test and barium swallow. if it looks good then i am not getting another fill!