lessnless

I have found, after my 4th fill, that I am tight to COLD liquids. As long as I don't eat or drink anything cold, I can eat a reasonable small meal within 30 minutes of drinking. If I add ice to my Water, I have to wait at least an hour before I can eat or everything gets stuck, even foods I know are normally OK with my band. It feels like a mild esophageal spasm. The reverse is also true--if I'm having trouble with being too tight, I can drink hot tea and eat reasonably afterwards.

I was so worried about missing sodas that I gave up my 5-6 daily diet cokes before my first consult. I figured, better to know BEFORE surgery if it was going to be too hard to give them up. Here's the funny thing: I tried a soft drink at Christmas, and it tasted like ANTI-FREEZE. ICK, chemical city--I can't believe I drank those willingly. I can't tell you how my band tolerates the carbonation, because I couldn't make myself swallow that mess.

Jack, you forgot my favorite: the "I know I just ate, but turns out that wasn't what I really wanted" follow-up meal.

If I don't make it by Thursday, I'm gonna mug nip50 for the extra pound...:glare: Name............starting#......current#.......goal#.....to go Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............226..........220.......6 TxArcher...........360............346..........345.......1 Candle.............218............209..........207.......2 chickatee..........188............179..........175.......4 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............264..........261.......3 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............191.5..........189.......(.75) keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........228..........220.......8 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............165.5........164.......1.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............175..........175.......0 Mandyjo............191............179..........180.......-1 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............235..........238.......-3 Rainer.............264............250..........248.......2 Redtulips3.........248............228..........226.......2 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............187..........180.......7 Stacy73............230............222..........222.......0 SueMagoo...........230............219..........220......-1 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............209..........205.......4 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........147.8........140.......7.8

That's it. :tt1: Now you're on my LIST--of people to visit in August... I love that Texas fall/winter is like everyone else's spring/summer, but I can't take the 105-110 degree summer days any more. Last August, I was talking about moving to Ireland... :tongue:

1) I made my first consult appt on 08/07. I had my psych eval the next day. (Psych mostly verified that I wasn't bulimic, that I didn't have unrealistic expectations, and that I wasn't being pressured into surgery by outside forces). I had my nutritionist consult on 08/11. Since I wasn't covered by insurance, I wasn't required to do anything more (sleep study, six month supervised diet, etc). I had my surgery on 08/30, so 23 days from initial consult to banding. 2) I never feel the lapband internally--I can press my fingers against my port and feel it with my fingertips, but I don't have that "alien bursting through the chest wall" nightmare. 3) I can do everything I could do pre-op. I take yoga classes, ride horses, carry a 60lb hay bale the length of a football field, etc. I was body-slammed into a wall by a runaway horse two months after surgery, STILL didn't feel my band. 4) There are serious risks with ANY surgery. That being said, this was my 7th surgery, and definitely the easiest to recover from. I took two days off work. If I hadn't had the gas pains the day after surgery, I could have gone back to work the next day. Hope this helps. Don't you miss Texas? We were having 70-degree weather this last weekend.

For a while now, I've been trying to determine the reason for the difference between my pre-op and post-op satiety levels. First off, "full" and "sated" are two different feelings: Full: I could eat more, but I ran out of room Sated: ick, I'm done, take it away Post-op, when I'm sated, I can't even look at food. Even the smell of food changes. It's dramatic--like the difference mentally between food on the counter and food in the garbage bin. It was edible, but now it's not. I eat smaller amounts than ever before, I'm never full (overstuffed), and yet I'm completely satisfied. Is this what everyone else feels? It's like a freakin' drug. I catch myself "playing with my pouch"--I drink a cup of warm tea quickly, then bliss out for an hour. Pre-surgery, I only had this sated/happy/sleepy feeling after the annual binge-feasts (Thanksgiving and Christmas), and it was offset by the misery of being full/bloated/stuffed. The rest of the year, I could eat a burger/fries/coke and an hour later I'd be ready for another meal. Not hungry, really, but I could never feel my last meal in my gut. I used to say, "Doesn't matter what I eat--it's all Chinese to my stomach. An hour later, and it's hungry again..." Pre-surgery, the idea of a 500-calorie day ranked right up there with a 26-mile marathon---torture! If you'd told me that I would have 500-calorie days without hunger, I'd have wept for joy. ---- So, here's my CRACKPOT thinking: Does the route the vagus nerve takes across/around the stomach and esophagus affect how much food is required to feel sated? Did I overeat because food was not pushing against the right nerve at the right time? Are the obese just "anatomically challenged"? I started thinking about this after I read a study where they implanted a pacemaker-like thingy (I'm so technical) to stimulate the vagus nerve and control severe depression with suicidal urges. Are humans really that simple? That unevolved? A full belly, and all's right with our world? HHHHMMMMMMMMMMmmmmm..... Or, rather, UUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMmmm... ... ...

I was banded specifically to avoid starting medication for Type II diabetes. I had tried controlling it with diet/exercise for a year. I lost 40lbs in 2006, and regained most of it in a 12-month period. Frustrating. I had surgery on Aug 30. I haven't had an elevated reading since my birthday in October, and I just stopped checking it daily at Thanksgiving. I used to feel like I was on the verge of a hangover--all day, every day. You won't believe how much better you feel, how much more energy you have when your levels drop to normal and stay there. I'm back to being the hyperactive little kid I used to be...:redface: It also cured my acid reflux--poof, gone the day of surgery. That alone was worth the price of self-pay.

name.............starting#......current#......goal#.....togo# Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............232..........220.......12 TxArcher...........360............353..........345........8 Candle.............218............211..........207.......4 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............184..........175.......9 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............220..........210.......10 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............268..........260.......8 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............176..........166.......10 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............197..........189.......8 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........231..........220.......11 legster............223.5..........216..........199.......17 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............179..........175.......4 Mandyjo............191............187..........180.......11 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............243..........238.......5 Rainer.............264............253..........248.......5 Redtulips3.........248............234.5........226.......8.5 RenewedHope........228............217..........210.......7 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............190..........180.......10 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............224..........220.......4 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............211.5........205.......6.5 Twilight...........206............197..........185.......21 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........150.2........140.......10.2

Here's another Link: Universe Magazine - Knowing When to Stop Story and another: Treatment of obesity by bilateral vagus nerve stimulation - US Patent 6587719 and another: Vagus Nerve Stimulation May Help Prevent Obesity ""i read. and sometimes it scares me...."" e e cummings

COOL Link! Did you read this part? Vagotomy (cutting of the vagus nerve) ... currently being researched as a less invasive alternative weight loss procedure to gastric bypass surgery[2]. The procedure curbs the feeling of hunger and is sometimes performed in conjunction with putting bands on patients's stomachs, resulting in average weight loss of 43% at six months with diet and exercise.

My body doesn't care how I lose the weight, it only cares that the fat is GONE. In the long run, that's all that matters... We have an old family joke: ME: "I've lost ten lbs!" My husband: "It's not lost, it's just misplaced. You'll find it again." :wink2: That's no longer true, and he's forbidden from ever using that line again.

I wasn't going to post these. I just cried when I saw the "during" pics--put me in a bad place all day Sunday. I'm usually so happy about my progress. I honestly don't know where this comes from--I didn't do this to look good, I did this because my health was in jeopardy. ... This is the third time I've sat down at the computer. One of my New Year's resolutions was to post these, and if not now, when. It's just the pictures that I'm unhappy with, not the band. I feel like I'm farther along than this in real life. I can see muscular definition in my abs in the mirror, and my "back fat" is completely gone now. I'm down three sizes, and my pants are falling off. I met old friends for lunch, hadn't seen them since I had surgery, and they didn't recognize me. I had to take my sunglasses off and wave to get their attention. I am 18 weeks post-op, -43 lbs. -6 inches from my waist, -6 inches from my hips, -2 inches from each thigh. I have another 31 pounds until goal.

So did they start you on meds? Are you feeling GREAT?!?! I went to my PCP a few years ago, thinking I was dying. Hot flashes--chills--skyrocketing weight--heart palps--night sweats. Must be (very) early menopause. Right? Wrong. I had Hashimoto's thyroiditis--my immune system attacked and destroyed my thyroid gland. Tests show I have ZERO thyroid function. I started replacement therapy, and I've felt like a million bucks ever since. I HAVE had more trouble losing weight afterwards--my PCP says replacement therapy is really just meant to supplement a low-functioning thyroid, not completely replace a dead gland. For those of us with metabolic disorders like PCOS or hypothyroidism, weight loss is a little different. I only lose weight if I diet AND exercise. Can't just do one or the other. I don't have to "sweat to the oldies", but I do have to move my carcASS on a daily basis.

I have used DailyPlate religiously for the last four months. I've only had to enter 4-5 items from scratch--seems like everything is already in there, from restaurant meals to Protein shakes to frozen/convenience items. When you do have to add an item, it's in the same format as the familiar nutritional label, which I like.

For me, every meal was a variation on the same flavor--Diet Coke! I never really savored anything, I just knocked back gobbets of food with a slosh of DC. That's my #1 disgusting word: gobbet. Makes me gag a little as I type it...

I want to be down 50lb total by Valentine's Day--my "in your wildest dreams" goal when I started this journey. name ...... starting# ....... current#.........goal#.......togo# Rainer...........264................264..............248.........16 wombat712....154.8.............154.8............140.........14.8 LessnLess......172................172..............164.........8

My big belches have turned into "hiccurps". Half hiccup, half burp. First the air gets burped out, then it gets hiccup'd right back in! I've had as many as a dozen of these in a row. Luckily, I get tickled easily and laughter seems to cure it.

I was at the stables yesterday, putting a winter blanket on my horse. It's a bit like putting a turtleneck on a giraffe--requires a lot of cooperation from the "wee beastie" because his ears are 8 feet tall and the blanket weighs 10-20lbs. I was having a tough go--the lady across the barn aisle even offered to help me several times. What she didn't know/couldn't see: every time I raised my arms above my head, my pants would fall down. Not funny! And not safe in an enclosed area with a 1,500lb animal. At least the stall door was closed, so I was hidden from the shoulders down. I'm going to have to get an "Elly May Clampett" string to tie my pants up. :eyebrows: And a buckle-front blanket. :doh:

>> I am through with tight, uncomfortable jeans--reminds me of when I was forever outgrowing all my clothes. >> I will not use the handicapped stall in public restrooms just because there's more "elbow" room. I don't have fat elbows.

The only thing I would add would be apple juice--it's the only way I could get my calories during the clear liquid stage. I didn't want anything warm in my tummy--made me feel bloated--but half an ounce of cold juice was soothing. Don't bother with the "reduced calorie" juice, you won't be drinking enough to matter, and you need the calories the day after surgery.

My husband calls this, "Romancing the Scale". You know, the dancing/waltzing/shifting about, in hopes of a better answer. Years ago, I broke down and bought a doctor's scale. It's acurate to within a quarter-pound (oh how I've tested it). That being said, I am one of those people who can gain a pound from one cup of coffee, and lose a pound just from showering (must be a LOT of dirt).

NO!!! But the search goes on.... I'm a 36DD, and I ride horses. The wrong bra, and I could knock myself silly. I've never understood the bra-as-lingerie myth. Support--real support--ain't pretty... I buy my bras at Champion Sports Apparel. Official Shopping Web Site ! or Title Nine - Women's athletic apparel, sports bras, shoes and accessories. Their "frog" bra (for hopping boobies??!??) is the closest thing to true immobility.

I made it--a week late, but I made it... (Total: 35 pounds in 16 weeks) Huntersmom...... 174........... 170....... 159............ 11 SWEETY.......... 202........... 188....... 180............ 8 MJsafari........ 268........... 237....... 238............ -1 captdanbo....... 211........... 177....... 185............ -8 PaulaD.......... 216........... 216....... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206........... 200....... 175............ 25 Suzzzie......... 349........... 312.6..... 320.......... -7.4 glindab......... 277........... 260....... 250............ 10 MM.............. 242........... 212.8..... 218...........-5.2 finallythin..... 254........... 254....... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259........... 248.8..... 239............ 9.8 Miscontext...... 303........... 303....... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207........... 199....... 182............ 20 wombat712....... 180........... 162....... 165............ -3 Waters.......... 214........... 213....... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206........... 179....... 179............. 0 MissDarlene..... 223........... 223....... 195............ 28 o2bthin......... 238........... 225....... 215............ 10 insubordination. 300........... 285....... 283............ 02 Holliwagz....... 325........... 297....... 295............ 02 cc.............. 202........... 194....... 190............ 04 Grace........... 173........... 169....... 165............ 04 Sheila...........220........... 211....... 200............ 11 Texasmom5573.... 252........... 239....... 230............ 9

Shall I tell you of my life-long search for the Medusa bra, that can turn my ta-tas into (perky) stone? :cool: