Sleeved12/29

Aloud....boy do I feel your pain! I am the world's worst when it comes to swallowing my food whole...can't do it now...or up it comes! I've had one fill. Got it 1/16. I have the 1st bite syndrom...that 1st bite can be a killer...why? because my first bite is way too big and I don't chew, chew, chew. A fellow bander told me to count to 40 as I chew...that seems to work very well AND to not allow myself to get really hungry...that I'm having problems with. Does your hunger come on all of a sudden? It's like I'm full one minute then wow...I'm famished. I'm now using my 18yr old son's Winnie the Pooh toddler spoon and fork. It's been working.

Good luck...what happened? Positive thoughts and prayers heading your way.

Current weight (as of today): 219 down 32 lbs.....YES!!! thank you for updating the spreadsheet

I thought it was just me....somedays I feel like I could eat the fridge if I'm given the chance. Other days....I have to push myself to eat. I know it's just head hunger. I must open the fridge 100x when I get home & just look inside. I've picked up my knitting needles again. Tell my "head hunger" that I can't put my project down or I'll lose my place. That seems to be working for now.

Your loss is awesome! I was banded 11/18 and am down 31 lbs. Congrats....how many times aweek do you exercise?

Congrats Long!! You are such an inspiration to all of us. Did you do the happy dance at 4:30am? :cursing: Reading your post gives me hope....I know I can do this, one pound at a time.

I learned a very painful lesson a few hours ago! I had my 2nd and worst PB. We went to Super Wal-mart to buy jerky. I read on the board it's a great source of protein to carry with you. While at Wal-mart, I bought a small container of popcorn chicken.. I swear I chewed, chewed, chewed. But my band apparenlty didn't think so. I felt like my chest was going to open up. I tried walking around the house, went to the basement to sort laundry & then everything came back up...plus I think a little more. Should I go on liquids for the next 24 hours? I've only had one fill. Guess I can mark popcorn chicken off my list of safe things to eat. OMG...it was the scariest thing I've ever felt. I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

That is awesome!! Congrats. If I was that close to 100 lbs...I may weigh myself every hour :confused:

Pat, That is wonderful news!!! WTG! I haven't bought anything new as I have a lot of winter clothes I "out grew" from the past two winters.

Lacasst, Thank you for commenting on my stats. It took a long time to gain this weight...so I know it's gonna take a while to lose it. I see my band as my "little friend". If I don't chew...lf lets me know...if I over eat...lf lets me know. I know all about the over eating in the past!! We met a few friends at Fuddruckers last nite. Hubby ordered nachos. Back in the day I could eat the entire plate of nachos! I did eat a few with meat and salsa. I also ordered the boneless hot buffalo chicken. I had 2 then was finished!! I cut them up into small pieces and chewed, chewed, chewed. I ate the chicken first then the nachos....brought the rest of the chicken home and my teenage son ate them when he got home from work. He didn't even realize I'd ordered them as a meal because there was an entire container of the chicken in the fridge. He thought I'd ordered them just for him! Have you thought about exercise DVD's? I have about 20 of the Walk Away the Pounds. She's very chatty but I change them up and really enjoy them. I'm now up to the 3Mile ones which are 40-45 minutes in length.

Welcome, fellow bander! I was banded 11/18 at St Agnes by Dr Singh. As of this morning, I'm down 31 lbs. I'm very happy with my weight loss thus far. I had a horrible time with the protein shakes after banding. Just the smell would make me ill. I even purchased the sugar free DiVinci syrups to add a little flavor to my shakes. I purchased a few of the protein bullets at the vitamin shoppe and mixed them with water. They have 42 grams of protein. I'd then sip on them all day. That helped a lot. My stomach was always talking to me the first few weeks. A cup of hot tea really helped. How long are you on liquids? I was on liquids for two weeks then two weeks of mushies. During the liquid stage I drank a lot of chicken broth. I purchased quarts of broth at Panera. I know there are several people who were banded by Dr von Reuden on this site. I love my band. I had my first fill 1/16. I tried every diet on the market. I'm even a life time member of Weight Watchers (since 1980) but just couldn't lose the weight. The final straw was this past June when my A1C showed I was a diabetic and I had to go on meds. Since banding, my A1C is in the normal range and the only meds I'm on are Zocor for chelostrol. I exercise at least 30 mintues 4-6 times a week. E-mail me here if you're interested and we can work together.

Lacasst, You stats are wonderful!! Congrats! :thumbdown: I had my first fill last Friday and I can really feel restriction...especially in the morning. My scales said I'm down 30lbs as of this morning. I'm very happy with that. I've only exercised 2x this week. I've had a horrible cold that's settled in my chest...now I've just got the cough. How often do you exercise and what type of exercise do you do?

I was craving pizza as well. I cut the toppings into little pieces and it actually cured my craving. I eat the toppings and my son ate the crust...winning combo!! Try the thin crust pizza. A fellow bander told me she can eat one piece of thin crust pizza....takes her a while but it does cure the craving.

Last Friday was my first fill. My doctor asked me if I had problems with bread and I told him I was afraid to try bread, pasta or rice. He told me my body needs the type of carbs from whole wheat bread. He suggested I try thin sliced bread and toast it. I bought Weight Watchers whole wheat bread and tried it. Went down fine but I cut it in very small pieces. I haven't tried the ricee or pasta yet. I was a really heavy carb eater before surgery but really don't miss them anymore. I loved the bread at Carabas and rolls from Betrucci. Could do major damage there!! I have weird cravings now...like cesar salads, steamed brocolli and cheese, refried beans with salsa.

Thanks everyone for the idea! Hubby and teenage son love jerky. I've never tried it...but will buy some next time I go to Costco or BJ's. The boys have always tried to get me to taste it BUT just didn't like the looks of it. Hubby says if I can eat cottage cheese (which is a red light food) I can eat anything! Some days I need something for the drive home...I have an hour drive each way. This sounds perfect!!

You have 7 posts. Four of them are telling everyone who your doctor is and how much you love him and 3 posts are telling us what we can and cannot post. How supportive is that? What does it have to do with food or weight? Well said!! Is it do as I say & not as I do? I posted on the over 50 thread when I lost my 16yr old dog last month. Am I one of the people granny is referring to? Several people were going thru the same sadness as I was....we shared our thoughts and I felt it helped me NOT to eat thru my sadness as I would have before. I feel we are here for one another...NOT only for weight loss BUT for support in everyday life. BTW...I also have a dog with bone cancer (14 month survivor) AND I do belong to a bone cancer forum AND we go OT a lot. Have you looked for another lapband site? One that just talks about lapband? Or maybe you can start a website that you can monitor!

Great Job, Ginny!! I'd take a 9lb loss over a 9lb gain any day. Your stats look great. I'm getting my first fill this Friday at 3:15. I'm nervous. I have had a few pb episodes. It's usually my first bite. If I take a big first bite, I'm doomed. I've got to slow down and chew...eating fast has always been my down fall..that's why I look the way I do. Take it a day at a time...we're in this together...one pound at a time...

Congrats on the weight loss....33 is great. As of Monday, I'm down 27. I haven't had a fill yet but today I felt like I could eat my way thru the office. Not sure if it's stress hunger because my tummy wasn't making noises. I'm going to call tomorrow to schedule an appointment. I think my "unfill" luck has run out.

Ginny, sorry to hear you have the flu...my hubby was sick last week with flu like symptoms but it was viral. He ran a fever for 4 days, headache and chills but doctor said not the flu. You will lose weight....he did....hope you feel better. I've noticed in the past few days that I'm getting hungry. I haven't had a fill yet. I'm down 27lbs (according to my scales). Just rest...it's really nasty weather out there today. I work in Rockville so I know!:wink:

At first I wasn't going to tell anyone...wanted them to notice BUT once I started with the doctor's appointments, etc everyone thought the worst. The "C" word (cancer) came up a few time along with "female surgery" since I'm 51. Finally, I told everyone AND wow were they supportative. Many knew how I was struggling with my diabetes in the mornings... I'm glad I told everyone. Many have come to me & told me how brave I've been because they are afraid to have the surgery. Many ask to "see my scar". Most know I did it for health reasons...not vanity reasons...so they are fine with it. I've been off since 12/24 so I'm wondering what they'll say when I return tomorrow. It's really a personal decision.

Barb, You stats are great. :thumbup:Did you lose any of your weight pre-band? What are you eating for lunch and dinner to stay full? I can't eat 1st thing in the morning. I'm tight 'til around 10am. I'm up at 5am & at work by 7am. Then in the evenings, I'm hungry. You're doing great! Beth

Is it too late to join? Surgery date: 11-18-08 Highest weight: 254 Pre-op Diet Start: 252 Surgery weight: 246 Current weight: 227 Goal weight: 145-150 No fill yet-maybe in two weeks Thank you for doing this.

What a great post! Thank you for sharing your wonderful family with us. Your stats are fantastic!

I guess we are a support group....we do have an addiction..it's called food. I too lost a lot of weight on MediFast but had to stop the diet because it's soy based and it just about did me in. I gained all the weight back plus 20 more. We are here for one another...we should never pass blame...just support and ideas whenever possible.