bandster_1007

i think i have only posted here once, but i am happy to report that since my last fill on January 16 i have lost 13 lbs. YEAH!!!!!!!..hadn't lost anything prior to that (well i did, but gained it back). i'm getting another fill this Saturday.

i do not have federal bcbs, but i have bcbs advantage, and they have a written exclusion for anything obesity related....anything...

i've had 4 fills already, but since surgery i have only tried to eat spaghetti once, and it wasn't a good experience. now i just eat the sauce. noodles are hard to chew until they are mush when they are cooked al dente. overcooking them really increases their starch level and makes them not very appetizing..imho.

i'm exactly 109 days out today. My starting weight was 228. i currently weigh 115. i lost 12 lbs in the first 4 weeks after surgery, then i gained them all back. Then, i got my 4th fill, and i am now 115. My fourth fill was 1/16. So, i have lost 13 lbs in about 2.5 weeks. That is AMAZING for me. i must say, my doctor says that i had very little fat around my stomach, and i had absolutely no restriction at all until my 3rd fill, and not enough to make a difference until my 4th fill. (when i say no restriction, i mean literally..i had no idea i had a band)

uhh..i didn't pay attention to the make of it. i'm new at this. there were 2 others that were even less, but i didn't like the feel of those. this one was big and sturdy and smooth and had a digital screen, etc. the arms also moved. it was at academy sports..but i'm in arkansas.

does anyone know the reason for the caffiene.....i wasn't told not to have it.. and my doc says we can drink flattened soda.

yeah..i'm only 25, but i already have like $7k in mine, and it lost about $2.5k. The lower the "Federal Rate" the more the stocks suffer..so i am told. I think it is a grand gesture, very generous..but think it all the way through. you are the only one who knows if you can do it. i do agree with what someone else posted on here about if it is only 2 months or so..wait.. i agree.

do they not make reduced sodium versions? (i haven't looked in a while).

what are these silica compounds and where do i get them?

oh..yeah..you can use all reduced sodium ingrediants, with a nominal difference in the price (except the chicken).

i have read once that if you have a meatless meal one night a week it saves a lot of money. we do that. we will have frozen veggies, some Beans, and some potatoes. i don't know "how" cheap this is..but i think it is pretty cheap and it is super easy and fast. chicken Dumplings-Arkansas Prices (we pay taxes on our food) Rotiserrie Chicken (cooled) $3 1 can Cream of Chicken $1 1 Can Cream of Mushroom $1 2 Can's Biscuits 9 ($2.50) 3 cans Chicken broth $4.00 Tear the chicken in to small pieces and add the cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and chicken broth in a LARGE pan. bring to a boil (add Water until desired consistency), tear biscuits into little balls and drop in one by one (they will stay at the top) stir to get done...some people use tortilla's instead of biscuits..but i love doughy balls. (i have not eaten this since i have been banded..i would probably choose tortilla's now.

i love thedailyplate.com it has most of the foods i eat, and it allows me to customize my meals. it is super easy and fast to use.

i don't know, but i'm posting so i can find out the answer. i've wondered that too..i can drink flattened over ice for 5 minutes, so i bet i could do the same with alka seltzer.

my doc says 2 kids Vitamins a day despite the dosage saying just 1. question: are you anemic? personally i will only take vitamins without Iron because we generally get PLENTY of iron from our food and Water. i do not give iron to my son either. i was told once that we should only take an iron supplement if we are anemic.

i think it would be a grand gesture. with the way the market is right now, you might lose as much as you would take out in money. :smile: ok, however, if you will be giving them a gift with conditions you may want to reconsider it. a gift of this sort needs to be totally selfless and not conditional. That would only lead to tension and stress for you and strain your relationship. if you can give the gift in that way, i say do it, your parents health is important and you have seen what it can do for you. as for the junk and stuff in the house, i could have tried and tried before surgery to eat right, but it just wasn't going to work. the band helps with all of that. (imho)

i was like that for about a week after my last fill. first, i quit trying to drink anything cold until the evening...it wasn't going down...no matter what. i was the same with foods, i could always eat more than i could drink, but i just never knew when it would be ok. then i lost some weight, loosened up now i can drink and eat fine. i think that by 2/8 if you are still that miserable you may want an unfill, however, it is likely to ease up on you some by then (per my experience only). true restriction sounds like that from a lot of people

hey..you guys have probably forgotten about me..i bought my running shoes and then that was the end of it. well... my treadmill is not in a position where i can use it right now, but i have asked dh to get that taken care of this weekend and he is supposed to. i have been sooooooo ill though lately. 2 rounds of antibiotics in the past 30 days. i'm feeling really good today though, so if this caries on until sunday, i'll be running. gotta get going that way i can boost my weight loss, and probably improve my immune system. just wanted to check in so i feel liable to someone. it's easy to skip out on online guys. i need a buddy who will go with me, or call me and say..hey......or something.

yeah isn't it great...he can't even be still for me to comb his hair.. he literally climbs our walls (literally..in the hall all the way to the ceiling).... maybe one day after this 100 lbs isn't weighing me down, then i will have some energy too.

each doctor is totally different, but my doctor puts it in our hands, and gives us a little guide to go by: if you can eat more than 10 bites of solid food; if you can eat more than 1/2 sandwich with white bread; if you are hungry between meals & you are not eating soft foods; if you feel the desire to snack; if you are consuming more than 800 calories..............it might be time for a fill. if you have night cough or acid reflux at all it IS time for an unfill. if you cannot swallow liquids for more than 24 hours it IS time for an unfill. if you can not swallow your own spit it IS time for the emergency room :smile:.

amen to that!!! actually if i could get my butt to move like his (he's 7) then i wouldn't need any help with shedding the pounds. he never stops moving!!!!

i have a question... how do you guys get off work for the 6 weeks?

this is semi off subject, but goes along a little with the previous post..i'm still not at my sweet spot, but my 7 year old eat 3 times more than me...and he does not have a weight problem.

my doctor wants us to get an unfill if we have any reflux or night cough because that is what leads to erosion/slippage. HOWEVER..with that said..when they think they have given you a really tight fill (false hope :frown:) they say you can "ride it out" by sleeping with your head elevated and never eating or taking a pill 3 hours before bed. so far i haven't had to do this. i'll be kind of glad when i do because my night time muchies are killer.

i cannot chug immediately after fills, but give me a couple of weeks and i'm chugging again (of course not as much as i could pre fill). my doc says when we have proper restriction we should have to sip like hot coffee. well..i had to after my last fill, and i pb'd a lot because i could not make myself sip. i was thirsty and as soon as the liquid hit my mouth my body screamed DRINK!! so i did ice chips for a little bit and it helped. i hate having to sip, but i'm trying to get to the point where i have to.

i feel every bite of food that i take almost, but i am not tight enough..i can still eat a whole white bread sandwich and gulp my liquids. my dos rule is...cannot gulp your liquids and you absolutely should never be able to eat more than 1/2 sandwich on white untoasted bread.