abckids

Well, I have lost almost 50lbs and was banded on October 12th last year. I have lost 48lbs to be exact and have been at that loss for a few months now. I have 3.5 cc's and don't need a fill. It is tight enough - since many things still come up. I miss coming on these forums and just am too busy to do it. But I do have a new problem - I think I have an ulcer. I have a lot of pain in my stomach - wonder if it could have eroded or something? Anyone else having any problems or potential problems? I don't even know what I would be looking for or feeling if I did have a problem. Anyways that is where I am at. I suppose I will lose more as time goes on.. but I need to lay off the ice cream to do it. I notice that I tend to go for softer foods cuz they go down easier... I can usually only eat a bite or two of any meat before I am done so i eat the other stuff first - is that my problem? Anyways... have a great one and I will check back in soon. Amy

I did (the little card in the post op bag from the doctor) and today I got a pedometer with a radio and headphones on it from Inamed (spelling) it says lapband system and all on it... So proud to have this little gizmo.. It is digital too... So I am even more happy!!! free stuff from the band... Yippeee!!! Gonna take it for a spin tomorrow!

I have known for some time that I am addicted to food. I love it. Always have. The flavors, textures, sweetness, sourness, etc. etc. So I am brought to my current conclusion, dilemma. HOW THE HELL DO I OVERCOME IT?!?! Alcohol or drug addictions are easier because it is simple to live without it - but food is a necessity for living! How can one overcome overeating? The lap band, as a tool, helps me slow down my eating and cuts down on the amount, but i still have the overwhelming urges and cravings and the mindless eating is trying so hard to overrule me - HELP! There is Overeaters Anonymous - but not where i live, or anywhere close (hour drive ... aka 55 miles) from my location and with gas prices the way they are, i simply don't make enough money to afford the gas to go to a meeting weekly or whenever they have them. I want so bad for this surgery to work for me (still stuck at 40lbs lost, +/- a pound or two). My latest fill is definitely my sweet spot fill, because i am satisfied upon eating my meal (which generally consists of one or maybe two bites of chicken, or other food). But the consistent cravings, thoughts of food is driving me crazy. I wish I could say that I don't always give in .. but I do sometimes. Yes, the band stops me from eating too much but i want to be able to not eat inbetween meals. I want the cravings gone. I want to not be a slave to food. How can I overcome this?! Are there any other addicts of food/ slaves to taste out there? Thanks for any advice.:blushing:

Wow... I don't think many people fully understand the addiction that food is. I mentioned it to my doctor the other day and he just looked like I was giving him an excuse when I really was screaming for help. I know it - he may know it, but didn't say anything. I joined OA but there isn't a local chapter or group so I have to go to meetings online, which is ok but I think i would be happier in a face to face type thing. So i will make my own as soon as I get more info and commit to it more. I am one week abstinent (from sugar .. ie.. chocolate dove candy, ice cream, pies and cakes and anything else soft and sweet with REAL sugar in it - I still eat yogurt w/ sugar substitute and sugar free popsicles... but I am working to get rid of those too cuz I found I want more sugar even with those non sugar foods). It is hard as hell so far. I had a lick of chocolate pie pudding yesterday - so I guess technically I am starting over again. SIGH... so frickin hard. I know my addiction really took it's turn when I was pregnant with my first child. That is when I let it take over. I dropped smoking and drinking and picked up eating. I know it is still bad because I want to gorge myself with food - and then purge so i can say I got to eat it. I actually thought of a way to do it without ruining my teeth. That tells me I have real issues. I told a good friend about this thought and he told me to just try to work through it because those are not normal people's thoughts. He is very supportive and a good friend. He works with my hubby and is a friend to us both. I even thought about having the fluid removed while I go on vacation in a month so I can gorge on food. then I think.. WTF are you thinking?????? SO now I am looking for another avenue for positive reinforcement. So I joined Curves. Hopefully I can turn my food addiction into a positive addiction of exercising at Curves. But I don't know if just transferring addictions is a good thing either. Who knows. Anyways, thanks for listening (per se) and prayers to you all. Ciao! Amy OH.. I have started losing weight again since joining curves... so that is one good thing so far.

I too have eaten and not even realized what any of the food tasted like nor that i even finished it all. I think i may have come to realize why or what has started my problems way back when and now i need to move on with it and overcome it. But I have a great friend who is helping me... free.... and he is helping me reflect on what may have started all of it. but the arc wasn't built in a day, and all my problems won't be resolved or discovered just as quickly... but i do know that i will keep pursuing the deep down truth.

Thank you all for your great comments and suggestions. I want to have control over this and I want to overcome it. I just don't know how. I noticed (after reading one of your posts) that when my kids get home in the afternoon, i really really want to just stuff my face then. That is a stress trigger for me. My kids are great, but they do fight with each other and drive me crazy in doing so. Thus I want food. Then again, if there is something exciting on tv, I want food. If I get sad, I want food. Happy, Food... you get the picture. It is a great source of comfort for me and a way for me to "escape" for a minute or two. At the same time, I just want to eat and eat. So I don't know. I did go to an OA meeting online last night, and plan on it again today as well. Hopefully that will help too. I will keep yall posted. Amy

Melissa300 - you are doing great and not losing as slow as you think either. I was banded on Oct. 12th - and I lost 40lbs... but then GAINED 7lbs back. I just now had a 2cc fill on Thursday (April 10th). Back on liquids until Monday. That makes for a total of 3.5cc's in my 10cc band. So hopefully i will begin to lose again. You are doing great! Don't let your perception of losing slowly make you think poorly. You are doing great!!!! Amy

Ok.. So on Thursday of last week I was weighed at the surgeon's office for my post op appt - I lost a total of 19 lbs or 18.8 if you want exacts... so that put me at 303 ... Today I go to the general doc's office because of a huge lump in my hand where the IV was (I thought it was part of the IV that broke off in there... talk about scared - ended up being a clot) and I got on the scale there and I am exactly 304.... HOW IN THE HECK DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!?! I am still on liquids only even though I did have a bite of the Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup I made last night which came out more like a stew with no broth - so I didn't get to eat it (AND IT WAS GOOD .. just the one little taste of the pasta soaked soupy stuff... was awesome).. SO how in the heck did I gain a pound? My Dr. says it is probably just Water weight or something - but last week on Thursday right before i got on the scale I had just finished a 16.9oz drink - so technically that is one whole extra pound.. so really by my calculations I gained 2 lbs... HOW IN THE HELL DID I DO THAT?????? I live on Soups (with water, not milk made) and sugar free pudding and water and soupy oatmeal for Breakfast (plain oatmeal)... How can i have gained a pound or two... I am so upset! My biggest fear with this surgery was that it wouldn't work for me but now I am uber depressed that that may be a reality.... Please tell me - has anyone else had this happen? Should I worry? I still have over a month before my first fill - Thanks in advance for any thoughts/suggestions... Amy:think

I am uber happy about my band.. I have lost 40lbs and love it. However, I feel i have to stay away from the boards (here) as much as possible bcuz I found myself getting depressed if I saw that someone else was losing more weight than i am. I know it sounds stupid but I try to tell myself that everyone loses it at their own pace but I can't help but "compare" myself to everyone. IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! I hate doing that but I don't know how to end the cycle.. I miss you all terribly!!! *sigh* If it isn't one head thing it is another. ... I will pop in every so often and I do receive all my PM's to my personal email box.. but other than that.. I am scared of my own destructiveness by following all ur weight loss. WHY AM I THIS WAY? Does anyone else feel this way? Also - congrats to everyone who is losing weight. I truly am happy for u and hope u keep it up. Talk to everyone soon? Amy

Now that the biggest holiday is over - anyone have any recipes to share? Would love to have them for the book. Amy

I just wanted to take a quick minute to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I know that this time of year is when everyone sometimes struggles with the proper thing to say to others from culturally diverse backgrounds - so I wanted to be the first to say that my background supports Christianity and I wanted to officially say Merry Christmas. For those of you who Celebrate Hanukkah, I wanted to say Happy Hanukkah. For those of you who celebrate Kwanzaa - I want to say Happy Kwanzaa. While I don't know of any other holidays coming up - if you have a holiday that I have not mentioned - please know that I have well wishes for you on your special day (or days). This is also the time when the evil comes out of the woodwork - um.. fat cells - per se. The yearning and longing for the sweet Cookies and cakes, rich eggnog and oh so yummy muffins, crepes, and other succulent Desserts. Be strong - enjoy but a few and exercise your butt off after the new year. Don't make new year resolutions you won't keep (everyone I have ever made - never stuck for long). Make life changing decisions now, don't wait for a special day to give you the right time to do it. :pIf it is good enough for you to do it next week - then it is even better to do today! I have a great story to share - but I have to finish writing it so I will post it on here when I am finished writing it ... it called my personal journey to health and each one of you are a very important character in my story - the support that you have offered and friendship is more than I could have ever expected from my fellow banded sisters and brothers. I can't wait to share in your own story when you are finished writing yours as well. Anyways - I may not be on for the next few weeks/days or so because of the holidays but please know my thoughts and cheers are with you always and I hope you have the best of the best everyday not just during the holidays - so God bless you and yours and I hope you have a wonderful day .... TODAY! Amy

Are we sure he isn't a troll? (the original poster)... seeing as how he hasn't responded to anything or been on since the original post...

Here Ye - Nip50.... I will be wearing heavier clothes and stuff so they won't reject me... I know I am not at my sweet spot... NO WHERE near it... And I too have a 3hr drive to get to the doc office... I go back on the 27th.

I am still around.. just super swamped... congrats on the weight loss so far... keep up the good work!!!! What day do you go it? I go in again on the 27th

I am with ya'll too... had restriction with my first fill... now I have none.... they won't fill me either because of the more than 2 pounds a week average thing... but I guess I shouldn't complain... I am losing even though I am gaining... Does that make sense? Yeah - not to me either... Amy

Good Idea... I will so be using that if I lose anymore weight... I have lost 3.5 lbs as of yesterday (friday) morning... since Monday... Don't know how - maybe my stupid scale is screwed up again...

Oh yes - my Thanksgiving was wonderful! It allowed me time to be thankful for my many great blessings that God has provided to me and it also allowed me to eat my favorite foods... and try a few new ones that I plan on converting to a healthier recipe for my recipe book (see recipe section if you have a recipe to share for the book... everyone will get a free copy who contributes)... Anyways - I had yummy broccoli cheese casserole... mmmm.... and sweet potatoe casserole... oh yeah baby!!! and cranberry sauce (that stuff should be a sin) and a new favorite of mine... green bean casserole.. yummy... and a little potatoe salad and cabbage salad... then I even had a piece of the best cheesecake ever!! It was a crem bruele cheesecake (purchased from Sams Club by sis in law) and it was the ABSOLUTE BEST DESSERT EVER!! (And yes, I have had a ton of Desserts in my day... so that holds some serious weight.. no pun intended). And something called a cherry, pineapple crunch thing.. that was AWESOME - (making it healthy, will post recipe when I get it right)... Anyways - all that great food carried over to today for left overs (oh, I should mention, I didn't eat turkey or ham... everyone else did but they both were soooooo dry, that I didn't want any) so today was round two of yesterday - tomorrow will be round three and continue on until it is all gone... But... that is besides the point.. I got on the scale this morning KNOWING it was going to go up.. and it did.. 3.5lbs.... Yep... When I said good bye to the 300's ... they decided they wanted to pay another last visit before leaving for good... So i welcomed them into my home and told them to stay for a couple days because I wanted their company but after Monday they would have to leave and never come back. They, of course, agreed that it would be best for both of us (me and my fat cells) and decided they would leave shortly after Monday. They said that they couldn't leave immediately because it generally takes a few days to get all their junk out of my trunk.. I agreed and promised them I would work very hard to help them get rid of the junk... I will miss them.. but I will replace my sadness with a new friend for life - Saline. Saline and I will be the best of friends... Because I get to meet Saline on Monday at my first fill that I am sure we will hit it off immediately! I know Saline will never leave me alone or make me feel empty inside. I know Saline will help me fill the hole in my stomach that my 300 lb friend used to hold.. so dear to my heart. So I just wanted to share my little story with you and see how much everyone else gained back or lost over the Thanksgiving holiday and to hear about the yummy food you were able to explore... Have a blessed day! Amy

OMG!!!! That even makes it more funny!! I am a June baby - June 7th... but a total Gemini (split personality - metaphorically speaking -and all)...I used to have CM stuffed guys... lost them to younger siblings and evil step parents as I grew older.... Never got back into it (even though I have been asking for a cookie monster for 3 years from my family ... kids, hubby... they haven't bought it for me yet... LOL ) Ebay Rocks!!! You should try bidz.com too... it has gemstones for like pennies... nice rocks too.. Love it!!! Too bad my bank account doesn't. Wow - we really are a like... do you like computers and technology too? I am a computer geek (programmer to be exact - sedentary yes, and that part sucks - but it is only one of 15 different professions I have a degree in. LOL) Oh and photography and story telling are soo my thing! The other Amy

LOL... I agree it must be the name... unless cookielover is a gemini - then it is the month... LOL Coincidentally - cookie monster is my favorite sesame street character because I have always been a cookie lover myself!! LOL Amy - you and I can be the "A Team" LOL... Or better yet - double "A"'s (yeah - I don't think I ever started out as a double A... I went straight to a "C"... LOL

I am sooo jealous... my first fill was only 1cc. It worked for about 1 sec... now nothing like it wasn't even done. And they said if I lose 4lbs before I go back again (not next week but the week after) then they won't do another fill. It sucks! I still am hungry all the time but at the same time I feel this lump in my throat constantly. The only time I DON'T feel the lump in my throat is when I have food in my stomach. Figure that one out. Wish I could have got a bunch of cc's to put me at the restriction point... although - i guess it is a catch 22 for me because there are some foods that I definitely CAN NOT EAT at all without being in pain. But the pizza rolls I had today - I was able to eat 20 (twenty) before I felt anything .. again figure that one out. Amy

Let's plan on meeting at the Obesity Center (where we get our fills at - across the street from Bagnato's office) at say 1PM?? My fill is scheduled for 1pm so I know I will be there (nice 3 hr drive to get there too... LOL). I plan on popping my head in to say Hi to the gals at Dr. B's office right before my fill (promised them I would) and then I will be where I get the fill. Another girl that had it the same day as Me is going to be there by 2pm. So she will get there early enough to meet with us too... What do ya say? See ya there??????? Amy

Drive safe ParaGirl... looking forward to meeting you on Monday!! Amy

Georgia girl - you have lost soo much weight!!! I am soo impressed (and jealous) but I will get there. I have a very good friend of mine that lives in Moultrie (she should be giving birth any day now... I will be in the delivery room with her, she is single now.. and better off for it!) So I will be down that way often to help her with the baby.. maybe we can meet up sometime when I am down that way!! Talk to you soon, Amy Keep up the great work!!!

No... it means Productive Burp... It isn't pretty...

Actually - muscle DOES weigh more than fat. 1 cup of fat will weigh less than one cup of muscle. Or in other term - 1 cubic inch of muscle is more weighty than one cubic inch of fat. Here is a quote from fitness.gov: The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports - Publications That being said - One pound of feathers weighs the same as one pound of lead. It is just still one pound. But the lead is more dense... so 1 cup of lead weighs more than one cup of feathers. Make sense? Muscle and fat do the same thing - one is more dense than the other and therefore can and does weigh more than the other. Which is why muscle weighs more than fat. As you can see from the excerpt above - my point is indeed correct. Let me give yet another description - I am 5' 5" tall. At 165lbs I wear a size 5/6 in pants/skirts/shorts. I can bench 210lbs and am very defined. My identical twin sister weighs the same, but wears a size 12/14/16 pants depending on the brand. She can bench 85lbs. She is larger because she has more mass than I do because my muscle takes up less space - but we weigh the same. By the way - the first part about me - is true (pre-kids) ... the second part was for illustration - my sister and I are not twins (even though we get asked it a lot)... our body types are different, height same... bone structure different (I have a 2" elbow measurement, hers is 1.5 inches) I am big boned, she is not. AND before anyone says anything- yes - there are truly people who are big boned out there who carry their weight differently than those who have a petite frame. Just thought I would share that bit of info... Hope that clears up any confusion. Amy