Anwyn

Nice to meet you Smiles! Congrats on your weight loss.

I'm really getting frustrated with myself this past month. If I'm eating well, I don't exercise. If I exercise, I celebrate with ice cream. I want to break through the next 20 lbs so bad, but I seem to be sabotaging myself lately. Here's my food intake for the day (junk, junk, junk!) 2 pieces of cheese 2 servings of cheetos 10 caramel hershey's kisses 3 cheese-its 1/2 roll with butter from Callie's dinner plate I'm sure I grabbed some other crap too, but this is all I can remember water: 2 vitamin: no I'll edit this later to add dinner.

I'm really getting frustrated with myself this past month. If I'm eating well, I don't exercise. If I exercise, I celebrate with ice cream. I want to break through the next 20 lbs so bad, but I seem to be sabotaging myself lately. Here's my food intake for the day (junk, junk, junk!) 2 pieces of cheese 2 servings of cheetos 10 caramel hershey's kisses 3 cheese-its 1/2 roll with butter from Callie's dinner plate I'm sure I grabbed some other crap too, but this is all I can remember water: 2 vitamin: no I'll edit this later to add dinner.

Thanks for the info Debra! DH and I are going to be looking for a new washer/dryer in the next month or so. I'll check out the link. I love the thought of not having to take my king comforter to the laundromat... :thankyou:

I'm sure the initial consult varies considerably from doctor to doctor, but in my case, the doctor looked at my stomach and probed around to see if he thought I was a good candidate for laparoscopic surgery. Other than that, my consult was mostly a conversation (followed later by appointments with a dietician, exercise specialist, a blood workup/ekg, and a psych eval). Ask your doctor about the bra when you go in for the consult... I'd be pretty surprised if they allow you to wear a bra during surgery. Remember, they've seen it ALL, and they're not going to bat an eye at your girls. :thankyou: You'll want to take it easy for at least the first 3 or 4 days after surgery. I was on Tylenol with codeine for 4 days post-op, so of course I waited to drive until the narcotics were out of my system. I didn't feel 100% until I was 2 weeks out, but I could have done without help at home after 4 days. It's hard to say how quickly you'll bounce back, so line up some extra help just in case. You can always send the help home early. Good luck with your research!

If you want to cut out the fat completely, try Smart Ground in Jenna's recipe instead of the ground beef or ground turkey... it's in the tofu/soy section. It looks like ground beef, but it's vegetarian and fat free. It's great in chili because the seasonings are all that you taste instead of the tofu. I've never tried tofu in the crock pot, but I know it works great on the stove.

I can feel the guilt and shame that you felt when you were "caught" in the grocery store and my heart goes out to you. Kabeerah, there's no doubt in my mind that the band will help you, but please remember that there is a major amount of behavior modification involved to make it work. You need to make sure you're mentally ready for the challenge. Some counseling might help you with your hoarding issues. The band is great at restricting most foods, but there are other foods (ice cream, sweets) that for most people go right through. So, good food choices are a key to success. I recommend reading as much as you can on this website - you'll find it's very helpful in answering any questions. You can also feel free to PM me at any time if you want to talk.

Welcome to LBT! The surgery day will probably go something like this... They'll have you change into a gown and some pressure stockings (to avoid clotting), then they'll put your iv in. You'll be wheeled into surgery if you're not already in the OR. The anethesiologist will tell you to count to 10 and the next thing you know you'll be in recovery! The actual surgery is pretty quick (about 45 minutes I think). Most people feel pretty good 4 to 7 days after surgery, but plan on taking it easy for 2 weeks just in case. You're going to do great!

Don't worry, you'll do fine! Once you get through the healing stage, there's nothing wrong with nursing a small glass of wine at a party. As far as PB'ing, you'll quickly find out which foods are trouble for you, and then you can avoid them. For most bandsters, PB'ing is something that happens rarely, if at all. It's not like you'll be going to black tie events often (I assume, lol) and it's fine have an occasional meal that doesn't follow the Protein first rule. As long as you make good choices most of the time you'll do great.

How cool! I went to see her show back in 1991 and it was a lot of fun. Maybe you'll win a car, lol.

I've only tried cereal a few times, but I had trouble. It's probably because I'm tighter in the mornings - I've never tried it at night.

Congrats Lianna! Isn't it amazing how quickly you start to feel better? And this time you won't yo-yo back up! I love the band...

Congratulations Alex! Keeping up with my kids (2 and 5) was one of the biggest reasons for me to have WLS, so I too can relate. Great NSV!

Oh, it's sooooooo normal to be feeling down right now! You're still feeling tired from the surgery and you're stuck on those stupid liquids and mushies. I'm sorry you're feeling down. It will get better every day, and before you know it you'll be back to feeling human again. Walking is a great idea - keep it up! (((HUGS)))

Congrats Wendiss & Gentlespirit! Pack your bags, you're going to bandland...

Celine, you absolutely made it clear that you aren't actively trying to lose weight, nor do you want to. It's no different than someone who loses down to 200, and decides that even though that's not their textbook ideal weight, it makes them happy. I have never, ever been able to maintain my weight (no matter what it was). Maintenance IS an accomplishment. If you hadn't been banded 3 years ago, you'd be up what? 30 lbs? I know I would, lol. Obviously, the focus for most of us is weight loss, but I think you'll find that there are all sorts of folk on here (banded, not banded, trying to lose, trying to maintain, trying not to go insane, etc), and all are welcome.

Patty, DS and I are twins, so we already get the suggestive comments from the hubbies. I can just imagine if I let him feel me up, LMAO! He has come close to grabbing my behind a few times when he thought I was DS... Ugh - my sister's house is NOT child proof. This morning, DD has already gotten anti-fungal cream in her hair (and on the floor, and on the dresser, and on the bedspread) and ruined one of my sister's lipsticks. That girl needs a leash... DH is finally awake (he worked until 6am - total night owl). Time for coffee. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Actually, the RNY is just one type of the gastric bypass. The duedonal switch is another type (and I believe there are others, but don't quote me on that). RNY and bypass have sorta become synonymous on this board because the RNY is so popular in the US. It's a mystery to me why more insurance companies aren't covering the band. I think it's very short sighted, but it's not unusual for the newer techniques to take time to gain acceptance.

I second what Leatha said... You need a barium swallow to see if the fluid is going through, and possibly an endoscopy. You should be feeling some decrease in restriction by now if you had your entire fill taken out almost 3 weeks ago. Call your doctor and insist.

Good morning everybody! We decided very last minute to hop in the car a day early and drive 3 hours to my sister's place in Cadillac, MI. It's my nephew's birthday tomorrow so the whole family will be here. Of course, that means that I forgot to pack half of our stuff (including the birthday boys' present - oops!). My sister is having one of those McDonalds Playland parties and she invited everyone in Noah's kindergarden class. So far, 15 kids have RSVP'd, plus there are 7 cousins. Should be lots of fun (she said sarcastically). The good thing is, with all those kids no one will notice that I forgot to bring a present. Cindy, make sure that your laptop has a wireless card installed. Usually they're bundled with the computer, but not always. It's surprisingly easy to get onto a wireless network. Meaning, even I can do it so you can too. DH always travels with his laptop. You can pay to use the wireless network at the airport, so if his flight gets delayed he can camp out and work. I'm a little tired today... We stayed up late playing poker last night. After I paid off my hubbies losses I was up $55! Time for me to go professional I think, ROFL. I love gambling, which is why I only do it rarely. The last thing I need is a new addiction now that I've (hopefully) given the food addiction the boot. This weekend is going to be a challenge food wise. There are yummy things to eat everywhere I turn. DS is on her way home with doughnuts right now. Fortunately, I think I'd yak on a doughnut when I'm so tight in the morning, so I'm probably safe. I actually got in 3 workouts this past week! I've lost the 3 lbs that I gained back at the beginning of January. Woo hoo!! Sherry, isn't that the truth with the underwear? My DD (who is 2) was walking around with a pair of my undies on. Needless to say, it looked like she was wearing a dress, lol. I'm not sure how to size underwear, but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with shoe size. Otherwise, I'd have some mighty big feet. Wearing cute underwear is an NSV that I'm really looking forward to. Patty, congrats on beating out that 21 year old! On the blood pressure thing, my sister tells the tech before they begin that they will have to take her BP twice. It's always high the first time and fine the second. I've done that too. I really hate the pain of having my arm squeezed (I'm really sensitive there and it leaves bruising), so I tense up. Try some deep breathing for a few minutes beforehand too. I had my annual stir-up exam yesterday. She said that my left breast feels strange and wants me to follow up with a boob doctor to have an exam. I'm assuming they're going to do a mammogram. I'm only 32, so I'm not overly worried (well, okay, I'm a little worried). I talked to my brother-in-law (who is a doc) and he agrees that it's probably just a consistency change due to weight loss. Of course, I wouldn't let him check it himself because that would just be weird, lol. Beanie, I hope your trip to NY is going well! I wish I could be there tomorrow to have coffee... If you're ever passing through MI for some reason, don't forget about me! Real estate is the one industry that hasn't suffered too badly here (though they say that's about to change for the worse). Pat, that's too bad about the office worker. I used to interview for my job too, and I hated it. I can see where you would worry about finding someone who would keep quiet about your financials. Privacy is important, and money brings up sooo many issues. Good luck finding your replacement so that you can go back to sewing your buttless chaps for Sturgis! ROFLMAO! Paula, good to see you - that pic is great! Spacey Chick, how are things? Sounds like you're looking forward to the weekend! How is everybody else doing? Happy Friday everyone!

Great job Jess! I think you're a great example of how exercising (combined with our trusty bands of course) can really help us achieve our goals. :eek:

Have a great birthday Nykee!! :happybday: :happybday: :happybday:

Hi Kristin, Don't panic, what you're feeling is completely normal. The band is designed to start working after you get a fill. The first 6 weeks after surgery you should be concentrating on healing, not weight loss. Even so, you've had a great loss for 3 weeks. Remember, you're only going to lose 1-2 lbs a week. When you've been living on liquids, it's normal to jump up a few pounds after reintroducing solids. What is your post-op diet right now? Are you still in the full liquid stage, or have you graduated to mushies? Liquids are tough to get through, but you can do it! You need to be gentle with your stomach right now while you heal. If you do cave in, stick with a mushy food (mashed potatoes, refried Beans, etc). It's been just a little over 2 weeks since your surgery. Try to be patient with the exercise. It's very important to take it easy right now or you'll be in a world of hurt. Good luck!

Your doctor will almost certainly send you for a barium swallow and possibly an endoscopy. I had a similar experience, but I had too much fill. Once they removed it the problem resolved itself. It could be that your PB'ing has irritated your stomach and you are swollen. I would recommend sticking with liquids until you speak with the doc. Good luck, and please keep us posted!

La Madam, I am ROFL. I have no idea how old you are, but because of your Granny with a Bun avatar, I've just always had a proper little old lady in my mind. From your answer, I'm thinking I'm a little off? As for me, I haven't been bit by the clothing bug yet. I own 2 pairs of jeans and I'm too cheap to buy more until I'm down another size.