Hastings

I'm still struggling with my BP. I hope I get off the medications some day soon.

Hemlock grows from the good earth too. Ask Socrates what it can do for ya. I don't have any more issue with pot than I do with alcohol. I spent years being the only sober person among pot smokers and drinkers and mostly I didn't mind it. However when things got down and dirty once neither group were much help until they sobered up. My significant other had AIDS and he used pot for nausea and for an appetite stimulant. It worked wonders. My oldest son smoked lots of pot and he has issues with short term memory and now he discovers he has a very low sperm count, both common side effects of pot. Pot is illegal, and if you grow it, everything you own can be taken from you for manufacturing a controlled substance (at least a few years ago that was the case). Everything has a price. You just have to reckon if you are willing to pay it. By the way, I used Chantix to quit smoking and I loved it. It distanced me from my addiction and took away the pleasure. It enabled me to quit. I thought I would always miss smoking, but I don't. Cheers.

I have a couple of mugs of coffee a day. Black, unsweetened. Doc said it's no problem.

Yes, I count calories. Yes, I follow the rules, why bother otherwise? I was never told no caffeine or no sugar. I have 158 grams of blackberries with 1 tsp sugar and it's about 90 calories. I try not to use artificial sweetner. I also exercise.

I'm not sure why, but I think it is the skill level of my doctor, I have not had one moment's hunger since I was banded three months ago. Not having hunger does bring a different set of challenges but one that I'm up to.

It's not a question of "will it work" or not. When people post on here that they are weeping because they can't have a soft drink, or that they want the foreign object out of their body right this second, I doubt if they are ready to have the lap band installed. I think that a longer preparation period and working on food related issues prior to banding would make the journey easier, and possibly more successful. Just my opinion.

I had three ccs put in at surgery and my band is 10 ccs. I still have restriction. I've been banded three months.

A. Carbonation won't stretch out your band, but it may stretch out your pouch. B. coffee did not make me morbidly obese. I drink it black no sugar.

What happened for me is that food became just that: food. It's not a BIG source of pleasure. I get satisfaction and pleasure from other things almost exclusively now. It is a change that seems to have happened automatically. Food=fuel

The band isn't meant to cause starvation, in my opinion. I had three ccs put in when I had surgery and I have restriction, but I can eat anything, really, except eggs. As long as I am losing, I will not get a fill. You will have to rely on will power for a certain amount of your loss. It's NOT effortless. Good luck on your journey.

The advertising bothers me only because weight loss surgery has become such a huge industry. I like my doctor but I was just one among many that get the operation on a monthy basis. It's pretty evident that many people are not prepared for the surgery. All you have to do to know that is to read this message board for a while. I'd like to see standardized diets, a six month prep period (yep it would have driven me nuts, but I would have done it) that would include nutrition training, counseling, and exercise programs. It would be great to see people coming out of surgery all prepped and ready for their recovery period. I would like the doctor and not the insurance company decide if the surgery is necessary for a patient. The success rate might rise if they did all those things. Just my two cents worth.

I had three ccs put into a 10cc APS band and feel restriction. I was banded about three months ago. It's really very common.

http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html Click on the link above to find out about the program. The goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day. I have been doing it for a week and a half and I'm liking it pretty well. I did it a few years ago and it worked then too. Short walks during the day, parking far from the store, taking the stairs, all these count. It might be a good motivator. Just invest in a decent pedometer. I bought an Omron.

Ah, sweet, Froggi. Enjoy.

I love my pedometer. It keeps me honest.:biggrin2:

My doctor put in three ccs during surgery and I haven't needed any more. I have restriction. It keeps me from overeating, yet I can eat most things, really. I don't think the band is meant for forced starvation. Good luck.

Sweet potato fries baked with a little teriyaki sauce on them. Oh my. Or take the sweet potato fries,dip them in an egg white and bake. The do get crispy and lovely.

I bought a good pedometer (omron) and started the 10,000 steps a day thing. I have a bad knee and even steps were getting too challenging for me. It was a big motivator for the surgery. The first two weeks I walked only 8500 steps, now I make the 10,000 easily. I go to the gym and spend one hour on the tread mill at an incline of 1.5 and a speed of between 2.5 and 3.0. My heart rate increases and I sweat a lot. After I return from Sweden I think I will start some lap swimming or something. I'm so frustrated that I can't find an adult deep Water aerobics class. I so loved that program when I did it a couple of years ago.

Kids don't have to have candy and sweets every day. If you allow treats on occasion it will be fine, I think. In Sweden they get candy on saturday, it's a sort of social tradition. My grandkids only have a little candy on saturday and don't ask for it the rest of the week. It might be work instituting something like that. Perhaps associating it with exercise. Walking to a nearby store to choose some candy?

I'm flying to Sweden mid July. I hate flying and I'm worried about my band tightening.

Precisely, although I've had never failed to reach the bathroom, it's hasn't always been by a comfortable margin. The only reason I associate it with my gall bladder removal is that I specifically asked my doctor about it after the fact. Stress and/or fatty foods will do it every time.

I think you have to tinker with it a bit to find out what works for you. While I think it is crucial to follow the doctor's orders during the post op recovery period, the period after that (the rest of your life) is more dependent upon what works for you. I have three small meals a day plus two Snacks and have a hard time coming up with 1200 calories. Less than 1200 calories and I simply don't lose.

I take centrum chewable, but I did take the liquid centrum before that. I don't care about the taste, it's a vitamin, I need it, I take it.

Are you flying after your fill? Some people say they get very tight after flying. Just be aware.

Please make sure you pursue having your lungs checked. It very well could be panic attacks because they are almost exactly how you describe them, but even if is not, you need to know what is happening. Best of luck.