ReneBean

Hi Ginger. First - where are you in the process? Fully healed? Had any fills? It's hard to advise until we know. If you haven't had any fills - yep, you are going to be hungry - just like before surgery. If you have less than great restriction - yep, you are still going to be hungry - although mayb less than before surgery. (I was starving pretty much thru fill 3 - then it got better - but I didn't have anything close to good restriction until fill 6.) Second - "fill me up" should be thrown right out of your vocabulary. Try - I eat until I am not hungry anymore. I find that "I am not hungry anymore" after just a little bit of food - but I don't get "filled up" until I have eaten far too much. This is the hardest distinction to make - the difference between what it means to be "not hungry" and what it means to be "full". Trust me when I tell you - Full just doesn't happen unless I eat a fairly large portion. Not Hungry happens pretty fast. The trick is to stop eating when you cease to be hungry. I find that I keep eating for the sheer pleasure of eating...long after I cease to be Not Hungry. However, if I make sure that my plate only contains a proper bandster portion - and I distract myself immediately after eating, I tend to have better luck stopping. Good Luck!!

Yes - I notice that mention of exercise is conspicuously absent from your post... Alas - exercise is a requirement. Start small - but start exercising. Park the car at the far end of the parking lot and walk briskly into the store - do canned food lifts in front of the TV - just do something. I have experienced this repeatedly over the last year. If I start slacking off and stop going to the gym, I stop losing weight. Conversly - if I am exercising, I don't need to be particularly careful about what I eat. So long as I keep the diet low carb and get my exercise, I lose weight. Exercising is so hard for a bonafide couch potato - but it is well worth it. Good Luck!

All I can say is that it takes a few fills to get great restriction - and up until then it is just soooooo easy to eat more than you think you are. Be brutal with yourself. Count calories - try to avoide sauces and gravies - or if you eat them, measure them with real measuring cups and spoons. Also - if you are not exercising - at least a little bit - you will never lose the weight. Even 15 minutes of day of steady walking will help. If you haven't exercised before - work your way up. Start with 5 minutes a day of dedicated exercise and go up a couple of minutes every few days. Before you know it, you will be exercising 30 minutes a day - and the weight will fly right off your body... Good luck!

Jen - just keep hanging out here. LOTS of info is available on all sorts of subjects. Congrats on your upcoming surgery. Hugs!

Centrum vitimins are fine. Just make sure that any meds you take are either REALLY small - or liquid, or chewable. Brands dont' make a whole lot of difference - you just don't want anything that is going to get lodged in your band. ***Oh - and don't stock more than a couple of any one item. I found that I had WAY more broth than I could ever use - and if you don't like the Protein shakes well enough to drink them every day - just get a few. They will get old REALLY fast. Hugs!!

Buck up, Sherilynn. The time between healing and the first fill is the very hardest part. And - it really IS just like you don't have a band, right now. You might want to revert to whatever diet plan has been the most successful for you in the past until you get your first fill. Just remember to Chew everything really well. 1) You are NOT a failure. You just don't have the benefits of the band until you have proper restriction. 2) This is not a race. Winning means you lose weight and you maintain the loss - not that you do it quickly. Remember, you chose the surgery WITHOUT the immediate gratification factor. But the good news is that after a year, you will still be chugging along, enjoying all the benefits of the band, while many of our Immediate Gratification counter-parts will be dealing with stretching pouches and struggling to maintain what they initially lost. Stay strong. Every day, I am so glad that I chose the band. Some days I am glad because I get full after a small amount of food... some days, because I can eat anything I want... but I am always glad. Hugs!!

MV Kickin' @$$ and takin' names! Keep up the great work!

It starts getting better after the first fill and it gets better with each one after that. Once you start eating more solid foods, that will help, too. Hugs! Congrats on your new band!

Mornin' Y'All. Another glorious day in mortgage lending... 'nuff said. It's gray here, today, and a bit wet. Not cold - but not exactly warm, either. Not much exciting in the weather report, either. I have contacted the Sears repairman to come to my house, too. My fridge did not get any colder since yesterday - so I hauled everything that was salvageable in to work and popped it into the fridge. At least I have plenty of food for lunch this week! I guess we are eating out of cans until Friday night - or whenever the darned thing is actually fixed. I figure a few more weeks of studying Spanish and I might actually be able to converse, again. That will be a plus. It would be pretty darned special to get that skill back. That's all the big excitement around here today. DANG it. I had my personals ALMOST DONE - and I hit a wrong key and lost it all. The above was the last time I copied... Grrr. I will come back and do personals in a bit. I think I am going to have some salami & cheese. xo

Happy Monday! I am still employed as of 1:45 pm on Monday. Other than that, who knows? DH is much better and despite the fact that he is still a bit weak & wobbly, he is quite capable of taking care of himself, now. I still haven't been to the gym, and the scale is still hovering at 283 (+4=287). I suppose if I was making better choices, the scale would be moving.... but I am a flake. :tired The refrigerator is broken, I think. Yesterday, it was room temp inside, so I have to call the repairman to come out and fix it. Oh joy. That's the bulk of the excitement in my life, today. I finished!!! the story for Abi this morning (Yee Haw!!!) and I am going to have my friend and co-worker edit before I send it. Mandy, I hope Abi likes it - although I expect you will have to read it to her, since I tend to relate better to grown ups than to children. It will be great bonding time while you explain to her what "Beseeched" means.... :] I am glad to hear that the leftover days at the center can be used later, if needed. And, hey, if she doesn't need them - maybe you can send her as a treat toward the end of the year expiration time! Sounds like she enjoyed the whole thing. How cool is that? Darcy - Cute picture!! A real cabin? I don't know - the live bug shows add that special layer of entertainment value that you just can't get in a real cabin. And come on - can you beat the joy of communing with nature in the outhouse? Kat - any chance you will make it to DFW when you come to TX? I would love to get together with you! Heck, I could get a vacation day if you came during the week.... just tell me where and when. :] Cindy - Hugs! Do I see SEVENTY-TWO miles on your post? Girl, you are making me look BAD! lol! ;] Yes, I am going to ride it out, here - while I work on teacher certification. It seems that I may have some competition - since the informational session for Fall is booked solid and they are asking for advance notice if you aren't coming. Perhaps I am not the only mortgage person changing careers right now? Hmmm. :] Sherry - Queen of the Crockpot. Can I have dinner at your house? I have been eating my own cooking for the last week - and it's just plain sad. I could use some sloppy joes... :] I am forever putting things "where I will be able to find them" too. My husband teases me about it every time I misplace something. You're right - they will turn up. Did you check the magnet on the front of the fridge? Eileenie - So, you think this is one of those "Why buy the cow...?" situations, huh? Bummer. Hopefully, it will all shake out to your benefit. Hugs! Don't go too mad on the chocolate bunnies! PAT!!! - The monkeys have returned, victorious! Sorry I missed your Birthday - I hope you are still celebrating! Don't fret about not changing to a smaller size. Just think about where you would have been if you had never been banded! Betty - your flowers are prettier than mine. Although my Jessamine is blooming a festive yellow right now. Do the trumpets smell good? I love smelly flowers... I am going to have to get up off my oversized butt and do some yard work. I need to do something about what used to be my lawn... *sigh* Well, I have Spanish vocabulary and verb tenses to study. Hugs and Love to All!

If someone else is driving - you can probably swing it. By day four, I felt that I could have gone to work at my desk job. If you CAN push the interview back, that would be best though. Some folks hop right up after surgery and go shopping. Others languor in pain for a week. It's such an individual thing. Good Luck!

Hey Jeannette Sorry to be the one to mention this - but you have to continue to diet and exercise to lose weight - even with a properly adjusted band. All the band does is make it EASIER to stay on your diet. Now, if you DID do those things when your band was not so tight, and you still didn't lose weight - then you might want to have a doc check out your thyroid. The basic rules 1) Drink lots of water - as close to 64 oz a day as you can get. 2) Do not drink with meals. Do not drink for 30 minutes prior and 1 hour after a meal. 3) Eat solid foods - protein, then veggies, then carbs if there is room. 4) Take tiny bites and CHEW everything a billion times - to liquid form 5) STOP eating when you are no longer hungery. (forget "full". throw that concept out. go with "not hungry") 6) Exercise at least (very minimum) 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Longer if possible, or more frequently. Once you get your band adjusted so that you CAN eat solid foods, you may find that you stop being hungery, sooner. If you CAN'T eat some sort of solid protein, then you are too tight. No question about it. The band will NOT work if it isn't properly adjusted. it will not work if you can't eat solid foods. Once you get proper adjustment, try tracking the calories in what you eat. Be brutally honest. It's easy to "guestimate" measurements wrong. Fats, dressings and sauces should be avoided and if eaten, must be accurately measured and accounted for in the calorie count. It's all too easy to count a table spoon of mayo as a teaspoon if you are guestimating. I know. I have done it. Cheese (my personal downfall) should be weighed. 1 oz = 100 calories as a general rule. I know, just what you wanted, a Lecture - but it's easy to lie to yourself. I wasted the first year of band life doing that. Only the hard cold measurements tell the true story. You dont' have to change everything at once. The first thing to do is to get your fill adjusted so that you can eat solid foods, maybe not at breakfast, but certainly at lunch and dinner. Then you can start working on one thing at a time. Once you have practiced drinking water in the right amounts and at the right times for a couple of weeks, then you can start working on true measurements of the foods... but to start, you must eat solid foods. Speed is not the object... healthy loss is what you are looking for. That takes a little time. Good Luck!!

Hi Benbax! Welcome to LBT! They make clear liquid Protein. I use IDS New whey. 42 grams of protein in a little test tube. I cut mine with filtered Water or mix it with Propel. It's a little like drinking melted Jello, straight. **Personally, I stick to the Orange flavor. Fruit punch is less exciting. I haven't tried any other flavors. You can buy it on-line, here. http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_by_79.htm Be sure to get the 42 gram ones, vs the 25 gram older version. More bang for your buck. I know others have found it in local Vitamin Shops. GNC doesn't have it, or at least they didn't have it 2 months ago when I went looking. I mix one test tube in a 1 liter big mouth bottle with a Propel and fill the bottle the rest of the way with filtered water. I find that 42 grams for 176 calories (or 196 if you mix it with a propel) is a much better deal than 5 grams for 50 calories. Good luck with your surgery!

My doc says think 1/2 inch cube - like a boullion cube for bite size and then chew it until your could practically snort it through your nose. (my translation) Stop eating after 30 minutes and don't drink for an hour. If it has been over a week since your last fill and you are doing liquids for min. 24 hours after each PB and still having the problem, you probably need an unfill - although you might want to consider just removing .2 or .3 cc's instead of the full half. It's amazing what a difference that tiny amount fill can have. Good Luck!!

Hi Joe! Congrats on getting your surgery and welcome to LBT! juice is a good option. They make lots of Lite and Healthy Balance options, now. The Healthy Option cranberry only has 15 calories a cup - and it is a nice change. If you get bored, start throwing SF flavored syrups into Water... or into juice. Change it up as much as you can. Find some clear liquid Protein drinks, too. Protein will help to fill you up. I use IDS New whey. 42 grams of protein in a little test tube. I cut mine with filtered water or mix it with Propel. It's a little like drinking melted Jello, straight. **Personally, I stick to the Orange flavor. Fruit punch is less exciting. I haven't tried any other flavors. You can buy it on-line, here. http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_by_79.htm Be sure to get the 42 gram ones, vs the 25 gram older version. More bang for your buck. It is important to follow your Doc's instructions, especially now. If you feel weak, or you are more than normally tired, call your doc and see if you can add milky Protein shakes in. They tend to be more filling. Good Luck!!

Every body will be fine. Just focus on maintaining and try to build good habits on drinking water and getting in your exercise. It will all come together when you start to get decent restriction. I promise. As to what to tell everybody - I educated them until they were bored to tears. Everytime anybody asked (and sometimes even if they didn't!) I told them that this is the slow, safe surgery and that it would never be dramatic. Most folks stopped asking - cause they knew they were going to get a lecture! LOL! It's only pressure if you let it be. Anybody who is less than kind should get a good stiff kick. Or you can come back later and gloat. Or you can just educate them to death. Whatever works for you. Chin up. Drink your water. Practice chewing. Trust me, that chewing skill will be important in a few fills. Hugs!

Don't panic. It's alright. I did the same thing as you. I ate everything after I healed up from the surgery - cause I figured that after I started getting fills I wouldn't be able to "ever eat ___ again." 1) You have no fill. Basically, it IS just like you never had the surgery. You are still as hungry as before and therefore have just the same lack of control. Do as well as you can - but don't beat up on yourself too badly. 2) You WILL be able to eat those foods that you love - probably for a long time and several fills, so there is no need to worry about never eating it again. I wish I had known, I would have done better before my fills started. So, don't be too upset with yourself. Once you start getting fills, it will start to get easier to control yourself. It will probably take more than one fill to get to good restriction - so don't say you haven't been warned. I think I have had 7 or 8 fills now. I have good restriction NOW - but it was fill 6 before I had anything close to Good restriction. Remember - this surgery is for slow and steady weightloss. FAST isn't the way and it isn't likely to happen unless you really, really work hard and are lucky enough to get good restriction early on. It's not a race. It's a journey. Try to relax and enjoy the scenery. Hugs!

I am going to take the unpopular position, here. I am awed by the courage of the family to take this step while facing cancer - but I would be very, very concerned that the treatments or failing health could cause serious distractions for the President. Gosh, didn't we as a nation almost have a heart attack because our buddy Bill spent a few hours on the clock getting a little nookie? What about a guy who is justifyably concerned about his wife? How many hours might that take? Certainly more than a few. Do we want a man who is distressed about his Beloved making major decisions that affect a nation? I mean, he has enough to worry about without Terrorism, Oil Shortages and Economic Decline. I am not sure that the cancer, alone, would affect my vote - but it would certainly be a consideration.

Hey All. TGIF for sure. Just about the time I get into doing something useful for myself, somebody comes along bothering me with WORK. What a pain. It's much better to be consistently busy, or consistently slow. I am really into the story for Abi right now - and I don't want to have to stop and work on this stupid file that will never close, anyway. **whine** But, we have the radio on and the day is half over, so I guess I will survive. I am well over halfway done with Princess True, and I am trying to get it done so Mandy & Abi can read it over the weekend. But, I might not make it if I have to look at this stupid file every ten minutes. I mean, Geez - I haven't even had time to get to my Spanish Vocab yet today. I don't mind skipping it to work on Abi's story - but I sure am angry about work. Crazy, huh? Not the best attitude to have. I am hoping to be a little more philosophical about it after I eat. Sometimes that can make all the difference. :] So, the scale is hovering at 283 (+4 = 287 estimated "official" weight) and I am NOT eating well. I kind of used DH's illness as an excuse to get some bad foods into the house. He wouldn't eat much - but he asked for a tart desert - so I picked up a lemon cream pie... and some cake donut holes, since they are nice and bland. Um, yeah. They were for him. Uh Huh. So, the weekend is not looking too fabulous on the diet front - but I will have to go to the gym and work some of that sugary badness off. Now that DH is tottering around on his own and fully functional again, I have no excuse to stay home. No other big plans for the weekend. I need to do some laundry for DH and do another load of dishes. This whole house keeping thing is a pain in the ass, I tell you. *sigh* I am so spoiled. Patty, Darling. There was no need to welcome you back - we were about to set the Flying Monkeys on you to drag you back here. We missed you and we were worried. Hugs!! We will wait to hear about the drama when you have time to tell us the tale. Coolness about the scanner. Gold Stars for you figuring it out. Hope your attorney eats the insurance company for lunch. xo Mandy - *GGGGRRRRRRRR* The school district is so maddening! It is all about money more times than not. Sadly, the whole world has become all about money and liability. I am so glad that the sessions at the center are helping Abi. I think knowing that Mom & Dad still love her, no matter what, is going to help her a lot. Keep fighting to keep her there for as long as she needs to stay. Hugs! Sherry - Five AM? *shudder* Not for me, thanks! :] Stained glass is so pretty. I can't wait to see your project. At least when you are done with a project, you have something tangible. I find that kind of art highly rewarding. I almost wish it was busy, crazy here. Hope you get to rest up over the weekend. Betty - you might be kidding, but I'm not. DH is going to have to pamper me for a bit when he feels fully well. He is already gushing about what a great wife he has and how wonderful my care has been. I will just be glad when he has enough strength to do the danged dishes and cook for me, again! I really am spoiled. :] Hope your back feels better soon. Eileenie - Dont' be down, Honey. He really can't make any promises - and if he wants you to be fully prepared, that's a good sign. Even if you don't get the job now, you will be ready for it when it comes up again. The more training you get, the more marketable you are to your company, and to others. It will all come together for the best. Your Karma is good. Hugs!! Deb - try your best to get some rest this weekend. Can your DH take the boys somewhere for a few hours so you can get some Grown Up Alone time? Sometimes a relaxing bubble bath without any worries can be a sanity saver. Or maybe just a worry-free nap. Isn't it time for Daddy to take those boys to the park? Or maybe he can take them to see Spidey without you? Just a thought. Hugs! Kat - money certainly isn't everything - but it wouldn't be much of a career move if I had to sell my house and all my belongings to do it. I was very pleased to see that the bulk of the teachers in my area make a doable income. I am sorry, again, about your furbaby. It was bad enough when you thought he had passed from age, alone. I know that no amount of compensation could make up for the loss of your DC - but recovering the vet fees would at least give you a little justice. Hugs! Well, I have to get to work on the file that will never close.... *snort* Love you guys! Irene

Naw, Jub Jub Sometimes that makes it worse. For those of us who have never been thin or considered beautiful, it is a shock to be considered desirable. High School girls learn to deal with this in adolescence, except those of us who learned to stand off to the side and watch. So, how the heck do you learn to behave like a beautiful woman when you are 30 or 40? We have all learned how to be jolly fat girls - not beauty queens. Somehow we have to get a crash course in woman-ness. The only advise I can give is to practice. Watch movies with women that you think are beautiful in them. How do they walk? How do they behave? Practice. Look in the mirror as if you were looking at a stranger. Pick out the good things that you see. Believe that you are beautiful and it will all start to fall in line. It's the believing that is hard. So, if you can't believe it, pretend for a while. Pretending will get you halfway there. Learn to accept a compliment with just a thank you. Don't argue with the person or deny it. Accept it. It will take time. But eventually, it will start to sink in. Just remember the Loreal slogan - Cause I'm Worth It. Hugs & Love.

Cool! Glad to hear he is a super nice guy. So many times the persona shown on TV is nothing like the person you meet. :]

Legalize all the drugs and put the addicts in rehab. It would be much easier to get straight and live a normal life if you weren't branded as a criminal in addition to being a recovering addict. I consider the "War on Drugs" to have been lost years ago. Time to pack it up and go home.

Mandy - how & when did you meet Clinton? What? Did you run into him at the grocery store? Lol!

Hi All Both DH & I are alive and well. I went home on Monday and found that he was still a little loopy - but I kept pumping him with slimfast. Thank goodness he was pretty much done with the heaves by then. Eventually, with aspirin and liquids and a little bit of food substance, he landed back on planet earth for an extended stay. I was thrilled to pieces when his fever stayed down for the most part yesterday, with almost no aspirin. He was lucid and much more energetic for the whole day and he even ate some solid food. I had just a little bit of a fever - nothing to write home about. None of what he had seemed to affect me. After collapsing on the couch for six hours on Monday, I was just Okey-Dokey and able to take care of him. I did stay home with him, though, until he was able to get up and get around on his own. He is still weak and tired - but he is lucid and his temperature is staying under 100. *Whew* He surely had me worried. So, I came to work today, only to find that there were more layoffs, and more guideline changes - basically SSDD. I haven't heard anything from the people who do the hiring at Citigroup - althoug it has only been a few days. So, I went on Salary.com to check out the income levels for teachers in my little town and was pleasantly surprised to find the salary range is not that far down from my current income. The low end is "doable" if I were to get hired on as a full time teacher. The high end pretty much covers what I am making now. So, today I spent some time on-line brushing up on my Spanish Vocab. I think I have enough credits on my transcripts to get certified in Spanish - but I am sorely out of practice. I have never really used what used to be my fluent spanish. So sad! But while I am taking my certification classes, I guess I will take a Spanish class to brush up. I really wish I could afford to just take a year and go back to college. I really want to get certified in Math - but I know darned well that I don't have the credits to do it. I would have to take 2-3 math classes a term for a year.... *sigh* Maybe University of Phoenix has some on-line courses, or something. Maybe if I get laid off I can do it then. Hmmm. The lay-off thing seems pretty inevitable - but who knows. Anything could happen. PATTY!!! Hugs & Love, Honey. We have been worried about you. I am thinking good thoughts. Just keep on checking in when you can. Kat - Poor Rick! I am glad he is on the mend and I hope that the meds help a little bit. Eileenie - I could have sent my SIL over if I hadn't been able to stay home - or I could have dropped him at her house on my way to work. Fortunately he is much better today. I guess if I am going to get laid off, I might as well use up my sick time, huh? :] Mandy - It sounds like the school is doing good things for Abi. I agree that having her learn coping skills early will only be a good thing. Sadly, this disease isn't going away and she will have to deal with it for the rest of her life. Sooner is better for numerous reasons - not the least of which is YOUR sanity and ability to function. Good luck in battling the school district. Hugs & keep your chin up. Mary - I can see the boys' eyes lighting up, now. They will love a trip to Disney - and you will get to see your little brother, too. How cool is that?!? Deb - You know that you are supposed to do liquids for at least 24 hours after you PB, right? Cause the PB causes swelling which makes it harder to eat the next bite... which causes more PB's which causes swelling, which causes more PB's... It's a viscious cycle. If reducing the swelling doesn't help - then definitely go for an unfill. Constant PB's are bad. Hugs! Darcy - what kind of business is your Sis opening? I must caution you that working with or for Family can be a major disaster... it's almost better to seek employment with strangers than to work with loved ones. At least strangers have to mind their own business. Even the best relationships can get nasty if you stress them every day. Just my 2 cents. Oh - and I have totally been flaking out on the gym. I can't remember if I have clocked ANY hours for March. I guess I could shuffle my little butt into the gym for the next few days, though. Cindy - after looking into teacher salaries I have determined that my only plan is to stay employed long enough to get my teacher certification done asap. There isn't going to be a better time for a career change. It will only get harder as I get older.... and since I just can't stand the idea of doing this mortgage stuff for another 25 yrs, I think I had better work on getting a slightly more rewarding career path going. Time to shove my fears aside and move forward. Betty - Hugs! Nothing worse than back pain. I hope you feel better, soon. I did totter DH out to the garden room everyday for some fresh air and daylight. It always seemed to help. :] Kat - My DH is such a picky baby. I couldn't have gotten him to drink gatorade - I couldn't get him to drink anything but water until he got really delirious. Only then could I trick him into drinking slim fast... I am so glad the worst has passed. I can tell you that I am NOT looking forward to taking care of him in his dotage. I think I am going to have to come up with a good way to get rich. I am going to need hired help. :] Well, let's see... While hanging out at home, my scale has fluctuated between 281-283 - which translates to 285-287 on my doc's scale. That's ok, considering I haven't been exercising and I haven't been eating properly. Lovin' that last fill. It is keeping me in line. Like many of you, even though the scale changes are not dramatic, everyone I know has commented on how I look like I am losing so much weight - seriously. DH was commenting on it when we got home from our Vacation and a good 2-3 people a day have commented on the days when I have been at work. I know that I am not as concerned about wearing shirts than hang below my belly level these days, as long as my pants a loose. The fact that I even own pants that are loose is a modern miracle. I am sure the What Not to Wear people would approve of my current wardrobe. I still can't cram my butt into my size 24 jeans - but that is on the horizon in the not too distant future. So, that much is good. Hopefully, everything else will start to even out, soon. DH is getting better, I am getting thinner... now if the work situation would stabilize, life would be pretty good. Love you guys!! Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. I appreciate it a whole lot. Hugs!

Angel Your age is the best thing that you have going for you - and if you carry your weight evenly - you might be one of the lucky ones. The exercise will make you feel great and help give you some shape - but it probably won't have much to do with your skin shrinking. Drink lots of Water, and exercise anyway. It can't hurt. :] Glad you are enjoying the site. I love it here. You will probably see some judgemental comments at some point. The trick is to just ignore them and move on to the positive and supportive ones. Hugs!