Twilight

Becky, As far as weighing, I've not done that. I did track my food on thedailyplate.com and that really helped. Once I found restriction it helped. I had no idea what I was waiting to happen, but it finally did and I understood. That will help a TON. I was never really good about measuring, but I did finally buy some small bowls and figure out what a half cup of Cereal looked like. Other than that I eat "a slice" or "a piece" or something like that. The daily plate helps with that. The other idea I follow is that a cup is about the size of your fist, half will fit in the palm of your hand. Daily Plate has been really accurate as far as what they say I can eat and how much I will lose if I do. It's amazing how much the little things can change. It seems that I remind myself quite often that "if you work the plan, the plan will work!" Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. Ask any other questions you come up with. This place can be such a wealth of information.

I don't know why, but it's key for me. The days that I get my water I have more energy, I think clearer, I can stave off my hunger better. I've found that a lot of the time that I thought I was hungry was actually me being thirsty and I just didn't know it. I have gone from drinking a bottle of water every couple of weeks, maybe, to drinking more than enough. Now it isn't all water. Like I said before, some of the liquid is v8. I love the fusion light juice. It is 1/2 the cals of the normal and counts as a serving of fruits and veggies. I NEVER have been a big veggie eater and so I worry that I don't get enough. I also drink a lot of tea, both hot and iced. 16 oz of my liquid is coffee every morning. So really it's only 1 or 2 16oz of water a day if that. My NUT told me that if it has caffeine it only counts as 1/2 as many oz. so 16 oz of coffee counts for 8oz only. I do feel like I lose better when I'm drinking my water faithfully. Any time I've had a slow down, I up my liquid and things get back on track. Hope that helps...it's my experience.

I love cheese! Before surgery I could eat an entire block. Now...it's great in moderation. I don't consider it glorified fat. I consider it a decent semi-solid Protein. String cheese is a great snack. A stick strung and wrapped up in lunch meat makes a great lunch. Yesterday at Sam's Club I bought a bag of single serving low-fat colby jack. I think there is a lot to be said about everything in moderation. But I'd give up a lot of things before I'd give up my cheese.

Gracie, Don't get discouraged. You are doing great! If I had not been banded in December I can almost guarentee that I would have been at 240 by now. I was on an out of control upward spiral. I'm guessing you were feeling similar. So, not only have you lost 40 pounds, you haven't gained any more either. You can also look at it as over half way done! Those with less to lose, tend to lose slower. It is also better to lose slowly, so don't get discouraged. It is all good. Keep it positive....and if you want to look at your habits and get some input, post them here and we can look at them and see if we can help. Anything we can do to help.

My typical day starts with a bowl of Kashi golean. It is higher in fiber and Protein than any other Cereal I can stand. I can get about a half cup of that and 1% milk with a little splenda to sweeten it. I like the golean crunch better than the plain but some days I save the crunch for snack time. I will usually add 1/2 a banana or some berry to it. There is a golean oatmeal if you really like the oatmeal for breakfast. I find that it keeps me fuller than just plain oatmeal. I sweeten with SF syrup. For lunch I try some sort of meat...lunch meat like roast beef or salami, and a cheese stick and then if I'm still hungry I will have a small salad. I eat regular dressing because it isn't usually that much and I really dislike the vinegar taste of a lot of the low cal ones. dinner depends on what I'm making for the family. Usually it's just whatever meat I feed them and then some veggies. I don't usually have many carbs...they seem to stick me so that helps when I'm craving them. Snack time is usually in the late evenings....I get that hand-mouth need. Sometimes I eat dry kashi crunch, sometimes yogurt with kashi mixed in....lately my favorite has been a 100 cal popcorn pack dipped in melted cheese and salsa. Another good snack when I'm needing that crunch of chips and the sweet of something are the quaker mini rice cakes. I'm in love with the mint chocolate ones...and they come in 100 cal packs. When it's a chocolate fix I need, I keep toosie roll midgies on hand...they are chewy and chocolatly and 5 of them can take me 20 minutes if I chew them really good and let them get stuck in my teeth. I also work really hard on getting 70+ oz of liquid in. Usually there are 16 oz of that that is v8 fusion light because my diet is so low in veggies. I honestly feel better when I get more liquids in. I'm not as hungry and I have a ton more energy. If you need more ideas let us know....whatever we can do to help.

You said that 1000ish cals isn't enough to keep you full. What I'm wondering is if it's the TYPE of cals you are eating. I didn't see where you are eating a lot of Protein throughout the day. Oatmeal is great for Fiber and salads are great for veggies but the banding rules specifically state 1. solid protein, 2. veggies, 3. carbs if there is room. The solid protein will not only give you the fuel you need to maintain your metabolism but it will also keep you fuller for longer and you may not feel like 1000 cals is too little. I have found that the ideas that I get on DailyPlate.com as to lower cal ideas when I log something give me good ideas on how I can improve my eating. Have you tried logging on one of those programs. And the final bit of advice I have, if you have not been doing so, you have to count every bite that goes in your mouth. Not just the meals, but the licks of the spoon when you stir dinner, the nibble of the nuts when you walk by your co-workers desks, and the liquid cals you get when you have a glass of milk after dinner. Those are the places where I found that I may have been maintaining 1000ish cals during meals but was getting almost 500 from licking the knife or sipping the kool-aid to taste it for the kids or tasting a bite of dinner for the kids to make sure it wasn't too hot or my kids giving me a bite of their afternoon snack....the list was endless during the day. Hope some of that helps.

Good morning ladies. You all are very quiet this morning! I thought I would post some about what I missed yesterday.... Soleil, welcome to you! Glad you found the best LBT board! Actually the best LB board on the net IMO! From the moment I joined the Lucky 7's it's been downward and goalward. There has been quite a few struggles and emotional craziness I've gone through, but these ladies have kept me in check and focussed on what the REAL problems were. They are the greatest. I owe all my gratitude to these guys. I know you will be successful if you continue to come here, ask for support, and work your band. The most successful here are those that are here DAILY. Please remember that when things frustrate you and someone here says something that rubs the wrong way, it's all in love and desire to help. No nastiness here. Phyl, I am so envious of your trip taking. It sounds like a heavenly way to spend retirement. Going from one place to another and visiting all your good friends and family. I'd miss the snow but it does sound good. As far as bathing suits!!! You just keep going and going and going. You're going to be such an amazement to your TOPS group. Go YOU!!!! Ruby, I hate that TOM makes you so miserable. I wish I could do something about that. This may be a silly question but have you done a google search on ways to deal with TOM's horrible side effects? Sometimes the cures don't seem to make any sense but they work....it might be worth a shot. Okay...as for me. It was a very long day yesterday but so much worth it. I was thinking maybe I didn't need to go on my drive because all of a sudden drinking wasn't so tough. I was able to get coffee and 1 bottle of tea down before I got there. Then she removed 0.4cc's and sent me on my way. She pulled everything out and I still had 5.8, pushed it back in and said that 0.2 kicked back. She said that if I wasn't so close to goal (another tale) she would only take that out, but that she thought 0.4 would be about right. So I was starving at that point because when she pulled everything out anything sitting in my pouch went through. So I went to Applebees and had some french onion soup and 3 pieces of quessadilla (cheese only). I then went shopping for awhile and then started the long trip home. Got a whopper jr. for the drive and a mocha joe. I know that those weren't the BEST choices but wasn't going to stress on cals after the last 3 weeks. Figured today would be soon enough to get back on track. Ate the WHOLE whopper jr. That scared me because I thought maybe she had taken too much if I could eat ALL of that. Drank my mocha joe and another bottle of tea on the ride home. So I got cals AND liquids in yesterday!!!!! Yeah! So this morning I was a little leary of eating because I was worried about the amount I could eat, but tried some kashi and could do my "normal" half cup of that and milk. YEAH!!!! I'm full and happy. I will try veggies for lunch. Need to go get some liquid in next. I'm so relieved to not have been able to eat too much. Anyways, PA thinks I should be AT goal. She says I look great and my BMI is normal. I'm not going to listen to that though because it is sitting RIGHT below the overweight level, so I'm sticking with my 130. That gives me the wiggle room I want to have so I never have to stress over 5 pounds. Besides....I'm still seeing where I can take some fat from. It was great for her to tell me that she would never guess that I'm a WLS patient. She wanted to show me off to everyone in the office but they were all busy. Very good for my ego though. I wish I would have seen my surgeon at least, but my PA has been there the whole time so I don't know why HE matters to me. Tired today but that's expected after 14 hours travelling yesterday. I need to do a ton of laundry today, but at least my house is presentable so I don't have to scrub it all up today. Okay...off to find some liquid. Have a great day ladies. I'll be checking back later. Love you all!!!!

:hurray:It's Normal!!!!!!!:drool: Go me!! Go me!!! Happy dance all the way!!!!! I might need some emotiocons!!!!! Holy cats and toledos!!! :Dancing_tongue:Go Normal! Go Normal!!! :thumbup:

Hi ladies. I'm home. I will talk more to you all tomorrow. Took out 0.4 cc and I immediately went to Applebee's for soup. I feel AWESOME! I ate! I haven't been able to eat in so long that I almost forgot how great it feels. Oh...and the BEST!!! I went in and my PA goes, "Wow, aren't you looking awesome! You don't even LOOK like a lapband patient!" How awesome was THAT to hear???? Okay...changing my ticker because I will take their weight today with my clothes on as an official. I'm not sure, but I'm expecting it is "normal" or awful damned close. Okay. I'm beat and I need to sleep. See you all tomorrow.

Phyl, you are FULL of NSV's today! I was going to ask you about weigh in's while you're in the desert. I remember hearing about something when you were down there last year...but don't remember what exactly and I'm too lazy to go back and find it. I bet all the other snow birds go nuts at your loss since they last saw you. Is it cool enough for you to wear your new jeans? Oh...and don't wait too long to try on those smaller sizes, they might surprise you. I hope Soleil comes by. It's amazing the difference the support you guys give can cause. Just check out my home pages. The only posts are once a month on the weight loss poll. And even there, the numbers dwindle each month. I know I couldn't have done this without you all. You are so much a part of my success. Okay...off to bed, I have a long day tomorrow. I can't wait to eat! I have a feeling I'll dream about food tonight. The food commercials have been driving me nuts the last few days. I'll talk to you all tomorrow night.

My team defines clear liquids as any that you could read through and full liquids are anything strained that could be sucked up a straw. Now some people had cautions about straws. My team never gave me that limitation. so clears were things like: Water, crystal light, coffee, tea, light fruit juices, broths, etc. Fulls were things like: cream of whatever Soups, Protein shakes, thinned yogurt, anything liquified with a blender or magic bullet, etc. Hope that helps.

Phyl, Trying really hard not to panic about the market and the doom and gloom on the news. It really has me spooked right now. I'm hearing "depression" and "bust" and "zero discretionary spending"....and then I think about this trip I'm taking tomorrow...and all the shopping I've done in the last 4 months and the 2 trips....and the dog...and I'm starting to panic. I may need to break out the xanax. I don't know Okay...going to go give the kids a bath.

Lachica, I've been having a horrible couple of weeks. I was traveling and then got a horrible sinus infection.... I have not eaten a real meal in over 3 weeks. I had .5cc removed on the 14th. Tomorrow I go in to have more removed. It's been horrible. I was going to try to wait it out, but am giving up. I need to EAT! I open up in the late evenings but it's too late to get a real meal in. It's nice never being hungry, but my head is going nuts! It's hard to convince yourself that you need to exercise when you are losing at 2 lbs a week without it, and then you aren't eating well so the energy level probably is lacking too. I get that, but you have GOT to get up and get moving. You need to EAT and you need to MOVE. We talked about this at my last support group. If you are not living like you plan on living for the rest of your life (eating and such)...then you stand a really good chance of regaining when you get frustrated at your current regimine. We were talking about eating "diet" foods, like fat free, salad dressings you don't like, foods you are not crazy for. I am going crazy that I can't eat meat. I LOVE meat! It's bad enough that I can't have breads but I'm okay with giving that up....but NO MEAT would be a deal breaker for me. I would suggest talking to your team about what you are eating on a daily basis and see what they say. If you get a slight unfill to allow for solid foods and then get off the couch, your loss rate could stay the same. Good luck.

Good morning ladies!!!! Phyl, you've got to be positively glowing!!!! Just think what everyone will think after your winter in the desert! As my weight dropped, smaller changes were very noticable. I called the clinic today and they can get me in tomorrow at 2! I'm pretty excited. Last night I munched on a few french fries that my kids didn't eat from their dinner....and they are still sitting in my pouch. I'm going to try to drink some coffee and get those and the pills that are sitting on top of them down. It's going to be a very long day with a 5 hour drive both ways and I have to go by myself so no one to visit with...but if I can eat on Wednesday it will all be worth it! On a good note, my wii this morning said.....wait for it.....wait for it....NORMAL!!!!!! It's not weigh in day and after I can get food and liquids down I'll probably gain a bit...so it's not official. But my Mii did a little happy dance and it was really exciting. Okay....I'm off to do something...even if it's wrong. I'll see you all later.

I ate!!!!! I'm so psyched! We went to play cards and I had a couple bailey's and coffee because they were warm. After dh asked if I wanted to eat and I figured I could maybe get some walleye down. Didn't try salad or potato....just walleye. And it was wonderful! Ate almost half a filet and didn't feel uncomfortable a bit. I'm glad I didn't try the other stuff because I certainly did enjoy the other. Janet, I'm getting a full grown ex-racing greyhound. I'd rather rescue a full grown than buy a puppy. There are too many of theses dogs that have to be put down just because they aren't fast enough anymore. It is just so very sad. Don't get me on THAT soapbox. Phyl, I have to agree with your DIL and Janet, you are getting skinny...compared to where you were, you look amazing! You are doing an amazing job. And as for reaction when I am mad...the madder I am, the more likely that I cry. I don't know why but that's how it works. I guess no one could call me a heartless B#%$h. I know stress and emotion tighten me up...but at this point everything does. Don't let Earl give you too much grief. He has to face us next July...remind him of that. Karri, nice loss and glad you are feeling a bit better. You seem to be dealing with everything remarkably well. That has to make you feel some pride. Okay....watching Planet Earth. I LOVE this show. It amazed me how spectacular our planet is. I'll be checking in and out.

Phyl, These are all the same dogs as the first group except for Tildy and Jack. Jack has been in the state for some time and I met him. He is a little too high strung to be safe around my baby girl. Tildy wasn't on the original list that I got of dogs that were coming. Of these dogs, they originally said a male would be best but that possibly an older female too. So it really just depends on what the rescue thinks would work best for us. They have met my dogs and my kids so I'm sure they will make a great choice. They are all beautiful. I'm in love....with them all. I can't say if one was lovelier than the other. I'll find out sometime this week I think. Okay...going to play cards. I'll talk to you all later.

grrr....my post is gone!!! Anyways...I'll try this without font, size, and color change and see if it stays. My dog is in Montana!!!!!! I'm so excited. I don't know which one is mine but they are so beautiful. You can see more pictures here GPA Rocky Mountain - Montana Welcome It's a good thing they are going to pick one out for me because I think I could convince myself to bring at least 3 of them home, if not them all. Then DH would serve me with papers for sure....as it is he thinks I need to see a professional about this dog thing....hehehehehe Okay....just thought I would share!

Ruby, It sounds like you've been really analyzing what is going on. That in itself is great! I understand the number game you are playing. I am doing the same thing. I'm striving and striving for it, yet really do want to like where I am right now. It's amazing how much importance we lay on a number. It sounds like a really good idea to see your pcp. Same reason I finally gave into the stubborn voice in my head saying I could do this on my own. We both need to hear from someone who isn't so emotionally involved. I worry that my PA will completely unfill me and that scares me, but if she does I'm assuming she will refill on the 13th when I can see her in Minot. Maybe that's the best thing for me right now. I hope your dr. can help you find the best thing for you. Keep us in the loop. Talking here helps me so much. We're pulling for you.

I was starting to think the same thing. A couple messages ago makes complete senses to me now. I think I know where to put the punctuation and I get it. That almost scares me. The idea that I think like drstan is a little disconcerting.

Hi ladies. Not much to report except that I am just now getting something in. How I can't get a damned thing down at all but can now eat a fiber one bar is beyond me. I tried to eat a kashi microwave dinner, but it wouldn't go. The bar did go down though. I have talked to dh about going to Bismarck some time this next week. I will call on Monday and see when I can get in. I'm starting to get frustrated. Today was little liquid and even less solids. grrrr. I will do what I can. Before you all panic, I don't feel bad. I'm getting in enough to survive, just not enough to keep my head alright. I will make it fine until I can get to Bismarck. And in case of emergency I do have a needle and syringe in my glove box to take to the emergency room if needed. But I am not THAT tight. I promise. I will talk to you all tomorrow ladies. Have a great Sunday.

Good morning ladies!!! Lots of activity around here last night it looks like. I'm sitting here trying to get some oatmeal in. I'm feeling tight but if I take it slow hopefully it will stay. Janet, I think the reason dh wants to avoid the news altogether is because he's scared of what is going to happen with our economy....and there isn't a lot we little pee-ons can do about it, so he'd rather not watch the masacre. I have to admit I feel a little bit the same way....but really wanted to see how the two candidates squared off. Unscripted speaking always gives you a better idea of what kind of control the man would have. Ruby, I know how hard it can be to deal with those voices in your head. It's amazing what they can try to talk us into. Or try to. You can override them though. You just have to always filter the thoughts through the rules. Sherbet could be a good alternative to ice cream though. Stick with your decision to cut down exercise a bit and upping your intake for one week. See if it works. Give it a chance. If you don't see improvement in yourself mentally or physically, then see what you think. Candice, I vote Nitro too. I think he is absolutely beautiful. We will see what the placement people say. I've been told to trust their judgement. So sorry you're having such struggles with your mom. Don't let her make you feel guilty. Sometimes you have to give tough love in real life too. You'll be alright and your mom will be better for it. Okay...gotta run and get something done for a bit. You all have a great day!....oh....the oatmeal didn't stay.

Good evening ladies. Phyl, have fun at the game. I can't say that I love watching hs football....but what a great thing for your gs to be starting qb so young! LMAO is laughing my @$$ off. Tell Earl we are sorry he is having such a hard time, but if he wants to take his mind off of it, he could go pick you out a nice hat..... Janet, not watching the debates because DH doesn't seem interested, but I am. I really want to know how it goes....let me know. Kari, sorry to hear about your MIL. Give your dh our condolences. And then to be sick on top of it. So sorry you're having such a rough time. On a postive note, I did get dinner tonight. I had about 4 oz of beef tenderloin. It was absolutely devine! I tried to have a little bit of hashbrowns but they didn't sit well. So salad and steak for dinner and that make for a really happy Stephanie. Maybe I'll open up in the evenings and I can get a good meal in. That would be a sign in the right direction. Alright. Off to finish watching The Blue Elephant with the family. Have a good night ladies.

The kashi I like is the GoLean oatmeal, crunch, and the cereal with "twigs". Each have a great dose of Protein which I LOVE and always need. The crunch makes a good snack too just as a handful of crunch. I know I was going crazy not getting the potato chip "crunch". But with kashi I can. You are doing well too though. Don't think you're not!

Janet, I know you are looking out for me. Hugs for that. I would be in Bismarck in a heart beat had I not just spent 2 weeks traveling and have a huge deadline tol meet at the end of the month. I know that I should be eating solid good food. I am not advocating this as what SHOULD be done. What I am saying is that it won't kill me to do this for 2 weeks. It is not the ideal but I can stay healthy doing it if I need to. I would much rather eat real food. I like solid food. There are so many more flavors and textures that way. If I can figure out how to make the trip, I will. It's just not in the time crunch right now. I'm going to hope that some warm drinks before meals help me open up. And as I feel better I open up some. I just hope there are a few things that are making me tighter and I will open up soon and not have to worry about it. Wishful thinking....but I'm still wishing. I promise to try to make my non-solid food the best nutrition I can. If I can make it to Bismarck I will. I'll do the best I can with what I've got.

Good morning ladies....or afternoon I guess. Had a funeral to go to this morning so I'm just getting around to checking in. I'm very tight today. I tried to have a couple slices of cheese and some lunch meat for lunch and it didn't stay. I did manage to get in some v8 fusion a little bit ago so that's good. I'm going to try some oatmeal in a little bit. I need the warmth I think. DH is thinking I should go to Bismarck to get an unfill but I think I can last until the 13th without a problem. It's not like I can't get ANYTHING down, just nothing solid. I'm home now so I can regulate a little better. And the cheddar brat stayed last night. We'll see. I can tell I'm not getting enough in though because I'm super tired. I know some of it is not getting caught up from traveling but it's beyond that I think. I'll try to get a nap in this afternoon while the kids are down. Well....I'm going to have a cup of warm tea and then lay down for a bit. Talk to you all later. Ruby....good to see you are upping your intake. You don't want your body to completely boycott you. I picked up some of those lean cuisine meals to keep in the freezer for the days when I don't feel like cooking or I make the family something that I don't want to eat. I'm not sure if I picked up the meatball one. I know I was getting frustrated because so many of them had rice or noodles and if I cook those I'll eat those and if I eat those I'll be sick. I just can not say no. It's very frustrating. Anyways....have fun at akido. Wish there was something like that around here. It sounds fun. Have a good afternoon ladies....this time I'm really out of here.