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Everything posted by shortgal
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Hi all, just checking in. CTMAN, you're doing great. You must be eating regular food now and that helps. How was your fill? Do you know how much they put in? I am going for a small fill today. Still can eat quantities that are too large. Don't want too big a fill because I'm going on vacation soon and don't want to be too tight, if I'm not near the DR. SHARONA: Good for you using the fat free mayo, I still use the regular stuff but I don't use much, I prefer the tuna a little dry. I also use the lean cuisines often for lunch because it's so easy to track the calories. They do have too many carbs in them, tho. Just keep plugging along people, one day we'll wake up and be at goal!
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I'm menopausal so no more periods, but I get a few days of the month ( not in a row) that I just get so hungry. Maybe it's still a hormonal thing, I don't know. On those days, all I can think of is food and I get bad periods of cravings. Last week I had a day like that and decided to just kind of give in. I ate healthy food but ate more than usual. An extra yogurt, a bag of microwave popcorn ( yes, the whole bag). By the end of the day, I added it up and it was maybe 1500 calories. Not as bad as I thought but more than I usually eat. The next day, I was fine and eating normally again, so who knows why this happens? It was getting back on track that I was worried about, but it worked out ok. Maybe my band was just looser that day, like some days they seem a little tighter. LADYBUG: Don't beat yourself up about it, look at your ticker, you're doing fabulous! We all want to lose weight faster but it's just not so easy. The band is for life, so it'll all work out.
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I try to keep junk food out of the house, so the only places I can get it, is if we are out visiting family or friends, that at least limits how often I eat a "bad" food. I can still over eat but then at least it's just an extra yogurt or Protein bar. I would say this is a problem maybe one or two days a month. I try to plan earlier in the day for the times we have company for dinner etc. I have a few treats available that are not as bad as maybe chips would be, for me to choose from. And I am careful earlier in the day with eating. To me this is how my "normal" weight friends eat. They eat sensibly all week and then occasionally indulge. It is amazing how easily some foods go down. I made creme brulee for dessert on Saturday night as we had guests. I had trouble getting some of the chicken down ( ate too fast) but had no problem getting dessert down! But I choose that dessert instead of having a big cake or pie because of the risk of leftovers! the recipe I made had eight servings and there was six of us for dinner. My husband happily consumed the extras, one was the "test" to make sure it came out ok and he ate the last one the next day. A big cake would have been too tempting for me. It's a challenge for sure Linda. I know I should eat protein first and during a normal week I do, but when we have friends over, it's always appetizers (and drinks) first, so then what? I'm not a cheese lover, but I am trying more of them to try to develop a taste, as at least that is protein. I guess if we can work at eating healthy 90% of the time, the other 10% will be ok. Can you allow yourself maybe one of two days a month that you "treat" yourself with one fun meal that you can look forward to? Then maybe you won't feel like your are going to be deprived forever. Wow, SADES, I hope my band will eventually do 90% of the work. It is defintely not at that level yet! But exciting to think it could be. I'd take 75%. Linda, according to your ticker, it looks like your doing very well overall and your over half way to your goal. That's great!
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I was an emotional wreck before surgery. Not because I was afraid of surgery, but because i was so tired of being overweight and unable to stop gaining weight. I knew I needed help that something like the band could give me. I fought with ins for over 6 months, still with no approval and my husband and I agreed we'd self pay for the surgery and then I was banded about a month later. Best decision we made. I feel better, I look better. I eat well and with the band's help am able to say NO way more often to sweets. As far as telling people, I did not tell anyone until after the surgery was over. I did not need their advice on if I needed the surgery or not. I don't share the info that I've had the surgery with everyone but with close friends I have.
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Am I the only one the band isn't helping?
shortgal replied to Cindy2you's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
First your band has to be adjusted properly and then YOU have to work WITH your band. So see the Dr. and discuss with them the kinds of food and the quantity of those foods you are eating and then discuss together if a fill is needed. Then do your part to help your band. If there are unhealthy foods in your house, get rid of them and bring healthy foods in. Start counting your calories to see how much your consuming and track your protein to be sure you are getting enough. Get back on the band track. I would not be afraid the Dr or staff is going to be mad at me. Just talk to them honestly. Tell them you need their advice and help. That's what they are there for. Many people fall off track, it's unlikely you will be their first patient that came in with a weight gain. -
Oh man! I know how frustrating buying clothes is, we hate to spend money on things that we can't wait for them to get too big, but we have places to go and need clothes. That is a bummer, for sure! I try to get by with one or two pairs of pants and wear more casual LL Bean pull on type around the house, but I'm going on vacation and can't get by with two pairs of pants, so I have to buy a few more. I don;t want to buy more size 16's. Groan.
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Hey 50 & over gang We have a new spot
shortgal replied to IndioGirl55's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Janet, I think you look great! In the after full body photo you can see how relaxed and confident you are in your new body. I have a full round face/cheeks. That was one of the things I hated most. I had so many overweight friends that never took a bad photo becasue you could never see their weight in their face, but me, ouch all pudgy cheeks. I haven't taken a new photo yet to compare, but I'd rather wait another 15 pounds. We're going on vacation the end of this month, so I know there'll be photos taken then, so I guess I'll be able to see if there is a difference soon. And I won't be down 15 more pounds by then. -
We are very similar in size. I am 5 feet even also and I started at 216 and hope to get to 140. Seems like your goal is almost the same. You have a nice defined waist, me too, but carried your weight at the hips and belly, me too! So impressed with the possibility of looking like you do now in that area. Have you tried Talbots clothing? The women's petite or just the regular petite fits me very nicely. I have trouble with the regular petities becasue of my belly,(the womans petite is cut a little fuller in that place) but since your surgery, I bet they'd fit you very nicely. Hope you post photos of your thighs when you get them done. Yours look MUCH better than mine already, but I'm 20 years older than you. :purplebananna: I would love to get mine done, so I could once again wear a regular one piece bathing suit, right now I need the little skirt type to hide my upper thighs.
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Many of us don't get good restriction right away, like me. But not losing something, not matter how much was not an option for me. So, I had been on so many diets before anyway, I just went on another one. I eat healthy food and I count calories and track Protein, you know like weight watchers. The band does help me stay in control better than the previous days doing WW without the band. I also find eating this way helps to change my habits and practice band rules like not drinkning for one hour after a meal. Once we get restriction, it will get easier. I'm not setting any weight loss records, but losing slow and steady. I'll take it!
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It was hard for me to be able to get in all the required Protein in the first week. The surgeon's office told me that was ok and that might happen, when I left the hospital. Gradually, I was able to increase my liquid Protein. I think it took about 10 days before I could get in all the recommended protein, but each day I was able to drink a little more. The first two weeks, my appetite was just not there. There can be post op swelling around the band, that can affect our appetite, the swelling goes down in time and appetite goes up.
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How does your metabolism not nose dive?
shortgal replied to Iwanttotriagain's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
One size does not fit all! So one minimum number does not fit all. These "rules" might fit many people, but as we age we generally require fewer calories, so what happens to that minimum rule? If you were laying in bed all day and not up and moving and performing your daily work, do you think you'd require the same amount of calories as when you go to work everyday or vacuum and clean etc. Conversely, if you were doing heavy manual labor, you'd need more calories just to maintain your weight. The nurse at my Dr's office was concerned because some days I only ate 800 calories ( most days were 1000) so she asked me to talk to the nutritionist, which I did. she wasn't worried about me eating 800 a few days a week. I am 56, not running around with a young family and doing tons of laundry and in the winter I'm less active in general. I am now eating closer to 1200 and my weight loss has slowed down. When I get better restriction, I hope my hunger is controlled so I can eat 800 to 1000 daily calories, this is the level, I lose best at. Not rapidly, but steady and that tells me, that intake suits me personally. I say find your ideal for steady loss daily intake. some cars eat more gas, some people need more gas. That's my theory. -
Do you track your calories and protein? Do you weigh and measure your food? Are you resorting to softer foods because you have to chew more solid food too much? when I stall in weight loss, if I track calories for a few days, the problems begin to expose themselves and the answer for why I didn;t lose is usually evident. however sometimes there are just plateaus ( a rest your body needs form continued weight loss) that happen.
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If you can't eat normal food then mostly likely your band is too tight. You might have to chew a lot and take small bites to get "normal" food down, but if you still can't then my guess is too tight! The bad part of being too tight is that only bad foods go down!
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The results are truly impressive. How tall are you? Your thighs look way better than mine and I haven't even lost 50 pounds yet. What did your ps think about the fact that you still want to lose more weight? How will more weight loss affect what he did already? Did you go down another size just from the ps? Thanks for posting the pics!
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How many fills you need to get restriction can depend on a lot of things. The size of your band, how much saline at each fill your Dr puts in and your stomach. One person might have more fat around the stomach area where their band is than another person. I've had eight ( yes, eight fills) and still don;t have great restriction. I have a large 10 cc band. First fill was 2 cc's, next were 1cc's and last two were .25 and .50 cc's. I do prefer smaller fills to sneak up on restriction. I do not want my band to be too tight. If it means I lose slower, that's ok. It also means I can eat a larger variety of healthy foods. So don't panic yet!
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they pumped gas into your stomach to inflate it for more working room as they perform the procedure. It takes a few days to go away. Walk as much as you can and some say a heating pad is helpful. It is normal.
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Just Banded Question
shortgal replied to Lapbandpenny's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
You've probably been on liquids for several days so there;s not much to come out of your colon and if you've had pain meds they can constipate you ( but some people also complain of the opposite problem). You had anesthesia which slows all your functions down and not moving much so this can affect your bowels. It will happen eventually, but son;t expect much if you;re not on solids food. Also less in, less out. The gas pain hurts., walking (movement) helps, some say a heating pad helped. I found that time was all that helped me. After about four days, I felt better. -
How does your metabolism not nose dive?
shortgal replied to Iwanttotriagain's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm guessing you think this because of the lower calorie intake? A low calorie diet during recovery does not seem to shut down metabolism. Long term I would agree, but you won't be on a very low calorie diet for that long. Anyway that was my experience. I also find that confusing the body with a varied calorie intake helps. Example, one day 800 calories, another day 1000, a 1200 calorie day, another 1000 calorie day etc. I was not on beef broth only for several weeks. Broth was included in my first week post op diet but then I progressed to other thicker liquids. Having a higher level of Protein in the post op diet was also benefical to my weight loss. -
I don;t drink margaritas, my drink of choice is generally wine. I waited almost 3 months before indulging. I wanted to continue to lose weight and I just didn't need the extra "empty" calories of liquor. Now four 1/2 months post op, I've had a few more glasses at dinner with friends, but still limit my intake. I would think at least four to six weeks post op to begin drinking is reasonable but your surgeon will let you know. Then i would drink it slow, make it last and alternate sips with a glass of water.
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Can you answer my questions?
shortgal replied to 2big's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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Welcome and check out the "Before and After pix thread", hard to find stronger motivation that those pictures of successful bandsters. I finally got so sick and tired and was miserable with my weight, so having the surgery was a relief and I really had no fears once I made up my mind. If is was so bad ( pain wise) why would so many people be doing it. There are many threads here on the forum you might find helpful. There's a group for those in their 50's, a group for people banded in a specific month and groups for people with a specific amount of weight to lose. Try to search around on the forum and check out the ones you feel you have something in common with. After battling my weight for many years, this is now the lowest I have weighed in 20 years, it never would have happened without my band.
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Everyone on the forum seems confused on a reason as to why a fill "kicks in" a few weeks after a fill. It makes no sense but seems to happen. But Pbing a lot is not a good thing and can't be considered a normal way of eating. It happens that we get too tight, but a SLIGHT unfill can make you feel so much better.
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What a great idea to bring movies, you'll get your mind occupied on something else while there and the time will go by faster. You've actually managed to make chemo sound like a relaxing activity and that can only a good thing. If you're relaxed, your mind is relaxed. I've heard that people that end up on a similar chemo schedule end up bonding as friends, so maybe you'll meet a few new people, but don;t forget us here on the forum and check in with us if they have wireless!
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Welcome, did you just want to vent or are you looking for suggestions? More info would be helpful. How many calories and what kind of foods ( and in what quantity) are you able to eat? What size band and how much fill do you have. So many people that are too tight do not lose weight. I know it doesn't always make sense, but many people that are too tight, get a SMALL unfill and when they go back to solid healthy Protein, they begin to lose weight again. It's a balance between being loose enough that solid protein goes down and a meal of solid protein satisfies you for several hours. I'm sure many on the forum will give you some suggestions to get back on track, with more info.
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Gosh Kendra so much different information and treatment plans for you to adjust to with each new Dr and facility. It must be like being on a crazy roller coaster! Sounds like you finally have a plan now and that's a good thing. KICK the crap out of those tumors and get well. BANDPAL: You have such a great way of putting feelings into words, I'm sure Kendra is touched by your prayers.