shortgal

I had to ask my husband how much the precooked chicken costs here ( he cooks, so he shops) and he said between 5 and 6 dollars, depending on how big the chicken is. I have no idea how much anything at the supermarket costs. If I do shop, I just buy what we need. We're on East Coast. I don't mind cleaning, but I do have cleaning ladies (cleaning angels we call them), like gardening, love decorating, mmmmm cooking, not so much and definitely not more than occasionally.

Did you think losing weight would fix some other issues or problems in your life? Seventy pounds is a big amount in a short time, maybe your head hasn't caught up yet. Sometimes we get so caught up in getting to the end goal, we don't enjoy a few things along the way. Go to the theatre, enjoy a movie, have friends over for dinner. We stop our lives until we reach the perfect "place". Celebrate the weight loss by doing something you wished you could have done before, but were afraid you couldn;t. Go kayaking or for a hike, something physical that isn't just exercise in the gym. Maybe someone's answer here will resonate with you. Maybe you just suffer from depression?

Well $7 isn't cheap, but no oven turned on, no time spent preparing etc. And if you use light mayo and sparingly, you could make chicken salad for lunch the following day. Think about it, how many of us ever complained about the price of ice cream or chips or Cookies or a drink at the bar or dessert at the restaurant? And how much is a starbucks coffee? Good healthy food is worth it. If you want someone else to do the work cooking it, we gotta pay the piper! I cooked when my kids were little becasue it was my job to keep them alive, but that's the only reason I did it. Later, my husband had a different job and starting cooking and he is MUCH better at it and actually enjoys it. Crazy, huh? Oh and I love gardening! Different strokes for different folks!

If you dont have good restriction yet, it's hard, but good restriction won;t change that you hate to cook. I'm lucky my husband cooks, but If he's working or traveling. I eat lean cuisines or other frozen dinners. How about a George Forman grill machine, it makes grilling chicken a breeze. Roasted chicken at the supermarket? Could you cook once or twice a week and then rely on frozen things ( South Beach) or canned tuna on a pita or a bowl of Cereal for dinner? Kashi Go lean or Special K high Protein. One hour later drink a glass of Isopure Clear for 20 extra gms of protein. Make a small Turkey meatloaf, have it for dinner one night and lunch the next day. Marinate a few shrimp or a piece of salmon and throw them on the George Forman grill. Veggies are the easiest. Supplement a frozen dinner by opening a can of green Beans. Like Chili? many people say Wendy's is good. Just Drive thru. I'm three months out and haven't exercised yet. I will as soon as the weather is better. You need restriction and everything will fall into place. Just hang on until then.

I had my surgery at a "Center Of Excellence" and did not have all those extra visits. Remember except for the sleep study everything else mentioned physiology AND pysch AND behavior AND nutritional are not the same as a chest x-ray or an upper GI series or an EKG. I had lots of testing but not a lot of behavior classes or nutritional visits etc. My group has post op classes I can attend for counseling about diet, foods, behaviors etc after surgery, while I am really living with these issues. Before surgery, it's just info we don't know what to do with yet or how to implement the suggestions into our life, becasue we're not banded yet. I realize they are being very through but it sounds like overkill and is not working for this particular patient. I agree with you that people could end up with problems if they don;t do some pre-op testing etc. and some people have been very satisified going to Mexico. We can have a problem if we go to Mexico or if we stay in the US, some is bad luck and some becasue of bad decisions.

If I could not get Water down at any time of day. i would consider myself too tight and get a little fill taken out. That would be too tight for me, others don;t feel the same becasue they need/want strong retriction when the band opens later in the day.

You can do an advanced search on the forum for previous threads/posts about your clinic. The advanced search is at the upper right of the forum page. Do not pick the google search box, look higher on the page and you'll see advanced search. Put your clinic name in the search on the left and then choose the Doctors and hospital section on the right. Previous posts will come up that you can read through. It could be very helpful to see where other people in your area went or read about people that went to your clinic. Other searches such as Doctors in Ma or Doctors in Boston might help.

It sounds like this very large BRAND NAME center is doing a clinical trial. If they are gathering a lot of info and all these tests, something is up. Not to say, there aren't tests that many people go through on the forum, but this seems excessive. I had a pysch visit. One visit. A nutritional consult. One visit. And an appt with the surgeon. A sleep study can be routine for some Dr's because Sleep apnea can be a co morbid that will help ins approval. ( And something your facility can document as improved or not improved after surgery, if they re doing a trial.) I would have had to have an ultrasound but I already had my gallbladder out and an upper GI, but I had one already and knew I had a hiatal hernia, which was repaired at surgery). Pre-op testing once you have a surgery date includes bloodwork, chest x-ray and EKG. Maybe she suggested GBP becausethe two groups of WLS patients they are tracking needed more in one group than another. I was once part of a trial at Yale and never again! I later felt like a guinea pig. They were just trying out a way of getting rid of gallstones. I had several treatments and wasted time and still needed traditional surgery to have it removed, when the new way of treatment failed. Sure I would be willing to be in trial if surgery were free maybe or if I had an untreatable cancer and had no choice. Not sure if this is what is going on where you are, but consider asking or getting a new Dr.

Did you choose the right ticker? Did you want the weight loss or the BMI ticker? There are several choices. So try again!

Hi Dr. I want to know if most Dr's tighten the muscle under the neck when they do a neck lift? What is the procedure called when the muscle is tightened. I have creping under the neck (had it before I lost any weight) but I don;t want just a face lift. I had one ps consult before the band, but then my husband had some health issues and I realized that if I was going to get banded, I should wait to lose my weight before having surgery. That surgeon did not mention the muscle under the neck. Do you tighten it, when you do neck lifts? I need a lot of surgery. My thighs, my neck and face and a panni. My arms aren't great already, but not sure I want that long scar. Is is possible to lift the arms just making a scar in the armpit? Thanks for any reply. I can how busy you are from the Big Medicine show. I would love info about your out of town programs. I have a friend in Dallas ( I think you're in Houston) that I could stay with for a week after surgery, just to be sure I'm ok before going home.

Thank you Dr. Good to know, as I would have done the face first. It's the first thing eveyone sees and can't be hidden like thighs!

I don't think there is one person on this forum that would even suggest WLS is the best answer unless you do feel you have tried everything else first. We all know the struggle and would support anyone trying to lose weight, unless they were doing it in a unhealthy way, like anorexia or bulimia. Keep up the good work.

http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html There it is! Start a new thread and let us know every day how it's going. We'll cheer you on and maybe you could encourage others to join you. We all might need to do this one day, be our fearless leader!

First, decide if you need a fill. How long do you feel satisifed after eating a "normal" portion of food? You've had fills, you now how to figure that out. To rid yourself of the cravings, detox! Do two days of full liquids, lots of Protein and very low carbs. You can check on the forum for the "five day pouch test" diet. It's what is recommended for GBP patients that have fallen off the wagon. It clears your system from the carbs and will help you get back on track. Plan the day you will start and be sure you have everything you need in the house, so there are no excuses. After the detox, for at least two weeks, count every calorie and track all your protein. You've lost 100 pounds, getting back on track and doing a few days of liquids, is a walk in the park!

Pb is productive burp. You burp but food comes up. Sliming is an overproduction of salivia your body produces when something is stuck in the stoma. Your body is trying to soften it to go down. Depends on your level of restriction (usually, there can be exceptions) if these things happen. I have PB'd once. I didn't chew a blackberry very well and it went down the wrong way and felt stuck. It hurt and then "burp" and up it came. I hardly ever slime. I don't have or want restriction that is so tight, that that happens often. I prefer to know with more reliability that food , especially the right food, will go down. We all know and have been advised that even with tight restriction foods we shouldn't eat often, like ice cream or Cookies will usually go down fine. I need more fill to get to my preferred restriction level, but I want solid food to go down becasue I know that will stay in my pouch and keep me satisfied longer and becasue i want to live and eat like a normal person. Don;t worry the first fill usually does not give you tight restriction, but the first few days it might be tighter becasue of some swelling from the fill itself. That's why many Dr's recommend liquids for a day or two after the fill. ( Mind does, followed by two days of soft). You'll figure it all out.

Thanks Doddie, I am one of those practical "tough love" kind of thinkers. Maybe I'm just an old cranky lady! The band has a process to it. It CAN be very difficult when our restriction is not right. I still struggle with that. I know I could eat more, but fortunately the band does help my willpower to say, NO. I know I can't rely on willpower forever. When I get fills, I get some swelling for a few days and after the last fill, I had one day on soft food, where it felt like the band REALLY worked. I ate a measured portion of cereal for b'fast and stayed content until 1pm. Now that's what I'm talking about! Without good restriction, many days I watch the clock waiting for the next meal! I lurk on this thread and post sometimes, but I hate to "label" myself a slow loser becasue I worry that's a mentally defeating statement. I would rather think I am losing at the best rate I can, as I know I am really working at it. And really, this is the fastest I've ever lost compared to previous attempts, so no doubt the band is helping me. I'm also lucky that I don't have children at home. I don't have snacks or food that might tempt me hanging around the house and I don't have to cook for a family. My husband cooks and he cooks things I can eat. (although, I have to remind him a lot that soup is not band friendly, unless I'm on liquids, LOL). On the other side, I'm older, less active than when I had kids and had laundry and constant house cleaning, work, etc. so in ways, it's a trade off. I struggle with trying to get everything we are supposed to eat. Enough protein, enough calcium, enough veggies, enough fiber, but oh yeah, don't eat over 1200 calories a day. Yeah, right. I guess I just think that if everyone on the forum had tried every diet known to man before getting the band, then surely sticking to another diet until we reach restriction is possible. I do feel bad for those whose Dr.'s wait months to give them a fill, when it's obvious they need one. I mean, how can they be that good for that long, that's why they ( we) needed the band. That's just mean and they should know better, that the band doesn't work for the patient without some restriction. But sympathy for those that constantly eat around the band, especially when they are still trying to lose? nope, no sympathy here. Lock up the stupid cookies and chocolate and give your kids the key.

Don't worry. The IV, the anesthesia and the gas they use can bloat us, it takes time for all of that to go away. You lost 25 pounds in a short time. Before the band, how many times did that happen? We all worry the band won't work becasue everything else we tried failed, but this is different. Once your band is adjusted ( after healing) and you get the right fill, you'll lose more weight. We're not the msot patient people, we all want to lose this weight, yesterday! But just go through the whole band process and before you know it, one day you'll wake up and be at or near goal! Just keep sticking to the plan and you'll be ok. Expect that some weeks you'll lose great and some weeks, you won't. That's just the way it is. Almost every person on the forum has had the same complaint at some point.

What form is the supplement? Pill? Where do you get it? For those of you that are using Milk of magnesia. How much, how often do you take? Does it make you have to go right away or more naturally? I don;t want to be caught off guard. I tried the recommended dose of Miralax once, but wow it worked fast and was too much, I had the runs all the next day. I guess I could reduce the dose. Just prefer for the urge to be more natural. I started with benefiber but it doesn't seem to be strong enough, but it does soften, to make it easier when I do go. This and too much gas has been the two biggest challenges in this lap band for me. anyone find anything that works for the gas?

Just because many of us here on the forum have decided on the band to help us reach our goals, I do believe it is very possible ( especially for someone young, like you) to acheive their goal without being banded. When we're young, sometimes living with our parents (who also might be overweight) we don;t learn to cook, shop, prepare meals for ourselves and learn what's healthy food and what healthy portions are. You're on your own now and this is a great time to try to do this without the band. There is a local woman in my town that lost over 200 pounds on weight watchers AND she has kept it off for many years. It is possible, it's not just possible for all of us. You are motivated now and keeping in touch with people on this forum with the same goals will be very helpful to you. If you feel at anytime, you need extra help, I would suggest you try a weight watchers meeting. While I wasn;t able to maintain my loses using WW, I did learn many skills, like weighing, measuring etc. that have helped me now with my band. I applaud your efforts to get healthy and your reasons are valid. You want to live a better life. Good for you!

LuLuC: That is me exactly. I have not yet reached my first good restriction, so I keep going for fills. I have 7cc's in my 10 cc band and have been getting 1 cc at each appt, except the first fill was 2cc. The next fill I would like .5 cc. I prefer to sneak up on restriction now that I'm probably getting close, than to be too tight. If this one doesn't last, then I'll go again in two weeks. I think I'll need to be somewhere between 7.5 to 8.5 as well. I have an appt tomorrow and just called yesterday to get it. I had no problem getting in.

Ct Man: Hello, where are you? Check in with us! Hi KBosco: I was done by Dr. Ehrlich, too. I've had six fills and tomorrow will be my seventh! yikes, still waiting to get good restriction. think I'm finally close! Beachcomber: How's it going? Looks by your ticker, you're doing great. I hope you're finally eating real food!

I mix my calories up to confuse my body. If one day I have 800, then I'll have 1000 and occasionally 1200. I think if we have the exact same calories every single day our bodies just maintain our current weight on those calories. My thinking is the caveman probably had to hunt for food. One day maybe all they'd find is berries and another day they'd kill something and eat big. I mean they didn't have a supermarket or refig. to keep things, so it was all about what they could find in a day. So I do the mix up once in awhile. Maybe, we are all just fooling ourselves and none of these silly things work, maybe it's just that we naturally fluctuate and eventually we lose again. Who knows? I just feel better if I think I am trying something. We are all so impatient when it comes to losing weight. We can't help it, we just want it gone. All we can do is hang in there and keep working at it. One day we'll wake up and it will be gone. Then we'll all be on the forum figuring out how to keep it off! My next fill is tomorrow! Hope this one gets me my sweet spot. After three months of waiting for good restriction. I'm ready!

Nice, supportive friends. It will help to have that kind of support on your lapband journey. They have nice taste, too. Bracelet is very pretty!

Are you dehydated? Maybe that's the headache problem? You look fabulous. It must feel so great ( other than the headaches, the healing and the pain)!

You were able to lose 80 pounds in a year without a band? That is remarkable. The msot I ever lost was thirty pounds and it took me 10 months. If you occassionally are able to have a reasonable amount of willpower then the band will boost that a bit and helps those "lapses". But we all could eat around the band. As stated above if you sit down with a gallon of ice cream and a spoon, the band won't stop you. I do not have good restriction with my band yet, but while previously it took me 10 months to lose 30 pounds, with the band it's taken me 3 months to lose the same amount. The band allows me to be more consistent with my eating habits and makes it easier for me to resist the "slider" foods that go down easily. Kind of like a "normal" person eats. Could I eat ice cream? Sure, but can I say No, thanks. Yes!