shortgal

Are you tracking Protein intake, for the hair and nails? Don't know why your restriction level would go down. You've lost 34 pounds post op, I would consider that average and not really slow.

Lisa, This was the Valentine's Day challenge and ended yesterday. Join us on the "Spring" challenge. There is a new thread. The Spring challenge will last five weeks. We set a weight loss goal for the five week period and we check in on a new thread each week, which are titled "Spring Challenge week 1 " etc. They will all be listed under the November 2007 banders. Hope you'll sign on that thread. Our first weigh in will be next Thurs! P.s. Your start weight is what you weigh at the beginning of the challenge.

Lots of people, even heatlth professionals, just don't get it. BUT have you ever seen someone who just can't get a grip on some part of their life, like their finances or an abusive or "bad boy" boyfriend and think to yourself, why don't they just stop wasting money on expensive clothes, furniture, cars, vacation that they can't afford. Or think why doesn't she just get rid of that boyfriend that doesn't treat her right? I think this is the way they see our weight issues. It a part of their life that for whatever reason they have control over and we don't, but maybe we have control over our bank account and they don't. Or we are in a nice healthly relationship and they don't. I figure we all have some flaw in our life, ours is just very visible. If you know her "achilles heal" then you can explain it that way to her.

I've had one glass and a few sips of wine since being banded. While I'm in the active weight loss phase, I prefer not to "drink" my calories. It's kind of like the reason we all used to drink diet soda, so we could save the calories for food. As I get closer to goal, I'll endulge more often, but still in moderation and like Skinny Jill, I drink Water in between my wine. It makes the wine last longer. Fortunately I never liked beer so that's not an issue and I gave up carbonated beverages a long time ago.

Thanks for the update!

I found this info on an online search. I'm sure you can find more and I'm not sure the date this info was posted on the internet, so it might be outdated. Q.6 What is the difference between the LAP-BAND and the Swedish Band? A. From a strictly scientific point of view, both the LAP-BAND and the Swedish Band function in the same manner. From a surgical point of view, if the patient wishes, we can apply either one since the costs are practically the same. Obviously, our preference is the LAP-BAND for a number of reasons: 1). Because it is the type of prosthesis that will be used in the USA, as soon as the investigative trials are completed by the FDA. Moreover, our group has been asked to participate. The Swedish Band will never be utilized in the USA. 2). Because even if a non-expert in the field were to examine the two bands, they would note differences in the design, as well as the quality of silicone in favor of the LAP-BAND. 3). Behind the reputation of the LAP-BAND is a solid multi-national American company, BioEnterics. 4). In Europe, more than 60,000 LAP-BAND procedures have been done. while the Swedish Band totals a few thousand.

How long will your challange last? almost every restuarant has a good food choice, so maybe you could list GOOD take out choices from local restaurants. Do you have a lunch hour? Maybe you could start a walking group at lunch time. Or reminders for drinking water thorughout the day. Good Luck.

SADES: First day of spring is March 20. (Your Autumn I would guess). so we have five weeks for this challenge! You set an aggressive weight loss. Routing for you to make it! With the right fill, we'll both have a chance!

Sharona, Don't listen to the web site that says copy the link, just copy the actual TICKER and then paste that in your signature. Try again! I had the same problem the first time.

Sades, I can eat apples, beef, chicken, salad and popcorn and not get stuck. I am also noticing my hunger is somewhat controlled but I know I could (and want) to eat more, Weight loss is slowing and I continue to just "diet". I am worried about being overfilled, so I will discuss at my next visit, (which is the day before yours) the possibility of adding .5 cc now instead of 1cc, but making my appts closer to each other. I know if I get too tight, I'll eat foods that go down easily and some of them can be higher in calories and won't stay in my pouch long. I figure the solid foods I eat now is not the problem, I just need to feel full longer between meals. Hope we both get there soon!

As typical for this slow loser (and not having good restriction) my goal will be low. Plus I hate to overshoot and be disappointed, so I will post a goal of 5 pounds, one a week. Name...................Start..........Current..........Goal ......To Go 1. Momto1plus1......228.2..........228.2.............218...........10 2. Mariegabrieleee...252............252................240...........12 3. TxArcher............345.............345...............325...........20 4. Trixie.................241............241................221.......... .20 5. Longhorn............204............204................199............5 6. Tralynn222.........320............320.................310..........10 7. shalee04............205............205.................197.......... 8 8.ellebrookes..........178............178.................169......... ..9 9. Skinny_Jill...........186...........186..................178.......... 8 10 Shortgal ............189...........189.................184............5

I'm at approx 6cc's in my 10cc band and I have yet to get restriction that last beyond the first two days (obviously that's due to swelling). the band "helps" my willpower but I do not get that satisfied full feeling after eating and always feel I could eat more (and want to). I wait the hour after eating so I can drink just to feel full. I don;t want to be overfilled becasue I know that's not good, so I might ask for smaller fills, closer together, until I get there. Next appt on 2/26, still 12 days away!

Go to tickerfactory.com You create it, then copy and paste the actual ticker on your signature on the forum. Go to "My account" on the forum and look for "signature". Once you have that "bookmark" the ticker page. When you update the ticker, it will automatically update on your signature.

I think you need to evaluate your recent weight loss and your hunger in between meals. ( if you are still in the weight losss phase). How long does a meal that is solid food keep you satisifed. Are you making sure to not drink for one hour after a meal? How much did you lose since your last fill? Do you think you lost enough stomach fat that your band might have loosened? 6 oz of food depends on THE food. Six ounces of pizza is different than a meal that's 4 oz of meat and two oz of veggies. Be honest with yourself and I think you'll have the answer to if you need a fill.

Unfortunately, if you want to lose weight during the time period between surgery and getting the right fill to get to restriction, you'll have to use your old dieting skills. Yeah, I know, BUMMER! During this time, you should also be practicing the band rules, of small bites, well chewed and no drinking one hour after a meal. Also this a good time to listen to your body and your head and decide which one is asking to eat. Listen only to your body and not your head! This will help prepare you for when you do get restriction. There's a lot of us ( like me) currently in this stage and it sucks! Just remember getting overfilled is not the answer either, you want to be at a place where you can eat good solid (healthly) food slowly, that will stay in your pouch and keep you full. Long term success should be the goal, not reaching goal as fast as you can. Hang in there!

Just FYI, two people can both have BCBS, but unless they have the same employer, their benefits might be different. This is because each employer has a choice of plans (with different coverage) to choose from to purchase for their employees. So you need to check the requirements and coverage your employer has purchased. And you might find some threads in the "insurance" thread on the forum. I went to the seminar in Feb 07 and had all the pysch and nutrictional appts done by April and didn't end up having surgery until November and then I self paid. I was tired of the runaround from the ins. co. The process can take time. Good Luck!

My body is really fighting losing the weight now, but I'm hanging in and just squeeked in the 180's. Isn't it great, with our bands these goals are acheivable. I can't imagine I would be able to surpass a goal like this before I was banded. Can't wait to see how everyone does! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Name................Start..........Current..........Goal ......To Go TxArcher............360.............345................345.........Zero baby! Foofy ................249............242.5 (yay!).....237.........5.5 Momto1plus1.......241............228.8..............229..........-.2 mariegabrieleee....261............252................256..........-4 Shortgal..............198............189................192.........(-3)

People think being tight is the answer. I think one reason is because we are so desperate to succeed, not fail and we want it now. While I long for restriction ( I haven't reached it yet) the answer is not being so tight that solid food doesn't go down. You will then just eat "slider" food that goes down easily, won't stay in your pouch long enough and you'll be hungry again sooner. Eventually being too tight, IMO, will lead to weight gain. I believe that instead we must use the time to listen to our bodies and learn the signals our newly banded stomachs give us about being full. We won't have the "old lower belly" fullness we used to have. I am not opposed to a low calorie liquid day or two to jump start weight loss, but eating that way long term should not be the goal. My goal is to be able to eat salad, apples, chicken and other Healthy food that will keep me and my pouch satsified. At two 1/2 months post op, maybe I am still just nieve (sp?) but this is how I see restriction at this time.

Sharona: boy can I relate to the clothes shopping thing. Only thing worse than being fat and trying to buy clothes is being fat and SHORT and trying to buy clothes. There is about 1/4 of the "petite" plus sizes than the regular plus sizes. Talk about a pain! I have been holding off as long as I could to buy anything new, but finally ordered a couple things. Going from the plus sizes down to petite is tough and needs more weigh loss than going to regular misses, because many petites only go to 16 and dont go to 18 or 20. I think I need 10 more pounds to get into the petite pants. Tops are a little easier, I'm bigger on the bottom. I ordered three tops, all petite XL, and one fits. The other two were knits and what they called "slim" fit. I could keep them but they're long sleeve and by the time I get into them, I might need short sleeves, so back they go. I'm go shopping for new pants next week. Just one or two pair ( hopefully on sale and cheap). I used to have a closet full of clothes that didn't fit (too small) and now I still have a closet with nothing that fits. But at least this time they're too big! Boy, that feels strange but good to say! You'll be buying new summer clothes for sure. Hope you can schedule your surgery soon.

Foofy, you still lost one pound a week! Be proud of that! TxArcher: 15 pounds in 6 weeks is great! You men kill me, always the fast losers! Nice job! I'll post tomorrow a.m. I should be down at least one more pound from last week. I set a conservative goal of one pound a week and cannot believe I will surpass that. Amazing! Weight loss is slowing though, so the fill that finally gets me to restriction can't come fast enough. I'll spend the rest of the day considering (or should I say obsessing) what my Memorial Day goal will be. LOL!

Everybody has something that works for them. If it works, stay the course, if it's not working, change it! For me, the scale is a friend. It keeps me on track. I see the number and think, Ok, on track, OR, uh oh, better watch it. I don't have huge flucuations ( no TOM anymore). I can get upset if the number doesn't go down, even though I know about lost inches etc., but I just realize that I might have hit a plateau but at least I know where I stand as far as the scale goes. So it works for me. Yeah, I do get worried if I'm without the scale for a few days or a week, but that will get better when I'm close to goal. Right now my goal is to lose weight (and yes fat) so that is my focus and I want to measure that in someway, which for me is my scale. P.S. I'm in at least a size 18, so I know the scale has to go down before I get into a size 12. Inches alone are not going to do it, especially since I am not exercising much yet. Spring weather will change that!

NJ Gal, Can you put all the junk food in one cabinet and lock it? Give your fiancee one key and son another key and be sure you don;t have the key! Isn't it terrible we have to resort to this? I don't have kids at home, but anytime there is ice cream or chips in the house, I cannot resist. they just sit in the cabinet and call out to me. We don't have that in the house often because I know I'm weak around them and for Halloween, I insisted we buy candy I hate (Skittles and starburst) and the leftovers are still in the cabinet. If your cabinet handles aren't the kind you can lock, then maybe a small locking box somewhere for the treats. My son is getting married Late Sept and I'm worried about finding a dress that fits, which I'll have to buy several months before the wedding for alterations, so really I have five months, about the same time left as you before the event. If I get some restriction soon then I might feel more hopeful I can acheive that goal. But even if I ( or you) can get within 10 pounds of the 50 pound goal, we'll look good! If we aim for fifty and fall a little short, it's better than aiming for thirty pounds and falling short! I'm pretty good with tracking calories and protein, but if the scale doesn't move for five days, I do one or two lower calorie days (today I'm doing all liquid protein). Even weight watchers gives suggestions for low calorie days to save points for a weekend event or celebration. My liquid protein today will be 8am: Atkins shake, 11 am: 1/2 bottle Isopure clear, 2pm: Atkins shake, 5pm: 1/2 bottle Isopure clear, 8pm Atkins shake. 85 gms of protein. 640 calories. If I really feel I need it, I'll have something to bring my calories up to 800. Cut out photos of beautiful wedding dresses and hang them on the frig and locked (treat) cabinet or bring your scale to the kitchen and get on it before you eat anything! Just as reminders of your goal! Good Luck and all brides are beautiful! The wonderful family you'll have is just as important as the size of your dress.

How nice you have a "band buddy". It's got to make things easier. Ha, I think about myself all the time in terms of food! My husband could stand to lose about 40 pounds, overweight, but not a lot. He does like high fat food, grew up with it as a kid. His mom made lots of fried food. My preference is carbs. Jealous or angry are NOT the right words to describe my feelings when he eats things I can't, but I would like him to change some eating habits for his health. While I had the band, I did not have high blood pressure. He takes meds for HBP and cholesterol and I believe he's headed for diabetes (his mom had it) if he doesn't lose some weight. And I worry about his kidneys because of the medications he takes. His mom had a kidney removed. I guess I feel I'm working on getting healthier and just wish he would, too. I don't have good restriction yet, so I am using some willpower and for that reason, I'm not ready to let in too many carbs, since that's my weakness, I'm afraid I'll trigger a binge!

Go to the top of the forum page and do an "advanced search". Put Dr. Wade Barker in the search field and then chose the "doctors" forum and you get previous posts on him. Read through those and maybe you'll get more input on him. Maybe the day you went was just a "bad" office day and not a typical day in his office and maybe it was a "normal" day for them.

Funny you should post this right now, as I was just searching online (everything is online) to find a converison table for dry ingredients from oz to cups, when I got the e-mail about a new post on the forum. My husband likes crepes and I'll bet we could use sugar free jelly. Crepes can make an elegant dessert for company, too! He is also much more satisfied if a meal has some fat, that is less important to me. Thanks for the info. Now I just have to compare the calories to a regular pancake, even tho I already know the carbs will be higher. LOL. We are obsessed with this stuff, huh? Glad you got to have a yummy b'fast while getting to the answer!