shortgal

Iron pills can constipate you, so you might want to look for some foods with iron in it. Women (even those not banded) that still get a regular period can have low iron and especially during pregnancy. Check online for iron rich foods and try adding them to your diet.

I was not saying anyone is too young for surgery, however the younger you are the longer you'll have to live with the band. We see the results of careless youthfulness almost every day, when a teenager drives too fast and loses their life. Sometimes the young just live impulsively. I was fat as a child, too, so I understand. I don't remember that The young man that posted the thread said he was fat as a child, I recall reading that he bulked up for football and now that football is over, he's having a hard time getting the weight to come off. I tried to give him a dose of reality, to be sure he isn't seeing the option of surgery as a quick fix. I don't think he was listening to me anyway and I stand by my advice that he try to live life as a bander for awhile and "try it on first before buying it" because it's not easy to "return" it. At his age, there can be a world of difference in maturity even in the short time between 19 and 21.

Yes, the juice is very expensive. Was it the black cherry juice? I forgot my husband does the celery, too. Once this episode is over. Why not try the radishes? Like I said he does one packet over a week's time and he hasn't had another flair up since. If you get another attack, at least you'll still have the RX to take, but maybe you can prevent another attack from happening.

Usually on full liquids you can have tomato Soup and cream of chix soup. Some people have said they get egg drop soup and just eat the broth. Unfortunately, will power is neccessary sometimes during the banding process. Until you get restriction with future fills, even when eating soft and mushy food you will probably need to kick the willpower in high gear. If you have trouble controlling quantities of food once you start on solids, then you risk gaining back some or all of the pre-op or post-op weight you're losing now. I am at eight weeks and have been struggling with this for several weeks now until I get restriction. I am using willpower to prevent me from gaining any weight back! Hang in there! You're not alone in this battle!

In an effort to keep myself accountable: Here's today: I'll edit post after dinner: B'fast: One cup Kashi go lean with 1/2 c skim milk. 180C snack: One bottle Special k2O Water 50C 230c Lunch: One packet reg oatmeal, one pack. low sugar apple and cinnamon 220c drizzle of skim milk 450C total 24 gm Protein total Snack: 1/2 bottle Ispoure Clear 80c 20 gm T530C 44 gm protein Dinner: One can Progressive chix noodle Soup 200 c didn't finish it all, got stuck??? 830C ?Protein Snack: non fat yogurt 120c 950C 7gm (51gm T, plus soup Another snack: 60 c slice of whole wheat with pb. 1070 Calories T

Doesn't she look great? And those were pre-banding photos!

There is a black cherry juice concentrate you can buy ( health food stores probably) and make your own juice. But watch the calories/sugar with the juice, if you can tolerate the radishes, they're better as far as sugar/calories.

I am two months out and don't have restriction, so I understand completely. I have avoided gaining weight by tracking my calories and Protein. Yeah, I know we didn't have surgery to continue to diet and track calories, but until we get restriction, I think it's what we have to do to avoid gaining back what we lost. Some weeks, I do one or two days of 800 calorie days and then stick to under 1200 the rest of the days. Your amount of daily calories needed to lsoe or not gain, will vary based on your current weight and level of exercise. There are lots of us on the forum that have yet to reach our first level of restriction. Hang in there!

Now that the other November ladies are getting restriction, I'm hopeful that mine is close, too! I'm happy for you, it must be a relief!

Thanks and don't even get me going about the grandchildren issue! LOL. My daughter has been married 5 1/2 years and seems to have no interest in having children. I try to keep my mouth shut about talking about wanting granchildren because I know they have to raise them, not me, but lots of my friends are now having grandchildren and I feel kind of left out. I think I might have to wait for my son and I'm sure that's a few years away. I'm going to relax about the dress and continue to believe that waiting until July to purchase will be ok.

Thanks Grandmom, sounds way too high in calories for me at my stage, but at only 500 calories a day for you, it sounds like a good thing.

Wow several of you have hit good restriction this time, so maybe my time is coming soon, too! It must feel good to be satisfied on less food. That's just the jump start I need!

Longhorn, You (and your daughter) look beautiful and tall! Nothing looks frumpier than fat and short (me). When my daughter got married five years ago, my dress was from penney's and I had it altered to fit me well. We had a local wedding dress maker ( she was so good) make the bridesmaids dresses and she altered my dress. Lots of friends have used her too and she was going to be my ace in the hole.... until she moved, when her daughter got married. Nobody knows where she is now. I always look terrible in every photo from every wedding or event and for once I would just like to look good! Unlike some people, I carry a lot of weight in my face (and my belly). Anyway, I think my recent "down, panicky" state is hormonal. I stopped using my hormonal patch right before surgery and haven't put it back on and this week, the hot flashes have come back with a vengence. Plus sizes are great for TALL people, but trust me, most don't work on shorties, like me. That's why I'm so desperate to get down to regular sizes. I have my head on straight today and if the next fill doesn't restrict me, then I'll get another fill sooner. Thanks for the boost (and the pics). I love your hair up!

Thanks Cindy for the encouragement. I wish I felt I had the time to "wait" for restriction. The wedding is coming and I'm so worried about finding a dress that looks decent. At 5'0", finding a fancy dress won't be easy unless I can get another 35 pounds off and time is running out. I don't think I will lose anything this week. Today's menu: One bottle Isopure Clear 12 Almonds one lean cuisine dinner one non fat sugar free yogurt one slice low carb whole wheat bread (60c) with 1/2 T Peanut Butter 1/2 c Kashi go lean cereal with 1/4 c skim milk. I had only the isopure clear all day and didn't start to eat any of the other stuff until 4:30 today. I can be patient until my next appt but worried that I still won't get restricton. I could end up with a month of no weight loss. I really did not know this would be this hard! The up and down of it all can be exhausting.

Call your PCP and tell them exactly what you need. Then tell them you'll be there tomorrow ( or whatever day you can get there) to pick them up. It's not a high priority for them to get records ready, but if they know you're coming for them it could help. AND get the person's name you speak to.

Thanks Trixie, I was hoping not to order from a bridal shop because they want it ordered so far in advance. I would never try to compete with the mother of the bride (not that I could) but everyone seems to compare the mothers. She's a very nice lady and we get along great, I don't want to out do her, I just want to look my personal best and I'm worried I'm running out of time. I atttended the first WLS seminar almost a year ago, but got the run around from ins, so surgery didn;t happen until Nov and then I was self pay. At my height, unless I can get close or just under 160, finding a flattering dress is going to be hard. I have 35-40 pounds to go and I'd still be 20 lbs from goal. I hope I get restriction soon! Thanks so much for your support.

November Ladies! I am freaking out today! I just had a dentisit appt, I mentioned my son was getting married and both the hygienst and the receptionist asked if I had my dress yet!!! I said I was planning on waiting until July and they looked at me like I was crazy. Is that too late to go shopping? If I go too early, what size will I be when I buy vs what size by the wedding? I was trying to wait as late as possible so I could be as low as I could get. I know I won't reach goal by the wedding. Oh and neither one of them mentioned or seemed to notice I had lost some weight! OMG, I am freaking out. Buying clothes is just the worst thing in the world for me... 5 feet tall and fat does not go well with fancy dress shopping. Now add NO RESTRICTION yet. Oh yeah BTW, the brides's mother is thin and beautiful. Freaking out and worse, I still can't get motivated to work out. What is wrong with me? liquids for me today for sure!

Just curious, have you figured the carbs and calories in your drink. It sounds like something I'd try depending on the calories.

I have seen some threads for different bands and wondering if I could get an idea how much each of you have in your Inamed/Allergan 10cc band to get the right restriction. How many fills and about how far apart were they to get the right restriction? Of course, I'm wondering this b/c I have that kind of band! Thanks! :help:

If you have a weight watchers sliding scale to figure points, you'll see it AVERAGES about 50 calories per point, but can range from 50 to 70 per point if the food is higher in fat and lower in fiber. So if your points are coming from higher fat food then, you might be consuming more calories thatn you think, which can slow weight loss.

When you do not have good restriction ( and until you get it) you must (unfortunately) continue to count calories like an old fashioned diet. Tracking your Protein helps too. This is something we all learn quickly, when our bands are not tight and we find out we can eat too much. At the same time, our bands are still there so some food does not agree with us. We must chew very well, eat slowly and follow the band rules. Also because your last fill was too tight, does not mean you're not ready again for a SMALL fill to help the hunger. Make an appt and discuss this with the Dr or staff.

Stranger, don't beat yourself up too much, at least YOU went to the gym!

Me! and no more reflux since!

My "list" is about 10 pages of info and your instructions could vary a lot, as each Dr seems to have their own requirements. your Dr. or nutritionist should have given you their specific info.

I do not have good restriction but I have been able to eat smaller pasta, like the elbow type in some lean cuisine dinners, but keep in mind it's a carb!