AirKuhl

I eat hamburger all the time, it's one of my go-to foods. I typically don't eat the bun, or maybe just a bite or two. Just chew carefully as others have said. Get used to the idea of throwing food away, that was tough for me because I hate to be wasteful. For lunch just now I ordered a half pound Angus burger with bacon, cheese, aioli sauce, lettuce, tomatoes on a grilled ciabatta roll with a side of garlic fries. I ate most of the burger, had a few bites of the bacon and bun, and 2 or 3 fries. I'm full, satisfied and just threw the rest away. After I was done, the box felt like it weighed about as much as when I first got it. :cursing:

I love Sushi, not only because it's good but because I can order 2 small orders (4 pieces total) and be full. Very cost effective. :cursing: If the rice bothers you order sashimi instead.

One Centrum Silver chewable every morning. I use the Silver because it doesn't have Iron, which I need to limit for unrelated reasons.

You get used to it pretty quick. Just make sure you drink a lot when not eating. You should be able to drink right up until you eat. If your doctor says you have to wait, ask him why because neither I nor my Dr. have any idea why you can't drink before a meal. You won't want to drink after a meal because the liquid will sit there with the food and feel really uncomfortable, so you will lose that habit quickly. When we go out to eat, I still order an ice tea, coffee, wine or cocktail at the beginning of the meal and drink however much I want until the food comes, then I just ignore it. Don't worry, you won't even think about this stuff after a while. Just make sure you get enough liquid in you the rest of the time.

Stopping early makes no sense to me. It's hard enough getting enough Water into you without some arbitrary rule for no reason. Can someone who's doctor makes them do that please ask them why?

That's what it sounded like to me too, based on your description. IMO everyone in the world has a fixed number of hours to live. You can decide to waste some of your precious hours on people like this, or you can focus on you and your loved ones. In a year you'll be thinner and hotter than her anyway, and is there any possible better revenge?

I would just ignore it and move on. Life is too short to worry about idiots like that. Most of us are or were pretty obese, obviously. That's just the comment you heard, I'm sure there are plenty we don't.

Exactly what my doctor told me, except starting at 1 week after surgery. 3 days of clear liquids, 2 days of cloudy, 2 days of soft food like cottage cheese and eggs, then anything I want but pay attention and remember to chew. I don't know (or care) how my loss compares to anyone else, but I'm down around 35 pounds in 6 weeks so far with a starting BMI of 37, so far so good. I had my first fill 2 weeks ago.

I'm about 2 weeks banded now and had a drink for the first time the other night. A beer was a bit too filling so a friend made me a fruity drink with tequila and the low sugar V8 tropical fruit juice and some triple sec. Let me tell you after 2 drinks I was FLYING! I'm talking a 12 beer buzz flying. I was never a big drinker to begin with, but I'm going to save a lot of money on booze. :cry_smile: Any ideas why a band makes you so much more susceptible to alcohol?

I'm a guy. I'm also an exec at a high tech company. I can tell you for fact that we go to mandatory sexual harassment training, required by our legal department, where we study case law about women that have successfully sued companies because their manager commented about how nice they or their clothing looked. I can also be sued for sexual harassment simply for mentioning to a fellow male employee that a female, even one that doesn't work here, is hot, and I was accidentally overheard by a female employee. One case we studied was a lawsuit just like this, and even worse, the two guys were out in a restaurant after work, and the female employee was at a nearby table. She won. Our legal system makes it so that even if it clearly a ridiculous lawsuit, it's often cheaper for the company to settle out of court than to win the lawsuit. For example, we just settled a lawsuit (not sexual harassment) for $800K that we are 100% certain we would have won, because we know that winning it would have cost us $3M. Sad but true. We guys notice it but realize that in our world we aren't allowed to say anything at the office, because we have no way of knowing if you are looking for some free money. One of the reasons I don't post a pic of myself on any forums is because someone I work with could figure out who I am, get offended by something I post, and sue the company. Most of us, women included, in these classes get upset and outraged at how unfair this is, but it is what it is. So at this point I wouldn't ask a woman if she was pregnant even if she was standing in a wet spot screaming with a little head poking out of the danger zone. If someone that looked like Oprah one day came in looking like Elle MacPherson in a bikini the next, I wouldn't say a single word. Secretly, I'd enjoy it though. :biggrin:

My doctor specifically told me to try eggs about 4-7 days after surgery, so not sure what eggs have to do with it. I guess it could be more about just following directions.

I used to be regular as clockwork, first thing every morning. Now it's every couple of days. I figure less in = less out. In your case, ask your doctor, a week is a long time.

Some doctors, nutritionists, nurses, etc. have this attitude like they are doing you a favor. You are paying them a LOT of money, for that 30 minutes or whatever, they work for you, not vice versa. Nip any kind of attitude in the bud, tell them if something they said is condescending or rude. They're just people, not super beings. And there are plenty out there, find one you like. Life is too short to deal with someone else's BS.

Mine was on a Tuesday, I worked form home Thursday and Friday and was back full time on Monday. I probably could have gone in Friday but I already told everyone I would be out so I just enjoyed it. This is a desk job, I couldn't lift heavy objects like over 50 lbs for about a week or so.

Rubbing alcohol took it right off.

I agree that you should call your Doc and have him look at them. We all heal differently but mine never looked like more than cat scratches.

I think that everyone that has been successful has some tricks that they use to help them stay on track. You just need to find yours. It's great that you are working out, if you were a couch potato before, you might be gaining some muscle which is very good. Here's a few of mine: Like your doc said. No Snacks unless there are no calories. Water, tea, coffee, sugar free popsicles, celery all have basically no calories. I NEVER watch TV in real time. I use a DVR to record the shows I want to watch and skip over the commercials. food can be the furthest thing from my mind and I see a food commercial and suddenly I'm starving, grrr.... Brush your teeth. That taste usually kills any head hunger. Find something to do. If you are busy you won't be thinking about eating. Buy some clothes that are just a little bit too small, and try them on. that tightness sometimes helps me get back on track. Never kid yourself. The only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. Don't count celery as zero calories if you slather Peanut Butter on it. Don't eat 10 35 calorie sugar-free creamsicles and tell yourself it was only a few calories. Make sure you get a reasonable amount of Protein in your meals. It'll make you feel full longer. Good luck and don't give up.

Yes, ice cream is a liquid because it's melted by the time it's in your stomach. So are sugar free popsicles and creamsicles, but at least they might satisfy a craving before you pack a thousand ice cream calories into yourself. You're not feeling full because you're eating stuff that passes through the band. That in itself won't hurt your band but you might as well never got it if you keep working around it. Throw the chips away and get a bag of Jerky, some carrots and celery, and some low fat cheese sticks to munch on if you need road food. Jerky is good because it takes forever to chew and a small amount satisfies that salt-tooth craving. Eat slower, one bite at a time. Put the fork down between each bite and chew. You should be able to tell that you're getting stuck before a whole lot of food gets in there and avoid it or at least minimize it. If you are concerned about your band you need to see your doctor. Hope that helps.

I'm almost twice your age, but so far I'm down 6 inches of waistline in my first month. 44 to 38. I had to pull a stack of dusty jeans off the top rack in the closet to find some small enough. My starting BMI was 37. Not sure on weight because I don't weigh myself. It's a little mind trick I have to use on myself because I associate weighing with dieting which is temporary and this is for life. I eat whatever I want just small quantities thanks to the band. Had pancakes and bacon for dinner last night, lol. But just 1/2 of 1 cake and 1 piece bacon. Unhealthy I know but it was a special occasion and that's what was available. I usually eat healthy meals. My secret weapon is the Wii Fit. I can work out in private for at least 30 minutes a day 4-6 days a week, hard enough for a good solid sweat. I warm up with aerobics every time then do strength training every other time. I also take a 15 minute fast walk every day after lunch, which also helps me avoid the afternoon blahs. The more I work out the more I enjoy working out so for the first time in a long time I look forward to it instead of finding excuses. I can tell I'm gaining muscle, another reason I'm ignoring the scale. I also have bad memories of weighing myself everyday and getting too wrapped up in the normal day to day fluctuations and getting demotivated. Everyone has something that will work for them. For me the band + Wii Fit is helping me turn from huge amounts of food + coach potato = fat pre-diabetic lump, into small quantities + active lifestyle = healthy, happy guy.

Jacqui, I read what you posted and I think it's pretty clear we're in agreement, so I don't understand why you seem angry about it. You said people get alarmed when they read stuff on forums, which is exactly what I'm trying to help with. The first post in this thread expressed concern about Protein damaging kidneys and another that no person can process more than 25g at one sitting. Those are the 2 myths I was addressing. I don't know where you got the stuff about only protein matters and that everyone should gorge on protein to the exclusion of anything else or even that I am American for that matter, as I wrote none of those things. You also stated you disagree with me about quantity of protein yet the only thing I wrote is that everyone is different, which I think you agree with. If you are referring to other posts from other people, please do me the courtesy of not lumping me in with them. My goal is simply to squash clearly false internet rumors about the few topics I happen to be knowledgeable about. Sounds like we're on the same team, so can we play nice together? :wink2:

I appreciate your concern and know you want the best for all of us. But just so that you have a bit more information, I am also extremely cynical about internet stuff (I'm the person that always sends the snopes link to derail forwarded email stuff, lol). While I'm not a doctor, I'm an engineer by education and profession so I am used to picking through data. Most of the content of the link I provided has been verified by my current bariatric surgeon as of last week, my GP a few months ago, and also by my trainer back years ago when I was an amateur athlete and also did weight training. I used that link in particular because it's in plain English so it's easy to understand for most people. If you are truly interested in Protein metabolism we can take this offline and I can provide a lot of more technical sources. Here's one in particular that is also pretty easy to read, I have several more. http://www.humankinetics.com/eJournalMedia/pdfs/5642.pdf So I stand by my comments that: In general protein is good for you. There is very little if any downside to consuming a bit more than your body needs, while there is a downside to consuming too little. A little too much protein will not damage your kidneys. Yes, there is an upper limit above which too much protein is unhealthy, but that limit is up around 285 grams per day for a average 170lb male. There is no magic number for how much protein you can absorb. Everyone absorbs protein at different rates depending on size, activity level, rate of consumption, protein source and so on. Protein, more than anything else, will make you feel full longer and overall less hungry. Feel free to provide links to any data that disputes any of my statements. I have an interest in how metabolism works and am willing to learn from you.

As a rule choose a deli meat that looks like it came from an animal. There is no turkey that is 3 feet long and perfectly cylindrical. Buy some Laughing Cow low fat garlic and herb cheese, spread a bit on a piece of meat and roll it up. Good stuff.

Here's a link to an article for those interested in digging a little bit deeper into all this. Keep in mind that it's written for people that do weight training, although my doctor told me yesterday during a fill that a bit too much Protein is way better than not enough. Common Sense Protein FAQ - Get Answers To Your Most Frequently-Asked Questions About Protein

I have NEVER felt so satisfied by one single bite of a fresh baked cookie, or a great pizza, or whatever else. I sometimes used to gorge on that stuff until I was literally uncomfortable and didn't feel well. At work we have a really nice salad bar, so I'll scoop a tablespoon or so each of 6 different things onto a plate, it's like a mini-me buffet, lot's of different flavors and textures and totally filling, instead of one big burger. So in a sense, I enjoy food more than ever.

Hey, you are more than welcome! As long as you don't mind the burping and scratching and talk about guns and tractors and football. :biggrin: