Wheetsin

It is nice. I was just telling some banded friends the other day that I truly understand the "eating to live, not living to eat" idea now. food is the LAST thing I think about, instead of the first. BTW, I get ocular migraines, is that the same thing as opthalmic, do you know? It's apparently a migraine, with the visual distortions, but no pain. So I get migraines, but they don't hurt... took me a long time to learn that's what they were. I have them very rarely... only every few years. If so, I was told it "just happens" - it was never linked to blood sugar. Interesting!

Sounds like dolmades (what we call them anyway) -- nasty things! Definitely a "like it or hate it" food. A few things... Was hunger driving your portions? If so, definitely ask about a fill. Was it something other than hunger? If so, fill probably isn't the answer. Also, don't expect your stomach to be smaller, at least not from anything other than not having to stretch... that's the other surgery.

Checking in. 103 lbs down. Holding steady, same 2# back and forth.

Hello! I was just banded 8/31/06 by Dr. Martinez at the Molding Clinic in TJ. I am recovering well but feel like I could eat anything! I have been only having soups and liquids, but thought that I was supposed to feel full after a small amount! Not until you reach good restriction. This should have been explained to you -- neither the reduced portions, or the weightloss, should be expected until you have good restriction, which will likely take at least a couple of fills (depending on aggressiveness). I havent had any heartburn, gas, or nausea. I know that I should be greatful!!! But I am concerned that I am not feeling full! The doctor did not fill my band when he placed it so I will have to wait awhile for that. Has anyone had the same experience? I think you will find most people have the same experience. Not a lot of doctors fill the band on surgery, because with the swelling that could make things REALLY tight. Don't be concerned that you aren't feeling full. Think of it like - you have a band, but it doesn't work yet... then *of course* you aren't feeling full. It will work when it gets some fill.

Uh, that is truly a great NSV. A few weeks ago wen went to Chili's (their booths have very low tables that would squeeze not just the belly, but the thighs too)... and I fit, and it was fantastic, so I know she's walking on clouds about that one!

Theater, or rental?

Julie, that's funny (not really) because I'm stuck between 279 and 280 (about 3 weeks now). And I was stuck between 302 and 305. I do think I'm still losing fat, though, even though the scales aren't moving. And chin up! It isn't a plateau until you've gone about 6 weeks with no loss of inches or fat... you're far from plateaued, you're (as I call it) "paused"!!

I also make a recipe I got from another bandster, that you eat as a frozen yogurt, using sugar free pudding, blended cottage cheese (when you blend it smooth it has a sour cream consistency and a generic "dairy" flavor), and protein powder. I usually do the fudge flavored jello, stir on a tbl or two of chunky peanut butter, and 3 or 4 scoops of chocolate protein powder, then into the freezer. It has crazy amounts of protein, relatively few calories or carbs.

These are all blended: chocolate Protein powder, 2 - 3 scoops, blended a sizeable blob of Peanut Butter, and 2% milk. vanilla Protein Powder, 2 scoops, 10 oz reduced sugar orange juice, 1 packet Splenda, topped off with 2% milk. Chocolate protein powder, 2 scoops, and 1/3 - 1/2 packet Butterfinger brand hot cocoa mix. Vanilla protein powder, 2% milk, and about a tsp of sugar free DaVinci Kahlua flavoring, blended with ice. Vanilla protein powder, warm 2% milk, and about a tsp of sugar free DaVinci Hazlenut flavoring, and about 1/4 tsp instant coffee or sugar free DaVinci cappucino flavoring. Vanilla proteon powder, 1 packet spenda, 2% milk, about 8 strawberries. Reminds me just a bit of a strawberry julius (heaven).

BTW Teresita, what are you, like 7' 6"??? Because you don't look ANYWHERE near your weight in your photos.

Oh trust me, I've said that same thing to countless people here! People are getting their bands at my GOAL weight! It will happen. It's definitely a battle. It's amazing what a decade of weightloss failures will do to you (me). It's amazing what the amount of power behind having to think, "I need to lose 200 POUNDS. I need to lose more than others getting the band even weigh pre-op!" I've encountered very inconsistent weightloss. Each time it stops, I have to fight off, "Well I guess the band has done all it can do for me" or "Well I guess that's all I'm going to lose". I know it's not right, and I know it's illogical, but that doesn't keep the thoughts from making their way in, even if just for a split second. In the last 6 weeks I've lost about 2 lbs, and sometimes they pop back in.

I would spontaneously form a new head if someone tried to tell me I had to paint the walls at work. I'll accept "other duties as assigned", but have pretty strict limits as to what I will let that include! I hope you were able to get the paint out. Hopefully it was acrylic paint that spilled, and not oil or enamel?

Dinner was leftover chicken fajita meat, w/ cheese and sour cream (lowfat), just enough to lube it. Also had a protein drink for an add'l 50gm. Scale is as stuck as stuck gets, still.

I was banded at 382 and am currently at 279. I'm 6 months, 8 days post-op. I went into this determined to beat the statistics. My weightloss has slowed significantly, drastically even, and it's a struggle to meet the minimum loss guidelines, but I will tough it out. I'll take slow loss over malabsorption any day.

Sometimes it can get stuck on the other end, too. Hence my adapation to "PBM".

<start devil's advocate mode> A friend of mine works retail. She is not a large woman, and she works in a store that does not carry large sizes. When she sees a large person come in, she makes an effort to tell the person, in varying degrees of directness, that they will not find their size. She doesn't do it to be mean, she does it because she didn't previously, and would watch large women searching rack after rack trying to find their size, only to be told later, "Well you should have told me so I didn't waste my time." This supposedly happened many, many more times than not, and in effort to proactively prevent it from happening again, she takes action. Our sensitivities have a lot more to do with how we feel about something than does the speaker's intent. <end devil's advocate mode> Also - just a bit curious, how is "you know we only cater up to a size 14" worse than, "20yr old anorexic waif-like shop assistants"? It doesn't take a lot to assume someone can't fit into a size 10, but it takes quite a bit of assuming that someone is anorexic. Just my two cents, but if we don't want judgements and stereotypes made upon us because of our weight, the least we can do is not judge and stereotype others based on theirs.

<O:p</O:pI have a 1 year old son and I am wondering how long after the surgery would I need help with him? Would I not be able to lift him I was never given specific lifting instructions. Then again I never asked! I dont have a baby, but I probably wouldn't have been able to for about 2 days, I'm guessing... Would it be impossible to keep the surgery to yourself (i.e. I dont want to explain it to all 50 moms in our playgroup, my husband's office, our neighbors, the grocery store workers, etc. I just think its personal information)? Did anyone keep it to close friends and family only or does everyone notice your new eating and weight loss? I told peolpe about mine, I figured I had nothing to hide, and it doesn't bother me a bit for people to know. I couldn't have kept mine secret, anyway. "I'm on a diet" or "I'm eating smaller portions" wouldn't have come close to explaining the difference in the way I eat, and honestly - I think if I'd tried, people would speculate I'd had RNY anyway, and I'd rather be KNOWN for having lap-band, than SUSPECTED of having RNY. I don't like lying to people, and don't think I could "excuse" my way around having to leave for a PB, or being in pain when something is stuck, etc. without getting into lies. And also -- I figured, if something ever goes wrong, or something ever happens to me, it might be plain old smart for people around me to know what's up. <O:p</O:p Has anyone had it done with a BMI in the low 50s? Me.<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p Are the seminars required by doctors? Again, I just feel strongly that it is personal for me and no way would I do an seminar. Most doctors require you attend their seminar. There isn't IMO anything taking away from the personal factor, or privacy. I mean, you're there, and if people are interested they could look around and see you, but what are the chances they're going to care, or remember you 5 minutes later? I would recommend the seminar. You'll get very important information, and it's an opportunity to ask the surgeon questions. If it's that big of a deal, wear a disguise, a wig and glasses or something. <O:pDoes anyone have a favorite doctor in Houston Texas? Umm no... Has anyone had a husband (or wife) who was not for the idea? At first, because he didn't understand it. I took him to the seminar with me, and he came around very quickly, to where he was wanting me to do it as much as I was.

Yeah, sorry but you'll have to do your own research there. There's a very small chance your band would have to be removed. Only you can decide if that's something you need to worry about.

Very, very true. My mother's appeared on the side of her foot, where you foot starts to curve down into your sole. I'm pretty sure that's not a place that was exposed to much sun! She survived, but had to have all of the area cut out, about the size of a lemon, and 3 lymph nodes removed.

There is a lady in my building who bleaches her hair almost white, and draws her eyebrows on with a deep black pencil, but never gets them even. So one is down, like she's frowning, and the other is up, like she's surprised. One is a nice arch, and the other looks like a shark fin. I try not to notice when I'm talking to her, but it's so hard. There is a guy downstairs who wears the exact same pair of pants every day. And I mean every day. Sinec he started here. 9 months ago. At first I thought - hey, maybe he just has a lot of the same pants. But then the dirt started being in the same place every day. One day he leaned against a chalk board and got a big yellow chalk imprint on his butt, and you can still make it out to this day. I used to work with a guy, he sat right across from me, who would pull off his socks & shoes and clip his toenails at his desk. Or he'd pull out a push pin and use it to clean out from under his toenails, and whatever came out he'd throw on the floor. He'd dig in his ear, too, look at whatever he found, and flick it out into the hall. I was working one day and one of his toenail clippings landed on my keyboard and fell between the keys. We didn't get along very well to begin with, and really didn't get along after I had words with him that day. I had a boss once who was either reading the bible or slathering on cocoa butter every time you walked into her office. She was an odd character. One Friday she just didn't show up, and no one heard a thing. That Monday they found at least a few hundred post-its with different scriptures written on them, stuck all over her office. And I mean everywhere. On her monitor, walls, chair, inside her drawers... they weren't there on Friday, and they were definitely in her handwriting. No one ever heard from her again. One place I worked, there was a guy who was heavily involved in the Renaissance festival, but never quite got out of character, so he came to work as a wizard. Truly. He had long scraggly hair, and a matching beard. In the winter he work a hooded velvet cloak that was embelished with "jewels" (bedazzled) and used a walking "staff" (long, gnarled piece of wood) topped with "dragon eyes" (not sure what they were). BTW, all the quotes are his own words. When he spoke to you, he would refer to you as a peasant, or a madam, or a knight, or a dragon whelp (if he didn't like you), and in a bad English accent. He kept a crystal ball, geodes, vials, etc. at his desk. He wasn't around long. :couch2: Any good characters you can share?

Erosion, slip, improper installation, etc. How many what?

Hi Brad the big Texas dude. First of all - LB is not right for everyone. Part of what can make it right or not right is your past history of cheating - how you cheat, on what, etc. My surgeon actually used this information as part of his screening process, or advisement (he also does RNY and will talk with you about which surgery might be best) by asking us to rate which, from a list of foods, we were most likely to cheat with. Sugary solids -- not as critical of a concern as sugary liquids. If high sugar/fat "liquidy" foods (e.g. ice cream, milkshakes, juices, etc.) are foods that are weaknesses for you, it's a very valid concern and one that you should be up front about with your potential surgeon. Now IMO, and IME -- it's not the same with the band. I too was very successful, short term, on several diets. Never on maintanence. Not one time. Because I felt deprived, and when I'm deprived I don't moderate well. With the LB, IME, I can have anything I want, I just can't have a lot of it. It's not about cutting foods out of the diet, it's about managing your portions. On Atkins I couldn't have my OJ, so when I had some, instead of a sip or two, I would have a whole quart of it. With LB, when I want OJ -- hey! I can have it! So I have 6 oz and I'm good to go. And liquids do partially fill me up, so 6 oz is plenty. And you know what? If I want more, I have more, I just stay aware of it and see what I can readjust to accomodate the additional carbs. And if there is nothing, I still don't sweat it, because I know it's not a big deal.

What username? If this is not a spam post, please familiarize yourself with the rules of the board, specifically advertisements. You have about 8 more advertisements than you're allowed.

Are you still on mushies? If not, my first suggestion would be to eat solid proteins, and watch your protein:carb consumption. A solid, chewed protein is going to last longer in your pouch than a soft liquidy carbohydrate, hence you will feel full longer. Proteins in general fill you up "better" (not necessarily more) than carbs anyway.

The only thing I'll add to that - try a little bit of it at a time. My skin reacts very poorly to tea tree oil, even if it's diluted with carrier oils, and even if I don't come in direct contact with it. And by poorly I mean it "burns" me.