Wheetsin

I've been reading on this (for the last 6ish months, not that long) to see how the weightloss averages are obtained. On average, RNY patients lose more weight, lose it more quickly, etc. Even though I haven't seen this statistic formally compared, if you extrapolate the numbers and do the math, the average RNY patient is something like 42% fatter than the average LB patient. It stands to reason that if you take a patient who's fatter and compare their 6 month, 8 month, 12 months, (whatever) loss, it would stand to reason that the fatter person loses a greater amount of weight in less time. Granted this doesn't address percentages of weight to lose, but we don't have as much time with the studies either. Many surgeons quote an RNY average loss of "10 lbs per month". I'm averaging right around 19 - 20 lbs per month. Yes, that will slow down, but I'm close to the 6 month mark that the "10 lbs per month" was quoted at. I know several other LBers who are averaging 10+ per month. I'm a numbers kind of girl. I enjoy doing the analysis. But on the most fundamental level what it boils down to is -- who cares?

I freaking -love- kettle corn. Not necessarily in a platonic way. But not the microwave kind. It has to be made in the big copper pot, so I can have it all fresh, hot, firm... Then you get that one piece that has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and ... hmm, better stop. I'm getting all worked up over here.

I'm not local but I hope you don't mind me chiming in. Two fills, putting you at how many ccs in a band that holds how many ccs? Would you share a typical day's menu? Have your measurements changed any? Did you ever measure your body fat percentage, FFM, etc? Working out that much, chances are you've lost fat but gained muscle, which means your weight could fluctuate very little, and even go higher (muscle weighs more than fat). 2 hours a day 6 days a week is going to add a significant amount of muscle, even if you're just doing cardio.

Meats haven't posed a problem yet, but I've not had red meat since banding (actually I haven't had it for like 8 months). When I did eat red meat, I liked it warm, pink, and just a little bloody - so I can't give you any testament about eating it burned. I think you could do it, you'd just have to chew the crap out of it, maybe use a sauce or something with it to make sure it's moist enough. You can chew just about anything to the point of it being safe to swallow. Except ground beef. I just can't chew it well for some reason. For me the issue is that it takes SO much chewing that my jaws start to hurt and -- f*** this, it's not worth the effort, give me some cottage cheese! :confused:

Before I was born my parents were driving through the desert once... car broke down. It took like 6 hours for a tow truck to get there and mom had been giving all the water/ice in the cooler to the dogs to keep them from overheating. The tow truck dropped them off at a hotel and the first thing they did was start chugging drinks. Then dad decided a cold shower would be the perfect thing to cool him down so he got under the water, got light-headed, and started puking blood. Or so he thought, and freaked out for about 5 minutes until he remembered that he had just been chugging red cream soda. You know, looking back -- they're both quite lucky they didn't have strokes.

I'm still 8 lbs away. :confused: Sticky means that the thread stays at the top of the page, even if another thread is made or modified after it. Normally threads appear in order of creation/posting. You'll notice at the top of several forums there are threads that always stay at the top, and have "Sticky" next to them. They're "stuck" at the top of the list.

Hmm... well of all the men I know, 80% might brag to other men that they're cheating, when in all actuality they go home and watch Jeopardy. If a woman can't know that her husband is faithful, then friend of husband can't know the stories are true, right? :biggrin1: I cheated on Pottery Barn lastnight, and went to Restoration Hardware. I'm a weak, weak person. My huband spent all night with "the other woman", which is what I call his computer. Hey, he's a nerd, but I know where he is! :heh:

What's wrong with refried beans & nachos? Honestly. I know several people who on refried beans as a staple, and they're a good source of good carbs -- good protein too, and in the nacho meat. Sure cheese, sour cream, etc have fat (unless you use fat free) but we need fat in our diets, too, just have to moderate it. If you're counting carbs chips can be the enemy, but if you're just moderating what you eat, and buying the right kind of chips -- not too bad. Several OTS brands have under 15g carb for 20ish chips.

I haven't heard no sugar as a rule other than pre-op. Pre-op it's to shrink your liver. Long story short - the liver retains sugars, so depleting your body of sugar = smaller liver. If you've been told no sugar post-op, then my guess is it's because your surgeon/dietician advocate low carb dieting in addition to the band.

I work north of the river, quite a bit north, so I'll just bring powder & recipes for her. But thanks for the offer.

Yup, ditto. Plus lots of people find they just can't hold the Fluid on top of the food, and drinking will prompt PB of the fluid. Personally -- I drink with my meals. I've done it both ways and I've never once noticed a difference in "time until hungry again", or in the portions I eat, so - what the heck, why not. If it ever starts to be a problem, I'll rethink my strategy.

I should add... DH and I will be married 9 years in November. I know he hasn't cheated on me. He'd be way too afraid of what I'd do to him if he cheated on me. All joking aside, I can read my husband like an open book. :heh: I personally don't know too many women who were truly, honestly surprised to learn their husbands were cheating (I can speak for vice-versa since I've only counseled with women on this issue). Many were in denial about it, but in the heart of hearts knew it was going on. Many had everything right in front of them to see it, but refused to open their eyes. Maybe "pushed it aside" because they didn't want the facade to crumble. (disclaimer - I'm NOT saying it doesn't happen, and that people aren't surprised all the time, I'm ONLY saying that of the women I've worked with, a very, very small percentage (probably less than 5%) were truly taken by surprise... meaning most at least suspected it was happening, or were worried it might). Once you begin talking with them, asking them about his behaviors and attitude, you can see the light click on and - "Oh... I should have known, but I didn't even see that until you made me think about it..." I can remember one woman who was surprised. She thought her husband was the greatest man, very thoughtful, he'd always send her roses for no particular reason other than he loved her. Then one day at work she was delivered divorce papers and a note that said, "Every time I sent you roses, I had cheated on you the night before."

Lay on my back. Surgeon pulls my shirt up and feels around until he's found the port, and marks it somehow -- I'm not sure what with, I don't watch. Get swabbed with isopropyl, then get poked. He can usually drop the needle straight into my port. One time he hard a hard time finding the port in which case he had me do a partial sit-up and hold it while he felt for the port. Popped the needle in, knew he had missed the port, so left the needle in and felt around until he found it, then popped the needle in. I request no lidocaine, so once he's made the mark and comes back with the syringe he fills me, then the nurse qipes with betadine, repeats if I'm still bleeding, and pops on a band-aid. Probably not the detail you're looking for, but it's all I know.

I've never checked, but I don't take what anyone on a message board says without a grain of salt. It's a safe practice. The only exception being if I know & trust the person IRL. So - I trust MY surgeon. I'll give a "message board doctor" the same credit I'd give a "message board womever."

So what they're really saying is "morbidly obese people don't have the discipline to avoid milkshakes." :biggrin1: My thoughts for the day... I've wondered a few times where I would be at now if I'd had the RNY. Not out of regret or longing, but just pure curiosity. And then I think of all the things I'm getting from my band that go beyond the weightloss itself. A lot of it is highlighted in that article, and deals mainly with the idea that beyond restricting my portions, my band is helping me learn to eat better. Maybe "making me eat better" is more accurate, but... whatever. When I can only eat X ounces of food per day, and I'm trying to keep my weightloss going, my skin clear, my hair from falling out, my body hydrated, my plumbing unclogged, etc. -- the junk food just isn't worth it, because every bite of crap I take is a bite of something else I can't take... and I need that "something else" to try and keep things going smoothly. And perhaps most importantly, for the first time in the MANY years that I've been overweight, I'm starting to let myself believe I may actually, finally get there this time. Just the other day I had lunch with a friend who had bypass about 3 years ago. She lost 130 lbs in under a year, and hasn't been able to take any more off since. She's not looking great. Her color is off, her hair is noticeably thinned, her energy isn't great. In her own words, "I'm just now beginning to really see the long term effects of this surgery." Maybe she's having a particularly bad time, I don't know -- I picked the other surgery -- but I know that she also told me she wished she'd have researched the band before having her operation. Her surgery too has taught her different eating habits, because she either gets dreadfully ill if she eats the wrong thing, or risks going (essentially) back to her same pre-op state if she eats too much. I know that as someone who had a BMI over 50, if bypass were the only option I had, I'd still haver a BMI over 50. So cheers to all of us super BMIers, or not so super BMIers, who are determined to beat the band statistics!

Ixnay the pre-made drink idea, they just sent out a note that we're getting new fridges during the weekend so they're removing the old ones during the day. Since I'd be coming straight from work -- no way to keep them reliably cold during the day. But I'll bring you samples of the powders so you can at least taste them before you buy.

A bit of a story... I have a great relationship with my parents, but my mother especially has a lot of baggage around my obesity, for which she blames herself - she wan't there enough, she didn't teach me the right eating habits, she was overweight while I was growing up and was a bad role model, etc.) They came with us to the hospital, in separate cars, and I later learned she cried the whole way because she felt HORRIBLE...as she put it, "I didn't want you to have to go through something as drastic as your first surgery to take control of a problem that's my fault." Basically my mom felt that "My daughter is fat because of me and now she has to undergo something this severe to take care of the situation." I've told her again and again it's not her fault but, well -- she's a mom. My mom is MO herself, and I know she'd do just about anything to get the weight off. She has said she would get the band if she could, and has asked a lot about the costs. However, her and my father are both state employees, and only have one option for healthcare through a local hospital network that completely condems WLS, doesn't offer any WLS procedures, and certainly doesn't provide coverage for it for employees or customers. They won't even let spare rooms be used for local support groups because they want no association with WLS. My parents also don't make a lot of money. They can provide for their needs, and have a little extra, but that's about it. They could not afford the add'l payment of having the procedure financed. On the other hand DH and I have it easy, financially. We could pay her expenses out of pocket without a second thought. I mean - crap, DH spent more on my bday present than what the entire cost of her surgery would be. OF COURSE I'd rather have my mom's good health! Here's my rub... we've bought them large/expensive things before, and while they appreciate it, they always feel bad and akward - they're still stuck on "we don't want you kids spending your money on us" mentality. They're pretty old-fashioned in that sense, and adamant that a child not spend their "hard earned money" on the parent. I know that if I ask my mom if she wants me to pay for her procedure, she will say no because she wouldn't want us to spend our money on her. But she's my mom, and I want her around for as long as possible.. .and her weight is really starting to affect her health. I *know* this would do her good, and she's open to the procedure itself, but sees it as 100% out of reach. I've explained this to her, and told her I want her to be around for me, and to meet her grandchildren, etc. -- but she still won't hear of us spending that much of "our" money on her (as far as I'm concerned, anything we have is theirs too, if they need it, and she knows this). I've thought about just depositing money to cover the costs into their account, but she'd flip and I know she'd insist on us taking it back. So I know there are moms & especially banded moms out there... can you give a daughter advice on what would work if you were in my mom's shoes? I'm a fighting for a lost cause? Any suggestions for how else to bring this up?

I just grin and bear it. I had to do Tylenol sinus a few times before I came up with a liquid alternative. Stupid me mixed the crushed pills into a cup of applesauce. DUH! Next time (if there is one) I will mix the pills into one bite of applesauce, and use the rest of the cup to get the taste out of my mouth! (BTW, I tried mixing the insides of a stool softener capsule into some apple juice -- NASTY, and downright hurt. I still get chills thinking about how horrible that was. Never again. I was still tasting it after several toothbrushings.)

I'll bring actual drinks, with the things mixed in them that I normally mix in (peanut butter, etc.). I use low fat/low carb/sugar free. I don't know the exact numbers but they're all in range. Umm where is the Panera? The only eating place by the hospital that I can remember seeing is McD's. Is it in the strip mall across from the Georgetown building?

There is class work, pool work, and if you want open Water certification you'll have to complete a variety of activities in open water. That's pADI anyway, I'd imagine NAUI, WASI, etc. have the same basic criteria, but can only speak to PADI for sure. In the pool you'll have to do skill tests like a swim test... don't remeber the distance but several in our class struggled.. and you have to float for x number of minutes... no problem for the fatties. Then you have to do dive skills... breathing underwater from a free-flowing regulator without having it in your mouth, mask removal/clear, hovering, etc. You do the same things in open water, and then some, like your CESA (controlled emergency swimming ascent), emergency breathing, etc. There's nothing like being on 50 degree water and having to flood your mask with water *brrr*. I don't remember exactly what I had to do to pass my advanced cert, but it was things specific to the categories of advanced diving. I remember I had to dive Nitrox, night dives, nacigation dives, recovery dives, deep dives... basically, all the fun stuff.

Click on: User CP > Edit Profile > Edit Email, Password and Username and then fill out the fields under "Change Username (Optional)". If that doesn't make sense, send me a PM.

DH and I have never cheated on each other.

I've considered an unfill. I want to give it a few days and see what happens. I've been fine since Friday. I've also been slowing down and really trying to "listen" to what my body is feeling... paying more attention to all the little feelings. That seems to help. If I keep having problems I'll definitely call for a small unfill. If you & Robyn ened up meeting after her fill, and don't have other plans, let me know. I usually leave early on Fridays and could stop by, so if Robyn's going to be around anyway we can all meet up. Actually Robyn what time is your fill appt? I've been wanting to stop by there and use their scale.

Yep! I'll try and word this in a way that makes sense, but when I've PBed on something, it's never been something that it was my first time post-op to eat. Or in other words -- all foods that I've PBed on, I'd also eaten without problem. A lot of (I'm learning) has to do with how much of it I swallow at a time. For me, foods that aren't, then are a problem have MUCH more to do with how well I chew, how much I try to swallow at a time, how much attention I'm paying to my meal, and how other foods have done during the day, than the food itself.

Wow, you guys have been busy and our cable modem has been down since Saturday night. :bananapartyhat: Had a hard time with food the last few days. Kinda PBed (my "kinda" PB method is too long to type out...nothing really comes up, it's almost like the wretching pushes the stuck food through) my protein bar at lunch, about 2 bites in. Stopped eating and had some warm tea a few hours later. Felt OK at dinner and ordered a side of refried beans for dinner... "watered" them down by stirring in a spoon of sour cream... kinda PBed on the refried beans about 3 bites in. Have done OK since trying soup on Saturday afternoon. Trying to focus on going really slow and trying to make sure I "feel" each bite has passed before taking another. With the problems I had around my flight the week before last, then the issues Friday, I got damned near to the "afraid to eat, just going to drink my meals" stage. I was just so tired of being in pain. Holli - OMG. That sounds horrible. The longest I've gone is about 45 mins, I can't even imagine 2 hours... 'cause I know you're like me in that something being stuck *really* hurts. 2 hours is too long to have to feel that way. And also thanks again for the clothes! Robyn - sounds like you're having a blast. I'm getting MAJOR vacation envy. Right now I'm the only one in my building who does my job (I have a coworker who does something similar, but she's on maternity leave) so I'm having a hard time getting any kind of vacation approved. I don't need to be here, I can telecommute, but they're hesitant to have me be completely unreachable, and I refuse to have to do work crap if I'm using my PTO. DH and I are SOOO ready for a trip that isn't work related. We're going to San Francisco/Lake Tahoe in November, but we want something NOW. We're probably going to have to settle for a stupid weekend trip. Oh - and as for weighing when I travel - for the most part I'm ok. I'm usually so busy that I don't think about it too much, and sort of look forward to the surprise (hopefully) of getting on the scale once I'm back. When I was in Aurora week before last I cheated and hopped on the scale at the gym. :bananapartyhat: Jennifer - if you want me to bring you "samples" of the protein drinks I use, just say the word and I'll pack up a little cooler before the meeting.