Wheetsin

I've always heard the white spots in the nail were Calcium deposits. It looks a little worse today, and has started getting sensitive to pressure... feels almost tingly if I push down on the nail. After I shower I'm going to try and get some neosporin down there and hope it clears up, I'm on a 6:30 flight out of state Monday morning for the entire week, so next Mon would be the soonest I could see my doc (who would say it's an irritation again)

This will be a busy summer! 3 work trips planned to Florida (including one all next week). A trip with hubby to San Fran for a getaway week. I'm taking a summer class in my Master's program, which will just about kill me. 3 diving trips scheduled so far, pretty local but they're 3 days each. Huge 4th of July party at the lake... 3 days total... it's a really huge deal with my family... not so much because they're patriots, but because one of the guys has a license to buy the huge fireworks so e got our own private display... it's really a day for all the hubbies, but it gives us a good excuse to laugh at them! Consiering a trip to Atlantis, dependong on how the workload balances out with all the vacation we're already taking. If not this summer, then next!

Editing - thought my original message had gone bye-bye when I tried to submit so I re-typed the damn thing over again.

waterlily - consuming Protein itself will not keep your muscles at any particular size. That's part of why it's important to exercise. Building muscle is a process of damaging and replacing muscle tissue (long story short). One doesn't get muscular simply by eating protein, and since the body's natural reaction is to metablozie muscle tissue when calories are in deficit, just having the protein there isn't going to prevent this. Another long story short, muscle mass will burn more calories. That's why pro bodybuilders can eat 15 eggs for Breakfast, 5 cheeseburgers for lunch, and however many steaks and potatoes they want for dinner, and still maintain 5% body fat. You as you are now but with another 150# of muscle will require a LOT more calories than you without the muscle to maintain the same physique. YOu're not going to starve, don't even worry about that. I think that was a bad call on your nameless doctor's behalf to word it that way. "Starve" and "starvation mode" aren't the same thing. The addage is "you will lose weight if you intake fewer calories than you require to function." True on most levels, but then look at VQ whose BMR is significantly more than 1000 calories, but who loses no weight on a 1000 calorie diet. The true exception to this addage is rare, but does exist. And note I said "lose weight", not "lose fat". I think too many people equate weight to fat, and you just can't do that. Sorry guys, I didn't get too overwhelmed in medical details in my post for a reason, but maybe I left out some key explanations in the process. I also didn't touch on every detail or aspect b/c I didn't want to be a post hog. :eek: And keep in mind some of what we learned may be out of date or may be nullified alltogether, it has been about 8 years since I've stepped foot in a med student class.

I believe there is a starvation mode, but I'd call it something more like survival mode. and I agree - like I said in my post - if starvation mode stopped weightloss, no one would ever die of starvation. :eek:

Ok, got some pics, and also found the pic I took last time this happened. It cleared up on its own last time, and once everything dried up you coudn't tell anything had happened. 1. My hand, so you can see the size of the area that's yucky 2. Good nail & bad nail, side by side 3. Another side by side 4. Last time this happened (about 2 years ago), after Fluid started appearing

Here are my thoughts, along with a LOT of TMI that maybe someone out there will find useful. There are a lot of misconceptions about how the metabolism process works. You didn't have restriction until 4/20, so about two weeks ago. You're not going to be in starvation mode from not your goal caloric intake (I see "1000 - 1200 calories" stated as the threshold frequently, but I believe the true threshold is 50% of your BMR) in two weeks. It takes a while to get into starvation mode, and it takes a while to get out... it's a process, not an event. Also it isn't really a matter of your body "holding onto everything it gets", it's more a matter of your body using its calories more effeciently, and getting energy from the source that takes less energy to break down, which unfortunately happens to be our lean body mass long term, and glycogen short term, which causes a Water release & is why there's an inital fast weight drop (you aren't losing fat, you're losing water). You'll hear people say, "You can lose a lot of weight by fasting." They're so totally wrong in saying that. That's also why it's more dangerous for lower BMI patients to lose weight through a starvation-type diet... they have even less fat than MO so their lean body mass is gobbled up that much quicker. When you decrease your caloric intake, your metabolism also decreases. However, your metablosim doesn't decrease because your calories decreased. It decreases because your body begins to break down the lean mass (remember -- muscle tissues are easier to break down than fat)... in essence it starts to eat itself. At the same time your body also has the programming to know this shouldn't be happening, so it slows down your metabloic (and other) processes so that its lean masses are broken down slower... kind of a vicious cycle. Anyway, the body's goal in decreasing the metabolism is not to keep up with however many calories you're eating, the goal is to have to feed off itself as little as possible. Then you get into the irony of that fuel that was created by metabolizing your lean mass being converted to sugars by your liver, with the goal of keeping your fat stores in place. Losing weight by metabolizing lean mass is going to produce a really weak, flabby, unhealthy end product. They key is to avoid burning muscle and get the body to burn fat, so ideally you'd target between your BMR and AMR, and not a fixed number like "1,000". That's another misconception. Also when you hear a number like, "1,000" it should raise some alarms because everyone here is different and we're all going to need different numbers of calories. Someone who is starting off at 450 lbs might have a BMR over 3500. Someone at the same height starting off around 230 lbs might be closer to 2150. There's NO WAY both people are going to have the same goals for how many calories they eat per day... absolutely no way. (Which is also a reminder to adjust your goal intake regularly, depending on your current weight, and not think that what you ate 50 lbs ago is what you should still be eating today). Starvation mode also only decreases the BMR by about 20%, so while this can slow weight loss, it's not going to stop weight loss. That's also a misconception. If starvation mode stopped weightloss/etc., no one would ever die of starvation. :eek: (As a side note, I've also seen the claim made that starvation mode will "stop metabolism". If your metabloism is stopped, you're dead...) So what's the magical number? How much should we be eating? My personal suggestion (worth what you're paying for it) for healthy, maintainable weightloss is to target between your BMR and AMR. That's not to say it's the right answer, but it's what I believe. (I know -- if it's that easy, why are we all fat? It's not that easy, but if we make good food choices, it's EXACTLY what our bands are going to help us do). Good guidelines for doing this without all the number-crunching is to eat only enough to where you're no longer hungry (focus on "Am I hungry?" DO NOT focus on, "Am I full?" They're NOT the same thing), eat very small servings - understanding it's easier to come back for more than to deal with the consequences of eating too much, and up your intake if you notice that you're getting tired, having a hard time focusing, etc. Generally speaking, if you follow these guidelines AND make good food choices, you will hit a number between the two rates. And you'll need to keep in mind to adjust as your weight decreases. For me, it works well to decrease the number of calories I eat by about 10 for every pound I lose (again, that's a guideline I use based on calculations I've done in the past). Sorry for the novel, I just thought I'd take the opportunity to try and clear some waters.

I forgot to take photos last night, will do tonight. I think it's looking a little better, but I thought that last time, too. I do have an Iron deficiency, always have, always will. Had to be given liquid iron when I was a baby, hence the buffing! Daily I take: Multivitamin 1800mg calcium Biotin 3x weekly I take (when I remember): Potassium Co Q-10 L-Carnatine Fish oil I did lose a lot on Atkins, 120 in less than a year, but I'm actually losing quicker now. I hope that doesn't mean my toes will get it too. As a side note, hairagain, my surgeon says hair falls out as a delayed reaction to trauma. Protein, etc. can impact it, but it's possible to be losing hair AND be getting everything you need. He says it's just something that happens to some and not others, like post-op gas. DeLarla, do you know what about it indicated it was an infection/// what symptoms they saw, etc.?

No worries. I was just wondering if anyone had experienced the same thing, since we're all (hopefully) sharing the weightloss experience.

I dunno. Doc said infection would involve discoloring of the nail, or pus discharge, bad odor, redness, pain/tenderness... and I didn't have any of that. Didn't have a fever... If I couldn't see it happening, I'd have had no idea it was going on. It also cleared up on its own w/o medication in just a few more days. I don't know for sure it's related to anything around what I'm eating, that's just my best guess since the only other time I've had anything remotely like this was the only other time I've had significant weightloss, been eating a low carb diet, etc. It could be unrelated. It's just the only "what's the same now & then" factor there is. I know, I hate it when people are like, "Oh I have a headache and I got banded a month ago, is my band causing headaches?!" but in my case, eating/weightloss are the only consistents. I'll grab some pics ASAP.

I can post one when I get home. I have a pic from the last incident, too, but I don't know the URL off-hand.

Home scale showed another 5 lbs dropped this morning, from 382 to 329. 53 lbs in two months... I know which scale I like more! 26 jeans are fine. 26 dress pants - can get them closed, but they're tight from belly to thigh. 28s are bagging, so I'm right between the two (sizing by LB's clothes).

I've read LOTS of descriptions, and there's just enough difference in what I experience that I'm not sure if it's just the band doing what it's supposed to be doing, or of it's one of the more unpleasant things of the band doing what it's supposed to be doing. I'm not conerned or worried, at all, I just want to learn what my body is doing/telling me. For all I know, this is just how things are with true restriction. I don't know, I've never had it before. I'll add that I recently had my 2nd fill, bringing me to 2cc in a 4cc band. Usually, not always, when I take my first 1 - 4 bites of food, it's unpleasant. Not bad, but just inpleasant enough that I have to stop and focus (which I'm also doing so that I can begin to learn what my body is feeling & what it's telling me)... or if I'm at a restaurant I'll put my fork down, lower my head, and take some deep breaths. I'll describe it as starting with a mild pain lower in my abdomen, near my bellybutton, pretty much immediately after I swallow... and sometimes very slight/mild discomfort between my shoulderblades (which is where I feel PBs). After that starts to subside, I will feel discomfort where I assume the band was placed... either REALLY feeling the food there, or something that feels more muscular in nature (maybe that's the pouch working to push the food through?) The first time this happened it concerned me a bit so I took a very small sip of Water and that REALLY made it HURT. In the worst case scenario, I feel like I have to burp but nothing comes up, which is part of what happened when I had my PB, but get no other symptoms of PB like salivating, pain in other areas, etc. I do this maybe once or twice, then usually end up hiccuping instead. *shrug* All discomfort usually subsides completely within 20 seconds. While this is going on, and immediately after, there is some gurgling from the band -- what I assume is the food passing through? There's also quite a bit of other "noise"... that sounds kind of like a burp, but I'm not burping. I can "feel" the noise coming, too... slight pressure, then errrippddddd. I made this noise a lot for the first 3 - 5 days after surgery, too. I notice this happening most frequently (in the whole 3 days it's been happening) the first time of the day that I eat, regardless of time of day. I also notice it's worse/more frequent if my first bite is something soft, like applesauce, compared to something harder, like chicken. It has not yet happened with a liquid.

A brand called Six Star or Six Starr tastes pretty much like a milkshake if you mix it with milk. I use fat free Carb Countdown milk from Hood.

Fast food... Taco bell - Pintos n' cheese (can have lots of skin so watch out), nachos bel grande, hard tacos or just the innards... the spicy chicken taco is really flavorful. Subway - deli meat or tuna, you can just pay the "double meat" charge and get the meat put right on a plate. Chipotle - bol in your choice of meat, whatever condiments you prefer. McD's salad (Cobb is good), fruit n' yogurt parfait. Gas station stops - Jerky, Protein bars, fruit, yogurt drinks, etc. Grab n Go: Starkist tuna salad kits, comes with tuna, low cal mayo, relish (eww) and a few crackers. Lunchables, I get the small "turkey & cheddar" kind - these have saved me on a few trips! Pepperoni (I prefer turkey, and I nuke it until it's crunchy) Applesauce/fruit cups Cereal bars (Special K w/ strawberries is the BEST!) Pre-made Protein Drinks

They had those about 15ish years ago, I think they were marketed under the Richard Simmons brand - might be wrong. They were HORRIBLE back then, I hope they're better now! I've seen them but passed. I'm still traumatized by the time I tried spray dressing. :grouphug:

Yup yup. Don't worry about the letter if you don't need it. Another option is to go in for a physical and then ask to be provided with a copy of the dictation. Or, since they're recorded, you should be able to get this from past visits. My ins. co. didn't require a letter of recommendation, but my internist was more than willing to write one... to save her time I just got a copy of her dictation & submitted it. Are you 100 lbs overweight, or is your BMI 35? a BMI of 35 should put you somewhere in the "25 - 40 lbs overweight" category, being 100+ pound soverweight makes your BMI more like 50ish (all depending on height, of course). I ask because if your BMI is 35, you might need more documentation/diagnosis (read: support or info from internist). If you're 100 lbs overweight, needing this is less likely.

I couldn't tell you 99% of the shows out there. I'm probably missing some good ones just because I only watch what I tivo, and I only tivo what I like. :grouphug: In no particular order... HBO's Carnivale (hoping for 3rd) Dirty Jobs Real World and RW/RR challenges Prison Break Ghost Hunters South Park Just about anything on HGTV or TLC.

I started and currently own my own business, and DH helps me with it. We create e-commerce sites and web presences for small & start-up businesses, and small specialty sites (union sites, membership sites, etc). We also do database creation/design, server/networking setup & config, build PCs to order, etc. It isn't a full-time endeavor. I have a regular job (make too much & enjoy it too much to quit), and handle my own business outside of corporate hours. Actually we've been turning away business for the past year because with working on my master's, there just isn't time for everything. That's not a good business practice! My business has been open for four years. We intend to remain small, so we do not advertise, it's pure word-of-mouth.

Let's remember that none of us can say "You will do/get/feel this..." etc. All we can say is, "I did/got/felt..." We don't want to portray our own individual experiences as the "facts" of what someone else will experience because hey, I'm REALLY glad I didn't experience some of what I've read others going through! We also don't want someone believing what they read here is necessarily what's going to happen to them, and running the risk of hurting themselves because they're ignoring other signs or trusting that "this" is how it is, so it's fine. :confused: I had no sore throat at all, and no problem swallowing, and never asked for nor got ice chips. The first thing I drank was a dose of hydrocodone, which they gave me in recovery to avoid any pains while on my way home. I had NO problems swallowing, and the only thing that hurt were the incisions, and really only when I got up/down or walked... lasted -- I'd have to look at my journal to be sure, but I'd guess a few days. I had surgery Wednesday and was out walking around at the store on Friday evening. I also wasn't on clear liquids for a week. I was on them for 3 days. Day 4 started what I'd call "thick liquids" -- cream Soups, yogurt, etc. It seems like you ask 5 people about their post-op diet, and you get 5 different answers, so this particular topic is really subjective and dependent on your surgeon's practices. My fear about the whole "after surgery" stuff, that wasn't band-specific, was that they'd take the breathing tube out AFTER I had woken up. I was really nervous about that, b/c my PAT nurse told me they take it out right as you're waking up. Fortunately for me, that's not what happened, and when I first "came to", it was already out and I could hear people saying that I was breathing very well. Good luck. :eek:

Well, I was not self pay, my surgery cost me about $20, but I was ready to self pay had insurance not covered it. No guilt there, but I did have to do a lot of thinking before surgery. I kept asking myself, "What if I just try to diet one more time, and *this* time ends up to be the time that works for me?" I had that debate off and on for about 3 months. In the end, reality struck - the reality that I needed help to get this done, and that the "one more diet..." approach hadn't gotten me anywhere except 200 lbs overweight. I also had other mental demons to beat, though I'm not an emotional eater. I had to beat the sense of failure I was afraid of, because I felt that I should be strong enough, have the willpower, determination and drive to lose this weight on my own. I had to face my fear of having my first surgery, and having it be voluntary. I have to face the fear of not doing this right and not seeing the results I'd want to see. And the list goes on, and on... I was 2 mos post-op yesterday, and I'm down 52 lbs since surgery day and 40 lbs since consultation. I've never once regretted anything. I never had the, "What did I do to myself" regret that I had read so much about. If I ever started to doubt what I was doing, I just reminded myself of everything I was going to gain -- and weight was NOT on that list for a change!

I bought some bars. I enjoy my shakes - maybe they'll have to become the occasional treat instead of major supplement. I just tried eating some tuna salad (wet, not dry) and the exact same thing happened. I'd sipped warm tea but it didn't make any difference. First two bites (over the span of about 5 minutes) went down ok, I thought I'd made it, but then the pain around my belly button (more like to either side of it) started... pain higher up started... then the gurgling which went on for about 20 seconds, then the "burping, but not burping" about 15 times... then I hiccuped and about 5 seconds later everything felt back to normal. Total "episode" lasted about 2 mins. I'm going to have to play with this & figure it out, because I could see this discomfort making me not want to eat at all.

I almost got the VG band, my surgeon only uses two bands, it and the 10cm (4cc). Which he uses depends on the size of your anatomy once he's inside. I asked him during my consultation whih I'd get and he said he *guessed* the VG band, but it would depend... come to find out I actually got the 10cm. That was bittersweet. I liked the smaller band for fills, but -- and I have nothing to prove this, it's just my "logic" -- it seems logical to me that the VG band would erode less. Anyways, no worries, it's not just for very heavy men. What fill are you at? What are you eating?

Aloe Vera gel is great to rub on burns, esp. sunburns. You can also use the good quality ones as moisturizers. It can also be used for just about any skin disorder - psoriasis, eczema, acne, etc., with varying degrees of success. Dried aloe vera (ok, technically very specific parts of the plant) are used as laxatives, too. When I was a kid mom always had an aloe vera plant in the house and one outside. Anytime we had a cut, burn, scrape, etc. that was the first thing she'd tell us to go get.

Do my portions seem too small?