Tess415

Fenton - You are right about food being used to make things feel better, I have been battling that addiction for so many years. It's a long process to undo all of that programming. But, every time we stop and identify that we are reaching for emotional comfort and not actual hunger, its like breaking a small thread in a large communication cable in our brains... eventually we will have the benefit of it not being a subconscious event, but actually make the decision for ourselves not to feed our emotions. This has been by far my biggest struggle!!! Sounds like you're not feeling to much restriction? Glad to hear you are back in the groove, its tuff to get back in the mode... but you can do it and we will be seeing your ticker hit over that 100 pound loss soon!!!

Special K - after all you have been through, and still concentrating on your eating... you deserve the scale to move!!!! I hope things get back to normal soon for you!!!! Rhonda,WCM - Thanks for sharing about your kids and families... I am still buying the junk stuff and torturing myself not to eat it, I think its because it is easier than hearing the kids complain about it now, but I think I just need to make up my mind and go house wide with the healthy choice thing, and embrace it for the whole family. Sure I know they're 13 and 16 and certainly can get junk stuff if they want to find it bad enough, but I want to make a better impression on them about eating better. I was on diets since the age of 9, always the biggest in the class and struggled my whole life, and always will to some degree. I even remembering hiding food wrappers under my bed as a teenager, my dad found them and boy was I embarrassed. Of course my parents were mad at me which just added to my being a teen, so I would sneak more junk food. I don't want my kids to be on a diet... but rather make better choices and get more exercise. When they were younger I had them playing everything I could sign them up for, now that they're older they aren't interested in those sports anymore so they won't play. My younger one does like to golf, so he does do a spring/summer league, but nothing in the winter. I am going to buckle down and get some new healthy recipes that they will have to try or starve!!! LOL

Since we are talking about the biggest loser show... I was wondering if I could share something that has been on my mind for awhile now? To those of you who are parents with children at home, do any of you have kids with weight problems? My husband is normal weight and can eat anything, but my 2 boys have my genes and have weight problems. I see that I wrote down that they have my gene but is it that or my bad habits I passed onto them? I know I need to make my eating changes encompass my kids too for their benefit, and up until now it has taken all I can do to take care of me for once, but now I need to embrace them into healthy eating and exercising. I think I am going to buy the family membership to the gym, and take them with me a few nights out of the week. My oldest keeps asking to go with me, so I know he's interested, however my 13 year old doesn't want anything to do with it. Any suggestions? Or anyone else working on this with their family? I do the shopping and cooking, so I know it has to start with me. They are such picky eaters when it comes to veggies and the good things, of course they love everything junk food wise!!

Christine - WTG! on being half way to goal!!!! Can't wait until I can say that too!! Harley - My oldest son is taking diving lessons right now, OMG! It seems like he was just in grade school not that long ago! Time does fly by, now we are college shopping etc... This is my first of 2 and I am trying to grasp the growing up thing myself. I haven't seen the biggest loser... I should watch it, everyone at work is talking about it and thought for sure I would be into it with my own journey going on. I am going to DVR it and check it out.

OK!!!! I am at 300.5 as of today!!!!! I cannot wait to put this behind me and finally be under 300!!!! It has to happen soon!!!

Name_________Start Weight__CurrentWeight______Goal______Lbs lost *****:cool2:************************:tt2:*******************:w00t:* 1day at a time.....263............261............243............2 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............221............213............2 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............223............213............5 Bea1128............210.5..........207............188..........3.5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............203............195............5 cQQlgirl...........194............194............180............0 Crzytchr...........281............275............265............6 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............232............230...........13 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........209............200..........1.5 HeatherO...........155............150............140............5 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............188............177............8 KikiVal315.........237.5..........235............220............0 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............180............160............0 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........271............256..........3.2 LisaB..............205.5..........199............180..........6.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............243............230............5 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 KikiVal315.........237.5..........235............220..........2.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............292............280............7 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............283............280...........16 mominlv13..........299.8..........294.8..........275............5 nip50..............175............173............160............2 NurseNiki..........258............255............239............3 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............180............170............0 Renee74............214............213............199............1 Renewedhope........171............170............150............1 reif78.............294............195............185............0 shaversd...........230.5..........227............210..........3.5 SpecialK...........294............290............280............4 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............300.5..........280..........3.5 thatDEgirl.........211............209............195............2 Turler.............225............219............210............6 wendyw.............192............192............172............0 wowox7.............195............189............170............6 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6 Finally got on the board!

I went to the surgeon today, down 11 pounds from my fill last month!!! I updated my ticker!!! The doctor was very pleased with the progress. I figured I only have 30.5 pounds to go and I won't be morbidly obese... just severely obese!!!!

Special K I am glad that you got your generator up and running!!!! With that going, that has to make it better for you guys. I am not a camper... even if it were at home!!!

Congratulations on getting your band!!! Don't be overly obsessed with the scale right now... don't weigh more than once a week, on the same day and same time of the day. You will fluctuate and hold some fluids right now as your body adjusts to the diet of just liquids. You may even have a little gain when switching to solids, it s temporary...just stick to the rules and the plan and the weight will some off!!! Keep to your exercise routine, it will help out alot!!! You are hungry right now because the swelling from the surgery is gone and you will feel less hunger when you get an adjustment on your band!! You are doing great.

Welcome Back Fenton!!! Glad you are back safe and sound!! :thumbup::laugh::frown::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

I am a nurse and do alot of heavy lifting and pulling, I had a total of 3 weeks off from my surgeon.

I like using a regular dinner plate, space things out and put my small salad or veggies on there to make it look big and full! :drool:I will try out the luncheon plate when I am eating a smaller portion of something though. We got rain up by Toledo from Ike, but not like it sounds for the Columbus area. Last 2 days have been beautiful though. I go to the doctor's tomorrow... :rolleyes2:I hope to have good news from the scale, I am really struggling to get under 300... I have been wanting to be there by now, I have been doing what I'm supposed to, but I want is to be done with that goal so I can work on a new one!!! Like being half way to goal!!!!

It sounds to me like you feel you need to see this dinner thru... you only have one first dinner for the family!! I felt fine at 3 weeks and was working out everyday in the gym, so with planning it will go well!! Sounds like you have a very supportive Mom, and I am sure the two of you will plan a wonderful meal. I have found when the family is all eating they are too busy to notice what you are doing, especially since they don't know what's going on with your diet. Don't sweat it!!! I agree with the make your plate look normal with a little of everything, push it around a bit... you can do it. I was so excited about the band, I wasn't really tempted to eat off plan just from the food being around... I think you'll do fine!!!

There are several different kinds of hernias, which one does she have that needs repaired?? Yes, hey do hiatal hernia repair with the lap band at the same time. Is this something your MIL is asking for and she wants to do the work to lose the weight, or did the surgeon just mention it? Is the infection she had a drug resistant type where she was in isolation when she was in the hospital? The reason I am asking, if she were to have had an infection with a "super-bug" MRSA for example... it can live on your skin and not be active, but given the opportunity it will infect. So if this is one of the kinds she had before, she probably is a carrier and it is very likely she would have problems again. I think she needs to give this some serious thought and get a second opinion before jumping into this.

I took banana slices and covered it with jello sugar-free banana pudding with fudge (in the snack cups it's good portion control). It's Yummy!!!!:wink_smile:

Hi Kathy - sorry to hear about the reflux, I hope your new med works. Funny, I have heard lots of people talk about problem with reflux. The surgeon that did my surgery said if you have problems with reflux this surgery will "cure it". Apparently that is not the case. I am currently free from reflux and I hope it stays that way. Well, nothing but rain in the forecast, being funneled up to Ohio from hurricane Ike!!!! Just hanging out inside, I did go to the gym this morning and had a good work out. I have to work tomorrow... so I guess I will just lay low today. Anyone got anything good going on this weekend they would like to share?? Congrats to Special K on passing her test and to Sharon on a new addition to the grandbabies!!! Amanda way to go on your halfway mark!!!!!! Awesome!!!

That sucks! I work in a unit where we get morbidly obese patients from nursing homes that end up very ill. Currently one gal has been there 45 days ( she weighed 500+) and is complete care, on the vent and everything, she is completely helpless. You can imagine what my co-workers have to say about that, day after day after day... at least the patients that have the surgery don't need total care for the most part. Maybe there could be an educational piece for your unit to do, I even hear things like this with our suicidal patients, drug overdoses etc... I think people get tired of seeing people not help themselves and be there own worst enemy, but actually having the WLS is someone finally taking steps to help themselves, and maybe that's not how your co-workers see it. They view it as an easy way out and it is anything but!!!

Steve - I was diagnosed with MS in 2001. My first symptoms appeared in 1999. I thought that I had a stroke in my sleep, I woke up with numbness and tingling down one half of my body. Then over the next 2 years had symptoms that came and went... balance, dizziness, numbness and tingling. I started on Avonex in 2001. I feel really good and really can't complain. I have a very mild form. With illness or fevers my symptoms really get worse for a week or so, then get better. I had my lumbar puncture done under fluoroscopy and it was painless. However, I have had 2 c-sections done with a spinal and I understand how uncomfortable that needle can be. So far I have noticed no issues regarding the band. I remember how alone I felt when I was diagnosed, and scared of what the future will hold. Hopefully the steroids will do their job and you can get established on one of the ABC drugs for maintenance of your MS. Keep positive and take one day at a time.

I have a very tainted point of view... I have taken care of gastric bypass patients that have had serious complications post op. As a critical care nurse who had to support families in crisis due to an elective operation, I could never take a chance of putting my family thru that for my benefit. Now having said that... there were many successful ones, but that is not who I cared for, they only came to my unit when in critically ill!!!! Also, I've seen gastric bypass patients down the road gain a lot back over time, or become seriously ill and it just complicates things by them having altered nutritional status. When you need the gut to work better, there is no way to change it back!! These are some of the things that were in my mind when I decided the band was what I would consider. Everyone is different, and its a tool not a quick fix, done right it is a lot of work to eat right and exercise etc.. there is no way around any of that no matter what!! Good luck to you with your decision!!!

I hope you find some answers helpful. How long does this process take? It seems there is a lot involved and I seem to be getting the impression that it takes months from starting this process until you actually get the surgery?? And then you still actually have to lose the weight. Wouldn't it be faster just to buckle down and lose the weight without the surgery (if you can). But obviously I haven't done that yet and that's why I'm looking into this. For me, I have lost several hundreds of pounds over and over and over again. I just couldn't keep it off and make that life style change. I wasn't going to try one more diet without another tool to keep me from ballooning back up when I got off track. From start to finish it was 7 months form seminar to surgery. I used this time to practice lapband eating, and deal with my unhealthy stress/emotional eating issues, and develop healthier coping skills. I even hired a life coach to help me with these issues. I started an exercise program and stuck with it. Question: it seems like the way you have to eat post-op is extremely restrictive. Not only do you have to eat diet food, but you also have to avoid all KINDS of foods that you would normally be able to eat on a diet. So why is this better than just dieting? Don't you have to give up certain foods on any diet? Isn't that a part of the lifestyle change? As far as carbonation and pop goes...don't miss it!! Have done fine giving it up, and have saved a lot of money seeing how expensive it has gotten!!! Otherwise, I haven't seemed to be craving anything I haven't been able to eat, of course the tighter you want your band, then there is the more the chance there will be certain foods that are no longer able to pass comfortably. As you can tell, I am very conflicted about this idea. I am reading that it helps people, but why? If you have the resolve to actually go through surgery to lose weight, wouldn't that same resolve be exactly what you need to be on a diet for months and months?I T IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE!!! NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE, IF YOU DO NOT MAKE IT YOUR LIFE STYLE, YOU WILL FAIL!!! Sure, some people have been successful in loosing weight without surgery and keep it off, not me!!!! But, now I have made it a life style, not a diet!!!! Question #4: I read on a site that if you are a sweets person, Lap Band probably will not help you. I love sweets. Will I fail at this if I do the surgery because of my love of sweets? You will fail at any diet unless you figure out how to deal with sweets!!! I still enjoy a treat... but it's a treat and its not every day, and I plan for it!!! Question #5: I am reading that people are on some kind of a liquid diet pre-op....what is that about? How long does that go on? Each surgeon is different... for me it was liquids 5 days pre-op, then 2 weeks after the band, then 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks soft. Then new foods as tolerated!!! Each adjustment is 2 days of liquids, 2 days pureed 2 days soft. Honestly, I looked into this briefly a few years ago, and thought no way!!! Too restrictive, too many rules. I am to much of a control person to give my power and control away to a weightloss surgery. Then, facing my health concerns of borderline diabetic, family heart disease and my own high blood pressure... I felt hopeless and helpless. I didn't want to die at a young age, but that is certainly was where I was heading!!! I went through some personal emotional tragedies, and realized food is my drug!!! I am a food addict!!! It was my friend, comfort and always made me feel good when I was eating!!!! Then, feel like crap after I ate and ate and ate. My point is... if you do not address and fix the dynamic of why you are obese, you will not be successful long term with any diet plan. I have worked very hard on this aspect which has nothing to do with the band itself. I don't think I can stress that enough!!! After coming to that realization, I was ready to figure out how I was going to accomplish my goal of being healthy and loosing weight. I seen an interview with Mohammed Ali's daughter that had lap band done and she stirred something inside to take another look into lapband with a more open mind. I read her book "Fighting Weight" which I highly recommend for you to read. Then, something clicked, and I got it... surgical weightloss intervention can be a very empowering thing, not something that takes my control away!!!!! I always thought it was an easy way out, cheating!! Not so!!! I am doing all of the work!!! The band is just a tool!!! A safety stop so to speak. It's an auto off button for eating too large of a portion. It takes time to get to the proper adjustment, but once there it is a very useful tool. I wish you health and good luck in whatever you decide, it is not something to be taken lightly. ( Which is one of the good reasons for the wait time to get it done) It is not for everyone, and you must be able to embrace it and want to use it properly or it will fail.

Why we want Fenton back: 1. We need some testosterone to help offset all the estrogen from us lady bandsters! 2. We want to hear about life in the big city --NYC! 3. We want to be able to celebrate with him when he changes his ticker to say -100 lbs lost! 4. We want to know how his new book writing is coming along. 5. We want to hear about Paris so we can live vicariously through his adventures and gourmet meals. 6. We want to hear all about your first fill!! 7. We want to hear about his cat and his blender...of course never in the same sentence...Fenton would never do that! 8. The suspence of not knowing if he's back on the wagon or not is killing us. 9. He has the personality of a cyber teddybear that gently tells us what we NEED to hear....with a sense of humor to boot! 10. Because I want to share ideas for celebratory TATTOOS! 11. We want to see him reach his goal of snowboarding!! 12. We leave no "bandster" behind!!! __________________

The surgeon that put my band in is the only one who does the fills. He pulled out all but .5cc before adding to it and doing the fill. He showed me the amount he pulled back and said the .5cc is unable to get out due to the suction from the syringe and the band collapsing on itself. I am a nurse and am totally confident in the way he checks and does the fills. So if you are missing that much, I wouldn't think it would evaporate!!! Find another place to get you fills!!!

I have multiple sclerosis and have been doing fine!! Thank god!

That seems a bit concerning, when you say go to the bathroom I am assuming that you mean that everything is running thru you? That should be from the band. I too think you should see the doctor. Take Care!

Fibrous foods are things like celery, pineapple, asparagus they are stringy and can get stuck and plug you up. I look at the nutrition threads for new ideas, there is even one where they log daily what they eat that I have found some new ideas from. Everyone is different, you will only know how you tolerate things by trying them one new thing at a time... and as you get more fills, that will even change. What you can eat in the morning may be different than what will go down easy in the evening. It's trial and error somewhat. Stick to 6-8 glasses of Water in between meals, no drinking with meals. Target 1000-1200 calories and hit your Protein goal with calories before eating lots of carbs. I eat a lot of tuna, chicken, turkey, to get the protein in, and supplement with cottage cheese, yogurt, veggies and salad or hot veggies!!! I also use "DailyPlate.com" to journal food, its free and lots of info!! Good luck!!!