josephine

Lauralee, I have had gastritis and I was prescribed Protonix by my weight doctor after he did a scope on me. I do take this daily because I don't want any problems. I eat a lot of vinegar and coffee. It is from acidic foods. You don't have a burning sensation in your stomach do you? Josephine

Well, In the banding world I am older than all of you. I was banded on Nov. 10, 2005 and the gas pain (colic) I call it that because it is trapped gas hurts like hell sometimes. I also feel like my stomach is going to explode. Nothing really helps too much but I keep on trying to walk and I will take Rolaids Gas Relief Chews. Those do help sometime but I eat a lot of veggies and I bet you that is what that is. It is what you eat probably that will cause you pain. Broccoli and cauliflower are now out of the question in my life and I love those veggies. The pain tough just isn't worth it. On a funny note though, one day at work I couldn't take the pain and I went home. My trapped gas was so bad and I was tossing and turning in the bed to get comfortable and my poor dog was with me laying in the curvature of my back legs. Well, all of a sudden the gas finally decided to escape. The air in my stomach that came out was so loud that the dog got scared and ran out of the bedroom. I felt so good that my stomach went back to normal and happy that my husband wasn't there either to hear all the noise. That is the day I discovered I couldn't eat broccoli anymore. Just keep an eye on what you eat and see if it reoccurs when you eat certain foods. Josephine

LV my LABS, You really are going to be sore but more power to you. I hope you enjoy it and get back on track with it not being so monotonous. I love exercising. Infact at the gym they think that I am crazy because I enjoy sweating because I know what cause it is for. Josephine

Well, I believe you are a step ahead of others like myself. I hated the thought of exercise and because of the trainer he made me actually say now, "I can't wait to get to the gym". I don't think you should feel intimidated but because you have been doing this for awhile you may tell them, "I know". You may find that you haven't been doing it correctly so keep an open mind and do exactly what they tell you. The first day will only be an assessment when you are with them. Allow them to measure you for inches, weight, strength level, stamina level, and fitness level. I don't find motivation at home at all. My husband is there, my dog is there and he is watching TV and only wish that he would join in. No, he doesn't need to lose weight as he has never had a weight problem but it would just be good for him Healthwise to do this and more fun being at home if we did it together. My dog just stares at me when I am on the treadmill and makes me feel guilty that I am not giving her attention. For what I do at the gym, I could never realisitically bring in the house. The people at the gym should be there for one purpose and that is to get physically fit and not there to take pictures. When you are there it is time to sweat and not look pretty. Don't let other people there intimidate you. You need to have an "I am here or a reason attitude". I stayed with my trainer for a year. There is no doubt that I miss him but I know that I can do it on my own. I just know that I have to be my own motivator and that can only happen at the gym. I believe you will like a trainer but just remember, it isn't new to you so I hope you will still find enjoyment with them. Josephine

There is nothing wrong with using a tanning bed after being banded. It is true though that you should wait awhile to be sure the scars are healed completely. No matter what though the tanning in that area will still show funny a bit. As long as I don't have tan lines I am good to go. Josephine

Karen, I am so happy for you that you are doing so well. You husband will be so proud of you when he sees you. Have a wonderful week and keep up the good work. Josephine

Bea, Please don't take what I said in a negative way. You are in the mentoring area and I only asked if you are watching your fat intake. I commend you for typing in everything that you eat as I do not have the patience for that. I would have felt like I was on Weight Watchers again. I did say that you are doing an outstanding job, please don't forget that. We tend to be extremely hard on ourselves. I understand if you need to vent also but that is what the rant and rave section is for. I would only expect to be positive in here as there are people wanting help. I guess I never should have brought up your other blog in this section. I apologize. Josephine

Marie, Good luck tomorrow. If you need any questions answered or help with anything don't hesitate to ask. Josephine

Calling all DFW Area People, Just wanting to see how everyone is doing? Karen, how is the exercise going? I hope your trainer is a big help. I think you said your b-day is in Dec. mine is the 10th, when is yours? LuLuC, I see that you are a one year banded, congrats and good luck with your 5k in Oct. Andrew, have you been to Susan's support group meetings at LaMadeleine? I go there every time she has them but now she is going to be leaving the practice and I hate the thought of not having those meetings. It keeps me in line. Are you happy you chose Dr. Snow? I like him alot but now I will only be seeing him twice a year. Bea, I saw your "Disgusted" blog and how dare you!!! You have done a tremendous job in your weight loss. You have averaged 10 lbs. a month plus lost inches. You are so doing it the right way and the healthy way. I lost weight and became a blob because once I lost my weight is when I began to exercise and that is the wrong way to do things. You may be at a stand still and you also mentioned that you weren't that active with your normal routine and now the summer is just about over so you can get back to it. Our bodies get used to the way we run them and you may need to shock your system. Change your routine, do a different cardio program. Check out the fat content that you are taking in a day. Working out an hour and a half is quite lengthy for two days a week. I do lift weights 3 times a week for about a half an hour to forty five minutes. I have been seeing muscle on me and I think it is so cool. I also see the veins in arms while I am lifting and I think that is so cool too. Hope all is not getting too disgusted with the rain today. I still went out because I get cabin fever quite badly. Well, I am going to change into my work out gear and go on my tread mill. Josephine

We have UHC at our work and he was covered with them. I didn't use him as he was too far from home but I will tell you this. He had the nerve to charge someone I knew from work through the insurance almost 73, 000.00. She had to stay over night in the hospital but also fixed a hernia. I thought that was absolutely ridiculous. Needless to say though, even with her complaining about charging so much, the only thing that worked for her wa the hernia surgery. I don't think she ever lost more than 20 lbs. I don't think that she was mentally ready. To be honest with you I haven't heard too many good things about him. I wish you luck though. Josephine

Silly Goose, I know it is extremely hard, believe me. I have an addiction also and it is fast food. I haven't eaten french fries and burgers since 2005. Do I miss it no, but the smell of it still drives me CRAZY. When I smell ketchup I don't think of tomatoes, I think of french fries. You need to take this time while you have it and slowly walk away from your addiction. Don't rely on the band to do this for you because it won't. All depending on the fills a person has, you are really able to eat anything and everything you allow yourself to. Wean yourself off of the stuff that put you where you are now. You can do it, you know you can, BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE NOW! Josephine

Karen, Keep your mind open with the trainer and listen well. You will hurt quite badly but the hurt will be burning and that is the hurt you want to feel. The burning sensation is muscle breaking down and muscle growing on top of muscle. Don't think that your band or port will be in the way of hurting anything. We tend to protect it but nothing is going to happen. The only thing that I find extremely weird is when I jump rope. It must be the band but I always feel that I am going to pass gas. I used to joke with my trainer that he better watch out because I am ready to explode and I will blow him away. Gas is the only downfall that I have had with the band. Sometimes the gas gets so bad and it is trapped gas, colic, like a baby gets and it won't pass. It hurts alot. I get with you another time about the tummy tuck. I just wanted to wish you well with your first day of training. You can get through it. Josephine

I have never heard of a milk diet. A liquid diet yes but not milk. Maybe it is because it is supposed to be filling. I had broth, sf Jello and sf jello pops and that was it. I was too excited about the surgery to be hungry. Yes, the first day I was starved and I also told my employees that beware, I might be crabby for the next five days but it was all for the better. DO NOT BE SCARED.............................. Think of the results and everyone on this site to help you out. You will be fine, trust me. Josephine

EXERCISE................... That word used to be TABOO to me until I started working with a trainer. I never thought of taking a class, that was smart Bea. I was with my trainer for 3 weeks and he got me HOOKED on exercising and weight lifting. I bought into a year contract at LA Fitness with the trainers and I got a half of year free. Unfortunately it is over now but I go regularly to the gym 3 times a week to lift weights for 30-45 minutes and then 2-3 times a week I do cardio at home or outside. I have a tread mill at home and I didn't start using it until I lost my first 60 pounds. I think I only began doing that because one day when I took my dog to the dog park and started running with her I saw my knee caps and excess skin on my knee caps wiggling, gross...... I lost my last pound July 25th of 2006, quit smoking December 25, 2006 and joined the gym, which I believe now was too late February 2007. It is so important to exercise while losing weight. Sometimes your weight will take a halt but your inches will decrease because you are gaining strength, muscle. When we lose weight we lose muscle since we can not eat a normal amount of food anymore. I should say Protein. You also don't want too many wiggles. I had a tummy tuck and breast lift also. I went from a C cup to an A- cup. Yes I am a little less than an A cup. It's fits my body size so I am okay with that. It is said that a person who has been obese more than 5 years and has 100+ to lose it is inevitable that we will have excess skin. I even want to have a butt and thigh lift. I would very much like to meet. I work, workout at the gym, go home an feed my husband and my dog, not in that order. Of course feed myself, walk the dog and go to bed. This is my life. I work in Farmers Branch. Josephine

Karen and Bea, The two of you have done so well. I hope the road hasn't been too tough on either of you. I can remember when I told my husband that it would be a long journey and it would probably take me a good year to lose the 106 that I had to and oddly enough it took me 8 months. After my surgery though I didn't crave food or even certain foods for that matter. Now I totally enjoy what I am eating because I give myself the chance to eat it slow enough to be able to taste what I am eating. I get the eating thing now and it isn't hard for me anymore. My toughest battle though is the smell of fast food. I have an addiction and i haven't eaten that type food since my surgery but I still have an addiction to that food, the smell of it. Not one food in my lifetime have a ever gotten sick with and I sure wish it would have been that food. Josephine Keep up the good work you two!

Dionna, I frequent buffets a lot and I don't have a problem anymore. I have learned how much I am able to eat and I stick with that guideline. I hope you will be able to learn how to eat more easily. I don't even have to grab small plates anymore because I can only eat the amount that I am able to eat. It may help you to rethink why you eat. I eat to live and not live to eat............ Please don't think that I am a sassy pants but I get it now. I know what it takes to be of a normal healthy weight. I have a certain food type that is my enemy and like an alcoholic I will never eat it again and I am okay with that also it isn't healthy food. It is unfortunate that we see ourselves having to pay the full price on food but think of the people who eat like us and never had a weight problem. They have always paid the price without question so why should we be any different. I know this is very touchy but why should we be any different than others? Josephine

Karen, I live in Arlington and I would love to be able to help in any way that I can. I am an old timer though with the band. I have been banded since Nov. of 2005 and I have been maintaining my weight loss for 2 years. You are really new at this and I know some things have changed as I have seen it at support group meetings that I have gone to. I just try to keep quiet though and hope that I am able to help out if possible. Dr. Snow is my doctor and I see him now every 6 months. I had to graduate to that and it was very hard. I still distrust myself and think that I will go backwards as I have always allowed in my lifetime of weight loss but I am getting stronger every day. It got easier to say and believe that I can't take another bite. I am very strict with myself though because I finally made up my mind that I wasn't going to allow food to run my life anymore and I eat healthy food now and believe it or not I enjoy it. Josephine

lessnless, It sure is a good feeling isn't it.................... I do give platelets monthly and I got my 4 gallon pin the last time that I was there. Because of my weight and my height it takes me 96 mins. to donate a single but that is okay because I am there to donate my time and of course there to help save a life. We are healthier now so we have a long time of living to do. Josephine

AN OBESE MIND I will give you some background about myself from becoming obese to thin. Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding, “Lapband” became part of my life November 10, 2005. Being fairly new in the United States, maybe the insurance companies didn’t know too much about it. I was approved in 3 weeks. There wasn’t as much then as there is today with Pre Op approval requirements with the insurance company that I went through with my job. I filled out a form at the doctor’s office and it was sent to the insurance company for approval for surgery. Requirements today consist of proof from your primary care physician that you have been obese for 5 straight years, history of co-morbidities, for some, needing to prove to the insurance that you can remain on a steady weight loss program for 6 months and to be able to keep that weight off. I really like that one………. If you can do that then why does a person even need to consider “Lapband”? Then to me the most important requirement in which I missed out on, the psych evaluation. Who could possibly have needed that? Well, I did, and I didn’t realize it until after I had lost all my weight and I now struggle with my new healthy self. Obesity is a psychological disease and not only does a person need that prior to approval but during the time of their weight loss process and in my case, aftercare in which I didn’t receive as it wasn’t a requirement for me. I forgot one more requirement and that is a nutritionist. I believe that a nutritionist should be up to the individual but I know the five basic food groups in which I was taught in elementary school. Not only that but I know what is healthy versus unhealthy foods. If you have an addiction with a certain food like an alcoholic does with alcohol, then you need to stay away from it. It is that simple. You may go through your withdrawals but you will get over it, as far as wanting to consume it. I had my surgery November 10, 2005. I weighed in at 251 pounds. The highest I have ever weighed was 254 pounds. By July 25, 2006 I weighed 140 pounds. It was hard to believe I lost 111 pounds in 8 months, but I did. During that time because of the amount that I was taking off on a monthly basis my doctor and nurse were concerned so they were wanting to see me monthly to be sure I wasn’t losing anymore weight but I went down to 134 and started to look sickly. According to my doctor the proper weight for me is 145 pounds. I joined the gym once I lost all my weight, in fact, not until January 2007 and that is when I began to put on weight, that was very scary to me but my trainer assured me that it was muscle weight. I am now 142 pounds and look very healthy. I have maintained my weight loss now for almost 2 years and my clothing size has not gone up since that weight gain so I am good to go, right? No, something isn’t right, I am very unhappy inside and I need help. Is it wrong for me not to know who I am? Actually is it possible not to know who you are? I question myself every single day and on each and every one of those days I get more and more depressed. I lost over 100 pounds and I should be ecstatic about my new healthy lifestyle. Is this me having the problem or my loved ones around me having the problem? Mentally I have changed with my eating habits for over two years now and have moved forward but others are troubled by it, or am I troubled by it. When I was obese I never questioned myself. I knew exactly who I was. I even knew exactly what I was going to do when I woke up the next morning and that was eat until I got a stomach ache even before I got to work. Those days were very easy for me as I had a habit and I was never going to break that habit because if I did, it would disrupt my daily routine and then I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Eating was such an easy task for me to accomplish. I only needed to worry about when my husband would get home because I needed to finish eating before he got home or be sure I cleaned out my car of all fast food bags before anyone would see them. Don’t forget, I was unable to get the French fries that fell between the seats so every so often I would get caught in my web of lies. I was wondering when you begin to accept who you have become. When do you’re loved ones ever get used to the fact that you are who you are now and there is no going back. The countless times I have heard, you are not dieting anymore so why don’t you eat this now or you don’t have to drink all that water anymore since you are not looking to lose anymore weight. You still don’t eat anything so why do you want to go out to eat and spend all that money and you won’t eat everything in front of you. Did they forget the word, “doggie bag”? Now, I am able to get 3 meals for the price of 1 so why are they complaining? Talk about a cheap date. I don’t even drink alcohol anymore. I know that I am able to but I choose not to as it is empty calories. I don‘t even miss consuming alcohol. I have made a 360 in my life and it has become more of a problem for others than it ever has for me. How is it what I put in my mouth affect other people? Do you think that it is fair after all this time I should be worrying about such trivial things? Why should what other people think still bother me? Have I still not accepted my new self yet? My husband tells me now; in fact it has been longer than a little while that he wishes I was the same person mentally that I was when I was obese. He had no clue how depressed inside I was because of my condition. He said since I have quit smoking and that has been since December 25, 2006, and have lost all that weight, that I have become very short, no patience and somewhat angry. Also, I can’t cook anymore but on his defense I am afraid to taste the food in between meals. I have never been a patient person so I believe I need to work on being angry and very short. I do believe that when we are obese, and I should speak for myself that I will do whatever it takes to be accepted and if that was to be walked on then so be it. I guess my door has opened somewhat and I am not allowing that anymore. Unfortunately my husband is there and I guess he is taking the brunt of it. I am sorry for that. I need to curb that. He has been wonderful to me throughout all of this but has not listened to me enough though. He sees my outside but hasn’t a clue what is going on inside. I know I am not E.F. Hutton but someone needs to listen to me. Who can understand me especially if I can’t even understand myself? Damn, there is so much confusion. I love my husband very much and I certainly do not want to lose him. He just needs to take the time to sit down and listen to me. It is so hard for men to do that. No wonder they are looked at by a woman with distaste. It is also not fair being hateful to others as they don’t have a clue with what is going on in my mind. In fact, it is really none of their business to know what is going on in my mind unless I choose to tell them. Some people only think that I am a B….. and they have never even known my past where other people believe I’ve turned into a B….. since I went through my lifestyle change. Could it be jealousy on their part? I don’t know. Should I worry about that part or should I try to take care of myself? The only thing that I do know for sure is that it is very important for me to stay healthy from this day forward. I understand that mental health is just as important as physical health is, if not more important so this is why I am in search of answers. I want to know what is wrong with me. I do know that I have self doubt, I do not trust in myself nor do I even believe in myself and that I am somewhat angry at everyone because I am different and they are having trouble accepting me for who I am and have become. Is there a possibility of becoming normal to myself first and then everyone else? Will there ever be a happy medium without hurting the ones you love? I need help mentally to be sure that I am stable. I want to be able to tell people in a proper way that I am okay and they need not worry about me or themselves for that matter. Can I tell people to be themselves when they are with me especially when it comes to the eating part? They right away talk to me about their eating habits and they try to be like me when I make my food choices and I know very well that they are not like that, nor have they ever been like that since I have known them. I have NEVER expected anyone to make changes like I have. I will be more than happy to help someone or encourage someone if they are looking for help, but I would never initiate the conversation. We all know by experience that it has to come from within us first. Is it me or is it the others around me. Josephine 7/06/08

Kelly, Atkins is more aggravating to the kidneys than South Beach is. We need complex carbs in our daily intake also. Once you begin to eat carbs on Atkins you begin to gain weight. I lost 55 lbs. on Atkins and then gained 75 lbs. once I stopped eating Atkins. I missed eating carbs and then began my bad habits again. Atkins was my last DIET before I had my band and now I eat normal now and it isn't dieting anymore. Try it on your own. You know the healthy foods to eat and with the band you will be eating less anyway so just try it on your own. You can do it. Josephine

Trainers say, 40% Protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat Healthy fats and carbs are VERY important and stay away from fatty protein. Eat fish and chicken mostly if you can. Fried foods are not good for you so if you can stay away from that you are good to go. Drink at least a half a gallon of Water a day. They say because of the amount we should be eating a person can barely take in 900 calories. For the need to maintain it should be 1200 calories. I have been maintaining my loss for almost 2 years now and I am very lucky to get in 1200 calories. I don't count calories and never have. I just eat healthy, drink plenty of water and exercise. I am loving life and you will too. Just listen to what your doctor tells you or your nutritionist. I never had one of those either but I knew what was healthy and what wasn't. You can do it don't worry. Everyone just needs to change their old bad habits and start anew. Good Luck Josephine

Your shoulder pain is from Gas which is from the anesthesia. My friends husbands shoulders hurt him for almost 2 weeks. He had a terrible time with gas only because of the anesthesia. You will pull through it as all do. Just be on the road to becoming healthy. It all pays off in the end. Trust me. Josephine Don't sweat the small stuff. Good Luck

There is nothing to be afraid of except not losing the weight necessary to lose to stay healthy and live longer. The effects? Negative - Some people can't eat what they used to with the band................... Positive - You move on because you are becoming healthier and taking all unneeded meds away because they aren't needed any longer. There isn't alot to think about with the band and it is nothing but positive for most people. Josephine 251/144 Surgery Nov. 2005 No Fills July 25th I will have maintained my loss for 2 years