oneder_woman

I always tip, usually my DH thinks too much, but being a chatty kathy is one way to decrease the amount, quickly! I am either a) enjoying the company of my companion or enjoying alone time. Either way, I do *not* patronize any establishment with the idea of spending quality bonding time with the staff. For hair, I spend about $250 for a cut and color and tipped 20% when my stylist was employed by a salon. Then he opened his own shop, and I felt odd about stopping, so I kept tipping him. Unfortunately, after five years of wonderful service, he became completely unable to see me on time. I was never late, not once, and I drove 90 minutes each way to see him, often arriving very early on Saturdays. I always had to wait, even if I was the first appointment of the day. Finally I arrived at a 1 p.m. appt and was told I had the time wrong and had missed my appt (even tho I had my appt. card). He actually told me he could not cancel on the last client of the day (at 2 pm) because she was new and had called several times to get the appt. Hello! I drove a 3 + hour round trip for years! So I left him. It was traumatic - like leaving a boyfriend. Now my stylist is the owner on of the salon, and I do not tip her, per Emily Post. But I hear that is changing.

Hey Georgia! I'm good, but had a bad eating day - gave in to banana nut bread at lunch, said I would be super good at supper, but I wasn't, then had an overwhelming TOM chocolate craving. Logged my food, tho, and I am about 688 cals over for the day. Ack! And now I feel sick (chocolate). I will probably go to the meeting, even tho I should work late every night next week. I was really looking forward to meeting you and L2L. Ah, well, another time........

Oh, the horror! I haven't thought about this for years - not since I went from shy non-confronting person to smart mouth professional arguer! Once at Christmas I went to say hello to my grandfather, and his reply was 'Hey, fatso!' He also once asked how much I spent a week on groceries. A woman at my work had heard I was going to take some time off and that it was medical. She asked what kind of surgery I was having and got made when I told her it was a simple elective thing, no need to worry, tho I really did appreciate her concern. I am convinced she went on my computer later that day to see what websites I look at (namely this one). Also, I think she found LAP band materials buried under things on my desk. She then told me she was 'considering' the band surgery. The worst, tho, is my sister in law. She ruthlessly makes fun of my husband about his weight (he thinks it is funny) and is always talking about how fat this person is or that person it, how gross they are, etc. HELLO. All 300+ pounds of me is right here. STFU!!!!

We're here! Well, I'm here......it has slowed down a bit. (dang lapbanders, actually working instead of posting!)

breakfast - NSA Carnation made w/ Calorie Countdown (L2L got me hooked!) lunch - one cup chicken salad (didn't look like that much, but that's how I'm counting it), four captain's wafers and (argh!) a slice of banana nut bread (I know, bad! bad!) supper - TBD - probably salmon and a salad, maybe chicken chili or soup if at a restaraunt

Georgia, Way to GO! You look so cute and sassy in that photo. WooHOO!:wink2:

I agree with everyone above. When I was doing research, I kept reading that the bypass was recommended for people with very large amounts to lose, like me. The bypass scared me, though, and my husband would not even talk about it due to his fears of complications. He didn't even blink, however, when I brought up lap band, and when I went to my surgeon for a consult, he never brought up any other procedure. So- shop around. Make an educated choice about what is right for you, knowing the risks and benefits of each procedure. There are plenty of docs out there who will accomodate you.

Brina, We will all be thinking of you and looking forward to your hilarious posts again soon. I hope whatever is going on works out for the best for you. If you need anything or just want to vent, whine, or otherwise cry out in outrage, just drop me an email, and I am sure that goes for everyone else here too..... And we may be losing, but there are still some pretty sizeable girls around here, so if we need to kick somebody's fanny, you just say the word......

I refuse to be discouraged by false gains. I know I am retaining water, so the 'gain' the scale showed even though I am eating exactly right CAN'T be real. :tt1: pppffffttttt! to monthly water weight.

Welcome, lojo! We have a good little group here; everyone is very supportive and willing to share. I was banded 4/28/08. I love my band and only wish I had done this sooner. It is NOT a magic bullet, tho - it is a tool, and we all have to do our part to make it work. Learning how to work the band can take some time, as can getting to the restriction level you want. That said, my experience has been very positive, and the surgery was not a big deal at all. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have, and I'm sure others here will as well. Good Luck! Oneder

Low-carbing is working very well for me, but I wonder, how much Fiber is recommended each day, and do you get yours thru food, supplements, or a combo? thanks in advance....

Of course, you should do what your doc says..... but here's my experience - restriction has so much to do with not getting hungry between meals, and so until you get there, no snacking can be very hard to do. When I got my latest fill, I was getting hungry before dinner, so I called my nurse, and she said to add a small snack, such as yogurt. For me, if I get too hungry, I will eat more than I need to, or eat unhealthy foods. So long as you are sticking to your target calorie goal each day, I don't see how a 100 cal snack could hurt, especially if it keeps you from overeating later.

all victories, ladies! way to go! (Leslie, I especially liked yours...what fun!) I tried to post this earlier, so if it doubles up on me, please forgive, but - I had a NSV today, too. I was forced to eat fast food for lunch - which I never do - and I was good and ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and a fruit parfait at McD's, only to have them give me FRIES in my bag in addition to my order! McDonald's fries are crack to me - I normally cannot resist them. Well, I didn't totally resist them today. I ate two, then drove around the block of my office twice trying to find a familiar face to give them to. There are usually tons of guys around, but none today! So, I had to drive around the block again to find the trash can, but I THREW THEM OUT! Then I went to my office and took the bread off the sandwich and ate the chicken and yogurt for lunch! Whoo Hoo, Me! not perfect, but I say it counts.

b - carnation instant breakfast made w/ skim milk l - chicken taco salad, ate about 1/6 of the shell s - light ff yogurt d - one tyson chicken patty, halfed and each half placed in small flour tortilla w/ 1/4 cup spinach and 1/2 oz. goat cheese, +/- one cup sugar free orange fluff plus 60 oz water in between

Do you love your magic bullet? It looks really cool. I want that and a George Foreman grill. I hate clutter on the counter, tho. I should say, I do the 1200 cals but I also watch the carbs as well. Oh, and I didn't tell you guys - my DH had emergency surgery Labor Day to take his gallbladder out. His doc also told him at that time that he is diabetic. Five days in the hospital, and it was NOT fun, BUT - It's the best thing that could have happened, because now he has to be serious about his eating habits and exercise, which he needed to be. *And* it's a lot easier for me to eat well when he isn't wanting to order pizza at least one night a week, always wanting to go out to eat, ordering buttery popcorn at the movies, stopping for ice cream after a fattening dinner out, etc, etc, a thousand et ceteras.

Thanks, GG for the response, and for the poke - I need one on a pretty regular basis! I am having Carnation instant breakfast, full cal version, for breakfast. It's quick enough and has a reasonable amount of protein. I think I am going to switch to the lower or no sugar variety next time I buy, if I can find that. I am exercising each day - some days I walk with my DH, some I dance in the kitchen like an idiot. Honestly, I work up more of a sweat and get my heart rate going more with the dancing, but DH likes to walk so we compromise. Water is a-okay, it's all I drink, besides the Carnation in the a.m. I track it all on thedaily plate. As for calories, I am getting between approx. 1200 a day, which is the number that Leslie at OTC came up with. It's more than the 800-900 I originally thought I'd be eating, but then, I don't have optimum restriction. What about everybody else? What is your calorie target? On a side note - Wal-Mart has the BEST frozen salmon. The brand is Sea Cuisine. It has 230 cals for a large serving, if you have tight restriction you might only want half of a serving. Lots of protein, very yummy.

Argh! I am a stupid, stupid, stupid woman. I had a fill last week. I really haven't been hungry at all, but when I eat I am able to eat much more than I would like. So, Leslie gave me .5 cc, thinking we were getting close to where I want to be. I also confessed that I had been eating very little and my weight loss was less than what is normal for me (losing weight has not been my problem in the past, just falling off whatever program I was on and gaining it back). We discussed my eating pattern, and I'm embarrassed to tell y'all what I had been doing: not eating until supper time each day. I know, I know - dumb! So Leslie told me what I really already knew, which was that I have to EAT to lose. Specifically, I have to eat breakfast and lunch and keep my metabolism going all day. So I am doing that, feel better, healthier, all that except now I am getting hungry - really hungry. It has always been true for me that I am more hungry for lunch if I eat breakfast, more hungry for supper if I eat lunch. I am losing weight, but thru sheer force of willpower and major calorie counting only. I feel like I have less restriction now than I did before. I feel so dumb. I mean, duh, of course eating ---> metabolism working ----> hunger, when you are being healthy and not piggy. So I called and talked to Leslie, and she said give it another week to 'kick in,' add a snack, and we'll see. Opinions, similar experiences appreciated.

Just my opinion, but I would guess there are a few factors at work here 1) there are people on this site who have had the WLS a few years ago and kept the weight off. You just have to look for them. One place to direct questions to them is in the 'at goal' group or other similarly titled groups. 2) just like any other kind of weight loss, maintaining the healthy weight can be just as much of a challenge as losing it in the first place. I would imagine many people struggle with this more than getting the weight off. When we are first banded, we are motivated, especially when we see the scale move, move, move. But maintaining, without that benefit of seeing the scale move, is hard. People fail. 3) finally, I think that we need the support of this site more at the beginning. When I was first banded I was on here every day. Now, not nearly as often - and I'm only five months out. I can imagine that when I get to my goal weight, I will probably not have the questions I had then or have now. So, people at goal probably don't visit the site as much. just my 2 cents.....

There are always going to be people who have negative responses. I told my neighbor who is a nurse, and she was instantly negative - be careful, I've known people who have done that and gained all their weight back, etc. You can't worry about people like that, you can only make the best decision for you. For me, I've lost almost 40 lbs. so far, and it isn't perfect, but it's still the best decision I could have made. I just wish I'd have done this sooner.

slow weekend here on LBT - I hope everybody has been out enjoying a great weekend! L2L - you've got mail!

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I posted, so I don't know if anybody remembers me, but I was banded by Dr. B in April. I was off to a great start, then floundered there for a while, but I am gearing back up and getting off the pity pot. Reading the recent posts today has been an inspiration and helped me feel even better about doing what I know I need to do- so thanks to all of you for being so uplifting!

It's already gone! I had a fill on 6/9 and they can't schedule me in again until 8/9. Oh well, no worries. Hope all of you are doing well. :Angel_anim:

(hand raised, waving) ooh, ooh, I wanna go! July 1 is good for me. If anybody wants to carpool from east of Albany, email me!

Hi y'all. I hope everyone is doing well. Leslie, I am glad your revision went well. Brina, I am glad to see your posts again. I had my first fill Monday. I had 2cc from surgery and she added 2 more, so now I have 4 in a 14 cc band. So far, it seems very hit and miss. So far this week, I have noticed that about half the time I have very good restriction, other times not so much. There seems to be no predicting when it will be good and when it will feel more open. Has anybody else had that experience?

My scar from my port has retreated under my arm. Weird, b/c my actual port is well onto my upper chest.