Ezma

I get my chewable multi Vitamins there. They are very comparable to the bariatric ones. I just need to take a Calcium citrate supplement. And best part is they are under $6. Also love there tomato and roasted red pepper Soup, mediterranean hummus, frozen roasted veggies with balsamic sauce, frozen green Beans and cheeses. They used to have a wonderful bruschetta but I can't find it anymore. Two other things I love but can't eat anymore are their store brand of honey greek yogurt and the Just Clusters granola.

I'd say it was a combination of two things - lack of Protein and ketosis. From what I can tell you're getting very, very few calories and you're probably burning through your body's energy stores very quickly. When you're on a very low carb diet your body goes into ketosis. This is a process that converts fat and muscle for energy. Symptoms of ketosis include headache, light-headed, dizzy, grouchy, bad breath and body odor. Not glamorous but it drops weight fast. What were the instructions you received from you doctor on post op diet? I've never heard of one that didn't include Protein shakes.

Ready!!!!!! I missed you! And thank you. When the heck have you been hiding. Hadn't seen you or Queen for a bit and Gibson is MIA. Well, I'm very glad you're back. :biggrin2:

Hi guys - I'm very confused about what guidelines a doctor uses to determine eligibility for Lap Band. I know that insurance generally uses 40+ BMI or lower with medical co-morbidities. Is there a point where they wouldn't do it? I've seen some people in the other areas of the board that had fairly decent BMIs (under 35) and under 50 pounds to lose and that surprised me. Just curious if anyone knows cause I have friends who could possibly qualify that I didn't think would before. Thanks.

That does not sound fun at all. I think I'm glad I didn't get that last fill though fighting the hunger beast is a pain. Hope you get used to it soon. PS - I'm like you ... never throw up. I've only thrown up once in over 14 years and that was because of a surgery.

What a wonderful picture. The two of you look so warm and happy. It brought a smile to my face. Thank you.

Thanks so much everyone! I know I still have quite a ways to go but I'm so excited with how far I've come already. I look in the mirror and think how much I've changed in the last few months. It's like I don't recognize myself except that I do....it's the old me coming back.

First off, check the menu online if you can before you go. Most places have the nutritional information. Try soup if they have it, like albondigas soup. Lean toward corn tortillas instead of flour - they go down easier and don't have as many calories. Enchiladas can sometimes be a half way decent choice. Macayos, which I think is a national chain, has Pollo Espinaca Enchiladas that are only 300 calories. I know, only 300?! But it's pretty low for mexican food.

Yeah, I had started one called "Oh what a beautiful morning" when I thought I was going in for my fill. But surprise, surprise....when he tried to fill me he couldn't get any saline in or out of my band. He thinks it's a kinked tubing problem or a port malfunction. Either way, they are gonna go in and fix or replace it. I was majorly bummed when I found out, now I'm okay. I'm just having some hard days staying on track with my food. I'm just hoping they won't have to start all over with my fills. I was just about at a good spot. Even now I have some restriction but I just found out I can eat a whole beef and cheddar from Arby's - Dang it! :sad: Still losing slow and steady though. Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. Helps a lot to know I have you guys there.

Anyone else have this? Lately I've just felt so darned good. I used to have good days about once every couple months. Now I feel good about 4-5 days a week. I can do more, have more energy and feel so good about myself. I'm almost high on feeling good. The thing that is the weirdest to me is that I feel confident,young and sassy again. Something I haven't felt in many, many years. And the really bizarre part is that I still have over 120 pounds to go until my goal weight. Does it just keep getting better and better? :biggrin2:

Thank you Shelley. I'm sure the surgery will be pretty easy. Just wish it didn't happen. Think I'm over my crying about it phase now.

Glad I'm not the only one who cried over this. I know it's just a minor surgery but I didn't need it now. I go on 6-25 so I'll let ya know how it goes. They said I can go back to work the next day so it looks like a piece of cake for the doctor. I didn't even have any idea anything was wrong. Two fills went smooth as can be. Everything else was going well too. No real pain or anything. I'm sure it's nothing we did. The doctor said something about scar tissue kinking the tubing. Good look to you too Cami.

Seems to take 3-4 fills to get good restriction, sometimes more. Just keep eating the way they tell you and you'll lose weight. At least until you hit the dreaded plateaus.

I need some accountability on this so I thought maybe we could have a thread for mini goals. I know Friday is a weird day to start a weekly goal but since mine is weight related and I weigh on Friday.....you get the picture. Please feel free to add any short term goals you have to this. Let's see what kind of fun we can have. It doesn't have to be weight related though I think many of ours will be. It could be excercise, removing a food from your diet, eating healthier, getting off a pill, fitting into a new piece of clothing. Come on, let's see what we can do! Mine is to lose 4 pounds between today and my doctor's appointment on Tuesday morning.

Katie - I definately relate to most of what you said. We really don't have a lot of restriction yet so the band isn't doing much for us. The weight you're losing is from that week of tightness and whatever willpower you can scavange up for yourself. Hang in there cause they will get you to your sweet spot soon. I too use Daily Plate to monitor my food intake. I try to keep it under 1000 calories a day, usually in the 700-900 range, though my nutritionist would like it in the 600-800 range. And definately exercise. It doesn't matter if it's walking, biking, strength training, sports, whatever you like to do. Not only does it burn calories and increase your metabolism rate but it also builds more muscle and muscle burns more calories that fat just by being there. I had to start really slow with the exercise but I've built up a lot in a fairly short time. I have COPD so I don't breathe real well sometimes. I started with just 10-15 minute walks around the block. Now I walk twice the distance at a much faster pace plus I'm able to do about 20 minutes of aerobic workouts. Hang in there. Your sweet spot is coming. And congrats on losing 15 pounds though your own hard work.

Yay Karen! You go girl! Bet that feels so good. :biggrin: And the thought of a hot cop made me feel good. So thanks. :frown:

Wishing you all good luck on your short term goals. So....GOOD LUCK guys! I didn't make my last one but I was off on my calculation. I only ended up 1 pound short. My new goal is to stay sane and not spend too much before my revision.

Lil, what does it feel like to be over half way on the weight loss? Details, details and tell me slowly. I want to savor it. Gotta live vicariously for a bit longer.

I'm breaking out into musicals here. In less than two hours I'm off to get my third fill. I can't wait! I've managed to become quite discouraged over the last few days. I lost great for a week after my fill then hit a plateau for almost two weeks. Then I lost 2 more, then struggled up and down with those two for the last week. I did call around and try to set up an appointment with a therapist but don't have one yet. I'm dealing with more than just the eating issues, have my whole husband with terminal brain cancer. So I thought it might be time to see someone. Anyone know what I should keep in mind or check when looking for a good therapist? Back to happy thoughts though. It's a glorious morning. I have a date with a needle and some saline. Woo hoo!:thumbup:

Oh, now....shucks. You're making me cry. But thank you very much. Saw the shrink today. Hard to tell much though since it was the quickie getting to know you session. I'll let you guys know if he gives me any pearls of wisdom. We're gonna talk about why I occasionally do the "Give me food! I don't know what food I want but I NEED something!." until I get so full I'm totally uncomfortable and then I eat a bit more. Luckily it's only happened a couple times but it's disturbing.

That's hilarious Tara. So if someone you dislike slips and falls, you make sure you're out of hearing range right?

Gotta have the Wii system. I just might break down and buy one. Guess it's a good thing I have a video game freak for a son.

Thanks guys. You're support means a lot to me and it's 90% of the reason I maintain any bit of sanity about this band. :biggrin2: Oh, I have an appointment with a therapist this afternoon. He was recommended by another bander from my doctor's office. I'm crossing my fingers that he's good. I don't really think there's a lot he can do I just want to be pro-active and make sure I have all the support I can in place.

So I'm really, really fed up with this whole plateau/fighting up and down with 2 pounds thing so I decided to teach my body a lesson today. I've heard about the whole metabolism/body thinking it's starving thing and I decided to show it what starving is all about. I'm going to drastically reduce my calories today and basically do the liquid thing. Plus I'm going to excercise my butt off today. Keep good thoughts for me so I can make it. Me to my body: So, you think you're starving do you? I'll show you starving! Heh! My body: Okay, okay! I give! Here's those 3 pounds. And over the next week I promise to give you 6 more if you just promise to go back to what you were feeding me. Yep, I know I need to be locked up in a nice padded room somewhere.:cursing:

Peek - I'm so sorry to hear that you've been dealing with the dreaded plateau for that long. Kudos to you that you still appear sane. Hopefully they will get you to some good restriction soon. I know that helps so much. It's like the band does more than restricting the amount you eat, it almost seems to stimulate a hormone or something too. At least I read that somewhere.