DonnaB

Ouch! I know he's probably right, but jeez, couldn't he have found a nicer way to say it? lol If this were not true I wouldn't have lost 8 pounds during my week-long pre-op liquid diet! Anyone out there NOT lose weight during their (very low calorie) liquid diet? :-) Isn't it a crazy, topsy-turvy world where some people are starving to death and some are eating themselves to death? Where is the miracle of modern science when you need it? Ya, I know, that's a whole new topic.

Ahhhh. I knew the almond had to be raw for the benefits but I forgot to mention that LITTLE (!) detail. Sorry about that - I hope everyone continues to read forward to get that info. Wait, I just remembered, I can go back and edit my post! Yep, I'm off to do that now. Thanks PhotoNut - keep me in line!

Thanks for the heads-up on the Walk from Obesity site. I'm going to look into it now.

I like Cheddar's too. Unfortunately, I like their deep-fried-sandwich-of-death the Monte Cristo! I haven't been there since long before being banded - maybe we'll go there again and I'll try something better for me! Now about Super Size me . . . I bought a copy off the cheap movies table but I haven't watched it yet - I'm kinda scared to! lol I'll probably watch it now that I don't eat McDonalds anymore. A word about KFC - I haven't eaten there since they were accused of cruelty to live chickens - some of their employees have been arrested and are awaiting trial for animal abuse - I'm not going to say what they did, it's too disgusting, disturbing, and just plain sick. KFC is standing by their employees and denying the charges so I will never give my money to KFC again. Period. It's bad enough that most poultry producers force their animals to live in inhumane conditions while they fatten them up for slaughter but when individuals then participate in the painful, protracted and inhumane killing of the birds as part of some sick game - that's where I draw the line. Whenever possible I buy chicken - all meat in fact - from Kosher sources - I'm not Jewish but I know that Kosher practices require that animals be killed without pain or fear and that makes me feel better about my choices. Sermon over.

US ban on Canadian beef is most likely about keeping the almighty dollar circulating through US beef grower's hands! lol US Mantra: It'a all about the money baby.

Excellent post Wheetsin! I think we tend to forget that as our bodies change our methods must change.

Congratulations! Your surgery date will be here before you know it!

www.FitDay.com - calculates EVERYTHING! Calories, nutrients, protein, water, activity, mood, location, food triggers - EVERYTHING! Love me some FitDay! There's a free version and a downloadable that costs $20 (more if you don't sign up for the free membership first). Aside from lap band surgery, this is the best $20 I've ever spent!

Eventually your body will let go of it's fat to produce energy - you may have to wait a couple of weeks for it to happen but it will. A better way to jump start your weight loss is to eat some simple fat during the day. If you eat 12 almonds twice a day before you reach your dinner, your body will start to release it's fat stores and you'll start to lose weight again. Best of all almonds have the kind of fat that's GOOD for you - the kind that helps keep your arteries clear which is good for your heart and your brain. 12 almonds isn't so much that you'll feel sick after eating them and they will make a difference to your weight loss. (EDIT TO ORIGINAL POST: I forgot to post that to benefit from nut oils, the nuts MUST BE RAW! Roasted nuts lose their benefits and may actually be harmful to your body. Thanks PhotoNut for reminding me I had to be more explicit!) Of course, the BEST way to start your weight loss is to eat 3 balanced meals per day but if you just don't want to eat, and who here hasn't dreamed of that scenario (!), try the almonds. Take care though, if you start eating more than 24 a day, or you begin eating meals AND the almonds, you may start gaining because of the additional fat.

I'm all about the 2nd opinion! Maybe he was just trying to scare you - although it's not like you can scare away reflux! Here's the upside: I've heard over and over here on LBT that after a complete unfill you can't hold as much fill as you used to which means you'll get better restriction with less fill and less fill is easier on your stomach in the long run. Don't panic yet, no need to cry. If you need the unfill for your reflux to get better then go ahead and unfill - time to test your new relationship with food and see how much you've learned - then get a refill and keep moving forward. You're going to be just fine, I'm SURE.

I'm 8 weeks post op and my port pain has virtually gone now. I say this but I haven't tried swimming yet - I'm trying to figure out how to keep the chlorine from leeching the color out of hair (just went from bleachy to auburn which is closer to my natural color. But I'm rambling.) My port hurt a lot of the time until about a week ago when it just stopped. If I sit leaning forward for too long wearing jeans it will give a little twinge but nothing like before. I'm taking this as a good sign that the pain will eventually disappear altogether. In answer to your original query, I think it's normal and nothing to worry about - unless it gets red or hot or oozy.

I've been irregular all my life so I don't know what "normal" really is. I've always had a very light to non-existant flow and only recently found out that obesity is probably the cause of irregular menstruation. I've been through infertility treatments and no one ever said 'it could be your weight'! Kinda makes me a little crazy. Well, after dropping 25 pounds I had my first cycle since before Thanksgiving and it was pretty heavy on days 2, 3, and 4, and lasted for 7 days. Don't know if this helps you or not but I think, if I were you, I'd call my OBGyn. 3 weeks is a long time.

lol - our posts crossed in cyber-space. Good luck.

If it's a capsule it's no problem - put it in a small glass with water and let it begin to melt. When it looks baggy, swallow it. Capsule = good. Caplet = bad.

Is it a capsule or a caplet? If it's a capsule you can drop it in water and watch it for a couple of minutes. When it starts to have a wobby, overripe grape look to it you can swallow it down whole with no problem and no sticking. This is the advice my band doc gave me and it works great. If it's a 'capsule coating' on a tablet this probably won't work. Good luck.

Kathy, What's the name of the book? I don't have Tivo and I almost never see Oprah.

Man Janet - you have one hell of a memory! If you let your capsule soak for about 2 minutes it will get a wobbly, overripe grape look to it and it becomes very easy to swallow. I got that bit of advise from my band doc. This will not work - at least I don't think it will - with a caplet (tablet that has been coated with the same stuff capsules are made of) (?) (now that I think about it, WHAT ARE CAPSULES MADE OF?) (I probably don't really want to know, huh?). Enjoy your hump day everyone!

This is a forum-style discussion of the movie Phat Girlz. I haven't seen it and now I wonder if I will? Hmmmm. http://blackvoices.aol.com/black_entertainment/movies_features_reviews_trailers/filmfeaturecanvas/_a/your-call-phat-girlz/20060418183009990001

LOL maryb - I call that halfheimers - it isn't allz yet thank goodness. I hate it when there are a dozen choices of a product and when I get home and open the package, the one I picked up is the one that's damaged or missing a part. Seems like it happens to me a lot.

Alexandra, what would it take to bribe you into changing your mind about that? :deadhorse: . . . . . FLOG! . .. . . . . . FLOG! . .. . . . . . FLOG!

I am 8 weeks post op today and will have my first fill on Thursday.

I had no problems swallowing at all. When you first wake up they don't give you anything to drink for a little while - they want to make sure you're recovered completely from anesthesia first. Later on you'll have some Water, some docs might even give you diluted juice. Later in the evening you'll have some broth, and you'll stay on Clear Liquids for at least a week, sometimes longer depending on your doctor. After that full liquids for a few weeks, then mushies and then finally, after a considerable amount of time, solids. Liquids will cause you no problems. Mushies didn't cause me any problems. Solids you'll have to take slowly with tiny, tiny, TINY, bites. If you follow the rules you won't have any problems. You're going to do just fine.

30 minutes or 1 - 1 1/2 cups is what my doctor told me. Call your doctor and see why he set such a low time limit. I agree with Marimaru - if I imposed a 10 - 15 minute rule I would try to eat too fast and hurt myself. As it is I usually have to allow 5 - 10 minutes for the first few bites.

My band doc told me to soak capsules for a few minutes till they look like an overripe grape and then swallow them. I've done it several times and it goes down great.

Welcome to bandland schneaux! Every day you'll feel a little bit better. Ain't life grand? !