jmegirl

Well, I appreciate the kind words, but I really should have started walking weeks ago - if not on a daily basis, at the very least 4 days a week. And yes, I did lose this week, but I gained last week - so it evens out. In 4 weeks I've pretty much stayed around the same spot. I'm convinced that if I'd been walking all this time, I'd at least have dropped a few more pounds. My first fill worked for a few days, but now I don't feel much restriction. I mean, I feel restriction at meal time, but I get hungry again faster than I'd like. That is to be expected with my first fill though, so I'm not that bummed. It just means I need a lot more will power. I'm worried once I do start walking every day that I'll use that as an excuse to eat more - in which case, I still won't be losing any weight, LOL. Oh, this vicious cycle. I feel like a hamster on a wheel! I should get one of those for my signature instead of the smiley walking on the treadmill. Though my dad did tell me last night that my face looks thinner, so that's Step 1!!! :thumbup: OH, and thanks Mal!!!! :confused_smile:

Were you at the Cowboys game last night?? Do you have sesason tickets?? That was a great game! :confused_smile: I'm pleased as punch that my Panthers did so well. Perhaps we'll meet in the Playoffs!

I gotta admit ladies, I know why I'm at a stand-still as far as weight loss goes. I'm not working out. I've not done a damn thing since surgery. No treadmill, no elliptical...nothing. I've been as lazy as ever. And that's all my fault. :confused_smile: I need to get motivated, and I need to do it quick. As my dad put it to me last night, "You did this to yourself, now you need to do what you need to do in order to make it work. It won't work by itself!!!" I'm posting this to keep me accountable. I have a treadmill in my living room that points directly at the TV so I have NO EXCUSE not to get on it and walk for at least 30mins a day. NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

Good luck on your Plateau Diet today Dee!!! :confused_smile:

Aww, congrats on being married for a gazillion years! I plan to be married that long myself, as long as my husband gets his offended gas under control. Even since I've been banded, my gas is still no match for his! :tongue2: Enjoy your MOB duties, I know my mom had a blast! Good luck! :thumbup:

Wait Mini, are you getting married?? I thought you already had a hubby... :tongue2:

Wow, congrats on the 4.4lbs!!!! That's amazing! :tongue2: Just for you Dee!

Dee, I'm so sorry to hear about your new job not going as you planned. That's just terrible to hear! Maybe it will get better once you're past the whole "training" period? I certainly hope so. Also, I don't think you are judging me for my bad choices. I posted here about the beer because I just had to share how much my tastes had changed. And like Mini, I've tried to do online research about carbonation with the band and come up short, so I was honestly curious about the effects. The beer didn't taste good, so I'm fairly certain it will be awhile before I try one again. New Year's champagne will probably be my next test with carbonation!

I guess I figured one beer wouldn't hurt. But as it was, I only got in 1/3 of it before I had to send it away. Can drinking that little bit of carbonated beverage actually stretch my pouch????

I ended up drinking about 1/3 of it, but it didn't taste good at all. It didn't hurt me to drink it though. A few more burps than usual, but nothing painful. I'm just so disappointed that it didn't taste good.

Lord help me, it was one of those weeks....tonight, I poured myself a beer. :rolleyes2: I took one sip, and nearly choked. Not because it hurt, but because it tasted terrible. I can not believe how bad it tasted, and this is Miller Lite - my most favorite beer ever! I could chug one down inside of 15 seconds if I was thirsty! OMG! My tastes have changed so drastically since surgery, it's amazing. My 3yr obsession with beer is finally...over. :cursing: Deb [deboregon], you definitely need to try beer. Just one sip shouldn't hurt. I'd just like to know if a fellow Beer Lover is also disliking the taste of beer as much as I am!

I lost 8lbs in the first week after surgery, and that's it. As soon as I hit mushies, and then solids, weight loss pretty much stopped. I bounced back and forth between the same 2lbs for a few weeks. I got my first fill at one month post-op and have now lost (and kept off) another 4lbs, bringing my total to roughly 12lbs in the first 5 weeks. I've been told by my surgeon that weight loss in the first 6 weeks is a blessing, because your body is healing from surgery and you shouldn't expect to lose lots of weight. Hopefully with your first fill, you will start seeing a more regular 1-2lb/week weight loss. Of course in the beginning you have more weight to lose, so you will lose weight faster. As you get closer to goal, naturally the weight loss slows down. Hope this helps!

I was giving her an option for fiber that didn't include the food items that most often get stuck! How is that being rude? Your response to me only shows how little of a person you are. Disagreeing with me is one thing (and there's nothing wrong with it), but lowering yourself to throwing insults about one's appearance is something entirely different. I wish you success with your band and I certainly you hope you find whatever it is you are looking for in life.

I take sugar free chewable Fiber Choice tablets as a fiber supplement and that does the trick! I did have some cream of asparagus Soup that my mom made from scratch, but the only reason it worked for me is because it had been cooked so long that the asparagus pieces were practically mush.

At any point in my post, did I say that I followed all the rules? Did I say I practiced what I preached? I had 2 pieces of pizza on Wednesday night for dinner - just hours after I wrote that long post! The difference between me and most everyone else on this board is that I don't come here whining about what I've done wrong and looking for support. I eat badly, I journal it, I reflect on it later, and I address the reasons why I did what I did. Then I work on fixing them. This is an internal process, you see. It's not something that anyone else can do for you. So to come on here whining about how you ate 6 sausage balls at the Christmas Party is just silly in my mind, because no one can fix it but you. And hearing "Oh you'll do better tomorrow" only makes it easier on you, which is not what you need when you stray from the diet. What you need is a swift kick in the ass to get you motivated again, and if you can't do it for yourself, then I plan to do it. Whether you choose to read my posts or not, at least I feel better knowing maybe, just maybe, it struck a cord with someone out there and they'll get back on track because I was so "rude" and blunt and to the point. By the way, I'm awfully flattered that you would avoid this website with all that it has to offer, simply because you find my posts offending.

My surgeon first looked at my band with an ultrasound - the same kind of thing they do when you have a baby. Rub that gook on your belly and move the wand over it to see what's in there. He found my port that way, and marked it with a pen. Then he put the needle in where he had marked, removed the air from the tubing (OUCHIE this part hurt) and then he started with the saline. I've heard fills are best done under fluoroscopy but my surgeon doesn't do that.

I'm going to answer this even though you asked someone else. For my first fill, my doctor put in 2.4cc first, and then had another needle with 1.4cc in it. Once the 2.4cc was in, he slowly injected the saline in the other needle, and after most of that was in, he stopped. He then had me sit up (with the needle still in) and take 2 sips of water. Mind you, I felt the saline go into the band (it was cold) and I felt the band tighten around my stomach - it was really freaking weird, haha. So, I took one sip of water and was about to take another when I literally felt the water stop in my pouch - and it didn't go down. It was sitting there, partially backed up into my esophagus - it was so cool! So I told him the water wasn't going down and I couldn't take another sip. He removed a little saline with the needle and I felt the water slowly go down. AAAGGGGHHHHHH, creepy I tell ya. I could feel everything. But anyways, we went back and forth like that, testing the restriction I had on 2 sips of water, until he felt I was in a good spot. I ended up with 3.4cc in my band for my first fill. :wink:

Most surgeons say no straws because you take in more air when you use a straw, and air bubbles in your pouch can cause burping and also make your pouch swell, which is bad I guess.

Straight from my post-op paperwork: Examples of clear liquids: fruit juices w/o pulp (except citrus juices) gelatin fruit ice (sorbet) popsicle w/o pulp clear hard candy, coffee tea, water bouillon consommé fat-free broth Examples of full liquids include any foods that could fit through a straw, although, DO NOT USE A STRAW: non-fat milk non-fat smoothies low-fat custard low-fat pudding sugar-free hot chocolate all vegetable juices all juice (except citrus) cooked refined cereals (farina, grits, oatmeal, cream of rice, cream of wheat) strained soups pureed meats thinned with broth coffee sugar-free tea sugar-free non-carbonated beverages broth, bouillon strained creamed Soups.

Straight from my surgeon's mouth - Clear liquids are anything you could look through and still read a newspaper. Apple juice, crystal light, tea, cranberry juice, chicken broth, Jello. Full liquids are every other kind of liquid! Give me a few minutes and I'll find my post-op paperwork and give you better examples.

Day 1-2 Clear liquids Day 3-14 Full liquids Day 15-21 Mushy/Pureed food After that, solid foods.

Awww how cute!!! I'm guessing the guy on the right is Tom??? When was this picture taken Nora??

Hey Dorky...umm...what is KWIM? :ohmy: Yay for those pounds! Shed it girl! And yes, I am ill - though I'm not sure it has anything to do with my cold! :tt2: I MISS MY BEER TOO!!! We're going to Mexican this weekend with some friends and it's the first time since surgery - I think I'll cry tears of mourning into my Margarita!

I know we're supposed to be on our best behaviors as far as food goes, but it's the holidays and I think we're all allowed to indulge right now. A lady in my office brought in some Peppermint Bark on Monday that she'd made at home and it was fabulous!!! When she told me it was a Paula Deen recipe it made perfect sense. I thought I'd share it with you all. She said she added about a teaspoon of Peppermint Extract to hers, and she crushed the candy canes a little more than suggested, just so it wasn't too crunchy. Enjoy!!! Peppermint Bark Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network

There's this restaurant near my office, a fabulous Mediterranean deli called Neomonde. They've got hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel...you get the idea. Before surgery, I ate at this place on a weekly basis, sometimes twice in a week. I haven't had it since surgery, mainly because of the post-op diet, and lately I've been trying to bring low calorie lunches from home to save money and make good healthy choices. I decided to splurge today and I went to Neomonde and got pretty much what I used to get, except I nixed the pita bread. Nearly everything I got tasted....different. It's almost like my sense of taste has doubled since surgery. This stuff tasted so strong (spice-wise) that I could hardly tolerate it. Even the hummus, which is the best I've ever had, was so strong I couldn't finish it. And I'm sick, which means my sense of taste and smell is really off right now due to the congestion. I'm so sad. I loved that place, and now I doubt I'll go back. It's just depressing. I'm going to spend the rest of the day mourning their food. How long will it be before I stop mourning food??? Not a day goes by that I don't wish I could eat one thing or another.