riley4183

Candra is right, we ARE the nicest/best/most wonderful thread on this Board! oh I forgot coolest, that too And that reminds me, the officials at Kaiser can't give out our names or emails or whatever to others going through this process because of confidentiality, but I was thinking that WE could . . . . there will be other folks at the fill appt. 2morrow that have not connected with us, right? I am thinking we should like make flyers or do a "support group membership roster" with our info and ESPECIALLY with links to this thread! I would be lost lost lost without all of you wonderful folks

Tamra, they will only do the surgery (& all the appoinmtnts that go with it) at 4 No Cal locations, and if they sent you to Richmond then stay with Richmond! Our wonderful Dr. Baggs is there :smile2:

Maybe its just me being dense, but . . .I think the 5-day pouch test is for RNY folks, not us bandsters. Liquids and soft proteins for 3 days defeats the band, it doesn't re-develop it . . . . the last 2 days are hard protein though, eating like that for 5 days would probably be a good thing! Very Atkins-esce

Hey Candra! I don't feel addicted to excercise right now, but i will get back going with my routine in the AM. Bread I don''t know, I am not wheat tolerant so I don't eat it anyways, it totally plugged up my band immediately! before it could dissolve I guess, LOL it was really gross. I PB'd a triscut out at the track, too. Glad to know I still can't eat that garbage! Yikes, my scale is rigged too . . . . I am only going to have a 2 lb weight loss since my last fill 5 weeks ago, that's not good! I need to show 5 lbs., a lb. a week at this point . . .boy do I miss those early 3 lb. a week days!!!

Hi Tamra welcome! Glad you are here :blushing: Don't let orientation scare you LOL, Liz is a sweetheart in disguise :confused: I had to lose 30 lbs and lost 46, I did it pretty fast as you can see from my sig, used the 1200 diet and eliminated all of the starchy carbs - I think I am allergic to them! How much you have to lose depends on where you carry your weight, the doc will examine you and then set your pre-surg goal weight. Mine was around my middle to I had to lose a bit more, 10% is a good number you can pretty much count on.

Hey can someone bring a digital camera on Thursday? I dont have one

I'm back . . . . .from my daughter's wedding yesterday in the middle of 5 days of NASCAR camping out at the track. The wedding and the track were unfortunately 6 hours apart so I did a whole whole whole lot of driving and hardly any sleeping! Gained some weight but so what, I am just so happy that I can just go out and live my "normal" life after WLS! SO SO SO glad I got a band. Learned a few things . . . .I CANNOT eat bread or crackers, we were driving on Hwy 20 outside of Ukiah, we had just stopped by Mac D's for some food for the boys, its 6 am so breakfast menu only (normally i would just order the burger and throw away the bun) so I got a bacon & egg biscuit mcmuffin, figured I would just throw away the biscut . . . . my i did a bad thing and tried to eat it while I am driving on this windy road, the biscut sticks to the cheese and so I accidently ate a bit, and WHAMMO as soon as I swallowed i knew there was a probloem . . . no place to pull over . . . grabbed some napkins and had the whole PB experience driving down the road . . .VERY ugly and sure scared the boys! They went right on eating though, LOL My daughter's wedding was great, small but my brother & his wife came down fro Oregin anyways and it was great to see them I need my nails done again already I cant type!!

Our CAO "quit" yesterday, mutual decision with the BOS coming from closed session . . .effective in 5 minutes (noon today). I sent him a nice email and he wrote me back a nice thank you - I am very, VERY sorry to see him go! Our county would have been way worse off than it is right now if it had not been for him these last few years. It scares me what will happen to our County now! I have the Beck Diet Solution, it is the "head hunger" book and we already do most things in it, but the other things are very very helpful! I will try to remember to bring it on the 25th. I will need help carrying all the clothes in, too! I can't wait to see you guys! Apparently I was just visiting one-derland, I started NASCAR party week this weekend (I will be out at the track for the weekend staeting early tomorrow morning) and ate and drank like a fish (we do NOT need to tell Robin that!) and gained 4 lbs back over 3 days!! Ay caramba! But instead of freaking out about it - and since I have 4 more days of party to go, then my daughter's wedding up north of Redding on Sunday - instead of lamenting that I have gained weight back, I have decided to be happy that I chose a WLS that allows me to still fit the important parts of my life into my new, healthier lifestyle - like a couple of hearty NASCAR races per year, and an all-inclusive trip to Mexico!

Good god how stressful, Tina!! Here, they at least had spoken to everyone "affected" (i.e., likely to lose their jobs) before they announced layoffs. Then of course we go through the shuffle, folks with more seniority bumping folks with less . . . . I have a very specialized education & very specialized work, so I am PRAYING that I can exempt out . . . I know that 4 of my 5 BOSers will support me on that, but I can't say the same about my co-workers if it means that one of their "friends" gets bumped instead. . . i hate it hate it hate it! You are right that we are fiercely independent because we're single parents - and I would not have it any other way!! At least mine are almost grown . . how old is your daughter? I know she's a teenager . . . my 21 year old was my support person, don't need anyone else!! Except you girls :-)

Oh Tina, the RNY smell yes I have heard of it, Robin & I were talking about it, she says it's ketosis & mostly RNY patients, when they come in 3 weeks after surgery she can smell if they are in ketosis. Ketones give off a distinctive, sorta sickly sweet odor - since I have diabetic child, I smell it easily & can tell when I am in ketosis (which is hardly ever nowadays!) without doing the urine test.

LOL, yes I need pics! I hope one of the girls brings a camera to the fill meeting in Pinolek 'cause I don't eveb own one. YES it is all about you, it HAS to be right now!! If you don't put you first, who will?? Part of the reason that we got to be obese is because we have NOT learned to put ourselves and what we need first . . . . always caretakers for others!!! We might do it for a little bit - a few weeks or monthsl when life is going smooth - but then something happens to someone we care about/for, and poof it's back to sacrificing for others again! Putting ourselves first is healthy, necessary, and it feels REALLY REALLY GOOD once we get used to it!!!

Keep on him girl! I tell people that I have lost 500 lbs over my lifetime, but I found 600. And it's almost true!! - I have lost 80 lbs at a time before, and more than once! The ONLY thing different about this time - cause it's NOT "easy" - is that I WON'T GAIN IT BACK!!!!! If I start too, I can just get a fill. Grrr, he still makes me mad - my best friend was going therough the process with me, she stopped because her husband didn't want her to, now I have lost 86 lbs. and she cries whenever she sees me - she has lost and regained 20 lbs, same old thing. Makes me so MAD . . .

Candra, I am so sorry your butthead husband just doesn't get it! I hope you les him know how crushed you were. You WILL educate him, because he will see how hard you have to work to lose the weight, just as hard as before the lap-band, and the more you lose the harder it gets and the harder you have to work! So you will prove to him that it's not for the "weak." What an ass! Sorry but this just agravates me to no end. I know that we all have to deal with stupid people making comments like that, but your own husband?!? And what exactly did he gain by telling you that?!?! What was his motive!! You are right to not let him get to you! I did not tell ANYone in my family, which when you consider I told EVERYONE at work, may not make sense. Uness you know my family! I did not telol till recently, now they are fine!!

Good morning ladies! I do love my morning walk/jogs . . but not when my alarm goes off at 5 AM! I HATE them, then . . but I have done it long enough to know how much better I will feel once I get out there! I actively look for outdoor things to do on weekends, hiking -10Ks - charity walks - the beach (sand it GREAT!) - and just booked a January Mexico trip (no I can't afford it AND my kids' insurance, but it's all about me - LOL) that includes biking, sea kayaking, jungle hikes, snorkeling and so on. Tennis is free there and I don't know how to poay, so I guess I'd better learn! Tina I am a single parent too, 3 kids and it's been just over 10 years. Never have had a single dime of support the entire time (he was in an industrial accident, has had 11 brain surgeries and won't ever work again - but his "new" family takes his entire SSI payment, figures) and have been proud to be able to support my kids ALMOST to adulthood - and now I can't. My oldest is getting married on Sunday, the middle one (who is Type I diabetic) finishes college this year, and my youngest is going to turn 18 and get his ^&* kicked out onto the street in November this year! OMG I am SO SICK of that kid and his crap (!). So I only have a year or so that I have to keep paying the $800 a month for their insurance, or for ANYthing for them, for that matter! I just don't know how I can possibly do it until them. Zero savings of course - esp. since I just paid for the Mexico trip! It is for my mental health :-)

I MADE IT TO ONE-DERLAND!! So happy about that . . . . still having a hard time with head hunger and not stopping eating when I know that I should! The little area around my band says to stop (and I mean RIGHT NOW), but the entire rest of me says eat it, there's still part of a serving left, you want that in your mouth, etc. Even if I get up and walk around for 10 minutes, I stil want it when I come back! SO frustrating, I really need to get a handle on this!! Candra and Heather, you girls are kickin' BUT on you weight loss! Holy moley! And Tina, 9000 on the pedometer! I am so proud of you! Government work sucks right now, I am taking a 10% salary cut AND paying $800 MORE for insurance for my kids starting right now. There is no way I can pay my bills like this! It is all very stressful. And me without CARBS to deal with it!! Yikes! At least I have excercise . . . Going to a nascar party now, got to go pack my own food to take because they will have nothing but chips, garlic bread and beer there. The joys of hanging out with the "old" crowd . . . but hey! I got my little sassy A-line cut and I LOVE IT!!!

This is hard, I am struggling. Phoey! Losing inches but can't get back to one-derland no matter what I freakin' do. I PB still at very unexpected times, on unexpected stuff! Mornings I'm pretty tight. Afternoons I can eat pretty good . . . but early evening, I am BAD to PB. Especially after excercise, and swimming seems to be the worst. Is that WEIRD or what?? Maybe it's from being so relaxed after sitting in the hot tub after being in the cold pool . . . . So, I find myself eating "slippery" stuff so it won't get stuck and I won't PB. . . . and of course I am hungry again in 2 hours. Here is what I am finding: in order to both "feel" full after eating and to not get hungry again too soon, I do NOT eat my most dense/dry food ti "sit above the band" first. I will eat some of my protein (but not dry) first (for example, the chicken from a chicken ceasar salad I will dip each bite in my (no calorie) dressing), followed by stuff that I know will go down and provide some "full" (lettuce, spinach, veggies, usually), followed by more, drier protein to fill the pouch. Then "both" of my stomachs are full, I actually feel full, and I stay full for 4-5 hours. But if I try to fill my pouch on just dry protein, I will PB because something's gonna get stuck. And if I eat the nice vegies first then I'm breaking the protein first rule. grrr! Tina, maybe when we get more of a fill so that the hole is smaller, less will get stuck?? Wish I could have been there yesterday to see my girls! I'm glad you had fun :-)

No bread for me, not toasted not raw anything. If I started I would never, ever stop - and I am SURE I would get stuck!! Thank God. I can tolerate very very little wheat, so starting would really really be bad and I just would not stop. GOD bread sounds good right now :-) Tina we are having layoffs right now here, too, county government really sucks right about now. I hate the stress!

I will SO miss you girls tomorrow! But I will be there in spirit, and I will see you all in 2 weeks - YAY! Tina, SO ready for that fill now!!! Not understanding why I am not losing . . . this is crazy! It has to be water weight, but drinking lots of water is supposed to flush that out, and it's NOT! I swear, I am gaining on water!! Time to cut out the sodium again too, I'm sure . . this is TOO crazy. I am getting my gair cut Friday morning, my one-derland gift to myself! In an A-line, I am SO excited (!)

Almost every morning - naked, after my "business" and before I eat or drink anything! This is NOT a good idea when you are having "monthly gain!" I need to weight less often and I would be less wacked out about little water gains. I weighed close to every day pre-op, too . . . I was actually losing faster then . . . alas . . but I had a lot more to lose then, too! Best of luck!!

yum, banana sounds so good right now!!! Not eating them cause of carbs, I miss SO many fruits because of the stupid carbs! Oh well berries I get, and they are my favorite. But oh, banana . . yum . . it was the first "food" I ate after surgery, 1/5th of it and I was full! Oh I SO miss those days :thumbup: Head hunger sucks, sometimes this whole thing just sucks I hope I am only feeling this way because of little monthly visitor, but have been feeling blue since Friday and it does not seem to be going away! No reason for it, just sick and tired of not medicating my feelings with food. Feel fine physically, so that's all good . . . and a lot of it seems to stem from my inability to lose when I am working my butt off, so I'm off the scale for a while. Hope you feel better too!!

I'm not sure if it's that my fill is not working for me, or that I am not working for m fill . . probably more of the latter. I am not controlling my head hunger. I eat until I get a stop signal (feels like I am on the beginning of stuck), which is wilidly different depending on what I am eating, what time of day it is, whether I am upset, if I am talking while eating, etc. etc. Sometimes I get a full signal after 2-3 tiny bites (like on meat or firm tofu) and I say to myself, oh no that CAN'T be right, I am nowhere near 1/4 cup and I know I can eat a cup plus, so I eat more and . . it's PB time again! Then I am still hungry and hour later, so I am snacking way too much. Other times, I eat and eat and eat and I do not get a full signal because everything is going right through the band (like salad, tunafish, scrambled eggs with cheese and turkey bacon, sunflower seeds, most vegies). So I am thinking that I DO need to be a little tighter so less slips through. Was almost to one-derland, now have gained a few back (not changing my ticker tho!) Hopefully it is just water (got a monthly visitor yesterday) and I will be there by week's end. Best ladies!!

I have been wanting to post this poll! I use a straw when my teeth are bothering me (they hurt if the cold touches them), but feel guilty about it. It does not give me pain or anything, and everything makes me burp so what they heck, right? But I was told not to, it can stretch yur little pouch to swallow the air, so I feel guilty. I am 4+ months out.

Shucks I can't make it either day!!! Oh well I will see you ladies on the 25th :-) Word to the wise: Do NOT eat if you are really upset! I went home for lunch today, cut my little tiny bits of turkey up, then got mad at both my teenage son AND my neighbor at the same time, so I was really pissed as I ate that damned turkey . . and spent the next 20 minutes over the sink, in MAJOR PAIN! PBing until it was coming out my nose, it was SO BAD!!! over and over and over, I could not dislodge it. And I had not done it for days and days, I thought that all the restriction was gone! It was an adolph's afternoon! Now it feels all raw and I am having slushies made with ice and unsweetened almond milk - it HURTS! I hope I didn't damage my band area. . . . The good news is at least my son figured out that he had upset me really bad (I NEVER puke or anything, he has never seen this sort of thing from me before) and finally took out his recyling to the bin, which is what the fight was about - but I was too busy PBing to tell him that the neighbor had already filled our bin with HIS stuff! GRRRR I'm staying at work for lunch, it is SO much less stressfull!!!

You are close, Jes!! So close! You'll get there!! Christine - LOVE your list!!! Almost nothing that doesn't motivate you, I love it love it love it!! Heather - I have a friend who had a very similar experience, I will PM you

Hey Chris, I like your ladybug too! Feels great doesn't it???