voiceomt2002

I did just fine with a few six-packs of EAS and Atkins, which my doc allowed as long as they were 7g total of carbs or less. Don't go overboard, BG. Keep a six-pack around for fills, though. Sometimes after a fill, a shake is all you want.

I don't know about the others, but I have a similar difficulty. I've had to leave my drink in the kitchen and have my DH police me. We set a timer as soon as I put my fork down and say I'm done. When the timer goes off, I race for that drink. LOL!

OMG, I hadn't even noticed! I had a diet lemonade yesterday while out shopping and no reflux! OMG!! (Throwing confetti in the air) Lena

Tell me I'm not crazy, please. Someone rewired my tastebuds! I used to hate chicken salad! I once turned my nose up at steamed or canned veggies! I pigged on hot or cold cereals! I lived on red meat! I made my list this morning of what needed to go in my food diary for yesterday and made the above shocking discoveries. I ate a chicken salad sandwhich for lunch, a salmon quiche and soft canned veggies, and...my mother nearly fainted...turned down sweets. Has anyone else discovered their tastes in food have changed?

Just looking at the rip-offs on the Starbuck's list makes me cringe. Those were of course my favorites. As the Diet Detective rightly points out, those weren't even meals. http://www.dietdetective.com/content/view/2108/156/

I hear you there, Pete. I've not lost as much as you, but I feel the need for a fill. Just a few cc's I think, would put me closer to the sweet spot. You're right about the exercise, though. I've been neglectful.

Just looking at the rip-offs on the Starbuck's list makes me cringe. Those were of course my favorites. As the Diet Detective rightly points out, those weren't even meals. http://www.dietdetective.com/content/view/2108/156/

In another thread, the problem of constipation has come up. I decided it needed its own thread. My doc warned me constipation was a possible problem, and this has proven to be very true. No matter how much liquid I consume, I'm stuck until I take a strong laxative. Has anyone's doctor commented? I'm ready to call my doc soon as business hours start. Lena

Which of us are you talking to? I've lost over 40 lbs but my surgery was on January 2. Start: 286 Day of banding: 267 Today: 242 (My own fault I've not lost more.) Lena

Well, DH made it home, but not without problems. Within 24 hours of his return, he was burning up with a fever. Today is the first day he awakened and said he felt better. (Relieved sigh) Now maybe he can look for a new job. I love him very, very much. Seeing him walk through that bus terminal door made my heart burst right out of my chest, plop to the floor and roll to his feet. Scruffy, sleep-deprived, and stinking from riding a bus for 2.5 days, he was still my gorgeous darling. Yeah, I'm seriously besotted with my grumpy old man. However, our savings had already been severely depleted by our purchase last year of this lovely house we live in. I'd not been able to replenish most of the money, though I managed about a month's worth of stockpile before the budget goes belly up. One month to find a job before disaster. I'm looking at the month of April with desperation. I'm lighting candles and praying to that he'll find work quickly. We don't need much. A mere $1200 a month net is all we need to make ends meet. This is also a disaster for my weight loss. My DH is a carb hound who can afford to eat rice, potatoes, bread, cakes, sweets, and starchy vegetables. The man is so thin, it's scary. My new low-carb life is impossible for him to maintain. He's positive he'll starve. (grin) So, I'm baking and cooking just like I used to before my band, and there's fudge in the fridge, chili in the crock pot, and the remains of Monkey Bread on the counter. I can resist anything but temptation, and having the Monkey Bread on the counter was too much for me yesterday. I sliced off some and hunkered down like a child stealing cookies. Less than five minutes into it, my band made me pay dearly for my naughtiness. Umm...I never want to look at Monkey Bread again. Blech! That HURT. A lot. I'm a stress eater, and right now I'm very, very grateful for my band. I can only do so much damage before my band reminds me forcefully that I'm not allowed that much self-indulgence. Today, instead of eating and worrying, I think I'll update my own resume. I may be a disabled old woman, but maybe I can sweep floors or something.

Well, DH made it home, but not without problems. Within 24 hours of his return, he was burning up with a fever. Today is the first day he awakened and said he felt better. (Relieved sigh) Now maybe he can look for a new job. I love him very, very much. Seeing him walk through that bus terminal door made my heart burst right out of my chest, plop to the floor and roll to his feet. Scruffy, sleep-deprived, and stinking from riding a bus for 2.5 days, he was still my gorgeous darling. Yeah, I'm seriously besotted with my grumpy old man. However, our savings had already been severely depleted by our purchase last year of this lovely house we live in. I'd not been able to replenish most of the money, though I managed about a month's worth of stockpile before the budget goes belly up. One month to find a job before disaster. I'm looking at the month of April with desperation. I'm lighting candles and praying to that he'll find work quickly. We don't need much. A mere $1200 a month net is all we need to make ends meet. This is also a disaster for my weight loss. My DH is a carb hound who can afford to eat rice, potatoes, bread, cakes, sweets, and starchy vegetables. The man is so thin, it's scary. My new low-carb life is impossible for him to maintain. He's positive he'll starve. (grin) So, I'm baking and cooking just like I used to before my band, and there's fudge in the fridge, chili in the crock pot, and the remains of Monkey Bread on the counter. I can resist anything but temptation, and having the Monkey Bread on the counter was too much for me yesterday. I sliced off some and hunkered down like a child stealing cookies. Less than five minutes into it, my band made me pay dearly for my naughtiness. Umm...I never want to look at Monkey Bread again. Blech! That HURT. A lot. I'm a stress eater, and right now I'm very, very grateful for my band. I can only do so much damage before my band reminds me forcefully that I'm not allowed that much self-indulgence. Today, instead of eating and worrying, I think I'll update my own resume. I may be a disabled old woman, but maybe I can sweep floors or something.

Actually BG, I'm already feeling that "it's just fuel" mindset. I'm not there yet, but for days at a time I stop obsessing about every little morsel in my mouth. I've got other issues right now affecting my life, but I noticed that I've forgotten to do the food diary for several days, yet I stepped on the scale as usual this morning with a small loss. I should have gained, because my DH is home and the man is a serious carb hound. Without his breads, cakes, potatoes, rice, and starchy veggies, the man would think he's starving and I'm torturing him. Having him home is a severe trial on my nerves. Here's hoping I'm cured of the psychological reasons I'm fat, because I'm a stress eater.

Not to be a buzz kill, but head hunger happens even after banding. You're right though, my choices in "cheating" have changed. I know I can't have some of DH's sub sandwich because dense bread and my stoma don't play well together, so I steal just the meat! LOL! Sure, some of my choices are just plain bad, but I can't pig-out-binge until the whole bag of cookies is gone anymore. Does such naughtiness slow down my weight loss? Yes. Does it kill it? Not so far. Yes, I'm a paranoid Scale Whore and will be for many years to come, but the NSV's keep me pretty much on the path to healthy weight and well-being. Speaking of which, Time for me to go ride my exercise bike! I'm stiff and sore from running up and down the steps of the theatre last night. Me! Running! It's a miracle!

Damn skippy! Ditto for me, Biker. 1. If had been able to do it on my own, I would have done so. DUH! 2. The snowball effect had already come into play. The more I gained, the worst my health was, the more I sat around, the more I gained, etc...Endless loop with the problem getting bigger and bigger, just like my body. 3. Yes, food became a comfort. The delicious taste on my tongue was a momentary "feel good" when the rest of me felt so very bad. Now the opposite snowball effect is happening. I feel better, so I get out and do more, which makes me lose more weight, so I feel better and want to do more, etc. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Lena

I'll add any sort of dry meat. If it's dry and/or cold, it's going to come back up, and I don't care how tiny a bit I cut, or how long I chew. Lena

Several of our friends already suffered layoffs last week. Now this. The economy sucks when the truckers are hit. I knew President Obama had a difficult road ahead when he took office, and I refuse to blame him for this. He hasn't been in office long enough to impact the economy one way or the other. Do I like the big billion dollar bailouts? No. They were a bandaid fix that caused more trouble than they repaired. I wish I could get a couple to ten grand simply for whining to Congress. I'd be out of debt and well on my way to happiness. Heck, just forgive my tax debt like they do for the bailout businesses! I'd be ecstatic, and I owe much, much less than they do! Lena

My husband called from California. He's been let go from the trucking company and they're sending him home by bus. Nice, huh? All the way across the country for 2.5 days, devastated by the loss. Needless to say, I'll be a bit distracted this weekend. Don't know when I'll be back. Yeah, I know. The world might just stop revolving without me to spin it. (grin)

My husband called from California. He's been let go from the trucking company and they're sending him home by bus. Nice, huh? All the way across the country for 2.5 days, devastated by the loss. Needless to say, I'll be a bit distracted this weekend. Don't know when I'll be back. Yeah, I know. The world might just stop revolving without me to spin it. (grin)

Ben, your partner doesn't have to "get it." You do. You got it. It would be nice if he were on board, but I've noted that sometimes it's the very person we think we depend on the most who is sometimes the last person to be our cheerleader. (sad sigh) You aren't alone, my friend. We're here. We "get it."

Have a hug and some peace, BG. Let's go find us a nice, quiet place, listening to birds singing, a babbling brook so clear you can see the face of the person whose head you're holding underwater...Yeah...

(Taking a bow) Off to do what they pay me for! BBASAP!

BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/italian-vegetable-soup/ I printed this one out for myself! However, I may omit the barley, because I do find my banded tummy doesn't care for starchy things. Lena

Hi Gabby, I've got 4cc's in my band, and probably could handle a couple more. At least, I'm going to ask for more at my next visit. No big deal, hon. You get what you need. Everyone's sweet spot is different.

I'm trying my most ambitious soup to date this evening-- Kale and Summer Sausage. It's ambitious because of the skin on the sausage. My tummy doesn't like that skin much, so if I don't cut up that sausage extra-extra fine, I may have wasted my time cooking. (pout)