nolagirl2

just wanted to say hi & thinking of you. you might also get some good support in the complications forum. talk to you soon.

My take on the situation is this: Personally, I was not bothered by her presence today at my fill. I also didn't have any questions that I had been wanting to ask Billie or Dr H. I do agree, however, that for the sake of medical professionalism, her presence should be explained to patients, and ask for their consent. It's entirely nothing personal, I just see that as standard procedure. And although her presence did not make me feel uncomfortable, that doesn't mean that another patient might take issue with it.

Sent! I'm sure we'll see each other. Okay, so I dont know about you, but I pack it in before a fill haha. I'm having a big Breakfast, and I have food for a biggish lunch, so that being on liquids for 24 hours won't kill me. Also, in case I'm supposed to go out tonight! Also I know my eating days are over again. So for breakfast today I am having: 1 egg, chevre cheese, lox, spinach, tomato (mix up in salad - no need for dressing bc of juiciness of tomato, creaminess of cheese) Lunch is up in the air.

LBT is being a pain about uploading my pictures. PM me your emails and I'll send them along

I have FF, 2% and full-fat cheese on hand at all times FF: only in conjunction with other food (i.e. scrambled in eggs, eaten in same bite w/ turkey pepperoni chips) 2%: When I want some cheesy taste, alone. Full: When I REALLLY want some cheesy taste, or plan to only use 1 serving (i.e. 1 serving in some chicken salad). I tend to eat cheese every day, usually for more than one meal. Cynthia - So good to see you! I will e-mail you again soon, but I definitely want you to keep me updated on everything going on with you. You've won half the battle - you know what's going on.

Turkey pepperoni & some fat-free cheese, some nuts I think. It's up in the air.

5000 is an estimate. Or a guess. Or a shot in the dark. I'm just saying I ate a lot

True, true. But let me tell you, pre-band I had a tolerance like nobody's business. I could drink 4, 6, 8 drinks. And these are drinks where I knew the bartender. I could drink more than any of my friends, etc. Post-band... 1) You never want to vomit. 2) After losing 60 lbs, it doesn't take as much to get you drink. 3) Eating 1000 calories a day as opposed to 5000, it doesn't take as much to get you drunk. Be prepared to see your tolerance (and bar tab!) go down. Its exciting.

Granted, post-band, for me a night of getting good and drunk off wine can take anywhere from 3-5 glasses. Most liquors have similar calorie counts per serving. Wine has more carbs, but doesn't need any mixer.

Wine is actually probably a better bet than a lot of mixed drinks (unless you bring in your own crystal light). A glass has between 65-100 calories, and 1-3 g carbs.

Thanks TiredOldMan, but I haven't gotten the letter, so I think it's not retroactive, so I should still get my fills that I signed up for.

Thanks! Yeah I will be down around July 15 (if not on the day). I can probably set up a meetup any time from like a week after that.

Wow we are all going to be there around the same time (I'm at 230, but you guys might still be in the waiting room when I get there!) Last time he didn't tell me how much he gave me! I mean, I guessed 4ccs based on web info and others confirmed it, but he didn't say. Kinda funny.

I know I'll bring mine definitely. And now we have our own little support group meetings in cyberspace. I know I'll be back sometime in August, just not on the 4th Thursday of the month. When I know my dates for sure, we can set up another dinner maybe.

Woohoo FunnyDuddies! Kick butt! C 272 (-61 total, -2 this week)

Wow! I've got you way beat and I'm only 6 weeks out! So you're really good and I'm pretty bad!

I might not go marg but I will have a glass of wine probably. You gotta kick back sometimes!

Ok, if chili's is the call, here's a link to the nutritional info. I'm a big weirdo who always checks it out before going. I might have that black bean burger calling my name http://www.chilis.com/menu/nutritionalPDF/CHL_NutritionBW.pdf

So I've been having an emotional, difficult week. First, I have been hanging out with an old h.s. friend. She and I had a big falling out 4 years ago (basically at the worst time of my life, my dad had a stroke, I was diagnosed with PCOS, and I had a big fight with all, literally all, of my high school friends). She was back in town because her dad died, and we reconciled. Even though it was wonderful hanging out again and everything is resolved, it still obviously brought up lots of emotions. Secondly, about 2 weeks ago my mom had an abnormal mammogram. She had cervical cancer about 15 years ago, so they watch her pretty closely still. It's really small, it's not even a lump, and it can only be seen on a magnified mammogram. But they did a biopsy this week and we're waiting to hear. I'm trying to just not worry about it, but that doesn't really help me from pushing it back with food. Third, I'm moving in about a month. I have an apartment, but am having a hard time finding a job. I'm worried about money, health insurance, my car, unknown expenses. I'm excited to move, but scared. And I don't have proper restriction. My fill is next week, so that will help. I am also seeing my psychologist this week, and have a support group meeting next Thursday. I'm doing okay still. I mean, I'm not eating carbs still, I am still exercising every day. But I find myself snacking, grazing, eating 4-6 meals a day. I am trying to keep myself in check, but it is hard when I am trying to also keep all these other emotions in check. For me, my biggest trigger for compulsive overeating is feeling emotional/overwhelmed/lonely. Unfortunately, this is not an emotion that comes and goes for me. If I am feeling this way, I usually feel it all day. It's a hard funk to pull myself out of. I'm still making myself go through my daily routines, but I am still having a hard time. Support? Ideas? Thanks you guys...

Thank you all for the support!!!!!! I went to see the psychologist on Saturday, and that helped. But what helped more was finding out on Monday that my mom's biopsy came back negative!!!!!! Woohoo! Now I am just trying to get back into the "only eat when you're hungry" habit. But every little bit helps.

You guys are cracking me up!!

Maybe if you switched to the low-profile port?

That sounds great! I understand, I'm a numbers person too. And I also have heard different numbers from nutritionist, PCP, surgeon, fellow bandsters, etc. I personally listen to my surgeon/staff. This includes two surgeons, a bariatric nurse, a program coordinator, a patient advocate, and a psychologist. Now if they all get together and don't contradict, I figure it's pretty good advice. I have heard 50g per day as a good hard number to not go above. My number is lower because of insulin resistance, PCOS, and the fact that I can't control myself with carbs. If I have a handful of nuts, yeah, maybe I'll end up having 3. But if I have one bagel, I'll have six. Or more. I especially know that in my weakest moments, I cannot allow myself to have carbs. I went through a hard stressful week this week, and I never let myself near a carb because I knew it would set off a binge. Even if I overate, I didn't binge.

Haha, glad I could please. Hope it didn't hurt!

Oh I've had Mr. Gyros. It's pretty good. I had the chicken gyro plate for lunch last week (A ton of chicken meat - I could only eat 2 strips at a time and they give you 6 - plus tomato, onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce... and pita bread, which i gave away). To fix the low-carb margarita problem: have it "watered down" with tequila! haha. Actually you probably make it better. It would have to be on the rocks, and you could ask for 1 part lime juice, 2 parts lemon juice, 8 parts Water (haha), and then use splenda/artificial sweetener. You'd have to tip a lot. Or you could bring a little Crystal light lemonade on the go and put a little in, with some lime juice. I'm gonna PM my cell phone # to everyone just so you have it just in case for Thursday night. cate