Melissannde

It does and it doesn't. It does in that I don't wake up thinking what's for breakfast.. I even recently forgot to eat breakfast.. how weird is that? I've NEVER forgotten a meal before. It doesn't in that I'm the chief cook for the family and have to plan the meals and buy the food.. so in that way, no I don't quit thinking about food. And Saturdays are the day that my DH usually go out to eat.. today is Saturday so I'm sitting here thinking about where we might go... LOL. So it gets some better.. but doesn't completely go away. I think it becomes normal as a previous poster said.

Holly, Pasta is not a great choice for weight loss. Several things make it a poor choice, the high caloric sauces that are often served with it (cheese sauce, cream sauce, meat sauce ~ when made with high fat meat~) are one thing. Another reason is that pasta is high glycemic. This means that it tends to send lots of sugar into our blood stream.. during this time we feel really good, then when the blood sugar drops, we're hungrier than we were in the first place. Do some reading on the Glycemic Index http://www.glycemicindex.com is a great place to start (they're based in Sidney Australia, so some of their terms and foods will be unfamiliar, but the basic information is sound). Other foods that are high glycemic and should be eliminated, if possible are white bread, white potatoes and white rice. There are things to use in their place. I use Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah) instead of rice. Quinoa is a high Protein grain from South America. It doesn't taste the same, but it works well in stuffed peppers in place of rice. If you must have potatoes, there are lower glycemic options. Red or Purple potatoes aren't as bad for us as white potatoes. I still wouldn't eat a bunch of them, but a golf ball size one or two occasionally fits into my plan. Sweet potatoes are an even better choice. If you must have bread, use a whole grain bread. I keep a loaf of Ezekiel bread (no wheat flour in it) in my freezer and have a slice every great now and then. For pasta, I use spaghetti squash or I grate Zucchini. If I need flat noodles, I slice zucchini long ways. Yes, I sometimes miss the taste of real pasta and sometimes use Dreamfield's pasta. The less you cook pasta, the lower it will be on the glycemic index.. so cook it Al Dente. If you can wean yourself off of these high glycemic foods (pasta, rice, bread, potatoes), you should see a change in your hunger levels. It won't be easy and you won't see a change right away. It may take 3 days if you go off them cold turkey.. longer if you wean yourself off. The band works best with Lean dense solid protein. If you're too tight to eat that, you're too tight. I know.. seems contradictory. Tighten the band to reduce hunger and it makes it hard to eat what works, so you revert to softer foods. Those softer foods are often higher in calories and the weight loss slows or stops. I'd also advise a visit to your dietician or nutritionist and be totally honest about what you are eating. They are there to help you, not scold or belittle .. if they do make you feel bad, fire them and find another one. Start journaling everything that goes in your mouth.. I use thedailyplate.com, but there's tons out there.. fitday.com, fatsecret.com, caloriecount.about.com.. try till you find one that suits you. dailyplate and fatsecret I know have apps that work with smartphones if you have one. Or go low tech with pencil/paper. Studies prove that people who journal lose more weight than those who don't. Hang in there, this isn't easy, but it's totally doable. We're pulling for you!!

Call one of your bariatric nurses and talk to them about it. You might have a tad too much fill for you. Even if you haven't had a post-op fill yet, they may have put some Fluid in during surgery and it's a little too much for you. And I recently learned that this feeling can be a subclinical sign of reflux. So you really need to call and talk to a medical professional.

I'm Jealous. I'm tempted to go up there just to meet her someday.

Reminds me of when my kids were little and I made spaghetti with spinach noodles one time. I had no idea it was going to look so strange!! I put their plates on the table and they kinda looked askance at me..and I thought quickly and said "It's Christmas Spaghetti!!" They thought that was great and ate it all up. LOL Noodles cooked Al Dente (a little chewy) are lower glycemic than the ones cooked a long time. And try the Dreamfield's pasta.. when my DH was doing Atkins, we used that over regular pasta.

Not all that tall, just average. I'm leaving some room for plastics to take off some weight.. and I don't agree with the BMI. I don't believe it's accurate for athletes (which I'm slowly becoming), those who've been obese for a number of years (our bones are heavier than the norm), or post-menopausal females. If I were to go by the BMI, the most I could weigh to be "normal" would be 149. I think I'd look sick. I want a little bit of padding so I don't break a hip when I fall.. if I fall and surely I will sometime. My goal is also a mental thing. If I make it too far away, it scares me. Right now it's set at 175 and when I reach that and stay for a while.. I'll reset it a little lower and see how it goes. My doctor has never given me a goal for some reason.. don't know why. Thanks for the compliments!!

BTW.. food doesn't stay in the pouch all that long. http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

All good suggestions, increase fluids, don't drink for at least 30 minutes after a meal (2 hours is a bit too long IMO), make sure your protein is solid, dense, tender protein and not soft stuff. Snacks are OK if needed, but try to make them high protein and low calorie. I ate things like an apple with a ww string cheese, or a 90 calorie pack of cottage cheese for snacks when hungry between meals. Even a small 100 calorie RTD carton of muscle milk LIGHT (emphasis on the LIGHT). Before reaching for a snack, try drinking 16oz of water first.. sometimes our bodies mistake hunger for thirst. Really. I was skeptical too, but it's true. One other thing that I don't see mentioned is avoidance of white carbs. If you can, eliminate bread, potatoes, rice and pasta from your diet. If you can't eliminate them, at least reduce them. The reason you want to avoid these foods is that they tend to be high glycemic. When consumed, they raise our blood sugar and we feel great for a while, but then our blood sugar crashes and we're hungrier than we were in the first place. Do some research www.glycemicindex.com is a great place to start. Quinoa can replace rice in many dishes. Use spaghetti squash or grated or sliced Zucchini in place of pasta. If you must have potatoes, try red or purple potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Whole wheat or Ezekiel bread. I know it's not easy. I had to wean myself off of white bread. I rarely eat bread now, and if I do it's usually whole wheat or sprouted bread (Ezekiel Bread). My struggle is with saltine crackers of all things. You'd think if I was going to indulge it would be something good, something decadent.. but nooooo..... LOL Hang in there!! Don't give up, you can do this!

Never heard the admonition not to drink & drive. Eating and driving.. well, that depends on what you're eating and how tight you are. Sorry if I disgust you Jachut ::grin::, but I've been known to eat a Dr. Kracker smeared with laughing cow cheese on my way to the gym. I do take tiny tiny bites and chew it well. I wouldn't try to drive and eat something that I'd be likely to get stuck on I also live in a semi-rural area and pulling over to get rid of something ~ if the need should ever arise~ isn't a big deal here. I'd probably do things different in a more populated area.

I'm not in Dallas, but I'm a member of the DFWBandsters group. There are people on that list that work with several bariatric surgeons, someone there might have the info you seek. Good luck!

You're welcome. I wasn't told these things either. I got the link from being a part of a yahoo group on banding called SmartBandsters. One of the moderators and frequent poster is, Jessie Ahroni, who is a nurse who's been banded 11 years, lost all her weight the first year and works in bariatrics. She also has a book out on banding. Honestly I think it's a better support group than what my doctor offers... ssssshhhhhh.

Everything Reverie said, and I would add: Exercise 30 minutes every day. It doesn't have to be "knock yourself out at the gym", just move MORE than you usually do. Heck, I've been known to do squats while on hold on the phone. My kids laugh at me as I do lunges across the kitchen putting away silverware. Sometimes I take 1 item from the dryer at a time to put away.. everything extra counts. If you can get to the gym.. great, but it's not necessary. If walking with your wife is already part of your routine, your body is used to that and you will have to either add more time or walk at a faster rate if walking is your preferred exercise. Walking is what I started with, but I was SMO (super morbidly obese) and it was about all I could do. After 7 months, I started using a treadmill at a gym and now take several classes there. Would you be interested in eventually moving from walking to running? Look at the Couch to 5 K program (www.c25k.com). Weight lifting is great for building muscle and increasing the metabolism. I do body pump or group power at my gym. It's a fun class and along with the strengthening, I get to socialize. Drag your wife along too. Get in 64oz minimum of Water or other very very low calorie Fluid a day. If I'm drinking other than water, I try to keep it at 10 calories per 16 oz. I also try to get in 80 to 100 oz of fluid, but 64oz is the minimum I drink. This is above and beyond my morning coffee. being a "light-weight" bandster, acknowledge that you're not going to see the dramatic weight loss that some others do. Try taking your measurements monthly, preferrably before working out and wearing the same clothing. You may be reshaping when the scale doesn't move much. Going in for a band check if you haven't been in a year is a good idea. Bands can sometimes lose a teeny bit of fluid over time and you may need a "topping up". Hang in there!!

If you're satisfied with 1/2 cup of food for several hours (at least 3, preferrably 4 or 5) you are doing well. Restriction is a poor term for what we bandsters are supposed to feel. What you really want is appetite suppression. You might benefit from reading Dr. Simpson's article "It's not about restriction". http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

You need to find an alternative to bread. Bread is often a problem for bandsters (getting stuck) and can make us hungrier sooner and is not conducive to weight loss. I seldom eat bread now, and if I do it's something like Ezekiel bread or a Whole wheat/whole grain bread and only 1/2 to 1 slice and it's toasted. If you're eating other "white carbs" such as potatoes, rice, Pasta.. those will also slow your weight loss. Do some research about the Glycemic Index. www.glycemicindex.com is one place to start.

What everyone else said, plus don't be afraid to take your pain meds as often as you are allowed. It's much easier to stay in control of pain than to get control of it in the first place.

Congratulations!! I've started buying those woven type belts, the kind that don't have holes.. so they last longer. I suppose when I can wrap the thing around me twice, it will be time to replace it.. LOL

There's usually a daily post at Obesity Help's lapband forum where everyone lists what they're eating that day. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/page,1/

If you have a Vitamins Plus (usually inside a Drug Emporium store), they sometimes have DaVinci s/f syrups (just about the same as Torani). I recently found the big bottles for about 4.50 each.. bargain!! My walmart only carries the little bottles of Torani.. I order the big bottles from amazon.com. I'm on the automatic refill of the 3 bottles of s/f chocolate .. and that cuts out the delivery fee and the price is the same as 6 bottles from Walmart!! You can also get DaVinci from Netrition.com enjoy!

Try drinking some hot coffee, tea or a thin Soup just before your meals, that often loosens the band enough so that you won't get stuck on the first bite. Don't wait 30 minutes after the hot drink to start eating. Conversely, you can try drinking something cold to tighten the band when you feel too loose. I'm sorry you're having difficulties, being banded isn't always a walk in the park. Have you tried talking to the nutritionist, dietician or one of the nurses at your bariatric practice to get some advice on your issues? When I was banded, I was told to eat a certain amount, not to eat till I'm full. My surgeon said 3oz Protein, 1/2 cup low carb veggies. I weight my protein, measure my veggies eat that and walk away from the table. Yes, sometimes my mouth still wants to keep eating. It takes some determination and strength. If in 20 minutes I'm really still physically hungry, I'm allowed more.. preferably only veggies, but I'm human and sometimes have more protein too. Dr. Simpson, a bariatric surgeon in Arizona, has an excellent article about banding and how much we can eat. http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html Hang in there. It should eventually get easier as you get control of the head hunger. And if you're still eating white carbs (bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes) consider cutting them out or at least severely restricting them. They tend to make us hungrier after eating them. Do some reading on the Glycemic Index. www.glycemicindex.com

Your link doesn't work.

John Tesh had something about weekend sabotage on his radio show this morning. Said most people did this to themselves. No suggestions, but I'll share my strategy. My husband and I usually go out to eat Saturday afternoon or Sat. night.. knowing this, I try to go and workout at the gym an hour or two that morning. It may not totally make up for what I might eat at a restaurant, but it helps. Try just cutting back on what you consume at the shower. Don't totally deny yourself, just take smaller portions of the less good choices and if there is fruit, take extra of it. Have fun.

The 10cc and 14cc are the Allergan (Lap-band) sizes. Realize band has slight different sizes. You can go to the lapband.com and the realize.com sites and get more information. The surgeon decides which size to place depending on your anatomy when he gets inside you. You'll get more and better replies if you start your own thread with your questions.

I personally wouldn't have been able to do it. I was in pain for at least 2 weeks.

Yeah, most docs say to exercise 30 min a day minimum. You don't have to do it all in one big bunch.. and it doesn't all have to be intense, heart beating out of your chest exercise.. just MORE than you normally do. So .. since you did 21 minutes of the EA sports thing.. spend another 9 minutes taking the kids or dogs on a walk. (as long as that is something you don't usually do.. if you do, then make your walk 9 minutes longer.) Don't go at it so hard that you won't want to continue. Increase in gradual amounts. Proud of you for making a start!!

No menu, I just try to stay around 1200 calories a day (that's now, at my current weight. when I was larger, I could have more calories and still lose). I eat 3oz Protein and 1/2 cup veggies at my meals. I keep track of what I'm eating at www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate.