GayleTX

CUTHROAT SAL!!! awright!!!

Do hope you realize I was being facetious!!! Just being a smart aleck! I wouldn't dare touch a cashew to my tongue......I'd gain 5 lbs while I was chewing it!!!

Of course we can eat cashews!! 1/3 of a cup for each meal should work out just about right!! DRY ROASTED CASHEWS Amount Per 1 cup Calories 786.38 Calories from Fat 571.5 % Daily Value * Total Fat 63.5g 98% Saturated Fat 12.55g 63% Polyunsaturated Fat 10.74g Monounsaturated Fat 37.42g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 876.8mg 37% Potassium 774.05mg 22% Total Carbohydrate 44.79g 15% Dietary Fiber 4.11g 16% Protein 20.97g 42%

That must have been a wonderful feeling! I know your hubby was so proud of you!

bluehill....you and I are twins.....have the VG band, about the same age, weighed the same at surgery, weigh the same now - except it's taken me a month longer than you! I'm just now getting to where I can do much exercising, though, so maybe that'll speed me up a bit. I haven't had any hunger issues or cravings at all. I attribute it to two things......the protein I'm doing....good quality supplements along with dense high protein food..... and keeping my carb count low. Eating empty carbs creates a craving for more carbs and makes it hard to stay away from them. Best wishes.......

Well, congrats! I thought I was going to be exception to the rule and I was going to be the one person who would never PB. WRONG!! It's not fun....whatever you PB on makes you scared on that food for a loooong time, doesn't it!:cry

Well, congrats! I thought I was going to be exception to the rule and I was going to be the one who would never PB. WRONG!!

If it goes in my mouth, it goes on the computer! Fitday.com is my guardian angel and keeps me honest....with MYSELF!

When trying to break an addiction (and it sounds like that's what you've got!), it's helpful to substitute something new and wonderful for the thing you get need under control. Work this to your advantage: You may find that your make-up addiction will change when you start the food/water/exercise planning with the band.......it can get to be an addiction and an obsession in itself, which is good.....it takes lot of time and effort and shopping and planning to cook and eat right with the band (it is not the 'easy way out'). So get organized and simplified with the make-up, get it out of your mind and sight because your thoughts and efforts need to go into planning what goes on your inside now, not the outside!! Create you a little boutique display of special foods and Protein supplements that are going to make you healthy and keep you beautiful. Read labels, read recipes, make menu's, keep charts of intakes and exercise. (I can't sleep if I haven't recorded everything I've eaten that day on www.fitday.com!!). Get obsessed with this important, life-saving project and the make-up addiction will fade away!

Many people in Texas go to Mexico for dental work. The ones I know personally have had very good results and the cost is minimal.

I have the Vanguard Inamed.....have had 2 fills, a little over 3 cc each time using floroscopy. I don't get hungry, have just a little trouble getting certain foods down. I'm still losing so don't plan so cancelled my apptment for another fill this week. Linda.....just a thought about why you may not be losing - could be those sandwiches and hamburgers you mention! It seems that the best 'losers' I know eat mostly Protein, use protein supps, eliminate carbs (as in bread/hamburger buns!) from their lives. Best wishes to you.....

Hunnybun.......no suggestions here but just a word of congratulations for getting so smart so young!! You are already young and beautiful (I see your picture there....don't deny it!!), so you don't need all that "stuff." Stay out of the sun, use your sunscreen if you do get out, clean your face every night, wear a smile every day.....and you'll be beautiful forever! I

Me,too.....schoolmarm shoes for many years. Love being retired....now I go barefoot all the time! My favorite for years was SAS but it got to the point where I couldn't stand a closed-in toe. I was soooo happy when I discovered Propet shoes.....they are very sturdy sandels but pretty cute, too. They have many styles but my favorite is the ones that have the velcro straps. (It's been fun tightening the straps as I lose weight!!) I buy them on-line for about $20 less than they sell for in the stores (about the same or a little less than SAS). BTW.....I see you got your first fill....hope you are doing great!!

Those carbs you're getting in the carrots and yogurt are simply promoting more carb craving. Sorry! Try muching on hi Protein (dense protein....like meat, Beans, etc)....it'll stay with you longer. And protein supplements are wonderful for keeping you satisfied and for keeping your energy level up. Try to get about 100 grams a day along with lots of liquids while you're going thru this. You might as well get started now.....because you'll need to keep up that regime after banding if you are going to be successful at losing weight. Best wishes to you!!

This seems to vary greatly among surgeons/clinics/insurance carriers, so there is no one answer to your question. My surgeon's clinic does fills but does not accept ins. for it...costs $150. I get mine done at the clinic where I did my pre-op....my BCBS ins. covers it and I pay only the co-pay for an office visit. Some surgeons include a year's worth of fills after the surgery in their price. You'll need to check your various options and see what works best for you.

The cardiologist who did all my pre-op work is doing my fills. The surgeon I used doesn't do them.

Hi, Patsy......Dr. B was my surgeon, too. What are you eating? I know that if we eat carbs it just promotes craving for more carbs. Try to get most of your calories from dense Proteins....they'll stay with you longer. And be sure you don't drink anything for at least an hour after eating....that way your pouch stays full longer. Are you using a Protein supplement? I drank 2-3 a day for the first few weeks - still use 2 a day every day. .....plump them up in bleder with ice and sometimes LF cream cheese or cotage cheese....sometimes SF Davinci syrups or a little fruit....sometimes a little natural peanutbutter. I have had no hunger pangs at all ...... maybe I'm just lucky but I really attribute it to the good protein I'm using. Best wishes to you....

Banded at 62 years with a 64 BMI. I'm 4 mo out and have a 52 BMI. I have had absolutely no complications or side effects....not even a gas pain! When I read on the other boards all the complications people with other types of wls are having it makes me so thankful I'm a bandster. I don't understand his statement that RNY would be more permanent. How much more permanent can you get than to have a band? It is a tool that will work for you the rest of your life as long as you work with it. Just be sure your surgeon has adequate experience with the band. Many of the surgeons are still pushing the RNY because that's what they know how to do and that's what they are familiar with. Best wishes!!

I am 62 years old, female. I was a heart patient, 4 heart stents, diabetic, hypertensive, arthritic, etc. I am 5'2" and weighed 350 last October, lost down to 335 by surgery in March. I was at 300 June 8 and am now at 286. I've exercised not a lot (treadmill at fitness center 2-3 days/wk). I have adhered to the proper eating routine very strictly.....proteins first, greens next, no sweets, no breads, no fried foods, no carbonated drinks, no drink during meal or one hour afterward, and 2-3 Protein supplements a day every day. I havent' craved or 'suffered' at all. I feel better than I have in many years and am beginning to be able to exercise more and get around better than I ever thought I would again. I hope that you do as well and get the new hope for a future that I have gotten. Best wishes!!

I've known a number of people who have had other types of wls and had serious complications.....so much so that I would never have had it done even tho my life was already in danger from being MO. But when I realized the risk rate with LB is so low I felt I had to give it a try. ...and give myself a chance to live a little longer. I'm 4 mo out, have no regrets, don't miss the junk food, and feel better than I have in many years. I have lost this much weight before (more than once) and it didn't have this postive effect on my health . I believe that my newfound health and stamina are the result of the type of nutrition and lifestyle that are necessary to make the band an effective weight loss strategy. Best wishes to you.......

KAMD......you need more nutrition than you are getting.....are you not using any Protein shakes? Forget about salad for right now....you'll damage yourself trying to eat anything that might cause you to PB and vomit. It's not worth it! You've got a big investment inside your body that you've got to pet for several weeks until it heals and the swelling goes down. Don't worry about calories right now.....just work on the liquids and very soft foods that have nutrition in them. The Protein Shakes will keep your strength up and keep the hunger pangs under control. If your doctor didn't give you guidance on eating, you might benefit from www.bariatriceating.com. (Way to Eat forum). Good advice there!!

I have to force myself to eat more calories, but if I don't I stall out. I've found I have to eat about 1000-1200 to keep the pounds coming off.....howver, I make sure they are good calories, not empty. I read new research recently from Johns-Hopkins (not related to wls but weight loss in general) that recommends 1400.....I'd be scared to try that much,myself, but I'm just saying what I read.

My first fill was 3.6 with the vanguard; the second was about the same. I was scheduled for another one this week but cancelled because I'm doing fine just as it is.

I itched for a few weeks afterward but it gradually went away. Hope yours does the same!!

I may be fat but I'm not that desperate!!! Thanks for a good laugh!!