ParrotheadCathy

I do a heaping tablespoon of Benefiber everymorning... I make my "cocktail" of my vitamin which is a tablet that is supposed to be dissolved in water, the Benefiber and a packet of Crystal Light. No problems here!

I was banded 2/10/09 and I didn't have a stuck episode for many months .... until July 2009. But then I got a fill to 6.0 and every meal meant getting stuck at least once. After 3 months of it, I got .2 taken out and the problem stopped. I recently got filled back to 6.0 and I do get stuck every now and then but not like before.

Well, a lot of people who get a lap band discover in pre-op testing that they have a hiatal hernia. You could claim that...and that would explain the post-op liquid diet comfortably -- you're healing from stomach surgery. And when they notice the weight loss, you can always say that it somehow seems easier to cut back on what you eat when getting the hernia repaired stopped the nighttime heartburn, etc. And the suggestion of "female" stuff usually makes people run in the other direction since they really don't want to know your "plumbing problems" lol.

And, there's something else. It is not so uncommon to love someone and discover that you don't like them very much. The two things are not mutually inclusive. Take a breather. Re-evaluate where you are and what she's done. Make a pros and cons list; sometimes that helps. You may discover that in spite of the love you feel, the like isn't there; that the cons have come to outweight the pros. It is never easy to come to the discovery that you have grown, matured, evolved spiritually or emotionally in a way that veers strongly away from the person you love (loved). But take heart in the good things in life, the positive ones. And, hopefully, the pros will outweigh the cons. Perhaps, couples counseling would help. We are not one of us perfect and many people can and do benefit from counseling.' Good luck and take heart.

LIftingchic is right .... at my sleep study, they told me if I wasn't asleep by a certain time, they would give me a sleeping pill because they really needed me to sleep for a certain amount of time in order to have solid test results. So of course, I didn't fall right asleep as I normally do, and they gave me a sleeping pill. Out light a light.

Thanks for the congrats! But something I'm actually MORE proud of is this...I made it through the holidays, all the parties, big meals and food in the kitchen at work all the time without gaining. Mind you, on January 1 I hadn't lost an ounce since mid-November BUT I DIDN'T GAIN. And I'm as happy with not gaining during the most difficult time of year as I am about losing. Now, I'm back to a regular eating program, drinking all my water and weight is starting to drop again....a pound so far this month. Yeah, I wish it was more, but I'll take that!

Almost everybody who has sleep apnea snores like crazy. I'd get that test out of the way and then spend the money for the pre-op program. Just to be safe on the money. I've never wished anybody to have a medical problem, but I guess here's hoping your sleep study comes back positive.

OnNe thing I've noticed: I'm a texture person and something with the right texture (smooth/creamy) could sucker me into eating way too much pre-band. But now, creamy doesn't ring my chimes??? But when I eat my whole grain carbs, they have to be crunchy... Kelloggs Special K Crackers are my fave at the moment. I religiously count out 17 crackers (equals 90 calories and 1 serving of whole grain carb). For a while, it was a cracker called Crunch Masters, which has a lot of seeds in them but I got over those when I opened the second bag and I got a strong whiff and realized they smelled like the bird seed I feed my parakeets, LOL.

Are you absolutely sure you don't have another comorbity? Obviously, your PCP has done some bloodwork since you know you have elevated cholesterol so not likely that you have Type 2 Diabetes. What I would do before I spent $415 is make an appointment with my PCP. Ask him to do the hBA1c blood test which is an average blood glucose level for approximately 90 days...and if it's elevated you are either "pre-diabetic" or Type 2. Also many overweight people suffer from sleep apnea which is considered a comorbidity. If you PCP refers you for a sleep study and it comes back positive, then you have your second co-morbidity AND you've done the sleep study which is almost 100% going to be a pre-op test you'd need anyway.

I find that if I eat a small snack of Protein (about 70 calories) around 4:30 - 5:00 pm (a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese or a little deli sliced turkey) I am fine until 8:00 om. That gives me time to get home at 7:00 pm, cook dinner for my family and then eat my dinner. At that point, I'm full, no desire to eat as a result of hunger. Head hunger is another thing entirely. Sitting and watching TV is a real problem for a lot of people...that was their time to snack pre-banding and they subconsciously want to continue that habit. Not sure how to tell you to deal with that issue because what works for me may not work for anybody else. I drink some iced tea with Splenda and lime and that fills my tummy back up for a little bit and it tastes good.

2 whey Protein shakes per day (I had one for Breakfast and one late in the afternoon) and two meals consisting of 3 oz of lean protein, vegetable and one serving per day of whole grain carbs. I ate a "real" lunch and then my other "real" meal around 7:30. Frankly, I wasn't really hungry. If it had been all liquid, who knows? Every doctor has his own pre-op requiements (including some who don't require anything). I remained on all my meds until the day of surgery, at which point my internist took me off all my medication. Checked everything 60 days post-op and decided not to put me back on any meds. Now, 11 months later and 80 pounds lost, it has been okay.

THe good news is that this is a process...you won't be at goal weight in a month. The changes will come along and he'll see that you are healthier and happier and that will mean a great deal to him. Couple that with he sees that you still love him as much as ever -- or maybe even more -- will help him too.