stateofzen

Can't wait to hear how it went. I'm curious-- who did you choose as a surgeon? I live in AL and am looking for someone to do breast reduction (now) and a tt when I hit goal. I'm a little overwhelmed by the number of surgeons and have no idea WHO to consult with.

It sounds like you HAVE to make finding a new doc a priority, even if it requires a lot of effort/travel/money out of your own pocket. This surgery just absolutely requires maintenance and tweaking to work and you can't do those things without a doc. I'm sorry you're experiencing this, but I have seen people around these boards who have a similar story who do get back on track and lose the gained weight + more once they start following through with the rules. Good luck!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a bandster's favorite lunch: meatballs! I make a small (I do mean small!) baking dish of turkey meatballs (8 per dish), covered in marinara and parmesan or moz cheese. Then divide it in half so I have 2 days of lunch. 4 meatballs is more than enough- sometimes 2 or 3 will even do it. I am a leftover-taker for lunch, so another of my faves is chili. With the Beans and ground meat it is very high in Protein and super filling. The rotisserie chicken idea is a life-saver because you can do so much with the leftovers. My fave is to make chicken enchiladas with low-carb tortillas-- half an enchilada is a perfect lunch and man, those things taste better as leftovers than they do originally! Sometimes I will also take a grape tomato/fresh mozzerella/cucumber in balsamic vinagerette salad as a lunch. I also always keep turkey pepperoni and full-fat cheddar cheese cubes in my work fridge to eat for lunch on days I might forget or not have time to bring something.

Where are you in your cycle (if you have one)? I have noticed that during ovulation, I am way hungrier than at other times in my cycle. I've learned to knuckle through it until my body returns to "normal". You might track hunger with your cycle to see if you notice clear patterns-- it might give you peace of mind and/or info on whether you really need another fill or if it's just a temporary hormonal fluctuation.

Oatmeal is a carb, yes. But, calorie-wise it isn't bad and it has so many good nutritious elements that if you aren't doing low-carb, it's ok. I know a lot of people do Steel Cut Oats, which are AMAZINGLY good for you and have lots of Protein, but do require a lot of time to cook. I eat oatmeal for breakfast a few times a month, and I use the 100 calorie sugar-free instant packs, then add some crushed walnuts and coconut flakes. It's hard to do "traditional" breakfast quickly on a very low-carb eating plan. When I did, I fried an egg and melted a piece of american cheese on top. Simple, fairly quick, but it does require working on the stove in the morning

For me, it's not an issue of "can" I eat it, but more of an issue of do I "need" to eat it. It's a tough mental adjustment to make. Right now, your battle seems to be in learning to serve yourself only the recommended amount of food ( half that 8 oz steak and either the salad OR the veggies) and after finishing, assessing your hunger level. Look for not hungry instead of full. If you're still truly hungry, maybe have a little more but always assess actual hunger separately from just wanting to eat. When you get to a good fill level, your band should help with this but there is definitely a learning process surrounding portion size and understanding the difference between true hunger and head hunger. Don't look for the band to force you to stop-- it may never do that and anyway, who wants to PB I have never gotten stuck, vommited, or otherwise had a negative result from my band (other than discomfort/gas when I overeat), and I hope never to experience those things myself. I would encourage you not to gauge your band's success by these markers but instead by it helps control physical hunger.

If you're losing, why risk messing with a good thing? I say no to the fill-- besides, you've already identified some of the issues you're having and a fill won't make you leave the ice cream alone

Sure, but make sure you tell your doc at next appt. Chronic heartburn can cause complications with the band.

I think this is a normal part of the process-- relapse! You have the right idea by making plans to nip it in the bud. I need to do the same.

I have BCBS Alabama through a private employer. They did cover the surgery but I had to do a 6 month supervised diet. I had a BMI over 40 with no comorbidities other than pain. It literally took 15 minutes from the time my bariatric surgeon (Dr. Andrew DeWitt) put in the paperwork until I got approved.

That's awesome-- I'm headed to an all-inclusive in the Carribean and hoping I can manage not to have my first gain myself This is an inspiration.

pizza It's actually not a cheat in normal circumstances (one piece fits in my calories just fine), but sometimes I eat a second piece when one would have done just fine. Of course I usually feel bloated after and regret it.

Congrats and good work!

Jenny, docs vary on their recommended diet, but my surgeon suggests a low carb diet and I followed it for the first several months fairly religiously with good results. For me, cutting out sugars and things like potatoes, Pasta, rice, and especially bread helps curb my appetite big time. I have added some of these back into my diet though and not surprisingly, my loss has slowed. When you do low carb, you generally don't worry about fats ( within reason). The mushy stage makes low carb virtually impossible for a time though-- most mushies on the approved list are definitely not long-term food choices, but it's about healing, not losing.

They don't call it low carb, but the typical bandster recommended diet is low carb, which means high protein, low sugar/starch/simple carbs.

Restriction is being satisfied physically on smallish amounts of food for 4-5 hours. Not " full" mind you, in the sense you may be used to and it probably will not stop the "I'm not hungry but I want to eats", though some lucky folks lose interest in food. I would stongly suggest you not rely on the band to force you to stop or to eat slowly because it might get very frustrating. Instead, practice the behaviors of small plate, slow eating, good food choices no matter what and start listening to your body and trying to figure out what satisfied feels to you (not an easy task!)

I'm sorry to hear this Fred-- I know it must be so disappointing.

Prescribed eating disorders are still eating disorders IMO. I personally did not want to trade one (binging) for another (excessive restriction). I think the 1/2 cup mandate is the source of a lot of the unnecessary struggles, and frankly, too tight bands that people have. By all means, if you can do it without trouble, I'm not about to say that one size fits all, but if you're losing like I am with more food, then there is no benefit and actual costs associated with striving to be satisfied and meet nutritional goals on 1/2 cup of food 3x a day.

Burping is my full sign (actually, my "ate too much, dummy!" sign). It's a different kind of burp though-- it feels heavier or more forced.

DaddyD is right on all counts. It is normal to stall with weight loss while you heal and your body adjusts to the 12 lb pre-op loss, even when you're doing everything right so be patient and try not to get frustrated (which is difficult, I know). Also, because you are starting at a low BMI, your losses will most likely be slower than others you see around here. Try not to compare yourself. When I hit a 30 BMI and lower, my weight loss has slowed WAAAYY down and I'm losing 1-2 lbs a month now instead of 1-2 lbs a week. It's slow, but it's still coming off.

I'd take them whole-- you probably won't have any problems. Also, if you haven't already, make sure to check with doc or pharmacist about whether taking them dissolved in water/etc. is recommended. Sometimes the delivery format of a drug (like a capsule) is very important in regulating its release at the intended interval.

Yay yay yay! Good work, papoose

One of the saddest things to me is that I cannot look at my SIL's wedding pictures because of the way I look in that bridesmaid's dress. I am close to her and there is a picture of the two of us that I would throw in the garbage if I didn't realize how hurt she would be by that. I looked horrible in all of the professional pics, forever captured at my highest weight. Because they are wedding photos, they will never fade into the background, they will never be thrown in a box or thrown in the trash, or otherwise discarded. They will forever grace the walls of my family. Ah well-- I will always have an easy reminder of why I NEVER want to go back to where I came from. I agree though that pictures aren't always easier today

Amen! Low to moderate doses of caffeine do not create dehydration and do not act as a diuretic for the vast majority of people. The research on high doses of caffeine just gets overextended to non-clinically significant amounts. I drink 2 cups of coffee with sugar free hazlenut creamer every morning. If I am "head hungry" in the late afternoon, I drink an additional cup because it fills me up for very few calories and does suppress my appetite. OP: here is a link to a "Starbuck's like drink"-- she actually has TONS of recipes that are WLS friendly-- http://theworldaccor...ingtoeggface%29

Satisfied is what I shoot for, and I have to pay attention sometimes to catch it. It just feels like. . . eh, I don't need anymore. I may want more, but I just know I don't need another bite. Last night when I was eating leftover roast/carrots/etc. it literally happened mid-chew on my last bite. I swallowed and put down the fork that was carrying the next bite, then pitched it If I eat past that point to full, because I'm not paying attention or I'm being obstinate because I just *want* to eat more, then I feel gassy and uncomfortable in my chest (lots of belching) and sometimes get left shoulder pain. I HATE the way this feels so I try really hard to never get "full". It's so subjective. I encourage you to try eating without any distraction (no people, no tv, no nothing), only paying attention to your hunger cues, until you get the hang of what your satiation feels like as it is really hard to describe.