isaviolinist

I love looking at our combined total Pretty awesome. Its much easier to do this with support and motivation from others!

I haven't checked in since Nov 15. Thanksgiving I didn't lose anything (definitely ate poorly, but exercised like a crazy person every single day including the day of thanksgiving and on Sunday morning before we went to the airport). Anyways, today I'm at 208.8 which is 5.2 pounds less than I was on Nov 15. A few days ago I was at 207.8, but then I got my monthly friend and I'm up a pound. Trying not to despair lol. This happens every month (but its still frustrating, despite the predictability of it). Hopefully it will start back up again after my period is over (sorry if its tmi ).

I'm a compulsive eater as well and have just started to see a therapist who specializes in eating disorders to try to deal with my binge eating. The way the band works and the way my emotions and head works remain separate. I know many people here claim that their band has taken care of their emotional and compulsive eAting habits, but I could never imagine that happening for me. Just gonna have to deal with it the old fashioned way. I would definitely look into seeing a therapist! Goodluck!

Luckily my fiancé is not like that. But my mom is and has been for my entire life. I love her more than life itself but I rarely have heart to hearts with her about eating or overeating. I learned at a young age to hide food from her. I would take food upstairs or stuff it in the couch cushions. Now, at 28, when I go home, sometimes I still hide food. Because I know if she sees me eating anything besides a meal (and if the meal portion seems too big to her she'll say something), regardless of what it is, she'll comment. I could tell her that vie only eaten 500 calories that day and 1 Hershey kiss will fit into my calorie budget for the day and it just won't matter to her. I have been very straight with her about this issue in the past few years as it's a serious boundary issue. I would suggest doing the same for your husband. Approach it kindly, but if he doesn't respond to that, do what you need to do to drive your point home.

When someone on here is complaining that they're two weeks out and not losing, its most likely because they are drinking high calorie liquids, eating high calorie mushy foods, retaining fluids, not moving around or exercising, or any combination of any of those. If calories in exceed calories out, you will gain weight. If calories in equal calories out, you will maintain your weight. If calories in are less than calories out, you will lose weight. As I said, I had a 3 week preop diet (during which I lost 20 pounds), and then proceeded to lose 20 pounds a month for the following three months. The preop diet wasn't fun, but I loved losing the weight preop, and I'm glad that my liver was in great condition for surgery.

I have kind of a weird schedule. I also don't work much. My schedule is what works for me, but admittedly its a little strange (and sometimes it changes). I also don't eat breakfast (eating shortly after waking up makes me feel sick). 730AM: Wake up, take synthroid, drive fiance to school 830AM -11:30AM: Run errands, do housework, go to the supermarket, etc. 1145AM: Drink a Premier Protein shake Noon: Pick up fiance 1PM: Start dinner usually 2PM: Take a 2.5 mile walk (or some other kind of exercise when its cold out) OR go to gym for cardio (1.5 hours on days without cross training class, 30-45 minutes on days with cross training) 4PM: Go to cross training class (4 times a week...the other days I do cardio at the gym on my own) 6PM: Get home from cross training class, get dinner together (including calculating all nutrition for each part of the dinner BEFORE we eat it...I usually do this before I make it so I know whether its a good thing to make in the first place) 730PM: Clean up from dinner, watch tv, hang out with the kitties, or whatever 830PM: This is when my bad snacking habits come up - sweets and other bad foods. I can generally control it but I'm seeing a therapist now to help me out with binge eating disorder. 930PM: Take chewable Vitamin and fiber gummie 10PM-11PM: Go to sleep

This happens to me too sometimes. Ive started using this thing called an cybex arc trainer. I actually like it much better than the elliptical and its a better workout. And its more comfortable for my feet.

Cool, let me know how they turned out!

If you go to the bell plantation website you can do a search by zip code for retailers that sell it. Good luck! It's great stuff!

I just have to comment on all of the responses that you lose less weight after surgery if you have a preop diet. I think this is something that a lot of people on lbt say but Its not accurate. Case in point, I lost 20 pounds on my preop diet and then 60 pounds in the 3 months following. The only scientific explanation for what may appear to be slower weight loss after surgery for those with a preop diet is that the more you weigh, the more calories your body burns to function on a daily basis. if you lose weight before surgery you will naturally be burning less calories daily than you did before you lost your preop weight. Hypothetically, if 2 people (who are identical...clones of each other) start at 290 pounds and Person A does a preop diet and weighs 270 at the time of surgery and person B does no preop diet and weighs 290 at the time of surgery, person B's body will be burning more calories daily as they weigh more than person A. Thus they may lose that initial 20 pounds very quickly (at the same rate that person A lost the initial 20 on the preop diet). The rate at which one loses weight is a simple formula of calories in vs calories out (in minus out equals your daily calorie deficit. If there is a deficit of 3500 a week you will lose one pound a week). I feel that it's unfair to tell people that there is a correlation between no preop diet and faster rate of weight loss post op as it's just not true. Just telling it like it is.

We have a tanita scale that we love. It's supposed to measure body composition but we've never configured it. But it's a cool feature. And it's super accurate.

The point of doing the liquids for 2 weeks, mushies for 2 weeks, and then slowly back to solids is not because you can't physically eat solids until you've had your band for 4 weeks (your band has no saline...you could probably eat an entire pizza or a huge bowl of Pasta if you wanted), its because your stomach is still healing. So anytime you put any kind of food at all into your stomach, your stomach churns in order to aid the digestion process. As the band has just been placed around your stomach, the sutures are healing and that churning has the potential to loosen the sutures/disturb the scar tissue that is forming and help your band slip. The more solids you put in, the more churning it will do, and the more you are at risk for complications. Most people can eat the same as they did prior to banding after surgery, because there is no saline in the band (some doctors do put a small amount in at the time of surgery, but if yours didnt, there is nothing there). I would get back to your post op diet asap. Just out of sheer curiosity, if you were expecting to get sick, why did you eat the chicken? I think I was beyond terrified of throwing up for the first 3 months, I didn't eat anything that would even have a tiny percent chance of making me sick. Just wondering...

We don't have the same surgeon, but that was pretty much identical to my preop diet (which I was on for 3 weeks). First 3-4 days are pretty crappy...it gets better thereafter.

I'm going to buy the most fabulous wedding gown I can find. Seriously. Not even setting a budget. (And then I'm going to buy a lot of cute dresses and things...and hopefully something beautiful to wear to my brother's rehearsal dinner for his wedding...and I'm going to get my bridesmaid dress altered for his wedding...They ordered me a 22-24....they'll have to cut it apart and repattern it...I'm pretty excited about it ). I can't wait for my fiance to be able to easily pick me up and carry me across the threshold as well

NICE! Can't wait until I'm in the 1-whatevers lol. I have 8 pounds til onederland and its so close I can taste it. Can't wait. Congrats on that awesome achievment!

Yay congrats! Thats a great NSV

Garden burgers are veggie burgers. Here is my edamame burger recipe (like a garden burger, but more Protein and the main ingredient is edamame instead of a lot of different veggies): http://violinistwithaband.blogspot.com/2010/10/edamame-burger-recipe.html I swear by this recipe. My fiance (who would eat prime rib 3 meals a day, 7 days a week) said he prefers it to a regular red meat hamburger. Try it out!

Just quickly before I head to bed - your stomach was swollen after surgery which is why you felt the tightness. Now its probably getting less swollen around your band, so the tightness is subsiding. I'm not really sure I understand what you mean about the bruise, but there will be a lot of bruising in different areas after a surgery. But if its something that is concerning you, definitely give your surgeon a call.

I get hiccups after the fact too. Little bit annoying, but I guess a good reminder.

The red meat and pork wouldn't bother me since I don't eat it anyways, but the rest is...wow. What is the reasoning for such an unbalanced diet? I wouldn't do well with that. Im obsessed with quinoa, which is the only grain that is a complete Protein. Its a superfood. Crazy that you can't have that because it falls under the category of starches. Plus, I do love my sweets, and I LOVE baking. I just don't eat the whole pan of Cookies now - but its nice to know that I can bake and not go crazy. As I said before, if someone told me grains were off limits until I lost X percentage of my excess weight, I would be running the other way. Well, good luck with that diet! Its definitely Atkins-esque.

I find it really strange that there are doctors out there that would say things like no grains until you've lost 75 percent of your excess weight. Does that include whole grains? A balanced diet (including grains), for me, is key to feeling healthy and losing weight steadily. When I start feeling deprived, I start going crazy with the bad stuff. If a surgeon told me no grains until I lost most of my excess weight, I would find a different surgeon. Re: the list of No's, for 10 days post op, I actually think its pretty normal. I didn't eat solid foods until over 4 weeks post op so almost everything on there (except for milk? whats the deal with that?) seems okay to me. For food suggestions, I don't eat poultry, red meat, or pork, so much of my diet consists of seafood and tofu. Tofu has carbs (although its a very healthy food), but seafood is extremely high Protein without the crap thats in red meat or pork, and packed with protein. I would avoid meaty fishes like swordfish, but flaky fishes (salmon, cod, sole, sea bass, walleye etc) are great and band-friendly.

I know you how feel. Sometimes I just can't stop eating everything (and anything). Its like an alien takes over my body. I have decent restriction I think so whenever I'm on a binge, I eat sliders. I actually started with a therapist yesterday who specializes in Binge Eating Disorder. I love my band, and it has helped me tremendously, but I need my brain/emotions to catch up with my body. Maybe try speaking to someone? Is there a eating disorder therapist on staff at your doctor's office or bariatric program? I wish I had started therapy before I got my band, as I think I wouldn't have gained back 50 pounds. But everything is a learning experience. Good luck!

I don't have a card and if I did, I don't think I'd ever show it. Firstly, I don't want to discuss private details of my surgery with a waiter. Secondly, it was my choice to have this surgery. Why should a restaurant be forced to bend rules for me? Especially when Im perfectly capable of wrapping the leftovers up and taking them home. The thought of showing a card to a waiter makes me really uncomfortable. On the other hand, it's probably not a bad idea to have one in case you are in an emergency and you need to be taken to the ER. That way the doc will know your situation if you're unable to verbalize it.

I'm starting to get some email notifications now. I don't know if I'm getting all of them, but a few. I don't have aol. I use my university faculty email.

I went without any restriction for 5-6 months and lost a lot of weight. My surgeon has always said that you don't want to get addicted to adjustments. I didn't really get what he meant when he first said it but it makes sense now. If it aint broke, don't fix it. If you're doing great, and you're not starving all the time and you're losing weight, just go with it. Then if you start to get hungry, have an adjustment.