ifyourstomachoffendsyou

Overlapping posting goin on. So its not hiatal hernia. Raw feeling might just plain be hunger. You're not eating the solid proteins that stay in your pouch and keep you full. Maybe you need to eat small amounts more frequently, but stick to the proteins whether liquid or solid.

Yea, Janet, I think Free Spirit's best bet is to get to the Dr. ASAP. Free Spirit you need to have hiatal hernia, slippage, and acid reflux ruled out as well anything we can't think of. But going to liquids and/or mushies till you've got it figured out might give you some immediate relief from the pain as well as get you off the sliders that are bad for you. As long as its high protein. Cautiously introducing solids one at a time will allow you to test which foods are causing the trouble or if its the way you're eating them, and give you more info on whether the band, the food, hiatal hernia, pbing or acid reflux are the problem. There are medications that can also cause reflux. You really need to get your info together and take it to the Dr., maybe more than one doc. Especially since you haven't had much support from your surgeon. As you can see, we all want you to experience success and get to the bottom of your problems. We've got some nurses on this thread like Laura. (Peasout). But, just like food and the band, you've got to take control of it. You've got to analyze what you're doing, what your pain is like, and which advice sounds right to you. You need to talk to your Drs. We can't do that for you. Cheri

Raw doesn't sound good. What foods make it feel like that? Does it feel like that all the time? Do you feel the chunk all the time or just when you eat or just when the food is stuck? You need to be more specific so you can ask your Dr. the right questions and give him the right info.

Thanks Janet, I'll keep that in mind. Maintenance is the part that has me most scared.

Free Spirit, when I posted I hadn't read that you haven't had a fill. It sounds to me like you have first bite syndrome. To get your protein during the day when a lot of people are tightest, you may need to go back to protein drinks and other protein mushies like refried beans, SF pudding and yoghurts (yoghurt also good for reflux). If you have first bite syndrome make that first bite only a teeny tiny portion, much less than 1/2oz. Wait a few minutes, take a teeny tiny portion. Repeat until your band starts opening up. Stop eating whenever you start to feel the pain or the reflux come back. Try to get in 3 or 4 oz of protein. Do not follow with sliders. The protein will make you feel full. Drink a lot of SF liquids between meals. I like to to drink decaf that's at least 1/3 1% milk to keep very digestible protein and milk sugar which doesn't raise your glycemic index and gives you a steady supply of protein. I use Splenda. Do this for several days and you'll see the lbs dropping which will make the fat pad around your stomach shrink and your band loosen. You'll become much more comfortable eating after a few days of this. The sliders you are eating are keeping your fat pad from shrinking and keeping the band too tight even without fills. Again, if you have the burning acidy kind of reflux then you need to see your Drs. ASAP.

Free Spirit. They fixed my hiatal hernia when they put in the band which took care of my reflux. Is your reflux acidy? If its not and you're actually putting the wrong things or too much into your pouch, or your bites are too big, or your band is too tight, then you could be productive burping or pbing which I call puke back. It can be painful but its not the same kind of pain as acid reflux. It's usually got a lot of saliva and phlegm mixed up in it. Protein would make that worse. But sliders contain the kinds of things that cause the heartburn kind of reflux. Grease and fats, chocolate, butter, tomatoes (sauce), pop, orange juice and other juices, real coffee, pizza. Whch kind of reflux do you have? For the first kind you may need a bit of unfill or to change how much and what you eat and how you eat it. Tiny bites, chewed and swallowed very slowly, mostly protein. The second kind is actually more dangerous. See your surgeon and your GP and gastroenterologist or have them consult with each other ASAP. But usually if you work with the band and follow the food protocol you won't have trouble unless you need an unfill. Don't give up. Hang in there. Cheri

Just thought of something. For foods that aren't Protein, if you want to know if they'll shoot your blood sugar up or not, check the glycemic index. Also, diabetics learn to keep their blood sugar stable by the way they combine foods and by eating small amounts more frequently. Just remember, hi-fiber foods, though low on the glycemic index, fill your pouch and swell and can leave you without enough room for the protein you need. Many nuts and seeds are a perfect combination of low glycemic carb, protein, and the kinds of oil that are good for you. I eat little spoonfuls of shelled, roasted, slightly salted sunflower seeds a few times throughout the day when I'm at work. These give me a constant flow of energy without shooting up my blood sugar. Legumes, which are low on the glycemic index, (dry Beans cooked like pinto, black, chili, white, navy, etc. have protein as well as high Fiber, low glycemic carbs) are all to easy to turn into sliders because they're usually in Soups or soupy, saucy mixtures so they don't keep your pouch filled. Plus the sauces are often more full of sugar than you realize. Tomatoes have a lot of sugar. So do onions. Refried beans aren't as moisturized and will stay in your pouch longer. That's why they're on the list of mushies you can start eating a couple of days after surgery. Low-glycemic carbs are the things I'm planning on increasing in the maintenance stage. Still high protein first, but more fibrous vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. I just have to remember, a little of these goes a long way, and I still have to eat protein first. Starchy foods like white potatoes, white rice, Pasta, and definitely breads and pastries, crackers and any kind of chips, even if they're whole grain, are going to be very occasional treats, or just a taste with my meal. These are all items that tend to increase cravings for carbs because they are one step away from simple sugars (you can actually taste them turning into sugar as your saliva combines with them) and they increase blood sugar. Since my band limits portion size with protein as long as I don't turn my protein into sliders, and I know which foods to avoid or limit to occasional treats, I don't have to spend a lot of time worrying about counting calories, points, weighing or measuring, counting fat grams, or even counting carbs. That simplifies things for me and I need to have a very simple food plan in order to succeed. If I find myself able to eat too much protein at a sitting, then I know I need a fill. Everybodies different, but knowledge is power. This is what works for me. Cheri

Janet, can't really say I feel in control. It's more like I'm learning that beating myself up for enjoying my holidays instead of focusing on enjoying the food and the fun while they're there and choosing not feeling any guilt, actually helps me get back on track. I expected to go up and down over the holiday season and actually made it part of my food plan, so I wouldn't feel guilty. Guilting myself drives me into the food. I know the disease is always lurking. But guilt is part of the disease, not part of recovery. So is all or nothing thinking. I know that rigidity also is a food trigger for me. Totally denying myself goodies during times when I'm surrounded by them makes me feel deprived and I eat more. So I worked on balance for the holidays and it paid off. I'm looking at the head hunger issues and guilt and feeling deprived are a huge trigger for me. Cheri

Jewell, I'm sure everything will go well tomorrow. I'll be thinking about you and praying for you. I think low carb works because protein doesn't shoot your blood sugar up. It has something to do with your insulin levels. You store more food as fat if you raise your blood sugar levels. If you don't, you don't store food as fat. Your muscles burn it off instead. You can eat more and store less. The protein stops your cravings because you haven't raised your blood sugar. It's absorbed by your system much more slowly, giving you a constant source of energy rather than a big boost and then a drop-off and its burned off more easily. Also, sugary, simple carb foods like candy, cookies, potatos, white rice, bread and so on, dissolve easily and are often combined with fat so they slide through the pouch quickly leaving you hungry and craving food because your pouch is empty plus you've shot up your blood sugar which increases cravings. Most fruit also contains simple sugars that shoot up your blood sugar, so, though better for you than refined sugars, they can only be had in very limited quantities or combined with a meal that's high in protein to keep your blood sugar level. Protein, when not combined with a lot of sauces or moisture or carbs and other sliders, stays in your pouch making you feel full much longer. So protein works on several levels. When you eat even too many vegetables you don't leave enough room in your pouch for the protein you need to live. And veggies are carbs. Most take a little longer than sugar to break down in your system, but some, like carrots, are full of sugar. If you're not getting enough protein, your body will burn muscle instead of fat. More than anything else, your body needs protein. Fat isn't nearly as bad for you as simple carbs when you're on high protein because you don't store it. So cholesterol actually goes down for people who eat a lot of meat, including red meat. And red meat actually helps raise your good cholesterol as does exercise. Whole grains and vegetables will also digest more slowly and not shoot up your blood sugar and may have some protein or good fats in them. However, again, they take up space in your pouch and limit the room you need for protein. So limit them. That's why bariatric surgeons insist on high protein low carb diets. They work with the metabolism and they work with the band. I'm sure our nurses could explain the blood sugar and insulin part more clearly than I did, but that's my basic understanding. The only diets on which I lost weight and felt great were high protein low carb diets. Now I've got the band to help me stay on that food protocol. That's why my blood sugar has improved so much. It's not just the weight lost. I'm now below the borderline range. It's not just the quantity of food. It's not just the total number of calories. You can actually eat more calories on a high protein low carb don't worry so much about the fat diet and lose more weight than on a low calorie, no fat or a low calorie but it doesn't matter what you eat diet. Now, only really rigid people are able to maintain this diet all the time. That's why I have days where I allow myself treats. But they don't do damage as long as I limit them and as long as the majority of the time I'm following the high protein, low carb protocol. Anyway, that's the Cheri lecture for the day.

Friday, January 1, 2010 The Band is Good, Life is Good, God is Good. Last night my husband and I went to see Avatar. Incredible! The new 3-D technology is amazing. The world they created was stunningly beautiful and the action was out of this world--literally. I ate movie popcorn for the first time in forever. Then we went to Barnes and Nobles and read for a while and I had a Starbucks Mocha Latte (decaf). Spent the evening watching Wild Hogs and then playing with the new Wii. Nice New Year's Eve. Despite movie popcorn and starbucks mocha yesterday I was down a pound today. Probably the exercise I got yesterday (went walking for over an hour) and the fact that in addition I only had a protein shake and a little turkey and some milk in my coffee yesterday. So just one more holiday lb to go. I can't believe how well I weathered this holiday. Thank you God, thank you band. You know, I'm not dealing with depression much lately. I guess you don't realize how much of it has gone because it goes away so gradually, but today I realized how positive I'm feeling. I have a happy light I sit under at night while I combine watching TV with Facebook, Lapbandtalk, and occasionally writing in my blog. I also take mega doses of Vitamin D. Both have helped me considerably. Losing weight and getting back in shape might not have happened without them and now the weight loss and physical health are making me feel great. I think I've really been working on that "change your thoughts, change your brain, change your life thing." Keeping my Phillipians verses in mind--I am content, no matter what my circumstance, I can do all things through him who strengthens me, and thinking about what is good and noble and lovely, have all been part of the process. I've done some dumping and ranting on here and on lapbandtalk but that was just cleaning out the garbage. I have always been at my highest level of energy in the morning and days when there's sunlight I get a lot accomplished. Days when there's not I can really drag at home. Fortunately, my classroom is well lit with florescents and has huge windows on the south side. It also has locked iron gates over them because they're at ground level in a very bad neighborhood, but I don't notice them anymore. I'm going to buy vines and twine them through and add flowers. Now that my holiday cold is just remnants I've been continuing work on closets and sorting jewelry and cleaning. Won't get as much done this vacation as I would if I'd been healthy but, oh well. Today the sun was shining though it was cold outside, so I stayed in my well-lit living/dining room and got a lot done. Today I totally forgot about eating. I kept drinking coffee with milk and my husband had mixed some choc.raspberry flavored real cofee in with my decaf. I didn't realize I hadn't eaten till 4 p.m. So I stewed all my turkey meat from Sunday and added peas and canned gravy. Yummm! But I didn't eat too much. Bet I'm down another lb. by tomorrow. I spent hours on the phone today talking to each of my brothers and sisters. (I'm the oldest of five.) My husband found my headset so I was able to pace while I talked and eventually started cleaning. So now I've got the Wii to keep me busy at night and I'm making a NY resolution to call my brothers and sisters more in the evenings. My one brother lives in CA and the other in MI. I have a sister in TN and another who lives 40 minutes from me but who's 15 yrs younger than me and has a very busy family. One of her daughters (6th grade) has been having increased epileptic seizures and she's been very busy Dr.ing with her and being available to get her from school. I don't see her that much so I'm going to try calling her more. My sister would love it if I could come and work with my neice as the seizure disorder is accompanied by learning disabilities and she's really struggling in school now. My daughter also wants me to attend my grandson's meeting so she has someone knowledgeable on her side when she insists on official accommodations for him. If I'm not working next year I'd be able to work with both of them, my neice and my grandson. I finished emptying several drawers in our bedroom. My husband was so happy to get 6 drawers in our bedroom and half a closet in the den next door. He'll get rid of the rubbermaid dresser in the other sitting room which also has only half a closet so he was hanging things on the back of the door. That will make that room so much roomier. Once we get the basement fixed up again either the little den or the little sitting room will become a guest bedroom and the furniture will go downstairs. I'll be able to entertain and have grandchildren stay overnight. My parents will probably be selling their house and going into a retirement village so my relatives will need a place to come and maybe I'll actually have a place everyone can gather. Although I am going to have my two grandsons stay overnight tomorrow night. I have a blow-up bed I'll put in the living room for one grandson and put the other one on the couch. I'm leaving up my Christmas stuff so they can see it and fall asleep looking at the lights on the Christmas tree. I loved doing that when I was little. We'll take down the Christmas decorations on Sunday. I think we're down to 4 or 5 bins. Over time things get broken. My husband cleaned the basement floor which is now down to the concrete so my grandsons can play down there. I have a corner table with benches and chairs (70's orange naugahyde era) and my 5 yr. old grandson and I will build a lincoln log town on it. My daughter's bringing some riding toys with so they can ride them in the basement. The 2 yr old will love that. We've got the Wii to teach my 5 yr. old--he'll love the boxing, and we have Candyland and my husband's diecast model cars which they know they have to be very careful playing with and they are. My daughter will bring along a few other favorites. She needs the break. The boys are extremely ranbunctious for the 4-5 hours before bedtime with the 2 yr old refusing to leave the autistic 5 yr old alone. He's a little bulldozer and finally the five yr old gets mad and shoves him or throws something at him. The 2 yr old always has a new contusion on his face every time I see him. My daughter is exhausted. Her husband works nights and a lot of overtime. Maybe you can tell I'm really excited about having them overnight. The hard part will be getting them to go to sleep in strange surroundings. Also, the 5 yr. old consistently wakes up at 6 and I've been sleeping till 8. LOL. Will get me back into Monday-go-back-to-work mode. I'm so glad we got the water and mold problem resolved in the basement. Its ugly as sin down there but I can have people over again. I'm feeling really optimistic about the new year. I'm very confident my husband will get some kind of work. Lots of security guard work available and they actually like guys his age with a good work history. Waitin' on his official PI certificate (that's what security guards need in IL) to arrive, but he's been filling out all kinds of applications on line and sending resumes. Roseland Christian School should finish out the school year OK which means I'll have a salary till next Sept. no matter what. If DH is employed and I get unemployment I'll have time next summer to work on employment and going back to school. Possibly rearrange my life completely. Or not. I'm doing the footwork but the results are in God's hands. So, another humongous post. Probably the last one for awhile as I'll be going back to work Monday. And trying to set up a course this semester that will apply towards my Masters in Sp. Ed. That will keep me busy, also. Less time to eat. God is good all the time, All the time, God is good.

I should say I've lost the 5 or 6 lbs, maybe 7 since Thanksgiving. It's basically been a holiday season since then. My first Christmas party was the next weekend. My granddaughter is going to join the boys for at least the afternoon. She's three and bosses the two of them around like crazy. She talks way more than the two of them put together. Cheri

I have to say I have a totally different attitude about the 2 lbs I gained. I put them on and took them off several times throughout the 2 weeks I've been home plus I kept going up and down 3 or 4 lbs the two weeks before, because I had work parties and all kinds of extra food at work. I kept in mind that holiday foods have a lot of extra salt, so some was water weight. I also kept in mind I had 2 bad colds this December and couldn't exercise while they were bad. On the days I knew I had a party or other event where I knew I was going to eat, I didn't eat much else. The next day I went back on my food protocol and ate a little less than normal. So this morning I'm down to 171 and only 4 lbs from goal. I actually lost 5 or 6 lbs in December. It was a concious decision on my part to enjoy fun food over this month and not to feel guilty or beat myself up over it. I've really been working on the whole change your thoughts, change your brain, change your life thing. Guilt over eating too much is an old rut in my brain that leads to more over-eating. So I worked on rewiring my brain in that area. I refuse to spoil a great holiday season and its memories by making it all about the food I ate. I had a good time, despite being sick, and I got a lot done despite being sick. I emptied closets and drawers of clothes that don't fit because of my weight loss. Hallelujah! Well, I gotta go exercise because my grandsons are coming over and are staying overnight. This is such a fun way to end my holidays. The band is good, life is good, God is good.

Just wishing guys. Actually Chicago in June is generally fairly pleasant. Often cooler or nice breeze by lakefront, especially at night. 70's to 80's in June, 80's-90's in July. awful in August. But Chicago is great all year round.

Probably your age not your diet or exercise. Go to gyne, could be fibroids or menopause coming. Hey people. I've been blogging a lot again over Christmas. Has really been helping me deal with the food and attached issues. Check it out at IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF

Kept gaining and losing the same 2 lbs throughout the holidays. Didn't eat much today, so I expect I'll have the last lb back off tomorrow. No guilt. Deliberate choice to enjoy my holiday food without going overboard. I'm absolutely thrilled with how well I did. Had great holiday season. Back to work Monday morning. Back to reality. More stress actually but I've got the band, and structure always makes me do better with my food. Now to bed. Got grandsons coming tomorrow and they're going to stay the night. Love it. Cheri

Just wanted to say I'm so jealous of all you meeting in Florida. How 'bout next summer Chicago? Stay downtown and sightsee or stay in the burbs and take the train downtown? Art Institute (one of the biggest collections of Impressionist paintings), Millenium Park (free concerts), Grant Park (great festivals), beautiful lakefront, Navy Pier, dancing in the park or at Navy Pier, architectural boat tours, all kinds of boat tours. Sittin' around a pool or on a beach. Water Tower place shopping, Magnificent Mile. Flowers and gardens and sailboats. Florida weather most summers.

Friday, January 1, 2010 The Band is Good, Life is Good, God is Good. Last night my husband and I went to see Avatar. Incredible! The new 3-D technology is amazing. The world they created was stunningly beautiful and the action was out of this world--literally. I ate movie popcorn for the first time in forever. Then we went to Barnes and Nobles and read for a while and I had a Starbucks Mocha Latte (decaf). Spent the evening watching Wild Hogs and then playing with the new Wii. Nice New Year's Eve. Despite movie popcorn and starbucks mocha yesterday I was down a pound today. Probably the exercise I got yesterday (went walking for over an hour) and the fact that in addition I only had a protein shake and a little turkey and some milk in my coffee yesterday. So just one more holiday lb to go. I can't believe how well I weathered this holiday. Thank you God, thank you band. You know, I'm not dealing with depression much lately. I guess you don't realize how much of it has gone because it goes away so gradually, but today I realized how positive I'm feeling. I have a happy light I sit under at night while I combine watching TV with Facebook, Lapbandtalk, and occasionally writing in my blog. I also take mega doses of Vitamin D. Both have helped me considerably. Losing weight and getting back in shape might not have happened without them and now the weight loss and physical health are making me feel great. I think I've really been working on that "change your thoughts, change your brain, change your life thing." Keeping my Phillipians verses in mind--I am content, no matter what my circumstance, I can do all things through him who strengthens me, and thinking about what is good and noble and lovely, have all been part of the process. I've done some dumping and ranting on here and on lapbandtalk but that was just cleaning out the garbage. I have always been at my highest level of energy in the morning and days when there's sunlight I get a lot accomplished. Days when there's not I can really drag at home. Fortunately, my classroom is well lit with florescents and has huge windows on the south side. It also has locked iron gates over them because they're at ground level in a very bad neighborhood, but I don't notice them anymore. I'm going to buy vines and twine them through and add flowers. Now that my holiday cold is just remnants I've been continuing work on closets and sorting jewelry and cleaning. Won't get as much done this vacation as I would if I'd been healthy but, oh well. Today the sun was shining though it was cold outside, so I stayed in my well-lit living/dining room and got a lot done. Today I totally forgot about eating. I kept drinking coffee with milk and my husband had mixed some choc.raspberry flavored real cofee in with my decaf. I didn't realize I hadn't eaten till 4 p.m. So I stewed all my turkey meat from Sunday and added peas and canned gravy. Yummm! But I didn't eat too much. Bet I'm down another lb. by tomorrow. I spent hours on the phone today talking to each of my brothers and sisters. (I'm the oldest of five.) My husband found my headset so I was able to pace while I talked and eventually started cleaning. So now I've got the Wii to keep me busy at night and I'm making a NY resolution to call my brothers and sisters more in the evenings. My one brother lives in CA and the other in MI. I have a sister in TN and another who lives 40 minutes from me but who's 15 yrs younger than me and has a very busy family. One of her daughters (6th grade) has been having increased epileptic seizures and she's been very busy Dr.ing with her and being available to get her from school. I don't see her that much so I'm going to try calling her more. My sister would love it if I could come and work with my neice as the seizure disorder is accompanied by learning disabilities and she's really struggling in school now. My daughter also wants me to attend my grandson's meeting so she has someone knowledgeable on her side when she insists on official accommodations for him. If I'm not working next year I'd be able to work with both of them, my neice and my grandson. I finished emptying several drawers in our bedroom. My husband was so happy to get 6 drawers in our bedroom and half a closet in the den next door. He'll get rid of the rubbermaid dresser in the other sitting room which also has only half a closet so he was hanging things on the back of the door. That will make that room so much roomier. Once we get the basement fixed up again either the little den or the little sitting room will become a guest bedroom and the furniture will go downstairs. I'll be able to entertain and have grandchildren stay overnight. My parents will probably be selling their house and going into a retirement village so my relatives will need a place to come and maybe I'll actually have a place everyone can gather. Although I am going to have my two grandsons stay overnight tomorrow night. I have a blow-up bed I'll put in the living room for one grandson and put the other one on the couch. I'm leaving up my Christmas stuff so they can see it and fall asleep looking at the lights on the Christmas tree. I loved doing that when I was little. We'll take down the Christmas decorations on Sunday. I think we're down to 4 or 5 bins. Over time things get broken. My husband cleaned the basement floor which is now down to the concrete so my grandsons can play down there. I have a corner table with benches and chairs (70's orange naugahyde era) and my 5 yr. old grandson and I will build a lincoln log town on it. My daughter's bringing some riding toys with so they can ride them in the basement. The 2 yr old will love that. We've got the Wii to teach my 5 yr. old--he'll love the boxing, and we have Candyland and my husband's diecast model cars which they know they have to be very careful playing with and they are. My daughter will bring along a few other favorites. She needs the break. The boys are extremely ranbunctious for the 4-5 hours before bedtime with the 2 yr old refusing to leave the autistic 5 yr old alone. He's a little bulldozer and finally the five yr old gets mad and shoves him or throws something at him. The 2 yr old always has a new contusion on his face every time I see him. My daughter is exhausted. Her husband works nights and a lot of overtime. Maybe you can tell I'm really excited about having them overnight. The hard part will be getting them to go to sleep in strange surroundings. Also, the 5 yr. old consistently wakes up at 6 and I've been sleeping till 8. LOL. Will get me back into Monday-go-back-to-work mode. I'm so glad we got the water and mold problem resolved in the basement. Its ugly as sin down there but I can have people over again. I'm feeling really optimistic about the new year. I'm very confident my husband will get some kind of work. Lots of security guard work available and they actually like guys his age with a good work history. Waitin' on his official PI certificate (that's what security guards need in IL) to arrive, but he's been filling out all kinds of applications on line and sending resumes. Roseland Christian School should finish out the school year OK which means I'll have a salary till next Sept. no matter what. If DH is employed and I get unemployment I'll have time next summer to work on employment and going back to school. Possibly rearrange my life completely. Or not. I'm doing the footwork but the results are in God's hands. So, another humongous post. Probably the last one for awhile as I'll be going back to work Monday. And trying to set up a course this semester that will apply towards my Masters in Sp. Ed. That will keep me busy, also. Less time to eat. God is good all the time, All the time, God is good.

I'm so sorry for those of you who've experienced or whose loved ones have experienced loss this Christmas time. Depression. I too have a happy light I sit under at night while I combine watching TV with Facebook, Lapbandtalk, and occasionally writing in my blog. I also take mega doses of Vitamin D. Both have helped me considerably. Losing weight and getting back in shape might not have happened without them and now the weight loss and physical health are making me feel great. I have always been at my highest level of energy in the morning and days when there's sunlight I get a lot accomplished. Days when there's not I can really drag at home. Fortunately, my classroom is well lit with florescents and has huge windows on the south side. It also has locked iron gates over them because they're at ground level in a very bad neighborhood, but I don't notice them anymore. I'm going to buy vines and twine them through and add flowers. Now that my cold is just remnants I've been continuing work on closets and sorting jewelry and cleaning. Won't get as much done this vacation as I would if I'd been healthy but, oh well. Despite movie popcorn and starbucks mocha yesterday I was down a pound today. Probably the exercise I got yesterday and the fact that in addition I only had a protein shake and a little turkey and some milk in my coffee yesterday. So just one more holiday lb to go. I can't believe how well I weathered this holiday. Thank you God, thank you band. Today I totally forgot about eating. I kept drinking coffee with milk and my DH had mixed some choc.raspberry flavored real cofee in with my decaf. I didn't realize I hadn't eated till 4 p.m. So I stewed all my turkey meat from Sunday and added peas and canned gravy. Yummm! I spent hours on the phone today talking to each of my brothers and sisters. (I'm the oldest of five.) My DH found my headset so I was able to walk while I talked and eventually started cleaning. So now I've got the Wii to keep me busy at night and I'm making a NY resolution to call my DBs and DSis's more in the evenings. My one DB lives in CA (Redlands, Janet) and the other in Grand Rapids MI. I have a sister in Kingsport TN and another who lives 40 minutes from me but who's 15 yrs younger than me and has a very busy family. One of her daughters (6th grade) has been having increased epileptic seizures and she's been very busy Dr.ing with her and being available to get her from school. My sister would love it if I could come and work with her as the seizure disorder is accompanied by learning disabilities and she's really struggling in school now. My daughter also wants me to attend my DGS's IEP mtg so she has someone knowledgeable on her side when she insists on official accommodations for him. If I'm not working next year I'd be able to work with both of them, my DN and my DGS. My husband was so happy to have 6 drawers in our bedroom and half a closet in the den next door. Getting rid of the rubbermaid dresser in the other sitting room which only has half a closet so he was hanging things on the back of the door will make that room so much roomier. Once we get the basement fixed up again either the little den or the little sitting room will become a guest bedroom and the furniture will go downstairs. I'll be able to entertain and have grandchildren stay overnight. My parents will probably be selling their house and going into a retirement village so my relatives will need a place to come and maybe I'll actually have a place everyone can gather. Although I am going to have my two grandsons stay overnight tomorrow night. I have a blow-up bed I'll put in the living room for one DGS and put the other one on the couch. I'm leaving up my Christmas stuff so they can see it and fall asleep looking at the lights on the Christmas tree. I loved doing that when I was little. We'll take down the Christmas decorations on Sunday. I think we're down to 4 or 5 bins. It was sunny today though cold outside so I got a lot done while the house was lit up. My husband cleaned the basement floor which is now down to the concrete so my grandsons can play down there. I have a corner table with benches and chairs (70's orange naugahyde era) and my 5yr old DGS and I will build a lincoln log town on it. My daughter's bringing some riding toys with so they can ride them in the basement. The 2 yr old will love that. We've got the Wii to teach my 5yr old--he'll love the boxing, and we have Candyland and my DH's diecast model cars which they know they have to be very careful playing with and they are. My daughter will bring along a few other favorites. She needs the break. The boys are extremely ranbunctious for the 4-5 hours before bedtime with the 2 yr old refusing to leave the autistic 5 yr old alone. He's a little bulldozer and finally the five yr old gets mad and shoves him or throws something at him. The 2 yr old always has a new contusion on his face every time I see him. My DD is exhausted. Her husband works nights and a lot of overtime. Maybe you can tell I'm really excited about having them over. The hard part will be getting them to go to sleep in strange surroundings. Also, the 5 yr. old consistently wakes up at 6 and I've been sleeping till 8. LOL. Will get me back into Monday-go-back-to-work mode. I'm so glad we got the water and mold problem resolved in the basement. Its ugly as sin down there but I can have people over again. I'm feeling really optimistic about the new year. I'm very confident my husband will get some kind of work. Lots of security guard work available and they actually like guys his age with a good work history. Waitin' on his official PI certificate (that's what security guards need in IL) to arrive but he's been filling out all kinds of applications on line and sending resumes. Roseland Christian School should finish out the year OK which means I'll have a salary till next Sept no matter what. If DH is employed and I get unemployment I'll have time next summer to work on employment and going back to school. Possibly rearrange my life completely. Or not. I'm doing the footwork but the results are in God's hands. So, another humongous post. Probably the last one as I'll be going back to work Monday. Love you all, Cheri

Saw Avatar. Phenomenal. Probably only see 2 movies a year at the theater. Glad we picked this one. 3-D was incredible. Laura, great pics. Jewel, great attitude. Enjoying Wild Hogs right now on TV. Middle-age guys on a road trip with their Harleys. Great way to spend New Years Eve. Did eat popcorn. And had a Starbucks Mocha at Barnes and Nobles. Last fling. I think normal people do this. Eat treats on holidays and then get back on track. Sounds like a plan. No guilt. Guilt leads to overeating. Cheri

Only 2 holiday lbs to take off. Had some sliders yesterday for my Birthday but back on bandwagon today. Also, finally got out and exercised. Didn't go full out as its been over a week since my cold and holiday activities let me exercise. I think we're going to go see Avatar since you need to see it in a movie theatre. All the other movies we can wait til they're on DVD or pay per view. Tomorrow or Saturday I'm going to have my two grandsons over all afternoon and overnight. They're a handful but it'll give my daughter a real break and a night alone with her husband. He's a cop who works night shift--he's on the gang unit--and he works a lot of overtime. The boys are total terrors in the evening till she can get them down for the night. They're always very good for me when I'm over there because it gives them someone else to focus on. I imagine being here with me and my husband will also be so unusual they'll behave quite well. I do love them both to pieces. Happy New Year, everyone. I see this past year and this next year as years of big changes around here. But I believe God works everything for good for those who love him, so, though I sometimes dread change, its all in His hands. The good change was the lap band and the weight I lost. The worst thing was living with a destroyed and moldy basement. Only God knows what the New Year will bring so it doesn't pay to project. I'm doing my best to do the footwork to prepare for worst case scenarios, so I'll hope and pray for the best but be prepared for the worst. Just having a plan makes me hopeful. Health, serenity, and God's grace be with you all for the New Year. Much love, Cheri

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 Birthdays, Colds, Getting Slimed, Maintenance and Post-Holiday Food Plans Been fighting a bad cold while attending and hosting Christmas parties. Nyquil has been my friend. I'm going to try to sleep tonight with out it. I may have to form a support group for those getting off the stuff. I think I'll call it Nyquit. People keep saying their bands get tighter when they're sick. I believe that, but I don't think its the band getting tighter, its the band filling with phlegm. There's no room for food, and when you pb (puke back) it really triggers the drainage. Gives new meaning to the phrase "getting slimed." Also, your tissue swells. Your nose, your sinuses, your throat--probably your esophagus and stomach too. I've been doing most of my writing these past few days on lapbandtalk not on my blog which I reprint here. I post mostly on the I'm here to help thread under Mentors. I've been digging into some of the relative issues that I can't talk about here. Writing is amazingly cathartic. And I know the people on lapbandtalk really read my posts and comment on them and appreciate them. We can let our hair down about almost anything--from passing kidney stones to how we like our veggies cooked (Most of us prefer softer-not crisp). And there are so many things that can drive us into the food. So many saboteurs to our serenity. One woman hasn't posted for some time and regained 40 lbs. She actually had too tight a band. She couldn't eat the healthy foods like meat and vegetables, so was eating all the sliders--the things with high carb and fat content that slide right through the band. So she had some of her fill removed and she's back on the bandwagon, posting and changing her food plan. I'm approaching maintenance and will have to walk that thin line between having enough restriction but not so much that all I can eat is sliders. I really love meat, though, so I don't think I could stand not being able to eat that. Now that the holidays and my birthday are over, I can get back on track with the food. I've given myself leeway to eat a lot of things not on my protocol over the holidays and my birthday, which was today. I've gained and lost the same 2-3 lbs and not more, which is surprising because I couldn't exercise this last week due to a heavy head cold. Did I say it was my birthday today? (I got my excercise today at Kohl's spending gift card money. I have to replace almost my entire wardrobe.) Had to have some sliders for my birthday today, but no parties planned for NYE so far so I'm pretty safe. Also, not any $ left for going out for eats and treats. Not much left in the house either except meat and veggies. Don't do potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, or pastries unless I'm eating out or at parties, and even then I'm very cautious cause they can make me pb. My downfall is choc or cr. chz. frosting, chocolate candy, ice cream, choc. malts, and chocolate or chocolate/caramelly cookies, fudge etc. Those are definitely sliders I could live on. So I don't keep them in the house. No more parties, so shouldn't be encountering them much except sometimes at school if someone brings a treat. Then I have a small piece so I won't feel deprived.The band definitely limits my portions on meat and veggies although I can manage to eat quite a bit of them at night. I do drink a lot of decaf coffee throughout the day but they're about a third 1 % milk so I get at least 2 or 3 cups of milk a day. Drink it with Splenda. Sometimes I mix in a pkg of Diet Hot Chocolate for a treat.As I'm moving to maintenance I'm planning to try to eat more fruit, maybe have some plain Kiefer (like yoghurt only better for you) with some concentrated fruit juice like pomegranite and/or some berries in it with Splenda sprinkled in for breakfast instead of my protein shake on some mornings. I also like the no sugar added little cups of applesauce for an afternoon snack at school. Or I might start taking a bag of Clementines to work and eating one of those in the afternoon. Trouble is, the kids love those and are always begging me to share with them.I do eat small amounts of lightly roasted and salted (shelled) sunflower seeds throughout the day. I often treat the students to a teaspoon of them at the end of each period if they've worked hard and haven't caused any problems. I tell them its brain food, and it actually is very good food for the brain. Keeps my brain going also. So, that's my basic food plan. I'm not a hot or cold cereal lover, and have never been a big sandwich eater, so I keep protein shakes and small peel-off tins of 3 oz tuna or chicken at school for lunch.Then mostly meat and some veggies for supper. This is the closest to a food plan that I get. I don't weigh or measure or count anything. With my ADHD that way lies insanity. This is very simple. I just keep the things I can eat in the house and at school, and keep the rest out of the house. I discourage my husband from taking home any fast food and he doesn't eat junk food around me anymore. If its in the house, its so well hidden I couldn't find it but I don't go looking either. We rarely eat out, except for Sunday breakfast after church sometimes, and then I stick to 1/3 of a feta and spinach omelette with a couple pieces of bacon and my husband eats the rest. I'm 6 lbs from goal and should reach that by the end of January. Then I want to lose 5 more as a cushion but I'm not setting a deadline for that. I'll let that merge into maintenance over a number of months. That's my plan, and with the help of God, the band and all you wonderful people, I'm sticking to it. I still haven't heard back from the school I want to go to--at least not from the Sp. Ed. Dept chair who would determine what courses I need to take. I'm surprised she hasn't checked her phone messages or e-mail. The Reading Specialist chair got right back to me. So I'm on hold right now for enrolling for this next semester. I'm going to try tomorrow again, but being New Year's Eve day, I doubt I'll have much success. Maybe I can find out when classes start and get ahold of someone who will set up an appointment with the person I need to contact. I hate having to do this once I'm back teaching. I have no time to spend during the day on phone calls and I can't get away to run to the school to enroll. In some ways I'd really like to go the self-employed route if my job ends at RCS. I could get set up to tutor home-schooled kids who are struggling. I could probably get jobs subbing at all kinds of schools. Not my favorite choice. I have a grandson and a niece who would benefit from my tutoring or helping their mothers home-school them. My neice has seizures that have given her learning disabilities and are making it difficult for her to attend school. My grandson has autism and the school system is resisting giving him an IEP and making accommodations for him. I really love the tutoring/teaching side of special education and, unfortunately, so many special ed teachers spend the majority of their time testing, filling out forms, sitting in meetings, and writing IEPs on kids. Then they advise the teacher how to meet the needs of the students in the regular classroom (which is seldom very effective). Yuck. But the credentials could get me consulting jobs or jobs presenting and training teachers in various materials, methods and techniques. That, I think, I could do and would enjoy. School starts Monday and it seems so close already. I didn't get to do all I wanted to get done this Christmas but I cleaned out a lot of clothes and drawers and plan to sort my jewelry into the jewelry chest my husband got me for my birthday. We also got a Wii for Christmas for each other and we have a gift card we'll use to purchase the Wii Activ. Now we'll have a way for us to exercise at night instead of watching the TV. It'll put more variety in my workout as well. My husband is also very actively looking for a job in the security guard field and there are lots of openings. That relieves a lot of my anxiety about losing my own job next fall. Slowly things fall into place. God has a plan and, in the long run, that plan is not to harm but to prosper us. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 Birthdays, Colds, Getting Slimed, Maintenance and Post-Holiday Food Plans Been fighting a bad cold while attending and hosting Christmas parties. Nyquil has been my friend. I'm going to try to sleep tonight with out it. I may have to form a support group for those getting off the stuff. I think I'll call it Nyquit. People keep saying their bands get tighter when they're sick. I believe that, but I don't think its the band getting tighter, its the band filling with phlegm. There's no room for food, and when you pb (puke back) it really triggers the drainage. Gives new meaning to the phrase "getting slimed." Also, your tissue swells. Your nose, your sinuses, your throat--probably your esophagus and stomach too. I've been doing most of my writing these past few days on lapbandtalk not on my blog which I reprint here. I post mostly on the I'm here to help thread under Mentors. I've been digging into some of the relative issues that I can't talk about here. Writing is amazingly cathartic. And I know the people on lapbandtalk really read my posts and comment on them and appreciate them. We can let our hair down about almost anything--from passing kidney stones to how we like our veggies cooked (Most of us prefer softer-not crisp). And there are so many things that can drive us into the food. So many saboteurs to our serenity. One woman hasn't posted for some time and regained 40 lbs. She actually had too tight a band. She couldn't eat the healthy foods like meat and vegetables, so was eating all the sliders--the things with high carb and fat content that slide right through the band. So she had some of her fill removed and she's back on the bandwagon, posting and changing her food plan. I'm approaching maintenance and will have to walk that thin line between having enough restriction but not so much that all I can eat is sliders. I really love meat, though, so I don't think I could stand not being able to eat that. Now that the holidays and my birthday are over, I can get back on track with the food. I've given myself leeway to eat a lot of things not on my protocol over the holidays and my birthday, which was today. I've gained and lost the same 2-3 lbs and not more, which is surprising because I couldn't exercise this last week due to a heavy head cold. Did I say it was my birthday today? (I got my excercise today at Kohl's spending gift card money. I have to replace almost my entire wardrobe.) Had to have some sliders for my birthday today, but no parties planned for NYE so far so I'm pretty safe. Also, not any $ left for going out for eats and treats. Not much left in the house either except meat and veggies. Don't do potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, or pastries unless I'm eating out or at parties, and even then I'm very cautious cause they can make me pb. My downfall is choc or cr. chz. frosting, chocolate candy, ice cream, choc. malts, and chocolate or chocolate/caramelly cookies, fudge etc. Those are definitely sliders I could live on. So I don't keep them in the house. No more parties, so shouldn't be encountering them much except sometimes at school if someone brings a treat. Then I have a small piece so I won't feel deprived.The band definitely limits my portions on meat and veggies although I can manage to eat quite a bit of them at night. I do drink a lot of decaf coffee throughout the day but they're about a third 1 % milk so I get at least 2 or 3 cups of milk a day. Drink it with Splenda. Sometimes I mix in a pkg of Diet Hot Chocolate for a treat.As I'm moving to maintenance I'm planning to try to eat more fruit, maybe have some plain Kiefer (like yoghurt only better for you) with some concentrated fruit juice like pomegranite and/or some berries in it with Splenda sprinkled in for breakfast instead of my protein shake on some mornings. I also like the no sugar added little cups of applesauce for an afternoon snack at school. Or I might start taking a bag of Clementines to work and eating one of those in the afternoon. Trouble is, the kids love those and are always begging me to share with them.I do eat small amounts of lightly roasted and salted (shelled) sunflower seeds throughout the day. I often treat the students to a teaspoon of them at the end of each period if they've worked hard and haven't caused any problems. I tell them its brain food, and it actually is very good food for the brain. Keeps my brain going also. So, that's my basic food plan. I'm not a hot or cold cereal lover, and have never been a big sandwich eater, so I keep protein shakes and small peel-off tins of 3 oz tuna or chicken at school for lunch.Then mostly meat and some veggies for supper. This is the closest to a food plan that I get. I don't weigh or measure or count anything. With my ADHD that way lies insanity. This is very simple. I just keep the things I can eat in the house and at school, and keep the rest out of the house. I discourage my husband from taking home any fast food and he doesn't eat junk food around me anymore. If its in the house, its so well hidden I couldn't find it but I don't go looking either. We rarely eat out, except for Sunday breakfast after church sometimes, and then I stick to 1/3 of a feta and spinach omelette with a couple pieces of bacon and my husband eats the rest. I'm 6 lbs from goal and should reach that by the end of January. Then I want to lose 5 more as a cushion but I'm not setting a deadline for that. I'll let that merge into maintenance over a number of months. That's my plan, and with the help of God, the band and all you wonderful people, I'm sticking to it. I still haven't heard back from the school I want to go to--at least not from the Sp. Ed. Dept chair who would determine what courses I need to take. I'm surprised she hasn't checked her phone messages or e-mail. The Reading Specialist chair got right back to me. So I'm on hold right now for enrolling for this next semester. I'm going to try tomorrow again, but being New Year's Eve day, I doubt I'll have much success. Maybe I can find out when classes start and get ahold of someone who will set up an appointment with the person I need to contact. I hate having to do this once I'm back teaching. I have no time to spend during the day on phone calls and I can't get away to run to the school to enroll. In some ways I'd really like to go the self-employed route if my job ends at RCS. I could get set up to tutor home-schooled kids who are struggling. I could probably get jobs subbing at all kinds of schools. Not my favorite choice. I have a grandson and a niece who would benefit from my tutoring or helping their mothers home-school them. My neice has seizures that have given her learning disabilities and are making it difficult for her to attend school. My grandson has autism and the school system is resisting giving him an IEP and making accommodations for him. I really love the tutoring/teaching side of special education and, unfortunately, so many special ed teachers spend the majority of their time testing, filling out forms, sitting in meetings, and writing IEPs on kids. Then they advise the teacher how to meet the needs of the students in the regular classroom (which is seldom very effective). Yuck. But the credentials could get me consulting jobs or jobs presenting and training teachers in various materials, methods and techniques. That, I think, I could do and would enjoy. School starts Monday and it seems so close already. I didn't get to do all I wanted to get done this Christmas but I cleaned out a lot of clothes and drawers and plan to sort my jewelry into the jewelry chest my husband got me for my birthday. We also got a Wii for Christmas for each other and we have a gift card we'll use to purchase the Wii Activ. Now we'll have a way for us to exercise at night instead of watching the TV. It'll put more variety in my workout as well. My husband is also very actively looking for a job in the security guard field and there are lots of openings. That relieves a lot of my anxiety about losing my own job next fall. Slowly things fall into place. God has a plan and, in the long run, that plan is not to harm but to prosper us. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord

All I can say, Janet and Linda, is WOW!!! WTG!!!

Welcome back JB. I'm a little over 6 months since surgery and this is my main support group. Interesting about your band. I'm approaching maintenance and will have to walk that thin line between having enough restriction but not so much that all I can eat is sliders. I really love meat, though, so I don't think I could stand not being able to eat that. Had a great birthday, thanks for all your birthday wishes. Now I can get back on track with the food. Had to have some sliders for my birthday. No parties planned for NYE so far so I'm pretty safe. Also, not any $ for going out for eats and treats. Not much left in the house either except meat and veggies. Don't do potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, or pastries unless I'm eating out or at parties, and even then I'm very cautious cause they can make me pb. My downfall is choc or cr. chz. frosting, chocolate candy, ice cream, choc. malts, and chocolate or chocolate/caramelly cookies, fudge etc. Those are definitely sliders I could live on. So I don't keep them in the house. No more parties, so shouldn't be encountering them much except sometimes at school if someone brings a treat. Then I have a small piece so I won't feel deprived. The band definitely limits my portions on meat and veggies although I can manage to eat quite a bit of them at night. I do drink a lot of decaf coffee throughout the day but they're about a third 1 % milk so I get at least 2 cups of milk a day. Drink it with Splenda. Sometimes I mix in a pkg of Diet Hot Chocolate for a treat. As I'm moving to maintenance I'm planning to try to eat more fruit, maybe have some plain Kiefer (like yoghurt only better for you) with some concentrated fruit juice like pomegranite and/or some berries in it with Splenda sprinkled in for breakfast instead of my protein shake on some mornings. I also like the no sugar added little cups of applesauce for an afternoon snack at school. Or I might start taking a bag of Clementines to work and eating one of those in the afternoon. Trouble is, the kids love those and are always begging me to share with them. I do eat small amounts of lightly roasted and salted (shelled) sunflower seeds throughout the day. I often treat the students to a teaspoon of them at the end of each period if they've worked hard and haven't caused any problems. I tell them its brain food, and it actually is very good food for the brain. Keeps my brain going also. So, that's my basic food plan. I'm not a hot or cold cereal lover, and have never been a big sandwich eater, so I keep protein shakes and small peel-off tins of 3 oz tuna or chicken at school for lunch. Then mostly meat and some veggies for supper. This is the closest to a food plan that I get. I don't weigh or measure or count anything. With my ADHD that way lies insanity. This is very simple. I just keep the things I can eat in the house and at school, and keep the rest out of the house. I discourage my husband from taking home any fast food and he doesn't eat junk food around me anymore. If its in the house, its so well hidden I couldn't find it but I don't go looking either. We rarely eat out, except for Sunday breakfast after church sometimes, and then I stick to 1/3 of a feta and spinach omelette with a couple pieces of bacon and my husband eats the rest. I'm 6 lbs from goal and should reach that by the end of January. Then I want to lose 5 more as a cushion but I'm not setting a deadline for that. I'll let that merge into maintenance over a number of months. That's my plan, and with the help of God, the band and all you wonderful people, I'm sticking to it. Cheri

Apples, congratulations on a safe delivery. Gives new meaning to the term "this too shall pass." Linda, steamed veggies and stir-fried veggies are OK as long as they're not so crisp that they really should be called slightly warmed up raw. I hate when my fork won't even go into them. Green beans can be OK a little crisp but not much else. I guess I just don't like either the taste or the texture of raw veggies or crisp ones either. I once had Brussel Sprouts that were left very crisp at a fancy restaurant. Ate them because I paid a lot for them but I like those mushy and then I mash them, add something buttery tasting and add parmesan cheese. Yummm. Had some returns and gift returns and a $25 gift card for Kohl's so all the exercise I got today was cruising the racks and trying on clothes. Got $100 worth of merchandise, all of it quite reduced or on clearance racks. Happy Birthday Me! My brother is too sick to come out but my sis is having whoever can make it from around here come to her cottage in Cedar Lake where my daughter lives. Don't know if my son's will come now that there're no out-of-town relatives coming, but that's all right. We're all bringing holiday left-overs. I've got turkey and my sister's got ham so we're bringing buns. My mom's got desserts. So there's still going to be a party on my birthday. I'm happy. Got my temporary crown yesterday evening. A little achy. Hope it goes away so they'll know I don't need a root canal, too. But it had to be done because I had a cracked tooth and sensitivity to hot and cold and biting hard on that side. This is my first crown but I'm sure it won't be my last. I have many old, deep cavities. My husband is finding a plethora of job opportunities in the security field and is applying all over. He's also finding there are some help desk jobs out there, which is what he used to do so he's applying for those, too. Hopefully he'll be employed soon. Now that he's over his 3-week cold he actually seems excited about the prospect of working again. I know I ranted about him before but I do need to state that he is a very thoughtful, kind, considerate man whose generosity overcomes his common sense. He just doesn't handle money well because he's not a long-view thinker, he's more of an immediate gratification person and likes to play the big man with others even though it leaves us struggling. He's easy to live with at home but turns into someone else in public. That's where you either see the manic side of him or the depressed, curmudgeon side (talks too much and doesn't know how to give and take in conversation, or doesn't talk at all; dances, plays guitar, teases, tells jokes, or sulks, falls asleep, and won't look at people.) So I don't press him to go anywhere with me. But a lot of times he feels its his duty so I'm always a little apprehensive wondering which Ken will show up. I think the stability of having a job again will be good for him. He needs the structure to his days that that provides. He needs the contact with people and is very good at customer service (where he never has to see the people again) but doesn't always do well with bosses and co-workers. As long as they leave him alone to do his job he does just fine. Newbies, as you can see we talk about everything on this thread. Sometimes its easier to be open with people you don't know and can't see than it is with those you know. Plus writing about stuff is catharctic. Cheri