badmadmama

I am hoping to get rid of mine, but I am not optimistic. My dad had AWFUL sleep apnea, and he was always skinny - six feet, four inches and 180 pounds. And I was doing the snoring-snorting stuff when I was under 150 pounds, in college. I really want it gone!!!

I called my pharmacist, and they told me what pills could be smashed up, what capsules could be emptied, and what had to be taken whole. It helped a lot!

Chocolate I can understand, but - applesauce? I would screw my diet for applesauce? I don't think so!!!!! LOL

The chicken enchiladas are easy. Cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot, and add mushroom soup (no milk or water) and a teaspoon of cumin at the end. Roll the chicken up with a little fat-free cheese in each tortilla, and put them side-by-side in a baking dish with enchilada sauce poured over them and some more cheese. Bake for half hour or so. I LOVE these.

Hi Valerie, things are pretty good. I had pain for two-three weeks, but I think it's because I went back to work too soon. I still seem to have a lot of gas, though. Right now I am eating anything that I want, but in smaller amounts. For example, I eat half a cheeseburger at lunch, instead of a whole one, and don't eat anything else with it. I stopped losing weight a week or so ago, but a lot of my clothes are huge. I need to really start exercising - I've only been walking. I go for my first fill in two weeks.... how are you doing? Eileen

Okay, so it's just not me who craves Mexican food. I make Mexican food with 90% fat free beef, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, nonfat cheddar cheese, nonfat refried beans and nonfat sour cream. I make tacos, chicken enchiladas, nachos, fajitas - it's all good!

Chrissie, I'm at a standstill right now, as well. My first fill is on 9/21/06, so I don't look at it as a failure. I am not weighing myself until then - why beat myself up?. What I am doing is continuing to observe the habits that are required with restriction - no eating between meals, and no drinking with meals. I consider continuing to do that a "success", even though I am not losing weight right now. Last night, our neighborhood had a block party, with all this wonderful food set out. I ate before I went, and I was so proud that the only thing that I ate was ONE warm chocolate-chip cookie (and boy, was it good)! Usually, I would have had a taste of everything, and eaten the cookies until they were gone...

I have not been eating between meals, but tonight I decided that I wanted something else to eat about two hours after dinner. Was I ever sorry - huge pressure and pain in my chest! Will not be doing that again...

I lost ten pounds before the banding just eating three meals a day, with no snacks in between. I really didn't realiize how much I was eating when I grazed all day. My surgeon said that I would never lose weight with the band if I ate between meals, so that was enough to get me to stop.

I was banded August 10, and have been on normal food for the last two weeks or so (I've stuck with things like fish, that are easy to digest). Last week, we had relatives in town, and we went out to dinner on Thursday and had a barbeque on Saturday. I knew that I ate a little too much on Thursday, and I nibbled a bit on Saturday. Ever since, I have not been hungry AT ALL. No interest in food. I feel like the food that I ate last week is still sitting somewhere in my digestive system. Maybe it's mental, because I don't like the fact that I ate too much. I have also been at a standstill, and I get my first fill on September 21. I have bought some clothes that are two sizes too small, and that's my next goal. I didn't want to buy one size down, and have to replace them a month or so later! There are also no summer clothes in the stores right now, and iit's too hot now to wear anything I bought. So I am rolling up the waist of my pants...

Go online and look at plastic surgery photos before doing anything. This is the site that I looked at: http://www.makemeheal.com/pictures/viewAlbum.php?albumid=270 It looks like the only bad tummy tucks were on people who didn't seem to need them in the first place. But I saw some really bad breast reduction/ lift photos, some that didn't heal well at all. I always thought that I would get one, but the photos turned me off....

I, too, have uncontrollable food issues. I cannot have a birthday cake in the house. If it's there, I'm going to eat it, and there is NO restriction when that frosting melts in your mouth! I also have a problem with guacamole and chips (which seem to go down just fine). It's very hard to gauge how much you are eating when there is something like that on the table. So I've decided not to beat myself up for these special occasions (my daughter's birthday, and we had a cookout). Today I just feel gross and bloated, so I'm just eating some fruit and yogurt. So are you upset because of the calories in the bagel, or because you are afraid that you might have damaged something? I went to solid foods really fast after my surgery - within two weeks, and pretty much felt fine. I was just really careful to eat really tiny bites, and keep my portions miniscule. For example, I got one of my favorite cheeseburgers, and I ended up eating half for lunch and half for dinner (I would have eaten two before). I got a shake with it, but after I had about half of it, I gave it to my daughter. Didn't touch the fries, the fried cheese or the fried mushrooms. I wouldn't beat myself up for one bagel, but I would look at the food equivalency charts and see what you could eat for the same (or fewer) calories than that bagel. I just read that bagels are twice the size than they used to be, so they have more calories than a donut! I was amazed that the muffins at work have over 400 calories, and the Peanut Butter Cookies that I used to eat two at a time are just as bad. I used to have the 700-calorie cheese panini for lunch, and want a cookie and milk with it! I just looked at the menu for the Corner Bakery, where I eat lunch a lot, and found out that the cheese tortellini only had 500 calories, and the salads all have 700-800 calories. So I am being a lot more careful about choosing what to eat, but I am still going to eat that damned birthday cake when it's someone's birthday - I just refuse to have it in my HOUSE. Eileen

I was banded on August 1, and am just now getting hungry. My first fill is on September 21. Part of me tells myself to enjoy being able to eat right now, and the other part is scared of gaining weight back. I am able to eat small bites of most things without restriction now, and I am still eating a LOT less than I used to - taking home most of my restaurant food, and not eating between meals. But I still feel guilty, because I am no longer subsisting on three cups of soup a day and a popsicle....

Okay, I am more of a moron than I even thought possible. I can't figure out how to get the ticker into my posts on a regular basis. I can't find the August band crew on a consistent basis, and I can't find the list of members. And there is something else that I am dumb about, but I've already forgotten what it was! Someone PLEASE take pity on me, and send me LapBandTalk for Dummies!!! And now I can't even find the little red-faced loser icon. WAAAAHHH!!! Eileen

My goals are more sizes than weight loss. I have shrunk out of my 3X and most of my 22-24. The 18-20s are looser, but my no means too small - I have found a couple of nice 16s on sale that are my next goal to fit into. As soon as I fit into the 16s, I will buy something in a 14, and that will be my next goal. I have even bought smaller underpants to shrink into! We are going on a cruise at Christmastime, and I am a little worried that all of my summer clothes will be huge (what a nice dilemna), but I figure that I can always find something on Ebay... Eileen

I am such a loser. I can't figure out how to get that border thing into my posts and keep it there! Help!!!!

I don't know what happened, but I stopped getting messages, and had to hunt around for you guys again! My surgery was August 10. I lost 20 pounds prior to surgery, and have lost another 19, so I am almost down 40 pounds. I am eating normal food now, and will have my first fill on the 21st. My hunger returned last week, so I can't wait until that fill. I had one episode of overeating (Benihana, and I didn't touch the rice and barely touched my entree) but I managed to keep it down. I notice that when I eat normally, I have a four-pound overnight weight gain, that goes away within the next day or so. Who knows what is going on inside. :confused:Anyway, this weekend was tough, because it was my daughter's birthday (therefore, Benihana) and we had a barbeque with food around all day. I didn't think that I ate that much, and last night all I had for dinner was half an ear of corn, a tiny sweet potato and some grilled veggies. Got on the scare this morning, was up four pounds - got on the scale this afternoon and I was up another two pounds! BUT, my clothes are getting too big! Of course, I had a lot of things that were too tight to begin with, and fit perfectly now, but some are just TOO BIG. Hooray! Eileen <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/3;10732;125;0;1/c/206/t/150/s/243/k/ddda/weight.png"></a>

Oh, who posted the list of bandsters? You can add that I'm in Chicago, and Dr. Myers did my surgery on August 10. Eileen

I am supposed to get my first fill on September 21, but I am not eating that much now. But I am thinking that there is still a lot of swelling now (banded August 10) that might not be around by the 21st. My understanding is that the pouch stays the same size, but the fill makes the opening between the little pouch and the rest of your stomach smaller, so the food stays in the little pouch longer and you stay full longer. So you might be having just liquids until the pouch gets used to the new restriction, but otherwise, it should be the same amount. Am I right?

Okay, how do I get that ticker into every post?

I had my surgery on August 10, and am just NOW comfortable with anything tight around my waist. I am eating regular food, but not a lot. Yesterday, I had yogurt with berries for breakfast, ordered a cheeseburger and a shake for lunch (ate half the cheeseburger, and gave half the shake to my daughter) and ate the other half of the cheeseburger for dinner. Today I had the same yogurt (Dannon light and fit, 60 calories, no fat), and it was so good, I had TWO of them (the white chocolate raspberry is the best, and I put raspberries and blueberries in them) for breakfast. Lunch was a piece of a chicken enchilada (so easy to make, no fat) and I am going to try steak fajitas for dinner (I love Mexican food). I am just eating so much less than I was - I will put a little bit on my plate, and think that I want seconds when I'm done, but if I just wait a minute, I realize that I don't. I don't know if my ticker works, but I'm down from 243 to 204 this morning! http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/3;10732;125;0;1/c/204/t/150/s/243/k/4185/weight.png

I was banded on August 10, and I am still a gas machine. I am so lucky that I have my own office! I thought it would get better when I started varying my diet more (not so much vegetable soup), but it is still ridiculous. Think of your worst gassy day, then multiply that by 24 x 7. I'm not drinking soda (which was the first thing that my doctor asked me) or chewing gum. Gas-X is not working, so I am going to try the Rolaids soft chews.

I've eaten fish, pasta and tonight I had beef stroganoff (more noodles than meat). Haven't tried any meat or salad yet....

I had my surgery a week and a half ago, and my port STILL hurts a lot. It's still swollen, and the fat hangs over my waistband, which irritates it. Bending over hurts, sitting up hurts - the only thing that doesn't hurt is lying down on an angle. So it's not just you!!! <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/3;10732;125;0;1/c/210/t/150/s/243/k/6e23/weight.png"></a>

I look at it this way. Eating a birthday cupcake, or even ribs, is not going to make a difference in the long run. Now, if I started buying them every week, and eating them every day - bad. But soda can stretch out that band FOREVER, so even if it is diet soda, it's bad. I used to drink it all day constantly, and I miss it, too. I feel that if I REALLY want some, I will pour it in a glass and let it sit in the fridge all night so it totally goes flat - I bet that only a sip will do it. I am a little panic-stricken when I think that I can never have a beer again, but I bet when the time comes that I am offered one, I will be able to deal with it. Anything that doesn't go down easily is going to hurt me, because if I throw up, I can easily dislodge the band (because of my hiatal hernia). So, for me, eating a cupcake, which dissolves, is better than having a slice of bread, or rice, if it's going to clump up. I used to LOVE hot french bread with butter, but can easily go without ever eating it again, if it's going to undermine this band. My husband is my inspiration, I guess. He had two life-threatening cases of acute pancreatitis, where he was not supposed to survive. It was from high triglycerides, so he is permanently on a very-low fat diet, where he can't drink. He recently developed diabetes, so now sugar is out, too. There is nothing that he would love more than fried chicken, a deep dish pizza or a big plate of ribs, but he likes being alive more. So he will cheat and have a cupcake or a couple of french fries once in a while, but most days, every day, he eats healthy, because he has to. I just made a little baked potato, and a little piece of salmon, and I realized halfway through that I really wasn't hungry like when I started, and I gave the rest of it to the dogs. It's so weird, when you are used to eating everything on your plate. I just ate what I would have eaten during one meal over four meals. But I still had (diet) butter and (nonfat) sour cream on that potato - no one is going to tell me that they are better without it!!! Eileen <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/3;10732;125;0;1/c/210/t/150/s/243/k/6e23/weight.png"></a>