ElfiePoo

Morning everyone! So I've been busy baking up a storm for the last couple of days. I was feeling a bit depressed since this is a part of my traditional holiday season. Plus, I kind of felt bad because I'll usually take down several large cookie trays to the homeless shelter and I think after 10 years they kind of 'expect' it. Yes, Sunday evening I did eat 6 cookies (one from each of the 6 different types) and boy I will never do that again. I went to bed at 9 p.m. that night and woke up 2 hours later with a vicious "please kill me now" headache that I knew Excedrin wasn't going to touch. So I took a Vicodan and slept for 5 hours and when I woke up, it was just a dull throb at the back of my head. Oh yeah...I forgot how toxic carbs were for me. I went right back on Atkins induction on Monday and felt great by Tuesday morning. I've still been baking up a storm and putting cookies in the freezer, but I am not the least bit tempted to eat even one. The memory of that headache is way too recent. And to think...I could've paid a shrink thousands of dollars for aversion therapy but I did it for free. Have a good one! Melody

Hunger is a sign that you need a fill. The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which in turn suppress the ghrelin (hunger hormone produced by the stomach). If you're hungry, a slight fill may be in order. .

I'm the opposite. I have no immediate reaction after a fill, but almost 2 weeks later to the day *BAM*...sudden difference. I'm about 5-6 weeks from my last fill and have noticed this morning that, despite having a good Breakfast no one hour ago, I'm physically hungry. I'm guessing it's because I've lost about 10 pounds during this time and the band may be loosening. Since my doc only does fills on Tuesday, guess I get to wait a week to get a slight fill. Based on others' posts, I think the sweet spot is a temporary thing while we're losing and becomes longer term when we hit maintenance. .

Just 'food' for thought since your band is already giving enough restriction that you're getting stuck on some things. Are you eating because you're truly stomach growling hungry...or eating because you have no physical restriction to limit how much you can eat? I ask because way too many people end up overfilled because they're looking for the physical restriction...which doesn't happen for everyone without being overfilled (as evidenced by regular 'stuck' episodes)...and some of us never had it even when we were overfilled. What we should be looking for is a cessation of that constant 'hungry' feeling. .

Jessica, I make 'low carb' buns. this recipe makes 6 half buns. So you put 2 together for a real hamburger on a bun. I was in heaven when I discovered these although I do limit them to just one 'whole' (two of the rounds) bun per day. Here's the recipe: 6 lg eggs dash salt 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 6 oz cream cheese scant tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder Separate the eggs while still cold (yolk is more stable). Let them come to room temperature. I let the cream cheese sit out during this time as well. Using the whip attachment, I whipped the eggs with the salt for about 1 minute, then added cream of tartar and whipped for 4 more minutes (soft peaks). You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out. In a separate bowl with the flat paddle, I beat the egg yolks, cream cheese, baking powder, and seasonings. It will still have little flecks of cheese throughout. Then I slowly folded the whites into the yolk mixture until most of the whites were incorporated. It wasn't perfectly mixed in but that's not possible without breaking down the whites. Preheat the oven to 300 deg oven and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place a large scoop of the mix onto the parchment paper and do this 12 times. Then place another dollop of mix right on top of the previous ones and sort of shape them into a circle. Don't flatten them too much. Bake for about 35-45 minutes (switching the pans so they'd cook evenly after about 25 minutes -- didn't want them to fall). You can also use english muffin molds or a muffin top pan to make them a little more consistent. I let them cool on the pans though just in case the centers needed that residual heat to finish cooking.

How are you doing, Jazz? Are you having to deal with hunger...or are you finding that even with no fill, the band is working. I used to say that until you had your fills, the band was just a piece of plastic (based on how they talked about how the band worked both here and in my seminar) that didn't do anything. Then I discovered that the reason some people don't need a fill is because the band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which in turn shuts off the ghrelin (hunger hormone produced by the stomach) ...and they just happen to be one of the lucky ones who get that pressure with just the band. The rest of us need everything from a slight fill to almost maxing out the band...and some never get enough pressure at all. .

Sounds like you need a fill. .

Now that I'm no longer overfilled *and* have learned to take small bites and chew more than twice before swallowing, I rarely get stuck. If I do, it's always with Breakfast because my band is a bit tighter in the mornings. I just take a very small sip of hot tea and then wait. In the past, when I'd get stuck on chicken or fish, I'd take a huge gulp of Water and as soon as it went down, it came right back up with the offending 'plug'. I never tried the papaya enzyme tablets because I often wondered what long term use would do to my esophagus and stomach since they break up the stuck Protein so well. .

My doctor just said to use common sense. If I can eat, then go ahead. If I have problems, then back off to softer foods for a day or so.

Well call me the voice of dissent but if you're hungry and the doctor is refusing to give you a fill because you're doing 'just fine on your own'...then he's an idiot. It's a bit like selling you a car but then refusing to give you the keys. My .02...print off the band literature from the web that lists the reasons for getting a fill. One of them is 'hunger'...and then call his office and tell them you need a fill...now. If you aren't hungry, then his advice is on target. Even with an overfill, there is no guarantee the band will stop you from eating the same way you did pre-band. It didn't for me. While the band *may* physically restrict for some people, it's main purpose is to stop your stomach from producing ghrelin which causes hunger. So don't look for physical restriction. Look for a cessation of hunger. .

There's nothing wrong with a hamburger if you leave off the bun. I had a Wendy's single cheeseburger for lunch while out shopping yesterday. Just the burger with lettuce and tomato. It's a great low carb meal. .

It could be gas or it could be phrenic nerve pain. Easy fix if it's gas. Get up and move around. If it's the nerve pain, you just hope that it goes away as you lose weight. Mine hasn't. .

Yes, but not just because the band is tight...it's because you're most likely resorting to slider foods (high calorie foods that go down easy). .

So from 4 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. you're hungry. Don't you eat dinner in there somewhere? I generally eat at the same time every day 7 a.m., noon, 5 p.m. and I'll have a big mug of chicken broth with 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce in the midafternoon and evening. If I get up 2 hours later, then that first meal is my Breakfast and I still plan my other meals in relation to that - so breakfast at 9 a..m., lunch at 2 and dinner at 6:30 or 7. I never skip meals. I also eat a diet that is relatively high in fat compared to others...about 60% of my calories come from fat and 30% from Protein. Carbs are under 20 and I eat roughly 1200-1500 calories per day. The higher fat *and* low carb keeps me from craving....even head hunger. Several weeks ago, eating like this, I was *starving*. I went in for a fill and almost immediate relief from that gnawing hunger. Perhaps you need a fill? Before you decide, I'd make sure you're at least eating frequently enough. Going from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. without eating and expecting not to be hungry isn't reasonable. .

I'm assuming you meant you'd 'like to' tell them, not that you actually do? At least I hope so. For many people, WLS is not even a possibility. It's hard to save money for WLS when you barely make enough to feed your family, put a roof over their head and clothing on their back. Also, and I'm sure this isn't a popular view...but WLS is not for everyone. Too many people go into it thinking it's the 'magic pill' and once they have it, all their weight will mysteriously start dropping off. Heck, you can see that right here in this forum...people 1-3 weeks postop starting threads about how upset they are and wishing they never got this surgery because they haven't lost anything. WLS only works if we're willing to work...and many of those obese people you see riding carts in the grocery store or heading up to the all you can eat buffet in a restaurant don't want to give up their food. Sure, they want to be thin and not be in pain or on all those meds...but not if it means giving up their third helping or all the junk food. .

Between 1200-1500, low carb. .

Stacey, Why no NSAIDS with the band? Melody

Denise, ROFLMAO...now to go clean off my computer monitor. .

Doctor's are not trained in nutrition and most nutritionists follow the "same old, same old" that's been taught for decades. IMHO, this is our body and we know from experience what has worked and hasn't worked...and for my 'stalkers' who love to follow me around...just because we don't *DO*, doesn't mean we don't *KNOW*. I do think that when most doctors and nutritionists say 'no snacking', as Cocoabean said, they're referring to mindless eating. There's a vast difference between having a snack of a piece of cheese or hard boiled egg, even some vegie sticks or fruit, than there is of the typical snack of cheetos, ice cream or Cookies. As a general rule these days, my 'snack' has been a hot cup of chicken broth with 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seed oil but if I'm having a rough day with the blood sugar, my mid-meal snack is a hard boiled egg or some cheese. Again, when your doctor said 'no carb', I'm thinking he didn't mean vegies but was referring to the Pasta, bread, rice and potatoes type of carbs (starch vegies would fall into this category too - peas, corn, etc.). If you aim for 30-45 carbs a day, that's plenty to get your vegies . .

If I let my band tell me when I've had enough, I'd be right back up at 330 lb. I weigh and measure everything and I record everything I stick in my mouth...including gum or breath mints. I tried winging it but found that my weight loss is critically tied to how many grams of Protein and carbs I eat, as well as calories. I also eat on schedule. I wake up automatically at the same time every day and my body seems to now be used to eating at set times. I find that about an hour before meals, it's telling me it's time to eat but in a way that gives me that hour to prepare (versus the ravenous hunger that demands to be fed *now*). .

Dump the nuts and Protein bars. Those calories and carbs can pack enough of a wallop to stall the weight loss. .

I don't know...I read a lot of posts where people are constantly getting stuck and having to 'urp' the stuck item up and out so I'm thinking it may be 'normal'...but it's certainly not adviseable. For about 4 months this past year I was doing the same thing...getting stuck at least once every time I ate. I didn't lose weight because I resorted to slider foods. I finally realized this couldn't be good for my band or stomach and spoke to the surgeon who said if I was getting stuck and having to throw up the stuck item, then it was either because I wasn't taking small enough bites, not chewing well, not eating more slowly...or had too much of a fill. He was going to take out only 1 cc but I had him take out almost 3 (down to 6cc) so I could get immediately relief from the stuck problem. Over the next 3 months getting filled back up to 8cc and then having all the Fluid removed (long story, not important here), I realized that my problem was that I was looking for the band to control how much I ate...literally...and it's never going to do that. What I also realized was that when my band was completely unfilled, I was stomach growling *ravenous*, but with 6cc, I'm never hungry except for about an hour before my scheduled meal...and it's a normal hunger. I'm guessing there are a lot of lap band people (based on the number that deal with stuck issues at almost every meal) looking for that physical restriction and who end up overfilled when they should be looking for a cessation of hunger (except the normal type we feel when it's almost time for our next meal). Anyway...my .02 and YMMV. .

Leigha, You're a repo lady? Wow...I'll bet you have some stories to tell. Our neighbor is apparently living *way* above his income because they came out not too long ago and repo'd his jeep, his truck and his wife's SUV. I'm still waiting for them to come back for the 5th wheel trailer he has sitting outside his garage and not envying the person that does it. This man was so incredibly abusive that they had to leave and come back with the cops. Melody

Restriction varies with the individual. Some people are looking for actual physical restriction so that the band controls the volume they can eat at one sitting. Some people get that. Most don't without constant 'stuck' episodes. What you should be looking for is your hunger to go away after you eat and not be hungry for about 4 hours after a meal. The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which keep the stomach from producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. For some people (a rare few), the band alone does this. For most of us, we need fills. Some just a little and others will almost max out their band.

So I got up this morning and the scale is down another pound. I know...I know...I probably shouldn't have changed my ticker since it's possible it will go back up by Monday but what can I say...I just like seeing those lower numbers for a change. I was looking at my weight graph in Fitday.com and it looks like I've lost about 11 pounds this last month. I didn't realize it was that much! Anyway, I'm getting my head ready for another slow down since I know this is too good to last, but still. What is amazing to me is that, looking back over my fitday record, the only change in the last 30 days has been my daily protein grams. I went from about 120+ to around 70 (for the most part)...and suddenly started losing after months of just yoyoing. Haven't eaten yet so off to breakfast. Have a good one y'all! Melody