ElfiePoo

LOL...I like this one although I'm not sure I could contain myself enough to be even that polite. .

I just don't understand how people can willingly put themselves under the knife without taking the time to research exactly what they're doing! If I read one more post from someone (not just the last one I responded to) who just had surgery 2-4 weeks ago and are complaining that their band doesn't work and they're regretting their decision and want the band out, my head is going to explode! {rant concluded} .

Of course you are. The band doesn't magically keep you from being hungry just because it's there. You need your fills to get your band to the point where it's working with you. No, 1200 is not a lot of calories. In fact it is what many studies say is ideal. That may not be true for you. Some people here say they gain above 800 calories. I can eat 1200 calories *but* it has to be very low carb. Some can eat 1200 calories and higher carb. You'll have to find what is true for you. All I will say to this is (a) medications change over time and can have some unintended effect as they age, ( taking someone else's medication is illegal. No judgments, just something to keep in mind. Of course it's working the way it should be, but it sounds as if you didn't research how the band works. In order for it to work, you must get your fills until you reach restriction. Some people start feeling restriction with one fill. Some need several. A lot depends on how aggressive your doctor will let you be with fills, how you handle those fills and how your particular body deals with the band/fills. In all honesty, if you wanted something that would let you lose weight right away, you should've gotten the sleeve or a bypass. It sounds to me like that is exactly what you need to hear. The only real advice anyone can give you is to 'just wait' and get your fills. Be patient and 'it will get better'. I've had my own struggles with my band and it has taken me a year to get it to the point where I know how to work it *and* it's working for me. I could've given up anywhere along the way...as so many here could have but didn't. I say this in all kindness, if you intend to be successful with the band, I'd suggest dumping the self-pity and researching what you need to do to make this successful since you've already come this far and just do it. At 4 weeks postop you should be ready for your first fill. Take the next step. .

Ok, so I said I wasn't going to change my ticker except on Mondays...and this weight may go back up...but check out the ticker! 221...woohoo!

I was back at work the next day...for a few hours and then went home. The next day was better. Normally I spend half the day packing boxes that weigh anywhere from 10-25 pounds and while I filled the boxes, someone else moved them for me due to my lifting limit. I'd say it's a moderately physical job. The other half of the day is spent at my desk. Personally, I think the moving around helped me heal faster but I was in total control (it's my business) of how much I did and how fast I moved. Some jobs may not be so accommodating. .

Belinda, It's my understanding that this left shoulder pain is phrenic nerve pain and is caused by some part of the band brushing on the diaphragm. I've had it constantly since the day of surgery but it's gotten worse this past week or so to the point where I can't find a comfortable position without pain. I have an appointment on Tuesday to discuss the problem with my surgeon. .

I honestly don't know...and I'm not sure I'd want the sleeve. I'm working this band extra hard right now, hoping that dropping another 20 pounds will make it go away...although I hear from some people at maintenance that they still have the pain. :rolleyes2: Melody .

If I change my diet suddenly from very low carb to eating something high carb, I get diarrhea...but that also happens in reverse. I don't know if this would technically be the same as the dumping syndrome that bypass patients have though. I always just thought it was my system smacking me for changing something too rapidly. .

Ok...now have an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday about this arm pain. Hopefully we can find a solution because pain patches don't work at all and aspirin is not working either. I ended up taking NyQuil last night because it knocks me out so I did get about a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep before the pain was able to make its way through the NyQuil drugged sleep.:rolleyes2: .

Congratulations...and 30 lbs is not slow! That's 10 pounds a month. Way to go! .

We hardly ever eat out anymore because I never know how my band is going to behave...even with foods that previously had given me no trouble. When I'm out with others, I just order what I know I can eat and I don't bother with explanations. I mean, think about it...if a skinny person orders a salad with grilled chicken, hold the croutons and refused the bread, nobody would ask why they didn't get the croutons or bread. Ok, polite people wouldn't ask even if they might wonder in their heads. Yet if an obese person passes on dessert, croutons, bread, etc., people think they have the right to an explanation. Uh...don't think so. If someone is rude enough to ask, "why aren't you eating bread", I usually respond with, "Why didn't you order an appetizer?" (or something similar). Their response would most likely because they didn't want it. Well, duh. Sorry for the rant. .

Yep, Atkins talks about carbohydrate intolerance. Many obese people have it. Sugar, by the way, is carb. Everyone has their own tolerance limit. If I want to have any weight loss at all, I have to stay under 30 carbs. If I want to just *not gain*, I have to stay under 45gm. For serious weight loss I have to drop it under 20. Everybody is different. I am an insulin resistant diabetic and found that carbs aren't the only thing that stall my weight loss. So does *excess* Protein which can cause the same effect as carbs. .

So, not such a good day yesterday...sort of. My husband put the coffee beans in the pot the night before, so when I got up I poured myself a cup of coffee with a bit of half and half. Normally I'll eat breakfast an hour later but (yeah, go ahead and smack me), I didn't. Finally around noon, my body started reminding me I needed to eat. I fixed my lunch, ate and within 30 minutes I had a major sugar episode. Had no clue whether it was swinging up or down because I used my last meter strip that morning and hadn't been to the store yet (yeah, another stupid I should be smacked for). So I just waited it out. Safe to do because I knew the swing wasn't high or low enough to knock me out...just enough to make me miserable. For almost 2 hours I had to deal with the consequences of this swing...shaky, cold sweats, etc....and the intense craving to stuff whatever carbs in my mouth that I could reach. I knew I'd feel better almost instantly...but also knew I'd feel even more miserable afterwards. So I ate a couple ounces of cheese and just waited it out. I even headed to the kitchen a couple times before doing a turn around, telling myself 'nononononono'...but I made it! Oh...and it wasn't just waiting to eat that did it. Oh no...I discovered that my husband had used regular caffeine coffee (which I *never* touch) in the pot. He forgot what caffeine does to me. I reminded him when he came home and I was now in the pounding headache, major bitchy and complete fatigue stage of the sugar swing. Bet it'll be awhile before he forgets again...particularly since I tossed his caffeine coffee beans in the trash. I must've looked as wiped as I felt because he was dutifully contrite and agreed that he has no problem drinking decaf at home as well. :rolleyes2: So, the 'sort of' is that while I felt horrible yesterday, I did not go off plan with my eating. I'll take it. Melody

Congratulations! While the scale victories are nice...these NSV moments are even better! .

I put my before picture at 330 lbs and my current pic at 225 lbs. on the refrigerator and the pantry doors. I even printed off a small copy of each to tuck into the face of my wallet (it's a little see through pocket meant for the driver's license). Everytime I go into either of these areas, I'm reminded of how far I come...and the reward for getting that far...and wanting to keep going. Everytime I pull out my wallet, I see that pic and it's a reminder not to get junk at a drive through. .

My chili isn't a slider for me because it's quite thick. It amazes me that in the past I wouldn't chew it, but now because of the band, I have to. I love soups and will usually have it several times a week through the fall and winter. Yes, most soups are sliders and eating soup is a bit like drinking while eating, but what I do is drink most of the broth first. Then I eat the soup contents. There's a bit of broth in each spoonful, but not much. Works well. I do use fitday.com to calculate the Protein, fats and carbs that go into the whole pot. Then I weigh the contents and then I weigh my portion. It's not exact but it gives me some idea of what I'm eating. . .

Leigha: Can't live with 'em...can't bury 'em in the backyard...interferes with the landscaping. I'm sorry you're going through this with your husband and yeah, stress does not help with the band and proteins are always kind of iffy anyway. Denise: When you stepped on the scale in a hoodie and jammies did you hear the country song, "What was I thinkin'" playing in your head? So sorry about your molar. What a PITA. Don't wait too long if you're planning on an implant as a replacement (much better than destroying the two teeth on either side for a bridge). I did that and the bone receded too much in a year to have the implant as an option. Elcee: I know...and I so miss my vegies but I seem to be so sensitive to carbs and high levels of protein. I'm hoping it's just because I'm so insulin resistant and that eventually, as the weight drops and the insulin resistance resolves that I'll be able to have them again. Hummingbird: One mouse? Maybe I should put a little note on our mice bulletin board (I'm sure they must have one somewhere) that there is a nice 'vacant' vacation home for the winter...close to skiing and everything. :rolleyes2: My sympathies on your shoulder pain returning. I hope yours goes away again because it's a PITA (the 'A' in this case standing for 'arm'). Melody .

...baby spinach. Since my last fill I can eat eggs and salad...barely. I have to take small bites, chew thoroughly and then wait until it 'settles'. Yesterday, my band went tight on me. Probably because I was scheduled for a fill today. Being cautious and not wanting another overfill, I cancelled the fill. Today it's worse. My eggs at Breakfast were a no go and now my baby spinach salad is sitting here laughing at me! .

Emjay, You are indeed fortunate! At this point in time I can still eat as much as I want. Most days since my last fill I am content, but there are some days when I'm not and have to struggle not to keep on eating. If I get filled to the point where I actually have to stop eating after 1 cup of food, then I'm too tight and almost everything gets stuck. .

Heather, I am sorry for your loss. I know it's hard to put importance on something (our diet) that many people don't think twice about when something truly tragic happens in our lives, but part of this whole grief process is remembering to take care of you. :thumbup: I lost a family member 3 weeks after being banded last Thanksgiving and, like you, had to deal with the influx of food...most of it not on my list of acceptable foods on top of the stress of not only my grief, but those of my family. Fortunately, we were able to send most of the food home with other family members so it wasn't in our house tempting me. But back to your question, how do others deal with stress. Have to admit that I pull open my bible and start reading the praise psalms. I listen to worship music praising God. I know...not helpful responses if that's not your belief system, but it's what I do. My sister-in-law meditates. Another sister-in-law does Yoga. My sister runs. I think they've done studies that show all of these activities raise seratonin levels in the brain, relieving stress in the process. My thoughts will be with you. .

Pharmaceutical ads in general always crack me up because their 'contraindications' generally end in ..."and death". :thumbup: .

4 oz of prime rib is 22gm of fat and 4 oz of boneless skinless chicken is 12gm of fat and that's the white meat. Dark meat is higher. Did you know that the much maligned pork comes in at only 10gm (less than chicken!) if you eat the loin cut? The only point I'm making is that Atkins is not the high fat diet (or rather does not need to be) that the media has convinced people it is. Most days my fat grams come in at around 70gm. I limit cheese to 4 oz of hard cheese a day *max*. I don't slather on the fats and I make sure to vary my protein so that I'm getting fish, chicken, pork and red meat and eat reasonable quantities. .

Hard boiled eggs are more difficult than scrambled for me. I thought soft boiled eggs would go down more easily...nope...and I love eggs! .

I'm at 8cc in a 14cc band and I can eat meat *but* I have to take small bites, chew well and then wait between bites to make sure I don't bottleneck everything up if I do get stuck. You just never know on a day to day basis. I can still eat cheese, although I limit it to 4 oz of hard cheese a day. Can't eat fondue...the gooey cheese just clumps together. Yeah, despite the minimal acceptance that low carb is a healthy way to eat, the mainstream nutrition industry and most doctors still aren't ready to accept it. I finally found a doctor who, while not really accepting it, won't argue with the results. .

This is so true. My stepdad's family is rife with heart disease. The vast majority have never been overweight. His younger brother died at 34 and my dad is considered to be long lived at 76 because all of his family members have died before the age of 64 from heart disease. My stepdad, despite living a very healthy life (exercises daily, eats a balanced healthy diet, etc.) having to take cholesterol meds despite that, has serious cholesterol problems. While my maternal family members are all overweight, love fried foods, junk foods, sweets, etc...live into their 90's and have no heart disease (or related) health problems. Go figure. .