ElfiePoo

Thanks for not ranking on me, Cocoa. :scared2: Maybe I won't throw in the towel completely. My last unfill (march or april, I think) took me down to 7.5cc. I think I'm going to have them take me down to 5 or 6 and see if that allows me to eat protein...and salads. I miss salads <sigh>.

Ok...please permit me a little whine here. I think after 9 months of being positive, I'm allowed. I'm just not sure anymore if the band was the right decision for me. I was never a 'grazer'. My problem was that once I sat down to eat, I couldn't stop until I was 'full'. Everything I read, the seminars I attended, the psychiatric visit, questions to the doc...all affirmed that the band was the right choice. That it would limit what I eat...and it does, but not enough and it limits the wrong foods! I need to be eating a low carb diet, but all the low carb stuff (meats, chicken, broccoli, etc.) stick unless I make them in a casserole type dish with some type of sauce/potatoes/rice, whatever that helps it 'slide' through. Additionally, all these carbs have me craving even more carbs! We won't even talk about what it's doing to my blood sugar levels. I did drop down to 197 but only by going to an almost full liquid diet...and we know how long something like that's going to last, eh? I also started exercising...and I know how long that was going to last. I *detest* exercising. I'll admit to being puzzled by the whole calories in/calories out thing as well. Based on the calories I'm eating, I should've been losing 3-5 pounds *every week* (all else being equal) just because I was eating that much fewer calories than is needed to maintain my current weight...and yet that wasn't happening. So here I am, no longer in 'onderland' and frustrated beyond belief. So, after a long discussion with my surgeon, I am going in tomorrow for a complete unfill so I can get back on my low carb diet...which I can't do right now. I lost 70 pounds once on a low carb diet and, now that I know the band won't help me to 'lose' weight, will have to just pull up my bootstraps and do it again. I don't know what part the band will play in the future but right now it has no part. Time for my protein shake and then off to pack customer's orders. Talk to you all later. .

J'smom: Tom Petty? I'm 'heartbroken' (ar ar). I *love* Tom Petty but my claustrophobia keeps me from ever going to one of his concerts. ;-( Congrats on breaking the 160's! Hummingbird: Congrats on the NSV moment. It's always nice when someone else notices, eh? Leigha: You can have some of mine! Mine aren't shrinking near as much as I'd hoped they would. ;-( Denise: Happy Anniversary...and safe trip! Stacey: I am so sorry for your loss and I will put your family in my prayers. I've only read back to July 22nd but have quite a bit to do today since it's my son's 18th birthday so no time to read more. You guys are just prolific posters!

Sorry for not responding to you all individually, but my brain is still in meltdown. We've had weather in the 90's, high humidity, and no cool down at night. In one week, the pool has gotten so warm it's like a tepid bath, so no relief there either. Forecast is *hopefully* some relief tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm one of those who usually drinks a protein shake for breakfast because I can't get solid foods down, but enough is enough. This morning I made a smoothie with a 6 oz Dannon Light and Fit yogurt, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup water. Oh baby...so refreshing in this heat! It was 32 carbs but only 145 calories. Normally I watch the carbs more closely but I just read something on one of the diabetic boards that said if you eat the majority of your carbs early in the day, rather than in the evening, you'll lose 50% more weight because your body has time to burn through it before bedtime. We'll see. Have to see what this does to my blood sugar levels as well...and whether it will curb the hunger through the morning. .

I'm not doing squat today. Heat index yesterday was 98...and felt every bit of it. Today it'll be around 90+ and at 9 a.m. in the morning is already miserable. I'm doing better with the heat than I did last year but still...looking forward to next summer when I *should* have all this excess weight off and be far more comfortable. Hope it's cooler where you all are... .

Yep...I don't bother eating breakfast anymore because it's always the same when I try...stuck, slime, back to a protein shake. So I just cut to the chase and drink a protein shake for breakfast.

My bites must be small to keep from getting stuck, so 4 'bites' of food for me is about 4 tsp. Can't imagine why you'd want to be so limited. I'd think you'd then have to deal with hunger and the danger of 'grazing' to deal with that hunger. My doc's goal was for me to eat about 1 cup of food or so. To be honest, I forget what cc I'm at as far as fill but I can only eat about 1 to 1-1/2 cup of food at a meal, depending on what I'm eating. That said, until my last couple of fills, I never noticed any change in the quantity I could eat right after a fill...or at all, as a matter of fact. It wasn't until I was close to the sweet spot that this happened. .

Beautiful rings...love the color!

I think reheated frozen foods are still better than most restaurant meals. Although, I admit, I could eat at Carabba's for every meal if I could afford it (and my scale wouldn't scream "Mercy!". One thing I've learned is that when we eat out, never bring home leftovers. I don't have the will power to resist having a second meal 3 hours later...and not because I'm hungry but because the food was so good that I can't get it out of my mind. ;-p

ROFL...leave it to you, Bob.

Well, I'm certainly no saint and I've managed to take off...and keep off...63 pounds. Sure, I could've lost it faster if I had 'dieted' and 'exercised', but I'm content. It's coming off, albeit slowly, and I'm happy and that's all I care about. If someone else feels the need to follow a diet (e.g. WW, NutriSystem, etc.) or 'exercise', then more power to them. We all need to figure out what works for us. .

Bob, Get yourself a 'Food Saver'. I always cook enough food so I can freeze leftovers for those nights when I don't want to cook. Since the Food Saver pulls a vacuum on the food, you don't deal with freezer burn or ice crystals (both of which contaminate the taste of the food). Most foods freeze just fine and taste just as good when they're thawed and reheated. Melody

Every doctor has different instructions. My doctor did not have any special regimen after fills. If I could eat...then eat. If I couldn't, then go back to protein drinks until I could. He had no restrictions against alcohol, caffeine or carbonated beverages, although said that they might cause me discomfort and I should avoid them if they do. So I guess I wouldn't worry about it unless you find that they lead to continuing bad habits regarding your eating.

The reality is that we're dying from the day we took our first breath. Before the band, I was going to most likely die of heart disease, complications of diabetes or any number of other things related to obesity. I may still have a shorter life span from decades of being obese. We can scare ourselves with this report...or we can go pick out a report showing levels of various chemicals/hormones/pesticides in any of the other products we ingest and let that one scare us. Even if you buy organic, you're breathing in the polluted air that surrounds you...or the various chemicals found in your body care products, materials in your carpets, furniture, etc. which give off vapors that pollute our air. I drink the EAS ready made shakes twice a day (in between meals) and one made from their Protein powder for breakfast. This report hasn't convinced me not to.

Yes, I think I am in a good place right now. I rarely have to think about taking small bites, chewing well and swallowing that bite in 2-3 stages anymore. It's just habit. I've grown used to and content with the limitations of the band. The garden is doing well because for the first time I have the energy...and ability...to take care of it. Aside from the physical aspect of bending over, the heat no longer bothers me as much as it did before. Amazing how the loss of 63 pounds changes your body's core temperature! Well, back to reading later. I've noticed just going back a few pages that there are a number of people who are MIA. I'm hoping it's because they're on vacation! Off to Zumba. Melody

Hey everyone...been awhile since I posted. Mostly because I was dealing with the 'mental' component of this band. First I had to figure, through trial and error, what a 'good' fill level was. After being filled to 8.75cc and then gradually coming back down to 8cc (where I've been for the last 2 months), I've finally figured this is a good place to be. I don't get stuck on most things (except eggs!) if I remember to take small bites and chew slowly and swallow even smaller portions of that bite at a time...and I'm limited on how much I can eat. One hot dog on a bun instead of two plus fries. One slice of pizza and a small salad instead of half a pizza. Half of a hamburger on a bun instead of two plus chips. Then I had to wrap my head around the idea that I didn't have to wait until I had that 'one bite too many' before I finished. I found it works better if I just fix a much smaller portion to start with and stop even if I don't feel 'full' (whatever that means). Then I had to kick myself of a new bad habit (snacking) between meals, which I think I developed when I was overfilled and not getting enough real food to eat. How come bad habits aren't as easy to break as they are to become habits? Long story short...I finally broke the 200 mark this last week but it took me longer than it should have. I don't care...I'm here. My kids and my husband's siblings got together and are sending us to Disney World for our 20th anniversary (which was in early June). Even though we aren't going until October, it's nice to know my butt already fits comfortably in an airline seat...and, oh yeah, will fit neatly in the roller coaster seats next month. I still haven't started an exercise program, but I am so motivated at being 17 pounds away from the weight I was when I graduated high school, that I'm starting Zumba classes tomorrow morning...and hoping they're as fun as they look and not just 'exercise' (which I detest and know I won't stick with). My goal is to be at no more than 160 when we go to Disney which means 37 pounds to lose in about 3-1/2 months. I'm pretty sure that's doable. If nothing else, at least I'll be in better shape! ElfiePoo

Aw sorry for the puke/starvation stage. I went through that too...but ended up eating slider foods and not losing any more weight (nor gaining it back thank God). I finally managed to find a fill level where I could eat real food but still had a limitation on the amount. Now I avoid things like yogurt, soups, etc. because they go down too easily and don't leave me satisfied. I need to feel 'full'. I'm back to drinking low carb/low cal protein shakes between meals as well which helps with only eating 3 meals per day.

Heck, I'm 7-1/2 months post op and there have been times all the way along (including last week) when I wonder if I did the right thing. I sat at 25 pounds lost for almost 3 months while I figured out this whole band thing...wondering if I was going to be one of those people who still only lost 25 pounds after a year. Hang in there, work the band and it will work for you. Melody

Jenny, 160 lost? Congratulations! Melody

Oh, and for those wanting an update from the last few months of being MIA...here's the link.

Christie, Hang in there...I can 'feel' you, girl. Been there, done that (re: feeling like a failure). I finally realized that, even though I kept saying the band wasn't a magic wand, my subconscious was waiting for the band to do it's thing...like a magic wand. Nothing wrong with the band, my friend...just the way we handle it. As for being a failure...good grief, girl, look at your ticker!! Failure? No way...awesome weight loss. Remember...this isn't a quick fix. It will take us time but in the end, with perseverance, we'll get there! Melody

ROFLMAO...yeah...I try not to look at all the 'sagging' and focus on the 'skinny' instead. Melody

Morning all! My MIA status is due to nothing more than getting swallowed in Facebook's Mafia Wars and Farmville, but fortunately FB is becoming more impossible to use each day due to the incredible lag and patience was never one of my virtues so I'm being weaned off of it. That and the nice weather that has me itching to get out in the garden. I did manage to get my asparagus bed cleaned out. Good thing because we're supposed to have lots of rain and thunderstorms (I love thunder!) over the next 4 days. Status quo as far as my lap band journey. I decided not to go in for another fill even though I 'can' eat more than 1 cup *sometimes*. On Sunday, my mother-in-law made a standing rib roast, parsley potatoes and salad. I made it through 2 extremely thin pieces of roast, probably 2 oz at most, 1/2 cup potatoes and my very small salad. Yesterday though I had about 4 oz of meatloaf and about 3/4 cup potatoes with a salad that had homemade croutons in it. As much as I wanted more, Hilda said 'enough'...and that's what I got her for. The pain in the arm is still there, although it seems to be lessening. Here's hoping it goes away completely *soon*. Cocoa: I don't seem to have an issue with any vegies except romaine lettuce. Raw or cooked, they all go down easily. Leigha: I agree that it's difficult to figure this band out. Some days tight, some days not tight enough. One day you can eat something, the next it gets stuck...and not because you didn't chew well or take a small bite. I'm getting to the point where I just don't want to eat out anymore because I never know whether I'll end up facedown in a public toilet...and if that's not enough to ruin your dinner, I don't know what is. Eating has always been a pleasurable thing for me. Not so much anymore but that is probably a good thing. Dottie: Welcome back. Glad to hear your absence was just due to a dead laptop. Hopefully you handled the withdrawal better than I would. I would've been visiting the next computer store we passed to replace it. Sawyer: Lucky you that you actually have fat pictures to go back to. I tended to avoid the camera so there aren't that many of me. However, when we went to dinner this past Sunday at my mil's, she had 3 albums on the sideboard and said I should look through them because it might give me a lift to remind myself what I did look like and where I am now. I found one of me at my son's graduation...a back view...when I was at my highest weight of 330. My mouth literally dropped open. I'd forgotten how big I was. I want to scan that pic now and take another one of me now and put them side by side as motivation. JM: Congratulations on hitting your Easter goal! Woohoo! Anne: I have to say that the information I have gained from the people on this site has helped my journey tremendously. I told my doc they should include this site in their info packet that they hand out at their seminars and tell people they should come here, ask questions and read about how others are handling the band postop. Oh, and I don't think 10 'sugar free' popsicles counts as a binge. You did 'good'. Betsy: I can't do chicken either, but then I bought a bag of the chicken tenderloins, remembering they were more tender and less dry than the whole chicken breast. I was right. I can eat chicken again and best of all, one tenderloin is the perfect size. I am ROFL at you choosing the 18 just to keep from buying a size with a W in it. I think I'd do the same. How's Mark doing? Bobbie: I am so sorry to hear about your job. My mom always said that when a door closes, God opens a window somewhere...and life has usually worked that way for me. Or perhaps it's because *if* we look, we can find the positive in just about anything. Take a breather, try not to stress and just enjoy the downtime while you look for another position. I know...easier said than done, but ultimately worrying won't fix the situation anyway, neh? Stacie: Your graphic description of eating out and running to the bathroom had me howling! Been there...done that...so I laugh *with* you. I have many of my own 'dumbass' moments. Christie: Your 5 year old is a hoot! Isn't it amazing how quickly they adjust to our food 'issues'? Still giggling here. Bree: We could all lose 'faster'. It's just a case of do we want to do what we would have to in order to do so. Personally, I'm happy eating like a normal weight person which means it may take me a year or more to lose the weight I have left. That's ok because this time I know it's coming off and it's not coming back on. Took me 40 years to get here, so 2 years to reverse it isn't much. HB: Try upping your protein, even if it's in a shake, between meals. I find that when I forget to drink my protein shake between meals, I'm really hungry...or at least craving...and then have to struggle not to go overboard on eating at mealtime. Ok...it's 8:30 and I promised my 17 year old (who is on spring break) that I would let him sleep late before dragging him down to the warehouse to work. When you get up at 6 a.m., 8:30 *is* late...although I'm not sure he's going to agree. <evil grin> Have a great day y'all! Melody

It's supposed to be 71 degrees today! Woohoo!!! I think I'm going to go pull the black tarp off my compost pile. 'Tis the season for snake breeding and that appears to be their most favorite place for doing so because of the warmth. There is nothing more grotesque than pulling back the tarp to find *thousands* (no I do not exaggerate) of mating garter snakes coiled into balls <shudder>. So we're going to pre-empt them this year. My exercise today will be to go out and rake off and clean out my asparagus bed. I still have a couple more weeks before they start popping up their delicious little heads, but might as well take advantage of this unseasonably warm weather. I woke up this morning with the wrong mindset. I want/wanted to just chuck it all in for a day and eat like I did pre-band. Can we say fast food? Fortunately, Hilda won't let me eat a whopper even if I was stupid enough to try, but I have to admit that I'm feeling a bit cranky at not being able to. It will pass and in the meantime I'll go burn off some of this crankiness in the garden. Have a great day y'all! .

Betsy, You just take care of you and Mark. I can't even imagine the stress you're under right now, but we're praying for you both.