ElfiePoo

It's been a quiet couple of days here but I think I've come to the conclusion that I need that last .25cc (put in 3 weeks ago) back out. I'm PBing and sliming on an almost daily basis and I think my lack of weight loss is due to just not eating enough calories. I looked over my journal for the last few weeks and even with my Protein shakes, I'm lucky to get in 1000 calories a day because at some point in my two solid meals, I get stuck and that's all she wrote as far as eating. Lately, I get stuck with the first bite. It's possible I'm just swollen from all the stuck episodes. At any rate, I'm going to give them a call and see about getting that last fill taken out. Oops...my beeper just went off to remind me to check my bread dough so this will be a short one. Take care and have a good weekend! .

Bob: Isn't that just a marvelous feeling to be able to fit in a booth!? When I dropped from 330 to 260, it was such a wonderful feeling to be able to fit into a booth and to fit (barely) through those idiotic turnstyles they put in some stores (a la the amusement park turnstyle). Christie: Go ahead and whine about the massage. I paid for my sister's massage school and I'm *supposed* to get free massages for life, but everytime I visit her (she's 5 hours away), she's always too 'tired'. Whining hasn't gotten any more massages but oh well. HB: It is spring. The "S" word is no longer allowed. My brother lives in Chicago and said they had several inches today. I'm hoping by the time it makes it here that it will just be rain...but it's probably false hope. The temp has dropped about 10 degrees within hours and still falling. Dottie: Sorry to hear about the PB and sliming. I know that at some point I just don't feel the same sense of enjoyment at eating out because I never know what's going to go down wrong and send me to the bathroom...several times. Chickadee: Congrats on the 30# loss! Keep up the good work! Leigha: Not sure if I answered you or not about the arm pain. The doc's suggestion was pain meds or sleep meds...or just wait it out. I'm not much for either of the meds since I don't tolerate stuff like that well so I guess I'll just 'tuff it out'. After 4 days of little sleep, I finally crashed last night and slept for 5 solid hours although my husband said I'd groan a little in my sleep when I shifted my arm the wrong way. I told him to wear ear plugs. If it doesn't wake me up, it's all good. Betsy: Your party sounds like a lot of work but also a lot of fun! Hope it went well.

...the value of Protein. I always have a double scoop of Protein shake in milk for Breakfast (55gm protein), and a low carb/low cal ready made protein shake (18gm protein) mid meals and one in the evening. I'm never hungry. Well for the past two days I've been so busy I 'forgot' my mid-meal Protein shakes and, for the first time, about half an hour before my lunch and dinner, I had some serious stomach growling hunger and I went to bed hungry as well. Making a note to make sure I get those extra protein shakes in! .

Everything in moderation. Even too much of the 'substitutes' are a bad thing. I use real butter but am just conscious of how much and how often I use it. No substitutes for me, please. .

Bob, this ones for you... After my son's doctor appointment, I took him out to lunch. We stopped in some local snooty restaurant (is there any other kind in Ann Arbor?) and I ordered a very interesting dish in a puff pastry crust. It was tender enough to cut with a fork (meaning they knew how to do it right and not turn it into chewy leather) and I took a smallllll bite...and then was distracted by something and swallowed it after only about 4 chews. Big big mistake. I was immediately stuck. All my other episodes of stuck...they weren't by comparison. This literally felt as if someone had taken a cork and stuffed it in the little opening...and there it sat for the last 3 hours! I've been in pain and nauseous and nothing I've tried would bring it back up or relieve it. So finally (shhh...I know I probably shouldn't have), I just stuck my finger down my throat figuring if I could throw up, whatever was below in my stomach might push it back up through and out...and it did on the first 'heave'. Which is when I learned that this wonderful dish with the odd flavor contained dried Michigan cherries and one of them apparently flattened out when I chewed on it, but didn't break it up and it must've solidly blocking that opening. OMG...I am not kidding when I say I have never felt such relief in my life! I told my husband he's on his own for dinner. I'm having a yoghurt because it's just too much effort to eat tonight, besides which I wouldn't doubt I've managed to swell the plumbing up with this idiocy and it could probably use the rest. I think I need a short nap. This whole thing has exhausted me. So I'm going to round up my doggie and go lie down. .

My Protein Shake is a whey protein...EAS chocolate (Sam's Club). I love it. .

Sorry but your doctor sounds like a horse's ass. 50 pounds lost is 50 pounds less than you weighed last year and most likely far less than you would've weighed a year later without the band. His little GI cannot tell him whether you have 'good' restriction. Only you can. Give two people the same 12cc band and give them both 8cc and I guarantee one will most likely not have enough and the other one may be too tight. If my surgeon acted this way, I'd most likely first confront him about it first and let him know I was less than pleased with his attitude and, unless he has a good explanation, I'd be looking for a new doctor. .

Morning peeps...I'm out of bed, but don't know about 'up'. The pain in my arm is back with a vengeance and nothing is helping. I have to take my son into the doc today since he's decided he wants to switch from his pediatrician to a 'grownup doc' and I think I'll ask her if there's anything she can do as a temporary measure. Otherwise everything is going along swimmingly. The swelling has apparently gone down from my last fill 2 weeks ago and I could probably use another .25cc fill but I think I'm going to hold off and see how it goes over the next week. I normally don't step on the scale except Monday but needed a boost yesterday and found I dropped another 2 lbs but I'm not going to make it official until next Monday...at which time it will probably disappear and tell me I haven't lost anything. Betsy: I wish I could 'shop' in a daughter's closet, but I guess my husband's will have to do. Although, while his sweatshirts are co-ed, I'll never fit into his jeans. They're typical flat hipped men's pants and my curves just laugh at them. Bob: You probably could chalk the weight gain up to female hormones...but then you'd have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy. Bob, love the pics of your home on facebook. Want a roommate? I refer to my little home as 'the house from hell'. Liz: Don't worry about the scale. My scale didn't move for weeks but I could tell from my clothes that I was definitely losing. Leigha: I think our priorities change...plus, as we lose the weight, we're physically *able* to do more. Christie: I wouldn't worry about the crackers. My doc is one of those who says 'eat what you can, drink if you can't'. I was able to eat after every single fill without any problems, although my list of foods changed. HB: I stopped at a McD's to pick up something to eat for my son one day a few weeks back and ate one of his fries. *Big Big mistake*. Not only did I learn that (a) they weren't as good as I remembered and (:cursing: french fries do stick...I also learned that eating 'on the run' is a big nono. There is nothing worse than being stuck and having to pull over until the episode passes. It's not like I could take a gulp of his drink and let it all come back up because 'oversploding' on the side of the road with cars whizzing by just was not an option in my book. Ok...need to get to work. Have a great day everyone! Oh, and welcome to the newbies! .

Exactly. :wub: .

You and I obviously look at life in different ways and will never see eye to eye. I look at my doctors as just one more resource...kind of like the internet, medical books, etc. I take their advice and choose whether or not to accept it in part or whole...or at all...and I let them know why. It has nothing to do with 'not' trusting them. I trust them...but I also know that they are just as fallible as we are and prone to illogical bias. Years back I had a doctor who wanted to put me on birth control pills to regulate my cycle following a miscarriage...despite the fact that all of the warnings said that the risk of cancer was higher among overweight women who had a family history of cervical cancer and no live births. Against my doctor's advice, I chose not to take them. That is an 'informed' decision. To follow her advice just so I could 'sue' her when I got cancer is kind of silly. When people come here and see that there are various ways of doing the postop diet, they may choose to go against what their doctor is advising. For example, choosing to phase foods back in as others are doing vs. a 30 day liquid diet. That is their choice and nothing wrong with it...as long as they are making an informed decision. I am not counselling anyone to go against their doctor's advice. I *am* counselling them to take charge of their own care. To do the research and challenge their doctors at what seems to be unreasonable and/or illogical methods. I would further counsel that if their doctor is the type to say "because I said so" or has a God complex, to find a new one post haste. It is possible, however, to disagree with our physicians while still trusting them. I have that kind of relationship with mine and we get along just fine. .

May your day be filled with warmth and sunshine. May all your meals be small but filling. May you not PB, slime or get stuck today. Have a beautiful day! .

The fact that there is a wide range in 'advice' regarding postop diets suggests that there is no real reason for one person being on solids in a week and another still on nothing but liquids a month later other than the personal preference of the doctor. Communicate with the doctor, definitely...but make sure there is logic and reason behind what you're told and not just 'well, we've always done it this way.'

I've given up trying to figure out why one day I'm too tight and another I can eat anything. I just go with the flow and pay careful attention to my chewing. If I have a day where I'm too tight and things are constantly sticking, I'll switch to things that go down more easily and then pay close attention to the 1 cup per meal guideline so I don't inadvertently eat too much. .

No offense taken here. I'm quite 'content' after a shake...as content as if I had eaten a meal so it works for me. Again, though, other than Breakfast when I can't eat solid food, the shakes aren't Meal Replacements. I do still 'eat' my two main meals. My only point to this thread was to remind people to get their Protein in. If you don't like shakes, other good mid-meal 'snacks' are a couple ounces of hard cheese, a hard boiled egg or anything that focuses on 'protein'.

Congratulations, Scotty!

It varies by doctor. I was on each postop stage (liquids, mushies, etc.) for 2-3 days and back on solid foods at 2 weeks. .

Congratulations!!

I'd just mix a whole shake and if you can't drink it, put it back in the fridge. I never heard of a doctor limiting you to 2 oz. Perhaps this is for, as Betsy said, those have have difficulty drinking. They want to make sure you're getting at least 2 oz every hour. If you can drink more, not a problem. .

Week 3 and no loss. No biggie. I did this before and then dropped over 18 pounds over the next 3 weeks. Maybe we'll do it again? In any case, I'm still down 45 pounds and not gaining it back! I must be losing inches at least because even my husband suggested it was way past time to get some new pants because these are just ridiculously large. So I think I'll take the day off and go shopping (blech) this morning. It's another gray and rainy day here...my favorite kind of day. I'm told I'd love it in Seattle. For the first time the pain in my arm started when I was sitting straight up...and was so bad I was seriously thinking of calling the doctor for some pain meds. The patch just took the edge off but I slept pretty badly last night. I am so looking forward to when this idiotic pain stops. Dottie: In case you didn't see the thread I made just for you...Happy Birthday! Christie: I think your co-workers should provide a couple bodyguards for the first girl that breaks your son's heart. When my son was 18, a young woman (I won't say lady because she wasn't) wrote my son a snarky little letter telling him she was breaking up with him because he was a 'good boy' and she wanted a 'bad boy'. I wanted to go beat the stuffing out of her but then I realized he had a lucky break. He's now 26 and married for almost 3 (4?) years to the loveliest young woman...the daughter I never had. HB: You pulled a muscle in your 'butt'? Ok...I will not laugh I will not laugh I will not laugh. Bahahahaha! You know I'm laughing with you...it's just the image. :smile2: My condolences for the snow. It's unseasonably spring-like here...lots of rain and I hear we're heading into the 50's this week. While I'm loving it, I will *not* be pleased if my lilacs start blooming too early and then die when it drops below freezing again. That must've been really scary sliding down your drive! I am so glad to hear you weren't hurt!! Chains...I'm thinking chains. Bob: You were kicked off facebook? Dang...and I thought getting kicked out of a drive-in theater was the ultimate! What can I say...we were 18, it was the evening of our high school graduation and we were apparently rooting too loud for the shark in Jaws. :thumbup: It's not raining right now so I think I'll trot my little vegie dog down the road and back. Have a great day everyone! .

LOL...dinner was at 6. Since you didn't make it, I invited my mother-in-law. .

My morning shake is around 330 because I mix it with 2 scoops of powder to bulk up the Protein and with 2% milk. I used to add half a banana, but now (with restriction) I find that's too thick for the mornings. I don't worry about the high calories in this shake though since it is a Meal Replacement and that's a respectable number of calories for a meal. My 3 mid-meal shakes though are readymade EAS shakes that are only 110 calories with 3gm carb. .

As Betsy said, most physicians are not trained in nutrition...and nutritionists, as a general rule, tend to spout whatever is popular knowledge. For years the food pyramid was taught as gospel by nutritionists. Now it's upside down...and being taught as gospel...until something shakes up their little world and they teach something else. We are unique individuals and there is no set way of eating that works for all of us. It's up to us to find what works for us and our body's needs. As for Protein shakes, my doctor didn't care how I got my calories as long as I stayed between 1200-1400 a day without feeling hungry or deprived. I drink a protein shake in the morning mainly because I can't eat solid food. I'm too tight. However, that boost of protein and then the mid-morning shake get me to lunch. I'm not hungry at lunch, but I eat anyway. Generally 2-3 oz of protein and 1/4-1/2 cup vegies. Very occasionally, I'll have half a cup of Soup and 1/4 -1/2 of a sandwich on toasted thin bread (the only kind I can actually eat without getting stuck). The mid-afternoon shake helps get me to dinner where it's much the same as lunch except I add 1/4 cup of carbs (rice, Beans, potatoes)...if i can even eat them. In my case, those mid-meal shakes are not Meal Replacements. They are *in addition* to stabilize my blood sugar (diabetics should not go more than 3 hours without eating) and get my protein *and* calories in...because without those shakes, my calories would be around 1000...and that's too low. .

I can't believe it's Sunday already! It seems like only yesterday that I took my husband to the airport. While he's been busy helping my son and his wife move into their first new home in Florida, I've been enjoying an unseasonably warm week here in Michigan by spring cleaning my house. I have a few last minute things to do, but I've been up since *5 a.m.* (stuff their Daylight Savings Time) and am moving pretty swiftly through my list of chores before I head to the airport. The rest of my day will be pretty relaxed as I have my potatoes in a pan of water just waiting to turn on when we get back from the airport and my crockpot of stuffed peppers will be ready when the mashed potatoes are done. Salad is already made up in the fridge, as is the homemade blue cheese dressing...and my braided herb bread just came out of the oven. It's been a long week but a very satisfactory one. Cocoa: Congrats! No toaster...how about a gold star? JM: Congrats on the 'no crisco zipper'! Bob: Congrats (I think) on getting stuck. No kitty snuff! Denise: Have a great trip and glad you got an aisle seat. At least now you'll only have to worry about one elbow in your ribs. I have a facebook page if anybody wants to be 'friends'. Mine is Melody Parker Upham but if do the friend thing, send a personal message with your Band name cuz my friends truly are my friends and family. I've had a facebook account for years but never did anything with it until about 2 months ago when all my friends and family said they felt I had abandoned them. Guess they think this is a way of 'keeping up' although from appearances they do little more than use FB as a way to play games. Yes, I did get sucked into Farmville. Ok...my timer just went off. I'm making a second loaf of herb bread for my mother-in-law and it's ready to be shaped and raised. Have a good day everyone! .

It probably varies with the individual. When I say I'm tighter in the morning, it's not something I can actually feel. It's just something I've observed from eating. If I try to eat solid foods in the morning, I get stuck. So I do a Protein Shake because it doesn't get stuck. .