Betsyjane

I'm in the middle of a bout of lupus brought on by my having compressed a couple of disks in my back. When it rains it pours. Ah, it's all temporary. I do miss my exercise program though.... Who ever thought I'd say that! I have fallen in love with Tony Horton's Half Hour DVDs. I've been buying on ebay and they are great! They keep my attention and I can actually do them and get a real workout.

Even if you have to start with ALL hard to eat protein and later add in some veges, that will help. I also have found that if I'm hungry, a few nuts will get me that full feeling agin quickly. How soon ater a meal are you drinking liquids? I found that I started feeling less full the sooner I drank water, so I've had to wait 90 minutes after a meal to drink. Also, I don't think you are filled correctly yet.....it shouldn't be such a struggle. Don't kick yourself....keep in close touch with your doctor and support folks.

Hi Karen. Sounds like you've been through the ringer and emerged with your good attitude intact! Congrats! I'm at a plateau but happy with the weight loss to date. I don't believe I've even had a plateau that wasn't followed by a weight gain. This is pretty cool!

I am so sorry about your dogs. It's like having family missing and shot. Glad you were able to spot the wound!

I'm with you! I'm motivated. I stalled out I think for lack of exercise with my back and I'm easing back in to the gym and will do Tai Chi when it sarts up again.

Find a support group! It helped me to meet with people who had been through the same thing. And that cost per fill seems pretty outrageous. For that money you can take a vacation here in the States and get your fill! Good luck with your search for aftercare. And don't worry! If the band was so delicate that early mistakes would ruin it, almost none of us would still have a band. Without restriction, goof ups are not unusual.

Lana-Did you sign up for Spivak's group for the Susan B Komen race? I'm thinking about it. Depends on my back.....

Paula---I felt no restriction until my 3rd fill. I was unable to eat like a bandster until then. I am fine, happy, and no longer feeling that horrible self blame that we all click into so easily. My advice? Pretend to be a bandster whenever you can, practicing the skills you will someday be able to use when you feel restriction. And begin to say goodbye to self blame. If we could have done it without the band working, we would have!

I thought I would hate buffets, but I love them....I get to put one bite of all sorts of things on my plate. It's just perfect. And I think how much I used to be able to pile on a buffet plate.....

I had the same experience. In fact, it still sometimes gets the better of me and I overeat. My restriction is HUGE for breakfast and lunch, but it I get the urge at dinner, I can eat a lot. Not like I used to, but relatively a lot. Or I'll forget and buy a lot of groceries or cook a lot of food, and it goes to waste, but not to Waist!

I finished the Ali book. It was OK.... I wanted it to be meatier...but it's a good overview for folks who want to know more about the band and about obesity. Fortunately for her, she was just simply never hungry again, lost her weight, and life goes on...... I however, am a backslider! A backslider I tell you! I expect from now on I'll be 3 pounds off 2 pounds back....unless I find a way to get my act together. Some days are good. Most days are a wash..... But it's better than not having my band!

Soooo...I went to Tai Chi at the May Center last night. I was the only one there. The couple that teach it are wonderful! They said class is winding down for the summer(no kidding), and they are going to start a beginners class beginning JULY 5 at 7. I think that's the way to go. Start fresh! I think they will be superb teachers..... No need to sign up. Just show up.

I'd be surprised if the Slim Fast is the answer...... I read Ali's book today. That's a nice overview for people who don't get it about morbid obesity....hope some uninformed folks will read it. And a real text book case of the band working the way Inamed says it does! I want to read a book by someone who struggled more, I guess. I have two struggles at the moment...one is that I'm getting so little exercise due to my back. The other is that I'm bored with food...except the stuff that's bad for me. I think I'm mostly bored with eating correctly, and wanting to hurry.... I'll get past it. Just an old behavior cropping up to test the waters.....

It's a different daughter of Ali's who has had the band for 3 years and has dropped from 325 to something like 150...... co-written by a doctor who is also banded. They claim it takes 3 years to reach goal weight. I've just started the book, but a fellow bandster who read it adores it and says it's full of great advice. I got the other book awhile back and liked it, but loaned to to another bandster right after I looked at it, and haven't gotten it back yet! I'm tickled about the drop in clothing size too, but I'm trying to find a way for my stomach to catch up! Tummy is still so big that it's had to find pants that don't just hang everywhere else to accommodate my fat stomach!

I just bought a laptop computer. How long before the built in mouse becomes second nature? I keep grabbing for a mouse outside the computer and it's not there!

The wedding pics are gorgeous! You can't get more romantic than that!

Hyperkalemia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia site regarding high potassium I'm interested in going to Spivak's again, Lana, but I think I'll savew up my energy for Tai Chi tomorrow...and I'm probably game for any week after this one..... Is there a good topic tonight? I want to suggest a topic...book discussion of Ali's book....

Is anyone reading Muhammed Ali's daughters book on banding...Fighting Weight? I just started it.

That was fun! My Fighting Weight book arrived today, so I'll be reading while the dogs nap. Want to see domes? Monolithic Dome Institute

You Dr. will tell you your pre-op and post -op diets. I was banded by a minimalist... No pre-op diet, and a really short post op. The only thing I know about pre-ops is that some Dr.s want you to lose weight so your liver isn't as fatty while they are trying to get around it and do surgery, so they put folks on liquids before......

Humble Inn is a good place for a good big greasy breakfast!

Don't drink for at least an hour after eating....maintain that full feeling and don't flush everything through the band! Don't compare yourself to anyone else's weight loss. Everybody is different and just about everybody has plateaus. Exercise. Think about your behaviors....Do you eat when bored? In front of the TV? Start taking apart your relation ship with food. Eat where there are no distractions and eat mindfully. Find another hobby (like exercise). We lie to ourselves about food. when in doubt about your caloric intake, keep a food/calorie/fat/carb/protein journal. Even a day's worth can be eye opening.

I'm OK with Humble Inn or Humble City Cafe.

Hey Barbara---Sounds like Humble is more convenient than Huffman, but if not...why don't you ask if you can get your $ back.....or patial $. You'll never have to wear your jammies again.....

Apparently, there are no problems with Lupus flare ups and the band, The problem is that surgery is upsetting to the system and can cause a flare up if your Lupus isn't in good control before the surgery. My dr. had no hesitation about banding me with Lupus, and my Lupus wasn't effected. The only problem I find is that during a flare up, my band is more restricting so I can eat less. No big deal.....