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Yes, I have tried Melatonin. Sometimes it will help me fall asleep but I don't stay asleep. Sheryl Just tell your doctor you have anxiety attacts at times and you want the medicine as needed. All those SSRI's that they push cause weight gain!

@@PuraVida37 congrats. How is the pregnancy going? I'm 29 weeks. My first baby post lapband. I wasn't sure about getting unfilled and my doctor wasn't pushing it so I left it unfilled. Now that I am this far along, it seems that I am getting stuck more often and am really tight so I decided to get unfilled. I go in tomorrow. I think I will just ask for 1 cc to be taken out. I didn't want to gain too much weight, which I haven't (I think Im at about 3 or 4 pounds gainged) but I am starting to worry about baby's weight gain. My doctor still doesnt seem to be worried about babys weight. But just for my peace of mind and also so that I can keep things down, I will go and get unfilled. I only have 3cc's in there...so that will put me at 2cc's in a 10cc band. I havent been on much but I have been reading all the updates via emails sent to my every time someone posts on this thread. Sounds like we are/were all on the same page of standing still as far as weight goes. I was stuck at 245 before baby came for about 3 months...and now that I am pregnant I am at about 247, give or take. I hope that I don't gain a whole ton after my unfill tomorrow and I hope that I can get on track after baby gets here and be able to lose weight. This has most def been a really trying and frustrating journey. With all the stand still on my weight loss and all the getting stuck. I have never been able to eat right after because everything I eat usually gets stuck and so it has kinda forced me to do shakes and chips and other sliders, just so that I feel that I am getting things down. I'm hoping to get a better diet in after i get this cc taken out. And with a regular exercise routine after baby comes, I hope I can get back on track. I'm 17 months post surgery and I have only lost about 1/3 of what I was hoping to lose by now. Anyways, hope all is going well with everyone else. Have a good week

@tonyab I also struggle from chronic migraines, I was diagnosed with 2 mini strokes. They believe it happened years ago and recently been having high blood pressure, also neurologist believes I might be having vision problems due to the weight gain. I've never been able to lose more than 15 pounds. And even then didn't manage to keep the weight off I gained 20lbs in 1 month and 10 the following (previous 2 months) my PCP also ruled out thyroid problems. How long has your process taken you? Kind of an odd situation to have everything done before even meeting with the surgeon; did you PCP conduct those tests? And will you have all the info transferred over to your WLS clinic? I want my PCP to conduct all the tests since it'll be faster. But not sure if it's acceptable. [emoji272][emoji813]️

ok guys, I need help! I am holding steady at the same weight. I am mostly eating the right things and now walking 2 miles a day 4-5 days a week and going hiking on saturdays for at least 2 miles, sometimes more. I write down everything I eat and I'm going back over the last couple weeks. It seems I get on average of about 1000-1200 cal a day give or take (if I stay away from peanut m&ms!). I eat about 200 cal every couple of hours for about 5 mini-to-avg meals a day. My main focus is to get enough Protein because my biggest fear is my hair falling out. I do take a couple of meds that are on my doctor's list to cause weight gain so wondering if this is an issue also... I've had 1 fill but now have little restriction and just keep my meals small. Am I eating too much? What is the average calories per day you guys are eating? give me some ideas of meals you eat?

Happy Halloween from BariatricPal!#subject#> body,div,dl,dt,dd,ul,ol,li,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,pre,form,fieldset,input,textarea,p,blockquote,th,td { margin:0; padding:0; } table { border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0; } fieldset,img { border:0; } address,caption,cite,code,dfn,th,var { font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; } caption,th { text-align:left; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { font-size:100%; font-weight:normal; } q:before,q:after { content:''; } abbr,acronym { border:0; } address{ display: inline; } html, body { background-color: #d8dde8; color: #5a5a5a; } body { font: normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; } h3, strong { font-weight: bold; } em { font-style: italic; } img, .input_check, .input_radio { vertical-align: middle; } legend { display: none; } table { width: 100%; } td { padding: 3px; } a { color: #225985; text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color: #328586; } div.outer { margin: 0 auto; padding: 14px; } table.wrap { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; } td.logo { background-color: #0f3854; padding: 8px; } td.content { background-color: #fff; font-size: 14px !important; color: black !important; line-height: 150% !important; padding: 8px; } ul { margin-left: 25px; } Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Halloween! It’s a fun time and the beginning of the holiday season. We’re celebrating a lot here at BariatricPal, and we’re super excited to share it with you! Here’s what’s in this newsletter. The BariatricPal Store: Grand Opening! Your Ready for the Holidays? Thanks for your support and for making it possible for BariatricPal continue to grow. There’s no way we could do it without you. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Grand Opening of The BariatricPal Store! We are so excited to announce the grand opening of The BariatricPal Store! We know, The BariatricPal Store doesn’t fit into a Halloween newsletter because it’s anything but spooky, but we just can’t stop talking about it! That’s why we’re offering 10% off all orders with coupon code SPOOKY10 just for you! Your Source for Bariatric Protein, Meals, Snacks, and supplements Weight loss surgery changes everything, especially your diet. You need to get enough protein without too many calories; eat a nutritious diet while keeping portions in check; and get your Vitamins and minerals without fail. It can be overwhelming and time-consuming…unless you have help. The BariatricPal Store can give you the help you need. We have the protein supplements, meals, snacks, and vitamins to help you lose weight and get healthy. Protein bars, shakes, and powders. Low-calorie, high-protein snacks, Entrees and breakfasts. Bariatric vitamins and Fiber supplements. Make Weight Loss Shopping Easy We know you need the top products, and they need to be healthy, nutritionist-approved, and convenient. We have all that! We also have: Tons of BariatricPal brand products. Product packages so you can pick up a bundle at once for a discounted price. meal plans for the pre-op and post-op diets, plus maintenance and back-on-track diets, so you can easily pick up the foods you need to stay on track. Sampler packs of different items so you can try different varieties to see which you like best. Other Reasons to Shop The BariatricPal Store We truly believe we’re number one. Here are just a few more reasons why. Subscribe and Save options on every product so you can get automatic re-delivery, 5% discounts, and free shipping on each order. Lowest prices – guaranteed. Free shipping on orders over $69. Save money with sales and discounts plus our Refer-A-Friend program. For help, you can look at the FAQs, give us a call at 855 WLS-BPAL (855 957-725), or use our live chat with a customer service specialist during business hours. Visit store.bariatricpal.com often to see current specials, and check out our blog for updates on promotions and new products. We can’t wait to take this next step in helping you reach your weight loss and health goals! Your Healthy Halloween Plan Halloween is about costumes, haunted houses, and scares. Unfortunately, some of the “scares” are the ones that show up on the scale if you eat too many Halloween treats, or the “scares” that come from feeling sick from too much sugar. You don’t have to experience the bad scares this Halloween, though. The trick? Plan ahead! Here are a few things to think about as Halloween approaches. Trick-Or-Treating Almost everyone is affected by trick-or-treating. If you have kids, you’ll probably find one or several big bags of Halloween candy showing up at your home when they come back from trick-or-treating. Your best defense here is to have a healthy dinner before taking them out. Then, focus on anything other than candy – you might fix your children’s costumes, be the flashlight holder, or designate yourself as the neighborhood crossing guard to keep kids safe. If you don’t have children, you may be the one handing out candy to the neighborhood children, which probably means buying a bunch of candy to give out. If that’s the case, you’re best off choosing candy that you don’t like that much, so you’re less tempted to eat it. Again, have a healthy dinner, and focus on other things besides candy for the evening. You might work on answering the door in a scary way, or taking photos of the cute costumes you see to share with the kids’ parents tomorrow. The Aftermath No matter what happens on your weight loss surgery journey, there’s always tomorrow. After Halloween, “tomorrow” is November 1. Take inventory. See what’s in your home that shouldn’t be there. Get rid of the extra candy. If you must keep some candy in your house because of your kids, make sure it’s not tempting you. You can always ask them to hide it away in their rooms. You can also make a game out of it: have them label each piece so they and you will both know if you “steal” some. Go for a walk. There’s nothing like a walk to clear your head and get you ready to go back to healthy eating patterns. Halloween’s scary, but it shouldn’t be scary because of the weight gain. It should be scary because of the fun things you get to do. With a little planning, that’s exactly how your Halloween can be. Healthy Halloween Tips Did you know there are tons of fun things you can do to get into the Halloween spirit without touching a piece of candy? Here are a few ideas! Go for a Walk It’s true…walking is really quite a good answer to most questions. How to burn off a few extra calories before Halloween? Go for a walk. How to enjoy the Halloween decorations in your neighborhood? Go for a walk. How to let your kids show off their Halloween costumes to all the neighbors? Go for a walk. Get the point? Get moving! Volunteer That’s right. You may think that volunteering is just asking for trouble, since you may be faced with a lot of candy. In truth, it’s a chance to be surrounded by the Halloween spirit while being so busy you don’t have time to grab a treat. Volunteering at a local school, homeless shelter, or retirement home can be the perfect way to immerse yourself in Halloween. Help decorate for a party, serve treats, clean up afterwards, or help make costumes. You’ll be appreciated, and you’ll get to be a part of the holiday in a way that’s healthy for your body and soul. Make Healthy Treats It’s true…treats make Halloween so much better. But you can do better than chocolate, candy corn, and decorated Cookies and cupcakes. Here are a few ideas. Greek yogurt popsicles: Use a little sweetener and keep them white for ghosts, or add some pumpkin and cinnamon and shape them into pumpkin shapes. Then you can decorate them like jack-o-lanterns! Jack-o-lantern orange protein cups: hollow out oranges to leave the peel mostly intact. You can “carve” a face in the peel shell to make it look like a jack-o-lantern, and fill it with cottage cheese or fruit. Greek yogurt “eyes:” freeze circular spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with blueberries for eyes. A happy, safe, and healthy Halloween however you choose to Celebrate it. Don’t forget to come talk about yours on the boards at BariatricPal! See you there!

@@PuraVida37 I guess it is a good thing to enjoy every stage of pregnancy. I have had terrible pregnancies with really high sugars in the past and so my doctor was hesitant about me getting unfilled. Since I have been pregnant I have not had to have ridiculous amounts of insulin injections everyday and he is actually surprised that I havent gone up on my insulin since I started 25 weeks ago (im only insulin dependent when Im prego). So, I guess it all depends on the situation. Ive actually lost weight since I started. I started at 245 and weighed in at 243 when I went to get unfilled. My surgeon/doc told me that he will just take out 1 cc so that I dont have to start from the beginning when I want to start filling my band again. I got the 1cc out yesterday and already feel a world of difference with my eating, so I have to be careful not to go crazy with it. I have about 9 more weeks to go so I will just monitor what I eat and try to make better choices. My port is higher up on my abdomen, towards the left. It gave me problems/pain in the beginning of my pregnancy but not anymore. Only thing now is that its starting be get pushed out and so I can feel it more. Hope it doesnt protrude out of my belly. LOL. Good luck to you. Hope all goes well with your pregnancy. This is still a fun event so just enjoy it and dont worry about the weight gain too much. That's what my hubby tries to remind me. LOL...and besides, were growing humans in us, so we can gain a little weight

Even if you physically had to drink shakes, you could up your calories with healthy shakes too. I have just ordered a product called suplimed The Weight Gain Supplement That's Your Sensible Weight Gain Solution to help me up my calories on my off days (lots of calories packed in to small doses 4 oz or 1/2 serving can get 254 calories) this is just the one I liked, but GNC and other stores have other product options too. I am about to use my 3 days on 1 day off practice with my vsg to maybe try and prevent a stall. I will keep everyone posted on how that works. My plan is 3 days at 600-800 calories, 1 day 1500-1800 calories. repeat. There is no way early in my sleeve I can get 1500-1800 healthy calories without using a liquid suppliment, so I am planning ahead. My number is higher with 1500-1800 based on my studies of Base metabloic rate for my desired goal weight and body fat percentage. A female will typically be a lower number than that--web search for Base metabilic rate (BMR) on how to figure out your own. Also once I can eat regular food easily I will adjust the suppliment amounts to match the calorie levels and try to use shakes more as suppliments then and not a mainstay.

Morning everyone!! Deff check out Walmart Candra, like Pam mentioned. I have friends who have to get prescrptions there because of no coverage, and they only pay $10 or $12 bucks. You might get lucky and be okay! DO NOT FEEL BAD ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT GAIN! I am a yr out and only down 28lbs as of today. At one point I was BACK TO 235 (214 is my lowest) which is bad when surgery morning I was 247; We all have life and issues, and we all have to deal with them somehow. Regardless, you are still smaller then when you started and that right there is something to be happy about! =) Riley how is WW working for you? I go on and off the plan and can't seem to stick with it. Right now I am doing a basic low carb atkins, eating under 20 carbs a day since I don't do well with them. So far down roughly 9 lbs in alil over a week and a half and sure the gym helped as well

Good morning all - well i was going to wait till Friday to see If I can stick it out with the 3 1/2c servings a day but I've gained another .3lbs so I quit. This can't be a one size fits all plan - back to my 4 mini protein meals tomorrow - gotta grocery shop today! It is the only way I lose weight - I have to eat every 3 hours. Got a busy morning but just wanted to say hi and vent a little on my .3 weight gain! boo hoo. I guess this is just a learing process for me Have a great day all and I will check in and catch up on the posts later this afternoon.

HI, today is my first doctor’s appointment and I'm hoping to get a recommendation for surgery. Not sure if Kaiser will approve. My BMI is almost 37 and I'm pretty healthy. Had an IUD for almost 5 years and just found out that's what probably caused my 50 pound weight gain? Now the weight just won't budge. Does anyone have any tips on how to get approval? :thumbup: Any help/tips would be apprecitated. Thanks, hot42

Thanks Riley. I was just on her website looks good. I just need to see if she does fills..................without her doing the surgery. It would be great if I could get Kaiser to pay but I doubt it. I am gonna call her tomorrow to see what she charges and if she is willing to take me as a patient. I think a doctor in town would be better so if I need fills or unfills I don't have to go to ER I can just drive down the road............. Wish me luck. I think there is another lap band doctor in town here close to Sac State and my work. A girl at work that had gastric said I should call her surgeon. I am gonna tell Robin tomorrow what I am thinking about doing. Wish me luck onthat too!!! LOL. I really think I am considered a liability with Kaiser and they are handling my case and fills very different than normal.........I talked to someone at work who told me that leaving the band unfilled for to long does lead to being able to eat to much and weight gain.......she said I should look into a fill doctor in town and get a new start... I will update ya'all once I do my research tomorrow......maybe we can get fills in town?? I will have to figure out the price but if only 100 I could maybe do that every two or three months. WOuld be more than I am getting from Kaiser right now!! :-)

I too didn't realize you got all your fluid taken out Nicole. But I know you can get back on track - you did great on the pre-op 1200 calorie diet - maybe you should go back to that? I hear you Tina - as we have found out most of our journey is not really about food - it is just our drug of choice to cover up the other issues. I truly believe that for me at least it is maybe better that I didn't get to goal in the first year as then I wouldn't have started to deal with my other issues and started to change my behaviors. I won't probably get to goal even in this second year (end of Aug will be 2 yr since I got banded), but that's okay too. I can't give any advice to the people who have sleeves, but I can let the bandsters know that if you think this is a quick fix - it isn't - and it wasn't intended to be one. It is all the gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight etc. that messed up our metabolism to start with.

Glad you had a good time Riley woman! A little weight gain is nothing for you and your exercise addicted self - it will come right back off. Ok, so what is the deal with bread - why do you think it is such a problem - i can't eat it anyway because to look at a slice makes me gain 10lbs but why the problem after the band? Doesn't bread desolve quick?

I decided to go back on BC pills and not have another mirena. I think that was a factor in my weight gain after my pregnancy.

Well let me tell you this...I have my 6 out of 6 appointment coming and I want to tell anyone with Kaiser what to look out for...it's what I wanted to know... 1. you can possibly get more monthly visits added on but cannot do anything to reduce the time in the program. 2. you should start a diet to follow immediately and let that be what you track in your food journal...unlike me, who thought they wanted to just see what we were currently eating.. I was unaware that the diet begins at that first class you attend. 3. If it applies, don't stop smoking too soon...I gained about 6lbs immediately and never found out that losing any weight gained is you final goal in the program. 4. DO NOT GAIN WEIGHT!!! I never knew there would be any weight requirement, only the classes and appointments but at my 5th appointment, I found that I must get back to my lowest weight in the program before we can move on to submitting paperwork. Which only gives me 4 weeks but if you gained more than my 6, this could be a shocker! 6. Make sure you schedule all your appointments immediately after your visits because those appointments go fast and some time they may not even have a schedule up for the following month until the 2nd week of the current month. My 6/6 appointment is 1/31/14 and we will be submitting paperwork...feel free to hit me up and ask me any questions about the process... Good Luck neighbors!!

I agree with Ocotillo - You are doing a great job. Lab Band Talk helped me so much in the begining and still does. You should read alot of the post from the begining of this thread or read several topics and post and many are good at posting back. Oh my name is Melissa and I am in year 3. I have had ups and downs and some slips but it is always a learning process and I can say that this year has been alot better for me ecspecially these last couple of months when I really started refocusing on why I got the band to begin with. I started doing so sort of excersing each day and eating more Protein and more importantly following my Drs orders. (I was very lazy this past year with eating , and excersing and paid the price with weight gain) But I am losing now that my head is in place. If you are having problems with a choking feeling I would call your Drs office. You might be to tight if you have had fills. Or you might be eating to fast. Sometimes if I am to hungry and eat something to fast it always comes back to bite me. You could try drinking Protein shakes for a couple days then try eating again taking small bites and still see if you have that same issue. However if you have that same feeling while drinking shakes I would call you Dr right away.

Hi everyone. Just checking in too, since I haven't too much lately; which, is because I too am in "Bandster Hell"!!! Didn't want to bore you all with my same story again! I'm just hoping that I'll start losing again after my fill on/around 9/11. I've been exercising for 45-60 minutes a day for 5-7 days each week and the scale has just gone up 2 LBs!!! I was doing good on eating, but will admit that the last 2 days I have not done so great! Partly because of the discouraging weight gain (beforehand). :laugh: Long2beThin, Thank You so much for answering my job question! :thumbup: I'm going to definitely try to get something in that field!

Good Morning.... I feel like a broken record...cold and dank and windy here again today. Low 20's during the evening and early morning. 29 right now and hoping to get up to 40. But, Janet, I bet your 50's for you is a lot colder than our low 20's. I have a wake and funeral (friend's father passed away) and got my black wool coat out and boots to wear to the funeral/burial. Have a safe trip and, again, so sorry about your sister. Hope you are able to have a good visit with her. Hugs. Not easy. Arlene...good going on getting to water exercise even though it is chilly. Hope that book you are reading helps you to get rid of the "Munchie Monster". You should say goodbye to him altogether. When I think back to my weight gain stage, that Munchie Monster was on my back full time. Thought he was my friend but he was the devil. I shut the door to him from the onstart of my weight loss stage. He had to go...I couldn't have him in my life. He was abusive and he could not longer be part of my life. It was not easy but what I did to fight him was have extremely healthy snacks at hand, in my purse, in my truck when I really had to have a snack. And, even though I am in maintence and have to keep my calories up, I still reach of healthy snacks...I just have more of them. Your 100 cal popcorn is good for you and something that takes a while to eat and you feel like you've had something. No dental this week. Not till next Wed, Nov 3. I am in the last stages and really looking forward to getting rid of this temp bottom front plate I have had since June 2. Thinking I will have it for another 4 weeks. Next week is placing caps on lower right and grinding 4 others in front sides down for caps. Been a long haul and I so appreciate the support I got (and needed) from all of you throughout this process. Whine, whine, whine. Thanks for all who listened. Julie...as Janet said...keep up with the treatments and hoping this all does the trick for you. Pain can alter everything we want to do and my wish is that you can be completely pain free. Have fun with Mimi. Great...dreamed about you last night. We were on a boardwalk somewhere by the ocean and you were carrying your grandbaby...it was a boy about nine months old. You wanted to run to Starbucks and you asked me to hold him. Your daughter appeared out of nowhere and was soooooooooooooooo upset that you had a "stranger" watching her baby. Then she looked at me and said "Oh, you're Apples2" and everything was fine. Funny dream. You must be home by now and hopefully catching up with your rest. Jodi...congrats on your doc's goal for you. I am sure you will decide if you feel you are done with your weightloss or want to be right where you are at. The TT phase is a big step and takes lots of planning with time off work, etc. Important step though if you want to have it done. I had a visit with the doc about mine on Tues and thinking that I will shoot for early spring....more extensive than I thought. Jessica...this Mother Hen is very proud of you for all you do and the grades you are getting. Take a look into joining the Honor Society. You don't want to miss out and be sorry later that you did not do it. Good going! TX...hope you are resting comfortably and keeping ahead of the pain. Sounds like you have a good nurse (good morning, Debbie....keep us informed...thanks). Cheri....sometimes when it comes to getting a point across and trying to be heard, we have to become Screaming Bantchies. Took care of the problem, didn't it? Hope you have smooth sailing with that little girl from here on out. Nice to hear the parents backed you up. If you would have been my DS's teacher, you would have had to use your "outside voice" with them. They were just the cutest little devils/angels. I have BBQ's simmering for lunch and a pot roast in roaster for dinner. House smells wonderful. Cleaning and laundry and online Christmas shopping today. Have quite a bit of it done and plan it to finish it up today or tomorrow. Having a tough couple of days with lots of tears. A year ago tomorrow that "mom" fell on the post office steps and passed away. Guess being weepy is just part of dealing with it. Just remembering her and the angel that she was/is. Better get after it. Later.

So, Wednesday night the promotions committee was supposed to have a conference call at 7:30 p.m. I told them I was likely to forget and I did. I was home, but I was totally engrossed in a book. Who does conference calls at 7:30 at night? I'm lucky to remember to attend meetings at night. If something's part of my weekly schedule I'll remember it but stuff that happens once a month? At night? After work? Aargh! Fortunately, this is a volunteer committee and they're quite capable of making decisions without me. This was after my hard first morning doing Interactive Metronome. It went a little better today. Back at it on Monday. Got a call from someone else who wants tutoring for their son. Not quite sure where to fit him in since he lives near me and doesn't go to Roseland Christian. I go in to Roseland to tutor my students but he'd come to my house and my husband sleeps most days. Today, after 3 Interactive Metronome sessions (my grandson being the last one), I took both my grandson's so my daughter could get some work done. That's our arrangement. She comes out to Lansing IL. to drop David off, gets some nearby shopping done, then drops Josh off, too, and I keep both boys with me and take them home with me. The lawyer she works for is fairly close and the police officers and witnesses she needs to interview are also in nearby Hammond and sometimes Calumet City as many crimes are committed on State Line and can go back and forth. Her lawyer defends Hammond police officers from nuisance suits from those they've arrested. As a former Hammond police officer and with a husband still on the force, my daughter serves as an investigator for him with these suits. At first my daughter didn't want to come out here (she lives 45 minutes south of Thornton, Lansing, Hammond, Calumet City, but I made it a win/win for David who needs the therapy by offering to take her boys while she gets some work done when I'm done training David. I had fun with them today. McDonald's play place, then the park by my house, then water balloons and squirt guns, then the DQ. Now I'm off to pick up a granddaughter and take her to my other granddaughter's house to babysit this evening. They are so cute together. They're about a year apart. Skylar will be 4 in August and Leah will be 3 in September. I am reading all your posts. Great you are a great shopper for sure. Glad about the grass. Joyce, can't wait to meet you, also. Julie, can't wait for you to get to Mayo. Charlene, when you eat real food don't just limit the quantity. Check the salt content. Your apparant weight gain could be from water retention. Also, if you're combining carbs with meat protein, you'll store the fat. If you don't have the carbs, the fat gets metabolized and used up. That's why its protein first then veggies and maybe a little fruit when you're in the weight loss phase. You even have to limit your whole grains because they still do break down into sugar, often have salt in them, and they're often combined with things that have fat, which you then store as well as the water. Cheri

Becky Those things are just models they really can't give you an accurate # - they just take generals into consideration - age and weight not how we burn calories - our metabolisam - what foods we eat etc - That 1200 to lose 3 lbs is BS IMHO... But I'm not a rocket scieniest - just a fat chick. I have a freind who was trying to gain a little weight - so she was eating sugar - nothing no weight gain - then she deleted the sugar and added flour/white crabs - was eating less calories of the carbs than the sugar - but in eating the carbs she gained the weight - Go figure - it's how her body reacts to the food it's given So IMHO we each have to find out what works for us - but the main thing is to decrease calories and exercise - Zig Zag your calories but no more that 1200 max a day - when you exercise (walk) don't stroll - push yourself - sweat.. Walk fast for a few minutes - slow down - then speed up again.. There is no way to know how many calorie we burn even on those treadmills that tell us how much we burn - say that my trainer who's 43 - 5'10 - 260 and ALL muscle - pluggs in those # on the treadmill (age/weight) and the man next to him is the same height and weight but all fat and out of shape - they are going to burn diff amount of calories on the same speed and incline - my trainer is going to burn less cuz he's in shape - the fat guy is going to burn more cuz he is using muscles he hasn't used.. but the stupid machine is going to say the both burned the same amount of calories So that being said - we have to take all those #'s with a grain of salt - they are approximates only - not written in stone. I only used daily plate or fitday to get the calories of foods that I didn't know how many calories was in what I ate (del taco burrito) - All I did was log my food in a little note book like this BF - Weight Control oatmeal 160 c L - One Pot Wonder 150C D - 4 oz Fish 120 - 1/2 c Rice 120 - Veggie 50 = 270 S - Popcorn 100 - puddings 2 120 - fudgcicle 80 Total for the day 900 - Excerise 2.5 miles That's it - my exercise was $$$ in the bank - Just keep doing what you are doing eating healthy exerciseing and once you get proper restriction the weight is going to come off - some weeks it could be 1 lbs - next week 2 - next wee 1/2 - then 3 the next. What the kind of food you eat - I am not an atkins advocate - but I do eat limited refinded carb

Morning.......... I decided to chance a bath this morning.. Didn't use too much water so it didn't cover my incision.. One little part is still weeping a bit.... But, oh, did the soak feel good... A shower is refreshing, but I love to sit in the bath and relax...... So, bath accomplished... I feel pretty good.... Had a long day yesterday and need to regroup a bit today... Doing dishes, planning supper and ironing my DD bridesmaid dress for Saturday wedding is what's on my work list for today.. Should be able to get that done.. Apples, love your menu.... BBQ's spare ribs is about my favorite meal.... But DH isn't that fond of barbeque sauce, so don't do it too often... I may do ribs and kraut for supper... He loves that... and I like it, too... Now, the homemade rolls would be my downfall... I love bread and fresh homemade smeared with real butter.... Oh, I'm in heaven....... Glad I'm not there today.. I'd be cheating!!!! I totally hear you about losing a freezer... It's such a mess and what to do with the things that don't save well...... We lost our garage refridgerator a couple weeks ago... The stuff in the freezer part belonged to our other daughter, so no big loss as she didn't take it when they moved... But the extra fridge space is sorely missed... We are looking for a replacement, but just want something old and cheap!!! I have a spare freezer just sitting empty you could use if you were a lot closer!!!LOL!!!.......... Anyway, good luck... You'll be fine and those butts just need to stay out of your way!!!!! Laura, I'm thinking your weight gain has more to do with other things than food... Just wait it out and you'll be fine... If, I suffer with your problem sometimes, but a generic stool softener from Wal-Mart does the trick for me... You'll have to find what works for you.... Well, off to my chores... Everyone have a wonderful day.... TTYL.............. Julie

GREAT... I had a big weight gain, too. Surgery on Tues... when I got weighed on the Wii on the following Monday morning I was way up. Can't remember how much... but I think it was about 10 lb. But next Monday it was gone, following Monday about another 6 lb gone. It's not only the IV fluids, but your leg is quite swollen and lots of Water weight in that entire leg that you are not aware of. Trust me... it will drop off, probably in about another week. The more you move and exercise, the more the swelling will go down. CPM machines... (continuous passive motion) some doctors use them, others don't.. I didn't have that either. And they tried to put TED hose on me but my feet are small and my calves to big, so they had one on that leg but it fit so poorly that they took it of and left it off. I did have those little pumper things on my feet the first two days. Yes.... do contact your doc about the faintness/dizziness. Your blood count was low... BP low, you may need a transfusion.

Hi Everyone~ Janet~ <hugs> Sorry to hear about work. I know this is NOT the same... I worked for several years as an ER nurse (in the same hospital I had been born in, my mother worked as a nurse and where I had worked as an ER tech for 2 years) and was leaving for the Peace Corps, they did NOTHING! It's not like I was leaving for a new fancy job.. I was going to a 3rd world country! Not even a card! Again 3 years versus 30 years! Geez Louise! That would really upset me too. Hope you are feeling better both emotionally and physically. I hate hangovers. Meredith~ I had a HUGE horrible seroma after my surgery. They drained it every week x 2 and then every two weeks x 2. It slowly got smaller and smaller. That may very well be what it is. They are very common. Also, if you don't have any signs of infection, as Janet said (redness, swelling, fever, pus)... that might be it. Charlene~ good luck for your son! WOW! that would be so cool!!! Let us know what happens. Tonight we have a babysitter and are going out to dinner and to a movie. I feel a little guilty b/c Nelson wanted to go with us. But it is so necessary to have adult time. His teacher is going to be his sitter and he LOVES her, so he will be ok. Nels slept for 12 hours last night after his dental surgery yesterday. He had vistaril and nitrous oxide and the whole ordeal wiped him out. Since my sister left, the scale has not moved! I know I need to start keeping a food diary again. I need to see exactly what I am doing with calories and Protein, etc. Ever since vacation when I got out of the habit, I have had a hard time sticking to documenting everything. I hate that. I am exercising. But it makes me feel somewhat "out of control" when I am not keeping track of my intake. TOMORROW I will start again. My sister was 246 when she arrived at my house and yesterday she was 239! She said that being so good (eating on plan and exercising) here at my house really helped her! I am happy for her. My niece so worries me. When we went to the grocery store they have one of those big scales at the entrance. I hopped on. The scale only goes to 250 so for the LONGEST time I couldn't weigh on it!!! I was sooo happy to finally be on there! Anyway my niece got on and I was shocked to see her at 209! She was 140 at my wedding in 2001. And only recently in the last 1-2 years put on the weight. We went clothes shopping and she was so bummed about her size. She was had to get 18s. I used the opportunity to talk to her about how I know how she was feeling, etc. I tried to motivate her with all the usual pep talks. That night after dinner she ate a whole Häagen-Dazs sorbet (i think it was a pint, said 3 servings at 150 cal each), then 2 bowls of Lucky Charms, a regular coke and then 2 ice cream sandwiches. I did NOT have this stuff in the house, she had gone to the store and bought it. It broke my heart to just watch her eat and eat. We have all been there. At one point she said "don't anyone say anything to me". So, what do you say to that?! She is 26, educated, has watched her mother and aunt deal with morbid obesity and is clearly not wanting interference. Her boyfriend that she lives with is really upset with her weight gain. They were together a year before moving in together last January. He even asked her to "promise" she would lose weight. I don't know is she is subconsciously trying to see if he will leave her... to test him?! I want to tell you guys more about my sister's visit. Will do it tomorrow. Have a good weekend everyone!

Wow! Quick fly-by. Laura and Arlene, hugs on the pb's. Weight gain is usually responsible for the difficulties. I know Kashi would make me pb. I can't do grains. I'm surprised after the very strong post on carbs that I didn't get any pms. Of course, I'm not sure I'd get notified or be able to find them. LOL. I have this thread listed as my favorite and go right to this and nothing else on LBT. Some people just take themselves too seriously and are too sanctimonious. They need to get a life then maybe they'd have something to post about. Gotta go to choir. CBL Cheri

You know that you struggle with emotional issues of confidence & esteem that comes with being fat. But you may not know that you could be what are called as an avoider. This is due to the turmoil that comes with public & private dislike for obesity and you avoid confronting your situation at because of the fear of not being able to beat it. Here is how an avoider thinks – once you deviate even slightly from a diet or healthy eating you figure you might as we drop the whole thing – this stars a cycle that avoider can’t find a way out of – We are fat we try to lose weight we deviate just a little we feel rejection for the perceived failure we isolate ourselves from people we stop talking about it, we stop the diet we eat a pound of candy – we get fat then we try to lose weight and the cycle continues Instead of avoiding bad foods avoider tend to want to avoid other things like the people who want to help them and the disciple of trying to eat healthy. Avoiders try to separate themselves from these 2 strong emotion associated with dieting. The minute you ban any food from your diet you are setting yourself up for failure. If you eat half a cookie or a couple of fires from that banned food list – the diet is dead and that’s where the guilt sets in and now you feel that you lack the strength to succeed. This shame spins you back into the cycle of avoidance When you reach an obstacle you decide that instead of trying to find a way around it you might a well turn around and go back to the beginning – four fry’s leads to a handful then the whole bag. One way to handling emotional eating is you live & eat in the now – not being upset about what you are in the past and not obsessing about what you will eat in the future. The very thing that’s designed to help people lose weight is the very thing that promotes this harder – diets promote the all or nothing mentality. In our lives we allow for a margin of error – which we should also do when trying to eat healthy – if you are eating 1000-1200 calories a day – allow for some of those calories to be used for a little bit of something you really want - you need wiggle room in your diet to make it work – the all or nothing practices has to be thrown our of your mind. You can learn to reprogram your mind to strip away the guilt that comes with dieting. You have to realize that it’s not that the first slice of cake that will doom your diet – it’s the second or third or whole thing that leads to weight gain. You have to listen to your body & respond smartly to your cravings and emotions but over time you will learn how to eat right and mange your craving and that’s when you’ll train your brain to stop obsessing about eating right and punishing yourself – If you stop overthinking you’ll stop over eating..