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Oh but a wonderful non traditional was to treat my nausea that my recovery nurse did, was put an alcohol pad on my nose, so as i could sniff it! Worked wonders!!!

I recently had seltzer and lime j uice in a bar since I gave up alcohol. I didn't think much of the carbonation issue but then I noticed the same shoulder pain I had post-op. I sure didn't expect that 2-1/2 years after banding. Thankfully it didn't last long. No more bubbles for me. JustWatchMe

Well thats me going for my third fill tomorrow with wendy at wls and it cant come soon enough.It was my sons 13th birthday today and i have stuffed myself.We also had a party for him on sat were we had a buffy and loads of alcohol so i was not very good then.Today i took him for a mcdonalds for lunch and had one my self then my mum took us all out tonight for a chinese .So im sitting here disgusted with myself i realy hope i get some restriction after tomorrow as i feel as im eating as much as i used to before i got the band when i have a blow out.Most of the time i can eat small portions which does not bother me but lately it has been hard so roll on tomorrow.

I think yoga would be be fine no problems.I have never stopped drinking since i got my band and have had no problems i drink cider and whisky not in the same glass right enough.lol Im not in to sweets and crisps to much so my alcohol is my treat. Its just learning when you have had too much to eat im stil pb or being sick if i eat to much its just learning when to stop.

Hi tin I am feeling exactly the same roll on Tuesday. Holiday was great but too much calorie intake due to alcohol. Im feeling really hungry and i am also relying on willpower . I have been eating mostly protiens since I came home from hols but havent weighed myself yet do it tomorrow. Jx

i eat and drink alcohol,well i eat when i can i just find i dont loose any wait for a while then drop 7lb lol i just go with the flo,i think walking helped me the last time but it's too damn cold he he

http://www.newstatesman.com/200703120024 From the Linked article: America won't simply be paying with its dead. The Pentagon is trying to silence economists who predict that several decades of care for the wounded will amount to an unbelievable $2.5 trillion... ...It is sobering to think how the money going down the drain in Iraq could otherwise have been spent. "For this amount of money, we could have provided health insurance for the uninsured of this country," Bilmes tells me. "We could have made social security solvent for the next three generations, and implemented all the 9/11 Commission's recommendations [to tighten domestic security]." That kind of list goes on: the annual cost of treating all heart disease and diabetes in the United States would amount to a quarter of what the Iraq war is costing. Pre-school for every child in America would take just $35bn a year. __________________ Questions that need to be asked: Will the "Support Our Troops" crowd be there with the money for the mentally ill Vets? Will the "Support Our Troops" crowd still support the Iraq Vets who commit crimes like murder at 5 or 6 times the national level? Will the "Support Our Troops" crowd still support the Iraq Vets who are involved with spousal abuse at many times the national average? Will the "Support Our Troops" crowd still support the Iraq Vets when they are homeless and try to pan-handle money from the public? Will the "Support Our Troops" crowd still support the Iraq Vets with tax-funded alcohol and drug rehab centers? Will the "Support Our Troops" crowd still support the Iraq Vets with tax-funded prisons to incarcerate them and then preach about "Personal Responsibility"? These are Questions that need to be asked, even though we know the answers. We know the answers because we have seen the support for Vietnam vets. "Born on the 4th of July" should be required viewing for the "Support our Troops" crowd. I support our troops; by trying to bring them home where they belong. The "Support Our Troops" crowd in reality are the "Support our Stupid Wars" crowd, who never saw a war they couldn't support. They might also be called the "Let the mighty USA beat up small countries" crowd, because as cowards, they like to watch the blood and gore as the civilians of small nations are bombed, killed and maimed. It is the "Support Our Troops" crowd's version of wrestling.

Hi Dizzy Debs, yes roll on October!! I am going to Sri Lanka in two weeks time, with my husband, my eldest daughter and her husband. I have only told my husband as my three daughters will give me loads of ear ache and at my age think I am ready to make my own decisions!! (50). Like you I have loads of clothes in boxes from up and down the scales!! The last diet I did was lighterlife which was liquid only for four months!! Put all the weight back on and another stone...... This time I am sure I can do it with a little help from my band!! I am quite short so it all shows. I will eat until I come back from my holiday then I have two weeks. Fred said low fat diet, no alcohol, so I will try and do liquids only or low fat if its too hard, but I would like to keep in touch to see how your doing x

Hello all Week 35 Well I have got tighter and tighter again and only really managing cuppa soup. Even yoghurt is difficult but then that could be that I tried to rush it down as I needed to go and teach. Soon let me know as I get the most terrible pain in my back and just have to go get rid of it. Feel absolutley dreadful afterwards aswell and very reluctant to take anything in. Weighed in yesterday and had lost 1.5 lbs and 1.25 inches so total loss of 77.5 pounds and 66 inches. Phenomenol! So on the downward path for the last 25 pounds to get to a total loss of 101 pounds hopefully by the anniversary og having the band (30th July 2010). Had a setback yesterday whilst walking to pick the children up as I managed to fall over (didn't trip over anything or anyone) my dad said I should take more water with it BUT as I don't touch the stuff (alcohol) then that's not possible. I feel absolutely exhausted and wonder if my lack of water could have been a factor. I ended up in A&E with my knee brace on and just wanted to be checked over because of the ACL replacement I had done in 2008. Just as things were going so well with teaching yoga and school! I realy don't want to embark down this path of my life again. So fingers crossed that it is the swelling that is causing all the twinging in the back of the knee and nothing more sinister. Apart from this, feeling very positive, I was asked by the nurse in triage if I had taken any pain meds and explained that I didn't think they would go through because of the band so she gave me soluable paracetamol as I can't take brufen. She was really interested in how I had got on wth it and I was really proud to tell her how much I had lost and that I was waiting to buy new clothes and just replacing little bits as I go along. She was very impressed. So all in positive but in a lot of pain. Take care and have a lovely weekend. Claire

Yea I know... I thought the hard candy would help when I'm craving sweets and before surgery I always had peppermints or butterscotch in my mouth. I figure the sugar alcohol was better then sugar but I guess I need to break the habit if always having hard candy in my mouth. This is not the easy way out.. My mom had this divert in 2005 and she was bedrest for 6 months and never had food temptations... Sometimes. Wish that was me because I'm tempted all day everyday and chicken soup and potato broth an getting so old.

Lori/Great -- you DD's MIL is simply a control freak and is being ridiculous. You should e-mail her and tell her neither you or your DD are the hostesses and you do not feel you have the right to ask the hostess to change the date/place. Tell her she is welcome to attend, but if she must send her regrets, YOU will forgive her. What is wrong with people??? I feel so sorry for your DD to have to put up with this woman. Is she an alcoholic or a drug addict? With people like her you must be very direct and don't beat around the bush - if she can't forgive you /your daughter than that's her problem and her problem only. I know it's tough but you gotta hold your own now or it'll only get worse - especially after the baby is born. Your DD needs to take hold of the lasso and rope this woman into reality. She is the one that's nuts, not your dd. Hugs, Linda

Hello everyone! I'm back from my trip and happy to see all of you are doing well. Long, congratulations on another great accomplishment -- I think you already deserve the gold medal, but if Janet is making you do another 10 pounds for the gold, I know you will do it. Such a great inspiration! Julie, hope you have other people helping out making pies and ice cream as it sounds like a lot for just you to do! I'm sure it will be a great time. Sounds like fun. Wish I could be there too. Meredith, just another week! That will go by fast! You're doing great, and I know you'll do great after your surgery too. I loved that you "cheated" with olives. LOL. I too love olives and pickles and crave them sometimes, so I completely understand. I was like you when I did my 2 week liquid diet -- I felt great and was so sick of food by that time that I too was happy to get started with my new life. Pam, so happy that you are feeling better. I also love that your boys said "wow" at last. I think it's true that when we're with people everyday, it is harder to notice the changes. I'm sure you'll get lots and lots of compliments at your reunion. Have a great time. Laura, what a nice experience you had with that woman. It's nice to talk in person to another bandster, isn't it? I have one friend that I met on LBT that had the same surgeon as me and we try to get together after the support group meetings to talk and we e-mail several times a week. I guess we're "lap band sisters." Janet, all I can say is "Wowzeeee!" You look fantastic and soooo skinny -- I'd never ever guess you were ever a fat chick. Love that color of your blouse on you -- so pretty with your skin and hair. Laura, so sorry you are still bothered with TOM. Oh my goodness, that's the ONE advantage of getting old. I don't miss that at all. Charlene, so sorry about your hubby's surgery being postponed, but have faith that it will happen before summer is over. Glad they are so careful so your DH is not in danger. Love your Dr. Garth -- saw some new shows recently - he and his dad are great with their patients. Well, I went to the Lake of Ozarks and behaved pretty well, had a delish margarita one night and a couple of other frozen drinks (someone brought one of those tubs you mix with vodka) and they tasted really great (considering I've had no alcohol since probably Nov. or Dec. LOL. I only had two meals that were not strictly on my plan. One was a chopped salad at an Italian restaurant that has a famous parmesean salad dressing and we went there ESPECIALLY for that salad. But I ordered a small and didn't touch the roll or butter, so that was a victory for me. That same night we met some other friends at a pizza place and the only thing I could order was some pasta with a pink sauce with shrimp, so I ate the shrimp and had a few bites of the pasta and then I offered it to another girl who ate some and so I wouldn't eat the rest I opened the salt shaker and dumped enough in it that would make me not want it. But I was bad and didn't get any exercise in (four days). But the good new is, is that my shoulder which has been bothering me for almost 2 months didn't hurt today when I went back to the gym, so I think that 4 days rest was what it needed to finish healing. So, that's a good thing. I won't weigh until my regular day on Tues., so I hope I did okay. But I had several NSV which I want to share. One of my friends I've always thought of as "thin" gave me an outfit to try on. She said, "it's a little snug on me, but I think it will fit you, so try it on. If you like it you can have it." I said, "oh, I don't think that will fit ME." But OMG, it DID! I couldn't believe it. However, like everyone else, when I look in the mirror, I still see the old me, not the new me when I look in the mirror. Well, after that, there was no stopping me. One of the girls had set up a fashion show at the Dress Barn at the outlet mall and I was shocked at what cute clothes Dress Barn has! Well, to say the least, I spent the most money (by a large margin). I was so busy trying on clothes that I could probably have counted it as exercise (only kidding). But too many cute things and I made it into a size 16 without elastic!! Oh what a thrill! It's been over 10 years since I've had on any pants without elastic. So I'm happy happy now. LOL. And, I was able to wear Large tops and even some mediums. That's a big difference from 3X and 4X I was wearing in January. Just had to share all this good news with my friends here on LBT. Thanks to you all for your support every day. I love you all. Linda

Here's what I wrote to Dr. Oz: I watched your show on the Lapband procedure. I am two years out, had my lapband in January, 2009. I lost 106 pounds (reach goal) in 11 months and have maintained that weight loss since December, 2009. I enjoyed the show until you had the food segment. It is a grossly incorrect representation of how lap band patients eat on a daily basis. First of all, we eat Protein -- at least 70 to 80 oz. per day. The rules of lapband (which you NEVER mentioned) are protein FIRST, drink 64 oz. of Water daily, exercise and no snacking!!! You even showed foods as "snacks" which is clearly breaking a lap band rule!! The lifestyle changes include all of the rules mentioned above plus limiting carbinated beverages, limiting carbs, and limiting alcohol intake as well as learning to eat slowly, small meals (we use small plates and bowls to help our minds adjust to new portion sizes) we exercise. That's how the tool works -- not the way it was represented on your show. I belong to Lap Band Talk -- there's a group of us who have been meeting on one thread for three years -- most of us are seasoned, are at goal and follow the rules and have for several years. There's also an expert on bariatric surgery by the name of Kaye Bailey who has a very helpful website -- google 5 day pouch test and you will find her site -- she's devoted her life the past few years to bariatric surgery patients and is a successful patient of bariatric surgery herself. Here's a sample of what I eat every day: Breakfast -- green yogurt with strawberries and blueberries lunch - 1 egg omelet with turkey sausage, onions and peppers and sometimes sliced green olives and a wedge of laughing cow cheese. dinner -baby spring greens with onions, tomatoes, another wedge of laughing cow cheese and 4 to 5 oz. of grilled chicken breast tossed with Kraft low fat sesame/ginger dressing. I work 8 to 5 but don't have a lunch hour until 1:00 p.m. so I usually have a snack of PB2 (powdered peanut butter) with some celery sticks mid morning. In the afternoon or evening I snack on sugar free popsicles and to cure any sweet tooth or hunger I make sugar free fat free pudding with a scoop of Protein powder added in. I make it with fat free milk and portion it out. I exercise every day -- 60 mins. of cardio and 3 times a week I do weight machines although I have to be careful because of neck and back problems. I've lost thousands of pounds in my life, but never learned how to eat until I had lap band surgery and found my on line support group at Lapband talk. Support group is necessary for accountability - those who belong to a support group and sign in every day and hold ourselves accountable are the ones who are succeeding. Feel free to check our group out -- www.lapbandtalk.com -- go to "mentors" forum and then find "I'm here to help" -- that is our group that's been together for years - we actually travel once or twice a year to get together personally - we've all become good friends and go through our journeys together - keeping each other motivated. That is what life with lap band is like - not how it was portrayed on your show. Any of us would be happy to discuss this further with you or any one from your staff. Feel free to contact me any time. We love you Dr. Oz, but you need to get this information correct - it's too important. Hope none of you minded that I invited him to snoop on our thread!

Jessica, your Dr. sounds like some of the extremely controlling rigid food Nazi's who took over OA around these parts. I do believe we use carbs to take the edge off our emotions; I certainly use carbs to medicate my ADHD. I used them so much I gained 80 extra lbs just so I could sit still and stay in one place. LOL. However, many carbs are low glycemic and fruits and veggies contain flavenoids and micronutrients that are very good for us, and even white potatoes have potassium (if not much else). Unlike alcoholics and drug addicts, we can't just eliminate food from our lives, not even carbs. Frankly, I can eat turkey, one mouthful after the other, until I'm "stuffed." And its not a carb. We do have to be vigilant because we are never "cured" of this disease. But with the help of the band, I can stay on top of it. Knowing my trigger foods I can stay away from them most of the time. And when my food is threatening to get out of control and the weight is coming back I go to the tool that helped me lose weight, which was several days of almost no carb eating followed by a few days of maintenance low carb eating. And guess what! Exercise takes the edge off our emotions and helps us deal with them. So is that something we shouldn't do in order to fully feel our emotions? Going to church and participating in activities and participating in a community are all supposed to help us stay positive and fight depression and live longer. So should we stop doing that in order to fully feel our feelings? Psychotropic(?) drugs have enabled many people to live much more meaningful lives rather than staying stuck in manic or depressive or paranoid or aggressive or obsessive thinking and feeling. So should we take everyone off those drugs so they can fully feel their feelings? Balderdash! (Great word isn't it?) Oprah has had every food, lifestyle, and feel your feelings guru on her show and emotes frequently in front of national audiences. She can pay people to manage her food and train her body. Guess what? She still has an eating disorder that keeps her fat. Let me tell you, most of those food nazi's in OA could have used a little more chocolate in their lives. Maybe they wouldn't have been so nasty. Nasty nazi's. LOL. Some of the most judgemental, controlling, paranoid people I've ever met. They weighed and measured and counted everything, carbs, calories, fat grams. They decided they were allergic to this and to that food and that everyone else must be too. And if you weren't doing things exactly like them then you weren't "sober." You had to have a food sponsor to whom you reported your food, preferably twice a day, and they frequently had spiritual sponsors and program (12 step) sponsors to help them work the steps. Balderdash! Anyway, your Dr. sounds like he's fallen amongst these theives of common sense and proponants of fuzzy logic. So, that's my rant for the day. LOL. Felt good. Cheri

I dont usually reply to posts but you sound so blue and some how you touched my heart. being in New Zealand my comments seems of so little help as I feel so far away but here goes. We carry so much emotional baggage with our weight and it makes the whole food addicition thing much harder for us to accept. We should equate it more to alcoholism but much worse because we HAVE to eat to stay alive. I have been struggling with a rice pudding which I made as I had left over milk....why I did this I have not idea...but I have just taken it out and fed it to the chickens. It is so depressing and I try to remember what my alcoholic daughter says to me 'mother if I have one drink I will die' and i suppose if we hadnt had the LB and went on putting on weight we would die too. So what I am trying to say is that at least we have the tools to be able to lose but it is a struggle. In NZ we have to have regular check-ins with a psycologist to aid us with the baggage that we carry and it is a help, sometimes.

Thanks for the congrats guys. I'll probably be going up and down for the next week before the new weight settles in. Thats what usually happens. Jessica, as a Christian who went to Christian schools and sent my kids there and as one who teaches in a Christian school, I gotta say your SIL is nuts. She'd rather do the most unChristian thing I've heard of than get the child the help he needs from a public school? He's probably ADHD with a learning disability and now the hormones are kicking in. And she's too busy and tired trying to raise and homeschool the rest of them to give him the extra help and attention he needs. So she'd rather get rid of him than send him where he can get the help he needs and admit that she's failing him. What misplaced pride. The most generous interpretation I have is that she's having pregnancy psychosis. What a message she's sending to the other children. Screw up, don't measure up to our "Christian" standards and we will get rid of you. Where is her DH in all this? Why isn't he getting her the help she needs? Including psychiatric. I would have the boy thoroughly evaluated before fostering or adopting him. He may be very damaged already from his first home life as well as the second. He may need special placement in a therapeutic setting, particularly if he has bonding issues and PTSD as well as academic and behavioral issues. Reactive Attachment Disorder can make adopting an absolute nightmare. Some of these children are too damaged to be placed in a regular family. If that is the case with your nephew, then we may be judging your sister too harshly. Sometimes these children are actually a danger to their parents and siblings. But like most sociopaths they can present really well to outsiders who don't see them on a daily basis. They can be very charming but never actually bond and feel no remorse over doing wrong or hurting others, only over getting caught. They can be highly manipulative and you end up feeling crazy and not knowing why. I think what you are offering is tremendous and I truly hope it works out. Make sure you have state funding and medical care for this child and payment for any therapy and extra tutoring he might need. I would initially go foster care with him because once adopted you might not have access to funding to provide for his needs. My brother and his wife had to give a young child back to the province because the local social services refused to diagnose the child as having rad and provide them with the support services they needed. They had the child privately evaluated and found out she not only had RAD and PTSD, she was ADHD and had Fetal Alcohol Sysndrome. It killed them to do it but they did not have the training or the access to funds to provide the child with the care she needed and this was the only way they could force the province and social services to provide for her. The two or three years they went through all that were some of the worst times of their life and they felt like total failures. Cheri

Good Evening Gang I was way to busy at work to ck in today - will be that way all week... It was very hectic - just catching up on email - my desk and my gf Diane's - didn't really get much accomplished just pushing paper from one pile to another.. Then I have this $20 charge on Valentine's day on my debit card - I didn't go anywhere that day - so I called bank - as well 1/2 hr later transfered to 3 pple - I was very frustrated - now I have to go to the bank and get a new debit card - they say it was swiped at 6;40 p.m in Rancho Mirage - I have card and I wasn't in Rancho Mirage at 6:40 p..m. Monday had gym got home around 6:20 - So just a icky day.. Didn't want to go to gym - but did... Rhabdomyolysis is the rapid breakdown (lysis) of skeletal muscle (rhabdomyo) due to damage to muscle tissue. The muscle damage may be caused by physical (e.g. crush injury), chemical, or biological factors. The destruction of the muscle leads to the release of the breakdown products of damaged muscle cells into the bloodstream; some of these, such as myoglobin (a protein), are harmful to the kidney and may lead to acute kidney failure. The severity of the symptoms (which may include muscle pains, vomiting and confusion) depends on the extent of the muscle damage, and whether kidney failure develops. Treatment is with intravenous fluids, and dialysis or hemofiltration if necessary.[1][2] Non-physical causes Non-physical causes reported to cause rhabdomyolysis include:[1][2] Drugs of abuse, including: alcohol, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, LSD Linda - Yep being a step parent is really hard - Hugs Hugs Hugs.. Lori - Hope the baby hurries up and comes, those last few weeks are always tough Charlene - I thought fillers only lasted about a yr - we will see ;0) Well gang - I'm pooped - Ttyl

Thanks for the recipes, Apples. I will do the asparagus for sure and will do the roast if I don't find a good prime rib. This will help a lot. I will have to use everyday dishes as that's all I really have except for possibly my mom's set of the blue and white Currier and Ives dishes everyone had in her day. We are really boring when it comes to beverages, DH & I have diet coke or water. We don't drink much alcohol, or tea or coffee just because we don't like it not because we have any issue with it. What should i have to drink??? Is instant coffee a bad thing? I do have a really old coffee maker my kids complain about when they visit (tends to get a lot of grounds in the coffee somehow). Wine? what kind??

Hey Gang! I just got back from the endocrinologist. I was pleasantly surprised to find I do not have low D. In fact, he told me I had excellent numbers especially my cholesterol. My good cholesterol is 103. He is the second doctor in two weeks to tell me I am going to live a long time. He said he had never seen anyone lose 80lbs on a lap band like I did. He just doesn't know all of you. I have gained, but he said it was probably the Savella(FM drug) and Lexapro. Now, I am going to talk to the shrink about getting off of it or cut it down. Apples, I know you care very much about me succeeding on this journey. I appreciate all the comments. I just want y'all to know where I am coming from. I do believe I have an addiction to sweets. I inherited it from my dad who was and alcoholic. The more I battle it daily the more I forgive my dad for his disease. The more I forgive the stronger I become. This is definitely "One day at a time". Your poor FIL. I take it he is coming back to MN. Who is going to care for him while he recovers? Yes, you BIL is the current saint. I hope all the sisters appreciate his sacrifice. I know you do. Melissa, I know your DH is being a butt. Men always feel less than whole when they can't give their families all their needs. Try real hard to reassure him that you understand. I am praying for you a full time position. What is a carb monster Soup? Where are the recipes? Linda, I am going to see if I can watch that show online. I am sorry I missed it. I have been watching Dr. Oz. He has so many health tips. Eva, I have seven cherry tomatoes on one plant. Now I just go out twice a day to check on my garden. I had forgotten how much I loved having a garden. This is my first time to have an above ground garden. I put some Miracle Grow soil in it so I should have a good crop. LauraK, I know what you mean.....a vacation sounds so good especially after a hard winter Sndy......well, your doctor knows best. My friend just did not want to be put to sleep three times. She is a nurse so all that stuff scares her. I'm ignorant......so I just trust God has put me in good hands and He will wake me up.

Okay so I confronted my husband last night needless to say we talked slashed argued. I used the examples everyone gave me like bringing booze home to an alcoholic. He said he has put up with my dieting since we were dating so for over 10 years and I guess he is over it. I said if you bring the candy home put it in another place than in his desk where I can get it. I explained sugar and carbs are my drugs of choice. He asked why was I trying to kill myself ? I could not give him an answer except I said I can't control alot of things in my life right now except what I put in my mouth. Which is so stupid cause what I eat make me feel worse. I don't smoke I have a drink sometimes but eating is my drug like so many of us. When I was getting my tattoos the pain hurt but made me felt better like I deserved it. So when I could not use my birthday money to get more work done on my tattoo I was upset and ate. I want to be one of those people who use exercise instead of food to make myself feel better, but even though I live close to work my husband does not like the idea of me walking to work. I am so tired of being told what to do by him. He really is not horrible person I know it sounds like he is but you have to meet him to know how much he gives of himself to his family and friends. I told he yesterday to lay off about my job I like it, I know we have to pay cobra but stop stress over it we can't change it; however in the mean time I have contacted someone I used to work with at my old job who left that company and went somewhere else. I gave him my resume and he said to expect a call in a couple of days because he really liked my work ethic when we worked together and he thought them letting me go was a bad thing they did to me. Okay so I c my shrink on Tuesday can't wait. Right now as I am typing this I want more than anything to be back to the way I was exercising, taking care of myself. I have the tools I need but my dam head gets in the way okay the carb monster. I bring good stuff to eat for lunch at work I eat that but still have room for a snack. Vending machine crap. Does this mean I need a fill or is that just head stuff getting in the way. I only ask cause I am supposed to go c my LB Dr on Monday and don't know if I should push my appt back talk to the shrink get my head back in order give myself a chance to use my tools before spending the $100 I really don't have. Even though he might give me a fill. Opinions about the LB Dr anyone? I hope this answer alot of questions everyone had. I Love you all and you are all such wonderful friends. Maybe the next big adventure could be you all come to Ga and we can meet. I would so Love that.

Morning...interesting conversation. Let's just home none of us discover we only have 24 hours left....if I do, then I don't want to know. We need to resume this conversation for Las Vegas. Laura, I found a "duffle on wheels" type suitcase at the Samsonite outlet store in Phoenix. I love it. It isn't particularly lightweight, but I can sure pack a lot of stuff in it and it has a lot of handles so I can grab it many different ways. I took it to Costa Rica and DH and I use it when we need to check a bag and we just need one extra bag that we share. Cheri....getting plastered is fun at the moment, but the after affects aren't really worth it to me. Ug! But I guess you really need to do it at least once to know what it's all about. I have an automatic shut off valve, I drink too much, I throw up. It's sort of like PBing with alcohol. LOL. Off to work again this morning. I know I'm wishing my life away, but geez, I'm not going to miss the weekly grind of getting up, going to work, not having enough time to do what I want to do. Okay, talk to you all later. Eva

Meredith, I was going to OA for a while then all my job crap got in the way i was looking to going back cause it help to be around people who had eating issues. I would say I am a compulsive eater as well. I forgot who it was but someone on this board was talking to me about it. You can go online and get information about meetings and they will send you information as well. I think it is hard for people like our group because our addiction is food and we need food to live unlike people who are in NA or AA who can just put themselves in an enviroment that does not contain the Drugs or Alcohol. I know in OA that is a book and a workbook basically it is the same 12 steps like AA. I did find it informative and like I said once I get settle into my new job I going to get myself back together with a plan of attack to get myself under control and losing again. I have a couple of more days of orientation and then I start working in my dept most likely Thurs so then I will know more of what is expected of me.

Becky you are doing good on the food only suggestion make your unjury with 100% skim milk (more protein) and add it to your Soups instead of water - that's what I did to boost the Protein.. - I don't think I was eating much for the first few day... Hows the other issue - the tmi issue has that gotten any better :redface: Hi Serenity I'm here for you but warning some tough band love coming your way (Love is the operative word) I am with your doctor - if your band is too tight to let you eat regular food then you are abusing it and with that abuse you could be injuring yourself. Also and not to be mean here but what are you accomplishing keeping your band so tight - you are eating around it anyway. The only person you are kidding is yourself - as I keep saying this battle with our obesity is mental - You just gotta get your mind in the game and quit playing games with yourself. I know all about those games - I have been there done that and even convinced myself I wasn't playing head games with myself:lol: That I didn't mind being fat - that I was happy the way I was - I enjoyed my food - couch and tv. Well that frickin couch food and tv were killing me - fatter and fatter - tired all the time - etc - you know the drill. You have started the journey to get healthy by being banded - but that little devil on your shoulder is telling you that your band isn't working - so just eat around it - it's ok you still are eating smaller portions its' ok eat that baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream - cuz that's all you are eating... Wrong !!!! Do you know how much food I have thrown away - You know those new cute snake packs of Cookies - ya 1 bag 100 calories but when you keep going back for one more bag - those 100 calories adds up.. So in the trash - If I can't control it - it goes in the trash - that's is empowering - throwing the crap away - You are a food addict - the addiction is worst than drugs or alcohol as we have to eat food to live - we can't totally abstain .. You have the prayer - now put it into effect in your life. To nite make a grocery list with healthy food choices (no sider foods) clean out the pantry of all the junk foods. Plan healthy meals for the week bf lunch dinner and 2 healthy Snacks - get a little note book or go online and keep a food diary (dailyplate.com) Call the doc's office tomorrow - get a slight unfill so that you can eat hard proteins - Do you do any exercise - if so what - starting tomorrow at least get in a 30 minute walk (you can break it down to 3 10 minute walks if need be) minimum 5 days of the week. If you can go to the gym even better - walk on the treadmill and then we will have you hitting the weight machines. You will weight yourself in the morning and then you will put the scale away til next Monday morning You will eat healthy for the next week - you will log your calories (keep them between 900-1200) you will exercise just for this week you will make this commitment to yourself You will drink your water or crystal lite (64 oz a day) for the next week. Next Monday if you have followed the plan - you will get your 1st 7 day chip for living a healthy lifestyle.. OK so now what to do when that old devil food is calling you. Don't buy the junk = have only healthy low calorie foods to eat (sf healthy choice fudgecicles - sf puddings - air popcorn) Look for a distraction - get on the computer come to LBT - it's open 24/7 - p.m. or email me - I will usually respond that day or the next (depending on the time 3 a.m i will be asleep and getting back to you when i am awake:lol:) If I am gone for a weekend - you have the other ladies here who will help you. -"you all can say - Oh Janet would say to do this or that" Or Oh we know Janet is going to kick our butts if we eat that candy bar and go over out calorie budget We are a team - We are accountable to ourselves 1st and the team secondly. We are all fat chicks battling the little devil on our shoulders telling us it's just to hard to do this - (Yes I still consider myself a fat chick - cuz in my head I will be forever - I Know that I can NEVER NEVER go back to being a couch potato and a foodie or it will come all back on even with the band) Ok other distractions - go clean the bath room - clean out your drawers - your closet - go wash your face and give yourself a facial. If you want to talk privately you can always p.m. or email me by going to my profile - but there really isn't anything you can say that the others here haven't already experienced (we all have done things that are embarrassing - closet eating bingeing etc) Give me one week - you can do that - small goals is what we are after and all those small goals add up to BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS :biggrin: BTW - I will be gone next weekend Friday - Sunday - I have been asked to participate on a lap-band patient advisory panel and I don't have a laptop nor do I have Internet on my cell phone - I don't text - my age is showing :tongue:- I am not one who has to be connected 24/7 -OMW my 13 yr GD carries her cell phone to the bathroom with her - my GS who's 17 is on the computer - house phone talking and texting on his cell.. Information overload for me :tt2: You can do this = just one week at a time ok - I am here for you - and yes some days it will be hard - but you are worth the work - you can do this - you have a brain and soul you have more control than you give yourself credit for.. You can and will do this... I have faith in you.. Hugs Janet

E60 - Welcome !!! Being pouch full and statisfied are 2 different things - If you have read any of my post - I talk about this all the time !!! I will eat my dinner and will be physically full - but still want to eat - mentally I am not full - this is head hunger and it does manifest it's self in to you thinking you are really physically hungry - but you really aren't cuz if you eat any more you will bp. Your doc is asking if you are pouch full - and yes slider foods (yogurt, ice cream, thin oatmeal, soft veggies anything super soft - for me popcorn is a slider and so are Cookies & chips and cake) are foods that you can eat 24/7 and tons of without restriction as they slide right thru the band.. There is a reason for the band rules - Protein 1st - then veggies and if any room starches - the reason is that you will be pouch full after about 4 oz of meat - you then may get to eat 1/4 c of veggies... Yep Bonnie - tracking forces you to be honest :biggrin: and ya I bet you fell down those stairs on purpose (just kidding - really hope you are OK) A while back I was sitting at the computer with my legs crossed got up to go to bed - well my foot had fallen asleep - and I fell hard on it and hear this snap crackle pop - thankfully I didn't break anything - but I did sprain it... Holly - Thanks !!! You are doing good on your calories & exercise - Keep it up -:rose: and sweetheart - cornbread is bread :smile: and as stated above I think your doctor wants to know if you are pouch full - not satisfied - hell thats why we were fat in the first place - we ate to darn much food - and just like a drug addict or an alcoholic - the amount of food we ate to feel satisfied keep getting to be more and more... Remember the day when you ate 1 candy bar and were fine - I remember I would make a box of rice a roni and I would eat on it all weekend - but prior to banding - that box was gone in one setting :smile: . As to the weakness are you getting your Vitamins ??? that's very important along with your water - I would discuss it with your doctor again - cuz you shouldn't be feeling weak.. Becky - Sounds like good restriction to me - cuz I will get stuck on pudding too if I eat too fast... Yes life seems to revolve around food - all the holidays the birthdays etc and you will also notice how much pple eat and how fast they eat and the whole eating out thing - it's so hard to make good choices - but with proper restriction it's ok to eat that enchilada cuz you won't be able to eat it all- you will box up the left overs and have a few meal out of what use to be 1 meal.. Missing being able to pig out - yep - I hear ya girl on that one - I still miss it and most likely always will - but it's in our heads as you said and as each day passes it does get a little easier as with each pound that is lost you feel so much better and that feeling is better than the taste of the food (well most of the time :biggrin:) Well, gang - I have been to the gym twice today - 4 miles this morning and weights tonite - am charging my Ipod as I type so that it will be ready for tomorrow (NO EXCUSES) so that I can do another 4 miles after work tomorrow - I gotta get these 3 lbs off and fast... I am making soup for dinner - oxtail - cabbage zucchini carrots mini corn on the cob and oxtail's- will be eating soup for lunch the rest of the week and getting in ALL if not Extra exercise - dessert tonite will be strawberries & black berries with some lite whip cream... No more candy or Oreo cookies or real ice cream... Til tomorrow - Sweet Dreams !!! :tongue2:

A happy and healthy New Year to all! As someone said, we get to do a do-over. Keep sending in all those good results; I plan to join you! Jewel, you must be excited about your surgery. The healing is minimal and soon you will be on your way. I wish there was surgery for the head.... My sister, who weighs 100, but has an eating disorder, does not eat any sugar. Period. Hasn't for years. I just don't seem to be able to entirely eliminate any one thing. Why can't I look at potato chips (for example) as an alcoholic looks at liquor? To know that I just cannot eat that. Can't..won't....well, maybe just a little.... Isn't it funny how someone can be so strong in some areas and the one thing that we DO have total control over (what we put in our mouths) is my weakness. I have a change of attitude coming. I think with more exercise and better meal choices, I will feel better physically and ...emotionally. Is there anyone that is starting over again, like me? judy--hugs to all