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Myth, myth, myth!! Calories are a unit of energy. You can't burn energy (i.e., workout) and then store the calories. If you burn the calories, they are gone. If you operate at a calorie deficit, you lose fat and/or muscle. This is physics and has to do with the laws of conservation. The problem is that scales measure your absolute weight which includes everything you ate that hasn't been disgested and all the Water you are retaining. Remember: your body is mostly water. So water fluctuations can mask what is going on with your fat and muscles. For example, if you weigh yourself in the morning and you are 200 and then you immediately have an enormous BM and you weigh yourself right afterwards, you will be under 200, maybe even as much as 1 lb. But you haven't actually lost any weight, of course. Your body fat percentage is the same and your muscles are the same. Also, when you work out, you tear down muscle and use up the glycogen stores in your muscles. Then, overnight, your body puts the glycogen back and also rebuilds your muscles. When you use up glycogen, you release water (4 lb. of water for every pound of glycogen) and when you build them back up, you put that water back into them. This is why you can skip a few days at the gym and still "lose" weight. You haven't really lost weight. But your body released some water because you aren't tearing down your muscles and building them back up. It's also why you can drink a lot one night and "lose" weight the next day ... alcohol is a diuretic and you can lose water weight when you drink it. This is also why you can go out to eat, but not eat off your plan, and still "gain" weight the next day -- restaurant food has a lot of sodium and that makes you retain water. The other thing is, it takes about a day, sometimes two, for the effects of your exercise and eating to make their way through the body. That is why sometimes the day you do intensive exercise, you may not be that much hungrier than usual, but the next day you can be starving even if you don't exercise the next day. Your body rebalances your energy stores overnight while you sleep and so sometimes it takes through the next day to see what the impact was of what you did the day before. So as to how a contestant on this show can gain a pound, there are number of ways: 1) Eating... sneak eating, eating bigger portions, putting more "stuff" on your food (more condiments, more sauce) 2) Working out a lot and being in a state during the weigh in where your muscles are packing on the water as they restore glycogen 3) Drinking or eating too close to a weigh in 4) Being constipated 5) Slacking off on exercise (maybe working the machines at a lower intensity than in the past) 6) Not drinking enough water (water helps flush out the remains of your fat burning) 7) For women, TOM and retaining water. Some women also retain water when they ovulate.

Wow, Tina what a SMALL world. What is medifast? Congrats to her! Id have to admit i lost WAY easier prior to band then now. Now its like you have a hard time eating when stressed, tired, dehydrated, exhausted, early am, late night, and liquids are just so nice. I am making a goal though of 15-20 before xmas.. i think we can all do it. Thats only 1 lb a week. Weve lost 3 a week.. so i know it can be done!!! Im cutting carbs down to one meal a day, and no more alcohol. That stuff i think seriously is getting me in trouble. OH and my coffee intake!!! I never drank coffee preop.. now i get migraines if i dont!!! Today I bought some natural herb supplement and st johns wart lol.. and mom wants to try slim fast for two weeks to detox.. off the carbs.. AND, i moved all my pasta crap to stephens cupboard. Ok.. im done talking. Anyone wanna do a challenge or something?

p-butter, oh no not rihght after surgery!! I can barely eat it now! 2 cans of soup would have done me - seriously. Get a magic bullet blender; you can eat anything that the family is having (once on Stage 3) by just poppin' it in the ol' blender. I ate GOOD in stage 3 . . . . used it all the time in stage 2 also, turned anything into soup with some broth or soy milk :-) YO - drinkies and calories = my area of expertise, yo Jes jump in anytime here! All "shots" (hard alcohol, assuming it is unsweetened - does not include the likes of Malibu rum, etc) has exactly the same amount of calories and ZERO carbs. If you are in an establishment that knows you, bring diet cranberry (ocean spray) juice and drink that with plain old vodka. Otherwise stay away from any kind of fruit juices. Vodka (or plain rum) works with crystal lite too - and we ALL pack THAT around - and in diet jello shots. Michalob ultra is like 70 cals and 2.3 carbs, it is a beautiful thing for BEFORE surgery; after you have to pour it into a glass from 3 feet height and let it flatten before you can drink it! I can actually drink one out of the bottle now, but too hard to stick to 1 so I don't. I am especially partial to vodka diet tonic, no fruit. But that was when I drank vodka . . . . I'm over than now. But I lost so much weight that I cant drink like i used to! 2 is my limit and I have a hard time with that, so I sip red wine now - i NEVER chug that. It has calories AND carbs but I am drinking 2 not 5 or 6, so it all works out and saves me from stupid and regretable behavior(!) I had to not drink at all to lose 43 lbs. before surgery - probably one of the main reasons that I lost it so easilt, LOL!!

Hey y'all! Rick is not going to TX until after Christmas, looks like he will be gone right after, and miss New Years. Which is not a huge deal to us---------I will fix him all his favorites, which is what we do for NY anyway when he gets back. He has an employee who wants to go now, does not want to miss a NYE party. So he is going to go now and let his wife get everything ready for Christmas by herself----Rick thinks the guy is ok, I think he is an alcoholic married to someone who deserves him, they are very dysfuntional. Now all that said, it would not surprise me for things to change at the last minute, but I am not worried about it. We went this weekend and pretty much finished up the shopping except for an electric skillet I want to get for his Mom at Target, and they are out of stock, so going to watch for it, or check on line---then we are done---so whenever he goes I will handle it. The guy keeps telling Rick he needs the $$$ for Christmas. Rick has told him, it WILL be great money but it won't come in on the paycheck until AFTER Christmas, the way time goes in.....so... we'll see! Snowed about 5 inches, and has stopped for the most part now, it is spitting slowly, but nothing to stack up. I took my Mom to look at sofas. She got rid of hers.....just got rid of her furniture! Now is wanting to just walk in and buy some, and most places have to order it, so she may be without furniture for 3 weeks! LOL leave it to my Mom! She did find a really nice leather set in the Oak Super Store place, so Dad is going to go look and see if he likes it -- and it is in stock, so maybe she will be ok! Met Rick for lunch, ate a piece of fish----fried, but fish!!! And nothing else. I smell my chile and my beans cooking, and they smell wonderful!! While we were in the mall we were coming out of Sears, and ran into an old neighbor. He and his former wife and 2 boys my kids age lived next door for years. Nicest guy--got great kids. Had a wild one for a wife! She is nice, but she is wild---she is teeny tiny, and thinks she is 7 foot tall in invincible! She has attitude to spare! They divorced not long after moving from here----she was messing around with one of their horse trainers. The son that is Manda's age told her about it. Anyway--we stopped and talked and caught up on the kids. He told me I looked "incredible". He said the younger son --the one Abbeys age had told him I lost a bunch of weight---but he was just shocked you could tell. Which was flattering, but yet embarrassing, to know he was thinking how fat I was.....hard to explain----I know he was being complimentary, but it is a fine line! I let it go, and took the compliment!!! LOL I have a nice fire going, dinner done.....think it is time to go change into some hang around the house comfy jammie pants!!!

Okay, I was banded Jan 12. I had my first fill yesterday. As I mentioned before I was using my Dr.'s scale as my official, but because I weigh in the evenings, fully clothed at his office, I'm switching to mine. Now, my fill went really well. He numbed the spot first. There's been a lot of back and forth regarding the numbing, for me...it felt similar to alcohol on an open wound. As long as you don't breath, it doesn't sting. At the first sting, I immediately caught my breath for a few seconds. By the time I inhaled, it had already done its job. Wasn't bad at all. Now, I was told that my band holds about 12cc. He started by putting in 5cc. Yes, I know... Then he had me sitiup (with the needle still in) and drink some water. It backed up, so he removed some of the saline. He asked me again if it was still backing up, or going through...I opened my mouth to respond and up came a burp. I laughed and said, "I believe it's going through now."

A summary by Jack Dresser, Ph.D., with selected excerpts from two books: Bush on the Couch by Justin A. Frank, M.D. Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, George Washington University and The Superpower Syndrome by Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. Distinguished Visiting Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Harvard University Psychiatrist Jerrold Post, M.D., founder of the CIA’s Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior, stated, “the leader who cannot adapt to external realities because he adheres to an internally programmed life script...has displaced his private needs upon the state.” Applied psychoanalysis is a discipline used routinely by intelligence agencies since early in World War II to identify such distortions and predict political behavior through psychological profiles of foreign leaders. Although lacking the data of direct doctor-patient interaction, such analyses have far greater external data available to draw upon. Dr. Frank has applied these methods to George W. Bush. Dr. Lifton focuses on the theme of grandiosity and unresolved personal self-doubt projected into our foreign policy. A Sense of Entitlement A lifelong “sense of entitlement” has been exhibited by Mr. Bush, described by Washington psychoanalyst Justin Frank. Dr. Frank has published a comprehensive study of Mr. Bush’s personality, based upon his many public statements, public actions, and the historical record provided by biographers, journalists, and others who have known him well and observed him closely over many years. Specifically, Mr. Bush feels and acts entitled to disregard the laws, rules and expectations governing ordinary people. This has taken many forms over many years. He did not have to “pay attention” at Yale, to wait his turn in line to gain safety from war in the Texas Air National Guard, to observe the law regarding intoxicated driving, to file required reports on his Harken Energy stock sales with the SEC, or to respect the will of Florida voters. His has become our national outlaw ethic. He disrespects U.S.-signed treaties to reduce global warming and nuclear proliferation, and refuses to support the International Criminal Court. This fits the romanticized American outlaw image, but is an adolescent response to problems needing complex adult solutions. Violating a principle common to all human societies, Bush entitles himself to lie without guilt. He has misled, misrepresented, and lied outright and continuously throughout his public life. This has been witnessed and described by many observers. There are volumes of documentation by writers of impeccable reliability recounting the Bush practice of saying anything to control the perceptions of others and get what he wants. Bush’s Orwellian descriptions that totally misrepresent known facts reveal his perceived exemption even from the laws of reality, suggesting disordered thinking. He also claims exemption from the laws of personal and public accountability. “I don’t feel like I owe anybody an explanation,” he told journalist Bob Woodward. Aggression and Cruelty This is a lifelong pattern. As a child, little George blew up frogs with firecrackers inserted into their bodies. Lacking scholastic and athletic abilities, he used unkind teasing in school. In college, he hazed new fraternity pledges with branding irons on the buttocks. As Governor he mocked death-row inmates and smirked at their executions. As a political campaigner, he relies heavily on smug ridicule and mockery of opponents. The smirk – one of Mr. Bush’s characteristic expressions that has worried his political handlers – is a telltale indication of sadism. It reveals pleasure in inflicting or observing pain, defeat or discomfort in others while attempting to suppress more overt and unbecoming expressions of his pleasure. He is a profoundly angry, destructive man who, in Dr. Frank’s words, “needs to break things.” Dr. Lifton extends the analysis to the appointees surrounding Bush as well, all of whom avoided Vietnam service. Lifton describes the exaggerated aggression with which people may respond to "death guilt" or "survivor guilt" – the knowledge that facing a common challenge others suffered while you didn't. This is often associated with a sense of "failed enactment" at the moment of truth. When such a wound to self esteem is repressed, it often becomes “transformed into impulses toward further violence." This may well unconsciously haunt our entire tough talking Republican leadership who hid out as young men while others died. Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Easily mistaken for resoluteness, Mr. Bush’s impulsiveness, snap decisions, and disinterest in abstractions or complexities are all suggestive of adult ADHD. He is impatient and easily frustrated, with poor control of his emotions. On two known occasions, he has driven his car through property barriers in fits of temper. And of course, the continuing indications of dyslexia: Dr. Frank observes, “He may seem decisive, but his behavior represents the fall-back position of someone trying to manage the anxiety of not being able to think clearly.” Defensive Dyslexia. Mr. Bush has learned to use his legendary difficulties with language to avoid meaningful communication, to obfuscate meanings for tactical concealment. Unable to think and communicate with language in normal ways, he has learned to use it manipulatively – to attack, dismiss, distract and intimidate, to control rather than communicate with others. Most alarming is his genuine inability to think clearly and to develop cognitive models that even remotely match the complex realities for which he is responsible. Untreated alcoholism. Mr. Bush displays common characteristics of a “dry drunk,” struggling to protect self-esteem and cope with anxiety without the liquid crutch. Symptoms include inflated self-confidence, judgmental intolerance, denial of responsibility, avoidance of introspection, simplistic thinking, and compulsive daily habits that remove him from responsibility and stress. Without treatment, the alcohol is removed without the “ism.” Instead, self-esteem is now protected by his born-again Christianity, which permits escape from accountability for his past while avoiding the self-examination and restitution of a 12-step program. Many of his actions are “dry” efforts to reduce anxiety by avoiding his inner world. In Dr. Frank’s words, “Throughout his life, George W. Bush has taken many detours from the path to self-knowledge.” In addition, his annual physical detected nasal spider angiomas that might suggest continued alcohol abuse, and unusually low blood pressure typical of antisocial personality incapable of normal emotional responses. The Overall Diagnosis: Megalomania “The evidence suggests that behind Bush’s exterior operates a powerful but obscure delusional system that drives his behavior,” concludes Dr. Frank. Omnipotence and grandiosity are clearly reflected in Mr. Bush’s identification with God’s purposes and his flouting of international opinion and international will. Omnipotent fantasy is a self-esteem protecting mechanism from early childhood, outgrown in normal development that Mr. Bush lacked. This childish omnipotence is identified and described by both authors. Mr. Bush’s personal grandiosity has been projected onto our nation. His megalomanic narcissism and lack of ego boundaries is translated into a vision of superimposing our “Freedom” throughout the world, welcomed or not. Jealousy, a centerpiece of Bush’s psychological struggle since early childhood, is the motive attributed to “the enemy” through projection. The Bush grandiosity fits seamlessly with the neoconservative agenda, which explains Bush’s choice of Cheney as Vice President and neoconservatives Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Douglas Feith to the top three civilian DOD posts, as well as Richard Perls and Elliot Abrams in other key administration posts. After collapse of the Soviet Union, these neoconservatives resurrected the 19th century’s grandiose images of Manifest Destiny, the right to impose ourselves on others, that perfectly fits Mr. Bush’s megalomania. In Dr. Frank’s judgment, “the enterprise he is poised to add to his history of failures is the future of our nation. Our collective denial helped put him in that position...Our sole treatment option – for his benefit and for ours – is to remove president Bush from office... before it is too late.” About the Review and Reviewer Dr. Dresser is a behavioral scientist who served as an Army psychologist during the Vietnam era. He is not a psychiatrist or psychoanalyst, but feels these are important perspectives for public consideration, has attempted to carefully and concisely summarize their views, and recommends the reader to the works cited. It should be pointed out that Dr. Frank is a Kleinian psychoanalyst, but his observational foci and diagnostic conclusions would be consistent with other theories of psychological developmental as well. These were astute observations made about bush's public persona, behavior and style. Their suggestions of a diagnosis are just that - suggestions. Again, I find nothing offensive in what they said and in fact I think they intelligently summarize bush and his behavior in the context of their knowledge of these behaviors.

Yay! Dawn is back! Yep the band changes how much alcohol we can handle. I rarely drink anything anymore, I already was a cheap date! Glad you had nice night out. Enjoy the 4th week!

Ye im doing fine feeling a bit rough had a crazy few days in Germany still trying to recover.lol.Dont think i will have lost anything this month so im going to get another fill on tuesday to get me back on track.Good for you starting the water areobics i cant seem to get my self motivated for exercise.So will just need to stay off the alcohol to counter act the no exercise.lol

I never watch any of the cooking shows but a friend of mine who is a card-carrying anorexic and a serious alcoholic has them running on her TV all the time. I find this very odd when she exists on beer, cigarettes and the occasional half sandwich.

What you do is just look at the Nutrion Label on the back of a package. It will tell you what a serving is. Soup is usually 1/2 cup to 1 cup. chicken fingers... 3-5 pieces. The nutrion label will always give you the serving size. Lets say I eat Uncle Ben's Brown Rice. So, I go to fitday... ADD a "custom food" You name it and then enter the nutrional info. In one serving (which on the box tells you is 1/4 precooked, 1/2 cooked) You have the ability to change the amount of the serving... you can use TBSP, TSP, CUP, LITER So, in this instance... you enter .5 CUP Calories 170 Total Fat 1 Cholesterol 0 Sodium 0 Potassium 100 Carbohydrates 36 Fiber 2 Protein 4 Alcohol 0 Then you SAVE it. Now, when you come back three days later, you could enter that you ate .5 CUP and those stats would pop up. (EX 170 calories) If the next day, you only eat .25 cup(half as much).... half of those values pop up. (EX 85 calories) It will calculate the changes for you once you enter it the first time. So, if you enter the stats for 1 Ounce of meat... then you eat 4 ounces. You enter four ounces and it will automatically X 4 to get the total amount of calories, fat, carb, ect... that you ate. TIP: If you don't have a nutritional label... they have many foods already listed in their database that you can search for and add. You can also find ALL Fastfood nutrional facts at http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question457.htm&url=http://www.calorieking.com/foods/ You can search by restraunt. Then enter the nutrional #'s into fitday to tally them up with everything else you've eaten.

Where do I begin? I know, WAY2GO Juli! Great job on the A! So I just relived my youth. I have some great Lighthouse pics for you guys when I get back. I found a note this morning it was apparently written by my liver late last night. It wants to know what it did to piss me off and cause me to punish it with so much alcohol! Can you say modified Japanese mach 3 hangover? J,BG, be jealous of my ability to eat a turkey burger in 3 bites no more, Iam getting a right proper fill tomorrow morning in St. Petersburg. Will update l8ter. Difficult to type on this phone. JC

Hi everyone. Could someone tell me why it is liquids only for 2 days after a fill? Its no problem doing that, I just wondered why?! Also, I've been having sparkling mineral water to drink with no problems at all. Why are we advised not to drink carbonated drinks? Should I stop drinking it? Will I be doing any damage to my band? I've stopped drinking pepsi max and fizzy diet vimto but struggled to give up my fizzy water!!! Also I have a couple of lagers at the weekend again with no problem - is that really bad for my band? (I know alcohol is empty calories but a couple of drinks at the end of the week is my treat as I'm not mad on chocolate and am good food wise!) Sorry for all the questions!! This forum is a life saver!

I just want to say to those of you who are in full control of your eating and can't relate to those of us who want the band to help us gain control.... I am an addictions counselor and when you are addicted to something you no longer have WILLPOWER. WILLPOWER is a joke to someone with an addiction. Ask any crack addict if they want to smoke crack and prostitute themselves out for drugs and see what they say!! For alcohol and drug addction, abstinence is key because a thousand will never be enough. With a food addiction abstinence is not an option so it is like telling an alcoholic to have one beer, it doesn't work! The band to a food addicted person is the tool they need to control their eating because they couldn't on their own. So if people are upset because they do not have restriction, that's why. I agree that some of us need to be a little more patient and not give up too quickly, but their feelings of sadness when their band is not working YET, are valid! Everyone talks about the band being a tool but if the tool is not working yet then it's like living as if you never had it. This means trying to control an addiction and it is not possible for most folks. I am only 3 wks out and my hunger is back with avengance. However, I have had no fills yet, not until 6 wks out, but I am not giving up or even complaining because I expected to go through bandster hell. I just wanted to shed some light on why people are waititng for restriction. Restriction is what makes the band effective. I do encourage those who are struggling to hang in there and try your hardest to eat healthy. Stay positive and don't let others get you down. Not everyone is the same so not everyone will lose the same way. In addition, I'm seriously considering going to some OA meetings for support with my food addiction...maybe it will help some others who are having difficulties.

It's been one week that I've been home from my surgery experience with Dr. Kelly. Mine was August 19th and to be honest - you have nothing to be worried about. Going alone was freaking me out. I barely remember the 4 hr plane ride to San Diego but now I see I was wearing myself out all for nothing. Your driver will confirm your time you will get to airport and he will be out front waiting for you. You get driven across the border (no issues there - guess they don't care much about who goes INTO Mexico) and on a short ride to the hospital. The roads in mexico are TERRIBLE. Bumpy and dirty but people are whizzing around like ants on an ant hill and I didn't see ONE accident (don't know HOW cuz it would've been like bumper cars here in the states. You are never in any danger. You spend the first 2 nights after surgery there in the hospital and even the first night if you come the day before. The nurses are very nice and come in a flash when you need something or your IV is beeping (that happened to me a lot). Even Dr. Kelly comes in to check in on you. I came in for same day surgery so I was in the hospital and on to the initial tests as soon as I got there. After your hospital stay and drain removal (which I didn't feel being removed at all), it's on to the leak test at another hospital (you're driven again) and if all is well, off for 2 nights stay at the fence surrounded hotel. Very nice place and a room/balcony with a view. I was facing the noisy traffic side of the hotel which didn't bother me at all. It was fun looking off the balcony at all the hustle and bustle going on down on the streets. There are american television stations and you should be very comfortable - I was. The weather is so comfortable I walked around out by the pool and even around the whole hotel just to make sure that gas threat didn't sneak up on me. I rested a lot and was even on line since I brought my laptop. I used my cell phone (Verizon and probably all the others charge "data" fees and 99 cents per minute on calls) but I had to call and let my family know I was fine. There are no phones in your hospital room. Trish was my patient coordinator and since I felt GREAT and didn't want to sit around, she was either coming to get me to go shopping or checking in on me. She supplied me with gauze and tape to change your bandages after your showers and even some Gatorade and Jello (which you probably won't even want but she insists you eat something and keep hydrated). I'm telling you - I was terrified of going at all and going alone - I thought I was gonna lose it but I'm glad I did. I concentrated on ME and was never afraid or felt abandoned. The driver contacted me again to confirm my flight time and set up the pick up time for the next day. The border crossing takes more time going back into the states (long slow lines) but I made it back to the airport in PLENTY of time. Pack light. There's no reason for more than 2 changes of clothes. You can wear the ones you came in as the "Going back home" set if you wear something loose and comfortable. No jeans. Other than that, you should keep it simple. I brought about $100 cash, my driver's lic, and my passport card. I tipped the driver and the hotel concierge who brought my suitcase up and showed me around my room. I did some shopping but not much - all places LOVE & accept dollar so don't worry about converting money. You'll be in gowns or pj's while in the hospital. Bring flip flip flops for your many trips to the bathroom and shower. I forgot to bring but wish I had brought some antibiotic cream to apply to my incisions before applying the bandages. Alcohol pads, something. I just had to wait to get back home to really start "tending my wounds". Sorry I wrote so much but I was in the same shoes you are in and wish someone had broken it all down for me - it makes it all so much more real and I could process the whole experience better. I read so many posts and was a sponge filling up with so much information I thought my head was gonna pop. Let me know if I can help you in any way. Other than that - you've got Trish who takes care of you and really cares! Then Dr. Kelly - he's a really good doctor and is so down to earth, he makes you feel safe in his hands. You will be fine.

I've been giving a lot of thought to this and .... As fat people we refueled (and over fueled) as soon as we thought we felt hunger. What if what we were really feeling was emply (low on fuel). This is a good state to be in. When you are here you are burning fat and losing weight. But...it is an uncomfortable feeling until you accept it as a good feeling. Empty = good = weight loss. As we change what we feel about being full or not we change the state of mind. Make the uncomfortable into comfortable because you know you are losing. You've reached your target and have added many carbs to the diet. Old memories emerge and you have to recognize them and not deal with them as you did prior to weight loss. Talk to a healthy recovering alcoholic about things that trigger them.

That was supposed to say sugar alcohol, lol. Guess I'm missing alcohol already! Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

WARNING: This post contains discussion of binge-inducing foods... read at your own risk: I just discovered a previously unrealized source of food cravings -- COUPONS! There I am, innocently sitting at the kitchen table, sipping my water and clipping coupons for today's foray to the grocery store, when lo and behold I turn the page and what JUMPS up and catches me totally unawares but a (sorry girls for what I'm about to type!) BEN & JERRY'S ad for a new flavor of ice cream -- CINNAMON BUN! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Cinnamon buns are my kryptonite! I absolutely have no power to avoid them. And now some evil genius has put them into ice cream???????? Well, I turned the page as quickly as I could, but the image has been burned into my brain! And from that point on, all I noticed in the coupon books was how luscious and tasty and inviting all the food is in there! I honestly had NEVER noticed that before!!! YIKES and OH MY! Seriously, I never noticed all that. Wow. We really are bombarded at every turn. No wonder Americans are so fat! It's like telling people not to smoke but dangling cigarrettes in their faces 24/7, or alcoholics not to drink... on tv, radio, print, magazines... it's cruel & unusual punishment! And the weekends are ALWAYS my hardest days to be "good" on any food regimen... and today & tomorrow will be no exception... I think it's because the routine of the work week is gone and things are so free-form and more casual and we're out and about, so we tend to eat out whenver the mood strikes us v. at regular intervals (which helps me a lot during the week). For instance, we're about to leave for the city park where my ds's jazz band is playing at a children's festival, and then after that I drop off dd @ the stable, then grocery shopping, THEN home... so we'll leave @ 10:45am and return ??.. probably around 3 or so??... so I'm trying to think what I can pack w/me to have to eat so I'm not starving and cheating by the time I get home... phew... it's hard! Can you gals/guys relate??? Ok, got that vent out of my system. Thanks for listening, everyone! Have a GOOD DAY!

You guys, I went into a COMA Yesterday. I don't know what happened. Normally, I'm such a light sleeper, the clock ticking can wake me up. I work days, fiance works nights... I got off work early to pick my mom's dog up from the vet and drop it off, and I had plans to go to her house with my granny to watch movies (my granny's partner of 30 years died last weekend and she's having a rough time, so we're trying to keep her busy). I was exhausted some reason. Decided I would nap on my couch until my mom called, so I had the phone and my cell phone RIGHT BY MY HEAD. 30 minutes later, mom calls and said we cancelled, granny had been doing gardening and was tired. So.. I go back to sleep, phones still by my head. We had tornados yesterday.. I remember waking up once, when fiance got home and kissed my forehead.. then I woke up again I don't know when and I was in bed, and tv was on weather, and I saw red and heard the sirens.. and I kept squinting, didn't have my glasses. So I was going "Where could my glasses be... how did I get to bed..I should get up and check the weather.." and then I passed out again. Woke up at 9am (alarm wasn't set!!) and glasses were on my face??? It was SO bizarre, I can only think this is due to the diet I'm on.. I've never done this before.. was like I was on a handful of sleeping pills and alcohol. This morning my cell phone had 20 missed calls from my mom, and I still felt very drowsy. I talk to her this morning and she is furious. She said she was so worried about me, we had tornado warnings and I wasn't answering my phone.. if I was awake I would have probably gone to her house. Told her I don't know what happened and I had the phones by my head, and she still was mad lol. She said she called my fiance at work and he was non-chalant and said I was probably asleep. Hopefully this doesn't happen again... On another note, so we have to be completely nekki? Eek... I have nipple piercings I have been wondering about. I figured I should take them out before I go to have the banding done.. I didn't mention them to the doctor, but I've had doctors ask me to take them out for x-rays before, so figured during surgery they would probably rather I didn't have them? Anyone know? I've had them for years so they shouldn't grow back in just a day or two, but who knows..I'd definitely rather keep them in.

Well, now that most of us have been filled, or will be soon, now the question will lurk as to whether we need to have another adjustment! I had found this post long ago and posted it to my journal. Now that we can finally GET to our journals, I grabbed it and will post here. Looks like some good guidelines---- HowtoTellWhenYouArePerfectlyAdjusted: You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of protein a day? 2. Are you eating 25 grams of fiber? 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories? a. Soup can be sign of soft calorie syndrome b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories 7 calories per gram.(It's also a stomach irritant). c. Fruit juice is just sugar water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can't just eat what's easy c. Cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals? 6. Are you eating too much junk? a. Chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don't avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of calcium daily? 8. Do you always eat the protein first? 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. Meat or fish (3 ounces the size of a deck of cards) b. Vegetables (½ cup the size of your fist) c. Starch (If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don't need much - Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta) 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine. d. The body has no way to break down artificial fats). a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you're not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won't be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it's a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive compulsive thoughts (Obsess about something else) b. Perfectionism (All or none, black and white thinking) c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as good and bad e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables (6) Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (7) Peppermint (8) Baking soda toothpaste (9) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (Tylenol is OK) n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider

WHOO HOO CC! That is fabulous! Thanks Susan...age is a number. So is weight. As are calories, minutes of exercise, and alcohol content. Numbers are bad. :smile: Haven't a clue what voting you are referring to, but good luck! But you will be crying for joy, right?? Last of the children is grown...independent etc. You are free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Morning all! Thanks be it is Friday...and peaking out from behind the huge black clouds is a bit of sun! I am hoping for sunshine this weekend....I wanna go play in the dirt!! Its been torrential rains for 3 days now, time for a bit of dry weather. hope all are doing well.

HERE I AM!!! Sorry, girlz....I was out running errands all day...and then it took 20 minutes to catch up on posts!! Nobody got much work done today, did they? Ok...you've heard it before and I'll tell you again...the fill was such a non-event!! It's no big deal at all. I walked in and filled out some more forms ( of course!) and they weighed me (202.4) asked if I was exercising (YES!) having any trouble at all, took my BP, etc. Then showed me into the procedure room and had me lay on the table. My port is right under my sternum, at the top of my big ol' fat belly and you can feel it right under the skin. I didn't even have to get undressed or anything. She swabbed it quickly with some alcohol and said "This is going to feel like a big shot"....which it did!! Not like a flu shot, but a BIG shot. And she used quite a bit of pressure, too....so it was different that way as well. But that was the extent of the pain. Only lasted 3-4 seconds. The fill itself was imperceptible in any way. She stuck a bandaid on my tummy and asked me to move over to the fluroscope. I drank 1 oz of barium mixture (which tasted minty) and was able to watch it go down on the screen. That was cool. Then they gave me a bottle of water and asked that I sit and drink half before I leave. Which I did, and didn't have any issues whatsoever. I sat and talked to one of the assistants about what to eat, not eat, how to exercise, etc. They injected 1.5cc and I can have another fill as early as 3 weeks if I feel that I need it. After I left there I was starving!!! (I'm only allowed soft foods for 2 days then I can move to solids! YEA!!!) I stopped and had a personal-size spinach quiche (but no crust) and a 1/2 cup of tomato basil soup. Ate slowly and everything went down fine. That was at 11:30a....it's now 8 hours later and I've yet to eat anything else! Ok....any questions?? It's good to feel restriction again. Hope it lasts a while.

Many have difficulties with creamed soup. You may have had a reaction from the sugar alcohols in the fudge pops too. Take it slow and see how things go.

Morning violets! We were at the cook out last night till about midnight.. woosh. My bedtime is 10pm! Everyone was getting drunk, I actually had to go in search for non-alcoholic drinks. I was the only one sober, and took heat for it.. but I am extremely anti-drinkin' & drivin' unlike the rest of the group. I still woke up feeling hung over, how weird is that?! We woke up an hour late for work and my eyes are swollen and I'm just in a foggy haze. Today I go to the dentist at 2pm, then going home to shower and pack and then we head out of town for my surgery. I'm trying not to be nervous, I shouldn't have a lot of pains or problems when I wake up, since they're not stitching something to my stomach. Right? They said they'll give me an Rx for pain meds when I leave, but I wish I had it ahead of time so on our drive back home tomorrow I could take them. At bowling last night I bowled a 203! Woohoo. We also play a quarters game (not drinkin' game!) it's a way to gamble while we bowl.. I won 4 dollars! It's not a lot, but it makes me proud to win heh. Working on my morning coffee & bottle of water. I have to fast at midnight tonight.. like that's a problem, I don't eat around then anyway.. I'll be ASLEEP! The pre-op is at 6am tomorrow. I'll make sure to post before I leave

Well so much for being good, pigs in a blanket, motz sticks, a cupcake, cookies and of course alcohol...which has caused me to check my spelling twice LOL!!!! I am soooo fasting tomorrow!!! URGH!!!!

what are your thoughts on alcohol with the band? My husband wants to take me out this weekend after some hoilday shopping for a a drink and a movie. Can I drink wine or cranberry vodka? I imagine 1 will be my limit. We arent going to party or anything but I dont want to be embarrsed or regretting the glass of wine later. How did you all feel after a cocktail since the band?