Hey 50 & over gang We have a new spot

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I know everyone thinks being tight enough is the way to lose weight. I have to say I didn't even know I was too tight and that really scares me. I was fine in the day time. I could eat anything I wanted and food never got stuck and I never threw up.

I started having these episodes in the middle of the night. It wasn't every night. Sometimes only once a week. I would be sound asleep and all of a sudden start coughing and gagging. Something was coming up in my sleep. Then a couple weeks would go by and it didn't happen again so I thought everything was fine.

I finally went in and had an esophagram and when I swallowed the barium, it stayed in my esophagus for over 15 min without moving into my stomach. I had to have 1cc removed to get the barium to move. It makes me wonder if all this time, the food was staying in my esophagus like the barium was. It also makes me wonder why it never felt stuck and I never had to pb.

[bochs 0]

Congratulations Terry on ONEDERLAND. I also just hit that mark yesterday and isn't it a thrill. Orea, sorry to hear you have been hungry. You are doing sooo well. The fill should help though. Thinner, I am having a fill on thursday and the last fill finally did something for me. Since it did do something for me, I also don't want to be too tight. My doctor goes slow but we will see. Talk with ya all later.

Beckyo:tt1:

[mominlv13 1]

Another 1.8 lbs gone for good!!! Yeaaaa Looosssiiieee!!!

[orea15 0]

Great work!

[phyllser 3]

I know everyone thinks being tight enough is the way to lose weight. I have to say I didn't even know I was too tight and that really scares me. I was fine in the day time. I could eat anything I wanted and food never got stuck and I never threw up.

I started having these episodes in the middle of the night. It wasn't every night. Sometimes only once a week. I would be sound asleep and all of a sudden start coughing and gagging. Something was coming up in my sleep. Then a couple weeks would go by and it didn't happen again so I thought everything was fine.

I finally went in and had an esophagram and when I swallowed the barium, it stayed in my esophagus for over 15 min without moving into my stomach. I had to have 1cc removed to get the barium to move. It makes me wonder if all this time, the food was staying in my esophagus like the barium was. It also makes me wonder why it never felt stuck and I never had to pb.

Denise, Is this something that just happened??? Scary!!

Another 1.8 lbs gone for good!!! Yeaaaa Looosssiiieee!!!

CONGRATS!!!

[Lizalee 1]

I wasn't hanging around here much because I was pretty dispirited from the struggle with the hunger. Things are much better now that it has abated and I have my second fill. I've done some softish foods this afternoon after my 48 hours was up, and they went down fine. So far, so good.

Hi

Orea,glad you came back. I know what you mean. I can't actually blame the band for my current issues - it works fine, but I can just eat too much anyhow and I've been making poor food choices. But I get the dispirited part, for sure!

I've slipped into back into some bad habits. I've been 'dieting' for the past 11 months, and suddenly, I've been wanting my former foods. I think it's the time of year - so many holiday reciptes, cold-weather foods, sweets, family gatherings - and less low-calorie summer foods around.

Anyhow, I find myself eating too much. Every day I say I'm going to do better, and yet, I end up eating something I shouldn't that adds a couple hundred empty calories- such as corn puff caramel corn I made this weekend 'for the family."

Do you guys find that if you even take a small serving of a sweet, like a mini-candy bar, you want more? That sure has been happening to me - and it's like a cascade of cravings.

I keep wishing I could be satisfied with much less, like I was able to eat the first few months after banding. But that same small serving just isn't doing it anymore. I gained 2 pounds in the past week - I was at a conference where they fed us Really well - and this despite using the treadmill to walk at least a couple miles a day. This past weekend with family gatherings, more 'bad' food. And I just haven't been emotionally able to walk away from the food.

Gosh...it's so hard to get back in control! I do have a fill scheudled next week, and hope that does it - but think I'll only be able to have a small filll as I don't want to be overly tight / getting Protein stuck. My last fill was the first time I ever really had any real restriction - sensation of food being stuck briefly if I eat chicken, etc, too fast. That's eased up now, so I hope I another small fill will do the trick.

How have you been able to get back in control and 'on the wagon." I don't want to fall back into my former life!

[flowers 0]

Congrats Long2BThin on virgin fat territory.

Orea, I have been wondering about you and how you are?? Glad you checked in. I feel closer to you since you posted more and were another July Butterfly.

I have scheduled another fill Nov 29th, hope it helps with the hunger issues. I bought a large 18 inch costco pizza over the weekend and it might as well been laced with drugs, I couldnt stop eating it, even after I ate my real dinner, started back nibbling. Its been tough lately.

[angelshere 0]

Wow! Lizalee, you have done incredibly well. I empathize with your feelings of being out of control. While that hasn't yet happened to me (I am totally afraid of cheating, as I fear I won't be able to get back with the program), I do "cheat" on healthy food sometimes....sad, I know. It's entirely emotional for me, and there really is no excuse for it, but I have done it and probably will again....who ever heard of "cheating" on cottage cheese, for goodness sake? My one redeeming factor is I don't have any "bad" food in my house and avoid it like the plague when I am away from home. If you look at what you have accomplished and think about what you need to do to get to your goal, I know you can do it. You have already lost over 2/3 of the weight you wanted to lose. That's just remarkable. Good luck!

Nancy

[angelshere 0]

Orea, you have lost 75 pounds, primarily on sheer willpower. That is awesome! I know it is tough for you right now, but once you get a decent restriction, that combined with your amazing willpower, will enable you to lose the weight you want to lose. You are an inspiration to so many of us! Keep up the good work, and don't lose faith in yourself. It's human to cheat occasionally, but the band will help us keep off the weight we lose---that is the miracle and the secret for our bands. Our friends who have had bypass might lose faster, but they don't have the tool we have to help us keep the weight off once it is lost. Orea, you can do this---you have proven that to us all. Now you just have to remember how much you want to get healthy, and you will get there. Good luck!

Nancy

[flowers 0]

Lizalee, you are so close to Onederland, just keep that in mind and maybe that will motivate you. You are getting so close. I know you can do it. I think we all are fighting bad habits, just dont let them win.

[Diva4 0]

I'm thinking we all have opportunities to do better and with the holidays around the corner it seems like we're around a lot more unhealthy calorie filled junk foods. I think we have to plan ahead and have those healthy Snacks handy, like in our purse, lockers, lunch bags, etc... if we have something handy we are less likely to grab the junk food. I've been trying the South Beach snacks and although they aren't the best choices I could make they aren't the worse either. Some of them take away the sweet craving and for me that's usually what I'm looking for. I think staying up on your fills and getting them correct is real important for us to feel full for an adequate time between meals also. Try some of the South Beach snacks it might help when others are snacking also.:eek:

[orea15 0]

Eating sweets and simple carbs definitely turns up the throttle on hunger and cravings for me. That's the whole crux of my hunger problem post-Optifast. Part of it is a screamng craving for carbs -- not the good ones! The only way I know how to deal with it is to allow myself to eat when I need to, but I must choose protein/veggies/beans and the like. I have known for years that I cannot tolerate eating fruit by itself. I must accompany it with Protein or Fiber no matter what the food combining people say.

As long as it takes to get the weird gnawing starvation sensation to go away. Before the band, I used to eat huge chef salads, but I can't do that now. I have no choice but to hang on and ride it out no matter how long it takes, but believe you me, it makes me very careful about what I eat, pretty much always.

Things are getting better. I'm trying to graze less, but it is hard.

I have added a second ticker to differentiate between pre- and post- band weight loss. I thought that might make things clearer.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am the same way. If I tell myself I will just have one bite of chocolate, then I am out of control craving junk all the time. I don't think I am even going to buy anymore fiber one bars. They are just too good. I do fine with the sugar free fudgesicles.

Phyl, I have had that problem off and on for months. I didn't think I was too tight, but I obviously was. It scares me to think that the barium just sat there for 15 min and never left my esophagus. The food must have sat in there too. I never felt stuck though, just that problem in the middle of the night. dangerous!

[Sooverit! 1]

I'm sorry Flowers ...i definitely feel your pain but 41 lbs...come on that is a huge amout of weight to lose and keep off@!@ Congrats!

[Sooverit! 1]

ve slipped into back into some bad habits. I've been 'dieting' for the past 11 months, and suddenly, I've been wanting my former foods. I think it's the time of year - so many holiday reciptes, cold-weather foods, sweets, family gatherings - and less low-calorie summer foods around.

Had an appointment with my second Psychologist for a new Lap Band surgeon and she is actually extremely informative and don't feel like I've wasted money like I did on nutritionist, etc. Anyway ...just wanted to pass on her wisdom to you. She said this time of year Serotonin levels drop and this causes carbohydrate cravings. Also cloudy weather does this....I was amazed how true it is ...and how much I want to eat on a rainy day!