Kristi Twisti

Can I just say that I LOVE this program!! My weight was at a stand still for about 1-2 months, or so it felt, and since I have started C25K the weight seems to just be falling off!! I just started week 4 yesterday and am down 7lbs. That may not seem like a lot in 4 weeks, but this is the only change that I have made and honestly it wasn't until this week that it really got challenging. So for anyone who needs a little boost in their weight loss I highly recommend this!
Let me just say for the record I am NOT a runner! Never have been. I LOVE playing softball, LOVE it, but learned early the harder I hit the ball the slower I could run. Plus you get to run a few feet and then take a break, who wouldn't love that, right? I wouldn't even play fast pitch in high school, just stuck to my slow pitch summer league because in high school they made you run, blah! People always say, "I love running...It helps me think and clear my mind"...my thought, "I cant think about anything aside from the fact that my big a** is running, lol". However, this program has helped me learn to semi enjoy it. It builds you up slowly, you can go at your own pace/speed and before you know it the pounds are falling off and you are running for 5 mins straight

Thats awesome goalseeker I have not gotten through week 2 without missing days and starting all over! You are now my inspiration Day 2 (again today!)

I recently finished the insanity workout program. Although I could FEEL my cloths fitting better I was having a hard time SEEING the progress in the mirror. The workouts are tough and I love it. I plan on repeating the whole program. Here are my results...

Proof that exercise can help reshape your body as you are losing as well.

Hi, i got banded 1 day before you. Like you i was excited, then nervous, then wondering if I did the right thing. Like the other person who posted, i can tell you i decided to be excited again. I have a great surgeon and support system. I got calls and have access to email and phone support and have 12 months of f/u including dietitian and exercise physiologist appointments. Have you tried calling your surgeon..his staff should have called you or the hospital. I also had online courses and a wonderful support group i have started going to. find a good support group. it does not help me that some people try to tell me, after the surgery, why i should have been able to do it from willpower and self discipline alone. I know that they are only concerned about me..but i have to tune them out. like the other person who posted, i hate shakes with a passion! but they will help me achieve my goal and i intend to succeed in this..because i am tired of having my life be on hold. I probably wont be able to check this site frequently at first but will check this weekend in case you respond again. Hang in there..remember YOU are the variable that has changed.you made a decision that will positvely impact everything about your life! deb

I had my lap band surgery four weeks ago today. I had the same feelings of doubt. I thought to myself "I lost 15 pounds BEFORE surgery (2 week pre-op liquid diet) what did I do to myself? I can lose weight without a band!" My stomach was distended, I was constipated, and so tired of post-op liquids.
But then I thought back to the last 40 years of my life and how I lost and gained hundreds of pounds. I realized that losing weight was never a problem (although much more difficult as I got older) but I could never keep the weight off for long.
Four weeks later - I feel good. Lost another 15 pounds since surgery and eating regular food (one cup per meal). My hunger is controlled and I'm eating food I like. I even had some lean sirloin steak a few days back.
Hang in there. You may not feel any different day to day, but you will feel better about your decision in the future.

I haven't been on here since before I had surgery and I'm so thankful I remembered this site! I too am in serious need of a "start over" and I am hoping I haven't waited to late. A year ago last Jan. I got a fill and should have went back and got some taken back out cause I had reflux that very night. Going back was another $200 and I just couldn't justify or really afford to go. Things haven't been right since then, I eat a lot of really bad stuff like ice cream cause it slides down and stays down (unless I eat to fast). This has continued on and I have avoided the scale, well needless to say I have gained back 30lbs since then. I had lost 70lbs and then I gained again. My reflux is better most days, my band is still tight but I don't use the very tool I fought so hard to get. Banded 4 yrs ago and I am ashamed that I've let myself slip back to this, when I got banded I swore I'd never do the very thing I did. Today is a new day. Yesterday I stayed on liquid and will today too. Thank you all for posting because it has renewed me.

You go Amazon Princess! You told her what she needed to hear and you were spot-on with what you said. Misery loves company, let her wallow in it all by herself...keep up the good work and let your haters be your motivators!

Alright, I admit I am not know for being the most mild mannered person. I have a bit of a temper but have always taken steps to ensure my temper remains in control (breathe in, breathe out). I do not normally lose the plot. Then there was the incident today....
I went into the office today (been working from home for the last two weeks). Three of the women I work with stopped by my office together to tell me how great I was looking. Was enjoying the ego stroking immensely!!! I have been very open about the fact that I have had band surgery. No reason to hide it. While we were chatting another female colleague walked in.... lets give her a name to protect her privacy... Broomhilda.
Broomhilda ( the _itch that she is) listened to the gals feed my ego a bit and then decided to give her unsolicited two cents worth. And I quote "Amber I can see you lost some weight. You were so huge before. I mean it was time that you did something about it right? I just would have expected you to have lost more by now. I mean bigger people are supposed to lose weight faster right? What exactly are you eating? Are you getting out from behind your desk at all? You know diet only wont move those pounds. You have to exercise to. I don't understand why it took you so long to do something about it. I have been tempted to say something to you about your weight for awhile. I guess even a little weight loss is better than nothing right?"
The other 3 gals got quiet and waited..... The old self conscious me with the dented self esteem might have nodded and smiled and ignored her. Possibly taken her to the side later to tell her she hurt my feelers. The new me..... not so much. Watch out world the Amazon princess is in the house. If she felt it was okay to be rude to me in front of others why should I be the one to restrain myself?
My response:
"Broomhilda I appreciate your candour. Your right I am overweight and am taking steps to ensure that I healthier and happier. Since we are being honest here I just wanted to mention that no one has ever been so rude as to approach me in the way that you have and give such demeaning feedback. Did you have a horrible childhood? Was your dog run over on your way to work today? Honestly the only reason I am asking is that I am trying to come up with a reason as to why someone feels the need to make others feel bad in order to feel better about themselves. Did your parents teach you manners and you just chose to ignore them or were you raised by wolves? Yes I am fat and in time I will lose the weight while my friends support and encourage me. You on the other hand have allot to learn and I only hope that people choose not to be as honest with you about your faults as you are with them. Now get the hell out of my office I want to have a donut!!" (I of course did not have a donut was just pissed off) Needless to say she scurried out of my office. One of the three gals that were still there just looked at me and said good on you!!
What did I learn from this?
1. My anger management skills suck
2. I am no longer willing to allow others to demean me simply because I am fat
3. True friends will encourage and call you out when your getting off base - the secret is understanding true friends will do it out of a place of love whereas _itches are doing it for their own benefit
4. I have value and worth regardless of whether I am fat or thin. Allowing someone to take potshots in order to avoid conflict does not help the situation. It simply makes them feel that their comments are acceptable.
5. Maybe I am a bit of a _itch myself
I saw her in the car park as I was leaving. I did not run her over. All of you are my witnesses/alibi. If anyone asks I was writing this post. The red stains and bad blonde hair dye on my bumper are from a poor unfortunate cat........ Lets stick to the story people.
Thanks for letting me vent.

My wife would tell me the same thing that I can do it on my own and then my Dr told me he wants to see me reach 40 for my kids sake and I decided to do with or without her support. 100lbs later I'm feeling great and in better shape then her

I'm going to be a rough but I've got to say it.
So, you are obese and your wife doesn't support your effort to get a tool to help you to take control of your life??? Wonder what her thoughts will be when she calls 911 when that heart attack comes. Or, how will she treat you when you go blind from diabetes??? How 'bout when the doctor tells you they will have to amputate your foot because of diabetes???
Terrible thoughts I know but they are real for the obese. I was going stinking blind as a result of diabetes and obesity.
Put on you big boy britches, call the whole family in and tell them DAMMIT I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I WANT TO LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
We only have one life, make the most of it. You are like the rest of us here, we sat and watched. Well, I did a 12.2 mile 20 obstacle course 1 year from surgery. I'm not sitting on the sidelines anymore.

Reading this gave me hope... I am 38 banded 3/26/12 down 25lbs... I didn't get the surgery to help with my PCOS I got it to get healthy and to move on with the thought of never having baby.... but now I am thinking I should give it another shot once I loose more....Thanks ladies!

I was banded and on my one year anniversary I found out I was pregnant! It's helped my PCOS a LOT!!! (I had PCOS so bad that after 4 miscarriages and year and a half with no cycle, and rounds and rounds of fertility meds, 3 fertility doctors told me to look into adoption because having a child was not possible. And we got pregnant with no fertility drugs!)
After having my son I got refilled and finally lost all my baby weight (to the frickin pound!) and found out voila! pregnant again! Now with a girl <3
Getting banded was the best choice I ever made. It gave me my two angels!

Awesome job!! =)

I travel often for my job, and now I am starting to visit clients that I met before, but haven't seen me since the surgery. I visited one of those last week.
When I entered the guy's office, he looked at me kind of surprised, then his face turned a little sad. He looked me in the eye and quietly said, "Death or divorce?"
Confused, I asked him what was he talking about.
He said the only time any male friends of his lost this much weight, it was because they were "trolling for new fish". Therefore, his assumption is was I was baiting the hook with some new meat.
I hadn't laughed so hard in a while......

Well I'm happy to say my weight today was 221 making my total weight loss pre band and post banding a total of 200 pounds gone! I got the high five from everyone in the doctors office. I lost 176 pre band and 24 pounds since banding on July 24th! I feel fine since banding! Also found out they used a 10cc band because of my lower weight! Those words and me were never in the same sentence together!! OMG huge first for me. If someone had told me 3 years ago that I'd lose 200 pound I would have rolled on the floor laughing than they'd had to call 911 to get me up! All I can say is God is good, and who says life can't be fantastic at 58! Blessings to one and all!

Hi Kristi, nice to meet you.
We are an open community. If you spend some time with us you'll get to learn the names and faces. We also have a chat feature on this site where you can get to know us on a personal level if interested. Do not hesitate to email (through LBT) as well if you want to get to know them. We are all open and willing to share our experiences and provide support. Welcome to the LBT community

Hello There =) My name is Kristi and I was banded in March 2011 in Tampa, FL. I did pretty well and kept up with things but then moved with my hubby to Fayetteville, NC in Dec. 2011 and just completely de-railed. After a couple months being sick and subsequently losing a fair amount of weight, I have decided to get back on track and finish what I started. Having said that, I don't know anyhow here who is banded and it would be nice to have someone who understands things from an inside perspective. I would be great with even an emailing buddy too. =) Please message me if you are interested.

I have been a member here since 2007 and at one time I was a contributing member. I have been gone from the sight for several years now but I am back. I am writing to tell my story in hopes that I can find some much needed support and also maybe give a word or two of advice to those who think they can outsmart the band, eat around it and most importantly, to those who are abusing the band or using it as a crutch instead of a tool. This story is long but I believe it will help so many and possibly even save someone’s life. I hope I am posting in the right area, if not, maybe a mod can move it.
I got my band on December 10th of 2007 and I was very excited and hopeful that it was going to be the answer to my prayers. I weighed about 380 pounds the day of my surgery and wanted desperately to find a way to get control of my life-long emotional eating problem. Although I lived in Phoenix, AZ, I had my surgery done near Denver, CO because I found a U.S. based doctor that provided the band at a discounted rate and I did not want to go to Mexico. I was a cash pay patient and I had to borrow the money from my dad to get the surgery so I needed to find the best bargain for my money. My husband and I drove to Colorado to get the surgery done and 2 days after my surgery, I got in a car and traveled back from Colorado to Arizona with my new saving grace installed and a sense of hope that I would finally be able to lose the weight that had been making me miserable most of my life. Just like most people, I was given rules/instructions about only full liquids the first 2 weeks, the basic band diet of how much to eat afterwards, no soda, no drinking with meals, when to get fills, etc.
With the band in place but no Fluid in it yet, I was yet to experience this thing they called restriction and I was eager to get my first fill so I could start to reap the benefits of my newly installed ring of hope. During the first 2 weeks, I was hungry! I mean I was VERY hungry and full liquids was just not cutting it for me. I tried my best to stick to it but after about 5 days, I decided that I would just try to eat ONE french fry and “see what happened.” I ate one and oh my goodness, it tasted soooooo good. I waited a few minutes and nothing happened. Nothing! Ok, so maybe I will try one or two more since obviously it is not doing any harm and I didn’t have any fill in yet. What could go wrong, right? That night I ate about 10 fries. The next day, realizing that nothing bad happened from my french fry episode, I started adding little bits of solid food here and there and by the end of day 8, I was eating small portions of solid food a few times a day.
On the morning of day 9, I woke up and I was just not feeling right. I was cold and no matter what I did, I could not get warm. Having 200+ pounds of fat to insulate me, being cold was something I was not accustomed to. I was always hot so this feeling of chills was definitely something new for me. I also started noticing that my stomach was making this loud gurgling sound. It sounded like the stomach fluids were working overtime and my stomach ached. On a hunch I took my temperature and was shocked to find out that I had a fever of 102.9. I asked my husband to take me to the ER since it seemed that there was something possibly band surgery related going on.
Long story short, I ended up having a micro-perforation in my stomach and almost died. They admitted me to ICU and the local Lap-Band doctor said that the doctor that performed the surgery had pulled the stitching too tight and left a very microscopic tear in the stomach tissue. I admitted to him that I had been eating solid foods too soon and he said that may have aggravated the issue but was not the cause. I was put on nothing by mouth for 14 days. I could not even have an ice chip. The doctor said that I had a 50/50 chance of my stomach healing on its own and if not, they would have to do surgery to attempt to repair the small tear but that it was a very dangerous surgery and could be fatal. Thank God that after 2 weeks of nothing by mouth and an IV bag full of proton pump inhibitors, the tear healed on its own and I was released. Because of the tear, I had to wait 6 weeks from my release from the hospital to get my first fill.
The time came for my first fill and I was so excited. I have a 14cc band and they started me off with 5 cc’s of Fluid. I had the fill done under flouro so I could see that the fill slowed down the flow of liquid. I wanted more but the fill doctor said I had to take it slow and adjust it slowly to the right amount, until I found my sweet spot. With 5 cc’s of fill, I still did not notice any restriction at all so I made a follow up appt for more fill 4 weeks later. This time when I went in, they added 4 more cc’s and I was at 9 cc’s in my 14 cc band. For the first time, I was starting to notice restriction and I was able to eat way less. Although I did have restriction, I wanted more because I felt that I could still eat more than ¾ cup at a time so I made a 3rd appt and had more fill put it. This time they only added a little less than 1 cc. I swallowed the barium under flouro and I could see that the flow was much slower this time. They handed me my bottle of Water and asked me to slowly drink it and let them know if I had any issues. After a few sips, I could feel the Water sitting in my esophagus, waiting to slowly trickle down but I did not tell them. I finally had really good restriction and although I should have had about ½ cc removed, I left with the additional 1 cc of fill. This is when things really started to change and the weight started to drop off. I could barely eat 2 tablespoons of food and I was pb’ing several times a day.
Even though I finally could not eat very much at all and had super tight restriction, the emotional urge to binge was still there. I can’t believe I am admitting this but there were several times that I would go to a fast food restaurant, order a couple of cheeseburgers and fries, chew them up in huge bites and spit them into a bag, just so I could feel that sense of relief I used to get from binging. Thinking back on it, it was really gross and more importantly it was really sad and should have been a warning sign that I have emotional eating issues but like most people, I turned a blind eye to what was going on in my own body/mind/life.
At this point, it had been about a year since my surgery and the weight was coming off at a steady pace. I was down about 125 pounds since my surgery date. On a daily basis, I was pb’ing 10+ times a day, every time I attempted to eat even the tiniest bite of solid food. FYI: This means my band was too tight! If you are unable to eat solid food without pb’ing, after properly chewing and taking very small bites, there is a problem. Even though I knew this, I ignored it because I was finally, for the first time in my life, losing weight! Since I was unable to eat solid foods, I lived on creamy Soups, mashed potatoes, pudding, ice cream, etc. As time went by, I noticed I was able to eat more and more of the slider foods so I made another appt to get more fill put in because the weight loss started really slowing down. In hindsight, the problem was not that I needed more fill, the problem was that I was eating high calorie slider foods because the band was too tight to eat solid foods and this was slowing down my weight loss. I also started taking little sips of fluid with my food because I noticed that I was able to eat more when I did this. I was emotionally eating, just like before, but I just changed the way I did it. In hindsight, I should have had about ½ cc of my fill removed and then I would have been able to eat about ¾ cup of solid food without pb’ing and if I would have followed the band rules and ate properly and healthy, I would have had absolute success. However, this was not the case with me. I wanted to do it my way and my way it was.
I went for another fill but this time I used a different fill provider that did not use flouro. I had another cc of fluid put in and that made me have a total of almost 11 cc’s in my 14 cc band. Then a few months later I had another cc put in and to make a long story short, at the end, I had almost 12.5 cc’s in my 14 cc band. Over time, even with all of that fluid in my band, I was able to start eating more solid foods. By the end of this fiasco, I could eat an entire McDonald’s hamburger and a small fry. I knew something was wrong. It had to be. I thought I had eroded, or was losing fluid or something. Something had to be going on because I could eat way too much for the amount of fluid I had in and what used to make me pb was not even phasing me anymore. I went for another appt to see what was going on and had the doctor that uses flouro to look at everything while I was under flouro. All the fluid was still in the band, there was no leak. He said I had really good restriction but was concerned because he noticed my esophagus looked enlarged and said that I needed to go on liquids only for 2 weeks and then come back to see if the esophagus looked normal again. Sadly, he did not remove my fluid at the time and that was a HUGE mistake on his part. He should have taken out the fluid but he didn’t and I left the appt a hot mess. I tried to stay on liquids for 2 weeks but it only lasted a couple of days and I was back to just like before. I did not return for the 2 week follow up and continued to do the same thing I was doing because my biggest fear was to have all the fluid removed and be able to eat like I did before the band and gain all the weight back that I lost.
For more than a year I continued with the same amount of fluid in my band and eating slider foods and drinking with my meals and just continued on in this craziness. In January of 2011, I was standing in my kitchen and I started to feel really sick like I was going to pass out. I had my husband take me to the hospital and they ran some test and told me that I was anemic and my blood level was low, indicating that I had some sort of internal bleeding going on but they did not know where it was coming from. I was admitted to the hospital and they ran more tests and didn’t find anything and sent me home. This horrible feeling of passing out continued for months and each time I went to the ER, they told me my blood levels were low but just above where I needed a blood transfusion. I had no insurance so I was only able to get care at the ER. In June of 2011, I ended up back in the ER and they admitted me this time. They did an endoscopy and colonoscopy looking for the source of the slow bleed. They found it on the endoscopy. It was coming from my esophagus! I had stretched it out so much from the fill being so tight that I had caused a small tear in the tissue. Once again, here I was in the hospital with another tear! Only this time I did it to myself. The doctor said my esophagus had turned into a stomach and the area where my esophagus ended and my stomach began had become one. They removed every drop of fill from my band at that time and after 2 more weeks of nothing by mouth, that tear healed as well and I was released and feeling much better. A year later I had another Endoscopy and everything was back to normal again. I never had any of the fluid put back in my band and over the last 2 years, I gained back every single pound I lost, plus some. I now weigh 400 pounds.
This is my biggest warning: If you are finding that you can eat more and more and you are pushing yourself and the restriction is lessening, there may be a problem. For me, my esophagus had turned into a stomach and was holding entire meals! If you cannot keep solid food down the majority of the time, then you are likely too tight. I used the band as a crutch instead of a tool as it was intended.
I am starting over again and have an appt for a fill tomorrow. I am going to do it right this time and I will actually follow the rules this time. My life depends on it. I have to lose the weight or I am going to die. Period. I would be happy to elaborate on anything for anybody, just message me. I will be hoping for support from fellow bander’s and if I can help anyone at all or answer any questions, please let me know.

I am post op and just returning to the forums but wanted to let you all know you are not alone. I had a 14 day Protein Shake and liquids only pre-op diet. On day 3 I was really suffering and as hubby and I were driving home from work, he attempted to be funny and mentioned Chinese buffet for dinner. The thought gave me so much joy and I agreed and he immediately shot me down and reminded me that was a no-no. There were tears and his life was threatened a few times. He ended up calling my mother and we all agreed that perhaps some egg drop Soup would be fair. I ended up having some form of 2 eggs for dinner for most of my pre-op diet, I lost about 25 pounds in the two weeks and my surgery went great. The stomach shrunk up like it needed too and everything. I think everyone who makes it through the pre-op diet can make it through banded life. There will be ups and downs but the pre-op diet was definitely awful, and it's just about survival during it. No one who isn't / hasn't gone through it will understand. Good luck to you all! You can do it.

I was banded today by Dr. Lee Grossbard at North Tampa Outpatient center. Dr. Grossbard is wonderful, and his practice Florida Obesity Surgical Associates is just as wonderful! the nurses there are mostly banded themselves and have their before and after pictures around the office. You can call anytime and they are so great with answering questions. Also, they do a support group monthly which was such a great time. They passed out recipe's and gave me lots of tips and were so supportive of my getting banded. I hope others can benefit from them!!
http://www.floridaobesitysurgical.com
:success1:

Well, I am going to say Congratulations! I know the timing isn't exactly "perfect", but when is it ever?? I think you should call your surgeon's office and be quite truthful - you thought those days were over, you're 4 months post-op and need a partial unfill due to a positive pregnancy test. Or you could see how things go for these first 3 months and then see how things are going before having a complete unfill. That 1st trimester can change a lot - your body could adapt to the band AND the baby. Please smile and see what a blessing this could be - and no matter what, you have made a positive impact on your life by getting the band. Congrats and please let us know how its going!

Hey Kelly have you at any point reached a fill level where things like bread just wouldn't go down? I can't do bread at all anymore. I guess after making myself throw up so many times (bad of me I know) I am now scared of bread. I still eat Cookies and cakes but don't even crave bread anymore. I've been so bad with my band it's amazing I haven't had a slip or worse! But basically I fought and fought with my band and finally let my band win. I don't know if this is what most people go through but I fought against it, like you are now.
So with eating bread, do you have to drink after to make it go down or are you vomitting a lot? I can't drink after I eat otherwise everything comes up. But when I try to eat something (or when I did) it would just get stuck until it came back up on its own. When I was first banded, and even after my first couple of fills, I was still going out and eating subs and french toast and all that yummy stuff. I think it was my third fill that I finally felt a tightness that made me give up bread and things. Then on my next fill, it was obvious that it was impossible to even try anymore. Currently I have 5.3cc in a 10cc band. I really need a fill at this point but I am holding off for a bit. Rally just due to me moving away from my surgeon and needing to find a new one. lol
I think getting into get a fill and discussing your concerns with your doctor will be a great thing. Also coming on here helps you see that you aren't alone and everyone is dealing with these issues too.

I sit here struggling with the notion to write this or not...but something someone said to me yesterday is very disturbing. I think her words were "A Slipped Band is not a BIG Deal, quit your whining it can be fixed."

I followed all the rules the Doctor gave me and for 18 months have had phenominal success with my band. I eat right and I excercise and within this time have lost 129 lbs...putting me 5 lbs under my original goal. Two weeks ago I came down extremely ill with the FLU and my world changed. I've never been so sick in all my life and the vomitting was non-stop. It landed me in the ER for two days, my LAP-BAND® slipped, they unfilled it...hoping it would fall back into place. Unfortunately it didn't and surgery was scheduled. My Doctor was not sure what they would find. Could I have been so sick that it could of caused a possible errosion. I was lucky...but it is a VERY BIG DEAL! I was in surgery for 4 hours to fix my Slipped LAP-BAND®...and a 3 day hospital stay. It just really angered me yesterday when someone told me to quit whining about surgery. Surgery is risky no matter who you are or how healthy you are. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my LAP-BAND® and I love the success I've had with it...but surgery of any kind is scary. Things like "throwing up" shouldn't be taken so lightly or carelessly. A slipped band can and will happen if you don't take care of yourself properly.
I thought this forum was for sharing your stories and helping and supporting one another. If I can help one person not go through what I did, then its a success. Obviously I couldn't stop the Flu from happening, but I wish I would of gone to the Doctor at the first sign of being sick and had my LAP-BAND® unfilled. Maybe then I'd be out running today instead of being on day 7 of recovery.
I will however not let this stop me or drag me down. I'm loving life and love the "new me". Everyone has a story and deserves to be heard!

Hi Dandeegan,
I can easily appreciate your desire to get back into things, and hope I can offer some ideas.
First things first: Read up on, and then do the "Five Day Pouch Test." It will basically test your pouch, and give you a solid baseline to start from. By the end of it, you'll know if your pouch is working right. If your pouch IS stretched, all it means is that you have a larger pouch than you used to have. Regardless of whether it goes back to its correct size, as I see it, if you use Portion Control to regulate how much you're eating, you can still eat a bandster-sized meal. And if you don't eat more than you know you should, things should take care of themselves. Here is the text of a recent LBT thread about the Five Day Pouch Test:
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Day 1 & 2-The first two days are all liquids. You can have as many low-carb Protein shakes as you like to satisfy hunger or cravings. In addition drink at least six 8-ounce glasses of Water each day. The purpose of all liquids is to break any snacking, grazing or processed carbohydrate habits. In addition the liquids will work to cleanse your system and prepare you for the following three days. Try to reduce your caffeine intake as well, but do not stop caffeine cold turkey or you will feel sick and frustrated potentially losing the desire to continue with the pouch test. It is very important to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of Water each day. This will prevent dehydration, will help curb cravings and will flush your body of toxins and fat. Sufficient water intake improves kidney function and cell processes.
Day 3: Soft proteins- The next three days you get to eat as much as you want as often as you want! But there's a catch: it has to be solid Protein and you only get 15 minutes each time you sit down to eat. No drinking 30 minutes before or after meals and no drinking with your food. A dry pouch will hold your soft protein longer helping you to feel full and fed longer. Protein Recommendations: canned fish ( tuna or salmon) mixed with lemon and seasoned with salt and pepper, eggs cooked as desired seasoned with salt pepper and/or salsa, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy), baked or grilled, and lightly seasoned. This starts your program with "soft" protein. Measure your portion (1 cup volume or 4-6 ounces weight) and eat only until you feel full, not overfull. Remember, no water for 30 minutes before or after your meal, and no fluids with your meal. We are going back to the beginning and fluids will prevent you from feeling the pouch. If you need to add a moist condiment (Miracle Whip or mayonnaise) to the canned fish I understand, but keep it to a minimum so the meat is not too moist. One reason we lose the sense of tightness in our pouch is that we eat "slider foods" -foods that are too moist and do not stay in the pouch very long, they slide right through the stoma. Cottage cheese is a good protein and you can include it on Day 3. To firm it up a bit you could add a chopped hard cooked egg to your cottage cheese. And yes, during the liquid phase chicken boullion with added protein is great.
Day 4 Firm Protein- Protein Recommendations: ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb) cooked dry and lightly seasoned, shellfish, scallops, lobster steamed and seasoned only with lemon, salmon or halibut steaks, grilled and lightly seasoned. By now you should be experiencing that familiar tightness that will reassure you that your pouch is working. Remember to drink plenty of water between meals. Take some time to meditate and rediscover the wonder of your pouch. Often we don't like that uncomfortable tightness of the pouch, which is why we gradually move toward slider foods that don't make us uncomfortable. It is always my preference to eat moist protein so I don't get uncomfortable, but doing so allows me to consume more than I should. Rediscovering the pouch with this 5-day plan reminds me of how the tool really works. I hope by now you are rediscovering your tool and enjoying the hope and excitement because your pouch still works.
Day 5 Solid Protein- Remember to chew chew chew. Measure your portion (4-6 ounces) and eat only until you feel your pouch tighten. Remember, only 15 minutes per meal, so you'll have to work fast to chew your food completely. By now you should be out of any carb cycle you were in and perhaps you have lost a pound or two. You will have new confidence in your pouch and your ability to work the tool for your health and emotional well being. Don't go hungry! Remember, you can eat as often as you want as long as it is solid protein, consumed without liquids and measured in 4-6 ounce portions.
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After you've determined whether your pouch is working right, and you have your food portions back to the correct bandster-size meals, the next thing to consider is WHAT you're eating. If your weight loss is stalled, then you need to figure out why. Are you tracking HONEST calories every day? Are you eating junk food, slider foods, empty calories, or snack foods, instead of "real" food? I follow a modified South Beach Diet kind of thing - higher protein, lower glycemic carbs, and avoiding fried food, fats, and sugary foods. For me, it's all about moderation, and trying to get roughly 10% of my daily calories from protein. So if I'm eating 1200 calories a day, I try to get 120 of those calories from protein. I try to make sure I eat more protein grams than carb grams in a day, to keep my diet balanced. Every time I put something in my mouth I make sure I'm eating because it's right for me, and not just out of habit.
And probably the most important thing you need to figure out is how many calories a day you're burning off. If you're not burning more than you take in, you won't lose weight. It's that simple. You have to get out of your chair and move. Even a little at a time helps, but the more you can do, the better your weight loss will be.
You have to take charge of your band, and work it like the tool that it is. Are you working out regularly, are you trying to stay as active as possible, and are you proactive in your band's performance? Or are you someone who expects the band to do all the work? If you balance eating right with proper exercise, drinking enough water every day, and getting enough sleep every night, you WILL lose weight.
Hope this helps, and gives you some ideas of things to try. Good luck!
Dave