windycitywids

You guys are going through quite a struggle right now. You know that shakey feeling you get when your blood sugar drops? I used to get it all the time and occasionally still do when I don't eat for long periods of time, but eating foods that have a low glycemic index do really really help. I would feel almost desperate; like if I didn't get some sugar my body would shut down or something. It was also sugar withdrawal as I am addicted to sugar. Whole grains and no white sugar or HFCS will go a long way. Try agave nectar, or turbinado or raw sugar or stevia for sweetening. Agave nectar is like honey in consistancy but doesn't have the strong taste like honey. Almost every grocery store carries it usually by the honey. It's a bit pricey but it's really delicious and good on everything from coffee to Cereal and yogurt. I've even put it on vanilla ice cream and it's yummy. Subie just as an objective observer if you have type II diabetes should you be having sweets? I don't have this disease and I'm not a MD and I'm not judging or anything and I mean no offense. But you're doc is correct I think to get that under control first.

My doc says everything in moderation. Unless he told be that the band would blow up or something if I drank coffee I would never give it up. Can't. Don't want to either. In fact I'm drinking coffee right now as I type. Love it love it loooooove it!

I also really enjoy(ed) eating. I love to go out to Breakfast with my husband on the weekend but it is a lot less enjoyable now as I can't eat what I really want to. The band for me has taken the joy out of eating which for me is a good thing. I can no longer eat for enjoyment - except occasionally when I eat ice cream or something, I have to eat to fuel my body. If I don't look at it that way I am miserable and feel really deprived. I am so wanting to take a big bite out of a homemade hamburger or a Chicago-style hot dog it's not funny but I don't do the bread and it's just not the same without the bun. I tried to eat some cheesecake yesterday and it got kind of stuck and I felt really bloated and miserable so I know that that's off the menu. Good luck to you! You will find a nice balance just give it some time.

Hey Peach I'm going thru kind of the same thing right now but a small blue pill does the trick almost every time. I find that my libido has increased but my poor husband is having the ED issue and is afraid of disappointing me so he doesn't even try sometimes. We have a great marriage and have always been compatible in the bedroom area so it can be a bit of a strain on us. Open communication is really the key and the more you talk about it the better.

At our Y they have the classes in the works and I can't wait sounds like fun. BTW I went to my deep Water class yesterday and worked my a$$ off. I am just a bit stiff but I feel great.

Life, Thanks for sharing your insides with us. You have no idea how much that actually helps me visualize (well duh, I just saw a picture) of what my insides must look like too. This helps me understand just how little the "pouch" area is and how to relate that to portion control and I'm almost a year banded! Every surgeon should give one of these to their patients right at the start. What a great tool! Thanks and good luck to you as you start your journey. C

Bama Don't be discouraged YOU CAN DO THIS. I know today your husband went in for his surgery so he'll need your support right now and perhaps that will take your mind off of your frustration if only for a little bit. Also you might, in the back of your mind, be a teeny bit envious but I think that is a perfectly normal emotion given you want this so very badly. Let that work for you! Get fired up and before you know it it will be your turn. One other thing I wanted to mention is that your doc is being cautious because he is concerned about how you will do during the surgery itself with the Anesthesia and all. The band will do you no good if you can't get thru the surgery. A larger person just has more risks involved during surgery, period. Any type of surgery so don't be too hard on him ok? Take care and we are all here for you!

What he should do is not guess as to why but do a scan and know for sure. Unfortunately or fortunately whichever way you look at it they hold all the cards here and we are at the mercy or the benefit of their expertise. I have been told that if you do liquids for a few days to a week that the dilation will subside. I also read it on one of the posts here as well. I'm sure someone will have a better answer for you.

Yay for you! I wish you good health and happiness along your journey. I'm pretty new here myself but these folks rock! You name it they've been through it. It's good you found this excellent resource early on! C

50 lbs is fantastic! Really good post Trish. I used to take the fish oil every day and stopped because of the band. I will just find some smaller ones and start them up again. I never realized the connection before. I will do some research of my own but you have given me a great jumping off place. C

Bummer, sometimes people can be cruel and not even know it. You are rockin the weight loss and we are all proud of you.

I am happy you liked the class, I love them. The best thing I think is that you can tailor the moves for whatever ails you. You can step it up or down depending on how you are doing/feeling that day. I also have arthritis (hips and feet) and I find I can do all the moves I just have to be careful on the landing parts and remember to come down lightly and correctly. My favorite classes are the deep Water classes, no impact and you work your a$$ off literally. Good luck and keep moving! C

NJ, I know exactly how you feel about wasting valuable time but be patient we didn't put it on overnight and it's best to lose slowly. I had to go 5 months after my surgery (July 28th) because I had a surgical site infection, followed by an appendectomy 5 weeks later and then had my gallbladder removed 6 weeks after that so after almost 6 months I had my first fill of 4 ccs. I am now at 9.5 ccs and have lost 35 lbs as of this morning. Good luck and all forward progress is a blessing.

Good luck, hopefully it hasn't turned.

Eat now while you get the chance. Friday I went to the surgeon's office to ask about some pain I was having and before you knew it I had had a fill. I only ate yogurt that morning and I was soooooooooooo freaking hungry for two days. I'm still only on mushies today. I can't wait until tomorrow when i can have solids.

OK, I'm stupid but what exactly does DH stand for? Anyway I would never even consider doing anything like that to my body without my husband there. He is my biggest fan and advocate and he is smart. Of course I would set ground rules first because he carries on about the stupidest things sometimes and we would have discussed what I wanted done way ahead of time. But it is a personal choice and I hope all goes well for you.

You aren't rambling so don't worry. I am glad you are going to see a Psychiatrist as a GP isn't equipped enough for all of the different med options out there. My sister found out in her mid-forties that she is Bi-Polar and she is doing well now on meds. Just know that you are never alone with this disease and don't ever feel or let anyone else make you feel inferior. Taking meds for mental illness is like taking meds for high blood pressure, it's to help a medical condition. Good luck to you

Gyps, Let me start by saying the Heat Miser rules! I would call your surgeon immediately as you may have has a slippage. Follow up is essential for your health with the band. Good Luck.

This is also an interesting topic for me because I have no interest in food either. I eat but find no enjoyment in it any longer so I don't really care what I eat anymore. I can't eat a lot of fruits or veggies anymore and I love them too. I find that I can eat so little of the good foods that I stick with ground meats, chili, shepherds pie etc. I made really great turkey burgers on the fourth but could only eat 2 small bites and one bite of baked beans. I can't do breads or rice or whole wheat pasta either. I hate protein shakes even though I do have some great tasting recipes. For me it's about the toothsomeness (think that slight crispness of a perfectly grilled hamburger bun) and textures I think, so things get a little boring at times.

Chobani all the way! I love the blueberry myself. Greek yogurt is the bomb more protein than regular.

Let me start by saying outstanding job on the weight loss. You are doing really well! Is there a YMCA near you? I have been taking Water aerobics classes and I love them. I live in Tucson so I understand hot. A YMCA membership is very reasonable and you would have access to a wide variety of classes. I need the lowest impact possible as I have nerve damage in my feet and traditional exercise can be quite painful so a friend suggested the water classes. I take a combination of deep water(no impact) and high intensity shallow (very little impact). They combine cardio and toning and you can burn 700 calories an hour in a deep class. Good luck to you

BE CAREFUL OF UNDERWIRES! I ripped my incision site and got a superficial infection from it which I believe led to subsequent surgeries. When I switched to a soft one it made all the difference in the world.

After getting my band 7/28/10 I had a series of surgeries(appendectomy and gallbladder removal) within a 4 month period of time which totally derailed my motivation and stalled my progress and was wondering if anyone else has had this happen. I talked to 3 of my surgeons and they all said that there was no literature to connect them but they did say the gallbladder issue can happen with rapid weight loss, but I had only lost a very minimal amount of weight at the time and I couldn't find anything conclusive on the web. It was more than a coincidence and I know it. I had developed a superficial infection at my port incision (underwire of bra caught the scab) site 3 wks post-op which I'm sure started it all off. What's your experience? C

After getting my band 7/28/10 I had a series of surgeries(appendectomy and gallbladder removal) within a 4 month period of time which totally derailed my motivation and stalled my progress and was wondering if anyone else has had this happen. I talked to 3 of my surgeons and they all said that there was no literature to connect them but they did say the gallbladder issue can happen with rapid weight loss, but I had only lost a very minimal amount of weight at the time and I couldn't find anything conclusive on the web. It was more than a coincidence and I know it. I had developed a superficial infection at my port incision (underwire of bra caught the scab) site 3 wks post-op which I'm sure started it all off. What's your experience? C