MeganA

Right after I was banded acidity really bothered me. I couldn't do juices of any kind, and spicy food made me get really tight. Now none of that stuff bothers me. I can't eat the breading on the General Tso's chicken anymore, which makes me sad. You may have to take it easy on the spices right after, but most of us don't have trouble. The stuck feeling is kind of hard to explain. It feels like there is food stuck in your throat but you can stil breath (the first time it happened I was pretty panicky and thought I couldn't breath- but it's down a different pipe). It feels like you swollowed a golf ball and it's sitting right in your throat. Usually the esophogas starts to spasm and that hurts like heck. It's trying to move the food down into the stomach but the band is blocking it. Then you start to get tons of spit...again the body is trying to get the food down into the stomach. You'll recognize it when it happens, believe me. Megan

Before banding I ate fast food at least five times a week. Now I will drive by all of the fast food places and just go home and make something- even when I'm really hungry. It's just too hard to eat fast food. If I do stop- about the only things I can really eat are Wendy's chili or hard shell Tacos. To be honest, I don't miss it. Most of it tastes pretty gross after being chewed well. Megan

Oh my god, I laughed so hard at the idea that people think you are bigchix I just scared an entire coffeeshop and spewed my mocha with whipped cream (why am I not losing weight???) all over my computer screen. I'm so glad you're back. Megan

Marie- This is the post I've been waiting for. I'm glad to see that you've taken responsibility for your actions and apologized. Megan

Well said, Sue. I hope the tenderness goes away soon and you're back to 100% in no time. Megan

Is anyone else addicted to it? I sit in aww as the chef's make all sorts of food I could never eat. I read cookbooks like they were smutty romance novels. I sat at my friends the other day and read her cookbooks during the Oscars. I'm addicted to food!!!! Remember how I said I am obsessive compulsive? I think I just figured out that this may be feeding my obesession. Ack!!! Anyone else have any thoughts? Megan

EXACTLY Penni! I love the Iron Chef America. I have huge crush on Bobby Flay. Just think of a cute guy that can cook like he can...Zowieeeeeee. Megan

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone! I'm feeling much better. Geezer Sue- I think your first thought makes a lot of sense. Thanks again... Megan

Thanks Carol!!! That dip was sooo yummy! Megan

Hi everyone. I just want to let everyone know that *I* asked Alexandra to delete the poll and the discussion that followed. I asked her to do so because, with the moderators decision to close the poll, it is unfair to those who could only read the information and not vote what they think. I've also asked Alexandra to close this thread. I just didn't want anyone to wonder what happened to the thread. Thanks Megan

You guys are "lucky"!!! My band says, "hey megan, what aren't you gonna eat tonight!!!wwoooo hoo..I"m wide open!!!" I can't wait for my fill in a couple weeks. I never would have thought I'd say I'm jealous of the golf ball and PBing. The band rules. Literally. Megan

Moderators and board owner Alex- I'm requesting a FULL INVESTIGATION of these allegations. This is seriously dangerous territory. Megan

Lisa- After all the talk about Vegas, I got to thinking about Karen. How is she doing without her band? If you talk to her, would you let her know I was thinking about her? Megan

Delarla (I hope you don't mind that I hijacked this), in another thread said "And I don't necessarily disagree with it, I just think it needs a lot more work. Yes, I have a disease, I'm just not sure that the disease is Morbid Obesity. I think the obesity part is a symptom of the disease. I call mine OCOD (Obsessive Compulsive Overeating Disorder.) So I am in agreement to a certain degree, I just think the subject needs a lot more research into categories. "The fact that the band turned off a lot of that "eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat..." chatter seemed evidence to me that at least part of my problem is physical." I am completely different, because the Band did not turn off the chatter. The chatter won't shut up, it never does. It starts after work and gets louder and louder till I finally fall asleep, which is why the problem isn't physical for me. For me it's 100% mental." *********************************************** This really triggered a lot of thoughts with me. When I was at my last therapist's appointment, she diagnosed me with "Obsessive Compulsive tendancies". It has never occured to me that what I have in my head is Obsessive Compulsive behavior. I needed more information, so she explained to me that the Obsession part of OCD is anxiety. Anxiety grows and grows until it is unbearable. The compulsive part is the behavior that is taken to relieve that anxiety. For example: someone who is a germaphobe gets more and more anxious until they wash their hands. This relieves the anxiety for a short period of time. Sometimes it is only fleeting calm, and that person has to wash their hands again and again until the only time they don't feel anxiety is while they are washing thier hands. So, using that example with food, I think I have OCD. My therapist said that I have tendancies, but she stopped short of saying I have the disorder. I was pretty flabbergasted and scared after our appointment. She wanted to put me on some meds to maybe help...but I just don't know if I want to do that yet. I decided I want to try some natural things first. So, armed with ten books from the library I set out to inform myself out of this. That's what I always try to do...if i just know enough about something I can make it go away. That's not compulsive at all...geez. I discovered that what Lisa says is true...my weight is really 100% mental. But I now understand that mental and physical are really one and the same. I don't have control over my "eateateateateat" thoughts. There are hormones and Proteins and all sorts of crap going on in my body that go into my head and tell me to eat. I probably have a lack of saratonin, and that's why carbs are so important to my mental health. Carbs help the body produce or absorb saratonin. So do antidepressents. I read something that made a lot of sense to me. To paraphrase, it said that a person who has the type of anxiety I do actually gets worse on a low carb diet. That is what they usually recommend to people with mental health issues. My particular kind of anxiety, from the book "Healng Anxiety and Depression" is called "overfocused Anxiety/depression". It says "A higher-Protein, lower carb diet (which enhances focus) may cause people with Overfocused Anxiety/Depression to focus more intently on negative thoughts or behaviors." This was a real ah ha moment for me. Every time I have tried to cut carbs or "do Atkins" I become a raging lunatic inside my head. So, now I'm still not sure what I am going to do. everything I read says that aerobic exerices is the #1 way to naturally work towards healing depression and anxiety. There are herbs and teas that I can drink. Therapy also is in the cards for awhile. I guess for once I feel like I have an answer to my weight issue. It isn't my fault, I'm not weak or a failure or lack will power. I have a mental problem that is both physical and mental. My brain chemistry is all f-ed up. No band is going to fix that...in fact I think in some ways it makes it worse. I can't eat enough to change my brain chemistry the way I have in the past. That leads to more anxiety. Also, the changes my body is going through are very strange to me- I weigh less than I have since I was a child. Who am I becoming? I'll keep you posted on what I do and if it helps. If anyone else has any ideas, let me know. I'm all ears. Megan

Kathy- I remember being very resentful right before and after I got banded. I finally decided I was worthwhile enough to take this step towards my health, and I felt like no one else got it. I felt like everyone else just wanted a piece of me all the time. It's a very stressful time- there are so many thoughts and fears about the surgery and what happens after. Can you ask your DH for some quiet time where he takes the kids for a while so you have some time to yourself to relax a little? This too shall pass... Lisa- Maybe I should come to Vegas a couple of days early so we can obsess about everything together. I *do* find great comfort that there is someone else out there like me and that I'm not alone. Thanks for your honesty and for letting me use some of your words. Does anyone have experience with Overeaters Anonymous? I've often thought of going but need more information before I can do it. I am a frady cat about anything new. Exept men. I love new men. megan

This thread is EXACTLY why I love this board. I don't think everyone has to agree all the time to be a happy group. I think discussion like this actually helps everyone. I think it's fantastic that people can post what they feel, apologize if they think they have hurt someone, and still maintain their own individual feelings about a subject. That's what makes this board unique. Lisa- I feel a lot like you do with my eating. I'm going to post a new thread about it. megan

Lisa- I didn't know I had any PMs until you said something!! I'm so glad you did. Megan

HOW FUNNY!!!!! I once did that at a wedding. I was a bridesmaid and all the groomsmen stored their beers in my cleavage. Aren't I all class??? Needless to say I was wayyyy drunk. Darn it was funny, though. Thanks for sharing Penni!!!!!! Megan

Babs- FANTASTIC!!!! If I could get rid of my daytime Snacks I wouldn't be too far from your food intake. Hmmm...gives me something to think about. Megan

Welcome Snowy Owl. I'm glad that Abbott would give you a fill! The weight does come off slow, but you're right- it's coming off just the same. Welcome to the site! Megan

Don't drink juice- it's way too acidic for after a PB. Do what LaMadam says. Sip sip sip. Megan

Tina, Good for you for writing the questions and having the courage to click the submit button. I doubt very much there is anything any of us can say that will change your mind about yourself. The person I think you need to talk to is your husband. The concerns you bring up are all very important- and you deserve to have some answers to them. It's very, very hard to talk about these kinds of things. I tend to "freeze" when I have to talk about some issues...I've gotten a lot better now that I feel better about myself. The way I brought up issues to a boyfriend or even just a friend in the past is to write them a letter. Give it to him, and then arrange a time when you can talk about it after he's had time to give it some thought. Make sure the kids are in bed or at a babysitter. This is a very important talk to have, and it may save your marriage and I bet it increases your self esteem. Good luck, and you are a worthwhile, beautiful person who deserves a great sex life no matter what you weigh or how your skin looks. Megan

Lisa- that sucks!!! The first time I had a gas attack I thought I was having a baby. And I hadn't had sex in like a year, so I thought maybe I was the next Virgin Mary. Yeah right...God's gonna pick me to be Mom to his next kid. Now when I get it I take the Gas X chewables and lie in a fetal position singing "you are my sunshine" and breathing like I am in labor until it goes away. Megan

Why are you getting your band removed? Megan

Bigmom- Thanks for the recipe. I'm all for more natural solutions any where I can get them. So all of those fruits are dried? Then you put them in a pan and boil them? Do you add water? Thanks!! Megan