crabcake

At calorieking.com, they show ground beef, 85% lean (1 oz.) has 73 calories, 4.3 grams fat, and 7.9 grams protein. Ground turkey, (1 oz.) has 67 calories, 3.7 grams fat and 7.8 grams protein. Usually ground turkey (at least regular ground turkey) has dark meat in it which has almost as much fat as regular ground beef. :hungry:

What a great idea! You should be really proud of yourself. I bet you feel so much better too, both physically and mentally. Congratulations!

No, I stopped after my prescription ran out (3 months? I think). I had thought I'd extend it, but decided I could manage w/out it. I occasionally have days I wish I were still on it, but these are becoming less. I strongly recommend taking it for the full 6 months though. Also, I wanted to tell you that I too (surprise!) had high blood pressure and that I am now off 2 of my meds (I was taking 4) and also off the high cholesterol medicine. I was banded May 8th and I've lost about 10% of my total weight. I'm doing better than I was about my eating, but not religious about it and not exercising much at all (I'll admit it...I'm a slug!). I'm sure the quitting smoking helped lower my bp, but I think for the most part it's the band. Once I hit Onderland, my doc said I could quit taking a 3rd pill. Hopefully, that will be w/in the next 2 weeks. Like you I had always said I couldn't do both at once, but the Chantix made that possible. My surgeon refused to do my surgery unless I quit smoking. Since there's a test they can do for nicotine, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get the band, so I dug my heels in and quit! I'm glad I did. I don't want to be one of those obnoxious reformed smokers, so I won't lecture you. I know how hard it is, just do the best you can!

You should ask your PCP about a Chantix prescription. I smoked for 38 years and frequently tried to quit. I'd make it for a few months and then start again. My doctor put me on Chantix in March and I quit smoking St. Paddy's day (3/17). I feel certain it's for good this time. The good thing about it is you can continue to smoke after you start taking it. Once it's built up in your bloodstream, you really don't want a cigarette. I've talked to lots of other people too that have used it and everyone is astonished at the results! You can take it up to 6 months after you quit. Here's the website. Good luck. :clap2: Chantix

Ok, I went to the doc's office today for what was originally supposed to be my 2nd fill. Two weeks ago I had .25 cc's of the .5 cc's in my band removed because I felt like I was pb'ing too much. Now I'm hungry a lot and have been eating a lot, so I went back in today to have the .25 put back. Well, I was sure I'd gained weight. Not only have I been eating a lot, but I've been eating things I shouldn't have. I've been a bad, bad girl!!! So I get on the scales and...they're DOWN by 6.7 pounds! I started to make them reweigh me, but then didn't. When I went in to get my fill, the nurse was a little reluctant to give it to me because I was down so much. She said she'd do it this time, but not if I continued to lose like that. Here's the deal y'all...I think those scales are wrong! When I weighed at home my scales weighed me heavier and usually it's vice versa. Too, I don't feel like I've lost that much weight! I was going to reweigh myself on the way out, but someone else was on them. These are expensive scales and I'm sure this being a bariatric office they calibrate them frequently, but I'm just doubting those scales are correct! Oh, and on the way home I stopped and got a new battery thinking maybe the one in my scales was on the blitz. After I changed it, I weighed even more than I had right before I left home! I have to drive 1 1/2 hours to get to this office or I'd go back by there and ask them to recheck me. I know this sounds stupid and that I s/b rejoicing, but I'm worried they're wrong and when I go back in a month it'll read heavier! :faint: Anyway, I'm adding the change to my ticker. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and feeling guilty for all the things I've eaten that I shouldn't have. Thanks for listening. Oh and does anyone have a set of scales they can recommend?

That's great! When were you banded? Did it take you a while to get to the right fill level? I'm going in for #2 tomorrow. Hope it does the trick!

Yeah, if that's what you're looking for, it'll help. Best of luck on Tuesday!

Yep, 1-2 pounds a week. It'll probably be more than that in the beginning, because they put you on a liquid diet. Some doctors put you on that before the surgery, but mine didn't and it doesn't sound like yours did if your surgery is Tuesday. The first 2-3 days I was on clear liquids, then 3 weeks after that on full liquids (e.g., cream soups, protein shakes, that kind of thing). However, someone should have told you by now that this isn't a quick fix. It's a tool (I hate hearing that, but it's true). It takes some people up to 2 years to lose all their weight. I don't know how much those people have to lose and I've heard of people losing 100 pounds in the first year, but those people are really, really working at it. I don't say any of this to discourage you, but the band is NOT a quick fix and you should be aware of that before you have the surgery. Also, there's no guarantee. There have been people posting here that haven't lost their weight, but it has been entirely their own fault. You can't expect the band to do all the work. I was banded May 8th. I've lost about 16 pounds and the last 2 weeks have struggled w/ the band. It's a learning process. I haven't been eating or exercising like I should, so the limited weight loss is on me. That said, I'm glad I'm banded. I've just got to figure out how to best work w/ my band. Oh, and I had doubts up till the time of surgery, so you're not alone. Best of luck.

Thanks to you all. I'm probably eating too fast. I haven't thought I was, but I've always been a fast eater and I think that's most likely the culprit. Oddly, I don't want to be 'bothered' w/ eating, so I eat quickly so I'll be free to do something else. I know, it's hard to believe someone overweight doesn't want to be bothered w/ eating, but there you have it!

Hope some of you experienced banders will 'weigh in' on this for me. I had my first fill a month ago. I wasn't sure I needed one because I still felt restricted after my surgery. After talking to the nurse we decided on .5 cc's. Shortly thereafter, I started pb'ing every two or three meals. After doing this for a couple of weeks, I called for advice and was told to go in and have some of the fill removed. I did and .25 cc's was taken out. That was 2 weeks ago. Now, here's my dilemma: I have an appointment Monday for another fill. Right now, I can eat pretty much anything I want although not as much as I used to, however, I still occasionally pb! My weight fluctuates between my last weigh in and + 3-5 pounds. Has anyone else experienced this? I didn't think pb'ing was normal. I'm afraid if I have that .25 cc's (or more) replaced, I'll start the regular pb'ing again. When this was happening, I was inclined either not to eat at all, or to eat those things I shouldn't have (e.g., ice cream!!!) because I was so hungry and they were easy to eat. I'd like to be able to get that feeling of fullness after a few bites like I did when I was first banded w/out having food get stuck in my throat and needing to pb! Is this just wishful thinking on my part? Am I in bander hell? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

That's good. My DH has a sweet tooth and so do I, so when he brings it home, it's sometimes difficult for me to ignore. He's been really supportive though and he should be able to have things he wants w/out worrying about me cheating. So I don't complain and I try to be good!

I did the same thing right before I was banded. I still deal w/ it sometimes, but I know that's just head hunger (like right now, I'm really full, but there are gooey chocolate chip Cookies in the kitchen that are calling my name! :hungry: but I'm so full I hurt, so, no cookies for me!). Sometimes I eat anyway, but I'm really trying to make my head pay attention to my stomach. I was just banded in May, so I'm still trying to learn how to work w/ my band and of course, I'm still waiting to get that final adjustment for that sweet spot! :clap2:

They do. It's Obesity Surgery, Weight Loss Surgery, Gastric Bypass, Lap Band Surgery Birmingham Alabama .

Yep, cc's and ml's are equal.

This whole fill thing is a mystery to me. My first fill wasn't much, .5 cc's, but it was too much for me and I pb'd a LOT. So I went back in and had .25 removed. Felt much better, but since I was soooo hungry 'cause I hadn't been able to eat ('cause I'd pb), well...I ATE! Then I started noticing that I was able to eat a lot more than I'd been eating to begin with. I'd feel full and I'd usually stop and it would tide me over to the next feeding (), but then I'd eat too much at that meal. I have an appointment next week for a fill and I'm going to have that .25 put back. I'm hoping that will do the trick and that it was just too much to begin w/. Reminds me of 2 steps forward, one step back! ONTHEWAY, I just wanted to check in on the 'gas' issue. I'm still having that little problem too. The only thing that helps is to take Gas-X pills first thing in the a.m. I may even end up asking my doctor for a prescription. I'm afraid it's just a matter of time before I, ahem, embarrass myself! I'd sure hate to do that, especially in front of my boss!!! :cool: Tom, you poor guy...I was flipping through the channels the other day and Geraldo Rivera was talking to a woman about a book she'd written and she said something about Kegel exercises and unfortunately for him, he asked her what they were (google it if you don't know). He turned really red on national t.v.! :roll:

I think I was over filled. I just had the unfill this afternoon, but so far, so good. The first meal I had after my first fill was horrible. I truly felt like I'd swallowed a golf ball. Not so now. I hope it remains this way. I thought at first I'd eaten too fast, but even eating slowly was painful. I do need to work on the speed thing, 'cause I've been a fast eater since college days. But I'd like to work with the band and that just wasn't happening. Like you say, it's a learning process!

Do you really want to be that restricted? Why do you think you had this episode? Do you think maybe you didn't chew well enough? Or was it what you ate? This is how I started out a couple of weeks ago w/ my first pb. Then they just gradually got worse. I don't want to be that restricted. I'd rather be able to eat and then get a full feeling sooner. I definitely don't want to have this kind of pain at every meal!

:confused: Just wanted to check in about my own fill experience. I got my first fill 2 weeks ago today. I had pretty good restriction at the time and talked to the nurse about it and we decided on .5 cc's. That was too much for me. I've pb'd several times since then (oh yuck!) and it hasn't mattered what I was eating (well, except for the ice cream! :hungry:) or how well I chewed or how slow I ate. So of course I started leaning towards the soft foods again. Last night I had a major pb episode and this a.m. I called the doctors office (my next appointment wasn't for another 2 weeks and I didn't think I could wait that long) and was told to come in this afternoon. They took out .25 cc's. I ate a hamburger patty this p.m. right afterwards and all was well. I'm hoping I have the right restriction now. I just wanted to warn y'all not to be too aggressive w/ your first fills. I know you're anxious for this to work, but the flip side is you'll start pb'ing a lot and then will resort to the soft foods which tend to be high in sugars (e.g., ice cream, MY personal food drug of choice!) and of course, calories, which just defeats the purpose of the band in the first place! Good luck to you all w/ your first fills.

IndigoGirl, hope you're feeling better. Maybe this will help you put things into perspective. I quit smoking (after 36 years!!!) 3/17. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but lately, I've been wanting a cig a LOT. I don't want to stink like cigs though and I want my family to be proud of me. Most of all, I want to be proud of myself. I had my first fill 6/12. I've pb'd about 5 times since then; a really bad one last night. I called the dr's office this a.m. and went in this p.m. for a .25 unfill. Last night I filled my tank up to the tune of $40. This p.m., I drove for 2 hours to the dr's office (and of course...2 hours home!), using up about half my tank, so I could get the unfill. I spent 20 mins. at the dr's office. All that gas and all that driving for 20 mins. So, let's see... Smoking 36 years @ a pack/day @ $1.5 /day (I wish!) = $20,000. 4 hours sick leave + half tank gas = $70 (multiplied by however many times I need to go back to get my band adjusted properly...) Banded for life...priceless! Would I do it again? In a NY heartbeat! This time next year, all those dr's appts and all that fat will just be a memory and the dr's appts will seem a cheap price to pay! :clap2: Hang tough!

I don't think you've hurt your band. I think your doctor is ultra conservative! My week 5 was last week and I've been eating 'real' food just fine. I think you'll be ok, but I would call the doc's office and double check (I wouldn't necessarily fess up though):biggrin1:. 10 weeks does seem an awful long time.

This should get you in the general vicinity. Thanks! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/may-2007-banders-32599-new/

That's great! Thanks Alexandra! Would you move our existing May thread? Great suggestion MintyFresh!

I'm not sure we've thought out the 'how' part - I myself don't know enough about how to setup the forum to suggest it - but I think the 'desire' is to make the thread easier to access. There may be an easier way to get to the May 2007 Banders thread, but for me at least, the way I've been accessing it seems awkward. Other than just clicking on the link in a new email, the only other way I know to go directly to this thread is to go to my user CP and click on the 'List Subscriptions' link under the Subscribed Threads, then on the May 2007 Banders link. Is there an easier way? If not, could there be an easier way setup? If I've described this incorrectly, one of you a-May-zing banders jump in and say so!

Great idea! It would be much easier to follow. Thanks!

i'm so bad...but i just gotta say it. have some potatoes. it's NOT going to kill you and if it'll tide you over to your first fill, why not? this band is suppose to help us and i know myself, whenever i start a really strict diet, i'm just setting myself up for failure. i haven't lost quite as much as you have, but i haven't gone through bander hell either (i hope i don't have to eat those words!!! :hungry:) anyway, that's my 2 cents. i'm sure someone else will tell you to grin and bear it! :biggrin1: you just gotta do what works for you. best of luck!