AshevilleEddie

Went to the gym this morning and weighed before I worked out...I'm down two more pounds! WOO HOO! I do think I need a fill before my appt on 7/3 though. The last couple of days I've been able to eat way too much, 6-8 oz, and sometimes I'm still hungry afterward...

Brooke, think hourglass, on a slower scale. The food doesn't just drop all at once into the lower part of the stomach. It kinda "drips" down from the new stomach pouch, that's why you're satisfied longer. Maybe you need another fill. Sometimes it takes a while to get to the "sweet spot." If you don't have restriction you probably do need one. You shouldn't still be hungry so soon after you eat. I understand the thyroid going nuts. Sean has hypothyroidism as well, so I've been through a lot with his. How's your TSH? I was banded on 5/16 and even though my first fill is scheduled for 7/3 I'm thinking about going in early because the last couple of days I haven't had good restriction and have still been hungry after eating as much as 6-8 oz of food. That's just too much. Nonetheless, I weighed today and am down a couple more pounds. I really don't want to move backwards at this point.

Just make sure it's something really disgusting, I was thinking maybe I could send you the liquid vitamins I was taking the first couple of weeks post-op. They're loaded with greens, wheat grass juice, all kinds of yummy stuff! PB that and you'll make Linda Blair proud!! :girl_hug:

OH MY FREAKIN' GOD! Green, you are too much!!:target: But I do have to agree...Lauren, you are a fine dragon-slayer! Take some of that to your family get-together and take out a few of those overgrown lizards for me! :fencing:(Ok, not exactly a dragon-slaying sword, but it'll have to do...)

Hey Lucy! WELCOME TO BANDLAND!! :clap2: And thanks for the update. I'm really glad you made it through ok! Do you have any Gas-X strips? They worked well for me, although if the gas pains are from getting "blown up like you're 10 months pregnant" (as my surgeon's partner so eloquently put it) rather than intestinal gas, they won't do a thing. My pain meds helped a lot with that the first few days. I've seen others post about using heating pads, as well as a few other things I can't remember right off. Don't forget we're here for you! We may not be there to bring you Soup and wipe your butt (metaphorically speaking of course) but you'll find all the love and support you could ever need right here. :hug:

I'm 3 1/2 weeks out and I'm also much more restricted in the morning than at night. I generally have a shake for breakfast, rather than solid food, simply because it's more convenient. I drink mine over the course of about 30-45 minutes. The only time I can drink more than about 6 oz at once is from mid-afternoon until bedtime. So let me reverse the question: If drinking something warm in the morning helps relax the muscles and lessen restriction, has anyone heard of anything that will help bring about more restriction (i.e., at night when I'm able to eat a little too much)? Other than a fill, of course...

Hiya Brooke! :welcome: I noticed in your profile that you were banded on 2/23 - my husband was banded on 2/21. How are you doing so far? He seems to be losing faster than most folks so I have to make sure I don't compare my progress to his. We all move at our own pace. Anyway, it's great to have you aboard! Make yourself at home!

LOL! Too funny Juli! Hey, where in Ohio are you? Sean if from up there, near Lima...

Hi Kathy! What oral meds are you one? I'm down to 1,000 mg of Metformin twice a day and am going to experiment with cutting out the pm dose starting tonight. In the past I have been on Amaryl, Starlix, Prandin, Avandia (I gained 80 lbs in under a year!:girl_hug: It came off in a few months when I stopped taking it) and Byetta (which worked really well for about 4 months, then was completely useless). As for insulin, I've only used Lantus. Now that I'm off the insulin and am losing, I expect the blood pressure to start normalizing as well. Keep us posted on doc appt, insurance decision, etc. And don't ever give up hope! You're well on your way now.

Here's a low-carb, low-fat, low-cal (but not low-flavor!) soup to try. No measurements, just eyeball everything. Steam some cauliflower (fresh or frozen, not important) until it's very tender (I just nuke it in the microwave). Heat up equal parts undiluted double-strength chicken broth and Hood Calorie Countdown milk (I use the 2%, the fat-free makes it too watery) on the stove. While the milk is heating, puree the cauli in the blender. Add it to the milk, along with fat-free cream cheese, 2% sharp cheddar cheese (don't use no-fat cheddar, it doesn't melt!) and whatever seasonings you like. I like salt, white pepper and a little dried dill. When you eat it, you can stir in some protein powder. I use Any Whey (don't remember the manufacturer) - it mixes pretty much instantly and doesn't change the taste or texture. Just make sure you don't try to mix it in the whole batch while you're cooking it. I learned the hard way that it makes it clump into hard little bits. :girl_hug:

Wow, I feel like the pampered prince, eating anything I want (well, not anything). My doc only had me on clear liquids the first 24-48 hours, then clear liquids until my 1-week checkup. Then he skipped mushies altogether and said I could eat whatever I was able to tolerate. I still do eat a lot of soft (a little more solid than mushy) food, but I'm also eating real solids...chicken, ground beef, soft-cooked veggies, etc. The only thing I've attempted that I couldn't handle was a piece of raw pineapple last weekend.

Oops, forget to mention that I don't use 100% Hood. I cut is about 30% with either H2O or when I can find it, Hood Fat-Free milk. The chocolate milk is fairly thick to begin with and with the Any Whey, it really does need to be thinned down. It also cuts the calories - it only has 5 g of carbs, so only drinking it once a day doesn't really worry me as I pay very close attention to my carbs throughout the day (I'm averaging 20-30 g per day).

Cool! How'd I miss that?? I swear, I don't know if it's the old age or the ADHD. Of course, I could just blame it on my kids - they are teenagers after all, and everything's their fault... :biggrin1:

I purchased a book called "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto. He's a bodybuilder/fitness expert. I'm certainly not heading down the bodybuilder path, but he points out several ways to (among other things) get moving from a plateau. A couple were fairly obvious: increase your H2O input and increase both the duration and frequency of your cardio workouts. But a few others that weren't quite as obvious to me were 1) Do your cardio in the morning and 2) Break down your food intake into six small meals, spaced no more than three hours apart 3) Eat the majority of your carbs (which should be complex carbs) earlier in the day, reducing them until you are eating very few, if any at your last 2 or 3 meals and 4) Include protein at every meal, especially if the meal contains carbs. There is a LOT more, but I'm going to start doing all these ASAP, even though I'm not stalled (I'm down 8 lbs @ 3 weeks post-op). The six meals takes a lot of pre-planning, and I've still got some pain so I'm not upping my cardio too much until I feel better. Let me know if you try any of these ideas and if they work for you...

Ok, I expect to hear all about the fill tomorrow. My first one is scheduled for July 3. :update: A medication update: On my PCP's advice, I came off one of my diabetes meds before surgery to avoid any low blood sugar episodes. I found that I didn't need to go back on it at all post-op. I have also been reducing my insulin by 5 units every few days. As of Tuesday, I am now OFF INSULIN COMPLETELY! I wanted to give it a couple of days to make sure my blood sugar levels were going to stay normal before I said anything about it to anyone. But I've been checking regularly and everything's been good, so tonight when it was only 90 mg/dl an hour post-prandial (sorry, that means after eating for any non-diabetic folks) I was absolutely thrilled! No more shots! Woo hoo! And now that I don't have excess insulin in my system, it should be a little easier for me to lose, plus my blood pressure and cholesterol should start to normalize. I'm now on only one oral med (used to help insulin resistance) for the diabetes. The BP meds are my next target!

I don't know how I've missed this thread, but I'd love to join in! I was banded on May 16th and am down eight lbs. Carolena, your body is good at telling you what it needs. I think we all ignored it for a long time, or else we wouldn't be on this forum! IMO as long as you're getting your protein, taking your vitamins and drinking your water everything else will take care of itself. Personally, I have to restrict my carbs because I'm diabetic, insulin resistant and carb-sensitive. But 3 weeks post-op, I'm down from 3 diabetes meds to 1 (I'm off insulin altogether!). YMMV. So listen to your body. Keiko, I've slept with pillows supporting both my back and stomach for years, so I can attest to this working. I only had port pain at night for the first 5 or 6 days post-op.

I've actually got fairly good restriction still, only seems to "open wide and say ahh" at night. And even that's not all the time. Tonight, I could only eat 1/2 of an average sized hamburger (no bun) and about 1/4 cup of cauliflower. But my fill is still 3 weeks away, so I know I'll need it by then...

Gayle, I concur 100%. I personally have to keep my carbs very low as I am diabetic, insulin resistant and extremely carb-sensitive. As long as I focus on my protein, my blood sugar has come down to normal with greatly decreased meds only three weeks post-op (I'm actually off all insulin and down to only one oral med). So I agree that as long as you take care of your protein needs first you probably won't get too much of anything else...

Yep, you're totally right Andrew. It is OTC Xenical and once upon a time I was put on it too. Oh, how I remember the greasy orange farts...

Hey Lauren, I just noticed that you're getting your band the same day I'm getting my first fill! We'll have an anniversary to celebrate together! :high5:

We were going to get married next spring in Massachusetts, but Mitt Romney invoked a 1913 law that states in a nutshell that if your marriage would not be recognized in your home state, you can't get married in MA. They are working to try and get that law repealed, but I doubt it will happen before we head up there for vacation next year. And DH doesn't want to get married in Canada (nothing against Canada, he just wants to get married in the US) so we won't be legal for a while yet...

I've been out of the dating scene for almost a decade, but I have to agree that reverse discrimination is just as wrong as any other form. However, as a Gay white male I've felt the privilege that accompanies being white and male, as well as the sting of being despised and discriminated against for being Gay. Discrimination in any form should not be allowed to exist in civilized society. It's just no different than separate bathrooms/water fountains for whites and "colored." So while I don't agree with reverse discrimination, I do understand why people feel the need to employ those tactics - it's because those same tactics have been employed against them for years. As for the issue of Gay & Lesbian people causing every bad thing except global warming (of course, I'm sure there's someone out there who believes that too), that argument is full of shit. My husband and I have two kids, own a home, an RV and a business. We pay out the ass for our domestic partner insurance benefits as they are considered "imputed income" and we have to pay taxes on them! PLUS, since we can't file joint tax returns, we both pay taxes, effectively doubling our taxes. Talk about discrimination. And you think we're causing you to pay more for your health insurance?? And the disintegration of the family? How about the fact that people who think like you do are trying as hard as possible to disintegrate my family by not allowing my husband and I to legally marry? And yes, we are husbands, whether legal or not and whether you like it or not. When I have the same rights as you, then you can talk to me about discrimination...

We live between St Aug & Jax, in northern St Johns County. And we were just in Miami in April...too funny! Are you ready for your big day? We'll be thinking about you..

Ok, I finally tracked down a couple of pics of Sean and me. I'm in the black shirt holding the cash (I didn't rob the bank :bandit - I was counting 50/50 money at a Rainbow RV rally) and Sean is in the red holding the 50/50 tickets. These pics are from October, so Sean's down about 80 lbs now. I had actually gained about 20 after that was taken after one of my diabetes meds quit working, so even though I'm right back about where I was in the picture, I still look heavier than that. Sean went back for his 3rd fill yesterday, so he's shut down pretty good now. He had been able to eat way too much and had quit losing, so he should start moving again now. My first fill is on 7/3, and I'm looking forward to it, albeit apprehensively. I still have pretty good restriction, but I can usually eat more at night, which frustrates the hell out of me because that's always been the worst time for me for eating too much and/or poorly. Anyway, here's the pics - they're thumbnails, so you should be able to click on them and open the link to the original pics: