AshevilleEddie

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).

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'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:

I also like Any Whey. I mix it with Hood Calorie Countdown chocolate milk. Yummy! If I don't want anything sweet, I actually mix it with strong, hot beef broth. It mixes in completely with no change in flavor or texture, although with the broth it's a little odd because you get a bit of a vanilla scent (but no vanilla taste). As for the broth, I use a can of double strength and mix it with a can of regular beef broth or stock rather than using water. It tastes much better that way.

Unfortunately, it is trapped gas that has to dissipate on its own. And Gas X does nothing for it. I actually didn't have too much discomfort from it, but others have talked about reffered pain in the shoulder (especially left), back and joints (how odd), to name a few. The little I had didn't last but 4 or 5 days, some have mentioned a week plus. But the good news is that it really does end. I promise!

I was banded on 5/16 and had my first follow-up on 5/24. My doc cleared me (only 8 days post-op) to eat whatever I could tolerate. The only thing I haven't been able to handle was this past Friday when I ate a small chunk of raw pineapple. I won't do that again! I chewed it really well, but it just sat there and hurt. I chugged a 20 oz bottle of tea (Lipton sugar-free white tea BTW, there are at least 3 or 4 flavors and they're GOOD) and washed it down rather than risk it coming back up.

Hey Pamela, I didn't even realize there was a chat room! Of course now that you brought it up I actually looked and found it. :guess

Hey Tracy, Do the prunes ever, um, swing the pendulum too far in the opposite direction? :guess I've had Irritable Bowel/Spastic Colitis all my life and tend to have diarrhea quite often (sorry if that one's TMI), that's why the bout with the constipation was such a surprise. I just don't want to aggravate my IBS any more that it already is. But on the flip side, I will admit that I'd rather have the diarrhea than be constipated like I was on Saturday. That was a very bad experience that I would prefer to never repeat (it involved about 30 minutes on the toilet, a lot of pain and some blood :welldoneclap: - again, sorry if it's TMI).

Yeah, I thought that was probably a big part of it. We were at Disney and I just didn't pay much attention to drinking (or eating much for that matter!). Lucy, I looked up the Perfect Food online. How does it taste? And is there any particular place you get yours? I've got a couple of online sources for vitamins and such, but I'm always looking for the best deal. What day is your surgery? Please check in with us as soon as you feel up to it to let us know how you're doing, even if it's just to say you're home and you're ok.

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. We got back from Gay Days at Disney World late yesterday afternoon. We didn't get to see the ocean of red shirts as we went to Animal Kingdom on Saturday instead of the Magic Kingdom. But we still had a good time. I did go back to the RV a few hours before Sean and the kids because I was totally pooped. Speaking of poop (nice segue, huh?), has anyone else had a problem with constipation? At the risk of sharing TMI, I'll just say that I had a very difficult time going to the bathroom on Saturday. That's extremely unusual for me. The only thing I can think of is that I had been eating a lot of cheese (well, a lot proportionate to everything else I was eating) and not drinking enough water. Anyhoo, it's back to the grind today. Glad to have you aboard Dawn! You've found a great group of folks here, both in this thread and the forum in general.

Hey, that's my birthday!! Too cool! Congrats, Wade!!

Hey peeps! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mark, sorry you had to work yesterday (Monday). Maybe you should move to the States, then you would have had it off! Juli, I'm very sorry to hear about your GF's uncle. How is she doing? I've had my share of loss over the past few years, so I know what it's like. I've got a call in to my doc's office about that mysterious discomfort/pain. I've been doing more research on the forum, and I think I have a solution, but I want to talk to them just to make sure. I've read on a couple of other threads that it could be the band rubbing/pressing against my diaphragm. What I don't know is if this is dangerous. I just hope I don't have to have my band removed. On a lighter note, has anyone seen the new Orbit gum commercial? It is freakin' hilarious!! I went online and found the transcript (to follow below), but it's so much funnier when you actually watch it. If anyone can find a link to the actual commercial, please post it! Dirty Mouth Test 37 Irate Wife: You son of a biscuit-eating bulldog! Husband: What the French toast? Wife: Did you think I wouldn't find out about your little doo doo head cootie queen? Mistress: Who are you calling a cootie queen? You lint-licker! Wife: Pickle you, kumquat! Husband: You're overreacting. Wife: No, Bill, overreacting was when I put your convertible into a wood chipper, Stinky McStinkface! Mistress: You Hoboken. A ruckus ensues, but thanks to Orbit gum, now it's all PG-13. Fabulous! :rofl:ROTFLMFAO!!!!

You've got to take your pain meds. The less pain you're in, the quicker you'll feel better and the quicker you'll heal. I was banded on 5/16 and have been off pain meds since about 5/21, with the exception of using it for a couple more nights to sleep. My personal reasoning? Since I wasn't in pain I was up and moving as soon as I got out of the recovery room and haven't stopped since unless I'm tired. In fact, I started going back to the gym (treadmill only!) six days post-op! It's really made a difference IMO. I do have the "lump of coal" sitting in my chest (although I refer to mine as a brick ). Still trying to identify exactly what mine is, but I do have a couple of ideas...

Leatha, you seem to have a handle on this diaphragm pain thing, so I've got a question for you. My incisional pain is pretty much completely gone, it only hurts if I move the wrong way or bump into something. Port-area pain is also minimal now. But I frequently have a dull stomach-area pain that feels like a combination of hunger pangs and feeling like I've swallowed a brick. It's usually more pronounced after a meal, but I feel it off and on frequently. And while it can feel like hunger, it definitely isn't. I have really good restriction and fill up pretty quickly and am quite satisfied when I'm done. At first I thought maybe it was because I'm eating solids, but it was going on before I advanced my diet, and can happen any time, whether I've eaten or not and whether I eat solids or just drink Clear liquids. I don't think it's still from being pumped up like the Goodyear blimp during surgery. Do you think it could be the band rubbing against my diaphragm? I read something about that on another thread. I just don't want to call my doc's office or the WLC in a tizzy over nothing... Thanks for you input!

' Hi Spunky, Are you talking about the ones that look kinda like test tubes? If you are, that's IDS NewWhey 25 and NewWhey 42 (the number refers to the grams of protein). I recently bought some of the 42's. I gotta warn you though, they taste pretty nasty IMO. They're kinda thick, like Jello that's just started to set, but it's the taste that gets me. I've wound up holding my nose and just downing them as quickly as my band will allow. But if you can get past the taste, that's a lot of protein packed into a small package, especially the 42's. Just one of them is almost half my protein for a day. Not to harp on the taste thing, but to be fair I only have the fruit punch flavor. The others may taste better...

Quote: Originally Posted by bostonfatgirl Kids are great! I would not trade it for the world! Yeah, it is nice to be in a state where my marriage is legal....but it will not be long before it is nation wide! tip... eat slow, drink your Water, and exercise. I have not followed the rules as well as I should but I work out daily some days two times a day so that has helped. Yeah, kids are great. Yours is only two...just wait until you have teenagers! They are definitely a challenge, but yeah, they're worth it. BTW, welcome Boston! Our little GLBT thread is growning every day! I love it! I'm SOOO glad I decided to start this thread - it's great having a thread where I can post pretty much anything! And all you guys are the BEST! I do have a question for those farther along than me. My incisional pain is pretty much completely gone, it only hurts if I move the wrong way or bump into something. But I frequently have a dull stomach-area pain that feels like a combination of hunger pangs and feeling like I've swallowed a brick. Is this normal? It's usually more pronounced after a meal, but I feel it off and on frequently. And while it can feel like hunger, it definitely isn't. I have really good restriction and fill up pretty quickly and am quite satisfied when I'm done. I thought maybe it was because I'm eating solids, but it can happen any time, whether I've eaten or not. I really don't know if this was part of what I was feeling before I introduced solids, because I was still having incisional pain and everything just kind of lumped together (the pain, does that make sense?). Any input/advice/thoughts will be most appreciated.