backpacking5

I just went through three scales that had the same issue. I kept returning them to bed bath and beyond. I finally bought an analog (dial) scale, and that seems to work better. The only downside is I have to get my husband to read it for me bc the little lines are too damn close together!!

Mine varies depending on where I stand on it, or if I lean to the side, front, back, etc.
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I think mine lies as well. I am counting calories and doing zumba on my days off to prepare for surgery. I can't seem to lose the weight!!! Some people said I might be building muscle but who knows!? It's very frustrating!

Sounds like its time for a new scale if you ask me

Mine does the same thing I bought a moderately priced scale and I try to make sure it's in the same spot on floor yes I count the tiles to make sure it's always in the same place lol. I fluctuate about 2-5 lbs so although I weigh everyday ( I know I shouldn't) I only record my Monday morning weight. Since I started preop on Monday n was banded on a Monday
I'm afraid to but a $100.00 scale just for the same thing to happen. Sigh.... N once a month at surgeon is not enough for me n I weigh3lbs more on his scale

I weigh first thing in the morning and sometimes my scale does me like that - I'll get three different numbers. But it's the cheapest digital scale Walmart had, so I'll probably look in to buying one thats a little more reliable. LOL

Haha...I do the SAME THING...I have even gotten completely undressed in the middle of the afternoon to get a more accurate reading LOL

I have done Tai-Chi it looks like it would be so easy but it is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I feel so awake and relaxed at the same time when I'm done. We also have a treadmill and stationary bike.

I never step on my scale, don't like the numbers. Anyway this morning I decided to see how I was doing since my shirts and pants are feeling loose. The first time it showed I had gained 6 pounds, (WHAT) I knew that couldn't be right so I stepped off and zeroed it out and tried again, It now showed I had lost a pound. In all I tried 6 times got 6 different readings with a difference of 7 pounds. I should have stopped at the lowest reading and been happy not confused. I think I need a new scale or new batteries.

I never step on my scale, don't like the numbers. Anyway this morning I decided to see how I was doing since my shirts and pants are feeling loose. The first time it showed I had gained 6 pounds, (WHAT) I knew that couldn't be right so I stepped off and zeroed it out and tried again, It now showed I had lost a pound. In all I tried 6 times got 6 different readings with a difference of 7 pounds. I should have stopped at the lowest reading and been happy not confused. I think I need a new scale or new batteries.

I never step on my scale, don't like the numbers. Anyway this morning I decided to see how I was doing since my shirts and pants are feeling loose. The first time it showed I had gained 6 pounds, (WHAT) I knew that couldn't be right so I stepped off and zeroed it out and tried again, It now showed I had lost a pound. In all I tried 6 times got 6 different readings with a difference of 7 pounds. I should have stopped at the lowest reading and been happy not confused. I think I need a new scale or new batteries.

I never step on my scale, don't like the numbers. Anyway this morning I decided to see how I was doing since my shirts and pants are feeling loose. The first time it showed I had gained 6 pounds, (WHAT) I knew that couldn't be right so I stepped off and zeroed it out and tried again, It now showed I had lost a pound. In all I tried 6 times got 6 different readings with a difference of 7 pounds. I should have stopped at the lowest reading and been happy not confused. I think I need a new scale or new batteries.

The first time the doctor tried to give me a fill he stuck me twice and moved the needle around and around said he could feel the port but couldn't get it in. Boy was I bruised. I had to go back three days later and do it under floroscope. My port is tipped up so he was hitting the edge of it. I go for another fill on Monday with one of his assistants that comes to my town. Kinda nervous they won't hit it and will have to go back to the doctors office out of town. I am trying to do it locally rather then taking the whole day off of work to drive the 2 1/2 hours to the doctor, for a 20 min visit then drive 2 1/2 hours back.

i was scanning and faxing alot of contracts a big ago and came across a NSV that never occurred to me..and i was thinking i have got to post this and
hope someone reads it and goes, hey, thats right, so can i and just maybe....encourage (esp a larger bmi person like myself)...even if for a moment..
I have posted NSV on tying shoes, no more seat belt decapitation, putting my own socks on, fitting into regular bathroom stall...and the list is endless....
i have no shame, i just post reality as i experience it...
last year i couldnt stand for more than 5 min at a time (100% TRUTH) and here i was standing and faxing for a good 25 minutes.....i recall with great clarity having to fax one or two items and coming back to sit down as my legs, just couldnt handle the girth/weight
granted its not much ado bout anything
but to me, it was MAJOR
thought id share

OKOK It technically involves a scale, but not really lol
I weighed in this a.m. at 150.2. I had a fill scheduled for this morning and so I go in and get one done. It's customary for them to weigh you in, so I weighed in clothes and all minus the shoes. Don't you know..that scale said 148. I wanted to focus more on the fact that this was the FIRST time in my life, I've ever weighed less at the docs office opposed to at home- and that's DRESSED! Ok, I think this high will keep me happy for an entire week ahhaha

Hi Redesigned,
The band truly is a living experiment, indeed. Sometimes we allow the numbers to get in the way of reality. For instance, if the average fill in a 10cc band is 5cc, people feel that surely they should be at green if their last fill brought them to 8cc for instance. Not so! Finding green is truly a 'listen to your body/band' decision. Sometimes it's learning exactly how to read those signs that can be most difficult. I'll do my best to help you on that.
Let me preface this by saying, everyone experiences the band differently from day 1. We all have different timelines as to when we first felt hungry, or felt restriction, or which foods fill us or which foods are no foods that get stuck consistently etc. So these are generalities, try to apply it your circumstance.
So, yellow is very easy to identify. That's the phase where you don't really appreciate any true restriction. You feel hungry between meals sooner than the standard 3-4+ hrs, when you do eat you can eat more than the standard cup and it's typically self will that's controlling your portions and food choices.
The way you are describing your situation, you sound yellow.
Green...ahhh green! This is a tricky land to be in. Because in reality, there's many shades of green. But first, let's just define it simply. Green is when you feel satiated between meals for at least 3-4 hrs. Green is when you are losing weight. Green is when your portions are under 1 cup and eating over 1 cup is uncomfortable. Green is when you can actually appreciate band restriction, where the food collects in your upper pouch and slowly passes through the stoma. This is something you can physically feel, whereas in yellow it feels like 'preop'. This is also typically the phase where most stucks occur because our stoma is smaller and is more sensitive to eating too fast, too large of a bite, or too overeating. This is when band rules are a must and we have to really follow our sensations from one bite to the next.
So let me back peddle real quick..shades of green ey? YES! I am not certain if this is an old bandsters experience or not, but I'm experiencing this in the maintenance phase. Please don't disregard this, because this may apply to you in an earlier phase. After getting back on my diet, I decided to get a tweak fill. It had been 3 yrs since my last fill. And it brought me back to green. But after the fill inflammation subsided and the stoma adjusted to eating/drinking again, I felt signs of green. But not like I did early on (first 6 months). So I got another tweak. Again, better..but not perfect. And I go tomorrow what I think will be my last tweak (these tweaks are 0.5cc although tomorrow's may only be 0.1-0.3cc) for that perfect green feeling. (See above for what that feels like). If any one of these variables is lacking, I say tweak it.
The band really tests our patience. There is no set timeline. There is no set green fill volume. It's highly individualized.
So get more of a fill and keep going until you feel green.
Other thoughts: I cannot overeat at green. I literally can feel the stretch in my pouch when I eat over 1 cup because the food slowly passes through the stoma. It's uncomfortable and it's negative feedback. I resist eating that much because I don't like the sensation and I fear it'll result in an unnecessary stuck episode. This is the blessing of the band. It gives you new sensations you didn't feel presurgery. The food sitting in your pouch is what activates the vagus nerve to send signals to the brain that you are full. And that is how we feel satisfied or full on a mere cup. But being in green is a requirement, otherwise it's just like having no band.
But than there is the red zone. You don't want to overshoot it by not being able to eat properly (frequent regurg, avoiding too many foods that get stuck, drinking meals instead of eating, difficulty with liquids, getting insufficient calories because you can only eat a bite or two per meal etc). Despite logic, this kind of restriction will actually cause the body to cease wl. So RED is baddddd ahahha
Hope this helps hon

i eat 96% lean beef patties, lean steak (tbone my fave as well as filet) and chicken beast and beans...also Protein Bars (some have 20+ grams and higher..this is in my purse, drawer at work)..protein is what i eat first and its what i eat when i am truly hungry (and its not head hunger or me just eating because everyone around me is) the meats i eat cost a little more but you know what, i am worth it...so are you

I burp therefore I'm banded. Lol.

I want to go backpacking in the mountains (of course there are none in northern MN)
I want to go canoeing in the Boundary Waters again
I want to get off my CPAP (although I am very thankful for it)
I want to chase after my grandbabies
I don't want to be the fat one in the group anymore
I want to feel confident in myself
I want to like what I see in the mirror
I want to love myself
plus many more.......

I want to go backpacking in the mountains (of course there are none in northern MN)
I want to go canoeing in the Boundary Waters again
I want to get off my CPAP (although I am very thankful for it)
I want to chase after my grandbabies
I don't want to be the fat one in the group anymore
I want to feel confident in myself
I want to like what I see in the mirror
I want to love myself
plus many more.......

I want to go backpacking in the mountains (of course there are none in northern MN)
I want to go canoeing in the Boundary Waters again
I want to get off my CPAP (although I am very thankful for it)
I want to chase after my grandbabies
I don't want to be the fat one in the group anymore
I want to feel confident in myself
I want to like what I see in the mirror
I want to love myself
plus many more.......

Why does it feel like I'm stuck instead of feeling full?

This morning I was able to wear the smallest pair of jeans I had in my closet, but wait! That's not the best part...
Here goes:
When I put them on, they fit perfectly on my hips but there is a HUGE gap in the waist...my butt can hold them up, but they need a belt to fit my waist!!!! Wooo Hooooo!
I LOVE THE BAND AND WANT TO KISS MY SURGEON TODAY. I'm so serious...he's as hot as fish grease!

My morning smoothie blew up my Kitchen Aid blender again! So I went out and bought this instead:
http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-BL660-Professional-Blender-Single/dp/B00939FV8K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1378738502&sr=8-2&keywords=ninja+blender+1100
I did quite a bit of research and almost went home with a 350.00 Blendtec from costco, but just couldn't make myself spend that type of money. So, I went with the Ninja at Bed, Bath and Beyond (20% off coupon, the total came to 119).
Been using it for about a week now and I love it, especially the single serve jars. 1/2 an apple, a splash of OJ and a handful of spinach gives me a great little snack and two servings of fruit/veggies. It chews through morning smoothie of 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup of fresh spinach, 1/2 cup of 0% greek yogurt and a costco premier chocolate Protein shake in half the time my kitchen aid did, and comes out much smoother.
Confession time, since being banded my consumption of fruits and veggies has really declined. There is only so much room and frankly I am nervous every time I eat them, they seem to give me much more trouble than other foods unless they are cooked to death and I HATE over cooked veggies. WIth the Ninja, that won't be a problem.

Alright, I admit I am not know for being the most mild mannered person. I have a bit of a temper but have always taken steps to ensure my temper remains in control (breathe in, breathe out). I do not normally lose the plot. Then there was the incident today....
I went into the office today (been working from home for the last two weeks). Three of the women I work with stopped by my office together to tell me how great I was looking. Was enjoying the ego stroking immensely!!! I have been very open about the fact that I have had band surgery. No reason to hide it. While we were chatting another female colleague walked in.... lets give her a name to protect her privacy... Broomhilda.
Broomhilda ( the _itch that she is) listened to the gals feed my ego a bit and then decided to give her unsolicited two cents worth. And I quote "Amber I can see you lost some weight. You were so huge before. I mean it was time that you did something about it right? I just would have expected you to have lost more by now. I mean bigger people are supposed to lose weight faster right? What exactly are you eating? Are you getting out from behind your desk at all? You know diet only wont move those pounds. You have to exercise to. I don't understand why it took you so long to do something about it. I have been tempted to say something to you about your weight for awhile. I guess even a little weight loss is better than nothing right?"
The other 3 gals got quiet and waited..... The old self conscious me with the dented self esteem might have nodded and smiled and ignored her. Possibly taken her to the side later to tell her she hurt my feelers. The new me..... not so much. Watch out world the Amazon princess is in the house. If she felt it was okay to be rude to me in front of others why should I be the one to restrain myself?
My response:
"Broomhilda I appreciate your candour. Your right I am overweight and am taking steps to ensure that I healthier and happier. Since we are being honest here I just wanted to mention that no one has ever been so rude as to approach me in the way that you have and give such demeaning feedback. Did you have a horrible childhood? Was your dog run over on your way to work today? Honestly the only reason I am asking is that I am trying to come up with a reason as to why someone feels the need to make others feel bad in order to feel better about themselves. Did your parents teach you manners and you just chose to ignore them or were you raised by wolves? Yes I am fat and in time I will lose the weight while my friends support and encourage me. You on the other hand have allot to learn and I only hope that people choose not to be as honest with you about your faults as you are with them. Now get the hell out of my office I want to have a donut!!" (I of course did not have a donut was just pissed off) Needless to say she scurried out of my office. One of the three gals that were still there just looked at me and said good on you!!
What did I learn from this?
1. My anger management skills suck
2. I am no longer willing to allow others to demean me simply because I am fat
3. True friends will encourage and call you out when your getting off base - the secret is understanding true friends will do it out of a place of love whereas _itches are doing it for their own benefit
4. I have value and worth regardless of whether I am fat or thin. Allowing someone to take potshots in order to avoid conflict does not help the situation. It simply makes them feel that their comments are acceptable.
5. Maybe I am a bit of a _itch myself
I saw her in the car park as I was leaving. I did not run her over. All of you are my witnesses/alibi. If anyone asks I was writing this post. The red stains and bad blonde hair dye on my bumper are from a poor unfortunate cat........ Lets stick to the story people.
Thanks for letting me vent.