aubrie

Don't give up on crab bake. What may make you PB one day, may not the next. Just cut up in tiny bites and CHEW, CHEW, CHEW. That's really weird about your nutritionist telling you not to eat seafood. My surgeon told me just the opposite. That fish and shell fish was the BEST Protein option for me. I eat it all the time. Since we live on the coast, I was delighted. I have to have it moist though. The two times I've been stuck have been on dry fish and dry chicken breast meat. Matter of fact, my DH and I boiled up a batch of blue crabs this past Saturday. I ate crab for two days and lost 2 pounds!!

I was skeptical about this. But I experienced it first hand. Small local flights at a lower altitude don't affect me, but the long flights up to 30,000 ft. do indeed make me tighter. The cabin is pressurized and so is your band. If there is a difference in the pressure, I can see how it may affect it. I flew to DC from Texas and was tight for about 3 -4 hours after the flight. I could feel the tightening during the flight and just stuck to water. Being stuck packed in an airplane with the bathrooms full and a line to boot, and getting stuck or having to PB was not something I wanted to experience.

Not that it's a big deal, but let me point out that corn is not technically a veggie. It is a grain just like oats, rice and wheat.

TBird..... share with us some of your trials and tribulations over the past year. What surprised you? What disappointed you? How has it changed your life so far? What would you do differently? Who or what was your inspiration to stick to it? etc., etc., etc. You're halfway there!!! Wow. I'm really proud of you. Kudos to you and your efforts!

This is good information. I'm 5 months out and have not PBd yet. I have been stuck a few times and slimed a couple times but nothing ever came up. I walked around with my arms in the air. It took about 20 minutes to dislodge whatever was stuck, and I could acutually feel it pass on through. WEIRD sensation.

Mine is still slow. :wink2:

If I go to long without eating, I get a lot of gas and burp constantly. I also get nauseated and light headed. I'm one of those that can't skip meals. I had low blood sugar in my youth, and suspect I may have to contend with that again with a large weight loss.

Actually, avocados are an EXTREMEMLY healthy food. They have more nutrients that any other single food. Yes, they have oils that have calories, but my doctor told me 1/4 of an avocado is a VERY good food choice. So are beans. He highly recommends both, so I eat them every one or two weeks.

I had the dry heaves from a virus a couple weeks ago, and then worked out really hard on my abdominals. Now I have a pain in my diaphram that won't go away and a hard bubble in that area. It only hurts when I work out, strain to sit up or roll over in bed and twist around. I'm concerned I have one now. Is that possible?

I have to think.... Is a teen psychologically ready for all the negativism and heartbreak of being ostracized for being fat? That has to do a number on your head to, when you see all your friends and classmates dating, going to the prom, wearing the latest styles, participating in sports, hanging out at the beach in a swimsuit, etc. I think it depends on the maturity of the individual teen. I was very mature for my age when I was a teen. My parents even let me go away to Greece as a foreign exchange student. That required a lot of me as a young girl, and as a result I too think I could have handled being banded had it been necessary then. I was what the boys called, "voluptuous". Slightly on the plump side, but no where near needing a band. I was extremely independent, responsible and head strong. Not all young girls are. If this is being considered, I think extensive psych evaluations would need to be done first.

I rubbeb mine with vitamin E oil. It helped with the itching and kept them soft and supple. they are no longer raised. Just ever so slightly pinkish purple around the edges, but fading more every day. I'm 5 months out.

I can pass up ice cream, cake, cookies, baked potatoes, noodles, and even the chocolate, but put some crunchy, crisp chips in front of me and I lose all fortification and control. I'm a sucker for crackers, tostitos, cheese nips and kettle chips. I thought I would miss potatos and beer. Nope. Just miss crunching on something salty..... Grrrrrrrrr. It's so frustrating.

Cadets71. I just got back from a mini vacation to Las Vegas. My first trip. I have two fills, not at optimal restriction as I have NEVER PBd, but I'm still losing slowly. I did fine in Las Vegas as far as eating goes. It was my first time traveling for pleasure. I was able to eat healthy and watch my portions. I did great until I had a martini at the Stratosphere!! Holy cow! It may have well have been an IV drip. Other than that I did great. I loved Las Vegas even though we didn't gamble much or win anything....Just saw the sights. As for Dr. Rutledge..... Everyone has their own horn to toot and he's tooting his. I was also told that banding was a mistake that I would only lose about 50 pounds in a year. I'm at 50 pounds now in 5 months. I'm thrilled with my band and very satisfied with my weight loss. It is hard work, but ethically I could NEVER do a bypass. There are people in my support group who have, and many are miserable and look like death warmed over. Bald Patches on their heads, get B12 shots every 2 - 4 weeks for the rest of their lives, problems with low blood sugar, hands trembling, general weakness from muscle loss, skin like paste, repeatedly hospitalized for dehydration. YUCK! The lapbanders look much healthier. I wouldn't want their problems.

I was 6 weeks out at Christmas time. I had a glass of wine and did just fine. I'm 5 months out now and have a glass occasionally. It helps me relax. If I'm nervous, tense or stressed out, my band tends to hurt. The hot tub helps too. :wink2:

I hear you REadySteadyGo!! I'm jealous too. I don't get any indication at all until AFTER I finish eating. Then sometimes I'm miserable. I have never PBd so I'm still clueless if I'm overeating enough to stretch my pouch. I would love it if I had some kind of indicator. It's a hit and miss guess for me. Sometimes I can eat a lot, others no.

during liquids or mushies, try a few ouces of prune juice before bedtime. My doc recommended that. sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Milk of magnesia works pretty good in an emergency. Once I was on solid food, I still had problems. My doctor then said to eat 3 or 4 grapefruit sections every day. Make sure you peel the pithy film off each section. You won't be able to chew that part well enough. It works like a charm. The Activia yogurt works too.

I met with my surgeon twice before surgery for him to monitor me and answer any questions I may have had. He also has a counselor that comes in and covers other "issues" we may have. I got a tour of the bariatric floor of the hospital and a team of nurses to answer questions. I went to a psychiatrist, a nutritionist, a sleep study doctor. They really worked me over!! After surgery the nurses were great, and I received a FAT folder with all kinds of information inside. If I call my surgeon or email him, he usually answers me back within an hour or two. But always by the next day depending on the problem. He also has support group set up to monitor us after surgery as well. They are an amazing bunch of people and keep me motivated. His set up is first rate.

I'm 5 months out and still have gas. It's not the painful bloating type like after surgery, just regular gas, but much more frequent. Many of us bandsters have it. It goes with the territory. My husband has a joke now that a duck lives in our house that I constantly step on. Like the Aflac duck..... Ha Ha Ha..... real funny. I can burp like a sailor now too!!

I had whole wheat crackers and chicken salad for lunch today. I only do it once a week, but sure enjoy it when I do. I found some wierd crackers at the store the other day that have 0% fat, almost no calories what so ever and even have a few grams of protein. I got the cracked pepper flavor and they were awesome! they are from Australia. ???? I'll look at the name again tonight and let you know. They reminded me of a thin baked merigue. I guess the egg like quality is what provided the protein, but they were delicious. I was THRILLED to find them.

There are high pressure bands and low pressure bands. The low pressure ones don't have leaking problems and probably don't need the "fix a flat" stuff. I was pleased I got a low pressure band.

Just keep in mind.... These are definately starchier and higher calorie fruits and veggies. As you progress and your weight loss slows, you may want to consider limiting them, or switching them out with lower calorie choices to avoid the dreaded plateau. Also remember. Those things have skins. I read on this board where many folks, as they are tightened up with fills, can't eat the same foods, and veggies and fruits with skins were one of the problem areas. Just keep in mind that you may have to adjust and alter as you go, but yes, these are healthy foods.

First pregnancy I gained 60 pounds and didn't get one stretch mark. Second pregnancy was three and a half years later. I gained only 40 pounds and was covered in them!!! Go figure. I'm more worried about my arms than I am my stomach. That I can cover. Living in south Texas where it's hot most of the year, short sleeve and sleeveless shirts are the norm. I literally have mud flaps like a dang pick up truck! I'm willing to try anything. I've got Biotin on my Wal-Mart list for tomorrow!!! I also massage the arms after every bath with lots of moisturizer and exercise. My husband says I now feel "squishy". Great...... That's nice to know. As opposed to what? Dense?

I have one incision and 3 puncture holes. Not really even incisions.....

WOW! What a great idea. I hadn't thought of that. My office mate may frown upon this, but hey, it's worth a try. Thanks for the suggestion!!

Overall I feel MUCH better. My knees don't hurt. I sleep better because I'm not choking for air and snoring, so I feel rested. I have more energy and can do more things. But I do have a few things that now bother me. I have little twinges and pains in my tummy. If I overdo my exercise my port area gets sore. I have constant gas and burp all the time. It's embarassing. I constantly battle constipation. those are the irritating little things I now have to contend with, but I would rather have to put up with those things any day than feel like I used to. I'm slowly eliminating my meds, I have a sex life again. Life is good. I'll take a little bit of bad along with the lot of good.