marcyinak

WELCOME DONNA!

Denise - can't say as I've ever had crayfish...never seen any up here....we get shrimp near Southeast Alaska, but not this far up north. I'm sitting here eating a heaping plate full of crab...kills the hands to get the meat out, but the rewards are sooooo worth it!

ssanka - I hear you on the overeating. I, too, worry that I'll be able to eat around the band...expecially since I haven't lost a significant amount of weight wince the surgery like some other folks. My mother is the SAME way...what I think is hillarious is that she tries to give me nutritional advise (she's always been obese) and her "advise" is always very wrong...even from a layman's view, very, very, wrong! I'm surprised the woman is still alive! dmjet - It's not hot EVERYWHERE! LOL! It's about 55 here, good enough for a brisk walk and chicken yard cleaning! IdioGirl - YES, you're so right! It's not about being full, just not hungry! I'm trying to explain that to my 7 year old! LaNalga - No, you're fine! My recovery was fantastic. I, too, can eat ANYTHING and too much of it too. I've had a couple of "issues" when I eat too fast and don't notice that I'm FULL and then over-fill myself....it's uncomfortable and not pretty. Funny, now that I'm 4 weeks out, I seem to be eating less than I did a week or even two weeks ago! Be patient!:biggrin1: SHAKES/PROTEIN: I have some Satori Eat-Smart protein powder that I've added to broth, pudding, and yogurt, but I don't like it and don't use it. I stick to Slim Fast shakes and I really like Myoplex Carb Sense shakes because I can make them with water instead of milk and they still taste pretty good...I usually don't like strawberry flavored drinks and since I don't like chocolate that much I usually just stick to vanilla. WEIGHT LOSS! Ok, it's just a pound, but now I'm FINALLY lower than I was when I had surgery! I tell ya, it totally helped with my psychologically! Next week I'm filled and then I'm sure things will speed up a bit. I was thinking last night that at even 3 lbs a month, that's 36 lbs. a year! At that rate (and I'm sure I'll be faster) I'll be at my goal weight in no time! YEAH! Slow loss is still loss! LOVELY ALASKAN NEIGHBORS: So, the other night I'm playing Risk with my son and husband and we get a knock on the door...it's 9:30pm so that was a little strange. It was a fella that welcomed us with some reindeer stew when we moved here in April and haven't seen since then. He says that he pulled his crab pots and doesn't have the freezer space for all the KING CRAB he has in the back of his truck! HAHA! SCORE! :hungry:We got 10 Crab and cooked 'em up right away. We figured it was about $300 worth of crab (here we pay $6.00/lb, I know it's more for you suckers in the south!)! He said he'll be bringing some Silver Salmon (the best kind) this week and we're going to go help on his boat tomorrow (that'll be my excersize). WAHOO! Really, living here can really be great! At least it's not 110 degrees! Heck, I got a tan/burn the other night when it was 60 degrees and 10 pm out on the deck! Congrats to the other "LOSERS"! Yep, now I'm ready to cheer everyone on! Sorry so long, but I just finished all the posts from the past couple of days!

- YES, I've had this nauseated feeling from being full....it happened last weekend after I PB'd on steak...obviously I was FULL. It happened on Sat. night and on Sun. I had a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch...I still felt full and a little "queezy". There was some toilet action too, but by Sun evening I was fine. Just drink some water to get that "through" you and you should be fine.

dieka - First, don't get depressed about the dang corndog! Just accept it for what it was and get back on track today! It's okay to fall off the wagon, but just make sure you get back on! Beating yourself up about it may lead to MORE eating! Let it go! Remember, it's not a BAD thing to be hungry, just eat enough to get rid of it... Peaches - I have the INAMED 10cc band...pretty typical for the states Well...it's officiall 3 WEEKS now and I finally LOST! :whoo:Okay, so it was 1/2 lb., but it's still losing! I have to admit that I don't get all excited for all those who have lost a heaping mound of weight...I'm insanly jealous and wondering where all the motivation and "stick-to-itness" that everyone else seems to have. I did a bunch today...worked with my chickens. Got a couple that are layin around too much and gave them a "bath"...they didn't like it and I think I'll be pulling bird crap out of my hair for a few days! :cryI did manage to clean out the "coop" too and sweat a lot! So, I just have some more crazy monkey jungle love tonight :kiss2:and my excersize will be done for the day! I don't know if anyone has noticed, but when you do a New Reply instead of a Quick Post you can set up your email notification...this totally helps with reading all the posts...you can set it for "daily email notification" and it posts everything from the last time you were on....without all the signatures so it A LOT faster for people like me with slow internet and you don't have to load the new pages all the time. Anyway...just a tip

Caolin - trust me...the Doritos are pulverised before they are swallowed (boy, that looks like it's misspelled...oh well)! Cheetos go down easy too....I just eat them VERY slow - suck off all the cheese then chew, chew, chew....since it takes so long I only eat about 1/2 cup (and I don't do this all the time, but its a nice treat). Chim - no "Walk for Anything" here...there are some crazy people who do some long distance runs...and there seems to be some insance race every week here. Now, why did we move here? Lynette - yeah, you get a nice 'ol sign and I get...."where's my dinner?" and "see you in a few days"....the irony! I managed to get motivated and go for a long walk with my daughter...I was cold when I left and wore a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and windbreaker...when I got home I needed a bathing suit! At least I broke a sweat!

Oh Nicole - there are soooo many variables for your alleged weight gain - hormones, fluid retention, clothes, building muscle.....and the list goes on and on. There's a few things you can do to combat this...First, weigh yourself consistently, that means rely on one scale (at home or at the docs), weigh yourself first thing in the morning, and don't weigh yourself more than once a week. This will help with your mindset! You're doing much better than I am...heck, I just finished a handful of Doritos and I'm not drinking nearly enough water...call yourself a success and next time, take a hammer to "fix" the scale at the doc's office!

No...really, that's ALL the posts there are for this morning? Hmmm....now I KNOW everyone is back to work! Hahaha!

Kathy - thanks! I never even thought to have the restaurants puree food/soup for me! That's a great idea for when I have my fills. (Since I have to leave home and eat "out" when I go in.) Lynette - HELLLLOOOOO, what about me? I feel so lonely! Potty training for my boys was totally different - one day I just put Connor in underpants and told him to keep 'em dry and he did...never an accident, even in bed with a cup of water at the bed-side table! Owen, on the other hand...took three months and a lot of yelling! FINALLY, he too can have water at his bed-side! Wonder what will happen with my little princess... BTW have fun at work!:biggrin1: Dini - I was thinking about you saying that you just don't have energy, etc. right now...have you thought that maybe you might just be a little teensy bit depressed? You have some serious stuff going on and it's all going in the same couple of weeks! You still need to recover from surgery, you need to get more positive people around you (I'm still wondering what idiot called you FAT! I just don't see it in your pictures! I mean, where's the double-chin? ) Take time to recover and relax, I'm glad you're going to Italy...make sure you really VACATE on your vacation!:bounce: Almost WEEK 4...BAD THINGS HAPPENED LAST NIGHT! First, my sweet DH grilled steaks for the family. I haven't tried steak yet, but since I can down almost anything I though, "why not?" It started bad when I noticed he drowned the poor T-bones in BBQ sauce, I mean, who does that? :tired I, for some reason, at ravenously and after about 2 oz of steak I got that "oh crap" feeling...Yep, got all flushed in the face and headed to the bathroom. Thought I'd just PB and get it over with....boy was I wrong! I didn't quite vomit, but it was more than a PB! It was like there was a wad of meat (thoroughly chewed by the way) that "topped off" my new stomach and couldn't fit. This was strange for me because, frankly, I haven't felt full in a loooonnnngggg time! I guess I need to get used to that new "full feeling". It was a terrible learning experience...didn't last too long, but my stomach was still queezy today. Point taken! I let Andrew finish the BBQ steak today! I just had soup and a shake. :hungry: Also, I haven't lost any weight still. I'm actually up 2 lbs. from my surgery weight. I'm not upset about it, just a little frustrated. I don't like using scales, but it IS a good way to see progress. Pray for my sanity! Oh, and even Paula Dean says that the food she cooks is meant to be taken in moderation! She does not suggest people eat like that all the time.

Shannon - yes, some of us have heard of the AP band, but I don't know if any one has it. Your doctor should give you a little card with the information (serial #, model #, etc.) on it for you to have on hand. There's been some of us who have docs that also give us a card that says something like, "please let this person order from the children's or senior's menu because they've had WLS". I haven't used mine yet...I wonder if anyone else has....hmmmmm. Anyhoo, just a little tidbit for you. I just realized that I complain about the prices here a lot. I just like the shock value, really. There isn't much else to brag about! We DO get paid well enough to deal with it though. Thank heavens!

Welcome Shannon...that shoulder pain will subside, just give it time...at least it's not tummy pain! Danny...wait 'till that baby starts moving so much you can see it from across the room! That's my favorite part! Lynette - you are so lucky to have appraisers nearby. In Alaska (especially the rural areas) you can wait up to 6 weeks to get an appraiser out here...and an appraisal costs $850! It's a total sham I tell ya! My husband keeps encouraging me to look into becoming an appraiser...maybe it IS something I should do?! That'd be a GREAT part-time job! Haha! Not like I don't have enough to do right now! I'm working on our trip in November. We'll be in Fl 4 days before the cruise (going to Orlando for that and have accomodations already), but then we'll be in Miami for 4 days after. I'm still working on a place to stay - you know, get a suite because of the kids, or just go to bed early with everyone. The d***m Priceline won't let you bid more than once every three days for the dang rental van (and we do need a van now) so I have it all timed that every three days I put in a bit. It's a PAIN IN THE BUTT, but it's keeping me away from the food! :-)

Phyllser - That's great that you get to start eating real food again....you had a killer of a pre-op diet and I'm inspired by your dedication to follow doctor's orders pre and post op! I'm sure you will be on the top of the "success" list! Dini - Preparation H is for hemorrhoids! Keeps the swelling down! Some folks even use it for under their eyes if they haven't enough sleep! LOL! I'm curious, how did you manage to get on with Miami Ink? Do they have a reservation list or something...the show doesn't show them really busy, but I know better. When I went to Vegas last year I looked into the other place (can't remember the name, but the show was "Inked") and you couldn't call ahead, you had to go in at the crack of early, wait in line a couple hours to find out if they'd even "do" you and then wait around all day for your appointment! I found a professional down the street who did a great job! Maybe we could all meet at the shop and get tattoos together (my husband would be so pleased!) The scale moved down, one pound, but at least it's moving down again! I'm still feeling good. Something good must be happening because my daughter pulled my jeans off....without the zipper or button being undone! LOL! She didn't even pull hard!

Lynette - the picture of the tattoo was just after it was done (last Aug.) and still had petroleum jelly type antibiotic all over it making it really stand out! A key to keeping tattoo color is to put sun-block on it and keep it out of the sun. It still looks good today though! About the belly-button ring...I had one in college and although the piercing itself wasn't too bad, it took SIX MONTHS to heal! Really, I had my pants unzipped for 6 months! Apparently, that's normal...I had a friend do it with me and she had the same thing. It's not red or anything, just painful...funny how that little hole hurt more than my three c-sections and this banding TOGETHER! Welcome to the new folks and I'm glad to hear that healing is going so well with our group....no problems! I don't know if it was a blessing or a curse that my doc let me progress on foods as I felt good about it....would I have been better off on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks like everyone else? As it was I was only on liquids for about 6 days! Now I can eat like a pig - if I want to. I started to just drink a protein shake for breakfast and excersizing more so I hope that helps, I'd like to lose some lbs. before my first fill.

Oh, someone asked about burping...YES, I'm burping more, but some things are gone. For some reason after my first pregnancy, every time I laid on my left side I'd have these little gurgling burps...they are gone now...and it's been 7 1/2 years of that! WAHOO! That was a BIG and NOTICABLE thing for me. I can deal with the burping...I was raised on Miss Manners and can stifle a burp pretty good! I like the pedometer idea...I think I'll get one next time I'm in "town". (That means Anchorage or Fairbanks...a place that has a regular store.)

I'm glad everyone likes my bracelet idea...I really do think it would work...for me anyway....I just ate some chocolate. Bad, Bad, Marcy!:bandit It was goooood! Hey, all this talk about Dini going to Miami in November....wouldn't you know...I'm going on a cruise in Nov. and will be in Miami 11/18 - 11/22! LOL! Maybe we could just have a little group get-together? Haha! I like the tattoo idea. I had an UGLY tattoo from college and just got it "covered up" last year while I was in Vegas. I covered it with my children...Connor "Bug", Owen "Bear", Stormy "Ray"...I'll try to attach it so you can see...it ended up being quite cool (compared to the ball of fire that was underneath!) Rainy day in Nome...at least we went to the gym and I got some excersize in...does that cancel out the chocolate? Hmmm....maybe I'll have to have some crazy monkey jungle love tonight to burn some calories?!:kiss2::heh:

Sunny - Thanks for the encouragement! I really DO need some support out here. I know there are a ton of folks in Nome that have had WLS so I'm putting together an actual LIVE support group. It will be helpful to have "close" friends. I'm going to also suggest that we get our own "specialist" out here...a doc at the hospital that is "up on the info of WLS" just in case someone has an issue....maybe it can be dealt with here instead of flying to Anchorage! Chimboree - At work already! I'm glad you're doing well! Yes, use the drugs! I know that when you're able to MOVE it helps heal, but you can't move if you hurt! Good luck sister!:clap2: Tinkerbell - Yep, the excitement is gone and now I have to "get on with my life". I'm not getting depressed, but I was on a good high for a few months and now that's gone...gotta find a replacement for it....that's NOT food! LOL! Brumbie - Wecome! You're a day ahead of me, but closer to my time zone! Yeah! Everyone goes to sleep too early around here and I end up missing out! I figured you weren't American since you had your surgery on July 4th (our Independence Day)...Good for you, hope your recovery is going well! I'M HUNGRY PEOPLE! My husband asked if I was really hungry or I just wanted food...I had him listen to my stomach grumble to prove that I really AM hungry! I can't wait for the fill! I'm actually thinking to have him make me a little extra tight to get rid of the hungry feeling! Scary thing is...I'm eating more than the rest of you! HOW ON EARTH CAN I BE HUNGRY?!?! I KNOW the band is there because of last weeks' chicken "incident", but, man, I hope it gets better....ok, having a bad night. I'll get out of this funk tomorrow!:help: I was just thinking, wouldn't it be great if we all could get that little ankle bracelet (like Lindsey Lohan's alcohol bracelet) that measures how much we've eaten and if we eat too much our surgeon calls us and "talks us down"? Yes, it is a sad, sad life that I lead sometimes! Just gotta find the humor in retarded things like rich socialite girls....

Jeanie - I'm glad you think it's busy! If only the scale would reflect the fact that right now is the first time I actually SAT DOWN today! Yep, I ate breakfast and lunch STANDING!

Hello all! It's been too many days now for me to go back and read everything...takes WAY TOO long! Chimboree - I hope all went well with the surgery, as one of our first Cheerleaders, I'm ashamed that I wasn't there for you. The intention was all there, but the computer time was not. PM me about how you're doing. I have prayed for you and thought of you often...then I sit down to the computer and someone pukes on me, or spills milk, or pees all over the toilet, etc....don't you just love children? My update: It's been 3 weeks today and I've managed to eat 1/2 a English Muffin at lunch. I didn't have any problems and haven't since that dry chicken I had last week. All's good. I tend to eat between meals (something I used to rarely do) so I'm tricking myself now and leaving water out so I drink that instead and since I'm trying to get on the "don't drink 1/2 hr before or after you eat" thing my little trick seems to be working. I've been feeling hungry and am looking forward to my first fill on the 16th. I haven't lost any weight...I'm still hovering around my surgery weight, go up and down a couple of pounds, but nothing significant. It's irritating, but I have to admit that I'm not making the best of choices when it comes to food. I've started REAL excersize this week, lots of walking and I'll be hitting the gym this week too (lots of support from my husband). I have no pain and realized that the other day I zipped my jeans all the way up! My energy level is much better too! The blueberries are ready for picking and the kids and I spend an hour or two each day picking them...my husband thinks it's just terrific that the kids think that frozen blueberries with a little whip topping is dessert! The salmon will start coming soon so we'll have those to count on and the chickens will be slaughtered at the end of the month! Lots going on! If you really need to hear from me, PM or email me....I'll get it faster!

I have a hot date with my BSOAH (DH to the rest of you)...there's going to be food and a movie so I hope I don't over-indulge! Wish me luck! See you all tomorrow!

Dini - Yes, I was told not to drink 30 min. before or 30 min. after a meal...but this is AFTER I'm done healing...the reason there is to be no drinking is that it makes everything mushy and, therefore, goes down easy and doesn't stay in the pouch to make you feel full. Since I'm recovering I've been told that it's ok to sip during a meal...I was told that I don't want to get too full because that may damage what is healing...my goal (per doc) is to make everything go down easy. Again, this is probably different for every doctor, but this was the advise I was given.

Icy - I don't think you're losing your mind...I have the same feeling too. I don't think it's necessarily Head Hunger, but there are times I feel like "heck, I'm not full, or even feel full so why not have more?" I think the idea is that we don't feel hungry...feeling full is irrelevant. This is a hard concept for me to grasp. I also eat when I'm bored and I've been trying to drink instead (which is hard, I'm not big on fluids). Oooppsss, I hear a war starting with the children, must go and conquer!

Patti C - Good news! I noticed this past week I gained a few pounds and wasn't really freaking out, but not happy about it at all! Today I weighed myself and I've lost what I gained. Remember, also that I can eat just about everything...no real post-op diet for me, just progress as I see fit. There IS hope, just remember you're RECOVERING not DIETING! Jeanie - I didn't really have any "food stages"...I was on clear liq. for 2 days and then I moved to all liq. and soft foods (yogurt, cot. cheese) for a few days. Now I'm eating everything except bread and soda (I'm just not mentally prepared to deal with an issue if I have one with these). Kathy - Now that surgery is over I'm sure it went fine. You had an odd pre-op diet anyway...doc should've given you more options. Indiogirl - Love ya, girl, but we shouldn't give any mis-information here...MY DOC HAS ABORTED A SURGERY BEFORE and almost did the other day again. Pre-op diets are designed for a reason and if we can't follow them (most of the time...no one's perfect) then maybe we should re-evaluate if this is the right tool for us. Cate54 - I would suggest trying Tylenol instead of Ibuprophen...Ib. has been known to show stomach/bowel upset...which could be showing up as pain for you. I would stay off of it for a couple of days, eat some yogurt to clean you out, and stick to Tylenol. I would be this will help. Update - First...we did IT! Yes, I mean, IT. Pain wasn't so bad...did I mention that my husband is a fantastic luuuvvveeerrr? Sorry, Lynette that you're having to wait so long. I spoke too soon the other day, the pain in my left-of-center is back with a vengence. I moved a lot yesterday and that could be the culprit. Could be that I've been picking up my daughter and today I'll stop and relax...I have a hot date with my DH tonight!OOOOOOwweeee! Last night I had my first REAL meat. I got over zealous and downed a large piece of grilled chicken. Right after I swallowed I realized that I did not chew well enough and I was instantly worried that I was going to have issues. I just sat for a minute and sipped some Water. Within a couple of minutes the discomfort passed, but it really taught me a lesson about chewing!

jfk and Biggest Loser - welcome to bandland via Dr. K!! I thought he was awesome! I'm glad you had good experiences and are recovering well! As for Red Lobster...I'm now picturing Red Lobser's around the continent with banded women all eating at the same time and sitting with their laptops at the table to chat with everyone else! Haha! Just a side note...anyone aware that I'm on the coast? King crab here as often as I want! In the winter it's better becaue you don't need a boat, just a snowmachine, auger, and a crab pot...usually 7-8 king crab a pot! Oh yeah, can't wait for winter!:hungry: I go away for a softball game and a zillion pages of posts go by...now everyone's in bed. DANG! G'nite all!

Chim - that's right sister, you jump around! I'd say stay up all night and have some fun, but really....sleep on your tummy, it will be a while before you're comfortable doing that again! (it doesn't hurt me, just makes me too aware that I'm doing it...therefore, uncomfortable) Hey, I got some kids for sale....anyone interested?

TWELVE for tomorrow!?! Geez!