vinesqueen

Welcome to the Banded Gentry!

If you have any questions about your band, I mean real and serious questions, CALL YOU DOCTOR!

okay, yesterday was the 1/2 half of the Bite of Seattle. We had actually gone down to the Seattle Center so we could watch the new Willy Wonka movie at the IMAX. (WOW!) It was/t too hot, but I was terribly stressed. I don't handle crowds of people at all well, and Mike could tell I was on the verge of total panic a few times. I learned that when I get really stressed, my band shuts down. I believe I have a good fill level, but I got so tight I couldn't drink Water without it threatening to get stuck. So, stress definately affects my band.

I eat corn on the cob, no worries for me. But I can also eat sandwiches.

My younger sister had always dated (or married) cute but bad. Only interested in how pretty she was, not who she was. She was actually a trophy bride. Pretty, blond, skinny. And totally miserable. After her divorce, she went back to school and got her GED & and AA degree in computer support (MSCE). She got a job at a big tech company and started dating geek boys. For the very first time in her entire life, she is happy. She doesn't have some man placing impossible demands on her (I'll leave you if you don't lose 5 pounds). Geek boys generally are interested in the entire package. And for the ones that don't panic when a female speaks to them, they just treat you right. j I love my geek boys.

I was back to school the next week. I'm hoping that next year's spring break will involve a beach!

I agree with Alex, it sounds like you were given the RNY diet. And after eating 1/2 cup, I believe you are SUPPOSED to be hungry in 4 hours.

No "Cheating." This is because the Band is NOT a diet. I think this is one of the biggest hurdles for new bandsters who are serial dieters. The Band isn't a diet, so there is no cheating. My surgeon recommended a liquid diet, but I gained 5 or 10 pounds before the surgery due to steroids. Did he scold me or make me feel like a failure? hell no. He patted my arm, and said let's get you done. No worries.

I know we have many creative people here, and I thought it would be fun to start a thread to disply some of our art. I also want to encourage everyone to express their creative side. I've been teaching myself to draw using the Mark Kistler's drawing in 3-D books for kids, and I'm THRILLED with my results. I've been working with his books since December. Honestly, if I do this, you can too! This is the canvas I did over the 4th of July weekend

Hi LisaWA, man, how the heck are you going to be able to get in 1200- 1500 calories a day? It sounds like you are way too tight, and that is not a good thing. If you can only get in a few bites of soup that means that you are not getting any solid protien. Sorry, but I think your Dr has a screw loose... Glad to hear that you are motivated again, but you should be able to eat a good bandster breakfast and good bandsters sized meals. If you keep yourself too tight you risk your band and your health. Like Jessie says, the point of the Band is not surgical bulimia

Someone tried to tease my son about having a fat mamma, but my boy-oh is the same kid who came crying to me when he realized that one of his little friends would never have a fat mamma. He thought that was the saddest thing in the whole world, not having a fat mamma.

Actually, a fill could hurt you if you are not completely healed. If you are hungry, EAT. Why make yourself suffer??? The band isn't about deprivation. The mantra that people need to internalize is that the inbetween time is for healing. Weight loss is bonus. I gained weight in the in-between time. Sure, I was bummed, but I didn't let it ruin my life. Some people are ready for a fill sooner than others. You said that you knew you had to weight 6-8 weeks before a fill, right? Well, 7 weeks is well within that time frame, and if you have to wait another week to make sure you are healed, then why the fuss? This isn't a race. There is no schedule. Trying to force it will only make you cranky, crazy and disapointed.

Jane (Burnsun) is right, everyone's expeirnce with the band is vastly different. Some people can do eggs, some cannot. chicken is off my list for public food. It gets stuck way too much, and it's been one of my two PBs. Chances are, your list won't look anything like my list. And there isn't anything that we "can't" have. This isn't a diet, it is an alternative lifestyle! Oh, and what you were fine with last Thursday, may not work for you on next Wednesday. Or may not work after you've had a fill.

Well, the frozen margarita is the difference between eating 1/2 an entree and attempting to eat 1/2 an entree and getting stuck.

Okay, so no only is my butt getting smaller, but so is the top half of me! Huzzah! My big symposium for my Scholarship was this week, which is why I needed to buy new pants. (it was awsome, btw) The new public uniform consists of chinos (aka khakies) and a black long sleeve logo'd shirt. Because I was coming from Seattle, and not Pocatello, they had to bring me my new shirt. Greg handed me a 1X shirt. Not a 3X which is still the size my head says, but a freaking 1X. Freaking is right, because I had a momentary flash of panic because I just *knew* it wouldn't fit. Yesterday I wore a shirt I havent' been able to wear since 2001. '

*sigh* DH has gone on a ride out to the Washington Coast, and I'm here at home. I still have never ridden my "new" bike because it needs a new flywheel, and they are close to impossible to get DH tell me... (everybody roll your eyes with me...) Of course, I'm not sure I'm actually ready to ride again. The Navy did an excellent job on conditioning me to never ride again. Jerks. *sigh* I believe pix got posted of most folks 4th of July activities.

Somedays I deal with it quite well, and other times... not so well. I find that if I eat on time, almost scheduled, I do much better. On the rare occasion that the head hunger is more than I feel I can handle, I drink a big glass of ice Water. Cold makes my band get really tight (no more frozen margaritas for me...), and that seems to help with the head hunger Paula, I've tried to wait until I get honestly hungry to eat, but when I do that, then something gets stuck. The BAD stuck, not the other kind.

Oh Darcey! I'm sitting here with tears. I'm sorry you had this happen. At this point I don't give a damn about your band, I'm so worried about you. I am sooo very glad that you were able to catch it in time. Like the very nick of time. Sending you waves of healing light and warm prayers

I was a complete and total nervous wreck! I spent a lot of time pacing, a lot of time keeping myself fully distracted, and I spent a lot of time here on LBT! Good Luck and welcome to Bandlandia!

Okay, I split what you wrote into two different sections. My DH has lost just shy of 200 pounds and he doesn't "see" it either. Probably Body Dismorphia strikes again. Some of us think we are smaller than we are, some think we are bigger than we are. This "head picture" seems to be really terrible and hard to understand or get a grasp on so we can change it. I am convinced that one of the reasons we plateau is so that we can get used to our new size and/or shape. It is how our body defends us. Or one of the ways anyway.

So sorry, but what are you looking for???? 2 months gone and you are almost 50 down??? You should be jumping for joy and doing the happy dance. Not beating yourself up, not "oh woe is me." You are doing AMAZING. A-Freaking-mazing. They say we should be targeting about 1200 - 1500 calories a day, the more physically active, the more calories. Guess what. There will be times when you don't lose weight at all. Not an ounce will budge from your butt, not a pound will drop from your posterior. Days, weeks, maybe months will go by without a drop from the scale. It's called a plateau, and it is our body's way of regrouping, of getting used to the "new you." It is supposed to be that way. But you my friend, are doing A-freaking-mazing. Some people haven't lost 50 pounds in an entire year, they are slow loosers, but they haven't given up.

Yup, yup, yup. I ended up drinking with my meals and soon after eating, trying to stay hydrated. Not eating much, but while I was in NY I was having SERIOUS issues with the heat. I figured that it was best of all to stay hydrated than to worry about anything else. Today I had a coffee, very small Breakfast, 1/4 of a chicken strip, and two slices of a small, very thin crust pizza (without the bones). and I'm stuffed. Nice to be home, but it's hot here too... Thank gawd that Seattle doesn't have much in the way of humidity. (We have mountians)

Well, one of the people I care about the most is getting the RNY next week. The Band wasn't really an option for him due to a whole host of consideratations. I really, really wish he was getting the band, and I'm sooooo afraid for him. I mean, really afraid for him. He has some differeent health issues, and his life will dramatically improve once he starts to loose weight. He's about 450 right now, so obviously, he needs to loose the weight. Please send your prayers and white lights, light prayer candles or however you feel best connected to the Great Spirit, God or The Gods.

It's amazing how loosing 200 pounds will affect a man's sex drive. Not my 200 pounds, but his 200 pounds.... Sex is a head thing, you are as sexy as you think you are.

Kick him to the curb. Sure that sounds rather glib, and we are not emotionally attached/involved with him. This is as best as it will get. You deserve so much better. Your prince charming is out there waiting for you to be ready to find him, and weight doesn't have anything to do with it. Kick him to the curb, you must be kind to yourself.