MerryHearted

FWIW, I'd be a little worried too. :wink_smile: Will you be giving her a call every evening and chatting to feel out how things are going? I wouldn't mention the step-siblings worries to her Grandma for the reasons you mentioned, but I would mention your daughter's naivete just so she's aware. I'm sure things will be fine. Does your daughter have some activities she's planning to do with her grandparents while there to stay busy? Or some activities she likes to do that she can do when Grandma & Grandpa are busy with other stuff? I'm betting that since they haven't seen her for so long, they'll be less likely to just be letting her wander off on her own -- they'll want to be spending time with her.

Eek Karri -- Kidney stones? That's actually entirely possible as I had a UTI just last week (or what I thought was one -- doc gave me a round of antibiotics, which took care of the symptoms but now they are back). I guess I will make an appt tomorrow. I'm glad they have tests to rule this sort of thing out. (or in!)

There's nothing yet to suggest it was band related. It's just terrible though. :wink_smile:

Hey there-- I responded to your post on GraduateBandsters so I won't repost it all here. But yes, I was also banded in Summer 05, had issues my 2nd year with emotional eating and gaining, and am now back on track and losing well. So it can be done!! If you want to, you can reach your goal. I plan to reach mine, setback notwithstanding. :wink_smile:

The band is just one tool. No magic wand. And yes, you are not the only one who has had this problem, so don't feel alone. I recommend going in for counseling to figure out why you continue to sabotage yourself by choosing junk food instead of healthy foods. Truly, if you have good restriction, you should be able to choose mostly healthy foods and feel satisfied on them. If not, then something else is going on -- eating for emotional reasons and not physical hunger is the most likely. Which means you will need someone to help you work through those issues. The band is around your stomach and can only help with the physical side of things -- the emotional stuff is going to need another approach. The band is not a hoax -- a whole lot of people have successfully lost weight and kept it off with the band, who were unable to do so before. I can feel the frustration and pain in your post -- I hope you find a solution.

Wow, Salsa, that's fantastic!! Congratulations -- you're ready for your half-marathon now. Woohoo!! And yay for "lead-less legs" moments. :leaving: On my last Couch-to-5k workout, which was on the treadmill, I was really happy with how good it felt. Unfortunately I'm unable to exercise right now. I don't know what the problem is yet... constipation taken to the extreme perhaps? My lower back started hurting on the right side a couple of days ago... a dull ache. Not up where my back hurts when I haul my kids around too much, but lower, like at the top of my rear. Yesterday it went from dull ache on one side to full pain on both sides w/mild nausea; I caved and took a couple Aleve to take the edge off. This morning I woke to full blown puking (dry heaves) nausea and exruciating pain in my lower back (top of rear). I really need to p**p but nothing comes out and I'm wondering if the pain is caused by stuck poop? So I took some benefiber and some ex-lax several hours ago, and I'm trying to up my fluids. If nothing happens by bedtime I'll be taking more drastic measures. Anyone else have anything like this? I can barely walk at a bent over shuffle let alone run, so no Couch-to-5k workout til whatever this is is gone. And if I don't feel better tomorrow it's definitely off to the doctor!

There is an Eastside support group that meets the 4th Thurs of each month. Join the Yahoo group PNW_bandsters for more info. I've never been to that one as I go to the NWWLS one. PNW_Bandsters is somewhat of a subgroup from SmartBandsters. The idea being that general lapband issues/discussion would go on SmartBandsters and Pacific NW specific topics (like support groups, doctor info, and other gatherings) would be on the PNW_Bandsters list. Welcome to LBT! I take it you are already banded then, and have just moved to WA?

I don't think so. I chew my food til there's nothing left and still get that full feeling. Sounds like you need a small adjustment. Even 0.1 cc can make a difference once you are well adjusted.

It varies from doctor to doctor. Really, taking an Excedrin for your headache once in awhile is not a problem. They had me taking ibuprofen for pain relief after surgery. Still, it's best to check with your own doc on what their instructions are and follow those. The problem is when you 1) take them long term -- even without the band they can cause problems with your stomach. 2) take them in huge doses 3) take them when your pouch is full (you don't want that thing dissolving in your pouch -- wash it through thoroughly with liquid!) If your band is even slightly slipped, any kind of pill can be a problem if it gets stuck in the pouch and doesn't go down. My doc's instructions are "use sparingly". Your doc's might be different. The other thing to watch out for is any pill that is particularly large and might get stuck. Especially if it's something you can't split or crush, like extended-release meds. The tighter your band gets, the harder it is for me to get down standard-sized Gelatin capsules.

Yes, you will lose weight. You do need to do your best to follow your doctor's instructions, although I know it can be hard at first. It's been 3 weeks since your surgery so I assume you are at least on mushy food now if not transitioning to solids. Some ways to help avoid eating when you don't want to be: 1) Go do something that absorbs your interest. Something that requires both hands or that you can't eat and do is best, like sewing or gardening. 2) Take a walk. Doesn't have to be a brisk, "exercise-pace" walk. A slow meander through nearby neighborhoods, the zoo, a local botanical garden, etc can be really nice. 3) Stretch or do some yoga 4) Do some patterned breathing exercises for relaxation. 5) Remind yourself that hunger is not an emergency. 6) If you are about to cave and eat a snack that you shouldn't, put it off for just 5 minutes. Then see if you can put it off for just 5 more minutes. 7) Re-read your list of reasons why you want to be thin. If you don't have a list, sit down and make one. First brainstorm all the reasons you want to lose weight. Then put them in approximate priority order. Read it at least daily, imagining yourself meeting those goals or doing the things on the list. 8) Make sure that when it is meal or planned snack time that you choose foods that will "stay with you" and not spike your blood sugar. i.e. combine Protein + carbs rather than having carbs alone. 9) Have a non-caloric drink. Hot tea, cold tea, coffee, Crystal Light, Propel, Water, etc. I'm sure others can chime in with some other ideas!

Hmm. Well, mine was high enough pre-band that my doc told me he was going to put me on a drug for it. I asked him to let me try on my own. A few months after banding I got tested again and my cholesterol had dropped enough that I don't need to take anything for it. It's still just slightly above where it should be, and I've dropped 100 lbs now. So I don't know if the band will necessarily "fix" high cholesterol entirely, but I bet just the eating so much less and eating healthier will bring it down somewhat. And maybe that's good enough?

It's possible that your OB is used to working with gastric bypass patients and not banded patients. If you are eating a balanced diet, the Multivitamin is probably all you need. Check the label -- does it already have B12? Most multivites do. If you are not getting in your dairy, then you might consider adding a Calcium+Magnesium supplement if the multivite doesn't have enough Calcium in it. And finally, if you are not eating a balanced diet, or are eating too little, then you might consider tracking your food intake on something like FitDay which will show you your nutritional info and you can see exactly where you need to supplement based on trends (i.e. you are always way low on calcium or something)

Bran Cereal mixed with fruit yogurt prunes In general, making sure I'm getting in my fruits & veggies and that when I do have grains that they are whole grains like brown rice instead of white. Also, I've found that drinking plenty of Water and getting daily exercise (even if it's just 10-15 min of brisk walking) really helps. I still don't go every day -- more like every third day. I think I'm just not eating enough food overall to go every day.

Congratulations ImADucky!! I just saw your post and what an awesome feeling!! Diamond, I'm so sorry about your mom. My SIL just had a cancerous lump removed a couple weeks ago. She's been unfortunately sick with one thing after the other. This last week it's been a nasty sinus infection that prevented her from getting the radiation treatment she was supposed to have prior to chemo. Now it looks like she'll do a year of chemo and then 7 weeks of radiation (instead of just a few days worth up front). It's so hard to have a family member go through this. And of course, harder for you because it is your mom! Saying a prayer now that God will be with her and guide the hand of her surgeon, and that He'll heal her so she'll be cancer-free.

Hi Flutestar! Yes, I think the band will help you. At least part of the way. Yes, you will have to learn some strategies for emotional eating, or will end up sabotaging yourself. BUT -- once you are healed up and get the band adjusted properly, which can take some time, you won't have that driving hunger to eat all the time. You'll definitely eat less at meals. And that will allow you to get help with the emotional eating and figure out how to not turn to food when you are stressed. It didn't ever seem possible before banding, but the band helps SO much. I feel SO much better now, even though I'm not at goal. Now, though I know I can get there if I want to! Hope is priceless, really. Good luck in making your decision. It's a very personal one, so don't let anyone talk you into doing one thing or another.:thumbup:

Oh, yeah, waiting to hear back from the insurance co is hard! Hope you hear something this week!

Great job everyone! Love to see those numbers dropping! :biggrin: Name................Current....Goal......Lost...Still to Lose by July 4th Bea1129.............231........200.......3......28(by 7/4) BigBandFan..........296........270.......0......26 Epm316..............230........200.......5......30 (by 7/4) faithmd.............305.5......300.......4.1....5.5(by6/21) Hastings............253........228.......0......25 KarenG..............174........160.......0......14 (by 7/4) kathystrick.........318........288.......0......30 legster.............189........180.......8......9 Leslie2Lose.........226........208.......7......18 (by 7/4) LessNLess...........149........140.......2.......9 Lilmissband-aid.....247.5......225.......0....22.5 Luu2008.............215........185.......0......30 (by 7/4) luvinke.............217........190.......4......23 Marissa's Mom.......388........358.......0......30 (by 7/4) MollyMolly..........197........188.......7......9 nancy52.............197........170.......0......27 Nettie..............193........170.......0......23 Newhope4me..........173.8......160.....3.2......13.8 NukeChik............235........222.......7......13 nurse7263...........244........150.......0......24 (by 7/4) renewedhope.........193........170.......4......23 Sades...............197........185.......0......12 Sunshine2...........179........160.......2......17 (by6/29) Tess415.............327........299.......5......30 TexasFire67.........170........145.......0......25 Wombat712...........132.2......120.......3.6....12.2 Lenore1890..........267.7......247.......0......20

I suggest counseling too. I ran into what you're experiencing last spring. Old habits crept in and over the course of about 9-10 months I gained 20 lbs. For me, it really was about going back to the doc and saying "Help!". Which they did. She assigned me a target calorie range, went over the instructions again, and sent me off with a recommendation to work my way through The Beck Diet Solution. Since then I've lost that 20 lbs and an additional 10 on top of it, and my weight continues to drop. I'm "on the wagon" again, as it were. And now more aware than ever that there is no such thing as a permanent fix for this problem - I will ALWAYS have to monitor my food, I will ALWAYS have to exercise, and I will need to always have a plan in place for when I start to slide on these -- a plan that includes getting help from my doctor and probably a therapist. This is totally unfair. But it's the way it is. Other people have other unfair things in their lives. This is one of ours. We suck it up and go on. Because to not -- to give in and be obese and unhealthy -- would be even more unfair to ourselves.

Yes, we are warned to watch the sugar free stuff too. Not that we can't actually have it at all, but that you need to monitor yourself. Generally, artificial sweeteners are not good for you and they do affect your body. Some sugar-free stuff, esp the candies that are sweetened with sugar alcohols, cause certain people to have diarrhea too. Personally, I do drink Crystal Light (aspartame) and will put Sweet & Low (saccharine) in my iced tea occasionally. They don't seem to bother me in small amounts.

I'm curious what they are doing to measure your metabolism, or how accurate that is. Are they just going by muscle mass? And who is it that calculated it for you? (gym? primary doc? wls doc?) I'm losing well on 1200/day, which I started when I was at 228 lbs. You might try something like a 1200-1400 calorie range since you aren't losing at the higher range. You mentioned pain when you eat too much, but what is "too much" for you? more than 1 cup (volume-wise) of food? More than 1.5 cups? It's possible that a slight adjustment to your fill will help too. Hope we can help you solve the problem -- I can hear the frustration in your post. It's tough to go through all of this and then be stuck not losing. :party:

I didn't worry too much about Vitamins during the pre & post op liquid stage because the shakes I was drinking were "meal replacement" type shakes and they had all that in them. So if you are doing Meal Replacement shakes like Optifast or Medifast, check the nutrition label. For a multi, I like the Emergen-C Multivitamin powder that you mix with a small glass of Water. Yummy, liquid, and strawberry flavored. We recently bought a bottle of Flintstones Complete for my son and they taste awful, imho. Compared to how yummy the kids' gummy vites are. Post surgery once you are eating solids, if you don't get enough Iron in your diet you can take Slow-FE which is a small pill and easy on your stomach. That way you don't have nasty tasting Multivitamins, you can have yummy ones. You're more likely to take your daily multi if it doesn't taste bad, imho. I also try to get in a bowl of Total Cereal a couple times a week for Breakfast. That has 100% of your daily iron. I thought I was low on iron intake but my recent blood draw shows my iron levels as normal. You might want to skip supplementing iron unless you know you need it. It's constipating, for one. I also use Viactiv chews for extra calcium. Yum. I only take a chew a couple times a week, since I get calcium from the dairy & veggies in my diet. Good luck on your pre-op liquids and on your surgery!!

That's a doctor-specific rule. A lot of docs do not require that. It does make sense to allow your stomach to adjust after a fill though - some people's stomachs get irritated or swollen and need to rest after a fill. Two whole days of liquids seems like overkill, but maybe some people need that. I don't recall ever having trouble eating fairly normally after a fill. YMMV.

I'm with Juli on this -- it feels more like being in control. While I do plan what I eat in order to be successful long term, I don't obsess about it throughout the day. food doesn't have the power over me that it used to. One of the things we all have to do is make sure we don't get hung up on it (our struggles with weight) not being fair. Yeah, maybe it's not fair that we have to work at healthy food choices, portion control, and exercise in order to be slender. But everyone has something that's not fair in their life. Is it fair that some people work their butts off at minimum wage their entire life while others are born into wealth and privilege? Fair that we have so much food available to us here that we are able to be grossly obese while people in Africa, India and other parts of the world are dying of starvation? Fair that a kid born with severe food allergies can't have a piece of birthday cake at her own party? So we suck it up, say "oh, well", and do what we need to so we can be healthy. Even if that means paying careful attention, for the rest of our lives, to our food choices, food portion sizes, and exercise. One day at a time. And the band makes that possible for a lot of us by removing that constant hunger that drives us to overeat. [i don't at all mean this as a rant at the OP. This point of view is from the Beck book and it resonated with me... it's a helpful way of looking at things. My card for this says "What would be even more unfair is letting this stand in the way of me achieving a goal I really want: to lose this weight."]

So Karri, are you going to re-set your goal weight to something lower now that you are so physically active and still dropping weight? Or just consider yourself done and anything else you happen to lose is gravy?

Mostly what I eat is lean meats and fruits/veggies. That fills me up without needing to add in a lot of filler foods like bread, rice or potatoes. (and no, this is not even remotely low carb) Notice that "mostly". Because it's OK to have some of the other stuff; just watch the calorie & nutrient intake to make sure you're giving your body what it needs. It's OK to have a bite or two of dessert once in awhile, or an alcoholic drink... it's just a matter of planning to incorporate it and not making those sorts of things a big portion of your daily diet.