MerryHearted

It's hard to stay on track when you don't have restriction. The real answer is that you need another fill. If for some reason that is not possible right now, I highly recommend The Beck Diet Solution book to give you some tools for staying on track until you can get another fill. (it's not a diet, it's cognative psychology) If you didn't have really good restriction before, then it might be time to get a little more aggressive with the next fill, like getting a whole cc instead of just .5. Particularly if you are self-pay for fills or your doc has a pre-set fill schedule instead of allowing you to come in when you need to. Good luck! You can do it!

Technically I can, but I don't like the way it feels, so I don't anymore. I haven't tried since my last fill, but I imagine I still could. Bread lost it's appeal awhile ago though.

I'll encourage you with this: it's not been too long! The band is still there and once you get a fill you'll be on your way again. Please don't worry that it's been too long -- definitely keep looking for a band doctor or fill center in your area who will help you get a fill!!

I'm 5'6" (1.68m) and my doc has my targeting 1000-1200 cal per day plus 30 min of exercise at least 3x a week. Reality is sometimes I'm below 1000, although if I'm lower than 900 I try to eat a snack before bed.

I think a lot of people gain when they switch from liquids to mushies -- all of a sudden you've got solid food in your body again, and start pooping... yeah, TMI. :wink:

My doc would say "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" and leave it at that. At some point we have to make good food choices; the band will not stop you from eating things like ice cream and chocolate either. So if you are still losing weight or maintaining at a weight that you are happy with, then eating the bread isn't a problem. A slice of rye is not an unhealthy food choice, imo. Sounds yummy, actually. :wink: If you aren't losing weight and want to be, you can either choose not to eat bread just like choosing to not eat lots of ice cream, or you can get another fill to make it harder to eat bread.

I went through something like that about a year ago. I noticed every little twinge, and to me it felt like my band "hurt" sometimes. It just felt "wrong." Finally I sucked it up, called my surgery center and begged to have a fluoro done. Everything was fine on the fluoro. The band was placed perfectly & the barium went down just like it should. The only thing that was actually wrong was that Fluid was missing from my band when he checked the amount, so I got a fill. And then I went on my way, and mysteriously my twinges vanished and my worries & fears went by the wayside. So even though the doc seemed a tad annoyed with me, I am glad I went in and had it looked at for my own peace of mind!

You are doing great. :wink: And no, you probably won't feel any restriction until you get a good fill level. Remember: 1-2 lbs per week is a normal rate of loss. If you are a month out and have lost 8 lbs, you are on the high end of normal. At this rate, you'll be 100 lbs smaller next February. Won't that be awesome?!! Just keep plugging away. If you are eating 3 oz of Protein and 1/2 c of veggies at a meal and are physically hungry sooner than 3 hrs afterwards, go in for another fill. Lather, rinse, repeat until you've got decent restriction.

Can you tell us what you like better about The Daily Plate? I like and am using FitDay but there are 2 things that I don't like about it: 1) Their food database seems really limited compared to what I was used to on WeightWatchers.com 2) Their search function for foods doesn't work very well. Took me forever to find nonfat milk, and I tried a few searches. I was about to give up and just enter the #$%@ data myself, but I was *sure* they must have it in there- it's a diet staple! If The Daily Plate is better, I might go ahead & switch. My favorite features for FitDay are the Nutritional report and the breakdown of protein/fat/carbs.

I am not sure -- I think they might have something to relax the muscles? I hope they are able to solve it. :crying: Was the shake that you had really cold? I think really cold stuff makes it worse.

Congratulations on the weight you've lost so far -- 43 lbs is a great start! One possible course of action: If you are not already doing so, track your food on something like FitDay.com for a couple weeks. Everything that passes through your lips, even if it's just a carrot slice while you're making dinner. I know it's a pain to do, but I've found it very helpful for fine-tuning.

Wow, you look completely different! Congratulations on losing 100 lbs, that's fantastic! :crying:

My insurance was good about covering it and I more than met the criteria. I was banded a month after attending the seminar. I was able to skip certain tests because I had just had a physical and they already knew I had sleep apnea, so it might have taken an extra couple of weeks otherwise. My insurance did not require physician supervised diet to prove anything though.

I can see the 2nd line in all three of those pics, but it might just be the type of test -- sometimes you can see a faint line that's not pink or red on a neg test. If you can make the time, maybe have it done at the doctor's office?

It's been so long, I don't remember how long I was on the Vicodin... I do remember I still hurt a lot at only 3 days out though! Don't worry, the pain will fade enough in a few days that ibuprofen will do the trick and you won't need the Vicodin anymore. I think the people who get addicted are ones who are taking it for injuries that last longer, like back and knee pain.

It's a great feeling to get back on track! :wub:

I would agree that a shake is better than skipping altogether -- we need to get our metabolism going in the morning. If one doesn't like the taste of shakes, and is too tight to eat, it's not the only way to get breakfast. You can do yogurt or latte for your dairy, have some hot Cereal that is mushy, or something like that. Milk has enough Protein to get you started, and there's time enough in the rest of the day to get in enough protein, even when it's 60g. It's good to try drinking something hot to see if it will loosen up the band enough in the morning to eat. I've got good restriction but don't have trouble eating solids in the morning. Maybe I'm just weird. I know I'm not too loose -- I can barely get in my 2-3 oz of protein and 1/2 c of veggies at a meal.

Ouch! My guess is you are either having reflux or esophageal spasms. Either way, they should be listening to you. Call back and let them know it happened again, and if they blow you off then make an appt with your primary care doc. Someone needs to help you with this. You should not have to suffer in pain!

Yep, clothes on, shoes off. They WANT your BMI to qualify you, esp if you are close, so don't worry, they won't be looking for reasons to subtract poundage.

Don't worry -- I think most of us went into this with bad eating habits -- either grazing, emotional eating, or the typical skip-breakfast, eat-OK-at-lunch, eat-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-at-night pattern. You do have to work it and make better food choices if you want to get all the way to goal. I think you will definitely get partway to goal even if you are not 100% able to give up the junk food, just because quantity-wise you can't eat as much. I do recommend making sure you have a plan in place for if you find yourself struggling with emotional, stress, boredom or other head issues down the line. Ask your band doc if they have recommendations for counselors/psychiatrists in your area who are experienced with working with bandsters on these issues. The Beck Diet Solution book has some good suggestions for dealing with head issues as well. And of course support from others is very helpful -- this board, irl support group, or someone who will hold you accountable.

If you are now on solids you shouldn't be drinking your calories, so it's better not to do it with shakes. (my 0.02, feel free to ignore :thumbdown:) The exception is your daily milk servings. How many calories are you taking in and what are you eating? Most meat (including fish & chicken) has about 7g of Protein per ounce. So if you are eating 3 oz of protein at each meal, you're golden. Skipping breakfast is not a good idea, but you know that already I think. You need to kickstart your metabolism in the morning. If you really really can't do protein in the morning, get it with a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Go to the "diet" section of your local drugstore or health food store and try out some of the Protein Bars if having some deli meat doesn't work for you. I have found a couple different kinds that I like, and sometimes have one for my afternoon snack because lunch and dinner are too far apart for me.

I'd skip the Mt Dews (is it the caffeine & sugar that helps your migraines?). I agree w/p3photogal -- can you do a week or two of logging everything on FitDay or a similar site that will give you a breakdown of your nutrition? For example, I just checked my nutritional breakdown this week and I see I'm low on both Calcium and Iron. I've been lower on cals than my doc wants me to be, so my goal this week will be to add in another serving of milk each day. That will bring both my calories and calcium up to where they should be. Congratulations on being at goal. You must feel so proud of your accomplishment!!

Best wishes to both of you for a quick & easy surgery with a short recovery!

Here's the guidelines that I have, most are some variation of this. Sorry, I hope I didn't come across as sounding snippy! I didn't mean it that way. :cheers2: Guidelines: • No liquid calories [except 2 servings of non fat milk (2 x 8 oz = 16 oz/day)] (16 grams of protein) • No soft foods • Two 3-4 ounce servings of protein/day (2 X 21-28 = 42-56 grams of protein) • Always eat the Protein first, then the vegetables • Avoid bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes and other starchy foods • 20-25 grams of Fiber a day (Examples: bran Cereal, fruits, vegetables, beans) • Eat only three small meals a day with maybe one small planned snack • Eat slowly and chew thoroughly • Stop eating as soon as you feel full • Do not drink while you are eating • Do not eat between meals except for a planned snack • Eat only good quality foods • Avoid tough stringy foods • Drink plenty of liquids during the day (48-64 ounces) between meals • Drink only low calorie liquids • Exercise at least 30 minutes per day

Clearly you have both tried this already. Didn't work, did it? Trust me, the band is not a good choice for the lazy nor is it an easy way out. It's a lot of work, actually. But at least I have the hope of being normal again now and have come a long way. I love the way Jessie Ahroni puts this (she is my fill doc and she wrote [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Laparoscopic-Adjustable-Gastric-Banding-Achieving/dp/0595311148/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206161687&sr=8-1]this book[/ame] on banding). I quote: I hope your hubby comes around... I know it would be hard to do this without his support and maybe you will choose not to. Whatever you do decide, best wishes!