ReneBean

Hey NJ Loser :welcome: Choose the NJ forum and click on NJ March Chat. Come on over and set a while... :]

I usually eat raw veggies with striclty portioned & calorie counted dip. Calabeza squash (like zuccini only milder flavor - see your local hispanic market), (peal on or off) Chayote squash - crunchy/melonish kind of flavor (peel & eat) Kolrabi - root crop with greens on top. You can put the both parts in Soups and stews, and I like the root-part raw. It is very cruncy and tastes like a cross between brocoli & radishes. (peel & eat) I also love snap peas and the occasional carot or cherry tomato - but those all have a higher carb count. Chewing is (as always) the key to eating raw veggies. I have to also add the disclaimer that I have never had tight, tight restriction and I can eat anything - anything at all... Good Luck!

Sorry Ryan. You are no longer a PB virgin. Here's what you need to know. A PB causes swelling - which makes the band all tight, just like after a fill.... so - just like after a fill - you need to do liquids for AT LEAST 24 hours after one of those nasty things. Otherwise, you will cause a viscious cycle. You PB cause you were eating too fast, or whatever - you swell up - you try to eat again, PB again... cause more swelling and irritation... If you don't do liquids, your esophogus will stay irritated and so will you - cause you won't be able to eat. Give yourself a day on liquids, graduate to mushies and soft stuff and then try to eat solid food again - very carefully. Good Luck!

My doc's scale is consistently 4 lbs over what mine says. That's why you really should always weigh on the same scale... and why my "official" weight is always posted. I only call it "official" if I go to my surgeon's office, or the fill center. (those scales seem to match) I don't really care what the number is. I just want to be able to see the trend. :]

Oh Dianne - I am so sorry... but it's better for Bambi - and really better for both of them not to have to worry about her. Hugs!! Well, I am off to the gym. DH relented and is coming with me.

Ah - Another day has passed... I have tracked my exercise at 11 days for the month-to-date. I will check in with my total in the AM. I am planning on going again tonight. 12 days out of 28 is still pretty wimpy - so I am going to have to do a whole lot better than that in March. Unofficial weight for today (per my scale + 4 lbs variance) would be 292. That's still only 39 pounds since my surgery date - and 55 pounds all together. I need to move that along just a smidge. I need to have this a little bit more under control by the time the next set of food holidays roll around. I think I will be able to pass up Easter Candy - so then I am clear until at least the fourth of July - and probably until Thanksgiving. Today, I have successfully avoided eating any of the evil carb laden treats lying around the office. With the exception of some veggie-dip which had some sugar in it, I was pure. I purposely avoided the dessert section of the office... I resisted the chips that were staring at me all afternoon - and I didn't even smack my idiot co-worker when she repeatedly blathered on about how delicious the Desserts were - AFTER I asked her not to mention it. GOLD STARS for me. (and lucky for her that I didn't snap) So, going into March - it isn't all that bad. I have lost a few pounds, I am hitting the gym, and I am not doing too badly on the whole food concept. Now all I have to do is improve on my ability to stop eating when I am full. Since this has always been the hardest thing for me to do, I forsee some fluctuation in my success rate... I will try not to bore you too much with the blow by blow daily report. I am determined to lose a minimum of 5 lbs in March. That is my goal. I would like to see at least 10 - but 5 is an attainable number, considering a week of travel food & no exercise might occur. That trip is a double edged sword. It's so fun - but so bad for me! Mary - sorry your computer is such a punk. Hugs to you and the boys. Cindy - I will totally call you when I get back from Tuscon. I could really use some veteran assistance. And I am so there with you on the body changes being the flip side of no weightloss. I only lost a couple of pounds in the whole month of February - but I am wearing a shirt today that I wouldn't wear three weeks ago cause it was too tight in the belly. How cool is that?!? Mandy - I hope you actually got some rest today. How nice that your DH isn't Kitchen-Phobic. Kat - I worry about you with that nut-ball around. Geez - the mediator thought she needed an escort to her car! All I can say is I hope the judge doesn't spank him so hard that the Nut-Ball feels the need for revenge. He sounds almost as scary as Crispy's neighbor. I hope he isn't someone that you will have to see on a regular basis in the future. Sherry - hope you get a break from the late hours soon. xo Eileenie - Hugs!! I can't wait for tomorrow! Now, how can we arrange for Boss Man to be away... permanently.... :heh: LOL! Darcy - Huge Hugs! I hope FIL is ok and the surgery was a great success - but there isn't anything you can do if people won't take care of themselves. I am thinking good thoughts for you & your DH. It's hard when your Daddy is sick - even when Daddy is an alcoholic. Well, I am off toward home, now. DH is flaking on the gym - but I am going without him. So there, NYAAAAA. Love you guys! (Where ARE those stinking flying Monkeys, anyway?? We are still short of a few of our peeps...)

I love Dr. Fox - and I really love the Surgery Center of Richardson. I had my surgery there and it was wonderful. Plus, I have had no complications, and the fill center is awesome. :]

I think that is a problem, everywhere. I had to fight BC/BS of CA to get my band due to my BMI being over 50. If that is the only problem that you have in getting approved, e-mail me. I will send my letters and the research links. Good Luck!!

I started at 358. It isn't hard to lose, if you have ANY self control at all (I don't!) If your doc is biased toward Gastric Bypass (and lots of them are) then consider checking out other docs. If you don't mind them chopping up your intestinal tract, then there is nothing wrong with bypass - but if you do (and I sure did mind!) then get a doc who is willing to work toward getting what YOU want. I had to fight with my insurance company - cause there was some study that showed some stupid short-term result about by-pass losing more than the Band - but that was a short term result. Call a few other docs. Good Luck!!!

Last time I checked, I think Self Pay at the Surgery Center of Richardson was $15,000 and it included a year of fills. Check them out. I love Dr. Fox - and there are several other great docs there, too. They offer regular information seminars - and cost is always covered in that. Good Luck!!

I get on the scale almost every morning - just to see what's happening. I just keep in mind that my weight can easily fluctuate 2-3 pounds in a day depending on how much sodium I am eating and how much Water I am drinking (and the phase of the moon, and the shift of the tides) Personally - I can pretend that I have been better than I have really been if I go for too long without checking. It's better for me to see the daily fluctuations. It doesn't depress me too much and it keeps me on plan. But that's just me....

I picked a doc close to where I work. I did my stuff on my lunch hours and first thing in the AM or late in the PM. A long lunch hour might be more acceptable than coming in late or leaving early. Good Luck!

Sorry, Soph. Get a second opinion - but it may be best for you to get a different option with GERD. Talk to at least one other doc - and check out all the varieties available besides the band. Hugs!

Brandy When you got your second band, did he put in the one that holds 4cc's (the smallest one) or did he use a different size? A bigger band holds a lot of saline - so maybe THAT is the problem. It's worth asking, anyway. If you really have the smallest band - and you have a full 4cc's, I would think you would feel SOME restriction... Good luck!!

Great Thread, Paulax! I bid a fond fairwell to the 300's a while back. Now I am toying with the idea of leaving the 90's behind and moving on to my new friends, the 80's. :]

The tickers can be created at TickerFactory.com And yes - there are several of us who live all over the place and congregate in the New Jersey Forum. Come visit us in the TGIF thread... (Thank God it's February) Or stop in for the March thread - somebody will start that up tomorrow. Welcome!

Oh - Valentine They make 42 gram liquids, too... IDS New whey you can find them at DPS Nutrition: http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_by_79.htm I mix mine with Water - cause they are kind of strange texture. I prefer mixing with a bottle of flavored water and drinking it. Between Orange flavor and Fruit Punch, I choose Orange. I haven't tried the others. **If you don't like the cold - I mix the liquid with room temp flavored water. It works for me. Good luck!!

Soph, Honey. If he isn't "nice" to you now - leave him, now. You are worth love and respect at any size. Hugs!

Kat - try Trader Joe's. If you don't have one in NM - cross the border into AZ. Those flash frozen, vac sealed packaged fish are pretty good. Almost as good as right out of the lake.

Mornin' All. I went to the infamous "Aftercare" program yesterday. It was precisely what I expected it to be. The nice lady put me on the scale with the body fat analyzer and took some basic stats. Then we talked about what I am doing, and went over the basic rules again. I did really ponder the fact that I have NOT been following rule #3 - stop eating when you first feel full. My bad. I love food too much to stop after 3 bites...but I have vowed to work on that. I am going to try to take VERY small portions on the smallest plate I can find. The only thing that might have been really special is that they have a technician right there who tried to give me a fill... alas, she could not find the port without flouro. It's too deep under a layer of my 56% body fat. *huff* She dug around in there for about five minutes before she gave up. Thank God for the numbing shot.... In a way, I was kinda glad she couldn't find it - since I was worried about getting an over-fill without there being able to see the contrast Fluid pass through. I was pretty worried that she might puncture the tubing, too - the way she was digging around. So, back to SCOR for a proper fill under Flouro - for sure. The good news is, my new official weight is down a 2.5 pounds since the 6th - and for me, that is pretty good. It's an affirmation that when I am good, I will reap the rewards. My scale today indicates yet another 1.5 pounds - but it isn't official, so I am not going to get all excited. (much) So, here I am on the last day of the month at my fabulous job. We are having a potluck for lunch. Can you say CARB HELL? *sigh* So, I have to try and find some sort of lesser evil while dodging the seven layer dip & cheesy garlic mashed potatoes. I really hope somebody brought meatballs or cold cuts or something. I am going to try to resist... but I swear, that bean dip nearly tripped me and beat me to the ground when I walked by it earlier. *grrrrrr* I guess I had better high tail it into my profile and change my siggy to stay motivated. DH and I made it to the gym last night - so I that puts us up to 11 days for February. Give or take 22 miles. I have to say that it's a whole lot easier to get to the gym, than to dodge the bean dip. I am going to work on going to the gym LOTS to offset the bad days. Well, I am off to search for a low-carb potluck selection. I will be back! xo

The Best thing - I can eat much less food without suffering that gnawing hunger all the time. The worst thing - I can still eat anything and still do on occassion. I really wish I was one of those people who PB'd on bread or rice or Pasta. (Dang Pizza! I can still eat it) It's NOT a magic wand - but the band makes it SOOOOO much easier to exercise my fleeting self restraint. Maybe you will get lucky and be one of those who can't eat the bad stuff. :]

I love most all fish - but the key is to buy it either VERY fresh (flown in from the boat this morning) or flash frozen in those vacuum sealed packages. The best fish is available at Trader Joe - the flash frozen, vac sealed kind - and they usually have a great variety. Swordfish is good - nice firm fish that tastes great grilled like a steak. Good luck, and happy fishing!

"yes" is not nearly strong enough. "Hell Yes!" Comes closer. "So Fast it Would Make Your Head Spin" might even be closer. I only wish I could have gotten a band when I was 20. :]

Woo Hoo!! scale Victories are nice, too!!. Keep up the good work!

I don't waste the calories for only 5 grams of Protein. I use a different liquid Protein and make my own version of "protein water". I take a propel - throw it into a 1 litre bottle. Add 1 tube of IDS New whey with 42 grams of protein. Add tap Water to fill the bottle. Yeah - it's got some calories - but the carb count in the Protein is really low - so you could make this using some low carb flavored water instead and really reduce the carb count. The protein has 176 calories and like 2 carbs or something like that. By the time you add the propel, it has more calories - but for about the same calorie count as the Special K water, I get more than twice the protein - and half the carbs. PLUS - one tube is only $2.50 USD. At my local grocery, it would cost me $16 bucks in Special K water to get the same protein count. Just a thought. I get mine at DPS nutrition web-site. It was the cheapest I could find them. Be sure to get the newest 42 gram of protein version, vs the old 25 gram one. http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_by_79.htm Orange flavor is the best - although I have only tried the Orange and the Fruit Punch flavors. :]