Twilight

My fill PA said that there were people with issues on eggs. It makes no sense and who can really tell why except maybe we don't normally chew our eggs very well.... I don't know but I guess you aren't alone. Be happy you have restriction.

Oh, and phyll, WOWZER on the pics. Happy bandiversary and you should be beyond proud of yourself! I hope I am half as successful as you are at 6 months.

Karri, I hope your appointment went well. I wasn't very excited to hear how your fill nurse treats you. Is she banded? Has she ever felt restriction? Has she never been told that the journey is different for everyone? I would ask her, if it was so normal for everyone to feel the same, why do we do fill after fill after fill trying to find the INDIVIDUAL sweet spot for everyone. And super news on you weight. I finally changed my weight on my drivers license to be CLOSER to my true weight when I got my motorcycle endorsement this summer. I need to go get my new license on Tuesday and have no idea what to say for weight...cuz it will be there for 8 year. Thinking about putting on my goal weight. Super for you! :girl_hug: I didn't mean to suggest that you aren't paying attention to what you are eating and what you are doing on a daily basis. I meant it to mean that I find it strange to see questions on here that aren't all around what is going in your mouth today. On the December board the focus still seems to be there and that is different here. AND I like it. It gives me more to think about than the calories and the workout. Like you said, the mental issues are so important and difficult. I need to work on THAT side of the band and come to grips with some of those demons before I will be comfortable with my band experience. I completely agree that I am an addict. I wrote about that somewhere on here a little bit. And my dad also was very instrumental in teaching me to pick myself up and take care of my own self. He felt very strongly that I was super strong. Most of the time he believed in me more than I believed in myself. When I lost him a year and a half it was devastating. I quit biting my nails the day he died. It was one habit he couldn't stand. Now I'm working on my weight. I don't think he would have agreed on the method, but he would have been beside me encouraging me. We are stronger than this addiction. I hate scales. I have a love hate relationship with mine. I hate to climb on it, I hate when it doesn't say what I think it should. I hate that it is not digital so I see NO progress on a daily basis. But I LOVE it when I compare it to my docs. Mine is almost 10 pounds lighter. It is a consistant difference and I would LOVE to use it for my ticker....however, I don't remember who said it, but I know that my doc's is probably more accurate. So I feel your pain. but the other way around. Very stressful day today. I took my mother to the train. She had been staying here the last couple of weeks. I would love for her to be closer but by the time she is ready to leave it is always a relief. Frustration is very bad for my eating habits....and when the stress is relieved that is bad for my habits too. I need to come up with better coping mechanisms. It was 10 below today so getting out and going for a walk was NOT an option. I can't wait for school to start back tomorrow to get back away from food and the opportunity to indulge. It will be much better for me when I only have choice twice a day rather than every time I pass the fridge. Good night everyone. I'm going to have a GREAT week. I hope you all will too.

Good job Chris. Mine has moved a bit this week and I'm hoping to see more progress this next week. I didn't go to the clinic to weigh in so I'm hoping to see a much bigger jump this time.

Utah, I just posted under your other thread but didn't address the shoulder pain. My pain went away about 8 days after surgery. It was horrible and I was positive I had done something crazy. I couldn't raise my arm over waist high. I couldn't carry anything... But then it went away. Well, last week, it started up again. I could hardly sit up straight from the pressure. It is gone again, but I'll never forget that pain. Heat did wonders for me. I kept a heating pad on my shoulder at all times....and took a lot of hot showers. It also helped to not sleep in my bed but to doze in the recliner. I never tried the peppermint tea. I did use the gasx strips but those were for stomach gas and not the internal gas pains. Have you tried heat? What about pain medication. My dr. suggested liquid motrin (you can only find children's but it does have an adult dosing on it) but cautioned that it could cause stomach irritation. If you dr has not said no ibuprofen you might try that. I hope you find relief soon. I know how irritating that pain can be.

Utah, Your doc and/or team should have given you some guidelines to follow for the first 4-6 weeks post op. I know that my guidelines were for about 6 weeks total. There seem to be about as many guides as there are banding patients out there. If you have doubts about what you can/can't eat, try there first. My first two weeks were hell. I was angry A LOT! My husband would chew too loudly and I'd be upset. My son put too much food in his mouth and I growled. I got angry if I thought they were eating their food and not enjoying it enough. After all, I would be super grateful to eat it. I would LOVE it. I would savor every single bite. How could they be so ungrateful and greedy. So YES, I understand the frustration. But now I am 6 weeks out and eating just about anything I want. There are a few exceptions but it is mostly back to normal. I'm working on making better choices. Something that helped me when I was struggling... I would cook dinner and then find something else to do. I did the dishes. I did some laundry. I called a friend. I painted my nails. Anything that I could that would keep me away from the frustration that dinner was. It may be worth a try. Have you tried writing about it? What you write down may give you more insight into what the root of your frustration is. I hope this is getting better for you. When you originally posted I felt your pain. Keep posting and keep in touch. We will worry about you.

Thanks for all the welcomes! I would love to sit down and tell you all why I am fat and will some day. Tonight however I have my DH's Christmas party. We are leaving for dinner in half an hour. Last night was okay....not great. I had a couple of chips but the victory was only having three or four instead of an entire bag. I ate 4 or 5 rollups which was good but did get stuck on a little smokie. Got rid of it quickly and could enjoy the rest of the night. I stayed away from the cake and ice cream and only had a little lick of frosting when it was on my finger. All in all, for me it was good, but not great. Today I have stayed pretty much on guidelines. I had protein and coffee for breakfast and a McD's snackwrap for lunch. I was out of town for lunch and there was little else to choose, but tried to make a fairly good choice. Better than the quarter pounder and fries I had my heart set on Tonight it will be walleye and a small salad. I'm not sure about the snackwrap calories (it was crispy not grilled) but I'm pretty sure I've stayed under 700 so far. That's what I try before dinner. I've had water pretty much all day so that is good. It seems odd that I'm all focussed on what I'm eating and you are all beyond that. But hopefully you will all help me stay accountable. That is definitely what I need. And Kartrina, I was banded Dec. 6th. Karri adopted me. I'm a baby bandster compared to all of you. You're all a great inspiration to me. Your success and your great attitudes give me great hope. Off to dinner. Thank you all for your kind words and great stories. I'll share mine one of these days....

I got my favorite pair of pants on and ZIPPED today without doing the pants dance. They still are a little tight but not as tight as the size 20's I was wearing pre-op. I could wear them today but I've gotten used to wearing my pants looser and they were super uncomfortable! They are a size 18...but not a WOMEN'S 18. Levi's here I come!

No Chris, It's not just you. I'm pretty sure they are updating everything. I have noticed a lot of glitches the last couple of weeks and I'm sure that they are just "improvements". It usually drives me crazy with improving a program I use a lot....like Office 2007....but this one isn't driving me too crazy. I sort of like the new layout...and really like how they are grouping things like the 2007 groups vs. the rest.....and the new updated search. I was going to ask how you were doing with your new fill. I don't notice much change with mine except that I can't eat some of the things I had been able to. Not less hungry or anything, just more often stuck feelings. Have a great weekend

Hi all, Since Salsa invited me to read, I seem to have spent an extreme amount of time checking out this thread. I have to admit I did NOT read all 526 pages but what I did, I was impressed. I can't believe how unbelievably supportive you all are. And when you have to show some tough love, how loving it feels. No one gets upset that they are being picked on. You all have AWESOME attitudes. I am hoping you won't mind me joining in and asking you all for advice and talking about my victories and my setbacks. I know I can use some of your tough love as well as some of your encouragement. Would you all mind if I'm a "lucky loser"? I'm going to start with my victory....drum roll please.... Since a stagnant 3 weeks, my scale has resumed downward progress. As good as that is, what is better is the renewed commitment to this I have started this week. I have been focusing on Protein and Water. My liquid intake was slumping and I was not eating in the right order. I also was snitching all the time. I guess a little here and a little there really does add up to SOMETHING! So, there has been no snitching and I've been getting in at least 80oz of water the last three days. (actually the water thing wasn't hard the last couple of days since while I sit and the computer and read I continually sip...and that was a LOT of reading). Today is my birthday and this morning my coworkers brought me a big cinnamon roll "cake" which I politely declined. Then my students brought me a cupcake "cake" and a Mt. Dew, which I thanked them for but declined. I did eat 1 chocolate chip cookie at lunch, but only after my yogurt and string cheese was finished. I am making shrimp cocktails and crab roll-ups for dinner so that I'm not tempted by cake and ice cream. And my husband's birthday card this morning was addressed to his "beautiful CURVY wife". I have CURVES!!!! and they curve the right direction! It really has been a terrific day.

Which main board? I've been posting on the general boards....I've been reading some of the other July threads, but you all seem so much further along, I feel a little like an intruder. I'll chime in I'm sure. You don't want to eat me Ruby, I'm all fatty....the one's that have lost "a bale of hay" however, they probably taste better :tt1: Thanks for the welcome all.

Good for you. If nothing else, it feels like progress. My PA had trouble finding my port also....she said it was really shallow and I didn't have a fat layer over it. I had to giggle...I have fat everywhere but where you expect it I guess. She said she was actually in it the whole 10 minutes she was fishing but that she must have been backed into the wall because it wouldn't do anything. Did you have any fill from surgery. I had 3 cc's I believe. PA said it was to help seat it as it healed and then she added some. I'm not keeping track of my total fill level. I figure it doesn't matter how much I have in there, just how much good it is doing. I'm sure you're much more relieved than last appointment. Keep telling us how you're doing.

Too funny! I've lost an a LOT of pizza....or 4 chihuahuas and a brain!!! I hope you all don't mind me reading and following with you. Salsa said I could :tt1:

Chris, I know you've been waiting what feels like forever for today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well for you. Keep positive and remember to talk to your dr and team about what's going on besides weight loss. It's not all about pounds but also about how you feel. Let us know how it goes for you.

Danna, I will have to talk to DH about that. Some support on his end would help. Not that he's being negative, but he's not being overlly enthusiastic either. He has been very appreciative of the figure that has been returning. Maybe Aunt Flo has a little to do with my negativity. She needs to leave and maybe stay away for a few months. And maybe once she leaves I can get back to weight loss. Thanks for the suggestion...I'm taking it under advisement.

I too am getting very frustrated. I have no one to blame but myself though. I have taken a good hard look at my behavior and my plateau is not going to break until I break myself of these bad habits....here are my problems. first....I have not been moving the way I need to move. I need to be more active and get more exercise in. My team told me that when you stop losing it's because you're body is used to what you are doing to it....and then it will maintain. I need to dedicate myself to getting things organized in my life and getting my priorities straight. Second, I'm a snitch. I snitch all freaking night. From the time I get home to the time I get to bed there is something I'm putting in my mouth. It's never anything big, a lick of peanutbutter off of the knife, a bite of my hubby's ice cream sandwich, the last couple of bites off of my kids plates after dinner, a piece of chocolate here and there. None of it is anything huge. I'm not sitting down with a jar of pb and spooning it or eating two ice creams, or having two helpings of dinner, but I'm not hungry and still putting food in my mouth. THAT HAS TO STOP!! Finally, I've got to get positive about this again. I have hit that interest plateau as well. The same place that I get every time before I turn to myself and call it failure. I am, in a way, bored with this. It's not new and it's not exciting anymore and I'm sabotaging myself before I ever have a chance to succeed. I don't know what I can do to turn some of this around but I need to do some serious soul searching. I spent way to much time, money, and pain to get here. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! Maybe you all can relate, maybe not. I know I need to turn this around and only I can do it. If it helps to see someone else struggle, keep watching, because I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon. Thanks for listening

Then COME ON RESTRICTION!!! I have to admit the longer I am stuck here the harder it is to make good choices. That evil man in my head (and it is definitely a man because a woman would not try to talk me into such horrible things) keeps saying, "Oh you're not losing anyways, why NOT eat the cookie? It can't HURT anything." I keep ignoring it, but the longer I look at the scale sitting in the same spot, the more he sounds correct. I'm going to do my measurements. I haven't done that yet and after a week, if I haven't lost any poundage, hopefully I'll see it in my measurements. SOMETHING HAS TO MOVE!!!

Glad I can help. I forgot about the aspartame part but I know that is a problem for a lot of people. AND the proticcino is aspartame free so that's even better!

Right after Christmas I was doing some sale shopping with my sister and didn't want to buy anything because I knew it wouldn't fit for long...but at the same time it was depressing not to buy. I was in a 20 at the time and so where did that leave me? So I found a really good deal on work pants at $13 a pair and HOW DO YOU PASS THOSE UP???? So I tried on a 20, decided that I liked the cut and bought 1 18 and 2 16's. I wore the 18 last week and was feeling pretty good about life. It has been awhile since I have been in an 18. This morning I wanted to see how long it would be before I would be able to wear the 16's because I am running short of pants with only the 1 size 18.....and they ZIPPED! They were still a little snug but no snugger than my 20's were getting when all this started!! I wore a 16!!! I didn't wear them to work but I WILL WEAR THEM NEXT WEEK!!! I'm going to do whatever I have to in order to be in them next week. 16 is my new favorite number!!!!!

I'm debating on whether I should weigh once a week or once in the morning. The once a day thing is getting very depressing because I don't see anything happening. What do you all do?

I've had my first fill for almost a week and STILL nothing is happening on the scale. I keep looking down and it just keeps sitting in the same spot. The fill is keeping me fuller longer but I'm still not losing. I'm getting very aggrivated but know that I have to be patient. Once, about 10 years ago when I was going through a really rough time in my life and I thought that it was NEVER going to get better, someone told me that it took me 3 years to get INTO the mess I was in and so in all honesty I needed to give myself and God at least 1 year to get me out of if. I'm trying to rely on that piece of advice again. It took me over 10 years to get here (granted most of it in the last 4) and so it is only fair that I accept the need to give it time. I'm debating on the daily weighing thing. My PCP says to weigh daily because then if you go up you're seeing it and doing something about it immediately and that the successful weight patients do this. On the other hand, I know my weight will fluctuate daily and so maybe once a week would be more helpful. I don't have an electronic scale so I don't see tenths of pounds, just pounds. I just don't know....I think I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't. All in all....I'm stuck. But still working the program. NOT GIVING UP!!!

A bypass friend of mine gave me a protien drink for me to try. It comes pre-packaged in their own bottle to shake after you fill it with Water. I just ordered a bunch because finally I like something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It is called proticcino and I ordered it from mydietshopz.com. They have very reasonably shipping and free if you order enough. They also have a discount if you order even more but free samples of their products if you order over $20 worth. I haven't gotten my order but I'm fairly certain it is a good company since given the advice from a friend. But, since I have not gotten the order yet, I 'm reserving judgement. There are a ton of different flavors from the same company but I have only tried the proticcino one. I ordered samples of three others so we'll see if there are others that I like. Oh...and the nutritional info is with each product. Take it FWIW, I just thought I would pass along my review.

Utah, I know exactly how you feel. I HATE the feeling that I don't get to eat all that good stuff I used to. But food was not my FRIEND. It was a very sneaky enemy. It was always there when I needed it, but it also tried to convince me that I needed it when I didn't. It was definitely an unhealthy relationship. The foods that I truly love will be there when I am back to eating again. I will just now be able to control my impulses a little better. Instead of eating an entire casserole, I'll have a bit of it. Don't give up. Your feelings are completely normal but they will pass as you learn to live with your band. Embrace the person you will become and start to dream the dreams that will hold you through the tough times. Start a journal of all the things you want to happen in the next few months. How you see the weight loss improving your life. Write about all the positive things you were feeling before you decided to do this. There had to be great things for you to decide to go through the whole process. Embrace the positives. Listen to the negatives. Finally remember that those negatives are about the here and now, but the positive will be your new life. Keep posting and letting us help you through this.

Way to go UG!!! You have now entered twoterville! Soon you will not be out in the boonies but actually downtown! that's over 30 pounds lost! How awesome is THAT!

Airika, I didn't try anything solid for three weeks so I'm not sure about the pain. Are you following the diet plan that the center gave you? At three weeks I was allowed purrees. For my dr. that meant Soups that had been completely blended and the like. Mashed potatoes were still out at this point. I could have cream of wheat but it had to be completely runny. I have to admit that since I didn't care for that consistancy of stuff I stayed on cream soups during this week. After 4 I could have mashed potatoes and that consistancy...a lot of oatmeal and cottage cheese. I guess my advice would be to take it slow. If some food is bothering you take it back a day or so. My guidelines said there will still be swelling on some people for up to 5 weeks and only to eat what was tolerated. Good luck!