Poodles

I wanted to chicken out. But happy I did not. Good luck to you in your process... you are totally normal.

Bumping this thread up... I have noticed the ovulation restriction as well. I get so tight I can only drink Protein drinks. Two days later, I am fine. Then when Mother Nature finally appears, I am tight too. Happen to many women???

IMHO... I think if the place is in partnership with the weight loss place... they just do it to get the money. I had NO signs or symptoms and refused to do a study until they refused to approve me for surgery until I did. Talk about duress.

I can drink anything, but solids just don't work. Just be prepared. You may need your steak ground...

Well I went to the Vitamin Shoppe today, and the man there was very helpful. His mother works at a bariatric center and says that hormones get dumped when you lose weight and it causes an inbalance. Once the inbalance levels out hair will return. In the meantime, he says to take the biotin (KAL has a lozenge), keep protein up, take a multivitamin, and eat SOY products. That Soy helps with hormones. (?) So he said he would recommend soy milk, tofu, etc. My hair is coming out in clumps now, so I am taking more than one multi a day, starting the biotin twice a day (1000mcg), drinking soy milk with my protein shake, and washing my hair with JASON biotin shampoo (Which smells great btw). I was actually amazed that he knew about the lap band. His first question to me after he found out I had WLS was "which one the band... bypass?". My jaw dropped and he said he knew because of his mother and that he tries to stay up on it for his work. Not a doctors advice, he was definitely a college kid... but took his word on it and will try the above and see what happens. His mom at least said there is hope when things level out.

I am 3 months out and losing handfulls of hair. Noticed it the past few days. I have not lost weight quickly, and drink my protein and take my vitamins... so I just don't understand. I would not look as good as Telly with a buzz cut... but have been thinking about bandanas!!!

Hummm.... I don't know if I totally agree with the Water theory. I take a diaretic at night... and get up 3 or 4 times at night. (Take it at night because I teach during the day, can't leave class then.) But even after losing 5 lbs overnight I still can not eat in the am. May be the reason for some though.

I can drink liquids all day and still not be able to eat in the am. I too have the same eating situation. I drink a shake for Breakfast, drink coffee, eat a small lunch (try tofu and pureed veggies), and drink Water all afternoon. Then drink coffee or eat Soup before I attempt dinner of hard Protein and again pureed veggies. I try to do all this and stay low carb at the same time!!! Good luck. If you can not handle it... get an unfill.

My hubby and I are selling our home... and so we have alot of 2 hour showing windows to fill so we have been going out. Bennigans will allow me to order off of the kids menu. They have a chicken salad. I usually get a baked potato to go with it, and take it home. Can not eat the whole salad either! Double Daves will sell you pizza by the slice off the buffet for $1.00 a slice. I get them to make a thin crust meat eaters pizza and get one slice. Works for me!

My hubby and I suffered thru a miscarriage/dnc on 9/11/01. Sad day for us all. I remember ALL the lives lost that day... and will never forget. Unfortunately, I do not feel safer as a nation... even 5 years later. I am unhappy with our government and its actions/lack of actions. My nephew just returned from a 6 month tour of duty in Iraq... slated to go back in January. I do not want to lose him or any one else either. There will never be peace in the Middle East. Never has, never will. We need to take care of our own... and I don't like the way our president has handled taking care of US. It amazes me how we can let OUR boys die for THEM. Bush SR said it best during the Gulf War... "there is NO reliable exit strategy." That is why we did not go in then. The war on terror does not lie in Iraq alone. But for some reason Saddam is in jail and Al-Qaida and Bin Laden still exist... and NOBODY will admit they were wrong. Or they are too dumb to know they were wrong. Now don't get me wrong... I am all for national security. We need to protect our citizens from terrorists, and other threats. But we need to have "reliable intelligence" before we go to war. (I went to a forum with Dole/Gore, and Al Gore said that two hours after the attack there were memos going around the White House asking how we could turn this toward Saddam.) Which means they knew something then. Anyway. I pray for all of the families that lost love ones, for all the heros on the plane that tried to take it back over, and for those that are left fighting a war that we may never get out of. (My thought process is my opinion. Sorry about the rant. Don't mean to start a debate or anything. I totally understand I am the only Texan that doesn't like Bush.)

PB= Productive Burp... mini vomit DH= Dear Hubby

I too am tight in the mornings... and have found that carbs are the devil. So I had to adjust my life to my band. I drink a shake for Breakfast, eat a small lunch, and try to measure and eat healthy foods at night. If I wanted to, I could eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's. But I want my waist to shrink... so no more carbs. Listen to Donna and me... come over to the low carb side of things. It is not too dark over here.

I have tried the Country Life Chewable Adult Multi and like it. (about $15.00) I have also tried the vitamin shoppe liquid and can tolerate it.

Lelia- You lucky woman!!! How sweet it will be to never buy a pad/tampon again! Look at the bright side girl... you can play all month, no worries about swimming or sex. Heck if that football weights a lot... you will be down that ticker in no time!!! Just be happy you found it early... and it is benign.

OMG... I REALLY love tofu. I finally found/bought/ate the tomato basil tofu. I put a little parmesan cheese on it and it was HEAVEN!!!! No worries about getting stuck. I just enjoyed my meal. I may have to go vegetarian until my band loosens up... but hey with the flavors out there... who cares!!!! Thanks all for the heads up! Ralheit... you gotta try it.

Well Ms. April, let me tell you what I have learned in three months. Don't eat high calorie things... even if that is all you seem to get down. Don't get too fill happy. Getting to full too fast is painful. Be prepared to crush all of your meds. I realized this today, when I went to CVS to buy some cold medicine. It was really weird asking the pharmasist if I could crush my OTC meds. Be prepared to face weird looks, no matter who you tell or don't tell. The ones that know watch to see how fast you lose... the ones that don't know wonder why you are eating differently and different things. Be prepared to NOT lose weight until you get everything else figured out. I am 3 months out and just now starting to lose because I have figured out how to make low carb mushies to go thru my band. I am too tight, so I drink coffee in the morning then drink a Protein shake, have something similar/safe for lunch at work, and then drink coffee before dinner and eat a small meal. Once I stopped eating ice cream, pudding, mashed potatoes, stuffing, chips... you know the crap that goes thru the band... then I started losing. My "skinney clothes" fit now, and I am looking forward to hitting my first goal of 50 lbs. When I hit that, I will be the thinnest I have been in 12 years. The band is very helpful... but it is life changing. You must make the right food choices, the band is only there to help. Good luck!

Wow! I wish we had this service in TX. Would sure help us "working folks" too!

Don't want to start any trouble... but I am seeing some user names that seem unacceptable.

I have been to OA. Was forced to go while in rehab for an eating disorder. OA is for any one with food issues. Overeaters, bulimics, anorexics, compulsive eaters... anything. I went while I was in treatment, and then stopped. I still have the books and they are a 12 step program. I just could not handle the whining and complaining. I know we all have issues, but the woman celebrating her 10 year anniversary was wider than me, and just a miserable woman... so I figure it must not work. Have thought about going but I kind of like the conditions here better. You can't really judge a pirate stalking poodle. :love:

When I worked at a hospital laboratory, they staffed more people around the full moon. More fights, more wrecks, more babies, more everything around that time. Weird, hugh? As a teacher now, I notice it effects my boys more than girls. The full moon gives some of them PMS type emotions. When I figure it out, then I kind of "let some things go" around that time. Just like I want the men to do for me around my time. :couch2: I truly believe that the moon has some effect. It may just be an excuse. It may be something pretty to look at... and they crash... but something is going on.

Yes I have too much restriction... but too damn stubborn to get an unfill. I have days that all is well and I can eat well lubed meat... like tonight I had chicken salad... but other days I do well to get cottage cheese down. Really weird hugh?? My fill doc put in 1 cc and then immediately took out .4 cc's when I threw up water in his office, but he swears I should be fine now. I am just waiting to lose weight and then I should be fine. Hate to pay that much for an unfill when I can modify and live with my band this way. I just have to take it slow, and live with the fact that some days I can eat a pork chop and some days I need watered down protein drink. Stupid band. On the good days I feel ok and love the band, on the bad days I want to rip it out myself. My hubby says if I don't "get the hang of it" soon we may need to rip it out... so I am trying really hard to figure things out. Thanks for all of the ideas. Promise to keep you posted!!!

My golf ball is in upper chest. Painful Horrible feeling. It makes me not try those foods again... and the list is getting longer. Be careful. Listen to the first sign of "hey dummy you need to stop" and stop. You can not go back, but you can always add a little more later. Know that doesn't help your "head hunger" but it will prevent pain. Good luck!

Well, I am doing well on my tofu mushie diet. Still too restricted for most hard stuff, but when that happens instead of reaching for ice cream I go for mock mashed potatoes with a little tofu. The scale has been kind to me lately... although I have not lost as much as some others... at least I am back in the game. Now if I can just get off my bum and exercise. I am just so tired of chasing teenagers at the end of the day. Glad everyone is doing so well. Oh BTW... everyone did notice at the holiday dinner. I ate two bites of pork ribs that went down fine... then ate one bite of roast and was stuck. There were only carbs/broccoli on the table, so when I stopped I got a ton of looks. My hubby finished my meat, and only one person made a comment, but I just blew it off. I just hope mother-in-law was not offended. I still have not told them.

Great ideas!!! I am sure going to try these... Keep 'em coming!!!

Anyone know any recipes that are REALLY GOOD and band friendly?