girlie2shooz

Veruca, one of the greatest movies ever made. way to go lise. back to the topic, walk walk walk, it really does help, and it does eventually go away. g2s

i think i posted this somewhere else, but it is a vicious cycle. i hated not being in control of my eating and then i would eat more as a punishment for not being able to control my hunger. now is that crazy or what? i have a friend who does the same thing with work. he never feels that he has done enough and then he does more and then hates himself for not letting go and enjoying some time for him. the mind is boggling sometimes. so now i try to minimize eating as a highlight of my day and realize it is fuel and it serves one purpose. sometimes are easier than others, but hey, no one is perfect. g2s

you mean day to day eating habits prior to opting to have WLS? Me.... a typical day was 2 hardboiled eggs, 2-3-4 pieces of toast with jam, lunch was usually out with some kind of tuna salad sandwich or a chicken fiesta salad or some crap like that at Chili's. then if there was food to graze on between lunch and dinner i did. dinner was a big piece of meat, vegetables and baked potatoe with butter. dessert was a "Jethro" size bowl of cereal. so realistically what i ate, aside from the cereal wasn't too bad, but the volume is what kicked my a$$. i now eat 1 fried egg with cheese and a piece of toast for breakfast, a yogurt snack between bfast and lunch. lunch is typically 6-8 oz of chili, or jalapeno refried beans, or tuna salad, and dinner is 4 oz meat and 4 oz of vegetables. yogurt for dessert or an otter pop. does that help? i can eat whatever i want, i just eat it in a much much smaller portion. i have added a bit of each food that i like to see how i react, i can tell you that 4 skittles was not for me. i have great respect for my band and don't ever want to pb or slime so i am pretty careful to keep to the old 8 oz max rule. i am so glad i was banded, i wouldn't change it for the world. and LiseSeattle has a great blog you may wanna read for day to day life after surgery. g2s

...........and i was happy to sit in the bath tub this morning and not have my hips touch both sides of the tub, woo hoo!! even tried and it wouldn't happen, yeah!!! g2s

okay i will ask the obvious................what is your caffeine intake? before band I could drink Starbucks any time of day, now I can handle one cup of coffee a day! Whoa, stock in Starbucks dives to all time low!! maybe your metabolism has changes prompted from eating/exercise/stress/hormones. keep a log each day and see what may be different that you can change yourself. just a thought......g2s.

Just a thought.............you're not gaining correct? your health is good correct? You have lost a considerable amount already correct? Well be mad, rant and rave get it out and take the time to do it! this is part of realizing we have to give ourselves the time and attention we need. call your surgeon and explain just what you went thru, remember she only heard half the story from the fill doc, and see if you can come in and have HER do the fill. don't get down on yourself, you did nothing wrong, just keep things in perspective and stick to the facts. IMHO you have done a great job with your weight loss. slow down is realistic, and until others walk in your shoes.......well your get the gist. g2s

schweeeeeeeet!! happy band day!! i am 44 as well and banded 3/5/08. love it wouldn't trade it for the world. I truly believe, and have prior to surgery, that my 40's have been the best years of my life. i have even had some pretty hard knocks in my 40's and they are still the best. so go gettem, and live healthy and happy!!! g2s

a scoop of instant coffee will get rid of that caffeine headache. g2s

i was banded 3/5 and yes I feel your pain. there are times when i hiccup and i can just feel it go from in my shoulder up thru my neck. it hurts so dang bad, i could scream. it is appearing to subside a little as i return to more solid food. it is really bad if i am hungry, my shoulder lets me know when it is time to eat. go figure, oh excuse me i need to eat my shoulder is hungry. hahah g2s

Very nice of you to share. your mom is always with you, you can talk to her anytime you want and just look for those little signs that YOU will know are part of her. you are on your way and you deserve to be healthy and happy. love yourself first and it will be that much easier to love others. your child is very lucky to have a mother who cares. go gettem! g2s

yah same here in reno. well that gives us all day to go out and burn some calories. enjoy..........g2s if you wanna share some food creations, just lemme know, i am always open to new food preps.

that is one of my faves, make sure you use a really good cheese, parmesano reggiano, asiago is a little more salty but not as sharp, or a romano. if you have a can of diced tomatoes, a few of those with some chopped italian parsely. another fave is italian sausage out of the casing mixed with some cottage cheese, garlic and italian parsley. cook the sausage and then heat all of these togther. beat an egg really thin, pour into a hot pan. once it is the consistency of a crepe, spoon in the meat filling and roll as you would a crepe. voila, you have a meal that covers all our bases. you can make the fill mix in advance for as many meals as you would like to make. just make sure you cook the sausage seperate and add to cottage cheese once the meat cools. If you want a little variation, try using ricotta cheese, it has a little different flavor and texture. g2s

non carb, minimal carb mushies would include ground beef, pork, fish, refried beans, cottage cheese. i did the maltomeal for breakfast and that tasted great but seemed to slow me down, literally. cottage cheese with ground beef, chopped garlic and a really good parmesan cheese is like a little slice of lasagna. stuffed bell peppers are great, but cook them really well and peel them. you get your protein first and then the veggie. i have tried to be as creative as possible and actually the more time i spend in the kitchen the more creative i become. ground beef and cottage cheese seems to be a base i start with for each meal. spicy italian sausage out of the casing is a great touch for some more flavor as well. g2s

I am with you Lise, the mushies kinda put the brakes on so I am trying just non carb mushies. Ok here is something I am dealing with........if I don't eat when my body thinks i should, my shoulder aches. Aches clear up into my neck. typically as soon as i eat the pain goes away, anyone else with this "reminder?" thanks g2s

i sure hope you do, because we really are fortunate to have this tool, and who wants to feel crappy about something so wonderful!!! You have done really well with your weightloss, have you noticed health improvements? my BP went from 143/93 to 128/72. some one told me a long time ago, "our lives are what we make them, we can dwell in the negative or bask in the positive." sometimes that is hard, but look for the good that has come from your band, and the good that is still to come. just think about if you didn't have your health, that is one thing that is not replaceable. You deserve to be healthy and happy! g2s

i took a long look at my fascination with food, and low and behold it was my way to deal with stress. if i ate a lot it made me tired and put me to sleep. after getting up after a good nights sleep it made everything look less overwhelming. so..........i have learned to deal with what i can deal with and let others deal with their **crap.** Is it alwasy easy, no, does it make me feel better, yes. Have my eating habits changed because of that realization, yes. Plus i am totally respectful of what overeating can do to me physically with having the band. No I do not want to experience PBing, sliming, horrible painful gas. I just will not do it, i do not handle pain, so that is a great motivator. but that's me. g2s

i have had it, i know what you mean. i am 2 weeks post op and i know when i need to eat because my shoulder and neck on the side starts to ache. i have read somewhere on this board about the relation of nerves that react from the esophagus/stomach. i wish i could recall where it was, but it was very informative. it listed examples of what can trigger the pain and it really made sense, if anyone else knows please point us in the right direction. you may be able to google it as well. g2s

I totally agree, stay away from the negative, be aware of it but don't cwell on it. Just curious, have you been taking a liquid vitamin? That really helped me, made a difference in just one day. I use centrum and i will probabaly continue even after i can have chewables. it made such a difference in my energy level and clear thinking. best wishes. g2s

I attended the WLS seminar 11/27/2007. I decided that Lap Band was the procedure I wanted to pursue. I attended all my requirements, and had my surgery approved 1/31/2008. I was ecstatic, finally something that could really help me achieve and MAINTAIN my weightloss goal. I had surgery 3/5/08 and today is 3/14/2008. All I can say is WOW, I feel great. I was very pleased with the surgery procedure itself. The anesthsiologist that worked with him was very diligent in monitoring my vital signs during surgery which allowed me a very quick recovery time with no residual effects of anesthesia. Upon removing my bandages over my incisions, I was very pleased to see that there was no redness, irritation, or bleeding. In fact my incisions were perfectly horizontal, which visually is much more appealing and again indicates surgeons's attention to detail. I had surgery on a Wednesday and went back to work on Friday. I had some tenderness around my incisions but nothing that a little tylenol didn't help. I spent my weekend no differently than any other, went shopping, did house work, etc etc. I walk at least a half hour a day and walk for an hour or more on the weekends. I am very pleased with my decison to have the Lap Band, and I am so thankful for the wonderful job without a doubt if I were to have to do it again, I would do it the same.

i also had a cold 2 days out from surgery, actually when i went to my preop meeting 1 week prior also. i still had a stuffy nose and cough when i had surgery. i had a chest xray with preop and my lungs were fine so the head cold evidently didn't matter. the best part.......all the antibiotics they give you for surgery, cleared up my head and cough. sooooooooooo, see how you feel. g2s

when something is truly worth having, sacrifices are just part of the game. make your choices wisely. g2s

initial seminar 11/27/2007 last hoop - psychologist 1/8/2008 request for surgery approval sent 1/25/2008 approval 1/31/2008 surgery 3/5/2008 I feel great and on my way. If someone wants to look back that is their dealio!! best wishes g2s

have you ever been with weight watchers, or any other supervised weight loss program? if not then i recommend going. they really have a comprehensive eating regime, what i call normal. they will help you make healthier choices and realize what foods (carbs, proteins, fats) really make a difference in your health. portion sizes, healthy fats, vegetables, etc. if eating easy foods has been your habit then weight watchers may be a good place to start to educate yourself with good eating habits to help succeed with the band. g2s

well a big squishy sweatshirt and jammie bottoms was a must for me. also make sure you take shoes/slippers that you can slip on. bending is a bit of a chore. don't bother with a bra, and plan on sleeping on your back. ALWAYS have a pain med with you and keep the water intake going. you will be fine, it only gets better. g2s

hey i had a hard time finding what i wanted and finally went to ebay. got the questions answered before i bought and could pick bottoms for my big butt and tops for my not so big boobs. everyone i asked questions of on items was more than willing to meaure and take additional pics if needed. plus a lot of sellers on ebay buy a whole "lot" of previous years swimsuits so you may find your favorite suit now in a smaller size. g2s