HeatherO

The pill works really well for me in regulating periods. I think the best bet is to speak to your gynecologist and get suggestions if the primary purpose is to eliminate some of your period misery.

I had an episode somewhat like it. We grilled out at home about a week ago. We had chicken and kofte (smilar to hamburger or meatballs but more finely chopped with a smoother texture), salad and corn on the cob. I ate a little too much and wasn't feeling comfortable, but not terrible either. I went to bed and work up in the middle of the night in some pain with the worst heartburn of my life. My stomach also hurt with a little cramping. I had part of a glass of milk and an antacid and pretty much could not sleep laying down the rest of the night because I was too uncomfortable (stayed in the recliner and dozed occasionally). I was not worried enough to go to the ER but thought I would in the morning if it got any worse. It got marginally better and I went on liquids for the whole weekend. I worked my way very slowly to solid foods again because I was nervous. I am fine now and everything seems normal. I have not had picnic food since and I don't desire it either. I did not realize that having a bad experience can really give you an aversion to eating certain things.

I did the same when I moved into the "overweight" bmi range. I did not realize how much better I would look in new bras because my old ones were just not fitting very well. I had been wearing a 40D and now i am a 36DD with really good perkiness and form in my clothes. New matching bras and underwear made me feel so good. I hope you find something flattering and beautiful to wear to celebrate your success.

Did something trigger this on Wednesday like vomiting perhaps? I am concerned about the possibility of slippage as well. Call your doctor as soon as possible because this could be an emergency. In the mean time, until you are seen by a doctor, I would suggest you stay on Clear liquids altogether and nothing else. If there is a possibility that you had a pb'ing episode that has caused stomach irritation which keeps causing additional pb'ing, or if you have had some slippage you don't want to make it worse by not giving your stomach a rest. If you can not even get fluids down and are continuously having problems with your own saliva since last Wednesday, you may need to go to the emergency room. Please let us know how you are doing or how things work out. I really hope it is just stomach irritation and maybe you might just need a temporary unfill. Best of luck to you.

Personally, I would go to bed. I don't like eating directly before sleeping due to the fact that my activity level will be nothing. I also have a loud, active stomach which can keep me husband awake with all of the gurgling and shuffling inside that takes place if I eat then lie down directly after. However, if you will be up for a while and are really craving a healthy snack, it wouldn't be terrible to indulge.

I am not sure if trisuits are in aus. Basically they are a hearty, fibrous and crunchy cracker. Actually I have traveled quite a bit internationally, and sometimes when I am abroad I am looking for things that are more american to eat. I like different cuisines but I don't like to eat everything different more than 80% of the time. I have never seen triscuits abroad but I am pretty sure I would have noticed them if they were in the same shops I was in (back in the pre-banding days where my stomach ruled me instead of vice versa). I know peanut butter itself is unpopular in some countries and a little harder to find. There were times I didn't see it at all in Turkey and Germany, but there were other things like a chocolate spread and something called nutell. I didn't like these other options when I tried them. I think we just become accustomed to certain tastes. My husband is originally from Turkey and he does not care much for peanut butter. I have never met a Turkish person who doesn't despise peanut butter (this is anecdotal of course). I asked some Turkish friends what is it about peanut butter or PB&Js that they don't like, because I know they like peanuts. They said that they really don't eat combinations of salty and sweet. It can be salty or sweet separately but should never be both. Hmmm . . . I used to love payday candy bars just for that reason. Isn't it strange how we develop a liking for such specific tastes?

That is great. I really want to get going and follow through on running as well. I started and it was more difficult than I thought . . . and I thought I was in great shape to begin with.

Good luck with surgery. It is over so quickly and easily, it will be through in a flash. Afterwards I know I was thinking "what was I so worried about." With your fiance's support you are even in a better position to breeze through it. :0)

I didn't tell a soul at work because I was afraid of this. It is my journey so only those people who "need to know" know about it.

I miss good 'ol Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches. I definitely can't eat them or I will be very uncomfortably horribly sick. I did find a yummy substitute however. Reduced fat/calorie triscuit crackers with a baby spoon portion of peanut butter and a smear of sugar free strawberry jelly. 2 of these and I am not hungry,the calories are very low and my craving is satisfied.

I think that is plenty of time. I had surgery on Friday afternoon and was working my full-time job again the following Tuesday.

Sounds like a tough break. I just hope they can get it fixed asap so that you are back on the road to losing.

I think you will be fine. Just don't get a fill until you get back.

I would tell him now. You share your lives together and this is no small secret. You may really hurt his feelings and damage the trust factor in your relationship if you don't share such a life altering decision with him. It is also a stressful time for you as well. It would probably make it easier for you if you could share this with someone close to you. As far as the added drama and stress is concerned, do you think he would tell you not to go forward with the surgery? Are you afraid that he would be unsupportive? Maybe the key might be to find the best way to cover the subject with him in a way that he might be more open to. You could probably feel around for a good path that might minimize his discomfort with the situation.

I think we all have been there, done that in one form or another. The day before my second fill, I knew I was relatively "open" and was dying for a little french fries with melted cheese, chives and sour cream. I thought, I'll splurge this once but take it easy and tomorrow is a new day. I was so horrifically sick it wasnt even funny. So we all know the rules, but some of this is trial and error as well. A bad experience makes us avoid certain foods in the future. So all we can do is chalk these up to experience, put it behind us and make different choices going forward.

I found that before i started exercising, I would loose 0-1 pounds per week. With exercise it is 1-2.5. Exercise really helped me to kick in the loss and keep it in gear. I am also finding that after losing most of my excess weight, even though I have a little excess skin, I am toning up really well and have good definition in my arms and legs with only my belly looking a little worse for wear. Even with excess skin on my belly, some medium control undies and you can't see it when I am dressed. I also found that if I do make Protein my focus, and keep vegetables second and fruits third, I lose more. I don't lose if I eat a lot of highly processed carbohydrates. I avoid crackers, chips, rice, potatoes. Potatoes in various forms were the hardest for me to give up because I reallllyyy love them and they were a dietary staple for me in the past. I follow the guidelines and try to avoid straying (it happens but infrequently now). Also I can be satisfied now with .5 to 1 cookie instead of a box of them. Just a taste is OK. I think as a power eater, you will definitely do well because you just can't eat like you used to. I was a power eater as well, and I just don't have the inclination to do it anymore. Plus, weight loss occurs primarily when calories burned are greater than calories consumed. A significant calorie reduction should contribute to a good rate of loss. In my opinion the keys to success are to follow your doctors instructions, avoid high calorie liquids such as ice cream that flow easily through your pouch, avoid slider foods like chips and crackers that are easy to eat in quantity even after banding, and get plenty of exercise.

Welllll . . . I went shopping yesterday. To summarize my closets: I only have one pair of size 14 jeans and a pair of size 14 black slacks (and a bunch of skirts because size isn't as important for certain types of skirts). I have a few things in size 16 but they are giving me the saggy butt look and the waist is very open. I don't have to unbutton them to get them over my hips, just a little tug will do. I have a million things in sizes 18, 20 and even, woe is me, size 22. I look really comical in a size 22 right now. Shirts aren't so much of a problem, I have tons in different sizes. Well, I thought I need at least one more pair of pants because I keep wearing the same things over and over and over again for pants and am constantly washing clothes. So I pulled a few pairs of jeans of the rack, and I noticed some 12 P's and I thought, what the hay, I can try them on, right. It is not a crime to see if I can button them when I am just seeing how much further I have to go before I can . . . and guess what. Not only could I button them, but I could button every one of the 4 different pairs of size 12 petite jeans that I tried. I moved another size and didn't even realize it. About half the pants looked flattering and the other half gave me the oh so sexy and flattering muffin top roll that I see so many young girls sporting today :0). Needless to say, I passed on the muffin top pants and am wearing a somewhat form fitting but reasonable looking pair of SIZE 12 JEANNSSS. What is even more shocking to me is the thought of what is coming next down the road, isn't a size 10 squarely in the realm of a reasonable, normal size that I can be proud of??? So, what a journey . . . moving from xxl slowly to xl a little faster to a large and, omg . . . can that actually be medium approaching??? Anyway, I am feeling really good in my jeans today which is a great nsv for me.

Deviled eggs are not greasy at all when I make them (but it is one of those things that everyone makes a little differently). Because no one eats them at my house other than me, I make them exactly as I want them. I have 2 times as much mustard as compared to low-fat mayonnaise. Mustard is perfectly healthy and is essentially a "free-food." A small dab of low-fat mayonnaise is not going to make a big difference. A whole pickle has 5 calories, so 1/10th of a pickle is not going to make a difference. Paprika is just for taste and color. Eggs are packed with Protein and are healthy in moderation as well. All-in-all it is a win-win food choice. Scrambled eggs tend to stick together in a clump in your pouch due to the texture. If you have a funnel and drop scrambled eggs in, you will find that little actually passes through without a little push. The texture of a yolk in a boiled egg has a clumping thick nature as well. Have you ever eaten just an egg yolk before and noticed how it sticks in your teeth and is hard to swallow? It is the same thing in your pouch. All-in-all I think deviled eggs are great for bandsters, even those with good restriction. :thumbup:

I mentioned my surgeon earlier but not my pcp. My pcp was against wls for me in general. My BMI hovered around 40 and he said it would be a better option if I just changed my diet and did more exercise. I was already regularly exercising vigorously and had been doing so for years. My diet was relatively healthy, low in fat, lower calories with relatively few carbs. So what was the problem??? Constant, incessant, unrelenting hunger and I ate way too many calories for my small frame, even if they were from primarily healthy sources. Anyway, my pcp reluctantly came around at my insistence but I know he never felt it was truly the right decision for me. I have not been back to see him for over a year (part of the reason is that it takes over an hour to get to his office after moving). Really this makes me quite sad because I really liked my doctor a lot. I had been taken my family there for about 15 years, he was always there for me, supported alternate treatments and herbal remedies (which is atypical but was right up my alley), he had red hair like mine and an easy-going personality with great bed-side manner. It just again goes to show that even good doctors can have very different opinions regarding the wls topic.

I was 12, not exceptionally early. I don't think at 12 I started early because plenty of my peers started before and after me. I was a thin child. My highest weight before pregnancy with my son was 126 at 5 '3 which is a perfectly normal weight with a c-cup. After I had my son I leveled off to about 150-160 which was a little overweight but not terrible. After a while I started birth control pills and that is when I saw my weight really start to creep up and yoyo dieting became an active part of my life. I have two sisters. My youngest sister is in the overweight category but only slightly so and she is only 13. She started at the same time in life as me. My other sister is shorter than I am and she weighs over 300 pounds and is in her mid-twenties. There is an 8 year age difference between us and I distinctly remember seeing her in the bathtub when she was about 9 years old and was shocked to see that she was completely developed . . . she started menarche a little after that. I remember discussing it with my mom because I was so surprised, and she told me that she had started menarche around age 8. Both my sister and mother have spent their lives morbidly obese and suffered a lot of hormonal problems. I know it is only anecdotal, but in my own family early significant childhood obesity definitely correlated to early menarche. Even though morbid obesity and early menarche seemed to go hand in hand, I am not sure how one affects the other.

I really don't like my wedding photos. Everything was beautiful of course, but I was not happy with my weight at the time. I have recently been thinking about just having some professional pictures done with my husband. I think that would make us both very happy.

I think it is too risky. It would be easy to puncture your tubing and then you would have a significant problem. I can understand why you would be interested at $1k a pop. That is wayyy too much money. Perhaps you should start looking for different fill options in your area.

I agree with the previous posters. It is definitely all worth it in the end and your health is very important. If it is a lot safer to lose a bit first then you will be better off. You will also find adjusting to band life is easier if you have gone through liquid dieting phases and worked on weight loss before being banded. Surgeons are different and I bet you I can find three different qualified surgeons in my town that have vastly different ideas about what they prefer. Preliminary weight loss may improve your chances for a healthier outcome so most surgeons will probably suggest this. However, with this kind of surgery perhaps it would be best to check with another surgeon as well for an initial consultation. Can I ask what your BMI is? I was curious if the recommended loss is more due to a high BMI or a personal preference for your surgeon.

That is it in a nutshell for me. It took what was so difficult before coupled with feeling starving and deprived and made it so much easier. I don't have the desire to overeat. I don't have a voracious appetite anymore. I still have to eat the right things and not eat between meals. Processed sugars and carbs aren't my friends, but I still want them and do indulge in small amounts every once in a great while (twice a month maybe). At first I thought I would only indulge if there was a special event or party or something out of the norm, but I guess I never realized that my schedule exposes me to that way too frequently and so I abstain the majority of the time. Now I can be satisfied with a cookie and not a bag of Cookies if you know what I mean. Eating normal, reasonable amounts of healthy food has become easy now . . . and my weight has dropped steadily since banding.

I have never tried it but I did consider before banding. A lot of people said they found success with it. However, I decided once I was banded that I will not take diet control supplements on top of being banded. Eating healthy is my focus and I have taken the four letter word "diet" out of my vocabulary.