PhotoNut

I just noticed you're listed as a Mod now, Wheetsin. Not sure if congrats or condolences are in order, so I'll offer both. *smiles* Good choice, Alex :clap2: :clap2:

Sincere congrats on achieving your goals, Vera. You look fantastic and I'd fight anyone here over the chance to have thighs as nice as yours! Do you have any before pics anywhere? I'd love to see the side by sides! Your kids are beautiful!

For rib sticking warm goodness, blend Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup until its completely smooth, then heat. This saved me and many others I've told about the soup. Also, be sure to get in your Protein via natural whey protein suppliments. Mixed with skim milk and other various goodies, these shakes will help you recover quickly, fight infection, and take the edge off that hunger until you can start eating mushies.

Wow, you sound so much like me! I felt so guilty spending the money on myself when the rest of the family had needs. My mom gave me the money for mine, a bit of an early inheritance thing, and that was a tough gift to accept. However, my family rallied around me and fully supported me, knowing that something had to be done or I just wasn't going to be around much longer. So by the time my date had arrived, I was at peace about it and haven't regretted it or felt guilty about it since. As for the weight loss expected by Dr. Cahn. I think he bases each decision on the person's indiviual case. As I don't know all of the facts about your case, I can't really make any comments. But I can tell you that Dr. Cahn makes your health and success his priority. Just hang in there and do your best to follow his guidelines and you're guaranteed to see that success and his excitement. And youre right, 15 pounds is great! 20 pounds is better! And YES you can do this! Your journey doesn't start when you wake up with that band inside of you. It started when you made the decision to take back control of your life and get healthy. So buckle down, don't look at this as a mandate made by someone else that you have to follow, get exicted about what's just around the corner for you, and stay true to yourself. Oh, there are quite a few bandsters in the Boise area. Two support groups that I know of. One meets at St. Al's on the second Tues of each month. I'm sure Dr. Cahn has told you of that one. And the other is the Idaho Bandsters. They have a Yahoo Group you can join, and they meet on the 4th Thursday? or Tuesday? of each month for dinner out together. Next week they will be meeting at PF Chang's. If you're interested, let me know and I'll get the info for you. LindaV is a regular on LBT who lives in Eagle. She will be at the dinner, but I won't this month. Hey LindaV! Say hello to Cheryl!

Hey Cheryl! Yahoo.. another Boisean! Go to this thread and I'll talk to you there so we can leave this thread on topic.. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=279565#post279565

Our Idaho thread has been quiet for some time and I know we have some new folks in Idaho on LBT now.. so Im starting a hello thread! :wave: To SheryBery - You asked about my pre-op situation with Dr. Cahn. I was only on the pre-op for about two weeks and lost 16 pounds. I was also suffering with a hernia just above my belly button that Dr. Cahn was worried about and planned to repair at the time of my banding. So, I was fortunate in that I made it thru the pre-op steps fairly quickly. I was self pay, which also helped. I dearly love Dr. Cahn and have a great respect for his approach to post op care. You will be in good hands!

Yeppers, you'll become very familiar with that feeling of pressure just behind the breast plate. And, believe it or not, this is your brand new sensation of being full. Because the pouch is at the top of the stomach and because the restriction slows and limits the amount of food that can pass through, you'll no longer be feeling that lower belly.. unzip your pants.. stuffed to the gills feeling. Be aware of the pressure and stop eating/drinking for a while. Also, when one experiences an episode of getting food "stuck" it will feel like that, only the pain will become more intense. So chew your food well, eat slowly, and focus on being aware of the signs of being "full". This will save you (hopefully) from a bad experience known as a PB. Productive burp, where the stuck food causes a lot of pain, wont go down, has to come back up, typically a lot of slime is produced by the body as it tries to lubricate things and free the food, and often this ends with wretching which brings up the food that wont go down. Not a pretty sight, not a fun experience.

Click on this link, it has all of the instructions for a ticker: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16218

I'm not a Dr but I play one on TV. *snorts* Not really, um.. but my thoughts on this would be that because you didn't do the standard 2 days of liquids after a fill, you may have caused some swelling that added to your restriction. Since you have had a week of stress on your esophagus with all the "tossing up" I would suggest you stop now and take a couple of days to let things settle again. I don't think liquids are necessary, but certainly mushies would be a good idea. Then, once you are back on solid foods, see how you do for a week or so. If everything goes well and you feel you need more restriction, then get more. However, if you start experiencing more problems, contact your Dr and get an unfill. And then, there's always the chance that you'll find yourself with a decent amount of restriction. In my opinion, too many bandsters jump to have adjustments made to their fills before they've even followed the basic guidelines for proper bandster eating. How can anyone know if they need a fill or unfill until they've done that? Anyway, check out this checklist once you are eating good solid food again: http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm

Heya Luna.. beautiful name Welcome to LBT! It's about time. *winks* You'll find lots of folks here who are full of helpful advice and experiences to share. Be sure to ask lots of questions and have a look thru the FAQ and References Forum. There is some great info in there as well as links to other sites that are very helpful. I'm happy you're here! *hugs*

What's a TLA?? *laughs*

Hi Stacy, welcome to LBT. There are a lot of folks on LBT that hail from Texas. Some of the best ones here, in my opinion. Check out the place, ask lots of questions, this is a wonderful place to learn about the band. Here are a few links that will get ya started: MuffinBirdie's personal website: http://www.myagb.homestead.com/index.html LBT'ers who have lost 100 pounds or more: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16050 Surgery Video and Q&A: This is a recorded Web Cast of a LapBand surgery. The surgeons provide a lot of basic information and answer a LOT of questions from the viewers. The videos shows the placement of the lapbad via laproscopic camera and also shows the positioning and attachment of the port. It's not gorey at all, but it is surgery so watch with caution: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3190472028990485080&q=lap+band

Heyas Connie! Welcome to LBT. I remember those feelings of excitement and nervousness! What you're doing is exactly right.. get all the info you can because knowledge is power. In case you haven't come across these bits of info, I'll put up a couple of links for you. The FAQ Forum has a LOT of great info in it. Questions to ask your Dr before banding: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=20271 A list of suggested things to have on hand for after surgery: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14814 Keep us posted on how you're doing, and ask lots and lots of questions! Cheers!

Anyone heard from Canada Sunshine? She hasn't been here in almost a week. Hope everything's ok. *frets* Kathy.. lol.. if it didnt do anything for Dawg, it sure did sumpin for me! Go Kathy Go! Are you still doing Curves?

Welcome back, Sweetie. So glad to hear that things are going well for you now. Bless your heart, what a scary thing to experience. I'm so very proud of you for staying strong and fighting for yourself. Gosh, its great to have you back happy and healthy! *big ole hugs*

Tired Old Man - Very very well put! Bravo!

Welcome to Bandland, Wavy! You're like one of those amazing stories we hear about people going shopping right after surgery! I can't believe you went from the hospital to go furniture shopping, and then out shopping again! That's crazy! *laughs* Anyway, welcome home and grats on getting your band. *hugs*

Road Queen's right. Although I have asked for a regular spoon when presented with a Soup spoon for chili. The times I have gone out with family, friends, and other bandsters, everyone has been too busy talking and eating to notice me. I just put my fork or spoon down between bites, spend time focusing on enjoying time with others, and eat slowly. And if they do notice or comment, just take Aussie Chick's advice!

Huge difference, Eficka! I'll put these side by side for ya.

Don't feel dumb, stupid or ignorant! Asking questions is how we find out things we don't yet know. As others have said TOM is our abbreviation for Time of the Month, referring to periods. There are a lot of abbreviations used here, and you'll find most of them listed if you click on this link it will open a thread that is in the FAQ (frequently asked questions) Forum: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7959 About that ticker, it won't move on its own. You'll have to delete the code in your signature and then go back to tickerfactory.com and enter the new numbers for your current weight, then copy the code again, and paste into your signature. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really only takes a minute, as tickerfactory usually remembers what you have set up already. Cheers

This past week seems so focused on the $10million question.. do I need a fill?? I've posted the link to this list in other threads, but thought I'd just go ahead and put the whole thing here for those of us who need reminding. I hope that all of us who are questioning the need for more (or less) restriction will take a few minutes and go thru this list of questions, answering each honestly, and then make an educated decision rather than just walking in to the Dr.'s office and letting them decide for us based on only a tiny bit of the entire picture. Here ya go: Adjustments How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of “soft calorie syndrome” b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram (1) It’s also a stomach irritant c. fruit juice is just sugar Water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can’t just eat what’s easy c. cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. meat or fish (1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup – the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, Pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you’re not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait. 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won’t be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it’s a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive – compulsive thoughts (1) Obsess about something else b. Perfectionism (1) All or none, black and white thinking c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as “good” and “bad” e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables a. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (6) Peppermint a. Baking soda toothpaste (7) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (1) Tylenol is OK n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider 4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest, especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack. b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise. c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you also have nausea or fever d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention. (Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.) e. If your pain is severe

As I said on another thread.. When its my TOM, my band opens up and beckons the food supply of the entire world in. I feel as if I can eat anything, and I feel as if I do -- until I write down what I'm actually eating. Then I see that while I may have eaten a bit more, I'm still within a reasonable amount for a bandster. It's best not to make decisions about your fill during your TOM. Seriously. Some women loose the ability to swallow spit while other can eat a house, then start on the garage. Give yourself some time. Once you get past this TOM, go through this checklist and take a good look at what you're doing before you decide whether or not to get another fill. Two additional comments: My first period after surgery was horrible. Worst I'd dealt with in years. I am not against proper restriction. If it takes a full band to get you to the right level of restriction, then that's what you should have. I am against people trying to use restriction in place of self control. A band that is too tight can cause far more problems than a underfilled band.

Awww, Mandy. What a sweet image. What a sweet thought. Awww

Grats and welcome to Bandland! I hope your recovery is speedy and your weight loss journey is a trip to remember!

We didn't really care. We were just being nosey. *grins* Good to hear that you had a nice vacation Ali. I'm very envious of your location. What a gift to have all of that beauty right outside your front door!