SkyeBlu

Kat...Take a deep cleansing breath! You are doing an awesome job just by realizing that you need the help!

I was banded Feb 10 ,2006 on March 19, 2006 my husband was diagnosed with Cancer....my stress level hit mach 9!! The things that kept me going were these....

I kept reminding myself that life is real, things happen and sometimes those things are messy and ugly. All we can do is move forward and eating everything that isn't bolted down is not going to make it all better.

If I felt like losing my mind (aka...eating everything in sight) I would do one of the following...

walk around the block real quick

drink a bunch of Water

allow myself a small snack that was ok (100 calorie pack etc) if I was hungry

turn up some music that made me want to dance

turn on some music that made me mellow

Put a pillow over my face and scream as loud as I could

Find those things that you can do that don't involve icky foods. Also stick to your guns! I learned from personal experience that one "this cookie won't matter" leads to two...then three...see a pattern here?

Your doing great keep up the great work and don't let the jerks get you down!!

You are in for a bit of a ride when it comes to the world of Cancer. Please remember to eat well and treat your body well!

I can reccomend some great books that range from diet to just good motivation if you would like just e-mail me. cessairskye@yahoo.com

I personally have not battled Cancer but have delt with it very closely in the past years with parents, grandparents and most recently a very aggressive case of colon cancer with my husband.

Skye

Hello to my fellow Reno'ites :thumbs_up:

I was banded by Dr. Billy in Truckee and still go see him there for fills and check-ups. If you end up going to see him he is an excelent bariatric doctor he has been doing lap-bands longer than most docs on the west coast and even trained most of the docs at Western Surgical on the technique. His staff is super sweet and supportive too! One warning, he is very very no nonsense! Has a great bedside manner to him but doesn't sugarcoat anything.

Dr. Sasse...that man has a very special place in my heart and always will! He preformed my husbands emergency apendectomy then had to be the one to tell us it was actually an agressive form of cancer and did his hemi-colectomy 2 days later. He is a phenominal surgeon and has the most amazing bedside manner I have ever encountered in my life. My mom calls him "Dr. Howser" because he looks 12 :party: hehe

Nice to see some local faces on here :frown:

They just like to jump on any behavior that is not considered "normal" (what ever the hell normal is). They sensationalize the fact that she is being "cozy" with her new bff but they make little mention about the fact that she is mellowing out a bit, maybe if she can just be "herself" for once she won't have to act out like the constant obnoxious party child that she normal does.

You say that you are good in the am and the afternoon...Take a look at when you are hungry in the eveing, is it when you are sitting down to watch tv, is this a time you would normally munch and munch? A big one for me was bordom or stress eating simply because I could. I realized most of the time I wasn't really hungry but had the munchies from years of habit. There are time you can be honestly hungry though (I know I do get that way) to test if I am munchie hungry or in need of sustinance I drink a bunch of Water if that doesn't do it then I am hungry and I have a small treat/meal like a yogurt, a really yummy chocolate protien shake, or 1/2 of one of my favorite Protein bars etc. Also, if you are genuinely getting hungry quicker on some nights and not others look at what you ate, I know some foods go through me quicker and I crash if I inadvertanly ate too much carbs. There is so much to learn it is amazing!

And by the way....AWESOME on the 22lbs lost!!! :thumbs_up:

If you keep up that pace you could be down over 100lbs by your bandaversary!

Keep up the great work!

This is a hard one....working that many hours alone drags our bodies down then add in hunger it can be a recipie for disaster. Something that I found saves me is having a small snack on the trip home. Something small like a portion of a power bar, some beef Jerky a few small chunks of cheese. Enogh to kill the "I want to gnaw your face off hunger" so that when I walk in the door i'm not overdoing it becuase I just want food. That way I am able to be more objective about what I eat. Then, on long work days I personally don't exercise most of the time, what I do is stretch....I may just lay on the floor and relax stretch and not get crazy others I end up in a full on yoga routine. The stretching helps calm me down and get me back on me/home mode.

Good luck!

How are you feeling?

There is a great book out there (or so I think) it's a really easy read "The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients" by Colleen M. Cook I read it just after my surgery and it was full of good information, now being 2 years post banding it is full of GREAT information. It was written by a woman that is about 13 years post surgery and has information and research from docs that have been doing bariatric surgery for up to 3 decades.

I'm doing the "pouch size test" from the book, tomorrow just to see where I really stand on how much I should be eating portion wise, they say if your pouch is 5.5 to 9 oz you are in a good area for weight loss. When I pay attention to what is going in my mouth I'm pretty good at guaging when I am "almost" full.

cinmder WELCOME! One of the biggest steps (I think) is actually realizing you are an emotional eater so YAY for you for doing that. I was told early on every time I put something in my mouth to think about why i'm eating and if it didn't involve a grumbly tummy or a meal time to "put down the food" I found that distracting techniques worked for me, I had a list of "to do things" on my fridge so if I went to much and it was because my kids had me stressed out I would either do something on that list to distract myself or I would just go for a quick walk. Find something that works for you and if it does work stick to it. And, if you slip up don't punish yourself, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep on trucking! Good Luck!

brandyII...I didn't vomit much just get a horrid pain in my belly. I wasn't eating too much at one time it was more of a constant noshing never really giving my tummy time to just relax. And, when I would over eat, I would also drink, I didn't realize until about 2 weeks ago I was actually doing it unconciouslly and now have to make a point of emptying my glass before dinner is even started. I did PB a few times and slimed quite regularly. I didn't start sliming until about 6-7 months ago....you would of thought that this would of been a warning sign to me but unfortunately I would blame it on something else...stress of the day, bad food, what ever. One of the worst things for me was my job! Up until in recent weeks I was a manager for a very busy restaurant here in town. I worked 50+ hours a week going non-stop so I was eating such bad food and all the time.

Sades....great job on getting back on track! Just doing what I have done I lost 4lbs this week. I just keep shaking my head and realizing what a mistake I made. Good for you and keep up the great work!

You may have irritated your tummy/band area. I myself have done it in the past. It's kind of like twisting your ankle...if you stand right back up and start running it continues to hurt like heck...give it day off and you are back to good as new. Give yourself a day or two on power shakes and mushies and let your tummy settle down. If you eat anything solid make sure you chew chew chew to a mush. Good luck!

I feel for you! It sucks that you feel so down right now.

Something that I did with my boys early on is I knew I had a big issue with food and didn't want them to as well so we made sure they were taught to make good food choices. Sweets should be a treat not an all the time thing. Get rid of all unhealthy sweets for your sake and theirs, keep healthy sweets in the house yogurt, 100 calorie packs, granola bars, fresh fruit, dried fruit etc and if they have a sweet craving they will gnosh on thoses. And, if you happen to indulge it's not a bad treat.

Also, you just need to find your sweet spot. When you get it you will know. It took 4 fills for me to hit mine and wow what a difference it made!

Good luck!

Yay for you! That is awesome!

I noticed your favorite shirt color got a bit brighter too....you go girl stand out...you deserve it!

The metformin helped me some in the 2 years before my surgery but I notice the biggest difference in my PCOS symptoms after I started to shed weight and that was sans metformin (they took me off 90 days after my sugery when my blood sugars leveled out.) Good luck! And YAY for a doctor that is proud of you! Your doing awesome keep up the great work! :laugh:

We all heal so differently, myself it was a good month before my tummy resumed a "not swollen" look and about 2 months before my port site/inscision was healed and not puffy.

Good luck!

This is a bit long but I need to put it in print.....

I have been lurking in the shadows reading every post on band complications and all the stuff that can and does go wrong. The reason for this is that I have not lost a pound in almost a year and for the last 6 months I have had this funky at times horrible pain in my stomach, I get raging headaches and I feel like general crud 90% of the time. I kept thinking what is wrong with my band why isn't it working. Then the other day I had an epiphany....ok it was really a reflection on a conversation with Dr. Billy, but it got me back on track....he said that the band is just a tool, it isn't a magic bullet, but just a simple tool that I can choose to use or not. So I sat down and really thought about my pain, my lack of weight loss and my feeling of overall icky.

Here is what I came up with...I'm not using my tool right. My issue isn't with my band but in my head. Bummer!!

So here is what I have to work on.....

I have plenty of restiction but eat until I am FULL thus giving myself a tummy ache because i'm eating myself sick...fortunately for the restriction I can't eat tons or I would be back where I was when I started this venture. So back to measuring my portions, using my small plate and fork I go. Also, knowing when I am "almost" full.

I'm not chewing as well as I should...bad bad me!

I'm allergic to wheat and corn so "um hello" the nachos, sandwiches and pizza need to stop effective immediately. buh bye headaches!

Soda... I was drinking Diet Pepsi heard it was bad so moved to regular Coke....Sad but true this has been my path

Alcohol...margaritas are my true weekness....i'm going to limit myself to one a week on Sundays when we bbq.

Visiting lapband talk....I stopped...it's like not talking to that good friend that helps keep you on track....stop smacking me upside the head..I am back and yes I will listen!

I am putting myself on a quasi-first month diet...back to soft foods, lots of protien shakes and the like and i'm going to give my tummy a few weeks to heal from the mess I am sure I made of it. And for the record I started 2 days ago and have already lost 2 lbs and feel so much better!

Whatever my excuse is work, stress, family issues etc....I lost track of the whole point and reverted back to my old ways. I am just thankfull I realized it before I made myself sick!

Thanks for listening and hopefully I stop "struggling" and move forward!

Wahooo....a biker group!!

I am normally on the back of hubbys 2005 Dyna Low Ride but will be taking the rider course at Reno Harley Davidson this spring. Looking at the new 2007 Sportster low for me...maybe just maybe

Summer rides between Reno and Las Vegas and down into the Auburn/Sacramento area have taught me alot about constantly sipping on Water because I just can't gulp it like I used to. I actually slip a waterbottle between hubby and I and we sip on it as we go. The one I have to watch is beer....the guys we ride with love their beer. It can be hard to turn down an icy cold one or three when it is a 105!

I look forward to hearing about everyones rides this summer!

Skye

One year ago today....

• I was laying in bed looking at my battered, swollen belly and sipping on chicken broth wondering what in the freaking blue blazes did I do to myself?!?!?!

One year later I am...

• 54 lbs lighter (hey when your 5' that is a lot o' butt)
  
• able to shop at ANY store other than Lane Bryant
  
• able to run on the treadmill and not pass out or throw up
  
• feeling sexy
  
• liking what/who I see in the mirror because I now see me
  
• healthier
  
• stronger (mentally and physically)
  
• I AM THANKFULL

*knock knock*

Yooohoooo....yep it's me...i'm still around!

Things are still nuts here but we are hanging in there!

To help with my stress levels I have started to ride my bike to work...9.8 miles ONE WAY! Woohooo! I'm glad to see everyone is still doing so well and sticking with it! Good Job guys!

Love ya and miss visiting with you!

Skye

I am so glad you found Dr. Billy!

I love working with him towards gaining my health back!

Good luck with everything!

Skye

Melatonin is good to try! I love it! It is sold in 1mg 3mg and 5mg strengths I would reccomend trying 1mg and go up from there you may not need a ton to make it work. DO NOT go over 5mg unless you are being medically supervised. Also...start with a lower dose if you regularly take B12.< /p>

Ambien...at times a necessary evil but be very very careful, you would be amazed at what people are doing while completely asleep on this drug! There are people that are claiming that they eat entire meals at night and have no recolection the next day....I too said "whatever" THEN...my husband started to take Ambien...last week when we got in bed we were being intimate and it was amazingly soft, romantic and loving, the bad part is...he has ZERO memory of it! NONE...NADA! EEEKKK!!!

My surgery wasn't until 2:15 pm so we got to the hospital around 1pm. I was taken straight to pre-op, put in my gown and IV'd, they gave me the first round of anti-biotics and I immediately had an alergic reaction to them, sooooo that slowed me down just a bit because they had to watch me for a half an hour. The trip from pre-op to the operating room was quick and they knocked me about almost as soon as I hit the operating room table.

The recovery room was non-eventfull other than the normal waking up out of a major fog feeling.

It turns out they did hernia surgery while they were in there so I was a bit more on the sore side than expected, but nothing a few pumps on the morphine didn't fix! I had to have a semi-private room and my roomie was a bit "difficult" (she didn't shut up and whinned non-stop) BUT the nurses were awesome! When it came to the medical staff that was by far the best care I have ever recieved.

Going home was a bit rough as I was SUPER nautious and the drive home was an hour on a windy freeway.

4 days later I was at work and moving forward with life! Tired, sore...and over the liquid diet but very happy with my decision.

Skye

Ok thought I would get brave and post some pics....(thank you P'nut for edu-m-cating me on posting)

This is me before surgery and then just a few weeks ago!

Skye

Skyeblu's Gone for Good Club

June Challenge Score Card

Points earned for Rule 1

For each day that you drink a minimum of 64oz of Water, you earn 1 point.

You may earn a bonus of 5 points for a perfect week.

5-31___1_6-01__1__6-02_____6-03_____6-04_____6-05_____6-06_____6-07_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-08_____6-09_____6-10_____6-11_____6-12_____6-13_____6-14_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-15_____6-16_____6-17_____6-18_____6-19_____6-20_____6-21_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-22_____6-23_____6-24_____6-25_____6-26_____6-27_____6-28_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

Grand Total_______

Points earned for Rule 2

For each day that you exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes, you earn 2 points.

You may earn a bonus of 5 points for a perfect week.

5-31__1__6-01__1__6-02_____6-03_____6-04_____6-05_____6-06_____6-07_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-08_____6-09_____6-10_____6-11_____6-12_____6-13_____6-14_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-15_____6-16_____6-17_____6-18_____6-19_____6-20_____6-21_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-22_____6-23_____6-24_____6-25_____6-26_____6-27_____6-28_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

Grand Total_______

Points earned for Rule 3

For each day that you do not eat foods that contain flour or sugar, you earn 3 points. (sugar substitutes are allowed)

You may earn a bonus of 5 points for a perfect week.

5-31_0____6-01__1__6-02_____6-03_____6-04_____6-05_____6-06_____6-07_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-08_____6-09_____6-10_____6-11_____6-12_____6-13_____6-14_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-15_____6-16_____6-17_____6-18_____6-19_____6-20_____6-21_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

6-22_____6-23_____6-24_____6-25_____6-26_____6-27_____6-28_____ Bonus____Week's Total_____

Grand Total_______

Points earned for Weight loss

For each pound that you lose during the challenge, you earn 1 point

Beginning weight 5-31: 169

Weigh-in weight 6-7:

Weigh-in weight 6-14:

Weigh-in weight 6-21:

Weigh-in weight 6-28:

Total lost during challenge:

Total points earned for Rule 1:

Total points earned for Rule 2:

Total points earned for Rule 3:

Total points earned for weight loss:

Total Challenge points earned:

In the pics...the first one is from christmas (I had to fill it in just a wee bit because my sons arm was in the pic) and the second one is just 2 weeks ago.

I am SO proud of everyone for all that you have done!

I will post my score-card in just a few minutes!

P'nut...can you change my current weight to 169 and total loss to -41 lbs (9 lbs to go and I will be at -50 loss total...yippie!)

I may also need some help posting my pics!

Skye

I am attempting to add some pics of Duke and I as well as the boys so you all can put faces with the family that you have been praying for. For those of you that are new Duke is my husband of 16 amazing years that was recently diagnosed with a rather agressive case of colon cancer, he is doing wonderfully (regardless of how crummy chemo makes him feel) and we all can't wait to have him back 100% to his normal onery self!

This is Duke and I......... The puppy hog is our little one Hunter (he is 12)

And...this is my big man Devin (he is 15)