flowers

I ordered that expensive stuff that is supposed to clean out your colon you take daily and it is addictive. I went to a doctor for the problem eventually and he read the ingrediants and put me on a powder to make me go without help from pills or OTC meds. And something stronger to keep from getting hemorrhoids. You may need some help. Its worth paying for. I dont have insurance so whenever I go to the doctor its needed. Now I have a rash that has kept me from walking outside the last month and slowing my weight loss. Finally saw a doctor for it Monday, hope he can help. btw has anyone gone thru what I do? Last time I went on a diet, I was down 50 - 60 lbs before anyone noticed. OK I know I carry the weight all in my stomach, so maybe its not as noticeable as when others lose weight. I think the only reason folks noticed was I fially went from a size XXL tee shirt to a XL tee shirt and was wearing different shirts than my usual ones. OK so I lost 8 or 9 lbs fast pre surgery and another 34 probably. Getting close to the same point. Down over 40 lbs total and so far not one person has said to me have I lost a little weight?? Maybe because it hasnt been so long since I got down below 155 lbs and put it all back on and then some when my Dad had one problem after another and things feel on me. I turned to comfort food and I gain extra fast because Im insulin resistant. .... you would think someone would be noticing Iv lost some weight soon though? I could wear the XL size again, except the rash is under my breasts and cant put on a bra without rubbing the rash. I went on a cruise and the rash went crazy in the heat and humidity and I went over the top in stress. I was on the Conquest that left Sunday out of Galveston and Ike hit early Sat morning. No one had any idea when we left that Ike would for sure even go into the gulf, much less hit Galveston. I freaked most of the last 3 days of the cruise and my skin went nuts. Im still dealing with Allstate, its been like pulling teeth, but finally got a offer yesterday, still need to send power of attorney for title in glove box. They finally towed me and checked me in only last Friday. Yes, its taken them that long. I had to find receipts to prove I have low mileage on my car Monday. I was freaking thinking I was going to lose about $5K on my car, I had bought it new. Im ready for a compliment from someone ... anyone? Since I wear oversized clothes to cover my large belly, I guess its not so obvious as it is with others who are losing sizes already. Last time I lost weight I got all flabby and saggy and still looked awful at 150s and got discouraged. Im not liking this part of getting old. OK sorry for my troubles venting. Been a tough few weeks.

I was nutrisystem with a young gal who tried out for the Biggest Loser who wanted it so bad, had a great personality, early 20s, but she weighed too much. They told her to shed 100 lbs or so and maybe she could try out again. They only pick women in the 200s usually who dont have so much to lose and the losses will show more as they lose. Dont feel bad about picking up your diet on your birthday. (Happy Birthday :wub: ). I had my fill the day before my birthday and realized I would be back on mushys the day after my fill, so I couldnt eat what I wanted for my bithday this year. I just had my birthday Sept 28th, so Im also a Libra. hi, fellow Libra.

My surgeon says he stitches the port to something so it cant move or turn over.

Two fills of 1.8 cc's each in a 10 cc band. Both times the fill doctor tried to put in 3 cc's but the barium wouldnt go down with 3 cc's at a time for a fill. She was surprised and doubted it was a 10 cc band, so I had to get a letter from the surgeon signed for the 2nd fill. I too never heard of only a 1.8 cc fill for the first fill in a 10 cc band. I have some restriction, but would like a little more. Will wait a month or so for the next fill so maybe they can give me a little bigger fill, at least another 1.8 cc. For some reason they are needing to fill me slower it seems like than normal. I saw on the fluoro the first fill and she pointed out the barium just sitting there that wouldnt go down into my stomach with 3 cc's so she removed some of the fill. Just have to be patient they tell me.

I was told cabonation can cause slippage and not to take the chance ... ever. Its the only thing Iv given up. I can eat anything else.

Im pretty sure unless I get plastic surgery, I will be so saggy for yo yo dieting (I was saggy the last time I lost 85 lbs), that this has to be in my future, much as I hate the idea of paying for it or having this painfull surgery. I just want to get into regular sizes. Nothing looks good on me with a big belly and Im still in a size 20 or more. I want to go to regular women's stores and be able to buy clothes again instead of shopping online.

I cant tell any difference in the taste of food. I do know when I diet and stay away from fats and sugars, after a while if you eat something say high fat like a fast food taco, it didnt taste as good as before dieting, but no idea why having surgery would make food taste different??? That sounds wierd to me since there should be no way the band would actually affect the taste of food.

If you eat wrong foods with the band, you wouldnt lose then either. Some get fills so tight they cant eat, but other than that, you will still be able to eat. I can eat anything I want even after two fills. subway subs, pizza, anything, and they told me I probably wouldnt be able to eat. I do sympathize. Every time before I go to a fill and Im eating a sub or something like that Im telling my family, well I might not be able to eat this after the fill, so this might be my last sub with the family. A calorie in is still a calorie out with the band.

I lost 8 or 9 pre surgery and 33 since and Iv had two fills so far. Not much restriction, but finally a tad. I also quit walking a month ago, been fighting a rash I developed when I was walking 4 miles a day in the Texas heat and lost another week on a cruise, so Im not dissastisfied, but wish Id break thru to Onederland already. So close but wouldnt dip that last one pound. Went to the dermatologist today and hopefully this will clear it up or he has to take biospys. PS both my fills were 1.8 cc's so 3.6 total in a 10 cc band, so if your first fill was 3.8 cc's you are more restricted than I am. I wish my fill doctor was going faster.

Just something small I learned from reading diet books, a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie, they are not all the same. Someone who reacts to carbs or sugars and their insulin levels spike can gain up to 300% more than someone who is of a normal weight who isnt subject to insulin spikes. i.e. that 200 calorie candy bar, or mashed potatoes that spike your blood sugar, that skinny gal she only gets 200 calories when she eats it. If you are like me that same 200 calories can hit you with as much as 600 calories because your body stores the insulin your body produced as fat. The fact that you are so much younger, this may not be hitting you as hard as it hits me. Something to think about. the idea behind low gi dieting is to eat foods that dont spike your blood sugar. Its been proven you can eat more calories a day and lose faster than either doing low fat or low calorie diets. You can easily lose on 1200 to 1500 calories a day if they are low gi foods. Whole wheat, whole grains on Cereal, rice or noodles if you have them at in small quantities. You dont have to eat the way Im trying to eat, Im much older and its harder for me to lose than most people, so I have to eat this way to lose, but it doesnt hurt to understand how food works in the body, knowledge is power.

Well I know each person is different, but I know Im not going hungry. I did find on low gi eating that I could eat 1700 calories in a day and weight would drop fast if it was a big piece of salmon I was nibbling on throughout the day. I was on a nutrisystem diet message board and I am over 50, insulin resistant and all the reasons to be a slow loser, yet when I cooked certain foods and didnt count calories I was the biggest loser on the site two months in a row. I did walk a lot too, but I also gave up any dressing on my salads and ate them plain, there is a lot of fat and sugar in salad dressings. The ones with 0 calories taste like cardboard, so I ate plain salad. Fruit too has a lot of sugar, so I mostly gave that up too, a few berries and SF syrup in a Protein shake I would make for lunch to sweeten it up. I also have a box of SF popsicles I keep on hand and grab one if I want to snack or eat some toasted soynuts, high in protein, when I need something. I know the proof is in the pudding and i put it back on. I did lose 9 lbs pre surgery, I was hitting 248 on my home scale before my surgery in July and even with the one week cruise Im hitting 201 now. So food choices matter more than counting calories, Iv proven it to myself over and over. I want to reach for that candy bar as bad as anyone so I put something else in its place, I dont go hungry and I dont nibble on salads, I nibble on protein. A piece of lean ham I keep a package of. You can have fat free hot dogs, 2 of them are considered a snack of 100 calories and they are filling. I cut them in half and brown them in a skillet with pam. I think with some new food choices, and more protein and get rid of noodles and potatoes and gravy you might lose like I do when I eat right? Im not pushing as hard as I did last time I dieted, this time Im taking my time and having more foods I like, so losing slower, but when I get impatient, I bake up some salmon to nibble on for a day and a day or two later, my weight drops. I want to get thru that 200 lbs number. 8 days ago I weighed in at 204, so Im already down in about a week, one more lb though, gotta make Onederland.

Thanks for your story, makes me wonder about myself too. I just turned 58, so you saying more problems after 50, hmmm. I was banded in Mexico, 10 cc band, but my fill doctor could only put in 1.8 cc and thought there was confusion with my band size, said maybe I misunderstood, it was 10 cc across or another size because she does 3 cc normally as a first fill and the barium wouldnt go into my stomach with 3 cc, so she took me down to 1.8 cc, which didnt give me any restriction. I can eat anything, so maybe I dont have the older age issues you mentioned? At least you gave us something to think about. Im sorry you are having issues with your band and had to be unfilled. I wanted to add that I went to a seminar, 8 of us I think? One had a lapband and had gained weight so wanted it removed and have bypass. The lady leading the seminar lost 120 lbs via lapband, but got reflux so bad, she too had her band removed and had by pass. I was sitting there thinking 2 of out the 9 in the room had or wanted their bands removed? I came home and cancelled my lapband surgery, it sure scared me. I later rescheduled and went thru with it, but those odds are telling.

When you say you have enough restriction without a fill, sounds like you might be one who had some prefill with your band? I dont know how someone could have any restriction just from the band, because I know I woke up from surgery and could have eaten anything then and there. Many fills centers I know do fills on Saturdays, maybe you could schedule it on a weekend when you arent travelling if you get to where you feel you need a fill?

Hi, Im in Dallas. On the other threads, for fill doctors I think it is, someone posted a link to a fill doctor in Garland they used they said uses fluoro and $200. Im driving to Tyler to see Dr. Stephanie who uses fluoro but who goes very slowly with the fills. Iv had two fills and barely have a tad of restriction after the 2nd fill, but at least I know she is doing it the safe way. she charges $200 cash too, but its a long drive. She also does every other saturday in tyler, the next sat in college station. I wouldnt go to someone who doesnt use fluoro (sp), because of the chance of poking the tubing or whatever. There are accidents, and I dont want to take the gamble with my band. I did see a thread from someone who uses a fill doctor who I wouldnt name in Dallas who doesnt use fluor asking if we thought her band could be leaking and a surgeon here in Dallas said they know of instances where this doctor has caused folks to have to have surgery to fix problems. why take the risk? with the fluoro the doctor can see exactly where the band is and I drink some barium each time and she watches to see that it is flowing into my stomach (I know grosses me out too), but she can see that the fill isnt too tight so you wouldnt ever get overfilled, because she would take out some fill if the barium wouldnt flow into your stomach. The fill doctors who just poke you hoping to find the port, they cant see if they are filling you too tight and sometimes miss the port and have to keep poking you, you can read plenty of threads where folks go to fill doctor who dont use fluor and get poked multiple times until the port is found. Im debating checking out the place in Garland since its so much closer to my house, or making the drive back to Dr. Stephanie. She was banded in Mexico, and does her own fills, not a nurse, so I know she is good.

I mentioned this on your other thread, but the choices you are making that you say are the good choices arent ones I would make to lose faster. You say the good choices here are a can of Dinty Moore stew or hamburger helper. Anything with gravies like these is full of bad calories. Even hamburger isnt something to eat often to me. The potatoes in the stew are high gi foods, I stay away from corn and potatoes. You should be having green type veggies. I know you are in college, can you prepare a bag of frozen veggies, there are several blends that are low in calories that will fill you up. Do you have access to a oven, where you can bake chicken breast (no skin) and dump a can of tomatoes on them for taste?. tomatoes on top are much better calorie wise than anything with gravy. I know I lost over 80 lbs with eating low gi foods last time. I admit I put it back on eating fast food when my dad got sick and I didnt take the time to fix what I knew I should be eating. But I know eating that way works and can fill you up. I think the band in place will help from putting the weight back on, but for now you still should be eating as if you are on a diet and help that weight go away faster. Im swearing to myself this will be the last time to lose this weight. I know its the pot calling the kettle black, I know how to eat, just would rather eat more junky foods. The rule is anything green is good to pick for veggies. I truly believe you cant just count calories, some calories will help you build muscle and lose the weight, some will spike your insulin. If not now, when you get my age the problem will be worse. If I didnt love junky foods, then we all probably wouldnt be here though right? If you eat foods like baked potatoes that spike your insulin, the insulin will be produced and store as more fat, you dont even need to eat the extra calories to put on the extra weight. Its important to eat the right foods. Once you lose the weight or for a treat now and again later on, then you can have a treat like corn on the cob or baked potatoes, but not when you are trying to lose. Try eating plain ole food without the gravies or anything deep fried like those chicken nuggets, which are breaded. Cut the carbs and sugar as much as you can, and grab a piece of lite laughing cow cheese for instance or a hard boiled egg.

Its 3:44 a.m. and Iv been up at least an hour. If you are waking up during the night and craving, that is often a sign of high sugar, which will eventually go away as you control it with high Protein choices. I drink some milk or something, but Im eating or drinking something too. Maybe you dont have high sugar, but its often a sign of being pre diabetic that you wake up during the night craving carbs. another word for it is insulin resistant. another way to tell, one of the biggest signs is you carry your weight in your stomach. the best thing you can do is just stick with this and try and not eating sugary or carbs during the day and get it under control. Last time I went thru this I did a low gi, but it still took 2 or 3 months for my blood sugar to quit spiking, then I was one of the bigger losers on the site. Once that blood sugar quits spiking at night you will be fine. It will happen eventually with a better diet. I got the lap band because I didnt want to go thru this again and knew the signs when I started waking up again during the night and couldnt sleep until I had something to eat or drink. Its true it might just be habit, but it could also be a sign of insulin spiking. Just hang in there and it will get better. Im a insomniac to start with. That doesnt help does it?

I know you are trying, but you really shouldnt be eating chicken nuggets. Baked chicken breast is great, so get a sandwich and throw away the bun, but deep fried anything you know isnt good and the breading is also bad to lose weight. I try and eat fish, plain baked fish, whenever I can to lose weight. I know calories are not calories. I can eat a whole lot more calories if they are Protein than if Im eating things I shouldnt. I dont even lose well on chicken, fish works much better for me to drop weight. I bake a piece of salmon with steak pepper on it to dress it up. Still not my favorite, but at least I can fill up when im hungry. Sounds like you might need to look at what you are eating if you want to lose faster... or maybe the example you gave wasnt typical. If not, then I aplogize. I think most of know how to lose weight, we just dont like to eat that way. It does sound to me like you are trying and counting calories. Maybe we can all put our heads together and help you find better choices. If you really believe chicken nuggets are a good choice, then Im guessing if you put down your other choices, maybe we could help. List some of your other choices and maybe we can guide you to some better choices that would fill you up better. I read a book on eating the low g.i. way which helped me immensely know what works better for me to lose weight. I got the books free at the library.

.... and here Iv been a bit jealous of folks who got prefills. My surgeon doesnt believe they are safe. Try not to be too scared. Im scared of shots too and almost fainted, second fill went a bit better. Its not as bad as what you are scared of. Are you having the fill done under fluor?

I just read your other post and I am first of all sorry someone was rude to you. That of course is uncalled for or any comments on weight from some kid behind the counter. I dont blame you for contacting over his head. Iv also been mystified by the comments that we cant eat subways. I can still eat bread and had 1/4 of a subway today, my family shares a footlong 4 ways. They are small eaters, and too skinny so its np for me. Thats not saying its how everyone wants to eat, Im sorry you didnt get what you wanted. But why cant we have bread if we can eat it? Im being good about Desserts and junk food, cant skip everything good. Im not racing to the finish line I guess as fast as some others. I also went on a week long cruise a few weeks back and ate pizza and was proud I didnt gain anything.

Iv had two fills too, and am not tight enough to have enough restriction to stop me from eating anything and everything. So far its like a regular diet to me too, with a teensy amount of restriction finally. Im assuming as the fills make us tighter this will get easier, or I hope so anyway. Some have said on average it takes 3 fills to have enough restriction to help much with appetite. Im debating when to set up that 3rd fill!!!

Im not sure its possible to lose 7 lbs in a week, that isnt mostly Water weight which fluctuates. 14 lbs in 2 weeks and then only 1 lb as your body catches up and you are discouraged? You need to burn 3500 calories for each lb lost. If you ate nothing all week you wouldnt actually lose 7 lbs of fat in a week. 15 lbs in a month shouldnt discourage you at all if you are holding it off.

Tell them all the diets you have been on and show them that you have a history of trying to lose weight.

I went to Mexico and was supposed to stay in the hotel next door and extra night, but paid to change my flight and came home after one night in the hospital. My surgery was late the day before I left. I probably should have stayed the extra day because I came home exhausted. Im also probably quite a bit older than you, so you may not be as tired after the surgery. I decided and had the surgery in a matter of weeks, just decided it was the thing for me and did it. I needed to get it done so Id have time for the 4 weeks of mushies before I went on a cruise I had booked. I didnt want to still be on mushies, so I scheduled it pretty fast. That first month after surgery when you arent allowed to eat regular food I thought would never end. I tend to be impatient. Just be aware this isnt a overnight process and try and be patient.

Im not sure this will help as you sound young, but no matter your age, parents or others in your life will say things like this, you just have to make up your own mind. Im much much older than you, both my parents are too thin, in fact my dad had to have a feeding tube because he cant make himself eat enough (sighs). I heard the same things you are telling me. If you have to go on a diet anyway, why get the lapband, its a lot of money (I was self pay). Why cant you just go back on nutrisystem, you did really well on that diet (but I gained it all back and then some when life became tough). Sometimes you just have to make the decision for you, not for what others will approve, just what is best for you.