greyhoundmom

thanks for the encouragement TX DIVA! i had a pretty good day today after all - food wise and exercise wise. a great treadmill work out (almost rode my bike outside but it started to rain). the non-scale victories sure do pile up and must be appreciated especially when the scale isn't moving! the scale, i hope some day i don't care about that anymore or not much! have a great weekend!

hi all, i'm so frustrated today! i'm not losing anything. i'm being pretty good -not perfect - being human i guess - but really my food choices are very good and so is my exercise. 4th fill is next wednesday. i don't think i've lost anything in the past month since fill #3 (net, went down 2.5 but seem to have gone back up 2.5). this after having a wonderful dr's appt last night! off 3 medications, they used the regular size bp cuff - not the fat arm one! and my bp was 120/70 - excellent (it had been creeping up). my dr (who is a nut) even put in my record 'i feel bad for her that she has to buy new clothes' - he's kidding of course! i've gone down 3 pants sizes. and yet, that scale frustrated me so much this morning! i should use this as motivation today to be closer to perfect! i know many of you can relate. my band-mate (who had the surgery the same day as me) told me she is measuring her food now - i usually eye-ball it - i think i'll get out the measuring cups! hope you have good 'band' day today! nice fall day here, so i am going to get out on my bike - pedal off some frustration! oh and walk my grey of course! bye!

hi! i have not had this experience so far - thankfully - BUT will heed your advice and get napkins into my car today! i have had the 'oh gosh, did i chew that enough' feeling and have 'slimed' but so far that's it. great advice, thanks! sorry you've had that yucky experience!

Hi there, anyone have recipies they'd like to share? or general suggestions for meals that you find work well with your band? i've been making baked boneless chicken thighs with a low fat or fat free cream of something soup (like cream of chicken, or cream of mushroom, or cream of broccoli) and a can of green beans or frozen spinach. all in one pan baked in the oven at 375 for about 40 minutes. it's usually a whole package of thighs, so i have a LOT of leftovers even if my husband eats some. once in a while i add long grain rice but only if i'm really hungry - as i try to avoid the extra carbs. i find this is moist enough and the chicken is tender (chicken breasts seem to get too dry for me) and almost always, i can eat less than i think - because for some reason my band likes to tell me i'm full on this one! hope you have some suggestions that you'd like to share!

hi Amanda and CathyChatts, i'm with you - slow loser too. i've had 3 fills too. last month i lost about 3 lbs and while that is discouraging to me i have to remember it took me 8 months to lose 6 lbs the year before surgery! i tend to avoid 'bad for me' foods pretty well BUT sometimes chowder or other creamy Soups, which go down easy but have tons of calories, get me when i eat out. i have the 100 calorie pack Snacks so at least i know how much i'm eating but i've stopped writing down what i eat and i think that helped (oh, i already had a Protein shake, don't need another one, that type of reminding). so i'm going to do that again. hang in there! 4th could be a charm for us!

hi allie and all! i've been a bit discouraged too. i think i'm having too many crackers as a snack during the day. i'm down 37.5 lbs and am really glad about that! but i am hovering around the same # on the scale and even with exercise (added the hill program on the treadmill with jogging between each hill), i can't seem to get it to go down. i get really full and it lasts for hours but it still seems i can eat too much still - have had 3 fills. so looking forward to #4 coming up in 2 weeks. this process take such patience! that's what i say to myself, patience, keep doing what you think is right and have patience. i just ordered the core rythms dvd's (the basics) because it seems like fun - dancing as another way to exercise! good luck everyone, sounds like some of us are having very consistent weight loss and some of us get stuck then go down and get stuck then go down. it's strange. but better than before that's for sure!! donated all my size 26, 24, and 22 clothes. THAT felt really good! happy weekend!

hi there! great idea Long2bthin! i can't believe it's been 3 months either! i've had 2 fills and am not quite at the sweet spot yet. have lost 13lbs pre-surgery and am down a total of 35 lbs now. i am so appreciative of being smaller and of my band! we are going for a bike ride today and while it's hard (going up hills) it's a great work out and 35 lbs ago i would not have put my butt on a bike! i'm still not wearing new clothes yet - just the baggy stretchy clothes. i don't know why. haven't even started the goodwill donation bag yet! i will tho. i have 1 new outfit and a few new t-shirts from our vacation (some of those 'life is good' t's). looking forward to my next fill which i moved up a bit to 9/10. getting used to the eating changes now and i look forward to eating what i can eat. i definately do not waste eating time now with mindless eating! most of the time i really pay attention and enjoy the small amount i can eat! hope you are doing well and long, that you continue to feel better and better after your gallbladder surgery. sorry to hear about the rash! best things about losing weight so far.... i fit in chairs now without thinking about it, i can exercise a lot easier - makes it more fun!, my face looks thinner and that surprises me everytime i see my reflection, my husband noticed that i look good (and it's hard for him because he doesn't want me to think he thought i looked bad before so he's careful with his compliments - tho i know i was so puffy and 'full' looking not at all healthy - so i don't mind being lavished with compliments!), i walk with better posture (maybe not hiding as much as i was). could go on and on. it's nice to feel like my body is working with me now! it wasn't for so long! bye for now!

isn't it GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!

clc, get the gas-x strips that dissove in your mouth! it helps A LOT! i seem to have more of an issue with burping. not very lady-like but i can handle it!

thanks Gina for letting us know we might experience this on some fills! i hadn't heard of that before. glad you are back you are back to having some fill. i think i'm between 6 and 7 cc's in a 10cc band and i have no restriction really right now unless i eat something that doesn't agree with my band. going biking now. hope it'll help get me burning some fat! hang in there and keep at it everyone!

glad you don't have to wait too long to get going again Gina! and 3 lbs is great! did your surgeon say why that happened? was the fill too much? i haven't heard of this happening before but it sounds like the surgeon says it's something that happens somewhat often.

thanks for this info cathychatts! i've never heard of this book - will look for it - sounds very interesting! i thought that stronger bones in heavier people was due to more weight load on the bones - they have to be stronger to bear the weight. probably that's just a small part of it!

hi kizzie! you get a big A+ for hanging in and taking care of yourself! you sure have been thru a lot! you asked a few questions - so this is what i do - and i find some solid foods still don't work no matter what i do (anything that is too dry - like leftover chicken or even fresh chicken salad - chicken in general is iffy for me). but most do workout ok. i try to follow the fluids rule: nothing to drink 15 minutes before eating, nothing during and nothing 30 minutes after eating (after my last bite). sometimes i even set the timer if i'm home so i know when i can drink again 30 minutes later! usually i do that when i'm thirsty (which is often). i eat one fork/spoon at a time. put it down between bites and chew until it's mushed up in my mouth almost like it was pureed before i ate it. if i swallow by accident before i'm done chewing (sometimes that happens) i just wait to see how i feel before i have any more solid food. i probably chew at least 30 times for each bite. it takes forever and sometimes i forget or get interrupted (i.e. someone asks me something) and then swallow too soon. i just wait to eat the next bite until i swallow and then just let myself feel how it went down -ok? then i take another bite. not ok, i wait a little more and sometimes just stop. it takes at least 1/2 hour for me to eat a meal - if i last that long and don't get full or that 'stuck' thing going on (chicken). my stomach healed slowly - i had swelling for a long time - even a little will make you feel full and weird. so i hope the little that's left for you - when it's gone - will make this easier for you. i hope you are getting enough Protein - it probably is just fine for you to keep at the Protein shakes until you get thru this rough patch you are having! i've read the trouble with sticking to shakes is you don't get the full feeling that the band is designed to help with and thus you might get too many calories BUT you probably don't need that full feeling right now from the sounds of it! you need nutrition! and the shakes do make me feel full - at least they do for me. i was away this past week and missed them actually. "real" food can be such a challenge! tho delicious but i have to constantly think about what i'm doing. i know it'll become second nature soon but not yet for me. good luck! and hang in there - get your protein and experiment with solids when you have time to concentrate. i have the most trouble when i'm with others and trying to listen or watch tv or do something else while i'm eating. bye for now!

congratulations triser72!! what a great achievement for you and the others posting here too! i can't wait to sing your song when i hit the 50 milestone!! i will but it's going slowwwllllyyyy. good for you!

hi all! oh yeah, my moods are swinging! i feel for you kizzie! i suddenly snap at my husband for no obvious reason. just nasty words i would never normally say. i even did it once on vacation this past weekend but then it was raining and he was holding the umbrella over HIS head and i was getting soaked so maybe that one was justified a little! interesting about fat loss giving off estrogen! i had to come off hormones before the surgery for 2 months then went back on 1 month after. so i know that can't be helping the mood situation. i think i get blood sugar swings too - that cause me to be grumpy ( usually i'm hungry when i snap and calm some when i eat - but not always). and i think just the fact that i have to be so careful about what i eat and when i drink and how i eat that it just gets to me. i have heard that depression is commonly experienced after this surgery so maybe you just need some help thru this period of time (your dr will know i'm sure!). let us know how you make out at the dr. we're here for you! hang in there!

nice post as always cathychatts! i agree, that thread should be done! it went way off track in a really unfortunate way! i'm really sorry it was so intense and upsetting! going on vacation and glad to get out of the regular routine! usually on vacation i lose weight - the only time i ever did before the band. i used to eat way more and move around a lot more (no desk job to keep me sitting for hours and hours). we'll see how it goes this time! i don't feel much restriction but i'm not eating much. my hubby had soup, salad, cheeseburger last night while i had fish chowder (milky, so not too heavy with cream). that was IT. i'm such a cheap date these days!! hope you all have a great rest of the week and weekend! glad to be part of the june bandsters group! by the way, my ticker is right - been stuck at 33 for 2 weeks now. not that 33 is bad - but i'd like to see it move on down. we'll see if vacation spurs me on. i had a fill 2 weeks ago and it hasn't done anything really that i can tell. next one is 2 more weeks out.

hi all, we all have the same goals - to not be obese! we are all getting moving towards our goals one way or another. i don't think age has anything to do with it and i think anyone who has done what we have done at any age is amazing! i'm 44 myself tho in my head i feel 34 i swear it. i hope we can steer clear of fights here - intended or not - i know email and posts can sound one way and be taken another or may be what they seem - let's forget all that and support each other. so, this thread is 'is anyone not exercising'.. has it been exhausted? or is there more to say? i am exercising, not as much as i 'should' or 'could' but as much as i am. going on vacation tomorrow for 5 days - hope to get lots of walking in and we'll be riding our new bikes! i know i'm gonna be one very sore person next week but i'm hoping the scale moves down! speaking of scales, won't have one for the whole time i'm gone - i'm NOT to going to miss that thing! but will be on it tuesday morning for sure..

hi everyone, boy this is some topic! i'm glad it's out there tho. we all have something going on physically or we wouldn't be here to begin with. to achieve our goals we need to listen to our own bodies - very closely - and do what we can. push when we can, don't when we aren't up to it. it's not always laziness like some think (tho in some cases i'm sure it is and sometimes is for me!). it's just not that black and white. i don't like the judgemental stuff going on here. do i have sleep apnea, thank God - no. so can i relate? i have worked myself to complete exhaustion, falling alseep while driving, literally moving to a new home so i didn't kill myself while commuting, etc. etc. BUT NO i cannot relate to sleep apnea in any degree. one of my best friends has it and it devasted him in so many ways until the cpap started helping him. there are all kinds of conditions i can't relate to. i have strong insulin resistence and low blood sugar - that has it's own can of worms with regard to energy and fat loss. i don't expect anyone to relate to it much unless they have it too. i don't expect anyone to 'get it' or the challenges it causes for me. so, i say, with true compassion for us an all or our issues that we deal with daily, do the best you can. we are lucky in that our bands are going to help us get better over time with these challenges. it's why many of us did it to begin with. if you can exercise, go for it! if you aren't up to it right now, pay close attention to your band eating habits and the time will come. i don't see illnesses as excuses. i see them as challenges that we work with to the best of our abilities. we can't will them away like a strong desire to sit on the couch and watch a movie - we can will that away and get moving - but when we are ill, we have to take care of ourselves and that does not mean pushing beyond our limits because someone says we should but is not 'walking in our shoes'. good luck out there! do the best you can! you've taken a huge step already or we wouldn't be on this list! by the way, i'm an exerciser - i do get the rush and i love it- but before surgery my heart rate was going up and up and up for the past few months with each workout (elliptical) and one day it wouldn't stop and i was at the hospital (turned out to be partly dehydration thankfully). i've been afraid to work out hard since. i went yesterday - 33 lbs lighter - and my heart rate did not even get close to the scary point it was at before. what does that mean to me in retrospect? in my desperation to lose weight i was pushing my body WAY TOO HARD for where it was at. i didn't help myself at all. i harmed myself. i wasn't listening - i was pushing thru it and ignoring what my body was saying. it was saying slow down you are pushing too hard and i wound up in the hospital and frightened. i have to learn from that and i am trying to. we each have to figure this out in our own way.

hi, i was banded on 6/10/08 and haven't thrown up once. on surgery day, i was given a lot of anti-nausea medication but haven't had any since. i wake up quesy every day but have a light Breakfast then i'm fine. i have had 1 or 2 sliming experiences but no food came up and the first one was only a few spits of liquid and the 2nd one was more like 10 minutes of spitting out liquid and pain. that's it for me so far. that 2nd one was from microwaved leftover chicken. i hear THAT is not a good idea - microwaved leftover meat. bad. unless it has a lot of sauce of some sort. i have a friend who throws up A LOT. i was very worried about that because she was banded way before me. i haven't yet and i think it must be very individual. so i'd say expect it might happen but don't worry too much about it. try to follow the eating rules and you should be ok unless your band is too tight. then you need an unfill of some sort but your dr. will figure all that out.

hi, i heard too that drinking something acidic - like apple or pineapple juice - helps if you are stuck - it breaks down the food that is stuck like digestive acid (sort of i guess) and helps it pass thru the stoma. i keep apple juice here just in case.. tho i haven't had to use it yet! i know the day will come. i find too when i'm eating where there is conversation, i totally lose track of chewing and volume and get a big warning (pain for few seconds) from my band to just stop. gotta learn to put eating first in my mind no matter what is going on around me! we are told to have clear fluids 2 days after a fill and then full fluids for 2 more days. it's a long process and i admit i'm not good at that but i at least stay on mushy food till 4 days out just in case there is swelling or irritation. i'm definately finding the Soup or soft food syndrome that i've heard about does not help with weight loss. i just had a fill last week so i've had soup and Protein shakes and lots of fluids and my choices have been too caloric. have to get back to regular food and let the band do it's work! hope you feel much better 1dayatatime!

yeah, i guess that's what i'm afraid of - the changes that are not to my body really. but around me and in my mind. i am hoping this is a temporary adjustment as i get used to all these changes to make the band work. maybe the fact that i'm aware of these issues, that will help me avoid them as much as i can!? i'm thrilled that i'm smaller and getting more in shape again. i'm much more comfortable and am proud of myself for finally doing something to make this work. but i'm also so moody and restless! not so much the bitch-diva - more that i feel like i'm lost - like i don't know what is going on even tho i really do of course! we are getting bikes this weekend and that'll be something we do together and i think that'll help too. thanks for your reply! i think this is really a huge issue surrounding weight loss in general. will search around to see if there is literature out there about it - maybe in wlslifestyles.com (which has a really good magazine by the way!).

hi there, have you ever known someone who loses a bunch of weight and seems to lose their nice personality with it? i have known people like that. i'm scared. i have noticed i am moody and snappy, saying things i would normally never say and just exteremely restless the past few weeks. it's like i have no patience anymore. and like i just can't find what i want to do from moment to moment. i'm wondering if it's my mind trying to replace overeating? i don't know. i've been depressed in the past and this does not feel like that at all. thankfully! just a deep frustration and unease. and it's bothering my husband now too. i'm hoping this is temporary and i don't become one of those nasty skinny (formerly fat) people who i have met in the past. before surgery i was exercising hard and getting a great exercise high - i haven't been exercising to that level - am thinking i'm missing it. will ramp it up and will see how that goes. can anyone relate to this? thanks!

hi! you may be sad for the same reason i keep wearing my very baggy ugly fat clothes! i have on idea tho why. glad you had another pair of pants to wear!

congratulations on 49 lbs!! that is amazing!! we were banded on the same date i think! today is my 2 month band-a-versary too! i was stuck at 29 and wanted 30 so bad! finally hit it! just barely past it now. good luck with your gallbladder and all! it's something that hangs over we bandsters who still have ours. will it have to go? when? yours will be gone soon and over with. take care!

i feel so bad that you went thru all that! the tip about the hot tea may help many of us out of that situation should we run have a 'long slime' like that! take care!