angie61

would love to hear your menu for tomorrow! Sounds like you're on the right track!!

Well I went back to my doctor and the dreaded happened....I got a complete UNfill!! :-( It was a struggle. I never felt completely full. I felt hungry a lot and boy did I struggle. I felt out of control. My band was my lifeline...I was without a fill until I went back AGAIN to the doctor on Friday. He said "are you hungry?" I said "yes, why? are you serving breakfast??" lol....but then I told him "YES, I'm always hungry" he asked me if I wanted a fill (duh!!) he said "Hop up on the table!" Praise the Lord, I got my fill and I can't eat!! yay!! (well, I CAN eat, but in the normal "not much" way!) woo hooo!!! and he said "Good job on not gaining a ton of weight" ( I only gained 5 lbs in about 6 weeks) at a pound a week I'm glad I didnt stay away much longer! One thing I learned from this is humility(Pride comes before the fall) Don't be too proud, be humble and keep working in it and give praise to God!! Also I learned not to overeat! The food will always be available. So, now I have a question....."what is the poucht test? I have never heard of it! Happy Sunday everyone!

This is funny! I am 4 years out (got this done AFTER my husband and I split up) and I haven't been in an intimate relationship yet! So I have NO CLUE how differently I'll feel...but just in general I do feel much more womanly and sexy! Can't wait to meet my future husband! :wub:

A few of the rules I remember which made me successful at losing 50 lbs. were: >use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate >3 bites of protein, 3 bites of veggie, 1 bite of carb, repeat until satisfied >eat every 3 hours >fill up on protein for snacks, (hard boiled egg with a piece of cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken breast etc.) >never drink your calories, except for a protein shake >No carbonated drinks > do not frink for 30 min. before and for 30 min after a meal >eat slowly, chew much, small bites >Limit fruit, due to the sugar it converts to Can anyone help me think of anymore? especially designated for lapbanders? I realize all doctors do not give the same instructions.

I had my surgery in July of 2008. I slowly lost about 50 lbs. I got down to about 173-ish and still want to get down to about 155. I started noticing in the last 3 or 4 months that I was able to eat more. Before, if I went out to lunch I could eat 1/2 of a sandwich and maybe 4 or 5 fries. a couple of weeks ago, I ate the whole burger and all of my fries! I decided that although I am no longer covered by my insurance for a fill or even a visit to my LB doctor, It would be worth the money to go ahead and see what he had to say. I didnt want this to get out of hand, as I was back up to 180-ish. My willpower is still not good. I went to my doctor. He asked me a few questions...Do you have any reflux? OHhh yes! If I miss my omeprazole, I have pain in the middle of my chest and jaw pain (its called referred pain) "Well, Angie" he said, "I think your band may e too tight!" I wasn't happy about it, but I let him draw out 0,5 cc. He says I have 8.5 still in my band. He said "I bet you your reflux will be gone before you come back to me in 2 weeks" (May 17th). He sent me for un upper GI. It was funny to watch!! My radiologist (who obviously doesn't know much about lap bands) was amazed at how slow the liquid I had to drink went down. (I'm not sure how slow it's supposed to go down either, but 5 min after about 10 swallows and the fluid was still in my upper esophagus.) When he laid the table down (with me on it) he said "I can see why you have this problem! it's going up in your throat!" So---I'm not sure what my doctor is going to say or do. I'm hoping he isnt going to unfill me any more, but Im afraid he will because I am still having the reflux every bit as bad as before! I'm so discouraged. I'm doing well in the EXERCISE dept. I'm doing a ZUMBA class 2-3 times a week (love it!) and walking/ running on my treadmill 1-2 times a week (I actually RAN/JOGGED a whole mile this morning!! That was a first for me. I walk a lot but never ran for that period of time before. It's just the food dept. I struggle with...Feel your pain...we will have to encourage one another!!! We CAN DO THIS!!!!!!

Stephen, Many of us (including me) want to know how both you, and your wife are doing? Please update us when you get htis message!

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I have been separated for two years now (not divorced yet) .We were married for 23 years when I left. He was unfaithful. He continues to "date" this other woman but seldom openly. He and I remain friends, but it is really hard and hurtful not to be "married" to him. By the way....he put me on his insurance plan so that I could get this surgery done AND paid the 2,500 mandatory gym membership (that I can't go to because it is 1 1/2 hours away from my home.) I Think I should go ahead and file for divorce (he won't, for some reason he doesn't want to get a divorce...maybe so he'll have an excuse NOT to commit to her???) but I'm really afraid...it's a BIG step.:tongue2:

Thanks to all for your replies and great advice. I'll just keep plugging forward. I just get discouraged, because I BARELY feel like I've even HAD surgery. Yesterday was one of those days when I overate and I get discusted with myself for reverting back to old habits. I ate for breakfast, a scrapple and egg sandwich on wheat toast. For lunch I ate two good-sized bowls of chilli (made with lean ground beef at least! LOL!!) I ate a big handful of veggie crisps (like a healthier version of potato chips, about 6 bite sized candy bars (someone's $5 gift exchange for a small office party, and I was the "lucky recipient") 2 or 3 handfuls of bite sized saltines WITH cream cheese on them!! and then some good friends invited me out to eat last night, and I went because I needed to get out of the house, but all I could eat was a HALF of a chicken salad on Wheat toast and about 6 french fries!!! I just had a day where I wanted it so I was going to EAT it! I do usually exercise more self control than that, but there are some stressful things going on in my life especially here at the holidays (as with most everyone else), feeling lonely, etc (third christmas not with husband after 23 year marriage) and my self control was like my self esteem at the moment.....LOW!!!! Today is a new day and I vow to do better! Going to church to get my JESUS on, and He'll help me get through this. Thanks everyone!!!!

Jack, Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful response to my whining. I think what I'm hearing you say is to be appreciative of What I HAVE lost and the small non scale victories that I may be taking for granted and just keep on working toward my goals and try not to give up...? I think that was a great piece of positive advice and I'll try to keep it in mind. I'm 20 something pounds lighter than I was and I can move forward and try to inch along in my weight loss, or I can regress and say to heck with it and sabotage everything I've done so far....hmmm, think I'll move forward. Thanks!!

Just thinking out loud...I got my surgery on July 30th. I have lost around 22-25 lbs. since the week before surgery and as I have heard others say, I feel as if I did it through pure diet and willpower on my part. I do well with the willpower for about 2-3 weeks and lose oh maybe 5 lbs. then I start to get discouraged (as I always have with diets)and gain 2 or 3 back because I overeat! I'm going in for my fourth fill on Tuesday. (After my second fill my doc said he usually doesn't have to give a third fill and after my third fill he said he RARELY has to give a fourth fill) so hopefully he will run out of adverbs and this one will do the trick. I am truly discouraged and I feel as if I have wasted the "Honeymoon " period...or does the honeymoon period begin when you start really losing the weight?

I'm curious as to why there would be swelling? I'm trying to reason it out, but I can't imagine why there would be if the saline is injected into the port, travels through thin tubing to the "intertube" inside of the band?? I've heard this many times, so I'm sure nobody is making it up, but why??

I figure it's nobody's business but my own. I chose TO tell my friends and family and everyone has been VERY supportive, but if they weren't, well then they are the ones I just don't talk to about it. It's nothing I bring up in general conversation anyway. I have only lost 25 or so lbs. and alot of people I haven't seen in a while just kind of look at me and say "you really look good!" like they notice something different but they can't quite put their finger on exactly what. And I just smile graciously and say "Well Thanks!" LOL!!!

Ok, I have a question for those of you who have restriction. Is your "full" feeling different than your old full feeling? In other words instead of your belly feeling ful as it has previously, do you now, instead feel full higher up? like in your epigastric area? (OR THE AREA BETWEEN YOUR BREASTS?) :thumbup: