Melissannde

One more thought.. a long term bandster that I know (12 years) says if she really wants a food that is on the poor choice list.. she will allow herself 3 bites (bandster sized bites of course). If she can't stop with 3 bites, she doesn't get to have any of that particular food next time. Just another way to control our indulgences. :thumbup:

bumping up the link. https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ApBMiLjvkwExdEh3eXQwZ2JOemthWHRhaWRZMldpR2c&hl=en&authkey=CIbr1NIE#gid=0

Congrats on your continued weight loss! A poor choice or two is unlikely to drastically affect weight loss. It's the continuous stepping outside the lines that will sabotage your weight loss goals. By the way, I try not to use the term "cheating" as that implies that we are on a temporary "diet". This isn't temporary, this is a life-style change. It may be just mind-games, but getting away from the diet mind set I find to be helpful. My nurses also tell me there are no "bad foods".. there's only poor, good and better choices.

Try freecycle.org It's a place where you can give away things you don't need and receive things that you do.

I agree with Cheri, find some external way to reduce the stress in your life. Do you exercise? I find that working out is a great stress reliever. Yoga is really good, but even just taking a walk helps. Go buy one of those kiddie inflatable punching bags and take out your frustrations on it! Try sipping something warm before you try to eat. I like Tazo's "Calm" tea, but any brand should do the job. Try decaf tea if possible. The warmth of the tea should loosen the band just a tad and help with letting solid food go down. Along with the small bites and chewing well that Cheri suggested, make sure your Protein is tender and moist. You may need to "overcook" your veggies while you are stressed. Don't be afraid to use a small amount of "lube" such as low carb ketchup, light mayo, salsa, etc. to ease the food down. I apologize if you're already doing all these things. I don't mean to be "preaching to the choir". Hope you feel better soon.

I don't have any personal experience, but the support group leader, who works coordinating insurance for my doctor.. said last month that very often insurances have a one WLS provision. That doesn't mean that they might not cover if something went wrong. I think what she was saying is that you can't get banded, then a year later decide the band isn't for you and get your insurance to cover a different surgery. Please bear in mind that there are lots of us bandsters who are out living a thinner life without major problems. Support groups tend to have more posters who are having problems. It's just the nature of the beast. :thumbup: Follow most of the banding guidelines most of the time and your likelihood of having problems is greatly reduced and your chances of success are greatly enhanced. Keep asking questions, we all learn from them.

What I always think is the port isn't where they access it. The position does shift some between standing and lying down. If you're concerned talk to your doctor and/or nurses.

Please don't try it. Even letting it go flat is no guarantee there isn't some occult carbonation lurking. Many doctors think that drinking carbonation after banding can lead to pouch dilation and from there into slips. That being said, I have had a sip or two of DC, but only twice in 19 months. No way would I try to drink a whole one, I love my band too much. I have had nightmares where I'm drinking a DC and I look around and I'm sitting in my doc's office. too funny.. lol

Made goal and beyond, -10. Very glad I set it low though. Wed I go in for official weight.. we'll see how close my scales are to Doc's.

This will be my second TG with a band. I don't remember having trouble with anything at all last year and I was 8 months banded by then. We usually have smoked turkey. Perhaps that's a bit moister than regular roasted? If I do a roast turkey, I use a big turkey roaster that has a lid, comes out moister than just a roasting pan and tinfoil. You might consider eating the dark meat from the turkey...or putting a tiny bit of gravy on it to help it slide down. I think I made two dressings, one regular for my son and one with lots and lots of veggies in it. I made the traditional green bean casserole, but used non fat or reduced fat Soup, cut way back on the fried onions and used ff milk. I think I made some kind of cranberry/orange sauce from scratch that used splenda instead of the canned stuff. Baked sweet potatoes in their jackets (in the skins). Made spinach madeleine..used ff canned milk, soy flour and extra spinach. A hospital near me is going to have a class Nov. 9 teaching diabetics how to have a healthier thanksgiving. I asked if the class would be beneficial to bariatric patients and they said it should be. So if it fits into my schedule, I'm planning to go and see what tricks/tips I can learn. Maybe a hospital or other health group near you would have something similar. Just think about how to make food moister or less doughy and reduce fat & calories in your favorite dishes. Have fun!! We have time to try things out now before the big date. :wink2:

Do you journal your food? There's protein in many things that you don't realize. The oatmeal I eat has 7grams per serving, One mushroom has almost 1 gram, 1/2 cup of broccoli has 1.5 grams, 1 wasa crisp & light cracker has almost 1 gram. These are all things that I wouldn't think of having protein, and while they're not significant amounts ALONE.. when you add up all these during one day, you will get there along with the 3oz of protein 3x a day.

I use regular eggs in them most of the time..but a combo of 1/4 cup egg white and 1 egg. Your calorie count will be a bit more, but not a whole lot. 1 large egg is about 71 calories, where 1/4 cup of egg beaters is about 30. 1/4 cup egg white is 25 calories. I think I remember that they call for 1/2 cup of egg beaters? One egg will probably measure to about 1/4 cup. I buy the egg whites in a little carton, nothing fake in them that I know of.. but I'm currently out of them so can't check the carton and can't find anywhere that lists the ingredients online. I did find this website which was interesting: Egg Products: Easy How-To Cooking Tips & Advice: RecipeTips.com Play around with it and see what tastes right to you and what works for your weight loss goals. :wink2:

If you can't get anywhere with your insurance company, may I suggest that you contact Obesity Law? I think it's Obesity Law and Advocacy Center And I think the attorney you want to speak to (or email) is Walter Lindstrom. Best of luck to you. Sometimes, just sometimes, a slipped band can be fixed by removing all the Fluid and going back on liquids for a period of time. I'm just mentioning this in case you want to give the band one more try before giving up on it. I'd also consider finding another bariatric practice. Take care.

There's Protein in lots of things that you may not realize. Use an online food diary such as thedailyplate and you'll see that. :wink2: I get anywhere from 80 to 100 grams a day and DO NOT drink Protein drinks as a rule. Only occasionally do I have one. My doctor recommends a minimum of 60grams.

Try overnight oatmeal. 1/4 cup steelcut oats (must be steelcut, I like bob's red mill brand) slightly more than 1 cup of Water. crockpot bowl that will fit inside crockpot vegetable oil cooking spray (optional) spray bowl with cooking spray (aids in cleanup later) measure 1/4 cup oats into bowl add 1 cup (plus 1 or 2 tablespoons) water to oats place bowl inside of cold crockpot. put lid on crockpot turn on low. go to bed. next morning, turn off crockpot and remove lid. Let bowl cool a little while you fix your coffee (or tea or whatever) and take your vits. When bowl is cool enough to handle remove and "doctor" up the oatmeal to your desire. suggestions: chopped apple or s-f applesauce, cinnamon, allspice, dash of salt, 1 tablespoon powdered non fat milk or skim milk, low/no calorie sweetner of your choice, 1 T. chopped walnuts. I add ALL of the above.. lol. I make it overnight as steelcut oats takes 10 to 20 minutes to cook on the stovetop and I'd rather sleep those extra minutes instead of stirring a pot. Oatmeal might seem counter-intuitive for a weight loss diet because it is high in carbs, and indeed it is. But steelcut oats are a low glycemic carb, meaning that they don't spike your blood sugar leaving you more hungry an hour or two later. I eat mine with a turkey sausage link or patty at about 7am on the days I plan to workout. This keeps me full (along with drinking my 32 oz of water) till at least noon and often till 1 or 2pm. Non workout days I like Hungry-Girl's "Egg in a Mug" recipes. Google either Hungry girl or egg in a mug and you should find the recipes. Sometimes breakfast is leftovers from dinner. My tummy (once I've had my coffee) doesn't know what time of day it is. another workout day breakfast is Non-fat plain greek yogurt (the flavored versions have too much sugar according to my nurses/dietician) and 1/4 cup Muesli (again, Bob's red mill product). Sometimes I also add a 1/4 cup blueberries or strawberries. Splenda or Equal if desired. Again, high in the carbs, but I am working out very hard (minimum of 90 minutes) on days that I eat such. Also Muesli is recommended on the Anti-cancer diet and I'm a cancer survivor, so that's something to consider for me. May or may not be something you want to eat. Just throwing it out there for thought.

Do you keep a food journal? either online or on paper. Online is really better because the sites often can determine the calories for you. I like livestrong.com/thedailyplate, but others love fitday.com and fatsecret.com has its fans. Or there's caloriecount.about.com OR you can use one of the band makers sites lapband.com or realize.com Writing or typing out everything that goes in your mouth makes you much more conscious of how much you're actually eating. Do you weigh and measure your food? You could try doing that a while and see if it helps. Previous posters advised changing or upping your exercise and to cut out carbs. I agree with both of those suggestions, but to be more specific about the carbs.. you need to avoid the high glycemic carbs as much as possible. This means things made with white flour (bread, pasta), white rice, white potatoes and all corn. Read labels on packages and avoid HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) as much as possible. If it's the first ingredient on the list.. either throw it out or don't buy it in the first place. If it's way down on the list, near the last.. you can probably get away with using the item just a little bit. As another poster said, the less you have to lose the slower it goes. Hang in there.. it will come off if you keep trying.

Yes, you have a choice regarding your gallbladder. They cannot take anything out without permission, unless it is a very unusual dire emergency.. such as a life-threatening situation. A normal gallbladder doesn't qualify as life threatening. Hope your husband gets well soon.

All what has been already said is good.. measure out your portion (my doc suggests 3oz Protein and 1/2 cup low carb veggies. If you're somewhere you can't weigh/measure, visualize a deck of cards and a tennis ball). When that is eaten, move away from the table and wait a bit. Still hungry after 20 minutes? Have more veggies (via my doc.). IF the small portion above isn't keeping you full for 3 to 4 hours or even longer, it might be time for a fill. I'd do what VLP suggested, keep a food diary for a few days, but I'd also take the food diary in so that the nurse or doctor can see what you're eating. I always do that and it's very helpful. They're able to see that yes I'm trying and counsel me on where I'm making less than optimal choices. LOL

When he says no protein, does he mean absolutely none or just no solid protein? There are clear liquid Proteins. Isopure I think is clear. You could even make up sugar-free Jello and drink it liquid.. it has a tiny bit of protein in it. unjury may or may not be clear. Please call and clarify. I agree, clear liquids alone (especially if he's requiring sugar free) would be difficult to handle for a week. Hope you're feeling better.

Don't feel bad about the delay Bob, you might not have been as mentally ready in August as you were in March. I was forced to delay mine by other health issues requiring surgery. I could've had my band about a year before I did.. but I needed the time to get my head together for the lifestyle changes being successful with the band requires. I also had to grieve over the loss from the other surgery. Be happy that you are doing well. :thumbup: I am with you on the "can eat anything" boat.. almost. I'm finally at the point where soft bread sometimes gives me trouble. I think the band should be used to diminish appetite, not so much a physical restriction. But other people work it differently.. and that's cool if it works for them. For me, it's been a way to reduce my portions and stay full on smaller amounts. I don't want to be so tight I can't eat normal foods. Congrats on your success and here's to your continuing loss. :smile2:

to OP.. yes, a thousand times yes. Hope.. CUTE doggie.. is that a Shih-tzu or ??

I had pretty severe pain too and very poor pain medication.. they only gave me Darvocet which IMO is glorified Tylenol. I was one unhappy camper as I had TOLD the NP that Darvocet wouldn't be enough and she assured me it would be. anyhoo.. I got through it using Vicodin left from dental procedures. It took me about 2 weeks to start feeling close to normal. You'll get through this and eventually be happy you had this done.. might take a while though to get to that point.

Another little "trick" that works for me is that when I want to indulge in something, I try and work the calories off first... before I eat it. I used to love McD's sausage biscuits. Those dang things are about 430 calories each. And I used to eat two of them per sitting. :thumbup: :smile2: Do you know how long it takes to work off 430 calories on a treadmill? Waaaayyy too long. So totally not worth it. Make a list of the reasons you want to lose weight and post it where you can see it every day (maybe in more than one place). Hang in there.. you can do this!!

Yup.. too tight. A slight unfill .1 or .2 cc will make a world of difference. Don't delay getting this taken care of.. too much reflux or pb'ing can cause big problems.

Congratulations on loosing 50 lbs!! It's disheartening I know to regain, but it does happen. You can start losing again if you work at it. You will get different responses to this.. but what I've been taught is that the band is supposed to DIM your hunger. Making it a little easier to control your impulses. It's always possible to eat more and to make poor choices, the band doesn't take over for you. I was told to eat 3 oz of Protein (I actually ate 4oz at the beginning of my journey because I was SMO ~ super morbidly obese ~ and have gone to 3oz as I lost) and 1/2 cup of low carb veggies. Try not to eat white carbs.. white potatoes, white rice, Pasta, bread, white flour products, corn...As these items TEND to be high glycemic and will make you hungry sooner. After eating your protein and produce.. move away from the table. If I am still hungry 20 minutes after I finish my meal, my nurses say I can have more veggies. I'm usually not physically hungry. Oh.. I can eat.. head hunger is almost never quiet.. but actual physical hunger is usually abated by the small meal. Yes, I see that you are saying that you have no control over what you put in your mouth. I know it is difficult, but you do have control. As someone said on another support list today.. food addiction is very difficult. With alcoholism or drug addiction, you can put the addiction in a cage and never let it out. With food addiction you have to let it out of the cage at least 3x a day. If you can't eat solid food comfortably, you may be too tight. When you are too tight it's so much easier to eat soft foods .. and those tend to be higher calorie. You need to be able to eat solid, but tender protein and vegetables. And a tiny tiny bit of whole grain. I have also had all my fills done by the nurses. I have seen my doctor in passing, but never had him do a fill or even an exam room visit with him. I'm perfectly fine with this. I think I might end up seeing him next week on my regular appt as he has started seeing patients on Wednesdays and that's the day of my appt. If you feel the nurses are competent regarding fills, and other follow-up, great. If you are unhappy, then you could ask to have an appt with one of the surgeons, or maybe even look for another bariatric practice. I'm not sure I buy the "no will-power" thing, but I will grant that maybe you really don't have any where food is concerned. Would you be willing to try to learn some techniques to develop some willpower? Look into behavior modification books. A very good one is "The Beck Diet Solution" by Judith Beck. It's not a diet per se, but a guide on how to deal with disordered eating and sabotaging thoughts and actions. Try putting yourself on a feeding schedule, if you know you're going to be able to eat again in a few hours, it might be a bit easier for you. For example: I have Breakfast at 7am. steel cut oatmeal with walnuts & apples & 1 turkey sausage patty or link. If I get hungry before lunch, I let myself have a high protein snack around 10am. Lunch is anywhere from Noon to 1pm depending on my schedule. smoked salmon/reduced fat cream cheese, veggies. PM snack is about 3 hours after lunch. today was a small apple and a cheese stick. Supper is usually about 6:30pm chicken breast & veggies. If I really want something ..and I haven't exceeded my calories, I will have 100 cal. snack (or less) before bed. I try to keep it to a cup of tea, but sometimes I'll have a bit of almonds. I also make myself drink 32 oz of Water between breakfast and lunch. Another 16 oz before supper and the last 16 oz after supper. This doesn't include any flavored drinks or tea I might have. I'm not perfect (fell off the wagon and ate a half box of saltines yesterday.. dang it), but every time I fall off, I get up and try again. You might also try keeping track of your food intake on a website such as The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.COM - Calorie Counter, Weight Loss, Food Calorie Counter, Nutrition Facts | LIVESTRONG.COM. I know other folks here really like fitday.com. The website All Things Food and Diet - FatSecret also has it's fans. Just chose one that works for you and use it. I think it's very helpful to record what I'm taking in. I can also make a printout when I go in for my appts and the nurse and I can discuss where I'm doing well and where I need to make changes. I know you said you exercise, but it might be that your body has become accustomed to what you are doing, you may need to do some extra or some intervals. Do you belong to a gym? If you do, see if they have any trainers who will work with you for a short period of time. I know I used to think that hiring a trainer was an indulgence.. and it is to a degree, but they can be very helpful. And not all of them are expensive. Does the bariatric group you're involved with have support groups? Do you attend? If they don't have any, may I suggest joining this one online? SmartBandsters : Smart_Bandsters health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters/ I hope I haven't come across harsh and unfeeling. That's not my intention at all. I'm impressed at how far you've come and am so glad you're reaching out for help.