ParrotheadCathy

Unless you are LOADED, you really can't afford to replace your wardrobe very often. I highly recommend consignment shops, and Goodwill. For new stuff, if I catch a sale I can get really good deals at Dress Barn. I actually recommend getting a Dress Barn credit card because that's the only way you get their sale ads and COUPONS. Belk's has a really good women's department but try everything on because a couple of the lines run small. Kohl's is good. Online, look at Woman Within, Jessica London and my fave, Silhouettes. prices are all over the place, but sign up for the emails and you'll get some awesome deals that way.

Counseling. Counseling. Counseling. It's not out of the range of normal to want to test out the new you. If you truly feel that the temptation is unavoidable in the short or long term, then you probably need to talk about this with a third party that isn't vested in you personally. You might just need to talk it through and get some reassurances...or you might truly need some more extensive counseling. But counseling can, and does, make a difference.

Until I hit the green zone, I was told to eat a meal that consisted of 3 oz of Protein, a vegetable and a single serving of whole grain carb (that's 15 grams). Until you hit the green zone, you will get hungry before 4 hours. I was told when I got hungry to eat a small snack of PROTEIN ONLY....a boiled egg, a small amount of low fat cottage cheese, an ounce of low fat cheese, that sort of thing. Now that I've been in the green zone for a bit, I seldom get hungry before 5 hours after last eating. However, because of work restrictions I have to eat lunch at 12:30 and I don't even get off work until 5:30 and have a 90 minute commute home so I get really hungry if I don't have that small bit of protein late in the day before I head home. Really, until you are solidly in the green zone, you have to sort of just stop. And that's hard. I did well with eating the meals that were about the size I should be satisfied with once I could get to the green zone and supplementing with small amounts of protein along the way. The reason your Snacks should be protein is that solid protein (not protein shakes) takes longer to digest than, say, a piece of fruit or vegetable. So it gives you a feeling of satiety for a longer period of time than eating something else could give. Hope this helps!

With my username, I shouldn't even have to say ....LOL. JIMMY BUFFETT of course, a whole bunch of indie artists that I have to buy their CDs from them (or sometimes on cdbaby.com). It doesn't matter what the beat is, if it's got a strong drum line....I just need a soundtrack for life, really. It makes the time pass.

And if you stay that tight, your weight loss will slow down dramatically or even stop because you aren't getting adequate nutrition. call the doc to go in for an unfill...they'll probably see you as soon as you can get in.

I brown my pound "or so" of ground meat and drain it. Add one LARGE can of petite diced tomatoes, 3 cans of red kidney beans, some small chunks of bell peppers (red and green for color), a couple of teaspoons each of chilil powder and cumin. Simmer it together. Taste it. If it seems bland, you can add a little Tabasco or Texas Pete rather than salt. If you want it spicier still, add some sliced jalapeno peppers. Another REALLY easy soup. 1 carton of chicken broth, 2 cans of chicken breast sort of shredded with your fingers. One can each of black beans, kidney beans and ranch style beans (I drain and rish the beans), a can of corn (no need to drain) and a package of taco seasoning. Don't season it until it has simmered for a bit. Using canned stuff, you probably won't have to add any salt. And, a third soup. For those who've frequented BBQ joints, you may have had brunswick stew: brown a pound of ground meat and drain it. Add one large can of petite diced tomatoes, 2 large cans of chicken breast "finger shredded", a cup or so of pulled pork (you can get it at your BBQ joint), two cans of creamed corn, and a half cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. Stir it together and let it simmer. All of these are healthier than what you can buy prepared .... no added salt or preservatives. I make any one of them and have for lunch until the container is gone. But you can freeze any portion of any of these so that you have more of a variety.

Everybody's different. I wish you could bounce as I did ... surgery on Tuesday and back to work on Friday. But it's unfair to compare yourself to anybody else. Rest when you feel you need it. Walk small distances a couple of times a day (the weather here in Atlanta is glorious and any excuse to get out and enjoy beautiful fall weather is a good excuse!). Stick to your doctor's orders on food/liquids ... don't push yourself. I'm a firm believer that hot Water cures a lot of ills, LOL. So if you haven't yet, take a hot shower with lots of rich lather. Take your time and enjoy it. If you feel up to it, go get a manicure/pedicure, or get a hair cut if you need it. The main thing is to know that each day you will feel more "normal".

I have no idea about either of those restrictions! I mean from strictly a nutritional point of view, yeah, white potatoes generally metabolize very quickly to sugar but I ate some slightly runny instant potatoes during the mushy stage with no problems. The tomato restriction could be related to the acid levels. I would ASK. I'm one of those people that I'll do what I'm supposed to but sometimes I just really, really need to know why, LOL. And if you find out, please share -- just to satisfy my curiosity!

I was walking though a parking lot and one of those awful belches happened to sneak out. I glanced around and didn't see anybody and had a fleeting thought "oh, good, nobody heard that"....and then I heard a man laugh. Didn't look around to see where he was or anything. Just got tomy car and got in before I died laughing about getting "caught"!

Some people don't have a lick of sense! These same people will walk up to a pregnant woman they barely know and touch her belly. Now, I never had anything like what you experienced happen to me BUT I will say that anybody who knows me remotely well at all knows I don't anybody's sh*t, ever, so perhaps they just figured out it was best to lay low! If there are people in your workplace who REPEATEDLY give you diets or say things, then listen to PipeDoc....that is a hostile work environment. Tell them very clearly (politely) and without any doubt that you do not want their interference in your life or well-being and that if they do it again, you will report them to human resources for causing hostile work environment. THEN DO IT! Go to HR, give the diet or tell them about the many comments and tell them that you wish to file a formal complaint about your employer fostering a hostile work environment. Trust me, they better take action or you have a legal case. They don't want that.

Your band will NEVER control head hunger. That, sadly, is the one thing you have to do on your own, "white knuckling" it. Is it easy? NO. Some things that helped me: 1. eat dinner a little later. 2. plan for a snack that is crunchy, like raw vegetables 3. get all the really tempting, really bad stuff like ice cream, chips, or whatever your triggers are OUT OF THE HOUSE And, a piece of advice, while Lean Cuisines are low in calories, they have a good amount of sodium and you'd do a lot better to prepare your own foods if at all possible because all that sodium just isn't good for you, can make you retain Water and, for me at least, it even makes me want more salty stuff.

Amlus, there are ton of self-payers on here (remember only about 60% of the surgeries are covered by insurance). I'm 9 months out, down 82 pounds, losing steadily now that I'm past a plateau (finally!) and as you will hear often....my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. A few things to "file away". (1) Do as your doctor tells you....don't think because someone on here had different instructions that you can pick and choose what rules to follow. (2) Get an appropriate receipt for your self-pay ..... this will almost undoubtedly put you well over the percentage for medical deductions when you file your 2009 tax return. You can probably get all your pre-op testing done through your PCP and covered by your insurance because with a BMI of 42, none of the testing they do would be out of the ordinary for someone who is obese. I got a list from my surgeon of what I had to have done and took it to my PCP who did the parts he could do and referred to to doctors/providers in my network for the rest. He got the results and sent them to the surgeon. I had maybe $75 in co-pays for all of that! (3) If you work the band, it WILL work for you. You can eat around it and eat yourself right into failing but that's not the fault of the band! (4) Yes, it's a scary thought, spending that much money in one chunk and it's not a car or something tangible....but it will become tangible when you start losing.

Some will say they have issues with steak. I have issues with steak that is well done. As long as it's rare or medium rare, it works fine for me. meat tenderizer (which is made with papaya enzymes) can make it easier to eat as well. Lobster and shrimp? no problem at all. Almost everybody eats seafood with no problem. Your enemy, simply, is DRY Protein. If it's cooked until it's too dry/overdone, there's always the chance it will give you a hard time. The basic fact is that you should still be able to eat most any food. The only thing I simply don't even try is soft, fresh bread. Remember being a kid and pulling the center out of the slice and "squishing" it into a dough ball? well I guess that's what happens when I chew it -- and that ball gets stuck every time. But I'm not a sandwich person so it's no great loss. I can eat toast if I want it.

check the library or on line. There are books about "walking away pounds" or "walking for fitness". There are actually things you can do during your walk to increase the effect of the exercise.

Karyn, it will wash that well-chewed food right through the stoma and rob you of the all-important feeling of satiety, which is the purpose of the band. The band restricts the flow of food from the upport pouch where it signals via the vagus nerve that you are full. If you drink, the food washes through the band opening (stoma) and you no longer feel full, develop the desire to eat more....and that kills weight loss.

Don't know that I've ever heard anybody say that smoking has any impact on their bands. BUT, I've heard quite a few people who have been told by their surgeons that they must quit smoking pre-surgery. Smoking dramatically slows healing processes so that's the logic behind it. Many people have even had to take a nicotine test to get their surgeries.

Lots of us have no problems with pills! I'm 9 months post-op, well restricted and I can swallow pretty much anything. DayQuil gels, Tylenol, antibiotics.....

Guys, IF you have advanced to mushy or solid foods, try to EAT your Protein. It requires chewing (which is satisfying) and solid protein will stay in your stomach a heck of a lot longer than a protein shake. IF you are still on liquids (I advanced to mushy foods on day 10 and starting adding full solids 3 days later, I don't have too much helpful to offer. Liquids simply do NOT stay in your stomach for more than, literally, minutes. They do not offer satiety. And that, my dears, is Bandster Hell.

I have first bite syndrome in the mornings. I usually drink a cup of hot tea (not lukewarm but HOT). That solves the problem. Also, if you aren't drinking enough water every day, you can feel that same stuck with the first bites feeling, so watch your hydration.

My adult granddaughter and her daughter live with me. My granddaughter is 5'7" and weighs about 125. Obviously, she doesn't need to give up her junk food. She eats the healthy meals I cook and all that crap. If it's where I can just put my hands on it, I'll eat it sometimes. My solution has been to have a place for her stuff, away from the food items I need to have access to in order to cook for all of us or prepare stuff just for me. She's fine with that, says she understands the whole out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing. If your partner doesn't understand the whole out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing, then it's time for a big, honest discussion because that would definitely be intentional sabotage.

40 pounds in 13 weeks IS an average of 3.07 pounds per week..... You state that you know you aren't eating enough Protein or drinking enough Water. Those are two vital contributions to your overall physical well-being and probably to your weight loss as well. Work on getting the water and protein in! Add another day of exercise or increase your time by 15 per workout.

There is the possibility that your insurance may pay for a panniculectomy -- removal of the apron of skin left on your abdomen if your weight loss was significant enough to leave that behind. If you suffer consistently from skin infections where the flap folds over and touches skin, keep complaining about it to your PCP and ask for meds to treat the infection (should be a topical medication). With a history of that, then ask for a referral to a plastic surgeon for an evaluation and submission to your insurance. If it's approved, that would be a large part of the cost of the tummy tuck. There is financing available specifically for medical care. That's how I got my lap band surgery. I went through care Credit. Capital One also has medical financing. Not sure who else, but I know they are out there.

You really shouldn't "feel restriction". Restriction simply means that your band is tight enough to slow the progress of food from the new pouch into the lower stomach. The more that passage is slowed, the longer you will feel full. That feeling is called "satiety". Satiety is what you are looking for. When you eat a meal as prescribed, how long before you feel hungry again? You should feel satisfied for at least 4 hours. That's your goal. You need enough restriction to give you the feeling of satiety for 4 hours or even more. If you are hungry consistently 3 hours after a meal, you aren't there yet, but you're getting closer.

Becky, I get up an hour earlier each day (at 5:00, instead of 6:00) and I WALK. I can walk about 4 miles in an hour but you can start out slower and build up speed with time. It's good exercise! There are books you can read about walking off pounds. I'm supporting a family of three and after a layoff a year and a half ago, I'm doing it on 12,000 less per year. Needless to day, there isn't a gym membership in my future either! I've discovered that on those days that I can't get out an walk, I miss it....a lot, actually. Who knew? LOL

Eletrawoman, Well, now I am confused! At the seminar I went to, the liquid to soft to small foods after surgery diet was explained. Then, they told us that we would be able to eat anything we wanted only in smaller portions while living with the band. They said that some people develop an aversion to certain foods or have some things stick at the band opening leading to restrictions on some items. (the lady that talked to us could no longer eat white bread, for example). There was talk of eating healthy (of course we all want to do that). But nobody said anything about restricting a lot of food types. Can someone jump in and explain? Thanks! Once you start getting fills, you may find some foods don't work for you. I don't eat soft bread. When you were a kid did you ever pull out the middle of a slice of bread and sort of mush it into a ball? Well when you chew soft bread the same thing can happen ... it turns into a doughy ball. And for me, that gets stuck 9 times out of 10 so I don't eat it. I can eat toasted bread, crackers, etc. You do have to eat healthy for a whole lot of reasons. Mainly, you can't take in as much, so you really need to make healthy choices in order to get the nutrition you need. If you don't eat enough Protein, you may find your hair falling out, for example. If you don't drink enough Water, your skin will show it. And, #1 on the list.... if you want the band to help you lose weight, you really need to ditch the chocolate, fried foods, large amount of potatoes, sugar..... Like I said to Jordan, you don't have to give it up, but you have to restrict it to occasional treats. The band isn't just going to make the fat go away. You have to use the band to make it go away yourself.