julia19642

I know you mentioned that you don't like cottage cheese, but have you ever tried flavouring it? I used to put cinnamon and splenda on it.....or pineapple juice....or sometimes for a more savoury flavour, just used some garlic salt. Cheese, glorious cheese.....the second love of my life (DH is first of course)

Oh sorry....I didn't answer one of your most important questions. YES, my last fill helped to break through a plateau.

I think almost all of us tend to hit plateaus at one time or another. What usually breaks a plateau for me is varying my exercise routine and my food. Sometimes i get in a rut with doing the same food day in and day out due to lack of inspiration in cooking. Maybe if you could describe your exercise routine and an example of your meals, someone could help you with a change in plan. Sometimes the plateaus break for no good reason at all....(in MY case). I was on a plateau last month for amost 3 weeks. I'm 4 months out of surgery. Yes, it can be very frustrating, but just hang in there and don't comfort yourself with poor food choices. All of a sudden the weight just started falling off again. Hang in there....hopefully someone will have some good ideas for you.

Hi Mike !! Welcome to the website. I'm a lurker....rarely posting, but constantly learning from our posters. (some more-so than others). I was banded on 4/18/09 by a genius, genuine, kind doctor here in Melbourne Australia. Best thing i've ever done for MYSELF. My life has always surrounded taking care of everyone else. *slaps self on forehead for not taking care of ME a long time ago* Very well wishes for your journey. Not meaning to hijack a thread, but wanted to check to see if i made my ticker correctly (since you had mentioned it...and i haven't had one before). Good luck with the pre-approval stuff....hope it goes quickly for you.

I took whatever they gave me the day of the surgery. The day after surgery, i was on Panadol (tylenol). Then nothing was needed after that. I did a 10 minute walk the day after surgery and added 5 minutes each day....still no medications needed. i too get very sick off pain killers....and i sure didn't need nausea. Hope your surgery is as pain-free as mine was.

I used "Contours" when I lived in the states. I preferred it to Curves, because you can adjust your own weights at Contours. You can't do that at Curves....Curves is a "one size fits all" concept of lifting weights. (unless Curves has changed since I lived there). I knew a few people that started out at Curves and it worked well for them, UNTIL they got to a point where their body needed more of a workout. That's when they switched to Contours.....adding more weights as your body is ready. Curves is convenient because it seems that there is one on every street corner. Contours are fewer and further between....i always had to drive further to get to a Contours. Sadly now, I can't join a gym....can't justify it when I have 3 dogs that need to be walked everyday. I'd feel guilty going to a gym to work out when they just adore going on walks.

My surgeon took mine off at 6 days due to the rash that they were causing and extreme itching. Guess i don't do well with the tape stuff. He said that the incisions were all healed except one, so he left just a little bit of tape there. The incisions look great, but they are sore now because of clothing rubbing on them. I wish i could have left the tape on longer, but the itching was making me scratch too much in my sleep.....darn near scratched the skin off.

I get itchy after every general anesthesia and pain meds. i've never narrowed it down to which one is causing the itchiness, but sure a shootin'....i have it again after being banded on april 14. Has anyone tried an antihistamine? i'm tempted to try one, but afraid of being nauseated from too many drugs in my system. I'd rather have the itches than the nausea.

I took the ephedrine a few years ago. It raised my blood pressure to stroke level. I couldn't figure out why i had blurred vision, headaches and dizziness. I'd say as long as your MD ok's it and you keep daily tabs on the blood pressure, you should be ok. i'm sure his level that he'll prescribe will be much less than what i was taking.

I was curious as to what "NG" meant.....here's what it says: An NG (nasogastric) tube is one that is passed through the nose (via the nasopharynx and esophagus) down into the stomach. An NG tube is a flexible tube made of rubber or plastic and has bidirectional potential. A nasogastric tube can thus be used to remove the contents of the stomach including air (to decompress the stomach) and small solid objects and Fluid (e.g., to evacuate poison from the stomach). A nasogastric tube can also be used to instill liquids into the stomach (e.g., to feed the person). I'm certainly going to ask my surgeon if i need to wear an alert bracelet. Thanks for bringing up the question....one of those things that I never thought about. :confused:

Yesterday, i found a thread that was stricly before and after photos of the members here. I found it quite motivating to look through. Now I can't find the thread. Can someone please guide me to it? It had about 100 pages of before and after pictures. I'm scheduled for surgery March 30th (or 31'st...i can't remember..but i took the first available date they had). I get the pre-surgery jitters, so looking through those pictures did me a world of good. Please help if you can.....thanks.

Brilliant !!! Thank you so much. And thanks for the info on how to save the thread.

Wii fit DID inaccurately weigh me also until I put the board underneath it. Carpeting will not make it weigh correctly. That being said. Mine has 2kg of dust on it at the moment. Guess I'll have to wipe that off before i embark on this weight loss adventure. :wink:

My alternative to drinking was 65 capsules. Talk about gagging. I had to take 5 large capsules every 15 minutes until it was all finished. I'm definitely going for the liquid next time, even though it has artificial sweeteners in it that give me a headache. I could hardly choke down the last 20 pills i was gagging so much on them. It's not a route that i'd recommend, BUT, ya gotta do what feels best for YOU. The only thing is....with pills OR the liquid, you still have to drink plenty of Water. Some people get so dehydrated from the 'prep' (liquid bm's for hours on end) that it effects their kidneys. So either way...make sure that you have the recommended water to go with it.

Once you've had blood clots, you'll always be considered high risk for more. It sounds like you have an extra cautious surgeon. (maybe he's more paranoid from a previous lawsuit...makes them extra extra cautious). BUT....with this surgery, you'll be walking the same day. So that's what doesn't make much sense to me. :wink: Blood clots in the legs form when a patient is bedridden after surgery for over a day or two. I'm not a medical professional, but have experience with blood clots (mum's surgery). Could he be concerned about blood clots forming somewhere else, other than the legs???

I guess another reason i don't want to tell people is that i've failed at every diet i've tried. Granted, most were fad diets where i did well for a while, but then fell off the wagon. When my MD asked me what diets i've tried...without hesitation, i listed 27 different diets starting with Richard Simmons Deal-a-meal back in the mid 1980's. I can almost remember them all in order. I just don't want to hear "Well, you've never stuck to a diet for long, why will this be any different". Ugh. I don't even want to get into big discussions with negative people.

I'm not banded yet, but have told 4 people. My mom: severely jealous, as she's wanted one for years. My dad: "you can lose the weight on your own, you don't need that thing". My best friend: "Why? you haven't even tried hypnosis yet". My HUSBAND is my biggest supporter. He KNOWS what i've struggled with for years and how putting on weight has changed alot in our lives. My best friend and i have centred our lives around eating for years. As we continue to get larger, we comfort ourselves with food. She's going to be losing her over-eating buddy. So, after all those reactions, i realize that not many people will be supportive. Most of my family is tall and thin and have never had to diet. I'm a clone of my short little "fluffy" mum. *sigh* Thanks mum. :wink: As long as i have mum and hubby's support, i don't need to tell a soul. I found this website 2 days ago and have been pouring over the forums. I realize that if i NEED to tell someone.....i'll do it right here....lol.

Just my 2 cents worth, as a non-bander (YET)....I had a colonoscopy last week, and because artificial sweeteners give me massive headaches, my alternative was taking 65 capsules (of pure magnesium sulfate). It sure did the trick, but i'm not sure if i'd be wanting to choke down that many pills in a 3 hour period after i'm banded. :thumbup: Those were the only two options i was given. Yuck, i think i'm going for the liquid headache next time.