Leila

for me the meat is fine, the bun isn't.

I bought a house this weekend! Woo!!!! :welldoneclap: Happy weekend for me, probably my best labour day weekend ever.

papaya enzyme - papain, is a protease, so it is only capable of breaking down peptide bonds in protiens. Enzymes are very specific, they only target certain things. amylase – breaks down carbs, starch, and sugars. Specifically, lactase – breaks down lactose (milk sugars); diastase – digests vegetable starch; sucrase – complex sugars and starches; maltase – digests disaccharides to monosaccharides (malt sugars); invertase – breaks down sucrose (table sugar); glucoamylase – breaks down starch to glucose; alpha-glactosidase – facilitates digestion of Beans, legumes, seeds, roots, and soy. protease – breaks down Proteins found in meats, nuts, eggs, and cheese. Specifically, pepsin – breaks down proteins into peptides; peptidase – breaks down small peptide proteins to amino acids; trypsin – derived from animal pancreas, breaks down proteins; alpha – chymotrypsin, an animal-derived enzyme, breaks down proteins; bromelain – derived from pineapple, breaks down a broad spectrum of proteins; papain – derived from raw papaya, works well breaking down small and large proteins. lipase – breaks down fats found in most dairy products, nuts, oils, and meat. cellulase – breaks down cellulose, plant Fiber. I think that's all of them! For carbs/fiber beano is your best bet. Or you can buy enzyme blends in most health food stores. If gas is an issue with you enzyme supplementing can help big time too.

Welcome Valerie! It does take a little bit to get comfortable with using the forums at first, I found this area really helpful. Thanks for sharing so much about yourself. It looks like your ticker address has an extra http:// tacked on to it, try entering it in again.

Congratulations on your surgery date! Loads of good info here too!

Hey there! Welcome to lapbandtalk! Lots of resources and support here. Best of luck on your band journey!

Wow! You've lost 141 lbs!!!! that's awesome! In two years thats between a lb and a lb and a half a week - Right on track, especially since you had a rebound issue from the over-fill. I know some people lose faster, and it can be frustrating because we all want the weight off, and now! But look how far you've come already! You are a success, and you can continue being a success I'm sure. Try to focus on the good parts and what you can do to get back on the losing streak. LBT is here for you!

Jack I think we eat very similarly. Now I'm hungry... I'm a berry addict.

Cool, didn't notice before that I could click on the little pic and get a big one! - and! then get to browse all your other pics too! what cuties!!!!

I am on a cocktail of meds for major depression as well. It's actually a very common approach to treating depression. I take effexor, remeron and seroquel. It played a huge part in my weight gain. Kimmason - what area of psych do you work in? I have an MA in counselling psychology, but unfortunately with my depression am unable to work and have been on disability for a few years.

I eat loads of fruit and veggies, they always pass my band fine. I called my surgeon to chat with him about psyllium use, which he feels is fine in very small doses. I often eat a high fiber Cereal and then add a little sprinkle of psyllium. Rather than taking one or two larger doses, I just tend to sprinkle a little here and there. I also use ground flax seed in small amounts sprinkled on things. I just max out at about 1tpbs a day on the flax to keep the calories in check - the thing with flax is the calories come from Omega 3 oils which are SO good for you. You do need healthy fats and flax oils are the healthiest. Besides the added fiber and the healthy fat helps you to fee l more satiated so I think it balances out. For me I personally believe psyllium is a good fibre option if used cautiously. It does expand about 100 times it's size in total in Water. A tiny bit added to a big glass of water or even sprinkled on foods on an empty stomach so it passes the pouch is fine for me, I use about 1/4 teaspoon at a time - A hundred times that is not enough to worry my band. I never take a larger dose than that, and never with any food that I suspect may not pass my band quickly - so usually a little cereal with a lot of skim milk, or just with liquids. It's a personal call. I wouldn't blow my own colon - LOL, but I don't abstain completely from bulk forming fibres either - I take a middle of the road approach. Oh, I also had a problem with Calcium supplements constipating me, and switched to a supplement that was not calcium carbonate based - calcium citrate or ascorbate, or any of the other types is non-constipating. Also a calcium supplement that is mixed with magnesium will help with that too. Calcium carbonate will slow anyone's system down, not something I needed! XO

I'm a probiotics fan as well.

Wheezy - Bobbie is SO CUTE!!!! congratulations - show us more pics!!! Way to go on the exercize! The site seems to have been hacked a few times now, some Turkish hack site from what I can tell. It doesn't effect your individual computer in any way. Basically someone just hijacks the url here. They target random sites, just because they can - hackers are a weird bunch. So our offer on the house we want to buy was accepted, but it's still not ours until all the financing is arranged and stuff. I'm trying not to get too excited until all is completed. I've been scouting out my potential new neighbourhood though. The YMCA is close by, and for a good price I'll have full access to the gym, pool, etc, monthly fees let you take classes for free too, like yoga, pilates, Water aerobics, etc. SO - once we settle in I'll hopefully be able to start working out more regularly. If we get the house, possession date won't be till beginning of October though. I'll have to slog through Sept. on my own and feeling particularly lazy... LOL.

barbara465 - I would go for a complete unfill. I'm worried for you, there is always the remote possibility that you have had a slip. Sometimes a complete unfill can reset the band if you have had a mild slip. I would definitely be in contact with your surgeon. Regardless, a complete unfill may give you a chance to heal from all the agitation from PBing. Health first. We're here for you. BigGirlPantiez - I think we should make you an honourary Junbie! XO Leila

The ignore button is my friend. I've only had one person annoy me enough to use it on, but that was invaluable. I'm keeping it on permanently - LOL - I do not need the aggravation if someone is nasty or cruel and it upsets me... I'm a big girl, I know where the ignore button is, and voila.... that person dissapears! We can't control what other people do, but we can control what we do... I'm of the mind that if you don't like it, don't look at it.

I don't remember the brands, but I buy a lot of pre-seasoned tofus, there is a schezuan one and a terriyaki flavoured one I really like, straight from the grocers, and I eat it cold just out of the package - LOVE it! I also like 'devilled tofu' you take a firm plain or firm herb tofu, and mash it well with light mayo and maybe some chives, a little salt and pepper - it's like mock egg salad. You can also marinate plain firm tofu in just about any meat marinade that you love, marinate it for at least overnight, I cut it in cubes first so more marinade absorbs in, and I like it cold like that, or lightly pan fried.

I have the VG band as well, it took 3 fills for me to get what is still not 'perfect' restriction, I am losing though, and I do have a reduction in hunger, but I find in the evenings I can still pack it away if I choose to. My restriction is just fine for the morning and daytime, but evening I seem to be so-so. My Dr. did my fills 1 week apart. - He just has us do soft foods the rest of the day after the fill and back to regular solids the day after. I can't remember now exactly how much I have in there... I think it's 6cc's. It's a learning curve, I have had a couple of PB's from eating too fast with not chewing well enough. But if I follow bandster rules... the band works for me. It's still so very new to us, I think it takes some time to settle in to finding what works for each of us with our bands.

sublingual is different from oral, sublingual absorbs direct into the blood stream through the mucus membrane from the mouth, primarily into the large vein under the tongue. it's as effective as shots as it goes directly into the bloodstream and bypasses the stomach/digestive system.

I use sublingual b12.

I'm going for 8lbs for Sept. too! I just put an offer on a house in Chilliwack BC today, wish me luck!!!! I'm tired of living in an RV! LOL - travelling all over Canada was nice, but I'm ready for a real home again.

Can't see or feel mine, Dr. couldn't feel it when palpitating for fills either, thankfully he knows just where it is, and all the fills have hit the port bang on regardless. I'm only just starting out though, who knows it may emerge down the weight loss road.

Welcome to the June group Allyn - I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with your band - Is there any way they just could have missed the port the first time and the fill never got in at all? I hope it's not serious. I think 14lbs since June 23 is a great loss and you should be proud! It doesn't sound all bad, you are losing and you have noticed changes with your hunger and eating. I was banded June 14, I lost 29 lbs since surgery. About 2.5lbs a week, you're losing about 1.5 a week. They say most people lose between 1 and 2 a week. I would honestly like to be losing a little slower, about 2 a week, I think it is healthier and easier on your body. I think you should be proud! and keep up the good work!!!! XO Leila

I have zero tats now. My plan is to wait until I'm done losing weight, done with any cosmetic surgery I may choose to have after the weight is off and stable, wait till my last scars from any cosmetic surgery done is fully healed and then decide on tats and locations for them, likely some to cover scars, I've been thinking I'll probably have a tummy tuck, and I'll probably have some kind of 'belt' tattoo to cover the tt scar. I started planning the possibilities as soon as I decided to go for the lap band. I can't wait!... but I'm going to - LOL!

BGP - here are some of my quick protein fixes, maybe one or two will work for you. - turkey pepperoni sticks - about 50 cals a stick. - canned tuna and salmon in the mini cans preprepared with sauce or different flavours in the can - depending on brand and flavour - 100 - 160 cals a can. - fat free artificial crab sticks - can't recall cal count. - 1% cottage cheese - mozza string cheese, and other lower milk fat percentage cheeses. - fat free, sugar free, yogurt smoothies/drinks from the grocery store, I like dannon silhouette brand best. - ISOWhey breezer brand protein powder in tropical or iced tea flavours, mixes clear and thin in water or crystal light. If you don't like plain cottage cheese try blending it till it's smooth half and half with low fat or fat free plain or flavoured yogurt and adding splenda or stevia to sweeten it more and a little vanilla extract and freezing it for a high protein low cal ice cream. You can also add cocoa powder for chocolate flavour. Get that protein in! I try to focus on what to eat rather than what not to eat and find that works better for me over all.

T.O. Man - beautifully said.