ifyourstomachoffendsyou

Even at my heaviest I still managed to walk. Slowly, but I walked. I need the outdoors and sunlight as much as possible. I do take large amounts of Vitamin D which has made me feel really good. Now I walk fairly quickly, almost everyday, from a half an hour to and hour and 15 min. depending on weather conditions and time available. I have an indoor track I can walk on for free when I can't walk outside. You've done really well, bandpal. It sounds like your unfill was the right thing to do to allow you to eat healthier and to take more control over your eating. You must have been extremely tight. I am much tighter in the morning also, but I do get my coffee with milk and my protein shake in. I also need to swallow a pill and can now swallow my fish oil pills. I had to first lose some weight after my last fill before I could start swallowing pills. One really wierd thing, if I lay in the tub and soak for an hour, I can't eat or drink hardly anything for at least an hour. My advice is to combine walking with something you enjoy looking at. Gardens, art museums, window shopping, etc. Maybe get one of those step counters and start aiming for 10,000 steps a day. Wear it all day everyday and all the steps you take are counted. Your exercise is spread throughout the day. Pace when you talk on the phone. There's even a specially designed desk with a treadmill under it that allows you to do computer work, paperwork, reading, etc., while you work. Has there ever been a sport you enjoyed? Doesn't sound likely, but maybe swimming? Shooting baskets? Beachcombing? Biking? Dancing? I love dancing and would like to take salsa lessons. Keep it enjoyable!

Depends on whose BMI chart you're looking at. I hear Weight Watchers has a much lower one than the regular one. My Dr. looked at me at 5'9" and told me I should got for 170 lbs which is right at the top of my BMI so I'm doing great at 163. I also wear a size 12--kind of loosely. Also, love your humor. Can you do it outdoors? Beach? Poolside? Cool about your bro. Cheri, wish you were my neighbor -- lol. That's very nice that you do that for your neighbors -- are they elderly? If not, they should be ashamed of themselves for not doing it themselves. That's a lot of work, but I know you enjoy it -- and it's nicer to look at from your yard. We had a neighbor like that in Long Beach -- we always had to trim their bushes, and weed their area next to our driveway too. Linda, they are elderly with diabetes (severe). They spend their weekends at flea markets. She still works at Wallmart. He's deaf and has no clue which plants are flowers and which are weeds. They also have a tendancy to just clip the weeds which just makes them come up bushier. CBL CHeri

So, after walking an hour and 15 min. I weeded the neighbors flowers for 5 hours. Some of those weeds were as tall as me. Afterwards I hung from my inversion table to straighten back out again. Took my anti-inflammatory, extra strength Tylenol, and a muscle relaxer. Then I soaked in a hot vanilla scented bubble bath. I'll still be sore for a day or two, but my neighbor was thrilled. She and her DH were gone all five hours. They do flea markets on Sunday. They pulled in just as I was going into my house. I saw her going up and down the whole driveway checking it out. She saw me outside later and thanked me. I uncovered all her plants that had been overwhelmed and hidden by all the weeds. Gwen, I thought I posted on knee surgery. But I can't find it so here's my story. My dad and I both had double knee replacement surgery. He was around 70, I was early 50's. Our Dr., Dr. Milt Smit, is a specialist and pioneer in replacing both knees simultaneously. He has also patented improvements in the basic knee that allow more range of motion. If you lose weight and do the knee exercises recommended faithfully, you pop back really fast. I barely needed rehab. I was out of the hospital in 2 days, and got rid of my walker after a couple more. I was walking around the block a week after the surgeries. When the physical therapist came to my house to evaluate me he told me I was like someone finishing therapy after 6 weeks of it. I was sitting there with my knees crossed without even thinking about it. My dad was the same way. The Dr. evaluated our physical health and strength as well as our personalities to see if we were good candidates. We're both "can do" determined types of people. Having the knees done at the same time cut way down on our recovery time. We weren't first favoring one side for 6 weeks and then the other side for another. I knew if I didn't have them done at the same time I'd end up with major back issues as well as the rest of my body getting out of shape. My Dr. has his own hospital protocol that's designed to get you up and walking fast. All I can say is, it worked for me. Cheri

Melissa, my evil Skechers shape ups have made me fall, too. They're so curved on the bottom that the bottom catches on things unexpectedly. I tried to do a kind of skimming, not quite a run, run and the bottom of the shoe-not the toe or the heel which are raised, caught the floor and made me fall. I'm very careful with them now if I go for a walk and make sure I lift my feet higher. They also don't have a wide enough toe box for me, so I'm afraid they were a big waste of money as I hardly wear them. I like the Skecher sandals though--the Tone Ups. They're not as dramatically curved. I find the toe tends to catch on stairs with them, however, and I have to make sure I lift my feet extra high when climbing stairs. All you purse shoppers make me laugh. Y'all must carry around everything but the kitchen sink. And have to change it from one purse to another everytime you change outfits. I buy one relatively small purse in a neutral color and use it till it falls apart. I keep as little as possible in it because the weight is hard on my shoulder and neck. I always get a long strap that I can switch from over my shoulder to cross over my neck, leaving my hands free or for security with one hand protecting the purse in a public venue. Cheri

Thanks. It came to me in church. If your stomach offends you, cut it off. Was God's humorous way of telling me getting the surgery was a good thing. It was my way of admitting I'm powerless over food addiction. An act of humility. I do have a blog out there in cyberspace and also on lapband thread with that same title. Haven't posted since I reached goal. Just haven't the time. But it might be of interest--especially for newbies. Lots about my journey as a Christian. Cheri

Arlene, it really was funny. You know how they used to make bricks? Mud and straw baked in the sun.. So poop and fiber baked in the intestines have me sh!tt!n' bricks. Gas propelled ones. My body is so sore. I'm really gonna pay tomorrow for all the yardwork. Although my fake knees allow me to crouch somewhat for all the weeding, my hamstrings always go into rebellion. I was also clipping bushes and moving decorative pavers and cutting back hollyhocks. Hauled gallons of Water mixed with fertilizer, insecticide and disease control stuff. Watered all the flower beds. Do you guys remember those wooden painted garden "sculptures" that were popular for a while? The ones where all you see is the back side of people bending over their gardens? That would be me. Tomorrow I might tackle the neighbors flower garden which borders the one along my driveway. Theyv'e got some nice flowers buried in all the trees and vines and weeds that have taken over. I look at my garden and see their weeds as its background. My neighbors behind me have the same thing. My pretty flowers with their tall weeds as a backdrop. My neighbors on the side of me will let me pull their weeds out and dig out the trees that grow in it every year. I just haven't felt like getting in there yet this year. Summer school followed by all the IM training and extra tutoring I've been doing, plus spending as much time as possible with grandkids has me whupped. But next week its supposed to feel like over 100 degrees and the following week I start back with 3 inservice days and 3 days of school the next week. Phew. Went and saw Inception tonight. It was quite good. I'll probably watch it again to catch more of the layers of plot. CBL Cheri

Walked an hr this morning and have been working in yard ever since. (7:15am-1pm). Just stopped to eat and check LBT. Janet, the Fiber and soluble fiber are supposed to help with cholesterol. This is going to be gross. Consider yourself warned. For most people Fiber helps them have BMs. All I can say is I have to drink unbelievable amounts of liquid to wash it through and now I'm constantly on edge to see if I plugged the toilet. Fiber expands and so do my intestines. It can also create gas. I had such bad gas yesterday I had to lay down in hot Water to relieve the pain. One side of my stomach was actually sticking up (not the side with the band) and I could literally push it in like pushing on a balloon and watching the air bulge out elsewhere. My husband started following me around with the Lysol air freshener. If I didn't use the Miralax, I'd be backed up to my throat. My body will adjust somewhat (I hope). Especially before school starts. Nothing like gassing out my students. I think I'll pay a child to take the blame. Laura, have a great trip. Lori, sounds like a fun time shopping, and plenty of exercise. Gotta get back out and finish watering plants. We had a huge rain early this week and none since and we're supposed to be moving into a 90 degree week with abolutely no rain. Gotta get my flowers prepared. Cheri

Janet, I've eliminated the bad carbs but picked up some things with complex carbs. Atkins has some surprisingly good things. Their Daybreak Chocolate Chip Crisp Bar has 0 gram sugar, 10g Protein, only 3g net carbs. Atkins only counts the carbs that shoot up your blood sugar (hi glycemic) as carbs that count toward total carb count. The bar does have 6 g. fiber-most of it soluble because its made from soy and oats. I still have to take my Miralax everyday--more than ever--because fiber makes me constipated--and the gas is unbelievable. Doesn't matter how much liquid I ingest. I also found an Atkins candy bar called Endulge, only a couple of carbs, they use the sugar alcohols that don't raise your blood sugar so net carbs are very low. Tastes a lot like a 3 musketeers/milky way and it has protein and fiber. One of each of these a day seems to really take care of my cravings while keeping my carbs low. I'm more into keeping my carbs low and my protein high than into total calories. I add some vegetables and a little fruit. Both the Atkins products really fill me up. We'll see if they help with the weight loss, but they do add fiber and no simple carbs. And they taste good. Took over an hour walk today. Yesterday no walk. Spent my day and night with various children--which does give you exercise. Cheri

Hi all! Artificial knees do not want to be knelt on. I actually get bruises on them from kneeling. Wierdest feeling in the world. Most of the time I don't even think about my knees. Bad lower backs. I've had such bad luck with chiropracters and not much better with physical therapy. Did get relief from steroid shot. Only went for one. Was not the cause of me gaining weight. Eating caused that. The best thing I ever did was get an inversion table. Used it very cautiously at first. Gradually increased the incline and hung for longer times. Now I only use it if my neck is bad or if I'm getting hip and sciatic pain. Just one minute usually adjusts my neck and back. I forgot, I also did water therapy for my back in an arthritis (extra warm) pool. Therapist had me put my arms over two floats and just hang there in the deep water. That very gently relieved the pressure on the discs. He also had me sit on a kickboard and balance on it. It forced me to use the little muscles along my spine that help strengthen and hold your spine in place. I also crouched in the water up to my neck (I'm tall) and walked backwards as well as forwards. pressing back against the water also makes you use the muscles that align your spine. I also pulled my knees up one at a time in the water and pulled them close to my chest while standing on one foot. Stopped when it hurt. Helped stretch out the spasming muscles. He also had me purchase a special lumbar support for when I'm in the car. I still use one all the time. Realigns my spine, especially on the way home from work. I sleep with a lumbar support and a pillow under my knees if I'm on my back. I also keep it between my knees if I'm on my side. Lumbar support goes by my waist to keep it from sagging and keep my spine aligned while on my side. It all helps keep me from being in pain all the time. I am, of course, always on an anti-inflammatory. Cheri

Go Melissa! Go, go, go! Well, I'm going to make it an official goal by posting it on here. I've set a new weight goal for myself of 160. This morning I was 162. I was ranging between 163-167, mostly 164-166, but I want to get my cholesterol and triglycerides down and get off the meds. I only need 30 more off my LDL (bad cholesterol). Doing what I have to do to lose that weight will mean total very low or no carbs in order not to store fat. I already eat lean meats, mostly chicken and fat, prepared without breading. I don't put butter on my veggies, no gravy, etc. It's just occassional snacks that have the bad stuff in them. Eliminate the carbs and I'll eliminate the few bad fats I still get. Plus, without carbs, you store a lot less fat. Maintaining 160 will be harder than 165, but I'm newly energized by all the various kinds of progress being made on this thread. I'm also thinking about the fact that my antinuclear antibodies were positive which is an indication that I may be developing or have RA. I already have such bad osteo that RA on top of it will not be a good thing. Weight loss, avoiding red meats, going more organic, etc., can help control it. So, a new goal. Gotta go get my granddaughter. Promised I'd take her for the afternoon into the evening. CBL CHeri

Grilled fish and sauteed spinach. Mmmmmm! I made a baby spinach and spring mix salad with strawberries, cashews, feta, and raspberry vinaigrette the other day. That's what was in the house. Tasted great. Had a mixed lettuce (no iceberg) half salad with chicken, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin orange, and walnut sprinkled through it and poppyseed dressing along with a cup of French Onion soup at Panera Bread. Sucked the soup out of the croutons, LOL. Man was that good. Love their French Onion soup. Got in a good 45 minute walk this afternoon. Drizzled a little. Needed to grow a set of gills to get any oxygen out of the air. Supposed to keep raining off and on for another day or two. Cheri

[ Lori, love the pj solution to the munchies. Another thing I've read is to brush your teeth and wash your face like you're ready for bed. Congrats about DS's promotion. Jessica, I'm actually wearing hot pink today. I think its your color. Very fun. Buy some fuschia hair ornaments, headbands, etc., earrings, necklace etc. while you're in school and next summer you can go wild again. Your MIL has a vested interest in keeping you dependant. It gives her more control. It's like she has a direct link to your insecurities and voices them for you. Cut the connection (metaphorically). You've already proved yourself so make it an affirmation. I loved Stuart Smalley's "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" Jodi, always enjoy your posts. This is a fun time in your life where you're over your divorce and your ex's death (like he died twice) and now you're ready to date. Take your time. Savor it. You may never want to settle down with just one man ever again. Sometimes I'm sorry I did. I remember feeling like, "So many men, so little time." I got married on my 19th birthday and had dated very little, so I felt like a teen again. I was in my late 40's, had lost all my weight and was in great shape. After I remarried I gained it all back. I got back into that people-pleasing codependant mode and my DH had problems that I wasn't aware of. I love him and we've made it work, but I wish I'd waited longer. Apples, WTF! Girl, I think God is telling you to slow down. Get better and use this time to relax. Let others take care of you. Pamper yourself. I've learned to tell myself that with many things if I died either someone else would do it or they'd do without it. I am not indispensable. Went outside to walk this morning and it was already dark out and an even darker front was moving in rapidly. Stayed close to home and did only 10 minutes before the rain hit. Will try to get out again. I'm making it a lazy day, although I taught this morning. I'm finding that if I take half an hour walks most days and hour walks on other days I don't hurt as much. It would be great if I could break up my walking more. It doesn't have to all be done at once. It's just hard to get in. Julie, I find that walking doesn't hurt my joints as much as cleaning and straightening out. You end up shoving things you shouldn't, lifting things you shouldn't, scrubbing, and all kinds of things that translate to pain. I think I've said before that I'm even careful swinging my arms when I walk. Too much and my neck starts to hurt. I can also tell when I've pushed my grandkids on the swings too much. Crazy, eh? CBL Cheri

OK, so I walked an hour on Sunday and a half an hour on Monday. Doubt I'll go out today. Rained all night and most of morning and now the heat is back. Its a steam bath out there. My early morning student is on vacation tomorrow so I may have time to get out early before the oven really heats up. Also, my husband has occassionally been buying me snacks and leaving them out for me. Not too bad usually and on maintenance I allow myself some. But this morning when I opened the fridge he had a container full of mini-candy bars, all my favorites, like Twix and Milky Ways, etc. Threw them in the garbage, Janet. I am woman, hear me roar! I had just bought a bunch of Atkins and Kashi snacks and some sugar-free chocolates to keep me from eating trigger foods, too. I don't know what he was thinking. But I thought of you, Janet, and I'll bet he won't do it again. He is somewhat anal about things and checks what I've thrown in the garbage so he'll know what to replenish. Big surprise this morning! I've never done that before. It's empowering. Cheri

Wow! Powerful stuff! I am so looking forward to LV when most of us will be meeting. Melissa, hang in there. You can see each of these wonderful, wounded women changing their lives and making loving homes for their children, learning their lessons from history and changing their futures. Now they're applying those lessons to their health so that they can continue to be there for their families. You can choose to do the same. Right now it sounds like you're having a royal temper tantrum. That's ok. You've been en(in)raged over your life. Sometimes it takes a temper tantrum to become out-raged before you can start to act. We'll offer you empathy but we'll also kick your butt. Start taking those baby steps or Janet will whip your butt with a wet noodle. Do what Laura K is doing. Start walking it off. Paint some walls. Throw some food (out)! Eva moves and makes concrete! We are women, we are strong. Hear us roar! Cheri

I took advantage of the cooler weather to get that walk in. Janet, I too am sorry about the drama, but glad you held your ground. You've never given Andrew back or away and there's no comparison between him and Riley and deep inside he knows it. But he needs to know that you have boundaries. He played every emotional card he could but you called his bluff. He'll respect you for it. Cheri

Walked for over an hour this morning and then took a long walk with grandkids pushing a double stroller this afternoon. Gave a bath to all three grandkids. Now I'm too pooped to pop. Trivia: Victorian "fainting couches" were used for women who were said to have the "vapors." Women in upper society could afford to have these "attacks" and swoon with great drama when their delicate sensibilities were wounded. Got a kick out of the "vespers" thing though. Cheri

Laura, I think Nels will handle it well. You've done a great job preparing him and he sounds like such a smart little boy. He knows how much he is loved. I'm sure his birth mother is happy for him and knows he's better off with you. You're a great mother. You don't need the hormonal excuse for all you're feeling. You have every right to those feelings. Hormones are just an excuse to get away with showing them. Use this excuse as much as possible. I always used to say that when I had PMS it was the only time I actually told people what I was really thinking and feeling. Now I have no excuses. LOL. Feel better soon. Cheri

Sang for an hour last Sunday night. I tend to dance while I sing, so I consider that quite aerobic. Danced for almost 2 hours on Monday after walking Navy Pier up and down. Walked half an hour Weds. morn. Walked half an hour Thurs. morn So far, walked half an hr this morning. Plan to get into garden and also do more walking. Pleasant days, yesterday and today. Temp way down. Such a relief. I almost always walk at least an hour on Saturday, so I'm quite good for this week. Food also good this week. Staying right at 163 lbs. Love my band. Cheri

Wow! So much to say, so little time. Apples--God grant you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change and the courage to kick ass when you can change them, and the wisdom to know the difference. OK Jessica, don't go back into hiding. We love you! Jodi, this mother hen also says "Be careful of wolves in Vegas clothing." Eva, if I could work outdoors and garden, I'd prefer that over regimented exercise. I do love to go dancing and I like walking, but I like walking outdoors in beautiful places. We've got some streets near me surrounded by forest preserve with older homes with gardens and cool architectural details. I like a walk with a view and fresh air. But probably too hot for that by you. Lori. Amen, amen, amen. Hallelujah! Laura, been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Instant menopause first with shots to stop my periods so my blood supply could build back up before a total hyst. in my late 40's. Had to have HRT. Even on it I was awake at night. Started going to an all night gym and swimming at 11 at night, then home and slept pretty good. Eventually weaned myself off the HRT. Still some flashes towards morning. Control! What an issue! I hate being controlled! My father and ex-husband both very controlling. My father drives my mother insane with the constant criticisms and advice over everything, and he's much worse now that he's getting senile. Went out to lunch with her and listened to her vent yesterday. If she had a hobby besides taking care of her house it would help. Unfortunately, I, too, am controlling. And part of the reason I won't get drunk is because I can't stand the loss of control. I really hate having my husband drive because he's a terrible driver and if I don't want us to be lost or to have a half hour's trip turn into an hour's trip, I have to constantly tell him which way to turn, or to interrupt his monologue to let him know when he's drifted below the speed limit and is doing 50mph while drivers are passing us left and right doing 75. Aargh! Brings out the worst in me. He hits every pothole, stays behind big trucks for miles, doesn't plan ahead to make the lights or take advantage of breaks in traffic, so every trip is stop and go. I can't even close my eyes and pretend to sleep because his sense of direction is so poor. Plus he's got a captive audience and talks non-stop. I feel like I need a xanax just to survive the drive. Give me the wheel and let me control this car. Please! Letting him drive is a control freak's nightmare! Gotta go to bed. Teaching by 8 a.m. tomorrow. Cheri

Don't quite remember what the Dr. said "AA" or "aa" stood for. I know that one word was anti-bodies, I'm assuming that's a possible indication of Rheumatoid Arthritis since I'm being sent on to a Rheumatologist. I'll ask my sister. She'll know. Lori, I can't even imagine what your husband and you went through. It sounds like a bad movie but it was real, both the car-jacking and the trial. Enjoy all your trips. You guys deserve it. Arlene, it seems to me that you've acquired more energy! Has the FM improved with the weight loss? Apples seems to think that either her diet changes or her weight loss or both helped her get rid of her symptoms. Hope the same happens for you. Linda, welcome back. You looked great in your pics. My body shape has changed also. I have a flat butt, skinnier thighs and arms, and a rounded upper belly and flatter, flat tire, lower abdomen. I probably would look something like this if I'd never gained the weight but without the flat tire and other areas of melting butter. I think the changes are age-related, particularly the loss of estrogen and androgen due to a complete hyst 12 yrs. ago. Women who don't gain still seem to thicken around the middle in their middle years--despite tons of exercise. Ah well. Fruit is a wierd thing. Some of it is lower on the glycemic index and some of it is high. I tend to like the high--sweet very ripe red or green grapes. Bing cherries that are black but still firm and so sweet and juicy. I quite literally could eat bowls and bowls of it. Too much of even lower glycemic fruits, especially when not balanced with protein, will shoot your blood sugar up. Shooting your blood sugar up makes it very difficult to lose weight. Janet, I had to laugh about the toilet too. I remember someone saying during a total electrical blackout that there couldn't be a blackout, the cars still had their headlights on. Laura, you've also been bitten by the energy bug. Keep it up. Julie, weight gain can make you pb more. It was explained to me that as you lose weight, the fat pad around the stomach shrinks, loosening the band, which is why we keep needing fills. So the reverse is also true. You mentioned you'd gained some weight so that might be the reason. Well, gotta teach tomorrow. Early. CBL Cheri

Welcome Lisa, The band is a God-inspired tool that has changed my life. I pray that it will do the same for you. Cheri

Jewel, Just want to say I'm glad you're back on your meds. I'm a mother hen, too, and I suspected pretty strongly that you were off of them. That's why you went incommunicado. The next time you start thinking you're well enough to take yourself off of them, please try to remember that's your disease talking. Sometimes, as believers, we start to think that if our faith were strong enough or we just prayed hard enough we wouldn't need meds for our various illnesses. Especially not mental ones. I believe God wants us to make use of the tools he provided through modern medicine. I love that story of the man(woman) whose house was starting to flood from a hurricane and when someone came by in a firetruck to pick he up the woman said, "That's OK, God will save me." Then the water rose and she climbed to the next floor and someone came by in a boat, but she refused to go with them saying, "God will save me." Eventually she was forced to go on the roof of her house and a helicopter came by to rescue her but she refused to go insisting, "God will save me." She drowned. When she got to heaven she asked God, "I believed in you, why didn't you save me?" God replied, "I sent a firetruck, a boat, and a helicopter, what more did you want?" The lapband was my boat if not my helicopter. If I'd waited any longer for a magical healing, I'd have suffered irreversible damage. God doesn't wave a magic wand. He works through people and the inventions and medications he inspires them to create. Once in a while, spontaneous healings occur, but they are rare and are not the usual way God works. I went to a Dr. today. My calcium is still unexplainably high in my blood work; my parathyroid is fine so that's not the cause. However, my AA? (something about an antibody) is up. So I'm off to a rheumatologist who might or might not be able to find a relationship between the calcium, the AA, and the physical pain I have. My arthritis has always been osteo in the past but there may be some level of RA. My sister, the Dr., has RA. Sure don't wanna go there. But I'll go because I need to be as healthy as possible to do the work God has currently called me to do, and to be the best Cheri I can possibly be, the Cheri he meant me to be. If that means cutting all red meat and eating as organically as possible (proven to reduce RA symptoms) and eventually taking meds, that's what I'll have to do. I do the footwork--see the Dr.s, get the procedures, follow the instructions, take the medictions--and I leave the results in God's hands. I'm somewhat disappointed that my LDL cholesterol is still too high (162?) and I'm back on meds for that. But I thank God there are meds for that. At least my good cholesterol is finally above 50. Cheri

Linda, Great pics. I've got "tattoo's" all over my legs. They're called varicose veins. Laura, OA also follows the 12 steps. They consider food addiction to be just as debilitating as the other addictions. Apples, Owwww! Hope you can keep your weight up through all this. Gotta go! CBL Cheri

Julie, That's fantastic news. Maybe they saw something the radiologist didn't on your pictures. It's certainly intriguing, especially the fact that the pain gets so intense at 2 in the morning. Julie, the medicine may be increasing your appetite, or retain water, but if you've never really cut the starches and sugars out of your diet, just that fact will keep your cravings alive. If you cut them out completely and really concentrate on protein, the effect of the meds should be minimized. Cutting the carbs, especially the sugars and simple starches, has also been known to reduce pain, reduce cortisol, the stress hormone which contributes to belly fat, retain less water (think about all the salt in those recipes), and all kinds of other good things. I know you like real food and no fake sugars but real sugar may be worse for you than the fake sugar because its triggering your cravings for more sugar-most likely more than any medicine. You've come so far and you want to go to Mayo and show that you're doing all the things you need to do to get healthy. Try to stay on your meds and let Mayo evaluate whether they should be changed or eliminated. Have you considered journaling your activities each day and your pain attacks that day? That might be very useful info for Mayo in determining the source of your pain. I'm also thinking back to all the surgeries and treatments you've had, including the shoulder manipulation under anaesthetic, the various types of massage, and the chiropractic. Maybe you should try to write everything down in chronological order from the time you got your lapband til the present. You had two life-threatening conditions with emergency surgery didn't you? Has your chiro submitted your history with him to Mayo? That shouldn't be left out as its part of your treatment, as is everything your pain Dr. has done. I know I'm advising too much. Take what you like and leave the rest. I'm just so excited that Mayo agreed to see you its making ideas pop in my head. Cheri

Janet, I could easily eat a lb of cherries in one sitting. Or 2 lbs of grapes. Bananas are packed with carbs. Most fruit is a lower on the glycemic index than pure sugar, but not that much. So fruit does raise your blood sugar which makes you store the fat in the other foods you eat instead of burning it. We always burn available carbs first. So for me, I limit the fruit. It's a trigger to my addiction and can get me started on a binge. Unlike veggies, which can make me pb and which never tempted me to binge, most fruit is very sweet and a real slider. And, as with all carbs, I try to eat protein first to fill my pouch and to help keep my blood sugar stable. This is because I am pre-diabetic if not diabetic. I find I can also eat more calories if those calories are mostly protein. If I don't have the carbs, I burn the protein and don't even store the fat. I do shake it up with higher carb days, otherwise my metabolism seems to get stuck. The trick is, after a day or 2 where I've let myself have some treats, to get back on the high protein low carb thing right away. I don't think we do things much differently than each other, because I know that you eat the protein first also, and then the vegetables, and after that you don't have much room for the fruit. Cheri