juno610

Personally, I can't usually tolerate crackers, but my nutritionist has never denied me them. I am very tight in the morning, so if I eat anything at all before noon it is usually yogurt or a protein shake. lunch would be salad or some kind of hearty chili or Soup. I try to incorporate some Beans for protein here. Sometimes I can handle some ground meat. By dinner time, things are more open, so I can do almost anything. We made homemade chicken pot pie this week and turnip gratin. Anything goes at dinner meat-wise. The wierd thing is, it seems the longer I'm up, the looser I get. Last week DH wanted to go to taco bell at 1am, and I was able to eat a Gordita no problem. Man was that good! I would never attempt it during the day though. Hope that helps! Maria

OMG a 12!!!! That is so great! Can you tell I'm jealous?! I'm hoping to be back in an 18 by Christmas!

What are we doing for exercise this week!?! I'm planning two trips to the gym to hit the elliptical. And I plan to do some weights at home at least two days. Gotta start somewhere!

I don't think I was up that late! It must be an off server time or something. On my computer it says 5:41am. Oh, maybe we are in different time zones! I'm Eastern -- what about you?

Just checking... haha! To start off this lovely Friday (well, not so lovely because I have to work), I will tell you of my latest NSV -- my old scrubs fit again! And they are loose! I also had a stress test (more on that later) on Wednesday, and I did pretty good! Better than I did a few years ago. Hope everyone has a good start to their weekend! Maria

Here's the link to the January 07 board: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f88/?daysprune=30 You can also get to it from the main page -- it's under Monthly Lap Band Support Groups. I promise to come back tomorrow and start posting there! I think we could make excellent use of it since we have so many regulars checking in. It might be easier for those that don't check in as often too -- that way they wouldn't feel like they had to read thousands of posts just to catch up!

Hey gang - What do you guys think about moving to the January 07 board? That way we'd have a whole board to ourselves (there hasn't been much activity there at all), and it would be easier to follow certain discussions instead of searching for them through the ten million posts on this thread. Any thoughts? Maria

Angyl - here's some food ideas for you. Since I've been eating like this, I've been losing about 1lb a week, and that is without regular exercise (which I plan on starting this week!). Lately, I've just been taking long walks a few times a week. Anyway, the food. Breakfast: On work days, I have a granola bar or yogurt. On off days I have a protein shake or yogurt Lunch: Usually a small salad or soup (depending on Aunt Flo). If I'm off work, sometimes I'll make fish or a burger on the foreman grill and nuke some frozen veggies Dinner: I've been making a lot of ground meat stuff lately like meatloaf and meatballs and really thick chili with lots of beans and chunks of tomato. Steamed veggies or salad. This past weekend I grilled some eggplant and made some small meatballs and smothered it all in a can of diced tomatoes. Yum! Turkey meatloaf is a big favorite too. I haven't touched bread, rice, or pasta since my last few fills. I just can't tolerate them anymore, and I don't fancy puking. I think this has made a huge difference for me. Don't get me wrong, if I thought I could do it w/out barfing, I'd definitely have a bit of pasta once in a while. The only bread I've had is the stuff floating in French Onion soup! Hope that gives you some ideas. Sometimes I feel like this would be a lot easier if I liked tuna. Ya know, just pop open a can and there you go! Yuck. Maria

Same here... still struggling to exercise regularly. *sigh* I am having a gas pain issue again. My left shoulder and left side of my chest -- it's almost excruciating. I have to go to a baby shower today and I just do not want to go. What do you guys do for gas pain? I've been taking the gas x, and I've been very strict with myself about NOT drinking out of straws or "to-go" coffee cups. I'm so frustrated!

I remember feeling like I was trying to wake up from a really deep sleep -- just going in and out. I still felt sort of foggy when they transported me to my regular room, but once I got there I was totally awake. I didn't feel too bad, considering.

I am a cardiovascular technician too, but I do stress testing and EEGs (don't ask me why the brains get lumped in with the hearts!). I just started preparing for the REEG-T boards. Yikes!

Hi all! My week is going pretty good. I'm still not exercising as much as I'd like, but there only one way to solve that LOL. Otherwise, I figured I'm losing about 1lb per week this past month, so I'm THRILLED with that. I'm hoping to keep that up for awhile, which would get me to the 50lb mark by my one year anniversary. I have a slow day at work today -- very uncommon. I hardly know what to do with myself! Maria

I've had my band since January and lost about 40 lbs. I've noticed no hair loss at all.

Here's my food yesterday: B - yogurt L - thai steamed vegetables D - small hamburger patty, a few tortilla chips with salsa Check out the Food board. There are a few long-running threads covering this same topic. Lots of good ideas!

Yes, take pictures! I completely forgot to take official pics right before surgery, and now I'm disappointed that I don't have them.

Checking in! Things are going pretty well here. I got a teensy weensy unfill, and that made a huge difference. I still fill up very fast, but it goes down ok in the first place. No barfing, sliming, anything! And the best part is the scale is continuing down! Today I weighed in at 237.6, which means I only have to lose 0.6 this week to meet my mini goal (I've been setting 5lb mini goals for myself). I'd like to lose another 15 by the end of the year. The wierd thing is, my body is changing shape big time even though I've only lost a few more pounds. DH was telling me my shorts were falling off my a$$, so I checked and sure enough I can pull them right off without unbuttoning and unzipping. Time for new pants! I think I'm going to go to Kohl's today and see if I can score a pair of jeans and khaki's on the cheap to tide me over. Another thing I've noticed is that when I am feeling frumpy, it's usually because my clothes have gotten too big! It used to be the opposite Wearing bigger clothes used to make me feel more comfortable because I could hide beneath them. Now that I have a little more confidence, I think my subconscious is telling me I don't need to do that anymore. I went through my clothes this past weekend and "rediscovered" some shirts and jeans I thought were still too small. Like everyone says, don't wait too long or you might miss out on wearing an item completely! Hope everyone has a great Monday! Maria

It was quite the ordeal! I think I waited maybe another 1/2 hour, but by then my friend had come up to hang with me (she is also a patient of Dr. Deol's), so we three had some girl talk while waiting for my lab results! Too funny She took out only a minuscule little bit, but it has made all the difference. I can eat fine, but I still fill up pretty fast. I am definitely glad I went!

This morning I was waiting for a fill at Troy Beaumont, and I got to meet two other patients of Dr. Deol's -- it's so nice to have company! Amy -- just wanted to tell you, if you are reading, that the pregnancy test ended up negative, my band is fine, and I got a small unfill. I already managed to eat 2oz of chicken and some salad today with no problems. So relieved! Hope to see you again at a support group meeting! Maria

Hi April!!! You are so not alone with this. I will admit to some serious abandonment issues as well. She told me about it in person when I was in for a fill last week -- I very nearly started crying right then! She was so sweet though -- she kept giving me hugs! Are you coming to the meeting tomorrow? I'm sure that will be the main topic of the night! We can all cry on each other's shoulders. Screw hunger cues... we have ISSUES to discuss!!!! LOL Maria

Well, after a hellish few days, I've decided I need a bit of an unfill. I have an appointment on monday bright and early. As I sit here typing, I get a huge loud gurgle noise about every 30 seconds. And this is after drinking about 4 oz of iced tea! I didn't even bother with dinner tonight. Could you imagine if I was in public with these noises? Eating has been such a chore these last few days -- I know in my heart being banded is NOT supposed to be like this. I'm hoping that with a bit of unfill, my hunger will still be sufficiently dimmed, and I'll be able to eat a little more normally. *sigh* I hope everyone else is having a better week. Maria

Julie -- thank you for responding. I've read a lot of your posts, and I truly value your opinion as an experienced bandster! You've said exactly what I've been feeling in my gut. My doc usually goes in .25 increments, but this time it was double that. I just made an appt for next Monday, so I guess we'll see!

Here's my day. I just got my fourth fill, and I'm having a bit of a hard time adjusting. Breakfast: 1/4 cup cottage cheese Lunch: Trader Joes Indian Fare Bengali Lentils (1/2 package) Dinner: Boca Burger with one slice cheese. 1/4 cup frozen blueberries. Does this seem ok?

All my fills are done under xray, so I know the position is ok. If anyone else is reading this, please join in! Is this a normal amount of food?

Hi Gina, thank you for that great list of rules! I am printing it out for future reference. After reading through, I think I may need a small unfill. There is no way I'm getting in that much Protein or fiber. I'm hardly eating anything at all! I agree that the crust wasn't the best choice, but I did not have a blockage. Nothing has been stuck or come back up, it's just always a tad bit uncomfortable to eat.

I agree, the chicken has GOT to be moist. Open Pit is my friend.