btrieger

OMG! Did you see Christie's and Betsy's new Avatar pics?! You two are just getting too darn cute for your own good! :smile2:

They look great. I am waiting until after my panni to post a G-string pic. :tt2:

Not having a good morning. Another headache and I gained *another* 2 lbs. WTH??!! I'm eating 1200 calories a day, logging everything I stick in my mouth (including sugar free breath mints) into Fitday.com, walking at a brisk pace for 1 hr each day and I'm gaining weight????? Argggghhh!

Melody,

Work with a dietitian if you have one handy.

It could be just regular fluctuations or you just need to tune your eating differently.

I don't count calories per se but I keep a strict eye on how much saturated fat and sodium I ingest. With others it is carbohydrate; sugars or all out calories.

Just keep your head up and don't let it get to you.

Arrrgggh! I'm at a professional conference at a talk on childhood obesity and every time she says 'lose weight' she put 'loose weight' in the power point. I must go jab my eyes out now.

I would not be able to contain myself. I would embarrass myself and the presenter.

Once is a typo, more than that is idiocy!

In REAL life if you walk into a room full of bandsters and say, "I'm starving", the majority of the people in the room are going to roll their eyes and think, "suck it up and get over it!"

Of course, some of us will actually say it.

You'll always get sympathy from a couple but the rest won't care to listen to anything else you have to say because they don't want to be brought down.

Once again, I am not trying to control what anyone posts and everybody will always agree or disagree with whatever they want. I just want people to take 2 seconds to think about what they will or will not gain when posting.

Try cutting the meats smaller and chewing them longer. Also, cheat, undercooked or overcooked meats can all cause issues.

I have a harder time with fish than I do meat.

A 6 inch sub is not in any shape or former a slider. So, I don't think you are too tight. It just takes practice.

You don't have to be strict about it but it does help to read the nutrition facts on foods before you buy them. Kraft mac & cheese is basically garbage.

The macaroni won't kill you but that delicious orange crap just may.

Weight-watchers and Lean Cuisine have better alternatives in the frozen food section and they're already portioned perfectly.

My surgeon strictly stated before and after my surgery, "Do NOT do sit-ups because they can cause your port to flip."

No a slipped band but a flipped port.

I understand life is not a bowl of cherries and we all have positive and negative experiences.

I think everyone should feel free to post openly and honest. I just want everyone to think about what they're saying.

I am a very skeptical and cynical person by nature. By keeping my attitude towards this journey positive it has really helped me succeed so far.

"I ate solid food soon after surgery and it was a mistake" is a constructive post. Others can learn by your experience.

"I just started my liquid diet and I'm starving" is not so constructive but it could be if phrased differently. Like, "what did some of you do to fight the hunger during your pre-op diet?"

Happy Birthday Denise!!!!

Just saying what the PA told me when I said I thought I should be losing more quickly. Mea Culpa if that is incorrect information.

I should've mentioned that it is often quoted and always wrong.

Loose skin has many variables and how fast you lose weight is not one of them.

Age and amount of stretching being the two most prevalent.

The norm on LAP-BAND® is 1 to 2 pounds per week weight loss. When the body loses too rapidly there is the danger of lots of hanging skin.

That is a horrible, horrible misconception.

The speed at which you lose weight has absolutely nothing to do with how much excess skin you wind up with in the end!

That's normal. Your weight fluctuates with Water. For example, before I workout, I may weigh 2 pounds more than after it. I've sweat off a good amount of Water. Also, your weight fluctuates with bowel movements and the such. This is TMI, but I decided to see what I would weigh before and after a BM. I ended up weighing 1 pound lighter than before my BM. Yeeeeahhh.... don't worry about those 2 pounds. They will be gone soon enough.

And a good pee weighs twice as much as a good crap :thumbup:

Also, too much sodium or too little water will cause you to retain fluids.

I was banded March 2nd and drove to the store and got my supplies March 3rd.

You are all scaring me!! Wow this thread is discouraging. I am going to be banded on October 14 and I have done tons of research but I am still very confused. I am getting MANY mixed messages. I was told no alcohol and have read several posts of people drinking to excess on the weekends. Huh?? Did I miss something here? Also, I was told that small pills and supplements would be fine and I am reading that everything must be liquid?? Reading also about folks eating all the wrong stuff when I thought that all the wrong stuff is supposed to make me sick?? I really want this to work but some of the stuff on these forums is discouraging :-(. Also the mixed messages are confusing me to the max! HELP

I drink to excess every so often. I wouldn't recommend it but I did verify with my surgeon prior to surgery that drinking alcohol would be ok. If he said no, I would have either not had surgery or found a surgeon with a different answer.

I take 7 pills every morning and 3 every night and have not had one get stuck yet in the 7 months since surgery.

There is NO wrong stuff for everyone. I have no problem eating anything except soft corn tortillas. It all depends on the person, how tight their band is and if they chew enough.

Here's my weekly

09/18/09 365

09/25/09 362

10/01/09 359

10/07/09 352

10/14/09 346

10/21/09 343

10/28/09 339

11/03/09 335

11/10/09 332

11/17/09 329

11/23/09 324

12/01/09 320

12/08/09 316

12/15/09 314

12/22/09 310

12/29/09 308

01/05/10 303

01/12/10 299

01/19/10 296

01/26/10 293

02/02/10 291

02/09/10 286

02/16/10 281

02/23/10 275

03/02/10 270 (surgery day)

03/09/10 266

03/16/10 265

03/23/10 264

03/30/10 259

04/06/10 255

04/13/10 257

04/20/10 254

04/27/10 251

05/04/10 251

05/11/10 247

05/18/10 248

05/25/10 244

06/01/10 242

06/08/10 239

06/15/10 236

06/22/10 234

06/29/10 232

07/06/10 228

07/13/10 226

07/20/10 225

07/27/10 220

08/03/10 222

08/10/10 222

08/17/10 220

08/24/10 216

08/31/10 214

09/07/10 216

09/14/10 216

09/21/10 213

09/28/10 214

10/05/10 208

600 doesn't raise my eyebrows even a little, and I live with a man who has congestive heart failure and is on a strict sodium restriction.

Most Americans take in 5-6 grams of sodium a day--most of it hidden in prepared foods. That's 5000-6000 mg--most of it hidden in prepared foods. The Daily Value recommended for most people is no more than 2400 mg.

The standard sodium restriction for those who require it for medical purposes is 2000 mg. Most bodies need about 1500 mg/day. If drinking lots of Fluid and exercising, more may be needed.

So 600 at a pop? Definitely not a showstopper. It's pretty hard, with limited stomach capacity, to trip the wire of sodium overload. The band does a pretty good job of putting the brakes on, even for that.

My concern about prepared foods is that they often aren't nutritionally dense. A Lean Cuisine just doesn't pack the same nutrient punch that a similar volume of good-quality lean Protein and veggies packs. And it's not easier to prepare, either.

My cardiologist told me to try and limit sodium to 2,000mg and not go over 4K.

What is your take on carbs Betsy? There is a big difference between the 250 I was given and the 80 that Sparky said.

The dietician with tell you all about Portion Control and how to judge things using your fist, a deck of cards and a pair of dice.

Counting calories is simple. Just do it online using Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate or FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal.

For the sake of argument, this is probably your supervised diet, not your pre-op.

Good luck and keep your head up.

I haven't done much more than walking and little jogging and that works.

Garner up every bit of willpower you can and get out the door.

Walk around the block. After a while you will actually enjoy it. You'll meet neighbors you never knew you had. You see things that you never noticed driving by in a hurry to get home.

When you are comfortable with that, walk a little further.

Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from work or the store.

Walking is an amazing thing and almost everybody does it every day.

Should I try to drink something or just let it dissolve on its on. Its my Prevacid, ironic how it is the pill that is suppose to help my stuck indigestion feeling!:thumbup:

If it is truly stuck, anything you drink will just back up behind it and probably come back out the way it went in.

Hopefully it will pass soon.

it's a capsule. Cant crush... What do you do for those types? Is there a trick I dont know about? It's annoying!

Talk to your pharmacist. Many medications have alternative forms. Capsules are usually time release, meaning a similar medication is probably required.

Ok Veteran, I have a pill stuck, what do I do for that?

Walk it off. It will dissolve over time.

Read the side of the bottle and if it does NOT say "Do not crush" get a pill crusher at the drug store.

If it DOES say, "Do not crush" ask your pharmacist if there is a liquid alternative to the medication.

It was the baby comment... Really, you support the baby comment? It is totally different. I totally wish to hear from been there done that bandsters. But if someone wants to whine and moan let them. It's for people to tell them hey I have been there too without all of the "OMG DID YOU do your research" or "I would like to see have a baby" I hate my baby! !!!! comments! that isnt SUPPORT lelllo... That was my point... Sorry you couldnt see that!

I support the baby comment. It was by far the funniest thing ever posted on this site.

I listened to my mother belittle me from day one practically until the day she died. Blaming me for the pain she went through with the C-section.

Nobody likes a whiner and right now that seems to be what I'm doing best.

Honey, you aren't whining. You have legitimate concerns. Hopefully some of those that are whining will read your post and realize how lucky they actually are.

I'm not a doctor but I do play one on Halloween. Any surgery is traumatic to your body. It has to pull together everything it has for the healing process. That sometimes means borrowing from other places. This can exaggerate or make visible pre-existing issues. Such as asthma.

With time and bed rest, you will feel much better.

Just take it one day at a time.

Processed food can say "Lean Cusine" or "healthy Choice" but you have to read the labels. "Healthy Choice" BBQ chicken and rice has 16g of Protein but it also has 70g of carbs! 5g of fiber, 600mg of sodium and is 370 cal. LOTS of carbs. Lean and healthy does not mean so.

Hang in there:thumbup:

I'm not a carb counter but I have been told by nutritionists in the past to try and keep my carbs under 250g a day.

70g does not seem so bad.

How many carbs have you been told to keep it to?

I do watch sodium and 600mg is a little high but not a showstopper either.

Bob-Is insurance going to pay for some/all of your panniculectomy? I've heard of it sometimes if you are having problems from excess skin (rashes, chafing, etc..)

Speaking of that now I am worried that if I do need surgery...will my insurance cover it??? They did (90%) of my original, but now I am "overweight" not "morbidly obese" so maybe they will cover getting the bad one out and not to put a new one in :thumbup:!!! AGGGGGGGG damn my mother for turning me into her...the constant worrier

I looked at my policy and gave Aetna a call. They said no cosmetic surgery. I didn't bother pushing any further.

I am having a an umbilical hernia fixed at the same time and insurance pays 100% for that. So, my final quote for the panni is $4,870 out of pocket with a guarantee of no hidden costs.

Crystl, no six pack with the panni. The muscles aren't touched. Just the hangover/apron.

i thought this was a place to share feelings and stuff? I do have to say that i was scared to death after reading some of this stuff BUT who else will tell me what to expect. i mean i can't ask my husband what should i do with i get stuck or i can't call my sister coz neither one of them have had it done! SO i think this is a good site..everyone is different so just coz i read a 'i'm hungry or i'm sick' is not going to affect me but i do feel some kind of calm knowing i'm not the ONLY one going through it!!

It is the place to share feelings and I was sharing mine. :thumbup:

I am not trying to intimidate anyone from posting their feelings. I am just trying to make people think a little more. I don't see anything constructive in post that say, "I started my liquid diet 8 minutes ago and I am starving" or "I only lost 30 pounds in the last 4 days" or "I had surgery 2 days ago and didn't loose[sic] any weight in the last 3 minutes."

I would never ever criticize anyone for saying they were sick and I don't think anyone else is.