ElfiePoo

Heather, If you can eat a reasonable meal and not be hungry for 4-5 hours, then you already are at your sweet spot. .

HB, The quilt is beautiful! Love the colors! Melody

Sounds like you're still mindful and not just binging and I'd call that a success! 'Sunny florida' (she sighs wistfully and enviously as she looks out at several inches of snow and more coming down.). .

Morning peeps! I think I finally found an activity for me that I'll keep up with on a daily basis - Tae Bo! Normally, I'm not even 5 minutes into whatever activity I'm doing and I'm checking the clock, appalled that only 5 minutes have passed because I'm so booooored. So far, the only time I'm checking the clock is when I finish (reach the point where I know I'll overdo it and pay for it in crashing blood sugar levels) and look to see how long I lasted...and it's 30 minutes! It's amazing fun, but I will admit that I can't keep up with him when he kicks into that high gear. I'm just still too out of shape to move that fast and not just flail my arms and legs. So while he's double timing it, I'm just making a point to do the moves right...and I'm still getting cardio. Yesterday I did 30 minutes in the morning and then 30 minutes in the evening (just cuz I felt like it). Love it! Apparently my body has decided to hit another stall after 2 months of losing. I would've thought my holiday 'food vacation' would have kept that from happening, but oh well. I've been consistently on plan since New Year's so hopefully, I'll start to see that downward slide on the scale soon. My son is getting married on May 15th and I really really want to be below 200 pounds by that date. One would think I could lose (even at my age) 20 pounds in 5 months (she says hopefully). .

I have a 14cc band as well and was told that most don't reach restriction until 7-8cc. I was up at 8.75cc and still looking for restriction (when I misunderstood and thought it meant it would 'physically' restrict how much I could eat). Now I'm at 6cc and happy there because I am not hungry for 4 hours or so after a meal.

It's not about how much you can or can't eat. It's whether or not you're hungry after a reasonable meal. I'm at my sweet spot (no hunger for about 4 hours after a meal) and, if I wanted, I could still eat half a pizza. That shift in thinking from the band restricting the amount I eat to the band eliminating hunger is what finally led me to successfully losing weight again...slowly, but losing. .

If my husband was so tactless as to make such a remark, I would tell him that this isn't about being able to brag about whether or not I weigh the same as I did in college, but about attaining a healthy weight for my body. Why would you allow someone else to make you feel like a failure? You've already lost 40 pounds...and, honey, even if you never lost another pound that makes you a winner already. Tell your husband to mind his own weight and you'll mind yours. .

Good post, the only thing I would change is regarding the shoulder pain. The shoulder pain, if it continues weeks after surgery is caused by some part of the band rubbing against the diaphragm and is not necessarily caused by eating. I'm over a year postop and my shoulder pain occurs mostly when I'm lying down or riding in the front passenger seat of the car (puts me in just the right position). It never occurs when I'm eating. .

Now that I'm not overfilled, I'd agree. When I was overfilled, a meal wouldn't go by that my husband and soon would look at me and (apparently by the expression on my face) ask, "Stuck again?" Since we sit down together as a family for meals, I cook the way I need to eat and, as a result, my family eats healthier now as well. I also now only fix enough for that one meal. In the past, there would always be leftovers because I'd cook extra 'in case' someone would be hungrier. Now I understand that normal people eat normal amounts and then they're satisfied. So I fix normal amounts...and nobody has ever walked away from the table hungry. I do occasionally bake french bread or my special artisan type crusty bread because they like it, but I never eat it. I also will 'occasionally' (*maybe* once a week on Sunday) make a dessert, but I never eat it. Wheat and sugar are taboo to them. .

That has got to be the single most difficult thing for me to deal with. Certain types of carbs (wheat and sugar particularly) are poison to me. When I was in my mid 20's people could not believe I weighed 200 pounds. First because I carried my weight well and had a tiny waist (despite my size) and second because I just didn't eat like a 200 pound person. I wasn't a junk food eater and I didn't eat volume. One of my roommates, a good friend who spent a lot of time with me, as well as being a co-worker, said many times I should have my thyroid tested because there was no way I could eat so litle food and be that overweight. Oh, and I also went backpacking in the Rocky Mountains almost every weekend during the nice weather carrying a 28 pound pack. During bad weather, I cross country skied. Despite that, I weighed 200 lbs. It has taken another 30 years to realize that my body does not metabolize certain carbs well, no matter how little I eat of them and, if I want to take this weight off for good, I need to eliminate them from my diet permanently. .

Putting aside the fact that smoking is just not good for you...is your doctor or insurance company refusing to do the surgery if you're still smoking? If it's the doctor, just find another one if you really thing you aren't going to be able to quit. It's better than lying to your doctor. if it's the insurance company, well you may have to just suck it up and go cold turkey. My doctor merely mentioned in the seminar that if anyone smoked, it would be in their best interest to give it up but it wasn't a prereq to having surgery. .

You all may be dealing with phrenic nerve pain. Basically some part of the band is rubbing on the diaphragh which causes pain to one of the vertebrae (can't remember which) but it refers the pain to the left shoulder. Fun fun...not. I'm a year post op and still have it. .

I'm not quite sure how these doctors expect an adult to get enough nutrients in 1/2 cup of food...let alone assuage the hunger that you will inevitably have to deal with. I was fortunate enough to have a surgeon who also has a band so had personal experience in living with it. If you can do it...more power to you, I guess...but if you can't, then the next best thing is to eat a reasonable, balanced meal...3-4 oz of Protein, 1/2 cup vegies and 1/4 cup starches (if you're still hungry). If you find you're still hungry between meals because you aren't at your sweet spot, then eat a hard boiled egg, or an ounce of cheese, or some other type of protein. Even a low carb low cal Protein shake is better than dropping into bad food habits. Bottom line - you need to make this work for you. .

The more the merrier! I wish we had more active people in this thread! Melody

No doubt there will be a nap in my future today. I think I 'might' have had about 3 hours sleep (and not restful at that) last night. Fortunately, I don't have to do anything today that requires much thinking or energy other than making egg rolls for my son to take to his 'game night' at a friend's house this evening. All I have to do is make the filling and put the egg rolls together. They're going to cook them tonight. Good thing because I love egg rolls and don't know if I could resist 'eating just one'. My tossing and turning woke up my husband and he mentioned that he found a blog that mentioned a friend of ours who died last March unexpectedly. Right after she died her adult children announced on her facebook page that she had died but were quite secretive as to the reason and, of course, nobody wanted to pry. However, she was only 62 years old and in fairly good health so we couldn't help wondering. Well, the blog my husband found was written by another friend of hers and it did tell what the reason was. Apparently she died of complications from lap band surgery. I was shocked. We hadn't seen her in years because she lives on the west coast, but she was not overweight the last time we saw her. I know she was a heavy smoker and tended to be an L.A. 'party girl' for much of her life (married to an actor) so perhaps that upped her surgical risks. At any rate, events such as this and my son's mil dying at the age of 49 from a blood clot after surgery to her knee, make me even more determined to try and wait out this shoulder pain rather than resort to surgery at this point. Call me chicken. Off to do some Tae Bo and hopefully wake up a bit more before tackling the egg roll fillling. Then perhaps I can get a nap in while it's cooling. Have a great day everyone! Melody

HB: I'm so sorry your job is stressing you out, but on the bright side, at least now you aren't easing that stress with food (since you're losing weight rather than gaining) which would only create more stress. Isn't it funny how our body image is a warped version of the reality. When I weighed more, I never thought I looked that fat. Now that I weigh less, I think I look just as fat as I used to. I'm not sure how we fix that. Stacey: If you can eat a reasonable meal and not be hungry for 4 hours, then you're at your sweet spot (according to my surgeon). I used to never feel at my sweet spot because I kept looking for physical restriction. Now that I understand, I'm almost 3 full cc's below where I was before (when I was still looking for that sweet spot) and have found my sweet spot...and if you're like me, still able to eat the quantities you did pre-surgery...yep, it's going to be all up to us. The bright side is that the self-control is at least doable now that the hunger isn't driving us, yes? To both...yes, the pain has been not as frequent, or as painful. There are a few exceptions like last night, but rather than go into surgery again, I think I'm going to try and wait it out and see if weight loss doesn't resolve it. Melody

2:30 a.m. and the shoulder pain is back with a vengeance. It actually hasn't been too bad lately. I've still had it at night every few nights or so, but not so bad I couldn't find a way to make it stop. Tonight, however, I'm in hell. I tried a hot shower to help with the tightness in my neck and shoulder (from tensing at the pain) and then some camphor type stuff you put on aches but so far nothing has helped. I figure at some point I'll be so exhausted, I'll even be able to sleep sitting up in a chair. <yawn>.... Melody

I am a diabetic and at the time I got my band, I was eating 6 smaller meals per day just to keep my blood sugar stable. Due to the extremely low carbs post surgery, my meds were cut in half. Now a year later, I'm off them completely. I'm a Type II by the way. Unfortunately there are a lot of doctors out there giving out a lot of advice and none of them seem to agree...which is why I use the brain God gave me and take their 'advice' as just one more piece of information in deciding what I'm going to do. It's my body and I'm the one who has to live with the consequences. As a diabetic, it's the Protein that's going to keep your blood sugar stable and the carbs that will give the most problem since it's the carbs that (generally) cause the production of insulin (assuming you're type II). I'm curious as to why the doctor handling your meds isn't suggesting you stop taking them or lowering them drastically with consistent low blood sugar readings. .

I'm a Type II. Her doctor is telling her that she can reverse her Type I diabetes with a gastric?! That just doesn't make sense since Type I (if I understand correctly) is a diabetic whose body is not producing insulin. Having a bypass will not change that. Also, depending on her healing ability (a problem with many diabetics), something as invasive as a bypass may set up a whole series of recovery problems. Just something to think about but many bypass patients are undergoing additional surgery to get the band because even though they're limited on what they can eat, their hunger doesn't go away because their stomach is still producing excess amounts of ghrelin. If you go back and read a few of my posts, I'm always explaining what this is and why the band seems to be the most effective surgical method long-term. Even many vertical sleeve patients are starting to get the band (for the same reason). .

It could be gas since it's still so soon after surgery...but it could also be phrenic nerve pain from the band rubbing against the diaphragm (referred pain to the shoulder). I'm 1 year postop and still have it on and off whenever I'm lying down. Sometimes just an irritation. Sometimes, like tonight, enough to keep me awake. .

I was told to watch for night coughing as it is a sign that the band is too tight. .

I do Atkins so my diet is roughly 60% fat, 30% Protein and less than 30gm carb per day. A typical day looks like this: B: 2 eggs cooked in .2 oz butter, 2-3 sl bacon (works out to 1 oz cooked) L: 3 oz protein, 1/2 c. low carb vegies (green Beans, broccoli, etc.) D: 3 oz protein, 1/ c. low carb vegies or 1 cup salad, 1/4 c. rice, beans or potatoes I don't get fancy with my eating. My vegies are steamed and my Proteins are broiled, roasted or pan fried in a bit of olive oil. I use parmesan cheese or a bit of butter on my vegies and real full fat salad dressings. .

First, diabetes never goes away. You will never be able to eat the way a person without diabetes eats without it affecting your blood sugar levels. You can, however, control it with diet instead of medicine. Bypass has its own set of problems. Some people do really well. Others have major medical problems and diminished quality of life as a result of the bypass surgery...and you never know which you'll be until it's too late. I also belong to a couple lists where the predominant surgery was bypass and it's a bit horrifying to see how many people are back on their diabetic meds *and* gaining weight. Yes the drastic, immediate loss of weight from surgery had them off insulin...but their bad eating habits which they never fix puts them right back on. I am a diabetic and have been taking insulin in the morning and with each meal...up until a week or so ago. Now I'm diet controlled. How quickly you're off your diabetic meds and diet controlled is mostly up to you. I eat roughly 30gm of carbs per day. My meals are Protein and low carb vegies for lunch and same for dinner but with the addition of 1/4 cup of starch (rice, potatoes or beans). If I had been doing that 'consistently' since my surgery a year ago, I would have been off meds in a couple months, but I'm apparently a slow learner. Don't let your doctor push you into a bypass. You may immediately lower your blood sugar levels, but that doesn't mean they'll stay there...particularly if you look at it as a quick fix. .

I think it's one of those YMMV (your mileage may vary) situations. Studies show that people who skip breakfast actually eat more at other meals or throughout the day because they're either hungrier or 'mentally' they justify that it's ok to eat more later because they didn't eat breakfast. I believe there are also studies (vague recollection) that breakfast is the most important meal because it actually gets your metabolism going and gives the nutrients to the organs so they work more efficiently and promoting better weight loss. Personally, I eat at the same time every day and I eat whether or not I'm hungry because it keeps my blood sugar stable. .

Define 'restriction'. What is it you're looking for? While the band does give 'physical' restriction to some people (although it appears to do that they must be overfilled to the point where they have frequent daily/meal episodes of sliming and getting stuck), it doesn't for most. Unfortunately, those of us who never have physical restriction even when we're overfilled, often feel like failures. I was actually scheduled for surgery for a vertical sleeve and it was only there that I learned about ghrelin and then knew the right questions to ask my own surgeon. The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which then tells the stomach to stop producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Some people get this with just the pressure of the band. Most need fills, which will vary by individual. We will still get normal hunger about 4-5 hours after a meal *assuming* we actually ate a meal. It's just not reasonable to think you can go 4-5 hours on 6 bites of food. You should be able to eat 3 oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of vegies and *maybe* 1/4 cup of starches at a meal and stay full for 4-5 hours. Pay attention to your band after eating. If you really do get hungry between meals, first take a look at what you're eating. If you're eating a reasonable meal and still hungry, it's probably time for a fill. If you aren't hungry, then it's going to be up to you to *choose* not to eat out of habit. .