ElfiePoo

Jessica, I make 'low carb' buns. this recipe makes 6 half buns. So you put 2 together for a real hamburger on a bun. I was in heaven when I discovered these although I do limit them to just one 'whole' (two of the rounds) bun per day. Here's the recipe: 6 lg eggs dash salt 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 6 oz cream cheese scant tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder Separate the eggs while still cold (yolk is more stable). Let them come to room temperature. I let the cream cheese sit out during this time as well. Using the whip attachment, I whipped the eggs with the salt for about 1 minute, then added cream of tartar and whipped for 4 more minutes (soft peaks). You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out. In a separate bowl with the flat paddle, I beat the egg yolks, cream cheese, baking powder, and seasonings. It will still have little flecks of cheese throughout. Then I slowly folded the whites into the yolk mixture until most of the whites were incorporated. It wasn't perfectly mixed in but that's not possible without breaking down the whites. Preheat the oven to 300 deg oven and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place a large scoop of the mix onto the parchment paper and do this 12 times. Then place another dollop of mix right on top of the previous ones and sort of shape them into a circle. Don't flatten them too much. Bake for about 35-45 minutes (switching the pans so they'd cook evenly after about 25 minutes -- didn't want them to fall). You can also use english muffin molds or a muffin top pan to make them a little more consistent. I let them cool on the pans though just in case the centers needed that residual heat to finish cooking.

How are you doing, Jazz? Are you having to deal with hunger...or are you finding that even with no fill, the band is working. I used to say that until you had your fills, the band was just a piece of plastic (based on how they talked about how the band worked both here and in my seminar) that didn't do anything. Then I discovered that the reason some people don't need a fill is because the band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which in turn shuts off the ghrelin (hunger hormone produced by the stomach) ...and they just happen to be one of the lucky ones who get that pressure with just the band. The rest of us need everything from a slight fill to almost maxing out the band...and some never get enough pressure at all. .

Sounds like you need a fill. .

Now that I'm no longer overfilled *and* have learned to take small bites and chew more than twice before swallowing, I rarely get stuck. If I do, it's always with Breakfast because my band is a bit tighter in the mornings. I just take a very small sip of hot tea and then wait. In the past, when I'd get stuck on chicken or fish, I'd take a huge gulp of Water and as soon as it went down, it came right back up with the offending 'plug'. I never tried the papaya enzyme tablets because I often wondered what long term use would do to my esophagus and stomach since they break up the stuck Protein so well. .

My doctor just said to use common sense. If I can eat, then go ahead. If I have problems, then back off to softer foods for a day or so.

Well call me the voice of dissent but if you're hungry and the doctor is refusing to give you a fill because you're doing 'just fine on your own'...then he's an idiot. It's a bit like selling you a car but then refusing to give you the keys. My .02...print off the band literature from the web that lists the reasons for getting a fill. One of them is 'hunger'...and then call his office and tell them you need a fill...now. If you aren't hungry, then his advice is on target. Even with an overfill, there is no guarantee the band will stop you from eating the same way you did pre-band. It didn't for me. While the band *may* physically restrict for some people, it's main purpose is to stop your stomach from producing ghrelin which causes hunger. So don't look for physical restriction. Look for a cessation of hunger. .

There's nothing wrong with a hamburger if you leave off the bun. I had a Wendy's single cheeseburger for lunch while out shopping yesterday. Just the burger with lettuce and tomato. It's a great low carb meal. .

It could be gas or it could be phrenic nerve pain. Easy fix if it's gas. Get up and move around. If it's the nerve pain, you just hope that it goes away as you lose weight. Mine hasn't. .

Yes, but not just because the band is tight...it's because you're most likely resorting to slider foods (high calorie foods that go down easy). .

So from 4 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. you're hungry. Don't you eat dinner in there somewhere? I generally eat at the same time every day 7 a.m., noon, 5 p.m. and I'll have a big mug of chicken broth with 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce in the midafternoon and evening. If I get up 2 hours later, then that first meal is my Breakfast and I still plan my other meals in relation to that - so breakfast at 9 a..m., lunch at 2 and dinner at 6:30 or 7. I never skip meals. I also eat a diet that is relatively high in fat compared to others...about 60% of my calories come from fat and 30% from Protein. Carbs are under 20 and I eat roughly 1200-1500 calories per day. The higher fat *and* low carb keeps me from craving....even head hunger. Several weeks ago, eating like this, I was *starving*. I went in for a fill and almost immediate relief from that gnawing hunger. Perhaps you need a fill? Before you decide, I'd make sure you're at least eating frequently enough. Going from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. without eating and expecting not to be hungry isn't reasonable. .

I'm assuming you meant you'd 'like to' tell them, not that you actually do? At least I hope so. For many people, WLS is not even a possibility. It's hard to save money for WLS when you barely make enough to feed your family, put a roof over their head and clothing on their back. Also, and I'm sure this isn't a popular view...but WLS is not for everyone. Too many people go into it thinking it's the 'magic pill' and once they have it, all their weight will mysteriously start dropping off. Heck, you can see that right here in this forum...people 1-3 weeks postop starting threads about how upset they are and wishing they never got this surgery because they haven't lost anything. WLS only works if we're willing to work...and many of those obese people you see riding carts in the grocery store or heading up to the all you can eat buffet in a restaurant don't want to give up their food. Sure, they want to be thin and not be in pain or on all those meds...but not if it means giving up their third helping or all the junk food. .

Between 1200-1500, low carb. .

Stacey, Why no NSAIDS with the band? Melody

Denise, ROFLMAO...now to go clean off my computer monitor. .

Doctor's are not trained in nutrition and most nutritionists follow the "same old, same old" that's been taught for decades. IMHO, this is our body and we know from experience what has worked and hasn't worked...and for my 'stalkers' who love to follow me around...just because we don't *DO*, doesn't mean we don't *KNOW*. I do think that when most doctors and nutritionists say 'no snacking', as Cocoabean said, they're referring to mindless eating. There's a vast difference between having a snack of a piece of cheese or hard boiled egg, even some vegie sticks or fruit, than there is of the typical snack of cheetos, ice cream or Cookies. As a general rule these days, my 'snack' has been a hot cup of chicken broth with 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seed oil but if I'm having a rough day with the blood sugar, my mid-meal snack is a hard boiled egg or some cheese. Again, when your doctor said 'no carb', I'm thinking he didn't mean vegies but was referring to the Pasta, bread, rice and potatoes type of carbs (starch vegies would fall into this category too - peas, corn, etc.). If you aim for 30-45 carbs a day, that's plenty to get your vegies . .

If I let my band tell me when I've had enough, I'd be right back up at 330 lb. I weigh and measure everything and I record everything I stick in my mouth...including gum or breath mints. I tried winging it but found that my weight loss is critically tied to how many grams of Protein and carbs I eat, as well as calories. I also eat on schedule. I wake up automatically at the same time every day and my body seems to now be used to eating at set times. I find that about an hour before meals, it's telling me it's time to eat but in a way that gives me that hour to prepare (versus the ravenous hunger that demands to be fed *now*). .

Dump the nuts and Protein bars. Those calories and carbs can pack enough of a wallop to stall the weight loss. .

Leigha, You're a repo lady? Wow...I'll bet you have some stories to tell. Our neighbor is apparently living *way* above his income because they came out not too long ago and repo'd his jeep, his truck and his wife's SUV. I'm still waiting for them to come back for the 5th wheel trailer he has sitting outside his garage and not envying the person that does it. This man was so incredibly abusive that they had to leave and come back with the cops. Melody

Restriction varies with the individual. Some people are looking for actual physical restriction so that the band controls the volume they can eat at one sitting. Some people get that. Most don't without constant 'stuck' episodes. What you should be looking for is your hunger to go away after you eat and not be hungry for about 4 hours after a meal. The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which keep the stomach from producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. For some people (a rare few), the band alone does this. For most of us, we need fills. Some just a little and others will almost max out their band.

So I got up this morning and the scale is down another pound. I know...I know...I probably shouldn't have changed my ticker since it's possible it will go back up by Monday but what can I say...I just like seeing those lower numbers for a change. I was looking at my weight graph in Fitday.com and it looks like I've lost about 11 pounds this last month. I didn't realize it was that much! Anyway, I'm getting my head ready for another slow down since I know this is too good to last, but still. What is amazing to me is that, looking back over my fitday record, the only change in the last 30 days has been my daily protein grams. I went from about 120+ to around 70 (for the most part)...and suddenly started losing after months of just yoyoing. Haven't eaten yet so off to breakfast. Have a good one y'all! Melody

Jackie, Congrats on the 6lb! .

I'm not using my 'feelings'. I'm using the *facts*. I know...for a fact...exactly what I put in my mouth, right down to a breath mint, every day because I record every single thing I put in my mouth through fitday.com. I know...for a fact...that according to the 'experts' I was eating 1100 calories per day less than the calories supposedly needed to maintain that current weight...and not losing. I know ...for a fact...that I had also increased my exercise to an hour of brisk walking per day plus aerobics twice a week so my calorie expenditure was greater...and still not losing. There is far more to losing weight than calories in/calories out...and even the 'experts' can't agree on it. To simplify it to calories in/calories out is doing a disservice to everyone. To the OP, in case this got lost in all this nonsense (which I'm just not going to continue with)...change up some of what you're doing. It could be that 800 calories is too low for you. I don't lose on 800 calories. Actually, I didn't lose on 1200 calories until I also started watching my Protein grams (excess Proteins can cause a glucogenic effect) as well. Depending on where your carbs are at, you might try lowering them to below 30...or at least below 60. I've found that carbs are not carbs for me. If I'm not trying to lose weight, I can go as high as 60gm of carb per day but if those carbs are in the form of bread, Pasta, etc. (versus vegies), I can actually gain. Our bodies are so unique. What works for one person will not work for another. For decades the nutrition and fitness industry have been trying to convince us that there's one perfect diet for everyone (low cal, low fat)...and that's just a lie. Hopefully you'll find what your body needs...just don't give up and don't let the naysayers depress you. Personally, I'd also be having a few words with my doctor about *his* attitude. . .

The reality is that it really all comes down to what you want. The psych eval is merely a formality required by most insurance companies. I thought it was to determine whether we would be a good candidate. My insurance company said it was just a formality to make sure we weren't suicidal or suffering from severe depression. I translate that to, "if you go to a shrink and they clear you for surgery and you actually do commit suicide, we're in the clear on a lawsuit". Ultimately, it should never be up to anyone but us, so if you feel like this is moving forward a little too fast, then haul in the reins. Move at your comfort level. If you need more time, take it. .

The reality is that you might go through all this and not lose the weight but it's all within your control Too many people get the band thinking that after surgery, they'll just magically not feel like overeating, will magically choose to make the right food choices, will magically not crave all the things that made them this obese to begin with. It's not magical and it all still comes down to self-control and willpower. *Maybe* the band will physically limit how much you can eat at one meal without getting your band overfilled. How do you know it's overfilled? According to my surgeon, if you're getting stuck on a fairly regular basis, despite taking small bites and chewing well, then you're overfilled. The way the band was designed to work was to put pressure on your vagus nerves which control the hunger hormone, ghrellin. So proper restriction is not limiting how much you can eat...but losing that hungry feeling with smaller quantities of food and keeping that hunger quiet for 3-4 hours...like a normal weight person. If you're a grazer, a junk food eater or a sweet eater...the band won't stop you from doing any of that...but by removing the hunger (if that's the reason you eat), it removes some of the difficulty in applying our self-control. My .02...if you want to know whether you'll be successful at the band, take a long honest look at your past eating habits and ask yourself why you eat. If it's because you are hungry, then the band will most likely be a benefit. If you feel it's because you just can't control your carb/sweet/etc. 'addiction', and you're looking for the band to do that...it most likely will not be a benefit because it won't stop you from eating all of those things. Good luck with your decision. .

I had one of those. I just snipped it with a pair of clippers...and then watched to see if my butt fell off. Sorry...old joke from my childhood. .