TamifromAL

Good luck to you! I know you can't wait to get the New Year off to a good start. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Tami

Interesting! I want a microbe transplant from Jennifer Anniston. Tami

I portion off the food on my plate into a "bandster"-size portion before I even start eating. If my hubby doesn't finish the rest, I usually take it home with me. But, one idea that might help you keep from contuing to nibble when you can't take home leftovers, is to douse the rest heavily with salt. That takes away the temptation! Tami

Losingjusme...she's adorable! Wheetsin, I love your shopping trip idea. Can I go??!! For me, one motivating factor was watching my mother-in-law gradually kill herself with obesity. The last couple of years she could barely walk, and fell often. When she fell, she would have to get help because she couldn't get up off the floor by herself. One time she fell and hurt her knee. It wasn't that bad of an injury, but infection set in, and it was downhill for her from that point. She couldn't live on her own anymore, because it would mean hiring two aides since one couldn't get her out of bed. Sad, sad, sad. Then, the most recent kicker for me was going boating with some friends last summer. It was hot, so we all jumped in the lake to swim. Then, uh, oh, I realized that unless I wanted to swim the 5 miles to the marina, I'd have to somehow get back in the boat! I was mortified (and bruised) as it took 3 people, including my daughter's buff and handsome teen friend to roll me onto the platform at the back of the boat. Ugghh. So, this summer, I won't have to worry about getting in and out of the boat, and I *might* even try skiing (as my loose skin flaps in the breeze!) :biggrin1: Tami

Fills are nothing to worry about! I don't even have the area numbed first. I think there are fewer nerve endings in that area, because I honestly barely feel it. I am a frequent blood donor, though, and needles just don't bother me. I'd rather get stuck with a needle or get blood drawn than to get that little finger prick to test your Iron, though! Tami

lamamama, BJean, I wait an hour after eating to begin drinking. No way could I wait 2 hours. Brendab, you're welcome! I've gotta get more consistent with exercise, too. New Year's resolution! Isn't it great that we all got a head start on the weight loss for the New Year??!! I broke down today and went in for a slight unfill (.25 cc). She seemed surprised that I was overly restricted at 1.5cc, and said most people get restriction at about 3cc. I went straight to Wendy's and got a bowl of chili. It was sooooo good. Don't ask about the Frosty. :speechles I am feeling really good about the weight loss today. I got two invitations today for holiday events, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't look for excuses to bug out! I'm actually looking forward to being with other people. And that's even though the phrase "I have nothing to wear" has taken on a whole new meaning! I stopped by Kohl's on the way back from the Dr's office, and got a nice pair of black slacks on sale. But the best part is that they are a size 18. That's a MISSES size 18, not Women's! :whoo: Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend! Tami

Nothing particularly special. For the most part, I avoid sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, saturated and trans fats, processed flour, and products containing those ingredients. Other than that, I just follow the bandster guidelines. I exercise sporadically. I have no idea why my metabolism is revved up, but I'll take it! I just got my second fill, and right now it's too tight, and worries me that it'll get me started in some bad habits (not eating Breakfast, relying on soft foods). If it doesn't loosen a bit soon, I'll have a little taken back out. It's better to be able to eat healthy foods rather than counting on the band to limit what/when you can eat. Tami

It'sGottaGo, thanks! I've heard several people say the same thing, so I'm just taking it a day at a time, and hoping that I don't have an emergency over the weekend! If it doesn't loosen up after Christmas, though, I'm probably going to go in for a slight adjustment. I can totally see why some people say they actually gain weight while overfilled. I'm hungrier in the morning, because I can't eat, but I also have to drink slow. Before this fill, if I was hungry between meals, I just chugged water to fill me up. Plus, it's easy to give in to the "soft foods syndrome". When I'm hungry and feeling deprived, ice cream sounds pretty darn good. On the plus side, once I'm able to eat, I am definitely satisfied with less food, and stay full longer! BJean...I meant to tell you earlier that I've never heard about the pain you've had after drinking water. Maybe you should post on the main list to ask some of the "old timers". Brendab...I don't think anyone answered your question earlier about "what is a PB?" PB = productive burp. It happens to some people when they over eat, eat too fast, or take too big of a bite, and the food that's still in the pouch comes back up. Tami

If my doc put 2cc in my 4cc (9.75cm) band at my first fill, I would be totally blocked off. I have 1.5cc right now, and am borderline too tight. One size does NOT fit all! Tami

I'm having a hard time understanding something. I've always heard people say they PB if they over eat. But, reading this thread, I understand that that is not always the case. Apparently, sometimes people overeat and don't PB, and end up dilating their pouch, right? Any idea why some people PB when they over eat and some people don't? I've never PB'd, and I'm tight right now. I do burp sometimes when I get that "full" or "golfball" feeling, though. Is that something to try to avoid? Tami

Just wanted to say that I think an interesting question has been raised here, and we might all benefit from it being posted as a new topic, "What is support?" I think it varies greatly from person to person, and depending on the situation. Some people want advice from people who have more experience, others want a shoulder to cry on or someone to commiserate with them, others just want a swift kick in the behind. Quite frankly, they *all* have some value! Tami

The problem is, it's a fine line between being properly restricted and being over-restricted. I've had this fill level for a week, and I'm not really comfortable with it, but I'm not having the classic symptoms of being over-filled, either (no PB, no heartburn, can drink water). But, I'm very tight in the morning, and have to take it slow, even with liquids! It's weird, I can actually feel the liquids trickle through. Twice I've set up appointments to get a slight unfill, but then cancelled when I could eat later in the afternoon. This is more restriction than I'm comfortable with, but I read so many posts where people say they started out tight, and then it loosened up a week or two later. Of course, on the flip side of that, there are a lot of people who say they got tighter a week or two later! Tami

PB = "productive burp"

You sure you want to get a fill right before Christmas? I got my 2nd fill last Tuesday, and I'm still struggling trying to get back to solid foods. I almost went in for a slight unfill, but am trying to tough it out. I've had to redefine what a "small bite" is, and what it means to "eat slow". I thought I was doing both, but this fill is kicking butt. I don't know about you, but I'd hate to be overfilled at Christmas, or still doing mushies. Tami

Hi ya'll! I'm down 4 lbs. this week. My fill last week really kicked butt. It's definitely working, but I'm not so sure I like it, because I'm struggling a lot more with eating. I still haven't PB'd, but get the "golfball" a LOT. Tami

You may have been joking, but I remember one person posting that she liked to lick Doritos while on the liquid diet! Try to find things to take your mind off food and to keep your hands busy! And whatever you do, stay away from the TV (unless you have TiVo and can quickly speed through all the food commercials)!! Good luck! Tami

Congratulations! With a 3 lb. loss this week, I'm just 2 pounds from halfway, too! Tami

Karey, you're doing fine with your weight loss! You're over 1/3 of the way to goal! I hate that some people might feel disappointed in their own weight loss becausing they are comparing themselves to the few of us who are naturally fast losers. We should compare ourselves to where we were last year, instead. I don't know about you, but I probably gained 10 lbs. last Christmas! I know what you mean about the stress this time of the year, too. I have tried to back off of the "have to" stuff at Christmas, and stick with the "want to" stuff. Even so, there's just so much to do! And I still don't have my cards out! :welldone2: Valgal, I'm sorry to hear about your back problems. I'll bet that once you get to the "sweet spot" and start dropping weight that it will make a big improvement on your back, too. I've also heard of many people who didn't lose weight until 4-5 months and several fills into it. I've also heard of some people who were able to identify hormonal imbalances that were impacting their ability to lose weight. You might want to consider discussing that with your doc, if you haven't already. Specifically pcos (polycystic ovary syndrome) and Cushings Syndrome can really impact weight loss, even if you're doing everything right. To my Jewish friends, Happy Chanukah! :kev: Tami

I'm still fairly new to band-life, and working on learning what's a good fill level, and what's appropriate band-hunger. Although I've been losing well, I felt like I've still been hungry between meals, thinking about food all the time, and able to eat quite a lot (at least compared to a few weeks ago). So, I had my second fill on Tuesday, bringing me to 1.5cc in a 4cc band. I asked whether I should adjust my diet after the fill, and she said that it wasn't really necessary at this fill level, but would be after 2cc or so. Even so, Tuesday night I just ate split pea Soup. Then, yesterday morning I ate my regular Kashi Cereal with milk. I had to take it very slow and chew extremely well, but was able to eat 1/2 c. or so. But, since then it seems even tighter. Even Water seems to trickle through, but it does go down (no chugging, though!). I just had 1/2 c. pureed chili, and it also went down, as long as I took tiny bites and spaced them out. I'm concerned that I might be over-filled, and would HATE to have to get an emergency unfill over the weekend. So, my question to more experienced bandsters is, should I tough it out over the weekend (it's my TOM, too), or should I go on in and get .25cc taken out? Thanks in advance for your advice! Tami

Thanks for your advice, Barbara. I think you are right that I started eating solids too soon. I probably aggravated the stoma with the cereal. Although the nurse practitioner said that it isn't necessary to adjust your diet until after 2cc or so, that really doesn't make sense, because they can't know exactly where you might reach a good level of restriction. So, I'm back to purees for a couple of days, and will take it slooooow. I've never PB'd. I guess I should be prepared for that possibility, with a tighter level of restriction! Tami

Thanks, Karey, I think you're right. I posted on the main board, too, to get the opinions of some more experience bandsters, and they reassured me, too. I'll just stick with purees through the weekend, and take it slooooow! One thing I noticed is that I have to think about drinking my water. I usually drink water automatically, because I drink when I'm hungry. But...I'm not hungry :clap2: , so I don't think about water, either. So, I'm gonna forget about the ol' band for a while, and get off this 'puter, and go get some stuff done. The Christmas cards have GOT to get out today, or someone punish me! :whip: Tami

4 meals out of 1?? Good grief! Think how much you're saving on food! I guess I'll be alright. I was concerned because of being able to feel the Water trickle down, and even getting a bubble feeling in the back of my throat as I drink. And I also wonder, how on earth we can get enough nutrition and calories on this small amount of food! On the plus side I AM NOT HUNGRY! Halleleja! Tami

Thanks, Julie!:hug: Living with the band is a little like raising kids. You gotta learn as you go, and hope you don't make any stupid mistakes in the process! Tami

Valgal, I agree. I love this group, and consider this my internet "home base"! I know you're a little disappointed at your progress so far, and I was wondering where you are on fills? Can you get another? If your doctor wants to space them out, the phentermine might be a good option to tide you over until you get good restriction. But, I gotta warn you, it's often not covered by insurance, and can be expensive (I think over $100/mo.) Speaking of fills, I think I overdid it with the +.5cc on Tuesday. It seemed fine yesterday am, but then seemed to tighten up to the point that I can barely eat purees. I'm trying to nibble on some pureed chili right now, and gotta take it super slow. Even water seems to just trickle through. I wonder whether to try to tough it out, especially since it's my TOM, but I'm worried about needing an emergency unfill over the weekend. So, I think I probably should go get some taken back out. Mim, I know you've had an unfill. What made you decide to go back to have some saline taken out? I guess I was more restricted before the fill than I thought. It's so hard to know just what *is* restriction, how much hunger is band-normal, etc, ya know? Ummm....playing my own devil's advocate here...I guess that's why they say wait until you don't lose for two weeks before getting a fill! :doh: Tami

You're very wise for investigating this before going for surgery! It *is* important to know what to expect. Living with a lap-band, and making it work, *does* require some lifestyle changes, but the lap-band makes it a little easier to make those changes that have been so difficult to stick with in the past. But, the question that you really have to ask yourself before surgery, is "Am I ready?" One of my bandster friends here, Karey, has this in her signature line: "It is part of the cure to wish to be cured." So, if you want this, and you're ready to make some changes, go for it! You won't regret it! Tami