addelapp5

Okay... I'm 7 months post-op and I can tolerate ANY kind of potato... except for french fries. Now I'm not big on them, but sometimes they just sound good. Someone told me the other day to bake my green Beans. Well... I love green beans. I typically boil or steam them lightly (because they have to be super crunchy still!). But the thought of putting them in the oven kind of freaked me out. But the woman said they'd be amazing, so I braved it. They were great! I can't eat a ton of them and I just cook for myself so I snapped and washed 10 beans and put them in a ziploc bag. Put a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil in along with a bit of salt and pepper and shook them around until they were well coated. Then they went in the oven to bake at 400 for about 30 minutes (flip them 1/2 way through). Mine started getting pretty dark, but I was told to let them look "burnt". They came out a little sweet, salty and crunchy. Man they were good! It was a nice change of pace for me and really solved my french fry craving while still being good for me. Anyway, if you're looking for something like that, give the beans a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Week 2: 10 miles 16 total. Weather's been grooooss here (mid-40's and raining all week!), but is supposed to clear up Monday, so I can get some real miles in.

Well I had a low first week. 6 miles. 24 to go. Stepping it up this week!

I don't see how it would do you any good to go meet with the doctor that took over the practice if he/she is not a bariatric doctor. You might call the office and see if they can refer you to someone? Even if they're not super close, it would probably be best to have a doctor kind of "on call" in case you ever need something band-wise. If the office doesn't have any ideas, call your local hospital, or do a search online. Surely there is someone within an hour or two's drive? At least you could call and speak with them. Surely there are other folks that are in the same situation. Good luck!

I forgot to ask... is there somewhere specific we are logging our miles? I know the turkey day challenge has a spreadsheet. Just wondering if it's the same kind of thing for this, or if we're just keeping track ourselves.

Alright I'm a little late in joining, but it seems like good fun. I don't have a specific goal in mind, but I want to have something that keeps me motivated, and this seems like it'll work. I'm going to go with 15 pounds lost by Thanksgiving.

Hmm. I've never done one of these before. I was banded at the end of March. I was exercising a lot until the end of May and then I got busy with my jobs and it went kaput. Time to lose the excuse, especially since work is slowing down for me and the weather is cooling off. I'm going to go with 30 miles.

Alright you seasoned veterans... Do you have more restriction when you've got a cold going? I've got an upper respiratory thing at the moment, and it stinks! I know most folks usually have less appetite when they're sick, and this is true for me as well... but I had trouble getting some veggie Soup down today, and that's not at all normal for me. I've also been trying to up my h2o intake the past two days since that makes me feel better when I'm sick. I'm not having any trouble getting my Water down, but I'm having to force myself to drink, because I'm not thirsty at all. Just wondering if most folks experience this, or if I'm just imagining things.

Probably so (the muscle and fat thing, I mean). I had 6 when most folks I know had 5. Doc said it was because I had a lot of muscle under my fat (go figure) and that a lot of my weight is carried in my mid-section, so it took a little more effort to do the surgery.

My cravings didn't really change post-op. The exception to that is when I either get stuck, or something makes me feel gross after I eat it. Then I really have no desire for it after. Brownies, for example. I made the mistake of taking a bite of brownie a few months back and got stuck (it was gooey). It took a half hour of being uncomfortable before it passed. Let me tell you, I can't even look at a brownie or anything with that "cake" consistency without feeling a little gross. Sooo I no longer crave things like that. However... I never thought I "craved" bread before banding. Well, I do. And any time I try it, it just doesn't work out. I've tried crackers, wheat bread, toasted, untoased, hard and soft. Nothing agrees. I find myself craving stupid things like toast with jam, and I'm slowly learning that it's just not a good idea for me! But the cravings are still there. I'm hoping bread will end up like the brownie thing. I just don't want to crave it! Surgery doesn't really change what's going on in your head. You've got to work on that part, cravings included.

There's not really anything you can do. It's normal. I started losing hair 3 months post-op. Kind of like you. No bald spots or anything but definitely waaay more than I was comfortable loosing in the shower and when I brushed my hair. I started taking Biotin along w/my daily Vitamin (check with your doc first though!), and using shampoo and conditioner called nioxin. I have no clue if either helped or not, but I'm still using them. I'm a little over 6 months post-op now and while I still have more hair coming out than I did before surgery, it's nowhere nearrr the amount I had coming out in the past few months, so I'm guessing that it's slowing down (and will hopefully slow down more!). Try not to stress out about it (Stress tends to make things like this worse) and make sure you're getting all of your proper nutrients in.

Yeahhh. It sucks but at the same time, I feel like it's what I need to stop... else I wouldn't. Which is why I got so darn fat in the first place. I never knew when to stop. I used to save the best bite for last and now I take it first because... well... sometimes you just get the one! I'm hoping that it'll teach me that I don't need quantity. Just quality! I think it's going to be a hard lesson though.

Yeahhhhh. I started loosing hair three months out (I was banded at the end of March). I wasn't loosing it in huge clumps or anything, but there was a lot coming out. I'd say about 30% total. I think I'm the only person that noticed though. I'm right at 6 months post-op and the hair loss is finally dying down. I still have more come out each day than I used to, but there's definitely less than a month ago, and whew I am relieved! I think most folks that see hair loss see it between the 3-6 month mark. I'm just glad it's slowing down. Nothing is going to stop it, but you may consider trying Biotin supplement and/or nioxin shampoo products. I have nooo idea if either helped or not... but I did both. I'm at the point now where hair is still coming out but I see new baby hairs sprouting up. Hope that helps. Try not to stress about it if you can help it.

Dr. Hoxworth and Dr. Martin are both great. I've not had any experience with the other two surgeons. Both are super easy to work with and make you feel comfortable. Dr Hoxworth is my doctor, but Dr. Martin did a quick un-fill for me the other week and was just as nice to deal with. The only not-so-great thing is that appointments for those guys fill pretty quickly since they are only in office a few days out of the week, and are doing surgeries the rest. Usually my fills are 6-9 weeks apart (which is either just right, or sometimes too soon for me!), and if I have to reschedule, it usually takes another few weeks. Though I was just recently Enlightened on the fact that if I really need to get in for a fill, to leave a message for Dr H instead of talking to the front desk, and he will see about fitting fills in. Other than that, the whole office is great! You won't be disappointed.

I don't have any friends that obsessively watch me eat or anything like that. I think I maybe just stress out about the prospect of getting stuck, and then I get tight? Not sure. I've found now that soup is just really the way to go for me when I go out. I've tried other things that normally go down, and they don't when I'm out. I'm not eating too fast or picking items that aren't band-friendly. Bah! Oh well. I don't go out often, so it's not a huge deal. I just wish I wouldn't stress myself out about it. Perhaps in time...

Keep your head up. You're going to plateau here and there. It pretty much happens to everyone. I was banded at the end of March and just now got over a 6 WEEK plateau. It was the most frustrating thing ever. But the weight is starting to come back off now. Get your Water in and try to avoid foods that you're getting stuck on. Throwing up frequently is not normal, nor is it good for you. It also makes you revert back to slider foods, which go down easily but also tend to be not-so-great for you. You're doing just fine with your weight loss. If you get down about it, nothing is going to come off. A positive attitude goes miles with this.

It's your body and your band. Do what you feel is right. I just had a fill this past Friday (got 1/2 a cc). Saturday I was fine. Sunday and Monday, I couldn't even keep Water down. My doctor's office kept trying to put me off when I called on Monday afternoon to get an unfill, telling me that this rarely happens, blahblahblah just wait it out. Well I'd agree with waiting it out if I could get liquids down, but I couldn't! They managed to get me in Tuesday morning first thing. My surgeon took a quarter of a cc out and I had immediate relief! I'm telling you, I'll take a month with no restriction over two days of being too tight. It's horrible. Glad you're back to being comfortable!

I said once a month. I've been banded since March and that's about right for me. Only when I'm dumb and try to eat things that I know probably won't work out. I'm learning. I've been stuck a lot these past few days. I got a fill on Friday and Saturday I was fine and I haven't been able to keep anything down since. I managed Water this AM though, but I am still going to get a slight unfill this afternoon because I'm afraid I won't be able to get anything else down. I didn't sign up for the liquid-only diet.

I have a fill today and I'd ask, but my surgeon always said it was OK to drink until about 10 minutes before I eat, so I've never had the problem of not drinking 30-45 minutes before a meal. Actually... I have found that if I don't drink before my meal, I get thirsty when I eat, and I have a really hard time not taking a drink of something after I eat... so I make sure to drink a full 8oz of Water about 20-30 minutes before each meal. That lets me go through the entire meal and then make it my 45 minutes after eating without dying of thirst.

I too have this issue. At first I thought it was my liquid intake. There was a time period a few months ago where I KNOW I wasn't drinking enough. I've fixed that problem though, and now get more than enough in. It doesn't matter for me though. Hot, cold, whatever... I'm just flat out too tight in the morning to eat. Usually I can manage something by about 12pm though, but even then I have to be careful with my choices. I can eat more at dinner, but not overly so. So for breakfast I generally go with a bottle of Water first. Then a half hour later I either have a Protein shake or a stonyfield smoothie (yogurt), which has 10g protein and probably too much sugar.. Orrrr I'll just go with plain milk. If I get hungry between 6am and 12, I'll usually have a spoon of Peanut Butter. Not sure why that goes right down, but it does. I've tried soft foods like eggs and cheeses but they really just don't go down well until late morning/early afternoon. Try the water thing first. Past that, it's probably just something you'll need to work around.

Alright... maybe it's just me. Or maybe not! I absolutely can NOT go out to eat! I'm not sure if I'm stressing myself out which is making my band tighter, or if I feel like I need to eat differently in front of people? But whenever I try going out to eat, or even just eating with other people, I have a really hard time! I take small bites and sit in between but it seems like it just doesn't matter. I can manage a few bites and that's about it. Even for those few, I have trouble getting them down. Ugh! I don't go out to eat often. I think I've tried three times since I got my band in March and I got stuck for one and was super uncomfortable for the other two. I pick foods that I know I can eat and go for dinner, not earlier. I have to be careful with food choices as it is earlier in the day, as my band is pretty tight during that time period. Anyone else have this issue?

Don't sweat it. It's aggravating as heck huh? Mine hasn't moved in 6. It's driving me insaaaaane. Maybe we need to change something up in our eating and/or exercise habits? No clue. I hope it starts moving soon though!

I'm not great at motivational mumbo jumbo so I'll save that for someone else. You said you had a bad weekend. You admitted it and are facing it... kudos for that. I'm sure everyone falls off of the wagon. You just need to get yourself back on up. My scale has literally not moved in 6 weeks. I know exactly why. I make great choices at meal times. But I also have some not-so-great choices during the week. No, it's not what I was eating pre-band. Not as unhealthy and definitely not the quantity. I have not gained weight, but I'm sure not loosing. Time for us to get it back together, and remember why the heck we went through surgery in the first place. I think it's definitely about getting your mind back in the right place. If I can commit to one day of great choices, it's very easy for me to continue on in that direction. Don't sweat your mistake, just learn from it. I do believe I'll do the same! :mad:

I've lost a little over 50 pounds and the only people that have seemed to notice are family members. I haven't even really noticed. I think my face is starting to look a little thinner but that's about it. I've only gone down one size (starting on a second), and I'm losing weight in my legs, not my stomach. Figures. So the legs of my pants are getting loose and not much else. I figure either people just haven't noticed because I have so much more to loose, or they don't want to comment and risk maybe being rude or embarrassing me? I dunno. I'd almost just prefer they not say much!

Alright so I haven't been camping in ages but I was stuck home today with no desire to actually go crazy with cooking (mostly because I had just cleaned the kitchen and didn't want to make a mess of it again), and realized that camping could be done at home. By that, I mean camping food. Ladies and Gents, the foil dinner (sometimes called the hobo dinner!). I search around here pretty often for new food ideas and haven't come across this, though I'm sure someone, somewhere has put it on this site. It's super easy. Preheat the oven to 400, and grab yourself a few sheets of aluminum foil (I do 2 layers of the foil to keep it safe!). Spray down the inside sheet of foil with some sort of cooking oil to keep things from sticking. I use ground beef but you can also sub for chicken, etc. I get a few ounces of ground beef and add in some diced onion and ball it all up, and then flatten it out (about a 1/4 inch thick), taking up about a 3X5 space on the center of the foil. I then add in cut up carrots, potatoes (I get the canned, peeled ones that are already cooked just because they take ages to fully cook if you use raw), and corn on top of the meat patty. You can pretty much add anything you want though. Season as desired. I typically add seasoned salt and/or garlic powder. I add two tablespoons of chicken bullion broth (you can also just do Water or something) to keep everything moist, and wrap that puppy up. Leave some room above the food for the steam though! Depending on what you put in, oven time is anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. The hour would be for your raw potatoes, more meat, etc. Unwrap and add a little cheese if you so desire. Voila, easy dinner that literally has ZERO cleanup other than pitching the aluminum foil. Takes a while to cook but putting it together is super fast. You can put anything in it, make any combos, and you can customize depending on your fill level, and what you can comfortably eat. Hope at least a few folks are inspired!