sld21

oh and he wasn't filling me a month at a time until the 3rd fill appt...I called a week early and begged to come in which they didn't have a problem. He gave me a big ole boost and then told me to come a week later so he could give it some more. I think I am at the sweet spot , I hope.

It is normal to gain before you reach restriction according to my surgeon. I didn't because I was eating healthy stuff and exercising my butt off at the YMCA but told him how frustrating it was. He told me I wasn't restricted yet. It took 3 fills for me to feel a little tightness and now this 4th fill or 8cc in my Realize band and I definitely know what restriction feels like. I haven't puked ever or slimed that much but I get this real tight piercing pain under my breast bone and I can tell its the food working its way down, especially with Protein. My weight wasn't moving much and I was gaining/losing prior. Now since this 4th fill (March 29) or two weeks ago, I have lost 12 lbs and not eating half of the quanity I could before. It gets better. I know I went to Ocharley's on Saturday with hubby and we ordered salads and a side of soup(yummy potato) He also had some artichoke dip. I had the cup and he had the bowl. I had the cup and couple fo dips in the artichoke and spinach and told the waiter to box my sald up before they served it, I couldn't eat anything else. I had salad for Breakfast but only ate the chicken and strawberries off of the top because I am tighter in the a.m. Today I managed to eat a fourth cup of egg whites and a best life wrap cut in half to wrap around it for breakfast. I choked it down. A Protein shake 2 hrs later and now a piece of laughing cow cheese smeared on a couple of Kashi crackers and a few almonds. I could eat anytihg before and now very small bites while I wait for it to hit my tummy. January 8, 2010 surgery date.

The band doesn't usually work without the adjustments which is the reason you get the band. The initial weight loss or gain is from your body adjusting. At restriction you won't be eating that much. Are you sure it is not a confidence issue with your husband? The scale will ususally not move if you are not at restriction. Otherwise why would you get a band in the first place?

I would think also that if you are eating the tomato soup while eating the tuna/crackers, you would be washing it down per say almost like drinking while or after eating. Try the tuna and crackers first or vice versa I suppose, drink the soup first.

sounds like you are eating though and not upchucking. I wouldn't get unfilled and would sip on liquids all day long if necessary to keep fluids up edxcept during or after eating.

I'm curious as well.

I'd go to the free gym on base. If you end up slacking at least you didn't lose any money from it. Plus it's close and you might be able to make friends with other army wives doing the same thing.

wow! I hear ya and needed to hear ya after my 2nd fill feelings today. Thanks.

p.s. walking is going to do wonders for the port pain area. It will fade away. My scar is already fading.

I was walking the track at the Y at 7 days out to finish getting the gas out. After my 10 day follow-up with the doctor my husband asked him if I could get back on the elliptical (I love that thing) and he said heck yeah. I think it promoted healing though I didn't over do it. I am 11 weeks out (1/8/10) and bust a sweat regularly.

I don't mind paying a little more in taxes to make sure my students come to school fed and practicing preventative medicine. Health care is skyrocketed because so many millions of Americans lack insurance and get sicker and sicker because they couldn't be seen in the first place to prevent larger bills in the first place. Now I don't necessarily think it should be free per say unless no income is verified but that it should be affordable healthcare or based on a sliding scale. It's not socialism or communism(which I promise as Americans we know nothing of) it's caring for fellow man and allowing government to function with a healthy nation and hopefully control costs that taxpayers end up eating if they are not taken care of early. plus not everyone is "sitting on their butts". Lack of education, lack of job training, poor economy all stimulate this problem and unfortunately the ones who suffer are the innocents (the women and the children) I am married and have no kids but if I were to add my husband on my health insurance you might as well as put me in the poor house and same goes for him. Can't wait to have a kid..at least its a little cheaper to add a kid on my premium than him if he loses his job. Thank goodness I keep his life insurance paid and its portable because if he loses his job or I, we are SOL because we couldn't afford it on either check to support health insurance for the other.

I love it even though it's almost five dollar a loaf. But if you keep it in the freezer and only take out a serving at a time , it doesn't go bad. I wouldn't recommend leaving it out of the fridge. Plus I can only eat it toasted because not toasted, I think it has too much of an earthy flavor and its so dense. But toasted with some pb or jelly or butter, yummy. It rarely elevates my blood sugar and satisfies my bread urge. You can find it in most freezer sections in the bread area or in a health food store. It supposedly is made like they would make it in the bible days...au natural. Scripture: Ezekial 4:9 "Take wheat and barley, Beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself

you are only a week out and have no restriction..the tighter you get via fills, the less you will have to take the metformin and will be weaned because if you are eating smaller portions ..your blood sugar will respond. I have had one fill and take 3 a day so that I can be flexible in my diet, ie some fruit and grain. My blood sugar runs fine but since I am not restricted as of yet, I will continue to take it and then once sweet spot hits or sugar gets super low, will I wean.

you need to experiment with different kinds of beans; black Beans, pinto beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans(what they make hummus with), etc, beans are going to stick with you and when combined with a rice like brown rice, it is a complete Protein. All the carbs you are eating are causing you to crash, blood sugar wise which are naturally going to make your insulin spike and cause hunger. If you were linking your carbs with protein (a 30:15 ratio is usually recommended), your insulin would spike less and you would stay full often. Beans should also not be getting stuck to bad. What about tofu? I like it and I am not even a vegetarian. You need to check out your whole foods market. Are you one of those vegetarians that eat a little bit of chicken or fish? Dairy also has protein in it and Greek yogurt is the highest, or some cheese and nuts are also good protein Snacks.

Beef jerky Mixed nuts Granola

This is me in a nutshell. I was banded January 8, I have lost 25lbs. I have had one fill of 1 cc in a 11cc Realize band and don't feel restriction yet. The doctor states I won't until 3 possibly 4 fills. I am busting my butt on the elliptical 4-5 times a week for 40-45 minutes and eating relatively healthy, I have slip ups but their not huge(Damn Girl Scouts) I am going on March 22 and I hope he will put more than 2 cc's to feel something. True I am happy with the loss but want to see something a little more for all this effort. I can put food away something serious if I chose to. I am at least not making that choice right now.

I was banded on January 8th. I weighed in at 260lbs. I chose this route even though I had lost in the past because I was tired of the gaining/losing vicious cycle, the diabetes, high cholesterol and PCOS (which has caused difficulty in conceiving). I am happily married and want the opportunity to have children and be healthy for them. I don't regret my decision though this has been hard. I have healed quick and have had no problems. I have a great surgeon that you wait forever for for less than five minutes. I went yesterday for the first fill and was nervous as heck. People had scared me of really big needles and such. It was so easy and barely felt a thing. He pushed it in and took out so quickly, I really was shocked it was so quick and painless, maybe like a shot. I have a Realize band that he said holds 11cc. He only gives 1 cc the first fill and then every four weeks he gives more than that until you are restricted which he predicts three or four. I have lost 25 lbs. I was disappointed because I was hungry as a cow and I am forcing myself to eat smaller, healthier and busting a serious sweat at the YMCA on the elliptical and such. I knew that 25 was on my own doing. I asked him if it was enough...then he said, when have you been able to lose that much in 6 weeks, you should be proud of yourself, and you won't regret the lifestyle changes in your diet and exercise because once we get you to the proper restriction, all your hard work will pay off. Let's hope he' right and I will be able to see the difference by Spring and Summer. Side note: At least my underwear fit better:biggrin:

Cooked this one over night for Sunday dinner though would be a good week day dinner, I just wanted a relaxing Sunday compared to the usual cooking. It was a hit. The only thing I really changed was I added yellow and red peppers and ended up adding extra cornstarch to thicken it up a bit but it was delicious, no season necessary because the addins were salty enough(soy, boiulon, etc) I cooked Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice and we poured a scoop of meat and juice over it and waalaa. We did mention that we could have cooked some broccoli on the side but anyways it still was filling.

it is normal and then you will get your first one or two fills maybe more and you will watch it melt away. I am getting ready for my first fill. I have only lost about 20lbs and eating right and strict and exercising. According to my doctor it is normal to gain prior to fill because you are doing it on your own right now.

sugar free pudding mixes and jello....any cold beverage...

I can handle toasted or thin bread in tiny bites like thin pizza crust. I have only ate bread like stuff twice, pizza crust and some toast and was fine but I am a month out and not filled until the 22nd. I have not really slimed or choked but once when I ate a piece of dry meat way too fast and wasn't careful with it.

I have PCOS as well ...this is one of the reasons I had this done on January 8th. My periods are erratic or non-existent. Mine started 4 days after surgery and lasted a week...heavy and crampy ...so I knew it was ovulatory. It was because my blood sugar was and has been very stable since surgery and about a week or two prior to that and since PCOS is directly related to high levels of insulin in the body it usually only needs a 10% reduction in your weight or less to kick start and ovulation or cycle.

I don't plan on gaining but my doctor said its normal and perfectly alright to gain prior to your first fill. This is a time for healing and not necessarily weight loss.

I buy the Oikos at Kroger or Walmart. I usually buy the vanilla flavor in hopes that it may be a little less tart. No I don't like it as much as CarbMaster and it has the flavor and consistency of sour cream(something I actually don't like) but I put a teaspoon of applebutter or some kind of sugar free jam or a sweetner packet and it cuts the tartness. Sometimes I mix it in my oatmeal. I eat it because its super healthy and it holds with me longer. I can take it or leave it but as I eat more of it and figure new ways out to decorate it, it grows on you.

Clear liquids can actually be any kind of broth like beef or chicken, and you can strain chicken noodle soup and drink just the broth. Cheaper just to go buy some bouillon cubes and make some in boiling Water. Then you don't waste the cost of the soup unless that's just what you prefer. I never had a pre-op diet though I was watching it a bit for my own good. The day before I had a clear diet and on it I could have the broths or Jello as long as it was not red or purple. I drank some broth,, crystal light and ate some green jello. That was it because it was already doing waves to my tummy. Then the laxatives and magnesium citrate...I was done for.