CoachCher

Hi JL, Mornings are tricky, because all of us are tight. Try drinking something that is warm and maybe that will help loosen up your esophagus. If you are still experiencing problems in the morning, contact your surgeon and let him/her know what you are experiencing. Congratulations on your weight loss, you are doing awesome!!

Okay I’m sure each one of you has a fickle band like me. It is enough to drive you insane, one day you’re wide open and the next your band is so tight you can only take two or three bites and your done. I know, I know, I’ve been there done that, it actually happened to me last week. I was eating a ham steak; took three bites and I could feel the tightness in my chest. At lunch I had chicken tacos and was able to eat just fine. How can that be? It boils down to the actual food we are eating, some foods are more dense than others so it makes it harder or easier to get full, depending on how you look at it. Take what I ate for example. The ham steak was much thicker than the cubed chicken I had at lunch. I waited too long to eat and basically tried to scarf my food. I should have taken the time to chew the ham much more than I did the chicken cubes. Had I taken the time to really chew the ham I could have had more than three bites. We are all guilty of this, we eat too fast and don’t chew well enough then we get frustrated because we want to eat more but we can’t. Don’t get upset if you take a couple of bites and you’re full, it’s one meal. I hear this all time “I only had three bites and I couldn’t eat anymore”. I know how it feels it still happens to me even four years out. When this happens to some band patients; they automatically think that’s it “I’m too tight and I need an un- fill”. Look at what you ate and how fast you ate; it can be as easy as slowing down and paying attention to how you are eating. We have to be aware of what we are doing as patients and not be so quick to blame our fill amount. I have stated this before and it’s worth repeating, if you are stressed or eat too fast this can cause premature fullness. If this is happening to you from time to time, start paying attention to your eating patterns. A. Are you waiting until you are starving to eat, then you try to scarf down your food? Don’t let yourself get to this point, eat well before you reach starvation mode. B. Do you test your band to see if you can eat something? If you do that’s fine just make sure you are chewing to liquid before you swallow. This will help you avoid PB’s. C. Are you getting stuck every time you eat, no matter what the food is? If this is happening you could be too tight and need to schedule an appointment with your surgeon. D. Do you choose band friendly meals because you know you can eat it? It’s okay to eat softer foods if you are going out or will be with a big group. However don’t make it a common food choice just because you know you can get it down. I know it can get frustrating from time to time. Try to be patient and honest with yourself before you decide if you’re too tight or just right.

Hi Melissa, Here is the link to listen to the show. www.blogtalkradio.com/thewlscoaches If you want to hear me on "The Band Banter" Talk Show here is the link for that show as well. www.blogtalkradio.com/bandbanter

Because the food is more processed. The more processed the food the easier it is to eat. That's why they are considered "Band Friendly" foods but not waist reducing friendly foods. Try to avoid processed foods and eat foods with more density.

Hey Paige, I'm not sure if Eggface will be there, I will check for you.

I have posted the pictures I took on my website. Go check them out Pam and let me know if you want me to forward any of them to you. I am so glad you and your sister came, you girls are a hoot!!

Hey Paige, I spoke to Melting Mama last night and she will be in Houston, so be sure to go say "Hi" and give her a hug for me. Melting Mama is on our show the last Wednesday of every month so be sure to tune in to hear her product review segment.

Hi Gina, I don't know why it is but it seems when we experience a great amount of weight loss we subconsciously start reverting back to old habits. Something is blocking you from moving forward. For now try going back to the basics and doing what you did to lose the 87 pounds. Don't be so quick to think you need another fill, you have to try the basics first then if that doesn't work try another fill. I hear this all time "If I get a fill everything will be right in the world and the scale will magicly start moving again". This is not the case, if you are eating processed foods, sweets, and other crap foods it doesn't matter how adjusted you are these foods will slide right through the band. Try these tips first and let me know if this works.

EvnlyAnne, It might the size of bite you are taking that is causing you not to chew to liquid form. Don't think you can just drink Protein drinks and eat veggies and you are good to go. We need the solid protein it's so important for our bodies. If you are chewing and taking smaller bites and still find yourself throwing up; you could be too tight. Contact your surgeon to discuss what is going on with you. Let me know how you're doing.

Stace, Our bodies are not designed to survive on Protein drinks alone. I would suggest to try moister meats, smaller bites and chewing more. A Protein Drink should be thought of as a supplement not something to survive on. Please let me know how your doing.

Hey Laphappy, It does sound like you have hit a plateau. Try changing up your exercise routine, our bodies get used to what we are doing and they go into stall mode. Also try up'ing your Protein to see if that gets the scale moving again. Sometimes we have to shock our systems to get things moving again. Let me know if this helps and how your doing!!

And more pictures from the conference....

More pics from the conference...

The last time I spoke to Melting Mama she said she will be there, I'll find out for sure.

Here are some of the pictures we took from the weekend. I will post more tomorrow.

Ahh Wendy you are amazing. I will not be able to make the one in Houston, I have a previous engagement. I love it you are going to be "The Spy" for us. We want to do it up bigger and better. Wendy make sure you stop by Melting Mama's booth, she is a hoot. She does product review for our community. Be sure to tell her I sent you, she will love it. April is six months away, plenty of time to start saving and planning.

Dr. Vuong is going to be on "The Band Banter" Talk Show 10/20/08 at 6:00pm CT so mark your calenders you don't want to miss it. www.blogtalkradio.com/bandbanter

Paige, I am so thankful you had a wonderful time. The constructive criticism and positive feed back is welcome, this is how we learn to do things bigger and better. I am in complete agreement ditch the Saturday hotel event and let's all plan to go out with each other and enjoy the host city we are in. I also think 3 days was too much. Next time we could schedule breakfast on the last day; this way we can relax and enjoy our last moments with each other until the next time we meet again. However I did enjoy the support group with Dr. Vuong that was amazing!!

As promised here is the recipe for the afternoon dessert we had from Chef Leslie. CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> WITH CINNAMON CREAM<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> 1/3 cup Water<o:p></o:p> 1/3 cup Splenda<o:p></o:p> 1 stick unsalted I can’t believe it’s not butter, cut in pieces<o:p></o:p> CarbSmart Sugar Free Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 8 oz. bag chopped coarsely<o:p></o:p> 6 large Eggs ( 3 egg whites and 3 whole eggs)<o:p></o:p> 1/3 cup strong, brewed Coffee or Espresso<o:p></o:p> 2 Tablespoons Kahlua (may substitute with 1 tablespoon vanilla)<o:p></o:p> 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Cream:<o:p></o:p> 1 cup well-chilled fat free heavy Cream<o:p></o:p> 3 Tablespoons powdered Sugar<o:p></o:p> 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment or waxed paper.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> In a medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter and simmer, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in hot syrup. Let chocolate stand in syrup 3 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Cool slightly<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coffee, Kahlua and cinnamon. Add a small amount of the chocolate mixture, whisking until well combined. The idea is to warm the eggs slowly and avoid cooking them. Slowly add the remainder and strain into prepared cake pan. Place in a water bath which reaches halfway up the side of the cake pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes. It is done when a knife comes out hot and clean, although you may call it “done” when there is a half-dollar size jiggle in the middle. Cool it completely on a cake rack.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Cake may be kept in the pan, chilled for one week. Alternately, loosen with knife around the edge and gently invert onto a plate. Top with cream.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> For cream: Place cream, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. With an electric mixer or whisk, beat ingredients until they hold stiff peaks. Serve along side the mousse cake.<o:p></o:p>

I love the idea of having the Body Bugg at the next one. A lot of the vendors backed out at the last minute, so I will definately make sure there are more vendors at the next one. LOL about Mary Jo, I didn't know she was going to have toys otherwise I could of had someone there to have those products available. Keep the suggestions coming this is what is going to make the next one bigger and better. I am loving the feed back!!

Hopefully will know more later this week. As soon as I get the date I will post and let everyone know.

Thank you Julie for your honesty. I am so sorry you were disappointed, that really breaks my heart. The only way I can make future conferences better is with honest feedback, so I do appreicate your honesty. I am very very sorry you did not get all you expected, it will be much bigger and better next year that's a promise. I learned a lot from this conference, so going forward I will be much more prepared. I will also have a much better understanding of how the "lunch, dinner's" should be organized. I am glad you guys came and hope to see you again at next years conference in Dallas.

We discussed New York in April. I don't have a firm date or location since we only discussed it briefly this weekend. I will be speaking with Alex later this week and we will try to firm up everything. Trust me once I know more information I will pass the information off to everyone here on the boards.

What an wonderful weekend!! The speakers were amazing, you can really tell they have a heartbeat for this community. "Mary Jo" need I say more, Dr. Vuong wow what a bonus; his commitment to each one of us (patient of his or not) is mind blowing, Dr. Heistein was very informative, Diane Wallace gave us some great tips and websites to use in the future, Dr. Prentice taught me to never eat at Micky D's again (not that I need to eat there anyway), Dr. Veninga drove home the point follow up really is the key to our success and Dr. Matin shared how we can educate our support system an area we all need help in. I want to "Thank" everyone who attended, without you the weekend would not have been the success it was. I know I didn't get to spend as much time with each one of you as I wanted to, however there will be more "National Lap-Band Conferences" in the future so hopefully I will have the pleasure of spending more time with each of you at the future conferences. Now of course this was the first conference and yes it did have it's hiccups. I know the food was not up to par as I had expected; I did speak with the hotel and expressed our displeasure with the quality and quanity of the food. I want to express my sincerest appolgies we didn't have the "Raffle" for the Lap Band as advertised. The surgeon who was going to offer his services was hit pretty hard with "Hurricane Ike" and unfortunately was not able to help us out. Again I want to "Thank" each one of you from the bottom of my heart; you helped make this an amazing conference. My hope and goal is to continue to improve and make the up coming conferences bigger and better!! P.S. I will be adding the chocolate cake recipe to this post later today, I promise.

Try following the three golden rules and see if that helps. Smaller bites chew to liquid before you swallow (even mashed potatoe's) Don't be stressed out or anxious before you eat, this will cause your band to tighten up. See if that helps, if not contact your surgeon until you get your fill right. Let me know if that helps.