Betsyjane

Barbara- With the stress of Dick's surgery hitting on both your band and your aches and pains, it's no wonder you're out of sorts. Can you take a day off from both Dick and work and just go do things for you...get a massage, go shopping, whatever..... If not, then you'll just live through this until you can. I think the massage is a good idea. Hope to see you tomorrow at Tai Chi.

I had an interesting support gorup meeting yesterday. I went to one that's not my regular group, and it was all bandsters who had lost 150 pounds or more and had been banded for 2 or more years. No newbies. No complications. amazing. All these gut wrenching plateaus and questions were behind them. They are fine, at peace, and healthy. It was nice for a change to see the forest and not the trees.

I want to enter a walk or run someday. Just to actually get to the finish line....

I want to enter a

I'm waiting for the remote control version of the band....

The pressure goes away. I got mine under control with walking, heating pad, and liquid Tylenol. And then one day I noticed it was gone.... Yeah, don't bother weighing right now. Your scale could say ANYTHING! Just follow the plan and have faith.

I don't believe in fill parties. Don't you think that's an Urban Legend?

Carol-Back on your concern... What do you eat during the day?

Hi everybody. I went today to the lap band support meeting in Houston. It's held once a month at Central Market at 2PM. It was an easy trip down there and I got there early so I could wander the market. I love that place. Jazz band in the al fresco dining. Massive grocery. Got a chair massage. Anyway.... I thought this was the big deal, where everybody went once a month and then went back to their local support groups. Well, there were 6 people there. But it gave me a very different and pleasing perspective. All 6 had been banded a couple of years ago and I think everyone there had lost 100-200 pounds. They're all past the agonizing and the plateaus. ~They may be shooting for losing a few pounds now and then but they are at stable weights. ~They all exercise, and it's a habit now. ~They all broke through plateaus in part by writing down the food they ate. ~Most everybody says they did diet AND portion control until goal weight and now they just do portion control. (Except one guy who never eats....He said eating with the band was just too hard for him so he drinks his calories...soups, shakes, etc. He said his doctor always gets on him about it, but he's lost 150 pounds, feels great, is healthy, and isn't going to change what he's doing.) There was none of the angst of complications like on lapbandtalk.com There were no newbie questions. It was just a peaceful sense of accomplishment. For me, it was hopeful. And they just know stuff. I'm thinking of going back next month. If anybody wants to make it a field trip, I have a van!

If there are complications from my band in 10 years, so be it. My guess is they will have some options by them. And I'll have had 10 good years. Nothing is guaranteed in life, but my band has already been worth it.

Good grief. I was a binger and a grazer and the band helped me! I was also anxious and depressed about being fat and the band helped me. Call the Dr. and ask for the surgery now and see what he says......

I vote for 1. Vegas 2. Somewhere in Texas 3. At a spa somewhere

I use mine for about the same reasons as you will use yours. What I was told is to be sure to get 2MB so you don't have to wait for stuff. I wanted to get an Acer since they are so well thought of, and I saw one at shopNBC.com, but I ended up getting a Gateway from Office Depot for just over $800. It has the new Windows Vista Home Premium operating system (be sure to get the "premium" they tell me....). I just love it. Here are the stats that they said were so important....: Gateway MT6821 Notebook Duo Processor 2MB Windows Vista Home Premium There's a lot of other stuff, but the above were the things they emphasized.

Back to the original frustrations about lack of restriction, maybe this will help. After I was banded, I wondered what restriction would be like. I didn't feel it after I was banded. I didn't feel it after my first fill...or my second. I was so down on myself about my bad behaviors with food. Then I got my third fill, and my food seeking behaviors just stopped. My cravings just stopped. I was free. I found my sweet spot. It happens. But you have to keep pushing for fills until you find it. But I also had another experience in my journey. There came a time when I thought I needed another fill. I went and the fluoroscope said my pouch was dilated. So I was feeling like I could eat anything again! Pouch dlation happens, often without it being your fault. Well, I thought I had ruined the surgery! The fill center said to go back on liquids for 3 days to give the pouch time to shrink. And to do a few minor changes in behavior. And if that didn't work, they'd do a bit of an unfill to let it go back to the right size. But it worked. 3 days later I was feeling good restriction and my food seeking behaviors went away. So here's my third story. Now as an old bandster of 6 months, I have some food seeking behaviors and have had some of my old bad habits reappear. But now, I have tools. I have restriction. I have 6 months of experience with the band. I know that when it happens, I need to go back to basics. I write down everything I eat, how I eat, my exercise...for a few days, and I'm back on track. Or I up the exercise, change the food, slow way down while eating....anyway, change is possible now and never before in my life. I'm becoming a mature bandster. All of this is to say that it is a lifelong journey and very individualized. If it isn't working, don't be passive. Work it and fight being dicouraged. That discouraged feeling is just a leftover from the old days of feeling hopeless. It doesn't apply now. go after answers. And know that the answers next month may be different from the answers this month. Go for it.

I know! I thought I was going to pass out from fear before my first fill, and then it was NO BIG DEAL! Life is great, ain't it?

I've known people to fly to other states to have it done or have gone self-pay just to get it done. And people who have taken the 6 months or a year just to educate themselves and to know that this is a lifelong journey. You have lots of options. don't be discouraged, but do start looking at your options. The one thing I would say though, is that I would not want a doctor with limited experience to do my lap band. I would want the guy with the most experience and the smallest number of complications! Without a doubt. If you are looking for other doctors, keep reading this site. I've read some wonderful things about a guy in Colorado who is good and much less expensive. I don't remember his name, but you'll find it around here. anyway, there are lots of options to consider..... Keep thinking out loud here and we'll all chime in too. (PS: With self pay, you can get the operation done immediately in many places, and not bother with pre op hoops to jump through....)

That's interesting. I've done that too. In fact with other areas of my life, sometime just doing something different...whether it makes sense or not...shakes up the system and leads to growth. Er, or in our case, loss. I like your theory.

It's been an interesting week for me. I've been discouraged by my behavior and my plateau for a long time. So I went back to basics a few days ago...writing down my food intake and exercise. I'm now firmly convinced that I am such a liar to myself about food, and if I don't write it all down at least one week out of the month, I will slip and slide and con myself into thinking I'm doing the right things, and then not. Once I started writing it down, I was able to tweak some things and feel clearer and much better. And that got me back to more exercise the last few days. I guess I just need the reality check and the accountability regularly. I haven't been back to OA because my schedule was beginning to be overwhelming for my energy level, but I know I can get the accountability there if I don't do it myself. I think, though, that tracking stuff one week of the month will be a key for me. I bought this exercise and food tracking diary, but assorted dogs have eaten about half of it, so it's mostly just loose pages now. I'll bring some of the pages to our next get together in case anyone wants one. I guess just like never being able to gauge my own wieght by looking in the mirror, I'll not be able to gauge correct food my just going over it in my warped mind. Good things for me to know about me.....

I've had an interesting week. I've been in such a slump lately, and recommitting to exercise helped, but I also decided to go back to basics and track my food. I'm now totally convinced that I can't trust myself. Things slip and slide food-wise and unless I write it down at least one week of the month, I'm not getting honest with myslef. For the last few days, I feel SOOOO much better and clearer. I also know without a doubt that protein shakes---any sugar or sweetener---give me terrible cravings. The most I can do without totally messing up is to drink a glass of water with just a splash of protein drink in it, so that by the end of a 3-4 hours, I will have ingested a full shake on days when I need that extra protein and I'm just not getting it in. Anyway, it's been a good week.

Can your back handle whatever he needs? Call if you need help. Glad he's doing well. food from La Villa would probably help him recover faster.... Life intervenes, doesn't it? You'll get back to your program when it's time. Hope to see you at Tai Chi. You gave me the bug to go search eBay for softer jammies.... How's the house Lana, and how was the trip Suzanne?

I think crunches really help, if you spend the whole exercise concentrating on using just your abs to do the exercise. It's really easy for your body to cheat and use other muscles or momentum. I like doing crunches on an exercise ball at home since it protects your back.

I finally figured out that sugar and artificial sweetener give me cravings! Days that I don't have a protein shake, I stick to healthy foods. Days that I start with a protein shake, I'm a mess for the day.

There is a tax credit for buying a new hybrid, and oddly, it's a higher tax credit if you buy a Prius than for any other hybrid car. I'm still trying to figure that one out. We started with an empty piece of property and have been evolving. We have our own well and aerobic system, and we compost and recycle. We are getting ready to build our dream home here... A 750 square foot concrete dome home that can be heated and cooled by a single window unit, even in beastly hot Houston. We will have enough solar panels to be able to sell excess to the power company instead of getting a bill. The dome is hurricane proof, tornado proof, fireproof, mold proof, so we won't be burdening the Government with our need for their help following any natural disasters. We grow our own vegetable and some fruits for part of the year, and we get eggs and milk from the neighbor. Our grazing animals mow the fields and our browsing animals keep the fencelines clean. they all provide fertilizer for the plants and fields. Mulch is provided by any left over animal hay. We use a clothes washer, but no dryer unless it's raining.I do drive a van to haul the animals and farm supplies around, but my total mileage is only 4000 miles a year.

Just don't get discouraged if you guys lose at a different rate! Men and women lose differently.

Well, after a spell of not doing the exercise I should, eating poorly, and being in a plateau, I'm off and running again. I'll have to remember that when I'm plateaued, I need to start diligently writing down my calories, exercise, fat grams, protein, and carbs. I am such a liar to myself about food that it gets me honest again. I'm back on the right road.