Betsyjane

Your stomach has been swollen oost surgery. Now it's not and you ahve no restriction. So you're eating. After your first fill, you may be lucky and start to lose again. Or your dry band may absorb the liquid and you won't be restricted. Once you are filled to your sweet spot, it will be a different story.

He sounds depressed. If you decide to delay divorce, you might want to go to counseling to learn a different way to deal with his stuff while keeping your self esteem.

Just s thought.... If you are disabled and have gotten into financial problems because of it, you may have to wait until that stuff gets straightened out before you can self pay for the band. That just may be the reality. Disability can definitely take several years to get, and it may partly be based on the illnesses that you are hoping to correct after you are banded. I hate to say it, but maybe things are happening in the order they are going to happen....... The band is expensive and necessary, and so is getting things righted for your family financially. Maybe your plan should include what you want to do in the interim until the band is a reality for you.

Hi Deb. It's about 4 miles east of 1960/59, on the left.

Telly, you're fierce! You mentioned that you have exercised every day. Is there some way to tell if on a day that you might gain weight, whether that's fat or muscle? Seems like some of your weight now will be solid muscle! Or do you go more by how you feel than what you weigh? Not that I need to figure all that out yet, but someday I will....... I'm also curious...I have heard people say that you need rest days from exercise. You sure haven't needed it. Any thoughts on that? Teach me, Telly!

Sounds like you're doing things in a good order. There's another person somewhere on this site who is having trouble getting started on exercise because she has other illnesses and because she smokes so much. If you can get the smoking stopped and then do the band to help stop what otherwise might be even more weight gain, and then get the exercise started, you've taken on a HUGE task, but a worthy one. Good for you.

Oh good! Now I'm going for 2 reasons... to see you guys and to support you in your joining Curves, Barbara! I'll go to 24 Hour before La Villa, and I'll think about you at Curves. See you Monday at 6:30. Hey are you Beaumont folks here? Come join us if you can/

I jumped the gun and did one of those wonderfully vain things I've wanted to do. I just botoxed the area between my eyebrows. Decided that I didn't want to be permanently scowling anymore. So now I won't look angry for about 3 months. Ha! Such vanity! Frivolous bandster, I!

I had acid reflux briefly that sounds alot like what you had. I did the not eating before bed thing and it stopped, but not right away. Took awhile.

I know! One time when I was stuck, I got unstuck after I ate 3 pieces of Godiva chocolate! Go figure. Before breakfast, I try to get in 2-3 glasses of water. Breakfast is either a scrambled egg or several eggs of Eggbeaters, sometimes with a few veges chopped up in them. On really restricted days, it's a protein shake, diluted into two half water half protein drinks that I sip throughout the morning,(Muscle Milk), sometimes with frozen fruit blended in with it. Mid morning, if I haven't had alot of calories yet, (Like just s scrambled egg so far), I'll have a protein shake, or a diluted half of one. Or for a snack I go to the convenience store and get a 100 calorie low carb chocolate protein bar. I can't keep them in the house or I eat too many, so I let the conveneince store be my pantry. Then I slug down water or weak iced tea until lunch. By lunch, I've had 300-350 calories, but sometimes it's mostly from shakes. Lunch is usually some fish and veges...or beef and veges...or if I'm really craving FAT, I'll eat a fast food burger patty and throw out the bun. Or I'll have a hearty soup from my local Vietnamese restaurant, and I don't eat the noodle part. Sometimes I get the urge to really pig out, so if I'm by myself, I just keep eating more than I should, chewing up big bunches of stuff (and then spitting it out). Not proud of that, but it helps me get through those occasional urges to binge, when there's really no room or need for it. I hope to wean myself from that in the near future. If I'm out, for example, I might order a side dish from an Asian place, and it's still a massive amount of really tasty food, so I nibble what I can,a nd then keep chewing and spitting for the taste and the feel...until I decide that's way disgusting. Up until that part of the day, it's as much HOW I eat as WHAT I eat. If I eat very slowly and with a zen like trance, I'm actually better off for the whole rest of the day. Afternoons are hardest for me. I just want to eat! Such a habit! I'm counting calories so if I haven't had many, I might sip on another diluted shake all afternoon, or just have a shake. If I've gotten in a fair amount of calories, I may not have anything, or I might have a protein bar if I haven't had one yet, or I might have a piece of fruit, but oddly, I've really lost my desire for fruits. I might have a sugar free popsicle or two. Or maybe a spoon or two of cottage cheese. Before dinner I add up the calories again, and decide what to do. If I've been a real pig and had sufficient calories AND scarfed down a shake, I sometimes call it quits for the evening or have a popsicle....Not my best day. Otherwise, I have some meat and veges again. If I'm craving potatoes, I have overcooked cauliflower mushed up with salt and pepper. I'm much less restricted in the afternoon and evening so those were really disasters for me. All I can say is that counting calories before eating has made a big difference for me. If I've overeaten, I really just don't bother with an evening meal sometimes. Anyway, usually it's some kind of meat and veges either cooked or in a salad. Sometimes I cook from the lap band cookbook and sometimes from my low fat Thai cookbooks, but usually not. My husband fell in love with my Muscle Milk,a nd now that's all he usually wants for dinner, so I'm getting out of the cooking habit to a great extent, although I enjoy cooking. I figure the less food-obsessed my life becomes, the better. Right now I'm calorie obsessed so I figure that's not as bad..... the wight is coming off very slowly, but I think this new calorie gig is helping...as is stepping up my exercise program. Mostly though I think the trance while eating thing is doing the most good. Slow breathing, no distractions almost a meditative or prayerful state. I seem to hear my band alot earlier, and I'm training myself to push away, smile and whisper back to my band "I'm soooo full!"

Hi Deb How are you now? I seem to recall I got an occasional pain at the beginning....either from eating too much or too fast. It went away...sometimes with chewable tylenol. I think it's just part of adjusting to the band. If it didn't go away, I'd call the Dr. and ask.

Lana-How about La Villa at 6:30 This Monday? Anybody else want to come?

I've never had trouble with any kinds of food, but for some reason lately I can't eat ham, even ground up. Fish OK. Chicken OK. Isn't that strange? Every day seems to be a new day. I just got an IM that some folks from Beaumont might join us! the more the merrier!

I just posted this elsewhere but I wanted to repeat it here and get your thoughts. I guess it's been a pensive day for me. I have to be quiet to hear my band whisper to me Seems like I have adequate restriction when I am quiet, eat tiny and slowly, chew chew chew, not have anything else going on when I eat, and kind of go in a trance to be at one with the band. Ommmmmm. If I hog, go quickly, and multi-task, I can ignore my band until it is too late... Ow! Yuck! I wonder if in general people who don't slow down and listen for the band to whisper end up needing more restriction to kind of force the issue. I'm just thinking out loud. I'm no saint. I'm trying to have more meals at a slow pace...but I'm not succeeding every time. I guess I used to go into a trance binging...I can learn to go in a trance and slow down and savor!

Hey Shae...I went through the same thing. I finally decided I had to do all those things I didn't have to before...more serious exercise, and I started a food log and was shocked! I THOUGHT I was low carb, low fat, but not sooooo, thanks to protein shakes! I also found that totally eating things I don't normally eat shook things up a bit. Now I'm back to my norm with a few modifications to change out the fats and carbs. I also do better right after a fill... I've decided that my body gets used to things and I need to wake it up with some change whenever I slow down my losses. Sometimes a fill is enough change. sometimes I just have to grab me and shake me and slap me around a little bit. Things tend to creep in on me...not drinking as much water, eating more carbs or fats, sitting in front of the TV too much, eating with too many distractions, snacking. I think I need to find some way to take an inventory of my habits and foods at least weekly to see if I'm sliding......

Hey Denise-Do you like hot or cold places? I have lots of favoirte travel spots for different prices. Here's one...The Lodge at Moosehead Lake Maine. I live in Houston, so I like to go to cool places... Gorgeous lake, lots of New England to explore, lots of Moose to see. Water sports on the lake. A slate mountain to climb, with hard and easy (walking) trails. and the lodge is the same price as a moderate hotel, but there are only a couple of rooms, and then the whole house as the common area. Owned by a couple who used to be in the luxury hotel buisness and sho feed gourmet 4 course meals (not as interesting as pre-band!). Overstuffed chairs with throws, books, outdoor patio overlooking the lake, little presents on your bed, they'll book anything for you that you want to do. I haven't been there for years, so I hope it's still there. It was total pampered luxury at a moderate price! Plus driving the coast of New England is so worth it! We went last time in August so there were no black flies, but before the cold set in.

My dr says you can drink right up to the meal but not for for 30-60 min. after. I think Dr. Spiegel says not for 90 minutes after. It's as much an art as a science I think..... Alot depends on trying it and listening to your band and your body.

Jodi-One of the symptoms of dealing with Borderline problems is that with the challenges that you have, when you leave the room, everybody else is upset and concerned for you, and you're off on an adventure. That's what makes it such a struggle. It's hard to stick with one issue long enough to solve it. A person needs relief from it so they go to another diversion. Underlying the whole thing is rage that needs to be addressed, but it's so painful to deal with it. Again, I don't know you, but if any of this makes sense for your life, please go check on that counseling center. I had a dear friend who had BPD and was a cutter, got help, and is now a very successful attorney, married to a wonderful guy who is also an attorney.

Seems like I have adequate restriction when I am quiet, eat tiny and slowly, chew chew chew, not have anything else going on when I eat, and kind of go in a trance to be at one with the band. Ommmmmm. If I hog, go quickly, and multi-task, I can ignore my band until it is too late... Ow! Yuck! I wonder if in general people who don't slow down and listen for the band to whisper end up needing more restriction to kind of force the issue. I'm just thinking out loud. I'm no saint. I'm trying to have more meals at a slow pace...but I'm not succeeding every time. I guess I used to go into a trance binging...I can learn to go in a trance and slow down and savor!

Hmm. I'll bet I could eat pasta in a soup..... I've never liked the whole wheat pastas. I like spinach noodles but they are mostly white semolina.... I guess I'm wondering why I should eat pasta. Seems like meat, fruit and veges would be better for me. I get some carbs from them.... Do you have a favorite brand of pasta? I haven't tried the whole wheat ones in a long time......

That's interesting. I'd like to eat more salad and fruit. I know that pasta would kill me though! I'm not destined to be a white carb eater....gets me binging and PBing. My ideal plan would be 2 eggbeaters in the morning with a few chooped veges in them, salad with meat for lunch and salad with meat for dinner....with tiny fruit smoothies with protein powder for snacks!

Avoiding problems with strippers, alcohol, and the like.... Thanks for clarifying that you use this as a blog....a one way conversation....instead of for change. I'll just sit back and read about your life and be part of your audience. Entertain us, girl!

Yeah, what he said. Or just take a massive mouthful of forbidden foods, chew it up and spit it out. I promise not to make an analogy to sex.....

Throw all that crap out! Don't look at it anymore! What have you found to eat, er drink? I LOVE Better Than Boullion. It's actually hearty! What about Muscle Milk Light Protein Shakes? Think, man, think!

You'll have good days and bad days...but what was impossible to do before is just really hard work now. you can do it. Rmember that you might feel restricted at first because your stomach is swollen from surgery. then you may or may not feel any restriction at all because your band is unfilled. then the fills may or may not work....It's an art to find your Sweet Spot. But through all of it, strive to live a banded life. Rehearse eating correctly even when you don't feel restricted. Think like a thin person who pushed away from a half filled plate and exclaims "I couldn't eat another bite!" don't kick yourself when you screw up. Each day is a new opportunity and there is a huge learning curve. don't compare your weight loss with anyone else's. We're all different and sometimes we aren't filled and sometimes overfilled. And work on patience. Remember you only want to average 1-2 pounds loss a week or your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose (and your skin won't catch up!) It is a marathon, not a sprint.