this sucks

Lady bandito-not going to have an empty nest yet! I still have an 11 year old at home, plus my oldest moved back home after college graduation. He started medical school four weeks ago and is commuting from home to save a little on expenses. His school is about a 30 minute drive from our house. It's been challenging having him home after four years. He is an adult, but sometimes acts like more of a kid than his younger siblings! I think it's added some stress into my life! My daughter leaves on Sunday and I will become the minority in my house-all this testosterone might drive me crazy!!!! I'm going to NEED to workout to keep my sanity... Sure sounds like you've been working hard! How much more do you want to lose? SueBee- nice that you've found a job that you enjoy! It makes all the difference in the world to have fun with what you do, doesn't it? Nicki-I see you still struggle with the ice cream-my weakness is cookies. I'm hoping that once our new "normal" settles in at home that I can stop my cookie binges. My youngest starts school on September 3rd and I can settle back into a less chaotic schedule. I have a home office and I haven't been able to get any regular routine going since May when my oldest came home. I tend to turn to carbs when my stress level increases, so the cookies have been calling my name, regularly... I will try to stop in more often.

Hey ladies! Long time no posting...I've been visiting LBT on an occasional basis but haven't taken the time to do much posting. Things have been incredibly busy in my household. My oldest graduated from college in May, my middle child graduated from high school in June and I spent all of May and June getting ready for a dual grad party. You understand how it is-you start on one project which leads to another, which leads to another...and another...and another. At least now the house is all neat and freshly painted! I've been struggling along with my band too. I started having some sternal pain so they took a full cc in early July and I found that I could eat A LOT more. I was hungry all the time and eating a ton of carbs and junk food. Fortunately I only gained a couple of pounds during that time, but I did get flabbier since I wasn't working out as much. I just got .8 cc added back in two weeks ago but I've discovered that I forgot how to eat with a tighter band. I've been logging all of my food on My Fitness Pal, but sometimes it just seems to be too much. The stricter I am with my expectations of myself, the more I struggle. The closer I get to each "milestone", the more I sabotage myself. I'm just taking it one day at a time. My daughter is leaving to college this weekend and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it. I have gotten back into my exercise routine which I'm hoping will help me deal with the stress. Looks like you have all kept supporting each other. That has always amazed me! I read through the thread to catch up with what's been going on. Sorry for the lengthy post, but I wanted you to know that I hadn't forgotten about my January friends!

Oops!!! Hard time...auto spell strikes again!!!

So sorry to hear that you are having a head time...it's those stupid steroids! I've been on them multiple times since being banded and yes, they make me feel like a monster with a MONSTER appetite! Just get yourself healthy and then you can get back to working your band. Just remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint!!! I have that saying printed out and hanging up by my computer because I need to keep reminding myself how this should be working.

I use the Kraft brand of olive oil mayo or Greek yogurt.

Funny thing, I can only eat fries if they are really well done! Goes to show how different we all are! I can't eat very many any more-thankfully I guess because they were always a challenge for me to limit the amount.

Hiatal hernias are quite typical in obese people. My surgeon repaired my hiatal hernia at the same time as my band was placed. It was a great extra benefit-I had suffered from reflux for 20 years and was taking multiple daily medications-in the 3+ years since, I've only suffered from heartburn/reflux when my band was filled too tight.

You must be so proud of yourself! Also-loved your fathers quote... I know how hard it is to keep going-I work out three to four times a week and often feel like a fish out of water at the gym but it doesn't stop me...I just keep swimming, swimming, just keep swimming. Because for me, there's no way I can let the old 70 pound heavier me, come back. It's not an option. Sounds like you have the same mindset. Keep up the good work!!!

Pandora 80's cardio. Depends on your age, but for an almost 50 year old like me, it keeps me moving. I was at the gym yesterday on the weight machines when "Eye of the Tiger" came on and I burst out laughing-big old me rocking the weight machines, feeling like Rocky!!!

A fill doesn't effect your cycle, but your cycle can impact how the fill feels. Sounds stupid doesn't it? My band definitely feels tighter at certain times in my cycle than at others.

My experience had been that the green zone changes-by the day, by the week, by the minute sometimes. In my case, it changes with the weather, how much sodium I've eaten, how my allergies are doing and by the time of the month and sometimes it just changes for no rhyme or reason. Instead of wasting too much time worrying about whether I'm in the green zone or not, I just try to make good choices, eat enough protein and drink enough water. It sure sounds like you are doing things the right way- like eating by measured amounts instead of eating until you are full. Keep up the good work!

Please don't listen to what anyone here says about appropriate fills. You have a surgeon whose job it is to know what the correct fill amount is FOR YOU! None of us are experts so please, please, please...listen to your doctor.

Just a reminder-every doctor has his own protocol. Most won't do your first fill until at least 6 weeks post op to give your body time to heal and surgical swelling to go down.

I agree. It sure sounds like you are too tight again. You should be able to drink and eat but stay feeling full for 3-4 hours. Being too tight will only work for a short time before you start doing more damage than good.

Sorry to disappoint all of you, but you probably won't feel any different after your first fill, or your second or even your third fill. (Of course, it depends on how aggressive your doctor is with fill amounts.) You are entering into what is commonly known as bandster hell. Hang in there though. Just stick with your plan, eat your protein and drink your water and it will work out.

I had reflux for 20 years before my banding. When my band was placed, they did a repair to my hiatal hernia. Since banding, three plus years now, I've only had reflux when my band was filled too tight. I don't take any daily acid medication anymore. Feels great after all those years!

Do you weigh and measure or record what you eat? How many calories are you taking in per day? How much protein are you taking in every day? Are you drinking enough water? I use protein shakes very little these days-I try to get my protein from real food sources-things like Greek Yogurt, egg whites, beans, string cheese and lean deli meat. I just hit my three year mark and am back to losing since last August. I stayed the same weight for a year so I completely understand what you are dealing with. If I can help at all, without passing any judgement, feel free to PM me.

I'm three years out from surgery and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I log everything on MFP and I do eat a few extra calories on hard workout days. I had the resting metabolic testing done as part of my pre-op work up. My resting metabolic rate is only 1734 calories so you are one lucky woman!

You can eat chicken, but make sure it's cooked using a moist cooking method-and try to never eat reheated (especially microwaved!!!) chicken. It's not a problem with being hard to digest, it's a problem with it being hard to chew well enough. Small bites, chew, chew, chew. I eat chicken three or more times a week and have never been stuck from it.

Will do! I have to go onto my computer instead of the ipad to do it. Look for it in the morning,

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea pre-surgery. I ended up using the CPAP for about 15 months and once I lost about 50 pounds, I retired the machine. I am not here to nag you about your vanity, just to tell you that you should take this seriously. At least do yourself the favor of learning about how sleep apnea is impacting your body. You admit to having headaches and feeling tired during the day, but the reality of sleep apnea is that you are harming yourself every night that you go untreated. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options out there for treatment besides the CPAP . I am also a stomach sleeper, but after a few tries I did find a mask that I could sleep with. I didn't want to wear the stupid thing either, but after I started using it, my headaches and fatigue were gone...I whined about the f****ing thing for the first six months, but I felt so much better when I used it. Just my experience, but please don't reject the idea of using the machine without completely understanding how much damage is being done. You obviously want to be healthier or you wouldn't be considering weight loss surgery, this is just one more component of that healthier lifestyle (and its not forever!).

Probably not a good idea without pureeing it. It doesn't chew down into mush, no matter how much you chew it. Would not be a fun food to get stuck!

Have you tried making a sandwich with one of the new flatbread/thin breads? I take a sandwich every day in my cooler using the flat thins and have no problem eating them. When my band is a little tighter, I can eat about half of the sandwich and then eat just the insides later when I need more protein. Also, in the cooler weather I make big batches of chili which I freeze in individual servings. I add lots of extra beans and use only one pound of very lean ground beef. After the chili has cooked and been frozen and thawed, the ground beef doesn't give me any trouble. Hope this helps! Good luck with those 2nd graders!!!