ABC 06~April Chat

[RLittman 4]

Jessica, you are so close to your goal - what a difference 8 months make!

We were just out in LA this past week and went to Universal Studios. Because I thought we were going on just a tram tour I wore 2 1/2 inch heels instead of flats. We ended up walking around the theme park for 6 hours and I did just fine! In our family pictures, I no longer look like a sore thumb sticking out but much more in proportion to everybody else, which is so cool. I took such a small suitcase because my clothes are so much smaller, AND I fit so comfortably in the airplane seat and on the theme park rides.

I am a little frustrated though because the scales will not budge and I think I might be a little too tight. While I can easily drink liquids, solids of any type are just not good right now. I can barely eat a few bites of anything solid. I am so tired of mushy foods. I think I will go in for a refill. It may also be that I am consuming too few calories and that is why I am not losing weight. Any ideas? Any unfills that helped the scales start moving again?

[Constance 0]

Today at lunch with co-workers (who don't know I'm banded) I felt a

little stuck. Nothing new, I thought, it'll pass. Wrong. I politely

excused myself. After 30 minutes heaving slime and foam into the toilet

I barfed up my few bites of food. This was followed by horrible pain,

more slime, excrutiating hiccups, more slime...so I finally left work.

Then (get ready, it's bad)... I barfed into my gym clothes while

driving in my car. Then some more at home. It was only 4 or 5 bites of

meatloaf and peas -- but it lasted for over an hour. I wanted to drive

straight to the doctor for an unfill. I feel so embarassed and ashamed.

What do I say to my co-workers? I basically left the lunch table and

never returned. On top of the, I feel so fat and stalled right now -- I

have been for 2 months. I'd like to think the trade-off for this is

that I'm losing weight, but I'm not. I constantly crave easy junk like

ice cream and donuts. (Yes, I know, how can I be able to eat DONUTS?

Blessing or curse?) I just feel like crap. Like I "failed" somehow with

the PB and that I am already failing at losing weight. :phanvan

[libra 13]

You didn't fail Pelo. Try keeping track of your food intake for a few days in a journal or at fitday.com. Be honest with yourself. If you sneak a donut, record it. After a couple of weeks, you'll be able to check it over and figure out what changes need to be made. And don't beat yourself up, we all mess up every now and then.

[clarityseeker 1]

I know there is a phenomenon where your body can go into starvation mode and try to hold on to weight. However, I think if we eat enough calories on a regular basis, that does not happen. Instead, my thought is that the slow-down in weight loss as I approach my goal is simply that I do not need as many calories to maintain my weight because I am smaller. So, for me, I am really trying to add SOME exercise -- not so much that I build a bunch of muscle right away, because that will also slow the scale down. I simply want to burn more calories than I am taking in. As I get close to goal and at goal, my focus will turn more to the exercise, weight training, and trying to get my body into good physical shape. I am lucky that I do not have a lot of excess skin -- firming up should take care of most of it and I'm sure I'll always have the reminder in the middle of my body that I have 4 kids. I don't expect to have a flat stomach!

I am going for a fill because I can eat foods that are not helpful to my eating plan -- pastas, some bread, other starches, etc. And, I can eat too much in a sitting. I haven't had a fill in a couple of months, so I think that I will get one, go for the gusto, and see if I can shave off 10-15 pounds with some exercise.

Pelo -- your PB experience is NOT a failure. It is a side effect of the band. I have had bad PB experiences when I did not really mess up too badly, and I have had no problem when I really should have. It's one of the mysteries of the band and the journey. After I have a bad one like you did, I give my tummy a break for a couple of days and stick to liquids and soft, easy foods and I am fine. But, don't beat yourself up -- it happens to (nearly) all of us!

Finally, I do not weigh every day -- I do like to keep close tabs, so I will weigh if I am concerned. Otherwise, I check weight a couple of times a week -- if I am down, the same, or within a pound of my "low", I'm fine with it. So far, that's been my experience and it has worked for me. Also, I don't weigh at all during "that time of the month". I wait until just after I finish and then I usually see a downward movement.

My 2 cents.

Jessica

[Boo Boo Kitty 3]

Clarity once I start eating breads I get a fill as well. For me it means nothing goog is coming. I tell the Dr once I can eat a sandwhich I will be on!

I had to go for an unfill Tuesday, feeling MUCH MUCH better. I am finally over 100 pounds now, and feel so awsome!

[libra 13]

Booboo! You looks awesome! And congrats on 100 pounds! That's incredible!

[Boo Boo Kitty 3]

:eek: Thank you Libra!

[Serendipity4124 1]

Ice cream is my worst enemy right now, it is getting warmer out here now and I crave it in the summer :confused: I need to find a low fat ice cream or yogurt that I really like so that I can have a healthy option, any suggestions? I'm not a chocolate person, I like banana ice cream from coldstone....Let me know if you guys know any good alternatives!

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

What does ABC chat mean? Can anyone join in?

[libra 13]

ABC is August Band Crew...we were all banded in August of 2006.

[jekbird 0]

Hey ya'll,

I'm going on a field trip with my son's class next week. We are taking coolers and I need to figure what I will pack. Any ideas?

I haven't updated the ticker but I finally made it to 60lbs lost!:biggrin1:

Thanks for always being there!

[RLittman 4]

Okay after a month of PBing way too much, I went in for an unfill from 2.5cc. to 2.2cc. The band looked perfect - no pouch dilation, no slippage and the liquid went through perfectly. I still had the unfill because I felt I just had too much restriction and was hardly taking in any calories and certainly nothing much solid. They offered that I must being eating too fast or not the right foods, but when I said that it should not take 1/2 hour to eat 2 small bites of chicken that are first chewed to mush before being swallowed, and that any swallow is met with lots of belching than something is not right followed by slime. When I reviewed my diet over the last month I realized that I have relied too heavily on mushy food (mashed potatoes, etc) and not enough solid Protein which may be why my energy level is down a bit. Since I had none of this before my 4th restriction obviously I am too tight for solids. So we will see how this goes.

[libra 13]

Hope the unfill works for you Robin.

[Constance 0]

Hey ya'll,

I'm going on a field trip with my son's class next week. We are taking coolers and I need to figure what I will pack. Any ideas?

I haven't updated the ticker but I finally made it to 60lbs lost!:biggrin1:

Thanks for always being there!

Depending on how your restriction is...I'd say some lunch meat, crackers, maybe a wedge of cheese, yogurt or pudding cups...stuff with Protein that will go down easy and be tasty, too.

[Constance 0]

Ice cream is my worst enemy right now, it is getting warmer out here now and I crave it in the summer I need to find a low fat ice cream or yogurt that I really like so that I can have a healthy option, any suggestions? I'm not a chocolate person, I like banana ice cream from coldstone....Let me know if you guys know any good alternatives!

I think that new Breyers double-churned lowfat stuff is great. Still tastes like the real thing but much less fat. I try to do ice cream bars or popsicles since it is pre-portioned. I say this but last night I had a bowl of Cookies 'n' cream flavor with some cherry cobbler. oops!