Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it. Yes--I thought 3cc was pretty darn aggressive. He didn't tell me before hand how much he was putting in. I think he got over-confident because he was doing it by X-ray but he still should have tested it with a barium swallow and I was just to chicken to challenge him. I really though he could see what was happening so I didn't question him. I guess this was a lesson for both of us. I do feel much better today.

Keri--you could join us on the Low Carbers Unite thread if you want. It's under food and Nutrition and it does help.

Fenton said he was going away but in his last post he also said that he didn't feel well and thought he was coming down with a bug.

FENTON!!!??? We are thinking of you!!!!

BNL -- I had to think about what you meant about calling Fenton "Charlie"... then it struck me that we are the "Angels"... that is too cool!

Need some feedback from you all on what I should ask for as a fill on my 3rd fill coming up this week. I'm at 6 cc's in my 14 cc band and I have some restriction, but not enough. I am trying to stay very diligently at about 1000-1200 calories plus exercise but there are days when I blow it and I've got 1400 calories in before I can blink an eye. I still can eat a good portion size, much more than the 1/2 cup servings some of you talk about. When I try to eat just a 1/2 cup I'm really hungry within maybe 2-3 hours. I'd like to be able to eat a small portion like 1/2 to 1 cup of food and stay satisfied for several hours almost to the point of having to remind myself to eat my next meal with Protein in it. Noon yesterday I had 2 boiled eggs and salad with some dressing as lunch. I pick out the egg yolk to save those cholesterol grams and calories and eat mainly the white portion. I got 'full' feeling pressure by the time I had those 2 egg whites and didn't seem to have room for the salad so I saved it. By 3pm I was searching for something to eat and I discovered my salad still sitting there so I was able to eat that and feel satisfied again at least to finish working until 4:30pm. Got home and thought gee, I think I'll take a quick nap before I get up and do some other things. Fell rock solid asleep and didn't wake up until Midnight! I was hungry! Ate about 1 cup of FF cottage cheese and about 6 turkey bacon slices. Back to bed at 2 am and woke up at 7 am -- so I slept like 12 hours! I'm thinking if I don't get enough calories in my energy level is just blah and I want the sleep to compensate. Sorry for the long post but I'm still trying to decide if I should ask for an 'aggressive' fill or just ask to keep incrementally going up by 1 cc at a time or so. I definitely don't want them to put in 3 cc and have the problems that were posted about to unfill, not keep fluids down. I can't imagine surviving on 2000 calories in several days combined. I'd be sleeping alot!

I do like the reference to Fenton as "charlie" Quite a compliment to him. :thumbup:

So I think we could all have a new name for him.... What do you think Fenton... want to be Charlie for all of us March Bandster ladies????? :biggrin2:

Kerri, glad you posted. I think low carbing is a great idea. I'll join you in your Atkin's induction...but I'll start on Monday. I'm having a B-Day party for my mom on Sunday and I know I will have a bit too many carbs for Atkins. So, I'll post on Monday evening to say how I did and to check in on you. We can do this!

Special K- I don't think you need much more of a fill if you are full after eating only 2 egg whites. Some bandsters like to be very tight, for me I like to know that I can have a little bit of anything in control. So, I may lose slower, but I can live a normal likfe in front of my friends and family. Last week when I had my major PB and then could eat NOTHING for 3 days I lost 3 pounds in 3 days, but I did not feel good and would not wan tto be like that for the long haul. It's a personal decision. If you like to be very restricted and stick to Protein in liquid forms, go for it.

Christine

SpecialK----hmmm- well---does your MD have a policy on the upper limit they'll do on an office fill. My MD won't normally give more than 1cc in office (he waits til he had an x-ray to go overboard!!). Given the experience I just had -- I urge you to not get more than 1cc (no more than 1 and a half) in office given the 5cc that you have now. The reason I say that is -- if it ends up being too much and you get swollen like I did---they may have to take out all or at least a significant amount and then they need to wait 4-6 weeks for everything to rest.

I think Charlie is a great name for him! He'll love it. Anyway, I'm struggling. This last month has been hard. For so long it was easy to make those good choices and exercise was fun, but lately I've noticed more bad choices and the exercise has gotten really hard for me to get going. I need to get another fill.

Hi Shamrocks, I've been stalled in a plateau for the last 3 weeks -- ever since I had to get a slight unfill. But I went to my doc to check in the other day, and they believe the reason I'm not losing any weight is that I'm simply not getting enough Protein. Instead of the 60 grams I was working at, they want me to have at least 100! So, I'll work on getting in at least 2 shakes a day in addition to whatever I can eat, and we'll see if that helps.

In other news, I finally got my Wii Fit for my birthday! It's fun and a challenge -- especially competing with my kids and DH for the top spot in certain games. I hope the novelty doesn't wear off too soon...

For my bday treat, I opted for some Cold Stone ice cream. Not a healthy choice by a long shot, I realize, but the advantage is that it's a one day treat. There's no leftover cake to taunt me for days on end.

I hope to report back that the protein increase is working and that I'll finally start losing again...

Well I'm going to call my doctor on monday an get in for an unfill. I had another cc put in on July 3rd and just haven't been able to eat since then. The first night i couldn't even swallow air, just kept burping it up all night. On the bright side I've lost 9lbs in the last 15 days... but not being able to eat anything is really starting to suck big time

jencys - I am sorry you have been going through that for so long. You must have been feeling terrible. I am glad, though, you are going to call to get a small unfill. Even though we are all doing this because losing weight will help bring health to our lives I hope we can remember how important total health is - not just losing weight.

Sometimes we let ourselves go through things that we would never let our friends, family or children go through. Could you imagine one of them telling us that they have not been able to eat since July 3rd?

I know these are all such personal decisions and this comes from a place of concern (you just can't turn off the worrying Mom switch). I hope the unfill give you some relief!

...all this talk of low carb really makes me just want carbs! I have so much trouble getting enough Protein. If I cut out the Peanut Butter and cheese, I don't think I would get any!

I think Charlie is an excellent choice for our Fenton. He will enjoy it I'm sure. Thanks for the reminder of his vacation time....but I'm still concerned with his not feeling well.

I think we're all depending on the band to do our work for us....and in doing so we need to be careful to not accept being too tight. That has its own consequences...losing weight is great but not at our health's expense.

Have a good weekend everyone and stay cool. It was 100 degrees in Connecticut today and my clinical site with my students was stifling....was glad to get out at 3pm.... still have good days and bad but my worst day is 1400 calories when that used to be my worse meal!!!!

sharon;)

Chia--WOW!!! I think this is really interesting!!! I'm aware that there is quite a controversy about level of protein. My nutritionist and the U.S. says 40-60 but there has been a lot of very interesting research that argues for far more protein for weight loss. That school of thought is saying that the more we weigh--and the more weight we need to lose --the more protein we are suppose to eat. They claim it takes a lot of protein to burn the fat and if we don't get the protein we will be slower or not lose. Others say -- that amount of protein is not good for us. Well. Hmm. What have others been hearing from their MDs?

jencys---I think you are right. After what I have been through--I have really learned how unproductive and potentially hurtful an overfill can be.

Hi Ladies!

Anyone using unjury for their Protein shake? I am lactose and have been using Soy Milk for over 3 years with everything. Now the soy milk has started to bother me. Any suggestions on something else to blend with this shake?

I use unjury, but I've always mixed it with soy milk.

I have a friend that just mixed it with water and said it was okay, though....

Thanks for all the thoughts you all have shared about being too tight so I'll say that to my doctor that I want to lose weight but I don't want to be only able to drink liquids if he give me too much.

I'm going to make it my goal to eat in smaller portions at a time to see if I can make myself get the idea into my head better that a small portion is enough mentally and physically.