I'm here to help...

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

Morning...............nownew snow over the night.. That's a good thing. DH is worn out from shoveling snow... He not only does ours, but our businesses, my mother's, and our daughter's.... Lots of work for a man of 61.....

I slept in my bed all night, but my back did ache part of the time.. I think I just have to get used to sleeping flat again.. It's been so long in the recliner... My incision still stretches when I lay flat... but I made it and I did sleep..... a bit fitfully, but I did sleep.. Will have to be happy with little steps I think...

Well, DH just went to get my sleeping baby....... I better go get dressed and get ready for her.. Her mother said she was up at 3:30 and ready to play... Mommy was crabby this morning.... She is one of those who really need their sleep and being a single mom means she doesn't always get it... Thank goodness the weekend is almost here... she can nap tomorrow....

Take care all and stay safe in all this odd weather we are having.. Julie

[phyllser 3]

I have to say when I posted for "help" I had no idea this post was 170 pages long. I have a lot of reading to do to meet all of you but I have to say you all sound like a great group to be a part of. Forgive me for not using names for now...I have lost 60 lbs and have 70ish lbs to go so I don't think my problem is being too close to my goal. I don't know if it is realistic but when I did my "psych" evaluation before getting my band the doc said I should aim for 135. I know I am eating too many calories because I am tracking them very closely. Luckily I am going to the doc in 2 weeks so hopefully he gives me a little fill. I know I can eat 1500-2000 calories with no problem. I have picked up my exercise more than I have in the last 16-17 years. The sad thing is now I see problems with my knees and aches and pains from getting old that I never had before. I think I lost that weight and felt good with all the compliments and thought I could slack off a bit and now I need to get serious again. I don't know, I guess this is a learning process and sorry for the rambling. Niecey

Welcome, Niecey!

It does sound like you need a fill. As for eating 100-2000 calories, there's a moderator on another board who likes to say, "Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD!" :crying:

Very good that you're tracking your calories closely, though. And picking up the exercise. Can you find something that isn't too hard on your knees?? I need double knee replacement.. I do Water aerobics.

Keep on reading... there's lots of good stuff in those 170 pages!

[EmmaWang 0]

Hi, I am two weeks 5 days post op. I am in the soft food phase - fish, well-cooked vege, egges, fat free cheese, sugar free pudding and tofu are allowed.

My typical three meals are like the following:

Breaksfast: 1 hard boiled egg; 1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese with pineapple

Two hours later I would feel hungry again.

Snack: Edyy's no sugar added popsicle (30 cal, 1g sugar each)

Lunch: 3 to 4.5 OZ of flat fish (half to 1 fillet); half cup (4OZ) tofu; 2-3 OZ of vege

Snack: Edyy's no sugar added popsicle (30 cal, 1g sugar each)

Snack2: 1 sugar free popsicle (10 cal each)

Dinner: to 4.5 OZ of flat fish (half to 1 fillet); half cup (4OZ) tofu; 2-3 OZ of vege

Snack: Edyy's no sugar added popsicle (30 cal, 1g sugar each)

Three or fours hours after lunch or dinner, I feel hungry again.

All the meals and Snacks combine to about 860 calories per day.

Do I seem to eat too much?

I read that a lot of people are only eating 1 cup of food? Exactly how much is that? Are we talking about stuff the soft or solid food into a cup sized cup to measure?

Yesterday morning, I suddenly gained 3 lbs. I did a post about it here and a lot of responses were it was probably Water retention and it will go away eventually. I think that it is probably most Water retention; however, am I also eating too much to contribute to the 3 lbs gain?

[JoannMarie 0]

Hi Emma,

I don't think you are eating too much. In fact, it might help to bump your calories up - have between 1000 and 1100. Often our bodies kinda rebel when the food supply is cut too drastically. Your body thinks it's starving (I have a cat that thinks he's starving if he can see the bottom of the food bowl) and it begins to hoard every tiny bit of fat in order to fend off starvation. You metabolism slows down drastically, and you don't lose. It can also affect Water retention. Add in a little more Protein and some low carb, well cooked vegies or fruit and see if that will help. You might also vary the Snacks a little. SF puddings (60 cal), soft fruit like applesauce, yogurt (ymmm, protein), etc. How 'bout a small bowl of oatmeal or Cream of Wheat with your HB egg and cottage cheese for Breakfast? Janet (guru of lapbandland, currently on a cruise) often suggests varying your calorie intake from day to day - 800 one day, up to 1000 next day, etc.

A pound of weight is 3500 calories. Unless you consumed 10,500 calories the day before your 3 pound gain, it's Water. Believe me, it's water.

A cup of food. Sometimes I measure, sometimes not. A cup is 8 oz, so a 4 oz piece of fish would be the equivalent of 1/2 cup. Add to that another 1/2 cup low carb vegie and you would have a cup of food. If it is a food that has the consistency of a casserole, measure it out in a cup. This is a good method to use until you get used to seeing that size serving. At the beginning I did that consistently. Not so much these days, although it is a great idea to go back to measuring every other week or so. Often that cup expands all by itself and all of a sudden you are eating 1 1/2 cups or 2 cups, or more. We have to jerk on our own reins every once in a while, because it is that expansion that lead to our expansion. It will probably be a while before you are feeling good restriction. Do the measuring now, eat what is allowed, then wait 5-10 minutes before you start thinking about eating more. 90% of the time you will realize - aha! That is what feeling full really means! and you won't go back for seconds. SCORE!!! We - and by that I mean ALL of us have gotten fat by eating beyond our limits over and over again until the only time we felt FULL is when we were actually STUFFED. Learn that pleasantly full feeling early in this game and you will be way ahead.

You are going to do great. Stay positive, enjoy all the victories. Remember that the band does not prevent hunger it just helps you to satisfy it sooner. Listen to what it says to you and use it as a wonderful tool that will help put YOU back in control.

Edited March 28, 2009 by JoannMarie

[Great2BThin 5]

Emma, you are what is called Bandster Hell right now. It's the time after you begin recovery but before your first fill, usually the first 6 weeks after surgery. In fact, my dr told me my goal wasn't even to lose weight during this time, just to heal. The swelling has gone down from your surgery, you just went through freakin' major surgery to lose weight and here you are now hungry and the scale isn't budging. And you are hungry. This too shall pass, your first fill or two will help tremendously. Hang in there, follow your post op diet (many docs differ on what you can eat and when during this period) and know that it's common to not lose much right now. As soon as I started mushies the scale stopped for me too and I was in pure panic mode. But it picked back up and moved quickly those first few months.

[ljv52 2]

Hi everyone, I've been busy all week and didn't find time to check in. Took me awhile to catch up with reading everything. Welcome Emma, and another trick re portion size is to use a small plate (salad or luncheon plate) instead of the big dinner size ones. It tricks our minds when we see a small plate that is somewhat full even though it might only have 1 cup of food on it. You're doing great -- you've already lost 24 pounds -- congratulations. As JoAnn and Long said, you are in bandster hell which I only recently got out of when I had my first fill about 2 weeks ago. It will pass, but as they said, concentrate more on healing right now. All doctors are different, but my doc lifted all restrictions on me one week after my surgery so I was allowed to go back to Water aerobics right away which helped me in my weight loss. Many other doctors make you wait 4 to 6 weeks however, so listen to your doctor. It's amazing how different they all are. We are supposed to get snow overnight tonight (like right now). Hopefully it won't start until I leave work (in the next hour or so). We're supposed to get 5 inches but again, supposed to be 50 tomorrow, so it will melt. I just hope our Easter is warmer than last year - it was rainy and very cold last Easter. I had my red hatters at my house for bunco last night. I made all low fat food (we do pot luck, but I made extra low fat things so I could have plenty to eat without being tempted). It went well and all my low fat food was well received. I enjoyed making it, as I too love to cook and haven't been doing it much since I got banded (except for cooking for myself). Anyway, it was fun, but as usual, I don't win much at bunco, I can't seem to get lucky in that game. Holly, yes, it's been such a struggle with the Juvenile Diabetes with both my step children. And I worry every day - my step daughter has a little 2-1/2 year old and she's a single mom and I worry about her driving the baby around in the car knowing she never takes a proper reading. I just pray that they will cure it in the next few years and I pray my little granddaughter doesn't get it. It's a very very tough disease for kids to live with. I guess Apples made it out of town before the blizzard. Long congrats on buying more size 10s -that's terrific. Julie, you poor dear, hope the water situation gets resolved and you don't have to deal with that for 2 weeks. That sounds horrible. Also hope you get rid of that snow and get on with some nice, spring weather. Phyl, I don't have Rite Aid here, but I do love the Papaya extract - and they really are delicious. I usually just take them with my chewable Vitamin every day and I haven't had any heartburn or anything since I started using them (and I used to carry a huge bottle of Tums in my purse as I had heartburn constantly). It's so nice to be free from that problem now. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Linda

[EmmaWang 0]

Thank you both very much. As I tend to eat a lot of tofu (3-4 OZ each meal) and cooked vege, I think my meal size is well over 1.5 cup, probably 2 cup. My other concern is that by eating this much, would I have messed up my band and expanded my pouch?

Joann, you are right, I am still in the process of learning the difference of feeling "full" and not being hungry. Yes before the surgery, my definition of a satisfied meal is actually getting stuffed. Even now sometimes it's hard to tell the difference of being "full" and being not hungry. I'll try to eat a smaller amount of food then stop for 5 minutes to see if I am still hungry. However even with this much food at each meal, I feel hungry again after 3 hours.

Longtothin - your name is also the desire that every lap bander longs for. I have longed to be thin and fit for a long time. It looks like you have done an amazing job - losing 113 lbs from June 2008. WOW, in not even a year. I wish I would be lucky enough to achieve this kind of speed in weight losing after my fill. My first fill is scheduled on 04/09/2009.

[ljv52 2]

JoAnn, you gave Emma great advice and also thanks for the reminder of the 3500 calories per one pound, I had forgotten that. Emma, I went through about a month after surgery where I lost only 1/2 or 1 lb. per week and then one week I lost 5 lbs. and I didn't do anything different that week. After that I went back to losing about 1 or 2 lbs. per week -- it's different every week it seems. That's why I only weigh once a week -- and sometimes I think it might be better to only weigh once every two weeks as it tends to make us discouraged when we don't feel like we're losing. Niecey, you've lost 62 pounds in 6 months -- that's fantastic! Congratulations. Don't forget to give yourself credit for your other accomplishments (not just for the weight loss) For example, give yourself credit for sticking to the bandster rules, for following your doctor's orders, for getting through the surgery and give yourself credit for exercising. Also, if you've been taking your measurement periodically, you can check your measurements and see if you've lost inches instead of pounds. There's a lot more to losing weight and changing our lifestyles than just what's on that scale every week.

[EmmaWang 0]

ljv, thanks for your post. It looks like you are also a night owl like me. Haha... My doctor hasn't said much about the restrictions on exercising. But he encourages walking. I haven't done much of walking since my port site sometimes still sores. However, I joined my co-workers today at noon and walked about 1.5 miles. They are also taller (I am only 5"2) and much thinner than me. It was quite a task to catch up their paces. I was really tired after the power walk and my port site also sores a little. But I am very glad that I did it. Exercising is important element in weight loss. I am sorry to hear that your step children have Juvenile Diabetes. I am sure they will get cured sooner or later.

[pj_txlady 0]

Hi everyone, I've been busy all week and didn't find time to check in. Took me awhile to catch up with reading everything. Welcome Emma, and another trick re portion size is to use a small plate (salad or luncheon plate) instead of the big dinner size ones. It tricks our minds when we see a small plate that is somewhat full even though it might only have 1 cup of food on it. You're doing great -- you've already lost 24 pounds -- congratulations. As JoAnn and Long said, you are in bandster hell which I only recently got out of when I had my first fill about 2 weeks ago. It will pass, but as they said, concentrate more on healing right now. All doctors are different, but my doc lifted all restrictions on me one week after my surgery so I was allowed to go back to Water aerobics right away which helped me in my weight loss. Many other doctors make you wait 4 to 6 weeks however, so listen to your doctor. It's amazing how different they all are. We are supposed to get snow overnight tonight (like right now). Hopefully it won't start until I leave work (in the next hour or so). We're supposed to get 5 inches but again, supposed to be 50 tomorrow, so it will melt. I just hope our Easter is warmer than last year - it was rainy and very cold last Easter. I had my red hatters at my house for bunco last night. I made all low fat food (we do pot luck, but I made extra low fat things so I could have plenty to eat without being tempted). It went well and all my low fat food was well received. I enjoyed making it, as I too love to cook and haven't been doing it much since I got banded (except for cooking for myself). Anyway, it was fun, but as usual, I don't win much at bunco, I can't seem to get lucky in that game. Holly, yes, it's been such a struggle with the Juvenile Diabetes with both my step children. And I worry every day - my step daughter has a little 2-1/2 year old and she's a single mom and I worry about her driving the baby around in the car knowing she never takes a proper reading. I just pray that they will cure it in the next few years and I pray my little granddaughter doesn't get it. It's a very very tough disease for kids to live with. I guess Apples made it out of town before the blizzard. Long congrats on buying more size 10s -that's terrific. Julie, you poor dear, hope the water situation gets resolved and you don't have to deal with that for 2 weeks. That sounds horrible. Also hope you get rid of that snow and get on with some nice, spring weather. Phyl, I don't have Rite Aid here, but I do love the Papaya extract - and they really are delicious. I usually just take them with my chewable Vitamin every day and I haven't had any heartburn or anything since I started using them (and I used to carry a huge bottle of Tums in my purse as I had heartburn constantly). It's so nice to be free from that problem now. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Linda

I love Bunco.

[JoannMarie 0]

I'd like to "weigh" in on the scale issue, and whether or not to weigh more than once a week. I was pretty faithful to that at first - weighing in only on Friday morning. Then I began to slip a little - curiosity was killing me - and I weighed again on Sundays and again on Tuesdays. Over the next few weeks, I realized my highest day was ALWAYS on Friday!! I began to weigh daily to test this out - turns out other days are almost always better. I've decided that I will weigh as often as I feel like it during any given week. I take the lowest weight of the week as my recorded weight. I know I am following the rules 95% of the time, my weight varies because of Water retention - can be up to 3 pounds. It is a matter of ignoring those Water weight gains (while trying to weed out any particular foods that may be contributing to it) and concentrating on the importance of following the rules. I find I am much more aware of what I am eating every day - not just the day or so before my "official" weight day. I have come to the conclusion that "bad" carbs may be my worst enemies with respect to water retention and I have become much better at eliminating those little pests. I still have the heavier days, but the general trend is down and that makes me happy. and - Tuesday is usually my best day, Friday still my worst!

This is just my personal experience. If you tend to want to "give up" when the scale is not your friend by a few tenths (or more!), this may not be the best method for you. For some reason I become more determined to beat the scale tomorrow, and it's easier to follow the rules.

Whatever works!!

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

OK what's "bunco"!!!! Never heard of it.... A card game???? Must lead a sheltered life... We love pinnochle here....... play with friends often...

Hey gang, I did my "whole" 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds tape today!!!! Haven't been able to swim because of the weather and have been using the tape more... Yesterday I did .75, but today I figured out that the last .25 is mostly cool down, so I tried it and made it all the way... Now I can't exactly imitate those skinny little girls on the tape, but I was moving that whole time so I'm taking my kudos no matter what!!! Then I jumped in the hot-tub and now the shower and feel a nap coming on......... I'm home alone and enjoying the Saturday... Haven't even gotten dressed yet.. We have sunshine and about 30 today.. No snow........this is great.. Haven't turned on the TV so don't know what the latest flood news is... All of "mine" are safe and sound so I'm taking a break from all the doom and gloom.....Made a nice salad with cottage cheese and Jello and pears......... Now will think of something nice fore supper and have a nice evening at the movies here at home, I think...

I'm with JoannMarie on the scale issue.... If I don't weigh often I get crazy... I like to know..... When I'm not in a depressed mood, the fluctuations don't bother me as I can almost guess what they are from... I stay with the lowest and wait it out until it hits a lower number......... It's working for me, but like you said, may not be for everyone... I always seem to lose more after a fill and then stop for a couple weeks... Have a fill scheduled for Monday... Have lost 7 pounds since the last one on 2-24... I can handle that even though I would like it to be faster...

You all have a great spring Saturday afternoon... Rest up...another week is on the way!! And Janet and Apples will be back soon... That's encouraging, too..... Hope they are having a blast....

Julie

[ljv52 2]

Hi everyone. Bunco is a dice game, we play with 12 people. You throw 3 dice at a time and you are trying to get a bunco which is all three dice of the same number as the round. For instance, in round 1 you are trying to roll all 1s, round 2 all 2s, etc. up to 6 and then you start back over at 1. It's a lot of fun. Each person pays $5 to play and there are categories for winning -- the most buncos wins the most $20, first bunco wins $5, last bunco wins $5, etc. It's a fast paced game -- you play 3 tables of 4 players each. I had heard of it for years but never started playing until about 3 years ago. It's great fun. Emma, yes, I'm now a nite owl, in fact I have been working nights the past few years -- for 30+ years I worked in offices and had to be at work at 8:00 so I enjoy my new retirement fun job I have now. I also enjoy having my time in the evenings to myself. Hope everyone is doing well. We got our snow -- it was late, didn't start until about 3:00 p.m. today. We have about 4 or 5 inches on the ground but supposed to be 50 tomorrow, so hopefully it will just melt away. Linda

[pj_txlady 0]

OK what's "bunco"!!!! Never heard of it.... A card game???? Must lead a sheltered life... We love pinnochle here....... play with friends often...

Hey gang, I did my "whole" 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds tape today!!!! Haven't been able to swim because of the weather and have been using the tape more... Yesterday I did .75, but today I figured out that the last .25 is mostly cool down, so I tried it and made it all the way... Now I can't exactly imitate those skinny little girls on the tape, but I was moving that whole time so I'm taking my kudos no matter what!!! Then I jumped in the hot-tub and now the shower and feel a nap coming on......... I'm home alone and enjoying the Saturday... Haven't even gotten dressed yet.. We have sunshine and about 30 today.. No snow........this is great.. Haven't turned on the TV so don't know what the latest flood news is... All of "mine" are safe and sound so I'm taking a break from all the doom and gloom.....Made a nice salad with cottage cheese and Jello and pears......... Now will think of something nice fore supper and have a nice evening at the movies here at home, I think...

I'm with JoannMarie on the scale issue.... If I don't weigh often I get crazy... I like to know..... When I'm not in a depressed mood, the fluctuations don't bother me as I can almost guess what they are from... I stay with the lowest and wait it out until it hits a lower number......... It's working for me, but like you said, may not be for everyone... I always seem to lose more after a fill and then stop for a couple weeks... Have a fill scheduled for Monday... Have lost 7 pounds since the last one on 2-24... I can handle that even though I would like it to be faster...

You all have a great spring Saturday afternoon... Rest up...another week is on the way!! And Janet and Apples will be back soon... That's encouraging, too..... Hope they are having a blast....

Julie

Love Pinnochle too. Hubby and I use to play that all the time when he was in the Air Force, now its hard to find anyone that knows how to play. I have found a nice place to play online.

[mabtx 0]

Hi, I got banded on March 27,2009 and definitely need advise. The surgery went well. I am willing to listen to any advise you can give me. Thanks