Great Idea - I will do it right now !!

Hi

I am Janet and I am a recovering food addict :wink2:

I was banded 7/17/07 - My starting weight was 250 - I'm 5'4

Today (just over 10 months out) I am 154 - size 8 pants (was 18/20) Medium tops (was 22/24)

I got banded as I wanted to extend the years that I have left on this planet and to do that I knew that I needed to lose weight.

The band has been the tool I needed. For the first time in my life I have been able to achieve this goal (actually getting to my goal weight)

If you want a buddy - support - help - suggestions - Please feel free to call upon me - I will gladly share my journey with you - the journey is still on going and by helping you I will be helping me (staying motivated and accountable) and then one day you can pay it forward and help someone else.

Hi to all tonight (Tues). I have been cleaning and setting up all of my XMas stuff. Decorated the fireplace mantel. Made pie dough today. Have been very busy. Tomorrow is pies. For dinner on Thurs. I will be having Turkey, Mashed tatoes, gravy, dressing, scalloped corn, brocolli cheese rice casserole and waldorf salad, rolls. Tomorrow I will make pumpkin pie, apple pies and cherry pie. I LOVE IT ALL!!!. Tonight for dinner I had baked chicken, salad and baked vegetables. Well, guess what. I had my very first PB.:grouphug: DID not like that at all. I don't know if I ate too fast or too much. I did just have a fill last week so maybe it is kicking in now. Janet, I will be interested in hearing about your plastics visit. I sure want to have that but there is no way I will be able to afford it. Mostly I want a tummy tuck as I have had twins and have alot of loose skin which I hate more than anything. glad to hear everyone is doing well.

Beckyo:drool::grouphug:

Becky...Will you send me your Waldorf Salad recipe plz?

MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH MY LAP BAND JOURNEY.

And a special thanks to Janet for starting this thread and being there for us! God has given you a special calling to help us and you are doing a great job. We are Blessed!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

To my special LB friends. Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving. You are all so great. That soft spot to go to when you need someone to understand.

A most special thanks to Janet for the time you take every day to help. I have never seen you turn anyone down or turn them away by being too harsh. You are one fantastic lady!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY WONDERFUL FRIENDS !!

I AM THE BLESSED ONE CUZ I HAVE ALL OF YOU!!!

I am so thankful to all of you for the love and support that you have given me..

You all will never know how thankful I am to have all of you in my life.

I am truly the blessed one here...

Love

Janet

Need some wisdom and no finger pointing please. I am worried....I have had one stressful week....after weeks of daily docs and testing they uncovered Hypertension and pre diabetes. This immediately made me want to quit the 5 or so cigarettes I was having daily. This in turn upped my hunger and this today is Thanksgiving!!...I cooked for the family! My docs said I could eat but keep it low fat. Ha. ..does pumkin pie count as a veggie? Mashed potatoes with gravey? Oh boy I messed up. I know I have to call tomorrow I have 4 days to "shrink" my liver. Wonder if my body is up for some speed shrinking! wish me luck. Can't find anyone who said they cheated on Pre op. like this..here

So...

First, you can't beat yourself up. This is a hard journey, but the rewards are great. You have four days to stick with your pre-op program. You must do it. It will be worth it.

Good luck and hang in there. You are doing this for YOU.

- Kathy

Good morning everyone! Thanksgiving is over and I am so thankful. I thought of everyone yesterday. I was so nervous about this first big holiday being banded, but I was able to eat normally. It was great not having the old feelings of being over-stuffed and guilty about eating too much. I was thoughtful about what I ate, no pb'ing and eating very slowly and small amounts. And, several people complimented me on my progress. It felt so good.

How did everyone else do?

Kathy

Well hello friends, (Sat evening). I thought I would be the first one on since thanksgiving but I see there have been a few on. PJ Txlady, Waldorf salad as follows, I use Fuji apples, peel and cut into chunks, cut up grapes, dice some celery, add some marshmallows, chopped black walnuts and then coat it all lightly with Miracle Whip. YUM YUM!! I hope everyone had a wonderful day. I know I sure did. Had dinner, went to my sisters for a while and then went to see the Festival of Trees. It was pretty. Friend, I got questions. I had a fill a week ago Tues. On Tues and Wed before Thanksgiving, I could barely get any food down. Finally on the holiday, I was able to get maybe 3/4 to cup food down at the most. Later on in the evening I tried to eat a piece of pie and got stuck! (ON PIE)!. This is the second fill where I have had restriction, and this one really kicked in. I can drink if not too fast but I have to eat very very very slow to get anything down. Is this the proper restriction or am I too tight. I don't know since I am not used to this. It is hard to eat Protein unless I eat a pencil eraser size bite and chew. It seems that alot of things are getting stuck. I love the restriction but I dont like the stuck feeling. I haven't had it that much at all until now. Today, I did eat a piece of Turkey with a little corn and brocolli. I have had some pie also but a very very small sliver. I just wondered if this is what they call real restriction and do I need to slow down even more. It takes me about 45 minutes or so to eat dinner now and I have to re warm it before I am finished. I'll say one thing, I sure am full. Tell me I'm not to tight! I don't know what to think.

Beckyo:thumbup:

Will someone explain to me what it feels like when you say you can't get anymore food down? I can eat as much as I want. I need to know what it feels like when its time to stop. I have read where some have said they could only get down 1/2 cup, how do they feel? My weight loss is very slow, maybe I don't know when to stop. Please help me !!

Hi PJ Taxldy- When you get very full, very easy thats what it feels like. You maybe haven't had enough restriction yet. I did not in the beginning either or so I thought. At about my third fill I started feeling the restriction and at the fourth fill I am really feeling it now. Plus, when you get to that point you have to go slow and chew alot or you will pb. I did really figure that one out until I started getting restriction. Hope this helps. Each new fill is a new learning experience.

Beckyo

Need some wisdom and no finger pointing please. I am worried....I have had one stressful week....after weeks of daily docs and testing they uncovered Hypertension and pre diabetes. This immediately made me want to quit the 5 or so cigarettes I was having daily. This in turn upped my hunger and this today is Thanksgiving!!...I cooked for the family! My docs said I could eat but keep it low fat. Ha. ..does pumkin pie count as a veggie? Mashed potatoes with gravey? Oh boy I messed up. I know I have to call tomorrow I have 4 days to "shrink" my liver. Wonder if my body is up for some speed shrinking! wish me luck. Can't find anyone who said they cheated on Pre op. like this..here

Hi SO!

Sorry I missed your message on Thanksgiving. I have been busy with STUFF and have not even looked at the computer since last Tuesday! I had my labs drawn and visit with bariatric nurse at the hospital on Wed, followed by my last visit before the big day with the surgeon. She said to start my preop on Friday. I was glad to be able to have a "normal" TG with my family. I had a little of everything I wanted, and felt satisfied the rest of the day.

I think if you went back over your Thanksgiving "transgressions" and really added everything up, you probably did not do as badly as you felt like you did. I hope you have climbed back up on the wagon of pre-op and are sailing through. My first day on the pre-op was pretty bad - lethargic and a severe headache all day. I made the mistake of denying myself coffee - someone had told me caffeine was a no-no. Fri evening I re-read my doctor's instructions to find that she does not prohibit caffeine, but leaves it up the the patient. Believe me, this patient is not giving up her coffee! Sat morning I had my cup of coffee first thing! Within 30 min the headache was gone. I managed to space out my food better on Saturday, had no hunger to speak of, and felt a lot better. DH and I went to costco yesterday and I purchased a lot of the foods I will need for the full liquid stage after surgery. I figure I need it here now, cause I don't know if I'll feel much like shopping for a few days following surgery. Doc keeps me on broth type liquids for only a day after surgery - then on to the full liquid stage for a week or so.

You are going to be fine, Marg. It will be a tough week, but it's only a few days in your lifetime, and your life will be so much better in the coming months and years. Your hypertension and pre-diabetic situation are both conditions that are frequently gone from your life within a short time after this surgery. You have lots of friends and support right here on LBTalk. We are all pulling for each other on this journey.

and you are in my prayers...

and BTW - pumpkin pie is the healthiest pie you can eat. Only one crust - and pumpkin is a healthy vegetable that is naturally sweet and requires less sugar in pie-form than other fillings.:cursing:

Need some wisdom and no finger pointing please. I am worried....I have had one stressful week....after weeks of daily docs and testing they uncovered Hypertension and pre diabetes. This immediately made me want to quit the 5 or so cigarettes I was having daily. This in turn upped my hunger and this today is Thanksgiving!!...I cooked for the family! My docs said I could eat but keep it low fat. Ha. ..does pumkin pie count as a veggie? Mashed potatoes with gravey? Oh boy I messed up. I know I have to call tomorrow I have 4 days to "shrink" my liver. Wonder if my body is up for some speed shrinking! wish me luck. Can't find anyone who said they cheated on Pre op. like this..here

When I got really hungry I ate a boiled egg. It is just protein. You will do fine. Cigarettes hinder healing so it is good you quit them. Four days will help. Hang in there! It will be all worth it.

Hi PJ Taxldy- When you get very full, very easy thats what it feels like. You maybe haven't had enough restriction yet. I did not in the beginning either or so I thought. At about my third fill I started feeling the restriction and at the fourth fill I am really feeling it now. Plus, when you get to that point you have to go slow and chew alot or you will pb. I did really figure that one out until I started getting restriction. Hope this helps. Each new fill is a new learning experience.

Beckyo

My last fill was the week before Thanksgiving. It was my 3rd fill. I now have 8.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. I have pb'd a few time since that fill, yet I can still eat ALOT. My next fill is Dec 30th. Since I can still eat alot, does it sound to you like I'm not at my Happy Zone yet? I have to take smaller bites and chew more since last fill, but can eat alot.

Need some wisdom and no finger pointing please. I am worried....I have had one stressful week....after weeks of daily docs and testing they uncovered Hypertension and pre diabetes. This immediately made me want to quit the 5 or so cigarettes I was having daily. This in turn upped my hunger and this today is Thanksgiving!!...I cooked for the family! My docs said I could eat but keep it low fat. Ha. ..does pumkin pie count as a veggie? Mashed potatoes with gravey? Oh boy I messed up. I know I have to call tomorrow I have 4 days to "shrink" my liver. Wonder if my body is up for some speed shrinking! wish me luck. Can't find anyone who said they cheated on Pre op. like this..here

Darling your liver isn't going to shrink in 4 days so don't sweat it... I still smoke.... Lets see tomorrow you will be on Clear Liquids - so glad you enjoyed your turkey day..

This has to be quick - I am still at DS house and I am on his laptop - Will ck in tomorrow when I get home

Prayers and hugs for a safe surgery and speedy recovery

Well hello friends, (Sat evening). I thought I would be the first one on since thanksgiving but I see there have been a few on. PJ Txlady, Waldorf salad as follows, I use Fuji apples, peel and cut into chunks, cut up grapes, dice some celery, add some marshmallows, chopped black walnuts and then coat it all lightly with Miracle Whip. YUM YUM!! I hope everyone had a wonderful day. I know I sure did. Had dinner, went to my sisters for a while and then went to see the Festival of Trees. It was pretty. Friend, I got questions. I had a fill a week ago Tues. On Tues and Wed before Thanksgiving, I could barely get any food down. Finally on the holiday, I was able to get maybe 3/4 to cup food down at the most. Later on in the evening I tried to eat a piece of pie and got stuck! (ON PIE)!. This is the second fill where I have had restriction, and this one really kicked in. I can drink if not too fast but I have to eat very very very slow to get anything down. Is this the proper restriction or am I too tight. I don't know since I am not used to this. It is hard to eat Protein unless I eat a pencil eraser size bite and chew. It seems that alot of things are getting stuck. I love the restriction but I dont like the stuck feeling. I haven't had it that much at all until now. Today, I did eat a piece of Turkey with a little corn and brocolli. I have had some pie also but a very very small sliver. I just wondered if this is what they call real restriction and do I need to slow down even more. It takes me about 45 minutes or so to eat dinner now and I have to re warm it before I am finished. I'll say one thing, I sure am full. Tell me I'm not to tight! I don't know what to think.

Beckyo:thumbup:

Becky - You have restriction plain and simple.. just having .01 taken out may help - it's hard to say if you are too tight- May sure you get nutristist foods in and your fluids in..

Will someone explain to me what it feels like when you say you can't get anymore food down? I can eat as much as I want. I need to know what it feels like when its time to stop. I have read where some have said they could only get down 1/2 cup, how do they feel? My weight loss is very slow, maybe I don't know when to stop. Please help me !!

PJ - I eat about 1 for bf & lunch and 1 to 1 1/2 c for dinner - it's a diff feeling than before but - if I eat that one bite to many i will bp..

BeckY I bp on pie too.

What is a typical days food for you

My last fill was the week before Thanksgiving. It was my 3rd fill. I now have 8.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. I have pb'd a few time since that fill, yet I can still eat ALOT. My next fill is Dec 30th. Since I can still eat alot, does it sound to you like I'm not at my Happy Zone yet? I have to take smaller bites and chew more since last fill, but can eat alot.

Are you eating hard protiens or soft foods?

Ok I am still at ds house fog this morning so didnt leave til noon went 6 miles in 45 minutes turned around and came bacvk will try to go home tomorrow... fog or no fog

I am on his laptop and he has an accress card so I don't want to run up his bill

Talk to you all tomorrow nightl...