cckcsharp

So happy for you to finally get a good fill. I think your last Dr. was either not well trained or trying to make some bucks. I am just ecstatic for you. But on the other hand I do have to say, that for having such small amount of fill you have done amazing weight loss. So you should be really proud of yourself because you certainly have not been able to rely on your band to do all the work. You rock chick.

Wow! There must be 2 Dr. Miranda's working there. She was nothing but kind and supportive to me. When I met her she was darling.

As a matter of fact, I had pictured her as a kindly older woman and when I got there she was a beautiful young woman.

My BMI was over 50, so I had to talk to her on the phone about my weight loss and which diet to follow and then email her every week. Here are some quotes from her email replies...

"Hi Jena

That means you are 50% done with the preop weight loss, a little bit more Dr. MIranda"

When I emailed her my weight, I told her I was taking swimming lessons..."SWIMMING I LOVE SWIMMING!!!!! they sell some ipods now for under water there the best!!!

Dr. Miranda"

"JENNA!!!! you are doing GOOD!!!!

Swimming huh? is allways a plus I love swimming too.

You are fabulos.

Dr. MIranda"

When I met her I had my stepmom with me. My step mom talks to everyone like she's known them forever. (Everyone who was getting banded with me called her Paula Dean because she reminded them of her. She's from Savannah too and has that same accent.) Anyway, she asked Dr. Miranda lots of questions and Dr. M was as nice as she could be.

I think some of her "coldness" comes from her belief that you really have to change your lifestyle and she doesn't tolerate breaking the rules very well. She told us that everything the patient goes through in the weeks before getting banded is a direct correlation to how well they will do once banded. They have seen enough patients walk through their doors to know what they are talking about.

You are doing GREAT! After I lost 3 pounds more than she wanted me to, she told me to keep it up and to lose another 10 pounds. LOL!

I have emails from her that are nice too. She said things like " I like your attitude on weight loss." And similiar things like that. And like I said, I don't feel she was rude. I feel she was unreasonable and I do feel she spoke to me in a cold and uncaring tone. Almost drill sargent like. I would understand this if I hadn't lost weight, but I thought I was doing well and so her tone with me was very unexpected and I just didn't understand it. But I have considered that maybe she was just trying to push for the best results possible. I just personally don't think that is the way to go about it. I felt discouraged after talking to her and I wanted to go out and binge. Had she told me I was doing well and complimented my weight loss, this would have actually encouraged me to lose even more before surgery. But instead she made me feel like all the work I had done was just simply not enough and I could do better. After the tears, I did shrug it off though. What she thinks of my success is not important to me. I know how hard I have worked and I know I have not lied, as she implied, and that is all the matters to me.

I think you have done so awesome on your weight loss as a whole, that having a bad week is no big deal. I think your entitled. But you just pick up your feet again and start fresh. Don't beat yourself up over it. Sometimes we need a short break from the rules. I am sure the birth control is causing a lot of the cravings and all. Hopefully your body will adjust and this will get better for you. Best wishes.

Just a question (not sure if it's ever been discussed on the forum before...)---

Is it better to eat a snack before or after exercising? Does one burn more calories or more fat than the other? Because I've read various opinions on this issue, and I'm not sure what the clear message is (if there is one).

Thanks,

TRS

I found this doing a little research on-line. I copied and pasted from the MAYO clinic website. Hope this helps.

Eating and exercise: Time it right to maximize your workout

<h2 id="summary">Knowing when and how much to eat and drink before you exercise can make a big difference in how you feel during and after your workout. Here are some tips.</h2> When you eat and what you eat can affect your performance and the way you feel while you're exercising. Coordinate your meals, snacks and what you drink to make the most of your exercise routine.

Eating a lot before exercise can slow you down

When you exercise after a large meal, you may feel sluggish or have an upset stomach, cramping and diarrhea. That's because your muscles and your digestive system are competing with each other for energy resources.

"Your body can digest food while you're active, but not as well as it can when you're not exercising," notes Stephen DeBoer, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. This is partly because your body is trying to do two things requiring blood supply and energy simultaneously — digesting the food you just ate and providing fuel to keep your muscles active.

Time it right: Before, during and after your workout

On the flip side, not eating before you exercise can be just as bad as eating too much. Low blood sugar levels that result from not eating can make you feel weak, faint or tired, and your mental abilities may be affected as well, making you slower to react. So what can you do?

To get the most from your workout, follow these guidelines:

• Eat a full breakfast. Wake up early enough to eat a full breakfast. "Most of the energy you got from dinner last night is used up by morning," says DeBoer. "Your blood sugar is low. If you don't eat, you may feel sluggish or lightheaded while exercising." If you plan to exercise within an hour after breakfast, eat a smaller breakfast or drink something to raise your blood sugar, such as a sports drink.
  
• Time your meals. Eat large meals at least three to four hours before exercising. If you're having a small meal, eat two to three hours before exercising.
  Most people can eat snacks right before and during exercise. The key is how you feel. Some people feel lightheaded during the first 10 to 15 minutes of their workout if they eat within the hour before exercise. Do what works best for you.
  
• Don't skip meals. Skipping meals may cause low blood sugar, which can make you feel weak and lightheaded. If you're short on time before your workout, and your choice is candy or nothing, eat the candy because it can improve your performance, compared with eating nothing. But keep in mind, all candy is high in sugar and low on nutrients, so a snack of yogurt and a banana would be a better choice.
  
• Eat after your workout. To help your muscles recover and to replace their glycogen stores, eat a meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates within two hours of your exercise session if possible.
  

Well, I can honestly say that I would not classify my experience with Dr. Miranda as "being rude" even though I am the one who started this whole thing. I would classify her actions toward me more as "unrealistic, unfair, or not really listening." She didn't yell or talk in a disrespectful way. She just seemed to be asking things that were unreasonable and suggesting that I wasn't telling the truth. Like I said, let Dr. Ortiz look at my liver for himself.

Vix, in response to your concern though, you have a much lower BMI than I do, so your not required to have regular contact with Dr. Miranda prior to surgery. You do need to do the pre-op diet, I think 1-2 weeks before surgery. But because my BMI was so much higher, I have had to do weekly check in's with her for the past 6 weeks and had to lose more weight before surgery. I wouldn't worry about your status. Just do the protein drinks for the next week until surgery and you should be good. I am certainly not worried about myself at this point, so I don't think you should worry. Besides think of it this way

SHE'S GOING TO BE TOO BUSY BEING MAD AT ME TO EVEN NOTICE YOU!!!!! I am so excited that you will be there with me.

I would definetly say make sure you are not dehydrated. I have not tried the special K protein water mixes, but I bought some for my post op. I would say give those a try, cause then your getting a boost of water plus protein. Also, I would say do the vitamins as well. You could totally be drained of potassium and such. keep us posted on how you are doing. I hope you feel better.

Kim I think you are looking spectacular. Although I will say I like the picture of you with the shorts better only because you have great looking legs girl. Show those suckers off. Especially in the heat you are having. But honestly, I am so happy for you to be in a size 12. That must feel amazing. You are such an inspiration and I know you are working so hard at this. Thanks for the awesome example

Hey all,

Just to put it out there for the ladies unless their are men with strong stomachs and understand women's bodies, I discovered something scary going on with my body a week ago. NO, not cancer or a lump. whew!

It was a bulge coming out of my vaginal area. I had a partial hysterectomy 6 years ago and at the time I was 39yrs. old and my doc and I agreed to leave my cervix in. Well, a week ago, I discovered that bulge by accident and it really worried me and I KNEW it wasn't my bladder because I still had my cervix. Well, I saw my primary doc and she said it was my cervix that had fallen down. I was so confused and shocked too...not to mention depressed because I knew what this meant. Surgery. I just could not understand why now and how. Someone told me that it's possible that with my weight loss and no muscle tone in that area of the pelvic floor, things just collapsed and there it was. It's probably no wonder that I have had pain in my lower abdomen and cramp type feelings that I have been ignoring thinking it was just gas. LOL

Tomorrow afternoon I have an appt. with the doctor that performed my hysterectomy. I am really nervous because I don't want another surgery or at least a major one and also he's a MAN. LOL But he is good at what he does and I will survive, but gonna be so glad when tomorrow is over.

Thanks all for letting me share even though it was not pleasant. Other than this I am doing good.

Peace,

Judy

Thanks for sharing this. I am sorry for the trouble that you are experiencing. I hate any issues that involve my girlie parts. But I think it's real impressive that you shared to help the rest of us be more educated. I for one am certainly going to research this and see if there is some kind of exercise that can be done to help prevent it. Let us know how things go for you. Best wishes.

Just a question (not sure if it's ever been discussed on the forum before...)---

Is it better to eat a snack before or after exercising? Does one burn more calories or more fat than the other? Because I've read various opinions on this issue, and I'm not sure what the clear message is (if there is one).

Thanks,

TRS

I am not an expert but I remember hearing/reading Bob Greene (Oprahs trainer) say that you shouldn't eat before exercise. I can't remember if he said it in his book( I have it) or during a time on the Oprah show. But I would just do a google search or read up a little on it. I would be interested to know too. So if I come across the info, I will post it. I plan to do a little research, just can't right now. 4 little kids are trying to talk to me while I am trying to write the post. YIKES!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!! Did you all hear that big sigh of relief. I do feel terrible though because I don't want to seem like I am gossiping about Dr. Miranda. That honestly makes me feel bad. But the thing is that there is no confusion about the numbers or information that I originally gave to her. All our information matches perfectly. That was not the problem. The problem is that in the beginning, 6 weeks ago, she told me I needed to lose 14 pounds for surgery and today, only a week before surgery, changed her mind and said 21 pounds. That is what frustrated me. And when I strongly stated that I lost 8 pounds in the two weeks prior to calling, she didn't believe me and would not consider those pounds. Then I went from frustrated to mad. And she wants 21 pounds from 296, not from the 304 that I really started at.

Well, I hope this not sound terrible when I say this. But I am glad to hear about other peoples opinion about her. That at least helps me to know that it's just how she is and not to worry about it. I did get the feeling like she had no idea what it was like to lose weight. Particularily when she tells me that I need to lose 10 pounds in the last week. WHAT??? I couldn't believe she said that. And when I said that was not going to happen she said " well, if you are following the diet then why won't those pounds come off." Seriously I was so frustrated and that I almost wanted to go out and binge like a mad woman. But I restrained myself and I feel better now. Thanks for all you replies. I appreciate it so very much. I am not going to worry about it. I will just tell Dr. O to cut me open and see for himself. That will tell the true story. Love you guys and I agree with Cathy... you guys are the best friends I NEVER MET.

Today I got a phone call from Dr. Miranda about my progress. I had sent her an email, but she hadn't read it. I thought I was doing great on the pre-op, but she made me feel like I was a failure. I have lost a total of 19 pounds in about 6 weeks. This is an average of 3.1 pounds per week. I thought this was great. I have never been able to lose this much weight at one time, so I was thrilled with my progress. Originally Dr. Miranda told me that I needed to be 282 by surgery. This would have put me at the 5% weight loss considering my starting weight of 296. Although I was 304, just two weeks before calling the OCC. I am currently 285 and have one week left to lose those last 3 pounds. Well, so suddenly she is telling me 275 now. What??? How can she change the expectation just one week before surgery. I told her there was no way I could lose 10 pounds in one week and she said then I should at least lose 5. I again told her that I have been losing an average of 3 pounds per week and that 5 pounds did not seem realistic either. She said that if I was following the diet, then why wouldn't those pounds come off. I am currently living on about 600-700 calories per day(liquid diet), drink tons of water, gave up drinking diet soda, and eat nothing else. I told her this and said I don't know what more I can do. I also again re-iterated to her that I had lost 8 pounds in the 2 weeks prior to calling the OCC to schedule surgery. Her resonse to that was "most people say that and it's not true. We can only go by what your weight was when you scheduled surgery." So basically she was saying that I was lying about that eight pounds. I was in tears and told her that I had given it my everything. My brain is not even functioning at a normal level at this point and I mean that literally. I struggle to speak sometimes because my brain feels foggy and I forget what things are called. I assume this is because of the severely low calorie diet I have been on. I told her that I could not re-schedule my surgery and that I could not even come close to guaranteeing that I would lose another 5 pounds in a week. And I said that I did not want to arrive in Mexico, only to be turned away because I had not met this NEW criteria. She said just follow the diet and you will be fine.

After I hung up the phone, I just cried my eyes out. I feel so frustrated. I have lived in starvation for 6 weeks now and I honestly felt like I was doing good. I was really proud of the work that I had done. Most people on this group who have the band already say they lose an average of 2 pounds per week. So if I am losing 3 pounds per week WITHOUT the band, isn't that good. And I suppose having someone call me a liar made the matter worse. I only wish I had been to the doctor just prior to calling the OCC, so I could verify that those other 8 pounds were real and not a lie. I am really sensitive about being called a liar. I am not a perfect person and I have many faults, but one thing that I am not is a liar. I am seriously an honesty freak. So I feel really hurt when someone calls me a liar. Sorry this is long, I just needed to vent. I am not sure what to do at this point. I called Carolyn and talked to her about it, because I was feeling like cancelling my surgery. I don't want to get there and be sent home without surgery. She made me feel better and told me not to worry, but I still feel sad. I went from feelings so happy and proud of myself, to feeling like a complete failure. AGHHHHHH.

awesome. I am glad you have a better experience

Okay, this is what I do. I cook up enough meat for an extended period of time. Say like I cook a whole turkey and then de-bone it and divide it up in freezer baggies. Then I just pull one bag out at a time and have instantly healthy turkey. Can use this in anyway you want, including just eating it plain. I also do this with a whole chicken. I buy the whole chicken that is cut up already. I seriously just throw it in a pot and let it boil for a few hours on low while I do other things around the house. The meat gets so tender that it just falls off the bone. I take just a few minutes to de-bone the meat and then same thing. Either divide and freeze or put in tupperware in the fridge. Then you have fresh cooked chicken in the fridge for several days. Put it in salad, make chicken salad, eat plain, make chicken pizza, whatever. The idea is that I don't really like to cook and I don't have time to cook. So I make a good amount of chicken all at once, so I have cooked chicken on hand ready to go for anything I want to use it for. And by the way, the first time I heard about boiling chicken, I thought this must taste terrible. But it tastes soooo good. Just seriously boil it in water with a little salt and pepper to taste. It's natural, no preservatives, fresh chicken. You can do this with frozen chicken tenders or breasts. You can use ham, pork or whatever. I like having cooked meat on hand either in the fridge or freezer. This makes it easy to prepare meals. Sometimes I just warm up the meat and eat it plain with some brocoli or something.

Thanks to everyone. I have called OCC and talked to Lori and Dr. Miranda has called by husband and talked to him about a diet. He needs to get down to 399lbs for the band. We are going to start today. It is such a scary thing to think about at his weight, but we really do not have a choice. It is nice to talk to someone who has had this done. Our families are not crazy about the whole Mexico thing.

Your husband will probably drop the needed weight rather quickly. Men always do. I wish you both the best of luck and congrats on your surgeries.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?...s0tysj&Ux=0

I'VE TAKEN A FEW PHOTOS ALONG THE WAY

You are so brave to post all these pics of yourself. Thanks for being willing to share. you look great.

So I booked my surgery and it is October 22, I am totally excited!! Just over 8 weeks!! Should give me enough time to practice chewing...as I tend to not chew very well!! My question is; do I have to buy their protein shakes or I can I get my own?? Also after the sugery I see in the e-store there is the Optifast shakes, do I have to buy those, or will regular protein shakes work (as long as they are low calorie). And suggestions for place to purchase these is Canada, preferably Calgary would be great!

I can't wait to be apart of this group!!

Joanne

Congrats....and you are already a part of this group. We need support even before the surgery.

I agree, that you must decide who you feel will be a good support system after your band, and only tell those people. Don't tell anyone you think will be negative. It's your body and your life and you don't owe it to anyone to tell them a darn thing about your band. Plus, you have all of us here who know exactly what it feels like to be obese and have skinny people in our lives say things like "just go in a diet, or exercise more." I am being banded just a few day before you on Aug. 29th. I have about 140 to 150 to lose as well, so come do your "diet" with me and all the others here. We can track each others progress and challenge each other to the finish line, Without all that negative feedback from those who do not understand. We are here for you and happy to have you. I am totally thrilled to have people here who are banded around the same time as me and have to same weight to lose as me. I feel like I have people here who understand and can share in my journey. I leave in a week and 1 day for my surgery, so I will keep you update on how things go.

Well, one week from today I was to make my journey to TJ and now it's not going to happen. As some of you recall, I wasn't going to tell my husband well, I did tell him. I told him today and he said, "No Way." He wants me to give it 6 months, his way. I am so sad. He asked me to give him 100% effort on eating and exercising which I believe I have not done in the past. Because our marriage is a partnership, 1/2 of the partners won't allow the financing to happen. So, unless I can come up with half the $ in a week, not likely, I don't get to get banded. I talked to Carolyn and she said I can use my deposit for a future date. I feel even If I do well within this next 6 months, I will still need to be banded to keep it off. It is what it is, a food addiction.

Now with all that said, I am going to continue to change my lifestyle as if I was banded. I will eat and exercise as recommended for the next 6 months. I am also going to finish Dr. Ortiz's book and I would still like to participate in this forum because I am still going to need you all!

I am pulling for you to win the battle with your husband. You have the right to choose the route that best suites you to lose weight and take care of your body. If your marriage is 1/2 and 1/2 why is he making the decision 100%. There doesn't seem to be any compromise on his behalf. I really think he should at least be meeting you in the middle on this. Although I ultimately believe that the decision is yours. It's your body. My husband is 5'9 and weighs 152 soaking wet. He can eat whatever he wants and CANNOT gain weight. He has actually tried to bulk up a bit. I am telling you this because he is the exact opposite of me. I even look at food and I gain weight and struggle to take it off. He can eat and eat and eat, and I am surprised at how much is skinny ass can shovel in, and not gain a pound. Thankfully he is supportive of my decision, but the bottom line is that he will never know what it's like for me, because his world of food is so very opposite of mine. Your husband does not have the right to assume that things will be the same for you as they are for him. He is a MAN to start with. That right there makes a HUGE difference in weight loss. But secondly, he does not have your metabolism, genetics, hormones, etc. etc. etc. Your body will never function like his no matter how much he wants it too. And didn't you say you have already been on diets for YEARS. Haven't you already proven they aren't working for you. I cannot agree more with the person who said to tell your husband that he has to give up exercise for the 6 months just to see how it feels. I am just so frustrated for you. I can't imagine how you must be feeling. But again, we are all pulling for you and hoping for the best outcome in your situation. Best wishes.

ok Julie just told me off, I need that. Ok ladies. Time for some real action. Water water water and no more soda. This is hard. You are very strong people and I hope I can show you that I can be that way too. Something happened to me, something about 5 years ago and it tares at me. I think this is why this is happening. I have not healed yet. And maybe I have done this to myself as some type of punishment. But I need to stop. I need to take back my life. A person in my life died and I haven't got over it. And eating I guess has been a way to deal with the pain of this loss. I feel like I can share this with you all. Cause you will understand. Maybe I should have put this in a different post. But this is it ladies. I have got to get control of this. Starting today, no more mochas, no more pop. No more garbage. Time to stand up and say no more. I dont wanna die too. This is so important to me. I hear such wonderful things. I know this is going to be a start for me. But Julie is right, this is a life style that I am going to have to accept if I want to live a normal, healthy life for my son. It is sad when people leave us, but no more excuses. I can't bury my pain anymore with food. I have to get off the pity wagon and learn to live again , Time to start over. I know with all of you here, I know you dont know me, but you will see. I will try hard. I will do this right. Julie, keep kicking my butt, I need it. >

Stormy, remember that those first 2-4 days off soda, will be difficult. Like having withdrawals. But then it gets better. I was off the diet soda for just two weeks and was losing weight good. So I decided to reward myself with a diet soda one day. WHOA!!! it tasted like CRAP!!! Who knew that after just two weeks, the soda was no longer even good to me. I wanted my water back.

Hi there, I know that vitamins make my underarms secrete a bad oder, and will stain my white t-shirts too. I am pretty sure it is the Vit B's that do it to me. But Ketosis will too. This too shall soon pass.

Also hormones make me smell at certain times of the month.

So if this is ketosis, which I did do some reading on, will it pass only when I am no longer in ketosis? Or will my body eventually get used to the ketosis?

My husband has lost 7 pounds, I have lost nothing. He says he sweats alot and drinks gatoraide and water. I sometimes go days without drinking water. I will have juice or pop. Is this what I am doing wrong? Our surgerys are in 30 days. He is obvously 1/2 way there. I need something to kick me going. How much water would I need? and how do I force myself to drink it? Doesnt it make you gain cause you hold water. Especially since TOM never came. I just want to do this right.

Stormy, I cannot say this loud enough. YES!!!!! the water helps enormously!!!! And get rid of the juice and soda immediately. You are drinking way too many calories. I only was drinking diet soda, and couldn't lose weight even then. As soon as I gave up the diet soda and started drinking water, lots and lots of water, the weight started to come off. Juice and regular soda are NOT part of the pre-op diet. You are not suppose to have either of them. And even the diet soda is limited to 2x per day. Which I would say don't even do that. Try drinking only water for the next 30 days before your surgery and I guarantee you will lose the weight.

I am sorry to hear that you are having a tough time. I know that these kinds of experiences can be difficult. But I can also say that if you really reflect on them, they may also be a blessing in disguise. I have found that sometimes when someone told me the cold hard truth, it hurt so bad at first and I was angry with that person. Then, I was later able to look back with gratitude for that person for being brave enough to tell me the truth when no one else would.

So hear is my question for you. Do you feel that you followed the guidelines, even say 99% of the time? I think we all do a little cheat here and there, but from what I have heard the post-op diet is soooo important to follow. What did he say you did wrong or could have done better? What could you have done differently? Please don't mistake these questions for sounding like I am accusing. I am honestly asking because many of us have not yet been banded and I am hoping to learn from your experience. I honestly want to know if you feel that you gave it your best effort and only lost a little or if you feel you could have done some things different. I guess I am confused at what Dr. O said about you not following the guidelines. What guidelines was he referring to? And was he right? Or do you feel like you did follow the guidelines and he is wrong? Just hoping to gain and learn from this experience.

OMG!! Today we had a picnic at work, everyone brought a dish and as a member of our Smile Committee, we ordered KFC chicken.

I ate one small peice of chicken, no skin and it starting getting stuck, took two bites of macaroni salad, hoping to slide it down and it got stuck!!

I got up and walked around and around and then thought I better head to the washroom. When I got there, I projectile slimed everywhere, really gross. I still felt stuck and continued to walk the halls and went back to the boardroom where all of my co-workers were eating. I took a small sip of water and felt an air bubble develop, ran back to the washroom and projectile slimed again!! All of my lunch came up. I felt 100% better, but wholly cow!!!

I ate small bites and slow, I guess the chicken was a little dry or two greasy (KFC can be that way), but I have officially swore off KFC for good now!!

Sorry to be so graphic. Lesson learned, stay away from fried chicken!!!

I am sooooo sorry to hear that this happened. I know that everyone PB's, but I am sure that it is 10 times worse when you are at work. I think after hearing your experience I will be afraid to even eat KFC after my surgery.

When I was on Weight Watchers (one of the 50 times!!) I tried this and it really did help! Like you said, it tricks your body and keeps it guessing. And since the calorie differences didn't go on for days, it really wasn't that hard.

Hey I am glad to hear that this actually works. I read about it and wasn't sure what to think. But it just seems to make sense. So I would say for all of those who are having plateau issues, it's certainly worth a try. If it doesn't work, then no harm done right. But if it does work that whooohoooo. I am still pre-op, but I know that the plateaus are in my future, so I plan to try it when needed.

Okay,

Sorry if this is a strange question. But I am currently on the pre-op diet which is primarily protein. protein shakes or bars and if I do eat "real" food, it's usually a few bites of chicken breast. I am avoiding the lean cusines at this point because I am 10 days until surgery and so I am doing mostly liquid to lose that last 3 pounds needed before surgery.

So here's my question. I have noticed the my body odor has changed being on this diet. In the past, I have never really had stinky armpits before, but my goodness, I am tellin you that my armpits are starting to smell like a man!!! I have to put deoderant on twice a day, when I never had too before. I didn't change deoderant brands either. Still using the same old secret. So I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this when upping their protein. Will this get better, worse, or will I ever get my normal armpits back!!! I can only assume that it's my diet causing this, because that's the only thing that has changed in my life.