Linnipoo

DUDE! 2404 is a LOT of sodium! I did a quick google survey just now and found kimchi sodium listed at different sites as anywhere from 240-700mg. I guess it really depends on who makes it! I'll see if the owner of my local oriental market knows how much is in hers.

I did, as soon as I got home. I was SO upset! Apparently its the same lady who did my fill, and she responded that I'm the first person ever to complain about "Evan" and that it isn't about the calories, but about the texture. Their impression is that kimchi must be squishy and sliding through my gullet and making me overeat or something. Now, I know that Kimchi isn't exactly common, so people don't know a lot about it. But they could at least have given me the chance to explain what it is and *here's a thought* what the texture is like. It's really crunchy, firm, and stays in my tummy for the whole afternoon. And its WAY cheaper than all this meat they want me to eat. I'm a college student! I can't AFFORD to eat fish or chicken for every freakin meal, no matter how small that meal might be. So I researched the healthiest, most suitable alternative and came up with kimchi. Bonus: my local oriental market makes it in house so its mega cheap, it lasts forever in the fridge, takes exactly zero minutes to prepare, and I actually like it. I might have gotten a word in edgewise to SAY that. Not that this guy was ready to believe me. The entire rest of the conversation with this guy was like talking to a wall with "I don't believe you" written on it. He told me I was drinking my calories and even named products, as if he already knew. I don't drink sodas, or sweetened teas, or juices or gatorades or energy drinks or any other form of "drinking your calories" one might care to name. I actually really love pure, clean water and always have. I start every morning with 8oz of light soy milk mixed with protein powder and a raw food probiotic powder, about 200 cals total. That is the extent of my "liquid calories." I usually have kimchi for lunch (God help me.) I do not feel the need to snack. Dinner is usually whatever salad or veggies I have on hand, chicken/fish/beef if I found some on sale or something. He heavily implied that I was drenching the salad with dressing. I don't even like dressing. He just never stopped! I did not appreciate the "knowing" looks he gave me, nor did I enjoy the feeling that I was on trial before a jury that had clearly already decided I was guilty. I was already trying not to cry when I got on the fill table. It might have started when their scale didn't say what my rusty old bathroom scale says, and my confusion must have really set him off. Because I've been thinking that I've lost all this weight, and my scale has been going down. But now I don't know how much down by how much error, and it was a rude shock to see that big high number. My scale was 10 lbs off at the very least. It was the same when I went to the doc for bronchitis, so my scale must just be too old. I got a new one on the way home. I feel like I'm starting from square one. I couldn't even say "well I've lost x pounds eating the stuff, so you can just shuddit." I guess I should re-do my ticker. But I don't know what to change the numbers to, or at what point they went wrong. So I'm just going to leave it until my weight really does match the ticker and go from there. So this whole thing has become about one food (which I'm sorry I ever mentioned to him!,) but really it's about how people assume someone is overweight because that person is stupid and/or lazy and once they think you've put a foot wrong, they can just run right over top of you and disregard every thing you say from that point forward. I'm having a hard time making that clear to the owner. Or maybe Evan is a lovely human being and the word "kimchi" just pisses him off to the point where he needs to make a grown woman cry and I'm the first person to ever say it. Dunno.

Right. So. I got 6ccs. When they pulled the needle back out of the port, I swear a chunk of me came out with it. It hurt so much I actually cried a little. Does anyone else have this problem? Anyway, my only real issue with the place is the "consult" guy you have to pay $85 bucks to talk to before your fill. He's never been overweight. He doesn't have a band. I have NO idea what his credentials are supposed to be, but he was a condescending jackass and I felt like slapping him about 30 seconds in. He had the nerve to tell me I must not be losing the weight I thought I was because I said I eat Kimchi and that "red sauce" has got to be super fattening. I tried to educate him (Kimchi is a kind of fermented cabbage and dried chili concoction with 30 calories a cup and TONS of fiber and antioxidants. The "red sauce" is like chili pepper cabbage vinegar.) But he just gave me this attitude like "well I guess you're just fat from thin air then, huh." If you go there, be prepared to be spoken to like an idiot, by an idiot.

Woah there! Don't blow your wad just yet! You can get big jars of pure coconut oil WAY cheaper at any higher end grocery store, or any health food store, as a COOKING oil! Buy it as labeled for cooking, not for skin. Any given kitchen item that would normally cost a dollar a bucket automatically becomes $50 an ounce when then word "skin" is slapped on the label. The cooking stuff is often actually better because they aren't trying to sneak stuff like perfumes and Propelyne Glycol into the formula to keep you buying. Witch hazel, for example, is a gentle, natural astringent skin toner. It is awesome. It has other kinds of medical type applications too. In the walmart pharmacy section you can get a bottle of it that is just like the big ugly bottles they sell rubbing alcohol in, and it's like $1.50. OR you can walk two aisles over into the beauty section and buy a tiny designer bottle of exactly the same stuff for $10. Crazy, right? I have a good sized jar of coconut oil and I put it into little tiny jars for my makeup kit, because it takes off waterproof makeup better than any fancy makeup remover I've ever tried. And it doesn't irritate. OH! And my skin is prone to bacterial infections (don't ever get staph) and sometimes it's so bad that even water is painful, but the coconut oil soothes it completely. And I buy it at a grocery store. So go shoppin!

Holding steady at 215. Seeing as how I spent the entire week on my butt studying, AND I'm on my cycle, I'll take it! But here's an odd tidbit, though: I went to the doc for bronchitus and they weighed me. Their scale put me at 230! What gives? Ok, maybe add 5 lbs for the clothes (since I normally just weigh in my undies) but seriously? 15 lbs? I was so excited to see my weight loss per a Dr's scale. It was really kind of a bummer.

I'm going for my first fill this weekend. I'm paying very close attention here!!

You are a true inspiration, Debbie!! You make me REALLY believe! And your Tomato pie strategy is the BEST. I started my day with a 1/8 slice and eating small the rest of the day was so easy I didn't even realize I was doing it! You openness and willingness to share make you a rare and beautiful gem. Shine on, sister!!

Since you get two pie crusts in a package and I'm not known for my patience, I'm making two versions of the pie at once. They're in the oven right now! They both use cottage cheese, Cavender's seasoning, and pepper. But the second pie also has two eggs in with the cottage cheese mixture. Since Tomato Pie is the secret weapon breakfast food of champions, I thought the added breakfastyness and protein of eggs might be a winner. We'll see!! Quick question: How many layers of tomato does everyone normally use? I only had enough for one layer. Is that going to be enough? UPDATE: Gee WOW is this tasty! I went without the Italian herbs, because I'm in college and I've had quite enough pizza for breakfast. It is a superb little garden pie!! The egg one needs to cook a bit longer, but it is also looking great

The hunger pains are normal. I got them too, and they were *maddening.* My solution was a bunch of benefiber (the kind that dissolves clear.) I add it to everything; soups, tea, juice, yogurt, protein shakes etc. And protein, plenty of protein will help too. Take it from one who knows; if you get something stuck, it will hurt way more than the hunger pains! But really you just have to wait out your stomach's readjustment issues. Soon enough, it will shrink up a bit and stop acting all emo. I promise

I'm back on track! I've lost the 10 lbs I put on recently plus one, putting me at 215 That's 25 lbs gone for me!

That's a good idea! I'll try that in the future I moved up to a itty bitty amounts of solid food today. After 3 days of tea and green super food shakes, I was done eating after 2 small, very careful bites. I'm going in for a check up and my first fill in a couple weeks. It's under fluero, so hopefully they'll be able to tell if I dislodged anything important. Thanks to everyone for your support As much as it sucked, I really do think I needed the wakeup call. I think my shiny new divorce (yay!) was stirring up all the muck in my subconscious. And that man is the reason I got fat in the first place. I mean, I could SEE what I was doing to myself, but I couldn't seem to snap out if it, ya know? But I feel well and truly snapped now!

Hi Jill! I know it isn't recommended but I only resorted to water after all other methods failed. Walking wasn't helping, all the yoga in the world wasn't helping. And anyway it was intensely painful to do, with my whole core feeling twisted at the middle. TMI moment ahead! After 14 hours, something had to give. I ended up kneeling in front of my toilet and quickly drinking very warm water. Hot water loosens up the tissues and acts as a solvent to food. My plan was to either create an opportunity for the food to go down, or to reach a critical fullness that would necessitate evacuation by vomiting. As I said, my body doesn't do returns, so the added pressure and lubricating effects of the water forced the food down. My point is, WOW the episode was painful! And more than a little scary, so I do believe I'm scared straight! Since posting this I've already lost 5 of the 10lbs I put on during my "relapse." Yay!

You are SO right! I've got my fill scheduled for March 6th, at Fill Centers USA in Georgia. Wish me the Luck!

Thanks Theresa! Yeah, I tried walking, stretching, showering, you name it. That bugger was in there like the cork in a wine bottle!

Wow, so may I just say "Ouch!" I have been banded for nearly two months now. I healed quickly and have experienced next to zero discomfort since. This is not necessarily a good thing, as the scales have been telling me. I also have experienced zero restriction, as in, if/when I fall off the wagon and have one of my late night binges (my own personal Waterloo) there have been no signals to stop. No restriction, no full feeling, no pain... and 10lbs of gain. I've been hating myself for screwing this up. You'd think being over 7k in debt for a fat procedure would be a big enough hint. But 9pm rolls around and it's like someone else is at the controls. I even stopped coming to this board, because I'm so ashamed. And the money I was saving up for a fill ended up being spent on college fees, so I've had to beg my mother for help. And my 26yr old LITTLE BROTHER is chipping in, because apparently he's thinking of getting one, too. So now I feel like a leach and a loser and a total failure. I haven't even had my first fill yet. So, on to last night: Nothing has ever been "stuck" in my band, before. So I've been lax with the chewing, etc. I had some rotisserie chicken. The leg meat went down fine, earlier. But I ate the breast meat last night with some hummus and pita. It felt like I had eaten a whole, super dry thanksgiving turkey. Or like I had the world's sturdiest corset on way, way too tight. I had hot and cold flashes and my whole abdomen was one big cramp. I know people talk about PBing and such, but I never understood it. I can't throw up on my own and my burps are always ever just burps. My body doesn't do returns unless I'm ready to be hospitalized. But I never thought simply not passing the food along would hurt so much! I suffered for 14 hours, until I got the idea to flush it out one way or another with endless amounts of hot tea over a short period of time. It worked and I managed to clear the blockage downward, but now I do believe I never want to eat again. Like, ever. I'm terrified that I've caused damage somewhere. I'm also not looking forward to any more nights like last night. While it doesn't hurt anymore, I can still definitely feel an aftermath. So really, my diet may now actually be back on track, which is messed up, but I'll take it.

Congratulations Debbie! You are SUCH an inspiration!

Gah. Still +5 from last week. Started weights today, though, and I'm biking to class. The desperate need for chocolate has subsided, so maybe I'll be back on track soon.

Hi Mazzy! Well, my experience with the OCC was delightful. They were very cool and professional. They answered every email (and I sent a lot) quickly and well. The clinic is, in my opinion, even nicer than what I've seen at UAB and Kirkland and the doctors actually know that you exist. I usually leave Dr's offices wanting to slap the doctor, and his momma for raising such a jerk, but not so much at the OCC. The Marriott was also nice and they called me reputable cabs to get around, so that was cool. I got a medical loan for the procedure and I'm happy with my decision. My incisions are all closed up and fading. I'm completely pain free and today I officially get to start exercising! I've lost 14 lbs in the 3 weeks I've been banded and I'm looking forward to getting my first fill (though I wish I could pull it off at the OCC!) Look at the gallery on my profile for the snapshots I took in TJ Good luck on your decision! Lindsay

Hi! So it's looking like I won't be able to afford the time and money this semester to go to Dr. Ortiz for my fill. I am thoroughly bummed about this. The nearest center to me is in Roswell Ga. It's a Fill Centers of America location. I called, and they do fluoro. What I really want to know is this: DO THEY SUCK? Did they treat you like dirt? (I've read a lot on this forum about people being treated like idiots, not being listened to, filled too tightly and then charged for correction, you name it) Did they fill you poorly? Did they act in any way sketchy? Would you use them again? Would you recommend them? Have you even heard rumors about them? I HAVE to know! Thanks!

Just gotta be me! And me is down to 216 today! Officially the lowest I've weighed in 3 years! Lets go for 4

Wow! Thanks everyone for the responses, especially Kristi! I'm gonna check out that Greek yogurt Right now I'm averaging 0.875 lbs loss a day! Oh! And maybe to add to yogurt, Publix has these little pouches of blended fruits, called Buddy Fruits. I think it's for kids, but they're all natural, no sugar added, no preservatives, etc. A full serving of fruit and 60 cals per 3.2 oz thingie. So far I've seen them in apple cinnamon, apple banana, and mixed fruit. I'm keeping them in my bag for when I'm on campus and need a nosh. They were on special at my Publix for a dollar each. Thanks everyone!

Oh! Well that is pretty awesome!