damalove

I am losing hair too. Huge clumps in the drain after I shower. I find it very disconcerting. I follow a lo-carb eating plan so I get plenty of protein, generally between 80-90g per day. I think its plenty. Could it be something else?

a slight unfil? really? u feeling too tight?

ive got restriction when it comes to big bites but not when it comes to quantity. i can still eat a fair amount. i dunno if that means i need a fill or not but im not in any rush to go back to TJ right now. ill PM you my cell # in case u ever wanna text me or something. good luck this sat!

hey babe did u ever get a reply? its 1866-drortiz ext 2. that will put u thru to gloria and she can answer basic questions, but for more indepth questions youre going to have to talk to your papichulo dr.so. usually she takes ur number and he gets back to u in the afternoon once the surgeries are done.

SHELBY!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Im so happy for you. I cant imagine that anyone in the 130's is still considered overweight! Thats rediculous. What those BMI tests dont take into consideration is a person's frame -- its all averages. Isnt it true that if you were overweight for an extended period of time, your bones have had gotten thicker for needing to support extra weight and that just doesnt go away? I read that somewhere -- regardless, im ultra stoked for you. im lookin forward to the day that i can be a skinnie-minnie like you, but at 5'7" im pretty sure i wont get to the 130's. the 150's would be a dream though

Hi RObbyn! congrats on the newfound motivation. next time youre feeling a bit down or less than motivated, re-read your posts in this thread. you've remotivated me too!

abt fill and PBing.. u may consider liquids for a day or two. i slimed in hotel room about an three hours after a fill and really irritated my mucuosa.. irritation didnt show up until about 48 hours later. would have gone for an unfil if i hadnt already gone home and was 600 miles from the occ. but dr so advised me to do liquids for 3 days as it could just be irritation, not overfill, and sure enough, i was fine after a few days of liquids. no PB or slime incidents before or after that one time.

Oops, forgot to include the nutritional info:

Calories: 236.8 (slightly less if you skip the olives)

Fat: 17.0g

Carbohydrates: 5.4g

Protein: 15.2g

First, Take a moment to celebrate 36 lb loss. That is a LOT. Congrats.

Next you really need to try to eat three meals a day, not just one. Really.

About pizza - whenever Im craving pizza, i make pizza quiche. once its cooled, i cut it into six slices and put each into a ziplock baggie. Then I have six meals that are band friendly, filling, and low cal. Plus, its tasty.

PIZZA QUICHE

4 eggs

2 egg whites

3 ounces whipped cream cheese

1/3 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 T parmesan, grated

4 oz pizza sauce

3 oz turkey pepperoni, diced

4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use four part-skim string cheese sticks, chopped)

2 T black olives, chopped (optional)

Beat together cream cheese and eggs till smooth. Add cream, spices, parmesan, and pizza sauce. Spray a 9-inch or larger glass baking dish with cooking spray. Put the pepperoni and olives in pan, then pour egg mixture over. Evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until eggs are set.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Number of Servings: 6

Sherri what about salmon? Ive seen some great prices at hte stores lately for salmon, saw $10/lb for wild salmon filet, skin on. I bought 2/3 lb, had him cut it into two filets (so 1/3 lb or 5oz each) and I sprinkled both sides of fish with cajun/blackening spice (tony's, zatarain, etc) and put in a hot skillet w/ 1 tsp canola oil skin side down for 4 minutes to crisp the skin. turned the heat down to medium, put a lid on pan and cooked another 3 minutes for medium fish, cook longer if you like fish well done. try to eat the skin too bc thats where the majority of the omega-3s reside. really healthy, soft, protein-and-vitamin-rich entree for about $3.50 / serving. itll only be this cheap during summertime, so u may want to give it a shot soon i could have probably just done 4oz filets too.

i ate my salmon with shelled edamame tossed w lemon juice and parmesan. u could also have a leafy salad with cucumbers and tomato too. if u have a good serving of veg with this u wont feel that atkins-flu.

i maintain a pretty low carb diet and i dont really like eating hamburgers much. dont feel so good after. plus something about eating a burger is kinda unconducive to eating veggies and makes me want fries instead. sounds crazy, eh? so i usually opt for something else.

i alternate between eating 1/2 c cottage cheese or 1/2 c plain yogurt as a snack between meals. if after dinner, i add fresh berries to yogurt and then its a dessert.

as far as mayo, i use the real stuff bc the fake stuff is sorta wierd to me. there are a fair amount of artificial stabilizers and emulsifiers in them. so i use a little real mayo, mixed with some strong zesty mustard, or if a recipe calls for a lot, i use some mayo, some plain greek yogurt.

lindsay, really? 200g of protein per day seems insane. thats like eating 2.75 lbs of hamburger per day.

yikes! are you sure thats not just for bodybuilders or something?

congrats dude that is fantastic.

who needs stinkin prize money??!

i pick up the leash and the tennis ball and take the dog out to play.

not having bad stuff in the house helps. if all you have that is sweet is fresh blueberries for a snack, then how much damage can you do? pasta was a comfort food too and i dont have any in my house and wont allow it.

picking up a book is a great idea too. i just started reading a new book and it takes ur mind off junk super fast

Awww shucks... thanks

Sucks about being stuck at a certain wt but I think if we continue working out and watching what we eat we'll keep going, its just one of those unpleasant plateaus. i think its funny that were plateau'd at the same damn weight tho! hahaha you are either psychic or u jinxed me! j/k

hahahaha erica i totally agree - just made me grin for the first time today people are silly, getting their feathers ruffled..

on another note..

omg girl u were soooooooooo right about the 190s! son-of-a!

wow im so jealous, 1 mi drive to have a fill! i fly 600 miles and take a shuttle to another country to get my fills.

i really messed my second fill up - i went to OCC, had it done under fluoro w Dr.So, alls well. about an hour later, back at marriott, started crunching on chips and guacamole while watching the USA-Ghana match, that went down fine, no probs.

Later we went to grocery store and mom bought tons of mexican bread that looked amazing. i guess it looked so good that i lost my head when we got back to the hotel and i tore into a poblano pepper & cheese empanada... got stuck on the second bite. started sliming, went ot the bathroom and tried to get it out, had to stick my finger down my throat.. not my proudest moment.. and got enough of it out to feel comfortable. i didnt know the rule about switching to liq. for 24 hours after a PB so i kept on with solids that night. the next day, of course after i had flown home, started having all sorts of discomfort issues. stabby pains, gas bloat, pill-in-throat feeling, all of it. super unpleasant. i called dr so and he of course asked me to come back (uh no can do) so he advised 5 days of liquids, told him i could do 3 bc we had a big family dinner coming up but i would be super careful.

long story short i think it was just inflammation - after the 3 days of liq. everything seems to be ok. i think im at a good restriction level, dont really wanna be any tighter after experiencing all that stuff, and will def. take it easy if and when i ever get another fill, or after another PB experience. I havent PBd since cuz im so paranoid now

I think I could probably have a little bump up in fill, as I am able to eat bread and steak, pork, etc.. but I dont feel a need to do it now. Maybe further down the line when I quit losing and have been stalled for more than a month.

Anyway thanks for posting ur story - always good to know what crazy stuff can happen at a fill appt! and i totally hear you about not wanting to rock the boat. I'd still ask, but def. in a respectful way. Good luck w it..

band no likey eggs first thing in the morning unless i prime it with some hot tea first.. dunno if thats a good or a bad thing..

B - pizza quiche, double espresso

L - 2/3 cup steak tartare, two skinny crostini

D - leftovers-- 3/4 cup pork vindaloo, 1/4 cup cumin scented rice pilaf

S - 1/2 c greek yogurt, 1 T torani s/f coconut syrup, 1/4 c blueberries

1043 cal, 62g fat, 41g carb, 72g protein, 7g fiber

Angie - sucks you have to keep going back all these times. They really should be reasonable and not penalize you for their mistakes. I'd be squaking up a storm trying to get them to rectify this mess.

The surgeon was not willing to at least put you back up to 2.4cc?

I didnt cheat. Sucked on a couple butterscotch hard candies, dunno if thats cheating though. I just thought, if I screw this thing up and my band slips, I'll be so friggin mad at myself.

Kept myself busy making yummy soups. And eating popsicles! Mmm!

Red you can pick me up at San Diego airport and drive me to border next time thanks for offering to help!

hehehe

i did atkins induction for three weeks, super easy, dropped 11 lbs and liked it so much i have continued a modified, healthier version of atkins to this day (no bread rice pasta or sugar).

Hi Cindy congrats on ur pregnancy and thanks so much for your post! it was hilarious, i love your candor! if we cant totally honest online, then when can we be???

I think Im one of those in-the-middle ppl you referred to. I think If i didnt watch it, i'd eat my way around the band and not lose or worse yet, gain. i watch what I eat, my band watches how much I eat. Case in point... a few weeks ago I went to a fancy moroccan restaurant in the city. it was decadent and rich and sure enough, when i weighed in that friday, i had gained 1.2 lbs.. gee whiz! so i have to watch it, and im doing my part, but my band sure as hell has to pull its weight around here and pitch in too

ive lost 45lbs and have lost 56% of my excess weight, so i am well on my way and consider myself incredibly successful for only four months of work

Hi Dr here's the info on pricing:

http://www.occforum.com/index.php?showtopic=9011

$100 for xray fee

+ $100 for rountrip transport from San Diego airport (if you need it)

+ $79 for one night at hotel (if you need it)

also not listed here but recently quoted to me, $30 for needle fee for slight unfill if necessary, when not using xray/fluoro

Hi Indi just call them. You def. want to talk to Lori your rep with any questions you have regarding scheduling, she can schedule you right over the phone. The number is 1-866-DR-ORTIZ if im not mistaken ...

Dr O placed my port on my left side, halfway between my belly button and the bottom of my rib cage, hopefully to prevent rubbing on bone.. all its got to press up on are my organs and theyre squishy..

The other side of the coin of course is that people have shelled out several thousands of dollars and considerable amounts of time for recovery, fill appointments, etc to see results. No one expects the band to a silver bullet to weight loss. They told themselves they wanted gradual loss for more natural results, forcing themselves to learn better habits, etc. But frankly, we expect the band will do its part too.

I expect it to.

The fact of the matter is, everyone experiences restriction in different ways. In general, however, the higher BMI patients (300 lb+) will more often feel restriction even with an empty band. Those with lower BMIs have less intrabdominal fat and thus feel less restriction. Maybe thats why you feel so strongly about this?

The point of the board is for support and understanding. We expect non-bandsters to tell us, 'hey just eat less, its not that hard, i dont know what youre complaining about' but I dont care to see that on this board, esp if you have little experience with your band. Just wait til you can eat just as much as before, and see if you dont get annoyed that ur $$$$ investment isnt doing ITS part.

I do agree that people have to take responsibility for their eating habits, their exercise, portion control, etc. Absolutely. But you're making it sound like getting a fill is giving in. Uhm, no. thats the point of the band, its adjustable. Our doctors told us that again and again. It really is possible to eat as much as before, despite having the band.

wheres the love, man?

I think Dr Miranda's goal weights basically put us at the top of the "normal" weight range, not sure why she does it that way. Regardless, how tall are you? Where are you at BMI-wise?

If I were you, I would let your body decide where to stop. Do exercise that is enjoyable and not specifically for weight loss, ie hiking on a beautiful day, taking the dog for a run, instead of boot-camp training. Do stuff that you enjoy and can be sure youll continue to do while in maintenance, but continue to watch your eating. See where it leads you. Basically, I'd see where moderate exercise and health-conscious eating leads you. if you stay the same weight, then call it your goal weight. If you continue to lose, then see where you end up. Stop where it feels good and you can maintain.

My sister doesnt want me to get too skinny she thinks ill turn into an 'evil skinny beeyotch' hahahaha im like trust me, i will never be that "skinny" just a thinner version of me~