Friday, March 12, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
She who laughs last...
- Lap Band Groupie
- I'm a wife, mother of three, and eternal optimist. I've been skinny and obese and all the places in between (too many times). Getting the Lap Band is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I love to laugh and I share everything (in this Lap Band Blog ). Have you heard? I'm on a new journey to pay-it-forward and with the encouragement and support of my Lap Band Groupies......... I'M WRITING A Lap Band BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Join Me!
Subscribe To "Lap Band Groupie"
Posts
Comments
Toured With The Band!
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011 Chicago
19 comments:
I certainly with thank you for not sharing the colonoscopy ones!! lol
I'm glad everything is okay. I'm also glad you had your "rant". My surgeon kept stressing to me the importance of eating solid food and the right amount of that food, to dialate the pouch enough for you to feel full. He told me specifically that he does not want me drinking protien shakes and said he thinks they are dangerous. Obviously you are doing things the right way, as evidenced by your progress! Awesome.
BTW--I'm having my surgery on March 25th! Yay!
OMG - That stoma picture is cool. Very neat to see what it looks like. If this doesn't remind people to take small bites I don't know what will!
You're talking to me aren't you? My eyes got bigger and bigger as I read this. Can you please put my bariatric center on your shit list? They are the ones that had me terrified I was failing because for so long I wasn't able to only eat 1/2 a cup or 2 oz. of food per meal. That was supposed to include fruit, carbs, veggies & 60 grams of protein. Oh, and all that water that I can't drink for an hour before and one and a half hours after a meal. UGH. Now that I have really good restriction I do only eat that much, but I'm sure I need protein drinks to get my requirements. It's interesting how different every surgeon is.
As Jen said, that stoma picture is cool and it is very neat to see what it looks like. For some reason I was thinking it was this big hole. So much for all my years of teaching biology and nursing-you learn something everyday. Thanks for not sharing the colonoscopy pics. I agree that Go Lightly liquid they give you for prep is a misnomer. BTW when you mentioned the length of your post, I went and poured myself another glass of wine as I knew it would be a good long read.
I so agree with you that I want this to be an anti-diet (Say that fast 3 times after two glasses of wine!). I want to be just like you. I was told to eat a cup of solid food three times a day but haven't got there yet. I am sore after my fill so will have to take it easy. I hate drinking my food. I asked DH to bring home pizza tonight but will probably only be able to smell it. Oh well, I have lots of wine.
I also want to say, I can't believe I missed your goal post (and the lovely toes). I was away that weekend and missed a lot of blogs. So now I will say it--CONGRATULATIONS TO A GREAT LADY! YOU DID IT! YOU ARE OUR INSPIRATION! I AM SO HAPPY YOU MADE IT TO GOAL!
Oh and I love the stainless appliances. I have them too and love to just sit and gaze at them. My DH is a bit jealous at times. I was sort of thinking when I reach goal of something metal and shiny but it might be a ring. Just have to let DH know.
If you didn't hear me the first time: WOO HOO TO YOU FOR GETTING TO GOAL! And it isn't the wine talking.
Great blog, BG! Thanks for the pictures - the partially digest food is weird. I'm glad the endoscopy went well!
I have learned so much from you with the anti-diet rants all along the way. I have always appreciated them and found great inspiration, too. Assuming I will someday be banded, your approach is my approach. I think that's part of why I'm struggling with this pre-op diet, too. It's what I'm supposed to be doing post surgery and it's just ridiculous. I've read on someone else's blogs about carbohydrates regulate the release of serotonin which is directly related to happiness/depression. But we are supposed to cut out all carbs? I can't do it, won't do it, choose not to do it. I do, however, think that wise choices in carbohydrates is particularly important. If it's naturally occurring should be the question, not should I/can I! I have my own little rants, too, that I've discovered I have developing - but not being banded yet, feel I don't have much room to speak yet. I need to see how it works for myself before I start making declarations. Which is where your blog is so inspirational to me - you're rants and declarations follow my own thinking a lot of the time - and you are a tried and true bander. So it makes me feel better about my thinking. Very cool.
Anyway, glad all is well. Enjoy your weekend!
And I'm right there with you on getting out of the blues/frustrations! Perspective is everything sometimes!
Great rant....I'm not banded but I often worry about the patients who are told to eat so little....so I agree with your rant totally.
Hmmm, just lost my appetite. : )
Well, your guts are pretty cool.Pre surgery I was very freaked out about stuff like this, but since surgery wasn't nearly as scary as I had imagined it to be; now I'm curious about what "innards" look like -- they do very important work you know. It's interesting to notice how your band is constricting your stomach in the one photo with the "food" in it. Always wondered what that looked like from the inside. I'm so glad everything is basically A Okay.
I think my surgeon's office must me a good one. They tell me I should be able to eat 1 to 1.5 cups of food depending on what it is. For example 1.5 cups of lettuce is no where near as dense as 1.5 cups of meat. They say .5 cups is not enough to get all the nutrition you need.
I TOTALLY agree with your rant. My instructions were to eat a cup of food(and I do). I've always wondered how people survive on a 1/2 cup. Plus that little food would send me into deprivation mode and running right to the snickers.
Plus when I read the 1/4 cup of food people I feel like I most be a cow (even with LB) and wonder what's wrong.
Glad things looked good!
That was totally gross! Thanks for sharing. I wonder about those people who are eating so little too. Thanks for the insight (pun intended!).
This is SOOO cool to see, BG!! Thanks for getting pictures! I had no idea that hole was so tiny either!! Wow! And good grief what is that food bezoar?!? Cabbage?? haha...I'm glad they got it out, but somewhat disturbed by the whole thing--and now I'll be paranoid that I have one too...just festering!!!
I do keep my meals to 1/2-3/4 of a cup simply because if I serve a full 1 cup of 1.5 cups I will sit there and eat every bit even if I'm not longer hungry. I start with 1/2 cup and if I'm still hungry I eat more. I also eat sometimes 6-7 times in a day because I eat when I'm hungry. It's going to be a little different for each person and everyone will have to find their own way, but the basic rules still apply to everyone, lapbander or not, eat smaller portions and eat healty foods and limit indulgences. I'm glad you endoscopy went well - when I had the barium x-ray it was a relief to know that all was okay with the band ...
Thanks for the rant. My surgeon's office is one of those that says 4oz meals, no snacking, 60 oz of protein and 64 oz of water a day. Oh yeah and they don't want you to drink protein...um yeah, right. That is gonna work. I eat when I am hungry, eat things I like and try to stick to between 900-1200 calories a day. That seems to work for me. Thanks for the pics, they are awesome!!
the pics are cool..the stoma size especially is nifty.
As far as the rant goes-I am a 1/2 cup food eater and happy with it as well as having confirmation from my doctor that my nutrition is fine.
My guess is that however my surgeon put my band in the space above my stoma is 1/2 in size. If I tried to eat more I would be hanging over the sink all the time. If I loosened my band I would hmm thinking back to what I weighed when I had food go through the stoma fast enough to eat 1cup of food...i believe it was around 250 pounds.
If you think about how the lapband works it makes perfect sense that each of us would eat differing amounts of food and largely that amount would hinge on where our surgeons placed our bands. Bands placed a little further south on the stomach means we get more room in our pouch above.
My band is just below whatever part of my stomach holds 1/2 (almost exactly). I eat I chew the food goes down and stays for around 1/2 an hour and I do not get hungry for 4-5 hours (sometimes more). If I am in need of a fill the food goes through faster and I get hungry sooner. If I eat soup or coffee it goes through faster too..it is simple really and individual.
Thanks for the post-it give me an idea for one on mine...Since I am mathy I wonder exacty how much shifting south would increase your upper stomach size volume..i bet one could figure it out.
I love the picture of the restriction.. Now I can visualize it... With this last fill I still can not eat in the am until about 1030 but when I eat solids I can get in about 1 cup. Such cool pics..
Like I always say 'Do what works for you'. My rant was not directed at Banders, but the docs who make their Banders eat tiny amounts, and their Banders are hungry, frustrated the band isn't 'working', and they're worried all the time.
Tina- I'll add this to your blog as well. Please understand I'm truly just curious...I just saw your latest blogs on what you're eating. You keep your band tighter than I do as I don't have any foods that I can't eat (it's just a personal choice we all make). I'd be curious to see your volume of amounts with foods (ie. it looks like you've had more than 1/2C at lunch, but maybe you can do that since the yogurt slides through faster and the crab you had is the only solid?) as well as the nutrition you get in a day...I'm wondering if you do lots of high protein snacks, like the protein bar you listed, to get it all in and how you get your veggies and fruits. If you PB when you eat more than 1/2C, then that's obviously your limit, which was a very good point that some docs may place the band much higher. I'm sure you could help others who have similar pouches/tightness with this. Great point about the band placement!
This is a great rant, BG. I have made a concerted effort lately to eat real, solid food. I eat until I'm satisfied. It has taken away some of my anxiety, and simplified a lot of things: Eat when hungry, solid protein first, have a treat if you're dying for it. And never, ever give up wine. ;)
If you look at the post just before my dish post you will find that it took me almost an hour to eat that 6 oz. yogurt. Additionally I am on the loose side of my fill and am going in for a little more saline on Tuesday.
Believe me if I could be satisfied, lose weight and still eat every food I wanted I would be on board. On my path I could not eat a hamburger or lettuce right after my first or second fill. I have been too sensitive to eat bread sometimes and then I could eat it again (I think this was about learning to chew).
I stand by my statement that everyone is different and that it is unwise to say that just because something is successful for you that we all should do it the same way. If that were the case everyone would be thin using all of the diets in books that exist. I do not dietwith the band and yes, do not always eat as i should (notice the darned cookies on Wednesday's food list). I get my fruits and vegetables usually at lunch or dinner and sometimes as a snack. I try to eat some source of protein whenever I eat. Sometimes that is in the form of a protein bar (usually on Monday when I commute 1.5 hours to work) and sometimes from 'real food' (when I am at home).
I use the following criteria to choose whether I need a fill: 1. can I eat 1/2c of food or more. 2. Does the food stay in my pouch for about 30 min. 3. Am I losing weight or stalled? I usually take a month to make the decision whether I need a fill or not. It usually takes another 3 weeks to get my appointment. I have needed a fairly tight band to keep the scale moving. I could have sacrificed weight loss for a loose band but I prefer to get to goal.
My comment was merely a partial agreement and a partial disagreement. carrying on with wacky diets seems ineffective for everyone I agree. Saying that 1/2 cup meals is only in the minds of our surgeons is not. That is how big my pouch is...and similarly with others I know with bands. Finally I suggest that everyone's issues, paths and diet history are different and because of that we all really need to sit down and think about the habits, emotions, physical preferences and needs that created a situation that required a band to put us on a healthier path. Until we address our own needs and issues we will struggle even with the band.
BG - NO - no more pics of the six-pack-ab crew....it only makes me resent them more. LOL Anywhoooo - did you see Rebekah (I think) commented on my no scale challenge that you would read and pretend you didn't cuz you'd be sceeerrreed? LOL Too funny!
Post a Comment