New to the board

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/26/00 2:37:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

-Brandt@... writes:

<<

My name is and I am new to the board. I am due to have my

first child on November 14. >>

Glad you joined the list .And again best wishes with your birth.It is

an awesome experience.

Sara

<A HREF= " http://nimet29.homepage.com/main.html " >Click here: NIMET</A>

[Guest guest]

colette,

hi! glad you are here--this is a great group. full of knowledge and

support. welcome!

brigit

[Guest guest]

Hi,,

I am also 33 and on Thyrolar,I have been on thyrolar 2 and it has helped

me a lot. I have been on it for two months now and I also get tired a

little still.I am going to see if my doc will up me to Thyrolar 3 and

see if there is a difference.I think unfortunately,the weight will be an

issue for the rest of my life.If I could only get the extra off,the meds

will keep me from gaining but all I can do is keep working at it.Glad

you are here and feel free to chat and maybe ask your doc to up your

thyrolar and see how you feel.

Safe journeys,

Deneen:)

[Guest guest]

>> I also still cannot lose weight. I'm a vegetarian - even if it

> wasn't an ethical thing for me, I simply do not like the taste of

> meat. I run 4 times a week and lift weights, too. Sigh.>>

I'm vegan and have Hashi's. I had put on a lot of weight just from

leading a hectic lifestyle. A year ago I took time off, to get a hold

of my health. I've managed to loose quite a bit of weight.

What worked for me was going off wheat and diary. Not only are they

common allergens that can aggravate the body, but also add weight. I

started taking a protein drink daily and stick to low glycemic foods.

Watch eating soy - some people with thyroid problems react negatively

to it.

Not to long ago I read the " Fat Flush " book and realized I had been

following many of her ideas. She starts with reducing all toxins -

processed foods, sugars (I know of a lot of vegetarians who eat a lot

of both), diary and wheats - and then slowly reintroduce them to your

diet. Although she promotes meat eating, she does acknowledge

vegetarian eating.

[Guest guest]

I am asian vegan and lost all my excess weight using the origianl asian diet.

My new life dances around organic short grain brown rice with herbs. It has the

same PH as your blood. My mother fed to me as a child and i had lost my way.

here we go:

liquid before (30m) and after (2hrs) meals: hot distilled/purified water w/fresh

lemon juice. also, same liquid upon rise and before going to sleep.

DO NOT Drink any liquids during meals dilutes digestive enzymes CRITICAL!

Pressure cooked foods since it makes them warmer (yang) to the body.

organic short grain brown rice (pressure cooked)

Chana Dall soups (pressure cooked)

steam veggies (less than 120 degrees F)

Do not combine foods improperly! This will suck out whatever energy you could

have gained with proper dieting. This is where i made the greatest strides. I

have learned to eat one (fruit or veggie) or two (veggie & cooked) at one time

only and wait 2-3hours to put anything else in my tummy.

Herbs to add to rice: garlic, ginger, clove, cayenne, black pepper, green onions

I also use multivitamins, protein drink, coarse sea salt, digestive enzymes,

dhea for adrenal, ashwaganda, sea weed, lactobateria food (not the bacterias but

a supplement to keep them healthy after proper colon cleansing program).

Do not eat before 8am and after 8pm, make breakfast a true breaking of the daily

fast. This is the most critical part of the weight loss concept.

Since we do not digest well, we must take in foods that are natural and take

longer (fiber) to be digested. This give dig sys time to do it job as best as it

can.

Fruits: only in mornings and half hour before anything else, heat them, eat the

pits (esp apples and grapes) to slow digestion and gain nutrients.

Yoga, mediation & 45min running.

Luckily i knew i had to make lifestyle changes and hypo nudged me to do what i

should have been doing all along. Now i love my lifestyle.

Good luck

" lil2du <lil2du@...> " <lil2du@...> wrote:

>> I also still cannot lose weight. I'm a vegetarian - even if it

> wasn't an ethical thing for me, I simply do not like the taste of

> meat. I run 4 times a week and lift weights, too. Sigh.>>

I'm vegan and have Hashi's. I had put on a lot of weight just from

leading a hectic lifestyle. A year ago I took time off, to get a hold

of my health. I've managed to loose quite a bit of weight.

What worked for me was going off wheat and diary. Not only are they

common allergens that can aggravate the body, but also add weight. I

started taking a protein drink daily and stick to low glycemic foods.

Watch eating soy - some people with thyroid problems react negatively

to it.

Not to long ago I read the " Fat Flush " book and realized I had been

following many of her ideas. She starts with reducing all toxins -

processed foods, sugars (I know of a lot of vegetarians who eat a lot

of both), diary and wheats - and then slowly reintroduce them to your

diet. Although she promotes meat eating, she does acknowledge

vegetarian eating.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/28/2003 1:42:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

twist28@... writes:

<< Does anyone have a

problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat?>>

Nope

<<My other question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related

protocols,

but they didn't help, any suggestions? >>

Do you exercise enough and do you get up at the same time everyday? The last

time I had a bout of insomnia I took Melatonin (1-2 mg) for a couple of

nights. It worked for me.

[Guest guest]

I don't have trouble digesting the protein, but something to bear in

mind are the serving sizes - they are smaller than one might expect.

For example - 2-5 ounces of red meat per serving for a woman and 4-

7oz for men. Most restaurants serve 8 ounces as their SMALLEST

steak. Four ounces of meat is about the size of a standard deck of

cards.

Also - read up on The Zone diet for info about food combining and

what foods digest well together. Some basics are eat fruit by

itself, and don't mix breads/pastas/starches with meats. The

recommended format is fruit for breakfast, meat & veggies for lunch

and starch & veggies for dinner.

The reason for this is that our bodies pull out a variety of

chemicals to break down food. It sends more acid to the stomach to

digest meat products, but it sends alkaline to digest bread/starch.

Unfortunately, the contents can't be BOTH acid AND alkaline, so it

ends up being a weakened version of one. This is why he says not to

drink water with food, because on the acid/alkalinity scale, water is

neutral and will dilute BOTH the acid and alkaline responses.

Let's say you sent a little more acid than you did alkaline - you're

not going to digest the bread at all (in the stomach), and you're

inhibiting the digestion of meat.

This leaves your small intestine trying to do the stomach's job,

which it is not really equipped for, and the more intestine it

devotes to the initial digestion process is that much more intestine

that is not available to do what the intestine is THERE for, which is

to sort out nutrients and send them on their way - so you end up

eating MORE and getting LESS out of it.

> Hi everyone, I have been following the diet for about two years and

I

> have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

> excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be

someone

> who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

> problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

> question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

> but they didn't help, any suggestions?

[Guest guest]

hi mmcrad....welcome to our email group. Sleep. It can be elusive at times.

How much exercise do you get? And....it is better not to exercise to close to

going to bed, but increasing your activity might help you sleep. Also, a small

peice of cheese before bed might help. Your last meal should be at least 4

hours before retiring if you have trouble sleeping too. The others will have

good ideas too. Hopefully, the other aspects of your life are conducive to good

sleep as well. No big problems going on in your life that keep your brain

overworking etc? Good look and again welcome. OKC

mmcrad <twist28@...> wrote:Hi everyone, I have been following the diet

for about two years and I

have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be someone

who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

but they didn't help, any suggestions?

[Guest guest]

Hi mmcrad,

Welcome to the group, I have been following the diet for two years as well and

from time to time I have trouble sleeping and other times I fall asleep before

my head hits the pillow. It is a great plan and I was slipping every once in a

while with a few fries here and there, however for the last month I have decided

it is not worth it as I feel so much better when I stick to the plan.

I don't have any problems with the red meat, I find that you can eat too much at

one sitting, remember no more that 6 oz at any one time. Try a hot bath.

Cheers and welcome,

Re: new to the board

hi mmcrad....welcome to our email group. Sleep. It can be elusive at times.

How much exercise do you get? And....it is better not to exercise to close to

going to bed, but increasing your activity might help you sleep. Also, a small

peice of cheese before bed might help. Your last meal should be at least 4

hours before retiring if you have trouble sleeping too. The others will have

good ideas too. Hopefully, the other aspects of your life are conducive to good

sleep as well. No big problems going on in your life that keep your brain

overworking etc? Good look and again welcome. OKC

mmcrad <twist28@...> wrote:Hi everyone, I have been following the diet

for about two years and I

have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be someone

who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

but they didn't help, any suggestions?

[Guest guest]

What is your concern about sleep? Do you have trouble falling asleep

or is your problem that you wake up in the middle of the night? I

think the solution is different depending on what the problem is.

What specifically have you tried to solve the problem?

Don

> Hi everyone, I have been following the diet for about two years and

I

> have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

> excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be

someone

> who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

> problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

> question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

> but they didn't help, any suggestions?

[Guest guest]

I've included some of what Heidi who writes a column on Dr. D'Adamo's site,

has printed on O vegetarian. You can go to www.dadamo.com and look on the

third column to find " On the Diet " Go to the bottom of the daily column and

put vegetarian in the search space. Then you can find out if there is more

discussion. I thought this might help.

Hi! I just starting with the diet a couple of days ago and already I have

hit a road block. I have O blood (not sure if it is secretor or not) and am

a strict vegetarian. For blood type O persons it says to eat a lot of animal

protein. What are my alternatives? Only soy foods are listed in the guide -

what about vegetable protein? Are veggie burgers, veggie meat slices,

" chicken " patties all ok to eat? What category (aviod, neutral or

beneficial) are they under? If I soley eat vegetable protein as my protein

source, will I run into problems and/or not be taking full advantage of the

diet? If I can substitute vegetable protein, what suppliments must I take to

make up for the " animal protein " loss? The rest of the diet seems do-able to

me, my only hang up is the meat! Thanks in advance,

Hello, ! The meat replacement food items you mention have all different

kinds of ingredients. The key is to (1) check all labels for avoids, and (2)

devise a weekly diet based on the food group portions/frequencies noted in

Live Right 4 Your Type and the Food, Beverage and Supplement List books.

To get you started, just go to the homepage here (www.dadamo.com) and click

on the " Getting Started " link at the top of that page. Lots of handy info

there! Then, come back to this column, scroll to the bottom of the page, and

enter the term vegetarian. Pick & choose among the type O columns that come

up, or read 'em all. If you eat no flesh food at all, this diet will be

better than any others because it will protect you from plant lectin damage

and let you optimize your food group portions & frequencies for YOUR body.

It isn't ideal for a type O to pursue vegetarianism, but I did it for many

years, so I empathize with your reasons for doing so. Welcome, dear, and

enjoy the plan!

------------------------------------------------------

Eliminating the O avoids and eating as many beneficials as possible will do

good things for you. With a little careful supplementation and a focus on

exercise and optimizing your plant-protein choices, you'll be in the best

shape an O-veg can be. As far as I have been able to tell from the people

I've heard from, the type O vegetarian individuals who are happy with their

state of health are relatively few & far between -- but they're out there.

So, making an all-out try of it is the only way you'll learn for yourself if

you'll be satisfied with the long-term results of a vegetarian diet. At that

time, you can decide whether to continue it, or to adopt a new mindset about

vegetarianism. Thanks for writing, Debby ~ and get back to me if you'd like

to pursue this! ;-)

Hey there, Mark ~~ This diet is a tool for your use. If the lectin-related

information is the only part of it that you find compelling, use that part.

That alone will do some good, whether you decide to use any other parts of

this plan or decide to chuck all the rest. If you'd like to read more on

vegetarian type Os, enter the term 'vegetarian' into the search field at the

bottom of this page and browse through what you find. And of course, if

certain foods give you untoward reactions, eliminate them for the time

being -- that is what we all do, and it's a common situation when one is

changing from a diet flooded with detrimental plant lectins. Good health to

you! :-)

================================================

On the Diet Topic For 15 May 2002

That Type O Vegetarian Thing...

QUESTION: My blood group is 'O' and as I am sure your aware the diet is

pretty carnivorous. However, my main problem is that I am and have been

since birth a vegetarian. I am trying to follow the diet, but was wondering

if I can allow more eggs and dairy into my diet plan to make up for the

missing meat and poultry. Many thanks for your help.

SUGGESTION: A great number of type Os come to this diet from a vegetarian

lifestyle, and wish above all to adhere to their ideals. Based upon my

personal experience and the accounts of hundreds of others, I would

encourage you to consider how much good you can do in the world if you are

the healthiest person you can be. Consider this plan from the standpoint of

what we Os are biologically designed to eat, and what balance means in

nature. As a stopgap measure for your pondering phase, I'd like to offer Bob

L's wonderful post on how type O vegetarians might approach this diet. Here

it is:

" Select the foods you will eat from the beneficial and neutral lists. Try

not to base your meals on grains, but if you do, rice is probably best.

Instead of grains use squash or sweet potatoes as a starch. Eat plenty of

vegetables and moderate amounts of fruit. Get protein at every meal from

nuts, seeds, beans and tempeh which I think is better than tofu. Soaking

nuts like almonds to germinate them make the nutrients contained more

assimilable. Use nutritional yeast.

" Supplement with vit B12, and the amino acids taurine and carnitene. D'Adamo

says the ayurvedic herb Coleus Forskolii aids cellular energy production in

vegetarians. If you are a secretor, you may be able to eat a little more of

the neutral cheeses like feta, farmer and mozarella than is recommended. If

you will eat eggs, this would make things easier and simpler.

" I think you can do OK as a veg if you follow the above suggestions. I have

a long term vegetarian friend who is an O who is still athletic and healthy

as he approaches 60. I quit vegetarianism after 29 years for health reasons,

but if I knew then what I do now, I might have been able to stick with it. "

Note: Strict vegetarians should be aware that both taurine and carnitene are

amino acids derived from meats.

If you have no health problems, this modified O diet could work for you. But

if you find yourself overweight or ill, it may be Nature sending you a

rather carnivorous message. Good health to you!

____________________________________________________________________________

______________________

O Vegetarian!

I'm an o blood type. I became a vegetarian last year but before that I

followed the blood type eating program and felt fine physically.

The past few months I have started gaining weight at what feels like an

alarming rate. I feel tired and have trouble concentrating and staying

focused. My GP prescribed iron but I haven't seen any change.

I'm taking spiralina, B12, bladderack and iron, not eating wheat products

and following the plan with eating only fruit & veg that are good for o

blood type.

I've started eating alittle fish but would prefer not to eat anything that

has to die to give me life. What do you suggest? velda

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----

Emotionally, I'd prefer the same! but I've learned through hard personal

experience that vegetarianism is not an option for me. I wonder if you, too,

have discovered that your loving energy is more effective in the world when

you're physically healthy than when you are hungry, tired and ill.

All things have a short term upon this Earth, and each one has its place in

feeding, AND being fed by, others. This principle is as true of a carrot as

of a rabbit. Your need for balance and vitality is no less than any other

creature, and is no less important to the serenity of the whole.

I believe D'Adamo's work is a serendipitously spiritual text,

propounding in scientific terms the wisdom of each person eating and acting

according to her created nature. Your body is giving you the classic type O

signals that it needs the right kind of protein in order to prosper, and

that without it, supplements will do little except eat your cash. While some

otherwise healthy vegetarian type Os seem to get a little boost from Coleus

forskolii, it is not a solution. Nor is plant protein combining,

" hi-protein " vegetable powders, " right thinking, " fancy amino acid

compounds, or starvation in the name of " detox. " Believe me, if there were a

solution, I'd already be using it. :-}

With the comparison between your experience on the type O plan and the

vegetarian one, you have valuable feedback far more convincing than anything

I could say. Fish is a good start. Use the O diet to work yourself back to

that place where you felt good. There's no better argument in the world for

any lifestyle.

Good luck to you, dear!

____________________________________________________________________________

________________________________

Readers Write: O Vegetarian

Sometimes people write to me with suggestions, or share strategies they've

found useful, so I'd like to put them up here at least once per month.

Here's one from this week:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As another type O who has struggled, and finally accepted the nature of

nature--we feed and are fed by each other--I might add to Velda, who is

still working with alternative possibilities, that eggs (which can be bought

unfertilized), together with the many sheep and goat cheeses that exist, and

lots of flax oil/seed, can go a long way. The wider the range of foods I eat

(other than fish/meat) the better I feel without them. I don't know how she

has approached " the diet, " but I have found that looking beyond " standard

American diet minus what you can't eat " helps enormously. There is a huge

range of foods that work, and many ethnic recipes. Finding the beans you can

eat and taking them seriously helps me, as does almond butter/Ezekial Bread.

But in the end, I need occasional fish and meat to stay healthy and at my

balanced weight. ~ elizabeth

new to the board

> Hi everyone, I have been following the diet for about two years and I

> have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

> excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be someone

> who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

> problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

> question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

> but they didn't help, any suggestions?

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Melatonin worked for me also. It really gets you back in the habit of

sleeping well and then you don't need it anymore.

Also, do not eat too much before going to bed, that tends to keep me awake.

Jane

Re: new to the board

In a message dated 4/28/2003 1:42:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

twist28@... writes:

<< Does anyone have a

problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat?>>

Nope

<<My other question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related

protocols,

but they didn't help, any suggestions? >>

Do you exercise enough and do you get up at the same time everyday? The

last

time I had a bout of insomnia I took Melatonin (1-2 mg) for a couple of

nights. It worked for me.

[Guest guest]

Give me detailed info on your lifestyle/diet.

Love

http://www.foodforyourblood.com <http://www.foodforyourblood.com/>

new to the board

Hi everyone, I have been following the diet for about two years and I

have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be someone

who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

but they didn't help, any suggestions?

[Guest guest]

The truth is, my sleeping problem has dogged me for alomost ten

years, and I'm only 29, although after I started the diet, I noticed

a slight inprovement after I cut out the wheat. I have always been

active, currently I lift weights about three times a week and do

cardio about 3 times a week, never before dedtime, so I don't think

exercise is the problem. I don't eat anything within 2 hours of

bedtime and I use every supplement that was mentioned. With the

exception of sleeping pills, tylenol PM, unisom, ect..., I have tried

every sedative/sleep agent/anti-axiety formula you can think of.

Things like kava, hops, passion flower, valerian, rhodiola,

melatonin, chamolime and most recently ashawagandha. Some actually

worked for a few weeks until I built up a resitance to them. I have

had very wierd experinces with melatonin. When I first started taking

it eight years ago I had decent results. I stuck with it for about 3

years and then stopped taking it because I was unsure about the long

term side effects. When I returned to it about 3 years ago, it still

worked, but it gave my a hangover that lasted the whole day and made

me unable to do anything accept sit on the couch, consequenlty I

stopped taking it. I usually don't have a problem falling a sleep,

but I usually wake up 3 or 4 times a night.

Greg

> Give me detailed info on your lifestyle/diet.

> Love

> http://www.foodforyourblood.com <http://www.foodforyourblood.com/>

>

> new to the board

>

> Hi everyone, I have been following the diet for about two years and

I

> have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

> excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be

someone

> who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

> problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

> question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

> but they didn't help, any suggestions?

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Diet?

new to the board

>

> Hi everyone, I have been following the diet for about two years and

I

> have not ben able to find anyone who follows it, so I'm really

> excited about finding this group. I was hoping there might be

someone

> who could help me with a couple of questions. Does anyone have a

> problem digesting all the protein, especially red meat? My other

> question concerns sleep. I've tried the insomnia related protocols,

> but they didn't help, any suggestions?

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Have you tried 5-HTP? That is what I take when I start to have

trouble waking up in the middle of the night and can't go back to

sleep. Start with 50 mg at bedtime. That amount seems to work for

me. You can take more, but I don't remember what the recommended

upper limit is.

Here is a reference page on 5-HTP:

http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/com/ConsSupplements/5Hydroxytrypt

ophan5HTPcs.html

Good luck in solving your problem.

Don

> I usually don't have a problem falling a sleep,

> but I usually wake up 3 or 4 times a night.

>

> Greg

[Guest guest]

I looked on up another reference for 5-HTP and found the following

dosage info:

For insomnia, 100 to 300 mg thirty to forty-five minutes before

retiring. Start with the lower dose for at least three days before

increasing dosage.

Don

> > I usually don't have a problem falling a sleep,

> > but I usually wake up 3 or 4 times a night.

> >

> > Greg

[Guest guest]

Hi

I had surgery w/ Dr. H also , October 20th....I am off bp

meds..cholesterol meds...feeling marvelous....

Kim W

Dr.H 10-20-03

273-230.5

[Guest guest]

yes, there are people on here who have had a 2nd Heller - I'm sure they will chime in.

I just had a lap Heller 5 weeks ago & I don't even feel like I had surgery (except that I can swallow now! lol!) - body-wise. I am still a little tired, but I can say I feel pretty "normal". I have 5 little incisions in my abdomen and am back to lifting my kids, working & exercizing. Swallowing function will never be 100%, but I can eat most anything now with sips of beverage (not gulps).

I would encourage you to go very slow & soft with the eating after surgery. I mean....1 Tbsp. at a time, well chewed. That may reduce your post-op spasms.

Best wishes & keep us posted! Cindi in PA

-- New to the board

____________________________________________________ IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your response and encouragement Cindi. I'm seriously

having doubts about having a second surgery. My appointment with

the surgeon isn't until the end of June, and I'm obsessing about

whether he'll do the laparoscopic procedure or have to do the open

procedure again. I guess I'll have to wait until I see him to find

out.

Thanks again.

Sharlene

> yes, there are people on here who have had a 2nd Heller - I'm sure

they will

> chime in.

>

> I just had a lap Heller 5 weeks ago & I don't even feel like I had

surgery

> (except that I can swallow now! lol!) - body-wise. I am still a

little

> tired, but I can say I feel pretty " normal " . I have 5 little

incisions in

> my abdomen and am back to lifting my kids, working & exercizing.

Swallowing

> function will never be 100%, but I can eat most anything now with

sips of

> beverage (not gulps).

>

> I would encourage you to go very slow & soft with the eating after

surgery.

> I mean....1 Tbsp. at a time, well chewed. That may reduce your

post-op

> spasms.

>

> Best wishes & keep us posted! Cindi in PA

>

> -- New to the board

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sharlene - I obsessed, too. I think the day before my consult was one of the worst days of my life. I was a wreck. Hang in there & don't hesitate to call them with questions. Many docs now encourage you to email questions to them. My surgeon was awesome about that. Maybe you could call & ask the receptionist if you can email the doc. Just a thought! Hang in there. The great thing is that this isn't fatal, just a PAIN IN THE NECK! Cindi

____________________________________________________ IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here

[Guest guest]

Hi, Mariya - welcome! Glad you've joined us!

It's very normal to be hungry until you get to a good fill level. The

band basically is not working yet, for most people, until a good fill.

It's also very common to need 3-5 fills to get to a good level of

restriction. Then, as you lose, you'll periodically need more fill to

keep the band snug and functional.

That second fill , where you could not eat solids, was probably too

tight. You weren't able to eat, so dropped a lot of water weight and

some real weight quickly - and tempoaraily. as soon as you were able

to eat again, your body grabbed onto every calorie it found to

replenish those lost so quickly and inhealthily. This is the same as

with those crash diets we have all been on - lose a lot, then gain it

all right back as soon as we start feeding our body what it

desperately needs.

Band loss is designed and supposed to be slow and healthy, to avoid

all this. With a gradual 1-2 # a week loss, the body is not

threatened, and adjusts it's metabolism for this slow and safe loss,

so that we don't regain. We are eating enough

Be very careful of too -tight fills. they do nothing at all good for

us, and often cause problems like yours - as well as being simply

dangerous - leading to slips, refulx, erosions, and more. When you

are too tight, there is considerable stress placed on the band and

the stomach tissues around it. As little as 0.1-0.2 cc removed from a

too-tight fill is often all that is needed, if you get back for it

within a day or two. If you wait much longer than a few days, one may

need a lot more out, to allow the stoma to recover and heal.

With a GOOD fill, we should always be able to drink freely (with

perhaps a tiny brief backup after 3-4 sips), and to eat solid

protein, veggies, and cereal. We need to get OUT of our mind that

old " dieting " thought that the less we eat, the more we will lose.

That didn't work or we would have not needed to be banded! and it was

very hard on the body too.

A food plan of good bandster food, aiming for about 1200-1500

calories a day for most women (more if one starts out heavier, maybe

over 300# or so), and meeting the essential 50-60 grams of proteon,

25 of fiber, and 1200-1500mg of calcium is optimal for a good (and

permanent) band loss. Those that try to accelerate this loss with

old " diet " ways almost always end up stalling out, further screwing

their metqabolisms, losing less well in the long run, and easily

regaining.

Any time your intake is too low, your body will likely regain at the

first chance. also, if you lose mostly water weight becuase you get

dehydrated from insufficient fluids, your body will retain fluids and

your weight will go up. This is all artificial loss and gain, though,

since all we should care about is true fat loss from bnetter eating.

We will never lose on a predictable or regular way. We will regularly

have periods of slow or no loss, as our bodies slowly adjust to

being smaller and we regain a healthy metabolism again. Look at the

big picture - where you will be in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months -

not where you will be next week. Banding loss takes a good deal of

patience, practice, and time - but it is well worth it. Hope this

helps! Sandy R (240/138/138)

> I wanted to introduce myself - I was banded on 3/1/05, and now at 3

> months I am down 30lbs. I had my second fill 3 weeks ago, and am

> fairly tight. I can eat a decent amount, but I don't, I really sense

> when I am full and stop. I work on getting proteins in and high

> calorie liquids out. I am only really bad on excercise and my love

for

> mangoes (which unfortunately go down VERY easily) I have some

> questions though.

>

> I lost the first 17 lbs right after surgery (during 2 weeks post-op)

> which I never gained back (miracle). I then saw that once the

swelling

> went down I could eat as much, or almost as much, as before surgery

> (seems to be the story with a lot of fellow bansters). So I went

for a

> fill, and had virtually no restriction after the first one, then

went

> to the 2nd one and got some serious restriction. During the first

week

> after the 2nd fill I lost another 12lbs (I was on virtually no

solids

> and very little mush and liquids, while my restriction went from

> really tight to allowing for solids). Once I was able to eat solids

> again, I ate VERY little, but started gaining immediately. I gained

> back 2 lbs (I know it sounds like I am whining, but it scared me).

> Today (2 weeks after last loss) I finally saw 3lbs come off. Is this

> normal? Why do I lose in weird spurs?

>

> Other than that - I love this site - great help and I love my band -

> what a miracle!

>

> Mariya

> 205/174/130

[Guest guest]

Hi Joe and welcome I was worried you would not come here I was the one that

posted to your wife.

Phil

Joe Paladino <dacrow52@...> wrote:

Hey fellas,

I found this place through the message board at WebMD (which was

originally introduced to me by my wife) and was reading through some

old posts. I was ready to type out a very long-winded post about my

expierence with this whole ordeal, but a poster here by the name of

Elliot Baker has already said it best:

" I understand all too well about hypgonadism side-effects. It's

complicated to explain to someone what this diease can cause and how

that effect alters a persons life...I know the feeling about living

your WHOLE life unhealthy and never feeling normal. Even with a

cause and treatment, that doesnt expel what you have been

through...The begining in founding out what was wrong, and doing

something about it while working with professionals, researching,

and seeking out advice to help you create and emulate a new start

toward your life. "

Damn. Tough to put it any better than that. From the time I was 16-

17 I knew something was " wrong " . It's tormenting- knowing something

is wrong but having no idea what or why. With other ailments, you

can point to the lump or broken bone or pox and go " see-look, I'm

sick " and everyone would understand- who in the world would possibly

understand " um, my body doesn't want to grow up? " I watched all my

friends basically 'grow up' and go through puberty while I was still

stuck at 13. I hid it well enough- I played two varisty sports, had

girlfriends, and was always the one " who just looked young " . On the

outside and on paper I was your " a-ok guy " , but in reality I felt

like I was trapped in a moving prison. Why wasn't I growing facial

hair like my friends? how come when I worked out, I never got any

bigger? We all had health class in jr. high and high school and knew

how the male reproductive organs worked, but my friggin' body sure

as hell didn't work like the ones in the books and videos.

Every hour of every day I constantly worried- " what the hell is

wrong with me???...I haven't really gone through puberty and more

important, how can I possibly tell anyone this without getting

laughed off the face of the planet? " . I thought I was the only

person in the world who had this 'strange, unexplainable' disease

and had NO idea there was any way to treat it. I'm very fortunate to

have started that 'beginning' Elliot talked about, and now feel even

more fortunate to find a place like this.

[Guest guest]

Hey Phil- thanks for the invite. I definitely wanted to check the

group out- there's only so many times I can explain this to my

family before they ask me " what's wrong with you again? " or " oh so

you take levoxyl and you're ok now " ;-)

Also, to clarify from the WebMD board, luckily thus far I've been

hypogonatropic (secondary). 4 years ago, my initial blood workup had

VERY low testosterone, very low FSH/LH, and VERY high TSH, and high

growth hormone (I'm about 4-6 inches taller than I should be), which

I've since come to learn is indicative of a failure in the

hypothalamus to produce GnRH. I also had an MRI done- no pituitary

or brain tumors.

I went to an endocrinologist and was first diagnosed with

hypopituitarism. The doc put me on the gel and levoxyl and

I 'finished' puberty, but was not making sperm. This really wiped me

out at first, and the endo then said that all may not be lost as far

as fertility. He said that my problem was most likely in the

hypothalamus (based on my reactions to certain drugs and that my

pituitary was working in every other aspect besides producing

LH/FSH). He referred me to a urologist, who took me off the gel and

chlomid was tried- no success. It sucked. Within 2 months of being

off the gel, I had absolutely no sex drive, was fatigued very

easily, couldn't concentrate at all, and my semen production stopped.

I just started HCG (by itself) and have taken two shots (3rd

coming tomorrow). After only two shots, by energy levels are

increasing and I'm producing semen again. I have no idea how lasting

these results will be or if my body will ever make sperm, but so far

at least the preliminary results are somewhat encouraging.

[Guest guest]

Hey Joe and welcome. This site is pretty cool with

lots of folks with valid information and interesting

experiences.

Wow! Thanks for the noticable words. I just try to

offer what I kind and not more toward links. I believe

experiences are important in sharing your humanity

toward others.

I feel your pain Joe and I hope you are going thru the

process of seeking the proper treatment needed in

combating PH. Let me know if you need help in that

department. Any time you want to talk I'm not but an

email away.

Hey, if you want to get more personal once again I am

here. I have no problems emphasizing the unbalanced

experiences I have gone thru and still today.

I'm in the process of seeking a second opinion. So

once again more blood tests and patience. Later Joe

and once again welcome.

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