question time

 I have a few questions and I realize everyone is different, but it's nice to see others succeed to keep myself motivated.  If some questions are too personal just skip. Thanks for anyone that answers these for me.
1.  Surgery date
2.  Weight lost and if you've reached your goal weight-or how many till you hit goal
3. How many fills till you noticed the restriciton and how many cc's in band(if you know)
4.  Foods that have caused issues and was it do to eating too fast or other reasons
5.  How much do you exercise and what
6.  On average daily water intake
7.  Did you find the weight loss process slow?
8.  anyone with sleep apnea and on a cpap no longer need it?
9.  If you had to do it all over again would you still choose lap-band or another procedure
10.  Favorite foods that you do well with
11.  If you're a sweetaholic do you still eat sweets?
12.  Opinion on wine or alcohol in moderation
13.  I am a terrible meataholic and love my filet mignon and rib eye steaks...Does anyone do well with these meats?

These are the same questions that go through my head everytime I get close to a fill and such, and the dr never can answer as she's never had any weight loss surgery.  I have had 2 siutations where I believe my choice of food was terrible and I did throw up once-very small though, and the other time was toasted potato bread felt like a razor going down-never do that again.  So far I think I'm doing ok, I am definitely not drinking enough water and find that to be a struggle, as is drinking 45 min after eating-I just get so darned thirsty.  Thanks again for anyone giving me the time to answer!!!!

1.  Surgery date 6/19/06 and 12/28/08

2.  Weight lost and if you've reached your goal weight-or how many till you hit goal  I lost 70 lbs with my first band. Zero lbs with my second band, and I'm 26 lbs from my goal weight

3. How many fills till you noticed the restriciton and how many cc's in band(if you know) This is not an easy question to answer. In hindsight I realized I had restriction from the day of surgery which was too tight. With my second band I believe I had roughly over 7 cc's and my first fill was 4 cc's. Sorry I don't remember exactly how many fills it took to get to my max fill.

4.  Foods that have caused issues and was it do to eating too fast or other reasons Most healthy foods caused me issues and no it had nothing to do with eating too fast or taking too big of a bite. The foods that hurt the worst and were not worth eating were breads, pasta, rice, and chicken.

5.  How much do you exercise and what I lost 60 lbs within the first six months with mostly walking and using the treadmill.
6.  On average daily water intake I was great with my water in the beginning but now I probably consume around 30 oz most days.

7.  Did you find the weight loss process slow? No not really.

8.  anyone with sleep apnea and on a cpap no longer need it? I still have to use my CPAP.

9.  If you had to do it all over again would you still choose lap-band or another procedure No
10.  Favorite foods that you do well with I love salads, but was unable to eat them with my first band. My second band allowed me to eat them about 75 % of the time. Now that I am sleeved I can eat them all the time.

It's really kind of funny because as a pre op I always chose unhealthy foods over salads everyday of the week. It wasn't until I realized that my band wouldn't allow me to eat salads, that I suddenly craved them...I guess it's true when they say, " You always want what you can't have. "
11.  If you're a sweetaholic do you still eat sweets? OH HELL YEAH !!!  

12.  Opinion on wine or alcohol in moderation. It is very rare for me to drink alcohol, but when I do, I like a shot of Tequila Rose or a glass of sweet ( of course ) Stella Rose red wine.

13.  I am a terrible meataholic and love my filet mignon and rib eye steaks...Does anyone do well with these meats? With my first band it was a rare occasion for me to enjoy eating any kind of meat. With my second band I was able to enjoy 2-3 oz of fillet mignon, 1 TBS of turkey breast, and on very rare occasions I would be able to eat a couple of bites of chicken.
I missed eating bacon because I would always get stuck on it, but now I am getting my bacon groove on

1. Surgery date
November 22ND 2010

2. Weight lost and if you've reached your goal weight-or how many till you hit goal
It's been nine months since my surgery 64 pounds lost and over 30 inches

3. How many fills till you noticed the restriction and how many cc's in band(if you know)
I have not had a fill since my surgery

4. Foods that have caused issues and was it do to eating too fast or other reasons
I had problems with homemade jerky . It was my fault I ate it to fast and then downed half glass of water and got sick .  Other then that I have never been stuck or had any other problems


5. How much do you exercise and what
I do Zumba with weights two days a week,  I am starting back to Curves next week two days a week that does Zumba and the machines,

6. On average daily water intake
I drink anywhere from a half of a gallon to gallon of water a day and that is with crystal lite in it .


7. Did you find the weight loss process slow?
Some weeks I do some weeks I dont .  I can go a couple of weeks not lose a thing then I will drop five pounds in one week .  I'm happy with 5-8 pounds per month . Its a healthy weight loss

8. anyone with sleep apnea and on a cpap no longer need it?
never had that problem


9. If you had to do it all over again would you still choose lap-band or another procedure
Yes  this is the only surgery I wanted and if something happens and the band has to come out then that will be it for me .I will not have another one done

10. Favorite foods that you do well with
I eat all the same foods as I did before I got the band .There is nothing I cant eat

11. If you're a sweetaholic do you still eat sweets?
I was never a sweets eater. The only time I eat sweets is the week before my period .

12. Opinion on wine or alcohol in moderation
 I was never a drinker before I got the band , but I do drink but its only every 3 or 4 months if that .


13. I am a terrible meataholic and love my fillet Mignon and rib eye steaks...Does anyone do well with these meats?

I love my meats also lol. I eat rib eye steaks, I eat pork chops, chicken , cheeseburgers, pizza you name it I eat it , but I just eat them foods in the right portions now :o)  I just had steak, baked potato, and salad last night for dinner

1.  Surgery date
     Nov. 3, 2009

2.  Weight lost and if you've reached your goal weight-or how many till you hit goal
     I have lost well through DIETING. Have not hit goal, but I am ok with that.

3. How many fills till you noticed the restriciton and how many cc's in band(if you know)
     I had 16 fills and 4 partial unfills in less than 15 months. Never reached restriction.

4.  Foods that have caused issues and was it do to eating too fast or other reasons
     You do learn to eat slower with the band. That is no big deal though. Something we should all do actuallly. The band is extremely unpredictable. Have gotten stuck on meat. Have also gotten stuck on yogurt. It varies from day to day minute to minute. Something can go down fine..........and later it can get stuck. A lot of us just never know when we will have a "good food" meal or a "bad food" meal.

5.  How much do you exercise and what
     Very little untill recently. I would just walk some or use my Tony Little Glider. Recently started going to the gym though.

6.  On average daily water intake
     Now this I struggle with! It varies, but I still have trouble getting down as much fluid as I should.

7.  Did you find the weight loss process slow?
     Extremely. But I don't have an issue with that. When I chose the band, I was aware that weight loss would be slower with it. What I was NOT prepared for was to not get restriction and to receive NO help at all from the band! It was a complete waste of time and money!!!

8.  anyone with sleep apnea and on a cpap no longer need it?
     Was not tested for this.

9.  If you had to do it all over again would you still choose lap-band or another procedure
     Oh hell no! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!! I would choose VSG, RNY, or DS. Anything BUT the band!!!

10.  Favorite foods that you do well with
     Again...........varies. Can do fine with it one day and not the next.

11.  If you're a sweetaholic do you still eat sweets?
     Yes. Just either not as often or not as much of it.

12.  Opinion on wine or alcohol in moderation
     I would say in moderation only. 2 things to consider. There are a lot of cross-addictions in the WLS community. Also the calories.If your going to drink something with more calories, try to make it a protein shake or smoothie, or fruit juice. If you do have wine occasionally, I think white wine has the least calories if I am not mistaken.

13.  I am a terrible meataholic and love my filet mignon and rib eye steaks...Does anyone do well with these meats?
     I can do very well with them. Other times.........not so much so. Again.........the band is extremely unpredictable!!!

I had mine in June 2006
Lost 150 lbs first year
my life fell apart June 2007
gained 75 lbs back
I am now working to take it off
without the band it would have been a lot worse
I drink about 1/2 gallon of water a day during the summer less when it gets cooler
I cant eat most meat so I stay away from meat
Alcohol and or coffee may be borthersome for some people I have one coffee a day and a drink once in a few weeks

Surgery date: 8/26/10
70lbs and I'd like to lose another 40. I would say about my 6th of 7th fill I hit my sweet spot. 20lbs & 2 more fills since then.
I have about 9cc in an 11cc band
I have no food issues if I eat slow. If not dry meat, ground meat, and breads are hard
I exercise a couple times a week walking the dogs, bike riding. Currently waiting on insanity to arrive
I drink 64-80oz a day about half with crystal light fiber (less caps than metamucil and same amount of fiber
Yes & no on the slow part depends on my mood
Yes to sleep apnea no to cpap I only need it on my back & I don't sleep on my back. Dam machine freaked me out
Yes I would do it all over again in an instant.
I'm horrible with sweets and do still have them in moderation.
I don't drink often but on occasion.
Dry meats are the worst but I'm ok as long as I take my time

1. Surgery date
         1/12/09
2.  Weight lost and if you've reached your goal weight-or how many till you hit goal 
         About 80 lbs.  Need to lose another 50-75.  My goal fluctuates.
3. How many fills till you noticed the restriciton and how many cc's in band(if you know) 
        About 5 to feel minor restriction, 9 or 10 to feel helpful restriction.  Right now I have about 7 ccs in a 14 cc band.  I had more until a few months ago when I was diagnosed with a minor esophogial dialation and so he took some out.  I had no symptoms.  Mentioned a few months earlier had woke up in the middle of the night with severe pain between my shoulder blades.  Happened twice actually.  I thought it was my gallblader, but was told acid reflux can present itself as pain in the back.  I was not having any problems with heartburn, acid reflux, never got stuck on anything.  No clue I had a problem. I had an UPI which showed the problem and then he took the fluid out.  I went back last week and could have received a small fill, I have chosen not to have anymore fills at this time. My surgeon was actually happy with my decision.   I have restriction, don't consider myself in the green zone, but I have enough that if I'm responsible, I can lose the weight .  I just have to start dieting. 
4. Foods that have caused issues and was it do to eating too fast or other reasons
     Nothing but eggs has really been a problem, although I can now eat them again.  I sometimes had problems with bread, but that was just occasional.  Now I can eat bread.  I can even eat in the morning, which I haven't been able to do since a few months after banding.  Even with much less fluid, I could not eat in the morning, but now I can.  I do have to be careful, and I've not tried eggs in the morning.  I'm still afraid of them.
5. How much do you exercise and what   
    I get up every morning at 5 am to do an aerobics tape.  I walk during a break at work. I usually exercise at night as well, either a walk outside or go to the gym to walk on the treadmill.  I do go to Zumba once a week - the only time it's offerred by an office in my building.  they have it at my gym, but it's really hard to get into the class.  It's too crowded.
6. On average daily water intake
   I've been really bad about drinking water lately.  I'm lucky to get in 64 oz a day. 
7. Did you find the weight loss process slow?
     Yes, but it's my fault.  I've been haphazard about exercising and I eat too much icecream. I'm still eating to fill headhunger, but I've started therapy and I hope that will help.  Plus, I'm still afraid to lose all my weight.
8. anyone with sleep apnea and on a cpap no longer need it?
     Was never a problem.
9. If you had to do it all over again would you still choose lap-band or another procedure    
     I'm just not sure.  I do know if I have problems with my band, I'm not going through another surgery. 
10. Favorite foods that you do well with
       Any meat, salad, chilli - right now I can eat anything.
11. If you're a sweetaholic do you still eat sweets?    
       Yes, way too often.  Ben & Jerry are still my best friends.  I am ashamed to admit this.  I have been doing alot of emotional eating lately and can't seem to stop.  People don't understand how I'm not losing weight with all the exercise I do.  Hey, they're not seeing me devour the pint of B&J at night.
12. Opinion on wine or alcohol in moderation
    I have never been a big drinker, but when I go out to dinner with friends, I have a glass of wine before dinner.  I never drink more than one, and often don't even finish the one.  One drink really hits me.
13. I am a terrible meataholic and love my filet mignon and rib eye steaks...Does anyone do well with these meats?
   I don't have any problem with steak - love steak.  And I don't feel guilty buying filet mignon at Costco, because I can only eat half of one at a time, if that, so since I'm just buying for me, it goes a long way.  I don't have any problem with meat unless it's chicken that I've reheated in the microwave without a sauce of some kind.

1.  Surgery date    03/09/09

2.  Weight lost and if you've reached your goal weight-or how many till you hit goal  Started @ 383, currently 166.  Don't really have a goal, per se.. just going to see where I end up.

3. How many fills till you noticed the restriciton and how many cc's in band(if you know).  Came out of surgery with 3cc's and have had good appetite suppression from the get-go.  I now have somewhere around 5.5 to 6 cc's, I think.  Have lost count as it's not that important.

4.  Foods that have caused issues and was it do to eating too fast or other reasons   I can eat most things most of the time, IF they're not too dry and if I chew well enough and take my time.

5.  How much do you exercise and what.  6 days a week.  I do Body Pump, RPM, Yoga, Pilates, Step, Kick, and sometimes boot camp.  Not all on the same day!!   I started out with just walking.

6.  On average daily water intake  I shoot for 80 oz of water..and that's not including any coffee, crystal lite, powerade zero, or Propel Zero that I might drink...so I'm way over 80 most days.

7.  Did you find the weight loss process slow?  Not at first.  As I get smaller, yes, the weight loss is slower, but that's to be expected.

8.  anyone with sleep apnea and on a cpap no longer need it?  n/a

9.  If you had to do it all over again would you still choose lap-band or another procedure  I really like my band and have had very little issues with it so far.  My second choice (as things stand now) would be the sleeve.

10.  Favorite foods that you do well with  Baked Salmon, Rotisserie chicken thighs, homemade pulled pork, Oriental glazed chicken thighs (from recipesecrets.com), "oven-fried" cubed steak.

11.  If you're a sweetaholic do you still eat sweets?  My sweets are protein bars.  I take one that runs around 200 calories.. and cut it in half for my evening treat before bed.  I have more trouble controlling my intake of processed carbs like crackers.

12.  Opinion on wine or alcohol in moderation.  Define moderation.  When I'm serious about weight loss, I don't drink alcohol.  I might take a sip out of my husband's glass, on occasion, but not a full drink for me.  I'm not preaching, just saying what I do.

13.  I am a terrible meataholic and love my filet mignon and rib eye steaks...Does anyone do well with these meats?  I had 3oz of rib steak last night for supper.  Went down fine. I took tiny bites and savored each one.

Hope this helps.

I love cube steak. Could you tell me how you do yours oven fried?

Sure.

Preheat oven to about 350.  Prepare a shallow baking pan by spritzing with Pam or use a Misto to spritz with EVOO.   If you have any racks that you can use to elevate the meat off the bottom of the pan, spray them too.

I generally use panko (japanese bread crumbs). They're about 1/2 the calories of regular bread crumbs  (110 calores per 1/2 cup panko versus 110 calories per 1/4 cup bread crumbs).  You can buy them flavored or unflavored where I shop (Kroger).  I generally buy unflavored as it's lots cheaper, but the flavored are a good option.  I believe the flavored comes in Garlic/Parmesan and Oriental Sesame or something like that.  I do not know the calories for the flavored versions.

Pour some panko in a ziplock bag..amount depends on how much steak you are baking, but generally about 2 cups.  Add whatever seasoning you like if you're using the plain panko.  A favorite flavoring here is taco, but have used italian dressing mix, ranch dressing mix, onion soup mix, mixed italian herbs, Mrs. Dash.. Use what flavors you enjoy.   Yesterday I mixed panko and slivered almonds to coat some salmon.  I might try that with steak sometime.

Add the steak to the bag, zip it up and shake like a mad woman (get those biceps moving  ::grin::).  If you want a thicker coating of the panko, you can dip the steak in egg or egg white first before adding to the bag.   You could also just put the panko/seasoning mix on a plate and dredge the steak in it that way.

Remove steak from bag and place on prepared pan or racks.   Bake until done.. I just set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes and then check the steak and turn them over and then cook for maybe 10 to 15 minutes more.  The times are an estimate.  I'd rather undercook and have to microwave than to overcook and dry the meat out too much.

Hope this works for you.  :)