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Angela's Blog

A blog by anglov

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My Lap Band Journey

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Words cut like a knife

Why is it that people think when you are doing something life altering that they have an automatic right to speak their mind? I just can't imagine opening my big trap and blurting out things that I know would hurt and then be shocked when it does. This morning my Dad said very hurtful things to me. Even when it was pointed out that it was mean and hurtful he argued, to the point of yelling, that it was not hurtful but true. At first I thought people at work were supportative but now those fake supporters have been talking about me behind my back. They say I am just lazy and taking the easy road out. They say I am going to fail again. The surgery won't help. They know people that it didn't work. Well did they know whether or not the person actually followed the many guidelines? I only ask that you don't assume anything about me because you obviously don't know me. I wonder, are you talking about me because you are jealous that I have the guts to say YES I NEED HELP and I am taking this giant leap forward? Don't judge me. I do this for me not you so stop making this about you and your obsessive negativity. :thumbup:

April 6, 2010

12

Happy Band day to Me!!

I was banded this morning. So far so good. I am sore and my shoulder/back hurts a little. They found a hiatal hernia and repaired it while they were in there. The doctor said my liver looked good. Weird thing is they sent home before/after pictures of my hernia repair. My throat is REALLY sore and I am very thirsty. I recommend walking around or just get up and move around every hour. It really helps. I also have a heating pad for my back/shoulder. I have an ice pack for my stomach. It is sore where the hernia was repaired. I have a Q-ball that delivers continuous pain meds to my port site for two days and a nausea patch. Deep breaths are hard but I force it and coughing which hurts my stomach a little. All in all, I feel okay considering. Can't wait to see what each day brings. :smile:

May 13, 2010

9

Vitamin difficient

Just yesterday I responded to a blog about someone who was potassium difficient with a great website with potassium rich foods. Ironically, today I go to the doctor and since I hadn't had a call about my labs from a month ago I asked. Turns out the lab never sent them over. My motto...no news is not good news, it just means they haven't gotten the results and I need to call about it. So she calls me back and said she knows why my joints and bones have been hurting. See I just thought it was because I lost weight and the tendons were stretching in a new direction, hence the pain. WRONG!! Anyway, the labs showed I am potassium and vitamin D difficient. The vitamin D is the worst. My doc said they have never seen it that low in many many years. We should be at "30" and mine was "8". So now I have to take presciption meds for both. The potassium pill is the size of a horse pill. Guess I am crushing that one and the vitamin D is 50,000 IU and is a tiny little thing. Crazy! Anyway, make sure you get your vitamin levels checked. Low potassium leaves you achy, tired and dizzy. Low vitamin D causes bone loss, joint pain. Explains a lot. She said I should be feeling spectacular soon after starting the meds. I will let everyone know. Now on to my visit. I lost 8.5 lbs in 3 weeks. I felt so guilty on vacation because I was eating a small (salad)size plate of food at each meal. I wasn't hungry for 5-6 hours after but I thought I was overeating and in desperate need of a fill. Turns out that is exactly how I should be eating and feeling. I am in the green zone and didn't even realize it. The green zone is not eating tiny amount of food and being satisfied. It is eating 1250 cals a day in the way of salad size plates of food and not being hungry for at least 4 hours. I was so glad to find out I need to eat more. She said "see you ate more food and lost more weight in 3 weeks." AND I am bloated if you know what I mean and that usually means weight gain for at least a week. I was thinking all wrong about my food intake. I was so happy. I go back in a month to see how this stage is going. Wish me luck! Oh my total loss now is 45.5 lbs.

July 27, 2010

7

Need Help---Pre-Op Diet

Okay, I thought I would order a couple of flavors of the protein shakes my doctor's office sells to see which flavors I would like before I buy more. Can I just say...YUCK!! There is no way I can drink several of those a day for 2-3 weeks. I am supposed to have 70-100 grams of protein a day plus it must be a meal replacement and only 800-maybe 1000 calories a day. Most of the meal replacements that are palatable only have about 10 grams of protein and tons of sugar. I also have to have one without aspartame. I can tolerate other sweeteners but I cannot tolerate aspartame. Any suggestions would be helpful. I have to go on an all liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery so I thought I would start now by replacing just one meal a day trying out different flavors and recipes.

March 13, 2010

7

Very Nervous...scared really

Okay so now that I am in the final leg of my journey to banding, lots of things are running through my head. A lot of "what if". What if something goes wrong?HOw will I pay to fix it since I am self pay? What if they find something else wrong inside while they are in there? What if it doesn't work? And the ultimate...what if I die? I am finding myself dwelling on these most of the day. I don't let it show on the outside. On the outside, I am confident, calm, collected. I am so nervous on the inside that I am chewing up the inside of my cheeks. A nasty habit I do without even realizing it until it is all chewed up and hurting.

May 8, 2010

7

I write this as I sit here devouring a bowl of homemade guacamole!!

Since the surgery I have a new love of guacamole. I never did before and now I love the stuff. Crazy good! Well, I haven't been on here in almost a month. I am down 107 lbs as of today. I had my surgery almost a year ago. One year will be May 12th. I plan on that day posting a look back at the past. Today I thought I would share a VERY IMPORTANT TIP.............. DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF OR YOUR JOURNEY TO ANYONE ELSE'S. I know, it's easier said than done but it is so important. Everyone is different. Everyone's body responds differently. What works for me may not work for you. It doesn't hurt to try but it is very easy to get discouraged when things don't work out the same as others. It may not be that you are doing anything wrong it's just not in the cards for you at the same pace as others. I see others on here upset because they aren't advancing the same as others. I used to be one of them. I wasn't losing weight as fast in the beginning as others who had surgery around the same time. I compared myself all the time. I don't anymore. I am ME. I have tips and things that have worked for me and it is only as a suggestion to others. It may work for you too and it may not. Trial and error. Here are few differences I have. I don't drink protein shakes anymore unless I get a fill and I only drink one for that day. I don't eat a mere few ounces at a meal. I eat a salad plate size portion at each meal. This is my surgeon's and lap band's recommendation. Lap Band has even come out with a lap band plate showing the size portion you should have. I was beating myself up over vacation last year because I thought I was overeating. I came back from vacation and had lost 12 lbs. WOW. They told me it was because I was eating more. Okay so I took that advice and ran with it. I now eat that much when I can and I incorporate high protein foods. Life is good and it works for me. Find YOUR niche and you will be so much more happy than you are when you compare how you are doing to someone else. Much Love and Respect to everyone who is on or are about to embark on this journey!! Angie http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/

May 1, 2011

6

New Group--Banded in Kentucky

I started a new group called "Banded in Kentucky." If you live in Kentucky please consider joining the group. Support is key. Sometimes hearing from those nearby that are going through the same experiences you are helps just a little more. Maybe find new friends who will be your lifelong friends. After all, we have a special "band" well bond.

April 4, 2010

6

ONE YEAR BANDAVERSARY!!!!

Today is my one year bandaversary. I am so happy I decided to have this surgery. My grand total for 1 year is 112.5 lbs lost! Check out my blog http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ for my anniversary post. Good luck to everyone out there banded or considering to be banded. It is a journey I am happy I am taking.

May 12, 2011

6

It has been a long time...Update: Down 91 lbs in 8 months

It has been forever it seems since I was on here. So much has happened since then. My blog at http://anglovato.blogspot.com/ can fill you in on the ups and downs of my journey so far. I try to post there weekly at least. This was the best decision I have ever made in my life. This decision has made my life, literally. I have had struggles and made it through each one, learding a lesson along the ways. To those that have the band, CONGRATS, to those thinking about the band, stop thinking and just do it! I don't have a special diet. My band controls my food intake. My head controls the choices I make. I am so much happier with myself and my life and people are starting to take notice of me. They are now noticing my weight but I think my new attitude and the new way I carry myself with pride and self esteem has made them really step up and take notice. It's like all of sudden in the past month people are always taking note of my new look. Can't say I'm not enjoying it. I used to never want people to notice me and I still don't "want" them to but the difference is now I don't mind if they do. Before surgery it would bother me because if I was noticed it meant people saw my morbid obesity. I preferred to remain hidden. I am still obese but now I am more outgoing and enjoying life. I have a long way to go but still going strong.

January 13, 2011

6

Measuring Success

I have lost 44 lbs so far and I don't see a difference when I look in the mirror and I don't see a big difference when I put on clothes. Why? Because 44 lbs, while a huge loss, is only a drop in the bucket for what I NEED to lose so the clothes difference is not happening all that fast. It is a little discouraging when no one notices that I have lost weight too. I wonder if they don't notice or they feel since I had weight loss surgery I don't deserve to hear it since it was surgery and not dieting. That would be the ignorant ones who think this surgery is an automatic fix all. But that is another blog topic all together. To combat that, I take notice of small differences other than the scale or clothes. My blog at http://anglovato.blogspot.com/ gives my accounts of small differences I am noticing that, well, give me the boost I need when the scale or clothes aren't. Start keeping track and you will be surprised at just how well you are actually doing when other measuring means do show it. :mad:

July 25, 2010

5

1 month until "B"-day. Band date 05-12-10

The countdown commences. The skeptics come out. The rude comments continue. The supports are there but not in as large of numbers as before. The question that is on everyone's mind is "Will I succeed or will I fail?" Hmmm...dare I prove them wrong? YES I DARE!! There are a lot of things I have given up on in my life because the going got too tough. Well, this is an investment in my life. A very hefty investment. I am self pay and with that means I will bear the success and the failure heavily. More incentive to succeed. To use my tool to its fullest potential is a priority. Do I have fears? Yes. Do I have second thoughts? Yes. Do I think there will be times that I fail? Yes but I sure hope not. I am going into this with my eyes wide open to all possibilities. This is probably the hardest thing I will ever do next to child birth and raising 4 kids and raising teenagers. :thumbup: This is the best support site I have come across. There is more compassion and support than I could have hoped for. I have gotten tons of tips and advice here. I have received valuable insight into what to expect and what could happen. It is good to be in the know. I feel very prepared. No one is preaching to me or at me. It is like we are all lifelong friends. I think it is because we are all on the same lifelong journey together. We are each other's lifeline. I am looking forward to sharing each leg of my journey with you and hopefully my experience will help others as I have been helped. 30 more days!!!

April 13, 2010

5

101 lbs gone!!

I am definitely a success story in the making. I have reached a major milestone in my life and one that I would not have made without the lap band. Please see my blog about my journey so far and click to follow. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ I was banded 10 months ago and cannot believe where I stand today. I never dreamed I would hit this milestone in less than a year. My surgeon had a goal of 40 lbs a year with a total weight loss of 120 lbs over 3 years. I have always shopped at places like Lane Bryant and Woman Within (when I could no longer buy off the rack at Lane Bryant stores). I have gone from a very tight size 28/30 in pants to a size 18/20. I went from a size 4x/5x (30/32) top to a size 1x/2x (22/24) at a regular store not the specialty plus stores like Lane Bryant. I am shopping at Old Navy and saving tons of cash on clothes. I now shop at least 2-3 times a month for clothes. I am LOVING it!! That is definitely something I would never have thought I would do again. I still have a long ways to go but I know without a doubt I will get there. I am not eating bird-size portions. I don't eat fat free. I eat a salad plate size portion at each meal. I eat eggs every morning pretty much for breakfast. I don't exercise as much as a I should. Frankly hardly at all so I know that if I were to change that I would probably have been at my surgeon's goal already. The key here is I am happy. What I am doing is working for me. I don't obsess about food. I only recognize the foods I cannot eat. Other than that, all is fair game. I have come to realize my whole problem was portion control. I can choose healthier items if I want but I would eat really huge portions of everything. Now I don't. Another milestone for me is that I have not had a single soft drink in a year. March 25, 2010 was the day I stopped drinking soft drinks. I only drink Vitamin Water Zero, milk, juice. That's it. I have no caffeine at all. May 12th will be my 1 year bandaversary. I can't wait to see where I will be at that time.

March 26, 2011

5

Struggling with pre-op diet

I am really struggling with the all liquid diet. I only have to be on it a week but I am sooo hungry. I have had to eat something. It's smalll but it helps. I am having really bad headaches where everything is blurry so I ate a small sandwich. Being diabetic I think has something to do with it. I may just have to eat a little something every day. After I ate my headache went away. I don't know what to do. I guess I need to call the dr office tomorrow and see if it would be okay.

May 7, 2010

5

I am SO DOWN right now

And I don't mean depressed. I was banded 5-12-10 and am DOWN 18.2 since surgery for a grand total of 36.5 since March. It has been a road full of bumps and ruts. Some of the potholes were HUGE. I am making it though. I am not discouraged and I am not looking at this through "rose-colored" glasses. I have seen some banders go into this thinking this is the miracle cure. We know better. I have seen some upset because they aren't dropping 10lbs a week. We know better. The point of WLS, well at least it should be, is to lose weight to be healthy. Now think about it, if we are told that with the lap band we should be losing about 2 lbs per week, why would we even imagine that 10lbs a week is normal? If you sent unrealistic goals or have unrealistic expectations then you are setting yourself up for a major disappointment. I have realistic goals and you know what? I AM HAPPY with my band and how I am doing and I am happy doing it. I am to the point that I don't think band first before I eat. It is now a habit and everything just falls in place. I don't project I AM BANDED anymore. I am just me. They see me, not the girl who had band surgery. We are all successful no matter what!!

June 24, 2010

5

Tomorrow is my day

I both excited and nervous. My mind is racing right now. I have got so much to do yet I don't know where to start. What shall I do first? I have to be at the hospital to check in at 5:30 am. Dang that is early!! My surgery is at 7:30. My hubby is staying home with me tomorrow and Thursday and then I am on my own during the day. I am so glad I took off work until the 20th. Now I am wondering what I am going to do about sleeping. My bed sits very very high. I literally have to climb up to get in it and I am 5'6". I guess I can sleep in the reclining seat on the couch if I am too sore to make the trek into my high rise bed. Now back to my nervousness...I am getting jittery. I have a lot of nervous energy right now but all I can do is worry about tomorrow. Deep down I know it will all be okay but part of me is still really really scared.

May 11, 2010

4

A good day...down 2

I weighed myself today and I am down another 2 lbs. for a total of 10 lbs. I feel good about that. The biggest change has been no soft drinks. I drink flavored water only. I am making more healthy choices. Not always but mostly. I was really craving tacos. Well taco meat that I put on baked scoops. I finally made it tonight and it was ALOT. I am stuffed and miserable but my craving is gone. I had a protein shake for breakfast and smoked chicken for lunch. I still haven't gotten this whole eating without drinking. That I guess is my next task to master. It's hard to imagine not drinking while I eat. I get so thirsty. I try to have one protein shake per day instead of a meal. Breakfast is the easiest for me. I do trade off and occasionally have an egg for breakfast. Protein, protein, protein. Protein and low carb. Got to get into the habit now. I found a food journal on bariatriceating.com and a few good recipes but was confused. Some of the recipes had 12g of FAT per serving. I expected it to be less fattening. I started a binder for my food journals and recipes collections. Getting it together a little a time. BAND DATE 5-12-10:thumbup:

April 8, 2010

4

17 days until surgery May 12th

Time is winding down. So much is running through my mind these days. What will it be like? What does "restriction" feel like? Will I know when I need to get a fill? What will it feel like when I eat and supposed to be full? I hear all the terms and phrases and I understand them all but I don't "know" them. This has me feeling scared and nervous. I know I will be fine it's just the unknown that has me cautious. The good news is I am continuing to lose a little weight each week. I think the fact that surgery is close at hand is keeping me on track and making better choices. I am down 13.5 lbs so far and I haven't started the pre-op diet yet. I have just been choosing less starches than before. I don't drink soft drinks anymore. I never drank diets, just regular and it was nothing for me to have 4-6 a day. I have said it many times before, Vitamin water zero is my water of choice. I do drink water at restaurants. I choose a lot of salads and veggies w/out sauces, more than I used to. But, and a big BUT, if there is something I want, I will have it. I can't deny myself anything but can have everything in moderation. You have to learn to control the overeating but if you deny what you truly want then you up the chance of losing control. Control is the point of the surgery in my opinion. Taking control of my life and my eating can lead me to many new possibilities.

April 25, 2010

4

Well Day 3...

Today has been uneventful. Yesterday I had some broth and it just sat in my chest. I have a lot of sinus drainage that has been causing me to cough. I worry about my band slipping before it heals. Today I had some broth and after 5 spoons I was full. I am drining water as much as possible but that even sits in my chest sometimes. Probably due to the swelling from the surgery. All I can say is...WALK WALK WALK! Keep moving around even if it is to walk down the hallway. The only pain I have is when I get up from a seated position and that is at my port and hernia repair site. Other than that no pain. I'm not on pain meds but they said I can't drive for 5 days. I am very excited to see where all of this leads me.

May 14, 2010

4

Very little weight loss this week...Still...GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I have hit my 1st week barely losing anything. Am I bummed? You know, I'm not really. I thought I would be. I look at it this way, a loss is a loss. I lost 1/2 lb this week. I know why I only lost a 1/2 lb. I have been swelling up this week which I haven't done in a long while. Why did I do this? I would say I have had too much sodium this week. I KNOW I had too much sodium this week. My plan is to change that up next week and increase my water intake. NOW THE GOOD NEWS!!!!! I am officially UNDER 300 lbs!!! YEAH ME! I in the elite group of TWOFERVILLE. LOSER LOSER LOSER...YES I AM A LOSER and proud of it:tt2::tt1:

June 17, 2010

4

Restriction or no restriction that is the question

I posted a question in the post op form on restriction. I received several replies with good reminders of what I need to be focused on. I have no restriction. I have read that it happens when the swelling goes down. I just didn't expect it one week after surgery. I guess unrealistically I expected to be a little "tight" for a while. So, now I am on a different path. I have to be more mindful of my eating since I obviously don't have the help of my band right now. I go to the doctor on June 10th so that is quite a while to be on my own. I have thought a lot of what would I do if I stretched my pouch. What if this lack of restriction was actually my pouch was stretched? Could that be it? What do I need to do if it is stretched and how would I even know? Anyone?

May 22, 2010

4

So my thinking has had a makeover...

No restriction is no reason to give in. I don't get a feeling of being full until sometimes up to an hour after I eat. That can be trouble if I overeat. It is hard to get the protein in. I crave vegetables so I try to have some when I can. I am also running out of protein ideas and getting bored with the ones I have. I went to bingo last night. This is my first outing since being banded on the 10th. My bingo allows you to bring your own food if you want or fast food. Whatever you want. I brought some food with me but I saw they had chili. I really wanted a bowl and knew if I couldn't eat it hubby would. It was delicious. I don't think I would have liked it normally but I guess I was starved for something different. I ate maybe a 1/2 c if that and chewed the meat really well. I did fine and was stuffed so maybe what I am eating is not filling enough or it is too mushy? I ate meat and was full. So should I eat more solid proteins to stay satisfied longer and to feel full while eating otherwise I just don't get that feeling until it is too late and I have eaten too much. I am so confused. I think that an appointment with a nutritionist should be the 1st appointment post op we have. I could really use some help. I met with one before surgery but when you haven't had this done yet you don't know what questions to ask. I need more protein ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and some things easy to take to work. I hate fish such as tuna. YUCK. I haven't been able to eat it since my 2nd pregancy.

May 23, 2010

4

1 week until "B" DAY

Today I went to the hospital for Pre-OP testing. I am cleared for banding...paid my bills. I also started my pre-op diet today. Ran into a fella that was in my education class and is getting banded the same day. He is an hour after me. It was good seeing a friendly face. Isn't it funny how you can wake up and you aren't hungry at all but when you know all you can have is a protein shake suddenly your stomach is growling so hard it hurts? That was me today! I felt like I was starving. I had tomato basil soup for lunch with unflavored protein powder. It was pretty good but it would have been better if I had a grilled cheese to go with it.:thumbup: It was a struggle. My boss and a few others decided to order chinese. They asked me. I declined. They asked me again telling me I might want to get it out of my system. I declined. I went to my testing, came back and they had already eaten. Yeah, Me 1 them 0. Then they decided they needed milk shakes. Again they asked me. I declined several times before they left me alone. They know I am on the diet starting today. Geez, let me the flip alone. Yes I probably will be beyond foul and mean before this is over.

May 6, 2010

4

Got my band date 05/12/2010

:thumbup:I went to my surgeon's consult today and got my surgery date of May 12th. They had earlier dates, as early as April 12th but it didn't work with my husband's work schedule so May it is. I think I am happier it is in May. It gives me more time to get all my ducks in a row. I can make sure everything is ready. I did find out that I have to give myself injections of Lovenox in the stomach after surgery due to a blood clotting disorder I have. I REALLY am not looking forward to that. I just hope I can do it. My family is squeemish so I can't have them help me. They can't stand to see me test my blood sugar. The good news is I lost 6 pounds. I don't have to do a two week liquid diet. Only one week. Right now I am replacing one meal with a protein shake so I think I will continue that. I am getting excited. It is really happening now. :blushing:

March 26, 2010

3

An End to Day 4 of my new Banded life

WOW!! What a rollercoaster day I had! I guess the swelling in my band went down ALOT because I was hungry every 3-4 hours and I ate every 3-4 hours. I was full each time after 2 oz. I had yogurt, egg salad(I pureed the heck out of it and then thinned it with relish juice), cream of broccoli soup, chocolate cheesecake pudding(lap band recipe). What I found really strange was when I am full at some point I hear gurgling in my belly and it sounds and feels like a clogged drain draining down. Then the full, bloated feeling goes away and I am just comfortable. It was a very interesting day as I had to listen to my stomach to find out what to do next. Oh big problem today. I was cooking dinner for the family and absentmindedly I take a spoon of the food and pop it in my mouth. I was suddenly going OH CRAP and spit it out. It was fettucini alfredo with diced chicken. I am going to have to break out of thiat nasty habit cause that could have turned ugly real fast. Here's the recipe for the chocolate cheesecake pudding from lapband.com Serving size: 1/2 cup Recipe makes: 10 Ingredients 1 small box instant sugar-free chocolate pudding mix 2 cups milk, skim or 1% 1 small package of low-fat soft cream cheese 1 (8 ounce) tub of low-fat cool whip Directions 1. In a medium bowl, beat pudding mix with 2 cups milk according to package directions. 2. Mix remaining ingredients until all are well blended. 3. Let stand in refrigerator for one hour. Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1/2 cup Recipe makes 10 servings Amount Per Serving Calories 130 Calories from Fat 60 Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 15gSodium 125gTotal Carbohydrate 13gDietary Fiber 0gSugars 5gProtein 4g

May 16, 2010

3

Down, Down she goes!

I went in Thursday for my 2nd fill. My 10cc band now has 4.5cc in it. I go back in 3 weeks again for another fill. I will be probably need two more tweaks she said. I am down 41.5 lbs! I feel great! I met with the nutritionist and she said I am a poster child for what to do right. That made me feel good. My lunch cooler is a great idea and is what keeps me on track all day long. I work four 10 hour days each week so I am there for dinner every day. I eat breakfast at home but take enough food to eat every four hours. It has been working great for me. I don't even think about eating out unless I want to. No vending machines. except when they have these cheese cubes/grapes cup. I do tend to buy those for a snack. My suggestion is to be prepared. I eat what I want when I want it. I just eat everything in moderation and yes my weight loss is not fast but it is steady and I am not suffering for it. I am not struggling at all because I am not putting too much pressure on myself and I don't set high expectations either. Be realistic in your goals otherwise you are setting yourself up for real disappointment and failure when you really didn't need to. Think about it. Did you gain all this weight overnight or even within a few months? No you didn't. This was over years and years. Why would you expect to lose it in a few months? You may WANT to lose it in a few months but that is not healthy or realistic. My doctor said I should aim to lose 40lbs a year to be within a goal range in 3 years which is right where the Lap Band should have me. I am already at the 40lb mark for this year and I am not reaching for the stars when setting my goals. Good Luck to everyone.

July 3, 2010

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