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My Lap Band Journey

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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.
anglov

anglov

4
 

16 days until pre-op diet

I have 16 more days until my one week pre-op diet. I am getting so close and so nervous. I start pre-op diet on the 5th, I have pre-op testing on the 5th and band date is the 12th. I am officially down 10.5 pounds. I have slowed down quite a bit. At least I am not gaining. Of course all scales are different.   I found in the grocery store (Kroger) in the health food section a wide selection of pureed soups in cartons with screw on caps. There were I think about 10 different varieties. They are a little pricey since they are organic but I may have to give it a whirl. I plan on making homemade chicken noodle soup and puree it and then strain it. Nothing is better than homemade. I also thought about doing the same for vegetable.   I have designated a shelf in the fridge for just me. I have one whole cabinet that is just for my stuff so my mongrel family doesn't dip into it. I drank the Special K protein water, pink lemonade and it was pretty good. It has 5g of protein and 5g of fiber. Can't beat that. I am stocking up when they go on sale. They are a little pricey too. I think it was $4.29 for a box of 7 packets. That is 61 cents a bottle of water. Not bad if you think about it. Not any worse then a soft drink but certainly healthier.   I am one step closer to my new life...
anglov

anglov

3
 

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.    
anglov

anglov

5
 

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.
anglov

anglov

4
 

1 week post op

I am down 7.2 lbs since surgery. It isn't a whole lot by comparison to others but isn't that point? I should not compare myself to others. My weightloss is just that, MY WEIGHTLOSS. That doesn't include the 5 lbs I gained from swelling after surgery. I lost that 5 lbs of fluid(that counts right?) and then 7.2 lbs after that. Not too bad considering I am not on a liquid diet. I only had clear fluids 2 days and surgery day was considered day 1. Each day I add more foods as I tolerate them. I am down a total of 25. 5 lbs since March 25th. This is the most weight I have lost in years.   I am amazed at how well I am doing and I don't feel deprived really. I still miss my mac and cheese but I suppose I will one day get over that. I had breakfast casserole this morning. It was very tasty. It's funny how the little things are so much better now. I made it myself and it took a few minutes but tasted so good. I made ham salad that is wonderful and a change for lunch. I am not a tuna fan or any seafood for that matter. I think chicken, ham and egg salads will be my staples. It's best when you can make things yourself because you can control what goes into it but in reality since we are eating such small portions most foods are well within guidelines.   Ok, has anyone else noticed that your tastebuds aren't the same? I LOVE to put lots and lots of pepper on my food. I never use salt. I have realized that now I am super sensitive to pepper in my food. I made egg salad and put a very small amount on my food. I mean very little and it still seemed to overpower the dish. I actually was coughing as if I had poured a cup of pepper on it. Very weird.   I have to say I am so glad I found this site. I feel I have so much support and help on here and hopefully I can pass what I have gotten onto to someone else just joining us. Thanks to everyone I have met along the way and will continue to meet. Each one of you have touched my life in a way that is changing my life. At a time when I wasn't sure if this was the right decision I was reminded how successful I could be. Now that I am banded I know that no matter what I can get the help or encouragement I need right here.
anglov

anglov

2
 

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!!!
anglov

anglov

5
 

1 month post op today AND 1st fill!

Well, I must say I learned a lot today at my post op. I wish it had been sooner so I could be privy to this info but I am glad just the same. I learned several things. 1st--my doc does not have us on a long liquid phase after surgery because he has found more success in his patients if they are re-introduced slowly to foods as soon as possible. Less cheating and damage to the band. Plus since he does not put any fluid in the band the healing time is less. 2nd--I should be eating a "salad plate" size portion at each meal. And here I thought I was eating too much. 3rd--I must eat 1200 cal a day. Eating low low calories can cause weight gain or I would stop losing weight.   As it was explained to me, I should not be struggling with my diet. The only thing I should have to be concerned with is healthy choices. The amount I eat should be dictated by my band. Hence the reason for follow ups and fills, of course we all know that. Got to get to the "green zone otherwise known as the "sweet spot".   Well I weight in and have lost a total of.....33 POUNDS!! 14.7 lbs since surgery. Not a lot but REALLY excited. My doctor is thrilled with it. He said slow is the way to go. As he put it, if you expected to lose a lot weight fast then you should have chosen one of the other surgeries. So true!!   My BP is down. It is normal so that thrills me. I am off the reflux meds now. I haven't had any since surgery.   Ok, so I had my 1st fill. I didn't have anything in the band and now I have 3 cc's. It was interesting. It didn't hurt one bit. We chatted as the nurse practitioner did my fill. It was tight and all day I sipped water and ate mushy foods. The swelling is down now because I am no longer burping when I swallow water.   Then...I get home today and a local hospital (not the one I went to) sends me an invitation to their weightloss surgery seminar. I had never even inquired there. Strange.
anglov

anglov

2
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