I am fairly newly banded (8/19/2011) and I remember...
when I started my pre-op diet how I could not wait to taste solid foods. We I eat solid, but don't miss the junk foods like I thought I would.
I remember how I thought I would never feel full again. Now I look at what other put on their plates, and ask myself where do they put all that food.
wondering if this journey was going to be a struggle. I have found my journey to be rewarding in that I stick to the plan rules, my convictions and know I am doing the right things, even if my scale does not go down for a few days, or even up a pound here and there. I FEEL CONFIDENT.
wondering if I would have strength to bypass all the goodies on holidays and special occasions - you know, pizza, birthday cake and ice cream, cookies, chips and dip, breads, etc. I found out I am must stronger than I ever realized.
the gas pains that set in a couple of days after surgery, feeling like I had done about 100 sit ups on day 3 post op, and thinking I would never be able to exercise. Well, the gas pains eventually fade, the sore stomach goes away, and I do exercise...I love my bicycle and if it is too cold, I go to the gym and ride there.
I believe every one of us have doubts, worries, challenges along the way in some shape or form. But we will survive and we will conquer the fat demon that has been riding us for so long.
Keep up the good work and know that we are all there for each other.
I LOVE MY BAND.
zIL
I enjoy reading the different entries. It so gives us all a chance to ask questions, vent, share, etc. This section has been a Godsend to me many times over the past 6 months.
I am realitively newly banded (August 2011), and I am very proud to say I have lost 70+ pounds to date. I want to share my best advice with those who may need it.
#1 find a doctor/surgeon you have confidence in - one that will take their time with you, answer all your questions, and give you the truth.
#2 remember that having the lapband procedure (or any WLS) is a personal choice, and no one can make it for you.
#3 if you decide to go ahead an have the lapband surgery done, you will need to work to make it a success. Remember, the band is not a cure all for weight loss. Along with the band comes hard word.
#4 you will have to follow the rules given you by your doctor.
#5 no matter how how you try to avoid it, you will have to exercise. No excuses will be tolerated.
#6 you are going to have to say good bye to the bad foods if you really want to be successful. That means saying no to chips, candy, popcorn, bread, cookies, cake, ice cream and a whole host of other foods that have caused us to become overweight.
#7 reconfirm your convictions.
#8 find family and friends who will support you throughout your journey.
#9 be proud if you made the decision to have wls. Anyone who says you could have done it without surgery has probably never been overweight. Me??? I was obese, I weighed 299 at my heaviest point, and decided then and there I had to do something so I would be around to dance at my granddaughter's wedding (she's only 9).
#10 after care is a must. I started getting fills 1 month after surgery and have received one every 2 weeks since then, 8 total. I have finally reached the green zone after 4 1/2 months.
Be sure to drink you water, eat your protein first, and then fiber, fuits and veggies.
Most of all, have faith in yourself and your decision. It took me 10 years to have wls, and I am a self-pay. It was the best money I have ever spent. I am now more than 1/2 way to my goal, and once I reach that, tummy tuck here I come.
I LOVE MY BAND, AND I BELIEVE YOU WILL TOO.
As I wrote yesterday, I had my 4th fill yesterday. Now I have 7.5 ccs in my band. I am definately seeing (feeling) a difference. I have a full feeling just about all the time, and not thinking about when my next meal is. I am doing good with the water, too. I am so excited. This ride is so much fun and rewarding, I hope it never ends. If things keep going this way, I will have to cancel my next appt for a fill, and just weight in for pure enjoyment.
Did I tell you that I am so excited? Oh, I am so excited. I don't mean to repeat myself but I am really feeling good, and I have only lost 46 pounds, I can only imagine what it will be like when I lose another 46.
OK, enough jubilation. I AM JUST SO EXCITED. Oh, there I go again
I realize I have lots of questions and this seems like the perfect place to get feedback. Before my surgery (8/19/2011) I was having 2 protein drinks a day and 1 well-balanced meal. things went pretty good. Since being banded, I stayed on the liquid diet for a week, and then progressed to the smooshies. I have not had any problems with any of it goesg down or staying down. About the only thing that I find that will fill me up and hold me for a while is oatmeal mixed wth a little yogurt or one of the protein shakes (I started using the powder and mixing it with skim milk). Does this seem right? I have not felt any tightness at all and have absolutely no problems that I keep hearing about. Does this just mean that I will need the fills to help me get to where I need to be? I hate thiking about the next time I can eat, and I do not like the fact that the 1/4 or 1/2 cup of food they recommend does not satisfy me.
OMG, I have been the same weight for the past few weeks. I can't seem to get past this darned plateau. Thought for sure that by now I would be in the 210's, but no such luck. I do think I am losing inches, tho. My clothes are getting loose on me.
Any thoughts on how to move off, and start sliding back down the mountain again??? or is this just something that will happen in time as long as I stick to the rules???
I ust confess that it has been very hard for me to get to the gym the past few weeks...foot problems (me), 2 family members have had surgery (hubby an #2 daughter), have had to watch the grandbabies (#1, #2 and #3 daughters kids), etc. I would like to tell them to take a hike. but my mom was always there for me, so that is not an option. Besides, if the shoe was on the other foot, they would do the same for me.
Such is life and it goes on.
I WILL NOT GIVE UP GOAL -- 65 MORE POUNDS THIS YEAR!!!
OK, I am confused. I understand the process of being banded (surgery) but what I am confused about is the recovery period. I know I am supposed to be eating healthy, which I am desperately trying to do, but here is the confusion part..why am I told to eat things like yogurt, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, oatmeal, puddings, applesauce??? all these things are packed with either sugar or carbohydrates. Is this just a recovery phase while healing and waiting for the fills to start? And after having watched the DVD which was provided to me yesterday, which outlines the 8 rules...am I supposed to do this from the very beginning or after I start fills? What do you do? I truly want this to work and I know the band is just a tool, but I need to know how to make it work to my benefit. Any suggestions?
Z
I LOVE MY LAPBAND. I have been banded almost 10 months and am down 90+ pounds. Less than 50 to my goal. I could not have done this without this marvelous tool and such a supportive family.
I LOVE MY BAND. To anyone who is comtemplating getting the procedure done, I say ' GO FOR IT '. Keep a positive attitude, play by the rules and reach for the brass ring. The longest journey starts with one small step.
I LOVE MY BAND. I am a self-pay and I would definitely put out the money again if I had it go do all over again,. I have a wonderful doctor and her office staff are so supportive.
I LOVE MY BAND. In all honesty, I can't say that the road had not had some curves, sharp turns, and bumps along the way, but I continue to weather the stormy days and learn from each setback.
I LOVE MY BAND. I hope you love yours too, whether you are currently banded, and still fighting the demons, have found your happy spot, or contemplating getting banded and beginning the journey.
Keep in mind, we are all in this together, and with determination, conviction, willpower and each other, we will succeed.
HAPPY BANDING TO YOU ALL.
zil
It has been a whilke since I have blogged, Things are still good. I am down about 90 pounds, but am having to fight for the last 50 to go away. Anyway, can anyone who has been banded for awhile let me know if you had problems with food going down about 3 months after hitting the green zone? I hit the green zone in Jan 2012, and just lately I have been having problems with food getting stuck, or slowly passing through the port, which is very uncomfortable. Not sure if I should have a tiny bit of fluid taken out or just cut back again. I can only eat 1/2 cup of food, meat is very difficult at times.
But, when I think about things, I wonder if I am just going too fast and perhaps eating too big of bites. I know there is no excuse...I just forget sometimes what the rules are...like dime size bites and chew, chew, chew and then chew some more. (I hate when my life gets hectic as it is right now... graduations, vacations, planning a wedding, and work is extremely stressful...we have 3 audits coming up in the next 5 months, ugh).
Anyway, any advice yiou can provide will be apprecaited.
Happy banding to all!!!
Happy to report that I am back on track. I officially closed the holidays on Monday night and Tuesday brought a new and improved me. My food choices have been right on track and I have managed to make it to the gym. I even started doing some more exercises...I must confess I don't like the ARC trainer, but I do try it for a few minutes. Riding 30 minutes on the bike and doing the treadmill for at least 1/2 mile - even managing to do a little. Have moved onto leg exercises, figured I would not be able to walk this morning, but all is fine. Next dr visit is on Monday, Jan 2, 2012...I am ready.
H-E-L-L-O. I have been away from the site for awhile. Really no excuse except that May, June and July are my really busy time where I work.
Things have been going well until this past week. I reached the green zone on January, but with the weight loss I had to get a few fills in July & August. Did good until last one, when I asked for just a tweak, say maybe a .10 in my band, but she insisted that would not do a thing and ended up giving me more, which put me over the edge. Took me 10 days to realize I was in the red zone (I thought I was eating too big of bites, or not chewing enough, but even when I made sure to take my time, have small bites and did chew, chew, chew), the food would just sit on my band.
So, yesterday I went in and had some fluid removed. Feel soooo much better now, but I also think she took too much out because now I noticed that I am hungry. So, guess I will be getting a couple of small fills over the next few weeks and I am going to insist the doc listens to me ... after all, I know my body much better than she does,.
Very discouraging to have to have fluid taken out, but I will chalk it up to a new experience. I am sure some of you have been there, too.
Well, I will continue to tell you that I love my band, it was the best money I have ever spent. And after 40 more pounds are gone, I am getting a tummy tuck and if my hubby keeps complaining about that cost, I may get a butt lift, my arms done as well as my thighs. My boobs look perky in my genie bra (ain't nobody fooling with my nips) LOL.
So, that is it in a nutshell., Hope you are all doing well.
Had a visit on Monday for my first fill. I was surprised when I learned the dr put 4ccs in at surgery time. Another cc was added for a total of 5 now. The dr said I could have one again in 2 weeks so I am scheduled to get the second one on 10/3. Still not feeling any restriction (that I can notice) but am managing to keep my intake down and am making healthy choices.
Even better news, when I weighed in, I had lost 29.6 pounds since my very first appt...not too shabby for 2 months, and 10 of those pounds were in the month since I was banded. YEA ME!
To all of you that are experiences setbacks and doubts, keep with it. It will get easier. He hardest choice was to make the decision to get the band. If I can do it, anyone can.
Good luck to you all and keep up posted on your progress.
WOW, had my 4th fill this morning. I am so psyched!. Weighted in at 42 pounds down and 7 inches off my waist. WOO HOO!!! I even think the fill has put me in the green zone...way to go...my journey is wonderful. My boss even told me turn around today and when I did, he said my backside was getting smaller. WOO HOO AGAIN. (good thing I have known him for more than 20 years)
Well, I have not blogged for a while, since I did not feel as if I had anything to write about, but have been following all your posts...I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU ALL!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Now for the drum roll part, 2 of my daughters and I went shopping yesterday and ended up looking for a dress for "mother of the bride" (my youngest daughter is getting married Sept 1st). We started with sizes 20 and went down from there (I was a 24/26 when I first got my surgery). I ended up getting a size 14 much to my excited surprise and felt absolutely beautiful. Woo Hoo Me!
Well, it's the 4th and I gotta get and get things ready for the big day. Anyway, I will post pictures later.
Keep it up fellow bandsters.
Zil
well, I got on the scale Saturday morning, and I hit a new middle number...I am now officially into the 230's. Five months since I started my journey and still going strong.
I love my band and everything it has made me realize. I have always been a strong individual, but even so, I needed help with the eating thing.
At the risk of repeating myself, my band has made me so much more aware of what I eat, when I eat and how much I eat. I am also aware of what others eat and how much. It is truly mind boggling. I really love my band. I think this was the wisest decision I have ever made. I have lost 61 pounds since I started my journey and I have about 80 more to go. I feel so much better, have more energy, sleep better, and don't mind the exercising. I have even started to walk more on the treadmil in addition to the bicycling I do. Next step will be getting in front of a video and doing that challenge. I love everything my band has done for me, even though I know it is really not doing the work, but it has given me the courage and conviction to keep on track with what I know must be done.
Yesterday we had 12 adults at the dinner table and 5 children. My hubby and I cooked 2 large trays of lassagna, 5 pounds of chicken tenders, a 4 pound bag of meatballs, and served with it 2 loaves of bread and a very large salad, can you believe we only has 2 pieces of lassagna left and about 4 pieces of chicken. They inhaled the food. And before dinner they ate a dozen tamales we had just made. I don't know where they put all that food. Then they had a piece of chocolate (from the chocolate candy box which I have during the holidays) and they ate 2 dozen mini cupcakes.
But me and my band, we had a salad with a piece of chicken on it and we were stuffed.
Today I go to the dr for another fill, but I think this one will do it for awhile. I definitely have restriction, but I am still able to eat a little more than I should...thank goodness I stick with the healthy foods and only once in a while have a little treat (I must confess that I did eat a small tamale yesterday).
Anyway, I am proud of my 61 pounds down and here's to another 60 pounds gone. Hope they come off at fast as the first 60 did.
Had a nice w/e in the cool mountains. Even managed to lose 3 pounds, although I am not sure how that happened--must be the good food choices, not over eating and walking.
So, I am 19 days post op and doing good. Am learning to eat sensibly, while focusing on protein as my first food choice. Have been having chicken, and beans (lots of beans since they are easy), and slowly adding veggies. Sometimes I have a protein shake in place of a meal, only because I am out and about and it makes it very convenient. Probalby going to start cooking again for my hubby by the end of the week, and seeing where I go from there. I am scheduled for my first fill on 9/19, so am not sure what to expect after that. I have seen where some people have indicated they go back to smooshies for a few days. Does that help with the adjustment or is just a rule of thumb?
My daugher is bringing me a bicycle over this week, I am working on getting a Jumba dvd and moving onto more exercise.
thanks for the support. Still loving my band and this site.
OK, here goes. I was banded 8/19/2011 and had a wonderful 5 months...lost 75 pounds without really putting much effort into it. At least, I did not think it was much effort...I followed the eating plan and exercised - mostly bike riding.
Now I have found that I am stalled...really stalled. I can't move this weight for anything. I am so close, yet so far away. Since January, I have lost about 8 to 10 pounds, and it has been a real struggle.
I also have seasonal alergies which have been really flaring up the past couple of weeks. I am wondering if it is the meds because they are making me so tired (I quit taking them and went back to the old ones).
Is cardio my answer? Is having a cheat day one a week my answer? Does anyone have any ideas for me.
Zil
Well, here it is...just a little more than 48 hours since my surgery. Yesterday afternoon was a little rough, my stomach hurt as if I did 50 sit ups and getting up and down was a chore. Finally dug out the heating pad and took an Aleve. Thas has really seemed to help. I only took the prescription pain meds the first day, then I switched to liquid tylenol. Gosh, those things taste AWFUL. Plus they didn't very good at relieving the pain; hence the Aleve. Feeling pretty perky except I think that darned anestesia (sp) is still hanging around in my system. Not quite up to normal speed yet. But, today will be my first outing. Our granddaughter turns 2 today so I just have to go to her party. But will be taking my protein drink and Greek yogurt. I am doing pretty well in not experiencing hunger yet. But I am sure that will kick in shortly. Well, it is back to work tomorrow morning at 0630. I just hope I feel twice as improved as I did today.
KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK, MY FELLOW AND FEMALE BANDSTERS.
I am about 4 months post op...and down about 60 pounds since I started my prop diet. Amazing, I had 3 people come up to me yesterday and ask what is going on with me...I look different. One person even told me that some of the people that work at my company didn't recognize me and wanted to know if someone new was hired. All 3 people commented on how good I look and wanted the specifics. When I told them, they gave me plenty of compliments and "keep up the good work" comments. I tell you, it made my day. WOO HOO!!!
One guy eve told me this morning when I came in that I was looking exceptionally beautiful today. (I'm old enough to be his mama, but it still made me feel good.)
Well, here I am again...almost 3 months post banding. I must say, my trip on this journey has been very informative. I, like most people, thought the band was going to work miracles. In an a sense, it has. I am now so much more aware of what I eat and how much I eat. The band has made me very aware of my food choices, and how often I eat.
The daily trip to the scale has also helped to keep me on track (although I really hate getting on the scale), but that is one of the two things I have to face every day whether or not I like it. The other is exercise. I am not someone who has ever exercised, which is evidenced by my girth. However, I did start walking somewhat after surgery and found that was not my thing. So, my middle daugher hooked me up with a bicycle and BINGO, I really enjoy it. I have a wonderful friend who I usually ride with if our schedules permit, and at times my hubby has even riden with me (but he doesn't go as far as I like to go). I even joined the little gym close to work and have managed to get there during my lunch a few times a week to utilize the treadmill and/or stationary bike (only do the statinary bike if weather is bad outside).
But what is so amazing is...(my daughter and her boyfriend had their youngest baby Christened on Saturday at our house. So, needless to say, we had to prepare food for about 25+ people)...the amount of food everyone ate, and what they drank. I don't know where they put it. We served pulled pork, with 2 different toppings and one plain, they we had ranch beans, potato salad, veggie tray with dip, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips with onion dip, pickles, olives, big rolls, cake and coffee. OMG, then we had beer, wine, soft drinks and iced tea to wash it down with. They ate like they hadn't seen food in a week.
Well, and here is another AMAZING thing, I ate some of the pulled pork, beans, and veggies. Oh, and I had about 5 tortilla chips and homemade salas. NO CAKE, POTATO SALAD, POTATO CHIPS, ONION DIP, BREAD, BEER, WINE, SODA POP FOR ME.
So, the really amazing thing, is what people eat and I know they are truly not hungry. I continue to be amazed. So I just sit back, stick to my convictions and watch my scale move backwards. I LOVE IT! I even managed to ride my bike Saturday and Sunday because I told everyone I had to do it, and they all supported me.
AMAZING! THE POWER MY BAND HAS GIVEN ME. I thank the good Lord every day for pointing me in that direction. I think my husband for being willing to pay out of pocket. I thank all of you for supporting me as well as each and everyone else. We are in this together, and we will forge ahead.
Zil
My first day and night at home was not that bad. I expected it to be worse. Only had to take pain RX 3 times, I don't like that it makes me sleepy, except when it IS bed time, then I like it. Woke up this morning and made breakfast for 2 of my grandkids. and I had my broth and juice. Everything seems to be going along swimmingly. Took a shower and removed the bandages...not too scarry. I feel good, have been walking around the house because it is just too hot to be going outside today. I am taking each day one at a time. Will keep you posted. Please keep good thoughts for me as well as all the other bandsters. ZIL
