I know I've been a stranger to this forum for a while. I tried out a few groups on Live Journal, but it didn't work out too well for me. A lot of people had different kinds of surgeries, so I haven't really had the same problems.

Hopefully posting here will give me a little more insight, and I'll receive a better response from others who have had the same procedure.

SO, here's my update!

It's been an interesting journey after surgery. I've come a long way in my eating habits. I feel great, and I've lost two dress sizes. It's really had to say how much weight I've lost, since I don't have a scale, but I had my first fill on October 2nd, 2008, as recommended by my surgeon (Dr. Ponce De Leon in Sugar Land, TX) 6 weeks after my fill. I had lost 16lbs from before surgery! What a relief it was to hear that, because I didn't really feel too different after surgery.

I didn't really go through the mushy stages the way I should have, and I didn't stick to my protein shakes too well in the first two weeks or so. I was so miserable feeling that I decided something had to change. I pepped myself up by looking at pictures of myself pre-accident and reading lots of health and fitness magazines.

I decided that I needed to really do this, if I was going to do it. I guess I thought that this would be an easier fix-- it wasn't AT ALL what I expected. I guess I was poorly educated about it to begin with.

So, it's now November and I am about 3 months out of surgery. I have made some very positive changes since then.

1. I have started exercising again at the gym, but I've also found new ways to get exercise that are a lot more fun- long walks with my dogs, early morning jogging with my boyfriend, playing outdoors with my nieces, etc.
   
2. I've revamped my kitchen to make healthy cooking easy, delicious, and most importantly, lap band acceptable. A few key things I have done- I buy plenty of fresh and frozen produce to cook with, egg beaters, fish, nuts, and salad. I brown bag it to work nearly every day. I cook dinner at night and make enough for me (and the boyfriend) to lunch throughout the week. I'm eating tons of soy- soy milk, soy beans in salad (yum!), tofu in veggies, and substituted a lot of my meat intake for meat-substitute products, that contain less fat. I have also given up almost all fried food completely (with the exception of the occasional french fry, which I can't eat many of anyway!).
   
3. I've been keeping a food log to count calories and keep on track, plus all sorts of health stuff (365 Days of Change)
   
4. I've subscribed to more women's health magazines, which has really helped me "keep the eye on the prize".
   

I would give you an update on how much weight I've lost since October 2nd. I was so excited by my progress, I bought a snazzy new Weight Watchers scale! Much to my disappointment, when I took it out of the box, it wouldn't turn on... so I'm off to Target to exchange it.

I'm going to start weight myself. I want to overcome the fear of stepping on the scale. I want to turn my self denial into something more productive and make this a rewarding journey instead of hating myself all of the time for putting on the pounds.

Wish me luck!

Good for you and welcome back. I am about 2 months behind you. It is so exciting to start the new path and a little scarey. I wish you all the luck in the world!

Thanks, same to you!