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This really gripes my band lol. You did not gain weight over night and you will not lose it overnight with the band. If you wanted fast weight loss then you should have chosen the by pass. The band was not intended for people to drop 50lbs in a month. 1 to 2 pounds a week is normal if you lose more then that is great. You can not expect to get the results that others get. Everyone is different, we all have different metabolisms. However now comes the be mean mommy part..... If you are only giving part of your self to the band you can not expect 100% results. If you are not following the diet plan your doctor has given to you, you can not expect results. If you eat more then you should you will not lose weight. If you are starving call your doctor and ask for suggestions. No one ever said this was gonna be easy except for the people who know nothing about the band and say we are taking the easy way out. If you are eating cookies 2 weeks post op or pizza or fried chicken you might as well forget about doing anything. You have to want this and not following your doctors instructions is like going to court and being accused of murder and telling the judge well yeah I did stab him 30 times but can you just give me probation because I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway. The decisions you make in eating will tell on you. What ever you do in the dark always comes out to the light. Its like getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar while having your mouth full and as you spit out the cookies while you are saying I didnt do it, then you have made yoursel a total liar. Stop cheating yourself if you are newly banded. Our eating habits is what got us to weight loss surgery and weightloss surgery is only as successful as the person makes it. The only guarantee you have is that you will lose the weight if you follow directions. Weight loss does stop at times. Those are the times you have to be strong. If you have only lost 10 pounds in 8 months then its not the bands fault. At some point you did not follow instructions. I went on an ice cream spree which lead to weight gain. I knew it and I accepted it but soon realized I was not helping myself. You have to be willing to give 100% if you want 100% results.

Well here we are. I have survived the first month of my gastric sleeve. Yesterday marked the one month date since I surrendered my stomach to the great nation of Mexico. I can’t say it’s been a completely smooth ride, I’ve had my moments of restriction pain, nausea and frustration… and the three week stall threatened to crush my spirit plateauing me for a good 8 days, but at the end of my first month, I can say I have lost 16 lbs. 16 lbs man. That’s nothing to sneeze at. I have read many blogs and posts where people are light years ahead of me on the losing scale and for a short time I allowed that to frustrate me. Then I remembered one great fact. The power of the law of attraction. What I ask the universe for, I get. Always. It does not always seem like things are working the way they should but in the end I get the result I have asked of the universe… this rate of weight loss (which I may find slows further) is aiding me to help my skin retract – which is what I am asking for… no loose skin, no loose skin, no loose skin. So let’s step back to the plateau. It was pretty hard on my nerves, and I think I allowed it to affect me physically because I started having some digestive problems as well, after all had been fairly smooth sailing for the first couple of weeks. I decided one day to sit down and think about the things that I want.. and the things I have wanted, over the last few years… In May 2010 I wanted to lose the weight and get back into shape I wanted my husband to stop drinking and being abusive to me I wished I owned my own home I desperately wanted to have a baby, having fought infertility for 6 long years In May 2011 I wanted to lose the weight and get back into shape I wanted my husband to stop drinking and being abusive to me I wished I owned my own home But I had a beautiful baby boy!!! In May 2012 I wanted to lose the weight and get back into shape I left my husband!! (... but I still wanted love) I purchased my own home!! I have a beautiful son!!! In May 2013 I am losing weight! I have love with my soul mate! I purchased my own home!! I have a beautiful son!!! BUT... I’m on a stall. REALLY JILLIAN??? Perspective perspective perspective! And the non-scale victories are amazing!! I sleep Better My pitting edema that has haunted my feet for the last 5 years is practically non existent The sciatica is gone And the biggest one is the strength I feel when I power walk. Everyday I walk up the nature trail beside my office building at lunch time, or behind my home – and I feel the power. I feel myself walking away from all my misery of the past, all my heartache and disappointment…. The chains drop from me as I go. Pretty soon, it will turn into a run, and once I start running… I will never stop! Join me on My Fitness Pal: JillianMarie73

Week 1 on my high protein low carb eating plan and exercising 6 days a week. I had been having really bad issues with being extremely hungry at night so I told myself this past week i was going to work on kicking that to the curb. I ate dinner a little later one night that worked, I took a 1/2 protein shot one night and that worked and then I cleaned a few nights and kept myself busy by doing my nails and that also worked. All week I didn't snack or eat crazy stuff after the girls went down. So problem being worked on and I think solved. Thank you to all who responded to my post on the forum your suggestions and comments helped ALOT. Now also my weekends are horrible my husband is home wants to go out to eat all weekend and weekends sabotage my hardwork from the week so this weekend If we went out I really thought hard about what I was ordering and tried to order healthy all the time. We ate out 3 x's first time was Wendy's so I got a grilled chicken wrap and side salad, 2nd was Chili's and I got a low calorie meal and replaced my rice with brocolli so I had chicken , black beans and Broccoli, the 3rd time was the hardest - Popeyes- I took the skin off the chicken and heated up my left over black beans from the previous night. I did have a biscuit but I made sure to work out after dinner so I could burn some calories. All in all it was the BEST weekend I have had so far!!!! I even made cinnamon buns for my girls on Saturday morning and didn't have any. I figure I am going to have to cook stuff I can't have and what a better time to start working on controlling myself from eating it but now. So all my hardwork paid off and I was down 5.2 lbs this morning. I was so excited to see it working and I also feel great, more energized and alive. I can always start doing the healthy things but some where down the line i always fall off and gain it all back. This time knowing my Sleeve is just around the corner 42 days to be exact to stop that from happening has me smiling , I can see myself healthy again!!! Can't wait.

Ok, the good news. I graduated from walking indoors to walking outdoors. Now the bad news. Monarch butterflies are bullies! I've finally gotten enough endurance and stamina to start walking outdoors. I still don't like exercising, but I do like the effects. And I just can't make myself use either my recumbent bike or treadmill - they're just too boring. And besides, the computer is just 10 feet away the whole time, pouting from lack of attention. Did I mention that my Dell is an attention wh*re? So I have to get outside to walk. I have a state park just a few miles away and there are some nice nature trails that are about 1 mile in length. I've only been out there with my best friend. That way, if we run into a bear or wolf, I don't have to outrun the critter, I only have to outrun my friend! But this week, my friend is out of state, visiting his sister in Ohio. So it was questionable if I was going to motivate myself to get out and walk today at the park. But I mustered up the energy and drove out to the park. So here we go. I got my bright yellow shirt, the $5 forest green cap that I picked up in Alaska (is says, "If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes!") and shades. Oh goodie, I look like a guy cruising the park looking for other guys - that has been known to happen at this park. Luckily for me the park was almost deserted and even better, no one was on the trails. So I started my normal route. Around the lake, skirt the canal and head back to the car through the flat areas. There are some ups and down areas that I think help strengthen my legs and ankles, but not so steep as to cause me pain, or worse, hurtle down hill out of control! Going uphill is no problem. I just don't do down's very well. I'm not good at getting down, boogieing down or going down hill. Anyway, back to my story. I was minding my own business, walking the trail, hugging the shade, and lost in my own thoughts when suddenly a black shape swoops out of the woods. Mere inches from my left arm. And I did what any manly man would do. I flinched and started windmilling my arms (oops, I meant to say, "used my master karate skills"), to swat away whatever that deadly critter was - to keep it's venomous fangs away from my throat! A lifetime later (or about 3 seconds in real time), I realized it was just a huge Monarch butterfly fluttering by. He casually fluttered across the trail and back into the woods. But I swear, this was no ordinary butterfly. I think it was a Pimp butterfly, cause he fluttered with a limp and was very colorful, like a pimp, and had an attitude. I swear I heard him say, "Punk ass bit*h!" as he fluttered back into the woods. I'm sure he told all his butterfly friends about how he - a 1 ounce butterfly - scared a 280 pound man and made him flinch. I guess I'm lucky he didn't give me two punches for flinching or have a smart phone to capture a video of whole thing. Otherwise, I might be on Youtube ring now, going viral. P.S. The good news is: I managed to walk just over 2 miles AND, as a bonus, got in a killer arm workout. But I fear the psychological scars may never heal. Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

Well, I guess that's how I have to start this out.... I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. First night I slept through the night and comfortable, woke feeling fresh and good. Then it went downhill. I awoke around 10, which is rare for me since I am usually up bright and early. My daughter got here by 10:30 and we went to go get me a protein shake, I was feeling a little antsy and shaky but I just figured it was from not eating anything yet or having anything to drink. Got my shake and took my aloe vera shot, and my lemon green tea, and my shake and dug in. Took the shot, and stared on the shake. Came home and had 4 oz. of my shake on top of what I had eaten on my way back home. And drank all the lemon green tea. Then I had a bm. It was diarrhea. And to top it off I was feeling a little more shaky and nausea set in. I figured I was hungry. (it had been about an hour since I had eaten, so I made some Soup on the Go Cream of Broccoli and measured it out, 4 oz. ate it slowly and had to go to the restroom again... another bm more diarrhea. By this point I was feeling suuuper light headed, shaky, faint, and nauseous. I called my Dr. and talked to the nurse explaining to her what was going on and if she could get me some nausea meds called in. They called me in something for nausea, and told me start drinking Gatorade. Lots and lots of Gatorade, and to take some Pepto and the nausea meds, and to come in and see the Dr. at 9am. 1st appointment. After I took the medicine and drank about 3 cups (8oz) of Gatorade, I started feeling human then. I am now peeing very clear urine and since the pepto no more bm's. I am still feeling a little light headed but but no more nausea and the nurse said I could scramble up an egg and have a half of toast, just make sure its mushy and wet. Or I could have some malt-o-meal. I sent darling daughter to the store to get me some malt-o-meal and more Gatorade. So I am not perfect like I think I am, and I need to be more in tune with my body instead of thinking everything was going to go back to the way it was. My new mantra for today is ......

I'm a little late sharing this, but I wanted to tell of my experience with my first appointment. My first visit with Dr. Borland (New Iberia, LA) was on May 29th, 2013 @ 4pm. New Iberia is about 1.5 hours away from my home, and thankfully my mother was able to come to the appointment with me-- because after 1.5 hours of driving, I was a little bundle of nerves. Eek! I checked in a few minutes before 4 pm. The receptionist was super sweet. Anyway, we waited for about an hour before getting called to the back where the nurse (Ms Marion, I believe) took my height, weight, and a small bit of medical history from me. She then talked to me about the preop diet (which I think is pretty lenient), postoperative diet, vitamins, protein (they suggests at least 60g/day), and expectations of the surgery. She also told me I would have to stay at least 2 nights in a nearby hotel so that Dr. Borland can keep an eye on me. I'm really happy to not have to stay in a hospital Dr. Borland then came into the room and explained the procedure. Dr. Borland was really nice and had a great sense of humor. He put my mind at ease. He has been performing weight-loss surgeries since the 80's (I was born in the 80's!) He took his time and answered all our questions. My mother asked his mortality rate on this surgery ( absolutely HAD to know)- he said he lost just 1 patient... Not shabby. After Dr. Borland spoke with us, his nurse came back in to discuss my date, preop requirements, and cost. I told her I wanted to schedule as soon as possible- which was June 11th. All of a sudden, I got light- headed and dizzy (LOL). She told me to have surgery on June 11th, I would have to get my lab work done the next day and pay the following day (I'm a self/cash pay). I got super nervous bc I knew I'd be working the next few nights, and I would have a difficult time fitting this into my schedule. It ended up all working out-- lab work, EKG, chest X-ray was all done the next day, and my dear sweet husband sent the payments (cashiers checks) on time. The initial visit cost $200. The cashiers checks totaled $9600. And the preops were $270 ( which I thought was AWESOME). Oh yeah, I was so excited when I left his office -- I turned down a one way street! And continued the wrong way until I nearly hit someone. OOPS!

Hello all!! Today makes day 4 for me. It's been pretty exciting! I woke up this morning with no pain. I almost cried, I was so happy. Then I moved, and the gas woke up..lol I think my Dr. wanted to make me a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon, he filled me with so much gas. But I have been laying with the heating pad, walking, and sitting up a lot in bed. My urine is a weird pink-ish yellow-ish brown. Not dark, but I have increased my water intake. At first I was afraid to even drink water because I was soo positive it would get stuck or something. I have discovered as long as I don't gulp it and give it a few seconds between drinks I can actually drink quite a bit of water, that makes me happy I'm only doing 4 oz every 30 minutes or so, but I think that's a good start. I don't feel like I have water belly or that I am stretching anything. And when I drink water it makes me burp, so its a win-win situation! Also, this morning when I got up I had sinus drainage and you know how that makes you feel nauseated. I tried some chicken broth, didn't help, water didn't help, nausea bracelet and drops didn't help so I went and made me a protein shake, only had about 2 oz of it, but it got rid of the nauseous feeling. I know some people have said they were on clear liquids for 2 weeks then the solid liquids for 2 weeks then on week 5 onto smushies. I have gone over my paperwork over and over, and it doesn't specify when I am suppose to start stage 2 liquids, but I had to have something this morning. it was either put something in there or throw up. And I DONT want to throw up! **Oh happy news** I just had my first bm post surgery!! YEAAAHHH!! No straining, I think the protein shake helped move the mail. I am going to stop with the pain medication, I am not a big fan of pain meds anyways, I don't like the way they make me feel but they are great for sleeping! I have liquid Tylenol for the minor cramps and ickies so that should be good. If not I still have the other, One thing I am going to to today is shower!!! I feel nasty. hahaha anyways I will try to write here every day about how my journey is going. :wub:Later Taters

Ahh, progress. We have a new supermarket in my neighborhood. It is beautiful, brightly lit, with almost anything you could want, from artisan bread to flat screen TVs. And as with all businesses, they are doing everything they can to make the shopping experience as awesome as possible. But they may have jumped the shark on this one: There is automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh and pretty. Just before it goes on, you hear distant thunder and smell fresh rain. When you pass the fruits, you smell fresh cut apples and peaches. When you pass the vegetables, you smell hot buttered corn on the cob. When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh mown hay. In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks and sausages. When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle, and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying. The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread and cookies. I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

Last year this time I was just about to start my journey into the long list of Drs appointments, evaluations, testing, and finally waiting. I am so happy to say it is a year later and I am 80lbs lighter. My journey was not just for vanity reasons but it was a new beginning for me. As I began to regain control and focus on the root cause of my weight loss I had to really focus on what else in my life had I just let overrun me. I sometimes felt as if all of the air was being sucked out of the room and it had nothing to do with my weight. Well needless to say I have started to face the pink elephant in the middle of the room. It hasn't been easy but it has been real and as I lost the physical weight I began to look at what other dead weight I was carrying around for other people. My life is not easy, nor has this surgery been a piece of cake but if you ask me would I do it all over again. The answer is yes!!!!!!!!. I sometimes pass by windows and look at myself in disbelief or its really funny when I post pics of my new self on facebook and I get comments back like "When did you take that picture" or the best one is " How old were you when you took this". LOL!!!!! I encourage anyone that is contemplating the surgery. Do it for you and you will never regret it. P.S. My 18 year old daughter did it two months after me and she has lost a whopping 84lbs and you can't tell her nothing!!!!! For the first time in her life she is wearing clothing that concide with her age and she is so excited. I can hardly keep up with all the new guys who are interested in her... It is the best gift that I ever could have given her...

In my last blog I was complaining about not having clothes that fit due to my new weight loss, well God heard me and I was sitting in church not even two days later and I get a text that says " Hey got some clothes for you come and get them". I could hear the church bells ringing... LOL . Well I got there as soon as the Preacher said Amen and needless to say, she had a variety of clothing that went from size 14 to size 4. Suits, dresses, jeans, dress pants, shoes, boots. I had hit paydirt. I got home and began to try on the clothes and to my suprise I am a fit size 8. No more double digits for me!!!!!!. I have been strutting my stuff ever since then. I thank God and my girlfriend who has outgrown her clothes... LOL I love my sleeve and all the new sizes that come along with it.