jedivy21

I was banded on 11/18/2010 and struggled with the same question, before and after. Ultimately, I freely told my family and close friends and over time I tell people that I am comfortable telling. Others who ask me about the weight loss - I simply say that I eat a WHOLE lot less and exercise a whole lot more. Notwithstanding my fear about people's reactions, 99.9% of the reaction has been completely loving and supportive. I even had some tell me congratulations and tell me how brave I've been for taking control over my challenges. My advice - screw what other people think or say, if you want to tell them, do it, if not, don't. You've taken control and thats what matters most!

Your recognition of what is most important is the first step on "taking care of self"!! I wish you the best as you continue this journey and I pray that you are receiving the medical help that you needed and deserve to get through this current challenge. But with patience, dilgence (and alot of rest) you will get better!

Take a look at what your 1200 calories is comprised of, i.e. the type of foods. There are some foods that we consider healthy that don't necessarily support or stimulate weight loss. Is your 1200 full of carbs and sodium or raw vegetables and fiber? Also, you may need to up your time exercising and/or change up your routine. Your body has probably gotten used to that 30 min routine and isn't working any harder to shed the lbs.

What are you doing Wed, Thur, Fri after work? What about Sat after class? Sun after work? Looks like you've got some time to squeeze in a walk on the treadmill or around the block. Don't be your own worst enemy. Yes, you have to work school and study. But instead of say listening to music or watching tv, read your school work while working out. You gotta make time for yourself in all aspects of your life. Good luck!

I think Mattie was just having a moment of sarcasm that is totally not meant to offend anyone (in particular). I live by the "its a tool" mantra and have repeated it to others, and I think the post was just a little tongue and cheek, no offense taken.

I think all of the other posters are right. You might also try talking to a psychologist. Some of us had to meet with one pre-op. Not that you need any special help, but they could help you to work through the issues which are causing you to be stressed out. And they can help you work through the issues that arise in your weight loss journey. This is not an easy process, not even for those who are losing. Its long and hard, and we can all use all the help we can get.

I had alot of pain as well, and alot of nausea. Reflecting back, I think the nausea was a combination of the after-effects of the anesthesia and the morphine. The other pain reliever didn't cause 1/2 the nausea that I would get from the morphine. The pain was more gas pain that actual pain from the surgery. Trust me, it can be hard to differentiate. For some the gas pain is localized to the shoulders and back. For others (like) me it can be all over or mostly in the abdomine. AFter about a week, most of it had subsided. It took several weeks before I could sleep even slightly comfortably. Nearly a month before I felt "back to normal" - at least comfort wise. All this to say, the first week can be very hard for some people. Thats not necessarily unusual. However, you know your body better than anyone else. If it seems WAY bad you should be in touch with your doc immediately.

Hi ladies - Just checking to see if anyone still peruses this thread. I'm new to it and am 5 days post-op. I'm just looking for some sisterly support. Anyone here?

APPLESAUCE BROWNIES 1 egg (or 2 egg whites) 1/2 c. applesauce 1/2 c. Water 1 pkg. brownie mix Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Mix brownie mix, water, applesauce and egg in large bowl. Beat 50 strokes by hand; don't under-mix.Spread in greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Don't over-bake. Cool completely. Store covered.

Ever try making them with applesauce instedd of oil and milk/water? Using applesauce cuts the fat down significantly. That way you can have your 1 (or 2) squares and its not the end of the world.

Did you take your measurements prior to starting your exercise routine? Its very possible that you're gaining muscle mass, which is better for calorie burning than just plain old cardio. Plus your body has to adjust to the physical activity and that may not happen overnight. Good luck and keep it up!! Exercise can never hurt your weight loss goals.

Hi folks I was banded on 11/18. My progress has been steady (slow, but steady) and my goal is 1-2 pounds a week. At that rate I can reach my goal by the end of 2011. I've only had 1 fill and don't anticipate getting another until the first week of Feb. I have found that a large part of feeling "full" is truly eyeing your portions and knowing when to stop eating, even if you don't feel full. Then, I wait for about 5-7 minutes and I begin to feel full, even though I don't "think" I will be full based on what I ate. After 10-15 minutes, I'm definitely full. That's all a part of learning to eat slowly, which I am still working on. I rarely feel "restriction" and I've never had to throw up. Mostly because I am so afraid of that happening that I stop eating before I reach the point of being stuffed. The only times I've felt weird and uncomfortable was when I ate too much raw broccoli too fast. That hurt like hades. Folks - we all know this is hard work. It was hard work to walk in the door and say that we were ready for the surgery. It was hard work to have the surgery and survive the recovery. And the hard work will not end there. It continues, and is especially hard in the first several months after surgery - thats when we are "learning" to live with the band. We have to STOP eating the way we did before. We have to eat differently, otherwise the band will not work. We have to exercise! Exercise is not an option when you're trying to lose weight and be healthy. It is a requirement. I do not like it, I never have. But 3x a week I get up at 6 in the morning and I just do it. Because I don't want all the hard work I've put in so far to go to waste. I can't afford it, mentally, emotionally or financially (I don't know about you, but this band has cost me a little change and I had insurance!). YOU CAN DO IT!! Focus on yourself! Imagine all the great clothes you will wear when you get the weight off!

This is a great checklist. I've just printed it and put it in front of my desk at work for daily reference! Congrats to you and thanks for the positive feedback!

So this week I went back to exercising regularly. I'm about 6 weeks out and pre-op I did a fitness boot camp to which I've returned (with the doctor's blessing). About 2-3 days after starting I got this nagging pain on the left side of my abdomin, a few inches away from my incision. At first, I thought it may be the soreness of my muscles and its effect on either the band or the port. Now I don't know. It still may be, or maybe not. Anyone else had such feelings after ab or core exercises? If so, does your body get used to it. (Note: I did mention it to my doctor, but here I'm just interested in seeing if anyone has experienced this and what if anything you've done about it).

YIKES! That's just about how it feels, like something clawing at me. I will say that its now Friday and the "clawing" has sort of subsided since it started on Monday. Hopefully thats a sign that my muscles are getting used to the exercise. I've already paid for the bootcamp so I cant stop!

I have no input on the 2 glasses of wine...I say as long as you're within your 1200 calorie alotment, use it as you please. However, last night, a drunk driver nearly totaled my car and did in fact total the car parked next to mine. Please be mindful and remind those around you to NEVER drink and drive!! Fortunately no person was hurt last night and the worse that I will suffer is being with out a car for some time. Thats my PSA for the night, have a good night!

I had this issue as well. You should visit the laxative aisle at your drugstore. My doctor recommends (an still does) taking a stool softner or mild laxative, and if that doesn't get things moving, get an enema. They also recommend that you continue to take the softner daily until you are well back on track. Constipation often occurs with the heavy amount of protein you take in pre-op. Someone on here recommended benefiber and it is really good for keeping things moving as well.

What are your concerns? What's got you feeling lost?

Oh wow! Good to know someone's still out there on this forum. I was banded last Thursday (11/18). Its been an interesting week to say the least. I'm just now really feeling a little more like "myself." I only stayed on Clear liquids for the first 3-4 days, but I had no energy so my mom "graduated" me to tomato Soup (even though I could only get a few swallows at a time). My challenge now is finding creative ways to eat liquid foods. My blender and I are best friends, but some things don't liquify very easily. I also could use some suggestions for foods to eat during my first week back at work. I may/may not have access to a microwave, depending on my schedule, so I need more ideas for sipping on the go. Any suggestions?

So I wanted to post on my experience post-op because although there were several, I wanted some with pre-ops who are reading this to be aware. I had surgery on Nov 18th. Before the procedure I read alot of posts here and (incorrectly) presumed that gastric banding was more akin to an outpatient, in and out, little to no pain type of procedure. For some folks it is, for me it was not. After a bought of last minute anxiety and crying, I was prepped for surgery at 7:30 am. I was out in a couple of hours. By about 10:30 I was in a room and drifting in and out of sleep. The doctor soon visited and warned that a side effect of the anesthesia was nausea and a side effect of the procedure (in addition to pain) was gas. Well folks, this was a gas like no gas I've ever experienced. This gas was/is painful! And the nausea is just as bad. To make it worse, because of the liquid diet for 7 days and no food in about 12 hours before the surgery, there was nothing on my stomach to release. so it was a combination of dry heaves and chest pains. The nurse alternated my pain meds between morphine and tropidol. The morphine was stronger but caused more nausea so I didn't want any more of it. The first night (aside from the pain) was uneventful, but for the fact that I had to sleep sitting up and could not roll to either side. The next 24 hours were just as difficult. I was released from the hospital with instructions to eat only liquids for 2 weeks, as much as I could stomach. Well that wasn't much. My first meal was a few spoonfuls of chicken broth, 1 spoonful of Jello and 3 sips of hot tea. That's it. For the next few days, that was about all I could stomach. AND THEN...the gas set in. I tell you, that is the worst part of it all. I spent the first night at home pacing the floor. Even after taking a gas pill (or 2 or 3), the pain persists and come up and out in ways I never knew it could. Even now, 5 days later I'm still quite gassy and burping uncontrollably. The worst of things now if that I actually feel hungry. That means that m insides are healing and not as swollen, however the liquids I eat are only filling for a little while. I still encourage those of you at this stage to stick with the liquids though, I'm confident that its all a part of letting my body heal properly. Although, technically, there is no restriction in the band for the first few weeks (and you could eat whatever you want), its not worth it. After 6 months of mental preparation, 7 days of Protein shakes, and risks of surgery, certainly I can do 2 weeks of liquids to achieve the end result. Lastly, and most importantly, you will be constipated (at least if you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing). <-- no one talks about this enough. After 7 days of Protein Shakes, you've got nothing else to push everything through but the Water you're drinking. After surgery, you're not eating much and pooping is the last thing on your mind. So here I am 5 days out, and its the #1 priority in my life!

I agree. I had pain but it was hard to differentiate (at first) whether it was physical pain or gas pain. One week out, I'm pretty sure it was mostly gas pain. Now the pain I feel is more or less discomfort from tenderness around my abdominal muscles.

To all - I think my mistake was actually in reading these blogs too much. I went to 2 seminars, and have have several appointments with my caregiver, psych and nutritionist. I asked all the questions I thought relevant (which took about an hour the week before my surgery). But I've also turned to these posts alot for some real-life perspective. In many places, this procedure IS an outpatient procedure, and since I've had outpatient surgery before, I was aware of the after effects of such procedures. Usually, the procedures are outpatient because of the nature of the recovery period. And I will say that many of you describe little to no pain or no discomfort after the surgery. I'll add that this is the most serious surgery I'VE ever had, so I don't think it uncommon to not know the exactly how I would feel post-op. So Docs*wife, hate to disagree, but I did a great deal of research on the surgery, the after-effects and long term effects. I made an informed decision, but I do think that my post-op experience can be helpful to those on the pre-op side mainly because I didn't see anyone else post-op writing about a similar experience. I did not say that I didn't know "any of this," rather I'm choosing to share my experience. For the others - I used unjury pre-op. I hated the strawberry sorbet and could only tolerate the chicken soup once every couple of days. I loved the chocolate and vanilla, and take a shake of that to keep my Protein up. Today, I've been able to take alot more than I have in the past several days. Also, my physician's assistant (who I've spent alot of time talking to pre-op and post-op) recommended "Oh Yeah" pre-made shakes. I've never tried them but he likes. In the hospital they gave me "Optisource" carmel protein shakes. I don't like the taste of carmel but they were pre-packaged and convenient. I googled them and they also make a strawberry flavor. I remain on a liquid diet and am sticking with it as best as possible. I took a little applesauce this morning in hopes that it would get other things moving a little and I find that a little tomato soup soothes my hunger paigns.

Look up Dr. Brian Long at Sibley in DC. There is a link to the program on Sibley's main webpage. The program fee for the Sibley program is $600 and it covers all of the appts needed pre-opt and pre-approval, 2 fitness consults post-op, and group counseling post-op.