JerseyGirl80

Thank you for the support and the great analogy, it means alot!

Thank you so much. I know all these things, we all do, but it helps so much hearing them from others that "get it". I have been drinking broth between meals to also "pretend" there's something of substance in there, it does work.

I know I know! I'm havin' a mental breakdown lol. I am feeling better today though, I'm blaming all the ice and snow for making me lose it lately! And Yes, this is not a diet and I'm doing good with my eating, but I know my weight loss would be so much better and I would feel better about myself if I just moved my big self around a little more. Side note and maybe TMI, but this made me really happy this morning and made all the grief worth it, my boobs are officially further out from my body than my belly! That hasn't been so in a long time lol! I noticed this this morning when I put on a smaller sized t-shirt.. I'm excited about that! I'm starting to look like a woman again and not a butterball!!! YAY!

Yes it is still early in the game for me, I guess I'm just getting a little impatient and overwhelmed in the last few days. Afraid of failing or not doing as well as I should be blah blah. I'm good at beating myself up, I guess we all are. Thank you so much for your kind words, they're encouraging, it's good to know there are others that understand. I'm scheduled for another fill Feb 22nd, I'm hoping that will help some. Until then I will try to eat more veggies and thicken up my Protein shakes with ice and frozen fruit in the blender to help keep me full. I just sooo can't wait to be satisfied with a tiny bit of food! As much of a lover of food I am, I hate it, I'm sick of eating. That probably sounds weird coming from a food addict but lately I can't be bothered with eating anything even when I am hungry. I know I don't have to explain myself to people, I shouldn't and I'm not. I normally wouldn't care what anyone thinks and I'd be the first person to tell someone else the same thing, but when it comes to my weight I get so defensive lately. I know I'm trying and I know this process is slow and being that I was 300+lbs losing 35lbs is hardly noticable to people, but it is kinda upsetting when they are constantly "checking in" So I kind of feel like I'm being judged now because people know I'm supposed to be magically losing weight, since that's what most people think the band is, magic, and yet the weightloss is barely noticable. But I know, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, and this is about me and my life and changes, I gotta get over all that and just breathe for a minute I guess. Best of luck to you too!

I'm a stomach sleeper too. My first 3 weeks after surgery I slept on my back on the couch slowly transitioning to my side with the help of some pillows. I couldn't sleep in my bed at first because I live alone and couldn't sit up out of it without assistance. The one night I tried to sleep in my bed, maybe 3 days post-op, I was stuck like a turtle on it's back LOL I could not get up, I had to slowly slide myself to the edge of the bed and try to pull myself up using the nightstand, funny now but not so funny at the time. It took me about 4 to 5 weeks to feel completely comfortable sleeping on my stomach, I tried a few times before then but still had some pains in my port site. I'm 7 weeks post-op and I've been sleeping on my stomach just as I always have.

Some days are better than others, I'm not liking how hungry and lazy I've been the last few days. lol thanks for that, it's true, skinny girls are bitches because they're hungry.. I have been quite cranky lately, carb/grease/sugar withdraw? If I close my eyes real tight I can almost feel like a skinny bitch hehe

Melissa, the "know it alls" I was referring to ( and no you do not sound like one, thank you for your helpful response) were the ones that think new people are stupid and just rant on berating them instead of offering helpful advice or just ignoring our posts and keeping their negativity to themselves, I've seen this way too often on here and it's discouraged me from posting. Thank you again for responding. Maybe the mistake I'm making is that I feel like I have to be a crazed work out obsessed maniac, like I used to be whenever I'd start on another one of my "diets", I'd go from a couch potato to someone who would work out everyday for a few weeks or months and quit. I do need to take this slowly and make smaller goals for myself instead of getting too overwhelmed with the thought of having to be super woman.

I felt pretty bummed too in the beginning. Once I went back to work and got back to the swing of things I felt better. And definitely after I started eating again and started seeing the scale going down, I felt even better. Eating less but still being able to live my normal life is what I wanted. Initially I was feeling down because I was thinking about the food I was giving up. But now for me, I don't feel deprived of anything, I don't crave certain things anymore, and even if I did I know that I could have a tiny bit as a treat (since thats all I'd have room for anyway, which is what I love about my band) and I don't feel like I've given up anything, I still eat, just less. I'm still social, I still go out to dinner with friends I just don't order like I used to but that's ok. I feel like those are the biggest adjustments I've had to make, (making better choices, especially while going out with friends) but I've been able to do it. Things will all come into balance again and you'll be feeling better soon! Once you start moving around more and get on a "regular life" schedule everything else will fall into place. This is a huge change, it's been 7 weeks for me and I'm still slowly adjusting. Things do get better!

lol better out than in! lol Cute doggie!

My surgeon gave me a script to go get a sleep study, his office gave me the info for several clinics and hospitals that I could use. I just picked one at the nearest hospital and I called to schedule myself. I didn't need a referral from my PCP. I'd rather have my band surgery 10 more times and go through the gas pass over and over again than go through another sleep study. It was hell, the wires and gross jelly were making me so itchy, the position I had to lay in , voices in the hallway, my neighbor getting up to pee every hour (we shared a bathroom) my hair in my face, the thought of the creepy tech watching me in his little booth all night, all made me crazy! I didn't feel like I slept at all. In the morning the tech said he thought at one point I was gonna get up and leave because he saw how annoyed I was getting. NEVER AGAIN!

I'm 6 weeks post-op and I would consider it. I have no pain and I'm able to sleep on my stomach as usual. I don't really see a reason not to ride a roller coaster at 3 months post-op, unless in your case your doctor has some other reason. My doctor said I could return to all normal activities, including strenuous exercise, after 6 weeks.

Some insurances need a referral, some don't. You don't have a PCP? If not maybe you should get one. If you are seeing a pain doctor, I'm not sure if they'd write a referral after the first visit, but after a while they might, some of them even suggest weightloss surgery. I didn't have a PCP . The first thing I did was I went to a seminar. My insurance didn't need a referral but they did need medical necessities. I already knew I was over weight by more than 100lbs, and I have PCOS, which would have been enough for my approval. At the seminar I made an appointment with my surgeon, I didn't know him prior to the seminar. I met with him a month later and he gave me perscriptions for blood work, an ekg, a sleep, apnea test, a chest x-ray, and a psych evaluation, which revealed more co-morbidites favoring my approval. If you find a good surgeon with a great staff they will tell you what you need to do for your insurance to get approved. My Doctors insurance case worker pretty much did everything for me, they made it so easy. Also, my surgeon has an in-house nutrition staff and referred me to a psycologist that all of his patients use, I don't know if all Docs are like that but it would have been annoying having to find doctors and nurtrionists that specialize in weight loss surgery. Anyway, luckily my insurance at the time, Aetna, was pretty easy with their requirements. One of the big things some insurance companies look for is proof of you being over weight for at least 2 years (mine required it), if you have no medical records showing this they may give you a hard time, or just deny it completely. It's hard to really tell you where to start not knowing your insurances requirements, but it couldn't hurt to go to a seminar just to see what they tell you, that's what I did because I didn't know where to start.

That's wonderful, Congratulations!

What a coincidence, I was just searching for crock pot recipes lol. I don't have one but was going to buy one tomorrow. I was looking at some recipes on this site http://busycooks.about.com/od/healthycrockpotrecipes/a/healthycrockpot.htm

Bring a pillow, this helped me on the drive home. Every bump hurt but holding the pillow against me really made a difference. Are you going to be inpatient? I was outpatient, I didn't even bring my cell phone or bother wearing a bra, how scandalous!. I brought a pillow, gas-x, a hair tie, lip gloss and my compact... I'm high maintenance lol I never leave home without a least gloss and a compact!

I'm not in retail but was for years, now I have a desk job. When I went back to work I had to keep getting up to walk around because it was killing me to sit for too long. The position I'm in at my desk was making my incisions hurt, walking or standing were the only things that made me feel better. I naturally press my stomach against my desk while sitting/typing/writing and that wasn't good for my boo boo's.. Moving around helps people heal faster anyway. So, I actually spent more time standing or walking around the office my first week back. You might be ok with standing and walking around, but definitely make them aware at work that you have had some sort of surgery and may need to rest. Remember you will still be healing so don't over do it. Everyone is different and you won't know what you'll be able to do until you get there. Good luck!

Thank you!

I would ask your doctor or nutritionist this question, as every Doc does things different. I was told by my nutritionist that mushy was anything I could mash up easily with a fork and to stay away from "anything that walked on land" for a few weeks. She said eggs, tuna, flaky fish, over cooked veggies, mashed potatoes, even Pasta was ok if I over cooked it, basically according to my Doc just about anything but meat was ok as long at it was "mushy" mushed up first and then chewed really well. I was advised to not puree anything and not to eat Soups because they are "too easy to eat and you need to get used to food".

You are more than welcome Suzanne, us bandsters have to be here for one another. I'm by no means a pro at this, I just started this journey, my first fill is tomorrow and I'm still afraid of screwing up but I am doing my best not to. Feel free to keep in touch, I'd like to know how things go for you. And thank you, I'm excited about my weight loss even though I still got a long way to go! After surgery I was really tired and had terrible gas pain in my back, it was awful, but I was home 4 hours after I woke up from anesthesia. I had little surgery pain, if you talk to others who have had it you'll hear similar stories, although others do have more pain than I did and some people don't get gas. My incision pains really just felt like I did a million sit ups, it just felt like muscle burn, not anywhere near as bad as I expected. I'm pretty good with pain so I didn't need pain meds until maybe day 3. I only needed them because the rest of my body was so sore from lifting myself up off the couch lol (I live alone, so most of the time I had no help moving) and again it just felt like bad muscle burn. I really felt good even the next day besides the gas which really was hell for about 3-5 days, but other than that I was ok, just tired. I took it real easy for about 2 weeks, then went back to work.

Suzanne, The band is not a cop out, not cheating and definitely not taking the easy way out. I felt this way once too. For years I thought, "oh I could do it myself, I wouldn't dare get surgery, that's cheating, it's just for lazy fat people.." and all that hesitation, stubbornness and lack of education did was pack on another 110lbs in 10 years. but after failing repeatedly at dieting, years of gaining and losing I finally decided to READ ALOT, get educated about myself, my body and the procedure and talk to some doctors. The band is a tool. not a magic pill.. The only thing the band is doing is making us feel fuller faster, it keeps us from over eating giving us no room to pig out, and it mentally helps steer us in the right direction in making every bite count towards nutrition, not pleasure (for me it does, but everyone is different). It doesn't make our decisions for us, it doesn't cook us healthy meals and it definitely doesn't pick us up and force us to work out (too bad it doesn't lol). It takes work and determination. Does it make it a little easier than doing it on our own?, for me yes and for a lot of us YES! And you ask how humiliating would it be to fail with the lap band? it just might be. None of us know for certain if we will fail or not, but we give it our all, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For me the 50/50 chance was worth it, because my only other option was 100% failure if I tried AGAIN on my own. For me it's less humiliating to try my hardest with this band, then to sit around getting fatter, or to struggle on my own just to keep failing anyway. You have to be completely in this emotionally, mentally and intellectually before you make a decision. I wouldn't listen to negative things people have to say, people always shoot down things they don't understand, like the struggle with weight loss and what the lap band really means. Do this for you, no one else. Good luck to you!

I am glad that I did it now, sometimes I just wish I was ready to do this 5 years ago. The time comes for each us when we know we are ready for this, some sooner than later. The only thing that matters now is what we do from today on. Good luck to you Carol!

I've only had my band 5 weeks today, so I may even regret saying this, but so far the only thing I would have done different is that I would have gotten it done much sooner. I feel so cheated of my 20s, I spent all of them struggling to lose weight to just feel normal and to fit in when I should have been enjoying my life. All I really did was lose and gain, lose and gain only to end up packing on another 110lbs in 10 years. It's just so depressing even thinking about it. But for once I am hopeful for the future. I've lost 17 pounds since surgery and 28 pounds total since the beginning of this journey, and I never would have done that without the band. For the first time ever I feel like it's possible to lose this weight. The best part about this, if unfortunately it really doesn't work for me in the long run, I can get it removed. And well, maybe I won't be able to eat certain things for a while, or maybe never again, but who cares, my happiness and life are more important than pizza or french fries.. So I really have nothing to regret since surgery, so far.

I was excited in the beginning so I told a lot more people. I don't feel ashamed about it because I understand what the procedure is, and I understand my problem with food and my other medical problems. Unlike most people, I know I can't just "put the fork down and work out" I need more than that. Having this surgery actually makes me feel better about being fat, because I know I'm doing something about it. It's more embarrassing for me to just sit there being fat and making no attempt to better myself. Now I pick and choose who I tell and who I talk about it with. I've heard a lot of negative things from people that just don't understand what struggling with weight is like. So I don't waste my time explaining myself to ignorant people. I've also heard a lot of positive things. But then there are people like my family, who have just acted like I was telling them about the weather, they'd just brush it off continue talking about themselves as if I've said nothing. So now I'm careful, I talk to my boyfriend, his family (his mom and sister are WLS patients, his mom has the band, his sister the bypass) and I talk to a few close friends about it. And down the road, if anyone asks about it I'll tell them, but until then, those who already know are the only ones that need to know.

I'm not a nurse but I am in health care. I'm a medical coder, so from reading charts and having alot of medical knowledge, it may have pushed me a little more towards getting the surgery. When I see patient charts (on a daily basis) that are extremely over weight, suffering from co-morbidities and on tons of medications and they are only in their 40's or 50's it's really frightening. I see them getting CABG's or I see that they are on dialysis and this scares the hell out of me, I don't want to be there one day because of something I did to myself. From having both of my parents die too young from diseases that could have been avoided was also another big push in this direction. My mother was in a nursing home at 52 wearing a diaper, paralyzed on one side from strokes, she had diabetes and early stage dementia, all caused by years of eating garbage, being morbidly obese and smoking. Suffering in a nursing home for 5 years at that age is not the way to go. My father was always sick from years of having a terrible diet, drinking and not controlling his high blood pressure. Having a massive heart attack at 67 and having it cause end stage renal failure and dying 8 months later just seems too young for me and something I want to avoid, if I can. So to me, having the medical backround and knowledge of the procedure did help me make the decision to do this. I'm actually surprised more people in the medical field don't do it. From seeing first hand the damage the weight and unhealthy lifestyle can to do a body, it's a wonder more of us don't get scard straight, or scared skinny... Knowing what this procedure can do and how it's done and all that other stuff was enough for me to get up and do it.

I have a hard time finding tastey healthier creamy dressings or dips. So tonight I made my own. Kinda tates like a creamy ranch dressing. I cut up cucumbers and tomatoes and just used it as a dip. I also dipped my grilled chicken in it, I thought it was pretty good. I don't measure when cooking so I apoligize for this technically not being an exact recipe. Just add seasonings to desired taste. I used.. Parsley flakes (I might use fresh pasley next time) Pepper Garlic Powder Onion Powder Low Sodium Adobo 365 brand low fat organic sour cream (from Whole Foods) 2tbsp has.. 40 calories 2.5 grams of fat 2 carbs 0 dietary fiber 2 grams Protein