JerseyGirl80

I lost 13lbs my first week after surgery. And who cares if some of it was Water, it's 13lbs I'm not lugging around anymore, that's as heavy as a big bag of cat food just to put it in perspective lol, so I'll take it! =) Although my weight loss has been slow moving since then and I would up putting 5 pounds on after I went to mushies (over Christmas and New Years) but I've lost that and a little more since then, thankfully. So far I'm happy with what I've lost. And you should be too, 15lbs lost is great, congratulations!

I believe generally most doctors say 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks mushy, then start slowly adding solids during weeks 4 and 5. Every Doctor is different, every patient is different. My Doc had this rule, but he let me start "mushies" 4 days early and his definition of mushy seemed to differ from alot of others that I've seen on here. I was told "anything you could mash up with my fork is ok" and he also said "just stay away from anything that walks on land for a while and you'll be fine, just chew really well" So that's what I did, if I ate something that might not have been really mushy, I chewed it until it was liquefied. I may have eaten things that I shouldn't have, but I was fine. I also started eating solids a little sooner than week 4, and I'm fine and my doctor was fine with this. Every BODY is different and it seems every Doctor has different ways of doing things. I would tell any one else to stick to the diets their doctors and nutritionists recommend as they know what's best for you.

You're the Mommy so you have to defend and protect your child, break the cycle. People can just be so down right mean! I think with your positive attitude and new healthy lifestyle, she'll be just fine and so will you. =)

Hi Cam, I think it's great what you are doing with your daughter, most people don't realize how traumatizing it is for a child to be harassed or ridiculed about their weight, it's so heartbreaking. I was also an obese child, luckily I wasn't teased as much as other kids were, but I knew I was different and was reminded of it everyday. Your approach, I think, is the best thing, no one needs to be made to feel bad about being overweight, what we need is guidance and knowledge about nutrition. You're gonna do great! We almost have the same "birthday" lol I was banded Dec 13th. Good luck to you on your journey!

Anything that doesn't involve a cover-up, like a big sweater or sweat jacket to "cover up" my back fat and belly lol.. To be comfortable in just a tank top, a cute top or even just a t-shirt without covering up would be awesome. Oh, and sexy high heels! I'd love to be able to wear those again without feeling like I was going to keel over and die from the pain! I miss feeling sexy! Love this post BTW!

Wow 32lbs already?! That's awesome, Congratulations!

From doing Weight Watchers over and over again for so many years, it's what I'm comfortable with. Although I'm technically not counting points, I probably wouldn't meet my required amount anyway because I can't eat that much. But I use it as a guide, if I know something is "high in points" I won't eat it or I'll have very little of it depending on what it is. I try to mostly stay high protein and veggie, low fat, low carb (by mostly avoiding or having very little breads, pasta and rice), and definitely avoiding any liquid calories, I also have light healthy snacks when I'm hungry in between meals. I tried counting calories since that seems to really be working for alot of us, but I have a hard time with it. I forget to check packages, it's hard to count calories if you are eating out or eating at someones house, packaged meats don't always have nutritional guidelines. I just can't be bothered with searching online for what the content might be for every little thing. If I could do these things I wouldn't have the weight problem that I have now. Kudos to all that are doing it that way! I'm just starting to lose weight so I don't know if my way of eating will work for long, I know my body can't handle sugars/carbs, but that's just me. So, so far so good with what I'm doing.

Hi Wanna, Every BODY is different as to what we can tolerate after surgery, some can't eat meats, some can, some can't do bread, some can. You really won't know until you are in it. Remember that the band is a tool to help us eat less and steer us in the direction of making healthier choices, it doesn't lock our jaws shut when it sees cake flying into our mouths, even though it would be nice if it did lol. It's there to help us make every bite count as nutrition, not pleasure. Can you eat cake, chips and all the things that comfort you, sure you can, but should you? It's ultimately your choice as to what you put in your mouth. I honestly think it's impossible to avoid these things forever, for me anyway. So if it's my birthday I might have a sliver of my cake and that's it, a few bites enough to taste it, instead of 2 giant pieces that day, and then some more on the next day, like I used to. My "comfort" food cravings have almost disappeared since my surgery (Dec 13th 2010) once I stopped eating garbage, my "need" for these things isn't there anymore, my food fantasies are gone, as of now. Sure I might want certain things from time to time, but it's not worth it to me, and plus, this is the best part.. I don't have any room to eat them in the quantities I used to, even if I tried! And FYI they make fat free chips if you need to have a handful from time to time. Getting the band isn't the end of eating, it's the beginning of fixing terrible destructive habits that have lead to us having so many other problems. If I have anything "bad" to eat I look at it as a treat and it's rare that I have them, but I sooo enjoy them more (in very small amounts) than I did when I was eating them every day. This is an emotional, physical, mental, life changing thing and you have to want it more than anything. It has to be more important that indulging. Research your butt off before you make your decision, this site is wonderful and full of all sorts of helpful things. Good luck to you!

Congratulations! I was banded on Dec 13th, my first fill is Jan 18th. Good luck!

It's normal not to lose after the first week. The first month or so is all about healing. Most people don't really start losing until they start getting fills, so don't worry. Every BODY is different and we all lose and heal at different paces. My surgery was Dec 13th, I lost 13lbs that first week and haven't lost anything since. I even gained 5 over Christmas and New Years and had to work that off, so now I'm back to a 13lb weight loss since surgery. This is very discouraging as I was originally hoping for a bigger loss, but it's a loss so I'll take it and be happy with it, for now. I know we have to be patient and the band will eventually start working harder for us so we won't have to struggle as much as we are right now. Losing weight isn't going to happen over night, and just because we have a band doesn't mean weight is just going to fall off. Until we find our "sweet spot" with our fills it's entirely up to us to watch what we eat and to exercise. And I know that's even more frustrating because if we could really do that on our own we wouldn't have gotten a band in the first place. Even though you are hardly eating, the body thinks it's starving and just starts storing instead of burning, that could explain the limited weight loss. Give it time, have patience, we've come this far, the weight will start dropping before you know it. I'm finding many Doctors don't tell patients about the in between period where it's all about healing, then about what we are doing and not really about the band right away. I found a lot of important helpful missing information on this website. So keep reading, keep posting questions and get as much feed back as you can from other bandsters, and your Doctor. Just keep in mind you probably wouldn't have lost that weight without the band. I think losing 14lbs in a month is a success let alone the 2 weeks you lost it in, so be excited about that, it's awesome! Just hang in there!

Hi Sandy, welcome. I was banded Dec 13th. Hope you are doing well.

Congratulations! This is exciting to hear as I have the same starting weight. I can't wait to get there too one day!

Congratulations!

If you have thinning hair try Nioxin and definitely the Biotin, they have liquid and pills that dissolve. 2 friends of mine, 1 male 1 female have used Nioxin and swear by it. They weren't having thinning hair troubles due to weight loss but I don't think it really matters, they saw a major improvement. My male friend noticed premature thinning and my female friend suffered from over plucking-eyebrow-itis lol, her brows hadn't grown right in years. But after using it for maybe a few months his hair got thicker and her brows grew in. it's pricey but they seem to think it was worth it. You can find it online and in salons. For dry skin, Aveeno in shower oil is amazing, it's not greasy like others can be and has a nice almondy scent to it. I had really bad poison ivy all over my body a few years ago and once it cleared I was left with really bad scaly skin. After about a week of using it I was softer than I ever was before. Now it's a staple in my shower. Their line of lotions are pretty great too, I like their oil lotion, it's moisturizing, not greasy and smells so good. I get very dry in the winter and it makes my skin feel like silk. I also use Jergens ultra healing lotion, which in my opinion is probably the best lotion I've ever used (and I've used ALOT of products) I usually recommend this to people because there's no scent so it's great if you are sensitive to fragrances. Recently I tried St. Ives soothing oatmeal and Shea butter lotion, I love it, and it smells so yummy. Hope this helps, good luck!

YAY! I'm so happy everything worked out. Be safe out there.

Have you tried gas-x strips? They helped me get some of the gas out easier. If that doesn't or hasn't worked for you I'd ask your Doc if there was anything else you could take. But the best is walking around or maybe moving your arms around in pin-wheels (sounds silly) but it can get things moving. The gas is the worst, I'm sorry you're feeling it right now, but it'll be gone before you know it! Feel better soon!

This is such an exciting time! I've been banded a month so I'm a little ahead of you. Good luck tomorrow!

I have lean cuisines, healthy choice or smart ones with a small side salad during my "in between" grocery shopping days. Most of the time I like to cook, but when there's no time or nothing to make, they are the perfect lunch or dinner for me. My nutritionst said they were ok to have, just to limit them because of the sodium.

hi Amber, This happened me too. Once they started healing they were itching me like crazy and I irritated them, they got red/purplish and puffy. I'm 4 weeks post-op and they still get a little itchy sometimes. I wouldn't worry too much, but you know your body best and if they don't seem right maybe you should have your regular Doc just take a look.

Hi Kim, I'm sorry you do not have support at home , to get through this process and new lifestyle support is a necessity. That's the main reason this website is here, we are all in the same shoes, although some of us have more support than others. Remember, the decision to change Yourself and Your life, is Yours and Yours alone, nobody elses. I know it's difficult to do this, or anything when you are getting negative comments or energy from the ones you love and trust the most. I find most people that have said negative things to me are either uneducated about what exactly the lap band does, or they were my "enablers", and my "fat buddies" that don't want to be left behind. It's mostly because they aren't ready for change, we are creatures of habit, and some of us get a wake up call before others. And sometimes the negative things come from people who see being 20 pounds over their ideal weight as the end of the world and really have no idea what it's like to REALLY be fat, so they judge us for not being able to do it ourselves. Most people have no clue what it's like to feel hopeless and trapped in a big body every single day. If this is something you want, I'd suggest educating them on the positive things the band can bring. Take them to a seminar or your doctor appointments.. Get them involed, let them know this is something You want. If they are your friends or family and love you, they will take the time to put what ever pre conceived notions about it aside and open their minds a little. But if not, it's still ultimately your choice to do it or not to. Good luck to you, and remember this is about You, not them.

Hi Tony, I agree with everyone. The beginning, as much as we want it to be it's not really about losing weight. I was banded Dec 13th and my first fill is also on Jan 18th. I haven't lost much since my post-op liquid diet. I even gained 5 pounds over Christmas & New Years, thankfully 4 of the extra 5 are gone, but I am struggling to lose as well. I'm always hungry and can eat much more than I thought I'd be able to after surgery. But I've been doing my best to fill up on veggies and Proteins, staying away from the bad carbs, drinking all my Water and not having any liquid calories. I've also been working out when I can. Hang in there, I'm feeling discouraged myself and I'm very impatient! But we have to give the band a chance to do it's thing before we start regretting it.

I was banded Dec 13th, I lost 13 pounds on my liquid stage after surgery. I didn't start feeling any real hunger until about a week after surgery. The hunger was satisfied with liquids but after about a week and a half I was hungry for real food. Once I entered the "mushy" stage and ate food, all my cravings for junk, and the fantasies I was having about my favorite foods like burgers and any kind of fast food (which have been my drug of choice for years) were gone and healthy foods were good enough. Although, after 2 weeks I was able to eat like a normal person. I had no restriction after the initial swelling of my stomach went down. I was able to eat less than my old stomach would but was and still am able to eat ALOT more than I initially anticipated. After I started eating food (which was over Christmas and New Years) I gained almost 5 pounds back. At this point, 4 weeks out today, I am eating everything from Pasta to steak without any problems. But I am "dieting" and eating mainly veggies and meats along with my Protein shakes. I have lost 4 of the 5 pounds I gained over the holidays, thankfully. My Doc told me that until my I find my "sweet spot" (where the band is filled enough to keep me from eating too much and I'm comfortably losing weight), I have to really work at losing and keeping the weight off on my own until the band starts working for me. My first fill is Jan 18th, and I'm really hoping I feel a difference right away. Everyone is different, some people feel enough restriction from the get go, others need several fills before it's working for them. This can be a slow process for some of us, so be patient. So far since the beginning of my journey (seminar July 2010) I've lost 26 pounds, most of it on my own but motivated by the band. I'm feeling better already, so so far, I'd say it's worth it. Good luck to you!

Have you tried Pure Protein brand? I get them at Target, they come pre-made in cans, they're really the only ones I like. They also make powder but I haven't tried that yet. I add a can in the blender with some ice and frozen fruit. Chocolate and cookies and cream are pretty good, but I don't like the vanilla. The cans don't contain whey, I know that's usually recommended but I've been ok without it. It's the whey that tastes like crap! Any protein shakes I've tried containing whey have made me sick to my stomach, they're just disgusting to me so I refuse to drink them. I've also tried some kind of protein shot, it was grape flavor, it was the most disgusting thing I've even tasted in my life. I was only able to drink maybe a quarter of it and tossed it, yuck!