liese

Recovery was painful. I wasn't prepared for the port pain. The gas.....I have it from both ends all of the time. Chicken is evil, makes me sick every time I try. I don't miss the way I used to eat, the small amounts I eat now are what I think "normal" people eat. I don't feel guilty about not clearing my plate. I forget to slow down and enjoy my food when I'm really hungry and that leads to barf. Throwing up isn't like stomach virus throw up, theres not stomach acids mixed in so its not as bad as I thought it would be.

That was condescending... Thanks.

I joined the gym but I still hate going. I don't do the weights because I don't want to look like an ass doing it alone. I do 50 mins on the treadmill only because i can zone out and I do enjoy the alone time. I feel the accomplishment but I still don't like it. I hope one day I will be one of those strange people who enjoys exercise.....someday. I also always gain weight after I go to the gym, I know, muscle weighs more than fat, blah blah blah....I don't need 217 pounds of muscle. The scale needs to go down otherwise the gym is a total waste of time.

I gain five pounds. My weight also goes up four or five pounds during the course of a day when I'm not on my period. I hate being a slave to the scale.

I've been losing and gaining the same two pounds also, its driving me nuts. It doesn't make sense because I'm throwing up half of what I'm eating anyway. You'd think I'd be losing three pounds a day!

I would have said no way because I had a lot of pain at the port site. The sutures in the abdominal muscles were very painful to me. I have a friend who had the surgery a month after me and had very little pain, so I guess it just depends on the person. Because of all of the pain and what I thought was slow weight loss, I would have said no if you asked me a month ago. Now I can see the difference in my body and how I feel, and I dont' have any pain, so my answer would be yes, I'd do it again. I was comparing myself to another friend who lost an obscene amount of weight in the first two or three months, while my weight loss was slower. Being as fat as I am/was, the weight loss didn't show until I lost a substantial amount of weight. I'm finally seeing it.... The first six weeks I felt like I went through a big surgery, a bunch of pain, I lost my best friend (food), only to lose the same kind of weight I'd lose through weight watchers and for the same amount of effort. Now, I dont' have to count points, I can eat mostly what I want, and I'm still losing weight. I miss soft drinks and champagne, I stay away from ice cream, I've had to identify my triggers, and find new hobbies. This has a HUGE emotional aspect to it and I highly suggest a therapist. I really missed food as a comfort and reward, but that seems to be going away now too. I don't think I will ever be 130 pounds, and I fear that this is it, I will be at this weight forever since I've lost a good bit, but I think thats all part of the crazy that is me. Good luck to you.

Yes, you will feel better in a few days, much better in a week. I had a bunch of pain where the port is for about a month, it wasnt' until six weeks post op that I really felt normal. I thought I would have that pain forever but finally its gone. Take it easy. Rest and take your pain meds. Good luck!

I'm pretty jealous that some of you can drink carbonated drinks. I miss cola and beer and champagne! My doc said if I was craving it to take a sip and spit it out, and he's pretty insistant about it. I think his reasoning is that the carbonation will stretch out the pouch above the band, but I'm not sure. Since he feels so strongly about it, I'm going with it. Im so jealous!!!

I'm just wondering what youre simple rules are that have helped you lose 100lbs. I also am busy, don't have time to track or write everything down, and I'm having a hard time getting enough Protein. I had the surgery on November 16th and am down 42lbs, which doesn't seem like much to me compared to others who I know. I'm starting to see the difference in my appearance and I have more energy but I still struggle. When was your surgery? Do you exercise?

The band is still hard work. I'm three months post op, I've lost 42 pounds, and I still struggle. I exercise, I watch what I eat, and I'm still a slave to the scale. I am just now starting to get sick, but I'm also finally starting to see the weight loss. The surgery itself was very painful for me. For some friends of mine, it was nothing. You really do have to follow some kind of diet after the surgery otherwise you went through it for nothing. I'm struggling now with getting my full protein requirements in. Its tough! I'd love to sit around eating ice cream every night like I did before, but I don't. I haven't had ice cream at all since the surgery, and it hasn't been difficult at all. The hardest thing for me is to stop eating and let myself feel full, which lately hasn't been happening until I was sick. Just don't go into this thinking its easy. Its really not. The two week liquid diet wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I think I was so ready to not have that internal fight with food, it was almost a relief. The best part about this is I don't feel the guilt anymore. I know I need to eat and I feel good about eating. I dont think everyone is looking at me wondering why I'm not eating salad. Its very freeing for me. I was consumed with guilt and self disgust and I can say for certain that is gone. Would I do it again, if you asked this a month or two ago, I would have said no way. Now that I can see a difference in my life and my physical appearance and I'm feeling back to normal, yes, I'd do it again. Especially because I know I'm not done losing weight. Its coming off slower than others, but its coming off. Good luck, if you have any other questions, feel free to contact me. Liese

I'm so glad someone posted this. I still can't see the weight that I've lost. I'm down 42 pounds but don't see it at all. I don't know if I will ever see myself as thin.

I would find another bariatric surgeon to follow through with you for the rest of your "journey". If you're not comfortable and they are not meeting your needs, then this isn't a good fit for you. I felt the same way about the weight loss being slow and feeling rushed into surgery. I actually took four months to kind of marinate in the whole idea before finishing up my prerequisites. The first six weeks were really tough, then I started seeing some changes. I've lost less weight than some friends, and more than others. I had to accept that everyone is different and will lose at different rates. I also had to get emotional support to start digging away at the psychological issues surrounding the food addiction. I regretted the surgery until about a week ago, now I think I did the right thing and its working, but its only been 9 weeks so maybe in a few more months I will be even more sure about my decisions. If you aren't willing to find another doctor, I would definitely have a discussion with the doctor you are seeing and his office manager. You deserve to be treated like a patient, not a number. Good luck, Liese

I'm in the same boat. Everyone else notices the weight loss but I don't see it at all. I've been fat for 25 years, it will be very odd to see myself as a thin person. I haven't bought any clothes yet because I don't know how long I will be at this size. This whole experience has been way more than I anticipated. The emotional side of things has been much more than I was ready for, and I really thought I was ready for everything. Its almost annoying when people comment on the loss. I think that just because they know about the surgery, they feel obligated to comment on it even if they really can't see a difference. I'm nuts, I know.

Hey All, I just want to introduce myself so I'm not a stalker.. I'm Liese, 35 years old, banded on 11/3/10. Married nine years, three kids, 12, 8 and 2. My preop weight was 259, I'm down to 220. I feel like this is slow....I had hoped for faster weight loss. I've been filled twice and will like get another fill tomorrow. The fills are extremely painful, not the actual fill, but eating for an entire week after hurts like hell. Has anyone else had this experience? It feels like I've swallowed razor blades! Its great to meet all of you and see how you're all doing. I hope you guys continue posting on this board!! Liese

stretching of the pouch is the reason I got from my doc. I'm going with it because I loved Coke or Pepsi or whatever, and beer and champagne. Honestly, the hardest to stay away from is the special occassion champagne. My doc went so far as to tell me that when I'm craving carbonated stuff, take a sip, swish it around and spit it out. It hasn't been hard yet but I'm only two months post op. Good luck!