DetChatt

Mercifully, I'm old enough to not have that problem anymore, but my weight fluctuates a lot on a daily basis. I only weigh weekly to avoid stressing about it. The scale sometimes is NOT my friend. My tape measure, on the other hand, is my close personal companion.

I was completely ready in my head when I decided to go forward with surgery, so I was more than ready and willing to make the eating changes I knew I needed to do. You'd think being that ready, I could have done it on my own before, but if only it were that easy. I am one of those people who doesn't miss food now "after". I'm actually on the other end and have to force or remind myself to eat. I'm 2+ years out and have no real restriction in my band and am doing it pretty much on my own, but I worry all the time that something will change with the band or my head where I'll struggle again. The mind is a funny thing.

I avoided eating out for a long time because I didn't want to fess up, didn't want to make eating more complicated than it already was, and it's just too difficult to eat healthy eating out anyway. I did eventually share with my close friends, and everyone was way more supportive than I imagined. It's hard though. I meet new people now "after," and I don't want to tell any of them. But maybe you could go out and order soup and say you'd eaten a big meal earlier in the day. Soup was always my fall back restaurant meal.

I had the shoulder pain as well, but it passed after maybe my 3rd fill if I remember correctly. It was VERY painful, so much so that I didn't eat much during that time and lost a lot of weight (over a month perhaps). I never ever feel it anymore.

sorry, dupe post.

Agree 100%!! My hair loss really caught me off guard and freaked me out, but happily it has mostly grown back (but given me natural layers). Nothing I did prevented or helped it. I think it's just a natural process that you have to ride out. I think I easily lost half of my hair, but no one ever noticed. You won't lose it all though, so no worries there.

I've found that people will fall into one of two groups: Those that get it and are supportive, and those that will never get it and are unsupportive. I was shocked at who of my friends ended up in which group. I mostly guessed wrong! And I consider unsupportive to include those that say ugly things without thinking. This is a hard enough process on its own, let alone adding ANY negativity onto it from others. I haven't had anyone so unsupportive that I've had to cut them out of my life, but there are those that say stupid unthinking things where I don't share my life with them very much. My favorite is those who tell me to not lose any more weight because my face is starting to look bad. Hellooo! I'm turning 50 this year. My face would look bad anyway! LOL (Yes, I can laugh about it.)

My mom passed away a few years ago, but about 10 years ago we got matching roses on our right shoulder (mine yellow, hers red). She loved it so much that she wanted another, so we got small tattoos on our right chest at the same time. (Crazy woman was in her 70s!!) Now I always carry her with me, and I never regret getting my tats.

Oh I most definitely need a boyfriend soon. I haven't dated in 5 years!!! Just a little worried about someone in my age range (over 50) keeping up (literally). LOL

I had my hiatal hernia repaired at the same time also (and glad I did). I've never had any heartburn since. I'm sure the tenderness you have is from the surgery. I remember being surprised at how difficult creamy soups were compared to other liquids (and even mushies). It should go away soon for you.

I'm 2 years out and haven't had any fills since the very beginning. I don't think another fill is going to help you with what you admit is your snacking problem. That's in your head and something you're going to have to battle (and win). Those last 20 pounds are the worst, and I'm struggling with mine. Slow and steady wins the race though.

It must be very hard having someone there eating in front of you, too. I was single when I went through it, so I suffered alone, which actually was better for me. It is a REALLY hard time of the process though, and I feel for you. Just take it a day at a time, an hour at a time, a sip at a time. You'll get to have more food in the weeks ahead, and then the fills will make a big difference.

Good for you! You look amazing. Heck, I don't have the guts to go anywhere near a bathing suit let alone a beach. :ph34r:

I have an occasional carbonated beverage now (diet soda or rarely maybe half a beer), but I didn't attempt it for at least the first year.

I eat zero fast food except for some occasional grilled chicken if I'm traveling and in a pinch. Check the nutritional value online of what you're eating, and that may change your mind. I know I can't afford the extra calories and fat, so I don't even go there.

I followed mine really strictly, too, because I was terrified of not being able to have the surgery as scheduled. One misstep isn't the end all, but you need to get in the right mindset and start following the guidelines. I think the preop is probably the hardest part. Good Luck!

That's not a good method to do a fill. It irritates me that any office would do that. I have never had an unguided fill. You should ask for it. Not only to fill the right amount but also to see if everything looks okay in there.

You guys might want to try "confusing" the body a bit, too, by eating more calories one day (by a few hundred) and then backing back down to your regular count. It helped push me through many plateaus.

By the way, feeling wore out and tiring quickly kind of goes with it. Even now, I notice if I don't eat right, I'll crash. My son will see me wobbly and make me eat. LOL You'll do great. You've got your head in the game, and that's a big part of being successful. There are too many posts on here about people doing the wrong thing and trying to cheat the band, so at least you're headed in the right direction. Plus, I'm going to lay odds that in a few weeks at most, you'll be VERY tired of liquids (if you last that long).

It sounds like you don't have enough restriction. It can take 3 or 4 fills to reach that point. Everyone is different. I remember after everything healed from surgery that I questioned the amount of restriction I was NOT feeling and wondered how hard it was going to be to follow the plan. However, after my 3rd fill, I hit the magic "green zone" and have never had a problem since. You'll know when you're there, because you won't feel hungry and will feel that sense of satiety when you're supposed to. If your surgeon does your fills under fluoroscopy (hopefully), they'll be able to tell you if anything is stretched or out of whack.

How exciting! Congratulations and good luck! This forum is awesome. They answered my questions better than any other source.

I went with BMI, because I honestly did not expect to be this successful. (I expected to lose maybe half of what I needed to.) Once I hit that BMI goal (and the corresponding weight for it), I started a new goal of "vanity pounds." If I lose that extra 20-25, I'll still be in the lower end of normal weight range and hopefully be pretty tone. It sure is slow going at that stage though! Oh, and I blew right through my size goal of an 8. I'm almost a 6 (which I've really never been as an adult), so I'm pretty happy with that.

I like the kids chewables for myself (if I hide them in yogurt), and I also add one called Hair, Skin, and Nails (a biotin complex) that I crush.

I agree to put protein powder in anything you can, because at that stage you aren't going to be able to get much down but thin liquids. It took me closer to a week to advance to creamy liquids. The over the counter protein shakes are very thick, so adding the powder to your own liquids and foods is helpful.

I remember liking Cream of Wheat (with added protein) at that stage when the sight of any more soup was making me gag.