Vinnysgirl63

My story is a pretty simple one that you have heard 1,000 times before. I am a 48yr old woman, who in the past, has tried all the diets out there... WW.. JC.. Form-u-3... LA Weightloss... and of course the fad diets you see in the paper or in the magazine Womens World... and NOTHING...NOTHING worked!!! Oh sure, I would lose 20/30 maybe even 40 pounds.. and a life event would happen.. death in the family, picnic for a birthday, vacation.. and BOOM... right back to square one.. oh sure I didnt eat it all back on overnight, and I would have that conversation with myself that would usually end in the food winning... UGHHHHH..., October 5, 2012 I decided to have the LapBand surgery, picked my surgeon, went for all the appointments and my surgery date was set for Jan 11, 2012 ... so... the 92 meals... I was not on any preop diet for my procedure... I weighed in at 262.2 initally, and then I ate... I ate .. and I ate... I got to the point where the food was running the show.. but knowing that I was going to be battling this after the surgery.. I continued to lose the fight against the food and I balooned up to 281.8 before the surgery... My doctor was very upset with me to say the least.. but in my mind it was like I was saying goodbye.. goodbye to the fast food.. goodbye to the prepackaged crap.. good bye to the late night dining... and to this date (7/10/12) It has all been gone. I am happy to report as of my last doc visit I have lost 69 pounds.. I could not be more pleased... I am at 5cc on the band that holds 12cc... my biggest battle now is eating slow enough or small enough bites... but I am working on it... Life is better now.. although I am still not too sure about the "new" me that is developing.. but that will come along.. I have more energy, however my knees are out of whack.. so that is the next thing to get fixed.. and when that is done.. watch out!! lol Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.. size 24 to a size 16 as of today... hope size 14 feels as good.... Huggggsssss!!! Cindy

Hi... I had the surgery on Janurary 11, 2012.. I have been filled 3x and I am now at 3.5cc .. I have problems with keeping stuff down if I eat too fast.. I try to eat slow and that does not help much either... (Doc appt on Monday) My menu consists of: B: scr egg and a thin slice of ham 2 hrs later: Protein bar 2 hrs later: lunch... chick/ tuna/ egg salad ~or~ low sodium swiss and ham without any bread 2hrs later: yogurt and some almonds 2 hrs later: dinner... I usually have 4-6 oz protein and some type of veggie (but lately this is cut in half cause of not keeping it down) Then.. Im hungry again.. I cant eat enough to stay satisified for 4 hours like my doc wants me to.. He tells me that if I eat at 7am then I really should not be hungry till 11am.. that worked when I had added 1 pc. of whole wheat toast, but he does not want me having carbs.. so I have cut them out completely... and IM HUNGRY! I have lost about 60 pounds so far and I do not EVER want to see that number on the scale go up again. I just feel lost.. maybe I am not eating the right types of food.. but I have no guidelines to go by and I just stay with what is tasty... I have tried to look for sample menus.. but everything just says eat protein.. I wish there was some type of planned menu for people with the LB!! Sorry.. but I am just very frustrated... I try not to eat ANYTHING unless my stomach growls.. but that is hard sometimes. Any advise will be greatly appreciated!!! ~Cindy~

Well a couple of things to all above.... I have been trying to find a nutritionist that takes my insurance since I really do not have the means to pay for him/her out of pocket. (I live in NY and there is not dietician/nutritionist that will see me for $50) I measure every meal.. and my doc does not want me to have anything that is more than 5% carbs/4% fat so this is very limiting on the carbs. I look at every label. .. I do not drink anything 1/2 hour before a meal and 1 to 1-1/2 hours after a meal... I am on 4oz Protein via the doc, 2 oz veggie/salad one or the other. I am not hungry any other time than in the evening... today I upped my egg in the morning to 2 and I added some low fat cheese and tomato.. this seems to be doing the trick so far as that was 2 hours ago and I am not hurgry yet ... the Protein Bar falls within my limit of 4%/5% and I do not abuse them for Meal Replacements... but I will talk to the doc on Monday afternoon when I go for my weigh-in. Thank you all for your posts.. it is hard... but I am prevailing. ~Cindy~

Okay.... I made it through the puree stage.. and the soft food stage.. and my doc wants me to eat high Protein now.. okay I am fine with this however I need structure... I want a plan that I can follow day by day.. I want to know what I am supposed to eat every day instead of trying to guess my way around the day. I do not eat anything that I am not supposed to be eating but I know for sure that I am not eating all that I need to. I have had one fill and I am still getting hunger pains 2 hours after eating. Very distressful... I know there is more that I can be doing ... does any one know of any web sites that offer a structured diet plan?? Next step will to see a nutrition, and it is covered under my insurance.. just wanted to try to do this on my own... any suggestions would be greatly welcomed and appreciated!! Happy Losing to all !!

sounds like a great snack.. I cant wait to get off the puree part of this diet so I can start having some real food again!

I have not gotten that "full" feeling once, but I do not eat more than the 4 - 6 oz that I am allowed per meal. But, every 2 hours, like clockwork, I def get hungry... I mean my stomach growls like there is a beast inside wanting out.. lol..this is usually satisfied by a protein drink until "meal time" comes around... I am finding it hard to find a variety, but my doc is introducing more food on the 8th of Feb so I have only a week and a half so if I have done it this far.. I can keep it up... listen to your body.. it will tell you a lot... dont ignore the signs.. it is real important!!!

Hi.. I am 19days post op. I went thru the whole process.. I started on 10/5/2011 and had the surgery on 1/11/12. I love this journey so far, but all I can say for the nausea is that maybe you are eating too fast or taking bigger bites than what you can now. Take really small bites and mush it real good in your mouth.. it takes me 1/2 hour to eat 1 scrambled egg... try using one of your grandchildrens baby spoons.. that helped me at first too... Have a great week of losing... we will get there!!! Peace from NY!

Making a decision to have a LapBand installed has been a major decision for me. I have done all the research I could have possibably done and I have read many blogs and posts on this site... sure... I am concerned about the hunger.. I am concerned about the results... I have a lot of questions and concerns.. but I am sure that I will have everything answered and explained to my by my Doc. I know that everyone is different. I know that everyone will lose at a different rate. I am sincerely hoping that I will have great success with this new endevor. I had been on Jenny Craig for 4 years.. WW for 1... I have had my ears stapled... I have had accupuncture... I have edema in my left leg (only.. yeah weird) .. I have no immediate heart problems, but I have been told that I have plaque buildup in my carioted artery (sp?) due to my weight. I have bad knees.. a bad back... I need this to be a success.. I want my life back. I am so very tired of walking by a mirror and being ashamed of what I see looking back at me. I am so worried about the protien shakes not tasting good. I tend to worry about everything... however... I have recently found out that a very very good friend of mine is undergoing the surgery this month and that we will be able to do this process together... or at least.. she can be a good sounding board for me (she will be starting a couple of months before me) Just had to get my thoughts down... I really need POSITIVE feedback.. I have been reading the negitive blogs.. and to be quite honest I think there could be a better forum for that than a site that is trying to promote wellness and supply helpful tips for those struggling... Just my thought!! Peace and Blessings to all!!! Prayers to those of you who are struggling.. hope you find your way!! VG63 <3

Hi..... I am new here and I have started the process for the surgery. I have all of my appointments in place and I have started with all the follow-up and everything entailed in getting this surgery underweigh. However, I can not stop eating. I have been on WW for a year, and before that I was on Jenny for 4 years.. I lost some weight with them, but nothing stayed off .... so Lap Band here I come.. but again .... I cant stop eating. Everything in sight gets my attention and I need to figure a way to jut stop this distructive behavior!! Any suggestions on how to get back on track? Thanks!!! VG63

Thanks... yeah... I am going to have to try something... thanks for the words of encouragement though... I will figure it out. Got to do several "studies".. this whole process is quite amazing. I have to go have blood drawn and pick up stuff to do a urine test. They want me to collect my pee for 24 hours... that is for the endocronologist... I see the cardiologist on Thursday.. I saw the pulminary doc and he wants lung tests and a "sleep study" done because he suspects that I have sleep apnea. That will keep my mind pretty busy.. but then I have to wait till 11/10 for the endoscopy... (yuck) the psych eval and the nutritionist visit. Phew.. they sure keep you hopping!! I am sure in the long run it will all be worth it. I am keeping my eye on the prize at the end of the journey... and I cant wait!! Thanks again!!!