ElizabethAnne

It's great to read your update. Try to not get discouraged. Add your pre-op weight loss to your weight loss since you've been banded and you have done very well. It sounds like you recognize what you need to do differently. Most of us didn't develop weight issues overnight, so we likely won't be able to get rid of that baggage overnight. I personally expect to always struggle with my weight, but at least with the band, I now have a tool to help me. You're right about many other people not understanding. First, most of those people haven't truly struggled with obesity all of their lives. Without that experience, it's more difficult for them to understand. And secondly, they see people who have been successful with the band, and therefore, without having any details, they assume it is a quick fix. I myself thought this until I started researching weight loss surgery. I think others' lack of understanding is one of the reasons I am hesitant to tell about my being banded. That, and the fear of failure (i.e. eventually gaining all of my weight back like I usually do). There will be struggles in our future and lots of hard work, but we CAN do it!

It's great that you didn't need a fill! I doubt if I can find the Natural Ovens bread since I don't live in WI, but the carb conscious type is definitely a good idea that I hadn't thought of. Reduced fat Triscuits and Wheat Thins sound wonderful! Of course, they both have contributed to my weight struggles over the years. I didn't dream I would be able to have those at some point. I am going to try to stick to the diet that the dietician gave me on the day of my surgery. At least until I reach my goal. I am scared that I will get off-track if I start to deviate. In the past, I've been an all or nothing dieter...even one little bite of something not on the plan would de-rail me, then I seem to have trouble getting started again. Thanks for posting what works for you---it helps so much!

It's great to read that your band is working well for you with only one fill! I hope I will have the same experience. My rules for Week 4 has a note saying bread, rice, popcorn, and pasta are difficult to digest and often contain empty calories. Above the note, it says 100% whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, and potatoes are allowed. I love pasta, too, but plan to buy only the whole grain type and to cook it only to the al dente stage. However, I haven't been craving pasta as much, so I am going to try to hold off on it. My only carb cravings have been popcorn, which I never plan to eat again, and bread, which I seldom craved before the band. I went shopping earlier this week because I needed some new clothes. It was an all-day trip. I took water with me and protein drinks for the entire day. By the time I should have been drinking the 3rd protein supplement for dinner, I was nauseated at the thought, and decided to wait to eat until I arrived home, which was about 2 hrs away. I didn't make it. I ended up stopping at a Walmart about 40 miles from my house, and I purchased some deli turkey.

Crackers sound great...almost as good as toast. Toast or bread isn't something I usually crave. Didn't dream I'd be able to eat pizza. Figured I'd have to watch my family eat it without me. Thanks for replying!

I just placed an order for PB2 and can hardly wait for it to arrive!

Thank you for the replies on where to find PB2. I can hardly wait to try it!

You have a wise plan. You CAN do it!

Where do you purchase PB2? I've never seen it before.

I was banded on June 5. Peanut butter is allowed on my diet when I reach Week 4.

You are doing great! Keep working hard!

Did you start with a whole grain bread? Did you toast it? Try not to be disappointed about your weight loss stall. I stall sometimes, too, but a few days later I will have a significant drop. Hang in there.

My surgeon must fill his patients slowly as he told me on the day of my surgery that I would likely need 6 fills to reach optimization. I don't expect my weight to drop more rapidly with a fill but am hopeful that when I get my first fill I won't be as hungry as I am now. As it is now, I am hungry about an hour after I eat.

Yay for you on your approval! I remember how I felt the day I received my approval. I was banded 2+ weeks ago. Prior to surgery, I was simultaneously scared, excited, and confident that I had researched my options well. It's normal to feel a little apprehensive. Good luck with your surgery!

I believe you can lose 100 pounds based on the research I've read and on the experiences of some of the individuals who post on LBT.

Congratulations to you!

I'm at 2+ weeks. I haven't had any port pain but rather irritation where my bra rubs the port scar when I am walking. That particular scar has healed into a hard, tiny round bump. I finally found a good supporting sports bra yesterday that fits well, and today when I walked, that area didn't get irritated.

I haven't read anything about this, but if it were an issue, I think medical professionals would likely caution us about it.

Thanks for describing what "stuck" feels like, Julie and momab50. I didn't vomit, so maybe it wasn't stuck. However, after that episode I haven't eaten any more beans for protein, and I am very careful to chew my shaved turkey and baked potatoes well. I can hardly wait to progress to Week 4 foods so I can try adding bread. I'm a little afraid but plan to toast it well. Do bread work for any of you? I am hungry much of the time, except for about an hour after I eat. I am losing weight only because I'm walking 10 miles daily and limiting my calories just as I did before surgery. I desperately want to lose weight, but don't know how much longer I am going to be able to control my food cravings. And I definitely am not going to be able to continue devoting nearly 3 hours daily to exercise. I am so hopeful I will get a fill next Friday. Thanks so much for describing your experiences. It really helps me (and probably some lurkers as well) to read about them.

I don't know if I have been stuck or not. Last week, I was super hungry before bed, and I ate a few bites of great northern beans. Shortly after that, I had some sharp pains on my left side. I drank some sips of water, which seemed to help eliminate the sharp pains, but I experienced discomfort for about an hour. Is that what it's like to be stuck? Good luck with your fill tomorrow! I go for my post-op check-up on the 29th and am hopeful I will get a fill that day.

Thanks for the great idea about what to say, gottobe me! I CAN tell them that I'm being very careful about what I eat. I also appreciate your suggestion about keeping a drink with me at all times. That should definitely help, too. I hope we all continue to keep each other updated as well; I feel like we have become friends through sharing our weight loss struggles and experiences, and I miss hearing from some of the others in our group.

You are doing awesome! I appreciate your update. Yay for you on on reaching an "Overweight" BMI! I recently dropped into "Overweight" as well. I'm scared, but hope I never see "Obese" again. I am questioning whether I should have been banded. Life is much different now, and I simply haven't adjusted yet. I am losing weight since surgery but it's only because I am carefully counting every morsel I eat and this week, I started walking 10 miles daily. I can't tell that the band is depressing my hunger yet, except for the first two days after surgery. We are having a cook-out with family and friends tomorrow at our house to celebrate Father's Day, and I have been cooking all afternoon. I love cooking and baking, and while I was cooking this afternoon it really hit me hard that life isn't ever going to be the same. And that should be a good thing, right? Of course, I knew before surgery that I needed to make major lifestyle changes regarding my eating, but today it felt differently. I don't feel depressed; it's more like a true realization concerning how much our family life revolves around eating poorly. Sadly, I've promoted unhealthy eating for those I care about most by preparing high calorie meals, especially for special occasions, all of my adult life. I'm not going to be able to eat a single thing I'm making since I am only on Week 2 of my post-op diet, and I'm a little stressed about how I am going to handle the "eating" part tomorrow since very few of the people who will be attending have any knowledge that I've been banded. I would never lie to anyone, but I still am agonizing about how to handle this. I've thought about saying I have an upset stomach, which is true, and that I am being very careful about what I eat, which is also true. However, I'd love to hear any suggestions you have. Then Sunday, we have a family cook-out to attend, and no one there other than my husband and son will know about my WLS. I think I will just take off walking when it's time to eat and say I have already eaten all of my calories for the day. I haven't seen the majority of them since Christmas and have lost 40+ pounds since then, so they will likely think I am off on yet another diet tangent, which is fairly common for me. Almost everyone who will be there is overweight or obese, but they would never understand WLS as a treatment. If I can maintain a healthy weight with the band, I plan to tell them, but not until then. Thanks for posting this topic. I appreciate your insight as well as Julie's and Deb's. I am hoping to get my first fill when I go for my post-op check on June 29, but I don't know for sure. My surgeon only sees his post-op band patients once a month, so if I don't get it then, I will have to wait another month. On the day of my surgery, my surgeon said it will likely take 6 fills to reach "optimization," so I will likely have to wait 6 months longer. I am hoping I will be able to tell at least a tiny difference with the first fill.

I'm worried. Every day since surgery on June 5, I have been having periods of nausea. It's not as intense as it was right after surgery, but the fact that I feel it every day at odd times throughout the day is worrisome. There doesn't seem to be a pattern, so I don't think it's related to my eating habits. Has anyone else experienced this? I do plan to call my surgeon's NP today, but I am interested in your experiences as well. Thank you!

Thanks for the tip. When I was at Walmart this morning, I thought about trying Claritin but decided I should wait until my body is healed before I make any changes. Is it Zyzal available over the counter?

Thanks, Deb! It helps to know about your experiences. I had never noticed the drainage causing this, but the NP said the smaller stomach pouch might be why I am noticing it. Since she pointed this out, I have also noticed that I have some coughing as well when I am walking outside. I am starting to feel like the Zyrtec is no longer effective.

Surgery went well today, and I have finally joined all of you who have been banded! I am so excited about the future and am hopeful I will be able to effectively manage my weight for the rest of my life! My surgeon said he does place some fill in the band during surgery that stays there. His NP had told me that he doesn't, so he has either changed how he does the procedure or his NP is misinformed. He said most of his patients require about 6 fills, then added that some people and lucky and never need a fill. I've been very nauseous after surgery, so I called and asked for medication, which has helped tremendously. I was told the nausea was probably from the anesthetic, so hopefully that will subside soon. I've been walking short distances frequently and am having only a little pain. Sore and stiff are probably the best adjectives to describe what I am feeling. There was one shocking component with the pre-op routine this morning: The nurse wasn't required to weigh me. She used my weight from the pre-op visit I completed in March.