Chrysta

Hi Kelsey, I started using Mederma the minute my steri-strips fell off. I am almost 7 months out and you can't see my scars if you are standing more than 5 feet away from me. I have VERY fair skin so I was totally surprised at how well the Mederma worked. My husband was banded after me and he generally forgets to use the Mederma so his scars are not as "pretty" as mine. LOL Welcome to the bandster club! Good luck on your journey!!

Howdy ya'll! LOL, just kidding. I am rather new to the lapband as I was just banded on 12/28/11 and I have heard some people say they didn't lose much weight in the first month of being banded. I have lost almost 30 lbs in since I was banded and I wasn't sure if anyone else had lost that much in their first month. Can you folks please let me know how your journey is coming along, not only in lbs but also in energy levels, mood changes, etc? Have a great day! ~Chrysta

Hey there, I was told by my nutritionist to chew on some beef (or turkey) Jerky. I was thinking she was out of her mind but the next time I went to the store I checked it out. Of course all brands are different but the ones I compared were fairly low in calories, high in Protein and it takes FOREVER to chew so my desire to chew is totally satisfied! I hope this helps. Good luck on your journey!! ~Chrysta

Hi, I was also banded on 12/28/11 and sometimes I feel exactly like you do. I took off after my surgery through 1/8/12 and found myself bored all the time. Luckily I was swollen so it didn't bother me too much, but I knew it was something I needed to watch. When I get really bored now I clean the house, I obsess over my finances, I go window shopping without any cash or credit cards on the weekends...but that only takes care of the boredom part. When I reach a goal or feel happy about something I get together with a friend for "coffee" (I get a tea bag and water), I get a pedicure or a mani & pedi depending on how big the success or happiness is, or I go buy a new article of clothing. I think any of the above items could occupy your time when you are down also. I love the comment from jamief about nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, it just rings true to me! Good luck.

Hey Max! Congrats on all the positive things going on in your life. This too was my first surgery and I was scared out of my mind!! I knew I had to do this though or I would never forgive myself so I just let the nurses do their thing. I woke up and was like "Is it over?" My surgery went quite smoothly and apparently most of them do. Trust in your surgeon and his/her staff and let the rest be a piece of cake. No pun intended! Good luck on your journey.

I used to eat an entire box of Velveeta shells & cheese the night before my weigh ins and then I would eat a 3 egg omelet with extra cheese & veggies for breakfast, and then generally nachos for lunch and have my appointments around 3:00pm. Dang, I can't believe I used to eat all that crap. No wonder I used to feel bad all the time. LOL! Good luck with your appointment.

Hey, I signed up on a Lap Band website at http://www.lapband.com/en/home/?Logout=true that has a little recipe area with recipes posted by bandsters. Some of the stuff on the site I can't wait to try and the one recipe I did try was AWESOME! Quinoa is now my favorite food thanks to that website, it can be prepared in so many ways. Good luck to you.

Shiki, Congrats on the weight loss thus far and major congrats on finding a surgeon. As for a weight loss secret? I'm not sure I have one...my thing wasn't that I was so much "addicted" to food (if you will), I just NEVER felt full. The band has changed that! Don't get me wrong, sometimes I miss chewing food more than I do but since I finally get full I have no desire to keep eating. I generally drink a protein shake for breakfast since I am often thirsty and on the run in the morning; for lunch I eat 3-4 oz of quinoa (my new favorite food!) or chicken or some other protein; and for dinner I might have 2-3 oz of fish and 1 oz of broccoli florets. I also like to walk around at work when I get bored and I window shop at the malls on the weekends to burn a little extra calories. I have not gotten into the exercise thing yet but maybe one day. LOL! I hope this helps you and others out. Yay us for starting the journey to make our goals a reality!!

Hi Charity, I am not currently pregnant either, but that is my ultimate goal after my husband and I lose some weight. I know I should not get pregnant for another 11 months and I am trying to wait patiently!! If you don't mind I will just hang back and read what others write until I get to that point. I hope your pregnancy is going well! ~Chrysta

I also was told that drinking during a meal was a big no no and told not to drink 30 minutes before and 60 minutes after. I have found in my short time of being banded that if I drink before 90 minutes after a meal I get hungry faster. I read somewhere that if you are getting real thirsty during your meal that you are probably a bit dehydrated and you should try to drink more Water during the acceptable time frames. I have started "chugging" water (to the best of my abilities, lol) during acceptable times and it has really helped me out! Good luck.

I bet you will do fine with this procedure! If something happens to you like what happened in 2008 you just go to the doctor and get a fill. It does take a bit of will power at times but I look at it this way...I have "dieted" before and was able to stay on the wagon for upto a few months at a time, what is a short 2 weeks until I get my fill? I can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS! Good luck, stay positive.

I was able to wear jeans 2 days after surgery, I just had to make sure the waist of the pants didn't ride up to my incision point. It was a bit irritating so I opted to wear softer and more baggy pants.

If you are just looking at the scale for results you should keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. Are your clothes fitting any better even if the scale isn't moving? Plateaus suck, but at least you aren't gaining!!!

I'm in Frisco, TX. I was banded on 12/28/11 by Dr. John Marsden. HE ROCKS!!