DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

I agree with NWgirl. I know it's not the answer you're wanting, but you need to get into your doctor. If you haven't had a fill in years I'd be willing to bet you could use one. I can't believe your former boss, that's horrible!! If nothing else, I'm so glad you have a new job and are no longer with that idiot!

Sometimes I crave something munchy, like chips. Obviously I don't need all the calories and fat from chips, so a friend told me about Garden Veggie Straws. They are made of potatoes, spinach, and tomato. Oh my gosh they are SO good! Only 130 calories for 38 sticks and 7g of fat! I absolutely love the sea salt flavor! Here is a picture, including couple of the sticks on the counter by the bag.

I am so sorry you have to deal with this. I have to say straight up: Threatening to tell your daughter that is complete crap. I can't believe a grown man, let alone a father, would actually drag a child into an adult dispute just to gain leverage over his wife. He should be ashamed of himself for even considering it let alone threatening it. I am glad he's at least going with you tonight. It sounds like both him and his mother are judging based on pure ignorance, so hopefully he will learn something tonight and realize this is a good thing for you not a band thing. Stick to your guns and do what is best for you regardless of him and mother think. This is one of those rare moments in life you have to put yourself first. Best wishes to you.

Well, I personally would rather have all the Fluid removed than have a slip and the entire band removed. Walking around with a band too tight one of the leading causes of slips. You can always get the fluid put back in.

tmf is spot on! Body fluctuations can be frustrating but totally normal. Even the female hormonal cycle can cause temporary fluctuations. I really wouldn't sweat just a couple pounds when you already know you're eating good foods and staying within your calorie limits. I would be willing to bet those last 2 1/2 pounds come back off soon plus some.

I was on liquids for 4 weeks after surgery, so I didn't add mushy stuff like mashed potatoes until the 5th week. I was told anything that easily ran off the back of a spoon was liquid. So, I ate things like runny oatmeal and sugar free pudding while on liquids. Yogurt was allowed, too. Oddly, he did let me have cottage cheese during the liquid phase even though it's not liquid. Mashed potatoes would be a mushie stage not liquids, so I couldn't have that until the 5th week.

Oddly enough, popcorn is almost like a slider food for me. It goes down super easy and I could eat way too much if I let myself.

You can totally do this, you'll do great!

It's volume or size. Picture filling a one cup measuring cup.

Smoking can and will seriously hinder the healing process. I know my surgeon won't operate unless you've been smoke free for at least a month before surgery and wants you stay not smoking for 4-6 afters so you can heal properly. Knowing I was going to have this surgery and simply wanting to better my health overall, I quit 6 months before my operation. I was a heavy smoker, too. Two packs a day about 20 years. I've been a non-smoker for 14 months now and I love it. You couldn't pay me enough to ever start smoking again. I feel tons better, I don't smell like a nasty ashtray, I don't get winded simply walking up a couple steps, I don't cough, and I'm not wasting thousands of dollars a year on killing myself with cigarettes. I agree with the others, if you've already had to stop for the surgery, why start again? Take all that money you'll save not buying cigarettes and use it towards a new clothes fund for when you shrink right out of your current ones!

The only advice I can think of is to count calories if you're not already and stick to a cup or less of food per meal. For a lot of us, both are necessary to lose. Best wishes.

Holy cow you look gorgeous!! Congratulations!!!

I was eating about 1200 calories a day until my last fill, since then I have struggled to even get in 900. Some days as low as 800. I was told if I'm making healthy food choices and not hungry- don't eat. He said if my body needs more I'll know it but eating when not hungry is mentally counter productive to the band. You are eating very healthy! They do say we should be getting 3-4oz of protein per meal, so if anything increase your protein a little and eat that first. If you're still hungry after 3-4oz of protein is gone, then have some veggies or carbs. It will increase your calories a little too because protein has more calories than veggies. Best wishes to you

I watched that episode today, too. I watched the women who declined help literally waddle off the stage, barely able to move let alone walk, and thought to myself "wow if I hadn't been banded, that would've been me someday". How they could claim to be "happy and healthy" is, like the doctor said, the ultimate denial. I can 100% connect my past to my weight problem. I know exactly where and when it started. To be specific, it started when I was about 10 years old and my mother ridiculed and shamed me for being "too fat". I wasn't fat back then, either. I was maybe 5 pounds overweight at most. But because I wasn't a bean pole like she was she was little, I was too fat in her eyes. By the time I was 14 years old, I started gaining weight and I saw myself as ginormous and disgusting from years of essentially being told I was. By the time I graduated high school, I was obese. By the time I gave birth to my first child at 21 years old, I was morbidly obese. Ironically, I had seen myself that huge since I was 10 years old, even though it took me years to actually reach that point. In a lot of way, in retrospect I see it was a self fulfilled prophecy. I saw and believed I was giant for so long, my body said "oh hey, I'm supposed to be huge!" and made that delusion a reality. Now, though I can pinpoint where my problems started, let me be very clear about one thing: It is MY fault I am morbidly obese. Yes, I dealt with ongoing emotional abuse and trauma as a child, but my decisions as an adult are my own. No one made me eat until I was over 400 pounds. I take full responsibility for my own fate. Great topic, btw. I hope it gets people thinking.

Could you give us an example of a daily menu for you? That will help get better idea what you're eating.

You should never vomit with the band. After surgery, they give you meds to make sure you don't vomit. Once you're home and eating again, there's a possibility you could PB but again, you should never vomit. Vomiting from the band is NOT normal and can lead to slips. PBing, or Productive Burping, is very different than vomiting. Vomiting is forceful and violent, PBing is gentle. It's literally just burping up whatever food is stuck without force. Very, very different than vomiting. With that said, I really think you'll be fine.

Yay!! Get some rest. I'm glad it went well!

Yes, I was told to take a multivitamin for life by my nutritionist. I take the Women's One A Day Petites. They're tables but half the size of normal ones so you take two instead of one daily.

Definitely don't cheat. It's not worth it. The whole purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver. Obese people have very enlarged, fatty livers. The surgeon must be able to safely work around and even maneuver the liver during surgery when placing the band. The good news is, the liver is one of the very first places we lose fat, hence the diet to shrink it. It is rare, but I have stories of people who totally cheated on their pre-op diet, went in for surgery, and came out with all the scars but no band because when the surgeon got inside they saw the liver was too enlarged to operate safely. You definitely don't want that. Hang in there and stick to the plan. It's in your best interest.

Before you even consider going to Mexico, you need to find out if your surgeon at home will continue to treat you after. When you come back you will need considerable follow-up care and if your surgeon refuses to keep you as a patient because a Mexican doctor messed with your band, you could be in big trouble. Better to be safe than sorry and find out. Best wishes to you.

hi Jason and welcome! You are not a pansy lol. It's totally normal to be scared. I think I'd question anyone who wasn't at least a little nervous. It's a major lifestyle change! You have nothing to fear. It's a minor surgery and the recovery process after is fairly quick. The lifestyle change can definitely be daunting. I know for me, that was the hard part. Many of us (myself included) actually go through almost a mourning like process, leaving behind the lifestyle and eating habits we've known our whole lives. I know it sounds weird, but in some ways, it's almost like losing an old friend. So many of us grieve with food, Celebrate with food, even kill boredom with food. No longer being able to do that is difficult and often emotional. The good news it, it gets a lot easier as time goes on. I was banded 7 months ago and have lost 125 pounds so far. I love my band and the new healthier lifestyle I've adapted. I still have to do the work. I still regularly battle the difference between physical hunger and head hunger, too. But with every pound the scale drops, I am reminded how far I've come and how happy I am with my new life. I have no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat. My best advice is to educate yourself on the band thoroughly before surgery. Learn all about not only the mechanics of it but what to expect from it- as well as what not to expect from the band. I would also highly recommend seeing a nutritionist before surgery. A nutritionist can help you set up food guidelines specifically for your needs and lifestyle. For me, this has been a crucial part of my weight loss so far. By having clear guidelines and an understanding of nutrition, it takes the guess work out of eating. Best wishes to you

Good luck on your journey, it can be long and even frustrating but it's totally worth it..

That's an awesome story, and you look amazing!! It's astounding how different you look!! Congratulations!!

I've know people who lose their appetite for a couple weeks, some have an appetite the day after surgery. There's definitely no "norm" for it. I think I started to get mine back about a week after surgery.