phatkatblue

today makes 7 weeks banded for me...what a journey already! THE NUMBERS & NSVs jan 23-241-before pre-op diet feb 15-233 surgery day apr 4-212 i completed 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday!!! it was my first time on that evil machine! it works the hell outta you! my pants are really baggy especially in the crouch and thigh areas:) tightly wearing a stretchy cotton XL shirt! THE SCALE-so i decided that i'd weigh in weekly because i was driving myself crazy with the scale. i was banded on a wednesday so my weigh in days are wednesdays. i joined the april weight loss challenge and the weigh in days are sundays so twice a week it is for april! this has been difficult for me because i was weighing multiple times daily! pure torture! FILL-i had my first fill last Friday and i am not sure how i feel about it (see previous post for details on the fill). there are times when i feel hungrier (real hunger) than i did before my fill...weird. i don't think i really needed a fill to begin with as i was not really feeling hungry and was still losing weight. i could only take an additional 2 cc's on top of the one that was added at surgery. i think i was expecting the fill to be some magical thing that would take over my body and create some type of change...and maybe that's what it's supposed to do, not sure yet. and maybe that's what it did, also not sure yet! i do know that the fill has made me think more about the way i am eating and i have been slowed down at least three times by my body telling me "you are eating too fast" and "that's enough". so the fill is working...i just don't understand why i feel physical hunger more now...any ideas? going to see my surgeon next week for my 2 month check-up...i'll see what he has to say about this... FOOD-i have been super consumed with thoughts of food ever since i was given the green light to be on step 4...which is basically the step where you can eat like a normal person...but i feel that i can't really because i don't know what that is. i talked with a fellow band mate that was banded a year ago and she suggested that i go back to eating the way i did before the band as she had. you know, eat regular like we all did before the band!!! NOW WAY! my eating habits pre-band were horrible and there is no way i'm doing that again i don't care how little i can eat...there will be no fried anything, no pizza, no chips, no sweets, and no "bad carbs"...these are all my downfall...as an overweight person i KNOW what to eat, but as an overweight person in recovery i feel lost. i crave the flavor that is crammed into all the bad stuff and i am not much of cook so this has been difficult. i am also one of those folks that eats rather simply, meaning i eat the same stuff over and over and don't do much to expand my menus:/ this is a major goal for me...MAJOR... YUM-i went to starbucks for the first time since january and ordered a skinny decaf vanilla latte--120 cals...can't become a habit, but it was good:) PUPPY-hubby and i were walking with our 2 year old black lab miles and a family was moving and asked us of we wanted another lab...we were like "noooo". they said they couldn't take her to their new place and were going to take her to the pound...they said she was current on her shots and was house broken...so we looked at her and the next thing i know we are walking home with two dogs! she is six months and we named her daisy!! happy spring all...until next week...in weight loss and beyond

YIPPEE!!! How great! My primary doctor is banded so she was all about it although she never mentioned it to me until i brought it up! congrats:)

yikes! guess i won't know till i try then:( very scared to get stuck...

yay!!! this is exciting!!! getting some today! high protein wraps you say:) what brand? and what is flat out bread?

congrats on starting your new healthy way of life...i'm off all meds for diabetes since being banded on 2-15-12...i hope you love it as much as i do:) keep us updated!

anyone else experience this? i am not eating more, but i do seem to the get the sensation of hunger more that i remember pre-fill...i got 2 cc's added to the one from surgery as that was all i could manage. i got my first fill friday...i do feel tight in the mornings and don't really get hungry until between 12 and 2...then i am hungry every 3 or so hours after...my band definitely lets me know when i am going to fast or when i've had enough...thoughts anyone?

wow:/ this is very weird and very confusing to me as well...i hope others can give you feedback on this...it really isn't making much sense...i thought the band was enough of a tool along with proper eating and exercise. if one-two pounds a week is the expectation with the band then it seems that you are doing great...i am no dr but if taking those pills is something you hadn't planned on and there is no medical reason for you to be on them at your next check-up aggressively advocate for what you want...i hope you feel better...please keep us posted...

hope your hubby is doing better...and yikes about the stuck episode...i know my day will be coming soon...i'm still eating way too fast...

My insurance required the test but I already had it...my hubby received the diagnosis during the qualification process;) go figure...

Such a great analogy and response ladies! As a newbie i am hopeful that the passion in this love affair endures all the tribulations that are sure to come:) my band and I are still honeymooning for now!

I took off a month!!!! I was fine in a few days but I had the time so I took it:) i think realistically a week off would have been enough for me. the hubby was being banded 3 weeks after me so I was able to be home with him for a week!

i take a chewable multivitamin, 60-80 grams of protein, and supposed to drink 64 ozs of water...also having probs with the water intake...were all of your vits and supplements recommended by your doc? i was banded 2-12-12

I was banded on 2-15-12...had 1cc in at surgery and 2 more added at my first fill last Friday...feeling great:)

i also was fine after surgery and needed no assistance, but everyone's body is different and experience is very different. i hope that you can find at least one soul to entrust with this info...just in case...dig deep...there has to be someone...

It seems that everyone has very different pre and post op requirements do check with your healthcare team before stocking up! I was on step two (mushies) the day after surgery and bought a cheap food processor that allowed me to eat chilli and all types of beans...liquid Tylenol was helpful and some folks swear by gas x strips but I didn't experience any gas pains and my hubby who is also banded had gas but said they didn't work for him...good luck to you:)

I ate cottage cheese and bought a cheap food processor! That allowed me to eat chilli and all types of beans:) good luck

Name, real or screen~keisha AKA phatkatblue Goal weight for April 29th~ 205 lbs Weight on April 1st~ 213 lbs Age~36 Dietary goal for April~eat healthy meals...i'm still kinda doing the step two foods... Exercise goal for April~bike for longer than 20 minutes at a time...consistently strength train every other day Personal goal for April~cook more Date banded~2-15-12 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~28 What is your favorite part about spring~earlier mornings

this third week of being banded has been pretty uneventful! i feel that i am continuing to heal and get stronger each day. my eating has fluctuated and is different each day. most days i am not hungry but still try to get in small meals. there were 2-3 days last week when i ate under 600 calories and didn't feel good about that because i know that getting in all my meals helps my metabolism. the weekends, especially friday and saturday tend to be snacky days for me and i find that i have no problem eating although i feel no physical hunger. i spoke with a nurse from my insurance company yesterday who makes calls to check on progress and offer support and advice. she reiterated the importance of me getting in all of my protein and water. i have no problem with the protein piece, but i am still having issues with the water. she suggested that i set a timer to go off every hour and drink 2-4 ounces each time the alarm dings. i tried this for the rest of the day and seemed drinking seemed more manageable. she told me that becoming dehydrated could result in a trip to the ER and slow healing...this info will be my motivator... i started my strength training regimen last week and have been using 5lb weights every other day to work on these arms...i am so afraid that the bat wings will be with me for life. so far i'm doing about 5 different exercises targeting different areas of my arms in 3 sets of 10. i'm still walking about an hour a day, but i am thinking that i'm going to have to step it up soon to get better results... since i last wrote, the scale has moved once...at times i feel inpatient about the process because i feel that i am eating next to nothing and moving daily. i still wonder how it's all going to work out when i start getting fills...although i do not notice a difference in the mirror, i can tell in some of my clothes...there are one pair of jeans in particular that i can now fit comfortably and it feels good! joined mfp yesterday so please feel free to add me. i am still getting used to the site as i have been logging on fitbit...i'm phatkatblue! hubby gets banded next week

hello everyone! i will be getting banded on 2-15-12...i'm on day 6 of my pre-op diet:)

wtg on your weight loss:) keep up the good work with your exercise...

i had my first fill this morning under fluro...it took all of 15 minutes and i was a nervous wreck prior...it proved to be all for nothing. the worst part was having to have all my piercings taken out prior to the procedure! here's what went down... i laid on a table and had a pic taken of my belly that showed up on a small screen beside my bed i saw my port and the how it was attached to my abdominal wall with hooks (that was weird) i saw my band which is nowhere near the port and in between all sorts of other inside stuffs! i was given a shot of lidocaine to the numb the area-it burned a little like the heparin shots the NP stuck a needle in my port area and felt for the pockets on the band (which i did not feel but could seen on the screen) the needle was attached to some tubing but i could not see what was in the end of it... the bed was placed in a standing position and i was given a cup of contrast that i watched flow freely down my esophagus she injected some saline i think about 1 cc and i drank some more contrast...the flow was a littler slower she injected another cc and i drank some more contrast...the flow was slower still... she injected another cc and i drank some more contrast...i felt like it was going to come up... she removed a 1/2 cc and i drank some more contrast...i felt like i had to burp... she removed another 1/2 cc and i drank some more contrast and then some water...and i felt ok... so i got a 2 cc fill today on top of the one from surgery...so 3 total in my 10cc band i felt like a had a lump in my throat for the first hour afterward, but i feel better now... i am now back to mushies for two days...she said it appears i am tighter in the morning and i should try to drink a shake or yogurt in the mornings... that's it:) now the fun begins...i must remember to chew...

Hi Debbie! Looks like you are doing wonderfully on your journey! Keep up the good work:)