momlambert

Be sure you check out the before and after pics on this site as well--that will keep your head on straight. They are very inspiring and where I go when I wonder what in the world I've done to myself.

Congrats, Janet! That is great news and certainly worth sharing. Good luck with all the steps up until your surgery and good luck with the surgery and recovery as well. Keep us posted!

Oh, Cat, it is completely normal to feel that way. After a month without solid food after surgery, I told my dr. I thought I had made a mistake. He chuckled and said, "oh, you're a little late--most people regret it while they are sore and have gas pains and can't move without pain, can't sleep without pain, etc." My only suggestion is just to take a deep breath and re-think your reasons for being banded. Nothing has really changed except that you are recovering from anesthesia, you are facing a major life change, and you are still miserable from the surgery. Just hang in there. Most of those things will be gone in a few weeks and you'll have a clearer picture. Good luck with your recovery! You did a great thing for yourself and you will be successful. Congratulations!

Hi Marchie friends, I fell of the wagon a bit, too. But I'm taking your advice and getting back on. Weekends are always hard for me and this past weekend I cooked for Father's Day: big barbeque with all the fixin's including homemade ice cream and yummy chocolate cake. I've had three fills but have no restriction so I'm discouraged anyway and having all that food and friends and family around just made it all the worse. Anyway, I did better yesterday and will do great today--that's the plan. I have another fill on Monday so I'm getting closer to having some restriction. The good news is that I've never slimed or pb'd. Sunday when I ate a whole hamburger with the bun and all, taking normal bites and not chewing more than I used to, I got a full feeling once that lasted about 15 seconds and then was gone. So I know the band is there and will do it's job once it's adjusted right but it sure is taking a lot longer to get help than I thought--I thought by May 1, 6 weeks after surgery, I would be getting help from my band. Now I'm tired of strictly dieting and being hungry, etc. Argh. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about! Good luck everyone. It's a new day! Karen

Welcome to Bandland, Kland! Congratulations and keep up the good work with those liquids.

You are an inspiration, leedorr. Congratulations on your great success. I have to keep telling myself that, although I'm losing very slowly, I'm still losing. You are right--there are no quick fixes.

Good luck! We'll be anxious to hear.

Rachel, listen to Alexandra--she really knows what she is talking about. I don't see where you said when you were banded. Is the band really new to you or have you had it awhile and had some past success and are just having problems now? I'm glad you are committed to following your doctor's orders--you CAN do this. We are all routing for you. Remember that if you follow your doctor's advice, things will get better. I'm self-pay, too, and I constantly tell myself that I CAN NOT waste this money! Maybe that will help motivate you, too. It's too expensive to give up too soon or to not do what the doctor tells us and risk complications and many more $$$. Argh. It's definitely something we must have succeed, right? And I believe it will but we have to do our part. Hang in there and good luck! I hope you feel better soon.

Now, that's what I call a "date from hell!" Unbelievable. Sounds like you handled it perfectly--I hope he won't keep harassing you--seems like he had a hard time getting it! Well, future dates can only get better than this. So sorry, Thickchick, but thanks for the laugh. Glad you are laughing, too. How sweet to pray for the jerk! I need to take a lesson from you.

Are you religiously counting your calories? I use sparkpeople.com and enter every bite I put in my mouth--it's amazing how those little bites add up. Have you talked to your doctor? Try exercising a little each day--start with walking 20 minutes a day or less if you can't do that. Are you eating Protein first? Are you drinking with your meals? Do you feel like you have restriction? Are you honestly following the bandster rules? Tough love, I know. But something isn't right. You need to honestly look at what you are eating and why you aren't exercising, and then evaluate what is going on. Talk to your doctor!

Good for you! What an awesome loss. I was banded March 19, 2007 and have lost just over 20 since banding. I've had three fills but have no restriction yet. I've been sticking to around 1,000 calories a day but today my friends took me out for my birthday and once I got started...well, you know. So today was 1,732 calories--my worst day since banding. I'll dust myself off and start over tomorrow. Keep up the great work!

The weight would really move???? You are doing GREAT. I'm so envious--you have lost almost twice what I have in the same amount of time and we started about the same BMI and the same age. Yikes! Good for you. My exercise is off and on--I am committed to it but I keep getting a bad cough from a viral infection I had last month so when it flares up (viral-induced asthma, apparently) I have to stop exercising for a few days. I was hoping I'd have restriction on the 4th fill, which will probably be around 2 cc but it sounds like that isn't yet enough for you. Well, we are all different and I'll keep hoping. Congrats on your success--that is awesome.

Yes, I'm struggling as well with my weight loss (23 lbs since banding on March 19). I just had my third fill and am hoping for some restriction but don't feel any today and it is my first day of regular food. I'm not ready to give up yet and am still glad that I got banded. I know I would have gained weight in the period that I have lost and I'm hopeful that once I have the proper restriction then I will lose faster. Before I was banded my dr. told me that I would only lose 1-2 lbs average per week and that seems to be holding true. Of course, I hoped for more but it's just not happening. I'm resigned now to the 1-2 lbs per week once I'm restricted. And every fill is a step closer to proper restriction. It's a process and I think it's way too early to doubt my decision. I was self-pay and I'm not willing to think that I wasted the money, either. Listen to the previous posts--great advice! Stay positive and give the band a chance. Every time I have a fill that doesn't work, I just tell myself that I'm that much closer to getting to the proper fill amount. Baby steps. But the steps are in the right direction and I'm grateful for that. Good luck!

Wow, Fran, that is awesome. Do you mind me asking how close you are to goal? I'm so impressed and motivated by your loss! Thanks for sharing.

oh man, Thickchick, I've never had a PB and am dreading it. Just had my third fill and today is my first day with real food but I'm doing fine--no sign of a PB. Hope it continues, although I'd love to have some restriction! Patience!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f73/two-live-lap-band-surgery-videos-33949/#post452304 (If you go to the home page you'll see it under the third thread "Lap-Band FAQ's and References" in case the link doesn't work).

Good morning, Marchies. Just checking in--looks like everyone is doing great. I had my 3rd fill yesterday--I hope it helps. There was only one day last week that I felt that I even had a band. Usually I can eat anything and lots of it. I'm trying to control myself and am still losing but I WANT RESTRICTION! I'm tired of being hungry. So, maybe this fill will do the trick--can't wait to try real food tomorrow and see. The upside is that I haven't ever slimed or PB'd and, as I said, I'm still losing (2 lbs in the past 2 weeks--not breaking any records here!). I have a question: I changed my ticker and when I tried to save it I got a message that said my signature was too long. I got rid of my quote and it was still too long. So I had to get rid of the June challenge (and I was doing so well!) to finally make it short enough. Has anyone had this problem or know how to fix it? It seems that my signature isn't as long as some others. Just wondering. Keep MARCH-ing with the BAND through June. Good luck to us all. Karen

No, Bud. Thank YOU! You expressed so eloquently what I (and I'm sure many others) have wanted to express. Good luck on your journey--your life will never be the same. I'm still a newbie and am losing slower than most who were banded when I was (March 19) but I'm older than most and had a bit lower BMI than many and, despite all of that, I AM LOSING! This board has been of immeasurable help to me. Good luck finding your niche and let us know how you are doing. Congratulations on the rest of your life!

August will be here before you know it--especially with all you have to do before then. Congrats on new possibilities--it looks like much more than a glimmer of hope now. Good luck! Karen

Congratulations! That's an amazing fast track! Good luck on Friday. Let us know how it goes.

I use sparkpeople.com and it's free. It really keeps me on track with diet and exercise and has interesting articles, discussion boards, etc. It's fun to earn little trophy's along the way, too. Good luck!

yup, me, too. That's my doctor's recommendation but I usually get closer to 70. I'm so worried about losing my hair--I hope protein prevents that. Does anyone know what other causes of hair loss might be?

I don't think you are going to be sorry at all--I never was and I didn't have a pre-op diet either. Some doctors just don't require it--my dr. really doesn't think that you can "shrink your liver" with a few weeks of diet and he's never had a problem nicking one during surgery. My surgery went well and was easy for both me and my doctor. Just follow your doctor's instructions and you'll be fine. Good luck! P.S. And I did have "several" last meals including the day before surgery--my doc only required that I eat or drink nothing after midnight the night before surgery. That was it!

Good job finding other paths to get to your desired goal--good luck! July looks like your lucky month. Karen

I'm still going to the newbies' Saturday classes but this Saturday is my last one--ask me next month! I'd love to go. Karen