Littlefoot

The issue w/ meat can be potentially resolved by dipping it in a light ranch dressing 1st. What you'll find in the months after, when you're not as restricted as the wks after surgery, is that your band will tell you what works for you. They say avoid broccoli, but if steamed soft enough it can be ok. Depends on the person. Everyone is different. They say no drinking at meals, some do (successful ppl), but it can fill you up & you need "nutritional calories". Its up to you. The fail rate, I believe, is folks not wrapping their minds around how "mental" this process is. So much is in our heads, why we eat, how much, what we choose, under what circumstances... If you don't face that stuff, you may lose, but you'll gain it back. What I love about my band is it gives me consequences when I don't chew well enough. It tells me when I've eaten too much and provides consequences for that as well. Sure, if I don't adapt my stomach could stretch, but I do make the change. I love my band. It is helping me a lot. Good luck to those of you preparing!

Myself and 2 others I know get numbed before a fill. Thankful! After hearing of your experience. Though maybe your other physical challenges enhance the prob. I'd demand numbing so you can have success! I had no pain at my 1st fill. Just the pinch from the numbing. Felt nothing of the port probing or saline going thru port. Took 20 secs total maybe. Was quick!

Got my 1st fill. I WAS wide open with mostly ease in eating before it. Now there is some restriction, it helped, I do see a difference, but I think we can do better. Can't wait for fill 2!

I was banded on 5/21. I did a 10 day "liquid" diet prior, but actually it allowed fruit and cottage cheese, so I didn't suffer too much. Between my 10 day prior diet and the week after, I lost 16lbs. It seems like I've leveled out, but I'm struggling with a lot of mental battles. For context, I lost 25 lbs before surgery on my own across 4 months. I needed to know I could do it and I made a lot of small lifestyle changes. The dietician visits helped more than I expected to show me what I was doing wrong (I was mostlyl on track, but my portion sizes were out of control.) Visiting with the counselor for the psych eval helped a lot too. I plan to keep visiting her to help me reprogram my internal "voices" and messages that I choose to believe. My intent for the band was to help me to slow down my eating, to be a reinforcement to help me continue to take off more weight and to help me keep it off. I am finding that post surgery I am struggling with a lot of mental battles and being aware of that is half the battle. It seems that before surgery everything was my choice. Now I have a ton of restrictions on me and it "feels" like I have no choice. I'm a little rebellious and struggle with being told I can't do something. I find myself struggling with desires and cravings that I didn't have for over 6 months prior to surgery. I'm trying to figure out where all of this is coming from. I will overcome it, but it's just frustrating right now. It doesn't help that I feel like I could use a fill RIGHT NOW and I have two more weeks to go. From the day I first had my consult with my doctor I am down 40 lbs (started at 230lbs at 5'1"). I was on a pattern of gaining 30lbs every 10 years. It was creeping up and I was going to be at 300 by the time I was 50. I am glad to have this forum. It helps so much to find others feeling or experiencing similar questions or frustrations. It's just nice to know I'm not alone in what I'm dealing with. There doesn't seem to be a normal experience...everyone is unique in how they heal, how they adjust, and how long it takes. And that is very freeing to know. I do need to get plugged in to a support group, just to talk to others in person who are also going through "stuff". Sometimes it just helps to hear others' problems or struggles. They bring my own into perspective. Regarding the surgery, I've had a lot of surgeries on my knees, feet, ankle, carpal tunnel, etc...so surgery wasn't a big deal to me. The anesthesiologist is my favorite doctor (next to my lapband doc). It took an hour to hour and a half. I had 5 incisions on my stomach, 4 that were maybe 1/4 inch, those are the laproscopic incisions and one that was 2 inches about mid mass. It would have all been healed by about the 10 day mark if I hadn't had an allergic reaction to the adhesive. They put tape over each wound. The portion of skin covered by tape reacted and looked as if I had poison ivy. So the 2nd week of healing I was "overcoming" the itching from THAT. I didn't need any pain killers. I went home and slept the day of surgery. The day after (that would be Day 2) I felt like I had done 1300 situps and could barely roll out of bed. I had to have help getting up. Day 3, I could roll out of bed, but when my skin shifted and moved my wounds, it kind of hurt, but just the area around the wounds. By Day 4, I could roll out of bed fine and by Day 5, I felt fairly normal. Internally, I can kind of feel where the port is if I rub around. You can't feel where the band is. The first two weeks, my insides were sore/tender... I kept thinking it's not normal to feel my guts. They were just sore and if I moved wrong, it would be tender. But now over 3 weeks out, I'm back to normal. No tenderness. My scars itch some, but I'm dealing. It did take a good 2 1/2 weeks for the swelling in my stomach to go down. I really expected to have the restricted-I-can-hardly-get-500calories-a-day-down-feeling my friends had. But I don't. So I can't wait for my first fill. I loved the weight loss prior to and right after surgery - it's major incentive to get down to my goal weight. If I feel this good at 190 lbs, then I'm going to feel AWESOME in another 30lbs and another 30 after that, I I don't think I'm going to be one of those that drops tons fast like so many I've heard do. I expect it will be around 1-2 lbs a week of weight loss. But that's ok. The longer it takes, the longer it will stay off. I just want consistency and to keep it off. I'm not going down this road again. Fat is not who I am. I refuse to keep filling that role. (Pun intended ) Two friends who I speak of, a husband and wife, it has taken her 2 years to lose 120 lbs, but for a long time was wasn't taking in the minimum required calories so I think her body has fought her on the weight loss, although there is nothing wrong with her timeline. I think she wants to lose another 20-30 lbs. Her husband reached his goal weight of 130 lbs lost afer surgery within 11 months. Ladies, men typically lose weight faster. FYI. Don't bother being jealous. We're just different. For those researching this, I wish you luck in your search. It is a lifetime commitment and a major lifestyle change. But don't do it because you want the band to do it for you. It is not a "crutch" as many like to call it. It is a reinforcement mechanism that you CAN ignore and bypass by stretching out your "new stomach"... Many do fail because they aren't committed. Know your weaknesses and don't rationalize. You have to want it and to want to do the changes required to get it done and keep it "done". And most of all, being overweight is symptom and not just of a lack of discipline, there are internal messages or voices that you likely listen to that you need to address, deal with and reprogram if you're going to make lasting change. People do what they do because they rationalize or justify it. And I think I just pep-talked myself into a better place. LOL! Hey take care and feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or comments!!! Here's to being a skinny fat person on my way to being a healthy, fit and balanced slimmer person. I'm unzipping this fat suit and letting my inner skinny OUT! PS: I forgot to mention the gas. Meaning they pump you full of air in the surgery and that air or gas has to escape slowly over time. I had pretty bad shoulder/trapezius area pain the first week or so. Laying flat made it stop, sitting up made it worse. Also some back/rib pain. It was gone by the 2nd week. I've known others who dealt with it for over 3 weeks. You just have to move and work it out. It's "normal". PSS: and the burping... It was worse the 1st 2wks. Now I find it's associated with what I eat or what my body position is. I find a few burps will slip out if I lean over... I think they're escaping via the body angle... LOL!

I added you on Fitness Pal. Littlefoot40.

I about busted a gut laughing at this comment...

Everyone has been given different guidance on here. My doc advised me to stay in 750-900 cal day. If I don't lose weight at that, then I think he'll readjust. I had a GF who got in 500-600 a day but her weight loss was really slow. I think the key thing they consider is if you're not hungry and are losing weight. If one of those two isn't working your doc will have you adjust something. My challenge was being told only 3 meals a day. I think that's to put a boundary on eating & limit calories for those who struggle with grazing & calorie creep. I do better with 5-6 small meals spread out over the day. I think the idea is for when you can get food in, is to find the highest nutrition bang for the buck. Good luck!

BTW, I'm not saying I've worked through the body image thing. I'm not saying I don't think I have any "flaws", or that I like my before pictures. BUT, I know that whether 230 or 120 I had a body image problem and it is more of an internal thing. If it were external, I wouldn't have had issues at 120. But as NWgirl put it, it is nice to think that after having "been there done that" this next time around, I hope to embrace where I'm at. I do NOT expect to have the same body around 120-140 that I did at age 20, but I expect to LIKE my body a WHOLE lot more.

I think complete acceptance comes when you choose to view your unique looks, shape, size, gifts, talents, skills as being worthy and more than sufficient. We have to stop comparing. Kick society and superficialism to the curb and say I am who I am and it is GOOD ENOUGH. If you "fix" something about you, do it for you. KNOW that you are doing it for you and not to look cute by the pool. In fact, try to get yourself to go to the pool and embrace who you are, as you are, with all of your unique imprints... A stomach pooch? A little sagging skin? Saggy boobs? Hey have you ever looked at a boob lift doctor's website of befores and afters? Do you realize MOST women have saggy boobs naturally? Seriously. That is the norm! (I think a MAN developed the push up bra or was that the corset?) Perky is NOT the norm!!! As for wrinkles, laugh lines...you know what, you earn those. I tell people I have wrinkles because I've been smiling for too much of my life. I earned them. The thing is that when you fix something external...you're really not fixing the internal. That is what really needs fixing. I say this for me as well. You can do what you choose to do, of course, but consider that 20 years from now, the wrinkles will be back, the boobs likely won't be as perky. I think I heard somewhere that your skin grows your whole life, that is part of why we get wrinkles and why some old men have such large ears. You've got to find a way inside to love you and then the outside will matter so much less. It takes time and programming, but you can do it. Just think about what are choosing to believe, what are the subtle messages that you are telling yourself? Truly. You can do this! Self acceptance is the most valuable gift you can give yourself. You don't wait for others to accept you, you accept you first. Then everything else will fall into place. Don't let the enemy (inner-me) beat you down! Keep your head up!

I find brushing my teeth helps me too. Same for at work and snacking at work. But I also find that the later I stay up, the more I eat or am tempted to eat. My goal (obviously not tonight) is to be in bed asleep by 9-9:30pm. Even if i have to take a benadryl to make me drowsy and force sleep... Just to get out of the habit of getting a second wind and staying up. My eating is worse after 8pm. Keep your head up. They say all things in moderation. I think the key is not to do that 5x a day everyday for the next 3 weeks. THAT would suck. I say this because I'm struggling too. I have found that I am wanting things I didn't even want before surgery. And I'm only 3 weeks out. I have had a few bad choices and got frustrated with myself over it... BUT I also realized that it's all things in moderation. I tell myself that I have to keep track, for accountability and if I see a pattern, I'll have to do an intervention on myself. LOL. Before the surgery, before the liquid diet, I had found a balance in my eating where I had NO cravings. I didn't watn caffeine, or sugar, or carbs or Protein... I Just ate so balanced that all was well. I didn't even want to snack. I so want to get back to that because I'm all outta whack. And I have found that when I have a craving it's because I'm out of balance. It is possible to deal with those. I truly believe that. However, I'd also like to say that I don't believe denial solves anything. I don't mean bingeing, but if I want a cookie, when I am able, I'll have one. ONE cookie a week is not going to kill me. Now if I am an addictive type of person who can't eat just one...yeah, not a good move to go down that road, but I'm not. At least not with Cookies. LOL. Keep your head up. Know you're not alone. And one more thing... One thing I learned in during my weight loss is that it's all about numbers. If I burn 2000 calories a day and I eat 1500 a day and there are 3500 calories in a lb, then every 7 days I'm going to lose 1 lb. If I eat 1000 calories a day, I'll lose 2lbs a week. If I eat 1800 calories a day I'll lose a lb every 17 days. The point is, it is an average. If I want to lose 1 lb a week, as long as my calorie deficit equals 3500 less every 7 days, I'll lose it. If one day I eat more but over the next two days eat less, as long as it balances out, it still works. So don't beat yourself up over a slip. Just start anew tomorrow. If you hadn't given in, you might have done worse. Don't lose sleep over it. Just keep pressing on tomorrow!

I remember when I was 16, weighed 122 at 5'1", my thighs rubbed together, I had "square hips", and broad shoulders...and I didn't have a flat stomach... That's all I saw. I didn't like my body image. I never felt good about how I looked. I have a photo of me from back then on my fridge and I am sad to think of how "that girl" (me) viewed herself. She didn't value what she had. She didn't realize what she had. She was programmed by superficial people and had a lot of negative mental messages that she believed. She compared herself to people around her who had enitrely different body shapes and builds. It was so unfair... And sad. Because she was beautiful and GREAT with her own unique body shape at that weight. "imperfections" and all... if you want to call them that. Now that I've been 110 lbs over that weight where my thighs REALLY rubbed together and I had quite a few more rolls in places I didn't know I could have rolls... I have an appreciation for what I had. I'd like to go back and smack that girl into reality and tell her if she doesn't quit the fast food and start exercising more, that THIS is what's going to happen to her. I remember how hard, at 140, 150 lbs that it was just to lose 2, 3, 10 lbs. I think the less you have to lose, the harder it is to lose. Seriously. I find the heavier I am, the "easier" it comes off when I make good choices consistently. At lower weights, I think for some, to lose 10-15 lbs is like having to lose 50 or more lbs. I use those weights as examples, not just of vanity, but I was in the Army. As a soldier, if I didn't fall into the Army's bracket for what I should weigh for my height (120lbs) then they would do a fat percentage tape test on me to determine my fat percentage. I weighed around 140 and that was borderline for being what they considered to be "overweight". So I was always straddling that line. Depending on what world you're in, weight is a big deal and not just about vanity. Sorry about the rant...I think I'm having my thoughts bleed over from other topics I've replied to. I want to encourage you to view the weight you got up to as choosing to take the long journey around a tough mountain. You've come full circle and are back on track. You've learned valuable lessons, you cherish yourself more, value yourself more, like yourself more... who cares that you slipped and gained weight... who hasn't in our society! Perfection is bogus and a delusion of society and media. It's bunk and photoshopped (or anorexic). Look at the past as experience and a lesson learned. If you hadn't gone down the road to being overweight, you couldn't have truly learned what you have from the experience and you wouldn't be in such a better place as you are now. Truly enjoying your life, who you are and what you have to offer. Focus on THAT. Don't be ashamed. Embrace who you are and have been at all stages in your life. The fact is, no matter what you weigh, and you said it yourself, you are smart and beautiful and have something to offer this world... Everyone has a contribution to make and a purpose in this life as long as they are breathing. Your weight didn't change that...up or down...what changed is how YOU view you and that's important. Embrace that! There is no such thing as a mistake, it's called experience.

Hey KRussell, first of all, CONGRATS!!! That is fantastic what you've done. I have a feeling there are many out there who started where you are. In college, I had a girlfriend who kept claiming to be fat, but only needed to lose 10 lbs. it frustrated me when by comparison I knew I was 110 lbs overweight. I think I judged her feeling she had lost persective... Yet to her, it was a big deal because the weight gain was enough to make her clothes not fit. I couldn't relate because I wear a lot of elastic... But also realized she had an eating disorder and challenges I couldn't relate to. Everyone has their own battles and it's important and a big deal to them. Keep your head up and do TRY not to compare. Your journey is YOURS and it's important and valid and NOTHING should minimize your commitment and effort. You're awesome! Keep the faith! Be so proud of yourself!!!! You're rockin' it!

Also, see if the pain reduces when you lie flat. That helped me.

I had shoulder & back pain. I know it sounds weird but it passes. The air or gas that gets in your body cavity in surgery needs to escape. Keep moving. If it gets bad, you might try a masseuse, sometimes they can help work it out. Mine faded by the 2wk mark. Everyone is different. I had a friend who suffered 3 wks. If you have a concern just call & ask your doc. I hope they encouraged you to call if you had probs!

Well, just because I seem to "have it down" doesn't mean it's easy by any means. I can see you know what that's about. Glad to know I'm not alone and I just need to suck it up and do what I gotta do! I saw someone mention that their band is a vegetarian and now I see you speaking of it regarding what "it" likes. That's hilarious! Everyone speaks of it as if it's a thing... LOL! That's great. Might as well personalize it...it's personal! I've struggled to follow things well. I'm not losing much...but I think a fill will help. I'm working it out, but it's been a challenge. The doc said to eat 750 to 900 calories a day...and yet I found that it's not too hard to do 1500 calories in liquids when you're doing Protein shakes with skim milk and light juices. I only did that one day, but it DID surprise me. I think the key to what we're all doing here is awareness. If we don't know what we're doing, we can't change it. Hey good luck to you! My hat's off to you as you improve your quality of life. I wish I could convince my Dad (age 67) that this is a positive thing and get him to consider it. He's 5'8" at 250 and miserable. Maybe I'll be that influence to get him to make the changes he needs as well. Take care!!!

I'd sure like to hear how your next week goes! Mine is in two weeks. I want it now. I feel the same as you do. I can't wait...and yet, I'm a little concerned about dealing with the port. Thanks for the description of how yours went. I feel better about it now. Good luck and please let me know if it makes a difference for you. Or how you feel about it. Take care!!!