mrspopeye

I had my official 6 month follow up visit today and I am so thrilled! I had surgery on May 14th and I am down 89 lbs since I started my journey on April 2nd. 6 months ago a spent a lot of time reading success stories, and that really helped keep me motivated thru the terrible pre-op phase and I can now say this had been very hard, but very worth it. My head hunger is finally going away and my cravings are less. I am adjusting well to life with the band as tool, and the rest is up to me. My next goal: I REALLY want to tell people I see at Christmastime who i havent seen in a while that I am officially down "100 lbs". A lofty goal, I know, but a girl can dream. For all who are struggling: hang in there. It does get better. Read others successes and picture yourself there. You have the power to make your own decisions. Do you really want that cake or do you want skinny jeans this time next year? The more weight you lose and the more compliments you get, it does keep you motivated. Celebrate all goals, big and small and keep the faith!

These are the things that I think have made me successful: DIET: I eat 1200 cal a day and I break it down as follows: 50% Protein (150gm) 40% fat (53gm) and 10% net carbs (30gm). Net carbs is derived from taking the total carbohydrate and subtracting the grams of Fiber. I religiously keep track of all my food and exercise at myfitnesspal.com and you can manually input the calories and p/c/f any way you want. I use it a lot for planning as well. Around lunch time, I see how much of each I have left and I play around and input different things that I could have for supper, and choose the one that fits in to what I have left for the day. Some of my favorite foods are: string cheese, Atkins chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Nut Chew Bars, a homemade ham, cheese and spinach omlette, 100 cal packs of almonds, Smart Ones Salisbury Steak & Veg, Turkey & Potatoes, Roast Beef and Potatoes, Lean Cusine Herb chicken & Veg, Healthy Choice Beef Merlot. Hungry Girl Flat Out breads make great sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, sloppy joes, etc.-get the whole wheat with flax one (always near the deli) and I like Nature's Own Whole Wheat Double Fiber. I have to have bread toasted to go thru my band. My go-to fast food is a small Wendy's chili. You can find the nutritional information for most all restaurants at dwlz.com and exercise4weightloss.com. There will be restaurant links. I also drink 10-12 cups of Water per day, so I label the 16oz bottles 1-6, because I lose track if I'm busy at work. I will occasionally use the sugar free flavorings. My favorites are Hawaiin Punch Lemon berry and Cherry Limeade. I drink nothing carbonated, nor do I drink any caffeine. I was told the carbonation stretched out your stomach and makes you hungrier. First thing in the morning, I get down 2 bottles of water, 1 on the way to work and I make a point of finishing it before I get there. Then I drink my Protein shake about 9am. Then I dont drink anymore water until about 30min-1hr before lunch and I have my 3rd bottle. Otherwise, you will wash the shake down and get less benefit from it making you feel full. I do not ever drink anything 20 min before a meal, during, or 1-2 hr after, then I drink one late in the day and one on the way home. I always eat the protein 1st, then vegetable, then carb. I almost always eat a lower carb WW, Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal for lunch, then reasonable dinner. You can look at the nutritional content of each of the frozen meals online and then it is easier to pick them up at the store than looking at the back of every box. I probably eat the same 10-12 meals all the time. I really don't snack much. If I do, I try to eat a Protein Bar on the way home for work so I'm not tempted while I'm cooking supper. PROTEIN: This is by far the single most important part of my success. For Breakfast everyday I have a protein shake. My favorite is Pure Protein, which comes in an 11oz can with 35gm of protein. I like the Chocolate, banana and strawberry the best. vanilla was just ok. I did not like the consistancy of the Cookies and creme. I havent found a chocolate mint one in the store to try yet because it is new. I only get the 35 gm ones- that way you get more "bang for your buck" as far as higher protein content for the least amt of carbs and calories. If you end up not liking them, you still only have to drink just the 11 ounces. They are kind of expensive- they end up being about $2.25 each, but who doesnt spend that at a drive thru anyway? It has been worth the investment for me and IT WORKS. I always feel full before I finish the shake.You can buy single cans to try at Vitamin Shoppe, but once I figured out which ones I liked, I bought them by the case thru amazon.com. I also like a powder made by Forza Pro in chocolate mint. It is a very smooth powder and mixes well and only availabe tha Nurtishops. It has 30gm of protein a scoop. HEAD HUNGER: This has improved over time for me, but this is the one thing that no one can really prepare you for pre-op. It just plain hard sometimes. Have I ever cheated? Sure. But just because you take one step back, it doesnt mean you have to fall down the whole flight of stairs. I kind of have a 5 bite rule: if I want something really bad- I eat 5 bites and walk away. Get it in your head this is a TOOL, not a cure. You can sabotage this easily with slider foods. You will still be on a "diet" with the band. You still have to make good decisions everyday for the rest of your life. Which do you want more???? WEIGHT: I do well with negative feedback- I choose to let it motivate me instead of discourage me. Therefore, I weigh myself every single day, first thing in the morning. I also track it on myfitnesspal.com. If my weight is up, I can look back over the previous day or two and identify the problem. Then I correct it, not dwell on it, and MOVE ON. Pat Summitt, famous coach of the Lady Vols and my hero, always said you get 24 hours to Celebrate a victory and 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself when you lose a game, then get over it and get back to work. That what I try to do. I would not do well if I had a big surprise 3-5 lb weight gain after not weiging for a week and then trying to figure out where I went wrong. Some people hate weighing every day. I want to know sooner than later. I have figured out to a science how many carbs, fat, protein, etc I can have a day to lose and it takes the guesswork out of it, but this took several weeks, and it keep changing as I lose also. I got annoyed with my scale at home, so I did some research and bought one on Amazon called EatSmart Precision Digital scale and I really like it. I make sure it on the same tile block in my kitchen everyday and I zero it out then step on- and only once. I searched a really long time for the perfect one and this has certainly been worth it. That is the mentality I use. I do go to Weight Watchers religiously. No one is going to teach a nurse and master dieter something she doesnt already know. Some people think it silly to pay a weekly fee to let someone else weigh you. It's a proven fact that people who go to meetings lose 1/3 more weight than people who do it online or on their own. I am as proud of my 10% keychain, my 25lb, 50lb and 75lb charms as anything. I am also always good on Mondays before weigh in. Another negative feedback thing for me. EXERCISE: 45 minutes of aerobics twice a week with my girlfriends from church who don't care how stupid we look doing it. I hope this helps someone! Maybe bits and pieces of what I do may help you in some way. That is what were are all here for! Good luck on your journey!

Thank you! She has kept me company on those hungry days and is full of unconditional puppy love!

No I did not tell them and I do not plan to. WW frowns upon weight loss surgery, which I can see why- that is not the product they are selling. I want accountabilty and support from WW- I do keep up with the points, but I mainly watch my protein intake and carbs. Kind of useless to keep up with points cause I always eat less than my alotted points everyday anyway. I alos dont want to be looked at in a negative way by the other members whee I lose more than them, as if I cheated, took the easy way out, or have an advantage over them. Everyone with a band knows there are always going to be haters, and I choose not to tell the world about my band for that very reason. It's easy to say "I wont let them get to me," but truth is, it does hurt and this is why only my immediate family knows about the band and no one else.

I also think that the more a person has to lose, the faster it may seem in the beginning. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised that it came off faster than I thought it would.

Hi- checking in too. I think I finally hit my sweet spot after having an unfill at the end of July. I am also noticing that both the physical and head hunger are diminshing too! Anyone else had that? After 77lbs down, people notice! I am wearing out Goodwill. Not spending a lot on clothes in sizes that I am just passing through. I am at the smallest weight I have been in about 10 years and I feel 10 years younger! Still the best decision ever. I hope everyone has continued success.

Pure Protein shakes in the 11oz can. 35 gm of protein per can. I like the Banana, Chocolate and Strawberry the best. Most "bang for your buck" as far as having a lot of protein with low calories and low carb. And if you dont absolutely love the shakes, you only have to take in 11oz. You can get them at a Vitamin Shoppe or online. I still drink one everyday for breakfast and I actually like them. I buy the 12 packs online at amazon. Good luck on the liquid diet. It is only temporary- you will get to eat again !!

I could never tell how my band would react to a fill/unfill til at least 2 weeks later. It only took one time of being overfilled, then experiencing life after the unfill to really understand. The first 3 months were a real learing experience that was altered by fluid intake, the time of the month, the foods I ate, etc- so many variables. Everytime I would get a fill, it seems that I would have to learn it all over again. Once you hit the sweet spot, it gets easier. I had surgery in May, and I just recently felt like I have finally hit my stride in living with the band.

Yes - me too, but I will take cold and skinny over warm and fat anyday!

Just ignore her. I'm sure she was just as rude to her sister. Probably her personality ( or lack thereof).

Awesome! Way to go!

That is great! Congratulations!

$150, self-pay.

I went back to weight watchers about 6 weeks before surgery, which was 4 weeks befor the pre-op diet and it helped me "de-tox" before going on the stringent liquid diet- lost some weight pre-op and I was glad I did this. I still go actually to help me stay accountable to the scale. I alos dring at least 64 oz of water and log every bite of food that goes in my mouth.

As a RN and Nurse Practitioner myself, I find your comments offensive. How do you know the RN hasn't been there and done that like me? My surgeon's nurse has had a gastric bypass. You are making a lot of assumptions about college-educated medical professionals based on little information. The OP said she wanted to wait 2 weeks for whatever reason-that hardly makes her a "stupid ass" who "doesn't know wtf their talking about."

My stats are below also. I had no restriction til the first fill. Then I got 2.6 cc but that wore off in about a week. Got 3 more cc at 2nd fill last week and I honestly thought it was a bit overfilled, but it has calmed down now and I am having to take small bites and chew well really for the first time in this process. I got stuck 2-3 times last week. It has been a real learning experience, but if I chew well, I am quite full with 1/2-1 cup of food for at least 4 hours and I am losing well. Hope I am in or near the green zone. You are on your own with willpower til you get restriction.

Getting a tummy tuck!

Awesome! Can't wait til I am in onederland.

Awesome! Way to go!

Welcome! You will find a lot of support here. Good luck to you.

That is so cool. I can really feel some restriction this time. It is yet another learning experience. I have been stuck twice this week- that will teach you to chew and take smaller bites quickly! Good luck!

Best of luck to you! What an exciting day! It will be easier than you thnk.

Ashiashley- PB stands for productive burping, which feels different from vomiting. For some people food comes up but I have only experienced it as slime. Basically, your food gets stuck and your body works overtime to move it out by producing thick clear saliva in your stomach and mouth. I have a runny nose too. It is very uncomfortable and there is no relief til it comes up. This never happened to me til I got my 1st fill then I got stuck on some dry chicken and it took about 10 min to work it out. Since my 2nd fill, it is much easier to get stuck and I have been stuck twice with the same slimy result. Luckily, I have never truly vomited with the band. It will teach you to respect the band quickly. Chewing well and small bites are the key.

Checking in! Had my 2nd fill today of 3 cc and I now have a total of 5.6 cc in my band. My doc is so skilled at accessing the port. Barely felt the numbing medicine and don't feel him putting the bigger needle in at all. I am looking forward to more restriction. He was pleased that I had lost 25 lbs since surgery May 14 and 50 lbs overall since April 2. So far so good- continues to be one of the best decisions I have ever made! Good luck to everyone!

That is awesome. I bet it was more fun than ever before.