RahRahRah

Im not sure if youre asking if it would be a problem or bad for diet? To be honest, there were a couple of days that chewing gum helped me get rid of the desire to "chew" something in the early days. The bad part is that I think that some of the fake sugars used in sugar free can cause bloating. But im not sure. I chew gum now and im almost 4 months post op.

For my part, I am feeling fuller faster and a week later after this second fill I am staying satisfied I would say about 5-6 hours... I am filling up VERY quickly. I really do have to eat slowly to get my protein in.

I identify a lot with you saying that you put up with a lot of treatment from spouses because of your weight. Im pretty sure that I have let that happen as well. I look forward to reading more about your weight loss adventure! Here's to wishing us both lots of luck and love in our future!!

Welcome! This is the place to be to ask questions and get answers from the folks that are thinking about or have gotten the Lap Band. There is a lot of information available on here but its also good to share your story. You might find that there are many others that have felt the way you felt or had the same questions/concerns you have.

Thank you for this blog. It rang true to me when you said it was possible to lose weight and "get on" with life. I am realizing this every day. Sometimes it feels like you are more aware of what you cant eat because of the band and it seems like we are obsessing about food more now thn before. But the best part is realizing that Im not as hungry as I probably would have been in the past.

I was afraid too when I went through mine. But I was cleared. I need to go back and get evaluated again. I think Im needing to get medicated again,

It can be delicious! It CAN be nutritious... Its just the SIZE that is bad for you.

I had the same thing this week. A fill, I only lost 4lbs since my last visit last month. I agree about food tasting good. Learning to have smaller portions is my biggest challenge!!

My first visit was in November- right before Thanksgiving. I finished 3 months of nutritional food logs and Psych Eval, cardio /pulmonary testing etc and I believe I was approved in April. I had my surgery on 5/1.

UGGGG!! I remember that day!! I was so glad that it was a Saturday and it was a "lighter" day at work. I walked a little more that day and even though there was still pain, I was glad to see that each day I was able to walk further and further. Im sorry you are having trouble sleeping too. That lasted longer for me than anything else because Im a side sleeper. Also, right after my surgery I started noticing how many food commercials there are. LOL. Very mouth watering. Honestly. now they dont make me hungry. They actually make me a little sick imagining having to eat ALL THAT.

Take a moment, sometime before the surgery, and close your eyes. Remember all of the things that you might have done BEFORE. The food choices, the emotions you felt when you maybe might have eaten too much. Think about the times you were embarrassed about your clothes, finding a comfortable place to sit or a time when everyone else was ok and you were out of breath from a short walk. Then I want you to push that away from you and remember that after tomorrow, everyday will be one day further from all those hurtful, maybe even unhappy times. And when you have a moment of doubt and you think that changing your habits is too hard on this journey (because you might just have those days!) say to yourself, " Nobody said it would be easy. They only said it would be worth it." Good Luck and keep us posted.

I had my second fill yesterday. Pretty much quick in and out. I weighed in at 240 (WAH!! ) and the assistent said that they tell their agents that losing 1lb a week was normal. Uhhhh..what? SO then I go and see my Dr and he asks how things are going. He and his other assistent look at the band through the machine thing-pretty cool and I drink the gross stuff. He adds a fill and looks at a suspicious red spot I had near one of the laparoscopic sites (its nothing, apparently). He aspirates the needle and then refills with whatever he took out. Drink the white yuck again and then a jaunty "see you next month"..as I walk down the hallway I remember to ask, ok so what am I up to on my fills? And he says, 4cc. Umm again, what? I was already out of there so I didnt stop to question, but I thought thats what I left at last time. I thought in July for my first fill that I was filled to 4. Anyway- I most certainly have a feeling of faster restriction on this one. Pretty excited about it too. When I got in the car I looked in the mirror and the inside of my lips were outlined in the white chalky stuff. Yuck.

I read a forum topic about feeling sick during the fill part (vasovagel nerve, something like that!) so I just concentrate on my breathing. I like your thought about 10lbs between visits. I know its just one day out, but the longer time Ive felt in being satisfied for meals makes me very happy and hopeful.

I picked a weight that I remember I was happy with how I looked. I have made myself mini goals, however and I try to pick a weight and a date to make it by. My next mini goal is 230 by Labor Day!!

Congratulations!!! I remember that feeling of exhilaration and anticipation of the new life ahead!!

OMG I totally want to do the Zombie APP!! There is actually a 5k where you run away from Zombies!! I was training to do that this December. Now maybe I will do it!

I weighed in 2 days ago and Im at a high 237.8. Just barely made it to 237. I really need to get better at changing my portion size. Ive even experianced some stuck food several times and it hasnt stopped me from changing my portion size. I will say, though, that I found this app where you take a picture of your food and it logs it for you so that you can be realistic about what and how much you eat. Its called the Slow Carb Diet app and its available for Android and Iphones. You can type in a description as well. Its not magically going to calculate calories, carbs or portion size, so you have to be honest in the description box. Its easy for me because I do carry my phone everywhere I go and It has helped me be honest with what ive been eating. I noticed it has helped me cut out my snacking (almonds) especially at work. Im struggling to make it to 2lbs a week. I have a fill appointment next Tuesday and Im hoping to jump off from that fill again. I would love to see 230 by Labor Day! Also bought a kettleball to work out with and I am AMAZED at the heart rate you get going when swinging that around! I still have the pain in my calf from my Zumba debacle. It was a little stronger yesterday for some weird reason. I start a new shift for the next 6 months on September 6th. Its still 4 10 hour shifts, my days off are different and I will be starting work 1 hour later and leaving later. The good news is that it will allow me to have more time to take classes before work without taking time away from my family. Already scheduling those days. Stay motivated- see you soon!!!

Thanks EVERYONE!!! Lets keep at it together! 2 more lbs this week! Woot Woot!

Thank you all for the kind support and words of encouragement. I know my husband can be a d**k. Sometimes in 100% of what he says and sometimes in 1% of what he says. I know he is insecure, ugg, and despite my flip flopping back and forth I have stayed and we have worked stuff out together. i wont make excuses for him. I have wondered and asked him who screwed him over to give him this attitude but have moved on as I want to remain as positive with him. Last Christmas when I was in the approval stages he bought me many gradually getting smaller items of clothing like work out stuff and sexy stuff too and said it was something he looked forward to. So he does flip flop too. He wants to me be healthy and look great but doesnt want me to run away. Im not offended if you think he is a d**k, haha, I think he's a d**k on occasion as well. I will talk with him again about how much it hurts me when he comments like that. Just last week when he had a heart to heart with me about fast food choices that he thought would disappear (and to my fault, did not) he said he was concerned with telling me because I always become upset about it. And to be honest, its probably because I need to be truthful with myself about how inconsistent I am being (because I am embarrassed to admit I have slipped up) but also the way he bluntly tells me that I could have lost the weight on my own. I hate to sound like those abused woman that make escuses and say "but he loves me" but I agree about him having serious self esteem issues. I am so glad I joined this group- your support helps. I hope this blog helped someone reevaluate how they take non supporters and remember to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!!

Whats tripping me up in my Quest to have DAILY on track meals is my rush out the door each morning. I need ideas for a grab and go meal that I can have. Im so bad that I end up going through a drive thru for a quick fix, which irritates my BF and makes me shamefully throw the rest of my day away. I'd like to believe that I would wake up early, work out, and make a good high Protein Breakfast but so far that hasnt happened. What works for you? P.s, while I love the Protein shakes and can do them every once in a while, I would like to CHEW my breakfast a couple of times a week!

Sorry for the delay!!! I weighed 239 and change this last time... I have to weigh in again on Monday! Im excited about the loss but I wish it was more like 3lbs a week instead... So funny because every time I think about updating my blog because I know im behind on tracking my weight I keep saying 139, hahahaha...I havent been that low since I was about 19! Anyway...I was trying on clothes last weekend because we ELOPED!!! YAY!!! We ran away and I wore a dress similar to what I wanted. It was more about the moment, the meaning of the ceremony...and then I saw my pics!! WTH, I look like I need to be making tortillas in a mexican kitchen, lol (I am Mexican, BTW) hahaha.. I will post my most heinous pics when I am at home since I am doing this from work (oh oh) :ph34r: So I keep saying that I have some nagging little support issues from my partner... I will post about it on my next weigh in on Monday. I promise. Also feeling fuller this last week. Ive had some serious stuck issues twice in the last two days when I was eating my protein. Once with chicken breast yesterday at lunch and this morning with my eggs and sausage at breakfast. It might have happened some other times but I cannot remember past these last two. It was pretty painful. Trying to avoid mushy slider protein like the tuna w/mayo and melted cheese that I have been eating in a pinch. Getting too long- let me start another blog entry!

Yes. The one i have is called Run Double. I believe it was free and you can use it with or without your playlist. You can repeat runs if you dont feel comfortable going forward.

I got a new scale yesterday because I wanted to see the numbers instead of squinting down at little hashmarks. I now weight 241. I am somewhat pleased. I guess about 2lbs a week is ok. I would rather that it was 3lbs a week, but its better than gaining. I had to try on clothes this weekend. Shopping for a very important event. I realized that in the past I never liked to try stuff on because I hated knowing that the size didnt fit me. But I had to try on the dress this time because I wanted to see which one looked better on me. Neither did. I looked pregnant and not in a beautiful glowy way either. I think this is why women can become obsessive over shoes and purses. Those are two fashion items that you really dont have to worry about size wise, other than the shoes. My birthday was this weekend, too. The big 4-0. Yay me. Kevan (my SO) made a comment about how he hated not being able to enjoy meals with me anymore since I got my surgery. I really hate hearing that. I WAS enjoying my meal. I love him but he had been really give me conflicting statements. Theres a history there about the support/no support with him. But I will leave that for another blog. I added some pics of me that I could find. Further proof that I avoided the camera like the plague. Time to go have my first mini meal of the day!!