ChicagoRose

I am an open book lol EVERYONE that is in my life knows I am on this journey, it helps to keep me motivated by knowing I am inspiring others. As far as the site goes, I use it for general info, to give my two cents needed or not, and to be part of a community of those like me.

Try to relax even though that is easier said than done! I started my journey in April of 2012 and got banded March of 2013 so even though it's killing you consider yourself lucky. I too found out I have severe sleep apnea. You can read my blog if you want to pass the time, I share it all in there =) Good luck!!

For sure....you still have to do ALL the work the band just makes it easier because of the restriction. You can do it!! Good luck and keep up the good work =)

Congrats. I am 4.5 months out and have 1cc in a 10cc band and so far I have not had anything that I couldn't tolerate, I was afraid of rice, lettuce, buns, etc, but so far so good, everything in moderation =) Keep up the good work!

i am four months post and my port hurts when I have been sitting too long, when I have been sleeping on that side, or when I have sex the "old fashioned way" (sorry for the tmi). It just feels sore like it's been stretched or scrunched, either one. Usually I just gently massage the area and then walk a round a bit and it goes right away. Good luck!

Don't be nervous about the fill. You just lie there and they shoot you twice, once with the Novocain and the second time with the fill. Just a pinch like a flu shot. Check out my blog I have an entry about my first fill!

Take a deep breath, you got this! We are all nervous making such a big change, but only good things are to come I promise. I write a weight loss blog if you want to check it out about the ups and downs of it all but so far nothing has made me feel like I made a mistake. Good luck =)

Try using MyFitnessPal.com Unfortunately, the band itself is not a diet, you still have to diet and the band only helps control that. Set your MFP to about 1000 - 1200 cals a day to monitor. You can also set the carbs, protein, and fat settings.

I weigh myself twice a day, every morning, and every evening. I know that whatever I weight at night I can expect a 2 lb. decrease in the morning. I don't think this is a good thing, I'm just being honest I'm a scale *****.

My surgeon puts the band in unfilled because he said that some people experience nausea after surgery and he doesn't like to see patients throwing up with a filled band. I have only 1cc right now and lost 49 lbs so far and didn't even get a fill at my second appointment yesterday!

I also have an anxiety disorder which got worse and worse closer to surgery. Even though you want something 100% and are committed....it is still enough to make your stomach roll thinking about it because it is still something drastic to do. Three months out and I can honestly say that I feel great and I have less and less anxiety about EVERYTHING, not just about my band but also just about life, what to wear, if I'll get tired, etc. Good Luck!!

It's okay, we all make mistakes...that being said what really helped me is to force myself to drink zero cal beverages all day long to subside the hunger between shakes. My fav is Diet Snapple (10 cals a bottle so that's cal free in my opinion) Good Luck!

I wore my comfiest sweatpants both there and back and the idea is COMFORT.....so I also brought a travel pillow (I slept over night and hate sleeping on my back sitting up) a comfy robe, some trashy magazines, my tablet, and my phone WITH the charger LOL......good luck!! You got this!!

Don't mistake being hungry for a craving. Sometimes I get a craving around my t.o.m. and just need a taste of something sweet or salty and am not truly hungry. This is a true learning experience for us all!!

Open Cuts? Yikes! Didn't they send you home with steri-strips or dissolving sutures?

I am three months out and filled to 1cc. I have had what I believe to be restriction from the beginning but am very concious about how much to eat. I pretty much am able to chew and swallow as I always have I just get what I call my faux-burp signal when I'm done. My question is how filled were you when you had your first "stuck episode"? I am losing weight really well and don't want to get too full for no reason and have any problems with side effects.

One of the best things about the band is that it can be adjusted during its whole lifetime to accomodate different times in your life. I am most excited about it helping me maintain my weight loss because I know I can lose on my own but I have never been able to maintain and always gain back twice as much. That being said, when I get to my goal weight, I will hopefully also know how much fill I need to stay there!

My surgeon was very frank about the reasons to not go with the band, the biggest reason being its too hard to cheat and has the lowest long term success rate. Basically no matter how filled you are you can still get fat if you transfer addiction toward alcohol or milkshakes. Either way, my decision was based on the long term information on the procedures and was not ready to remove part of my stomache.

My nutrition team says we can replace only up to ONE meal a day with a protein shake because of what was mentioned above, the calories should come from food.

Good to know I'm not the only one with bad luck!! LOL

Chicago!!

Congrats!! I feel great too...I'm at 47 loss and I feel like I have a whole new life already even thoug I still have to loose more. Keep it up!

Yes, I had to do it too. I wrote all about everything in my blog (listed in my signature). My total pre-qualify journey was 11 months wich sucked but here I am now almsot three months out and so far it has been fantastic and well worth the journey. Sometimes things seem like they are so far away and then you blink and the time has passed. Good luck!!

It's okay!! My first cheating session was a cheez it too LOL!! I took about 7 bites of the little thing and mashed each one into thin air before I swallowed it. I'm not saying it was smart to do for either of us, but I will say that you are not alone and you are normal and you will do better next time =)

hugs.....but you might want to think through a few things! If this person is going to be your spouse you need their full support on this journey!