Kime-lou

Even if you can't find your surgeon, find a surgeon willing to take you on. It is likely that once you got to the point where you started going back up you needed another fill. Get back to a doc and restart the program. You only fail when you quit trying. The important thing is to restart now before you gain more back.

Morning tightness is very normal. What I do to help with it is drink a cup of coffee first thing, this seems to help reduce the Fluid build up in that area. During my monthly cycle, I know nothing is going down so I don't bother- just have a Protein shake. Everyone's band will behave differently and we have to adjust to it.

Some people do have allergies to Multivitamins. I do, except I vomit uncontrolably. When they did my blood work they told me specifics I needed to take- B Complex, C, Calcium. I just took those. Now I am off all except the B Complex. Talk to you doctor, some of us just can't tolerate the mix of Vitamins.

It does seem to be true that the lower the BMI goes the slower the weight comes off. I started at 244, the weight seem to melt off until I hit 199, then it got really slow. It took 4 months for me to lose 10 lbs. Yesterday, I finally saw 188 on the scale. I am so glad to get to the 180's, I am hoping to get to the 140's, but that may take 2 years. The doc told me that my weight loss would wax and wain, that I should not get discouraged. Easier said than done.

Cheryl what my doc said when I ask about the cup vs half cup was- one cup of food chewed up is on average a half cup. Therefore, this is why most all docs say eat a cup of food.

The last week I have been BUSY!!! I spent most of last week in classes to learn about the new software system we are switching over to this summer. This was a very technical class, that left my brain in mush mode by night. In an effort not to back track on my success I opted to take a page from Carolina Girls book. I made my little cups of chicken salad (chicken, apples, grapes and pecan) were fixed in my fridge. I also had more apples and grapes in there, along with the staple of weight watchers cheese sticks. Each morning I would pack my little bag and take it with me to class. Taking my lunch allowed me to stay in during lunch and play with the training database more and talk to the teacher to get more info. The great thing I found by doing this is it works!! I stuck to my portion size and found that I didn't get hungry, I never felt bloted or bad. So this week rather than chicken salad I make homemade fresh tuna salad for my lunches. Again this is great and keeps me from just grabing anything for lunch. So I have to say thanks to Carolina Girl for putting out there what works for her. Unlike, CG, I can't do carbless. As she said that is her choice, but I have always been a carb aholic so I know long term carbless wouldn't work for me. So in an effort to do better, I have opted to go carbless for one meal a day. On my fidge is a list, each day with what I will do for breakfast and what I will cook for dinner. This way I can plan, get fresh groceries, and make sure one carbless meal gets in a day. My fresh veggies and fruit also don't spoil this way. In my fridge I have the shelf that is at my eye level full of my fruits and veggies and healthy options- this helps me make good choices. Now if I can manage to kick it to the next level and get back into a regular work out routine rather than the sporatic one I have been one of late. A bit of advice for newbies and oldies.... read what works for others, pull some of it and try it, see what works for you. We are all different, but by putting what works for us out there we might help others so talk, read, learn!!

I appreciate all your post. Actually alot of people have viewed and liked it. Who cares what they think anyway. You are doing most amazing, to heck with them if they have a problem with it. Preparing meals a head has really changed things for me. It really is helping keep me on track, I am amazed. Why the heck didn't I try this before. Thanks for all the advice and for the blogs I take bits and pieces and apply it to me and I am making my success plan.

Of course, ask! I had the same issue. I called the doctor's office. I was told that I could get a cup of plain yogurt (not greek and not thick and creamy), and thin it down with milk or a protein shake and drink that. It did help get me through till I could start the mushy phase.

If you are anything like me, you will find you don't use half of what you buy. I went out and got all this stuff, Soups, popcicles (SF), pudding, Jello, ect. After surgery though I didn't really want anything. Once I got to mushie, I just ate 3 meals didn't want Snacks. Everyone is different. I would suggest though get a few staples- Soup, SF popcilces, shakes. If you have some one who can run out for more, don't over buy because you may not be as hungry as you think you will.

One foot infront of another, one step at a time, that is how we make it to goal.

I am happy for him and I hope he is able to be successful. Glad he went public about it to.

The hubs wanted to go to Moe's. I got a Joey Jr in a bowl for lunch (chicken, pintos, cheese, grilled onions and peppers, lettuce, sour cream). That was enough for lunch and dinner.

I am there with you. I also need to remember to be thankful for what I've done. Those first 50 melted off, the last 10 were a fight and I have a feeling the next 10 will nearly kill me.

I was told much of the tingling and odd pains is from the band or the tube coming from your port irritating the nerves in your body. The pain varies and can come and go, but nerves tend to heal or "get use" things in about 3 years. I have had multiple sugeries on my hand. It took about 4 years for the nerves to get back to a normal state.

I think you should weigh as much as you need to, but not allow it to control your mood. I weigh daily and have since I started. I ask my doc was that an issue, he said no, as long as the number didn't dictate my mood or cause me to binge. Weighing, when and how often is a personal thing and I do not believe there is a right or wrong answer, just a wrong reaction. As far as string cheese, it is a great snack. Being that I am not a lover of plain cheese, I eat a Weight Watches cheese stick with a handful of grapes as a snack. My NUT says that is a great snack.

I have a serious problem with wanting instant gradification. I think I've always been this way. My mom says patience was never my strong suit. I guess this is way gaining weight was so easy for me. You eat, it taste good, instant grad. Where the calories don't build up to pounds quickly so I don't see the negive consequence so fast. I went into this surgery knowing that the loss would not be instant, however I did believe I would have lost more by this point (only 55 lbs in 10 months). I did well the first little bit, but then it has taken me 4 months to lose 10 lbs. I worry that I've lost all I will lose, a co-worker has told me over and over that with lapband you only lose 50 to 60 % of your excess body weight, and I am right there. With exercise I also find it hard to keep on schedule. Due to my desire for instant gradification I find it difficult to say walk, do the elliptical, lift weights for x length of time because I see no result afterwards. Now, I love cutting my grass (I push mow my .28 acre), working in my flowers, even cleaning my kitchen and house because when I am done I can see a difference- instant grad. I know I need a regular exerecise plan, but I am having a really hard time sticking to one. I can go a month maybe two then I slack off due to other obligations that get in the way. Once I don't do it one day it makes it hard to get back at it. The hubs fusses at me for this, but he does the same thing. At one point we were walking the dogs on the trail behind the house every night, but long hours at work rain, we don't do that now. My eating I think I am doing well with. I am making good choices, eating small portions, and drinking water. I know that limiting my carbs more than I have already done may help me get it down even more, but I worry I wouldn't be able to keep that up long term. I am a meat and potatos girl, always have been. I think basically I need to suck it up, put on my big girl panties, stop wining and do something!!! I find it easier to cut carbs than I think, I had a much easier time letting go of soda than I thought I would. The exercise may still be an issue, but maybe I will be more apt to do it if I get a gym membership- I don't like to waste money. I am in contemplative mode right now, the pity party is over, I am planning now to get over this hump. I want to kick my want power into high geer!! Please any one who want to kick me in the seat of the pants, bring it on. I want to move forward!

Yep, Jim- I haven't gained, but boy has the loss slowed. It does get so frustrating. Still figuring out where I go from here. Maybe I set my goal to lofty- my goal would put be barely in over weight zone- I just feel like if I got into the size the BMI chart said I should be in I would look bad. Who know where I go from here.

You are doing great to start this now. I feel sure it will help your success in the post op phase.

I am 10 months post op and I have lost 55 lbs. I to find it a struggle to stay on a regular routine with exercise. Looking for the key to that success now.

I love doing manual labor. I grew up on a farm and loved working outside. Now I live in the city and love working in my yard. I find getting exercise doing manual labor much more rewarding than excercise in general. I need some sort of postive outcome that I can see right now, I guess that is the impatience in me : )

It's a week before my TOM, so maybe that is why I am feeling this way, but ugghhh! I got up this morning like any other, weighed after potting, 190.8! Geez, how, I am following the rules. I want my 189 back or lower!! Moving on with the morning routine, I put my clothes on and go to fix my hair. I had on a sleeveless top (I had a shirt to go over top that I would put on before leaving), as I am doing my hair. I lift my arms up to begin curling- OMG!!!!! My arms, OMG- they are huge, that is what a thigh should look like not my arm and the hubs says my arms are smaller- OMG!!! How big were they? Then my eye drop down- I fail to see any of the postives that have come with losing 50+- I only see the remaining fat rolls! I see how my tummy still pouches, my back fat- UGH- I am a huge fat hippo!! I feel like having surgery did nothing for me- ok I realize that isn't true, but I am in full pitty party mode. I have only lost 54 lbs in 10 months- I am a failure - others have lost so much more. Why didn't I have bypass, then maybe I would be smaller now. I am sick of getting stuck at meals! My pitty party was in full swing. I wasn't just thinking all this the hubs was sleepily listening. Finally, when I turned and said if I am this freaking huge now, just how big was I really before I lost the weight. At that point the hubs just said I love you and you are beautiful to me and turn and walked out!! He knew there was no talking to me at that point, I was firmly in the mode. As most men can relate, when a woman is in this mode there is nothing a man can say and not get in trouble for, so it is best to be quiet- my husband know this all to well. Now a few hours later I am at work, still down, but not total pity party. I am just in the mode of ok, this sucks I want to lose more, I am tired of this being so slow, so what do I do now. As much as I do not want to add a more rigourous exercise routine to my plan, I think that is the next step I need to do. Also, trimming carbs even more- I dont' like this, but if it helps and get me to where I want/need to be then I gotta get with it. So tonight after work- I do have the push mow the lawn (I actually do enjoy this- gives me time to think while doing something productive that has a postive result I can see when I am done). I am also going to have a talk with the hubs, I am going to need support from him to kick it into the next level. He has always been supportive and loving and I know he will be this time to. So how many of you have pity party days, where you still feel like a beached whale?