Kime-lou

WOW, that is awesome. I am only at 60 lost and 1 year out, but I must admit I don't go to the gym.

Every one seems to be different and every nutrtitionist seems to have a different opinion on this. I choose to eat fruit; one because it is natural and non-processed. I eat fresh fruit only! Fruit has lots of fiber and Water. The thing is a lot of people add "stuff" to their fruit like sugar, salt, that will increase weight gain. I eat straight fruit/veggies raw with nothing added. Many times when I eat fruit I will mix it with a Protein for a snack- like apples and Peanut Butter, cucumber sticks and hummas, cheese and grapes. Thus far as long as I chew well I have had no problems with any type of fruit. Each person has to do what works for them.

I would say that is a little early on to be testing the waters. Also, was it a fully loaded dew? I use to be a Dt. Dew junkie- I loved the stuff. I haven't had it now in a year and I really don't miss it. If they are drinking the fully loaded crap then they don't really want to lose weight.

I believe I could have done with the support of my family. But, like Tara-U said, I do not believe a teen could handle it with out the support of family. If the teen is very social, then it might be even harder. I wasn't wild as a teen. I had a very small close group of friends, who I still keep in touch with. My parents were supportive of my weight loss, so I believe I could have handled it. If a teen goes to a doctor about WLS, I think the doctor must do his/her due diligence and make sure the teen has a good support system, or they are setting them up for failure.

The days after surgery you will be sore. You might even ask youself what the heck did I just do, but that will pass. After you body heals, you will feel like normal, only better because the weight will start coming off. Yes, this is a life changer, but not a bad one. You adjust, yeah you eat differently, but not dramatically- you eat less, which is the key. After the first week, you will be back to you, just eating less.

One screw up likely didn't derail you, but if you continue to ignore the doctors orders you will! For safety sake the doctor needs your liver to be smaller, it is for your life. I didn't have a pre-op diet, I was just told to cut back. He didn't want me gaining. I was 244. However, each doc is different and orders different things. The same doctor will order different things for different paitents since we are all different. So stick with the plan- be good to you.

During the summer the girls in my office often go out for lunch. During the school year we can't go out often, so during the summer we take advantage of the layed back atmostphere while the kids are gone. Last summer I most did soft stuff that I brought because I had just had surgery. This year I can eat with them again. The places we tend to go are: Subway Moe's Southwest Grill Buffalo Brothers Applebees Chic fil a Wendy's I use to get a 6 in sub at Subway, but I don't think I can do that now- way more than a cup. So what do you all get at these places? Or, should I just bring my lunch and not go with them?

I know that is a bold statement, but not doing this is what got me to 250 and not doing this will make me gain weight back. Yesterday was Father's Day and I went up to see my dad. I ordered a nice cake with a pic of him and his tractor on it and we got him a new Tab computer for a gift. He was so happy. I am a Daddy's Girl, so I love bringing a smile to his face. My brother's came, my mom had gotten chips and icecream to go with the cake. So we snacked. I got a small piece of cake with one scoop of ice cream. I ate about 3 bits of cake and got the hicups. At first I wanted to ignore them, but then I realized, wait that is my single to stop. My body is saying ok, we tasted this, now we are done- put the darn cake down. This is when I can either continue eating or put it down. I ate another couple of bites and tossed the remainder. I learned something in this. My body knows what it is suppose to do, but I over rule it sometimes and this is what lead to my original weight gain. If I just shut up and listen to my band/tummy it will tell me what I need to know. If I ignore it, not only will I gain weight, or not lose, I will increase my chance for complication with my band. Soooo- if you are choosing to ignore your body, to ignore your band, to ignore your doctor, who do you have to blame for lack of weight loss or weight gain- YOURSELF. I know that may sound harsh, but it's true. I haven't lost as much as I wish I had, and you know whose fault it is - it's not Dr. Yoo's or my band's- it's Kim's!!! I have to own it. Food is awesome, it taste wonderful. One of the great things about the band is- no I can't eat as much, but if I eat the way I am suppose to, slow and chew slow I can enjoy, savor, taste, really get the joy out of what I am eating. Think about it when you scarf something down, do you really taste all the flavors, do you taste the layers, the goodness, all the hard work put into making the dish - nope. Enjoy food- slow down and take the time to savor. When you body says ok enough listen. Then when you body says ok, I need nutrition- eat.

Good Luck- Cwalband- you can do this!!

George

Dylan- they go out about 2-3 days a week. I try to eat as healthy as I can. If I know a head of time where we are going I will google the nutrition info for that place. 2 of the girls (It's 4 of us) have had Lapband along with myself. The other one is a vegitarian. One of the banders doesn't eat like she should so she hasn't lost anything the other has lost 70 and has kept it off for 4 years, but she doesn't follow the rules at all. So we are all different situation, so I don't ask there advice.

I as banded June 22, 2012 and have lost 60 lbs. In my opinon I had boeing 737 wings, I still have wings, but they are smaller. You can't ever totally get rid of them with out sugery, but most people do get smaller there. For me my weight came off evenly all over. I first noticed it though in my face and neck. Everyone is different as to when and how their weight comes off, so try not to compare yourself. Realize that if you weight goes up right after surgery- you may have Fluid build up. Follow the doctors orders to a T, and you will be fine. If you have questions CALL the doc, they are the specialist who knows you best. Good luck!!

the above is correct- don't worry about pain with the needle for fills- it honestly doesn't hurt. It feels odd, but not really pain. Every doc is different, but mine does fills with floro. Floro fills allows him to see my band and my tummy. I drink a little bit of the white stuff and he can see it go down into the pouch and through the band. If it refluxes then he knows I am to tight, if it goes through fast, I need more Fluid. It is goes through in 3 seconds, then it's right. With this type of fill I have never had a problem. So you may want to ask, what type of fills the surgeon does.

You should stick to healthy foods. My NUT says we shouldn't totally cut out anything we love because that can lead to a binge. You should strive to eat good lean Protein, fruit and veggies daily. But, if you crave and really want a sweet- eat a little bit. Like if you want cake- go buy ONE cupcake at a deli- eat the ONE and then let that be it. I did this one day, after two bites, I had my fill of it- tossed the remainder. Honestly, it didn't taste as awesome as I expected even though it was my fav at one time. I have friends who allow themselves a "cheat" meal or a "cheat" day- I use "cheat" loosely, because this should be more of a life style than a diet. I think the goal is just make sure you aren't giving yourself "cheat" meals or days every day. Plus, you must make sure you are not over eating, because that can cause complications. For me, I still eat what I want, but I eat healtier versions and I eat small amounts and look for healthy but just as tasty alternatives to foods I enjoy. There are so many great healthy recipes out there- google it.

I will be one year post this coming Saturday. I've lost 60 lbs. I want to lose about 40-45 more, but honestly I think I would be ok with another 20-25. It is easy to get discorraged when I did reach our own goal. I told my doc that last week, his comment was- "so you feel like a failure because you haven't reached your goal, so losing 60 lbs isn't successful?"- ok when you put it like that it's not so bad. I've lost over half of my excess body weight in one year, which is considered an success. My doc said normally people, if they continue to do what they are suppose to, will lose weight for about 3 years. The first year it's faster, then it slows, but continues. So, I feel like I will get there. The is a process, not a race. For me I can not allow myself to get to discouraged or complasent about this process, if I do, I will cause myself to fail. So each day at a time, make good choices and see where I end up. I go see my NUT again next month for my 1 year, hopefully she will be able to help me tweek my eating habits a little bit to help me lose more. As for you, I would say 70+ pounds ain't so shappy. You have done great. You have come a long way in a year, don't discount that because you haven't reached a certain goal. If you continue to work at it, you will reach your goal, not tomorrow, but you will get there.

We all say we like choices, but really do we? I mean choices is what got me to 250 lbs. I made bad ones!! Now that I have the band and am working toward losing weight I have choices to make. While the band does keep me from eating crap and it doesn't prevent me for gaining weight- it does prevent me from eat a lot at the time, as long as it is not slider foods. Pre-band I made a lot of bad choices. Basically, I ate, A LOT. I would eat when I was bored, I would eat when sad, mad, glad; I would eat when it was "time". Plus, I choose a lot of bad things. Like a milkshake to follow a big mac and fries- just the thought of that now makes me want to hurl. How the heck did I eat that much at a time. Now I must, in order to loose weight, choose to eat healthy item. I must choose lean proteins, veggies, fruit, healthy carbs if any. These are my choices. Each of us made a choice to have band surgery. After surgery we have a choice, to follow a healthy life style and allow our band to do it's job aiding us in the effort or we can choose to continue down the same path we were on before the band. In the early days the choices can seem harder. Before I had much restriction, I could still, if I choose, eat a lot; but I made a choice to follow the rules set before me by my doctor. The weight fell of which motivated me to continue. As I got more restriction with fills the choice to eat more dwindled. If I ate half of what I did pre-band I would feel like I had eaten a cow. I would be uncomfortable and sick. However, as the months past my weight loss slowed and the motivation to continue to path lessend. I can eat whatever I want just not much of it. However, if I choose to put junk in I will not loose weight. If I choose heavy calorie and carb laden foods my weight with either remain the same or go up. So it is still my choice. Sometimes I wish I had someone beside me every min saying her eat this, you can't have that, walk away, ok that is fine, ect. I just to say well, if I was a celeb and could afford a personal trainer and a personal chef I could loose weight to, but even with those you can choose to make band choices- you could still hit the McD's drive through. Each day, each min, each hour I make a choice to do right by my band or turn my back on it and it's willingness to help me. Making the right choice isn't always easy, but that doesn't mean we should take the easy road. For those who say WLS is easy, no, what would be easy would be to have stayed the way I was and continue to eat like I did and gain weight. But, now I have made a choice to change, a choice that I live with daily; but I have to continue to make right choice in this journey.

Yes and No. I think the answer totally depends on how you ate before. If you ate a lot of fast food and junk, then the answer would be no, you need to change. If you ate healthy foods before, but way to much, then yes, you could eat the same things. For me, I still eat many of the same things, but with modifications. Like if I want a hamburger or hot dog at a cook out, I eat it, but without the bun. I tend to get stuck on the bun. I don't eat french fries anymore, one because they aren't to healthy and two because they get stuck. I still eat baked and bbq chicken. We do eat a lot more fish now, it's yummy. I don't eat steak anymore due to getting stuck. I've never been a big sandwich eater, so I don't eat those. While I use to make a lot of Desserts, I don't now, so that is a change. If I do make something I eat one small piece and bring the remainder to my work for co-workers or send it to the hubby's office. In the place of Pasta I often use spagetti squash or if in a pinch I will use whole grain angel hair pasta. I still eat my veggie pizza- but one slice instead of a whole or half of a pizza. Breakfast use to be a biscuit or two from McDonalds- now it's a cup of light and fit 2x Protein yogurt with fresh berries. My weight has been a slow steady decline, which my doc is happy with. Of course I would like it to be better. I will be meeting with my nutritionist next month with lots of questions and my food diary. So, basically I think the answer to your question is totally subjective.

This is common, but tends to be short lived. Be sure to take meds to keep levels up. I battled clinical depression for years, for the last 4 I've battled an anxiety disorder. Thank goodness for meds, life is good now. Surgery is a major thing and all sorts of emotions can go with it.

I only waited 4 days!! Granted we were gentle.

I mistyped- the hubs never buys gifts. The only thing he purchased for me is a pair of footed pj's - they were way big and uncomfy and they were for Valentines. Maybe one day I will get romance, but I doubt it.

Smart man!! My hubs didn't even propose - we got engaged during an argument- actually we really haven't argued much since. Go Fig. My hubs also, does buy gifts. I've never gotten flowers, EVER!!!! I keep giving the hubs not so subtle hints- hell I even sent him the damm number in an email, still nothing. Recreate the way you proposed, or propose all over a gain with a ring or necklace. I would fall out if my hubs did that.

To sum up my life of late "I have been runnin 'round like a chicken with his head cut off". This is a countryism where I come from and basically if you wack a chicken's head off he runs around in all directions until he finally falls over dead. Basically, I've been busy. Work, family stuff, work, dogs, work, doctor's appointments, parties, ect. Things are begining to slow a touch, but not much, I am just hoping to catch my breath a bit. I need to be able to come up for air. At work this morning, being that the kids are gone as are most of the teachers, I am "bumbin' it". I have my jean capri's with a wally world t-shirt and my trusty "don't leave home with out 'em" flip flops. This is my standard appearl in the summer months. While my capri's are a comfy 14, my t-shirt is a left over from last summer XL, so it's big and floppy, but comfy. However, as I looked in the mirror at my reflection this morning I thought- I've changed. Last summer at this time I was in a 20 pant, and XL-XXL shirts and busting out of them. This year the double chin has faded, I can see my collar bones (I was never sure I had those 'till now), and here is the kicker- and for you former fatties you understand me- I can see between my thighs - I see light- WOW!!! Since I was in kindergarden my thinghs touched, now they have separated- I see light. What a thrilling thing to see. Last weekend I went to Victoria's Secret to get some new undies as mine were saggin in the butt. I ask the lady what size she thought I needed. She told me to turn around and she oggled my a** for a min and said Large. I was shocked but happy. So I bought 7 pair and headed home, some what thinking these will never fit. Low and behold they are soo comfy. No more saggy butt. While I always seem to harp on "why haven't I lost more", it seems that I have come a long why. Yes I still have about 45 lbs to go. Will I make, I sure as heck hope so. Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise I will see the blessed 140's. This journey, my journey, seems to have been about a steady slow change of habits. Sheading the old ways and replacing with new healthier thought processes. It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been killer either. While I haven't lost 100 lbs like some who completely flipped their habits upside down, I have slowly made changes and slowly lost weight. I feel that by making this slow progress toward a healthier me I will be able to stick to it as the days, weeks, months, years, decades pass. So at almost 1 year post op I would say I am in a pretty good place. I still eat foods I love. I haven't competely cut anything from my diet, I just eat far less of the bad stuff and in general just smaller amounts at the time. I do still enjoy a slice of veggie pizza from time to time, but a slice instead of a half a large pizza. I still on occassion eat pasta, but try to avoid due to fear of getting stuck. I eat sweets on special occassion, but rather than a goliath size piece I eat a bird size peice. Life is Good and a whole lot more comfortable this year than last!!

Each do/nut is different. I could have it after 2 days. They wanted me on clear liquids the first 2 days and then I could go to others like milk, shakes, Jello, ice pops, ect. After a week I was allowed softs. Call the doc / nut and ask.