JenWis6

I am 1 year postop my band and am so glad I found this thread. I was doing well until hurting my knee and needing to have surgery. I have found myself going back to old eating habits and putting some of my lost weight back on. (15 pounds). I have just gotten a fill on my band, have been cleared to start exercising again as tolerated, and am planning on joining Weight Watchers after the new year for the support (I won't be telling them I have the band though). My Dr. and their support meetings are over an hour away and are only monthly. Finding I could use a weekly meeting to keep me on track. Good luck to all with the new year beginning!!

Thanks so much for starting this thread!! I was banded November 2012 and was down 65 pounds by June, had plateaued, and then hurt my knee in a bounce house needing meniscal repair and ACL reconstruction this past October. I am up 15 pounds since June so am now down about 40 pounds. I have just been cleared to start exercising as tolerated. I will admit, I have turned to food once again for comfort but am ready to get back on the bandwagon to weight loss. I am even contemplating joining Weight Watchers just to give myself some accountability on a weekly basis and get the weekly support as my WL doctor is over an hour away. Excited to get back in gear. Good luck everyone!! Happy New Year!!

I am in the same position as you are. I have been wearing baseball hats on a daily basis to cover my thinning hair and was told that is bad too because it doesn't allow your hair to breath. I have been taking Biotin daily and using Nioxin for a year now and really don't notice much of a difference in regards to the Nioxin. I do notice it makes my hair feel and look heavier like there is a coating on it. I am just using up the product I have and I think I am done. Not seeing the results to justify the price. My grandmother was thinning in the hair area too so I am assuming I am dealing with genetics but I too am at a loss. Ready to invest in a couple of wigs. Good luck on your end.

Yes you can take pills. I take the majority of my meds in pill form. If they are really big I will cut in half. If you are getting a prescription pain killer just make sure you ask the pharmacist whether or not you can cut in half. Extended release can be tricky at times.

Looking for some advice from anyone who has experience with ACL injuries. Early this summer I tore my meniscus and ruptured my ACL. I have had surgery to repair my meniscus but my first doctor was a jerk and wanted to wait and see about the ACL. I have now gone for a second opinion on my ruptured ACL. The first doctor only saw a fat 39 year old come in and blew me off, no PT or anything. My second doctor has me doing 4 weeks of PT and then re-evaluate for surgery to repair/replace the ACL. My concern is that I my husband and I spent a lot of money for this surgery and I have a lot of weight yet to loose in this journey. Before my injury I was training for a 5K with my son, signed up for a mud run, and was doing Zumba. I also have 4 young kids at home, two of which are 3 year old twins. In my mind, biking and swimming will not cut it. If I don't get this repaired will I still be able to do all of these new things I have discovered since WLS? I still have a lot of instability with just walking. Any experience/advice from this board would be much appreciated. Thanks Jen

I am in the same place. I work from home and have that head game of always needing to snack. I keep gum by me at all times because I find that I am not hungry, just needing to chew on or have something in my mouth. If I am absolutely going crazy I have Dum Dum suckers or SF hard candy that I can take and that seems to help. Good luck!! You aren't alone.

Well, I have officially gotten my first bout of the stomach flu since being banded last year. Not much food to have come up but any liquid I took in to keep hydrated came back up pretty violently. What is the chances I had my band slip??? Will there be a way I can tell if it slipped? I am planning on calling my doctor tomorrow to get his thoughts. Ugh...

EJRN you will be told many times, it isn't about the scale but the inches. I have been stuck for about 2.5 months but I am still loosing inches and have dropped another size. I always tell myself "Keep on moving forward and don't look back."

LOL. First off, great job on the weight loss. I know exactly what you are talking about. I was at my sons baseball game a month ago wearing my favorite t-shirt and had a friend tell me if I didn't clean out my closet and show off my new body she would do it for me Embrace the new you and show off what you have worked so hard to change. You deserve the treat.

I had to come share my new NSV moment with you all because my husband doesn't get it. I have hit a bump in the road after tearing my meniscus and possible ACL in June. I am scheduled for an arthroscopy next month. My workouts have been cut WAY back to a recumbent bike only and I am only able to tolerate 20 minutes. I have been maintaining my weight loss but have not lost anything since April. Today I went to WalMart looking for some shorts that fit and was able to fit into misses 18 shorts and get them buttoned!! Along with the shorts I was able to buy 2 sundresses in an XL which I don't think I have worn in over 12 years. After feeling down the past couple of weeks this was a much needed pick-me-up. Thanks for letting me share. Doing the happy dance right now.

Wow, Wow, Wow...You look great. I love reading your posts because you are such an inspiration. Hoping you are doing a major happy dance for all that you have accomplished. Great job!!

As a current server, 20% if service is excellent, more if you want but only if you want I never expect it. If I share a meal with my husband or get an appetizer I will usually throw an extra dollar or two in if the server was good. We are only having to claim a percentage of our sales so if you go with 20% of your bill we are still making some money.

I love to read but I need to go to another floor in my house to get away from the temptation. I also love to play the Wii with my kids. That keeps my mind off of temptation.

Sounds really good. I too had an addiction to the slushy drinks. Thanks so much for sharing this!!

I am in the same pedictiment. I have been at the same 65 pounds lost for almost 3 months now. I tried to change up the exercise routine and managed to hurt my knee 3 weeks ago in the process. Had an MRI today and go over results Monday. Ready to get off light weigh bearing and get my workouts started again. Good luck! You've come so far, just keep moving forward

Hi all. Looking for some advice. I was doing some Zumba the last week and had my knee pop and give out on me. It was very painful and it took me a good day to be able to walk on it again. Currently, it is swollen but not tender, only a bit sore and stiff feeling. I can't extend it all the way though. I have rested the past couple of days and started to work-out again. That same knee just feels very unstable and like it is giving out. Again, not painful (I have a very high pain tolerance) but it still worries me. Hate to go waste money at my primary care doctor's office but any thoughts on what might be up?? I finally have my weight loss moving again and can't afford an injury. Grr. Thanks in advance.

Okay, update on my knee. I went to my PCP this past Friday and he started step 1 (I knew what was coming as I transcribe for physiatrists for a living) and has me taking naproxen, putting heat on my knee, and no strenuous activities. He wanted to see what happened with this before ordering the x-ray/MRI. I will be calling him back today though. This step is not helping and my knee continues to pop painfully, feel like it has a lot of Fluid in it, and feels unstable at all times. On to step 2 I guess. Wish me luck. Thanks for all the advice.

I am 6 feet tall and try to keep my daily calories at 1100 a day. I keep track of everything I eat on my fitness pal and do not use all of my exercise calories. If I am really hungry after working out I was told to have a piece of cheese.

Congrats on this NSV. Enjoy this achievement you deserve it!!

Was told as soon as I felt up to it. No restrictions. Think I waited 3 weeks???

Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been hitting my never-ending plateau on and off for the past 3 months and loved the check list. Although I have been frustrated, I know I can beat this plateau and get back on that bandwagon.

I poor my beer in a glass and let it sit for a while. The carbonation usually goes after 5 minutes or so. No problems with a glass here and there.

I would wait a while. My doctor wanted us to wait a year to optimize weight loss. I didn't have my first drink until 4 months postop (my birthday) and now it is a beer here and there. Like the previous post said, make sure you count the calories.

Thank you so much for sharing this website. I am not a big cook but this looks easy enough for even me to make and I am always looking for new ideas. Can't wait to give something a try.

I believe you need to let yourself enjoy a day like that now and then as long as you know that you get back on track the next day. It isn't a "life style" change if you don't allow yourself some fun. Then it is just a diet. You did say one thing that tells me your brain was still in it. You ate LESS. That is a good thing. I am sure if you are anything like me, before surgery you would have really indulged. Count this as a fun day and move on.