gowalking

Sounds like you are in the right frame of mind and truly motivated. I'm sure you will be a successful bandster. Good luck tomorrow...see you on the other side.

That is so great Sasha! I share your excitement..I've also gotten into sizes I haven't been in for quite a while. It's such a great feeling....you should be so proud of your success!

Hi Karen. I also have not had any fills. It's not typical but there are a few of us on this site who haven't needed them. For whatever reason, we feel the restriction even with no Fluid in our bands. FYI, I've lost nearly 70 lbs. in 6 months. Good luck on your weight loss journey.

your dr. must have a different definition of liquids. yogurt was also a mushy/pureed food per my post op list. just to be sure, call the office to confirm that applesauce is ok.

What a lovely NSV. So happy for you.

Applesauce is a mushy food...not a liquid.

Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Everybody has different experiences. Quick weight loss, slow weight loss...stalls, all of it. If you've read alot of the topics on this forum, you will know that this soon after surgery, you are swollen and weight loss will not happen the way you expect even if you are eating just a little food...or no food. Do yourself a favor and get away from the scale. Just work the program and you will have success. Good luck...don't despair...you have plenty of time to lose the weight...and you will.

Very sorry Allie. I said this was not a dig at you. Your question just made me wonder why we are not more informed by our doctors. Please accept my apology if I offended. It was not my intent.

Good luck Adrienne. I was also banded at NYU with Dr. Ren-Fielding.

Welcome Penny. I'm across the East River from you...in the West Village. I was banded at NYU in January and have lost 70 lbs. so far. Congrats...it sounds like you are doing great so far and being banded in the summer means that you can walk around outside and do things to keep your mind occupied by being out of the house..

I find that when boredom grazing rears it's ugly head, it's time to do something to take your mind off eating. Take a walk, read a book, do a puzzle, knit, just do anything to focus on something other than food. I have to do that all the time to avoid that mindless eating. Good luck and don't beat yourself up over what you did. Just learn from it and move on.

The first time I ever heard of or tried quinoa was at a destination spa I went to about three years ago. The restaurant at the spa focused on healthier preparation and choices. Turkey burgers instead of beef, gluten-free dishes, vegetarian, etc. Whole wheat breads, organic eggs...all that type of stuff. I was bowled over by how delicious the quinoa was. Glad to see that it is so much more well known now and available pretty much everywhere. I've also seen it substituted for certain pasta dishes and that's always a better alternative than processed food.

5'1" on a good day. Started this journey at 267 though I topped the scales at one point at 276. Was 250 on the day of surgery which was January 14th, 2013 and as of this morning, I'm 198. Was not given a goal weight but my primary care doctor is hoping that I can get down to 150 lbs. If I can hit that number, I'll be very satisfied. I have a tremendous motivator...I have severe arthritis in my right knee and will likely need knee replacement. The ortho surgeon told me in no uncertain terms that unless I lost weight, the surgery would not be successful. When you are facing the possibility of not being able to walk, it's a little easier to stick to the program and do what you have to do..

If you think you need a smaller size, it's likely that you do. I didn't wear smaller sizes till I was about 45 lbs. down. Once I did though...everyone noticed the weight loss.

This is such a great post Mark. I've been thinking of you all this time knowing what you were up against. I was also in the office yesterday...I wonder if we were there at the same time and just didn't know it. Congrats not just for the weight loss but for your attitude which has done a complete 180. I hope mom is soooooo proud of you. I know I am!

Very normal. What's not normal is not being hungry. Almost everyone has no appetite after surgery but it comes back as most can attest to.

congrats! my words of wisdom are just to keep reading the topics on this forum and ask questions if you have any. This site was a life saver for me. I learned more from the posters here than anything I was told at the surgeon. And that also includes the nutritionist.

I am constantly amazed by how many people have this surgery with virtually no clue about how the band works. Please know that this is not a dig at the poster..what it is is a dig at the doctors. Why do they not make sure their patient's understand completely, how the band works? I see people posting all the time and it's obvious by their questions that they do not know the fundamentals. No wonder people fail at this. Sorry about the rant...it's just frustrating to me to see people struggle when you know they don't understand how to work the program.

Good luck. It's not easy but you can do it.

I stayed overnight and it was the right decision. The nurse was there to help me to walk, and to give me my pain meds. No...you don't sleep well but you won't sleep well at home either. It made me feel better to know that if anything went wrong, I was in the best place possible. FYI, my insurance covered this so there was no or very little additional cost.

Probably not. Don't be surprised if you have to go on a documented weight loss program for 3-6 months. Most insurance companies require this as part of their approval process. It will be a good way for you to get ready for the process you'll follow post banding. Good luck.

hang in there. before you know it, you'll be able to sample mom's home cooking again and she won't even know why she was crying when she sees how much healthier you'll be. you're only 8 days out and it will take a while before you are eating regular food...but believe me...you will be. I had a similar feeling to yours...it was just a different scenario. for me, it's eating out with friends and family and how would that change or would I have to stop doing that...which saddened me beyond measure. Well...six months out, it hasn't changed at all. I go to any restaurant someone picks and there is always something better to choose from on the menu and this part of my life hasn't changed at all. It will be the same for you.

Well I knew it would happen eventually. After a spectacular weight loss, I've finally stalled. For the last three weeks I've been up and down a couple of pounds but can't seem to move the scale even though I've not changed my food intake or eating habits. I've been a little tempted to lower my calorie intake but I'm already at or around 1,000 calories a day and I don't think fewer calories will make a difference. Plus I eat healthy so it's not like I'd cut out any bad food choices. So...while this bit of a plateau is a little disappointing, I have to remember I've already dropped 67 pounds since January 1st and have to just power through this. I'm glad I'll be away for a few days next week and won't be focusing on the scale.

yeah...I'm a diet veteran like most of us on this journey. If the scale doesn't start moving down soon, I'll look to change it up a bit and see if that helps. I just wish I could exercise....the knee is worse than ever and I'm going for an MRI next week to see just how bad it is. Knee replacement may come sooner than later....

congrats and good luck. I had Mrs. Dr. Fielding...lol. I'll be in the office tomorrow as a matter of fact. Just a regular follow up....I haven't needed any fills yet so I'm basically in and out at this point. I had a very good experience with the staff during the surgery and in recovery so I know you will do great. I stayed overnight and they took very good care of me.