DidThis4Me

I could eat Mexican food every day! When I do, I order steak (or chicken) fajitas with guacamole and salsa and maybe a tablespoon or two of beans. No tortillas, rice, chips, or margaritas for me anymore!!! :-)

Try hitting your refresh button. It takes me a million tries too. :-)

Restricting carbs ALWAYS gets the scales moving for me. Your yogurt probably has sugar too. I would ditch the cereal, crackers and sugary yogurt and add an extra low carb protein shake or two to your diet. I like the EAS low carb shakes (17 grams of protein, 110 calories and only 3 carbs). Good luck. :-)

With the band, we have to develop a whole new relationship with food. As many on this site have stated, the band is not a quick fix. We have to work WITH the band, and we have to eat with purpose. I bought smaller dishes and utensils, chew the food up very thoroughly, put my fork or spoon down between bites and eat very slowly, because my goal is more important to me than the food itself. For the first time in my life, I can (and have) actually thrown leftovers away. The few times that I have thrown up, it was because I ate too much, too fast, and didn't chew my food thoroughly. It was my fault. I LOVE food, enjoy cooking (am very good at it), and enjoy eating what I cook, but my desire to reach my goal exceeds my yearning for food. Some days are better than others, but I have made a drastic change to my body out of desperation, so I am going to make sure I do my part so that my band can do it's part. I would suggest that you connect with some mentors on this site that have reached their goal weight. Not trying to sound preachy, because I am far from perfect, but these are the things that have helped me so far. Good luck. :-)

My daughter decided to bake 2 dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies tonight. They are sitting on the countertop, taunting me. Although my husband and daughter are both asleep, and although no one would know if I ate just one, I REFUSE to visit them. I WON'T give in to the temptation. I CAN DO THIS! I am STRONGER than those cookies! Before the band, I would have eaten at least 5 of those cookies with a tall glass of milk. Now, I am so focused, I am avoiding them like the plague. I see so many people on this site that have actually reached and SURPASSED their goals, and I am inspired. I want to be a success story. If I eat the cookie, I WILL KNOW. My band will know. I don't want to disappoint my band. I think I will go to bed now.....

Welcome!!! :-)

I take chewable bariatric multi vitamins & liquid B vitamins. I don't feel dizzy at all.

Lucky you! I am exactly 1 month banded today and I still only have 4ccs in my 10cc band. I am still operating off of sheer willpower. Just ate dinner and I could have kept on going....I refuse to give up though. Hopefully I will get some restriction with my next visit a week from today.

Wine is something that I am not willing to part with. My weight loss is actually better with a glass of dry wine.

I feel the same way too....I think it's pretty hard NOT to think about the band, especially for those of us who are not yet at goal, and who have tried every other weight loss method in the past. Subconsciously, I'm always asking myself "is this the thing that will help me actually reach my goal this time?" I am considering joining a bowling league or finding another hobby as a distraction. Good luck finding your distraction, just make sure it's a healthy one!

I had my first adjustment today. It didn't hurt a bit, at least not the fill itself. I did find out a few interesting things about the band and about myself: 1. I have a small 10cc band 2. I only had 2 ccs in the band at surgery 3. I MUST have willpower after all since there has been hardly any restriction, yet I have been steadily losing since the surgery I had an additional 2 ccs added to the band today, and go back in 2 weeks for another adjustment. I still don't feel much restriction, but that doesn't concern me too much. What DID hurt me is when the nurse told me I had only lost 6 pounds, not the 18lbs I have worked so hard to lose. Say what??? You see, they are using my starting weight from the day of my first consultation, not from my surgery date, as I have been doing. On 9/21/12, I weighed 213. On each subsequent visit, my weight inched up a little more. At my highest recent weight, I was 230. On 12/28/12 (surgery date), after a few days of a liquid diet, I weighed 226, so that has been the starting point I have used. Even though I know what I have actually lost and the sacrifices I have made since actually going under the knife, I admit it was a little disheartening to have them showing me at a mere 6 lb loss. The disappointment is my fault though. I have nobody but myself to blame. I was on an eating frenzy from the time that I knew I was approved for surgery until a few days before the actual surgery. I know it was the holidays, but that was no excuse. I should have just said no to the carne asada nachos. No to the margaritas. No to the pizza. No to the bbq ribs, peach cobbler, ice cream, and fried chicken. I didn't say no, though. In a last ditch effort, I made it a point to gorge on all of my favorite foods almost every day before the surgery, and I set myself back 13 pounds in the process. Had I used the willpower and self-control that I have been operating off of for these past few weeks (at 2ccs), I would already be well under the 200lb mark. If only........(sigh).....I can't do anything about the prior indiscretions that caused my self-inflicted setback. Going forward, however, I vow to take every day of this journey seriously. I am DETERMINED to succeed!

The white noodles work best for those of us who are calorie and carb-conscious. I think I will go buy some more tomorrow. I had actually forgotten about them.

Well said!!! Sometimes I go through 3-4 outfit changes before I think I look slender enough to step outside. The naysayers aren't there to see that happening. Nor do they see me struggling to try on outfits in the department stores and having to take the walk of shame back to the rack to try the next 2 sizes up. I'm tired of doing that! Those days will soon be a thing of the past because of the decision I made to get my band! :-)

I was kind of thinking the same thing since she is working out so much, and it sounds like she's saving most of her calories for the end of the day which might be part of the problem too.

My weight has been a constant struggle since the birth of my first child (around 25 years ago). I have been on nearly every diet invented. I have spent thousands of dollars and have pretty much tried some form of all of the diet fads known to man: -Weight loss pills (Phentermine, Phen-Fen, Cal ban, Metabolife, Healthy Trim, Hoodia, The Amazon Diet, Zendo Dieter's capsules, Green Coffee Bean capsules, etc.) -Weight Watchers -Weight loss teas -HCG injections (spent nearly $1k) -Medifast, Slimfast, Nutrisystem -Body wrapping -Lipo Dissolve (spent around $3k on this) -Cabbage Soup Diet -Mayo Clinic Diet -d**k Gregory Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet -Grapefruit Diet -Low Carb Diet Trust me, I could go on A-L-L-L-L day. I had some successes over the years, but the weight would always come back with a vengeance. I stayed on the prescription diet pills for many years, always concerned that they would affect my organs. I knew I couldn't stay on them forever, but whenever I tried to stop taking them, the weight would pile back on. Around 5 years ago, I managed to get down to around 175. I gave away all of my clothes and vowed that I would NEVER allow myself to go over 200 again. Once again, I got off of the pills, and once again, I regained all of my weight within 2 years. When I hit 40, NOTHING worked any more. Not even the pills. Since they no longer worked, I got off of them altogether and simply gave up. I ate WHATEVER I wanted, WHENEVER I wanted. I told myself that I work hard, so I shouldn't deny myself of anything that I want, even if what I wanted was carne asada nachos at midnight. I hid behind designer clothes, purses and jewelry to try to draw attention away from my expanding waistline. I'm just being honest. I ballooned up to 230 pounds, which is the most weight I have ever had on my 5'1 frame. I looked and felt miserable. I avoided cameras at all times. I no longer felt attractive to my husband or to myself. My back and knees started bothering me, and I was constantly out of breath. That was when I decided to look into the Lap Band procedure. Exactly 3 weeks after the operation, I am 16 pounds lighter (20 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight), and I am in a good place. I feel like I finally have hope. I will have my first fill next week, and although I admit I am a bit nervous (especially after some of the posts I have read on here), I am looking forward to my journey towards finding my "sweet spot". I also intend to utilize the gym membership that I am still paying for once my doctor clears me to do so. This is my story TODAY. I am now 100% committed to this new journey, which is why I finally made the decision to post my picture. I cannot be ashamed of the path that I have chosen to take. If I don't take my journey seriously, who else will??? Today, I choose life. I choose to take my health back. I choose to believe that I have made the right choice for ME, and that the band WILL work for me, as long as I work with the band. I will be drawing upon the strength and support of all of my fellow bandsters here, and will be updating my story periodically as I reach new successes. Feel free to add me as a friend if you wish. There is strength in numbers.

Yes! I used to buy them all of the time. I've tried pretty much everything! lol! I used them in place of spaghetti noodles. They don't taste as good as pasta and they smell fishy, but for the zero calories, the substitution is worth it. I had to make sure to use tomato paste with my sauce because the sauce doesn't tend to want to stick on them. After I boiled them, I drained them immediately in cold water and then used my kitchen shears to cut them up into small pieces because they are a little hard to digest. They are definitely worth a try, though. :-)

Have you tried changing up your diet? Maybe 2 eggs for breakfast instead of one? For the protein drink, how many carbs does it have? I buy the low carb protein drinks. Again, for me, sugar is the enemy. EAS low carb ready-to-drink protein drink gives me the best bang for my buck (110 calories, 15 or 18 grams of protein--can't remember which since I ran out) and only a few carbs. Jay Robb also has a protein drink that has 25 grams of protein, 110 calories and very few carbs, but you have to make it yourself. I try to drink my protein as soon as I wake up, and I drink it very slowly. Do you like yogurt? I eat plain greek yogurt for breakfast every other day with a packet or two of Truvia (stevia) with a dash of vanilla extract. For lunch, I stick to 1/2 a cup of soup (not creamy, usually something like yummy chicken tortilla soup or vegetable beef). I eat normal dinner with my family also but I still try to stick to my doctor's orders of eating only 1/2 a cup of food. Believe me, if my portion looks bigger than that, my husband doesn't hesitate to let me know! This has been quite irritating! lol! I have not eaten any fast food since my surgery. If my family wants fast food, I eat thick soup or something. I am always the last one to finish eating at the dinner table. I bought these fancy little tiny spoons and forks to eat with, and I eat my dinner off of a cute little salad plate so I can trick myself into thinking that I'm eating alot. I take bariatric multi-vitamins daily, and I still eat a sugar free popsicle or two if I get a sweet tooth at night. I just do whatever I can to try to get this weight off. Every day is a struggle, but I take it one day at a time. I still have a very long way to go, but I'm not giving up! Good luck to you.

Do you mind sharing exactly what you're eating and drinking, how many times a day you're eating, and what caloric intake you're consuming? This is not to judge, it's just to help pinpoint what might be holding you back. (Also keep in mind muscle weighs more than fat). I am not a nutritionist, but I can tell you what works for me to keep the scale moving in the right direction at least every few days.

I just confided in a relative yesterday about what I had done, and this is EXACTLY what she said to me (You're not big enough to need surgery)! She struggles with her weight too but isn't 100 pounds overweight. Also, diet pills still work for her, so that's what she's doing to control her weight. I gave those up a while back for health reasons. I was immediately sorry that I had confided in her, since she actually had quite a few negative comments. I politely explained to her that at 5'1 (on a good day) and 230 pounds (a few weeks before surgery), I was more than 100 pounds overweight and was morbidly obese, even if I didn't look like it. Also, since my insurance paid for it, they must have agreed that I needed it. Anwyay, I am happy with my decision.

Maybeme, First off, I am very sorry to hear about your dad. I lost my father-in-law to cancer 2 years ago, so I know how stressful that diagnosis is. Don't lose hope, though. Many people do survive it, even stage 4. Just try to stay positive and encouraging, and again, don't lose hope. It looks like you are doing a wonderful job with your weight loss and staying focused during this stressful time. You should be very proud of yourself. If you ever need someone to talk to about the illness, eating, not eating, hunger, stress, or if you just want to vent or need encouragement, feel free to pm me. This is a wonderful group, and others here have extended the same offer to me, so I am just paying it forward. I will be praying for you and your family.

Thanks for your response. Again, I am no expert, but I would probably ditch the canned fruit in light syrup (since it's high fructose corn syrup) and the light yogurt which also has a lot of sugar. Also, some fat free foods have added sugar for extra taste. For me, sugar has been the enemy. I eat plain greek yogurt (which has tons of protein) with a dash of vanilla extract and a packet of (Truvia) stevia. For fluids, I don't drink fruit juice or soda. I try to drink water, and I sometimes sweeten it with Mio or those little 5 calorie packets. I try not to do that all day since there is so much controversy over artificial sweeteners. Try ditching the "light" yogurt and "light" canned fruit for a day or two. I will be very surprised if the scale doesn't move, or if it moves in the wrong direction. Good luck. :-)

Hang in there, Dee. Don't give up! Even without restriction, we can do this!!! We're all in this together to encourage and support each other. Do you mind if I ask what your 64 ozs and mushies consist of??? Trust me, I am no expert, I'm learning every day just like everybody else, but what I do know is that I always get the best results when I increase my protein and water intake. I also take bariatric multi vitamins and make sure I get enough sleep.

Keep up the good work!

I tried to wear jeans too soon and infected one of my incisions early on. This was, of course, before I discovered this site! Antibiotics cleared it up nicely, though. I also notice you said you have been "rubbing it" with disinfectant. That might irritate it as well. Definitely have the doctor take a look at it. Good luck.

I just thought of a few more! 8. Not having my thighs rub together when I walk 9. Being able to see my feet when I look down 10. Not having to squat to pick something up off of the floor