JosieK

hi utah i had shoulder pain for a long time after surgery. in fact if i eat too much or too fast...i sometimes get it still. it isnt as intense as when i was first operated on. in the beginning when it was related to the actual surgery i used a heating pad to get a little relief. many people think it is gas pain but it wasnt. my doctor called it "referred pain" which is what CN described below.

when i stopped weighing myself everyday and went to once a month...i started to lose more weight. i started focusing more on setting up my day with healthier eating and exercising instead of obsessing over the scale (which i did for years). i find when i weigh myself alot i usually am cheating and trying to see if i can "beat the scale" i also measure myself once a month because during my lapband journey....i sometimes lost inches over weight....

edie...i couldn't have said it any better!!!! i feel the same way as you. thanks

hey robin, i had same experience with spivak and lapband. where do you live in west tx. i am in Katy.

good luck on friday......this is the single best decision i made to help myself. i'm sure you will feel the same way let us know how you are after the operation..... advice i received for the day of the operation and immediately after... drink alot of Water..... walk, walk, walk and practice your breathing exercises. i was self pay too...worth every penny. also your husband's attitude can be used to your advantage...i would use this to keep me going and to prove him wrong ha! anyway be well

hi like JM said it is key to check with your doctor. my doctor said it was ok to do anything except weight lift after my 1st post op appointment with him. (even abs-which i was hoping he would say to take off 2 years from doing that :whoo:) great that you are planning ahead as exercise is key for me both physically and mentally

hi had one last night....with butter. i usually eat Protein first, then veggies, then a carb if i ever have room (i usually dont) when i have a potato craving....i eat it. a small one is all i can fit. it really does help to avoid me from "obsessing" over it. one thing i read on here when i was first banded...a girl who lost over 100 lbs said she doesnt "diet" anymore. and she doesnt eat low cal anything. she eats less of everything so she doesnt feel deprived. i started to follow her philosophy and it is working. mind you some things i do like low fat (like low fat milk) but if i dont like it...i use the regular

hi, i am about to get serious about the last 20 lbs. the last 2 months have been crazy. so my weight loss has slowed down. i am ok with that because i always feel i need to catch my breath after a big drop. my plan is to ramp up my exercise back to 5X a week. i do 1-2X total conditioning, 2X kickboxing, 1-2X spin. i am also going to stop eating sugar....i've been on a sugar kick and feel yucky from it. so i'm glad to have found this thread. i know this will be slower then my initial weight loss. my goal is to get it off by end february.

hi i am tight in the morning and cant eat till late afternoon/nighttime. so when i take a Protein shake...i have more energy and feel full most of the day also like the other girls have said...i lose weight better when i have more calories. when i ate too few...my weight loss halted. if i know my calories are going to be ok for a day...i still take the protein whey bullets. they have less than 100 calories and 25-42 gms of protein. i attribute this regimen with the fact i havent lost my hair. i have been religious about protein and Water drinking from day 1.

hi i think 70 pct is me and 30 pct is the band. i've had my best weight loss when i approach it this way. in the beginning i was thinking the band would do it all...and it was quite slow. it is way too easy to eat ice cream, candy, etc and much more difficult to eat good food. end may... after reading some of what i consider success stories on this site...i realized i needed to take a greater role of participation in this journey so in the area of eating i've needed discipline to make the right choices. i also ramped up exercise from 0 to a much higher level. exercise has been key in my weight loss and that is totally in my control and not the band. when i ramped up exercise....my scale started to hum (downwards) the band does prevent me from bingeing ( i was a big quantity eater). it also helps me to rationalize not to fall too far off the wagon after having such an operation hope this makes sense...

hi jennibee it's funny....i was sitting here watching the today show and felt the same "twinge" of annoyance when matt lauer keeps saying "they lost it the old fashioned way" the chick who presented the piece called surgery "the easy way out" one reason i sometimes dont tell people i had the surgery is because i feel they may think it is "easy" for me. they dont realize i go to the gym 4-5 times a week, still have to exercise control over my ice cream addiction etc., make healthy choices thanks for posting this. i thought i was defensive when i wanted to get up a kick the TV in ha!!!!

hi cat welcome, when i wasnt losing as quickly as i liked...i noticed people who were doing well exercised regularly. so i started to exercise, drink lots of Water and journalled my food intake and really started to feel well. you dont need a trainer and you can exercise without a gym i got hand weights, jump rope and do abdominal exercises. i started with only working out 1X a week (which wasnt enough) i do best at 4-5 times a week. once i get in a routine of working out it is much easier. good luck...

hi jennifer i live in katy as well. i used dr spivak. this website is an excellent way to get info on all doctors available in texas. we are lucky...there are alot of them. my experience with spivak and his staff has been great. just know everyone has different "priorities" in what they need in a doctor. for me the after care is as important as the surgery day itself. you can attend each doctor's seminar to get a feel for them and also read on here to see patient feedback. good luck and let me know if you need more help.

hi amy, i am starting to think about PS. can you tell me which doctor you are using. i see you also had spivak. i was going to ask him if he recommends anyone. thanks

oh one thing i forgot... i use 2 things to avoid butt soreness during spin class. they have bike shorts with the cushion in the seat area. you can get them at any sports store like sports authority, academy, paragon, etc they also have a cushioned seat that you can put on top of the seat. this works well too but my only problem with this is i keep forgetting them....

hi jm, in my opinion....the spin shoes are essential. they keep your legs in place and i feel like i get a better workout. also when i forget them and have to use my regular sneakers..i am now worried my foot will slip out while riding. someone that used to work for me had this happen and had a big gash in her leg. i got mine on ebay.....they arent too expensive. dibaby; absolutely you can get them. they are pretty unisex so maybe look at mens too thks

hi brandi i use 2 things to avoid butt soreness during spin class. they have bike shorts with the cushion in the seat area. you can get them at any sports store like sports authority, academy, paragon, etc they also have a cushioned seat that you can put on top of the seat. this works well too but my only problem with this is i keep forgetting them.... i love spinning too

they look great rain. thanks for sharing this with us

hi fanny, it's great that you are asking this question pre-banding. 3 rules that i read before banding and thought would be easy....were not as easy as anticipated. 1. small bites 2. eat slowly 3. dont drink with meals. 1+2 were especially hard. i ended up having all sorts of problems because i thought i was following this but was not. i had aspiration pneumonia because of reflux. this was NOT the fault of the band...at all. it was my fault because i didnt focus properly on this. so good for you for getting this sorted out ahead of time good luck with your surgery

shopping....i'm worried as i am being compulsive about it

hi steph, funny that you posted this....i just started exercising again after being away at my vacation home for 2 months. and i am having alot more restriction. my sister in law who is a nurse said this makes sense since muscles swell up after exercise. i never thought of my abdomen swelling but it is muscle. for the last 2 days i have serious restriction. (i'm glad because i was getting too loose) just thought i'd share this with you.

hi i have to get something off my chest.....there are a handful of know-it-alls on this website that bug me to no end. the way they post....their opinions are the one and only ones that matter... and they dont leave room for others to have different experiences. i wont name names but i laugh when i read them accusing others of "advertising their doctors" when in fact they do the same thing. and what's worse are their "followers" that kiss butt after the "guru's" post i will say for the most part people on LBT are very supportive whether it is to give a loving kick in the butt or tons of support and information. there are MANY success stories here and MANY different paths. i fear the few "know-it-alls" dont allow others to experience their own experiences and share it for fear of being shut down. i've been wanting to post this for weeks. but kept thinking...why bother? but since they most certainly get everything off their chests.....thought i'd do the same. ......here's to all of the many great success stories and the many paths taken.

hi wannarunfree, i'm glad you decided to speak to your doctor again. i use these website for information. i found my doctor here and am super pleased with him. originally i was going in a different direction before i was connected to LBT. but a few caring women pointed me in the direction to do my research (similar to what alexandra has done for you) i saw some of those threads you were referring to and was quite appalled by them. i try to ignore them. they dont add to my weight loss and could actually sabotage it if i get involved in it. but there are so many helpful, caring people on here.....i think you can see on your thread the concern of people in wanting to encourage you let us know how you make out

hi babygirl it must be the weather...it is raining cats and dogs down here..... my purpose was 2-fold. first to get off my chest. i used to eat over things i kept in. i immediately felt better after the post. but more importantly to let newcomers know it is ok to have different experiences. you are right....it all boils down to calorie intake and exercise.... it isnt what is being said by the know-it-alls. many times they have good info. it is the tone that is the turn off for me. i belong to a 12 step program where we are taught to share your own experience and practice tolerance. maybe that's why this bugs me so much...i learned a different way in that program. anyway at least you/i feel better ha!!!!

congrats lorid, don and kacee, you all are a power of example i have to say for me...not focusing on the scale (which is hard but do-able) has been a big reason for my success thus far. i know when i am being a healthy eater as opposed to a compulsive eater.... i usually want to weigh myself alot when i'm eating junk...to try to "beat the system" which has never happened. it's simple...less calories in....more weight loss. more exercise....more weight loss. i just read another thread where the title was "hit a plateau" the person was just banded this month and after 4 days didnt have a loss..... i'm not making fun.... my mind can work like this. i just think we (or better yet I) have to retrain past habits and thoughts. those thoughts got me to be over 100 lbs overweight, high blood pressure..nose bleeds and a size 24. anyway...i'm very happy you guys are having success.