Bandista

Hi there, congratulations on your surgery! We are all so different. I can still really honk on my 32 ounce bottle of Water with a splash of cranberry and aloe vera -- it's my comfort drink. Even if I am feeling "tight" foodwise I can still glug down the liquids just fine. Regarding bread, I avoid bread and Pasta for all the obvious reasons -- and when I do try a bit of something along those lines I often get a little radar blip from my band telling me to cut it out. Easier for me to avoid, plus my husband is Celiac so we don't do much gluten anyway. I've had six fills and think I'm definitely in the green zone -- feeling very happy with my band and with life in general. Here's to spring!

Hi there, I was banded November 5th -- sorry for all you went through this winter but I'm glad that you're feeling on track now. I am having hair loss as well, and taking Biotin, etc. Some one wrote that there is a correlation to anesthesia and that at around four months some people have hair loss. Mine is still pretty thick -- a lot of white hairs are appearing on every jacket, however, and it is a bit alarming. But I know from reading so many posts here that it's very temporary and so I'm not really that worried. Good luck to you -- glad you're here! We can hold up that November Bander flag.

Choose Lisa first! Every one else will benefit, of course, but the main thing is you know you deserve the very best life has to offer. Here's to good health! Way to go on making the doctors' appointments. And also on realizing the whole keeping busy, busy, busy, too busy for myself thing that so many of us do. I agree that noticing is the first step in everything. Let's keep listening in to our bodies.

Oh my goodness, this is hilarious -- the sneaking of the bacon. And her not noticing! You will be a very popular breakfast date, that's for sure. Seriously, congratulations and let's hope it always feels this fresh and new, the joy of being satisfied on so little. I know what you mean about the portions -- I've started switching plates with my husband quickly at a dinner party. He eats his serving quickly (like I used to) and is ready for more (like I used to be) and so now I pass him my plate with half or so left on it for him to have for seconds and suddenly I have an empty plate in front of me. No one seems to notice this exchange either. Perhaps we are just such scintillating conversationalists. Or, more likely, people are completely engrossed in stuffing their faces (like I used to be).

Hi there, you have all my sympathies for having to do the pre-op twice. Geesh. But you know what, you are doing GREAT. 57 pounds is fantastic -- and your surgery date is coming up and you'll be so far ahead of the game. The period of time following surgery and prior to getting to the right fill can be a difficult time for some people and the weight your shedding now will go a long way toward getting you through. I so totally get the whole connection to emotional eating and it seems particularly tricky to be on a restricted diet -- liquids, shakes, whatever -- when you're wrapping your head around the upcoming surgery and lifestyle change. I remember being worried about what it would be like afterward, would I miss such-and-such. I kept reading posts people put up saying they didn't miss what they thought they would but I didn't really believe it until it was me. I feel so completely happy and content with my band -- I honestly feel like I'm out of food jail. But boy, pre-op -- now that was doing some serious time. Just know you have got it in you to get through and you are choosing yourself and your health first. Sending very best wishes to you!

Shaklee is a multi-level marketing company -- people buy products and have an "upline" encouraging them to buy more and sign people up underneath them. A lot of people (like my mother) who get into these businesses end up with a lot of extra products that they bought in an attempt to meet a quota. For people like my mother, it's kind of irresistible -- get rich quick meets fountain of youth. That said, I think the Shaklee products are known to be high quality and it sounds like you got a heck of a deal, geesh!

Love these NSVs! I posted this already but yesterday I got new jeans and I'm down from an 18 to a 12 in the same old brand. Yippee! Went to a birthday party last night and saw a couple of people who haven't seen me slowly shrinking. Fuss was made and I felt uncomfortable (very few people know about my band) but another part of me felt like it must all be real if others are noticing like that.

Good luck to you for the 22nd -- it sounds like you have an excellent medical team and you're in good hands. Allergy season has not arrived yet where I live but I don't look forward to that, trying to keep every one healthy. We increase C and zinc for sinus plus avoid dairy, drink lots of extra water, ginger tea, etc. I can't use them now since my surgery because of the carbonation, but those EmerGen-C packets are pretty amazing. Got to stop the post-nasal drip.

I did the walking with windmilling arms as much as possible, round and round our driving circle. Congratulations on your surgery -- I hope you feel better soon. Oh, heating pad helped me, too, and the "happy baby" yoga pose which is basically on the back with arms and knees up. Some people talk about log rolls -- for one just to get up without that incisional pain but also back and forth to move things around. The co2 releasing into the blood mentioned above makes so much sense and accounts for why the walking speeds. That process. I wish I had known about the karate chops, too!

Hi there, congratulations on your surgery -- I was swollen for four or five days after but I'm an inflammation type. For me it was the walking that really helped kick my body into healing mode. I enjoyed hot tea and Popsicles during this time, little naps then walk, walk, walk. I was pretty giddy and delighted despite the discomfort because I had made such a powerful choice in my life. In fact I'm still pretty giddy and delighted -- yesterday I got size 12 jeans, down four sizes from the 18s I was wearing last November when I got my surgery. This has been the best decision I could have made for my health and overall happiness. Best wishes to you -- I hope you can take it easy these next few days.

I'm so glad you knew to go to the ER then your clinic -- and that you found instant relief. Don't worry, when you're healed up you'll be able to get that fill back. A lot of my appetite is psychological -- all that brain chatter. Sometimes I have to just pull the over-ride switch to shut it down. I tell myself to stop it and then I change up whatever I can -- like going for a quick walk, hopping in the car, drinking my jar of water w/cranberry. Something physical to get me out of myself, if that makes any sense. You have done a great job with your weight loss. Don't forget to pat yourself on the back and thank yourself.

We were just at a hotel the other night. My mode now is to get Greek yogurts and out them in the fridge for morning, or if there's no fridge on ice in the ice bucket or sink. If it freezes a little it is absolutely delicious. Have fun on your vacation!

Hi Mikee, that pain in your back/shoulder may be your soft stop signal, something I haven't figured out yet for myself. Great to listen in to your body like that and let it tell you when you've had enough. Exciting times! Glad things are going so well. You are really on your way now. Best wishes!

Hi there, don't despair but seize this day! We all have our ups and downs and there may be more progress than you think. The surgery is done and the band is placed so that's a big hurdle. You have a doctor to work with to get on track. And think how much heavier you might be now if you hadn't done something. I wonder about that sometimes, especially as this was such a tough winter. Without my band I surely would have slapped on another ten or fifteen. Sometimes I look back over goals I wrote up at the beginning of my process to remind myself what I want to achieve. Maybe crafting a list like this would help? Also I try to note the time when I'm having something to eat and I count off on my fingers one, two, three, four hours and plug that time into my head -- i.e. I'm having this yogurt and almonds now and it's 11 so I shouldn't be hungry again until 3. This helps me train myself to not be such a grazer. Just know you are showing up for yourself. You've made this big decision and you want a healthy happy future. We can do this thing!

Hey there, congratulations on your surgery! You will get through this time of healing and be on your way once the fills begin. Best wishes!

Hi Elizalee, congratulations on your surgery date! Very exciting. Samples are a great idea. I know you can buy single packets of Protein powders at the health food store. There are lots and lots of different whey protein protein powders available. Personally I cannot tolerate artificial sweeteners so I always look for ones without aspartame (sucralose). Best wishes!

My insurance company had one requirement only, the 40 BMI and no exceptions to that even with high BP, apnea, etc. I was so worried about this! I could not get a handle on which weight would be submitted but it turned out it was the weight on the day I first saw my surgeon. This was after meeting the LB coordinator, nutritionist and psych eval. I guess that surgeon visit is just when my hospital chooses to submit. Each appointment I wore heavy jeans and hand weights in my pockets, big jewelry, drank a big bottle of water, etc., and I worried like crazy every time I had to weigh in -- wish I had been savvy enough to slump for the height check, duh! Later the surgeon told me they would have let me have my handbag on my shoulder but I don't know if the nurses would have been amenable to that. Obviously they can't be directly deceitful but I think a blind eye can be turned. Best wishes -- it will be over soon, this gauntlet!

A picture is worth a thousand words -- it really does inspire me to see the visuals. Thanks so much for doing that! Now here comes the hard part -- you look GREAT! I know, I know, hard to hear. But it's true, and I can tell you are feeling so much healthier and happier. When I first got on here I was very moved by your courage to lose weight for your joint replacement surgery. You have accomplished so much!

I know what you mean about the carbs. I don't eat bread or pasta but we have some gluten-free cereals and it doesn't matter if they are complex carbs I can get going on that crunching and munching without filling up like I do with the protein and veg. That said, if I add about a tablespoon of said cereal or almonds, etc. to my 100 calorie Greek yogurt it makes it more of a whole meal for me, takes longer to eat it, doesn't just slide down or make me want more. I guess we are all different and need to experiment. Last night I had white beans I had soaked a few days and cooked up -- they were delicious with a teeny tiny bit of specialty olive oil and salt/pepper. But I found I wasn't getting full -- too carby?

I'm waiting for my exercise partner to arrive now. We try to do 80 minutes -- switching off treadmill, recumbent bike and BowFlex -- goal is six days a week but with weather, kids, etc. we have been averaging about four. And some days we only go 60 minutes but trying to eliminate that short-cutting. Now that it's nice outside I want to get a bike and add that in. I meet a friend at a lake to do outdoor walking a couple of times a week. So it varies, but I just know I have to do it. Joint pain can get me down but five minutes into the exercise and I feel so much better, plus overall pain profile is greatly improved by movement. Gardening will start soon. I do a lot of that -- lots of fruit trees to prune, beds to rake out, etc., but this kind of non-cardio exercise doesn't help with either the weight loss or the pain. Unfair! Just know wherever you start is great -- a walk to the mailbox or around the driving circle, ten minutes on a treadmill then another tem, etc. Don't be alarmed by the people out there who do massive amounts of exercise as that can definitely feel impossible to achieve, at least for me. But it's true that it starts to get exponential quickly -- the momentum really builds and boy do those inches come off. My exercise togs are so big on me it's ridiculous.

S/he will think you're a dainty eater (you are!) or likely won't notice anything at all - they will be thinking about what they are going to have for dinner. I don't eat bread or Pasta -- at restaurants I like to have something I can't cook better at home so I go for something with a yummy or unusual sauce. And I love fish. You can always say, "I'm saving room for dessert" if you're just ordering an appetizer (great option). Then when you do order dessert just have a bite. You'll be a fantastic date. But seriously, if you cannot eat out because you live on sliders and shakes or you get stuck all the time, please see your surgeon right away and tell them everything. That's no way to live and it's dangerous. Have fun on your date!

I also enjoy popcorn when I need that munch-down kind of fix. I chew it to a pulp and like the nosiness of the whole thing. We use an air-popper and high-quality organic kernels. The movie theater popcorn just melts in the mouth without the satisfying crunch I'm seeking and it seems like too "white" of a food for me.

I have only had a barium swallow once, the morning after surgery. I kind of wish we had a more sophisticated practice here but we live in a rural area. Take it easy over the next week and listen in to your body -- let your doctor know if you still feel bloated and gassy. They may want you on a Prilosec kind of medication if it continues. Congratulations on your surgery and first fill! Do you go back in a couple of weeks?

I can't do artificial sweeteners either. Look out for Sucralose (aspartame) -- and that's a good point about caffeine. Also you may just be detoxing -- those first three days are so hard but then it really does get easier for most people. Good luck and know you're not alone. Congratulations on making this decision for your healthy future!

You are on your way! So sorry about the pneumonia but glad you're feeling better now. That was a rough start. Fourteen down is pretty great -- some people gain before they get to the right fill for them. Great that you're exercising. I'm pretty sure that's the magic ingredient. Best wishes -- love your picture. Looks like you have some great places to walk.