zrfhnbc

Hello all! Glad to see folks are doing well. My weight loss is going fantastic and I have yet to get a fill (by choice). However, I'm wondering about how many calories you all are eating daily? I'm trying to determine a good amount.. I'm full at about 1000, however at that level I have less energy for my workouts (I bike 7 miles daily and hike on weekends) and I've noticed that my weight loss tends to stall out when I'm consistently eating 1000 calories. But when I up it to 1200 or so, the weight starts falling off. Just wanted to see where my fellow bandsters are. Also, do any of you have random port pain? My port site has been hurting today and I'm trying to determine if it's normal or if I should make an appointment to go see my Doc. Thanks, MaryumC

Hello all, I am also excited to see this thread. I had my surgery in May and I plan to start TTC when I reach 225 lbs or January. Congratulations to everyone who's already pregnant! I look forward to hearing your updates and joining you soon enough. MaryumC 335H/305S/265C/180G

Hello all! I haven't posted in a bit, but just read some updates and I'm glad you are all doing very good. Things are going well for me, no fill yet (by choice). I still eat very good, I think I just needed the band to take the edge off my hunger b/c I can eat around 850 to 1000 calories and have no hunger whatsoever. Whoever made the comment about folks trying to feed you - I understand. I'm back at work and they eat all the time. I just eat my Lean Cuisine or have small, small portions and I can tell they're all watching. My Mom has been trying to feed me, she swears macoroni and cheese and fried chicken are okay - but I have resisted. I am loving the way I look and feel. This journey has definitely been worth it. I never thought that I would get frustrated with clothes being too big, but I have a hard time getting dressed everyday! MaryumC

mcgreen - I don't think the cravings ever go away, I think the key is to learn how to manage them. For me, my solution is to have what I want in a smaller way so I can move on. When I went through my prep for the surgery, I was given a book with calorie information for all the fast food restaurants, Popeye's included. What I discovered was that I could have a chicken wing and some mashed potatoes and stay on track. Of course, I ate very judicious the rest of the day, but it was worth the trade off. I know some may not agree with this, but I think that if you try to over-restrict yourself you can build internal resentment and sabotage your efforts in other ways. For me, that would be eating 2 too many 100-calorie snack packs and then realizing that I could have just had the Popeye's instead of those plus lunch. It's all a trade off! MaryumC

HI! I just found this thread and I'm excited b/c I've become addicted to biking since I got my band. I had been hiking and walking about 4 miles and then I got the bike and my first couple rides were 4 and 5 miles. Then the bike broke and I just got a new Schwinn that I rode today - what an amazing ride.. I'm already excited about going again! I use a gel seat and it really helps b/c I have a big tushy. I only walked up 3 hills today out of 4 miles. I live by a trail in Georgia that wraps through and around Arabia Mountain - it's absolutely beautiful. At first I was concerned about how I look and now I just love the ride. The folks that look at me strangely can only look for a few seconds because I like to go as fast as I can. MaryumC

Hi All! I haven't posted in a bit and I wanted to update you on how I'm doing. Right now I feel very good and I'm loving this band. Still no fill and no plans for one - I'm still losing at least 2 lbs a week. I've been keeping up with biking, hiking, jogging, walking and sometimes swimming every week and it's been a blast. I didn't think I could have this much fun being healthy. I'm down from a tight 28 to a good fitting 24/22 on top. I can't wait to see even more weight come off. I'd like to chime in with those folks who haven't told co-workers that they had lapband surgery - I didn't either. I told them I was having a surgery to help with my Intracranial Hypertension, which is true b/c it was caused by my weight (and it's now completely gone). I also was certified through the doc to be off for 6 weeks and I took off the WHOLE time. I've spent some great time in therapy processing my food issues and really getting to know Maryum (that's me!). It's been a great experience but I go back next week and it's back to reality. I'm scared to go back because I don't want to fall into old habits and I don't look like I've been sick for 6 weeks. I'm more than 30 lbs lighter and I have an awesome tan... oh well! Anyways - Congrats to EVERYONE. You all are doing so awesome. I'm proud of us.. MaryumC

I am one of the folks that have no intention of getting a fill, I've already declined one. I think that having more of a fill will just force me to not eat more food - right now I can eat it but I feel full after about 800 or so calories. I don't want to do this quick, if I wanted that I would have gone for GBP. Until I'm eating over 1300 calories and still constantly hungry - no fill. Even then, I will try hard not to get one. My goal is to lose this weight like I gained - slow and steady! But that's just my $0.02. MaryumC

I also agree with the idea of a pregnant or TTC Bandster board/thread - me and my sweetie are starting to discuss the idea. MaryumC

Hi All! I am so glad to see how good everyone is doing. We are truly an A-May-Zing group. I wanted to share something I discovered the past couple weeks. I had been consistently consuming 850 calories daily (and was quite proud of myself). Well, my niece and nephew are here for the summer and I started eating a bit more, for the past couple weeks I've been consuming about 1,000 calories a day. And guess what happened? The weight starting to fall off again. Turns out I was eating too few calories for my activity level (I do something active like biking, jogging or hiking for 1 hour every day). Just thought I'd post that in case any one else is in my boat. In other good news, I feel like I'm looking at a new body every day. I can't help but keep looking down (because my stomach is disappearing) and it's so cool. MaryumC First Goal met: 50 lbs lost!!

I had to post this here, because I was just so excited about both. First of all, I went to Lane Bryant and bought a size 24 jeans. My niece convinced me to try them b/c they were on clearance. In January I was squeezing into a 28. I am still so excited that they fit and look very cute. Then I tried on a 2X top I bought months ago (knowing it was too small and thinking I'd wear it after banding, probably in August). It fit too and looked very cute with the jeans. My sweetie just kept saying wow... I didn't wear that outfit very long.:biggrin1: Second thing - I was watching a discovery health channel show about a women weighing 627 lbs and they were describing obesity levels. They mentioned that over 50 BMI is super morbid obesity and I acknowledged (like always) "Yep, that's me". Then I stopped and thought about it and realized "NO, that's not me anymore". My BMI is now 47. I was so excited you would have thought I won the lottery! I just had to share!! MaryumC

I too am 30 and want to have a baby, so I chose the lapband. My starting BMI was 57 and I also weighed 335 lbs. Since May 15 I've lost 47 lbs and now my BMI is 47. I feel great and I think this was a great choice. I was also encouraged to considerr RNY, but it was just too drastic. I need to be able to nurture that baby when it's time! MaryumC

Hello all! I guess I'm hear to be the "naysayer" in the group. I had my followup appt with Dr. Lin on Wednesday the 14th and he wanted to do a fill. I said no. My reasons are somewhat strange, but I thought I'd share them. Right now, I am eating about 800 calories a day. I can physically eat more, but I'm not hungry when I eat those 800. That is, if I eat the right foods at the right times. For me, that means completely skipping Breakfast (maybe it's bad, but it's working right now). I'm tighter in the morning and not hungry any, so I figure why force it. I then have maybe a small 60 cal smoothie mid morning and then have a late lunch. By then my band has opened up and I can eat, so I have a 400 calories late lunch and a 400 cal dinner. After dinner I soothe myself on free foods - sf Jello, sf popsicles until I go to sleep. I have weight issues that deal with lots of stuff, so I've been seeing a counselor to help me adjust to the weight loss. One thing I decided is that I really don't want to be really tight - I don't want to PB or slime. So I'm going to try to use a little more willpower instead, as long as I can take it that is. So that's my little perspective - no fill for now and not scheduled for one. I just think that if I can maintain 800 calories - I don't need a fill. I think eating any less than that is a bad choice for me. Whenever my hunger gets really bad, I'm going to try a very small fill first. (I have a VG band). So maybe this will work.... MaryumC

Hello all! I haven't posted in a bit some here's an update... As of tomorrow I'm 4 weeks post op and will have an appointment with my doctor. I have lost a total of 47 pounds (since I went to the first info meeting back in August 06) - 16 pounds pre-op and 17 pounds since the surgery. I'm feeling pretty good but my scars really itch and sometimes it drives me crazy! Right now I have been eating about 800 calories a day, some times more but never more than 1000. I feel good and the scale is moving but much slower. I'm at like 2lbs weekly now, which I think is what we should aim for? I can't remember... I would expect it to be coming off faster, because 800 calories a day is nothing. But I may be building muscle because I've been very active in the last month. I work out 1 hour every day (except Sundays, when I rest). Walking, hiking, biking, belly dance, etc. It feels really good, but I just wonder if I'm building too much muscle to lose right now, and if I need to slow down. And for some funny news - I have lost weight on the back of my thighs that looks like someone chopped a hole out of it when I put my leg up on the bed. It looks so weird, but what can you do! I know I'll need skin removal/re-configuring, so I'm just taking it as it goes. Well, that's it for me... MaryumC

I am chiming in to say I know EXACTLY how you feel - you just put everything I'm going through into words. I'm 3 weeks PO and I'm starting to struggle with food choices. Especially on the weekends.. There are times when I eat a cup and I'm full, then other times when I can eat a whole plate of food. And I'm so terrified of regaining any weight. I guess we're in this boat together... I'll help paddle and we'll steer clear of the weekend hunger. Just wanted you to know you're not alone. MaryumC

Hey all, thanks for your thoughts on getting hungrier. And for whoever said this is bandster hell, I really needed to hear that! It's hard right now.. My question now is (because I always seem to have a question!): Does anyone else have a VG band? How are you feeling? I'm asking because I've noticed that I can eat a lot more food than you all and I'm wondering if it's just because I got a larger band and can't feel any restriction now? I still stick to 800 or so calories daily, but I can eat more than 1 cup at a sitting. Also, I can take big drinks of water again and I don't have to do tiny bites. Just wondering who else feels this way.. Am I correct in thinking that this is only because I don't have a fill yet? Also, wanted to give an update. As of tomorrow I'm 3 weeks out from surgery and I really feel great. I've left my plateau behind and starting losing again, so I'm very excited. Also, I've been walking 3 miles a day and I went hiking on Saturday. It's all much easier with 40+ fewer pounds! Unfortunately I bought a bike and fell off of it yesterday..:faint: So now I'm nursing knee injury and trying to figure out other ways of burning calories in the meantime.. MaryumC

For those of you banded in the middle of the month or beginning - have you noticed your appetite increasing and your weight loss slowing? I'm on soft foods now and I've been keeping my calories to about 600-900 a day. However, my weight loss has really slowed. Just wondering if anyone else is going through the same thing... I have noticed that I'm able to eat more, but I've been stopping myself from doing that. I haven't had a fill yet, hopefully that will help. MaryumC

Deb24 - I was banded on the 15th and I had a slow recovery. After leaving the hospital on the 16th I was back in for two days with severe pain. I was on morphine for about a week straight! Some heal very quickly but I didn't. Even though I didn't heal quickly, I did heal consistently so that I now feel great. Just keep hanging in there and try to walk if you can - that really helped me a lot. MaryumC

MetalBand - The pain will get better, trust me. I had my surgery on 5-15 and when I was 1.5 wks out I still felt awful and it was very frustrating. At about day 10 or 11 I woke up and felt like a new person, I really turned the corner. I hope your corner is very close! MaryumC

For those of you who are farther along this journey, what does it feel like to be unfilled vs. unbanded? I have had my band placed about 1.5 weeks ago and I'm just wondering will I feel any restriction once the healing is complete. My question is "does being unfilled feel like being unbanded"? Maryum

I have that problem with DP eating whatever she wants all the time. One weekend I was on my liquid diet and we were out running errands/spending time. During the course of the day she stopped at taco bell, zesto's, and ate things like taco supremes, hot fudge sundaes, fried onion rings, you get the picture! That was hard! My trick has been to keep myself full. If I was watching her eat those things and was sitting there hungry, it would have been disastrous! I always keep a packet of cup of soup on me and a soup at hand in the car so I don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat. As long as I'm not hungry when she's eating it, it's not that bad. Hope that helps! Maryum

HEllo all! I'm 10 days post surgery and I still haven't been able to tolerate any mushies. Anyone else feel the same? I can do liquids, yogurt and jello - but other than that only soups work. Anthing else (even very thin mashed potatoes eaten so slow they got cold) feels like it's sitting in my chest. I'm also having acid reflux pain and I feel like I already have restriction. I keep thinking I should be further than this because all of you are so well heeled and getting around. Maybe I'm just a slow recovery... MaryumC

Hello all! I just wanted to pop in and say hello, I'm also an a-MAY-zing bandster. I'm 8 days post-op and starting to feel really good. I'm still on liquids and just disovered how delicious the Lipton Cup of Soup (Cream of Chicken) is - so now I'm eating it often. Any one else still on liquids and have good suggestions? Or ideas to prepare me for mushies? Thanks! MaryumC

Question - So what does it mean if you have extremely bad acid reflux and you have not had a fill? MaryumC

Hello all! I'm starting to get really discouraged and feel like I'm going to be in pain for the rest of my life. I had my surgery on 5/15 and have been recovering steadily. However, after I arrived home I began to get this pain that is now more and more frequent. I figured out that it's happening either in my diaphragm or lower esophogus. I'm not sure which. It's random, not connected to when I eat for or sit a certain way. It feels like an intense ball of pain, then like bubbles on either side of it. I'm still on the liquid diet, am supposed to starting working up to pureed today. I did have hernia repair (hiatal) with surgery, could that be causing this? The pain is bad enough when it comes that I exclaim, and I'm pretty tough (I think!). I've been trying to relieve it with pain medicine, which does the trick by just putting me to sleep. Of course, who wants to be sleep all the time? I have been hoping it's gas/constipation and taking Mylanta and a liquid laxative. The Mylanta feels good going down, but it doesn't make any difference once the pain comes back. Any advice? Should I call my doctor? MaryumC Banded by Dr. Lin in Atlanta 5/15 335/300/180

Katie - I was banded by Dr. Lin in Atlanta on Tuesday the 15th. I haven't had the emotional stuff yet, but it could be related to missing food. Is the time you're moody around the time you and your husband would be enjoying or planning food together? Just a thought... I'd love to talk further about your experience with Dr. Lin, when you had the surgery and how your progress is going. If you're interested, let me know. MaryumC 333/303/180 Hi/Now/Goal