kacee

WhooooHoooo! Honey you ain't BEGUN to eat less! Right now I tried to eat a Smart Ones dinner. I got less than half of it down and feel like I am about to POP! (I used to eat two in a sitting, not bat an eye, and go looking for something else). I've dropped about 5 pounds in the last two weeks. food at this point is just kindof an afterthought (do you BELIEVE I am saying THAT????). Within the first two bites, I literally feel I could put my fork down and be fine. My body is starting to react to this feeling and I am not getting hungry as often. I'm really going at this aggressively because while I have the incredible motivation and am seeing the action on the scales, I want to knock off as MUCH weight as I possibly can before things start to stabilize and slow down. Remember, your first fill may be nothing. Do NOT be surprised if it is. Many folks don't recognize a change after the first fill. Some get a lot closer in the 2nd...mine was in the 3rd when I really started to recognize a change, and the 4th...WOW...MAGIC!!!! I can have always been able to get meat down, just vvveeerrrryyyy slowly.

Wow, you are the FIRST person I have herd other than me here with the Tribest! I got the LARGE cup attachment and it is perfect for my protein shakes (protein, milk and ice). I put a mark on the 1 cup level so I don't even need to think when I fill it with the milk.

I imagine I will start to weigh less frequently as I near my goal and things naturally slow down. Right now, however, I am seeing so much action on the scales, it is incredibly motivating for me.

I was AMAZED at how FOCUSED I got after the band. Before, my dietary habits just SUCKED. Since then, I actually THINK and weigh in my mind what I put in my mouth. Is it worth it? Is there something more I'd rather have later or is this something I REALLY want? Yep, I ate a La Madelaine Quiche Flourentine (5" round) the other day. It was wonderful! I ate 1/4 for lunch, 1/4 in mid-afternoon, and the rest for dinner. So what if it was 600 calories! It was spread throughout the day and it filled me up! In my "former life" I would have stuffed the entire thing in my face and gotten something else to wash it down with....eaten mid-afternoon and gone home to gorge myself on something else in the evening. I was not deprived, but by the same token, I didn't have that horrible GUILTY feeling I always used to have after "stuffing my face with a no-no".

I think it is all relative. Because my scale has tenths of a pound, THOSE are actually the ones I watch. They mean as much to me as the pounds do...actually the pounds are like gravy. The tenths go down and then all of a sudden the whole NUMBER changes and it's WHOOOPPPEEEEE!!! I can get VERY excited over a quarter pound gone!

Some may argue with me, but this works for me. I have a digital scale. I weigh first thing in the morning (naked after a good pee and picking all the belly button lint out). I mark down the pounds and tenths. Every day. I can read my body like a BOOK now. For instance. I had a few glasses of wine last night. It won't show up today, but probably tomorrow I will see a pound come back on. It will hang for about 48 hours and then drop. I can calculate my plateaus and see exactly how they work, when they come on, how long they last. I can put my weight up next to my caloric intake (I log ALL my foods) and see exactly what causes what. No questions, no mystery. When I go to the doctor's his scale ALWAYS weigh about 3 pounds more than mine, so I don't get freaked out and I just accept it and expect it.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If it hasn't worked by now...it's not gonna. Period.

Just hit my mini-goal of 175 for my California trip in 2 weeks. I am STOKED! I've just bought a bunch of new clothes, had my hair done, my nails are all grown out and polished beautifully. I think one of the biggest kicks I get is when I see someone I haven't seen for over 5 months and I watch their jaw drop. My whole DAY can revolve around that look!!!! And you know what else? It just goes to show that everything is RELATIVE. Thirty years ago I would have been APPALLED if I was sitting at 175....I would have been in the depths of depair and probably crawl under a ROCK somewhere! I actually stand in front of the mirror NAKED now! And literally for the first time in my LIFE I'm going "NOT BAD OLD GIRL!!!" How you feel about yourself is 100% how you feel about life. People tell me I am BUBBLEY!!! Happy camper doesn't BEGIN to describe my attitude!!!!

Lawanda...your band is not even working yet. You may or may not be getting some residual restriction just from the band itself, but I know before my first fill I had a voracious appetite. Your first fill should be about 30 days after surgery (some doctors wait a little longer but I think 30 days is typical). I think they are conservative on the first fill. Most people don't notice much of a change. I noticed NOTHING. I went back shortly after and they did it again and I got a LITTLE restriction, but nothing to write home about. That being said, it WAS restriction and it DID cause me to alter my eating habits a little. I wonder now if they just kindof slide you slowly into restriction so you can get accustomed to the feel and how your body reacts. I think if I had started out with the restriction I have now, I may have been in a world of hurt with the learning curve. This way, you kindof slowly ease into the restriction and it's not such a shock to your system.

My 4th fill two weeks ago was PERFECT!!!! They gave me just a skosh and it was magic. I wish I could bottle and sell this feeling. However, BECAUSE I am now at the optimum restriction, I am actively losing again, so that means this will start to slowly loosen (damned if you do, damned if you don't!). I hope it lasts more than a month and a half this time, but I finally know what a GOOD restriction is, what it feels like and what to expect. Before, I was just kindof feeling my way along....

Boo Boo, I think you are a classic case of "Results Not Typical". And no, they are probably NOT used to seeing such a success story as you. He should be thrilled because you are a classic advertisement for the band!!! He should be applauding you and showing you around to his prospective patients! Some people just don't know a good thing when they see it!

Yep....if you are flouro'd and the barium goes through easily, there's not much room for arguement. When it happened to me they all just shrugged and filled me up!

Also, as you lose, that restriction is going to ease up as the fat pad diminishes around your stomach. I am EXACTLY at my sweet spot now, but I've also lost about 3-4 pounds since that fill and I don't anticipate it will last more than a month, since I am actively losing.

I got a Tribest personal blender (check this link... Personal Blender 200 - Excellent Kitchen Blender! ). I love it. I also like the fact that you can buy each piece separately...including the motor housing...so you don't have to buy a whole new "set" if the thing goes out on you down the road. I've had mine for four months, use it daily and LOVE it.

I crushed for about the first 30 days. Then I broke them in half for a little while. I am four months out and have been taking my meds (actually several at a time for the smaller ones) whole for two months. Not a problem for me at all.

I think also has a lot to do with the temperature of the liquids you are trying to get down. I have herd from a LOT of people that drinking something cold can really be difficult on you. Warmth relaxes the tissues. Then it makes sense that if I get up first thing in the morning (when I am ususally tighter) and drink something COLD, it may feel like it doesn't want to go down....

And you are how old? Well, I've been checked and have zero blockage after 45 years of bodily abuse. A lot of it is diet (cholesterol, etc.) and some is genetics. I really wouldn't worry about it. Your doctor is just being cautious.

If you have any negotiating skills, I think I would definitely approach the surgeon for a LARGE DISCOUNT on the next procedure.

If you have the money, there are also Life Coaches who specialize in post bariatric surgery lifestyle changes.

You can do that....or you can probably find a few support groups in your area. A lot of the surgeons have organized their own support groups that meet regularly. The thing is, with a support group you are going to find that you are not alone with your questions....MANY lapbanders are emotional eaters and going through the same thing. Like Alcoholics Anonymous, sometimes it is just what you need to be with people who are walking or have walked in your shoes.

Can you eat while you are at work? If so, maybe you should try to eat something about an hour before you get off. This is a typical problem with people who work first shift too......going home about 5 pm and grazing. I have a co-worker with the same problem and she is now trying to eat a mini-meal about 4pm.

You will probably feel nothing from the first fill...most people seem not to. Some folks start feeling it after the second fill. I just got my 4th and when I got my 3rd I felt "really close" but it disappeared when I lost another 10 pounds and I went back in for the 4th. I am now "just perfect". I wish it would stay, but I know as I lose it will loosen again. As you lose the weight, the fat pad around your stomach shrinks and the band gets looser. Initially, it is a little trial and error. Some people have a delayed reaction a few weeks after their fill and it gets tighter THEN. Mine seems pretty stable. The thing is not to expect too much from the first two fills and you won't be disappointed. I hit my sweet spot at 3.5 months post surgery.

When I got my 4th fill 2 weeks ago, the nurse said I should feel liquids hesitate a nano-second before going down. I'm not sure why you can feel the liquids hesitating more than solids, but I can. I am finally at my optimum spot. It feels wonderful!

Nope. My genitals aren't much of a brain bucket for me (however, now that I think of it...logistically speaking they'd probably fit women's a little better than men's) I keep my brain lovingly nestled in my purse by my side. I take it out when I get home from work and place it in a jar by my bed where it lays in sweet repose until sunrise.......

So, my questions to all of you are: 1. Do you regret having the surgery? Not in the slightest! 2. Have you had any complications because of the LB? Nope. None. 3. Is there anything physically you can't do anymore because of the LB? Stuff my face with a cheeseburger and french fries in 3 minutes flat.... 4. What foods and drinks are off limits now or can you not handle because of the LB? No drinks. Have even had carbonated drinks without any problem. As far as foods...I steer clear from breads right now because I have a GREAT restriction, but before this I COULD eat bread. Nothing is off limits if you can successfully get it down. 5. Have you had any negative side effects? Yes. Horrible side effects....my checkbook is smoking and my bank account is depleted from all the new clothes I have purchase in the last three weeks after dropping 40+ pounds! :biggrin1: