betty_s

oooooh i lovedddd walking around chicago, even at 300 lbs, it was enjoyable, albeit difficult, to walk around that gorgeous city! congrats on your loss!! keep it up!

congrats! my weight loss has slowed a lot since i've been off liquids. some days it can get discouraging, because i know i'm putting in my work, food and exercise wise, and the scale still wont budge!

congrats! i loved the feeling of putting on jeans, fresh out of the dryer, on and still having some room. i cant remember the last time i didnt have to jump, tug, and squat to get a pair of jeans out of the dryer to fit comfortably. i'm only 4 weeks post op, so i can relate. being moved to soft foods was the best day ever! haha

hey band buddy! i was banded the same day as you! i still have some discomfort bending over and when i lay on my stomach to go to sleep. i have been fully lifting weights for a week, i got the clear from my NP, so that makes it sore some days too. my NP told me ibuprofen pm would help with the soreness while i sleep. i walk every day at lunch time and bending over to tie my shoe, its still sore.

be ready for the lap-band haters to come chime in. my first surgeon, after a 12 month insurance process, refused to give me the lap-band, because i was 'too big'. 5 lbs over his lap-band limit. he said i wouldnt be successful. i left the office crying that day, thinking maybe he was right. i met with another surgeon in his office that afternoon and he assured me, i would be successful if i wanted to be. they're all just a tool. you might lose a ton of weight easily with the sleeve or bypass, but you still have to work to keep it off. i know 3 different women, with 3 different surgeries. They ALL struggle to maintain the weight they kept off. I watch the woman with bypass eat candy, cake and Cookies and go up and down with her weight all the time. The woman with the sleeve, had awful hair loss, because she doesnt eat her Protein and Snacks on candy and chips all day. The woman with the lap-band goes out to eat for lunch at burger king every day and cant figure out why she cant keep the weight off. It just goes to show, no surgery is the end all be all to weight losss. You have to work for it. I'm almost 4 weeks post-op with the band. I've lost 31 lbs since the pre-op diet and I'm down a size in my clothes. I already feel a lot better. do your research and find the surgery YOU are most comfortable with. everyone can give you your success stories and horror stories they've heard from people, but at the end of the day, you have to make a decision you'll be happy with.

This and a balanced diet.

I attended a WLS Seminar hosted by the surgeons hospital. They go over all 3 surgeries, then from there, had a meeting with my doctors nurse practitioner.

I'm no where near this, but I can understand your fear. I'm either all or nothing, so I would be afraid cutting some slack would make me re-gain all the weight. But I think tmf 's plan sounds good, add a few things here and there. Oh what it would feel like to NOT want to lose weight!! Do you think your body will level out on its own? Or do you think its wants to be way smaller than you want to be?

I was taking percocet in pill form the day after surgery, and was able to take tylenol in pill form, as well. just ask your doctor to be sure, they know better than anyone here.

I schedule my appts earlier, so I dont have to eat before them. And always a lightweight dress, NO JEANS! hahah so funny we all do this. Sometimes i breath out, too. hahaha

@@LoseIt4Ever you'll do great! i'm about 3 weeks post-op, so i was in your shoes only a few weeks ago. i'm SO happy with my decision. yes, its changed my relationship with food forever, but food and i had a very abusive relationship in the first place. you'll do great, keep a positive attitude and you can do whatever you want!

@@enjoythetime thanks!! i cant take all the credit. i dont know if you have instagram, but i follow questnutrition and they have TONS of recipes on their account. plus, if you order stuff straight from their website, they send you little recipe packets.

Ok, so I'm 3 weeks post-op, yesterday. I have my first fill in 2 weeks, but as all you vets have probably experienced, I'm not quite full after my 1/2 cup of food, and it definitely doesn't stay with me for more than 1-2 hours. After years of binging on food and never really listening to my 'full' signals, I'm not quite sure what 'not hungry' feels like. I know I'm not striving for 'full' after meals anymore, just looking for 'no longer hungry'. I guess my question is, did you immediately have the soft stops or did they not happen until you got closer to the 'green zone'. I'm not getting the runny nose or hiccup like some have mentioned. So I'm wondering if I should eat a little more than the 1/2 cup, or just deal with it for 2 more weeks. Just trying to figure this whole thing out.

thesweatybetty .. i'm following you!!

@@2muchfun , i've noticed that i've started chewing my food to a soup like consistency, as well, meaning everything i eat slides right through. i'm so scared to get 'stuck' that i chew until my jaw gets tired. i'm wondering if i may be doing the same thing with my food. where's the happy medium, just enough chews so it doesnt get stuck, but not too many that it slides? haha oh the joys of being banded.

Name, real or screen: Betty Goal weight for June 30th: 260 Weight on June 1st: 272 Age: 26 City/State: Richmond, VA Dietary goal for June: Keep is low-carb, get prepared for my first FILL! Exercise goal for June: lift 5x week, cardo atleast 2x Personal goal for June: enjoy LIFE! Date banded: may 8, 2014 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet: 31 lbs Favorite Summer Activity: tanning/pool/beach

I'll admit it. I did this for me to look better. I'm still young, 26 yrs old, and had zero health problems. Perfect BP, cholesterol, everything.. I was just fat. I've always gotten, you've got a pretty face, but I wanted to just be PRETTY, without having to name the part of me thats pretty. I wasnt happy with who i was, and didnt want to spend my life putting off pictures and parties because i didnt like the way i looked. I'm okay with that.

@@Averiex I had surgery the same day as you. I have lost some weight, but thats because I have been dieting, not relying on the band. I have cut out almost all carbs out of my diet. The only carbs I get are from veggies and I have had some watermelon/cantaloupe. Some meals I'm only getting my Protein in, and I'm stopping when I feel NOT HUNGRY, not when i feel FULL. I'm also already working out 5x a week, cardio HIITs + lifting. I've kept a positive outlook this whole time, because i know as soon as it shifts to negative, the weight will pile back on. Stay positive, this isn't a magic pill.

This is true, some people dont like them. I'm not sure if they ship to UAE, but you can order a sample pack of 12 to try out all of their flavors.

I sometimes do a protein shake for Breakfast if i'm in a rush, or for dessert, if i think my protein is low for the day. If you like regular vanilla, MRM Rich Vanilla is great, especially as a base for adding fruit. Flavored Proteins, I really like Protizyme Peanut Butter Cookie, and i LOVE UMP Cookies and Cream. The key to Protein Shakes for me, is mixing them with almond milk (unsweetened original). It only adds 30 calories, but makes them WAY creamier than Water, blech!

have you tried sliced lunch meat from the deli? i dont like pre-packaged, but borrs head roasted turkey is great with some laughing cow light. when i cook my chicken (i'm only 3 weeks post-op) i cook it with progresso recipe starters (cheese, mushroom, or creamy garlic), and that helps keep the chicken moist. for a snack, i love greek yogurt mixed with applesauce and cinnamon (sometimes stevia for sweetness). i love applesauce and you get the Protein from the greek yogurt. i always really like Quest bars (questnutrition.com). i try not to eat them every day, since i try to get real food in, but they are great in a pinch, plus they have 20ish grams of protein in per par. and the net carbs is low too.

@@JustWatchMe yes. this is a big learning curve. i thought i was prepared to slow down, but my band sure lets me know when i've had too many bites too quickly. i was ALWAYS the first person done at meal time, barely even enjoying what i was putting in my mouth. i've been timing myself at work, and i can only get up to 15-20 mins. i know i was told 30-45 mins in the pre-op classes, but its hard!! i put my fork down, chew chew chew, let it go down, take another small bite...repeat. so i'm working on it. hard to break 26 years worth of bad habits in 3 weeks tho!

@@2muchfun thanks. i had an appt with my NP yesterday and she said keep up with the 1/2 cup of food.. so when I feel like I need a few more bites to be satisfied, i feel like i'm 'breaking the rules'. i've cut out carbs, for the most part, so right now, i kind of feel like i'm on a diet, but the fact that i know there's an end in sight, having the fills and feeling satisfied on less, makes it more doable in my head.

Congrats! You're doing awesome! And I'm so impressed with you vacation weight loss! I have my first fill in 2 weeks, cant wait to start feeling some restriction.