cutlass6521

I agree completely with you Princess!!! You have hit the nail on the head. For most of us our health problems can be linked back to one thing..being over weight. Knee problems, sleep disorders, diabetes etc. For a few, these problems will continue to plague them for life, but without weight issues the doctors can help you. Like your friend, I dismissed every doctors opinion. I would tell myself that it is just in the family, old age spread, blood disorder etc causing me to be fat. Well, what a load of crap that was, convincing myself this is true. I am fat because I eat too much, poor nutrition choices and no exercise. My motto use to be "fitness kills-don't become a victim" My wake-up call came last year. Spring 2013 I ended up with a skin infection in my leg-went to an emergency walk-in clinic. The doctor there was kind and very efficient. No blood clot, but this type of problem was going to continue. Antibiotics fixed up the leg and he put my on metformin, blood pressure medication. He also told me that he use to be a non-believer on WLS...until his friend had it done. Both the doctor and the friend are overweight, and diabetic. His friend dropped 100lbs and no more health issues, diabetes gone. This got me thinking, maybe all the doctors back home were right? Then I went for a yearly check-up (oh I hated these). ECG is abnormal. What?? found out I have a small blockage-now I am taking Lipitor. Then in the fall, my knee gave out. Referred to a sports medicine specialist-she said, we cannot help you. you need knee replacement and NO surgeon will touch you. I talked to both of these doctors about WLS they all said they would sign off consent for me to have it done. Whoa!!! 3 doctors plainly said-GET IT DONE. Long story short, I got it done. Do I regret it? Hell no. I sure don't miss shopping in the plus size section wondering if they have my size. I don't miss getting that look on an airplane when someone must squeeze in beside me. I agree that you have to love yourself and be happy the way you are. 99% of us will never be a size 2, so to hell with that idea. Get down to a healthy weight you can maintain and accept who you are. If 180lbs make you feel happy, healthy and comfortable for the rest of your life-do it. Forget about being 110lbs-you will make yourself miserable. Now when I look at people, I don't criticize them-I think, Hmm, WLS would change this persons life. I have dropped 55 ugly pounds since last Christmas. I am off all medications. I originally was ashamed to tell anyone what I had done. That shame is now gone. Now, I praise the benefits of WLS and will encourage anyone who is thinking about having it done.

Prior to my surgery, nothing was operating normally. I went from no cycle to what I would call a hemorrhage effect. My family doctor did a bunch of tests and said all was ok. He also explained to me that with the excessive weight I was carrying it affects our bodies dramatically. Now that I was on a healthy track, losing weight, things will start to return to normal. This just started happening for me this month-4 months post surgery. You should talk to you weight loss clinic and your family doctor.

Just wondering how much exercise everyone is fitting into their schedule, if any at all.

I too have leg cramping. Water increase did not help, potassium did not help. I had to add a magnesium and Calcium to calm down the cramping.

Red wine is the one to drink. it has a natural chemical in the grape skins of red that may increase metabolism. it also has only 1 gram of sugar, unlike white wine. I was at a weight loss stall, then while on vacation had a glass of wine a day, and weight started to come off. I also used a small wine glass, poured only 2 ounces at a time. Made it seem like I wasn't a party pooper by only having one glass. LOL

I am 10 1/2 weeks out of surgery. My weight was not moving. No matter what I ate or how I was exercising. I was living on approx. 1000 calories/day. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks. I cooked all my food and measured it etc. Same amount of exercise as at home. Then I cheated...I indulged in cocktail hour with our friends each day. I had a small glass of red wine (4 oz) each day and weight has started to fall off. Huh? Is there something in that red wine that has boosted my metabolism or changed the way the fat is burning off? Has anyone else experienced this?

I just packed up two huge bags of clothes and took them to goodwill. I too was hanging on, thinking these don't look that bad on me...WRONG. I even found smaller clothes in the back of the closet-sadly for those clothes they are on their way to a new home. I decided that if I get rid of the big clothes it forces me to keep on track. I have made it a new game-when will my new clothes become too big.

wow! that's great news. Keep up the good work

Mar 1. 243 lbs Mar 18. 239 lbs Goal for mar 31. 235 Weight is finally starting to move a little.

Hi Cat: I too had my surgery at SWLC in jan 2014. I had my first fill on Feb 27th and yeah...couldn't tell the difference either. They tell me that they will only do one fill every 4 weeks, with only .5cc of fluid. I was told that it can take two weeks for the fill to take effect. I'm still waiting for the "effect" to kick in. LOL I found that to curb the cravings I have to eat lean Protein that takes a lot of chewing. I have never had a stuck issue, in fact, I think I could swallow an entire roast chicken (with a couple of side dishes). Maybe I am making the band work to pass the food by it, or I am just too tired to continue eating. I also found that exercising helps. If I get hungry, I will go for a walk, or ride a stationary bike. Again, usually too tired to get to the fridge. Looks like we are looking at a couple more fills this spring before we really see what this band will do. Keep positive, everyone here has similar stories and they tell me we will get there too. I was hoping to travel this journey on a super highway, but it appears to be a gravel road with potholes.

try www.myfitnesspal.com it is very popular, FREE and easy to use. It has a large data base of brand name foods and basic foods. There is also a feature to use your cell phone or tablet to scan bar codes that will put it into your food diary. there is also an exercise tracking feature as well good luck

3/1 243 lbs 3/8 243 lbs Stupid scale won't move. LOL Sticking to my goals of more Protein and exercise. trying to keep a positive attitude

Okay, I know what everyone is going to say...throw the scale away. (my husband hid my 2 scales this morning ) I went for my first fill and checkup with the nurse yesterday. I haven't lost any weight in the past 3 weeks. Actually it went up 4 lbs then back down, then up a pound today. What is going on with me?? I go for a 30 minute walk each day as well. The nurse tells me that I am not eating enough to lose weight? Could this be true? I am getting in 60g of Protein a day, low carbs and eating around 1000 calories. She tells me I need to eat a protein snack or two during the day to get to 1200 calories and then the weight will start to drop. Is this true???? anyone else experiencing this???? thanks, confused

Name, real or screen~ Charlene Goal weight for March 31st~ 235 Weight on March 1st~ 243 Age~ 48 City/State~ Calgary Alberta Dietary goal for March~ More Protein, less fat Exercise goal for March~ Add 30 more minutes/day Personal goal for March~ Weigh once a week (not 3 times a day) Date banded~ Jan 22, 2014 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 28 lbs What are you lucky to have in your life? My wonderful husband, who is a skinny 180lbs-but has joined me in my exercise and dietary goals

Thanks everyone for the great advise. I have been reviewing my food journal. I use the Lose It web to record everything that I put into my yap. I feel that I must be doing something wrong. I reviewed the calories-way under what I should be eating. Then I started to look at the report section. It gives info per day and week. Protein is right where it should be, 60-70 grams each day. Then I looked at the percentages. Uh oh.....my protein is 33 % of my calories, carbs 25 % Fats 42 % I think this is the problem. the Proteins I am eating have too high a fat content. Example: eggs-whole, not just the whites. Steak-wow, that one is a killer on fat. I reviewed the nutrition for the past weeks, every week the fat % is winning the race, protein second and carbs are last. Today, I flipped the numbers around. For 2 of my three meals today: 61% protein, 28 % fat, and 11% carb. does anyone else track these numbers?

2muchfun: thanks for the info. the Water retention thing has become a problem for me in the past 2 weeks. I am exercising more and all of a sudden my ankles and calves look like balloons. My doctor is pretty sure it is because I am exercising and all blood tests show normal. I guess I am a panic kind of person (my old boss called it the Electric chicken Syndrome). So many diet failures in the past that I am stressing over every ounce. Well, the scale has been shelved and I will concentrate on good food and sensible exercise.

I found this website that allows the home cook to enter all the ingredients of a homemade dish to calculate the nutritional values. list the amount and each ingredient ie: 1 pound ground turkey etc. Figure out home many servings you will get and it will analyse the nutritional value. http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

I called and talked to the people at Slimband. They talk a good sales pitch. They talked of quick weight loss, and were very sympathetic to my weight struggles. There was very little talk about after care. I did some research and found the after care is almost more important than the surgery itself. I decided to call SWLC in Mississauga. The people there answered my initial questions and sent me info via email and requested that I talk to Dr Cobourn before I make my final decision. Dr. Cobourn told it like it is...no instant weight loss, no miracle cure. He told me about the risks, how things can go wrong if the patient doesn't follow instructions etc. He quizzed me on my health condition and why I wanted the surgery. I had my surgery there in January. The clinic offers many webinars on the band, nutrition, support groups, etc. The team answers emails and phone calls quickly. They are eager to get their patients on the right track. If you are confused, they will set you straight. Understandably, they cannot give medical advise over the phone unless it is directly related to the band, found that out this past week. (thank lawyers for that one). Do your research before any surgery. Medical Tourism can be dangerous. Include your family physician before you go ahead with the surgery-you will need their support too.

I am newly banded Jan 22, 2014 by Dr Cobourn in Mississauga

This is exactly what is happening to me. I am following the meal plan, exercising every day and that pesky scale went up 1.5 lbs. My stubborn body is also keeping every last drop of Water I am pouring into it. 10 glasses of water in, very little coming out. I need patience, just a little. anyone got some they can send my way? LOL

I understand where you are coming from. Food was and I think still is a passion of mine. I am 5 weeks out too, and I am confused as what has happened to me. I understand the 3 bites and full syndrome. My clinic told me that 500 to 600 calories a way was not enough. I cannot tell when I am getting hungry, until it is way past the point of no return. So now, I am eating at the 4 hour mark no matter what. I had a test this past weekend. We were out of town for the day. My husband and friend decided they were starving and we need to go for lunch. Where did they take me you ask...Subway. What the hell, I can't eat bread. I told them let's go and I will figure it out. They did have something I could eat, sort of. I had the flat bread (toasted crisp) with teriyaki chicken and full off veggies. I asked for a fork and knife, and ate the meat and veggies. Wow it was good. I even tried a little of the bread, chewed it well and it went down ok. Like you I was and am terrified of eating. My old BFF has ditched me. I need to find a new BFF. Up until last week I was cooking 2 separate full meals. What a chore that is, especially since cooking seems to wear me out. That has now ended!!! If I have to get healthy, so does the family. I assume you have kids...they need to eat the way you do. They will develop healthy eating patterns and hopefully won't have to go through what we are going through now. That pizza, burgers, fries etc has to be the rare treat, not the norm. As for Vegas...you've got it made. Every restaurant there have and exceptional appetizer menu. Let the old boy order his mega steak, you order the fanciest appetizer on the menu and a side of veggies. We only get a cup of food at each setting, it better be good. Red wine helps our body digest and flush out the food we have eaten. So have a small glass and sip sip sip and enjoy. This lady has a great website with healthy, fun recipes for the whole family to enjoy. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.ca/

The greek yogurt is a great idea. Try adding 1/2 cup of fresh berries and an ounce of chopped nuts or low sugar/low fat granola. This gives us the Protein, fruit and Fiber combo.

I have began full solids this week. I was told by my doctor I am not eating enough, so I have started to put a few more groceries down into my stomach. I get the worse back & neck pain after eating. I go for a walk, put a heating pad on my back. When will this ever end? Did anybody experience this too?