Sue Magoo

Hi everybody: I'm not afraid to wear stripes anymore! What an amazing year it's been. I had surgery on 7/26/07. The updated pics are from 7/26/08. Missed my goal of -150 by my bandiversary, but I did lose 142 since 4/23/07 (didn't update ticker yet). Since 4/23/07 I've gone from 324 to 182 pounds, size 26/28 pants and 3x tops, to loose 14 pants and size Medium shirts. I've gone from a very inactive, sedentary lifestyle to a physical and active lifestyle. I feel great! I love, love, love my band and I feel 20 years younger! Best wishes to all of you. I'll see you at goal - 23 pounds to go! Sue

Hi: I have more energy now than I did before I was banded. My body seems to like carrying around 142 less pounds. I think it is important to keep up with a good daily multi-Vitamin to ensure that you get enough Vitamins and minerals while on a low calorie diet. I eat more than a cup of food per day too. Good luck. Sue

Hi: The directions should be in the bottle of citrate magnesium. If it's like a colonoscopy cleansing you take it out spread over the day. Plan on staying home for the day because you'll need to be right near the toilet once the citrate magnesium starts to work. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I just wanted to add something because I didn't know it would happen. I got stuck once. It was before I was filled, on the mushy stage. It was tuna fish that I must have eaten too quickly and it must have just packed up in my pouch. When I got stuck the pain that was in my left shoulder was severe. I actually thought I might be having a heart attack because of the left shoulder pain. So, be extra careful and hopefully it won't happen to you. But if it does, and it comes with shoulder pain, don't be surprised. Take care. Sue

Nobody can see my port and I'm about 23 pounds from goal. If someone saw my belly bare they would see the scar, but they can't see the port. It doesn't bulge and it never really did. My port is just below my rib cage. I can feel it if I push in. It kind of feels like a hockey puck in there. Good luck everyone. I love my band and am very happy one year out with 23 pounds to get to goal. Sue

puterlady: I think that is the reason why some recently banded people sleep in a reclining chair for a few days. I think that continually walking will help, along with a few days passing. Good luck and hope the gas goes away soon. Sue

missrach: Please be very careful with your tuna on the mushies stage. When I had tuna on the mushies stage I got stuck. It's the only stick that I've ever had. Please chew it to death and make sure you wait enough time between bites. I know it feels so good to be able to have mushies after all of the liquids for weeks. Best wishes to you for your band success. Sue

Hi Julie: Wow 5 pounds in a week. Yippee! Can you please share some of the things you ate while you were on this high Protein low carb plan? I still have 24 to go and would be doing cartwheels if I could lose 5 in a week. Thanks. Sue

slimmy120: I have that issue too. I can't wait too long between something going into the stomach (liquid or solids) every four hours or so. If I wait too long I have a very hard time getting down more than a bite or two. So, when I have lunch at noon I try to plan an afternoon snack (yogurt, pretzels, something small) for about 4 o'clock so that I can get through to six o'clock without getting that nasty growly/gurgly tummy. Take care. Sue

Hi: eggs are a good source of Protein too. How about chopped up light ham? I've even eaten the canned chicken that is the same consistency as canned tuna that I make into chicken salad. Sometimes I eat a couple of low fat sausages too. You'll be able to eat red meat after you are on full solids again. However, you'll have to chew it so long that it may not be as appealing to you. I still have a pork chop every once in a while. One pork chop is good for two meals for me. :biggrin: If you are motivated you'll come up with things that will work for you.

titancupcake: Following the basic bandster rules along with alot of exercise has been doing the trick for me. I exercise 4 times per day. I do two 1 mile walks with my walking buddies at work. During the noon lunch hour I either walk for 50 minutes or trikke from 30 to 50 minutes. Then again in the evening I exercise again - walk, walk the hill, or trikke again. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I've lost 103 pounds since surgery day, 7/26/07. Started at 324. Lost 38 pounds pre-op. On surgery day I weighed 287. This morning I'm 184. My scale is on "turtle" mode now. Oh well, I feel like a new person so I'm okay with the slower losses now. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I would recommend that you spend alot less money and go to a gym and hire a personal trainer, and join weight watchers. Once the personal trainer helps you to find a physical routine that will work for you, keep it up. If you exercise daily and follow a lower calorie diet you should probably be able to lose alot of your excess weight. If you continue with a daily routine of exercising you should be able to maintain your weight loss. I had a bmi of 50.7 (324 pounds at 5'7") when I started, so I was in much worse shape than you. Now I'm 25 pounds from goal and feel like I'm 20 years younger. I work out for 1 1/2 to 2 hours per day (split into 4 different sessions). I walk alot, but I love going out on my trikke. Look up trikke online and see if that's something you would enjoy doing for exercise. I think that finding an exercise that you really enjoy will work better than one that is "just exercise". Good music on my mp3 player helps when exercising too. If you try what I mentioned above and give it six months to work, and if it doesn't, then you can consider a lap band. You might find that you can do it without the band, and you could save yourself alot of money. Best wishes to you, and congratulations for trying to take care of your weight problem before it gets totally out of hand. Take care. Sue

snapplegirl: I felt disgusted and like a failure for not being able to lose and keep the lost weight off before I got banded. After attending the informational seminar I knew that lap band was going to work for me and I haven't looked back since. Now I'm 140 pounds lighter, more active, and feeling so much better about myself - both physically and mentally. Some people that I haven't seen in a long time don't recognize me - ha ha! I'm sure that it's the best thing I've done for myself in 20+ years. I only wish that I'd done it sooner. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi Everyone: What a fabulous 15 months it's been. I started dieting on 4/23/07 and got banded on 7/26/07. I've lost 140 pounds so far. I have 25 pounds to get to my goal of 159. Any suggestions on how to kick it up a notch to get the last 25 off? I've been playing around with the same two to four pounds for a couple of weeks now and it's pi$$ing me off. I already exercise 1 1/2 to 2 hours per day. So, increasing the exercise isn't possible. Should I go no-carb? I've never done that before. Have you? Please let me know if you have any tricks. Thanks. Sue

2ndtonone1: I was alot heavier than you, starting at 324. My life has improved tremendously and my Daughter can stop worrying about my weight now. It's been such a relief to her to see Mom getting healthier. As far as restaurants. I can honestly say that I don't really enjoy going to restaurants anymore. Occasionally I do go to restaurants and I eat "safe foods" - Soup, mashed potatoes, squash. Even though I'm a year out I still have issues occasionally with eating too fast and it happens most when I don't pay attention. It's hard to pay attention and be sociable at the same time - for me. I love my band and it's the best thing I've done for me in 20+ years. Good luck. Sue

Revolution: That's inspirational. You've lost half of yourself. Wow! Congratulations. Sue

lin2: I gained 9 pounds in 3 days after my surgery. It is probably just Fluid gain from your body going through a stressful time - surgery. My doctor told me not to panic, that it would go away within a week. He also said we shouldn't expect to lose until we start to feel some restriction. He was right about getting rid of the fluid. It took me about a week and it's been mostly downward since then. Relax, recuperate, and take care. It will come off if you follow a reasonable diet. Good luck. Sue

Fab4: I think that lap band is too drastic for someone that needs to lose 35 pounds. I suggest that before you do a band, please go and see a nutritionist. It sounds like you are exercising enough, so if you see a nutritionist and journal everything that hits your lips you might see that you can lose a pound a week without getting a band. While a lap band is alot less risky than gastric bypass it is still surgery, major surgery with general anesthesia. Any time you have general anesthesia you are putting yourself at risk. Based on needing to lose 35 pounds, and not 165 pounds (like me), I would try a few more things before going for a risky surgical procedure. Best wishes. Sue

Karey: Hope you heal quickly and get back to normal life, including exercise. I'm sorry that you had to go through this. Your posts have always been inspirational and informative to me. Thanks for doing all that you do here on the board. Take care, rest, relax, recuperate! Sue

80's Chick: You probably irritated your pouch big time. Please just have liquids for a couple of days and then you can try mushies for a day or two and then solids. You need to rest your pouch and the best way is to have the liquids. One of the tricks that I've learned is that I put the food that I intend to eat into a 1 cup container, then put it on my plate. That way I'm not tempted to eat more than a cup, and most of the time I cannot eat what is on my plate. Take care and I hope all of your lessons aren't learned the hard way. Sue

Diva: Best wishes to you. I think that a positive attitude helps too. My story is that I got so tired of being so heavy. I heard about the lap band and went to a seminar in my surgeon's office in March. I had a one-on-one appointment with him in April of 2007. On April 23rd, 2007 I started a modified weight watchers diet. By the time I had surgery on 7/26/07 I'd lost either 37 or 38 pounds. Now, a year later I've lost 140 pounds and I feel like a new person. It hasn't been easy, but it's been steady. I exercise 1 1/2 to 2 hours 6 days per week. Most of my exercise is walking, but I often ride my trikke too. Keep your good attitude, keep up the exercise, and the weight will melt off. I was a very big eater too. The band will not allow that. It's my belly cop. Good luck, and imagine how you'll look at 100 pounds less, because that's probably how you'll look a year from now. Take care. Sue

cenavigator: Patience my dear, patience. You're not expected to feel fullness until your fill gets to a good level. You probably haven't even had a fill yet. Or, if you have, probably only one. So, please follow the doctors orders and have faith because you will get restriction soon. Take care. Sue

Hi Mom: You may want to make sure he has some liquid Vitamins and liquid tylenol on hand. The vitamins (multi-Vitamin - for adults) will help him to keep from getting too exhausted. Best wishes to both of you. Sue

Yeah Nina!