JustWatchMe

Close enough for me. My FitBit One tracks my steps (I watch it sync to my phone and see the numbers go up with very step). It tracks my sleep cycle accurately. Flights of stairs seems accurate as well. I don't use it to counter my calories eaten so I don't know how that math pans out. All I know is I love it and it keeps me aware of movement all day.

Fear, fear and fear. And the thought that it was a selfish thing to do. How F'd up is that?

Looking good, @@greensleeve! I just donated lots of baggy clothes, but I'm keeping my only pair of big jeans for my final "after" photo when I hold them next to me!

I just realized my driver's license (which was a 52 pound lie at "250") is now 17 pounds too HIGH!! And I don't even care. I'm planning on getting it changed in a few months anyway, so for the first time ever, I think I'll tell them my real weight (even though I'll still be far from goal). This just cracked me up today.

I hope you have seen a doctor by now Please let us know what happened. This is scary stuff.

Wow, thank you so much for posting. I thrive on the stories of long term bander success, and you are!!! Most of us have lost weight before, but gave up when we regained, only to be worse off than when we started. I'm so ready for my LapBand to be the end of my cycles of failure. Thank you and congratulations. You are beautiful!!

@@Mikee57, this made my morning! Woo hoo!!!

Since my earlier post three weeks ago, I now love walking. Only walking. Lol. I find myself walking at lunchtime and taking stairs all the time. Going to a gym, notsomuch. I've met my 10,000 step goal on FitBit a few times and I strive for that every day. It's easier on weekends. As this weight comes off and I hurt less, I like moving more.

I went to Italy 17 days after my first fill. All of these tips are great. Especially the powder packs of Protein shake. I also brought my shaker bottle. I did need it twice in two weeks when I couldn't get a good Breakfast in the hotel. One big addition to the list: Stay connected on Bariatricpal! This forum kept me accountable every day. It was a godsend. Another tip is to have a meal buddy to share food with. My daughter helped me by sharing my meals. We saved money and didn't have to worry about leftovers with no refrigeration.

Thirty years ago I had a huge office with a private bathroom. It was formerly the chairman's office until he switched branches. Me getting it was a sheer fluke. All of the departments on the floor moved out to a new corporate headquarters and my 12-person department stayed behind and got the whole second floor. It was glorious. I eventually transferred for a promotion and had a much smaller desk in a shared room. Years later when I went part time after having my kids, I actually shared a desk with another part timer who worked opposite hours. So I've had both sides. The luxury was nice but the pay increase and better position was nicer.

@@catfish87, all I can say is, "wow!" And thanks for that important info!!

I'd like to commend you for supporting your husband. I don't have that support from my husband, and it hurts sometimes. That said, your WLS is for you. As others said, all other avenues should have been exhausted first. Sure, you'll probably take off some weight along with him now, but will you be able to keep it off? Maybe, maybe not. I was never able to keep weight off before my band. I'd advise you to start the investigation process. See your primary care practitioner and let him/her know you're planning WLS. Start the process. It takes a long time for approval anyway. You can always change your mind if you decide not to do it. However, I suspect that as you watch your husband succeed, and do the diet along with him, you'll want it for yourself. If that's the case, don't lose precious months now just thinking it over. Like I said, nothing's final until the day of surgery. Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Please please read the post-op posts from others. Gaining is the norm. I'm 14 weeks post op and losing like crazy. I gained at first. Check my ticker. This thing works! Do your part. Exercise every day and follow your food plan. Mine was six weeks of liquids. Thought it lasted forever, but it was so worth it. You're in the hardest part now. Grit your teeth, follow directions, exercise and keep posting here. You'll be amazed in one month, I promise!

I thought my back pain was part of my osteoarthritis. I thought I'd never be able to live without taking anti-inflammatories. Turns out, I was just fat.

I'm not confident I've reached it so soon, but I may be dancing at or near the Green Zone. Those who are there, please describe how it feels over the course of a day. I'm feeling almost Red in the morning (often I can only eat a bite or two of egg), and Green at lunch and dinner (can eat a whole salad or three chicken strips or two small meatballs and then feel a soft stop). But sometimes I feel Red at dinner (pork gets stuck). Yellow if I eat a sandwich (all bread goes down easily, so I really have to limit it). My weight loss has been steady since my second fill three weeks ago (14 pounds). I average around 1000 calories a day. I never snack. I'm never hungry between my 3 meals. It's almost too magical. Is this my Green Zone? What does yours feel like?

On weekdays just under 5000 average. On weekends just over 10,000 lately.

Wendy, I am sorry for your husband and for you. What an incredibly stressful time. Please stay connected here and let this be a place of support. I'm having a rough personal time now (not medical) and I thank God every day that I got my eating under control and feel better physically. Some days my weight loss project is the only thing keeping me sane. At your appointment, lay it all out. Let them know the extreme stressors you are under and have them check your band. They can help get you back on the path to weight loss and feeling better. While you're waiting for that appointment, take a short daily walk alone and have some time to yourself outdoors. Reflect on what you need for yourself and why. I'll be thinking about you. Good luck.

As I understand it, the slowing down is important no matter what kind of food it is. The reason is that every squeeze of your esophagus is sending satiety signals to your brain. You can't feel a soft stop signal of satiety if you rush the food. The signals need that time to register. Will you get stuck if you eat soft foods faster? Probably not. But you're not letting your band do what it's meant to do. Slowing down between bites/swallows is the absolute hardest thing for many of us to learn. When I do it (I am not always successful) I feel satisfied so much sooner. When I eat quickly (even soup) I blow right past my brain's signals and I end up eating too much before I have felt like I have had just enough. Slow it down and practice that new habit as often as you can. I hope this helps. I'm learning this too, and it's starting to really work for me.

Way to go!

The band is not effective until it is filled to the right level FOR YOU. Some people need no fill at all. Some need a lot. I'm on my second fill and I may stop here for awhile because it feels right. Please don't be intimidated by him into suffering needlessly. Let his office know you will be changing providers unless you get a fill. If you can't say it to his face tell the nurse or office staff.

I made a pot of delicious homemade Italian meatballs last weekend and ate them all week long. I used my garden herbs, ground beef and Italian sausage, simmered and reduced with tomatoes and peppers. It amazes me how long food lasts in my fridge now!

My lap band was outpatient, with no complications. I was told that the month I had my surgery was the first month they stopped requiring an overnight stay. March 2014.

234.2 on 06/22/2014

Have a blast!

GoWalking said it all. No, if you continue to rely on carbs you'll have a rougher adjustment. But I too can eat almost anything (except pork so far) and some foods "slide" easier than others, like salads. If someone's eating only salads they may be too tight. My best advice is to try the food changes now, pre-op. High Protein, low carb. No carbonation. No snacking. Habits that need to be broken. The pre and post op diet windows are the hardest. Once your band gets some decent restriction it gets so much easier. And once the weight starts to come off, you truly feel that it's all been worth it. Good luck!